DEER HUNTING AT WEST POINT – 2008

The United States Army Garrison at West Point is once again offering a deer hunting opportunity to the General Public. To assist in meeting the objective of achieving and maintaining a deer population in balance with the productive capability of the land and compatible with various land uses, general public hunters holding valid DMP 3P permits will be allowed to hunt on the 16,000-acre West Point Military Reservation.

Following are certain conditions that hunters must follow in order to participate in the West Point hunting program. The policies outlined here (front and back) pertain only to general public hunters, who must have a valid DMP 3P permit. (Note: West Point is only a small part of Unit 3P). IMPORTANT POINTS FOR 2008: (1) Entire area will be CLOSED to hunting on Saturday, November 22 due to training events. The entire area will only be open a half-day until 12 Noon on Friday, November 21. (2) Only open until 12 Noon on Thanksgiving Day. (3) All weapons ranges are OFF-LIMITS to all hunters. Maps are marked to identify those areas. (4) Boundary changes to some hunting areas and one hunting area was eliminated. Old maps are not valid. (5) First-registration day location different.

1. All hunters during the Regular (Firearms) Big-Game Season must physically sign in and out daily for hunting areas at the West Point Hunt Control Center. The Center is located off NY Route 293 at Camp Buckner – Building 1545, approximately 3.5 miles WEST of U.S. Route 9W and 2.5 miles EAST of U.S. Route 6. Prior to their first sign in, general public hunters must read a Safety Paper that includes information on other West Point hunting regulations & OFF LIMITS or DUD-DANGER areas, then sign a Release from Liability Statement. NOTE: The West Point Hunt Control Center is accessible for hunters that are physically challenged.

2. Each hunter will receive a West Point map showing the boundaries of the Reservation's 39 hunting areas. Old maps are NOT VALID. The areas located east of U.S. Route 9W are NOT open to General Public hunters. Hunting area boundaries are not marked in the field but follow natural and man-made features (e.g. streams, lakes, roads, firebreaks, ridgetops, etc.). You must possess basic compass and topographic map reading skills to ensure that you remain within your chosen hunting area and stay out of the DUD-DANGER AREAS. In two hunting areas, only bow-and-arrows are allowed & in one other area only shotguns/muzzleloaders/ or bow-and-arrow is allowed (no rifles). Rifle hunting is permitted in the remaining areas. Hunting with handguns is allowed provided that NY laws and licensing regulations are complied with.

3. The Reservation will NOT be open to general public hunting on Saturday, November 15, 2008. General Public DMP 3P hunters may sign out to go hunting after 7:00 AM starting on Sunday, November 16 through Friday, November 21, 2008, and after 5:00 AM on Sunday, November 23 through Sunday, December 7, 2008. No sign-outs will occur during the last hour before legal sunset. All hunters must return to Hunt Control NO LATER THAN one (1) hour after sunset. It is VERY important that all hunters sign back in at the Hunt Control Center when they are finished hunting for the day.

4. General Public hunters may register before the season on Friday, November 14, 2008 between 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM at Round Pond Recreation Area office, located off NY Rte 293, one mile west of its intersection with US Rte 9W. When registering, a General Public hunter must present a valid DMP 3P permit, a NY big-game license (not the back tag), a photo id, and the $10 registration fee.

5. A $10.00 fee will be collected at your initial registration at West Point to cover administrative costs and to enhance the West Point wildlife management program.

During the season, registration will only occur as follows:

Sat., 15 Nov: 5:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

Sun., 16 Nov: 5:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Mon., 20 Nov. - Sun., 9 Dec: 5:00 AM to 12:00 Noon (closed Sat., 22 Nov)

To hunt the late archery and muzzleloader seasons, you must have registered by December 7th.

6. During the Regular Big-Game Season, all hunters on the West Point Military Reservation must wear a minimum of 400 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing that is visible from all sides. A hat will not suffice. A vest would be the minimum needed. Red clothing is not acceptable. You must have your orange clothing with you each and every time you sign in.

7. THE FIRST DEER TAKEN BY A GENERAL PUBLIC HUNTER MUST BE TAGGED WITH THE HUNTER'S DMP 3P PERMIT. A hunter should select an adult doe to fill his/her DMP 3P permit to help meet management objectives at West Point. In accordance with New York regulations, the deer must be antlerless (e.g. adult doe, fawn of either sex). An easy method to distinguish an adult doe from a fawn is that an adult doe's body will look longer than it is tall while a fawn's body will appear to be as long as it is tall. Also, an adult doe’s muzzle will look longer and the doe will have a long neck. A fawn’s eyes and nose will look large; the muzzle will be short, as will its neck. Hunter cooperation to limit the taking of fawns is strongly desired. An antlerless deer by itself is quite often a “button buck” (a male fawn) and should be left alone. Be sure to look your deer over before you shoot. After filling the DMP 3P permit, a hunter can then receive a West Point Buck Hunting Pass. The pass will allow the hunter to continue to hunt for a buck with his/her unfilled big-game tag during the remainder of the Regular Season, the late-archery season and the muzzleloader season.

8. All deer harvested on the Reservation must be registered at the West Point Hunt Control Center where biological information will be collected. The deer must be gutted (have all internal organs removed) BEFORE it is brought to Hunt Control. Only after you have registered your DMP permit deer will you be issued a Buck Hunting Pass and be allowed to take an antlered buck.

9. For safety reasons there is a quota of 208 total hunters allowed afield on the Reservation at any one time. On occasion, military training may close some hunting areas and the remaining hunting areas may fill up quickly.

10. General Public hunters are NOT permitted scout before the season or hunt deer during the early special archery season on the Reservation. General Public hunters are permitted to hunt the special late-archery and muzzleloader deer seasons, provided they have pre-registered with West Point, and have a valid DMP 3P permit or had been issued a Buck Hunting Pass. During the muzzleloader season the minimum fluorescent orange clothing requirement is at least 100 square inches (a hat). The Sign-In/Sign-Out location for the late-bow/muzzleloader seasons is the Hunter’s Shack located at the parking lot to the left of Range Control Center one (1) mile WEST of U.S. Route 9W on NY Route 293. Vehicles may NOT be left in the parking lot at Range Control. General Public hunters may also take coyotes during the Regular Big-Game Season provided they have a NY small-game or sportsman’s license. The taking of any species of wildlife other than deer or coyotes (e.g. bear) by General Public hunters while hunting during the Regular Big-Game Season is prohibited.

11.Failure to abide by any West Point policy or regulation, or any NY/Federal hunting and wildlife laws and regulations will result in the immediate loss of 2008, 2009 and 2010 West Point hunting privileges as well as possibly losing hunting privileges for up to TWO additional years. Game wardens will be patrolling during the seasons to monitor compliance with and apprehend violators of West Point and New York regulations.

Before the Firearms Deer Season begins, questions regarding deer hunting on the West Point Military Reservation may be directed to the USAGWP Natural Resources Branch, (845) 938-3857, Monday through Friday between 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. This number is not actively monitored during the firearms season.

Email address for questions is – james.beemer@usma.army.mil.

During the season the Hunt Control Center is operational from 5:00 A.M. until the last hunter checks in, normally before 5:30 P.M.