Antlerless Deer Draw Application Line Opens

The application process for the annual antlerless deer draw in Nova Scotia will be delayed this season by one month. The telephone line to apply for an antlerless deer stamp will open at 7 a.m. on Saturday, July 20.

Hunters can call 1-900-565-DEER (3337) any day of the week, 24 hours a day to apply for a stamp, until midnight of Friday, Aug. 30. As in previous years, a non-refundable application fee of $6.90 will be charged to the telephone bill of the phone used to place the call.

"The delay in opening the application line is to ensure all biological data is considered," said Natural Resources Minister Tim Olive. "When setting permit numbers for each deer management zone, the effects of winter on deer condition and the spring population estimate must be assessed and considered in the process. However, the popular and convenient method for applying remains the same this year for hunters throughout the province."

This year 12,200 permits are available for the hunt, which is 1,000 fewer stamps than were available last year. Permits are being offered for five of the seven deer management zones. The other two, zones 3 and 7, will have no stamps because of low deer numbers.

"We are still feeling the effects of the severe winter of 2000- 01," said Mr. Olive. "Long periods of deep snow caused high mortality in the deer herd, especially among fawns and yearlings. Doe yearlings and fawns that died last year would have produced a lot of fawns this year and over the next three to four years. This must be taken into account when establishing harvest numbers."

When a stamp is affixed to the general deer hunting licence, it allows the licence holder to hunt does and fawns, as well as antlered bucks, in a designated deer management zone. Hunters who do not have the stamp may hunt only antlered bucks.

The use of deer zones is a management practice that allows Natural Resources staff to set appropriate harvest numbers based on the distribution of deer throughout the province. The science- based approach helps to maintain a more stable deer population in all regions of Nova Scotia.

To apply for a stamp, hunters must hold a valid Firearm or Bow Hunting Certificate and have it on hand when calling the application line. In addition, applicants can apply in only one deer management zone.

The application line will be open from 7 a.m. July 20 until midnight Aug. 30. Afterward, a computerized random draw will take place. Successful applicants will be notified by mail during the week of Sept. 2. The results will be available between Sept. 7 and 13 by calling 1-877-535-1234, or 493-1412 in Halifax.

Detailed information on the antlerless deer draw can be found where hunting and angling licences are sold. Last year more than 32,000 people applied for a stamp.

NOTE: Below is a comparative list of available antlerless deer stamps for the years 2001 and 2002.

Deer Management Zone Stamps 2001 Stamps 2002 1 1,200 1,000 2 4,000 2,000 3 0 0 4 6,000 7,500 5 1,000 1,200 6 1,000 500 7 0 0 Total 13,200 12,200