The Peru Gazette

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) for Valcour Island would continue in 2022. The program, launched in the fall of 2020, offers opportunities to take antlerless deer on Valcour Island with antlerless deer tags.

Deer hunting is allowed on Valcour Island in the towns of Peru and Plattsburgh, Clinton County. DEC is issuing DMAP tags to increase opportunities to take antlerless deer during all open hunting seasons, helping to reduce deer numbers on the island and mitigate damage to its unique plant community.

Interested hunters must have a valid New York State hunting license to apply for tags. Tags are valid only for antlerless deer harvest on Valcour Island and will be awarded by a lottery drawing system. Tag recipients are responsible for their transportation to and from the island, which requires a vessel suitable to navigate Lake Champlain waters. There is no preference for residents versus non-residents. The application deadline is Sept. 15, 2022.

The duration of the program and the number of tags issued each year may vary depending on the program’s success and environmental factors that affect deer populations. This program is not available for DEC employees or their immediate families.

Apply for tags (leaves DEC website) or find more information about this and other DMAP opportunities on New York State lands on DEC’s website.