State wildlife officials say hunting prospects look good for the opening of deer hunting season at sunrise today. The season concludes at sunset on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

This year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation officials said the DEC expanded its Deer Management Program, which "strives to maintain deer herds at levels compatible with people's use of the land, while minimizing negative impacts and providing high-quality hunting opportunities."

To aid in determining deer population sizes, local Citizen Task Forces are convened by DEC to represent a broad range of public interests and are charged with developing a desired deer population level for the area in which they live.

Citizen's Task Forces consider many issues during the process, including habitat availability and the concerns of farmers, foresters, conservationists, the tourism industry, motorists, businesses and hunters, officials said.

The DEC said it uses regulated deer hunting to achieve the desired deer population level in most Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) across the state, with hunters playing a major role in helping to limit the growth of the deer population and reduce the impacts of the deer herd.

Since late August, DEC has issued more than 667,000 Deer Management Permits (DMPs) through the new DEC Automated License System (DECALS). DMPs allow hunters to take one or more antlerless deer in addition to the deer allowed by the regular, bowhunting and muzzleloading licenses.

DEC officials said they were concerned about Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) which has been detected in both captive and wild deer and elk herds in 11 Midwestern states and two Canadian provinces.

CWD is a rare neurological disease that affects the brains of deer and elk, causing the animals to become emaciated, lose body functions and eventually die.

As part of the DEC response plan to CWD, a sampling plan to survey the state's wild deer herd for the presence of CWD was developed. Since July, more than 900 samples have been collected from deer in New York and CWD has not been detected.

In addition, black bear season opens Nov. 23 in the Catskill Mountains.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officials say hunters should follow a few simple rules that can prevent virtually all hunting-related shooting incidents:

• Treat every gun as if it was loaded.

• Point your gun in a safe direction.

• Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.

• Be sure of your target and beyond.

• Remember to wear hunter orange.