The latest from ADKHunter…

Posted on by May 26, 2017

God Bless America

Last Call: The last days of turkey season are upon us and what a fast season it has been. About the only thing that goes by faster than deer season is turkey season. Speaking of dear season, in just four short months we’ll be bowhunting in the Northern Zone. But for now there’s still some gobblers to go after. We’ve heard of a few more being taken this week but many hunters are talking about quieter birds, even on the roost and a few ignoring calling and decoys all-together. And then there’s the weather. After Friday’s deluge things aren’t looking too bad. In fact, the mornings might be on the cool side which is good for dealing with bugs. Monday looks a little wetter, as do the last two days of the season. Have fun out there, go after those birds and if you see a veteran, shake their hand and buy them a cup of coffee, or a beer

 

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Finally, the 2016 Deer Harvest Stats

Posted on by May 17, 2017

Hunters in New York State harvested an estimated 213,061 deer during the 2016-17 hunting seasons, an estimated five percent increase over 2015-16 levels, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.

The 2016 deer take included 106,055 antlerless deer and 107,006 antlered bucks. Statewide, this represents a 7.5-percent increase in buck harvest from 2015, reflecting modest population growth following the losses experienced during the harsh winter of 2014-15. Antlerless harvest was similar to 2015 (a 2.6-percent increase), as managers sought increased antlerless harvests in certain parts of the state and reduced harvests in others.

DEC’s 2016 Deer Harvest Summary report (PDF 3.75 MB) provides a suite of tables, charts, and maps detailing the statewide deer harvest. .

Regionally, hunters in the Northern Zone took 24,674 deer, including 16,495 adult bucks. In the Southern Zone, hunters took 188,387 deer, including 90,511 adult bucks.

Last year, DEC kicked off a campaign to encourage hunters to voluntarily pass up shots at young bucks in an effort to grow the population of larger bucks across the state. In areas where hunters had the freedom to choose what type of buck to take, nearly half of the adult bucks taken this past year were 2.5 years or older. Yearling bucks were plentiful, a result of strong survival rates through the 2015-16 winter, yet many hunters voluntarily chose restraint.

DEC also confirmed that bucks of all ages across the state were in good condition, with larger antlers, more mass, and fewer spike-antlered bucks.

New York’s First-Time Camper Program

Posted on by May 7, 2017

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) today announced that New York State will provide free First-Time Camper weekends throughout the summer in 2017. Families that have never camped before will have the opportunity to see if they enjoy sleeping under the stars before investing in their own gear by registering for a fully stocked campsite at select state campgrounds one weekend from July 7 through August 25, 2017.

Reservations are required and will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis starting May 17, 2017 from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. by calling 518-474-6718. For more information on the First-time Camper Weekend Program, visit DEC’s website.

Campgrounds are available throughout the state to give all New Yorkers an opportunity to participate. Campground locations are listed and linked below:

  1. 7/7-7/9 – North South Lake (Catskills)
  2. 7/14-7/16 – Wellesley Island State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  3. 7/21-7/23 – Paradox Lake (Adirondacks)
  4. 7/28-7/30 – Schodack Island State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  5. 8/4-8/6 – Kenneth L Wilson (Catskills)
  6. 8/11-8/13 – Green Lakes State Park (link leaves DEC website)
  7. 8/18-8/20 – Hearthstone Point (Adirondacks)
  8. 8/25-8/27 – Hamlin Beach State Park (link leaves DEC website)

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DEC Finalizes Sacandaga Easement Plan

Posted on by April 20, 2017

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released the Final Sacandaga Block Conservation Easement Lands Recreation Management Plan (RMP) that identifies management initiatives to increase public access for recreational use on 6,147 acres of easement lands divided between seven tracts in the southern Adirondacks, Regional Director Robert Stegemann announced today.

The complete Final Sacandaga Block Conservation Easement Lands RMP is available for viewing and downloading on DEC’s web site at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/107809.html.

          In June 2007, Finch, Pruyn and Company, Inc. sold 161,000 acres of land to The Nature Conservancy, which in turn sold the 92,035-acres to Upper Hudson Woodlands ATP and a Conservation Easement to the State of New York in March 2009. The Sacandaga Block Tracts consists of 6,147 acres of those lands in seven tracts:  Continue reading →

NATIONAL ARCHERY IN THE SCHOOLS PROGRAM CONTINUES TO GROW IN NEW YORK

Posted on by April 20, 2017

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos  announced the 60 New York students who scored high enough in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to compete in the national tournament this May. Students from participating schools and school districts across the state competed in the archery program in March.

“The National Archery in the Schools Program is growing in New York,” said Commissioner Seggos. “This cooperative effort between conservation agencies, school systems, and private organizations is a great way to bring the sport of archery to thousands of students across the state. Archery is one of the few sports where students of all ages and athletic abilities compete at the same level for top honors. Even with the expanded participation that we have experienced here in New York, we are encouraging more schools to join us in New York NASP.”

NASP is designed to improve participation in outdoor activities among students of all athletic abilities. DEC started this program in 2008 to introduce young people to archery, outdoors, and other shooting sports, including hunting. In New York, 320 schools from 167 school districts currently participate in the program and more than 34,000 students participated during the school year. NASP continues to grow at the national level with 2.4 million students and more than 14,400 schools in 47 states participating in the program. Continue reading →

Boreas Ponds: Debate over recent survey

Posted on by April 11, 2017

The Adirondack Council recently sponsored a Sienna College poll of 791 registered voters seeking their opinions on the forthcoming Boreas Ponds classification. Here’s a few links:

 

Meanwhile, Access the Adirondacks responds, 

Despite Four Fatalities, DEC Records Lowest Number of Hunting-Related Shooting Incidents for 2016

Posted on by March 9, 2017

The State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that the 2016 hunting season in New York had only 13 hunting-related shooting incidents, the lowest number on record since DEC began compiling hunting-related shooting statistics in 1958.

Of the 13 hunting-related shooting incidents in 2016, seven incidents were self-inflicted and six incidents involved more than one person. In 2015, there were 23 incidents. In 1966, there were 166 incidents, 13 of which were fatal.

Despite these low numbers, there were four fatalities in 2016 – two two-party incidents and two self-inflicted incidents.

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DEC ANNOUNCES NEW STATE RECREATION TRAIL SUPPORTER PATCH

Posted on by March 9, 2017

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the release of the newly designed Trail Supporter Patch. The updated design is the first in a three-color series of patches and resembles the trail markers used by DEC to mark north-south directional trails, a blue round disc with white lettering.

The Trail Supporter Patch is available for $5.00 at all sporting license outlets or on-line for current New York State sporting license holders and will officially be available for purchase on March 1. Patch sale proceeds help maintain and enhance non-motorized recreation trails throughout the state. All monies raised from patch purchases will be deposited in the Conservation Fund’s Outdoor Recreation, Trail Maintenance, and Development Account.

DEC remains committed to promoting all the amazing opportunities for hiking throughout the Adirondack Park, and is actively working with partner organizations and tourism promotion agencies to highlight and encourage responsible hiking on trails across the state. To further promote outdoor recreation in the state, Governor Cuomo’s 2017 Budget plan calls for $70 million, up from $40 million last year, for the capital infrastructure program Adventure NY to improve access to state land, update campgrounds, and upgrade DEC’s recreational facilities.

The patch was first introduced in 2007 to help raise funds to maintain trails across the state. To date, DEC has used funds from patch sales to build foot trail bridges on the Finger Lakes Trail and the Northville-Lake Placid Trail. It has also purchased materials for accessible horse mounting platforms at the Brookfield Horse Assembly Area, and erosion control structures at the Otter Creek and Independence River Wild Forest trail systems. Since 2007, sales of the trail supporter patch have raised $21,818. 

For more information on the Trails Supporter Patch, visit DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/36016.html. 

DEC ANNOUNCES 2016 BEAR HARVEST RESULTS

Posted on by March 27, 2017

Bear hunters in New York State took 1,539 black bears during the 2016 hunting seasons, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.   

2016 Black Bear Harvest & Recent Trend Comparison

 

2016 Total

2015 Total

Recent
5-year Average
(2011-2015)

Historical Average
(1991-2000)

Northern Zone

514

583

472

515

Southern Zone

1,025

1,132

987

207

Statewide

1,539

1,715

1,459

722

 

A complete summary of the 2016 bear harvest with results and maps by county, town, and WMU is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html. Continue reading →