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With hunting season fast approaching, the Venison Donation Coalition wants to remind hunters of how easy it is to give back. Since its inception in 1999, the Venison Donation Coalition has coordinated the processing and distribution of over 1 million pounds of venison to Food Banks across New York State. . Coordinator Greg Fuerst explains “The Venison Donation program has grown from one county the first year to cover the entire state and has provided more than 4 million servings of venison to hungry New Yorkers through food pantries, soup kitchens, and other food programs. We are grateful for our partnerships with the New York Farm Bureau, the Food Bank Association of NYS, NYSDEC, and processors across the state. But we couldn’t do it without the support of the sportsmen and women who donate their field dressed deer.”

Natasha Thompson, Chair of the Food Bank Association of NYS states, “The Venison Donation Coalition has been a tremendous partner in our efforts to build and sustain hunger free communities across the state. Venison is a local, organic, and sustainable source of healthy protein that our recipients enjoy.” The Venison Donation Coalition relies heavily on state grants and individual donations through the D.E.C.A.L.S. program at any license issuing agent. If every person who purchases a hunting license would donate $1 per year to the Venison Donation Coalition, it would insure the continuance of the program. As you are aware, grants can be cut or eliminated any time.

In addition to the D.E.C.A.L.S. program, donations can be made through the Venison Donation Coalition’s website at www.venisondonation.org or sent by mail to their office at Venison Donation Coalition, Inc., 3 Pulteney Square, Bath, NY 14810.

The Venison Donation Coalition, Inc. is a non-profit organization that coordinates and funds the efforts of venison processing to feed the hungry throughout New York State. For more information, please call 1-866-862-3337.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced that several small game hunting seasons open Oct. 1 in addition to several special youth-only hunting seasons for pheasants and waterfowl prior to the start of the regular season.

“Small game hunting plays a critical role in introducing new people to the tradition of hunting in New York State,” Commissioner Seggos said. “In addition, our youth-only hunting seasons connect young people to the natural world and help them to become safe and responsible hunters. I encourage experienced hunters across New York to bring a novice hunter afield this fall.”

Season dates, bag limits, and other hunting regulations for New York’s suite of small game species can be found in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, which can be obtained from a license issuing agent, and on DEC’s website.

Waterfowl Hunting and Youth Waterfowl Days
Hunting seasons for waterfowl (ducks, geese, and brant) begin in early October in many parts of the state. In addition, there are special opportunities for junior hunters 12 to15 years old prior to the regular season. Junior hunters must be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter, and both the junior hunter and adult must be registered with the Harvest Information Program (HIP). Adult hunters must also have a federal migratory bird stamp. This fall’s youth waterfowl days are:

• Sept. 22 and 23 in the Northeast and Southeast zones
• Sept. 29 and 30 in the Lake Champlain Zone
• Oct. 13 and 14 in the Western Zone
• Nov. 10 and 11 in the Long Island Zone

Ruffed Grouse Hunting
Ruffed grouse hunting season runs from Oct. 1 through the last day of February in most areas of the state. In northern New York, the season opened on Sept. 20 and runs through the last day of February. In New York City and Long Island, the season is closed. Ruffed grouse hunters in the Northern Zone are reminded to positively identify quarry before shooting. The Northern Zone, specifically Wildlife Management Units 5C, 5F, 6F, and 6J, is also home to the spruce grouse. The spruce grouse is a state-endangered species and is not legal to hunt. Loss of a spruce grouse, particularly a female spruce grouse, could be a significant setback for a small local population.

Spruce grouse exist in lowland conifer forests in the Adirondacks. Although ruffed grouse occur in upland hardwoods statewide, during the fall and winter ruffed grouse may be found in spruce grouse habitat. Small game hunters in the Adirondack region must be able to distinguish between these species so that spruce grouse are not shot by mistake. For tips on how to discern the two species, view the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or the ruffed Grouse Hunting Information page on DEC’s website.

DEC is looking for ruffed grouse hunters to submit feathers from harvested birds in order to assess recruitment (number of young produced per adult female grouse) for different parts of the state. Interested hunters should visit the “Ruffed Grouse Hunting Information” link below. 

Pheasant Hunting
Approximately 30,000 adult pheasants will be released on lands open to public hunting for the upcoming fall pheasant hunting season. The pheasant hunting season begins:

• Oct. 1 in northern and eastern portions of New York
• Oct. 20 in central and western portions of the state
• Nov. 1 on Long Island

Since 2007, DEC has offered a special youth-only season to provide junior hunters the opportunity to hunt pheasants during the weekend prior to the regular pheasant hunting season. In western New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is Oct. 13 and 14. In northern and eastern New York, the youth pheasant hunt weekend is Sept. 29 and 30, and on Long Island, it is Oct. 27 and 28. Both the junior hunter and their adult mentor must have a hunting license. Only the junior hunter is allowed to carry a firearm and harvest birds on these dates.

All release sites for pheasants provided by state-funded programs are open to public hunting. Pheasants will be released on state-owned lands prior to and during the fall hunting season and at a number of sites on New York City Watershed lands thanks to a partnership with New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Pheasant hunting opportunities have also been augmented by private landowners that have opened their land to public hunting. DEC is grateful for their help in providing high quality hunting experiences for New York’s hunters. A list of statewide pheasant release sites and sites receiving birds for the youth-only pheasant hunt weekends can be found on DEC’s website.

An alliance of local government, business, preservation and sporting organizations from both the Adirondack Park and around the State have banded together to launch Preserve the Gooley. This group is asking Governor Cuomo and DEC Commissioner Seggos to place a hold on the removal of a historic sporting camp, located in the Essex Chain Lakes complex. These lands, once part of the former Finch Pruyn property were purchased by NYS in 2012. Advocates for the preservation and public use of the Gooley Club are simply asking for the opportunity to make their case before the state agencies responsible for the site and to the public.

Steve Engelhart, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), states that “during the process of developing a management plan for the Essex Chain Lakes, there was never a thorough public discussion about the possible uses of this site, even though such an effort is required by Environmental Conservation Law and the State Historic Preservation Act. It’s not too late to have this conversation if the demolition of the club’s buildings is postponed and a forum is created for an informed and open discussion about the site’s future.”

Supporters of this effort are asking the state to consider possible reuses that will preserve the structures and attract visitors to the Complex. The Gooley Club Camp on Third Lake of the Essex Chain was originally established in 1866 by Harve Bonney, a Civil War veteran from Pittsfield, Mass., and is the oldest continuously operating sporting camp in the Adirondacks. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of Adirondack Architectural Heritage and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the site was recently placed on both the NYS and Federal Historic Registers.

NYS Senator Betty Little offered the following; “We only stand to lose by failing to preserve the history of the Adirondacks, including notable camps and hunting clubs that have helped define the culture within our region and fostered traditions that stretch back multiple generations.  Keeping parts of this history intact is important to people today but will be even more important for future generations.”

Preserve the Gooley supporters are asking that a committee of stakeholders be formed to consider alternate uses for the camp, that would not only preserve an important part of the history and culture of the Central Adirondacks, but also serve as a point of interest to attract visitors to the Essex Chain Complex. Unfortunately, the flood of tourists promised by acquisition advocates has failed to materialize and the area receives few visitors. This has left local communities, still reeling from the loss of forest industry jobs and the economic activity previously provided by 20 dispossessed sporting clubs, with few viable alternatives.

Town of Minerva Supervisor, Stephen McNally offered his thoughts; “Preserving the Gooley Club buildings is important to our town, and to all of the Adirondack. The cultural history of our region is represented by these camps…repurposing them as a destination will help increase tourism. Their use as an interior outpost would provide a needed resource for education and safety for those visiting the Essex Chain of Lakes. I urge Governor Cuomo and the DEC to pause and consider working with us to create alternative uses that can benefit everyone” 

Preserve the Gooley advocates feel that a reuse of the camp as a museum or interpretive center chronicling its history, an interior ranger station or as a stop on the proposed “Hamlet to Hut” trail system would provide an incentive for visitors to make the trek to the Chain. Supporters point to the effort to save Camp Santanoni as a good model to follow. Originally scheduled to be torn down, a similar committee was formed, a compromise plan was developed and the Camp, reached via a 5-mile hike, bike or horse ride from Newcomb, now attracts some 15,000 visitors per year.

Mr. Engelhart also added; “the use of the complex would also preserve a National Register listed site and would honor the long and important history of hunting and fishing clubs in the Adirondacks as places where generations of people learned to love the outdoors and developed a conservation ethic so important in the region today.”

The following groups support Preserve the Gooley;

Adirondack Association of Towns & Villages                             North Country Chamber of Commerce

5 Towns Upper Hudson Recreational Hub                                  NYS Conservation Council

Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board                 Adirondack Architectural Heritage

NYS Conservation Fund Advisory Board                                     Access the Adirondacks

Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce                            NYS Fish & Wildlife Management Board

Tri-Lakes Business Alliance                                  Federation of Dutchess County Fish & Game Clubs, Inc.

To learn more about the effort to Preserve the Gooley or to offer support please go to  www.preservethegooley.org

MEMPHIS, Tennessee – Aug. 20, 2018 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) today released its report on 2018 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, based on surveys conducted in May and early June by FWS and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

Overall duck numbers in the survey area remain high. Total populations were estimated at 41.2 million breeding ducks in the traditional survey area, 13 percent lower than last year’s estimate of 47.3 million and percent and 17 percent above the long-term average. The projected mallard fall flight index is 11.4 million birds, down from the 2017 estimate of 12.9 million.

The main determining factor for duck breeding success is wetland and upland habitat conditions in the key breeding landscapes of the Prairies and the Boreal Forest. Conditions observed across the U.S. and Canadian survey areas during the 2018 breeding population survey were similar to or, in a few areas, declined compared to the 2017 survey.
The total pond estimate for the United States and Canada combined was 5.2 million, which is 14 percent below the 2017 estimate of 6.1 million and identical to the long-term average of 5.2 million.

“The dip in the population for prairie-breeding puddle ducks is not unexpected and by no means unprecedented given that conditions on the prairies this spring were drier than last year,” said DU Chief Scientist Tom Moorman. “As a result, 2018 populations dropped accordingly. However, populations of all key species except northern pintails and scaup remain above long-term averages. This year’s breeding population decline is a reminder of the need to sustain the capacity of breeding habitats, particularly in the prairies as we go through natural variation in wetland conditions. Waterfowl populations are adapted well to short-term swings in habitat conditions, but we must continue to guard against the long-term loss of prairie breeding habitat.”

When and where birds will be depends on many factors. Food availability, habitat and weather conditions, and other factors all influence local bird abundance, distribution, behavior and, ultimately, hunter success.

The spring surveys provide the scientific basis for many management programs across the continent, including hunting regulations. Individual states set their hunting seasons in a federal framework of season length, bag limits and dates. Check the hunting regulations in your state for final dates and bag limits.

Species estimates are:

Mallards: 9.3 million, 12 percent lower than 2017 and 17 percent above LTA*
Gadwall: 2.9 million, 31 percent lower than 2017 and 43 percent above LTA
American wigeon: 2.8 million, 2 percent above 2017 and 8 percent above LTA
Green-winged teal: 3 million, 16 percent lower than 2017 and 42 percent above LTA
Blue-winged teal: 6.5 million, 18 percent lower than 2017 and 27 percent above LTA
Northern shovelers: 4.2 million, 3 percent lower than 2017 and 62 percent above LTA
Northern pintails: 2.4 million, 18 percent lower than 2017 and 40 percent below LTA
Redheads: 1 million, 10 percent lower than 2017 and 38 percent above LTA
Canvasbacks: 0.7 million, 6 percent lower than 2017 and 16 percent above LTA
Scaup: 4 million, 9 percent below 2017 and 20 percent above LTA

*Long-term average

View all the data and get a species-by-species breakdown at www.ducks.org/ducknumbers.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world‘s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 14 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.