Jeff “Capt. JJ” Johnson arrowed this 8-pointer with his longbow Oct. 17 in Warren County.

Northern Zone Opener: Another year, and another warm week of early muzzleloading greeted many of us in the Adirondacks, and man is it dry, and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while. Still, cool-down is in the forecast and anytime the temperature changes (or the barometric pressure, especially on the high side), that’s a good time to be in the woods. For buck hunters, those days appear right now to be Sunday and Monday. I didn’t hunt much during this week, and NY Outdoor News kept me busy, but the weekend, albeit warm, did produce a small buck for the Iron Sight Gang. We also found a fair amount of buck sign in the form of  a few rubs and in places, several scrapes. So, bucks are getting antsy. Acorns were plentiful in the area, but not from every tree. Still, that was good news too. Now if we can only get a cool-down. Best of luck to all this weekend, 

Send photos to: buck@adkhunter.com (please include name, hometown, size of deer and county of kill). 

Printed Licenses – Important Update (10/23): We want to up some confusion regarding the new print-your-own hunting licenses. First, the digital/electronic option does not apply to carcass tags. You still need to put a physical tag on a deer, bear or turkey. Just like before, fill out your tag immediately after the kill and attach it to the carcass before transporting in/on a vehicle or hanging at camp or home. You can report your harvest using the HuntFishNY app or call it in within seven days.  

Next, and very important, all hunters – big and small game alike – need to carry your signed license (not just your tags) with you in the field. This is the first page (left in the photo) of the document that came with your printed out tags and has all of your pertinent information. Again, be sure to sign it.

Here are some resources:

• Hunting Regs Guide PDF (Details of the change are on Page 4)

• New Sporting License FAQ

• YouTube video explaining the change

Also, DEC announced a regulatory proposal that would enable License Issuing Agents and Officers (LIAs) to charge a nominal printing fee to recover costs associated with printing and mailing paper sporting licenses and other items sold through DEC’s Automated Licensing System (DECALS). The proposal does not include any additional fees if the license buyer prints a license themselves. Public comment on this is welcome through Aug. 12. Click here to read the Press Release. 

–Dan’l 

More reports…

Early Smokepole: Here comes the Northern Zone muzzleloading season, starting Saturday, Oct. 19 and the weekend and early part of the week ahead are looking quite warm. The mornings, however, have been seasonal as some hunters have been out with their crossbows (the season opened Oct. 16) and experiencing frosts. This hunter has been out each morning, passing on the warm afternoons and did find one good rub, but no scrapes yet. There’s some acorns too, although my findings have been hit-and-miss, but at least there are some. A number of hunters are finding them in bunches. 

So, good luck this weekend and if you don’t have any luck, be ready for the cold front coming later in the week. That should get some deer moving. 

(9/26) It’s Deer Season: Friday’s archery opener found this hunter in a tree stand, but not for long. Once the sun topped over the trees and hit the small clearing I was perched in, I was soon within the company of mosquitos. I’ve never been a warm-weather hunter and that’s the weather pattern we’ll be dealing with at least through the middle of this first week. Tuesday, Oct. 1 marks the Southern Zone opener as well the Northern Zone fall turkey season. It’s also the start of several small game seasons, including pheasant and other small game. Waterfowl seasons are coming soon. You can keep track of the seasons here. 

Meanwhile, we’re curious of any sign your finding, especially food sources like acorns and beechnuts. There area some nuts out there, but it seems like the supply varies by elevation. Good luck in the bow stand!