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Bill Hilts Jr.

Bill Hilts, Jr.: Safety is job No. 1 for ice anglers; here’s what to consider

Blogs, Featured, Fishing, National Fishing, New York, Opinion /

I poured myself a cup of Tim Horton coffee at 5:30 a.m. this December morning and checked out the thermometer. It read a crisp 7 degrees in Lockport, N.Y.
I turned on the local news and listened to Patrick Hammer on WGRZ forecast that there will be more cold days like this in the next 10 days in Western New York. Winter has arrived and ice fishing is just around the corner. I turned to my friend, Scott Brauer, of Gasport, an authority on all things hard water, for some safety tips – your top priority when it comes to ice fishing.

Bill Hilts, Jr.: Safety is job No. 1 for ice anglers; here’s what to consider Read More »

Eight favorite waters for ice fishing in Western New York

Featured, Features, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, New York /

It’s nearly time to start singing the Foreigner hit “Cold as Ice.”
Ice fishing season is fast approaching, and hard water anglers hope it’s sooner rather than later when it comes to walking on water this year. For all things ice in New York, Scott Brauer of Gasport is the man.

Eight favorite waters for ice fishing in Western New York Read More »

Bill Hilts, Jr.: Reflecting on opening days of New York’s big game season

Blogs, Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion /

How often have you heard “where has the time gone?” More than I care to think about or even count, and it’s starting to happen with individual days like the openers of the regular big game season, the waterfowl openers, the various fishing seasons … I don’t like where this is headed!
In preparation for New York’s Southern Zone big game opener, I made plans to hunt with my good friend Bob Hood of Lockport.

Bill Hilts, Jr.: Reflecting on opening days of New York’s big game season Read More »

New York’s Cattaraugus Creek focus of new effort to stock lake sturgeon

Featured, Fishing, Home Page News, National Fishing, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, New York, News /

Lake sturgeon, a native species of New York and capable of living for more than 100 years, has been making a comeback in recent years. Thanks to the efforts of local fishing agencies, Mother Nature is getting a bit more of a helping hand to bring back these swimming dinosaurs.
In mid-October 2025, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, in partnership with the Seneca Nation of Indians and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, began stocking lake sturgeon into Cattaraugus Creek, a tributary of Lake Erie.

New York’s Cattaraugus Creek focus of new effort to stock lake sturgeon Read More »

Webinar updates public on chronic wasting disease in New York

Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, National News, New York, News /

Big game experts from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation held an information webinar on chronic wasting disease (CWD) on Oct. 16.
After a brief overview of the disease by Kevin Hynes, biologist with DEC’s Wildlife Health Unit, Natural Resources Supervisor Andy Macduff with Region 6 got right into the fact that CWD was confirmed on Oct. 24, 2024 in a captive red deer in the Town of Columbia in Herkimer County. He recapped the series of events that followed.

Webinar updates public on chronic wasting disease in New York Read More »

Bill Hilts, Jr.: New York’s later Canada goose opener is frustrating … again

Blogs, Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion /

It was opening day of New York’s 2025 duck season on Oct. 11, and I found myself in a waterfowl blind in Beaver Island State Park with long-time friend Thure Larson of East Amherst and his 79-year-old hunting buddy, Tom Cuerton, of Amherst. Thure’s dog, Ginger, was along for the hunt, too, even though she’s “more of a pheasant dog.” 
While putting out a couple big bags of duck decoys into the Niagara River in front of our base of operations, the first thing I discovered was that I had a leak in my waders.

Bill Hilts, Jr.: New York’s later Canada goose opener is frustrating … again Read More »

New York DEC’s waterfowl webinar features good and bad news

Featured, Home Page News, Hunting, National Hunting, National News, New York, News /

It was a little bit of good news, bad news type of scenario as the New York Department of Environmental Conservation hosted a virtual meeting on Sept. 29 to update the public on what’s happening in the waterfowl world of ducks and geese.
DEC’s Josh Stiller, Small Game Unit Leader out of Albany, and several Region 8 wildlife biologists hosted the webinar.

New York DEC’s waterfowl webinar features good and bad news Read More »

Scott Croft retires from BoatUS after 23 years

Featured, Fishing, National News, Nature Page & Night Sky, New York, News /

Those who have heard about the Boat Owners Association of The United States – simply referred to as BoatUS – likely did so because of work performed by Scott Croft in the last 23 years of his employment as the Public Relations guru for the organization.
That journey came to an end on Sept. 30 when Croft headed into retirement and began a new chapter in his life.

Scott Croft retires from BoatUS after 23 years Read More »

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