Sunday, August 9th, 2026

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Sunday, August 9th, 2026

Breaking News for

Sportsmen Since 1968

Dan Ladd

Dan Ladd: California ruling on ammunition background checks raises eyebrows in New York

On July 25, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that California’s requirement for background checks on ammunition purchases  – in place since 2019 – violates the Second Amendment. Basically, the ruling stated that in order to utilize a firearm under Second Amendment rights, one must also be able to access ammunition to use in a firearm.
It didn’t take long for New York gun owners to take note of the ruling, as we are all too familiar with our own ammunition background checks that were implemented in 2023.

Dan Ladd: California ruling on ammunition background checks raises eyebrows in New York Read More »

Plenty of antlerless opportunities available for New York deer hunters as licenses go on sale

Sporting licenses go on sale Aug. 4, and hunters can apply for Deer Management Permits, used to take antlerless deer across much of New York.
And for the most part, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation white-tailed deer biologists are hoping hunters will rise to the occasion, not only in applying for antlerless deer permits in some parts of the state, but making efforts to fill them once the hunting seasons arrive.

Plenty of antlerless opportunities available for New York deer hunters as licenses go on sale Read More »

Dan Ladd: What exactly defines ‘putting the time in’ for a hunter?

One of the ongoing themes surrounding the crossbow debate many of us have been following these past two decades (and then some) is in relation to the amount of time it takes one to become proficient with a vertical bow, compared to shooting a crossbow out of the box. This, some believe, warrants exclusivity to hunters who use vertical bows rather than a crossbow.
Acquiring a certain level of proficiency with a vertical bow obviously requires one to “put the time in,” there’s no disputing that. The question I raise is why practicing with a bow is the only hunting skill that should, or could, warrant exclusivity within a season?

Dan Ladd: What exactly defines ‘putting the time in’ for a hunter? Read More »

N.Y. bass waters drop in national rankings, remain leaders in the Northeast

After placing at the very top among bass fisheries in 2024, the St. Lawrence River dropped to No. 4 in Bassmaster Magazine’s annual Top 100 Bass Lake rankings. Lake Erie, meanwhile, fell two slots from seventh to ninth.
The two popular New York bass fisheries, however, remain ranked one-and-two respectively in the Bassmaster’s Northeast rankings.

N.Y. bass waters drop in national rankings, remain leaders in the Northeast Read More »

Dan Ladd: New York’s potential crossbow changes raise questions

Assuming Gov. Kathy Hochul eventually signs New York’s crossbow bill into law, there’s a few questions that remain to be answered.
First, is the timing of the potential signage, which is hoped and expected to happen in time for expanded crossbow use during the upcoming archery seasons. However, with hunting licenses set to go on sale in early August, and the annual hunting and trapping regulations guide already sent to the printer, any changes will not be reflected there.

Dan Ladd: New York’s potential crossbow changes raise questions Read More »

Here’s what to know as fall hunting seasons lie just ahead in New York

Nothing says fall is coming like hunting and trapping licenses going on sale, which occurs in early August. Hunters can also can begin applying for deer management permits. This year, however, things could look a bit different.
Crossbow legislation passed earlier this summer by the state legislature awaits the signature of Gov. Kathy Hochul. If signed into law, it will likely mean expanded hunting opportunities for the fall archery seasons. At press time, the bill had yet to be delivered by the Senate to the governor.

Here’s what to know as fall hunting seasons lie just ahead in New York Read More »

New York DEC confirms new state record brook trout from the Adirondacks

It’s been 12 years since New York’s brook trout record was last broken. But Ben Ferguson’s 6-pound, 3-ounce brookie, landed July 5 in the St. Regis Canoe Area in the Adirondacks, resets the bar for New York’s official state fish.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed the record catch, which measured 22 inches, on July 16. Ferguson, 32, and his fishing buddy, Shawn Widrick, both of Croghan in Lewis County, were spending three days over the July 4 weekend fishing remote trout ponds in the SRCA in their lightweight pack-boats.

New York DEC confirms new state record brook trout from the Adirondacks Read More »

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