If you do all the right things following a hit and still don’t recover a deer that continues to move, take some resolve in the animal’s natural healing ability and that you may encounter it another day.
Tucked away in my files is a folder entitled “Strange Stuff” that is mostly full of letters from, and about a guy known as “Adirondack” Jack Leach, who lived in Utica. How I came to know Jack is a story all its own. The short version is that I was contacted in 2006 by an ESPN reporter who was doing…
New York could use a hard frost, and soon. It’s been an extremely warm autumn thus far, with temperatures running 10 or 15 degrees higher than average. Even where I reside in the Southeastern Adirondacks, we’re just on the tail end of a two-week run where temperatures have been in the 70s during the day. There’s a bit of a…
First light is obviously not sunrise. For the sake of terminology, there is civil twilight, nautical twilight and astronomical twilight to consider, which all occur before the official sunrise, and after sunset. Here’s how it all can impact turkey hunting success.
Got plans for the fourth Saturday in September? If not, you should have because it’s National Hunting & Fishing Day, which is also one of New York’s free fishing days. For sportsmen, NHFD should be something they pay homage too, perhaps even forging a little awareness on behalf of our outdoor heritage. It seems like any given day is “something”…
Like many kids who grew up in the Adirondack region, or even nearby, I visited Frontier Town as a youngster. In its day, Frontier Town was an exciting western theme park with cowboys and Indians, train rides and robberies, a rodeo and wildlife. But eventually the place fell on hard times and closed, a big loss for the Essex County…
The title of this post says it all, and please pardon me for venting. But I just can’t get over how lazy and bold some people are becoming when it comes to littering. And, it seems like as the popularity of outdoor sports grow, it’s only getting worse. A few weeks ago I went for a hike one morning in…
New York’s spring turkey hunting season may have ended two months ago, but like deer hunting, I am starting to find myself becoming a year-round turkey man. Being able to regularly observe summer flocks in recent years is surely part of the reason. Two years ago some strategic logging was done on my property and one of the intentions was…
As I write this, I am up at the Bassmasters Elite Series tournament in Waddington, N.Y., along the St. Lawrence River. Since it’s not too awful far from home, I thought I’d take a ride up and spend the afternoon covering the tournament and the weigh-in. Usually when I attend tournaments I book some time on a media boat, which…
The summer season has arrived and with it, comes more and more people. If you live, or more importantly, recreate in a place that attracts outdoor-types, don’t expect to have it to yourself anytime soon. School’s out, July 4 weekend is looming and things are going be busy well into autumn. Summer outdoor activities like hiking, biking, kayaking and even…
(Photo by Jerrod Vila)Another turkey season is well behind us now and hopefully most of the talk centered around wild turkeys is that of seeing hens with plenty of poults along our travels. That is something that is always good news for the seasons that lie ahead. As soon as one hunting season is over, I’m always looking ahead to…
While I was glad to see national and state-level COVID restrictions eased, I was also hesitant to throw the caution we’ve all been practicing for over a year out into the wind. But as the the month of May progressed and I found myself away from home for a series of events, I have to admit that the sense of…
Turkey hunting doesn’t go your way every time, and when it does, it’s sweet. Pay attention, however, to those times when it doesn’t.
With the arrival of spring turkey season so many of us have gobbler fever, and I’m certainly afflicted. But if your turkey hunting areas are the same as your deer hunting spots, you can surely acquire some data while turkey hunting this spring that will help you come fall. One early-May morning a few years ago I was running and…
The number of drownings across the country – anglers, hunters and especially paddlers – is astounding, and these numbers are creeping up again as of late.
The April 2 edition of the New York Outdoor News hit mailboxes and newsstands earlier this week. Within its pages are many details of the 2021 Person of the Year honoree, Jim Massett, of Chittenango, in Madison County. Those of us who know Jim consider him a living legend whitetail hunter, but more so, just a genuine good person known…
Ice fishing season is just about over for me, and I guess I should be glad as it has been laden with mishaps. I’m not complaining, as I’m of the opinion that it is better to have gone fishing than to not have. But it’s gotten to the point where when I load my truck up with gear and head…
Being a weekend warrior ice fisherman has not been easy this season. Like everything else in the outdoor world during this COVID pandemic, ice fishing is as popular as ever and the evidence is being found not only out on the hard water, but especially anywhere anglers gain access to the ice. As an angler and a reporter I do…
This report was compiled using the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s Tracking the Capitol tool and focuses on gun legislation. There are other options for hunting, fishing, etc.In the Feb. 19 issue of New York Outdoor News, we go into detail on some of the bills that could make it to New York’s legislative floor this year. The report below was compiled…
I enjoy ice fishing and small game hunting during the winter months as much as anyone, but sometimes the time, place and conditions just aren’t right. Other times, I simply feel like doing something else, especially when conditions are ripe for those activities. That’s where cross-country (Nordic) skiing comes into play, which is something I got into a little later…
If the trend of newcomers that we’ve seen in hunting and warm-weather fishing carries over to ice fishing, there’s sure to be some newbies wondering how to get into it. Welcome to the addiction.
If the holiday-week hunting season that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had proposed earlier this fall had come to fruition, it’s interesting to see how it might have transpired. It would’ve taken place Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The holiday hunt – suggested to allow families to hunt together during the holidays with archery (including crossbows) gear…
I hate seeing deer season end. Some years, including this one, I’m physically ready for it as I’ve logged close to 70 miles on my aging legs traipsing through the Adirondacks throughout the course of this season. But mentally, I am never prepared. Part of it is the season. I don’t despise winter, as some do, I just love the…
Every other fall semester, SUNY Plattsburgh English lecturer Jack Downs teaches an outdoor writing class. I have been speaking to these classes as a professional member of the outdoor media since 2012. Prior to joining the Outdoor News team, I was a freelance writer, and was published regularly in Plattsburgh’s Press-Republican. I’m also a SUNY Plattsburgh Alumni, and love taking…
The date was Saturday, Nov. 7, 1998. My brother, Tim, and I had made a few short pushes that morning before deciding to still-hunt one of the bigger mountains in our hunting area. This was well before our FRS/GPS radio days – and for Tim, a wristwatch. Our plan was to hunt our way to the top of the mountain…
Opening morning of the Northern Zone crossbow season found me sitting in the same spot where I had brought Joey, age 14, on the first two mornings of New York’s Columbus Day weekend youth big game hunt. Having only three days to hunt with a crossbow before the muzzleloading season, I figured I’d squeeze in a morning hunt before getting…
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