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…
This Halloween is going to be different, even for those of us who spend time outdoors. It falls on a Saturday this year, which is always fun, and it’s also the second weekend of the Northern Zone rifle season. The hunter’s full moon will be in the sky, and being the second full moon in October, it will be a…
Labor Day weekend found Adrienne and I camping at Lake Eaton (near Long Lake) in the Central Adirondacks. Although we had camped here many times over the years, for one reason or another I had never taken the time to hike up Owl’s Head Mountain, which has a fire tower on it, and thus a 360-degree view. Camping is relaxing,…
In the June 26 issue of New York Outdoor News, I wrote in my column about last summer’s consuming project of building an Adirondack lean-to in my yard. Adrienne and I have been enjoying it a great deal as of late, having weekend campfires and morning coffee in recent weeks now that things are cooling off a little. The lean-to has…
The August 21 issue of New York Outdoor News has news story by Jane Anderson in which she reports on the amount of traffic and congestion at popular hiking trailheads. I took the accompanying photo with that article this past spring following a morning turkey hunt on some private land nearby in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks. After…
Anyone who is willing to tie up tens of thousands of dollars in a boat simply to fish bass tournaments is obviously quite serious about bass fishing. For the average evening or weekend angler, a canoe, kayak, johnboat or even a small motorboat will do. But not for these anglers. Professional bass fishing, or perhaps better put as “tournament angling,”…
Is it me, or are there more woodchucks around than normal this year? It seems like I’m hearing quite a few people complain about ‘chucks attacking their gardens and I’m also seeing several along the side of the road; both dead and alive. I’ve got some woodchuck problems around my own homestead too. Fortunately, I live in the country where,…
My wife Adrienne and I are not exactly summer people. Neither of us like hot weather and the steamy heat wave we’ve been enduring in New York in recent days has us borderline grumpy. We always say that we’d retire in Alaska or Canada before ever considering a place like Florida or the south. But one thing we do enjoy…
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