Start spreadin’ the news: New York state fishing is as good as it gets
Sadly, the state doesn’t do nearly enough to market the fishing possibilities.
New York – Steve Piatt
Encounter with a pack rat: Big rodent roams remote camp
I’ve stayed in all kinds of camps over the years – deer camps, turkey camps, trout camps – in cabins of varying degrees of rustic. As a result, I’ve seen my share of mice and had them tap-dancing on my head a time of two, notably in our now-sold camp near Boonville in the Adirondacks. We eventually tightened things up a bit…
Giving coyotes a free pass during deer season
Most hunters choose to take the shot.
Dogs and porcupines don’t mix
At one time I held a certain fascination with porcupines, always enjoying an occasional encounter with the quilled critters, able to get up close (but not too close) and personal, or watch them from a short distance as they went about their bark-chewing ways. Then I got a Labrador retriever, and my attitude toward porcupines did a 180. Over the years…
Getting organized: Establish some ‘grab-and-go’ gear
Somewhere, somehow, things have gotten a little disorganized around here. The office and my desk are fine; a bit cluttered, but that’s typical any time a deadline is approaching (and it seems there always is a deadline approaching). What I’m talking about is my hunting and fishing gear. It’s around, and I know exactly where most of it is. But if something arose,…
Get the kids involved well ahead of the actual youth hunts
And keep in mind, it’s not a one-time, one-outing detail. Studies have shown it can be a two- or three-year process before the youth or adult is ready to go it alone.
Billy or nanny? Differentiating between the two adds to challenge of mountain goat hunt
Writer will be relying heavily on his guide in upcoming British Columbia hunt.
Passing on archery season this year
I recently made the fairly difficult decision to forego bowhunting this season, for a variety of reasons. The biggest is that my practice regimen will be nonexistent this summer as I prep for a British Columbia mountain goat hunt. The time demands required for the physical training as well as the time at the shooting range with my .270 dictate that there’s…
Hunt trip planning: Your boots may be even more important than your firearm
As you can imagine, I’m really looking forward to my British Columbia mountain goat hunt this fall, even though I know it will almost assuredly be the toughest and most challenging hunt I’ve ever experienced. I’m preparing for the pain by inflicting some on myself this summer, donning a 40-pound pack and huffing and puffing my way up hills I…
There’s more than gobblers out there, so take in the spring
One of the writer’s favorites is the bobolink, which generally appears in early to mid-May in the Southern Tier. It’s been a strange spring gobbler season, full of the usual highs and lows, filled tags, close calls, and near misses. A mid-season gobbling lull could be blamed on some wet and cool weather, but there always seemed to be a…
TSS: A super option, but use it wisely
The latest in shotgun loads triggers the distance debate.
Emerald ash borer making its presence known in New York
Tree damage visible as the invasive insect takes its toll.
Spring gobbler season coming, but not fast enough
Pass the time by prepping gear, clothing, and calls, and there’s never a bad time to practice your calling.
Some real early turkey talk: Match your strikers with the right pot call
Just when you’re ready to relegate one to a stash of calls in your camo bag, you connect with the right striker and you’re ready to put it in your vest for future action.
Centerpin fishing becomes a center of attention
I don’t know much about centerpin fishing but I’m ready and willing to learn, especially after seeing all the Facebook photos from friends who seem to consistently – and I mean consistently – score on fine steelhead and hefty, colorful brown trout. It’s something I’ve been considering for a while, even though the traditional Great Lakes tributary hotspots – Oak Orchard Creek,…
With deer season winding down, plenty of tags remain unfilled
Looking at the season to this point, the writer is beginning to see that they’re getting out of it what they put into it.
Make the hunt happen – don’t pin all your hopes on luck of the draw
Make the memories while you can, while your legs still allow you to hunt hard, and before something comes along that prevents you from doing what you love. You never know when your hunting time is up.
Fall seasons require some decision-making
I jokingly say I like to visit a taxidermist once every 30 years or so, but when I look back at that statement, it’s really no joke. I’ve only taken two decent bucks over nearly 50 years of hunting – a fine 8-point back in 1979 and a bigger 10-pointer a few years ago that actually required a tape measurement, netting 136 inches….
Late start to archery season: I’ll go when I’ve properly prepared
Author’s game plan is to hunt next week, around Oct. 15, after he’s convinced himself he’s as ready as he’ll ever be to make the shot when it counts.
Early archery season worth a shot, weather or not
Bowhunters, myself included, can be a fickle bunch. Take New York state archery hunters, for instance. For years we lobbied hard for an earlier opening to the archery deer season, and DEC finally bumped it up from mid-October to an Oct. 1 kickoff. And once that was in place, we moaned about the warm weather that typically lingers well into October….
Deer hunters should learn a bit about food sources in the forest
You don’t have to be a biologist with a degree in forestry, but some basic knowledge can go a long way in the deer woods.
Tough times for turkeys: Poult numbers may point to poor nesting, brood-rearing season
Should the DEC’s Summer Sighting Survey confirm the writer’s observations, the low poult numbers this year will mean fewer jakes on the landscape next spring, and even more importantly, fewer 2-year-old longbeards in the spring of 2020.
Shape up for hunting season – and a physical isn’t a bad idea, either
Make it hurt now and it will hurt a little less when it’s time for that future hunt of a lifetime.
This summer, fishing takes a back seat to time on the rifle range
Paula put three of four shots into a six-inch square last week from 200 yards, and the lone miss wasn’t off by much. That kind of shooting easily puts her in the kill zone of a moose, although she wants to tighten things up even more before we head to The Rock.It’s been a bit of an unusual spring and…
Porcupine encounters become a prickly situation
For dogs’ sake, this writer is keeping porky numbers in check.
For the tired spring gobbler hunter, keep at it
We’ve pretty much arrived at that point in the spring gobbler season where it’s easy to come up with an excuse to turn off the 3:30 or 4 a.m. alarm and go back to sleep. It’s too windy, too rainy, too cold, the gobblers are done pursuing hens, and it’s too anything. It’s easy to shut it down for a season. If…
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