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Buck's Blog
No late-season gobbler, but….
This hunter bids farewell to gobblers until fall.
You can never be too safe in the turkey woods
New York hunters are generally a safe bunch, but the statistics we often boast about should never cause us to let our guard down.
A little luck on opening day
For this hunter, there is nothing better than the early days of turkey season with the cooler temperatures, limited foliation and lack of insects. It’s a wonderful time to be in the turkey woods. Slinging a gobbler over your shoulder on the way out is icing on the cake.
The final approach to turkey season
The goal is to find birds to hunt during the first two or three days of the season.
A pair of six-hour canoes
I still remember a PBS show called Cottage Country where I saw an episode over 25 years ago that demonstrated how to build what was known as the “Six Hour Canoe” from one sheet of 4x16 marine plywood (or a pair of…
Permanent Daylight Savings Time: What if?
What would it mean for us outdoors folks if the House and President Biden approve?
Enjoy winter while you can
Is it just me, or has this winter gone by fast? It seems like only yesterday it was deer season and the holidays were just ahead. Now, we’re counting the days until March 20, when spring arrives and maybe even…
Some whitetails have it easier than others
Around here, there’s plenty for deer to eat, but that’s not the case in the mountains.
Last call for comments on proposed fishing regs
Time is quickly winding down for the Feb. 6 public comment deadline regarding a series of freshwater fishing regulation changes that could affect nearly every angler in this state.
Preparing for winter power outages
One late December morning, my wife Adrienne and I woke up to find the power had gone out. A nasty, over-night windstorm was the culprit. Ours is a log home, and takes a while to cool down. Still, within minutes,…
Ice situation not looking good
But we’ll be turning the corner on winter before you know it.
Another Adirondack deer season comes to a close
It was sad to see it end and this hunter feels like he left something in the woods.
Shooting – but mostly not shooting – does
This hunter often finds himself undecided when an opportunity on an antlerless deer presents itself. Sometimes he pulls the trigger, but more often than not, he doesn't.
Whitetails are tough critters
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.
The Strange Stuff files
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…
Too hot to handle
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…
Twilight in the autumn hunting woods
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.
What are you doing to celebrate National Hunting & Fishing Day?
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,…
Frontier Town: The Adirondack campground with a state park feel
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…
What is wrong with people?
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…
Tracking summer turkeys
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…
The ‘power’ of technology
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…
Here comes a busy summer season
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…
Looking ahead to hunting season
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…
On the road again
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…
Turkey hunters, what not to do
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.
Double duty: Scouting for deer during turkey season
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…
Cold water kills – wear that PFD
The number of drownings across the country – anglers, hunters and especially paddlers – is astounding, and these numbers are creeping up again as of late.
Person of the Year perspectives [video]
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…
Mishaps on the ice
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…
Access a challenge for ice anglers
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…
Tracking 2021 legislation
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 using the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s…
Non-hook-and-bullet outdoor winter fun
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…
So you want to be an ice angler
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.
What if ... ?
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.…
Closing time – the end of deer season
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…
The next generation of outdoor writers
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…
The buck, the bullet and the sapling
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…
A fresh look at young hunters – and young deer
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…
Scary stuff for Halloween
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…
A new perspective from Owl’s Head Mountain
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…
A privy addition
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,…
In search of paths less traveled
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…
A peek at pro bass fishing [video]
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…
Woodchuck wars
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…
Looking forward to camping – eventually
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…
Taking the water temperature
Water temperatures mean everything to the trout angler, or at least those who care enough about the species they covet so much that they’ll back off when conditions are not favorable for optimal fish survival. That is especially the case…
In New York, still time to get a gobbler
What has been and up-and-down turkey season continues to be just that. Following the snow and cold of the second weekend in May, as well as that of the season, things warmed up and turkey season entered yet another phase.…
Snow-kidding: winter weather turkey hunting
When I saw the weather forecast for the approaching weekend calling for snow, I actually got excited. I don’t mind it a little on cool side when I’m turkey hunting. In fact what I dislike the most about the late…
Dan Ladd is an outdoor writer based in the southeastern Adirondacks. He is the web author of ADKHunter.com and has authored two books, including Deer Hunting in the Adirondacks. Dan writes a weekly column for The Chronicle in Glens Falls, N.Y., and is a frequent contributor to New York Outdoor News.
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