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The Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area has expanded by a third with New York state’s acquisition of a 261-acre property in Putnam County that is prized for wildlife habitat and water quality protection, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The property, known as North Hollow, is located within the Great Swamp watershed and was acquired by the state with federal grant money and a private donation.
“Adding North Hollow to the Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area will preserve forested and watershed land for use by the public for expanded recreational and sportsmen activities,” Commissioner Martens said. “This acquisition is an example of how New Yorkers can benefit when state, federal, non-for-profit and private entities all work together to achieve a common goal. The preservation of North Hollow will be a valuable addition to a network of protected lands within the Highlands and Great Swamp areas, further protecting one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the state that is home to many plant and animal species.”
DEC sought to add the North Hollow property to its 467-acre Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area to further protect the Highlands region for its abundant natural and cultural resources. The Cranberry Mountain WMA now totals 728 acres. Since 2006, DEC and the Trust for Public Land, a national conservation organization, have worked with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the family of the late Gerald Blumberg, a long-time resident of the Hudson River Valley, to conserve the property.
North Hollow features steep upland forests protecting the nearby Haviland Hollow Brook, a pristine trout stream. The brook watershed connects with the Great Swamp, Croton River and reservoirs in the New York Highlands that provide drinking water to New York City. The area is used for such recreational activities as hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing and trapping.
A federal Highlands Conservation Act grant for $653,500 was used toward the purchase of the property. The federal program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is designed to assist Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania with conserving land and natural resources in the Highlands region.
The Highlands Conservation Act grant required a non-federal match on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Blumberg family generously donated half the value of the property to meet the federal match requirement.
Marc Matsil, the Trust for Public Land’s New York State Director said: “Completing the conservation of the North Hollow property is a vital addition to the Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The Trust for Public Land is grateful to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for its dedication to protecting land in the Highlands and to the New York congressional delegation for their commitment to the Highlands Conservation Act, which made this project possible. This diverse cover type provides superb recreation opportunities and great economic value by enhancing regional ecotourism and builds on the vital work of the State and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection to safeguard drinking water for millions of New Yorkers.”
Senator Greg Ball said: “As Chairman of the New York Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and an avid sportsman myself, the expansion of the Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management area couldn’t make me happier. I believe it is vital to protect our watershed, promote strict clean air initiatives, and preserve natural wildlife areas and I look forward to working together to continue to keep Putnam County, and the Hudson Valley as a whole, beautiful by preserving our environment.”
Ron Essig, Acting Chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration in the Northeast Region said: “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been pleased to have the opportunity to assist the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in protecting the North Hollow Property by awarding a Highlands Conservation Act grant to the Agency. This project is a great example of the important conservation results that can be achieved with Highlands Conservation Act funding, and illustrates what a difference the Act can make in assisting states with protecting the natural resources of the Highlands Region.”
New York City Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland said: “Land acquisition is an important tool for the protection of water quality. The purchase of this 261-acre parcel that sits within the Croton watershed will keep this land unspoiled. Having the Trust for Public Land and the State of New York take steps that are in concert with our own, means a great deal to the nine million New Yorkers who rely on this water source for their daily drinking water needs.”
Lawrence S. Blumberg, a New York City attorney and seller of the land said: “My father acquired this land over 50 years ago. During this time, he turned down many offers to develop or sell the property because he was waiting for something special. Several years ago, before his death in 2009 at age 97, he was so happy and gratified to know that we were working with The Trust for Public Land. I know that he would be very proud that his land has been preserved forever.”
Jim Utter, Chairman, Friends of the Great Swamp (FrOGS) said: “FrOGS is thrilled this area is protected and thanks Larry and Robyn Blumberg, DEC, TPL, and the Highlands Coalition for making it happen. This parcel is critical in maintaining the exceptional water quality and ecology of Haviland Hollow Brook, a major tributary of the Great Swamp, and the acquisition by DEC ensures it remains pristine. We hope the matching parcel on the south side of the Hollow will also be protected soon.”
Raymond Merlotto, Putnam County sportsman and DEC Region 3 representative to the Fish & Wildlife Management Board: “The Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area is an important destination for sportsmen and women from throughout the Lower Hudson. The addition of the North Hollow property to Cranberry Mountain will provide not just expanded opportunities for the region's hunters and anglers, but the acquisition will also provide further protection for the Croton Watershed, the Great Swamp and other important resources in the area that provide habitat vital to the fish and wildlife that thrive there.”
HuntingNY
Author Name: John Burmeister
Just released a few minutes ago, the NY DEC announced that NY DEC officers ticket dozens of poachers over the past few weeks. The full announcement from the DEC and list of locations as well as those involved in the incidents is attached in PDF to this article.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) police officers recently concluded a blanket deer taking enforcement detail in the Capital Region and surrounding areas in conjunction with the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, DEC announced today.
Environmental Conservation Officers (ECO) worked in conjunction with their counterparts in neighboring states to set up saturation patrols to target illegal deer shooting with the use of an artificial light, a practice commonly known as deer jacking. Typically, deer jacking occurs in remote rural areas, throughout the night. During this operation, which took place in late October and the first three weeks of November, ECOs worked long hours and often confronted armed individuals.
“The vast majority of hunters pursue and take game legally,” said DEC Law Enforcement Major Tim Duffy. “We work closely with the sporting community to stop individuals from illegally taking game to the detriment of wildlife populations and the legal efforts of honest hunters.”
ECOs are out in full force this time of year patrolling, staking out, and observing the lands on which people take deer. They are in uniform and undercover; they are in vehicles and on foot; they are checking licenses and watching over deer decoys.
View attachment: 11-29-11 DEC Police Ticket Dozens for Deer Poaching.pdf
HuntingNY
Author Name: John Burmeister
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today is advising hunters to use safety precautions when enjoying the sport this hunting season which runs until December 4 for the Northern zone and December 11 for the Southern zone.
“New York has more than 3,000 dedicated volunteer sportsman education instructors whose goal is to create an extremely safety-conscious generation of hunters,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. “We want to take this opportunity to remind hunters to be extra vigilant this year and make 2011 one of the safest hunting seasons on record.”
Studies show that individuals wearing hunter orange clothing are seven times less likely to be injured than hunters who do not wear the bright fluorescent color. Over the past 10 years, 15 New York state big game hunters have been mistaken for deer or bear and killed - none wore hunter orange.
Hunters are encouraged to review hunting safety tips at DEC’s website (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9186.html) and pay careful attention to basic firearm safety rules that can prevent hunting-related shooting incidents:
Point your gun in a safe direction.
Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
Be sure of your target and beyond.
Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
Remember to wear hunter orange.

Hunting accidents generally have been on the decline, continuing a 50-year trend of increasing safety. Reports indicate that 2008 and 2009 were statistically the two safest years in the history of hunting in New York state. Although the 2010 report showed a minor increase in hunting related shooting incidents from the previous two years, the total incidents reported in 2010 were still well below the average of 66 incidents per year from the 1990s, and 137 incidents per year during the 1960s. Big game hunting incidents continue to be very low compared to previous decades, despite the increase in rifle zones and the passage of the youth mentoring law in 2008.
The number of hunters is declining, but the hunting incident rate (incidents per 100,000 hunters) is falling much faster than the number of hunters. During the 1960s, the incident rate was 19 incidents per 100,000 hunters. Since 2000, the incident rate is one-third of that, averaging 6.4 incidents per 100,000 hunters.
To put hunter safety into perspective, hunting is considerably safer than such common activities as swimming, riding a bike or driving a car.
HuntingNY
Author Name: John Burmeister
Wow, where did the time go? Southern Zone bow season comes to an end Friday and the 2011 SZ regular season starts Saturday! We wanted to get this announcement out earlier in the week but things have been a bit crazy. Hopefully this catches you before you head out to your camp / hunting grounds. We hope everyone has a safe and fun opening weekend, if you can please keep us updated on how your hunting season is going in one of the many threads on the forums. If you have a smart phone, check out the "live from stand" thread http://huntingny.com...the-stand-2011/ Check out a few of the beautiful deer already taken in the 2011 Harvest Thread as well, congrats to all!
Check out the Countdown to Saturday post, seems like everyone is ready to go, counting the final hours of this week till opening day of the regular season.
We have put a lot of time and effort into the site, and hope everyone is enjoying it. We love feedback, so let us know what you like, don't like, and what you would like to see added to the site. If you have any interest in writing an article for the "portal / home page" of the site, anything outdoor related be it camping, fishing, hunting, let us know!
As I noted in the past we launched our store which can be accessed here: http://huntingny.com/forums/store
Books and Media Link - > http://huntingny.com...dvds-and-media/
T-Shirts / Hats / Sweatshirts Link - > http://huntingny.com...unting-ny-gear/
Vinyl stickers should be ready by late next week, this has been the #1 request and we are trying our best to get these done ASAP. They will be added to the store as soon as we have them. Those who have purchased the "Supporting Member" package already (noted below) will receive them in the mail soon, and thank you for the support!
We also have the option of becoming a "Supporting Member", which gets you a supporting member status in the forums, 10% off all HuntingNY gear for the length of your membership, and a HuntingNY.com vinyl decal (to be mailed once they are in). A portion of each sale will be donated to the site to help fund activities, hosting / software costs and prizes such as the 2011 Best Buck and Story contest. Supporting member store link:
If you haven't had a chance to check the contest out out yet, please head on over to this link: http://huntingny.com...y-contest-info/ If you have had a buck hunting success this year make sure you share it with us for a chance to win some great prizes including a full head mount!.
If you are a Facebook user, please give us a "Like" our facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/HuntingNY and help spread the word. The site has grown leaps and bounds since started, there are over 90,000 posts as of today! Please remember to tell friends and family about the site, you can even forward them this email.
Last but not least, if you have a hunting related business (ex. hunting store / archery shop), hunting club or organization, or a hunting related website you want to share with members we have opened up a link sharing system here: http://huntingny.com/links Just select the category and click "Add Link" on the right side of the page. If you are interested in sponsoring the site you can contact us by using the contact form located here: http://huntingny.com/forums/index.php?app=contactus
HuntingNY
Author Name: John Burmeister
The 2011 regular deer and bear hunting seasons open at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 19 in New York's Southern Zone, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The two big game seasons close at sunset on Sunday, Dec. 11.
“Hunters provide a valuable public service by keeping deer and bear populations in check. Regulated hunting is the most effective and efficient tool to maintain wildlife populations at levels that are compatible with our communities and natural resources,” Commissioner Martens said. “We expect deer harvests to be up slightly from last year, and with expanded bear hunting opportunities in the Southern Zone, big game hunters should have an exciting season.”
The Southern Zone regular deer season is New York’s most popular hunting season, with participation from about 85 percent of New York’s 560,000 licensed deer hunters. Harvest during this season accounts for nearly 60 percent of the total statewide deer harvest. The remainder occurs in the Northern Zone, on Long Island, and during special seasons when only archery or muzzleloading firearms may be used.
Following the regular deer and bear seasons in the Southern Zone, late bowhunting and muzzleloading seasons will open at sunrise on Monday, Dec. 12 and close at sunset on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Hunters taking part in these special seasons must possess either bowhunting or muzzleloading privileges.
In the Northern Zone, the regular deer and bear hunting season opened Oct. 22 and will close at sunset on Dec. 4. This zone generally includes the Adirondacks, Tug Hill Plateau, Eastern Lake Ontario Plain, and the Champlain and St. Lawrence valleys. A late muzzleloading season for deer will be open in portions of the Northern Zone from Dec. 5 to Dec. 11.
Hunters should be aware of several important programs and recent changes as they prepare for the 2011 regular Southern Zone hunting season.
· New Bear Hunting Areas: Bear hunting has been expanded in eastern New York to now include the counties east of the Hudson River from Westchester County north to Washington County, and is open during the same time periods as deer hunting.
· Crossbows: Crossbows may be used during the regular deer and bear hunting seasons and during the late muzzleloading seasons. See DEC’s website for more information: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/68802.html
· Black Bear Tooth Collection: Successful bear hunters are asked to submit a tooth of their bear so DEC can age the bear and monitor bear population dynamics. See the bear tooth collection website for instructions at: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45598.html.
· Mandatory Antler Restrictions: A new law covers the portion of wildlife management unit (WMU) 3A that lies south and west of State Route 28 (which includes parts of Ulster, Sullivan and Delaware counties) and requires that bucks taken in this part of the unit have at least one antler with three or more points that are at least one inch long. The law applies to all public and private lands and all hunting seasons in the affected portion of the unit. Mandatory antler restrictions are also in effect in WMUs 3C, 3H, 3J, and 3K (which include portions of Ulster and Sullivan counties). Only hunters under the age of 17 are exempt and may take any antlered deer with at least one antler measuring three or more inches in length. See DEC’s website for more information:www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27663.html
· Harvest Reporting: Hunters are required to report their harvest of deer and bear within seven days. Failure to report harvested deer or bear is a violation of NYS Environmental Conservation Law. Hunters may report via an online reporting system (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html) or by calling the toll-free automated reporting system at 1-866-GAME-RPT (1-866-426-3778).
· Junior Hunters: Junior Hunters (14 and 15 years old) can hunt deer and bear with a firearm when appropriately accompanied by an experienced adult. See the junior hunter mentoring webpage for program requirements and to download the mentored youth hunter permission form: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/46245.html
· Venison Donation: Hunters are encouraged to participate in the Venison Donation program. By filling your permits and donating your deer, you help accomplish the needed deer management and you can feed less fortunate families. For more information see: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8351.html.
· Trespass: Property owners who have problems with trespassers should contact DEC’s tip line 24 hours a day/seven days a week at 1-800-847-7332. For more information about posting property against trespass see: www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8371.html.
Although safety-conscious hunters have significantly reduced the number of firearms-related injuries, studies show that individuals wearing hunter orange clothing are seven times less likely to be injured than hunters who do not wear the bright fluorescent color. Hunters are encouraged to review hunting safety tips (www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9186.html) and pay careful attention to basic firearm safety rules that can prevent hunting related shooting incidents:
· Point your gun in a safe direction.
· Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
· Be sure of your target and beyond.
· Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.
· Remember to wear hunter orange.
For specific descriptions of regulations and open areas, hunters should refer to the 2011-12 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide at:www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37136.html. Hunters are urged to review all regulations and safety tips contained in the guide.
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