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The top three teams are separated by a mere 91 pounds. The winner with the most combined weight will get $5,400 in the catch-and-release fishing contest, which features 50 straight hours of fishing. It ends at noon Tuesday. David Figura/The Post-StandardChristine Stout holds up one of the 39 carp that have given her and her partner, Justin Keaton, the lead. A coed team from Indianapolis continues to hold the lead at the WIld Carp Classic fishing tournament on the Seneca River as of Monday evening.But it's a slim one. Tournament co-director Jason Bernhardt said at 9 p.m. that Christine Stout and Justin Keaton remained in the lead with 39 fish, for a combined weight of 628 pounds and 5 ounces.Close behind were Tim Rumlow and Goran Batlak, (their hometowns were not available) with 35 fish weighing a total of 571 pounds, 12 ounces.In third were Jason Long, of Batavia and Dan Kelsey, of Attica, with 33 fish for combined weight of 537 pounds, 10 ounces.The team with the most combined weight of fish wins $5,400.The biggest fish overall so far, a common carp, was caught by the team of Chris Jackson and Scott Russell, of Pennsylvania and Texas, respectively. It weighed 34 pounds, 13 ounces. If it holds, they'll win $1,080.The biggest mirror carp was landed by the team of Eric Ames, of Constantia, and Steven Ware, of Fayetteville. If it holds, the team will get $1,080.There's 45 teams entered in the tournament, which has the anglers fishing for 50 straight hours at assigned locations along the Seneca River. It began at 10 a.m. Sunday and finishes at noon Tuesday.The tournament has a catch-and-release format. All fish are weighed and then released shotly after.For more, go to the Wild Carp Week Web site.On Facebook, to the event's page by searching for "Wild Carp Week". View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

It weighed close to 18 pounds. Submitted photoTommy Kirk, 12, of Durhamville, landed this 40-inch, nearly 18-pound northern pike recently while fishing on Lake Lewie in the Adirondacks.He was fishing with his father, Andrew Kirk, at the time. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

One angler said the bite has been slow so far in the 50-hour tournament. "With this heat, it's kind of like fishing during the dog days of summer." David Figura/The Post-StandardJustin Keaton and Christine Stout hold up a couple of nice ones. Mid-way through the tournament, a coed team from Indianapolis has jumped into the lead of the Wild Carp Classic on the Seneca River near Baldwinsville.As of 10:30 a.m. today, Christine Stout and Justin Keaton, were in the lead with 25 fish, the biggest one going 23 pounds, 5 ounces. Their total weight was 411 pounds, 14 ounces.I stopped by their fishing site at 11 a.m. at the southern end of Duke Strache's property and they were still going strong. In fact, while I was there, they landed and were measuring six more fish."We're doing well now, but you never now in this kind of thing," Stout said. "By tomorrow, we could be in last place."David Figura/The Post-StandardChristine Stout caught this bad boy at about 11 a.m. today.I doubt that.Meanwhile, anglers up and down the river this morning were talking about how slow the fishing has been so far. Some blame the heat. Others said it had something to do with the spawn -- either that the fish hadn't spawned yet, or had just finished. "I wish someone would do a study on this," said Eric Ames, of Constantia, who is fishing with Steven Ware, of Fayetteville."These fish move back and forth from the lake (Onondaga) to the dam in Baldwinsville," he said. "I'm not seeing the big groupings of fish .. we're just picking off the resident stranglers. I doubt that they've spawned yet."Nevertheless, Ames has the biggest mirror carp so far in the tournament, weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces. It was his first fish, caught shortly after noon Sunday. If it holds, he'll get $1,080.The biggest fish overall so far, a common carp, was caught by the team of Chris Jackson and Scott Russell, of Pennsylvania and Texas, respectively. It weighed 34 pounds, 13 ounces. If it holds, they'll win $1,080.A total of 45 two-person teams are the in the competition, stretched out a various locations along the river from Baldwinsville down to the Wegman's Good Dog Park. The team with largest total weight of fish after the competition ends at noon Tuesday will earn $5,400. Each team paid $600 to enter."Things started off slow, but the bite is starting to pick up," said tournamment co-director Jason Bernhardt.Kent Appleby, who's fishing with Bill Markle, said the bite could be better, but was optimistic that things will improve by the end of the competition. They're both from Pulaski."With this heat, it's kind of like fishing in the dog days of summer," Appleby said.For more, go to the Wild Carp Week Web site.On Facebook, to the event's page by searching for Wild Carp Week.David Figura/The Post-StandardAt one point the anglers were lining up the fish to be weighed. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Bogdan Bucur lives in Chicago and last year teamed with Mihai Aciu to capture the Wild Carp Classic on the Seneca River in Baldwinsville. The twosome are competing again this year in the contest. The 50-hour tourney ends at noon Tuesday. Watch video I had the pleasure Saturday to have Bodgan Bucur, of Chicago, as my guide during the Celebrity Carp Challenge on the Seneca River.This guy really knows his stuff. While waiting for a bite Saturday, Bogdan talked to me about the uniqueness of the Seneca River carp fishery, his thoughts on this year's competition and why he's so into carp fishing. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Starting at 10 a.m. today, 45 two-person teams will be fishing for 50 straight hours, rain or shine, at predetermined sites, called pegs, along the river. Peter Chen / The Post-Standard ERIC AMES(left), of Constantia, and Steven Ware, of Fayetteville, are teammates who will be competing in Sunday’s Wild Carp Classic in Baldwinsville. They are standing along the shore of the Onondaga Lake Inlet, near Wegman’s Good Dog Park, in Liverpool. Go to syracuse.com/videos to watch Ames and Ware practic´ing on the Seneca River last week. Competitive carp anglers Eric Ames and Steven Ware often get ribbed about their passion.“Yeah, I always get the fun and games about it at work,” Ware said. “But if you like to catch a lot of big fish, there is no other fishing than carp fishing. It’s unique. You’re drawing the fish to you and holding them there, rather than pursuing the fish. It takes a certain kind of skill.” Ames added, “People ask me what I’m doing catching all those slimy, smelly fish. My response is that I’ve probably caught more fish in a short period of time than some people have caught in their entire lifetime.”The two are the top local team going into today’s Wild Carp Classic on the Seneca River, which is the marquee event of five catch-and-release tournaments slated for this week.Starting at 10 a.m. today, 45 two-person teams will be fishing for 50 straight hours, rain or shine, at predetermined sites, called pegs, along the river. Competitors, who paid $600 per team to enter, are coming from 11 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. The team with the most total weight of fish caught will earn $5,400, in addition to other prizes.Ames, 43, who owns a local construction company, and Ware, 52, a carpenter, have been fishing in the big spring carp tournaments on the Seneca River since the events started five years ago. In 2009, they finished second by catching 2,500 pounds of carp and earned $3,500. It was the best local finish ever in the Seneca River competitions, which annually feature anglers from Europe, where carp fishing enjoys an elevated status, like bass fishing in this country.“In 2009, we stayed up 60 straight hours, being up for an additional five hours on either side of the competition,” said Ware, who lives in Fayetteville. “We were hurting. I wore rubber boots the whole time. One of my toenails fell off.”The two have been fishing for five years as a team in tournaments on the Seneca and St. Lawrence Rivers. In their best year they only earned “a couple of thousand apiece.” Their biggest carp weighed in “the mid-30s.”“We’re just in it for the enjoyment of fishing, the sport,” Ames said. Both anglers say they’ve each spent more than $8,000 for special 12- to 13-foot carp fishing rods and reels equipped with 60-pound braided line, pole racks, bite detectors, flavored scents and bait, special carp nets and a host of other equipment and creature comforts that have mostly been purchased online from English and Scottish tackle suppliers.The two have fished for other fish throughout their lives — trout, bass, walleye, even marlin — but at this point carp fishing is their favorite. In addition to catching lots of big fish, they enjoy the challenge of putting out all sorts of bait into the water, trying to figure what will bring and hold the carp to their area so they can hook them.They noted that the average competitive carp angler is 45 years or older and college-educated.Last spring, the Seneca River was high and muddy, conditions that put a damper on the amount of fish caught during this competition. This year, the conditions look great, they said.“We’ll have as good a chance to win as anyone. If we get the right spot and work it right, we’ll do well,” Ames said.Also this week The Wild Carp Classic ends at noon Tuesday. The action continues with the JBG Triathlon, featuring three individual fishing competitions: the Big Carp Challenge (Wednesday), the Big 4 Challenge (Thursday) and the Total Weight Challenge (Friday).For more on the events, see the Wild Carp Week Web site. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

He sent the carcass to a taxidermist in Pennsylvania and got the mount back several weeks ago. "It's in my den," he said. Submitted photoLast spring Antonio Paduano, of Fayetteville, a longtime bowhunter for deer, set up a trail camera on property he hunts in Onondaga County. His camera snapped photos of a flock of wild turkeys — including one that had four beards. “I had gotten laid off from work. I had the time. I decided to go after him,” the Fayetteville resident said. On opening day of turkey season, he took along his favorite bow, got into his tree stand and waited. “At about 11:30 a.m. I gave a sexy hen call, a little purr — and 10 minutes late it came down the path. It was a surreal moment,” he said. “I hit it with a perfect broadside shot at about 25 yards. As soon as I heard the arrow hit, I knew it was perfect. ... like when a baseball player hits a home run. You just know it.” Wayne Masters, of Tully, a local turkey hunting guide who has hunted the birds for more than 40 years, said he’s heard about, but never seen, a turkey with four beards. It’s unusual, he said. Another guide, Mike Joyner, of McGraw, said the National Wild Turkey Federation has a listing of the largest turkeys taken in the state. He noted that some have had as many as seven or eight beards, a characteristic that gives them more points in the total score that the rankings are based on. Paduano, thinking he might have had some kind of state record of taking a four-bearded turkey with a bow, talked to local officials from the Turkey Federation. He found out his 18-pound bird didn’t make the grade. He sent the carcass to a taxidermist in Pennsylvania and got the mount back several weeks ago. “It’s in my den,” he said.Submitted photo View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Morgan said he didn’t have the nerve to kill the pups because they were too cute. Besides, it wasn’t coyote hunting season, he said. Submitted photoDan Morgan, of Oneida, said he hunts coyotes after deer season because they kill fawns.In March, he came across what looked like a coyote den on land outside of Chittenango. He went back there recently to hunt turkey and came across five coyote pups sunning themselves.“One posed long enough for me to take a picture,” he said. “Not sure where momma was, but I didn’t wait to find out.”Despite hunting them, Morgan said he didn’t have the nerve to kill the pups because they were too cute. Besides, it wasn’t coyote hunting season, he said.He said others might disagree.“(A local) homeowner and local hunters thought otherwise,” he said, noting that coyotes have been killing the woman’s chickens, guinea hens and geese.View full sizeSubmitted photo View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

"Feral swine are known to inhabit northern Cortland and southwestern Onondaga counties, southeastern Cayuga, northeastern Tompkins and Tioga counties," according to a 2011 DEC press release. About four weeks ago, I was driving up Route 41 through the town of Scott just after sunset. I glanced off the road and spotted something odd, way off in the back corner of a field. I immediately pulled over.I saw more than a dozen, solid black dots — some bigger than others — in a group. The bigger dots were in one place, while the smaller ones were scurrying back and forth. They were too dark to be deer, and they sure didn’t look or act like wild turkeys or coyotes.I stared at them for a good 15 minutes. I didn’t have my binoculars. After talking to state Department of Environmental Conservation staff and others, I’m convinced I was viewing a group of feral hogs — mostly likely Russian wild boar, which have established themselves on the local landscape. “Feral swine are known to inhabit northern Cortland and southwestern Onondaga counties, southeastern Cayuga, northeastern Tompkins and Tioga counties,” according to a 2011 DEC press release, which noted that they’re escapees from a local private hunting preserve. “These aggressive invasive species cause serious agriculture and environmental damage and can degrade water quality and threaten human health.”They procreate like crazy, having litters of six to eight piglets two to three times a year. I have run photos during the past several years of hunters who’ve bagged them — some in the 350- to 400-pound range.The American Wildlife Conservation Foundation has scheduled an informational meeting at 1 p.m. June 12 at the N.Y.S. Grange headquarters, 100 Grange Place, Cortland. The topic is “Feral Swine Management and Disease Surveillance,” and the speaker is Justin Gansowski, an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.The idea is to raise awareness about feral swine in our area. Bob Chambers, a board member for the Conservation Foundation, told me this week he’s contacting farmers, sportsmen’s clubs and others who may have a stake in this issue.“They’ve already done a lot of damage to farms and landscape locally,” he said, noting that southern states and other parts of the country are over-run with them.In New York, all that’s needed to hunt them is a small-game license. There’s no season, daily limits or prescribed methods. They can be baited, hunted at night or hunted with dogs.Simply hunting them, however, isn’t the solution. Killing some results in the others scattering over greater distances. The most effective way to deal with them is to catch them in large, corral-type traps that capture most of the group at the same time.However, that can get expensive and DEC wildlife staff has found in recent years that it’s easier said than done.For more on the June 12 meeting, call 625-4416 or see the American Wildlife Conservation Foundation website at awcf1911.org. Meanwhile, I’m looking to talk to hunters who have harvested wild boar locally during the past year. Give me a call at 470-6066 or email me at [email protected]. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

No fish were caught during the 3-hour competition. However, three were caught moments after it ended. The result: the five celeb anglers were given $2,000 to give to the charities of their choice. Wade Live and his guide, Ivan Petrov, of Brooklyn, hold Live's fish, which weighed 12 pounds, 7 ounces. It was the biggest fish of the day, but it was caught moments after the tournament ended.Today's Wild Carp Week Celebrity Challenge at Mercer Park in Baldwinsville along the Seneca River resulted in a 5-way tie, with none of the contestants catching any carp during the allotted time.However, moments after the tournament ended at 2 p.m., three of the contestants reeled in carp. The largest, a 12-pound, 7-ounce fish, was landed by professional magician Wade Live. Baldwinsville Mayor Joe Saraceni and myself also landed fish.All celebrity anglers -- Wade, meteorologist Wayne Mahar, investigative reporter Jim Kenyon, Saraceni and myself -- all got $2,000 apiece to donate to the charity of our choice. The $10,000 for the tournament was put up by Wild Carp Companies, the group that is running Wild Carp Week. The winner was originally slated to get $3,000.Despite the lack of fish, it was a beautiful day to fish and a crowd of about 75 people watching the event, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.I hold up my 11-plus pounder. It was the second biggest fish caught of the day.Each of us were assigned pro carp anglers. I was teamed up with Romanian native Bogdan Bucur, of Chicago, who last year teamed with Mihai Aciu, also of Chicago, to win the Wild Carp Classic.My carp today weighed a touch over 11 pounds. Saraceni's fish, which was not weighed, appeared to be about 5 pounds, said tournament co-director Jason Bernhardt.The following charities will receive $2,000:- Priscilla Mahar Animal Welfare Foundation (donated by Wayne Mahar)- Make A Wish Foundation of CNY (donated by Wade Live)- The Greater Baldwinsville Community Development Fund (donated by Joe Saraceni)- CNY chapter of the Alzeiheimer's Association (donated by myself)** Advanced Strategies Adventures and the CNY Food Bank will receive $1,000 each (donated by Jim Kenyon)A group shot of all the contestants and their guides.My guide, Bogdan Bucur and I pose with my plaque and the $2,000 check I'm donating to the CNY Chapter of the Alzeihmer's Association in memory of my dad and my Uncle Stan, who's still alive.The Celebrity Carp Challenge is the first of five tournaments in Wild Carp Week.The Wild Carp Classic, which is the marquee event , kicks off at 10 a.m. Sunday morning on the Seneca River. It features 50 straight hours of fishing by 45, two-person teams at various assigned sites (pegs) along the river. The anglers will have to stay at their assigned spots until the contest ends at noon Tuesday. The winning team will get $5,400. Other cash prizes will be awarded fo rthe largest fish and the Big Four (total weight of the four biggest fish caught by a team).Three other individual days of competition, the Big Carp Challenge, the Big 4 Challenge and the Total Weight Challenge, will follow on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, respectively.For more, see the Wild Carp Week Web site. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Anyway, the ground hog appeared to have its head wedged in a branch and at first my wife, Laura, and I thought it was dead. I grabbed a ladder and a canoe paddle and carefully put the ladder up against the tree. Yes, Virginia, ground hogs do climb trees. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself. Last night I was working on pulling weeds out of one of our flower beds when I looked up and spotted a brown clump, some 20 feet up in one of our locust trees.It was a ground hog, obviously chased up there by my dog, Cali. Cali has taken out two of these creatures before and is always on the lookout.Anyway, the ground hog appeared to have its head wedged in a branch and at first my wife, Laura, and I thought it was dead. I grabbed a ladder and a canoe paddle and carefully put the ladder up against the tree. Just then, it blinked its eyes and slightly moved its head. We then realized it was alive. I slowly climbed the ladder and started to come at it with the canoe paddle. The animal suddenly lifted its head, started to scramble down the tree -- and then lost hold and dropped about 15 feet to the ground. It hit the ground with a thud, righted itself and then quickly scrambled away. I was cursing myself afterward because I had my work camera with videotaping capability in my car, which was parked nearby in the driveway.Afterward, Laura went into the house and Googled "ground hogs" and "climbing trees." She found this video, which I included in this entry to prove that....Yes, ground hogs to indeed climb trees to escape predators!! View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

The series will look at three Onondaga County streams with stretches open year-round to trout fishing: Butternut, Limestone and Chittenango creeks. (includes video) Watch video John Berry/The Post-StandardGary Lauzon considers Butternut Creek his favorite trout fishing stream.Year-round streams Since 1996, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has permitted anglers to fish year-round in designated sections of more than 30 trout streams. Three of those streams are in Onondaga County: Butternut Creek, Limestone Creek and Chittenango Creek. Today: Butternut CreekMay 25: Limestone CreekJune 1: Chittenango Creek Gary Lauzon has been fishing Butternut Creek since he was 4.“My father took me below my grandfather’s house. I caught my first trout down there and I’ve been hooked ever since,” he said.Lauzon, now 63, still lives nearby in the town of Jamesville. He prefers to fish Butternut with salted minnows or worms, and on occasion will throw a spinner.“It’s not a real wide stream,” he said. “There’s a lot of places you can cross if you have hip boots or burly boots.”He noted there’s a host of bridges and state Department of Environmental Conservation parking lots and pull-off areas.“This is a good stream to take a kid fishing — by the bridges, the big pools,” he said. “You can sit them down, feed them, get them happy and teach them how to fish.”Lauzon said his biggest fish out of the stream was a 17½-inch brown he caught on a salted minnow. Most of the fish he catches are brown trout. Occasionally, he’ll land a brookie.Down toward Jamesville, he added, there are wild rainbows in the stream.“Some guy was raising rainbows a few years back and had trouble with the foundation of his pond and they got into the creek,” he said.Lauzon has fond memories of Butternut. He remembers when he was 12 to 14 years old and his father would drop him off at Route 20.“He’d say, ‘I’ll meet you (downstream) at the church in about three hours,” he said. “I’d then fish all the way down to the church by myself. Sometimes, I’d have my limit before then.”BUTTERNUT AT A GLANCE Butternut Creek goes from Apulia Station, through the Jamesville Reservoir and combines with Limestone Creek. The two then flow into Chittenango Creek at Minoa. The year-round section, where fish can be kept year-round — limit of five fish, with two no longer than 12 inches — stretches from the creek’s mouth to Route 20. Type of fish: Butternut offers wild and stocked brown and brook trout. In addition, a section in the lower half around Jamesville has wild rainbow trout. Each year, it’s stocked with 5,200 one-year-old brown trout (8-9 inches) 2,400 two-year-old brown trout (12-14 inches) and 600 brook trout (6-8 inches). There have been reports of browns in the 20-inch-plus range in some of the deeper holes. Public fishing: There are a number of easy access points at bridges and plenty of holes where fish can be taken with worms, salted minnows or lures. It’s easily fished from shore or by wearing hip boots or knee-high boots. There are 8.1 miles of land along its banks for public fishing. For maps and more about this stream, see the DEC website at dec.gov. For the fly guys: The creek’s not known for its outstanding insect hatches. It’s a good stream, though, for streamers and nymphs. The upper part is overgrown, and casting is tough. There’s more open space downstream.FOR MORE ON BUTTERNUT CREEK, SEE THE DEC WEB SITE. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

The marquee event is the Wild Carp Challenge, which begins at 10 a.m. Sunday and ends at noon Tuesday. Nick Lisi/The Post-StandardAngler Steve Clow (left) photographs his partner Dan Pazio with the 32lb 3oz carp he caught on the Seneca River during the 2009 carp fishing tournament. Both were from Nowalk, Conn.Competitive carp fishing returns to Baldwinsville this weekend with the start of Wild Carp Week.This year’s event, again hosted by Wild Carp Companies, will feature five carp-angling tournaments in seven days.The marquee event is the Wild Carp Challenge, which begins at 10 a.m. Sunday and ends at noon Tuesday. A total of 45 two-person teams will fish for 50 hours, rain or shine, at predetermined sites (pegs) along the Seneca River.Tournament co-directors Jason Bernhardt and Sean Saua said teams are coming from 11 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. The team catching the fish with the most total weight will earn $5,400 and a $600 voucher toward entering next year’s event. Other cash prizes will be awarded for the largest fish and the big four (total weight of the four biggest fish).Last year’s overall winning team was Bogdan Bucur and Mihai Aciu, of Chicago, with 84 carp and a total weight of 1,509 pounds.The entry fee this year for the Wild Carp Classic is $600 per team.The week’s schedule continues with the JGB Triathlon, which consists of the Big Carp Challenge, the Big 4 Challenge and the Total Weight Challenge — all individual contests. The entry fee on each day is $125.The Big Carp Challenge, schedule for 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, will test the angler’s ability to target big fish, with cash prizes paid out on an hourly basis.The Big 4 Challenge, set for 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, will award cash prizes for the cumulative weight of the four largest carp caught during the day.The competition will wind up on Friday with the Total Weight Challenge, also set from 6:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cash prizes will be given to the top angler with the most overall weight of carp caught during the day. Immediately following this competition, Wild Carp Companies will crown its U.S. champion, based on points accumulated during the JGB Triathlon.Opening ceremonies for Wild Carp Week are set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Mercer Park in Baldwinsville.Also on Saturday, local celebrities — meteorologist Wayne Mahar investigative reporter Jim Kenyon, Baldwinsville mayor Joe Saraceni, professional magician Wade Live and myself — will team up with local carp fishing professionals and compete against other to see who can catch the biggest carp. We’ll be fishing from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.All celebrity anglers will win a share of $10,000 awarded by Wild Carp Companies, which will be awarded to the charity of each angler’s choice. The top prize is $3,000.For more on Wild Carp Companies and Wild Carp Week, go to the event's Web site. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

More than 150 Hobie Cat sailors are scheduled to compete in the two-day event based at Oneida Shores County Park. Jim Commentucci/The Post-StandardMore than 150 Hobie Cat sailors are scheduled to compete in this weekend’s 36th annual Hobie Cat Fleet 204 Annual Madcatter Sailing Regatta, based at Oneida Shores County Park on Oneida Lake.Sailors from throughout the country, Canada and Puerto Rico are expected to compete, facing off in five classes of Hobie Cats, ranging in size from the Hobie Wave 14-foot boats to the 21-foot catamarans. Each boat will consist of two-person teams — a captain and crew member.The field will consist of a number of past national champions. Last year’s winners in the Hobie Cat 16 class, Francisco Figueroa and Joli Berrios, from Puerto Rico, went on to be North American champions.Races will be held Saturday and Sunday. Boats will leave the park both days at 10 a.m., and competition will start shortly after on the lake. Spectators are encouraged to watch the races from shore or their own boats.To learn more about the Madcatter or the host Fleet 204, which is a Bridgeport-based sailing club, go to the Fleet 204 Web site or call 676-7366. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

The northern pike, perch and bullhead action continues on Owasco Lake. CNY FISHING FORECAST Bait stores (list and map).Reminder: The walleye, northern pike, pickerel and tiger muskie seasons opened May 5. INLAND TROUT STREAMS Streams across the area continue to be in great shape. To find out how many trout (and what kind) are stocked in your favorite Onondaga County stream, call 689-0003. To hear the DEC’s weekly fishing report, which includes a list of which streams have been stocked in Region 7, call 607-753-1551. To read about trout fishing tips, see the DEC Web site.LAKE ONTARIO Up and down the shoreline, good brown trout fishing continues, with anglers cashing in at anywhere from 7 to 20 feet using stickbaits. Salmon are being caught from 60 to 200 feet, using mainly spoons. SALMON RIVER There were reports of smallmouth bass coming in from the lake to spawn, along with a few “drop-back” steelhead in the lower river. For the steelhead, use egg sacs, trout beads and night crawlers. OSWEGO RIVER Trout, sheepshead and rock bass — and the occasonal walleye — continue to be caught throughout the river.ONEIDA LAKE Walleye fishing continues to be good. The fish are scattered throughout the lake and are being taken in 3 to 20 feet. In a boat, the preferred depth is about 15 feet. Use black-and-purple or brown jig, tipped with a night crawler. Offshore nighttime activity with stickbaits also continues to work. Try a Challenger minnow or a Storm Jr. Thunderstick. CROSS LAKE/SENECA RIVER Fishing has been slow, but should pick up by this weekend. CAYUGA LAKE Anglers trolling are getting lake trout, brown trout and Atlantic salmon. Lake trout are coming on flasher and fly rigs fished 100 to 125 feet down over 130 to 175 feet of water. Fishing stickbaits on the surface over 15 to 25 feet of water is working for the brown trout and salmon on the south end of the lake. Lake trout jigging is very good with fish ranging from around 50 feet out to 150 feet of water. SENECA LAKE Yellow perch are still in shallow but the bite has slow. Atlantic salmon are still being caught near the surface by trolling stickbaits. A few brown trout have been mixed in with the salmon catch. Lake trout fishing has been good for anglers trolling flasher/flies or spoons with downriggers. Right now lakers are near bottom over a wide variety of depths ranging from 40 to 120 feet.OWASCO LAKE Anglers are catching a lot of pike on large suckers and shiners and perch on fathead minnows. Also, bullheads are continuing to bite on night crawlers and crayfish at the southern end. OTISCO LAKE Black crappies and yellow perch fishing has slowed, but some are still being taken in the shallows on small minnows. A few walleye are being taken off the causeway and locations off shore. One angler reported a 23-incher.SKANEATELES LAKE The DEC launch is open and one dock is in. Bass are moving up in warm water areas. Perch are hitting well in the north end of the lake in the 20 to 30 foot range using small minnows. Lake trout are hitting near bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water. SODUS BAY Anglers continuing to catch rock bass around the docks, using jigs and spikes. Pike fishing is slow. SANDY POND Black crappies are still hitting around docks. Some bullheads are also being taken. ST. LAWRENCE RIVER The bullhead bite continues to be strong on Eel Bay, with perch fishing good at the bay’s mouth. Northern pike are being caught in nearly every bay, particularly in depths of 5 to 15 feet. A good choice for the pike anglers is a bucktail jig tipped with a leech. WHITNEY POINT RESERVOIR Reservoir is high and muddy, but fishing remains good. Lots of walleyes are being caught by trolling with night-crawler harnesses, while others are drifting with jigs tipped with night crawlers. Anglers fishing from the shore have been cashing in with night crawlers as well. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

"After giving thanks to the Creator, it was time to celebrate the bird, he said. He was 20 lbs, 9 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. " Submitted photoJohn Schneider poses with a nice gobbler he shot May 6 in southwestern Onondaga County.He wrote: "This is my second chance turkey from this year. I set my hunting partner up to get the most likely shot at a bird and we got one to hop off the roost and come investigate the hot hen."My partner took two shots and missed both times. After taking a couple of minutes to investigate the situation, we noticed that he had shot up a sapling." Initially in that area there had been approximately 10 toms sounding off on the roost. I quickly made another call and we were rewarded with another gobble nearby. We relocated our set up a short distance from our original spot with my hunting partner in the prime shooting location." I made a couple of soft clucks and yelps and got an immediate response from the opposite direction. I waited a couple of minutes to call and was immediately cut off by the Tom. He was only about 20 yards from me. I dropped my Cody slate call and peg and raised my gun." Within a couple of seconds he appeared in my shooting lane and a fine bird was harvested. After giving thanks to the Creator, it was time to celebrate the bird. He was 20 lbs, 9 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

“Free fishing clinics are an excellent opportunity for those young and old to try angling for the first time,” DEC Regional Director Ken Lynch said. The following is a DEC press release:The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Trout Unlimited’s Chenango Valley Chapter will conduct a free Family Fishing Clinic on Saturday, May 19, from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm at the South Otselic Fish Hatchery, located on County Route 26 in Chenango County during the 4th annual South Otselic Fishing Heritage Days. No fishing license is required during the event. Spin casting rods and bait will be provided. Children under age 16 must be supervised. “Free fishing clinics are an excellent opportunity for those young and old to try angling for the first time,” DEC Regional Director Ken Lynch said. “The clinics will offer guidance so those with no fishing experience can learn about the sport.”South Otselic has a rich fishing heritage with the B.F. Gladding Company, which has been making fishing line since 1816. DEC’s South Otselic Fish Hatchery, which has been operating for 72 years, will conduct the clinic. The hatchery is located on County Route 26, in Chenango County. There will be two 15-minute instructional sessions, one in the morning at 9:00 a.m and one in the afternoon at 12:30 p.m. Both sessions will be followed by open fishing during the remainder of the clinic.There will also be open instructional stations set up in the Hatchery presented by Trout Unlimited members. These stations will consist of an aquatic insect identification and water quality program, fly tying and fly casting. The stations will familiarize anglers of all ages and skill with fishing techniques, tackle and aquatic insects.For the open fishing portion of the event there will be a stocked trout pond for kids, and a section of the Otselic River, which is also stocked, will be available for adult fishing. This section of stream is from the County Route 13 Bridge in South Otselic, downstream to the DEC parking area just below the hatchery. No fishing license is required to fish in the above mentioned areas during the event.Drawings for fishing tackle and equipment will be held for students participating in the fishing clinics.To further encourage fishing in New York State, in early March Governor Cuomo proposed legislation to expand the opportunity for free fishing clinics, allowing more New Yorkers to experience fishing for the first time by enabling DEC to increase the number of free clinics that can be held throughout the state. New York's sport fishing industry generates an estimated $1.8 billion in economic activity annually, supporting nearly 17,000 jobs.There will also be tours of the South Otselic Fish Hatchery during the day along with numerous community events. Parking for all events is available at the hatchery across from the town park. Admission to all activities is free.For information view the event's Web site or contact Calvin Hite at (315) 653-7490.DEC sponsors several free fishing clinics throughout the state where possession of a fishing license is not required. A list of such can be found on the DEC Web site. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

This aim of this project is to raise awareness about the emerald ash borer and is part of Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week which runs from May 21-28. The following is a DEC press release:Students from Sherburne-Earlville High School’s (Chenango County) AP Biology class will be assisting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC’s) Region 7 on May 22 and 23, 2012, by tagging ash trees on the school’s campus.This aim of this project is to raise awareness about the Emerald Ash Borer and is part of Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week which runs from May 21-28. Tagging of ash trees is an outreach tactic used to educate the public about how many ash trees may be lost to the Emerald Ash Borer if infestation happens in a given area. Other states have successfully used this program to promote awareness and to educate the public about how many ash trees the state has and what they look like. Before tagging the ash trees DEC Senior Forester Paul Romanenko will give students an overview about the emerald ash borer, including where the invasive species has been identified in New York, and how to recognize when it has attacked ash trees. Students will also learn how to identify an ash tree so that their tagging efforts will be accurate. Following this instruction the students will be given purple ribbons and bright yellow signs that read,” This - and all NYS Ash Trees- are threatened by the invasive insect emerald ash borer. To find out how you can help save ash trees visit the DEC Web site and search “Emerald Ash Borer” or Call NYSDEC toll free at 1-866-640-0652. Help slow the spread and Don’t Move Firewood.” The ribbon is strung through a hole in the yellow sign and then around the ash tree. Alan Irwin, the students’ AP Biology teacher, will decide where on the school property tagging efforts will be targeted. Likely areas will be behind the school near the property pond, around the athletic fields and along a trail system that runs through the property woodlot which is open to the public for recreational hiking. Times for the tree tagging are as follows: Tuesday, May 22, 1:15 pm to 2:45 pm and Wednesday, May 23, 9:30 am to 11:00 am. Sherburne Earlville campus property is nearly 450 acres with nearly 300 acres in forest. The property has been actively managed for forest resources in the past, and the DEC will be working with the school district on developing a forest stewardship plan for the property over the course of the summer. This will assist the district with future management decisions. Recommendations for managing the ash component of the forest, which is quite significant, will be a primary focus during development of the stewardship plan. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Last year, 29 teams participated and a total of 209 different bird species were identified. MIke Greenlar/The Post-StandardA male cardinal at Derby Hill.Onondaga Audubon its holding its 54th annual birdathon Saturday.The event entails individuals or teams getting out and identifying as many species of birds as possible during a 24-hour period, from midnight Friday to midnight Saturday. The area covered includes Oswego, Onondaga, Madison, Oneida and Herkimer counties and part of Cayuga County north on Route 31.Last year, 29 teams participated and a total of 209 different bird species were identified. The participants are scheduled to gather Sunday for a picnic at Derby Hill in the town of Mexico, where totals will be compiled and prizes awarded. To participate, call 685-5571 or see www.onondagaaudubon.org. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Have a favorite, off-shore fishing spot in CNY that folks keep coming to and you'd like me to write about? Call Outdoors Editor David Figura at 470-6066 or email him at [email protected] John Berry/The Post-StandardGary Lauzon of Jamesville has fished Butternut Creek for over 58 years. He shares his experiences as he fishes near Weller Road in the town of Lafayette. Man... just blink. The warm months are upon us. Turkey season is going strong; walleye fishing has started. Memorial Day is coming soon. ....(Now if I could only blink and have all that yard work and spring cleaning go away).Hey, but that's what it's all about. You work hard, you play hard. And in Central New York, there's a lot of things to do outdoors.This week I'm starting something special. It begins with Friday's paper, and will continue for two successive Fridays on the Outdoors pages. It's a three-part series on the three streams in our coverage area that have stretches that are open year-round for trout fishing (Butternut, Limestone and Chittenango creeks).Here's what's on tap this week:FRIDAY: A profile on Butternut Creek. We fish with a local angler who's wet his line on these waters for most of his life and tell what makes this stream so special for him (and others).Column: A precede to Wild Carp Week in B-ville and this weekend's Madcatter Hobie Cat sailboat regatta set for this weekend on Oneida Lake.SUNDAY: Locals Eric Ames and Steve Ware have been the best finishing locals during the 5 years that competitive carp fishing on the Seneca River has been going on. They'll be competing again next week in the Wild Carp Classic, a tough, 50 hours of straight fishing against teams from around the country, Canada and England. What's their secret?Column: Still mulling my options.. among them.. what's up with the wild boars in this area ... and the news that the DEC is getting assistance from Canada and Virginia in stocking salmon and trout as a result of unexplained fish die-offs at two DEC hatcheries.ANYTHING ELSE READERS OF THIS REPORT WOULD LIKE TO SEE ME WRITE ABOUT? The effectiveness of this report is two-fold. First it lets readers know what's coming up story-wise. It also allows readers a chance to affect coverage and provide sources for upcoming stories. Bottom line: Keep in touch and give input. You could make a difference as to what appears week to week on the outdoors page! Email me at [email protected] or call 470-6066.-Folks I'd like to get in contact with for future stories/columns:- Planning on starting a series of stories on "Favorite Fishing Spots," which will profile off-shore locations that continue to draw anglers year after year -- I'm talking about such places as the causeway on Otisco, or the breakwater at Verona Beach. I need some help here.- Someone who fishes on Oneida Lake the old-fashion way, pulling copper wire for walleyes. - Individuals who has, continues to successfully hunt wild boar in the Cortland County/Onondaga county area.If you want to join The Post-Standard's Outdoors Group and get this emailed directly to you, subscribe here..FIGURA ON FACEBOOK:For those who are on Facebook, I also have a PS Outdoors page, which I check several times daily for feedback and story ideas. I also post personal fishing and hunting and other outdoors-related photos from time to time and I ask members to do the same. When you join, please be sure and hit the "like" button. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

He caught it with a black & purple jig tipped with a worm. Submitted photoAaron Myers, of Pulaski, helped his dad and older brother all day getting the boat ready for its first trip of the season.According to his dad, "When asked where he wanted to go he replied 'Oneida Lake!' He was hoping for a big walleye but settled for this 24 inch, 3.25 pound, northern pike instead, which he caught with a black & purple jig tipped with a worm."Nice fish, Aaron! View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

In my opinion the walleye fishing on Oneida so far this year has been amazing. A trophy of this size was icing on the cake for both of us, his fishing buddy said. Submitted photoDan Swayze, of Burlington, Vt., holds up a lunker walleye (26 1/2 inches) that he caught recently while fishing with his buddy, Jason Putman.Putman wrote: "This monster was caught west of Frenchman Island on a black jig in 20ft of water. I live on the lake and have been fishing it regularly for walleye the past 8 years, this is a true trophy by Oneida lake standards. A walleye this size would be typical on Lake Ontario, but not on Oneida. I believe this fish would have won the opening weekend tournament by close to 2 inches."In my opinion the walleye fishing on Oneida so far this year has been amazing. A trophy of this size was icing on the cake for both of us. Dan still has lots of family in the Tully area where he is originally from." View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Under the leadership of ADK's trail professionals, volunteers will work on trail maintenance projects in the Ferris Lake and Shaker Mountain wild forests near Caroga Lake. The following is a press release: Dozens of Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) volunteers will be heading to the southern Adirondacks for National Trails Day on Saturday, June 2.Under the leadership of ADK’s trail professionals, volunteers will work on trail maintenance projects in the Ferris Lake and Shaker Mountain wild forests near Caroga Lake. Workers will clear drainage ditches, trim brush, remove blown-down trees and perform other maintenance work on six hiking trails.In conjunction with the trail maintenance projects, ADK Foothills Chapter is hosting three days (June 1-3) of hikes and paddles in the area, a golf tournament, information booths and other events. The Foothills Chapter, established in 2010, has more than 100 members in the Gloversville/Johnstown area. “We hope this event will focus attention on the great hiking opportunities in the southern Adirondacks,” said Foothills Chapter Chair Jody Rothmeyer. “This beautiful and easily accessible region is often overlooked by hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts who flock to more popular areas like the High Peaks.”National Trails Day is a nationwide celebration of trails that was founded by the American Hiking Society in 1993. ADK and its chapters have been involved in National Trails Day since its inception.ADK’s sponsors and partners for NTD 2012 include Nathan Littauer Hospital, Home Buyers Best Realty, Adirondack Backpacking Supply, RMG Enterprises, Livingston’s Furniture, The Shults Agency, ADK Onondaga Chapter, Cooperstown Brewing Co., Butternuts Beer & Ale, the town of Caroga Lake, Fulton County Chamber of Commerce, Finger Lakes Trail Conference, North Country Trail Association, Duncraven Farms Dairy, Granny’s Ice Cream, Wild River Press, REI, SEALS and DEC Region 5. A full list of ADK’s National Trails Day trail projects and events is available on the Club’s website . For more information about the region, visit the Caroga Lake Web site.The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is the oldest and largest organization dedicated to the protection of the New York State Forest Preserve. ADK is a nonprofit, membership organization that protects the Forest Preserve, state parks and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

They released all the fish they caught -- including the walleye. Submitted photoMom with a walleye.The Liverpool mother/daughter fishing duo of Meg Senecal and her 10-year-old daughter, Zoe, went fishing recently at the Caughdenoy Dam on the Oneida River.The two caught some walleye, bass and panfish (rock bass) -- all on worms. They released all the fish they caught, the mom said.Submitted photoZoe unhooks a rock bass. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

The emotional, occasionally insult-laced debate has been over when, where and how they should be used. Watch video Mike Greenlar/The Post-StandardMichael Hacker, a team leader in hunting and archery at Bass Pro Shops, takes aim with a Excalibur Phoenix crossbow inside the archery range at the Fingelakes Mall store in Auburn.It’s an emotional, occasionally insult-laced argument that’s been going on in this state among outdoorsmen for more than two decades.It’s the debate over crossbows — specifically when, where and how they should be used.“I went to a recent meeting up in Buffalo and there were hundreds of people against the three of us. We got bushwhacked,” said Avon resident David Kosowski, legislative chairman of the N.Y. Bowhunters Inc., a group that has been at the forefront of keeping crossbows out of the archery season since its formation in 1991. He said he’s been going to similar meetings for years.“You get called a communist, told this is a free country and that everyone has a right to hunt the way they want. ... a few years back I even had one outdoors writer come across the table and challenge me. Guys had to restrain him,” he said.Crossbow advocates say their critics are selfish and condescending and that the abuse goes both ways.The issue boils down to this: Crossbow hunters want to hunt during bowhunting season, which precedes the firearms season. Bowhunters say they’re not against crossbows — they just don’t want to share the woods with them during that time.The debate is coming to a head again with the Dec. 31 expiration of a two-year law drafted by Sen. David Valesky, D-Oneida, in 2010. Valesky’s bill allowed the use of crossbows in this state for the first time during the fall hunting season for big game (deer and bear). However, it restricted their use to the regular firearms season and the muzzleloader season that followed. They were banned during the regular bow season. The final decision of what to do next won’t be reached by the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. It’ll come down to state lawmakers —downstaters whose numbers and positions carry the most weight in the state Assembly and Senate and the governor’s office.Advocates for both sides say that these are often folks who don’t hunt themselves and often react to whichever side sends in the most letters or emails, or makes the most calls.“This kind of thing is not instinctive for most of the leaders in the Senate and the Assembly ... not terribly high on the priority list until it shows up on their desk, with those stacks of letters,” said Assemblyman Don Miller, R-Clay, who favors the use of crossbows.The Crossbow Coalition is a recently formed, 480-member pro-crossbow group led by Pulaski resident Rick McDermott. McDermott said support for crossbows is growing and he cited hunter polls conducted by Cornell University and the endorsements of several large outdoors-related groups, including the New York State Conservation Council.Lately, McDermott has been in Albany lobbying, and his group has organized a special demonstration in Ballston Spa on Tuesday so state lawmakers or their aides can try out a crossbow.But the clock is ticking as this year’s legislative session ends in about a month.On one side of the issue are the traditionalists, led by the nearly 3,000-member N.Y. Bowhunters group. They feel strongly that crossbows are not the same as regular bows. They worry about safety issues, noting a crossbow would usually be cocked and carried loaded in the woods, and must be fired to unload it. Meanwhile, a regular bow can be drawn back and then “drawn down” without releasing the arrow.They note the DEC requires regular bow hunters to take a special safety course, while crossbow hunters need only read a page in the DEC hunting handbook, clip and sign a coupon saying they’ve read it, and then carry that coupon on them when they hunt. They see many crossbow hunters as lazy, unwilling to put in the time and practice to shoot a regular bow.“It’s like that PGA golfer with the bad leg who wanted to ride around the course in a cart while others had to walk,” Kosowski said. “Some things in life are just meant to be more challenging than others.”On the other hand there are those who favor crossbows because they feel hunters should have the right to use the hunting instrument of their choice. They say crossbows are good for younger or weaker hunters, as well as older hunters and those suffering temporary or permanent disabilities. They note that having more hunters in the woods is good business for this state, plus it would help keep the state’s deer population in check.“I’m 77 and no longer able to draw a vertical bow like I used to. I could just join a hunting camp, cook breakfast and tell stories of yesteryear — but I want to hunt,” said Phil Stewart, of Clay, who said he’d like to use a crossbow.Crossbow advocates paint their opponents as selfish and arrogant because they want to keep others out of “their woods” and away from “their deer” during the bow season.The DEC recently released its five-year deer management plan, which recommends the use of crossbows during any hunting season in which other bowhunting equipment is used.Gordon Batcheller, the DEC’s wildlife bureau chief, attended a recent town meeting hosted by the Crossbow Coalition in Brewerton. He said the DEC’s position “comes down to getting people outdoors.“If we don’t have people out there hunting, bird watching, looking for snakes and reptiles, fishing ... we will not have a future generation of dedicated conservationists,” he said.The DEC’s hands are tied, though, until legislation is passed giving them the power to set the regulations.Valesky said he’s been dealing with the crossbow issue since he was elected in 2005, and before that as an aide to then-Assemblyman Michael Bragman, handling fish- and game-related legislation.Valesky felt that his 2010 bill, dedicated to Syracuse crossbow advocate and outdoorsman Bob Ripberger, of Syracuse, would settle things.However, due to lobbying by N.Y. Bowhunter officials and others, he said, his bill got revised four times. The final product, he said, was an effort to “come up with a reasonable compromise that all sportsmen could live by.”Earlier this year, another bill, S6747A, penned by Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Depew, proposed legalizing crossbows and giving the DEC the authority to regulate where, when and how they should be used.That’s the bill that the Crossbow Coalition is supporting and the bill Valesky said he now wishes he had authored. Will it pass?“Anything can happen in the next six weeks,” Valesky said, adding that if Gallivan’s bill stalls, hunters can still use their crossbows this fall and the state Legislature could just pick up the issue again at the start of the 2013 session.Kosowski predicts another outcome.“They’ll end up rolling over (Valesky’s bill) for one more year to give it another year to ferment ... (and) on and on we go,” he said.WHAT’S WHAT? Long bow: A straight piece of wood that’s bent and strung up on either end. Recurve bow: Has an additional curve at each end to increase power. Compound bow: Has a pulley system at either end that enables the archer to pull back the string and hold it for longer periods of time. The pulleys decrease the poundage (the force needed to hold the strings back) by as much as 80 percent.Crossbow: Needs to be cocked ahead of time and uses smaller arrows (called bolts) than regular bows. The arrows are released by pulling a trigger. To unload it, you have to fire it. Crossbows are held horizontally to aim and shoot, as opposed to vertically. The arguments: To read both sides of the crossbow issue, see the N.Y. Bowhunter website and the Crossbow Coalition website . View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog

Competitive lumberjack David Andrews, 22, a senior studying aquatics and fisheries science at SUNY ESF, won the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Northeast Qualifier held April 28 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Submitted photoDavid Andrews in the stock saw competition.Competitive lumberjack David Andrews, 22, a senior studying aquatics and fisheries science at SUNY ESF, won the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Northeast Qualifier held April 28 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.Andrews placed first out of 11 competitors chopping and sawing in four disciplines: stock saw, standing block chop, single buck and underhand chop. He advances to the 2012 Collegiate Championship in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., on June 3.The winner of that competition will get a spot on the rookie relay team in the 2012 Stihl Timbersports Series World Championship held in Lillehammer, Norway, on Sept. 7-8, along with qualifying for the 2013 Stihl professional series. View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog