Steve D

Town of BurlingtonOtsego CountyWater Rescue/Recovery: On Jan. 6 at 2:45 p.m., a subject walking his dog called 911 after seeing two ice fishermen fall through the ice on Basswood Pond. Forest Ranger Laymon was at the Jacobs Road trailhead one minute away from the pond. Ranger Laymon saw one of the men treading water, but lost sight of the other. The ice was approximately one-inch thick, unsafe for fishing. The Ranger entered the ice, crawled toward the 42-year-old from Richfield Springs, and used a throw bag to help the subject out of the water. The subject grabbed the rope and Ranger Layman pulled him onto a sled. At 2:55 p.m., the Ranger pulled the sled to shore where he was met by members of the Edmeston Fire Department, who used their truck to start the drying and warming process to help the subject suffering from hypothermia. Ranger Laymon headed back to the ice to search for the second man, the first subject’s brother. At 3:05 p.m., Ranger Laymon located the 41-year-old from Richfield Springs in seven to eight feet of water. New York State Police, Otsego County Emergency Services, and Edmeston, Fly Creek, Schuyler Lake, and West Edmeston volunteer fire departments helped pull Ranger Laymon and the submerged man out of the water and onto shore. At 3:23 p.m., the subject was transferred to EMTs who began CPR. Both subjects were taken to the hospital. The first was treated and released. The second subject was declared deceased by the hospital later that night.

I wish you good luck but have to say the current conditions are the worst...especially if you are targeting canines. I enjoy trapping when the conditions are right and around here they haven't been good for a couple of months. Water trappers can probably do ok but I doubt land trappers are having much luck.

When NY made pistol permits renewable the original schedule was 5 Years: If your permit was issued before January 15, 2013, the deadline to submit your recertification is January 31, 2018. If your permit was issued on or after January 15, 2013, the deadline to recertify is five years after the date the permit was issued. As a permit holder, it is your responsibility to recertify your permit whether you receive a notification letter or not. Then they changed it 2023 to three years and never notified anyone: New York State is now requiring that any pistol permit holder whose permit was issued before Sept. 6, 2020, must recertify their carry conceal permit every three years. In addition to a NY permit I have a Utah and Pennsylvania permit. Last year I received a renewal letter and form from Utah two months ahead notifying when and how I had to renew. My PA permit expires at the end of March, and I received the notification, required form, along with the information on where, when and how to re-certify. New York notifies me via e-mail for DMV renewals but has yet to notify me of any change in gun laws or renewals. NY leaves it up to the individual permit holder to keep his or her permit current and I can't help but wonder how many have expired permits due to the move from 5-year to 3-year renewal. I know of three or four that would have had their permits expire if they weren't given a heads up.. Not fair to law abiding citizens and sportsmen/women.

Don't worry. Hochul has that under control: ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— New York is one of eight states that saw a drop in population this year. Over 101,000 people left the state according to the U.S. Census Bureau. “Affordability, public safety, housing, mental health, our nursing homes need staffing,” listed Tedisco. “But other things are not so obvious, and we have to get a holistic look, a deep dive into these things.” He and Democratic Assemblyman, Angelo Santabarbara, are now introducing a bill for commission to research the exact causes of out-migration. The commission would consist of 13 members chosen by the Governor, Senate Majority Leader, Assembly Speaker, and the Minority Leaders of both the Senate and Assembly. Public hearings would then be held in all regions across the state. But in her 2024 State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed to the lack of housing as a reason people are leaving, using it for justification for lawmakers to address affordable properties. “People aren’t moving for warmer weather or lower taxes. They’re moving next door,” Hochul said. "Three of the top five states New Yorkers are moving to share our borders and have similar taxes. People are earning in New York but living in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.” The governor said the high costs of rents and mortgages are caused by a housing shortage in the state and outlined other cities in the U.S. whose ambitions to build more housing “dwarfed ours.” Hochul: Housing reforms is solution to New York outmigration (spectrumlocalnews.com)

Good luck everyone and most importantly stay safe. Thanks to our insurance company I will be sitting out another year. Hopefully next year will be the year I can return to hunting. It has been a long haul for sure but at least we have been able to re-build. Stay safe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Right now, there is no charge to the customer for a background check but when the troopers take over, it will cost $9 for a new gun purchase and $2.50 any time you want to buy ammunition for that gun or any other gun you might already own. News10NBC Investigates: NYS taking over background checks for all gun and ammo purchases and charging for them - WHEC.com

If you have taken a Hunter Education, Bowhunter Education, or Trapper Education certification course but still want some hands-on training, you are in luck! DEC's Hunter Education Program now offers Next Step Courses Firearms (rifle or shotgun) – learn about different types of rifles or shotguns, hands-on instruction in safe firearm handling and safe zones of fire, loading and unloading rifles or shotguns, shooting positions and stances, and target practice on the range; Crossbow and Archery – learn about the parts of a crossbow or bow, how to hunt safely with a crossbow or bow, how to shoot a crossbow or bow, and target practice on the range; and Trapping (water trapping or land trapping) and fur handling courses – learn safe, efficient, and humane trapping techniques for various furbearers trapped in the water (e.g., beaver, muskrat) or on land (e.g., coyote, raccoon), how to process furs and the equipment needed to do so, and how to use the furs including preparing them for market. All Next Step courses are free, but registration is required. Supplies and equipment are provided by course instructors so students do not have to bring their own. Those interested will need their hunter or trapper education certificate number to register. The minimum age to take a Next Step course is 12. There is no certification offered with these courses. To learn what Next Step courses are being offered, and to register, visit DEC’s website. Since these are new courses, availability may be limited. Hunters and trappers are encouraged to check back often as courses will continuously be added.

As occupied as I am I still try to keep an eye on the push for more gun control. I recently reached out to Gillibrand and Schumer voicing my opinions and concerns after their recent announcement of plans to expand background checks. I also inquired what if anything was being proposed to address the issue of crimes being committed with illegal guns by and illegal possession under the current laws. Gillibrand has not responded. This is my response from Shumer. They just don't get it. Dear Mr. Thank you for contacting me regarding gun control legislation. Like you, I believe the right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment. While I respect the Second Amendment to the Constitution, I believe that we have a collective interest in keeping guns out of the hands of those who want to harm the innocent. I believe it is possible to strike a reasonable balance. I have long advocated for faster and more accurate background checks so legal purchasers can receive their guns quickly while ensuring criminals do not illegally purchase and possess firearms. After the tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007, I took a leading role in passing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act through the Senate. This legislation, supported by the National Rifle Association, authorizes funds for states to compile required background data into the shared NICS database. Ensuring that this information is comprehensive and up to date will better prevent criminals from illegally purchasing and possessing firearms. I have also fought to create new opportunities for law abiding citizens to exercise their right to use guns. That includes working to expand hunting grounds in NYS by creating a financial incentive to allow private landowners to allow hunters to access their property. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please keep in touch with your thoughts and opinions. Sincerely, Charles E. Schumer United States Senator Please do not respond to this email. To send another message please visit my website at https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck . Thank you.

Great Video and congratulations

Great pictures and video. Brings back many fond memories chasing cottontails, snowshoes, and grouse int he Tug Hill area and the north country with some good beagles.

There are many agencies including public adjusters that may help you with your claim for a fee which usually is a percentage of the amount they recover on your behalf. The amount they negotiate with insurance companies may or may not be the full amount you are entitled to under your policy limits. What we have learned is that regardless of your coverage; insurance companies are only willing pay out what they determine the value of your property or possessions to be worth which usually is considerably less than what it would cost to replace. The biggest misconception everyone seems to have is having coverage for example of $350,000 thinking they will receive that amount if something should happen. While someone may be paying for $350,000 of coverage it does not mean you will receive that amount in the case of a loss. Insurance agents and Insurance companies push for coverages but never really define the scope of those coverages and what they could mean to the insured. The average policy holder including myself never take the time to completely understand their policy. We put our trust in insurance agents and insurance companies assuming if we ever need it, we are covered. Depreciation seems to be one of insurance company’s favorite terms and they use it to the maximum of their ability. Insurance companies are not our friend regardless of what we think. They are only interested in profit margins achieved by collecting premiums and paying out the least amount possible to claims.

Thank You Paula

As luck would have it our basement flooded for the first time in 25 yrs. last summer during the days & days of rain. At that time I thought that was the worst and two weeks later it flooded again. It really sucked for sure but was no comparison to the fire. We left the house with the cloths on our back and stayed at a hotel for a month before we could find a “small” place to rent. Since then we have done nothing but fight the insurance company on the house value, the contents value, gathering what things could be salvaged and removing debris from the house. I really appreciate your offer along with Chris, Four Seasons, nybuckboy, and others but truthfully will not be in a position to hunt, trap x-country ski, fish, or reload for quite some time if at all. Maybe someday but not in the near future. Thank you also Rob. There isn’t much of anything anyone can do. Right now, it is pretty much a wait & see game. We can only do what we can with what we have and take it one day at a time. Sorry to hear that Tom. We hear of fires all the time on the news but one can never grasp the magnitude of such an event without experiencing it. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone except possibly our insurance adjuster. Right now and for the unforeseeable future our focus is trying to rebuild a life. Building prices are extremely high and trying to buy an existing place with the real estate market the way it is becomes a real challenge. Houses seem to be moving at a fairly fast pace at prices way above assessment values and land values have doubled & tripled.

One thing I would like to pass on to anyone reading this is to check your homeowners' policies. Insurance companies are not your friend. Make sure you have full replacement value on your policy. Also have an accurate and up to date inventory of every item you own regardless of the value. If the need should ever come it would be well worth the effort to have an inventory on file in a safe location.

Thank you both for the generous offer but hunting is not in my immediate future. We are renting a small place with just the basic necessities until we can either re-build or sell our property and move on. No room here to store anything and it is tough to plan for the future with the way the real estate market and construction costs are. Everything seems to move at a snail's pace, and it is hard to accomplish anything with all the red tape involved in every step of the process.

Thank you both.