gwhalin

The law is written to include all DEC and DEP public land in the state. Aware of the working group in the DEC, but I get the sense they were caught off guard by overzealous legislators. Hope the Senate backs off and leaves this in the hands of the DEC where it belongs. But just in case, call those Senators and let them know!

Hey all, not sure if folks are aware of this, but the NY Assembly passed a law end of March this year to ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting on all public lands in the state (DEC and DEP). The argument for this is to protect NYC drinking water, though no proof exists that lead ammunition for hunting has any impact at all on NYC water, and this bill doesn't even mention fishing tackle. If passed, this would take effect Jan 1, with no plans for phasing this in. As I mentioned, this has already passed the NY Assembly (where it has failed in previous years). The corresponding Senate bill is in committee right now, but will likely pass a Senate vote soon (based off previous years where this bill passed Senate but failed Assembly). While many (myself included) are in favor of voluntary use of non-toxic ammo, this bill as it is currently written is likely to limit access to a lot of NY state public land hunters given the limited access to non-toxic ammo and the increased cost of that ammo. It is also likely to be a nightmare for the ECOs to enforce and result in increased tension between hunters and DEC. The information on this bill can be found here: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s5058 I encourage everyone to call your state Senators as soon as possible and let them know you oppose this.

I hunted California Hill hard in 2020 turkey season. Saw a few hens and heard a few waaaay off gobblers, but only got out there one time this season. Did you end up getting in there this spring? Any sign of turkey?

I picked mine up at the town hall on Friday. Same deal where they thought it would cost $15 to reprint but they found a note somewhere that said they could waive the charge.

I still like my Weber Smokey Mountain for when I want to get real smoke flavor, but also just got a Rec Tec pellet smoker to replace my propane grill and I am loooving it.

Still never received my deer tags. Got my DMPs three weeks ago, but still no regular tags. Guess gonna have to head to the town hall to get them printed.

I have a damned good lock on my door and a cell phone to dial 911.

I received my DMP tags few weeks ago, but still waiting on license tags. Getting antsy!

Big fan of https://www.insectshield.com/. You send them your clothes and they factory treat with permethrin. I am head to toe protected when in a situation when in woods. Still have to do tick checks, and I am obviously not wearing for yard work, but gives me a bit of piece of mind.

Did a ton of late season squirrel hunting in California Hill. Saw fair amount of deer sign in spots, but also saw people leaf blowing trails (yes for real) and riding mountain bikes all through there on weekends.

In Putnam County, they are saying midnight tomorrow for power to come back. Looks like nearly the entire county is without power. Generators are roaring all over.

I went out nearly every day this week and managed to get three of these guys. Got the last one this afternoon on last day of season. Winter squirrel hunting is crazy fun and I think pretty damned hard! With leaves down they see you from a long way off and disappear. Sad to say that my poor shooting with 22 resulted in missing about 4 over the course of the week. Pretty long shots but no excuses. Guess I need to practice more! Soaked them in buttermilk, battered and fried and then simmered in homemade chicken stock until tender. Yum!

We have tons of pubic land access, easy to get tags, and a long season. The marks against NY for me, are a lack of big game species and a lack of terrain that works well for spot and stalk hunting like the western states.

Last year we had regular visits from local flock in yard. Never saw them once this year.

Drones are fun to fly and take amazing video and photos. I have a DJI Mavic Pro. I have never considered using them for scouting (and hunting would obviously be illegal). I am not sure I would get much more from a drone than I would from a topo map and google earth.