Italy Valley QDM Meeting Sept 25 , 2010

[fasteddie]

If anyone is around the Potter / Naples area , you might enjoy this .

Dear Co-op Member,

We hope that this finds everyone well and ready for the upcoming deer hunting season.  We have scheduled an informal fall meeting for Saturday, September 25^th to provide everyone with an opportunity to get together to talk about hunting and the deer that they’ve seen or caught on trail cam.  The meeting will start at noon and will be held at Ken Frearson’s hunting camp at 1625 Italy Valley Road.  Lunch, including hot dogs, salads, etc will be provided.

In addition to providing an opportunity for everyone to get together before the season starts, we will also kick-off our deer hunting contests for 2010 and provide some information about the importance of maintaining and submitting observation and harvest information.

Contests

As last year, we will feature both a “Big Buck” and a “Dough” contest during the 2010 deer hunting season.  The entry fee remains $5 for each, and the rules for both are unchanged from last year.  You may enter the contests either in person at the meeting on the 25^th, or if you cannot attend the meeting you can mail-in the entry slip and fee by October 15th.

For those considering the Dough contest, please remember the importance of fully completing the “entry slip” including doe age and indicating whether or not the doe was lactating if a 1 ½ year old.  The percent of yearling does found to have been bred as a fawn is an important indicator of local herd health.  Last year’s contest data indicated a 20% lactation rate among yearling does, however the small sample size makes this number suspect.  DEC biologists estimate the doe fawn breeding rate at about 7% in our region.

Information for both contests is attached.  As determined at our spring meeting, last year’s Big Buck contest winner was Ken Frearson, and the three Dough contest winners were Charles Stackhouse, Larry Hann, and Roger Smith.

Observation and Harvest Information

As always, members are encouraged to maintain and submit observation and harvest information as this is the only means by which we can judge our progress in improving our local deer herd and our deer hunting experience.  This is how we know that mature buck sightings have increased by 30% on member properties since our inception in 2007.  About 36% of member properties submitted data last hunting season.  If you participated last season - thank you, and if you didn’t, please consider doing so this year.  Observation and harvest data submitted by members is never shared with other members in a property specific fashion.  Observation and harvest reporting forms and instructions are attached.

Hope to see you at the meeting on the 25^th!  Please call or write with any questions.

John (585/554-3336) & Ken (585/636-4264)

[fasteddie]

Tomorrow ..... Sept 25

[burmjohn]

Wow, wish we had something like this in our area. Might be time to start something up.

[Fairgame]

Its a great thought for next year.  A little heads up for people in the area.  Make it more like a hunter dinner gathering with a contest and everyone bring in info for that years harvest. We could get some good info like that.  Deer chili contest, big buck contest big bear contest big doe contest