Syracuse.com - First youth firearms hunt weekend for deer produces good results and a lot of memories (see photo slideshow)

[HuntingNY-News]

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arned of accidents and problems of having young deer, inexperienced hunters with firearms in the woods during the bow hunting season. The DEC reported, though, that there were no hunting-related, shooting incidents.

ywhere in the state during the weekend.

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<p><span id="asset-11698169" title="slideshow" class="id:11698169 basename:youth_hunt_weekend_2012 blog_id:4456 align:right"><img src="http://media.syracuse.com/post-standard/photo/2012/10/11698173-large.jpg" height="214" width="380" border="1" class="slideshow-preview entry_widget_right" alt="Gallery preview" /></span></p>

<p>It wasn’t your typical, Columbus Day weekend.</p>

<p>The state Department of Environmental Conservation held a special youth firearms weekend on Oct. 5-7, allowing junior youngsters, ages 14-15 with a big game license to hunt deer under the supervision of a licensed and experienced adult.</p>

<p>Judging from the reaction for the DEC and several local parents whose children participated, the weekend was a big success.</p>

<p>Critics beforehand warned of accidents and problems of having young deer, inexperienced hunters with firearms in the woods during the bow hunting season, which began Oct. 1. The regular firearms season doesn’t start until Nov. 17 this year.</p>

<p>No bad news was good news to those who supported the hunt. The DEC reported that there were no hunting-related, shooting accidents ere in the state during the weekend.</p>

<p>“The youth deer hunt is a great opportunity for the next generation of New York hunters and is an important step in preserving our hunting heritage while maintaining our ability to manage deer through hunting in the future,” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said. “We received enthusiastic feedback from parents and excited young hunters who took part of the Columbus Day weekend. These experiences demonstrate the great value of providing this unique opportunity for junior hunters.”</p>

<p>Chris LaFever, of Lebanon, took his daughter, Alicia, out on family-owned property.</p>

<p>“I write you as a proud father of a 14- year-old daughter who took part in the youth hunt this past weekend. She harvested her first buck on Sunday evening with her rifle. Take a look at the picture and you can see the importance of this youth hunt,” he said.</p>

<p>Lafever said his daughter has been shooting since she was 5. The past two years, she has hunted deer with him in Pennsylvania. This was her first buck. She shot the 13-pointer at about 80 yards.</p>

<p>“We were in a time crunch Sunday afternoon after she had played in a soccer game,” he said. “When she saw the buck, she said she was having trouble steadying the rifle. She was standing. I coached her: breath in, breath out — then pull the trigger.</p>

<p>“Her reaction was jubilance. Frankly, It was best hunting experience I’ve had in my life and I’ve been hunting more than 20 years.”</p>

<p>Forrest SeGuin, of Chittenango, was proud of his 14-year-old son Austin, who shot a doe on family owned property in Chittenango.</p>

<p>“He worked all year to raise enough money to buy his Browning rifle and his shot was right on, “ he said. “We waited until there was only about a hour of rain left Saturday morning and got in the stand at about 10. He took the doe when the sun started coming out about 1:15 p.m.”</p>

<p>Art Diamond, of Fayetteville, said he couldn’t believe the size of the 8-point buck his son, Eli, shot. He estimated the deer’s antlers will score around 130 to 140 inches. It dressed out at 210 pounds at the butcher.</p>

<p>Diamond set up his 15-year-old son in a ground blind and they spotted the buck at about 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Initially, it was about 120 yards away. When it get within the 80-yard mark, Eli took the shot with his 20-gauge, rifle-barreled shotgun. He was sitting in a chair at the time and used his knees as a rest.</p>

<p>“It was a nice broadside,” the father said.</p>

<p>The wounded buck ran into a ravine. After sitting for a bit, the two followed it in and found it dead at the bottom of the ravine, which dropped in elevation an estimated 220 feet.</p>

<p>“It was quite an engineering feat getting it out,” the father said. “We got my other son and our truck, and used a rope and cable.”</p>

<p>The proud father had one regret.</p>

<p>“I had a video camera and totally screwed up,” he said. “I got the buck coming out of the woods, walking toward us — everything. Afterward I realized the screen I was looking through wasn’t recording.”<br /> <br /> <br /></p>

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog