Syracuse.com - Figura continuing to write about carp tourney, CNY outdoor destinations and the best time to take a vacation (May 22-26)

[HuntingNY-News]

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The deadline for the newspaper's annual Wildlife Photography contest is soon. June 5 to be exact. Get those entries in! The best photos will run on Father's Day.

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<p>I can't believe it. Memorial Day weekend is upon us. I haven't shot a wild turkey yet, nor have a put my boat on the water.</p>

<p>And there's a ton of yard work to do!</p>

<p>Meanwhile, here's what I'm working on for this week and beyond:</p>

<p>- Finishing up the Wild Carp Week Triathlon. The 75-hour team event ends this morning (I was thinking about those poor guys as I was in bed last night listening to the rain), but there's still separate Big Fish and Big Four competitions set for Thursday and Friday.</p>

<p>- I looked at the calendar. There's 15 weekends between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. I'm assembling a list of 15 prime outdoor locations to visit (a checklist) for readers.</p>

<p>- When do you take your summer vacation during the summer? Staff meteorologist Dave Eichorn talked about this and offer up the best time (in our humble opinions) based on the warmest temperatures and most number of rainy days (according to 20 years of stats). </p>

<p>- Lampreys in Oneida Lake? You betcha. A contingent of Canadians are traveling down here Memorial Day weekend to apply lampricide in Fish Creek to kill spawning adults.</p>

<p>- Boot camp for state environmental conservation officers? There's one going on right now up in Pulaski.. the first one offered since 2008. A small contingent of forest rangers are participating in the beginning before breaking off for their own training. </p>

<p>- The Great Blue Heron rookie up at the Sterling Nature Center. It's something to see and should be prime for viewing in a few weeks.</p>

<p>- Also: Good shoreline fishing hotspots; a couple of trout stream profiles and Hike of the Week. </p>

<p><strong>Two new occasional features:</strong></p>

<p>1). "Keeping Watch" a weekly or bi-weekly report from the Region 7 DEC office noting the fional dispositions of recent tickets issued by local conservation officers. Only ones where the defendant has pleaded guilty or is found guilty will be listed.</p>

<p>2). "Ask the Outdoors Guy" a weekly posting noting a question or questions from readers about the outdoors. If I can't provide an answer, I'll find someone who will. <strong>Send your questions to d<a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.</strong></p>

<p><strong>FInally:</strong> <a href="http://blog.syracuse.com/outdoors/2013/05/entries_now_being_accepted_for.html">The deadline for the newspaper's annual Wildlife Photography contest is soon</a>. June 5 to be exact. Get those entries in! The best photos will run on Father's Day.</p>

<p><br /><strong>ANYTHING ELSE READERS OF THIS REPORT WOULD LIKE TO SEE ME WRITE ABOUT? </strong><br />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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> or call 470-6066.</p>

<p><a href="http://update.syracuse.com/adv_syracuse/newsletters/syracuse/subscribe.htm">If you want to join The Post-Standard's Outdoors Group and get this emailed directly to you, subscribe here.</a>.</p>

<p><strong>FIGURA ON FACEBOOK:</strong><br />For those who are on Facebook, I also have a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/PostStandardOutdoors#!/PostStandardOutdoors#!/photo.php?fbid=3369108872206&set=a.1178365985003.2028364.1403751639&type=1&theater&notif_t=like">PS Outdoors page</a>, 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. </p>

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View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog