Syracuse.com - Figura writing about white deer at former Seneca Army Depot, crows and mute swans

[HuntingNY-News]

I got out on Owasco Lake last weekend to ice fish, and most likely will spend some time on the ice again this weekend in my never-ending search for tasty perch fillets.

Last week's rain has been followed by another week of freezing weather. Man, it's been a cold winter.

I got out on Owasco Lake last weekend to ice fish, and most likely will spend some time on the ice again this weekend in my never-ending search for tasty perch fillets. Anybody have some good recipes? Send them to me at [email protected].

I'm also planning on participating for the first time this Saturday in the annual Lake Como Ice Golf Tournament. It's an 18-hole match, with holes varying from 30 to 90 yards. The last time I checked, the ice on this lake on southeastern Cayuga County was more than two feet thick.

Meanwhile, here's the stories I'm working on this week and next:

- DEC Commish Joe Martens stopped by the Syracuse Media Group office Wednesday and met with our editorial board. I asked him about crossbows and the DEC's controversial mute swan plan. He said crossbows will likely be legal by this fall (provided the governor's budget passes) and that the DEC will "most likely" revise its mute swan plan following all the negative reaction to it.

- I've heard the U.S. government will cease its management of the former Seneca Army Depot in Romulus by early next year. The land contains one of the largest, if not the largest herd of all-white deer in the country. What will happen once the feds leave? Who will maintain the 26-miles of fencing around the property that keeps the deer in? Stay tuned.

- Winter time in Central New York means huge numbers of crows in certain urban and suburban areas of our region (most notably Auburn, Syracuse, Geneva and Cortland). What's the status of the crow populations this winter in those areas, what's being done to make sure they aren't a nuisance?

- What's the update on a proposed DEC boat launch on Otisco Lake?

- Onondaga County has budgeted $35,000 for a new fishing website.

- An update on the state's war against wild boars.

-An update on the joint city/county deer task force.

-Should hunters in Onondaga County be allowed to hunt deer with rifles? (Many surrounding counties allow it).

ANYTHING ELSE READERS OF THIS REPORT WOULD LIKE TO SEE ME WRITE ABOUT?

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