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A petition to Governor Cuomo asking state to buy land in conservation easements
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2011 Deer Harvest Statistics

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DEC ISSUES DRAFT UNIT MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR
TAYLOR POND WILD FOREST
Public Meeting Scheduled for May 24 in Ausable Forks

(5/17) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced May 16 the release of the draft unit management plan (UMP) for the Taylor Pond Wild Forest. The management plan covers 76,347 acres located in portions of 13 towns and three counties in the northeastern region of the Adirondack Park. This includes 45,637 acres of forest preserve lands in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, 6,314 acres in three state forests, 1,329 acres in three wildlife management areas and 23,067 acres in four conservation easement tracts.

"The release of the draft unit management plan for the Taylor Pond Wild Forest is another significant milestone in our efforts to improve public access and ensure the protection of the Adirondacks for future generations," Commissioner Martens said. "The public's participation has been extremely valuable throughout the planning process, providing the Department with important information and recommendations incorporated into the draft plan."

A public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 24, at the Town of Jay Community Center in AuSable Forks. The meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to learn more on the proposed management actions in the draft UMP and to provide comment on the proposals. DEC will accept comments on the draft UMP until June 22. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please provide any requests for specific accommodations to 518-897-1291 at least two weeks in advance. The Town of Jay Community Center is located at 11 School Lane in AuSable Forks. Directions to the Community Center can be obtained from the Town Offices at 518- 647-2204.

The core of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest is located in the region around Taylor Pond, Silver Lake and Union Falls flow, in the Franklin County Town of Franklin and the Clinton County Town of Black Brook. Other parcels of the Wild Forest are located in the Towns of AuSable, Peru, and Saranac in Clinton County, and the Towns of Chesterfield, Elizabethtown, Essex, Jay, Lewis, St. Armand, Westport and Willsboro in Essex County.

The summits of Silver Lake, Poke-O-Moonshine and Catamount Mountains are the three most popular summit destinations for hikers in the Wild Forest. A number of rivers and ponds provide excellent boating and paddling opportunities. There is also extensive use of the campsites on Franklin Falls and Union Falls Ponds and several other camping areas in the unit. Other popular activities in the unit are hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing.

A segment of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT), which links the waterways of New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire and Maine, runs through the Taylor Pond Wild Forest. The segment is on the Saranac River and includes Franklin Falls and Unions Falls Ponds. The NFCT route's variety of flat water, swift water, and whitewater, on a range of rivers, streams, lakes and ponds provide extensive opportunities for canoe and kayak recreation.

The 4,739-acre Terry Mountain State Forest and the 1,575-acre Burnt Hill State Forest are included in the UMP. As are the 577-acre Ausable Marsh, 683-acre Wickham Marsh and the 96-acre Pauline Murdock Wildlife Management Areas. The conservation easement tracts included in the plan are the 1,200-acre Alderbrook Park Tract, 1,030-acre Cook Mountain Tract of the Lassiter Easement, and the 5,124-acre Franklin Falls/Union Falls Tract.

Although included in the unit no management actions are proposed for the 15,713-acres Black Brook Tract of Lyme Adirondack Timber Lands Easement. A separate Recreational Management Plan will be developed for the Black Brook Tract.

Proposed management actions in the draft UMP include: Officially designating the Catamount Mountain Trail and developing a trailhead parking area; Constructing a new snowmobile trail between the Forestdale Road and the snowmobile trails near Taylor Pond which when connected to trails to be constructed in the Wilmington Wild Forest will allow snowmobilers to ride from Clinton County and Franklin County snowmobile trail system to the hamlet of Wilmington; Constructing a parking area for the new Observer’s Trail, formerly known as the Jeep Trail, which accesses the fire tower on Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain; Constructing three lean-tos designed for accessibility for people with limited mobility – one each near the shores of Taylor Pond, Military Pond and Mud Pond; Providing group camping opportunities along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail on the shores of Franklin Falls Pond and Union Falls Pond; and Bringing the primitive campsites on Franklin Falls Pond and Union Falls Pond into compliance with Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan requirements.

A UMP must be completed before significant new recreational facilities, such as trails, lean-tos, or parking areas, can be constructed. The plan includes an analysis of the natural features of the area and the ability of the land to accommodate public use. The planning process is designed to cover all environmental considerations for the unit and forms the basis for all proposed management activities for a five-year time period.

UMPs are required by the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan for each unit of State land in the Adirondack Park. The plans integrate the goals and objectives of the Master Plan, related legislation, and resource and visitor use information into a single document.

The draft UMP will be available for public review beginning next week at DEC headquarters in Albany, DEC Region 5 headquarters in Ray Brook and the DEC Region 5 office in Warrensburg. CDs of the plan will be available at these same locations, as well as the offices for the Town of Franklin in Franklin County; the Towns of Black Brook, Ausable, Peru, and Saranac in Clinton County; and the Towns of Chesterfield, Elizabethtown, Essex, Jay, Lewis, St. Armand, Westport and Willsboro in Essex County. The document may be viewed or downloaded at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/75834.html

Public comments will be accepted until June 22, and may be sent to Dan Levy, Senior Forester, NYSDEC, P.O. Box 296, Ray Brook, NY 12977 or emailed to r5ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us.

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CHANGES PROPOSED FOR STATE DEER HUNTING R
EGULATION TO IMPLEMENT FIVE-YEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN
Comment by May 21

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today proposed rules affecting deer and bear hunting in New York to implement the state’s Five-Year Deer Management Plan, Commissioner Joe Martens announced today.“Regulation changes are needed to implement many of the strategies of the recently adopted Management Plan for White-tailed Deer,” Commissioner Martens said.  “The changes to the deer hunting seasons, mandatory antler restrictions, use of Deer Management Permits (DMPs), and development of Deer Management Focus Areas will increase opportunities for New York hunters, consistent with input we’ve received from the public and deer management goals.”

DEC adopted the five- year deer management plan in October 2011 following extensive public input and can be viewed at: www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/deerplan2012.pdf.Comments previously submitted on the draft deer management plan were important in finalizing the deer plan and developing this rulemaking proposal.  DEC will accept public comments on this proposal through May 21, 2012.  Comments on this rule should be specific to the proposals herein and should not be resubmissions of previous comments submitted on the full deer management plan or previous regulatory proposals.This rule also proposes some adjustment of bear hunting seasons, which are generally concurrent with deer seasons.  DEC is proposing to:

•Establish a three-day youth firearms season for deer to occur during Columbus Day weekend in portions of the Northern and Southern Zone where deer may be taken with a firearm which will increase opportunities for junior hunters.  Junior hunters (ages 14 and 15) will be authorized to take one deer of either-sex with a firearm during the youth season.  DEC anticipates participation by approximately 16,000 youth hunters, roughly one youth hunter for every two to three square miles of deer habitat in New York.  The youth season will run concurrently with early bowhunting season and is not expected to have any noticeable impact on deer behavior or bowhunter success, particularly in light of the more than 100,000 small game hunters also afield during the early fall. Youth deer hunts are held concurrent with bowhunting seasons in many other states, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Opinions of potential participants about a youth firearms season can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/ythdeer2012.pdf.•Lengthen bowhunting seasons in the Southern Zone by moving to a fixed opening date of October 1 to increase bowhunting opportunities.  This will lengthen bowhunting seasons in the Southern Zone, and lengthen the regular season (bowhunting only) in Westchester County by an average of 15 days and include an additional four weekend days in most years.

•Adjust the Northern Zone muzzleloader and regular season start dates by up to one week later certain years to increase bowhunting opportunities and accommodate the proposed youth firearms season. This rule will begin the Northern Zone muzzleloader and regular seasons one week later in 6 of 10 years allowing for a longer early bow season these years.•Establish a late bowhunting season in the Northern Zone, concurrent with the late muzzleloading season, to increase bowhunting opportunities. This rule will increase bowhunting opportunities in the Northern Zone by an additional seven days and will be similar to the concurrent bow and muzzleloader seasons in the Southern Zone.

•Allow DMPs to be used during Northern Zone bow and early muzzleloader seasons to simplify regulations and increase hunter opportunity and choice.  Current regulations allow use of DMPs in the Northern Zone only during the regular season and late muzzleloader season.  This change will only affect those portions of the Northern Zone where DMPs can be issued (Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 6A, 6C, 6G, 6H, 6K), and this change will not affect the number of DMPs issued.  WMU locations can be identified at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8302.html.

•Establish mandatory antler restrictions in WMUs 3A, 4G, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S, and 4W to reduce harvest of yearling (1.5 year old) bucks.  The mandatory antler restriction will prohibit hunters during all seasons in all portions of the listed WMUs from taking an antlered deer unless it has at least 3 points on at least one antler.  Hunters less than 17 years old will be exempt from the restriction. In 2011, yearlings comprised 49 percent of the total adult bucks taken in these units. This rule is expected to change harvest composition so that 15-20 percent of the adult bucks taken in these units are yearlings. The restriction is expected to decrease total buck harvest approximately 35-45 percent initially.•Simplify the description of the area open for deer hunting during the January firearms season to include Suffolk County, subject to local discharge restrictions.  Current regulations include a complex and lengthy description of open areas that are unnecessary considering existing local ordinances and legal setbacks from structures for discharge of firearms.

•Establish provisions for designation of Deer Management Focus Areas to intensify use of traditional hunting in specifically designated geographic areas to assist communities with the burden of overabundant deer populations.  This rule will increase bag limits to two antlerless deer per hunter per day and establish a Deer Management Focus Area deer hunting season in late January. This rule will establish specific permit, tagging and reporting requirements in focus areas. This rule also defines the first such focus area in Tompkins County that includes portions of the towns of Caroline, Danby, Dryden, Enfield, Ithaca, Lansing, Newfield, and Ulysses. This area has very high deer populations and relatively poor access for hunters.  Deer management focus areas will enable greater harvest opportunity for hunters who are able to gain access to lands for hunting, and are intended to augment on-going management activities in the affected area.

•Adjust bear seasons in the Northern and Southern Zone to remain consistent with bow, muzzleloader and regular seasons for deer.

•Correct a road name in the boundary descriptions for WMUs 5A and 5C, where Franklin County Route 24 was incorrectly identified as State Route 24.

To see more detailed explanations of these proposals, including instructions for providing comments, visit the DEC website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/propregulations.html.  The proposed rulemaking can also be viewed in detail in the April 4, 2012 publication of the New York State Register, which will be posted at http://www.dos.state.ny.us/info/register/2012.html.

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GunBroker.com and AmmoLand Shooting Sports News Partner to
Bring Pro Gun News to Millions of GunBroker.com Fans

(4/24) Kennesaw, GA - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News, the leading newswire service for news and content related to firearms, gun rights, hunting and conservation has completed the roll out of a brand new Firearms Industry News webpage on GunBroker.com, the world’s largest gun auction website.

The new web page is accessible from all of GunBroker.com’s pages as a link in the primary left side navigation titled "Firearm Industry News" (http://www.gunbroker.com/User/IndustryNews.aspx ) and will feature a continuously updating news-feed of the latest pro-gun news headlines from AmmoLand.com.

"We are proud and excited that Gun Broker.com has partnered with us to help spread positive pro-gun news to their 3 million unique monthly visitors. It is extremely important that the grassroots gun owners have access to the latest news, products and information with regards to their right to keep and bear arms," says Fredy Riehl, Editor of AmmoLand.

AmmoLand Shooting Sports News publishes a continuous stream of news articles about firearms industry related topics including, new guns, competitive shooting, fish and game updates and conservation.

"We are pleased to add the Firearm Industry News page to our website for the benefit and education of our users. AmmoLand is a well-respected and reliable news provider in our industry. Its exclusive coverage of state level gun rights groups, like ISRA, VCDL and NJ2AS, makes it the perfect partner to power this free feature for our loyal users," says Don Hall, COO of GunBroker.com.

This new informational feature is just another example of the different steps GunBroker.com has taken to keep their users updated, educated and informed about important issues affecting the Second Amendment.

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DEC MODIFIES FOREST CONSERVATION EASEMENT TO ALLOW LEASING OF 220 CAMPS AND STATE ACQUISITION OF 2,800 ACRES OF FOREST LAND

  Leasing of recreational camps on the former Champion lands in Franklin, Herkimer, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties will be allowed under an agreement reached this week with the state and Heartwood Forestland Fund III, LP, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced.  As part of the agreement, Heartwood Forestland, the owner of a conservation easement on the former Champion lands, will transfer 2,797 acres of valuable wildlife habitat in the Deer River corridor to the state.

 “Today’s agreement recognizes the importance hunt clubs play in the day-to-day management of these lands and in ensuring the long-standing traditions of hunting, fishing, camping and hiking will continue,” said Commissioner Martens.  “DEC and Heartwood Forestland worked cooperatively with area stakeholders to ensure these camps can continue to be an important destination for hunters and their families in this remote area of the Park. DEC continues its efforts to create and maintain important recreational opportunities on state lands and lands subject to conservation easements.”

Under the new terms of the agreement, Heartwood Forestland will retain the right to permanently lease no more than 220 camp sites located on the 110,000 acres of forest lands on which the state acquired a working forest easement in 1999.  In return, the company will transfer the 2,797 acres of land to the state in two parcels adjacent to the state’s existing Deer River holdings.

 • A 2,146-acre parcel within the Adirondack Park will be added to the State Forest Preserve as part of the recently classified Deer River Primitive Area, and a 651-acre parcel outside the Park will become a new State Forest. These parcels will provide access to a previously-inaccessible, detached Forest Preserve property and will be open to the public for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and other outdoor recreation.
  •Under the terms of the 1999 agreement with Champion, the leased camps on the easement property acquired by Heartwood Forestland were to be removed by 2014. DEC and Heartwood Forestland worked with many other stakeholders to explore options to keep the tradition of camp leasing viable in this area.  The new agreement will provide Heartwood Forestland with the discretion to permit the camps to remain on one-acre parcels after 2014.  The entire 139,000-acre property will be open to public hunting, except for the one-acre camp parcels.

“This is great news for the north country,” said Robert Snider, Town of Clifton Town Supervisor.  “The tradition of hunting and hunting camps is an important part of our heritage.”

Charles H. Collins, Managing Director, the Forestland Group, LLC which manages Heartwood Forestland said, “We are pleased this project is now complete as it aligns the Champion easement with the other conservation easements in the Adirondack Park.  This amendment will demonstrate that traditional, regional uses of this ownership can be combined with our fundamental goals of sustained natural resource management and access to these lands for the general public.  This project will benefit the natural resources of the Adirondack Park, the communities and residents who live in and around the Park, and the Park’s many visitors both from within New York state and around the country.  The cooperative effort involved in this project is a testament to its value to the North Country.  We look forward to a continued close working relationship with all of our conservation partners.”
Brian Houseal, of the Adirondack Council, stated, “This revised Champion lands conservation easement will ensure the protection of this important working forest as an economic asset for the Adirondack region, as well as preserve over 2,100 acres as Forever Wild Forest Preserve for future generations of New Yorkers.”

New York State Conservation Council’s Access and Land Use Specialist, Walt Paul, said, “It’s a great day and I’m sure a relief for families with camps on the former Champion Lands to finally have some resolution to this situation after 12 years of hard work by many, many people. The sporting community recognizes and truly appreciates the hard work and persistence on the part of DEC staff to bring this to closure. What became evident during the discussion and seemed to be a turning point is the realization that sportsmen and women and their families have been good stewards of these lands for many years and that the contributions they make to our regional economies are significant and very important.”

The Agreement was publically noticed in the November 4, 2009 Environmental Notice Bulletin and included a 48-day public comment period.  The Agreement was also approved by the Adirondack Park Agency after a public comment period, the Offices of the Attorney General and the State Comptroller.  A full Environmental Impact Statement and Responsiveness Summary was also prepared for the agreement, which is available for viewing on DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/59344.html.

FISHING NEWS

New York Whitetail Classic Results Announced The 2011-12 NY Whitetail Classic winners have been announced. Among the winners was Brian Aiken (left) of Glens Falls who took 2nd Place with a find Adirondack buck. It should be noted that Brian took 1st place in the 2010-11 'Classic. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Dawson DeLisle of Corinth practices his pose for the day when he takes his own buck buck. Results of this season's winners can be found on the NY Whitetail Clasic website.

12/8 - Last Shot: As is often the case, some of the best hunting conditions come at the very end of the deer season, and in some cases, right after it. Cooler temps and snow in places is resulting in some great hunting conditions. Things may not be the same in 2012 as DEC’s Five Year Deer Management Plan has the regular season scheduled to be open from Oct.27 - Dec. 9 (44 days). Assuming there will be a late muzzleloading season some of us will be hunting through mid-December.

12/5 - Out With a Bang! Aside from Sunday's wind, the last weekend of the Northern Zone rifle season may have been the best one in terms of weather. It was cold and snappy and deer were moving. Our group had a crew in the woods everyday from Thursday through Sunday. We found some new rubs, a few fresh scrapes and would see a bunch of deer one day, and just a few the next. We heard very few shots.

Then on Sunday with just a few hours left in the season we were making our last drive when a shot rang out. One of our drivers, Ron "Cubby Buttons" Nadler of Corinth (right) walked up on a small 4-pointer and with one shot from his .30-30, capped off what has been a very unusual, yet productive season. It's been ten years since we killed a buck on the last day of the season. Not a bad way to end the season. I hope everyone else had a good season and some similar luck along the way.

But things are not entirely over, at least for those of us hunters who have a muzzleloading stamp and a tag (or three) to fill. Other than the interior of the Adirondacks we have a have a week of muzzleloading hunting to go with the "real" end coming this Sunday, Dec. 11, at sunset. We've got some more photos we'll post later this week. Until then, hunt hard and be safe.

11/28 - Last Shot (almost): Where We've got some more photos we'll post later this week. Until then, hunt hard and be safe.did the deer season go. It seams like two weeks rather than two months ago we were just getting started with bowhunting. Now, the season is all but over for us Adirondack hunters. Things wrap-up this Sunday, Dec. 4 but some of us in the exterior parts of the Northern Zone have another week of late muzzleloading season to hunt. Many of us will be out there trying to fill our tags. I know I will be. When muzzleloading season rolls around I'll be hitting some of the agricultural areas, where deer populations are higher compared to big woods locations, to perhaps taken an antlerless deer. However, this week rut activity seems to have kicked back in. A number of hunters I know who took bucks over the Thanksgiving weekend reported them to be chasing does, in some cases right on their tails. Could it be that this has been a slow rut season with still some action to go? Let's hope so. Warren Chaney, age 19 of Hartford in Washington County has been tagging along with me since he was about seven years old. Warren got his first Adirondack buck on Sunday in the Hogtown area of West Fort Ann and it was a real keeper (right). This buck was a small 6-pointer that was still in the velvet and it had no testicles! I'm not kidding. DEC Biologist Ed Reed says this is something rarely see but it is a condition where the buck is either castrated or the testicles remain in the abdominal cavity (Warren and his father didn't think of this when they feild dressed it, who would?). Here is a link on this phenomenon to QDMA's website: http://www.qdma.com/what-we-do/articles/deer-biologymanagement/dont-shed-velvet/ I wish I could say I was with Warren when he got this deer but I was on my way back from a hunt in the northern Adirondacks. Still, I couldn't be prouder of him.

11/21 - Lockdown? One complaint I’ve heard repeatedly in the past few weeks is the lack of buck sign in the woods. I’m not complaining myself but I have witnessed it.  At this point in the northern zone deer season I expected to find many more scrapes than I have. Rubs are out there, but not many fresh ones lately. Although on Sunday I revisited a spot where I found a cluster of them earlier in the season. The area has been “updated” with buck activity so I look forward to spending some time there this week and throughout the rest of the season.  The only excuse I can come up with for lack of scrapes is that breeding is going on as I write this. Most of the deer we’ve seen the past few days have been lone fawns, likely kicked out of the house so the adults can play.  This year’s rut seems more like a marathon than a sprint. If there is a climax, I question if we’ll even see it. Things can change at any time.  One key factor is the weather, which for the week ahead, and the traditional Thanksgiving hunt, looks to be a little colder than the past few weeks.  We have some snow in parts of the Adirondacks but how long will it last with a warm-up for the weekend in the forecuast. Will this re-charge the rut, or at least buck activity; who knows? It will surely be interesting for those of us with unfilled tags to see.  And, speaking of tags, take a look at some of the photos below of the hunters and bucks they’ve been tagging. Some real beauties for sure! Ten days to go, keep at it, the best hunting could be right under our noses.