Hunting & Fishing

The first time that I went to Montauk in October and saw a football field of striped bass, jumping out like frenzying piranhas, to eat bait fish, I was hooked. To the fisherman, that is called a 'blitz.' For over 3 decades, the 'blitzes' of striped bass have kept me coming back.

According to newyorkupstate.com, the freshwater fishing industry generates $2 billion each in New York. The Salmon River, located on the eastern side of Lake Ontario just north of Syracuse, and its yearly salmon run of monster fish, has drawn anglers from across the world for decades, with hopes of reeling in a 30-pound beast, while standing in the shallow riverbed.

Nine break-ins in any town are going to cause alarm. When black bears are the culprits, that may be a bit more concerning. However, when your town sports a 'Bear Task Force', you probably have some level of expectation for this type of invasion.

Sunday is the start of Small Game hunting season in New York State. Some portions of the state will offer youth and veteran opportunities to get out there on Saturday. The biggest thing to remember as hunting season begins is: safety.

For well over a century, maybe two, towns, hunting clubs and various organizations across New York State, and the country, have held fundraisers that pay cash and prizes to hunters and/or trappers that bring in the largest coyote or the heaviest sack of squirrels. Now, 8 states across the nation have banned such contests and Empire State Governor Kathy Hochul is contemplating signing a bill, passed by the legislature to join-in.

More than a few Capital Region residents are caught off guard when you tell them that 30 and 40 pound fish are caught in the Hudson River near downtown Albany, each year in late April and early June. Really? It's true.

Flaco is the majestic Eurasian eagle-owl that has had New Yorkers hooting #FreeFlaco all over social media. On February 2nd, Flaco "allegedly" escaped from his Central Park Zoo cage. Officials at the zoo said that a hole created by vandals allowed the the feathered fugitive to fly the coop.

Salmon are some of the best fresh water gamefish in the world. If you have ever had a 25-pound Chinook Salmon ripping line from your reel, you would know why they boast that reputation.

A 35-foot humpback whale, weighing about 32 tons, washed ashore on a New York beach on Monday. The massive mammal was discovered in the early morning hours along Lido Beach, on the southern shores of Nassau County. Along with the sadness of one of these giants of the ocean dying, is the concern that this is the 10th such beaching on Long Island in 2 months.

New York State has some of the greatest varieties of fishing opportunities in the country. From world class fly fishing for trout to floating a worm off of a lake dock for crappie, the Empire State has plenty of cool places to drop-a-line! The Department of Environmental Conservation announced "Free Fishing Days" for 2023. The free days are sure to provide the awesome experience of being a New York State angler.

As reported here on December 6th, the New York State Legislature had passed a bill that would have allowed counties to opt-out of the 2021 'Holiday Hunt' law, which added a deer hunting period from December 26th through January 1st each year in the designated Southern Zone of New York State. For those non-hunters, the Southern Zone is just about everything south of the Adirondacks. Democratic State Senator, John Mannion sponsored the opt-out bill and another powerful democrat put an end to his endeavor.

Last year, a new deer hunting period was added to the Southern Zone, which includes most of Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes, and Western New York. It was introduced by lawmakers as the "Holiday Hunt," running December 26th of each year and running through New Years Day, January 1st. Hunters received the gift of an additional seven days of late season hunting with bows and muzzleloaders.