East Aurora Advertiser

Column: New Hunters for 2020 Big Game Season – 40,000 of them!



After these past several months, many folks have been pursuing a new passion to embark on a new mission in the outdoors. Their ultimate plan is to quench their curiosity for adventure in an unfamiliar woodland setting to find a wild meat harvest. More than 42,000 new hunters have now completed the New York State online hunter safety training course required to purchase a hunting license with free time at home. More than 12,000 have completed the bowhunting course, as well. Their goal, this fall, will be fresh venison in the freezer. In the process, they’re about to learn details of survival, tradition, finding comfort in strange places, and the fun to be shared chasing whitetail deer for the family pantry.

It’s not just New York. More than 60,000 first-time license buyers have joined the ranks of sportsmen in Tennessee because of the free time that the new pandemic rules and widespread closures have allowed. Imagine all of this increased interest in the outdoors is because of stay-at-home orders. No soccer, no little league baseball, no school for the last several months, and with remote employment becoming the new norm, and few diversions from other civic activities, there is time to consider hunting and fishing. It’s easy to quarantine in the woods! Social distancing is safe and straightforward. 

While hunters hitting the woods for the first time will not be wearing a mask, fresh air is suitable for all of us, the new army of hunters will need mentoring. They passed the rigid standards of the written course, but there will be additional safety concerns in the field with live ammo for the big game firearm season. Familiarity should become the absolute goal of the new hunters. Read the how-to book on the firearm’s proper use, use the trigger safety to prevent accidental discharge, find a neighbor or mentor who has experience hunting with a gun. Ask questions like, when do I turn off the mechanical safety and get ready to shoot? Where should my finger be located on the firearm? How far beyond the target should I be watching? After all that is firmly planted in your mind, and more, try to relax before you hear that big boom of the bullet discharge. The sound itself is scary. If you hunt with a semi-automatic shotgun or rifle, remember that you only need ONE well-placed shot. 

Opening day for the regular big game firearm season (whitetail deer and black bear) in our southern New York State zone is Saturday, Nov. 21, at sunrise. On that day, new hunters should try to be with a veteran hunter and be in a proven spot on a deer trail that your mentor recommends. As the beautiful orange ball of the morning sun lifts above the horizon, and you sit there quietly waiting for a deer to cross in the distance, listen to the opening day song of safe sunrise gunshots. You’ll hear single shots in the distance: bang. That’s safe. Another in another direction: bang. That’s safe. Then, it happens every year; you’ll hear a salvo of shots: bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. Not safe. Probably the first-time hunter with a little morning apple juice excitement running in his veins. The gun could only hold five bullets. Remember this: there is NO REASON for more than one shot. There will not be any venison left if that deer is hit with 5 shots—such a waste and it’s unsafe. Make believe you are an archery hunter with just one arrow, except your shotgun or rifle is so much more powerful. One shot is plenty. Make it count.

If archery is in the plan for you, the big game archery season in the southern tier will begin at sunrise on Thursday, Oct. 1. The season is more than six weeks long, closing Nov. 20, the day before the big game firearm season begins. There are a good many archers that hunt the entire gun season with their bow. These are traditional hunters with a veteran game plan, and they usually succeed. Try to find one of these. You can learn a ton of savvy and skill from them. You’ll discover veteran values and priorities that take precedence over other possible misdirection in the woods. 

If hunting is a challenge on your bucket list and you are a New York resident, all wanna-be hunters need to take and pass a mandatory hunter education course before purchasing a hunting license. Now is the time. The good news? There is still time to take the online course. The cost for the hunter safety course is $19.95, and the bowhunting course is $30. To sign up, go to www.hunter-ed.com/newyork/. Applicants must be 11-years-old or older to take the course, though in New York, hunters need to be 12 years in age to buy a license. The certificate for that youngster will be good for next year. Grab a computer, apply, and get started. Hunter safety courses save lives through training by preventing accidents.

There is nothing quite like fresh, fat-free, tasty venison. You might not know, whitetail deer are vegetarians. The sweet flavor of venison comes from their diet that includes sweet apples, fresh tree sprouts, chestnuts, beechnuts, white oak acorns, and the like. Remember that the doe usually taste better than bucks and the DEC is asking hunters to bag a doe to help with deer overpopulation management his year. The pursuit of big game in New York is extraordinary. Get out there.

Outdoors Calendar

Sep. 17: 3-D archery shoot, West Falls Conservation, 55 Bridge St., 20 targets, 4 PM -dark

Sep. 18: 3-D Archery Shoot, Hawkeye Bowmen, 13300 Clinton St., 4:30 PM -?, under the lights course.

Sep. 23: 3-D archery shoot, Evans Rod/Gun, 864 Cain Rd., 15 targets, 4 PM -dark.

Sep. 23: Safe Harbor Bass League, open to the public, 530-830PM, best 3 fish, $40 per boat, one and two-person teams, pay at launch, Safe Harbor Marina.

Sep. 25: Canada goose season closes in upstate (15 bird bag limit per day).

Oct 1: NYS Southern Zone big game archery season (deer and bear) opens at sunrise.

****

Share life with others, make new friends in the outdoors, lead by example. Send comments to nugdor@yahoo.com.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.