For the first time in history those pesty bears that pillage your bird feeder and garbage are fair game in hunting season. Recently adopted regulations will open areas of the Southern Tier to bear hunting on Oct. 18 for bowhunters and Nov. 22 for gun hunters.
The new regulations, proposed this summer and adopted two weeks ago, expand bear hunting to 13 additional Wildlife Management Units (WMUs). These include heretofore closed-to-bear-hunting areas in Tompkins, Cortland, Seneca, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, Broome, Chenango, Otsego, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Wyoming, Genesee, Monroe, Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Madison, Onondaga and Oneida counties.
The regulations are in effect immediately and will allow hunters to take bears on the same big game tag used for deer hunting. An updated map of New York's bear hunting seasons is available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28602.html. A map and boundary descriptions of DEC's Wildlife Management Unit locations can be found at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8302.html.
Specifically, the regulations open bear hunting in WMUs 7M, 7R, 7S, 8H, 8J, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 9G and 9H to black bear hunting for the bowhunting, regular and muzzleloading seasons. Season dates for these units will be the same as those in place for adjacent units already open to bear hunting in the Allegany bear hunting area, with bowhunting season starting on Oct. 18, and regular firearms bear season beginning Nov. 22 — one week later than the firearms deer season opener.
Successful bear hunters must report their kill by calling (866) GAMERPT or through DEC's new online reporting system (see http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html).
In the first week, the host Groton team shot a perfect score — its top five shooters breaking all 50 birds — and Dryden matched the feat in the second week at Newfield in the 2008 Cayuga Lake Trap League.
Groton's top five missed just three birds out of 250 the second week and held a 3-bird lead over Dryden in the team standings one-third of the way through the six-week league.
Groton's Bob Hutchings and Dryden's Carl Slack are the only shooters in the league to break 50 both weeks. Groton's Bob Batzer, Bill Conner III, Rich Leonard and Don Warner joined Hutchings with 50s the first week. Tompkins County's Frank Bozeat and Dick Srnka were also perfect in the opening week.
Dave Petrychka, Paul Slack, Pat Barnes and Dan Card were perfect for Dryden the second week. Zig Bennett of Lansing, Ken Brotherton of Newfield, Chad Landon of Groton and Tompkins County's Tony Johnson and Mike Reynolds also posted second-week 50s. The league is shooting this week at the Trumansburg Rifle and Pistol Club.
Despite much speculation and controversy, the fate of the former Seneca Army Depot — and its unique herd of white deer — is still in debate.
Dennis Money, head of www.senecawhitedeer.org, will air the group's proposal to promote the Depot's Conservation Area, the deers' home, for eco-touring in a 7:30 p.m. presentation on Oct. 23 at the All Saints Church Parish Hall in Lansing.
The presentation is sponsored by the Lansing Historical Association. The Parish Hall is located at the corner of Route 34B and Myers Road. For information call Louise Bement at 533-4514.
One New York hunter and one Bradford County, Pa., hunter were among those drawn for 28 antlerless elk licenses for Pennsylvania's Nov. 3-8 season.
A total of 16 antlered elk licenses were also awarded to Pennsylvanians, and one was awarded to a hunter from Florida. None of the Pennsylvania hunters were from Northern Tier counties.
The Game Commission last week drew the names out of 17,432 applicants. Pennsylvania privacy laws forbid the release of the hunters' names, but all successful applicants have been notified.
CAYUGA LAKE FISHING CONDITIONS: Just a reminder that you'll need a new fishing license today as the 2007-2008 license expired Tuesday. Action has been sporadic but trout are occasionally taking egg sacks from shore of Taughannock Point. Look for that to pick up soon. Anglers trolling near bottom or jigging in 75-100 feet of water off Taughannock are finding some lake trout although the conditions are fair to good at best. Perch fishing has been good to excellent, particularly from mid-lake to the north end. Live bait and/or small jigs fished in 8-15 feet of water have been the hot ticket lately.
Henderson is The Journal's outdoors columnist; his columns appear on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you have any questions, comments, or data pertinent to the column or outdoors calendar, send it directly to: Henderson's Outdoors; 202 Prospect Street, Endicott, NY 13760; Or e-mail it to dddhender@aol.com
