DEC's "New" Videos Carefully Avoid Hunting

The Top Brass in the Department of Environmental Conservation can certainly talk the talk, but when do they ever walk the walk? Case in point is the new Web TV which only has one segment out of 63 that is about hunting. That's less than 2%.

All the hollow claims out of Albany (or maybe New York City?) that the DEC was promoting hunting and trying to entice more youths into the sportsmen/women folds certainly isn't evident in the playlist being trotted out on the DEC web site. It bothers me to no end that increasingly, the DEC seems to be telling hunters "give us your money, but don't expect us to use it to improve game/wildlife habitat. Fishing and non-consumptive outdoor activities are more important."

Does Any Politician From Downstate Have a Clue?

I'll make this short and sweet ... are there two entirely different New Yorks, one north of Westchester County and one south of it? It certainly seems increasingly so. I'm not especially referring to the fact that one tends to be more rural or suburban while the other is mega-urban. What I am pointing out is the vast differences in attitudes that affect the entire state, not just one or the other. Now, the majority of the entire state being run by downstate, apparently those of us residing north and west of Westchester no longer are expected to have a voice in the state politics.

The current bevy of gun control bills being ushered through the legislature has become the poster boy for this separation of power. The package of gun control bills (aka "the Terrible Thirteen") were almost entirely spawned by downstate politicians who seemingly based their thinking on what's good for mega-urban areas is good for every area. Even the terminology in some of the bills show how little they understand the very subject their bill is targeting. Take for example the micro stamping bill which would require every semi-auto handgun to have a firing pin that would leave a distinctive mark on every shell casing fired from it. Experts simply say this is impractical and ineffective, and has never been a successful tool in solving gun-related crimes but would only increased the production cost immeasureably. Crooks would only need to remove the pin marking from their gun, or else use a revolver that leaves no spent casings.

New York already has the most strict firearms laws in the nation, few of which have stopped some street crook, druggie or gang member from getting illegal guns on the black market and using them in their crimminal pursuits. Adding more won't stop that, but it will certainly raise hell with law-abiding citizens all over the state.

DHS's Report Profiles Potential Domestic Terrorists

In a report released on April 7, 2009, the Dept. of Homeland Security gave a rather detailed profile of what it apparently may now consider falling under the heading of "potential domestic terrorists." Even to the casual reader, the wording could be construed to include tens of millions of otherwise law-abiding patriotic American citizens. You may get the impression that the government is actually becoming fearful of the very citizens it is sworn to represent and protect. Here are some of the more questionable clauses from the document.

"The possible passage of new restrictions on firearms and the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.

Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups, as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government. The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by rightwing extremists in anticipation
of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement.

Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

Many rightwing extremist groups perceive recent gun control legislation as a threat to their right to bear arms and in response have increased weapons and ammunition stockpiling, as well as renewed participation in paramilitary training exercises. Such activity, combined with a heightened level of extremist paranoia, has the potential to facilitate criminal activity and violence"

Read The Entire DHS Report

The rise and fall of wildlife habitat and hunting in NYS

By Bob McNitt

It seems New Year's is often a time that many of us reflect on events of the past year and sometimes beyond. After all, history is the yard-stick reminder of where we've been, where we currently are, and where we might be heading. As a sportsmen and outdoor enthusiast, I tend to reminisce about the many changes that have occurred in our outdoor environment, and especially as they relate to wildlife, habitat and hunting opportunities, all of which have gone through major changes over the years. So I've pieced together a short overview of these from 1900 to the present.

1900-1930
The height of agriculture in the state as an abundance of small farms were present throughout New York, with the exception of the Adirondacks' rugged lands. There was an abundance of small game on the farmlands, with rabbit, squirrel and grouse being the most common. Deer were primarily confined to the Adirondacks.
1930-1940
These were the heydays of small game and upland hunting in the state. Thanks to the wonderful habitat created by the checkerboard maze of small family-run farms, species such as cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, ruffed grouse, woodcock and pheasant were abundant, widespread and readily accessible. Deer were just beginning to show up in many areas of the state, having spread from their previous ranges in the Adirondacks and Pennsylvania.
1940-1950
Small game, and especially upland species such as grouse, pheasant and rabbit were still in abundance and widespread. However, deer were becoming more plentiful and widespread. Snowshoe rabbits (varying hare) were extremely plentiful in the numerous state forest plantations planted by the old Civilian Conservation Corps of the post-Depression era. A new predator, nicknamed the "brush wolf" (or "coydog") was expanding in the northern half of the state. It was to eventually be officially called the "Eastern Coyote."
1950-1970
Perhaps the best era for hunting in the state since all game species, both big and small, were in relative abundance, as well as widespread access was available in most agricultural areas. Large numbers of pheasants were being reared and released by both the State and private organizations such as sportsmen clubs and the 4-H. Deer had become so common the state held a special "Doe Day" on the last day of the regular deer season in many areas of the state. Farming technique changes began to negatively impact the once numerous family-run small farms, and an expansion of rural residential and commercial developments began to appear on the abandoned farmlands
1970-1990
In 1971 the NYS Conservation Department was replace by a much larger and complex agency called the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), which would be responsible for managing all aspects of the environment in addition to natural resources. It would be funded by the General Fund, but the money from all sporting license sales and appropriate gear taxes (Pittman-Robertson and Dingall-Johnson Acts) would be in a special Conservation Fund, dedicated to natural resources development and management. Thanks to the abandonment of farmland, emerging growth provided the perfect habitat for deer, whose numbers rapidly climbed during this period. A new Wild Turkey Restoration Program was also proving highly successful, and turkey hunting was just beginning to catch on. Conversely, pheasant, rabbit and hare numbers began to decrease as the once numerous low-growth habitat on abandoned farmlands grew and matured. This was also especially true in the state forest evergreen plantations as the dense maturing trees blocked sunlight from reaching ground-level flora.
1990-Present
Rapid residential and commercial development spread rapidly throughout the state, replacing natural habitat and creating abundant fringe areas that deer found attractive. The result was a steady change in where deer densities were the highest, moving from woodlands and farmlands to developed areas where hunting was either impractical or prohibited. Changes in land ownership philosophies also resulted in a decrease in private land accessible to hunters. This, along with a decline in small game numbers, especially upland species, caused overall hunter numbers to decline. However, deer and turkey hunting remained strong for several years after the decline began.
After years of refusal, the legislature finally lowered the minimum age to hunt big game to 14. This resulted in a spike in licenses and hunters, as an additional 15,000 young hunters joined the hunting fraternity. But the ink was barely dry on the new law when Governor Paterson announced that by executive decision he was closing the state's lone remaining pheasant farm (Reynolds, near Ithaca) and doing away with the entire state pheasant program as a budget cutting measure, despite the entire program being paid from sporting license money.
The Future
With the state facing a huge budget deficit, the axing of the pheasant program (despite it shearing basically nothing off the budget deficit) is a rather strong indication of the budget-cutting priorities of the current administration, which is very "environmentally oriented." Also, the amount of attention given to wildlife habitat management and improvement by the DEC has steadily been declining for many years. As such I fully expect the biggest losers in the budget trimming will involve fish, wildlife and habitat programs. Not a very rosy picture for hunting or the sportsmen/women and other outdoor enthusiasts of New York.

The news that wild boars (feral pigs) are showing up in southern portions of New York, apparently filtering in from preserve escapees in northern Pennsylvania, has been met, at least by me, with mixed emotions. Why? Because a huntable population of them could give us year-round big game hunting opportunies. But the downside would be the damages they would inflict on our native species habitat - a negative that's been well documented in southern states where the pigs are overly numerous. If we could keep them under control via four-season hunting, it would certainly add some spice to the seasons when our regular game seasons are closed, such as late winter or summer. Meantime, all we can do is wait and see what develops.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog page. Enjoy the communication value it reprsesents and use it as often as you wish. Bob