I dedicate my first column, to my father, my uncles and my brother, they always had time to take me hunting and fishing. I shouldn’t forget my Mother and Aunties for their patience, the food they prepared for us and the sleep they lost over the years.

I’ll never forget some of my first hunting experiences while hunting with family back in the 1960’s. Especially hunting with Uncles from the Carbone, Crisci and Cerone families at Chick’s Place on Drury Lane in the Town of Newburgh and New Windsor. I’ll never forget Mr. Angelo Crisci -- he always managed to pull another golden delicious apple out of his hunting jacket for me. We didn’t get that many deer back then but we had a lot of fun. The area that we hunted back then is known today as the Stewart Buffer Lands. A 7,000 + acre NYSDEC hunting Co-op and passive recreational area for diverse outdoor activities. Almost two square miles of these invaluable lands are under the threat of development by NYS government. Hunting there back then was a lot different than it is today. There were far fewer deer because there was a different type of habitat. It is said that the deer population today in NYS is more than a million.

As the name of this column indicates I believe very strongly in working with different types of outdoor folks to protect our environment and freedoms for future generations (Outdoor Coalitions). SPARC is one of these special and rare outdoor coalitions headed by Sandra Kissam. I plan to focus this column on different areas of passive outdoor interests. Hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, camping, hiking, outdoor gear, wildlife, habitat, conservation, environment, wild game cooking, important events/dates, 1st and 2nd Amendment issues etc. I will also use family hunting, fishing and outdoor experience stories that I enjoy talking about and have been listening to even before I was old enough to legally hunt. So, hunters and non-hunters may find something interesting in future articles.

 

By the time you read this, opening day of the firearm season for deer in our part of the state will have already opened. Archery season has been underway since October 15th. This is a special time of the year for hunters - both men and women. Many hunters consider opening day important enough to take their vacation, call-in sick, beg, borrow or steal just to be in the woods on opening day. I know some that would refer to it as a “magical” time to be in the woods. Many hunters prepare for months before opening day making sure that all of their gear, guns and themselves are tuned up and ready.

In New York State, like most states, different hunting implements are permitted for hunting deer and bear. Archery, muzzleloader, rifle and shotgun can be used in their respective seasons and management regions. At times, depending on the area, you may be able to use any legal implement. In order to keep up with all of the different laws and changes one must make sure that he/she thoroughly reads and is familiar with the “regulations guides” that are made available when you buy your hunting and fishing licenses. The regulations have gotten very complex over the years and I understand that there is a move to simplify them - but don‘t hold your breath. You may have to be a DEC Lawyer or EnCon Police Officer to understand all of the conservation laws. Regular police officers may not be familiar enough with most DEC laws to enforce them.

 

Last year New York State hunters harvested a record 256,000 deer - up 11% from 1998. This figure includes 125,000 antlered deer. The deer and bear populations are at very high levels in most areas of NYS. If you live here in Orange County you probably have noticed deer along the roads day and night. Deer and bear are coming close to homes and in some cases bear have entered homes looking for food. Unfortunately there are many deer/car collisions. Estimates by the DEC say that there are more than 40,000 deer/car collisions each year just in NYS. I feel that this number my be underestimated.

If you are lucky enough to tag a whitetail this year, there are many choices for preparing your venison for the table. I like the fact that I can get food for my table directly from nature and not have to worry about mad cow disease or having ground meat recalled because of contamination. If you can process your own deer that is great but there are many good butchers in the area if you can‘t. I bring my deer to Vinnie Foti of “The Buck Stops Here” in Wallkill. Call him first at 883-7633. He has been in the business for 20 years and does a great job of cutting, deboning and “supermarket” packaging your venison - it is a work of art. He also has a large walk-in refrigeration unit on site - to better protect your venison.

You can also have your venison made into sausage, kielbasa, pepperoni, shinkenspeck, and other delicious items at the “East Fishkill Provision - German Smokehaus” in Fishkill, NY. At the intersection of Rtes. 52 and 376. Please call them before bringing your venison at 221-9195. I also have some of my venison made into pepperoni and shinkenspeck.

Protecting the quality of your venison starts as soon as the deer is down. Field dress, drain and cool the deer as quickly as possible. Prop the chest cavity open wide with a stick where possible. If I am close to home I like to hose the chest cavity out with clean cold water ASAP. This will prevent the chest cavity from turning black and it will save some of the meat from contamination. As long as it is cold enough, hang the deer in a protected area until it can be processed. [Dogs and other carnivores/omnivores also like venison]. If you can quarter the deer and hang it in a walk-in cooler like beef that would be the best.

It is my personal opinion that we could do more to control the deer population in NYS. It seems that NYS wants to remove does from the deer population by the use of “doe permits.” While many old time hunters don’t want to take “does” or antlerless deer. It seems to me that if we could take an additional buck instead, this would also be another method of birth control. Without a buck in the neighborhood “does” could not be bred. I have seen whitetail deer studies from the Adirondacks that prove that bucks stay within a specific area during certain times of the year.

Venison Cutlets: If you are lucky this year try this favorite of mine. Take just about any good cut of venison and place it on your wooden cutting board. Hit it with a mallet like you would if you were making chicken cutlets - both sides. Next, dip it in seasoned beaten eggs. Then coat both sides with seasoned breadcrumbs. I like to add a little extra seasoning e.g., garlic powder, black pepper, red pepper, rosemary etc. Cook in a frying pan (black Iron) in hot olive oil. I ran out of venison last year on this recipe. Enjoy!

Important note: Bear season in our region doesn’t open on the same day as the deer firearms opener. It opens on the first Saturday of the firearm season. Please check your “hunting regulations guide” for other information specific to our region.

A special “get well” message to my Uncle, Al Crisci who is recuperating from a recent hospital stay.

“Take someone hunting, fishing or target shooting.”

 

Frank Carbone Jr.

My Uncle Paul