“Outdoor Liaisons”
Published 1/16/02
Written by Frank Carbone Jr.
Stewart Buffer Land’s Deer Take Report
I spoke recently with Ted Kerpez the new Wildlife Manager for Region 3 Department of Environmental Conservation. Ted replaced Glen Cole who retired last year. I called Ted to find out what the total deer take numbers, for the 2001 deer season, were for the 7,000 acre Stewart Hunting Co-op. The co-op is located west of Stewart Airport and in the towns of New Windsor, Montgomery, Newburgh and Hamptonburgh -- the co-op is situated between Interstate 84 to the North, Route 207 to the South, Drury Lane (County Rd. 54) to the East and Route 208 and Forrester Rd. to the West.
A special Bow Hunting only area is located East of Drury Lane but it was closed this year to Bow Hunting probably for security reasons at the airport and the September 11attacks. It seems that certain operatives within our government have double standards. When they say that we should all go back to “business as usual” fly with the major airlines, take vacations, shop in NYC etc. -- but they don’t want you to hunt and fish on government owned lands e.g., the New York City Reservoir properties in the Catskills and bow hunting East of Drury Lane. The authorities tried to close the west side of Drury Lane to hunting but it was kept open through the efforts of the DEC in New Paltz.
The reported take at the Stewart Co-op is a very good indicator of how the region did with respect to the deer harvest. One of the requirements of hunting the Co-op is to stop at the “Check Station” on Weed Rd. and report your success after your hunt. The deer report figures for the rest of the state is always an extrapolated number.
The DEC doesn’t rely on the hunter reports cards that are required by law to be mailed in shortly after a deer is tagged. It seems that part of the tagging process that requires the report card to be mailed in by the hunter never makes it to the mailbox. So the DEC has worked out an algorithm that takes into consideration all of the deer that were taken and not reported. This can be difficult and may vary from region to region. The number that is used to extrapolate is calculated by checking hunters records at deer checks and co-ops like Stewart -- comparing records of hunters checked with their report cards -- and then adjusting the total take numbers accordingly.
This year’s take at Stewart was a total of 226 deer (including 25 archery deer) recorded at the Check Station on Weed Rd. This number included 85 adult bucks and is down from last year’s take of 332 and an average of about 300 per year. There are many reasons for the drop at the Co-op and other parts of the state. The unseasonably warm weather and drought conditions that affected both hunter and quarry are probably at the top of the list.
This was probably one of the warmest ,driest seasons that I can remember. I even noticed changes in the size of giant ant hills while hunting -- they were much larger (meaning deeper) and more of them. Even though there were no major indicators of mass winter starvation of deer last winter in our region, other factors such as predation by coyotes, cars, pet dogs on the loose, deer taken under permit for damaging crops, loss of hunting lands, deer living closer to developed areas etc. All factors that could have had an impact on hunter success this year.
After the season closed I found one dead yearling deer that showed no visible signs of being shot but it was being fed upon by coyotes or dogs. It was even dragged about eight feet by the predators from the original spot where it was brought down.
And speaking about predation on deer this is not a good time of the year for dogs to be running free -- it never is. Packs of dogs can run down a deer and devour it alive -- I’ve seen it happen. The dog can be destroyed by a peace officer, homeowner or owner of farm animal being threatened. Some areas give this authority to hunters who witness dogs running deer. There is always the potential that an aggressive dog can attack a human especially a child or adult as we have seen recently in the news. If you see a dog running free report it to the animal control department immediately -- you’ll be doing the dog, your neighbor, motorists, wildlife yourself a big favor.
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Steve Davino, of Cafe Internationale at the Ramada Inn of the Town of Newburgh, is very concerned about the closing of the New York City Reservoir properties to hunting, fishing and hiking and he plans to do something about it. The properties were closed after the September 11th WTC attacks. Steve is dedicating donations from a 50/50 raffle and his annual Fish and Game Meal to increase awareness of the closing of the NYC Reservoir properties, to initiate a petition to reopen the Reservoir lands to the public and to benefit other outdoor causes.
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Friend Ray Carney, the High Power Director of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association (NYSRPA) announces the 2002 U.S. Service Rifle Clinics for M1, M14, M1A, M16, and AR15 Small Arms Firing Schools. The proceeds will benefit the NYSRPA Junior High Power Rifle Team. The clinics will be held at two locations: Camp Smith, Peekskil;, April 13th and 14th and the Peconic River Sportsman's Club, Manorville, L.I., APRIL 27th and 28th.
The clinics will be open to NRA members, U.S. Armed Forces, and Juniors 14 to 19 years old. NRA membership not required for armed forces or juniors. The cost is $50 for adults, $40 for U.S. Armed Forces and $25 for Juniors.
M1, AR15 rifles and a limited amount of equipment will be available for loan to students free of charge, or bring your own M1, M1A, or AR15. The events are sponsored by the NYSRPA and approved by the Civilian Marksmanship Program. For further information and a program, contact: For Camp Smith (April 13-14) is CPT Ray Carney (Retired) (845) 896-9554 E-Mail: "mailto:AbnSF@msn.com" and for the Peconic River Sportsman's Club (April 27-28) SGM Joseph Considine (Retired) (631) 473-5379 E-Mail: "mailto:JoeConsidine@juno.com"
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Specific small game species, in our region, that are still in season include Quail, Ruffed Grouse, Squirrels, Cottontail Rabbits, Varying Hair (snowshoes), Raccoon, Fox, Bobcat and Coyote. As always check the latest Regulations Guide for the region that you plan to hunt for specific rules.
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As very special get well wish -- to my good friend and great outdoorsman -- Rudy Vallet of Goshen who is recovering at home from a recent hospital stay in NYC. Rudy is the Secretary of the Orange County Federation of Sportsmen Clubs, the Vice President of the Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition, Chair of the Region Fish and Wildlife Management Board and a great mentor. Opening day of trout season (April 1st) is only 74 days away and I’m looking forward to fishing the Rondout Reservoir again with you this year. We’re all glad to hear that your feeling better!