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Rod, Gun & Game: Big game firearm hunting season opens Saturday, Nov. 19



Big game hunters are stoked and ready for deer and bear in the woods this year. The post-pandemic urge to get out and do things has expanded to the safety of big game hunting with a firearm in New York. About 700,000 men, women and youth hunters are licensed and certified, with many looking forward to opening day in 2022. More lady hunters are hunting this time than ever before in NYS history. Safety abounds with new hunters. Hunters have already started to head south to their favorite woods in WNY, all in preparation for the NYS Southern Zone regular big game hunting season. Opening day is this Saturday, Nov. 19, at 30 minutes before sunrise, with the regular big game firearm season running through Sunday, Dec. 11, at 30 minutes after sunset. 

Bob Rustowicz with his archery deer taken last week in WNY – the deer was lost and located using a trained tracking dog from the Deer Search group.

Secret discussions on spots to hunt, deer calls, scent control, decoys and hunting strategies are cresting among hunters. For many, the deer camp cabin with family and friends continues a lifelong tradition as the whitetail rut kicks into high gear. The cold weather and snow will bolster deer movement, likely resulting in a record harvest this season. While many hunters do not have the luxury of a formal deer camp with four walls and a roof, they “road hunt” from their cars and trucks, parking along the many public state forest access and logging roads open to big game hunting each year. They carry a “warm seat” tethered with a rope around their waist or a fold-up chair for sitting to locate an overlook peering downward over a stream or suspected deer trail. Savvy hunters in the know rise upward to hunt from an elevated hunting position, usually from the safety and comfort of a metal ladder stand, full body harness and life-safety rope. From a ladder stand or climbing tree stand, elevated hunters can see deer walking the woods from a great distance, especially with snow on the ground. A more significant number of harvest opportunities can be realized.  

Dieter Voss with his opening day buck last year, stopping at the NYSDEC check station in Holland to assure age and health of his harvest.

Still, many other hunters position themselves on the ground due to age and arthritis, and the rest of the med-related list. For these hunters, there is the option of a pop-up hunting blind with the additional comforts of wind-blocking, warmth and concealment. Be careful with the pop-up blinds that are always camo-colored. Other hunters cannot see you in these. When taking my grandkids out with me, I add an orange rain jacket cover to the deer blind roof to assure visibility. This avoids a possible long-distance shooting accident from another hunter in the distance as that hunter might only be looking at the deer between you and him. Never seeing your blind. The orange roof prevents that errant shot. Blinds are considered a good option for elderly hunters and very young hunters, as hunter hand and head movements are concealed. The deer never know if you’re there or not. 

Speaking of young hunters, NYS is continuing with the safe hunting mentorship and big game hunter training for 12- and 13-year-old hunters. After passing the hunter-safety training course, the young hunters are certified to hunt deer with a firearm when accompanied by a licensed, experienced adult in all Southern Zone counties of Western New York except Erie County.  

During the big game hunting season, every hunter should know their location to verify sunrise and sunset times before each hunting day. A new law this year in the interest of safety requires all big game hunters with a firearm to wear fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink clothing, either a hat, vest or jacket visible in all directions. Deer are color blind, and allowing other hunters to identify you in the woods is critical for hunter safety. It will not affect your hunting capability. 

Each hunting season, remember to give thanks and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans allowed the privilege to hunt. My late dad taught my sister, brother and me to fish, hunt, garden and share in the wild gifts of the woods and the outdoors. He taught us basic woodsman lore and ethics, never allowing us to forget that what is wild must stay wild. He taught us to pick up what we carry in (never leave our trash) and to be respectful of all life. I have shared these same lessons with my children and grandchildren. 

If you are new to big game hunting as an adult this year, I urge you to go slow. Be sure of your target and beyond. Hunting is a unique experience with remarkable rewards for just being out there in the environment of the forest. Walking slowly, stopping often, looking around, watching and being patient is very effective. With deer calls, grunt every 15 minutes or so, or use your doe bleat – either one will often trigger a buck 50 yards away lying in the snow to stand up and look around. This experience, when it happens, and it will, provides a check of your heart rate and adventure profile. Precious moments such as this will add to your unforgettable memory log. As you hunt in this manner, you stay warm with the movements of your legs in the snow. You will discover favorite landscapes that will beckon for your return, and you will note other animals of the WNY wild. You will identify the sacred forces of the woods, the sound of the woods as the wind finds its way through pines and tall spruce and how different that sound is when you sit in a stand of oak trees. You may realize the linked kinship between animals and people and our responsibility to provide essential conservation as stewards of the woods. It is hunter license dollars that provide the most significant source of funding for conservation. Finally, after gaining similar hunting experience in the big game forest, you may realize the ancient symbiotic bond that affects the balance between predator and prey. When you do, that moment is sacred. Hunting traditions are an essential reality element to help maintain this balance. 

Your hunting moments in the big game woods are magical and enlightening. Wishing everyone healthy and safe fun in the outdoors! God bless America.

Outdoors Calendar:  

Oct. 1 – Nov. 18: NYS Big Game Early Archery Season, hunting allowed 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. 

Nov. 1 –  Leftover deer management permits went on sale at license issuing offices across NYS.

Nov. 5-18 – NYS Big Game Crossbow season, muzzleloader license required for use.

Nov. 19-Dec. 11 – Regular Big Game hunting season (firearms).

Dec. 11-20 – Late Bowhunting and Muzzleloader Big Game hunting season.

Dec. 26-Jan 1  – Holiday Bowhunting and Muzzleloader Big Game hunting season.

NOTE: Submit Calendar items to nugdor@yahoo.com at least 2-weeks in advance.

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