Welcome!
Hey everyone,
And just like that, it is September! Rendezvous is this weekend and it’s not too late to join in! Information about registration is below. Do not miss this great event! Although the last few days seem more like July than hunting season, it is time to dust off your gear and get out there. Goose and squirrel seasons are now open across most of the state, however it seems like the geese around here have disappeared before the opener. Grouse opens in the Northern Zone on the 20th so on your way home from Rendezvous take a minute and go for a hike and do some scouting. The colors may not be peak but they will be close!
Get out there and enjoy your public lands and water and see you at NY Rendezvous!
Brian Bird NYBHA Chapter Chair
NY Rendezvous - Sep 8-10, 2023!
Last call for the NY Rendezvous for all NY BHA members happening at The Hungry Trout Resort this weekend. This is going to be a blast with good people, great food, lots of opportunities to learn new skills (cooking, fly casting, butchering, and much much more) and a habitat improvement project on the last day. We will have several sponsors present and lots of auction and raffle items from guided trips to awesome outdoor gear! On Friday night, there will be a Conservation Dinner with some good food, great speakers and exciting auction/raffle items. The full schedule for the event can be found at the links below. This is your last chance to RSVP at the links below!
RSVP for NY Rendezvous here: New York Chapter Rendezvous in the Adirondacks
RSVP for the Conservation Dinner here: NY Rendezvous Conservation Dinner
RSVP for the Ausable River Cleanup here:
Chapter News from August
Stewardship in Region 3
NY BHA and DEC Region 3 formalized a stewardship agreement for nearly 33k acres of state land in DEC Region 3. As part of this stewardship, NY BHA will be able to more easily organize and complete various habitat improvement projects on DEC property. Keep your eyes peeled for some future habitat work in region 3!
Saratoga Sand Plains Archery
A handful of folks showed up to get ready for archery season and chat about all things BHA, hunting, and more at the Saratoga Sand Plains Wildlife Management Area Archery range. Local Forest Ranger Evan Nahor stopped by and filled us in on the history of the archery range and some great information on how to stay safe in the backcountry. It was fun to see the variety of bows from an Olympic style target bow to hunting recurves to modern compounds.
Duck Box Install at California Hill State Forest
A group of folks got together at the Waywayanda Lake in California Hill State Forest to prepare 12 duck boxes for installation. The work involved prepping posts and predator guards to mount previously built boxes and install them in the lake. While the conditions of the lake made installation difficult, the group made great headway on getting these boxes installed in Waywayanda Lake and other suitable public land locations in the area. Be on the lookout for more events to install the rest of the boxes!
Upcoming Events
NY Rendezvous Conservation Dinner - Hungry Trout Resort Sep 8th, 5pm
Join us Friday September 8th on the banks of the fabled Ausable River in the heart of the Adirondacks for an evening of food, community, storytelling and amazing donated items from our sponsors. Located at the Hungry Trout Resort in Wilmington, NY the event will kick off our New York Chapter 2023 Rendezvous. Doors open at 5 pm for cocktails and dinner will be served at 6 pm. We will have three amazing speakers and some exclusive items to win! Get your tickets at the link below.
NY Rendezvous 2023 Conservation Dinner - Get Your Tickets Now!
NY BHA Chapter 2023 Rendezvous - Hungry Trout Resort, Sep 9th, 8am
Join us at our first NY BHA Rendezvous for a fun-filled day of events ,seminars, activities, and an evening campfire. There will be great food and amazing sponsored items for attendees to round out the day. Get your tickets at the link below.
New York Chapter Rendezvous in the Adirondacks - Get Your Tickets Now!
NY Ausable River Public Lands Packout - Ausable River Rentals, Sep 10, 9am
Join us in closing out the 2023 NY Chapter Rendezvous with a Public Lands Pack Out – presented by OnX on the Ausable River downstream from Keeseville, NY (about 40 min from the Hungry Trout towards the Northway, I87). We are teaming up with the Ausable River Association to help keep this premier fly fishing destination a perfect spot for our wild brook trout. Prepare to get wet, make new friends and help protect our beloved public lands and water.
Get more details and RSVP at the link below.
NY Ausable River Public Lands Pack Out – presented by onX
Legislative / Policy Update
While the legislative session has wrapped in Albany, it is still worth keeping an eye on the following bills and letting your elected officials hear from you.
Lead ammo ban on all public lands - Both the Assembly and the Senate have bills proposing banning all lead ammunition only on public lands. The bill passed in the Assembly and the relevant bill in the Senate is S4976. While we are in very much in favor of hunters voluntarily switching to non-toxic ammunition, we feel that these bills are likely to be ineffective and unfairly target only public land hunters. Reach out to your elected officials!
New York wildlife crossing act - A bill that directs the Department of Transportation to identify sites along all highways, thruways and parkways in the state where wildlife crossings are most needed to increase public safety and improve habitat connectivity and create a priority list of wildlife opportunity areas where federal grant monies may be available to implement the top five projects identified. We are in favor of this proposed bill and encourage you to reach out to your elected officials to get this one over the finish line. The relevant bills are S4198 and A4243.
Back tags, hunting rights, crossbows and dogs - A few other bills to keep your eye on:
- Remove the requirements for back tags - S367 / A1486
- Hunting dogs cannot be deemed running at large - A2224
- Remove restrictions on crossbow size/weight - S2250 / A4372
- Constitutional right to hunt and fish - S870 / A3348
- Prohibits leasing public land for gas production - S724
- Ban leg gripping traps - A110 / S1619
Unit/Recreation Management Plans - DEC regularly seeks public input as they work to manage our public lands. While they will regularly receive input from other groups, often hunters and anglers are fairly silent. It directly benefits the hunting and angling communities for you to take a look at these plans and voice your feedback directly to DEC. They do listen to your input and in the past, our voices have resulted in wins for hunters and anglers. Current plans open for feedback include:
Region 6
- Adirondack Foothills Unit Management Plan - comments open until Sep 15
Region 7
Region 8
- Keuka Highlands UMP and Keuka Lowlands UMP - comments open until further notice
- Great Divide Unit Management Plan (formerly Erwin UMP and Great Divide UMP) - comments open until further notice
Call for Volunteers
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers to help with the following efforts.
- Regional Event Coordinators - Want to help us plan gatherings for your fellow NY BHA members? We need help with local Pint Nights as well as our upcoming NY Rendezvous
- Policy and Legislative work - Our Policy team and newly forming Legislative team needs passionate folks to jump in and help us do the important work to protect our public lands and access for hunters and anglers!
- Mentorship work - We want to build a list of folks in the state who are open to being mentors for new hunters and anglers. We have opportunities and need for folks who can give a little all the way up to folks who want to really invest a lot. Everything from answering questions to being a one on one coach to participating on our larger weekend long hunt camps for new hunters.
- Conservation work - We are working with DEC to have more opportunities for events to do quality habitat work on our public lands. Want to roll your sleeves up and help, we would love to have you!
If you are interested in volunteering a bit of your time and talents, please let us know by filling out and submitting this form.
How to Connect with Us
Here are a few ways you can keep in touch with the New York BHA chapter:
Stay up to date with events and blogs from New York on our BHA web page at New York Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Join our Facebook group at New York BHA on Facebook.
Follow us on Instagram New York BHA (@newyorkbha).
Contact the Chapter Board by email: [email protected]
Thank our sponsors: New York BHA Corporate Sponsors
Join us at an upcoming event: BHA Events
Signup to be a volunteer: NY BHA Volunteer
Last but not least, make sure your BHA membership is current and give the gift of BHA to a friend or family member!
About Chris Borgatti
BHA Eastern Policy & Conservation Manager