Welcome!

Hello everyone!  In my neck of the woods, March is not going out full lamb but the cacophony of birds returning and toms strutting gives hope that spring will be here shortly. Although the regulations for trout fishing have changed, April 1st will always be the start of trout season for me, with a nice pause between ice fishing and nicer weather. Get out there this month and wet a line! Mark your calendars for September 8-10th for the NY BHA Rendezvous at the Hungry Trout in Wilmington, NY (more details below). Be sure to read on for the great events and plans we have for April. Also, if you have an idea for an event contact us at [email protected] or message us on social media. 

Get out there and enjoy your public lands and water!

Brian Bird NYBHA Chapter Chair 

Mentorship

We often get requests from new hunters and anglers looking for mentors, and as such, we have decided to build out a mentorship program. We are planning to start a monthly zoom session where folks can come on and ask questions from others on the call. We also want to build out a list of folks who are interested in mentoring. This can be as little as answering an email or phone call or as involved as joining us at multi-day hunt camps or being a one on one mentor for someone in your area. If you are interested in being a mentor, please let us know!

Legislative / Policy Update

We are tracking a few issues that we want to make sure you are paying attention to.  

Proposed lead ammo ban on public lands - Both the State Senate and the Assembly have proposed bills banning lead ammunition on all public lands.  While BHA shares the goal of transitioning away from lead ammunition for hunting, our experiences in other states show that high-percentage compliance in that transition is best achieved through hunter education.  We encourage you to reach out to your elected officials to let them know your thoughts on this.  The relevant bills are A2084 and S4976. 

Proposed ban on leg gripping traps - Both the Senate and Assembly have proposed bills that would amend trapping laws to prohibit the use of certain traps used in legal trapping.  We believe that regulatory changes such as this belong in the realm of science-based management under the responsibility of the DEC and not in the legislative body. We encourage you to reach out to your elected officials to let them know your thoughts on this. The relevant bills are A110 and S1619.

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

Unit Management Plans - DEC has two unit management plans open right now for public comment in DEC Region 8 and one open for public comment in DEC Region 6.  We encourage members to take a look at those plans and let DEC know what you think during the open comment period.  You can see the plans and more details on the DEC web site by following this link:  DEC Unit Management Plans Open for Comment

Chapter News from March 

AFI Duck Box Pint Night

After having to postpone the Pint Night because of a Nor’easter, we finally were able to have a joint event with the recently formed NY BHA Armed Forces Initiative Chapter. We had a great time building wood duck boxes and sharing stories. The AFI team is currently working on a plan with the DEC to install those boxes on public land near Albany.

Upcoming Events

Spring Fishing Season! - New York State, April 1

Reminder that our spring fishing season is here!  Be sure to renew your fishing license and check out the new regulations that go into effect on 4/1/23 by visiting the DEC website Freshwater Fishing Regulations - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Turkey Talk Pint Night - Bronx Brewery in NYC, April 13 @ 6pm

Join NY BHA to talk conservation, meet other hunters / anglers in the NYC area and enjoy a great brew sponsored by OnX hunt! Hunting guide and actor, Fischer Neal (@huntingactor) will be speaking on what it's like to be a hunting guide based out of NYC! Come to learn turkey tactics and network with other hunters and anglers! We will have appetizers, and the first 10 BHA members will receive a free ticket to enter in the raffle prizes. Bring a friend and come talk turkey! Click the link below to RSVP! 

NYC Turkey Talk Pint Night - RSVP Here!

Let’s Talk Turkey - Zoom, April 19 @ 8pm

Join us Wednesday, April 19 from 8-9:00 pm to talk turkey on a Zoom call with Fred Bird formerly of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Cliff Cadet of the NYC Chapter of NWTF and Brian Bird with John Barone of the NY Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. To get everyone fired up for the upcoming turkey season we will be telling stories of some of our most memorable turkey hunts and fielding some questions from the audience. 

More information and RSVP to receive the ZOOM link here. 

Let's Talk Turkey - RSVP Here!

Amawalk / Muscoot River Restoration Tree Planting - Katonah, April 29 @ 10am

Join NY BHA, NYC Trout Unlimited and Hunters of Color at the Amawalk/Muscoot River to plant 1000-plus treelings on the banks above the Wood St. bridge access point.  We will aim to finish planting the treelings by around 2pm, and leave plenty of time for fishing! Bring waders, fly rods etc.  After fishing / clean ups, we will meet at The Blazer Pub on Route 22 South of Purdys, NY starting at 6:30pm for food, beverages and fishing stories.  More information and RSVP at the link below!

AMAWALK / MUSCOOT RIVER RESTORATION TREE PLANTING - RSVP Here!

Klipnocky State Forest Habitat Improvement - Klipnocky State Forest, April 29 @ 9am

Join NY BHA and DEC lands and forests division to create brush piles, plant seedlings and create brush cages to protect seedlings from deer browse on a recently acquired addition to the Klipnocky State Forest.  The habitat work will be followed up with a backwoods BBQ and forestry walk.  More information and RSVP at the link below!

Klipnocky State Forest Habitat Improvement - RSVP Here!

Turkey Season Opener! - New York, May 1

It is almost time for spring thunder!  Hope all you turkey hunters are getting in your last minute scouting and calling practice in.   If you don’t yet have your tags, don’t forget to get them, especially you folks on Long Island who will be having your first spring turkey season.  Learn more on the DEC website.

Turkey Hunting Seasons - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

NY Rendezvous - The Hungry Trout, September 8-10th

The NY BHA Team is planning a great weekend event at the perfect location: The Hungry Trout, a four season adventure resort in the Adirondack Mountains.  Join your fellow NY BHA members for a weekend of activities, food, storytelling and some great opportunities to win some awesome raffles.  More details to come, so save the date!

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 NY Chapter of BHA on Facebook. 

Follow us on Instagram New York BHA (@newyorkbha).

Check out our LinkTree at: New York BHA Linktree

Contact the Chapter Board by email: [email protected]

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!