NY BHA December '24 Newsletter

Update from Chapter Chair

As the hunting seasons slowly start to come to a close and winter sets in I hope everyone is able to take some time to reflect back on the past year of enjoying your public lands and waters.  As a chapter, we had a pretty solid year.  We hosted over 20 events around the state, including trash cleanups, conservation work, and multiple mentorship events teaching the next class of hunter/angler conservationists. We are wrapping up our planning for next year's work and getting excited for a new year of championing and protecting our New York public lands and waters. We will share that plan early next year and share ways in which the NY BHA community can get more involved. Until then, I hope you are able to share wild food and great stories with your friends and family this holiday season.

 

I do want to remind you all that our membership drive is wrapping up very soon (end of day Dec 31st) and if you start or renew a BHA membership before then you will be entered to win some amazing gear from NY Saddle Hunter, Filson, XOP and Stone Glacier!

 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!

Greg Whalin - NY BHA Chapter Chair

NY Membership Drive

If you Join or Renew between 10/15 and 12/31 of this year, you will be entered to win one of two amazing packages. 

 

  • The first package is for you mobile white-tailed deer saddle hunters. We have a Half-Line Climbing System (w/ a throwball kit) from the guys at NY Saddle Hunter.  We are also including a $500 gift card to XOP to build out the rest of your kit!
  • The second package is a $250 gift card to Filson and a $250 gift card to Stone Glacier.  This should help you get some high quality outdoor gear from two great companies!

 

These are pretty amazing prizes, so would encourage you to Join or Renew, and also help grow our membership by telling your friends! To ensure you are entered, make sure you join through the link in this email!

 

Join or Renew your NY BHA Membership!

Lead Free Ammo Rebate Program

DEC and Hunters for Eagles are offering a program to give a rebate for one box of lead free ammunition up to $60 to all hunters in the state. This is part of a multi-year study of how increased use of non-lead ammunition for deer hunting can improve the survival of bald and golden eagles. If you have been considering trying out lead free ammo, now is the time to do so!  More information can be found at the Hunters for Eagles and DEC websites.

Mentee Crossbow Deer Hunt

The NY BHA chapter in partnership with Hunters of Color and The Nature Conservancy of NY helped to lead a mentored hunt in  which 10 mentees were paired up with 10 mentors to participate in a crossbow hunt on TNC preserves near Albany.  As late season often goes, it was cold and not a lot of deer were seen, however everyone had a great time and mentees were already talking about their next hunt by the end!  We would encourage all hunters to take out a new hunter and be a mentor. If you are interested in helping with this program, please reach out to us by emailing us at [email protected]

Thank our NY Chapter Sponsors!

I want to personally call out a huge thanks to our NY Chapter Sponsors! They have generously donated funds or items to the chapter to help us achieve our membership and fundraising goals. Please consider booking a trip, shopping with, or spending your money with our sponsors!!

They include:

NY BHA 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 other NY events. 
  • 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: NY 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 New York BHA

The New York Chapter is focused on bringing BHA's proven approach to conserving wild places and outdoor heritage to the Empire State. Join us to conserve our wilds!