Welcome!

Hey everyone, 

Well turkey season has closed and I hope all that made it into the turkey woods had success! I have seen some successful trout anglers out there as well. As this unusually warm and dry weather hits us, be mindful of the smaller trout streams out there! We have a fair bit brewing here this summer so be sure to keep up with our social media to see the latest and be sure to tag us as we will share it. 

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 

BHA Membership

Has your BHA membership lapsed?  If so, now is a great time to renew!  Membership ensures that you are kept up to date on important events like Pint Nights, conservation projects, legislative updates and more.  It also helps provide funds for BHA to continue to do great work protecting our access to our public lands and waters.

Join or renew right now for a chance to win a deluxe NRS Slipstream 120 Fishing Raft Package (among other possible early bird prizes)!  

Join/Renew here to enter!

New life members come with pretty amazing gifts from sponsors like Weatherby, Stone Glacier, Weston, and St Croix (new)!   Check those out here!

NY Rendezvous - Sep 8-10, 2023!

We are planning a NY Rendezvous for all NY BHA members happening at The Hungry Trout Resort in September.   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!   Be sure to block the dates on your calendar and be on the lookout for an upcoming email announcing the event and opening up RSVPs!

Legislative / Policy Update

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

Lead ammo ban on all public lands - The Assembly has passed a lead ammunition ban on all state lands which will take effect in 2025.  The bill is now on to the Senate and is currently in committee before it goes to a vote.  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 as opposed to legislation.  We encourage you to reach out to your elected officials today to let them know your thoughts on this.  The relevant bill is 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.

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.   This bill has passed the Senate and is likely to pass the Assembly.   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

Unit Management Plans - DEC has two unit management plans open right now for public comment in DEC Region 8 and one in DEC Region 7. As these plans can directly impact how hunters and anglers are able to access and utilize state forests and WMAs, we encourage you 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 May

NY HOC and NY BHA Turkey Camp 2023 - Columbia County

NY Hunters of Color in partnership with NY BHA and Columbia Land Conservancy held a two day turkey hunting camp for four new BIPOC turkey hunters.   The camp started with shooting practice at the Marbletown Sportsmen’s Club, followed by an overnight campout on CLC land eating venison burgers cooked over the campfire, dehydrated meals from Gastro Gnome, and sleeping in tents from Seek Outside.  Early the next morning, the mentor/mentee pairs spread out across the property to hunt turkeys, wearing new donated Sitka Equinox turkey vests.   While no gobblers were killed, the group had a great time, learned a lot, and continued to grow a strong new hunter community!  Thanks to event sponsors OnX, Sitka, Gastro Gnome and Seek Outside!

Central NY Pint Night - Hopshire Farm and Brewery in Freeville

Members of BHA and HOC in central NY gathered at Hopshire Farm and Brewery to hang out, talk turkey hunting (and practice some calling), share a few drinks and get to know others in their local community!  There was a great turnout on a beautiful evening! 

Struttin’ and Cluckin’ Contest

Congratulations to @citybushcraft, @urbanarchernyc and @ted_krueger, winners in our NY Chapter Struttin’ and Cluckin’ contest. 

Upcoming Events

NY Hike to Hunt - Ellicottville Brewing Company in Little Valley, June 17th, 10am

Join NY BHA for a full day where we will kick off Hike to Hunt.  The event will start with a group hike that will end with a gathering at Ellicottville Brewing Company.  We will have a combined H.I.T. circuit / 3D archery course, food (wild game samples), drink, music and great folks talking about hunting and conservation.  Click the link below to learn more and RSVP!

NY Hike to Hunt 2023 - RSVP Here!

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).

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!