Believe me, I do not fancy myself to be Mr. Outdoor Writer or anything. But I like to do some jogging down of random thoughts
because I enjoy it and..... well...... it is my Website :) But as much as it is my Website - it is your Website too and I have enjoyed reading
all of your comments and opinions about deer hunting in New York the last few months. There are some very bright
individuals who participate here who have made some wonderful suggestions for improving New York deer management in my opinion. I especially love the people who support
a one buck per year rule!
Right now I am holed up in a hotel room in Moscow, Idaho where I will be spending the next few days hunting deer. As I am sure you all know,
Idaho is a sparsely populated state. Remote, rugged, and easy to get away from society. With its vast seasonal roads going seemingly
nowhere until snowfall blocks you out, it would be hard to imagine that you would need to worry about conservation law enforcement.
Especially when you see how little of it there is in a populated State like New York where hunters are much more accessible to game wardens. Think again.
I will never forget the day 10 years ago (when I used to live here) when I was driving down the main highway coming home from deer hunting.
It was the last week of the deer season (late November).
There was an Idaho Fish & Game
officer parked along side the road of a main highway. I really did not think much of it until I went another 1/2 mile and came over a knoll
right in to Checkpoint Charlie. The road was blocked off by several Fish & game vehicles and anyone who was hunting was instructed to pull
in to a parking area where officers had a small camp set-up with another 5 or so conservation officers going over everything. There were a
couple people there getting tickets, a couple nice bucks that had been confiscated, and a stern, yet professional, attitude from the officers.
It definately painted the impression of a no nonsense State.
By the way, it is not just one day a year, one place on the highway, or just deer season for that matter. Checkpoint Charlie also exists
during spring turkey season as well and in many different locations. I know I will see it before I leave next week.
You get a year-round sense of enforcement out here.
Flash back one week ago to the New York opener. I saw a guy in the morning on property me and my Dad hunt that was not supposed to be in there.
He has been kicked off before but keeps coming back. Why? Because nothing happens to him. That is why!
Move forward to that same afternoon. I stopped
in on a piece of public property where I had seen a few deer during bow season. I got up the hill 100 yards only to find a guy pull in behind me and
start walking around my truck. I came back down to find an acquaintance of a family that owns private property that borders the public land on the other
side waving a camera in my face and telling me not to go off the public land. The guy, who probably should be arrested for harassing people on
public land, had stated that a doe was taken on their land that morning by a trespasser who came in from public land. He then expressed some frustration
that the DEC was coming but from past experience he did not expect them to do much about it.
I know the family. They do not hunt. I went to their door a few years ago to ask permission to hunt and I thought the guy at the door was going
to shoot me for asking. He made several verbal threats to me including how he would send his dogs after me if I went on his land. The guy is nuts.
But it is his land and given the fact that they cannot trust the DEC to do anything for them, it is hard not to see why they get so upset. Although
the guy is a complete lunatic and he probably does not do himself any favors with his temper.
In any event, the practice of conservation law in New York is almost non-existant. I truly believe that you could do almost anything in New York
with little risk of arrest or ticket. You may end up with a split lip or you may end up with a bad reputation amongst your fellow hunters. But
you will not likely be hearing from a con officer anytime soon. If you did, then people might not do things like this -
New York Hunter Killed Hunting Deer the Day Before it Officially Opened.
Now, my apologies to the DEC and there officers. I am sure you are doing all you can although I question it. You likely write more tickets then I am
aware of and you probably are over loaded with trespassing complaints and who gets a ticket (or not) is merely luck of the draw. And if we annexed New York
City from our State then things may be different as there would be more funding for enforcement officers. But still, it is hard to believe that we do not
see more enforcement for game violations. Where is Checkpoint Charlie? Wouldn't the troopers and Sheriffs assist in such an effort?
Why doesn't an ECO randomly show up at hunting camps? What ever happens to these guys who walk in to gun shops bragging about the 5 bucks they killed this year?
If it is illegal
to shoot a gun off of an ATV then why do I see so many people riding them in broad daylight with shotguns across them? Oh and what about this thing
called MANDATORY HARVEST REPORTING?
I hate to say it but it does seem like you can do about anything you want in New York State and get away with it. I don't know how you come to any
other conclusion in the Southern Tier anyway. Enforcement of game violations may exist in the North where, just like Idaho, there is a lot more public land and trespassing
is a rare occurance. But not in the Southern Tier of New York.
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Rob Taylor, Founder, EmpireHunting.com
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