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October Hunting in Full Swing in New York

Elephant hunting is loved by some.
Tusks are the reward for this man.
Deer are the big game in NY
Deer ran into gate and died
Hunting season has begun again...

The time has come for the estimated 823,000 New York hunters and trappers to return to the woods and fields to enjoy the killing of wild animals.

The enjoyment of it as a sport depends more or less on which end of the gun you are on.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens reminds New Yorkers that hunting and trapping are not only excellent sport, but population management tools for such creatures as deer, bear and beaver, animals who would otherwise run loose across our towns and cities, while duck and geese would blanket the skies.

“Our staff is committed to monitoring wildlife populations,” Martens said, “and hunter success to maintain these resources and opportunities for future generations.”

Hunting is significant not only to New York’s economy, especially in rural areas - a recent national survey estimated that hunter expenditures on equipment and trip-related expenses in New York totaled more than $1.5 billion in 2011 -- but also to the happiness of man.

Hunting provides a chance to come close to the wilderness, to be afoot in the woods, to ramble outdoors, to be alert to the doings of wild creatures, to the dignity of all free creatures.

Man hunts through some instinct unknown to even himself.

Now the season is here.

Bear hunting season opened Oct. 1. Squirrel season opened on Sept. 1. Cottontail rabbits opened Oct. 1. Coyote season opened Oct.1.

Furbearing species (raccoon, fox, bobcat, and others) opens on Oct. 25, when trapping seasons opens as well.

Game birds, including wild turkey, pheasant, ruffed grouse and woodcock open Oct.19. Canada goose opens on Oct.26.

To the puzzle of wild tracks in the snow, to the delight and excitement of the stalk itself, to sitting quietly in a tree stand, solemn in lonesome woods, in the snow, to the rifle shot echoed from the naked rocks that destroys something beautiful and rare, a hunter can take direct responsibility for taking the lives that sustain him.

 

 

Niagara Falls Reporter - Publisher Frank Parlato Jr. www.niagarafallsreporter.com

OCT 08, 2013