NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I' ve heard its currently being considered to move the present traditional Novemeber Monday opener to a Saturday. The DEC is presently looking into changing the opening day. I was curious how you NY' er' s felt about this? Its not certain as to which Saturday would be used, or if done the same as the current system, but just on the Sat. before. I don' t like the idea if its going to take away days of the Southern Archery season. Especially if they use the 2nd Saturday of the season. That could be up to 9 days lost of archery, and during the prime of the rut to boot! If the Saturday was the one before Thanksgiving day, that would be ok. I just hate to see anymore days lost during archery season, it seems approx 1 month of bow is short now!

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I agree with you on this one. I think that the end result will be what ever the conservation dept. wants to do to satisfy the insurance companies.[:@]

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

It is true they are looking into changing it to a saturday opener. I to have the fear that it will dip into the archery season.[:' (] They are also trying to get the age limit down. NY has the highest age limit in the country.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

Mantis Mayer, you say they are considering lowering the age limit? I have to disagree. The woods are crammed enough as it is opening day, who needs a couple thousand more 14 yr olds running around the woods lookin to pull the trigger on the first thing they see. I highly support getting kids involved in hunting, but I know many kids who I wouldn' t want to give a slug gun to. I myself harvested two deer with my bow before i turned legal gun age, which was exactly the experience i needed to prepare for the gun seasons. Get kids into the woods, ofcourse! but lets hold off on handing a gun to them.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

Jay, I' m not positive but I believe Mantis may have been referring to a current Bill that was recently introduced to lower the junior archery age from 14 to 12yrs. old. Also I' d like to add at 12yrs old a person can alreadly carry a weapon in the woods small game hunting w/adult supervision.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I don' t like the idea either first of all like you said it would shorten archery season and second opening day is crowded already it would be like a free for all on a saturday we might all have to go out and purchase flak jackets it is bad enough it sounds like the fourth of July

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

Did you guys really find the woods as crowded as ever this year? I thought this year was one of the least crowded seasons ever. Opening day was the only day I saw high numbers of people. The rest of the season seemed to have pretty low numbers. Normally I see alot of does moving throughout the season but this year opening day saw about 23 does and thereafter almost nothing but a few individual deer that seemed to be moving naturally and not as the result of crowds scaring them out. Maybe just my neck of the woods.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I hunt in Cortland Co. I couldn' t tell you for sure how many hunters were out opening day last yr, becasue the weather was so nasty. High winds, freezing rain, it wasn' t safe to be out, and most didn' t very long. The first wknd was however was unreal, hunters, and shots all over. It was a mad house.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I ALSO WOULD NOT LIKE A SAT. OPENER. I THINK IT WOULD RUIN A LOT OF CAMPS WERE WE LIKE TO GET TOGETHER A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE THE OPENER, LAST MINUTE SCOUTING. AND JAY AS FAR AS THE AGE LIMIT I HAVE A 14 YR OLD WHO HAS BEEN HUNTING WITH ME SINCE HE WAS 10 AND HE IS PRETTY GOOD. IN PA THEY HUNT WITH RIFLES AT 12. WE NEED SOME NEW YOUNG HUNTERS, ARE # ARE DROPPING EVERY YEAR.
HAPPY HUNTING

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

That' s a pretty ignorant statement. My kid is 12 and I' ll guarentee you he knows how to handle a gun and a bow. I' d be more then happy to share my woods with some kids that want to learn our life style. That' s why I' ve written so many letters to my reps concerning the two bills.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

GUYS THE ONLY REASON TO CHANGE OPENING DAY FROM MONDAY TO SATURDAY, AND TO LOWER THE AGE BOILS DOWN TO ONLY ONE THING, AND ONE THING ONLY. THE ALL MIGHTY " $$$$$$$" NEW YORK, LIKE MY STATE OF NEW JERSEY HAS SEEN THE SELL OF LICENSES FALL, IN RETURN LESS " $$$$$" DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THE STATE WILL DO YOU AND I A FAVOR? ITS ALL ABOUT THEM, AND HOW TO GET MORE " $$$$$$$"

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

Actually, the reason for going to Saturday opener is in response to the state-wide meetings the DEC held, in which a large portion of the audience wanted Sat. opener in order to be able to hunt it. I like the traditional Monday open because its tradition. I am more than happy to take a few days off of work. I agree with huntal. I am also a bow hunter and like hunting up to opening day. Definitely wouldn' t want opener to go a week earlier (and I don' t belive they are suggesting that - it would be the Sat. before the normal opening Monday)

As far as reduced hunting age, I don' t think that the gun age needs to be reduced (and thats not what the proposed bill is - archery only) maybe 14 with adult. If they want to reduce archery, guess thats ok, but archery is difficult and think it may be a bit too difficult for 12 year olds (all aspects, physical & mental).

Are people also aware that they (DEC) may look to extend the muzzle loader season (into January?) and start the bow season a bit earlier (beginning Oct.). The more hunting the better, as far as I' m concerned.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

Just a little snippet about hunter numbers...

The percentage of hunters is dropping drastically, but this is due to increasing population. In actuality, the number of US hunters has remained relatively stable over the past 20 years, somewhere near 14 million per year.

With that said, the reason behind pushing a younger age limit to hunt has to do with increasing the number of hunters. It has little to do with revenue---check and see how much a junior license costs---squat compared to what the average Joe pays.

Today' s youth are inundated with extracurricular opportunities, and by pushing opening days to a Saturday, some in the hunting field believe this is a way to get our youth re-involved in hunting.

You might take off from work to go on opening Monday, but how many parents allow their 12 year olds to miss school just to sit next to Dad while deer hunting??? Move that to a Saturday, and walla, the kids are in the woods, even if only as observers.

Same concepts were applied to Junior Opening Days, which make their first appearance here in CT this season. Can' t wait to get some of my friends' kids in the woods the first Saturday of May for turkeys...

Sometimes, you know, " they" actually impose new ideas to try and improve hunting and not just to make a buck...

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

I' m against the saturday opener as well. The hunting camp get togethers over the weekend before the opener are tradition!! I also disagree with lowering the age to 12. While some kids are more mature at that age, there are alot who aren' t. That' s just my opinon.

The fact remains, in 1995 the DEC sold 750,00 hunting licenses, last year they sold 500,000!! Big drop!! Now you know why " OUR" licenses went up in price!!! To make up for the lost revenue form the loss of all those others bowing out!! What happens when the total drops even more? Are us hunters that remain, suppose to foot the dam bill!! BS!!![:@]

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

i have a place in chenango cty and we did not see the numbers this year as last ,it was foul weather and all but even sat wasnt bad ,we border brookfield forest and that sat we saw a few but not like past years ,i think the age limit is unjust as some kids are more mature and raised different than some .i think there should be a stronger hunter safety course where the instructors could say whether some one is eligable or not .here in jersey they will pass every kid with a little extra help ,i dont know if i like that as it maybe better off if the kid fails he must come back the next year or six months later ,we need to start the kids off right and send them down the right path .i dont want sat opener as i love the archery weekend before as i am the only one in camp who goes out i use the others to et them moving to my little corner of paradise and it has worked so far.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

If anything the regular season opener should be pushed back. If they want to open it on a weekend, they should open it Thanksgiving weekend.

A few reasons for this;

1. It will give bowhunters and extra week of peak hunting.
2. There are usually more guys in the woods Thanksgiving weekend as opposed to opening day anyway (from my experience)
3. People wouldn' t have to take off from work, as most are off that weekend.
4. Most importantly, the weather would be more cooperative. There would be a better chance for colder temps, and snow.

Jst my opinion on the matter.

RE: NY Southern Tier regular opener
 

yeah but it would be to close to pa opener and a lot of guys do both ,they might fear losing some non res fees