In this week's episode of We Love Outdoors with Rich Davenport, your humble host reports that spring is here, clocks have now been set to reflect Daylight Savings Time, and the ice season is winding down, although old man winter isn't done with surprises just yet. Coyote season closes March 26, 2022, while all other small game and fur bearer seasons closed Feb 28.
NYSCC is holding their Spring meeting at SUNY Cobbleskill on April 9, 2022 from 9AM-4PM, and will be a hybrid format. Committee chairs are advised to hold their committee meetings prior to this day, as no time will be available for the individual committee meetings.
The first annual Golf Outing information has also been released by NYSCC, which will be July 11, 2022 at Seneca Falls Country Club. $500 per foursome, with a limit of 20 foresomes, which includes greens fees, carts, beverages and a late lunch and awards. Registration starts 10AM, shotgun start at 11AM, lunch 4:30PM. Sponsorship levels are available, and deadline to register for the outing is July 1.
Meanwhile, in Vermont, wildlife officials are working to reduce moose numbers due to tick infestations and how ticks easily winter in large numbers on moose. Looking to add another 100 tags to the mix.
And in North Carolina, the return of bear hunting in three bear sanctuaries, as populations are rising, as are conflicts.
The ice is still nice, but not for much longer. Winners of the first Chautauqua Lake Ice Derby were awarded their winnings on March 12, with the big winner, also receiving a free walleye charter on Lake Erie from Mostly Muskies Charters. Thank you to Mike Sperry of Chautauqua Reel Outdoors for his tremendous partnership in this event, and to Capt. Larry Jones for donating the charter. Next years' event will be much bigger, and as Angler Tom Cermak remarked, "If you ice fish Chautauqua Lake, you'd be crazy not to enter. With 6 categories, all it takes is one drop of the line and you could win something. It isn't just about walleye!"
We are still waiting for the fishing regs to be codified, and should hear something any day now.
And the record breaking trend continues as a new Hickory Shad record has been set in Georgia, breaking the old record set last year from the same river.
With Spring in the air, bears are moving about - so be bear smart and keep the food away. Spring also means migratory birds are returning, and DEC announced the opening of the Long Island portion of the NYS Birding Trail. NYS DEC also announced the transfer of 34 miles of old rail beds from DOT has been finalized between Tupper Lake and Lake Placid, which marks the start of design and construction of this Tupper Lake to Lake Placid to Sanarac Lake trail corridor for hikers, bikers and snowmobilers.
Finally, the renewable green energy fairy tale, something adults should know better than to believe, got another release when Jeckyl and Hyde Basil Seggos and his cadre of zealots released their disadvantaged communities criteria for Climate Justice, and all that is missing is Once Upon a Time. Yet none of what they claim will come to pass, and what is important is what they don't tell you, the truth about electrical energy distribution and delivery. Their climate justice is nothing more than a massive redistribution of wealth, proving the green scheme is only to achieve communism in the name of saving the planet. Time to wake up folks!
