In this week's episode of We Love Outdoors with Rich Davenport, your humble host provides the latest news in the world of archery, as the NYS NASP Championship was held at the State Fair Grounds in Syracuse, with the event being sponsored by the NYSDEC. Over 400 elementary, middle school and high school kids competed in this state championship bullseye format event from across school districts from 16 different counties across NYS. You can visit the NASP website (https://nasptournaments.org, search for tournaments) to get the full results and standings, both individual boys and girls, and by school. Three categories, elementary, middle and high school separated by boys and girls (really!), wit the top 10 finishers receiving an award to recognize the accomplishment, winners received the championship trophy, a new NY Champion Genesis Bow with bow case and they qualified for the National Championship event slated for May 12-14, 2022 Louisville, KY.
Coyote season is winding down, with the close of the season today not March 26, as I previously reported. I apologize for the error. Nevertheless, Coyote have been very active this late winter/ early spring, and several folks on social media noted some brazen behavior being observed. Also seemed like some didn't realize the season ran through end of March, probably thinking the season either closed end of December, or closed with small game on Feb 28. With some late season snow, the coyote hunt should show solid right up until the very end at midnight tonight.
And while this seasonably screwed up weather shows, areas in the Northern Zone, especially the high peaks in the ADK are once again showing avalanche dangers, and DEC has once again issued an announcement reminding those planning a hike or snowshoe, or a downhill skiing trip to be aware that the melting snow creates unstable snowpack ripe for deadly slides and avalanches to occur. Recently, Forest Rangers and volunteers recovered a missing hiker that was sadly found deceased, under 4 feet of snow, and although evidence suggests he was caught in an avalanche, no real way to confirm if that was the case, or the snow accumulation was the result of snow drifts.
Opening Day of trout season is coming up April 1, and with the wet spring and periodic accumulating sow, the inland streams should be running well with good flow, if now a bit high. Trout stocking is now underway, which actually kicked off 3rd week in March, and runs through May across most of the state, with a few special waters seeing stocking into June.
Remember, season have changed with the new fishing regulations, and crappie minimum length is also increasing from 9" to 10" on April 1. Sunfish regulations change as well, along with lots of changes governing inland trout lakes and ponds.
2022 continues to the record breaking trends of 2021, with not one, not two, but three new state records recorded this month across the USA. Maryland has a new muskellunge record when Kyle Mullenix caught a 49 inch, 33 lb musky while fishing from the banks of the Potomac River. It broke the previous record that was set in 2017. Then, in Missouri, an angler from Illinois, Jim Dain, who was on a family trip to Lake of the Ozarks, landed a 140 lb. 10 oz. Paddlefish, which he didn't know could be a state record until another angler at the boat launched advised him to get it weighed. And finally, Rachel Harrison of Adairsville, GA set the longnose gar record with a 31 lb. 2 oz. beast caught while fishing the Coosa River. This is the 3rd state record to fall in Georgia in the last four months!
This and much more in this week's episode of We Love Outdoors with Rich Davenport. Tune in to get all the latest and stay up to date on the great outdoors news and goings on!
