October brings new opportunities for WNY bowhunters
The October woods are quiet, the autumn leaf colors are developing, and bowhunters can enjoy the challenge of pursuing deer during a season that emphasizes patience, preparation, close-range hunting skills, and reasonably warm weather. Photo courtesy of Joe Forma
As the early archery big game season begins in October, the Western New York monarch butterflies have left on their long journey towards the mountains of central Mexico. We'll see them again next spring. Photo courtesy of James Monteleone
The October woods are quiet, the autumn leaf colors are developing, and bowhunters can enjoy the challenge of pursuing deer during a season that emphasizes patience, preparation, close-range hunting skills, and reasonably warm weather. Photo courtesy of Joe Forma
As the early archery big game season begins in October, the Western New York monarch butterflies have left on their long journey towards the mountains of central Mexico. We'll see them again next spring. Photo courtesy of James Monteleone
Trending
As we work our way into October, Western New York is beginning its annual transition into one of the most exciting times of the outdoor year. Monarch butterflies are moving south, ruby-throated hummingbirds are gathering their energy for migration, and skeins of Canada geese are beginning to appear overhead. A few chilly mornings are also reminding us that another familiar autumn ritual is getting underway: the whitetail deer breeding season is just ahead.
For New York deer hunters, October also means the beginning of the annual early big-game archery season. For many bowhunters, these first weeks offer an especially appealing way to spend time outdoors. The woods are still relatively quiet, autumn colors are developing, and hunters can enjoy the challenge of pursuing deer during a season that emphasizes patience, preparation, close-range hunting skills, and reasonably warm weather.
The early season also provides an opportunity to discover something that is sometimes overlooked: there are public lands where deer hunting is permitted.
Finding a place to hunt can be one of the biggest challenges facing hunters, especially new hunters. Private land is increasingly posted, and entering someone else's property without permission is not an option. Many rural landowners welcome hunters, but ask first. Fortunately, Western New York hunters also have public-land choices, including selected state parks, DEC-managed lands and wildlife management areas. DEC's online resources and the online DECinfo Locator can help hunters identify public properties where hunting is permitted.
Some state parks may be surprising choices for hunters. Allegany State Park, Letchworth State Park and Darien Lakes State Park are among the Western New York examples where deer hunting opportunities exist under specific regulations. Those regulations can include permits, designated hunting areas, archery-only restrictions and special season requirements. Hunters should always check with the individual park before heading afield rather than assuming that hunting rules are the same from one park to another.
This year, Knox Farm State Park in East Aurora adds another interesting chapter to the public-land hunting story. The park encompasses 633 acres of grasslands, woodlands, ponds and wetlands and provides important habitat in an area surrounded by residential development. A coordinated, limited archery deer hunt has been approved in selected portions of the park as part of an effort to address deer numbers and their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and the park’s natural vegetation.
Knox Farm is an especially interesting example because it demonstrates that hunting can be part of a broader wildlife-management strategy. Hunters participating in the program are required to preregister and provide information about their experience, creating an opportunity for wildlife managers to evaluate the results over time. It is a measured approach that recognizes both the value of the deer herd and the need to maintain a healthy balance between wildlife, habitat and people.
That balance is at the heart of modern hunting in New York.
Before purchasing a hunting license, New York hunters must complete the required hunter education requirements. Hunters are also required to report harvested deer, bear and turkey, providing wildlife managers with valuable information used to monitor populations and guide future management decisions. Hunting license revenue and federal excise taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment also contribute significantly to conservation.
So, as October arrives, perhaps the best message for prospective bowhunters is simple: don’t assume you have nowhere to hunt.
Explore the public lands. Study the maps. Contact state park offices. Check DEC regulations. Learn the boundaries and understand the rules before you go. Remember that public-land hunting is a privilege that comes with a responsibility to respect other visitors, wildlife, land managers and neighboring property owners.
Whether it is a familiar stand in the woods, a new DEC property discovered on a map, or a carefully managed state-park hunt, October offers New York hunters another opportunity to experience the outdoors at its finest.
Above all, at this time of year the walleye are still biting, yellow perch are becoming active and steelhead are waiting for the first good autumn rain to bring them into Lake Erie tributaries. There are plenty of reasons to be outside. That’s the beauty of October in Western New York: there is always another reason to head outdoors.
Gotta love the outdoors.
CALENDAR
Oct. 7: Fly Tying Class, 6-8 p.m., free, Falconer Rod & Gun Club, 329 Falconer St., Jamestown; info: 716-467-0782.
Oct. 7, 9: NYS Hunter Education Course, Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, 5:30-9:30 p.m., free, contact Gary Dudek: 716-366-3397. Must attend both nights, homework must be completed prior to class.
Oct. 10: NYSDEC Trapper Ed Course, Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club, 4391 Cassadaga-Stockton Road, Stockton, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., register at: https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/513, or call 585-226-5463.
Oct. 10-12: NYS youth deer hunt, junior hunters (12-15 years old) may take deer under youth and mentor rules.
Oct. 11: Firearm Sighting-In Day, Bear Lake Rod & Gun Club, handguns 10 a.m., rifles/shotguns, noon. Paper targets at 50, 100, 150 and 200 yards. Info: Don Campbell, 716-338-2050.