Outdoor Journal: Northern Zone season rite of fall for hunters

Two more whitetail deer hunting seasons will begin Saturday — the Northern Zone regular gun season and the Southern Zone bowhunting season.

The Northern Zone will continue through Dec. 7 while the Southern Zone bow season will end on Nov. 14,

the day before the regular gun season in the Southern Zone begins.

If you’re traveling the Adirondack Northway, I-87, today and Friday, chances are good you’ll see a number of vehicles with ATVs in the back of their pickup trucks or on trailers headed north. Just look for the red shirts or the traditional red and black checkered clothing.

If you’ve ever been a part of the opening day of Adirondack North Country hunting, you know it’s a tradition that breeds excitement, camaraderie and enjoyment. It’s a time to spend with old friends telling deer stories around an open campfire or cabin fireplace, and each year, that one that got away grows a few more points and gains a few extra pounds. And come opening morning, long before sunup, you’ll be dressed and raring to hit the woods.

Bowhunters’ traditions are mostly the same for those who have to travel to their hunting grounds throughout the Southern Zone. About the only difference, besides using a bow, is that they’ll be in full camo and most will be hunting from a tree stand instead of sitting on a favorite stump or rock atop a ridge.

OUTLOOK

Of the 220,000 whitetails harvested in New York state last season, the majority of the bucks taken were in the Southern Zone, but there were some very big boys taken out of the Adirondacks. The top three winning bucks in last year’s Whitetail Classic Big Buck Contest came from the Northern Zone — and they were big. Dave Suttle of Fort Edward won with his Warren County 10-pointer that scored 1331⁄8 Boone & Crockett inches. Scott Gallop of Clifton Park was second with an eight-pointer that scored 125 B&C inches. Pat Cornin, a South Glens Falls Horn Hunters member, was third with his 124 B&C inches Hamilton County buck.

The buck take in the Northern Zone last year was just shy of 6,400 in Region 5 WMU areas and about 12,500 in Region 6 WMUs. The two highest buck takes in the Northern Zone were WMU 6G with 2,529 and 6A with 2,445.

There are a lot more opportunities for Southern Zone bowhunters throughout the rest of the state. The top five counties last year for total deer harvest density (deer per square mile) were: Yates, 12.8; Allegany, 10.3; Wyoming, 9.7; Ontario, 9.7; and Genesee, 9.6. Closer to home, there are also some excellent bow and arrow deer hunting opportunities based on last year’s deer buck/total deer take figures by county: Washington, 1,909/3,404; Columbia, 1,830/3,078; Schoharie, 1,483/2,750; Saratoga, 1,193/2,140; Rensselaer, 1,169/1,763; Albany, 865/1,862; Fulton, 688/1,142; Montgomery, 542/949; and Schenectady, 229/428.

BEAR

Northern Zone gun hunters and Southern Zone bowhunters can shoot a bear in certain designated WMUs. For exact locations for all WMUs and their boundaries and all hunting regulations, check the New York Hunting & Trapping 2008-09 Official Guide To Laws

& Regulations. And be sure to read on page 35 about the information Department of Environmental Conservation would like successful bear hunters to report to aid in its aging and examining the bear.

NEW TOYS

This year, I found several new items, including a new way to stay warm, identify and call game, clear a shooting lane, have the tool you need when you need it, hide and a better way to launch an arrow at a whitetail. Take a look.

Robinson Outdoors has a new Scent Shield Full Draw Archers pullover shirt. It is made from lightweight tricot and fleece, which is perfect for layering. It is scent-free and water-repellent. The company designed it for bowhunters by eliminating bulk and still maintaining warmth, and it comes in a Mossy Oak pattern. Suggested retail price is $54.99 (www.robinsonoutdoors.-com).

The Alpen Apex 495 10x42 binoculars will help hunters determine whether it’s a buck or doe coming through the brush. They are waterproof, fogproof and have all the other features of higher-priced binocs. They worked for me in Wyoming to identify the pronghorn I shot at 300-plus yards. Weighing just 24 ounces, they retail for $270 (www.-alpenoptics.com).

For the past month, I’ve been practicing my buck calling techniques with two impressive new Knight

& Hale calls. The Rack Buster grunt call produces a variety of deer sounds, including social, tending, aggravating and growling grunts by simply exhaling into the call. Estrous and lost doe bleats are imitated by inhaling. It’s easy, very realistic and comes with a hunting and instructional DVD. The cost is $24.99

The other call is the new Snort Wheezer. Another easy-to-use call one can blow into and produce the meanest, maddest snort wheezes that will drive those big territorial and dominant bucks wild. The retail price is $14.99. See them both at www.knightandhale.com.

Both gun hunters and bowhunters know the importance of having a good line of sight to the target. The smallest branch can mean the difference between success and failure. But a new tool for hunters, the Hooyman Tree Saw, will help you insure that those shooting lanes in the woods and fields are clear. This two-piece saw consists of the saw and an extension section that goes from 12 inches to five feet long. The Tree Saw retails for $49.99 (www.hooymansaws).

Hunters and all outdoorsmen always have need for different tools, and the recently introduced Professional Grade Industrial Multi-Tool by Lansky Sharpeners has 20 tools in a compact, fold-up, 41⁄2 inches that fit into a belt sheath. Needlenose pliers, screw drivers, files, awl, can/bottle openers and even a quarter-inch socket drive are all included. It’s heavy-duty and rustproof, weighs 9.6 ounces and retails for $29.99 (www.lansky.com).

During the early Canada goose season last month, I spent four days hunting from the new Hunter Specialties hub-style Boiler Room blind set up on the edge of a freshly cut corn field. From the Boiler Room, two friends and I were able to surprise several eight-bird limits of resident geese. This RealTree-camo blind, which goes up and down in seconds, is easily transported and measures 76x76x69 inches. And it is a great way to hunt in the wind and rain comfortably. Retail price of the boiler room is $299.95 (www.-hunterspec.-com).

If you are a tree stand/ground blind bowhunter like I am, you might want to check out the new BowTech Admiral compound. This bow measures less than 32 inches, axle to axle, and weighs just 4.2 pounds. It is easy in and out of the stand/blind and brush, for that matter, and it’s easy to maneuver during those few critical seconds you have to get sighted in on that 10-pointer. Suggested retail price is $829 (bowtecharchery.com).

NEW HUNTERS GET READY

With the recent change in the law that 14-15-year-olds can now hunt deer and bear if accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or youth mentor, our hunting ranks will be increasing. I saw this increase firsthand last Thursday afternoon when I attended the final-day session of the 4-H Hunter Education Course in Ballston Spa. It attracted 64 attendees, the majority of whom were youngsters. But what really impressed me was the parents who were also taking the course with their kids.

I spoke with Bob Chetwynd of Ballston Spa, who was taking the course with his 12-year-old son, Cameron. Bob, who was not a hunter, said that Cameron always had an interest in guns, and he thought the best way for them to learn about guns and gun safety was from the experts — qualified hunting instructors. I also asked a young lady in her early 20s why she was taking the course. She said she couldn’t wait to get her hunter safety certificate so she could hunt a turkey.

As for the course, I was quite impressed with all the instructors and the hands-on training that those in attendance received with air rifles, centerfire rifles, shotguns and bow and arrow. And they all got to shoot all of these.

BUCK TALES

Now that most of the big-game seasons are well under way, it’s time for me to start telling some tales — Buck Tales — and I’m sure a number of you who’ve already taken a whitetail, bear or other big-game animal in another state or country would like to share your story. All are welcome to submit their tale to share it with other hunters here in The Daily Gazette Buck Tales column. I’m especially interested in any youth big-game or turkey hunts that were successful.

Be sure to include your full name, your city/town of residence, what you shot and where (county/town), what you shot it with (gun/bow and type), from the ground, tree stand, etc., and anything else you think would be interesting. And for the youth hunters, please include their age. No photos, please. E-mail me at enoonan@nycap.rr.com.