The deer herd looks to be healthy as this doe has three fawns which is something I haven't seen at this property in a long time. Team NYB headed out about two weeks ago to put our trail cams out and start taking inventory of the bucks on our properties so we know which ones to hunt come deer season.


This buck has some potential if he can put on enough inches over the next two months to grow some tall tines. He's a great looking deer and we can't wait to see what he turns out to be. Right now it looks like he could be on our hit list.


This was a different buck we got on trail cam and we actually have a few pictures from June 18th of him as well and you can clearly see a difference in antler growth from then until the 24th in just 6 days. He probably won't be on our hit list this season unless he does something incredible with the tines and they shoot up.

We'll be posting up our trail cam pics as they come in and we get a better idea of what we're going after. If you have any trail cam pics you would like to share with us please send them to info@nybowhunter.com.

Jeff who now discovered how to keep busy and have some more fun after turkey hunting by shooting carp with his recurve bow in Westchester County.

Thanks for sharing your photos with us Jeff. Good luck with the bowfishing and let us know how you do this fall!

Jeff Cetin of Massapequa, NY took his first bird of the season with his shotgun. After that he was determined to attempt taking a second with his bow.

On the morning of May 26, 2010 in Westchester County, Jeff set out four hen decoys and a strutting Tom on the edge of an open field and set up in a make shift blind within the tree line. The first three hours were quiet, but at 8:30 a.m. he heard some gobbler clucks in the woods.

A few calls from Jeff and the gobbling began. When the Tom came out in the open field and saw the decoys, he came running in and went face to face with the Tom decoy.

Jeff took the shot at 10 yards and the Tom never knew what hit him. The bird weighed 20 pounds, had 1 inch spurs and had a double beards measuring 10 1/4" and 7" inches.

Building on the success of a 2009 pilot program, the Westchester County Parks Department will open sections of Muscoot Farm and Lasdon Park and Arboretum, both in Somers, and, new this year, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River and Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem for bow hunting deer in the autumn of 2010. Participants will be selected by testing and lottery.

Applicants must prove county residency and pass a proficiency test by hitting a 9-inch target at 25 yards, three out of three tries, using field tips only, at Blue Mountain Sportsman Center in Peekskill on June 23, 24, 25, 26 or 27. Following the proficiency test, qualified hunters will be selected by lottery. There is no fee for applying or testing, but those selected for the program will pay an administrative fee of $25.

The program will run from October 16 through December 31, 2010; the parks will remain open during the season and informational signs will be posted for hunters and park visitors. A detailed safety program will be in effect.

Applications are available at all four parks and at www.westchestergov.com/parks for
downloading and printing. Signed applications must be received in the County Parks Department administrative office at 25 Moore Avenue, Mount Kisco 10549, attention Deer Management Program by June 18, 2010 at 4 p.m. Prospective hunters should read and thoroughly understand all requirements because there will be a zero-tolerance policy for non-compliance.

For more information call (914) 864-7327.

It was a long, tough season, but we stayed persistent and it all paid off on the last day of the season when I took my biggest bird to date - a double bearded monster with 1 3/4" hooks! What a bird!

Mamaroneck's newest business may have hit the bullseye—it's the first of its kind in town.

June 5 marked the unofficial opening of Extreme Archery, Mamaroneck's first archery store and range. The store houses a pro shop and boasts a 20-yard indoor archery range immediately next door.

Extreme archery caters to both the inexperienced and veterans, and can be rented out for private gatherings. The store is jointly owned by Tom Ardis, Ernie Bertuzzi and Frank Trifiletti, who have operated archery stores in Putnam county.


After firing off a few arrows in the range, store manager Chris Brutting discussed the business' offerings.

"We can do custom arrows and we can do bow tune ups," Brutting said. "We sell kids equipment, too."

On September 12, Extreme Archery will host archery celebrity T-Bone.

Last year Westchester County started the Pilot Adaptive Deer Management Program [PADMP]. The program was an overall success. Created and employed in response to the recommendations set forth by the Westchester County Citizen’s Task Force on White-tailed Deer and Forest Regeneration, Westchester County opened sections of two of its parks, Muscoot Farm and Lasdon Park and Arboretum, to selective hunting under the PADMP during the 2009 season. Goals for the program included implementing a program that was safe for public park patrons as well as participating hunters, offering a new recreational activity in county parks, and removing 50 deer from the properties hunted in 2009.

Bowhunting was chosen for its effectiveness in reducing the deer herd and for its safety when being used around the public. The program utilized fifty public hunters and fifteen alternates that were chosen by lottery. In addition the eastern portion of Muscoot Farm was allotted to the Westchester County Bowhunters Association under a license agreement.

Overall, hunters volunteered over 1800 hours and harvested a total of 45 deer in less than a two month period. The public hunting program was successful and effective at reducing the deer population within the two parks. The program ran smoothly and safely, with favorable interactions between hunters and the public and positive responses from the public who used the parks.

Building on the success of a 2009 pilot program, the Westchester County Parks Department will open sections of Muscoot Farm and Lasdon Park and Arboretum, both in Somers, and, new this year, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Cross River and Mountain Lakes Park in North Salem for bow hunting deer in the autumn of 2010. Participants will be selected by testing and lottery.

Applicants must prove county residency and pass a proficiency test by hitting a 9-inch target at 25 yards, three out of three tries, using field tips only, at Blue Mountain Sportsman Center in Peekskill on June 23, 24, 25, 26 or 27. Following the proficiency test, qualified hunters will be selected by lottery. There is no fee for applying or testing, but those selected for the program will pay an administrative fee of $25.

The program will run from October 16 through December 31, 2010; the parks will remain open during the season and informational signs will be posted for hunters and park visitors. A detailed safety program will be in effect.

Applications are available at all four parks and at www.westchestergov.com/parks for downloading and printing. Signed applications must be received in the County Parks Department administrative office at 25 Moore Avenue, Mount Kisco 10549, attention Deer Management Program by June 18, 2010 at 4 p.m. Prospective hunters should read and thoroughly understand all requirements because there will be a zero-tolerance policy for non-compliance.

For more information call (914) 864-7327.

I'm excited to say that Westchester County will have its first indoor archery range! Extreme Archery will be opening it's doors on Saturday, June 5th at 9:00 a.m.

The pro shop will be stocked with bows from top of the line brands such as Hoyt, Elite, G5, Martin and others. We've stopped by the shop to get a sneak peak and we are very excited to have something like this in lower Westchester.

In addition to quality bows and first rate bow tuning and setups the pro shop will also stock plenty of hunting gear and have a 10 yard shooting range for trying all the new bows as well as a 20 yard indoor range!

You can check it out for yourself tomorrow morning, we'll be there bright and early so stop by and say hello:

Extreme Archery
801 East Boston Post Rd.
Mamaroneck, NY 10543

May 31st marked the closing of this year's spring hunting season for wild turkey. On average, over 100,000 hunters take about 30,000 birds each spring in New York. This season, preliminary results from reported harvest show that the overall harvest was up about 7%, and the youth hunt harvest was up about 5% from last spring.

The increase in the overall reported harvest is likely due to the regular season opening on a weekend (reported take on opening day was 30% higher than last year), rather than more gobblers on the landscape. Good weather and approved awareness of the two-day youth hunting season likely played a role in having an increase in youth hunt harvest.

Keep an eye out for final harvest and population data results that will be released later this summer.

Cautiously the two hens approached the decoys and continued yelping softly. As the two hens fed around the decoys we heard more yelping behind us - this time it was to our right. I caught a glimpse of movement through the brush on the right of our blind and told Dero to get ready. Two hens emerged from the tall grass in front of our blind not more than ten feet away and one was a bearded hen.

We now had four real hens in the field, a feeding hen decoy and a Jake decoy - the perfect set up for bringing in a long beard. The real hens, however, didn't stick around too long and began feeding away from us. Then we heard another gobble, this time it came from the left side of the field.

From where I was sitting I couldn't see the birds, but Dero could. Dero coached me through their movements. Softly I called imitating the hens and Dero began cutting with a friction call. This got the Tom all riled up and he began gobbling back at our calls.

Finally, I was able to see the Tom in full strut at the other end of the field. Slowly he began making his way towards our decoys. The big Tom gobbled and strutted the whole way in. Then at about 40 yards the Tom noticed the Jake decoy and came running in.

The Tom circled the Jake decoy to display his dominance and then suddenly attacked the decoy. Dero had the camera rolling and after a few minutes said, "take him." I steadied the bead on the Tom's head and slowly squeezed the trigger dropping the bird in its tracks! I don't know who was more excited me or Dero, but we were both shaking!


I ran up to the bird and was shocked when I picked it up - this bird had long curved back spurs that measured 1 3/4" long! This was an old Tom for sure. I ran back to the blind with the bird to show Dero and as I lifted the bird up I noticed this Tom had another surprise for me - a double beard! The first beard measured 8" and the second beard was 10 1/2" long. I had tagged out on two double bearded birds - something that rarely ever happens.

The 2010 Spring Turkey Season was now over and we had ended it on a high note. The days of waking up early to scout and hunt, the friendships we made over the course of the season, and memories in the field will never be forgotten. This was one of the toughest turkey seasons I can remember, but we stayed strong and kept at it until the end. I know this is one season I will never forget.

Accept the challenge. Never give up.

It was 4:15 a.m. on May 31st - the final morning of the 2010 Spring Turkey Season - when Dero and I met each other at the gate of the farm.

The season had been a tough one with few birds coming in close enough for a shot. Although we were lucky enough to hear gobbles on almost every occasion there were only two mornings that we had birds within gun or bow range.

Earlier in the week we had hunted upstate only to have coyotes ruin one morning and oversleeping ruin the next. It was now or never for Team NYB.

The full moon lit the farm road as we walked through the field to our ground blind. We had recently asked the farmer to till some of the land so we could plant for deer season, but had yet to hunt over it for turkey. It was this freshly tilled soil that would help us succeed on a late season gobbler.

I first placed the Jake decoy in the grass where we had usually spread the decoys on previous hunts, but after returning to the blind Dero suggested I move the decoys. The field had grown so tall that the birds would have a very hard time seeing the decoys through the grass. The freshly tilled soil was at a 45 degree angle from our blind. Here the decoys would be visible from a distance and still within our shooting range.

Daybreak soon came and the songbirds played their tune. Missing was the sound of geese honking in the nearby river and turkeys gobbling from the roost. Then it happened - we heard our first gobble!

Dero and I looked at one another and were filled with excitement - it was the first time all season the birds were roosted on our side of the river! A few minutes later we heard a hen yelp - another first for us at the farm. On our previous hunts the hens never made a sound.

Patiently we waited for the birds to make their first move. A few minutes later we heard three short yelps behind us. The sounds kept getting closer and closer until the birds appeared in the field to our left...