It's been a great season so far for some of the guys on the NYB Forum. One of our members, tightlines, went out on his first bowhunt this season and took his son along for the adventure and what an adventure it turned out to be. Here's his story:

I took my 10 yeard old son out on Saturday morning for the opener. This was the very first bow hunt ever for both of us. He and I went out there together without any prior experience. Never hunted white tail before and we were both looking forward to the opener for a long time. We setup an 18 foot two person ladder stand over the summer and put up a game camera.

For over a year, I had been practicing with a bow on targets, did a 3D course, and really put in a lot of time preparing. Maybe we over did it on the scent control - washed clothes in dead down wind detergent, used Scent Killer dryer sheets, aired out clothes outside for 2 days, put them in rubber maid sealed tupperware type bin, washed with dead down wind soap in shower at 4:30 am and then changed into our camo at the hunting site parking spot outside. We got into the stand before sun up and man, did it ever pay off! What a day we were about to have!

We took down a 135lb doe (estimated weight) at 35 yards within 3 hours of the hunt after passing up numerous shots at smaller deer. My son thought it was crazy passing up so many shots on our first day out there, but I didn't want to go to the butcher with a fawn. I saw two bigger does moving around and waited until I had a shot.

I can't believe we actually closed the deal on the opener, before lunch, on our first day ever out there. My knees were shaking so hard when I stood up. I was frozen, my son jabbed his elbow into my side and got me moving. I can't think about anything else since!

What a great story tightlines and thank you for sharing with us. I'm sure this is a day you and your son will never forget. What a great way to start the season and to start your new found love for bowhunting. I hope the two of you have a lot more success this season and can't wait to see what happens!

Opening day was a successful day for some lucky New Yorkers hunting down on Long Island including NYB Forum member Aurora.

The October 1st opener was much anticipated and although the morning hunt was quiet, the afternoon was something to look forward to.

After the long walk to the afternoon stand that was covered up in big rubs Aurora came to find his stand with the cables cut hanging from the tree and all the tree steps removed. Discouraged, to say the least, he headed back to his morning stand in not such a great mood.

Around 5:15 p.m. Aurora almost had a nice 8 pointer sneak by him. The rain had softened the leaves and ground allowing the deer to move around without making any noise.

It was not more than a few minutes later when a bigger 8 pointer showed up right under Aurora's stand. He drew back, picked the spot and let the arrow fly. The buck took off and the waiting game had begun. After a half hour Aurora climbed down to start tracking the buck as the rain began to wash away the blood trail.

The buck made it 150 yards before going down and Aurora had his hand on a heavy racked 8 point buck with a 13" spread. Way to go Aurora! Congrats!

The October Lull is what some people call this time of year. It's the quiet before the storm, the time of year when the full moon has the deer moving mostly at night and anticipation is building for the upcoming rut.

Not everything works by the book though and that's just what Mike found out this morning.

Mike recently got into bowhunting, probably after hearing his cousin Paul obsess about it over the last six years, and had just picked up a spot to hunt in Westchester County.

It was only Mike's third time in the treestand when he saw this monster step into the backyard of the property he was hunting.

The buck was moving back towards the hardwoods when something caught its attention. As the buck stared out at the distraction, Mike drew back his bow and the buck caught some movement and ran a few yards.

With the buck now broadside, Mike settled his 40 yard pin on the buck's vitals and let the arrow fly. The arrow hit its mark and the buck took off.


It wasn't a long tracking job for Mike as he walked up to the fallen monarch. The big 8 pointer weighed 197 pounds and is an incredible buck. I just hope Mike realizes one thing after taking his first deer - not all bucks are this big! Congratulations Mike, welcome to the brotherhood.

This showed up in my inbox this afternoon and my jaw almost hit the ground. Another beautiful buck from the QDM guys over in Ulster county. They have a great cooperative over there and this is a prime example of what you get when you let the young bucks go.

The buck was taken by a 21 year old hunter and scored in the 135-140" range. The 14 point non-typical was taken on Saturday, October 23rd around 3:00 p.m.

PROS: Super easy to hang, safe and secure, adjustable platform, adjustable seat, triple layer foam seat with waterproof cover, oversize grate is comfortable to stand on, lightweight.

CONS: Does not include backpack straps.

MSRP: $179.95

Hunting mainly the suburbs of New York and Connecticut I've used a climber 95% of the time. Over the years though, I would always find that perfect tree with the right amount of cover and could never get my climber up it.

Fixed stands were always nice to hunt out of because you could just walk to your tree, climb up the pegs and sit in the stand. However, theft is a big problem where I hunt and I needed a portable solution.

Muddy has become a big player in the treestand market over the last few years and after using their stands it's easy to see why. Unlike fixed stands of the past, Muddy has brought to life a whole new world for fixed stands. Forget about having to find a straight tree, uncomfortable seats, and cumbersome straps that are impossible to tighten when you're 20 feet off the ground - those are problems of the past and Muddy has solved them all.

The Muddy Hunter Pro hang-on stand is a smaller framed stand perfect for carrying deep into the woods or fitting in the tightest spaces. The Muddy Hunter Pro weighs just 10.5 pounds and has a 26" x 20" platform. Even a big guy like me can fit his size 12 boots on the platform comfortably.

To ensure a solid and silent connection to the tree, Muddy uses their Boomerang Cleat on the back end of the stand for a rock-solid bite. The stand is super easy to hang with Muddy's ratchet strap and cinch strap that slide over the buttons on the spine of the stand.

When I've reached my desired height in the tree I simply tighten the cinch strap on the bottom button of the stand and position the stand as desired before tightening the ratchet strap. Once I get the ratchet strap tight I raise the platform of the stand and tighten the cinch strap. Then next thing I do is pull down on the stand to make sure it's secure and then I use Muddy's Leveling System to make sure the platform is level - it's that simple!

In addition to Muddy's platform leveling system, Muddy also give you the ability to level the seat for added comfort. Muddy's seat is one of the best on the market. I've never sat on a seat cushion that was so comfortable. With three inches of triple layered foam featuring both open and closed cell foam it's easy to see why. To top it off the seat is waterproof so you don't have to worry about wet spots when you reach your stand after a rainstorm or the snow has melted.

My favorite thing about this stand is that it's quiet. I've been on several lesser quality stands that creek and moan with every breath you take - it's the last thing you need when bowhunting weary whitetails. Pair this stand with a set of Muddy Climbing Sticks and you have a winning combination.

Here's another great story from one of our members of the NYB Forum. Well if there is one goal I had this year going into the season it would have been to take down the beast I called Moose. I have had my sights set on trying to tag this beast all summer, with multiple sightings and good trail cam pics I was able to determine his home turf and set the stage, the rest was up to lady luck and me being calm enough to make it happen.

After a great opening morning sit with multiple sightings of doe, young bucks and a potential shooter I shifted for the afternoon sit a little closer to the food source. With steady west winds and warmer temps I knew activity would be limited to the last hour and I was right, about 5:30 four does worked their way toward me and into the beans the went, about 10 minutes later I hear the sound of disappointment in the form of a four wheeler puttering my way.

The wheeler stops and I see a big deer trotting down the hill towards me and it stopped. Throwing up the Nikon Monarchs I immediately recognize the massive narrow rack, it's Moose, and he is standing 70 yards out!


Now my heart is beating out of my chest and I'm shaking uncontrollable (got to love it!). After telling myself to calm down I look at him again. I'm thinking he is going to bolt any second as the wheeler stops and shuts down, then the wheeler starts back up and starts to creep along as if he had seen the beast cross the road.

Moose doesn't appear nervous and starts to walk right at my morning set, Doh! But then he turns and commits to the trail leading right to me, he hits my 40 yard window I'm saying be patient and calm down, 30 yards same, don't rush it he is walking to you, he hits my 20 yard window and I'm at full draw, I bleat, he stops right behind a 12" beach tree.

Oh man I'm at full draw for 5 minutes and had to let down. As he stands there I'm thinking he is 5 feet from catching my wind please let my insane scent control work. He starts to walk again I come to full draw, he is broadside but with twigs in the way I don't have a clear shot so I crouch all the way down to the squatting position, bleat, he hits the brakes and I touch the trigger and watch the Rage and fletchings bury right through the boiler room and into the ground on the other side.

He wheels 180, runs up the hill, turns, runs back down and stops at the bottom about 45 yards from me looks around starts to wobble and tips over and it was all over and there I stood shaking like crazy still in disbelief that it really just went down like that.


What a day one I surely will never forget. He is not the widest buck in the woods but what a beast with insane mass, palmation, and character points and more importantly the age structure of a big dominant buck I manage for and look to harvest. Good luck to all I hope you enjoy success as much as I did.

This is a great story that one of our reader's shared with us on the NYB Forum:

Every thing started perfect. I woke up early got out into my stand when it was still dark, nocked an arrow and waited. I was very close to their bedding area and at the same time I was at where they normally feed.

At the crack of dawn I heard crunch, cruch, crunch. I look over, but could only see a bush shaking every two seconds and after about a minute I could see a rack going up and down through the bush. When i saw that my heart started pumping!

After about two minutes of buck rubbing his antlers in the bush he decided to step out. When he stepped out he started walking right towards my stand. My heart started beating faster and faster.

Then the buck walked right in front of my stand where I had some scent down and he smelled that for a few seconds. All of a sudden something didn't seem right to him and he ran 10 yards as I drew back the bow and looked back to me quartering away.

I found that spot and settled the pin and it couldn't have been any better! So it's still early and I decide to wait for another half hour or so to see if anything else would come by but nothing showed up. So I climbed down to look for my arrow, but couldn't find it so I just started tracking him. After about 35 to 40 yards I found him laying in these weeds with just the fletch showing. It was a great way to start the year off! I had a blast!

Check out this awesome buck that Kyle arrowed this past weekend in New York. Great mass, long main beams, good tine length and an awesome spread. This buck has it all!

If you've had some success over the past few days we'd love to hear your story. Send your pictures and stories to info@nybowhunter.com.

Opening weekend was a success for some lucky New Yorkers despite the howling winds. On Sunday evening Mike was out in a new stand that he knew he should have put up for the past few seasons, but never got around to.

It was his first sit in the new stand and as a nice doe walked by he thought about letting an arrow fly, but decided to hold off. Then at last light Mike noticed a slob walking out of the pine swamp. The brute came into 23 yards and the arrow hit the ten ring! The buck whirled around and ran 30 yards before crashing.

It's been 10 years since Mike last shot a buck and well worth the wait! The buck scored 135" and weighed over 200 pounds field dressed! The butcher said the deer had an inch of fat all over his body. He was definitely packing on the pounds for the upcoming rut - what a buck! Congrats Mike!

It's that time of year again and Hoyt's new 2011 lineup is really something to look forward to! Check out what they have coming out this year:

Hoyt CRX

2011 Hoyt CRX

Eighty years of bowhunting passion and innovation have culminated in the radical new CRX Series. Every purpose-built inch of the hunt-ready CRX is engineered for optimum results in any condition – whether you endure long hours in a stand or traverse mile after grueling mile in the harshest conditions.

CRX features the sleekest, leanest, TEC LITE riser we’ve ever designed, supporting the new XTS PRO ARC limbs and racy Fuel Cams – delivering a lethal combination of speed, accuracy and vibration-free silence. Other top-shelf technologies round out the custom CRX package, including our new Perfect Balance Stabilization System™, Silent Shelf Technology™, and our next generation PRO-LOCK Pocket System. With airtight tolerances and rugged durability in 32” and 35” configurations, CRX offers diehard bowhunters 80 years of pure Hoyt vision, innovation and advanced design. CRX. Own the hunt.

SPECS: 32” AXLE-TO-AXLE, 323 FPS (ATA), 7” BRACE HEIGHT, 3.95 LBS. MASS WEIGHT

Hoyt Carbon Element

2011 Hoyt Carbon Element

CARBON ELEMENT. The most advanced bow. Ever. Perfectly balanced and engineered for lightweight performance, durability and a dead in hand shot. The most advanced features. The most technology. The ultimate culmination of 80 years. At Hoyt, we've always been on the cutting edge of industry leading technology. The new Carbon Element is the pinnacle of Hoyt's engineering and design dominance, and it shows. Meticulously crafted utilizing a patent pending hollow carbon tube design with high-performance carbon fiber, the 3.6 lb. Carbon Element is the lightest yet strongest bow we've ever mastered. Not only does carbon provide for an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, it's also warm to the touch, which you will appreciate on those frigid hunts. Our patent pending carbon tube design reduces sound and vibration to unbelievably low levels of ultimate, stealthy setup. With all the high-performance technology you can back into a bow and racy cool looks, the 32" axle-to-axle Carbon Element is the world's premier hunting bow.

SPECS: 32” AXLE-TO-AXLE, 323 FPS (ATA), 7” BRACE HEIGHT, 3.6 LBS. MASS WEIGHT

Hoyt Carbon Matrix Plus

2011 Hoyt Carbon Matrix Plus

The bow that rocked the archery world is back and even better. Carbon Matrix blazed new trails, stunned the archery industry, and was arguably the most sought after bow, ever. This legendary Hoyt engineering masterpiece offers an amazingly lightweight - yet nearly indestructible design - along with unprecedented levels of stability, accuracy and smoothness.

Carbon Matrix Plus now features the all-new XTS PRO ARC limbs, high-energy Fuel Cam, our exclusive In-Line Roller Guard System and newly improved Stealth Shot. Combine all of this with Hoyt's patent pending and proven Advanced Carbon Construction design, and you've got the ultimate, all-around, longer axle-to-axle bow for serious target shooters and hardcore bowhunters.

Also available in high quality, custom target finishes. Join the carbon revolution at a Hoyt dealer near you.

SPECS: 35” AXLE-TO-AXLE, 318 FPS (ATA), 7” BRACE HEIGHT, 3.8 LBS. MASS WEIGHT

BOGART, GA. - The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently purchased 1,000 copies of Cyber Deer, a shot-placement training program, to be used at their hunter education courses. Hunter education instructors throughout New York will be armed with the most advanced deer anatomy and shot placement tool available for their upcoming courses. Cyber Deer is a computer program produced by the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), in partnership with Bass Pro Shops, to train new and experienced hunters on organ and skeleton locations and proper shot angles for deer.

Using Cyber Deer, hunter education students can simulate both ground and treestand hunting scenarios by selecting multiple distances and heights from the deer, and select rifle or bow, as proper shot selection changes according to type of hunting equipment used. Students can also rotate the deer and receive instant feedback from the program on shot angles. Students can then "shoot" the deer and receive feedback on shot attempt and shot placement. A visible line representing the shot path stays on screen, and the instructor and students can rotate the deer, zoom in, and see the internal path through accurate diagrams of the skeleton and organs.

Cyber Deer will help new and experienced hunters make more knowledgeable and ethical shot placement decisions, and more knowledgeable hunters are better stewards of our natural resources and better ambassadors for hunting. "I applaud DEC for providing Cyber Deer to their hunter education instructors," said Kip Adams, northern director of education and outreach for the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA). "It is a phenomenal training tool, and I hope it will someday be used in every hunter education course in the country."

Cyber Deer retails for $14.95, and discounts are available to state and federal agencies and educational organizations.

About QDMA
Founded in 1988, QDMA is a national nonprofit wildlife conservation organization with more than 50,000 members in all 50 states and Canada, and several foreign countries. Membership in QDMA is open to anyone interested in better deer and better deer hunting, and committed to ethical hunting, sound deer management and the preservation of the deer-hunting heritage. To learn more about QDMA and why it is the future of deer hunting, call (800) 209-3337 or visit www.QDMA.com.

The inbox at NYBowhunter.com continues to fill up with pics of big bucks from our reader's like this one that was recently sent in.

This is a tricky time of year to find bucks as the leaves begin to drop and the available cover begins to thin and provide fewer places for those old bucks to hide.

I've noticed this myself while hunting over the last few weeks as the deer just seem to have vanished from what was their "normal" routine during the first few weeks of the season.

Part of it has to do with cover, but the other part has to do with changing food sources. The deer switch from their summer feeding patterns as the acorns and other preferred food sources come into play. I think one of my problems right now is I'm not hunting close enough to the acorns!

Opening day in the Southern Zone is on October 16th and I'm sure we would all like to see a buck like any of these. Good luck to all and let us know how you do.

Dick Kriby

Growing up as a kid I can remember my first years turkey hunting and the excitement that came with that first gobble of the morning. Turkey hunting wasn't as big of a thing 15 years ago as it is today.

There weren't any turkey guns or turkey loads, no DVDs or full strut decoys that used real feathers. You had limited options when it came to turkey calls, but I still remember my first Quaker Boy diaphragm call and listening to the cassette tape with all the different turkey sounds.

I'd practice for hours before the season started and dad and I would drive an hour up north listening to the "turkey tape" in anticipation of the morning's hunt.

Dick Kirby did a lot for the sport of turkey hunting and opened the door to a lot of sportsmen who would have otherwise never turkey hunted. If it wasn't for the cassette tapes and turkey calls Quaker Boy made I wouldn't have had anyone to teach me how to call a turkey and I probably would have been a lot more unsuccessful.

So when I recently heard that Dick Kirby, owner and founder of Quaker Boy Game Calls, had passed away it saddened me to learn that a man who had done so much for the sport of turkey hunting had left us.

Dick Kirby passed away on September 30th in Orchard Park, NY after complications from a back surgery. Kirby is survived by his wife Beverly, his sons Scott and Christian, and daughters Michelle and Rebecca.

Dick Kirby will be missed deeply by the hunting community and all of us here at NYBowhunter.com send our condolences to the Kirby family.

I recently came across a story on Born to Track News where a wirehaired dachshund was used to track a deer four days after it was shot! As if that's not impressive enough, there was a rainstorm the day before the tracking job done by Deer Search's Mike Garrity and his dachshund Wolfie.

It was Saturday, October 2nd when Howie Habberstad shot a beautiful 9 point buck in Long Island. The shot turned out to be further back than Howie would have liked and after searching for the buck with no luck he called Deer Search to aid in recovering the deer four days after it was shot.

Wolfie, a wirehaired dachshund, picked up the scent of the large 9 point buck after just 10 minutes on the scene. Expectations were not high after a heavy rain storm moved in the day before the search. After being shot, the buck ran and then circled making his way back towards a cornfield sometime after the initial search.

Congrats to Mike Garrity and his dachshund Wolfie on a great recovery and congrats to Howie on an awesome New York buck!

PROS: Durable self-healing foam, can shoot field points, expandables and braodheads into this target, shoot out all 18 sides in one year and get a new target from the manufacturer, bright target face, easy to transport, easy arrow removal, longest lasting target I've ever owned, both small and large rings for shooting from various distances, angled faces for shooting from an elevated position, rope handle can be used to hang target from tree, can tie line on handle and float target in water.

CONS: Too small for sighting in bow (the new Rhinoblock or Rhinobrute would work well).

MSRP: $109.99

Here is the latest from our friends at NorthCountry Whitetails:
Well, it’s that time again and time to get our game faces on. Actually, we’ve had our game faces on all spring and summer. Last year we had a tough food plot year. Many of you will remember my incessant whining over not having sufficient food to “outdraw” the bumper acorn crop which had our neighborhood herd spread out all over the county. Our corn failed due to rain and cold and most of our favorite green plots were old (weedy) and not all that attractive to whitetails who were growing fat on acorns.

We attacked this problem head-on this spring by redoing most of our green plots with a variety of clover, brassicas, chicory mixes. We also redid our corn fields and sweetened the pot with forage soybeans planted between the rows. We fertilized everything extra heavy, got plenty of heat and just the right amount of rain. We tried a new slow release fertilizer for our corn and beans this summer and had excellent results.

I am happy to report we have no excuses this year. The corn is fully developed and drying down daily, the beans are waist high, and the green plots are as good as we have seen them in years. The deer have been on the beans and green plots all summer and the corn will be waiting for them when the snow starts flying.

Buoyed by our early season success, we decided to add more open space this year and “built” a new 6 acre destination field in early August. It required a track hoe, a dozer and a bunch of work but we now have a nice strategically placed destination exactly where we need it (centrally located on the west side of the property) to attract and keep deer on the property. We planted it in “No Plow” and it is now covered in 6” high deer forage. Next year it will be corn. We also expanded some old green plots and cleared some brush while the dozer was handy.

We also took advantage of a NRCS program and crushed (with a large dozer) about 12 acres of brush and pole timber to create new areas of sanctuary bedding cover. This was highly disruptive and probably disrupted the deer a good bit. We see them in the “crushings" all the time but the old guys may just have moved off (who said no excuses this year). So, the 2010 stage is set here at Kindred Spirits.

Oh, we forgot, a couple of new additions—a brand new baby girl for Neil and Marie (Regina) and a tracking dog for Craig (Radar).

Regina came last weekend (Craig’s first grandchild) and she is absolutely beautiful. We are looking forward to Regina joining the NorthCountry hunting team in a few years but for now, we are just enjoying watching her be a perfect baby girl. She has already been inducted into the deer world. Neil and Marie took little Regina out during a warm day last week to check the game cameras.

Radar is a Wirehaired Dachshund now almost 5 months old. We have taken (and passed) NY’s Tracking Dog Handler test and Neil and Craig are now “legal” to track wounded deer with a dog. His training is progressing nicely and he can follow 12-24 hr. old blood trail with little difficulty. We have always kept Labs so this is a new venture for us, but Radar is well bred (thanks to John and Jolanta Jeanneney) and takes to his work naturally. We will use him on most of the deer we take this year for experience as he will still be plenty young. Hopefully, we won’t have a real need with a wounded deer but, we all know it happens.

Now, to the pre-season deer business: If you don’t have your cameras out yet get them out this weekend. Ours are late due to Regina’s “unannounced” arrival but they will be operational by the end of this weekend.

It is time to start “uniqueing” your individual bucks. Take their picture, print it and keep it in a file. Name each buck it helps in keeping track of the. In the next two weeks try to establish your “core” buck population. Who are they and where and how often do they show up.

It is also time to start paying attention to changes in buck behavior including travel patterns. They are shifting from summer foods to fall foods now and that can affect travel patterns and behavior. For example, on our secondary research farm the deer pics on camera significantly dropped over the last five days. All three cameras are located on food plots. More than likely the recent wind storms have rattled lose a decent crop of early season acorns that tempted deer away from their summer plots. A handy trend to be aware of with the opener of bow season a few weeks away.

We “unique” our bucks for a variety of reasons including identifying bucks for harvest, checking inventory, looking at age and sex ratios but our principal reason is to track the progression of the all important rut. Year after year, we are able to track the rut’s progression by identifying unique buck numbers.

We have thousands of “unique buck” data points that we have collected (and you have shared with us over the years). The data are beginning to fit nicely into a series of “predictable” rut progression patterns which one day we hope to share with the whitetail community. Once again, this year we will be asking some of you to share your “unique” buck camera data with us. Keep track of how many “uniques” you see in a one week period of time between now and the two weeks after the season ends.

Every year we “unique” roughly 50 “unique” bucks using our 500 acre property. We have a core of “resident” bucks and as the season progresses we start to identify new “uniques”. We track the disappearance of “residents” and the arrival dates and photo frequency of newcomers. Next week we will send you a tracking sheet to help you keep track of your “unique” bucks. We have refined it over the past couple of years and find it to be pretty handy.

The “Dougherty Deer Report” will go out each Monday of NY’s hunting season again this year. Each year it grows in popularity with more and more people asking to be on the mailing list. It will also be posted on our web site www.northcounrywhitetails.com for easy reference to past reports. If you have a few buddies in camp that would like to receive the Deer Report take a few minutes and send us their email addresses and we will be sure they are looped in.
Your responses to our reports are very important to us. We share information with you in hopes you will share yours with us. Hearing from you is very important to us as we obviously can only be in one place at a time and the more data we review, the better will be our tracking and reporting. Over the years we have marveled at how much in sync things are when it comes to tracking the rut in the north.

We will also be opening a Face Book page which will allow us to do daily postings and updates through the season. Things happen fast during the rut and sometimes the week delay between reports is too long. When it’s time it’s time. We hope you Face Bookers will join us in posting daily hunting reports.

Moose numbers in New York continue to increase rapidly, with upwards of 800 moose estimated in the northern part of the state, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) projects this fall. That is up from 500 just three years ago and from 50-100 moose in the late 1990s.

As their population has grown in New England and Canada, Alces Alces, or the North American Moose, began migrating to New York in the last decade, establishing a base in the North Country. That trend has continued with increases in young and adult moose populations and increased sightings by hunters and the public at large. DEC biologists stress that the population numbers are estimated but that the growth is clear.

"The return of the moose has been one of New York's environmental success stories," said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. "In the last four decades, moose, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ravens and ospreys have established themselves in the North Country after long absences. Additionally, beaver, otter and fisher populations have flourished to the point that there are now trapping seasons for them. It's wonderful to see the progress that's been made."

Motorists Alert

With the moose numbers on the rise, DEC warned motorists to be alert for moose on roadways in the Adirondacks and surrounding areas at this time of year - a peak of moose activity. Early fall is the breeding season for moose in northern New York and during this time moose are wandering far and wide, leading them to areas where they are not typically seen. While this improves sighting opportunities for the public, it also increases the danger of colliding with a moose on the roadway.

Much larger and taller than deer, a moose causes greater damage to vehicles, and when struck their height often causes them to impact the windshield of a car or pickup truck, not just the front of the vehicle. Last year ten moose/vehicle accidents were reported in New York (with no human fatalities).

Moose are most active at dawn and dusk, which are times of poor visibility. Moose are especially difficult to see at night because of their dark brown to black coloring and their height - which puts their head and much of their body above vehicle headlights.

* DEC advises motorists to take the following precautions:
* Use extreme caution when driving at dawn or dusk, especially during September and October.
* Reduce your speed, stay alert and watch the roadsides.
* Slow down when approaching moose standing near the roadside, as they may bolt at the last minute when a car comes closer, often running into the road.
* Moose may travel in pairs or small groups, so if a moose is spotted crossing the road, be alert for others that may follow.
* Make sure all vehicle occupants wear seatbelts and children are properly restrained in child safety seats.
* Use flashers or a headlight signal to warn other drivers when moose are spotted near the road.
* Motorcyclists should be especially alert for moose.
* If a moose does run in front of your vehicle, brake firmly but do not swerve. Swerving can cause a vehicle-vehicle collision or cause the vehicle to hit a fixed object such as a tree or pole.
* If a moose is hit and killed by a vehicle, the motorist should not remove the animal unless a permit is obtained from the investigating officer at the scene of the accident.

DEC continues to work with the state Department of Transportation to identify areas where moose are present along roads and have warning signs placed.

For more information on moose, go to: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6964.html.