Bear Archery is pleased to announce its 2011 corporate sponsorship of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), North America's leading nonprofit whitetail conservation organization with nearly 50,000 members in all 50 states, Canada and several countries. As a sponsor, Bear Archery will provide bows for QDMA's fundraising efforts to help further the association's mission of ensuring the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage.

"We are extremely excited about our partnership with Bear Archery because they make high quality archery products that benefit our members while sharing our passion for wildlife conservation and preservation of America's rich deer hunting tradition," said Brian Murphy, QDMA CEO. "Anyone familiar with bowhunting is aware of Bear Archery's long-standing commitment to archery, bowhunting, and wildlife conservation. As such, their partnership with QDMA is a natural fit, and one that will benefit current and future generations of hunters."

Bear Archery has a long-standing tradition of supporting safe hunting, hunter education, and an appreciation of wildlife and its proper management, all of which are punctuated by this announcement. "Fred Bear was regarded as the very face of Conservation for many years, and in as much as Bear Archery is indeed his legacy, we are proud to be aligned with today's face of conservation," said Jack Bowman, Vice President and General Manager of Bear Archery.

"As a beginning bowhunter in the early 1980s, I vividly recall my first compound bow, a Bear Whitetail Hunter," said QDMA's Murphy. "While technology has changed significantly since, Bear's unwavering commitment to excellence has enabled them to remain industry leaders for decades. We are pleased to add Bear Archery to the growing list of industry leaders that support QDMA's mission to ensure the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife habitat and our hunting heritage."

Jason Pickerill, Marketing Manager for Bear Archery, summed it up best when he said, "Whether you are a deer hunter, a deer manager, or a bowhunting enthusiast, this sponsorship agreement is a very positive event for all involved."

Bear Archery manufactures and distributes a full-line of archery products including compound bows, traditional bows, quivers, arrow rests, fiber optic sights, stabilizers, arrows, broadheads, and other related accessories under the Bear® Archery and Trophy Ridge® brands. For additional information regarding Bear Archery or Trophy Ridge, please visit www.beararcheryproducts.com or www.trophyridge.com

With a new regulation adopted on February 16, 2011, junior hunters (ages 12-15) on Long Island will be able to hunt for wild turkey during the special two-day youth turkey hunt. This year, the special two-day youth turkey hunt season will be April 23-24 for Suffolk County (Wildlife Management Unit 1C) and all upstate areas north of the Bronx-Westchester County boundary. During youth hunts, junior hunters are able to spend time afield with experienced adult hunters to gain valuable and necessary knowledge and skills for becoming a safe and responsible member of the hunting community, and to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural environment.

Junior hunters must be fully licensed with a junior hunting license and turkey permit, and must be accompanied by a licensed adult. Before getting the necessary hunting license and turkey permit, all first-time hunters must pass a hunter education course. A list of upcoming classes can be found on the Hunter Education (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9191.html) webpage, which will be updated weekly as more classes become available. License fees and information on where to purchase a license can be found on DEC's Sporting License (http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/365.html) webpage. For additional requirements and details on the spring youth hunt, visit the Youth Turkey Hunt (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27836.html) webpage.

Hoyt worked with professional bowhunter Vicki Cianciarulo to design the first ever woman's signature series bow and Jenn just might be the first vegetarian to shoot it!


The Hoyt Vicxen is a 33" axle-to-axle bow weighing in at 4.1 pounds. To top it off this bow shoots 306 feet per second with a 6 3/4" brace height.


Jenn and I went to several booths at the ATA show to shoot all of the bows from the top manufactures and Hoyt was right at the top of our lists.


Hoyt is one of the few bow manufacturers to have designed a bow specifically for women and they put just as much time and effort into creating this bow as they did the CRX. The Tec-Lite riser, Pro-Lock pockets, Stealth Shot and Alpha Shox make this bow feel right at home with the rest of the Hoyt lineup.


Jenn really enjoyed shooting the Hoyt Vicxen and found it really easy to draw and comfortable to hold at full draw. Shooting the bow was a pleasure for Jenn and she talked about it for a while after we left the Hoyt booth!

I recently got an email from the Westchester/Putnam branch of the QDMA in regards to timing the rut in Westchester County. I found it very interesting and thought I would share:




Fact: Whitetail deer have a gestation period that is approximately 198 days

By observing when the majority of fawns are born and counting back 198 days we can estimate when the peak of the rut takes place. This also gives us a parameter to look at in terms of timing your particular deer herd with does that cycle into estrous. As hunters how do we interpret fawn birth dates?

Generally speaking here in New York, our peak breeding takes place between November 10th and November 24th.  Following this, the majority of fawns will be born between May 27th and June 10th when summer foliage is at its peak. This is optimum for fawn survival because there is more food available in non-agriculture areas. The buck fawns born earlier in the spring become the bigger racked 1 1/2 year old bucks in the herd.

Does cycle every 28 days and does that are not bred during this time will cycle once again around December 5th through December 19th with births occurring between June 24th and July 10th. By this time, the deer have already been browsing on the foliage for two months and the foliage that is easiest for the fawns to reach is slowly disappearing. For new born fawns easy browse is becoming less available.

Populations with extremely skewed sex ratios and high deer densities, like Westchester County, breeding occurs again around January 5th (I witnessed a buck breed a doe from my office window on January 25th). These fawns will be born Late July and August and are at a big disadvantage to those born earlier. They will have lower weights and smaller antlers for the first few years of life unless adequate high quality food is available. Unfortunately, high quality food is not overly abundant for much of the lower Hudson Valley. The body and weight of these deer at age 1 1/2 will be smaller then those born two months earlier. These late born button bucks are usually the small spike bucks at age 1 1/2.

Here's another look at the first shed Paul found yesterday. Notice that there's no brow tine on this antler. This seems to be a common trait with the deer in this particular area and we see a lot of big six pointers with no brow tines.


About 15 minutes after finding the first shed, Paul picked up this antler. This is a nice shed that's probably from a six - this time a deer that does have brow tines. I'm heading out with Paul in a little bit to hit up some spots and see if we can up the antler collection.

Well it doesn't get any more "live" than this. I just got a text from Paul whose out shed hunting right now and he just found his first shed if the season in Westchester County. What a great way to start out!

I'm hoping to get out there this weekend and hit a few spots. With the warm weather we are having right now the snow is finally melting away.

Get out there soon if you want to find some sheds because you don't know when the next snow storm will come and bury them all. Then enter your sheds into the 2011 Shed Hunting Contest on the NYB Forum!

The NYS DEC and the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (located at Cornell University) are initiating two black bear research projects in south-central New York to:

1) estimate bear population density using a genetic (DNA) identification technique and
2) understand bear movements and habitat selection in core bear ranges and fringe areas which bears have recently begun to inhabit

This research will help DEC better anticipate and manage changes to bear population size and geographic distribution in that part of the state. The projects are in the early stages of development, but brief descriptions are provided in the Coop Unit's newsletter at www.dnr.cornell.edu/cals/dnr/research/fwres/upload/NYCFWRU-Newsletter-2010V1N3-3.pdf

Lewisburg, KY- Just when you thought Down-N-Dirty Outdoors, the maker of high-quality, hand-made turkey calls, had perfected the friction turkey call with its ultra-realistic Soul Crusher Slate and Glass calls, the company has one-upped itself with the launch of the new Signature Series Cherry Crystal call-just in time for the Spring 2011 season.



Starting with DND's unique cherry pot, the Cherry Crystal boasts a laser-engraved cherry soundboard with a crystal striking surface. Combine it with DND's Purple Heart Striker, and you have a call that is not only easy on the eyes, but happens to be one of the deadliest calls to ever hit the turkey woods.

"Fire it up for unbelievable long-range prospecting power, and then tone it down for finishing finesse that brings them tight into range," said Mark Coin, DND president. "Hand this call to your hunting buddy and close your eyes-I assure you that a couple strokes across the Cherry Crystal will make you just about jump out of your skin. Imagine what that'll do to that long-bearded Tom out there searching for a hen.

"Just when we thought it couldn't get better, we did it again," Coin said.


The Signature Series Cherry Crystal is hand-made and hand-tuned, and it comes complete with a Purple Heart Striker. The suggested retail price is $59.99.

Through experience and determination, Down-N-Dirty Outdoors has come to offer hunters the most advanced line of game calls available today. From the unique-looking diaphragms to the exceptionally designed pot calls, the entire line is built by hand with one goal in mind: to provide the finest quality, affordable game calls that absolutely mimic your prey. There are no gimmicks; no pretty faces; no bull. The calls from Down-N-Dirty Outdoors are just the finest calls available on the market today, and they will make you a more successful hunter for years to come.

For more information on Down-N-Dirty Outdoors, and to get a demonstration on the new call go to www.downndirtyoutdoors.com. Be sure to visit the Down-N-Dirty Outdoors fan page on Facebook.

QDMA has completed the 2011 Whitetail Report. The report is QDMA's annual update on the status of white-tailed deer, the foundation of the hunting industry in North America. Compiled by QDMA staff biologists, the Whitetail Report takes a detailed look at the issues, trends, threats and challenges facing the whitetail resource. Data and statistics gathered from numerous wildlife agencies and organizations are made available in one compact reference.

A few highlights from the 2011 Whitetail Report include:

· Trends in deer harvest numbers across the continent over the last three years, including reports on age-structure, antlered and antlerless deer harvest.
· A recent national decline in record-book bucks may have been detected, read about possible reasons why this may be happening.
· Survey results on the timing and intensity of the 2010 rut, what did hunters experience this past season?
· The growing concern of hunter access to private land is fully investigated.
· A new reference section that includes contact info for all QDMA Branches and state or provincial deer biologists.

These and several other updates, plus a lengthy "reference and research" section, make up the 96-page report. QDMA CEO Brian Murphy recently presented an overview of the most important issues and trends from the report at a press conference in Las Vegas at the SHOT Show. We hope you enjoy the report and find it useful for your QDM program.

QDMA ... The Future of Deer Hunting

The 2011 Elite Hunter is a smooth drawing, short axle-to-axle bow that's the perfect bow for a first time hunter or seasoned archer. Jenn and I both had a chance to shoot the Elite Hunter at the ATA Show and were both very impressed by how easy this bow was to shoot. The ESX cams are rounder than the EFX cams found on both the Pulse and Pure. The rounder cams provide for an even smoother draw and allow you to easily control the let down of the bow - a plus over the EFX cams on the Pulse and Pure which take a little getting used to when it comes to letting down when you're at full draw.


With a 7 1/2" brace height this bow is very forgiving. Combine that with peak draw weights from 40 to 80 pounds and you have a bow that any archer could shoot.


The Elite Hunter has an axle-to-axle length of 31 3/4" which makes it perfect for hunting out of a ground blind or treestand. With speeds up to 323 feet per second this bow is now slow shooter. This is a great bow for those who prefer the maneuverability of a shorter axle-to-axle bow. It's also the perfect bow to get your girlfriend, wife or a youth into the sport of archery.


The Tour is one sweet looking target bow and it has the performance to back it up. The Tour has a 38" axle-to-axle length and a 7 7/8" brace height to help you keep it in the 12 ring. The Tour cams are smooth and provide for an easy draw like the rest of the bows in the Elite stable. I felt like I could shoot the Tour all day long and if you're a serious target archer that's just the type of bow you want.

Elite definitely left a lasting impression on me at the ATA Show with their 2011 lineup and they continue to push the bar in speed, smoothness and easy to shoot bows. Elite makes one of the few bows that you can pull back to full draw and feel absolutely comfortable holding it there so you can concentrate on picking out a spot on that big buck instead of fighting the bow to keep it at full draw. Next time you're at your local pro shop make sure you give the Elite lineup a try and feel the difference for yourself.

Archery leagues have begun at Extreme Archery for the 2011 winter season.

Junior League: Tuesdays at 5pm beginning February 1st for 8 weeks, $90

300 League: Wednesdays at 5pm beginning February 2nd for 8 weeks, $90

Traditional League: Thursdays at 5pm beginning February 3rd for 8 weeks, $90

Hunter League: Fridays at 6pm beginning February 4th for 8 weeks, $90

Kids League: Saturdays at 10:30am beginning February 5th for 8 weeks, $70

For more information call Extreme Archery at (914) 777-7500

In mid-October 2010, the NYSDEC Wildlife Pathology Unit (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/6957.html), which is responsible for diagnosing and monitoring causes of sickness and death in New York State's animals, examined a two and a half year old male moose exhibiting abnormal behavior in the Town of Steuben, Oneida County.

This female moose was exhibiting signs of brain worm infection in Rensselaer County, NY. ~Photo courtesy of NYSDEC Wildlife Pathology Unit~

The moose was lying down in a cow pasture and appeared blind; it could not stand when prodded by a DEC Biologist. The moose was subsequently euthanized and submitted to the Wildlife Pathology Unit for necropsy (animal autopsy) where it was diagnosed with brain worm infection (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72211.html) (review the case report (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72296.html) online).

Brain worm (http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/72211.html) is a nematode (roundworm) called Parelaphostrongylus tenuis that commonly parasitizes white-tailed deer (the definitive host) and typically causes the deer little to no harm. When P. tenuis infects moose, sheep, llamas, or elk it will result in abnormal behavior that leads to loss of body condition and eventual death.

Over the years, several biologists have speculated that New York's large white-tailed deer population with its attendant P. tenuis infections would limit the population growth of moose in New York; however, this has yet to be seen. The Wildlife Pathology Unit has confirmed brain worm infections in six of 18 moose examined in 2009-2010, which were found in Clinton, Essex, Oneida, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties.

A new law was recently adopted in New York that allows for the one-time transfer of lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses under certain circumstances. Previously, lifetime licenses could not be transferred to another individual, regardless of the situation.

Under the new law, lifetime sporting licenses may be transferred to a qualifying relative if the lifetime license holder passes away within one year of purchase of the license or if the license holder passes away while in active United States military duty during a time of war.

“Hunters, anglers, and trappers take their pursuits very seriously,” said Acting Commissioner Joseph Martens, and “this is a way for them to pass on a family tradition.”

The new law became effective January 15, 2011 and stipulates that lifetime licenses may be transferred if the person to whom the license was issued dies within one year of the issuance of the license, the person to whom the license is to be transferred is a legal New York State resident and would otherwise be eligible to purchase the license, and the person to whom the license is to be transferred is a parent, sibling, child or spouse of the license holder.

Application for transfer of the lifetime license must be made within three years of the issuance of the license, except in the case of lifetime license holders that die while serving in the active United States military, naval, or air services during a period of war.

Lifetime license transfer requests must be made by the personal representative of the decedent’s estate. Due to the effective date of the new law, for non-military-related transfer requests, lifetime licenses must have been issued on or after January 15, 2008, with a three month grace period for transfer applications.

For more information on requests and copies of supporting documents for applying for Lifetime License Transfer call DEC’s License Sales Unit at 518-402-8843. General information about lifetime sporting licenses is available at www.dec.ny.gov/permits/6099.html.

I had a chance to stop by the Elite Archery booth while at the ATA Show this year and take a few shots with all of the bows in their 2011 lineup including the Pure and the Pulse. Elite is known for having fast, smooth bows that are easy to draw and they didn't disappoint with this years lineup.


First up was the Elite Pure, a 36" axle-to-axle bow with a 7" brace height. With these two specs alone, I knew this would be a very forgiving hunting bow, but would it have the speed? Shooting between 326 fps to 330 fps the answer is a resounding YES!


I felt right at home picking up the Pure and wrapping my hand around the slim grip that Elite is known for. This really helps minimize any sort of torque your bow hand would put on the bow and helps you shoot more consistent.


The draw was easy and smooth with a steep valley into the wall - some people don't care for this, but I really like the feel of it, especially for hunting situations. With over 80% let-off, once you're at full draw you don't have to worry about going anywhere. There is no fight in this bow and you can really hold it for comfortably for long periods of time - perfect for when you have to draw on a big buck quickly, but then have to wait for the shot. The down side to this is that it makes it more difficult to let down the bow once you're at full draw if you decide not to take the shot. You'll have to slowly ease up while feeling like nothing is happening and then all of a sudden the bow will let down fast - it sounds scary, but once you let the bow down a few times you'll know what to expect and be able control it.


Both the Pulse and the Pure share the same cam - the EFX. The EFX cam is an incredibly smooth and fast cam with high let-off, making it ideal for hunting. The Pulse is slightly shorter than the Pure with a 34 1/4" axle-to-axle length, a tad heavier at 4.3 pounds vs. 4.1 pounds for the Pure, and has a 1" shorter brace height making this bow slightly less forgiving. Is the trade off worth it? That depends, do you like speed? If so, the Pulse will get your heart racing as it launches arrows over 340 fps.


One thing I like about the Elite bows that sometimes goes unnoticed is the flat riser shelf. This ensures that the riser shelf won't interfere with any type of rest you put on this bow so you're not limited by what works with the riser shelf.


Elite also partnered with Stokerized Stabilizers, one of the hottest stabilizers on the market, to effectively reduce vibration while at the same time balancing directional forces at full draw - it's a deadly stabilizer.

The 2011 ATA Show in Indianapolis was an exciting event for me. It was my first time attending the show and I had an opportunity to meet a ton of people that I had worked with previously through NYBowhunter.com. To top it off, I gained first hand knowledge of some of the hottest products to hit the archery market in 2011. But what I didn't expect was for Jenn, a non-archer, to pick up a bow and start shooting!


Jenn and I visited all the top manufactures booths and she was able to shoot bows by Strothers, Hoyt, PSE and Elite. Everyone we met was eager to help Jenn and get her started while she shot a compound bow for the very first time.


Being at an Archery Trade show the bow manufactures tried to have the most common draw lengths available, but they didn't have them all. The PSE Vendetta that Jenn was shooting was a little too short for her, but that didn't stop her from having fun with it!


Jenn was easily able to draw back the Vendetta on her own with the bow set at 40 pounds. With 75% let-off and a mass weight of 3.95 pounds the Vendetta was easy for Jenn to hold at full draw.


We spent quite a bit of time at the PSE booth as Jenn and I were both having fun shooting the bows. Although, I think she enjoyed it a little more than me.


The PSE Vendetta XS is a great bow for women looking to get into archery. With it's 29 1/2" axle-to-axle length and light weight it's an easy bow for a woman to handle and learn the sport of archery.


One thing I thought was pretty cool about the PSE bows was that they're also available in Skulz Camo as a finish option. The PSE Chaos in Skulz Camo, pictured above, just might make you the coolest kid on the block!

PROS: Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer - low frequency range vibration dampening, side-to-side picatinny rail adjustment to balance accessories, accepts additional weights up front or adaptor for HipBone Bow Holder. HipBone Bow Holder - lightweight, easy to use, quick and quiet attachment and detachment of bow.

CONS: Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer - more of an accessory attachment point than actual stabilizer, not heavily weighted at the end to counter directional forces at full draw, could use additional vibration dampening materials. HipBone Bow Holder - cable slide attachment could cause damage to cable rail or slide off while walking through the woods, no belt on bibs to attach bow holder for late season hunting.

MSRP
$89.99 Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer
$29.99 HipBone Bow Holder


I was contacted by Tactical Archery Systems back in November to try out some of their new products they had recently come out with. The company was coming out with a few products that were the first of their kind and I was excited to put them to the test.


The Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer takes the popular picatinny rail that has been used on firearms to mount a variety of accessories and brings this capability to the archery industry. Measuring 5 1/2" in length, the Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer keeps accessories mounted close to the bow so they don't get in the way while hunting.


Weighing in at 8.1 ounces the Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer is a little heavier than most archery stabilizers in this class, however, that is to be expected as this is a stabilizer meant for attaching accessories to the bow and it's sole purpose isn't vibration dampening.


There are a number of accessories you could attach to the Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer whether it's a bipod for ground hunting or a light for bow fishing at night. To help keep the bow balanced when it's loaded with accessories, the picatinny rails were designed so they could be adjusted from side-to-side.


Another product that Tactical Archery Systems sent to me was the HipBone Bow Holder. As its name implies, the HipBone Bow Holder uses a ball and socket joint to hold the bow at your side. Simply slide the ball joint into the receiving end on the belt attachment and you're ready to go.


The HipBone Bow Holder comes with a ball attachment for the threaded end of a stabilizer or to attach to the cable rod on some bows. I personally was not going to try and tighten down a set screw on the ball for the cable rod and risk damaging it and went with the stabilizer ball mount for my testing.

While the HipBone works great when you're wearing pants that have belt loops and you can wear a belt, it didn't work so great for me when I was wearing my bibs during the late season. I was able to get creative and hook the HipBone on the waist support of my backpack to allow me hands free action while walking to my stand - a real plus in the winter when you're bogged down with extra gear and need two hands to carry it all! I also left the HipBone attached to my backpack when I attached it to my pull up rope at my tree stand. This allowed me to hook my bow up to my backpack and pull them both up the tree at the same time once I had reached the platform.

Overall, I had a positive experience with the products from Tactical Archery Systems. If you have a specialized need for accessories on the end of your bow then the Delta Rail Tactical Stabilizer will work for you. If you're looking for vibration dampening or to balance directional forces at full draw I'd suggest going with a more traditional archery stabilizer. For a quick and convenient way to hold your bow in those moments when you need an extra hand, the HipBone Bow Holder is there for you. It was definitely a "nice-to-have" item on my hunts and made it easy for me to do something with my bow when I didn't want it in my hands.

Just 5 1/2 miles south of Long Island is where you'll find some of New York's biggest bucks. They're living the beach life out on Fire Island.


One of our reader's sent in some pictures of a few big bucks that were living on Fire Island. With no hunting allowed, no predators living on the island and a decent enough food source these bucks are able to grow tremendous racks, especially for New York.


I believe the sign says don't feed the deer, but on my last trip to Fire Island I had a deer take a tortilla chip right out of my mouth. That was my chip!