Today marked the end of the 2011 archery season in Westchester County. It was one tough season with not a single acorn to be found. The deer were sticking to the lowland swamps where they were feeding on low preference foods such as barberry, ferns and bittersweet.

Personally, I had an awful season compared to years past. I started hunting on September 15th when Connecticut's archery season opened, then I began hunting New York on October 15th, made a 10-day trip to Kansas during November and then finished the year back in New York and Connecticut. I closed the season with one doe down in New York and another in Connecticut. Luckily there's a January season in Connecticut so I'll have two tags to fill next month!

On December 9th, my cousin Ken had a pretty awesome morning in the woods. Ken had planned to take the day off from work knowing a drop in temperatures was just what was needed to get the deer moving.

By 6:00 am Ken was in the cold dark woods and just getting settled in the stand. As day began to break, Ken waited in anticipation for the deer to begin moving. As the first hour passed Ken was beginning to wonder if he picked the right spot to hunt that morning.

For the past few years Sean Gillespie found the sheds from an impressive buck roaming through a maze of suburban woods in Westchester County. Finding the buck's sheds year after year in the same vicinity could only mean one thing - this was the buck's core area.

This weekend brings the final days of deer hunting in the Northern Zone and the final days of the Southern Zone regular seasons. Muzzleloader and late bow seasons for deer and bear in the Southern Zone will begin Monday, Dec. 12 and continue through Tuesday, Dec. 20.

It has been an interesting season with generally mild conditions all around, but now with a little snow finally on the ground in many upstate areas, this weekend could be productive for a lot of hunters. Of course, you can't fill your tags if you're not in the woods.

As it stands now, deer harvest reports seem to be on par with last year at this time. We started out with reported deer take through mid-November running about 5% less than last year. Then reports during the first week of the Southern Zone regular season were slow, near 20% less than the opening week in 2010. But hunters did well Thanksgiving week, and currently reports are tracking very close to reported take in 2010. At this point, we are just tracking harvest reports and aren't yet calculating the total harvest. That will come after the January deer season closes on Long Island and after we review all the data from our field checks of harvested deer.

For bears, this season has shaped up to be quite different from last year, with preliminary harvests down in the Northern Zone but at record levels in the Southern Zone. Bear hunting was expanded into eastern New York this year, with the newly opened area spanning from Westchester County to Washington County. Hunters in the new areas have taken over 40 bears so far. Even without these additional bears, the preliminary take in southeastern New York (DEC Regions 3 and 4) looks like it could be one of the top harvests. In central and western New York (DEC Regions 7, 8, and 9), we're on track to top 300 bears, which will shatter the previous record of 189 bears taken in 2008.

If you get out this weekend, enjoy and hunt safely. Otherwise, the Southern Zone muzzleloader season runs through December 20, and bowhunting continues in Westchester and Suffolk counties till December 31. Finally, the special firearms deer season in Suffolk County runs weekdays, January 9-31 (see www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40409.html for details).

Jeremy Hurst
Big Game Biologist

ALBANY, NY (12/06/2011) - The Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area has expanded by a third with New York state's acquisition of a 261-acre property in Putnam County that is prized for wildlife habitat and water quality protection, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The property, known as North Hollow, is located within the Great Swamp watershed and was acquired by the state with federal grant money and a private donation.

After I pick my jaw up off the floor I'll say WOW! This buck is incredible for New York. In the southeast part of New York it's been slow this year, but looks like the guys in western New York are doing quite well this year.

According to Joe over at New York Antler Outdoors, this huge 16-point was taken in Ontario County and has an impressive 22" spread.

Check out this MONSTER buck that Ray Mortimer took in Westfield, New York. According to New York Antler Outdoors, this brute has 22 points and green scores an incredible 201-2/8".

Thanksgiving day is a favorite day of hunters across New York State. The rut is usually in full swing and the woods are alive with deer moving - and bears too!

Dieter Herbert headed to his family's Thanksgiving destination in Elka Park, New York where Dieter and his dad, uncle and two cousins hit the woods around 4:00 pm.

Chris took this beautiful 10 pointer in Long Island on election day, looks like this buck got Chris' vote!


Ian Bruckner from Holland Patent, NY took this doe after getting pounded with 11" of lake effect snow.