For all you podcast loving guys and gals out there, a new local hunting podcast has made its debut.
The "Make Deer Camp Great Again" podcast with local Montgomery County proprietors, Jeremy Cavaretta and Anthony Wolcott premiered its debut episode earlier this week.
If you love hunting of any kind, give it a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFrEfK1-sgc and be sure to give the Facebook page a follow, as well.
ONEIDA LAKE WALLEYE ANGLER SURVEY
Oneida Lake is home to New York's most popular inland walleye fishery. Fishery biologists at the Cornell Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake regularly conduct angler creel surveys to obtain walleye catch and harvest information, which is used by DEC to manage the fishery. To help determine if current surveys adequately measure the information needed for appropriately managing the fishery, a more complete understanding of walleye angler behaviors is needed.
If you fish for walleye in Oneida Lake, please help the NYSDEC manage this exquisite fishery by taking the following brief survey before Feb. 7 https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8074178/Oneida-Lake-Walleye-Angler-Survey.
CAMP SANTANONI WINTER WEEKENDS
A pair of upcoming Winter Weekend events at the historic Camp Santanoni in the town of Newcomb in the Adirondacks. Hosted by the DEC and Friends of Camp Santanoni, along with Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the town of Newcomb and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's Adirondack Interpretive Center, the Winter Weekends invite visitors to enjoy winter recreation at a historic Adirondack great camp. The 2025 Winter Weekend events are scheduled for the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend, Feb. 15-17, and the weekend of March 15-16.
Camp Santanoni provides a 9.8-mile round-trip cross-country ski or snowshoe excursion. The trail traverses from the Gate Lodge Complex, past the Farm Complex, to the remote lakeside Main Camp Complex, providing a moderate ski and a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
In addition to the popular 9.8-mile roundtrip from the Gate Lodge to the Main Lodge, cross country skiers and snowshoers are encouraged to take the half-mile trail that connects Camp Santanoni to the nearby Adirondack Interpretive Center's 3.6-mile trail system. Skiers and snowshoers are welcome to recreate on the trail and surrounding lands every day during the winter months. However, during Winter Weekend events, cross-country skiers and snowshoers have the opportunity to visit the Main Lodge and Artist’s Studio to learn more of the camp’s history with AARCH volunteers.
The Artist's Studio, a stone building near the main lodge on the shores of Newcomb Lake, is open as a warming hut during Winter Weekend events. Visitors can reheat by the woodstove before heading back outdoors for their return trip. Camp Santanoni buildings will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Reservations are not required, and there is no cost associated with the events. For more information, contact AARCH at 518-834-9328, or visit DEC’s Camp Santanoni Winter Weekends webpage at https://dec.ny.gov/places-to-go/camp-santanoni-winter-weekends.
DEC HOSTS MENTORED HUNT IN ALBANY COUNTY
The NYSDEC hosted a sponsored pheasant hunt at Partridge Run Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on Jan. 18. DEC staff collaborated with volunteers from Pheasants Forever to offer this unique hunting opportunity to 17 hunters. Both the hunters and their mentors experienced the challenges and rewards of a late-season pheasant hunt.
The day started around 10 a.m., when the hunters arrived and were welcomed with coffee and donuts, provided by our Pheasants Forever volunteers, received a brief overview of the hunt, and a review of hunting safety practices. Once all the formalities were complete, the hunters were divided into groups with their mentors and headed out to the field.
Each group was fortunate to have two mentors and two canine companions to assist in the hunting process. All participants learned how to navigate the area and enjoyed the excitement of watching well-trained dogs in action. By the end of the hunt, participants were able to harvest nine birds.
After returning from the field, hunters were greeted with pheasant tacos and hot dogs, prepared on-site by DEC staff. While not every participant had success in the field, everyone enjoyed a unique experience filled with learning and excitement — one that they will remember long after the last flush.
