NNY Outdoors Fall-Winter 2014

Together on the big

HUNT

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Time outdoors forges a special union for many fathers, sons

> OUTSIDE in brief > A GUY ON A BIKE > treestand chronicles > adventure photos

Volume 1 No. 2 Fall / Winter 2014 $2.95

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Opening shot Fall-Winter

Season 2014-15 C OV E R

22  The ties that bind For a north country father and son, hunting is more than just a hobby, it’s a lifestyle that draws them closer.

F E AT U R E S

6  Stewards of the wild The Indian River Lakes Conservancy has taken new steps to advance its cause of preserving open space for generations of outdoor enthusiasts.

14  Taste of the hunt For many north country wild game and fish processors, taking care of a hunter’s prized kill or an angler’s catch starts a lasting relationship.

C OLU M N S

18  A guy on a bike After reaching the summit of the world’s tallest peaks, a cross-country bicycle trek becomes a new adventure.

38  Treestand chronicles One local naturalist reflects on the sounds of the hunt deep in the woods.

DE PA RT M E N T S

4  Contributors

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4  Marketplace 5  Editor’s view 20  Outside in brief ON T H E C OV E R

Dressed to hunt

Robert Stephenson and his son, Gavin. [Justin Sorensen photo]

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CONTRIBUTORS Jay M. Matteson is an outdoorsman, naturalist and Boy Scout leader who holds a degree in wildlife biology. In ‘The Treestand Chronicles,’ he writes about his adventures in the woods, taking in all the sounds of autumn during the big hunt. (p. 22)

NORAH MACHIA is a freelance writer and veteran Watertown Daily Times reporter. In our cover story, she profiles Robert Stephenson and his son, Gavin, who have forged an unbreakable bond in north country woods while hunting. (p. 15)

Thousand Islands

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Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.

Publishers

John B. Johnson Harold B. Johnson II

VP News Operations Timothy J. Farkas

CHRIS BROCK is a veteran Johnson Newspapers staff writer and avid bicyclist. In ‘A Guy On A Bike,’ he visits with Lowville Dr. Manoj Vora, who completed a crosscountry bicycle trek this summer from Portland, Ore., to Portland, Maine. (p. 10)

Gabrielle HOVENDEN is a former Johnson Newspapers staff writer and freelance writer. In ‘Conservation for the ages,’ she writes about the latest efforts of the Indian River Lakes Conservancy to preserve open space and build public-access trails. (p. 6)

Rebecca Madden is a former Johnson Newspapers staff writer. In ‘A taste of the hunt,’ she goes behind the scenes at Miller’s Venison Processing Plant in Lowville and Costello’s Corner Cabins in Pulaski to see first-hand how deer and salmon are processed. (p. 14)

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Magazine Editor

Kenneth J. Eysaman

Staff Writer / Editorial Assistant Lorna Oppedisano

Graphic Design / Layout Lauren Harrienger

Photography

Norm Johnston, Justin Sorensen, Jason Hunter, Melanie Kimbler-Lago, Amanda Morrison

Director of Advertising Michael Hanson

Ad Graphics, Design

Brian Mitchell, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules, Rick Gaskin

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

NNY Outdoors is published twice each year by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2014-2015. All material submitted to NNY Outdoors becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.

Editorial Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to Editor Ken Eysaman keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mhanson@wdt.net, or call 661-2305 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail bward@ogd.com, or call 661-2507 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y. a Forest Stewardship Certified facility. www.vanguardprintingllc.com (607) 272-1212

Please recycle this magazine.

EDITOR’s view

Plenty of time for dreams to come true

S

ince I was a young boy, I have dreamed of one day crossing the country on two wheels.

A few years ago, I came close to making the epic journey from Seattle to Boston with a charity ride led by the American Lung Association. I started training and even bought a beautiful new Cannondale touring bike. Unfortunately, a few weeks into training, my father died and, well, someone bigger than me decided that I should move from Colorado to my native Northern New York.

While I don’t regret the change, I still harbor a deep unfulfilled desire to take five or six weeks off from work and pedal across this great land. Perhaps in 2040, should I be lucky enough to retire.

I became infected with a great love for cycling when I was just a boy. For those old enough to remember the first — and now perhaps the only — great American Tour de France champion was Greg LeMond, my boyhood hero. I vividly remember driving to Albany with my father in the late 1980s to see him compete in the

former Tour de Trump, a stage race that was named in honor of, well, you guessed it, the Donald himself, who was a top race financier.

I stood near the finish line, burstKen Eysaman ing with excitement as riders in the peloton jockeyed for position to shave a second or two off their times. After the main pack of riders crossed, I remember looking everywhere for LeMond, hoping he’d ink my tour program with an autograph.

Instead, I met Andy Hampsten, who, at the time, was a top rider for team 7-Eleven, a once-great cycling squad that did America proud in stage races across the globe.

Today, some 25 years later, I look forward to July for reasons other than cookouts and fireworks. That’s when I welcome the unfamiliar-to-most sports

journalist Phil Liggett into my living room and watch as men much more fit, trim and superhuman than me endure 21 days of arguably the most grueling contest in sports — the Tour de France. Forget Lance Armstrong. He’s a cheat and yesterday’s news. I’m partial to anyone who can simply finish the tour.

That’s why when I learned that extreme adventurer Dr. Manoj Vora had decided that the only thing that could top Mount Everest was a cross-country bicycle trek, I grew nostalgic for my own unrealized dream. Outdoor columnist and avid cyclist Chris Brock interviews the Lowville doctor on his latest journey. His column begins on page 10.

I hope you enjoy this new issue of NNY Outdoors. It’s packed with stories that you’ll only read in the north country. Our next issue will hit the presses in mid-spring with a target publication date of early May. See you on the trail,

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Conservation for the ages Indian River Lakes Conservancy gains strength for future work to preserve treasured land

By gabrielle hovendon | NNY OUTDOORS

passed a rock outcropping AND some trail markers, over pine needles and mossy rocks, through patches of fern and green light and up a threequarter-mile stretch of trail: Here lies the Grass Lake Overlook.

From this vantage point, among white pine, black spruce, larch and hemlock, hikers can spot porcupines and chipmunks, bald eagles and turkeys, nuthatches and ospreys and much more. It’s all part of the Indian River Lakes Conservancy, a 16-year6

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old nonprofit land trust in the town of Theresa, and it’s constantly growing and evolving.

“It’s hard to imagine someone coming and not finding something to love about the place,”said Mark A. Scarlett, board vice president. “Every season of the year there’s something new, some reason to come back.”

The conservancy, which includes more than 1,000 acres of land and water and more than five miles of hiking trails, was founded in 1998 when local

A trail marker on the Grass Lake trail.

The Indian River Lakes Conservancy maintains more than five miles of recreational trails.

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY Outdoors

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Mark A. Scarlett, Indian River Lakes Conservancy vice president, and Elliott D. Hillback Jr., president, at a Grass Lake overlook.

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY Outdoors

acquired the 54-acre Boyd Pond property, environmentalist and civic leader Henry where they plan to develop handicappedCarse donated the 26-acre Osprey Marsh accessible trails and a dock that comply property on Butterfield Lake. Two years with the American With later, he gave an additional Disabilities Act. The site, 800 acres that comprise INDIAN RIVER LAKES: which the conservancy the Grand Lake Reserve n Black Lake, Butterfield hopes will be funded with between Butterfield and Lake, Clear Lake, Crystal grants and private donaGrass lakes.

Lake, Grass Lake, Hickory tions, will include wheel Since, the Indian River Lake, Hyde Lake, Lake of the chair-accessible parking Lakes Conservancy has Woods, Millsite Lake, Moon Lake, Mud Lake, Muskellunge lots, trails and restrooms. acquired additional propLake, Payne Lake, Pleasant “We’re very excited about erty through donations and Lake, Red Lake, Sixberry Lake, the handicapped accessible grants, including ones from Yellow Lake trails, which will be great not the U.S. Fish and WildsOURCE: www.indianriverlakes.org only for people who meet life Service and the New the ADA criteria but even for York State Conservation grandparents pushing chilPartnership Program. It has dren in strollers,” board president Elliott D. installed trails and a donated dock on its Hillback Jr. said. “All the slopes will be very Mark A.F. Baker Island Preserve in Grass minor, with nice places to sit and look at Lake, opening up the area’s many scenic the pond and have a picnic.” views to canoeing and hiking.

The Boyd Pond property will add to Most recently, the conservancy has

the five-plus miles of trails and numerous canoeing and kayaking sites that the Indian River Lakes Conservancy maintains.

In its 16-year history, the organization has hosted regular birdwatching walks, wildlife presentations, organized paddles and even snowshoe hikes on its various holdings.

If visitors — who come from as far as Poughkeepsie and Cincinnati — are to be believed, it’s an area well worth preserving. A recent trail logbook records their enthusiasm: “Love these trails!”

“Beautiful day and trails.”

“Way cool!”

“Loved it!!!”

However, the conservancy is interested in promoting more than just recreation: It has a threefold mission to protect the Indian River Lakes ecosystem, provide educational programs and materials and preserve the land for future generations.

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According to maps, the region is not only an important corridor for wildlife traveling between Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario and the Adirondack Park, and not only a flyway for birds migrating north and south between Canada and the United States, but it’s also the perfect intersection between these two corridors.

One of the conservancy’s preservation projects is a two-year habitat restoration and management program for the golden-winged warbler, a North American songbird with steeply declining populations. Thanks to a grant funded by the state Conservation Partnership Program and administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Land Trust Alliance, the conservancy has been able to partner with the Thousand Islands Land Trust, Audubon New York, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Clarkson University and the state DEC to create the St. Lawrence Valley Partnership for Golden-Winged Warblers. This partnership will distribute informational materials, develop demonstration areas and provide habitat-restoration workshops for property owners, land trusts and conservation professionals in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties.

Still another of the conservancy’s projects aims to improve water quality within the 18 Indian River Lakes, which have faced problems caused by blue-green algal blooms, invasive Eurasian watermilfoil and septic system issues. The conservancy is coordinating representatives from each lake as well as surrounding towns to help educate and motivate property owners and resolve confusing septic codes.

“The water quality is a huge issue,” Mr. Hillback said. “It’s a big part of the economic activity here, and if people weren’t coming to fish and spent their summers, the values of the cottages would plummet.”

Having already hosted youth nature walks and presentations on flowers, insects and amphibians, the conservancy also hopes to expand its educational programming for children in the future. A project is now under way with the Cornell Ornithology Lab to teach local children how to build floating nests and keep loon chicks from drowning during seasonal floods.

By getting children involved, the conservancy hopes to motivate parents and help them notice inconsistencies in the stewardship of their land.

“It’s about appreciation, it’s about respect for nature,” Mr. Hillback said. “There’s a lot of people here who hunt and fish and love wildlife and go out on walks in nature, but

Left, Grass Lake from a trail overlook. Below, a golden-winged warbler. The Indian River Lakes Conservancy is involved in a two-year habitat restoration and management program for the North American songbird, which faces steeply declining populations.

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY Outdoors

then they own land and on that land they have a huge pile of tires. We’re trying to develop in everyone — adults and children alike — a greater understanding of issues, and educating kids is a great way to do that.”

In addition to increasing educational offerings, the conservancy is working to improve its own sustainability. In May, it filled its first full-time staff position.

April Frederick, a native of Indiana with more than 20 years of experience with conservation organizations, is now working to prepare the conservancy for accreditation, fundraising campaigns and more in her role as coordinator of public programs and administration.

“In my mind, this is a really great opportunity to help the conservancy grow in a way that enables us to reach out to more

people in the community and increase our volunteer efforts,” she said. “It’s helping us get people more connected with this place and develop a more personal connection with the land.”

Looking ahead to the future, the conservancy wants to emphasize the importance of volunteers. While it always welcomes donations of money or land, state and federal grants have helped considerably with land acquisition and development. What remains is for people to continue donating their time: maintaining trails, helping with construction, evaluating and documenting wildlife, staffing various programs and reaching out to others in the community.

“What we really hope is that people will get involved. Our limited resources are not so much financial as human, and we need people to help with things like education,” Mr. Hillback said. “This is our goal: That a hundred years from now, people can still come here and enjoy these trails.”

Volunteers interested in donating their time or skills can contact the conservancy by calling 482-4757. n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter presently teaching English in Spain. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com FALL / WINTER 2014

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A guy on a bike

After climbing world’s tallest peaks a new dream is realized Dr. manoj R. vora, who has climed the highest mountains on Earth, is fueled by his wanderings and wonderings.

“When you are training, it is amazing how wonderful you feel,” the Lowville internal medicine specialist said. “It always makes me wonder, ‘Why don’t I do this year-round?’ That’s one of the reasons why I always like to dangle a carrot.”

Dr. Vora’s latest carrot was a 3,600-mile rolling path across the U.S. from Portland, Ore. to Portland, Maine. He took part in “The Bucket List Trip” hosted by Trek Travel. The bicycle touring company calls the training for it “intense” and the ride itself “the challenge of a lifetime.”

I met with Dr. Vora at his Lowville home in early August to join him on a training ride for his latest adventure. He was on the road on his cross-country trip for seven weeks. The two-wheeled journeybegan Aug. 24 in Oregon and ended with a ride into in Maine Oct. 7.

We talked on his back deck before riding. Joining us on the ride was Da Ongchhu Sherpa, Dr. Vora’s guest for the weekend. The pair shares a special bond.

In 2013, Mr. Da Ongchhu guided Dr. Vora to the top of Mt. Everest. It was the doctor’s final climb in his goal of reaching the world’s “seven summits” on the world’s seven continents.

The other six: Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa; Mount Aconcagua in South America; Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus range in southern Russia, the highest point in Europe; Mount Kosciuszko in Australia, Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska, the highest point in North America and Mount Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

But Dr. Vora’s goal to cycle across the U.S. had been something he has wished to do since he was a boy growing up in Ahmedabad, India.

“So this is a 40-year-old dream that is coming to its culmination,” the doctor, 10

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53, said.

The dream of cycling across the U.S. was right behind his leading dream of becoming a doctor.

“Having grown up in a relatively poor Chris Brock family back home, I wanted to have a better life for myself and I’ve always had the adventurer spirit and the wanderer spirit in me,” he said.

His visions of the United States were aided by the magazine Span, published by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

“Everything about the U.S. fascinated me,” he said. “It’s the most free nation in the world, the richest nation. Young, impressionable kids all over the world gravitate to the USA and what it stands for. Everybody wants to come in and to make a better life.”

Now he’s seen the freest nation on earth from his bicycle saddle. Daily rides during “The Bucket List” trip ranged from 37 miles to 125 miles.

But slowed down at times to capture some character of the country.

“This [was] not a race,” Dr. Vora said.

“It [was] an enjoyable recreational trip.

Being in the saddle for seven hours a day is nobody’s idea of fun, but we [took] a lot of breaks. If there was a town like Lowville along the way, you could say, ‘I want to take a picture with Lady LeWinda Milkzalot, the famous Lowville cow.”

LeWinda, a popular roadside attraction at the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative, stands more than 11-feet tall, is 16-feet long and weighs more than a ton.

There were four guides and 28 other riders on the Bucket List, Dr. Vora, said, although a handful or riders ended their

trip in Montana.

The man who has braved Everest and other mountains around the globe was not without intimidation about his crosscountry journey.

“There [was] going to be attrition,” he said. “I [hoped] I wasn’t one of those people who bailed out for whatever reason. I’m [did] my best to avoid injury, accidents and to stay fit throughout the journey, which was a Herculean task.”

In some ways, he said the cross-country ride, which had four rest days, was more difficult than his mountain climbs. On the climbs, he said, he can have delays of several days due to weather.

“The Bucket List” riders traveled in all kinds of weather, with days off few and far between. But a support vehicle trailed the riders, who stayed in hotels as part of the trip’s package deal.

Dr. Vora sees similarities between cycling and mountain climbing.

“For me, it’s the solitude, the oneness with the elements,” he said. “It’s the ability to let your mind wander on meditative thoughts. You are there on your bicycle and in a zone. One has to experience it to understand what it’s all about. Certain things, you can’t describe.”

Following the interview, Dr. Vora adjusted Da Ongchhu’s bike, provided for the day’s ride by Jacob K. Steria, owner of Cycle Therapy in Lowville.

Mr. Da Ongchuu said he has a bike in Nepal, but it’s a mountain bike, much studier than the road bike he rode this day. After a few tips from Dr. Vora, Mr. Ongchuu rode it down the doctor’s driveway. He was a little wobbly, but his line straightened once into the ride. Naturally, he handled the hills flawlessly.

“It’s light and nice,” he said of the bike after the ride. “And I like the gear system.”

I asked Dr. Vora if he had any plans after he finished his cross-country adventure.

“I’ll have to find a new carrot to dangle,” he said.

I then recalled an additional comment he said about the cross-country trip while we talked on his deck: Dr. Manoj R. Vora “This is the way to see the country,” he said. “The next best thing would be walking across it.”

He gave no further indication that he was planning to do such a thing. But nowadays, somewhere in the saddle between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, he has a lot of time to think of the logistics of such an adventure.

Editor’s note: Dr. Vora provided updates on his trek across the country on his Facebook page: http://wdt.me/UgftLo If you have been inspired by a bicycle or a bicycle trip, write to A Guy on a Bike (Chris Brock) at cbrock@wdt.net. n CHRIS BROCK is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer Contact him at 661-2409 or cbrock@wdt.net.

courtesy trek travel

The cross-country bicycle route that Lewis County Dr. Manoj R. Vora completed earlier this year with Trek Travel took him through 14 states from Portland, Ore., to Portland, Maine.

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making strides Th o u s a n d s a n s w e r c a l l f o r

a n n u a l 1 8 .1 2 C h a l l e n g e PHOTOS BY JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY OUTDOORS

i

t’s a tradition that began in 2011 at the start of the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Since the 18.12 Challenge and Half Marathon began its annual run, nearly 6,000 participants have winded over gently rolling terrain from Watertown to the historic village of Sackets Harbor, the site of two major battles during what many historians call America’s second war for independence. Both the 18.12 Challenge and Half Marathon both start at Immaculate Heart Central High School on Ives Street, Watertown, and end at the historic Sackets Harbor battlefield. Both routes are fairly flat with some rolling hills spread throughout the course. Participants say one of the best parts of the race is the view at the finish line, overlooking Lake Ontario. The breathtaking view of the park, lake, and sailboats along the shoreline, make for a rewarding ending. Clockwise from above: The race was started by a countdown rather than this 1800s-era cannon, as the gunpowder was too wet to fire. Volunteers hand out water and Gatorade on mile 5 of the 18.12 Challenge and Half Marathon. Runners receive their medals at the finish line. Participants start the 18.12 Challenge and Half Marathon at Immaculate Heart Central High School in Watertown.

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FEATURES

Left, Darell E. Miller, skins a deer, shot by a bow this season at Miller’s Meat Market in Lowville.

Below, venison steaks are cut for a client at Miller’s Meat Market.

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY Outdoors

A taste of the hunt

Wild game, fish processors build ties with sportsmen

By REBECCA MADDEN | NNY OUTDOORS

For the sportsman or sportswoman, it’s the hunt of the deer or hook of a salmon that feeds their intrigue to excel at their pastime. But, for the processors it’s the continued relationships with customers that bring ease and joy to each venison steak or fish fillet.

Nestled in the thousands of acres of wooded land throughout Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence and Northern Oswego counties are hunting camps on private property and hot spots on state land where hunters use bows, and various guns to get their prized buck or nice-sized doe. After the kill, deer are dressed in the woods and then most often brought to a processor.

Hunters don’t just go to the nearest shop; many travel several miles for their preferred cut steak, jerky sticks, ground meat and other choice options. Miller’s Venison Processing Plant, a division of Miller’s meat 14

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Market, Number Four Road, Lowville, sees customers from neighbors a few roads down to Syracuse, Utica, Rochester, Little Falls, and other faraway places just to reconnect with the family business and have more than just seconds of Cajun sausage, sliced sweet bologna, pepperoni, jerked venison, tenderloin and other venison products.

“My favorite part is seeing my customers again,” said Darrell E. Miller, who works alongside his father and store owner, Danny. “I try to call them by name; we’ve got thousands of customers.”

Last year alone the Millers and the staff of about 14 who work in the venison plant processed roughly 1,750 deer. The younger Mr. Miller said his family has owned the business since 1962, and he’s been helping out for more than two decades. The shop also includes a bakery and storefront with meats and bulk food items.

Inside the processing plant, there is a section where deer, or other animals when the need comes up, are skinned before they’re moved to a walk-in cooler. That alone holds about 250 deer. An adjacent room is where deer are cut, processed and packaged, and a small smoker room is off to the side. An L-shaped freezer stores the meats until owners pick up their venison typically a week after the deer are dropped off.

People who cut their own deer may also drop off the meat to Miller’s Market.

Miller’s cuts 40 to 60 deer each day during the hunting season, but despite being busy, the elder Mr. Miller said it’s important to try to take even a few moments to experience the camaraderie with each customer.

“They’re almost like family,” he said. “A couple of times people come in and have personal struggles. You get to know them, and they keep coming back.”

They also return for the quality product, such as Watson burgers, which are made up of venison, blended with pork product and peppers.

“We did tons — literally tons — of that last year,” Darrell Miller said. Ring bologna is a mock of Croghan bologna, and those are our two best sellers.”

He said many venison/pork combinations are offered, for a less-gamey taste than plain venison. Many families choose those options, he said, for the enhanced taste.

Venison is known as a lean meat product.

The Millers also encourage hunters to not assume how much meat they will receive based on their best guess at the weight of a deer. When deer are dropped off, Danny Miller said, they are accurately weighed before processing begins. On average, a 153 pound dressed deer yields 71 pounds of boneless meat, just as a

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cover story

Bonded

by north country

WOODS Few activities draw fathers and sons closer than hunting in Northern New York

By NORAH MACHIA | NNY OUTDOORS

GAVIN STEPHENSON FIRST SHOWED AN

interest in hunting when he was just 2 years old, said his father.

“That’s when he started watching the Outdoor Channel,” said Robert Stephenson, Brownville. “He’s always been interested in anything that has to do with the outdoors.”

When he became a little older, Mr. Stephenson started taking his young son with him on short hunting trips. Those trips provided an opportunity for father and son to share their appreciation of the outdoors.

“He used to sit on my lap in the tree stand,” his father said.

It was a tradition that had started with Mr. Stephenson’s father, who had taken him out hunting at a young age. They 16

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started with rabbits and squirrels, eventually working up to deer hunting.

Hunting is among the most popular forms of wildlife recreation in New York State, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. There are approximately 700,000 residents and over 50,000 nonresidents who hunt a variety of wildlife in New York State, including big game, small game, game birds and furbearers.

It’s not unusual for generations of family members to hunt together, and pass along their knowledge to their children and grandchildren.

It wasn’t long after his 11th birthday that Gavin signed up for a Hunter Safety Education Course offered by the state Department of Conservation (the minimum

age to enroll in hunter education courses is 11 years). The course is required for anyone applying for a hunting license in New York State for the first time.

Father and son reviewed the book together to make sure Gavin was clear on all the safety rules involved with hunting in New York State. When he turned 12, Gavin became eligible to apply for a junior hunting license.

In New York State, a junior hunting license is issued for applicants who are ages 12 to 15.

It permits those ages 12 to 13 to hunt small game species during the appropriate hunting season when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian age 21 or older who has a current hunting license. They may also be accompanied by a person

Robert Stephenson and his son, Gavin, in the woods near their Brownville home.

The two are avid sportsmen.

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY Outdoors

age 21 years or older who has a hunting license, as long as the parents provide written permission.

For ages 14 to 15, the age requirement of the parent, legal guardian or other adult is 18 and older. They are also permitted to hunt big game species provided they are also accompanied by an adult with a hunting license who is 21 year or older.

Even before he applied for his junior hunting license, Gavin had been saving his money to purchase a shotgun, which is often used to hunt ducks and geese. Mr. Stephenson had dug a pond on the property to attracted waterfowl and provide an opportunity for Gavin to practice his hunting skills.

“Hunter education classes are offered pretty much year round,” said Department of Environmental Conservation Officer Steve Bartoszewski. “Kids can start taking a class at age 11, even though they can’t get a license until age 12.”

The Sportsman education programs offered through the state DEC teach “future sportsman and sportswoman how to be safe, responsible and ethical hunters and trappers,” according to the agency.

Some of the topics covered include:

firearm and The children who attend hunter eduHUNTING SEASON: n Hunting is permitted form crossbow cation programs often come because sunrise to sunset. The state handling and their parents hunt as well, and those Department of Environmental safety techparents want to make sure their chilConservation requires successniques, history dren follow all the steps necessary in ful hunters to report certain take within seven days of kill. and knowlobtaining a license, Mr. Bartoszewski Here is a look at information edge of firesaid. for hunting seasons for the arms, proper “Some of the kids may have started Northern Zone, which includes gun handling by sitting in tree stands with their Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties: and storage, parents,” Mr. Bartoszewski said. n Bobcat, Weasel, marksmanship Other times, children are enrolled Opossum, Raccoon, Skunk, fundamentals, in hunter education classes by a parFox — through Feb. 15 n Coyote — through specific laws ent who does not hunt, but whose March 29 and regulachild has a strong interest in trying it, n Cottontail rabbit, varying tions, princihe said. hare — through March 15 ples of wildlife More information on hunting n Gray, Black and Fox Squirrel — through Feb. 28 management education classes can be obtained by n Pheasant — and identificacontacting the DEC Region 6 office through Feb. 28 tion, outdoor (which serves Jefferson, Lewis, St. n Ruffed grouse — safety, hunter Lawrence, Herkimer and Oneida through Feb. 28 ethics and counties) Sportsman Education sOURCE: NYS DEC responsibility program at 785-2533. Or visit the state toward wildDEC website at www.dec.ny.gov for life, the environment, landowners and more information. the general public.

There are other programs that are ofStudents must pass an examination in fered to youth hunters as well throughout order to obtain their certificate of qualifithe year. Some of the programs specialize cation that is required when purchasing a in hunting a particular type of animal. first-time license in New York State.

For example, the 5th Annual North

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Country Youth Waterfowl Hunt, sponsored by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Officers Association and the NNY National Wild Turkey Federation Chapter, was held recently at the Watertown Sportsmen Inc. Club, Dry Hill Road.

The program was taught by Mr. Bartoszewski, who was assisted by volunteers, including Mark Houghtaling, the vice president of the Watertown club.

The youth participants had both a classroom session and an opportunity the following weekend to practice their skills on a supervised day-trip to hunt for waterfowl.

“We always try to take them places where they’ll be successful,” Mr. Bartoszewski said.

The Sportsmen Club has supported hunting education youth programs for many years, said Mr. Houghtaling.

“These classes fill up quickly,” he said.

“There is always a high demand.”

The club was founded in 1908 as the Jefferson Sportsmen’s Association, and in 1956, the clubhouse was built on the foundation of a former barn.

“We’ve had many people bring their

children and grandchildren here,” he said.

There are approximately 600 members, and there have been many families who have hunted together over the years, he said.

Hunter safety education classes have been taught at the club for more than 50 years. The club also maintains a rifle range that can be used by adults and youth for practice before the hunting seasons begins, along with a handgun range.

There is also an archery range and a skeet and trap field.

Since 1968, the club has sponsored a youth fishing derby each June at its pond on site. The Sportsmen’s Club receives assistance from the state Department of Environmental Conservation in stocking the pond with trout.

The Watertown club has also sponsored children in the past who had an interest in attending Camp Colby, a DEC environmental education camp at Saranac Lake.

For more information about the Watertown Sportsmen Club, contact watertownsportsmen@yahoo.com. n Norah machia is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Watertown. Contact her at norahmachia@gmail.com

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OUTSIDE IN BRIEF E N V I RON M E N T

State environmental costs up, staff down since 2004

A state comptroller’s report says staffing levels at the Department of Environmental Conservation have dropped since 2003 while the agency’s responsibilities have grown.Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says Wednesday that DEC spending was $795.3 million in the 2003-04 fiscal year and $1 billion in 2013-14, an increase of 1.7 percent after inflation.

DiNapoli says the size of the DEC workforce declined 10.4 percent, from 3,256 full-time staff in 2003-04 to 2,917 today.

R E C R E AT ION

Bike trail plan offered for tract in Adirondacks

New York conservation officials have proposed new bike trails in the 85,000-acre Moose River Plains Wild Forest in the western Adirondacks.

The Department of Environmental Conservation says stakeholders met last year, leading to contracting with the International Mountain Bicycling Association for a concept plan.

While snowmobiling is already popular in the area, with many roads and trails open to mountain biking, the plan says that only a few are designed or maintained to invite biking.

Its proposed single-track trail system, if fully built out, would be about 100 miles long.

The agency is taking public comments and plans to present the proposal at a public meeting Dec. 18 in Raquette Lake. It would require revisions in the DEC management plan for the forest.

Comments can be submitted by mail to: NYSDEC, Division of Lands and Forests, Attn: Aaron Graves, 6739 U.S. Route 11, Potsdam, N.Y. 13676 or by email to R6.UMP@dec.ny.gov.

F I SH I N G

DEC proposes changes to statewide fishing regulations

Changes in the state’s freshwater fishing regulations typically occur every two years at

which time DEC issues a new regulations guide.

Currently, DEC is recommending dozens of rule changes, and public comment on those proposals will be accepted through December 1.

The new regulations are slated to take effect on April 1, 2015, so the regulations in the 2013-14 Freshwater Fishing Regulations Guide will be in effect until the new regulations are enacted. Once those rules are enacted, new regulations guides will be made available to the public.Today’s column takes a look at some of the proposed regulation changes, but a full text of the proposals is available at DEC’s website at www.dec.ny.gov.

Comments on the proposals can be sent via email to regulations.fish@dec.ny.gov or via standard mail to Shaun Keeler, NYSDEC, Bureau of Fisheries, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4753.

muskellunge Current statewide regulations for muskellunge call for a 30-inch minimum length requirement although that requirement is 40 inches for Chautauqua Lake and the rivers and streams in St. Lawrence County. The proposed regulation would set the statewide minimum length requirement for muskellunge at 40 inches.

The current minimum length requirement for muskellunge in the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River is 48 inches, but the new regulations call for a 54-inch minimumlength requirement on those waters. That 54inch requirement is presently in effect for Lake Erie and its tributaries.

The traditional muskellunge season has opened on the third Saturday in June, but the proposed regulation calls for opening the season three weeks earlier on the last Saturday in May. TROUT More special regulations are in effect for trout than any other species, and this is understandable due to the variety of trout species, trout waters, and angler interests. Thus, many of the proposed regulations deal with minimum size, daily creel limits, season length, and methods of angling for trout.

One proposed regulation calls for initiating a catch-and-release season for trout for sections of the Salmon River in Franklin County while

other regulations will eliminate the current special regulations that allow for catch-and-release-only fishing on Cold Brook and the West Branch of the St. Regis River in St. Lawrence County.

Current statewide regulations allow for a daily limit of five trout (brook, brown, rainbow, and splake) of any size while the new proposal will establish a special regulation of a daily creel limit of five fish with no more than two fish longer than 12 inches in Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and St. Lawrence counties.

For Star Lake and Trout Lake in St. Lawrence County, trout regulations will be modified to increase the minimum size limit to 12 inches and to reduce the daily creel limit to three. Also, year-round angling will be allowed for landlocked salmon on Star Lake, and ice fishing will be permitted.

New regulations will establish an open yearround trout season for St. Lawrence County’s Sylvia Lake, with a 12-inch minimum size limit and threefish daily creel limit, and with ice fishing permitted.

GEAR AND USE OF GEAR Current regulations (except for some special regulations) permit the use of no more than three hand lines and five tip-ups wherever ice fishing is allowed. To streamline what devices may be used for ice fishing, the proposed change modifies the statewide regulation to allow for a total of seven ice fishing devices/lines.

Many gear-related proposals relate to Lake Ontario tributaries. One proposal permits the use of floating lures with multiple hooks with multiple hook points on all Lake Ontario tributaries with the exception of the Salmon River. A floating lure is defined as a lure that floats while at rest in water with or without any weight attached to the line, leader, or lure.

Another proposal clarifies that the regulation for the Great Lakes tributaries restricting the use of hook with added weight was not intended to ban the use of small jigs, while a third clarifies that the use of flies with up to two hook points is legal on all Great Lake tributaries.

Also, a proposal calls for replacing the Lake Ontario tributary regulations for St. Lawrence River tributaries in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties with the statewide terminal tackle restrictions.

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PROCESSING, from page 15

99-pound dressed deer yields 47 pounds of meat, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The same passion the Millers put into their work is exemplified at the fish cleaning station at Costello’s Corner Cabins, 7403 State Route 3, Pulaski. Kevin DeOrnellas takes two months off from his plumbing job in Michigan to fillet salmon for $4 to $6 during September and October.

While many locals fish Lake Ontario, Salmon River and connecting tributaries, Mr. DeOrnellas said also he enjoys meeting people, affectionately in the fishing world known as fish-heads, from throughout the nation, Canada, and even as far away as Russia and surrounding countries.

“It’s a phenomenal fishery,” he said.

“You can catch anything. It’s loaded and it’s pretty country, too.”

While salmon arrived in the Salmon River from Lake Ontario as they began their spawning journey this year about two weeks later that in a typical season, Mr. DeOrnellas said, he anticipates cleaning fish from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. many days just as he has in the past.

He is a one-man shop. Fishermen line up outside of the cabin as they wait for their salmon to be laid flat on a large cutting board as Mr. DeOrnellas puts on his barelyyellow rubber apron and black rubber gloves that go up to his elbows. He perfectly fillets salmon in less than a minute. Most people take their bagged fillets, while Mr. DeOrnellas saves some eggs for Russians, Filipino women living in Syracuse frequent the shop to collect salmon carcasses, which they boil down to make stew with carrots and onions.

Other customers have used the fish for soup, compost, oils, components of makeup, paste for dog food, and bait. Fisherman who love the sport but not the taste of salmon also donate the fish, and Mr. DeOrnellas keeps it for nearby Amish families or other folks interested in extra fillets.

While the area provides great fishing grounds, he said it is the fishermen that give him both business and friendship.

Some clients have returned each year for the past seven years he has run the shop.

Adjacent to Costello’s Corner Cabins are other fish-cleaning stations and in the village of Pulaski, all of which will be busy through the end of October. About the time when salmon season ends, deer processors throughout Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence and Northern Oswego counties will be ready to tirelessly work through Christmastime as they help thousands of people stock their freezers full of meat. n REBECCA MADDEN is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer.

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The treestand chronicles

While fall brings changes in colors, its sounds are what really excite The alarm clock pierces the air with its high-pitched shrieking shrill. The sound piercing the calm of sleep tightens my neck muscles before I finally silence it.

I sit on the edge of the bed. Hunting season is here. This is the season of sound. Every noise takes on extra significance. I quickly get ready and head to the woods.

After arriving at my hunting spot, I begin the long walk into the woods. I reach the top of the corn field some 50 feet higher than the road, I hear my heart beating. It’s still black outside. I reach up and press the button on my head lamp, clicking through until the red light casts enough light to see the ground. I want to get into my tree stand in the dark and let everything settle around me.

A slow pace is a quiet pace. Every step is measured to minimize weight on the twigs and branches underneath. I can see the shadows of the giant hemlocks.

When I stop to relax for a second, I can hear calls of a few early morning warblers, restless in the darkness. I renew my trek reaching the cedar swamp below the knob my ladder stand is on. The swamp is dry. I won’t make the squishing boot falls, except where the small stream still flows through. I start up the hemlock knob. Now each step is placed as if on egg shells. On a silent morning like this, I don’t want to make any nearby buck aware of a foreign presence. Finally I reach my ladder stand. It’s strapped against a giant hemlock on this small knob above the swamp. Behind the

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stand is a small goldenrod field in the middle of the hardwoods.

My red light lights up the metal rungs of the stand and I spot my string to haul my bow and pack up with. I click the Jay Matteson carabiner onto my bow and pack and carefully let them hang below the stand waiting to be hauled up.

I turn and place a boot onto the bottom rung of the stand. It rattles the stand. Suddenly to my left and front, in the goldenrod field, I hear a noise. At first I’m afraid I’ve alerted my quarry to my presence. But then it is clear I have alerted something different. I hear a very low, guttery growl. My ears and senses are now on overdrive because I cannot see. Is it a raccoon? No I’ve encountered an angry mother coon whose young I have accidently treed and caused her to be willing to fight me to protect. As nasty as that coon was, this is bigger and much worse sounding. I’m still standing with one foot on the step of the stand and one on the ground. I can hear the growling and snarling of the thing I’ve disturbed. It is not happy. I quickly begin climbing the stand and hauling up my pack and bow.

I do so quietly to minimize the creatures ability to locate me. My hunting knife is

on my belt. I undo the snap holding it into the sheath. I can hear the growls and snarls along with chomping sounds. It is not far away, maybe 20 to 30 yards behind my stand in the goldenrod. I turn off the red light. My unhappy friend begins walking through small saplingsl growling and snarling along with chomping its teeth together. I think okay, this thing is not happy and its coming closer, I now have my eight inch blade in my hand. It is easy to hear the creature because it is trying to scare whatever walked in upon it, away. Better to sound bigger and nastier when you’re scared than to be mistaken for breakfast.

As it walked behind my stand and out into the giant hardwoods I began to breathe again. Never have I encountered sounds of this nature climbing into my stand.

A week later I check my trail camera at the edge of the cornfield where I first walked into the woods. One of the videos on the camera started with a black fuzzy thing directly in front of the camera. As I watch, the brown nose and eyes of a black bear come into the lens as the bear sits on its behind using both paws to attempt to pull my camera off the tree.

Luckily the camera was chained to the tree. I wonder if the bear was as scared as I was, during our challenge of sounds in the pitch black woods? n Jay M. Matteson is an avid outdoorsman, naturalist and Boy Scout leader who lives in southern Jefferson County with his wife and son. He graduated from Unity College in Maine with a degree in wildlife biology. His column appears in every issue.

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