Kuneytown Annual Patriot Day Youth Hunt

On or about September 11th each year, the Kuneytown Sportsmen's Club joins forces with Charlie and his great staff at Whispering Pines Hideaway Shooting Preserve to remember the 2,977 Americans killed during the attacks of September 11th, 2001. At the same time, we honor the many soldiers, sailors, law enforcement personnel, emergency responders, and others who daily risk their lives, and sometimes sacrifice it, for our protection and the protection of our

freedoms.

We take this time every year to be grateful to be Americans, to make a point of acknowledging our Constitution and the Bill of Rights and to be sure to never take for granted our rights to keep and bear arms.

This year, we were honored to share our celebration with veterans of current wars, all Purple Heart recipients, associated with the group Wounded Warriors in Action. It was a moving and proud moment, after a group photograph, to observe the youth of Kuneytown approaching the soldiers and offering them a handshake and a heartfelt "thank you for your service."

When you have a chance, say thanks to Steve Sandroni and Eric Riegel for coordinating the hunt, and to Charlie Buisch of Whispering Pines for donating pheasants and creating a great space for the hunt and picnic to take place. Tell your kids that you are proud of them, and that you are proud of our servicemen and women.

Perhaps most importantly, drop my friend John McDaniel, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) US Army and founder of Wounded Warriors in Action a line at info@wwiaf.org -- tell him thanks or donate to a great cause.

Thanks to Elon Weinstein for the photograph. More photos can be found and downloaded here:

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/19404134/1/Pheasant%20Farm%20-%20September%202011?h=4ee6d4

Youth Pheasant Hunt!!

To mark the 9 year anniversary of 9/11, Kuneytown Sportsman's Club, in collaboration with Whispering Pines Hideaway and Canoga Creek Farm and Conservancy, hosted a Youth Hunt. We felt it is a fitting way to remember both our debts to those who lay down their lives for freedom, and to celebrate the next generation of young people as they learn to love the outdoors, one of America's greatest freedoms.

After the hunt, there was a short course on game bird processing and preparation, followed by a delicious lunch, courtesy of the author of the wild fish and game blog Seneca Wild Harvest Table and the Seneca County office of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

A Great Time was had by all.

September 11th Youth Hunt at Canoga Creek Farm & Conservancy

To mark the 9 year anniversary of 9/11, Kuneytown Sportsman's Club, in collaboration with Whispering Pines Hideaway and Canoga Creek Farm and Conservancy, will be hosting a Youth Hunt. We feel it is a fitting way to remember both our debts to those who lay down their lives for freedom, and to celebrate the next generation of young people as they learn to love the outdoors, one of America's greatest freedoms.

Join Us.

September 11th, 2010

1000 (10:00 am)

3208 State Route 89

2 miles south of Cayuga Lake State Park

You MUST preregister for this event.

Call Eric Riegel at 315 730 2257

DEC ADOPTS TEN-YEAR MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RING-NECKED PHEASANT

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced the adoption of a new plan to guide DEC’s management actions for wild and state-propagated ring-necked pheasants for the next decade. The document revises DEC’s 1999 version of “A Ten-Year Management Plan for Ring-necked Pheasants in New York.”

“This plan incorporates the extensive information gathered by DEC biologists and input provided by sportsmen and other partners to provide a comprehensive assessment of pheasant management in New York,” Commissioner Grannis said. “We look forward to fostering and continuing the tradition of pheasant hunting opportunities in our state for many years to come.”

New York’s wild pheasant population has declined by more than 90 percent since the peaks seen in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Numerous factors contributed to the decline, with the main causes being the loss of fallow grasslands for nesting and brood-rearing, a decline in grain farming and expanding commercial and residential development. Most of the pheasants hunted in New York come from DEC’s pheasant propagation programs. Each year, more than 100,000 pheasants are hatched for fall stocking and cooperative rearing and release programs that provide recreational hunting opportunities for hunters of all ages and abilities.

The plan announced today provides an action plan for guiding management and use of pheasants for the coming decade. It was developed by a team of DEC biologists and technicians following a review of the current pheasant management plan and programs, looking at how other states manage the birds, and talking to sportsmen and other pheasant program partners and cooperators. The pheasant plan revision process included a two-month public comment period that ended in November 2009.

Management activities directed by the final plan include:

Establishing a focus area in western New York to concentrate efforts for wild pheasant management by DEC and other interested organizations. The focus area would utilize available resources and help determine if increasing wild pheasant populations is possible under current biological, social, and fiscal conditions.

Extending pheasant hunting seasons in most areas of the state to provide greater hunting opportunities.
Reducing the size of the cock-only hunting area in western New York to reflect changing habitat and land use.
Discontinuing the Young Pheasant Release Program (YPRP) after 2010, while continuing the Cooperative Day-old Pheasant Chick Program.
Increasing adult pheasant production from 25,000 to 30,000 birds annually beginning in 2011.
Discontinuing the supply of adult birds for field trials.
Establishing one or more pheasant hunting areas for people with disabilities.

The pheasant management plan and additional information about pheasants in New York can be found on the DEC website at: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7071.html. If you do not have access to the internet, please call (607) 273-3763 to request a copy of the plan. DEC appreciates the input provided by pheasant hunters and others during development of the new plan.