Hunting /By Will Elliott
Holiday date throws archers a curve
A 20 percent drop in gas prices might be nice. But a 20 percent reduction in the length of the archery season has bow hunters across New York State irate.
Seems the game-season planners — Department of Environmental Conservation officials and interested bow hunting folk — chose to set the start of bow season in this state as the first Saturday after Columbus Day.
Most states set their fish and game season at either the start of a month or a Saturday or Monday after the start of a month.
“Things got complicated when they decided to have bow start after Columbus Day, because that day changes every year,” said Mark Irlbacher at Doc’s Archery in North Tonawanda. “It’s worse than figuring Easter.”
Irlbacher, a devoted area hunter, has taken many trophy-class whitetail deer at area sites. “My personal best was a 2002 buck that scored 172,,” he said of his biggest. Curiously, he likes to even the high scores, taking monster bucks with his Ben Pearson bow in 2002, ’04, and ’06.
Because of scouting outings — his own and those of archers dropping by his shop — he looks for an above-average bow season this year. He’s concerned about the loss of hunting days, but will make adjustments for the reduced number of days.
This year, with the season beginning on Oct. 18 and ending Nov. 14, bow hunters will have 28 days of hunting. The bow season could be 35 days, if DEC officials would have accepted the New York Bowhunters recommendation of altering the season this year because of the late date for the Columbus Day holiday.
DEC Wildlife Division chief Patricia Riexinger wrote a polite but firm letter to the bow hunters group and all others interested in which she affirmed that the bow season has been established by regulation and could not be altered this current year.
For Irlbacher, and for many other savvy and successful arrowing aficionados, the time allotted will just have to do.
“I plan to hunt closer to home and get out as many days as I can this shortened season,” he said. The areas from which he has taken big bucks and nice does lie at near and far sites.
For hunters in general, the lack of about seven hunting days, and at least one full weekend, might not be all that dismaying. Clearly, early scouting is a must. Because of both increased gas prices and the season length, it would be wise to check out — and obtain access permission — at places closer to home.
With a shorter drive, the nearby stand, blind or stalking area can be hunted a few extra minutes each morning or evening.
The Farmer’s Almanac offers even more hope for harried bowhunters. If the almanac’s forecast is correct for the Northeast and Great Lakes states, Western New Yorkers are in for an early frost and generally cool-to-cold fall.
For archers, that means deer could be up and moving around much earlier in the bow season. Typically, veteran bow hunters set their schedules for the peak of the rut sometime in late October and into early November.
While it is nice to be out there any time of the fall season and it’s sad the season is shorter, the prospects for earlier deer movement could kick up the sighting and possibly harvesting count in this abbreviated season.
Irlbacher adds, “I’m happy as heck just being out there and seeing deer before I go home, but from what I’ve seen and from what guys tell me when they come into my shop, trail signs look good.”
Based on some sighting but more on marks of deer movement, he sees the 2008 season as something above average. Good. Neither exceptional for high harvest numbers nor for depressing declines in sizes and numbers of deer taken.
To get a jump on target practicing before the season opener, Irlbacher prefers mechanical broadheads rather than heads with fixed broad-head blades.
“The mechanicals fly about the same as target points. You don’t have to adjust for switching from target arrow heads to broadheads needed when the season starts,” he suggests.
Along with Ben Pearson, he also stocks Darton, Martin, Browning and Bear Archery products at his shop, which also includes a display of early Bear bow models.
As for overall archery lore and the shortened coming season, Irlbacher should have some insight about seasons and deer trends. He has the proof on the wall of his archery shop and range at 908 Niagara Falls Blvd. in North Tonawanda.
Drop by and view his eight whitetail trophy mounts and chat about this brief but promising bow season.
