Tree stands rise before the fall
Notebook
For deer hunters, tree stands can be terrific and can also be terrifying.
Terry Moore, 71, retired DEC Region 9 wildlife biologist specializing in big game, has been a devoted deer hunter for decades in New York, Pennsylvania, and around his retirement site in Tucson, Ariz.
On Sunday afternoon, second day of the New York State big-game archery season, Moore was attaching a ladder for one of his tree stands up the hill behind his home in the Town of Allegany.
“When he didn’t come home after two hours, I had a hunting friend go back there with his four-wheeler and he found Terry under his tree,” Moore’s wife, Mary, said of the ordeal.
He was conscious but unable to get to his four-wheeler after the fall. After a Mercy Flight to Erie County Medical Center, his injuries were found to be a fractured pelvis and broken ribs on his left side.
Those who have worked or hunted with Moore know of his energy and dedication to the hunt. Mary said that when he arrived at ECMC he had asked the doctors if he could get out the next day to head home and hunt.
Doctors operated on his pelvis later that week and he is expected to be at the hospital for some time before he can get back to the hunt. To send get-well greetings, write to: Terry Moore, ECMC, 462 Grider St., Buffalo, NY 14215.
After his recovery, Moore will probably be available to give talks on tree stand safety. An articulate speaker and a conscientious hunter, he will be another leading voice cautioning hunters about careful use of tree-climbing equipment.
His tree stand fall/major mishap is not the first for a DEC wildlife official. Gordon Batcheller, a Region 9 wildlife biologist now serving as a section head in wildlife services at DEC headquarters in Albany, suffered a tree stand fall while he worked at the Buffalo office.
Both men are of sturdy build and exercise caution while afield. Their plight prompts new and veteran hunters to review safety procedures for climbing and hunting from a tree.
The Treestand Manufacturers Association (TMA) offers listings of certified products, recalled ladders and stands, and tree stand safety guidelines. Check them out at tmastands.com/safety. html.
Access activity
Two popular fishing-access sites will be off limits for a while.
Paul McKeown, DEC Region 9 fisheries manager, announced the closing of the Lewiston launch ramp in the lower Niagara River beginning last Tuesday. The ramp will be upgraded; repair work, including a new auger and renovations to the fish cleaning station, should take about three weeks.
An inspection of the Dunkirk Harbor fishing platform showed poor condition of the rails and supporting structures. That access, adjacent to the power plant in Dunkirk Harbor, will be closed until funds can be found to make necessary repairs, McKeown said.
Christy honored
Grace Christy, longtime environmental educator at Allegany State Park, has been presented the L. L. Huttleston Stewardship Award, a yearly prize honoring contributions of a New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation employee.
Christy, who holds a master’s degree in wildlife management, wrote several nature guides for Allegany State Park and regularly presented interpretive programs on the park’s natural and man-made features and history.
After more than three decades of service to state parks, Christy retired from the agency in June.
A way to whitetails
TV programs often show hunters drawing bow or gun sights on big-racked deer. But seeing and taking these trophy-class whitetails in Western New York is rare.
Jeff Suraf at Whitetail Way in Ripley can put deer hunters onto quality deer on hunts at his preserve east of Ripley near Sherman.
“I do mainly unguided hunts from stands set up around the hunting area,” Suraf said of his 650-acre preserve. The area, half fields and half hardwoods, provides a natural setting for quality deer management hunts. He observes all New York State seasons hunting with archery and firearms.
For more information on Whitetail Way, check with Suraf evenings at 353-2068 or go to whitetail-way.com.
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