New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers took time from rescuing lost and injured recreationists over Labor Day Weekend to deal with a camper firing a gun in a crowded state campground and a group of drunk and disorderly campers. [Read more…] about Campground Camper Fires Gun; Others Drunk & Disorderly
black bears
Catskills Rangers See Six Black Bears at One Campground
From July 21 to 23, New York State Forest Rangers and staff at North-South Lake Campground in the hamlet of Haines Falls in Greene County in the Catskills conducted a targeted black bear compliance detail. [Read more…] about Catskills Rangers See Six Black Bears at One Campground
Record Broken for Oldest Bear Hunter
When New York State’s big game biologists began compiling the black bear hunting data from this past hunting season, they noticed something unique. Nothing about the black bears reported by hunters or checked by taxidermists seemed out of the ordinary, but there was an outlier in the distribution of the ages of successful hunters. [Read more…] about Record Broken for Oldest Bear Hunter
How To Keep Black Bears Away From Your Home
New Yorkers who feed birds in areas with black bears (which includes most of upstate New York), should begin emptying and cleaning up spilled seed from feeders, and let nature feed the birds from spring through fall. [Read more…] about How To Keep Black Bears Away From Your Home
Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts
It is a question I face each year as March winds into April: when to take down the bird feeder. Our avian feeding station is basic: a single run-of-the-mill hopper, which I fill with a local mix of seed that seems to keep the winter flocks of chickadees and nuthatches happy. Occasionally, a blue jay or two drops by. Sometimes a few crows or a couple of turkeys linger below the feeder, cleaning up whatever has fallen to the ground. [Read more…] about Avoiding Bear-Human Conflicts
2022 Bear Hunting Statistics
New York black bear hunters killed an estimated 1,318 black bears during the 2022 hunting seasons. Overall kills declined slightly compared to the 2021 hunting season, with the greatest density occurring in areas of the Catskills.
An estimated 458 bears were killed in the Northern Zone and an estimated 860 bears in the Southern Zone. [Read more…] about 2022 Bear Hunting Statistics
It’s Baby Bear Season in New York State
If bears had birthday parties, they’d all be in January and February. That’s when winter dens across New York State turn into nurseries as most pregnant black bears give birth to cubs weighing in at less than a pound that would easily fit into your hands. Human moms would probably envy a mother bear’s ability to give birth to one, two, or three or more tiny cubs while half-asleep. [Read more…] about It’s Baby Bear Season in New York State
Hibernation: How It Works
Mammals and birds are endotherms, which means they generate their own body heat through relatively high metabolic rates. That high metabolism requires energy, which these animals garner from food. We typically think of endotherms as warm-blooded; however, some of them are not warm all of the time.
Most active birds and mammals maintain relatively high and stable body temperatures – often around 100 degrees. But they also lose heat to the surrounding environment, especially during the cold winter months. [Read more…] about Hibernation: How It Works
Winter Is Coming: What Are Bears Up To?
Late in the fall months, black bears are in the final stretch of hyperphagia (excessive eating) to ensure they have enough fat stored for the fast-approaching winter months. Some bears will search for food up to 20 hours a day. [Read more…] about Winter Is Coming: What Are Bears Up To?
2021 NYS Hunter Safety Stats Released
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced that the 2021 hunting seasons in New York were the safest ever, with the lowest number of hunting-related shooting incidents since record-keeping began.
Conservation Police Officers (ECO) investigated nine hunting-related shooting incidents (HRSIs) in 2021, including one fatality. DEC did not asses the impact of COVID-19 on the 2021 hunting season. [Read more…] about 2021 NYS Hunter Safety Stats Released