NY April Newsletter

Update from Chapter Chair

Hey all, I hope you are all out enjoying the trout opener and getting prepped for the turkey opener coming up on May 1.  Want to keep my intro brief this month and get straight to some upcoming events. The NY board along with member volunteers have been busy getting a lot of events on the calendar. We already have close to a dozen upcoming events in the next few months! There is a good mix of social pint nights as well as some great conservation events taking care of our public lands, waters and wildlife. I encourage you all to show up and meet your fellow hunters and anglers! As always, I want to encourage you all to please tag and follow us on social media, join us at Pint Nights and conservation stewardship events, let your legislators hear from you about proposed bills impacting hunters and anglers, and make sure your BHA membership is current! Get out there and enjoy your NY public lands and waters!

Greg Whalin - NY BHA Chapter Chair 

Upcoming Events

NY Three Rivers WMA Public Lands Packout sponsored by onX - Baldwinsville NY, April 19 @ 9am

Join NY for our annual  Public Land Packout sponsored by onX at the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area just outside Syracuse, New York. This public land offers hiking, abundant hunting opportunities for deer, waterfowl and small game, trapping, and fishing and we would like to help maintain this WMA as part of our stewardship agreement with the NY DEC. More details and RSVP at link below.

NY Three Rivers WMA Public Land Packout Sponsored by onX - RSVP Here

Cranberry Mountain WMA Public Lands Packout sponsored by onX - Patterson NY, April 19 @ 9am

Assist the NY Chapter of BHA on April 19th for a Public Land Packout at Cranberry Mountain WMA. Focus to collect and dispose of the trash throughout the roadside and creek side of Haviland Hollow Brook. Meet up will begin at 9:00 AM and we expect to work until 1:00 PM. This pack out is made possible by a stewardship agreement between NY BHA and NYS DEC. All are welcome, members and non-members alike. Additional opportunities to cast a few fishing lines may follow our clean-up efforts! Bring a rod and reel with a valid NY fishing license to try your luck! More details and RSVP at link below.

Cranberry Mountain WMA Public Lands Pack-Out - RSVP Here

NY Pre-Turkey Season Pint Night sponsored by onX - Albany NY, April 23 @ 6pm

Please join the NY Chapter of BHA on Wednesday, April 23rd  at Common Roots Albany Outpost for a Pre-turkey season Public Lands Pint Night. Mike Muthersbaugh, an upland game bird biologist at the DEC will be joining us to give a talk about the state of the species in NY. Come out, enjoy a pint or two, learn a little more about turkey, and chat with other local hunters as we gear up for the upcoming season. The first 15 attendees who sign up or renew a BHA membership at this event will receive a one-year Premium One State Membership to onX at no cost! More details and RSVP at link below.

NY Pre-Turkey Season Pint Night - RSVP Here

East Otto State Forest Public Land Packout sponsored by onX - East Otto NY, April 26 @ 1pm

Join your BHA friends and family for a couple of hours of good old fashioned dirty work as we clean up one of Cattaraugus County's many beautiful state forests. Bring your work gloves, some elbow grease and your passion for improving the land we all own and love. We'll give it a good couple of hours of work and then kick it with some grilled delicacies like dogs and burgers. More details and RSVP at link below.

East Otto State Forest Trash Pack-Out - RSVP Here

NY/VT Southern Lake Champlain Public Lands Packout sponsored by onX - Whitehall NY, April 26 @ 9am

Join us on a joint Vermont and New York venture to tidy up some public boat launches and WMA's along the southern tip of Lake Champlain.  We will start a Chubbs Point (see map below) at 9:00 am, then go to the South Bay boat ramp and as time permits cross over the bridge to Vermont and hit a section of road along the Ward Marsh WMA.  At 1:00 we will quit and break out the coolers and grills for some food and refreshments and tell some stories. This event is family friendly and is a good time of year to get into yellow and white perch so bring a pole and wet a line afterwards.  More details and RSVP at link below.

NY/VT Southern Lake Champlain Public Lands Pack Out Sponsored by OnX - RSVP Here

Amawalk / Muscoot River Arbor Day Tree Planting - Katonah NY, April 27 @ 10:30am

Join NY Chapter, NYC TU, and NY HOC for the Amawalk / Muscoot River Arbor Day Tree Planting Saturday, April 27 from 10:30am to 2pm We are excited to return to the Amawalk/Muscoot River to plant another 200-plus trees on the banks above the Wood St. bridge access point. Following the planting, there will be plenty of opportunity to fish what is proving to be a great wild-trout stream. We have had a great turnout the previous years. All are welcome! More details and RSVP at link below.

NY BHA Amawalk / Muscoot River Arbor Day Tree Planting - RSVP Here

NY Spring Turkey Season Kickoff with Brad Cimino - May 3 @ 2pm

Join us at Rusty Nickel Brewing in West Seneca to kick off opening weekend of Spring Turkey Season! 2024 BHA Rendezvous Turkey Calling Champion, Brad Cimino, will be teaching some tools of the trade as well as pressing some diaphragm calls for us right there! Whether you're a seasoned vet, eager beginner, or anywhere in between, come show your support for New York's Public Lands and Waters, find out what we have on tap this year and how you can be more involved! Get your tickets at the link below.

NY Spring Turkey Season Kickoff - Get Ticket Here

2025 Trout for Trek Pint Night - May 17 @ 5pm

Join NY Chapter on May 17th! We are participating with NYSDEC, Trout Unlimited, Trout Power, Native Fish Coalition, SUNY ESF Cranberry Lake Biological Station, and Paul Smiths College on the 2025 Trek for Trout project where we install signage to help gather valuable data on heritage strain brook trout in Adirondack brook trout ponds. After a day in the woods, hiking to various brook trout ponds, we will meet up at The Rivertrail Beerworks in Saranac Lake.  It will be a great opportunity to meet and greet DEC staff and representatives from the various organizations helping with this project.  Reminder: All are welcome to the Pint Night but the signage portion of the project is open to members only. JOIN BHA today to be part of a great event! More details and RSVP at link below.

Trek for Trout Pint Night - RSVP Here

Skyline Drive State Forest Public Lands Packout sponsored by onX - Windsor NY, June 7 @ 9am

Please join the New York Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers on June 7 for a Public Land Packout at Skyline Drive State Forest. We will be cleaning up trash and bagging it up for removal. Coffee and bagels will be provided as well as bags and gloves for cleanup.After the event you may want to do some scouting of Skyline’s thriving deer population, or just enjoy the views or a walk along the stream (Trowbridge Creek) that crosses the property. More details and RSVP at link below.

Skyline Drive State Forest Public Lands Pack Out Sponsored by onX - RSVP Here

NY Huntstock - Vernon Center, July 11 - 13

NY Chapter will be attending the second annual NY Huntstock event taking place this summer!  This event is sure to be a blast, and we would love to see you swing by our table if you make it to the event!  More details can be found at the Huntstock website below.

Huntstock NY - Learn More

Muster in the Mountains - West Kill Brewing, August 1 - 3

Muster in the Mountains is coming back to West Kill, NY: August 1-3 2025. We will be at West Kill Brewing, surrounded by public lands, mountains and trout streams. Stay tuned and save the date - tickets and more details coming soon!

Legislative / Policy Update

Legislative Updates

With the legislature back in session in Albany for 2025, it’s a good time to contact your elected officials on important issues.  We are still aggregating bills to keep an eye on and will keep you all posted. 

DEC Updates

Unit/Recreation Management Plans and Proposals - DEC regularly seeks public input as they work to manage our public lands.  While they will regularly receive input from other groups, often hunters and anglers are fairly silent.  It directly benefits the hunting and angling communities for you to take a look at these plans and voice your feedback directly to DEC.   They do listen to your input, and in the past, our voices have resulted in wins for hunters and anglers.  Current plans open for feedback include:

Region 8

• Great Divide Unit Management Plan (formerly Erwin UMP and Great Divide UMP) - comments open until further notice

Thank our NY Chapter Sponsors!

We want to call out a huge thanks to our NY Chapter Sponsors! They have generously donated funds or items to the chapter to help us achieve our membership and fundraising goals. Please consider booking a trip, shopping with, or spending your money with our sponsors!!

They include:

• Adirondack Mountain & Stream Guide Service
• Dette Flies
• Grasse River Adventures
• Long Island Fishing Charters
• Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC 
• Wild Foods & Wilderness

NY BHA Call for Volunteers

We need your help!  We are looking for volunteers to help with the following efforts.

• Regional Event Coordinators - Want to help us plan gatherings for your fellow NY BHA members?  We need help with local Pint Nights as well as our upcoming NY Rendezvous
• Policy and Legislative work - Our Policy team and newly forming Legislative team needs passionate folks to jump in and help us do the important work to protect our public lands and access for hunters and anglers!
• Mentorship work - We want to build a list of folks in the state who are open to being mentors for new hunters and anglers.  We have opportunities and need for folks who can give a little all the way up to folks who want to really invest a lot.  Everything from answering questions to being a one on one coach to participating on our larger weekend long hunt camps for new hunters.
• Conservation work - We are working with DEC to have more opportunities for events to do quality habitat work on our public lands.  Want to roll your sleeves up and help, we would love to have you!

If you are interested in volunteering a bit of your time and talents, please let us know by filling out and submitting this form.

How to Connect with Us

Here are a few ways you can keep in touch with the New York BHA chapter:

Stay up to date with events and blogs from New York on our BHA web page at New York Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.  

Join our Facebook group at New York BHA on Facebook. 

Follow us on Instagram New York BHA (@newyorkbha).

Contact the Chapter Board by email: newyork@backcountryhunters.org

Thank our sponsors: New York BHA Corporate Sponsors

Join us at an upcoming event: BHA Events

Signup to be a volunteer: NY BHA Volunteer

Last but not least, make sure your BHA membership is current and give the gift of BHA to a friend or family member!

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