Published: October 10, 2006 12:08 am      

BILL HILTS: Plattsburgh is perfect for outdoors enthusiasts

Timing is everything. The 39th annual New York State Outdoor Writers Conference was held in Plattsburgh along the shores of Lake Champlain last week and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Not only did the weather cooperate, but it was peak foliage in the Adirondacks . The NYSOWA represents some 80 outdoor communicators throughout the state, a majority focusing on our fishing and hunting heritage. The 40th anniversary conference will be held in Niagara Falls — in conjunction with the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers in September.

It promises to be a great gathering and a super opportunity to spotlight the Greater Niagara Region. New York’s Division of Tourism has indicated it would be a great opportunity for them to get involved to help promote our state’s outdoor resources, a tool they’ve begun to utilize in the overall promotion of the Empire State. We welcome their involvement.

While the conference is filled with meetings, workshops, speakers and hands-on activities, there’s always some time set aside for hunting and fishing. The first morning, I chose to chase some ringneck pheasants just outside Willsboro. Steve Piatt, conference co-chair and editor of NY Outdoor News, brought along his two dogs, Ben and Matty.

Ben, a 10-year-old black lab, did most of the work. Matty, a yellow lab, was more of an assistant. Even though we heard plenty of cackling and actually saw a bird or two, our little group never got a shot.

At 6 a.m. Saturday morning, we were able to spend a few hours on Lake Champlain for bass fishing. Mike Teresavage of Plattsburgh was our host, with George Fiorille of Auburn’s Bass Pro Shop also aboard. This time we hit the jackpot of timing and location.

After launching Mike’s Lund from Wilcox access in the city, a short five-minute run took us to a breakwall that was holding all kinds of bass, both largemouth and smallmouth. We immediately started catching fish and never stopped until we came off the water later that morning. All told, we boated between 40 and 50 fish — largemouth up to 19 inches and smallmouth up to 18 inches.

Lake Champlain has been a hot spot for some for some of the biggest fishing tournaments in the country. Several national tournaments were held on the lake this year and pro anglers really enjoy fishing these waters. We could see why.

Teresavage was also high on the landlocked salmon fishery the lake harbors. Spring and fall, it’s a favorite pastime that has taken him away from hunting. I found that hard to believe because the hunting opportunities were incredible — especially if you were a waterfowl hunter. Thousands upon thousands of geese flew overhead as we fished and hunted. Unfortunately, that season wasn’t open yet. Saturday morning was the opener for the duck season, though, and a couple writers took advantage of it. The weather was too nice for any serious duck action, but they managed to take a couple birds before heading out to catch a few bass on boats.

For more information on the Plattsburgh area, call (518) 563-1000 or check out www.northcountrychamber.com.

Southern Zone archery big game opens Saturday

Where has the time gone? It’s the Southern Zone opener for deer and bear Saturday, if you’re an archer. That means you have to make sure all your equipment is in good working order, you’ve been practicing in your yard or local club and you’ve scouted some areasto hunt.

Usually, we have a little writeup on what’s going on and what to expect from Dave Elliott of Nature’s Way Taxidermy in Sanborn. However, the shop has undergone a bit of a change.

Earlier this year, Mike and Kevin Jeffords of Lewiston teamed with Elliott to bring in a full service archery shop to Dave’s Lockport Road location. The archery shop, Full Draw, features Bowtech and Martin equipment. Kevin runs it.

In the taxidermy department, Mike and Dave are working together to service customers — an operation that will be run by Mike in March, with Dave staying on to help. They are also in the process of completing a 30-foot by 54-foot deer processing building, offering all the old standbys like summer sausage, hot dogs, Italian sausage and breakfast sausage. It’s also the only location for the Venison Donation program in Niagara County, allowing hunters to donate a deer to help feed the needy.

When everything in the building is completed, they will be adding a Techno Hunt option that will allow archery enthusiasts to hunt electronically. In addition, they offer leased land opportunities for self-guided hunts in Illinois. They truly are full-service all the way around.

As far as what to expect for this year’s hunt, it will all depend on the area you hunt. We’ve heard some excellent reports of deer numbers, as well as some decent reports of big bucks roaming the countryside. It looks like it’s going to be a good season.

If the season in Ohio is any indication, a group of New Yorkers headed down for the crossbow season in Woodsfield this past weekend and as of Sunday, there were four successful hunters. Rick Hilts of North Tonawanda topped the field with a dandy 135-pound five-pointer that he took at 20 yards. Fortunately, the weather was nice enough for him to strip down and swim out into a local river to retrieve his animal.

I hope someone took pictures. Dave Hilts of Burt took a nice doe, as did Kevin Reimers of Wilson and former Western New Yorker Jim Scanlon, who now lives in Texas.

Bill Hilts Jr. is a past president of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association. Contact him at bhiltsjr69@cs.com.

There were deer all over the place and groups of 14 deer in a herd were observed from tree stands.

Andy Klettke connects with a deer

Neal Kettke of Sanborn sends word that his son, Andy, has already taken a deer here in New York. He actually used last fall’s tag while hunting the Northern Zone openers on Sept. 27. Andy, a senior at Clarkson University, only had one class that Wednesday, so he thought it was a perfect opportunity to spend some time in the woods.

Hunting the Adirondack foothills south of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, Klettke connected with a yearling buck sporting 8-inch spikes at 25 yards. He had the buck in the bed of the pickup by 10 a.m. Another student who was hunting the same area also connected with a six-pointer the same morning. Lessons are learned in more than just the classroom!

Bill Hilts Jr. is a past president of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association. Contact him at bhiltsjr69@cs.com.