Big bucks are on the prowl for receptive does as rut activities move into high gear.
The early archery season is in its final two weeks, and as of this weekend, crossbow options are available for big game until the start of the regular season. It’s crunch time for deer hunters.
It’s also crunch time to start looking to the future to ensure that there is a wave of new hunters coming in to replace the ones that are leaving or have already left us.
Every Columbus Day weekend in New York, the fields and forests become a unique stage for a special youth big game hunt that allows 12- to 15-year-old junior hunters to target deer (and bear for 14- and 15-year-olds) under the direct supervision of a licensed mentor. It wasn’t always that way.
In 2021, a new section was added to the state’s Environmental Conservation Law that authorized 12- and 13-year-old hunters to hunt deer with firearms or crossbows. However, it was identified as a three-year pilot program. This is the third and final year. A total of 54 upstate counties were deemed eligible to participate, but only after a local law was passed by the governing body. Erie and Rockland counties were the only two counties that failed to support the new junior hunter law.
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It’s a documented fact that junior hunters are the safest segment of hunters that we have in the state. Not only must they first pass a hunter education class before they can obtain a license, but they must be accompanied by a licensed adult. If you think 12- and 13-year-olds are too young to hunt deer, they can already hunt small game like turkey, waterfowl, squirrel and pheasant with firearms. In addition, the same age class can hunt deer with a bow.
Last year, the hunt was very successful overall. More than 9,400 junior hunters ages 12 to 15 were licensed to participate in the three-day hunt and 70% made it afield for one, two or all three days of that weekend. Nearly 2,300 whitetail deer were harvested – a 38% increase from 2021 thanks to the additional 12- and 13-year-olds participating with firearms. For some reason, crossbows could not be used during the youth deer hunt weekend by youth hunters. They could use them beyond the three-day youth hunt, though.
For Kenna Carmody, 13, of Delevan, the special youth deer hunt led to her first deer Oct. 9. Hunting with her father, Jim, the Pioneer Middle School eighth-grader connected with an 8-point buck on family’s Cattaraugus County property.
“We sat in some pines below a hayfield,” recounted the elder Carmody. “It’s an area we typically see deer movement in, especially during the evening. Many deer have been taken in that area over the years by our family, including Kenna’s brother, uncle, grandfather and me. At about 6:20 p.m., we decided to pack up to leave.”
“I explained to her that sometimes when we leave the woods, it’s not unusual to see deer in the field. As we got to the edge, we spotted this buck about 200 yards away with another doe. We decided to make our way out into the field and hopefully get close for a shot. As we moved up, the doe and buck began to chase one another, and they ran directly at us.”
“We dropped to our knees and set up for the shot. Kenna made an excellent 75-yard shot on the buck and dropped him in the field with her Ruger .243 that she borrowed from her brother, JT.”
Kenna, who juggles her time between soccer and academics, still found time to do some scouting with dad prior to the hunt.
“We hunted from the ground and knew this buck was around,” she said. “We had this buck on camera using our trail cams. I was excited and surprised all at the same time. I really wanted to get a deer.”
This wasn’t her first year of hunting. She hunted during the youth hunt last year when she was 12 years old. Unfortunately, they didn’t see anything. She also hunted once during the regular season in 2022.
When asked if she performed any calling to pull the buck into range, her dad piped up and said: “The only calling she did was to her mom after the successful shot and to her grandmother on the way to the processor.”
Was it a worthwhile experience for her?
“Yes, I feel it’s a good experience and hunting is not just for boys,” Kenna said. “Girls are capable of hunting, too.”
“The Youth Hunt Weekend for deer and bear has been a great recruitment tool for getting people into hunting,” Jim Carmody said. “As I reflect on my own experiences with hunting, I cherish the memories I had with my grandfather and father in the woods. There were no youth seasons when I was growing up. Those old timers probably wouldn’t have taken a kid out on opening day. Now with the creation of youth hunting opportunities, I think it gives kids a chance to get out and experience hunting with family and friends in an environment that fosters success and enjoyment.
“I’ve had the opportunity to be with both my son and daughter on successful youth hunts. It’s something we will never forget. Taking a kid hunting isn’t going to change the world but it might change the world for that kid. As you get older, you feel the need to pass down the knowledge and experience that was taught to you.”
During a recent survey of junior hunters with their mentors, 82% of the youth and 87% of the adult mentors were moderately or greatly satisfied with the youth hunt weekend – excellent numbers moving forward. Just as important is that there were no hunting-related shooting incidents or hunting infractions involving this age segment the last two years.
As we enter the final year of this 12- and 13-year-old hunting option for deer, moving forward we need to make this law permanent. Let’s not leave things to the individual counties and make it legal in all 54 eligible counties of upstate New York. Let’s add black bear to the mix, too, just like it is for 14- and 15-year-old junior hunters. And let’s add crossbows to the Youth Hunt Weekend, too. There is no logical reason it should be excluded from the three-day October hunt. We need to do everything we can to recruit new hunters into the sport and not make this more difficult or confusing.