I trap in st Lawrence county and there is no shortage of fishers here … u r rite about the season length and dates what a joke to catch fur that’s not prime …. The whole deal with filling out a log to trap fisher was to much, I complied for a couple years then stopped trapping them ….

For a long time I have enjoyed an annual solo wilderness hunt in the ADKs. Shot my biggest bear there and my heaviest buck. Six miles from my truck. No one else around, it is really special. Harder and harder to find remote places that don't have ATVs and dirt bikes all over them, people all over them, loose dogs running wild all over them, and I really appreciate the ADKs. I am close with a ranger there, and I know they can be tough sometimes, but I have also seen him be lenient with people who deserved the huge fine they were facing. The ADKs are a beautiful and special place in a beautiful state. Now, I would not want to live in New York State. What a freak show. And I am amazed at how many Ds vote in Upstate.
One correction Fisher Man: You can cut up all the downed and dead wood you want on wilderness and wild forest lands, for your own use right there. At your camp site. Not for firewood at your home a mile down the road. You have to get a permit for cutting firewood on state forest lands, and in my experience that permit process is pretty strange. But that is a screwy function of the state DEC, which as you say is dominated by Albany, which is dominated by downstaters and real flatlanders with no connection to the resource they want to control.

A friend works for a utility line clearing company. They were cutting trees in ADK near the power line and an 80-year-old guy was taking some of the wood. A DEC forest ranger stopped and made the guy unload the wood and gave him a ticket. A normal person would say take what you have but if you come back, I have to give you a ticket.

I'll be the odd man out and say I appreciate the DEC stocking fish and game in areas without easy access, motor vehicles. Like someone mentioned, it's so nice to go to an area without people walking dogs, noise from motor vehicles, fishing line and garbage all over the place.

How are we to leave unmolested land to our children and grandchildren if we continue to molest every tract of land out there!

As far as fisher and otter go, I can trap unlimited numbers of both. Sure, it took quite a while from the time they restocked otter until we were allowed to do so down here but because we left them alone long enough for them to mutliply we are allowed to do so..I agree, the fisher season could use some changes.

They can't please everyone.

I agree I do not want the forest preserve trashed, but why are taxpayers paying to stock fish, in lakes no one fishes ?

Try being a commercial fisherman here, petty rules and they won't listen to guys that have been on the "ground" all their lives...most seem to be overeducated green types. Even a lot of the CO's are disgusted, at least the older ones...

You should try living in my part of WNY. I still can't trap fisher or otter and probably never will. We have also left them to multiply and still no season!

I too don't want the forest preserve trashed. I'm darn glad that it is there, but I wish that it would be managed with common sense instead of overboard environmental ideas. For instance, the forest is over mature. I believe that controlled logging supervised by professional foresters should take place to maintain a healthy forest and provide a healthy habitat. for wildlife. Think of the money that could be generated for the state. Also I think the public should be allowed to harvest firewood that is dead and down.To just let it rot makes no sense.
I don't like classifying some areas as wilderness, but denying access to many.of the public, particulary the aged and disabled is wrong..Denying access via float plane to many of the remote lakes and ponds simply so that you can't hear them is nonsense also.I believe that existing infra structure should be left alone instead of burning buildings and closing existing roads. I do appreciate stocking remote ponds.I think there should be zoning on private lands within the preserve, but I do not think permission needs for every project from the Adirondack Park Agency:just another government beauracracy.. It appears to me that over regulations are aimed at natives of the park are slowly being forced out. And finally I think there is a need for more
scientific sound hunting,fishing, and trapping regulations. Just my beliefs.

Unfragmented, contiguous, over mature, climax forest is considered
the best habitat for American Marten within the ADK Forest Preserve.

Best way to negatively impact ADK Marten populations is too much,
or ANY logging,in the wrong place.

Now if you want to increase the Fisher populations in the ADK's,
well then, log baby log, to create that forest transitional habitat fisher utilize.

w

Walleyed, I’m not sure what you say about logging having negative effects on Marten is always true. I know of NY Marten trappers who limit out each fall on the North Lake conservation easement property in Herkimer County that has been heavily logged for decades.

Obviously there are exceptions to every rule.

As long as the logged forested areas are not fragmented,
too much overhead cover is not eliminated, & habitat
disturbance associated with logging is kept to a minimum,
healthy marten populations & tightly controlled timber
harvesting are still possible.

w

Fisher Man, Amphibians and some reptiles, like salamanders and Ring-Necked snakes, need those fallen rotten trees for the damp cover they provide and the insects they eat.

Squash, I don't have children but I pay school taxes.

Turtledale, that sucks and I don't know what to tell ya other than they can't please everyone. lol

[quote=beachcomber13]Fisher Man, Amphibians and some reptiles, like salamanders and Ring-Necked snakes, need those fallen rotten trees for the damp cover they provide and the insects they eat.

Squash, I don't have children but I pay school tax..

Your comparison if ludicrous, but do you not care if your school taxes are spent wisely ?

Check first of course. Will an electric bike work I’m sure snow might end the ability at some point. But on federal and state lands here in Ky a e bike under 1000 watts is considered non motorized

I asked a NYS ECO (game warden) about the legality of E-bikes
on state land after I had some non-hunting joyriders interrupt
my fall turkey setup and spook incoming birds
at the moment of truth by riding through my
decoy spread this past October.

This took place on a gated NYS DEC Wildlife Management Area
posted against motorized vehicle use by sign & notice.

The warden said he didn't know the rules for sure because
upper level management of Law enforcement had not yet
formulated a policy yet so they were ignoring the issue.

But, he said: Technically their use on WMA's was illegal.

walleyed

Things can't be that bad for you or you would be gone!

Who me ?

Not so bad that I would move out of upstate New York.

If I was going to flee N.Y. state, It would have been in
1985 thru 1990 soon after spending five (5) summers
in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

I already had a productive & successful fishing business
in Oswego & Jefferson counties so no reason to leave
here to start all over again in Alaska.

Things are starting to unravel now with total Democrat control
of the NYS senate & assembly plus Governor Kathy Hochul
running rampant over our constitution.

I just keep repeating over & over: "I (we) will not comply " !!!

walleyed

I live on the border of an open otter WMU. Plenty of otter around but unable to trap where I am. I have turned over multiple incedental catches. I try to always be cooperative in hopes of one day having an open season. Instead my cooperation normally leads to a visit of my trap site to make sure I am playing by the rules. If they were really interested in recieving accurate numbers for studies a better approach in my opinion would be putting 1 or 2 tag limit in place in closed WMUs where population densities are in question or being researched. I just wonder how many incedental catches actually make their way to the state and what numbers are actually recorded. Trying to do the right thing should not get a target on your back. I play by the rules but in trying to show the most respect to the animal, I could see where ones own moral compass might make one think twice before handing over fur to be "studied" by the state.

When Ward Stone was still working fur was put in freezer at 5 Rivers and later dumped in a dumpster when they ran out of room.

When our fisher population started to rise in the 90's,trappers started catching them in marten sets.We did have a quota that was line specific,and any over quota had to be reported and turned in.
Our local fur council approached out local fur tech and requested a trapper led study on incidental fisher catches.We came to an agreement with the district manager and the fur tech that trappers would be allowed to keep and sell any fisher over quota if they submitted the skulls for aging and sexing.All trappers in the district agreed.The trappers council put in some money to have the teeth sent out for aging and volunteer trappers with the council worked with the fur tech to boil the skulls and take teeth to be sent out for aging of each individual incidental fisher.
When the information came back we documented everthing and it was easy to see that the ratio of juvenile dispersing fisher to adult resident fisher caught as incidentals in marten sets was 9 to one.
This indicated no threat to the resident fisher population so the fur tech woukd adjust quotas as necessary and any incidentals over the new quotas were OK'd by the district manager to be kept and sold by the trappers in the district.

It is very important for your local trappers council to have a good working relationship with the MNR fur techs and district managers in order to be able to address proper fur management and move one way or the other to either protect the resource from overharvest or to not waste a harvestable resource by un necessary restrictions that are no longer required.