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Spring Means Trout Fishing in New York State
Trout season is officially open in New York State! With 7,500 lakes and ponds and 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, NY is a prime place for resident and visiting anglers to enjoy this popular recreational activity.
DEC's trout hatchery program will stock catchable-size trout in early April. Our website offers a list of stocked waters and the anticipated number of fish to be stocked in 2017. For more information, please contact your local fisheries office.
Take a look at our Coldwater Fishing Forecast for 2017.
Purchase your fishing license in time for the start of fishing season. The license is valid for one year from the date you purchase it.
Spring Turkey Season Starts Soon
Hunters are preparing for another great spring of wild turkey hunting in upstate New York. The Youth Hunt for Wild Turkey, April 22 & 23, is a terrific opportunity for adults to mentor youngsters ages 12 through 15. Get the details on the Youth Turkey Hunt webpage. Regular spring turkey season begins May 1 and runs through the month. Head out to New York's expansive fields and woods and enjoy pursuing these big, abundant, popular game birds. See the Turkey Hunting webpage for tips on enjoying a safe and productive time afield.
Nature Notes: Adult males, also called "toms" or "gobblers", have red, blue, and white skin on the head during the spring breeding display.
Hike of the Month: I Love My Park Day
I Love My Park Day is a statewide event sponsored by Parks and Trails New York to celebrate and enhance New York's parks and outdoor places. Volunteers participate in cleanup, improvement and other stewardship events and projects such as cleaning up park lands and beaches, planting trees and gardens, restoring trails and wildlife habitat, removing invasive species and working on various construction and site improvements.
2017 will mark the 6th Annual I Love My Park Day on Saturday, May 6. Visit Parks and Trails NY website to find an event near you. Here is a sampling of DEC events throughout the state:
- Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center: Cache In - Trash Out®: Geocachers can explore for geocaches while also removing trash.
- Hudson River Special Management Area in the Lake George Wild Forest: Volunteers will help with litter pick up, painting gates and privies and tree planting.
- Catskill Interpretive Center: Volunteers will plant trees, install riparian vegetation, help with the removal of invasive species, and partake in some light trail maintenance.
Read more about "I Love My Park Day" in the April 2016 Conservationist.
Watchable Wildlife: Montezuma Wildlife Refuge
Seneca Falls, Seneca County
Wildlife abounds at Montezuma Wetlands Complex, where thousands of acres are spread across three cooperatively managed parcels: Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, Northern Montezuma Wildlife Management Area and Montezuma Audubon Center. These expansive wetlands in the middle of New York State are a birder's paradise of mudflats, marshes, open water, forest, shrubland and grassland. Montezuma is one of the busiest stops for migrating birds on the Atlantic Flyway, particularly waterfowl.
In addition to birds, 43 species of mammals and 20 species of amphibians and reptiles call this special place home. Dozens of miles of trails and roads take you on foot or by car around the complex. There is an observation tower and several ground-level decks with offer great views and opportunities for wildlife photography.
Upcoming DEC Events
Conservationist Magazine
Celebrate spring with the April issue of Conservationist magazine. Learn about New York's great spring fishing, including how a 12-year-old girl broke the state record for freshwater drum. You can also view beautiful pictures of our state bird - the bluebird, and learn all about our state reptile-the snapping turtle. Read how DEC's Dam Safety Program protects lives and property, learn the steps you can take to avoid using harmful invasive plants in your aquatic garden, and find out how one family has dealt with the challenges of managing a woodlot during the past 70 years.
There's all this and much more in the April Conservationist. Don't miss it! Subscribe online or call 1-800-678-6399.
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