Deer hunters get out
AVON — It’s not every opening day that a whitetail deer hunter gets a crack at a trophy buck.
On Saturday, Gil Magee of Macedon was in the unique position to choose between two massive 8-pointers that ran past his ground blind in a patch of woods on his father-in-law’s land in Wyoming County.
That’s when you know it’s your lucky day.
“I’ve never seen two bucks of that size running together,” said Magee, 52, a commercial contractor, as he stood next to his buck that sported long, thick and perfectly symmetrical antlers.
He kept calm long enough to pull the trigger on his Remington 20 gauge.
“Two doe came out first and they were small so I just watched and enjoyed them for a while and they went on their way,” Magee said. “Ten minutes later, this one and another buck came running out together. I picked the biggest one and that was it.”
Magee was among the many hunters that stopped at the Department of Environmental Conservation deer check station at Region 8 headquarters on East Avon-Lima Road.
Here, science mixed with tradition as wildlife biologists, technicians and students at Finger Lakes Community College gathered research data while hunters gathered to share their stories.
Cloudy skies, little to no wind and temperatures around 50 degrees made for ideal conditions for the start of the 23-day firearms season. But no amount of rain, wind or cold would keep deer hunters home.
The renewal of friendship, the bonds of family, and the mere thought of venison jerky and steaks in the freezer is just too powerful a draw.
“It’s almost like a religious holiday,” said Magee, whose only regret was that his son, Jon, who had to work, couldn’t be with him for this opener.
They’ll be out together this week, though. Giving thanks during Thanksgiving week. And dad’s deer, his first worth mounting in 30 years, is headed to the taxidermist.
“Even in the years I haven’t gotten one, it’s just about being out there,” Magee said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen deer and just enjoyed watching them in their natural habitat and didn’t shoot. It’s sad so many people don’t understand hunting and all that’s involved, like the ecology and the conservation, things like this with the DEC checking the health of the herd.”
Whenever a car or truck pulled into the lot, senior wildlife biologist Art Kirsch and his staff made like deer and sprung into action.
Horns were measured, teeth were examined to determine the deer’s age, the body was weighed upon request, and the animal’s general condition was observed with all data logged onto a deer kill report. Kirsch, on the job nearly 30 years, enjoyed the chance to interact with the public at his version of “deer camp,” the DEC’s A-frame educational building.
“One year a guy pulled in with two bucks locked together,” Kirsch said. “Deer fight all the time but that was very rare to see.”
Hunters are most interested in the age of their deer.
A tooth-aging technique developed in the 1940s by famed DEC biologist C.W. Severinghaus is still the standard.
Young deer have baby teeth, similar to humans. Adult permanent teeth consist of a brown interior and white exterior; an older deer’s teeth will be worn smooth with more brown exposed.
“The average deer shot in our region is younger than 3½ years old, which makes it easier to age,” Kirsch said. “Once you get to the older classes, it’s more art and less science.”
Magee’s 8-pointer was determined to be 2½ years old. Among the oldest deer examined was an impressive 150-pound (live weight) doe that was 4½.
Brian Ward, 46, of Hilton, a fish culturist at the Caledonia Fish Hatchery, shot her with his Thompson/Center muzzleloader near Canadice, Ontario County. Ward enjoys the challenge of his single-shot gun.
“It’s just nice being outdoors,” he said of the experience. “My wife asked, ‘What’s the big deal?’ Well, it’s opening day. It’s great to be out, especially first light. You just never know what’s going to come by.”
Or pull into the check station.
Assisting Kirsch was wildlife technician Jeb McConnell and conservation and natural resource majors Beth Waterstraat, Ron Plakus, Rob Holdridge and Jake Doyle of FLCC.
Studying wildlife isn’t for the squeamish. But the eager students appreciated the chance to learn hands-on in their outdoor classroom.
“You can’t be grossed out,” said Waterstraat, 24, of Clifton Springs who bowhunts.
“It’s not pretty but it’s got to be done. This research helps us decide how many deer to kill next year, or if there are problems in the herd taking place, what do we focus on?”
Through hunting, New York maintains a healthy deer herd of around 940,000.
Hunters, meanwhile, maintain their sanity.
“It’s just fun to get out — and get away from my phone,” said Robert Bennett, 55, a contractor from Avon. “If I get one, fine, but if not, no big deal.”
On Saturday, he did get one, a fine 2½-year-old 8-pointer on land in Caledonia. Bennett let the deer pass twice during bow season because he didn’t have a quality shot and, like any ethical sportsman, did not want to wound the animal.
He dropped it this time by shotgun from a tree stand at 70 yards. He then got on the cell phone to his son, Dana, who was nearby. Dana is used to his dad having bragging rights.
“It’s lucky I enjoy hunting or I would’ve quit 10 years ago,” Dana said. “He puts twice as much time in the woods as I do. It’s hard for me to get up but he’s up every day and out as much as he can. You know, you can’t hate him for that.”
Successful hunters tend to make their own luck.
Like Gil Magee. Who had his pick of two trophies, and didn’t miss.
