Second Chance 22

Cutting a rack off a deer corpse during the hunting season is much different than picking up sheds. You were required to tag the 10 point when you reduced it to your possesion. If you had asked the DEC they would have told you that could surrender the carcass (including the rack) for a new tag since it was unfit to eat, or and "keep" the whole animal tagged. Of course you would have only kept the rack in practice- but you would have been required to use your tag. I know this from first hand experience. One of my friends shot a very non-typical buck that had gangrene (big time). At our request, DEC responded to the scene and layed out our options as stated above. He elected to keep the non-typical rack- the carcass stunk so bad that even the yotes wouldn't touch it. I totally agree with you that you should have just left it there until this winter..... Also, many people who hit deer with cars do get the proper tags to possess (even legally transfer if they wish) the deer that they hit. Down our way the authorities hand them out like popcorn.

Steelman, what did you use to tag the 7point? If you kept the rack from the gut shot 10 point, you were required to use you tag on that deer.... am I missing something here?

Nice, very nice. I'm curious, did Terry's buck come on a spoon or a flasher and fly?

Nice story in the sports section of the Post Standard today (Sunday) about hunting at the depot- and how to apply for next years lottery (all of this years slots are filled). The story is also available at Syracuse.com in the sports section.

We picked them up on the West side, but they are suspended over 120 to 150FOW.

Fished Canandaigua for the first time this year. We took 6 legal rainbows and at least double that number that were "short fish". Water temp didn't matter much, fish are with the bait pods (regardless of depth). Also caught a 28 inch and a 23 inch laker- though we weren't targeting them. All fish were caught on spoons.

Ray, the lampreys you see on the jumping rainbows probably aren't adults. I believe you are talking about lamprey that are 6 inches to 10 inches long (at least these are the size that I've encountered). These size lampreys won't spawn until the following year. Spawning adult lampreys quit feeding before their spawning runs from the lake, so they would be extremely unlikely to hitch a ride upstream on a another fish. For what it is worth, I have been told by the fisheries biologist that they do not find lampreys above the dam at Stafford Road during their stream surveys.

This week DEC fisheries personel installed a device on the northern most pool digger in Catherine Creek to deny lampreys access to their upstream spawning grounds. As you know, lampreys are very weak swimmers and have trouble negotiating waterfalls (they can't jump like trout and salmon do). Instead, lampreys attach themselves to the face of the waterfall and suck their way, inch by inch, over the obstacle. The devices installed on the pool digger are perforated so that lampreys can't maintain suction and inch their way over. The device itself was fabricated locally and paid for by DEC. Supplemental funding to pay for the necessary fasteners was supplied by the Finger Lakes Trollers Association. Most of the device is behind the waterfall and not visible in the picture.

The white deer (a buck and a fawn) were first spotted and documented as present on the depot in 1949. My source is the Seneca White Deer, Inc website. Never heard that the deer are from Russia, the possibility seems pretty remote.

The Army used to have tightly controlled hunts on the Depot to control deer numbers. You had to apply and be selected for the hunt. I was told that you were taken to a stand in a covered truck and were not allowed to leave the stand for any reason. If you wounded a deer, MP/s with tracking dogs would come to trail the deer. Anyway, once the first white deer was discovered the base commander ordered the white deer totally protected, while hunts for the normally colored deer continued. This allowed the white deer population to expand in a manner that would almost never happen in nature. Eventually, the poputation of white deer increased to the point that the Army allowed some harvest of the white deer, but it was always limited. I'm not sure how much genetics enters in to causing the puny racks on the Depot, but I have been told by a friend who has trapped on the Depot that there is very little quality forage inside the fence. Most of our southern tier whitetails have ready access to corn, clover and wheat- these foods are absent on the Depot.

Where the State Park is now was part of a big naval training facility- I believe it was one of the biggest in the entire country during World War 2. There's a small naval museum in the park which you might want to visit (when your not busy fishing or camping). The Depot across the road (where the white deer are) was an Army facility used to store ordinance.

I hate to be picky, but the deer aren't in the State Park- they are across the road in the former Seneca Army Depot. Thanks for sharing.

There will be a limit on lake trout which will be more than the current 3 fish limit. It will NOT be no limit. Stocking additional browns and bows wouldn't do much good right now- there's very little for them to eat, if fact the would probably just end up as forage for the lake trout.

DEC is stocking landlocks and browns in Keuka, but they are being eaten by the overpopulation of lakers. DEC nursury surveys indicate that Cold Brook is producing good numbers of rainbows, but again their survial in the lake is limited by laker predation. Region 8 would like to increase the rainbow population (in Seneca, Keuka and Canandaigua) and decrease the laker populations. Region 8 has submitted proposed regulation changes regarding rainbow and laker bag limits to Albany. If Albany concurs, DEC will announce their proposed regulations late this Fall or early this Winter. This would be followed by a public comment period and I don't think the new regs would take effect until 2012. In the meantime, you are encouraged to harvest your limit of lakers in Keuka and practice catch and release on the few rainbows, browns and landlocks that you might be lucky enough to catch.

No doubt a geat fish!!! Unbelievable? Not at all...... last year Gary Brutsman caught one from Canandaigua that was over 19lbs. I believe the record laker for Canandaigua is 26lbs 6oz. caught by Ed Neary. Cayuga and Seneca could do as well if we could get rid of the lampreys......

We fished a club derby there last Sunday. Our boat fished the Hammondsport arm and took 20 to 25 lakers. Best set up was a small green and white spoon fished 100ft down over 130FOW. Fish there seem to be getting smaller all the time- it's really hard to catch one over 25 inches. Lots of fish near the bluff, however there are ten times as many just south of Marlena Point in 120FOW. One boat reported catching 30 lakers there in 3 hours. DEC would like to see more lakers harvested from this lake- you are strongly encouraged to take you limit (females if possible). One boat did take a small rainbow and another one caught a legal landlock.... its been a while since we saw any "off" fish in this lake. Hope this helps.....

Round Gobies were captured from Onondaga Lake recently and positively identified by fisheries personel at Shackleton Point. If they haven't spread thru the canals to Cayuga, Seneca and Oneida, its only a matter of time.........

South Shore Marina at the south end of Owasco usually has sawbellies and is located much closer to Otisco than any of the spots already mentioned.

Andy, you must be one of the decent ones that blueghost was talking about. By the way, if you had a jetski that would be strike three!!!!

Congrats!!!! For what is worth, I finished 9th in the Lake Trout and 4th in the Rainbow with Cayuga fish, but I can see that I didn't just get beat, I got whupped!!!!

I launched both Saturday and Sunday for the Red Cross (flea and weed) Derby from Dean's Cove. On both days there were bass tournaments launching with numerous boats present. On Saturday there were 15 to 20 bass boats floating in the launch area (within 100 ft of the launch) blocking the path of anyone else trying to gain lake access. These boats were inside the tiny "bay" area and moving haphazardly. Meanwhile I was trying to launch my 21footer while another troller was trying to launch his 24 footer. I had no room to back up or manuver- so I ended up turning my boat around by hand at the dock so that I could proceed. I don't think the 24 footer left until after bass tourny started. Sunday morning I launched a little later-most of the bass boats were out by the buoy, but one boat was parked BROADSIDE- 10 feet from the end of the launch. I asked him what he was doing- he said "I'm going fishing". I asked him to please move- he said he would when he was ready. Why do bass fishermen do this? (I'm looking into mounting torpedo launchers on my boat).

Indian, you're not much on facts are you? Goby's are native to the Ponto Caspian region and would have never entered the Great Lakes without the help of man transporting them in freighters to the Great Lakes. They were first detected in the St. Clair River in 1990, so historically speaking they just got here. Lamprey Eels were first detected in Lake Erie in 1921. They probably entered the Great Lakes via the Hudson River/Erie Canal route. Lampreys weren't detected in Lake Ontario until 1935- so historically speaking, your arguement doesn't make any sense. That the Atlantic Salmon in Lake Ontario, Cayuga and Seneca were ocean going and not landlocked is well documented. In those days the Oswego River was nor blocked by hydro dams and the Seneca River didn't have locks. These salmon couldn't access the other Fingers- that's why there weren't any there. DEC does some stuff that I don't agree with, but don't blame them for introducing Rainbows and Browns- that was done without their help, way before the DEC existed. I dare say that most don't agree with your opinion that rainbows, browns, pacific salmon are trash fish, but to each his own.

Hey Ray, please go back and read my post. I said 1976, NOT 1986. I'm sure it didn't take you ten years to catch one........you're alot better than that!!!

Indian, I respectfully disagree. Landlocked Salmon were not native to the Finger Lakes- or any other lake in NYS. The landocks native range was Maine and Quebec before stocking extended its range. Ocean going Atlantic Salmon were native to several lakes in New York. They returned from the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence river and Lake Ontario to to spawn in the tribs of Oneida, Seneca and Cayuga. This is documented in the fishes of NYS (1843). You are correct that dams blocked their spawning runs and wiped out the populations in Oneida, Cayuga and Seneca. Seth Green wrote of catching Salmon/Trout from Keuka in 1873, but these were not landlocks -they were in fact lakers.

Landlocks were not native to Keuka Lake. They were introduced there in 1976.