Bass Season Opens ALBANY, NY -- The special black bass season is in effect on Lake Erie and its tributaries up to first impassible barrier only. Anglers can use natural/ live bait and keep one bass per day, with a minimum size of 20 inches during the special bass season. Bass fishing on all other waters in western New York is by catch and ... Read More

Recreational Harvest Restrictions Relaxed for Summer Flounder (Fluke), Scup (Porgy) and Black Sea Bass ALBANY, NY -- New recreational fishing regulations are now effective for summer flounder (fluke), scup (porgy) and black sea bass, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today. These new regulations are ... Read More

(Photo courtesy of the Adirondack Ecological Center of SUNY ESF) New Rules Would Include Youth Deer Hunt, Longer Bow Seasons, Mandatory Antler Restrictions in More Areas and Other Deer Hunting Changes ALBANY, NY --  The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today proposed rules affecting deer ... Read More

A brown trout swimming underwater over rocks. (Photo courtesy of NYS DEC) ALBANY, NY -- The New York State Department of Conservation's Bureau of Fisheries recently published its 2012 spring trout stocking list for Chautauqua County. Spring trout stocking begins in March and runs through May. The ... Read More

ALBANY, NY -- With the onset of warmer weather, New York's black bear population will be on the move. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today issued guidance on how to prevent nuisance bear encounters. Black bears will take advantage of almost any readily available food source, including bird feeders and ... Read More

ALBANY, NY -- Hunters in New York State harvested more than 228,350 deer and 1,250 bears during the 2011 hunting seasons, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. The deer take nearly matched the 2010 deer take while a new record was set for the bear harvest in ... Read More

ALBANY, NY — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) police officers recently concluded a blanket deer taking enforcement detail in the Capital Region and surrounding areas in conjunction with the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, DEC announced on November 29. Environmental Conservation Officers (ECO) worked ... Read More

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising hunters to use safety precautions when enjoying the sport this hunting season which runs until December 4 for the Northern zone and December 11 for the Southern zone. "New York has more than 3,000 dedicated volunteer sportsman education instructors whose ... Read More

- Contributed by the NYSDEC Region 9 Office. BUFFALO, NY — Inland Trout Streams. Fall is a good time to fish the inland streams as trout are on the feed and many anglers shift their focus to the Great Lake's tributaries. The small to medium sized trout streams are in good fishing shape. Some of the larger streams are running higher and turbid. ... Read More

ALBANY, NY — New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens today encouraged hunters to participate in two surveys for popular game species during this fall's hunting seasons. "Each fall New York's dedicated small game hunters spend thousands of hours afield exploring the state's landscapes in pursuit of ... Read More