TUNE UP FOR BIRD SEASON

One of the side trips during a recent travel writers' conference in Bethlehem, Pa. was a visit to Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays. Naturally I signed up and toted my favorite .20 gauge and 100 rounds of No. 8's.
Alas, it was only a "fam" visit, meaning about a half dozen writers who were unfamiliar with the game got to shoot a half dozen shells at one stand. I was not happy, but invited back to shoot the full 17 stations anytime.
Lehigh Valley has 120 acres over an abandoned limestone quarry. It's a neat place to shoot and I've been there three times. Go to www.lvsclays.com for details or call (610) 261-9616.
If you want to save some money, you can shoot for free at selected wildlife management areas in New Jersey. Five of us had a great time recently at the Black River WMA outside of Chester. We brought two ground machines and two hand throwers, several boxes of birds and ammo and shot for free for about two hours.
Now's the time to shoot, before the general bird seasons open in November.
Have fun.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Sept. 29 marks the opening of the squirrel and rabbit season and the end of the early Canada goose season. Sept. 30 is the deadline to claim fall turkey permits and on Tuesday, Oct. 9 fall trout stocking begins in Monmouth and Ocean county waters. Go to www.njfishandwildlife.com for details of releases and dates.

HHH NEEDS YOUR HELP

We know several diehard deer hunters who tag more venison than they can possibly use and generously donate meat to family, friends, churches, etc.
You may have heard of Hunters Helping the Hungry, a non-profit group that works with regional food banks to donate venison to those in need.
HHH has relied on private donations since the last grant was received in 2003.
To learn how you can donate, for a nominal butchering fee, go to www.huntershelpingthehungry.org or call the Division of Fish & Wildlife at (609) 292-6686.

THIS JUST IN

I wish clubs and organizations would realize that they need to get any word out related to their activities or anything of interest to sportsmen well in advance of an event date or deadline if they expect tomely mention in a print column or even here.
Supposedly the state is proposing to ban RVs from Island Beach State Park. a major move if true.
We didn't get this in time to check it out with the state...It was sent by a friend who got the word from the NJ Beach Buggy Association.
If you know more, contact me at rikwrite@aol.com.
We'll have something for the next print edition column in The Trentonian.

OPENING SET BACK

For all those sports who look forward to a road trip up to the Salmon River to hit the Lower Fly Fishing Area this time of year, the usual opening of Sept. 15 has been postponed until Oct. 31 says the NYDEC.
This is due to low water conditions. This is the area right below the Altmar hatchery. The DEC needs to be sure enough salmon enter the hatchery to provide eggs for future stocking.
You can keep updated on the situation at www.fwfishlo@gw.dec.state.ny.us

HUNTING BOOKLET OUT

The 2012-13 NJ hunting regs summary is out at most sports shops, some owners a tad miffed that there is now an automated check in system for deer via phone or computer. The sports shops that served as check stations generally liked the process since it put more people in their stores, much the same as the local deli has a lottery machine - serves the same purpose.
With the hunting rules booklet, get a copy of the new waterfowl regs also.

PA. SHOOTING PROBE

Pennsylvania Conservation Officers are investigating a shooting incident in Perry County. It seems a 26-year-old man was sitting along a footpath on State Game Land 170, had his back to a tree facing a stream when he felt something hit his left foot after a gunshot. He turned to look and saw a guy running toward the parking area and then a car drive out of the lot. The PGC says it was a "hunting related" accident. It happened Sept. 6. I wonder what the shooter was allegedly hunting? Not doves, which were open, with a small caliber rifle as determined by the foot wound. Only other species open were coyotes, groundhogs and porcupines.

PERMIT REMINDERS

NJ deer special permits went on sale Monday, Sept. 10. The bear hunting tag application process began Sept. 14.
While we mentioned that fall archery season is already open in most zones it will open statewide Sept. 29.

JOINT POWWOW

There will be a combo meeting of the NJ Fish & Game Council and the Nongame Species Advisotry Committee at 10 a.m. Sept. 26 at the Assunpink WMA.

ARCHERS AFIELD

Summer is not officially over until Sept. 23, but the fall archery season is on in 29 zones and there's a little more than six months of opportunity to put venison in your freezer as the seasons go into mid-February 2013.
New Jersey hunters tagged 50,404 deer last season and bowhunters dropped 49 percent of them.
Remember that the automated deer check system is in place for all seasons now.