Sullivan Countys own Judge Frank LaBuda ! Deer hunters celebrate start of season By Richard J. Bayne Since the deer hunting season is only three weeks long in the mid-Hudson region, local deer hunters have to make every minute count. At the Haven Hunt Club off Dump Road near Masten Lake in Sullivan County’s Town of Mamakating, about a dozen club members bunked in Friday night so they would be set to go when the season officially opened when the sun rose at 6:46 a.m. Saturday. Many of the guys at the Haven Club have known each other since childhood, and many have been hunting since they were in their early teens. “The camaraderie here is a big deal,” said Dan Moore of the hamlet of Glen Wild. The lodge is superrustic, with no electricity, gas lamps for light, a wood stove for heat, rough board siding, and the main room is prominently decorated with four mounted deer heads – triumphs of past hunts. Women can visit, but they can’t stay overnight. The way Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda, a club member and avid hunter, sees it, this is a sacred time of year, dedicated to answering the call of the wild and recharging one’s batteries for the year. He’s been hunting since he was 12 and he still uses his trusty Springfield bolt action rifle. Safety is key with Haven Hunt Club members. They are hunting on a 200-acre preserve, far from populated areas, they draw up a map at the beginning of the day and they are divided in the woods, each in his own stand. The weather was perfect for hunting Saturday, but the Haven members had no luck bagging deer. Longtime member Bob Cordani of Wurstboro almost got a buck around 10 a.m., but he couldn’t get a good bead on him. “I think he smelled a doe,” Cordani said. The mid-Hudson region falls within the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Southern Zone for hunting, and DEC officials say the Southern Zone draws the most hunters in the state – about 480,000 are expected to participate this year. For opening day, Lt. Martin Townley of the DEC police said he had four officers roaming Region 3, which takes in the mid-Hudson, making sure hunters follow the rules. Townley couldn’t give exact numbers but he said the most common complaints were hunters using bait to draw deer, tagging violations and trespassing complaints. “Most legitimate sportsmen are doing the right thing,” Townley said. For those who recoil at the thought of shooting animals, Haven club member Carl Millspaugh of Wurstsboro says hunting thins the herd for the harsh winter ahead. “There are too many deer and not enough food,” Millspaugh said. dbayne@th-record Sullivan County Court Judge Frank LaBuda aims his rifle, a bolt action Springfield, on the first day of hunting season on Saturday. LaBuda has had the rifle since he was 12 and is a longtime member of the Haven Hunt Club. Richard J. Bayne/Times Herald-Record |
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 16:22:19 +0000