One thing that really has me wondering is just how many deer will have been taken by crossbow hunters this season. I doubt it will be very many at all, but of those that are taken with that weapon I suspect that most will have been does rather than bucks. Here’s how I think the scenario might play out by those hunters who chose to use them.

Any crossbow owners who also have a deer management permit and who are fortunate enough to take a buck with their rifle, shotgun or bow, will then use their crossbows to try for an antlerless deer, and some will inevitably be successful. In effect, rifle or shotgun for a buck and then the crossbow for an antlerless deer. I could be wrong on that supposition but I suspect that’s what will take place. I’ll pass along any information I receive from DEC on that subject.

The crossbow law was put into effect with a three-year “sunshine clause” and at the end of that time period the matter will be reevaluated. The Department of Environmental Conservation will then essentially have three options - 1. Extend the law as it stands for a given period; 2. Eliminate it altogether; or, 3. Modify the law to continue crossbow use in big game hunting but make it more liberal in when those devices can be used.

I’ll guess that number three is the way they’ll go but there actually is a fourth possibility that may be a viable one for many crossbow users. The agency could also allow crossbows to be used for small game hunting and/or bowfishing as well. That fourth possibility isn’t all that far fetched either, especially when you consider the fact that air rifles can now be used for certain small game species. What happens next will be interesting but we’ll have to wait a few years to find out.

Ice fishing contests are our next big activity and from mid-January it seem we’ll have one contest or another every few weeks. I’ll run through the details of each as they draw nearer.We’re only a month away from the annual contest sponsored by the Fish House Fish & Game Club.

Last year this contest was run as a two-day  event but this year it again reverts back to one-day event and will be held on Saturday, Jan. 14, making it the first contest of the winter season on the lake.

Here are a few more events to add to your expanding calendar of things to do.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, the Sacandaga Bible Conference will host a special presentation on hunting by Steve Sorenson. The program is entitled The Path to Your Next Mature Whitetail and will commence at 9:45 am and essentially run all day, but also includes numerous other seminars as well as a wild game dinner. Tickets are $20 per person and you can get yours by calling 883-3713. You can also request tickets or get additional information by going to: sbc@nycap.rr.com on the web.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Canajoharie Forest, Fish & Game Club will again host its annual One-Day Coyote Hunt. The registration fee is $20 per person and prizes will be awarded for the heaviest male and heaviest female coyotes entered. The prize split will be 60/40 and the amount of each prize will depend upon the number of persons registered in the event.

Registrations will be accepted at the clubhouse on Fish and Game Road, Canajoharie, from 5 to 8  p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27 and again on Saturday, Jan. 28, the day of the event, from 5  to 7 a.m.

There will also be two gun raffles and a 50/50 raffle the day of the event. The club kitchen will also open at 6 a.m. on Jan. 28 for anyone seeking a hearty breakfast before hunting. For additional information on this contest you can call John Hayes at 518-922-5055.

Last winter the club held its 6th Annual Coyote Hunt on Saturday, Jan. 29. The heaviest male coyote was a 44.2 pounder taken by John Memrick of Palatine Bridge and the heaviest female coyote was a 40 pounder taken by Chris Shaffer of Schoharie. Owen McAndrews of Sharon Springs won the gun raffle.

Coyote hunting is becoming an increasingly popular sport statewide, including in this area. I suspect you’ll be seeing more events of this type in the coming years.

On Saturday, Feb. 18, the Reid Hill Fish & Game Club will again host its’s annual ice fishing contest on Great Sacandaga.

As it did last winter, it’ll again be held on the first day  of the Adirondack Sportsman Show but since the show is a two-day event you’ll still be able to participate in both.