A message of thankfulness

Deer tales, avoiding holiday conflicts, and making the most of turkey leftovers.

Thanksgiving Message: Today is a time that we set aside to be thankful for the many things we have. Although many of us take them for granted we have much to be thankful for, including our faith, family, health, job, and friends. Each of us also has some special things to express gratitude for. Another thing that many of us appreciate is the great variety of outdoor experiences that we have in New York State. No matter what our sports or interests are, we have a beautiful outdoor world and the opportunity to enjoy many quality experiences. Happy Holidays to you and your family! (Go Lions!)

Deer Tales: It’s been a tradition at this time of year when we pass on stories of deer hunting success or unusual experiences in the opening of the Southern Zone deer season. Fortunately, the Nor’easter came a couple days before the opening day and allowed hunters to dig out and be ready despite less than ideal conditions.

There were a substantial number of hunters who scored the “Daily Double” – i.e. taking both a buck and doe using their regular buck tag and a deer management (doe) permit. One of these local hunters was Mike Slade of Oneida. Mike is an avid hunter and is no stranger to success, but nevertheless it is always a special thrill to have double success.

A young lady who scored the Daily Double including a bragging sized buck was Brittany Grow of Munnsville. She recently took up deer hunting and got big bucks both last year and this season.

Joe Pomerleau of Vernon exercised patience and confidence to overcome some problems and was rewarded with a nice buck and doe on opening day. All his preparation and his special place paid off for Joe. Meanwhile his brother, Julien, was scoring his own Daily Double a short distance away.

Gary Simmone of Munnsville settled for a buck, but he was not complaining. His massive buck had a big body and a heavy 11-point rack with thick beams and long tines. Gary proved that you don’t have to travel long distances to get a trophy buck.

Bill Batdorf of Chittenango got an unusual buck, but it was not one with a big rack of ant-

lers. Instead, Bill got a very old buck who was in decline as evidenced by the size of its antlers. Once bucks get past their prime of 7 ½ years, the size of their antlers gets smaller. But Bill did manage to outfox this old buck who had defied the odds and survived this long.

Avoid Holiday Conflicts: Thanksgiving should be a stressfree holiday other than over-eating and having your favorite football team lose. But too often it turns into a contentious encounter as family members or guests get into arguments or make comments that make everyone feel uncomfortable. This year with uncivil behavior becoming the rule and tensions and opinions running high over political and national issues, there’s greater danger that your holiday gathering could erupt into a brawl with guests slugging it out with drumsticks.

Avoid unpleasantries today or this season by diffusing and changing the topic into something related are some potentially explosive comments and how you can shift the topic.

Your cousin’s girlfriend says “I hope that red will ultimately win over the blue wave.” You can quickly say – “wearing red is better because deer see the color blue, but wearing orange is even safer and more visible.”

Your uncle who spends way too much time on Facebook and other social media makes a pronouncement that we must put an end to “fake news.” Your reply could be – “I agree completely and we can start by having you stop exaggerating the size of the fish you catch and telling all those phony stories about big deer that got away.”

If your slack-jawed brother-in-law asks at the dinner table, “Whaddya think about Stormy?” A good response could be – “Fish seem to bite better at the beginning of a storm but safety should come first and you need to make sure and get off the water before high winds and lightning get dangerous.”

When a neighbor who is a couple cans short of a six-pack announces that she is in favor of using federal troops to secure our borders, regardless of cost, you might suggest that you are thinking of tightening control of the border of your 40 acres, but increased “Posted” signs and some remote trail cameras are a lot easier and more cost effective.

There are lots of other examples that you can use, but by now you get the idea. A little quick thinking and creativity can avoid making your holiday gathering seem like storming the Bastille. Instead have a pleasant gathering like the first Thanksgiving where the Pilgrims and Indians got together, chowed down on venison and cranberries, and then relaxed by watching the Detroit Lions play football.

Turkey Poppers: Are you looking for a way to use up that leftover turkey while watching the evening football games this weekend? Try jalapeno turkey poppers for snacks as well as cleaning out the sinuses. If you don’t want smoke coming from the nostrils of your guests, substitute yellow banana peppers.

Cut off the ends of the peppers and hollow them out with a thin knife. Chop up turkey into small pieces and mix with cream cheese, onion powder, and Mozzarella cheese. Stuff into the hollow peppers with the mixture and bake in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Wait before serving because cream cheese mix will be very hot.

Black Friday: Are you planning on joining the hordes who will be out there in the predawn hours, waiting in the lines in front of the Big Box stores for the start of the “Black Friday specials?” Once the lines start to move it will be like the Bolsheviks Storming the Winter Palace, only uglier and possibly more violent.

Do you really want to be involved in the chaos for the possible chance at some deal? Relax and do something special. There will be more sales each week from now to Christmas. We know most people out there are looking for something for themselves, not something special for a Christmas gift.

Besides, we have always stressed shopping local. Small local stores deserve your support since they are the ones who contribute to our communities, help support our churches, charities, and youth sports teams. They deserve your support all year, especially during the holiday season.

If you are looking for some suggestions for holiday gift giving, we will have a few of our favor- ites to suggest in the next week’s columns. Spend the day doing something productive like going hunting, taking a hike with your family, visiting a friend, decorating your Christmas tree, or fishing for walleye or steelhead.

Deer Hunting Reminders: With the opening of the Southern Zone Big Game Season there will be a lot more action and success. The DEC would like to remind everyone of some basic parts of the deer hunting regulations.

Report Kills. It is the law, as well as good wildlife management to report your game harvest to the DEC within seven days. Deer and bear must be reported by telephone, online, or through the new mobile app. The mobile app can be used for other functions and can be downloaded from Google play store, the Apple App store, or the DEC website. For phone reporting call 866-426-3778.

Transfer DMP Tag. With the increase in number of DMP (doe) tags issued in many areas, it is increasing popular to transfer extra tags once a hunter has taken a deer or two. The hunter wishing to give his or her tag to another hunter must sign the bottom of the DMP tag. The hunter receiving the DMP tag must record the DOC# of the DMP tag on his reporting panel to complete the transfer.

If the second hunter takes an antlerless deer with the transferred DMP, he or she is required to report the deer by calling, online, or using the mobile app. He or she must provide the transferred DMP DOC# and their own date of birth.