Bill Hilts

At a time when golf tournaments were all the rage to raise money for worthy causes, a fishing tournament to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was thinking outside the box.

There will be less fishing pressure, especially during the week. If you are fishing inland streams in an area with big game around, though, wear some fluorescent orange or pink.

Big game season is already upon us. Thousands of hunters are currently in the fields and forests of the Empire State, taking advantage of the early archery season.

Eastern mallards are the preferred species of duck among waterfowl hunters, and it’s important to understand what is happening with populations in the Northeast.

A comprehensive research project called Poach and Pay found that the minimum conservation cost of poaching through lost fines and replacement costs for animals is $1.4 billion annually.

National Hunting and Fishing Day is Saturday, a celebration of outdoor pastimes across the country. It also is a free fishing day in New York State.

A new era in big game archery hunting will begin Oct. 1 in the Southern Zone of New York State. Crossbows now will be included as legal archery equipment.

Some amazing fall weather is giving people plenty of access to our Great Lakes. Walleye and bass are still cooperating in Lake Erie, and it won’t be long before yellow perch will be added to the mix.

As we slowly slip into fall patterns, good fishing is still available in our Great Lakes and the Niagara River.

The stage was set. It wasn’t the first time that a winning fish was caught in the closing hours of the Lake Ontario Counties Trout and Salmon Derby … and it won’t be the last. It was time again for fate to step in.