While I don’t have any first-hand experience from last year’s big game season due to some health issues, I heard enough comments from the peanut gallery to think that hunting action for whitetail deer was off, down and marginal at best. Results of the deer harvest were released this past week from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation and show that the 2009 take by hunters in the Empire State was estimated at just under 223,000 animals — virtually identical to 2008 and slightly up from 2007.

The biggest decline in numbers came from the Northern Zone, where antlerless numbers were down 8 percent while bucks dropped off 21 percent. In the Southern Zone, buck numbers were roughly the same with 102,000 being taken — down 3 percent from 2008. Antlerless numbers were up 3 percent. As far as what was being used to take deer, archery and muzzleloader hunters were on par with the previous year. Bow benders took 35,000 deer and smoke pole users took 19,000 animals.

While the individual county numbers were not available, some statistics were tossed out on deer density in the state, and Western New York continues to stand out. The top county for deer density was the Finger Lakes county of Yates with 13.2 deer per square mile. Wyoming was second with 11.2 deer per square mile. Down state’s Orange County checked in with 10.5, but Genesee County was fourth with 9.9 and Ontario County with 9.5. Top buck counties for deer density were Wyoming with 4.6 bucks per square mile; Yates with 4.5 bucks; Allegany with 4.0; Orange with 3.9; and Cayuga with 3.7 bucks per square mile.

Black bear numbers were also released and the 2009 season was a good one overall for New York. A total of 1,487 bears were taken last fall, 814 from the Adirondacks (which was up from 582 for 2008); 179 from the Allegany range in Western and Central New York (down slightly from the record of 193 taken the previous year); and 494 from the Catskills range (down from the 520 taken in ’08). Each total was well above the five-year average for each of those areas. Check out the totals at www.dec.ny.gov.

Hamburg sport show opens

The Western New York Sport and Travel Expo is set to kick off this week in Hamburg — a sure sign that spring is just around the corner. This year’s extravaganza is the 20th annual event, and it features four buildings of outdoor excitement at the Agri-center on the Erie County Fairgrounds, 5600 McKinley Pkwy., Hamburg. Admission is $8 and kids under 10 years of age are free. The show continues through Sunday. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Lots of cool shows, seminar speakers and other activities will be highlighted this year. At the Fishing Tank, Keith Johnson will be giving a talk on bass tactics; Jon Bondy will share tips on vertical jigging for musky; and Dan Armitage will be giving a kids seminar and a talk on ice fishing.

On the main stage, the Bone Collectors — Nick and T-Bone — will be giving a hunting talk. There will also be seminars on duck and goose hunting and calling, a retriever seminar and talks on hunting dangerous game. An NWTF-sanctioned turkey calling contest will be held Sunday afternoon starting at 1 p.m.; the first Retriever Challenge will take place Sunday at noon; and the Lake Erie Waterfowl Classic is set for Saturday at 1 p.m.

While there is a long list of seminars and other activities, it’s too bad that the fisheries to the north seem to be ignored — these are some of the most spectacular fisheries on the planet. No talks on fishing the Niagara River for trout or trolling for salmon in Lake Ontario. At a time when we should be making every effort to get more people on the water and expose more people to our natural resources, the cold water fisheries at this show are often neglected.

For more information on the Hamburg show, check out www.sportandtravelexpo.com/wny.

State of Lake Ontario meetings set

The state DEC has announced that it will hold a series of three state of Lake Ontario meetings along the lake, starting with Oswego on Tuesday and Rochester on Tuesday. The Oswego meeting will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Oswego County BOCES located in Mexico; the Rochester meeting will also be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Imaging Sciences Auditorium at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Lockport will host a meeting March 16 at Cornell Cooperative Extension Niagara starting at 6:30 p.m. The site is located at 4487 Lake Ave. (Route 78) where the Niagara County Fairgrounds are situated. The meeting is an opportunity to interact with the scientists who perform some of the research that takes place and allows management decisions to be made. Updates will be given on the salmon and trout fisheries, as well as an overview on what’s happening with the lake itself.

If you have any questions on what’s happening with Lake Ontario and what the future looks like for its tremendous resources, this is the meeting for you. This public gathering is co-sponsored by the Niagara County Fisheries Development Board. For more information, call DEC at 851-7010 or 372-0645 during regular business hours. There is no charge to attend this meeting.

Bill Hilts Jr. is the outdoor sports specialist with the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation. Contact him at bhiltsjr69@cs.com.