Well, we are a giant step closer to having a youth pheasant season here on Long Island. The Assembly version of the bill passed in the Assembly back on May 3rd, and the Senate version passed in the Senate on June 14th. 

Now it needs to go to the Governor's desk.  Apparently this is not automatic.  If the bill is sent to the Governor for his signature while the Legislature is in session, (4 more days) then the governor has 10 days to veto it.    If he fails to veto it, it becomes a law.  If the bill is not sent to the Governor until after the session ends, he then has 30 days to veto it.  Sadly, even if he doesn't veto it, he can just do nothing.  You see, once the session ends, the Governor can "kill" the bill just by doing nothing.  The only way the bill can become a law after the session ends is if the Governor signs it into law.

So we still have some tense drama playing out here and in Albany. If you have an Assemblyman's ear please urge him to help this bill get to the Governor's desk.

Requirements to take part in the Suffolk County youth turkey hunt include:

• Hunters must be 12-15 years of age, must have completed a Hunter Education course, and must have both a junior hunting license and a turkey permit.
• Youth 12-13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or adult over 21 years of age, with written permission from their parent or legal guardian. Youth 14-15 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or adult over 18 years of age, with written permission from their parent or legal guardian.
• The accompanying adult must have a current hunting license and turkey permit. The adult may assist the youth hunter (including calling), but may not carry a firearm or bow, or kill or attempt to kill a wild turkey during the youth hunt.
• Shooting hours are from one-half hour before sunrise to noon each day.
• The bag limit for the youth weekend is one bearded bird. This bird becomes part of the youth's regular season (upstate) bag limit of 2 bearded birds. A second bird may be taken beginning May 1 in upstate New York.
• All other wild turkey hunting regulations are in effect.

Public hunting opportunities for youth turkey hunt in Suffolk County include the following DEC Managed Lands:

• Otis Pike Preserve
• Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area
• Westhampton Management Area
• West Tiana
• Barcelona Neck
• Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve

A seasonal access permit will be required to hunt on the Sarnoff Pine Barrens Preserve, Barcelona Neck state lands, Westhampton Management Area, West Tiana, Otis Pike Preserve and the Rocky Point Natural Resources Management Area during the spring youth turkey hunt on Long Island.   The East Hampton Cooperative Area is not open for the spring youth turkey hunt.  

• You DO NOT need to report to the Check Station on the morning that you wish to hunt Parking areas will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.  Permittees must park at numbered parking areas only if the site quota is not filled.  Site quotas can be found on the area maps and are posted at each parking site. 
• All vehicles must be parked in appropriate designated parking areas with vehicle pass visible through the windshield.
• Permittees shall have access only to lands situated on the same side of the road as the permittee's parking site. 
• Parking is prohibited from 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise at all hunter parking areas

Successful hunters on state land must bring harvested birds to the Ridge Hunter Check Station so DEC staff can record biological data to help evaluate the season.   The Ridge Hunter Check Station will be open from 7:30AM until 1:30 PM on April 23 and 24, 2011 to check harvested birds.  All birds harvested must be reported within 48 hours by phone (1-866-426-3778) or via the internet (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8316.html).

Seasonal access permits may be obtained in person at the Sporting License Office in Stony Brook, or call the office at 631-444-0273 to have an application mailed to you.  In addition, applications for access permits are available from NYSDEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40414.html.  Seasonal access permits are free and valid for three years.

For more information on hunting seasons and regulations, please visit the DEC website at: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/hunting.html. For tips and further details on regulations on turkey hunting, contact DEC regional wildlife office at (631) 444-0310 or visit: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/32162.html.

Maps for DEC-Managed Lands may be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/40399.html

Folks:
Those of you, who have been SASI or NCFGA members, for a while, know that, annually, we provide our members with recommendations, concerning those who, in our opinion, are the best choices, for the NRA board.
       For those reading this list, for the first time and who may not be familiar with SASI or NCFGA, they are, respectively, the county sportsmen's/women's federations, in and for Suffolk and Nassau Counties, in NY.
       Please feel free to distribute this list, as far and wide as you deem appropriate. The more people who understand what this election is about, the better chance we have of improving NRA's BoD, now and in the future.
This year, as in the last several years, we have the great pleasure of advising you that the recommendation list was jointly compiled, by both organizations, as well as the fact that both organizations concur, on all recommendations. Our criteria is stringent, because we believe you should have only the best qualified, on the NRA board.
Our choices are made from among those candidates, whom we feel best represent the interests of the membership of NRA, not necessarily those who are picked by the NRA's Nominating Committee or those who the NRA's officers might like to see on NRA's board.
NRA is a major corporation, growing and becoming more complex, every year. Dues income, alone, produces more than $185,000,000, each year. Add to that, the income of the NRA Foundation, the NRA Endowment, NRA-ILA, product sales, investment income and NRA's broadcasting network, plus other, "miscellaneous" items and you have a corporation, the annual budget and assets of which are at or approaching a billion dollars ($1,000,000,000), per year. That's bigger than many of the "name brand" corporations and larger than most firearms manufacturers.
The purpose of a Board of Directors is to set policy, for the corporation, which is, implemented, by the officers of that corporation. Directors must be able to evaluate, influence and understand the short-term and long-term, national and international ramifications of the multimillion dollar decisions they make. Those directors must, therefore, possess appropriate academic and experience qualifications. Being a "nice person" or a "qualified and dedicated shooter" do not, of themselves, make one qualified, to manage a major business operation.
In NRA's case, all directors are unpaid (except for expenses) and all officers and other employees are paid. NRA senior officers are, typically, paid six figure salaries, per year. They are paid, to be officers, full time. To allow any of them to also become directors would involved considerable conflict of interest. Consequently, for that reason and that reason only, we have never endorsed a sitting NRA officer or other NRA employee, for the board.
NRA's needs, this year, as in many years past, are for qualified, executive talent. Consequently, only candidates with academic and/or practical experience, in business management, finance, law, influence gathering and/or with significant, national recognition or political prestige, should be considered. Those candidates, with professional or educational criteria, such as MBAs, LLBs/JDs, CPAs, ChFCs, etc. and/or qualifying experience, i.e.: managing substantial business entities, at the executive levels, are what NRA needs most, for the business management side of the operations. Next, are those with national political recognition and national respect, who know how to get things completed, in the political arena.
It's a tough set of criteria, for making choices and, sometimes, it requires that folks, who we may like, personally, don't get our recommendation, solely for lack of the best educational or experience credentials.
NRA is, no longer, just a competitive shooting organization, with nothing to manage, except match schedules and match rules. Today, almost every program NRA implements involves millions of dollars. We need people who properly understand the best ways of doing that. The NRA's board has, because of smart voting, gained a little, most years. That pattern needs to continue and to be encouraged.
You are not required to vote for the maximum of 25 candidates and, in those years when we cannot recommend 25, we strongly suggest that you not vote for all you can. By voting for others, just to round out your 25, you are diluting the votes, for the strongest candidates and, at the same time, sending a message that you will consider and accept less than the best candidates. This is one of the few years, in which we can recommend a full 25 qualified candidates, for whom to vote.
SASI's and NCFGA's joint recommendations, in alphabetical order, are:
William H. Allen
Thomas P. Arvas
Clel Baudler
David E. Bennett
J. Kenneth Blackwell
Dan Boren
J. William Carter
Ted W. Carter
Anthony J. Chimblo, III
Patricia Clark
Allan D. Cors
Charles L. Cotton
David G. Coy
Erik Estrada
Joel Friedman
James Gilmore, III
Roy Innis
Curtis S. Jenkins
Eddie Newman
Timothy W. Pawol
Peter Printz
Steven C. Schreiner
Tom Selleck
Leroy Sisco
and
Linda Walker.

     BSA Merit Badge event

SASI sponsored a Boy Scout Rifle Merit Badge seminar, at Old Bethpage Rifle & Pistol Club, on Saturday, January 29th. 39 boys, from 5 Long Island troops, were registered. 10 of their parents or troop leaders also attended, as adult supervisors.
The boys and their accompanying adults spent the morning, from 9am~noon, in the classroom, undertaking a basic rifle safety course, administered by Lew Kelly and Wes Wagner. Between noon and 1pm, they broke for lunch. BSA rules had the boys bringing their own lunches, while we provided a catered lunch for the adults.
While the boys were in the classroom, our Range Instructor Team, consisting of Bob Baumann, Matt Blaising, Tony Bonventre, Marcel Chaillol, Joe Daidone, Rich D'Alauro, Erik Dalecki, Don Damrath, Warren Ferdinandsen, Paul Hores, Ron Lopez, Nikki Metterman, Ron Sineo and Wes Wagner, with Gary Hungerford, as Range Officer, checked out the rifles, sighted them in, for the ammunition, distances and targets we would be using, then carried out a dry run, before the boys joined us. Chris Klein, our resident photographer, spent the day getting many excellent shots of the youngsters, at play and in the classroom.

One of the mothers asked if we would provide her with hands-on instruction, after the boys had been put through their paces. We were very pleased to comply and she was very happy, when she was finished.
All of the boys qualified, to receive their Merit Badges, which will be awarded, by each of the troops, at one of their regular meetings. They also received Certificates of Completion, for successfully consummation of the firearms safety course.
When the word got out, that we were conducting such an event, we were overwhelmed with applicants. Consequently, SASI will be sponsoring a second such event, this one not limited to scouts or boys, on Saturday, March 26th, also at Old Bethpage R&P Club. That class is already booked to capacity with boys and girls, plus a waiting list.

 To see all the photos, click on the galleries at the left.

On Tuesday, January 25th, 2011, the second annual Sportsman's Legislative Awareness Day was held at the legislative office building in Albany.  For the second consecutive year SASI leaders manned a display table in the Lobby of the Legislative Building.  This year, SASI vice president Warren Ferdinandsen, and SASI Director Ron Sineo were on hand to meet with sportsmen and to represent Suffolk County at this great event.  Additionally, Warren and Ron had scheduled appointments to meet with several Long Island Legislators during the day. It was a very productive and successful event.  (for more pictures, check the gallery at the left)