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Bear hunting success reported in Maine

Submitted Photo Emily Ginnitti is pictured with her father after tagging a 220-pound bear in Maine.

Offshore fishing for yellow perch is great when you can get out. Waiting for the weather to calm down is the trick, much like it has been all summer long. The difference is that most of the anglers have now switched over to picking perch rather than chasing after walleye. Those who continue to look for walleye report fewer fish, but still enough to make it worth their while. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like the old-style, hands-on fishing for ring backs, when the perch are in and on the feed. The taste is fantastic, and the size of some of the fish lately is noteworthy. The only complaint is having to clean a lot of perch. I’ll take all you want to give away. There has been reports of steelhead running in 18 Mile creek and Cattaraugus Creek. We still need more rain.

The Youth Big game hunt last weekend must have been slow. Not one call about a success story. Not locally anyway .

Terry Clark from Angola sent a neat story about a bear hunt that happened in Maine in September. Clark’s 11-year-old granddaughter Emily Ginnitti filled her Maine Youth Hunter bear tag with a 220-pound black bear. Emily and her cousin, Dylan Anderson, were hunting with Woody’s Guide service in Mayfield, Maine. It came down to the final hour of the hunting trip before her bear stepped out . At 32 yards, Emily took aim with her Mossberg Super Patriot bolt-action 243 rifle, loaded with Winchester 95 grain Whitetail XP ammo. The lethal load traveled true and the bear ran about 30 yards before piling up with an accurate shot through the vitals.

The bear yielded 80 pounds of meat and the hide is being processed into a bear skin rug. Emily’s cousin,, Dylan, also harvested a bear the previous day at 6:30 p.m., using a 30.06 rifle. The bear dropped in its tracks at 40 yards. The youngsters made the trip a sort of Surf & Turf event. On the way to the hunt, Emily and her father, Steve, took a fishing trip with Sea Time Charters out of Kittery Point, Maine. First the group targeted mackerel, which they intended to use as bait. Emily caught 35 mackerel, ranging from 8 to 22 inches long. Then re-purposing the “bait,” Emily caught six striped bass and numerous others that managed to spit the hook. Unfortunately all the striped bass were one to two inches short of the legal size limit, so they were quickly released. The weather was perfect on the ocean that day so the group had a wonderful time, leaving Emily with a sore arm and shoulder for two days and a lifetime of wonderful memories.

New York state is missing the boat by not lowering the legal age for our youth to hunt big game. The same can be said for not allowing the use of crossbows to hunt during archery season, especially the old timers who would like to spend more time in the woods , but can no longer draw back and hold at full draw for any length of time. Congratulations, Emily and Dylan!

CALENDAR

It will be my pleasure to re-tell your stories from the outdoors , no matter how old you are. You can reach me at 716-785-3659, or 366-1772 or call The Post-Journal Sports Department at 366-3000, ext. 3 after 6 p.m. Leave you name and phone number and a time I can reach you. Send word if you have a turkey shoot, or other outdoors-related events that maintain safety protocols during the pandemic period. And remember to always hunt and fish safe.

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