Photo by James Monteleone The leaves are still green, but the bucks are on doe patrol as September winds down.

If it’s your first time applying for a hunting license in NYS, you must take the NYSDEC Hunter Safety Course.

You might enjoy a hunting safety course refresher even if you’re a white-beard hunter, like me. Get your pencil out to mark up your calendar, old and young alike are welcome.

I sat in on one of these recently and was surprised at two things: the young kids (11 and older) are careful and very smart about safety — they pick up quickly, and the number of lady hunters — young moms — in these classes. Chautauqua County Federation of Sportsmen President Zen Olow reports two courses are coming up in Chautauqua County in the next few days.

On Sunday, the Westfield Fish and Game Club (716-326-2289) on Ogden Road in Westfield will run the NYSDEC Hunter Safety Training Class there from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then a few days later, the Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club (716-366-8836) on Mullet Street in Dunkirk will hold a Hunter Safety Class that will require two short nights from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 and 29. You need to attend both classes at the NCCC to qualify to take the safety certification test. The test is administered after every NYSDEC Hunter Safety Training Class attendee, no matter where you take the class. Remember, you need this certification to purchase a hunting license in New York.

While statistics show that hunting with a firearm in New York is safer than ever, mistakes are made every year. This year, thanks to the NYS Concealed Carry Information Act (CCIA), the biggest issue might be purchasing a firearm or ammo for an existing gun you own. NYSDEC hunter safety training teaches us that every hunting-related shooting incident is preventable. In every case, with a firearm in our hands, we should all strive to keep common sense close. Remember the course guidelines about firearm safety. These rules apply to all of us: point your gun in a safe direction; treat every gun as if it were loaded; be sure of your target and beyond; and keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Follow these guidelines, and everyone has a fun day at the range or in the hunting woods.

Another reason NYS is among the safest states to hunt big game with a gun is the additional requirement to wear blaze orange or pink. Above that, you discover that hunter safety instructors and age-old hunting mentors encourage small game hunters to wear blaze orange or blaze pink, too. Wearing orange or pink prevents other hunters from mistaking a person for an animal or shooting in the direction of another hunter. Deer are color blind, orange to them appears gray, studies say, and blends in with the woods. The statistical figures show that hunters wearing blaze orange are seven times less likely to be shot. We like such facts!

If you have been around NYS for a few decades, you understand how well the federal NICS safety check system worked when purchasing a firearm — it kept felons and criminals from buying a gun. And, not to discourage legal firearm ownership, it was free. No charge. Plain and simple, a nationwide check system that was proven. Now in New York, many folks are concerned that the NYS State Police Background Check System is officially replacing the NICS system. Will it be effective? Will it provide the same level of safety for all of us? Will it work at all? Plus, the new law adds a fee for purchasing a firearm $9 or ammo $2.50. These were previously free at local FFL and ammo sales stores. Of more serious concern, the new and untested system with a fee. If the CCIA background system works half as well — not — as the DECALS online NYS fishing and hunting license purchasing system, at best, we may all need clarification for only a year or two. Not to be cynical, but to this day, after nearly a decade with DECALS, many folks still cannot figure out the next step on license purchase and game harvest reporting to go online and get it done. Confusion is not logical.

Here is to hoping that the new CCIA system is at least functional in what must be best described as a bureaucratic aspiration for total control of firearm and ammo sales by just one state in the United States of America. One state going rogue. This system has so much to consider, including many loopholes.

The one thing to remember here is that this system will never keep the guns out of the hands of brutal criminals who know where to find illegal guns without the due process of CCIA or NICS. It will tend to discourage firearm ownership from private, law-abiding citizens who might otherwise be able to protect their families from career criminals when needed.

Ammunition and firearm sellers must now keep records identifying names, ages, occupations, addresses, caliber, manufacturer’s names, purchase dates, firearm serial numbers and additional info. The new CCIA background check system for firearm and ammo purchase control is now part of New York State Law. It started about a week ago, on Sep. 13. Note that the ammunition purchase check scheme was included in the original NY SAFE Act of 2013 but was never implemented.

My first fear of guns as a kid came when my dad took me out to try his shotgun. I was eight years old. I was so scared after dad provided the first shot demo. The noise of the gun, the pop can flying far away from the sheer power of the bird shot hitting the can. Wow, I was afraid to squeeze the trigger that first time. My dad showed me how to hold the gun correctly and after that, trust in my dad grew, family bonding with my hunting uncles, and other, occurred immediately. Hunting trips bring families and friends closer together, providing an opportunity to create lasting memories and a freezer full of tasty organic food. Family-friendly hunting allows parents to pass their knowledge and love for the sport to the next generation.

Be safe.