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NYB 30th Banquet & Rendezvous!

Great way to spend next weekend. An outdoor event with 3D course, games-novelty and skill. Great food. Friday night BarBQ. Bring a friend.

...The opening weekend of turkey season? I guess New York Bowhunters must not be very serious about bowhunting. There's the deer opener and the turkey opener. Two weekends of the year. Choose any of the other 50 weekends. Please, consider this constructive feedback.

There is turkey hunting available on the property, and since we moved it to a resort the Banquet has always been held on the first weekend in May, regardless of the date. We can take in all of the beauty outside, enjoy the warmer weather, and still have plenty of time to kill a gobbler.

James, consider this, It's not easy to find a top resort in N.Y. or the right date that fits everyone's schedule that let's up set up a 3d course and have golf, fishing and have the run of the place for the weekend with a roast chicken evening barbeque at the lake on Friday night, followed by prime rib on Saturday evening at the Banquet. All this for $40.00 per head. You can hunt in the morning and still make the Banquet for a good time and maybe win one of eight hunts up for auction. Take Care, Good Luck Hunting . G-MAN

I understand your arguments for the May 1st date but please think of your broader target audience. Greenville is not close for the majority of bowhunters in NY, necessitating an overnight stay or at least making an entire day out of it, thus precluding the idea of turkey hunting in the morning. Plus, the 3am turkey hunting wakeups do not lend themselves well to enjoying a full day with driving and dinner and activities in the afternoon.

All of the bowhunters I personally know would never consider missing opening day of turkey season. Perhaps they have a vocal bird they know of. The idea of leaving that bird alone on opening day and taking the chance someone else shoots it are just too much. Even if not, turkey hunting is really, really fun and opening day can often be the best day of the season. By holding this event on opening day I would estimate you're eliminating 70% of your target audience.

The summer, between turkey season and deer season, is long. Bowhunters are often inclined to shoot 3D, attend events, etc. I really can't believe I have to explain the rationale behind not holding a hunting-related event on opening day...to hunters.

Our Banquet was usually held in late March or Early April, typically in the mid-western part of the state, at a hotel, within the Syracuse or Canandaigua area. From attending multiple events, we dealt with ice storms, power outages, and torrential, freezing rain. There were NO outdoor activities, only indoor ones, a few 1 hour lectures, a few vendor booths, and we shared the hotel with other groups and guests. We decided to move the Banquet to a beautiful golf resort, with hundreds of acres available to us to set up a 20 target 3D course, fun shoots for kids and adults, available golf, turkey hunting, and enjoy the beautiful grounds, outside, in the fresh Spring air. There is a Friday night BBQ for those who come early. Can raffles inside the hall, and then dinner and auction at night in the banquet hall. We have the entire resort to ourselves, only the NYB family. We have held it on the first weekend of May for many years now. While it easy to armchair quarterback, I sincerely hope that all of the logistics of planning such an event are taken into consideration. Sure, the Summer would be a great idea, but between weddings, graduations, and other functions, try to find a resort anywhere to book, that offers all of the above mentioned amenities. Enjoy your hunt.

Al ,never gona make everyone happy. Keep doing what your doing, there are 31 days to hunt spring turkey. Go to banquet for 1 you still have 30 days to hunt. Just an observation.

To Mr Overland, not sure if you are just mean and simply looking to put down those people who have been behind every pro bowhunting legislation in NY that has occurred over the past 30 years or simply uninformed. Assuming the latter, I would like to address some of the issues you raise. “…the majority of bowhunters in NY…” There is no area that “a majority of bowhunters” live in, but most years the Banquet has been held more or less somewhere in our quite enormous center of the state, rather than out at one of the edges. The NYB banquet has been in several locations over the past couple of decades. With members spread out across all points from Buffalo, through the Finger Lakes up to the Adirondacks, down through the Catskills into NYC and out to Long Island (and all points in between) it is impossible to always hold it in a location “convenient” for everyone. In a previous post, Al Dente explained what is behind the logistics and of holding an event at other times of the year. Are there some people that will not attend because of opening Turkey? Of course. Are there others that will spend Saturday morning killing the bird they know about and then attend? Yup. And are there others who feel there is a whole month to hunt turkey and would prefer to spend quality time with friends, hunting partners, family etc. from across the entire state for perhaps a once a year opportunity? Absolutely. Are there others that would not attend if it was in their own town but will use this to put down NYB? Yes again. As you felt a need to “…explain the rationale…” to those responsible in NYB, I’d like to explain a little insight into the character of those people you felt you needed to explain to. They have spent countless hours giving back to a sport that most take for granted. Working on legislation which among many other things, expanded the bow season we all enjoy in terms of bag limits, season length, DMP usage, age reduction, etc. Every bill required trips not only to local legislators but to Albany as well, from as far away as the places previously mentioned. They have donated countless hours running free youth camps to kids across the state. Been responsible for taking or sending many wounded veterans on hunts. Established a physically challenged bowhunter program. Etc. etc. Personally I will be honored to give up a few hours of hunting to spend a fun weekend around the most passionate, caring bowhunters to be found anywhere and help support their organization as a small way to say “thank you” for all they have done .

Rich, Please do not resort to name calling. As I said in my first post, this is meant as constructive feedback. I'm still truly puzzled that a hunting organization would schedule a major event on an opening day. I respect NYB and their mission. I'd like to see them be more successful. I'd like to see the banquet better attended. Holding it on opening day makes it such that I and quite literally every single bowhunter I personally know would never consider attending. And this is a group of folks who regularly attend other pro-hunting banquets.

I hear the reasons for it and honestly I believe they do not add up. Sure, resorts book up with weddings and events, as was the listed reason. NYB can plan a year or more out or even lock in the same weekend every year many years in advance. Weddings are not booked that far in advance. So being unable to get a summer weekend date because weddings book up resorts is not a valid reason. Please, NYB, schedule a future banquet weekend in the summer. I really believe you'll see attendance triple.

NYB did a fanatic job with this years banquet, it was well attended and well run. I was happy to be able to take my son, he had great time. This is a very good organization that more bowhunters in NY should support

Thank you very much for those kind words. It takes a lot off effort from a lot of people to get it all together. It is a great weekend had by all.

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