New York’s fall hunting season has a number of seasons — kicking off Sept. 1 with the small game season for certain species and the early Canada goose hunting season.

(The photo above shows a shot pheasant retrieved by a hunter’s golden retriever.)

Small game hunting for decades has been considered a good entry point for beginning hunters. There’s a high probability of success and lots of action in many cases — good things during a time when the novice becomes familiar with, and practices hunter safety as he or she becomes comfortable with a firearm.

Mike Schiavone, a DEC wildlife biologist recently compiled a report on a three-year, small game hunter survey covering 11 species of small game animals — specifically those that are “protected species” with…