Archers have last chance to take whitetails

I couldn't believe they were watching me, but the upheld heads and spread ears left no doubt. Two does were standing at the back of a North Fork vineyard, their eyes focused on my position nearly 300 yards away at the end of a dirt entrance road. As I glassed them with binoculars, they moved nervously, taking short, sharp steps and watching intently. When I slowly moved forward a couple of steps to get a better look, they bounded off into the woods.

It often amazes me how keen a whitetail's sense of danger becomes as the bow season progresses. During October, with plenty of leaves still on the trees and a season beaming with promise, veteran hunters often have their choice of does moving through the woods from bedding to feeding areas. By Thanksgiving, after most bowhunters have taken a shot or two, the does are much sharper, reacting to the slightest snap of a twig, clink of metal, or whiff of unnatural scent emanating from clothing and hair when hunters enter the woods.

With bow season just a week from drawing to a close, you can bet the whitetails are primed for caution. Watch them slink through the woods and you'll notice most step silently - even when the leaves are dry. Some stop every few feet to scan the horizon while others actually look up into trees in an attempt to pick out the camouflaged predators on stand. Most move with the wind in their face while the wisest of them leave the protection of dense thickets and laurels only at dawn and dusk.

Make no mistake about it, every deer taken during the last week of the year is truly a trophy by virtue of its survival instincts. That, reminds Ralph Allocco of C&B Archery in Hicksville, is why you might want to spend a little time at your local bow shop making sure your gear is in perfect working order before your last few hunting trips.

"With just a few days left in the archery season," said Allocco, "you can't leave anything to chance. If nothing else, shoot a few rounds and make sure your arrows are on target - you'd be amazed at how many sights and peeps are bumped slightly out of alignment just from walking through the woods."

Outdoor Expo at Coliseum

The New York Sportsman's Outdoor Expo is slated for Jan. 28-30 at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale. It features fishing, hunting, boating and kayak gear, guides and outfitters from around the world, plus fishing seminars sponsored by The Fisherman Magazine. Tickets are $10 for adults with discounts for senior citizens and children. Visit www.nysportsmensshow.com for details.

Offshore bite continues

Offshore action with sea bass, ling and codfish remains very productive when the wind allows open and charter boats to leave their harbors. The Captree Princess (www.captreeprincess.com) last Saturday, for example, drilled 30 keeper cod plus plenty of ling from a wreck just 20 miles offshore. A 20-pound cod took the pool.

More than a dozen Long Island open and charter vessels plan to sail through the winter. Check the websites or call your skippers for schedules.

1. Montauk (sea bass, cod)

2. 17 Fathoms (ling, cod)

3. Magnolia Pier (herring)

4. Port Washington (herring)

5. Point Lookout (sea bass, cod, pollack

6. Freeport (sea bass, cod, pollack)

7. Captree (sea bass, cod, ling)

8. Moriches (sea bass, cod, ling)

9. Shinnecock (sea bass, cod, ling)

10. Bubbles Falls (trout)