According to New York Outdoor News, the license fee hike stands as the top storry for 2009. Hunters and anglers of New York did more than read the headlines of New York Outdoor News this year - they made the news as well.

Yes, 2009 was a year in which the state's sportsmen and women stood up and were counted, a year in which they mobilized to fight for their sporting traditions, and a year in which their successes on the water made both the news and the record book.

Looking back as we close the lid on 2009, it was a year in which the sportsmen of the Empire State made their presence known - notably in Albany, where a galvanized fraternity of hunters lobbied successfully to save the state's last remaining pheasant farm.

That, however, wasn't the top story of the year. It was a close second to one that affected virtually every hunter, angler and trapper in the state.

Here's a list, in order, of New York Outdoor News' top 10 stories of 2009.

- License hike

saltwater license

The top story of the year was an easy choice, for the simple fact that DEC's sweeping overhaul of the license fee structure affected virtually every sportsman in the state.

Most hunters, anglers and trappers paid more this license year to pursue their activities. But the license hike approved earlier this year also set off a wave of lifetime license buys by sportsmen and women looking to get in under the current year's pricing system before the new fees - which included a clause raising the senior license age minimum from 65 to 70 - kicked in.

The result of the lifetime license rush was a major - but one-time - infusion of cash into the cash-strapped Conservation Fund.

A $10 Deer Management Permit application fee also generated widespread opposition, particularly since there was no guarantee a hunter would acquire the tag after shelling out the 10 bucks.

And the creation of a saltwater fishing license, too, was met with criticism by coastal anglers, as well as lawsuits by some Long Island towns challenging the legality of the fee.

- Pheasant farm saved (To view the rest of the list, please visit the New York Outdoor News website)