i rarely hear about anyone killing a deer here in the Northern zone. has anyone had luck this year or EVER??? i know Bowspirit killed one 2 years ago and Adirondackman has taken a couple but man its rare.
2 years ago up by old forge a doe
Time to pack up and move Ken. Life's too short for crappy hunting grounds. What would the Indians do?
Does the area have a low deer population, or just hard to hunt?? I'm with TJ.
I am up in saranac lake, no luck for me this year. I was in bow range of does 4 times but could never get a shot off.
I pretty much have all the woods to myself up here, hardly ever see any other bowhunters out, even wheelies.
A friend invited me up to Hoffmeister last year for early bow. I passed because when we rifle hunt the deer are few and far between. He ended up shooting a doe with his compound, but I think it is a rare occurance. In Old Forge you can shoot tame ones in your yard due to all the feeding, but back in the woods is a different story.
QuoteOriginally posted by wv lungbuster:
Does the area have a low deer population, or just hard to hunt?? I'm with TJ.
Its both!! Big woods I mean BIG WOODS to the tune of 100's of thousands of acres with more bears than deer. Similar to northern Maine.
I was very successful back in the day when I hunted Indian Lake with wheels and guns but like Catskill Longbow says I learned the hunt the corridors between camps and cabins. Bird feeders and apple trees had them easy to pattern. Im feeling like Im gonna hunt those areas again next year, I miss it.
:biglaugh:
There was that one time I heard about a rumor of a deer killed in Jefferson County. But it turned out to be a hoax.
Personally, the Southern Zone hereabouts is hardly showing a pulse. I heard something on the cruncy frosted leaves in a brushlot Saturday at sunrise, but it was moving in from directly down wind of me and scooted off before I saw what it was. That was the only action in the last four days I have been out hunting. :(
Tracks and droppings all over the place. They're fully nocturnal from what I can tell and bedding in secret caves??????
Deer density is low, 1/2 a buck per sq. mile, 1 1/2 total deer per sq. mile. Most of the State land has not been logged for 100 years. Mature forest,very little under growth. Private areas that have seen timber harvest have better deer numbers but this just creates pockets of deer. In keeping records since 1988 I average seeing 3 deer a year. On the other hand your not going to hear a school bus, a dog barking or see another hunter for days at a time if at all.Bear population is good but no baiting is allowed and moose are making a come back. With no food source and no defined edges it is almost impossible to pattern a deer, still hunting and watching food sources [ mast crop when available] are the best tactics. Personally I'm leaning towards KentuckyTJ said ....I'm going to move!
I will add this, I ran into an older fella at the range one day ,we got to talking. When he found out I shot a recurve he went to his car and got some photos. They photos he had taken of him and his brother bowhunting in the Adirondacks in the late 40's and early 50's. They had a float plane service and flew in to the Cedar Lakes region. They shot some real slammers, 130 to 150 class bucks. Really neat stuff.......but that was over 50 years ago!
Didn't Christopher Walken shoot one with a rifle years ago?
:p
It may be time to update your numbers Ken.
Bowspirit has a story to tell, about yesterday.
Sorry. Spoke too soon. It wasn't taken with trad gear.
I have taken deer north but not with trade gear. Rifle, muzzle loader & wheelies. Liver shot a doe this year but the yotes got her. Not easy. On the other hand, in 5 seasons of trad I have taken 2 black bears. Its all good.
Ken-
Get a IA tag and come on out to our place! Not the amazing views you are use to, but we have loads of deer.
hunting adirondacks for over 40 years wall tents, camps and clubs never had luck with trad but had the best times of my life my heart is in this type of hunting the hard core buck hunters are a breed apart
Heres the last deer I saw in Cedar River while trad hunting. She was just beyond the Limekiln campgrounds and totally legal but was on the road. I could have shot her as soon as she stepped off if I would have followed her and I would have been legal too but thats just killing and would have left a bad taste in my mouth. (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_1243.jpg)
Hey Ken....sounds to me like the answer is "nope".
(http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_1233.jpg)This is what brings us back to come away again and again, deerless usually. Thousands of acres of public land full of unmatched beauty just not so full of deer. Until my kids are grown and gone which I dont look forward to Ill never have the time to get up there and effectively scout enough to have better than a lucky fools chance of killing a deer but Ill keep going back once or twice a year, I dont mind being a lucky fool. (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_1240.jpg) (http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o244/2crazyboys_photos/IMG_1235.jpg)
Nice pic, shot one with a rifle a few years back in the tughill area, very anticlimatic 3 yards away from me but I was in some deep woods.
Ken when we came up by you we saw deer, I might have killed one except they heard Joe snoring and started to blow.
I have shot numerous deer in the northern zone, but none yet within the Adirondack Park. I only saw one buck up there all season.
Nice pics Izzy. Makes me miss the mountains already and I was just up there this past week-end!
Nice pics,looks like a great place to start turning elk loose.
Dang Ron only half a buck , you prolly been looking for a whole one thats why you cain't see him. Now you say you ran into an old feller , what does it take to qualify for that one :saywhat: Drew
The Adirondack Park comprises 6 million acres, the size of the entire state of Massachusetts. Standing in the middle of it with a stick and a string is a humbling experience.
Here, I thought you upstate guys were smart, the reason you haven't got many deer is because they're all down here in Jersey for the hunting season, you know, kinda like us going South for the winter. :banghead:
Not for sure but if it wasn't real warm and real far back in this one could have been in trouble.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/1966kodiak/Closedoe-1.jpg)
Aint no deer in NY :readit:
For all that are offering hunts and thinking you would rather move,
The Adirondacks have a secret Allure all its own. It gravitates hunters even they know the odds are against them. Izzy and Oak have touched upon this calling to keep coming back. Ken has written poems about it.
Hunting the ADK's and getting a deer is a big accomplishment. To do it with stick and string would be quite an achievement. To live without the pleasure of succumbing to her awe, that's tragic. We all know, we dont go North for the kill but hope that someday we may have a close encounter. :readit:
You could compare it to the Yukon Gold rush. Many went with a grand illusion and fantasies of becoming richer men, few came back with money in their pockets most who survived came back with visions, memories and adventures to be told.
Drew that "Old" guy was in his late 70's or early 80"s. He was hunting up there before I was a gleem in my Daddy's eye! I have hunted in and by the Siamese Ponds Wilderness area for over 40 years. I have carried a recurve and a longbow and did see a real nice buck still hunting 15 or 16 years ago. When I sat nice I mean 150-160 class, I hunted him for 2 years and saw him twice. It is a very humbling feeling to be 6 or seven miles from the road and then start to hunt. I can't do that like I used to.
Stumpkiller, it wasn't a hoax..I have killed several with trad eauiptment on my land in Jefferson county..Ken, come off the mountain..There are deer in the farm country...Mike
now don't get me wrong i LOVE where i hunt and do not want to hunt anywheres else, deer or no deer. i have taken many North but not with trad bow (have not killed one yet) i have saw many while hunting the last few years but it is BIG woods for sure. i just never hear of anyone getting them with trad gear up this way. deer numbers are way down this year in my neck of the woods but right now is the best sign for the year i have saw, they are feeding heavy in the beeches. truth be told i will be hunting the big woods more next year as where i hunt South is a small property and i really hate sitting over fields and hearing everything going on in the neighbor hood. i own ( with Ron W) 5 arcres on my little slice of heaven and will spend much more time there next year. my ash's will be scattered on the mountain i hunt.
You should want to hunt some where else Ken!! As nice as it is it would be nice see game on a regular routine. Just say'n......I have hunted there 3 years now and have seen 3 or 4 turkeys, that's it!
i have killed 7 bucks and 4 does of THAT mountain, none with trad but 11 deer none the less. a B&C, and 2 others that would make Ny Big Buck club. they are there. the honest truth is i do not hunt as hard as i use to, nowhere near the house. if a man sat on that top ridge right now for 5 hours 4 days in a row he would see deer. i still LOVE to hunt but time is not on my side. you have to get a good feel for the area, put your finger on the pulse. i screwd around in to many other areas again this year, that will not happen next year. Bowspirit just had a big racked 6 point in bow range there last week but could not get a good shot, had him at 15 yards sitting in the low ground blind.
funny only 1 person has stated that he has taken a deer in the Northern zone, with the one Chris shot that makes 2.......
Not everyone the hunts up north with a recurve or longbow and has been successful belongs to this site or even posts their good fortune. I know a bunch of guys who used to hunt this part of the world, I don't even know if they have a computer. I'm sure there guys that still do well once in a while!
They are all Liars :laughing:
Good luck Ken, you are wayyyyyyyy over due! I'm beginning to think you dont like venison. :dunno:
One would need a lot of time and good knowledge of the area to get a shot.
I know a few guys that had deer close but couldn't get a shot.
Glenbo had a doe in range but couldn't get a responsible shot.
A buddy of mine lives in Balston Spa and heads to the Northern zone every september. He uses wheels but he shoots deer every season, usually in Trad range. He passed 13 does up in the early season and finally decided to take one the last day. He hunts an old abandoned homestead loaded with apple trees
QuoteOriginally posted by Skipmaster1:
A buddy of mine lives in Balston Spa and heads to the Northern zone every september. He uses wheels but he shoots deer every season, usually in Trad range. He passed 13 does up in the early season and finally decided to take one the last day. He hunts an old abandoned homestead loaded with apple trees
Who is this gentleman that lives in the same town as me? I may have to grease his boots.
:goldtooth:
I can put you in touch with him Chris! He hunts alone so he may want company from time to time.
Thank you Greg. Always looking to meet new folks.
QuoteOriginally posted by adkmountainken:
Bowspirit just had a big racked 6 point in bow range there last week but could not get a good shot, had him at 15 yards sitting in the low ground blind.
Hehe...now that was an encounter. All while Drew sat next to me. I named that buck "Borrowed Time". Guess it's time for a new name with the season over, huh?
seasons not over, this week is late muzzleloader/archery, drag yer carcass up here!
It is actually only late muzzleloader. There is no late archery season in the northern zone. But it sounds like that may change next year.
The big woods of northern new york are some of the toughest whitetail hunting there is, But not imposiable! I spend 98% of my time hunting in the north, For the most part around eagle bay and also rackette lake and some times cranberry lake! Used to hunt forrestport area also! This year has been my best year ever having taken 2 bucks in less than 2 weeks, 1 fat little spike up near rackette lake on oct 16th with my longbow and the following weekend with the gun hunters I took a 7 pt with my recurve! The past 2 years I hunted all season only seeing 1 deer! It takes alot of time and work and boot leather but well worth it deer or no deer! The rewards of deep woods hunting are as was stated by ronw, The solitude, no human noise,just the woods and mountains talking to you if you listen!! sorry guys no pics as I no longer have a camera!(water damage,but that is another story) Find fringe or edge and there's plenty of it up there and you'll find deer!!
Good hunting, Jim! Hey, where in Cicero are you from? I lived there for 40 years LOL! On S. Bay Rd then on RT 31 out past Cicero Center. That area sure has changed.
QuoteOriginally posted by ronp:
Good hunting, Jim! Hey, where in Cicero are you from? I lived there for 40 years LOL! On S. Bay Rd then on RT 31 out past Cicero Center. That area sure has changed.
All luck Ron,and putting in the time! Hunting up there is a weekend ordeal and not half day hunts, put on a pack and sleep where you end up at end of day! Very hard for people to do these days with family and jobs and cost of fuel! I'm starting to feel my age and feel that these hunts are becoming harder with each passing year! Even tougher to get them out!
I'm right smack in the middle of all that change in cicero, off thompson rd- getting ready to move! There way to many people here!
Ron I knew that feller had to be right near ancient :goldtooth:
Drew, That had to something flying into the back country in those days and then being successful with traditional gear. Some of those spots you can no longer fly into.......gotta love this state!
QuoteOriginally posted by ron w:
Drew, That had to something flying into the back country in those days and then being successful with traditional gear. Some of those spots you can no longer fly into.......gotta love this state!
Those guys probably had to eat the deer on the way out to survive. :readit:
Big woods for sure.
I'm with Charlie, It's all about the woods. When I go up North it's during rifle, and we sometimes pack in 5 miles off the road. It is an awesome feeling back there and we hope to never shoot anything because it's a killer to pack one out thru the witch hobble, but we hunt hard all the same. In 10 years I have never been close enough to shoot a deer with a bow, except for some surprise encounters around the camp just off the main road.
Jim,
that is AWESOME, you da man!!!!!! really wish you had a camera bro!!!!
QuoteOriginally posted by adkmountainken:
Jim,
that is AWESOME, you da man!!!!!! really wish you had a camera bro!!!!
Ken,I think santa is going to bring me one this year if she can find a good water proof digital! :banghead: I've taught myself to remain calm before the shot and during the shot but when you see that arrow disappear where your looking, It's all over for being calm, legs shaking like Elvis up on stage, and the works!!!
I have taken 16 or 17 deer in the northern zone with traditional gear over the last 15-20 years, mostly around farm land. My buddy Mike Manassa and myself both took deer this year on land around his house.
Rick Combs
I think when Ken started this post he was really thinking of the area near or inside the Blue Line of the park. A lot of good of good hunting in the northern zone on the edges, Tug Hill, Champlain Valley, St. Laurence Valley. It's the middle where thing get pretty thin, inside the Adirondack Park!
I agree Ron. Plenty of deer in farmland and such. Finding them in the big woods is different. Doable but tough. Getting trade close is even harder than just seeing a deer.
Ha, ha, ha! Yeah it sure is tough hunting around here, Tupper Lake and has gotten much tougher in recent years. So much so, that I can't even get excited about hunting around here anymore. One of my friends told me years ago that if I started bowhunting the southern tier I wouldn't want to hunt the Adirondacks anymore. Turns out, he was right!
That being said though, yes I have killed deer here with a bow. In 1998 I killed a Pope & Young buck here with my recurve. That was the first year I hunted with a recurve and as it turned out, it was the biggest deer I EVER killed! I got it the tag end of rifle season. The next day was the end of the season. It can be done, but you need luck and perseverence to do it.
Mike
I agree it's tough Mike, I think even the southern tier is not what it was. I will continue to hunt in the Mountains just because it's so remote and there is so little pressure. Plus I don't see anything down here so what difference does it make where I see nothing. Might as well go where it's pretty! I think a canoe or kayak hunt is in order!!