Hey folks,
Been awhile since I posted. I missed deer season last year for the first time since ive been old enough to hunt. It was a miserable summer and fall for me. I had to move, and the both of the land owners I had hunting permission from passed away. They were great folks. For some reason their children don't want me anywhere on the property that I have hunted for 11 years. It sill really bothers me every time I drive past the property, to be honest, it breaks my heart. I've asked every land owneraround and everyone of them has ssaid no. Some are afraid of lawsuits and flat out say it, and others already have friends and family hunting. I'm wondering if anyone from the forum hunts state land in NY and has any good areas to try. I'm not asking for exact spots, I'm just looking for a general area. Has anyone here ever hunted High Tor, Galen, or Northern Montezuma? Luckily these are less than an hours drive from me. I'm thinking I'm going to be hunting from the ground this year as well, as I'm not sure iI want to lug a stand on state land. When I can afford a lightweight climber, I will buy one. Luckily, I have shot most of my deer from the ground and know what to expect. I always built natural blinds that I brushed in. It illegal to cut brush on state land here, so I'll have to make do with what isn't attached to success .Any success from you hunters who hunt state land? Any tips for me?
Sorry for the rant,
Matt.
New York looks to be similar to Georgia. It has millions of acres of state land to hunt on. It looks like the actual WMA's are dwarfed by the state forestry land in NY. 187k acres vs 4 million. Scouting is the key. Talk to Forestry service, wildlife biologist. Your closest DEC office would be the best place to start.
This is how I found my best places to hunt.
Good luck!
I never hunted New York but I spent a lot of time hunting public land in Ohio where I grew up. I would suggest you do what ever you have to, sell some things you don't use anymore, but buy yourself a climbing stand. It's going to give much more versatility especially if you are hunting public land where the deer might be pressured. I to have killed deer on the ground, but I have been more successful in the air, and by staying mobile. Be willing to hunt afternoons when most guys are feeding their faces. Deer will pattern people especially on public land so be willing to hunt afternoons when most guys aren't.
When I hunt public land I look for the tracts of land with the hardest access . Be it by boat or foot. I hunted a tract of land for 2 years and only seen one hunter, and he was lost. But seen plenty of game.
My self, brother and father all hunt letchworth state park now but I've hunted a bunch of land in canaseraga (spelled wrong)
honeyoye and hemlock.
Use Google to get aerial views of the locations that you are interested in hunting this fall.
You can usually locate travel routes and field edges to start hunting just from the overhead views. That is how I prepare for land I can't step on until I hunt it. I have had a good bit of success from that alone. It should at least get you in the ballpark.
Thanks guys. I plan on doing some scouting around these areas in the next few weeks. I know hunting state land is going to be more of a challenge, but if I didn't want a challenge, I wouldn't be hunting with traditional bows.
A lot of people think that state land only offers low opportunities. What that means is that they don't bother to hunt it. What that means is it can be low pressured. What that means is the hunting can be as good as private land. The downside is you can't prevent what happens while your in your sets i.e: the occasional competition from others.
Mryan, I hunted alot of state land in NYS before I bought my home. It only has 11 acres but they are good hunting acres with many deer trails. I've had good fortune on my place most years.
One of the things I have had success with in the past is looking for smaller tracts of state land. Most urban/suburban gun-only hunters will think they will see more deer in the larger areas. There a piece of state land less than a half-mile from my house that is "only" 750 acres and I sometimes hunt it to vary my scenery. I have never seen more than 2 or 3 other folks there at any one time during gun season and no one at all during archery season 2015. But if the small tract is within 30 miles of one of the Thruway corridor cities (Albany, Utica/Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo), it's probably overused even in bow season. As Liquid Courage suggested, state forestry land is often a good bet, especially if the state has selectively cut it to improve habitat for game birds. If you look for areas with "tough access" as Stonewall says, I would look for boat access first since that's probably easier to get your deer home. It's hard to drag a deer more than a couple of miles unless there is some snow on the ground.
I often have wished the DEC would release license totals in each region from last season. I don't want to know "who" I'm competing with, I want to know "how many" in archery, gun, and muzzleloader seasons. That information could be helpful in planning where to go. But I guess that's a dream given the cutbacks.
What izzy said! You have to be flexible and have thick skin and a clear mind...it can be frustrating too but success is not
Necessarily much better or worse.
Don't sell public land short. It may be harder hunting, but it can be just as rewarding.
I have a friend who got two deer in Montezuma last opening day of gun. He said not that many guys. He said Howland island not bad either. Bear swamp at south end of Skaneateles lake is big land and rough, a friend says it's quite good.
Thanks guys,
Never hunted state land before, and your words are encouraging. I think a climber might really help. Any suggestions for one 300 or less that wouldn't be a pain to carry some miles? I plan on really doing some exploring, so I'll be carrying it some distance every time I hunt. I used to own an api climber, but that thing was just way too clunky to lug in and out everyday. I also think I'll be trading my fanny pack for a backpack. How do you guys carry both?
Matt.
I like my lone wolf climber, goes up fast and quiet but isnt a boar to carry.
It sounds like you live between syracuse and Rochester. There is a lot of game out that way. I have heard great things about Montezuma but have no personal experience there. One old timer who used to talk about that place said he killed a large buck every year.
He said he had a few spots which were very thick, he had one or two shooting lanes 10-15 yards long. he had to stay at the ready because the shot opportunities passed quickly.
I have heard Letchworth is a great public land opportunity.
I hunt mainly public land here, its bow only and offers a pretty good opportunity to see deer.
after being in your shoes about hunting the most beautiful place on earth with great game population, only to have my friend, the land owner pass away and the kids to sell the property, it sure is a punch in the guts..... Gaining access to private land is tough when you are a stranger. I hope things work out for you.
A used Lone Wolf or a Summit Specialist
Just have lots of patience and figure out what the deer do when evading other Hunters and set up for that. Where I hunted last year one day I had five different groups of upland Hunters walk by my stand, just remember they can push a deer to you as easy or often as they push them away, my 2012 deer was pushed to me. Don't get mad if somebody comes by, it's their land too and they probably don't know they are infringing until it's too late!
I hunt almost all my hunting time on public land,I usually keep the freezer full.
I do one of two things. I go deep in the swamp usually a mile or more or I hunt very thick stuff closer in. I hunt food. Persimmons,crab apples,acorns and honey suckle in the winter.
I hunt funnels during pre rut and rut. A funnel with food is even better.
I do work weekend and hunt during the week so that is a plus as well.I have had more problems in hunting clubs with slobs than I have had on public land./ I hunt thousands upon thousands of acres of public land for 19 bucks.
Shhhhh hush up RC, Don't give out that secret.
:dunno:
ChuckC
I have hunted public land in central NY pretty much all of my 30 yrs here . the one thing I have found is that most people will park at the same places, walk the same paths and hunt the same woods, then leave. The next guy pulls up and thinks great no ones here. Then hit the same spots the last guy hit.
I have seen and shot more deer within 50 yds of the road or in small out of the way wood lots. Look for escape routes where the critters will cross the road to safer ground
A lot of those folks will bust right thru the close stuff so they can get to the " hunting woods" pushing the deer out.
Just be willing to think outside of the box.
I hunted a parcel once, parked at the designated spot and headed in, about 100 yds down the trail I realized I forgot something, headed back to the truck and. Kicked up a buck laying just inside the gate at the entrance. That opened my eyes, so to speak .
This is a blessing in disguise.... Trust me!
No offense to hunting private land but learning to hunt public land with out crops, obvious funnels, etc will make you a much better hunter. Once you gain these skills it will open opportunites up for you to hunt other states on their state land and have great odds.
It's a challenge but not hard to hunt state land. Just need common sense and some smart thinking. I actually love hunting state land and turn down options to hunt prime private land all the time. It's nice to not be limited by fences, property lines, and what the guy next door is doing. I have hunted out of state alot and on these trips I have had both buddies that only hunt private and buddies that hunt alot of state land. The 2 private land hunters are the only ones that didn't kill a deer on those trips. Great guys and great hunters but to limited of skill sets.
Congrats on the new opportunites that have forced their way into your life. Enjoy them it may be the best thing that ever happen to you!
I too am hunting public land for pretty much the first time this year. I think scouting is the key. The old cliche of going where others wont is definitely true. Thats where the deer go when they get pushed. Thats where they tend to feel most comfortable moving during the day time as well. The mountain I used to hunt in PA was the same. All the hunters at the bottom came in and pushed them right up to us.
I have concentrated my scouting on travel corridors. Specifically saddles in the ridges. Last week I kicked one out of a saddle I found on Google maps with the topo view. That deer was right where I thought they were traveling.
I dont think you need to get a tree stand if its not in the budget or you dont want to lug it around. Ive hunted from the ground my whole life and done well. I would recommend some form of 3d camo since you cant build brush blinds. I am working on making one out of one of those die cut real tree camo blinds. Cheap and effective and lightweight.
I too have noticed a trend of deer activity mid-day (not in rut) on public land that is pressured. They do pattern people.
Thanks for all the tips guys. I am starting to look forward to hunting the big woods. I did a scouting trip a week ago and was surprised at the amount of deer sign. The deer are definitely there, and I have a few nice spots picked out. My plan is to stay somewhat mobile and go to the out of the way places. I've found loads of sign in a few of these spots already. LB you are definitely right, this is for sure going to be an awesome learning experience. I found some not so easy to get to spots loaded with white oaks and deer sign that are giving me high hopes. One of them is gonna take my canoe to get too. I also ended up getting permission to hunt some private land locally, but I'm still camping and bowhunting on state land for my vacation. I realize it's important for me to learn to hunt this more than anything, because no one can stop me from hunting it. Also, I like an adventure, and this should be one. The woods are untouched and
There is plenty of land to go around. Seems to be plenty of deer as well. One of the spots I've picked is in the really thick stuff and is heavily traveled. It is between 2 different food sources and quite a hike, but i have high hopes for it. I wanna thank you guys for the pep talk and great advice, this should be a great.season.
Matt.