California Hill,Putnam County

[Elmo]

did one afternoon sit there.  saw nothing.  very little signs.

[the_narrows]

I've been scouting it for coyote and have seen signs. If you want to drive up from Westchester some day after the snow hits and try to call some coyotes, I'm in. Recognize your name from Westchester fishing btw. I have a boat on New Croton.

[ryan]

I kno this is an old tread but anyone been hunting this area recently ?

[raymerlo]

You guy's are passing up a lot of nice land. Check the the NYCDEP lands in Putnam,get an easy access permit and info on their website,also thousands of acres west of the Hudson,around those big reservoirs,you can use rifle on most of them.

Read the syllabus that you get when you buy your license,lots of info there...Ray

[BizCT]

You guy's are passing up a lot of nice land. Check the the NYCDEP lands in Putnam,get an easy access permit and info on their website,also thousands of acres west of the Hudson,around those big reservoirs,you can use rifle on most of them.
Read the syllabus that you get when you buy your license,lots of info there...Ray

Yup- also be aware that some (Kent I think) have AR’s in effect even though 3N as a unit as a whole does not.


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[raymerlo]

 Biz,If I remember right there is about 7000 acres of AR in the town of Kent.the lands were posted back then.There was signage around the boundary of the AR acres.

This info is in the packet from NYCDEP,there is a lot of public land opened by the NYCDEP...Ray

[BizCT]

 Biz,If I remember right there is about 7000 acres of AR in the town of Kent.the lands were posted back then.There was signage around the boundary of the AR acres.
This info is in the packet from NYCDEP,there is a lot of public land opened by the NYCDEP...Ray

Yes. A lot of options out there.


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[Paul18]

Hey guys know this an older thread, but I am from NC going to school here in Westchester. Curious about hunting spots for turkey this spring. I went and walked around California state forest the other day seems like it could be productive. I'm not sure how busy it is during season. Also know there is some land through NYCDEP if you get access permit. I am also planning on deer hunting later this year in October. Any information on this would be so awesome and appreciated. 

Thanks guy! 

[raymerlo]

There is lots of state land besides NYCDEP,go to the DEC web site and check it out 

[Paul18]

Ok awesome thank you so much! 

Are there any locations you recommend checking out? 

[raymerlo]

Paul,You can scout out Ninham Mnt. in Carmel,that is a state forest and has DEP lands that ajoin it,also Fahnstock state park is good for turkeys and muzzle loader deer.but you have to get a permit from the park superintendents office located at rte.301 just west of the Taconic parkway.Dont wait till the last minute  to get the permit .  Basically they all offer opportunity.the rest is up to you.Good luck and be carefull ...Ray

[BizCT]

Paul,You can scout out Ninham Mnt. in Carmel,that is a state forest and has DEP lands that ajoin it,also Fahnstock state park is good for turkeys and muzzle loader deer.but you have to get a permit from the park superintendents office located at rte.301 just west of the Taconic parkway.Dont wait till the last minute  to get the permit .  Basically they all offer opportunity.the rest is up to you.Good luck and be carefull ...Ray

Good advice. And I’ll also say that all should be aware that some DEP lands in Kent have their own antler restrictions in place. Look for signs explaining the details.


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[raymerlo]

Bill,Some where on the DEC website the is a link to all the properties by county,like google earth very informative ,seek and you shall find

[raymerlo]

We had tons of those to hand out at Federation meetings and county fairs,now its all on the web

[BizCT]

Bill,Some where on the DEC website the is a link to all the properties by county,like google earth very informative ,seek and you shall find

Correct. It’s broken out by County and very useful. I’ll dig it up


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[BizCT]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/recreation/open_rec_areas.pdf


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[Paul18]

Thank y'all so much!!! I will look into these for sure and start hiking around for sure! This was so much help!

[Hunter007]

Wow have not tried hunting that place in 15/20  years I have seen turkey and deer in there before there is defiantly game in there . Just matter of being in the right place at the right time. 

 

Edited March 11, 2018 by Storm914

[Bobonli]

Taconic Hereford is very popular with mountain bikers and Wassaic with hikers/dog walkers. So, just be mindful of that. I'm not sure about Wassaic but you can also camp overnight at T-H in designated spots.

You can call or email the DEC for advice. They actually answer and offer helpful information about where to try and where to avoid.

[gwhalin]

Did a ton of late season squirrel hunting in California Hill.  Saw fair amount of deer sign in spots, but also saw people leaf blowing trails (yes for real) and riding mountain bikes all through there on weekends.

[NYRturkeycall]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm coming from Suffolk and starting turkey as a beginner for my first season in May 2021. So far I think I've narrowed down either cranberry, wonder lake, & california hills (all Putnam) to hunt. I plan on hiking in a few miles in to get away from crowds.  likely going into this blind unless I find a Saturday to go up and hike and scout out some areas in April. 

anybody have any suggestions about California Hill from this thread? Any advice is appreciated in advance thanks. 

[raymerlo]

Hi Newbie, just to let you know that wonder lake is a state park and you have to get a permit to hunt there,

you can get the permit at the park office located at the TSP & Rte 301 just west of the exit. Fahnestock  Park is also

huntable get the info from the park superintendent or check it out online,also check out Great Swamp WMA located

in Patterson.Let me know how you make out...Ray

[NYRturkeycall]

Hey Ray. I appreciate the information it's a big help! I will look into those and look into the permit at wonder lake. 

Been practicing my turkey calls and pissing my wife off so far. I will be updating my posts in May hopefully if I grab a Tom or 2. 

[gwhalin]

I hunted California Hill hard in 2020 turkey season.  Saw a few hens and heard a few waaaay off gobblers, but only got out there one time this season.  Did you end up getting in there this spring?   Any sign of turkey?

[NYRturkeycall]

No I ended up hunting cranberry Mountain this spring. Same as you, maybe a little different but didn't harvest any birds. I'm looking forward to fall season down here in Suffolk county even though it's not mating I can do more scouting because it's local.