NYS public hunting locations

[Jeremy K]

Hey Fellow hunters, Do any of you have any good references for public hunting in nys , my dad and i would like to explore a little bit during archery season and i cant decipher the DEC website enough to tell what is what , just a simple map with colored areas seems like the best idea but i cant find anything that easy to read.

 

Thanks in advance , Jeremy

[Doc]

What part of the state are you interested in?

[Jeremy K]

We live in niagara county and we have a hunting spot 2 hours away that we spend alot of time at ,something  around a 2 hour drive would be fine or even a bit further , we have slept in the truck before just to get some quality time at specific spot.

[jim335]

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/82098.html      hope this link works.  

[robw]

I spend a lot of time in Allegany State Park.  The herd is down quite a bit compared to 5-10 years ago, but if you use your topo map, and get back from the roads, there's plenty of deer to be had.  Shot a doe in archery last season, a doe and a buck season before.  Saw quite a few beyond those.   I have heard a lot of complaints about there not being deer left in the park, but it seems to come from folks who stay near roads and trails, and don't spend too much time in the woods.  It will get hit hard the first few days of gun season, but it's a ghost town during archery.

[Jeremy K]

I spend a lot of time in Allegany State Park.  The herd is down quite a bit compared to 5-10 years ago, but if you use your topo map, and get back from the roads, there's plenty of deer to be had.  Shot a doe in archery last season, a doe and a buck season before.  Saw quite a few beyond those.   I have heard a lot of complaints about there not being deer left in the park, but it seems to come from folks who stay near roads and trails, and don't spend too much time in the woods.  It will get hit hard the first few days of gun season, but it's a ghost town during archery.

 

Archery only in state parks for us , my dad would really be into hiking into the middle of the park and letting the deer come to him , he likes to talk about the good ol days before 4 wheelers and lots of hunting pressure.

[Doc]

That link that Jim335 supplied looks like exactly what you want to explore all the state land in western NYS. I found that kind of interesting myself.

[Pygmy]

It might be a little beyond your 2 hour drive, but there is lots of prime public hunting land here in Steuben County...

None of it sees much pressure during bow season, and even during gun season pressure is light after the first few days..

Places to check...Tracy Creek State Forest near Rathbone...Pinnacle State Park and adjoining Mc Carthy State Game lands near Addison...

Erwin State Game lands near Painted Post..Cameron State game lands between Cameron and Bath.. And many more..

[Jeremy K]

Thanks for all the info so far , ill start talking to my dad when we start shooting this week . Ill see if he is still up for a weekend in the tent or truck for some archery hunting like we used to do when i was 14.

[hunter49]

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/82098.html      hope this link works.  

   Go here & serch for ; list of state forest by region. some within an hour + drive to wny are;

  Farmersville st. forest

 Golden hill

Lost nation

Bear creek

Allen lake

Bush hill

Boyce hill

Carlton hill

Swift hill

[Guns&ReligionCop]

I hunt public land over here in Eastern NY and I figured the best way is to just go and walk around.

[Jeremy K]

I hunt public land over here in Eastern NY and I figured the best way is to just go and walk around.

 

Ultimately , that is the plan . We have some go to spots that we like but its always nice to get into some unfamiliar territory and see if we can make something happen. 

 

[Guns&ReligionCop]

I spend most of my squirrel season scouting and getting a better feel for the land and my map time comes when I'm bored at work

[chiefbkt]

Happy Valley wildlife management area in central NY is a huge area of state land that offers a lot of space for hunting. There are dirt roads that offer access throughout the entire forest, which is around 9,000 acres. There is info on the DEC website. It's quite far from you, but may be worth a look.