Where are the deer?

[mfolch]

A simple question, born out of frustration.  Last year was my first hunting season - an expensive and logistically complicated one, since I live in the city. My shotgun-rifle permit arrived only after hunting season was over, so last year I had to borrow rifles from a friend who lives in Baltimore. Every trip involved renting a truck, driving to Maryland, and then driving upstate.  

 

I went with a friend with extensive hunting experience in Texas who had just moved to NYC.  We wanted to find public land that has only limited hunting pressure, so we settled on the western high peaks.  We spent ten days in late September hiking to find a suitable area, getting rained on the whole time, scouting, and building blinds.  We tried to go back in October, but Sandy arrived while we were picking up the rifles in Baltimore. We were stuck in Maryland and couldn't get back for more than a week, by which time work interrupted.  When we finally returned in late November, all the leaves had fallen, meaning that our blinds were now in the most exposed areas imaginable.  The deer had altered their movements to adjust to the changing forest ecosystem, so what had been ungulate highways a month and half earlier were now cold and unused.  What ensued was another week of freezing rain and snow, with us trying to scout and hunt new areas at the same time (a self-defeating combination).  We saw all of three deer, all antlerless, and since it's the Adirondacks, there're no DMPs - bucks only.  On the very last morning, my friend decided to change strategy.  In Texas they hunt edges along lowland swamps, riverbeds, and valleys; that's what we were doing, getting outsmarted every time.  He started hunting the highest ridges in the area and, two hours before our agreed upon meeting time, he took a 11-point buck.  I got nothing.

 

So, it looks like we made every mistake in the book. We started late; we were unfamiliar with the territory and animal we were hunting; and our strategy was flawed.   Most fundamentally, we didn't go where the deer are. A ranger I ran into mentioned in passing that, the western high peaks has among the lowest deer population density in the state.  Which is fine - the experience of trekking out for miles to set up base camp before hunting was worth it.  But with no DMPs and such low density, chances of success were slim to begin with.

 

This year I'm going on my own, and I'm starting to scout early.  I would still like to find a place that's fairly remote, and I'm making as many weekend trips to the Racquette River and Moose River Plains areas as I can afford.  But none of these places issue DMPs, and I've never killed a deer. So, I'm looking for some place I can go to hunt does as well as bucks.  Are there areas in WMUs 6C, 6G, 6H that are open to the public and worth going to?  Does anyone have experience hunting in Racquette and Moose Rivers? Some states have deer density maps, but I haven't found any online. More generally, is there anything else am I missing?  Thanks a lot for any comments.

Edited June 1, 2013 by mfolch

[Pav2704]

I would consider that a pretty successful season!

[PREDATE]

I would consider that a pretty successful season!

+1

 It seems like you realized most of the errors.

We're all still learning every time we set out no matter how many years we have under our belts. Experience only comes with time. Stick with it and you'll get your deer.

If time/work constraints are an issue, you may want to start bow hunting too. That way you'll have 2 months to squeeze in trips upstate.

I'll add that you don't need to hike into unchartered terrain to find awesome deer. Many suburbs/backyards are giant buck sanctuarys!

[apoallo]

.

If time/work constraints are an issue, you may want to start bow hunting too. That way you'll have 2 months to squeeze in trips upstate.

Also with a bow I dont believe you need a permit to keep it in the city wiht you like you would with a rifle or shotgun. although I could be wrong.

 

Also Why are you traveling so far upstate from NYC? There are plenty of deer in Orange county.as well as in other neighboring counties

[growalot]

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/deerforecastr6.pdf

[cdmckane]

Why limit yourself to an area with no DMPs? After opening day 7h/7j public lands have little or no pressure on weekdays. DMPs are plentiful as are does to fill them.

[G-Man]

I would look at lands in central and western ny, populations are high, even with more hunters in them, most hunters only hunt weekends. take some vacation and hit the public areas during the week and later in the season. Hanging bog, cranberry hollow, harwood lake. all are great places to hunt and seem to be abandoned after opening weekend. chance for bear, antlerless,and good bucks as well. if your driving that far you won't mind the difference in direction, region 9 ,8,and 7 all have good public land, especially during the week!