Pheasant Hunting at Stewart?

[sfisk]

Has anyone has any luck here? I'm looking at the area North of Weed Rd. by the DEP field office. Have no dog just my me and my Son. Been slogging through fields up to shoulder high at the Great Swamp in Patterson last 2 Sundays. Saw plenty of piles of feathers, just no birds. For almost 5 hours of walking we only flushed one hen between the 2 days. Cover is too heavy there, I think you really need a dog.

Anyone know any other good spots? Coming from Putnam County, 3N region, but will travel an hour or so.

[cynthiafu]

not sure if they let any birds go this year

 

[shawnhu]

Stewart can be good, but it isn't right now for non dog hunters. Wait until later in the season, you may have better luck when they finally decide to cut some of the grass.

A buddy and I also flush without dogs, and we do pretty well some days.

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[Elmo]

The grass in most places are a lot taller than the past recent years which makes it tough for hunters without dogs and even hunters with dogs.  I was walking through the corn with corn starks towering over me, even if a bird jump I wouldn't be able to shoot it because when I looked up I can't even see sky.  I see corn.  Last couple of years were not that tough.

[sfisk]

Thanks Shawnhu and Elmo. I thought it was a little early, maybe after a few hard frosts those weeds will start to fall over. 

Well if anyone is ever interested in having a couple more "beaters and shooters" on a hunt just shoot me a PM.

-Steve

[shawnhu]

Anytime Steve. You can look us up anytime as well, but our schedules are a bit tight this year due to family.

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[Two Track]

Those weedy fields/meadows really are too high right now without a dog.  I hadn't seen any deer in the morning lately, so I listened to my wife and went looking for turkey on Saturday morning and planned to look for deer in the afternoon if didn't bag any turkey or pheasant.

 

The ideal turkey areas were taken already, so i decide to try out the field on the north end - a stone's throw from I-84.

 

I hiked through to the woods bordering in the swamp and set up for turkey - only saw a couple small non-game birds and one squirrel - gave up at 10:30 and figure I would try to chase up some pheasant as they do release some birds near there.  30 yards from from the field I walked up on a doe.  So I slip back to the car to pack up the gun and grab the recurve.

 

Tried to trail the doe but the weeds quickly reached should height - hard to tell before I started in as I was going up hill and the weeds started at waist height by the trail.  Bow was snagging on the weeds constantly - no way to take shot in there with the bow if I did find her again.

 

Even if I stuck with the the gun and shot a pheasant, I would probably never find it unless I had a bird dog.  I saw 3 other areas that are known for pheasant in the same condition.  Hope they work on the fields soon.

 

If they gave me the keys to a tractor with the brush hog attached I could clean some of that mess up.

 

By the way some areas in Sterling Forest are looking similar.  The wild blackberry bushes are taking over a field and blocking some old trails and abandoned roads I was on a couple weeks ago.  Last year saw some deer on those old trails and roads, and took pheasant in that same field that I can't walk through now.

[raymerlo]

We will not see any mowing this year,hopefully in the early spring,time has come to put pressure on region 3 to get back in the wildlife management business,all the WMA are used by local and out of towners

 

and spend their dollars locally,tell them to stock the pheasants properly and get back in the wildlife business,mowing and planting,like before the budget crunch we have the dollars in the fund but they do not

 

release them to the regions,only in drips and drabs,hatchery's are not in great shape,pheasant farm is being pressured by the local trail people

[raymerlo]

try Lafayetteville in Dutchess Co.the fields there have been mowed and they stock there

[BizCT]

Try ninham mtn

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[raymerlo]

We will not see any mowing this year,hopefully in the early spring,time has come to put pressure on region 3 to get back in the wildlife management business,all the WMA are used by local and out of towners

 

and spend their dollars locally,tell them to stock the pheasants properly and get back in the wildlife business,mowing and planting,like before the budget crunch we have the dollars in the fund but they do not

 

release them to the regions,only in drips and drabs,hatchery's are not in great shape,pheasant farm is being pressured by the local trail people

[cynthiafu]

yea stewart  was better when the dec ran it . at least there was always someone around  if you needed them right away . the state  has cut back the rangers hours alot .

[atskuv]

Hunting Stewart with a dog is difficult at best, without a dog it is even harder but not impossible it does have a lot to do with timing and knowledge of the area.

 

   I put up four last week out of Stewart , I harvested the first one, the second flew towards the road , the fourth one the dog blew up before I got there while she was chasing the third bird that I don't want to talk about.

[Steve7]

I live a half mile from there.  Got one this season without a dog and A LOT of walking the fields and from what I heard they didn't stock much.  Maybe later in the season may be better.

Edited October 24, 2013 by Steve7

[Steve7]

Has anyone has any luck here? I'm looking at the area North of Weed Rd. by the DEP field office. Have no dog just my me and my Son. Been slogging through fields up to shoulder high at the Great Swamp in Patterson last 2 Sundays. Saw plenty of piles of feathers, just no birds. For almost 5 hours of walking we only flushed one hen between the 2 days. Cover is too heavy there, I think you really need a dog.

Anyone know any other good spots? Coming from Putnam County, 3N region, but will travel an hour or so.

 

SF...  try over on Forester Road. I walked up on the bird and flushed him and the fields are a little better there and some are mowed. Just passed by there today.  Good luck. 

[atskuv]

SF...  try over on Forester Road. I walked up on the bird and flushed him and the fields are a little better there and some are mowed. Just passed by there today.  Good luck. 

 

 

Yep Forester road has some nice fields off route 207 in Rock Tavern parking areas 69 and 70 I never hunt them but pass by at work and see pheasant on a regular basis

[sfisk]

Thanks for all the info and tips everyone, I think we'll head over to Forester Rd tomorrow. Funny I worked right up the road a piece from Rock Tavern for a few years, used to eat at Johnny's Pizzeria and that great Hot Dog trailer on 17K almost daily!

[sfisk]

Hmmm, looking at Forester Rd on Google Maps, where can you park around there?

I see one right on the map-   http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/stewartbrmapa.pdf

 

Thanks everyone again

Edited October 26, 2013 by sfisk

[sfisk]

Oh, and out of desperation and thinking that "any dog is better than no dog" we brought my GSD last Sunday to the Great Swamp. Didn't flush a single bird, but he had lots of fun!

[shawnhu]

Great swamp looks nice!

Each spot is posted with an orange sign. Find the sign, find the parking.

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[raymerlo]

the Putnam Co. Federation of Sportsman clubs stocks pheasant throughout the early part of the season up till almost the gun deer season,along with the state stockings and there are more than

 

one,also Cranberry Mtn and Ninham mtn,there are two parking areas at Cranberry Mtn,the other is about two hundred yards further up the road,also try lafayetteville in Dutchess Co. 

[sfisk]

shawnhu, Great Swamp is nice, and there are lots of birds there, saw a dozen piles of feathers easily. Problem is without a bird dog, the stuff is just too thick.

Edited October 29, 2013 by sfisk