State Land Deer Hunting/The Best and The Worst

[wztirem]

I predominantly hunt State Land in Putnam County and in Schoharie Counties and over the years I have had  pretty good success. Some areas ares of State lands  are better than others. Anyone have any recommendations or opinions?

[Warren]

I have been hunting NY state land during the gun season for many years and I understand why people get discouraged and quit hunting. Firearm season on state land is hard work and can be very frustrating. After opening weekend most deer have vanished. It is my opinion that state land deer are a completely different animal than a deer hunted on private land. In most cases, anyone that hunts private land has a huge advantage over the state land hunters.

I have learned the hard way that the state land in Dutchess County is a waste of time. They are nice pieces of land for a nice fall/winter hike but usless for filling a buck tag.

I have been successful on state land in Ulster and Orange Counties but it takes a lot of hard work and usually 1.5 mile drag back to the car.

[nyantler]

Everything is relative.... one mans good hunting is another mans bad hunting.. a long drag to some is a short drag to others... for example 1.5 mile drag is a cake walk in my book.. try 3-4 miles... a good tip for state land is to hunt more remote spots.. where most hunters won't go.. if you have easy access to a piece of state land you can count on it being heavily hunted. Most guys don't like to be far from their truck. the larger the piece of state land the better I like it.. that way i can get in far enough to avoid most hunters. This is where all the deer go that disappear after opening day. I know guys that continue to go back to the same piece of state land year in and year out with the same complaints about too many hunters... if I go to a spot that turns out to look like a pumpkin farm of orange jackets.. i will leave and cross that spot off my list of places to hunt.. if you use your head its really quite simple and you'll have a lot less disappointments

[BizCT]

I predominantly hunt State Land in Putnam County and in Schoharie Counties and over the years I have had  pretty good success. Some areas ares of State lands  are better than others. Anyone have any recommendations or opinions?

what state land do you hunt in Putnam County? I know of ninham mt., big buck, the great swamp, etc...but never hunted any of them for deer...always figured they were overcrowded...i try to stay on small pieces of private land.

[Warren]

NYantler - From your reply, I'm guessing that you are not from Putnum or Dutchess County. You are lucky that you have the option to move to other state land that is not crowded.

[First-light]

Everything is relative.... one mans good hunting is another mans bad hunting.. a long drag to some is a short drag to others... for example 1.5 mile drag is a cake walk in my book.. try 3-4 miles... a good tip for state land is to hunt more remote spots.. where most hunters won't go.. if you have easy access to a piece of state land you can count on it being heavily hunted. Most guys don't like to be far from their truck. the larger the piece of state land the better I like it.. that way i can get in far enough to avoid most hunters. This is where all the deer go that disappear after opening day. I know guys that continue to go back to the same piece of state land year in and year out with the same complaints about too many hunters... if I go to a spot that turns out to look like a pumpkin farm of orange jackets.. i will leave and cross that spot off my list of places to hunt.. if you use your head its really quite simple and you'll have a lot less disappointments

We used to hunt the state land off of Morton Hill road in Roscoe. I took a doe and a 5 pt in many years hunting there. Heavy pressure the first two weeks then just the die hards. There is over 15,000 acres around that area some places you can get lost. Well one year I go up and there are these two guys from Pa near where I hunt. They have a giant 10 pt and a decent six pt in the bed of the truck. I was amazed and stopped to talk with them. We did the typical chit chat and I congratulated them. I had to ask what was there secret to success? They told me they would go in far, just about the limits of the normal hunter and set up camp there. From this point they would hump it in even further to places most guys would not venture. He told me the big deer was shot on a ridge browsing in the middle of the day. This is where your deer vanish to.

[Geno C]

i dont mind hunting state land. i have had good success doing so. the bad is i can not really leave a stand in the woods and sometimes always see signs of other hunters. So i really dont know what goes on there during the week or when im not there. i also am wary on leaving my trail cams out on state land.

[Fletch]

I hunt state land a lot in central NY and none have too much area that no one hunts it all. I hunt a few places 5000 to 7000 acres. And they get hunted throughout. These spots have so many access points there are no spots more than a couple miles off path. Now up in the Dacks that is a different story. You can go in there and not see a person all season in some spots.

[nyantler]

NYantler - From your reply, I'm guessing that you are not from Putnum or Dutchess County. You are lucky that you have the option to move to other state land that is not crowded.

I don't look at hunting just the county that I live in.. I travel all over to find places to hunt... I hunt state land all over the state as well as property that I lease and own. Literally for a couple hundred bucks and a few tanks full of gas I have a ton of good hunting spots all over the state... there is almost no state land close to where I live in central NY.. so much for lucky.. you have the option to hunt other state land, just depends on how badly you want to hunt.

[Geno C]

its good to have multiple places to hunt, i try not to limit myself to one pleace... i have a bunch of places i can hunt.

[nyantler]

I hunt state land a lot in central NY and none have too much area that no one hunts it all. I hunt a few places 5000 to 7000 acres. And they get hunted throughout. These spots have so many access points there are no spots more than a couple miles off path. Now up in the Dacks that is a different story. You can go in there and not see a person all season in some spots.

I agree that there are some areas that simply get hunted hard.. I try to hunt off days during the week when possible... and I realize that is hard for some guys to do.. My least favortie time to hunt state land is the weekend when most hunters are afield. Unless the weather is miserable in which case i make it a point to try and hunt... the worse the weather the fewer the hunters usually. Sometimes its a lot like a chess game trying to outsmart the other fellas moves

[Geno C]

i have noticed in most cases here, that alot of guys tend to be lazy... And what i mean by that they become more like the deer and take the path of least resistance. They pick obvious spots and spots that may be easy to get to, which is good sometimes. its always nice slipping in quietly in the dark but the bad side of it is you have more chances of seeing hunters then deer. Setting up off of quad trails and so on. i usually dont see tomany guys getting into the thicker cover, its usually avoided by some and those guys go straight to the more open areas. dont get me wrong im not sayin they are all lazy and wont kill deer in those spots but i like to get away from the BS (the other hunters). i try to go more off the beaten path.

[wztirem]

i have noticed in most cases here, that alot of guys tend to be lazy... And what i mean by that they become more like the deer and take the path of least resistance. They pick obvious spots and spots that may be easy to get to, which is good sometimes. its always nice slipping in quietly in the dark but the bad side of it is you have more chances of seeing hunters then deer. Setting up off of quad trails and so on. i usually dont see tomany guys getting into the thicker cover, its usually avoided by some and those guys go straight to the more open areas. dont get me wrong im not sayin they are all lazy and wont kill deer in those spots but i like to get away from the BS (the other hunters). i try to go more off the beaten path.

Consider the average age of the NY hunter, late 40's. Many of these individuals hunt close to their vehicles because the they are no longer physically able to drag a deer a long distance.

[sweet old bill]

not lazy just old, fat, and at 69 years young not have the ability to pull a deer out from a mile away from the car. I hunted North Pharsalia state land 7500 A's off of rt 23 and one eye road. I did well over the years, never seemed to see many hunters during bow but come opending day of gun the orange tide was out. I would just walk a extra several 100 yards from the road and again never seemed to see a lot of hunters. now live over to Oneonta Swart Hollow road, anyone know of any stae lands in the area. I sure can not find any...

[Geno C]

not lazy just old, fat, and at 69 years young not have the ability to pull a deer out from a mile away from the car. I hunted North Pharsalia state land 7500 A's off of rt 23 and one eye road. I did well over the years, never seemed to see many hunters during bow but come opending day of gun the orange tide was out. I would just walk a extra several 100 yards from the road and again never seemed to see a lot of hunters. now live over to Oneonta Swart Hollow road, anyone know of any stae lands in the area. I sure can not find any...

yeah i can see that the case, forsure... and its understandable....

love how you ALWAYS say 69 years young bill lol

[hang fyre]

wztirem what state land in scho. county do u hunt?  I live in conesville and hunt the state land and dep lands around here and some in greene county.  I agree that the further u can get off the beaten path the better odds u will have.  most public land i hunt is way better during bow season with less pressure.  and usually after opening week of gun its quiet but, less deer activity until m/z.

[nyantler]

Consider the average age of the NY hunter, late 40's. Many of these individuals hunt close to their vehicles because the they are no longer physically able to drag a deer a long distance.

I'm 51 and have no trouble getting a deer out long distances... the only reason you aren't physically able is if you let yourself go and aren't in shape or have a disability... My good friend Jim Massett the adirondack tracker is 73 and still hunts miles in the woods alone... I doubt there is a young guy that I know that could keep up with him...

[wztirem]

Jim is an exception. You cannot turn back the clock, age and ones phyical condition go hand in hand.

[Geno C]

Consider the average age of the NY hunter, late 40's. Many of these individuals hunt close to their vehicles because the they are no longer physically able to drag a deer a long distance.

I'm 51 and have no trouble getting a deer out long distances... the only reason you aren't physically able is if you let yourself go and aren't in shape or have a disability... My good friend Jim Massett the adirondack tracker is 73 and still hunts miles in the woods alone... I doubt there is a young guy that I know that could keep up with him...

yeah there is older guys out there who will out do most of the younger guys

[nyantler]

Jim is an exception. You cannot turn back the clock, age and ones phyical condition go hand in hand.

Just wondering how old you are? the fact that you use age 40 as the cutoff point makes no sense.. and I can name a ton of guys I know that are over 40 that shoot down your theory. It's nothing more than an excuse to bitch.

I'll even go farther and tell you that I know out of shape, overwieght guys that hut the adirondacks and get back into the wood a long way from their truck and still find a way to get their deer out.. They don't use their age or their condition as an excuse to find a good place to hunt

Here again I guess its just a matter of how badly you want a good hunting experience

[samb]

I hunted Rattlesnake hill for 25 plus yrs and can tell you that after the first 2 days of gun it's like a ghost woods, no one there.  For me it had never been the distance of the drag but the terrain of the drag. Parts of Rattlesnake will make you suffer if you shoot a deer.  One year 4 of us shot shot 7 deer in the morning. We started dragging them out at noon. We finished at 8 at night. It's allot of work but a very rewarding place to hunt. Oh yeah and we were all in are 30 except my uncle who was 70. 

[wztirem]

Jim is an exception. You cannot turn back the clock, age and ones phyical condition go hand in hand.

Just wondering how old you are? the fact that you use age 40 as the cutoff point makes no sense.. and I can name a ton of guys I know that are over 40 that shoot down your theory. It's nothing more than an excuse to bitch.

I'll even go farther and tell you that I know out of shape, overwieght guys that hut the adirondacks and get back into the wood a long way from their truck and still find a way to get their deer out.. They don't use their age or their condition as an excuse to find a good place to hunt

Here again I guess its just a matter of how badly you want a good hunting experience

40+ is the published average age of the NY Hunter. You could look it up.

[nyantler]

Ok but why does it also have to be the age where the body starts failing so you can't get far into the woods??   Well, I guess it's as good an excuse as any for the guys who simply don't like getting to far off the beaten trail.

[bubba]

If by 40 a hunter is washed up physically, there is something wrong. I am 52 and will walk hunt climb and drag with the best of them. I drug my 190 dressed buck a half mile alone this fall.  Up and down hill.  Then the guys with the 4 wheeler showed up and took it the rest of the way.  I honestly felt kind of like I was cheating having it hauled out.  I used to hunt deep swamp state land here in 6a. We would sneak into the swamp before daylight and wait for the ridge runners to push the deer off the fields and into the swamp. Very successful.  The drags would be 2 -3 miles through the swamp to hard land then to the vehicle.  If you cant do that at 40, unless you have a disability, quit hunting. 

[fasteddie]

One thing I have to say for the older , out of shape hunters ( of whick I am one ) is to take your time and take breaks . Don't get all stressed out . Every once in a while you hear of someone dragging a deer and having a heart attack .

Other than the last hard drag ( getting a deer up a gulley bank ) , my hardest one was pulling a deer ( on a sled ) 500 yards up a hill three years ago . My son was on the opposite side of the gulley in South Bristol and offered to help but I didn't want to ruin his hunt and said I was fine . I was huffing and puffing when I got to the top . I got smarter this past season . My son shot a button buck . He dressed it out . I dragged it down to the lower road while he went uphill , got his truck and met me at the bottom . I've gotten smarter .

I'll be 70 in September . I guess if 40 is average , that makes me "above average" !