State Land Deer Hunting/The Best and The Worst

[growalot]

See now this post could have been a good one...but not...

I would have thought reading the post ppl may have returned with...ya I've hunted ..IE...Rattlesnake Hill...Harriett Holister....Canacadea...Oh whats the gorge in Naples?..you know...Stoney Brook...Hemlock...Letchworth...Allegheny state parks....ect...ect

Perhaps given advise on them....but nope keep it to the vest...interesting...I don't hunt public even though I'm close to some great places...I'm blessed with private and feel it...for me ...would be unfair...taking away from some one not as fortunate..but if I could I'd give ya some tips

[max3]

Where I hunt on private land the hunting stinks. The citi-diots bring up a ton of guy's & hunt all over everyones property. The farmer down the road brings in out of the area hunters. So my point is the grass is always greener on the other side. My feeling's are when it is the deer season all the woods are packed. Though I own my own land I may be trying state land next year !

[SteveMcD]

Well, I hike into my spot which about a mile from the access point, in Putnam County. I ran into a fellow half a mile in, off the AT. And the gentlemen was 82 years old. I was shocked! God Bless Him! I don't mind the drag or the hike, if that is what it takes.

[NYbuck50]

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.

There is tons of stateland around Syracuse

[Skillet]

I hunted Keeney swamp in Birdsall for a few years. I never killed one there, but my partners got 2. Lots of guys in there, and several access points. You can get away from the crowds though. I hunt Hi-Tor in naples for squirrel, never seen another small gamer in there. I know a spot way back in the woods in Naples that has ELK if you are willing to hike there. You go down the back hill, and there they are, standing around , you just shoot one, cut the 8 FT fence to get him out, and presto! They have these funny little tags in their ears tho, must be some kind of DEC monitoring study.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Skillet

[Doc]

State land can be a little nerve-racking to hunt, but then there is a lot of so-called private land that gets even more pressure simply because it is "private" and everyone wants to hunt private land over public anytime.....lol. I sit on one hill hunting on state land with very few hunters around while the private land across the valley is slam banging like some kind of war zone.

However, I have learned is how to hunt defensively. I understand that I am hunting with some people that could be absolutely wacko. I don't know any of them from Adam. That does concern me a bit. So on the more busy days, I don't move around a lot, and I sit with my back to a big tree, watching anybody that comes into the area. I am decked out like some kind of orange neon sign, and always make sure that anyone coming into the area knows I am there. Also, if someone does set up a bit too close, I move out. Of course all of this would be done on private land also.

Once opening weekend is over, the state woods that I hunt seems more deserted than the surrounding private lands. Parking lots get down to a couple of cars, and the I pretty much have the place to myself. Of course that can be a double edged sword too. The deer that have moved into full survival mode are not being pushed around by anybody so tactics have to change from sitting all day to more aggressive hunting techniques.