Hunting the Catskills area

[Redcreek5]

Hello fellow hunters my name is john, I am a lurker here for sometime. Being a long time white tail hunter in upstate NY has been great but recently I have been wanting to hunt bear..

Everything I read suggest the Catskills would be my best bet, but I don't know the area or if I can just hunt any parks / state land with out spacial permission. If anyone could please point me in the right direction that would be great.

i would like something with a creek or water so I can kayak up and get away from other hunters if possible. I would be doing stalk and hunt with a friend. Any advice would be great, it's a long ride Down so I only could make one trip this year. Thank you 

 

[PREDATE]

Check into the NYSDEP land. I'm not sure if it's in the early bear zone but there's thousands of acres! You do need a free permit from the NYSDEP. Good luck

[PREDATE]

Oops I meant the NYCDEP

[jjb4900]

nothing with a creek or water on State land that you can paddle away from others really comes to mind......any of the areas open for early bear have a decent population and there is plenty of public land.

[jjb4900]

are you just doing a day trip? Little Pond Campsite should be open till the end of October and it's in a decent bear area, pretty sure it's area 3A.

[Redcreek5]

Thanks everyone for the replies. After looking at Dec harvest reports and Google maps I was thinking of a place called sundown. Looks like it's east of little pond . After your reply jjb4900 I will be  calling little pond campground this week.

Should be a good time just to get in the woods with a firearm and the possibility of seeing big game. Goose opened up here the other day and its been a bust so far. 

Yes just a day trip, Google maps is showing 4 hours down. We will leave around midnight and try to eat on the way. 

 

 

[jjb4900]

Big Pond is just down the road from Little Pond, you can paddle across the lake if you want, but it's not that big.........my cousin took a nice bear by Big Pond a few years back, also Look at Alder Lake, that's right in that same area and gives you a chance to use the Kayak..but again not a super big body of water.

[Redcreek5]

Ok great, the kayak idea had a few reasons. I was thinking it could be quite and also cover some distance. maybe see the shore line aways.

But I have no problem just getting out on foot. 

[GreeneHunter]

Windham area has lots of state land but no water !  Good hunting there tho !

[eagle rider]

x2 on the City DEP lands.

[Redcreek5]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it.