Deer hunting in Tompkins County DMFA January 13-31, 2018

[goosifer]

(Note: burmjohn posted about this on 1/15/14, but I can't open the link to the post that comes up in search.)

I've been reading about the Deer Management Focus Area program in Tompkins County (includes land near Ithaca and Cornell) that allows two antlerless deer per day from the second Saturday in January through January 31 (January 13-31, 2018). See DMFA I find this really interesting. Has anyone ever hunted the DMFA season? Going to this January?

[Paula]

Is that the only county?

[goosifer]

2 minutes ago, Paula said:

Is that the only county?

Yes, it is basically an area surrounding Ithaca.

[Paula]

I did find a article on it. My hubby was asking, I knew it wasn’t around here. Thanks

[goosifer]

3 minutes ago, Paula said:

I did find a article on it. My hubby was asking, I knew it wasn’t around here. Thanks

Oh, sorry. I have a link in my OP titled DMFA. It goes to http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/82382.html

Yeah, I wish it was around here. I've thought about renting a place in Ithaca for a week in January 2019.

[SteveB]

Access that is not highly pressured is the issue for most - even locals.

 

[Steve D]

Really thought about doing this one until I did some research. The only "public" land available within the boundaries of the DFMA  is Buttermilk Falls Park  and Robert H. Treman Park. They only allow bow & x-bow hunting.

Rifles are out completely in Tompkins county.

Unless you have access to private land sounds like it may not be worth it.

[Northsox65]

I live in Ithaca and I have been hunting the special January Season for about 3-4 yrs now. Its it true we have a deer problem, however the deer live in the city limits of Cayuga Heights, Lansing, and Ithaca and you cant hunt them. And there is no Public land available outside the city limits unless you sign up to hunt Cornell Lands and their deadline to sign up is Oct 15th. 

[goosifer]

Info regarding getting access to Cornell lands (multiple sprinkled throughout the area; some in the DMFA, some not) is here. A bit of red tape, but could be worth it.

[goosifer]

4 hours ago, Northsox65 said:

I live in Ithaca and I have been hunting the special January Season for about 3-4 yrs now. Its it true we have a deer problem, however the deer live in the city limits of Cayuga Heights, Lansing, and Ithaca and you cant hunt them. And there is no Public land available outside the city limits unless you sign up to hunt Cornell Lands and their deadline to sign up is Oct 15th. 

What are your thoughts on Buttermilk Falls Park  and Robert H. Treman Park as places to hunt? Undesirable because of bow only restriction? Overcrowded?

[Northsox65]

I do not bow hunt, I have been to Buttermilk and Treman many times during the summer and drivin by it many times during Hunting season, Definitly not overcrowded. Might be worth a shot if you bow hunt. 

[SteveB]

15 hours ago, goosifer said:

What are your thoughts on Buttermilk Falls Park  and Robert H. Treman Park as places to hunt? Undesirable because of bow only restriction? Overcrowded?

Heard from several special season is crowded - most are not going back.

 

[goosifer]

I know I am repeating myself, but I figure I'll try again this year. Has anyone lately/ever hunted in the Ithaca DMFA and/or on Cornell land? @OtiscoPaul ? @SteveB ? @squirrelwhisperer ? @Northsox65 ? @Hunter_NY ? Love to hear some real world experiences from those who have done it.

[Fletch]

On 1/5/2018 at 8:09 AM, SteveB said:

Heard from several special season is crowded - most are not going back.

 

That's good news less folks to be in my way lol!!

 

My daughter goes to college in Ithaca and I am only 1.5 hours away. Was thinking about doing a weekend stroll with the crossbow. Also seeing if we can get any private land connections.

 

No I have never been hunting there.

 

[OtiscoPaul]

14 minutes ago, goosifer said:

I know I am repeating myself, but I figure I'll try again this year. Has anyone lately/ever hunted in the Ithaca DMFA and/or on Cornell land? @OtiscoPaul ? @SteveB ? @squirrelwhisperer ? @Northsox65 ? @Hunter_NY ? Love to hear some real world experiences from those who have done it.

I have access to some private it’s tough hunting that time of year I harvested regular season doe down in dmfa that was it.

[SteveB]

The little public land is crowded. The private is pretty much impossible to gain access too. And a lot of sanctuaries where the anti's let no one on.

[Northsox65]

I live In the Area and Have Hunted Cornell lands Every year for the past 5-6 yrs. If you want to hunt on Cornell you have to Register with Cornell Before Oct 15th, They do a background check to make sure you do not have a Criminal record. There is a lot of Cornell Land in the DMFA area, and I usually Harvest one or two does a year, I could Probably get more however 2 is fine with me. I have hunted Many Many days where I was the Only hunter for miles, and I have hunted Many many days without seeing a deer. I have never hunted any of the state parks because I do not hunt with Bow, so I cannot comment on how Crowded they are during this season. There is NO public land to hunt and the Tree Hugging PETA liberals in the area will not let you any where near their pet deer. There is a lot of Cornell land that is also Bow only so I can only talk about the land I hunt that is out Behind the Ithaca Airport. If you have any questions Please feel free to contact me. 

[easy]

I have only hunted on the Cornell property. Some land is bow only, some muzzle loader only, some shotgun. As stated above by Northsox65  the Cornell access is all private with a thorough vetting process. It is not crowded as each property has a limited number of hunters each AM and PM by reservation only. Once vetted you get a parking pass and unlimited doe tags. I was checked for the proper license by the DEC once. A neighboring landowner respectfully talked to me about parking and boundaries but I knew what I was doing and where I was. Cornell has very detailed maps showing designated parking spots and the full property boundary. I did harvest a doe with a shotgun. Cornell requires you to keep and submit a daily record of your activity. The properties are posted for hunting access only during these dates but recreationalists routinely ignore the signs. Overall it was an enjoyable way to extend the deer hunting season into January. Cornell has a great web based information site regarding this program. My freezer is full this year so I  will not be making the long drive.

[LICOASTIE]

I was always interested in hunting this DMFA area in January but since I have family on LI I usually just hunt there with the shotgun during January. You can at least shoot a buck down there instead of just does.

[dbHunterNY]

if my schedule was free i'd go but it's most definitely not.  to be open and honest i've only talked to DEC and others about it but haven't hunted it. if you hunt smart you can use the pressure to your advantage. i and others i know have done it countless times on public land. pressure like opening day chaos can make movement and hunting killer if done right.  most don't get any deer but i know one hunter took 10 deer during the special season. bow only wouldn't deter me at all. if anything that helps reduce pressure in a spot with adjacent gun pressure. it's close to the same here in 4J Albany. there's just not an extended season. why not extend your season?

[Steuben Jerry]

On 12/18/2019 at 7:11 PM, SteveB said:

And a lot of sanctuaries where the anti's let no one on

I lived in Ithaca for one year while our house was being built in the southern tier. I was less than a mile from Cornell near six-mile creek. I had trophy bucks in the back yard frequently and went to some area landowners looking for permission. You would have thought I was insulting their mothers instead of asking for permission. I got some very rude denials including one old couple who threated to sic his pissed off german shepard on me. The woman was holding the door open telling the guy to go ahead and do it! The guy was holding the dog back and told me I'd better get off his property before he lets go of the dog. That couple even called our land lady to complain about us wanting to kill deer. The landlady was hunting friendly and didn't care. 

I didn't ask more than 5-6 places that were very close to where we were staying and I gave up on that quickly.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Steuben Jerry

[Al Bundy]

I'm not real far from this area and am thinking seriously about going.  Im thinking to scout the public land tomorrow long as my hunting buddy still wants another deer.  Anyone whos hunted the public state parks have any tips? Thanks.  

[Gutpyle3673]

I am thinking about this as well. Never hunted those particular state parks . It bothers me that a place with such a huge deer overpopulation problem and the landowners won’t let you hunt. Why is it overpopulated with deer? Because these landowners are feeding the deer , which is illegal, and think they are pets. Going to sign up for the cornell property next year for sure. Missed it this year as I just learned of this program.

[Swamp_bucks]

I just got roped into going.  My friend called and said since we struck out during regular there we are going back.  My brother and his friends are renting a hotel room over there for the weekend also.

[Swamp_bucks]

Look like the 2 state parks are bow only.  Guess i need to get it back out and shoot.