Parking Wars At Stewart State Forest. Bow vs Pheasant Hunters.

[blackbeltbill]

I took more pics as well. Hell of a nice area. Always was.. there has to be at least 250 acres here off of Tuthill Rd.  I used to see upwards of 6 vehicles in that parking area and a few parked next to it on Tuthill Rd. Plenty of ATV trails back there and there is a railroad bed that you walk in on. I was back almost 3/4 of a mile taking pics.  Looks like the land might be sold. That sign has been there for Years...Anyway, this is better then a letter to the DEC as they and many in Region 3 will see my post.  How about pheasant releases in this area once again?! That would give some of the pressure at Stewart State Forest.

[blackbeltbill]

[blackbeltbill]

Spell check again! That is relieve pressure at Stewart.  Here is the railroad bed. Posted Farm on left and unposted land on the right. Pheasants and deer would move back and forth.  

[blackbeltbill]

Ok-- 1 more story involving me and related to my title--- Parking Wars.... Now on this early morning, I had a spot in mind that is VERY hard to get and being that I was only a few vehicles back from the front of the line, I had a good feeling that, I would get this parking area.  There had to be 60 vehicles or more in the line  on this morning . I did get this spot at parking # ($&@)..  l believe, I took my limit of 2 Pheasants again on this morning. Now halfway back on the trail, I could hear a few pheasant hunters  getting close to me.  Each Hunter parking area is limited to 1 vehicle and sometimes you will come out and another truck is parked behind your vehicle.  This is what happened. Again, another 23 parking areas are really needed at Stewart State Forest and Pheasants also put out a few miles away on Tuthill Road.  Oct 1st is coming on fast and there is time to make positive changes for hunters.

[tommyc50]

I know what your saying but if you look there is [or atlest there was a few years ago] dep land on 747 and/or maple ave. its been awhile since I been there I bow hunt there but during the week and nobody said anything to me. like I said in my other post if you research and look on the interactive map and the dep site [theres a lot of land open to hunting and some are stocked not all but some like bear spring mt. and basherkill on 209 and a place I think in Tannersville on a road going to calicoon, and Tivoli bays and niham mt   in dutchessand putting st in Putnam im pretty sure they are all stocked and yes I have hunted all of them in the last 30 -40 yrs . I remember the place on Tuthill rd like 25 yrs ago a Maybrook town cop pulls up and im walking in the field and real nasty says come here and says its 6:55  and sunrise is 7:08 your hunting before legal hours I was nice and polite but I told him i'll go back to the car so I had a cup of coffee and after I hunted I went to the check station and told them and now the dec workers are not the most pleasant but all the guy said your lucky

[blackbeltbill]

Good reply Tommyc50!! Yeah-- Maple Ave and part of RT. 747 have Hunter parking spots on them. There are probably a good 15 or so areas where there should be 2 Vehicles allowed to park instead of just 1.   As an example, I will list #6 which is located off of RT.207.    Easily another 20 or so hunters would be able to find spots to park for Pheasant or Bow Deer.  I  know Stewart better then most. Another spot which at (one time) had parking for 2 Trucks was #28 on Scofield Lane which is off of Ridge Road.  I could list another 17-18 Hunter parking areas that could be updated to 2 Cars.  

[blackbeltbill]

 

[blackbeltbill]

 

[blackbeltbill]

 

[blackbeltbill]

Ok, I was out hiking today at Stewart State Forest.  #s 67 and 68 Hunter parking area signs have been ripped down! I found them a few feet from the  trees with the numbers. Again both these areas should be updated to  (2) Vehicles.        #66- the last picture is still up- barely. Again this is another parking area that needs to be updated to 2 Vehicles. I uploaded a good list of parking areas that should be updated to 2 Vehicles instead of just 1.  With just Approval and a big black magic marker-- 22 more Vehicles would be able to Park! See my other post here-- Easy solution to parking wars.

[blackbeltbill]

I hope DEC in New Paltz see my pics of the 2 Hunting Spot signs that were down.  All these sign are falling down. Time for new ones for sure.                          There is a Hiker (inner) parking area off of RT. 207 at LORRAINE ROAD. The Stewart State Forest Sign is right there.  Why can't that inner Hiking Parking area also be Hunter parking area with access for 2 Hunters??

 

[blackbeltbill]

OK-- PROBABLY THE BIGGEST PROBLEM AT STEWART STATE FOREST FROM WHAT I HAVE PERSONALLY SEEN IS THAT THE BOW DEER HUNTERS WILL OCCUPY A HUNTING AREA FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE (WHOLE DAY)!  The pheasant hunters will be at that parking area a few hours until the Dogs start to tire out of the pheasant hunters themselves.  I am a Pheasant hunter and a solid 2 hours plus is alot of walking in the fields.  That parking space will soon open up for another pheasant hunter.                              It is long past time to go back to (2) Vehicles at plenty of the 77 parking areas . No one hunter should be allowed to claim a hunting parking spot for the better part of the whole day.

[blackbeltbill]

Just last Fall, I Pheasant hunted early in the morning  and came back by myself with no dog in the afternoon to try for Woodcock. I saw the same truck still parked in the very same parking spot!  Now some of these areas are good for both pheasant and deer and this was one of them. I am sure some pheasant hunters kept driving by this spot only to see that the same guy was still here.

[blackbeltbill]

[blackbeltbill]

This is the old Stewart Airport Cooperative Hunting Area Map used before this area became State Land in 1999.     Although today's map looks different, I wanted to show the areas that had parking for 2 Vehicles.   There was no numbered areas near Rowe's Pond and I have that part of the map folded as, I have good areas in writing that, I do not want to give out.                       Following are the areas that (HAD) parking for 2 Vehicles...   #s 2+3---#s8+9---#s19+20---#s24+25---#s29+30---#s31+32---#s33+34--- #s55+56---#s 57+58---#s71+72---. + #s 73+74.   You can enlarge this old map, I uploaded. So that is 11 Hunting parking areas that had room for 2 Vehicles. Again the map has changed. Some areas are closed-- but much more is open.   Hopefully with plenty of time to go as we are now at 8/9/18-- there can be a good 20 or so parking areas that really should be updated to 2 Vehicles before this October 1st.

[blackbeltbill]

I remember 1 Fall day when, I was parked on Maple Ave and returned to my truck for some Gatorade. A Bow hunter was parked  almost directly across from me and thought, I was going to leave.  You have to hunt only on your side where you are parked. He was standing at his truck and waited for me to pull out so he could make a fast U turn and grab my parking area.  Plenty of Wild Turkey sign though and a corn field was just harvested. Waste corn everywhere!!    s soon as, I returned, I saw a huge Doe with a Corn Cob in her mouth. I could have Tackled her. She was that close!   Both of us knew that the Combine had just got done the day before.    Some of these parking areas at Stewart are like Gold and there are more hunters then parking areas.

[raymerlo]

If any one wants to hunt quail in Putnam,bring your own,We the Federation at this time no longer are stocking them.lack of quality birds,game hogs 

[blackbeltbill]

[blackbeltbill]

I do plenty of Hiking and Hunting Posts about Stewart State Forest . I the picture above,you see that , I support SPARC. They have done so much to keep much of that land at Stewart State Forest from being developed.  I have donated many hundreds of dollars myself to help out.        Anyway,this thread is very important as hunters-- both for deer and Pheasants and other small game drive from near and far and there just needs to be more parking spots opened ASAP.  Again, by simply upgrading existing parking areas from 1 Vehicle to 2 Vehicles-- this can be for the most part solved. Not all 77 parking areas--- but a good 25 of them. 25 or if 2 people are in that Vehicle-- 50 hunters could enjoy themselves right away instead of driving around looking for a Spot. I myself have spent near 1 hour driving around on past October's and November's. Not fun with an excited Pheasant dog sitting next to you. Plenty of views already and DEC - Region 3 in New Paltz has viewed this thread, I am sure. There is yet time for more parking areas for hunters at Stewart State Forest before October 1st. Hoping for a positive change.

[blackbeltbill]

Enjoyed a Hike today at Stewart State Forest. Hiking on down New Road, I saw 1 brand new Hunting parking area sign. Brand new nails, and new circular Number sign as yet unmarked and a large Gray circle where the number of cars will be drawn in. Hope it is (2) for that spot and 24 others as well.  Hopefully all of the old Hunting  parking area signs will be replaced by new ones, like this one on Ridge Road.

[blackbeltbill]

[blackbeltbill]

That is the sign above this post.  I hope to see at least 25 more new signs with (2) marked in on that large Gray Circle.  

[blackbeltbill]

The title of this thread PARKING WARS...... really applies to Those 2 Hunter parking areas off of Forrester Road and #71 near the main entrance off of RT. 207. All 3 spots are very hard to get. By 4.30am or before on the weekends-- they are taken. Usually the Bow deer hunters get these spots first from what, I have seen myself.  These 3 parking areas are great for the Pheasant hunters as well.  All 3 and at least 22 others should be updated to (2) Vehicles. 

[cynthiafu]

They stopped the 2 vehicle parking because they stopped the 3 people per car . Now you can bring a small bus full of people in a bus . It is  ridiculous.

[blackbeltbill]

Yesterday, while close to Stewart State Forest, I decided to drive over to Clark St off of RT.207.  I already wrote that of the 2 Hunter parking areas on Clark St. As it whips around to seldom used Jackson Ave-- #78 is now gone... New Town houses are built right up to the State Land in that area. Look for #s 77+78 on your hunting map. Clark St. Is now hated off from Jackson Ave.  I drove around to Jackson Ave. This is tough to find. First right as you are driving to the Airport and it is that little side road on the right. About 3 trees are down and blocking Jackson Ave. #77 is now cut off. This is mostly a Bow deer area. With Clark St blocked off-- this is the only my way to #77 from what, I have seen. Hope those trees are moved before too long, but as, I wrote-- Jackson Ave is seldom used.