All the deer hunting land access you could want

[Rattler]

Just an FYI for all the NY deer hunters looking for a place to hunt.  Delaware County NY has thousands of acres of City Water Dept land open to hunting, as well as lots of state land open to hunting as well.  These lands have good deer hunting.  Lots of acreage has recently been purchased by NYC Water Dept and is good hunting land.  I'm pretty sure all of the parcels are online on their site.  Want room to still hunt, track and not see any other hunters while you're out there?  This is where you will find it.

 

[Rattler]

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/16-059pr.shtml#.W3GMTM5Kh0w

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/recreation/index.shtml

 

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/recreation/open_rec_areas.pdf

 

The recreation mapping tool currently includes a total 131,944 acres of City-owned land and water east of the Hudson River in Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties, and in Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster counties in the Catskills. The mapped areas comprise 393 distinct parcels of recreation land totaling 96,113 acres. Those recreation areas range from as small as 6 acres to as large as 3,804 acres. The map also outlines recreational access to 19 reservoirs covering a combined surface area of 35,831 acres.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Rattler

[steve863]

The problem with Delaware county as in many areas of the Catskills is the antler restriction rule and that doe permits are almost impossible to get.  For the gun only hunter during regular season there isn't much one can legally shoot at, so having all that public land isn't much help I'm afraid.  I know for a fact that many hunters in the area have given up hunting altogether because of these reasons.  If they can't legally shoot at most of the deer they are lucky enough to get to see, what's the point in hunting at all?  Can't really blame any of them.

 

[Rattler]

The antler restrictions have been in effect for a number of years now and are starting to show good results.  The chance of getting a 6 point buck has improved now.  Big deer are being taken now also and there are very few hunters out there, even on the opener.  Bow hunters will find many of these parcels to be excellent hunting spots.  Meat hunters may not be too interested in the area, but deer hunters who are looking to put in a serious hunt to get a nice buck will find the area offers lots of land to hunt on.

Is all of Delaware county antler restricted?  I haven't got the map with me.

[steve863]

16 minutes ago, Rattler said:

 

Is all of Delaware county antler restricted?  I haven't got the map with me.

Yes, as is pretty much the entire Catskill range.

 

 

 

[Rattler]

On the positive side, it's beautiful country that allows for great rifle, ML and bow deer hunting. 

For those who just want to shoot a deer of any stature, without a doe permit, they will not find it to their liking.  For those who truly love to hunt and only want a nice buck for their efforts, you will not find the area lacking in hunting land opportunity.

BTW, bear, turkey, coyote, bobcat, small game and waterfowl abound in this area as well.  Plenty of good hunting for them too.

There is no shortage of land access for hunting in Delaware Cty.

 

[Hunter007]

There are plenty of state lands  in the state if you dont mind driving 2 or 3 hours to get to it .

Anything close to civilization usually  not that good  but still if you can hunt a lot closer and be able to spend 2 times more time in the woods your chances probably equal the same as if you go two or three hours away to hunt . 

Edited August 13, 2018 by Storm914

[Rattler]

I find the city water lands to be better than the state lands.  Most were in private hands less than 5 years ago.

[Northcountryman]

I used to hunt the Blue Hill DEP parcel in Sullivan years ago but didn’t find it that productive. Not as much food over there for them as in Orange with all those farms 

[Shawn1878]

thanks for the info!

[Rattler]

You're Welcome.  Glad you found it.

[SteveB]

On 8/13/2018 at 11:25 AM, Storm914 said:

 

Anything close to civilization usually  not that good   

We have vastly different definitions of "civilized".

[DirtTime]

On 8/13/2018 at 9:07 AM, Rattler said:

Just an FYI for all the NY deer hunters looking for a place to hunt.  Delaware County NY has thousands of acres of City Water Dept land open to hunting, as well as lots of state land open to hunting as well.  These lands have good deer hunting.  Lots of acreage has recently been purchased by NYC Water Dept and is good hunting land.  I'm pretty sure all of the parcels are online on their site.  Want room to still hunt, track and not see any other hunters while you're out there?  This is where you will find it.

 

You are concentrating on one specific area of the state.

I posted this a while back, it covers the entire state for public land access:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/82098.html

 

I don't think water shed lands are listed, as they aren't regulated the same as basic state land or WMA's. 

 

[Iluvracks1359]

awesome, I already have a DEP land access permit, so this is golden!

[eaglemountainman]

I was told you no longer even need those DEP permits any longer. Is that true?

[crappyice]

I was told you no longer even need those DEP permits any longer. Is that true?

Doubt it...I was in a management program that borders some of those lands and we needed the car tag and permit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eaglemountainman]

"Although DEP no longer issues separate Hunting Tags and DEP Access Permits are no longer required on “Public Access Areas,” DEP Access Permits are still required on those properties posted with signs that read “Entry by Permit”.Because other restrictions may exist on New York City water supply lands, all hunters and trappers are encouraged to familiarize themselves with DEP’s Rules for the Recreational Use of Water Supply Lands and Water."

Did some research and found this sight:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/recreation/hunting_and_trapping.shtml