4P Hunters

[The Mule]

Any one on here hunt in 4P? Recently purchased 50 acres in Andes (half pasture and half woods with a lot of wild apple trees mixed in). Put some cams out a few weeks ago and will be pulling the cards this weekend to see what's been going on. Have seen a few bucks just walking the property. No legal shooters. Don't think I am going to put any permanent stands up this year. Going to use this season as one long scouting/learning process on the property and just use my climber. Lot of DEP land in the area I would like to check out as well. Anyone seasoned 4P hunters floating around out there? 

[hunter]

Good luck. Sounds like a dream come true.

[left field]

I'm across the river in 4O and I spend a lot of time in Andes and Bovina. Can't speak to the hunting but can recommend restaurants and give you general lay-of-the-land info if you're new to the area.

DM me.

[Rattler]

I'm in 4P off of Rt 28 just past Bovina heading towards Delhi.  Been here 20 years now.  Lots of city watershed land to hunt and getting permission on private land isn't difficult either.  Got a nice heavy mass 8 pointer last year on my land.  Where in Andes are you?

 

[steve863]

I hunted 4P for over 20 years until 2013 when I lost the private land I had access to.  Doe permits are very difficult to get for a number of years now in this unit and then you throw in the antler restrictions that are in effect there, you find yourself with not much to legally hunt.  Being mainly a gun and meat hunter I'd have little desire to hunt there again even if given the opportunity. 

[left field]

Yes, DMP are tough. Not sure if the 50 acres gives him an edge. 4F is pretty easy.

Rattler, I must drive by your place all the time. Lots of friends in the area.

I met the guy last week who lives on the old Gerry Estate is managing the Aman resort development proposal and behind the purchase of a lot of the buildings in Andes. Interesting conversation.

[Rattler]

Yes 50 acres will get you land owner preference for DMP's in the area.

Left field, where do you hail from?

 

[steve863]

14 minutes ago, left field said:

Yes, DMP are tough. Not sure if the 50 acres gives him an edge. 4F is pretty easy.

 

Yes, as a landowner of 50 acres, I think he'd be able to get a DMP there.  For those who own less or don't own at all, they will not have an easy time getting a tag.  Years ago the Catskills were so much more heavily hunted and people were able to get DMP's.  These days there isn't a fraction of the hunters like there once was, yet DMP's are slim pickings.

 

 

[Rattler]

I blame the coyote.  

[steve863]

2 minutes ago, Rattler said:

I blame the coyote.  

 

Well, if the DEC will only issue a small number of DMP's in the Catskills and limit the legal take even more by implementing antler restrictions, then hunters won't be very enthusiastic about going out to hunt and possibly kill some coyotes while out deer hunting.  Let's face it.  Not many hunters will be going out specifically for coyotes, and with the dwindling hunter numbers in the Catskills I can see awful few being taken.  So, this is probably more of a man made problem then a coyote problem. 

 

 

[The Mule]

55 minutes ago, Rattler said:

I'm in 4P off of Rt 28 just past Bovina heading towards Delhi.  Been here 20 years now.  Lots of city watershed land to hunt and getting permission on private land isn't difficult either.  Got a nice heavy mass 8 pointer last year on my land.  Where in Andes are you?

 

I am off of Route 2 between Andes and Delancey. Cabin Hill Church/Perosi Firearms area. 

Good to hear you got a nice one last year. I know they are out there. I pulled the cards last weekend and had a few small bucks and one legal. Also some coyotes, grouse, and porcupine. Looking forward to the season. Apple trees are loaded and starting to drop. 

[The Mule]

44 minutes ago, left field said:

Yes, DMP are tough. Not sure if the 50 acres gives him an edge. 4F is pretty easy.

Rattler, I must drive by your place all the time. Lots of friends in the area.

I met the guy last week who lives on the old Gerry Estate is managing the Aman resort development proposal and behind the purchase of a lot of the buildings in Andes. Interesting conversation. 

Yes, I was able to get a DMP.

I would have loved to have been part of that convo. Whats the story with that development? Is it dead or will it be revived?

[left field]

 

25 minutes ago, Rattler said:

Yes 50 acres will get you landowner preference for DMP's in the area.

Left field, where do you hail from?

Canada > Malaysia > NYC > SF > NYC <> Bloomville.

23 minutes ago, steve863 said:

Yes, as a landowner of 50 acres, I think he'd be able to get a DMP there.  For those who own less or don't own at all, they will not have an easy time getting a tag.  Years ago the Catskills were so much more heavily hunted and people were able to get DMP's.  These days there isn't a fraction of the hunters like there once was, yet DMP's are slim pickings.

I just got 4O with three PP.

21 minutes ago, Rattler said:

I blame the coyote.  

So, no wolf reintroduction?

[left field]

4 minutes ago, The Mule said:

Yes, I was able to get a DMP.

I would have loved to have been part of that convo. Whats the story with that development? Is it dead or will it be revived?

Lots of old articles:

https://www.curbed.com/2015/7/14/9941178/karrie-jacobs-home-building-upstate-new-york-aman-resort

There was also talk of a casino, but I doubt that would fly.

Wayside Cider is a pretty good place to grab a drink or light meal. Thursday night is local night and prices are dropped. Wild Common Wine has a great selection of wines. There's a butcher in the Andes General Store who can cut anything you want.

[Rattler]

25 minutes ago, steve863 said:

Well, if the DEC will only issue a small number of DMP's in the Catskills and limit the legal take even more by implementing antler restrictions, then hunters won't be very enthusiastic about going out to hunt and possibly kill some coyotes while out deer hunting.  Let's face it.  Not many hunters will be going out specifically for coyotes, and with the dwindling hunter numbers in the Catskills I can see awful few being taken.  So, this is probably more of a man made problem then a coyote problem. 

I agree this is a problem the DEC created.  The antler restrictions killed the visiting hunted numbers, but there hasn't been a huge reduction in small deer being taken, because youth hunters are still able to tag them.  Every camp has a youth hunter and so every camp takes at least one small buck that the kid tags.

Fewer hunters definitely means fewer yotes killed though, and that is causing a decline in fawn and doe numbers, so the DEC is certainly to blame for the yote population.

To put it accurately, we have a yote problem that the DEC created.

Edited September 5, 2019 by Rattler

[The Mule]

24 minutes ago, left field said:

Lots of old articles:

https://www.curbed.com/2015/7/14/9941178/karrie-jacobs-home-building-upstate-new-york-aman-resort

There was also talk of a casino, but I doubt that would fly.

Wayside Cider is a pretty good place to grab a drink or light meal. Thursday night is local night and prices are dropped. Wild Common Wine has a great selection of wines. There's a butcher in the Andes General Store who can cut anything you want.

Read all those old articles before I bought. Just curious if anything new. Would love to check out the Gerry Estate. I can't imagine what it must have been like to own all that land.

Have been frequenting Wayside and the General Store all summer. Also recommend Catskill Regional Harvest and Butcher. They have a lot of stuff from local farms and a nice butcher section.

[left field]

As I understand it, no, but I'm always the last to know. 

I'm usually at Wayside on Thursdays (though not this week) if you want to grab a beer.

[The Mule]

Awesome. Will let you know next time I'm there on a Thursday.

[Eric J]

2 hours ago, steve863 said:

Yes, as a landowner of 50 acres, I think he'd be able to get a DMP there.  For those who own less or don't own at all, they will not have an easy time getting a tag.  Years ago the Catskills were so much more heavily hunted and people were able to get DMP's.  These days there isn't a fraction of the hunters like there once was, yet DMP's are slim pickings.

 

 

Exactly... so how does this make sense?

[left field]

Not sure I followed that either.

Talking to my town clerk when I got my licence last week she said that no one gets 4P but almost everyone scores 4F.

[steve863]

14 minutes ago, Eric J said:

Exactly... so how does this make sense?

 

It doesn't make sense.  I think the lack of DMP's is probably the main reason the Catskills are becoming a ghost town hunting-wise compared to what it used to be.  And antler restrictions were the final death blow in my opinion.  Why the hell should someone put in the time, energy, money, etc. required to hunt deer when in the end you'll have to pass just about every deer you'll get to see?  I know when I hunt my goal is to put something on the ground.  If I just want the fresh air, I could get it throughout the rest of the year and don't need to buy a hunting license for it.

 

 

 

 

[thphtm]

35 minutes ago, left field said:

Not sure I followed that either.

Talking to my town clerk when I got my licence last week she said that no one gets 4P but almost everyone scores 4F.

I am in 4P and I got a DMP this year. , A few reason there are not as many hunters as in past years .The old time hunters have gotten to old or health related problems to walk the rough country here, The woods have gotten over grown, without clear cutting, ( which leaves very little or no brose for the deer to eat.A lot of the newer hunters do not  want to put in the time stalking the deer , they want to sit in there tree stands and  wait for a deer of there choice to walk by or ride on there atv untill they see one.

The DEC did a good thing by cutting back on the DMP's  the amount of does have really declined in the past 10 years, Have started to build back up in the last 2 years.  Antler restrictions are working too , there are some  bucks walking around in the past few years with some nice racks.

I am talking about he wooded area that I live in on the side of a hill , not about the open farm lands. that I do not go near. 

[left field]

^ Great. Maybe because 4P was my second choice she felt I would never get it.

Good point about the mature forests.  

[steve863]

38 minutes ago, thphtm said:

 The woods have gotten over grown, without clear cutting, ( which leaves very little or no brose for the deer to eat.A lot of the newer hunters do not  want to put in the time stalking the deer , they want to sit in there tree stands and  wait for a deer of there choice to walk by or ride on there atv untill they see one.

 

When was there ever any major clear cutting in the Catskills?  Those who own land and do hunt these days may also plant food plots which was unheard of 25 or more years ago, so I am not buying that deer have too much less to eat these days compared to years ago.

 

 

 

[The Mule]

1 hour ago, thphtm said:

I am talking about he wooded area that I live in on the side of a hill , not about the open farm lands. that I do not go near.  

Just out of curiosity, why do you stay away from the open farm lands? 

I got permission to hunt a neighbors property. He has a big corn field that borders DEP land that's loaded with apple trees. I can't wait to get in there. 

I have always hunted deep woods. This will be my first time hunting around ag fields.