Hunting Long Island Help

[BKhunter]

Hey All,

With a baby due in September this year getting upstate is looking like it isn't happening for me so looking to scout some long island spots to hopefully get a few morning and afternoon sits in. I'm trying to read the regs and am not sure if I am getting this correctly. Can you all help confirm my understanding or offer any advice to simplify this.

- Any parking spot north of the LIE you need to check in at a station to get a reservation? This is for any public land listed on the DEC website.

- Any parking spot spout of the LIE you are ok as long as you display your land access permit?

- You cannot hunt a Suffolk county park unless you are a Suffolk resident? (Are there markers noting this as there looks like some parks but up to DEC land especially by Otis and the Pine Barrens.

 

Any tips for someone who hasn't hunted the island ever? Seems like due to the limited parking and amount of people you would need to get there extremely early or is this not the case? I would hate to waste my time driving out thinking I'm going to get a few hours in a stand and get there with nowhere to park or plots of land already filled up with reservations. Any help is appreciated as I'm a little lost.

[ATbuckhunter]

You are correct with everything you said, but the reservations only start November 1st when small game starts. 

There should be a signs that mark the boudry, but they arent always good so you have to be vigilant. 

Best tip I can give is to get in the thick stuff. I hunt the island a decent amount (2 years ago my friend and I both shot giant bucks off public land 1 day apart) and there is some really good hunting. Im sure you know about the bonus doe tags that you can get. Ill be hunting the island more this year, but way out east in the hamptons and southhampton my only suggestion is to get out there and start scouting. Everything is hunted on the island, but if you do your work you can find the areas that not many people hunt. Parking can be an issue sometimes, but itll force you to hunt different areas sometimes 

[BKhunter]

2 minutes ago, ATbuckhunter said:

You are correct with everything you said, but the reservations only start November 1st when small game starts. 

There should be a signs that mark the boudry, but they arent always good so you have to be vigilant. 

Best tip I can give is to get in the thick stuff. I hunt the island a decent amount (2 years ago my friend and I both shot giant bucks off public land 1 day apart) and there is some really good hunting. Im sure you know about the bonus doe tags that you can get. Ill be hunting the island more this year, but way out east in the hamptons and southhampton my only suggestion is to get out there and start scouting. Everything is hunted on the island, but if you do your work you can find the areas that not many people hunt. Parking can be an issue sometimes, but itll force you to hunt different areas sometimes 

Thanks for the tips!

[rachunter]

6 hours ago, BKhunter said:

Hey All,

With a baby due in September this year getting upstate is looking like it isn't happening for me so looking to scout some long island spots to hopefully get a few morning and afternoon sits in. I'm trying to read the regs and am not sure if I am getting this correctly. Can you all help confirm my understanding or offer any advice to simplify this.

- Any parking spot north of the LIE you need to check in at a station to get a reservation? This is for any public land listed on the DEC website.

- Any parking spot spout of the LIE you are ok as long as you display your land access permit?

- You cannot hunt a Suffolk county park unless you are a Suffolk resident? (Are there markers noting this as there looks like some parks but up to DEC land especially by Otis and the Pine Barrens.

 

Any tips for someone who hasn't hunted the island ever? Seems like due to the limited parking and amount of people you would need to get there extremely early or is this not the case? I would hate to waste my time driving out thinking I'm going to get a few hours in a stand and get there with nowhere to park or plots of land already filled up with reservations. Any help is appreciated as I'm a little lost.

I'm assuming your talking bow hunting. It's a good idea to have two or three backup spots also you don't have to sign in until after November you use the permit. After November  you can do an early let out,that might be a little hard for you because you need to go to the check station the day before.

No matter what you do spray down with Swayer insect repellent or a good tick spray there everywhere.

There's also a shotgun lottery for January.That's the only hunting I do on long island anymore.

[bruno1]

3 hours ago, rachunter said:

I'm assuming your talking bow hunting. It's a good idea to have two or three backup spots also you don't have to sign in until after November you use the permit. After November  you can do an early let out,that might be a little hard for you because you need to go to the check station the day before.

No matter what you do spray down with Swayer insect repellent or a good tick spray there everywhere.

There's also a shotgun lottery for January.That's the only hunting I do on long island anymore.

There’s some state parks that don’t open until 11/1 and all you need is an access permit with no check in. 

[rachunter]

4 minutes ago, bruno1 said:

There’s some state parks that don’t open until 11/1 and all you need is an access permit with no check in. 

Good point I forgot about those parks.

I was commenting on this "Any parking spot north of the LIE you need to check in at a station to get a reservation? This is for any public land listed on the DEC website"

I was looking around on the DEC website and see they opened up a few more areas out here,it's good to see.

[bruno1]

8 minutes ago, rachunter said:

Good point I forgot about those parks.

I was commenting on this "Any parking spot north of the LIE you need to check in at a station to get a reservation? This is for any public land listed on the DEC website"

I was looking around on the DEC website and see they opened up a few more areas out here,it's good to see.

There’s some really good spots just south of the LIE I used to hunt. Some really good early season spots on the north side. Are you a Suffolk resident 

[rachunter]

Yes I've been hunting long island for 30+ years.I gave it up a few years ago and bought a place up in the ADK's.There's some great deer running around on this island.

Check out my back yard buddy

 

[bruno1]

6 minutes ago, rachunter said:

Yes I've been hunting long island for 30+ years.I gave it up a few years ago and bought a place up in the ADK's.There's some great deer running around on this island.

Check out my back yard buddy

 

Yea I’m a guide out east so needless to say I don’t hunt much anymore lol

[rachunter]

8 minutes ago, bruno1 said:

Yea I’m a guide out east so needless to say I don’t hunt much anymore lol

Ya know that would probably be BKhunters best bet to hook up with you for a hunt.My brother went on a guided duck hunt out in Shinnecock he had the time of his life and still talks about it.

[bruno1]

3 minutes ago, rachunter said:

Ya know that would probably be BKhunters best bet to hook up with you for a hunt.My brother went on a guided duck hunt out in Shinnecock he had the time of his life and still talks about it.

He came on here and asked for help the right way. Asked for info but never asked for a spot and I respect that. I have no problem steering him in the right direction with a few spots if he wants via PM

[BKhunter]

10 hours ago, bruno1 said:

There’s some really good spots just south of the LIE I used to hunt. Some really good early season spots on the north side. Are you a Suffolk resident 

No I am a nassau resident. If I have a friend that lives in Suffolk am I able to hunt with him in the Suffolk parks?

[bruno1]

8 hours ago, BKhunter said:

No I am a nassau resident. If I have a friend that lives in Suffolk am I able to hunt with him in the Suffolk parks?

You can’t if you’re a Nassau resident unfortunately 

[meateater]

what are you looking to hunt? deer bow/shotgun ,small game. If you do your home work there are some spots in brookhaven and riverhead thats open  to hunting plus rocky point ,the navy coop[or whatever they call it now]. barcelona neck is good too i hunted there during shotgun season i had a doe tag  and a date and spotto hunt. Also on the northfork by orient but, research and research and if you scout. GOOD LUCK!!!