Syracuse.com - Guest column: North Syracuse man spends four days each fall deer hunting alone in Adirondacks

[HuntingNY-News]

<p>By Don Therre Contributing writer Every fall since 1992 I’ve gone on a deer hunting trip to the Cranberry Lake area of the Adirondacks. I’m dropped off about eight miles down the lake by a marina owner who operates a shuttle service. I stay in a tent by myself. For four days, there are thousands of acres of state...</p>

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<p><strong>By Don Therre <br />Contributing writer </strong></p>

<p>Every fall since 1992 I’ve gone on a deer hunting trip to the Cranberry Lake area of the Adirondacks.</p>

<p>I’m dropped off about eight miles down the lake by a marina owner who operates a shuttle service. I stay in a tent by myself. For four days, there are thousands of acres of state land and a variety of wildlife to enjoy.</p>

<p>Now, I know what you’re thinking: This guy is crazy. My wife would agree.</p>

<p>This is not for everyone. There is no cell phone service.</p>

<p>It’s also not about getting a deer every year. In fact, I harvested one the second year I went and haven’t got one since. It’s about the experience and the memories I bring back with me. When the trip is over I start thinking about the next one.</p>

<p>In the Southern Zone, I can get a deer almost every year. There are more deer per square mile and a lot less area for them to be in. Unfortunately, there are many more hunters. Some places, there seems to be a hunter coming by every few minutes. That’s not hunting to me. I would rather stay home.</p>

<p>I read stories in hunting magazines about hunting in wilderness areas and it intrigued me. Was I a good enough woodsman? I had hunted the Adirondacks before with my father but it was out of a camp on a private hunting club. Was I tough enough to hunt rugged terrain in mid- to late-November and enjoy it?</p>

<p>I chose an area where a guide had a camp in the early 1900s. I spent two years researching the spot with topographic maps and reading books about the area. I particularly studied the topo map, looking for funnels, ridges, and other features that could influence the deer movement.</p>

<p>The first year, there was a full moon and a little snow on the ground. I sat in a spot where the deer had eaten ferns the night before. As the moon rose above the hill, I spotted deer moving about 400 hundred yards away. They slowly made their way toward me until they were 20 yards away broadside – all does.</p>

<p>It didn’t matter, I was hooked.</p>

<p>The next year was a sad one. My father, who was my hunting and fishing partner until having a stroke a few years earlier, passed away in July. I debated whether to go that fall. I knew my father would want me to, so I did.</p>

<p>The second day, I hunted the morning and didn’t see anything. After lunch, I headed up a ravine and came to one of those spots that I knew right away was going to be good. A tree had fallen over a very large rock in the ravine. The crotch of the tree made a perfect seat and you could cover a large area.</p>

<p>I got in the tree and settled in. The weather was very cold and snow started to fall, perfect for deer movement. About 4 p.m., I spotted a deer about 200 yards away heading slowly uphill toward me. It was a buck and he closed to within 90 yards and then stopped.</p>

<p>One shot with my rifle and I had my first Adirondack buck, a five-pointer.</p>

<p>After a 1 ½ mile-drag and three and a half hours in the dark, I made it back to the tent. I was tired and sore, but it was worth it.</p>

<p>Having filled my tag, the next morning I planned on doing some photography. About 40 yards from my tent I discovered that overnight a buck had come by and made a huge scrape and then headed up the hill. I’m sure it smelled where I had dragged my buck and thought it was an intruder.</p>

<p>I would’ve loved to have seen how big that deer was.</p>

<p>If you want to try this, do some research. You can contact the local state Department of Environmental Conservation and they can be very helpful. The Internet has many resources available for information.</p>

<p>Be prepared, take safety precautions (emergency locators are available) and you’ll make memories too — even if you don’t get a deer. </p>

<p><strong>- Don Therre lives in North Syracuse. </strong> <br /></p>

<br /><br />View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog