small game hunting question...

[lastedtiger]

hey guys...... :bye:

Newbie here,i am from nyc,looking for a cool place to hunt .I am looking to hunt small game(rabbits,squirrels......).

p.s : i went to OTIS in long island,i saw few deers but didnt see anything else(not even a bird,lol) :angry:

Any help would be appreciated.

Hunt safe and have fun.....

Edited November 21, 2011 by lastedtiger

[Elmo]

Hey Tiger. I'm also from NYC. Have not hunt LI yet. I've always headed up north. You can try:

Sterling Forest

Stewart State Park

Storm King Mountain

West Point

California Hill

Any of the DEP Watershed lands (apply for the permit online. It's free)

There's a bunch of others as well. I don't know how far your are willing to travel or your hunting means. Some of the parks have their own specific regulations. Make sure you know what they are before you go.

[SteveMcD]

Guys they stock a lot of pheasant in Stewart State Forest, plenty of rabbit and squirrel too. Best bet.. try and go during the week, it is a sign in/ sign out process there, the ealrier you get there the better off. That would e my recommendation out of all of them. Good luck.

P.S> if you deer hunt there is parking on some of the boundary public roads, so you do not have to sign in, best to get a map of the area and scout it out.

[lastedtiger]

Elmo and Nyhunter, thanks for the info and advices,really appreciated!

I will check sterling and stewart in orange county...hopefully it wont be like OTIS...

Thanks again....shoot safe

[greybeard]

I used to hunt Otis Pike and Rocky Point quite a bit. It'll take some time learning the different spots, but there are a few fair squirrel spots as well as rabbit spots. Hunting rabbits without a dog is tough. They stock pheasants every week as I recall, so you can walk up on birds.

There are also a couple of wetland spots on L.I. that offer small game hunting, some are waterfowl only so you have to check. You'll need a permit for the wetlands, so call the DEC on L.I. to get the info, the rules and the maps.

I used to call DEC a lot, they were really helpful.

In case you don't know, you can get a permit to hunt small game on the coop areas ( Otis Pike, Rocky Point etc. ) for after Dec. 31st when the check station closes. In January however, as I recall you CAN NOT hunt on weekdays in the coop because it's for deer hunting only and the spots are given to hunters by a lottery, or something like that ( I never gun hunted for deer on L.I. so I'm not that familiar with the process, or rules.. Check with the DEC for the rules and the permit. The permit is free just like the wetlands permit. Check the rules and open seasons carefully before you hunt.I THINK the after season small game permits are for Jan. and Feb.

Also get a copy of the DEC properties open for hunting, they have brochures, and maps for each of them. I used to make notes on the maps of which spots were best for different species that I hunted so that I would remember from year to year.

I hope this helps..... Watch for ticks...