Suffolk county land

[Versatile_Hunter]

Suffolk county owns multiple plots of land that are suitable for hunting. There appears to be a process in place to acquire permits to deer hunt, I think on a daily basis. What’s the process to small game hunt in Suffolk county land?  Is this open without the need for daily permits? There’s seems to be no info online pertaining to small game hunting. Only info I can find is about archery and shogun deer hunting. 

[eaglemountainman]

It's been years since I hunted on the county land, but you used to have to report and sign in at the Yapank check station and pick  (first come, first served) for your daily spot...real big pain in the ass.There was also a "bunny permit" that was available late season when just rabbit and squirrel remained open. With this permit you didn't have to report to Yapank. You could hunt any and all areas. Like I said, that was along time ago. Things may have changed.

[Versatile_Hunter]

56 minutes ago, eaglemountainman said:

It's been years since I hunted on the county land, but you used to have to report and sign in at the Yapank check station and pick  (first come, first served) for your daily spot...real big pain in the ass.There was also a "bunny permit" that was available late season when just rabbit and squirrel remained open. With this permit you didn't have to report to Yapank. You could hunt any and all areas. Like I said, that was along time ago. Things may have changed.

Thanks.  I haven’t been able to find anything about small game passes (outside of released pheasants) so this gives me something to work with whenever I can get through to the DEC/county offices

[Spear]

Small game hunting is by check-in only starting November through December. During the January firearms season, there is no small game hunting on a majority of the DEC managed lands, see below. During the check-in months, small game hunters are let out 15mins before sunrise on non-holiday weekdays. On weekends and holidays, AM hunting is reservation only. That being said, after 8:30a.m (weekdays and weekends) you can go to which ever spot you want - I'm still trying to figure out the point of the reservation system if after 8:30a.m. it turns into a free-for-all. The check-in/reservation sounds like it's a big pain in the ass, but it's really not that bad as I thought it would be. Just takes some getting used to.

Suffolk has a ridiculous amount of rules and regs. I've been hunting Suffolk for years and still trying to figure some of it out.

 

 

[Versatile_Hunter]

On 12/27/2020 at 3:14 PM, Spear said:

Small game hunting is by check-in only starting November through December. During the January firearms season, there is no small game hunting on a majority of the DEC managed lands, see below. During the check-in months, small game hunters are let out 15mins before sunrise on non-holiday weekdays. On weekends and holidays, AM hunting is reservation only. That being said, after 8:30a.m (weekdays and weekends) you can go to which ever spot you want - I'm still trying to figure out the point of the reservation system if after 8:30a.m. it turns into a free-for-all. The check-in/reservation sounds like it's a big pain in the ass, but it's really not that bad as I thought it would be. Just takes some getting used to.

Suffolk has a ridiculous amount of rules and regs. I've been hunting Suffolk for years and still trying to figure some of it out.

 

 

I thought that the check-in was only applicable to DEC land that has a pheasant release program.
In addition to DEC, Suffolk county has a series of parks that are listed on OnX as simply “County of Suffolk.” Online Suffolk details a similar check in program for deer hunting (both archery and shotgun) but they don’t say anything about small game hunting. I’ve heard that it’s only open to county residents but I haven’t been able to verify that. 

[Spear]

22 hours ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

I thought that the check-in was only applicable to DEC land that has a pheasant release program.
In addition to DEC, Suffolk county has a series of parks that are listed on OnX as simply “County of Suffolk.” Online Suffolk details a similar check in program for deer hunting (both archery and shotgun) but they don’t say anything about small game hunting. I’ve heard that it’s only open to county residents but I haven’t been able to verify that. 

You are correct - I should have been more detailed in my response. The check-in is only for Rocky Point and Otis Pike. That being said, you do not have to check-in for the spots south of the LIE in Otis. 

Regarding the Suffolk County parks, I have not hunted them so I'm not positive on their regs. To hunt these county parks you need to have a Suffolk County Green Key Card and a Suffolk County Parks Archery Permit. If you are able to obtain these, you will have access to 128 parking spots. I plan on getting these together for next season. I believe Shelter Island is the only spots you need to make a reservation for archery, although I could be missing where they talk more about reservations for county parks. I don't know much about the shotgun season for county parks. I plan on getting this stuff together for next season.

Here are some links below you might have useful.

https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Parks/Things-To-Do/Hunting/Archery

https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/0/formsdocs/parks/Maps/2020-21 Archery Hunting Areas Map with SI.pdf

https://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/0/formsdocs/parks/Maps/2020-21 Archery Site Summary.pdf

 

Edit: I realize you're original question is about small game hunting, just want to pass this info along if could be of any use.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Spear

[bruno1]

On 12/27/2020 at 11:30 AM, Versatile_Hunter said:

Suffolk county owns multiple plots of land that are suitable for hunting. There appears to be a process in place to acquire permits to deer hunt, I think on a daily basis. What’s the process to small game hunt in Suffolk county land?  Is this open without the need for daily permits? There’s seems to be no info online pertaining to small game hunting. Only info I can find is about archery and shogun deer hunting. 

All hunting on Suffolk County Parklands is for Archery Deer hunting from 10/1-1/31. They don’t allow small game or shotgun deer

[Versatile_Hunter]

2 hours ago, bruno1 said:

All hunting on Suffolk County Parklands is for Archery Deer hunting from 10/1-1/31. They don’t allow small game or shotgun deer

That’s a shame... thanks

[rachunter]

9 hours ago, bruno1 said:

All hunting on Suffolk County Parklands is for Archery Deer hunting from 10/1-1/31. They don’t allow small game or shotgun deer

When did they stop shotgun hunting on the county land? I hunted Hubbard and Montauk years ago,but didn't like the lottery system  they had. 

[DoubleDose]

13 hours ago, bruno1 said:

All hunting on Suffolk County Parklands is for Archery Deer hunting from 10/1-1/31. They don’t allow small game or shotgun deer

Correct; and "To hunt these county parks you need to have a Suffolk County Green Key Card and a Suffolk County Parks Archery Permit."  That makes the Suffolk County Parkland that is not DEC managed accessible to Suffolk Country resident only.

[Versatile_Hunter]

45 minutes ago, DoubleDose said:

Correct; and "To hunt these county parks you need to have a Suffolk County Green Key Card and a Suffolk County Parks Archery Permit."  That makes the Suffolk County Parkland that is not DEC managed accessible to Suffolk Country resident only.

Looks like non-residents can also purchase a green key card. But Bruno1’s point was that small game hunting is not allowed...

[Versatile_Hunter]

I spoke to a Suffolk County office today and it's odd how vague the guidelines are. Generally, it's understood that only county residents can hunt there. To prove they are residents, they purchase a green key pass. Non-residents can also purchase this pass but it's more expensive. Thus, non Suffolk county residents can in fact hunt in Suffolk county parks. 
The still unresolved point is small game hunting. You cannot partake in the Long Island shotgun deer season in Suffolk county parks. Thus, folks take this to mean that shotgun hunting is not allowed and so they default to the assumption that small game hunting is prohibited. The county official I spoke to on the phone acknowledged that it was unclear and that perhaps the best thing would be to default to DEC regulations. They suggested contacting a different Suffolk County office to be certain...

[bruno1]

1 hour ago, Versatile_Hunter said:

I spoke to a Suffolk County office today and it's odd how vague the guidelines are. Generally, it's understood that only county residents can hunt there. To prove they are residents, they purchase a green key pass. Non-residents can also purchase this pass but it's more expensive. Thus, non Suffolk county residents can in fact hunt in Suffolk county parks. 
The still unresolved point is small game hunting. You cannot partake in the Long Island shotgun deer season in Suffolk county parks. Thus, folks take this to mean that shotgun hunting is not allowed and so they default to the assumption that small game hunting is prohibited. The county official I spoke to on the phone acknowledged that it was unclear and that perhaps the best thing would be to default to DEC regulations. They suggested contacting a different Suffolk County office to be certain...

Yes nonresidents can buy green key cards but can’t purchase county archery permits. Green Key Cards are used for many different things not just hunting. So a nonresident can buy a green key in order to purchase the 4x4 permit or to use to make camping reservations 

[bruno1]

10 hours ago, rachunter said:

When did they stop shotgun hunting on the county land? I hunted Hubbard and Montauk years ago,but didn't like the lottery system  they had. 

I don’t believe they stopped the deer shotgun on those 2 properties. It’s the many other new properties that are archery only

[DoubleDose]

2 minutes ago, bruno1 said:

Yes nonresidents can buy green key cards but can’t purchase county archery permits. Green Key Cards are used for many different things not just hunting. So a nonresident can buy a green key in order to purchase the 4x4 permit or to use to make camping reservations 

Thanks for clarifying.  As a non-Suffolk county resident I was told some years ago in no uncertain terms that Suffolk Country Park deer hunting was for residents only; and like in all things NY it appears the residents have ridiculous rules/bureaucracy  to follow.