Could someone help me out please.

[MountainHunter]

I am considering hunting in the Finger Lakes region for deer this year. I have been researching the heck out of potential places to hunt. I have done much and still have a lot more to do. There is a ton of public land in that region but determining good from bad is quite difficult to do without either walking it all or having the benefit of others experience.

I would appreciative of any information or resources that I could pursue that would assist me. I am not looking for anyone to divulge their preferred area's just looking to narrow the possibilities down. Any information provided would be very much appreciated.

Thank you

[carloracer1987]

Dont hunt conneticut hill. That placesis like a bug infestation during deer season you see orange at almost every tree and theres no where to park !

[carloracer1987]

In my honest opinion danby state land is in a great area i see amazing bucks taken from that area every year. C-Hill sucks. almost anywhere south of ithaca is good state land

Edited March 11, 2012 by carloracer1987

[MountainHunter]

Thank you very much! I will check in to Danby.

[Woodsman20]

Hi Tor, Italy Hill, Letchworth are all good options. If you live down there and plan on hunting a lot a lease in that area could be a great investment depending on your hunting goals. There is also some state land in prattsburg that is good hunting. I think no matter where you end up opening day of shotgun is a fiasco but some folks think that is part of the nostalgia of Opening Day as long as safety is first. There is a lot of state land and the finger lakes region is huge. I wouldn't rule out private land by knocking on some doors - you never know.

I remember my first few years hunting my father taking me to Bully Hill, it always seemed like quite the adventure - I think the biggest buck i ever saw was a 4 point but my father saw a couple big ones and got one nice one hunting down there. The memories were priceless though - lots of fun.

[Larry]

i huned bully hill sf still try to get atlease once a year

[WNYBuckHunter]

I wouldnt bother with the Finger Lakes, just dinky deer here.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

The "Fingerlakes" is a big area. We might be of more help if you narrowed down where you are...how far you are willing to go and your tolerance for walking.

THere is a tone of state land south east of Ithaca an a lot of it is almost void of hunters afer the first week.

Best friend you will have is Google Earth and do a search on the DEC Site. there is an interactive state land viewer.

[MountainHunter]

I am loooking to stay within a four or five hour drive from my home in Woodstock NY. I am looking at Yates, Steuben,Monroe and Livingston county's. Based on DEC information I have scoured and statistics from NYS Big Buck Club, but will give consideration to other area's if warranted.

I am long legged and healthy and will walk to where ever I need to get in to the best hunting.

[the blur]

No deer in woodstock ?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Well, as far as Monroe and Livingston counties go, you are going to be a little hard pressed to find state land. In Monroe, you have Braddock Bay and 5 Points. I havent hunted Braddock, but I have hunted 5 points, and that one gets hit pretty hard and is very small. If you dont mind bow only, theres a little spot off of the Genesee Valley Greenway that you wont find on the DEC maps. Shoot me a PM if youd be interested there.

Livingston county, theres a lot more. You have the Hemlock-Canadice State forest, Conesus Lake inlet, Letchworth, Sonyea State Forest, Rattlesnake Hill and Canaseraga State forest. There are a bunch of guys here that hunt Letchworth and can give you some tips on that. I have hunted Conesus Inlet, which is great if you know where to go and get in there before others, and Rattlesnake Hill. I havent bee to Rattlesnake in a long time, but it used to be pretty heavily hunted.

If you move East into Ontario and Yates counties, you have Stid Hill, HiTor, Italy Hill and a bunch of others.

Here are a couple of links to help you out:

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/45415.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8297.html

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Hemlock and Canadice are State now.... right? but I don't think they are on the maps yet...Hamlock IS one that you can use those youung mountain goat legs. and a bot wouldn't hurt either...lol. The ravines really cut down on traffic there if you get in deep.

Edited March 12, 2012 by Culvercreek hunt club

[MountainHunter]

No deer in woodstock ?

Yes there are deer in Woodstock. I kill deer every year there. I am looking for better quality hunting. Greater opportunities at more mature bucks. The AR's are helping in some of the surrounding units but I would like to get in to area's where there are better numbers of higher end bucks.

[MountainHunter]

Thank you CCHC!

[phade]

Gun or bow? Big difference imo. Livingston is driven more statistically by the northern section which is almost exclusively private land. Rattlesnake and Letchworth as well as Conesus can be good for bow. Gun pressure can be higher there....remember you will need to get permit for Letchworth and the watershed lands mentioned.

I would concentrate more on hi tor and italy valley area imo for gun....the terrain is a challenge but i think there is somewhat less gun numbers due to proximity to population densities....lots of rochester hunters shoot south to letchworth and rattlesnake.

[MountainHunter]

Thanks Phade! I am familiar with Hi Tor and the Italy valley through the research I have done. I will investigate them further.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Hemlock and Canadice are State now.... right? but I don't think they are on the maps yet...Hamlock IS one that you can use those youung mountain goat legs. and a bot wouldn't hurt either...lol. The ravines really cut down on traffic there if you get in deep.

Yep, they are on the DEC map.

[erussell]

Yes there are deer in Woodstock. I kill deer every year there. I am looking for better quality hunting. Greater opportunities at more mature bucks. The AR's are helping in some of the surrounding units but I would like to get in to area's where there are better numbers of higher end bucks.

Not sure you would be to impressed with the " Quality " bucks you would find on Danby. Have hunted there the last 10 yrs and have yet to see what I would call a shooter. Most of the bucks if you find one that is not running 100mph through the woods to get away from the drivers pushing them are rather small. 1st day the area gets pounded by drives and any quality deer that are taken there are probably pushed off from surrounding private land by accident. It is a large area and will take a lot of scouting to get on any good bucks without accidentally stumbling on one. Plus there are a lot of roads making it easy to get access to any portion anyone wants to get to. Have you tried any of the NYC reseviour land or the catskills? Cherry ridge WA is closer than the finger lakes and the last time I walked that, there were huge rubs south of the ponds and a ton of tracks. State land around Ithica gets pounded pretty good.

[RangerClay]

We have a TON of unused state land up here in Jefferson County. I spent a day out driving and looking around. I found some state land that backed up to a soy bean field. I went their during deer season and I was the only one there.

Have you looked through one of these? They are awesome for find little pockets of unused stateland.

http://www.sportsmansconnection.com/atlases/alloutdoors/ny/w/

Edited March 23, 2012 by RangerClay