Mountain Hunting

[Swamp_bucks]

So I'm going to PA Tuesday. I don't plan on hunting where I did during bow. We talked to some people because we were struggling to get on deer. Many people said go up higher.

For those of you that hunt the higher mountains of the Adirondacks what's the average height do you guys tend to come  across the most deer?

@Buckmaster7600 was hoping for some insight.  I'm not sitting just still hunting for the day hoping there's snow up higher. Picture is the area I'm focusing on. We spot lighted 4 shooter bucks in a meadow not far from these hills. Hoping one is up in there still.

 

Edited November 28, 2021 by Swamp_bucks

[Lucky118]

Sounded like 2 shots this morning where that top gray mark is. 

[Buckmaster7600]

It all depends on the area. I like hunting as high as I can get. Some places that’s only 1500ft other places it’s 4500ft. If tracking I always like starting high because less likely I’ll be in the swamps although I still always tend to end up in them…


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[UpStateRedNeck]

Those are lower elevations than I hunt at.  Look for high benches or pines with benches below them on the leeward side.  Bucks love to bed someplace they can smell upwind that has a windbreak but they can't be seen, and see everything downwind. I was just scouting a piece of public this morning at 2000 feet like this, found decent sign and saw large body sneaking off.

Those saddles look good for cruisers.

[Whitetailhobo]

 I would stay on the edges of the high elevations 16 to 1700 feet hard to tell from your map whether you’re dealing with hardwood benches or soft.  We see a lot of activity from dawn till 830 9 o’clock in the morning  . patriarch bucks  heading to those elevations their highest points of view to relax for a few hours until dusk .   The best is when they push a doe all the way up to that high ground and try to court and tend her on  that Highground hideout.  We’ve had some snow here in Otsego? County and schoharie county the deer are heading to the ferns to fill their diet in the highest hardwoods . 

[UpStateRedNeck]

5 minutes ago, Whitetailhobo said:

 I would stay on the edges of the high elevations 16 to 1700 feet hard to tell from your map whether you’re dealing with hardwood benches or soft.  We see a lot of activity from dawn till 830 9 o’clock in the morning  . patriarch bucks  heading to those elevations their highest points of view to relax for a few hours until dusk .   The best is when they push a doe all the way up to that high ground and try to court and tend her on  that Highground hideout.  We’ve had some snow here in Otsego? County and schoharie county the deer are heading to the ferns to fill their diet in the highest hardwoods . 

Also Schoharie county, and full agreement.  Now that you mention it, the doe I saw Friday at dark were munching ferns in the swamp too.

[Swamp_bucks]

Thanks for the info.  Those woods are pretty even mixture of pines and hardwoods. If I can find a good pinch pt I may setup for an hr to see what comes through.  Either way I'll be out hunting and not working

[Lucky118]

It will be tough to get to the tops there without chasing all the deer out. Those tops are ringed with almost impenetrable  mountain laurel.  Once you get past that it's fairly open on the tops. But there is no acorns that I've found so might not be anything there. Might have better luck hunting the clear cuts if your just looking for any legal deer. More food there this yr. 

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

Good luck down there the offer stands for you and friends to come hunt up here. Bucks just started to move.

[Gobbler Chaser]

I used to hunt the Northern Catskills, Hunter Windham areas. Elevation was 2k to 4.5k ft. We always found deer at the lowest flattest locations mostly a few hundred yards behind our homes. When we were young we would jackass up the side of those mountains spending enormous time and sweat to finally realize deer don't like it up there. Hearing shots below us we finally changed our strategies. I did really enjoy that mountain hunting, but the deer population dwindled and doe permits a few or non existent.

[DoubleDose]

14 minutes ago, Gobbler Chaser said:

I used to hunt the Northern Catskills, Hunter Windham areas. Elevation was 2k to 4.5k ft. We always found deer at the lowest flattest locations mostly a few hundred yards behind our homes. When we were young we would jackass up the side of those mountains spending enormous time and sweat to finally realize deer don't like it up there. Hearing shots below us we finally changed our strategies. I did really enjoy that mountain hunting, but the deer population dwindled and doe permits a few or non existent.

Exactly same experience.