Anyone hunt the Adirondacks?

[bigbore442001]

We just returned from a central NY vacation of sorts and had a wonderful time while there. I was wondering if anyone here has hunted the Adirondacks? It seems to be very intriguing in many ways but I know little about it. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

 

[RC]

intriguing

... :hmm: oh yeah! thats it! where was ya?

 

[jtmattison]

Heck yeah!
I grew up there.
I love the entire area, particularly the Blue Mountain Lake area. There are a lot of great hike-in ponds to fish and outstanding deer hunting.
There's nothing like the smell of the North Woods in Fall.
Those were the days!

HD

 

[RC]

outstanding deer hunting. :rotf:

Those were the days!

HD

those were the days......... :shake: whole different place now HD..when did ya hunt last?

 

[jtmattison]

20 years ago. Unfortunately since I joined the Air Force I haven't been hunting up there.
I still know a guy up there who hikes way back in every year and drags some true monsters out of the back woods.

HD

 

[RC]

yeah, i suppose theres places that be good.....(main st. in old forge...) but where w've hunted fer years,, been gettin bad fer years...family started in '45...used to see a bunch... now yer lucky if ya see one,,course ain't no hunters movin them... an then, i bet you bought a n.y. license it had 1 deer tag..now theres 4... :shocked2: :shake: herd takes a hit at that rate....but still, i ain't smart enough to quit,, 3 1/2 miles in..on foot...5 weeks a year...seen 5 this year... not a good average....

 

[jtmattison]

Yup, we had one buck tag. Used to see at least 5-10 deer per day depending on proximity to food sources and cover. Did a lot of still hunting because the deer most likely wouldn't come to you, you had to go find them.
I guess no matter what, things change. We never know what Mother Nature has in store.
My Dads old farm used to be so thick with underbrush you'd never see a deer out there. Over 20 years it all opened up because the big hardwoods took over. Now it's crawling with deer. Problem is, Dad sold the place a few years ago and the folks who own it now don't hunt.

HD

 

[Rancocas]

I lived in Malone, on the northern slope of the Adirondacks for one year. Got in only one hunting season there.
Snow comes early and piles high in the Adirondacks. By the late deer season I needed snowshoes to get around. The deer disappeared from the areas where I had found them in the early fall when I was scouting. They all moved into a winter "yard" in a big cedar swamp. I didn't find them until after the season had ended.
I did have some fairly good ruffed grouse hunting, but by mid November the snow was too deep for my dog, and I had to hunt alone, on snowshoes.

 

[RC]

I did have some fairly good ruffed grouse hunting,

tweren't grouse.. :nono: was late season skeeters! :thumbsup:

 

[jtmattison]

I did have some fairly good ruffed grouse hunting

I forgot all about the grouse. On the farm they were so thick it was like pigeon hunting sometimes. They went in cycles, I forget how many years but one year there would be none and the next year they were like skeeters.

HD

 

[Zoar]

I live in Upstate NY. The hunting is terrible, the woods are dead. No deer. Repeat no deer! Do not come here. Stay away........................

hahahaha!

Actually... I love it here. I do not want to move anywhere else. I get a deer every year and could get more but I am off the grid(make my own power) and need to get a bigger freezer and make some more power then. But I still have venison in the freezer so I am all good, and I believe living on less is good while being wasteful or consuming MORE than you need is not good... anyway, what do you want to know specifically about Adirondacks and upstate NY? ... as long as you bear in mind while I love it here I do NOT want it spoiled and I do not want property prices and taxes to go up... If you tell too many people to come up here and provide the reasons, then prices will go up MORE than they ahev because of all teh people who moved to hotspots in the Adirondacks (like Fourth Lake which has been ruined totally as far as I am concerned, it is like going to Cape Cod now. Traffic so bad I'd rather get a root canal.

 

[jbg]

Snow comes early and piles high in the Adirondacks.

10 months of winter, and 2 months of awful late in the fall.

 

[bigbore442001]

I hate to say it but I am an avid fan of early sporting literature and in the process of finishing up a book on Noah John Rondeau. I have read some articles about the Adirondacks and even watched a PBS special on them a few weeks ago. So there isn't any specific area of the region that I am interested in.

To be honest, I would not move there due to family and work but a visit for a week in the future isn't out of the question.

 

[billandbeaufort]

We just returned from a central NY vacation of sorts and had a wonderful time while there. I was wondering if anyone here has hunted the Adirondacks? It seems to be very intriguing in many ways but I know little about it. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

Although I do not hunt, I have been all over the Adirondacks. It is one beautifull place for sure. Believe it or not, even though it is in New York, you can easily get lost in there! My father had two friends in high school who were twins, and they went hunting one day in the Adirondacks. They were never seen again! It is assumed that they got lost but I've never believed two country boys would die from getting lost. We will never know. At any rate enjoy the Adirondacks, they are a jewel!

 

[RC]

even though it is in New York, you can easily get lost in there!

gees 6.6 million acres..go figure! :haha: i ain't been lost there but damn confused at times!..it are huge!

 

[Rancocas]

I hate to say it but I am an avid fan of early sporting literature and in the process of finishing up a book on Noah John Rondeau. I have read some articles about the Adirondacks and even watched a PBS special on them a few weeks ago. So there isn't any specific area of the region that I am interested in.

To be honest, I would not move there due to family and work but a visit for a week in the future isn't out of the question.

I had an article published in the Jan/Feb. 2005 issue of "Backwoodsman" magazine that I titled "The Solitaries". The piece was all about hermits, and I mentioned Noah J. Rondeau, who was sometimes known as "The Cold River Hermit". He was probably the best known of several Adirondack hermits.
On getting lost; I had established an isolated hunting camp, a place where I had to canoe across a lake and up a river in order to get there. It was just a tent camp. I left camp one afternoon to walk just a half mile to a remote pond where I intended to do some fishing. While I was at the pond, a thick fog rolled in. I sure got turned around in that fog. I was afraid that I was going to have to spend a cold night out under some tree, but then I finally stumbled back to the river side, and followed it up, in the dark, to my camp. (Like a dumb**s I had left my compass in camp.)

 

[Zoar]

Also, what do you want to hunt in the Adirondacks?

Deer I assume. Be prepared for a wicked carry when you get one. Bring a strong friend! :grin:

The area around Ohio, Cold Brook, Poland has some terrific deer. It is also not a tourist magnet. Cheap too. Don't expect too many conveniences. It is like going back in time.

 

[bigbore442001]

We went to a gunshop in Middletown where I bought a really interesting book on Noah John Rondeau. The book," Life With Noah" by O'Hern chronicles the life of the hermit and a close friend who tried to emulate his lifestyle as much as possible. Very fascinating read.

I do appreciate the replies to my post. Some ideas for me to cogitate on.

 

[rabbit03]

About a month ago I finished a book I think you would like.

It was called Adirondack French Louis!

He lived near Newton Corners. Newton Corners was the early name for Speculator, NY.

He was a Frenchman who also lived and trapped in the woods in that area and if your interested in that sort of story I am sure you will find his story interesting as well. :thumbsup:
http://frenchlouie.com/louie.htm

rabbit03

 

[Zoar]

Adirondacks which was derived from the native american word "ha-der-an-dah" which means land of the beaver. Some whiteguys heard it wrong then kept repeating adirondacks long enough so it stuck.

I have hunted rabbits to deer to bear and have seen mountain lion (yea yea yea the DEC keeps claiming there are none) but I've seen them and I've seen very big cat prints and actually have the prints captured on cell phone camera...

But it is millions of acres and it is extremely varied, from the terrain to the absence of civilization and to the amount of people traffic, so you need to figure out what kind of place you want. I have also hiked many of the high peaks (there are 46 high peaks in New York!). It can be quite a place to hunt and or escape to another time. Some people think rustic is staying in a fake log cabin with grid power and TV and electric heat, others think tent and backpack. There are rooms at exlusive inns in Lake Placid that go for $850 a night and you pay extra for the massage and the spa, or down the road a piece a 1950's styled motel for $65 a night with a bar & restaurant that opens and closes depending on the mood of the owner (haha)... which direction are you thinking of?