The latest from ADKHunter…

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Final Stretch, Part 2: All good things must come to an end. For those of us who hunt the Adirondacks, this year’s hunting has been no walk in the park. But we have certainly endured and the proof is the photos we post here on this website and those that are circulated throughout social media. Once again, some fine Adirondack bucks have been brought to the meatpole regardless of wind, rain, or even more snow than many of us wanted.

Now we’re down to the final days of deer hunting for the late muzzleloading season that is only open in a number of WMU’s. For some, it’s a chance to go after a second buck, while others (like me) are still looking for the first one. The sun may actually shine this weekend and the temps are going to drop. Deer should be moving and perhaps some bucks can be found still looking to breed some does. It would not be the first time this has happened during the late season. This hunter is living proof of that. If you’re in the woods, there’s always hope. Good luck this weekend.

-Dan’l

Also:
•ADKHunter’s Facebook page.
•Buck’s Blog in NY Outdoor News
•DEC’s Summary of 2018-19 Hunting Seasons

Read on for previous 2018 hunting reports… Continue reading →

Hey Gals: DEC Announces “WomenHuntFishNY” Photo Contest

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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the beginning of a statewide photo contest, “WomenHuntFishNY,” to celebrate women hunters in New York State.

Women who hunt inNew York State are encouraged to share their photos via the DEC social media Dropbox at socialmedia@dec.ny.gov. DEC welcomes photos of all aspects of safe and ethical hunting, including:

  • Preparing to go afield
  • The act of hunting
  • After the hunt
  • With family members


The deadline for contest entries is Dec. 31, 2018. However, DEC encourages hunters to share and send photos to the agency any time of year.           

Winning entries will be featured in next year’s New York State Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, and may appear in a future issue of the Conservationist magazine, social media posts, the DEC website, and other outreach.  

According to the most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, women make up more than 25 percent of all anglers, a number that has increased over the last several decades. While the proportion of hunters who are women is smaller relative to fishing, the percentage of female hunters has also steadily risen in recent years.

According to DEC records, nearly 50,000 women are licensed to hunt in New York State. 

DEC: Winter Conditions now Prevail in much of the Adirondacks

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The early snow and cold weather are providing good conditions for winter outdoor recreation in the Adirondack backcountry, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today. Visitors should be prepared with proper clothing and equipment for snow, ice, and cold to ensure a safe and enjoyable winter experience.

DEC recommends visitors to the backcountry carry snowshoes and use them when snow depths warrant. Snowshoes or skis ease travel on snow and prevent “post holing,” which can ruin trails and cause sudden falls resulting in injuries. Ice crampons and traction devices should be carried for use on icy portions of the trails including summits and other exposed areas.

Currently all seasonal access roads remain road open, however, they are covered in snow and may be muddy. DEC does not plow. The use of four-wheel drive vehicles is strongly recommended. Continue reading →

Goin’ South? Southern Zone Big Game Season Opens Nov. 17

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With the start of New York’s most popular big game seasons just days away, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos is encouraging hunters to be safe, have fun, enjoy the environment, and consider passing-up shots on young bucks. The regular firearms seasons for deer and bear begin Nov. 17.

The 2018 regular deer and bear hunting seasons in New York’s Southern Zone begin at sunrise on Saturday, Nov. 17, and continue through Sunday, Dec. 9.  The Southern Zone regular season is New York’s most popular hunting season, with an estimated 85 percent of New York’s nearly 600,000 licensed hunters participating. This season accounts for nearly 60 percent of the total statewide deer harvest and 30 to 60 percent of the statewide bear harvest. 

Following the regular deer and bear seasons in the Southern Zone, late bowhunting and muzzleloading seasons run from Dec. 10 through Dec. 18.  Hunters taking part in these special seasons must possess a hunting license and either bowhunting or muzzleloading privileges. 

In the Northern Zone, the regular deer and bear hunting season opened Oct. 20 and will close at sunset on Dec. 2. The Northern Zone includes the Adirondacks, Tug Hill Plateau, Eastern Lake Ontario Plain, and the Champlain and St. Lawrence valleys.  A late bowhunting and muzzleloading season for deer will be open in portions of the Northern Zone from Dec. 3 to Dec. 9.

Already this year, hunters are reporting solid success.  Hunters have reported more deer and bear taken in the Northern Zone and similar numbers of deer and bear taken in the Southern Zone compared to this time in 2017. Continue reading →

DEC Seeking Input on Blue Ridge Wilderness UMP Connector Trail

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 The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public input regarding a proposal in an amendment to the Blue Ridge Wilderness Unit Management Plan (UMP) to develop a multi-use community connector trail along State Route 28 in Hamilton County, DEC Director Bob Stegemann announced today.

“The proposed trail will connect the communities of Indian Lake, Inlet, Raquette Lake, and Long Lake as part of Adirondack Community Connector Trail System,” said Director Stegemann. “DEC’s goal is to protect natural resources, provide outdoor recreational opportunities for residents and visitors, and ensure the Forest Preserve is an asset to the communities and a benefit to local economies.” 

The proposed trail extends the Seventh Lake Mountain Trail to Sargent Ponds Multiple-Use Trail and will be maintained as a Class II Community Connector Snowmobile Trail. Establishing a land-based community trail link between Indian Lake and Long Lake was included as community connection goal in the 2006 Snowmobile Plan for the Adirondack Park and the 2011 Moose River Plains Wild Forest Unit Management Plan. DEC is working to relocate designated snowmobile trails away from water bodies for safety reasons.

A public meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 28, 2018, at the Raquette Lake Union Free School District, 115 Route 28, Raquette Lake, NY. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please provide requests for specific accommodations to 518-623-1275 at least one week in advance. Continue reading →

DEC Seeking Public Input for Hammond Pond Wild Forest UMP Ammendment

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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public input to improve recreational opportunities and natural resource protections in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest Management Unit, Regional Director Bob Stegemann announced. 

A public meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 13, at the North Hudson Town Hall, 3024 US Route 9, approximately one mile from Exit 29 of the Northway (I-87). The meeting will provide the public with an opportunity to provide input on future recreational uses, as well as present and future issues. The meeting facility is wheelchair accessible. Please provide any requests for specific accommodations to 518-623-1275 at least one week in advance.

DEC completed a Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Hammond Pond Wild Forest in 1988. There have been two amendments since then – the 1993 Bicycle Trail Amendment and the 2016 State Route 73/9N Viewing Area Amendment. The 2018 draft UMP has been wholly revised to protect the unit’s spectacular natural resources and enhance public recreational access.

Management proposals in this draft include:

  • Create high quality, universally accessible parking, camping and trail recreation opportunities.
  • Provide equestrian trails that are complimentary to the equestrian camping facilities at the Frontier Town Campground & Day Use Area.
  • Contribute to the completion of the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail by providing a route connection across the Hammond Pond Wild Forest.  
  • Designate existing community connector snowmobile trails in UMP for continued use.
  • Construct and designate tent sites, and construct one new lean-to.
  • Strategically connect and extend linear trails to create loops and interesting longer distance opportunities

Located in the eastern region of the Adirondacks, the Hammond Pond Wild Forest consists of 45,500 acres of Adirondack Forest Preserve lands in more than 50 parcels between Lake Champlain in the east, State Route 74 in the south, the Northway in the west, and State Route 9N in the north. Some parcels are located between the Northway and US Route 9, and around the communities of Keene and Keene Valley.

Natural water features in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest include portions of the Schroon River, Black Brook, Crowfoot Brook, Split Rock Falls, Hammond Pond, and Moose Mountain Pond. The larger peaks include Bloody Mountain, Peaked Hill, Harris Hill, and Baxter Mountain. Current recreational opportunities include hiking, paddling, boating, fishing, primitive camping, a historic fire tower, hunting, trapping, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and wildlife viewing.

Public comments will be accepted until December 7, 2018. Public comment can be provided at the meeting or directly to Forester Corrie Magee by mail or email: NYSDEC, 232 Golf Course Rd, Warrensburg, NY 12885 or R5.ump@dec.ny.gov.

Oct. 25 Start of Furbearer Trapping and Hunting Seasons

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Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced  that furbearer trapping and hunting seasons begin soon in many parts of New York State. Trappers should note special permit requirements for fisher and marten trapping seasons.

“Hunting, angling and trapping are proud traditions in New York that contribute greatly to the State economy, and I’m excited to once again announce the opening of furbearer hunting and trapping seasons,” Commissioner Seggos said. “New York’s trappers play an important role in our wildlife conservation and management efforts by providing important data to DEC’s expert wildlife biologists, especially for fisher and marten management. I encourage all trappers to report their fisher and marten, and provide required samples to help us improve our wildlife management efforts.”

Fisher and marten are medium-sized members of the weasel family, which also includes weasels, ermine, mink, and river otters. While fisher have been expanding their range throughout New York State in recent decades, New York’s marten are restricted to the Adirondacks.

Coyote hunting season began Oct. 1 across much of the state, and hunting seasons for other furbearers such as bobcat, raccoon, and fox begin on Oct. 25. Season dates and zone boundaries for all furbearers can be found on DEC’s website and in the Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide.

 Trappers are reminded of changes to trapping regulations for fisher that began in 2016, including the requirement of a special permit, and expanded opportunities for fisher in select Wildlife Management Units in central and western New York. All fisher and marten trappers must obtain a special, free permit from their regional wildlife office, submit a trapping activity log, and submit the skull or jaw from harvested fishers and martens. Continue reading →

Goin’ South? DMPs are still available

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New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that remaining Deer Management Permits (DMPs) will be available to hunters in several Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) beginning Nov. 1.

  DMPs allow hunters to harvest extra antlerless deer and are issued for specific WMUs to control deer populations. In some WMUs, all applicants received permits during the initial application process and the DMP target was not reached. In these units, DEC will reopen the DMP application process on a first-come, first-served basis. Hunters may apply for up to two additional DMPs in these WMUs at any DEC license sales outlet on Nov. 1.

Leftover DMPs are not available by phone, mail, or internet. Applications must be made at license issuing outlets. Applicants that previously paid the $10 DMP application fee during the initial application period, or who are exempt from the application fee, will not be charged for this additional application. Hunters that did not previously apply for a deer management permit are required to pay the $10 application fee.

 Applications for leftover DMPs will be accepted for the following WMUs: 1C, 3M, 3R, 3S (bowhunting-only), 7F, 7H, 7J, 7R, 8A, 8C (bowhunting-only), 8F, 8G, 8H, 8J, 8N, 8R, 9A, 9F, and 9G.

Additionally, Bonus DMPs are available for hunters who successfully take an antlerless deer in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J, or 8C.

  For WMU locations, refer to the 2018-19 Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide or visit DEC’s website.

During this extended application period, DEC will issue DMPs for an individual WMU until the target quota is achieved. The status of permits will be reviewed each night, and as individual units are filled they will be removed from the list of those available effective the following day. A list of units with available leftover DMPs will routinely be updated on DEC’s website or via the DMP Hotline at 1-866-472-4332. Continue reading →