Winding Down: Deer season goes by fast, as now we enter our seventh and final weekend of the Northern Zone rifle season. For some, another week of late blackpowder hunting is in the works, but not so for interior WMUs in the Adirondacks.

The Southern and Central parts of the region have some snow, thanks to this weeks storm. How much of it is determined at the local level. Coupled with some late-week colder temps it is possible that deer will begin migrating to their winter yarding areas. The weather does look to improve over the weekend and while it will still be cold, Saturday and Sunday both appear to be stable and should be good hunting days.

Yet another thought is a second rut centered around this early December full moon and the dates that follow. Judging from the accompanying photo taken Wednesday, there are still some does in estrus. Going into the final weekend, that’s a good thing. Good luck out there, and keep at it. You never know when it’s going to be your day and it can’t happen if you’re not out there.

-Dan’l  

2025 Hunting Photos: Send your Adirondack hunting photos to: buck@adkhunter.com. Be sure to include your name, date of kill and at least the county you were hunting in, along with any other info. 

NYON Editor Dan Ladd and his hunting crew, the Iron Sight Gang, recently spent a few days hunting whitetails in the central Adirondacks. While there, they had a casual round-table discussion about traditional deer drive hunting in the big timber and also discussed some of the issues facing hunters today. With Veteran’s Day approaching, Dan also asked those in the crew who served in the military to say a few words about their experiences. This is the first of a two-part series with Part 2 coming up later this month.

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Last summer, Dan  was a guest on the Adirondack Hunt Podcast, presented by Big Woods Bucks. Give it a listen/view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81pFkXTrMHk 

Send photos to: buck@adkhunter.com (please include name, hometown, size of deer and county of kill). 

(11/20) Game On: Now is a good a time as any to be in the woods. This past weekend buck rubs and scrapes were still prevalent and from this hunter’s observations (and those of others) bucks were still on the move chasing does, and likely still are. Breeding, however should be commencing so either way, focusing on doe groups is a good strategy, as would be areas you expect bucks to travel through like saddles, funnels and such. 

This hunter is a happy one, taking an Adirondack buck on my birthday recently. Glad I skipped Southern Zone. Check out this video and good luck this weekend. 

(11/13) Southbound? After spending the Southern Zone opener in the farmlands the past two years this hunter is going to stay north this year. The reason, there just hasn’t been much hunting time this year and I want to make the most of it in the North Country. I’ll take a small Adirondack buck over a big Southern Zone buck any day, but its really just about spending time in the mountains and that time has been tough to come by this year. That is why we’re behind on posting some photos here, but I promise, we will catch up. 

Snow in the region has been a blessing for many, with some good reports coming in from hunters all over. In the eastern ADK’s there’s still some acorns and the deer are gobbling them up. We’ve heard a few reports of beechnuts too but they’re harder to come by. Rutting sign like rubs and scrapes appear to be on the down-slide, which indicates breeding is happening. Some hunters call this lockdown, but sitters who know where to sit and mobile hunters can find deer if they focus on doe groups. With that, it’s hard to believe that on Saturday we’ll already be half-way through another deer season. Get out there while you can, it goes by quick. 

(11/7) Cold Shot: Below average temperatures are headed for Northern New York in the week ahead, which should jell nicely with the whitetail rut. In the past week, since Halloween, reports of scrape activity have been on the rise, along with some rubs too. Bucks are on the move and now is a time to consider the doe groups in your hunting areas because the boys will be paying more and more attention to the girls. High winds and some heavier rains have brought down the leaves, but there’s still plenty of underbrush in the foothills. The rain has also brought some much-needed water and brooks that were once dry are now flowing, which could change deer movements from what they were during the drought. With the cold weather, the Northern and Western Adirondacks are likely in for some snow (lucky them) this weekend, which they also got a small dose last weekend. Make the most of it now, if you can, this time of year only comes once. 

(10/30) Drought Killer: What was a dry landscape for many in the Adirondacks should look a bit different following the Thursday/Friday torrential storm that is working its way out of New York. Creeks should be running and the accompanying wind should also take down some leaves. Still, without some hard frosts there will still likely be a lot of leaves left on the beach whips and underbrush. 

We didn’t hear much from opening weekend hunters, a few photos coming in (which we need to get caught up on) and some reports of rubs and primarily scrapes, but not as much as we thought there would be. We’ve hunted the eastern and southern Adirondacks so far this season and things are about the same in both, although we did find some acorns in some areas  in the east. Again, the rain ands slightly cooler temps should make things a little more interesting this weekend. 

(10/23) Let’s Go: It’s hard to believe another opening day is nearly upon us, but it’s true. And it seems like some cooler weather is in store just in time. In fact, a storm slated for later in the first week could bring a touch of snow to higher elevations but that remains to be seen.

What has been seen is a growing level of buck sign in the form or rubs and scrapes; things could be happening early this year and there’s a legion of hunters out there who swear by hunting around the time of Halloween. Muzzleloading was a bit slow, as it was warm and there was (and still is) plenty of cover in the woods, especially the foothills.

(10/16) Smokepole Time: Until recently, it’s been pretty balmy out there and there have been few reports coming in. We did hear that the Columbus Day Weekend youth hunt went well, but most of that is coming from the Southern Zone. 

Meanwhile, we’re on the eve of the first gun season as the early muzzleloading season opens in the Northern Zone on October. 18. Although foliage is past peak in the interior of the Adirondacks, there’s still a lot of leaf cover and underbrush out there. So, as is typical, visibility is an issue. There are a few reports of some rubs showing up, but no scrapes yet. That’s sure to change after the weekend. Good luck, and be safe out there. 

(9/25) A New Era Begins:  Yes, it’s been a while and what a busy 2025 it’s been. But hunting season is just about here and it’s again time to get the discussion going on Adirondack hunting. We begin with the upcoming Sept. 27 archery opener in the Northern Zone which ushers in a new era. Crossbows are now legal during the archery seasons, which means we Adirondack hunters no longer need to wait until three days before the muzzleloading seasons to break out the crossbow. It is presumed that more there will be a bit more hunter activity in the woods on Sept. 27 than is usual, but it’s hard to measure just how much. That said, we want hear from you in terms of your success (buck, doe, whatever) and mainly what your seeing out there. 

Some September hiking/scouting trips revealed very little for this hunter, although there are some acorns sprouting here in the southeastern ADKs. A trip north yielded very little in the form of beahnuts and until today’s rain, it was dry everywhere. And if the forecast holds, we’re looking at a warm archery opener and another extended dry-spell, but some cooling off around the first of October. Even then, cold fronts should get deer moving. 

In the days and weeks ahead we’ll get caught up on some things. In the meantime, Good luck out there, and be safe this season.