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Deer Hunting in New York
Most hunters have a favorite place to hunt, where they return year after year. Over 75% percent of New York's hunters prefer to hunt private lands, yet there are millions of acres in the Adirondacks, Catskills, wildlife management areas, state forests and even some state parks where hunting is allowed. In fact, state lands that offer hunting can be found in nearly every county.
If you'd like to try someplace different to hunt but don't want to be with many other hunters, consider lesser-known locations. Choose the time and place carefully, and hunt mid-week. Deer hunting season runs through mid-December (depending on location); visit DEC's hunting seasons webpage for specifics.
Break out of your "rut" and visit DEC's Places to Hunt to find public lands near you.
Steelhead Fishing the Salmon River
Fall Pacific salmon fishing isn't the end to fishing on NY's famed Salmon River. Perceived by many anglers as the premier freshwater game fish, migratory rainbow trout, more commonly referred to as steelhead, enter the river in mid-October and continue into early May. This sleek, beautiful salmonid makes fast and powerful runs when hooked, often leaping into the air multiple times. Successful anglers use many techniques and various bait, lures and flies to entice a strike. NYSDEC's Salmon River Hatchery annually stocks the Salmon River with 120,000 winter-run and 48,000 summer-run steelhead, which are augmented by natural reproduction in the river's high-quality tributaries.
Visit DEC's Steelhead Fishing in Lake Ontario Tributaries for more information on steelhead fishing.
Waterfowl Hunting on Long Island
Each fall, waterfowl hunters travel to Long Island to participate in one of nature's grandest spectacles. Jutting far out into the Atlantic, Long Island is ringed by thousands of acres of marshes and tidal wetlands, which are favored rest stops for flocks of migrating ducks and geese numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Nothing matches the thrill of bagging a wild duck or goose and sending out a well-trained retriever to bring back your prize. Thousands of acres of Long Island wetlands are open for waterfowl hunting.
For more information, see the Long Island Public Hunting page on DEC's website.
Hike of the Month: Moss Lake Preserve
Allegheny County
The most outstanding feature of Moss Lake Preserve is its 15-acre bog lake, formed thousands of years ago. The lake takes its name from the mat of sphagnum moss that covers much of the open water.
Wildlife in this fragile 82-acre ecosystem, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy and is a National Natural Landmark, includes amphibians, fish, waterfowl, waders and warblers, raptors, deer, woodchucks, gray squirrels and chipmunks. Many of these species remain throughout the fall and winter. Some can be seen from the boardwalk, which extends out over the moss mat on the lake, while others are more easily observed from the woodland trails.
Watchable Wildlife: Mount Peter Hawk Watch Trailway
Orange County
The five-acre Mount Peter Hawk Watch Trailway in Orange County offers scenic views of the Warwick Valley, a fantastic area for observing migratory raptors. Begun in 1957, the Mount Peter Hawk Watch is one of the oldest hawk watches in the country.
Sitting atop a rock outcrop at the edge of two strips of low-growing vegetation, the two-tiered viewing platform is often used for stargazing. A 750-foot spur off the trailway connects to a beautiful section of the nearby Appalachian Trail, which also offers hiking and, when conditions permit, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
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