How to Hunt Deer in the Adirondacks

Claim your own trophy Adirondack whitetail this hunting season.

The Adirondack Mountains provide a hunting location with vast terrain that includes forests, mountains and lakes. The Adirondacks extend across 11 northern counties of New York and offer more than 6 million acres of land for hunting, hiking, fishing and camping.

Instructions

1. Buy a New York hunting license. You must have a license to hunt before you can claim any deer. Regulations and prices for a license varies according to whether you are a resident of the state. If you live inside the state, you can purchase your license at any location that sells hunting licenses, but if you live out of state, you can mail in your information and fees to have your license mailed to you. Fill out the license application and mail the application, a copy of your driver's license and a copy of your previous hunting license of hunting education certificate.

2. Scout for a hunting site in the Adirondacks. Decide whether you want to hunt on state access hunting sites or on property owned by a hunting outfitter. Outfitters to consider include Outback Outfitters and the Lockhart Adirondack Hunting Guide Service. Once you choose a site, scout the area to look for deer signs and map patterns of the whitetail deer that reside in the area. You should also consider asking to hunt on private land.

3. Practice shooting your weapon. You can use a bow and arrows, regular gun or a muzzle-load gun to hunt during various, corresponding seasons in the Adirondacks. Practice shooting to see whether your weapon needs adjusting and to train yourself to make better shots so you have a better chance of hitting what you're aiming at.

Tips & Warnings

• Know which season you intend to hunt and when that season begins so you can be in your stand or blind on the opening day of season. The longer that season progresses, the more skittish deer become so hunt on opening day or as close to opening day as you can. Big game archery season extends from the last weekend in September to the second to last weekend in October, and the regular season extends from the last Saturday in October to the first Sunday in December. Muzzle-loading season extends for seven days before the regular season begins and the late muzzle-loading season extends one week through the middle of December.

References

• Adirondack: Adirondack Guides Offering Hunting & Fishing in Regions of Upstate New York
• Adirondack Wilderness Adventures: Hunting

Resources

• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation: Computerized Sporting License Application