jpm8920

Hey, been hunting in the Catskills the last number of years and have been seeing less and less deer every year, but this year I'vw been seeing a lot more than normal!!!! Not too many bucks, but lots of does....so the bucks should follow. Anyone else been seeing somewhat of an improvement this year??? Hopefully I'll get a shot at something before the guns start going off, cause my area sees lots of pressure then.

NyCzZzhunter

i havent gone out this year, im nota bowhunter, all firearms for me but you are right, not too many bucks and MANY does, thats all i see in catskills mostly does and thats why i got a doe tag im i def. getting somthing this year, where do you hunt in the catskills i go to orange county (3M)

jpm8920

I hunt in Delaware County around Margaretville and Andes. I actually used to hunt a farm in Orange County, but it eventually got sold and divided. I used to love the amount of deer we would see down there!

Steve863

Heading up tonight to Delaware cty around Stamford/Hobart area. Went up two weekend ago and didn't see a deer in 4 days. The woods were way thicker than any of the prior 16 years I hunted there for that time of year. I think the eastern and southern portions of the Catskill range hold considerably more deer. The northern and western parts hold fewer thus the state didn't issue any doe permits in the last two years in a number of units there. This year only landowners and people with preference points got permits in a number of units. From my experience I can't really say that there are less deer today than there were a few years back. It's not like I ever had deer jumping over me in this region. It surely isn't Westchester cty, Long Island or New Jersey. If one puts in hunting time they can be successful. Those who hunt only a couple of days may not even get to see a deer never mind kill one.

jpm8920

I totally agree about putting your time in. In my zone, 4P even residents with preference points were denied doe permits. Well, hopefully the deer herd will be healthier next year. I also keep hearing from the trappers that the coyote numbers are way down too, so that should ease some of the pressure on the deer as well.