Ground Zero: New York's Record Bucks

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Check out this video to learn how to manage your small track of land to bag your trophy buck.

STATE PARKS

There are many state parks in the Finger Lakes region that are open to hunting. Finding a place to go will require some research because not all state parks in all counties are open to hunting. Also, some parks are open only during daylight hours which means hunters will have to adjust their schedules accordingly.

Generally, New York’s state parks are small, confined areas that cater mostly to day users such as swimmers, hikers, picnickers and the like. There is still plenty of room to hunt for sportsmen who are willing to do their homework and find the densest, heaviest cover within the park’s boundaries.In most cases the best hunting will be away from developed areas of the park, most often near wetlands bordered by mature forest or adjacent private lands. State park hunters quickly become masters of logistics due to the wide variety of rules, regulations, fragmented habitat and access challenges. However, some exceptional deer are taken on New York’s state parks each year.

The best way to begin a search for a state park that is open to hunting is to log onto parks.ny.gov/parks. Call (518) 474-0456 for detailed information about each park plus maps and current regulations.

For more information about New York’s Finger Lakes public hunting lands, 2019 hunting regulations, downloadable maps and other details concerning public hunting opportunities in the region, log onto dec.ny.gov.