Typical of this area…very thin. November could be entirely different. I’ve hunted this area for a long time. The deer will be where the food is, and where the predators aren’t. You have to cover some country, but I can usually locate good pockets of deer. You have to realize even on a good year, deer numbers are very low in the Adirondacks. I live in the St. Lawrence River Valley. One morning last week I had 14 deer in the front yard. That is more deer than I saw in 9 full days of hunting the Adirondacks last year. That being said, I’m still optimistic and looking forward to my trip!!
Miguel, I might have missed it but how do you hunt? Still hunt or tree stands? Rifle or bow?
I’ve only bow hunted that area a few times and pretty much stick to rifles but curious if you were going for the more challenging route. I’m challenged just seeing deer consistently in that area.
Typically I’m on the move, still hunting. Tracking snow is hit or miss, but normally I’ll move slowly through areas that hold good deer sign. I will sit on occasion, and have had great success a few times. I have tried calling with grunts and rattling but never had much luck. I want to try rattling a little more, I really think it will work. Two years ago, I had hunted an area that had good sign a week earlier but the deer had abandoned. Mid morning I decided to try a little mountain I hadn’t hunted in a few years. As I was slowly working my way uphill I thought I heard a deer blowing. I froze, waiting to see what would happen. I couldn’t believe the next few seconds, a doe came running straight at me, a big buck right on her tail, grunting non stop. They blasted by me about 5 yards away. I shot once at the buck and missed clean! Then off to my right another buck, came running following the first two deer. I swung on him and quickly shot, dropping him in his tracks. Start to finish the whole encounter was maybe 3 seconds. Things happen fast, you always have to be ready. After I collected my wits and took some photos, I got the buck field dressed and started dragging him down the mountain, here comes the doe with the buck on her tail still, grunting non stop still! I got a good look at him, about a 18” spread 10 point I believe. Really nice buck. Mine was 178 pound 8 point. Don’t think encounters like this are common in the Adirondacks, more like once in a lifetime. Another neat encounter occurred in 2008. I was still new to hunting this area. I had found a lot of good sign along a couple of ridges and knew there was a buck working the area heavily. I hunted all day and never connected with him. Next morning I was right back there. Just about sunrise I walked up on a good 6 point and dumped him with the .35 Remington. I was seriously proud of myself, my plan actually came together! I was about 1 1/2 miles from my truck, so after I dressed the buck and dragged him to the main trail, I walked out to my truck to get the two wheel cart. I left my pack and rifle at the vehicle. I was almost to where I had left the 6 point, just rounding a sharp bend in the trail, and there stood a buck that has haunted me since. He was a heavily muscled buck with a huge neck and a wide chocolate brown rack, I believe typical 12 point, standing broadside about 25 yards away. He just trotted across the trail in front of me. He was so close I could feel his hoofs hitting the ground. He was at least a 250 pound buck. I think the rattling of the cart may have attracted him. The sight of that buck has kept me going back since!
Great experiences and good stories. 2018 it seemed like we had too much snow from 11/15 to the end of season. Luckily we were able to break trail each day in between storms to maintain some road access. I shot one of my nicer bucks on Black Friday that year and was up to my crotch in snow tracking him. Last year we didn’t have much for snow. Hopefully we get a reasonable amount this year.
Hunted the Adirondacks For 40 Years, Built many Lean to's and Wall Tents from the back of my truck out about 8ft. Built these with tarps and dead trees cut on location. The first one I built fast and not much support, got 12in. of WET SNOW the first night and caved it in. I Slept in the back of my Truck,was high and dry, but my cooking gear was not----Make sure your wall tent is made to take a lot of snow. Do not leave it up if you will be gone for any length of TIME---IT may be GONE WHEN YOU GET BACK!
I’m pretty sure the OP is safe where he sets up base camp. Most people in that area are respectful of someone’s motivations to hunt, fish or hike. As always there are problems. But I have to think most crank heads are getting in a canoe to “get some Schmitt” 1 mile down river
I enjoy revisiting this thread - good luck this year! If I’m ever in your camp neighborhood, I’ll pop in to say hello. Best of luck!
Do you hunt this area much? I’ve run into a couple guys from Vermont over the years, possibly you? One fellow I’ve talked to a couple times has a Ford F-150 and he keeps a two wheeled garden cart in the bed to transport deer out.
Muzzleloader opens this weekend. First time in 6 or so years we’ve been allowed to shoot a flat head so I’m actually going to get out some and see if I can’t get something in the freezer. Good luck out there
I enjoy revisiting this thread - good luck this year! If I’m ever in your camp neighborhood, I’ll pop in to say hello. Best of luck!
Do you hunt this area much? I’ve run into a couple guys from Vermont over the years, possibly you? One fellow I’ve talked to a couple times has a Ford F-150 and he keeps a two wheeled garden cart in the bed to transport deer out.
I’ve only visited & hiked the area - never hunted it but who knows, I end up chasing the snow around the mountains in search of a good track and never really know where I’m headed.
We[some friends and I] used to set an old army surplus octagonal tent down here in Nat. Forest along the VA/WVA border for the 2 week Virginia deer season in a primitive campground. It housed a woodstove, cookstove and 4-5 cots along with all the other stuff. Couple of times we had 5-6" of snow which is unusual here in mid Nov.
Some my best hunting memories are from that camp over the years!
Yesterday was my first time hunting the Adirondacks this year. Work has been busy and kept me close to home last weekend. I usually use early muzzleloader season as a way to fill my freezer anyway, and a fat spike with a belly full of corn helped out with that! It’s been unseasonably warm here this year, and the first hard frost was this past Friday night. Saturday night it got a little colder, as I was driving to my hunting destination early Sunday morning, my truck was reading around 27f. As I headed into the woods pre sunrise I was surprised at the amount of foliage still on the trees. Lots of the smaller maples and most poplars still had their leaves. The beech of course were still holding fast but that’s normal. Needless to say visibility was very limited. I hunted a series of ridges and found good deer sign, but no deer. About mid morning I think I bumped a bear. I heard a sound like a 100 pound sack of feed being dropped, then nothing. As I approached where the sound came from I found where a bear had been pulling beech nuts down. It never ceases to amaze me how they can just vanish into thin air. The rest of the day I spent still hunting/scouting new territory much deeper in the woods than I usually hunt, but closer to where the tent camp will be. A couple marshy areas, and the hardwood ridges around them look real promising. Less than 2 weeks to go until I head in. I haven’t been this excited for a hunting trip in a long time. I’ll keep you all posted.
Looks like a few nice spots there. In the last week we’ve gotten two really nice bucks on camera out checking the trails. They are starting to move. Good luck
Good luck, I will be visiting southwestern Adirondacks once or twice this season. Two years ago I shot a nice buck in the area. They are in there. Stay positive.
Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go
