NYers Sound Off!

[Sprout47]

Originally Posted by northerndragon

^why's that? I've been through there once or twice, couple of times through Mohawk.

Oh just hating on the anti-gun nuts.

[northerndragon]

yeah i hear you there.

[99z28monster]

man I cant wait to get to NY. I am getting so eager to be around some actual season changes and see animals other than pigs and mongoose. Any thing I should start preparing for as far as moving to NY?

[Dan22]

Hey Monster,

Hawaii to NY, that's some change.

I lived in upstate NY.

There are two New Yorks.

New York City is very competitive and everyone seems to be in a big rush and always looking for a deal.

The further you get out of the City the more laid-back it becomes. If you like trout fishing, upstate NY is about as good as it gets.

Hunting is also much underrated. There are some monster white tail deer.

What part of NY are you headed for?

Just watch out for Buffalo, they only have two seasons, August and Winter.

[99z28monster]

Dan,

I believe I will be upstate NY, I am going to be stationed at Ft.Drum. From what I understand everyone has a different idea on what upstate really is. I am gonna tackle the hunting with a furry. Being in hawaii that has been on hold for the last 3 years, unless I want to pay big money to hunt fishes. As weird as it may seem I am really not gonna focus on whitetails to much. We have a few of those back home in KS. I would really like to focus on hunting animals that I would not have a chance at other wise in KS. Such as woodchuck and bear also anything else that may be around. I have never really been a big fisher but would really like to try my hand at some fly fishing.

Hopefully the folks in the part of NY I will be at are more of a down to earth homestyle type of folk. I am really tired of the cant wait for anything type of attitude of people I have been with lately. Just need a good ole dose of country hospitality.

[northerndragon]

ok, here's where I come in, since well i'm from there orginially. No bear, plenty of woodchucks, deer, monster bucks, and the occasional moose across from canada. The fishing is awesome there, lake trout in Lake Ontario, salmon (if i spelled that right), Northern Pike in The River (trust me when I put it that way, the st. lawerence dwarfs every other river I've seen), walleye, muskie, and various pan fish. Watertown is kind of rushed, not crazy but laid back, the rest of the area is really laid back, we have Amish up where I'm from (Hammond, Black Lake area) some Menanites over in Philly, and a lot of farmers.

[Jerry McD]

The Fort Drum Seasons are Winter and July 4th.

[99z28monster]

So how far would I have to go for some bear hunting? Seems like a fishers paradise except for the cold.

[northerndragon]

ooh about where I am currently, the catskills, about four hours south of watertown/fort drum. though I have yet to see a bear here... don't worry about the cold you'll get used to it.

[snuffynra]

im from clay,right between Oneida lake and lake Ontario.

[Sprout47]

Originally Posted by 99z28monster

So how far would I have to go for some bear hunting? Seems like a fishers paradise except for the cold.

If your going to be stationed at Ft. Drum you will be able to bear hunt right on base in the field training areas. They have some guidelines. You just have to contact Range Safety and let them know you want to go hunting. They will tell you what areas are available and then you just drive on out there. I was stationed at Ft. Drum myself, my last duty station. I is just about as far north as you can get. It is about an hour at most from the Canadian border to give you an idea. Your also about and hour and a half north of Syracuse incase you ever get bored and want to see something that resembles modern civilization. Have fun and I hope you pack your snow suit.

Oh, and there are a ton of bears on Ft. Drum, black bear, and they are eager to get rid of a few. Too many soldiers getting tossed in their sleeping bags.

[northerndragon]

^ i'll correct myself, I just found out the other day that my aunt had one killed in her front lawn, damn thing was getting into the bird feeder and that was in Alex Bay.

[Bigfoot]

Hey Northerndragon! I hail from Afton, pretty close eah? Don't get as much chance to visit here as i used too. Job change and all that. I'll pop in every now and then and try to say hello. Went to Delhi University as a young lad, long time ago.

[northerndragon]

pretty damn close, I know where the exit is off 88, never had the pleasure of stopping into that town. I know the feeling with a job change, that's how I ended up here in Delhi.

[Ed Thomas]

Hi All, I'm from Syracuse,which is somewhat in the middle of up-state NY,about a 1 hour drive from Fort Drum..

[Bigfoot]

Well Northerndragon, Afton is nicely located halfway between Binghamton and Oneonta, sometimes it's tough to decide which way to go ! LOL! Been spending most weekends rabbitt hunting , 2 dogs, good runners, a lot of fun. Unless wife puts the skids on my fun, i off running my dogs. Hey by the way, i shot a huge 10 pointer, in North Sanford , had it Mounted in Delhi by Barrows Taxidermy, nice job!

[Snowshoe]

Hey Northerndragon...Greetings from FarNorCal...sort of California's version of NNY's Northcountry. It's been a lot of miles and a lot of years since I lived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Though very young at the time I rode her rapids before the Seaway and the dams were built. Grew up hunting ducks, geese, partridge, whitetails and of course those old standby targets, woodchucks and squirrels. Caught my share of pike, muskies, bass and trout too. Is Black Lake still the bass capital of the east? Do the walleye pike still run at Pope's Mills?

NNY was a great place to grow up. Then I spent a winter in Florida and realized that winter didn't run from late August to early June everywhere in the world and so began a trek that finally landed me here in the mountains and forests of far northern California. Still get snow but without the brutal cold and the sun shines alot more. No black flies either. Just the occaisional rattlesnake. Got a few deer flies out here tho'. Thought maybe since they were California deer flies they might be vegetarians. No such luck.

Still come back once in awhile. Think I'll bring my Mosin next time. There used to be this wily old woodchuck that I could never get close enough to to murder with a .22. Maybe he has great, great (etc.) grand kids and I can try from 300 yds. out.

[northerndragon]

Originally Posted by Snowshoe

Hey Northerndragon...Greetings from FarNorCal...sort of California's version of NNY's Northcountry. It's been a lot of miles and a lot of years since I lived on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Though very young at the time I rode her rapids before the Seaway and the dams were built. Grew up hunting ducks, geese, partridge, whitetails and of course those old standby targets, woodchucks and squirrels. Caught my share of pike, muskies, bass and trout too. Is Black Lake still the bass capital of the east? Do the walleye pike still run at Pope's Mills?

Black Lake is still a pretty decent bass hole, and to my knowledge the walleye still run at Pope's Mills. I know my brother dragged a walleye out of ice on Black Lake a couple of years ago. i hear you talking about the river like that and i think of my grandfather growing up on the river. All the stories he tells, raising hell, out racing the Coast Guard. hell I got shown a news paper article about my great great grandfather bootlegging and nearly out running the revenuers.

[Snowshoe]

Sounds like your G-G-grand father and my grandfather might have crossed paths. Mine was pretty high up in the Customs at O'burg. Spent summers patroling the river in a specially built inboard with two Packard V8's in it and armour plating. The MO was basicly chase, ram and sink the runners boat...not much gunplay. Never met him. He died a year before I was born...probably from a shortage anything good to drink.

[northerndragon]

my grandmother says I take after him, don't like the beer but love the hard alcohol. If I lived back then you bet I'd be running alcohol across the border, or making it back in the woods. G-g-grandpa had this custom built boat, I can't remember but the Revs made the mistake of stopping him with a smaller boat. they tied on to him and he actually start towing them towards the Canadian side of the river. they stopped him just short of the 'border', he spent a month (i think) in prison, lost his boat which was never seen again. I think that was the last time he bootlegged. I would have definetly heard about your g-g-grandfather ramming mine, though if you want I could check with my grandmother if she's heard anything about your family (perks of being the town historian).