Not every outdoorsman lives in such close proximity to the wildlife they pursue. I didn't always have the luxury, but my current home is an ideal location for hunting deer and wild turkey, and so far it's had a significant impact on my hunting season. When walk onto my deck and I'm surrounded by a historic forest. The pine trees alone are 60 to 70 feet tall and the red and white oak trees are just as big. I could easily sit up on that deck and have shot opportunities on deer and turkeys, but I feel like that's a lazy method and outlook. But with a view of the mountains in the distance and a vast amount of land available beyond my immediate backyard, I'm becoming more and more pleased with my hunting and living situation. Sure, the Catskills are nothing like the Rocky Mountains, but this is a region flush with wildlife. These are some of the things I've noticed since I started hunting and fishing in the lands immediately surrounding my home.
Hills and Valleys
A walk onto our deck immediately puts you about 10 feet above the lawn, but about 50 feet above the surrounding forest. Walking out into the woods to scout, hunt, or shed hunt requires a quick walk downhill, then up an old logging trail for another 100 yards until you reach the top. Walking along the hilltop boasts a great view, but one wrong step could result in a 50- to 75-foot fall onto some gnarly bluestone piles leftover from a quarry operation from back in the 1930s.
If you continue out past the property line, you can walk another half mile or so down the hill to the Esopus Creek—one of the premier trout streams in New York State. The spring run out of the Ashokan Reservoir brings the big, mature, breeder-size rainbow trout into the upper Esopus to spawn.
There are so many different hatches to fish during the open season that it's hard to choose which is best. I have a new friend who owns property along the creek and she tells me that the "witching hour" starts around 7:00 p.m. That's when she grabs her favorite fly rod and reel combo and wades into the stream for that night's hatch.
The Bluestone
This area of the Catskills is well known for its bluestone and many abandoned bluestone quarries were once a big part of the local economy. The best part is that it funnels the deer into certain areas because even whitetails don't like to walk up the loose rocks. The biggest problem arises in the early season when the copperheads and the timber rattlesnakes are still active. A downed deer usually needs to be dragged through rough terrain including short cliffs and solid rock walls.
Old Growth Forest
These old growth forests give a new meaning to "mossy oak" as their understory growth is virtually the same year round: moss covered blankets of pristine green on everything, including the trees. There is an incredible array of hardwoods and softwoods, including oak trees and conifers of every kind that have been here for generations. The bark on these trees can be as thick as concrete and just as hard, making hanging treestands a bit of a challenge.
Beyond that, there is an amazing variety of tall, straight trees to choose from with no limbs until far above the ground, making for great hunting spots with little to no pruning needed for shooting lanes. In fact, on the cliff edges, a stand hung at a mere 10 feet can then be 50 feet above the valley floor with a great view to travel corridors and exceptional shot angles, especially with a rifle.
You Take Care of the Garbage
Many folks live with bears, but this is our daily home. The only bear I want to walk outside and see better be underneath my treestand in November. I have to make sure that the grill is clean, the windows on the vehicles are up, and I can never ever leave anything that smells good accessible on my property. Black bears that become habituated to residential areas are a problem, and you never want to give them an excuse to be around.
I'm Not the Only Hunter Here
Craig Raleigh
Around here, there are packs of coyotes that prowl and howl, plus bobcats, owls, fishers, and black bears that will take a fawn or the leftover garbage from the cans in your driveway. Add rat snakes, copperheads, and timber rattlesnakes along with every biting bug found in the northeast, and you have the royal flush of critters and creatures that are in my vicinity.
Ultimately, living here has brought me closer to the things I like the most: wilderness habitat, teeming with wildlife that I can try my hand at harvesting. The fishing and hunting is great, but what I really like is that I don't have to go far to enjoy it.
Please check out my book "The Hunter's Way" from HarperCollins. Be sure to follow my webpage, or on Facebook and YouTube.
