With plenty of public land, a long season and a mix of woodlands and open fields make Lewis County a good bet for big bucks. Black powder, archery and regular seasons all offer a nice a chance for hunters to enjoy the adirondack fall beauty.
With more than 175,000 acres of public land within its borders, Lewis County offers some of the finest hunting in New York State.
Located in the Northern Zone, the county offers an exciting variety of “low pressure” conditions ranging from rural to total wilderness. You can enjoy the convenience of a motel, the warmth of a bed & breakfast, roadside camping, or backpacking into remote areas.
Within Lewis County, the terrain varies from the Adirondack Forest Preserve to the Black River Valley to the Tug Hill Plateau. The Adirondack foothills in the eastern section of the county represent a descent from the mountain country of the central area of the Adirondacks. Elevations vary from 3,000 to 400 feet in Lewis County. Forest cover is up to 80 percent in the foothills. This transitions toward the agricultural zone where land ownership increases from 50 percent private to 90 percent. Small dairy farms, abandoned land brushy areas increase the same way.
The Black River Valley, which runs through the center of Lewis County is predominantly an agricultural area. Farming makes up 35-50 percent of this area, and virtually all land is in private ownership. Brushland predominates over forests on land with cover.
The Tug Hill Plateau on the western side of the county is distinct and isolated from the Adirondack Mountains. Its ascent begins at 1,000 feet and tops off at 1,900 feet. The area varies from 37 to 67 percent forested, with some farming occurring on the slopes. Much of Tug Hill is private land. The cove of Tug Hill has always been forested and was never cleared for farmland.
The number of deer in the Northern Zone is less than in the Southern Zone because of range quality and winter severity conditions. ON the other hand, hunting pressure is light, so that only about 30 percent of the bucks are taken during the entire season. Translated into opportunity, this means that, unlike the Southern Zone hunting, you chances of success are equally good throughout any week of the season. And if you are looking for big racks, the more remote sections are your best choice. The lower rate of buck harvest results in an overall older age of bucks living in the country. Thus, many of the older males have trophy antlers. Hunting seasons are long, stretching from mid-September to early December. You have to full spectrum of outdoor enjoyment, from warm, bug free days and cool nights right to tracking snow – in the North Country, the snow comes as early as October.
Early Bear Season
The early bear season is an outstanding opportunity for the big game hunter. For nearly two week during the first part of the season, only bear hunters are in the woods. It’s a great season to be out, with mild days and cool nights. But it’s only not a warm weather hunt – it is also good bear hunting. During the late summer and early fall, the bear are active, roaming in search of food to prepare for the long winter’s sleep. It’s a great time to scout for deer activity, if you are planning some later deer hunting.
Deer/Bear Primitive Weapons Season
Overlapping the early bear season and extending up to the regular gunning season is a period of about four weeks set aside for those who enjoy hunting with primitive weapons. The archer has exclusive use of most of this period, and then shares time with the muzzleloader for the last seven days.
Bow Hunting
Bow hunting is an exacting kind of hunting requiring precision timing and a high degree of proficiency. Most bow hunters wear camouflage; many use tree stands, giving them a greater degree of freedom to move and hopefully allowing human descent of waft overhead. During the archery season, deer and bear of either sex may be taken.
Muzzleloading
The newest of the special seasons, the muzzleloading season offers a different kind of opportunity to reach back in time with a firearm that smacks a pioneer heritage. This special seven-day season has another unique feature to make it different from the regular hunting season in the Northern Zone – deer of either sex may be taken. Regular Big Game Season The lengthy northern NY season takes in seven or eight weekends – plenty of time to pick the hunting conditions that you like best. Rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol, and longbow are all legal. The total buck take in Lewis County for 2007 was 2,331 and total deer take was 3,629. The top five townships in Lewis County for total deer take in Lewis County were Towns of Croghan – 486, Denmark – 354, Diana – 284, and Harrisburg – 267. We can’t guarantee tracking snow, but it would be an unusual North Country season that didn’t’ see snow by November 15.
Small Game/Bird Hunting
Rabbit, ruffed grouse, woodcock, and turkey can be found throughout Lewis County, especially on Tug Hill, and in the northern sections of the county.
Helpful Links
Public Lands To Hunt
Wildlife Management Areas
