Delaware Lake

[Thunderflight]

My sister lives across from Delaware Lake off 23. It looks like there is a fair amount of public hunting land around it too.

Has anyone ever hunted it? It looks really nice, but if the pressure is anything like our state gamelands then it gets hammered hard.

How about coyotes?

 

[Johnny44]

A lot of traffic in there, but you can be successful no doubt. More waterfowl and small game traffic than anything else from what I have seen. Tough walking but there are some honey holes.

 

[Big_Holla]

We did a winter campout there (an obsolete forum) one year the last weekend of season. I didn't hunt but the guys that did were able to get on deer pretty quickly. There was snow on the ground which made finding them a little easier and several had close encounters. I would say if we had another day or two someone would have gotten a shot.

 

[Jamie]

I bow hunted in Delaware Park a ton in the late 80's and early 90's. bowhunting only area in the park. killed several deer there, missed several big bucks, too, lol. last deer I shot a deer there was in December of 2004. have not hunted it since that season, I don't think. The place is now overrun with crossbow hunters from opening of season until gun season, mostly out of staters. Back in the day, I could go up there on a weekday in late season and have the entire place to myself. was a great place to deer hunt 35 years ago. not so much now. I have been all over every inch of the wildlife area behind my dogs. there are deer there, and I have found some nice sheds, but I would not waste my time deer hunting there today. too much pressure on all of the habitat. going there this afternoon for a walk.

 

[giles]

I know a guy that his entire family kills 160+ deer every year from there...don't tell anyone though. Keep it between us.

 

[Thunderflight]

I bow hunted in Delaware Park a ton in the late 80's and early 90's. bowhunting only area in the park. killed several deer there, missed several big bucks, too, lol. last deer I shot a deer there was in December of 2004. have not hunted it since that season, I don't think. The place is now overrun with crossbow hunters from opening of season until gun season, mostly out of staters. Back in the day, I could go up there on a weekday in late season and have the entire place to myself. was a great place to deer hunt 35 years ago. not so much now. I have been all over every inch of the wildlife area behind my dogs. there are deer there, and I have found some nice sheds, but I would not waste my time deer hunting there today. too much pressure on all of the habitat. going there this afternoon for a walk.

I didnt see a single truck or car parked at any of the parking areas along 229. This was 1 to 22 january. However the other spots might be a different story. Im coming back in a few weeks. I may give it a shot for coyotes.

 

[Jamie]

About the only people you will see parked along 229 are small game hunters and fishermen. I have never encountered another human being in the woods on a weekday after the January 1 anywhere in the wildlife area, and I have been on every piece of it that has a tree on it many, many times. of course, there are people deer hunting during muzzleloader season and on weekends some in January, but I don't ever go up there during a gun season or on weekends or holidays.

If you want to bow hunt for deer, you should hunt in Delaware Park on the west side of the lake where the campgrounds are. It is a bow hunting for deer only. has been that way for 40 years, at least. more deer than in the wildlife area. only one campsite is open year round, the rest are closed. you will have to do some walking to hunt there. I used a bicycle a lot. it's a fun ride up to the north end with a tree stand and pack on your back, heavy clothes and boots on, bow laying across the handlebars. good times.