Take a hike with Ken Kindler

Hiking During Hunting Season

A fellow hike leader informed me that one of his hikers was rude to a hunter they met on the trail. This is unfortunate, because hunters and hikers are natural allies. We both want to protect natural open space. Be alert for hunters and greet them with eye contact and a friendly wave. Many hikers have an unfounded fear of hunters. It is unlikely that a hunter will confuse a hiker with deer or small game, because they are trained to be sure of their target and beyond. In order to obtain a hunting license and permit, a hunter education course is required. Generally, the course is a minimum of ten hours in length. Hunters wishing to bow hunt for big game must take an additional eight-hour bow hunter education course. Hunters must wear at least a 6" x 6" blaze orange patch on their outside garment. The patch must be displayed on the upper body (above waist). During hunting season, it is also obviously a good idea for hikers to wear orange clothing. If an area is posted for hunting, it is prudent to find another place to walk. It would be considerate on the part of the land manager to give the directions to a safer place to hike nearby

On the County Parks' website it is stated in bold letters "HUNTERS ARE PROHIBITED FROM HUNTING ON OR NEAR THE PAUMANOK PATH (HIKING TRAIL MARKED WITH WHITE BLAZES ON TREES). DO NOT SHOOT ACROSS PAUMANOK PATH." For Suffolk County Parks, the deer hunting season is October 1 to December 31 and is restricted to bow hunting. On weekdays only, with a special permit, firearms can only be used January 7 to January 31. Small game that includes squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, raccoon, fox and opossum are hunted from November 1 to, in most instances, late February. Local hunters are not permitted to possess high-powered rifles. It is also illegal to discharge a firearm or bow that might carry over any part of a public highway and within 500 feet of any dwelling. Waterfowl are only hunted over water.

For information on hiking on County land during the hunting season, call (631) 854-4949. There is waterfowl hunting on the Carmans River at Southaven County Park and on the freshwater ponds and saltwater marshes of Hubbard County Park. At Cedar Point County Park in East Hampton, there is regular duck hunting or beach shooting for sea ducks and migratory waterfowl by Big Reed Pond at Theodore Roosevelt County Park. October through December County Parks has an archery season for deer at the following parklands: Warbler Woods, Suffolk Hills, Hubbard, Cedar Point, Northwest Harbor County Parks and Pine Meadows County Park. There is also a special Long Island shotgun and muzzle loading rifle deer season for three weeks in January.

If you need a permit to hike, or for hiking information on DEC managed land, call (631) 444-0273. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is divided into nine regions. Region 1 is comprised of Nassau and Suffolk Counties. The Regions are further divided up into Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). Call the appropriate NYS DEC Regional telephone number prior to visiting one of their WMAs. By doing so, you can quickly learn more about a specific area, its uses and facilities. When you visit the DEC Region 1 website, there is a list of the management areas, and notice that visitors need permits. The permit is not on the website, so I posted a copy on the Hiking Long Island links page until their site is updated. Straddling the Riverhead/Southampton border is the Sarnoff Preserve, there is the Quogue Wildlife Refuge, the Otis Pike Preserve and Randall Pond Nature Trail in Ridge, the Rocky Point WMA and the preserve at Barcelona Neck, at the East Hampton-Sag Harbor border. When I called NYS Parks for guidelines on hiking in Hither Hills and Montauk during hunting season, they directed me back to the DEC. Then I followed The NYS DEC link to hiking and rock climbing. This page informed me that trail register boxes are generally located near major access points and parking areas. On the DEC website it is explained that, you should sign in at any Department of Environmental Conservation trail register you may pass. This will assist us in finding you should we need to search for you. This would also be a good way to measure how many people use the trails and for what kind of recreation. I haven't seen one of these boxes on Long Island, but it sounds like a good idea.

Ken Kindler is a Trails and Open Space Advocate working to help the trails groups and land managers care for our "Natural Island." If you would like to learn more about our trails or help care for them, visit the Hiking Long Island website. www.hike-li.org

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