Steve Piatt, Author at Outdoor News

A young hunter’s first buck is a special occasion

Featured, Featured, Hunting, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Pennsylvania / Steve Piatt

Parker Bradley isn’t your typical 12 year old. He collects tractors – real ones, not the toy models you can pick up at Tractor Supply. He pitches in on the family farm, mowing hay, milking cows and bottling milk at the side business (Bradley’s Country Creamery) in Litchfield Township, Pa. He even knows how to weld.

But he is, in fact, 12 years old, complete these days with cell phone, homework, and a younger sister who bugs him sometimes. And he loves to hunt and fish.

A young hunter’s first buck is a special occasion Read More »

Woods and waters: Trail-less tracts beckon to the mobile, boots-on-the-ground hunter in New York’s Catlin State Forest

Hunting, Lake Profile, Lake Profile, New York / Steve Piatt

It’s not the biggest state forest in the Southern Tier, but 613 acres of hunting land shouldn’t be overlooked, and that’s what the Catlin State Forest in Chemung County offers.

Woods and waters: Trail-less tracts beckon to the mobile, boots-on-the-ground hunter in New York’s Catlin State Forest Read More »

The toughest hunts yield the greatest rewards

Featured, Features, Home Page News, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Hunting, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, National Hunting, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin / Steve Piatt

Over a year’s worth of planning and preparation went into this Alaskan mountain goat hunt, including miles and miles of vertical hikes with a Stone Glacier backpack loaded down with sand and, in the final weeks, a stick of firewood added.
In my mind, I was ready. Then I looked at the mountain I’d have to ascend to climb into goat country, and doubts began to creep in.

The toughest hunts yield the greatest rewards Read More »

New York’s Wiley Brook State Forest: Multiple-use tract in Chenango

Hunting, Lake Profile, Lake Profile, New York / Steve Piatt

Wiley Brook State Forest is one of those multiple-use state-owned parcels that sees a little bit of all kinds of activities all year ’round.

New York’s Wiley Brook State Forest: Multiple-use tract in Chenango Read More »

Losing access: Dealing with a shrinking hunting playing field

Featured, Hunting, National Hunting, New York, Opinion / Steve Piatt

Paula and I lost a hunting spot this year, which isn’t unusual these days. Typically it’s a lose one-gain another proposition, and hunting access is a challenge we’ve become accustomed to over the years.
It is an oft-repeated scenario these days: the landowner dies, the family sells the property and we’re no longer allowed to hunt it. In this case it was about 60 acres in New York’s Chemung County – not a big chunk of land but a good one, with plenty of oak and, in the right years, good numbers of deer and turkey, and an occasional bear.

Losing access: Dealing with a shrinking hunting playing field Read More »

Get a load of these turkey shells: Options are certainly growing

Gear & Gadgets, National Hunting / Steve Piatt

Turkey hunters these days have a lot of decisions to make before heading afield, but that’s a good thing. Technology has brought to the table high-quality clothing and camo, blinds and decoys, all designed to make our hunting experience more comfortable and successful.
But perhaps no bigger decision is to be made than what shotgun and shell combination you’ll be toting into the woods, whether it be this fall or next spring.
The options are many, as are the questions. That’s why it’s critical to do your homework at the shooting range before the season, and get the answers you’re looking for. Here are some of the many options that may set you up for success when that moment of truth arrives.

Get a load of these turkey shells: Options are certainly growing Read More »

Cranberry Mountain WMA: Public access near New York City

Hunting, Lake Profile, Lake Profile, New York / Steve Piatt

Probably the most attractive thing about the Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area is simply the property itself, about 1,200 acres that offers hunting – and fishing – possibilities not far from the New York City metro area.
Given that Putnam County location, it’s no surprise that it’s one of the most popular stopping points for hunters within DEC’s Region 3 of southeastern New York, east of the Hudson River.

Cranberry Mountain WMA: Public access near New York City Read More »

Completing the circle: Hunting mentor becomes the guided

Featured, Features, Hunting, National Hunting, New York / Steve Piatt

It was back in 2004 when I took a kid afield for New York State’s first-ever youth turkey-hunting weekend. Living in the Adirondacks then, the temperature bottomed out at a brisk 18 degrees on that Saturday morning. But Jake was more than willing to give it a try.
We called in a curious fisher shortly off the roost, and not surprisingly didn’t hear any gobbling. But later that morning we spied a pair of lone jakes, got set up into position and they dutifully strolled into shotgun range.

Completing the circle: Hunting mentor becomes the guided Read More »

Long Island state forest tract offers hunting access

Hunting, National Hunting, New York / Steve Piatt

Out on Long Island, hunting access is always a challenge, so it’s no surprise that the Westhampton Dwarf Pine Plains Pine Barrens State Forest is a popular slice of state-owned land in New York.
And the Suffolk County parcel, 788 acres of unique habitat holding good numbers of deer, draws hunters who are more than willing to head afield under the restrictions and requirements needed to do so.

Long Island state forest tract offers hunting access Read More »

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Steve Piatt

A young hunter’s first buck is a special occasion

Woods and waters: Trail-less tracts beckon to the mobile, boots-on-the-ground hunter in New York’s Catlin State Forest

The toughest hunts yield the greatest rewards

New York’s Wiley Brook State Forest: Multiple-use tract in Chenango

Losing access: Dealing with a shrinking hunting playing field

Get a load of these turkey shells: Options are certainly growing

Cranberry Mountain WMA: Public access near New York City

Completing the circle: Hunting mentor becomes the guided

Long Island state forest tract offers hunting access

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