A
GUIDE TO
LONG LAKE AND
RAQUETTE LAKE
2009 Has already been a busy season
Muzzleloading is now open.
Open Season in the Northern Zone opens Saturday, October 24th, 2009
For Hunting Licenses stop by Long Lake Town Clerk office on Deerland Rd (light green house at Hoss's Intersection) or Hoss's Country Corner.
Good Luck and be Safe!
General
State lands provide the Long Lake hunter with unlimited acres of hunting grounds. Hunting opportunities in Long Lake are better than ever before. Small game, a special bear, archery, muzzleloading, and the regular seasons provide hunters with some access to this sport from early September through the end of March.
More bear are taken in Hamilton County each year than in any other county in the State and deer hunting is unsurpassed. There are a few open fields and many acres of forest land which offers a different kind of hunting from those used in the southern tier, St. Lawrence or Champlain Valley.
The Long Lake area also offers excellent small game hunting. Ruffed grouse, varying hare, coyote, woodcock, and waterfowl comprise the small game population. Waterfowl hunting has a small but ardent following in these areas. There are a number of areas which have untapped potential. Big Brook Marsh, the Raquette River Outlet from Long Lake and the marsh areas toward Buttermilk Falls all have both permanent and transient populations of ducks and geese.
Before entering any of the hunting areas it is very important that you carry and be able to use a compass and obtain and study a topographical map of the area. Maps can be purchased in most local shops.
Please respect the land that you pass through or camp in and leave it as good or better than you found it. In some instances permits are required to camp overnight on undeveloped State lands. Unless specifically prohibited, groups of less than 10 people may camp for 3 nights without a permit. Groups of 10 or more and groups of less than ten who wish to camp more than 3 nights must have a permit which are issued by the local Forest Rangers.
In addition to the public land areas which are described below, there are a number of private hunting clubs located on large tracts of leased forest land. Please honor the posted signs and private land. Quite often these hunting clubs have notices posted that they are looking for members.
LONG LAKE
The Cold River area is an excellent hunting ground for the sportsman who wants to rough it. One way to reach it is to travel down Long Lake by boat. You will find lean-tos along the Raquette River, Cold River and Calkins Creek. These areas can only be reached in a small boat or canoe because the water is very shallow in the fall. If you wish, you may stay in one of the many lean-tos that dot the northwest shore of Long Lake. There are hundreds of acres of land for hunting in this area. Long Lake often freezes over during late fall so pay attention to the temperature.
Lake Lila has many acres of woodland. There is one lean-to and several primitive camping sites along the lake. It is best to contact the NYSDEC Forest Ranger, Long Lake, NY 12847 for permits and a booklet called, "Lake Lila Primitive Area."
The Bog River Flow is a good hunting area and has some primitive camping sites. Most of the land in the area surrounding the Flow is private but there are a number of access points for people who wishe to try their luck in this area. One of the best ways to access the area from Long Lake is to take Rte 30 north to the Sabattis Road and then follow this County road to the railroad tracks at the end. The land bordering the road on the north side for a distance of about 1 mile from the track is State land. There is an old, no longer maintained, trail which leads into Trout Pond which is part of flow.
To hunt the areas bordering the North Point Road, travel 3 miles south from the Long Lake Town Hall on Rte 28N/30 and turn right onto the North Point Road which provides numerous acres for hunting and camping. There is some private land along the road which is usually posted. From Buttermilk Falls to a point just before you reach the bridge crossing the Raquette River, the land on both sides of the road is State land and can be hunted.
The Endion/Owl's Head Trail is 2.6 miles from the Long Lake Town Hall. Travel north on Rte 30 and turn left onto Endion Road. This trail area has good hunting in many directions but there is also some posted land.
Lake Eaton is almost entirely surrounded by State land and is open to hunting. The land is private on both sides of the lake near the outlet and a small strip across the lake. The land across Rte 30 from the entrance to the campsite is also State land. This land is surrounded on three sides by private land and on the fourth by Rte 30. Look for the snowmobile/cross country ski trails which will indicate the start of this area.
The Northville-Placid Trail (north) can be reached by taking Rte 28N to Tarbell Hill Road which is 1.3 miles from the Long Lake Town Hall. Turn left and go .5 mile to the trailhead which is on the right. There are many acres of off-trail hunting along the lake but please respect posted land.
Forked Lake is almost completely surrounded by private land. However, the south shore line from the campsite to a point just before where the Raquette River enters is public land. This area may be hunted through to the North Point Road. The area across the river is also State land and hunting is allowed. You will find that private land is prominently marked and you are urged not to trespass. It is also possible to canoe/boat to the west end of Forked Lake where Brandreth Lake outlet enters the Lake. There is a tract of State land along the brook that may be hunted. This tract is also accessible from the North Point Road but please do not trespass on the private land along this area of the road.
The Northville-Placid Trail (south) can be reached from Rte 28N, 1.8 miles from the Long Lake Town Hall, across from Tarbell Hill Road. The stretch of State land is relatively narrow as you first leave the parking area. However, after you walk in 3/4 mile, you are on a large tract of State land which runs all the way to Rte 28N/30 near South Pond.
South Pond is mostly surrounded by State land. You must, however, be careful not to trespass on the tracts of private property that border the lake. To reach South Pond, travel south on Rte 28N/30 toward Blue Mountain Lake. There is a paved parking area on the right side of the road. You can see the lake from that point. There is a very limited amount of State land between the road and lake. You must canoe or boat across the lake to reach the west shore which is primarily State land. It is impossible to reach the State land from Rte 28N/30 without crossing private property. If you wish to hike this area and must hike in, it is recommended that you do so from the North Point Road. The land between South Pond and the North Point Road is private until Buttermilk Falls.
The East Inlet area across the road from the parking area for South Pond is much larger and easier to access. There is an old tote road 1.4 miles from the intersection of the North Point Road and Rte 28N/30 in Deerland. This tote road becomes very vague shortly but is the access to the area. A second access point to the area is south of the beaver flow. On the east side of the road you will find a small area where cars park. Enter the woods at this point and continue upstream on the south side of the brook. It is easier to find your way out in the dark using this access point as you miss the big swamp if you fall off the tote road.
The William C. Whitney Wilderness Area, recently purchased by the State of New York comprises of 15,000 acres of land surrounding Little Tupper Lake. This area opened to the public for hunting for the first time in the fall of 1998. To hunt this area, drive north on Route 30 from Long Lake and turn left onto Hamilton County Rte 10 (Sabattis Circle Road). Continue on for 3 miles and turn left onto the Sabattis Road. Approximately 1 mile from the bridge at Little Tupper Lake, there is a sign on the left identifying the headquarters. Check in at this point. For additional information on the William C. Whitney Area check out the NYSDEC Web Site.
Sabattis Station area. There is a small section of State Land on the North Side of the Sabattis Road approximately 10 miles from the Sabattis Circle Road/Route 30 intersection within Long Lake. However, this land is connected to the Bog River Wild Forest area.
Raquette Lake
Raquette Lake is almost completely surrounded by Forest Preserve land providing the hunter with a spacious hunting ground. A few suggested areas are:
Marion River. . Canoe or take a small boat up this stream and hunt both sides. Please respect posted property. You can reach Lower Sargent Pond this way, too. You may also access this area from Rte 28. Using Golden Beach as the starting point, the entire area between Rte 28 and the Marion River is State land and may be hunted until you reach the Marion River Carry which is private land.
Tioga Point can be reached by boat or canoe. You can then hike into Lower Sargent Pond.
Boulder Brook area. Canoe or take a small boat and then hike into Lower Sargent Pond, or just hunt the area around the brook.
The land on both sides of the Sagamore Road in Raquette Lake is State land except the land around Sagamore Lake, Camp Uncas and Lake Kora. This is a large area which includes Mohegan Lake. As you hunt through the area toward Rte 28, you may find small tracts of private land which should be avoided.
The Browns Tract Campsite area and Uncas Road is primarily State land although there are some small private holdings right along the road. The North side of the road is part of the Pigeon Lake Wilderness area.
The area south of the Uncas Road to Rte 28 and all of the shore line of Eighth Lake and a large portion of 7th Lake is also State land. Please respect the fact that 7th Lake does have tracts of private land.
Shallow Lake. This lake was at one time a destination for Fly-in trips but with the classification of the Pigeon Lake Area as Wilderness, this was stopped. No motorized vehicles are permitted but if you plan on hunting the area for any length of time, you might want to carry in a canoe. To get to the trail, drive 2.5 miles from the Raquette Lake village beach via the Antlers Road and the Uncas Road to the trailhead near the Upper Pond. The trail then follows the old Sucker Brook Bay Road for about a mile before turning northwest. It is about 2.2 miles to the lake. Cranberry Pond is also in this area but is accessible only by backpacking along Sucker Brook.
Fly-in-Areas
Some hunters choose to fly into remote sections of the forest. Seaplane service is available from Long Lake. You might try some of the following locations:
Corner Pond - northeast of Long
Lake
Deer Pond - west of Tupper Lake
Bridge Brook - west of Tupper Lake
Big Trout Pond - north of Sabattis Road
Upper Sargent Pond - south of Forked Lake Road
Lower Sargent Pond - south of Forked Lake Road
Tirrell Pond - northeast of Blue Mountain Lake
First Lake - north of Indian Lake
Pine Lake - north of Indian Lake
Rock Lake - north of Indian Lake
Cold River - north end of Long Lake
For information on the availability of flying into one of these areas, please call Adirondack Air (518-624-5544) or Helms Aero Service (518-624-3931).
Revised Excerpts from the Booklet "WOODS
AND WATERS" Published by the Long Lake
Department of Parks, Recreation
& Tourism
PO Box 496HB Long Lake, NY 12847 518-624-3077
Visitors Since December 14, 2005
