Where the Wild Things Are

Catskills Hunting, Fishing, Wildlife-Spotting and Nature Resources

Photo of black-capped chickadee by Lori Ballard.

The Catskills are a haven for wild creatures, large and small. You may not even need to look farther than your backyard.

Though it seems hard to believe, that wasn't always the case. In the nineteenth century, the dense hemlock forests of the Catskill Mountains were extensively clear-cut to make way for farming and yield bark for local tanneries.

Today, much of the forest has regrown – though in a new form. Hardwoods now dominate much of the landscape, and the hemlock is found mostly in steep hillsides and deep cloves.

With the resurgence of the forest over the last century, local wildlife is also on the rebound, including top predators like black bears, coyotes and bobcats. Along the region's waterways, bald eagles are an increasingly common sight, and sharp-eyed visitors may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a mink or a merganser.

In the summer, the Catskills are good place to spot migrating songbirds. One species, the rare Bicknell's thrush, was discovered here atop Slide Mountain.

Though they don't get as much attention from visitors as the fauna, the native plants of the Catskills are worth getting to know. The area has a long tradition of foraging for woodland plants like wild ginseng and ramps – though don't expect local foragers to give up their favorite spots! In the spring, the older, wilder forests are home to spring ephemerals like trillium, trout lily and even rare ladyslipper orchids.

Hunting in the Catskills, whether with rifle or bow, is a proud local pasttime with a long history. Deer season, in the late fall, draws many hunters to the region from downstate and beyond. If you're new to the sport and looking to get started, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which offers free hunter education courses, is a good place to start.

No mention of wildlife in the Catskills would be complete without a nod to our justly famous trout streams, where some of the world's best flyfishing can be found. Visitors can help protect Catskills trout streams by cleaning their boots and gear to prevent the spread of invasive algae; to find out how, check out these instructions from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

Hunting resources and groups

Note: There are hundreds of smaller rod and gun clubs in the region. Check out the county-wide federations of sportsmen's clubs for lists of their local members.

NYS Sportsman Education Program
(888) HUNT-ED2
This program, run by the DEC, runs hunter education courses in bowhunting, firearms, and trapping. To get a license in New York State, all new hunters must first complete a state-approved education course.

Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs of Sullivan County

Sullivan County Conservation Club
P.O. Box 9, Monticello

Federated Sportsmen's Clubs of Ulster County
P.O. Box 3134, Kingston

Schoharie County Conservation Association

Greene County Federation of Sportsmen

Tremperskill Rod and Gun Club
528 County Highway 1, Andes
(845) 676-3100

Fishing clubs, outfitters and guides

Catskill Mountains Trout Unlimited
P.O. Box 1187, Kingston
This nonprofit advocates for local fishing and stream conservation, holds stream cleanup and restoration events, and does educational outreach.

Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum
1031 Old Route 17, Livingston Manor
(845) 439-4810
Everything you ever wanted to know about fly-tying, flyfishing history, trout stream ecology and more. Located on the banks of the world-famous Willowemoc.

The Beaverkill Angler
52 Stewart Avenue, Roscoe
(607)-498 5194

Gone Fishing Guide Service
Narrowsburg
845.252.3657

Catskill Flies
Stewart Avenue, Roscoe
607.498.6146

Al's Sport Store
6964 River Road, Downsville
(607) 363-7740

Pepacton Bait and Tackle
43005 Route 28, Arkville
(845) 750-5061

Baxter House River Outfitters
Old Route 17, Roscoe
(607) 290-4022

Border Water Outfitters
159 East Main St, Hancock
(607) 637-4296

West Branch Angler
150 Faulkner Road, Hancock
(607) 467-5525

Nature, Birding and Conservation

Northern Catskills Audubon Society
Palenville
(518) 678-3248

Ashokan Center
477 Beaverkill Road, Olivebridge
(845) 657-8333

Belleayre Mountain Interactive Nature Center
Galli Curci Road, Highmount
(845) 254-5600

Frost Valley Environmental Education Center
2000 Frost Valley Road, Claryville
(845) 985-2291

Round Top Raptor Center
733 Bald Hill Road North, Round Top
(518) 622-0118

Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve
2515 Tower Mountain Road, Stamford
(607) 652-9137

Cohotate Preserve Environmental Education Center
907 Greene County Office Building
Cairo
(518) 622-3620

Catskill Center for Conservation and Development
43355 Route 28, Arkville
(845) 586-3044

Forestry

Agroforestry Resource Center
6055 Route 23, Acra
(518) 622-0155

Catskill Forest Association
P.O. Box 336, Arkville
(845) 586-3054

Scientists search for a rare Catskills songbird -- in the Caribbean

By Lissa Harris
10/24/12 - 5:38 pm

Above: The egg of a Bicknell's thrush, Catharus bicknelli. Photo by Flickr user Kent McFarland; published under Creative Commons license.

If there's one creature birdwatchers hope most fervently to find on a trip to the Catskills's high peaks, it's probably the rare, reclusive Bicknell's thrush, a plain little brown songbird that was discovered here on Slide Mountain in 1881. Bicknell's thrush lives only in high-elevation spruce and balsam fir forests, and fewer than 125,000 of them exist today. The species is considered vulnerable to extinction by international conservation scientists, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering listing it as a federally endangered species.  Read more

See video

Owl caption contest winner: Pat Guido

By Julia Reischel
10/22/12 - 10:54 am

Over a dozen people tried their hand at writing a caption for this awesome photo of an Eastern Screech Owl over the weekend.

Choosing a winner was hard, but not that hard, because Pat Guido went the extra mile by having the owl ask a critical question about the mysterious new operator of Belleayre Mountain Ski Center and by actually photoshopping a caption onto the original image. Well done, Pat! Your prize, as promised, is huzzahs all around. ("Huzzah!")

Our second-place choice was a submission by Joyce Spector, who suggested that the caption be "Honey Whoo Whoo," the name of the "newest Catskill reality star."

Thanks to everyone for your caption ideas. We'll do this again sometime soon -- it was fun. Here are all the submissions:

"Did someone say binders full of women?" -- Michael Schulz

I'm nature's noblest screecher! Apologies to Walt Kelly.-- Jim Gibbons  Read more

Training antlers

By Julia Reischel
10/17/12 - 2:31 pm
See video

Watershed Post reader Cassie Perez sent us a video of a few baby bucks -- with miniature antlers -- play-fighting at dusk next to the Ashokan Reservoir last night. Yet another entry for the Wild Things Badge. 

Cassie writes: 

Here is a video I shot on 10/16/2012. I was walking the Dike at the Ashokan Reservoir as the sun was setting, and I stopped to watch the deer go about their ways. There were about ten deer, three of them decided to get frisky!

Who needs opposable thumbs? Not this bear

By Julia Reischel
10/10/12 - 11:59 am
See video

Enough with the bears, you say? I couldn't resist: We got this fantastic bear video from Michael DiBenedetto today in which a black bear outsmarts a bear-proof bird feeder by implementing the mechanics of pulleys.

Really. Proof positive that humans aren't the only animals who can understand simple machines.

The video was shot at DiBennedetto's house in Delaware County in 2010. DiBenedetto writes that he sent this video to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and that "they had never seen anything like it."

"Pretty amazing how he figured out how to get the bird feeder down," he writes. "I thought the bear must have studied the pictures the DEC puts out telling campers how to hang the food in trees."  Read more