Stonewalled in the Catskills

Stonewall (definition): to engage in obstructive debate or delaying tactics : to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

Late November is a strange time in the western Catskills. Big game hunters take to the woods hoping to capitalize on the foolishness brought on by the seasonal "rut" - the breeding season for deer where in a story as old as time, males mark their territory in a testosterone-fueled fury as they attempt to breed a many females as possible.

Trees are "rubbed", "scrapes,"  and "runs" become evident and the roadsides are marked with surveyors tape, lest an earlier scoped likely-successful-hunting spot is forgotten.

Amateurs.

The hills are now polka-dotted blaze orange and Charlie Browne and I contribute to it. 

We've given city-slickers and once-a-year forest-visitors a wide berth for the past week and a half, but have returned to the mountain - with caution. We will also be donned in blaze-orange through the end of December, will not venture off-trail and stay away from areas frequented by traditionalists - who out of habit rather than observation - hunt in the same place year after year.

 No doubt about it, hikers, this time of year, engage in self-imposed stonewalling ... where we go against our nature in deference to (safely) sharing the landscape.

Some are better at it than others.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. 

Sharing the Trail

With an abundance of opportunities for hiking and exploring throughout the year, a local business owner asked me why I didn't stay out of the woods during big game season in the Catskills for a couple of weeks and hand the mountains over to the hunters.

The answer is simple, but two-fold.

1. 2017 has been one of the most challenging years to hike in the Catskills due to an explosion of ticks. The tick problem has been compounded by the lack of trail maintenance with high grasses providing those nasty blood-sucking parasites a trampoline to easily attach to a host - dog, horse or hiker. The overgrown trails also created a semi-dangerous condition in which one could not see where they were  stepping.  Rocks became ankle-twisters and swampy mud holes swallowed-up boots all season.  There was also a lot of rain this year - more than the area has seen in many years. The extra moisture in the air contributed to incredibly humid conditions which if in itself didn't discourage outdoor exploration, provided the the perfect breeding ground for mosquitos and other irritating buzzing insects. Conditions simply haven't been conducive to hiking from spring through early autumn in the western Catskills.

2. In addition to being my preferred method of recreation, meditation and relaxation, the outdoors is a subject I write about. I get paid to go outdoors, explore and write. There is no better way to write a story than to find the story and experience it. I've met very few hunters, hikers, explorers or people generally, who aren't willing to tell you the best - and worst - parts of their experiences in nature. Nature lovers, even if they don't love the same things, have a wealth of invaluable information to share and exchange. I've appreciated a hunter telling me where a bear den is (so I could stay away from it!) as much as upland game bird hunters have appreciated my directions to a flush, overgrown meadow tucked away on an obscured hillside.

Beside, there is such an expanse of public and private acreage to explore throughout the Catskills, that it truly is a rare occurrence to accidentally cross paths with another person, let alone a monster trophy buck, although .... I can tell you where they are 😊😊😊

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. 

Hikers vs. Hunters - Opening Weekend, 2017 Western Catskills Big Game Rifle Season

The "Us vs. Them" mentality, pervasive in the 2017 elections, filtered over into the Western Catskills 2017 big game rifle hunting season. 

Wrong vs. Right, You vs. Me ... a common thread, locally and nationally, has zero place in the conversation about the future of hunting, hiking and tourism.

There is room for all of us here.

Charlie Browne and I ventured out to our usual hiking spot, Bear Spring Mountain, a state-managed wildlife preserve in Delaware County, to scope the viability of trail hiking during the one time each year we actually see another person.

This year surpassed the previous 15 years in the number of vehicles parked at public access areas, warning us of out-of-state and out-of-county trophy hunter-hopefuls. 

We stuck close to a state highway, on a parallel trail, hopeful - adorned in blaze orange (and turquoise)- that we would not be mistaken for a deer.

We weren't.

Because of weather.  

Opening day dawned wet and worrisome - freakishly foggy mid-day.

Day two, Sunday, heralded gale force winds  - gusty and snow-tinged, sending nurtured outdoorsmen indoors.

Charlie Browne and I donned our winter wear - me, layered-beneath snow pants and mittens - him-  a blaze orange collar.

Snow-crusted ferns speak  - we listen. 

There is no adversity or analyzing - just acceptance.

Those who weather the weather, gain the most.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie. 

Fallen

The in-between season is fast approaching full-blown winter in the western Catskills. Most of the mountain's leaves have left, fleeing the soft- and hardwoods that provided thicketed cover for area wildlife.

Puddle ducks - Blue- and Green-Winged Teal flocks have long left the area. The East and West Branches of the Delaware River are becoming devoid of waterfowl who have raised their young atop the pristine waters, fed and fattened by sub-surface aquatic plants, supplemented with an occasional fish dinner.

Wood Ducks hang around a bit longer, feasting and fattening up on an abundance of fallen acorns, seedlings of the mighty Oak.

Mallards, Pintails, Merganzers and Black Ducks trickle-travel south through January when the arrowed pattern of  Canada Geese also become a distant memory.

Their sky-honking chorus is an aerial Morse Code passenger-check system in their pre-programmed flight path.

The end of the in-between season peaks with the annual changing of the Larch, when the un-noticed Tamarack trees, seasonally invisible, crowded, clustered and over-shadowed by their evergreen brethren- needle their way to center stage outfitted in glorious gold. 

The hearty-nature of young conifers may soon be tested by deer enlisting their assistance in removal of velvet from their antlers.

Deciduous leaves have fallen, leaving the understory exposed. 

What remains is a preview of what's to come.

*Between hikes, Lillian Browne writes about the environment, politics, crime and business in Delaware County. She is a NYS licensed outdoor adventure guide exploring the world around her, one step at a time, with her dog - Charlie.