WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
Probably when this hunting camp was going strong (maybe before the 1970s or so), this forest held a lot of deer. I can see remnants of old wooden tree-stands here & there. Ironically, this area in Ulster County has fewer deer than it did a decade or so ago due to maturing forests. Maturing forests = less sunlight upon the forest floor = less plants for deer to eat = fewer deer over time. Most of the deer in this area are nearer to houses and roadsides where more sunlight & young plants grow. The old dilapidated hunting camp now resembles something from a storybook, of bygone times. Don’t misunderstand; I’m not complaining. We’re still fortunate enough to have plenty of deer to chase around and fill freezers with. But, I am envious of the bygone hunting camps that used to populate these Catskill Mountains and the camaraderie they must have shared.
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association