New member here

[Matt/VT]

Hello everyone!

You folks have a great site and after lurking for a bit, I thought I would sign up.

I live in northern New England and have traveled west to hunt once in WY in 2013 (for my Dad's 60th birthday) and am headed to CO this year after elk. I loved hunting in the west; hope to get more and more of it over the next few years. These are outfitted hunts to shorten the learning curve for me, but I hope to dial in some DIY stuff as time passes.

I focus on chasing whitetails with a rifle in the big woods of northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. A challenge in its own right, but definitely different than being in the Rocky Mountain West.

Hope to learn a lot from all of you and maybe be able to chime in now and then.

Good luck this fall!

Matt


Dad's bull (I got a round into him as well):


My mule deer:

 

[Danvet]

Welcome and we'll look forward to more messages and pics.

 

[rjlefty3]

Welcome from another New Englander!

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Welcome aboard. I love the classic pump gun from the north woods beside the mule deer. That's awesome! I have hunted in Maine twice and absolutely love it. Was a lot younger and less experienced but despite never tagging one I fell in love with the area. Never got to track because it was always unseasonably warm and even if it snowed at night it was gone by early morning.

What part of Vt? We go through there a lot when we are vacationing in new england. Great fishing though I have mainly been on the Nh side of the border.

 

[track1]

Welcome, from another Green mountain Boy.

 

[pabearhunter]

Welcome aboard. Nice pictures and I was in the Great Maine Woods last year on a DIY Solo hunt. beautiful country.

 

[Matt/VT]

Welcome aboard. I love the classic pump gun from the north woods beside the mule deer. That's awesome! I have hunted in Maine twice and absolutely love it. Was a lot younger and less experienced but despite never tagging one I fell in love with the area. Never got to track because it was always unseasonably warm and even if it snowed at night it was gone by early morning.

What part of Vt? We go through there a lot when we are vacationing in new england. Great fishing though I have mainly been on the Nh side of the border.

Yes, the pumps were a unique part of our trip. They don't work well out of the scabbard, so my next trip will be with a bolt.

Live just west of Island Pond in VT, not far from the NH border.

Maine is a blast- great fun to track one and definitely not easy. This is the last buck I tracked and shot, though I missed one each in VT and ME in 2014.

 

[sbhooper]

Welcome. Nothing wrong with pumps, but they are heavy and noisy. I have one in 30-06 that my son has in Wisconsin. It shoots great, but I have no use for it!

 

[VAspeedgoat]

How much did that bruiser weigh? I like that new england judges bucks as much by weight, not so much by horn measurements.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Welcome aboard! I lived in Merrimack NH for a few years as a kid. I don't remember much, except the falls are gorgeous and lots of snow.

 

[Matt/VT]

How much did that bruiser weigh? I like that new england judges bucks as much by weight, not so much by horn measurements.

182 pounds fully dressed off. He was a bit short bodied to weigh up well but is still one I would shoot any day. 200 is the magic mark; haven't hit it yet.