Matt/VT
New member
The New England version of public land/DIY hunting is hunting large tracts of timber company land in Maine, NH, and VT. Typically these are day hunts, so you are out every day and on the road, then back to your truck every night. My preferred method is tracking the deer on snow, but when there isn't any snow on the ground, we still hunt.
For those not familiar with northern New England deer hunting, it probably isn't what you imagine the east being like. Maybe similar to the Adirondacks of NY, but with active logging. There are mountains here and while the altitude isn't excessive, the elevation gain/loss can be decent. There are also swamps where the woods can be tight- almost like the dark timber; not really spot and stalk territory. Animal densities are low, about 1-2 bucks per square mile harvested. Shots are close and quick, often the first time you see the buck you are immediately shooting at him, relying on the sign he leaves to give you an idea of his size. Wool clothes the norm. Walking mileage varies, but a 5-8 mile day is probably average.
2016 saw me hitting all three states with muzzleloader and rifle. Tags are all over the counter, buck only. We call this big woods hunting rather than backcountry, but I think of it as the same thing. The weights matter here as much or more than antler score. A 200 pound fully dressed weight buck is the 'trophy' benchmark for those of us who hunt in this style; I unfortunately wouldn't achieve that this year. Thankfully, the meat, adventures and stories of each day were of trophy quality for me.
First up was NH, where I was able to still hunt my way to a medium sized 152# 4x4 whitetail with my pump rifle in .30-06.
In Maine, the cameras revealed several large mountain bucks that we were able to chase but not catch up to.
Finally in VT, my home state, we have a late muzzleloader season. I was able to track and catch up to another 4x4 whitetail, 162#, on the second to last day, sneaking to within 50 yards of this bedded buck after trailing him for 2.5 hours across a couple miles.
The drag out to a nearby road took a couple hours, always a relief when the truck is in sight.
Thanks for reading.
For those not familiar with northern New England deer hunting, it probably isn't what you imagine the east being like. Maybe similar to the Adirondacks of NY, but with active logging. There are mountains here and while the altitude isn't excessive, the elevation gain/loss can be decent. There are also swamps where the woods can be tight- almost like the dark timber; not really spot and stalk territory. Animal densities are low, about 1-2 bucks per square mile harvested. Shots are close and quick, often the first time you see the buck you are immediately shooting at him, relying on the sign he leaves to give you an idea of his size. Wool clothes the norm. Walking mileage varies, but a 5-8 mile day is probably average.
2016 saw me hitting all three states with muzzleloader and rifle. Tags are all over the counter, buck only. We call this big woods hunting rather than backcountry, but I think of it as the same thing. The weights matter here as much or more than antler score. A 200 pound fully dressed weight buck is the 'trophy' benchmark for those of us who hunt in this style; I unfortunately wouldn't achieve that this year. Thankfully, the meat, adventures and stories of each day were of trophy quality for me.
First up was NH, where I was able to still hunt my way to a medium sized 152# 4x4 whitetail with my pump rifle in .30-06.
In Maine, the cameras revealed several large mountain bucks that we were able to chase but not catch up to.
Finally in VT, my home state, we have a late muzzleloader season. I was able to track and catch up to another 4x4 whitetail, 162#, on the second to last day, sneaking to within 50 yards of this bedded buck after trailing him for 2.5 hours across a couple miles.
The drag out to a nearby road took a couple hours, always a relief when the truck is in sight.
Thanks for reading.
