Ok you east coast SOB's give up them honey holes

[Dougfirtree]

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It's not impossible, but you can't gain anywhere near as much info as you can in a place like Colorado. What you can look for are certain topographical and terrain features that may attract, or concentrate the travel of deer. You can still learn a lot if there' logging, or ag land in your area as well. But, really what you're doing is recognizing some promising places to check out. Then you go check them out in person and you read the sign and you begin to put together a picture. It's a different game for sure. Sometime, check out Brad Herndon's book, "Mapping Trophy Bucks." It doesn't completely translate to the big woods, but much of it does and it gives you a sense for how to start using maps to break down this kind of environment. One other thing: Say good bye to being able to predict what the wind will do...

 

[1_pointer]

IIRC you like chasing bears. Might be a unique thing to give the bear trapping in Maine a try. I could see myself doing that. Some of the guided options for that are not too expensive. Also a few guides in Maine that have leases on Native American lands allowing which allow for a spring hunt, granted it's over bait. But, the only spring bear hunts on that side of the country that I know of.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

IIRC you like chasing bears. Might be a unique thing to give the bear trapping in Maine a try. I could see myself doing that. Some of the guided options for that are not too expensive. Also a few guides in Maine that have leases on Native American lands allowing which allow for a spring hunt, granted it's over bait. But, the only spring bear hunts on that side of the country that I know of.

I was on the Maine website this morning and saw bear trapping. What would a trapping guided hunt even look like? Like what does the guided trapper even do?

I’m not against the idea I’m just struggling to visualize that experience?

 

[1_pointer]

I was on the Maine website this morning and saw bear trapping. What would a trapping guided hunt even look like? Like what does the guided trapper even do?

I’m not against the idea I’m just struggling to visualize that experience?

From what little I've looked into it, it's mostly done with foot snares. So, I would assume they provide the area, supplies, knowledge, and take one to/fro in checking the traps. I'm guessing the guided could be as involved as they want. Definitely a different type experience, but one I think I'd like to try someday.

 

[westbranch]

It's not impossible, but you can't gain anywhere near as much info as you can in a place like Colorado. What you can look for are certain topographical and terrain features that may attract, or concentrate the travel of deer. You can still learn a lot if there' logging, or ag land in your area as well. But, really what you're doing is recognizing some promising places to check out. Then you go check them out in person and you read the sign and you begin to put together a picture. It's a different game for sure. Sometime, check out Brad Herndon's book, "Mapping Trophy Bucks." It doesn't completely translate to the big woods, but much of it does and it gives you a sense for how to start using maps to break down this kind of environment. One other thing: Say good bye to being able to predict what the wind will do...

The county where I grew up in MN and hunted has 2 ft topo contours on their GIS map. The biggest elevation change over 40 acres on the farm was about 45 ft. It definitely helped find some travel corridors and terrain features once they added that. It doesn't take much of a "ridge" to get deer to use it, or small bench where they like to bed. The county also had more current imagery than google earth/onx. And it was also spring imagery with minimal leaves which made it easier to distinguish tree types, transition areas, game trails through swamps, etc.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

From what little I've looked into it, it's mostly done with foot snares. So, I would assume they provide the area, supplies, knowledge, and take one to/fro in checking the traps. I'm guessing the guided could be as involved as they want. Definitely a different type experience, but one I think I'd like to try someday.

Definitely sounds like something that would be interesting to try... I had the image of the massive foothold trap my FIL has on his wall lol

 

[OverlordBear]

Are big iron foothold traps legal anymore? I am sometimes worried that someday some poor hunter or hiker will step on a 100+ year old leg snapper and cry all trapping foul.

 

[jymarine24]

Maine has some great hunting. Look into tracking once the snows fall. Also, there are thousands of acres to hunt in november.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Just purchased my first east coast big game tag....

2 deer tags for a NR at $100 and I get to tack on a bear for $5... starting to understand why you NR get so fired up about western tag costs lol.

Basically bought every tag and endorsement for less than I spent on CO resident preference points this year

 

[thusby]

Our non-res tag fees drive me nuts when I see the sheer volume of NRs in my woods on opening day. I'm pretty sure we could make the tag $500 instead of $140 and get the same revenue with 1/4 of the hunters in the woods.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Our non-res tag fees drive me nuts when I see the sheer volume of NRs in my woods on opening day. I'm pretty sure we could make the tag $500 instead of $140 and get the same revenue with 1/4 of the hunters in the woods.

Though I think WY could make an elk tag $2000 and still have point creep

I think for some hunts, maybe Wisconsin isn't one of them, I dk, there is enough demand that by increasing prices you aren't really changing how many people are in the woods. All your doing is eliminating the middle class folks and insuring only the rich are out there.

 

[Dougfirtree]

Just purchased my first east coast big game tag....

2 deer tags for a NR at $100 and I get to tack on a bear for $5... starting to understand why you NR get so fired up about western tag costs lol.

Basically bought every tag and endorsement for less than I spent on CO resident preference points this year

Yup. A NR deer tag is generally about 100 bucks all over the NE. Here in NY, you get a bear tag whether you like it or not. Sort of like ordering a beer in Tijuana, they just sort of assume you want 6 shots of tequila with it...

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Yup. A NR deer tag is generally about 100 bucks all over the NE. Here in NY, you get a bear tag whether you like it or not. Sort of like ordering a beer in Tijuana, they just sort of assume you want 6 shots of tequila with it...

Well this borracho is never gonna turn down a bear tag.

 

[deer_shooter]

Just purchased my first east coast big game tag....

2 deer tags for a NR at $100 and I get to tack on a bear for $5... starting to understand why you NR get so fired up about western tag costs lol.

Basically bought every tag and endorsement for less than I spent on CO resident preference points this year

Haha. Yep. My PA license costs me around $20, doe tags are ~$7 each, Bear tag is under $20.

 

[thusby]

I think for some hunts, maybe Wisconsin isn't one of them, I dk, there is enough demand that by increasing prices you aren't really changing how many people are in the woods. All your doing is eliminating the middle class folks and insuring only the rich are out there.

I don't doubt that is entirely possible. I think the tavern league is all about keeping tag costs low for NRs. It is good for our rural economies.

 

[stealthy_bowman]

Just purchased my first east coast big game tag....

2 deer tags for a NR at $100 and I get to tack on a bear for $5... starting to understand why you NR get so fired up about western tag costs lol.

Basically bought every tag and endorsement for less than I spent on CO resident preference points this year

In NJ NR's pay $135 for a firearm hunting license. This comes with two buck tags. Add a $28 permit and in many zones this gives the opportunity for unlimited, that's right, I said unlimited, harvest of antlerless deer. You can even buy another buck stub if two weren't enough for you. Want to hunt archery...just double the aforementioned. Adding muzzle-loader is just another $56.

In short, if you want to hunt all seasons, a NR shells out only $439, can hunt for 6 months and can harvest:

- 3 bucks during archery - (one in each of the following seasons; Fall bow, Permit bow and Winter Bow)

- unlimited antler-less during archery (zone specific)

- 3 bucks with shotgun (2 in regular firearms and 1 in permit shotgun)

- unlimited antler-less (zone specific)

- 1 buck during muzzleloader season

- unlimited antler-less (zone secific)

So that's 7 bucks and unlimited antler-less deer and 6 months of deer hunting. That's got to be one of the best values in the country for non-resident hunters.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

In NJ NR's pay $135 for a firearm hunting license. This comes with two buck tags. Add a $28 permit and in many zones this gives the opportunity for unlimited, that's right, I said unlimited, harvest of antlerless deer. You can even buy another buck stub if two weren't enough for you. Want to hunt archery...just double the aforementioned. Adding muzzle-loader is just another $56.

In short, if you want to hunt all seasons, a NR shells out only $439, can hunt for 6 months and can harvest:

- 3 bucks during archery - (one in each of the following seasons; Fall bow, Permit bow and Winter Bow)

- unlimited antler-less during archery (zone specific)

- 3 bucks with shotgun (2 in regular firearms and 1 in permit shotgun)

- unlimited antler-less (zone specific)

- 1 buck during muzzleloader season

- unlimited antler-less (zone secific)

So that's 7 bucks and unlimited antler-less deer and 6 months of deer hunting. That's got to be one of the best values in the country for non-resident hunters.

Holy smokes... man with all of that to keep you busy how do you folks find time to come out west to hunt.

 

[targetpanic]

Just purchased my first east coast big game tag....

2 deer tags for a NR at $100 and I get to tack on a bear for $5... starting to understand why you NR get so fired up about western tag costs lol.

Basically bought every tag and endorsement for less than I spent on CO resident preference points this year

Don't forget to apply for a doe permit too

 

[blueridge]

Sort of like ordering a beer in Tijuana, they just sort of assume you want 6 shots of tequila with it...

I ordered milk at a roadside dive in Mexico once. The guy brought me a beer. I drank it, thought he didn’t understand me, tried again. He brought another beer, sat it on the table, pronounced it “leche”, and walked away.

Congrats wllm! I love hunting whitetails and turkeys here in the east, but there’s something about elk bugles and the country out west that puts out a strong pull.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

East coast folks... so camping is basically illegal in MA?

I found some places I want to scout, but you can't camp in state parks, WMA, WCE, wildlife refuges ect. Also lots of the state parks and WMAs say you can be in the woods after dark.

So... WTF? Do you just get hotels or drive 4 hours each way when you go to hunt?

... Clarification there are camp grounds that you can make reservations at some places, but you basically can't dispersed camp in the state ?