Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Vermont?

Trevor is heck of a deer Hunter. New Hampshire and Maine bucks, same year:

Those are great bucks.

They sure are!

The photo of the 2014 Buck was one of those cross bred Deer--Moose bucks -- I think

This is excellent perspective. And, IMO, there is very little that's more rewarding (or challenging) than taking a decent big-woods buck.

I don't have a passion for hunting, it is just something that I do if the weather is pleasant, and I generally take a more analytic approach to things that don't involve my Wife and Kids.

I've gone entire deer hunting SEASONS in ME/NH/VT without even SEEING a legal deer! In the places that I hunt in CO/KS/MO/NE/SD, if I don't see multiple deer every day, it would be an exceptionally bad day. I much prefer to see lots of deer and feel no pressure to shoot the first legal deer that I see, as it could be the only legal deer that I might see all season.

You hunt the land that you have access to and do the best that you can under the circumstances that define your opportunities and your limits. It is easy to have a casual approach to deer hunting when there are lots of deer, limited access to private land, and, in some places, virtually no limit on the number of antler-less whitetails that you can take. During the 25 consecutive seasons that I've hunted deer in Nebraska, I have tagged 36 bucks and 67 antler-less whitetails. If it wasn't for Hunters Feeding the Hungry, I would shoot fewer deer than I do, but with "Seasons Choice" and "River" antler-less tags going for $5.50 per deer, it seems like a win/win. I get to shoot deer with different rifles/cartridges/bullets and folks who are down on their luck get some high quality protein.

If I still lived in New England, I would likely spend more time afield, would certainly see/kill fewer deer, but would still enjoy my time in the woods. During the 21 seasons that I hunted in New England, I bought 35 tags; ME(x4), NH(x21), and VT(x10), and killed 21 bucks; ME(x3), NH(x12) and VT(x6).

These days, I actually prefer to hunt fox squirrels to deer, as there is more action and squirrels are an under utilized/appreciated resource here in Nebraska.

For the OP, hunting in Vermont would be a new experience and new experiences can be a good thing, because they expand our knowledge base, "worldliness"?, and help define who we are as individuals. My comments reflect my experience and, for me, hunting in Vermont wouldn't be a new experience.

OK --- I understand where you are coming from. No harm done.---Web

Not me.

I'd much rather see a bunch of deer and be able to shoot several than invest a lot of time and effort with zero return on my investment. My high school hunting buddies from NH feel the same way, they much prefer to drive to NE, see more deer in a week than they might see in a decade of hunting at home in NH, and drive home with coolers filled with the meat from deer that they shot, plus the meat from several deer that I've shot on $11 resident antler-less whitetail "Seasons Choice" or "River" tags.

My friend, Andy, who lives in west-central NH and is in the woods nearly every day of the year, says that there are fewer deer in the area where he has lived and hunted than anytime that he can remember in his 71 years. It got so bad a couple of years ago that he drove all the way south to hunt in Pisgah State Park near the NH/MA border. This from a guy who usually hunted within 15 from his kitchen table and had never before punched a tag over 50 miles away from it. [/quote]


You know yourself NH and VT populations have always fluctuated,especially in the more northern regions and central mountains. That's the nature of deer that live in big woods or more unsettled environments.They are still there and offer a unique hunting experience....you need to get out and hunt.


I've hunted some of the best deer regions on the continent ,multiple times,but still hunt NH and Maine (even Vermont when I can) as often as possible. I still regard it as a challenge, and fun,even if it is "harder". When i get done with a week or 10 days worth of hunting in northern Maine, I know I've been "hunting".

Punching tags has never been the most important thing to me...I've burned quite a few. If all i wanted to do, is kill deer, there are places I can go and do it without breaking a sweat. But what I've found is that if you can kill deer here in new England, you can kill them anywhere. [/quote]

Yes, but you live in NH and hunting close to home is easy for you. I live in Omaha and hunting close to home, in Cedar Creek or South Bend is easy for me. If you lived elsewhere, you probably wouldn't travel to NH or VT to hunt, unless the hunt was secondary to some other reason for going there.

If harvesting a deer is the goal, choosing to hunt them in NH and VT is like choosing to dig a cellar hole by hand, much harder than the available alternatives.

260

I'm with you. I look at deer season as an opportunity to test my shooting skills that I've practiced throughout the year on live targets and to fill the freezer with great meat. We have a huge population down here and does are plentiful. The farmers appreciate any help they can get to keep deer off their crops!

I have no interest in sitting in the woods for days at a time with nothing to show for it. Hunting here in MS was that way when I was a teenager. I didn't bother to hunt.

I know plenty of people who just love being outdoors and being part of nature. I think that's great but I'm just not one of them. If I'm going to be outside in cold weather carrying a rifle, my purpose is to come home with meat for the freezer.

Gents,
There are no right or wrong reasons/choices - we're all driven by varied motivations.

I've sat dark-to-dark for 7 days in the Canadian bush without pulling the trigger and gone for days-on-end in northern WI and MN without seeing a deer. It certainly perplexes people when I come home from something like and tell of the great hunt(s) I just experienced.

If I ever equate success of a hunt to an animal on the ground, I suspect I'll find a new passion.

Tis all different strokes - do what makes you happy and never feel the need to rationalize your approach.

I'll drink a Heady Topper to this....good post!!

I thught I felt that way too. But after going through a three week rifle season in NC this past year and not seeing a single deer, I'm saying show me the deer!

Oh, I get that. Deer drive me bat-szchit-crazy on a regular basis but thats what keeps me motivated. (well, that and I am something of a simpleton *grins*)

Even when deer abound, they have the wondrous ability to frustrate. My friend and ranch owner in Kansas finds great joy in my suffering.

My biggest fear of hunting Vermont would be running into Savage 99. Oh wait a second he doesn't allow Toyotas on his property.

I realized a couple years ago that if just going makes a successful trip, then any meat or horns brought home are pure bonus. I like the woods. Being there is what I really enjoy. I might be slightly jaded because I work an admin job and am stuck inside most of the day though.

Ed, I wouldn't sweat that one bit - I suspect the only way to run into Don during the hunting season is to set up a blind in his computer room.

If I get chased out of the woods by Don driving his Lincoln Town Car you will be blamed for it .

IIRC, Don hunts in southern VT, while Hartford is in west-central VT on the Connecticut River, so I think that you'll be safe if you stay north of Route 4.

Thanks for the update

I used to be all about the NEK. It was my home away from home.