Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game WHAT DO YOU USE IN THE NORTHEAST?

I'm wondering what you all use for whitetail in the NE,rifle or shotgun/scope/caliber?Since I live in a shotgun only state,NJ,I've used a 12 ga 870 with Remington Slugger slugs,not fancy but it works.Also curious what some of you use for moose in ME,NH and or VT?Thanks.

7mm-08 here in PA, with the occassional 12 gauge slug (required) when hunting down in Allegheny County.

At my hunting camp in the western mountains of Maine, there are more scoped .30-06s than anything. All action types are usually present bolts, pumps and semi-autos.
The only moose hunt I have been on included a couple .30-06s as well.

Massachusetts, southern N.H. is shotgun only for deer. When I hunted deer in MA it was with an 870. Maine, a model 88 in .308 mostly, but have also used 243, 284, 358, 30-30, and 35rem. all open sights, and a Darton compound with GG-II 2216s.

i live in shotgun only.I use a ithaca 37 16ga for deer

When I lived in PA I used a .280 rem and a .270 win.

Forgot to add that I started out with a Remington 760 in 30-06. Used to see a lot of guys carrying those.

At my camp-- Most bucks have been shot with the .308, then 8mm,6mm,300 Win Mag, 30-06, .280, .35 Whelen, 30-30, .284, .35Rem .270. I have known hunters here in the Northeast to carry anything from the .218Bee to the .375H&H. My favorite flavor is .308-- No sugar no spice just plain .308 --Model 7 Rem or older 700MNT rifle-- Compact 3-9 Leupold . Web

At our camp in the ADK's we got 30-30's,270,308,30-06...mostly the '06's....in every action type

I travel up to the "rifle" areas of NH and Maine when I hunt there;a pre 64 M70 FW in 270;sometimes 30/06.Same rifles I use in the west.I don't change much.....

I use a 20" barreled M77 MkII in 358 win where I can hunt with a rifle. When I hunt Mass where its shotgun or Muzzleloader I use a TC Black Diamond muzzle loader instead of the shotgun.

In years past I used a shotgun and I used a Mossberg M500 trophy slugster with a Burris 2.5X scope. These day I value the precision and range ( and the lighter weight) of the muzzleLoader more than I value the follow up shots of the shotgun. It also bothered me to pay $3 a shot for sabots.

My dad, uncle, and granfather (I'll include him even though he just broke his hip: out for the season at 96) all use Remmy 740s in '06. My brother runs a Savage 99 in .300. Most of the other relatives/pards run 760s in various flavors (mostly '06).

When I hunt with the family my Model 100 in .308 is in hand. When I'm running ridges alone I tote my 7600 in .35 Remington. This year I'm going to spend a lot more time with my Little Sky .260 as well.

George

7mm-08, 280, 260

I use a 11/87 12ga for my slug only area. My rifle area gets the 358 Win and 350 Rem Mag. Most NH deer that I've shot were hit by my T/C Hawkens 50 cal. NY area I use my Riger Mini 30.

Ken

Ken did you see anything on the ML opener yesterday?

A 308 Win or 35 Rem.

All of the guys at our camp, except one, use 308s. The other hunts with a 30-06. Variety of action types but most use pumps.

All of us have killed moose, several have killed multiple moose, with good results.

when I can get to the Adk's,35 rem,300 savage,or 308.

Some areas of my home state of CT require a shotgun and allow slugs. I got a Ithaka 12 ga Deerslayer for that. It shoots ok but I never got a deer with it. My buddy borrowed it and got one!

My deer and other big game hunting has primarily been in VT however I hunt with the rifle in PA, ME, CT and NY. The rifles I use vary with the decades and what fancies me this year. In the past it always was my 99F in .358W. These days its various bolts in the run of cartridges.

You should consider a rifle for hunting in PA which may not be that far away from where you are in NJ? Also NJ may allow CF rifles for varmints? A 243 would do it all for starters.

The deer hunting in PA was always good for me.

I've never hunted Whitetails with a shotgun, but I have done some shotgun hunting for Blacktails. My gun happend to be a 12 ga. LAPD Special with an 18 inch barrel.
What I learned about shotguns and slugs is it pays to experiment with various loads and a good, solidly mounted, fixed magnification scope makes it all work well. I got 2.5 MOA groups and a blank point range of 125 yds with mine. Slugs, BTW, often shoot way off in a shotgun. The fixed sights on mine were on the order of 12 inches high and 12 inches left at 50 yds.
My close cover rifles vary with the ranges involved. For general work, a .308 bolt gun w/ a 4X Leupold and a #1 reticle has my attention at present. My really close cover rifle is a 760 Remington which is getting a ghost ring peep sight and a custom, replaceable, large white bead for a front sight. It is a 30'06. E

Well, chances are in the morning I will be taking my Blaser 93, its chambered for 7mm Remington Mag. Little much but I like the rifle. I have a fixed 6 x 42 mm leupold on it. I have a 7 x 57, 6.5 x 55 300 WSM and a 338 Winchester at my disposal. I have done some deer hunting with a shotgun and slugs. Both 12 and 20 ga. Works fine, you just have to accept that it is what it is.

12ga slug guns (CT State Land), Win 70 .280, Weatherby MKV .308 win,338-06,6.5/06, 30-30 with peeps....a few others. No Magnums, no 26" pipes. Might run a 7mmRem Mag in near future.