Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    
    
    
    
    Nothing like good ole Pennsylvania, excellent all around game.
    
    
                                            Lee
    

      Well, just to get the conversation going I'll put in for
    Massachusetts for all around hunting!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Mass. you say, with
    that look that says Amberson is obviously off his rocker?  Let me
    present the argument.
    
      First we have some of the finest goose hunting around, if you do your
    homework.
      Next we have pretty good deer, turkey, and partridge populations, all
    on the rise.
      Pheasant ain't bad if you don't mind stocked birds.
      For varmints we got coyotes, fox, chucks etc.m
      Then we 've got great sea duck hunting for those that are hardy
    enough to try it.
    
     So all in all MA. isn't a bad place to hunt if you can overlook the
    Duke and his cronies.
    
    Jeff

    Mass is the 2nd worst state I've ever hunted in.  Hunting deer with a
    shotgun?  Great pheasant fields are now condo parking lots.  Many
    towns don't allow the discharge of firearms to get at great duck
    hunting.  You have just as many ducks and geese in any other state
    that's on a flyway.  I'm not flaming here, but I don't know of anyone
    who would go to MA just to hunt, so it's not the best state.  No
    hunting on Sunday?  Why?
    
    I've hunted in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Vermont,
    New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, Idaho, New Jersey and Washington.  Each
    of these states has been great to hunt in.  Each state has its own
    hunting traditions and the hunters in each state are far better people
    than the non-hunters of each state :-)
    
    In my experience, nothing compares to opening day (deer) in
    Pennsylvania.  And the PA pheasant hunting is great.  I have great
    memories of hunting the Amish farms for pheasant on those crisp fall
    mornings, crunching through the corn, flushing up roosters and spooking
    cotton tail......hearing the metal wheels of the Amish buggies on the
    black tops and the horses clippity-clopping along in the mist.....Man!
    What great memories.  
    
    Maine is one of my favorite places.  The people of Maine with their
    traditions, humor and just plain down east manner make this one of the
    best places to hunt.  Talking to the loggers you meet in the woods
    while hunting in Maine is something I'll never forget.  Those big ole
    whitetails have convinced me they are the smartest deer in the U.S. 
    Boy, they are great.  The pa'tridge in Maine (when are those people
    gonna learn to tell a partridge from a grouse :-) aren't dumb either.
    One of my fondest upland memories was standing in the middle of a flock
    of woodcock in 1986 that took to the air 1 by 1.  8 birds in all.  
    I fired twice at the first one and reloaded in time to shoot the 8th
    bird.  I was fumbling with shells, dropping them in the leaves as the
    birds came up first in front, then behind me, then to the side.....the
    dog, confused as hell, stood and watched as I dropped shells and each
    bird took to flight every 3 seconds.  Wow!  What a minute!  You gotta
    love Maine.
    
    Washington State.  Phew.  If you're not tired by December when the
    seasons all wind down!!!  You start off with a good pheasant population
    on the East side of the Cascades.  This state also offers chukars,
    huns, and on the Western side, good grouse hunting....blue, sharptail
    and ruffed.  When I wake up on September mornings, I wrestle with
    whether to fish for the really big fall run salmon or hunt birds.  This
    is a major dilema.  Most weekends I do both.   
    
    Then in October, you get deer season.  In one state you can hunt Black
    Tail, Whitetail and Mulies.  The venison in the West tastes better than
    the East.
    
    November?  Elk Season.  You can hunt Rocky Mountain Elk in the Cascades
    and points East and you can hunt the big racked Roosevelts in the Mount
    ST. Helens area and west to the Penninsula.
    
    Duck and Goose hunting is excellent in WA.  Let's not forget Mountain 
    Sheep, Fox, Coyotes, etc.
    
    Idaho is the most beautiful.  The mountains are tremendously high and
    steep.  The bitterroots are just grand.  Idaho is not like I pictured
    at all.  You have to see it to believe it.
    
    However, the best state I eve hunted in is Montana.  God, what a place.
    I like Montana because it offers deer, elk, antelope, all the upland
    birds and everything else.  But the thing about Montana, which is
    completely opposite of most states, is that it is so big that you can
    really get away from everyone else and hunt places that other people
    aren't hunting.  You have some of the best hunting in the US and it's
    just you and your friends.  It really is great to hunt without seeing a
    constant parade of people all day.  The deer and elk are great in MT
    and if you haven't hunted Antelope, do it!
    
    Now, I imagine there are better states.....maybe Colorado, Alaska,
    Wyoming, Oregon (Oregon is like WA only with a Antelope population),
    etc.  If those states are better than Montana, then I have a lot to
    look forward to.  And I'd like to hunt them all.  What could be better?
    
    /brett

    What is my favorite state/s ?
    
    It has to be.....the United States. I think there is no perfect
    state ( well maybe Alaska ) but each and everyone offers something
    for someone.
    
    Red_Still_Looking_For_Utopia

    RE .4  
    
    boy you sure know how to make a guy homesick! what about hearing
    several gobblers at the crack of daylight and not knowing which
    one to go after? The start of the leaves on the trees sun rising
    over the hills a nip of frost in the air and the nice fresh clean
    air.
                  well I had better stop before I start making plans
    to go on vaca, cant do that until oct. for archery.
    
    
     
                                       sure do miss ole Pa.
    
                                                      Lee
    
    
    
    

    I have to AGREE with .5;  The whitetail hunting in Kansas is good; Elk 
    and deer in Colorado are good; Then you have to talk about the new Pope
    and Young record out of New Mexico...Then there is great hunting for
    the larger speices in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho..Etc...For Birds;
    Pheasant for example, Are fantastic in S. Dakota, Nebraska, kansas and
    sometimes in Colorado..I just can't name ONE state that is the BEST..
    There is too much out there in too many places, and hopefully one of
    these days I can hunt them all...

    I'll reply before I read any of the previous replies.
    
    I've only hunted 3 states - Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
    Although I live in NH and can hunt a couple of miles from home,
    there's something about deer hunting in Northern Maine that I miss
    when hunting locally.  Maybe it's because I haven't yet experienced
    deer hunting in Northern NH.  Maine offers less deer per square
    mile way up north, but the quality of the hunt in unsurpassed. 
    There's little chance of seeing other hunters in the areas we hunt,
    and the deer seem to be found in pockets.  But, when you *do* see
    deer, they're are typically in the 175 - 225 pound range.  I also
    like to see all the wildlife that I don't see don't south like pileated
    woodpeckers, martens, fishers, Canadian jays, moose, bears, spruce
    grouse, and jackalopes :^).
    
    Waterfowlin', on the other hand, simply cannot be topped in the
    Great Bay area of NH, especially if you have a boat or a properly placed
    blind.

    Mark.

    re.8
    
    Didnt know there were jackalopes east of the Mississippi river.
    I guess you learn something new every day. :^)
    
    Carl
    	

re .1

>Just last
>    year, I had bagged my deer and was assisting my B-I-L in his
>    pursuits,

 I was under the impression that it was illegal to assist someone else in 
deer hunting after you had bagged your deer in NH. What gives?

 The Doctah

    
    
    
    " Your not a real Deer-hunter until you bag a deer in New Hampshire"
    
    Of all the States i've been in, no where, is it more difficult to "SEE"
    a deer, not just bag one, than the Live-Free or Die State.
    
    I swear, when those deer in N.H. step out of the Hemlock's, Their Lost!
    
    Every State has something to offer. But if you want to test your
    endurance, hunting skill, knowledge, and a challenge, Then I challenge
    anyone who calls him/her self a deer hunter to come to N.H. and Hunt 
    Trophy Bucks.
    
    I bet you Noel Feather would'nt last 5 day's.
    
    Rick
                    

    Well i guess it's all a matter of where you go then, cause ive
    bowhunted in NH, and find that it is not that unlike VT, cept for all
    the pastures.  Yes there are areas which you can't see more than
    several feet, but i've hunted a few spruce/hemlock swamps in lower Vt
    which were just as dense.... guess it's all where you go...
    
    Fra

    I've hunted Maine and NH for several years and have taken deer in
    both states.  I still maintain that Maine is more difficult, by
    a long shot.
    
    Maybe it has something to do with the specific area within either
    state that makes a difference.  I've never hunted northern NH, but
    hope to this year.
    
    Mark.

    Hmmm.  No offense to anyone, but I think saying that "there is no best
    state to hunt" is a cop out.  Maybe the question should be, "If you
    could hunt any state, but only one state this year, which would you
    hunt?"  You should at least pick one state and describe what's special
    about it to you.
    
    It's interesting to me to see why each person picks a given state more
    than the state s/he picks.  I thought everyone would say something like
    "Alaska".  But it's great to see that NH hunters love hunting their
    state more than any other for their own reasons.
    
    Keep the replies coming.
    
    /brett
    
    p.s. I'll be the first to admit that Washington State is the home of
    the stupid deer........ 
    

 I'm very surprised that anyone would choose NH as the best hunting state. What
a bunch of homers. :-)

 I guess that "best" means different things to different people. I think the
majority of the people who say NH is the best must mean "most challenging."

 I have lived in NH for my entire life (except for a few months in the PRM) and
I don't think NH is anywhere near the best place to hunt, if best means "most
likely area to have a successful hunt." I find NH to be extremely challenging.
The terrain is rugged, the population is not huge (of any game animal). It is
not difficult to get "skunked."

 I would imagine that Alaska would be a prime candidate for "best" state to hunt
due primarily to the vast tracks of undeveloped land. I think that's key in
my book. I hope to have a chance to hunt there someday.

 The Doctah

    I have only had the pleasure of hunting one other state other than
    my home state. I have lived in N.H. all of my life so far. I look
    forward to the hunting season each year like a kid looking forward
    to Christmas morning on Christmas Eve. Although I don't fill my
    tag every year, I LOVE IT! I do get my chances, and that is all
    I ask. I did have the opportunity to hunt Wyoming a couple of years
    back. I saw alot more game there in 1 and a half weeks there than
    in a whole season in N.H. But it is much different than here. I
    don't think I will ever give up hunting in N.H., but will still
    take side trips to other areas. I am thinking about going to Maine
    sometime. Someday I will geht back to Wyoming and hunt that elusive
    "Monarch Bull Elk." Hopefully someday I will also get the chance
    to hunt in Alaska. But from the places I have been so far I still
    have to say N.H. is the best. I am quite sure there are alot of
    people that disagree, but there should be some others that agree.
    Right Bob? 
    							Bret

    I have hunted in Montana, Arizona, South Dakota, Iowa, and Michigan -
    each state has its unique pleasures - How can anyone begin to compare
    pheasant hunting anywhere else to Iowa ?! Arizona offers surprisingly
    abundant desert hunting for Javelina, Desert Cottontails, White-wing
    Doves, Gambel's Quail, and the more well-known large game species.
    
    But.... I'd have to give the nod to Michigan.  Where else are you
    offered great hunting for deer (shotgun and rifle), elk, bear,
    pheasant, quail, partridge, woodcock, ducks, geese (including blues),
    cottontails, snowshoes, turkey, and the like?
    
    If you are willing to travel, there are still places to hunt where you
    won't run into other hunters, and waterfowling on public lands is
    abundant as well - none of this guide-for-hire business; I'll arrange
    the decoys myself, thank-you!
    
    John C 

    i have hunted maine and new hampshire most of my life now i have a new
    state to hunt in. i just started to hunt here in alabama and i found it
    to be pretty good. i love the long deer season and the one deer a day
    limit that they have and a two deer limit per day for a short period.
    the duck season is longer and more plentiful than n.h. and the not so
    cold weather that we have in n.h.. last year i hunted in 55 to 65
    degree weather and that was great. so i kinda go for my new state of
    alabama even thought i have been skunked so far but last year was my
    first time for this state.

        I a'm basically a deer hunter, i've hunted in four states(NEW YORK,
    VERMONT,MAINE AND IDAHO) and the state i enjoy hunting the most is New
    York, in the Adirondack mountains. I enjoy the wilderness, steep
    mountains, and the challenge of trying to find a big buck there. Plus
    it has a long season. In Maine it seems almost to easy. I have hunted 
    there for four years and have taken three deer and a bear. The last two
    years in four days of hunting i have gotten two deer, a bear and 
    guided FILIPPO to a deer all before 10:00 in the morning each day. I
    don't beleive this can possibly last but that is what i said last year.
    Plus the deer seem to be incredably dumb in Maine 
    One of the deer i shot and the one Filippo shot were looking at us as
    we shot them. This would never happen in Vermont or New York. 
    I have decided to try a new area in Maine this year hoping to find an
    area were they grow bigger antlers.
    
        Counting the days until fall.
    
    BRUCE

    Okay, Bruce...where is this "hotspot".
    
    :^)
    
    Mark.

       Mark, the last two years in the mountains below Rangley lakes. The
    deer are good size but the antlers are only average so i'm going to try
    the mountains around the Katadin iron works this year. This is further
    north so i will probably see more moose and less deer but maybe higher
    scoring racks?
    
    BRUCE

          You should go a little further North up around the back side of
    Rangley. In the past year or two there has been around 30% of the bucks
    taken have made the Big Buck Club that have been tagged in Oquossoc

       I picked below rangley lakes because no two hundred pounders had
    come from their in the last three years. The two bucks i got their were
    225 and 144. The one Filippo got was 201. (66.7%) (_;)
    
    Bruce

    I won't say that this is the best state, or even close, but i will say
    that the memories from it will last a lifetime.  It dosn't have Elk,
    Mule deer or Antelope... has no season for Moose, yet... and isn't in 
    the top 49 for Trophy Racks 8^).... nope, nothing overly spectacular,
    but the smells, sights, haunts, trails, stands and most importantly,
    the other guys I hunt with keep bringing me back... There's alot of
    things that could be better about it, but the good points outweigh the
    bad.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    VERMONT!!!  
    
    I just put myself a few months into the future, and it makes me feel
    good.
    
    The last sip of coffee still smoky on your palate, you leave the camp
    and head into the foggy mystery of a predawn field.  Your coat hangs
    warm and comfortable on your shoulders, broken-in boots hiss as you
    stalk along through the dew covered field, each step more purposful
    than usual.  Your day pack sways a bit across your back as you step,
    bringing visions of lunch to be enjoyed while snuggled up next to a
    stump, sunlight stroking treelimb shadows across your face.  On your
    shoulder is a firearm that long practice has made into an extension 
    of yourself.  You know what it can do, and what you can do with it.
    You may not raise it to fire all day, but a hunt that begins with a
    morning like this, and feeling like this, can never be considered 
    less than a great success....
    
    wow!!! and it's only May....  come on fall!!! 

    Fra,
    
    		Re: Vermont.....It's only 165 days away...Can't wait,
    unless the job in Atlanta comes thru, then it's hunting in a
    Tee-shirt...
    
    	Red

    Let's be objective here:
    
    Best State to Hunt, taking in consideration quality, quantity and
    variety of game along with hunting pressure.
    
    
    1. Alaska, Hands down.
    2. Arizona: Trophy Elk, Whitetail, Mule deer, Moutain Lion, Bear
                Javelina(Pigs), Quail, Doves, Pheasant, Ducks, Coyote
                Turkey and these are only the More prominent games in
                the State!!
    
                Hunting Pressure: You would be more likely to get lost for
                                  weeks than to see another hunter!
    
                I have successfully hunted Deer, Elk, Javelina, Coyote,
                Turkey and Mountain Lion( with Dogs) in Arizona. 
    3. Montana
       Wyoming
    4. Colorado
    
             
     

    How about Georgia!!!!!!!!!
    
    In GA you can hunt deer from Sep 15 til Oct 19(bow season) with a bag
    limit of 2 deer.  Then you can hunt from Oct 20 til Dec 2, and again          
    on Dec 26 til Jan 1(gun season) with a bag limit of 3 deer, one of
    which must be anterless.  The state is divided into two zones, Northern
    and Southern.  This is the season for the Northern zone.  The Southern
    zone runs from Oct 20 til Jan 13, 1991. That is a total of 51 days in
    the Northern and 88 days in the Southern plus 35 days of bow season
    added to each with a total bag limit of 5 deer per person.
    
    The quality of deer is very good also.  The state record scored 184 7/8
    and was taken in 1962.  Every year many trophy bucks are taken in all
    areas of the state.  It is not uncommon to hunt every weekend of the
    season and see deer everytime you go.  
    
    In conclusion, If you boys up north get tired of only getting to hunt
    for 2 to 4 weeks(whatever the season is ?????)move on down to GA for
    some real hunting fun and better buy a freezer on the way down because
    you will need it.
    
    

    What's that Ray Charles' sings, "Georgia on my mind"!!!  Has anyone
    seen october 20th.  I am looking for it,(opening day).  Georgia,
    Georgia, Georgia   etc.....
    
    Killer deer hunting in this wonderful state.  Turkey too.  Big racks,
    and a big time.  Everybody look at section 270. this year for the
    officical check in on bagged deer in the south.  
    
    Ok, Earl, Leonard, and myself(bob), will outdo anybody who wants a
    challenge.  Because we hunt in Georgia.
    
    What do you say about that, huh?!!
    

	RE: .29

	AHHHHhhhhhh hhheeeeemmmmmmmmmmmm, Excuse me?? say what??

>    Ok, Earl, Leonard, and myself(bob), will outdo anybody who wants a
>    challenge.  Because we hunt in Georgia.
>    
>    What do you say about that, huh?!!
     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	Not that I want to ring my own bell or toot the whistle by myself
BBbbbbuuuuuuuuuuuutt.

	Till one of you good ol boys enter an entry into note 678 then big
time bragging rights belong with us here in the Nor-east where the deer are
still bigger than ma's poodle or pa's red-bone.   ;^) and lots of em... ;^)

	Steve
    
    

    Steve,
    
    I'm not trying to get you northerners riled up or anything like that,
    just trying to get some of these southern hunters to respond.  I read
    your note in 678, and just out of curiosity, how much did that deer
    weigh?  We got the deer down here also, I just got to get one of them
    and then I will brag about myself.  What is your state record for
    Boone & Crockett?  In Georgia it is 184 7/8.  I personally, have not
    even come close to that, but have had some mighty good tenderloin.  You
    can't fry the antlers.
    
    BB=Buckmaster Bob
    

    BB, what a name!?! I think you are new to this file, yes?
    
    	The deer weighed in at,,,, Hmmmm on second thought read note 108.14
    and the deer's stats are at the end of the story. And I hope you
    enjoy the story.
    
    	And "HOW" many deer can you take down there per-year? No fair puttin
    em all on the scale at once now!!! ;^)
    
    	B.B.  by the way it's pretty tough to fluff the feathers of
    us here New England folks. All ya got to do is read some of the
    notes in here and you'll get the idea we all sort of like to take
    jabs at each other now and then. Right Bear??? What's the wife cookin
    for the next game supper!?!?!?!?
    
    	Steve

    Steve,
    
    I read the story on 108.14.  That should be in Outdoor life or Field
    and stream.  I was glued to my terminal on the edge of my seat.  Have
    you ever thought of leaving  DEC and becoming an editor for an outdoor
    magazine?  By the way, the limit in Georgia is 5 deer, 2 archery, 3
    firearm.  I myself, shot one about the size of a black lab.  I know I
    opened myself up to jabbin on that one.  But the meat, man was it good.
    My buddies have tagged some good ones though.  Maybe you will hear from
    us this year in 270.
    
    BB