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

[VAspeedgoat]

Growing up hunting eastern whitetails I always had the impression that you had to drag all your deer out of the woods because that is what my grandpa had taught me. Once I hunted out west I realized I could break deer down and pack them out on my back which greatly increased my range. I wish it wouldn’t have taken me years to learn something so simple but implementing backcountry methods definitely translate well to hunting big woods whitetails on public land IMO.

Not all states allow a deer to be broken down. Unless it has changed, Maine is one of them. Not certain though.

 

[rwc101]

Go to the Pisgah NF and report back. I have always been curious how western hunters would find dense rhododendrons and mountains you can't glass.

 

[noharleyyet]

Be shua to choot a labstah wllm....

 

[teej89]

I've never hunted it but I've heard NY has some good deer hunting. If you go to NE PA I can get you in touch with a land owner for some spring gobbler action. Some of the best hunting I've had was on that farm, I'm going to miss the hell outta it this year not being there.

Also PA has a really good pheasant stocking program. If you go during the week it's typically slow. I could point you in the direction of some good properties.

Wish I could help you more up closer to you but all I know is in PA.

Haha off to you for leaving CO to mass for your wife's job

My buddy lives in Plymouth MA and they're always sending me pictures of bucks in their back yard and gobblers strutting in their yard.

 

[OverlordBear]

Honestly, I really want to try everything out. We likely wont be there for long so I would love to dabble in as much as possible. There are tons of cool things out east that have been on my radar for a while.

So far the bucket list is in no particular order

1. Legit small game hunt, squirrels and birds
2. Big woods whitetail
3. Tree stand whitetail (totally fine with a doe, just want to try it out)
4. Sika deer
5. Blue water fishing
6. Bear over bait with a stick bow (I have 4 bears spot and stalk out west, would love to see what a bait hunt is all about)
7. Sea ducks from a kayak or packraft

I would add a Newfoundland moose hunt while you are out there to that list.

 

[beginnerhunter]

I will second carrying a climber in. Several models and price points.The Lone Wolfe stands, although pricey, pack down small and are fairly light, also super quiet to set up. I strap mine to my mystery ranch and don’t even know it’s there. If you are a member of guidefitter lone Wolfe offers some generous deals.

I also rig a ladder stand on a bicycle and carry it in to set up ahead of season on public land for my dad. However I do stress that we will find out it’s missing at about 0530 am during peak rut.

Ive toyed with the idea of going down the rabbit hole of trying a saddle but the initial startup cost turns me away.

Yeah I use a climber but I really don't like carrying more than half a mile in the mountains. I'd like to switch to a super lightweight hang and hunt system with either a saddle or hang-on/steps. But it is a lot of $$. Plus a climber can get up the tree really fast. I only use a stand on public land for archery anyways. I dont bother for rifle or muzzy.

It's funny how useless many western style big game hunting skills are in the east. Minimal glassing (spotting scopes lol), deer hardly respond to calls, no long range shots, whitetails nearly impossible to stalk. I guess still hunting would translate. At least the deer densities are usually pretty high in the whitetail woods. Everytime I go west it's like the woods are completely devoid of all big game.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Everytime I go west it's like the woods are completely devoid of all big game.

I've heard this a half a dozen times or more... curious to see that for myself.

If you're starting from scratch is a saddle really more expensive than a climber? I have a climbing harness, which I'm assuming wont work for this purpose.

 

[beginnerhunter]

I've heard this a half a dozen times or more... curious to see that for myself.

If you're starting from scratch is a saddle really more expensive than a climber? I have a climbing harness, which I'm assuming wont work for this purpose.

Yeah, from a cost perspective, if I was starting from scratch I'd consider a saddle since I'd be sinking money somewhere anyway. Would be nice to try one out in the flesh first but everyone says they are comfortable enough for an all-day sit.

 

[Mainer207]

I’ve never hunted western MA, but I believe there are some decent muzzleloader opportunities for whitetail. Maine is an obvious one. The Rangley Lakes region is not too far of a drive for you. However, Maine is a blue laws state, so plan wisely.

 

[teej89]

@wllm1313 My best suggestion as far as stands go: find the cheapest walmart hang on you can find ($40-$60), then purchase as many as you can cart out, purchase an equivalent number of motor bike threaded locks with the collapsible core. Now you go to cabelas and buy 15ft of lone wolf ladder sticks, next make this:

Then hang em all, lock em, and carry your sticks in and out every time. If one gets stolen it hurts a helleva lot less and they put in a ton of effort for a $40 stand. You can go up nearly any damn tree with those sticks compared to being confined by a climber. I bought a LW hang on for my portable set up but all my lock ons are walmart cheapo brand and they haven't failed yet!

 

[Deleted member 28227]

@wllm1313 My best suggestion as far as stands go: find the cheapest walmart hang on you can find ($40-$60), then purchase as many as you can cart out, purchase an equivalent number of motor bike threaded locks with the collapsible core. Now you go to cabelas and buy 15ft of lone wolf ladder sticks, next make this:

Then hang em all, lock em, and carry your sticks in and out every time. If one gets stolen it hurts a helleva lot less and they put in a ton of effort for a $40 stand. You can go up nearly any damn tree with those sticks compared to being confined by a climber. I bought a LW hang on for my portable set up but all my lock ons are walmart cheapo brand and they haven't failed yet!

Interesting... I have a feeling I'm going to be spending a silly amount of time messing around climbing trees.

 

[88man]

Striper (or stripah in Boston) fishing should be great.

Bluefins

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Bluefins

My college roommates husbands has his captains license and he and his best friend own a boat... trying to figure out how to invite myself fishing.

 

[mdhunter]

My college roommates husbands has his captains license and he and his best friend own a boat... trying to figure out how to invite myself fishing.

Start by offering to buy fuel...it’s gonna be cheap this summer

 

[targetpanic]

Lived in MA all 43 years of my life...I hate Boston. Jump on Rte 2 and head West until you get West of Fitchburg or on the Pike and head West until West of Auburn and things start to get back to normal. Lots of opportunities for archery deer. Plenty of land for gun hunting once West of Gardner. Great Salmon Laker fishing in Quabbin Reservoir. Obviously northern NH, Maine etc.
Good Luck on the move...don't be afraid to reach out once you are here

 

[88man]

My college roommates husbands has his captains license and he and his best friend own a boat... trying to figure out how to invite myself fishing.

spot burning a bigger issue with fishing than hunting. Lots of Grogans also

 

[Deleted member 28227]

spot burning a bigger issue with fishing than hunting. Lots of Grogans also

"Yea we turned leftish out of the harbor and then went for 30 miles"... not sure I would even know how to give up a spot in these circumstances, but like hunting I can see how it's a thing.

 

[NEWHunter]

@wllm1313 I’m so confused. Once you get there why don’t you just post up about how you don’t have any time to scout cause it’s such a long drive to CO, WY, etc., mention all your e-scouting, then ask for spots (but not honey holes), suffer the mandatory ribbing for such a request, pick some unit based on your research and a Go Hunt cross reference, fill that Corolla to the top, and finally, point it west once or twice a year like me and half of the other guys on HT do every year?

Good luck out there.

 

[DouglasR]

"Yea we turned leftish out of the harbor and then went for 30 miles"... not sure I would even know how to give up a spot in these circumstances, but like hunting I can see how it's a thing.

Somewhere between 2000-2005 my parents took me and my siblings deep sea fishing off the east coast of Florida on our 1988 19’ outboard bayliner Capri.
When my old man asked the dude at the bait shop for his honey holes he measured distance with time like
“When you come out of Hillsboro, point her northeast and hold her wide for x amount of minutes”
It worked that day

 

[Irrelevant]

My college roommates husbands has his captains license and he and his best friend own a boat... trying to figure out how to invite myself fishing.

You college roommates husbands....?

1. You called you gf in college a roommate
2. or your roommate was gay
3. And multiple husbands?