West goes East????

[Wyatt G]

Really it just depends on where you go, some states don't have jack for large (large being relative) tracks of public land and some do. For example here in arkansas we have quite a few wildernesses over 10,000 acres, which isn't much by western standards but you don't need as much space as out west either because after a few hundred yards off the road you're not going to see anyone. Other states include minnesota, michigan, and also Appalachian states. So i'd say it's actually pretty easy to come east but hunting eastern big woods is definitely a different hunting style even out of tree stands.

 

[mattlowe31]

Is that 2 million acres of contiguous land or bits and peices? It's a lot different when it's a few hundered acres here and there.
I'm glad you are happy with that type of hunting but it's not for everyone.

It's not all continuous but its not 100 acre tracts either. The WMA near my home is 30k acres. The NF in North Ga is several hundred thousand. The WMAs in South Ga are 50k and 60k but I don't hunt those because I have no interest in fighting gators for my deer.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

You make a lot of bold presumptions there, fella. I can tell you haven't ever been to my neck of the woods.

I lived in southern Michigan in the 1980s.
Back then you paid $1 when you bought your license and that revenue rented local farm access.
Each farm had a limit and signup sheet. It was great for local bow hunting for an hour or 2 before
or after work.

Looks like they still have that excellent public access program:
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10363_10913_58762---,00.html

I had some excellent local duck hunting in Michigan as well as local trout fishing after work.
In Alaska, all my hunting involves a 3-10 day expedition...even duck hunting.
I do miss the local opportunities that I had back east before or after work.
The seasons also were long...Sept-December.
My Alaska season is fairly short: sheep/caribou in August, Moose Sept 11-25 and then we are mostly done,
unless you can afford a deer hunt at Kodiak.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

For what its worth, this is my take. Many of the states in the midwest and east have limited public lands and for them I am sorry. Many of the states mentioned have many public access options such as Ga, Nc, Va, and Pa. Some are remote and mountainous and some are small flat swamps. The idea of being overwhelmed with hunters is something from the past. I can hunt all day in Ga, Va, and occassionaly in the new england states and rarely see people. On my last mule deer hunt I could see 10 people at one time. Some of this is due to the terrain and lack of trees. Eastern hardwoods will conceal way more game and hunters. Many don't realize but the largest chunk of wilderness east of denver is in Ga. Maine would hold this award but it is technically not public owned land. Its timber company land that is open to the public.

Which leads me to this. If someone thinks it takes no skill to hunt the east then try hunting whitetails in the bug woods of new england. With one of the lowest total deer densities in the country but probably.the highest density of 200# bucks. Theres no spotting scopes to find them you have to go in after them on there turf. Also, there is a reason eastern hunters are so taken with camouflage. No it doesn't make us invisible but it may give us a split second on a deer that pops out of the brush 10 yards away without warning.

Its not all foodplots and boxblinds here. There is plenty of that, as well as high fences and gam farms. But then again its out west too. Nobody is saying its better because hell I'd argue wuth that too. Its different but its anything but easy. Pay to play? Yes there's that but most don't pay and still play. If I moved west and had to draw tags to hunt a mile from my house I can promise I wouldn't be talking about how much better things are. I'm very content filling the freezer in the east and enjoying a hunt out west every couple of years.

 

[MTGomer]

I did the deer/pig thing in Alabama. Interesting experience. All on private land. Meet some real interesting folks to say the least.

 

[SwampLander]

http://mdwfp.com/wildlife-hunting/wma/

Here is an interactive map of the wildlife management areas in MS. We offer a lot and its relatively cheap. If you do a 7 day hunt your license is about 145 and you get the potential of killing 6 deer (depending on where you go). Some of the best WMA's are draw hunts like Mahannah WMA in the SW delta. Many offer primitive camping areas also.

 

[Gr8bawana]

The WMAs in South Ga are 50k and 60k but I don't hunt those because I have no interest in fighting gators for my deer.

One more reason to stay away.

 

[Tikka06]

Our 650,000 acres plus of public land here in east Tn is open to any of you who want to come give it a shot and I will be more than happy to help you any way I can. In fact, I encourage anyone who wants to try it to come on. I can't promise high deer densities but I can promise you a few things. First, as in out west, get off the road a few miles and you will be all alone. Second, if you take a buck, he will likely be a good one. And I don't care where you come from, you will find yourself welcomed by the locals and see first hand how beautiful the Appalachian mountains are in the fall. But the one thing not to expect is for these mountains to give up a deer, bear, boar, or turkey easily.

 

[Digital10]

I think it would be a blast to head out East and chase critters under that fall canopy....that has to be absolutely beautiful.

 

[tim629]

i'm an easterner, while I have traveled a lot on vacations I think anyone that wants to come east should contact those of us that live in the east and come on out. it's different country which I think is half of the allure

I grew up in PA, now live in NY. the hunting styles between the two states are extremely different. I would say both sound like the west on public land opportunities: if you want to sit 100 yards from the truck you will see other people, if you hike in a mile or hike up a steep hill you will be more likely to be by yourself.

here in NY the rifle season for deer (northern zone) is about 6 weeks, deer density on the in-laws farm is healthy (my opinion) but people say hunting the Adirondacks is a challenge but fun.

PA has antler restrictions which has changed the hunting a bit (in a good way) but bear/deer are often hunts conducted via drives which is just a fun event. we drive bear the first 3 days of bear season, the deer drives are usually started the second day of deer season. depending upon the area doe come in at different times (higher success rate)

 

[brownbear932008]

The hunting stinks here don't waste your time and money. Everything you see in this pic is public. I couldn't hunt it in a lifetime and it is full of big bucks bear and turkey. I haven't ran into another hunter while in the woods here yet.

 

[Elkish]

Over the past 15 years I have lived and hunted in and around Phoenix, AZ; Fayetteville, AR; Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Fresno, CA and now Ft Worth, TX. All school or job related moves but the toughest transition from a personal standpoint has been the last one from Fresno to Ft Worth where my public land access has been drastically cut. I do have some access to private land and have experianced tree stand whitetail hunting, but to me, nothing compares to western style hunting. I use half of my vacation every year to go back to CO elk hunting. While I do respect the level of dedication and patience required for eastern whitetail hunting, I personally tend to agree with Flatland Crusoe. I am probably not patient enough but tend to enjoy the vastness of the public land out west and the still hunting/spot and stalk style of hunting. I can't imagine using my valued vacation time to do an eastern style whitetail hunt when I have the option to go out west for elk. Or anything else for that matter...

 

[Gerald Martin]

As much as I love the variety and opportunity of hunting in Montana, I'd love to make it back to the Appalachian Mtns. back in Virginia for the first week of Nov. No one should expect to compare apples and oranges to determine which one is better. It's all good and I have a lot of great memories from my days in the eastern hardwoods.

I found that my hunting style from the mountains of Virginia blended seamlessly into the way I hunt out west. Those picture brownbear932008 posted bring back a lot of memories.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I like hunting out West. The spot and stalk hunting is a lot easier than the hunting around here. However, there's nothing I like more than bringing a buck or turkey out of the hardwood bottoms in my pirogue.

 

[Bambistew]

I would agree with the assumption that going west vs east is much easier in terms of planning a hunt. Mostly due to the amount of public land available, and being able to move around to find game. Out east, it seems like you really need to focus on small peices and do a bit more research. I hunted PA, MD, VA and WV. Plenty of opportunity. Much of it spot and stalk... Its not hunting out west, but as someone said above, there are places I've hunted in MT and CO that I see way more hunters on public land.

I hunted one particular piece of State land in MD, probably 40-50 days, and in that time saw 3-4 other hunters, and they were less than 1/4 a mile from the parking lot. We pulled a fair number of deer (both kinds) and turkeys out of that piece too.

A small piece of me misses the big hardwoods, the rest of me despises the ticks... I'll probably go back for a hunt one day.

 

[Highwood]

I'm spending most of my time in MT, but will keep my place in MN where I grew up.
It's different, heated stands and lots of deer, big WT's. I love the hiking, glassing and always the views MT hunting offers.
There are millions of acres of public land that has easy access, mostly in the central and Northern parts of MN for deer hunting.

 

[jlmatthew]

Never hunted back East but would love too. Wife is from Tioga county, PA and it looks like it would be a fun area to hunt in with lots of hills. I've recently acquired the whitetail bug after shooting a doe on the plains here last year and found out I drew a whitetail tag for this fall along the Arkansas river and I'm really looking forward to it.

One day I hope to make it to Wisconsin, Iowa or any upper mid-west state to hunt whitetails

 

[Northwoods Labs]

Don't come to Wisconsin. Hunting is terrible here. No public land. Wolves have killed everything

 

[jvanhoy]

The hunting stinks here don't waste your time and money. Everything you see in this pic is public. I couldn't hunt it in a lifetime and it is full of big bucks bear and turkey. I haven't ran into another hunter while in the woods here yet. View attachment 71086View attachment 71087

That pic looks familiar! Beautiful place and infested with bears.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I have to say that despite some of the grumblings about how it should be easier/cheaper for non-residents to hunt western states, I haven't found an eastern that doesn't keep and iron fist on their hunting spots. Specifically, my father in law gets landowner vouchers in CO for a 1-2 point mule deer unit, voucher rules mean the holder gets to hunt his private land. Every year we harvest 3-4 bucks on the place and on average they are 140-160 and every 3-4 years we get something in the 180 range. After about 10 years of trying to find someone in the midwest/east/texas that would let him hunt decent sized white tails in the 120 inch range for a voucher he gave up and now just gets 1 voucher so he can hunt every year.