RE: outfitters
I went deer hunting in North Carolina three times, and each time I came home with a buck and at least one doe. Seeing game wasn't the problem.
The first time my buddy Wayne and I went, there were only three hunters besides us in camp. It seemed like they had an adequate number of deer and there were enough stands for three hunters. We had a great time, so we went back the next year. Things had changed. The owner took in a partner, and they went to the Harrisburg show. When we got there, there were twelve hunters in camp. They had excuses why they didn't have very many stands. In fact, someone was on every stand every morning and every evening, so I assume they only had twelve stands. We didn't see any quality bucks. I shot a smaller six point out of anger, not need. The hunt was cheap. I think it only cost something like $200/day with meals provided, such as they were.
We tried another outfitter the next time we went to North Carolina, and we had very little success. I was the only one to take a buck out of ten hunters in camp that week. Again, it was a cheap hunt. Meals were a bit better, but the hunting is what I go for, not the meals.
I would not recommend either of the outfitters we hunted with in NC. I am sure there must be a few good outfits there, but I haven't hunted with them. My advice is to avoid cheap hunts. You get what you pay for. Spend a little more and go with an outfit that will supply you with references that tell you can call. Ask questions about whether or not you will be hunting from a different stand each time, and how many days they rest stands between hunting sessions.
I don't go on hunts to most of the southeastern states anymore. One exception is Deerfield Plantation in South Carolina. Hugh Walters runs a class operation. Some friends and I went there for a turkey and hog hunt last April and had a great time. While hunting hogs, I saw a bunch of deer, some of which were large bucks with horn buds that were visible. There are a few other places in the south that I could recommend. One is in McKenna Ranch in Mississippi. Both operations have websites you can find with a Google search. If you want more information on these, or want to talk about it some, email me.