GeoffM24

Well I have just ended a very dissapointing deer season here in Mass and CT. There are deer here in the area but the numbers are VERY low.

I was able to head to a friends property in Catskill NY and I even saw a deer before I got to the hunting cabin! I must have seen 15 deer in 2 days, thats more then I have seen here in my WHOLE LIFE.

I had the ideal shot at 2 young does but I didn't have a doe permit.

I have come to the conclusion that I need some land in an area where there are more deer. After talking to some friends it seems that if you start getting too far away you just don't get out there very often.

I was wondering what areas you guys reccomend in the NE that offer large deer herds and reasonable land prices.

Thanks!

MA Jay

NY and PA are the states in the NEast with the highest deer densities. Just curious, but CT and Mass both have gobs of deer as well, where are you hunting? If you are truly serious enough to purchase land in an area with more deer like a NY or PA, why wouldn't you make that same investment in time and not money and scout better areas in Mass and CT? The deer are here man .. in fact, as far as true "trophy" deer genetics .. Worcester County Mass is in the best 3 counties in the country for world class deer. It's true, Pike County IL or SouthEawst Iowa kill a lot more big deer, but in terms of trophy quality deer killed per hunter you can't beat Mass and CT.

Check out this site .. http://www.bigbuckclub.com/photo1.htm .. if this doesn't get you excited to hunt Mass and CT again, NOTHING WILL!

GeoffM24

I live right over the border from Suffield CT, I have gotten permission to hunt a nice farm and there are some deer there but they can be tough to find.

One thing about the deer I see here in Western Mass and CT is there are some monsters out there, WISE monsters.

In my secter of Mass, 4S only 300 deer were taken in 2002. 4S has one of the lowest kill totals and highest number of hunters in the State.

Hartford County and Suffield where I hunt in CT doesn't have large deer number either. My wife who drives down 187 everyday to work past miles of farmland has never seen and deer in the 3 1/2 years we have lived here. I have never seen one either, not even dead on the side of the road or their eyes in my headlights in the fields.

The problem I find with land East of here in Mass or where the deer are in Southern CT is that the land prices are ridiculous, EASILY 10-50 times more expensive then in upstate NY.

Bow season is still open in the 2 southern zones of CT but only on private land and I don't know anyone down there.


I certainly haven't given up on the area and would LOVE to hunt closer to home but I see so many more deer when hunting in NY it makes hunting so much more exciting. There deer I have seen there are much smaller.

mfrofadventure

I think that Jay is right! You need to work it our in your general area...it can be done! We in the NE have a bigger challenge in that the deer denisties are marginal to low compared to other states in the south and midwest. I hunt NH, and our numbers are probably just as bad (or worse) than yours. If hunting was easy...it wouldn't be fun...thats how I look at it.

I have found that scouting is the key! In addition, concentrate your hunting around the rut. Perhaps you could get a couple of scouting cameras, and start working with topo maps and aerial photos. Get into the funnels...you will start seening deer! They are there! Maybe look at some alternative properties in your area...mix it up some. Remember...you are not alone...we all face lack of action from time to time...that's hunting!

Good luck!

Mike in NY

GeoffM24, I live in the Catskills in Sullivan county,NY.Deer numbers are pretty good in my county and the surrounding counties.Prices on land around here were less than or around $1000 an acre 2 years ago but rose up to $2000 acre ever since the world trade center blasts because of city people buying every nice piece of acreage up.I myself am lookin out (1-2hours away) further to find land cheaper.($500 -$1000 an acre) If you want some good realty sites that sell land in the southern Tier or central NY,let me know. Mike

jf5

Hi Geoff,
Funny, I saw this post and am going through the same thing. I have been hunting MA for 14 season and have taken only one buck (first year!!) and a few antlerless deer. I have also passed on a few does from time to time. I too am frustrated. Deer hunting can be funny like that. During the 2002 season, I hunted Zone 3, and only saw 2 does on a still hunt in 6 days!! I set up my partner on a couple of stands and he saw 11 deer w/3 being bucks!!! He got one doe and a 6 point!! Go figure!! This year I saw 2 and he took one doe i pushed to him and that was it for 6days!! I know it seems strange, but MA is actually at its best right now with the pressure and deer herd spread statewide, and some real nice bucks being taken. I hunted 4S for years since my brother has a camp there. The last year I hunted there, I saw only one doe in a week of hunting, but it was by far the largest doe I had seen anywhere including Sask, Canada, and Montana. 3 days before the 2003 season, my hunting buddy and I was driving towards my brothers camp in 4S after a day of scouting Zone 3. Sure enough, there was a huge trophy 10pt buck right on the side of the road. This buck was larger than any of the 28 bucks I had seen while hunting Montana a week earlier. I guess I am saying that you shouldn't give up on MA.

Now, with that said....I too am looking to hunt NY state next season. The beauty is that you can gun hunt the Northern Tier by late October (low deer density, but alot space), and the Southern Tier (higher densities) one week ahead of the MA gun season (NY gun usually starts Monday before Thanksgiving). So you can do both states. I am spending this winter scouting areas, driving roads, checking maps. Even looking into private leases or getting permission on private land in NY. I too want to see deer more frequently, but am looking to combine the hunting experience of both states.

GOOD LUCK