How is the hunting in Vermont

[Hunter007]

Anyone hunt public land in Vermont how was it there. 

 

Edited December 20, 2017 by Storm914

[turkeyfeathers]

No idea. But I’ll send you my addy for some Heady Topper 

[Hunter007]

17 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

No idea. But I’ll send you my addy for some Heady Topper 

I saw a article saying they have public land there  that have little hunting pressure and that bucks routinely live to be 4 and 5 years old .

[stubborn1VT]

8 hours ago, Storm914 said:

I saw a article saying they have public land there  that have little hunting pressure and that bucks routinely live to be 4 and 5 years old .

Yup.  All 3 of them!  

Seriously, the hunting isn't great.  The Green Mountain National forest is big and public, but it has low deer density like the 'Dacks.  Other state land is small and crowded.  I can't really speak for the whole state, but I can say that the big bucks shot in Vermont are midgets compared to those taken in NY.  

I am seeing bigger bucks than I did 10 years ago.  Some of that is because we can't shoot spikehorns.  Some of that is from more and more posted land, mild winters, fewer hunters.  

We also get fewer tags, have shorter seasons, and can't shoot spikes.  Other than that it's paradise!

[tommyc50]

the benoit family been hunting there for years. and all they do is track on public land

[stubborn1VT]

Well, they do live here.  They do alot of their tracking in Maine and New Hampshire.  

[nyantler]

I have quite a few hunter friends from Vermont and they all bought camps in NY and hunt here... What does that tell ya?

[steve863]

Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine.  Lots of big woods, not too many deer.  Not to say you couldn't kill one there, but it won't be easy compared to a number of regions in NYS and elsewhere. 

 

 

 

[grampy]

We have friends outside of Rutland and Weston, and we visit Vermont quite a bit.  My buddy in Weston, shot a 100 inch eight point this season, his biggest buck in years. He has an absolutely beautiful 120 acres, and does put in his time, but rarely gets even trail cam picks of bigger bucks. My other friend in Rutland has not shot a deer in a couple of years now. he has around 40 acres, but does not get out to hunt much anymore. They both occasionally come here to 4-H, and hunt with me, and consider our property to be a deer paradice! Far from the truth!! But we always have at least a couple mature bucks here. They claim harsher winters to be the main difference, but we can get some bad winters in the hilltowns of Albany county too. I haven't hunted their properties in a few years, but rarely saw a deer when I did, and never killed one there. But to look at these properties, you would expect to see deer everywhere! Not sure why there isn't. 

[Hunter007]

2 hours ago, tommyc50 said:

the benoit family been hunting there for years. and all they do is track on public land

Don't remember if that's them but in a hunting book I read about o 25 years ago they mentioned some big buck snow tracking hunters from Vermont that were know for shooting huge bucks off state land over There 

[stubborn1VT]

1 hour ago, grampy said:

We have friends outside of Rutland and Weston, and we visit Vermont quite a bit.  My buddy in Weston, shot a 100 inch eight point this season, his biggest buck in years. He has an absolutely beautiful 120 acres, and does put in his time, but rarely gets even trail cam picks of bigger bucks. My other friend in Rutland has not shot a deer in a couple of years now. he has around 40 acres, but does not get out to hunt much anymore. They both occasionally come here to 4-H, and hunt with me, and consider our property to be a deer paradice! Far from the truth!! But we always have at least a couple mature bucks here. They claim harsher winters to be the main difference, but we can get some bad winters in the hilltowns of Albany county too. I haven't hunted their properties in a few years, but rarely saw a deer when I did, and never killed one there. But to look at these properties, you would expect to see deer everywhere! Not sure why there isn't. 

That sounds about right.  A 100" deer in VT is a buck of a lifetime for most people.  I've never killed one.  I grew up on a 300+ acre dairy farm, and in all my years I've only seen two!  One of my buddies shot a 119" buck on 100 acres of highly managed land this season.  I don't expect to see one bigger than that in my neck of the woods.

I wish I knew what the cause was.  It's amazing how much difference there is between Vermont and New Hampshire, and the only thing separating the states is the CT river!  Some of it is genetics, but beyond that, I have no clue.  

[Four Season Whitetail's]

5 hours ago, stubborn1VT said:

Yup.  All 3 of them!  

Seriously, the hunting isn't great.  The Green Mountain National forest is big and public, but it has low deer density like the 'Dacks.  Other state land is small and crowded.  I can't really speak for the whole state, but I can say that the big bucks shot in Vermont are midgets compared to those taken in NY.  

I am seeing bigger bucks than I did 10 years ago.  Some of that is because we can't shoot spikehorns.  Some of that is from more and more posted land, mild winters, fewer hunters.  

We also get fewer tags, have shorter seasons, and can't shoot spikes.  Other than that it's paradise!

Just think if Ny implemented these same rules.  Bingo. Paradise.

[BizCT]

15 hours ago, Storm914 said:

Anyone hunt public land in Vermont how was it there. 

 

Early 2000's I tagged a few cougars at Killington and Bromley. I had most success in the bar area. If you are talking about deer, I have no idea.

[Will_C]

Years ago several of us would go to the Wallingford area of Vermont for opening weekend. I shot a 4 pt. one year-I think that was in a 15 year time frame. That was on 120 acres of private land.

I know the guys that hosted us would come down here for a week. They shot many more deer down here in that week than they did in a whole season in Vermont.