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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 11:34 AM | ||
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I hope someone on the board can help me!
Myself, a good friend and his teenage son were down in NJ on friday to survey the deer hunting situation. We are meat bowhunters so racks are not a requirement but always welcomed. The problem appears to be that although NJ has a phenomenal deer population per sq mile, all of the private land is bound up in leases making it impossible to hunt unless a club member. One farmer even told us he would love to help but is bound by his lease agreement even though he hasn't seen anyone hunt his farm in 2 years. He is inundated with deer on his property. Is this the norm? Can anyone tell us where we can get some hunting in down there? Is NJ all bottled up? Are we wasting our time trying to scout a forbidden resource? Thanks for any help in advance! Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 11:56 AM | ||
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| There is a lot of public land open to hunting, and bow season is not that crowded. Where are you coming from, and where are you looking to hunt in NJ? | ||
| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:05 PM | ||
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Thanks for the response!
We live in Massachusetts and currently hunt here and in Connecticut. We have been looking around Sussex county mostly as it would fit the bill in travel for us. But we're open to anywhere in NJ. We were impressed by the beauty of NJ. Some really nice farmlands. We also have acquaintances that hunt there but have the same trouble. We have considered the Public lands but thought that they might be fairly overcrowded. We are hoping for earlier season hunts of maybe 2 3-day weekends, thursday-saturday. If you know of encouraging public land, we would be thankful to learn of it. Thanks again! Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:13 PM | ||
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| Not enough deer in Mass.? | ||
| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:18 PM | ||
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how is the hunting up in conne, and mass __________________ FIRE IT UP!!!!!
Did you get em? Did you hear the gun go off!!!! Yea!!! Then get a ###### knife!!! |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:18 PM | ||
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sussex county has a lot of public land. It also has a lot of bears. If you spend an entire day in the woods and don't see a bear, that would be surprising.
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/huntland.htm here is a link to the state list of public land by zone. |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:19 PM | ||
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Not by comparison to NJ. MA has a herd of about 100,000 animals with the majority being in the northeast and southeast coastal zones.
We hunt amongst a party of 8 locally and usually take 16 deer total. So we do OK. In CT, the 3 of us usually take a few. We just like the adventure of new places. It's good for the kids too. Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:26 PM | ||
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Woodruff Len,
MA and CT deer are very wary. If you can walk within a 1000 yds of one without it bolting would be a surprise. The hunts are usually a high excitement event. During the bow season you may get an opportunity but they are typically few and far between unless you know a honey hole. Shotgun season is a zoo. Lots of hunters and orange all around, too dangerous for the kids. Muzzleloading season is a blast and last year the majority of our take was during this season. Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 12:27 PM | ||
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I think you will find in N.J., most of the public land
is overhunted in gun season,with unlimited does,there's not nearly the number of deer as you might think. |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 1:41 PM | ||
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Kcohunter,
Perhaps the state effort to reduce the herd has been more effective than anticipated. I recently read an article in a NJ local publication indicating that the herd is causing a great deal of garden damage and sources report deer densities between 50-100 per sq. mi. in some parts of Sussex County. I'm so confused!!! Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 1:46 PM | ||
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| That doesn't seem right. zone 4 has a large deer herd but I would guess 30 per sq. mi. zone 5 maybe 20. But like anywhere there are deer one area can be loaded with them and the next barren. | ||
| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 2:00 PM | ||
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Quote:
densities between 50-100 I'm not sure of those numbers,but it seems to me that the state should have different bag limits for public and private land.For example,zone 16(Monmouth County)may have an abondance of deer causing garden damage on private land, but Turkey Swamp WMA,does not have that many deer anymore. |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 2:08 PM | ||
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Turkey Swamp WMA,does not have that many deer anymore. i dont know last year during 6day we had deer running everywhere... __________________ FIRE IT UP!!!!!
Did you get em? Did you hear the gun go off!!!! Yea!!! Then get a ###### knife!!! |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 2:13 PM | ||
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| If I was going to drive alway down to N.J I would rather hunt in new york state . | ||
| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 2:16 PM | ||
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i dont know last year during 6day we had deer running everywhere... I hope your right.I heard it gets hit hard on doe days. I guess we'll see.Are you bowhunting there this year? |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 2:29 PM | ||
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I appreciate all the comments! We would love to give NJ a try but I think we'll need to do more research before we commit.
20 deer per sq. mi. is about what northeastern CT offers on some of our private lands. In fact, we have video (somewhere) of 18 bucks all greater than 6 pts feeding a field one evening. But that's not the norm. Thanks again! Phil |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 4:15 PM | ||
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doesnt mass. have large numbers of coastal and island deer. i was told there are great numbers and lots of ticks up there in new england
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 5:01 PM | ||
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Not enough deer in Mass.? the grass is always greener on the other side. plus, he said he is a meat hunter, and NJ allows unlimited does.. Not sure about where he hunts, but here he is allowed to take all the meat he can. __________________ Jersey Jays Taxidermy
"True expressions for the passionate outdoorsman" Jason Wizner http://www.jerseyjaystaxidermy.com 587 Paulison Ave 551-206-2623 Clifton, NJ 07011 Best Hunting Club in NEW JERSEY! >>> http://WWW.BARBERTOWNSPORTSMENSCLUB.COM |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 6:22 PM | ||
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Just go to Stokes sport shop in Sussex and hook up with the 100 or so other Mass hunters that already overpopulate the state lands. I see Mass hunters every day I'm out in Sussex with the bow and muzzleloader. They are everywhere. __________________ Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 6:44 PM | ||
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I hunt as a non resident in NJ and there are is some excellent deer hunting __________________ EAT SLEEP HUNT Make your dreams a reality. Take a kid hunting. Film your next hunt. www.nloutdoors.com
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 9:06 PM | ||
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Don't go to zone 4 if you are a meat hunter, no unlimited does in there. Also some a-hole and his buddies from MAss. thought they could hunt when the land was posted. It was great listening to the land owners story. "Drop your weapons. You're tresspassing and under arrest!" Them-"How are we under arrest?" Him-"I own the land and I'm a NJ State Trooper!" Park Rangers took them right to the post office and made them wire money so they could pay their fines on the spot. __________________ NRA Life Member
FMBA Local 42 |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 9:09 PM | ||
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-"I own the land and I'm a NJ State Trooper!" Park Rangers took them right to the post office and made them wire money so they could pay their fines on the spot If only non state trooper land owners could get such a response from law enforcement there would be no such thing as tresspassing  __________________ "from my cold dead hands"
"to all those in harms way, SEMPER FI" |
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| Posted: 08 Jul 2008 9:21 PM | ||
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Well the parkies are right down the road from this guys land, so you can't get much closer to their HQ. __________________ NRA Life Member
FMBA Local 42 |
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 5:21 AM | ||
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I agree buffalo __________________ EAT SLEEP HUNT Make your dreams a reality. Take a kid hunting. Film your next hunt. www.nloutdoors.com
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 7:13 AM | ||
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bwd172 & Super X,
Don't get pre-dispositioned that all MA hunters are bad. If we didn't hunt by the book, we wouldn't be here looking for help in finding open hunting land. I agree, you can find a bad bunch anywhere and I've seen them in VT, NH, MA, and CT. MA hunters tend to be more agressive due to the higher number of hunters in an given area, but all-in-all they all tend to help one another and follow the rules. liquidorange, The majority of MA deer are indeed in the coastal and Island regions. Problem is, the non-hunting bureaucrats of Eastern MA complain about too many deer and the damage they cause to their property but are too stubborn to allow hunting on their land. Defeating their own argument. As far as ticks...I found only 1 crawlin' on me in the last 4 years of hunting, But did take a buck last year that had about 60 embedded in him. All, Because we are meathunters, we were prompted to check out NJ because of the high density of deer and the shortage of our available hunting time. Sort of a fill the freezer fast type of thing. We still hope to find somewhere down there. Thanks for all comments! Phil |
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 7:19 AM | ||
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I guess we'll see.Are you bowhunting there this year? No i will be bowhunting in hunterdon county this year... Isnt alot of turkey swamp only the first two weeks of january and the that is it for doe days. Yea winter bow goes to the end of january...but doe days are only 2 weeks there...Correct me if i am wrong... __________________ FIRE IT UP!!!!!
Did you get em? Did you hear the gun go off!!!! Yea!!! Then get a ###### knife!!! |
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 7:48 AM | ||
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only the first two weeks of january Permit shotgun- Dec.17-19,Jan.10-17 I guess that's not so bad. |
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 8:03 AM | ||
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Permit shotgun- Dec.17-19,Jan.10-17 I guess that's not so bad. I remember when Crosspile had that property they would kill 40 bucks a year during six day and then during doe days they would kill atleast another 10 bucks every saturday...As soon as the state bought it, it went to shit...i guess it staying woods is better then having houses on it... __________________ FIRE IT UP!!!!!
Did you get em? Did you hear the gun go off!!!! Yea!!! Then get a ###### knife!!! |
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 8:39 AM | ||
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Theres a number of places to hunt in NJ and some really great ones as well but just as any new place it will take research. The time to really scout your new area is long past and that should have been done in the winter/ spring before the leaves came out.
The DE watergap is very excessable from the track south for you. You will be going through very good NY land they tell me to get to NJ as well. I wouldn't expect someone to set you up or let you sit there woods so more than likley you will have to hunt for your spot on your own. North maybe tougher to find spots but to the south they are around and severely underhunted. All along the Delaware river basin you can find spots that are great. Check with the state and get maps also there are land management groups you can find on the internet that have ground all throughout the state. Several parks are open and in some pretty good spots as well. If you have time it will be worth it and theres plenty of monster bucks as well and you should see them how ever getting them is another story. Just depends on where you live with what you know about whats around to hunt sometimes. I hunted a certain spot last year the state has 7 times and never ran into a soul or saw evidence there was anyone hunting it. I was hunting it only for one reason and it wasn't because I didn't have a place to hunt because I have club property. Good Luck one last piece of advise. Keep your ear to the ground and learn to snope around. You can learn more whats around an area you travel into by saying nothing and just listening. That takes time to slip around shops and gatheringts where other sportmen love to talk about what they see. Then it comes time to investigate to serch the where abouts of what you herd? Good luck 
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| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 8:54 AM | ||
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Cat,
Thank you for your remarks. The idea of trying NJ actually just came up in conversation a few weeks ago. We went down to Sussex county last Friday to check things out and about. In speaking to the farmers, we found that most of their land is only accessible through clubs. Not that we have a problem with clubs mind you, but we tend to freelance when we can. We're planning another trip down in a couple weeks so we'll exercise your advice. Thanks again! Phil |
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