Eastern vs western hunting success rate

[maine]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

 

[Walmart Greeter]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

Generally speaking, for a draw hunt success will be higher than that, for over the counter hunts it will be lower.

 

[Pony Soldier]

From my perspective in western Montana, it all depends on the weather. Pressure, migration and just finding them is controlled by the weather after the first week of rifle. Bow seson is a crap shoot dependant on heat.

 

[ssimo]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

I think everything depends on the hunter capabilities and on his knowledge of the enviroment. Another important factor to consider is the density of hunters in the hunting area!

Edit: an also the amount of animals in the area is critical.

For example, i did more than 20 one day hunts in a row without going back empty handed just this year. Fewer hunters in Italy, a lot of animals and i know my stuff=success.
Some fellow hunters in my same area take one roe or one fallow deer every 5 or 6 hunts, some others are just like me.

 

[RockAndSage]

There might be some hidden factors if you compare "success" between Maine and a Western hunt. Out here, someone will commonly wait over 4-5 years to hunt mule deer in their home state, unless it's Idaho's OTC tags. Back East, my understanding is that most places are OTC, often with multiple tags per hunter per year being available. Sure, the terrain and the hunting will be different, but it does make me wonder if the ease of getting tags affects people's approach to filling them.

I have zero idea of what getting tags is like in Maine, but if it's like other places, is it possible that because of the ease of getting tags, you might have things like "deer camp" with 5-10 people getting tags together (including mom, aunts, elderly uncles, etc), but not everybody really putting in effort to fill that tag, with it being more of a social or family event? As opposed to putting in 30+ days of pre-season scouting out here in the 4 months prior to the season opener, then a full week or two of constant hunting during season out here, to fill that one and only tag you'll get for possibly more than half of the next decade? Also, if you can get multiple tags, how often does someone fill their first one and buy a second, but not really try hard on that second tag? I have no idea if any of this is valid, but I do suspect it's very much not an apples-to-apples comparison of hunt realities, either on-the-ground difficulty or of people's approach to it.

Here's a link to Nevada's mule deer harvest statistics for 2022 - draw success for getting tags is commonly in the single-digit percentages, but harvest success seems to average around 35-45% for rifle/Any Legal Weapon tags: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-Mule-Deer-Harvest-by-Unit-Group.pdf

 

[Desk Jockey]

There is a learning curve to each. With the right access and little practice, both are well within reach of most hunters.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

+1 @RockAndSage ... the OP asks a big-picture question, but the answer to that specific question doesn't apply to individuals.
Big picture answer: A 5% draw rate multiplied by a 80% harvest rate = 4% annual success rate.
Personalized answer: The 80-20 rule comes into play: 80% of the harvests are taking by 20% of the hunters. So...if you're in the 20% of the successful hunters, you win.

 

[willfrye027]

If you’re moving to Montana and you want to harvest a deer it’s gotta be near 100% success. Lots of zones it’s either sex, most you can hunt into the rut..should have zero problem finding a deer to kill.

 

[maine]

There might be some hidden factors if you compare "success" between Maine and a Western hunt. Out here, someone will commonly wait over 4-5 years to hunt mule deer in their home state, unless it's Idaho's OTC tags. Back East, my understanding is that most places are OTC, often with multiple tags per hunter per year being available. Sure, the terrain and the hunting will be different, but it does make me wonder if the ease of getting tags affects people's approach to filling them.

I have zero idea of what getting tags is like in Maine, but if it's like other places, is it possible that because of the ease of getting tags, you might have things like "deer camp" with 5-10 people getting tags together (including mom, aunts, elderly uncles, etc), but not everybody really putting in effort to fill that tag, with it being more of a social or family event? As opposed to putting in 30+ days of pre-season scouting out here in the 4 months prior to the season opener, then a full week or two of constant hunting during season out here, to fill that one and only tag you'll get for possibly more than half of the next decade? Also, if you can get multiple tags, how often does someone fill their first one and buy a second, but not really try hard on that second tag? I have no idea if any of this is valid, but I do suspect it's very much not an apples-to-apples comparison of hunt realities, either on-the-ground difficulty or of people's approach to it.

Here's a link to Nevada's mule deer harvest statistics for 2022 - draw success for getting tags is commonly in the single-digit percentages, but harvest success seems to average around 35-45% for rifle/Any Legal Weapon tags: https://www.ndow.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-Mule-Deer-Harvest-by-Unit-Group.pdf

Very good point, a large percentage of hunters in Maine go once on opening day and that’s it.

 

[maine]

If you’re moving to Montana and you want to harvest a deer it’s gotta be near 100% success. Lots of zones it’s either sex, most you can hunt into the rut..should have zero problem finding a deer to kill.

Love to hear that!

 

[Tmac]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

Take a look at MT residency requirements for hunting. If you qualify, last I looked, you’d have several essentially otc tags. If not you gotta draw.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

If you’ve become proficient at hunting whitetails in Maine, drawing a tag to hunt out west is the only thing that stands in your way. Because killing animals you can see far enough to plot a plan is a lot easier then the once a week they pop up at 35 yards from you in thick brush.


There’s a reason eastern people are flocking to out west hunting opportunity. It’s easy in comparison. Not to mention a lot more fun.

 

[Michael Rankin]

I’m moving from Maine to Montana for a year. In Maine the success rate for deer is quite low, under 10% for a mature buck it’s much lower. I was just curious how this compares to the whitetail / mule / elk hunting out west.

“The West” is a huge area multiple states,
Maine is one state. So not really any way to make that comparison.

Just in a 2.5 hour drive from my house in Oregon there are tags/hunts in different game management units with success rates from 8 percent up to 60 percent!

Every fish and wildlife agency that I have ever looked up has a website that you can very easily look up harvest statistics.

Look up the actual harvest stats where you currently hunt. Then start looking up success rates & tag availability in game management units in and around where you are moving to.

I’ve hunted quite a few different species of animals in lots of different units/states.

Units with 10 percent success rates are typically really tuff hunts. Like the type of hunt where you need to scout it A LOT, just to see 1,2,3 legal animals. Especially when you drop down to 6-8 percent success rates.

Areas with 15-20 percent rates seem like you could typically have an enjoyable hunt if you go into it with some map scouting, and take a week of to do the hunt. On these hunts I’ll usually see multiple legal animals on the hunt. Obviously having some decent general hunting skills is needed.

When you go on a hunt with 20-50 percent success rates, you’re in for a real treat. On those type of hunts I’m usually always seeing legal animals daily.

 

[maine]

Take a look at MT residency requirements for hunting. If you qualify, last I looked, you’d have several essentially otc tags. If not you gotta draw.

Yeah I gotta draw unfortunately

 

[Rich M]

I grew up hunting ME NH VT and shot 2 or 3 deer in 18 yrs - i’m deaf. Plus the buck only rule sucked.

Been out west 3x and shot 3 antelope and a 160 inch muley. Find it easier.

Your skills are way more valuable than you really know. Out west you can see everything, back home you cant.

They have success rates on all the state websites. Pull em up before you apply.

 

[ritter26]

I'm in Idaho and I have the 2022 general deer season data open from the fish and game. Average success across the entire state is 20%. Two times better than Maine

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

They are such different activities that it’s not even worth comparing. Like comparing batting average to field goal percentage.

 

[Rich M]

The guy who is consistently successful in Maine will smoke the western hunters after a year or two.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

The guy who is consistently successful in Maine will smoke the western hunters after a year or two.

One of the better troll jobs I’ve seen on here in awhile…

 

[Mtns2hunt]

Never had much of an issue East or West. Public land in East can be difficult and take longer. I find hunting skills to be important as well s putting in the time to scout and hunt. Never been interested in one day hunts. I always plan on at least a week and probably several weeks through the year. Another thing is to remain positive even when cold, tired and hungry.