After the Rut: Late-Season Whitetails in New England

Each year, numerous articles are published outlining the best places to hunt trophy bucks. And despite dedicating a large part of my time over the last 30 years to promoting the outstanding trophy bucks that come from the Northeast, I am still not surprised to see the New England states toward the bottom of those lists. [Editor’s Note: He’s not wrong. Check out our ranking of America’s top whitetail states.] It’s hard to argue the facts presented in these articles. The numbers don’t lie. In terms of Boone-and-Crockett-caliber deer, most other states in the U.S. outside the Northeast produce a much higher number of trophy bucks. No New England state can even crack the top 40 for B&C buck entries.

You might think that the average Northeastern deer hunter’s only hope of shooting a giant buck is to travel to the Midwest or a western Canadian province, but that’s not necessarily true. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that there are two southern New England states that hold some substantial hidden treasure when it comes to giant bucks.

Connecticut and Massachusetts are small, densely populated states. Massachusetts, with a population of almost 7 million people occupying 7,800 square miles of land, is the sixth-smallest state in the country and the third-most densely populated. Connecticut has a population of 3.6 million people within 4,800 square miles of land, ranking it as the third-smallest state and the fourth-most densely populated. To put that in perspective, the great deer-hunting state of Kansas is more than 10 times larger than Massachusetts and 17 times larger than Connecticut—and is home to fewer than 3 million people. So, when we look at record-book entries, we must consider not only how small Connecticut and Massachusetts are, but also how densely populated they are, and realize that those factors play a big role in the number of record-book bucks they produce.

EYE-POPPING NUMBERS

If I asked you how many non-typical bucks scoring 200 inches or better were shot by hunters in these two states, what would you guess? How about typicals scoring 180 inches or better? Bucks of this caliber are generally considered to be trophies of a lifetime, regardless of what state or province they come from. But when they come from these small, densely populated states, that is a whole different story. Crossing paths with one of those monster bucks in the Northeast is sort of like winning the lottery. The odds are very long, and you certainly wouldn’t want to bet your retirement on it. But don’t think that it doesn’t happen—it probably occurs more often than you think.

Over the years, the Northeast Big Buck Club (NBBC) has processed record-book entries for 13 bucks with gross scores greater than 200 inches (non-typical) and another 21 that score between 190 and 200 inches. The two states have produced 13 entries of typical bucks that gross more than 180 inches, plus an additional 47 that gross between 170 to 180 inches. Before you jump to the conclusion that these giants must have been killed many decades ago, more than 20 percent of them were taken in just the last 10 years.

MASSACHUSETTS MEGA BUCKS

The Bay State has produced 12 bucks with gross scores greater than 200 inches, and four of them have been taken in the past 10 years. The largest gross-scoring buck was a 220 2/8-inch, 17-point non-typical taken by Andrew Healy with a muzzleloader during the 2018 season. In addition to other giant non-typicals scoring greater than 200 inches, Massachusetts produced a world-class 10-point typical back in 2002 that grossed a whopping 204 3/8 inches. This giant was taken with a shotgun during a permit-draw hunt on land surrounding Quabbin Reservoir. Of the eight typical bucks Massachusetts has produced that scored at least 180 inches, one was taken as recently as 2022.

Non-Typicals Over 200 Inches from MA and CT

CONNECTICUT CORKERS

The Constitution State has produced six bucks with gross scores greater than 200 inches, including a 227 7/8 inch, 17-point non-typical taken by Dan O’Brien with a bow during the 2011 season. In addition to other giant non-typicals scoring greater than 200 inches, Connecticut has yielded six amazing typical bucks that grossed north of 180 inches, with half of those taken in just the last five years.

Among those is the largest typical of all-time from this state—an 11-pointer shot by Steve Hopko during the 2020 firearms season that grossed a whopping 188 1/2.

Typicals Over 180 Inches from MA and CT

IS THERE A TREASURE MAP?

Not really, but in many ways that’s a good thing. According to NBBC records, over the last decade the biggest bucks from each state have been taken from east to west and north to south. Even the islands off the Massachusetts coast have produced some of these giants.

In Connecticut, written permission is required to hunt private land, so access can be a challenge. However, there are some truly amazing tracts of state land that can be hunted. If you do your research, you will find that many are chopped up and border private land, providing great opportunities to find little hidden gems to hunt that receive little or no hunting pressure. There is a surprising amount of farmland along the border with Rhode Island and some mountainous, big-woods country along the New York border that provide outstanding hunting. Still, many giants come from densely populated counties in the center of the state.

In Massachusetts, the situation is similar to Connecticut in the western and central parts of the state. But the eastern part is unique in that it is primarily coastal, with a surprising amount of farmland north and south of Boston. Like Connecticut, some of the most densely populated counties in the eastern part of Massachusetts produce some of the biggest bucks, primarily for bowhunters who can hunt smaller tracts of woods and farmland.

As referenced above, Massachusetts also offers special permit-only hunts each year in designated areas around the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs, and on some military bases and state refuge lands. These areas are hunted on a rotational basis with very limited harvests, so deer can get big and old with almost no hunting pressure.

Because of the diversity in habitat—farmland, mountains, state forests, small pockets of suburban woods and coastal/island habitat—there is not a single tactic that applies to hunting these states. However, there are few factors that consistently influence success:

• Do whatever you can to secure permission to hunt private land. This is especially true for the more densely populated suburban areas where big bucks live comfortably close to homes and businesses.
• Apply for controlled and special hunts. Areas are often opened that have not been hunted for years.
• Do your homework. The most successful hunters in southern New England put in many hours scouting, both in-person and with cellular cameras.
• Be flexible. Although many great bucks fall to gun hunters, a willingness to use your bow or crossbow may get you access to more properties.
• Be persistent. Residents and non-residents have the chance to secure multiple tags in both states, and can hunt from September into January in Connecticut, and from October until the end of December in Massachusetts.

The advantage of hunting giant bucks close to home is that you can take a year-round approach to finding them and learning their habits, then enjoy extended hunting seasons that last up to four months in some counties. The disadvantage is that most of the biggest bucks are known to many hunters, so often these wily giants are being pursued by multiple people throughout archery, firearm and muzzleloader seasons. It isn’t unusual for southern New England hunters to tag-team these deer and share intel about sightings, pictures and encounters.

The states of Connecticut and Massachusetts will likely never make it to the top of any list of the best places to hunt whitetails, but don’t think that giant bucks can’t be successfully hunted in either state. Although the statistics indicate that the odds of killing a stud increase significantly if you travel to traditional trophy whitetail destinations outside of the East region, Southern New England hunters may be wise to hunt for the hidden treasure in their own backyard.

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• This article was featured in the December-January 2025 issue of Game & Fish magazine. Click to subscribe.

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