Hunting Opportunities NC - Relocation

[Robobiss]

You don’t seem very interested in deer hunting and I don’t believe this applies to areas surrounding Charlotte (if memory serves).

But just an FYI deer hunting public lands in the eastern part of the state (or anywhere dogs are allowed) during gun season when every block of timber has a crowd of people with a pack of 100 dogs running deer and blasting anything and everything that crosses the road out of the back of a pickup truck with a semi auto shotgun and buckshot… it can get interesting.

Better off staying out of the woods period if you are seeing trucks with dog boxes on the way in. I had an interesting experience where my truck was stuck in the Croatan and my friends and I cut across a block instead of walking the road after dark on the way out looking for help. Around the corner came a truck loaded with light bars that pointed 360 degrees. We hit the deck and hid behind trees when we realized they were spotlighting and shooting deer (or whatever) under the lights. That was thanksgiving day in 2014, couldn’t forget it if I wanted to.

Coastal NC public lands may as well be Mexico. The stuff that ive seen there would blow your mind.

That said, the wildlife is plentiful. Big bears, too.

 

[KenLee]

While NC may not be great for waterfowl (based on the comments provided) there are quite a few opportunities for waterfowl hunting in SC, including several lottery hunts (https://www.dnr.sc.gov/hunting/waterfowllottery.html)
Depending on where in Charlotte your office is, you may want to look at living in SC and working up in Charlotte. For someone used to a New England commute, it may not be that bad for you.
Also, something has only been briefly mentioned, but I think would be of particular interest to you is dove hunting. It is big down here. Not so much up in New England. As someone who grew up hunting ducks and geese in MN and has now spent the last 30 years of my life hunting doves and ducks all across the south, I much prefer dove hunting. It is much more laid back, you aren't freezing your butt off, and unless you really like watching dogs work water, is just as enjoyable, or even more so from working the dogs perspective. Yes, watching a good long swimming retrieve is cool, but watching a good dog find a dove that fell 80 yards away into a patch of knee-high pines or field edge scrub is pretty cool too.
I can pretty much guarantee that if you have a couple of good dogs and are willing to put the leg work in to making some friends, you will be welcomed into many a dove field.

A couple things to keep in mind about hunting down here with dogs, however. You will need do some snake avoidance or aversion training with your dogs. We have all the fun ones down here. Also, if you do end up hunting the coastal areas of SC, we have alligators. I know quite a few waterfowlers and deer hunters that have lost dogs to gators down here in SC.

As someone who was stationed in CT for almost 6 years and hunted it quite a bit (mid 1990s) and who now lives in SC, I wouldn't hesitate to move down here to any of the neighboring states (SC, NC, TN or GA). No, it isn't the Rocky Mountain states, but if you have to live east of the Mississippi, there isn't much better than here, in my opinion.

SC non-resident hunting license and tags are relatively cheap. I'm thinking $350 for hunting and 8 deer tags. Extra $76 to hunt public land.