I hate Connecticut's political environment but love our hunting habitat and opportunities. The stone walls in the woods, fields - just incredible - I love getting out there
I have also hunted NY, RI for waterfowl and Iowa.
New York public property once was like going to a concert - parking cars with multiple guys directing traffic with flash lights and a hunter for every tree.
Adirondak terrain was incredible but deer were sparse.
Columbia County first rifle county north of NYC sounded like a war zone on opening day- mature bucks very rare - I have never seen one there- few spikes survive - I know now there are antler restrictions but don't know if it's the whole state.
Delhi has incredible habitat but alot of hunting pressure.
IOWA- I hunted turkey in Winterset (Bridges of Madison County - chick flick) and had lottery tags for deer in the fall but could not travel at that time -Habitat and game populations are incredible - the peace and quiet in those farm towns are something I have never experienced
Rhode Island I only hunted ducks- it was nice - scenic - a bit competitive to get the best blind and locations
Minnesota Pheasant - Public land, can be very hard and timing dependent, best time is during or right after the corn is being harvested. If you hit it good can be absolute blast. Helps to hunt with someone with local knowledge. Currently my favorite out of state hunt mostly because of the dogs and hunting with buddies.
Minnesota Turkey - Private land, SE part of the state has a lot of birds. Hard to get access.
Minnesota Deer - private land northern half - not great, especially lately with the incursion of wolves.
Kansas Turkey - Private Land, semi - guided, lots of birds, two different species available.
New Mexico Antelope - Guided Private Land - crazy amount of animals, almost too easy.
Montana Deer and Elk - Public land guided - very difficult hunt with low success rates, but a ton of fun if your up for it.
Complete opposite of deer hunting - you post up on a frozen lake and they parade by in the hundreds and you pick the one you want. More like shopping for antlers.
I tagged out in 30 seconds- dropped the lead bull and then the herd started running and I dropped a non typical at the end of the herd.
New Mexico elk, public land, Cibola National Forest - lots of elk, easy hunting in that it's not steep, but it is a high altitude desert with lots of walking.
Maine Deer West Fork area - big woods and few deer, but bruiser bucks! You can walk for miles and not hear or see a thing.
Pick an interesting animal which you'd like to hunt, do some research, and jump in with both feet. Wild pigs offer a lot of opportunities in many states, bears over bait can be pretty cheap in some places, deer are everywhere, elk opportunities are good in a lot of places, (but good tags are becoming harder to draw). Buy a few chances in out of state lotteries, that is one way to open up your opportunities fairly inexpensively.
Leftover tags or cancellation hunts can offer big discounts at times if you are flexible and can travel on short notice. There is an auction (which ends tonight) for a bear hunt in Alberta in early June (that looks like it can be had cheap) on the Big Game board.
Go hunt whatever and wherever you get a chance, Just Hunt! If you go in with the right attitude and focus on the experience, I don't think you'll regret it.
Hawaii - Booked a wild boar hunt in Maui and loved it. No pig, but hunting with a pack of dogs and hiking up a river bed was a sensory overload of wonderment. It lasted four hours, but the memories should follow me for the rest of my days. It was my first morning there and I met the guide in the dark, before sunrise. I went there for a wedding and found it to be indeed like a paradise.
Maine - Bear hunt over bait. First evening a bear winded me, thrashed and crashed as he popped his teeth to drive me away. I stayed up the tree till the guide came to get me in the dark. Rest of the week I saw nothing but a flying squirrel who sailed past me two evenings, and a coyote who nearly walked into me, as I sat waiting for me ride back to the cabin. Did a lot of early morning fishing with my son and thoroughly enjoyed the whole time.