Certainly hunting in the NE qualifies as an area where under 150 yard shots are the rule rather than the exception. A rifle that would be ideal in the more open confines of the West would be less than ideal in the tighter quarters of the NE. For over 100 years the favorite of the North Woods was the Marlin or Winchester lever action in 30/30 or .35. You still see quite a few hunters carrying them even today. In 1969 I bought my first deer rifle a Winchester 88 lever action in 308 caliber. About 15 years later I switched to a Remington Model 7 in 308 caliber. Using 150 grain bullets in the .308's resulted in a few deer with vaporized lungs. Finally for the past 20 or so years I have used a Remington 7600 carbine in 30/06 using 180 gr bullets. My Brother uses either a Remington 760 with iron sights or a Remington 7600 with a Trijicon 1x4 scope both in .270 using 130 gr bullets. All of these work fine. From my experience the key attributes of these rifles are light weight, short handy barrel and the ability for a quick second shot. I have found that in inclement weather a receiver sight is handier than a scope. Last year I took my Trijicon 3x9 scope off my rifle and installed a receiver sight. The rifle is now lighter, carries much better (no scope twist) and I no longer have to continually remove snow, rain and condensation from the scope lens. Most shots in the NE will be 50 yards or less.
Your mileage may vary!