MOST hunters do not live in north carolina. just like MOST hunters do not live in Idaho. however I have seen enough of the western US, and spoken with enough sportsmen in those locations to know that long shots are a necessary skill if you want to eat meat and if you need to take a long shot you need a bullet that isn't going to drop like a rock.
Not buying that last sentence at all, trajectory is one of the easiest things to compensate for. Wind is the toughest thing, and that is where the most benefit comes from having a high BC bullet. You can crunch the numbers all you want and there isn't any magic formula to guarantee sucess as far as foot pounds of energy and inches of bullet drop are concerned.
Being able to shoot long range is a nice skill to have but believe me it isn't necessary to be a successful hunter out here in the west. While I can bang a 10" steel target all day with boring regularity at 600 yards with a couple of my rifles, the majority of my big game has been shot at less than 250 yards. If you just learn the habits of the animals you're hunting you'll be a pretty successful hunter. I know I can shoot long range if I have too while hunting, but long range shooting isn't as fun as getting close. That is what makes me enjoy hunting the most.