Anyone here from the north woods of Maine or New York?.........
- Thread starter LSUbengal
- Start date
mdcrossbow
Well-known member
Deerslayer that has got to be some of the hardest hunting in the country. I've talked with a number of guys from up there and with 2 or 3 deer per square mile and all the black flies I would consider a trophy buck up there the highest level of skill. I've invited a number of guys from New England to come hunt in Md and they were all amazed at the number of deer they saw in a short time and went back with allot of meat for the winter.
It is demanding for sure. On the New York web sites I'm finding most of the hunter's want no part of the far reaches of the 'Dacks. Deer are said to be few but having great potential for some bruisers when you can track one down.
I have wanted to do a hunt up there for some years, after reading on "the first family of hunting"...the Benoits. They have books and books of literally hundreds of Bohemoth bucks their family has taken from these far north woods. Vermont and Maine were their hunting grounds, but the lure of the vast Adirondack wilderness captures my interest.
Chances of success will probably be real low without some good info or recon froma local though.......thought I'd take a stab in case someone here could help.
Thanks..
DS
I have wanted to do a hunt up there for some years, after reading on "the first family of hunting"...the Benoits. They have books and books of literally hundreds of Bohemoth bucks their family has taken from these far north woods. Vermont and Maine were their hunting grounds, but the lure of the vast Adirondack wilderness captures my interest.
Chances of success will probably be real low without some good info or recon froma local though.......thought I'd take a stab in case someone here could help.
Thanks..
DS
Moosie
Grand poopa
I think we have a couple from that neck of the woods here. good to hear from ya again amigo !!!
I was wondering if your sexy ass was lurking
I am having a memory.........of shooting across a canyon at a ram my spotter has informed me adorns no "ear tag", which is a good thing......meaning he has not been massaged, fluffed and weighed warranting ahefty price tag
........"upon further review"..........alas, a blue tag special tightly tucked behind the ear..........
Now I don't mind breaking out the ol' wallet, but I at least like to know what I am spending before I do
....if it weren't for the snuggling later that night along with cajun gumbo extradinare'............it might have been a bust. But all in all, a lasting impression of Moosie in his undies etched in my mind for eternity is enough to say the trip was memorable one!
How ya doing Moose man......good to chat again.
DS
I am having a memory.........of shooting across a canyon at a ram my spotter has informed me adorns no "ear tag", which is a good thing......meaning he has not been massaged, fluffed and weighed warranting ahefty price tag
........"upon further review"..........alas, a blue tag special tightly tucked behind the ear..........
Now I don't mind breaking out the ol' wallet, but I at least like to know what I am spending before I do
....if it weren't for the snuggling later that night along with cajun gumbo extradinare'............it might have been a bust. But all in all, a lasting impression of Moosie in his undies etched in my mind for eternity is enough to say the trip was memorable one!
How ya doing Moose man......good to chat again.
DS
Moosie
Grand poopa
LOL... thats what I like about you, a good memory. I forgot about the tag
Doing good. Take a peak in the Africa section.... Me just got back from there. it didn't suck one bit !!
Doing good. Take a peak in the Africa section.... Me just got back from there. it didn't suck one bit !!
AkBearHunter
Member
I grew up hunting the big woods of Maine and shot my first and biggest whitetails there. Use to hunt near Dexter, Corrina (sp?), Jackman and a few other spots in southern Maine.
AKBearHunter, are the areas you mentioned public remote wilderness type areas? The #1 thing I am hearing is the deer densities in these wilderness areas borderline on terrible.
So are you so hooked you'll sell out of the multi-million dollar forum business and move to the dark continent and become a PH Moosie?
So are you so hooked you'll sell out of the multi-million dollar forum business and move to the dark continent and become a PH Moosie?
Moosie
Grand poopa
Well.. I'm not planning to "SELL" this site.. but if I could pay someone to take it off my hands I probably would
I will go back to Africa, but not too soon. We'll see.
I will go back to Africa, but not too soon. We'll see.
maineiac
Member
Hey DS....hope all is well.
I'm from Penobscot County Maine....bout 6 hrs north of Boston.Been in Florida the last 3 yrs....but am movin back up there within the next mth.
We have thousands of acres of private land owned by timber and paper companies to hunt on....but what you have been told is very true.Its tuff country to hunt,and tends to discourage people who see lots of deer while hunting.Thousands of acres have been clear-cut in the last 20 yrs,and grown back so thick they make huntin hard.
The deer get big all right.I've killed 5 bucks that have field dressed over 200.My preffered method was and always will be trackin on fresh snow.Some yrs ya get it,some ya dont.
Rifle season runs for 4 weeks endin the sat after turkey day.Some zones have 2 weeks of black powder that follow this.This is usually your best bet for snow.
This past yr was 1 of the worst in ages for total snowfall.From what I'm told,the winter kill in the far north woods areas was devastatin.
The deer per square mile ratio is always been low where I come from as compared to southern Maine.But there sure are some monster bucks runnin them swamps an ridges.
I guided 2 fellows from Penna in 2004 that came for a week hunt.The outfitter tried to convince them they werent gonna see 40 gazillion deer like they did in PA.They were so discouraged after 4 days they left.
I'd be more than tickled to answer any other questions ya got.When it comes to huntin big bucks in Maine....I'd lots rather be lucky than good. Either that or I'd rather have the whole fall off like them Benoit dudes.
I'm from Penobscot County Maine....bout 6 hrs north of Boston.Been in Florida the last 3 yrs....but am movin back up there within the next mth.
We have thousands of acres of private land owned by timber and paper companies to hunt on....but what you have been told is very true.Its tuff country to hunt,and tends to discourage people who see lots of deer while hunting.Thousands of acres have been clear-cut in the last 20 yrs,and grown back so thick they make huntin hard.
The deer get big all right.I've killed 5 bucks that have field dressed over 200.My preffered method was and always will be trackin on fresh snow.Some yrs ya get it,some ya dont.
Rifle season runs for 4 weeks endin the sat after turkey day.Some zones have 2 weeks of black powder that follow this.This is usually your best bet for snow.
This past yr was 1 of the worst in ages for total snowfall.From what I'm told,the winter kill in the far north woods areas was devastatin.
The deer per square mile ratio is always been low where I come from as compared to southern Maine.But there sure are some monster bucks runnin them swamps an ridges.
I guided 2 fellows from Penna in 2004 that came for a week hunt.The outfitter tried to convince them they werent gonna see 40 gazillion deer like they did in PA.They were so discouraged after 4 days they left.
I'd be more than tickled to answer any other questions ya got.When it comes to huntin big bucks in Maine....I'd lots rather be lucky than good.
Either that or I'd rather have the whole fall off like them Benoit dudes.M99ER
New member
I saw 4 deer (single sightings) last night coming out of Nahmakanta, 2 of which looked at least 200lbs, a 130# doe and a skipper. Both of the big ones were between Kokadjo and Greenville ME if that tells ya anything... The other 2 were down by Kingsbury.
The new hunting rules have all but abolished the doe permits this year because of the hard winter which should also serve as a clue as to what condition the herd is in this year. So success is going to be spotty even if you have loads of time to spend in the woods.
The new hunting rules have all but abolished the doe permits this year because of the hard winter which should also serve as a clue as to what condition the herd is in this year. So success is going to be spotty even if you have loads of time to spend in the woods.
M99ER
New member
Oh yeah, but they were ALL FAWNS!!!
maineiac
Member
How are you doin my fellow Mainer?Long time no chat.
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
I killed my first buck in Santa Clara, NY at 17, it was a spike buck cruising a black cherry flat next to a balsam swamp. We do have some bruiser bucks up here but they are not easy to kill, but it is really easy to get a tag and there are millions of acres of state land where anyone with a license can hunt!!!! Dad's Camp and family land is for sale on the sale listings page and is in the foothills between the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence valley, there are pics and anyone who wants to know more about this area can message me and I can send pics, videos, and also hook you up with places to stay if need be.
Grew up in the very northern portion of Maine - still hunt there regularly. Mainiac summed it up pretty good - lots of private land (logging companies) and a really low deer density. Population very much varies with the winters. The logging companies have greatly influenced some of the wintering habitat (at least in the far north, less so in the mid/southern counties). They're around and there can be big ones. But if you come here for a week out of the blue, I'd consider myself lucky to see multiple bucks.
Tracking in the snow is probably your best chance for success. Can also help learn some of the deer habits, bedding areas, browse, etc.
I think the most difficult thing for me is the fact there is nothing that you can really focus on as far as feed is concerned. There is usually enough food that the deer don't really focus on one thing. Or even that can vary from year to year. And with the constant logging, spots are never guaranteed for multiple years as your 'honey-hole' gets cut or that 2 year cut area finally grows up to the point there is no more browse. I've had years where clover fields are the only thing they are hitting regularly, and the next year they are never there. It's just never consistent.
I've had my best success hunting apple trees and then obviously finding and hunting the does later in the year (which is a lot easier said than done).
I've been fortunate to harvest a few from up here, biggest was 193 so the 200lb club still eludes me. Definitely a different experience. I promise you won't be holding out for the 150 class bucks over here! Will be the most excited you'll ever be to see a fork horn!
Tracking in the snow is probably your best chance for success. Can also help learn some of the deer habits, bedding areas, browse, etc.
I think the most difficult thing for me is the fact there is nothing that you can really focus on as far as feed is concerned. There is usually enough food that the deer don't really focus on one thing. Or even that can vary from year to year. And with the constant logging, spots are never guaranteed for multiple years as your 'honey-hole' gets cut or that 2 year cut area finally grows up to the point there is no more browse. I've had years where clover fields are the only thing they are hitting regularly, and the next year they are never there. It's just never consistent.
I've had my best success hunting apple trees and then obviously finding and hunting the does later in the year (which is a lot easier said than done).
I've been fortunate to harvest a few from up here, biggest was 193 so the 200lb club still eludes me. Definitely a different experience. I promise you won't be holding out for the 150 class bucks over here! Will be the most excited you'll ever be to see a fork horn!
Brendan
Member
Grew up hunting the mountains of Vermont, and have spent a lot of time in Maine if not hunting there. I live around Boston now and have had a lot more success archery hunting around the city, and on a yearly trip to PA. Seeing deer is nice, success is nice.
With that said - I still have the itch to get back to some big woods hunting - Daks, VT or Maine. Best buck I've ever seen was when I was a rookie hunter in Vermont back in the mountains, and I managed to screw that up. Even with all the days I didn't see a damn thing - one of my goals is to get a good buck in that terrain some day.
With that said - I still have the itch to get back to some big woods hunting - Daks, VT or Maine. Best buck I've ever seen was when I was a rookie hunter in Vermont back in the mountains, and I managed to screw that up. Even with all the days I didn't see a damn thing - one of my goals is to get a good buck in that terrain some day.
MJE2083
Well-known member
Hey DS....hope all is well.
I'm from Penobscot County Maine....bout 6 hrs north of Boston.Been in Florida the last 3 yrs....but am movin back up there within the next mth.
We have thousands of acres of private land owned by timber and paper companies to hunt on....but what you have been told is very true.Its tuff country to hunt,and tends to discourage people who see lots of deer while hunting.Thousands of acres have been clear-cut in the last 20 yrs,and grown back so thick they make huntin hard.
The deer get big all right.I've killed 5 bucks that have field dressed over 200.My preffered method was and always will be trackin on fresh snow.Some yrs ya get it,some ya dont.
Rifle season runs for 4 weeks endin the sat after turkey day.Some zones have 2 weeks of black powder that follow this.This is usually your best bet for snow.
This past yr was 1 of the worst in ages for total snowfall.From what I'm told,the winter kill in the far north woods areas was devastatin.
The deer per square mile ratio is always been low where I come from as compared to southern Maine.But there sure are some monster bucks runnin them swamps an ridges.
I guided 2 fellows from Penna in 2004 that came for a week hunt.The outfitter tried to convince them they werent gonna see 40 gazillion deer like they did in PA.They were so discouraged after 4 days they left.
I'd be more than tickled to answer any other questions ya got.When it comes to huntin big bucks in Maine....I'd lots rather be lucky than good.
Very few deer in PA anymore according to some(bitches and moaners) they've all been killed off by the game commission. hahahaha
MiStickSlinger
Member
I've hunted bear in Maine, always wanted to do a tracking hunt for whitetails, have a couple books about the benoits and their method. The guy I hunted bears with was a very successful deer tracker, had a trophy room that was as impressive as I've seen, actually probably moreso considering the method he used to put those big bucks on the ground. Along with the benoits there's a guy named Hal Blood thats fairly well known for tracking big bucks, I haven't personally read his books but I've heard he knows his stuff as well.
Crossbowguy
Well-known member
Tracking works well in the big woods of the Adirondacks and northern woods where you can use the terrain and open hardwoods to your advantage, but it doesn't work well in the swamps and farm country.
