Maine???

[RubberDucky]

And friend and I decided we were going to start doing an annual hunting trip starting next year. The general approach to the trip would be DIY public land backpacking. We were originally looking at something in CO since we could get OTC tags while we build points in other areas/states. Well, he found out this week that he will be moving to Maine, which makes us now interested in any hunting opportunities up that way. I know New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are close to him but don’t know anything about Canada, much less hunting in Canada. With him being in driving distance, hunting up there would make getting meat home or pre-hunt scouting a lot easier.

With all that said, does anyone have any advice on hunting that area? We aren’t against some form of guided hunts but don’t want to spend a fortune to hunt. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Trial153]

unless I am wrong, the only Provence that an alien can hunt Canada without a guide(or resident friend acting as a guide) is Ontario.

 

[rjlefty3]

I assume mostly for deer?

The hunting here can be decent in areas, but we're 90+% private land, so getting access to areas can be a challenge. Land is technically open unless it's posted, but it's frowned upon to go unless you have permission. Frustrating when you do the work and others take the shortcut.

Northern half has the most available land, but fewer deer per square mile. There are more deer the farther south you go, but less land. North is also where there are the most moose and bear. Great grouse hunting too.

If you want a big bodied big woods buck, Maine is a great place. It's definitely not a trophy hunting state, though. If you see a decent buck you better take it. Be prepared to hunt for a week and see very few deer compared to other states. It's not like other states, especially along the east coast. Some years I'd feel fortunate to see a deer a week. It's been a bit better now with a couple of milder winters. Should be a good fall.

 

[Matt/VT]

I agree with rjlefty3's post about deer hunting in Maine. The northern portion of Maine is primarily timber company land, but is open to hunting, other than Baxter Park and some private land near there. A lot of people like to track deer in the big woods (I think of that term as New England's form of backcountry) and it is pretty rewarding. If you want to do this guided, let me know and I can try to send you in the right direction.
You can also apply for moose permits, though the herd #'s have been down in Maine.
There are Canadian provinces where you can go guided for moose, as well as caribou, but I have no idea of cost or travel.
There are a few books out there about this type of hunting if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Big-Woods-Bucks-Whitetails/dp/1616080434
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Bucks-Be..._SR236,320_&psc=1&refRID=QRGNHKW524T688TJYT6Z

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Either of the books that matt posted would be great to get you started. If you are wanting a challenge the north woods of Maine is the place. I don't know that a backpack hunt is the best thing because you have to cover so much ground in a day if you are tracking or still hunting. If you are going to put in time scouting and then are going to stand hunt that may be different. Personally I would never be able to sit still with that large of an area and such low deer densities.