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yeah, apparently there were moose tracks around, but not many other signs of life. two of these guys are from central penn. where there are a ton of deer and the other guys from CT and Downstate NY, where there is massive deer overpopulation. they had already bagged a few this year. they go up there as much to enjoy the isolation and quiet as the hunting, its a yearly thing for them.
the owners of the lodge did say biz is bad and that it is up for sale.
Those sporting camps and lodges change hands every time the economy goes south. It sounds like great fun to run them but depending on mother nature for consistency is always a losing proposition. No snow=No snow machines. Too much snow= No deer=No deer hunters, No ice=no ice fishing. Down economy and people stay home or rent travel trailers instead of staying at the lodge or cabin. It all runs in cycles. It's always nice to get away and enjoy the scenery at these places anyway whether you hunt, fish, hike, relax, or ride. Shin Pond has some nice ice fishing. Tell your friends to plan a January trip.
All the deer are in Southern Maine now. Northern Maine had several severe winters that really devastated the herd. It's been tough on the guides and sporting camps as word has spread among the hunters. Save your money, don't bother going to Northern Maine for deer.
I'm not so sure about that. We have had a hard time finding them down here too. The central Maine bowl is where all the deer are. A little north of Bangor down to a little south of Augusta.
The snow has been a problem. But there has been heavy snow AND lots of deer in the past. Now there are far too many COYOTES, and nobody wants to do anything about it.
In 2002 maine hunters killed about 38,000 deer, then for several years thru 2008 they killed about 28,000. Last year they killed a little over 18, 000. Then they INCREASE the number of doe permits.
The IFW has really been screwing up their game management over the last few years. And getting worse.
I'm not so sure about that. We have had a hard time finding them down here too. The central Maine bowl is where all the deer are. A little north of Bangor down to a little south of Augusta.
The snow has been a problem. But there has been heavy snow AND lots of deer in the past. Now there are far too many COYOTES, and nobody wants to do anything about it.
In 2002 maine hunters killed about 38,000 deer, then for several years thru 2008 they killed about 28,000. Last year they killed a little over 18, 000. Then they INCREASE the number of doe permits.
The IFW has really been screwing up their game management over the last few years. And getting worse.
I don't know how far south you are but this area is crawling with deer. Freeport, Yarmouth, Brunswick, Falmouth, Durham, Pownal, Cumberland there are LOTS of deer around here.
I spend a week in Northern Maine (Allagash area) every October bird hunting and have not seen a deer up there in five years. Moose all over the place but no deer. The people that run the sporting camps have had lots of cancellations due to lack of deer up north. In contrast to that scenario I can show you numerous deer around here any night of the week. I passed up six little ones before shooting that nice doe last week. There were two big does and a 6 point buck on my lawn last night!
We stopped deer hunting in the Greenville area 15 years ago because the deer hunting was so much better in our back yard. I agree with you on the coyotes and I shoot them whenever I see them. My FIL shot one a few weeks ago. The problem with the lower deer kill numbers is there are far fewer hunters than there used to be. IF and W said this week they will have to draw money from the general fund soon as the number of licenses is so low it no longer covers the department's costs. There was a whole generation of kids,now of the hunting age, that have no interest in hunting. Partially because it is scowled upon by many of their teachers, staff and peers, but also video games and electronic media have become the new pastime for these more pampered kids. The parents tend to be a more yuppified group that wouldn't know one end of a gun from the other. Hunting clubs are all but gone. Most of the old Rod and Gun clubs in southern Maine are gone. I taught hunter safety for 5 years and now the demand for these classes is nothing compared to when I was teaching. You get a few reluctant wives and girlfriends around moose permit time but not too many deer hunters coming along. The any deer permit increases are for the South coastal areas. They are over run by deer in many of these places. My area included. People are more worried about Lyme disease than they are the deer now. Many of these towns did it to themselves by not allowing firearms hunting. There are just not enough bow hunters to do the job. Even the enticement of getting up to three deer won't draw enough hunters to thin them out.
as i don't live where there are moose, i am curious to know why moose are so plentiful in northern maine, but not deer? is that mostly attributable to the coyotes? are the moose eating all the browse? or are the moose just better at surviving a brutal winter?
fwiw my friends were looking to get coyote, but didn't see any...
I'm not so sure about that. We have had a hard time finding them down here too. The central Maine bowl is where all the deer are. A little north of Bangor down to a little south of Augusta.
The snow has been a problem. But there has been heavy snow AND lots of deer in the past. Now there are far too many COYOTES, and nobody wants to do anything about it.
In 2002 maine hunters killed about 38,000 deer, then for several years thru 2008 they killed about 28,000. Last year they killed a little over 18, 000. Then they INCREASE the number of doe permits.
The IFW has really been screwing up their game management over the last few years. And getting worse.
Well I AM sure but I won't argue with you. I don't know how far south you are but this area is crawling with deer. Freeport, Yarmouth, Brunswick, Falmouth, Durham, Pownal, Cumberland, there are LOTS of deer around here. Look at the number of any deer permits they issue for this area...There is a reason for it!! I spend a week or two in Northern Maine (Allagash area) every October bird hunting and have not seen a deer up there in five years. Moose all over the place but no deer. The people that run the sporting camps have had lots of cancellations due to lack of deer up north. I know three people who own camps in the Rangeley area and none of them have shot deer up there in over three years. They hunt deer here now. In contrast to that scenario I can show you numerous deer around here any night of the week. I passed up six little ones before shooting that nice doe last week. I could just have easily waited for a buck but we hunt to fill the freezer not the trophy room. There were two big does and a 6 point buck on my lawn last night!
We stopped deer hunting in the Greenville area 15 years ago because the deer hunting was so much better in our back yard. I agree with you on the coyotes and I shoot them whenever I see them. My FIL shot one a few weeks ago. The problem with the lower deer kill numbers is there are far fewer hunters than there used to be. IF and W said this week they will have to draw money from the general fund soon as the number of licenses is so low it no longer covers the department's costs. There is a whole generation of kids,now of the hunting age, that have no interest in hunting. Partially because it is scowled upon by many of their teachers, staff and peers, but also video games and electronic media have become the new pastime for these more pampered kids. The parents tend to be a more yuppified group that wouldn't know one end of a gun from the other. It's not that way up North yet but there are certainly fewer kids doing it than there were when I was a kid. Hunting clubs in southern Maine are all but gone. Most of the old Rod and Gun clubs in southern Maine are gone. I taught hunter safety for 5 years and now the demand for these classes is nothing compared to when I was teaching. You get a few reluctant wives and girlfriends around moose permit time but not too many deer hunters coming along. The any deer permit increases are for the south coastal areas. They are over run by deer in many of these places. My area included. People are more worried about Lyme disease than they are the deer now. Many of these towns did it to themselves by not allowing firearms hunting. There are just not enough bow hunters to do the job. Even the enticement of getting up to three deer won't draw enough hunters to thin them out.
as i don't live where there are moose, i am curious to know why moose are so plentiful in northern maine, but not deer? is that mostly attributable to the coyotes? are the moose eating all the browse? or are the moose just better at surviving a brutal winter?
fwiw my friends were looking to get coyote, but didn't see any...
Because of their size and type of hooves, Moose are much better in the snow. Deer in Northern Maine are close to the northern most reach of their habitat and are not good in deep snow. They yard up and have a hard time finding food and are an easy target for coyotes. I have heard of 40 to 50% of the population not making it through a tough winter. Since the state has decided to protect the canadian lynx, no one is snare trapping coyotes anymore. So the only thing keeping their population in check is cars and rifles.
Because of their size and type of hooves, Moose are much better in the snow. Deer in Northern Maine are close to the northern most reach of their habitat and are not good in deep snow. They yard up and have a hard time finding food and are an easy target for coyotes. I have heard of 40 to 50% of the population not making it through a tough winter. Since the state has decided to protect the canadian lynx, no one is snare trapping coyotes anymore. So the only thing keeping their population in check is cars and rifles.
This thread has gone quiet lately......nobody hunting anymore? They're still tagging several a day at the Pownal and North Pownal stores..
I'm preparing to make a big batch of venison jerky this weekend.
A friend of mine made some moose jerky last week and it was fantastic. Better than what you can get in the store! He uses a dehydrator and a spice mix and cure from a company called American Harvest or Nesco. After trying his jerky I ran right out and bought the same set up for my venison jerky. It should be great! I bet you can't tell I'm a fan of good jerky!!
as i don't live where there are moose, i am curious to know why moose are so plentiful in northern maine, but not deer? is that mostly attributable to the coyotes? are the moose eating all the browse? or are the moose just better at surviving a brutal winter?
fwiw my friends were looking to get coyote, but didn't see any...
I will weigh in with my observations as to the deer herd and moose herd in Northern Maine. Back in the 50's is was very rare to see a moose. There was no moose season. during the 60's and 70's moose populations started to grow rapidly. Most folks felt this was because of clear cutting practices where a few years after a clear cut was done, it was like a moose gourmet kitchen. The poplar saplings that would spring up was a good source of food for moose. These same folks said deer wouldn't survive because of the clear cuts. Time has shown that deer also thrive in the clear cut areas after several years of regeneration. So what's the problem. There are actually two. First is the Coyote. They thrive on the deer population during the time that deer are most at risk...during the snow season. Second and probably just as much the issue is far too much timber has been harvested in what were winter deer yards. Deer herd up in dark growth areas. It wasn't uncommon to see several hundred deer in a deer yard 25 years ago. Forest management practices identified deer yards and logging wasn't supposed to happen in them, but the designations were not adequate and I know of cases where logging companies actually cut in deer yards knowing that the fine they would pay would be nothing compared to the money that got from harvesting that wood. Are all loggers bad people...no, but you asked so that's my answer, Coyotes and illimination of too much winter habitat. Moose don't herd up unless it's a very severe winter, so it's not such a problem for them.
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