Bow hunting questions? (Portland, Bangor, Skowhegan: house, transfer, buy)

[chiisai]

We are in the process of getting our Maine land, so I have some questions. I want to be prepared for next year. We have NEVER hunted before, and would like to learn.

We do use the archery range around here, but hunting is a very limited thing here.

What are the laws on hunting license's, is there a web page I should be looking at?

What should I be looking for specifically for a non-resident property owner?

Will it be possible for us to hunt on our own land?

Are there restrictions on how many acres needed, before hunting on ones own land?

What is the weight of the bow needed to legally hunt in Maine?

What are the laws for kids bow hunting?

I could probably find this online, but need to be pointed in the right direction. Thanks!

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your replies!

[Maineah]

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife - Welcome

I have a bow but have never pursued bow hunting. You sholud be able to find answers to most of you questions from the IF&W website. It's pretty good.

[Taxed in Maine]

Originally Posted by chiisai

We are in the process of getting our Maine land, so I have some questions. I want to be prepared for next year. We have NEVER hunted before, and would like to learn.

We do use the archery range around here, but hunting is a very limited thing here.

What are the laws on hunting license's, is there a web page I should be looking at?

What should I be looking for specifically for a non-resident property owner?

Will it be possible for us to hunt on our own land?

Are there restrictions on how many acres needed, before hunting on ones own land?

What is the weight of the bow needed to legally hunt in Maine?

What are the laws for kids bow hunting?

I could probably find this online, but need to be pointed in the right direction. Thanks!

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your replies!

I am an avid bowhunter, the Maine IFW sight will point you in the right direction. There is an entire section on bowhunting.

To answer some of you questions, in order to get an archery license in Maine you need to have taken a Bowhunter safety Course. You can take the course in any state, there is national reciprocity.

Absolutely you can hunt on your own land. With no restrictions on the size of the property, but there are local ordinances such as the one in Portland that eliminates the discharge of all weapons including bows, bb guns, even slingshots. Although I think Portland is the only place in Maine where this occurs.

Off the top of my head I believe the minimum legal pull weight for bowhunting here is 35 lbs.

Yes kids can hunt starting at age 10, although I doubt there are many 10 year olds that can pull a 35# bow, shoot it accurately enough to kill a deer, or stay still and calm enough in a treestand to bowhunt.
Both of my sons went hunting with me on occasion starting at 8, and at 10 they each shot their first deer with rifles. It wasn't until my oldest was 13 before I thought he was ready to bowhunt.

I don't know where you are from, or where your land is, but my standard advise to everyone who has never hunted and wants to jump right into bowhunting is this.

Hunt with a gun for at least a season or two first. For many reasons.

- Unless you are extremely lucky, you will not shoot a deer for many seasons with a bow, using a rifle will greatly increase your chances of being successful sooner. There is nothing worse than seeing a nice deer go by 50 -60 yards away with a bow in your hands and nothing you can do about it.
- Harvesting an animal or two with a gun first will give you some experience in what it takes to humanely harvest a large game animal, how excited you will be, where to aim, how to track one after it is shot, how to handle one after it is down, etc...
- It will give you a year or two to make mistakes, learn, and gain knowledge about hunting. It will also give you time to become an archer that is accomplished enough to harvest an animal with your bow, which is much different that shooting targets at the range.

Taxed

[Northern Maine Land Man]

1. What should I be looking for specifically for a non-resident property owner?

If a property has food, water and shelter for a deer it should hold deer. By shelter I mean protection from the wind and overhead cover enough to sift snow so the snow depth is reduced.

2. Will it be possible for us to hunt on our own land?

You must be at least 300 feet from an occupied building. To be able to efficiently hunt your own land you should have a minimum of 10 or 15 acres. 40 or more is better. These are not restrictions by law, just practical considerations.

I agree with the above answers to your questions.

[chiisai]

Originally Posted by Taxed in Maine

I am an avid bowhunter, the Maine IFW sight will point you in the right direction. There is an entire section on bowhunting.

To answer some of you questions, in order to get an archery license in Maine you need to have taken a Bowhunter safety Course. You can take the course in any state, there is national reciprocity.

Absolutely you can hunt on your own land. With no restrictions on the size of the property, but there are local ordinances such as the one in Portland that eliminates the discharge of all weapons including bows, bb guns, even slingshots. Although I think Portland is the only place in Maine where this occurs.

Off the top of my head I believe the minimum legal pull weight for bowhunting here is 35 lbs.

Yes kids can hunt starting at age 10, although I doubt there are many 10 year olds that can pull a 35# bow, shoot it accurately enough to kill a deer, or stay still and calm enough in a treestand to bowhunt.
Both of my sons went hunting with me on occasion starting at 8, and at 10 they each shot their first deer with rifles. It wasn't until my oldest was 13 before I thought he was ready to bowhunt.

I don't know where you are from, or where your land is, but my standard advise to everyone who has never hunted and wants to jump right into bowhunting is this.

Hunt with a gun for at least a season or two first. For many reasons.

- Unless you are extremely lucky, you will not shoot a deer for many seasons with a bow, using a rifle will greatly increase your chances of being successful sooner. There is nothing worse than seeing a nice deer go by 50 -60 yards away with a bow in your hands and nothing you can do about it.
- Harvesting an animal or two with a gun first will give you some experience in what it takes to humanely harvest a large game animal, how excited you will be, where to aim, how to track one after it is shot, how to handle one after it is down, etc...
- It will give you a year or two to make mistakes, learn, and gain knowledge about hunting. It will also give you time to become an archer that is accomplished enough to harvest an animal with your bow, which is much different that shooting targets at the range.

Taxed

Fantastic advice.

I never thought about the "success" part, was just thinking about sticking to what we are most familiar with.

My kids are a bit older, 12 and 14. My daughter likes the target idea, but would probably have a problem with Bambi's mom or dad.

My son I am pretty sure would do fine, and at 6'2" lbs, age 14, can probably pull at least a 40-50.

I on the other hand am right at the 35 lb range. (I need to practice more, and just lost 50 lbs so some stuff is out of whack.)

Just recently learned that I am left eye dominant, but have been shooting right handed for years. So this is not helping things either. (Suspicious of being ambidextrous.) I do many things with either hand, without thinking about it, and some have noticed, when I did not.

We do have a gun/rifle range here, but it is expensive, over $300 a year per person.


I hope there are places near Skowhegan, Athens, Cornville, etc.., that have friendly "guide types" to help those of us who have never had the opportunity to hunt.

When we do get our land, I hope there is a school or something. I definitely am not comfortable taking this on without help from someone experienced, in the whole process.

Thank you for the advice, this is something we will be taking seriously!

[chiisai]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

1. What should I be looking for specifically for a non-resident property owner?

If a property has food, water and shelter for a deer it should hold deer. By shelter I mean protection from the wind and overhead cover enough to sift snow so the snow depth is reduced.

2. Will it be possible for us to hunt on our own land?

You must be at least 300 feet from an occupied building. To be able to efficiently hunt your own land you should have a minimum of 10 or 15 acres. 40 or more is better. These are not restrictions by law, just practical considerations.

I agree with the above answers to your questions.

These are great things to consider.

We are looking at 16 acres right now, but are leaning towards the 20 +, if we can find something not too wet. By the sounds of it we need something with mature pines, and young mixed woods.

I hope the weather straightens out by tomorrow, we hope to be on our way to Skowhegan area in the a.m.

[Taxed in Maine]

Originally Posted by chiisai

Fantastic advice.

I never thought about the "success" part, was just thinking about sticking to what we are most familiar with.

My kids are a bit older, 12 and 14. My daughter likes the target idea, but would probably have a problem with Bambi's mom or dad.

My son I am pretty sure would do fine, and at 6'2" lbs, age 14, can probably pull at least a 40-50.

I on the other hand am right at the 35 lb range. (I need to practice more, and just lost 50 lbs so some stuff is out of whack.)

Just recently learned that I am left eye dominant, but have been shooting right handed for years. So this is not helping things either. (Suspicious of being ambidextrous.) I do many things with either hand, without thinking about it, and some have noticed, when I did not.

We do have a gun/rifle range here, but it is expensive, over $300 a year per person.


I hope there are places near Skowhegan, Athens, Cornville, etc.., that have friendly "guide types" to help those of us who have never had the opportunity to hunt.

When we do get our land, I hope there is a school or something. I definitely am not comfortable taking this on without help from someone experienced, in the whole process.

Thank you for the advice, this is something we will be taking seriously!

So yeah, at his size he should be good as far as the archery part goes, it would become the hunting experience, and refining his archery skill and technique. But then, the testosterone kicks in and he thinks he has to have a bow that is far MORE than he needs! (believe me it happens) I personally hunt with a bow that is set at about 55lbs. It is more than enough.

For you, there is a device that is essentially a huge rubber band with a handle on i tthat you can use to strengthen your archery muscles to get into a more powerful bow.
You should also start shooting left-handed. if you are left eye dominant, the only way you can shoot archery right-handed is to close your left eye. In the long run you will be far better off to make the switch.

I am quite sure that you would be able to find plenty of help in that area of the state. You should be able to find a place to shoot firearms fairly easily also. If the property you buy is big enough you could shoot right on your own property. (this isn't MA )

[Taxed in Maine]

Also good stuff from NMLM.

But I am sure the '300 feet from a house without owner permission' is only for firearms.

It doesn't apply to bowhunting.

Taxed

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by chiisai

These are great things to consider.

We are looking at 16 acres right now, but are leaning towards the 20 +, if we can find something not too wet. By the sounds of it we need something with mature pines, and young mixed woods.

I hope the weather straightens out by tomorrow, we hope to be on our way to Skowhegan area in the a.m.

Go for 25 and you can get a landowner's any deer permit.

[Kracer]

If you are starting from scratch you need to become proficient in archery and deer habits. Two activities that can be mutually exclusive.

Go out with a camera and stalk deer any time all year long to gain an understanding not just of the deer but everything in the world of the deer. That way deer season never ends.

Today when someone starts out there is a world of information available on-line that folks starting out way back when did not have. Go to the 'bowsite.com' and 'leatherwall 2' to learn more than you ever wanted to know about bowhunting. Maine traditional archers is another great organization.
Val Marquez writes a bowhunting column in the Maine Sportsman magazine.

Archery gear is meant for close range hunting. An arrow is effective at any distance but should be limited by each archer's proficiency. My shot distance for deer taken averages out to 13 paces.

An animals life is nothing to trifle with, it is serious business and should be in the forefront of your mind before you release an arrow. You better take this seriously or move on.

Try different archery gear to see what is to your liking....recurve, compound or long bow. Lot of good used gear out there on the sites mentioned above. You can make your own arrows and even bows if you really get into it. Check out Bingham archery supply for all sort of bow making plans and materials. Keystone archery supplies is one archery gear source as is 3 rivers archery.

There is a fellow originally from Bangor by the name of Bill Howland who took over Brackenbury archery and now lives in Washington state where he runs his bow making business. Nice guy to talk to.

Remember archery and its history can be a pursuit of its own or it can be an effective weapon to take everything from hares to moose.

Nothing like "shooting in a bow". Your very energy is transferred to the arrow which takes your soul on its flight. When you can will your arrow to the smallest spot your eyes can see you are ready to think about hunting.

Best of luck!