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I’ve seen countless videos on Maine hunting and their preferred method of tracking big woods bucks and killing them. My question is do those deer in Maine tolerate hunters differently than let’s say Wisconsin or Michigan and Minnesota. Does anyone have or been successful in tracking big woods bucks.

Nathen Nelson has a channel on YouTube called Stillwater Outdoors and has videos of successful tracking hunts here in WI. Todd Havel also has several videos of his tracking hunts in MN. and the UP. My dad never sat on stand and would still hunt and brought home deer most years from up around the Potato and Bad River area.

I hunted the northwoods in the eighties & early nineties. I did manage to take one buck by stillhunting in the Venison Creek area of Sawyer County but that was it. The guys I hunted with also got one or two over the years but on an overall basis I would say our success rate on bucks wasn't very good. Note, we were still hunting (slow walk, stop, look around, etc.) and not tracking our quarry.

Mjf I have watched many Maine hunts a lot of Big Woods Bucks shows I never had luck in Northern Wisconsin doing it I watch those shows and some hunts have two guys on the same track one guy filming you can here how loud the snow is and they get shots running threw thick woods I am amazed they hit them how many hunts they they go on in a season before they get a shot who knows

I know Nathen hunted in MN. One weekend and killed a buck and then came back home for our season and killed another buck on his next hunt. I think this was his second season doing it and figuring it out.

One month season that covers the entire rut. Mountains up to 5,000’. Moose that also make a lot of noise. Ten year average deer harvest is 29,000 per year. Has gone up recently. Very little pressure compared to here.

One month season that covers the entire rut. Mountains up to 5,000’. Moose that also make a lot of noise. Ten year average deer harvest is 29,000 per year. Has gone up recently. Very little pressure compared to here.

Thanks Grub, I new there was some differences but didn’t know what.

I’ve watched a lot of those vids too. Always intrigued me. They bump a buck and chill out for a half hour and start stalking again. I doubt my “open woods” shooting abilities could hit a running deer through thick cover like those guys. Got a friend that lives in the Adirondacks and he said it’s tough as hell to find a big buck let alone kill one if you haven’t grown up around that style of hunting. He doesn’t even go out unless there’s snow.

Better start doing this when your young because it will take you 1/2 your hunting career to even find a big buck track in northern Wisconsin...

Rarely would it work in N Wisconsin areas are big but not like Maine

From my experience tracking is almost impossible in many areas because of the thick underbrush. They hear you long before they see you. However in some sections it is possible if the trailing can be done silently. Some of the areas I hunted back in the 60's in NW Wisconsin it was somewhat possible, but this last fall in the same areas the same ground was almost impassable do to the recent slashings and regrowth. No way to get close to a deer much less see him. Years ago, one old timer told me he shot 4 bucks in their bed sleeping? Well I did do that with a bull elk but never with a whitetail. In opener country is does work though.

Everyone's experience is different. In 1976, after college, I got serious on big buck, big woods hunting. I and some others, established a camp on Lake Owen Rd, and hunted Bayfield County. North of Drummond, all single guys, we had plenty of time to hunt,, We got better, by getting off stands after Sunday, and putting boots on the ground, all day. We always had snow in those days. I met some good trackers. One lived in Grandview. Another was only 18 yoa from Cable, but he put a big 10 on the ground almost every year. In the UP, I met a good tracker, from Land O Lakes. At one time prior to heavy pressure and wolves, he guided and advertised his hunt was tracking all day. So yeah, there are still trackers out there. Private land sections however today, can spoil your best layed plans. I know a young Florence County young man, that has trail cameras everywhere. He loves to track, but lack of snow, has not helped the last few years. It's not easy, but many prefer it. No snow, they just walk alot of miles

I love doing it, and really like watching those videos. I did it once in Sawyer, yes by venison creek case , lol. Wasn’t big, but a blast of a way to hunt.

Last 2 years, shot 2 spikes in the UP, during ML season . Tracking and still hunting. Lots of satisfaction in that.

Killed one of my biggest racked bucks in Bayfield County tracking and still-hunting.

Beautiful buck

Nice buck Cheese!

Thanks guys! We estimated that buck at 8-9 years old based on tooth wear. He has a unique reddish cape with no white circles around his eyes and not much white in his throat patch. I sure miss the good old days when there was a huntable population of deer in the northwoods...

Mike I also notice there is no noticeable white in your beard too!!! HA

Time goes so quickly!!!

Haha, beard or hair! Time definitely flies!

Nice buck Mike. My partners shot some like that, I just got basket bucks, but like you said, there was a day, when there was a large huntable buck population up there. I miss the Bibon, Roger creek, Cisco lake, etc.

Did a little still hunting years ago Langlade, Forest, Florence counties, seen more deer than sitting on a stand in these areas, getting a good shot was tough some times.

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