mjw176

Hello,
I currently live in Pennsylvania and my wife wants to take a position near the Ellsworth portion of Maine. I love to hunt and I recently visited Maine and I thought it was a very nice beutiful place. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what the hunting is like up there.From my oppinion, there seems to be alot of woodsto hunt and not heavily developed.I just wouldn't understand why Maine is not well noted for the hunting. If anyone could enlighen me on what to expect as far as relocating from the PA woods to the Maine woods.

Outdoor

Very different from PA...I hunt Maine and have hunted Potter Co. First you will need to go North or N.West above Moosehead lake...on the North side look around Sherman. You can hunt for days without seeing anything then all at once you'll run into a 200+ pound dressed out 8 point. A lot of people track in the snow >>> check into Hal Blood "hunting big woods bucks" that will give you a good idea.
Here's the bad news>>>way colder then PA. Get ready I mean COLD
Deer herd seems to be coming back and it's getting a little better but like I said you can hunt for days without even seeing a tail. If you want to get a feel for how to hunt Maine try booking with Wayne @ the mountain Camp>>>Look up Northern Outdoors at the forks...it's tent only
E-mail me and I will give you more info....You would have too try and book for 2008. Look on a map 110 miles (on a dirt raod)north of Moosehead lake. Good luck >>>at least you will be close to LL Bean!

mehunter_2007

I live approximately 20 miles from Ellsworth and I can tell you a few things.

The turkey population is getting larger every year.
The deer population is stable and pretty good along the coast near Ellsworth.
You will be able to hunt bear and moose (by Permit) that have stable populations.
Land access will be your biggest issue. Houses are going up in areas that I used to hunt as a kid. Lot's of posted land but there are still some large landowners who allow access. I hunt in the Bingham area in Western maine also where a lot of the land belongs to large landowners who allow access. Maine is a great place to live and it does get cold but that is what they make snowmobiles for.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Phil from Maine

I live about 2 hours Northeast of Ellsworth and I find it is great hunting up here. As noted above along the coast it is more of an access issue. But, as you drive farther north it becomes paper company land that is open to all. My nextdoor nieghbor used to go down to Ellsworth to hunt with relatives and aways had good luck there. He is now under adult care now for about 3 years. The deer population is better along the coast or farther south and as outdoor stated as you get farther north it is more of a case of seeing one. There is a special archery season around some of our cities and built up areas that start in Sept. and you can buy tags for it to shoot almost as many does as you would want. Grouse hunting is also good up here most of the time though it can very year to year.Just Northeast a ways is Washington County that has one of the biggest bear populations the state has to offer. But be prepared it is alot colder than PA is, however it is normally a little warmer down on the coastal areas. Good Luck on what you decide.

mjw176

Thank you for all of your input. Does MAine have a large hunting population? are there sportsmens clubs and shooting ranges availible in the region I sure love to shoot 3D archery and hang out with fellow hunters.

mehunter_2007

I belong to the Bucksport Road and Gun Club which is approximately 20 - 25 minutes away from Ellsworth. We have a 3-D Archery Range and a 100 yd shooting range available to the members. I do know that this year we are hosting 2 state 3-D archery shoots at the range. I have only been a member for around a year but we are looking for more people to get involved. I am not sure what is available immediately around Ellsworth for clubs or ranges but they can be found in the outlying areas.

Maine has a sizable hunting population but like many other areas the numbers are getting smaller. At our club we are going to offer a youth program soon to try to get more young people involved with the outdoor sports as that is the future for this great sport.

Let me know if you are going to be in the area and I would be happy to show you around.


Hope this helps.

Mike Hill

I love Maine and in three years I will retire there myself. I bught some land and in 2 years conctruction will begin on it. I love hunting there I amd all the way across the state from you on the N. Conway N.H. Line. I just wanted to chime in and say the the frendlist and most heapful people you will ever meet are from the state of Maine. as proven here.

Phil from Maine

Thank you for all of your input.

You are welcomed, I am not that familiar to the Ellsworth area, however there is quite a few clubs scattered around Maine. As mehunter stated though the younger population is dropping behind![:@]We all need them in order for hunting to keep on going. I think mehunter can probally assist you pretty good down in that area. Also welcome to the forums mehunter!
I was down to Ellsworth today taking a relative down to get his foot examined. We drove down through the Blackswoods road and it looks great for fishing and hunting. A lot of beach trees something that is disappearing up this way. I love hunting in the hardwood forests. Something about them that always is nice to be in after a light rain. Anyways good luck on your planning and I hope all goes well for you.

Thanks for the kind words Mike!

trekker1

I've spent time deerhunting in Northern Maine the last two seasons. I've hunted norht of Moosehead, and I've saw a total of 5 deer in Two weeks. It's still the most fullfilling hunting that I've ever done, and I'm going back until my legs give out. Ilive in an area of Ohio with a ton of deer, but also alot of hunters. I've never saw another hunter while hunting in N. Maine. That's the way I like it.

Phil from Maine

It's good to here from you trekker and welcome to the forums. I know Maine is not the easiet to hunt but it is a great place just the same.