New to the site!!
 

Hey everyone it' s good to be here :D !! Just found this site and I think it' s great to have a place like this for those of us who have a passion for deer hunting. I live in northern Maine where hunting is a tradition and a way of life. I have taken a few nice deer over the years (I am 24), and am looking forward to the upcoming season! One buck in particular has been haunting my dreams since he eluded me last year. He is a true monster that we estimate will dress out at 300 pounds or more. His rubs are absolutely enormous, reaching over my head and I am 6' 5" !! It would be a dream come true to slap my tag on him this fall!

A little about my hunting style:
I don' t own a treestand and don' t really feel a need for one since my current strategies have earned me three bucks over 200 lbs. and numerous smaller bucks.
My hunting style is a mix of tracking, still-hunting, and sitting in homemade ground blinds. The thick woods of Maine can be quite challenging to hunt, and often you have to change your strategy as the deer change their patterns. Often a days hunt will include scouting a large perimeter to determine where the deer currently are, and then setting up in a likely spot for an ambush. More often than not the deer prevail, but once in a while (with the help of a little luck), the plan plays out picture-perfect and I end up with a nice trophy and some venison for the freezer. Many of the local tagging stations hold a " big buck club" competition, where the hunter to bag the heaviest buck takes the cash. It' s a nice bonus since the purse often reaches over $1,000!! The biggest buck I have bagged so far weighed in at 234 lbs., which came within 6 pounds of winning it. Hunting is not about competition of course, but it is always fun to be there when someone weighs in a big buck and listen to the stories they have to tell.

Well I' ll stop rambling for now :D......just wanted to introduce myself to everyone and wish all of us luck this coming season!

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome aboard and good luck this season with that monster buck...;)

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome Split-Hoof. You guys grow' em big up there. Sure that aint a moose rubbin them trees over your head?:D Do you bowhunt also?

RE: New to the site!!
 

welcome split, if there is anything to be learned u will learn it here, welcome.....[8D]

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome aboard the board Split-Hoof, are those weights field dressed or on the hoof? I know you alls deer run bigger than ours, the biggest buck I have ever killed dressed out at 175 and for Va. he was a big buck, they do get bigger though, my cousin killed one that dressed at 210.

RE: New to the site!!
 

Hello Split...Welcome to the site. I love them big Maine woods with them bruiser bucks. I hunt in Waldo county with friends and family every year. We also go up country now and then to one of the brothers camp. I have seen the biggest buck I have ever seen up there a few years back.

I aint no flatlander....:D

JJ

RE: New to the site!!
 

Split...Welcome aboard. I have hunted your state since the early 70' s and have spent many days trying to fill my tag in the Old Town area, (LaGrange/Milo) as well as in the Lincoln areas (Burlington/Lowell)....Good luck on that bruise this year...I also hunt my own state and have taken a few nice bucks over the years both in NH and Maine. You can see deer in Maine (and somewhat in NH) anytime or anyplace that will absolutely take your breath away. The racks are definitely respectable but it' s the body weight that' s so impressive.

RE: New to the site!!
 

Hello and welcome to the board, Split-Hoof

RE: New to the site!!
 

WELCOME!!!!!!!!!

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Welcome to the forum split-hoof. What do you use to kill those maine monsters?

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcom to the board split hoof.
Enjoy yourself on here,I was wondering about that six foot rub though,I was thinking more of a moose myself,I guesse Cause I' ve never seen a rub that high,
But anyway welcome aboard.

RE: New to the site!!
 

Split hoof,

WELCOME!

It' s nice to see new members.

Jred

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome Split Hoof glad to have you aboard
its great here,hunt hard hunt safe just hunt!!

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Welcome Splithoof and enjoy your stay!!!!

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WELCOME...:D

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Welcome

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Nice to meet you.
Good resources here.

I look forward to reading more of your posts.

RE: New to the site!!
 

Thanks for all the replies everyone!! Yup those weights are indeed field dressed. Can' t say for sure if the buck I speak of will top 300, but I' ll bet he wouldn' t be far from it. The rubs are most definitely from a deer - we spooked him away in the pre-dawn while he was making them, and got a brief look at his massive body as he bounded away.His tracks as well as his rubs could easily make someone think it was actually a moose! Bucks that dress over 300 pounds are fairly rare, and they are surely hard ones to get a shot at!! They do exist though..... in fact I believe the state record is over 350 pounds (if not I know it' s close). Some impressive racks have been coming out of the north woods also. Two years ago I had the privelege to see the Marquis buck (do a search on it, it' s impressive!!) up close and personal. The main beams are too thick for a full grown man to wrap his hands around them!! Not sure what it scored, but it was one monstrous non-typical.....weighing in at 265 pounds field dressed.

Oh yeah...... I hunt mostly with an old 30-.06 FN that was custom made in Belgium for King Leupold (no joke!). I also like the late season muzzleloader season, and have taken one nice 200 pound eight pointer with my smokepole. Traditional archery interests me a lot and I would like to get a new bow and do some practicing, so maybe I could do some bow hunting next year.

Thanks for the welcome everyone and good luck this year:D!!

RE: New to the site!!
 

:)Welcome to the board, Split-Hoof!

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For those who are interested, www.bigbuckclub.com has a picture of the Marquis buck as well as pictures and stories of other impressive Maine bucks.

With lots of work and lots of luck I am hoping for a close encounter with the buck of my dreams this fall!!

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome Split Hoof, I hunt Southern Maine ( Hancock County) Nice to see another " mainiac" aboard. Good luck with that monster buck this season

RE: New to the site!!
 

Hey Split-hoof, welcome aboard. You sure are lucky with those monsters you have up there and I am not talking about the moose:D. I hope to get up your way when I draw a permit someday.

take care and looking forward to seeing you post some and reply

Brian

RE: New to the site!!
 

welcome abourd split you will love this site. talk to you later




get up and hit the deer woods..............................

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Thanks guys.......good to see others from Maine and also people that like to hunt in Maine.
I had a mishap that' s going to put a damper on my preseason scouting.....broke my ankle while swimming and it looks like I' ll be laid up for about 6 weeks. I' ll be spending more time on this site once I get my new computer so that should help pass the time. It' s always good to share experiences and learn from each other, experts and beginners alike. Time to start studying aerial/topo maps and also go over my mental maps to get my gears turning. Hopefully I will heal fast so I can get back in shape as soon as possible!!

RE: New to the site!!
 

Welcome to the huntingnet [:-]