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The State of Maine produces some of the very biggest whitetail bucks in the world, giant deer with heavy massive racks and weights that frequently exceed 200 pounds when dressed out. The biggest bucks can approach or exceed 300lbs woods dressed. They are the product of the "Big Woods", a giant fir/spruce forest, that stretches across the entire northern 2/3rds of the State and allows the deer to survive and thrive in a cold harsh climate. It is still mostly a wilderness, more moose than people and the "unorganized townships" far exceed the few townships that have been settled. It is not a place to just shoot a deer, it is a place to shoot a buck of a lifetime. I have been hunting the "Big woods" of Maine since I was 12 years old. I have acted as a guide and outfitter for over 35 years and during that time my company took more giant whitetail bucks ( deer dressing out at over 180 lbs), on land open to the public, than any outfitter or guide in history. I am not talking about preserve hunting, lease hunting , private, posted or restricted hunting, where success is bought, but rather open land where only hard work and expertise produces consistent success. Beginning in 1978, I began documenting, with pictures, virtually every big buck we took so as to amass an undisputable record of our success. A few deer escaped my camera, but the ones that did not, are the proof that my company, Northern Outdoors, ultimately became the all time record producer of "giant bucks on land open to the public." in history. The book containing those pictures and the men who took those deer resides at Northern Outdoors today. Our biggest buck weighed 271 lbs woods dressed. This ten point buck scored 171 Boone and Crockett points. In 1996 Wayne Williams took the number one typical buck in the entire State of Maine, while hunting with me out of our "Mountain Camp". This buck also made "The Book", scoring just over 174 typical points. The next year his friend, Tad Perry, took the 6th biggest registered Non typical buck, scoring 166 non typical points. What is not shown by these numbers is the great mass and weight of these racks nor the mammoth neck and head size. These are not ranch fed deer with smallish bodies and long, tall skinny racks that score well. They are picture book deer, that reflect the absolute perfect specimens of the species. They are brutes, big, muscled and breath taking to the eye.
What is Hunting Big Woods Whitetails All About?
Hard work and Suffering! While every word above is true, then so is the admission that hunting "Big Woods" trophy whitetails is not for everyone. It is not easy. I would be lying If I said differently. The odds are against you. The weather can be extreme. The "Big Woods" do not have large numbers of deer, it has enormous deer. I will contradict most of the theories you have read in hunting magazines and show you the proof of what I have come to learn. Hunting the "Big Woods" will challenge your thinking about whitetails forever. Not living in the presence of man, dogs, traffic, smells and noise, the whitetail shows you his true nature and behavior, not the animal that has learned to adapt to civilization and shows a face that leads to false conclusions.
WHY TREE STANDS?
Because over 50 years of experince has taught me that it is absolutely the most productive method,for hunting trophy bucks, I can utilize as a guide. There are many reasons why this is true.
1. The area is huge and the vast majority of the forest of the "Big woods" does not contain many deer. Most of the deer are concentrated in small pockets that provide the ideal cover for survival. It is essential to find one of these pockets and stay in it. Walking long distances usually means you will spend a great deal of time hunting in areas where there are either no deer or only a very few deer. Since there are not a lot of deer to begin with, you drastically reduce your chances of even seeing a
deer if you do not spend 100% of your time hunting the pockets.
2. There are no specific feed areas or bedding areas and therefore no predictable travel routes on a daily basis.
Movement of the deer is greatly influenced by the weather and as the weather changes, so do the travel routes.
It is essential to find the exact spot in the pockets that will over a period of time have the greatest amount of deer traffic.
Such a spot is not easily identified because of lack of obvious sign. It is possible to walk right over the spot and never recognize it. Most of our stands are placed in pin point locations that have only been identified by repeated verification over a number of years.
3. Our secret is, we put our tree stands where the deer are, not where they are easy to get to or close to the road. The "Big woods" just do not have enough deer to give any consideration, whatsoever, in choosing a spot based on easy access or fear of getting lost. We remove the fear of getting lost by using ribbon flagging to keep our hunters on our own trails that lead directly to our stands. While we have some stands relatively close to roads, we have many stands in areas that are either not hunted by other hunters or seldom visited by others. We have stands that are actually within 150 yards of dirt roads, but we also have stands that are over two miles in the woods.
4. During the fall we spend 6 days a week for 6 weeks searching for the perfect spots, and in the end we find precious few, they change as the weather changes and it is an on going quest with out end. Once we find such a spot we do not want to walk the area and scent it up, as it can quickly turn a good spot into a bad one. Mature " Big Woods" bucks will quickly avoid an area that is constantly scented by humans. A tree stand is the best defense against scent.
We do not want to take hunters who say, "Just show me a good area and cut me loose".
We use to have a camp for walkers(Pond camp) and my Mountain Camp was for "stand hunters". The camps were identical and in the same area. The walking camp attracted hunters who perceived themselves to be "more experienced hunters", but my tree stand camp was far more successful and we finally closed the walking camp because of its lack of success.
TRACKING
On very rare occasions I do take one of my hunters on a big buck track. There are usually only a few days when conditions are right for tracking. Usually during a storm or right after it, when the snow is soft and quiet. If conditions are perfect, it is the highest form of hunting, the pursuit of one animal, your senses against his, with almost the certain knowledge that sooner or later, the two of you will come in contact. Under the right conditions, it has the highest odds of success and is far away the biggest physical challenge. This is not stalking or pussy footing, this is traveling at great speed over very long distances for a very long time. Big bucks travel great distances very quickly. If you come upon a track that was made an hour ago, then that buck is more than a mile away from where you stand. If you take off walking as fast as you can, how long will it take you to arrive at the exact spot the buck was standing when you started? Keep in mind that you do not know how old the track is. (no human can determine by sight the accurate age of a track in the snow with any degree of accuracy. It only happens in comic books and outdoor magazines. I don't care whether your an Indian, Eskimo or certified witch doctor.) You must assume that the track is minutes old while you try and catch up. You virtually run when you can see a long way and are confident he is not in sight and then slow when you can only see a short distance. You can never look down when moving because to do so is to risk catching him while you are looking where to step. You finally arrive at the spot where he stood when you started, where is he now? Still a long way away! If you do not keep up hot pursuit, then you will never catch him until he beds. If he beds before you catch him...you lose. It is almost impossible to shoot a bedded buck. He will see you coming a long way away. The secret of tracking is speed; you must catch him before he lays down. If you can catch him on his feet, his backside is facing you, he is moving himself and that hinders his ability to pick up movement (you never see a deer walk and stare at something at the same time), he is making noise himself, he is concentrating on what is ahead of him, you have him at a distinct disadvantage. This is the only time you can ever gain this type of advantage, or you sit quietly in a tree stand and he comes to you. Tracking requires excellent physical condition, and a lot of determination, but it is without question the most exciting, rewarding and, can be, the most productive method of all whitetail deer hunting. Unfortunately, there are only a few days (or none) during the hunting season that the conditions are right for tracking. It is my favorite activity, and when successfully done, it is a day in your life you will never forget. (Unless you are in good condition and enjoy physical abuse, you do not want to even think of tracking)
Trophy Hunting Only
This is trophy hunting only. No does, spikes, forks, or spindle racks. We can not produce trophy deer consistently if we shoot them before they are three or four years old. There are many places to shoot average bucks, from Anticosti to Alabama. We are looking for a once in a life time buck. A significant reason for Mountain Camp's overwhelming success is the fact that we don't shoot them before they are trophies. (Our standards are not unreasonable. A buck that has a curved rack that extends beyond the ears is a shooter) The three bucks on the far right picture are what we are after, however, no one will be upset about you shooting the next two deer in the center. The two bucks on the far left are not shooters. (This an old picture, taken before we became a trophy camp only.)
  
What is Mountain Camp? Mountain Camp is a remote wilderness tent camp that is heated by propane heaters and lighted with propane gas lights. There are two four person wall tents that accommadate a total of 8 hunters. Each tent has four sleeping cots. There is one large cook tent that houses the guides and where we eat and socialize. All meals are supplied and cooked by the guides. The food is surprisingly good. We have a 4 wheel drive at camp (Hummer 3), but most hunters bring their own transportation. (4 wheel drive is recommended, but not required) The tents are warm and comfortable. The tarp outhouse is not. We have an inventory of 24 climbing stands, plus a few ladder stands, most of which are in the woods at all times.
We supply more complete information (map directions, items to bring, Etc.) with all particulars once you have booked your hunt. We require all hunters to sign a liability release form, and photo release.
What are my chances?
The truth is, that the odds are against you and anyone that tells you that they have a high success rate hunting Maine "Big Woods" trophy whitetails is lying to you. I have been the most successful guide and outfitter in the state of Maine for over 30 years and our success rate at my company, Northern Outdoors was unchallenged. My advertising promised that, "we will take more "big bucks" in the coming season than any other guide or outfitter in the State of Maine." We never once failed to fulfill that promise. However, I am only a human and no human can ever do anything but increase the odds for success, the big bucks usually win. That is the way it should be. When you win, it is the ultimate win, a true celebration for everyone involved, a moment that is cherished forever.
I go into great detail about my hunts because there should never be surprises nor misrepresentations. Hunting is not fishing, fishing is about fun and catching fish. Hunting is about suffering and discipline. It is also about failure. We hunt because we have "great expectations", because we have a deep emotional connection to the "wild", because we were born with a "hunting gene", but the reality is, that defeat is usually the end result of a day of hunting. I do not want anyone to look at the pictures and believe that my hunts are a ticket to success, they are not.
What I can tell you is, that on average, our 8 man Mountain Camp will see more deer every day than a competitive hunting camp that has 5 to 10 times more hunters, that every stand we put you on will be frequented by whitetail bucks that go well over 200lbs., that all the ingredients are there, your odds are greatly increased, you will learn a lot, you are in prime territory, no corners are cut, and if you are a true sportsman you will be treated as a friend and fellow hunter, not a "sport" or "client".
Hunting Maine whitetails is to me the ultimate challenge. It is for those that understand that "fair chase" often means defeat. Those who ask to brought to the feeding machine or bait pile because they haven't been successful for a few days, cheat themselves. It is a hollow victory, an illusion of success, not the sweet delicious taste of a true accomplishment. Come to the "Big Woods" with anticipation and excitement, come with a dream and if the dream doesn't come true, you will always have the experience to enjoy, the friendships made, and the ability to one day return to make the dream come true.
2008 Season
1st week- Nov.2 thru Nov.8 (Booked Out)
2nd week-Nov.9 thru Nov.15 (Booked Out)
3rd week- Nov.16 thru Nov.22 (Booked Out)
4th week- Nov.23 thru Nov.29 (Booked Out)
Muzzle loader (see Muzzle loader)
5th week- Nov. 30 thru Dec.6 (Booked Out)
Write to me at wayne@banjominnow.com to be put on waiting list in case of cancellations
$900.00 Captain Outdoors
$56.00 Land Use Fee
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Total Cost $956.00
Payment Schedule:
$ 100.00 per person deposit to book a reservation
$ 350.00 per person on June 1st.
Balance is due on September 1st
All deposit payments are non-refundable and it is prudent to take out vacation insurance.
Includes: Heated (propane) 4 person Wall tents/drying tent, and cook tent.
All meals, guides, treestands,outfitter vehicle (Hummer 3)
For questions e-mail wayne@banjominnow.com
We meet on Sunday morning at 11 AM at Northern Outdoors in The Forks Maine.
After signing liability release forms we convey to our camp a little over 100 miles north of The Forks. Most of the trip is on fairly good logging roads. The hunt ends at noon on the following Saturday and we convoy back to The Forks.
If you wish Saturday night lodging at Northern Outdoors before or after your hunt, it is
available.
We prefer that each booking party bring a vehicle, but not absolutely neccesary.
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