Today is November 21st the day before Thanksgiving and this deer season is shaping up to be another great one for my family. As of today my father, uncle, 2 cousins and I have already tagged deer with plans and trips scheduled for some of us to hopefully get a few more. A very exciting fall for sure. As I sit here typing this I look outside my window to a fresh 5 inches of snow, the Maine hunter's dream.
This season has really sparked me to reflect greatly on the traditions of hunting in this region and just how different it really is from so many places out there. Last night I was watching one of the outdoor channels here at the house and I found myself borderline disappointed by what I witnessed in one of the hunting shows. I watched as a crew flew to a certain game ranch, looked through thousands of trail camera pictures at a series of deer that were all named. They then went out hunting the next day to watch several deer over a corn pile come in before shooting a specific buck, while ensuring all involved mentioned that they never would have got a deer without this specific scope, rifle, scent blocker, clothing, the list goes on and on and on. In fact, you would've thought based on this show and those in it that if you were driving anything other than the brand new Chevy Silverado that killing a deer anywhere in the country was impossible. I get it, sponsors front money and expect marketing and endorsements in return, but the commercialization of these hunts just seems to take so much away from it for me. Please be aware, in no way am I bashing these hunters or their farms. They are legally hunting and that is great and I say all the more power to them. I don't frown upon a hunter taking a deer by whatever means are legally allowed in that area however these shows seem to give me so much appreciation for what we have here in Maine. The sense of adventure and the idea of getting to camp being just as exciting as actually being there is an element that most Maine hunters understand and that few professional shows are able to encompass.
If you've never deer hunted Maine I can assure you, its a lot different than anything you see on TV, especially the further north you go. What you find the further north in Maine you go is a simpler form of hunting, where we wear wool instead of gore-tex, prefer following a deer track on snow to sitting in a stand if conditions allow and where guns that the outdoor television never has present such as the Remington 7600, Marlin 336 or Browning BAR dominate the gun racks in camp. You'll also find free range access to land, something non-residents are always amazed by. Imagine taking a buck track on snow, following it for 10+ miles and never worrying about which property line you are on. It's not that way everywhere, but in the North Maine Woods that is the reality. You will also find deer can seem at times "rare", usually the greatest challenge or frustration to some, but the right person sees the reward in such a challenge. If you are one of the fortunate hunters to encounter a big buck, don't be surprised if it ends up being the largest you'll ever get. Maybe not from an antler perspective, but certainly from a body size stand point. Here in Maine in many circles it seems that body weight is more important than inches of antler and if you are proud of a deer you shot because it measures 153" don't be surprised if the first statement out of a north woods hunter is, "that's awesome! How much did it weigh"? I have good friends from college who live in other states and they always love to joke about how a Mainer would prefer to shoot a 200lb 6 pointer over anything else out there. If I'm honest, for many, a fair amount of truth is present in that statement.
When I watch our commercialized hunting on television I can't help but long for some sort of a sense of real adventure. Deep in the woods, in outfitter tents or small camps handed down through the family for decades instead of 5 start resorts, where deer are shot with grandpas rifle rather than "the new X-rifle from X-company in a new caliber that will change everything" and where experience gained through time in the woods is much more important than how many gadgets and how much money you can spend on tools. It is funny that as I turn 30 I'm realizing I've been deer hunting in Maine for 20 years, and I've been blessed to shoot a deer more years than I haven't. The greatest change I've seen is how I've stopped worrying about all the things that the outdoor channel says I need to worry about. Yes scent matters, but playing the wind will always work better than $1,000 worth of scent spray or special clothes endorsed by the media. The 30-06 and 7mm REM MAG are still capable of killing a deer no matter how heavily marketed the 6.5 creedmore or Nosler calibers are.
Again, I am not writing this piece to bash the progression of the hunting industry. I have a couple trail cameras myself and I know that the new caliber rifles of today are excellent firearms. My point is simply highlighting that we as hunters don't gain major advantages from how much money we spend at a sporting goods store. The prime example being that as I think of this fall and years past I wonder, are my friends and family members really that good? So good that they don't need thousands of dollars worth of equipment hyped as "essential" or "critical" by celebrity hunters to get deer in one of the hardest to hunt states in the USA? Or is it something different? Maybe its just that commercialization has made things appear to be more complicated than they really are. Maybe focusing on hunting and learning deer behavior and studying the area you are in is way more important than how many times you dripped your estrous scent or looked at your app on your phone telling you the "best time to hunt". Maybe we all need to focus on the basics?
I'm proud to be a Maine hunter in an area where we keep things simple and I encourage everyone to experience it and take on the challenge of deer hunting in Maine if you never have. It really is a special place. The people are great, the woods and deer are big and the challenge of getting one is incredibly rewarding. Don't be surprised though, that if you fall in love with it, you feel slightly out of place hunting anywhere else.
I want to end with wishing everyone who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you have had and continue to have a safe and successful hunting season and if you get the chance the rest of the year, introduce someone to hunting. You'll give them the greatest gift they'll ever receive.
As always my friends, shoot straight and shoot often.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
The Simplicity Of Maine Hunting In Todays Hunting World
Today is November 21st the day before Thanksgiving and this deer season is shaping up to be another great one for my family. As of today my father, uncle, 2 cousins and I have already tagged deer with plans and trips scheduled for some of us to hopefully get a few more. A very exciting fall for sure. As I sit here typing this I look outside my window to a fresh 5 inches of snow, the Maine hunter's dream.
This season has really sparked me to reflect greatly on the traditions of hunting in this region and just how different it really is from so many places out there. Last night I was watching one of the outdoor channels here at the house and I found myself borderline disappointed by what I witnessed in one of the hunting shows. I watched as a crew flew to a certain game ranch, looked through thousands of trail camera pictures at a series of deer that were all named. They then went out hunting the next day to watch several deer over a corn pile come in before shooting a specific buck, while ensuring all involved mentioned that they never would have got a deer without this specific scope, rifle, scent blocker, clothing, the list goes on and on and on. In fact, you would've thought based on this show and those in it that if you were driving anything other than the brand new Chevy Silverado that killing a deer anywhere in the country was impossible. I get it, sponsors front money and expect marketing and endorsements in return, but the commercialization of these hunts just seems to take so much away from it for me. Please be aware, in no way am I bashing these hunters or their farms. They are legally hunting and that is great and I say all the more power to them. I don't frown upon a hunter taking a deer by whatever means are legally allowed in that area however these shows seem to give me so much appreciation for what we have here in Maine. The sense of adventure and the idea of getting to camp being just as exciting as actually being there is an element that most Maine hunters understand and that few professional shows are able to encompass.
If you've never deer hunted Maine I can assure you, its a lot different than anything you see on TV, especially the further north you go. What you find the further north in Maine you go is a simpler form of hunting, where we wear wool instead of gore-tex, prefer following a deer track on snow to sitting in a stand if conditions allow and where guns that the outdoor television never has present such as the Remington 7600, Marlin 336 or Browning BAR dominate the gun racks in camp. You'll also find free range access to land, something non-residents are always amazed by. Imagine taking a buck track on snow, following it for 10+ miles and never worrying about which property line you are on. It's not that way everywhere, but in the North Maine Woods that is the reality. You will also find deer can seem at times "rare", usually the greatest challenge or frustration to some, but the right person sees the reward in such a challenge. If you are one of the fortunate hunters to encounter a big buck, don't be surprised if it ends up being the largest you'll ever get. Maybe not from an antler perspective, but certainly from a body size stand point. Here in Maine in many circles it seems that body weight is more important than inches of antler and if you are proud of a deer you shot because it measures 153" don't be surprised if the first statement out of a north woods hunter is, "that's awesome! How much did it weigh"? I have good friends from college who live in other states and they always love to joke about how a Mainer would prefer to shoot a 200lb 6 pointer over anything else out there. If I'm honest, for many, a fair amount of truth is present in that statement.
When I watch our commercialized hunting on television I can't help but long for some sort of a sense of real adventure. Deep in the woods, in outfitter tents or small camps handed down through the family for decades instead of 5 start resorts, where deer are shot with grandpas rifle rather than "the new X-rifle from X-company in a new caliber that will change everything" and where experience gained through time in the woods is much more important than how many gadgets and how much money you can spend on tools. It is funny that as I turn 30 I'm realizing I've been deer hunting in Maine for 20 years, and I've been blessed to shoot a deer more years than I haven't. The greatest change I've seen is how I've stopped worrying about all the things that the outdoor channel says I need to worry about. Yes scent matters, but playing the wind will always work better than $1,000 worth of scent spray or special clothes endorsed by the media. The 30-06 and 7mm REM MAG are still capable of killing a deer no matter how heavily marketed the 6.5 creedmore or Nosler calibers are.
Again, I am not writing this piece to bash the progression of the hunting industry. I have a couple trail cameras myself and I know that the new caliber rifles of today are excellent firearms. My point is simply highlighting that we as hunters don't gain major advantages from how much money we spend at a sporting goods store. The prime example being that as I think of this fall and years past I wonder, are my friends and family members really that good? So good that they don't need thousands of dollars worth of equipment hyped as "essential" or "critical" by celebrity hunters to get deer in one of the hardest to hunt states in the USA? Or is it something different? Maybe its just that commercialization has made things appear to be more complicated than they really are. Maybe focusing on hunting and learning deer behavior and studying the area you are in is way more important than how many times you dripped your estrous scent or looked at your app on your phone telling you the "best time to hunt". Maybe we all need to focus on the basics?
I'm proud to be a Maine hunter in an area where we keep things simple and I encourage everyone to experience it and take on the challenge of deer hunting in Maine if you never have. It really is a special place. The people are great, the woods and deer are big and the challenge of getting one is incredibly rewarding. Don't be surprised though, that if you fall in love with it, you feel slightly out of place hunting anywhere else.
I want to end with wishing everyone who reads this a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you have had and continue to have a safe and successful hunting season and if you get the chance the rest of the year, introduce someone to hunting. You'll give them the greatest gift they'll ever receive.
As always my friends, shoot straight and shoot often.
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