Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Adirondacks or Maine

I still have a couple days to hunt in Pennsylvania but I am already starting to put plans together next year. I would like to do a week-long big woods hunt in either Maine or the ADKs. I am more familiar with the Adirondacks so I am leaning that way. I would like to go in mid-November.

I have a few questions if anyone is willing to help. The 3 times I hunted deer in the ADKs, I went back into a wilderness area. I might do that again but some of what I have been reading suggests that there are more and bigger deer in the areas that have been logged in the past. I was considering switching to the Speculator area (or somewhere else) in hopes of finding some better habitat and food sources. Here are my questions:

Are secure tent sites available to put a wall tent where people are unlikely to mess with it? How is access?

If I go to an area that is not a wilderness area, will the hunting pressure be high compared to wilderness areas? (I like to be able to roam without interfering with other hunters).

Are there, in fact, bigger and more buck in these areas?

Is tracking snow likely in mid-November?

I appreciate any guidance. I have a wall tent and may use it as a base camp if there is a secure place with vehicle access. I will likely be alone so I can't haul tent camp gear far from my truck. I am considering just carrying a backpack and sleeping in a bivy like I did on my last 2 trips but it would be difficult to not get bogged down by a heavy pack if I am bringing a week's worth of food. I also think snow could make a bivy hunt miserable if it got too deep. I would love to snow track and I think that would mean I don't have to wake up deep in the forest to have a chance at a buck. I have slept in a bivy in past years so I don't have to walk in and out every morning or evening in the dark. I can be a few miles back an just wake up in my spot when I do it that way.

Any other tips or suggestions? Thanks

I think that there are people who will steal anything that isn't locked up tights wherever you go, so a secure tent site is only secure if somebody is always on site to discourage potential thieves.

I would suggest hiking into the area that you want to hunt a couple of days ahead of time so that you can build a sleeping platform with a ridgepole that you can use to make a roof with a plastic tarp. One of my friends in New England does that and claims that the Youtube site called Corporal's Corner has posted videos of good sleeping platform designs. He says that he builds a variation of Mors Kochanski's super shelter on the platform. He uses hemp twine, no nails, so it is all biodegradable once he removes the plastic tarp.

I have hunted the Adirondacks in the Weaverton/Riparious/Speculator area in the late 1960's early 1970's. While this is a beautiful area I never had any luck. I hunted Aroostook County, ME in the Paton Oxbow region, I took a heavily palmated 11pt. buck which field dressed 254# and held the camp record for as long as the camp (Katahdin Lodge & Camps/Finley Clarke) was in operation. I saw several other bucks of similar size brought into camp back in that time period (early 1970's).

I have no experience in Maine. If I were wanting to do what you’re planning, I’d be more inclined to do it in the northern Adirondacks, Tupper Lake, Raquette Lake, Star Lake, Stillwater Reservoir area. Further from the Central NY/Mohawk Valley population centers.

Thanks guys. I did my first 3 trips to the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. I am leaning toward going back since I know the area but the hunting hasn't been great. I always enjoy the experience though.

With regard to building a shelter, I have considered doing that - maybe even building a frame in the summer. I also thought about putting a cache of emergency food out there before the season in a bear proof container. There are also some lean-tos around if not occupied by other hunters.

I had a book on Adirondack hunting but can't seem to find it. I'll order another one if they are still available.

I was in VT, NH and Southern ME over Thanksgiving. You would’ve been SOL on tracking snow anywhere I went. There had been a little snow from earlier in the month, but what was left was minimal and sounded like you were walking on Rice Krispies.

Getting on a big track in fresh snow and doing it Benoit style would be a cool experience.

Tracking snow in northern Maine is a crap shoot - very unpredictable. I used to hunt the third week of November every year in northern Maine. We had snow less often Han half the years. Also, hunting has changed greatly, not for the better, in northern Maine since the 1970’s and 80’s due to extensive logging and the associated road building. I’d suggest staying with the area you know.

The ADK is going to be tough no matter where you go. Anything that’s been logged in the last 30 years is going to be private land within the park and is most likely already leased. I’ve never hunted Maine but it seems like they definitely have more deer per square mile than the ‘dacks.

Would you consider the Catskill Mountains (NY)? Decent deer population, and closer to PA.

I’ve hunted East Canada Lakes which I believe is near Speculator. Nice country but I never saw a deer. We moved over to Long Lake and Lewey Lake and again never saw a deer. We saw plenty of rubs, scrapes, tracks and droppings but never any deer. After 6 years of this we gave up and just hunted the Catskills!

Probably not. I think the seasons are different and I like to be able to roam. Maybe I'll look into it, though.

I did a lot with maps last night and I am pretty set on a location. Now I just need to figure out whether to use a tent/base camp or backpack and bivy.

When we hunted Lewey Lake, we rented a cabin on the lake and trailered up a 14 ft. row boat with motor. At 6:30AM we would motor across the lake and hunt all day never seeing anyone. Then motor back at dusk. It was real nice coming back to a warm cabin!

In Maine hmmmmmm I use to hunt North woods..... I now hunt western Maine hmmmmmm

No way I'd consider hunting in the Adirondacks with just a bivy - you can't be sure of snow, but you can pretty much guarantee getting wet. You will get some sort of rain/sleet/freezing rain/snow/slush during hunting season! Temps in November anywhere from 60s to below zero - maybe in the same week! When you get rain or wet snow one day and the temps drop that night you need a way to get dried out.

New york or West virgina

The density where I live in and hunt in northern Maine ranges between 2-5 deer per square mile.

I've done it twice already and had a great time but it was in late October. Both trips it hit 40s or 50s during the day and 20s at night. Not too bad as far as temps. My trip next year will probably be the 2nd week of November so I am sure I could hit colder weather. I'll pack a zero-degree sleeping bag. I also pack a Sitka flash shelter (or similar tarp) to get under if it rains. I had a major downpour in my last trip and it wasn't pleasant but it was manageable. I think snow would be fine to a point but heavy snow might make things tough.

I sort of like the idea of having somewhere warm to go at the end of the day but I have a really hard time getting going in the morning early enough to be in a good spot at daybreak when I am in a warm tent and it is freezing out. I may make the decision the week before based on the forecast. Another option is to bivy but keep some emergency supplies (spare sleeping bag, clothes, tent, and extra food in my truck. That way I have an option if things get miserable.

Last year on Nov 16-21 2022 parts of NY and the Adirondacks recieved up to 4 feet of wet heavy snow, https://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/TWCNews/2022%20snow. The forcast was for about a foot. We were snowed in at our hunting camp and could't get our trucks out until middle of the next week - and it took hiring a dozer to open up 4 miles of road.

This year we had no snow in November.

Next year - ????

I'm not saying don't go hunting, just be flexible.

There’s lots of places in the Adirondacks where you can drive to, and set up a wall tent out of the back of your truck, and hunt from there. It’s nice to get the camp into the back country, but the logistics are much, much more involved. Plus, getting way off the beaten path really isn’t always necessary for success.
Some good areas to check out are Raquette Lake, Moise River Plains, Stillwater Reservoir, and High Peaks Wilderness area. Once you find a suitable camping spot, secure a permit from the local ranger. It’s free, and allows you to leave the camp up for as long as you like. As far as anyone stealing your gear, I have never had a problem, but I have never left it unattended for a long period of time either. It’s somewhat a leap of faith. Don’t assume you would be safe in the backcountry either, two years ago I caught a couple young hunters nosing around my backcountry camp midday. It may have been innocent curiosity, maybe not, who knows?
Be prepared, whether you hunt Maine or the Adirondacks, there are not a lot of deer. I mean it can be dismal. I hunted a new area in the Adirondacks this year, a hunting club on leased timber company land. All of it had been heavily logged, and was prime deer habitat. I saw a total of 5 deer all season, 2 does, 2 small bucks, and a nice buck that I shot. I saw more deer than any of the other 10 members, and was the only one successful. Last year in the High Peaks I went 3 or 4 days without seeing much of anything, then I had a day where I saw 10. That was the most deer activity I had ever seen in the Adirondacks in one day in almost 40 years hunting there.
The problem with hunting the big woods is, it’s addictive. I desperately would like to hunt where the numbers are better, and the trophy quality is better, but my vacation always gets planned on going to the woods.
If you need any help with planning coming up, shoot me a PM and I’d be happy to help.

ATVs have changed a lot about hunting here in NB as well. I'm sure it's the same across in Maine.

I hunted the high peaks for a number of years and still miss it. There are more deer closer to roads, closer to fields, closer to people's yards... than there are in the backcountry. But the backcountry is still where I preferred to go.

Snow in mid-Nov is hit or miss. You can still have nice warm days then or it might be dumping snow. Or it might dump snow and then get warm and sunny.

The counties 100 miles south I think have way more deer and way bigger deer than the 'Dacks do but to me you go to the Dacks to be in the mountains alone. All the places I hunted it was rare to see another person's footprints, anywhere. Definitely no one would have ever found my camps.

I switched over to using a hot tent after the first year: went through various iterations but finally ended up using a tipi with collapsible ti stove.

I can't see going back from the hot tent both for comfort and safety. You'll need to make two trips to pack your camp out and a deer out but that's true of all backcountry hunting.

Setting up a wall tent close to the truck is not something I had thought of. I think you'd be competing with more hunters vs going back in 4-5 miles. But there might be more deer, too.

Thankfully ATVs are not permitted in the North Maine Woods and in most places that are commercial forestlands in Aroostook County.

I don't know the first about either, but I vote Maine. Just because I enjoy Hal Blood's podcast, Big Woods Bucks.

Good reason in my book as well. I enjoy listening to him myself.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have been sick with COVID all week so I have had time to think about things. I have settled on an area in the Adirondacks. I have hunted the general area in the past. I intend to use a base camp but not a big, heavy wall tent. The campsite is less than 2 miles in (anywhere from 1.5 to 1.8 depending on where I set up) so I think a base camp is possible with a lighter tent.

My plan right now it to pack in in two shifts. First with my Snowtrekker tent (about 20 pounds with frame, tent, and wood stove) and other camping gear. I'll then hike out and get my food and hunting gear. I figure I can use this as a launching point and still have a 2 mile head start into my planned hunting areas. I do like TX35's idea of a tipi tent. I guess I could pick one up and save some space and weight. The Snowtrekker is pretty light for the size of it though.

My Plan is to go in the middle of November. I haven't decided if I should start the week on 11/8 or 11/15. I guess 11/8 may have bucks moving more but the following week might give me a better shot at snow. This is a decision I will have to think about.

Thanks, Miguel. I will reach out to you at some point. I always appreciate suggestions and advice from experienced guys.

I was born and raised in upstate NY. And hunted many years in the Adirondacks with my family that had hunted the same country for generations.

People that have lived in the Adirondacks every day their whole lives and know the country like the back of their hand have a difficult time being successful deer hunting.

If hiking and seeing beautiful country are things that are important to you, you can't beat it.

If seeing and killing deer is important to you, I'd suggest a different venue.

There’s nothing like the big woods for deer. Having spent over 30 years hunting the ADKS, years living IN the woods, it is a special place. You are on the right track with planning…one of your best times to check things out is spring, before it greens up. All the deer sign will be as it was left at the end of this season. You may even find yourself a big ol gobbler! Feel free to PM me if you like, always happy to chat and share methods!

Thank you. I never thought about hunting turkeys there but a combo turkey/recon trip sounds intriguing.

I understand the challenges of hunting big country like the ADKs. I have shot plenty of deer in my life and it's about the experience and adventure more than what I am able to shoot. This will be my fourth ADK hunt and I have not gotten a buck yet. I would like to get one but that would be a bonus.

Go to Adirondacks🦌😏

The experience is what keeps the drive alive, the buck will come! Certain parts of the park will have different food sources on different years, those early trips can also indicate what the preferred forage will be come fall.

Bad news: My next trip (after the ADKs next year) will probably be to Maine.

Copyright 1987
A Guide to Adirondack Deer Hunting
by Charles Alsheimer & Larry Watkins

Perhaps there are other & more recent books?

It's a good one, and is in my library. Another that's worth having is Benoit's book...

Thanks. I have read both.

I grew up in upstate NY and hunted the Dacks for many years. I was stationed in Brunswick Maine for 17 years and hunted & guided all over that state. I'd pick Maine over the Dacks anyday!

I’d say two different experiences but have never been to the ADKs. Maine isn’t what it used to be when the Benoit book was written. Lot more fragmented habitat and a far more Benoit and Blood wannabes

And the number of big deer is down. Still better than New York though if looking for weight.