Remote Big Woods Whitetail Hunting

I have always been fascinated by stories of true woodsman who pursued their bucks one on one through miles of rough terrain as found in the Adirondack Mountains of NYS, the Jackman area of Maine, certain areas of New Hampshire etc.

I have hunted the Adirondacks and several areas of the Maine woods over the years. Truth be known, my sense of direction is not one of my strong points. If I have two compasses and a decent (easy to use) GPS unit, I can do okay if I am within a mile or so of KNOWN roads, rivers, and other significant landmarks. All of the hunts I have participated in have been with outfitters and somewhat semi-guided. I take great comfort in knowing that they will come looking for me if I screw up and get lost or injured and can't walk out.

I enjoyed all of those hunts and on a couple of occasions saw some bucks that the north woods of Maine and the Adirondacks are famous for. I said, "I saw them", however I didn't bring them home with me. I have also seen a lot of moose in the wild while on several deer hunting trips to Maine. I hope to venture back to either the Adirondacks or Maine before I get too old and feeble and try again. The scenery itself is worth the cost of any trip I have been on to those areas.

Still I am fascinated to read stories about real woodsman like Hal Blood of the Jackman Maine area and Jim Massett of our own NY Adirondacks. To that list you can add Randy Flannery and R.G Bernier and dozens of others I have not mentioned.

These are guys who strike out early in the morning perhaps on freshly fallen snow and  track and pursue a particular buck until a shot opportunity presents itself. After making a successful shot, they field dress the buck and in some cases either drag that buck or throw him over their shoulders and hike back to their truck or the place where they started from. Not only are these guys woods wise and able to stay on the track of a particular buck and interpret his habits, his intended route etc. they are tough as nails. On the best day of my life, I could not have thrown a 200 pound field dressed buck over my shoulders, along with my rifle and other gear and walked a mile and in (one case I read up to 5 miles) like some of these guys have done. I have dragged a lot of bucks out of the woods on my own over the years, however I could not hold a candle to these guys.

R.G Bernier has dragged more than 25/ 200-pound plus bucks out of the woods.

Jim Massett once carried out  a hefty 8 pointer he had successfully taken near the Indian River area of the Adirondacks. He tracked and followed this buck  after 14 inches of snow had fallen the night before. He shot this deer in his bed from 15 yards away, field dressed it and hung it in a tree.
He then walked 5 miles back out to his truck and it was 3 days later before conditions were suitable for him to walk back in and retrieve his buck. He put the frozen buck on his shoulders and hiked for 5 hours before succumbing to fatigue in the middle of the night. Massett returned the next morning with his wife Ruth and carried the buck the last mile to his vehicle.

Hal blood took one of his nicest bucks and dragged it out by himself with NO snow on the ground. I have dragged enough bucks out of the woods on snow and dry ground to know that snow is a LOT easier.

I am fascinated by reading about these guys and their dedication to the hunt, their woods wise skills, and their physical strength and endurance.

A word about their rifles might be in order. Perhaps one of the most popular rifles for guys who hunt the backwoods areas is a Remington pump action model 760 or possibly 7600 in 30:06 caliber or perhaps the 30:06 or a .308 Win in semi-auto persuasion.  It swings like an extension of your arm, hits hard and is capable of a fast follow up shot on running deer.

I like deer hunting. I have been on hunts to Saskatchewan over looking 500 yard shooting lanes from a tree stand with a Ruger bolt action .300 Win Mag and I enjoyed it very much. I also enjoy still hunting through a swamp or mixed farm fields and hardwoods with my Savage Weather Warrior bolt action in .308 Win or a Marlin Model 336 in .35 Rem.

Whether your passion is hunting Texas with a Beanfield rifle capable of taking deer at 350 yards plus or stalking one on one in the great north woods with a pump action 30:06, I salute you.

Dan