Maine Bird hunting trip

[Doewhacker]

We made it back tonight about 630 after a 8.5 hour drive from Greenville Maine. Awesome trip that was just to short, we plan on returning to the big woods as soon and as often as we can, hopefully yearly.

Day one we woke up at 330 am and hit the road by 400, arrived in Greenville and got to our cabin on Brassua Lake by 200pm and headed out to stomp some cover with the dogs right away. We were greeted by a fresh moose track in the first logging road we went down and I was giddy with excitement. Put up one Woodcock there but no shot, it was a new cut so conditions weren't what I was looking for. My wife fell up to her waist in a bog, even after I warned her to step on the grass clumps because I saw one of our dogs sink up to his belly. (hehe) We didn't last long after that but that was ok because we were exhausted and hungry any way.

Day two we were up early and on the road to our first choice that we had scouted the evening before, no birds found but cover looked promising. Lucic did get birdy but we just couldn't find a bird. Later we went further on the "Northern Road" and thru the gate and explored a few more cuts before it got warm and Lucic and I were spent. I was getting frustrated because we just weren't finding great cover and on top of that there was quite a bit of pressure every where we went between other hunters and the road hunters that ride the roads and jump out and shoot Grouse as they see them which we witnessed first hand. I finally spotted a bird on the side of the logging road when we were headed back to camp and I knew there was at least one bird left..haha. We also spotted two young bull Moose on one of the main logging roads so that made up for the tough day of hunting.

typical cover

Two young bulls

A Fisher we saw on the way

Our final day we decided to go for broke, we got up and were on the road by 5am. When I made it to the gate on The Northern Road I started talking to the guy that was manning it (Roy) and he gave me a tip to head further North to get away from the road hunters and the rest of the crowd. Away we went with excitement as he had told me one of his buddy's had seen 60 birds in two days up in the vicinity of Baker Lake. I went in one direction and we saw 8 Moose in just 20 miles, but had to turn around as the road I took was blocked by a beaver flow. We finally made it to the area we needed to get to and I could tell the cover was what I wanted to see. This was up where the guides take their clients and very few others ventured because of the distance. We hunted 3 cuts and were on birds in every one of them. That final day we flushed 9 birds and got 3 of them, all the while hunting in terrible conditions of rain and swirling winds. The final spot we hit was 110 miles from black top, and I firmly beleive if we had a couple more good days up there we could have been on more birds. What along day, we got back to the cabin 12 full hours after leaving it in the morning. The next trip is already being planned in my head and on the map, next time will be further off the black top in even more remote areas. I am figuring out how to fit gas cans and spare tires in the truck to make it there. lol

I wonder if the folks that rented us the cabin knew how great the picnic table works for bird cleaning..haha

Here is what a truck looks like after 195 miles of logging roads.

Here is the hardest working dog in the woods after cooling off in the lake..what a trip

[Pygmy]

Nice report, Doe...

Glad to hear that you and the Missus and the Pup had a good trip..

Had to chuckle at your mention of the locals shooting the birds along the road..

A friend of mine, who is a native Mainer told me the difference bewteen a grouse and a pah-tridge..

If you shoot the bird on the wing, it's a grouse.. If you shoot it off a limb or on the shoulder of the road, it's a pah-tridge...hehehe..

[Setters4life]

Nice pictures and story.

There's nothing like a trip to Maine. When I was a kid my dad started taking us along the eastern coast by towns like Ellsworth, Cherryfield and Machais. My first trip there was in 1970. (My Dad had been going since the 40's right after the war.) He and my uncle were the best "guides" I knew when they took me. We used to get into some big flights of woodcock back then and the old abandoned farms in that area with new alder growth were perfect covers for woodcock. Lots of grouse too. Most recently I've hunted up in Ashland, north of Baxter State Park. That area was the most populated with grouse that I've seen in years. I was hoping to go this year but life didn't allow for such. I am hoping I get up there next year.

Yes, locals patrol the woods roads and it's common practice for them to take their grouse by resting an elbow on the hood of the truck and popping one or two while they're picking gravel along the road. Early-season grouse are easier to get this way vs. late season grouse.

[GrouseHunter]

Sounds like a great trip, great pictures. Thanks

[Doewhacker]

Nice report, Doe...

Glad to hear that you and the Missus and the Pup had a good trip..

Had to chuckle at your mention of the locals shooting the birds along the road..

A friend of mine, who is a native Mainer told me the difference bewteen a grouse and a pah-tridge..

If you shoot the bird on the wing, it's a grouse.. If you shoot it off a limb or on the shoulder of the road, it's a pah-tridge...hehehe..

What if you shoot one from the road that flys? maybe call that a Grousestridge?

lol

[Doewhacker]

Nice pictures and story.

There's nothing like a trip to Maine. When I was a kid my dad started taking us along the eastern coast by towns like Ellsworth, Cherryfield and Machais. My first trip there was in 1970. (My Dad had been going since the 40's right after the war.) He and my uncle were the best "guides" I knew when they took me. We used to get into some big flights of woodcock back then and the old abandoned farms in that area with new alder growth were perfect covers for woodcock. Lots of grouse too. Most recently I've hunted up in Ashland, north of Baxter State Park. That area was the most populated with grouse that I've seen in years. I was hoping to go this year but life didn't allow for such. I am hoping I get up there next year.

Yes, locals patrol the woods roads and it's common practice for them to take their grouse by resting an elbow on the hood of the truck and popping one or two while they're picking gravel along the road. Early-season grouse are easier to get this way vs. late season grouse.

I had read that this was the best year since 95 for birds in the north as they had a sucessful hatch in the spring. The next trip we want to go towards Alagash and and points north and maybe catch the Timberdoodles on their way south as we were a bit early for them this trip. There really is nothing like the big woods of Maine, We are both hooked for life.

We saw one road hunter that spotted one at 45 mph, he slammed on the brakes and all of the trucks doors flew open and guys scattered the ditch with bird shot..lol He was a pro!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

SOunds like a great trip, Doe. It is awesome when a dog is working well....birds are just a bonus.

[steve863]

Nice story and pictures, Doe. Sounds like you and your wife had a super nice time up there!!

[growalot]

sounds and looks like a great trip...congrats.....

[Setters4life]

I had read that this was the best year since 95 for birds in the north as they had a sucessful hatch in the spring.

Correct. Some areas up there regularly record a snowfall average of 12' each year. 2011/2012 they recorded slightly less that 2', making for an early Spring and a drier season. My friend recorded a higher count of birds dusting themselves and picking gravel along the roads this summer.

That was always the big argument pre-season at family get-togethers when planning our hunt came around; what week to go to Maine;. Should it be "first week, second week, third week or fouth week?" was the dilemma. Early season holds lots of foliage still and flights aren't moving. I've been up there as early as the first week, and as late as Halloween when the leaves are down, hoping for flight birds. I remember some years wearing just a tee-shirt and vest because it was so hot, and other years finding a dusting of snow on the ground every morning to reveal fresh moose tracks outside the cabin. The North Maine Woods roads are comprised of more than 3,000 miles of permanent gravel roads and then unmaintained roads that lead to nowhere. Any place along these routes in logging country with new clearcuts offer good grouse hunting.

Not to hijack your post, but it makes me long for going back there.

Pic my friend sent me of Gary Grouse strutting on the North Maine Woods Road this summer:

[Doewhacker]

Thank you setters4life, feel free to add any tid bits like that, its all helpfull to me trust me. I was having that same talk on the way home yesterday byt the way, do we go first week or later on..lol, funny how us bird hunters all have the same discussions.

[Salmon_Run]

Nice trip Jim..... I am glad you guys got away and the trip was a success.......

[16. ga hunter]

doe great report i also hope to make it up there one day. not sure when it will happen but it will.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Great report Doe! Sounds like you had a fun trip!

[Doewhacker]

Thanks everyone, it was a great trip, I was preparred for the beauty of the area but what I was not ready for was just how dead silent it is up there. You could hear the Loon's calling from way out on the lake and I swear you could have heard a pin drop on the shore of the Lake. The smell of the air is also unforgetable, I thought we had clean air where I live until we got there way out in the woods.

I think probaly the best part is that my wife is now crazy about hunting, she has hunted a few years now but this trip did something for her. She was asking me about doing a bear hunt up there and she is the one that has been looking for places to stay next time already and on and on. I need to get her out west on a bird hunt, thats another direction I want to head down the road..hehe

Oh and 16gage I think your flusher would do well in Maine, all of the birds we encountered were right around the logging roads or close to them. The only tough part for her would be you may need to cover some miles by foot to make it happen, we deffinetly put some miles on our boots up there.

[16. ga hunter]

im sure she would do great doe.she really loves chasing the ruffs and her small stature lets her get into the cover easily at thier level. the miles may tire her out but i have noticed so far this season her third she seems to conserve energy working at a slower pace until she is on the scent then its a high gear brown and white cocker blur till that bird flushes. while in the dacks i was like what the hell tired? we just started until it became apparent what she was diliberatly doing.