Hunting in Maine (Bangor, Brunswick, Caribou: construction, university, legal)

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Missed your question earlier, Maine Writer. The record bear for this year was not shot ahead of hounds or over bait. It was a wandering bear. We knew he was really big and many saw his tracks.

You don't hear that often! His tracks must have been huge.

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

I spent eight hours tracking a wounded deer yesterday because the hunter had no idea of the differences.

Was the animal recovered?

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Missed your question earlier, Maine Writer. The record bear for this year was not shot ahead of hounds or over bait. It was a wandering bear. We knew he was really big and many saw his tracks.

Many blueberries this year? Bear on blueberries is wonderful meat. On fish or garbage . . . yuck !

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by BobTex

Was the animal recovered?

He is alive and well unless someone else took him.

My husband harvested a 190 lb 10 point this morning.

[BobTex]

I should have invested time in hunting when I lived there. Deer are bigger (on the hoof) than in Texas on average. Even though the same specie they are different I hunt all the time here in Tx.

Spent lots and lots of time fishing Maine. I've probably fished 20 different bodies of water in Maine, maybe 25. Some a dozen times or more. Went as late as 2021.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by BobTex

I should have invested time in hunting when I lived there. Deer are bigger (on the hoof) than in Texas on average. Even though the same specie they are different I hunt all the time here in Tx.

I was surprised by how small some of the whitetails are in Texas. I picture them all being big brutes but that isn't what friends had on their walls. I went out to dove hunt, something we can't do here. We hunted with pointing labs. It was a lot of fun!

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

I was surprised by how small some of the whitetails are in Texas. I picture them all being big brutes but that isn't what friends had on their walls. I went out to dove hunt, something we can't do here. We hunted with pointing labs. It was a lot of fun!

I shot a spike buck in near Victoria, Texas about 10 years ago that was all of 60 pounds. Spikes are considered defective here, and where I hunt we can shoot a spike in addition to one deer with branched antlers on both sides. The spike antlers were about 13 inches long, and the deer was aged at 3 or 4 years old. Biggest deer I've shot here was a 5 year old 8 point that weighed about 150 pounds.

There are days where I really want to see another nilgai, since they run about 500 pounds and are really tasty.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by WRM20

I shot a spike buck in near Victoria, Texas about 10 years ago that was all of 60 pounds. Spikes are considered defective here, and where I hunt we can shoot a spike in addition to one deer with branched antlers on both sides. The spike antlers were about 13 inches long, and the deer was aged at 3 or 4 years old. Biggest deer I've shot here was a 5 year old 8 point that weighed about 150 pounds.

I pulled up the age report from 2021 to check on my deer. I shot a one-year-old four point that field dressed at 120 lbs. We can take a spike as long as the spikes are a minimum of 3". My seven-year-old eight point field dressed at 187 at the end of the rut. He came out of nowhere to a doe in estrus call. He hadn't been on any of the game cameras, so he was a nice surprise. I'm not a patient deer hunter so my smallest and largest are my only deer. It's hard to sit still in the cold.

Originally Posted by WRM20

There are days where I really want to see another nilgai, since they run about 500 pounds and are really tasty.

They're interesting looking animals. Is there something its flavor compares to? I've yet to taste a wild game I didn't like.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

I pulled up the age report from 2021 to check on my deer. I shot a one-year-old four point that field dressed at 120 lbs. We can take a spike as long as the spikes are a minimum of 3". My seven-year-old eight point field dressed at 187 at the end of the rut. He came out of nowhere to a doe in estrus call. He hadn't been on any of the game cameras, so he was a nice surprise. I'm not a patient deer hunter so my smallest and largest are my only deer. It's hard to sit still in the cold.

I've attached a picture of another spike that I didn't shoot, as I was on my way home. This was a really stupid deer, which just stared at me from about 50 yards away for several minutes. I could have taken out my rifle from the back of the car and shot it before it ran off. It was that dumb. It's a typical spike in that part of Texas. As I said before, genetically defective.

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

They're interesting looking animals. Is there something its flavor compares to? I've yet to taste a wild game I didn't like.

It's like deer, but more tender and with a little more fat. Nilgai are a type of Asian antelope. To me, it's similar to impala, which I ate in South Africa years ago.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by WRM20

I've attached a picture of another spike that I didn't shoot, as I was on my way home. This was a really stupid deer, which just stared at me from about 50 yards away for several minutes. I could have taken out my rifle from the back of the car and shot it before it ran off. It was that dumb. It's a typical spike in that part of Texas. As I said before, genetically defective.

The youngsters who don't know enough to be afraid yet. I have two young bucks around who have defective antlers. Instead of coming up in a main beam and then branching out, they're branching out from the skull. I've never seen anything like it. I've been watching for them, and if one shows up, I'll harvest him to take him out of the gene pool. I don't know how they'd defend themselves against typical bucks during the rut. They were in the backyard eating clover all summer, but they disappeared a few weeks ago. They'll come back when rut ends, but rifle season will be over. If I'm going to take one it will have to be with black powder.