Maine Expedition: Hunt Allagash Trophy Whitetails

It was 7AM when Oliver & Mary Ford and I left Chester, NH Sunday November 14th, 2021 for our Trophy Buck Hunt in Allagash Maine. It was a 7 1/2 hour drive and 360 miles to our destination using RT 95, RT 11 and Rt 161 as our route. Oliver had a new Chevy Pick-up and I had a  new Toyota Tacoma both with 4wd. We arrived at around 3:30 PM. 

A trophy is defined as a memento, a remembrance of your experience or encounter says Dan Wagner, Owner and Registered Master Maine Guide of Great Northern Outfitters.

https://www.greatnorthernoutfitters.com/

After having spent a week hunting trophy whitetail bucks with Dan, I can say that it is the remembrance of this rugged and wild hunt that lives large in my mind. I can’t speak for Oliver and Mary as the hunt was certainly hard on vehicles and bodies.

The bucks up here grow very old and very large he says, citing Bergmann’s Rule which says that deer get bigger in body, the further north you go in latitude. We were at the northern most edge of whitetail habitat. 

Dan’s Allagash buck below is a testament to large and old. I’ve never seen brow tines like that… till now! 

 

An Expedition better explains our trophy hunt as we would be exploring distant haunts of these whitetail giants in our 4WD Trucks on the myriad of old logging roads that crisscross the Allagash area for hundreds of miles.

The further we traveled away from civilization, the roads  narrowed severely – and the more treacherous they became.

As you might have guessed, this trophy hunt is for those who have the temerity, aka audacity and craziness to really want to have a rugged wilderness hunting experience yet have a “chance” to hunt these magnificent monarch bucks’ on their own terms.

 

My Apple phone alarm goes off at 3:15 AM. 

Time to hunt. Oliver and Mary are in the attached cabin and rise. Both are veteran hunters and ready!

Here in my own rustic cabin like room, equipped with stove, fridge, microwave, bath and shower. I’m  up, showered, coffee in hand and suit up and ready to verify my hunt checklist for license, rifle, ammo, knife, food, water, head lamp safety gear, and warm clothing and orange vest and hat etc.

And my Garmin Satellite communication device to talk to Dan while perched in my ladder stand. Dan uses his also for his bear dogs. 

It uses an App on my phone to map and communicate in near real time.  I found it essential!

At 4AM Dan has already made us an egg-bacon or sausage breakfast sandwich and has prepared a lunch sandwich and snacks for out day afield. We bring out own liquids like coffee, water and soda.

To the trucks we go.  I am shooting my Weatherby Vanguard 6.5 Creedmoor with my own hand-loaded 124 grain “Hammer Hunter” copper bullets, and my Leupold VX-3 scope with pop-up scope covers. A super combination! 

The lumber trail entrances are not far away. Soon we are bumping along up and down hills and valleys in 4WD leaving civilization in the dust.

You know your far off the beaten path when you are on a one car path, with whips and branches brushing my truck and few places to turn around. 

Since we had three vehicles, Dan’s, Mine and Oliver and Mary’s truck, Dan would take one of us to a stand or crossing, in turn, where we would park and walk to our tree stand or ground stand.

On this past Tuesday morning during our hunt at 8:30AM November 16th one of Dan’s camera’s hit pay dirt;  A dandy mature 10 point below!

So we hunted this chocolate racked 10 point buck at crossings for “hours-on-end” but he was never to be seen by us. 

 

During the hunt week, we saw and passed up legal spike bucks, and fork horns. And observed several moose. We passed on the deer shot opportunities for the chance to see and take one like this mature buck.

Patience was something that I ran short on while looking at the same bushes and trail, for 5 hours at one time and see nothing but a red squirrel and chickadee’s. 

Weather was wild! It snowed and rained several times that week but only 3 inches snow here and there. Great to see tracks, what came by, and to plan. 

On the last day of the hunt, I convinced myself to take a lesser buck, if it stepped out. I had a Doe-Bleat- In-A-Can and used it to try and draw some curiosity. Well, I did that for sure when a large momma moose cow stepped into my path to see what was making those bleats. She was annoyed as she passed in front of me at 25 yards. Finally, she trotted off. None of us pulled the trigger but could have on lesser deer. We chose to wait!

 

Note: Dan is the chef as well.  His evening meals consisted of Lobster, Salad and hot butter, Steak and salad, Spaghetti dinner, boiled corned beef dinner, salad and pie for desert. The food was spectacular! Wow!

Thanks again Dan! 

Sorry we did not get Mary in the photo with husband Oliver below!

No we did not shoot a big buck but the trophy perhaps in this case, is the remembrance of the hunt! We came close! Next time perhaps!

Maybe I’ll be back for another chance at a big buck or a large black bear!

Good Hunting!

© Copyright 2021