A Tradition of Trophy Whitetail Deer Hunting in Maine Since 1975
Stand Hunting
At Northern Outdoors, we utilize API Grandslam GS2500 Magnum self-climbing tree stands (275lbs capacity). These stands are simple, user-friendly, have an aggressive bite on the tree, and are comfortable to sit in. Each tree stand consists of two pieces which allow you to climb the pre-selected tree to the proper height for the particular location, selected and prepped by the guide. Average climbing heights are 15 to 20 feet. You have a safety harness, which attaches to you and the tree, and a ratchet strap which secures the seat of the stand to the tree, when you reach the desired height. In addition to climbing stands, we also have a number of ladder stands set up.
The theory for stand hunting is simple: The guide finds an area that deer prefer and sets up a stand, the hunter sits in the stand and shoots a trophy buck. It sounds easy, but there are some fine details that separate good stand hunters from those just spending time in the woods.
In this part of Maine, tree stand hunting accomplishes two very important objectives: it gets your scent off the ground, and it vastly increases your visibility. The forest understory in Northern Maine is very thick and visibility from the ground is usually minimal. Your visibility increases exponentially the further up off the ground you can get. We sometimes get hunters who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with tree stand hunting. We strongly encourage all of our hunters who fall within the weight limit, to make a wholehearted attempt to use our climbing stands. Even if you can only get off the ground 10 feet, it will tremendously increase your odds of spotting a buck. Also, those who hunt with us should understand that most of our stands are located a ways in the woods. When you hunt with us, you must be capable of walking up to ½ mile in rough terrain, to access your tree stand.
Stand hunting is one of the hardest ways to spend your day in the woods. It requires incredible mental concentration and perseverance. The person needs to remain very still and quiet, yet stay warm and comfortable. Keeping warm is one of the keys to successful stand hunting. Proper layering of clothing and warm footwear are essential. Our most successful hunters are those who can stay warm, keep still, maintain concentration, and stay in their stands for reasonable amounts of time.
Best Chances for Success
Hunting is hard work. It requires hard work from our guides who spend a lot of time and effort setting up individual stand sites, and it requires hard work from our guests. If you want to have any chance of shooting a buck, you have to work at it. The bucks aren’t coming to you . . . . you have to sneak into their area!For the best results, hunters must:
- Be able to walk up to 0.5 mile on a woods trail which is often uneven and rough
- Get into the woods early, and stay out late.
- Get up into your tree stand, and hunt from it.
Not being able to do this means your chances of getting a buck are greatly diminished. Big bucks in the North Woods don’t tend to hang out in areas that are easily accessible by humans. We do not have good stand sites that are accessible to those who cannot walk in the woods, due to physical limitations. We also do not have good ground blinds. The thick forest understory is not conducive to hunting from a ground blind.
