There were small numbers of Acadians from almost every settlement throughout the entire Atlantic region who managed to escape deportation. They either hid or moved to distant locations.

Upon hearing rumors of an upcoming eventual deportation in August of 1755, hundreds of Acadians took refuge in the woods of Nova Scotia. That year, some reached Cap Sable and established a camp there for the winter. The following year, in 1756, they continued their journey to New Brunswick and Québec. They were forced to remain in wooded areas as Lieutenant Governor Lawrence had put a price on their heads. Some of these Acadians were successful in reaching their destinations while others died along the way from exhaustion. During the winter of 1756-1757, many died in Québec because of a food shortage.

Many of the Acadians from Nova Scotia and Île Saint-Jean, now Prince Edward Island, took refuge along the Restigouche and Miramichi Rivers and along the shores of the Bay of Chaleur in what is now northern New Brunswick. A few escaped to the Gaspé Peninsula and the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

Even after the initial deportations, the English continued to hunt the Acadians. In 1757, Monckton along with 300 men attacked many newly founded Acadian villages on the borders of what is today the province of Québec. Acadians left their settlements and headed for Québec hoping that they would be sheltered from British attacks. Once more, Acadians suffered calamity this time in the form of disease and smallpox, causing many deaths.

Although they managed to escape the deportation, their fate was not much better than their exiled counterparts. They lived in a constant threat of renewed English attacks, never knowing when, where or how these would occur.