hunting
Checking in on Maine’s deer herd after mild winter
Maine’s hard-pressed deer population, which was subjected to two consecutively brutal winters, got a break with this past winter with relatively moderate temperatures and scant snow cover. As Maine’s state deer biologist Kyle Ravana often points out, the state of Maine’s deer herd is tied irrevocably to the Winter Severity Index ( WSI). When all […]
Outdoors in Maine: Moose lottery now open; fewer permits being issued
The application process for fall moose hunting permits has begun. Online applicants have until May 16th to apply for a moose permit. Mailed applications must be postmarked no later than April 1st. Possession of a current big game hunting license is not required to apply. Applicants only need to be eligible to obtain a big […]
Outdoors in Maine: New junior hunting law in effect
When it comes to junior hunters and hunting safety, I am old school. A former certified hunting safety instructor and father of two sons who were brought up with guns, my boys were indoctrinated early and often in all of the protocols of safe gun handling and safe hunting practices. (Each of them, at my […]
Second Bean brother indicted in Paris hunting incident
PARIS – Another hunter involved in a Nov. 21, 2015, incident on Stock Farm Road has been indicted by an Oxford County grand jury on charges of fraudulently obtaining a hunting license and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Stephen Bean, 55, of West Paris is the third hunter among a group of […]
Outdoors in Maine: Nonresident hunters — The kiss-off
When it comes to cultivating one of its last remaining industries, tourism, it seems that Maine is its own worst enemy. Take hunting for example. In 2002, there were 41,538 nonresident hunters who bought a Maine big-game hunting license. Less than a decade later, in 2010, that number fell to 27,898. Think about that. Over […]
Outdoors in Maine: The cost of search and rescue missions
Search and Rescue. Just the term itself rings with urgency. Finding lost persons in the woods of Maine is one of the key missions of the Maine Warden Service. Often overlooked, or taken for granted by the average citizen, search and rescue operations run the gamut, from locating a lost hunter or an overdue snowmobiler […]