Unless you belong to a private rifle and pistol club, finding a place to sight in your deer rifle or simply to practice with a firearm is becoming increasingly problematic in Maine. There was a day when all you needed to do was to find an old gravel pit, set up a target and plink […]
outdoors
Posted inLocal Sports
An enlightening look at Maine’s sporting camp legacy
Mt. Vernon outdoor writer and outdoorsman George Smith has yet another new book. It’s called Maine Sporting Camps. Published by Downeast Books, this 222-page book was one of those that has just been waiting to be done — a niche filler, and a good one at that. Although others in the past have documented Maine’s […]
advertisement
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: The perfect float
Again this year, the Olive Wooly Bugger Gang got together mid-May at Grand Lake Stream to share fellowship, eat, play cribbage and fish the Stream for hungry landlocked salmon. Upon our arrival hopes were high. Last year, fishing exceeded all expectations. Everybody got multiple hookups, including the “newbies,” who were just learning how to toss […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Tick season is here. Here are some tips
It didn’t used to be, but in many parts of Maine now, deer ticks are a reality. It’s spring and time to think about the outdoors and proper protection against ticks. Maine had 1,171 cases of Lyme disease reported in 2015. May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and time to consider a tick-prevention strategy. In […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: PCCA tops among many conservation organizations
Organizations come in all sizes and a variety of names: Fish & Game Clubs, Rod & Gun Clubs, Sportman’s Associations, Angler’s Alliance, you name it. And they can be found all over New England, and the country for that matter, in little hamlets and even big cities. They have been around for years. They are […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Safety tips for hunting turkeys
In most Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs), spring turkey hunting in Maine begins a half hour before sunrise on May 2. There is a special Youth Day that is held April 30th. There is probably no better way to introduce a youngster to hunting than in the turkey woods. For adult or youngster, the primitive sound […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Have gun, will fix it: Gunsmith Morrison the real McCoy
It is easy to say that someone’s passing marks the end of an era. Truly, though, the passing last month of Bradford gunsmith, Bill Morrison, at age 94, without a doubt marks the closing chapter of his unique breed of craftsman. When it came to guns, repairing them, creating them, and appreciating them, Morrison was, […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Over-cooking can spoil great wild meat
Let me be blunt: When it comes to eating out, I am a cynical curmudgeon who prefers my own or my wife’s great cooking. Frequent patronizing of restaurants is my idea of an obligatory chore. My wife is convinced that my jaded view of restaurants is grounded in the fact that I am close with […]
Posted inLocal Sports
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 […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Tales of the spring turkey hunt
If you have never tried matching your wits with a spring gobbler you don’t know what you are missing. A typical hunt for longbeards goes something like this: Opening day of Maine’s turkey season. Shuffling out of the sack at 3:30 a.m., I eat a quick breakfast and drive to a spot I know. After […]