At long last, the Maine deer are coming back! On opening day, my wife Diane saw six does in our new hunting area. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W), all of the anecdotal evidence and scientific wildlife management indices underscore the good news. It has been a long time coming. […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Game warden says staying calm when dogs caught in traps is key
BANGOR — Recent reports of dogs becoming caught in leg-hold traps set to catch foxes or coyotes are not particularly uncommon, according to Maine Game Warden Lt. Dan Scott, who said dog owners should not panic if their four-legged pals are caught. “I don’t think it’s happened any more (this year) than normal,” Scott said. […]
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Posted inMaine, sj-web
Deer hunting season has started
AUGUSTA — Maine’s firearms deer hunting season has begun for non-residents and residents alike. The season kicked off Saturday for Maine residents, with out-of-staters getting the go-ahead on Monday. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is expecting hunters to kill 25,000 to 26,000 deer this year. If that happens, it’ll be the most bountiful […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: The Islesboro experiment
A number of years ago, I attended what can best be described as an upscale wedding in a fashionable, affluent Connecticut suburb. At the reception dinner, I was seated between two well-coiffured ladies who had no idea that I was a hard-core Maine deer hunter. Somehow the discussion got around to their state’s problem with […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Not being there triggers frustration, memories
It’s a warm, rainy morning here at my new home on Branch Lake. Foggy, too. A scud layer is moving in from the nearby coast and the once-bright foliage has begun to fade. It would be a good day to still hunt deer, to sneak silently through a cedar bog, but deer season is still […]
Posted inLocal Sports
The roads that should be carefully taken
Most sportsman who have spent much time trying to find good places to hunt or fish have experienced bad roads. I mean really bad roads. I have seen my fair share. Their memory doesn’t keep me awake at night, but some of the worst roads left an impression. Back in the 1970s, when I was […]
Posted inLocal Sports
A stream of fond memories and endless tales
Fall has come to Grand Lake Stream, one of Maine’s most famous hamlets and legendary places. It is late September. There is a cold north wind blowing down West Grand Lake and the sky is laden with layers of dark clouds. At the dock, two lake fishermen trailer their big Lund boat and ready it […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Dealing with ticks in the Fall
Diane and I sold our homestead this spring and moved to our camp on a lake. We are remodeling and hoping to make our “lake home” a permanent thing. It’s a downsizing move, and a chance to be closer to what we love — the Maine woods. There is a period of adjustment. No central […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: The hunting bow
Starting this week, Maine’s more than 12,000 licensed bow hunters will either take to the deer woods, or daydream about it. Maine’s archery deer season kicks off a half hour before sunrise October 3rd and concludes a half hour after sunset November 1st. Whether your bow is a compound, a recurve, or simply a traditional […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Could hunting become an endangered species?
Our worst nightmare has happened! HSUS (The Humane Society of the U.S.) is back in Maine, monied up and fired up, poised to wage another full-scale assault against the trapping and hunting of the Maine black bear. As you may recall, back in 2003 the Maine bear hunting community waged the battle of its life […]