As a wise sage once said, the only thing constant is change. Take hunting, or the right to hunt. It may be part of our American cultural heritage, but in a democracy it can be taken away. The upcoming bear referendum is a perfect example. People with enough money and strong convictions can take away […]
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Stepping back into the past with his sons worth the trip
You can’t go home again. In his novel by the same name, author Thomas Wolfe advanced the idea that any attempt to relive our youthful memories will always fail. Perhaps, but isn’t it worth trying once in awhile? In the most northern reaches of Maine’s North Woods, there is a small remote trout pond that […]
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Outdoors in Maine: ‘Retriever’ a special fly
Trust me on this. I am not one to jump to the conclusion that a fly is a “killer fly” just because it happens to bring me a few fish to the boat. In fact, in all the years of writing about fishing, only a couple of flies that I can recall got any of […]
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This all-season bug ticks us all off
Ticks in northern Maine? It was not so long ago that Mainers north of Augusta worried about as much about ticks as they did timber rattlers. But today ticks, having hitchhiked their way northward, are here in this part of Maine. You’ll find them on your dog and, if you spend any time in the […]
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This streamer fly is no Flashabou in the pan
As every fly fisherman knows, the fly does matter. Oh, there are those rare days when a trout will hit a lug wrench, if you can get it to float. But most of the time you have to either match the hatch with your feathered offering, or present to the fish an attractor pattern that […]
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Outdoors in Maine: The old red canoe
As I recall it was about 10 years ago when state regulators were having a hissy fit about people permanently stashing their old canoes along the shores of Maine’s remote wild trout ponds. I suppose they had a point, though the sight of old canoes chained to trees next to a pond’s put-in never gave me […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Encouraging numbers from the deer harvest
This month, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W) released its numbers on deer and moose. There is some good news. Last fall’s deer harvest was up 15 percent over the previous fall. This marks the third consecutive year that Maine’s deer harvest has increased. We must keep the numbers in perspective, however. […]
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Collins must stand up and be counted on bear referendum
Although the facts by themselves clearly speak in opposition to the upcoming fall bear referendum and its goal of closing down bear hunting, there is an undeniable, underlying emotional component. Political outcomes can be unpredictable when voters are misled by dramatic emotional appeals. So in the weeks ahead, the challenge for those opposed to the […]
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Taking down a turkey worth getting into the hunt
“Gobble, gobble, gobble.” The hair stood up on the back of my neck the first time I heard a wild turkey. We were scouting the hardwoods of Western Massachusetts at dusk. The air was still and a bright spring sun had just settled beneath the hills near a pipeline in Granville. Responding to my owl […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Smith’s new book a joyful, enlightening read
Although this is a book review, it is not a conventional one where you simply exclaim and gush and excerpt many pithy passages, or toss about superlatives like “engaging, compelling and riveting.” No, this is moremy recollections about the author of a new Maine book and some thoughts about this dry, witty man and what […]