My son Scott put this question to me the other day, after he confirmed that I was, indeed, getting on in years: “Dad, what’s left on your bucket list?” I told him that life had been generous with me, especially with hunting and fishing adventures, and that there really wasn’t anything that I am burning […]
outdoors in maine
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Outdoors in Maine: The wild turkey outlook
When it comes to Maine sportsman and wild turkeys, there are two distinct groups: those who hunt ’em and those who hate ’em. Count me among the former. Having hunted them with a shotgun and a bow, it’s beyond me why anyone who loves to hunt is not enjoying this spring opportunity. There is a […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Simplifying Maine’s fishing rules a good place to start
Some of us fish to get away from it all, to escape from all of the trappings of modernity. And let’s face it, in this new century we are awash in rules and regulations. Sport fishing has not been immune to the times, either. In far too many cases, the fishing law book is a […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Escaping winter with stone crabs
In the Florida Keys, comfortably removed from one of the worst winters New England has known, there are plenty of diversions beyond watching the weather channel and enjoying the plentiful sun-drenched days, ocean breezes and soaring birds. My son-in-law, Jacques, and I have taken up stone crabbing. Stone crabs are a delicacy — an expensive […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Help on the way for ranges
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 […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Be wary of the ice early in the season
Each year about this time, the Maine Warden Service urges us to use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways. This is timely advice. Last winter three night time snow sledders all perished in one night on Rangeley Lake when they and their machines broke through thin ice. […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Early returns on the deer harvest
The November deer season has come and gone. Hard to believe. Those still waiting to fill the freezer have a week to two weeks to close the deal (depending upon which wildlife management area you choose to hunt). What kind of a deer season was it? The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W) […]
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Outdoors in Maine: The aftermath of the bear hunting referendum
Well, we can heave a sigh of relief. Maine bear hunting, as we know it, survived Round Two of another well-funded and well-organized assault from the antihunting factions of this country. Who is “we”? Bear guides and outfitters? Yes, they make up part of the “we.” But there is more to it. Much more. Although […]
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Outdoors in Maine: The Orrington Sanctuary
Maine has more than 40 assorted wildlife preserves or sanctuaries. With a few exceptions most of them are off limits to hunting and trapping. As a matter of fact, Baxter State Park, which is a wildlife sanctuary under Maine law, is one of the exceptions. Although it is not commonly known, there are areas in […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Fall fishing options abound
With the Maine woods in full autumn bloom, there is no finer time to wet a line: no bugs, less water traffic, cooling waters and moving fish. Fall fishing options abound. But the regulations vary from water to water. Check your law book closely. Here are the waters that our regional fisheries biologists suggest you […]