In re-reading “The Maine Woods” by Henry David Thoreau, I got to thinking about hermits. They fascinate me. Let’s face it .There is not a Maine outdoorsman worth his salt who hasn’t at least entertained a fantasy about pulling the societal plug and really getting off the grid. It’s one thing to lose yourself in […]
outdoors
Posted inLocal Sports
Trouble on the mountain, but justice prevails
Editor’s note: The author is somewhere in the mountains of Western Colorado far from computers and the Internet. This week’s column is an excerpted chapter from his book “Backtrack.” Adam Moore guided his quarter horse down the narrow, rocky trail. It was almost lunch time. A soft October breeze stirred the golden aspen leaves. Beyond […]
advertisement
Posted inSports
Democracy in action will leave many hunters snickering
A sage once offered this definition of democracy: “Democracy is like a raft. It never sinks, but damn it, your feet are always in the water.” This cynical tidbit comes to mind if you sift through all of the proposed Maine legislative bills that wound up in the ONTP trash bag. (ONTP is an Augusta […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Grouse hunting days are upon us
Ahhh, October. Frosty mornings and flaming foliage. Grouse days are upon us. In Maine, next to whitetail deer, there is no other game species that draws as much attention in autumn from hunters, residents and nonresidents alike. Deservedly. Can you think of any other game bird that so challenges a gun dog and a shooter? […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Keeping an eye on Maine’s deer population in winter
One of the more important jobs performed by Maine’s deer research leader, Kyle Ravanna, in concert with state regional wildlife biologists, is the annual estimate of winter deer losses. Deer mortality may take place at the wintering deer yards and elsewhere in early spring as undernourished whitetails disburse in search of new forage. If the […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Bear hunting nostalgia
The Maine bear hunt is on! Unless you are an agitator with the Humane Society of the United States, this is a good story, a good hunt, and a good time of year. The weather in early September is splendid. Excited hunters come from all corners of the country to harvest a Maine black bear. […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Hunter set their sights on Maine’s game birds
A 2013 survey conducted in behalf of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife by a highly reputable polling organization sheds light on who does what in Maine when it comes to recreational hunting. Details of this survey are available to anyone on DIF&W’s official website, www.mefishwildlife.com. For starters, the survey indicates that in […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: No more chocolate for Yogi
We can all heave a huge sigh of relief. Finally, the live-free-or-die state neighboring New Hampshire has put in effect a new rule that bans the use of chocolate of any kind in bear baits. The new ban reads in part: “For the 2016 black bear baiting season and for all subsequent black […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Eating with the last of the logging camp cooks
OFF THE GOLDEN ROAD, Maine — One can read the history of Maine’s North Woods in a pot of beans. Lumber barons have come and gone, their vast tracts of land bought, sold and sold again. Actual horse power has been replaced by motors, and handsaws have bowed to chain saws, skidders and mechanized harvesters […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Maine deer lottery closing Monday
AUGUSTA — Maine hunters are almost out of time to submit applications to participate in the state’s upcoming antlerless deer hunting permit lottery. Online applications for the upcoming season are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday. The deadline to submit paper applications passed in July. The lottery is free and the drawing is set for […]