Maine’s annual bear hunt begins Aug. 25 and goes until Sept. 20. If the past is prologue, more than 10,000 hunters will harvest between 2,500 and 3,000 of Maine’s bear population, which exceeds 30,000. As state biologists point out, this fall’s “take” of black bears isn’t sufficient to stem Maine’s expanding bear population. Yet, thanks […]
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Outdoors in Maine: Start thinking about those any-deer permits
It always pays to plan ahead even in deer hunting. It seems a long way off, and whether you are a bow hunter or a gun hunter, the frosty mornings will be here before you know it. Step one is to remind yourself that the deadline for submitting your application for the drawing of […]
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Moving to the beat when it comes to hunting deer
Serious deer hunters are always “in school.” In an effort to better understand our quarry and get into a deer’s head, we never stop seeking information about deer behavior. In this regard two of my favorite reference books on whitetail facts are, in this order, “Whitetail Savvy” by Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III and Hunting […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Campfires can be magical
Campfires are a magical thing. It’s a rare outdoorsperson who doesn’t find something restful and pleasing about a crackling fire that dances about and licks at the cool night air. The fire warms your body and soul, and lights the faces of your campmates who share stories and good memories of other times and other […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Right to hunt subject to public opinion
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 […]
Posted inLocal & State
Did you get a moose-hunting permit?
At 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will release the names of more than 3,000 hunters who won the drawing for moose-hunting licenses in 2014. SunJournal.com will have a searchable database of hunters with permits and information on the moose-hunting season at SunJournal.com/2014/MooseLottery.
Posted inLocal Sports
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 […]