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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
Posted inLocal Sports
For him, this bowhunting law misses the mark
If you are a Maine bowhunter or recreational archer, fasten your seat belt! You are not gonna believe this. Among the assortment of new sportsmen-related state laws that got squeezed through under the public radar was LD 540, which, I predict, is destined to live in infamy, at least among the bowhunting communtity. Language in […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Maine’s bear hunt
Maine’s annual bear hunt began this year on August 26 and runs through November 30. It is legal to hunt bears over bait this year from August 29 to September 21. Houndsmen may hunt bear with dogs from September 9 to November 1. Trappers can harvest a bear in September and October. Maine has a […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Little bird told him to hunt up north
October can be the month of months, when it comes to spending time in the Maine woods. Frosty mornings, crisp clear skies, a warming afternoon sun and a backdrop of bright fall colors are October’s trademark, and part of the attraction for the fall bird gunner. For the sportsmen who is blessed with a well-trained […]
Posted inNational Sports
Extracting a moose can be like moving a mountain
A number of first-time moose hunters have emailed me queries with some good questions, especially those dealing with what I call the Great Moose Extraction. Getting the moose out of the woods, after it is down, as the man said, ain’t no easy thing. The logistical challenge of getting the meat from the woods to […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Any-deer rules revised to attract young hunters
As a rule most of us — even those who try to stay informed — learn about new state laws after the fact. It’s the nature of the beast. If you quit your job and became a total recluse holed up in a cave with nothing but an I-Pad, a year’s supply of energy bars, […]
Posted inLocal Sports
A couple of Quimby zingers are real eye-openers
Hold the phone! Stop the tape! Roxanne Quimby is doing what? She — or at least the organization that represents her and her vast land holdings — is opening 40,000 acres of her Maine woodlands to hunting this fall! That’s right. According to Quimby’s son, Lucas St. Clair, who heads up Elliotsville Plantation, Inc., in […]
Posted inLocal Sports
Outdoors in Maine: Last gun dog slips away after horrifying incident
The huge, bear-like dog came out of nowhere. It pounced upon Sally and clamped its big jaws around her throat grinding her into the dirt. My 15-year old, frail English Setter kicked and yelped in pain as the St. Bernard shook her like a rag doll. I yelled and kicked at Sally’s attacker. I felt […]