I am afraid that I could really get addicted to fishing. The only thing that is really stopping me are those images of fishing hooks embedded in fingers, thumbs, hands etc. and realizing that that could be me. I shutter! But when Al took me out fishing on the Big Lake, I could see myself really getting into fishing. The weather was perfect and I was eager to see if I could really land a fish. I had struck outturkey hunting so I was hopeful that my luck would change. One of the streams leading into the lake. Al and I met up at 8:30 and headed out. It was perfect weather, sun and a little wind. As we motored around, I was surprised by the lack of other boats on the water. We talked about...
Two days before our arrival, Sue from Chet's Camps called to see what we needed and what they could have ready for us. How would we like the beds made up? Did we need a pack n play? a highchair? They were so accommodating and helpful - even before we left home, that we knew this would be a great trip. Dawn breaking over the Big Lake in Grant Lake Stream. Al and Sue Laplate own the camps and have been providing a place to people from all over the world to come and fish the lakes known for some of the world's best landlocked salmon. It was dreary during the whole six-hour drive up but it was better to be driving in the rain than having our plans ruined because of it. By the time we got into the camp, the sun had...
I have about five blogs that I need to finish and post but here is a sneak peak of one of them. I am flirting with the idea of into fishing so we headed to Grand Lake Stream to see if I could land some of the world renounced land-locked salmon there. This is the view from our cabin!
Visiting a cemetery days after Memorial Day was surprisingly emotional for me. As I pushed my almost 1-year old in his stroller past the rows of stones, I was touched by the number of those sites that had American flags next to them. I thought about those who had given their lives for the freedoms that my son will enjoy. I also started thinking about an incredible family that I met at a Sportsmans show earlier this spring. Paul and Dee House turned their tragedy into something that I want to support and tell you about: There is some notoriety that you don't want to have. If you Google "Lee, Maine" you will find articles about the documentary "Welcome to Lee, Maine" and see that Lee is known for being the...
A little while ago, I wrote about George Smith's book, "A Life Lived Outdoors." At the time, I had not finished the book. Now that I have I want to share more of my thoughts. If you love the outdoors and have hunting and fishing stories of your own, you will immediately connect with George and his retelling of those days in the woods. There is an immediate smile that comes across your face as you read about camp and the sounds, smells and feel of being in a small building surrounded by the Maine North Woods. I couldn't help but be jealous of George's ability to leave the hussle and bussle of daily life to retreat to a place where the windows may need to be replaced but the fish bite, the moose are neighbors and...
There are few places were I live that are open and green. There are pockets of city forests or walking trails but there are no real places to get out and explore the woods and ponds. I forget that until I happen to see ducks or geese swimming in these ponds along side fast-food containers, rusty, broken hockey goals, empty plastic water bottles and plastic bags from department stores. For a city full of people who claim to be passionate about wildlife, this speaks...
In search of our turkeys, we walked down this camp road. It was around noon and there were some great spots to sit and call from along the way. Right from the start we knew this was an animal haven! The tracks and scat were all over the place. Some of the tracks actually surprised us. A fresh bear track. Check out those claws. Two bear tracks. A better view of the palm of the paw. It was like Grand Central Station for turkey up and down both sides of the road. Turkey tracks and turkey scat. While we did not see any turkey that day, Brian did call in five Toms the next day. The great thing about hunting and being outdoors is that you never know what sort of adventures you will have during the...
I have been thinking about it since Friday. The gobbling that just got closer and closer, seeing the quick movement in the dense trees and brush just in front of me, that black band across the top of those dark brown feathers and his white head stretching above the blow downs to find that purring hen that he was after. I could hear the drumming and strutting as he got closer. Finally, there he was in front of me. He stepped out, his long neck leading his puffed out body into the slight clearing... The field where we started calling. Dad and I woke up a little before 2:30am in order to have breakfast and meet our guide, Brian for our turkey hunt. We got to these fields around 4:30am with just...
On Thursday night, before our big outing with Brian, Dad and I sighted in our new shotgun. We paced out 30 yards and started shooting at our make-shift turkey heads. Dad shooting at 30 yards. Dad's pattern. My pattern. My comment to Dad after I took two shots at this piece of paper: "As long as a turkey comes in from my left, I should be in good shape." Oh the irony! Dad and I were confident that as long as a turkey was within 30 yards, we would be in good shape. I worked on setting the bead in the middle of the gun so that it would not pull to the left. It was a new gun for us and long - 28 inches but it was comfortable and I was confident that I could shoot it. We went to bed around 8pm so that we...
