I was so worried about my son waking up in the middle of the night and subsequently waking up my parents, that I barely slept. This was our first overnight and every little whimper had me ready to jump out of bed and make him a bottle. When I got up at 4:30 it seemed as though I had just gone to bed. But it was opening day and there were deer to find! Dad and I had looked over the memory cards from our cameras the night before. Dad asked me to keep track of how many bucks I saw in the photos. One spike, one crotch horn, another spike, a small six (maybe) pointer, two more crotch horns, a NICE, wide six-pointer and a bunch of does. More does. The same does. Turkeys. Grass. Grass. A coyote (boo!) and then... a perfect, beautiful, thick...
I recently sat down with Kyle Ravana, the state’s deer biologist, to talk about what his goals are for the deer herd, what challenges he sees ahead and he answers the question: “Would you rather have a warm winter that is easy on deer or a harsh winter that kills off a lot of deer ticks?” Maine Biologist, Kyle Ravana You took over this position in February. What are your goals for your first year on the job? I really want to get familiar with the job, the materials that we have and the current deer data. I’m diving into the management systems that we have and looking at what our strengths and weaknesses are. I have been researching how other states work with their deer herds and what works or doesn’t work for them in terms of...
Deer season starts tomorrow!!! Dad and I have had the cameras up seriously for about a month or so. The excitement of bringing the memory cards home, waiting to see if there are new pictures and then of what... it's almost like Christmas morning for us. We have three cameras out, two by the Sky Condo and one by my tree seat. One of this year's photos (the last one, below) got Dad and I talking. Is it better to know what you have out there, even if you never see it? or is the element of surprise better? For example, here are some photos that we have taken from the trail camera of deer that came, got their photo taken and disappeared. This buck is right below the Sky Condo A different buck (look at the tines and...
After we went to find some Epic Moose, Brian, Robin and I went to have lunch at Grand Falls. It was a perfect Maine fall day. The sky was blue, the fall leaves were vibrant colors of orange and red and yellow and the Dead River was pristine. Brian made us partridge sandwiches with cranberries and walnuts and moose stew. We washed them down with a beer an soaked up the sun. We could not have picked a more perfect day! Spencer Stream joining the Dead River Spencer Stream Why I love Maine! The trail to Grand Falls Grand Falls Grand...
Here are a few more photos that I couldn't quite get to fit into my blog. Enjoy!!! Robin and Brian Brian was able to get urine from a bull moose that one of his clients shot the week before. This is straight moose pee! Walking into the choppin's Brian with a call in his pocket and camera set up Brian racking the trees to sound like a bull My first moose seen in the woods! He was a young bull but I would have shot him Checking out another spot Moose tracks! Fall...
I know that I owe you all a couple blog posts, esp one about my epic moose sight seeing adventure... But until then, check out this live deer camera! I would LOVE to see some of these big bucks while I'm in the woods. Deer season starts for rifles in Maine in just a couple of weeks so I am using this cam as a sort of prep work for me. Ha! Enjoy: http://thecrush.tv/deer-cam
Hello to all of my non-hunting friends! I am writing this letter to you because I want to encourage you to become educated on one very important topic that you will be seeing and hearing more about. It is the issue of bear hunting in Maine. In the upcoming months, there will be a lot of political spin on the bear issue in Maine. I want you to feel as though you are getting a real picture of what the issue is before you cast that ballot next November. Am I biased? Yes. I do not bear hunt but I know enough about it to have a very strong opinion about this issue. I am hoping that as my friend, you will grant me a few minutes to hear me out on the issue. First, when you are hunting, there is no...
Besides getting a deer, it's the quiet of sitting alone in the woods. I have always felt that sitting in a tree for hours is kind of like having a zen moment (or hours) and I love it. I don't think I have appreciated it as much as I probably will this year. As I write this, my three month old is having a total melt down over nothing (side note, I will eventually put his photo here http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com/ for others to smile about. It's a GREAT blog). And as much as I love spending time with my family and cuddling with my son, I have not had me time for a while. I look forward to being alone in that tree just listening to the birds, squirrels and passing traffic. An added benefit of hunting...
Today the any deer (really, doe) permits were released and Dad got one!!! Between finding that out, all of the posts on Twitter with friends and followers posting photos of elk, antelope and other critters they have shot, I can not wait until deer season starts. Can you imagine if Dad gets a doe and I get a buck?!? We have yet to each get a deer in the same season although we had the chance last year =) Come on November!
