I was cleaning up pictures and came across these two from a few years ago. The smell was horrible but after a while I got used to it. I don't know if it was the (lack of) quality pot that I used or the fact that I did this on my grill and then stove when I ran out of propane, but I had to throw it all away when I was done. At least I got a cool...
It is always fun to see a Bald Eagle, especially when you least expect it. I found this bird sitting in a tree, being carefully watched by two crows. It was a cold morning - around 5 degrees, so when I rolled my window down the heat from inside the car escaped and created a blurry look to the pictures. I wasn't willing to get out of the car in case the bird flew.
We had just gotten back from snowmobiling when Dad said that there was a turkey outside. We watched as more and more birds flew down and started pecking at the dirt spots on the ground. At their closest, they were about 10 feet from the back steps. I kept waiting for one to land on the snowmobile, but none did. We counted 14 in all. The spent about an hour pecking at the dirt and roaming around the yard. From there, they headed onto the mountain. A few of them stayed near a water spot for the rest of the afternoon. I am not sure if they were enjoying the block from the wind or if they were...
There is something about fishing that creates a community on the water. I don't really fish - I am learning, but I would not consider myself a fisherman, yet. I am planning on going fishing again this spring at GLS but it's been a while since I took to the ice to try and pull a fish out of the hard water. Recently though, I tried smelt fishing with my friend Jen. The rows of shacks. Open water not very far away The wind was blowing hard but the heat in the shack was so hot that we had to rig the door to stay slightly open. We even went for a walk down on the ice. As the tide was coming in, we could watch the ice...
After my incident last season, Dad decided that it would make more sense to be hidden in the woods and have more coverage than my treeseat gives me. This will help me get a better view of the more traveled deer trails and not rely on the deer to come my way. He wanted to build a permanent structure that would allow us to hunt in all weather conditions. So, Dad has been busy building T3. He constructed it in the barn to make sure all of the dimensions were right. Our first treestand was built 16 feet off the ground using a 12 foot ladder. Not ideal and clearly not built by hunters who knew what they were...
The forecast calls for 20-25 inches coming my way this weekend. That storm will mean that we have seen almost 6 feet of snow in the past 3 weeks. It has snowed about every other day. I think everyone who pays attention to the deer herd is watching and hoping that the lack of snow early on in the winter allowed for the deer to store up more fat and get more food to be able to survive 6 feet of snow in such a short time. Dad and I checked on 'our deer' while our snowmobiling Last spring the turkey season was eliminated from Northern Maine because of the snow fall amounts and concern over the breeding success rates. Living...
The first of four snowstorms was on it's way when we headed into the woods. I was pretty sure that we could get a couple hours of rabbit hunting in before I had to head home. This would be my first attempt at small game hunting so I was excited and eager to find out how it was done. I met up with my cousin Hillary and her finance, Lance to go rabbit hunting with their three beagles. We loaded up our guns, snowshoes and gear onto snowmobiles and headed out to see if we could get some meat. Our first stop was a quick trip through a grown up boggy area. It was thick and there were not a lot of animal signs. The...
...is this! Sent to me by one of the coolest people I know. Do you know what it is? It's chaga! I was going to make a concentrate during the snow storm but I made venison stew in my crockpot instead. I am eager to break it down to drink in my coffee and tea. I have had it before and loved it. I am so excited to try making it on my own - and then, I need to work on identifying it in the woods so that I can continue to get it. Do you drink...
I don't know if I should have eaten more or less but my stomach was freaking out when Steve and I sat in the blind. I kept adding layers to keep warm and to see if I could muffle the growls. I hoped that nothing would hear me and run off. Steve and Lorri (who had taken me bear hunting) had put out deer carcases from a local butcher about a week before. The pile of bones were strewn all over the field by the coyotes that had been there. We got settled into the blind and watched the crows picking away at the pile furthest away. My stomach growled and they flew away. I hoped that something else scared...
It was cold, but the sun was out and Dad, Hubby and I were eager to go into the woods to look at where T3 will be set up, bring in a couple of tree stands and I wanted to look for sheds. The recent dusting of snow helped to see any new deer tracks. It also helped to see the main trails and activity of the deer herd. There were a lot of spots that looked like this. The deer have been on an acorn frenzy and since there is not a lot of snow, they can still paw at the ground and leaves to find them. Deer paw for acorns buried along the leaves and snow. I tracked a couple of deer from the Sky Condo as we made our way...
The Maine legislature begins its next session soon and while there are a bunch of wildlife bills being put forward to help keep Maine's wildlife safe and healthy, each year there is one argument that is heard over and over and over again - the desire for Sunday hunting in Maine. The law has been on the books since the 1800's and there have been bills to try and get it over turned but nothing has worked. Many people think that the law is outdated, needs to be changed and is costing Maine revenue from hunters who would come here to hunt. Here are the most common arguments heard for it: 1. People who work Monday-Friday only have...
I took the family on a little road trip earlier this week to get out of the house. We ended up in the same area that I was bear baiting and were I would eventually shoot my bear. It was the first time I had been back there and it was fun to show Hubby where I had been. When we stopped for lunch, the coolest painting was in the bathroom. I know, I know but it was such a cool picture that I had to take a photo. And what were the odds that near my hunting area, in that specific restaurant and in the lady's room, there would be this painting. Pretty...
As I was looking through photos of 2014 and printing some out, I couldnt help but get nostalgic. I had no intention of bear hunting a year ago. I had actually told my Dad (a few times) that I had no desire to shoot a bear, didn't think I could like the meat and that it was just not in my wheel house. Skip ahead a few months and with the invitation of Steve and Lorri, I learned how to prepare and set bait and went hunting. Then, given the opportunity to hunt with hounds, I took a chance to learn more about it and came home with an incredible story and some delicious meat. I may look calm but I was freaking...
You do "funny" things when you are a hunter. You willingly wake up at 4am. You willingly spend hours tracking, sitting and walking and you willingly sit out in 0 degree weather waiting for an animal (coyote) in my case. Some mornings, it is fun to document my questionable saneness and the last weekend of deer hunting season was one of those cases. I never did get a coyote but night hunting for them starts this week! Frozen...
In 2015, I have a few goals that I am hoping to finally accomplish. 1. Get a turkey! I came close last year, but I am hoping that the 3rd time is the charm. 2. Goose hunting. I had plans last year that fell through so I am hoping to try that this year. 3. Catch a 'keep-able' fish. 4. Go bear hunting again. I will never beat this year's hunt, but I can try. 5. Get that 8-pointer! 6. Go with biologists to a bear den. 7. Shoot a moose (this will be on my list each year until I do.) 8. Shoot a coyote. 9. Learn about trapping. I don't know if I will actually do it, but I want to go and see how it's done. What else should I...
...having a deer bed down next to your tree stand. This bed was about 15 feet from the bottom of my stand. When I went out to see where the deer was that Hubby jumped, I noticed this. The deer were everywhere the guys were, but they just couldn't make a connection. Maybe next year!
I got my skull back from Lori and Jim at New Frontier Taxidermy! They are incredible. Not only are they tanning my bear hide but they saved my skull. Saved it! A look into my bear's mouth One of the things that I did not want to tell people was that when my bear was getting cut up at the butcher's, his skull was cut. I knew it was bad and the look on my guide's face was a give away for how bad it may be. But, I had my bear head, hide and an extra bag with the back part of his skull in it that I took up to New Frontier Taxidermy for Lori and Jim. I lied to people when they asked me about it and...
Well, I can still look at the photos right? Since Dad and Hubby still need to fill their tags, we are still looking at the trail cameras to see which deer are around. It is also fascinating to see how the deer change their behaviors as the season progresses and the rut starts. Case in point - those two big 8-pointers that I want the guys to shoot, are still around! These are from a couple week ago. I forgot to get the newer pictures from Saturday am when they walked through. I have been chasing this second deer for two years now. If the guys don't get him this year, I want to land him next year! Also, how funny...
For those of you who live out of State or have not picked up the November issue of Downeast Magazine, here is my article online. I would love to hear what you think about it. Thanks! Why We Hunt: Belonging
What happens when you tag out in the first 30 minutes of deer season? You get bored and are done hunting. Hubby and Dad both needed to be elsewhere last weekend so we stayed out of the woods. This weekend though, I am going into the woods. I will bring my camera and play photographer but I may also bring my gun and look for some coyotes. We know they are around - we saw a ton of high traffic areas in the snow recently. The issue of coyotes came up recently in a weekly newsletter from the National Deer Alliance. The NDA is a new organization that was started by hunters and managers at the North American...