This snowy owl is about eye level for me, had I been sitting in my tree seat. Dad and I see owls every year when we are hunting but they are usually barred owls. The last time we saw a snowy owl was in 1998 when we had a massive ice storm. We had three pictures of this guy and then he was gone.
Photo from Ducks.org While drinking coffee and reading the latest issue of Ducks Unlimited, I decided that I want to shoot a goose. I know nothing about it; not what type of gun and ammo to use or how close I need to be. I did learned that the season in Maine is the fall, which will work well for my schedule and learning curve. When I was younger, my neighbor and I would track geese in the corn fields. We were not trying to hurt the birds, just wanted to see how close we could get. At our best, we got within 20 feet of a flock of snow geese before they saw up coming up over the knoll. The thunderous sound of the...
Dad saw a lynx in this area about five years ago... so don't rule it out... is this a lynx? a bobcat? This is the first time we have had a cat on any of the trail cameras... and luckily enough, the deer did not disappear because of it. Can you please let me know what cat this is? Thanks!
1. My child cries/moans in his sleep! Seriously - see #6. Is this normal? Who knew? 2. I needed to bring a lot of gear with me! My hunting clothes, my 'normal clothes', his toys, his clothes, his bedding, his food... I'm glad I have an Outback! 3. Bringing the wrong "flow" bottle top could alter how quickly he goes to sleep. Slow flow - forces him to slow down and puts him to sleep. Rapid flow - drinks too fast and throws up. And is not tired. 4. I had to make sure to pack enough diapers, food and clothes. 5. Don't forget the bathtub - routine is important! I forgot to bring this the first weekend and...
He may have won this year, but after Dad went scouting on the first few snow falls, we are pretty sure he is still out there. Until next year...
Our first tree house. During the last two weekends of hunting season, we headed over to the spot where it all started! ~~~ While Hubby and Dad decided to still hunt on the mountain, I needed a place to sit. Dad said that our original tree house was still safe if I wanted to go there. He advised me that the roof (made of canvas) had caved in a bit and that could pose an issue. I hate to be on the ground and trying to hunt, so I figured I would take my chances. When I approached the stand the first time, it looked good. Not as good as it did when we first built it seven years ago, but stable and strong. When Dad and...
This is what 7* looks like 7 degrees. 7 flippin degrees is what the thermometer read when we headed outside on Friday morning. I was as bundled up as possible with hand and toe warmers. Hubby headed to the Sky Condo with instructions to start walking around 7:30am. Dad dropped me off at our newest tree seat and he took off to make a loop around me. The plan was for Hubby to come from the right, Dad from the left and me, in the middle, shooting any deer that happened to get jumped. If it had antlers, it was going down. When it is this cold, I go into owl mode where I really don't move much more than my...
For the past 10 1/2 seasons, we have been a two hunter show. I sit, Dad walks and we either find deer or move to a new spot. This time Hubby came along and it added new challenges for us. Dad and I have three seats up and decided that we would each get a spot to sit during the first few hours of Saturday morning. We put Hubby in the Sky Condo because he has not hunted/shot from a tree seat and we have some tiny/slanted seats that Dad and I are used to. It seemed a little awkward to try and get everyone in place early enough so that the last person was sitting at an early enough time to beat the deer moving. At 5 am, we...
It was definitely not the best day of hunting we have ever had. We had planned to skip Friday afternoon so that Hubby could come up with me, but thanks to an illness, he didn't come and I missed the opportunity to catch the last couple of hours with Dad in the woods. With the moon almost full, Dad and I figured that we would walk in extra early on Saturday and get set up before the deer started moving. My 4 am wake up call (Mom coming to wake me up so an alarm does not wake the baby up) came at 4:26. I have never jumped out of bed and dressed so fast! The problem is that I sit when I hunt, so I dress in many,...
Dad has hunted on the land that houses the Sky Condo for the better part of his life. About six years ago, we built the SC and started hunting there full time. At that time, there were no other hunters near by. A few years ago, a hunter bought a bordering piece of property, re-did the old camp that was there and brought his buddies along. We haven't had a lot of incidents with them (trespassing last year, putting pink ribbon on my tree seat and lying to us when we asked them what they shot - a search through the list at the tagging station said an 8-point buck). Two years ago, Dad bought a piece of land that...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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!
This little story has been locked away since last season. I was sworn not to share it. It was a story I was willing to lock away forever. But, when Dad told a few people, it was like getting the ok to share it. Dad and I were in the Sky Condo the weekend before the last week of deer season. It was about 3:30 pm and we were waiting to see if any deer would come in. To look out from the SC, the left front corner has canvas around it to help cut the wind down. It can also cut down on a clear view of the woods from that direction but move about 6 inches to the right, and that small piece of woods is...
