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 them away but I wasn't sure until I saw this guy sweep in. The Red-tailed hawk flew down onto...
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 Many people think that the law is outdated, needs to be changed and is costing Maine revenue from hunters who would come here to hunt.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 Saturday to hunt 2. If you own the land, why can't you hunt on it whenever you want? I sat in a meeting...
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 out Grateful Look at those scars! I told the taxidermist that I want each one of them to be seen when...
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...
Copyright Darrold Door. Picture found at: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting_trapping/hunting/bear.htm Bear hunting. Just those two words can bring out some very strong emotion amongst hunters and non-hunters. I would tell you to vote NO on1 and I could give you a long list of reasons why but if you are reading this, chances are I am preaching to the choir when it comes to understanding why hunting is necessary to keep animal populations healthy. I have never gone bear hunting. I have really never had an interest. My friend Robin is an incredible outdoor woman who has been bear hunting for the past three years. I have been OK living vicariously through her with the hopes of trading my unwavering support for bear meat,...
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...
As I was driving to work today I had a thought; one of my biggest issues with transitioning to turkey hunting is the idea of aiming at the head and hoping enough pellets are close enough together to kill the bird. What if I learned to bow hunt for turkey? That would give me one arrow to aim (like one bullet) and I would have one target to hit instead of aiming in a general spot. For those of you avid turkey hunters, what is your thought on this? I would not be able to do this until next year, but it is a tempting thought. Will it work?
While out on our snowmobile ride, we went down a stretch of powerline that was peppered with deer stands. I envision something like the Dunkin Donuts/snowplow commercial where one deer steps out and there are at least three hunters ready to take aim. I am glad that we hunt on private land! Here are the photos. Which one would YOU want to hunt...
