I have blogged before about women's hunting clothes, or the lack thereof. This year, as I prepare to take on turkey season, goose season and my beloved deer season, I am starting to really look at what I wear and what I need to stay warm and mobile. I'm a still hunter. I find a spot and sit. I have also been given fair warning by Dad that come November, I should assume that I will be pulling 5-6 hour stints in one spot. Last year, with my layers (three on bottom and seven!! on top), it was tough to get my gun nestled into the crook of my shoulder and have control. I realized that I needed better, thinner layers. Photo from Northern Solstice Alpaca's Facebook page. So I was intrigued when I spoke with Robin...
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 birds taking off was startling and amazing. I have never shot a bird, only deer. Dad and...
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...
Three years ago, Dad and I headed into the woods to get a moose. I took a week off from work and we were rocked and ready. Zone 17. In hindsight, I can see why Rick wanted to trade permits for that zone. Throughout the week, we saw one dead moose and a spot where one was gutted. That was it. It was the second time Dad had been drawn and the first time he didn't come home with some meat. At the start of the 2012 moose season, it was projected that 75,000 moose were roaming the woods. In my interview with Commissioner Woodcock, he spoke about the changes that were taking place this season that would allow more people to get their permit who had not. This past fall, my brother in law (BIL) who is a biologist for the State of Maine was...
A few weeks ago, I sat down with the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Chandler Woodcock to talk about the increase in moose and doe permits across the State and what it means for sportswomen (and men) this upcoming hunting season. Q: The number of moose permits has been released for 2013 and they have increased since last year (from 3,725 to 4155). What's changed? A: Our biologist, Lee Kantar has been working tirelessly to get an accurate moose count. He has gone up in a helicopter and used some new technology to get accurate numbers of moose around Maine. The majority of the increases will be seen north of Bangor and we looked at each WMD individually to make sure we are carefully monitoring the...
Well, we know we are in a good area and that our calls work. We got into the woods by the Sky Condo a little earlier than we did on the first day. The weather predicted rain so we wanted to get in as much time as possible. We got to our ground blind, set up the decoys and settled in to start calling. This morning though, we didn’t have to start anything. We heard a gobble within five minutes of sitting down. I got my box call out and called back. He answered almost immediately. We had a great conversation for a steady 30 minutes with him often double or triple gobbling. Then the gobbles became more spaced apart but did not stop. Dad decided that be would circle down to the power...
It is hard to hunt anything when there are rain drops falling off the trees. It is probably the worst during deer season when everything sounds like the snapping of a branch. But, this was my first day of turkey hunting and having never been before, I had no idea what I should be listening for besides a gobble. Our turkey decoys Dad and I had two decoys set up about 15 yards away from us. I had a slate call, a box call and my camo on. It was starting to get light out when we reached the blind; that time of morning when you can not tell if you really are seeing something move or if it is just your eyes. It was probably a little later than we should have been in the woods, but we are new and learning. About...
This year, Dad and I decided that we would sit out of the moose lotto. It made sense. In 2010, when Dad was picked, we spent a solid 8 hours a day riding the roads in his truck looking for moose, walking around in the woods calling for moose and seeing a lot of hunters and only 1 dead cow. Since we know the time commitment that we are looking at if we get picked, and with me nursing a 4 month old come October, we decided to not apply for a permit. But, with the new Maine Moose Lotto revamped from what it was in 2011, Dad and I could still get points for applying and ensure our names were not entered to be drawn for permits. For each year that you apply and you do not get a permit, you gain a point. I am up to 5 points right now. The...
