The field dressing is done and your quarry is loaded. The endorphins your body released are fading and your nerves are finally calming. You pack away your gear and your rifle, drop your truck into drive and head to the tagging station. Along the way, the film reel of your hunt plays in your mind.Continue reading “Tagging Station Traditions”
Author Archives: John Floyd
Posted: The Pandemic Effect
I first noticed it sometime in early spring of 2020. As I turned off Route 6 onto the Bottle Lake Rd in Springfield, my Grand Laker canoe on the hitch and headed to Lower Sysladobsis Lake, I saw a few fresh real estate signs in newly cleared timber lots. Further along, even more. This certainlyContinue reading “Posted: The Pandemic Effect”
Baiting Bobcats
This month is truly primetime for Maine predator hunters. Foxes, coyote and bobcats are all very active this time of year as the mating season is in full swing – the ‘predator rut’ if you will. Foxes are usually the first to start the mating season in January and continue through March. Coyotes follow, gettingContinue reading “Baiting Bobcats”
Rainy Day Rifles
If you are a big game hunter and more so, a northern Maine big game hunter, you have been afield in some pretty nasty weather. I’m referring to those days when the forecast calls for gusty winds and rain, or perhaps the new climate buzzword known as the wintry mix. You know the days I’mContinue reading “Rainy Day Rifles”
Black Powder Bobcats
A few years ago, I noticed a trend developing as the late firearm season for deer transitioned to muzzleloader season. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a coincidence, or maybe luck. After it occurred three seasons in a row, I recognized it was a pattern and my understanding of the woodsContinue reading “Black Powder Bobcats”
The Legend of Sneaky Pete
It was a cold and crisp November morning, late in the firearms season when I mounted my stand. The ladder steps were frosted over and the metal slick as I ascended the fifteen feet to my perch. A hard frost had come in overnight and as I looked up through the tree canopy, the starsContinue reading “The Legend of Sneaky Pete”
Tips for Bear Hunters
Black bear season in Maine is right around the corner. If the pattern holds true this year, we may be in for a tough start to the bear over bait season. Last year, the shortage of natural food sources resulted in some of the hottest bait season action we have seen in years. This yearContinue reading “Tips for Bear Hunters”
Small Mouths, Big Action
This month will see some of the hottest smallmouth bass fishing we can usually expect for the open water fishing season. While smallmouth do not typically enjoy the status of being one of Maine’s premiere, sought-after game fish such as landlocked Atlantic salmon and brook trout, these black bass provide fantastic fishing opportunities in lateContinue reading “Small Mouths, Big Action”
Preserve, Protect, Support and Defend
Do those words sound familiar? They should, because they are the foundation of every sworn oath in most federal and state oaths of office. We hear them solemnly delivered every four years as the next President of the United States is sworn in. To be specific, we hear the newly elected or re-elected president sayContinue reading “Preserve, Protect, Support and Defend”
Gun Legislation Rollout
Last month, we talked about the future of gun rights and what to expect coming down the proverbial pipe. When I wrote that column, I had to rely strictly on the president’s stated platform and existing positions held by current and former anti-gun elected officials and the promises they’ve made to their supporters.. Well, theContinue reading “Gun Legislation Rollout”