Tag: Bangor Daily News
Committee to hunters: You don’t have the right to feed your family
I have three words for the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife – shame on you. By bowing to anti-hunting activists and out of state interests, you have sold your own constituents down the river. And for what good cause?
LD 11, sponsored by State Representative Stephen Wood, proposed amending Maine’s constitution to establish the right to hunt and fish was recently before the committee for a vote. The result was a split decision with ‘Ought Not to Pass’ gaining the majority vote. Read More…
Keep your feet warm with these tips from the cold feet crowd
I recently asked followers on my Facebook page how they keep their feet warm and to name their favorite winter boot. These are hunters, ice fisherman and trappers for the most part, and if anyone knows about cold feet it is this crowd. While there were varied opinions on brand, most agreed on certain features.
5 hot destinations for early ice fishing
For most anglers, ice fishing preparations are still under way. Shacks are being readied; tip ups are being checked and ice augers are being uncovered from a mountain of gear stowed in the shed. Most of the state’s waters open to ice fishing are still thickening and anticipation runs high. If you are one of the legions of ice fishing fanatics that simply cannot wait for your local spot to harden over, fear not. Head west young fisherman; December ice fishing is underway in western Maine. Read More…
Maine bear hunters might get a second shot
This question on the survey really got my attention – “Currently you can harvest 2 bears, one while hunting and one while trapping. If the law allowed you to harvest two bears while hunting, would you attempt to harvest two bears?” I had no choice but to answer ‘yes’. There simply wasn’t an option for ‘Heck yeah!’ Read More…
Why you soon may be hearing shots in the dark
The first thought that may cross your mind when you hear the report of a rifle in the still of the night next week could be ‘Poachers!’ – But that may be jumping the gun. Maine’s night hunting season on coyote opens Saturday December 16th at 12:01 a.m. Read More…
How sportsmen pay the way for wildlife management
When Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Regional Biologist Mark Caron pulled into my dooryard, I was processing the front quarters of the buck I had taken a few days earlier. As he got out of his truck and grabbed his gear, I jokingly remarked that it sure took him long enough. I ribbed him because the last time he was here I didn’t even have the deer out of the truck and hanging on the gambrel before he showed up to take a tooth sample. He must have stopped at the tagging station to check the registrations right after I left…
Want to bag a big buck on opening day? Hunt like an owl.
For many hunters, taking a mature 200 pound plus whitetail buck is a lifetime achievement. Big mature bucks are wily and love to prove it to you all season long. If you know there is a bruiser cruising the woods near your stand but can never put eyes on him, take a few tips from one of the fiercest hunters in the woods – the Great Horned Owl.
3 things you should never enter the Maine woods without
When I first began studying in earnest to become a Registered Maine Guide, my mentor probed my knowledge of the outdoors and experience level. He knew I was an Army veteran with a lot of time logged in the field but noted that guiding clients in the big woods of Maine had its own set of rules and norms. The most important question he had for me was, “What are the three things a guide should always carry?” Here are the answers and why.
3 common mistakes turkey hunters make and how to avoid them
You have been out at dawn and dusk for days, using a locator call to make the big toms gobble and give away their roosting trees. Countless miles have been logged walking field edges and tote roads looking for turkey sign like scratches, dusting sites and tracks. You may even be lucky enough to have a breeding flock patterned.
Maine Moose Permit Lottery opens: Here are 5 tips for your first hunt
The chance for a hunt of a lifetime is once again upon us. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has announced the opening of the 2017 Maine Moose Lottery application process. This year the proposed allocation of 2,140 tags break down like this – 1,815 Bull-only, 220 Antlerless-only and 105 Any-moose permits. Here are some tips to help make it your lucky year.