Category Archives: Hunting

What’s in your hunting pack for deer season?

Bear hunting, Deer hunting, Hunting, Moose hunting, Outdoor Rec.
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I took my first hunter safety class some time around 1974. One of the things that really stuck with me in that first class was what to take in the woods with me. The only backpack I had at the time was meant for school. The list changed little between 1974 and when I first […]

There’s still time to pick mushrooms

Bird hunting, Mushrooms, Wild Food Harvesting, ,
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Summer is over but there’s still time to pick mushrooms. I’ve been picking a few boletes, goatsbeards and new to me, chicken of the woods. The nice stretch of weather has helped up my annual take. The first frost usually happens the first or second week of September out here but here we are in […]

Janet Abrahamson of Thorndike got her moose

Hunting, Moose hunting, Outdoors People,
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Janet Abrahamson's Bull Moose

The parking lot of Waite General Store was so full I had to park on the side of the road. Janet Abrahamson and Charlie Bryant were there to register Janet’s moose. A crowd gathered around the Weight General scale, and I arrived just in time to see the big bull being lowered onto the trailer. […]

Finally! A bear!

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Black Bear, Hunting, The Outdoors, White-tailed Deer, Wildlife, ,
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I’m getting comfortable in my own stand. I don’t like it much but I’m adjusting. Today was a big improvement. I didn’t check the bait barrel yesterday. Ava had three harsh seizures and it took her a while to come out of it. I went up this afternoon. I watch the road closely for scat […]

HSUS for Fair Bear Hunting?

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Hunting,
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HSUS for Fair…wait…did you think the name of this entity was Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting? mmm…so did a lot of folks. “Mainers” in this case is code word for Humane Society of the United States, based in Washington, DC. Their website is fairbearhunt.com, and the name of the website is typed into the software […]

My no-bear bear baiting experience

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Black Bear, Hunting, The Outdoors, , , ,
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That’s right…no bear. There’s a bear or two around but they aren’t coming to the barrel. We set up the tree stand and barrel on July 27, the first day baiting was allowed. Taylor held the ladder in place while Steve climbed to the top to secure the seat to the tree. He trimmed a […]

Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness

Book Review, Deer hunting, Hunting, White-tailed Deer
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Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness

Cambronne, Al. Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance and the Essence of Wildness. Lyons Press. 2013. $18.95 (272p) ISBN 978-0-7627-8027-3 I read Deerland with a highlighter and sticky notes in hand, marking pages and highlighting paragraphs I’ll know I’ll come back to. No detail seemed tedious or unnecessary. As a new hunter living in an area […]

A cow moose walks into a bear baiting station…

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Hunting, Wildlife, , , ,
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This cow moose strolled through the bait station at 5 pm Friday. She looked at the barrel for 20 seconds before moving on. She’s the only thing on the game cam; even the raccoon hasn’t been back. The moose has been walking up and down the road. She’s bigger than I guessed from her tracks. […]

Bear Baiting: a little discouraged

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Birds, Black Bear, Hunting, Wildlife, , , ,
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As of yesterday (Monday) afternoon there hasn’t been a bear at my bait barrel. I’ve changed bait from meat and sweet goat chow to doughnuts. The doughnuts did get the attention of one critter on the first night. I was excited for a split second when I saw the tipped barrel and a log on […]

Bear Baiting: tending the bait

bear baiting, Black Bear, Hunting, Moose, The Outdoors, , , ,
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Tending the barrel has been quick and easy. I park at the bottom of the hill at the washout and walk a quarter-mile to the barrel. I enjoy the daily trip. I make noise going in to help prevent meeting up with bears at the site. With If I have someone with me, we talk. […]

Bear Baiting: The barrel

bear baiting, Bear hunting, Black Bear, Hunting, Recipes, Wildlife, , , ,
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I’m using an old plastic 50 gallon barrel the girls had for barrel racing as my bait barrel. Steve cut a hole in it with the chainsaw. The size of the hole isn’t particularly important to me. I’ve seen large holes bears can stick their heads into and small holes they have to reach into […]

Don’t store bear bait in the… (reader shared story)

Bear hunting, Black Bear, Hunting, Wildlife, , , ,
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Bear fur

Steve’s putting together a tree stand for the bear bait site. I’m getting the game cameras’ batteries replaced, cards formatted and inserted, and a little bait together. A cortisone shot in my injured, arthritic knee on Thursday is working nicely today so rolling the barrel up hill won’t be so bad. I need to figure […]

Bear baiting opens July 27

Bear hunting, Black Bear, Hunting, The Outdoors, , , ,
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Bear baiting opens this Saturday. I started thinking last winter about where I wanted to put the bait barrel. It seems like somewhere on this 45 acres we own there would be a good spot. There isn’t. For the sake of the dogs and bears, who should never meet, it needs to be far from […]

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, 2013 Intro Skills Weekend

Camping, Fishing, Hunting, Outdoor Rec., Outdoors People, The Outdoors, Turkey hunting, Wild Food Harvesting
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Maine Game Warden Kris MacCabe teaches ATV Safety

It’s time! Last year’s Introductory Skills Weekend filled quickly and had a long waiting list. Emily MacCabe, coordinator of Maine BOW, released the workshop schedule and registration form (opens a pdf file) this afternoon. The cost of the weekend is $225. The fee includes meals from Friday’s through Sunday’s lunch, all equipment, bunking in a […]

Bear Sausage Quiche

Bear, Bear hunting, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, Cooking Wild Game, Hunting, Outdoors People, Recipes, Wild Food Harvesting, Wild Game, , ,
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bear sausage, quiche recipe

I led a workshop called Cooking Wild Game for Maine BOW’s Winter Skills Weekend. One of the dishes we made is Bear Sausage Quiche. Thanks to Jeremy and Gene, generous hunters who donated sausage to my workshop, we were able to taste the sausage alone and use it in quiche. It was a big hit. […]

Let’s Talk About Birds

Bird Watching, Birds, Bow, Ice fishing
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This is my daughter Taylor. She’s a wildlife bio major in college, and was very excited to have the opportunity to handle Kahn, an immature goshawk that belongs to Dennis Kerekes. Dennis is training Kahn to hunt. I’m looking forward to the time I’ll be spending with Dennis and Kahn; Dennis is a patient teacher […]