Sportsmen love their toys. Of course, they prefer to consider these toys as indispensable tools for the outdoors. Sometimes the best gift one can give to an outdoorsman is a tool or device that he might not either think to buy for himself or feel comfortable buying. For example, my late mother-in-law always had an …
John Holyoke, outdoors columnist for the Bangor Daily News for the past 17 years, follows a long succession of the newspaper’s well-known outdoor writers — Bill Geagan, Bud Leavitt and Tom Hennessey. Like some of those before him, Holyoke started out as a sports reporter for the BDN. The Brewer native, a recent guest on …
There are deer hunters and, then, there are big buck hunters. Which are you? Of course, you say, we are all buck hunters, one way or another. Any Maine deer hunter who does not have a doe tag is a buck hunter, right? True, but there are a few stalwart deer hunters in Maine who …
Most of us who spend time deer hunting have had encounters with deer ticks, the bad ones, or know someone with Lyme disease. Earlier this fall, University of Maine Professor Jim Dill, a tick expert, appeared as a guest on my Sunday night call-in radio program, “Maine Outdoors.” The phones rang constantly the entire hour …
As Maine comedian Bob Marley would say, “Looky, looky, lissy, lissy.” If you are an old guy, like me, who likes to drive his pickup on the logging roads in October looking for a bird to shoot, check your lug nuts before you strike out. Let’s say that you are somewhere on the newly graded …
Most of us workaday, run-of-the mill commoners admire folks who are very, very good at what they do. Tom Brady throws a football like no other. Mookie Betts hits baseballs with a skill that brings baseball fans to their feet. Most of these people who shine and stand out from the crowd were born with …
Giving talks to rod and gun clubs around the state is enjoyable for me. It’s a good chance to rub elbows with good people who share a common interest. I learn a lot and always come away with new insights and topics to write about. Most of the time, the food is good, too. During …
For years now, from elected Augusta officials of either party, we have heard this song before: “We need to be more aggressive and creative in marketing Maine as a hunting and fishing destination.” Yes, it’s an old, familiar score. But somehow reality always seems to fall short of promises and expectations. Traditionally, the promote Maine …
Next to being in the woods during the deer season, I most enjoy reading books about how to hunt these wary animals. In fact, the stand beside my bed is a repository for dozens of books, most of which promise to show me the way to bag that trophy buck. As the nights cool and …
Traditionally in Maine, the two big fall hunts have been partridge in October and deer in November. That still may be the case, but with so many wild turkeys roaming the Maine woods fall hunters looking for some added hunt challenges might want to give fall turkeys a go. As most sportsmen and back country …
Since 1972, an organization called North Maine Woods has been providing remote outdoor recreational opportunities amid a vast expanse of privately owned commercial forest that encompasses more than 3.5 million acres in this state. North Maine Woods was formed in 1972 with the aim of carefully managing and balancing outdoor recreational access and commercial logging. …
Moose are Maine’s largest big game animal by far. Bulls have been known to top the scales in excess of 1,000 pounds! Because of their sheer size and body mass, they can be difficult to put down, even with a high-powered rifle, if shot placement is not good. For ethical as well as practical reasons, …
