I didn't go back through my past blogs, so I'm not certain how much I have mentioned if at all about the Penobscot County Wildlife Conservation Association of which we are involved with. Therefore I will give a brief rundown on the topic. The PCWCA was officially formed in February 2010 with the mission to protect, preserve and promote the Whitetail deer herd, which is in great despair in Northern Maine due to over harvesting of deer yards and habitat, heavy predation and to some effect, the severe snowfall and winters of 2007 and 2008.
As an organization, we are in the fledgling stages. There are two other associations in two other counties in Northern and Northeastern Maine, which we are modeled after and trying to learn from with some assistance. The PCWCA actually began with a group of concerned sportsmen and guides who have witnessed the severe decline in the whitetail deer in our region. They sponsored a coyote contest with a four category payout, with the purpose of trying to take care of the predator aspect. The eastern coyote is running literally rampant in Maine. They are not a native species to the State, and was introduced in the 70s. In my opinion another great failure of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife which is struggling terribly with budget shortfalls in the millions as was reported last night by out local State Representative. They are aware of the situation, but have basically handed it over to the sportsmen and women of the State to step up and help.
Now as a sports woman, that is fine...to a point.....I do not mind doing more to help protect and promote our wildlife as any guide has a responsibility in a sense to be a conservationist and a wildlife manager. I truly believe in that cause. However, as the result of a continuing failure, I feel that the department should do more in the area of assistance to the sportsmen and women of the State to come forward and help, regardless of the tree hugging anti hunting groups that are always biting at our heels. After all, what is truly important; protecting and managing our natural resource or pleasing someone who just doesn't get it. I'm aware this is an area of great controversy to some; however it is not a point that I want to argue over with anyone. I'm a hunter and I feel empowered by that very fact, so I will not bend.
Anyway.......I had suggested at the last meeting of the PCWCA that we must branch out for more members and support. I have felt that thus far it has been a bit one sided, that is the eastern side of the Penobscot River, possibly for no more reason than, hey, I live on the Western side of the Penobscot and well, Penobscot county is a big place! I suggested we go and give a presentation to the Fin and Feather Club of Maine, who's home base is in the town of Millinocket. I'm familiar with this group which really has some history for standing up and fighting when necessary for the rights of sportsmen and women, and Maine residents. They are nick named the " Access group". They have fought hard for free access to lands that were promised to be so to the residents of Maine. Their latest effort is being placed upon Baxter State Park, which started charging residents an access fee into a park that the deeds of trust states will forever be free to the people of Maine by Governor Percival Baxter, the parks founder.
We were invited to come to their December meeting, which was last night to address their membership, and we were welcomed in like old friends. Well, I guess maybe we were old friends considering, however Big E and I have not attended a meeting for several years. I now wonder why....
Ed, the associations President, and I gave a run down on what we are all about, and the why of it all and found were indeed amongst friends. The meeting went absolutely fantastic. Questions were asked, suggestions made, and complete support given. However I feel that the most successful, or the best part so to speak, was the people.....Their strength as a long standing organization; their dedication and most of all their camaraderie. They welcomed us in and treated us like family, listened and offered their help. I simply can not say enough about them..and rest assured I will not miss so many meetings and time anymore. Before we left, we had 6 new members and kind donations. I have no doubt that these people will be our biggest supporters of our cause, because that is the kind of people they are!! They have a web site, google Fin and Feather Club of Maine. We are amongst friends....I left that meeting totally elated!! The holiday spirit I have been lacking was well replaced with a warm heart, and I know no better feeling than that.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
It is all about the experiences....
Thus far we have had snow and a fair amount, only to have rain and very warm temperatures, and now have bare ground once again. I don't know if I will ever get used to these changing weather patterns and I bet the animals are wondering just a bit about it too.
I don't know what it is, but it seems that when I look back to when I was young; winters were much different through the eyes of a child. We prayed for snow days, and we didn't have to pray too hard. I can remember winters when the snowbanks were as high as the power lines and everyone had a snow fort in their front yard. Of course life was much easier then. When one is that young, there are no worries about the oncoming seasons. We didn't worry about getting all the firewood into the shed, banking the house, and cabins now. We didn't worry about how we were going to stay warm or the cost of heating.
Now, that we are adults, and much older, preparing for the oncoming seasons have become a job and it truly depends on your approach as to how you feel about it. Some, move south to avoid the chores of winter preparation, while others stick it out. My sister went south, and we often have friendly arguments and banter back and forth about the fact that I still don't feel the need to head in that direction. I still enjoy the changing of the seasons with the dramatic effects Mother Nature provides in this region. A blizzard simply means to me to get the flashlights and candles ready, cook up a big stew, and pick out a good book. Of course Big e always has the gas lanterns set, and we have a good pile of wood by the wood stove so we don't have to venture out into the storm.
Another piece to the puzzle of life that has at least occurred in myself, is to look at the seasons in yet another way as I have aged. Part of my spiritual journey; the wheel of the year. I look at the life cycle of everything and it's purpose. They call this wisdom and it has overflowed into every aspect of my life. I appreciate the seasons.
All of these things have added to the richness of the adventure and also into my life as a hunter and a guide. There is no greater gift of appreciation than when someone else looks at me, smiles, and says "OK, I get it". Ahh...Mother Nature at her best. Enjoy the seasons of your life folks. Take this time to gently pull back, look at the year behind you, accept it with joy and then relax within the blanket of winter and look to the Spring for new life and new adventures. After all, it is true....It is all about the experiences. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New year!!! Oh and as always Happy Hunting!
I don't know what it is, but it seems that when I look back to when I was young; winters were much different through the eyes of a child. We prayed for snow days, and we didn't have to pray too hard. I can remember winters when the snowbanks were as high as the power lines and everyone had a snow fort in their front yard. Of course life was much easier then. When one is that young, there are no worries about the oncoming seasons. We didn't worry about getting all the firewood into the shed, banking the house, and cabins now. We didn't worry about how we were going to stay warm or the cost of heating.
Now, that we are adults, and much older, preparing for the oncoming seasons have become a job and it truly depends on your approach as to how you feel about it. Some, move south to avoid the chores of winter preparation, while others stick it out. My sister went south, and we often have friendly arguments and banter back and forth about the fact that I still don't feel the need to head in that direction. I still enjoy the changing of the seasons with the dramatic effects Mother Nature provides in this region. A blizzard simply means to me to get the flashlights and candles ready, cook up a big stew, and pick out a good book. Of course Big e always has the gas lanterns set, and we have a good pile of wood by the wood stove so we don't have to venture out into the storm.
Another piece to the puzzle of life that has at least occurred in myself, is to look at the seasons in yet another way as I have aged. Part of my spiritual journey; the wheel of the year. I look at the life cycle of everything and it's purpose. They call this wisdom and it has overflowed into every aspect of my life. I appreciate the seasons.
All of these things have added to the richness of the adventure and also into my life as a hunter and a guide. There is no greater gift of appreciation than when someone else looks at me, smiles, and says "OK, I get it". Ahh...Mother Nature at her best. Enjoy the seasons of your life folks. Take this time to gently pull back, look at the year behind you, accept it with joy and then relax within the blanket of winter and look to the Spring for new life and new adventures. After all, it is true....It is all about the experiences. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New year!!! Oh and as always Happy Hunting!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
In General....
A very beautiful and cold morning here, the thermometer says 14 degrees. I have been up, let the shibas and Ozwald out, Stoked the house fire, made the coffee and headed out to the garage to stir up the coals out there. Our beagle puppy stayed the night with us, and has his very own little dog house Big E and Tyler made. I needed some beagle loving so we brought him home last night, therefore I grabbed a cup of coffee, and headed to the garage this morning for some more. I think I'm spoiling him just a wee little bit as he just wanted to be held and cuddled this morning and I certainly obliged. What sweetness!! So now both the homefires are burning and things are getting toasty once again.
Yesterday I went out to the shooting shack and spent 4 hours with no success other than to read another 5 chapters in a book that was lent to me, titled "The Purification Ceremony" by Mark Sullivan. Now this is quite a book and sitting in the woods in a shooting shack adds a little something more to it in fact, it would probably give most more than the shivers!! I so enjoy the peacefulness of it all.
Big E is still trapping bunnies for a couple beagle clubs in Southern Maine, however he must get the snowmobile tuned up as I don't know how much longer we will be able to get around on the woods roads that are not plowed. Four wheel drives are great, but even after a while, they are in more danger of getting you stuck out in the cold and a long chilly walk out. Not good!! However I will be honest, Big E, even though I have threatened him many times in the past 30 years, has never made me have to walk out yet!!! I better start knocking on a lot of wood!!!
The bunny trapping is what led to the beagles. Big E has been wanting to get another hunting dog for quite some time and I have been resisting not because I don't enjoy hunting hounds, but because of the 6 dogs we currently have. After all if one thinks about it, where can one go with 6 dogs!!! Therefore over the years, well..we haven't gone anywhere with 6 dogs, and they, true to their breed, have created a solid pack that are not sociable and do not play well with others; dogs that is.The shiba's are my little pack of heathens and although they are extremely loving and playful with people, they are death on another animal. They have caught mice, moles and squirrels and believe me it is not pretty. Last winter, Ozwald, my akita was following a mole, putting a big paw down and it would jump and scurry. I got the bright idea to get my camera and let the shiba's out to play, well.....it lasted less than 30 seconds; I didn't even get the camera turned on before it was over. Thing is, I had got pictures of them hunting the week previously and had no idea how short of an adventure this would be. Anyway....So I had been refusing to give into Big E on the hunting dog idea.
In the past, we used to raise hunting hounds for bear, coon and cats, ( bobcats)and did so for over 16 years. Truly there is nothing like a well trained hunting hound that knows his business. I knew each and everyone of their traits, the way they trailed, the changes in their barks which told me what part of the hunt they were on. I knew strike, trail and tree, and if you have never experienced this, it is impressive. Big E bought me a beautiful Black and Tan coonhound from Tennessee one Christmas and I must say, this was the best present I have ever received. Never mind the diamonds. I named him Rowdey Tennessee Pup, and called him Rowdey for short. True to the breed, he could bawl. Big E preferred the Treeing Walkers. So we always had a bit of a competition going on. His Walker, ironically, Bud Dog, was what I call a yipper until he treed, which he would sit his butt down at the bottom of the tree and fast chop. Rowdey on the other hand would bay on the track about every 10 feet; just put his head in the air and bawl. Once he treed, he would let out the longest ole bay telling me " momma, I got him, I got him, then just bawl steady. I loved it!!! Big E would call him a slow southern ground pounder, as speed was not his talent; it was a cold nose and he could pick up a track a week old I swear and follow it, for miles some times. So I missed the working dogs...What convinced me to give in was some pictures of beagle puppies, and I made the mistake of showing Big E....
So that is how we ended up with beagle puppies!! We have a special pen for them, so that they can play without any danger from the little pack of heathens. It takes a bit more work;let the shibas out, bring them in, and let the beagles out, bring them back in......Oh well keeps us busy and better than having nothing to do. Don't they say that is what keeps us young???
Yesterday I went out to the shooting shack and spent 4 hours with no success other than to read another 5 chapters in a book that was lent to me, titled "The Purification Ceremony" by Mark Sullivan. Now this is quite a book and sitting in the woods in a shooting shack adds a little something more to it in fact, it would probably give most more than the shivers!! I so enjoy the peacefulness of it all.
Big E is still trapping bunnies for a couple beagle clubs in Southern Maine, however he must get the snowmobile tuned up as I don't know how much longer we will be able to get around on the woods roads that are not plowed. Four wheel drives are great, but even after a while, they are in more danger of getting you stuck out in the cold and a long chilly walk out. Not good!! However I will be honest, Big E, even though I have threatened him many times in the past 30 years, has never made me have to walk out yet!!! I better start knocking on a lot of wood!!!
The bunny trapping is what led to the beagles. Big E has been wanting to get another hunting dog for quite some time and I have been resisting not because I don't enjoy hunting hounds, but because of the 6 dogs we currently have. After all if one thinks about it, where can one go with 6 dogs!!! Therefore over the years, well..we haven't gone anywhere with 6 dogs, and they, true to their breed, have created a solid pack that are not sociable and do not play well with others; dogs that is.The shiba's are my little pack of heathens and although they are extremely loving and playful with people, they are death on another animal. They have caught mice, moles and squirrels and believe me it is not pretty. Last winter, Ozwald, my akita was following a mole, putting a big paw down and it would jump and scurry. I got the bright idea to get my camera and let the shiba's out to play, well.....it lasted less than 30 seconds; I didn't even get the camera turned on before it was over. Thing is, I had got pictures of them hunting the week previously and had no idea how short of an adventure this would be. Anyway....So I had been refusing to give into Big E on the hunting dog idea.
In the past, we used to raise hunting hounds for bear, coon and cats, ( bobcats)and did so for over 16 years. Truly there is nothing like a well trained hunting hound that knows his business. I knew each and everyone of their traits, the way they trailed, the changes in their barks which told me what part of the hunt they were on. I knew strike, trail and tree, and if you have never experienced this, it is impressive. Big E bought me a beautiful Black and Tan coonhound from Tennessee one Christmas and I must say, this was the best present I have ever received. Never mind the diamonds. I named him Rowdey Tennessee Pup, and called him Rowdey for short. True to the breed, he could bawl. Big E preferred the Treeing Walkers. So we always had a bit of a competition going on. His Walker, ironically, Bud Dog, was what I call a yipper until he treed, which he would sit his butt down at the bottom of the tree and fast chop. Rowdey on the other hand would bay on the track about every 10 feet; just put his head in the air and bawl. Once he treed, he would let out the longest ole bay telling me " momma, I got him, I got him, then just bawl steady. I loved it!!! Big E would call him a slow southern ground pounder, as speed was not his talent; it was a cold nose and he could pick up a track a week old I swear and follow it, for miles some times. So I missed the working dogs...What convinced me to give in was some pictures of beagle puppies, and I made the mistake of showing Big E....
So that is how we ended up with beagle puppies!! We have a special pen for them, so that they can play without any danger from the little pack of heathens. It takes a bit more work;let the shibas out, bring them in, and let the beagles out, bring them back in......Oh well keeps us busy and better than having nothing to do. Don't they say that is what keeps us young???
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Yesterday Big E and I went for good ride to Bingham, Maine to pick up two new additions to the Ktaadn family. There is a little more that goes along with today's story and I will now share that with you. It all began
almost six years ago. I sent in a couple queries to a few outdoor publications as a writer. I had been a correspondent and special feature writer for 2 local newspapers in the area. The Katahdin Journal was the first paper I wrote for and I found that I truly loved to put down thoughts and words, and not to brag, but had a pretty good flair for the special features. I met some of the most awesome people in our little communities; the kind of folks that you might say hello to in passing, but never give another thought. I listened to stories, was introduced to their families, and observed some of the most talented artists, beautiful photographers, and dedicated folks that make you feel privileged to have the opportunity to meet. The Journal closed and went out of business in 2001, and I attempted to write for a competitor paper for a short time. During this time I still met new folks who were absolute gems of our community: Veterans, a retired game warden celebrating his 70th anniversary and a young man who inspired to compete in the Iditarod. However, this relationship with the paper was short lived and I had to get done. I missed writing, missed meeting the people and would often run into someone who had been a fan and they would ask," when are you going to start writing again?" Well I never really gave it up completely as this is something I have done all my life thus far. I have notebooks filled with short stories, possible book ideas and things like this. But I had longed to write for an outdoors magazine or paper, feeling I could fill in a nitch not really yet being met; a lady outdoors addict!
Well after my submissions and inquiries, Outdoors Magazine, which was still at the time Vermont Outdoors needed a writer to cover central Maine; to report on what was going on in the region and what there was to do in the outdoor world here. I jumped at this opportunity and it has now lasted as I stated before, going on six years.
Now, because they were located in Vermont, I was not going into the office, talking directly with co-workers, the Editor or Publisher; it was all done via the wide world web, and kind of still is. However a couple years ago I finally got to meet my Editor and Publisher as well as the Benoits and another writer from the paper in Harrisburg at the Eastern Outdoors and Sports Show. I think these meetings has given us the chance to get to know each other, even though we have been corresponding for many years. After that first meeting, my Editor gave me the chance of a lifetime for someone wishing to write for an outdoors publication. I would no longer be covering the region as a reporter, I was given my own column with my own byline "The Lyons Den". I could write anything I wanted; tell stories and adventures! I'm so very proud to not only write for this publication, but I have also watched it become the best outdoors magazine in the Northeast United States, covering a wide area, with the best writers as well. It far outshines the two outdoor publications that are located within the State of Maine. So this brings me back to the beginning of my story today.......our ride to Bingham Maine.
Bob Howe and his lovely wife Andrea, live, own and operate Pine Grove Lodge and Camps in Bingham. Bob is also a fellow writer for Outdoors; the author of "A Guide Life". Bob also makes the best snowshoes Big E says he has ever placed on his feet!! Bob is of course a Maine Guide, and he guides along with all the others stuff, rabbit hunting with beagles. Big E and I raised hunting hounds for 16 plus years, and due to life circumstances over time, gave it up. I missed the hounds so badly that I began raising Shiba Inu's just to have dogs once again. Well I have dogs!! I raised 3 litters of shibas, and well, found one reason or another to keep a puppy from each litter. Also along the way I became the proud owner of Ozwald, the akita. Big E has been bugging me for a couple years now to get a couple beagles for rabbit hunting; something he truly enjoyed and well, they are small, not as big as the hounds and .......well he kept on me and I kept saying no, even though I thought it really nor fair, considering he has put up with me and my 6 dogs in the house. These would live outside; we already had everything we needed; warm insulated dog houses, outbuildings to place them in and fencing to make a kennel and yard for them to play in. I kept saying, and for good reasons, with guilt, honey we don't need anymore dogs. The problem was not that I didn't want more dogs. The problem was that my little pack of heathens as I refer to them as, have not been socialized, (Only Ozwald and Tazz have been taken, trained and worked to be social due to Ozwald being a therapy dog for a few years, and I was showing conformation with Tazz). Shiba Inu's are a small breed with quirks. Because they have been their own little pack, with the oldest two being 14 years old and the youngest of the five, turning 11 this month, they think that this is their personal territory, and are not accepting of any other animals of any kind intruding in their domain and I have witnessed their wrath.
However Big E never let up, and figured out a way completely around my issue. His young trapping companion who lives just down the road wanted a beagle to bunny hunt with too, and they could live at his place even though we would also have a complete, safe and shiba proof set up for them here as well, they would live primarily at Tylers. I'm losing the battle here!!!
Last week Bobs wife Andrea posted pictures of baby beagles, ready to go to their new homes, and who can resist a puppy, let alone baby beagles??!!! I showed Big E the pictures and it all began; the planning and scheming to convince Kim to give in. OK!!! Enough already!! Thus our trip to Bingham and two beagle puppies!!! Andrea picked the three males out to pick from, gave me one to hold and that was it, love!! He snuggled into my neck and started kissing!! I told Big E, well this one is yours, you can pick out the other one!
We now have 2 new additions to the Ktaadn family, officially named Buck and Buddy and I have already began to spoil them, after all, I have the strong belief that even a working animal must be loved and cuddling is all part of it!! Tyler took the puppies home with him last night in a portable kennel and I wonder just how much sleep he got, and if he gave in, as I most likely would have, and tucked them under the covers. The boys will be finishing up the dog house, and placing the kennel at Tylers today; then finishing the work that needs to be done for their kennel here. Welcome home!!!!
almost six years ago. I sent in a couple queries to a few outdoor publications as a writer. I had been a correspondent and special feature writer for 2 local newspapers in the area. The Katahdin Journal was the first paper I wrote for and I found that I truly loved to put down thoughts and words, and not to brag, but had a pretty good flair for the special features. I met some of the most awesome people in our little communities; the kind of folks that you might say hello to in passing, but never give another thought. I listened to stories, was introduced to their families, and observed some of the most talented artists, beautiful photographers, and dedicated folks that make you feel privileged to have the opportunity to meet. The Journal closed and went out of business in 2001, and I attempted to write for a competitor paper for a short time. During this time I still met new folks who were absolute gems of our community: Veterans, a retired game warden celebrating his 70th anniversary and a young man who inspired to compete in the Iditarod. However, this relationship with the paper was short lived and I had to get done. I missed writing, missed meeting the people and would often run into someone who had been a fan and they would ask," when are you going to start writing again?" Well I never really gave it up completely as this is something I have done all my life thus far. I have notebooks filled with short stories, possible book ideas and things like this. But I had longed to write for an outdoors magazine or paper, feeling I could fill in a nitch not really yet being met; a lady outdoors addict!
Well after my submissions and inquiries, Outdoors Magazine, which was still at the time Vermont Outdoors needed a writer to cover central Maine; to report on what was going on in the region and what there was to do in the outdoor world here. I jumped at this opportunity and it has now lasted as I stated before, going on six years.
Bob Howe and his lovely wife Andrea, live, own and operate Pine Grove Lodge and Camps in Bingham. Bob is also a fellow writer for Outdoors; the author of "A Guide Life". Bob also makes the best snowshoes Big E says he has ever placed on his feet!! Bob is of course a Maine Guide, and he guides along with all the others stuff, rabbit hunting with beagles. Big E and I raised hunting hounds for 16 plus years, and due to life circumstances over time, gave it up. I missed the hounds so badly that I began raising Shiba Inu's just to have dogs once again. Well I have dogs!! I raised 3 litters of shibas, and well, found one reason or another to keep a puppy from each litter. Also along the way I became the proud owner of Ozwald, the akita. Big E has been bugging me for a couple years now to get a couple beagles for rabbit hunting; something he truly enjoyed and well, they are small, not as big as the hounds and .......well he kept on me and I kept saying no, even though I thought it really nor fair, considering he has put up with me and my 6 dogs in the house. These would live outside; we already had everything we needed; warm insulated dog houses, outbuildings to place them in and fencing to make a kennel and yard for them to play in. I kept saying, and for good reasons, with guilt, honey we don't need anymore dogs. The problem was not that I didn't want more dogs. The problem was that my little pack of heathens as I refer to them as, have not been socialized, (Only Ozwald and Tazz have been taken, trained and worked to be social due to Ozwald being a therapy dog for a few years, and I was showing conformation with Tazz). Shiba Inu's are a small breed with quirks. Because they have been their own little pack, with the oldest two being 14 years old and the youngest of the five, turning 11 this month, they think that this is their personal territory, and are not accepting of any other animals of any kind intruding in their domain and I have witnessed their wrath.
However Big E never let up, and figured out a way completely around my issue. His young trapping companion who lives just down the road wanted a beagle to bunny hunt with too, and they could live at his place even though we would also have a complete, safe and shiba proof set up for them here as well, they would live primarily at Tylers. I'm losing the battle here!!!
Last week Bobs wife Andrea posted pictures of baby beagles, ready to go to their new homes, and who can resist a puppy, let alone baby beagles??!!! I showed Big E the pictures and it all began; the planning and scheming to convince Kim to give in. OK!!! Enough already!! Thus our trip to Bingham and two beagle puppies!!! Andrea picked the three males out to pick from, gave me one to hold and that was it, love!! He snuggled into my neck and started kissing!! I told Big E, well this one is yours, you can pick out the other one!
We now have 2 new additions to the Ktaadn family, officially named Buck and Buddy and I have already began to spoil them, after all, I have the strong belief that even a working animal must be loved and cuddling is all part of it!! Tyler took the puppies home with him last night in a portable kennel and I wonder just how much sleep he got, and if he gave in, as I most likely would have, and tucked them under the covers. The boys will be finishing up the dog house, and placing the kennel at Tylers today; then finishing the work that needs to be done for their kennel here. Welcome home!!!!
Friday, November 26, 2010
It's snowing!!
Once again it is quiet here at Ktaadn Guide Service. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with family yesterday, and this morning I awoke to snow coming down. This snow will stay. Predictions are for a colder winter this year without the crazy snowfall levels of the recent past. Although we only had to plow three times last winter, the two winters before that were the kind I remember as a kid growing up with the snowbanks built up much like mini mountains. To the north of us in the 2007-08 winters, Fort Kent recorded 218 inches of snow. I received some photos online that year that I should have saved. One had the snowbanks so high, a moose became entangled in the power lines and roads were like tunnels. Last February we were in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, at the Eastern Outdoors and Sports show, and they were absolutely dumped on with snow, record year for them. The other night the Channel 5 weather man predicted we would be receiving that pattern, however without the high levels of snow. We'll see just how good his predictions are!!
We arrived in Harrisburg to bare ground, and when we opened up the motel door the next morning there was 22 inches of the white stuff and for the very first time in 55 years, they closed the show down due to the snowstorms. Big E and I were not so much bothered by the snow being from Maine, it is much the norm for us. So we were out on the city to find not even McDonalds open and a police officer wondered why we were out on the roads. We just laughed and said isn't that what four wheel drive is all about?!
Only two days left for rifle season on deer. Neither Big E nor I have put much time and count into the deer hunt, keeping ourselves quite busy with other things. Our young friend Nick has been putting down some tracks trying to find the last few deer in the area, and thus far has found a few good tracks, scrapes and pawings, however even he remembers when things were different and he is only 20 years old.
We have been tipping fir trees for the Wreath Factory, putting out coyote baits, and trapping and that has kept us out of trouble one might say. I enjoy the tipping as the smell is like no other. There is not a candle or scented spray that can really imitate the smell of balsam fir. It allows me time to think, or to think of nothing while I'm out there. I like checking out the area, tracks, sounds and smells and getting even more familiar with the lay of the land . I have been exploring our new 100 acre lot and picturing where things will be in the future. Oddly, the only tracks I have seen very much of is coyotes. I have not cut a buck track yet, not that it would matter. At this point I would feel guilty to shoot a deer knowing the herd is struggling.
I was watching the news the other night, and was angered at a report claiming the deer herd was in better shape, but as usual, they were reporting about southern Maine. Some of you may not realize but there has been the opinion for many years that there are two Maines, North and South, and yes we battle sometimes for the simple reason that all too often Northern Maine is forgotten, or thought to not have much count. Unfortunately it is true. The populations of southern Maine far outnumber the northern regions. The largest city we are familiar with is Bangor, which is about 70 miles south of us. We still have vast areas of wilderness in the region and large farming communities with forest to the north. These are the areas that were hit the hardest during the hard winters, and of course also the same regions highly overpopulated with the eastern coyote along with a few other predators that the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. still will not openly admit exist. However, they do..... A couple years ago Big E and I were traveling home from an evening of fly fishing at Nesowadnehunk Lake, traveling slowly as we used to count high numbers of moose on the roads. We came around a corner by Harrington Lake and saw something on the left side of the road, stopped, and watched a wolverine lope across the road. We both looked at each other, and I asked " what did we just see?" I knew, but I wanted to hear it from someone else. "Wolverine!!" The funny part of that was we had watched a documentary on the wildcats about a week previously!! We also had a hunter tell us he had seen one on a bait and even though the gentleman was quite credible, we thought maybe he saw a fisher cat, which is close and definitely vicious as he described. After we saw the creature, we both thought, well maybe he did!!! Since then I have heard through the grapevine of another sighting. However IF&W have not commented, nor admitted even the slightest possibility. They also will deny that the wolf and mountain lion are here as well. Deny as they wish for whatever reasons they feel, I'm no fool! I have spent way too many hours, and days in the woods from here to the Canadian borders and I have not only seen tracks and heard the hair tingling howls and yowls, I have seen them. I have not ever had the camera with me, which these days is not a common thing for me not to have a digital camera on me, so I can't prove it as they say. No matter what, I know what I know and one warden who will remain nameless due to the fact,he is one of the best wardens I have ever dealt with, admitted the large cats when we encountered them on one of our traplines. Augusta can deny all they want thinking folks will go on some frenzy witchhunt, but we are all too familiar with the lies of politics and I will not approach that subject any further.
So here we are, with the snow falling,a cup of hot coffee and my laptop, contemplating winter, the rapid closing in of Christmas,and thinking forward to the sportsmen show once again.
We arrived in Harrisburg to bare ground, and when we opened up the motel door the next morning there was 22 inches of the white stuff and for the very first time in 55 years, they closed the show down due to the snowstorms. Big E and I were not so much bothered by the snow being from Maine, it is much the norm for us. So we were out on the city to find not even McDonalds open and a police officer wondered why we were out on the roads. We just laughed and said isn't that what four wheel drive is all about?!
Only two days left for rifle season on deer. Neither Big E nor I have put much time and count into the deer hunt, keeping ourselves quite busy with other things. Our young friend Nick has been putting down some tracks trying to find the last few deer in the area, and thus far has found a few good tracks, scrapes and pawings, however even he remembers when things were different and he is only 20 years old.
We have been tipping fir trees for the Wreath Factory, putting out coyote baits, and trapping and that has kept us out of trouble one might say. I enjoy the tipping as the smell is like no other. There is not a candle or scented spray that can really imitate the smell of balsam fir. It allows me time to think, or to think of nothing while I'm out there. I like checking out the area, tracks, sounds and smells and getting even more familiar with the lay of the land . I have been exploring our new 100 acre lot and picturing where things will be in the future. Oddly, the only tracks I have seen very much of is coyotes. I have not cut a buck track yet, not that it would matter. At this point I would feel guilty to shoot a deer knowing the herd is struggling.
I was watching the news the other night, and was angered at a report claiming the deer herd was in better shape, but as usual, they were reporting about southern Maine. Some of you may not realize but there has been the opinion for many years that there are two Maines, North and South, and yes we battle sometimes for the simple reason that all too often Northern Maine is forgotten, or thought to not have much count. Unfortunately it is true. The populations of southern Maine far outnumber the northern regions. The largest city we are familiar with is Bangor, which is about 70 miles south of us. We still have vast areas of wilderness in the region and large farming communities with forest to the north. These are the areas that were hit the hardest during the hard winters, and of course also the same regions highly overpopulated with the eastern coyote along with a few other predators that the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. still will not openly admit exist. However, they do..... A couple years ago Big E and I were traveling home from an evening of fly fishing at Nesowadnehunk Lake, traveling slowly as we used to count high numbers of moose on the roads. We came around a corner by Harrington Lake and saw something on the left side of the road, stopped, and watched a wolverine lope across the road. We both looked at each other, and I asked " what did we just see?" I knew, but I wanted to hear it from someone else. "Wolverine!!" The funny part of that was we had watched a documentary on the wildcats about a week previously!! We also had a hunter tell us he had seen one on a bait and even though the gentleman was quite credible, we thought maybe he saw a fisher cat, which is close and definitely vicious as he described. After we saw the creature, we both thought, well maybe he did!!! Since then I have heard through the grapevine of another sighting. However IF&W have not commented, nor admitted even the slightest possibility. They also will deny that the wolf and mountain lion are here as well. Deny as they wish for whatever reasons they feel, I'm no fool! I have spent way too many hours, and days in the woods from here to the Canadian borders and I have not only seen tracks and heard the hair tingling howls and yowls, I have seen them. I have not ever had the camera with me, which these days is not a common thing for me not to have a digital camera on me, so I can't prove it as they say. No matter what, I know what I know and one warden who will remain nameless due to the fact,he is one of the best wardens I have ever dealt with, admitted the large cats when we encountered them on one of our traplines. Augusta can deny all they want thinking folks will go on some frenzy witchhunt, but we are all too familiar with the lies of politics and I will not approach that subject any further.
So here we are, with the snow falling,a cup of hot coffee and my laptop, contemplating winter, the rapid closing in of Christmas,and thinking forward to the sportsmen show once again.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Winters edge
I know I have not posted in a little while, so I will explain. Once the chaos of the busy time from the first of August through bear season and moose season into October is over, things slow down here at Ktaadn Guide Service. I intended this blog to be about life as a guide and living in the heart of Maine, so I have attempted to keep it that way and not make this a personal issue. This I will continue so at times there may be gaps in posts.
With that said, I will go on. We are still tending our trap lines and unfortunately things are a bit slow. I believe the critter count is currently at :4 beavers, 5 muskrats, 1 fox, 5 coyotes and 7 raccoons. Big E also is trapping for rabbits, but a bit differently, live trapping with old fashioned home made built wooden box traps. Much like the rabbit traps folks have seen in cartoons or movies in a way where there is a wooden box and something trips the box to make it fall and the bunny is inside. He puts apples inside for bait on a trip stick which releases a wire that is holding the box up. Rabbits are rodents , so there teeth are in a way that when they go to bite the apple, they bite up, which then releases the trip wire. He has been doing this now for 2 years mainly for a beagle club in southern Maine. There are now 3 clubs waiting for bunnies to train their beagle with and have beagle trials. Now they are not killing the bunnies for the most part, but we have a much larger population of wild rabbits than they do in the southern areas for some reason, and for that I really have no more information. So Big E catches the bunnies, and places them in crates where they have bedding and are fed and watered until the gentleman comes and picks them up. This is how we transition our seasons, and living this kind of life, it truly turns with the seasons.
Another thing we do this time of year is tipping fir boughs for the wreath makers. The idea is to only tip the boughs the length from the tip of your fingers to your elbow and snap it off. We place them on a stick and tie them down when we have about 50 to 60 pounds of boughs. It is a very peaceful quiet thing to do and I enjoy the smell of the fir. When Big E used to work as a logger I always loved it when he came home and smelled of fir. I have bought many of the sprays and candles claiming to be the scent of fir and evergreens and have never really found the one that smells like the real thing. The birds chirp all around you and you may even see a deer or other critters of the forest while out. When I'm alone, I think of so many memories of holidays past as the smell has a way of bringing these things to mind. The hard part sometimes is remembering those not with me on this life plain anymore, however memories are what they are.
It is still deer season here although it will end the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I have mentioned it in past posts, so I will not get into too much detail. However the fact is our whitetail deer herd are in peril in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Maine due to over harvesting, harvesting of precious wintering yards, severe snowfalls of the past few years, and vicious predation for the over populated eastern coyote. There have been a few real nice bucks taken in the area and a couple of our good friends were lucky enough to put their tags on them. However with this very fact that Big E and I are in the woods much more than the recreational hunter and we have not seen anything worth taking, or simply nothing at all. For the amount of time we spend in the woods and on the logging roads this is an absolute travesty. If anyone should be seeing deer, or good sign, without bragging, it should be us. However this is simply not the case. Therefore I put my big game rifle back in the gun safe and have taken out the Ruger 204 for coyotes. We set out a shooting shack and bait and I have spent several hours waiting for old wiley to show up. Thus far, he has been a no show, or at least when I'm there. Although it has taken a little while for them to start feeding on the bait, as we moved it and did quite a bit of clearing. Coyotes are cleaver and leery, and it took them a few days to start coming back in. Since then though, I have been tipping. That's alright though as they will get very comfortable feeding and I will be able to take a few out of the breeding program shortly. Tipping will be over by the first of December.
Beyond this, with winters approach, I take this time to reflect on the past year, to accept what was and make changes for the better. Winter is a quiet time, and sometimes a fierce time with the cold winds that blow from the top of Mount Katahdin that will take your breath away. It is Mother Natures way of letting her world rest until the warm breath of Spring melts away the snow and ice to restore the earth once again. I enjoy cross country skiing and snowshoeing during these times and will share that with you all as I do.
Thanksgiving is next week, and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Hold your loved ones close and enjoy the harvest!
With that said, I will go on. We are still tending our trap lines and unfortunately things are a bit slow. I believe the critter count is currently at :4 beavers, 5 muskrats, 1 fox, 5 coyotes and 7 raccoons. Big E also is trapping for rabbits, but a bit differently, live trapping with old fashioned home made built wooden box traps. Much like the rabbit traps folks have seen in cartoons or movies in a way where there is a wooden box and something trips the box to make it fall and the bunny is inside. He puts apples inside for bait on a trip stick which releases a wire that is holding the box up. Rabbits are rodents , so there teeth are in a way that when they go to bite the apple, they bite up, which then releases the trip wire. He has been doing this now for 2 years mainly for a beagle club in southern Maine. There are now 3 clubs waiting for bunnies to train their beagle with and have beagle trials. Now they are not killing the bunnies for the most part, but we have a much larger population of wild rabbits than they do in the southern areas for some reason, and for that I really have no more information. So Big E catches the bunnies, and places them in crates where they have bedding and are fed and watered until the gentleman comes and picks them up. This is how we transition our seasons, and living this kind of life, it truly turns with the seasons.
Another thing we do this time of year is tipping fir boughs for the wreath makers. The idea is to only tip the boughs the length from the tip of your fingers to your elbow and snap it off. We place them on a stick and tie them down when we have about 50 to 60 pounds of boughs. It is a very peaceful quiet thing to do and I enjoy the smell of the fir. When Big E used to work as a logger I always loved it when he came home and smelled of fir. I have bought many of the sprays and candles claiming to be the scent of fir and evergreens and have never really found the one that smells like the real thing. The birds chirp all around you and you may even see a deer or other critters of the forest while out. When I'm alone, I think of so many memories of holidays past as the smell has a way of bringing these things to mind. The hard part sometimes is remembering those not with me on this life plain anymore, however memories are what they are.
It is still deer season here although it will end the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I have mentioned it in past posts, so I will not get into too much detail. However the fact is our whitetail deer herd are in peril in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Maine due to over harvesting, harvesting of precious wintering yards, severe snowfalls of the past few years, and vicious predation for the over populated eastern coyote. There have been a few real nice bucks taken in the area and a couple of our good friends were lucky enough to put their tags on them. However with this very fact that Big E and I are in the woods much more than the recreational hunter and we have not seen anything worth taking, or simply nothing at all. For the amount of time we spend in the woods and on the logging roads this is an absolute travesty. If anyone should be seeing deer, or good sign, without bragging, it should be us. However this is simply not the case. Therefore I put my big game rifle back in the gun safe and have taken out the Ruger 204 for coyotes. We set out a shooting shack and bait and I have spent several hours waiting for old wiley to show up. Thus far, he has been a no show, or at least when I'm there. Although it has taken a little while for them to start feeding on the bait, as we moved it and did quite a bit of clearing. Coyotes are cleaver and leery, and it took them a few days to start coming back in. Since then though, I have been tipping. That's alright though as they will get very comfortable feeding and I will be able to take a few out of the breeding program shortly. Tipping will be over by the first of December.
Beyond this, with winters approach, I take this time to reflect on the past year, to accept what was and make changes for the better. Winter is a quiet time, and sometimes a fierce time with the cold winds that blow from the top of Mount Katahdin that will take your breath away. It is Mother Natures way of letting her world rest until the warm breath of Spring melts away the snow and ice to restore the earth once again. I enjoy cross country skiing and snowshoeing during these times and will share that with you all as I do.
Thanksgiving is next week, and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. Hold your loved ones close and enjoy the harvest!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Creulty of Mother Nature, simple fact
Several years ago, in an effort to try to control the raging populations the State created a licensed snaring program where trappers could become certified to participate. Just a few years ago, an anti hunting organization brought a law suit against the State of Maine and it's Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner to end the snaring program and trapping in general. When all was said and done, we did indeed lose the snaring program, and had several new trapping regulations that has caused many trappers to either sell or just simply hang up their traps. Then reports started coming in that the deer herd was almost non existent by hunters. On top of that 2 severe winters with high levels of snow, and past bad forestry practices destroy not only habitat, but precious wintering yards. In 2007-08 is was estimated that 40% of the northern Maine white tail herd was lost to winter kill. When the people contacted the IF&W, they were told that due to budget shortfalls, they was no funds or personal available to do anything and it would be up to the people. With this, 2 counties in Northern Maine have formed conservation associations with a mission to promote, preserve and protect habitat, plant food plots, and host coyote hunting contests to cut down the predator.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Ktaadn Guide Service: It seems that it is raining and dreary more often ...
Ktaadn Guide Service: It seems that it is raining and dreary more often ...: "It seems that it is raining and dreary more often than not the past few days and the weather man isn't giving us much hope for change until ..."
It seems that it is raining and dreary more often than not the past few days and the weather man isn't giving us much hope for change until mid next week. We had a guest into camp for a few days and did some bird hunting with some success. We have not been seeing a lot of deer, and for myself, I don't know if I feel right to even hunt for them. With the situation here in Maine with our whitetail deer herd, it seems that it would be very contradictory for me to hunt them even though I would truly like to some day take one of those big, heavy mass bucks that make Maine a destination. Or at least it did once upon a time.
Several years ago, and as the years go by and I get older, they slip away so quick, our great friend and fellow guide Peter "Coyote" Cote bagged a huge buck. He and Big E were out on the trapline early one morning and caught the buck crossing the road after some does. We call this buck the "buckshot buck" and for a very good reason. Pete first shot with a 270 and decided to give him some time to lay down, therefore continued to finish checking traps. After discovering he was still on the hoof, the guys came in and regrouped. I'm reminded of this day because it was a dark and dreary, rainy and snowy day much like the weather pattern we have been having. Because of the rain Pete decided to take a shotgun back out and Big E asked him how many buckshot he had. I don't remember exactly how that went, but I do remember the fact that Big E gave him an ammo belt with 25 buckshot and we all set out to help retrieve the beast. I followed the blood trail and soon heard several shots. " Is he down?" "No!!", I continued and picked up my step as another round of shots went off. "Well?" "No!" I came out onto the road where the buck had crossed. Pete was in the woods; Big E was standing a little further up the road as another round of shots went off! I hit the ground not knowing what way the shots were flying as it was beginning to sound like a war zone. In the end, all 25 buckshot were gone; the buck was finally down. When they were skinning this critter over 50 pellets were just inside the neck and falling like rain on the floor!!! Pete and his son Nick later said that they would be eating some deer steak and still occasionally have to spit out another pellet! Therefore, the "buckshot Buck"!
That buck hangs on our wall and I look at him from my favorite perch and say, some day......
However again, with the situation with the deer herd I feel that we need to be more conservative and feel that I would be guilty of a terrible crime to take any deer. I'm trying to do what I feel is right by supporting the mission of the Penobscot County Wildlife Conservation Association and the other 2 associations who are making sacrifices and efforts to protect, promote and preserve in the hopes that some day we all will be able to take monster bucks once again and that Maine will once again be in the record books for some of the biggest, heaviest bucks in the country.
I realize for those of us who love to hunt; love the game; that this is a hard thing to do. I love venison and crave it at times, however this is the right thing to do, or should I say, not to do. This is another responsibility I truly believe in as being a guide; I'm also a conservationist, a teacher, an ethical person and hunter, a biologist, and wildlife manager. This should be the way of every guide. We are in the woods, we know our areas, we know our game. No, it doesn't always help put money in the bank or even food on the table, but it is our responsibility in these times.
Several years ago, and as the years go by and I get older, they slip away so quick, our great friend and fellow guide Peter "Coyote" Cote bagged a huge buck. He and Big E were out on the trapline early one morning and caught the buck crossing the road after some does. We call this buck the "buckshot buck" and for a very good reason. Pete first shot with a 270 and decided to give him some time to lay down, therefore continued to finish checking traps. After discovering he was still on the hoof, the guys came in and regrouped. I'm reminded of this day because it was a dark and dreary, rainy and snowy day much like the weather pattern we have been having. Because of the rain Pete decided to take a shotgun back out and Big E asked him how many buckshot he had. I don't remember exactly how that went, but I do remember the fact that Big E gave him an ammo belt with 25 buckshot and we all set out to help retrieve the beast. I followed the blood trail and soon heard several shots. " Is he down?" "No!!", I continued and picked up my step as another round of shots went off. "Well?" "No!" I came out onto the road where the buck had crossed. Pete was in the woods; Big E was standing a little further up the road as another round of shots went off! I hit the ground not knowing what way the shots were flying as it was beginning to sound like a war zone. In the end, all 25 buckshot were gone; the buck was finally down. When they were skinning this critter over 50 pellets were just inside the neck and falling like rain on the floor!!! Pete and his son Nick later said that they would be eating some deer steak and still occasionally have to spit out another pellet! Therefore, the "buckshot Buck"!
That buck hangs on our wall and I look at him from my favorite perch and say, some day......
However again, with the situation with the deer herd I feel that we need to be more conservative and feel that I would be guilty of a terrible crime to take any deer. I'm trying to do what I feel is right by supporting the mission of the Penobscot County Wildlife Conservation Association and the other 2 associations who are making sacrifices and efforts to protect, promote and preserve in the hopes that some day we all will be able to take monster bucks once again and that Maine will once again be in the record books for some of the biggest, heaviest bucks in the country.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Deer season has opened, but.........
Well wasn't enough time for Nick to trap a bear, however all trapping other than bear is now open State wide. Therefore Nick will go trapping with Big E on the weekends when he comes home from the boat school. Nick is the son of very good friends, Peter and Shelly Cote. Peter, whom I often refer to as Peter "Coyote" Cote, basically grew up with Big E and I, and was my classmate as well. Nick has been attending the boat builders school over in Eastport. It is quite an art in itself and he has a very bright future with job offerings already.
Deer season opened Saturday Statewide for residents, and this morning it is open for nonresidents as well. This is in itself a complicated situation as the deer herd in Northern Maine is in terrible jeopardy. Due to over harvesting and bad forestry practices, severe winters and harsh predators the deer herd has taken a hard hit over the past years. The winters of 2007 and 2008 we had extremely heavy snowfalls with some areas reporting 218 inches of snow. Deer were not able to get out of their wintering yards, the few that are actually left, which made it an all out slaughter for the coyotes. We lost an estimated 40% of our deer herd in Northern Maine in one year. Wood harvesting practices in the area has been to cut and clear the woods for the local paper mills for decades. They replanted some areas, but with softwood, not hardwoods that originated on the lands. Therefore habitat was taken away and never replanted. Now, some say that the two legged predators have caused some havoc also, however I don't agree and will explain.
Yes many years ago, poachers were a problem. For many families if you had wild meat and a bag of potatoes you were eating. Then it became for some just a game and much was wasted. I don't agree with the second practice, however I always looked upon necessity to feed the family in a different light. It wasn't like those who were horn hunting and not caring if they utilized the kill. Those I enjoyed seeing caught and in Maine the penalty is quite severe as it should be. You lose you license to hunt, the vehicle you were poaching from, the firearm used as well as a nice fine and a couple days in jail. Deserving don't you think? However the thing is, I have seen an extreme drop in folks hunting altogether over the past years. We encounter less and fewer hunters in the woods each year. I don't hear the comments, brags or gossip of poachers as we did years ago either. Therefore the present dilemma of the deer herd then in my opinion is of less threat of a poacher as they are of a predator. The coyote was introduced to Maine in the 70s and was not a native of the State. Now their populations are out of control with many of the animals diseased and mangy. In the last 5-6 years we have encountered coyote with such severe mange that when we catch them in a trap we simply dispose of the animal. Just the other night Big E and I was driving home and had one run out in front of us with no hair; a very sick animal and a sorry sight.
Now like many States in this economy, our Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are in financial ruin with insufficient budgets. They basically have stated that it's up to us, the people, the hunters and trappers to take care of the situation that the whole mess has created. Therefore the creation of 3 conservation groups in 3 counties of Northern Maine: Arroostook, Penobscot and Washington Counties. These are grassroots organizations whose purpose and mission is to protect, preserve and promote habitat for the whitetail deer and control predation by organizing coyote contests. Might there be other predators other than coyote? Yes, but the coyote is the main problem and those of us who live and work in the woods are well aware of that fact. We don't see deer, we see and hear coyotes wherever we go. This brings me to another fact. Many folks will go for a ride a couple two, three times a month and say," wow, we haven't seen any game!" Well Big E and I are in the woods almost daily and I myself have only seen one deer this past summer. We are not seeing any game: rabbits, grouse which we were seeing, now nothing, deer, moose are also not as plentiful; however we are seeing coyotes! Not all are mangy, but when you can say that 2 out of 5 animals have mange, this is not a good sign of the condition of our wildlife population.
Personally, I feel that IF&W have failed the people of the State of Maine terribly. The only well managed animal seems to be the black bear. However I feel that folks like myself are to be given credit for that. I watch, study and manage the bears in my hunting areas. When we have a sow with cubs feeding on our bait sites, we continue to feed them, but do not place hunters on that site. We promote identifying between sows and boars, and we teach and present effective ways to judge a bears size and weight. This is one very huge benefit to hunting over bait; it gives the hunter the opportunity to be choosy. Of course the hunter has to listen to their guide!!!! Many guides are the same as myself, therefore along with what little management IF&W have done, this has shown great success with the highest black bear population in the eastern US. What I don't understand is that IF&W still spends more than it has, yet our wildlife is suffering, therefore what are they doing????? This stands to be answered and accounted for at some point!!
I tend to be quite upfront with folks when I get inquiries for deer hunting and yes, it is taking money out of my own pocket. However I truly believe it is my duty. Up front I tell them, don't bother, save your money as you will not be happy and you will most likely leave empty handed. It is not like the many television hunting shows where one gets to choose which buck they are going to take out of a dozen. You can sit in a treestand all season and never see a deer here. You can ride all season and never see a deer!!!!
A couple of years ago I set a treestand up on the edge of a field that used to have good deer sign. I was using an electronic deer call, rattling and the only old buck that came in was my neighbor Walter, who thought it all sounded wicked good!
I have also stated that I feel deer season needs to be closed at least in Northern Maine for nothing less than 5 years. Believe me, folks don't like that suggestion, however more and more are seeing my point, or to put it this way...they are not seeing deer.
Deer season opened Saturday Statewide for residents, and this morning it is open for nonresidents as well. This is in itself a complicated situation as the deer herd in Northern Maine is in terrible jeopardy. Due to over harvesting and bad forestry practices, severe winters and harsh predators the deer herd has taken a hard hit over the past years. The winters of 2007 and 2008 we had extremely heavy snowfalls with some areas reporting 218 inches of snow. Deer were not able to get out of their wintering yards, the few that are actually left, which made it an all out slaughter for the coyotes. We lost an estimated 40% of our deer herd in Northern Maine in one year. Wood harvesting practices in the area has been to cut and clear the woods for the local paper mills for decades. They replanted some areas, but with softwood, not hardwoods that originated on the lands. Therefore habitat was taken away and never replanted. Now, some say that the two legged predators have caused some havoc also, however I don't agree and will explain.
Yes many years ago, poachers were a problem. For many families if you had wild meat and a bag of potatoes you were eating. Then it became for some just a game and much was wasted. I don't agree with the second practice, however I always looked upon necessity to feed the family in a different light. It wasn't like those who were horn hunting and not caring if they utilized the kill. Those I enjoyed seeing caught and in Maine the penalty is quite severe as it should be. You lose you license to hunt, the vehicle you were poaching from, the firearm used as well as a nice fine and a couple days in jail. Deserving don't you think? However the thing is, I have seen an extreme drop in folks hunting altogether over the past years. We encounter less and fewer hunters in the woods each year. I don't hear the comments, brags or gossip of poachers as we did years ago either. Therefore the present dilemma of the deer herd then in my opinion is of less threat of a poacher as they are of a predator. The coyote was introduced to Maine in the 70s and was not a native of the State. Now their populations are out of control with many of the animals diseased and mangy. In the last 5-6 years we have encountered coyote with such severe mange that when we catch them in a trap we simply dispose of the animal. Just the other night Big E and I was driving home and had one run out in front of us with no hair; a very sick animal and a sorry sight.
Now like many States in this economy, our Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are in financial ruin with insufficient budgets. They basically have stated that it's up to us, the people, the hunters and trappers to take care of the situation that the whole mess has created. Therefore the creation of 3 conservation groups in 3 counties of Northern Maine: Arroostook, Penobscot and Washington Counties. These are grassroots organizations whose purpose and mission is to protect, preserve and promote habitat for the whitetail deer and control predation by organizing coyote contests. Might there be other predators other than coyote? Yes, but the coyote is the main problem and those of us who live and work in the woods are well aware of that fact. We don't see deer, we see and hear coyotes wherever we go. This brings me to another fact. Many folks will go for a ride a couple two, three times a month and say," wow, we haven't seen any game!" Well Big E and I are in the woods almost daily and I myself have only seen one deer this past summer. We are not seeing any game: rabbits, grouse which we were seeing, now nothing, deer, moose are also not as plentiful; however we are seeing coyotes! Not all are mangy, but when you can say that 2 out of 5 animals have mange, this is not a good sign of the condition of our wildlife population.
Personally, I feel that IF&W have failed the people of the State of Maine terribly. The only well managed animal seems to be the black bear. However I feel that folks like myself are to be given credit for that. I watch, study and manage the bears in my hunting areas. When we have a sow with cubs feeding on our bait sites, we continue to feed them, but do not place hunters on that site. We promote identifying between sows and boars, and we teach and present effective ways to judge a bears size and weight. This is one very huge benefit to hunting over bait; it gives the hunter the opportunity to be choosy. Of course the hunter has to listen to their guide!!!! Many guides are the same as myself, therefore along with what little management IF&W have done, this has shown great success with the highest black bear population in the eastern US. What I don't understand is that IF&W still spends more than it has, yet our wildlife is suffering, therefore what are they doing????? This stands to be answered and accounted for at some point!!
I tend to be quite upfront with folks when I get inquiries for deer hunting and yes, it is taking money out of my own pocket. However I truly believe it is my duty. Up front I tell them, don't bother, save your money as you will not be happy and you will most likely leave empty handed. It is not like the many television hunting shows where one gets to choose which buck they are going to take out of a dozen. You can sit in a treestand all season and never see a deer here. You can ride all season and never see a deer!!!!
A couple of years ago I set a treestand up on the edge of a field that used to have good deer sign. I was using an electronic deer call, rattling and the only old buck that came in was my neighbor Walter, who thought it all sounded wicked good!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Successful trapper
I had my trap set for 5 nights and even ended up relocating before being successful. My bear weighed in at 175 pounds; a young boar. Now some thoughts on this. Had I been hunting over bait, I would have passed up this guy. However that is a known part of the game in trapping. You get what you get. I'm very glad it was a boar as I really hate to see the young sows taken out of the breeding program. As a guide, I feel I am as much a conservationist as a business owner. We have had sows with cubs feeding on our bait sites and when we are aware that they are frequenting a site, we continue to feed them, however we will not place a hunter there in order to protect her to insure she raises her cubs. We also use different areas so as not to over hunt an area. If several bear are taken in an area, we begin looking for bear sign in the spring, and through the baiting period and may decide not to hunt that area for a year. This creates another issue of having enough areas and sites to maintain the number of clients. This was one reason we had branched out to the new area in Webster Plantation this past year. This also created another problem as that area was only feasible to hunt the first two weeks due to decrease in hunting time. I will have a shoulder mount done as his head and neck is really pretty, and is easier to place on any wall. We are rapidly running out of space for all of our mounts with 2 bear still at the taxidermy to be 3/4 mounts, which is the front legs, shoulders, neck and head. I call it a 1/3, but what do I know about taxidermy. Once we get the big lodge built we will probably think we need lots more, but for now space is getting extremely limited.
Well, thats all for now. I will try to post more often, but then again it's trapping season, which will lead into deer season.....well maybe after that I will have more free time.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
In the shadow of Katahdin
I set my bear trap yesterday while Big E put out a couple coyote and fox sets. We checked everything this morning and caught nothing. Bear trapping ends the 31st, so time is running out quite quickly and I think the bears have migrated to the abundant apple trees which in this neck of the woods can be found most anywhere. Many years ago much of the area was farmlands and every farm had apple trees. These areas have grown up into forest once again and the apple trees, along with the help of Mother Nature can be found throughout the woods. I have been very surprised that the apples are so plentiful with as little rain as we had all summer, but it seems to have been a bumper crop. I will continue to keep trying, however the game cameras which were showing us awesome bears and now the bait sites are riddled with the midnight masked bandits and the native tricksters.
It is getting much colder in the mornings here in the region. The mountain is sporting a fresh white blanket and we now have had several frosts which should get the bears thinking about bulking up before winter hits. Therefore it stands to reason that they should be hitting the bait sites for the free goodies even with what nature has provided. I'm sometimes amazed as a bear is a very habitual animal as well as one of easy opportunity, that they will feed on natural foods before taking advantage of what we are putting out there. You are always hearing, and I'm sure it is true to some point, that feeding bears will cause problems in areas. Parks have problems with bears all across the U.S. breaking into vehicles, dumpsters and harassing campers. However it is somewhat frustrating when we have been feeding the bait sites since the end of July, and yet, the bears will go to the orchards and scattered apple trees first. This puts an interesting spin on things and I will put some time into studying that very fact. Watching and studying wildlife never fails to amaze me, which is probably a good thing considering the line of business I'm in.
The Katahdin region has peaked and fallen to the other side as far as the fall colors which are beginning to mute to yellows and browns, with just a few brilliant reds and oranges left here and there. It still is beautiful and every year as the seasons change I can't help thinking how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. I even enjoy the winter with it's crisp cover of white that sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. Winter has it's purpose and with my wisdom I have come to understand it all for what I believe it is meant to be. I could not imagine living in a place where the seasons are not defined in such a way.
I have been reading more on the folklore of the region, refreshing the many stories I have heard told over the years. It has always been said that Katahdin is the mountain of the people and those who live here, the people of the mountain. You do not have to be a Native American to have that status here, even though the Native Americans have always considered the mountain a sacred great and powerful spirit among their people. However, there has always been a pull on those who live here; people from all walks of life in this great melting pot. There is so much history here and it never ceases to amaze me. However it is a statement that I heard on a PBS film a while back that came to light once again in the book that I'm currently reading; how some have a pull, draw, a special feeling inside whenever they gaze upon mighty Katahdins range, a feeling of truly belonging. I have always felt that way. I often call Katahdin mine although I don't own it personally, but in another sense, I do. I have no title, but am entitled. I could not imagine ever moving away and when I'm away I can't wait to get back. I feel at peace. I read once many years ago, words of wisdom in a lesson to a granddaughter from a tribe elder. She placed a rock in each of her granddaughters hands, one taken from the shore of a nearby brook, and one that had come from another place in the world. She told her to sit quietly, close her eyes and "feel" the stones in her hands. One felt kind of hot, the edges stung just a bit, and the other felt smooth and cool. It was not because one had edges, and the other smooth and round that they felt differently, but because one was in a connection with the girl and her surroundings, and the other was from many miles, many moons away. The lesson was when one is where they belong, then everything is connected in harmony; everything feels right, and when it does not, then one must search for the place where they belong in order to live in harmony. I did this many years ago after having read that book. I picked up a rock that was simply at my feet and one from a flower bed that had come from a bag bought at the local hardware store. I sat quietly, closed my eyes and concentrated on how the rocks felt in my hands and was quite amazed when the white marbled decorative rock did indeed feel like it was stinging, and the other, smooth, cool, yet warm. I belong.
It is getting much colder in the mornings here in the region. The mountain is sporting a fresh white blanket and we now have had several frosts which should get the bears thinking about bulking up before winter hits. Therefore it stands to reason that they should be hitting the bait sites for the free goodies even with what nature has provided. I'm sometimes amazed as a bear is a very habitual animal as well as one of easy opportunity, that they will feed on natural foods before taking advantage of what we are putting out there. You are always hearing, and I'm sure it is true to some point, that feeding bears will cause problems in areas. Parks have problems with bears all across the U.S. breaking into vehicles, dumpsters and harassing campers. However it is somewhat frustrating when we have been feeding the bait sites since the end of July, and yet, the bears will go to the orchards and scattered apple trees first. This puts an interesting spin on things and I will put some time into studying that very fact. Watching and studying wildlife never fails to amaze me, which is probably a good thing considering the line of business I'm in.
The Katahdin region has peaked and fallen to the other side as far as the fall colors which are beginning to mute to yellows and browns, with just a few brilliant reds and oranges left here and there. It still is beautiful and every year as the seasons change I can't help thinking how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place. I even enjoy the winter with it's crisp cover of white that sparkles like diamonds in the sunlight. Winter has it's purpose and with my wisdom I have come to understand it all for what I believe it is meant to be. I could not imagine living in a place where the seasons are not defined in such a way.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Big E gets a bear!!!
Well after having set the trap on the bait site known as the 410, Big E and I went in yesterday morning to find indeed he had successfully trapped an excellent beauty of a bear!! (The site is called 410 because that is the biggest bear that we have ever had come into camp and is came off that site). I had video camera at hand and caught all the action! The video is coming out quite nice and now we think that we may even try selling a few copies once edited.
We was out and about by 7:00am and could hear the bear when we got out of the truck. Very exciting!! We went in to discover a real nice bear just behind the bait site held by the cable snare. Cable snares are a very humane way of trapping as there are no punctures, no broken bones or blood. In fact, bears can be released from cable traps unharmed if tranquilized. When I first looked at this bear I thought it to be an old sow as it was extremely light colored in the face; up above the eyes, under the chin and down the neck. However it turned out to be a 4-5 year old boar with a unique facial pattern. This in itself is a very interesting fact. We have had a sow in the area that we have been very aware of for several years. We have seen her, watched her and taken pictures. She has produced 2-3 cubs each time she has been bred and we know of 3 sets of cubs and she was seen this year with triplets which will be cast out on their own this fall. She is probably bred and will have new cubs this coming Spring. She has this same facial pattern and looks almost gray in her face now. She most likely brought this bear to this bait to feed when he was young, and bears being habitual creatures, he continued to feed on the bait. These kinds of markings are genetic as are the unique white Vs often seen on a bears chest. We have one area where we have taken 6 bears with white Vs, one being an old sow that biologists estimated to have been between 27-30 years old. I was told that sows often live to be that old as they do not fight like the boars over territory and breeding rights. We have in fact had 2 old sows taken that were of that age. So it is quite plausible that the old sow had a lot to do with passing on the white markings.
Big E's bear weighed in at 225 with an empty stomach. Had this bear fed before being caught he would have weighed up to 250-260 pounds and by his body structure the weight was deceiving at first. Big E guessed 250, Jeremy guessed 210 and I had it right on the mark with 225!!! We have got very good at judging bears weight and size over the many years we have been hunting. I will be attempting to trap the next bear and will once again target the big bear I have seen; the same one that I watched cleanly missed by a young lady archer and once again by a lady rifle hunter a week later. That bear then became completely nocturnal and odds are good that it will remain that way. Once a bear becomes nocturnal, it is extremely hard to turn the pattern. Of course big bears don't get big by being careless. We tried new scents, fresh bait and even honey burns during baiting season in an effort to bring him out, without any success. Therefore the only way this bear will be harvested is by trapping. I only have a couple weeks left to attempt this feat before trapping season on bear is over. Nick Cote will be trying to trap a bear on the weekends when he comes home from college, so we are feeding a couple sites to prepare for him. The game cameras are a help as they show us not only the bear, but which way they come in, time and which way they exit. Of course this is not a given, but it helps our odds to understand the habit of the creature.
I absolutely love to watch and study these beautiful animals. Watching generations of animals is extremely fascinating and teaches so much more than just being a bear, beaver or whatever critter it may be. Mother Nature provides the best education and entertainment that I know of and I never tire of learning more and more about the world I live in here in the shadow of Mount Katahdin.
I will be adding some historical information to this blog about the region in future postings as things slow down and winter sets in.
We was out and about by 7:00am and could hear the bear when we got out of the truck. Very exciting!! We went in to discover a real nice bear just behind the bait site held by the cable snare. Cable snares are a very humane way of trapping as there are no punctures, no broken bones or blood. In fact, bears can be released from cable traps unharmed if tranquilized. When I first looked at this bear I thought it to be an old sow as it was extremely light colored in the face; up above the eyes, under the chin and down the neck. However it turned out to be a 4-5 year old boar with a unique facial pattern. This in itself is a very interesting fact. We have had a sow in the area that we have been very aware of for several years. We have seen her, watched her and taken pictures. She has produced 2-3 cubs each time she has been bred and we know of 3 sets of cubs and she was seen this year with triplets which will be cast out on their own this fall. She is probably bred and will have new cubs this coming Spring. She has this same facial pattern and looks almost gray in her face now. She most likely brought this bear to this bait to feed when he was young, and bears being habitual creatures, he continued to feed on the bait. These kinds of markings are genetic as are the unique white Vs often seen on a bears chest. We have one area where we have taken 6 bears with white Vs, one being an old sow that biologists estimated to have been between 27-30 years old. I was told that sows often live to be that old as they do not fight like the boars over territory and breeding rights. We have in fact had 2 old sows taken that were of that age. So it is quite plausible that the old sow had a lot to do with passing on the white markings.
Big E's bear weighed in at 225 with an empty stomach. Had this bear fed before being caught he would have weighed up to 250-260 pounds and by his body structure the weight was deceiving at first. Big E guessed 250, Jeremy guessed 210 and I had it right on the mark with 225!!! We have got very good at judging bears weight and size over the many years we have been hunting. I will be attempting to trap the next bear and will once again target the big bear I have seen; the same one that I watched cleanly missed by a young lady archer and once again by a lady rifle hunter a week later. That bear then became completely nocturnal and odds are good that it will remain that way. Once a bear becomes nocturnal, it is extremely hard to turn the pattern. Of course big bears don't get big by being careless. We tried new scents, fresh bait and even honey burns during baiting season in an effort to bring him out, without any success. Therefore the only way this bear will be harvested is by trapping. I only have a couple weeks left to attempt this feat before trapping season on bear is over. Nick Cote will be trying to trap a bear on the weekends when he comes home from college, so we are feeding a couple sites to prepare for him. The game cameras are a help as they show us not only the bear, but which way they come in, time and which way they exit. Of course this is not a given, but it helps our odds to understand the habit of the creature.
I absolutely love to watch and study these beautiful animals. Watching generations of animals is extremely fascinating and teaches so much more than just being a bear, beaver or whatever critter it may be. Mother Nature provides the best education and entertainment that I know of and I never tire of learning more and more about the world I live in here in the shadow of Mount Katahdin.
I will be adding some historical information to this blog about the region in future postings as things slow down and winter sets in.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Camera, ACTION
I don't quite know what to title this post, so I'll write it first and then add one. Big E and I went out bird hunting a couple days ago and revisited a few of our bait sites as E wants to set a cable trap for bear with the high intentions and hopes of targeting one of the huge bear that our hunters were unsuccessful in taking. My very first bear was taken by way of cable trap in 93, and being fortunate enough to have trapped a big bear, I had never thought about taking another bear until many years later, and then did so from a treestand over a bait site. Big
E trapped a very nice boar bear back in 08, the same year I got my 350 pounder.
We took a couple of the game cameras and after checking a few sites, he decided on the old faithful 410 and 310 sites. Both of these sites had 400 pound plus plus bears working on them. Checked the cameras yesterday and both are working and both with the big bears. We also had been talking about making a video on bear trapping so this morning after all is up and coffee down we will begin the video by going over the equipment, then off to the bait site to set the trap.
Maine is the last remaining State to allow bear trapping. Up until just a few years ago we could still use the traditional steel jawed trap, but after another battle with the anti's the laws changed to only allow the cable trap with a lock stop which allows smaller animals to pull free. Big E even goes one step further adding another stop so that he will only target a very large bear. We also used to be able to set out 2 traps, and now the law states only one. However the cable trap is very effective and in many ways more humane than the steel trap.
Of course trapping is not a sport for everyone. I truly believe it takes a special person to run a productive trap line. Trapping has a very long tradition and heritage in the Katahdin region and although many of the old trappers have passed, there are still a few, Big E being one.
I'll admit, back when I trapped my first bear, when I came around the corner of the small overgrown field where I had placed the cubby set and looked at the massive animal I thought, " Now how the hell am I gonna let you go?" Well I knew that was not a possibliity unless I wanted to get shredded so I did what I had to do. I ran traps with Big E for many years and have had my share of incidents so to speak, like the time I got caught myself in a brand new 220 conibear wired and chained to a tree. Now let me tell you that was a predicament!!! It took me 10 minutes and dam near a broken hand to get loose!! Anyway, I have found that enjoy the conibear or killer type traps better than leg hold trapping. I know that coyotes and such need to be controlled and trapping can be a very effective way to help in that management. I have no problem with those who run lines of foot holds, it just isn't my thing. I go with E when he runs his, and I have no problem and enjoy being there, it's just my preference, a personal thing. Also I absolutely love fox; they are beautiful sleek critters and I really don't like dispatching them as they look way too much like my shiba inu's.
Well to make a long story short here, Big E will be setting his trap and I will be his faithful camera lady and hopefully we will have an end product to run on our web site and take to the sportsmen shows.
Camera......ACTION!!
E trapped a very nice boar bear back in 08, the same year I got my 350 pounder.
We took a couple of the game cameras and after checking a few sites, he decided on the old faithful 410 and 310 sites. Both of these sites had 400 pound plus plus bears working on them. Checked the cameras yesterday and both are working and both with the big bears. We also had been talking about making a video on bear trapping so this morning after all is up and coffee down we will begin the video by going over the equipment, then off to the bait site to set the trap.
Maine is the last remaining State to allow bear trapping. Up until just a few years ago we could still use the traditional steel jawed trap, but after another battle with the anti's the laws changed to only allow the cable trap with a lock stop which allows smaller animals to pull free. Big E even goes one step further adding another stop so that he will only target a very large bear. We also used to be able to set out 2 traps, and now the law states only one. However the cable trap is very effective and in many ways more humane than the steel trap.
Of course trapping is not a sport for everyone. I truly believe it takes a special person to run a productive trap line. Trapping has a very long tradition and heritage in the Katahdin region and although many of the old trappers have passed, there are still a few, Big E being one.
I'll admit, back when I trapped my first bear, when I came around the corner of the small overgrown field where I had placed the cubby set and looked at the massive animal I thought, " Now how the hell am I gonna let you go?" Well I knew that was not a possibliity unless I wanted to get shredded so I did what I had to do. I ran traps with Big E for many years and have had my share of incidents so to speak, like the time I got caught myself in a brand new 220 conibear wired and chained to a tree. Now let me tell you that was a predicament!!! It took me 10 minutes and dam near a broken hand to get loose!! Anyway, I have found that enjoy the conibear or killer type traps better than leg hold trapping. I know that coyotes and such need to be controlled and trapping can be a very effective way to help in that management. I have no problem with those who run lines of foot holds, it just isn't my thing. I go with E when he runs his, and I have no problem and enjoy being there, it's just my preference, a personal thing. Also I absolutely love fox; they are beautiful sleek critters and I really don't like dispatching them as they look way too much like my shiba inu's.
Well to make a long story short here, Big E will be setting his trap and I will be his faithful camera lady and hopefully we will have an end product to run on our web site and take to the sportsmen shows.
Camera......ACTION!!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ktaadn Guide Service: Seasons change
Ktaadn Guide Service: Seasons change: "Well Big E and the Crosbys finally got their moose Friday night at 5:00pm of the first moose season. It was a small bull, 600 pounds, but ev..."
Seasons change
Well Big E and the Crosbys finally got their moose Friday night at 5:00pm of the first moose season. It was a small bull, 600 pounds, but everyone is happy and that for the most part is all that counts. Mornings began at 4:00am and they didn't get back until 9:30-10:00pm each night. Linda Crosby, who held the permit is on kidney dialysis, therefore she had to go for treatments Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and they didn't get out of camp until after noontime on Tuesday and Thursday. On Wednesday they saw 3 bulls, much larger than the one they finally got, however extenuating circumstances could not get a shot at them. It rained throughout most of the week which made the long days and long rides on the not so best roads a little more tiring. Friday morning they saw a nice bull on the run, again no shot opportunity. Therefore when they saw the young bull that late afternoon , they were all in agreement that he was big enough!! Linda had thought they were going to end up with no moose at that point, so she was quite happy to put this critter down.
The Crosbys have been friends of ours for 24 years, and we have known them even prior to that. This is one of those things when you live in small communities. We have been on 6 moose hunts together and can at least say they have all been successful, filling the freezer with excellent meat for the winter.
We have only been out partridge hunting a couple of times, limiting out the first time. Just can not get enough of the tasty birds!!! With the coming of winter hinting in the air, we are trying to concentrate on completing the chores of preparation so that we can trap and deer hunt without guilt and the fact that the longer we wait to get things done, the colder it gets. There is nothing worse in my book than trying to nail up the banking with numb fingers!!!! We have been cutting our firewood which has the ability of warming us several times over: first when you are cutting it, second when you are loading it, again when you unload it, then again when you split it, heating us up when we pile it and then twice more as we lug it into the house, and fill us the stove!! How many BTUs is that??!!
I have walked our new lot a couple of times seeking that special spot for my treestand in hopes of bagging a nice buck this fall. The deer population in our region is not in the best shape with declining numbers due to harvesting practices, harsh winters and the predator situation here in Maine. In our Wildlife Management District there have been no doe permits for a few years in a effort to help the herd, however it has not been enough to make any real difference. I plan to go out coyote hunting and Big E will start trapping for fox and coyote on the 18th with the special early trapping season to try to cut down on the exploding predator populations in our area. It is common to hear coyotes yodeling every night. When I was out on one of our bear stands, I had coyotes working around me and was able to pattern them to the point that I feel quite confident that I will have success in taking a few of them out. One old dog has the deepest howl I have heard in a long time as usually the sounds are sharp and high pitched. He will be a target as he should be a very large animal and a breeder for sure.
The leaves are falling coating the ground like a blanket and it seems it has been raining more than clear lately. We have not had a frost yet, but it will not be long. Many folks think that because we had such a hot dry summer, that we are going to get blasted this winter. One never knows in Maine, as they say, "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute, it will change."
The Crosbys have been friends of ours for 24 years, and we have known them even prior to that. This is one of those things when you live in small communities. We have been on 6 moose hunts together and can at least say they have all been successful, filling the freezer with excellent meat for the winter.
We have only been out partridge hunting a couple of times, limiting out the first time. Just can not get enough of the tasty birds!!! With the coming of winter hinting in the air, we are trying to concentrate on completing the chores of preparation so that we can trap and deer hunt without guilt and the fact that the longer we wait to get things done, the colder it gets. There is nothing worse in my book than trying to nail up the banking with numb fingers!!!! We have been cutting our firewood which has the ability of warming us several times over: first when you are cutting it, second when you are loading it, again when you unload it, then again when you split it, heating us up when we pile it and then twice more as we lug it into the house, and fill us the stove!! How many BTUs is that??!!
I have walked our new lot a couple of times seeking that special spot for my treestand in hopes of bagging a nice buck this fall. The deer population in our region is not in the best shape with declining numbers due to harvesting practices, harsh winters and the predator situation here in Maine. In our Wildlife Management District there have been no doe permits for a few years in a effort to help the herd, however it has not been enough to make any real difference. I plan to go out coyote hunting and Big E will start trapping for fox and coyote on the 18th with the special early trapping season to try to cut down on the exploding predator populations in our area. It is common to hear coyotes yodeling every night. When I was out on one of our bear stands, I had coyotes working around me and was able to pattern them to the point that I feel quite confident that I will have success in taking a few of them out. One old dog has the deepest howl I have heard in a long time as usually the sounds are sharp and high pitched. He will be a target as he should be a very large animal and a breeder for sure.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
When the fun ends, the work begins.
Well it is Wednesday of the first week of moose season. Big E and Chet went scouting Sunday and saw only a cow and a calf. Monday they road for almost 200 miles in Wildlife Management district 4, which is the Telos road and connecting woods roads all the way to Canada. For those who have watched the "American Loggers" on the Discovery channel, you may know the road system as the "Golden Road", named for the millions of acres of prime woodlands once owned by Great Northern Paper Company. We have taken 2 nice bulls out of the area in 03 and 09, mine and Big Es. However this is day three of the hunt and they have not even seen a bull. Mother Nature continues to screw with us as the temps have gone back to warm and muggy for the week. As most know, the fun is so over when the trigger is pulled; these are very large animals and they don't load themselves! With these temperatures they need to be taken care of quickly so not to have any spoilage of meat. I have not been going along with Big E and the Crosbys this week as there is much to do here as well. I have been going out to the bear bait sites that are out and away picking up treestands and barrels, cleaning up any debris. We have had trouble in the past with treestand thieves therefore because we have primarily purchased stands versus the wooden home made ones which weigh a ton it can get extremely costly. There is not much folks will not steal in these hard economic times, whether they try to resell them, or scrap them for the metal. I also have been trying to get the canning from the garden done bit by bit inbetween everything else going on.
Yesterday I picked up three sites that still had cameras on them, one being the site I sat out on for 2 nights only to discover from the camera directly after that it was being bogarted by a big mean porcupine! The critter held off 7 raccoons all at once and there was one picture where a bear just simply moseyed on by without any challenge. Therefore much to my surprise when we went in, the barrel was turned away from us and I thought well maybe a bear had finally come into the bait. I began taking the camera down when Jeremy jumped back and yelled. I turned to see into the barrel as he had turned in around and low and behold, my porcupine!! Well he didn't want to give up residency and was acting quite perturbed with us. Unfortunately for him, I didn't have time to just let him hold squatters rights. Might I have possibly been revengeful considering the time I spent in vain? Maybe. However it is what it is and the porcupines that we have seen this year will not be effected much by the loss of this one as we have seen more porcupines this year than in many previous years. When I checked the camera photos, no bears had come back, only this mean porcupine and the raccoons. In fact the site I sat out on the last night with great hopes that the big bear would make one more appearance was also dominated by other critters, ravens. The one other site with a camera had a bear come in once just after midnight, then 2 days later a repeat, however they didn't stay at the site. This only adds more to the frustrations we incurred as to where did all the bears go? Each site had several bear visiting and baits were getting absolutely hammered prior to the point we were baiting twice a much as we usually do to keep the sites well fed. I have continued to compile information from other guides and services, as well as just some local hunters and more experienced the same as we did with only a scattered few doing much better. However I have yet to hear of anyone having a banner year of it. Of course there are those that will lie too. Well must be off to gather more stands...work,work,work!
Yesterday I picked up three sites that still had cameras on them, one being the site I sat out on for 2 nights only to discover from the camera directly after that it was being bogarted by a big mean porcupine! The critter held off 7 raccoons all at once and there was one picture where a bear just simply moseyed on by without any challenge. Therefore much to my surprise when we went in, the barrel was turned away from us and I thought well maybe a bear had finally come into the bait. I began taking the camera down when Jeremy jumped back and yelled. I turned to see into the barrel as he had turned in around and low and behold, my porcupine!! Well he didn't want to give up residency and was acting quite perturbed with us. Unfortunately for him, I didn't have time to just let him hold squatters rights. Might I have possibly been revengeful considering the time I spent in vain? Maybe. However it is what it is and the porcupines that we have seen this year will not be effected much by the loss of this one as we have seen more porcupines this year than in many previous years. When I checked the camera photos, no bears had come back, only this mean porcupine and the raccoons. In fact the site I sat out on the last night with great hopes that the big bear would make one more appearance was also dominated by other critters, ravens. The one other site with a camera had a bear come in once just after midnight, then 2 days later a repeat, however they didn't stay at the site. This only adds more to the frustrations we incurred as to where did all the bears go? Each site had several bear visiting and baits were getting absolutely hammered prior to the point we were baiting twice a much as we usually do to keep the sites well fed. I have continued to compile information from other guides and services, as well as just some local hunters and more experienced the same as we did with only a scattered few doing much better. However I have yet to hear of anyone having a banner year of it. Of course there are those that will lie too. Well must be off to gather more stands...work,work,work!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Ktaadn Guide Service: As one season ends, another begins
Ktaadn Guide Service: As one season ends, another begins: "Well the bears won this year. Yesterday was the last chance for hunting bear over bait. I went out to the site where the big bear was cleanl..."
As one season ends, another begins
Well the bears won this year. Yesterday was the last chance for hunting bear over bait. I went out to the site where the big bear was cleanly missed in hopes that he would emerge from the black growth one more time, however that was not to be. Therefore he will most likely live to get even bigger which is almost mind blowing as he must weigh close to 500 pounds right now. Of course there is still 2 more weeks of hunting with hounds for bear and Nelson Cole, the famous "Catman" himself will be coming up for the last week of hound hunting bringing along his world class pack of Treeing Walkers. So one never knows we may still be able to take down the VW bear. If he lives through this Big E will put in the last attempt by setting out a cable trap. We have known for years that the big bears are out there, however technology has changed the game to actually show us pictures and we were very surprised to see just how many big bear we have out there and any one of them would be a trophy; possibly one of a lifetime. I have also come to one other conclusion; game cameras are like fish finders. They will show you what is out there, but that doesn't mean you can catch or kill them. So be it......
Big E and Chet "The other Fly Rod " Crosby heading to Telos to scout moose for Chet's wife Linda who has a bull permit for that zone. The Crosbys have been good friends for all of 23 years. We have hunted and fished with them that long. Linda's health is not the best and has been on kidney dialysis for several months now and we have watched her fade from the vibrant lady she used to be which makes this moose hunt quite special as it will probably be her last for certain. Monday morning we'll be on the road bright and early. She can only hunt Monday, Wednesday and Friday due to her treatments, so we will keep the fingers crossed that she has the opportunity for a true trophy Maine moose. We will have it mounted and it will live on on the wall of the new lodge if successful.
I have to load up here soon and head out to Webster Plantation to pick up barrels and tree stands. If we leave the stands out much past the closing of baiting season we tend to have them stolen, which is quite costly. Sometimes one wonders where honor has gone amongst people, but it seems to be the way now a days. Tuesday we will collect the stands from the International Paper lot in Grindstone which will only leave Woodville to be collected. I need to do some scouting myself on our new lot for deer trails so that I can place a couple stands in hopes of taking a buck this year. Maine's deer herd is not in the best shape in Northern Maine. We have some really nice deer, but one has to put in the time and effort to find them. Deer season is generally cold here and that adds another factor in the game to deal with. Of course snow on the ground is excellent for tracking!!!
Big E and Chet "The other Fly Rod " Crosby heading to Telos to scout moose for Chet's wife Linda who has a bull permit for that zone. The Crosbys have been good friends for all of 23 years. We have hunted and fished with them that long. Linda's health is not the best and has been on kidney dialysis for several months now and we have watched her fade from the vibrant lady she used to be which makes this moose hunt quite special as it will probably be her last for certain. Monday morning we'll be on the road bright and early. She can only hunt Monday, Wednesday and Friday due to her treatments, so we will keep the fingers crossed that she has the opportunity for a true trophy Maine moose. We will have it mounted and it will live on on the wall of the new lodge if successful.
I have to load up here soon and head out to Webster Plantation to pick up barrels and tree stands. If we leave the stands out much past the closing of baiting season we tend to have them stolen, which is quite costly. Sometimes one wonders where honor has gone amongst people, but it seems to be the way now a days. Tuesday we will collect the stands from the International Paper lot in Grindstone which will only leave Woodville to be collected. I need to do some scouting myself on our new lot for deer trails so that I can place a couple stands in hopes of taking a buck this year. Maine's deer herd is not in the best shape in Northern Maine. We have some really nice deer, but one has to put in the time and effort to find them. Deer season is generally cold here and that adds another factor in the game to deal with. Of course snow on the ground is excellent for tracking!!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Surrounded by coyotes!
The lack of bears is still the game here, and still also extremely frustrating. The game cameras are showing that the few bait sites that continue working are after dark. I have always said big bear do not get big from being stupid and it seems they have patterned us and gone completely nocturnal. We haven't given up as one just never knows. It is just the Browns and myself going out onto the baits as of tonight. Big E gave up after Monday due to being frustrated and exhausted. Peter "Coyote" Cote spent his last night on a site, well...last night. He will be leaving this afternoon for Georgia to work a construction job that came through. He had not planned on leaving until November, however the opportunity came and for his family we understand it is something he has to do. We will miss him and his wonderful sense of humor.
Last night while sitting out on yet another one of our sites I experienced something awesome! I had been out for about 2 hours, having left the house at 2:00pm when a coyote yodeled off in the distance to my far left. Immediately I heard one off to the far right even further off and then one opened up just behind the bait, one to my left and one to my right, close! The first loud screech jumped me as I didn't expect it to be so close. The site that I was sitting on has a road to the rear of the site which was where I parked "Baby Blue", my little blue Ford Ranger, and then a road out about a quarter of a mile off to the right. Out on the road I heard a deep long howl indicating most likely an old dog, then one out by the truck. It was interesting to listen to the different sounds and levels of their voices. I then heard something running to my left, foot steps off to the right scurrying quickly before they opened up once again. This continued for almost 2 hours as they continued to come in closer and closer, yet I never got even a glimpse of fur through the thick trees. The site I was at is one of our most concealed in balsams and spruce trees. When the began to leave my site they congregated off to my right until they had a pack howl most likely out on the road, yodeling together for about a minute and a half before going silent. I never heard them again after that. This brings to light the fact that I simply love Mother Nature. I do not always have to see the game I'm hunting to enjoy just being in the outdoors. It helps with the fact that I truly believe that I live in the most beautiful place on Earth. I flourish in the shadow of Katahdin and the shores of the mighty Penobscot. I smile with complete appreciation at the changing of the leaves and the coming of the changing seasons. I have said it before, and I will say it again even considering that things have not worked out exactly as I would have liked with the bears.......Life is good!
Last night while sitting out on yet another one of our sites I experienced something awesome! I had been out for about 2 hours, having left the house at 2:00pm when a coyote yodeled off in the distance to my far left. Immediately I heard one off to the far right even further off and then one opened up just behind the bait, one to my left and one to my right, close! The first loud screech jumped me as I didn't expect it to be so close. The site that I was sitting on has a road to the rear of the site which was where I parked "Baby Blue", my little blue Ford Ranger, and then a road out about a quarter of a mile off to the right. Out on the road I heard a deep long howl indicating most likely an old dog, then one out by the truck. It was interesting to listen to the different sounds and levels of their voices. I then heard something running to my left, foot steps off to the right scurrying quickly before they opened up once again. This continued for almost 2 hours as they continued to come in closer and closer, yet I never got even a glimpse of fur through the thick trees. The site I was at is one of our most concealed in balsams and spruce trees. When the began to leave my site they congregated off to my right until they had a pack howl most likely out on the road, yodeling together for about a minute and a half before going silent. I never heard them again after that. This brings to light the fact that I simply love Mother Nature. I do not always have to see the game I'm hunting to enjoy just being in the outdoors. It helps with the fact that I truly believe that I live in the most beautiful place on Earth. I flourish in the shadow of Katahdin and the shores of the mighty Penobscot. I smile with complete appreciation at the changing of the leaves and the coming of the changing seasons. I have said it before, and I will say it again even considering that things have not worked out exactly as I would have liked with the bears.......Life is good!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I saw BEARS!!
Well it has been one very frustrating and depressing bear season for this guide. Last week the only bears to even be seen, were the two that the hunters successfully took Monday night. It is mind boggling to try to figure out what happened or why, and then what more could possibly be done to change the situation. I thought long and hard as to what the variable could be that was in common at all of the sites and locations. Acorns? No, there are no Oak in one area at all. Beech nuts? They didn't develop very well, and no beech ridges in one area either. Apples? Although the apple trees even considering the small amount of rain we received this summer are laden heavy, no apple trees in two areas. What then......Mushrooms! The middle of the second week after steady rain, the mushrooms came out everywhere. Maybe we have some addicted bears out there tripping??? I also decided to do a little research after hearing one tagging station say they were hearing the same thing from the other guides in the area I contacted two other tagging stations and numbers were down with the same complaint. Then Peter got online and looked around to find guides and hunters all over the State with the same question...."what is happening,baits are going dead?" Although it doesn't make me feel one hundred percent better, I do feel a little better.......a little.
Fourth week and final week of bait season for bear is here. We only have two guests who are so very much more like family, Larry and Kathy Brown from Pennsylvania. I had planned on taking my daughter out onto a bait to hunt, however she has now come down with the cold that made it's travels around everyone. Therefore I ventured into the Maine woods and sat on a site myself. I will not take a bear that is not phenomenal as I have taken three bears thus far in my hunting career; my last being a 350 pound boar. We have several sites that were and are still being worked by that very kind of animal and being a good judge of bears, they weigh over 300 and up to 500 pounds plus. We put Kathy out on one of the baits, Peter sat out on one and Big E and I sat on two others. Larry works very hard and needed another day to relax and get ready so he stayed back at camp with Ozwald. I got settled into my stand with my rifle sitting across my legs and waited.... I have no idea how long I sat as I forgot my watch before I saw movement to my left. A lone small mangy coyote was eating and chewing away contentedly for about 15 minutes before slowly walking off. I watched an osprey dropping down limb to limb to check out what was for dinner along with a half dozen gray jays also known as gobbie birds. Of course squirrels!!! Lots of squirrels!!! Then low and behold black movement coming in from the left!! A sow that weighs about 230-250 pounds came around the back side of the barrel, reached in got a donut, jumped back and took off. About 8 minutes she came again with a repeat performance and off again. Once more she came and went again. About 10 minutes later black movement from the trail behind that bait. I thought it was the same bear, but after it finally ventured to the barrel I could see it was a bit larger than the first, shaped different; a young boar most likely came in very leery. He didn't hang around too long before bolting off as I watched through my scope as light was fading fast and I was loosing site. When he veered off to the right of the trail, even though I suspected the big boy was around, I did not have time, light or site to wait him out and took my opportunity to sneak out without disturbing anything and slipped away quietly, but happy. One does not have to take an animal to feel successful. I was so happy to have just watched these beautiful animals in their habitat; their living room. However it seems I was the only one to have seen any bears, but it did not damper my mood. I saw BEARS!!!!!!
Fourth week and final week of bait season for bear is here. We only have two guests who are so very much more like family, Larry and Kathy Brown from Pennsylvania. I had planned on taking my daughter out onto a bait to hunt, however she has now come down with the cold that made it's travels around everyone. Therefore I ventured into the Maine woods and sat on a site myself. I will not take a bear that is not phenomenal as I have taken three bears thus far in my hunting career; my last being a 350 pound boar. We have several sites that were and are still being worked by that very kind of animal and being a good judge of bears, they weigh over 300 and up to 500 pounds plus. We put Kathy out on one of the baits, Peter sat out on one and Big E and I sat on two others. Larry works very hard and needed another day to relax and get ready so he stayed back at camp with Ozwald. I got settled into my stand with my rifle sitting across my legs and waited.... I have no idea how long I sat as I forgot my watch before I saw movement to my left. A lone small mangy coyote was eating and chewing away contentedly for about 15 minutes before slowly walking off. I watched an osprey dropping down limb to limb to check out what was for dinner along with a half dozen gray jays also known as gobbie birds. Of course squirrels!!! Lots of squirrels!!! Then low and behold black movement coming in from the left!! A sow that weighs about 230-250 pounds came around the back side of the barrel, reached in got a donut, jumped back and took off. About 8 minutes she came again with a repeat performance and off again. Once more she came and went again. About 10 minutes later black movement from the trail behind that bait. I thought it was the same bear, but after it finally ventured to the barrel I could see it was a bit larger than the first, shaped different; a young boar most likely came in very leery. He didn't hang around too long before bolting off as I watched through my scope as light was fading fast and I was loosing site. When he veered off to the right of the trail, even though I suspected the big boy was around, I did not have time, light or site to wait him out and took my opportunity to sneak out without disturbing anything and slipped away quietly, but happy. One does not have to take an animal to feel successful. I was so happy to have just watched these beautiful animals in their habitat; their living room. However it seems I was the only one to have seen any bears, but it did not damper my mood. I saw BEARS!!!!!!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Bears are winning....
Well this is the one thing we have no control over, Mother Nature. It is very frustrating as a guide and a guide service to not have the animals coming into camp. Thus far we have had 19 hunters and only 3 bear into camp. 2 bear were cleanly missed and 1 wounded that we tracked and could not recover from a bad shot. So had these come in, it would still only be 6 out of 19; these are not good numbers. The first questions people ask at the sports shows are, " how many bear did you get last year?", "how many hunters?", "what was your percentage?" I believe in honesty as the very best policy, however people will look at you, here bad numbers and think "well, they can't be very good guides then". This is a very unfair opinion, but I know how it all works. We have no idea exactly why this is happening. The bait sites were being hammered and the game cameras were showing us 5 to 7 bears on each bait site with some awesome trophy sized bears. We have several different areas as we usually hunt a different area for each week so that the sites are always fresh when the new hunters come in for the week. After that we may move around to what is being worked and hit. We have done everything we can think of; pulled out all the bags of tricks and still no bears.....
This can make or break a business like ours and it has me very worried. On top of all this we have dealt with the crew all getting colds and not feeling as well as we would like, which only adds to the frustration. I do feel fortunate that folks do understand hunting is hunting and not killing; however there is still that part of me that says as my alias "Blackcloud", always does, "it is not enough..."
So we tried honey burns on all the baits that were being hunted....no bears. We put out new anise scent which we use regularly....no bears. We moved onto fresh bait sites....no bears. So here I sit, wondering what else can we do? Big E and Peter are thinking, what else can we do? No quick answers; only hope that tonight will be the night!
We have just 2 hunters coming in for the last week of baiting season who they have been coming for 8 years now and are much more like family. It will be a much more relaxed week which will be welcomed after such big busy weeks and hopefully will heal some of our wounded feelings. Hopefully my next post with be much more light hearted and upbeat!!
This can make or break a business like ours and it has me very worried. On top of all this we have dealt with the crew all getting colds and not feeling as well as we would like, which only adds to the frustration. I do feel fortunate that folks do understand hunting is hunting and not killing; however there is still that part of me that says as my alias "Blackcloud", always does, "it is not enough..."
So we tried honey burns on all the baits that were being hunted....no bears. We put out new anise scent which we use regularly....no bears. We moved onto fresh bait sites....no bears. So here I sit, wondering what else can we do? Big E and Peter are thinking, what else can we do? No quick answers; only hope that tonight will be the night!
We have just 2 hunters coming in for the last week of baiting season who they have been coming for 8 years now and are much more like family. It will be a much more relaxed week which will be welcomed after such big busy weeks and hopefully will heal some of our wounded feelings. Hopefully my next post with be much more light hearted and upbeat!!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Week 3 of bear season
Well the third week started off with a bang; 2 bears Monday night. Therefore 5 out of 7 hunters are still out on the bait sites. The temperatures have been excellent and the bears should be moving, however seems they are still moving after dark. This is a very frustrating situation being a guide as I believe my success lies within my hunters success. The first questions asked when someone inquires about a hunt is "how did you do last year?", "How many hunters did you have?", and "What was your percentage?". I also know I have no control of my hunters actions or behavior when they are out on the stands when I'm not there. Never the less, it all reflects on me and the business. I'm very appreciative of my hunters attitudes about seeing or not seeing bears, as they know hunting is hunting, not killing. It is a game and it depends on how good of a player you are. Patience is one skill that must be mastered. Most hunters simply enjoy just being out in Mother Nature; listening to the sounds of the woods and watching all of the woodland creatures.
Another aspect of the business that I enjoy is the people you meet. For the most part they are awesome and interesting; living such different lives than myself and in different environments. So many are return guests and have become more like family. I always say, "you're a stranger only once." Even with the differences we all seem to share things in common as well which provides for great conversations and lots of story telling.
I'm getting tired out, and just getting over a bad cold which has really drug me down. Big E is just now coming down with it which makes me feel worse than having it myself. I can deal with me, but it's hard to take care of everything else that I need to, plus someone not feeling well at a time like this. My days start at 6:30am and do not end often until after midnight especially when we have a large group as we do this week. We max out at 8 to 10 hunters. However we will keep plugging away and hopefully the hunters will bag their bears tonight and we can sit back and relax for a while. Next week we have a couple coming who have been returning for 7 years. They will be our only guests so it will be a much easier week. I count my lucky stars that Peter "Coyote" Cote has been back with us this year. Peter is a fellow guide, super friend and classmate. His son Nick worked with us most of the summer as well before returning to the boat builders school in Eastport. He is a young man with a very bright future and the one who gave us all the cold, but we still love him anyway. Peter has taken a lot of pressure off of Big E, being a great help. We will miss him terribly when he heads back out on the road working construction for the winter months.
Therefore it all comes down to this: we will keep on keeping on.........
Another aspect of the business that I enjoy is the people you meet. For the most part they are awesome and interesting; living such different lives than myself and in different environments. So many are return guests and have become more like family. I always say, "you're a stranger only once." Even with the differences we all seem to share things in common as well which provides for great conversations and lots of story telling.
I'm getting tired out, and just getting over a bad cold which has really drug me down. Big E is just now coming down with it which makes me feel worse than having it myself. I can deal with me, but it's hard to take care of everything else that I need to, plus someone not feeling well at a time like this. My days start at 6:30am and do not end often until after midnight especially when we have a large group as we do this week. We max out at 8 to 10 hunters. However we will keep plugging away and hopefully the hunters will bag their bears tonight and we can sit back and relax for a while. Next week we have a couple coming who have been returning for 7 years. They will be our only guests so it will be a much easier week. I count my lucky stars that Peter "Coyote" Cote has been back with us this year. Peter is a fellow guide, super friend and classmate. His son Nick worked with us most of the summer as well before returning to the boat builders school in Eastport. He is a young man with a very bright future and the one who gave us all the cold, but we still love him anyway. Peter has taken a lot of pressure off of Big E, being a great help. We will miss him terribly when he heads back out on the road working construction for the winter months.
Therefore it all comes down to this: we will keep on keeping on.........
Friday, September 10, 2010
Week 2 and I'm getting tired
It is Friday of the second week of bear season, and it has been extremely frustrating. I had a hunter attempt a head shot on a really big bear, and clean missed, shooting to the right. I asked her why she took a head shot as we never instruct a hunter to attempt this, and she relied, "he was looking at me". Dam!! Other than that the weather has cooled down nicely, with quite a bit of rain and drizzle which should make the bears move and hungry. Everyone tells me, " thats why it is called hunting and not killing", which I realize, however it does not do much to suppress the stress I put myself under to try to do more. All in all 14 bears have been seen, which is good, however when it comes to numbers for a guide service, I just simply feel, it doesn't count. It is so hard when we go to the sports shows and folks ask, "how did you do last year?" I often don't know what to say, but have always believed that the truth is best, and honesty the best policy. However when it is so important to book hunters which make or break this business, such truths can hurt as folks will simply think, "well, they can't be very good guides and outfitters if the numbers are not there." This upsets me as we work so very hard and try our very best. Although, I also say that if you try your very best you can never really fail and must think of that and just keep going with fingers crossed that tonight will be the night, and the hunters will all be successful.
The first week we had 8 hunters and we were extremely busy, using our further sites out as we had the longest hunting time to take advantage of. This week we have 4 hunters, and have lost 15 minutes of hunting time. We are working with basically a skeleton crew of 2 guides, me and Mr. Coyote, 2 workers, Big E and Jeremy, and my Mom helping out in the kitchen. There is a lot to do and I think more than what folks think. I'm starting to slow down and feeling quite fatigued with still 2 more weeks to go. I hope we book full for next year so that I can hire some more help, and make further achievements and progress on the new lot for the future lodge. I really believe that a lodge will change the game and attract a larger clientele as well as opening new avenues to become a year round full service resort. We could keep going as we are, but one must decide what one wants, and to actually make money, one must go up the ladder so to speak. Therefore, we made that decision when we went into contract on a 100 acre parcel with full view of the mountain and range. The picture attached is the view we will enjoy.
Well must get busy once again, getting things ready for the evening lunch, then hopefully picking up some hunters with bears!!
The first week we had 8 hunters and we were extremely busy, using our further sites out as we had the longest hunting time to take advantage of. This week we have 4 hunters, and have lost 15 minutes of hunting time. We are working with basically a skeleton crew of 2 guides, me and Mr. Coyote, 2 workers, Big E and Jeremy, and my Mom helping out in the kitchen. There is a lot to do and I think more than what folks think. I'm starting to slow down and feeling quite fatigued with still 2 more weeks to go. I hope we book full for next year so that I can hire some more help, and make further achievements and progress on the new lot for the future lodge. I really believe that a lodge will change the game and attract a larger clientele as well as opening new avenues to become a year round full service resort. We could keep going as we are, but one must decide what one wants, and to actually make money, one must go up the ladder so to speak. Therefore, we made that decision when we went into contract on a 100 acre parcel with full view of the mountain and range. The picture attached is the view we will enjoy.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
One down, 3 to go...
Well the first week of bear season is passed, and the beginning of a new week has begun with guests arriving with excitement. I'm disappointed that we did not bring more bear in the first week, however the strange weather and unreal heat and humidity worked against us. However hunters saw bears!!! Some good shooters but would not present a shot or was too late coming in. Thursday Jill, my lady hunter who I sat out with had an opportunity of a lifetime. Jill is an archer and that is a much different game than a rifle hunter. Rifle scopes gather light and allow for hunting right up to the last minutes, however when using a bow, time works against them and darkness takes over. About 5 minutes before end of hunting time, the biggest bear that I have ever seen on a site came in. He had to go well over 400 pounds!! I took a 350 pound bear myself in 2008, and I thought he was big; this bear that came in made him look very small and literally took our breath away!! I asked her, "can you see your pins?", she said yes she still could and therefore I told her take the shot. First arrow flew...missed..under shot. The bear jumped and went just a little ways, turned and came back. We got another arrow out and she attempted another shot. The bear jumped and lunged, I thought she had hit him! I said to her, "lets get out of here, give him some time and we'll come back after every one gets in". Bear hunting is and can be a dangerous game and not one to take risks with. A guides number one priority isn't to have success, but safety. Leaving I kept listening intently, but did not hear any crashing or the death moan known for bear down, however I have taken 3 bears over the years and only one death moaned, therefore I still thought she might have hit him good. With pure excitement we left. We had to pick up one other hunter before heading back to camp which was her boyfriend, and he had some excitement of his own. He had been charged by a bear waiting for me to come and pick him up. Bear will do what is called a false charge; woofing and snorting and jumping forward a few steps. Usually this is all it comes too, however she did actually charge and we figured it was a sow which we had seen on the cameras with 2 cubs in the area as they had been seen on this bait site. Well we regrouped and went back in only to find the second arrow had clearly missed also. Looking around, I heard a grumble from the woods; the bear was still there and not to happy that we were back disturbing his supper. I said, " lets get out of here and hope he was not jumped so badly that he would come back another night. However much to our disappointment, we did not see another bear the rest of the week. All in all, about 13 bear were seen last week, with only one coming into camp from our new youth hunter, Jake. Jake has never hunted before and was a very happy young man.
I have never witnessed nor experienced a week of heat in bear season as we had last week. The water literally run off us the whole time in the stands with no breaks and no relief. A very strange weather pattern that I blame for the big bears coming in too late. Saturday the hurricane clipped us bringing is wind and about 6 to 7 inches of rain. Last night was much cooler and even nippy at the end of hunting time; more of what we are used to this time of year. Therefore, we are looking forward to a much better week, with much more success. We only have 4 hunters in camp this coming week, so we can relax a bit and take a breath to recuperate for the 3rd week which we will have 8 hunters and 1 non hunter in camp.
I have never witnessed nor experienced a week of heat in bear season as we had last week. The water literally run off us the whole time in the stands with no breaks and no relief. A very strange weather pattern that I blame for the big bears coming in too late. Saturday the hurricane clipped us bringing is wind and about 6 to 7 inches of rain. Last night was much cooler and even nippy at the end of hunting time; more of what we are used to this time of year. Therefore, we are looking forward to a much better week, with much more success. We only have 4 hunters in camp this coming week, so we can relax a bit and take a breath to recuperate for the 3rd week which we will have 8 hunters and 1 non hunter in camp.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Hot, Hot, Hot!!!!!
Wow folks this is most certainly the hottest bear season start I have ever experienced. The temperatures have been in the high 80s and low 90s with humidity. The only thing is, people are seeing bears, however they are either not shooters or they are not presenting a clear shot. Last night one hunter attempted a bad shot, and we couldn't find anything last night, therefore the guys are back out this morning to see if they can find anything more. My other alias "Grace" took a flip last night, fell into a hole, twisted my bad ankle and am limping a bit, but we Maine women are strong and I'll be just fine; it will not slow me down. My lady hunter and I sat on a different bait site last night and it was so hot, water was running off us and between places it should not have been. I have seen seasons when the first half hour was miserable, but would cool down quickly and even have the shivers before it was over. However it was still hot when we left the stands; clothes sticking to us and trying to wear the camo garb and bug nets are miserable.
Yesterday morning I took the Maryland couple, Eric and Jill, my lady hunter out kayaking on the river. Eric had never been kayaking before and I now think I have him hooked; he loved it. We saw 3 eagles, one just a young one, and a big loon that as usual never cooperate when I get my camera ready.
Last evening at the luncheon we always have after everyone is back in from hunting was a total hoot!! Everyone is getting to know each other and when that happens the fun really begins. We all laughed and joked enjoying the fun. This helps to smooth over nerves a bit as I always take so much upon myself when things don't seem to be working as I would like, which is hunters getting their bears and our success rates being high. I always really work myself up, and try so hard to think of what ever else can I do. However, I do realize I have no control over such things and I also know everything possible has been done. Although that does not help my nemesis "Blackcloud", who tends to be much harder on me and unfortunately is part of my personality that I have a hard time controlling. Big E is always reminding me, " None of that Blackcloud"!!!
So lets keep the faith and fingers crossed that tonight be the night, the hurricane coming up the coast not be a problem, and the temperatures fall!!!!!!
Yesterday morning I took the Maryland couple, Eric and Jill, my lady hunter out kayaking on the river. Eric had never been kayaking before and I now think I have him hooked; he loved it. We saw 3 eagles, one just a young one, and a big loon that as usual never cooperate when I get my camera ready.
Last evening at the luncheon we always have after everyone is back in from hunting was a total hoot!! Everyone is getting to know each other and when that happens the fun really begins. We all laughed and joked enjoying the fun. This helps to smooth over nerves a bit as I always take so much upon myself when things don't seem to be working as I would like, which is hunters getting their bears and our success rates being high. I always really work myself up, and try so hard to think of what ever else can I do. However, I do realize I have no control over such things and I also know everything possible has been done. Although that does not help my nemesis "Blackcloud", who tends to be much harder on me and unfortunately is part of my personality that I have a hard time controlling. Big E is always reminding me, " None of that Blackcloud"!!!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ktaadn Guide Service: Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide
Ktaadn Guide Service: Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide: "Well Mother Nature has thrown in a monkey wrench on us, it was too hot yesterday which I truly believe is causing the bears to move late. We..."
Day 2 of bear season in the life of a Maine Guide
Well Mother Nature has thrown in a monkey wrench on us, it was too hot yesterday which I truly believe is causing the bears to move late. We headed out to the sites just a bit after 2:00pm, and everyone was wet by 4:00pm. We are using our furthest leased lands as the first week we have the longest hunting time. Therefore it allows us to get over there and get set with still a good 4 hours on the sites. 7 out of 8 hunters went out, one, the "Pain" didn't feel well so stayed back at camp. 4 out of the seven saw bear, a couple were small and left along and the others did not present a shot. I sat out with my lady hunter Jill and it was so dam hot in the stands many thoughts run through my mind. We all did the showers with the scent free soaps and clean unscented clothes after. Sprayed down with the scent cover sprays and all the rest, so we started out scent free. However I had sweat running off be and between places unmentionable for a good 2 hours before things got even reasonably comfortable. At 7:20pm, the temp dropped very noticeably, but I don't think it was enough to get the animals moving. We heard a pack of coyotes off to our left for a few minutes, and I do believe we heard a bear getting up, snorting and snuffling, but by that time we only had minutes left. Jill is an archer so it is harder with light conditions to see for a good killing shot. A rifle hunter, as myself, have an advantage with a scope that gathers light and you can wait to the last minute, but an archer does not have. We very quietly left the stand and so quiet that I know we did not disturb anything. So hopefully tonight will be better, however the weather man didn't give me much hope on the 11:00pm news.......
Monday, August 30, 2010
Early morning moments
The weather has turned back to hot and not as cool at night as the weather man said. I do not believe it was in the 50s last night as it was stated it would be. This time of day for the next 4 weeks are the only moments of quiet I will have to put thoughts to words. I have put the coffee on, let the dogs out, got dressed, vacuumed and made muffins!!! Now with a hot cup of coffee at hand and my absolute favorite piece of electronics at my finger tips, a moment....
Our last guests coming from Maryland finally arrived last night about 10:30pm. They had been on the road all day and stuck in a traffic jam on the George Washington bridge, and a few other places along the way. They were exhausted when the got here, but arrived safe and no worse for the wear. We have 8 guests/hunters this first week. 3 of them have been coming for 6 years now and brought one friend with them. The other 2 are from Connecticut and we met them last year when they were hunting with another guide service. I know that maybe that doesn't sound very good, but often when one has a not so great experience but they love hunting, they seek somewhere else to come back to in the area. Mike and Rick, who are my repeaters, met them while at the local sporting shop, got talking and brought them down to meet Big E and I.
SQUIRREL!! I can hear him chattering and the shibas are off and running!!! LOL!!
So anyway, we have a great bunch of folks here this week, and such a good way to start the season. I will be going out and sitting with the young lady archer from Maryland. She had asked for that service when we met them in Harrisburg at the sports show. She has never bear hunted and is a bit uneasy, however I think she will be just fine and most likely will only need my services for a night or two at the most. She and her husband work with big time race horses and I truly hope that for all their hard work that they win the triple crown someday soon!!! Mr. Coyote will be sitting out with our second youth hunter and once I'm freed up I will switch off with him to give him a break. Peter is a very good friend of ours. We went to school together and have been neighbors for a very long time. He has been an awesome help to us in so many ways. When Big E was in the hospital in 02, and Katelyn was still in school, had it not been for Peter, I don't know what I would have done. He kept an eye on Kate, let my dogs in and out, made sure they had food and water, and kept the wood fire burning so the house would not freeze up. He has come to our rescue many times, and gives the meaning of a true friend. We love him and his family and I think they are more like our own family than some. Won't get into that one, LOL!
Oh and I would like to say we were delivered a goodie basket yesterday from my friend Joy, who brought down some of her jams and jellies for the hunters breakfast!!! I can't wait to try the apple butter on toast!
So we are looking forward to a great first night and I hope I have lots of pictures to post in the morning. My Mom will be here to help with the big dinner, roast pork with all the fixings and strawberry shortcake for dessert! Yum, Yum!!! Until tomorrow......
Our last guests coming from Maryland finally arrived last night about 10:30pm. They had been on the road all day and stuck in a traffic jam on the George Washington bridge, and a few other places along the way. They were exhausted when the got here, but arrived safe and no worse for the wear. We have 8 guests/hunters this first week. 3 of them have been coming for 6 years now and brought one friend with them. The other 2 are from Connecticut and we met them last year when they were hunting with another guide service. I know that maybe that doesn't sound very good, but often when one has a not so great experience but they love hunting, they seek somewhere else to come back to in the area. Mike and Rick, who are my repeaters, met them while at the local sporting shop, got talking and brought them down to meet Big E and I.
SQUIRREL!! I can hear him chattering and the shibas are off and running!!! LOL!!
So anyway, we have a great bunch of folks here this week, and such a good way to start the season. I will be going out and sitting with the young lady archer from Maryland. She had asked for that service when we met them in Harrisburg at the sports show. She has never bear hunted and is a bit uneasy, however I think she will be just fine and most likely will only need my services for a night or two at the most. She and her husband work with big time race horses and I truly hope that for all their hard work that they win the triple crown someday soon!!! Mr. Coyote will be sitting out with our second youth hunter and once I'm freed up I will switch off with him to give him a break. Peter is a very good friend of ours. We went to school together and have been neighbors for a very long time. He has been an awesome help to us in so many ways. When Big E was in the hospital in 02, and Katelyn was still in school, had it not been for Peter, I don't know what I would have done. He kept an eye on Kate, let my dogs in and out, made sure they had food and water, and kept the wood fire burning so the house would not freeze up. He has come to our rescue many times, and gives the meaning of a true friend. We love him and his family and I think they are more like our own family than some. Won't get into that one, LOL!
Oh and I would like to say we were delivered a goodie basket yesterday from my friend Joy, who brought down some of her jams and jellies for the hunters breakfast!!! I can't wait to try the apple butter on toast!
So we are looking forward to a great first night and I hope I have lots of pictures to post in the morning. My Mom will be here to help with the big dinner, roast pork with all the fixings and strawberry shortcake for dessert! Yum, Yum!!! Until tomorrow......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)