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.

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!

Creulty of Mother Nature, simple fact

This is something that some may unfortunately find offensive, and for that I will apologize, however it is also reality. I have been writing about the problem with the whitetail herd and it's most deadly predator, the eastern coyote. The coyote's only predator is man and Mother Nature. For those who remember lessons in ecology, it is a fact that when species become overpopulated, Mother Nature has her ways of reducing populations and the following picture is one example of that cruelty or should I say, reality. It is probably the best advertisement for the management method of trapping. This will be short and sweet folks. Maine introduced the non native species, the eastern coyote in the 1970s and the management of the animal has been a very sad story for the State.
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.

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.

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.