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.