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!