Sportsman’s Alliance Of Maine Director Smith Says Moose Management Going In Wrong Direction

Today, George Smith, Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine chastised the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for doing an inadequate job of managing the state’s moose herd. His criticism came in his weekly column in the Kennebec Journal.

While I can agree with Smith that the moose isn’t getting the attention it deserves, I can also say that other species aren’t either much because the MDIFW is strapped for cash and Gov. Baldacci thinks he can cure some of the problems by creating bigger departments and absorbing fish and game into another entity.

Smith suggests that Maine pays much better attention to the lobster than the moose and says the state falls short in taking advantage of the moose as a tourist attraction. Read more

Skinny Moose Media To Stream Live Audio/Video of Maine Moose Lottery Drawing

Mark your calendars for June 12, 2008. That is the date of the annual Maine Moose Lottery Drawing, this year to be held at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine. More information below.

I’ve been working with the folks at KTP and Bob Adams has given me a great Internet connection speed so that I can stream audio and video from our web site. You will be able to do that by clicking this link at Skinny Moose Media broadcasting. We will make this link available at several of our websites so that you can more easily find it. Read more

Buck To Doe Ratios

“There must be at least 100 does for every buck I see in the woods now!” How many times have you heard that exclamation? If you’re like me, more than you care to. Hey, look! We all do our share of complaining, of which the vast majority of it is just complaining out of lack of success or basic knowledge of what you’re seeing, or better yet, what you’re not seeing.

Is it biologically possible to have 100 doe deer for every one buck? Er, um, well……I guess it could be done but I think it would have to be under controlled circumstances with a deliberate intent to skew the ratio far out of balance. I might even be wrong on this and would wager a guess it wouldn’t be a very healthy population of deer if it did exist. Read more

Maine And Vermont Right Next Door, Yet Worlds Apart With Deer Management

Maine is tucked up into the far northeast corner of the United States. On its southern boarder is the Atlantic Ocean. Her eastern boarder touches with New Brunswick, Canada and to the north and northwest, Quebec, Canada. About the only boarder of the state that mimics a straight line of any kind is the western boarder that looks over into the state of New Hampshire.

Vermont is not very far away at all. At its farthest reaches of the Northeast Kingdom, the state is separated from Maine by perhaps only 25 miles of New Hampshire. Down south, the distance between Maine and Vermont at its widest point might stretch to 85 miles. Read more

For Sportsmen, Clean Water Restoration Act Goes Too Far

Peyton Knight of the National Center for Public Policy Research is warning sportsmen that the proposed Clean Water Restoration Act sponsored by Representative James Oberstar (D-MN), “would do more to threaten the cherished pastimes of hunters, fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts than it would to ensure the cleanliness of our nation’s water.”

I’ve written a couple times over the past few months about the CWRA (here and here) but Knight brings to the attention of American sportsmen what could await us should this act be approved. Read more

Want Great Off-Season Hunting With The Kids?

Try “Peaslee Mountain Hunt Park” in Maine

By Blaine Cardilli

As a 48 year old hunter with more experiences than I can begin to remember, it’s strange that I never gave “hunt parks” or “game ranches” a second look until now. Like most, I’ve always enjoyed the challenges of free range hunting and must have gotten caught up in the “We hunt 100% wild, 100% fair chase” mode that is so prevalent in todays hunting circles. Now don’t get me wrong; I still prefer hunting the wide open forests and fields of this beautiful country, hands down, and as a member of the prostaff with “Northwoods Adventures TV” I have some great and varied opportunities nationwide, but at least now I can understand the allure of a true hunt park after having finally experienced one. Enter ‘Peaslee Mountain‘ and owner Forest Peaslee, of Jefferson, Maine. Read more

A Strategy To Eliminate Lyme Disease

Below is an Op-Ed piece published in the Connecticut Post and written by Terence Savery. Terence Savery, a resident of Redding, is chairman of the Connecticut Coalition to Eradicate Lyme Disease.

*Note* – I have spoken with and communicated with some of the people, including Mr. Savery, about this effort to eradicate Lyme disease in Connecticut. I have been assured that those supporting this effort are also supporting the use of hunting as a management tool in this effort.

Have you heard the good news about Lyme disease?

Did you know that a town on Cape Cod ended its Lyme disease epidemic more than 20 years ago, and has been a virtual “Lyme disease free zone” ever since?

Or that communities in three New England states have ended their Lyme disease epidemics? Read more

Looking For Rugged Midwest Hunting In The Northeast?

Try Vermont’s Green Mountain Range and Northwoods Outdoor Adventures

By Blaine Cardilli

Plans for making this particular hunting trip had been on the table for three months and although we knew from the website what the basic lodge was going to look like, nothing could have prepared us for what we actually saw when we pulled up. Stepping from the truck, dusty from many miles up long and winding dirt roads, we rounded the front corner of Duplissey Lodge where we were graciously met by Steve and Dan Barbour, our hosts and the owners of Northwoods Outdoor Adventures. My partner, Orrin Parker, and I were on a working hunt for a national outdoor tv show at the time, and were anxious to see what Steve and Dan had to offer us in the way of turkeys. Read more

“The Mountains” On Seeing Deer

“And I don’t see how you can ever bear to shoot them.”

“Don’t you?” said I. “Well; suppose you’ve been climbing a mountain late in the afternoon when the sun is on the other side of it. It is a mountain of big boulders, loose little stones, thorny bushes. The slightest misstep would send pebbles rattling, brush rustling; but you have gone all the way without making that misstep. This is quite a feat. It means that you’ve known all about every footstep you’ve taken. That would be business enough for most people, wouldn’t it? But in addition you’ve managed to see everything on that side of the mountain – especially patches of brown. You’ve seen lots of patches of brown, and you’ve examined each one of them. Read more

$10 Could Get You A Maine Black Bear Hunt

200 music students from Noble High School in Maine are getting creative in trying to find a way to raise $100,000 for a trip to New York City. Bake sales just aren’t getting the job done, so Rick Varney, a grandfather of one of the kids and Master Maine Guide, thought it would be a great idea to sell chances for a Maine Black Bear hunt. Read more

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