Leading the way

Outdoors

Published
February 11, 2012

Leading the way

AVON -- With a makeshift air gun fashioned with duct tape and a gas engine on a home-rigged backpack, the biologists with the Department of Marine Resources laughed as they blasted holes for hatchery eggs into a rocky tributary of the Sandy. But their work could be a part of a long-sought Atlantic salmon solution.
Published
February 11, 2012

OUTDOORS: He’s planning for the future, including winning a tying contest

Seventh-grader Sam Kenney of Dixmont is heading to Pennsylvania to compete today, but not for a traveling basketball or hockey team. The 12-year-old is going to the Pennsylvania Fly Tying Championship.
Published
February 11, 2012

ALLEN AFIELD: Learning deer behavior through photography

Folks my age remember when Maine's deer hunters in the regular firearms season often shot the first whitetail that offered a sure kill-shot. In those days, an old saying ruled, "If it's brown, it's down."
Published
February 9, 2012

SKIING: Peak to Peak Challenge offers incentive to explore

Now that virtually every Maine ski area is in full, or nearly full, operation, thanks to a little help from Mother Nature, the arrival of what is traditionally the coldest stretch of the winter from mid-January through mid-February, and the extraordinary work of snow making crews whenever temps have allowed, perhaps it's time to stretch your ski legs a little by exploring the rich variety of terrain and facilities that Maine has to offer.
Published
February 9, 2012

HIKING: : A trek in Europe is well worth the trip

The middle of a Maine winter is a good time to start planning your next big hiking adventure. A solid week on the trail somewhere, maybe two. It takes some doing to put a trip together, so it's best to get the process going now.

Published
February 9, 2012

FOR THE BIRDS: Lingering species sparse in northern counts

This column is the last of three reviewing the results of the most recent Christmas Bird Counts in Maine. We'll jump all around the state today.
Published
February 4, 2012

The trail less traveled

EAST ORLAND -- For more than a decade, Peter Kenney of Bar Harbor has been trying to grow the sport of snowshoe racing in eastern Maine.
Published
February 4, 2012

ALLEN AFIELD: Quality fishing support declines

Over the last 38 years, "The Maine Sportsman" magazine has conducted a survey that covers hunting, fishing and environmental issues, and the results intrigue politicians, outdoors activists and interested public.
Published
February 4, 2012

ON HUNTING: Deer still face challenges

Another Maine winter has set in, and sportsmen and wildlife managers alike hold their collective breath waiting to see how it will affect our deer herd. So far, winter conditions have been relatively mild, and despite a poor mast crop, there is hope the deer may come out of it OK. But a mild winter alone may not be enough.
Published
February 4, 2012

SNOWMOBILING: Trail conditions improving, but use care

There is riding and grooming going on across the state, now that many parts of Maine have received substantial snowfall, but the snow is patchy in some places. The warm fall and a few days of warmer than normal weather in January have resulted in open water -- not all lakes and ponds are frozen enough for riding.