Monthly Archives: January 2014

New York considering allowing baiting, trapping, hounding bears

From now until November, you’ll hear more than you want to hear about bears, as proponents and opponents debate the merits of a referendum that would ban three of Maine’s hunting methods. First things first: Earlier this week, I learned that organizers of the signature drive that circulated petitions that would put the issue in […]

Lynx in the wild: Trail camera captures image near Greenville

Wild critters abound here in Maine. Keep your eyes peeled, and you never know what you’ll see. Take advantage of technological advances, and you might even get photos of some cool animals, even if you’re sitting comfortably at home and your trail camera is out in the deep, cold woods. Earlier this week Jeff Davis […]

Helicopter crews radio-collaring Maine moose as next phase of study

For the past four years, wildlife biologist Lee Kantar has been compiling aerial survey data that has given state game managers a much better understanding of the state’s moose population. On Tuesday the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s moose research project took another huge leap forward with the commencement of a much-anticipated effort […]

Ice circles, Part 3: More readers share their photos, tales

Ever since I wrote about a mysterious ice circle a few weeks ago, I’ve been hearing from readers who thought the phenomenon was pretty cool. Alas, it seems that those circles weren’t caused by aliens, nor by deer chasing their tails, as a couple of readers suggested, tongue-in-cheek. Instead, the circles are caused by natural […]

Bear referendum supporters say they’ve got enough signatures for ballot measure

Since the beginning of an effort to put Maine’s bear hunting practices in front of the state’s voters began, many have said that supporters would have little trouble gathering the 57,277 signatures needed to place the issue on the ballot in November. That wasn’t a bold prediction: During an identical effort to ban the use […]

Big fish landed at Long Lake derby

With a record number of registered anglers participating in the 9th annual Long Lake Ice Fishing Derby over the weekend, the chances of being one of the lucky few who cashed in on the $12,500 prize pool weren’t too good. Three fishermen didn’t worry about those long odds, as each placed among the top three […]

Dexter man wins Moosehead derby with 6.6-pound togue

Anglers flocked to the state’s largest lake over the weekend for the 7th annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby, and a Dexter fisherman took home $1,500 for catching the largest lake trout during the three-day event. Tim Obrey, regional fisheries biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, reported that the weather didn’t always […]

Hunters tag record number of Maine moose in 2013

Moose hunters again enjoyed a successful season in 2013, with a record number of participants tagging an animal. In all, 2,971 of the 4,110 permit-holders shot a moose last year, a 72 percent success rate, according to a Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife press release. The 2,971 successful hunters topped the previous record […]