Outdoors

Published
February 4, 2012

Carey Kish: 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. The big question always is where to go. There are […]
Published
February 4, 2012

Birding: 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. Two counts were conducted in Aroostook County, one in Presque Isle and a new count in the Caribou region. The Presque Isle count produced a fine list of 38 […]
Published
February 4, 2012

Best Bets

TODAY Biathlon for Fun, 10 a.m. in Jefferson Hidden Valley Nature Center is hosting a 1-kilometer cross-country skiing and target shooting race, which will be held as a foot race if there is no snow. Between rounds of skiing/running, participants will swing through the shooting arena and shoot pellet guns from a prone position. Arrive […]
Published
January 28, 2012

The trail less traveled

Once a booming sport among Maine's French population, snowshoe racing is making inroads in eastern Maine.
Published
January 28, 2012

Deirdre Fleming: Ice fishing depends on the locale

Based on reports by state fisheries biologists this winter, the ice fishing season is either going great or hardly going. It’s a good thing Maine is a big place, at least for ice fishermen. The warm weather and thin ice Downeast has made for the strangest Maine winter in 25 years, said veteran fisheries biologist […]

Published
January 28, 2012

Hunting: Mild winter does help, but deer still facing significant 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 […]
Published
January 28, 2012

Allen Afield: Daydreaming about favorite fishing spots

We’re approaching midwinter, and snowmobiling, ice fishing, rabbit hunting and self-propelled options like skiing, snowshoeing and hiking boom. A few hard-core types even backpack with a tent or fish a handful of open-water rivers or streams that have year-round fishing regs. Lots of us in the state’s bottom third seldom appreciate snowmobiling’s importance to the […]
Published
January 28, 2012

What’s Up in February? The shortest month, but still so much to see

February used to be the last month of the year and the word is related to rites of purification, which are februa. We are in the middle of winter but it hasn’t been consistently winter-like yet. There will be several interesting highlights in February, and it may not even be as cold as usual. All […]
Published
January 28, 2012

Snowmobiling: Trail conditions improving, but take precautions

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 […]
Published
January 28, 2012

Josh Christie: So much to follow while on the slopes, and it’s all your call

Smartphone applications have made it easy to keep score in our lives, as if we’re inhabiting a massive video game. Foursquare gives points and badges for checking in to stores and restaurants. Using Nike+, runners can set running goals and track stats from past workouts. From Chore Wars (an app that rewards household tasks) to […]

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