Outdoors

Published
December 17, 2011

Mark Latti: Useful items with a twist will top list for those who love the outdoors

Anyone who enjoys the outdoors loves new gear, and the holidays truly are yet another “opening” day. While some years may bring that “must-have” item, this year, outdoor shoppers are going back to the future. “The thing that jumps out this year is that there is a trend toward the traditional hardgoods, such as rods, […]
Published
December 10, 2011

It’s the tale of a tradition

Two Maine filmmakers have spent three winters across 10 counties compiling a documentary about the joys and frustrations of ice fishing.
Published
December 10, 2011

Deirdre Fleming: Proposed regulations needed to help wild brook trout thrive

Ice fishermen might not like it, and anglers in general may roll their eyes at another set of regulations, but if Maine grows more wild brook trout waters with the proposed fishing regulations, how can this be bad? Based on comments gathered around the state over the past month, state fisheries biologists say there appears […]
Published
December 10, 2011

Skiing in Maine: Fundraising for Snow Bowl expansion halfway to goal

Camden and the entire midcoast are abuzz with excitement after hearing that the Ragged Mountain Recreation Area’s Redevelopment Fund has passed the halfway mark in its private fundraising efforts to help improve and expand the facilities at the town-owned Camden Snow Bowl, with some $2.25 million already pledged on its way to the previously announced […]
Published
December 10, 2011

Birding: Increase in flocking during the winter has major advantages

I have had lots of inquiries this fall about the lack of birds at bird feeders. I don’t think Hurricane Irene or other natural phenomena have caused bird populations to plummet. Rather, I think that our resident birds are finding enough food in nature during our mild and mostly snow-free fall so far. I have hopes […]

Published
December 10, 2011

Allen Afield: Even bait fish ignite the thrill of the chase

On one recent afternoon, Bill Woodward of Monmouth was telling me about his commercial bait-fishing experiences that morning, his excitement resembling a little kid talking about Christmas. Woodward and his co-worker, Steve Staples of Winthrop, capture bait fish to sell, and they had found a school of emerald shiners (Notropis atherinoides) in a central Maine […]
Published
December 10, 2011

Hunting: A father is proved wrong after his son bags snowshoe hare

I sometimes joke that I’ll be the first to admit when I’m wrong, if that should ever happen. It finally did, and I must humbly disclose that I owe the snowshoe hare an apology. My son shot his first hare recently, and I imposed a strict family policy that if you kill it, you eat […]
Published
December 10, 2011

Best Bets

SATURDAY Solstice Celebration 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Boothbay Harbor Hike Penny Lake Preserve with environmental educators from the Boothbay Region Land Trust. Afterward build yule logs to celebrate the season. Free and open to the public. Meet at Penny Lake Preserve, behind the Hannaford in Boothbay Harbor. Call 633-4818 to register. SATURDAY Flora […]
Published
December 3, 2011

Canoeing: Sights, sounds plentiful on way to Lookout Point

There’s nothing quite like a mirror-calm December day on the waters of Casco Bay. The experience is as much one of sounds as it is of sights, human sounds mixing with the rhapsody of nature. The occasional retort of shotgun blasts by sea duck hunters on distant ledges mixes with the deep throb of lobster […]
Published
December 3, 2011

Hunting: Don’t put those waders away just yet: It’s redleg season

They come on whistling wings in the gray light of dawn, inundating the estuaries and rocky coastline from central Maine to Cape Cod. The redlegs are coming. Many casual hunters have hung up their waders and favorite fowling piece for the year, and moved on to more terrestrial pursuits like deer or snowshoe hare. The […]

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Outdoors