For me, someone who just started mountain biking last fall, the intermediate single-track trails in the system were pretty rough. They tested my patience, but they also helped me develop some skills -- and appreciate smoother trails. Read More
“It offers the best possible assessment of these waterway resources, and an abundance of interpretive projects to deepen the understanding of the waterway’s enduring importance.” Read More
You should get a Passport to Maine Outdoors and hit the road to visit all the great places included in the passport. Perhaps you got a passport last year and know this is a project sponsored by the Land For Maine’s Future and the Maine Land… Read More
Maine deer hunters killed 27,233 last year, the highest number in the last ten years. Here’s some interesting information from Mark Latti’s press release. AUGUSTA, Maine – Deer hunters in Maine harvested 27,233 deer in 2017, the highest total in the last ten years and… Read More
Hunters harvested 27,233 deer in Maine last year, a 15 percent increase over 2016 and the highest total in 10 years. Read More
First of all, I’d like to share that the book launch event for my recently-published guidebook “Maine Hikes Off the Beaten Path” last week went wonderfully. Yet again, people blew me away with their support and enthusiasm for Maine hikes. For… Read More
Long before I first took the mailboat to Isle au Haut, I imagined the island to be a mysterious birding paradise of mossy forests and rocky shores. I’d seen pictures of the island, and I’d read stories its charming village with a one-room schoolhouse and tiny post office. Read More
Long before I first took the mailboat to Isle au Haut, I imagined the island to be a mysterious birding paradise of mossy forests and rocky shores. I’d seen pictures of the island, and I’d read stories about its charming village with a one-room schoolhouse and tiny post… Read More
Nothing screws up a potential moose-hunting trip like a buddy or three who somehow forgot to enter the state-run permit lottery before the deadline passed. Read More
Getting sick of the cold weather? Looking forward to putting your boat in the water and trolling your favorite lake in search of landlocked salmon or lake trout? The ice recedes at Green Lake in Dedham. John Holyoke Me, too. Luckily,… Read More
Back in 2003, the BDN’s marketing gurus were looking for a way to introduce their new outdoor columnist — me — to our readers. Guide Dan Legere of the Maine Guide Fly Shop in Greenville (right) takes a photo of Jasper Walsh fishing in the… Read More
Outdoors Blogs
Do you think Maine should do something to save our moose from winter ticks? Read More
I’ll guarantee one thing about Charlene D’Avanzo’s new novel, Secrets Haunt the Lobster Sea, designed and produced by Maine Authors Publishing: you will not figure out the murderer until Charlene discloses it. You might think you know, but you won’t. I enjoy lots of things about… Read More
SKOWHEGAN — A winged ally of Maine farmers is the focus of a new partnership between the Somerset County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Damariscotta River Association. A $5,000 grant from the 2018 Cornell Land Trust Small Grants Program will support the Ag Allies… Read More
BANGOR — Representatives of the Penobscot Bay Sail & Power Squadron visited Port Harbor Marine’s impressive new showroom and boat maintenance facility in Holden to thank General Manager Steve York for his firm’s commitment to safe recreational boating and boating education. Port Harbor Marine provides the… Read More
Racers and Visitors Invited to Enjoy Entertainment at the Recreational Pier WISCASSET – To get a push from the outgoing tide, the Sheepscot River Race on Saturday, June 30, will start at 3 p.m. at the Sherman Lake Rest Area on Rte. 1 in… Read More
BANGOR — A breakfast will be held 7:30-8:30 a.m. Thursday, June 21, at The Hilton Garden Inn, 24 Haskell Road, to benefit the Salvation Army campership program. The Salvation Army provides more than 75 camperships to help local children attend Camp Sebago in Standish. The Salvation Army also… Read More
“The Phantom” — that anonymous fly tier I told you about in last week’s column — has thankfully returned. Read More
You learn a lot while attending a birding festival. This year, I learned that bird poop matters, and that most people don't know how to use their binoculars. Read More
It seems everyone who lived in northern Maine in the late 1970s to early 1980s — the time frame of the last major tent caterpillar infestation — has their own creepy-crawly story of caterpillar encounters. Read More
“One of the girls had the idea to help the turtles, because they see turtles get squished [by cars] every year, and think it’s extremely sad." Read More
The secretion is on a small list of FDA ingredients called "generally recognized as safe." Read More
“Every week we get sightings reported of a bear on a trail cam where someone’s asking us, ‘What’s wrong with this bear?’" Read More
Property owners pay a fee to join and receive 80 percent of bookings for use of their land. Read More
This year, 57,141 applicants applied for a Maine moose permit. Of those applicants, 2,259 residents and 241 non-residents will receive permits. Read More
This year, 2,500 permit winners in this year’s moose hunting drawing were randomly selected by computer to participate in the 38th annual Maine moose hunt starting in September. Read More
In 1989, Maine’s Supreme Court took away our right to enjoy our ocean intertidal zones. Looking all the way back to when Maine was part of Massachusetts, the Justices ruled that our opportunities to enjoy the intertidal zones are limited to fishing, fouling, and navigation. Thankfully, Orlando… Read More
On Monday morning I had a Robotic Arm Assisted Partial Knee Replacement of my left knee. I was discharged in the afternoon when the spinal and nerve blocks had worn off enough for my legs to move allowing me to walk down the hall, and… Read More
After being worn down from years of use, the famed tea lawn at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park is undergoing a $356,000 rehabilitation, blocking people from sitting or walking on the lawn, and others from dining outside with their dog, until the middle of July. Read More
Also called a birdathon, a Big Day is an attempt to find as many species as possible in 24 hours. Read More
Want to know how many any-deer permits will be issued in your favorite deer hunting district? Here’s the answer, in a proposal publicized yesterday by DIFW. MAPA-3 revised 2-2016 Notice of Agency Rule-making Proposal ADVERTISE: June 6, 2018 AGENCY: 09-137 Inland… Read More
“I know he practiced ‘catch + release’ with the good people. Maybe those who catch a fish will do the same." Read More
if you’re one of the thousands who applied for a shot at a coveted moose permit, your own special festival is coming right up. Read More
Every Maine hiker should have a copy of Aislinn Sarnaki’s new book, Maine Hikes, published by Down East Books. Subtitled Off the Beaten Path, it is all of that and more. One thing I especially like about the book is that Aislinn doesn’t just focus on… Read More
“Our hope is to start building this summer. The demand for services, the space crunch, the commitments of a great team of architects and engineers are all driving the need to get building as soon as possible.” Read More
Maine has 578 "heritage fish waters," ponds where brook trout reproduce naturally, and that have either never been stocked, or haven't been stocked for the past 25 years. Read More
Maine’s bear population is too high and DIFW is looking for ways to reduce that population. This is one key goal in the agency’s new big game management plan. In previous posts, I’ve written about the overall plan and the specific plans for turkeys and deer. Read More
