Posted inLocal Sports

Outdoors in Maine: ‘Retriever’ a special fly

Trust me on this. I am not one to jump to the conclusion that a fly is a “killer fly” just because it happens to bring me a few fish to the boat. In fact, in all the years of writing about fishing, only a couple of flies that I can recall got any of […]

Posted inMaine

Did you get a moose-hunting permit?

At 7 p.m. Saturday, June 14, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will release the names of more than 3,000 hunters who won the drawing for moose-hunting licenses in 2014. SunJournal.com will have a searchable database of hunters with permits and information on the moose-hunting season at SunJournal.com/2014/MooseLottery.

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Posted inLocal Sports

This all-season bug ticks us all off

Ticks in northern Maine? It was not so long ago that Mainers north of Augusta worried about as much about ticks as they did timber rattlers. But today ticks, having hitchhiked their way northward, are here in this part of Maine. You’ll find them on your dog and, if you spend any time in the […]

Posted inLocal Sports

This streamer fly is no Flashabou in the pan

As every fly fisherman knows, the fly does matter. Oh, there are those rare days when a trout will hit a lug wrench, if you can get it to float. But most of the time you have to either match the hatch with your feathered offering, or present to the fish an attractor pattern that […]

Posted inLocal Sports

Outdoors in Maine: The old red canoe

As I recall it was about 10 years ago when state regulators were having a hissy fit about people permanently stashing their old canoes along the shores of Maine’s remote wild trout ponds. I suppose they had a point, though the sight of old canoes chained to trees next to a pond’s put­-in never gave me […]

Posted inLocal Sports

Outdoors in Maine: Encouraging numbers from the deer harvest

This month, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W) released its numbers on deer and moose. There is some good news. Last fall’s deer harvest was up 15 percent over the previous fall. This marks the third consecutive year that Maine’s deer harvest has increased. We must keep the numbers in perspective, however. […]

Posted inLocal Sports

Collins must stand up and be counted on bear referendum

Although the facts by themselves clearly speak in opposition to the upcoming fall bear referendum and its goal of closing down bear hunting, there is an undeniable, underlying emotional component. Political outcomes can be unpredictable when voters are misled by dramatic emotional appeals. So in the weeks ahead, the challenge for those opposed to the […]

Posted inEntertainment, sj-web

Outdoor film festival focuses on Maine adventures

AUGUSTA — The Maine Outdoor Film Festival will feature 11 outdoor films and shorts with Maine roots when it comes to Augusta. Organizers say the May 16 event features outdoor films by Mainers, about Mainers. The event — now in its second year — begins at 6:30 p.m. at Cony High School in Augusta. The […]

Posted inLocal Sports

Taking down a turkey worth getting into the hunt

“Gobble, gobble, gobble.” The hair stood up on the back of my neck the first time I heard a wild turkey. We were scouting the hardwoods of Western Massachusetts at dusk. The air was still and a bright spring sun had just settled beneath the hills near a pipeline in Granville. Responding to my owl […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Maine hunters increase deer kills in 2013

AUGUSTA — A government agency says hunters in Maine bagged 15 percent more deer in 2013 over the previous year. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said Friday that 24,795 deer killed by hunters in 2013 was an increase over 21,552 in 2012. It’s the third consecutive year there’s been an increase. The […]