and a strong cup of coffee

This year, Dad and I decided that we would sit out of the moose lotto. It made sense. In 2010, when Dad was picked, we spent a solid 8 hours a day riding the roads in his truck looking for moose, walking around in the woods calling for moose and seeing a lot of hunters and only 1 dead cow. Since we know the time commitment that we are looking at if we get picked, and with me nursing a 4 month old come October, we decided to not apply for a permit. But, with the new Maine Moose Lotto revamped from what it was in 2011, Dad and I could still get points for applying and ensure our names were not entered to be drawn for permits. For each year that you apply and you do not get a permit, you gain a point. I am up to 5 points right now. The catch is that even if you don't want a permit, you still need to pay the fee of $15. So, for Dad and I, we paid $30 and will just gain a point each. When I posted a comment about this on Facebook, I received two comments: " I don

I have written (and rewritten) a blog about 2 proposed bills being sent to the 126th Maine Legislature about proposed changes in our current youth deer hunt. Here is the original blog with the bills, LD79 and LD101 explained. Currently, in Maine, youth hunters are between 10-15 and become adult hunters at 16. They are allowed to begin their season a week before Maine residence, who can start the last Saturday in October and must be with an adult. According to the Executive Director of the Sportman's Alliance of Maine, there are 16,000 youth deer hunters and their success rate is about 10%. The real issue that is being debated is, with the Maine deer herd in such rough shape, is it worth risking the health and growth of the herd to give these 16,000 hunters the chance to shoot does and bucks instead of just does. What, if any, program do you have in your State? Does it work in attracting and keeping young hunters interested?

On Christmas Eve, we told my parents. To say Dad was shocked is an understatement. This is the last entry for what it was like to be pregnant during hunting season. It is pretty surreal to think about the next hunting season and the fact that come November (or opening day), I will have a 5 month old. WOW!!!

I wrote this post for my blog with a local newspaper. I was hoping it would generate some conversation, but instead of talking about guns, the comments were more about Liberals vs everyone else. One guy actually commented that "Liberals will never understand." But... I am a liberal. I am a little too liberal some days and with some issues. Without trying to, he proved my point that there will never be considerate, thoughtful conversation about guns because we so quickly jump to conclusions. Here is the post, and if you click on the title, it will take you to the blog page over at Thoughts From a Tree Stand. Just because I have a gun, does not mean I am the bad guy. Posted on February 1, 2013 My Twitter feed is filled with posts and articles about guns. I argue with friends on Facebook about guns and the right to have them, use them, own them. I found articles (here and here) about Liberal gun owners and their take on the gun issue. S.E. Cupp published an articl

... at this point, no one knows I am pregnant and the season is pretty much over. Click here for the post.