and a strong cup of coffee

Hello to all of my non-hunting friends ! I am writing this letter to you because I want to encourage you to become educated on one very important topic that you will be seeing and hearing more about.  It is the issue of bear hunting in Maine.  In the upcoming months, there will be a lot of political spin on the bear issue in Maine.  I want you to feel as though you are getting a real picture of what the issue is before you cast that ballot next November.  Am I biased?  Yes.  I do not bear hunt but I know enough about it to have a very strong opinion about this issue.  I am hoping that as my friend, you will grant me a few minutes to hear me out on the issue. First, when you are hunting, there is no guarantee that you will shoot the animal that you are after.  No matter what you do.  When it comes to bear hunting, Maine is the only state that allows three different types of hunting; hounds ( you must train dogs to find and then tree a bear ), trapping ( imagine a ci

Besides getting a deer, it's the quiet of sitting alone in the woods.  I have always felt that sitting in a tree for hours is kind of like having a zen moment (or hours) and I love it.  I don't think I have appreciated it as much as I probably will this year. As I write this, my three month old is having a total melt down over nothing (side note, I will eventually put his photo here  http://www.reasonsmysoniscrying.com/  for others to smile about. It's a GREAT blog).  And as much as I love spending time with my family and cuddling with my son, I have not had me time for a while.  I look forward to being alone in that tree just listening to the birds, squirrels and passing traffic. An added benefit of hunting season - good mental health!

Today the any deer (really, doe) permits were released and Dad got one!!! Between finding that out, all of the posts on Twitter with friends and followers posting photos of elk, antelope and other critters they have shot, I can not wait until deer season starts.  Can you imagine if Dad gets a doe and I get a buck?!? We have yet to each get a deer in the same season although we had the chance last year =) Come on November!  

This little story has been locked away since last season.  I was sworn not to share it.  It was a story I was willing to lock away forever.  But, when Dad told a few people, it was like getting the ok to share it.  Dad and I were in the Sky Condo the weekend before the last week of deer season.  It was about 3:30 pm and we were waiting to see if any deer would come in.  To look out from the SC, the left front corner has canvas around it to help cut the wind down.  It can also cut down on a clear view of the woods from that direction but move about 6 inches to the right, and that small piece of woods is visible again.  That is where I was sitting; about 6 inches to Dad's right. We heard a noise and Dad lifted his hat off of his ears.  I assumed it was a squirrel.  We have never seen or shot a deer in the afternoon, always the morning.  I looked in the direction of the noise and there was a crotch horn. "Dad, it's a buck "  Pause.  " I can't move 'cuz

Deer season is approaching and it's almost time for Dad and I get our tree seats up.  Blake Anderson at Huntertreestands.com offers this advice for the best places and types of tree stands to use to ensure you land that buck! Thanks Blake! The Sky Condo that Dad and I built . Optimized Tree-Stand Placement There are a lot of elements during hunting that are often out of your control, which can ultimately lead to an unsuccessful hunt. However if you optimize those components that are within your control, then you can quickly turn a disappointment into a great victory. Tree stand placement is one of those key rudimentary elements that will decide whether or not you end up empty handed, and there is more to it than just finding a great location. Proper height placement will help you solve several different problems that most hunters face when hunting deer and other intelligent animals. Deer have a keen nose and will easily evade even the most experienced hunter if the p