and a strong cup of coffee

Copyright Darrold Door.  Picture found at: http://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting_trapping/hunting/bear.htm Bear hunting. Just those two words can bring out some very strong emotion amongst hunters and non-hunters.  I would tell you to vote NO on1 and I could give you a long list of reasons why but if you are reading this, chances are I am preaching to the choir when it comes to understanding why hunting is necessary to keep animal populations healthy. I have never gone bear hunting. I have really never had an interest. My friend Robin is an incredible outdoor woman who has been bear hunting for the past three years.  I have been OK living vicariously through her with the hopes of trading my unwavering support for bear meat, however, this year I am heading into the blinds myself to get a bear. In an effort to truly understand what goes on 'behind the scenes' of bear hunting, I have gotten myself connected with folks who are going to take me out to the bait sites, s...

My Sky Condo A recent piece in " Trout " by Tom Reed talked about place and what it means to have that one place where you can retreat to and forget all of your worries. It got me thinking about my place. Tom writes, "it is your place. We all have them. Places of heart home, places where we feel centered and right in the world... At that moment when you were there, you were all there." When I was little, I would sit by the stream heading out from the pond behind our house. I could sit and just listen to the birds, the stream gurgle over the rocks and watch the clouds bounce across the blue sky. It was peaceful and calming. When I hunt now, I can zen out pretty well. It may take me a week to get comfortable but after that, my 5-6 hour long sits are usually calming and relaxing although I am observant as I watch and wait for a deer. You have time to process everything in your mind (sometimes more than once) and sometimes you are surprised by what your subcons...

The following is an article that will be published in the Northwoods Sporting Journal in the August issue.    Women are on the move!   We are taking over the woods, fields and waterways to hunt, hike and fish.   And we are doing it more often than men. An article posted in June on Ammoland’sShooting Sporting News , states that “the most recent U.S Census found that there are 13.7 million hunters in the Nation – 11 percent of them are women.”   Slowing but consistently, women are picking up guns and rods and heading outside.   We are getting into hunting and fishing and taking it seriously; it is becoming more than just a seasonal hobby for most women.   According to a 2013 Nation Shooting Sports Foundation report, “females now represent 22 percent of shooters, accounting for $220 million in firearm and gear sales” per year and that number is growing. It doesn’t stop there; women are spending lot and lots of money as they get into hunting a...