and a strong cup of coffee

Do we have too many moose?  too few?  are hunters killing the correct number to ensure a healthy social and biological carrying capasity?  A young moose in spring (c) And A Strong Cup of Coffee These questions are asked every year around the time that hunters have to apply for a permit and when the drawing actually happens.  Maine's moose are iconic and hunters have gone decades applying for a permit without being drawn.  I am currently on year 18 of not being drawn. But the allure of walking through the crisp, fall air and seeing that bull moose step out into a clearing, keeps people applying year after year after year.  A proposal by Maine's moose biologist, Lee Kanter is seeking to test a small population of moose to see if by lowering the population of moose, the winter tick problem will decrease.  On the surface it makes sense; less anaimals means less disease.  Something has to change if we want to keep the herd healthy and growing.  W...

I woke my son up at 1:40 in the morning so that we could be in Millinocket by 4 AM. I have made it a point this year to take advantage of local Maine guides who are struggling because of the cancellations from out-of-state hunters and anglers. Many guides and outfitters have great discounts on trips and as a local, I am happy to take advantage! We had been in quarantine for 12 weeks at that point and it was leading up to my son’s birthday. So at 4am, we met up with Paul Sannicandro of Moose Woods Guide Service to go on a moose safari.  The weather called for rain but we were determined to find a few moose before the storms rolled in.   With bug spray, binoculars, cameras and face masks, we headed out on the Golden Road to find some moose.  We didn’t have to go far before Paul spotted a young bull. Excitedly and quietly, we hiked close to the edge of the pond to get a better view.  The sun was just starting to crest the trees and illuminate the snow on the pea...

I noticed the black against the white trees, "moose!" I called out to Lee .  Eating along the side of the logging road, she was spooked by our approaching truck and disappeared into thick sapplings before I could take a picture.  I took it as a good omen that today would be productive. Snow in May is not unheard of in Maine but the few inches that had fallen the night before, would not make shed hunting an easy task this morning.  I was still excited and the break from quarantine life was welcomed.  The fresh Maine air can reset anyone's state of mind. We walked down old skidder trails and split up to cover more ground.  Snow fell from the higher branches as the sun began to rise.  I had been walking for just a few minutes when Lee came to find me and had me backtrack on to the road that he had been on. "Walk right down this trail and look inside the tree line" Lee instructed me.  He had already found the first shed of the morning amid two inches...

Some women have the type of attitude that lets you know that they can and will accomplish anything that they set their mind to.  Lorri Nelson is one of those women... There is a shock factor that comes when you shoot the last animal needed for your grand slam.  After years of hard work, learning to hunt each animal and a little luck, Lorri Nelson  accomplished her grand slam when the cow moose dropped to the ground.  “It was only four hours into the hunt,” Lorri said, “We didn’t bring the trailer or 4-wheeler  because it was rattling so bad and we didn’t want to spook anything.” They had done some  scouting ahead of time and were now looking for a cow moose in Zone 6. “I saw her entire body  move in the woods as we drove past a strip of woods. But I couldn’t tell if it was a bull or cow,”  Lorri continued, “Charlie and I got out and started zig zagging back to see if we could tell for  sure if it was a cow. He confirmed that it was a cow a...

Every spring when the cows kick their yearlings out of their comfort zone, there are news reports of them showing up in the wrong places.  This spring, it was near the kid's school.  Friends had posted pictures of the moose but it wasn't until I took the littlest kiddo to the doctor that I saw the moose.  Knowing O would love to see this, I drove home and swapped kids.  I prepped him just in case the moose had moved on, but we were in luck!  Aside from the fact that it was next to the interstate, the moose looked healthy with no signs of ticks or illness.  The Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife got so many calls about this moose that wardens ended up tranquilizing the moose and moving it.

Dad and I were making our normal trip to check the trail cameras.  We pulled out of the driveway and drove 1/2 mile up the road.  I was looking for the snowshoe hares since they have a tendency of playing in traffic when Dad slowed the car down, moose ! Maine moose heading across the field I got my camera out as Dad brought the car to a stop. "I bet he is headed over to the mountain." The moose was headed in the direction of the land where we had seen the moose tracks the day before. Maine Moose In order to get a few more pictures, Dad pulled the car into a roadway along the edge of the field and slowly stopped.  The moose stared at us for a few seconds and kept walking.  He never changed his pace or his direction. Maine Moose He walked through the field and on his way (hopefully) to our land where he could try to escape from the horseflies that were bothering him.  Luckily, there were no sign of ticks or spots where he had been trying to r...

It rained.  Rained hard and the wind blew.  It was anything but ideal for finding moose in the Maine woods.  But Brian , Jenn and I knew that the weather was going to be clear and with some rain gear, we were off for an adventures.  Last year , I was spoiled; beautiful calm weather and moose first thing in the morning.  This year, our normal 4:30am start was pushed back to 10am. About an hour after we left, we were winding down dirt roads heading further into the woods. We pulled into an old skidder road, grabbed our cameras and were off.  The sun had finally come out but the wind was still whipping through the trees and causing bursts of leaves to drop from their branches.  Brian calling for moose We walked along the trail, stopping every once in a while to call and attempt to listen between gusts of wind.  It was turning out to be a beautiful fall day and we had high hopes for seeing some wildlife.  The first chopping that we came...

Here are a few more photos that I couldn't quite get to fit into my blog.  Enjoy!!! Robin and Brian Brian was able to get urine from a bull moose that one of his clients shot the week before.  This is straight moose pee! Walking into the choppin's Brian with a call in his pocket and camera set up Brian racking the trees to sound like a bull My first moose seen in the woods! He was a young bull but I would have shot him Checking out another spot Moose tracks! Fall colors

Three years ago, Dad and I headed into the woods to get a moose. I took a week off from work and we were rocked and ready. Zone 17. In hindsight, I can see why Rick wanted to trade permits for that zone. Throughout the week, we saw one dead moose and a spot where one was gutted. That was it. It was the second time Dad had been drawn and the first time he didn't come home with some meat. At the start of the 2012 moose season, it was projected that 75,000 moose were roaming the woods. In my interview with Commissioner Woodcock, he spoke about the changes that were taking place this season that would allow more people to get their permit who had not. This past fall, my brother in law (BIL) who is a biologist for the State of Maine was gracious enough to let me tag along to see what he does and why it is important to the overall health of the moose herd in Maine. We headed to a tagging moose station in Roxbury, Maine for the October hunt. Maine biologists play a key rol...

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...

Last week I sat down with Commissioner Woodcock to talk about the highlights of the 2012 hunting seasons and where he saw the Department going in 2013: Last year, the moose hunting system was reworked . Do you think it helped with the numbers this year? YES! 34% of the top tier were picked this year. Of course, we add people to that top tier every year but we are predicting that in the next five years, everyone in that top group who has been waiting for more than 30 years to get drawn, will in fact get drawn. We even had a few people, probably 1% get picked on their first try this year. Overall, we are very happy with the results this year and looking forward to a successful hunt next season. Do you see any other changes being implemented this upcoming season? The Legislature makes those changes, not the Department. We are always looking at our resources and we may end up tinkering with the number of permits in different areas because of the success of last year’s hunt. ...

I saw this bull coming at me on the skidder road. I can tell he is a good sized bull and he is following behind the cow and calf. He stepped out, I lifted my gun up, placed the cross hairs on him and squeezed the trigger. Nothing happened. Rick and his family have been hunting in Maine for more than three generations. Each year, Rick faithfully puts in his application to get a moose permit and each year, his name is not drawn. Until this year! After 32 years, Rick saw his name appear but it was not an ideal situation. He drew a cow in zone 17 for the October hunt, starting Oct 8th. Not ideal, so Rick put his permit up on a couple of websites to see about a possible swap. Within 24 hours, an email hit his inbox accepting the swap. Frank had drawn a bull in zone 4 for the September hunt but his Dad had drawn a bull for October in zone 17 and it would be the first time (and maybe last) that the two could both hunt for moose together. Trade done. In preparing for this year...

Last weekend, the hubby, pup and I headed to Sandy Mountain Cabins in Jackman. We were excited and eager to test out the fishing pole. It was beautiful when we arrived on Friday! The camp we were in was unlocked and ready for us. Corey, the owner had left a note in the window of the door saying welcome, where we were going to be and that we would catch up later. It was clean, welcoming and wonderful. We quickly got settled and headed out to start fishing. For some reason, I always take self portraits. I have them from my tree stand, and here when we are on the boat... Anyways, Corey usually rents out motor boats but because it had rained the night before, he said that if we wanted to pump it out, we could just take it. Yes, please! We had asked Corey where we should go to see if we could catch something and he gave us a suggested spot but also said that because the water/air had been so warm that it might be (probably would be) hard to catch something decent. But he gave...