I have tried hard to avoid certain legal issues and personal attacks against others who had differing opinions in the political arena. But this is obviously a political maneuver and not a legal one. It seems the judge in the Federal ESA lawsuit concerning the staus of trapping in Maine involving the accident catches of the Canadian Lynx in Maine. Has already made up his mind. Without having read anything in court, or having heard any testimony. How can either party in this case feel that this trial will be fair in any way under these cicumstances. He has alrady shown that he is anything but impartial. This ethical breech can not go unchallenged.

For a fuller version of this story and to read it for yourself…….. go to : http://mainehuntingtoday.com/bbb/2007/09/30/has-judge-already-made-up-his-mind-in-maine-lynx-trapping-case/#comment-31688

Be warned if you don’t fight to protect the Constitution and it’s Freedoms. You will see the fade from your memory in the face of teranny. We cannot stand by and allow the bench to rule without “impartialty”. If we allow this favoritism to percevere we give up the right to be able to stop it later. It’s simple..turn off the lights and you are sitting in the dark.

Hey Aroostook County!!!!!

Do you hunt/fish or ski/atv/sled or hike? Looking for more from the county. Send me your submissions and tell your stories through this blog. You will be given full credit and limited editing will be done. Tell me your stories of Aroostook county. Share our love for Aroostook with the world. Looking to give “Bylines” to as many as six people who will freelance stories to be shared here. You will either be given  a category of coverage we need to fill or we can insert your writings into the appropriate category as you write each piece. This is strictly “probonno” or unpaid work. We are simply offering aspiring writers and journalists the chance to write and refine their skills. While sharing their love of Aroostook County. This could be a chance to build a body of work and “published” status for all aspiring writers.

I am currently looking for material in all of the established categories.

1. ATV/Wheeler

2. Camping

3. Fishing

4. Hiking

5. Skiing

6. Sledding

7. Snowshoeing

Knowing I cannot be all things to all people I am offering you the chance to tell us your story. Do you love all 7 or just 1 through 4?  Do you have a favorite deer camp story you always wanted to tell. Or do you have an endless supply of jokes you know.  Here is your chance in a friendly and less pressured environment. Maybe you are an English student looking for extra credit. Getting published even on the internet is still a big deal… not everyone can. Email all submissions to:   aroostookbasser@gmail.com 

Be sure to state in the email that you are allowing us to publish this material without financial compensation. If you have any special considerations you want us to take into account you must state so at the time of submission. You must also supply us with supporting photos or art to go with the piece. Accordingly you must also state we have permission to reprint them with the articles submitted.

I will personally select and review all submissions for publishing here on this blog. I am solely and completely responsible for all content on this blog. SkinnyMoose Media is not now or will ever be held accountable for any submission to me to be publishd herein.

 If you have any questions feel free to post a comment here or email me. (aroostookbasser@gmail.com)

 (see this and more at : www.freespiritart.com) 

Monday marked the first day of the 2007 moose season. I was up and on the road before 5:00. Headed to go out calling with my buddy Ivan, his son and his father. The latter decided to stay home feeling 4 was too many. One calling, one on video ops, and two along for the fun of it. Yea I agree, too many, not that it mattered in the end anyway.

It was warm and windy, two conditions that make calling fruitless. The wind being the worse factor here. The swirling winds making it hard to be heard and to hear. Not to mention the swirling scent trails all around you. Cover scents only go so far. We always work the wind, but it was against us this time.

We used an old atv trail to get us up into the margins between US1 and Rte 11. These swamps and cutovers are home to vast amounts of game. The moose being the beneficiary of the logging here. Lots of browse and alders to nibble. Most of the twitches forming a network of mazes only a moose can navigate. Up a ridge and through a swamp, and around a hill or two. The rutting thrashes and torn up trees attesting to the fact that the bulls are at it again. The level of damage am indication of the size of the bull who did it. Wallow pits reaking of moose urine, and musk.

Our trip was less than successful due to the wind issues. But we got out and bumped two good bulls. Their tracks and the tree shredding we saw stating they were both large and powerful. But no video from this adventure.

If you want a moose you need to get a permit. Once you have selected a geographical are to hunt and get drawn in the moose lottery to hunt there. The fun really begins. You can cruise the roads to find a dumb one, and to make it easier to load. Or you can hook up the trailer, and bring your wheeler. Then head back into the deep dark forest to locate a real trophy moose. Something in the 48″ to 50″ spread is fairly common.

Look up the twitches and in the cuts for bulls servicing cows or cows waiting for bulls. Try calling them as we have done. Thus increasing your odds of seeing something shootable. Find a wallow pit and climb a tree nearby. Pouring out some cow urine in it prior to the climb. He will scent check it from downwind and will come into it if he smells the cow. Now try using a cow moose call to sound like she’s waiting there. He will move in..smell her and then appear to see her. Be ready, if he smells you, he’s gone.

In days gone by moose hunting was a driveby. Meaning all the hunters went out and heater hunted until the moose was found near a road or field. But the moose are becoming more road shy. MDIFW has gotten what the desired. Moose are far more skittish of us than they ever used to be. Not that we have seen any real decrease in the number of accidents. But moose are getting smarter and harder to hunt. We now hunt them like we do for deer. The big boys are harder to fool.

Oh there will always be those who settle for the easy kills. Like the guys up in Bridgewater that got their little bull on the “old tracks” just south of town. (Who kindly through the guts off the trail where they shot him. Leaving behind the heart and liver?) He may have gone 650 lbs. Or the fella in Littleton that shot that 450 lb. spiker bull in the field.( Leaving the gutpile in the field to feed the crows.)

I can see taking the easy ones. They are most likely the foolish ones that cross roads at night and in the fog. Killing motorists every year. But if you truly desire to get the moose of a lifetime. (Under the permit system it may take you that just to get drawn once.) You need to hunt them like you would a deer. Use scent control, treestands, and calls. Gone are the days of easy moose hunting like we use to know. To succeed now you need to get real and hunt them. Or you are just waisting your time and your gas.

Well folks, seems I will finally get to go up the tree for my bear. Been baiting off and on all month. Season is about to end and I have a hot bait….. I hope. After we started the bait.. no shows for about a week. Then a moose moved in and spooked the bear off the bait. Then the ‘coon moved in and ate my bait up. Now deer are using the trails and the bears left for a bit. But the bear has come back and there are two days left to baiting.  Keep your fingers crossed, I might have BBQ bear ribs on Sunday. Started out to get the bear with my bow..but I may take the rifle. Dead bear for sure, even if it hangs up out too far for a decent bow shot. Just want the bear meat, so I may go with the gun. 

Are you a bear hunter? Tell me your story………. 

Update: Season ended with me not getting my bear over the bait for the second year in a row. Just too quiet and the darn moon making the bears eat at night in full “night vision”. But I can still spot and stalk. Next year I will be running my own baits and will sit the seat every afternoon until the bear is in the freezer.

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4526819805867391097&hl=en

As you have probably noticed I have been abscent alot lately. As it happens I am hunting my butt off. As with my fishing endeavors. I have put all of that a little ahead of the weekly blogging. After all I have to have something to write about. I work a night job and run my own business during the days. The construction business is taking alot of time this summer and has done quite well. But now we are coming into the slowing down side of one enterprise. Affording me the opportunity to write and tell you about my beautiful Aroostook County.

I have been out scouting two to three times per week for the last month. Between my love for bears and deer hunting. I have been trying to locate a good spot for my stand. Speaking of stands, I just bought a new one. A Wolverine Climber made by Gorilla. It’s the same as the Kong Greyback. But sold exclusively through the Walmart chain. Got a great deal and used my discount, I work there at night. Added a few little touches to make it mine. Changed out the web seat for a well padded plywood plank, bolted on. Covered in some realtree camo leather a buddy gave me. (Thank you Dan!!!!) Added a bow rest to it too to keep the bow handy. Mounts on the platform, and vinyl covered to keep things quiet.

In the process of scouting out some new ground my buddy Ivan and I found me a bear to tag a little later. A good eating bear is about 150 lbs. Those big monsters are not worth the time to cut and wrap them. We already have a bait placed for me to kill one out of. Ivan will be videoing it for posterity. But a backup plan is always a great idea. In this same area we also located some great trails to watch and some good stand trees. In one place we are looking at using a ground blind to hunt and video out of.

So I have been doing alot of field work to make this a more realistic and entertaining blog. My goal here is to be a source of true and realistic information on Aroostook County Life.  There are alot of sites out there that try to portray life here but do so through the eyes of someone from “away”. I am not from there but born and raised right here. So my perspective is a little different.

From what I have seen our trail system is quite well mantained here in the county and if you are an ATV fan and a hunter. Well the trail system is your best bet for lots of action on and off the trails. As any experienced woodsman will tell you. The hardest part of getting around in the back country is the access. The ATV trails and Sled trails allow all of us access to areas not general accessible otherwise. If you are looking for new hunting grounds. Grab a trail map at your local convenience store and look for trails in your desired area. All of these trails are “public access points”. That is to say these trails are open to everyone. Now the land on either side of the trails may be posted agianst hunting. But you can still access the land beyond it by walking or riding the trails. In areas posted as “no hunting”….empty your gun…sling it on your back and don’t reload it until you have walked out into unposted land. If you have any doubts as to whether or not you are on posted land… keep going. The last thing you want is a problem with a land owner.

 You may want to back off completely and approach the landowner before crossing the land. Letting him know you are respecting his right to post and at the same time you are only crossing his/her land by way of the public access granted. By allowing the ATV and or snowtrails to cross the property. If you are on an ATV or sled you are exempt from this added step…but it wouldn’t hurt.

(The access was granted to sledders and or ATV riders. Therefore a walker may not be granted the same right to access. CHECK THE LAW AND ASK BEFORE CROSSING !!!!!!! )

The core of this is that atv and sled trails open up vast areas to explore for hunters and anglers alike. For the most part these trails are open to mountain bikers and foot traffic as well.

A new area to explore also lends itself to added excitement and enjoyment. Giving you new experiences and testing your skills at tracking and reading sign.  As well as reading water to catch more fish.  It is all of those things compiled together that make us Lewis and Clarks in our own backyards.  For me its the discovery that keeps me jazzed on fishing and hunting. I love to explore and I have often found myself miles from where I started asking myself…….”am I getting too old for this?” To know in my heart that I wouldn’t do it any other way.

So dig out that trail map or topo and taker a trip into the unknown. Put some excitement back into your outings and find new places. Remember the compass or GPS, so you can get back home. But go out into these “unknown” places and get to know them. Each new discovery could lead you to that buck of a lifetime, or just a really good memory.