September 2007
September 28th, 2007
My goodness, it has been just like summer here the past few days! Temps in the high 80's. Bangor even had a record broken that was set in
1930, a high temp of 88 was broken on Wednesday when it reached, I think, 91 degrees.
The leaves are changing colors and really starting to get very pretty, I know I keep saying that, but each day it does get better. ( At least up to the point where the leaves all fall off the trees) We had some rain today so the colors will be even brighter.
The wet days tend to have the best colors anyway. This is because the rain washes all of the dirt off the leaves and cleans the dust out of the air. (Now if you believe that you have been listening to me too long)
The fish are still biting in the pond and in the West Branch of the Penobscot. I had one guest hook, and almost land, a fish that was so large that it would not fit in the net! He allowed how next time he will bring a larger net with him. He said he was going to let the salmon go anyway, but it would be nice to get it in the boat.
I did notice that the brook trout are starting to get the fantastic colors of fall. They just get so brilliantly colored this time of year. (Must be competing with the leaves) The males really do make a sight to behold when they turn color, and into their spawning attire.
Only a couple of more days until grouse season arrives. Jed is already and chomping at the bit to get out and try his luck. He is counting his birds before they are hatched, (Or rather in the game pouch) as he figures that with dad as a guide he will see plenty to up his numbers from where he left off last year. He enjoys the eating that they provide, and he just likes to get out and enjoy the season, much like myself. I have told you before and I will tell you again. Partridge are for eating and Grouse are for sport. I prefer the eating variety as they do not have the pellets in the meat, which is hard on the teeth!
There have been a few big bucks sighted around these parts lately. I have not seen them myself, but I have heard from reliable sources that they are around. I will be looking during bird season to find a place to try my luck again this fall for the monster buck.
This week has been the first week of moose hunting. The warm weather will most likely have an impact on the number of moose taken this week. Weather plays such an important roll in how animals act, and how successful hunters are in the taking of game. Perhaps the second week of moose hunting might be a bit better, with hopefully cooler weather.
I sure do look forward to the next couple of months, I enjoy getting out to look things over, and now-a-days I seem to need an excuse to get out. There is always so much going on that it is hard to figure out just what to do, and when to do it! It sure beats doing what I used to do back in the old days though. If I stop and think about it I probably spent more time fishing and hunting back then, but I do not know as I had as much fun at it. (Might have something to do with the years I have been on the planet, and the fact that as I get more seasoned, I look at things in a different light)
I have not seen the fox for a few days, perhaps it was just passing through the area, or maybe I just have not been looking in the right place at the right time. (Which is the case with most wildlife sightings)
Both Jed and myself have noticed seeing a large number of mice, voles and other small 4 footed varmints running across the roads lately. There seems to be a better than average population this year.
Jed came up from the dock with a report that he saw a mink darting down a hole between some rocks. He had just come in from canoeing with his faithful beast and as he landed she jumped from the canoe and took off after it. He was pretty excited to have seen it, as he really enjoys seeing all of the creatures we have around.
Hardly a day goes by that he does not come to me with some kind of animal sighting. He does not even realize how lucky he is to be living this life, he knows no other, even when he is down south with Mom. They spend lots of time looking for, and at stuff down there. It is amazing how much there is to look at no matter where you are. One just has to take the time to actually look and there it is.
From the smallest plant, bug, animal or whatever, it you stop to really look and think about it you will find it there for your amazement and enjoyment. Even the deer are in most places and the way that they adapt to living around humans is fascinating. They are all around people and many folks do not even know that they exist, or hardly know it.
A thunder shower spent the afternoon with us today. It shut down my internet connection for a few hours with the heavy rain. That happens from time to time and one just learns to accept it as a fact of life. When we went out to make phone calls we were up on a hill and could still see the lightning flashing around, with the associated noise that goes along with it. (I wonder about making calls from a metal truck with antennas sticking up all over it, in the middle of a thunder storm)
Most likely the next entry will be for October, unless something exciting happens around here in the next couple of days. (And we never know when that will happen) So, until October, enjoy the weather and the extra time that can be spent outside in the heat! GT
September 23th, 2007
The crazy weather continues! It has been very warm here the past week, at least during the day. The nights have been cooling off nice, so the sleeping is good! (Sleeping is always good, when you get the chance)
Jed and I have been out fishing a few times. He tied a fly and we went out and he managed to catch his first fish on a fly rod and with his own fly! (As usual, he caught a couple and out fished dad, both in landing and in size) Needless to say he was one proud boy, and I of course was one proud dad.
He had his first guiding job this weekend, Some of our fishermen wanted to go to Little Frost and had gotten turned around when they tried to find it earlier in the year. Jed was to take them to the pond so that they could fish. He did a fine job and got them to the pond without any difficulties. Now how many 12 year olds do you know that will take off through the woods for a mile or more and not worry about it. (I must admit that although I do not really worry about him in the woods, I sure like to know where he is) He is becoming a very good woodsman, and I expect him to be excellent before he is 16 years old. He just knows so much stuff about the woods, which he learns from Mom, me and by listening to other folks as well. He will sit for hours listening to stories about the woods, hunting, fishing and anything else about the woods.
The wind has been blowing all day today and is still blowing tonight. I guess that is mother nature changing things around to get good and ready for fall. The nice part is that the breeze keeps it from being too hot in the bright sun. (Not that there is any sun tonight mind you, but the moon sure is big and bright tonight)
One of our guests noticed that we have a fox hanging around the yard these days. They saw it in broad daylight down by the dock. I saw it later in the evening down towards the campsites. It is nice to have them around, they do eat lots of mice, and this year there have been plenty of those critters around. (Perhaps I should have Jed trapping the mice rather than squirrels)
The leaves are really starting to come to the front for color these days. I know that this is one of my favorite times of the year. I say that, but you know, I really look forward to just about every season and find wonderful things with each of them. In the winter I love to look out on the new fallen snow, everything is so clean and bright. ( You should see Katahdin, covered with snow and a full moon casting its glow on the summit) Spring brings the greening of the trees, bushes, and grass, which is a welcome sight after all of the bright white. (Well, the grass part I could do without, mowing is not all that much fun as far as I am concerned) As for summer, those warm evenings sitting around the fire and the fish rising to the hatches are great things to enjoy. Fall, with the bright colors, cool temps that stir the hunting blood in many, the hiking blood in some folks, and the great smell that I cannot describe, how can you ask for anymore? Oh, how about getting to watch the eagle circling the pond today? That is pretty nice as well, and we get that in all 4 seasons!
Each season must have taken some thought to get things to come out right. It is hard to believe that they just happened that way. Can you imaging having the hatches come off in the winter? The fish would be breaking their necks trying to rise to grab them through the ice! Lots of other thing just plain work out well for all of the animals and even us human animals. Pretty good setup we have for sure! We just have to learn to enjoy it for the moment, for that is as long as we get to enjoy any of it.
So I reckon I will go enjoy some of the sleep time that we are allotted! After all, tomorrow is the start of another day, and I will want to be out there to enjoy all of it that I can.
Enjoy your day! (And I do not just mean that 24 hour period we call a day) GT
September 16th, 2007
Another great week here at camp! We had a guest come in for his second week of fishing this year here at the camp. (We are getting more and more folks coming back for a second dose of the good life in the same year) He thinks that this is a great place to come and enjoy fishing in Maine. He allowed how the catching was pretty good last week as well. (Remember, fishing and catching are two completely different subjects. The fishing is always good, but the catching can sometimes be a little on the iffy side!)
His buddy that was supposed to join him missed some of the best fishing of the year when he did not show up. (And Keith, those secret places will stay a secret from your fishing partners) That just made the fishing all the better for the lone fisherman.
The leaves are starting to show more and more color this past week. I noticed a number of them that are bright red or orange. One of them was lit up by a beam of sunlight, almost like it was highlighted on a stage. The smell of fall has not got here yet, but it cannot be far off. I sure do like that smell, although it means that I am limited on the amount of time I have left before the snow arrives!
I do not understand why now when September arrives, that it means winter is only about 2 days off. It used to be that it meant a long wait until the winter season would get here. Must have something to do with all of the satellites that I see in the night sky, suppose?
When I stopped in to talk to Keith the other night he was commenting on how the Big Dipper was right in front of his campsite for a couple of hours each night. The loons would be calling and with the crackling fire in the fire pit, he allowed that it just did not get any better than this. One night he heard the coyotes and the loons talking to each other, or perhaps it was the coyotes talking to each other and the loons talking to the loons over on Ripogenus. He did say that each time he comes up here it is harder and harder to leave to head back home. That is what we always hope for, guests having such a nice time that they do not want to leave.
Jed and I went out and cut a load of Cedar for kindling wood today. Boy, he sure is getting to be a big help. Now he works fast enough so that I do not have to stop much to help load the truck. I figure that about the time he gets big enough to do a whole days work he will want to be off fishing, hunting, hiking or chasing girls! (I will have to reign him on on that last part for sure) He has taken to splitting the kindling for me and is pretty good at it and enjoys doing it. I will have to tell him that he cannot do it as much, just so that he will want to keep doing it. You remember how it is, when you are too young to do some things, it is fun. When you have to do the same job, it is work.
I have not had any more moose run though the yard imitating a flat tire lately. One of our guests mentioned that she even heard the moose running by that night. You just never can tell what will happen up around these parts!
I managed to catch and relocate 5 raccoons before the supply ran out. I was beginning to wonder if I was moving them far enough away, as there just seemed to be more and more each night. Now I have something digging up the lawn looking for grubs! I expect that I will not be as carefree in moving the next creature that I catch. Something tells me I will want a blanket to cover the cage with before relocating this visitor! I can only hope it all takes place in a short time and without much of the aroma that usually accompanies this fellow. I will move this creature a long way from here as I have had some nasty smelling experiences with skunks and dogs before. Nothing like a dog getting sprayed and then for a year you have to enjoy that smell each time it rains! NO THANK YOU!
Last night was cool up here, well, not really cool, downright cold! It was definitely a night that got one's attention. It is supposed to warm up again this week, which is just the way it should be this time of year. Hot, cold, hot, warm, cool, cold and then throw in a couple of sweltering hots for good measure. (That takes care of one day, I wonder what the next day will be like?) Yes, it really does change around that fast up here this time of year. You know the old saying, "If you do not like the weather in Maine, wait a few minutes". I suppose that is true of many places, but I have never lived any other place but Maine. (The real Maine that is) I reckon I could exist in other places, but that is not the same as living!
The hunters are getting even more antsy to get out in the woods now. The cool nights really makes one start to think about it. Soon it will be partridge season and it looks like it will be a very good year for them this year. I am getting more and more reports of bird sightings now.
Speaking of bird sightings, I was watching some birds today feeding on the seeds of the Mullen that grows in the yard. They were clinging to the stalk and pecking away like crazy, getting those tiny seeds out of the plant. It is fun to just sit and watch the birds and animals as they go about their lives. Find a nice comfortable spot and just sit. You will be amazed at what you can see. Mostly we humans do not take the time to do that simple thing, but it might be good if we took more time for it.
Jed has taken up squirrel trapping for a past time. He has a tree stand set up and goes out in the woods with his live trap and puts sunflower seeds in it for bait. He is always coming back to the yard with a story to tell about his adventure. Generally he takes his faithful hunting dog with him. He has even built a blind for her to stay in when he is on the stand. He will sit and watch and wait for a squirrel to enter the trap. He then proudly brings it in for me to inspect and back he goes to let it out. The last one he released came out of the trap and sat on the stand with him for a few minutes. I suspect that the squirrel was more concerned with the faithful hunting dog rather that the boy!
He comes in with stories about the vole or lemming that built a tunnel under the trap to "steal" his bait. Then the mice will go in and leave their tell tale presence behind. He said that he was going to hide his bait so that these creatures cannot steal from such a serious trapper.
He goes out to check the trap each night before going to bed and to "trip it" so that no squirrel will have to spend the night in the cold. He really is very considerate of the beasts in the wild, even if he does enjoy catching them for a short period of time. I figure that he is learning many things by doing these activities and he always seems to have a list of questions for me to answer, or try to answer.
Toady he was yelling for me to come see what was going on. He and his faithful hunting companion had trapped a chipmunk in the compost bin. I went out to investigate and sure enough, there it was going around and around in the compost bin. He wanted to "catch it" a bit better, so he left the dog to guard the bin and he came in to get welding gloves to pick it up with. (He is very cautious about anything with teeth) It took him awhile to get properly rigged and out the door he went. He came back in shortly with a disgusted look on his face. When I asked what had happened he said that the darn dog had let the chipmunk get away! I had all I could do to keep from laughing. Oh to be that age again! GT
September 7th & 8th, 2007
Out of the freezer and into the fire! The weather is doing what it does best up here in Maine, CHANGING! First it is 38 degrees and then it is 85 degrees. Not that it is all that unusual for this time of year, but I still cannot get used to it. I like the cool weather better than the heat. (At least I do in the summer, in the winter I look forward to the nice warm days)
I have to tell you about one of our guests who was up fishing this week. Phil was on his third fishing week this year and had gone out to the river to catch the big one that he missed in July. ( I hope he did not tell his boss that he had to attend to a sick Aunt or something, and I have gotten him into hot water with the boss) He usually does not come in too early and I kind of watch for him to make sure that he is back in to the camps before I go to bed. This particular night I was here at the computer and I heard his truck coming in and it sounded like he had a flat tire! (This would not be a first for him) (No, I am not picking on him, it happens to the best of us)
I stepped out the door to let him know that he had a flat when he drove past. He opened the door and said, "did you see that moose running up the driveway in front of my truck" ? I told him that I wanted to let him know about his flat tire, which he did not have. It was the moose running up the road and it sounded just like a flat tire hitting the dirt. We both had a good laugh about that one.
The West Branch of the Penobscot and Ripogenus Dam have a hook in this guy, he is already making plans for next year!
It is just past midnight (Hence the 2 dates for this entry) and I just went out to check the raccoon trap. I have had a few of them show up and I set the live trap to try to relocate the beasts. I would like to report that tonight was a success, as I have one ready to move in the morning. (So much for my other early morning plans) I will move him to someplace where he can get plenty of food, like 2 or 3 campgrounds away! Not really, but that is what I tell folks who ask. I usually move them to someplace where there is a stream so that they can find plenty to eat. I do not like them in the yard, but heck, this is Maine and we have the critters around here! I should take him down and put it near someone's house where the Game Warden who left this summer lives! I understand that he likes the critters!!
I had folks in over Labor Day fishing and they caught plenty of fish here in the pond. For many folks Labor Day is the end of fishing. I like to wait until the very end of the season to try my luck again. That last few days can be great, both in the West Branch of the Penobscot and right here in the pond.
I will be taking Jed out fishing at the end of the season and maybe even before that. He sure does enjoy it and he does help around here quite a bit. It would appear that when I am not here he is even a bigger help to the guests. My father was up watching the camps for me one day and Jed was here as well. Father said that Jed would go from being a kid playing to being a responsible young man helping people at the drop of a hat. "All business", he said of him, when he needed to be. (You would not know that I might just be a proud dad, would you?)
Maureen and Jed went camping in Baxter State Park earlier this week. The wind was blowing pretty hard and they decided that perhaps a camping trip would be better than a canoe trip this year. Maureen said that Jed was a big help setting up camp and his hiking abilities were very good. (Do I detect a proud Mom here as well) Needless to say we are both proud of the lad and that is the way it should be.
Some of the best hiking of the year is coming up in the next 2 months. The cooler weather (Sure!) and the fall colors make for an enjoyable time. Just remember to take plenty of water even on the cool days, your body still needs plenty even if it is not hot.
The deer hunters are getting the itch these days. I am getting requests for cabins and folks confirming their reservations for hunting season on a regular basis now. We seem to have a pretty good deer herd this year as last winter was not too hard on them. The partridge are starting to show up a bit, or maybe it is just that I have gotten out a bit more the past week. I saw the first flock of grouse that I have seen in awhile the other day. You could still tell the young of the year birds as they were still noticeably smaller. This will change in the next couple of months and they will be hard to tell from the adults.
Below is a picture that one of our guests took over Labor Day weekend. The sunsets truly are great here. I still enjoy going down to the pond to look at them. Have a good weekend! GT
September 3rd, 2007
There, summer is over! Everyone has gone home and now it is just me and the trees. Well, not really, but Labor Day does, or used to, end the summer season. In a way it is over. We will get some cool weather and still have some hot days, but the trend is for things to cool down as far as temperatures go. (Remind me about that statement when it is 80 degrees and humid this month)
The fishing will start picking up this month, although it has not really slowed down all that much here this summer. You could go out and catch fish just about anytime, all summer long. September is known for great fishing, sometimes even more so than in the spring. It is a bit different, because the hatches are different, but it can be better fishing. Later in the month the trout will develop their fall, brilliant colors and they are something to look at. (And catch)
Bear season is under way now, and that can lead to some interesting stories from bear hunters. I was talking to someone on the road into camp the other day and they saw a bear a mile or so from camp. I had seen one there last week in about the same location. Our bear hunters did not see any this year, but they sure had fun trying. We, or should I say "I", had a little fun with one of the young bear hunters. Lost luggage, which included his compound bow, arrived a day late from their flight to Maine. It was amazing that all of the luggage made it to their cabin except the bow. After about 20 minutes of looking at the saddest young man in the nearest 10 townships, I had to give in and go to the office to retrieve the bow for him. I told him that I had one he could use, but he recognized his bow case and broke into a big smile.
He did invite me to come down to NC to hunt deer and he said that he would put me in a nice stand. He mentioned that it might contain a few cotton mouth snakes, bees and whatever else he could think of near the stand, and mothballs in the bait pile, but it would all be in fun!
Sorry Jason, but if the other guys in your group had intercepted the luggage arrival, you might not have gotten the bow back until just before you went on the stand on Monday!
Deer season is only a couple of months away for firearms, and only one month away for bow season. It is hard to believe that almost another year has gone by up here. Boy time sure does fly when you are having fun.
Before all of that takes place though, we have some wonderful weather and the fall foliage to enjoy. This time of year "gits yer blood a pumping". Those frosty mornings and the reds, yellows, oranges and a few other colors that are not within my vocabulary are something to behold. The latter part of September will bring on the moose hunt for a week. It is fun to go out calling them, even if one does not have a permit. (Something that after 25 years, I have still not had the pleasure of getting) I do enjoy using a camera on them anyway, so I am sure that this fall I will put forth a bit of effort to capture one of those majestic bulls on film. (Well, film is a far stretch of the terminology, how about data card?) Which is a good thing as I would be running to town to get film developed every 2 or 3 days sometimes.
We had a thunder storm go through here last week or perhaps a bit before. I was talking to the previous owners and they mentioned that lightning had struck on the road into their camp. I was over that way with the bear hunters one day and I stopped to take some pictures of what it had done. It is really quite humbling to see the power of one of those strikes. I will put those pictures on at the end of this entry and you can tell me if you think you would have liked to have been trying to get out of the storm under that tree!
So, the last time I wrote I was telling you about the bear that jumped me right out of my skin and I took off running. I am sure that you all know that you do not "run" away from a bear. The slowest bear can easily outrun the fastest human. When that bear finally caught up to me and I felt his teeth in the seat of my pants I knew it was all over. Just kidding, I am sure that the bear was standing there thinking, "what is this fool doing lugging brush down the trail that I use to go get my meals".
I got back to where the rest of the guys were working and after panting for several seconds, (Minutes maybe, but hey, it was a long time ago) I told them that the bears had arrived and that we would now be carrying brush past the bears to get it out to where we were supposed to put it. They assured me that everything would be fine and to continue working. It was about time for coffee break so I meandered around the several bears that were now enjoying their breakfast, (Bears do not get up all that early I guess, one would think that they would have eaten all they wanted and been back to bed, given the lateness of morning) went to the truck and dug out my food for break. The other guys came along and we discussed the plan for working around these beasts.
I do not remember what the plan for that day was, be needless to say, I survived day 1 with the bears.
It might have been day 3 or 4 when things really started to get a bit exciting. There was 3 of us in the truck that morning and I was driving. When I pulled into the dump the first thing I noticed was 2 cubs eating some leftovers of a camper. (Not leftover camper, but the campers leftover food) Momma bear was sitting about 200 feet in the woods, looking like she did not have a care in the world, which being as she was a bear, she probably did not have much on her mind.
Ever since I can remember, everything I have been told and read tells you that if you get between a mother bear and her cubs you are asking for trouble. I knew that, and the bears knew that. The only problem was the guys I was working with were "city" folks and did not have the respect that I had for this situation.
We watched them for a bit and the boss man said it really was time for us to get to work. I told him that he could go to work, but I was going to wait until the cubs were with Momma and on their way to a nice cool swamp to rest for the day.
I then told him to wait in the truck. I took one of my sandwiches from my lunch bag and got out of the truck. The cubs promptly came over to see just what I might have to offer. I threw the sandwich on the ground and they started eating it. One of the cubs had his little "Bear Butt" towards me, so I took my size 12 foot and placed it crosswise on his butt. He let a little blat out and I jumped back in the truck and slammed the door.
Momma bear was now standing at the front of the truck with teeth popping. I calmly turned to the boss and told him that he could get out and go to work now. His eyes were opened at this point to several factors. 1. It is not a good idea to get between cubs and Momma. 2. Even big bears can move very fast. 3. Perhaps this guy from some itty bitty town might know a little more about bears that he did. 4. Maybe waiting until the cubs were done eating was not such a bad idea.
I then told them that even if one of the cubs made the other cub blat, she was more than likely going to blame us, even if were were some distance away from them. The other guys had a bit of conversation about how fast that bear had moved and it really did enlighten them to bears that have lost all respect and fear of humans. (Let alone mother bears and cubs)
Later that same day we had some folks come by and they were feeding the bears out of their car window. When they ran out of food the bear tried to climb in the window for more. The folks in that car was rolling up windows as fast at they could, but one of the smaller bears got his paw in the window and climbed up on the roof of the car. He would not get down and the folks were having a time. I went over to the truck and got a broom and pushed the bear off the vehicle and asked them to not feed the bears as we were working here and did not need them pestering us for food. (I did not tell him about me feeding the cubs for a "boss man education")
We managed to finish up the clearing job after the bears managed to knock down the boss and were content on eating on him for several days. Just kidding, I only wanted them to eat the boss! (I figured that they would leave me alone if they had him to chew on)
This is just one of the reasons that we do hunt bears up here in Northern Maine. It does keep the population down to where people and bears can coexist. I love to watch bears and I do see quite a few in my travels around the roads. I very seldom see bears when I am not in a vehicle, as they detect me long before I do them. They know that close encounters with humans can be hazardous to their health, and it is best to get away fast. (At least every bear I have NOT seen must have learned this rule)
If you want to see bears out in the woods you have to work at it. Remember, we do not allow bears in the camp yard or the campsites. If you do see a bear in the camp yard or campsite we reserve the right to charge you extra for getting that close to one without hiring a guide!
Enough for bear stories for now. Remind me and I will tell you a moose story sometime.
I just had some guests leave and the report was that the fishing was absolutely fantastic today. They even dropped off a picture that they took last year of one of the fish that they caught out on the pond. They said that one of the trout was one of the "football fish" (my term) that was only about 15 inches long but deep down through and very wide and fat.
I will see what I can come up with for the next entry later this week. GT
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