Fall is under way!

Bird season 2013 was three minutes old when I saw the first dark shadow on the edge of the road.  "Bird!", the words blurted out of my mouth as I instinctively reached for the shotgun.  This one was long gone by the time we came to a screeching halt and although the bird was visible on the road edge, the fir thicket he disappeared into held strongly onto the darkness and cloaked everything in a deep shadow.  As we were still 40 miles from our destination we opted to not spend any time pursuing our feathered friend.  Thirty miles, three moose and two birds later, we started to slow and actually pay attention for Ruffed Grouse, known locally as partridge.  Sure enough as we came around a corner there were two of the thunder chickens on the edge of the logging road.  Sliding the Gold Label double from it's case, I had to wipe the drool off before I could load the shells.  The gun belonged to my partner for the day and he insisted I try it.  What a beautiful firearm!  As I snapped the breech closed I heard, "If you give that second one a minute you could probably get two with one shot."  Sure enough I put the bead on the head of closest bird and waited as the further bird walked into a line and as his head passed behind the front bird I pulled the trigger on the right barrel.  Two birds tumbled and I had my first bird, wait, birds of 2013!  As I fired I noticed two other birds flush, and as I walked up to collect my prizes, I slid the barrel selector to the left barrel just in case.  I was just about to bend over to pick them up when I saw another one in the bushes making a run for it.  I swung the gun and let loose the left barrel and watched bird number 3 tumble down the bank.  Number four (the limit on Ruffed Grouse in Maine) made the mistake of poking his head out of the grassy shoulder long enough for us to spot him.  I caught him sneaking away under a log and ended his journey right there.  Not a bad start to 2013 hunting season.  Chunked into nuggets, dipped in egg, then in crushed Ritz crackers and deep fried for a few minutes is a wonderful way to end a bird outing!

Still have lots of moose stories and some bear too!  Stay tuned for that!

Also trapping season has now started for some species in some zones, so follow along with us as we run a Northern Maine Trapline!

Blake and I prepping the traps:

Cast and Blast!

Wow, does time fly by!  I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted.  I apologize and I want to thank everyone for their patience.  

The firewood is cut and piled in the basement!

Ok, on to something more interesting.  Tim Cyr and I headed out onto the St. John River for a little cast and blast action and Tim managed to cash in on both the cast and blast options.  He downed his first duck of the year which was a beautiful merganser.  Despite popular opinion about the edibility of a merganser, we took some fillets off and John Cole cooked them up for us.  The flavor was not entirely unenjoyable.  The closest likeness I could describe is a moose steak dipped in fish oil and partially rinsed off.  Then to top it off he hooked his personal best muskie a beautiful fish that was 39+".  I apologize for the poor quality photos, but someone forgot the SD cards! (That would be me of course!)

Stay tuned for lots of hunting action coming up!  A little sneak peak of the next stories...

Muskie Derby 2013

I know...I know... That was two weeks ago.  I am a little behind schedule and tight on time, so let me cut to the chase.

Hopes were high as my head hit the pillow on the night before the derby hit.  I needed no motivation to rise as the alarm sounded at 4:30.  After all, the truck was loaded, I had taken a vacation day to fish in the annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby and we had three days of fishing ahead of us.  As the truck wound down the road along the river, the light started to creep into the horizon and by the time we reached our destination on the river bank it was light enough to easily navigate the river channel.  We were the first ones at the boat launch...Success!  The first day was quite disappointing to say the least, with the only fish being a whopper that stretched the tape to a full 22"!  The little fellers sure do put on a show though with their acrobatic display.  We released this feisty guy to grow up and finished the day just as the last streaks of light faded from the sky.  Loading the gear up by the faint glow from the cab lights we hashed out a new game plan for the next day.

The second morning I didn't quite bounce out of bed, but I definitely didn't fall behind schedule and we still we on the water at first light.  The morning went by without event until almost lunch time when I noticed a follow.  A follow is always exciting, but the fish that I saw do a 180 degree turn ten feet from the boat was large, very large!  It was the largest fish I have ever seen and we boated a 44" fish only weeks before.  This fish was in the four foot range!  It also appeared to be at least a foot from it's white belly to the top of it's back.  It was huge!  Fishing the location in every way possible for almost an hour we couldn't raise the fish again.  I figured a fish of that size would most likely be wise to the ways of fishermen, so I decided we needed to rest the fish and we continued on our way.  In the middle of the afternooon I finally saw what we wanted, as Brent's pole bent deep and the drag started running.  We were finally into a good fish.  As it slid into the net, I breathed a sigh of relief, we were going to have a fish that made the board.  It was only a little over the 36" minimum, but knowing how much these fish can shrink we headed straight to the boat launch to bring it down to Muskie Central at Quigley's.  We wasted no time in getting back out on the water and after a couple more hours Brent's rod bent again with another fish, except this one was even bigger.  A quick glance at the time showed that we were going to have to wait until morning to check it in, so we slid it into the bottom of the canoe and continued plying the murky depths with our lures.  Just before dark, I returned to the location where I had seen the behemoth, and anxiously heaved my lure to the far side of the hole.  I steadily cranked the reel, tensed, ready for the explosive hit when all of a sudden there it was.  The rod tip dipped low as I set the hook and a monster fish rolled on the surface 30 yards away.  The drag started to scream as the fish made a run and the rod almost jumped out of my hands with the head shakes.  Then, just as quickly as it made it's appearance it was gone.  A sick feeling crept into the pit of my stomach as I came to the realization that I had lost the fish.  It was with a heavy heart I loaded the gear into the bed of the truck, but I did have the consolation of Brent's fish.  It was a beauty, and by careful measurement on the tailgate was a tad over 39".  By morning it had lost a considerable amount of length, but it's weight remained unchanged.  This was the end of two straight days of fishing for me without a fish, so day three was just a little bit harder to wake up, but I was still going fishing so it wasn't too bad!

Day three started off right with Brent's third derby contender of the weekend coming to the net.  I was also rewarded with my first fish of the weekend, followed only minutes later by my second, but both were far from the 36"minimum and were sent on their merry way.

We quit fishing and loaded up just in time to make it back for the awards ceremony for Brent to claim his 12th place finish out of the nearly 400 entries.  It was a great weekend and we got to fish beside a couple of the local legends Bud Soucy and Corey Daigle and watch them catch some monsters as well.  I would encourage everyone to practice catch and release and while acknowledging the fact that we did kill three large fish, I would like to remind everyone that I only keep muskie this one weekend a year and have released far more than I have killed.  Just keep in mind when keeping these fish that a large fish could be 20 years old, and won't be replaced quickly.  Ok, back off my soap box and on to the pictures of all the fish.

Brent also managed to snap a few other really nice pictures during our 39.5 hours on the water, including one truly unique catch, so enjoy!

Stay tuned, I have lot's more to come in between loads of firewood with my new helper!

10th Annual Muskie Derby

This weekend marks the 10th annual Fort Kent International Muskie Derby and I wanted to remind everyone that if you want to see these toothy critters up close and personal, stop by Quigley's this weekend and join in on the festivities.  For those of you who are fishing the derby, see you on the water!  Have fun and use caution.  The large treble hooks found on a muskie lure becomes a dangerous weapon when a fish starts to roll.  I also encourage catch and release for all of the fish that don't meet the 36" minimum required for the derby.  We have a valuable resource at our disposal and everyone needs to do their part to preserve it.

Stay tuned this weekend for updates and...

Again use caution with those teeth!

Trophy Room ... Den ... Man Cave

There are many names that people use to describe the area that contains their personal collection of mounts or photos, but all are synonymous with a trip down memory lane.  Many a time I find myself sitting in my recliner glancing over the fur, fins, feathers and antlers that I have accumulated in my short, modest outdoor career and a smile will cross my face as I recall the feel of the rod flexing in my hands as that fish takes off, or recall the first glimpse of an antler as the deer emerged through the grass.  This appreciation for photos and “trophies” has always slightly  intrigued me, but as I age I appreciate the memories of these adventures more and more.  Taxidermy has a special place in my heart and I really enjoy having mounts to recall those memories, many would rather have a picture, but either way I would encourage you to capture that moment somehow so in the future you have the opportunity to relive it.  I just picked up a couple of my mounts from the taxidermist this week and decided I would post some pictures of my “den” the term I most commonly use to share with everyone.  I have a couple more still there and I will post them as I get them.  Feel free to send along pictures of your room to hustonswildlife@yahoo.com and if I get any responses I will post them for others to enjoy as well.

I took the pictures as I was walking into the room and then worked around in clockwise rotation, so without further adieu here are the pictures of my den:

 

Heading Downstairs

Base of the Stairs Looking In

New Addition - 2011 Buck

43 Pound Rusty Colored Coyote

A Beautiful Buck Inherited from my wife's Grandfather

Camo Recliner - Complete with Beaver Pelt

Handmade Coffee table from Allagash, ME

Pine Marten and Small 8-Pointer

Bobcat Wallhanger

"Busy" Shelves - Lots Going On Here!

Gray Fox

First Moose

3.5 Pound Brookie

The Woodstove Collection

Muskie, Moose Antlers and Fisher

Monster Muskie

Brent and I pushed off from shore in our typical fashion and wasted no time putting the lures to their intended use.  We had just settled in when Brent's rod struck with such force we were sure it was on bottom, until "bottom" started moving.  The fish rolled on the surface with a distinctly unique sound I had only heard a couple of times before, and I knew it signaled a good fish.  Brent did a nice job playing the fish and we quickly got her into the net.  We then went to shore so it would be easier to handle the monster, which we could now clearly tell was huge!  As we lifted the fish it quickly became apparent that this fish was heavy!  As we stretched the tape our jaws dropped as it surpassed the 44" mark.  This was Brent's largest ever muskie and the largest one to ever come to my canoe.  We slipped the tape under her belly to show a 20" girth and then snapped a couple of photos before lowering the behemoth back into the water for the slow revival process.

After a couple of worried minutes she started to regain her spark and once I felt confident in her swimming abilities I released my grip.  She swam off on the surface for a ways before submerging back into the depths.  It is a good feeling to see a fish of that size swim off and know she is there to catch again.  Exchanging high fives, we jumped back into the canoe and immediately started fishing again.  On Brent's first cast, I heard the familiar hum of a drag slipping and looked up to see a smile plastered on his face.  I couldn't believe it Brent had a two fish night.  This fish was also very nice and taped in at 35.5" with a thick girth.  This one was also released to be caught again.  Enjoy the pictures and videos of these two beauties caught by Brent.

Brook Trout ... River Smallmouths

Around the 4th of July I was fortunate enough to have a long weekend off.  On Friday, I found myself knee deep in a clear, cold, babbling brook which was very refreshing as the thermometer in the dash of my pickup showed 86 degrees!  Our target for the day was brook trout and they did not disappoint.  We couldn't get any numbers on flies, but as soon as we switched to the tried and true "garden hackle" (worms for anyone unfamiliar with the term) the numbers of fish jumped through the roof.  My father-in-law Gary and I both hooked at least twenty of these feisty little brookies.  What they lacked in size, they made up for in attitude.  We had a great time catching and releasing most of them, but we did keep three which were badly hooked.  These served up a delectable treat in the frying pan with butter and pepper.  Sometimes simplicity is better!  I captured lots of video footage, but I tried to pull only a few pieces out that I thought someone would actually watch, so enjoy.

The next day found my canoe scraping the banks of the St. John River as Brent and I headed back out in pursuit of muskie.  Be careful, because once the muskie bug bites you it is hard to get rid of it!  While the muskies failed to show their presence, the smallmouths didn't disappoint and we landed half a dozen of these slab sided, hard fighting acrobats.  The heat drove us off the river early, but not before we noticed an odd bird in the tree line.  As we neared, it's size was impressive, this thing was bigger than some dogs I've seen!  Finally getting close enough, we clearly identified it as a Golden Eagle!  This was a first for me and I couldn't believe how awe inspiring this bird was as it took off right over us.  I couldn't help but envision a large fish hanging from those massive talons.  I was able to get a couple of pictures, but I apologize for the quality as my camera doesn't do well at that distance from a moving canoe.