Sportsman’s Alliance Of Maine Director Smith Says Moose Management Going In Wrong Direction

Today, George Smith, Executive Director for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine chastised the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for doing an inadequate job of managing the state’s moose herd. His criticism came in his weekly column in the Kennebec Journal.

While I can agree with Smith that the moose isn’t getting the attention it deserves, I can also say that other species aren’t either much because the MDIFW is strapped for cash and Gov. Baldacci thinks he can cure some of the problems by creating bigger departments and absorbing fish and game into another entity.

Smith suggests that Maine pays much better attention to the lobster than the moose and says the state falls short in taking advantage of the moose as a tourist attraction. Read more

Skinny Moose Media To Stream Live Audio/Video of Maine Moose Lottery Drawing

Mark your calendars for June 12, 2008. That is the date of the annual Maine Moose Lottery Drawing, this year to be held at the Kittery Trading Post in Kittery, Maine. More information below.

I’ve been working with the folks at KTP and Bob Adams has given me a great Internet connection speed so that I can stream audio and video from our web site. You will be able to do that by clicking this link at Skinny Moose Media broadcasting. We will make this link available at several of our websites so that you can more easily find it. Read more

Maine And Vermont Right Next Door, Yet Worlds Apart With Deer Management

Maine is tucked up into the far northeast corner of the United States. On its southern boarder is the Atlantic Ocean. Her eastern boarder touches with New Brunswick, Canada and to the north and northwest, Quebec, Canada. About the only boarder of the state that mimics a straight line of any kind is the western boarder that looks over into the state of New Hampshire.

Vermont is not very far away at all. At its farthest reaches of the Northeast Kingdom, the state is separated from Maine by perhaps only 25 miles of New Hampshire. Down south, the distance between Maine and Vermont at its widest point might stretch to 85 miles. Read more

Harsh Winter Killing Maine Deer

“If winter conditions persist we will need to brace ourselves for a large decrease in Any Deer permits as well as a reduced harvest in 2008 in order to compensate for an expected increase in winter mortality,”

Those are the words spoken by Lee Kantar, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife deer biologist when referring to the current winter that has gripped the state of Maine and buried it under record breaking snow falls in some areas and near records in others. Read more

A Strategy To Eliminate Lyme Disease

Below is an Op-Ed piece published in the Connecticut Post and written by Terence Savery. Terence Savery, a resident of Redding, is chairman of the Connecticut Coalition to Eradicate Lyme Disease.

*Note* - I have spoken with and communicated with some of the people, including Mr. Savery, about this effort to eradicate Lyme disease in Connecticut. I have been assured that those supporting this effort are also supporting the use of hunting as a management tool in this effort.

Have you heard the good news about Lyme disease?

Did you know that a town on Cape Cod ended its Lyme disease epidemic more than 20 years ago, and has been a virtual “Lyme disease free zone” ever since?

Or that communities in three New England states have ended their Lyme disease epidemics? Read more

“The Mountains” On Seeing Deer

“And I don’t see how you can ever bear to shoot them.”

“Don’t you?” said I. “Well; suppose you’ve been climbing a mountain late in the afternoon when the sun is on the other side of it. It is a mountain of big boulders, loose little stones, thorny bushes. The slightest misstep would send pebbles rattling, brush rustling; but you have gone all the way without making that misstep. This is quite a feat. It means that you’ve known all about every footstep you’ve taken. That would be business enough for most people, wouldn’t it? But in addition you’ve managed to see everything on that side of the mountain - especially patches of brown. You’ve seen lots of patches of brown, and you’ve examined each one of them. Read more

$10 Could Get You A Maine Black Bear Hunt

200 music students from Noble High School in Maine are getting creative in trying to find a way to raise $100,000 for a trip to New York City. Bake sales just aren’t getting the job done, so Rick Varney, a grandfather of one of the kids and Master Maine Guide, thought it would be a great idea to sell chances for a Maine Black Bear hunt. Read more

Northwoods Sporting Journal To Recognize Skinny Moose Media Bloggers

With over 40,000 Northwoods Sporting Journal readers throughout the Northeast, with subscribers in all 50 states, John Ward, National Sales Manager of Northwoods Publications, LLC. and co-host of the new Northwoods Sporting Journal Television, thought it would be a terrific idea to gift our tried and true bloggers with a one-year subscription to their magazine.

This is a great opportunity for everyone as the result of a cooperative business spirit between Northwoods Publications, LLC and Skinny Moose Media, LLC. I spoke with my son Steve Remington, President of Skinny Moose Media, LLC., this morning about this and asked him if either he or John Ward perceived each other as direct competitors in the outdoor media business. Read more

New Hampshire F&G Audit Report Suggests Changing To Reflect “Constituency Now Served”

Below is the press release issued by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department concerning its latest audit of efficiency. I have highlighted one area of which I will comment on below.

CONCORD, NH — At its monthly meeting today, the Fiscal Committee accepted the Office of the Legislative Budget Assistant Audit Division’s Performance Audit Report of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

According to the report, the purpose and scope of the audit was to “assess the efficiency and effectiveness” of the N.H. Fish and Game Department. The report concludes that New Hampshire state government has assigned responsibilities to the Fish and Game Department in an efficient and effective manner. The report contains 30 observations that address a wide variety of issues, including governance matters associated with the Fish and Game Commission, strategic and operational planning, revenue generation, organizational structure within the Department, and fleet management and controls. Due to the financial situation of the Department, the audit focused on the program areas most dependent on unrestricted revenues. Read more

Huckabee Appealing To Hunters, Gun Owners And The Common Man

It appears that presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, is gaining support from three groups, some of which contain one in the same person. He appeals to hunters, I guess because I think he actually is one as opposed to claims by others. He is a draw to gun owners because of his out spoken support for the Second Amendment - really. And common folk relate well to him because he at least once was common folk. Read more

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