Is our Heritage in Jeopardy?

I’ve had a number of you ask if I am retired from writing blogs and the answer is no, not really, I’ve just been very busy doing what I enjoy, which includes guiding and fishing. Now, I must say that I have met a lot of really nice people this year during my guiding trips. It’s nice to see them so interested in the outdoors and in catching “the big one”. But I must tell you that I am a bit concerned about the trend that I am seeing. TC and I made every effort to bring our two sons up in an environment that was filled with the outdoors. We tried to make hunting and fishing a part of their lives, and we believe we succeeded. Although they are both far away, they do make an effort to come back and spend time here when they can. But the trend I am seeing is a bit disturbing to me. I am not seeing a lot of younger people enjoying the back woods nor the fishing or hunting. Has there been a disconnect somewhere? My gut instinct says yes.  Is it that the families have moved away from teaching their family members about what the outdoors has to offer, because their lives have become so busy, or is it because they have to disconnect from the world when they go back in the woods? 

I heard an interesting story the other day about a young man that was being introduced into the peace and tranquility of the back woods. He packed his clothing and iPad along with his cell phone for the journey. Once in the woods, he quickly learned that there was no cell or internet service and he made no bones about not being happy with not having connect ability. Is this what we have come to? Are we losing our young to the techno world at the expense of the world they have around them? You be the judge.

So, how do we reintroduce this to our young? As a Maine Guide, I think we need to create programs allowing us to spend time with them teaching about our great Maine heritage. We need to find ways to excite them and make them want to learn how to hunt and fish and camp using the resources around them. If we don’t take some sort of action, I fear we will see our Maine heritage dwindle and or fade out. 

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. You can let me know via my vernons guide service Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/vernonsguideservice/    or by emailing me at vernonsguideservice@gmail.com

Oh and by the way: this is what happens when you spend time on a pond or lake. Are you interested?

Why do they come and where do they go?

This winter, we were fortunate to have a few visitors. At one point, we counted 18 of them. They came in the night unannounced and did not leave until most of the snow melted. Now, let’s try to set the stage a bit. We are located in an area that just happens to have a small stand of trees just above us. The trees are primarily spruce with a mix of some firs. In the past, we have had a family of foxes take up refuge in the tree line and at one point, we were introduced to their kits. This year, we did have two foxes spend the winter with us in the trees, and I have a funny story about our visitors. As you may or may not know, we had a lot of snow this past winter. It felt like every day, it snowed. Our winter was the third worst in terms of snow totals and I can tell you that I spent a lot of time getting to know my snow blower by its first name, Troy. The snow from our roof falls directly behind and in front of the house and eventually, rose to just under the windows. One morning, TC and I got up and walked into the kitchen and found we had a visitor peaking in. Yes, a fox was standing on the bank, looking into our house. Now, I’ll take the blame here, when the fox saw me, he hightailed it out of there. 

As the snow fell, we were blessed to have a group take up refuge in the trees this year. No, they had not been here before. Throughout the winter, they would come out in the early morning and feed on the tree branches, and late in the day, they would do the same. Occasionally, they would decide to take a road trip and as we watched, one by one, they would work their way past the neighbor above us and go to wherever they went, always returning late that evening. It was fun to watch them prepare to travel. One by one, they would come to the edge of the tree line and look both ways and then they would run up the trail they had made. We got accustomed to waking up each morning and seeing some of them moving around feeding on the tree branches. As the snow started to melt, we saw them start to branch out and come closer to our home. It was really fun to watch them. 

Then the snow started to melt and we began to see fewer and fewer of them. I remember being away and TC sent me a text with a photo of them investigating the grounds close to the house. The snow continued to melt, and one morning we woke up and as I had done all winter, I immediately went to the window to see my friends and they were gone. 

Wildlife can read the seasons and instinct tells them to move on. Now, my question is why did they pick this stand of trees and where did they go?

We had grown so accustomed to seeing them each morning and evening and overnight they had moved out without a forwarding address. 

I have a lot of tales during this time, but I remember this one in particular.  The snow was melting and we had decided it was time to break out the Weber grill and cook some hamburgers. As I was walking up to the shed where I keep the grill, I looked up to the tree line and noticed that one of them was watching me intently. I put the burgers on the grill and watched as his nose was up in the air sniffing and snuffing away. I wanted to invite him to join us, but I knew that was not possible. As I started back to the house, I looked back to see him gone as quickly as he had shone up. 

You get attached to wildlife when they spend time around you, but you have to be careful to remember that they are wild and you need to keep your distance. However, it was extremely fun to watch them all winter. When they left, there was a void and I keep getting up each morning and looking up there hoping to see them again, but to no avail. I hold hope that maybe they will return this coming winter and once again, I’ll be able to watch the mystery of now you see them and now you don’t.

Shame on Me

While at a business conference last week, I was approached by one of my blog readers. A lady from New Jersey who has told me time and time again that when she reads the blogs, she vicariously live in me during her reading the blog. She greeted me and then proceeded to ask me why she had not received any new blog post notices. She then said, did you drop me from the group? I smiled at her and said, Ellen, no I did not drop you, you are still there, I just have not had the time to sit down and write a new blog in a long time. We then talked about the blogs and yes, she did shame me into going back to the computer and writing this new one. So, this one is for you Ellen.

As I write this, Northern Maine is hopefully near the tail end of a long winter. We are not far away from holding the all-time record for most snow in a season. This year is currently in second place. (Not really a record I want to hold in high esteem.) During the winter months, TC and I have been busy tying the flies we need for the upcoming fishing season that incidentally started on April 1. TC and I tried to keep a mental note of the flies that were successful and at what time they worked. This year, I am going to carry a little book and my goal is to write down the flies my clients, I and TC use, when we used them and what success we had. This data will be helpful in compiling what works, when it worked and if we should continue to tie that pattern.

As many faithful fisher persons know, one day a fly might work like gangbusters and the next day the fish would not touch it with a ten foot pole. Older fishing advocates say that if you are lucky enough to be on the water during a hatch that is the fly that would work during that time. The trick, however is to know when the hatch takes place and I for one often times miss them as you just don’t look on the calendar and say the green drake hatch is happening tomorrow and I need to get out there. It is all luck. I’ve spent nights in the woods whereas the day came to an end and the hatch took place at dark. Waking up the next morning my camping gear is full of dead flies and I missed it! That morning the fish would not take a blue dunn to save their soul.

So, you ask, what should I bring with me on my fishing trip. My answer is bring a box full of all different flies that have worked in the past and that way you can try all of them until you find the one that works. Yes, I can give you some options, and if you are using my services, I will even provide you with the flies I think might work. However, at the end of the day, the decision is for the fish to make and you just don’t get a say. It’s just that simple.