Maine S Hunting Past

Maine has long been a well-known and frequently visited hunting region. Long ago, moose and caribou were abundant and as time passed, trappers have been able to earn a decent living pursuing choice and prized fur-bearing animals. Small game and waterfowl populations remained fairly stable over the years and have continued to increase in popularity. However, as large areas of habitat were cleared for timber, larger animals began to disappear and opulations dwindled. Trapping has since become a less favorable mode of producing income because of the low prices offered for native and raw fur. Maine's Hunting Past captures the pursuit of wild animals through a century of documentation. Since about 1850, animals have been taken for sport, for food, and for their hides. Hunting has long been not only a sport but also an industry, resulting in the increase and growth of sporting camps and an expanding number of guides. Maine's Hunting Past highlights favorite regions, featuring famous sporting camps and well-known guides. Big game, small game, upland birds, waterfowl, furbearers, and numerous photographs of trophy animals and large bag limits are all included.

Fifteen feet high. Twenty-five hundred pounds. Grayish-white in color. This was the common description of Old Moxie, otherwise known as the Specter Moose of Lobster Lake, Maine. His antlers spread twelve feet across and were spiked with over forty tines. His hoofprint measured ten inches wide. He had a double mane that fell on each side of his neck, and the "bell" hanging under his chin was eighteen inches long."Hunter Shoots at Monster Whose Existence Was Doubted," reported the New York Times on November 5, 1899: "A party of hunters have created great excitement among the sportsmen and guides here by the announcement that they have seen the great gray moose that has haunted the vicinity of Lobster Lake for the past seven years." The year 1899 was just the beginning. For over a half century the Specter Moose would reign as the crowned terror of the Maine Woods. They say L.L. Bean wore out his first pair of boots in search of him. Big game hunter President Teddy Roosevelt wanted to pursue him. Big game maker Milton Bradley wanted to outplay those in pursuit. Governor Percival Baxter created a state park just to protect him. And Fly Rod Crosby, Maine's femme venatrix fatale, thought he was just plain bad for tourism. Sportsmen from across the country and around the globe rushed to the Maine Woods to get a crack at the Specter Moose. But the antlered abomination defied bullets, defied death, and defied logic. Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain feared there would be no Appomattox in the Specter Moose War.And he was right.

Experience the fairs, feasts and foliage that herald harvest time in the Pine Tree State. Autumn traditions and flavors come alive in this nostalgic journey through New England's favorite season. Nature lore follows the ways of moose and bear and the great fall migrations of hawks and Monarch butterflies. Old-time fairs still feature horse-pulling, handcrafts and pie-baking contests. Apples, pumpkins and potatoes offer a delectable bounty for the table. Classic recipes for Indian pudding, apple pie, baked beans and brown bread round out this harvest-time sampler. Author Crystal Ward Kent serves up a slice of Maine at its finest.

This is a completely revised and expanded edition of the best-selling, comprehensive guide covering not only reasons to move to Maine but also what newcomers will find once they get here. The book answers questions about what Maine is really like as a place to live, providing a broad range of information about schools, housing, cultural life, taxes, work and employment opportunities, and even the weather.