upland bird hunting

Perfect Fall Day

donkleiner — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:40:14 -0400

Yesterday was the most perfect fall day that I can remember. Except for a breeze in the morning it was clear and cool. I noticed that there was not a cloud in the sky anywhere on the horizon. I took my clients to the top of Clary Hill to take in the view and the White Mountains were clearly visible in the distance as well as Mount Blue and the group around Sugarloaf, all of them standing out bright white against a perfect blue sky. The snow of early this week showing very plainly at the higher elevations.

Curious Moose

donkleiner — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:40:36 -0400

Spending time in the North Maine Woods usually means that you see a few moose when you are travelling around. This year I seemed to see more than usual some when I needed them most for clients to see and one that was most unusual.

A week in the North Woods

donkleiner — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:21:24 -0400

The leaves are mostly gone in Northern Maine and the woods have taken on that russet color of late fall. Yesterday the frost did not melt off until nearly noon and I saw some ice in a puddle that was still there in the shade at two in the afternoon. I spent last week at Libby Camps guiding grouse hunters. The week was a load of fun with some great folks, good dog work and of course interesting wildlife sightings.

Fall at its Peak

donkleiner — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:11:47 -0400

This weekend is without a doubt the peak fall foliage in the mid coast. I arrived back in Union after a week at Libby Camps guiding grouse hunters during the night and woke up to this outstanding view off of our deck.

Enjoying the warmer weather

donkleiner — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:10:12 -0400

I’ve been getting each dog out for a half an hour every afternoon. It is good for all of us to run around (in my case amble around) in the woods a little each day. The pointers are finding a few woodcock but not as many as we hear on our walk in the mornings. Each day the snow goes a little more, on Sunday it was well over my knee boots in the woods and this afternoon there are patches of no snow and it is not over the tops of my boots anywhere.

Childrens Story for Hunters

donkleiner — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 06:41:12 -0500

Over the years I have become aware of the contributions that hunters have made to the conservation of our wildlife and open spaces. Over a hundred years ago now it was hunters who recognized that wildlife was diminishing and that something needed to be done. The current system of wildlife management funded by hunters has resulted in an amazing turnaround in wildlife abundance in this country. Granted there are still species that we all are concerned about, and things to work on; but overall things are much better today than they were at the turn of the last century.

Great to be home again!

donkleiner — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 07:22:10 -0500

I finished my upland bird hunting season at Libby Camps on Saturday. Luckily my hunter wanted to finish early that afternoon which allowed me to leave by three in the afternoon. The forecast was for snow up there and I am sure that they got some; the precipitation was a mixture of rain and snow as I drove south until Medway. I drove through wind and rain but made it home safe and sound by eight.

Great fall weather

donkleiner — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:43:31 -0400

This fall has been outstanding in terms of weather. Granted there were a few days that were warmer than I like still though overall it has been beautiful. The last few falls have been marked by big rain storms that have created flood conditions and made everything soggy. We have had a couple of big rains but they were one day events that only brought water levels up to normal. I stopped by the St. George early this week and noted that the water level is almost perfect for late fall trout fishing.

Fall is definitely here

donkleiner — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 12:45:52 -0400

This week started my month of guiding upland bird hunters. The dogs and I are spending most of October at Libby Camps chasing grouse and woodcock. So far the season is off to a pretty slow start due to the incredibly warm weather. Thursday it was 82 degrees on the thermometer in the Yukon when I checked at about 2 in the afternoon. Yesterday was a little cooler but not what you would consider fall temperatures. This morning is very cool and windy.

Sometimes everything happens at once

donkleiner — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:36:56 -0400

Sometimes things align to make life seem crazy.