Snowing this morning with only a little wind and temperatures in the mid twenties. A very pleasant mid winter day. We needed a little snow to freshen up what we had on the ground. I have been enjoying getting out on snowshoes this winter and have been fortunate to be able to take some time from my responsibilities as the Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides association each day to get out and enjoy the winter.
I expect that the chickadees will begin to sing in the next week or so, which always marks the end of winter for me. Even though there are weeks of snow and cold to go the sun is higher in the sky, the days are markedly longer and a little birdsong seals the feeling that winter is almost over.
Snowshoe Trips
The wind shifted with a bang a little after noon one day last week. It became a not too cold but windy afternoon. The skies were crystal clear and very blue. I always write about the clear winter skies but this time I'll let the picture tell a story.
I strapped on my snowshoes and headed out back to see what critters had been on the move. Last weekend's snow has settled nicely leaving use with better than a foot of perfect snowshoeing snow. In the course of an hour or so I crossed the paths of several deer, a coyote, red and gray squirrels. The coyote had hunted along an old logging road and left an interesting story in the snow. It had dug out a mouse from under the snow at one point along the trail and was interested in a variety of places along the way.
The new aluminum and fabric snowshoes have sort of cornered the market these days but I still prefer my leather and ash 14 X 48's.
Harder to learn to walk on at first but very comfortable and large enough to keep me very close to on top of the snow. I am looking forward to spending many more afternoons on them in the next couple of months guiding winter nature exploration trips.
Another afternoon had me snowshoeing to the top of Clary Hill here in Union. I took several pictures from the top. You can see the Atlantic and Mount Washington from there although neither shows very well in the pictures. Take a look at the album here!
October Bird Hunting Video.
I know it is January and the snow is on the ground but how about a quick visit back to October? While I was at Libby Camps last fall they had a videographer working on clips about the fall grouse and woodcock hunting. The results are now posted to the Libby Camps web page.
It is a QuickTime video so you will need to have that program installed on your machine and the downloads slowly. If you watch closely you will see a couple shots of me guiding grouse and woodcock hunters along with a great shot of Mae the pointer looking as happy as a dog could ever be. We both love our work even on a damp cool October morning!
It would be great to have you join us next fall.
LL Bean Spring Fishing Event
I will be offering a session at the LL Bean spring fishing event again this year. My presentation is scheduled for Saturday March 20th, at 2pm in the Maine Store in Freeport. This is always a well attended event with lots of interesting presentations and individuals. Below is the listing for my presentation that will appear in LL Bean's flyer. Hope to see you there!
Maine Smallmouth Fishing: A World-Class Secret
Maine Professional Guides Association
Don Kleiner, Master Maine Guide and Executive Director of the Maine Professional Guides Association has long known what many still don't...Maine has some of the best smallmouth bass fishing in the world. The fishery here is extremely accessible, not to mention incredibly dynamic. Giant smallmouth thrive in many of Maine's lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, some of which are probably right in your hometown! The smallmouth bass itself is also one of freshwater's greatest game fish. They do all of the things that anglers love; they eat readily, they jump, they run and they can be caught using a variety of methods. They are also a great fish for getting youth involved in fishing, so join Don as he uncovers the secret to what makes this fishery so spectacular.
Newsletter sent monthly until spring!
From now until spring the Maine Outdoors newsletter will come to you once a month. I still post blog updates twice a week and daily updates are available on
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You can also visit the Maine Outdoors web site and submit a contact form. Of course I still use e-mail and the telephone still rings in the office if you would like to plan your next trip or just say hello.
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Best regards,
Don Kleiner
Master Maine Guide
Maine Outdoors
(207) 785-4496
