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As soon as the election is over, I plan to work with legislators on bills that would benefit sportsmen and the fisheries and wildlife of Maine.

Actually, I’ve been doing that for the last couple of months, with legislative incumbents who are sure to be re-elected.

I’m also building a list of bills that I will be asking legislators to sponsor.

I’m offering readers of my blog the opportunity to suggest law changes or new laws that you would like legislators to consider.

Email your ideas and suggestions to me now, at georgesmithmaine@gmail.com.

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The sky was full of pheasants, barreling right at me at what seemed to be 100 miles an hour. Up went the shotgun. I fired once. Twice. I reloaded. Fired again. Fired again. And I missed them all!

Pheasant hunting in Regent, North Dakota is humbling. The four misses happened on the second day of our four-day hunt. Well, it was raining and my glasses were fogged up. And the pheasants are fast. The gray sky made it difficult to distinguish the roosters from the hens as they flew at me, and you can only shoot roosters. And I’m not very good on passing shots. Those are all the excuses I could come up with.

On the third day, in the very same spot along the lake, a big rooster (the male pheasant) rose in front of Nellie, our dog, and flew by me at supersonic speed. And I killed it! My best shot of the week.

Pheasant hunting in North Dakota is also fantastic!

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Sportsmen have a great reason to vote Yes for the Land for Maine’s Future bond issue on the November 6 ballot. It’s all about deer!

Well, almost all about deer. Thanks to the good work of Dave Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, and SAM Board member Gerry Lavigne, language was added to the bond proposal that focuses the program on wildlife habitat, especially deer wintering areas. Here’s the specific language:

“Because portions of the State have deer populations that are struggling and deer wintering habitat is vital to the survival and enhancement of these populations, projects that conserve and protect deer wintering areas are considered to have special value and must receive preferential consideration during scoring of new applications to the State.”

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“You can take the snake.”

That’s the first thing I heard at a September meeting of the Wildlife Technical Committee of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

And then Derek Small took a small scorpion out of a container!

It turned out to be a confiscated creature, on its way to Avian Haven, a Maine animal rehabilitation facility. Small is associated with The W.I.L.D. Center & Zoological Park of New England, located in Rochester, New Hampshire, and a member of the Wildlife Technical Committee.

Four key people at DIF&W are spending a lot of time on exotic animal issues, permitting, and regulation. And sportsmen are paying for that work. The small amount of money that the agency makes from permits doesn’t come close to paying for this work.

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            Will Harris told me today that he’s “encouraged” that the public’s use of half of one of Maine’s most popular beaches will not be lost. Harris is the Director of Maine’s Parks and Lands Bureau.

            On August 1, I published what I called a sad tale about one of the state’s most popular beaches. Here’s a brief summary of the story, with an update.

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U.S. Senate candidate Angus King provided the National Rifle Association with a detailed look at his positions on firearms issues in an August 13, 2012 letter – rather than respond to the many-pages very detailed NRA candidate survey.

Because he didn’t submit a survey, the NRA gave King an “incomplete” grade. I think advocates of gun rights (and I am one) and Maine hunters will find King’s letter to be of interest.

“Hunting in Maine is important as an economic engine of rural communities,” wrote King, “but even more, it is a connection to our heritage and culture that is handed down from generation to generation. Hunting links Mainers, and visitors to Maine, to the land. Hunting, and the aspects of fair chase, instill in young people an appreciation and respect for the value of open-space and wildlife.

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Today I submitted my testimony on DIF&W's proposal to ban the use of live fish as bait on 16 brook trout waters. For more information on this issue, including the dates, times, and locations of public hearings, read my earlier post in this blog. Here is my testimony.

Testimony

I regret that the hearings on this proposal were all scheduled during the week that I am in North Dakota hunting pheasants. I really wanted to deliver my testimony in person.

This proposal to ban the use of live fish as bait on 16 “B” list waters is modest but necessary, an important recognition of the importance of protecting our remaining native and wild brook trout.