Monthly Archives: November 2015

Big buck stories draw thousands of readers. Why?

A few weeks back — as yet another “big buck” story ran wild on the Internet, generating thousands of page views an hour — my editor asked me a question that should have been quite simple. Why do so many people want to read about big dead animals? Unspoken: We can write touching, heart-warming stories […]

Tell us this: What fuels your fascination with big deer tales?

Several times each hunting season, the BDN runs photos and stories telling tales about hunters who have filled their tags by shooting monstrous deer, or deer with massive antlers. And each time, our readers gobble those tales up, clicking, sharing and commenting on the stories on our website. The other day, an editor asked me […]

Addition of baby bird dog making life more interesting

Two dogs in one house. Plenty of people do it. Heck, I even have a colleague who owns nine or 10. (Disclosure: Those dogs pull a sled, so they’re likely tuckered out at the end of the day). Two dogs is doable. No sweat. What could possibly go wrong? Those were the thoughts that pinged […]

St. Albans teen earns family bragging rights with  254-pound buck

ST. ALBANS, Maine — Since he started deer hunting when he turned 10, Zach Ramsdell has enjoyed quite a bit of success. In fact, Ramsdell, who is now 19, says that over that span, he has filled his tag every year except three. He credits having access to some very productive land, and growing up […]

Trail camera gem: Four bull moose sparring in Rangeley

Put motion-activated cameras in the woods, and you’re sure to get photos of all kinds of cool animal activity. (Remember, of course, that there are laws that govern use of those cameras … check the hunting and fishing rules before you  start strapping cameras on trees). Earlier this week, after sharing a photo of a […]

Is this fawn too old to be nursing?

Ever since trail cameras became so popular a few years ago, readers have regularly sent along their own images. We’ve seen moose, mystery beasts and plenty of deer over the years. Over the weekend I received a message — and photos — from Leonard Crowe of Carmel. He’s got a camera set up on a […]

Brewer man’s first deer: 19-point ‘Millvale monster’

Ben Thibodeau of Brewer has been hunting in Maine for the past three years with his father-in-law, Byron Dill, and admits that until this year, he’d had exactly zero luck. “The last two years, I never saw a deer on that property [that I was hunting on opening day],” Thibodeau said. [Dill] would go out […]

‘He’s a monster!’ Palmyra man’s opening day treat: 282-pound deer on Halloween

Neal Page spent Saturday morning the way he’s spent many past opening days: He headed out the door onto the land behind his house and worked his way along a swamp, hoping for the best. There are big deer in those woods, Page knows. Back in the 1980s, he bagged a buck — his largest […]