101 things To Do In Spring in MAINE

(C) 2013 Brent N. Reece

1. Thank GOD you survived another near arctic winter
2. Put away the thermal underwear
3. Put away the skis and snowshoes
4. Put up the snow machine
5. Move the snosleds trailer back out of the way until much later
6. Throw the snow shovel back up in the loft, or back in the shed
7. Service the snow blower and put it in the back of the garage, or behind it under a tarp.
8. Put away the ice fishing gear
9. Drag the ice shack out behind the garage
10. Go smelting as the lakes thaw, and brooks open
11. Troll sewed baits for brookies/togue and salmon once the smelts start running
12. Dig out the 4 wheelers
13. Register wheelers
14. Service them and put in new gas
15. Go shed hunting until the ground firms up and mud dries
16. Dig out the Rakes and shovels for gardening
17. Dig out your boat
18. Get the motor serviced
19. Register Boat
20. Charge the batteries for the trolling motors
21. Dig out the rototiller
22. Service it and add new gas
23. Give the yard a good raking, and burn the debris
24. Uncover your hedges and put the A-frames away until fall
25. Fix the lawn scuffs from “plowing”
26. Turn on the outside water so you can hook up the hose.
27. Uncover your pool and drain it, clean it and hit with some shock to get ready
28. Clean out Garden and Till it all under
29. Add copious amounts of manure from the pet rabbits/chickens and till under
30. Retill garden the day before planting
31. DO NOT PLANT UNTIL AFTER MEMORIAL DAY, frost warning.
32. If the buds are showing on the trees, GO FIDDLEHEADING
33. Clean fiddleheads
34. Service and clean the camper
35. Go to  AROOSTOOK County with camper and canoe to get best fiddleheads in the state.
36. Clean  fiddleheads for two days
37. Can or  freeze fiddleheads, remember to blanch them before bagging to protect from freezer burns.
38. Dig out regular fishing Gear
39. Clean it all
40. Change line on every reel
41. Go to Walmart/Cabelas and Bass Pro to replace all the lures you lost last year
42. Buy new waders, last years got tore up in that freak garage door incident last week.
43. Sink that old bathtub out back behind the garage, and start your worm farm.  (Plug the drain in tub.)
44. Fill it with Canadian Crawlers shipped in via UPS. (Be sure to use good mix of peat moss and potting soil. Fill to just about 10 inches from the lip to      avoid losing your bait.)
45. Feed the crawlers corn meal dusted on top about three times a week. Cover area with a black plastic cover until after frosts cease.
46. Put in for your moose permit early, Prior to May
47. Check town ordinances on backyard chickens
48. Build chicken coop and pen  (You may opt to build a chicken tractor instead)
49. Go to hardware store and buy a dozen chicks
50. Start them on chick starter, shavings for bedding, heat lamp for warmth
51. Keep them inside for at least two months in a dog kennel, so the weather is  warm enough.
52. Put heat lamp in coop after 8 weeks, and move the brood outside
53. As chicks mature the roosters will reveal themselves as such, trade excess to another chicken chaser.
54. Check the local lakes to see if the wharfs are out.
55. Go fishing with worms in a good brook near home, first trip is solo to reconnect with the waters.
56. Take your kids fishing
57. Scout for turkeys, check with wardens for nuisance flocks
58.  Buy your hunting license and turkey tags only after you have seen turkeys in a huntable area.
59. Put out blind, trim shooting lanes
60. Pull out the bow gear and Targets
61. Practice for an hour a day at all expected ranges
62. Practice your turkey calling on turkeys you are not going to try to hunt
63. Kill the first Jake that comes in, to calm you down, you can take two Males in the spring in Maine.
64. Now hunt the Tom “trophy style and serious”
65. Climb Mount Katahdin in Late May prior to bugs coming out, to understand the greatness of nature
66. Go Geocaching ahead of the throngs of summer tourists, and find the goodies left by many last fall.
67. Retrieve Game cameras snowed in last year, and pull the stands that skunked you.
68. Go on photo hunts with camera not gun and see the woods reborn
69. Go Morel hunting on the hardwood ridges and in the elm stands that survived Dutch elm disease.
70. Call, track and locate the coyote dens in your hunting areas
71. “Sniper”  the coyotes denned up to reduce the population and give the fawns a chance to replenish the deer herds.
72. Go sucker fishing with your bow for good practice and cash
73. Bring some friends to a brook near you that has spring runs of buffalo and white suckers, and harvest a pickup load of these “worthless” trout egg eaters.
74. Contact your local bait dealer for a market price you can live with. These are much used by saltwater fisherman as bait for lobster and other species.  Current wholesale price delivered is about 50 cents a fish.
75. In northern waters where the lakes are slow to warm, fish the north ends where water is warmer, and hit the inlets that draw fish all year.
76. If you like early bass action fish the ponds and small waters that warm sooner
77. As soon as the water allows, Kayak your local river and you will have the best fishing of the year.
78. Visit a local fish hatchery with your kids and let them see where a lot of fish come from.
79.  Go to Fort Popham and try your luck on Mackerel fishing and you may get some early blues or striper action, try off the docks first.
80. Take a Whale watching excursion out of Belfast or off Mount Desert Island, that turns into a fishing trip on the way back to port.
81. Join the local gun club, and go out to the range for a good day of shooting, or just find a gravel pit and punch some paper!
82. Go to  the SPORTSMANS SHOWS, always a bunch starting in March and going on until early June.
83. Drive down to Portland Head light and watch the ships go by and take a tour of the old fort and spend some money at the gift shop. Beat the Tourists.
84. Hook up the Camper and go north to Birchpoint Campground in Island falls. Take the canoe, lots of great fishing there on Pleasant Lake and over at      Mattawamkeag Lake.
85. Go Yard Saling!!
86. Have a Yard Sale!!!
87. Go to an auction!
88. Check out the indoor fleamarket in Farmington across from Walmart.
89. Cruise the back roads early and late each day on a photo safari to see the deer  and moose feeding out in the open after the hard winter.
90. Go turtle spotting with your kids, near any ponds or bogs near you.
91. Go squirrel hunting for red pine squirrels, fly tying bench can always use a few more tails.
92. Mow your lawn!
93. Plant Flowers around the house
94. Replant the flowers at the cemetery ahead of memorial day, beat the tourists “who used to live here”
95. Buy your spring pig and build him a pen, nothing too permanent he’s only around until September at best. (8 pallets on their edge the long way and wired together works real well for one to two pigs.) Be sure to name it bacon or porkchops so everyone understands he’s not a pet.
96. Buy a calf and house him at a friend’s farm, like the pig he’s going in the freezer in September.
97. Buy a load of tree length hardwood and start cutting your winters wood early. Let it season all summer.
98. Build a huge fire pit out back, and burn some marshmallows with your kids and make smores.
99. Teach your wife how to use that fly rod she got for Christmas, so she’ll want to go fishing as much as you do.
100. Start walking/jogging/running/biking and eating better so you can drop that “blubber”  you added over the freeze of winter
101. ESCAPE YOUR HOUSE AND REJOIN THE OUTSIDE WORLD!!

THATS MY LIST………..Whats Yours?

Virus in Maine’s Wild Turkey Population

Turkey hunters should be aware of Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV), which has been found in Maine turkeys. Read below to find out more about the virus and what to do if you shoot or see a turkey that has LPDV.

What is Lymphoproliferative Disease Virus (LPDV)?

This is a virus that causes minor to extreme lesions on a turkey’s head and legs. It is thought to spread between turkeys by direct skin contact or through mosquito bites. Some turkeys can fend off minor infections and survive while others can develop extreme lesions that inhibit their sight and ability to eat, which ultimately leads to death.

Are there health risks for humans?

The disease poses no risk to human health. However, like all infections, caution is advised while handling a bird with LPDV. There is a potential for secondary bacterial infections if birds are handled improperly. Thoroughly cooking the meat to an internal temperature of a minimum of 165°F is also advised.

What should I do if I shoot a bird that looks like this?

Although wild turkeys cannot pass this virus on to humans, if you shoot a bird that looks like the above pictures and you do not want to eat it, do NOT register it and please contact a Wildlife Biologist at one of the offices listed below or call the Department of Public Safety in Augusta at (800) 452-4664 to be connected with a Game Warden. After examining the bird, the Department staff member will determine your eligibility to harvest another turkey.

Where did it come from?

Little is known about the origin of LPDV in the United States. LPDV was first detected in domestic turkeys in Europe. The first confirmed case in the United Sates was in wild turkeys in Georgia in 2009. MDIFW confirmed Maine’s first case of LPDV in April 2012. Since that time, we have confirmed several cases throughout the state. Currently, known cases occur virtually wherever wild turkeys are present. We speculate that a combination of a very good turkey production year in 2011 and the mild winter of 2011-2012 may have contributed to the apparent increase in occurrence recently. It is likely to be encountered in 2013 as well.

If you shoot or see a wild turkey with these lesions, please contact the IFW office closest to you:
Ashland – (207) 435-3231

Bangor – (207) 941-4466

Enfield – (207) 732-4132

Gray – (207) 657-2345

Greenville – (207) 695-3756

Jonesboro – (207) 434-5927

Sidney – (207) 547-5318

Strong – (207) 778-3324

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