Maine Outdoor Enthusiast

It's been a few months since we've sat down for a podcast. Since returning from the Allagash, life has been busy, and it seems like every time we put one fire out, two more start. But with Maine's deer season underway, there's no better time to get back behind the microphones.This week, I'm joined by my father-in-law, who's fresh off a successful hunt after harvesting a beautiful Maine buck during the first week of Maine's 2026 deer season. We recap his hunt, discuss the unusually warm weather, deer movement, hunting conditions, and what we've been seeing in the woods.We also talk the whitetail rut, deer movement and how the month changes as the season progresses.With much of November still ahead of us, we share our thoughts on what the coming weeks might bring and our plans for the remainder of the season.Thanks to everyone who's reached out asking about the podcast. We appreciate your continued support, and it's good to be back!Enjoy!#MaineOutdoorEnthusiast #MaineDeerHunting #WhitetailDeer #DeerHunting #MaineOutdoors #WhitetailRut #HuntingPodcast #MaineDeerSeasonCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

In this episode, I sit down with Robbie Kilcollins to discuss the use of trained tracking dogs to recover wounded or otherwise difficult-to-find deer and other game in Maine.We begin with the legal side of tracking wounded animals, including what hunters should understand before calling for help. From there, we explore what a hunter should and should not do after a questionable shot, how easily a track can be disturbed, and when it is time to back out and contact a dog tracker.Robbie explains how a tracking dog works through scent, how the handler learns to read the dog, and whether dogs can distinguish between a dead animal, a wounded animal and one that is still moving ahead. We also discuss shot placement, weather, blood trails, property boundaries and some of Robbie’s most memorable recoveries.At its heart, this conversation is about more than finding deer...we must respect the animal make every reasonable effort to recover the game we pursue.Enjoy!To find a licensed tracker near you check out:Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife athttps://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting-trapping/hunting/licensed-dog-trackers.htmlUnited Blood Trackers at https://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/find-a-tracker/

Deep in the Maine woods, Justin and Nikki Triquet are doing something few people have ever seen before...farming chaga.In this episode, we sit down with Justin and Nikki of JustNiks MycoSilva, also known as The Chaga Farmers, to talk about how their journey began, what led them from other nature-based businesses into the world of fungi, and why chaga completely changed the direction of their lives.We discuss the world beneath the forest floor, birch trees, sustainable chaga cultivation, entrepreneurship, sacrifice, conservation, and what it means to build a life around the Maine woods.This conversation is about seeing the forest differently, not just as trees, but as a living, connected system and the relationships it fosters all around us.Enjoy!Check out the chaga farmers Justin and Nikki:https://justniksmycosilva.com*A Note from The Chaga Farmers:*"We wanted to personally share something important with you. Our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for The Chaga Farmers has officially been set up and submitted for final review.This project has been years in the making. What began as a deep interest in chaga, forest farming, and responsible cultivation has grown into a Maine-based effort to help create a future supply of forest-cultivated chaga while protecting wild chaga from overharvesting.Our campaign is about helping us move into the next stage of the work: harvest preparation, field equipment, processing needs, packaging, storage, documentation, outreach, and getting The Chaga Farmers ready for the public.Crowdfunding is simple: people can support the project through the campaign page, but just as importantly, they can follow the campaign and share the link with others. Sharing truly helps us reach people we would never be able to reach on our own.We are not asking everyone to pledge. If you feel led to support the campaign financially, we are deeply grateful. But even if you are not able to pledge, following the campaign and sharing the link with people who care about Maine forests, mushrooms, herbal medicine, farming, small business, sustainability, or local food would mean a lot to us.Support or follow the campaign here:https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/the-chaga-farmers/the-chaga-farmers---americas-first-forest-cultivated-chaga-harvestCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

I’m back from my Allagash trip, and in this episode I sit down with Lacey to talk through the full experience.This is my post-trip debrief: the route, the planning, the gear I used, the canoe, the food, the filming process, the weather, the challenges, and the moments that stuck with me the most. I also talk about what worked well, what I would do the same, and what I would change if I were to do the trip again.The Allagash is more than just a canoe route. It’s a place filled with history, tradition, solitude, hard travel, beautiful water, and a deep connection to Maine’s outdoor culture. After spending days paddling, camping, filming, cooking, and living by the rhythm of the waterway, I came home with a better understanding of why this place means so much to so many people.This episode is part story, part gear breakdown, part reflection, and part practical advice for anyone thinking about planning their own Allagash trip.Enjoy!*Gear mentioned in this video:EUHOMY 12 Volt Electric Cooler, 37QT(35L) https://amzn.to/4uS7IObThe North Face Tents Stormbreak 3 Three-Person Camping Tenthttps://amzn.to/4oKdG2aSawyer Squeeze Water Filtration Systemhttps://amzn.to/3Sd5lYNGoal Zero Yeti 1500 Portable Power Station (6th Gen) Fast-Charging 1,505 Watt Hourhttps://amzn.to/4uT5UoeGoal Zero Yeti Portable Power Station, Yeti 300, 297 Watt Hourhttps://amzn.to/44srAMQ#Allagash #AllagashWildernessWaterway #MaineOutdoors #CanoeTrip #CanoeCamping #MaineCanoeing #OutdoorPodcast #MaineOutdoorEnthusiast #WildernessTravel #CampingGear #CanoeGear #Paddling #NorthernMaine #MaineAdventure #OutdoorLifeCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

The Maine outdoors has always had an economy.Long before rooftop tents, GPS maps, sporting camps, and remote campsites, Maine’s woods and waters were working landscapes shaped by Natives, timber, log drives, river travel, tote roads, guides, and camps.In this episode, we look at how the Maine outdoor economy has changed over the past couple hundred years, from log drives and the working woods, to sporting camps and guided trips, to modern recreation, vehicle-based adventure, and the growing popularity of overlanding.This conversation is more about how each generation values the Maine outdoors differently. What was once measured in timber and transportation is now often measured in remoteness, access, tourism, and the desire to reach places that still feel wild.We’ll also talk about the tension that comes with that change: private timberland, working roads, gates, campsites, outdoor tourism, respect for access, and whether modern outdoor recreation is helping preserve Maine’s outdoor culture, or slowly changing the very thing people are trying to experience.From log drives to overlanding, the Maine outdoors has never stopped changing.#MaineOutdoorEnthusiast #MaineOutdoors #MaineWoods #Overlanding #LogDrives #MaineHistory #OutdoorEconomy #NorthMaineWoods #SportingCamps #MaineGuides #OutdoorRecreation #MaineFishing #MaineHunting #Camping #Backroads #OutdoorPodcast

For Episode 100 of the MOE Podcast, we’re talking about Maine deer survival, winter severity and the state’s apparent move toward a newer model for estimating winter impact and deer survival.The big question is simple: how is Maine measuring the real impact of winter on the deer herd, and how clearly is that information being explained to the public?This episode is not a personal attack on anyone at Maine IFW or within state government. It is constructive criticism. When people are in paid public positions and making decisions that affect wildlife management, hunting opportunity, and Maine’s outdoor traditions, the public deserves clear explanations, timely communication, and transparency about the data and models being used.From the outside looking in, the state often seems slow or scant in providing information on these issues. If new statistical models, including Bayesian-style approaches, are being used to estimate deer survival or winter impact, then hunters, landowners, and the public should be able to understand the basic assumptions, uncertainty, and management implications.We also use this conversation to connect the topic to broader lessons from 100 episodes: learning from incomplete information, staying humble, updating what we believe, and asking better questions about the Maine outdoors.Here's to #100!#MaineOutdoorEnthusiast #MaineOutdoors #MaineDeer #DeerHunting #WhitetailDeer #MaineHunting #WildlifeManagement #DeerWinteringAreas #BayesianStatistics #WinterSeverity #MaineIFW #outdoorpodcast Check us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

Joe Osgood from FBM Maine Outdoor Journal came north to spend a couple nights at camp, so we decided to record this episode right from the boat.In this on-location conversation, we talk fishing, hunting, camp life, Maine outdoor traditions, and the stories that come from spending time in places like this. This is just a real conversation from the water, surrounded by the kind of setting that shaped the topics we were talking about.Enjoy!

In this episode, we’re talking lures and streamer flies.Fish don’t hit artificial presentations by accident. Whether it’s a spoon, plug, spinner, or traditional streamer fly, something about that presentation triggers a response. Sometimes it looks like food. Sometimes it looks injured. Sometimes it flashes, vibrates, moves through the right depth, or simply forces a reaction.Often, it's the simple things that matter most...depth, speed, profile, action, flash, color, and confidence. It's easy to overcomplicate lure and fly selection but the old-school approach still holds up in many Maine fishing situations.Often, the answer isn’t more stuff...it's why they strike and learning how to fish the simple stuff better.Enjoy!#MaineOutdoorEnthusiast #MaineFishing #StreamerFlies #FishingLures #WhyFishStrike #KeepItSimple #FlyFishing #TroutFishing #SalmonFishing #BrookTrout #LandlockedSalmon #SpringFishing #MaineOutdoors #FishingPodcast #OutdoorPodcastCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

What keeps a tradition alive?This week we talk about cultural resonance: The idea that traditions only survive when they become part of a people’s identity, memory, and way of life. Hunting, fishing, camp life, and time in the outdoors do not endure simply because they are a hobby or something we do...they endure because they mean something.In this episode, we discuss why it is so important to get kids into the outdoors, why some ways of life fade while others survive, and what happens when traditions stop being passed down. If we want the outdoors to remain more than just a hobby, it has to keep resonating with the next generation, it needs to be part of their story.Enjoy!#maineoutdoors #moepodcast #outdoortraditions #huntingandfishing #mainewoods #deercamp #fishinglife #mainetradition #outdoorculture #rurallife #familyoutdoors #gettingkidsoutside #youthoutdoors #woodsmanship #maineoutdoorenthusiastCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

In this episode we look at the Maine outdoors through two very different lenses, then and now.After being sent an old Maine Fish and Game magazine from decades past, I started thinking about how much has changed in our hunting and fishing culture…and how much has stayed the same. From old sporting traditions and camp culture to policy shifts, changing attitudes, and the way people experience the outdoors today, this episode is a reflection on where we’ve been, where we are, and what may be changing in the Maine outdoors right in front of us.Enjoy!#maineoutdoors #mainehunting #mainefishing #outdoorpodcast #huntingculture #fishingculture #maineCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]