Aug 30, 2010
Today is the first day of bear season! We have a good crew, many repeat customers and some new ones, and they are all getting along well like they've known each other for years. Chuck, the man who got the 450 lb. bear last year, brought his wife along this time and she's hoping to get a bigger one!
The store is almost ready to open! It just needs some more wiring and we'll be good to go! Now, we are so busy we won't be able to get it done for a couple of weeks. We are still trying to come up with a name for it, we'd love to hear your suggestions.
The guys have been seeing lots of birds and deer sign. If you were thinking of booking a trip in October, now is the time. We are also booking hare hunts in October and December.
Aug 20, 2010
The end of summer is nearing with the Skowhegan Fair and school clothes shopping. We can see slight changes in the trees and the nights are cooler and damp. Bear season starts in another week and then we'll be off and running until Spring after hare season.
Our new puppy is doing fine, lots of firsts still. We took her on the boat a week or so ago, we had family visiting and went out for a lake cruise and some tubing. Ash walked into the water at the boat launch, and then wanted to get in when we drove away from the land. She did get in and swim for a few minutes with the kids and then crashed on a blanket. She did enjoy driving the boat with Bob!
Aug. 7, 2010
Well,
a lot's been going on! We have been very busy all summer, with lodging, guide
service, work in Waterville, and building a gift shop! Bob went to a golf
tournament in Vermont, sponsored by Shane Benoit for Camp TaKumpta. He
never played before but did manage to win a trophy-a horses ass for the "Sod
Busters Flight, Last Place" along with his teammates--although he thinks James
really won last place but can't prove it since he didn't have his card signed.
:) We were involved with the Annual RiverFest last weekend and are
catering a wedding next weekend. They started baiting for bear season last
Monday, things are going well. The raspberries have gone by and the blackberries
are out in full force right now, so they should be gone by bear season.
The weather has broken and it's been in the 40's at night 3 times now in the
last 2 weeks. The fishing are starting to feed again as the water cools,
big hatch last night in the river, fish were rising everywhere! Been
running beagles all day today.
We
lost another dog to cancer last week, our old dogs are running thin now, but we
have a lot of young dogs that started last winter and are running well.
Today we are splitting 15-18 cord of firewood, Heath and his friend are stacking
it in the barns, and looks like we'll have some to give to a needy family as
well. We have a disabled sportsman here scouting the area for next year,
so glad to have him.
Bob 's 2 cents: I can't believe how the deer herd has made such a fast recovery, I'm not saying it's as good as it was 3 years ago, but we are seeing a lot of deer sign, and many young deer! Last year we killed over 50 coyotes in this area, including all the people who hunted around here, thank you very much. We've also been seeing lots of grouse, looking forward to a great bird season! If you haven't booked your trip you were planning yet, you should do so soon, we are filling up in October.
We are coming up on our 2nd Annual Pine Grove Program Invitational on September 18, 9:00am to 1:30pm at JW Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield, Maine. Please come and join us to support our program. If you aren't familiar with it, please see www.pinegroveprogram.com. We give free trips to disabled(physically and/or emotionally) US veterans, and other American heroes like 9/11 responders and victims or volunteers of similar tragedies. We believe people can start the healing process through the great outdoors, and also believe it's a family process, so we invite the whole family too. The money raised at our events is to offset costs, make facility improvements, and to help purchase handicapped accessible fishing, hunting, etc, equipment. Thank you for your support, hope to see you there!