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Great history. Maine is, of course, canoe country, and the Scott Freighter canoes have a big following here. Their duckboats are most popular among folks I know who fish rivers and want to be able to move upstream with shallow draft, a small motor, and decent speed. And, though I have never...

You should keep looking. It's not a perfect boat. Too small for a lot of water I want to be on, and too heavy to car-top solo. But it's easily car-toppable for 2, can fish or hunt two and a dog, seaworthy enough for any protected waters, even out in whitecaps, stable enough to stand and cast...

I can't remember if he put the build on this site, but Troy Fields used to guide seaducks out of re-worked Bailey bridge boat. A search under his name might turn up some photos. Haven't seen him on the site in a while.

I like Montana's approach. Their Constitution--not an amendment, but the original document--enshrines a right to "a clean and healthful environment." (1) The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. (2)...

One pair of black ducks can be very effective. On Merrymeeting Bay we used to often use 4--2 pairs, separated by ~15 yards. Decoying singles would land between them most of the time. I've never tried a single decoy. Maybe I should.

Similar attempts to constitutionally protect the right to fish and hunt, and here in Maine, we passed a "right to food" amendment that protects the right to harvest, grow, forage, and otherwise collect plants and animals to eat. It's now been used to challenge Maine's law banning Sunday...

And a lot of my use is on salt water, so it's holding lots of salt, too. My biggest issue with the manufacturer's floors is that they add almost 150 pounds to a hull with a dry weight of under 300. May need to look at Sea Dek.

I saw wood ducks crossing the highway on my way into work this morning, and the pond they were headed towards is very similar in size and elevation to the one near home and had ice about half out. A friend reports that the local colony of sandhill cranes has started poking around the usual...

Well, I have the 20 so I'll see if I can make it work. After the boat, the budget won't fit a new motor until next year anyway. A friend has the same boat with a 25. We've hunted it with three hunters, 2 dogs, and a big load of wet cork decoys and the 25 was plenty of motor. (It was one more...

Update. I've narrowed my search to one of three choices with a 20" transom for my long shaft motor that are actually available nearby: (1) Alumacraft V16. Probably my top choice--only 16' wide-beam utility I can find under 300 lbs. Model in stock has a ply wood deck/floor in it that adds...

We had a couple of false starts. I ice fished early in March in a T shirt with bright sun and 60 degree sun. We had rain that got us almost to bare mud even back in the woods a few days after that, but then March threw 3 plowable snowstorms at us, including a soaking wet 10" on March 22. It's...

Good to see you back!

Well, we used to have a waterfowl advocacy organization that worked hard for state and federal rules to protect wetlands. DU still exists and does good work to restore and protect wetlands by buying them, or using Duck Stamp and Farm Bill programs for conservation easements and other private...

An interesting philosophical question. The much-touted North American Model for wildlife management is based on several principles, among them that wildlife is a public trust to be managed sustainably; that commerce in dead animals is prohibited; that all citizens have the right to hunt and...

How'd that carp eat?

I only hunt in Maine, where access to water is as good as it gets anywhere. Every navigable stream, every square foot below the high tide line, and below the normal high water line on all lakes and ponds > 10 acres are open to the public. There are no private blinds to speak of, and the one...

Snow is finally most gone here in Central Maine. We'll get more, but most of the snowpack is melted here. Maple sugar season in full swing. We'll still get some snow and cold, but it's officially mud season, not winter. Big rain earlier this week, and some ice jam flooding on the rivers. We...

One additional thought, though it will cosmetically muck up what seems to be a nice canoe in good shape. If you want to brush up the canoe, you can add some light to medium bungee cord a few inches below the gunwales. If that's supported with an eyelet or some other hardware every 12-18", you...

I spoke too soon. A friend down on the coast just sent me a photo of her first woodcock of the season.

Usually about April 1 here, depending on when the snowpack goes.