Time’s running out, and if you’re like me (which is not something I’d wish upon you) you’ve got plenty of Christmas shopping left to do.
OK. If you’re really like me, you’ve got to change that to “all of your Christmas shopping left to do.”
In my case, the situation has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a procrastinator (which I will readily admit … at some point).
No, it’s much more complicated than that.
Over the years, I have learned that if I wait until Dec. 20 (or later) to begin shopping, I am more likely encounter fellow shoppers who are in a downright jolly mood. Just like the old elf himself.
They smile. They say “Merry Christmas.” They hum holiday songs to themselves. And they don’t stampede, like those crazy Black Friday shoppers do.
Therefore, I wait … and wait … and wait. And sometime on Sunday, or Monday, or Tuesday (but not on Dec. 24 … that’s when a different breed of stampeding shopper runs amok), I’ll shop. Smiling. Greeting like-minded customers. And humming songs to myself.
Until then, I’ve got nothing planned, and am perfectly willing to help other shoppers by handing out unsolicited advice. Pretty nice of me, eh?
Here’s today’s suggestion: If you’ve got a hunter or a fisherman on your Christmas list, I’m sure they’d love to wake up on the big day and find out they’ve received their hunting or fishing license (or both) from you.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife makes that easy, through their online MOSES system.
All you’ve got to do is go to www.mefishwildlife.com and click on the “licenses and permits” link.
The only catch: The system isn’t available for those looking to procure complimentary, lifetime or military licenses. In addition, licenses for people from countries outside the U.S. and Canada aren’t available through MOSES.
The rest of us, however, are in luck.
In order to buy a license for a loved one, you’ll need to have their personal information available. Among the things you’ll be asked: Their address and date of birth.
If you’re purchasing a hunting license, you’ll also need their previous license number or their safety course number.
You’ll need a credit card to pay for the license, and can print out the license on your home computer printer.
If you don’t know exactly which permits your favorite hunter will need, don’t fret. You can always start with a basic hunting license and let the gift recipient upgrade at a future date.
With the current cold snap making any outdoor activity a bit of a pain, this is a gift you can purchase without ever leaving the comfort of your own home.
Happy shopping!
Munsungan book back on sale
A year and a half ago, I told you about Jack Ahern’s new book, “Bound For Munsungan — The History of the Early Sporting Camps of Northern Maine.”
Ahern’s effort, I said at the time, was a hard-edged, rustic, no-nonsense account of a fascinating period of the state’s history.
Earlier this week I received an e-mail from Chris Obert, the owner of Pear Tree Publishing — the company that published Ahern’s book.
His news was good — perfect, in fact — for folks struggling to find a last-minute gift for their favorite outdoors enthusiasts: The original edition sold out, but a new, improved version of the book is available and selling well.
Called the “Bound for Munsungan Family Heirloom Edition,” the book is a hardcover edition that been printed on higher-quality paper than the original. In addition, it contains more than 20 pages of additional material, including plenty of photos that didn’t appear during the first publishing run.
As a reader, the old photos were some of my favorite parts of the original book. Having access to more of those historic images can only be a good thing, as far as I’m concerned.
If you’re interested in getting your hands on the new, improved Ahern book, go to Pear Tree Publishing’s Web site at www.peartreepublishing.net. Click the “recent publications” link and you’ll find the heirloom edition.
The book sells for $35.95, and can be purchased through the Web site.
Be nice. Stay off the ice
After a few days of frigid weather, it’s not uncommon for a certain breed of Mainers to greet each other with comments like this: “We’re makin’ some ice now, aren’t we?”
If you’re in Brewer and you hear something like that, you could be forgiven for assuming that the speaker works at Getchell Brothers, the local ice plant.
Most likely, however, the greeting is coming from the lips of a veteran ice fisherman.
Makin’ ice is great. Trusting that ice (especially when the ice-makin’ process has only been going on for a few days) is foolhardy.
On Thursday, the DIF&W released a statement to the press that all of us should pay close attention to.
“Stay off the ice, chucklehead!” it said.
OK. That’s not what it said. The folks at the DIF&W are far too civilized to call their customers chuckleheads.
What it said was, “the Maine Warden Service is urging people not to venture out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways.”
Also unsaid, but something you might want to consider: When you fall through the ice (which you could, if you’re a chucklehead) the Maine Warden Service will be tasked with retrieving your cold carcass from the depths. And they don’t want to have to do that.
Seems like perfect sense.
Past experience shows that it’s not.
Each year, several Mainers fall through the ice on Maine’s lakes and ponds. Each year, some of those unfortunate folks die.
And each year, people like me write columns like this, asking everyone to sit back, relax, and wait until the ice is truly safe before heading onto it.
The DIF&W says you should never guess the thickness of the ice. Instead, you should check it in several different spots, using an auger or chisel. Go with a partner who can help you if things go bad. Wear a life jacket if you’re alone.
That’s what the DIF&W says.
Here’s what I say: Stay home. Wait another week or two.
Then look for a husky ice angler who is returning from an outing on the ice, and ask him how much ice he’s been fishing over.
Then check it for yourself.
I’m a chicken. I know that. And I also know that many people are extremely eager to head out on the ice, either to fish or snowmobile or skate.
But I’m a dry, safe, live chicken.
And I’m OK with that.
… but if you don’t
While I’ll caution you to keep the previous disclaimer in mind, Friday afternoon Maine Game Warden Jim Fahey checked in with one possible weekend fishing option.
He said that Perch Pond in Old Town, which was formerly known as Mud Pond, may be safe enough to give careful anglers the opportunity to fish this weekend.
Emphasis on may.
Perch Pond, which is located off Poplar Road, is a 385-acre warm-water pond with a maximum depth of 12 feet, according to DeLorme’s MaineFishing Maps.
Fahey explained the DIF&W recently stocked 530 brook trout (average size, 13 inches and one pound) into the pond. Additionally, 60 brood stock brook trout, which average 14 to 18 inches long and 1½ to 3 pounds, were stocked.
The pond is open with a five-fish, five-line limit, Fahey said.
Fahey said he stopped by Perch Pond on Friday and one angler within 150 feet of shore was fishing over six inches of good ice. Fahey did not know what the ice conditions were farther out on the pond.
Furthermore, he cautioned that ice on nearby Pushaw Lake did not appear safe. He checked the conditions at a public access point and found four inches of unsafe-looking ice.
Fahey advised (as the DIF&W press release did) that prospective anglers not take the words of a warden or a guide for it, however. Check early. Check often. Stay safe.
