BDN Outdoors celebrates Maine’s woods, waters and wildlife through the voices of the people who live it — hunters, anglers, hikers, foragers and explorers who share their adventures across the state.

Meet our featured contributors, read their stories and consider applying to become an outdoors contributor yourself. Click on each author picture to read their profiles.

Bob Duchesne

Aislinn Sarnacki

V. Paul Reynolds

Kevin McKay

Tom Roth

Pete Warner

Hazel Stark

Bill Graves

Al Raychard

Bob Romano

John Floyd

Carey Kish

Denny Corriveau 

Jake Scoville

Ethan Eisenhaur

Do you spend your free time hunting, fishing, hiking, foraging, paddling or exploring Maine’s woods and waters? We want to feature your stories.

You don’t need to be a professional writer — just someone who loves Maine’s outdoors and wants to share that passion with others. Whether it’s your first moose hunt, a favorite trout pond, a foraging find or a sunrise from your canoe, your perspective helps show what makes outdoor life in Maine so special.

We welcome all kinds of contributions, including:

  • Short stories (500-800 words) about outdoor adventures or memorable days.
  • Photo essays (3–8 photos) with short captions or a few sentences of context.
  • Videos (1–3 minutes) from the trail, water or woods.
  • Prefer talking to writing? We can interview you and write it for you — with a credit “as told to BDN Outdoors.”

When you contribute to BDN Outdoors, your work is published on bangordailynews.com and will also appear in print and on social media. You’ll earn a byline, freelance pay and exposure to thousands of readers who share your love of Maine’s outdoors. Our editors provide support to shape your story — whether it’s writing, photos or video — so you can focus on sharing your experience.

Story examples include a 500-word story about grouse hunting, a 5-photo hiking essay or a 2-minute ice fishing video.

Be a BDN Contributor

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Bob Duchesne

Bob became interested in birds in the first grade. Interest grew to passion, and today Bob is a frequent leader for Maine Audubon. He spearheaded the creation of the Maine Birding Trail, and authored “Maine Birding Trail: The Official Guide to More than 260 Accessible Sites.” Currently, Bob writes weekly birding pieces in the Bangor Daily News and produces YouTube videos about birding in Maine and beyond. Bob served six terms in the Maine Legislature, and now serves on the state Board of Environmental Protection and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council.

    Aislinn Sarnacki

    Aislinn is a Registered Maine Guide, outdoor journalist and the author of three hiking guidebooks: “Family-Friendly Hikes in Maine,” “Maine Hikes off the Beaten Path,” and “Dog-Friendly Hikes in Maine.” She was the creator of the BDN’s long-running “1-minute hike” video series, and she continues to highlight trails in many of her essays. Her outdoor writing often includes deep dives into nature and history. She also shares her experiences with outdoor activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

      V. Paul Reynolds

      V. Paul has a long career in journalism, including at the Bangor Daily News. He is currently co-owner and editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, a monthly outdoor sporting magazine in Enfield. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has written three books, “A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook,” “The Maine Angler’s Logbook” and “Backtrack.”

        Kevin McKay

        Kevin is a lifelong fisherman who lives on the banks of the Penobscot River north of Bangor. He is a Master Maine Guide who since 2002 has operated Maine Fishing Adventures, where he strives to treat anglers to fun and productive fly fishing and spin casting outings in beautiful surroundings. McKay also runs Maineflyfish.com, which features fishing reports, informative articles, debate on key topics and instructional tools.

          Tom Roth

          Tom had a 32-year law enforcement career including working as a summer game warden before retiring and then rejoining the workforce to run Maine’s Fraud Investigation Unit. Since 1995, he has penned a regional column in The Maine Sportsman and has had thousands of articles published in national magazines. In 2021, he published “A Sporting Year In Maine.” Tom now splits his time between a horse farm in Cumberland and the family home on Sebago Lake and guides anglers for the abundant lake trout and salmon there. He documents many of his adventures on his YouTube channel.

            Pete Warner

            Pete graduated from Bangor High School in 1980 and earned a B.S. in Journalism (Advertising) from the University of Maine in 1986. He grew up fishing at his family’s camp on Sebago Lake but didn’t take up hunting until the age of 44. Pete was a member of the BDN Sports staff from 1982 until 2021, when he became the Outdoors Editor. He retired in 2023. He and his wife Annia have been married for 37 years and have two adult sons, William and Paul. Pete is fluent in Spanish and he enjoys hunting, fishing and listening to jazz.

              Hazel Stark

              Hazel Stark is a registered Maine Guide, naturalist educator and owner of Maine Outdoor School L3C, based in Ellsworth and providing outdoor education programs to learners of all ages at schools and across eastern Maine’s woods and waters.

                Bill Graves

                Bill is a retired pharmacist. A long time member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New England Outdoor Writers Association, he has had thousands of articles published in national and regional outdoor magazines and newspapers. He has also written multiple sections of four books about hunting, fishing and shooting sports. For over 40 years, he has been the Aroostook County monthly columnist for The Maine Sportsman magazine. Bill lives in Presque Isle with his wife of 52 years, Dr. Linda Graves.

                  Al Raychard

                  Al Raychard was born and raised in Maine and has lived there his entire life. He and his wife Diane live in Lyman on 43 acres that offer good deer and turkey hunting opportunities they both enjoy. Al has been hunting, fishing and writing about his adventures for more than five decades. He contributes to Northwoods Sporting Journal, Bear Hunting Magazine, Game & Fish, Deer & Deer Hunting and numerous other national publications. An avid fly fisherman, Al has traveled to Alaska, Labrador, Costa Rica, Argentina, the Caribbean and other exotic locations, but Maine remains one of his favorite places to wet a line. Al and Diane both love to travel, always with fishing and hunting in mind.

                    Bob Romano

                    Bob Romano and his wife, Trish, have owned a cabin in Maine’s Rangeley Lakes region for more than 40 years. He writes fiction and essays about why we fish, often set in Maine’s great north woods. His books include “Return to Rangeley,” “River Flowers,” the Rangeley Lakes series and “Shadows in the Stream.” His work appears in The Drake, Fly Culture and online magazines Midcurrent and Rivers and Feathers. Trish and their daughter, Emily Rose, contribute artwork to his books. Bob’s website is available at: forgottentrout.com.

                      John Floyd

                      John Floyd is a registered Maine guide, an NRA-certified instructor and the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation. He writes the monthly column “The Gun Cabinet” for the Northwoods Sporting Journal and is an active member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. Floyd has appeared as a guest on WVOM’s “The Maine Outdoors” and NRA TV’s “Cam & Co.”
                      John can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me
                      or on Facebook at @tuckerridgeoutdoors.

                        Carey Kish

                        Carey “Beerman” Kish of Mount Desert Island is a Triple Crown hiker (AT, PCT, CDT) and an outdoors and travel writer. He is the author of “Beer Hiking New England,” “Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast” and “Maine Mountain Guide.” His latest book, “Footloose in the Maine Woods,” will be published in the fall of 2026. You can follow Carey on Facebook and Instagram or reach him by email

                          Denny Corriveau

                          “WildCheff” — Denny Corriveau is award-winning, national Native American game chef, and the founder of the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. As a wild game evangelist and trendsetter for wild game culinary arts, Denny is a nationally recognized authority concerning the culinary side of wild game. You can learn more at wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @thewildcheff or Facebook at @WildCheff

                            Jake Scoville

                            Jake Scoville is an outdoor writer from the Bold Coast region of Washington County. Jake writes a monthly column for the Northwood Sporting Journal, drawing on a lifelong connection to the outdoors. An avid archery hunter, angler and ice fisherman, Jake also spends time fly fishing, metal detecting and searching for Native American artifacts, always with an eye toward the stories tied to place and tradition. He can be reached by email at jacobysco@gmail.com or on Instagram at @jacobysco

                              Ethan Eisenhaur

                              Ethan is a mechanical engineer based in Boston and a Maine native who grew up in the western mountains. He has practiced photography since 2016 and began using camera traps in 2020 to capture images of elusive wildlife without disturbing them. He lives in southern New Hampshire with his wife and their dog, Remy.