End of Watch: November 15, 1922

November 15, 2020 by Maine Game Warden Steve Milton

The Maine Game Warden Class of 2020 was given the honorable task of developing a way to memorialize two fallen Maine Game Wardens: David F. Brown and Mertley F. Johnson. The story behind the two wardens and how they died remains a mystery and is a very controversial topic. The story goes as follows:

Surveying Spawning Fish Across Maine

November 12, 2020 by Fisheries Resource Biologist Nick Kalejs

MDIFW Fisheries Resource Biologist Nick Kalejs driving to the trapnet location.

Mighty Mini Owls

November 5, 2020 by Wildlife Promotional Coordinator Lauren McPherson

Though calm in appearance, a feisty female saw-whet owl snapped her beak repeatedly, warning us of her very sharp, curved upper beak. With zygodactyl feet, two toes are usually in the front and two in the back, however, owls have the unique ability to rotate their fourth digit to the front, allowing them to perch, hold food, and grab prey.

Mandated Moose Stations and Vital Data Collection

October 30, 2020 by Wildlife Promotional Coordinator Lauren McPherson

While leaf peepers are out in the masses from late September to late October, so are moose hunters. 3,135 permits were allocated for the Maine moose hunt this year, each one requiring a drawn permit and specific zone to harvest from. After years of data collection, MDIFW has found the most innovative technologies and techniques to assess the health and ecological relationships for Maine’s moose population to fine-tune management decisions.

Boasting about Bats

By Wildlife Promotional Coordinator Lauren McPherson

Maine’s Bat Monitoring

By Wildlife Promotional Coordinator Lauren McPherson

Next-Step Hunting Workshops on Swan Island Led to First-Time Deer Harvest

By Public Relations Specialist Katie Yates and participant, Jennifer Padera

Throughout summer 2020, the Department hosted several next step hunting programs on Swan Island in Richmond, Maine. The goal of these programs was to educate new adult hunters on how to blood track, field dress, and butcher deer. For many, getting into hunting for the first time can be challenging.

Maine’s Hunters and Trappers are Conservationists

By Wildlife Promotional Coordinator Lauren McPherson

Maine Warden Service & Friend and Friend Inc. ATV Partnership

By Maine Warden Service Corporal John MacDonald

Thanks to a continued partnership with Friend & Friend Inc. in Ellsworth, the dealership is lending the Maine Warden Service a new recreational vehicle to assist game wardens in the course of their work. As part of the Kawasaki User Relations Loaner Program, a new recreational vehicle has been made available at no charge to Maine Game Wardens.

Is Your Catch Stocked or Wild?

September 17, 2020 by Fish Culturist Ashley O’Neal

The crisp morning air fills your lungs with oxygen and your soul with serenity and anticipation all at once. The water is flat and calm, depicting a perfect mirror image of the brilliantly colored foliage intermixed with deep evergreen that skirts the lake and makes you feel like you just fell into a watercolor painting. Each time you cast the line your heart jumps a little with anticipation of a bite and a sense of wonder surrounding what you might pull in from the depths.