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Jeff Foxworthy on Maine

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through
18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by,
You might live in Maine

If you have ever refused to buy something because it’s “too spendy”,
You might live in Maine

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from November through March,
You might live in Maine

If someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don’t work there,
You might live in Maine

If your dad’s suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead,
You might live in Maine

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
You might live in Maine

If your town has an equal number of bars and churches,
You might live in Maine

If you know how to say…Wicked. ..Up to camp. .Ayuh.Can’t get there from heyah,
You might live in Maine

If you think that ketchup is a little too spicy,
You might live in Maine

If vacation means going “up north” for the weekend,
You might live in Maine

If you measure distance in hours,
You might live in Maine

If you know several people, who have hit deer more than once,
You might live in Maine

If you often switch from “Heat” to “A/C” in the same day and back again,
You might live in Maine

If you can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow
during a raging blizzard without flinching and keep drinking coffee
You might live in Maine

If you see people wearing hunting clothes at social events,
You might live in Maine

If you install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked,
You might live in Maine

If you think of the major food groups as beer, fish, and Venison,
You might live in Maine

If you carry jumper cables in your car, and your wife or girlfriend knows how to use them,
You might live in Maine

If there are 7 empty unlocked cars running in the parking lot at Hannafords at any given time,
You might live in Maine

If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit,
You might live in Maine

If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow,
You might live in Maine

If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and of course, road construction,
You might live in Maine

If you can identify a southern or Massachusetts accent,
You might live in Maine

If your idea of creative landscaping is a plastic deer next to your blue spruce,
You might live in Maine

If “Down South” to you means Boston
You might live in Maine

If you know “scat” is something you don’t eat,
You might live in Maine

If you find -10 degrees “a little chilly”,
You might live in Maine

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A Welcome Note From Darrell

Darrell with BearDarrell’s Adventures … I first met Mike Guarino a few years back through a mutual business associate and then last year I started fishing and hunting with Mike using his Maine Wilderness Tours service. Our connection was immediate. We shared a love for the outdoors and the great State of Maine, and, we have a shared love for adventure. We also belief that to be successful in business you need to give your clients great service and value for their hard earned dollars. Mike does that and I am proud to be connected with him in this small way.

And, now a little about myself; I was born 52 years ago in Nova Scotia and grew up in a family that fished and hunted. At age 25 or so I abandoned the outdoors in favor of career and not too long after, family. In 1994 I moved our family to Maine to manage my international seafood business. My wife and I, and our two sons made our home in the greater Portland area where in addition to operating a prosperous business we became involved in baseball, skiing, various charities, and scouting. In fact both of our boys attained the rank of Eagle Scout. In 2005 I undertook two significant tasks. One was to become a U.S. citizen and the second to begin hunting and fishing again. In May of that year our entire family were sworn in as citizens of this great country.

The approach I took to hunting and fishing was to go back to the beginning. Assume I knew nothing, and hire the best outfitters and guides I could afford. I wanted to learn from the best. The result has been six years of incredible adventures, an opportunity to meet some wonderful people, and some pretty good results. During my foray back into hunting I have been lucky enough to have harvested moose and a caribou in Newfoundland, hunted whitetail on Anticosti Island, shot trophy bear in New Brunswick, harvested ducks, geese, turkeys, and pheasants here in Maine. And, by the way, I just recently completed my deer slam by taking a trophy 8 point Coues Whitetail in southern Arizona. Previously I had harvested a 10 point, 220 pound whitetail in Maine, a 330 pound, 10 point mule deer in Wyoming, and a 7 point Black-tail in Washington state. On the fishing front I have relearned how to fly fish, fished with sinking lines for the first time, and caught some really nice trout, bass, pike, and landlocked salmon. I am still learning about scrapes, rubs, scents, ballistics, which lures and flies to use, how much to tip a good guide, and how to tell a bad one that I won’t be back next year. I have a business approach to everything I tackle and 25 years of missed time in the great outdoors to make up. My goal in this blog is to share with you those exciting adventures that I have had and the learning experiences from each. I will tell you about my mistakes, my heartbreaks, and those days when everything seemed to go just right. I will tell you about my upcoming plans for trips abroad and how I plan and organize them. I will give you my strategies for getting the best deals with an outfitter, my conditioning program to ensure that I am able to meet the physical requirements to best enjoy that hunt of a life time, and maybe even a recipe or two for some of the bounty nature provides. In the meantime get outside. Hunt, fish, bike, hike, ski, or whatever gets your blood pumping. We live inside the greatest theme park in the country…the State of Maine.

Cheers,

Darrell Pardy

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Winter Update

Now that the Christmas holiday has come and gone and we have finally finished moving snow after the blizzard, it’s time to settle into some winter fun activities.  This winter I’m looking forward to ice fishing (of course), and I’ve got some new and exciting tactics and techniques that I can’t wait to perfect.  I’m also hoping to fish for more perch and crappies this winter.  Tomorrow I’m heading to Cabelas to purchase a couple new jig poles!  I love buying stuff at that store! 
In addition to fishing, we are running some awesome snow shoe hare hunts.  It’s so much fun to chase after these critters in snow shoes – listening to the beagles howl through the valleys and cedar swamps.  The daily hunting trips include the hounds, Maine Guide, snowmobiles, transportation, 3 meals, 1 nights lodging, and snowshoes for $165/day!!!  A great deal!

We also offer snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and snowmobile rentals too.  This year I hope to spend even more time on snowshoes than last year.  What a great way to see wildlife and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery.

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lake finally froze over

Well, the lake finally froze over last night.  You could tell it was thinking about it but couldn’t make up her mind!  So I’m guessing we’ll be ice fishing the big lake before Christmas.  In the meantime, my favorite little crappie and pike pond is already fishable and I’ll be getting out there next week.  Can’t wait!

We have some really good tracking snow now and tomorrow is the last day of archery season.  I still have an archery buck tag to fill, so I’m headed to the woods early.  It’s going to be chilly (8 degrees) so that should get the deer moving.  I have to get myself metally prepared to sit in a tree stand in that cold though.   Hunting this time of year is not for wimps! 

I was looking over some photos from this past summer and came across a few sent to me by Joe P.  He and his group can flat out fish!  His pictures made me smile, so I thought I’d share them with you too.  ~ Mike

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Getting ready for ice fishing

Well as the hunting season comes to a close (4 days left), I’m already getting pumped for ice fishing! Camp is ready, although I have to go shovel it out tomorrow and the snowmobiles are ready too.  Gotta put a new roof on one shack and go pick up a new shack that Big and Little Dan built for me over the summer.  Otherwise, it’s a waiting game for the ice to set in.  We should be fishing by Jan. 1.