Site Discussions

Baiting of any type is always controversial.  Bear baiting has always been the most controversial that I’ve run across.  I think Dave makes a bigger point in this argument; outside influence by big names and big money fogs the matter more than it helps.  In our divided nation of extremes, nobody dares stand in the middle.  It takes brave leaders to be willing to play monkey in the middle while the extremities toss opinions back and forth.  We need more people in the middle to catch and rationalize all those opinions tossed around.  Thanks Dave.

What’s the difference between baiting bears and jacklighting deer?

Both seem to me to like shooting fish in a barrel.

Good essay, Dave.

I don’t live in Maine, but have a lifelong association with a part of the state where bear hunting is not only common but also a source of revenue for guides in a part of the world where jobs are damnably rare. Those guides are both furious and scared, as are their families.

Not unrelated, two weeks ago, a large sow bear walked right through a crowd of Passamaquoddy school kids to get to a dumpster. Our bears aren’t aggressive, but that is a scary situation. This instance shows, not just in theory but fact, that there are too many bears in much of the state.

I myself would not walk 100 yards to shoot a bear over bait, but that’s not the point. The Humane Society campaigners have made it clear that the bear ban is a wedge issue, which they hope to use in banning hunting of all sorts, even my own beloved bird hunting.

If outside forces conspired to tell indigenous people in Alaska, say, that they could no longer practice skills essential to their cultural history, many would be outraged. That external groups seek to do so in Maine is perhaps less sexily outrageous, but it’s an outrage still.

Excellent piece.  While social media has many benefits, it is also where young people (and old) like to “show off”.  Even though their lives might not be great, they want everyone to think they are living the dream.  It does create pressure on their “friends”.  There is also pressure created by our government , media, and others for all young people to go to a four year college, racking up a lot of debt, while they might have been happier at a technical school or a two year college.  Manufacturers are struggling to find skilled technical workers.  Many young people might be happier working with their hands, in a factory or in the woods as you say.  It’s a problem we need to solve.

Interesting article in business week about other states that have passed a ban…

I’m looking for information and pictures, on the little creatures in our local puddles. Can you recommend a book or video?

Your instructions suggest a Spud with approximately the same curve as the diameter as the tree. From that, I pictured using the Spud, curve down, following the tree curve. But the illustration looks like the Spud is being used curve up, opposite the logs curve. What am I not understanding? Thanks! Mark

We have 2 mature butternut trees in our backyard. Love the shade.

Thank you for the information on the balsam for resin blisters.
I wish I had known the resin and twig motorboat when I was a little guy.
We had similar trees in northern Manitoba but I remember them as darker, almost black in color.
Thanks again!

Dave Sawyer has been to the Windsor chair what Wallace Gusler (Colonial Williamsburg) has been for the Kentucky longrifle revival. Without Dave we probably would not have Curtis Buchanan, Elia Bizarria and hundreds of others dedicated to preserving this art form and teaching others. Many thanks to your devotion Dave- well done.

This is a really, really, good piece. I think it deserves a wider audience in one of the the general media outlets, and would encourage you to pursue that.

In response to Stuart’s remarks about Facebook: Keep in mind that there’s an upside to Facebook, too, just as there is in television and computers and phones and all the technological marvels of our time. In FB’s case, it allows people who otherwise might slide out of touch to remain in connection, to learn about each other’s lives, draw comfort and support and knowledge from each other, and open windows to a world that expand one’s ability to think and experience. Used correctly, like any other tool or communication medium, it is a valuable thing. Used as a copout or a crutch or an excuse to avoid reality, it’s not a good thing.

I sell various wood products, wild mushrooms and edible wild plant items through my site. This really is for the above Robert Seidel. If you contact me I can get you some inner bark.
Mike

Thanks so much for this article! I have a whole group of cellar spiders in my shower too, and I love to watch them do their thing. I was curious to see what kind they were, and your article helped me figure it out. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who is chill with shower partners such as these!

I think the concerns are valid and a good general rule to keep in mind with everything. Don’t eat any plant if you think it’s growing in bad dirt. Consume everything in moderation.

We tried Lambsquarters this spring for the first time—excellent!  But I’ve read some warnings that are not sited in your article… are the following concerns unfounded?

“... Do not collect Lamb’s-quarters growing in artificially fertilized or treated soils [or the roadsides mentioned in your article?]. It will absorb pesticides from the soil and is also prone to accumulate high levels of nitrates. (in very much the same way as its’ relative, spinach). It also contains high amounts of oxalic acid (also like spinach) and should therefore be consumed in moderation.”

Source: http://www.kingdomplantae.net/lambsQuarters.php

Stephen - great job on this article.

A good place to start for anyone of any age who is wanting to find a purpose larger than themselves is to first “unfriend” Facebook. Removing oneself from such shallow distractions does wonders for figuring out a path to follow.
Thought provoking article by the way.

I am 40 years old with a family and career but still long for the days I spent hiking the Long Trail 7 years ago.  It comforts me knowing that places like Vermont and organizations such as the Long Trail provide opportunities for people to escape everyday life for a while.  I commend Red for the courage he has to walk.  There is no better place to reflect upon life than on the trail.

Dave,
If Current Use is so good for Vermont, then all Vermonters should pay from the general fund, not just the residents of each town who are forced to pay a tax surcharge because Property Valuation and Review uses a town’s Adjusted Grand List to figure their tax rate. Realtors advertise open land as having low taxes because it is enrolled in CU, but the asking price and eventual selling price is not the CU value but many times that ridiculously low assessment. This is supposed to be a democracy where citizens have the right to vote for fair representation. Vermont’s Current Use as offered and implemented by PVR is more like a medieval tribute paid by vassals to the landed gentry, without the right to vote for fair taxation. Unlike the “Tea Tax” demanded by KIng George in colonial America, where it could be avoided by not buying, Current Use imposes a tax without recourse, unless one sells their property and leaves that town for a town that does not participate to the extent that it is a burden, like Shoreham; where land owners have enrolled 15% of the Grand List assessed value, and that surcharge is levied on the residents of Shoreham, not Corinth.