February 2006 Almanac
This Month: Nothing to Do in February? How About A Coyote Hunt?
February looks like more of January…just warmer and brighter with much longer days.
Snowmobiling booms now with plenty of snow, thick ice and constant cold weather to help keep trails smoother.
Ice-fishing continues but this month, a handful of blue-ribbon waters open for the month, sweetening the allure.
Coastal smelters huddle in warm shacks and do well now.
Rabbit hunters head to tunneled fir thickets and swamp edges to listen to beagles in the still morning air.
Canine hunters sit on field edges and lake shorelines and call with a dying-rabbit sound. They may add bait and even a coyote decoy to entice more action. Coyotes are legal to shoot all year and fox season runs until Feb. 28.
The special night-hunting season for coyotes runs from Jan. 1 to April 30. Check page 13 in the hunting-regulations booklet for details.
Bobcat season continues into February and ends the 14th.
During February thaw, open-water anglers get out onto tidal-water rivers below tide line and onto a handful of rivers open year-round.
Cross-country skiers and snowshoers find snow for sure now.
Fly tiers continue constructing flies.
Bass anglers might be sharpening hooks, oiling reels and all the other chores so gear is tiptop by April.
Wildlife photographers target eagles, waterfowl along the coast and songbirds at feeders.
Scenic photographers have those snow scenes that cannot lose.
Moose permits become available Feb. 1. The deadline for the any-deer permits is July 15 for paper applications and online applications Aug. 5. If you want to know more about lottery deadlines for moose and any-deer permits, call 1(207) 287-8000.
Next Month: Snowmobiling Fills Rooms in Maine’s Northcountry
Spring springs on March 21, but first, what about all the white stuff? And ice? In parts of Maine, the new season won’t arrive until early May.
March days are noticeably longer, though, and on warm mid mornings before those afternoon winds, you can smell spring in the air, that clean, fresh fragrance that shouts the new season has indeed sprung.
In Northern Maine, though, snow lies deep and the snowmobiling season is going full blast as motels and sporting camps stay filled every weekend.
Ice-fishing picks up now as fish start putting on the feed bag more and more. When fresh water on top of the ice runs down the holes, flags can fly.
Crystalline, settled snows mean good running for beagles on a bunny scent. The hare season that began on Oct. 1 ends Mar. 31, a long hunting season.
Coyotes move around this month, and folks with flat-shooting rifles, predator calls and a concealed seat on the edge of an open area do well now.
The first half of the split crow season in WMDS 1-6 runs from Feb. 15 to April 15 and in WMDs 7-30 from Feb. 1 to Mar. 31.
Rainbow smelts running from the ocean up coastal streams now attract nighttime smelters, and tommycods draw a little attention. As long as the ice holds, folks gather in shacks and jig for these tasty anadromous creatures.
Sometimes, open-water fishing is better in March than April because rivers and streams run lower and clearer before spring run-off starts. March is a good month on coastal streams and rivers where DIF&W is stocking tidal waters with brown trout and even brook trout.
White-water canoeing starts as soon as run-off rages in streams and rivers, and this sport attracts more followers every year. Followers of this risky sport use helmets, PFDs and wetsuits more than ever, too.
March proves to be a great month for cross-country skiing and winter camping.
Wildlife such as migratory waterfowl, eagles and songbirds unwittingly pose for photographers.
Scenic photographers have drab browns and grays and textures galore by the end of the month…a perfect time for mood shots.
Speaking of scenics…. March snows are often wet and stick to trees, perfect for beautiful photos on sunlit mornings after a storm.