Maine Outdoor Enthusiast

Deep in the Maine woods, Justin and Nikki Triquet are doing something few people have ever seen before...farming chaga. In this episode, we sit down with Justin and Nikki of JustNiks MycoSilva, also known as The Chaga Farmers, to talk about how their journey began, what led them from other nature-based businesses into the world of fungi, and why chaga completely changed the direction of their live...

I’m back from my Allagash trip, and in this episode I sit down with Lacey to talk through the full experience. This is my post-trip debrief: the route, the planning, the gear I used, the canoe, the food, the filming process, the weather, the challenges, and the moments that stuck with me the most. I also talk about what worked well, what I would do the same, and what I would change if I were to do...

The Maine outdoors has always had an economy. Long before rooftop tents, GPS maps, sporting camps, and remote campsites, Maine’s woods and waters were working landscapes shaped by Natives, timber, log drives, river travel, tote roads, guides, and camps. In this episode, we look at how the Maine outdoor economy has changed over the past couple hundred years, from log drives and the working woods, t...

For Episode 100 of the MOE Podcast, we’re talking about Maine deer survival, winter severity and the state’s apparent move toward a newer model for estimating winter impact and deer survival. The big question is simple: how is Maine measuring the real impact of winter on the deer herd, and how clearly is that information being explained to the public? This episode is not a personal attack on anyon...

Joe Osgood from FBM Maine Outdoor Journal came north to spend a couple nights at camp, so we decided to record this episode right from the boat. In this on-location conversation, we talk fishing, hunting, camp life, Maine outdoor traditions, and the stories that come from spending time in places like this. This is just a real conversation from the water, surrounded by the kind of setting that shap...

In this episode, we’re talking lures and streamer flies. Fish don’t hit artificial presentations by accident. Whether it’s a spoon, plug, spinner, or traditional streamer fly, something about that presentation triggers a response. Sometimes it looks like food. Sometimes it looks injured. Sometimes it flashes, vibrates, moves through the right depth, or simply forces a reaction. Often, it's the...

What keeps a tradition alive? This week we talk about cultural resonance: The idea that traditions only survive when they become part of a people’s identity, memory, and way of life. Hunting, fishing, camp life, and time in the outdoors do not endure simply because they are a hobby or something we do...they endure because they mean something. In this episode, we discuss why it is so important to g...

In this episode we look at the Maine outdoors through two very different lenses, then and now. After being sent an old Maine Fish and Game magazine from decades past, I started thinking about how much has changed in our hunting and fishing culture…and how much has stayed the same. From old sporting traditions and camp culture to policy shifts, changing attitudes, and the way people experience the...

As spring arrives in northern Maine the mind shifts towards open water fishing. In this episode, we talk through how we prepare (or should prepare😉) for spring fishing in Maine. Maintenance on rods, reels, line, tackle cleanup, organization, cold-weather considerations, and some of the assumptions people make this time of year when the first signs of spring start showing up. We also touch on LD 1...

Part 2 of our conversation with Joe Holland is live. In this episode, we continue talking through the life experiences, hard seasons, and Maine roots that shaped the man behind Joe Holland Fishing. It's more than hunting, fishing and trapping. It’s about experience, values, and a life lived outdoors. Check out Joe’s channel: @JoeHollandFishinghttps://www.youtube.com/@JoeHollandFishingBig thank...

Joe Holland has lived a life worth talking about. In this part of the conversation, we get to know Joe Holland the person. His background, his time as a pro bass fisherman, his life in the North Maine Woods, and the experiences that helped shape the man he is today. This episode is about more than what is caught, harvested or recorded. It’s about Maine, hard living, humility, tradition, and what a...

The official numbers by township are in for Maine’s 2025 deer season, and in this episode we break down what stands out from the harvest report, what the data seems to suggest, and what it does not necessarily prove. A big statewide number can tell an important story, but it can also hide a lot of regional differences. We talk about where the strongest harvest appears to be coming from, how deer o...

Every spring in Maine there’s a short window when the ice finally disappears and landlocked salmon and brook trout can be had near the surface of Maine's big lakes. For generations, anglers have taken advantage of that moment by slowly trolling classic streamer patterns across cold, dark water. One of the most common methods is the tandem streamer, which is a traditional fly tied with two hook...

There was a time when choosing hunting or fishing gear was pretty simple. A good rifle, a dependable scope, a fly rod that felt right in your hand and that was about it. Today it feels different. Endless options, endless features, and gear that seems to get more complicated every year. From rifle scopes with exposed turrets and dozens of reticle options to fly rods, reels, and lines designed for e...

For many of us, hunting camp is more than a place, it’s a tradition. In this episode, we sit down with Rob and Darryl Wiggins, members of The Depot Lake Hunt Club in Ontario, Canada, to talk about what it takes to preserve a hunting camp in the modern era. From multi-generational membership to changing regulations and the realities of today’s outdoor culture, this conversation explores what keeps...

When we were kids, we thought it was just play. Fishing a small brook after school or wandering through the woods without a plan...always with a BB gun in hand. Looking back, those moments weren’t without purpose. They were building outdoor skills: shooting, instinct, reading the woods and waters. Long before we called ourselves hunters or fishermen, we were learning. Learning without realizing it...

When hunting season ends, it can feel like something closes. Our routine and rhythm change and winter can feel like a drag. However, the outdoors never really stops…it just changes. In this episode, we talk about the natural shift from the woods to the water, from rifle to rod, and how the seasonal changes often mirror the personal changes happening in our own lives. Fishing, like hunting, isn’t j...

Today, we sit down with men who lived the Maine woods in a different era...a time when the woods were remote, gear was simple, and skill mattered more than anything. We discuss their early trips to camp, the years they served during Vietnam, how the woods have changed, and the personal stories (both humorous and hard) that shaped who they became. This podcast is really about identity and a way of...

Modern gear has never been better but does that automatically make us better outdoorsmen? This episode was inspired by a recent experiment that tested 100-year-old Everest gear against modern high-altitude equipment. The results were surprising, and they raise a bigger question that applies just as much to the Maine woods and waters: Is the real difference between traditional and modern gear about...

Several outdoor law changes are being discussed in Augusta. Taken together, they raise a bigger question about the future of hunting and fishing in Maine. In this episode of Maine Outdoor Enthusiast, we take a look at some of the proposals currently on the table, including:• A potential extension of muzzleloader season in northern Maine• Ongoing debates around fly-fishing-only waters• A proposed c...

What if the way you define success is what’s quietly ruining your hunting season? In this episode, we talk honestly about how modern hunting culture (numbers, comparisons, pressure, and highlight reels) can pull us away from what made hunting meaningful in the first place. This isn’t an argument against success. It’s a conversation about how obsession with success can steal the joy, the patience,...

Deer season may be over, but the work that leads to next year’s success starts right now. In this episode, we break down why the offseason is one of the most important...and overlooked parts of becoming a better hunter. From the mental reset after a long season to gear evaluation, and physical preparation, this episode is all about laying the foundation for future success. Whether you filled a tag...

Maine 2025 deer season has come to a close and Christmas is right around the corner. In this episode, we take time to reflect on the past deer season...the lessons learned, the moments that stuck with us, and what the woods always teach when the season ends. We also talk the transition to Christmas and throw out some last-minute gift ideas for outdoorsmen. From quiet mornings in the timber to the...

For northern Maine, the 2025 deer season has come to an end...and what a year it has been! The deer harvest in Maine is well over 50,000 harvested in the state with still a week left to the season in some southern areas. Not to mention, my father-in-law got it done on the last day of his season during black powder week. The deer had an impressive body despite having a smaller rack than one would e...

Maine’s 2025 deer season week 3 brought the action we’d been waiting for. With November 15th marking what many consider peak rut, big bucks were finally on their feet...and we had tracking snow all week long! It doesn’t get any better for deer trackers. We spent the first half of the week at the tent chasing bucks, then wrapped up at Chandler Lake Camps, where I punched my tag on the very last day...