Old Orchard Beach, Maine

I have been severely lax this summer in updating my blog. I'll need to catch up with hikes, fishing trips, camping, and more but the highlight of our summer so far has been a week at Old Orchard Beach in Maine.


We rented a cottage within easy walking distance of the beach.

One of the first questions I get regarding vacationing on the beach in Maine is about the water temperature. Surprisingly, in August, the water temperature was not frigid. It was nearly 70 degrees. The surf was rather large at high tide, which made for some fun activities. Old Orchard Beach also has a dramatic low tide that reveals hundreds of yards of flat beach. During low tide you find many families (including ours) utilizing this flat, packed sand area for activities like bocce, Frisbee, football and kite flying. The beach itself is large enough that getting a spot is not an issue. We had no trouble getting enough real estate to spread out on the beach. However, the beach does become more crowded closer to the pier area.
The weather cooperated for us, and although some days were overcast, the rain mostly held off. It was a good week of relaxing on the beach.

Old Orchard Beach is 7 miles long. The north end of the beach features a wooden pier. This is the center of the commercial operation of the beach. Around the pier you find a lot of the kitschy tourist stuff like t-shirt shops, souvenir shops, and arcade, and an amusement part. There are several eating establishments that should be able to appeal to any appetite. Several ice cream shops are set up around the pier area, many featuring home made ice cream.
For the adults, there are also many bars and clubs in and around the pier. Although I did not get a chance to check any of them out, several seemed to be quite active.

The south end of the beach is home to a section of the beach called Ocean Park. Ocean Park is much smaller and lest tourist oriented. If has a delicious ice cream shop, a nice bakery/deli, and some small shops. If you feel like a nature hike, there is a pine forest in the Ocean Park section of town with some easy to walk trails. The Ocean Park section is less known to tourists than the pier, but I recommend checking it out if you are staying in Old Orchard Beach.

Old Orchard Beach certainly has people, but it's not so crowded that you can not get around by car. Access in and out of the area with most of the cottages is not difficult. The closer you get the pier, the more difficult driving becomes due more to the high number of pedestrians more than the car volume. Although car travel is doable, by far the best way to get around Old Orchard Beach is by bike. Cars are generally courteous to bikers and pedestrians. Since the roads are paralleling the sea, most of them are flat and easy ride. Each day we rode, usually multiple times, to the pier area and to Ocean Park.

Besides the beach and the town, there are several nearby attractions that make good day trips. We took 2 day trip adventures. One was to Freeport to do some shopping at the headquarter store of LL Bean. The other was to the Maine Animal Park with a stop in downtown Portland for a late lunch. Others went to a nearby Zoo in York, an amusement part, and a water park known as the Aquaboggin.

The fact that I was able fully read two books while I was there speaks to the laid back nature of the vacation. Even with 4 kids, the adults were able to relax as the kids kept themselves mostly busy on the beach. I think we made a good decision breaking up the beach days with a couple of day trips.

I hardly did an official investigation, but I believe the "going rate" for a small cottage within easy walking distance of the beach was about $1500 per week for a 2-bedroom cottage. Bigger houses are available, and most people split the cost with one or more families. There are also many motels lining the beach on both sides to the pier. All of them were fully booked while we were there (we saw many No Vacancy signs), so I would suggest booking well ahead of time. One note on location: since there is a large, protected grass dune between the buildings and the beach at Old Orchard Beach, there are really no true "beach front" cottages. All cottages and houses are separated from the beach by the grass dune. Therefore, even if at the first house closest to the beach, a short walk is still necessary to access the beach. For that reason, I recommend saving money and not getting the "beach front" cottage, and go for one, two, three, or four back from the beach. The walk is insignificant, but the cost savings is significant.

My family enjoyed our time at Old Orchard Beach, and would like to try to make it back in the near future.

Connecticut Turkey Hunting Opening Day 2011 – Making Adjustments

I was able to take a nice tom turkey on state land opening day. I’ve written in past posts that hunting state land (or public land) sometimes requires some different techniques than private land. On state land you always have to be concerned and aware of other hunters. This was again the case for me on this opening day.

I heard only one gobble all day. That was about 10 paces from my car in the parking lot after hitting an owl call first thing in the morning. There were gobblers roosted in a tree near the parking lot. Right after hearing the gobble I heard hen yelping. No more gobbles, but more hen yelping. Now, this could have been one of two things. It could have been a legitimate hen yelping to the roosted gobblers, or it could have been another hunter. There were no other cars in the parking lot, but this particular tract of land has a parking lot at each end. There could have been a car parked on the other side that I did not know about. Based on the urgency of the calling, I concluded that most likely it was another hunter. So, against my better judgment, I actually walked AWAY from the gobbles, and went to find a new spot. That’s an example of some of the difficulties associated with state land hunting. Regardless, I might have scared those gobblers anyway because even though the hen yelps continued, there was no more gobbling. Also, the fog was so thick at that point in the morning that the turkeys could have been right in front of me and I would not see them.

Due to the thick layer of fog limiting my visibility, I decided the best strategy would be to set up decoys in an open area, make a few calls, and wait for the fog to burn off. Maybe I would get luck and attract a flock. I set up my decoys on the top of a knoll with good visibility. The decoys could be seen in multiple directions. I think sat in some thicket and made some calls. Very soon after making some calls, I heard hen yelping returning my calls. Again, this could have been a real hen, or another hunter. I called some more. This time the mystery creature responded with about 50 loud and aggressive hen yelps. This was obviously another hunter. Even the most love-struck hen would not scream at the top of her lungs for 2 minutes straight. This was a rookie hunter that must have caught sight of my decoys and decided to get aggressive. Over calling is a common mistake for new turkey hunters, but this guy was over-the-top. He was so loud and obnoxious that he likely scared away everything in the county. I tried whistling to let him know there was another hunter there, but his calls were so strong that he could not hear me. Finally he stopped, and I let out a clear “Yo!”. There would be no way for him to mistake that this was the setup of another hunter. I thought he got the point, so shortly after I gave a few soft calls. He responded again! This guy was not getting the hint, so I totally shut up. Apparently he became frustrated and finally went to a different area. Finally there was just the noise of the natural woods, but this would not be the last I would hear from this guy. Again, another aggravation that cannot be avoided with forced to hunt state land in Connecticut.

After sitting for about 30 minutes waiting for the fog to clear, I happened to see 2 hens bring pursued by a strutting gobbler crossing a field to my right. They were come in my general direction, but not directly at my decoys. I tried to entice them over, but there was no way that tom was going to leave his two hens, and those hens were not interested. They disappeared behind the other side of the knoll. Turkeys move at their own pace. These hens were successfully feeding, so they were in no particular hurry to go in any one direction. Therefore, I waited hoping that their curiosity might get the better of them and they might come back over the knoll to check out my decoys. I waited about 30 minutes, however nothing appeared. I could not see the birds, but it did not seem like they had any interest in my location. It then occurred to me that it might be possible that these birds were still feeding in the opening just on the other side of this knoll. This was the direction they were headed, so it was a possibility. I decided to leave my set up and carefully walk to the other side of the knoll. The knoll had some bushes and pine trees for cover. I slowly made my way over the hill. Sure enough, the 3 birds were about 150 yards into the field on the other side of the slope. The hens were still feeding, and the tom was still strutting. I carefully crawled as close to the field edge as I could. I was afraid I would be detected, but I had to get into a decent position if I had any chance at attracting these birds. I gave a few calls and observed. They definitely heard me. As soon as I called the hens stretched their necks high to look for me. I waited to see if they would come any closer. They did not seem to me moving in my direction. Now I had another decision to make. I could sit and hope they would decide to come in my direction. This was a possibility. They turkeys were in a big field, and they might want to look for me. However, it seemed to me they were a little far away to entice to my position. Even though it meant again risking being spotted, I decided to get up and circle through the woods, and try to come out again on the edge of the field much closer to the group. This move had some risk, but I felt that I did not have much to lose.

I carefully walked through the woods along the edge of the field just out of sight of anything that might be in the field. I could not see the birds, so I had to try to judge where to come out. I made my way to the field edge, but still could not see the birds. Finally I spotted them. They were about 50 yards away, but very close to the edge of the field. In order for me to clearly see them, I would have to stick my head out of the brush, which would surely give away my position. However, I was now significantly closer to the birds. They were just out of gun range. If I could get them to just come a little closer to me I would likely have an opportunity at a shot. Using a large tree to cover my silhouette I got as close to the field edge as I could. I was not able to sit down, so I kneeled across the back side of the tree. This allowed me to be covered by the tree and peer through the bushes to see the birds rather than trying to pop my head out the front of the tree. I then began to imitate a feeding hen. I made mostly soft purrs, clucks, and putts. I made very few yelps, and any yelps I made were soft. I was close so there was no need to scream. Additionally, at this point I was mostly trying to attract the hens, and not the tom. Even though I was closer, the tom was still unlikely to leave his two ladies. By imitating a feeding hen, I thought I might be able to get the two hens to come towards me, and the tom would surely follow. Well, my strategy worked. The 2 hens slowly came looking for their sister.  The hens continued to come even though that same hunter that was intruding on my hunt earlier was now trying to call these same birds from the very far end of the field!  If he ruined my hunt within the last 50 yards, I may have changed strategies and went looking for him rather than another tom! The turkeys basically paid no attention of these call from the other hunter some 200+ yards away.  However, now I had a different problem. I had 2 hens searching the field edge for another turkey. The hens were getting dangerously close to me. I feared they would bust me before the tom came into range. One of the hens got to about 10 feet from me and just started straight at me for 30 seconds or so. I held perfectly still. She did not totally like what she saw, but she was not fully frightened either. She let out some quick putts, and started to casually walk away. When she did that, the other hen and the tom followed. Following the hen, the tom walked right across me, into an opening in the brush. Because of the close proximity of the hens, I was earlier not able to get my gun into shooting position. Now that the tom was in range, I had to get the gun up and shoot all in one motion. I was able to get it done, and I put the tom down with the first shot. He was maybe 15 yards away.

LESSONS LEARNED:

The biggest lesson learned here is that when the turkeys won’t come to you, sometimes you have to go to them. Moving should not be your first option. Patience is more often the key to turkey hunting success. However, there are times when taking that risk can pay off.

Winter of 2010-2011 a Tough One for Outdoor Activities

Between excessive work and excessive snow, I have not had the opportunity to get out much durng this winter.  I was not able to hit the the ice even once to go fishing.  That's a shame.  However, I'll be looking forward to making up for it once the warmer weather hits.  Fishing and turkey season are not far away.  Spring turkey season opens April 27 in Connecticut.  In 2011 look for a few more posts on fishing, a trip to Old Orchard Beach in Maine, camping, hiking, and of course hunting stories.

Poll: What's your favorite outdoor magazine?

Comment on your favorite outdoor magazine.  I have a subscription to the first 4.

1. Field & Stream
2. Outdoor Life
3. American Hunter
4. Sport Fishing
5. Deer and Deer Hunting
6. Others (I'm sure there are many)

How to Obtain CT Sportsman License Credit in 2011

If you have not heard, the state of Connecticut likely over charged you for your 2010 fishing/hunting license if you purchased it before April 14, 2010.  Go to the link below to get information on how to obtain your rebate:

www.ct.gov/dep/sportsmensfeereduction

The first step is to determine how much the state owes you.  You can search at www.ct.gov/dep/sportsmenscredit .  I found out that I was over charged $27 in 2010.  You can use that money to pay for your 2011 hunting/fishing license, which presently costs $38.  The only rub is that you can't get the rebate online.  You have to buy your 2011 license either by mail, or in person at one of the DEP locations.  I chose to do mine by mail.  I figured out how much I was owed ($27), filled out a simple form, wrote a check for the total minus $27, and mailed it in.

One tip: Connecticut has now started charging separately for inland and salt water licenses.  If you buy the hunting/fishing combo license, the state charges the same $38 for the inland fishing/hunting combo license as they do for the all-waters fishing/hunting combo license.  Be sure to chose the all-waters option to get both inland and salt water fishing together at no extra charge.