BHBOB HUMPHREY

1. Article · Sep 28, 2026 · BOB HUMPHREY

   Eyes on deer work differently than ours, and it mostly works to their advantage (opens the original)

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   Rounding a corner on the back road home, your headlights catch the reflection from several sets of eyes. Instinctively you slam on the brakes and the deer seem frozen at first, yellow eyes staring unblinkingly in your direction. Then they turn and in a flash of brown and white, they’re gone. Their eyes saved their lives, which they do in several more ways. Deer and many other animals have a layer on their retina called the tapetum lucidum. When light strikes the retina, some of it hits light rec

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2. Article · Sep 14, 2026 · Bob Humphrey

   Here are some reasons hunting turkey is better in fall than spring (opens the original)

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   When it comes to turkey hunting, spring season gets most of the glory. The fall season is often overlooked, even by the most dedicated gobbler getters. That’s a shame because it offers some great opportunities, which I’ll point out in no particular order. Let’s start with bag limit. In spring, hunters are limited to two bearded birds (which typically means males only). The fall bag limit, in most areas, is five birds of either sex. Not only does that more than double the bag, it also allows hunt

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3. Article · Sep 7, 2026 · Bob Humphrey

   Changes to deer hunt necessary to control herd | Column (opens the original)

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   Maine hunters, and citizens in general, should benefit from a couple rule changes this year designed to increase both hunting opportunities and the Pine Tree State’s deer harvest. These changes illustrate, and in some cases exacerbate, the challenges of effectively managing wildlife populations. The first is yet another increase in antlerless deer permits (ADPs). Last year saw a record harvest on the strength of increased ADPs and a burgeoning deer population, and this year should produce simila

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4. Article · Aug 31, 2026 · Bob Humphrey

   Bear population is right where it needs to be (opens the original)

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   I remember sitting in bear camp one evening with a Maine bear biologist who was expressing concern about the harvest. The state had set a kill of 3,000 as something of a benchmark. Anything beyond that could spell trouble. We had exceeded that the previous year, and the current season would as well. When we reconvened at camp the next year, I asked him about it. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was concerned, but looked at age structure in the harvest and found something enlighten

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