Will Maines - Vilas County News-Review
An image
An image

  • And the beat goes on

    EVERY OPENING DAY of deer season is different. And yet, every opening day of deer season is the same.
    In my 59 years of deer season openers, I have hunted on days when there was a foot or more of snow on the ground. I also have hunted when not a white flake was to be found. I’ve
    read the full story

  • It’s like a box of chocolates

    THE OPENING DAY of deer season is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. Sounds like something Forrest Gump would say.
    Thing is, it’s true. Every deer season opening day is different from every other one a hunter has experienced, even if that hunter will be experiencing his
    read the full story

  • Yogi didn’t get a ‘pic-a-nic’ basket

    I THINK IT would be fair to say that 2020 has been an upside-down year. Most people would probably say there have been far more downs than ups, but looking at the bright side, I choose to relish my up times far more than I anguish over the downs.
    Throwing the pandemic aside, how could you
    read the full story

  • Success was found three times

    THIS IS A tale of three hunts. All three were successful, each in its own way.
    I was hankering a pa’tridge pie last weekend because I have not had one in quite a long time, and it
    read the full story

  • Never too early to ski

    LAST WEEKEND, I did something I had never done before.
    No, I did not shoot a Boone and Crockett buck. No, I did not catch a 40-pound muskie and no, I did not go five for five on fast flying mallards driven by a
    read the full story

  • Isn’t that the way it should be?

    IT’S A FUNNY thing. The older I get, the more miles I walk in the woods.
    I suppose it only seems that way. Fifty years ago, I would often take off on rambles of 4, 5, 6 or more miles through brush, briers and down abandoned logging roads without thinking twice about it. At the end of my trek, whether with ruffed grouse in the game bag or not, it
    read the full story

  • Years too short, days too fast

    “The years run too short and the days too fast.” —1978, “Time Passages” by Al Stewart


    IT ALWAYS AMAZES me that time runs so slow when you are waiting for your favorite trip of the year, while days spent on the trip fly by like
    read the full story

  • Back on the prairie again

    IF I WERE sitting in a psychiatrist’s office today, and if he or she would ask me if I was in a good place, I wouldn’t waste a half-second in telling the good doctor that I am in the best of all places.
    I am, as you read this, happily
    read the full story

  • Bass, ducks and some foibles

    SOME DAYS ARE simply meant to be lived in north Wisconsin.
    One event that transpired this last weekend was one that is always about the most exciting and revered day of the year for me. That would be the opening day of
    read the full story

  • A funny thing happened to me

    LAST WEEKEND, A funny thing happened to me on the way to the turkey woods.
    Looking to find a foolish gobbler walking along the same logging road that another walked last spring, his last walk, I ran into some ruffed grouse instead.
    I should mention that
    read the full story

  • We might well do it again

    THIS RETIREMENT THING isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I, for one, am exhausted by it.
    When you think of retirement, you might well think of Ma and Pa Kettle finally selling the farm for 10 million bucks to a speculator who incorrectly thinks there is a vast deposit of gold under the back cornfield and then, using that money to
    read the full story

  • It’s amazing what you’ll see

    IT’S AMAZING WHAT you’ll see when you spend some time outdoors.
    In 71 years of roaming this planet, I have been fortunate enough to see plenty of amazing things while fishing, hunting, camping, skiing, snowshoeing or doing anything else that has put me in
    read the full story

  • A million things to do

    A MILLION THINGS to do and not much time to do them.
    Any sportsman who has embarked on a mission involving fish, wild animals, beer or wild women knows that a lot of preparation must be taken care of before
    read the full story

  • And the beat goes on

    “THE BEAT GOES on. Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain.” 

    —Sonny and Cher, 1967


    So sang
    read the full story

  • I’ll always be a duck addict

    WHEN AUGUST ROLLS around, something happens to me every year, just like clockwork. It is ready to happen to me again as we speak.
    Though we haven’t seen much of cool days yet, the calendar says they will visit us soon. I spend much of my days counting down the time until they do because certain as
    read the full story

  • Uh-oh; snap went the line

    SOMETIMES, YOU FEEL like a road trip; sometimes, you don’t.
    My lovely wife and I have been taking a lot of road trips this summer, mostly Sunday afternoons, more often than not to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and
    read the full story

  • It was bass, pike and a wedding

    HOW DOES A fishing and blueberry picking expedition to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota turn into being a best man at a campground wedding, you ask? Easily, is the answer.
    Last week, I took a trip to
    read the full story

  • A Mr. Miyagi kind of guy

    OVER THE PAST few weeks, it seems that I have become a guru of sorts; a Mr. Miyagi kind of guy.
    Three times in recent days, I have fished with six friends, new and old, none of them more than the age of 11. Two had never held a fishing rod in their hands before. Two had fished one or two times before. Two had more ice fishing experience than open water and, according to
    read the full story

  • Another Sunday, another road trip

    ANOTHER SUNDAY, ANOTHER afternoon road trip.
    Maybe this stuff that’s been plaguing the world since late February is not all bad. It has at least put me and my lovely wife in an almost weekly mood to hit the road to see
    read the full story

  • And that’s the way it is

    LIONS, TIGERS AND bears, I’ve seen ’em all this summer. OK, so I haven’t seen lions or tigers, but I have come across two bears so far and scads of other wildlife characters.
    Spring and summer are great times to watch wildlife at its best. The parade of
    read the full story

  • Two good kids became fishermen

    YOU CAN’T BEAT a day fishing with young kids.
    That has long been my experience, except in a few instances when I had kids in my boat who were, in polite terms, a royal pain in the butt. The two kids I fished with last Friday were
    read the full story

  • It will be a prairie reunion

    DO YOU REMEMBER the story of Clark Griswold organizing the “hap-hap-happiest” Christmas ever for his dysfunctional family? Of course you do. Everyone knows the story of the Griswolds.
    Well, like Clark, I had a dream this spring of
    read the full story

  • A river, a lake and flowers

    SUNDAY WAS FATHER’S Day. Sunday  also was waterfalls day. And as much as anything, Sunday became Flower Power Day.
    My wife and I have lately been proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same. We are of a generation for whom Sunday afternoon was a time for taking leisurely drives in the country. For many, that
    read the full story

  • His sanity has prevailed

    SANITY HAS PREVAILED, at least for a little while.
    Sometime, on a sunny, warm day back on Feb. 22, a certain person decided that no sane person at the age of 70 would subject himself to the rigors of skiing 34 miles over rugged terrain in a single day ever again. Remember these words: never,
    read the full story

  • A time in MacQuarrie country

    SOMETIMES YOU JUST have to get out of Dodge. Last weekend was one of those times for my lovely wife and me.
    We fled north- and westward to familiar country. In the winter, we see a piece of this country where many thousands of skiers gather to celebrate and challenge the world-class cross-country race known as
    read the full story

  • We treasure all our friends

    IN THESE DAYS of uncertainty, one thing has remained certain. Friends are always there for you. My wife and I have welcomed friends, some old, some new, over the past few weeks.
    Last week, we
    read the full story

  • The Brule and MacQuarrie

    OUR LONG WINTER of discontent may finally be nearing an end. At least as far as camping in Wisconsin state parks and forests, it might be.
    So far, I missed out on trout fishing and camping in Florence and Bayfield counties because of national forest campground closures, and my wife and I will have missed out on camping with
    read the full story

  • Outdoors passion never wavers

    I HAVE BEEN blessed during the entirety of my life. Practically from the time I was born, I had parents who rapidly and repeatedly introduced me to the joys of an outdoor life.
    I had a mother who taught me how to
    read the full story

  • One out of two ain’t bad

    IN THE WORDS of Meat Loaf: “Two out of three ain’t bad.” In my words, one out of two ain’t bad. Don’t know what Meat Loaf would say about my words, but I’ll stand by ’em.
    After a highly successful turkey hunt here in April, with a beautiful gobbler to show for it, I
    read the full story

  • Every expedition has its story

    EVERY FISHING EXPEDITION has its own story.
    Some are better than others. Some take longer in the telling than others. Some rely on foibles and mishaps to enhance the telling. Some are stories of success; some have nothing but
    read the full story

  • They say three is the charm

    THEY SAY THREE is the charm. I say not always, but thank goodness for No. 4.
    Snow still on the ground in places, cold, windy, overcast; it didn’t matter last week when opening day for my seven-day turkey season began. At 4:45 opening morning, I was in the woods wondering
    read the full story

  • It is a time for planning

    THE MONTHS OF March and April are a time for planning. Beginning in May, it’s a time for doing.
    As usual, I have spent the past several weeks planning big things for May, June and beyond. As you might expect, much of the planning has revolved around fishing and camping. Now, with what we are going through, some of those plans have
    read the full story

  • It was a perfect day for kayaking

    IT WAS A beautiful afternoon for paddling a kayak around West Plum Lake. There was a brisk wind out of the west that had pushed every cloud out of the sky and a bright sun shone from above. It was 60 degrees, according to my truck’s thermometer reading.
    That was last Saturday and as of today, we are
    read the full story

  • All I have to do is dream

    “ALL I HAVE To Do Is Dream,” The Everly Brothers taught me that way back in 1960. It is a lesson I learned all those years ago and it has come in very handy in recent weeks.
    Last weekend, my wife and I had to
    read the full story

  • Sonny and Cher had it right

    “THE BEAT GOES on.” Sonny and Cher had it right. America’s favorite couple, at least for a while, had a major hit in 1967 with that song. The beat does indeed go on.
    That could be said for
    read the full story

  • The forest is our healing place

    IN THESE DARK days and I don’t mean weather wise, it is difficult to maintain a sunny disposition. In a short time, true cabin fever begins to set in for people unable to do the things they like to do like going to a movie, eating at a restaurant or going shopping without worrying that they may come carrying a virus that may
    read the full story

  • It’s good to touch bare ground

    SOMETIMES IT FEELS good just to touch bare ground. Those sometimes for me are usually when the first days of thawing in March open up some small patches of bare ground underneath pine trees and on south-facing hillsides.
    I know it isn’t much, but
    read the full story

  • Thanks for the memories

    AS BOB HOPE used to sing “Thanks for the memories.” No, I’m not thanking any humans this time around, though many have contributed to my memory bank over the years. And no, I’m not saying thanks for the memories because I’m going to quit writing a weekly column. I have no plans for that.
    This thank you for the memories is directed to
    read the full story

  • At the Birkie, they do it

    WISCONSIN’S RURAL SMALL towns are famous for the many festivals and events they put on each year — events that bring thousands of people to participate in bike, running, ski, snowmobile and other competitions along with street fairs and other such tourist attractions.
    The towns in our neck of the North Woods are
    read the full story

  • It was tough, but I finished

    THE OLD BODY just ain’t what it used to be. After finishing my 20th 55-kilometer American Birkebeiner, I’m more than sure my 70-year-old body is not even close to what it used to be.
    Sun and blue skies shone down upon
    read the full story

  • The old man and his trout

    THE WATER IS cold, icy cold, as the early-season trout fisherman, knee deep in the calm waters of a treasured spring pond, stands off the chill with insulated waders.
    Strands of misty fog rise lazily from the pond’s surface, giving
    read the full story

  • Belated surprise was a good one

    SOMETIMES, SURPRISES IN your life pop up when you least expect them. Reckon maybe that’s why they call them surprises?
    Last week, coming home from an afternoon of skiing, I found what turned out to be a very nice surprise waiting for me. It was a cardboard box propped up against my garage entrance door. Inside was a
    read the full story

  • One and done, hah!

    WHO WOULD’VE thunk it? The fourth Saturday of February, in 1984, more than 6,500 skiers lined up in Duffy’s Field just outside of Hayward for the start of the American Birkebeiner. I was one of those skiers.
    Even before I started, the plan was for that Birkie to be my one and done. As it turned out, I
    read the full story

  • The old girl is slowing down

    THE SPIRIT IS still strong and willing, but the flesh is getting a little weak. Normally, I might be saying that about myself, but after a Sunday afternoon 2-mile walk with my dogs, I’m sad to say it’s beginning to be a little evident that I have to say it about 11-year-old Molly, our faithful golden retriever.
    She has loved to go on long walks, runs and
    read the full story

  • Safe from lions, tigers and hippos

    PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO follow trails through the woods are much like a bear with a sniff of a honey tree. Unable to resist the lure of a footpath through the forest, hikers, much like the bear tracking the honey tree, follow their nose wherever it may take them.
    I am one of those people. I have been wandering the woods in our north Wisconsin country for a long, long time. By the age of
    read the full story

  • No finer time to be outdoors

    THE INKY BLACKNESS SWIRLS around you and the light predawn breeze swishes gently through the woods surrounding you.
    You see vague shapes and forms looming up in front of you, one looking like a deer standing still as a statue, another like a man stretching his arms high after just rolling out of a sleeping bag. In full light, those forms will turn out to be
    read the full story

  • The Birkie countdown is on

    THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN in earnest. In just six weeks, I will fit boots to bindings on cross-country skis before setting out to complete my 20th American Birkebeiner ski race.
    Looking back, I can’t help but think it’s ironic that a person who skied his first Birkie in 1984, with the intent of
    read the full story

  • I know where I will be April 22

    DOES ANYONE HERE KNOW exactly what they will be doing come 5 a.m., Wednesday, April 22? I do.
    That morning will mark the opening day of my Wisconsin season for spring turkey hunting and at 5 a.m., I will be well into the woods heading for a place where I have killed
    read the full story

  • Santa Claus is a pretty nice guy

    MOST PEOPLE BELIEVE Santa Claus only comes to visit once a year; that visit coming Christmas Eve. I know better and I have proof.
    I have seen Santa at many times of the year. Well, OK, maybe I didn’t actually see him; at least not in his red suit and black boots, with white beard flowing and accompanied by
    read the full story

  • Nature tells many stories

    NOT ALL STORIES ARE told with words put on paper. Not all stories are told with words spoken by humans.
    Some of the best, most compelling and awesome stories are told in silence, with marks in the snow and eerie sounds penetrating dark, nighttime air.
    Just recently, my wife and I listened to one of those stories being told. It was
    read the full story

  • Can’t take Christmas out of the boy

    THERE IS ENJOYING the outdoors and then, there is really enjoying the beauty of the outdoors wherever you might find it.
    Sometimes, the outdoors is simply looking out your window, watching chickadees and nuthatches go to work on the suet bag and sunflower seed feeder you have set out to satisfy their need for food, and
    read the full story

  • And a happy shoveling to all

    SNOW, SNOW, GO AWAY. Seems to me that has a familiar ring to it, except it’s usually during the summer when it’s rain and everyone wants sunshine.
    My gripes about the past several days of moving snow are just like those of everyone else, but the truth of the matter is this is not the first early December with snow like this and it 
    read the full story

  • An old hunter should be so lucky

    IF A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY had been granted his one biggest wish of a lifetime the morning of November 18, 1961, he would have slayed his first whitetail buck opening morning.
    As he reasoned it, getting his first buck would have automatically elevated him into the coveted status of
    read the full story