Fly fishing can be a confusing, confounding, complicated activity.

For almost as long as I have been writing about the Maine outdoors, this fascinating question has persisted: “Are there mountain lions (cougars) in Maine?”   In a way, the elusive and mysterious cougar has become somewhat of a Maine folklore icon, the Maine equivalent of  Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest.

My first experience with a fly rod was not encouraging.

When I started fly fishing, I knew less than nothing about the sport, and everything about it made me nervous   I didn’t want to make a fool out of myself, and didn’t know who to ask for help.

Will the Maine Principals’ Association crown state champions in the high school sports it sponsors this fall amid the continuing coronavirus pandemic?   No one can say for sure yet, but Tuesday was a good day for those prospects for one simple reason — planning for the upcoming season continues.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Foxcroft Academy is pleased to announce that its annual Homecoming Golf Scramble is still on for this summer, being played on Saturday, Aug.

The state’s wildlife biologists depend on hunters to help them reach publicly derived management goals for a variety of big game species.

There is still hope for a fall high school sports season in Maine.

For many years the policymakers at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife resisted bringing the crossbow into the mix of legal hunting devices.

Sometimes it only takes one thing to make your camping experience infinitely better, whether that’s insect repellent, a pillow or that card game you’ve been meaning to try.

Difficulty: Easy to strenuous, depending on what trails at the sanctuary you explore.

Spontaneity, as a component of daily life, often brings good things, or at least that has been my experience.

For years, the common question among hunters has been, “Got your deer yet?” Thanks to a pilot program aimed at helping management efforts, this summer’s refrain might change to “Seen any deer yet?”   Nathan Bieber, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s deer biologist, explained that the agency is trying to gather more data by asking Mainers to take part in the Maine Deer Spy project.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — It is a widely recognized fact that bicycling (along with swimming) is almost a perfect form of low-impact exercise that can be enjoyed at almost any age.

Maine anglers are really passionate about fishing.

Every year, several thousand adventurous souls set out to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

Fish long enough, veteran anglers say, and you’re bound to encounter a bit of misfortune.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Golfers, you have waited long enough.