Maine Outdoor Enthusiast

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 thanks to Joe for joining us. We had a blast!Enjoy!#JoeHolland #JoeHollandFishing #Outdoors #Maine #Podcast #Fishing #Hunting #OutdoorLife #LivedItCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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 life outdoors can teach a person over time.If you know Joe from his YouTube channel @JoeHollandFishing this episode is a chance to get to know the man behind it.Enjoy!Check out Joe’s YouTube channel, Joe Holland Fishing: @JoeHollandFishinghttps://youtube.com/@joehollandfishing?si=rfO1iPaTaFJwP392#joeholland #joehollandfishing #alifeoutdoors #maine #outdoors #podcast #bassfishing #fishing #hunting #mainelife #outdoorpodcast #northmainewoodsCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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 opportunity and regulation may have played a role, and why one big year should not automatically turn into sweeping conclusions about the entire state. At the end, we also briefly touch on Oregon’s Initiative Petition 28, also known as the PEACE Act, and why sportsmen across the country may want to keep an eye on it.Enjoy!#maine #deerhunting #whitetaildeer #maineoutdoors #huntingpodcast #deerseasonCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.com

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 hooks. In this episode, we talk about the history of ice-out trolling in Maine, how tandem streamers work, and why this simple technique is one of the most traditional ways to catch salmon and trout in Maine. Enjoy!Check us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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 every specific situation, it’s easy to feel like the industry has gone a little overboard.So when did it happen?In this episode we talk about how the buying of hunting and fishing gear evolved, why it became so specialized, and whether all that complexity is actually helping us in the field...or just making things harder than they need to be.Sometimes simpler really is better. Enjoy!#huntinggear #fishinggear #flyfishing #riflescopes #outdoorgear #hunting #fishing

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 a camp alive long after its founding. What does stewardship and responsibility look like in 2026 and why these places matter. And of course, we throw in some stories to boot. Whether you hunt in Maine, Ontario, or anywhere else, the laws, methods and game may differ but the themes are the same: tradition, community, and the commitment to carry something forward.Enjoy!Be sure to check out The Depot Lake Hunt Club and Darryl "Diesel" Higgins socials as he starts his YouTube journey.https://www.instagram.com/depotlakehuntclub?igsh=MTlzb3pqajdqZWt4cA==https://www.youtube.com/@DieselDarrylhttps://www.instagram.com/dieseldarryl?igsh=MXVuNmx5MTltN2d6Check us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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.In this episode, We reflect on how unstructured, unsupervised childhood play in the outdoors shaped the way many of us hunt, fish, and see the world today.Was it really “just play”? Or was it something more?Enjoy!#maineoutdoors #woodsmanship #fishinglife #huntingtradition #childhoodmemoriesCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.com

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 just about catching fish, it’s restorative and a connection to something real.The Maine outdoors has a way of reminding us that nothing truly ends, it simply transitions into a new season.Enjoy!Featured Book From "Tell Me Your Life Story" Series: "Tell Me Your Life Story, Nana"https://amzn.to/3MICusNCheck us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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 life that is quietly disappearing.They are lived experiences from a generation that learned the outdoors (trial by fire, if you will), through patience, hardship, and time.The Last True Woodsmen is less about the past…and more about what still remains.#TheLastTrueWoodsmen #MaineOutdoors #OutdoorHeritage #NorthWoods #deercamp
Check us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]

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 performance or about understanding?This isn’t an argument against technology. It’s a conversation about skill, dependence, and what happens when gear fails, conditions turn, or plans change. From wool and compasses to GPS units and optics, we explore where modern gear truly helps and where it can quietly replace awareness, adaptability, and experience. Let's be honest, the woods don’t care what era your gear comes from...only whether you understand it.Enjoy!If your interested in reading the article referenced in this podcast, see the link below👇"100 Years Later, George Mallory’s Primitive Everest Gear Takes on a Himalayan Peak"https://www.climbing.com/gear/new-study-george-mallory-everest-gear/Check us out on the web at:https://www.maineoutdoorenthusiast.comContact:[email protected]