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Clover on the quad. This was her first time touching a gun. Just the barrel, but it still counts.

This is Royce, his ATV, and his rifle. We met while we were checking out the flooded section of road. He was out “playing” as he put it, and pheasant hunting. We talked for about an hour. He was explaining to us how the beavers were responsible for the flood. According to Royce, the state has stopped almost all fur trapping, for financial reasons, and this is obviously causing the beaver population to rise. More beavers = more damage. He went on to tell us about this study that found that beavers don’t like the sound of running water, so they build dams which make ponds. Apparently the guy who did the study placed machines that mimic the sound of running water by beaver lodges to see how they responded. The next morning the machines were buried in mud. The beavers are incredibly smart, and their construction abilities, however damaging to manmade structures, are spectacular. Also, Royce told us there is a deer shortage in Maine due to local over hunting and a tourism demand for guided hunts. The state, again for financial reasons, won’t have a moratorium to allow the population to rebound. There’s a lot of money in hunting trips. Weird to imagine a deer underpopulation anywhere in New England, but what do I know, I’m a vegetarian.