Hunting big game in Maine is winding down, and those in my corner of Cabin Country did all right, as this blackboard on the porch of the local farm store on Route 2 in New Sharon attests. 50 bucks and 32 does.

But those who read the "fine print" (aka unreadable, on far right) about bears might be amazed. Though only two were reported at this registration site, one weighed 525 pounds!

"It was the largest bear I've ever seen," said Andy, who clerks at the store. "A local guide had scouted an area up near Highland Plantation, (past Anson) and discovered a very large bear. When he got a client (from New York), they returned, and the guest shot that bear."

(An aside: After the pictures are taken, what do you do with a bear of that size? Most New Yorkers don't eat bear. And to go the taxidermy route would be very expensive. I will ask Andy the next time I drop by.)

The tally board also shows a sticker, "Ban Roxanne." That would refer to Roxanne Quimby, who developed Burt's Bees and is now buying land in the Katahdin area that she wants left in its "natural state." That would mean no hunting, fishing or snowmobiling though she reportedly is attempting to compromise with outdoorsmen who see such a plan as a death knell for many activities.

She has talked about creating a Maine Woods National Park, which would envelop much of Baxter State Park. It would be the size of Yellowstone and Yosemite parks combined, according to news reports.

That's an intriguing idea - unless you are an outdoorsman facing the loss of thousands of acres of prime recreational land in the heart of Maine.

And you thought the proposed Plum Creek mini-mansion project at Moosehead posed challenges to those who love the outdoors . . .

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