After several days of rain, our woods are freshened and (within stands of balsam fir trees) dizzyingly aromatic. In the denser areas, the trees seem to wait patiently for the sliding sunlight to reach and great them.
The sodden trails allow quiet passage through what often is pervasive silence:
The primary hunting season here for antlered deer ended November 26, but hunting them with muzzleloaders and bows and arrows is allowed in designated areas through December 10.
A muzzleloader is defined by Maine’s hunting regulations as “a firearm that is capable of being loaded only through the muzzle; is ignited by a matchlock, wheel lock, flintlock, or caplock, including an in-line caplock or shotgun or rifle primer mechanism; has a rifled or smooth-bored barrel capable of firing only a single charge; propels a ball, bullet, or charge of shot; and may have any type of sights, including scopes.”
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on December 4, 2022.)