Mullens isn't the only digger who has been chased off the flats in the last week or so in the towns of Wiscasset, Edgecomb and Boothbay. Digging at night right now is just not an option for some.

Mullens says he saw tracks when he walked through the woods to one of his favorite digging areas about 4 o'clock in the morning last week.

"I thought they were dog tracks," he said.

"Then I heard a howl that sounded like a wolf," he said. Then there were more howls.

He shined his flashlight in the direction of the noise and saw lots of sets of eyes.

"I was all by myself in there," he said. "I've heard they surround you. It didn't take me long to get out of there," he said.

Dee Russell, whose family buys worms from the diggers, heard the same kind of story from her nephew and brother-in-law.

They had started digging in Boothbay when they, too, heard howls.

"They were petrified," she said. "They ran for all they were worth."

"They're not going at night anymore," she said.

Both Russell and Mullens said calls were made to game wardens about the animals, but nothing has happened so far.

"They ought to do something about this," Mullens said.