The Maine Sportsman February 2020 Digital Edition

Sportsman The Maine

February 2020 • $4.99

88 PAGES

BIGGEST BUCKS ISSUE

• Are You on the List? - Pages 46-50 • Top 10 Photo Gallery - Pages 44-45 • Women Hunters - Pages 42-43

Sledding Aroostook County with Matt Weber Page 24

Studded Snow Tires on Fat Bikes Page 27

Ice Fishing Tactics Pages 9, 57, 69, 72, 74, 77

Accessorizing Your Boat Page 31

2 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

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Libby Outpost Camps Libby Outposts are historic remote lakeside or riverfront log cabins located throughout the North Maine Woods.

Each cabin has the feeling of being the only camp in the wilds. Great for families.

Starting in the 1890s, the Libby Family used many of these cabins to access their main lodges on the headwaters of the Allagash and Aroostook Rivers, when the only available routes were by trail or stream.

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miles apart within the NMW gate system.

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Aroostook River Camp: Log cabin at the junction pool where Munsungan and Millinocket Streams form the Aroostook River. Gated road or river access. 5 beds.

T8R8 Chandler Pond: Cook cabin and sleeping cabin on the shores of Chandler Pond.

4 beds. Gated road/boat or seaplane access. T8R10.

Clear Lake: Cook cabin and sleeping cabin with total of 9 beds. Road or seaplane access. T10R11, remote Allagash River headwater.

Echo Lake: Large log cabin with 8 beds in three rooms. 50 miles by road from Ashland. T9R11, near Munsungan Lake and Churchill Dam. Historic portage route to the Allagash.

Lower Hudson Pond: Two connected log cabins with total of 10 beds. Trail or seaplane access. Very remote and mountainous. T10 R10. Pictured below on left.

Mooseleuk Lake: Two log cabins and with total of 7 beds. Best wildlife lake for moose photography. Gated road or seaplane access. T10 R9. Pictured below. #1 Camp: Two log cabins, only camps on Munsungan Stream, built in the 1920s and rebuilt in 2011. 5 beds total. Road access. T8R9. Beautiful view!

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4 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial

Women Hunters Making Their Mark Welcome to The Maine Sportsman’s annual “Biggest Bucks” issue. In the pages that follow, you will read long lists of the names — and see the photos — of hunters who were skilled and fortunate enough to achieve success in their pursuit of Maine’s #1 big game animal.

For some hunters, it’s the accomplishment of a lifetime, while for others it represents yet another hard-earned bright red patch for their hunting jacket.

Look closely at the list and the photos, however, and you will notice something else — a significant percentage of the largest whitetails in the most recent season were taken by women hunters.

And the trophy photos show women who not only appear confident in their surroundings, but they are also well-equipped with their own hunting gear and are wearing hunting clothes and boots sized and shaped for a comfortable fit.

The State of Maine reports that larger numbers of women each year are purchasing hunting licenses – 21,000, at last count. In 2019, women constituted more than 15% of all Maine hunting licenses issued – up 50% from 2010. And the names of more than 450 women were drawn in last year’s moose lottery.

Facebook groups such as Maine Women Hunters, with 2,100 members — established by Maine Sportsman columnist Christi Holmes — allow members to share information and provide support.

And these groups don’t just sit in front of their computers all day – they’ve participated in goose hunts, pheasant hunts, skeet shooting events and ice fishing forays.

Many states, including Maine, offer BOW (Becoming Outdoor Women) classes, during which some participants handle and shoot firearms for the first times in their lives. (Maine’s BOW program is sponsored by DIF&W, and hosted at UMaine’s 4-H Camp at Bryant Pond.)

And hunting gear designers, wholesalers and retailers are now catering to this new population of outdoorswomen – which constitutes the fastest-growing outdoor-related consumer economic segment.

These developments should not be a surprise – not in a state that awarded Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby the first-ever Maine Guide’s registration in 1897.

Now it’s up to the state – and to all the state’s hunters – to maintain the momentum. Having more hunters in the woods is good for all hunters, and in the face of challenges from many directions, hunters should encourage and celebrate all the positive developments we can achieve.

¶

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New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 569 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com OFFICE MANAGER: Linda Lapointe linda@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com Second class postage paid at Scarborough, ME 04074 and additional entry offices.

All editorial inquiries should be emailed to will@mainesportsman.com Phone: 207-622-4242 Fax: 207-622-4255 Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101,­ Augusta, ME 04330 12-Month Subscription: $30 • 24-Month Subscription: $49

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Almanac by Will Lund.................................................... 12 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves....................... 9 A Warden’s Life by Warden Lt. Bill Allen (Ret.)............ 35 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 39 Big Woods World by Hal Blood..................................... 38 Bird of the Month by Erika Zambello............................ 15 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 72 Downeast by Jim Lemieux............................................ 69 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie...................... 66 Jackman by William Sheldon....................................... 54 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 7 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 36 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukowski Gooding....... 73 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 5 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 52 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 19 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 56 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 68 Moosehead by Tom Seymour...................................... 57 My Maine by George Smith.......................................... 17 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 81 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 62 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith....................... 18 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 79 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 83 Saltwater by Barry Gibson............................................. 70 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 74 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 61 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 75 Smilin’ Sportsman: Adults & Kids by Will Lund.............. 83 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 59 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 77 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 51 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 85 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 64 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 78 Young Maine Sportsman by Luke Giampetruzzi........ 60

GUEST COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

2019 BIGGEST BUCKS IN MAINE CLUB LIST.................... 44 Big Game Special Feature by Joe Saltalamachia.... 40 Boating in Maine by Bob Humphrey............................ 31 Ice Fishing in Maine by Steve Carpenteri.................... 27 Reader Story by Emily Bastian....................................... 42 Snowmobiling in Maine by Steve Carptenteri............ 20 Snowmobiling in Maine by Matt Weber...................... 24 Youth Writing Contest Submission by Emma MacFarlane. 76 YouTubing the Outdoors by Devin McGuire............... 84

On the Cover: Isaac Patry of Saco earned his Biggest Buck patch on November 30, 2019 with this 11-point, 206-pound whtetail, taken with a .270 in Dole Brook TWP. The deer was certified at Pittston Farm. Patry is currently working toward his Masters degree in management at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 5

Letters To The Editor

Proud Grandmother; Proud Grandson To the Editor: I thought your readers would be interested to know that my grandmother, Faye Beal, was a member of the biggest bucks in Maine club, as a result of her bagging a huge buck on November 8, 1954.

Happy Old Trapper To the Editor: I was pleased to learn that my Old Fashioned beef jerky recently came out on top in a blind taste-off among several well-known jerky brands. Please pass my compliments on to your esteemed taste team for their discernment and obvious intelligence.

For more than 50 years, sportsmen here in the northwest have chosen Old Trapper as their outdoor companion, and I’m pleased that The Maine Sportsman and its many readers may now do the same.

T.O. Trapper www.OldTrapper.com

and a 9-year old grandson.

Now here’s the question: How do I explain to them the joke in the December “Smilin’ Sportsman” [about Ben Franklin’s wife seeing Ben’s kite flying in an unstable, wobbly manner back and forth across the sky and yelling to Ben that he “needs more tail”]?

I do not support including adult jokes in a family publication. Please respond to my concerns in your Letters to the Editor section in a future issue.

Tim Canwell, Sr. – Roxbury, ME The Editor responds: Dear Mr. Canwell: Thank you for your loyal readership.

We will try to remain mindful that family members of all ages are part of our wide and growing audience.

Will Lund, editor —

Curious Ice Fisher

At that time, the patch club was run by the State of Maine, and the card was signed by the Governor (Burton Cross) and the DIF&W Commissioner, Roland Cobb, for whom the Enfield State Fish Hatchery was later named.

My grandmother passed away in Franklin in 2012. Her obituary included the following sentence:

“Faye was a member of the Biggest Bucks Club in her earlier years, and she wore the patch on her coat with pride.”

Brent Gordon

T.O. Trapper was obviously pleased with the news that his beef jerky came out on top in the results of the Maine Sportsman Beef Jerky Championship (see January 2020 issue).

To the Editor: I just read Steve Vose’s article on the Deeper Pro Sonar.

I have a couple of questions for him: 1) Has he personally used one?

2) How did the battery perform?

3) Was it easy to read on a regular sized cell phone screen? and 4) Would he recommend it over a more traditional type unit?

Thanks for your input.

Darryl Raven – Thorndike, ME

—

We asked Steve Vose to respond directly:

Unhappy Grandparent To the Editor: I read your magazine every month.

I have a question for you.

I have an 11-year old granddaughter

Hi Darryl: I don’t own a Deeper Pro Sonar unit (I use a Vexilar flasher that I’ve had for several years, with very good results), (Continued on next page)

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6 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters to the Editor (Continued from page 5)

but I did have an opportunity last ice fishing season to see the Deeper Pro in action. From what I witnessed, I consid-

er it to be a very interesting alternative to the more traditional forms of fish locating-equipment.

Here are some of Deeper Pro’s good features: • It’s extremely portable (fits in a pocket)

• It fully integrates with an angler’s smartphone, so that details like lake maps and marked locations can be saved and backed-up online • Good visibility – on my friend’s iPhone 7, the sonar display could be read clearly, even on a bright day ice fishing • Battery life is said to be strong – about 3-4 hours in extremely cold temperatures, and 5-6 in warm weather, and • On-line reviews by users are uniformly positive.

Overall, if I did not already have a fish finder, I would look to purchase the Deeper Pro unit. I hope this was helpful!

Steve Vose

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Noisy or Quiet Conditions are Your Hunting Ally When the float plane on the far side of Molazigan Island starts to warm up its engine, muffled by the intervening tree growth on the Island, the sound is a faint rumble – barely discernible to the human ear.

But we often know that one of the loons has heard it, because we can hear its plaintive alarm calls. Oftentimes we hear their calls even though we haven’t yet heard the low-frequency rumble of the engine.

The loons on Lake Cobbossee don’t like the float plane. They voice their dislike by sounding frequent wails and by an occasional territorial yodel.

We don’t know the reason for the loon’s dislike – whether it’s the noise of the airplane’s engine, or the image of the big mechanical bird passing over. But they do let everyone know, whether the plane is just starting, taxiing, gunning it to become airborne, or cruising by overhead.

It appears that these big birds have more sensitive hearing than we do.

Dogs, Too Dogs also have very sensitive hearing.

When bird hunting with a friend, I noticed that he communicated with his Brittany with a low, even voice. Even though the bird dog

Travelers in a hot-air balloon can clearly hear voices of people who are far below them on the ground. That means ducks can probably hear any hunters who are talking as the birds fly toward a set of decoys. was 100 or even 200 feet away in the puckerbrush, my friend spoke to the animal as if he were conversing quietly with me.

I asked him about the soft and low tone of his directions to his dog. My friend responded: “A dog can hear you.”

The dog’s hearing sensitivity becomes apparent when we learn they can hear an approaching thunderstorm before we can.

The noise of Fourth of July fireworks has

caused some dogs to become so upset that they run away. Some owners bring their dog to a place where the fireworks noise is muffled, like a basement.

Their super-sensitive hearing made

dogs effective early-warning systems for primitive man as well as our early settlers, since their barking alerted the owner that someone was coming, regardless of whether the visitor was friend

or foe.

Sound Carries On a windless day on a lake, a quiet conversation between two anglers in a boat several hundred feet away can often be distinctly heard by listeners on shore. People often say that the water carries the sound, but I don’t think that’s the case. Rather, in my opinion it’s the lack of (Continued on next page)

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8 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Jottings (Continued from page 7)

any object whatsoever between the speaker and the listener – no waves, no trees, no grass and no buildings.

We have experienced a similar phenomenon during a flight in a hot-air balloon. As we floated silently along 500 or more feet in the air, we could clearly hear comments on the ground, such as “Hey Myrtle, take a look at the balloon up there!”

We heard the voices

clearly because there was nothing between us and the speakers but air.

Apply This Knowledge to Duck Hunting It’s likely that waterfowl take advantage of the same phenomenon. They can probably hear a voice saying “Get down, Harry! A flock of blacks is coming in at ten o’clock!”

If the birds have connected the human voice with the subse-

quent noise of gunfire, the birds may move on at the sound of voices alone.

It works the other way, too – if you see a pair of ducks a long ways away, the sound of your duck call will probably reach them, so it may be worthwhile to try your call.

Deer Season Sound, or the lack of it, should play a role in the late deer season. It is most difficult for a hunter to move silently on dry leaves or hard-frozen, crusty snow.

That may be the

best time to find a good spot to wait and listen for the deer.

And a softer surface will muffle noise – a fresh snow or wet conditions may deaden the sound of a stealthy hunter following a track.

A novice hunter in our family filled out her tag last November after she heard the crunch of hooves in the crusty snow. Alerted by the sounds of the approaching steps, she dropped a young buck with one shot from her single-shot rifle.

¶

It’s not necessary to raise you voice when giving commands to your hunting dog.

Speak softly -- the dog can hear you.

Stephen Goulette of Chelsea harvested this thick-antlered buck on November 25, 2019 in Central Maine.

The 172-pound deer’s antlers featured 15 points, and were so broad and flat they nearly took on the appearance of those found on a young moose. Photo submitted by proud father, Dan Goulette

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���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 9

Musky (“Water Wolves”) and Coy Dogs Up North Ask any Aroostook angler their favorite finned quarry, and 80% will pick the beautiful brook trout or the lively leaping landlocked salmon.

Filling out the remaining 20% will be togue, smallmouth bass, pickerel, and perch, but over the last decade or so there’s another candidate on the ballot that’s making inroads and gaining popularity.

Despite their current liquid habitat being confined to the tiptop Crown of Maine, muskellunge are developing an almost cult-like following.

Musky: Tough, Toothy Denizens Beau and Glazier Lakes are the duo of go-to hardwater sites to drill and set traps out for musky. Both are boundary waters, with half in Canada and half in the U.S. Limits and fishing regulations are different from regular Maine laws, so check carefully before venturing onto either of these lakes. Beau Lake is much larger and receives far less winter pressure for its healthy population of “water wolves.” Due to limited plowed roads, all dependent on winter logging operations year to year, a snowmobile is a must, and it’s a fairly lengthy ride. On the plus side, competition is mild, and fish are plentiful.

Anglers who choose to venture far north to Beau Lake

will need to travel Route 11 to Fort Kent, then 161 to Allagash, Dickey, and the Little Black Checkpoint. The Bypass Road and the Escourt Road will lead anglers fairly close to the lake and the snowsled trails that eventually reach the western shoreline. Check Delorme’s Atlas, Map 67, A-4 & B-4 to get a sense of the geography and terrain.

Glazier Lake Closer to civilization and simpler to access is Glazier Lake, smaller than Beau by far, but still offering plenty of musky and responsible for a string of state records through the ice. There are no poor places to auger ice holes, although near the outlet thoroughfare and Connors Cove Point are proven sites. Many visiting fishermen like to set out four tip-ups

for musky, salmon or trout, and then use their fifth as a handline or light jigging rod for smelt if the weather is tolerable. Portable fish shanties offer warmth and shelter – comfortable pleasures on bitter cold days.

Years ago, it was quicker and more convenient to cross from Fort Kent into Claire, N.B. and drive up Route 205 for easy access to Glazier’s southeast shoreline.

Currently, however, the hassles with gear, provisions and especially live bait crossing the border into Canada make the Allagash route simpler.

How to get there?

Pretty much the same driving directions as going to Beau Lake, but much closer. It is certainly possible to reach and fish Glazier without a snowmobile, but there’s far more spots to explore and

fish if you can ride. DeLorme’s Map 67, C-4 will guide you to some explosive action with these toothy critters!

(Get it? C-4: “Explosive.” Sorry.)

St. John River Offers Easy Access Last but certainly not least, check out the St. John River. While most sportsmen know it’s a great open water musky and bass fishery, many folks don’t realize that many sections are also open to ice fishing. During the winter, there is very light pressure, and some prime holding pools only see one or two anglers a week.

But safety first – it’s imperative that fishermen check ice depth on this flowing water more rigorously than on lakes and ponds before venturing out.

One of the benefits of fishing the St. John is the simple, close ac-

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cess, as a paved road parallels the shoreline along most of the American side. While a snowmobile is helpful in pulling a gear sled over the snow banks and onto the ice, sportsmen can reach most spots with a 10-minute snowshoe hike.

Newcomers will want to visit the section of river just north of Fort Kent, and there are several likely runs near Grand Isle. Getting onto the river in Van Buren is easy, and there are many runs to explore on the nearby stretches of river open to winter fishing.

I can’t urge novice anglers strongly enough to make sure they have top rate sturdy traps and lines.

Wire leaders are a must, of course, and make sure auger holes are wide with no sharp (Continued on next page)

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10 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Jered Young of Mars Hill fishes and hunts all winter regardless of weather, This bragging-size brookie came from a small pond in Bridgewater that can only be visited via snowshoe or snowmobile.

The County (Continued from page 9)

edges to wear out the line. These water wolves are constantly prowling and eating, such that hefty 15- to 20-lb fish are fairly common. I would never presume to tell you that musky are easy to catch, as they are often referred to as “the fish of a thousand casts,” but I do believe ice fishing yields a high success rate and some of the bigger specimens.

Winter Hunting Challenge: Coyotes Cold weather gunning options are very skimpy in Aroostook County, consisting primarily of the duo of timid prey (snowshoe hare) and the aggres-

sive predator (coyotes).

Due to snow depth and frigid weather, most outings are far from comfortable, but either it’s that, or stay inside and vegetate!

For those who have the patience and perseverance, using bait sites to coax the wily coyote into the open can be very exciting.

Not only are you enjoying the hunt, but you are also decreasing the predatory pressure on the deer in that general area.

Some hunters like to set up during the day and use a rabbit decoy and calling to entice coyote into the open. With this method, it’s possible to shoot with shotguns,

Loon Lodge in the Allagash Lake Region

Despite near-blizzard conditions, Lisa Levasseur of Sinclair went ice fishing last February, and look at her reward! You can’t catch ’em in the living room.

handguns and archery equipment. It’s no easy chore to fool these wary canines into close shooting range, but food is scarce this time of year, and this tactic does work.

More success can be experienced by hunting over bait, especially after dark when the coyote feel safe.

Long range shooting with fast, flat trajectory rifles topped with sharp, light-gathering optics keeps the hunter’s odor and movements far less noticeable. Just obtain meat scraps from the local grocery store or butcher, or find a trapper who will provide you with animal carcasses after the skins have been removed.

Keep ’Em in the Open While it’s possible just to place the food

in a hole in the snow, I prefer to set up so the smart varmints can’t dine and dash, grabbing a chunk and then running back to cover. Using a five gallon bucket, place the meat inside and pour in some water, let the whole mix freeze, and then set it out near a field edge but in the open enough for a good shooting lane from 100 to 300 yards. The coyote can’t drag the heavy receptacle off, and will have to stand in the open to feed.

As long as the field or pasture is not near buildings and the shooting backdrop is clear and safe, there’s no bad spot to set a bait site. These brazen predators are everywhere. I live a mile from Main Street in Presque Isle, and I hear and see coyotes in

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Jim Daigle of St. David visits Glazier Lake regularly each winter and catches a lot of musky.

This “water wolf” is about the same size as his son Corey.

my back field regularly! Any farmer should give permission to hunt this time of year since there’s no work going on, so seek small woodlots with fields, hedgerows and secondary growth fields nearby.

Check out the Bootfoot Road in Bridgewater, the Egypt Road in Fort Fairfield or Woodland Road in Caribou.

There are literally dozens of locations near your town or village, and other hunters are so few in the vast Aroostook expanse that encroaching on another hunter’s spot is unlikely.

Of all the game animals in Maine, coyote might just be the toughest to outsmart with any regularity.

It’s a unique challenge only made more difficult, and more impressive, due to the conditions and elements that must be overcome. But then, winter outdoor options are limited for shooters up north, so I expect the competent, versatile Maine Sportsman reader will rise up to meet that challenge!

(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 11 (Continued from page 10)

Ethan Cushman of Mars Hill visits the family camp on St. Froid Lake to ice fish every chance he gets. There are several species available, but this flag produced a salmon.

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This coyote was so hungry last winter, he came right behind the author’s house to dig apples from under his tree less than one mile from Main Street in Presque Isle.

Bill didn’t have the heart to shoot, except with his camera.

Avid coyote hunter Jered Young of Mars Hill poses with one of the many wily varmints he bags each winter. This specimen has an unusual and beautiful blond coat, and is no longer a threat to area whitetails.

Aroostook County

¶

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Almanac

12 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

“Snapshots in Time”

Excerpts from the Annals of Maine’s Sporting Past Submitted by Bill Pierce, of the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossoc, Maine

As long as Maine winters have featured snow, intrepid and inventive individuals have modified motor vehicles to transport themselves and their pas-

sengers across the snow in comfort and speed.

Here are some of the most ingenious examples found in the photo archives of

the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, in Oquossoc.

1928 Model A belonging to Larry Parsons at Lakewood Camps.

Model T on skis, owned by Sid Harnden.

What more do you need than a raccoon fur coat, and a driver?

These two unnamed folks in their open buggy are on Main Street, Rangeley by the Post Office.

This circa 1930 motorcycle on Rangeley Lake was refitted with a steering ski in front, while the rear wheel was stabilized with sled runners.

A motorized toboggan on Main Street in front of Rangeley Tavern, circa 1940.

Stan Haley stands in front of Atwood’s Camp (Forest Home) on Kennebago Lake. Haley built this prop-driven snow machine from a Russian design. It was powered by a 1937 Chevy engine mounted with a wooden airplane propeller. It operated for many years before being sold to Sam York (York’s Camps, Loon Lake), who then used it for another 10 winters.

(Almanac continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 13 (Continued from page 12)

Bear Track in the Snow

Few sights get the heart racing quicker than winter hiking along a frosty Maine trail, lost in reverie, and then glancing down at the snow by your boots and seeing the track of a good-size black bear, seemingly imprinted only seconds earlier.

You realize in a flash that you are not alone, and in fact that you are sharing the woods with a very large, very quiet creature.

The walking trail before you appears much narrower than before; the forest on either side darker.

You try to whistle a merry tune, but find that your lips are dry – a humbling experience indeed.

—

“Dead Reckoning”

Photo by Will Lund

Sailors (and fans of maritime literature) have all heard the term “dead reckoning,” which is a form of navigation that does not rely on the sun and stars (that’s celestial navigation).

If you’re like me, you always thought of dead reckoning as being so inaccurate that if you relied on it, your boat might end up on a rocky shoal, and you could find yourself in a condition best described as, well, un-alive.

However, that’s not where the expression derived, and in fact the process of dead reckoning – which means computing your present position by determining speed (and therefore distance) and compass direction from a previous known position – can be fairly precise,

HANDLE THE

TOUGHEST TASKS ALL WINTER LONG

Credit: Evangeline Pruis

especially if sideways drift can also be estimated and compensated for.

So where does the “dead” come from?

There are two possibilities. One is that when a wooden log was tossed over the side to determine hull speed, the assumption was that the log was “dead in (Continued on next page)

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14 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

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Almanac (Continued from page 13)

the water.” A second, slightly more elegant explanation is that since mathematical “deductions” led to the present position being determined, the method was initially described “deduced reckoning,” which was later shortened to “dead reckoning.”

—

What Happens to Bugs in Winter?

by Nick Lund – Maine Audubon

March 27-29, 2020 Thousands of outdoors-minded folks will gather at the Augusta Civic Center for an entire weekend of everything outdoors March 27th–29th. There truly is something for everyone: over 100 exhibitors, kid zone, demonstrations, seminars, taxidermy, art, photography and carving contests, and LOTS MORE!

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Winter, mercifully, is one of the few times of year that we can step outside in northern Maine without being bombarded by black flies, mosquitoes, no-see-ums or other bugs. The insects that seem to be everywhere in summer disappear when the snow flies, but where do they go?

Butterflies and Moths. One moth making headlines in Maine right now is Operophtera brumata, the Winter Moth. These insects are native to Europe but were introduced to the U.S. in the 1970s, where they began to feed on defenseless deciduous trees like oak and maple.

Adult Winter Moths are active on above-freezing days between November and January, when they mate and lay their eggs under loose bark. The eggs hatch in the spring and the larvae begin eating the young leaves, sometimes defoliating entire trees and eventually leading to their death. Learn about what destructive Winter Moths look like,

The Winter Moth – bad news for Maine’s deciduous trees such as oak and maple.

and contact the Maine Forest Service if you see them!

Other butterflies and moths are not so destructive. Monarch Butterflies are famous for their migrations, ditching the cold Maine weather altogether and heading south toward balmy Mexico. Adult Mourning Cloak and Comma butterflies find some protected shelter and wait out the winter, sometimes secreting chemicals to prevent their bodies from turning into ice cubes.

Still other moths and butterflies die in the winter, but not before leaving the next generation behind as eggs or larva in a suspended state called diapause until spring.

Ants. Believe it or not, ants hibernate. Colonies of ants eat a lot of food in the fall to fatten up for the winter, and then hunker together as a colony under a rock or tree bark to wait out the cold. Other species move deep into the earth and cover up the entrances to their nets with soil.

Mosquitoes can shut down their bodies and enter diapause until the warmth returns. Adults of other (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

species lay eggs in shallow water in the fall and then die, and the next generation of skeeters hatches in the spring.

Spiders. Many spiders produce the same kinds of anti-freezing chemicals that moths and other bugs produce. Spiders will find a warm spot when it starts to get cold — under some leaves or under bark — and produce some antifreeze to wait out the winter.

Bees. Maine’s honey bees have the most social winter solution of any of the species addressed here. When the temperatures start dropping, bees all enter their hives and huddle around each other in what’s called a “winter huddle.” The constant movement and energy of the bees keeps the hive — and, most importantly, the queen — warm all winter long.

Snow fleas. Maybe the most common winter bug in Maine is also the one you might never know to look for. Snow fleas are a type of creature called a springtail — tiny, soil-living creatures that eat fungi, bacteria and decaying leaf matter on the forest floor. Snow fleas survive the coldest Maine winters with built-in antifreeze and by staying insulated under the snow. But on sunny days in late winter you may see them on the snow in your boot print. There are billions of them living on forest floors around the state.

Audubon, has a few identification tips for those of us left scratching our heads.

“Purple Finches are truly boreal (northern) finches and are well adapted for it,” he explained. “While they aren’t any longer, Purple Finches have almost 20% more mass than House Finches, so they have a larger-headed and wider-chested look to them.”

He continued, “House Finches are basically desert birds that have been introduced in the northeast, so in Maine we get to see these two sizes side by side. This provides a good example of Bergmann’s Rule, the eco-geographical principle that says the farther you are from the equator, the more mass a species will have.”

But what happens when the birds are not side by side, or if we birders are bad at guesstimating size?

Hitchcox had another tip: “The deeper tail notch in Purple Finches is my go-to field mark. It is not always visible, and House Finches can sometimes show a bit of a notch (especially when molting), so I’ll always encourage people to not use a single field mark when identi-

House Finch

fying a bird.” “Still,” he added, “that’s a good one to look for.”

House Finch populations continue to increase, with around 40 million breeding birds currently living in North America. Purple Finches, on the other hand, are experiencing a decline, their numbers falling over 50% since 1966. One reason? Competition with the House Finch!

(Continued on next page)

—

Bird of the Month: House Finch vs. Purple Finch

by Erika Zambello It’s late winter in Maine, and many residents regularly restock their feeders for the hungry birds waiting for a spring thaw. I always keep my peepers peeled for the brilliant hues of one of my favorite species: the Purple Finch, so named for the rich, berry color that covers the heads, chests and backs of the males flying in to look for seed.

There’s only one problem. At a glance – even with a close look – Purple Finches look similar to the newly-arrived and annoyingly common House Finch.

While Purple Finches are native to Maine and live across the eastern United States in the winter before breeding in Canada during the summer months, House Finches have only recently made the jump to the eastern side of the country from their western roots. Like their Purple cousins, the House Finches sport a reddish color that stands out against Maine’s snowy landscape.

Despite my familiarity with both species, I still often confuse the two. Doug Hitchcox, Staff Naturalist at Maine

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16 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac

February 2020 Sunrise/Sunset

(Continued from page 15)

Our Winters are Warming

Portland, ME DATE 1 Sat 2 Sun 3 Mon 4 Tue 5 Wed 6 Thu 7 Fri 8 Sat 9 Sun 10 Mon 11 Tue 12 Wed 13 Thu 14 Fri 15 Sat

RISE 6:56 6:55 6:53 6:52 6:51 6:50 6:49 6:47 6:46 6:45 6:43 6:42 6:41 6:39 6:38

SET 4:52 4:54 4:55 4:56 4:58 4:59 5:00 5:02 5:03 5:05 5:06 5:07 5:09 5:10 5:11

DATE 16 Sun 17 Mon 18 Tue 19 Wed 20 Thu 21 Fri 22 Sat 23 Sun 24 Mon 25 Tue 26 Wed 27 Thu 28 Fri 29 Sat

RISE 6:36 6:35 6:33 6:32 6:30 6:29 6:27 6:26 6:24 6:23 6:21 6:19 6:18 6:16

SET 5:13 5:14 5:15 5:17 5:18 5:19 5:21 5:22 5:23 5:25 5:26 5:27 5:28 5:30

February 2020 Tides Portland, ME DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

HIGH AM PM 3:52 4:15 4:39 5:10 5:30 6:09 6:25 7:10 7:21 8:07 8:15 8:59 9:06 9:47 9:56 10:35 10:45 11:22 11:35 — 12:09 12:24 12:57 1:15 1:46 2:09 2:39 3:07 3:35 4:10 4:35 5:16 5:38 6:25 6:45 7:33 7:49 8:34 8:46 9:26 9:36 10:13 10:22 10:55 11:03 11:33 11:41 — 12:07 12:16 12:40 12:51 1:13 1:27 1:46 2:05 2:22 2:47

www.MaineSportsman.com

LOW AM PM 10:04 10:18 10:57 11:07 11:54 — 12:02 12:54 1:00 1:52 1:56 2:44 2:48 3:33 3:38 4:21 4:28 5:08 5:18 5:55 6:09 6:42 7:00 7:30 7:54 8:21 8:51 9:15 9:53 10:13 10:58 11:15 — 12:07 12:22 1:17 1:30 2:20 2:30 3:14 3:22 4:01 4:08 4:44 4:50 5:22 5:29 5:56 6:05 6:28 6:40 7:00 7:16 7:33 7:54 8:09 8:35 8:48

Submitted by Lou Zambello Scientists from the US and Canada examined 100 years of winter weather data from across the forested areas of the northeastern US, eastern Canada, and the Great Lakes. Their findings were recently summarized by the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, which among other activities sponsors long-term monitoring of the White Mountain National Forest. The following facts are from their pamphlet, “Confronting our changing winters – Indicators of Winter Climate Change in the Northern Forest.”

The findings in one sentence: Winters over the last century are featuring fewer days with cold temperatures, and a declining snowpack. This is impacting wildlife, the forests, water flows, and people.

Some weather facts about Northeastern US and Atlantic Canada winters (averaged across weather stations):  Length of winter (sustained cold temperatures): declined 21 days  Days with frost (minimum temps. below freezing): declined 18 days  Days that never get above freezing: declined 14 days  Days below zero: declined 15 days  Snow on the ground: declined 21 days  Mud days (bare ground and max temp above freezing): plus 20 days For you downhill skiers who like to get an early start on the ski season, snowmaking days before Christmas (temps below 23 degrees F) have declined on average 16 days.

—

Randy’s World with Randy Randall

Cutting Holes in the Ice Was Hard Work We had 28 inches of ice one weekend last winter. Ben had to push the auger all the way down to the surface of the pond before breaking through to water. He almost needed an extension for the blade.

It took some split shot and some coaching with the ice skimmer to encourage the shiner to dive … dive … dive!

I began to think about the old days and how we cut fishing holes with ice chisels. Nowadays they call them ice-fishing spuds or spud bars, but in my day they were homemade from an old wood chisel brazed to a length of galvanized pipe. The chisel was beveled on one side only and made razor sharp. It’s hard to imagine how the old guys were able to pound their way through thirty inches of ice.

Make no mistake – cutting holes was a workout.

I mentioned that to my young friend Vance, and he said his grandfather used an axe to cut holes. We thought about that a while and wondered how his grandfather had room to swing the axe handle cutting through thirty inches. Vance figured his grandfather must have chopped a large rectangle.

I hunted up some videos of the Inuit cutting holes in the ice. The Eskimo use a socket chisel with a wooden shaft. Their chisels seemed to work pretty well.

Back when I was a kid, the prevailing theory was that weight was an advantage for a proper ice chisel. Grandfather even poured molten lead into his chisel handle. The idea was the extra weight helped with the downstroke. It’s no wonder the old fellows threw off their heavy coats and dropped their suspenders when they were chipping a hole through the ice.

The mark of an expert was that the holes had straight sides, and the hole at the bottom was the same diameter as the hole at the top.

A rugged ice skimmer was also necessary to reach down and scoop out the accumulating ice chips.

Things got messy when the chisel broke through and water rushed into the hole, but the fisherman had to chip away any shelves or chunks still clinging to the bottom edge. I remember big clear chunks of ice floating up to the surface.

Setting out five traps in the 1950s was a morning’s work, but the old guys were used to hard labor. Grandfather even smoked his pipe as he pounded away at an ice hole.

I have both my father’s ice chisel and my grandfather’s, the one with the lead in it. They are marvelous tools, but I must admit after cutting just a single one hole with one of those chisels, I was sure glad to have Ben cut the other four with his old reliable Jiffy.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 17

DIFW Debating How to Increase Game Harvests I wasn’t surprised that Maine hunters killed fewer deer, bears, and turkeys last year, because fewer people are hunting in Maine. But I was surprised that harvest numbers declined so sharply.

State officials said the preliminary number of deer killed was around 28,000, down from 32,451 in 2018.

The turkey fall harvest last year was 1,980, down dramatically from 3,507 birds killed in 2018. And the black bear harvest last year was 2,371, a decrease

of nearly 1,000 from the previous year’s harvest of 3,314.

The Portland Press Herald reported that the reductions were on par with wildlife biologists’ expectations. Maine Wildlife Division Director Nate Webb said fewer permits, extreme weather and abundant natural food were among the reasons for the reductions.

A Talk with the Commissioner I talked with DIFW Commissioner Judy Camuso about this, and was pleased

that she now supports a bill I have promoted in the Legislature to eliminate the fall turkey hunting permit. A bill last session to do that was opposed by DIFW. The proposal was carried over to the 2020 legislative session, when it will be considered again.

Commissioner Camuso tried to increase the turkey harvest last year by increasing the bag limit in a bunch of districts, and obviously that didn’t work. Very few hunters pursue turkeys in the fall.

By eliminating the fall hunting permit requirement, it would be possible for any hunter to shoot turkeys in the fall. For example, if you are hunting grouse and saw a turkey, you could shoot it.

And if you saw a couple dozen turkeys on your lawn, you could go out and shoot some of them.

The Commissioner is also considering ways to reduce our high population of 45,000 bears. One possibility is allowing outdoorsmen to trap one bear and shoot

one bear. Another idea they’re considering is to allow hunters to shoot two bears. That would probably be limited to southern and central Maine.

And guides in northern Maine are already objecting to this. I have doubts that bear hunters would actually want to shoot two bears.

I do think the Commissioner is doing a terrific job, and I appreciate her work on these and other issues and projects.

(Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

My Maine (Continued from page 17)

More Deer Hunting Stories Thirteen Shots; No Deer I always enjoyed taking new hunters out after deer. Back in the 70s, I had a friend who had never hunted, so I got him to come up to Mount Vernon a couple of times to hunt deer.

On his second visit, I put him on the edge of a field up at the end of my road and then hiked up the hill to his right and started down through the woods in his direction.

I had not gone very far when I heard him shoot five times, and I thought, “That’s great!

He must’ve got his first deer.”

I was about halfway to the field when I heard him shoot another five times. And just before I got to the field, he shot three more times.

Well, a buck had run across the field first, and he missed it

all five times. And then a doe ran across the field, and he missed all five shots. And finally, a small deer stepped out into the field and stood there while he shot at it three times and missed, and the deer leapt back into the woods.

Yup, 13 shots and no deer. I sent him home and told him to get out on the range and practice shooting.

Better in Pairs One year on one side of the bog on my woodlot, I shot a nice 6-point buck, and a day later, on the other side of the bog, Dad shot a 6-point buck identical to mine.

What are Friends For? One fall I was walking the woods road in the woodlot next to mine, with a friend, when a big buck jumped up to our right. My friend got off three shots at the buck as it crossed the trail in front of us, missing all three shots. And then I saw the buck off

Quotable

Sportsman

by George Smith

“Occasionally, folks heard the howling of the coyotes deep in the woods at night. Over time, the coyotes came closer and were caught on cameras outside chicken houses and animal pens. Then cats started to disappear, at least five in August alone. That same month, a dog was killed. On October 3, a parent spotted two coyotes near the baseball field, within sight of the Chebeague Island School. The school emailed parents, urging them to ‘be aware of the recent sighting when considering having your child walk or bike to school in the future.’”

Island Institute newsletter, November 2019, detailing the concerns of some www.MaineSportsman.com

to my left standing on a knoll, so I lifted my rifle and shot the buck which dropped right there.

Like a Mink Stole One year, while deer hunting, I sat down on the ground and leaned up against one of the hemlocks. I saw a beautiful white ermine running back and forth about 30 yards away.

When the ermine got about 10 yards from me, it turned and ran right at me, running up my leg and onto my chest.

Ermine have very sharp teeth, and if it had bitten me in the neck, I probably would been severely injured.

But it quickly decided I wasn’t a tree, and it jumped off me. It happened so fast I didn’t have time to react.

Mr. Moose One fall, I was sitting in one of my tree stands when three young bull moose walked right by me.

Another time in that same stand, a huge bull moose walked by. He apparently knew there was something in that tree,

so he walked right up to my stand and looked up at me. His antlers were about even with my feet.

So I said, “Hello Mr. Moose!” At that point, he turned and walked away.

Yes, some great experiences while deer hunting have nothing to do with deer!

Nasty Comments on Furbearer Rules When DIFW offered us the opportunity to comment on their proposed rules governing furbearers, I’m sure they knew they’d get some nasty comments. But I’m not sure they expected so many awful comments. Here are a few of those: “This is so disgusting and cruel and inhumane!!! This is 2020 and this method of trapping any animal should have been banned many years ago! Maine is supposed to be the third most animal-friendly state; a lot of outer staters don’t believe this still happens here. Shame on you Maine! There are others methods you could use without Animal

Chebeague Island residents regarding the presence of coyotes —

Cruelty!”

“Hunting and Trapping for profit should not be called game management.

Though we humans may want to think we are civilized, we are not! After 500 years on this continent, the only thing we have developed is our urge to kill.”

“Trapping is barbaric, cruel and simply unwarranted.

It’s a crime to trap animals especially for their coat. I don’t hunt, but I know plenty of “ethical hunters” that wouldn’t make an animal suffer for a few dollars.”

“None of the trappers here have the [courage] to admit that trapped animals are terrified and suffering unimaginable anguish that has lasted for hours and hours. Not one of you.

It must be because you are ashamed of what you are doing.

But you will not stop.

That’s pretty hard for a person with a sense of basic humanity on board to wrap their mind around.”

¶

Kennebec Journal, November 27, 2019 —

a news release “We want our children to see coyotes in a whole new light. We owe this to them: shifting from fear to respect and wonder. Numerous traditional hunters here in Maine have shared with me their respect for our coyotes, and personal stories they have experienced. Coyotes are our keystone carnivore here in Maine.

After over 150 years without our keystone carnivore the wolf, and our cougars, coyotes have come to fill all those empty niches, and getting to work to heal the land of our state.”

“Bath Police urge residents to report suspicious-acting animals, keep their pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations and boosters, and if there are any chances of exposure, to have themselves or their pets checked out by medical professionals.”

Geri Vistein, a carnivore conservation biologist and founder of the “Coyote Center for Carnivore Ecology and Coexistence,” in an opinion piece responding to the earlier article about Chebeague Island coyotes; Island Institute newsletter, December 2019

“In Bath, a rabid fox attacked a sixyear-old girl, a 52-year-old man, and retired Bath Fire Chief, 87. There have been 15 confirmed rabies cases in Bath alone. Bath has seen five rabid grey foxes, four rabid skunks, three rabid raccoons, one rabid red fox, and one rabid bat.”

Bath Deputy Chief Andrew Booth, in

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 19

Maine Wildlife:

Rainbow Smelt

by Tom Seymour

Imagine a streamlined fish with a huge mouth, two long, canine teeth and large teeth on its tongue. This sounds like a formidable game fish, except for one thing. Maximum length, which is rarely achieved, is about 12 inches, with most individuals only running about 6 inches.

The fish, rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, has lots of adherents despite its diminutive proportions. Legions of anglers pursue smelt for the food value alone, not the fight, which is negligible due to its small size. But perhaps more important, rainbow smelt constitute the most significant food source of all for coldwater game fish.

Their immense value as trout and salmon fodder aside, smelt are endowed with lots of interesting attributes. First, smelt run in schools. Never do we find just one smelt. It’s either hundreds, or none. The sight of a school of smelt running up a small stream to spawn reminds me of an invasion by tiny submarines – submarines that despite being netted or even grabbed by hand, just keep coming: an invading force.

Also, smelt demonstrate remarkably aggressive behavior. While smelt feed upon tiny organisms, they also have a taste for flesh. I have taken smelt on jigs one-third the length of the fish. Just imagine if smelt grew to large sizes. They would rate up there with any game fish, and would probably fight harder and better than any of our favorite species.

Balancing Act As is the case with so many other wildlife species, smelt populations are fluid, subject to wide fluctuations from year-to-year. And since trout, salmon and togue depend almost wholly upon smelt, a drop in the smelt population can prove disastrous, while at the same time an upsurge in smelt numbers mean fatter, bigger and healthier game fish. Thus, fishery managers face a balancing act in managing coldwater

Without smelt as a food source, our salmon fishery crashes. Everything runs on smelt, depends upon smelt and is predicated upon smelt. game fish.

In cases of too many fish for available smelt supply, fisheries biologists may raise bag limits, lower minimum length limits, or both. This has the effect of reducing competition for available smelt.

Despite any measures biologists may take, smelt numbers can fall or rise unexpectedly. Thus, smelt in any lake containing coldwater game fish must be continually monitored. This way, countermeasures can go in place in short time in order to achieve the best effect.

Sea-Run Smelt, like trout, can live in both freshwater as well as estuarine environments. Sea-run smelt taken in winter on tidal rivers are the same smelt that populate our lakes and larger ponds.

That being said, it seems so strange that smelt living in freshwater situations are subject to such fluctuations in numbers while “saltwater,” smelt are apparently not affected by the same set of circumstances. But anadromous, sea-run smelt live in a wide-open environment, while freshwater smelt, being contained in a body of water of finite proportions, have far more challenges to contend with.

For all of that, sea-run smelt, while taxonomically identical to their freshwater counterparts, have different habits, and as such they bear little resemblance to their freshwater cousins.

Here’s another thing regarding sea-run smelt – they run bigger than freshwater smelt. In fact people, who jig for them in ice shanties can really feel them pull on their lightweight jigging rods. Besides that, it takes fewer saltwater smelt than freshwater smelt to make a meal.

So barring news from someone just returning from a smelt-fishing trip on a

tidal river, how can we tell when saltwater smelt are running? Easy – just visit the local supermarket. If the shelves abound in shiny, obviously fresh smelt, then it’s time to book a smelt camp for a tide.

Premier Baitfish Here in Maine, smelt rank as the premiere baitfish, bar none. Catching, holding and selling smelt is big business. And while it all sounds simple, there is nothing easy about going out at night, hauling traps or nets and transporting the live smelt to a holding tank. It’s cold, perhaps even dangerous, work.

The demand for smelt as bait is so high that dealers often have difficulty in keeping a sufficient supply at hand.

Later in spring, when smelt spawning runs have ended and the only available live smelt come from bait shops, when the supply plays out it is gone until the following season – no exceptions.

However, one commercial interest has figured out a way to preserve smelt in a proprietary solution that keeps them firm and fresh, as shiny as the day they came out of the water. These preserved smelt take fish almost as readily as live ones. That only goes to show how much our trout and salmon are tuned in to smelt as a food source.

And it comes as no surprise that so many of our favorite trout and salmon lures and flies imitate smelt. Streamer flies, especially tandem streamers, specifically imitate smelt and nothing else.

But then again so do Mooselook Wobblers, JB Smelt and countless others.

Without smelt, our salmon fishery crashes. Everything runs on smelt, depends upon smelt and is predicated upon smelt. For salmon, togue and trout, there is simply nothing better than smelt.

www.MaineSportsman.com

20 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine’s Multi-Use Rail Trails

by Steve Carpenteri Maine’s snowmobile enthusiasts have a wide variety of options to consider for winter fun, travel and exploration far beyond the famed International Trail System (ITS).

One of the state’s less-known trail systems includes a network of 10 abandoned railroad routes that

Multi-use trails constructed atop old railroad track beds include the Four Seasons Trail (29 miles, from Newport to Dover-Foxcroft) and the Down East Sunrise Trail (an astounding 96 miles, from Ellsworth to Perry). You never know what you’ll encounter, from hikers and ATVers to horseback riders and snowshoers. have been turned into multi-use trails for snowmobilers, snow-

shoers, cross-country skiers, mountain bikers, ATV riders

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and hikers. These well-maintained multi-use trails provide free public access to miles of scenic vistas and wildlife areas.

These state-owned or leased abandoned railroad beds are also open for public multiple-use access, including three-season ATV use.

To get started, interested users may log onto www.maine.gov/ dacf/parks/trail_activities/atv, and then click Trail Maps and Club pages to find a list of Maine trails open to multi-use access this winter.

Anyone planning to utilize these rail trails should be prepared to meet a wide variety of other users while using these trails.

For example, the Four Seasons Adventure Trail is a 29-mile, multi-use gravel surfaced trail that connects the communities

of Newport, Corinna, Dexter, Sangerville and Dover-Foxcroft.

Beginning in the town of Newport, riders tour the countryside to experience views in two areas along the west side of Sebasticook Lake as well as points near Corinna Bog and the East Branch Sebasticook River.

The trail then meanders through Dexter leading past the northeast side of Lake Wassookeag and on to the town of Dover-Foxcroft. The trail is open to public access yearround except during mud season.

Interestingly, this trail is one of the first in Maine that was opened to public use after the local rail system was declared to be abandoned during the 1980s. Railroad beds previously had been tax-exempt as long as they were active.

When the beds were no longer in use, the property was turned over to the state, which gradually converted them into the multi-use rail trails all Mainers now enjoy.

Down East Sunrise Trail (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 21 (Continued from page 20)

Another great multi-use trail is the Down East Sunrise Trail (DEST), an inter-agency project of the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Department of Conservation.

The trail is 96 miles in total length, from Ellsworth east and north to Perry.

The project has rehabilitated 87 miles of the Calais Branch rail corridor for possible future rail service, while at the same time providing a wide, compact gravel-based trail for immediate use.

The DEST is managed for use by snowmobilers, ATV riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, cross-country skiers, equestrians and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The DEST multi-use trail is open yearround from Ellsworth

east to mile Post 87 (Ayers Junction in Pembroke), except during mud season.

Terms and Conditions Maine’s multi-use rail trails are open to non-motorized and motorized vehicles.

Non-motorized use includes walking, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and skiing.

Any motorized vehicle on a multi-use rail trail must be legally registered as either an ATV or a snowmobile. Vehicles registered or built for traditional highway use, such as cars, trucks, Jeeps and motorcycles, are prohibited.

Other vehicles such as golf carts, scooters/ mopeds or Dual Sport motorcycles must be registered as an ATV to qualify for use on

The Aroostook Valley Trail is a 28-mile trail that connects the towns of Presque Isle, Caribou, Washburn, Woodland and New Sweden.

state owned multi-use rail trails, which have been developed and maintained for snowmobiles and/or ATVs up to 60 inches wide.

Use of certain machinery on Maine’s multi-use rail trails during the winter season is dependent upon snow conditions. If the multi-use rail trail is

snow covered, ATVs and horseback riding are not allowed. When a multi-use rail trail is snow-covered, allowed uses include snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding, skiing and hiking.

If the gravel trail surface is exposed and frozen (no snow) and conditions allow,

ATV use is permitted as long as the trail has not been officially closed.

Informative Signs Signal Limited Use When a section of a multi-use rail trail is closed due to construction or repairs, it’s identified by signs (Continued on next page)

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22 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Multi-Use Rail Trails (Continued from page 21)

stating, “Construction Zone, No Trespassing,” and will be closed to all public use.

Trails closed during mud season will have signs stating “Stop Trail Closed Due To Saturated Soils.” Pedestrian use, defined as walking, jogging or hiking use only, is permitted during mud season.

Organizations or clubs that are planning to conduct a special event or group activity on a multi-use rail trail are required to obtain a Special Use or Condi-

tional Use Permit from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Off-road Recreational Vehicle Office at least four weeks prior to the start of the event.

Additional inquiries regarding Multiuse Rail Trail Policy and/or Permitting, maps and other information should be directed to the Senior Planner in the Offroad Recreational Vehicle Office at (207) 287-5574.

¶

The Southern B&A rail trail extends from Houlton through the towns of Monticello, Bridgewater and Mars Hill, and loops along the southern edge of Presque Isle.

The Kennebec Valley Trail provides spectacular views, while taking riders along the edge of the Kennebec River from Embden through Solon to Bingham.

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24 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

A Wild Ride with the Buck Brothers

by Matt Weber, Author of “Making Tracks” The wonderful thing about owning a brewery AND a snowmobile is figuring out how to combine a little getaway with the sled and also visit someone in the beer business.

If done properly, you can write off at least a portion of the trip as a business expense.

Last March, I

As Josh and Jared Buck bickered about which one of them had taken a wrong turn ten miles back, we began chuckling. The chuckles turned to laughter when we noticed Josh’s empty sled, with its newly-rebuilt engine, suddenly idle up and go rolling off down the trail, with Jared running after it, trying to chase it down. booked a cabin at Eagle Lake, loaded up the trailer with our

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was my father in law Dan and his nephew Will. Our mission was

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to visit Buck Farms in Mapleton. By snowmobile.

The Buck Family in Mapleton has a particularly impressive operation. They manage over 1,000 acres of farmland that is used for potatoes, sunflower seeds, and (most importantly to us) barley.

(Continued on next page)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 25

Jacob Buck giving Dan and Will a tour of the malting facility (Continued from page 24)

Farmers in the County have recently begun growing and malting barley, thereby providing Maine brewers with local grain. We have used the Buck’s malted barley in some of our beers, and we had heard that their operation was truly something to see, so we arranged to meet with the brothers, tour the facility, and then go on a snowmobile ride in the surrounding area – the classic Maine business trip!

Jacob Buck showed us around, ane he was justifiably proud of the operation. The three

of us were astonished at the technology and engineering that had been assembled to properly malt and store the grain, and we could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon with Jacob.

We could have, but we also had sleds to ride.

A Sled Caravan Forms Now, when I first mentioned that we were coming up and asked if they like to go for a ride, I envisioned the three of us and one or two of them, taking a 20-mile trip around Mapleton.

The Bucks, however, had other ideas.

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We pulled into the driveway of the home farm and, while I chatted with Brent and Dan and perused the family’s collection of antique John Deere snowmobiles, I kept hearing sleds pulling up outside.

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Josh and Jared Buck led the expedition, with the rest of us coming along as we saw fit. We tore off from the parking lot of the farm, sleds fan-

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26 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Buck Brothers (Continued from page 25)

edge of Presque Isle, and finally up to Fort Fairfield, where the trail ran along the river.

The Brothers stopped to consider our options. They announced that our destination was the Eureka Tavern, way up in Stockholm, and somehow we had taken a slight detour.

There was a fair amount of ribbing aimed in Josh’s and Jared’s direction, and I noticed a look of amusement from their father Bruce. Naturally, each blamed the other for taking a wrong turn 10 miles back. The chuckles turned into flat-out laughter as Jared’s sled, with its newly-rebuilt engine, suddenly idled up and rolling off

down the trail all by itself while he was over looking at my GPS. He had to chase it down, catching up to it 50 yards down the trail and just before it jettisoned itself over the edge of the bank onto the river.

After corralling the wayward sled, we decided to cross the river, which looked OK, then head north and try to find ITS 83 out of Caribou. Our leaders were quite unconcerned about lost time – or lost trails, for that matter.

They Know How to Have Fun I was riding 3rd in line, right behind both brothers, trying like hell to keep up with them. Honestly, I couldn’t remember

Dead sledder in a tree -- ran out of gas, or talent?

which brother was riding which sled, but it was a delight to watch.

They would often slow down and point out certain things of interest, like the old sled 20 feet up a tree, or a funny warning sign about private property protected by God and

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Remington (and not in that order), or the massive weather radar in Caribou.

Without meaning to do so, they showed me a whole new way of snowmobiling. Theirs was an all-fun and carefree style of riding. One would wheelie his way across an opening, while the other played tag with the back bumper, and then they’d switch and play follow the leader, hopping off snowbanks and skidding around corners.

I’ve never ridden with anyone who had as much fun on sleds as Jared and Josh seem to, and I appreciate what they showed me that day. I have a tendency to take riding a little too seriously, to the point where I’m more concerned about mileage, fuel consumption and the destination than I am about the actual fun of simply riding.

Mission Successful Eventually, well after dark and right about the time everyone was wondering where we were and when we’d get somewhere, the trail ahead

The National Weather Service doppler radar, in Caribou

opened. We could see the lights of a small town, and we pulled up to the Eureka Tavern.

We all tramped our way in, added our gear to the heaping piles of helmets and jackets already dumped by other riders, and took over two huge tables.

I’m pleased to say we behaved ourselves quite well, considering the quality and temptations from the draft list, had a great meal, and tromped our way back out to the sleds an hour later.

The group split at this point, with the Bucks taking the train beds south towards Mapleton, and the three of us journeying back to Eagle Lake.

We arrived back at our cabin that night at 10, the sleds running on empty and tired grins on our faces.

The day had been a huge success and a jaunty ride around the County, and I can’t wait to do it again.

And the next time I’m lost somewhere on the trails, I hope I’m that nonchalant about it.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 27

Maine’s Mystery Chowder Fish

by Steve Carpenteri Ask any old-time Maine ice-angler to name the best main ingredient for a hearty winter chowder, and the answer is always the same: cusk.

This is guaranteed to start a lively conversation starting with the universal question, “What is a cusk?” Few anglers except those who ply the state’s deepest freshwater lakes in winter know of or have even seen a cusk; however, hold one in your hands for the first time and you will never forget it.

Cusk are, by far, the ugliest fish that swims in Maine’s inland waters. And to catch them, you’ve got to stay up all night, checking your traps every hour. However, they are easy to catch, and their taste rivals that of Atlantic cod. So get out there and enjoy the winter angler’s remedy for cabin fever!

Maine’s cusk are not the prettiest fish that swim, but most anglers agree -- they makes for very tasty winter chowder. Image courtesy of MDIFW.

Cusk are, by far, the ugliest fish that swims in Maine’s in-

land waters. Only the evil, invasive “snakehead” is scarier but, so

far, those creepy predatory monsters are comparatively scarce

this far north. They are coming, no doubt (just ask proponents of climate change and global warming).

Meanwhile, at least, our native cusk is the beast of the hour, with two extremely redeeming social values: 1) cusk are easy to catch; and 2) their flesh rivals the taste of the revered Atlantic cod.

Cusk Primer According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, cusk average (Continued on next page)

Sebago Lake & Cumberland County Derby 2020 Sebago Lake Area Derby February 22 & 23, 2020

www.icefishingderby.com

Kids Ice Fishing Derby March 7, 2020 Range Pond • Poland, ME

New Rules & New Fish Pool Prizes! Visit our website to register and learn more!

www.MaineSportsman.com

28 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Chowder Fish (Continued from page 27)

18 inches and 24 ounces in their eighth year

of growth, 20 inches and 32 ounces in their

10th year, and 24 inches and 62 ounces in their 13th year.

According to state records maintained

by The Maine Sports-

man (see www.MaineSportsman.com/hunting-fishing-records/), the largest cusk caught in Maine weighed 18 pounds, 8 ounces, and

Ice Fishing

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was hauled through the ice at Eagle Lake

by Annette Dumond of Ft. Kent in March of 1986.

Cusk have an elongated body with a broad, flattened triangular head. The mouth is large and wide. A single chin barbel adorns the lower jaw.

Scales are small and embedded, giving cusk (a/k/a burbot) the appearance of being slimy.

The anal and dorsal fins run nearly half the length of the body.

In Maine, coloration ranges from a tan to dark brown background overlaid with dark brown, to black mottling or spots. Some may be (Continued on next page)

BAIT DEALERS DIRECTORY

AUBURN

DAG’S BAIT & TACKLE

559 Minot Avenue • 207-783-0388 Complete Line of Ice Fishing Supplies

Smelts • Shiners • Suckers • Tommy Cods • Worms

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Open Daily • 6 Gage St. Shiners, worms, all kinds of tackle, traps, augers, jiging equipment

207-647-8100 CHESTERVILLE

BACKWOODS BAIT & TACKLE 307 Vienna Road, Chesterville • (207) 468-0055

JAY

GOOD LIFE GUNS

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275 Main Street • Jay, ME Ice Fishing Supplies – Jet Sleds LIVE BAIT (207) 500-2327

271 Main Street, Route 26 • (207) 998-5390 OPEN 8AM EVERY DAY Live Bait • Full Tackle Shop Smelts • Shiners • Worms • Crawlers

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274 West Broadway • 207-403-8000

Shiners • Suckers • Worms & Crawlers Smelts • Walk-in or Reserved Open Daily – 207-534-2261 Brad & Maggie Scott - Reg. Maine Guide

Shot Guns • Rifles • Pistols • Ammo Smelts • Suckers • Shiners • Worms • Ice Tackle Open Mon-Thu 9AM-6PM • Fri 6AM–6PM • Sat 6AM–4PM

Resident & Non-Resident Licenses - Snowmobile Registrations

MONMOUTH

SOLON

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Ice Fishing Outfitters Smelts • Shiners • Pike Bait

BAIT, BOLTS & BULLETS All Your Ice Fishing Needs SMELTS - SHINERS - SUCKERS Licenses, Tackle, Augers, Sleds OPEN DAILY AT 6AM

Smelts, Shiners, Suckers, Eastern Silver Minnows, Tommy Cods, Worms, Crawlers, Ice Fishing Supplies Mon-Thu 5am–7pm, Fri 5am–8pm, Sat 4am–7pm, Sun 4am–4pm

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JACKMAN

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MOONEY’S LIVE BAIT

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9 Elm St., Jackman, ME 04945 • 1-800-644-5621

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Packed in oxygen-filled bags for travel Bait Shop Open 5am Thurs, Fri Sat 1/2 Mi. East from I-95 Exit 197 • 207-827-7032

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SEBAGO BAIT

- Ice Fishing Supplies & Tackle 483 Roosevelt Trail, Rt. 302 207-894-7141 • Open 7 Days Reserve Your Bait Online at www.SebagoBait.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 29 (Continued from page 28)

uniformly dark brown or black.

If you catch something that resembles a dark-colored, fat, flat eel, you have probably caught yourself a nice cusk. Into the chowder pot it goes!

Biologists who do this sort of thing say that Maine cusk stomachs usually include yellow perch, suckers and (unfortunately) trout. Crayfish are also an important component of a cusk’s diet, especially in winter.

The cusk is a feeding machine that competes with – and eats – our most popular coldwater sport fish species, so catching one does other Maine anglers a favor.

Cusk-Catching Tactics Cusk feed primarily at night, generally near the bottom. This is essentially all one

needs to know about cusk fishing, other than the fact that all lines set through the ice at night (sunset to sunrise) for cusk must be checked at least once every hour by the person who set them.

Bait up with a large shiner or sucker, even a generous chunk of cut bait, and drop all lines to within a foot or two of the bottom – no matter how deep the lake. Many lakes in northern Maine (where cusk are abundant and popular with nighttime fishermen) are over 100 feet deep.

Gear Ice-fishing rigs should include plenty of weight (6 ounces is not too much) at the end of the line to keep the bait where it belongs in order to counter underwater turbulence caused by spring holes, current flows and ice movement throughout the

Anglers targeting Maine’s cusk (a/k/a burbot) show up equipped to spend the night. All lines are dropped to the bottom, and the long wait begins!

Carpenteri photo

night. Use as much weight as necessary to keep the bait close to the bottom, and avoid having water flows carry the bait back up the water column to nearly under the ice.

Stout, sturdy line in the 20-pound class is not too heavy for cusk fishing. During Maine’s shoe-factory hey-day, many anglers

filled their reels with waxed, nylon Littleway Stitcher thread.

One could literally tow a vehicle with the stuff, yet it was heavy yet flexible enough to allow an angler to haul his catch up from even the very deepest water.

Hooks in the 4/0 to 8/0 size are not too large for cusk fishing.

Impale the bait or fish in such a way that the hook point barely pokes out of the skin.

Usually Hooks Itself When a cusk takes the bait, it’s likely to (Continued on next page)

Greenland Cove Cabins Lakeside Lodging on East Grand Lake

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151 Ridge Road, Monmouth, ME (207) 933-9499 — Open 7 Days a Week —

www.jacktraps.com www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Chowder Fish ICE FISHING DERBY (Continued from page 29) — Little Ossoppee Lake —

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH

7AM–3PM • Gobeil Park Boat Launch, Waterboro Benefits K–12 Students in Special Education & Adults in Need

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inhale it as it moves along, all but guaranteeing a solid hook set. Cusk are not shy, tentative nibblers – oh no! They grab and swallow as they cruise along the bottom.

By the time the news reaches the flag, the fish is most likely solidly hooked and ready to be hauled to the surface. Take up the slack line and set the hook if you must,

Cusk fishing is often compared to watching paint dry, but when the flags begin to fly there could be a fish weighing 10 pounds or more on the line.

Carpenteri photo

but in most cases the fish takes care of all that before the angler

MEXICO LION’S CLUB ICE FISHING DERBY IS BACK! MERCIER MEMORIAL LARRY 40th Annual

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even knows it’s on the line.

Some anglers prefer to add additional flash to their rigs by placing large spinner blades, beads and assorted other attractors to the line just about the bait. Go with whatever works, but in most cases it is so dark and murky at the bottom in winter that no light is available to provide additional pop to the setup.

Cusk are the winter angler’s nighttime remedy for cabin fever.

Drop all lines to the bottom, and have the chowder fixin’s simmering on the stove.

This, my friends, is what winter in Maine is all about!

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 31

Basic Boat Gear – Part 1

by Bob Humphrey You finally decided to do it. You’re tired of working like a dog all day, and have bought into the country song that’s been telling you: “Money can’t buy happiness, but it could buy me a boat.”

So you’ve got the boat – what other gear do you need? Well, before you take what little cash you have left and use it to purchase a Yeti 110 cooler to ice down your Coors Light “silver bullets,” there’s some other equipment you should consider to ensure you and your passengers have a safe and pleasant boating experience.

Safety First – Starting with PFDs Let’s start with the mandatory safety equipment required by law.

First and foremost, you need to have a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)approved, wearable Personal Flotation Device (PFD) for each person on board, as well as a USCGapproved throwable PFD. Recreational boaters can choose between Type I, Type II or Type III PFDs. This includes both conventional and inflatable

readily available.

So you’ve purchased you boat -- now what gear do you need to purchase to allow you and your passengers to travel and recreate comfortably and safely?

types.

Children 10 years of age or younger must wear a PFD at all times while on board.

While adult PFDs are acceptable for kids, they’re not the right tool for the job. If you’re going to have kids on the boat, they should have PFDs that fit them properly.

Adults are not required to wear PFDs, but it’s not a bad idea, especially in rough water or when boating alone. If you’re not inclined to wear a conventional PFD, consider the inflatable type. They lack the bulk that may constrain your mobility.

However, in order to be acceptable as meeting requirements, they must be worn.

Throwable devices include things like

seat cushions and ring buoys. Like the PFDs, they must have a la-

bel indicating they are USCG-approved. And they should always be

Lights Navigation lights are also mandatory for night use, but requirements vary depending on the type and size of watercraft (see specific regulations). Many motor boats will have nav lights already installed, though some smaller ones may not.

There is a variety of after-market lights available including stick-on, clip on and (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

32 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

★ ★ ★ SAVE THE DATE ★ ★ ★ for the 40th Annual

Basic Boat Gear (Continued from page 31)

State of Maine Sportsman’s Show!

March 27–29, 2020

Augusta Civic Center • Augusta, Maine Stay tuned to the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show Facebook page and website www.show.mainesportsman.com for updates!

Pland! DON’T WAIT APlan SPRING! head!

Ahea UNTIL — Boat Tops, Covers & Interiors — Schedule boat top, cover and seat repair work for the off season.

Some items can be left with us all winter for spring pick-up!

We do pontoon boats, too!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL SPRING!

Call Now for More Information

COVERS IT ALL UPHOLSTERY & CANVAS Central Maine’s Largest Upholstery Service Oakland • (207) 465-7847 • www.coversitallupholstery.com — A full time, full service shop where experience counts! —

Children ages 10 and under must wear PFDs at all times while on board. It’s important that kids’ life jackets fit properly and comfortably.

magnetic ones. In any case, make sure they are in good, serviceable condition before embarking. It’s not just about you – other boaters need to be able to see you as well.

Fire Extinguishers Rules regarding fire extinguishers are a bit more diverse (and confusing), but it’s up to you to know the rules and ensure you are in compliance. Whether (Continued on next page)

REEL IN THE SAVINGS Includes Free Standard Travel Cover on Select Models Spring Catch Ends March 29, 2020

Contact Your Local Suzuki Marine Dealer for Current Promotions!

BAR HARBOR Lake & Sea Boatworks 204 Knox Road (207) 288-8961 www.lakeandsea.com www.MaineSportsman.com

PORTLAND Portland Yacht Services 100 W. Commercial Street (207) 774-1067 www.portlandyacht.com

Marina: 633 White’s Bridge Road, Standish, ME 207-892-4913 Hours: Mon–Fri 8AM–4:30PM

Annex: Route 302, Windham, ME 207-892-9664 Hours: Tue–Fri 8AM–5PM, Sat 8AM–3PM

www.richardsonsby.com

All dollar values are USD. Participating dealers are responsible for a portion of the rebate, and may affect final negotiated price. Dealer sets actual price. Prices may vary by dealer. Offer expires 3/29/20. See dealer for further details.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 33 (Continued from page 32)

All boaters should wear polarized sunglasses to cut down on sun and reflected water glare. It’s especially important for anglers, allowing them to see fish in the water and avoid the dangers associated with flying fish hooks.

or not required (and in most cases they are), it’s still a good idea.

In most cases, one B-I extinguisher will meet requirements for vessels under 26 feet.

Again, check the regulations, and make sure it is in proper working order.

Distress Signals According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Visual Distress Signals (VDSs) are not required on inland waters in Maine, but boaters are encouraged to have them on board. In most cases they are required on the ocean.

Here again, choices vary among handheld and floating orange smoke, pistol-projected or hand-held red flares, electric lights and orange flags. If you’re not sure, most

Stop by Your Local Evinrude Dealer for the Details!

PORTLAND Portland Yacht Services 100 W. Commercial Street (207) 774-1067 www.portlandyacht.com ROCKPORT Yachting Solutions 56 New County Road (207) 236-8100 ext. 116 www.yachtingsolutions.com ©2019 BRP US Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®,™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates. Offer valid only to qualified buyers on purchases of engines bought for recreational use only. Excludes engines purchased under commercial, professional, and government programs. Offer is valid in North America only on new and unused Evinrude E-TEC® and E-TEC G2® engines purchased, delivered and registered between 12/1/19 and 1/31/20 at an authorized, participating Evinrude dealer. 7-YEAR COVERAGE: Subject to all exclusions, limitations of liabilities, and all other terms and conditions of BRP’s standard limited warranty and B.E.S.T. contract including without limitation the exclusions of damages caused by abuse, abnormal use or neglect (see B.E.S.T. contract for specific details of coverage and exclusions). Offer effective on all new and unused 15 H.O. and above Evinrude E-TEC and E-TEC G2 outboard engines. Eligible models will receive 7-year coverage (3 years of BRP Limited Warranty and 4 years of BRP Extended Service Terms [B.E.S.T.] coverage) subject to a $50 deductible on each repair. Benefit offered to Florida residents is a 7-year BRP Limited Warranty. Evinrude Jet Series engines are eligible for 7-year coverage offer on the upper unit only. The jet pump assembly will only receive a 3-year BRP limited warranty.All rigging components purchased on the same bill of sale as the engine, will be covered under the same BRP Extended Service Terms as the engine. **$2000 REBATE: Offer is valid on all new and unused 150 HP – 300 HP E-TEC G2 outboard engines. Offer excludes inline 3-cylinder E-TEC G2 150 HP K models.

The consumer will receive a rebate which is to be denoted on the bill of sale, off the purchase price agreed upon with qualified, authorized Evinrude dealer. Rebates may not be substituted, transferred or exchanged for cash. Offer subject to change without notice. See your authorized, qualified Evinrude dealer for details.Terms and conditions apply. Offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. OFFER VOID WHERE RESTRICTED OR OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

boat shops, sporting goods retailers and marine suppliers carry standard kits containing the minimum mandatory requirements.

Next month: Anchors, lines, electronics and the importance of boater education.

¶

Capt. Bob Humphrey is a registered Maine guide with fishing, tidewater fishing and commercial boat operator endorsements and a U.S.C.G. licensed captain who operates inshore and offshore fishing charters; see www.sportventures.net.

BAR HARBOR Bowden Marine Service 713 Norway Drive (207) 288-5247 www.BowdenMarine.com

JONESPORT Moosabec Marine 3 Rosemary Lane (207) 497-2196 www.Moosabec.com

BRUNSWICK New Meadows Marina 450 Bath Road (207) 443-6277 www.NewMeadowsMarina.com

THOMASTON Jeff’s Marine 2 Brooklyn Heights Road (207) 354-8777 www.JeffsMarine.com

FREEPORT New Meadows Marina 132-2 US Route 1 (207) 869-4008 www.NewMeadowsMarina.com

WATERVILLE Hamlin’s Marine 290 West River Road 207-872-5660 www.HamlinsMarine.com

HAMPDEN Hamlin’s Marine 581 Main Road North 207-907-4385 www.HamlinsMarine.com

ROCHESTER, NH NECC Boats 144 Flagg Road (603) 335-1570 www.NECCBoats.com

*PROGRAM TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Consumer benefit for purchasing a new (unused, not previously warranty registered) Yamaha four-stroke outboard is based on horsepower as follows: (i) 2.5-300 hp is a choice of either a 24-month Yamaha Extended Service contract (choice offered in Florida is a 24-month Yamaha Limited Warranty), or a credit based on MSRP toward the purchase of goods and/or services at the authorized participating dealer that sold the outboard, at no extra cost to consumer (“Promotion Credit”); or (ii) 350 hp is a choice of either a 12-month Yamaha Extended Service contract (choice offered in Florida is a 12-month Yamaha Limited Warranty), or Promotion Credit. NO BENEFIT SUBSTITUTIONS. To be eligible, outboards must also have been manufactured since January 2013. Promotion is only applicable from authorized participating Yamaha Outboard dealers in the USA, sold to purchasing consumers residing in the USA. Promotion is limited to available stock in dealer inventory that is sold, PDI completed, delivered and warranty registered on YMBS by the dealer in accordance with Yamaha’s Promotion and warranty registration requirements during applicable dates. No model substitutions, benefit substitutions, extensions or rain checks will be allowed. Outboards sold or provided for commercial, camp, resort, rental, promotional/demo, government agency, competition, tournament or sponsorship use are not eligible. This Promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other Yamaha offer. Some exceptions may apply. See authorized participating Yamaha outboard dealer for complete details. Yamaha reserves the right to change or cancel this Promotion at any time. Other restrictions and conditions may apply. REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear. © 2020 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

www.MaineSportsman.com

34 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Refresh. Repower. Rebate.

OR

Contact Your Local Mercury Outboards Dealer for Details!

MACHIAS Whitney’s Tri-Town Marine 29 Dublin Street (207) 255-3392 www.tritownmarine.com

Dealer opportunities available in certain areas, contact Tom at Thomas.D@hewittrad.com.

Visit Your Local Honda Marine Dealer for Details!

ELLSWORTH Pirie Marine 53 Sunset Park Road (207) 664-0500 piriemarine.com MACHIAS Whitney’s Tri-Town Marine 29 Dublin Street (207) 255-3392 www.tritownmarine.com

PORTLAND Portland Yacht Services 100 W. Commercial Street (207) 774-1067 www.portlandyacht.com

STANDISH Richardson’s Boat Yard 633 White’s Bridge Road (207) 892-4913 www.richardsonsby.com YORK York Harbor Marine 20 Harris Island Road (207) 363-3602 www.yorkharbormarine.com

*At participating dealers only. Qualifying retail customers may receive instant savings off the selling price of a Honda powered boat package or Honda Marine engine(s) sold for repower. This promotion is limited to new Honda Marine 40 HP through 250 HP outboard engines, 2014 and newer models, sold and delivered between January 2, 2020 and March 31, 2020 and registered by the Dealer in accordance with American Honda Motor Co., Inc.’s sales registration requirements. Only Honda Marine outboard engines sold for personal use qualify for this promotion. Fleet, commercial & government sales are ineligible. Engines sold under special pricing / promotions including (but not limited to) demo and tournament fisherman engines are also excluded. Honda Marine reserves the right to modify, amend, cancel or revoke, in whole or in part, this promotion at any time without prior notice. **Boat Show Only savings promotion can only be applied to eligible units sold by an Authorized Honda Marine Dealer at regional boat shows or open houses and delivered to the customer by March 31, 2020 and registered by the Dealer in accordance with American Honda Motor Co., Inc.’s sales registration requirements. Only units sold for personal, non-commercial use qualify. Units sold by Honda Marine under special sales programs, including Fleet Sales, Demo or Tournament Fisherman program are NOT eligible for this promotion.© 2020 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual. All Honda outboards meet EPA and CARB emission levels.

www.MaineSportsman.com

SHAPLEIGH Parker’s Boathouse 86 Emery Road (207) 636-2722 www.parkersboathouse.com

All Repower retail sales must be completed between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020. ELIGIBLE ENGINES: Rebate - Outboard engines: 9.9 ProKicker, 15 ProKicker, 40 – 150 models (FourStroke, Pro XS and Jet) and 350 & 400 models. Repower sales only, i.e., units sold direct to dealers from Mercury Marine. Consumer Financing - Outboard engines: 40 – through 400 models (FourStroke, Pro XS and Jet).

Includes the new V6 and V8 models 175-300hp! EXCLUSIONS: Excludes boat package engines. All Pacemaker, Mercury Racing, Government, previously registered engines, donations, as well as engines sold for commercial, camp or resort applications and sales/registrations outside the United States are excluded. Professional Guide and Boat Club units are excluded as well. Also excludes any non-U.S. resident, or address outside of the U.S. Engines originally sold to a Boatbuilder are also excluded. Engines on the Angling or Sponsorship program do not qualify. Consumers are only eligible for one benefit on the qualified repower engine. OFFER VOID WHERE RESTRICTED OR OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Rebate amounts vary by engine model. Limited time promotional financing offer available through Medallion Bank and administered by Brunswick Financial Services Corporation. On all loans approved under this program, buyer has the option of making no down payment and no payments for 6 months. Interest will begin to accrue on the principle balance at the end of the promotional period, 7 months from the loan closing date, at the rate listed on the Simple Interest Note and Security Agreement.

For example, if the loan were for $10,000.00 for 84 months at a contract rate of 8.99% Annual Percentage Rate (APR), the regular monthly payment would be $160.84. Approval, and any rates and terms provided, are based on credit worthiness. Offer available to residents of the USA except in the states of Montana and West Virginia. Minimum amount financed is $5,000, maximum amount financed is $50,000.

Dealer sets actual sale prices. Both the promotional financing offer and the rebate offer apply to Engines purchased between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020 at authorized, participating Mercury dealers.

Standard 3-year limited warranty applies, and any applicable promotional warranty that may be offered and is within the program guidelines. All Pacemaker, Mercury Racing, Government, previously registered engines, donations, as well as engines sold for commercial, camp or resort applications and sales/registrations outside the United States are excluded. Also excludes any non-U.S. resident, or address outside of the U.S. Engines originally sold to a Boatbuilder are also excluded. Engines on the Angling or Sponsorship program do not qualify. Consumers are only eligible for one benefit on the qualified repower engine.

Promotional financing offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. OFFER VOID WHERE RESTRICTED OR OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Our outboard motors are about a whole lot more than just the specs. A truly great motor delivers it all: PERFORMANCE, SAFETY, and the ULTIMATE EASE OF USE. Visit Your Local Dealer for the Models & Promotions!

PORTLAND North Atlantic Inflatables 400 Commercial Street 207-844-1742 northatlanticinflatables.com SPRUCE HEAD J&H Marine 670 Spruce Head Road 207-596-5511

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 35

WHAT A NIGHT! We saved a snowmobiler’s life – or so we thought, until we got the bad news in a phone call from the hospital. Then, an hour later, the phone rang again.

The evening of February 3, 1996, was cold and windy. I was at home in Unity when I got a call from the Augusta State Police Barracks explaining that a man from the Bowdoin area was missing on his snowmobile and had been missing for several hours. I advised the barracks to notify Wdn. Doug Kulis of Georgetown to meet me in the Bowdoin area ASAP. Doug got to the complainants’ home before I did and interviewed family members as to where the missing person might have gone. Doug was told that the man had called home from a store in the Bowdoin area to say he had purchased some beer, taken some pills, and was headed back out on his sled.

Doug and I met at the store in Bowdoin and briefly interviewed the person working there that night. The man we were looking for had bought a six pack and then headed out on his sled dressed only in light cotton coveralls.

It was now nearing minus-10 degrees with heavy winds.

Following the Elan’s Track Wdn. Kulis suggested that he take his sled and ride from the store along the trail toward the missing man’s home, while I waited at the store for

searchers from the local fire department to arrive.

Doug knew the man he was looking for was riding an older Ski Doo Elan.

Along the trail, Doug was occasionally able to pick out the Elan’s distinctive track pattern. About two miles from the store, Doug noticed a track leaving the main trail and disappearing into a pine grove.

Following the track, Doug found Mr. Jackson (not his real name) lying beside his sled. Doug immediately radioed me and said that he had found the missing man unconscious and that he had a very weak and shallow pulse.

Barely Alive I looked at a map of the area and decided that the quickest way to get to Doug and Mr. Jackson was to drive around to the victim’s home and then hike in an old skidder trail, which I did.

When I got to the pine grove, I found Mr. Jackson covered with Doug’s sleeping bag but barely alive. We decided that the only way to get Mr. Jackson out to a waiting ambulance quickly would be for me to lie on the seat of Doug’s longtracked Arctic Cat and hold Mr. Jackson on top of me while Doug piloted the sled out the skidder trail.

We got him out to

the ambulance where the ambulance crew took over. When they left for the hospital in Brunswick, Mr. Jackson was alive and in good hands.

Bad News On my way back to Unity I stopped at the state police barracks in Augusta to visit with the dispatchers and to explain to them what had actually happened. While I was explaining the incident to them, the phone rang, and I could tell by the demeanor of the dispatcher taking the call that it was not good news.

After she hung up, she said, “You know the man that you and Kulis saved tonight?

Well, he died in the ambulance.” I went from a high to a low in a second.

As was required by protocol at the time, I notified Lt. Greg Mahar of the Warden Service who was Statewide O.D. that night.

Greg and I had started work for the Warden Service the same day and were sworn in together. I briefly explained to him what our response had been and what had happened.

After about an hour of visiting with the dispatchers and talking over the night’s incidents, I watched the dispatcher on the phones take another call. After a brief conversation she said,

Warden Kulis followed the snowmobiler’s track until it veered off the mail trail and disappeared into a pine grove. Soon, he located the missing man, who was unconscious and whose heart was beating weakly.

“Ok. He’s still here. I’ll tell him.”

News of a Different Type She turned to me and said, “You know that man that you and Kulis got out of the woods tonight that died? Well, that was the hospital, and he has come back to life.”

She said that the hospital had warmed him up and then got his heart started.

Now I had to call Lt. Mahar back and tell him to disregard my previous message and that the man had come back to life at the hospital. Greg thought that I was messing with him at 2:00 a.m., was not happy, and wanted to know if I had been drinking. I assured him that I was completely serious and sober as a judge.

The next day, Wdn. Kulis and I drove to the Brunswick hospital to interview Mr. Jackson to see what had happened and to try to make some sense of the whole thing. At the front door of the hospital as we were going in, we met Mr. Jackson and

his mom coming out.

He seemed perfectly fine.

Medical Miracle I said, “Hey, aren’t you the guy that Doug and I hauled out of the woods last night?” He said that he was and thanked us. After a brief conversation, he went on to say that he had enrolled in a program there at the hospital to help him stop drinking. As we parted ways he said, “Booze killed me once, but it ain’t going to do it again.”

Doug and I went inside the hospital and spoke with an E.R. nurse who explained that Mr. Jackson had no vital signs for 45 minutes. The staff at the hospital had wrapped him in special heated blankets to bring his body temperature back up and then got his heart started and he regained consciousness. The nurse went on to explain that the man was a “medical miracle.” To this day, I marvel at what happened that night.

¶

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36 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Fat Tire Bikes Making Tracks in Katahdin Country Christmas,1971 treated this 11-yearold boy exceptionally well. Under the tree sat a brand-new Honda 50 minibike. With winter already set in, it looked like an anxious young rider would have to wait until spring before twisting the throttle on his new ride.

Until, that is, one cold Saturday afternoon, when my dad loaded the yellow minibike into the back of his truck (along with my brother and I), and headed to a local pond for some ice fishing.

The pond had a layer of crusty snow – the perfect surface for the bike’s knobby tires to bite into. While dad chipped holes in the ice, I motored around to my heart’s content.

As my confidence soared, I did what most

I was 11 years old, running my new Honda minibike on the crusty snow atop the ice. As I gained confidence, I did what any youngster in my circumstance would do – I kept increasing the bike’s speed faster and faster, certain that the knobby tires would continue to provide sufficient grip.

Fat-tired bikes have started showing up on Katahdin Region lakes and ponds. These all-terrain bicycles have studded snow tires that dig into the ice, opening up a whole new world of cycling for the self-propelled crowd.

All photos courtesy NEOC

11-year-olds would do – throttled up and went faster with each lap around the small mill pond. As the other

ice fishermen watched, I put on a show.

Then, out of nowhere, a patch of ice, with no crusty snow

shielding me from disaster, separated me from my small motorcycle. When I stopped rolling in the snow, I

noticed everyone having a good chuckle.

No injuries to report – just some busted-up pride and a lesson in what usually happens to show-offs.

Fat Tire Studs While I was chatting recently with Alish Keating from New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) located in Millinocket, she mentioned something that brought back memories of that ill-fated icy patch.

“We have fat tire bikes for riding around the pond,” she explained.

“Oh boy,” I thought.

“How’s that working out?” I queried.

Keating explained how the fat tire bikes have winter tires with studs to keep them from sliding all over (Continued on next page)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 37 (Continued from page 36)

the ice.

“Mmmm, studded tires might have kept that Honda 50 upright and at full throttle,” I mused to myself.

Fat tire bikes have risen in popularity, given their versatile ability to navigate marginal roadways, logging trails and now winter riding conditions. With the option to add studded snow tires, these self-propelled machines have pedaled their way into being a true four-season recreational vehicle.

NEOC, located on the shores of Millinocket Lake, caters to the adventurous types looking to recreate in Maine’s winter playground. Snowmobiling receives the lion’s share of attention during February’s all too-short month.

Not everyone has designs on making use of internal combustion engines. This allows the studded fat tire bike to fill an important niche for those spending time on one of Katahdin Country’s many frozen lakes.

These bikes have a low gear ratio, designed to handle marginal terrain along with soft ground. The studded tire alternative gives riders the confidence to travel on the hard water or other icy roads without trepidation.

I’d recommend wearing a helmet just in case. I’m pretty sure the little white half-helmet I wore as a kid saved me from having a few dents in my head.

More Self Propelled Keating also mentioned that NEOC has 16 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, as well as an additional six miles of

It seems everyone has to stop and take a photo in front of this iconic rock/sign. The Katahdin Woods and Waters Scenic Byway has plenty of great spots to stop and take a selfie.

groomed snowshoeing trails.

One of the keys to operating a successful business is to make it easy for folks to do business with your company. The folks at NEOC excel at this.

They have all the necessary equipment available for rent.

This makes trying new sports inexpensive. Just rent the appropriate equipment, get a little advice, and give it a go. NEOC rents snowshoes, cross country skis, snowmobiles, winter clothes and those cool fat-tired bikes.

Many moons ago, on another one of my ill-fated trips, I decided to try downhill skiing. So, I rented the skis, took a lesson and shoved off.

Things went well until it came time to turn and cut-back across the ski slope.

I got tangled up, fell, slid down the mountain in a knot. Fortunately, someone at the bottom of the hill took pity on me and released my bindings.

For very little money, I knew downhill skiing wasn’t for me. Renting is a great

way to try different sports without making a large financial commitment.

Millinocket Lake With 8,960 acres of ice, Millinocket Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 43, A-2) has plenty of room for a fat tire bike or two. Ice fishermen, on the other hand, target this water for salmon, brook trout and cusk.

The rules for Millinocket Lake include a special restricted November ice-fishing season and a 2-trout limit, so check the regulations (www.maine.gov/ifw/ fishing-boating/fishi n g / l a w s-ru l e s/ sp e cial-laws.html) before drilling any holes.

Millinocket Lake has a diverse fishery.

Its large size makes it possible to produce well as a cold-water fishery while at the same time providing a healthy warm-water fish population.

The brook trout and salmon tend to congregate at the northwest end of the lake. White perch and pickerel dominate the southern and eastern shoreline.

I still use the old

It takes some serious machinery to maintain award-winning trails. The men and women who operate groomers often spend all night smoothing out rough spots along the snowmobile trails.

Most lodges have trail access right to and from their facility.

This makes it easy to haul a sled north without worrying about where to park the trailer vehicle.

NEOC has a fleet of 30 snowmobiles they rent. The machine comes with a helmet, and an extensive orientation program – perfect for those new to sledding and a reminder course for old sled jockeys.

They even have it set up so time-limited travelers can view the instructional video and fill out the Sled Release Form online before arriving. This attention to detail makes renting a machine super-easy.

I’m looking forward to testing those studded fat tires soon.

Maine Fishing Maps

by DeLorme to get a handle on depths and recommendations for what type of fish seem to hang where. A google search will turn up similar information.

Snowmobile Katahdin The Katahdin Region, arguably amongst the most scenic venues in New England, offers an incredible network of groomed snowmobile trails ready for snow travel.

Local snowmobile clubs groom the trails throughout the night so winter wanderers can have a smooth, trouble-free riding experience. A quick look around most lodges will turn up a groomer or two parked during the daylight hours.

Take a minute to marvel at the size of these tracked machines.

¶

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38 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Stream Crossing 101

by Hal Blood

If you are a serious Big Woods buck tracker, you know that sooner or later a buck is going to take you to a stream or river. A lot of times it is to try and shake you off its track.

Deer learn at an early age that by going to water, their scent is hidden from coyotes, which are a deer’s #1 threat.

One a buck has learned that he can escape danger by either crossing a stream or walking up or down in it, it will use that knowledge to its advantage.

When a coyote follows a buck to a stream, it has no idea when the buck went.

The canine may spend some time searching for the scent again, but that delay has given the buck ample time to put some distance between them.

I’ve even followed bucks that will walk down a skidder rut with water in it until the end. This will even slow up a coyote, but it doesn’t have to slow up a hunter.

Be Prepared Water barriers come in all shapes and sizes, but most of them can be navigated if you’re prepared for it. The first way to be prepared is to have your pant legs sealed to your boots. Some people use boot bands or canning jar rubbers, and they work great.

I prefer to duct tape my cuffs, not only because it keeps the water from going over the www.MaineSportsman.com

You’ve followed the big buck’s tracks to the edge of a fast-moving stream. Do you turn around, or do you cross over and continue your pursuit? It all depends on whether you’ve prepared yourself – and here’s how.

Hunters who don’t follow a trophy buck across the water have zero percent chance of shooting the big animal. Hal Blood photo

top of my boots, but it also keeps ice from forming around my cuffs. Ice will not form on duct tape and since it is about two inches wide, it covers the portion of your cuffs the most susceptible to icing up.

I do not tape my pant legs to my boots.

Rather, I fold the cuff over, and tape about a half an inch from the bottom edge of the cuff. I make about two wraps around and make it snug, but still allows my cuffs to slide up and down on my boots when I walk or kneel down.

Stay on Your Buck A buck will usually cross a stream at a shallow point, which make it easy enough for us to follow. If there are stones underwater in the stream, make sure you step between them or on gravel if

there is any. Stones underwater are usually slippery, and stepping on them is a good way to fall.

If the water is not over your boots, take your time so you don’t fall. If the stream is over your boots or is running fast enough to put drag on your legs, find a stick to help keep your balance.

Once you enter a fast stream is not the time to discover that you should have a stick for balance.

If the stream has enough stones that are above the water, you can step from stone to stone and once again a stick will help you keep your balance. (On a side note, if there is ice on the stones, do not step on them or your will surely get a cold bath.)

If the water is over your boots, take a minute to look up or down-

stream for a shallower spot. A log or beaver dam is also a good place to cross.

If you have to cross when you know the water is over your boots, move as quickly as you can and pick your feet up the best that you can. This will help keep water from working its way up. You may feel you knees getting wet, but it is just water seeping through your wool pants. It will drain down your pantlegs and dry up fairly quickly.

If there is enough powdery snow, you can take a minute to rub the snow on your pantlegs which will pull the moisture out of them.

Never Give Up! Another trick I use quite often when I know that I will be in an area with a lot

of streams, especially if they are running high from run-off, is to carry a couple of trash bags in my pack. The black 39-gallon ones are fairly tough, and are strong enough to keep from ripping easily. I put a bag on each leg and tie them off at the top. I hold onto the top edge of both bags in front of my crotch.

I take my time with the bags on, as there is more drag on your legs.

You can use a stick in the other hand if you have a sling for your gun or like I do, use a nylon cord as a sling to get across.

In any event, be careful when crossing any water, and if for some reason you fall down and get wet, take a half an hour to build a fire and get warmed up. It will be a miserable day if you don’t, especially if you have water in your boots. If you wring out your socks, you should be able to dry them in a short time. You can also carry a spare pair, as they don’t weigh anything.

Crossing a stream when the buck takes you to one instead of leaving the track, will put your odds of catching the buck 100% higher. Things like this are what will put you in the top percentile of buck trackers, by keeping going under circumstances in which most hunters would give up!

¶

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Taking the Buck of 100 Lifetimes Each year a handful of jaw-dropping monster bucks are killed by hunters across North America.

Most of them are killed in Midwestern states like Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, and Nebraska. Some are killed in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and still others killed south of our border in Mexico.

Every now and then, a Maine deer hunter shoots a giant that gains national attention. Well, this year, one lucky – and hard-working – Maine deer hunter was fortunate enough to shoot a headline-grabbing monster buck. Here’s the story of the “Allagash Droptine” buck.

54 year old Wayne Bernier of Allagash, Maine, owner of Allagash Adventures Guide Service, is the fortunate hunter who took down the local legend on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

Wayne is a lifelong and passionate deer hunter. According to friends and family, Wayne hunts hard and is an excellent tracker.

Canceled Assignment Frees Up Wayne’s Time As Wayne ex-

Wayne has hunted this hilly region of the Allagash for 40 years. It’s rugged country – so rugged that some folks won’t venture onto those ridges. He began following the deer’s tracks because they were headed in the same direction as his truck. Then he saw where the deer had stopped to rub a tree, and he started to get excited.

Some local residents have been keeping an eye on “Droptine” over the years as its antlers developed their distinctive shape. Here’s the big buck in 2014 (top), and again in 2017.

plained it to me, he was supposed to be guiding a 16-year old client that day. However, the young man contacted Wayne and declined to go because the weather was supposed to be nasty, with winds gusting to 30 mph.

With no client to guide, Wayne decided to hunt for his family’s winter meat supply.

Wayne Bernier of Allagash Adventures Guide Service, pictured with his 2019 “Allagash Droptine” buck.

His wife Julie had not tagged out, and they’d need at least one deer for the freezer. Bernier says he’d seen a decent spike horn buck earlier in the season and would likely have shot that buck if he’d seen it that day.

The weather was indeed inclement as Wayne set out on his hunt along the ridges of Allagash. “It was

very cold and windy,” said Bernier. “The snow was crusty, which made it nearly impossible to sneak through the woods quietly.”

Bernier walked nearly three miles that morning. He’d encountered several deer, including one good buck, but he was unable to get a clear shot because of the

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nasty conditions. “Every deer I saw was running out ahead of me,” he explained.

“They definitely heard me coming.”

At approximately 10:00 a.m., Wayne decided he would head back to his truck for “dinner.”

While walking a well-used trail back toward his truck, Wayne came across a fresh track. The track wasn’t particularly large. In fact, Wayne thought it could be a young buck or even a large doe.

Since the track was headed toward the truck, Wayne decided to follow it. Bernier estimates he followed the track through the crusty snow for about 300 yards when he confirmed it was a buck, since he could see where it had stopped to rub a tree.

Wayne started to get excited.

Spotting the Buck Traveling a little farther, Wayne came over a hill and looked ahead about 90 yards.

He spotted a deer standing in the middle of a large spring that spilled off the hillside. Wayne believes the sound of the water rolling over the rocks where the buck was standing, masked the sound of his footfalls, allowing Bernier to get closer than he had all day to other deer.

The animal’s head and antlers were obscured by the top of a large blowdown.

(Continued on page 41) www.MaineSportsman.com

40 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Big Game Special Feature —

Twelve-year Old “Bone” Peaslee Completes Grand Slam with 11-Point Trophy Buck

by Joe Saltalamachia Taking the Maine Grand Slam of turkey, bear, moose and deer is an accomplishment most hunters will never accomplish.

Well, 12 year old Tanner “Bone” Peaslee is not only fortunate enough to have the support necessary to pursue the Slam, he’s got the maturity and tenacity needed to complete it!

On November 23rd, Bone completed his Maine Grand slam with an awesome and emotional kill of a buck he and his father Steve called “Tines.”

Here’s his story of his Maine Slam.

Gotta Get the Moose Tag! Bone’s moose tag was actually drawn by his Uncle Richard Potter in 2018. Unfortunately, Uncle Richard was unable to utilize the moose tag, as he was battling cancer.

On January 2, 2019, Richard lost his battle with cancer, and the story of Bone’s Grand Slam starts here.

Bone’s father Steve got a call from Richard’s son, who told him Richard’s wish was to give the tag to Bone.

With help from compassionate DIF&W officials, the Zone 12 moose tag was gifted to Bone for the 2019 season.

Steve and Bone knew the opportunity to pursue this Grand Slam was a special one. Both immediately committed to pursuwww.MaineSportsman.com

When 12-year old “Bone” Peaslee realized he had an opportunity at a Maine Grand Slam, he and his father committed to pursuing that goal with every bit of energy and passion they had. This is their story.

12-year-old Tanner “Bone” Peaslee bagged this 185-pound 11-point buck on November 23, 2019, completing his 2019 Grand Slam.

ing it with every bit of energy and time they had to spare.

Turkey; Bear Bone’s turkey hunt and kill took place on May 2, 2019.

With guidance from his father and using his trusty Charles Daily 20-gauge, Bone killed a beautiful 20lb. tom with a 9” beard and 1” spurs.

His Slam was off to a great start!

Next on the list was a bear. Bone baited with his father once a week. Action was slow, so Bone decided to hunt a bait they call

the “Rusty Can.” Before the end of legal time, a good bear appeared in front of the two hunters, walked toward them.

With the composure of a veteran hunter, Bone passed the head-on shot, instead, choosing to let the bear walk back to the bait and offer a higher percentage broadside shot.

With his 7mm-08 CVA Junior Hunter rifle, Bone made a perfect shot at 17 yards.

His prize was a handsome 148-lb. boar.

Step 2 was complete!

Moose Time!

Zone 12, specifically the area around Grafton Notch, was Ground Zero for their moose. Bone told Steve he wanted a bull with at least a 40” spread, and swore he’d settle for nothing less.

The weather didn’t cooperate on opening day, but the second day of the hunt turned out to be a gorgeous, cold, crisp day – perfect for calling moose.

Early in the morning, the team had an encounter with two bulls – the first a spike, the second a respectable 30-inch or better

bull. Bone asked his father if the second bull was a shooter.

Steve’s response, “It’s a mid-thirties bull.”

Bone chose to pass and wait for a bull over 40”.

Later that morning, Steve called in a specimen that easily met Bone’s standards.

The 1,023 pound bull sported a 48” spread and 22 points.

Bone made quick work of the bull with a 90-yard, off-hand shot with his 7-08, the same rifle he used to down his bear a month earlier.

Final Goal – A Big Buck The team now set their sights on achieving the goal by killing a whitetail.

Bone’s dad, Steve Peaslee, is an accomplished whitetail hunter, with some great bucks to his credit.

Bone is just as passionate about deer as his father. The two of them deploy nearly 20 trail cameras each season on the properties they hunt on Maine’s mid-coast.

Bone made the decision to only shoot an adult buck. In his mind, it was important to kill a big buck in order to complete the Slam.

“Tines” – an 11-Pointer Before rifle season started, Steve and Bone captured three “shooters” on their trail cameras.

(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 41

(Continued from page 40)

One buck in particular caught Bone’s attention. The deer they called “Tines,” an 11-pointer they estimated to be at least eight and a half years old, showed up on camera on October 29th.

As they began hunting, smaller deer showed up near their stands, testing their resolve. A spike horn came by them on November 22nd. Bone passed the buck, but after talking it out with dad that evening, thought he might want to shoot the buck if he

saw it again.

In response, Steve asked Bone if he’d be happy with that buck.

Bone said he wouldn’t.

Steve encouraged Bone to hold out, if that’s what he really wanted to do.

Setting Up on “The Knob” On Saturday, November 23rd, Steve and Bone sneaked in to their hot spot and settled down within sight of each other.

They call this site “The Knob,” and the elevation allowed them to see about 100 yards in all directions.

Big Game (Continued from page 39)

The buck was feeding on pieces of Old Man’s Beard (Uznea), a favorite winter food of whitetails.

Wayne brought his rifle to his shoulder to get a better look at the deer. He immediately knew it was a shooter buck, though he never dreamed it was the droptine buck.

One Shot Bernier took aim, fired and dropped the buck where it stood. As he approached the downed monarch, Wayne says he was overcome with emotion.

The hill he was hunting on is a special place for the family. He’s been hunting here since he was 14 years old. “This is very rugged country,” he said. “Most hunters will not venture into these hills because it’s such rugged country.

This was a rewarding hunt for many reasons, not just because of the history locals had with this particular buck,

A little after 8 a.m., Steve heard a chipmunk alarm calling.

He knew this meant something was coming.

Steve saw the buck first. He brought his rifle to his shoulder and took aim. The buck was at 40 yards and walking slowly.

Even though he had a clear shot, Steve held off, because he knew the deer was heading right toward his son Bone.

He watched as Bone caught sight of the massive buck.

Then he heard Bone shoot. The big buck

had walked by Bone at 25 yards, and the young man made a perfect shot.

Steve swiftly made his way to Bone’s position with his cell phone videoing the whole thing. Bone was ecstatic!

But Steve knew this was not just any buck – it was the buck they’d named “Tines.”

The 11-pointer dressed at 185 pounds, and was a very mature buck.

If you want to see the passion and emotion of a youngster and his dad locating a downed monster

but also because of the circumstances and location.”

Area residents had been watching this deer for a number of years. Each January, nearly two months after the end of the season, a few locals begin feeding deer. As many as 100 deer at a time show up at some of these feeding areas. Some of the bucks that show up are extremely large and carry amazing sets of trophy antlers.

This particular buck has been visiting the locals in Allagash since at least 2014. He was known as “The Allagash Droptine,” “King of the Mountain” and a few other names. In fact, this buck was a local legend.

Shortly after the region’s Game Warden heard about Wayne’s success, he spoke with Wayne. The warden told Wayne he was surprised the deer had made an appearance in the area, since the general belief was that the animal spent most of its time across the border in Canada.

buck, watch the recovery video on Steve’s Facebook page (search “Steve Peaslee Tines Deer Bones” on Facebook).

Taking a Grand Slam of game is an awesome accomplishment for any hunter.

To take the Slam with animals of this caliber makes it extra special.

Accomplishing this feat at 12 years old is priceless.

Congratulations to Tanner “Bone” Peaslee and his father Steve on an amazing season!

¶

Deserving Hunter Wayne is a lifelong deer hunter – a rugged man who put a great deal of effort into pursuing these magnificent animals over the past 40 years. Wayne loves to work and think in the forests of northern Maine. He tells me he does some of his best thinking around a campfire in the woods.

In 2018, Wayne and his wife Julie started Allagash Adventures Guide Service. Wayne has been baiting bears since he was 16 years old, and he guides for moose, deer, coyotes, ducks geese and fish.

I’m pretty sure this buck will have a special place in the Bernier’s lodge, where friends, family and customers will be able to enjoy its magnificence for years to come.

Congratulations, Wayne, on harvesting a buck of a lifetime!

¶

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42 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Reader Story —

An Early Start, and Patience, Lead to Whitetail Success

by Emily Bastian I walked quietly though the dark woods. It was a crisp morning during the second week of deer season.

The waxing moon was high in the night sky. It was still an hour before legal shooting light.

I set up my ground blind, and settled in for a long wait. A deer moved slowly past me, obscured by shadows.

A barred owl called in the pre-dawn twilight, and then all was still in the woods.

I had hunted this spot before, but not this season. It had been a long hike in the dark, but I chose this location because I felt the wind was favorable.

Action Starts Mid-Morning It was 9 a.m. before I heard anything, but I only caught a fleeting glimpse of the large-racked buck as he moved quickly between the tree trunks, precluding any shot opportunity.

As I sipped the last of my coffee, I heard twigs snapping. I slowly turned my head and instinctively raised the rifle as a large doe appeared.

Though I had an any-deer permit and my primary objective in the fall is to procure a supply of meat for the freezer, something stopped me from pulling the trigger. My eyes darted to the left, www.MaineSportsman.com

A twig snapped, and a doe appeared. Behind her was a large buck. The doe froze, sensing something was amiss. The buck’s body was obscured by an oak tree; all I could see was his heavily-antlered head.

Emily Bastian and her buck. Photo by Larry Bastian

and I saw a large buck following in her tracks, about 20 yards behind, with his head down.

Then the doe froze, and the buck stopped short. I had the safety off, but my target was obscured by a huge oak tree, and all I could see

was his heavily antlered head.

The doe was getting agitated, instinctively sensing something was amiss. She flared her nostrils. The buck waited patiently for her to make her move. I was still.

Careful Shot Then she her put her head down and took a few steps, and the buck mirrored her movements perfectly. He was quartering sharply, but I knew my 150-grain .30-06 bullet would not be

deterred by shoulder bone at this distance.

I exhaled, carefully squeezed the trigger, and watched him drop.

The buck never knew what hit him, and I never heard the shot.

I knew it was over, but I waited a very long ten minutes before slowly getting up. As I approached, I caught my breath in surprise – I had not realized how large he was. He was a magnificent animal – in fact the largest deer I have ever seen in the woods.

Special Connection I knelt down beside him, put a hand on his neck and silently gave thanks.

I always feel a very special connection with the animals I hunt, and I am overwhelmed by mixed emotions when the hunt finally ends. This is an animal that has spent its entire life eluding predators and beating all odds to survive and thrive.

There about an inch of snow on the ground, which helped considerably with the mile-long drag. The buck dressed out at 175 pounds, and his heavy 9-point rack measured a rough 146” B&C score.

My dad and I spent a day together processing the meat, and ended up with 105 pounds in the freezer to get us through the winter.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 43

— Female Hunters Find Success in 2019 —

Jayda Roy of Milford tagged this impressive 211-pound, 8-point buck on November 11, 2019 using her special camo .243.

The deer was certified at Country Road Market, Milford.

Brynn Jellison of Cherryfield bagged this 200-pound 8-point buck in her hometown on November 11, 2019, using a 30’06. The weight was certified

by Melissa Miller at Young’s Market, Gouldsboro.

Jillian Martell Lewis bagged this 201-pound, 8-point buck in Guilford with her 30-’06 on November 19, 2019.

Michele Cota of Carrabassett Valley harvested this 200-pound 9-point buck on November 15, 2019 while hunting in Parkman, using a 30-30. The weight was certified at KC’s Country Store in Parkman.

Rachel Anderson of West Baldwin dropped this incredible 181-pound, 15-point buck November 14, 2019 in Southern Maine.

The deer’s antlers featured a split droptine and a 20.2-inch spread.

Jennifer Barnes of Corinth shot this huge 225-pound. 8-point buck on November 2, 2019 in Exeter using a 6.5 Creedmoor.

The deer’s weight was certified on the scales by Greg Brawn at Exeter Country Story.

Kelly Huff of Burnham, ME took this 225-pound, 9-point buck with a .308 in her hometown on November 9, 2019. www.MaineSportsman.com

44 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— The Biggest Buck

TOP 10 BIGGEST

John K. Collins, Jr. of W. Greenwich, RI 249.5 lbs. • T18 R11 • 11/16

Randy Hemmingway of Mexico, ME 249.2 lbs. • Mexico • 11/15

Stephen Boivin of Jay, ME 247.9 lbs. • Madrid • 247.9

Brenda E. Swan Gammon of Peru, ME 247 lbs. • Peru • 11/2

www.MaineSportsman.com

Peter Gagne of 255 lbs. • Alla

Jeff F of Linco 251 lbs. • Burli

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 45

ks in Maine Club —

BUCKS OF 2019

Eagle Lake, ME agash • 11/23

Fogg oln, ME ington • 11/15

Milton Sherman, Jr. of Dummerston, VT 249 lbs. • Oxbow Twp • 11/25

Simon Tutlis of Skowhegan, ME 248.5 lbs. • Mayfield Twp • 11/12

Photo Not Available Scott Lago of South Hampton, NH 246 lbs. • Oakfield • 11/28

Robert Gould of Phillips, ME 245.6 lbs. •Madrid • 11/16 www.MaineSportsman.com

46 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Biggest Bucks in Maine Club 2019 —

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Donald Dylan Rocky James Joshua Chad James John Jacob Perry Cole Harvey Steve Ralph Edwin Stephen Mitchell Jennifer William Garrett Scott Brandan Gerald W Jarrett J Ivan Jeremy P Beth Jeremy Aaron Wayne Keith Robert C Michael Allen Michael Greg Timothy Joshua Alan Dennis Corey M Stephen Isaac Tim Brenden Derek Dean Jeffrey Marc Miles G Lawrence E

Dixfield Searsmont Jackman Newport Mapleton Mars Hill Jonesport Brooksville Bridgewater Penobscot Greenville Jct Skowhegan Orland Harmony China Concord Hermon Corinth Calais Rockland Newton Cornville Skowhegan Ashland Smithfield Lebanon Rumford Dixfield Millinocket Allagash Mechanic Falls Passumpsic Holden Medway Hampden Patten Pittston Union Skowhegan Rockwood Wrentham Jay Minot Fremont Madison Bangor Trenton Merrill E Wilton Lincoln Millinocket

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME NC ME ME ME ME NJ ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

Dixfield Searsmont Blake Gore Palmyra Castle Hill T13 R5 Jonesport Blue Hill Lower Cupsuptic Twp Penobscot Big Moose Twp Madison Orland Wellington China Brighton Plt Hermon Exeter Silver Ridge Owls Head T8 R 9 New Vineyard Brighton Nashville Plt Smithfield Dole Brook Twp Rumford Dixfield Millinocket Allagash Leeds Moscow Clifton Medway Hampden Staceyville T10 R3 Union Skowhegan Hammond Twp T9 R7 Madrid Waterford Soldiertown Twp Silver Ridge Twp Trenton Merrill Wilton East Millinocket Grindstone Twp

205 202 235 218 219 211 201 218.5 208 205 227.5 204 200 205 204 204 218 225 207.5 221 238 200 216 203 220 211 204.6 202.8 200 200 225 200.5 200.11 210 210 241 228.5 228 212 213 204 247.9 204.4 217 232 214 202.8 204 205 210 200

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Bradley Bradley Briggs Brobst Brown Brown Brunton Bryant Bryer Bucci Bunker Buzzell Buzzell Buzzell Buzzell Carter Carver Charest Charles Chase Chase Chase Chasse Chounard Christensen Cody Cogill Jr Collins Jr Colson Comeau Coombs Coon Copp Corsi Cota Cote Court Court Craig Cram Crommett Crone Crosby Crowley Cunningham Curtis Cyr Cyr Daggett Dagget Dale

James Kevin Emily Robert Andrew Charles Anthony T Eric Rodney David Kody Carol Corey Edwin C Wayne Mason Timothy Denis Brian Brian Jeffrey Kevin J Travis Dennis Erik Rob Brian F John K Dana Dustin Steve John Benjamin Craig Michele L Nash Joey Joshua R Jessica Matthew A Joshua Charles Isaac Neil Dean Lance Joseph Andrew Ricky Dustin Patrick Ryan Corey

Morrisville Johnson Hampden Millville Etna Embden Limerick Orrington Scarborough Brownville Blue Hill Canton Lewiston Pittsfield Wilton Clinton Easton Warner Kennebunk Rumford York Van Buren Ashland Bridgewater Sebago Dover Foxcroft Cornish W Greenwich Mercer Limerick Hermon Grindstone Twp Cumberland Brownville Carrabassett Valley Eustis E Waterboro Lyman Garfield Plt W Bath Vassalboro Danforth Norridgewock Addison Ashland Madison Grand Isle Holden New Sharon Skowhegan Dexter

ME VT ME NJ ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME RI ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

Adamstown Lower Cupsuptic Twp Canaan Howland Etna Embden Northeast Carry Twp Orrington Medford KI Orland Langtown Jay Moxie Gore Jay Winslow Mars Hill Hammond Twp Upper Enchanted Andover Hudson Portage Ashland North Anson Standish Dover Foxcroft Parsonsfield T18 R11 Mercer Limerick Kingman Grindstone Twp East Moxie Twp Brownville Parkman Eustis Jackman Oxbow North Twp Garfield Plt Washington China Bancroft Norridgewock Addison Ashland Cornville Allagash Big Moose Twp Industry Skowhegan Brownfield

215 207 223 205 224.5 210 209 205.6 200.5 203 200 222 203 225 202 222 235 220 227 216.5 210.2 201 205 204 219 205 217 249.5 202 209.5 202 205 200.2 200.5 200 221 227 211 200 208 230 202 200.5 220 213 200 219 239 219 212 210

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Be sure to check out the 2019 Biggest Bucks in Maine Club list on our website www.MaineSportsman.com!

POURVOIRIE LAC GENEVIÈVE D’ANTICOSTI

Anticosti Island Now Booking 2020 Deer Hunts

SAVE Take advantage of the favorable US Dollar exchange rates versus the Canadian Dollar 297 Sq. Miles of Exclusive Territory.

American or European Plan, includes guide, 4 X 4 Crew cab pick up truck & 1 ATV per group of 4 hunters.

2 deer limit per hunter.

Come and experience this deer hunting paradise.

1-800-463-1777 info@anticostiplg.com www.anticostiplg.com www.MaineSportsman.com

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Scott Mike Andrew Todd Justin Lucas Stephen Eric Jeremy William J Albert Dean Brandon Kyle Michael Jake L Angelo A Daniel Cody Anthony Chris Jack K David Robert R Edward Chad Brian Richard A Jason William Bryan Roland E Isaac Daniel J Tyler Shane John Delmont Israel John Caleb Kody Steve Charles W Ryan Jeff Jason J Theodore Colby Ethan

Orono Stratton Minot Auburn Cornville Brownfield Oakland Masardis Westfield Brownville Jct Wolcott Fairfax Bangor Salisbury Charleston Milford Durham Buxton Trevett Hammonton Albion Caribou Mariaville Ellsworth Caribou Caribou Orrington Milbridge Turner Farmingdale Millinocket Harrison Waldoboro Avon Houlton Arcadia Gorham Washington Strong Greenville Troy Lancaster Shapleigh Lincoln Prospect Harbor Sewell Anson Linneus

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Big Six Twp Coplin Plt T15 R13 Auburn Pittsfield Brownfield Starks Ashland Big Six Twp Brownville Jct Moro Plt Stratton Molunkus Twp Carrying Place Twp Charleston Hampden Crystal Abbot Edgecomb Dole Pond Twp China Washburn Mariaville Ellsworth Saint Albans Woodland Orrington Milbridge Turner Farmingdale Medway Harrison Waldoboro Strong Weston Bowdoinham Monson W Seboeis Strong Taunton Troy Madrid Waterboro Burlington Township 8 T9 R8 Starks Linneus

212 203 214 221 204 202 217 223 217 206.5 200 200 206 212 243 205 204 206 205 217 218 220 206.2 200.6 216 232 202 209 206 214 210 205 201 200 213 203 211 200.5 201 202 221 204.8 210 251 219 230 220 212

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Foster Fox Frazier Frost Frost Frost Fry Fuller Gagne Gagne Gagnon Gagnon Gagnon Gagnon Gammon Gavrell Garwich Gilbert Giberti Gilmore Gilpatrick Good Goodale Goodine Gorczyca Gordon Gordon Goston Gould Gould Gould Gove Gradie Grady Graham Graham Grant Grant Green Greenlaw Greenleaf Greenleaf Gregoire Griffin Gross Guerette Haines Hakala

Wyatt Keith Paul Matthew Robbie Sean James E Joshua Henry R Peter Curtis Derek Samatha Tom Brenda E Swan Paul Chris Darryl Tom Travis Blake Barrett Brian R Brent Gary Jeffrey Lucas Lee Hartley Andrew Larry D Robert Craig David Jordan Joshua Nicholas Daniel Sarah Jackson Jason Jason Jeff Dustin Carrie Brian Walt Josh Joseph

Linneus Mullica Hill Candia Presque Isle Unity Skowhegan Monroe Rumford Monson Eagle Lake Fort Kent Medway Woodville Turner Peru Vineland Kingfield Herman Auburn New Gloucester Porter Houlton Cape Neddick Woodville Franklin Franklin Albony Twp Milbridge Seabrook Canaan Phillips S Berwick Oakland Whitefield Windham Columbia Casco Houlton Lincolnville Sebec Scarborough Scarborough Grapevine Albion Hanover Winthrop Mars Hill W Paris

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Island Falls Oxbow Twp Industry T18 R11 Unity Norridgewock Monroe Rumford Monson Allagash Fort Kent Bradford Woodville Livermore Peru Dole Brook Twp Highland Plt Rockwood Auburn New Portland Ripley Houlton Dallas Plt Macwahoc Lowell Franklin Oxford Deblois Days Academy Grant Magalloway Plt Madrid North Berwick Carrying Place Twp Whitefield Portage Lake Columbia Orient Haynesville Lincolnville Moxie Gore West Forks Soldiertown Twp Albion Newry Beaver Cove Ashland Bethel

209 233 205 220 200 213 219 212.4 205.5 255 213 210 211 201 247 236 215 224 206 212 206 207 222 209.5 221.56 209.8 200 213.6 229.5 214.2 245.6 203.5 203 200 207 204 201.5 213 220 203 202 200 242 202 203.2 218 212 203.4

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Woody’s Guide Service TROPHY DEER • MOOSE • BEAR HUNTS

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Monmouth Fish & Game Association

GUN SHOW Saturday, February 8th • 9am–4pm Sunday, February 9th • 9am–3pm

BUY • SELL • TRADE

Admission Only $5 • Open to the Public Children Under 12 Free (Must be Accompanied by Adult ABSOLUTELY NO LOADED FIREARMS ON THE PREMISES Food & Beverages Available • All FFL Rules Enforced MULTIPLE DOOR PRIZE DRAWINGS FOR JACK TRAPS All Attendees Eligible to Win a Door Prize!

274 West Broadway, Lincoln, ME 04457 • 207-403-8000 In-between Walmart and Napa • Open Monday–Friday 9AM–6PM

www.whitneysoutfitters.com

Raffle: Ruger Precision 10/22

Provided by Spin Drift Firearms of Leeds, ME • Drawing on Sunday at 2:45pm

347 Route 202, Monmouth, ME • 207-441-0129 www.MaineSportsman.com

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Joshua Eric Jeffrey Eric Jeff Soren Gerorge Cameron Steve Stanley Gunnar Brian Hans Jason John K Austin Andrew Jacob Brian Richard G Randy Robert Jeff Douglas Jason Richard Collin Michael Monie Ky Scott R Daniel Brett Matthew J Isaac Mike Peter J Steven W Kelly Andrew Robert Robert W Anthony T Todd Brynn Clifford F Craig Gary John John F Anthony Blaine T Zackary James Jerry

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Rangeley Plt T8 R17 Bucksport Ashland Industry Franklin Codyville Plt Grandfalls Eagle Lake Loweltown Denmark Chesterville Dudley Twp Bingham New Gloucester Athens Gray Madison Presque Isle Lincoln Plt Mexico Clinton Litchfield Orland Livermore Greenfield Charleston Plt Soldier Town Beaver Cove T5 R18 Benton Stetson Cornville Washburn Ashland Penobscot Seboomook Twp Allagash Burnham Dover Foxcroft Union Roxbuty Moscow Lisbon Falls Cherryfield Cherryfield Embden Big Moose Twp Garland T1 R9 Minot Mechanic Falls Oakland T5 R8 Albion

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Thomas W Ryan Kyle Quinn Colby MacKenzie Stephen M David M John Kris Robert E William Danny A G Gordon Jason Craig Bryan S Jim David A Jenna Rick Scott Ken Daniel Cody Michael Edward Zachary Timmy Brett Tyler Andrew John H Merle Anthony D Benjamin Allen Terry Leo Andrew Jillian George Michael Isabella David Jesse Charles David S Gregory Brian William Alexander Ryan M Peter Alex Brian

Gilmanton IW Allagash St Francis North Berwick MoultonBorough MoultonBorough MoultonBorough Sangerville Thompson Chester Fairfield Troy Bridgton Casco Ellsworth Stockton Springs Morrisdale Naples Meredith Smithfield Smithfield South Hampton Nicholson Knox Milo Troy Columbus Bristol Clinton Albion Madison Lagrange Belfast Dresden Madison E Millinocket Searsmont Sabattus Caribou Guilford Limerick Durham Searsmont North Smithfield Topsham Raleigh Sabattus Kennebunk Stephentown Stephentown Waterville Machiasport E Madison Appleton Limington

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Ashland Allagash T18 R10 Bingham Oxbow North Twp Oxbow North Twp Oxbow North Twp Sangerville Hersey Winn Lexington Twp Troy Bridgton Orient Ellsworth Exeter Brighton Plt Stacyville Sebec Rome Upper Enchanted Oakfield Crystal Brooks Milo Troy Molunkus Twp Dennistown Plt Benton Albion Madison Lagrange Waldo Dresden Bingham E Millinocket Searsmont Mayfield Oxbow Guilford Limerick Searsmont Blanchard Vienna Bancroft Alna T7 R11 Dyer Brook Oakfield Bingham T42 Concord Montville Newfield

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From the Hills of West Virginia

Smokey’s Pre-Orbital Gland Lure The World’s Only Patented Pure Pre-Orbital Gland Deer Lure

Check out Smokey’s Website for a complete line of deer lures and trapping supplies such as The Wicked Wick Compound, Trapping Baits and Lures, Deer Lures and Grunt Calls, and Catfish Bait, or you can call Smokey and he will send you a free brochure. We offer Bear Lures and Bait too.

Smokey’s Deer Lures

Call: 1-304-564-4087 www.smokeysdeerlure.com

Find us on Facebook Find it and more at:

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Be Sure to LIKE The Maine Sportsman on Facebook! ★★★

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Isaiah Edmond Brian Wilfred Kevin Troy Kyle Cody Evan Jeff David Dean Amy Marie Jeff Kegan Lawrence Dustin G Blaine R Eric Scott Christopher Nate Brendan Kevin Marcel Michael R Eric James C Kevin J Destiny Trevor Norman W Michael Scott Ryan Rian Neil F Renee Donald Cody Brian S Ronnie Todd Fred

Gorham Moscow Richmond Hardwick Gorham Millinocket Ft Kent Winterport Houlton Norridgewock Lebanon Dyer Brook Fort Fairfield Raymond Oxbow Columbia Falls Burnham Norridgewock Bingham Augusta Knox Houlton White River Jct Lydonville Herico Turner Buxton Oakland Warren Canaan Fairfield W Kennebunk Ossipee Center Sandwich St Albans Winthrop Adams Newburgh Falmouth Industry Presque Isle Stocklholm Portland China

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Gorham Embden Weld Richardsontown Twp Windham E Millinocket T18 R10 Kingman Smyrna T3 R10 T4 R14 Oakfield Fort Fairfield T2 R9 Oxbow Columbia Troy Embden Bingham Litchfield Knox Ludlow Tim Pond Twp T16 R12 Auburn Roxbury Buxton North New Portland Hope Canaan E Middlesex Canal Grant Twp WaterFall Parsonsfield T5 R17 Mt Chase Sabattus Northeast Carry Twp Newburgh Coburn Gore Industry Ashland New Sweden Ashland Tomhegan Twp

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Paradis Parker Parker Patry Peddle Pelletier Pelletier Pelletier Pelletier Perreault Petraska Petraka Sr Philbrick Pickering Pineo Jr Pinkham Pinkham Jr Pitre Pleau Plummer Jr Porter Potts Poulin Pray Prehemo Proctor Jr Pusch Racine Rackliff Randall Ratta Raymond Raymond Reifschneider Reynolds Rice Ridlon Rier Rioux Riitano Rines Ripley Riquier Rock

Nicholas Jonathan E Matt D Isaac Benjamin Daniel Jason Johnathan Troy Burke Jedd Leonard M Quinn Tylar Vance Jake James D Nathan Cody J Wayne H Tim Lucas W Jason Alec Coleman Jeffrey Mark Brian Michael Alexander Geogory E Warren Glenn Wayne Mark Aaron Jason Chad William Ted Owen Dennis Trevor Bayley Randy

Industry Mashfield Bridgeton Saco Wheelwright Frenchville Hermon Vassalboro Fort Kent Fort Kent Andover Ocala Oquossoc Byron Columbia Falls Rumford Athens Caribou Buckfield Frenchtown Twp Peru Bangor Ashland Bangor Pittsburgh Lisbon Falls Reading Hopkinton Vienna Bradford St Albans Caribou Presque Isle Canaan Brooks Petersham New Gloucester Cutler Gorham Dover Foxcroft Newburgh Freedom Pembroke Gardiner

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Farmington Centerville Lang Twp Dole Brook Twp Sangerville Frenchville T7 R18 Atkinson Allagash Nashville Plt T5 R17 North East Carry Twp Upper Oquossoc Twp Byron Twp 18 Rumford Lexington Twp Washburn Buckfield Lily Bay Twp Peru Plymouth Ashland Holden Lynchtown Lincoln Allagash T3 R5 Vienna Hudson Bradley Ashland Wade Canaan Jackson Smyrna Dennistown Whitin St Francis Sangerville Newburgh Freedom Pembroke Passadumkeag

202 224.4 202 206 208 211.4 200 200.5 234 205 207 215 203 214 214 208.8 205 200 201 202 201 211.5 201 204.6 212 219 204 200 243 225 223.5 200 209 201 202 225 203 218 210 202 215 202 207.4 203.5

11/8/19 11/2/19 11/11/19 11/30/19 11/7/19 11/16/19 11/16/19 11/2/19 11/11/19 11/22/19 11/13/19 11/26/19 11/25/19 11/9/19 11/13/19 11/7/19 11/4/19 11/25/19 11/11/19 11/16/19 11/14/19 11/4/19 10/23/19 11/9/19 11/22/19 11/4/19 11/25/19 11/19/19 11/2/19 11/2/19 11/7/19 11/22/19 11/23/19 11/2/19 11/2/19 11/16/19 11/18/19 11/6/19 11/26/19 11/16/19 11/7/19 11/4/19 11/19/19 11/9/19

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50 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————— LAST

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Roe Rogers Jr Rolfe Rollins Rotondi Roy Roy Roy Saari Sanborn Sandy Savage Savage Jr Saxon Schleicher Schools Schutte Seames Segars Seward Sewell Shea Sherman Jr Simmons Simpson Simpson Simpson Skidmore Slevinsky Small IV Smallidge Smith Smith Snell Snow Snyder St Pierre Stacey Staples Starbird Stevens Stevens Steward Stickney Stokes Strout Sturdee Sturtevant Symonds Taggett Taylor

Michael Kenneth Richard Kevin Todd Tracey H Austin Donald D Jayda Richard Gerald Benjamin Matthew Richard Derek Thomas J Peter Ross Alan Jeffrey Kalrin Ronald Michael Milton Abby Andrew Brooke Pearly E Nicholas Mitchell Kirk Patrick Donald A Wayne Scott Barry L David Crystal Jesse Dean Douglas Addyson Stanley James Ramsey Charles B Timothy A Michael Jeffrey M Robert T Doug Charles

W Paris W Gardiner Garland Benton Athens Cumberland Gorham Milford Merrimack Harrison Vassalboro Patten Strong Richmond Northport Littleton Windsor Greenwood Bowdoin Groton Hodgdon Buxton Dummerston Charleston Minot Exeter Waterville Chester S China Orland Mt Desert Tunkhannock Prentiss Greenville Jct Blue Hill Milford Augusta Parsonfield Caribou Pittsfield Newport Candia Mercer Chelsea Rangeley Windham Bangor Mechanic Falls Casco Fort Kent Pleasant Ridge Plt

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME CT ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME PA ME ME ME PA ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

Albany Twp T5 R18 Corinna St Albans Athens Molunkus Gorham Argyle Adamstown Sweden Vassalboro Crystal Strong Richmond Northport Littleton Windsor Woodstock Jim Pond T8 R9 Monticello Wiscasett Oxbow Twp Charleston Long Pond Twp Exeter Waterville Chester Webster Bucksport Aurora T7 R18 Prentiss Big Moose Twp Blue Hill T8 R18 Unity Hiram New Sweden Island Falls Hartland New Vineyard Concord Twp Warren Rangeley Standish Hudson Stacyville Casco T17 R12 Pleasant Ridge Plt

202.4 200 205 200 225 205 211 211 205 225 204 222 219 206 214 216 226 208.4 217 204.4 208 201 249 225 243 215 206 206.8 207 204 214 222 200 207.5 239.2 201 211.5 202 232 200 208 210 223 211 205 213 212.8 201 219 205 202

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Taylor Theriault Thibodeau Thom Thomas Thomas Thompson Jr Thompson Jr Thornton Tinker Tolman Trahan Tucker II Turcotte Tutlis Twitchell Udy Upton Vacchiano Verney Verrill Vicaire Vickerman Vilasuso Vincent Walak Walker Walker-Feeney Wallace Walsh Wentworth West Wheeler White Jr White White Jr White Willey Willey Williams Williams Williams Wood Wood Wright Wright York York Young Zaun

Justin E Alan Alexander Elijah Johnny L Sharon Henry William G John Shawn Frank Haley Charles W Richard Simon Jesse Joel Ryan Anthony Brett K Dennis Colt Jonathan Daniel Steve William Bryce Elizabeth Alton Timothy M Hunter A John Randy Herb Jacob Myron Nathan Kameron Richard Chad John M Larry Jamie Joseph A Colby Dale Larry Stephen Scott William

New Portland Andover Caribou Turner Oakland Levant Knox Cherryfield Woodland Lubec Pittsfield Clinton Fort Fairfield Leeds Skowhegan Turner Eliot Kennebunk Sebago Newcastle New Gloucester Hudson Appleton Orrington Bingham S Berwick Greenwood Rangeley Milbridge Hollis Norridgewock Gray Leeds Gloucester Poultney Poultney Rumford Sebago Casco Gorham Clifton Houlton Blue Hill Marshfield St Croix Franklin Farmington E Millinocket Wilton E Burke

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA VT VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NB ME ME ME ME VT

Kingfield Rumford Woodland Turner Fairfield Pittsfield Brooks Steuben Perham Lubec Pittsfield Freedom Oxbow North Twp Leeds Mayfield Twp Turner Shapliegh Kennebunkport Sweden Newcastle New Gloucester Hudson Appleton Bucksport the Forks Blanchard Woodstock Rangeley Cherryfield Hollis Canaan Byron Sabattus Greenbush Allagash Allagash Rumford Bald Mtn Embden Upton Dedham Orient Sedgwick Whitneyville Dyer Twp Franklin Strong E Millinocket Athens Rangeley Plt

200 202.5 238 200.5 205 203 225 200 221 203.4 241 228 200 204 248.5 220 210.6 220 209 243.8 240 211 200 209.8 215 205 226 212 217 201 201 225.4 208 210 200 222 210 207 200 203.8 204 244 224.7 226.2 210.5 228 222 206 201 211

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 51

Otter Trapping First and foremost it is important to keep in mind that otter may only be targeted during the regular furbearer season. In the current 2019 – 2020 Maine trapping law book, the regular season ran from November 3, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

Otter may be kept only as an incidental to beaver trapping, which can run from October 15, 2019 through April 30, 2020, depending on which Wildlife Management District (WMD) area one is trapping.

This means that the otter may be kept only if caught in a legally-set beaver trap.

Muskrat trapping is also allowed during beaver seasons, but the small size traps and methods used all but eliminate any chance of taking an otter. While muskrat trapping, mink may also be kept as an incidental.

Otter can be a frustrating furbearer to trap, due to their long-distance travel routes, which can be a hundred miles or more.

This means it may take weeks for them to come back through, or worse yet, in some cases they may decide to relocate to a new home area and never return.

The one known factor is that there are otter everywhere, and sooner or later an otter will come through wherever there is suit-

Otter can be frustrating to pursue, since they have long-distance travel routes and may not return to a specific location for weeks. However, if the habitat is right, others will show up. Given Maine’s thousands of watercourses, bogs, ponds and lakes, there’s no shortage of otter.

The author took this photo while scouting furbearers along Holeb Stream, which is located west-southwest of Jackman; DeLorme’s Atlas Map 39, B-2 and C-2.

able habitat for them.

There is no shortage of otter in Maine. With our thousands of watercourses, ponds, and lakes, we have plenty of otter.

Otter Traps Suitable traps must be well built and of sufficient size to handle the powerful otter.

If foothold traps are utilized, they should be rigged as a drowning set to ensure a humane take.

The # 3, # 4, #13 and # 14 jump traps, size # 3, # 4 and the newer #5 double long spring traps and size # 3 and # 4 coil spring traps are all suitable.

You will hear talk of the # 11 trap (a double long spring) holding otter, but remember – it is only a # 1 long spring wearing an extra spring.

Its design was to make a small trap suitable

to hold raccoon. It is also a good mink trap.

However, it is not an otter trap.

The #220, #280 and #330 body grip traps are all suitable for otter. The #220 is widely used in the smaller streams where creating a pinch point is easier with the smaller trap.

The size #280 is about as good as an otter trap as there is.

It ensures a quick take and its triggers are still close enough to fire the trap.

The #330 is the largest of the body grips (primarily a beaver trap), and due to its size may allow an otter to pass through the triggers without firing the trap. Trappers may modify the trigger in multiple ways to more effectively accommodate the taking of otter.

By Maine state law, all three of these

larger body grip traps must be set completely under water. If the water level fluctuates, the trap must be tended (readjusted) within a reasonable amount of time.

A Few Otter Sets About the simplest set is a blind set. This means locating the trap where an otter will most likely enter or step into the trap.

The #220 can be set where a water’s course narrows enough to allow placement of the trap while ensuring an

otter will enter it.

A dive stick across the top of the trap will cause a swimming otter to dive down into the trap. A #280 and #330 may be used in the same manner in larger streams and channels. Body grip traps may also be used at otter slides where the angle of the streams bank allows placement of the trap underwater while allowing the otter to enter it.

Baited or lured sets are used primarily with foothold sets, although one of my favorite sets is to attach a bait fish to the triggers of a #220 or #280 set underwater. I know several trappers who use plastic fish attached to the triggers of a body grip to attract otter.

My preference is a frozen tinker mackerel. They soften up fast, so they need to be replaced every several days, but I am convinced that the oil secreted acts like a chum line. The animals follow the scent to the (Continued on page 53)

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52 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Beaver Trapping I think because I’m an adult onset hunter, I am eager to make up for lost time and try everything. I have that uninhibited excitement and awe that children have when they experience things for the first time. I also don’t let grass grow under my feet, so last December, after muzzleloader season but before ice fishing, I decided to try my hand at beaver trapping.

I hadn’t taken a trapper’s safety course, so I mailed in for an apprentice trapping license, and posted in the Maine Trappers Facebook group that I was looking for a mentor. A fellow named John responded that he didn’t live too far away and would teach me. My friend Jeff volunteered his land and beavers that eat and kill his apple trees.

John and I met at Jeff’s house on a chilly, overcast Sunday. I carried a few of John’s conibears, and we followed Jeff around his property.

Locating the Bank Den The small stream bisecting his land

We set the trap on a Sunday, and agreed to check it on Tuesday morning. Monday night felt like Christmas Eve. I was full of anticipation. Would anything be in the trap?

A line of bubbles under the ice and a freshly-chewed stick gave away the location of a beaver’s den dug into the banking of the stream.

We chipped a hole in the ice in front of the bank den, and set the conibear 330.

was frozen over, and John began scouting for sign. Jeff was not aware of a beaver house, so John explained to us how to identify a “bank den”

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where the beavers could be living up under the stream’s bank.

John said to look for three things: • A line of bubbles under the ice, indicating a frequent route where beavers exit the bank den; • F r e s h l y - c h e w e d sticks or twigs stuck under the ice that beavers eat, then throw out of the bank den; and • Frost on the bank, caused by the breath-

ing of beavers in the bank den.

Jeff led us to a beaver dam, but we didn’t see any freshly-chewed sticks or stumps, so we kept looking.

“There!” said John, pointing down at the ice below his feet.

We could see a line of bubbles, with one freshly-chewed twig under the ice.

We followed the line of bubbles toward the bank. “See the frost?”

John asked me, as he

gestured toward the bank. We had found a bank den.

Setting the Trap John and I took turns chipping a square into the 3-inch thick ice in front of the bank. Then he took a conibear 330, and set it by hand, which required more effort than I expected. He squeezed the large springs together, and secured them with the safety, then squeezed the two traps sides together and set the trigger.

After seeing the fair amount of effort it took John to set the trap, I was convinced there was no way I could set one! John put a stick through the trap, triggering it, and SNAP!!, it snapped shut, demonstrating what would happen when and if a beaver swam through it – the springs would close the jaws, and the beaver’s neck would be snapped.

John reset the trap and put it down the open hole in the ice.

We stuck sticks in the ground around it, so that a beaver couldn’t swim above, or to the sides of it – it would have to swim through it.

Many Questions In proper newbie fashion, I asked a million questions. What was a beaver fur worth (about $8); can you tell a male from a female (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 53

Fresh beaver backstrap and hindquarters rival venison for great taste.

(Continued from page 52)

(not from the outside); do you eat beaver (yes); how often do you have to check your traps (every three days is the law).

We agreed to meet Tuesday morning, and Monday night felt like Christmas Eve. I was full of anticipation.

Would we have anything? A beaver? Otter? Muskrat?

Results Christmas morning – I mean, Tuesday morning – we met up with Jeff again, and all three of us walked briskly out to the trap.

The hole had iced back over. I knelt down, put

Fleshing a beaver pelt is messy, hard work.

my face to the ice and shaded my eyes with my hands.

“Something brown!”

I hollered. We had a beaver!

I started chipping, careful not to damage the beaver. The top of the beaver had frozen to the ice, so when I finally pulled the beaver from the water, it still had a chunk of ice stuck to it. “Don’t set it down on the ice, whatever you do,” Jeff advised, “or it will freeze to the ice, since it’s wet.” It was not a big beaver, but it was my first!

Only the Beginning of the Work I quickly learned

The pelt, with most of the fat removed, is stretched and nailed to a piece of plywood to prevent shrinkage while it’s drying.

that trapping the beaver was only half the work. Now the beaver needed to be skinned, fleshed and stretched.

My friend Randy is an animal damage control trapper who works for various towns to trap nuisance beavers, so I asked him if he would teach me to process the beaver. He had another beaver to process, so he invited me over. He patiently showed me how to skin it, step by step, both of us skinning our respective beavers.

Then we cut out the backstrap and hind quarters, and had beaver for dinner.

I was blown away! It

was amazing! And we didn’t even do much to prepare it – just fried in a cast iron pan. It’s tender and fatty, and I like it better than venison!

Skinning After dinner, Randy got out his fleshing board, and showed me how to remove the fat from the pelt with a fleshing knife. It’s a tedious, messy task, but I found the repetitive motions therapeutic and relaxing. However, I did accidentally put a couple of small holes in it!

Once most of the fat was removed, we nailed the pelt it to a piece of plywood,

Trapping (Continued from page 51)

trap site and locate the bait.

Other non-game fish may also be used. The fish is easily attached to the trigger using rubber bands. The trap should be placed with the bait headed into any current using one of several types of stabilizers. This keeps it from being sprung due to water force, and reduces the buildup of floating debris such as leaves.

The most commonly used baits to attract otter are fish and muskrat flesh.

These are commonly placed in a pocket set guarded by a foothold trap. A good commercial otter lure should be used in conjunction with bait.

Foothold traps are also set at the bottom of otter slides and where otter

Among the warm, comfortable products that can be made from beaver pelts are cashmere mittens and bomber hats.

An otter travels along an icy stream.

Credit: TrappingToday.com

enter or exit the water at cross overs.

A cross over is a place where otter routinely cross on land over a bend in a stream or between two bodies of water.

Another good trap location is where they are coming in and out of the water to a toilet site or a feeding area. A trapper should scout long before trapping season for toilet and feeding sites of ot-

to prevent shrinkage while it dried. A week later, the work was done.

Hat, Mittens The final step was to mail the pelt to a tannery to have it tanned. This took a few months, but when I got the fur back, it was so soft that I petted it more than my dog. The fur is currently at Darling Leather and Fur in Michigan, a one-woman shop that handmakes custom hats and mittens!

I can’t wait to wear them with pride while out ice fishing!

¶

ter. Both are regularly used during the otter’s travels.

I know of several piles of fresh water mussel shells that have been there for over 50 years. The otter stop there while eating mussels. These feeding sites may also be made up of regurgitated fish scales or crayfish shell fragments. Foothold traps should be used as a drowning set.

Scouting for all furbearer sign is an added pleasure while out fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or canoeing. Special scouting trips make for a great time in the out of doors.

Other recreational activities such as wildlife photography and bird watching may also be enjoyed while scouting. Remember to take the youngsters along to spark their interest in what we love.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

54 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Parking, Navigation, Clothing and Food – How to Avoid Rookie Trailriding Mistakes It’s possible that snowmobiles outnumber automobiles this month, at least up here in snow country.

The hamlet of Jackman, by virtue of lots of snow, great trails and a strategic location, has turned into a hub for trail runners both coming and going.

Trailers loaded with sno-go machines make the pilgrimage north on Route 201 to visit the epicenter of north country trail riding. Not only does Jackman have an extensive local trail system, but the ITS (Interconnected Trail System) makes Jackman an ideal starting point for serious snow travel.

Experienced sled jockeys make navigating the trail system

thinking about BEFORE slapping the throttle and kicking up some snow.

No sense in figuring out “Where to go?” until the “Where to start?” question is resolved. Parking a tow vehicle and trailer in the wrong spot could at least annoy someone, and at worst force some aggravated log truck driver to drag the whole mess up the road.

Based on his own experiences, the author lists important steps you should take to prepare for safe and fun cold-weather exploration on the snowmobile trails, whether in Jackman’s “hub” or throughout the snowy north country.

Snowmobiles rule this month. The village of Jackman serves as a hub for winter travelers -- from Jackman, one can truly “get there from here.” Others choose to cross some bridges and day trip to this iconic snowmobiling community.

Photos: New England Outdoor Center

look easy. However, newbies can sometimes make rookie

mistakes that put a damper on an otherwise solid visit. This

isn’t the “Beginners Guide to Touring” but a few thoughts worth

Bad Parking Three years ago when I was rabbit hunting, my guide and I parked our vehicles on the outside edge of a 90-degree corner.

The road was plowed wide and it left plenty of room for everyone to get through – or so we thought.

Before long, two (Continued on next page)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 55 (Continued from page 54)

log trucks and one big rig hauling a 60foot long grinding mill came down the road.

Fortunately, I was at my vehicle when he came through.

He had us move our vehicles to the inside of the 90-degree bend so he could use the widely-plowed outside corner to make the swing. He was very nice about it, and I asked him what he would have done had we been deep woods hunting and unaware of the problem we inadvertently created.

“You would have heard two long leans on my horn, and I’d have given you the time it took me to smoke one cigarette before I tried to squeeze through,” he said. Although he was smiling, the gleam in his eye told me he was

serious.

The Jackman Region has extensive paper company land, much of which has snowmobile trails running through it. We need to stay clear of those who are working the woods for a living.

Free Parking Fortunately, most if not all lodging options in the Jackman hub offer direct trail access. No need to fret where to park.

For day-trippers, the Border Riders Sportsman’s Club (www. borderridersclub.com)

allows parking at their club headquarters, which is located just north of town on Route 201.

The next step, finding a good map, simply involves communicating with any of the local businesses or checking online.

Folks spending the night with local inns or lodges need to go no further – just ask at the front desk.

Of course, a good map has no value unless it’s studied and understood. Spend a little time orienting yourself to the area,

and mark out that first route. Stopping along the trail to try and figure things out “on the fly” can lead to frustration. Pair the paper map with a good GPS, and chart out a course.

I still coat all my paper maps with a product called Map Seal. Nothing worse than a wet map. At the very least, put it in a Ziploc bag.

that sled. It’s important to have an outfit that checks three boxes: waterproof, breathable and warm. Boots need to have the same properties.

Many of today’s sleds have heated throttles, running boards and seats.

While that certainly helps make a cold, nasty weather day more pleasant, it doesn’t replace having a good outfit that will weather a four-hour trail

Cotton Kills Gear selection should have happened long before unloading

(Continued on next page)

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56 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Jackman Region (Continued from page 55)

side breakdown.

A good outfitter (such as LL.Bean, Cabela’s, Kittery Trading Post, Indian Hill Trading Post or [for those in or near NH], LL Cote) can help with that. Just remember – cotton kills, so avoid it if possible.

My wife, who likes to run all gas tanks down to fumes, thinks I’m crazy when I fill up a half-full tank.

Up here in the North Country, there’s not a gas station on every corner. Never pass up a chance to get gas.

Stop at Bishop’s Store on Main Street and top off the tank before heading out.

Feed the Operator In fact, while in town, never pass up a chance to feed the operator. No sense in

heading out hungry. A pizza at Bishop’s Store or a cheeseburger at Mama Bears Restaurant will keep that all-important tank full. Cold weather burns lots of calories, so eat up.

Also, carrying drinking water in a thermos will keep it from freezing. I find if I keep my cell phone and GPS just a layer or two deep in my clothing, my body heat is enough to keep them plenty warm. Digital cameras also work better when not frozen solid.

Speaking of cell phones, coverage in the area is not a guarantee. It’s certainly gotten better, but don’t rely on it. I usually put my cell phone, which also has my Earthmate GPS on it, in air-

plane mode. This way it is not constantly searching for cell towers that may not exist.

Constant searching kills the battery. I simply turn it on from time to time if I need cell service. The GPS works off the satellites, and doesn’t require cell coverage.

Rent a Sled Looking to give trail riding a try but don’t have a working snowmobile? Consider renting a snowmobile. Recently, 201 PowerSports, located in Bingham, opened a second location in Jackman.

Renting takes the worry and expense associated with sled ownership off the table.

It also eliminates the hassle of owning, registering, insuring and towing a trailer. Book online, and they’ll have the ma-

This seems like a nice place to park a snowmobile and break open a cup of hot chocolate. There’s no end to the scenic views found in the mountainous Jackman Region. Sledders from all walks of life make the trip north on Route 201 for great trails and unmatched scenery.

chine ready to go.

First-time operators would do well to travel with more experienced riders or hire a Registered Maine Guide to coordinate a safe, worry free adventure. A good mentor will help smooth out any wrinkles.

Navigating Maine’s trail system promises to bring countless hours of enjoyment to those who take a few steps towards preparing for cold-weather exploration.

¶

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Rainbow Smelt by Steve Vose

The Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) enjoys a widespread dispersal across the North American watersheds, including the tributaries of the Atlantic, Pacific and even Arctic Oceans.

While native to Maine, including one of the few landlocked populations, the prolific smelt has through the years expanded, by the hand of man, into non-native areas, such as the Great Lakes.

Maine smelt can grow to a median size of 6-8 inches in length, depending on the presence of optimal environmental factors, including abundant food, clean water, absence of prey species and decreased competition from other fish species. Rainbow smelt in some northern Maine lakes have been known to grow to an impressive 14 inches and live for over seven years!

The rainbow smelt’s name comes from the iridescent purple, pink and blue reflections on the fish’s sides.

While this oddly bright coloration may appear to poorly camouflage the smelt from predators, scientist predict that since the rainbow smelt is a “schooling” species, the shimmering pattern acts to confuse prey, allowing the school to more easily escape predation.

Though relative small in size, rainbow smelt possess strong jaws lined

Questions 1. What is the distribution of the rainbow smelt?

2. Do landlocked populations of rain bow smelt exist?

3.

4.

5.

6.

www.MaineSportsman.com

What is the median size of a Maine rainbow smelt?

How long can a rainbow smelt grow?

How long can a rainbow smelt live?

Do rainbow smelt school?

with pointed teeth. Though juveniles feed mostly on plankton, adults aggressively feed on worms, insects and even small fish. In turn, rainbow smelt are heavily preyed upon by almost all Maine fish species, making them an alltime favorite bait for anglers.

Shortly after ice-out, the lower sections of streams can sometimes be black with thousands of rainbow smelt as they prepare to spawn. The female smelt release eggs that instantly attach to the stream’s gravel, sand or submerged vegetation. The male smelt then release milt (sperm) that fertilizes the eggs. Both males and females then leave the eggs unattended, and the eggs hatch 1 - 4 weeks later, depending on water temperature.

7. What do rainbow smelt eat?

8. How long does it take for fertilized rainbow smelt eggs to hatch?

Answers on Page 82

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Long-Awaited Salmon Opener Greets Moosehead Anglers Ice-fishing season on Moosehead Lake offers three distinct times to fish for three separate species of coldwater game fish: • January is the best time to fish for the lake’s trophy brook trout. The first few weeks of the season are the most productive times for Moosehead’s speckled beauties.

• And then, come February, salmon season opens, and anglers single-mindedly pursue landlocked salmon.

• And in March, the tail-end of the ice-fishing season, brings with it the year’s best time to connect with a trophy togue.

So now we count the days to February 15 – the day anglers can legally take salmon from Moosehead Lake. And based on my experience and the experiences of other regional anglers, I predict that an abundance of salmon await eager fishermen.

In fact, on any open-water fishing trip, salmon made up the bulk of my catch, with togue coming in a close second, and brook trout finishing third.

Favorite Fish Landlocked salmon rank as the most favored species in the Moosehead region. For every person fishing for trout, there are 50 seeking salmon. Sal-

Moosehead has a limit of one landlocked salmon, with an 18-inch minimum. So if you catch your keeper in the morning, are you done for the day? Heck no! Drop down deep for togue. You can catch and keep up to five lakers, within applicable length restrictions. mon are also sought for more frequently than togue. Among these three coldwater game fish species, salmon lead as the most desired.

And why not?

Salmon often meet or exceed the 4-pound mark. Everyone likes big fish, and salmon fill that need. Also, salmon aren’t difficult to catch. All you need are some ice-fishing traps and some live smelt.

As shown in the Maine Wildlife column this month, smelt shine as the bait of choice, because salmon almost wholly depend upon them for sustenance.

Also, it isn’t necessary to journey to the nether regions of Moosehead Lake.

Good fish are regularly taken within walking distance of the public boat landing in Rockwood. Other parts of the lake also offer prime salmon fishing. So it’s easy to see why salmon are eagerly sought. They grow large, taste great, are abundant and are found most anywhere on Moosehead.

Two Options Anglers seeking salmon from Moosehead Lake have two options. First, they can hire a local guide and leave everything

to that person. A guided trip might include fishing from a heated ice shack with all equipment provided. A night or two in a sporting lodge may come with the package. For the first-timer, this makes all kinds of sense.

The alternate route involves bringing your own gear, finding a likely starting point on the lake, and setting up smelt-baited traps on your own. Standing out in the open as I do when ice fishing can become difficult and uncomfortable on days with cold temperatures and high winds, so a pop-up tent is highly recommended.

A folding chair and a small, portable heater can make a pop-up fishing tent nearly as comfortable as being back at camp.

Next, set up your traps with only enough added weight to keep your bait from swimming to the top. Extra swivels and other addons only repel fish and cause the bait to act in a less-then-natural manner. Therefore, go with a hook and small sinker, and nothing else.

Set most of your traps so that the smelt is only a few feet beneath the ice. This

to intercept salmon cruising just under the ice in search of smelt.

But do reserve a line or two for deeper water, just in case fish are staying deeper the day you are out.

Then, make it a point to check baits on a regular basis. After that, it’s time to sit back, relax and hope for the best.

Other Species Sure, we all love salmon, but that shouldn’t keep us from enjoying other coldwater fish species too.

And though March stands out as the month to take a truly big togue, togue bite all season long, and as such they can lend bulk to an angler’s daily bag of fish.

To put that into

proper perspective, Moosehead Lake has a one-fish per day, 18inch minimum size limit on landlocked salmon. So what happens when an angler lands a respectable salmon early in the day and decides to keep it? Does that signal that the day has ended nearly as quickly as it began?

Absolutely not.

Togue can keep anglers running after flags all day long.

And Moosehead togue are a hungry lot, not disposed to nibbling.

With the generous 5-fish limit on togue (5 fish daily, 14-inch minimum length limit, only one may exceed 18 inches, but all 5 may measure between 14 and 18 inches), anglers can spend a day filling their limit.

So with that nice salmon already on the ice, it’s time to drop all lines down deep (Continued on next page)

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Moosehead Region (Continued from page 57)

for togue. But that’s not all. Reel in one ice-fishing trap and pack it away. Then take out a jigging rod and tie a Swedish Pimple jig on the end. Tip the treble hook with a bit of smelt, and start jigging.

If there’s anything more fun than taking even a 3-pound togue on a jigging rod, I am not aware of it. And if a double-digit togue

bites, then it’s time to take a deep breath and dig in for a long battle.

Fish Care While most people just toss their catch on the ice for the day, that doesn’t qualify as proper care for your fish. Even when temperatures hover below freezing, desiccating winds can dry out the skin and even freezeburn the flesh.

Better to bring

some kind of cooler or other container for the fish. Fill the container partly with snow, put your fish in and then add some more snow.

That way your fish will be in prime shape when you arrive back at camp or home.

All in all, a February day spent fishing Moosehead Lake for salmon and togue qualifies as a day wellspent. Enjoy this wonderful resource, and good luck.

¶

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Maine’s Energy Choices Affect Landscape and Sporting Activities Let’s face it: every type of power generation and transmission has some type of negative effect on our environment and our landscape.

Some have a direct impact on our forests, lakes, coastal waters and wildlife resources.

Others – such as burning oil, natural gas or coal – have an indirect, but very serious, effect on Maine’s environment from carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change.

Charting a sustainable energy path for Maine is no easy task. No matter how we generate our electricity, heat our homes and buildings, or power our industries, there are pros and cons, costs vs. benefits, quid vs. quo in terms of consequences from each energy source.

Even renewable sources, like hydropower, wind power, wood/ biomass or solar, have some negative consequences.

And no matter how we generate the power, the infrastructure of power lines and substations affects our landscape, especially here in the Northeast. Whether flying in an airplane, driving on a country road, or looking down from a mountain peak, the long, zigzags of powerline right-of-way slice through the forest from one end of the state to the other.

The author believes Maine and the U.S. need to replace fossil fuels as fast as possible with all types of renewable energy and even nuclear power. “We simply can’t wait for an ideal solution,” he opines.

The author believes it’s critical that we stop putting CO2 into the air by burning fossil fuels. One way is through increased use of windpower, including land-based and offshore.

The question then becomes – what impacts can we tolerate to power our human economy?

Fossil Fuel Folly I have written before about how burning fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas – to generate power or heat our buildings increases the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere.

By releasing billions of tons of carbon that have been stored for thousands or millions of years, we have increased the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere by over 30% since 1900.

Our oceans have absorbed almost as much CO2 into seawater, which has caused the oceans to become higher in acidity, thus harming shellfish and the entire ocean food chain. The result has been, and will continue to be, profound

Maine has a long history of harnessing hydropower. One example is Ripogenous Dam, shown here.

changes in our climate and ecology.

To combat this, we need to cease – not just reduce, but completely stop – burning fossil fuels. That, of course, requires zero-carbon alternatives to provide power, heating and cooling for our homes, businesses and industries.

Renewable Wind & Water Many of the best alternatives are what we call renewable energy resources because they don’t involve consumption or combustion of a finite or non- regenerating resource, such as fossil fuels. Maine’s primary renewable resources are wind power, forest biomass (wood), hydropower and solar energy.

Maine has made significant investments in wind power and still has an

abundance of suitable sites for both on landbased and off-shore generation. Wind power critics object to the scenic insults of the turbines, the roads up to the tops of remote mountains, and possible increases in bird mortality. To its supporters, wind turbines are a powerful symbol of our effort to combat climate change and convert to a renewable source of power.

Maine has a long history of hydropower on its powerful rivers. Hydro dams have a significant impact on riverine habitat and are often barriers to fish migration, even when fish passage structures are installed.

Our rivers are public resources held in the public trust (see my July 2019 column, titled “Managing Maine’s Resources under the Public Trust

Doctrine”) which may be used for private power generation only under a license by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The federal licensing process seeks to achieve a balance between the social and economic benefits of the power generation versus the ecological and economic impacts of dam operation.

For the most part, that process has been successful in recent years. A notable group of dams with an outsized negative environmental impact, like the former Edwards Dam in Augusta and the Saccarappa Dam in Westbrook, have been removed.

Forest Biomass Maine’s abundant forests provide a renewable supply of wood, or biomass, that Mainers use to heat their homes either as firewood or wood pellets. Wood chips and wood wastes from other forest products have long provided a substantial fraction of the fuel needed to power Maine’s industries and electricity generation.

While in the very long term, forest resources are renewable.

Today the debate focuses on the more immediate implications on the carbon dioxide budget from harvesting and burning biomass fuels.

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What Defines a “Trash Fish”?

I hear it all the time, a term used for Maine’s more undesirable game fish. Trash fish. “Throw them up on the ice – nothing but trash fish!”

At the top of that list (and some frozen lakes are littered with them) are yellow perch.

My whole life I never looked twice at the “tiger trout” flopping on the ice, but since then I have learned that in some other parts of the county, yellow perch are considered a prize.

In fact, some “fancy” restaurants even serve the yellow perch that were caught from the Great Lakes. Some states manage the perch as a sportfish, since they are so popular with the local fisherman.

I’ve even heard of anglers in other states specifically targeting sunfish through the ice. Sunfish! And

In other states, yellow perch are found on the menus of fine restaurants. So why can’t we eat them here in Maine? The answer is – we can.

I’ve always thought of them as a “bottom of the barrel” fish!

This got me thinking.

Pros and Cons, Stocked or Not Most of the fishing I do around my house is for stocked brook trout. Yeah, they’re pretty, and I will always love to catch them, but after a couple months of fishing, these “put and take” lakes get fished hard, and the trout get further and further between, or perhaps they get smarter.

Going onto the ice for an entire day just to catch a couple of stocked trout is fun, but last winter I discovered something.

After reading all these articles and watching

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 59)

Biomass combustion immediately releases CO2 from the carbon stored in the wood. But experts now disagree whether forest regrowth will fully offset the CO2 released, or if biomass combustion actually contributes to climate change in the near term (next 10-20 years).

Large scale solar energy farms require substantial acreage dedicated to rows of panels over the commercial life of the farm. Clearing land of trees to build solar farms is not ideal. But if solar arrays are located on land that can’t be reforested, such as closed landfills, the land use impact is reduced. www.MaineSportsman.com

reading about it, and with a favorite fish fry recipe I was surprised to find that fried yellow perch and crappie were not bad at all … and I prefer them over the stocked trout we had been catching!

Are these trash fish, or are these the makings of a tasty fish-fry or chowder?

Giampertruzzi photo

videos of people freaking out over a “jumbo” yellow perch, sunfish or other panfish, I thought I would give it a try.

After a day of having fun jigging up a pile of perch, I was going to see if they make good table fare. I kept

Healthy Fish, Depends on the Season Yes fried fish may not be the best option health-wise, but if you feel that bad about it just leave your snow machine at home and drag your gear out and you will feel you earned it, or they make an excellent fish chowder. And you can always target game fish and the chances are you have that one trap in the “perch hole,” so pull that trap and jig up the perch

Nuclear Power While we no longer have nuclear power in the Pine Tree State, we still have over 500 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored at the former Maine Yankee plant. Nuclear power is not considered a renewable resource, but at least it does not add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. How we safely dispose of (well, store) high-level nuclear waste forever is another matter, and a serious drawback.

Today we have to weigh the known, actual and global consequences of climate change, including permanent extinction of multiple species, against the permanent risk of catastrophic releases of nuclear radiation from high level waste. This is a no-win decision.

while you’re waiting for flags.

Another thing you will hear is that they are wormy – and yes, they can be, at least in the summer. That’s why I would only keep them during the winter months.

The great thing about panfish is that they are really easy to catch so it’s great for beginner anglers.

They provide an opportunity to chase flags all day.

So indeed, trout and salmon will always be at the top of the list when it comes to ice fishing in Maine, but don’t pass up on an opportunity to keep a few perch or crappie. If you end up getting into them this winter, don’t be surprised – Maine’s small warm-water fisheries are full of them.

¶

Would I want another nuke plant in Maine? Well, honestly, no. There is always a chance of local release. I’d much rather have offshore wind power and more solar. But if other countries choose nuclear power to reduce carbon emissions, I understand the difficult tradeoff they are making.

All of the Above Overall, in the current global climate emergency, we need to replace fossil fuels as fast as possible with all types of renewable energy and, yes, even nuclear power. We simply can’t wait for an ideal solution.

Yes, these are painful but necessary choices. Our children’s future depends on our decisions and actions today.

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Sportsmen Need to Be Heard On Massive CMP Project Outdoors folk who recreate in western Maine know the Spencer Road well.

This major haul road bisects several unorganized townships south of Jackman. It leaves Route 201 as Hardscrabble Road at Parlin Pond, and winds west for more than 25 miles under a variety of names before it connects to the Gold Brook Road and ultimately Route 27 near Chain of Ponds.

DeLorme’s Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 38- 39.

The private road artery and its branches serve as a gateway to adventure for outdoor sportsmen in a very unpopulated expanse of the borderlands with Canada. This huge area of working forest is peppered with remote ponds, mountain peaks and recreational trails. It’s popular with moose and deer hunters, fishermen, hikers, canoeists, snowmobilers and all other fans of remote woodlands.

Central Maine Power’s proposal to cut a new 53-mile electric power transmission corridor through this section of the north woods has local residents up in arms.

The proposed corridor would roughly parallel the Spencer Road and then wind north to the border with Canada. On the east side of Route 201, the new cut would extend

The author has hunted, fished and paddled throughout the mountains, ponds and timberlands that would be affected by the proposed CMP corridor.

The lines would transmit hydro-power from dams in eastern Canada, and this infusion of non-fossil fuel energy into New England’s power grid would arguably reduce the region’s carbon footprint.

However, would this attempt to address climate change carry too large a dose of collateral damage?

The route of the proposed CMP corridor would parallel portions of the Parlin/ Spencer Road -- a region well-known to the author.

southward, crossing the Kennebec River underneath the Kennebec Gorge and then joining an existing corridor before heading south to Massachusetts.

Impacts to Western Maine Wildlands Opponents point

out that the new 150-foot wide corridor would cross hundreds of wetlands and streams that provide critical, cold-water habitat for native brook trout. They also argue that deer wintering areas would be fragmented and

blocked by a freshly-cut transmission line “as wide as the New Jersey Turnpike.” Maine Audubon Society has noted that forest fragmentation impacts would be most severe for certain ground-nesting bird species, pine martens

and other species that require large undisturbed blocks of forest landscape.

It’s also very unclear that the billion-dollar project would be as climate-friendly as CMP claims. It’s true that the corridor would be used to transmit hydro-power from massive dam projects in eastern Canada. This infusion of non-fossil fuel energy into New England’s power grid would arguably reduce the region’s carbon footprint. But if that hydro power is already being sold in Ontario Province and Northern NY, what happens when it is re-routed through Maine to wealthy Massachusetts customers? Won’t the old customers simply revert to fossil-fuel powered sources?

CMP is resisting a pending bill in the legislature that would require an independent climate-impact study before the project is approved. The company has also opposed calls for a more thorough environmental study by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Local Grass-Roots Opposition At least 25 towns have voted to oppose the project, and what’s interesting is that many of these votes rescinded earlier votes of support. Grassroots efforts by local activists overturned (Continued on page 63) www.MaineSportsman.com

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Is There a Jeep or Ford in My Future?

It’s a five-hour drive from Dixfield to Patten, and my friend Gene Bahr and I make the trip up to Bill Finney’s “Patten Lodge” every October to do a little bird hunting.

During the long drive, we often discuss vehicles, and this past year it was all about his new Ford truck.

Readers of this column know my affinity for Toyota vehicles; their low maintenance and durability keep them going longer than most. After a fivehour drive with Gene, he had me convinced

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The storage space in my friend’s new Ford F150 Crewcab was so cavernous that I discovered an unopened bag of gear only after we had returned from our trip and were unloading! As an accommodation to the two dogs in the back seat, he placed a piece of thick leather on the center console so the dogs had a good grip when they ventured forward to see what we were discussing up front.

– there may be a Ford truck in my future.

Gene’s F-150 Ford Crewcab drove quiet and smooth on the pavement, and equally well on the rough back roads. The four-cylinder twin turbo engine purred along through it all at an amazing

average of 22 miles per gallon. The good gas mileage and huge 36-gallon tank will take folks way back in woods, and better yet, it will also get them out at a lower cost per gallon than most fullsized pickup trucks and many light-duty

pickups (my six-cylinder Tacoma gets an average of only about 18 m.p.g).

The icing on the cake came when Gene told me that the truck’s body will never rust, explaining that Ford had decided to make them out of

aluminum. For some reason, this fact completely got past me – I never had heard this before. I’ve got to start paying more attention to things like this; kind of a revolutionary breakthrough, as far as I’m concerned.

Gone to the Dogs I can’t emphasize enough the huge amount of gear two bird hunters with two dogs can amass.

Gene and I are different in many ways, but we each agree on one thing – always bring more than you’ll (Continued on next page)

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ever need on trips like this. To make matters worse, we unnecessarily duplicated quite a few items.

Each dog had a huge dish for food and one for water, blankets and pads, bags of dog food and multiple treat bags, leashes and electronic collar equipment, regular collars, hunting vests, medical kits and much more that I never got to see because it was buried way back in the bed of the truck. One of my own bags of supplies never even got opened – I discovered this as we unloaded the gear at the end of the trip.

The large back seat comfortably held more gear – and the dogs, at the same time. We threw a few blankets back there, and they stayed warm and got along great. Gene put

a thick piece of leather over the center console for the dogs to stand on when they occasionally leaned into the front area of the cab to listen to what we were talking about.

The leather protected the interior finish and gave their front paws something to grip instead of the slippery surface of the console.

Gene had a toneau cover installed to cover the bed, and a small step-up attached to the tailgate to allow easier access in the bed. He also uses a spring-loaded bar across the width of the bed to keep gear from rolling back and forth during travel. These items really helped with the huge amount of gear we were hauling. Finding items we needed didn’t take that long because of the way it was orga-

Self-Propelled (Continued from page 61)

the earlier pro-corridor decisions. The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, which initially supported the project, later withdrew that support and took a neutral stance.

One source of discontent may be that the electricity proposed to be carried by the new transmission line through Maine wildlands is destined for Massachusetts – not Maine – consumers.

The opposition has endured and grown despite attempts by CMP to sweeten the deal for Mainers. The company has offered to bury the line underneath the Kennebec River Gorge in an effort to quiet commercial rafting companies. And there are outright promises of cash to state and local governments to the tune of about $250 million dollars.

In April of 2019 the project received initial approval by state regulators.

But the opposition is scrambling to obtain enough signatures to place the ultimate future of the project on a statewide 2020 referendum ballot.

Public hearings continue to be held

nized and carried in the bed.

Deep Jeep Thinking As long as I’m going out on a limb thinking about a Ford for my next vehicle, I might as well admit it – I might even consider a Jeep, as long as it’s a Wrangler. I like the way a Wrangler easily gets through the sloppiest backwoods roads.

The biggest drawback about a Wrangler in my opinion is their relatively rough and noisy ride on pavement. Off road, this doesn’t matter.

This point might not matter in my present situation – almost all of my driving is in the woods. Any time I go anywhere other than hunting or fishing on back roads, I take my wife’s Toyota Camry and enjoy the quiet and smooth

Gene’s pickup was a new F-150 Crewcab, which was very nice indeed. However, why not open you imagination and your wallet all the way, and select a real off-road beast -- the Ford Raptor?

Photo credit: Ford

ride the sedan offers.

I could get by with a Jeep in the woods and not worry about the rough road ride.

Wranglers, with their short wheelbase and lifted suspension, are known for their ability to crawl through the thickest and nastiest parts of the swamp. It’s not a reasonable point to

regarding the sufficiency of the existing environmental review conducted by the Army Corp of Engineers. A March 2019 poll found that 65% of Mainers oppose the CMP corridor, while 90% of Franklin County residents and 83% of Somerset County residents oppose the project.

Outdoor Sportsmen Know the Grounds Out of all the people questioned by pollsters, or signing referendum petitions or speaking at public meetings, too few have actually walked on the ground that will be impacted if the new transmission corridor is approved.

Those of us who have used the Spencer Road to access a favorite trout stream or partridge hotspot have a special responsibility to come forward and be heard.

We know the Spencer Road itself is no garden spot – major haul roads rarely are. They can be as disruptive as any power line. They’re widened to promote drying conditions; often they are deeply ditched, dusty and noisy. Our environmentalist friends sometimes like to imagine these lands are a pristine wilderness. We’ve seen the commercial woodcutting operations – we know this

consider when purchasing a vehicle for off-road use, but anyone has to agree – they just look like the ultimate outdoor vehicle.

Anyway, I am years away from a vehicle purchase, but it’s always a good time to consider options and alternatives regarding the next purchase.

¶

is not true.

But we also know that large blocks of a working forest hold special habitat for small and large animals alike. It’s a resilient, hardy landscape, but it can’t sustain repeated insults – especially permanent installations and contiguous clearings that won’t be allowed to re-generate.

I’m reminded of a stretch of woods along the southern border of T5 R7 – a township that contains the peak of No. 5 Mountain and a remote valley on the east side of the steep peak (DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 39, D-4). The proposed corridor would cut a 150-foot-wide swath through the valley, crossing over half-dozen brooks that feed an equal number of tiny trout ponds. Some of the brooks filter northward into the Moose River.

Travelers on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail pass through here on a portage northward from Fish Pond.

Passing under the high-tension power lines of the proposed corridor would remind paddlers that some attempts to address climate change carry large doses of collateral damage.

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64 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

“Ugly Stick” Keeps Tom’s Trout Out of Streamside Bushes The big trout ran downstream, trying to secure its freedom by wrapping my line in the thorny “rambling rose.” But the new fishing rod was up to the task, and by exerting maximum pressure I was able to redirect the fish movement back into the stream’s center channel.

A certain pool on one of my favorite trout streams always holds a willing trout or two. But during times of even moderately high water, landing a fish presents a challenge.

The problem lies in streamside brush.

Specifically, multiflora rose, or “rambling rose,” a fast-growing, invasive species that carries double-pronged thorns that almost jump out and grab a person. This annoying plant sits at strategic points along the pool where the flow gives trout every opportunity to get entangled in the prickly stems.

At medium-water levels this becomes a moot problem because the roses are high and dry, but at higher levels, the offending invaders stand as the cause for many a lost fish.

In this instance, my ultralight spinning gear doesn’t have enough beef to keep

trout from diving into the safety of the projecting vegetation. As a result, I decided to find another rod – one with more backbone, one that would allow me to put muscle into the fight and keep fish out of the brushy tangles. The rod would also need to be light enough to fully enjoy the battle from smaller fish.

But most of the rods I looked at were priced higher than I thought reasonable.

My task, then, was to go about comparing rods, holding them, shaking them and imagining how they would perform with a fish on.

Ugly Stick Most of us will, if possible, buy the best fishing gear we can afford. The old saying, “You get what you pay for,” rings in our minds as we scan online sources and spend time in tackle shops.

But when it comes to fishing rods, some-

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times we really can find high-quality gear for far less than we may imagine.

Continued searching for the perfect rod had yet to culminate in a final decision. That was until I went whiteperch fishing with buddy Steve Roberts of Swanville. Steve had a Shakespeare Ugly Stick – a lightweight model with the perfect action. The rod bent well, even with small fish on, and when he hooked a truly large perch or a bass, it was plain to see that here was the perfect wedding of fun and functionality.

Several days later, I visited my local tackle shop and tried out their selection of Ugly Sticks.

Fortunately, the shop carried the same model that Steve used so effectively on white perch. The rod felt plenty light, but it was evident that the butt section had enough power to persuade even larger trout from making their way into streamside brush on my favorite pool.

I purchased the lightweight, 6-foot, GX2 model Ugly Stick, and immediately took it home and rigged it up. That afternoon found me back at my favorite pool. A trout

Shakespeare Ugly Stick -- a great, all-purpose rod.

Seymour photo

nailed my tiny lure on the first cast, and since the current was moderately strong, the fish ran downstream, trying its best to secure its freedom in the streamside brush. But this time, the rod was up to the task, and by exerting maximum pressure, I was able to keep the fish out of the brush.

Ugly Stick Specifics With one exception, everything about the Ugly Stick appeals to me. The one sticking point, synthetic grips, seems a trifling matter. Were this rod to come with cork grips, it would effectively stand up to far more expensive rods in every way.

Shakespeare advertises their Ugly Stick rods as “America’s strongest, most sensitive rod.” Of the strength there is no doubt. As for sensitivity, I was able to evaluate that claim by fishing with some tiny trout jigs – the kind where the take is often restricted to a nearly imperceptible tap. And yes, the rod telegraphed the most delicate takes, making

it the ideal rod for hesitant trout.

I was impressed by the rod’s graphite-andglass construction. By combining these two materials, Shakespeare has created a strong yet sensitive rod that the company touts as being “virtually indestructible.”

I don’t think that invincibility extends to closing a car door on the tip, but otherwise the thing seems plenty tough.

Another thing I like about the Ugly Stick is the guides. Even some high-priced rods use ceramic guides. These add weight to the rod, and are liable to cracking and even popping out of the frame. Ugly Sticks have one-piece, stainless steel guides.

These are feather-light and strong as can be, suitable for all lines, including (something never used in trout fishing) braids.

To end, I’d say the $50 cost for an Ugly Stick rod stands as one of the better opportunities out there. I highly recommend it.

Higher Quality (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 65 (Continued from page 64)

Shakespeare’s Ugly Stick serves as an example of how modern technology contributes to the mass-production of inexpensive, yet completely serviceable rods. Shakespeare, of course, does not stand alone. Other makers also offer high-quality rods for very reasonable prices.

As a certified “old-timer,” I can recall when even the more expensive rods had glaring faults.

Perhaps the biggest

was the soft metal used in guides. In only one season, monofilament lines would wear grooves in each guide.

This in turn contributed to line abrasion and often, lost fish.

Today, even the least expensive rods carry guides that rank head-and-shoulders above those of yesteryear. This alone represents a quantum leap in rod-building technology.

And while I still prefer cork grips, modern synthetic grips

last a whole lot longer than poor-quality cork grips used on rods in the past.

Rod blanks, too, as exemplified in the Ugly Stick, are far less prone to breaking than older rods. Even the finish excels. The takeaway from all this is that while top-shelf tackle is nice if you can get it, less-expensive gear does not necessarily mean a reduction in quality. And for all of us, that’s a good thing.

¶

Joey Court of East Waterboro, ME proudly displays his 227-pound 8-pointer he bagged while hunting in Jackman November 14, 2019. The buck earned Court a place in the 2019 Biggest Bucks in Maine Club.

Long-time Maine Sportsman subscriber Charlie Cestodio of Dighton, MA dropped this 9-point, 188-pound buck on November 11, 2019 in Woodville, ME with one shot from his Weatherby VGX using a 7mm Remington magnum cartridge. The deer was tagged at the Why Not Stop, 297 West Broadway in Lincoln. www.MaineSportsman.com

66 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Readjustments Help Anglers Get the Best Out of 2020 Last year, Maine’s fishing season seemed to go by so quickly for me ... and when I did get out to fish, everywhere I went the water levels were at alltime lows.

Usually, I’m so busy fishing during the season that I don’t get a chance to think about making changes to fine-tune my fly fishing efforts. This past year gave me plenty of time to reconsider how I go about one of my favorite outdoor pastimes.

One of the first things I want to do is something I can take care of right now, during the dark days of winter. I’m going to be sure to attend more fly fishing shows. An angler needs to have as many fishing options as possible, and visiting shows allows me to connect with guides, lodge owners and outfitters to plan future fishing trips for the new season.

The author has extremely ambitious goals for 2020 – he resolves to rub elbows with more fellow fly fishermen at shows, find some new trout waters, finetune his technique for enticing scrappy smallmouth, and teach his bird dog not to “retrieve” a tied fly he’s casting.

Author’s wife, Nancy, and Ginger ... more of this kind of fun for 2020.

Sportsman’s shows, like the March 27 – 29 State of Maine Sportsman’s Show in Augus-

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ta, include fly fishing gear and enthusiasts, but other, smaller shows focus solely on

fly fishing. Fly fishing shows give anglers an opportunity to handle the latest gear and

also offer valuable seminars for improving techniques, getting out with fellow anglers to discuss the upcoming season, swap fishing tales and gawk at all the new gear helps to alleviate some of an angler’s winter blues.

WMFF Expo 2020 The Mollyockett Chapter of Trout Unlimited will again be hosting this year’s 9th Annual Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo in Bethel. Be sure to set aside the Saturday of March 21 for an all-day fly fishing extravaganza that will include more than forty vendors; fly shops, guides, rod makers, fly tiers, authors, environmental groups, sporting camps, artists and raffles.

There also will be a theme similar to last year’s event – how to get young anglers into the sport. Two lucky young anglers (under sixteen) will be awarded complete fly fishing rod outfits after completing and competing in a challenging and fun “passport” activity that has the youthful anglers collecting tokens from each booth at the event.

Currently there is a discussion as to the event’s location ... whether to keep it at the Gould Academy, or move it to Telstar (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 67 (Continued from page 66)

High School. Check their website (mollytu. org) for the final decision and details of this awesome fly fishing show.

Seminars vary each year to keep things interesting. Visitors can be sure they will get a well-rounded selection of seminar events that cover issues such as environmental developments, fishing techniques, fly tying, and casting instruction.

Again, check the website for an updated schedule of seminars.

There will also be a silent auction to help fund the non-profit Mollyockett TU Chapter and their programs that do so much for the fly fishing community. Every show that I’ve attended in the past offered gorgeous auction items – highly-coveted fly fishing items for the home and on the water.

2020 Season This year I want to locate new fishing territory, since an angler can never have enough fishing locations. From one year to the next, fishing conditions at each location can change, so having alternate locations makes plenty of sense.

For several years now, I’ve had a small pond in the Rangeley Region that provided a good number of healthy brook trout and kept me returning on a routine basis.

This past season, fishing on the pond proved less productive, so I longed for other places to fish – this year I’ll be prepared with

a good amount of “extra” fishing locations to keep things satisfying. Attending more fly fishing and sportsman’s shows will open my eyes to new fishing possibilities.

Last summer, I finally had a chance to fish with Laurin Parker, one half of the fly fishing team at Western Maine Guide Service (westernmaineguideservice.com).

Bob Harkins co-owns and operates the guide service with Parker, running their fleet of two driftboats in and around the quiet town of Bethel.

Guide Parker taught an old dog (me) a new trick last year – a unique method of quickly stripping large streamers that incited huge smallmouth bass into attacking our of-

fering. I’ve had mild luck swinging streamers, but this method, similar to Kelly Gallup’s techniques, gets big streamers directly into the water column desired by large fish on moving water.

Another goal for the 2020 fishing season has me working hard to teach my sixteenmonth-old Hungarian pointer, Ginger, how to keep cool while I’m fishing. I didn’t get her into the water enough last year, so I’ll start this spring by getting her more familiar with my boat, canoe and kayak.

The trick will be to teach her not to chase a tied fly like it’s something I want her to retrieve. She is so accustomed to playing fetch with me that she might jump out of the

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ger has a mind of her own at times. Wish me luck.

¶

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68 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Unprecedented Brook Trout Growth Excites DIF&W Call it a success story, or call it serendipity, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Maine hatchery-raised brook have demonstrated an unprecedented growth rate in one small Midcoast pond.

I became aware of this while accompanying Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) fisheries biologists on a visit to Little Pond in Damariscotta. My job was to observe while the biologists checked their trapnets. The pond gets regular stockings of hatchery-raised brook trout.

Being a cross of the Maine State Hatchery strain and the Kennebago strain, these fish represent the best of what our hatchery system has to offer.

Their hybrid vigor surpasses anything I had ever seen.

The biologists had several trapnets set out at traditional spawning sites, and each one needed checking. And though the guys explained what we would encounter, the reality of it made me gasp. Some of the biggest brook trout I had ever seen were waiting in their temporary confinement.

The first trapnet-full of fish held what looked like footballs with fins. One trout, a little over 15 inches and nearly as round as it was long, was stocked as www.MaineSportsman.com

a 10-inch fish the past spring. The fish was all muscle, and it was difficult for me to take my eyes off it. But that was the smallest of the lot. The rest of the fish that awaited us were in the 16- to 18-inch category and weighed, on average, about 3 pounds.

Perfect Storm I had spent my life, up to that moment, believing in what Art Flick said so long ago in his book, The New Streamside Guide.

Flick maintained that trout cannot grow large on a diet of insects alone. In order to grow to anything over a few pounds, trout needed to eat baitfish.

The trout in Little Pond proved Flick entirely wrong.

In fact, my biologist friends told me that stomach content analyses showed nothing but insect larvae in trout stomachs in this pond. Think of it – not a single baitfish. And yet some of these fish, while only two or three years old, rivaled the behemoth brook trout in Moosehead Lake.

Of course this brings up the question: How did this happen? If and when that question gets answered, then perhaps the winning formulas can be applied to other stocked ponds around the state.

One of the things DIF&W did recently was to stock a small number of fall finger-

ling brook trout in Little Pond last fall.

These 100 fish were specially marked so that biologists can differentiate them from other trout and assess their growth.

Jason Seiders, Region B regional biologist, said, “My theory is that the growth is so fast in Little Pond, faster than in the hatchery system, that these fish will already be considerably larger than what gets traditionally stocked in April. This really depends upon winter growth, which is something we haven’t examined in Little Pond.”

Game-Changer Let Jason’s words sink in for a moment.

Fish stocked this fall in Little Pond will (probably) grow faster than fish in the hatchery system. Now consider that hatchery trout are fed a diet of high-protein feed, the best available, designed for fast growth.

And yet insect-fed fish in this amazing pond may grow faster than their counterparts in the hatchery. Wow! In the end, no matter how long it may take to finally determine, beyond a doubt, what causes brook trout in Little Pond to grow so big so quickly, the answer could be a game-changer.

And even if that never happens, the undeniable fact that the current strain of hatch-

This 4-pound-plus brook trout is only three years old.

ery-raised trout can and do grow so huge and so fast, stands as solid evidence that these fish have something great going for them.

Little Pond has 48 feet of water and covers only 78 acres. And to think that a tiny, otherwise inconsequential water could yield such impressive results stands everything most of us have known or believed on its head.

It being such an amazing brook trout fishery, Little Pond has special fishing regulations in place to protect the resource.

Specifically, ice fishing is prohibited, motorboats are prohibited, fishing is limited to artificial lures only, and there is a 1- fish bag limit, with a minimum length limit of 18 inches.

With that big a minimum length, Jason Seiders mentioned that some anglers have caught what would otherwise be a trout of a lifetime, weight-wise that is, only to find that it

fell somewhat short of legal length. That’s mind-boggling stuff in anybody’s book.

Look for Little Pond on the DeLorme Atlas, Map 7, A-4.

Midcoast Brookies While the brook trout fishery in Little Pond qualifies it as a premier Midcoast brook trout water, some other waters grow big brook trout too. One of the better choices, St. George Lake in Liberty, has deep, cold, well-oxygenated water, plus a healthy smelt fishery, prime ingredients for growing and carrying-over brook trout.

Brook trout of 16-18 inches, carryover fish from previous stockings, often surprising the lucky angler.

Our DIF&W annually stocks St. George Lake with brook trout and salmon. Ice fishing is permitted, and those seeking brook trout would do well to stick to shallow water over rocky areas.

See St. George Lake on Map 13, B-5.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 69

Washington County Waters Hold Big, Brood-Stock Brookies

13-inch winter brookies like these are frequently pulled from East Grand. Lemieux photos

According to fisheries biologist Greg Burr, state hatchery personnel stocked brood-stock brook trout in several Washington County waters last fall. “These fish are in addition to the department’s regular stockings, and will greatly enhance fishing opportunities for this winter,” explained Burr.

Burr also revealed that DIF&W had released thousands of fall yearling brook trout, splake, and landlocked salmon into area waters.

Washington County harbors many wellstocked lakes and pond designed to pry winter ice anglers from the comforts of their warm homes. Refer to DeLorme’s Atlas, Maps 25 and 45 to locate these ice-bound fisheries.

East Grand Lake, Map 45, A-4 is one of the premier salmon fisheries in the state.

In a recent phone conversation with Region F fisheries biologist Kevin Dunham said “Landlocks of 5 to 6

21-inch splake like this one await Washington County ice anglers.

This trophy laker is typical of those found in Downeast waters.

Last fall, state biologists stocked Schoodic Lake in Cherryfield with nearly 50 18-inch brood-stock brookies, offering lucky anglers a lifetime trophy. pounds are not uncommon catches for a few lucky ice anglers each winter” but that “17- to 20-inch fish are more often the bigger part of a day’s catch.”

Each year, Washington County hatchery personnel stock this water with 2,250 7-inch salmon. Aroostook County also stocked 1,625 salmon in Orient and 2,400 in Weston last spring.

East Grand Lake salmon anglers are often successful by cutting ice holes in the vicinity of Meeting House Point, Five Islands, Caribou Point and Little River Cove.

Even though East Grand has a healthy alewive population, fishing with smelts just under the ice usually ensures the best salmon-fishing results.

Trophy Trout Trophy lake trout from 4 to 12 pounds are often iced during the winter. A good number of hard-water lake-trout fishers set traps on Greenland Cove. Cut-up suckers or crushed smelts fished on bottom or 10 feet off bottom seem to produce most of the togue strikes. This may be because alewives, part of a togue’s diet, often swim at this

depth. East Grand has a 1-fish daily limit on lake trout.

Brook trout also trip a lot of ice trap flags during the winter. An aggressive brookie-stocking plan has been in effect for decades. Last year, 5,000 10-inch trout were released between both counties, while 800 13-inch brookies were also stocked last year.

Fishing near the shoreline in approximately 2-to 5-feet produces the most brook trout strikes. Smelts or worms (if you can find any) are the usual bait to entice these

beauties. In addition, a jig stick and a 1/16 ounce yellow Panther-Martin has produced brookies for me.

If you plan to fish both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake, make sure to first obtain fishing licenses from both countries.

The middle of the lake is up for grabs, as long as you do not venture into any Canadian coves.

Several sporting camps are available nearby to provide lodging, and the proprietors will offer plenty of fishing advice. Ample parking is available at Butterfield Landing, Greenland Cove parking area, and several smaller parking places along the lake.

(Continued on page 71)

www.MaineSportsman.com

70 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

The Uni-Knot System Believe it or not, there’s a single fishing knot that will allow you to tie multiple connections – a tight knot to attach a hook or lure, a loop knot, join line-to-line, connect a leader to a fishing line (even to a fly line), and snell a hook. All these connections can be accomplished with just one simple knot, the Uni-Knot, and right now (the dead of winter) is a great time to learn how to tie it.

The Uni-Knot is really a system. It was popularized by Vic Dunaway, an old friend of mine who spent many years as the editor of Florida Sportsman magazine.

Vic never claimed to

have invented the basic knot, but he did adapt it to a number of situations where the Uni was simpler to tie than some of the triedand-true yet more difficult connections.

It can be used with monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided lines, knot strength runs from 90% to 100%, and the Uni has excellent resistance to severe and sudden jolts such as when a big fish hits.

I’ve been using the Uni-System almost for over 40 years, and outside of specialized heavy-duty saltwater knots such as the Bimini twist and the palomar knot, the Uni takes care of about

90% of my day-to-day connections when rigging up for striped bass, blues, and groundfish. It’s easy to tie in low light and when my fingers are cold, and I’ve gotten to the point where I can almost tie it blindfolded!

Start with the Basics The basic Uni, used to attach a hook or lure, is easy. Take the tag end of your line or leader and run it through the hook or lure eye about 6”, then loop it back to form a circle just ahead of the eye. Pinch the two lines and the section of the loop that crosses them together in your left thumb and fore-

finger, and then make six turns around both strands of line and through the circle with the tag end. Pull the tag end tight, which will cinch the turns together, and slide the knot down against the eye. That’s it.

If you want to make a loop knot instead of a tight connection, simply slide the knot down towards the eye, leaving the size loop you want, and pull on the tag end hard, preferably with pliers. This will lock the knot in place, but be advised that it may eventually pull down against the hook or lure eye during a protracted fight with a big fish.

Nathan Pitre of Caribou shot this 200-pound, 8-point buck in Washburn on November 25, 2019 with his 30-30. www.MaineSportsman.com

Connecting Lines The Uni really shines when you want to connect two lines together.

Assuming the lines are somewhat of the same diameter (as in reconnecting the ends of a broken or cut fishing line), start by overlapping the tag end of each line by about 6”.

Then take one tag end, loop it back to form a circle, and make four or five wraps, just as described above in the hook/lure connection. Pull tight, and then take the second tag end, loop it back, and tie the same knot a second time. Pull that tag end to tighten, then pull slowly on (Continued on next page)

Greg Bivighouse of Patten used his .270 to bag this 241-pound, 8-point bruiser in Staceyville on November 20, 2019.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 71

The author says he’s been using the UniSystem for over 40 years, and explains it takes care of about 90% of his day-to-day connections when rigging up for striped bass and groundfish. Illustration credit: Ande Lines, www.AndeMonofilament.com (Continued from page 70)

both sections of line, in opposite directions, to slide the two knots together. Trim the ends, and you’re done.

If the lines are of significantly unequal diameter, such as a light line and heavy leader, simply fold back and double the lighter line and tie the two individual knots as described. This will add very little extra

bulk to the finished knot.

Fly Leaders & Snells If you want to attach the butt section of a fly leader to a fly line, overlap the two lines and tie a Uniknot with the mono or fluorocarbon leader onto the fly line, pull very tight with pliers, and trim the tag end close. The mono will dig into the fly line

Downeast (Continued from page 69)

More Salmon and Brookies Another fast-producing winter water is Schoodic Lake in Cherryfield; Map 25, C-3. Schoodic provides suitable habitat for landlocked salmon and brook trout. This 389-acre lake supports an abundant rainbow smelt population, providing natural forage for cold-water fish.

Reports by anglers during previous winters mentioned that hefty salmon in the 3- to 4-pound range were being caught. However, the largest numbers of salmon were approximately 2 pounds and 16 to 17 inches in length.

Most successful salmon anglers fish live bait just under the ice.

Two excellent places to set up a few ice traps for salmon are located about 200 feet out from the left or right sides of the outlet. Fishing near the shoreline there produces the best results.

The state stocks this water yearly with brook trout and salmon. Last fall, 400 13-inch, 48 18-inch brood-stock

and hold firmly. Do not then tie another Uni with the fly line onto the mono (as described for joining lines in the previous paragraph), as this will create an unacceptably bulky knot that will hang up in the fly rod’s guides.

Finally, the Uni can be used to “snell” a hook. It isn’t a true snell, but it’s much easier to tie.

Run the end of your

line or leader down through the eye of the hook from the top (a hook with a turnedup or turned-down eye is best) for about 6”.

Make the familiar circle with the line, hold it tight against the hook shank with your thumb and forefinger, and make four or five turns around the line and shank with the tag end. Pull on the tag end to tighten the

brookies, and 275 landlocks were released into this clear body of water.

Fall-stocked 18- to 20-inch brook trout should give some folks a trophy to remember. There may still be a few of these hefty fish left in the lake during February.

Fishing close to the shore with live bait in 2 to 4 feet of water, may result in the fishing experience of a lifetime.

Even if you don’t hook onto a monster brookie, some of the 13-inch fish could create enough excitement to have an unforgettable day.

Smallmouth bass may also generate enjoyment for winter fisher. Smallies in the 10- to 13-inch range are the most common; however a few 15- to 17-inch fish are also caught. General fishing laws apply; however, there is no size or bag limit on bass.

Ice anglers can access the lake from several directions over plowed, dirt roads from the Schoodic Lake Road or Jacks Road.

Brood-Stock Opportunities One more winter-fishing prospect along the Airline (Route 9) is Pleasant

knot, and then finish by holding the standing line and hook and pulling in opposite directions.

If you get a little frustrated, there are lots of videos on YouTube that show you how to tie the Uni for the various connections. Once you master the basic knot, the rest of the “system” will come easy.

¶

River Lake (Map 25, E-2). Pleasant River Lake is located south of Route 9.

There are many shoreline camp roads that can provide winter access. People can also get to the lake by following the gravel road to the boat launch at the northeast end of the lake.

Splake and brook trout are the targeted species on the lake. Last fall, 22 18-inch, and 700 13-inch brookies were released.

Salmon haven’t been stocked in the lake for some time due to their slow growth rate. However, splake were introduced in the early 1990s and are providing anglers another cold-water fish to trip ice-trap flags. Splake appear to be surviving and their growth rate is good. The splake’s main diet here consists of smelts and small white perch. White perch rarely reach length that would attract serious perch-chowder fisherman. Smallmouth bass are at times caught during the winter.

The majority of bass are 12 to16 inches, with a few larger 4-pound trophies caught each winter.

¶

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72 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Northern Pike – Exciting Gamefish, or “the Scourge of Maine”?

According to the “2008 Northern Pike Assessment” prepared

by Francis Brautigam, IF&W’s director of fisheries, northern pike were initially introduced into Maine during the 1970s, as a result of an illegal introduction to the Belgrade Chain of Lakes.

The fish then became well-established, and spread to other lakes within the Belgrade Lakes drainage.

Because there were plenty of smaller fish to eat, and since spawning habitat was ideal, the species thrived, and grew to huge sizes – Brautigam reported that pike were averaging 30 inches long and 7 pounds in weight.

Anglers started targeting these large fish, and their popularity apparently led “bucket biologists” to introduce pike into new waters within central and southern Maine.

Pike Populations Continue to Expand In the 2008 assessment, IF&W listed 28 lakes and ponds that held viable populations of northern pike.

Since then the department has revised the list to add three more lakes and ponds. Reports from ice angers, yet to be confirmed by IF&W, claim pike are present in even more water bodies, including the Saint George drainage, Round Pond, White Oak Pond, Sennebec Lake and Unity Pond (see photo). In www.MaineSportsman.com

This 44-inch northern pike was caught

by Chris Stevens on January 1, 2019 on 6-lb test while crappie jigging on Unity Pond. Michael Dubois photo

order to confirm a species’ presence, IF&W biologists must actually collect the fish.

The Belgrade Lakes Region is one of Maine’s top fishing destinations for anglers looking to catch big pike. Of the Belgrade Lakes, Great Pond, (DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 20, E-4) Messalonskee Lake (Map 21, E-1), Long Pond (Map 20, E-4) and North Pond (Map 20, D-4) all contain trophy pike upwards of 20plus pounds.

Northern Pike enthusiasts enjoy fishing for this toothy and aggressive species in late February and March, when trophy-size adult pike concentrate in shallow water areas, preparing for spawning season.

North Bay on Great Pond Late season typically finds me fishing the shallow waters of North Bay on Great Pond. The areas of the large bay in and around Snake Point are typically my favorite spots.

Here’s the list of current Maine waters officially identified by IFW as holding populations of pike.

Access to this location can best be made by parking at the “Sweet Dreams” convenience store located at 164 Village Road in Smithfield (362-2010) – just make sure you buy something at the store before heading out, to help support the continued availability of this gracious-offered access point.

North Bay is accessible by a 1.25 mile snowmobile trail leading directly from the store to the lake.

Jigging for Pike Pike will eat almost anything, and they’ve been caught by anglers on almost every type of fishing lure imaginable, including the apparently new hot bait, red hot dogs (Google it!).

With that said, certain lures tend to work better than others when in pursuit of big, wall-hanger pike.

Vertical spoons like the Swedish Pimple and Acme Kastmaster are favorites, and their performance can be improved by adding a piece of cut

bait on one of the hooks – a killer combination.

Drop the lure to the bottom, lift, drop and lift 5-6 more times, then hold it still. Pike often hit the lure when it stops moving.

Often I let the lure sit for a couple of seconds, then proceed to give it a slight twitch before jigging again.

Often that little twitch is all it takes to elicit a brutal strike.

The Story of the Unity Pond Pike as Told by Michael Dubois My friend Chris Stevens and I were jigging for crappie on Unity Pond using a 24-inch rod and 6-lb test line, when Chris hooked a massive northern pike (see photo).

The day before we caught the pike, we had spoken with the local IFW biologist, Scott Davis. We specifically asked him if there were pike in the pond, to which he replied, not to his knowledge.

Davis has a shack on the pond and fish-

es there quite often, so we figured he was accurate.

However, while fishing there we noticed that we’d have large schools of crappie on our flasher, and suddenly they would disappear, only to reappear a few minutes later, so we surmised that a large fish like a pike was moving the school around. This happens to us on Messalonskee, and quite often we get bit off by pike.

Suddenly, all of the crappie disappeared, a large image appeared on the flasher and then Chris’s pole folded in half. When he set the hook, we knew that Scott Davis was wrong!

Chris had just had carpal tunnel surgery and after 10 minutes or so, he asked me to take the rod as his hand was getting sore.

I fought the fish for about 10 minutes, and then gave the rod back to Chris, as his hand felt better and it was in fact his fish. Again, Chis fought the fish for some amount of time and then relinquished the rod back to me because of the same sore hand.

The first time I brought the fish to the hole, we both agreed that there was no way for us to land it and that no one was going to believe us. We could see the lure hooked on the farthest tip of the upper jaw, which prevented the line from (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 73

Ice Fishing Camp Stew It’s fun preparing for a day out on the frozen lake. Don and I head up to Spencer annually to fish with my brother and Barb. Some days the freezing winds have moved the ice fish camp 25

feet! Of course the flags are mostly wind flags those days. Brrrr!

Barb typically whips up a chili, and we play Indian Poker or something that

passes until a flag pops up. I thought it would be fun to cook something right out there on the camp stove this year. Let’s try!!

pot. Cook over medium heat, about 15 minutes (or one flaming log). Add wine and reduce for flavor, about 10 minutes.

Add another piece of wood, get it flaming then add clam broth and pesto and slightly boil.

Add fish and cook until the fish is

firm, about 5-6 minutes, depending on how well you stoked the woodstove. Add sausage and liquid smoke, and cook until warmed through. Ladle stew into deep bowls, and serve with crusty bread.

Ingredients: • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • 2 red potatoes, diced small • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 teaspoons Smoked Sea Salt (or regular salt) • Pinch of crushed red pepper • 1 ½ cup dry white wine • 3 bottles clam broth (or 4 cups fish broth) • ½ cup pesto • 1 ½ pounds Lake Trout, filet • ¾ pound salmon, filet • 1 ½ cups spicy venison sausage, cooked • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke • Crusty bread, for serving Directions: Prepare for ice fish camp by combining olive oil, potatoes, onion, garlic, and salt, and red pepper in a Ziploc bag; shake to coat.

Empty contents of the bag of potato, onion and goodies into a large camp soup

***** Kate is known globally for her innovative creations in the kitchen, in a bean hole pit, an ice fish camp, or on a fire with her wild game dishes! Learn more at www.blackflystew.com.

“With unbridled enthusiasm for food, culture and history, Kate makes spending time in the kitchen with her cookbooks a journey into another world! She makes the idea of expanding our culinary boundaries easily accessible for any cook.”

– Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel.

Kate can be seen with Andrew Zimmern on the Maine episode.

Central Maine (Continued from page 72)

getting near any of the teeth.

I gave Chris a pair of rubber insulated gloves and told him that he would need to reach into the hole and grab the pike. He did just that, lifting the pike out of the water about 2 feet, but then with one shake, the pike was back down the hole and ran out most of the line on the reel.

We then decided to use the ice scoop

to try and scoop the pike out. Same deal, except this time Chris again had the pike two feet out of the hole. However, the scoop broke, and away went the pike for another lengthy fight.

I gave Chris the pole back and declared, “I’ll show you how it’s done.” I grabbed the pike with the gloves and lifted it two feet out of the hole. But again it shook, and I too dropped it back in the hole.

One last fight for Chris, and this time, I was able to grab the 44-inch

long fish and drag it out onto the ice.

We walked over to the biologist’s shack and took a picture in front of his name tag, as we figured no one would believe that it came out of Unity Pond.

We also contacted Scott, who did pick up the head and aged the pike at 9-11 years old. We estimated it at about 2025 lbs, and she was carrying about 4 lbs. of eggs.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

74 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Tom Says Go Big (the Big Lake, that is), or Go Home!

Although ice fishing got started in December in this region, the big lake, Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1) isn’t always locked up until February. So, in this writer’s mind, this month means big togue on the big lake!

Thanks to social media, I can get real-time reports on ice conditions. A few local pilots even post videos of fly-overs, allowing anglers to see whether the big bay caught.

Finally, anglers can’t wait to post fish pictures so we can all see how they are biting. What took hours of phone calls to friends in years past can be accomplished in seconds. Technology has its good points.

Jordan Bay Jordan Bay is always first to freeze up, and sometimes it’s the only safe part of the lake. With the high winds that whip

This angler is jigging on Sebago Lake, with his tools of the trade at hand. Photo by Tom Roth

across the lake, that big bay just doesn’t always catch.

When the ice is safe, most anglers access Sebago from one of two points – the Raymond Beach launch area off of Route 302, or the Standish off of Route 35.

Last season I saw a ton of lake trout harvested by folks on the Standish side of the lake. Plus, there were literally dozens of shacks on that side of Sebago. Perhaps it’s the access point of choice for more an-

Range Pond State Park Open ALL-YEAR! • Enjoy ice fishing (only plowed access to Lower Range Pond). Early Fishing permits available for access before gate opening at 9 A.M. Stocked with Brook and Brown Trout

• Kids only ice fishing Derby March 7th sponsored

by Kittery Trading Post and Sebago Rotary Club • 2020 State Park Passes now available to purchase at the park!

• 2 miles of groomed x/c ski trail, 1.5 miles of groomed snowshoe/ walking trail and 4 miles of additional trails • Park and Ride snowmobile access to Southwestern Maine • Remember, the park is open to hunting; special rules apply

Entrance Gate Closed Tuesday and Wednesday Call park for more information at 207-998-4104 26 State Park Road • Poland, ME Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry www.MaineSportsman.com

glers. I fish more toward Raymond with good success, but maybe I need to venture out a bit more!

Jigging vs. Traps Anglers fish traps and jig on the big lake, but more than 30 years of fishing this water has taught me that jigging out-catches traps exponentially. This is my opinion, formed after decades of experience, but the other successful anglers I know jig more than set traps, also. Now that’s not to say that I don’t throw traps in – I do.

Because every once in a while, I catch a laker (or sometimes a cusk), so it makes sense to increase the odds.

Jigging has me using a few basic lures. I prefer a nickel Swedish Pimple tipped with a piece of sucker belly. A nice filet flap of sucker adds motions, realism and scent to the hard metal lure.

Lately I’ve also been using lead-head jigs with a tube lure. I fill the tube lure cavity with smelt paste. This proves to be an enticing combo for Sebago lakers.

The Air-Plane jig, made

by Northland, features a single hook near the head, and a treble hook hidden in the tail. “You rarely miss a strike,” says the author.

Northland photo

Air-plane brand jigs would be my third choice for the lake. You rarely miss a strike with those multihooked contraptions.

With traps, I subscribe to the big-bait, big-fish theory, so I typically use 6- to 10inch suckers. I snip off their fins so they don’t trip my flag so often, and set them on bottom with a weight.

Large shiners also work.

My regular fishing partner uses frozen saltwater smelt he catches throughout the winter. They can get mushy, and work great for attracting cusk.

This year I invested in some new technology. One of my traps will be the Jaw-Jacker with the jigging base. This rig jigs your lure and sets the hook when you have a strike. We shall see how it works. The salesman said it’s the best thing going! Well, they caught one sucker.

More Technique I really can’t give solid advice on where to fish, as it seems the

fish move around from year to year. I always start in my familiar spots, but find I wander about more.

Years ago, I coined the term “jigging-onthe-move,” and that is really how you should fish Sebago lake trout in the winter. Drill a hole and jig it for 30 minutes. If you don’t have any luck, move. If you do snag a fish, fish the hole for 15 more minutes. I have pulled several fish from one hole doing just that.

Fish finders and flashers used on the ice are a great addition to the jigging-onthe-move technique.

A green band suddenly appearing on your flasher screen indicates a fish is by your lure and you should get ready for the impending strike.

Conversely, I think underwater cameras make ice fishing harder. I bought one of these contraptions and found that I was so fixated on watching the fish that I didn’t jig the bait well, and the fish lost interest. I think it’s the excitement of watching the fish and not sticking to your tried-and-true angling technique. Kind of like watching a deer for a long time before finally getting a shot.

Sometimes our emotions get the better or us in these situations!

I typically fish in 15 to 50 feet of water in the winter. Last season I seemed to catch more fish on the (Continued on page 76)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 75

The Best Stories Sometimes Hang on the Wall Many call them wall-hangers.

Some call them “cabinet queens,” referring to the seldom-used rifles or shotguns at the back of a gun safe, or set off to the side in a gun cabinet lineup.

A number of these pieces are genuine antiques with monetary value. Others are hard-used field guns that no longer suit.

Still others are first guns that introduced someone to the fun and satisfaction of the shooting sports, but now make way for other firearms.

Many of these seldom-used firearms reach current owners as heirlooms passed on from one owner to the next, usually within families. Ownership eases from grandparent to grandchild, fathers to daughters, sons, or sons-in-law.

Sometimes the chain of possession swings in a wider arc of uncles and aunts to nieces or nephews, or great-uncles to step-grandchildren they hardly knew.

At other times, a rifle or shotgun joined the family chain more recently through a Christmas or birthday gift. Perhaps it came as a hard-fought purchase after saving earnings from a paper route, or the nickels and dimes from collecting the deposits on bottles and cans.

That old rifle standing in the corner might be a war trophy brought home by

some long-ago soldier.

That one in the gun rack might be a .256 Newton that Grandpa won in a poker game during the Depression. The .22 with its short stock came from Mom and Dad when someone received the Marksmanship Merit Badge in Boy Scouts.

Foundation Stones No matter that these vintage guns see little or no action today. They often formed the nucleus of our collections, or inspired us to take up hunting and other shooting sports in the first place. In objects such as these dwell the legends of our families.

As the only hunter or serious shooter of my generation in the family, I have been fortunate to receive numerous pieces when their owners passed on or had no further use for them. And though they do little more than decorate the gun room and the study, they remain treasures to me.

While the snow remains February -deep across northern New England, and most hunting sits betwixt the season past and the season not yet arrived, the time is right for taking out some of the old steel to feel some of the history ooze out of it.

For me, that means spending some hours with three rifles that inspired me at the start: • Grandma Allard gave me my father’s

.22 caliber single-shot, bolt-action “Tom Mix Special” when I was ten years old.

• A few years later, Great-uncle Baird’s Winchester Model 1892 lever-action in .32-20 came this way.

• During college I pulled my Grandfather Allard’s circa 1880 Whitney Arms Company, single-shot rolling block, out of the attic, and he gave it to me.

Stories to Tell My father bought the used Marlin Tom Mix Special for $5 while in high school during World War II. The original owner sold it just before shipping out with the Marines. He left the rifle behind with “W. Spencer Harris – USMCR” scratched into its stock. Later I learned to shoot and hunt squirrels with that little gun, as did my son a couple of decades later.

No one knows why Baird, a Connecticut factory worker, wanted the Winchester that dates from 1904.

Its anemic .32-30 cartridge renders it suitable only for rabbits and foxes. However, with its silky smooth lever action, hooked buttplate and 24-inch octagonal barrel, it remains a beautiful example of Winchester skills.

Grandpa’s Whitney Arms rolling block also chambers the tepid .32-20 cartridge, and the only thing he ever took with it was

Little-used firearms often constitute the heart and soul of a collection. Each one holds history, tall tales and campfire legends. J.C. Allard photo

a barred owl shot out of a tree in 1912. An argument with his grandfather-guardian over purchasing that gun led Grandpa to leave school and home in the eighth grade. He hired on as a teamster driving horses for lumber camps across Vermont, eastern Quebec, the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, and into the Rangeley region of Maine. He did not re-

turn home until in his early twenties.

Every exercised and appreciated firearm generates stories.

The stories here offer little to consider special or unique. Formed from steel and wood, these objects draw the special and unique from the people who handle them and the experiences they engender. A storehouse of its owner’s history, (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

76 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

2019 Maine Sportsman Youth Writing Contest Honarable Mention – Junior Category

Making My Dad Proud

by Emma MacFarlane

My father and I were sitting in the tree stand.

I looked up and saw two deer running down the power line.

They were headed right toward us on the opposite side of the clearing.

I realized the first one was a buck, and then I noticed the other one was also a buck. So the question became which one was bigger, which one had more points?

The first was a basket four-pointer with a smaller body, while the other one was a three-pointer with bigger body. I decided to aim for the larger deer.

I waited until I had a clear, clean shot where I would only hit one, because I didn’t want the slug to ricochet and hit both deer.

Hit? Miss?

Finally I had a clean shot, so I prepared to take the three-pointer. I lined up the sight right be-

hind the front shoulder, and squeezed the trigger.

At first I thought I missed, so I jacked the bolt and reloaded and lined up for another shot, when all of a sudden I couldn’t see the deer. I asked my dad, “Where’d it go?

Where’d it go?” but before he could answer, I cut him off and said, “There it is!”

Dad Intervenes

My dad started shouting, “No, no, no!

Don’t shoot! Stop!” although for safety reasons he did not try to grab my rifle.

I lowered the gun and asked, “Why? He’s gonna leave!” and that’s when I saw that the deer I’d shot at had dropped dead in his tracks.

I started to cry – happy tears, of course – but I was shaking.

I was so excited that when I went to get out of the stand and slipped, but luckily I was harnessed and did

Sebago to Auburn (Continued from page 74)

shallow end of that range. Each year the big bay freezes I say to myself I will sled out to the deepest spot, more than 300 feet deep, and see if I can catch a fish at that depth. I imagine a true monster living at that depth. I’ve read that lakers don’t generally venture deeper than 197 feet. Perhaps I will fish a bit shallower and target that depth. I say this every year, but haven’t yet.

Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 75)

a firearm gains the best sort of value over time. Condition and rarity may determine monetary value, but the real www.MaineSportsman.com

not fall to the ground.

So my dad pulled me back up into the stand, and we sat until I could feel my legs again.

Passing On the Good News We called my grandparents and gave them the news.

They were so proud, and they passed the word on to my uncle, my mom and my little sister.

Then we got out of the stand and headed toward the deer. I was running. My dad had to slow me down.

At first I couldn’t see it, as it had dropped behind an alder bush.

Then I spotted the brown and white markings. My dad said to walk up quietly and make certain it was dead, but I could already see there was no movement in the chest.

After we made sure it was dead, I took a deep breath, unloaded my gun and

The author, Emma MacFarlane, and her dad are all smiles as they celebrate Emma’s successful deer hunt.

removed the clip. Then I dropped to my knees in relief.

Hunting Buddies I stayed with the deer and our hunting gear while my dad ran uphill about a half mile. He returned with our 4-wheeler.

We placed the deer on a slight slope, and my dad showed me how to make the right cuts, since I am still

learning.

I was so happy to make my dad proud, and I’m glad to be his hunting buddy.

Emma MacFarlane of Dixfield was 13 years old when she wrote this account for us in March of 2019.

Her 8th grade writing teacher at Dirigo Middle School was Tania Clark.

¶

There are some deep troughs in Jordan Bay, 80 to 100 feet deep, that hold fish in the summer, so they should likely produce in the winter, as well.

A good chart of the lake will point out some prospective spots, and you can use a depth finder to pinpoint them once on the ice. I use landmark triangulation to find many of my favorite spots each season.

Although a new slot limit on Sebago was proposed, it has not been enacted yet. Currently, anglers can keep an un-

limited number of lake trout under 26 inches, and can keep one that is over 33-inches. You must release and 26- to 33-inchers. State biologists want you to kill all legal togue caught to help in bringing back the salmon.

Sebago Lake, our area’s biggest attraction this winter, is alive with anglers this month, and for good reason – the togue are on the bite, there is ice to fish on, and it’s a beautiful backdrop for area outdoorsmen and -women.

value rests with who owned it and how they used it.

So, do not fret if some firearm sees little use these days. Its place among other possessions has worth. On the other hand, in 1917 Horace Kephart

wrote, “Get the best rifle that you can, of course; but do not worship it. Bear in mind that, whatever its trajectory and smashing quality, it is only a gun, and can kill nothing that you miss with it.”

¶ ¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 77

Become a Frugal But Successful Ice Fisherman Open water near the bridge is surrounded by snow-covered ice laced with ice shacks.

Wooden ice fishing tipups are everywhere. A few anglers are checking their sets, changing baits, or skimming ice from holes. Each fisherman has a reason for each hole they have drilled – there’s a drop off, deeper water with structure, or a point of land that fish must swim past.

Ice fishing is the ultimate lazy man’s pastime, and with today’s electronic devices, gas-powered ice augers along with popup ice shacks, much of the work has been removed. Are you like me? Do you prefer loafing, leisure and economy to strain, diligence and financial expense?

Then carry on, fair reader!

Frugal Approach Anglers have different approaches used while ice fishing – some jig, while others prefer setting tip ups and play the waiting game. Then there’s the hole drillers – they keep drilling holes and relocating their set ups until they locate fish.

Me? As I have gotten older, and as I have slowed down, I’ve discovered that sitting around jigging and waiting for a flag to wave has become more inviting than drilling a bunch of holes and chasing after the fish.

I use the lazy and frugal method. First I find a vacant hole, and if there are blood stains and fish scales around it, all the bet-

ter.

Then I chisel the thin layer of ice that has formed in the old hole during one or more cold nights, and then jig fish. Why? It’s because I do not want to put a big effort into ice fishing.

But there’s more to this approach – look for dead, discarded bait around abandoned ice holes, and use them to jig. Dead minnows work great when jigged – why buy an artificial lure that imitates the real thing, when the real thing is lying right there, frozen on the ice? The trick is to get there before the eagles, which often clean up the baitfish on the waters I usually fish – bays and backwaters on Mousam Lake, Horn or Square Pond.

I’ve got all the gear I need: • a selection of jigging lures geared towards warm-water species, mainly crappie, • a jigging pole and chisel and of course, • a back-pack chair.

This set-up is inexpensive and therefore perfect for the cheapskates amongst us. There’s no building ice shacks, buying bait and gas for an auger – you only need an ice chisel, jigging stick and fishing license.

Open Water Option What’s the open water option? Simple – you fish from shore. Maine fishing laws allow anglers to fish open waters from shore (not from the ice, which would be

extremely dangerous, but without this law there would be some folks that would try it).

Anglers who plan to fish open waters during the winter months need to consult Maine’s fishing regulations and look for waters listed as: “A – open to ice and open water for all fish from Dec. 1 to April 30,” or “B – from Jan. 1 to March 31.” Maine has many ice fishing laws that differ from general open water laws (to many to cover here) – just make sure you check the law carefully before heading out.

Generally there’s open water around bridges and dams any place where water has slight movement – it doesn’t take much to keep water from freezing. This is the same as shore fishing during the summer – you stand on shore and cast. Casting bait, such as minnows or a worm, onto the ice and then dragging the bait into the water is a good method.

Depth Charge Method Another tactic is to cast lures and use the depth charge method – you count down before starting to reel. This lets you fish each water column until you find where the fish are staged. Anglers should start near the surface and spray-cast at that depth, then cover a deeper depth –cast count to five, reel, then to ten, reel, then 15, and so on. Keep casting and counting till you reach bottom. No

Tributaries, outlets and connection waters, like this spot at the outlet on Horn Pond in Acton, are good places to fish. On overcast days or at dawn or dusk, try casting bait onto the ice, dragging it into the water and letting it sink before retrieving.

Photo by Val Marquez

results? Then tie on a different lure type, size or color.

This is a better method then the traditional drill, bait and wait methods most ice fishermen use. You’re covering more water – each water column – and you’re fishing horizontally, which is a more natural presentation (fish generally swim horizontally, not up and down).

Then there’s the bobber or casting bubble – a small balloon can work, too. This is a great bait fishing method.

Don’t overlook using a large nymph, either. Or consider both – tie on bait, and then add a dropper line with a nymph. You can slide the bobber up and down the line to cover different depths.

For the extreme lazy folks, there are spots where they can watch their lines from the comfort of their trucks, heaters on and listening to Jim Morrison and The Doors singing LA Woman on the radio.

And for part-time ice fishing anglers who don’t want to spend money and effort on ice fishing, consider

a pop-up blind with a heater, placed on shore or staked down on the ice. Indeed, open-water fishing during winter can be an effective fishing option.

Fish Magnets The ultimate location to fish is near tributaries, outlets and connected waters. These spots are fish magnets, and can be fished effectively either from the ice or from shore. These spots have moving waters that create open water to fish, or you can fish from the ice while standing well away from the edge.

Ice fishing is a tradition in Maine – setting up an ice fishing shack on a frozen lake, cooking hot dogs on an old beat-up, green Coleman stove along with a few beers or a sip of “Mr. Denials” bourbon, is a way of life for many Maine sportsmen.

But for those who don’t want to put out that effort, there are other options available – like the lazy/frugal approach. In short, you don’t need to invest a lot of time and effort to enjoy winter fishing.

¶

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78 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Fond Memories of the Hunting Guns of My Youth As a young kid, I used to enjoy tagging along with my father wherever he went.

Even if it he only went out and about picking up a few groceries for my mother, I still liked to be at his side – especially if we went to the local hardware store.

Among the bins of bolts, nuts and nails and shelves full of hardware, this store had a gun rack with the latest rifles and shotguns lining the wall.

The store owner also carried ammunition, hunting lures, hats, vests and a wall full of various trophy mounts.

When I got old enough to consider purchasing my own shotgun, the trips to the hardware store became a drooling event.

I could hardly wait until I had enough cash to own the shotgun of my dreams, a Remington “Wingmaster” 870 pump in 20 gauge.

I got to handle the shotgun at the store on several occasions, and finally put $5 down on it. I made payments on it fairly regularly until the day it was paid in full – in 1970, the total cost was somewhere around $100.

Remington has made 11 million model 870s, and a new

“Wingmaster” currently runs around $649, just to put things in perspective.

Pre-Sale Efforts My father was a very hard worker, and I followed in his footsteps, working at odd jobs as a youngster, mowing and raking lawns, shoveling driveways and painting homes. My first “real” job, a caddie at the local golf course, brought in $5 for an all-day, eighteen-hole event. These $5 work days only happened on Saturdays for me, so you can do the math and figure how long it took me to acquire the

funds to purchase the shotgun.

Of course, some of the money I made got returned to the golf club when I purchased my favorite after-work snack at the club restaurant – a can of soda, and chocolate-glazed doughnut.

I figured I deserved the sweet treat after lugging some guy’s heavy golf clubs around all day.

On the way to my caddie job, I had to walk through several cornfields, and occasionally I ran into a ring-necked pheasant.

At the startling sound of their cackling flush, I would raise my walk-

ing stick and pretend it was the new Remington shotgun, producing a boom when I pulled the make-believe trigger.

After following my father around for years in the woods, watching him and his hunting buddies drop pheasants, grouse, woodcock, cotton-tailed rabbits and snowshoe hare, I wanted a real shotgun.

When my father figured I was old enough to hunt with a gun, he let me use my grandmother’s .410, single-shot. I dropped a few grouse and some rabbits, but never did (Continued on page 80)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 79

A Recap of Ginger’s First Hunting Season Now that Christmas and New Year’s celebrations have become part of the recent past, I have time to sit and think about the past hunting season. I only went deer hunting twice, didn’t hunt bear and didn’t have a moose permit this year...I poured all of my attention into bird hunting with my young pup, Ginger.

As most readers know, I have a Vizsla named Ginger that just turned one-yearold last October. This past fall was her first hunting season and after plenty of training she did an awesome

job in both the field and at home.

Ginger has been in training from the first day she arrived at our home. She listens well and obeys most of our commands promptly, even without treats or the e-collar. This past year she has come a long way, learning to not only fit into our household routine but also into her career as bird pointing machine.

Most of the training turned out to be training of the owners rather than the dog – both my wife, Nancy, and I have worked hard and are now receiving the ben-

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efits of the hard work involved in training a bird dog that also lives in the house.

Important Lessons Some lessons come quickly, while others take months to learn.

At first it seemed like a good idea to have Ginger sleep in our bed, then after several weeks of interrupted sleep, my wife and I decided to have Ginger sleep in her crate.

I thought I flopped and turned all night, but Ginger out flops me by a mile.

We had started having her sleep in her crate the first few months of her life in

our home, but later decided to try having her sleep in our bed. She whined and whimpered the first few nights in the crate,

but actually learned to enjoy the comfort of her well-padded crate.

After discovering that having her sleep in (Continued on next page)

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80 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Rangeley Region (Continued from page 79)

our bed was not a good idea, moving her back into the crate at night was not a difficult chore – she took to the crate and I really believe she is more comfortable there than on our bed.

Teaching Ginger to be comfortable in her crate also comes in handy when we have to leave her anywhere for a length of time and can’t just let her roam free. She stays in her crate in motel rooms, in the car, or at home when we have to leave her for a while.

We don’t crate her that often, maybe two or three times a week, but the crate has saved the day many times.

Number One Command Probably the most important command

would have to be the recall command. When I tell her, “Ginger come,” she immediately returns to my side.

Of all commands, this one stands as the most important to me because I may save her life recalling her from some kind of disaster; like a logging truck in the woods or the busy street in our front yard.

Her recall training began as soon as we got her home. My wife and I would each grab a handful of treats and call her back and forth between us, each time greeting her with much praise and a little treat. We trained her to sit and stay also, and then recalled her from that position as well, praising her and offering a treat.

Eventually we had

her sitting and staying while we moved out of sight and lengthened the time between the command to sit and stay and the recall.

She took to it quickly and pays attention well.

E-Collar Etiquette I had to use the e-collar a few times out in the field when she would begin to wander and not pay attention to my “come” command. I also used the e-collar a couple of times to re-enforce the “heal” command. She now will heal without a leash properly and come to me when called.

Some folks think the e-collar hurts the dog and scares them into submission, but I tried a little experiment that disproves this. I put the collar to my hand and tried it out myself, to see if it hurt. The highest level

Trainer Pete Wade, of Northern Exposure Kennels in Farmington, works to perfect Ginger’s pointing abilities. William Clunie Photo

I ever used on Ginger (level three) tingled a little bit, as if I had an itch that needed a scratch...no shock or pain at all.

All the e-collar does is get the dog’s attention – and attention is what a dog owner/trainer needs to teach anything to a dog. I found that I could get my dog’s attention at level two, hardly noticeable on my own skin. When I pushed the button on

level two, all I noticed on Ginger was that she immediately snapped her head around to look at me.

Once a dog owner can get their dog’s immediate and complete attention, the learning can begin. Now all that’s needed is to find a tool that does the same to get the dog owner’s attention – so training us dog owners can go a little easier.

¶

Western Maine (Continued from page 78)

get to shoot a pheasant – their numbers radically dropped just as I became old enough to hunt for them. I only remember one pheasant encounter during a grouse hunt. I fired the .410, saw pheasant feathers fly, but never found the bird. I vowed to own a 20 gauge and never let this happen again.

Through the Years I sold the shotgun eventually and got a 12-gauge Remington 1100 ... then an 11-87, and several others along the way. My father always had the same double-barreled 20 gauge (Sears & Roebuck), and many years ago I purchased an L.C. Smith double-barreled shotgun and never looked back.

My first rifle was purchased after much similar scrimping and saving.

I found an old Spanish bolt-action in 8mm at a department store and bought it outright after stashing away cash for many months. The rifle was super cheap, but I was easy to please and happy with its 100-yard accuracy – all in a pie plate off the bench.

I didn’t start reloading until my twenties, so ammo costs limited my shooting either the shotgun or the rifle. I decided very early on that if I was going to be a sharp-shooting fellow, I needed a .22 LR to keep my shooting www.MaineSportsman.com

Although the author claims to prefer “plain Jane utilitarian firearms,” that does not stop him from admiring excellent restoration work done by companies such as Turnbull. This photo depicts the results of Turnbull’s “deluxe grade” restoration.

Photo courtesy of Turnbull Restoration, www.turnbullrestoration.com

eye sharp.

I bought a Remington “Nylon 66” semi-auto rifle in .22 LR, after watching the television commercial where Remington representative, Tom Frye, fired the same model rifle, without a miss, as someone threw 2 1/2-inch wooden blocks over and over again. In the commercial they showed him sitting on a huge pile of the blocks; he managed to consecutively fire at 100 010 blocks, missing only six – a new world record set in 1959. He used three rifles, but never cleaned them during the spectacular feat.

Tools of the Trade Throughout all of my life I have looked at guns as “tools of the trade.” I know some folks like extremely-shiny, heavily- engraved, silver- and gold-inlaid ornate rifles and shotguns matched to the finest walnut stocks available.

What I have always wanted was an extremely-accurate rifle or a shotgun

that hit what I pointed at ... a fieldgrade rifle with maybe some accurizing gun work, or a standard-grade shotgun with a good bluing job and a hand-oiled stock made to weather the elements.

About the only “fancy” stuff I’d pay for on any gun of mine would be a color case hardened finish on a lever rifle or single-action handgun. For some reason I just love the looks of that finish.

Other than that, I prefer to spend any extra cash on making it more accurate or functional.

Of course, these are all simply my own personal hunting weapon preferences; some hunters enjoy carrying ornate weapons through the woods. This being said, I certainly can appreciate the artwork involved in beautifying certain rifles, shotguns and handguns.

I also find a certain beauty in a plainJane, super-accurate, extremely-functional, utilitarian hunting weapon that operates under all conditions.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 81

Technically Fair Chase?

I often find myself in the middle of moral quandaries related to the outdoors. They are quite annoying, really. I think I must ponder ethic much more than most, though.

Perhaps I need to just chill out and not worry so much. I’d probably shoot more game that way.

What is more important to me, though, is that I acquire game fairly in the judgment of my own conscious.

This year, specifically, I found myself pondering the ethical use of much of the new technology that has flooded the outdoor world.

Transportation I own a four-wheeldrive truck. I take it down some rough logging roads, through mediocre washouts and fairly deep waterbars. I respect posted signs, roads that are rocked off, gated, or ditched (even if it is possible for me to get around the barrier). The rest of my transportation is via Lacrosse boots. Hundreds of miles a year in sweat-filled high rubber boots.

I don’t own a four-wheeler or snowmobile. There are acceptable legal uses of these machines, typically constrained to established trail systems. If I had one, I’d be bored by riding on the trails.

I like to think that my ethical conscious would keep me on the trails, though. Even if

Game cameras that send a text and photo to your smart phone when a buck walks by? A GPS that signals your location to other hunters – perhaps hunters not in your group, who will use the info to get “your” deer? Shed-hunting from an airplane? If the activity is not illegal, says the author, the only checks and balances come from an outdoorsman’s own conscience.

The author wonders if extended and reliant use of advanced trail cameras -especially those that send live footage to cell phones -- blur the lines of fair chase.

I don’t respect the law (there are many laws I don’t respect or agree with), I respect other sportsmen – and don’t want to cheat them out of success because I cut a few corners.

The best example I can give of this is shed hunting. I put on hundreds of miles hiking into and out of moose antler spots in the winter and spring.

I wish I had an antler for every time I spent a couple hours hiking into an area just to find fresh four-wheeler or snowmachine tracks where they don’t belong. I’ve been tucked into the woods and watched a four-wheeler coming out of an area where they are prohibited – strapped down with

fresh antlers. I’ve seen boot prints from where a guy got off his ATV walked over and picked up an antler (the imprint still in the snow) just hours before I got there by hiking. Frankly, it pisses me off.

Just as poachers rob opportunities at game from other hunters, these ATVers do the same from hard-working ethical shed hunters.

Scouting I have two trail cameras – nothing fancy. I use them more out of curiosity than out of strategy. I usually set one up near my bow stand in the early fall.

I’m not real serious about bow hunting and don’t decide to hunt

or not to hunt based on the pictures from the camera. I never sit during rifle season, and am typically exploring a new area every day, so sometimes the cameras get left for weeks or even months at a time without getting checked.

Some people check their cameras religiously to pinpoint where to hang their stand and what time to sit in it. This is legal and by most accounts acceptable ethics, so more power to them if it makes them happy.

The new cameras that instantaneously send a text message picture or live video to your cell phone are a different story, though, I think. I’m sure there are people out there

who, because of this new-fangled technology, have drastically decreased their time in the woods. They can sit in their house or in their truck and wait for a text message to tell them to get their gun and lumber out toward or in front of the deer. And they know exactly how big it is before they even see it.

Where is the fun in that? Where is the fair-chase spirit in that? At this point, it has become entirely about the kill and not at all about the hunt or adventure.

Another area I have found myself in a quandary over is the use of two-way radios while hunting.

Of course, I think it is fine to use them in a situation where you need help (e.g., lost, injured, dragging a big buck, needing a ride back to your truck) – but what about using them strategically to hunt a deer? If you were hunting with a couple other guys, is it ethical to communicate with them where the deer track you are following is headed?

What about the new Rino GPS units where not only can you talk to others in your party over the internal radio, but you can also send them silent messages—and see each others’ live locations on the map system?

What if someone outside of your party also has a Rino and can see where you are and (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

82 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

New Hampshire (Continued from page 81)

jumps ahead of you and kills the deer you were tracking? Now there are all kinds of moral and ethical di-

lemmas.

A friend of mine once encountered a guy dragging a big buck down the road

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Rainbow Smelt (Quiz on Page 56)

1. The rainbow smelt inhabits the tributaries of

the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

2. Yes, Maine has been documented as having

one of the few identified populations of

landlocked rainbow smelt.

3. Maine rainbow smelt grow to a median length

of 6-8 inches.

4. A rainbow smelt can grow up to 14 inches.

5. A rainbow smelt can live up to 7 years.

6. Yes, smelt gather together in schools.

7. Rainbow smelt eat worms, insects and even

small fish.

8. Rainbow smelt eggs hatch in 1-4 weeks,

depending on water temperature.

for miles. Come to find out, he had used the info from his Rino to jump ahead of the guy he rode in with and kill the deer in front of him. His buddy wasn’t too impressed, so went back to the truck and drove home, abandoning the guy with the deer!

I recently heard of a New England outfitter that has its own small plane. They use the plane to scout and keep tabs on different bull moose before the hunting season.

As long as they aren’t hunting the day of flying or giving directions to others on the day of flying, I think it

is safe to say it’s legal and likely considered ethical by most people.

I’ve also heard, though, that they do some shed hunting from the air – they locate moose on a frequent basis, fly low enough to determine that it is a bull that has shed an antler or two, and then backtrack the moose from above until they spot a brown antler on white snow. I assume that they then hike or snowmachine in to pick the antler up.

As a devoted shed hunter, I’m disturbed by the questionable fairness of the practice … but I’d be lying if I

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said I wasn’t a bit jealous of it, too.

I’ve wrote this before and I’ll write it again. We are in a time where sportsmen are being attacked on multiple fronts from outsiders. We need to stick together. Even if I don’t personally agree with the ethical minutiae of a particular legal practice, we need not to tear each other down from within.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t respectfully voice our concerns, either. Everyone’s conscience is their own.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 83

Smilin’

Sportsman Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com Flo: “How’d your internet date go in Portland last night?”

Eb: “Not so good – I think I got stood up.”

Flo: “Why do you say that?”

Eb: “She told me she’d meet me on Congress Street, at the corner of Walk and Don’t Walk.”

••••••••••••••••••• Employee: “Boss, can I have a week off from work so I can get married?”

Boss: “But you just came back from a two-week vacation! Why didn’t you get married then?”

Employee: “What, and ruin my entire vacation?”

•••••••••••••••••••

A Calais police officer stopped a Maine driver as he was about to cross the Milltown International Bridge over to St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

“Congratulations, Sir!” he said to the driver. “This is the one millionth vehicle to drive over this bridge, and you win $100,000! What will you do with all that money?”

The Mainer started crying tears of joy, and replied, “First, I’ll finally get my driving license!”

His wife leaned over and interrupted: “Don’t listen to him, Officer – he’s been drinking beer all day!”

The hard-of-hearing grandmother

in the back seat, misunderstanding the reason for the stop, yelled at the driver, “I told you we shouldn’t have stolen this car!”

And a voice from the trunk asked, “Are we over the border into Canada yet?”

The Smilin' Sportsman Youth Edition Max: “Did you hear about the octopus that had twins?”

Les: “No – what about them?”

Max: “They were i-tentacle!”

••••••••••••••••••• Q: What’s a wombat for?

A: For playing Wom. ••••••••••••••••••• Sunday school teacher: “Little Johnny – can you tell the class what an evangelist is?”

Little Johnny: “Someone who plays the evangelo?”

www.MaineSportsman.com

84 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

– Guest Column –

YouTubing the Outdoors

by Devin McGuire, Augusta, ME

With a few good ideas and a minimum of fancy equipment, Mainers are making and posting YouTube videos showcasing their adventures. So get some video in your smartphone, use editing apps to add text and storyboards, speed up or slow down the video, make cuts and splices, and even overlay music. The author tells you how to get started.

Many Mainers are highly skilled in various outdoor activities, but not all Maine sportsmen have the gift and ability convey their knowledge in writing.

Even if you do possess writing skills, consider this: according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 19% of Americans age 15 and older report reading for pleasure on a given day.

So how to share your story or skills with a receptive audience? Well, if you’ve got a smartphone— and I bet you do, as there are currently an estimated 224.3 million users—then you’ve got everything you need to get started with a YouTube channel. Thirty million folks watch YouTube videos every day, and that’s a lot of people with whom to share your love and knowledge of the Maine outdoors!

Topics In selecting a topic, consider what you yourself have watched for instructional videos, or what subject matter you’d be likely to seek out.

For me, it’s fishing videos. I’ve been able www.MaineSportsman.com

to learn a lot about setting up various rigs, and good techniques for playing and landing certain fish, all on YouTube.

But there are many fishing videos posted, so what other skills would I like to learn from Maine Sportsman readers?

• How to field-dress certain game • How to keep a hunting rifle in tip-top shape • How to prepare and cook your game • How to identify certain trees, flowers, herbs, or edible plants and mushrooms • How to tap sugar-bearing trees and collect sap • How to pan for gold • How to cut and maintain trails for various purposes, or • How to build the best campfire “Look at Me” Videos Don’t limit your videos to the instructive, how-to category.

Folks also enjoy videos that simply entertain or inspire.

I call these the “Look at me” or “Check this out” videos, of which I’ve posted a few

myself to YouTube.

One of my favorite “Look at me” videos was one my daughter shot of me with her GoPro camera showing me jumping off a cliff and then gliding through the whitewater at Smalls Falls.

I also took a video of myself – with a waterproof camera – sliding down those same falls (see accompanying photo)!

However, most of my “check this out” videos are much calmer – featuring nothing more than a gurgling brook or a rushing stream; just a place on the map in the Maine woods—somewhere I like to go.

Setting Up Setting up and using a YouTube account is fairly simple. If you’ve already got a smartphone, just download the YouTube application (“app”). Most of the smartphones on today’s market come with cameras that shoot decent quality video for a beginner.

Once you’ve shot some video with your smartphone there are many different apps you can download (both paid and free) for editing your video. With some

This frame is from the author’s point-of-view video, “Riding Smalls Falls,” filmed with a waterproof digital camera as he plunged down the rock-slide in Sandy River TWP.

you can add text and storyboards, make enhancements or add special effects, speed up or slow down, make cuts and splices, and even overlay music.

YouTube even has some basic raw video editing tools.

Once you’ve got a video uploaded start filling out all the metadata (indexing labels and tags) that will help attract the audience you’re looking for. Be sure to fill out all the description fields and tag your video for the keywords users will use to search and find your video.

Once you’ve published it and made it public, be sure to share your video in as many ways as possible, through social media, and to personal acquaintances or an email list that you own. This will increase the likelihood that they’ll share the video with their friends.

Some final thoughts: 1) Smartphones have limits when exposed to the harsh

Maine climate. Batteries are notorious for “tanking” when users are making winter videos in frigid weather.

2) Be smart when using a smartphone.

For example, filming from a kayak in whitewater can be a dangerous undertaking.

3) Use easily-available tools to improve your film-making, such as a tripod or a remote control.

4) Rugged gear can be purchased that will match Maine’s wild outdoors, including the aforementioned GoPro cameras.

5) For aerial video, look into aerial drones made for personal use.

Know the rules and limits, but the bottom line is that you no longer need a helicopter to achieve stunning, bird’s-eye images. In short, the sky’s the limit.

Devin’s “Riding Smalls Falls” can be viewed at www.youtube.com/channel/ UC-RaKBtjPgcyoNA9XTPQABA

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2020 • 85

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(Continued on next page)

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86 • February 2020 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————— (Continued from page 85)

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Lakeville - Small cabin, dug well, privy, electricity, and a partially developed lot make this usable day #1 and it could be temporary lodging while you build your new waterfront dream house on Pristine Junior Lake. $88,500

Mattawamkeag - Private cottage with shower house, shed, privy and covered porch overlooking the water. Gas lights and some wiring done for generator use. Enjoy all the outdoors has to offer on Back Settlement Pond. Not many like this one! $78,500

Lakeville - Easily accessible 13.1 acre lot, driveway, gravel pad and some clearing complete, extremely private lot, low taxes, just build a cabin to fish and boat on Upper Pug Lake. $49,000

Burlington - Driveways, gravel pads and some clearing complete on these inexpensive 1.5 to 2.7 acre lots, owner financing, long frontage along Eskutassis Pond. $42,500

Lee - 4.3 and 5.2+/- acre lots on hardwood ridge, nice views, snowmobile and ATV trails, fishing and skiing nearby, electricity available, owner financing, sited on Skunk Hill Road. $18,900

Located on 43 private acres, this restored 1800s cape is in immaculate shape and has been meticulously maintained.

Enjoy direct access to snowmobile and ATV trails. Sweeping mountain views across a large open field with lots of sun all day long. With 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and 2900 square feet, there is room for the whole family. Location is very quiet on a town maintained road with landline phone and internet service. Full insulated basement, fireplace and a classic wood cookstove in the kitchen. Large open kitchen and mudroom.

Attached 2 car heated garage and large room above for office or studio. Hike, hunt, snowshoe, or cross country ski from your door. Trout and salmon fishing nearby on Orbeton Stream. More acreage available! MLS #1441723 - $344,000 www.MaineSportsman.com

Lee - Private location, ATV trail runs by this 7+/- acres with driveway, snowmobile trails nearby, great place for a camper to hunt and trap, located on McGinley Road. $19,000 Lee - 4.1 wooded acres, year round road, electricity available, easy access to ATV and snowmobile trails, possible owner financing, broker owned, 290’ along Old Steamboat Road. $14,900 Lincoln - Wooded 5.58 acre lot, rock walls, driveway already in, Big Narrows public boat landing just up the road, electricity available, year round access with 352’ along Stanhope Mill Rd. $27,500

R E A L

E S T A T E

5 LAKE STREET, P.O. BOX 66, LINCOLN 207-794-2460 www.cwalakestreet.com E-mail: cwa@cwalakestreet.com

1-800-675-2460 Call any of our brokers to work for you!

“Tate” Aylward ............. 794-2460 Peter Phinney............... 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie................... 290-1554

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR PROPERTIES VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT CWALAKESTREET.COM

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