The Maine Sportsman February 2022 Digital Edition

Sportsman The Maine

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>> TOP TEN BIGGEST BUCKS

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>> Hunting Gear on a Budget P. 64 >> Warden Tibbetts Tackles a Night Hunter P. 38

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2 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

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4 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial

Many Reasons to Affix “If Found” Sticker to Your Kayak

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 592 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com

We heard the float plane flying overhead in Augusta on December 21, 2021, and then we saw emergency vehicles, their lights flashing, at a command post established by first responders at the public boat landing in Gardiner.

The cause? A kayak had been spotted bobbing on the Kennebec River. The small boat was empty except for a backpack, a duck that had been shot, and an expended shotgun shell.

When an unattended boat is found floating, local law enforcement personnel automatically consider the situation as a “PIW” (person in the water), so they immediately launch an expensive search. Combined costs can exceed $40,000 per incident.

Maine is among those states that do not require registration of selfpropelled watercraft (canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards). That’s a good thing.

However, if unattended and unmarked paddle-sport boats are frequently found, and pricey search efforts are mounted for each incident, it won’t take Maine’s legislators long to conclude that registration is appropriate, both for accountability (to have a record of ownership) and to recover some of the costs of search and rescue operations through registration fees.

But there’s an easier solution – so-called “If Found” stickers, available free from the Coast Guard Auxiliary or at low cost from marine stores. These bright orange stickers have water-resistant adhesion, and kayakers can write contact info with a Sharpie, and place the sticker near the cockpit where it’s easily visible.

The expression “win-win” is overused, but it’s applicable here, since a long list of benefits accrue if paddle-sport boat owners use the stickers: 1) If you really are in trouble – in the water, or stuck on an island with no way off – rescuers can contact someone who knows your float plan, and then locate you; 2) If your boat simply floats off a beach or dock – as the result of a rising tide or sudden squall – then you’ll receive a call telling you to retrieve your boat; and 3) Unnecessary rescue costs will be avoided, meaning that lawmakers will be less inclined to support legislation to impose state registration requirements.

The situation in December ended without tragedy, as an “embarrassed” duck hunter in Waterville saw a social media post by the Hallowell PD and called to report that his kayak had “gotten away” from him as he exited the boat to retrieve a second duck.

Let’s learn a lesson from this and similar incidents that occur on fresh and salt water every year – obtain an “If Found” sticker, fill it out, and affix it to your kayak, canoe or paddleboard.

Almanac by Will Lund.................................................... 14 A Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly.................. 37 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves..................... 32 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 41 Big Woods World by Matt Breton................................. 42 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 76 Cooking Wildly by Kate Krukowski Gooding............... 36 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux............................... 74 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie...................... 79 Jackman Region by William Sheldon.......................... 70 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 8 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 69 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 6 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 66 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 18 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 35 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 75 Moosehead Region by Tom Seymour......................... 72 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 59 Nolan’s Outdoor World by Nolan Raymond............... 58 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 39 Outdoors & Other Mistakes by Al Diamon.................. 84 Quotable Sportsman by Will Lund................................ 17 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 56 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 85 Saltwater Fishing by Barry Gibson................................ 78 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 82 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 67 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 54 Smilin’ Sportsman by Will Lund...................................... 85 Snapshots in Time by Bill Pierce.................................... 13 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 83 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 65 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................. 10 Tidewater Tales by Randy Randall............................... 12 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 63 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 86 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 80 True Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts.38 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 61 Young Maine Guide by Luke Giampetruzzi................ 64

On the Cover: Benjamin Buckley of Mars Hill used a 7 mm. Remington magnum to take this trophy buck in Portage Lake on November 20, 2021. The whitetail weighed 233 pounds and carried a 9-point rack. The weight was certified by Peter Ouellette at Ouellette’s Trading Post, on Champlain Street in Van Buren.

BIGGEST BUCKS IN MAINE CLUB 2021...................... 44-51 Boating by Bob Humphrey............................................ 19 Ice Fishing in Maine by Steve Carpenteri.................... 22 Snowmobiling in Maine: The Midnight Rider by Steve Carpenteri................ 26 Snowmobiling in Comfort & Style by Samuel Wheeler.29

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www.MaineSportsman.com

OFFICE MANAGER: Carol Lund carol@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR: Deb Lund Carter distribution@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 Postmaster: Send address changes to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101,­ Augusta, ME 04330 12-Month Subscription: $30 • 24-Month Subscription: $49

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6 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters To The Editor

Tim Tells It Like It Is

To the Editor: I enjoyed Tim Caverly’s recent article on changes that have occurred along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (see “Sad Truth About the Allagash Wilderness Waterway: The Wild is Being Eroded, Bit by Bit,” December 2021 issue).

Proud of Her Man To the Editor: My husband, Ralph Moulton, age 94, shot this 8-point buck on November 3, 2021. Although he had fallen three weeks before and broke two ribs, he’s such an avid hunter that the injury could not dampen his enthusiasm to be out in the woods enjoying one of his favorite sports.

Best-Ever Letter to the Editor To the Editor: I’d like to order five subscriptions of The Maine Sportsman, one for each of the individuals whose names are on the enclosed list. Two of the recipients are my sons, who live in South Carolina. The other three are my hunting and fishing buddies, from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. All of us hunt and fish the different seasons in Maine.

I wanted to get these folks some great material to read each month so they can come up with some more ideas where to go. We all have something to offer to the group – boats, snow sleds, camps and campers, and gear for freshwater and saltwater fly fishing and trolling – so we are able to enjoy the state’s great outdoors.

Keep up the good work! See you at the Sportsman’s Show in Augusta, April 1 - 3.

Dave Broden – Kennebunkport, ME —

The Upside of a Flooded Basement As shown by these two photos taken in October, 2021, increased access to portions of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway means more folks can enjoy sights such as the tramway and trains. But does that access conflict with the area’s wilderness experience for paddlers?

Photos by Adriel Diver

Thanks, Tim, for telling it like it is.

Terry Hamlin – Mapleton, ME —

To the Editor: Enclosed please find a Biggest Bucks application for the 209-lb. whitetail I I am very proud of Ralph and the shot in Lee, Maine, as well as the cermany things he does. He has been a tification from the tagging station in Maine Sportsman reader for many Springfield. years, and looks forward each issue of As you can see, the hunt took place in your magazine.

2011. I know the application is 10 years Ralph is truly one of a kind. There old. I misplaced the form when I moved are a lot of good things to be said about a back home, and found it recently when country boy, regardless of his age. my basement flooded and I had to move Rose Moulton – Norway, ME everything off the floor. You can see the — water marks all over the application.

I am hoping I can still get the shoulder patch. If I am not eligible, keep the check and A Family Owned Hardware Store with 2500 Sq. Ft. of Sporting Goods put it to good use.

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Editor’s note: Congratulations on your buck, Al. We’ve mailed you a patch. So long as the tagging certification and signature requirements are met, there’s no statute of limitations on Biggest Bucks applications.

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(Continued on next page)

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Proud Grandmother To the Editor: Thank you for including the photo of my grandson Jacoby with a huge fish he caught ice fishing (see page 19; January 2022 issue).

He is an expert angler, and we are very proud of him.

However, the photo in the January issue is actually that of a smaller trophy fish he caught on Eagle Lake at the Long Lake Fishing Derby in January, 2020. It weighed 8 pounds, 2.8 oz and was 29 1/4 inches long.

Here’s the photo that goes with the caption in the January issue. This 16 pound, 3.1 oz togue, caught on Moosehead Lake, placed Jacoby second in the Togue Derby in February, 2021.

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8 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Older Hunter Makes Adjustments The author, who is in his 90s, says as a hunter he makes certain accommodations these days to maximize his comfort and safety in the woods and in his tree stand.

This past fall, although I was hunting in a productive area from the aluminum ladder tree stand pictured in my column last November, I did not get a good shot at a deer. But I did have some thoughts about how to enjoy the deer hunting season despite being a senior (old timer) hunter.

1. Proper clothing and warm boots.

Years ago, that meant layers of wool shirts, a wool jacket and wool pants over a pair of long johns. I still fa-

vor the long johns and a warm shirt, but this fall a roomy down jacket worked well for me.

The warmest boots were often ones with felt inner liners, but now, foam insulated boots have taken over much of the market.

As the years roll by, oldsters often experience reduced circulation in the extremities, which may mean cold hands. Buckskin choppers with wool mittens work for me.

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When you’re ready to shoot, just tuck that mitten under an armpit and pull free the trigger hand, slide the safety off or cock the hammer, and start to tighten the trigger finger.

In bitter cold weather, chemical hand warmers generate a lot of heat – enough to warm a cold hand and continue to provide warmth for several hours.

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Although the author did not bring home venison in 2021, this 2020 spikehorn fell to his .30-30 boltaction Remington. Both seasons, he was warm, comfortable and safe while hunting from a tree stand.

ing arm.

Best to have sighted in the rifle well ahead of the season, and not to hurry the process. For those who have switched to copper ammo, it is a good time to use up some of the old lead ammo.

Yes, the point of impact may be slightly different from the copper bullet, but the difference is not significant unless you are competitive bench rest shooter.

3. A steady and comfortable tree stand with a safety

harness is a plus. I found the aluminum ladder stand to be easier to ascend and descend than the ladder on a regular tree stand.

A lower cost alternative is a comfortable ground level seat. A drywall bucket with a foam pad cemented to the cover may suffice.

If you don’t like the white sheen of the drywall bucket, you can paint the white side with a dead grass or camo pattern, or glue a layer of burlap to (Continued on next page)

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the side. If lugging a drywall bucket proves awkward and attaching a shoulder strap doesn’t appeal to you, look for a folding aluminum stool, which is

less bulky to carry.

If you hunt mostly in a favorite spot and like to lean back and relax, consider leaving an old aluminum lawn chair there, if you own the land or have land-

owner permission. You will enjoy it.

4. It is important to tell a family or a friend where you will be going and when you expect to return.

5 .When you get a

deer, having a fully charged cell phone and a friend or family member to help you drag out the deer is most handy, even if it is not a trophy buck.

Having a cell phone

also gives your family one less thing to worry about while you are off on your own. And if something goes wrong, you can call for help.

¶

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Right On with Lefty Spending time on the water with the late, great Lefty Kreh was about a great deal more than just catching fish.

“Hi King, I’m Lefty Kreh – let’s go fishing together sometime soon.”

I looked up from the Kodak projector I was fiddling with to retrieve the 35 mm slide carousel, took the proffered hand, and thought for about a nanosecond before responding, “How about now?” His smile turned into the infectious and sincere laugh that those of us who were around Lefty a lot knew very well.

Lefty had entered the dark seminar room and sat down sometime during my presentation on fly fishing for black bass at a winter outdoor show near Baltimore, Maryland. He and other fly angling luminaries – including Flip Pallot, Barry and Cathy Beck, Bob Clouser, Tom Earnhardt and Bob Popovics – head-

lined the show, while one of Lefty’s protégés, Sarah Gardner, gave casting demonstrations, and I and others presented slide shows.

Lefty and I talked for a few minutes and exchanged business cards. At the time, I was a part-time angling guide on the tidal Potomac River and outdoor writer, a full-time civilian with the Department of Defense, and a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. We moved outside the seminar room to make way for the next speaker, and Lefty was deluged immediately by admiring hoards. Our initial meeting was over, but it was to be the first of many get-togethers that led to a rich and rewarding friendship that endured for decades – a relationship that I will always cherish deeply.

About 20 years ago, I had a guest appearance on a DVD entitled “Fly Fishing for Bass with Lefty and Bob Clouser.” That’s me casting from the front of the bass boat with Lefty in back as we were being videotaped. www.MaineSportsman.com

No Need to Get Out Too Early We planned our first trip for the following spring.

“Lefty, the topwater bite is really good at first light, and the tide will be pretty good too. How about meeting me around 0530 hours? (I still spoke “military” in those days.)

Lefty was not enthused. “King, I’ve been fishing for over 60-years, and have caught enough fish.

I don’t need to get up so early to catch a few more. Besides, I’m mainly interested in getting to know you, and having a good time.” (I learned later he’d read my articles and stories in various publications, and liked them. He was also an early riser, but didn’t feel the need to be on the water at the crack of dawn.)

Lefty Kreh (1925-2018) looked pretty much the same during the entire 20-plus years we were buddies. He always was old when the I knew him, but had the attitude and outlook of a young, though wise, man. And wise he was: for a person with only a high school education, Bernard Victor Kreh was incredibly intelligent. Brilliant, in fact. All photos © King Montgomery

We settled on meeting between 0830 and 0900 hours at a boat launch ramp on Maryland’s Mattawoman Creek, a tributary of the tidal Potomac River just downstream from Washington, DC. Lefty lived in a suburb of Baltimore, and I lived in Northern Virginia across the Potomac from

In this 2007 photo, Lefty teaches fly casting to a student at the Masters School of Fly Fishing on Spruce Creek in PA. I also had the pleasure of being a guest instructor here and working with some fine people.

Maryland. My drive was about 40 minutes, and Lefty’s closer to an hour. (I would soon learn that Lefty knew military time. He was in the U.S. Army Field Artillery in Europe in World War II, and had survived the Battle of the Bulge.)

A few days before, I’d found bass in the (Continued on next page)

Lefty with Vaughn and Jean Cochran at a Virginia fly fishing show in 2003. Vaughn is a well-known artist of fishing and outdoor subjects. I had the pleasure of being on the bill with Lefty at many outdoor shows over the years.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 11

Lefty on Pennsylvania’s Yellow Creek in 2007. He occasionally would fish for trout, but much preferred smallmouth bass.

He would say, “No one ever got a heart attack fighting a trout!”

(Continued from page 10)

creek on the ebbing tide along and in the fields of spatterdock, a type of lily pad, but two things worried me about the day we’d selected: First, the spring tides would get particularly high shortly after our late start; and second, an afternoon thunderstorm was predicted by the local weathermen.

(Lefty said it should be spelled “whethermen,” because they don’t know whether it’s going to rain or not.)

The “PimpleHeaded [Expletive]” I thought we’d have a tough time fish-wise without taking advantage of the early morning topwater action, but figured the opportunity to fish with Lefty Kreh, the acknowledged guru of all things piscatorial,

Lefty hefts a nice brown trout in 2003 on a Pennsylvania spring creek.

was worth it. How bad could that be? Still, like any conscientious guide, I agonized over putting some fish in the boat.

“You pimple-headed [expletive],” Lefty swore at his bend-back streamer dangling from a low tree branch overhanging the water. (At least he wasn’t addressing me.)

“Lord,” I thought, “the man is human.”

After hundreds of perfect casts, in both length and accuracy, The Master actually hung one in a tree!

“Sorry, Lefty,” I mildly admonished.

“It’s not squirrel season yet.” My comment was acknowledged with a hearty laugh, a sound I would hear many more times over the years.

As the years progressed, and our friendship grew, I

Lefty and I on Virginia’s New River above Claytor Lake. Some very large smallmouth bass live here.

learned that Lefty didn’t curse much, and then only mildly.

I would learn a lot of other things too, mostly about fishing and the writing and photography business, but also about what a fine person he was. I firmly believe that to Lefty Kreh, fishing was as much about people as it was about the fish.

He loved fish, but he loved people even more, and once you became a good friend of Lefty, you always could count on him to be there.

One of the Best Days Fishing of My Life Oh yes. We didn’t catch any fish, but Lefty worked on my casting, showed me the flies he likes for black bass, gave me pointers and tips that were invaluable, and

Lefty and I fished with Maryland bass guide and book author Ken Penrod (left) on the upper Potomac River in 2007. This is a prime smallmouth bass river, and Lefty guided on it in the mid- to late 1940s and early 1950s. I part-time guided for Ken’s Life Outdoors Unlimited for a decade.

answered my every question on outdoor writing and photography. I shared my knowledge about bass fishing, cracked a few well-received jokes, and just generally had a great time as the tide moved well above the spatterdock fields, dispersing the fish to the four corners. We even tried spinning rods and lures for a bit, but to no avail. It was, without a doubt, one of the best days of fishing I’ve ever had.

“Lefty, common sense tells me we need to get off the water soon. That storm to the west is moving closer.”

“Good idea, King.

You know common sense isn’t so common, and I’m glad you seem to have it.”

By the time we loaded the bass boat on the trailer, and went our separate

Lefty and I on the Sebasticook River taking a lunch break along the shoreline. We’re in two drift boats manned by Maine guides. We would come up to Maine from Maryland and Virginia, respectively, once a year to fish smallmouth bass waters.

ways down and up the road, the skies opened up with a deluge accompanied by enormous claps of thunder and energetic bolts of lightning. It took us both double the usual time to get home, as the traffic slowed to safer levels.

A few days later, I received a gracious thank-you note and a plastic box full of bass flies tied by Lefty. Most important, he wrote that we need to go fishing again soon. We would go again many times, and there are a few little tidbits of some of my time with Lefty that you might find interesting and amusing. But those stories are for another time, since the editor of The Maine Sportsman likes to give space to other writers, too.

¶

Lefty Kreh at our kitchen table in Kennebunkport in September 2016. We had fished the Androscoggin River in several places. The Sebasticook’s water levels were too low for drift boats because of the drought. An hour later I dropped him off at the Portland International Jetport, and that’s the last time I saw him.

He passed away 15 months later. www.MaineSportsman.com

12 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

My Old Sleeping Bag The author’s first sleeping bag had no insulation.

His second was torn and threadbare, and the zipper didn’t work. “There has to be a better way,” he thought.

I was freezing. I curled up into a fetal position and hugged my knees, trying to conserve every bit of body heat, but it was hopeless. The wind blew, the windows shook and the incessant cold penetrated deep into every bone.

Sleep was impossible. I just lay there on the top bunk waiting for daylight. I’d never been so cold.

Carl and I had driven from UMO to his family’s farm in North Anson on a Friday afternoon so we could go deer hunting on Saturday. No room for us to sleep in their house, so after supper we drove to an old shed they used during maple syrup season.

It was already dark, so we hustled our gear inside, spread out our sleeping bags and crawled in.

It was one of the longest nights of my life.

Bag #1 – No Stuffin’ Mercifully, dawn broke and light streamed in and we got up and got dressed and headed up to the house for breakfast. I told Carl I had nearly frozen during the night. He shook my old sleeping bag and said matter-of-factly, www.MaineSportsman.com

“Well, no wonder – your bag ain’t got no stuffin’.”

And he was right.

My hand-me-down sleeping bag had lost all of its insulation and left me trying to sleep between two thin layers of ripstop nylon.

That was an old bag. It dated back to the 1950s when our family was car camping in the Maine woods. My sister and I slept in blankets, and my parents had these two sleeping bags.

They were identical and could be zipped together. We used them for years, and when I needed a bag for deer hunting, I grabbed that one off the shelf in the cellar and it turned out to be so cold it nearly killed me.

Bag #2 – Also No Good Uncle Ranceford had been in the Klondike. He hunted and trapped and probably prospected.

When his nieces cleaned out his old cabin on the Miramachi River, they found his sleeping bag. They gave the bag to me.

However, my luck with sleeping bags continued to be dismal. I discovered, much to my dismay, that Uncle Ranceford’s bag was also complete-

ly worn out. Probably in Rance’s day it had been a useful piece of gear, but after years of abuse and neglect, the bag was torn and threadbare, and the zipper didn’t work.

Feathers, then Hollofil Fortunately, as the years went by sleeping bag technology improved and we learned about the excellent insulating properties of goose down. Of course, the price of a good down bag would have paid for a new rifle.

Then they came out with synthetics – artificial stuffing that provided loft and insulation and was waterproof, and these bags were affordable. They were rather bulky and heavy, but I bought one and used it on many trips. I must admit I was never cold in that Hollofil bag.

Military Surplus Sandy River Surplus was located just on the other side of Farmington, and when we were on our way to Carrabassett we’d swing in just to see what treasures the proprietor had for sale in his barn. It took an hour at least for us to roam the aisles checking out all the military gear and clothes.

That’s where I

The right sleeping bag provides warmth and comfort. The wrong choice results in cold, sleepless nights.

found an Arctic weight sleeping bag from the Korean War. It was even bigger and bulkier than my fake down bag. I learned later the closure snaps were there so a soldier could rip the bag open in case of a night attack and reach for his M-1 rifle.

Guys joked with me the bag was filled with chicken feathers and when it got wet it would stink like a chicken coop. I never did find out what the filling is, but I’ve used that bag for the past thirty years, and it still keeps me warm.

Liner Makes It Even Warmer I learned a trick from the Boy Scouts, which was how to sew a sleeping bag liner.

This is a flannel sheet sewed into an envelope, like a pillowcase, and pushed inside your sleeping bag. The liner adds 10 or 20 degrees of temperature to the bag’s comfort rating. When we dug our snow caves and slept in them overnight, I used a liner and lots of closed cell foam pads underneath

and slept very well.

I also learned a key to sleeping warm is to wear a hat. A wool ski cap or Navy watch cap is just the ticket.

Of course, all this lore is old school. Today REI, L.L.Bean and other outfitters make sleeping bags that weigh mere ounces and roll up into a package about the size of a burrito. I think they must be filled with down from hummingbirds, since they cost the price of a new Porsche.

But if you’re hiking the AT or the Long Trail and you need to save every gram, these are the bags to own.

I won’t be hiking the AT soon – or ever, for that matter – so I won’t have to mortgage my house to buy a new sleeping bag.

I still have the Army Surplus bag at the camp and use it when we’re deer hunting and ice fishing. It keeps me warm, and if we should ever need to fend off a night attack, I can rip those snaps open in a flash.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 13

“Snapshots in Time”

Historical Glimpses from Maine’s Sporting Past Compiled by Bill Pierce, Former Executive Director, Outdoor Heritage Museum

hornless buck this year that has puzzled the hunters considerably. The deer weighed 160 pounds and was plump and well developed. There were no horns on top of its head, and no velvety sprouts to indicate that the horns had been delayed. As deer do not shed their antlers until about Christmas, some think this specimen is the forerunner of a new breed of hornless deer.

What follows is a feature found in the December 3, 1896, edition of the RANGELEY LAKES newspaper, sharing some oddities about whitetail coloration, and about the volume of deer, moose and caribou shipped from Maine to the big cities by rail 125 years ago.

— From 1896: Strangely-Colored Deer in Maine Stories of strange deer come from the backwoods as the guides arrive and spin their latest yarns about the hotel fireplace.

Until this year, the albino or white deer has been the wonder of the Maine woods, but albinos are now so common that every taxidermist has one or more specimens on show, and the woods contain enough to keep up the supply.

The latest addition in coloring is the cream-colored deer. Two such deer have been killed this year – one a doe, near Katahdin Iron Works; the other a small buck, near Amherst. These deer were not of the buckskin variety. They were a pure cream-color, with now and then a place of pearly white with a tint of salmon.

Dappled Deer; Black Deer?

Another new tint in a deer’s coat was brought to Ellsworth from Dedham a week ago. It was a big buck, four years old or more, and a perfect specimen. However, instead of the rusty

According to the Rangeley newspaper in 1896, white deer were not uncommon in the Maine woods.

gray coat which most deer have, this one was beautifully dappled, making it look like an overgrown fawn.

Several deer with a dark flank and black lines along the sides of the belly have been killed this year, and hunters are busy trying to kill the first black deer. Three years ago, Game Warden Curtis saw a large herd of deer on Caucmagommac stream, and among them were two almost black. Their coats were not glossy and gave no metallic reflections, but Mr. Curtis insists they were a dead, dull black, like the hue on the bottom of a teakettle. Other men whose reputation is good say they have seen very dark-colored deer, so the black deer of Indian tradition may yet be found.

Hornless Buck Mr. Mitchell, of Shirley, shot a

Lots of Hunters; Lots of Game; Bad Cooks The Eastern hunters are making a great deal of talk about the large quantity of game that was shipped over the Bangor and Aroostook railroad in October. From 30 stations on this road there were shipped 1,029 deer, 79 moose and 57 caribou. In October 1895, the same stations sent out 669 deer, 53 moose and 87 caribou.

Though the deer in 1896 numbered nearly twice as many as in 1895, and though there was a gain of 50 per cent in moose and caribou, the figures prove nothing except that there have been a great many hunters in the woods this year.

In fact, so numerous have been the visitors that good guides could not be hired by many parties, and wealthy hunters had to put up with bad cooks and worse woodsmen in order to reach the game regions. Where there are so many hunters, it is natural that much game would be killed.

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Almanac

14 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Do You Feel a Need for Speed?

Maine’s Snowmobilers Off to the Races!

Putting on a Maine snowmobile event is not for the faint of heart. There can be no snow, or too much snow. There are many different classes of machines and riders, and the rules are strictly enforced – stock machines, one- and two-cylinder engines, old machines, modified machines, and youth and “Powder Puff” (how do you feel about that, ladies?) divisions.

And like road running races, technology has advanced – GPS transponder strips have replaced stopwatches.

The rule for contestants and spectators – keep an eye on the clubs’ websites, and on their Facebook pages, since schedules are frequently modified.

But regardless of the challenges, many Maine snowmobile clubs schedule races and contests. Here are a few: Black Mountain Hill Climb Scheduled for Friday, January 21 (about the time this issue is at the printers), the Black Mountain Hill Climb is one of the earliest speed events of the

season.

This is a timed race, according to the organizers, in which each competitor gets two runs along a straight course about 900 feet up the mountain.

Black Mountain in Rumford sponsors one of the first speed sled events of the year -- the Hill Climb. Photo: www.SkiBlackMountain.org

The best time of the two runs will be recorded as the rider’s official time.

To add an interesting element of variety and thrills, dirt bikes with studded tires are also allowed to compete.

“Tame the Track” Circuit A group known as it Tame The Track will hold or sponsor several cross-country races around the state this winter, many featuring vintage sleds. Events

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Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

planned for early January were postponed following warm weather and rain.

However, they rebounded by offering a “doubleheader” race weekend on February 19th and 20th in Patten, with backto-back race days, on the terrain-based racecourse for cross country race teams.

“All race divisions will be offered both days, for twice the racing experiences,” say the organizers.

They plan to offer events in New Limerick, and a championship race in March in Patten, with a course featuring open fields, hardened roads, and powerline stretches.

Check out their website, tametracktour.com, for details.

Turner Ridge Runners Turner’s award-winning snowmobile club, the Ridge Runners (turnerridgeriders.com), is best known for its One-Lunger (single cylinder) 100 Vintage Race, currently scheduled for February 19, 2022.

To be eligible, sleds must have been manufactured in 1973 or prior, and must be stock, air-cooled machines. In a nod to safety, all snowmobiles must be equipped with operational tether switches that kill the engines if the rider is tossed from the seat.

Other classes may be organized, including two-cylinder, and a Powder Puff division.

Lincoln Snowhounds Lincoln’s snowmobile club has a snocross event being organized by Vice President and Trail Master Paul Bolstridge, according to Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA) executive director Alan Swett.

The club is partnering with “Tame the Track” (see information above), and has events scheduled for January 29 and February 12.

See more info on page 31.

Most communications are accomplished (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

through the Lincoln Snowhounds Snowmobile Club Facebook page.

Portage Lakers Snowmobile Club Portage Lakers Snowmobile Club usually holds a speed event in March. This year it will be organized by MSA Northern Regional Director Lendell Buckingham.

Race details were not posted at press time, but interested competitors and spectators should keep an eye on the Lakers’ website (portagelakers.org) and on the clubs’ Facebook page (facebook.com/portage.lakers).

Unity Pond Oval Racing The Unity Pond Ice Oval Series is a self-described “gathering of good friends and new friends who have the passion for Snowmobile Ice Oval Racing.” Spectator admission is by donation, and competitors pay a small fee to cover the cost of insurance and trophies.

Competitors speed around a curve at the Unity Oval race. Photo: Matt Weeks/Unity Oval Facebook

At press time, three races were listed: January 29, February 12 (possibly a night race), and February 26. Follow the group’s activities on their Facebook site, “Unity Pond Ice Ovals.”

—

Crooked River Headwaters Protected; Will Benefit Sebago Lake On December 15, 2021, a groups of conservationists, private landowners and federal agencies announced that a conservation easement had been applied to about 12,000 acres of woodland in Oxford County.

Money to purchase the easement came from several sources, according to a story by Susan Sharon of Maine Public, including an almost $2 million grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service provided to Sebago Clean Waters,

Conserving the headwaters of the Crooked River will help maintain clean water in Sebago Lake. The lake provides drinking water to one in six Maine residents. Photo: SebagoCleanWaters.org

as well as funding from the Portland Water District and the Nature Conservancy.

The land is located in the towns of Norway, Greenwood, Waterford and Albany Township. A large portion of the property, known as the Crooked River Headwaters, provides water for the river, which then flows into Sebago Lake.

The lake, in turn, serves as the source of drinking water for more than 200,000 people who live in the Greater Portland area.

The easement will prevent development of the property. The project was initiated by two individuals, Mary McFadden and Larry Stifler, who own a mineral and gem museum located in Bethel, and it reported involved 77 separate deeds. The land protected from development includes nine ponds, and six miles of frontage along the Crooked River.

Of interest to area sportsmen and women, the woodland will remain open for hunting, snowmobiling and other recreation under the management of the Mahoosuc Land Trust and the Western Foothills Land Trust, according to Maine Public.

—

In Parts of Maine, Big Bears are No Big Deal

by Jon Lund, Publisher “You still got that bear hanging around your place?” Brownie asked the lady with a page-boy cut.

Brownie operates a two-lift auto repair shop off Route 201 north out of Skowhegan. He was checking out a second-hand Subaru for me before I bought it. Brownie paused during his careful inspection of my car on the lift.

“You have a bear around your place?” another customer asked the (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

16 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac (Continued from page 15) woman.

Brownie’s regular customers belong to an informal society that freely exchanges local information and gossip.

“This bear has been coming to my house for a couple of years,” she replied.

“We put out sunflower seeds all winter for the bird feeder, and the hulls collect on the ground. After the winter’s hibernation, the bear needs to eat a lot of roughage to get its systems going again.

So he scoops together all those sunflower hulls and gobbles them down.

“The first year we saw him, he was a little fellow, maybe a hundred and fifty pounds. This year, he looked a lot bigger, maybe two hundred-fifty.”

“He’s getting big enough that some hunter might knock him off,” said the second customer.

“That would be OK with me,” replied the lady. “The bear doesn’t bother me, but sometimes my grandchildren are visiting, and I’m concerned they might get tangled with the bear.”

Brownie let my car down off the lift.

We settled up, and Joan and I drove back south on Route 201, marveling at the difference in public acceptance of bears in Skowhegan, compared to what might be expected around Portland or Augusta.

—

Biggest Bucks “Tie Bar”?

In the 1960s, the Biggest Bucks program, then called the Whitetail Deer Club, was run by the State of Maine’s Publicity Bureau. And registering a 200-lb.-plus buck got you – a tie bar?

WE’RE! BACK

That’s right – since it was assumed that all successful hunters were men, and that all men who wore ties, goldtone tie bars were mailed out from the

and publications for the last 50 years.

Gary Larson loves to poke fun at scientists, naturalists, tree huggers, and yes, hunters and fishermen, along with any and all humans and even animals. He spares no one.

One of my past favorite illustrations is a view through a rifle scope: The cross hairs are settled on a bear, which is pointing a forefinger at another bear standing next to it, indicating the unspoken caption – “Shoot this fellow, but not me.”

In the late 1960s and early1970s, the “Biggest Bucks” club recognized new members with this gold-tone tie bar, and a card signed by the Governor. Photo: W. Lund

Publicity Bureau’s offices.

Accompanying the tie bars was a card, bearing the facsimile signature of Maine’s top elected official. A card we saw reads as follows: “Congratulations – You are now a member of the Whitetail Deer Club of the State of Maine. Maine is noted for trophy deer, and the best in deer hunting. It is our hope that you will continue to be successful through future seasons in the Pine Tree State.

Kenneth M. Curtis, Governor, State of Maine.”

—

Book Review: Publisher Appreciates Gary Larson’s “Far Side”

by Jon Lund Gary Larson’s “Far Side” cartoons have appeared regularly in many forms

Apparently the writer was not the only one who liked this cartoon by Gary Larson, since Larsen used it on the cover of his 1988 book, “Beyond the Far Side,” published by Andrews McMeel.

Some of the cartoons include a caption. Others do not need one. The cartoon on the next page, found on page 14 of “In Search of the Far Side,” needs no caption.

Humor is a precious commodity, and a perishable one. Some folks will find a certain cartoon hilariously funny, while the same illustration will not evoke even a chuckle from others.

Both fishing and hunting have a fair share of enthusiasts who take their favorite recreation with dedicated seriousness, and they may become offended if anyone makes fun of their sport.

The 40th Annual

State of Maine

Sportsman’s Show

(Continued on next page)

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Contact Carol at Carol@MaineSportsman.com or 207 622-4242, or Becky at Becky@SportsmansAllianceOfMaine.org or (207) 623-4589.

STAY TUNED TO THE SHOW WEBSITE & FACEBOOK PAGE FOR UPDATES!

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N!

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 17 (Continued from page 16)

Either book, “Beyond the Far Side,” or “In Search of the Far Side,” would make a fine gift to any outdoor sports enthusiast who did not take himself or herself seriously.

Beyond the Far Side was first printed in 1983 and again in 1987.

“In Search of Far Side” was first printed in July, 1984, twentieth printing: September 1993. ISBN:08362-2060-9.

My favorite source for used books, ABE Books, lists many copies of each volume, with prices ranging from ranging from $2 to $20 plus shipping, with autographed copies bringing prices far in excess of those amounts.

Larson’s last con-

February 2022 Sunrise/Sunset Portland, ME DATE 1 Tue 2 Wed 3 Thu 4 Fri 5 Sat 6 Sun 7 Mon 8 Tue 9 Wed 10 Thu 11 Fri 12 Sat 13 Sun 14 Mon

RISE

6:55 6:54 6:53 6:52 6:50 6:49 6:48 6:47 6:45 6:44 6:43 6:41 6:40 6:39

SET

4:53 4:54 4:56 4:57 4:58 5:00 5:01 5:03 5:04 5:05 5:07 5:08 5:09 5:11

DATE 15 Tue 16 Wed 17 Thu 18 Fri 19 Sat 20 Sun 21 Mon 22 Tue 23 Wed 24 Thu 25 Fri 26 Sat 27 Sun 28 Mon

RISE

6:37 6:36 6:34 6:33 6:31 6:30 6:28 6:26 6:25 6:23 6:22 6:20 6:18 6:17

SET

5:12 5:13 5:15 5:16 5:17 5:19 5:20 5:21 5:23 5:24 5:25 5:27 5:28 5:29

From “In Search of the Far Side,” published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (1984)

ventional cartoons appeared in 1995. More recently, he established a website; see www.thefarside.com.

The site features some

of his best cartoons of the past, and the intriguing news that he is now dabbling in electronic media.

Sportsman

by Will Lund

Alan Case, who was trying to break the archery world record by shooting a carbon-fiber arrow more than a mile in the Nevada desert using a “foot bow,” when he mistakenly fired the arrow directly into his foot. Smithsonian magazine, December 2021.

—

Portland, ME

¶

Quotable

“I don’t know what happened.”

February 2022 Tides

“First of all, don’t get lost.”

The first sentence of the “On Getting Lost” section cited above.

The advice provided? “Don’t go into the deep woods by yourself if you don’t know how to use a map and compass.”

— “This 70 year-old Maine hunter felt like an 18 year-old, after harvesting a buck of a lifetime.”

“The game warden is your Michael MacEachern, who friend.” tagged Maine’s 5th largest deer in From the 1973 - 74 “Maine the 2021 season, a 256-pounder Hunting Law Summary,” from registered at Whitney’s Outfitters the section titled “On Being in Lincoln. “I saw horns coming Lost,” advising hunters to “take through the softwood,” he said. “I time to notify a game warden of gripped my 30-’06 Mossberg bolt your planned destination” so you action. My heart was pumping can more easily be found if you like a coal-driven locomotive.” get turned around.

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

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 Sun Mon

HIGH AM PM 10:47 11:28 11:39 — 12:17 12:30 1:04 1:19 1:51 2:09 2:39 3:01 3:28 3:56 4:19 4:53 5:12 5:53 6:09 6:56 7:08 7:54 8:02 8:46 8:51 9:31 9:35 10:12 10:16 10:50 10:54 11:25 11:30 11:59 — 12:07 12:33 12:44 1:08 1:25 1:47 2:10 2:31 3:01 3:22 3:59 4:19 5:04 5:23 6:16 6:33 7:29 7:44 8:33 8:47 9:31

LOW AM PM 4:29 5:13 5:22 6:02 6:14 6:49 7:04 7:35 7:55 8:22 8:48 9:09 9:43 9:59 10:40 10:51 11:40 11:47 — 12:44 12:48 1:44 1:46 2:36 2:37 3:21 3:20 4:01 4:00 4:38 4:38 5:12 5:16 5:46 5:53 6:20 6:33 6:56 7:14 7:35 8:00 8:18 8:50 9:07 9:46 10:01 10:48 11:02 11:57 — 12:11 1:10 1:22 2:17 2:28 3:16

www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine Wildlife:

Snowshoe Hare

by Tom Seymour

When thinking of snowshoe hares, an image of a fir thicket, the trees laden with fresh, powdery snow, and lots of hare tracks on the thicket’s periphery comes immediately to mind.

Hares require thick cover for protection from the myriad predators that hunt them day and night, and Maine’s spruce/fir forest provides just the right kind of cover. A thick covering of snow makes the cover even more secure.

Picture such a place, silent as the moon, every branch covered with snow and a solitary hare sitting in the thickest of the thick, secure in every way, its black, liquid eyes shining like coal.

That, then, is a perfect representation of snowshoe hare habitat in the dead of winter.

However, the hares cannot sit inside their safe havens forever. They must go outside and forage, and that is when they put themselves at risk for their lives from predators ranging from bobcats and lynx, foxes and fishers, to coyotes and owls – and to a lesser extent, humans.

Locally Abundant Ever since the eastern coyote took up permanent residence in Maine, snowshoe hare numbers have plummeted in areas of high coyote concentrations. In other places, hares are plentiful. This here-and-there population scenario leads me to say that in Maine, snowshoe hares are “locally abundant.”

My familiarity with the term comes from writing about wild, edible plants.

Where a certain plant is common in one place and scarce in another, it is said to be locally abundant. A copyeditor for one of my books once puzzled over the term, and it took much persuading to convince her that it was a perfectly proper phrase and to not delete it from my manuscript.

Before the appearance of coyotes, hares were everywhere and rural people who lived close to nature, such as my family, made good use of them. We kept beagle hounds, as did most people, and our hare hunts resulted in meat on the table beginning in fall and continuwww.MaineSportsman.com

ing through the winter. Oddly, despite the frequency of hares cooked a dozen different ways on our regular menu, we never tired of this lean, flavorful, wild meat. In fact, we even froze hares for use in the off season.

I miss hunting hares and eating them, but the scarcity of the creatures, at least in the part of Midcoast Maine where I live, does not warrant my keeping a beagle hound. Besides that, the large woodlands we used to frequent have become not only fragmented, but surrounded by new houses. Heaven forbid that a hunter’s beagle chases a rabbit across someone’s lawn. So essentially, hare hunting has come down to pursuing the game sans hound, looking for a bunny sitting under a bush, perhaps taking in the morning sun.

The Trackers It is possible to track hares on the snow and eventually find them hidden in some thicket or beneath a grassy hummock. However, this works best early in the season, before the permanent (well, snow cover used to be permanent, at least before winters became warmer) snow becomes so filled with tracks that it is nearly impossible to distinguish one track from the other.

Freshly fallen snow makes for the best and easiest tracking. This sport isn’t for those who dislike rising early in the morning, since hitting the woods at the first glimmer of daylight is a prerequisite for success.

That’s because even two hares can make more tracks than a person can follow. The only way to go about it then is to find a single fresh track early, before it becomes intertwined with other

tracks, and follow it closely.

If fortune favors you, you will eventually find the hare. Probably, it will remain hidden at your approach, so this is where your skill at ferreting out the hidden form of a hare comes into play.

Try not to look for the entire animal, because the hare’s white winter pelage allows it to blend in with the snow.

Instead, look for a black, shiny eye or eyes. Spot the eye, and then the entire hare will instantly merge into view. I have hunted hares thus with a .22 revolver with good success. Use whatever gun you want, but a .22 works well for not damaging the meat.

Diurnal Hares Hares are especially active at twilight, and in fall and again in spring, they will come out on dirt roads. This offers an easy way to take a few hares, without the mess of tramping through snow-covered thickets.

The season on snowshoe hares in Maine runs through March, and spring hunting has some great benefits. Try to get out after the snowmelt has begun, but while patches of the white stuff still cover the ground. There, you will find hares.

While it must certainly be instinctive, hares congregate on patches of snow at this time. It’s as if they know that their still-white coats make them prime targets against a brown landscape. I have shot countless hares in this way, often finding several hares on one snow patch.

Without hares, the ecosystem would collapse. They are an integral part of nature’s cycle.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 19

What’s New in Outboard Control

by Bob Humphrey – bob@bobhumphrey.com Looking back, I wonder why we were so eager to hit the water on opening day. It was often bitter cold, though you warmed up after the dozen or pulls it took to fire of the old Johnson.

A short run out the Songo River put you on the big lake, where you would jockey for position among the parade of boats paralleling the shoreline. The air was filled with a haze of oily smoke and the din of motors so loud you almost had to shout to hold a conversation.

You held course in the traffic as best you could with a numb, gloved hand on the tiller. Eventually you upgraded to electric start and helm controls – the latter of which still required nearly constant attention to stay on course, while also watching rods and lines and other boats.

Shifters and throttles were stiff and finicky, and sometimes prone to kinking, freezing or seizing up.

My, how things have changed.

First came a transition from those old two-stroke smokers to quieter, more reliable and more efficient

New outboard control systems keep you moving in a straight line while trolling. They maintain your position over a fishing hotspot, regardless of current or wind. Clearly, the fish no longer have a chance! four-strokes that can and will idle down low enough that you don’t even need a kicker or electric trolling motor.

A more recent wave of innovation has come in the technology used to stop, start and – more important – control those motors and the boats they’re attached to.

What follows is a quick look at some recent technological advancements in outboard motor control.

Suzuki For 2022, Suzuki is introducing a new Precision Control system with drive-by-wire shift and throttle technology to fit a range of boats and motors.

Single engine controls come in binnacle or flush mount options.

A single lever feature on the dual binnacle allows control of multiple engines with the single push of a button. On both, you can also start and stop engines with a single button push.

Electronicallycontrolled power trim

and tilt settings automatically adjust to a pre-set position to maximize speed and fuel efficiency, especially when combined with Suzuki’s propri-

etary lean burn control system, which supplies the appropriate fuel-air mixture depending on operating conditions.

Yamaha From Yamaha comes a new Helm Master EX integrated boat control system – the first to offer single-engine joystick compatibility, along with a range of other features. To the original Helm Master joystick maneuverability, (Continued on next page)

See Your Local Yamaha Outboard Dealer for Current Promotions!

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

BELFAST Hamlin’s Marine 7 Front Street (207) 930-3780 www.HamlinsMarine.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 © 2022 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Remember to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive.

Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal flotation device and protective gear.

www.MaineSportsman.com

20 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Boating (Continued from page 20)

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!

BRUNSWICK North Atlantic Inflatables 29 Bath Road 207-844-1742 www.northatlanticinflatables.com

ELLSWORTH Pirie Marine 53 Sunset Park Road 207-664-0500 www.piriemarine.com

SPRUCE HEAD J&H Marine 670 Spruce Head Road 207-596-5511 Find Us on Facebook

OUTPUT FAR BEYOND ITS SIZE

With the latest navigation controls, your boat will hold in a desired position so you can focus on fishing. Diagram courtesy Yamaha

they’ve added a digital electric steering system compatible with most newer models that is designed to yield precise control without the clutter and lost space of traditional steering mechanisms.

Yamaha’s autopilot now has course and heading hold, and new

2.5–25HP

Put amazing power in the palm of your hand. These compact outboard motors take you to the fun, the fish, or whatever floats your boat – quickly and reliably.

Enjoy quick acceleration to go with exhilarating speed. Easy to install and operate, with reliable starting, low vibration, and instant throttle response. It’s worry-free boating at its best.

Contact Your Local Mercury Outboards Dealer for the Latest Promotions!

GORHAM White Rock Outboard, Inc. 351 Sebago Lake Road (207) 892-9606 www.whiterockoutboard.com MACHIAS Whitney’s Tri-Town Marine 29 Dublin Street (207) 255-3392 www.tritownmarine.com www.MaineSportsman.com

MANCHESTER Clark Marine 57 Puddledock Road (207) 622-7011 www.clarkmarinemaine.com

Yamaha’s Helm Master EX is available in a range of configurations designed for single and multi-engine boats.

Photos: Yamaha

digital electronic controls with Driftpoint and Driftpoint Track features to keep you on line while trolling, or in a fixed location regardless of wind and current, without constant attention and adjustment at the helm.

They also offer a heading hold to keep you on course regardless of set and drift, and an adjustable joy stick for fine tuning of both autopilot and set point functions while underway.

Honda While technically not new, Honda continually upgrades and improves their Intelligent Shift and Throttle (iST) command and control system. As its name implies, the system allows for effortless shift and throttle control with fine tuning of throttle settings at any speed, enhanced docking and slow speed control, and return-toport capability.

(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 21 (Continued from page 20)

It has single-switch trim control, even for multiple engines, and engine-speed synchronization.

Meanwhile, the Optimus 360 joystick system offers automatic, precision maneuvering with minimal shifting, throttling and engine movement, allowing you to dock like a pro, even if you’re not.

Mercury Mercury’s existing engine control and steering systems have also been subject to constant upgrading and improvement.

Designed for multi-engine boats, Joystick Piloting puts steering, throttling and shifting at your fingertips.

Mercury outboard joystick control puts trim, tilt, steering and more at your fingertips.

Credit: Mercury

When connected to their Skyhook feature, GPS technology and an integrated digital compass, the system maintains your boat’s position and heading.

A Route feature automatically navigates to an active waypoint or route with a compatible chart-plotter, and Heading Adjust allows for adjustments in 1- and 10-degree increments.

Controls are intuitive, especially for gamers, and provide

easy docking, navigation and position holding.

Trolling Motors With all of the above, you may or may not need an electric trolling motor. Even if you don’t, you may find one handy, especially with the latest innovations in this category from companies like Minn Kota.

Basic models have a standard hard-wired foot pedal control.

From there you can upgrade to a handheld CoPilot remote control that gives you wireless control of speed and steering.

Everyone has a smart phone, and now you can use apps to control your troller.

In the alternative, you can integrate your motor and multi-function display and chart plotter to enable functions like autopilot to keep you on course, or SpotLock GPS anchors to hold over a hotspot when you find the fish.

Perhaps best of all, motors and technology are available for everything from offshore fishing to canoes and kayaks.

Of course, if you prefer more simple, traditional means of outboard control, don’t fret. You can

still get a basic pullstart, tiller-controlled outboard; but why not take advantage of technology and inno-

vation to do the work, while you focus more on fishing?

¶

READY TO GET ON THE WATER IN 2022?

Spring Into Savings with Honda Marine!

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And all Honda outboards come with the best warranty in the industry – 5 YEARS, NO STRINGS ATTACHED.** Offer Valid Through March 31, 2022. Visit Your Local Honda Marine Dealer for Details!

ELLSWORTH Pirie Marine 53 Sunset Park Road (207) 664-0500 www.piriemarine.com

MACHIAS MANCHESTER Whitney’s Tri-Town Marine Clark Marine 29 Dublin Street 57 Puddledock Road (207) 255-3392 (207) 622-7011 www.tritownmarine.com www.clarkmarinemaine.com

LEWISTON Al’s Sport Center 1818 Lisbon Road (207) 784-75910 www.alssportcenter.com

PORTLAND Portland Yacht Services 100 W. Commercial Street (207) 774-1067 www.portlandyacht.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, 2017 and newer models, sold and delivered between January 6, 2022 and March 31, 2022 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. **Warranty is limited to Honda Outboard Motors and related original equipment distributed by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Power Equipment Division, 4900 Marconi Drive, Alpharetta, Georgia 30005-8847. The Honda Outboard Motor must be purchased from American Honda or a dealer authorized by American Honda to sell Honda Outboard Motors in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. This limited warranty applies to the first retail purchaser and each subsequent owner during the applicable warranty time period. See dealer for details. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.

Suzuki Marine Now Offers a

5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY on new Suzuki outboards!*

*Contact Your Local Suzuki Marine Dealer for Details!

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

MANCHESTER Clark Marine 57 Puddledock Road (207) 622-7011 www.clarkmarinemaine.com

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

www.MaineSportsman.com

22 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice-Shacks – Part II

by Steve Carpenteri These days, the percentage of ice-fishermen who design, build and use their own shelters or shacks is comparatively small. It takes a lot of work and expense to build a serviceable shack that will endure many winters of rough treatment and harsh weather. Most of these endeavors end up in splinters along the shoreline after a fierce winter storm, or are towed inland and left as refuges for squirrels and porcupines.

Modern Marvels Today’s manufactured ice-fishing shelters are the result of decades of innovation.

The best of the lot fea-

Last month the author covered construction and transportation of traditional, homemade ice-fishing shelters. Now, he turns his attention to lightweight store-bought alternatives – how to select one, and how to care for it.

Keep in mind that no matter how large or small a shelter you select, all of your ice-fishing gear will need to be transported onto and off of the ice. Photo by Steve Carpenteri.

ture sturdy aluminum or composite frames with tough, weath-

COBBOSSEE LAKE ICE FISHING DERBY

Hosted by Cony Project Graduation, Friends of Cobbossee Watershed & YMCA Camp of Maine

er-resistant coverings that include sealable doors and windows,

Ice Fishing Your Ice Fishing Headquarters

March 5, 2022 • Sunrise–3PM

— PRIZES — Largest Pike: 1st $750 • 2nd $500 • 3rd $250 Largest Brown Trout: 1st $350 • 2nd $200 • 3rd $100 Largest Pan Fish, Perch (White or Yellow), Crappie: 1st $500 • 2nd $350 • 3rd $150 Largest Pickerel: 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes. $350, $200, $100 — REGISTRATION FEES — Individual: Pre-Registration $15 • Day of Registration $20 Family: (Parent(s) with Child(ren) Under 12) Pre-Registration $25 • Day of Registration $30 All registrations will be taking place at Friends of Cobbossee Watershed, 2518 US Route 202, Winthrop, ME. Pre-registration deadline is February 20, 2022. Day of registration closes at 10AM. “Traps for Kids” is donating 50 fishing traps, which will be handed out to kids (17 and under) on the day of the event. Traps are first come, first served.

A registration packet can be found on our Facebook page or one can be emailed to you at the contact information below.

Jiffy Power Augers Complete Line of Ice Fishing Equipment Ice Chisels • Bait Pails • Baskets Line • Jigs • Otter Sleds Portable Ice Fishing Shelters ALSO: Guns • Scopes • Archery

— RAFFLE — Each registered angler will be automatically entered into a drawing for a set of 5 Jack Traps.

— DERBY HEADQUARTERS — YMCA Camp of Maine, 305 Winthrop Center Road, Winthrop, ME — CONTACT INFO — Cony Project Graduation Cobbossee Ice Fishing Derby Facebook page or via email at cobbosseefishingderby@gmail.com — SPONSORS —

ACE HARDWARE www.MaineSportsman.com

floors, and innovative transportation anchoring systems that allow

Upper Main Street Ext. Winthrop, ME (207) 377-2711

them to be hauled onto the ice and erected quickly and efficiently.

Most can be dismantled at the end of the ice-fishing season in just minutes. When used sensibly and with proper care, a modern ice shelter should provide a decade or more of dependable service.

Shelter Types Commercial ice-fishing shelters are available in a variety of configurations. The most basic units are simple, V-shaped affairs that are designed to provide shelter from biting winds and snow for one or two persons.

These basic units are more than adequate when fishing small waters in calm, sunny weather with minimal winds and little chance of precipitation or blowing snow.

A step above the basic wind-breaker is a fully-enclosed shelter made of aluminum tubing with a canvas or nylon shell. The simplest designs consist of low-level huts with no windows or other openings, other than a sealable flap for a door. These lowend models are meant for day-use trips, and are easy to anchor to the ice. When properly set up, these shelters (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 23 (Continued from page 22)

provide ample room for two anglers and all their gear, plus chairs, a heater, and space for at least two jigging holes.

The largest units are essentially large tents that are built to withstand the high winds, heavy snow and bitter cold temperatures that are encountered during a season of ice angling.

Some high-end kits feature doors and windows, bunks, heaters, cooking capabilities, lighting and seating space for four or more anglers. The best of these shelters are portable, rugged, reliable and long-lasting, designed to provide years of trouble-free service when used and stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Consider the Options There are a few things to think about before you buy a manufactured shelter.

For starters, consider shelters designed to protect occupants in lower outside temperature ranges than

you think you might need, in case you encounter harsher conditions than the weather forecast predicts.

Temperature range is heavily influenced by the thickness of the material that is used.

Baffles and skirting made of nylon and similar tough fabrics will help improve wind resistance without adding a great deal of weight. Winter winds should hit the side of your shelter, but not penetrate it.

The total weight of a shelter reflects its design, user capacity, and material thickness. The larger the shelter, the heavier it will be.

Ventilation is also important.

Condensation, frost and heat build up quickly in confined spaces. Be sure there are enough windows, doors and vents to handle the load.

Remember that you will have to transport the shelter and all your gear on and off the ice. Carrying all that stuff out to the middle of the lake gets old fast. Most fishermen use sleds, snow-

mobiles, 4-wheelers or a combination of vehicles and trailers to get their gear out where the fish are biting.

der $100. After that, the sky is the limit, depending on the make, model, design, fabric

Price Points The simplest small shelters, such as the V-type windbreaker, are available for un-

(Continued on next page)

1681 Bennoch Road, Old Town (1/2 Mile Off I-95 Exit 197)

Open Mon–Sat 9AM–5PM

207-827-7032

www.oldtowntradingpost.net

YOUR ICE FISHING HEADQUARTERS ICE FISHING SHELTERS

by Eskimo TAG-A-LONG SLEDS

by Shappell & Otter

PACK BASKETS & LINERS

HERITAGE ICE TRAPS Handmade in Maine

GIFT CERTIFICATES • INTEREST-FREE LAY AWAY

274 West Broadway, Lincoln, ME

ICE FISHING SUPPLIES

Portable Ice Shacks, Augers, Traps, Jigs & Lures

LIVE BAIT! Sleds • Knives • Binoculars 207-403-8000 • Open Mon–Fri 9AM–6PM & Sat 7AM–4PM

www.whitneysoutfitters.com

Little Tim’s 6th Annual

ICE FISHING DERBY Proceeds to Camp Postcard / Volunteers of America

March 5, 2022 Worthley Pond • Peru, ME 5:30AM–2:30PM

PRIZES! PRIZES! PRIZES! ADULT PRIZE FOR TROUT: RIFLE ADULT PRIZE FOR ALL OTHER FISH: SHOTGUN Plus Lifetime Fishing License, Fishing Gear & Lots More!

Registration: 17 & Under $7 • 18 & Older $10 FMI (207) 357-4223 www.FB.com/LittleTimsAnnualFishingDerby

Many Thanks to Our Sponsors! www.MaineSportsman.com

24 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice Fishing (Continued from page 23)

Your Ice Fishing Headquarters for Over 40 Years!

Jack Traps & Trap Accessories • Indestructible Loring Pack Baskets Otter Sleds • Aluminum Ice Shacks • Live Bait & Terminal Tackle Jiffy, Eskimo, Ion & Strikemaster Augers

All Your Ice Fishing Needs!

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

www.jacktraps.com Mt. Tir’em Youth Ice Fishing Derby!

February 19, 2022 All Lakes & Ponds in the Oxford Hills Area Weigh-in at Keoka Beach in the Waterford Flat at 3PM TICKETS: $10 PER CHILD 18 & UNDER • $40 FAMILY CAP Tickets Available at Waterford Town Office, Melby’s in Waterford, Bessey Motor Sales in South Paris, from any Mt. Tir’em lodge member, and other businesses to be named.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and can be purchased at the weigh-in at Keoka Beach the morning of until 10AM.

Trophies & Cash Prizes for Longest Fish, Heaviest Fish, Smallest Legal Fish (Bait Not Included) and the PICKEREL PICK OFF! (State law has a max on pickerel of 10 fish per day. Head count will be first, combined weight, then combined length will be the tie breakers if needed)

Other Prizes will be on hand to win at the weigh-in, including a fishing gear prize! Your ticket stub enters you in the drawing!

Hot Cocoa & Food for Sale from 12PM–3PM All proceeds will be split 50/50 between Harrison/Waterford PTO and Mt. Tir’em’s building restoration goals!

— 2ND ANNUAL —

ORO Welcome Home Ice Fishing Derby Saturday, March 12, 2022 • 7AM–4PM Ellis Pond, Roxbury, ME

3,000 IN CASH PRIZES

$

1st: $500 • 2nd: $250 • 3rd: $100 Bass, Trout & Pickerel

Biggest Perch: $150 • Biggest Crappie: $150 Smallest Catch Category for Kids 11 & Under!

Admission: $20 per Ticket • Kids 11 & Under Can Attend Free!

GEAR FOR SALE • FOOD & COFFEE • RAFFLES & 50/50 Follow Us on Facebook for More Details: fb.me/e/2vXiuZG08 Every derby participant is entered into the door prize drawing for a

SNOPRO 5X8 ICE SHACK! www.operationrebootmaine.org www.MaineSportsman.com

and accessory package that is chosen.

Small two- or fourman shelters can cost $400. A full-blown, 6-man, all-inclusive portable shelter can cost upwards of $700.

Add in a generator, heater, lights, cooler and other amenities, and the cost to get started can soar to $1,000 or more.

Transporting these high-end units will substantially increase the winter angler’s bottom line. For example, a basic composite sled can cost over $200. Ice-friendly vehicles (snowmobiles and 4-wheelers) cost thousands of dollars, and trailers or pull-behind sleds can go for $500 or more, considerably increasing the

A shelter suitable for two anglers and all their gear can cost as much as $500. Photo: Clam Corporation.

price per pound for a feed of perch, trout or salmon.

Maintenance Protect your investment by treating it properly. The key to longevity when it comes to winter fishing shelters is routine maintenance. At the end of the season, use care in breaking down your shelter and transporting it off the ice. Clean the fabric and store the unit as recommended by the

Larger units capable of providing shelter for six or more ice-anglers often include doors, windows, vents and wind skirting, and can cost over $700. Photo: Eskimo Ice-Fishing Gear.

manufacturer.

Most heavy-duty shelter fabrics are impervious to heat, cold and weather, but will fray or rot when put away wet or stored in damp, dark conditions. Also, do you best to keep stored shelters away from destructive insects and rodents.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 25

Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman

PATCH CLUBS To find a club and download an application, go to

www.mainesportsman.com/patch-clubs

to download, print and mail your application with $10 to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330 Don’t have a computer or printer? No problem! Give us a call at (207) 622-4242 and we’ll mail you an application.

Sebago Lake & Cumberland County Derby – 21st Year!

Sebago Lake Area Derby February 19 & 20, 2022

www.icefishingderby.com

Website Goes Live January 1, 2022

Prizes over $10,000! Visit our website to register and learn more!

BAIT DEALERS DIRECTORY AUBURN

JAY

OLD TOWN

GOOD LIFE GUNS

OLD TOWN TRADING POST

Open 7 Days

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

BANGOR

JACKMAN

ROCKWOOD

DAG’S BAIT & TACKLE

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

Smelts • Shiners • Suckers • Tommy Cods • Worms

DILL’S OUTDOORS, LLC

1205 BROADWAY • 207-573-3131 ICE FISHING GEAR Smelts • Suckers • Shiners • Crawlers Guns • Ammo • Fishing Tackle Mon & Sat 8AM–4PM, Tue–Fri 9:30AM–6PM

BRIDGTON UNC’L LUNKERS BAIT & TACKLE

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

Complete Line of Ice Fishing Tackle SMELTS • SHINERS • SUCKERS • WORMS • CRAWLERS 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

SALLY MOUNTAIN CABINS ON MOOSEHEAD BAIT & TACKLE Shiners • Suckers • Smelts BEAUTIFUL BIGWOOD LAKE Worms & Crawlers Open Daily • Walk-In Brian Scott 207-534-2261

SMELTS • SHINERS • TOMMIES • ICE SHACKS Bait is guaranteed to catch fish or die trying!

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

Resident & Non-Resident Licenses - Snowmobile Registrations

LINCOLN

SHAPLEIGH

WHITNEY’S OUTFITTERS

LAKESIDE SPORT & MARINE

MONMOUTH

SOLON

JACK TRAPS

BAIT, BOLTS & BULLETS

— Live Bait & Tackle — Smelt, Shiners, Suckers, Shot Guns • Rifles • Pistols • Ammo Worms, Dillies, Crawlers Smelts • Suckers • Shiners • Worms • Ice Tackle 143 Emery Mills Road, Rt. 109 • (207) 636-1325 Open Mon-Thu 9AM-6PM • Fri 6AM–6PM • Sat 6AM–4PM (on Lower Mousam Lake)

274 West Broadway • 207-403-8000

Ice Fishing Outfitters Smelts • Shiners • Pike Bait

All Your Ice Fishing Needs SMELTS - SHINERS - SUCKERS Tackle, Augers, Sleds

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

207-933-9499 • www.jacktraps.com

Rt. 201, Solon • 207-643-2766

GREENVILLE

NEW GLOUCESTER

WINDHAM

LUCKY BAIT & TACKLE — Moosehead Lake — Smelt • Shiners • Suckers, 58 Moosehead Lake Road (207) 695-0067

ISLAND FALLS

JERRY’S THRIFTWAY

ALL YOUR ICE FISHING NEEDS! Fishing Tackle, Smelts, Shiners, Crawlers Open Mon-Wed: 7-6, Thurs-Sat: 7-7, Sun. 9 - 5

207-463-2828

Open 6AM 7 Days • 151 Ridge Rd, Monmouth, ME

MOONEY’S LIVE BAIT

1235 Lewiston Road • (207) 926-4621 Smelts, Shiners, Suckers, Worms & Crawlers WHOLESALE & RETAIL • OPEN DAILY

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

WINTHROP

COBBOSSEE BAIT

Smelts, Shiners, Suckers, Crawlers

Open Sun–Thu 6AM–2PM & Fri–Sat 6AM–5PM

207-557-4308

8 Little Cobbosee Ave., Winthrop, ME

www.MaineSportsman.com

26 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

The Midnight Rider

by Steve Carpenteri In February, snowmobiling conditions are at their seasonal best. If there’s ever a time to ride, this is it, and the time to go is now.

Many folks with full-time 8-to-5 jobs have little chance to go sledding during daylight hours – sometimes not even on

weekends, due to life’s endless responsibilities and commitments

– but there is an alternative that makes perfect sense, for those

DOMINATING TRAIL PERFORMANCE 2022 INDY VR1 • Ferocious Acceleration • Effortless Control in Any Condition • The Most Advanced Technology on Snow

— See Your Polaris Dealer for Current Promotions Today! — JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com

GORHAM, NH MOMS Jericho 461 Main St. 603-466-5454 www.momsjericho.com

LEWISTON Central Maine Powersports 845 Main Street 207-689-2345 www.centralmainepowersports.com Polaris recommends that all riders take a safety training course. Do not attempt maneuvers beyond your capability. Always wear a helmet and other safety apparel. Read, understand and follow your owner’s manual. Never drink and ride. Polaris is a registered trademark of Polaris Industries Inc. © 2021 Polaris Industries Inc.

www.MaineSportsman.com

are followed, those with a hankering for a smooth, quiet, serene trip across Maine’s winter landscape, will find that a night ride is just what the doctor ordered.

Night riding can be among the most enjoyable activities for snowmobilers. However, while traveling at night, sledders are likely to encounter moose, deer and other nocturnal game animals on the trails, and it seems those encounters always come as a surprise -- occurring just over a rise, or after a sharp curve. who are prepared for it.

Of course, I’m talking about night riding. Today’s snowmobiles are fully equipped with all the necessary reflectors, running lights and electronics designed to ensure smooth sailing well into the hours of darkness. As long as basic safety principles

Smoother Trails Most local snowmobile clubs do their trail grooming at night, because there is less traffic and they can take their time smoothing over some of the rough spots.

Also, many seasonal storms occur after dark, adding several inches (if not feet) of fresh snow to heavi(Continued on next page)

Over 60 Full-Color Laminated Pages Over 6,000 miles of Primary, Club & Rail Trails Fuel & Parking Locaaons Moose Loop Route ATV-Friendly Campsites Landmarks Landmar & Scenic Overlooks

Order online at www.UntamedMainer.com & use coupon TMS at checkout or send $57.99 (includes tax + free shipping) to: Angela Snowman PO Box 109 Little Deer Isle, ME 04650

ATV SXS 6-Wheel 8-Wheel 232 Jericho Road, Berlin, NH (603) 215-6002 www.JerichoOutdoors.net

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 27

Night riding is a great time to enjoy clean, freshly-groomed trails with little or no competing traffic.

Keep a safe distance between your sled and other riders. Photo: Dreamstime.com (Continued from page 26)

ly-used trails.

While riders need to maintain prudent speeds and yield the right of way to any groomer encountered during nighttime rides, this is an opportunity to enjoy the trails they leave behind – it doesn’t get any better than this.

Come morning,

most of the February trails in Maine are in the best condition of the winter and the riding is top-notch. For best results check with local clubs to find out where and when they will be grooming (some clubs’ websites track their groomers’ route and progress in real time by GPS), so you (Continued on next page)

Snowmobile Rental & Guided Tour Directory

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JACKMAN Jackman Powersports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com

SKOWHEGAN Whittemore & Sons 257 Waterville Road 207-474-2591 www.whittemoreandsons.com

1As low as 3.99% APR for 60 months - Thereafter, your standard APR will be 15.99%-23.99%: Offer available on approved purchases of a new 2020 - 2022 Yamaha Snowmobile made on the Yamaha Credit Card issued by WebBank, member FDIC. Offer valid 1/1/22 through 3/31/22. Account must be open and current to be eligible for this offer. Promotional 3.99%, 7.99%, 11.99% or 14.49% APR with Minimum Payments of 1.86%, 2.05%, 2.24% or 2.36% respectively of the purchase price balance, based on your creditworthiness, are effective until the purchase is paid in full. Minimum Interest Charge $2 per month. Standard APR 15.99%-23.99%. †Customer Cash - Snowmobile: Customer cash offer good on select models between 1/1/2022 through 2/28/2022. See dealer for additional customer cash available on prior year models. Always wear an approved helmet and eye protection. Observe all state and local laws. Respect the rights of others. Ride within your capabilities. Allow extra time and plenty of distance for maneuvering. Do not perform stunts. © 2021 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved. Always wear an approved helmet and eye protection. Observe all state and local laws. Respect the rights of others. Ride within your capabilities. Allow extra time and plenty of distance for maneuvering. Do not perform stunts. © 2021 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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28 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Midnight Rider (Continued from page 27)

can coordinate your nighttime forays with their activities. Give them time and room to get the job done, and then show up shortly afterwards for some the most enjoyable trail-riding experiences of the season.

Most snowmobile clubs do their trail grooming after dark. Proceed with caution when approaching and passing any grooming operation.

Watch for Wildlife Night riders will enjoy the reduction in competitive traffic and the calming ambience of Maine’s winter woods. In addition, nighttime is one of

WINTER CELEBRATION 4.99% FOR 36 MONTHS

2022 MXZ-X

*

Now through March 31, 2022

Visit Your Local Ski-Doo Dealer for Details!

AUBURN Wallingford Equipment 2527 Turner Road 207-782-4886 www.wallingfordequipment.com

FORT KENT Fort Kent Powersports 377 Caribou Road 207-834-3659 www.fortkentpowersports.com

LINCOLN Lincoln Power Sports - Access Auto 265 West Broadway 207-794-8100 www.lincolnpowersports.com

AUGUSTA North Country Ski-doo 3099 N. Belfast Ave. 207-622-7994 www.northcountryh-d.com

GREENVILLE JUNCTION Moosehead Motorsports 13 Industrial Park 207-695-2020 www.mooseheadmotorsports.com

LEEDS Reggie’s Kawasaki Ski-doo 255 US Hwy 202 207-933-4976 www.doitatreggies.com

CARIBOU Plourde & Plourde 11 Laurette Street 207-496-3211 www.plourdeplourde.com

JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com

WILTON Mountain Side Powersports 912 US Route 2 East 207-645-2985 www.mountainsidepowersports.com

DETROIT Huff Powersports 284 North Road 207-487-3338 www.huffpowersports.com

WINDHAM Richardson’s Boat Yard 850 Roosevelt Tr, Rt 302 207-892-9664 www.richardsonsby.com

© 2021 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. *Offers valid in United States only from Wednesday 1st December 2021 to Thursday 31st March 2022. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your state and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. Offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. Other conditions may apply. Void where prohibited by law. Always consult your snowmobile dealer when selecting a snowmobile for your particular needs and carefully read and pay special attention to your Operator’s Guide, Safety Video, Safety Handbook and to the safety labeling on your snowmobile. Always ride responsibly and safely and wear appropriate clothing, including a helmet. Please observe applicable laws and regulations. Remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. See your authorized BRP dealer for details and visit ski-doo.com.

www.MaineSportsman.com

the best times to see a wide variety of Maine’s wildlife. Many of our state’s mammals and predators are nocturnal, which means they are most active during the hours of darkness.

For this reason, it is a good idea for night riders travel at slower speeds and pay close attention to what’s in front of them, especially when topping hills, entering curves and turning corners.

For some reason, it always seems these are the most likely places to encounter a browsing moose or deer, or foxes, coyotes, bobcats, fishers, martens and snowshoe hares.

Otters, porcupines and, during thaws, raccoons, skunks and opossums are also fond of crossing snowmobile trails in February, particularly in low spots and in areas where swampy evergreen habitat dominates.

Winter is hard enough on these creatures without the added stress of dodging speeding snowmobiles, so give the critters a break. Slow down or stop to observe and enjoy an animal’s presence, and stay on your sled. It’s generally illegal to chase, pursue or harass wild animals in winter.

Don’t be one of those foolhardy riders who hits the gas and tries to chase an animal that is encountered on the trail. These and other species are already thoroughly stressed, having to survive the winter on limited food and cover. Deep snow and cold temperatures pose additional chal-

lenges. An encounter with an aggressive snowmobiler can cost the animal essential energy that it cannot afford to expend, so take the advice of Yosemite Sam and “Back off!”

Come to a complete stop, let the animal get off the trail at its own pace, and proceed on your trip slowly and cautiously, for there may be more animals, especially moose and deer, lingering in the trailside shadows.

The same basic maintenance rules that apply to safe daytime operation apply doubly for night riding. So before heading out after sunset, be sure all operating systems on your sled are functional, including lights, engine, tracks, skis and other mechanicals. Don’t take chances with broken, faulty or undependable working parts – get them fixed before you ride. Also, be sure you have enough fuel to complete your trip, with a cushion or reserve for unexpected detours.

Finally, dress for the temperatures you expect to encounter, carry a fully-stocked emergency kit, and tell someone dependable when and where you intend to ride and when you expect to return. Stick to the schedule, so that if something goes wrong, search parties will have a better idea of where to start looking for you. Get home on time, and be sure to notify your contact upon your return.

Ride right, ride safe, and enjoy the best part of the 2022 snowmobiling season!

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 29

— Snowmobiling in Maine — Snowmobiling in Comfort and Style

by Samuel Wheeler – samrwheeler95@gmail.com This winter, snowmobilers near and far will come to ride the more than 10,000 miles of trails Maine has to offer. They will be especially eager this year, given that variable snow conditions experienced in the winter of 2020 – 2021 caused the season to start late and end early for many riders.

Even with last winter’s abbreviated season, snowmobile dealers across the state saw a large spike in sales both to new and experienced riders. So what caused this rapid climb in sales? Many dealerships across the state cite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which led to many people itching to get outside and try something recreational.

Multi-function Display Popular James Bowden, of Maine-ly Action Sports in Oxford, is coming off one of the best sales years he’s seen in nearly 20 years, and while he doesn’t disagree that the pandemic played a role in the increase, he also pointed to another factor as to why customers are buying some of his newest Polaris models.

“One of the things that is really driving a lot of the tech-savvy people onto the new chassis for us is the 7S display,” he explained. “This display is touch screen, and it has buddy-to-buddy ride location feature, so if two people are

Snowmobilers gather at a popular lookout spot in Western Maine. Photo Courtesy of Wild River Riders

riding with the same system they’ll show up on each other’s GPS. This increases safety, and adds to the ride experience. It’s a real neat feature that was new to the snowmobiles last year. Now, more and more people want it on their sleds for 2022.”

According to SnowTech magazine, the 7-inch touch screen display combines GPS, Bluetooth, Ride Command and interactive trail map data. The screen can be set up so riders see what they want to see, which can include speed, compass direction, and elevation.

Not all of the sleds Bowden sells feature the display, but it is optional on many of his SnowCheck machines. The 7S can also be found on model year 2021 Polaris sleds and newer Polaris machines that have the Matryx Platform, according to the 7S overview on Polaris’s website.

“These sleds have generated a great deal of interest because of the technology chang-

es,” Bowden added.

“It’s been a huge seller.”

Ski-Doos Offer Semi-Active Suspension A salesman at Mountain Side Powersports, a Ski-Doo dealer in Wilton, high-

lighted a feature new this year – “Smart Shox,” billed as the snowmobile world’s first semi-active suspension system.

“As far as the latest technology, Ski Doo has Smart Shox on their XRS models,”

he said. “This feature reduces the number of adjustments a rider has to make manually.

Instead, it’s all done on the fly with a switch.”

The sales rep explained that the system has a dash panel with a switch that offers three settings: Comfort, Sport, and Sport-Plus mode.

These modes allow riders to ride in whatever style they want – whether it be a smooth-sailing, nobumps cruise through the woods, or an adventure over some of Maine’s toughest terrain.

(Continued on next page)

ARCTIC CAT UTILITY SNOWMOBILES

What Hard Work Looks Like 2022 Norseman®

When it’s time to punch the clock, the wide-track utility Norseman® kicks into high gear.

Have fun hauling, towing and running right through anything on your to-do list with its relentlessly tough, nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic.

— Visit Your Local Arctic Cat Dealer for Current Promotions — CARIBOU Plourde & Plourde 11 Laurette Street 207-496-3211 www.plourdeplourde.com

JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main St. 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com

SIDNEY Kramer’s Inc. 2400 West River Road 207-547-3345 www.kramersinc.com

GORHAM LEBANON BERLIN, NH White Rock Outboard Northeast Motorsports Jericho Outdoors 351 Sebago Lake Rd. 451 Carl Broggi Hwy. 232 Jericho Rd. 207-892-9606 207-457-2225 603-215-6002 www.whiterockoutboard.com www.nemotorsportsofmaine.com www.jerichooutdoors.com WARNING: Arctic Cat snowmobiles can be hazardous to operate. For your safety, all riders should read and understand their owner’s manual and safety instructions.

Always wear an approved helmet and other safety apparel. Be aware of natural hazards you may encounter and don’t drink and ride. All scenes depicted or described were performed by professional riders under carefully controlled conditions. Never attempt to duplicate these maneuvers or encourage others to do so. Arctic Cat recommends that all operators take a safety training course. For safety and training information, please see your local dealer. ©2022 Arctic Cat Inc. All rights reserved.

www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Comfort & Style (Continued from page 29)

Will Others Soon Try to Match or Surpass Polaris’ Display?

Tim Drake of Houlton Powersports sells Polaris, Arctic Cat, Ski-Doo and Yamaha machines. He echoed comments made earlier by James Bowden of Maine-ly Action Sports, reporting that the 7S multifunction display has made big sellers out of the sleds that feature the new technology. And like any product in big demand, customers sometimes come from

a long ways away to find one.

“Almost everything has been spring ordered,” he explained, “but I did have somebody travel up from New Hampshire because we were the last dealer that had a machine with the 7S display.”

“The display panels on all new makes and models are very good,” he said, “but the Polaris display currently offers the most information. I am not aware whether Arctic Cat or Yamaha are de-

veloping a multifunction, GPS-connected display.”

In this competitive, tech-driven marketplace, you can expect that other manufacturers will soon come out with their own features that not only tell riders where they are, but also where their fellow riders are located. Overall, these changes in snowmobile technology, whether on the dash or within the suspension, are all about making the sport safer, easier and more enjoyable for riders.

¶

Ski-Doos on display at Mountain Side Powersports.

Photo courtesy of Mountain Side Powersports

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 31

TAME THE TRACK TOUR Snowmobile Races

January 29, 2022 & February 12, 2022 Sponsored by Lincoln Snowhounds Snowmobile Club Lincoln Snowhounds Snowmobile Club & Tame the Track Snowmobile Tour have once again joined forces to offer some unique snowmobile races in 2022 at the clubhouse, located at 155 Town Farm Road in Lincoln, Maine. This year’s experimental race schedule is slightly different from the last twenty plus years, so please mark your calendars and share with all your racing enthusiasts.

In the past, the race was always a two day race event in February. The Pelletier Ford race format for the upcoming 2022 winter racing season will now offer two single separate race Saturdays, with racing kicking off at 9:30AM. Awards will be presented in the clubhouse on site, following the completion of all races, on both individual race dates.

The track has been restructured somewhat, to offer a milder type racecourse to welcome local and new competitors to the sport. There will be eighteen racing divisions offered with a MINIMUM CASH PAYOUT OF $3500 PLUS TROPHIES for the top competitors!

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32 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Trout and Varmints Fill February If you live north of Central Aroostook, say in the Bridgewater/ Mars Hill area where I grew up, then it’s an hour drive or less north to what’s arguably the best winter brook trout fishing this month.

The foundation of this bold statement might be that this particular waterway doesn’t even open up to “hard water” fishing until February 15th each season.

While most lakes have been heavily fished for several weeks and action becomes spotty, Madawaska Lake is a fresh, dependable option for Crown of Maine ice drillers.

Big or Little Madawaska Although the lake is a contiguous but irregular hourglass shape, many folks consider it two lakes.

Some books call it Upper and Lower

Ice-fishing opportunities abound in Aroostook County, and some of the best spots offer easy road access. And for those interested in night hunting for coyotes, a $4 license allows sportsmen to help control the numbers of these predators.

There are some days in February that feature no wind, lots of sun, and no snow on the ice -- a perfect time to shed your jacket, use an old hand-crank auger to set a few traps, and hope for some flags. Bill Graves photos

Madawaska Lake, but most anglers and shoreline residents refer to the large portion

Allagash Lakes Region

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only 38 feet. Newcomers will want to target the outlet, as well as Carry and McClusky Brook inlets, as the most productive spots for setting traps this month.

Although the lake is considered only borderline habitat for trout and salmon due to low oxygen during hot weather, as well as bouts of algae bloom and high phosphorous levels, state fishery biologists have worked around the problems.

Using late-fall stocking and a delayed and shorter ice fishing season, these fish scientists have maximized the lake’s potential as a top rate winter and spring brook trout location.

In November, biologists released 1,750 brookies measuring 14 to17 inches, as well as 175 seventeen-inch salmon. It’s safe to say that a few have survived from stockings of the past several years, and anglers are likely to hook fish over 20 inches of both species.

Easy Access The shorelines of both lake sections are heavily populated with camps and year-around homes, yet fishing pressure is moderate at best during any season.

This month would be a great opportunity to introduce a novice ice fisherman or youngster to the sport on Madawaska Lake as (Continued on page 34)

AMP BU W S E

CK

Aroostook County

TH

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 33

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34 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Some ice fishermen enjoy visiting remote locations on north woods ponds and avoiding the crowds. Fish like this beauty are a good reason for a bit of secrecy.

With so many lakes, the County is a wonderful place to introduce youngsters to the sport of ice fishing. Lots of local clubs and organizations sponsor half-day, close-to-home outings.

The County (Continued from page 32)

action is pretty much assured.

Also, the large end of the lake is simple to reach via a well plowed road right on the northern shoreline near the boat launch. A snowmobile will allow more access to Little Madawaska Lake and the far reaches of the larger end, but plenty of trout can be caught a short walk from any shoreline.

shallow shorelines in 4- to 10-feet depths, a fresh, lively earthworm is a proven trout taste treat.

For ice drillers who want to be more involved, use a jigging rod and a Swedish pimple or DB Smelt to attract strikes. Thanks to the many residences, roads are kept wellplowed all winter along most shorelines, allowing foot or snowmobile traffic onto all portions of the water.

A major snowmobile trail between Caribou, Sinclair and Fort Kent runs right past

Bait, Lures Small minnows and golden shiners work well for baiting tip-ups, but along the

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the lake. Route 161 will bring visiting sportsmen within 50 yards of the boat launch area of the upper lake, and Delorme’s Atlas, Map 68, grid E-4 will offer a complete overview.

Spaulding Lake – an Oakfield Option Down near the southern end of Aroostook, below Houlton, there are a dozen or more excellent ice fishing options, and Spaulding Lake in Oakfield is often overlooked among larger lakes that offer more or larger species. If you only have a couple of hours before work or need a spot for a short weekend outing that does not require a snowmobile, this roadside lake is perfect.

At 125 acres with a maximum depth of 38 feet and a mean depth of 20 feet, Spaulding is a great brook trout spot for tip-ups of jig rod.

There are a few Crown of Maine lakes that can only be reached via snowmobile, some in the deep woods and a few near small towns. Jered Young of Mars Hill proves that small waterways often hold large trout.

Young anglers will be kept busy by regular flags tripped by perch and pickerel when trout action wanes. An outlet and two brook inlets offer optimal spots for a shallow water set-up using worms, as brookies seem to congregate there. Snowshoes will offer access to the entire lake and many winters the snow depth is shallow enough to wade in calf-high boots, a set of detachable ice creepers might be a smart option.

Route 2 or I-95 are the main roads to the Oakfield exit, then Spaulding Road will take fishermen right along the entire southern shoreline and boat ramp site. Peruse DeLorme’s, Map 52, A-5 for an overview.

Going to the Dogs There’s only so much ice fishing a person can endure, espe-

Loon Lodge in the Allagash Lake Region “Just the Way You Like It”

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cially if you’re a hunter at heart. While snowshoe hare offer an alternative, a lot of shooters are turning to coyotes for a shooting challenge.

Options include setting out baits for long range sniping, or hopping from spot to spot to set out a rabbit decoy and call coydogs into closer range for handguns, shotguns or bows.

These wily, toothy varmints are everywhere; more in urban edge farm country and rural fields and woodlots than you might expect, so finding a spot to hunt within 20 minutes of your home or even closer is likely.

As snow cover deepens and frigid temperatures arrive for prolonged periods, catching small game animals becomes difficult for coyotes, and as a result they will become more likely to visit a bait. If you’re able to obtain meat scraps or offal from a local market or butcher shop, place the bait in a five gallon bucket and add a few inches of water, then set outside to freeze.

The ice adds weight and prevents the coy(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 35

Stormy weather cuts down on travel in Aroostook and therefore decreases fishing pressure, unless you happen to live right beside the lake, as Lisa Levasseur of Sinclair does.

(Continued from page 34)

otes from hauling the bait or bucket away from the open shooting area into the woods.

Pound in a stake,

Ben Leblanc, owner of Ben’s Sporting Goods store in Presque Isle, has been hunting coyotes for years with great success. “Coydogs” like this light-coated specimen can be brought into shooting range using a call and a motion rabbit decoy.

and wire the bait bucket in place, then keep checking for tracks or sightings. Once a spot is active, dress warmly, find a well-concealed shooting loca-

tion, and wait for the quarry to visit.

A $4.00 permit allows night hunting all year, and there is no limit on coyote. And at the same time, you’re

Jered Young of Mars Hill uses multiple methods to hunt coyotes, but finds that snow-camo suits and rifles work well for night hunting. Large specimens like this brute are more likely to approach bait sites after dark.

helping protect the deer population. Experience is the best teacher for varmint hunters. These wary coyotes are a challenge, but regardless

of where you live in Aroostook, you can experience coyote hunting nearby.

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MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Snowshoe Hare by Steve Vose

The snowshoe hare (Lepus Americanus), also called the varying hare, has a home range spanning across all of North America. Snowshoe hare have evolved to become well adapted to their snow covered environments. Hares have the amazing ability to shed their brown summer coats and grow white winter coats, which help them blend into winter environments. As summer approaches, the brown coat replaces the white, allowing the hare to hide in the earthy tones of its summer habitat.

The name snowshoe comes from the hare’s second incredible adaptation – its sizable hind feet, appearing almost too large for its diminutive body size.

The animal’s large hind feet help keep it from sinking into the deep snow when it walks and hops. Snowshoe hares also possess heavily furred feet and ears that are shorter than most other hares

Questions 1. What is another name for the snowshoe hare?

2. What is the home range of the snowshoe hare?

3. What trick of camouflage has the

– both critical adaptations designed to protect it from freezing in Maine’s wintertime temperatures.

Mostly crepuscular (creatures of the dawn and dusk) and nocturnal (active at night), snowshoe hare do a majority of their feeding in the darkness. Hares snowshoe hare evolved to evade the sharp eyes of predators?

4. How have snowshoe hare adapted to their cold environments?

5. Do snowshoe hare ever eat meat?

6. Do snowshoe hare dig burrows?

feed on a wide variety of plants, such as ferns, buds, twigs and grasses, but will also less commonly feed on dead animals such as mice. During the day, hares do not rest in burrows, but instead prefer to conceal themselves from predators by hiding in shallow depressions under heavy spruce thickets and brush piles.

Prolific breeders, female hares (called does) may birth up to 30 young per year. Those females have the ability to become pregnant by males (bucks) while already pregnant with young (kits), because female hares have two uteri.

Typically the hare breeding season begins in March and continues until June. The gestation period lasts an average of 37 days, with birthing of kits starting in April and stretches into late July.

7. What are baby rabbits called?

8. How many young can snowshoe hare birth in a single year?

9. What are female rabbits called?

Answers on Page 40 www.MaineSportsman.com

36 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Togue Fra Diavalo

(Loose Translation: “Togue among the devil”) Introduction Do you get tired of the same old thing? I do. I don’t ever remember making a Fra Diavalo dish for readers. I like this one a lot. I have made it with fish, shrimp, and chicken. Just think of what spices might go best with the protein you are adding. Not sure? You can always email me at blackflystew@gmail. com.

Enjoy, and Bon Appetit!

—

Togue Fra Diavalo

The lake trout is a freshwater char living in Maine. We have plenty of folks who are not fans. I love togue because it is mild, very versatile and great in so many dishes.

Here I use a Hungarian Wax Pepper, which has a little heat, then I add a touch of Ghost Pepper because WE LOVE HEAT! The heartiness of this dish will have you sleeping through the night ;-) Ingredients: • 2 lbs. lake trout, fileted • 1 tablespoon butter • ¼ cup chicken broth (or fish broth) • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil • 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped • 1 large onion, chopped medium • 1 small Hot Hungarian Wax Pepper, seeded, ribbed, and finely chopped • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste • ¾ cup red wine

• • • • •

2 cups roasted, crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon parsley, chopped Pinch of salt 12 ounces fettuccini, cooked

Instructions: Melt butter in cast iron fry pan on medium-high heat. Add broth and lake trout, cover and steam for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, leave covered and al-

Honey Nut Squash Moose I discovered Honey Nut Squash at our Bridgton Farmers Market last year.

I am so hooked that I am going to try and grow it next summer.

It is in the Butternut Family but squatter, fewer seeds and more meat, and so much sweeter! Don’t worry about covering leftovers, or how long it will last in the fridge, because it won’t!

Ingredients • 2 cups Honey Nut Squash puree • 5 large eggs • 1 ¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar • 1 tablespoon cornstarch www.MaineSportsman.com

• • • • • •

½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg ¼ teaspoon cardamom 1 can evaporated milk

low to steam for another 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in 6-quart saucepan until it shimmers. Add garlic, onions, and pepper and sauté until soft. Stir in tomato paste; sauté a minute, then slowly whisk in wine. Add crushed tomatoes, oregano, parsley and salt. Bring to low boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add trout, stir to combine and toss with fettuccini.

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray cooking oil into tall casserole dish.

Whisk squash, eggs, and brown sugar together until combined. Add cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.

Pour into oven-proof casserole dish.

Bake until center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes. Center may wobble – that’s ok.

Once done, transfer to a wire rack and cool completely for at least 3 hours.

Serve with whipped cream.

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 37

Heavy Load on Buzz Caverly’s Toboggan For years, I’ve worked in the Maine outdoors. First, it was as a boy, accompanying my dad, a Maine Forest Service patrolman. Later, I shadowed brother Buzz during his 46 years in Baxter Park.

Recently, my brother and I were reflecting about our early days of service when I asked, “Is springtime on the Chimney Pond trail a quiet hike?”

He replied, “Actually, May is the best time to use the Park’s toboggans.”

Surprised by his answer, I asked, “Is there still a lot of snowpack in May?” Remembering, Buzz explained, “Yes, which I learned my first year.”

“It was 1960 when Rangers Ralph Heath, Myrle Scott, Frank Darling, Wilber Smith and I reported to Baxter Supervisor Helon Taylor,” he continued.

“Our first day, we attended a Ranger’s meeting at the Great Northern Hotel in Millinocket.

A portion of Baxter State Park.

“After the assembly, we packed our winter clothing and drove the 1950 Willys Jeep to the Taylor camp at Togue Pond. But to get there, we had to shovel out the six-foot snow drifts that blocked the road near camp.

“Because of the recent extremely cold temperatures, the white banks were packed like concrete. It took us a full day of chipping and shoveling the 100-footlong blockage to make it wide enough for the Park’s May 15th opening.

“After supper, Myrle said it was time for bed. The sun had barely set, and I thought it odd we were going to sleep so early.

“The next thing I knew, a firm hand shook me, and a voice instructed, “Time to go to work, boy!” Grabbing my flash-

light, I looked at my watch. It was 3:30 a.m., two hours before sunrise – the coldest time of day.

“While having breakfast, I inquired why we had risen so early. Myrle briefly answered, ‘Haulin’ gas.’

“After eating, we walked outside to a Polaris Traveler snowmobile.

In 1961, this snowmobile was in the first excursion through Baxter Park to Nugent’s on the Allagash.

“The 1960s was a time when snowmobiles were not like the equipment of today. The engine of the sled was located on the rear of the chassis, and it powered a canvas track with wooden cleats.

Hooked behind was a double-runner bobsled with a long plank fastened as a seat over wooden-double-runners.

“After five rough miles of riding on the board, we arrived at Roaring Brook Campground. Waiting for us were ten propane cylinders and two toboggans.

While the metal tanks holding 23.6 gallons of liquid propane were called 100-pound cylinders, each one really weighed 170 pounds.

“Ralph Heath and I loaded and tied down a bottle of propane onto one sled, while Myrle and Frank did the same on another. After donning snowshoes, we planned to pull the load uphill 3.3 miles to the Ranger’s Camp at Chimney Pond.

“Since temperatures in May can warm fast, we had started early before the sun could thaw the route. The sides of the trail had been previously cleared of softwood limbs six feet high.

“It was a steep hike, as the trail elevation at Roaring Brook was 1,400 feet, which ascended to 2,900 feet at Chimney.

“After crossing Black Smith Brook, we arrived at ‘Snubbin’ Pitch,’ a slope so steep we had to, as rangers often exclaimed, ‘put the pickle to it,’ to make any headway.

“The slope was a place where loads had to be held by wrapping a rope around

a tree, to prevent the tote from sliding backwards. After conquering that high ground, the next obstacle was Gas Bottle Hill.

“To haul a loaded toboggin, the front man pulled on a lead rope while the second pushed the sled from the back. For example, as leader, I walked away from the stationary sled as far as my tow rope would allow. There I’d pull, while Ralph pushed. Once the sled was at my feet, Ralph would hold the sled in place, while I once again snowshoed the length of the rope.

“After a few hours, we arrived at Depot Pond where a warm sun under a bright blue sky had melted the snow.

The toboggan I was pulling hit a sticky patch of the granulated surface and fetched up. When I pulled to move the sled, my feet slipped, and I fell face first into a soft, cold slush.

Aerial view of Katahdin. Notice Chamberlain Lake, part of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, to the north.

T. Caverly Collection

“Rising to my knees, I looked directly up and into Katahdin’s South Basin.

The stunning landscape that soared before me was so spectacular that I my only thought was, My gosh, I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

Tim Caverly (www.allagashtails.com) has authored ten books about Maine’s northern forest.

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38 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Risky Business It was a cold and windy night about a week before Thanksgiving in 1985.

It had been a long fall. I was tired and feeling good about my decision to stay home that evening.

Then my phone rang, as usual.

The caller, a man with whom I was acquainted, was named Todd. He lived on the Moody Mills Road in Corinna. He owned a Caterpillar skidder, cut wood for a living, and had a son in the fourth grade with my son.

It was about 9:00 p.m. He excitedly explained how individuals in a large sedan had just shone a spotlight into the field adjacent to his house, fired two high powered rifle shots from the vehicle, then sped off. I told him that I would be right over; pulled on by boots, and headed out the door.

I pulled into his driveway, which was fairly long, and parked next to a couple of his vehicles so that my vehicle would blend in and not be obvious to people driving by. Todd met me at the door and further explained what had transpired.

I told him that the first thing I was going to do was go down into the field and look around to see if there was a dead deer there somewhere. He asked if he could go with me, and I said sure.

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It was 9 p.m. A farmer called the warden to report that poachers in a vehicle had illuminated a field, and had fired two shots with a high-powered rifle.

The warden and the farmer went to investigate.

While they were in the dark field, the poachers’ car returned, and two men got out.

Footsteps Coming Directly Toward Us The field was about eight acres in size and bounded by woods on the south and east sides. The road was on the north side, and Todd’s homestead to the west.

We proceeded to an area near the back of the field, as Todd stated that was where the deer usually frequented. I had just begun to look around for some sign of a dead or wounded deer, when a vehicle appeared on the road and slowed to a stop.

Todd said, “That looks like the same vehicle the shots came from.”

Figuring this was the suspects, I told Todd to quickly hide in some tall grass with me. We hunkered down, the car pulled away, and in no time I could hear footsteps running right towards us. Two men had stopped right in front of us and started looking around on the ground with a dim flashlight.

One guy said to the other, “That deer has to be here somewhere.

This one will be yours.”

They wandered around a bit without finding anything. The second guy said, “It must have run off.”

About this time, the vehicle returned and stopped in the road. It appeared to me that they were about to give up looking, so I decided to make my move on the one closest to me.

I jumped up, shone my light onto him and shouted, “Hold it – game warden!”

Flying Tackle He immediately bolted and ran to the right along the wood line. As I gave chase, I could see the other guy was running toward the road, but there was nothing I could do about him since I was focused on getting at least one, so I stayed after that guy.

About half-way from the back of the field towards the road, I was closing the gap when he turned to the right into the woods.

In about twenty feet, I tackled him, and we landed on a rock pile.

He began to complain about his right arm as I was handcuffing him; saying “You broke my arm!” I didn’t see how I could have done that, and thought he was faking.

By now, the other guy had made it to the waiting car, as I could hear its tires spinning out as it was pulling away.

I asked him who

the other guy was and all he would say is “Oh, my arm!”

I looked around for Todd but couldn’t find him. In fact, I didn’t see him again that night.

I walked my handcuffed hunter up across the field to my truck where I could talk with him out of the cold wind. I found out that he had just gotten a cast off his right arm after breaking it in a woods accident, and he still had a pin in his arm. I offered several times to take him to an emergency room to have his arm checked out, but he refused. He also refused to tell me who the other guy was.

Not wanting to take him to jail with his arm in such a condition (they wouldn’t want to take him in that situation anyway), I had him sign a personal recognizance bond and issued a summons. The last I saw him that night, he was walking down the road toward Route 7.

The following afternoon, Todd found a dead doe about 100 yards in the woods. It had been shot through the intestines, and the meat was spoiled.

Judge Looks My Way Three weeks later,

I arrived at Newport District Court for the defendant’s arraignment. I was surprised to see his arm in a sling, as I assumed he had made the whole thing up.

I inquired about it, and he informed me that when I tackled him and we fell on the rocks, he re-fractured his arm where the pin had been placed. I told him that I was sorry about that. Then I asked if had he reconsidered about telling me who the other guy was who got away. He told me that he didn’t know the other fellow’s name.

As his case was called, I learned that he was represented by an attorney from Waterville. The lawyer entered a plea of no contest (nolo contendere) on behalf of the client, and asked Judge Margaret Kravchuk for time to pay the fine, since the client was out of work due to the warden breaking his arm.

I attempted to appear mild-mannered and nonthreatening as the judge looked over her glasses at me. I was somewhat relieved when she replied to the attorney, “I will grant your client a reasonable time within which to pay the fine; however, regarding his broken arm, your client needs to understand that hunting at night is risky business.”

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 39

Thinking and Driving Required for Navigating Winter Conditions If you drop your truck into a frozen mudhole down to the frame and axles and have to jack it up or winch it out, it gives you plenty of time to ponder the question – “What steps can I take to avoid getting into this situation ever again?”

I’m not sure if others do this, but I often take bad experiences and examine them to find out a way to turn the situation around the next time ... or a way to completely avoid that particular uncomfortable episode.

Take, for instance, a dicey situation in which I found myself in December of 2019. I was out bird hunting, enjoying the remote woods along a network of old logging trails in Western Maine. The logging roads were covered with a fresh blanket of snow, and I was the first one out that day. In most sections of the gravel roads, the ground was frozen solid. What I didn’t realize was that for some reason, certain sections of road had deep, unfrozen mud just under that crusty white layer of snow.

The problem was, if I didn’t stay exactly in the middle of the muddy sections of road, my truck would begin to quickly slide to the side of the road into deeper mud, not to mention trees and rocks. Worse than that – if I did slide off the side of the road and bury the truck to the

frame in an open area without a nearby tree to anchor the winch, what would I do?

Winch-less Extraction Most folks understand how this winch-less extraction process goes. Lift the truck up with the hilift jack, place a bunch of branches under the tires, and hope it gives enough traction to get out of the deep snow or mud, with enough lift to free the frame. I’ve done it plenty of times, and it does work. I also use a shovel to dig away enough snow or mud to allow the frame room to move and give the tires a good surface to grip ... it works most of the time, but I just don’t like to put myself through that much work if I can avoid it.

I have increased the length of the rope I carry to allow for an extended reach, just in case an anchor point is farther away from the truck than expected.

Don’t forget to carry an old jacket or blanket to lay on the rope during winching as a safety precaution – I’ve watched a few videos of winching operation that went dangerously bad when an anchor point came undone under pressure and fired

the heavy anchor hook directly through the windshield into the cab of the truck. Always hang something on the winch rope or strap to avoid this dangerous situation.

But back to the winch-less extraction – I’ve found one way to help in a situation where you can’t reach an anchor point with the winch rope or strap. It’s a unique item called “Truck Claws.” It’s a system of straps that feed through the wheels

Prepare for the worst, then travel in confidence.

and wraps around the tire to provide a sort of “paddle” to assist the tire with traction.

Go to their website at truckclaws.com and view the video clip to see how this product works. If a person travels back roads often enough, they will immediately see the

need for this item in their own arsenal for getting a vehicle out of deep snow or mud.

I also like to carry a snow shovel wherever I go during the winter months. The ability to move large amounts of snow helps in certain situations. Small (Continued on next page)

Kit Includes: 1 Kit Bag 4 TruckClawsTM 2 Extender Bars 2 Extra Ratchets

Use Code MAINE15 at www.TruckClaws.com www.MaineSportsman.com

40 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Off-Road Traveler (Continued from page 39)

shovels and spades just don’t cut it for moving deep snow. I like the kind of shovels with a huge aluminum bucket rather than the plastic type – the strength of the metal shovel is sometimes needed for breaking packed or icy snow.

Tire Traction Did I mention tires

– specifically, studded snow and mud tires? I just finished a season of bird hunting on some of the most treacherous roads around. The weird weather this past November and December left the old logging roads where I hunt with a thick layer of ice under several inches of snow.

Fortunately, I had studded snow tires installed before heading out to the big woods.

I can’t tell you how many times I would have slid off the road if I hadn’t had the studded tires. Even the best stud-less snow tires would not have held me on some of the steep, ice-covered roads I traveled. A lot of tire manufacturers claim that their

stud-less snow tires work just as effectively as a set of tires with studs, but I’m here to tell you that is not the case from what I’ve experienced. Studded tires will always be installed on my truck during snowy and icy months.

It might sound goofy, but I like to travel in two-wheeldrive on these slippery roads – just to see

how far I can go before needing four-wheeldrive. I was surprised to find that two-wheeldrive works great until the hills become a little steep. Good ol’ four-wheel-drive really comes in handy – a lifesaver, as a matter of fact. Without it, I’d still be out there at the bottom of some steep hill.

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Snowshoe Hare

1. A snowshoe hare is also known by the name “varying hare.”

ments and fool the sharp eyes of predators.

2. The home range of the snowshoe hare stretch across all of North America.

4. Snowshoe hare have adapted to their cold environments by having short ears, and feet covered with thick fur.

3. Snowshoe hares have evolved to evade predators by growing white winter coats and brown summer coats to better blend into their natural environ-

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(Quiz on Page 35)

instead, they prefer to conceal themselves from predators by hiding in shallow depressions under heavy spruce thickets and brush piles.

7. Baby rabbits are called kits.

5. When food is limited, snowshoe hare have been documented eating meat.

8. Snowshoe hares can birth as many as 30 young per year.

6. Snowshoe hare do not dig burrows;

9. Female rabbits are called does.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 41

A Big-Buck Hunter is Born There’s a natural progression in deer hunting for most who take up the sport as a child. During the shooting stage, we focus on getting the shot off. Focusing on the animal and waiting for the best shot is often learned and not innate. I recall fondly the first deer I ever killed, but I cringe at how it all went down.

I barely had the big doe in my sight before jerking the trigger. Thankfully, she dropped in her tracks.

To this day, I know it was luck! I was too focused on shooting, rather than making a good shot. It wasn’t long before I learned to take my time, shoot better, and focus more on my quarry.

The next stage is the “limiting out” stage. I lived this from around 14 years of age, well into my 20s. Harvesting as many deer as allowed was very important. Being successful had a higher priority than the overall experience, education and camaraderie.

For many young hunters, this stage is their reality. Today, the pressure to “perform” is more intense for a young hunter. Social media, TV shows and the internet feature stories of youngsters around the country being successful in harvesting deer at a very young age. This isn’t the deer hunting community in which most

As the buck continued past the tree, 11-year old Karson Houser slowly stood up, turned 180 degrees, and carefully took aim.

Karson Houser, age 11 of Brooks, Maine with his 2021 10-point, 202 pound buck.

Also in the photo is his father Drew and his little sister, Lily. Karson’s mother Jamie is also a successful hunter. Perhaps some day, little sister Lily will be chasing big bucks, too.

of us grew up.

Years ago, it seemed trophy was in the eye of the beholder. Today, trophy, in big game hunting, is certainly judged more on antlers, horns or weight, depending on the species. Many young hunters have a stronger desire to harvest “trophy animals” earlier in life. Though the natural progression through these stages is important, I’m not sure it needs to be as stretched out as it was when I was young. In fact, I’m of-

ten impressed when I see a young deer hunter skip through or jump around the stages a bit.

At age 11, Karson Houser is one of the young people whose deer hunting adventures and experience have impressed me.

Karson began deer hunting four years ago, with his father Drew and mother Jamie. The Housers are a serious deer hunting family. This year, Drew shot a nice 3 ½ year old six-point, Jamie filled an antler-

less tag, and son Karson not only filled an antlerless tag, but he also shot an awesome buck and earned his first Biggest Bucks in Maine patch.

A Change in Attitude?

Not every kid who grows up around deer hunters, ends up deer hunting.

However, when the hunting bug bites, it often bites hard. Karson’s father Drew is an accomplished deer hunter who’s taken a handful of 120”-150” deer in his twenty years of deer hunting. Most of those trophy sized bucks have come in recent years, during the time young Karson was developing his interests. Mother Jamie started deer hunting at the same time Karson did, partly because she wanted to support her son’s interest, but also because she wanted to provide for her family.

Karson’s first deer was a 125-pound doe he took in his second year. He followed that by killing his first buck, a nice 155-pound seven-point in 2020.

In 2021, Karson drew a bonus doe tag. He was quick to fill that tag with a (Big Game continued on page 43)

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42 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

More Questions Than Answers

by Matt Breton

For the author and other trackers, the chase is as important as the end result. It takes a special mindset to go out day after day in search of a buck track and follow it all day, no matter where it takes you and whatever the conditions. Whether or not you tag a buck, pondering the challenges of this past season will energize you for next season.

I love seeing all the Maine “Biggest Buck” pictures. It just adds to the yearly dream of tracking one down.

Social media posts are the same. I’m often left wondering about the story. Shooting a great buck is one thing, but it isn’t the only thing.

Did the lucky hunter have a great adventure? Did the hunter meet that buck one on one, on the buck’s turf?

How did they find the track? What were the twists and turns that led to the shot? How was the drag? The story matters.

My season ended with more questions than answers. Was I

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in good enough shape?

Did I hunt the right spots? Why didn’t I find the buck’s track?

What should I have done differently? For me, the chase is the thing. Without getting too philosophical, the simplicity and honesty of tracking continues to appeal to me. The challenge of it humbles me daily, and getting a buck is always an adventure that is paid for with sweat equity.

Chasing Ghosts Farmers have to make hay while the sun shines, and buck trackers have to chase deer when there is

snow on the ground. I was blessed to get a lot of scouting time in early, finding lots of buck sign was encouraging, but the hoped-for early snow didn’t make much of an appearance. I’m blessed with a decent amount of time to hunt, but, like lots of folks, I still have to show up to work when scheduled, so I missed a couple of good tracking days. With the season wearing on, finding the track of a good buck proved to be a challenge for me, a question I’ll dissect and hopefully answer in 2022.

Big bucks can be elusive critters. In the midst of the rut, they can be miles from where I found their sign in the early season. Another buck may cruise through. It ends up coming down to crossing paths with the right buck at the right time. I ended up on a decent buck track for one day toward the end of rifle season, and the whitetail took me on a long swing across and over one mountain range, where I ended the day no closer to him than I started. Right track, wrong time. During muzzle-

Richard Breton, the author’s father, with his 8-point, 162-pound buck from northern NH, taken with his Remington 7600 in .30-06 on November 19, 2021

loader season, another buck took me on a long walk and though I jumped him twice, I never got a shot. Not a lot of great chases, but enough to stoke the fire for next season.

Earning It I feel like any day I’m in the woods that I don’t shoot a buck, I’m working on earning the next one. Thankfully my father earned one by putting on a lot of miles. He finally crossed paths with one in a clear cut. This story is one where the buck almost got away, because when it came time to pull the trigger on the buck, there was a click on an empty chamber. Dad pumped a round in, which

stopped the buck, and he was able to put two rounds into him.

A long drag put an exclamation point on the whole adventure.

When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Over the next few months, I’ll be pondering this past season, and I’m pretty sure most of the questions I have will be answered next November with a rifle in hand, putting time in on the track.

Hal’s Thoughts Like Matt, I look at tracking in a different light than a lot of hunters. Tracking to me is not about the end result – it is about the journey along the way.

Yes, shooting a buck (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 43 (Continued from page 42)

while tracking him is the goal, but enjoying that journey along the way is what will keep you going day after day until you get that chance.

A very small percentage of hunters track deer, and for those who do, even a smaller percentage of them will do what it takes to be consistently successful at it. It takes a special mindset to go out day after day in search of a buck track and follow it all day, no matter where it takes you and in any conditions.

It’s like the famous quote, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t matter.” The dream is killing a buck while tracking him, so you have to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Which reminds me of another

quote: “Quitters never win, and winners never quit.” This is probably why so few hunters are serious deer trackers.

Also like Matt, I did not shoot a buck this season. It’s not that I couldn’t have, but as I reach my sunset years, I care more about chasing those bucks in their sunset years. Although we didn’t have very many snow days for tracking until muzzle loader week, I searched for an old toe-dragging buck every day we had the snow.

Some days, I would walk by a half a dozen buck tracks, some of which were probably 200 pounders. I was searching for those special tracks that get my blood going. Big and wide, with round toes that point straight ahead with a space between them. It’s a low

Big Game (Continued from page 41)

125-pound doe on opening day. Having venison in the freezer, Karson told his father, “I want to wait for a big buck now.”

The plan was to hunt all season and shoot another doe or lesser buck if a big buck didn’t present an opportunity.

Karson passed on a tall four-point early season while sitting with Mom. He also passed five other opportunities at does.

Karson did see a two or three year old buck he wanted to shoot, but luckily, as it turned out, no shot presented itself.

With the rut progressing and bucks beginning to chase, Karson’s father picked him up early from school on November 18th. The team was in their favorite stand by 2:55 p.m. waiting silently for their luck to change. Just before legal shooting hours ended, Karson asked his father what time it was.

“4:30 – we have four minutes left,” responded his dad. Seconds later, Drew looked up to see a deer’s legs and body across the small brook near where they sat.

At 15 yards, the deer turned, began

The author discovered these rubs in the early days of the season. Located along a scrape and rub line of second- and third- year signposts, the author only crossed this buck’s track once during the season on melting snow. If the buck survived the season, the author plans to cross paths with him next season.

percentage proposition to even find one of these tracks, let alone get a chance at shooting one.

Of the big tracks that I found, I ended up seeing three of the

bucks and getting a shot at one with my muzzle loader. I had a quick shot as he jumped over a blowdown and disappeared behind a spruce. To my dismay, I only shaved

grunting, and walking directly toward the hunters. Light was fading fast as the deer walked directly under their stand. At this point, Drew knew this was a great deer. Drew was actually perched behind his son on a branch, and couldn’t see what Karson was doing. As the buck continued past the tree, Karson (without any coaching) stood slowly, turned 180 degrees, and took aim. At 25 yards, Karson took his shot. The rest they say, is history. The buck expired just out of sight.

After dressing the deer and getting it to a scale, the hunters found that the buck weighed 202 pounds. The 10+ point rack will score around 140” or more, and this young man is super happy! Drew has plans to have the big buck mounted. It’ll be a great way to preserve the memory of Karson’s first big buck and the hunt shared with his dad.

Though Karson says he’s not sure he’s ready to be patient again next year, he is certain he loves deer hunting and hunting of any kind. This young man also hunts duck, goose and turkey. There’s no doubt he’ll take more big whitetails in his life. With a

a little hair off his neck. I’ll be dreaming about that buck until next season, when I may get the chance to follow him once again.

¶

Karson Houser’s 2021 bonus doe. This was his first deer of the season. Having deer meat in the freezer gave Karson the confidence to pass on young bucks and does, in hopes he’d have a chance at an adult buck. He was rewarded with a giant whitetail and a Biggest Bucks in Maine patch.

little luck, this family will be blessed to share many more years together in the deer woods. In the meantime, Karson will be practicing with his .22 once a week to get ready for next deer season.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

44 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— The Biggest Buck

TOP 10 BIGGEST

Adam Hamel of Roxbury, ME 264.5 lbs. • Byron • 11/1

Jay Hussey of Windsor, ME 258.5 lbs. • Windsor • 11/5

Harry Luce of Fairfield, ME 252 lbs. • Kingfield • 11/5

Jason Strout of Harrington, ME 250.5 lbs. • Hartford • 11/11

Jeff Russell, Jr. of 274 lbs. • T7

Chad Skinner o 268 lbs. • Mo

See the full 2021 Biggest Bucks in Maine www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 45

ks in Maine Club —

BUCKS OF 2021

Bridgewater, MA 7R9 • 11/18

of Shaftsbury, VT oro Plt • 11/5

Michael MacEachern of Lincoln 256 lbs. • Lincoln • 11/3

Hunter Ingersoll of Embden, ME 252 lbs. • Embden • 10/9 (Crossbow)

Michael Morris of Turner, ME 250 lbs. • Hartford • 11/20

Justin Belliveau of Skowhegan, ME 248 lbs. • Skowhegan • 11/8

e Club list at www.MaineSportsman.com www.MaineSportsman.com

46 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Biggest Bucks in Maine Club 2021 —

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Abbott Abbott Adams Alexander Allen Allen Alley Alley Anderson Anderson Anderson Archer Ashford Atwood Azevedo Badger Bailey Baker Baker Baker Barker Barnes Barnett Barreras Bart Barter Barthelman Batchelder Beal Bean Beane Jr. Beasley Beaulieu Beaupain Becroft Belanger Bell Belliveau Bentz Jr. Bernier Berry III Berry Sr. Bichrest Blake Blow Boerger Bolster Bouchard Boudreau Boudreault Bovill Bowden Boyden Bragan Bragdon Braley

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Skowhegan Hartford Stetson Belgrade Jefferson Lower Cupsuptic Columbia Southport Katahdin Iron Works Troy Monson Chesterville Albany TWP Farifield Vassalboro Presque Isle Vienna Alna Biddeford Dayton East Machias Windsor Chesterville Kennebunkport Medford Fryeburg Cape Elizabeth Waterboro TWP 24 Bangor Strong Richmond Limestone Holeb TWP Davis TWP Smithfield Bowmantown Skowhegan Jonesboro Hartford Kenduskeag Addison Sumner Union Pleasant Ridge PLT Hope Walpole Wallagrass New Sharon Turner Stoneham Canaan Chesterville Dixmont Jackson Plymouth

234 206 211 212 233 220 217 211 225 213 206 246 241.2 207 204 215 229 218 201 200 211.9 200 202 211 204.4 206 210 203.6 224 226 203 231 204 213 226 201 201 248 202 218.5 202 203 203 205 203 210 204 227 238 217 235 200 208 225 200 201

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Brewer Brooks Brophy Brown Brown Brown Brown Bruce Buckley Bumford Bumps Bunnell Bunnell Bureau Burgess III Burnett Burns Butera Capano Capano Carpenter Carroll Carroll Cates Chadbourne Chaisson Chambers Chambers Chapman Chapman Chapman Jr. Chickering Christian Churchill Churchill III Chute Clark Clark Clifford Clukey Cole Condon Coombs Copp Corbin Cormier Cost Cote Cotter Crocker Crossman Crowell Crowley Cullen Cummings Cunningham

Jeremy Ron A Jim James David Peter Patrick Gregory H Benjamin Brady Scott Trevor Carter Edmond A Robert Joe James Larry Brandon Dylan Ryan Charlotte Brandon Mathieu Jeffrey Matt James Frederick J Alex Kyleb S Richard R Michael Harold Braden Luther James Adam Michael W Jeff Rick Gerry M Brian Walter Adam K Timothy Joe Thomas W Dan Robert Michael Evans L Joshua Dean Ben Mitchell James W

Dresden Bowdoin Taunton Damariscotta Lubec Poland Hermon Shapleigh Mars Hill Oakland Hebron Danville Danville Falmouth Foreside Warwick Dover-Foxcroft Hampden Carmel Parsonsfield Cornish Standish Raymond Alfred Nashville Harmony Richmond Sidney Corinna Caribou Presque Isle Fairfield Windham Jackson Springs Kingfield Windsor Topsham Jay Skowhegan Edgecomb Argle Castleton Jay Sullivan Windham St. Albans Poland Damariscotta Ashland Boylston Monmouth Waltham Clinton Addison Patten Walpole Corninna

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Dresden Bowdoin Harmony Carroll Plt Lubec Poland Hermon Shapleigh Portage Lake Freedom Hebron Eustis Parmachenee Cape Elizabeth Harrison Sangerville Hampden Carmel Cornish Naples Taunton Raynham Bridgton Alfred Highland PLT Harmony Richmond Woolwich Corinna Madawaska Lake TWP Presque Isle Fairfield Vassalboro Parsons Pond New Portland Windsor Freeport Jay Norridgewock Edgecomb Argyle T6-R7 WELS Jay Sullivan Cumberland Blanchard Gilead Edgecomb Ashland Exeter Monmouth Osborn Clinton Addison Crystal Bristol Cambridge

221.2 227 225 241 217.6 217 203 205.2 233 236 213 243 203.7 204.5 200 210 225 219 206 202 242 215 205 201 215.5 209 245 208 238 200.5 200 216 210 230 201 210 238 206 215 206 223 205 227.4 202 227.5 200 230 212 200 205 216.8 219 204 204 210 238

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Currigan Cyr Cyr D'Auteuil Damon Daniels Darby Darcy Davenport David Davidson Davis Davis Day Deabay Deighan Deleskey Jr. Demers DeMillo Desautels Desvergnes Dewitt Dickinson Dintino Dippolito Dixon Doble Dodge Dorr Doucette Dow Doyon Dubord Dufault Dunnells Jr. Dupont Duquette Duval Edgecomb Ellis Embleton Emery Evans Farrington Farrington Farrington Fast Fenton Fergola Ferland Field Findlay Fish Fitzgerald Foster

Bert Nathan Steve Albert Clifford Brian Lawrence Bruce Walter Brendon Thomas Joseph L Rick Kevin Eric William A Joseph James Kyle Shane Dan Gary Bart Joseph C Edward Brandon Christopher Errol Kevin Steven Andrew Ashlee Karl R Shawn L Dan Cody Dean James Andy Brad Donald C Seth Shawn Kyle J Dean Derek Solomon Chad Robert Tammy Caleb Ryan Gregory Eamon K Robert

Smithfield Rumford Allagash Sidney Livermore Lewiston Montville Gorham Rangeley Otisfield York Danforth Farmington Millinocket Masardis Newburgh Mount Vernon Auburn Jay Essex Junction Buxton Biddeford Lewiston Cape Coral Bridgton Solon Skowhegan Blue HIll Florence Stockholm Albion Oakland Windsor Poland Parsonsfield Farmingdale Otisfield Manchester Union Farmingdale Mapleton Jonesboro Newburgh Industry Jay China Buckfield Harrington Mexico Peru South Paris Bucksport Mt Vernon Dover-Foxcroft Sabattus

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205 207.5 200.5 208 209.4 203.5 208 211 201 202.6 208 211 210 205 243 207 203.2 218 209 205 220 210 220 206.8 203 204 232 230 215 208 205 200 201 210 204 201 212 243 220.5 245 202.2 230.8 205 213 211 200 203 206 202 207.4 213.6 215 218 201 217

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Fournier Franzen Fraser Freeman Frith Frost Frost Fysh Gagne Gagner Gagnon Gallant Gamage Gamon Jr. Gattone Gaudet Gautieri Gautreau Geikie Gerrish Gestaut Gibbs Giggie Gilbert Gilbert Glidden Glidden Gordon Gordon Goudreau Graham Grant Grass Gray Grenier Griffith Jr. Guimond Guinard Gushee Haas Hafford Hall Hamel Hancock Hand Hanley Harmon Harriman Hatch Hawkins Heikkinen Henderson Henderson Hennessey Henry

Christopher Chantel Bryce Mandi Donald Sean David A Ryan Dale Rylan Spencer Hannah Zachary Barr H George Nick John Camille Craig Brett Andrew John Christopher Shawn E Garrett Boe Rodney H Michael Dustin Jacques Corey A James K Jeffrey Jeremy Ella M Billie F Jacob Matthew Raymond Aaron Logan Cory Adam Sam Christopher Joseph Jayson Molly B Robert Robby Scott Dillon Nathan Mark Jason

Monmouth Waterboro Kennebunk Warren Anson Skowhegan Norridgewock Ellsworth N. Waterboro Hampden Chelsea Woodstock Walpole Limington East Hardwick Old Town North Attleboro Lincolnville Cape Elizabeth Dover-Foxcroft Byron Belfast Stockton Springs Tamaqua Fairfield Palermo Palermo Cape Elizabeth Prentiss TWP Portland Presque Isle Auburn Swanville Machiasport Plymouth Benton Fort Kent Milford Union South Paris Jackson Exeter Roxbury Nobleboro Richmond Westwood Jonesboro Jefferson Silver Lake Norway Chesterville Hermon Gorham E Machias Norridgewock

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Monmouth Waterboro Dover-Foxcroft Rockland Anson Norridgewock Norridgewock Ellsworth Waterboro Dixmont Pittston Beaver Cove S. Bristol Limington Waterford Amherst Belgrade Lincolnville Kingfield T8 R10 WELS Rumford Monroe Stockton Springs Jackman Norridgewock Liberty Hibbert's Gore Franklin Prentiss TWP Standish Washburn Leeds Waldo Machiasport Plymouth Benton Fort Kent Chase Stream Appleton Harrison Jackson Newport Byron Nobleboro China Linneus Marshfield Jefferson T9 R17 Norway Livermore Hermon Eustis Whitneyville Norridgewock

209 200.5 208.8 211 228 234.1 208.3 210.4 202.1 225 216 208.5 209 203.5 223.8 211 206 218 220 203.5 207.8 208 216 245 208 222 216 221 211 204.3 225.9 210 233 202.8 220 208 235 201 208.7 206 209 201 264.5 200 237 246 229.6 202 201 211.3 234 237 212 204.5 240

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Herrick Heseltine Hickey II Hicks Higgins Hobbs Hodgdon Holmes Hopkins Hubert Hussey Hutchins Ingersoll Irish Jackson Jardine Jencks Johnson Johnson Jones Jordan Jordan Joyce Kamm Kane Karkos Keene Keller Kelly Kesel Kessler Kimball Kimball Kimball Kimball King King Knowles Knowles Jr. Koehling Koitzsch Lalancette Lamont Laney Langley LaPointe III Larrivee Lavoie Sr. Leask Leavitt LeBoeuf Jr. Lebroke Lee Leeman Legere Libby Lilly Linscott Locke Logan Long Lowe Loyd Luce Luce Ludden MacEachern Mack Mailly

Nathan Owen J Gary Natalie Corey Edward L Jeremy Russell Damien Bradley Jay Thomas Hunter Scott Christopher Everett Brad Garth Neil Ryan Adam Blaine Michael S Matthew Daniel Josh Kyle Aaron Jocelyn E James B Colby G Blake Jason Adam Cory Cory Lawrence Matthew M Milton Shawn Ky Ethan Walter Rick S Danny George J Harley Leonard Merle Heath H. James Ryan Cory Scott Kurt Scott Keith Roger Scott Bruce Kevin Michael B Ric Harry Jared Matthew Michael Todd Matthew

Poland Chesterville West Gardiner Saco Buxton Stratton Biddeford Hiram Oxford Vassalboro Windsor Bingham Embden Lincoln Medford Norridgewock Caribou Stockholm East Machias Jefferson Auburn Mechanic Falls Portland Smithfield Surry Turner Belfast Augusta Avon Princeton Moultonborough Oxford Oxford Corinth Lincoln Palermo Limestone Vassalboro Levant New Sharon Fayston Albion Lincolnville Standish Ashland Old Orchard Beach Lewiston Sweden Dresden Milsbeek Wenham West Paris Benton Waterford Midlothian Bowdoin Sebec Hampden West Baldwin Parsonfield Norridgewock Naples Portland Fairfield Fairfield Mason TWP Lincoln Hyde Park Bowdoinham

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Minot Chesterville Litchfield Saco Buxton Wyman Lyman Limington Oxford Rangeley Plt Windsor Tomhegan Embden Lincoln Medford Norridgewock Washburn Stockholm Northfield Jefferson Auburn Mechanic Falls Falmouth Rome Surry Turner Belfast Palermo Avon Princeton Oxbow North TWP Waterford Oxford Corinth Winn Dixmont Waldoboro China Levant New Sharon T5 R20 Albion Unity Baldwin Ashland Bridgton Sumner Oxford Dresden Denmark Corrina Waterford T6 R1 Waterford Canton Bowdoinham Sebec Kingman West Baldwin Porter Norridgewock Naples Springvale Kingfield Kingfield Mason TWP Lincoln Lower Cupsuptic TWP Topsham

204.8 242 203 212 218 220 240 212 206.2 211 258.5 213 252 243 203 235 209 218 209 214.5 225 200 200 201 216.7 209.5 200.5 202 231.2 239 215.5 229 224.2 204 200 240 200.4 202 203 218 224 237 228 203 225 211 201 221 204 218 205 221.2 211 211.2 225 213 210 209 200 202.5 219 210 205.6 252 200 215.4 256 218 204

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Malloy Manning Marcotte Jr. Markwith Martin Martin Martin III Matson Jr. Matteo Matthews Maxwell McCue McGuire McInnis McIntyre McKee Meader Mee Meek Meek Melanson Melcher Merchant Merrill Merritt Sr. Meyer Michelson Milledge Miller Mills Mitchell Monahan Monte Moody Moore Moore Mora Morin Morrill Morris Morris Morris Morse Morse Morse Moulton Mullen Mullin Murphy Murray Murray Murray Murray Myers Nelson Newman Nichols Nicols Northrup Northrup Norton Norton Nyberg O'Brien O'Brien O'Brien O'Donnell Orff Orne

Benjamin Mike Steven Jason Timothy P Forrest Lloyd Edward Stephen Howard J Anna Kyle Shawn Percy L Alfred Shane Jesstine Nathen Tobi R Ashton Daniel Larry P Jay Mason Lawrence Mike Jason William Matthew Isaiah Greg Christina Mark Andrew Matthew William Eric Dale A Jon Michael Merton Caleb R Tyler Michael P Eric John Jeffrey Kyle A. Allen Chad Ryan Levi Adam Wyatt Joshua Travis Clayton Nathan Wayne Owen R Tim Stephen Todd Sheldon Sherm Kyle Richard Landon William

Lisbon Hancock Jay Warren Fort Fairfield Mechanic Falls Raymond Waldoboro Camden Howell Brownfield Bangor Trescotte TWP Bryant Pond Newburgh Waterford New Sharon Shapleigh Morrisdale East Lyme Lewiston Jay Brewster Waterford Columbia Falls Durham Newfields Mexico Princeton Litchfield Winterport Aurora Swansea Glenburn Harrington Bowdoin Windham Lewiston E Wakefield Turner New Sharon Turner Harrison Buxton Buxton Bridgewater Wayne Norridgewock Portage Lubec West Baldwin Anson Sidney New Portland Gouldsboro Lubec Embden Mexico Jefferson Jefferson Salem TWP Winthrop Gardiner Bremen Pittsfield Damariscotta Acton Oakland Rockland

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Concord TWP Waltham Jay Warren Fort Fairfield Mechanic Falls Mason TWP Waldoboro Phippsburgh Willimantic Brownfield Cornith Cutler Woodstock Monroe Albany New Sharon Shapleigh Brighton Plt Charleston Jackman Wilton Thorndike Waterford Addison Durham Parmachenee TWP Township D Grand Lake Stream Litchfield Prospect Aurora Abbott Bradford Columbia Bowdoin Norway Andover Newfield Hartford Leeds Turner Harrison Parkertown TWP Buxton Parmachenee TWP Wayne Embden T12R6 Lubec Sanford Madison Cambridge New Portland Gouldsboro Lubec Embden Grafton Waldoboro Jefferson Freeman TWP China Litchfield Bremen Newport Bremen Acton Wilton Thomaston

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Ouellette Oxley Parker Patterson Paul Peabody Pease Pelletier Pelletier Pelletier Penney Perkins Perry Philbrick Phillips Piper Place Polvinen Pooler Potter Potter Poulin III Power Pullis Purrington Radjavitch Rainey Ramsey Jr. Rankin Raymond Rayner Reed Reinalda Reynolds Ricci Richards Richards Rines Rioux Ripley Roberts Roberts Robinson Robinson Robinson Rock Rollins Roper

Danielle Ben Bob Jeff Lawrna Benjamin E Scott Justin Troy Bernard W Charles Samantha Randy J Brayden Russell Alan S Kevin Adam Tylen Edward Peter Richard Steve Daniel W Michael Brian T Jeffrey A John W James Roger Andrew Nick R Jason Jerome John Christopher Jacob Dennis Trevor Trevor Omar Wallace Garnett Mitchell Travis Joshua M Evan Brian

Springfield China Wilton Winterport Chesterville Waldoboro Damariscotta Verona Island Fort Kent Ludlow Waldo West Barnstable Pittston Newport Windham Littleton North Berwick Hebron Sidney Pascoaq Bowdoinham Farmington Rangeley Bridgton Fayette White Haven Andover Calais Shapleigh Gilbertville Brooks Warren Saunderstown Liberty Westbrook Hermon Skowhegan Newburgh Readfield Freedom Ripley Springfield Dixmont Heislerville Augusta Franklin Deer Isle Gilford

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

New Sweden T2R3 Weld Winterport Chesterville Waldoboro Hope Prospect Brewer Garland Belfast Summit TWP Pittston Waldo Coplin Plt Pierce Pond TWP North Berwick Auburn Sidney New Portland The Forks New Portland TWP C Bridgton Fayette Livermore Andover Baring Shapleigh Stetsontown TWP Knox Friendship Bradford Liberty Westbrook T8 R14 Skowhegan Newburgh Monmouth Freedom Ripley Carroll Troy Springfield Augusta Gouldsboro Stetson Chain of Ponds

232 247 220 206 208 202 218 230 217 208 201 219 243 200.4 246 207.5 206.6 211.6 200 232 207 205 204 200 226 210.2 204 208.5 200.2 215 242 201 208 225.5 230 215 210 206 221.8 222 222 215 205 205 205 201 200 220

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Ross Jr. Rossignol Roux Rowley Roy Roy Roy Rumney Russell Jr. Salkaus Sanborn Sanborn Santos Sarnacki Saucier Schleicher Schoppee Scott Seaney Seeley Jr. Sevigny Shaw Shaw Shaw Shea Jr. Shores Shores Silke Silva Silvester Simmons Simmons Skinner Smith Smith Smith Smith Snell Sockabasin Soucy Soucy Southard Souviney Spaulding Spear Splan St. Clair St. Cyr

Charles E Gene Chris Kurt Jon Ronald Robert E Steven Jeff Stephen J Michael Corey Frank T Pete Bruce T. Jeff Devin Edwin Larry B Steve George S Mike Paul Tyler Robert C Amasa Daniel Vicky Joseph J Kirk C Drew Todd Chad Virgil L Nathan Matthew Melissa Caleb Ron Bud Aidan J Clint James Sammie Daren Aubrey Joshua Hunter

South Thomaston Caribou Waterboro Mexico Albion Oxford North Berwick Berwick Bridgewater Petersham Lebanon E Parsonfield Parkman Searsport Bangor Northport Cherryfield Lebanon Hermon Cooper North Berwick Scarborough Turner Bradley Haverhill Albion Albion Dixmont Hollis Center Jefferson Tenants Harbor South Thomaston Shaftsbury China Wilton Lebanaon Wales Greenville Jct Princeton Fort Kent Van Buren Palmyra Winslow Rangley Cushing Hodgdon Liberty Westbrook

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA MA CT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

South Thomaston Cyr Plantation Waterboro Mexico Albion Oxford North Berwick Molunkus T7R9 WELS Passadumkeag Fryeburg Parsonfield Parkman Waldo Bangor Northport Gouldsboro Lebanon Dexter Whiting Shapleigh Dallas Plt Turner Bradley Moscow Albion Albion Dixmont Otisfield Jefferson St. George Belmont Moro Plt China Wilton Waterboro Wales Big Moose TWP Princeton T15 R8 Van Buren Detroit Unity Oxbow TWP Warren East Millinocket Liberty Gorham

208.5 242 215.3 215 228 210.2 204.7 213 274 221 213 208.5 205 200.1 201 221.4 203.2 209 205 201.2 213.2 210 204.5 201 213.5 220 202 215 212 217.4 207 206 268 226 212 209.6 200.2 242.5 236 214 204 204 214 207 206 220 207.9 206

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 51 LAST NAME

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St. Peter Stanley Stanwood Staples Stearns Stearns Steiner Stevens Stevenson Stover Stover Strout Stuart Swafford Sweetser Taubner II Taylor Templin Sr. Thayer Thebarge Theriault Theriault Jr. Thibeau Thone Tibbetts Tobey Toothaker Townsend Townsend Tozier Trask Trepanier Tripp Trott Trundy Jr. Truscott Tsakiris Vacchiano Verney Vigue Vlahos Vogel Voisine Voteur Wadman Waite Wallace Walsh Wansor Ward Ward Washburn III Watson Watson Wattles Watts Weaver Welch Wener II Whitcomb Whitney Wight Wilkinson Williams Williams Williams Williams II Wilson Wood Wortman III Wright Yetten York

Joey John Shay Wallace J Brandon Adam Matt David J Tom Michael D Timothy Jason Benjamin Randy Shyene Joseph Gary John Ryan Holly Alan Lester Stephen Eli Donald C David Larry S Shaun Sarah Cody L Michael Norman Matthew Alexa Ronald E Walter M William G Anthony Brett K Jacob Paul Adam Lawrence Michael Daniel Travis Corey Jasper Benjamin Logan Stephen F Robert Sean Matt Alden Paul Hunter David Christopher A Howard M Jonathan Richard Rex Chris Hunter David John M Kevin Daniel Roland Duane Christopher Mitchell

Waterville Brownfield Buxton Durham Jay Rumford Troy Oakland Wayne South Casco East Boothbay Harrington Harpswell Woodland Greenwood Portland Parsonfield Smithfield Limerick Smithfield Rumford Presque Isle Berwick Turner Vienna Grand Lake Stream Oxford Corinth Fairfield Nobleboro Winterport Washington Waldoboro Waldoboro Steuben Pottsville South Berwick Sebago Newcastle Windsor Mount Chase Monroe Ellsworth Orrington Ellsworth Carthage Waldoboro Carmel West Baldwin Newburgh Stetson Durham Denmark Clinton New Vineyard Freeport Loysville Mercer Winterville Plt Brooks Industry Blue Hill Turner Damariscotta Jefferson Egg Harbor City Clifton East Falmouth Sabattus Greenville Hope Waltham Farmington

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 VT ME ME ME PA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME PA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NJ ME MA ME ME ME MA ME

Sidney Brownfield Otisfield Durham Jay Richmond Troy Oakland Wayne Naples Boothbay Township 18 Harpswell Woodland Porter Readfield T3R14 WELS Smithfield Limerick Smithfield Milton TWP Presque Isle Sapling TWP Hartford Vienna 41 MD Oxford Corinth Fairfield Newcastle Monroe Magalloway plt Waldoboro Waldoboro Steuben Albion South Berwick Sweden Newcastle Whitefield Mount Chase Monroe Ellsworth Orrington Surry Carthage Waldoboro Carmel Parsonsfield Newburgh Glenburn New Portland Denmark Clinton New Vineyard St George T7 R15 Mercer T11 R13 WELS Monroe New Vineyard Penobscot Turner Newcastle Jefferson Weld Eddington Casco Brighton T4 R17 WELS Hope Appleton Fayette

222 238 219.5 202 221 208 210 200 217 225 205 250.5 202.4 209 201 205.6 206 205 204 228 210 201 210 202 224 211.8 201.8 205 201 202 204 222 203 217 221 232 211 208 217.2 201 209 221 209 208.8 204 226.2 200 212 207 221 213 235.5 208 201 240 214 201 210 214 215 240 218.5 205.5 204 203 201 202 205 212 208 215.4 201.7 203.5

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CONGRATULATIONS, HUNTERS! Be sure to check out the 2021 Biggest Bucks in Maine Club list on our website www.MaineSportsman.com!

¶

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52 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Trophy Gallery —

Molly Bishop Harriman of Jefferson scored big during Maine’s muzzleloader season when she dropped this 202-lb., 9-point buck on December 10, 2021 using her 50-caliber blackpowder rifle. The weight was certified at The Meat Shop, in Warren.

Sammie Spaulding of Rangeley was very happy -- and rightfully so -- when he earned entry into the Biggest Bucks club with this 207-lb., 8-pt. whitetail taken November 25, 2021 in Oxbow Township with a .30-’06. It was registered in Oquossoc, at River’s Edge Sports. www.MaineSportsman.com

Michael Joyce of Portland enjoyed a productive bowhunting season, harvesting this 200-lb., 13-point buck in Falmouth on November 22, 2021. It was certified at Howell’s Indoor Range and Gun Shop, in Gray.

Bradley Hubert of Vassalboro became a member of the Biggest Bucks club with this 211-lb.,9-point whitetail, taken in Rangeley Plantation on November 9, 2021 with a .30-’06. The deer’s weight was certified at River’s Edge Sports in Oquossoc.

Among the more impressive whitetail racks seen this season was the set of antlers carried by this 224-lb. “smasher,” shot November 24, 2021 in Township 24 by Mitchell Beal, of Beals, Maine. This trophy featured a 20-point rack. The deer’s weight was certified by Merrill Harlan of Jonesport.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 53

— Trophy Gallery —

Nine-year old Andrew Parker of Wells has been hunting for years with his grandfather, Troy Parker, of Arundel.

Now, Andrew is a member of the Maine Youth Deer Hunter Club, having tagged this 6-point buck on October 23, 2021 in Biddeford. The deer was registered at Sony’s Variety, in Lyman.

Augusta PD Sgt. Todd Nyberg of Gardiner earned his Biggest Bucks patch with this 209-lb., 8-pt. buck shot in Litchfield on November 8, 2021 with a .300 mag. The deer’s weight was certified at Sabattus Deer Processing, on Middle Road in Sabattus.

Steve Power of Rangeley earned his Biggest Bucks patch with this 204-lb., 15-point buck, shot in Township C on November 19, 2021. It was certified at Rivers Edge Sports in Oquossoc.

Nine year old Logan Ward of Newburgh earned his Biggest Bucks patch on November 6, 2021 with this 221-lb., 12-point whitetail, taken with a .243. He was accompanied by Deakin Dow. The deer’s weight was certified by Raquel Brown at The Village Market in Carmel.

Samantha Perkins of West Barnstable, MA became a member of the Maine Sportsman’s “Biggest Bucks” club with this 219-lb., 8-pt. buck shot November 17, 2021 in Summit Township. The deer was taken with a .30-’06, and was certified at Burlington General Store. www.MaineSportsman.com

54 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Modern Technology Leads to Century-Old Treasure In the early 20th century, with lever-actions the norm, Newton bolt-action rifles were considered cutting edge – much like the automobile, the airplane, or the wireless radio.

The tip came from Tennessee. Frequent advisor and friend Jim “Hawk” Holloway sent a message and computer link revealing a long-sought antique Newton hunting rifle for sale.

Hawk generated interest in Newton rifles several years ago with a story of how his grandfather won one in a 1930s depression-era poker game.

After that, Charles Newton’s designs gained recurring mention at The Shooter’s Bench and spawned a not-so-secret desire to own one.

Several times over the years, Hawk sent me alerts regarding Newton rifles for sale or coming to auction.

Recently, I acted on one of Hawk’s tips and sat in front of a computer screen for eight

hours, waiting for a Newton to come up for bid at one of Poulin’s auctions in Fairfield, Maine.

I placed the opening bid, and sat staring at the screen. As soon as the lot number was called, a second bid appeared from somewhere in the world.

In the seconds before I could type in a subsequent bid, the gavel came down and that rifle went to someone else – a humbling experience indeed.

A subsequent opportunity linked to

The Newton rifle as it arrived from Minnesota in a plastic and foam gun case. Allard photos

a gun dealer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The site included a “Buy it now” price that sparked an interest.

The response to my email query offered a $90 discount on the advertised price, and free shipping. With a nervous stomach but no hesitation, I typed in my credit card data

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and hit the “send” button.

During the checkout process, up came a list of nearby dealers with a Federal Firearms License (FFL).

A computer click on the box marked “Art’s Ammo and Firearms, Pittsfield, NH” assured the shipping destination and transfer documentation. A skeptical call to Art’s the next morning confirmed the simplicity of the process. “It should be here by Monday or Tuesday,” Art told me with confidence.

Bold Idea As promised, FedEx delivered the old rifle to Art’s shop thirty minutes before I anxiously walked in on a Tuesday morning. After ten minutes of required paperwork and phone call, followed by 15 or 20 minutes of explaining Charles and his .256 Newton, the rifle went out the door toward its new home.

Art’s fee for conducting the transaction seemed far too modest.

Newton developed (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 55 (Continued from page 54)

the .250-3000 cartridge and other projects for Savage Arms, before striking off on his own.

He launched Newton Arms Company in Buffalo, New York in the unfortunate year of 1914. Unfortunate because he relied on parts and even complete rifles from Mauser and Saur as World War I unfolded. He also found difficulties in producing ammunition in the United States due to the war. Newton plowed ahead through four versions of his company and in partnership with Western Cartridge Company before the efforts petered out in the late 1920s.

Newton produced a top-quality product, but his insistence on proprietary claims kept others from adopting Newton designs, leav-

ing him vulnerable in the marketplace. A full decade ahead of Winchester’s Model 70, and at a time when most North Americans used lever-action rifles for hunting, Newton’s rifles and ammunition represented real change.

Had the .256 Newton fared better among the returning World War I veterans, Winchester’s .270 cartridge might be less of an icon today.

Production of Newton rifles ceased about 1924 or 1925. Total numbers, including prototypes that never went into general production, hovers at slightly more than 4,000 units.

Western Cartridge Co. stopped making .256 Newton ammunition in 1938, and no one made another 6.5mm cartridge in America until Winchester brought out the .264 Winchester Magnum in

1958, which also faded fast. Today’s popularity of 6.5mm cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor and .26 Nosler presents a complete reversal of tradition.

The arrival of this old Newton offers a chance to embrace contemporary notions of the 6.5mm cartridge combined with a fine old rifle from a more Golden Age of field sports.

When new, a Newton rifle filled a niche similar to other early 20th century advancements such as the automobile, the airplane, and the radio. Newton rifles were cutting edge.

This Newton The attraction to this example begins with the finish. Both the stock and its metal portions retain about as much of their original finish as may be found in a firearm of this vin-

The author field tests the vintage Newton rifle in .256 Newton.

tage. Someone used it, but did not abuse it.

Each wear mark speaks of honest time in the

field.

Never drilled and (Shooter’s Bench continued on page 57)

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56 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Fly Tying Season Opens This Month Although there are a small number of isolated waters in the Rangeley Region where anglers can ice fish, the large majority of lakes and rivers are available only for open-water fishing. So what do Rangeley Region anglers do during the winter months?

Many hunt coyote, attempting to clear deer yards of these wily predators. Some chase speedy snowshoe hare with beagles, sending the little dogs’ music throughout the woods.

Other pursue their passion for fly fishing by tying flies – winter is the perfect time to refill the fly boxes during this year’s fly tying season.

Let’s just say that the driveway has been shoveled clean, dinner

Once, at a fly fishing show, the author saw a plexiglass tank that had been rigged with a pump to simulate current. It allowed fly tiers to check the actions on their new flies. For the author’s planned “Marsters’ Super Fly,” he thinks all he’ll need is a convenient bathtub or sink. is finished, and there’s nothing on television – this is the perfect time to grab a cup of hot chocolate and head to the tying bench.

First on my list for tying during this year’s fly-tying season will be streamers. I’m working to create a streamer that imitates a small bait fish – one that sinks enough to suspend just under the surface of the water.

Marsters’ Mayhem A while back, I mentioned the “Marsters’ Mayhem” fly, a super-effective fly

created by my friend, Rangeley angler Steve Marsters. Steve also created a fly called the “Cat Toy” that really attracts the big ones.

I want to make a fly that has the best qualities of both of these flies.

Steve’s “Marsters’ Mayhem” floats high, right at the surface of the water. The “Cat Toy” has a head made with a bead from a necklace chain, making it sink and dip just enough to allow the fly to twitch and wiggle attractively in a fishy kind of way.

I really like the looks of the “Marsters’ Mayhem” and the action of the “Cat Toy.” This tying season I will attempt to blend the two into one super fly that offers the best of each fly. Maybe I’ll call it “Marsters’ Super Fly” or “Marsters’ Combo” or something catchy (pun intended).

I’ll stick with the Mayhem’s deer hair body but I’ll make the tail out of marabou to get more wiggle action. Most of my work will be trying to find just the right amount of weight for the head

to let the fly submerge just a little. I want it to suspend just under the surface so as to enhance the wiggle effect. I think the deer hair will help with this suspending, and the heavier head will help it perform a twitching action with the slightest tug on the line.

The weight has to be just right ... I want the fly to stay near the surface, even in moving water. I don’t want a heavy fly that can get pulled under in the current and snag on the bottom.

The Tank I saw a very nice plexiglass tank, like a small aquarium, at a fly fishing show once that had some kind of pump installed in it that simulated the (Continued on next page)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 57 (Continued from page 56)

moving water of a small brook. Fly tiers would hang their finished fly in the moving water and were able to see how the fly worked in the flowing stream of water and make changes accordingly.

I think with this fly I’m trying to create, I can just drop it in the sink or tub and see how it reacts to make decisions on whether or not I need to add or subtract material, or use differing materials. I still might have to get one of those moving-water fish tanks for testing future creations.

This is the part I love about tying flies

– the tweaking business. I’m not really good at it, but do enjoy the process. If you ever get a chance to watch a good fly tier at work, you will know the obvious difference between their artwork and my clumsy attempt at getting fur and hair to stay on a hook.

Sometimes I do get lucky, and a few of my own flies actually catch fish for me. If I ever do produce a fly that works, I have to keep tying it to really get the pattern down.

Once I get the process down for that fly and tie it repeatedly, I can usually get good enough to tie it in a consistent manner ... enough to catch fish.

The author’s hand-tied version of a popper (L) and two “Sneaky Pete” flies (R).

I’ve done it with other flies, especially larger poppers and streamers. I’m not that great with the small stuff ... my fingers are too big, and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be. I do have

— Trophy Gallery —

to brag a bit, only because I’ve tied so many of them – I’m really good at whipping up a basic version of a popper and a “Sneaky Pete.” I’ve tied these two flies for so long that it is second nature

for me to zip through the process. I also lose so many of these flies that I have to constantly keep at tying them, so I have been forced to “get good at it.”

¶

Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 55)

tapped for a scope mount, this rifle retains its original iron sights, as well as its original steel buttplate. Many surviving Newtons display replacement rubber recoil pads of one kind or another, and often have after-market sights plastered on. This one’s cut checkering shows little wear – rather a pleasing patina.

This one, no doubt, will see a Maine deer stand early in its new life; but turning it over, holding it in various firing positions brings on thoughts (dreams) of stalking sheep or mountain goats, perhaps pronghorn antelope. Now to turn some .25-06 Remington brass into .256 cases ….

¶

Brandon Capano of Parsonsfield became a member of the Biggest Bucks club after harvesting this impressive 14-point buck in his hometown on November 13, 2021, using a 7mm-08. The buck’s 206-lb. weight was certified

by Lesley Dutil at Village Variety on Federal Road in Parsonsfield.

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58 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Togue Fishing Through the Ice Mainers have affectionately dubbed lake trout with the name “togue.” I’m not sure that there’s any official record of this name change; it’s just one of those monikers that stuck.

At any rate, togue are among my favorite fish to target and catch – in fact, perhaps my favorite overall. Maybe it’s because I’ve fished for them for a long time. Maybe it’s the challenge. Maybe I was dropped as a child.

No matter the cause, I’ve developed some really consistent skills around targeting these fish that swim in cold, dark waters. In the summer, I slow-troll for them.

I have also done some jigging in the summer for them. Through the ice, my techniques are much more crude, but they still get the job done.

A lot of people think togue are tricky to catch through the ice, but in my experience, their habits don’t change a whole lot from the summertime.

They are still found in the same place (most frequently near the bottom), and they are still hungry for injured baitfish.

Cold, Early Morning Start I recall one particularly successful togue-athon.

After leaving Hermon in the wee hours of the morning and hauling the trailer out the Telos Road, we came to www.MaineSportsman.com

The author enjoys catching togue. He has found success by keeping things simple. Simplicity is actually a requirement on lakes in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW), since the nomachines-on-the-ice rule means no snowmobiles to carry you from flag to flag, and no powered iceaugers to cut holes.

Occasionally, a salmon comes up on a togue trap. Photos: N. Raymond

the end of the road, so to speak. From here, it was snowmobile access.

It was still dark out as we unloaded the sleds from the trailer, filled up the tote sleds with our gear, and hit the trail. It was 10 miles from our parking spot to the water, so the ride took 20 minutes. It was a bitterly cold morning, in the single digits, and the wind found any inch of thin fabric to seep in through.

This body of water is part of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW), so no power equipment could be used on the ice. At the shore, we parked our sleds, unhitched the totes, and replaced the

hitches with rope for easier pulling.

The hike to our spot wasn’t all too far, but the deep snow made it a slow, intense process. We settled in behind an island, a spot sheltered from the wind. Because we were on foot, we knew it would be important to be strategic with locations, because it’s a lot harder to walk a mile loop to check traps in deep snow than to do it on snowmobile.

No Gas Augers Allowed on the AWW I set my line straight out from the tip of the island, down the depth gradient. After trekking away from the island into deeper

A line of traps, with a flag!

water, pack basket on my back and auger and bait pail in hand, I stopped to drill at what I thought would be a deep enough spot.

Power augers aren’t allowed either, so I had my hand auger. A lot of people are skeptical, but with sharp blades, a hand auger can get through 3 feet of ice in a lot less time than many think.

I punched the hole with the sun just coming up. My first tip-up came out of my bag: a Heritage Laker, with a full spool of ice line.

Togue can be runners, so it’s important to have a lot of line available for them.

I clamped the sounder to my size 4 circle hook, on a 3-foot

25-lb monofilament leader. Mono is very cold resistant, and it has a little stretch.

While handlining togue, a little stretch can help keep them on the hook.

Right Depth; Right Bait I sounded the hole, and retrieved about 50 feet of line – a perfect first depth. I marked my line with a slip knot so the bait would sit about a foot off bottom.

I then hooked a large shiner through the eye, a trick I’ve had a lot of luck with.

Togue eat baits head first, and this tactic minimizes misses.

In other circumstances, I also like to fish for togue with a large dead shiner. If you step on it on the ice, it helps to get all sorts of scents out.

Set it right on bottom, with a foot of extra line. I’ve seen some really big togue come up with that method.

I got the trap in the water, and began walking out to my next one, set up for a hopeful day of fishing.

It’s important to remember that simplicity is gold for ice fishing. I’ve seen plenty of gimmicks and unnecessary extra steps being employed to catch the same fish.

No matter where you fish, or what you target, make sure to get out there and enjoy the hard water!

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 59

The Green Invasion Everywhere the writer looks in the New Hampshire and Maine woods, he sees Vermont hunters. An army of green license plates, riding the back roads three or four hunters to a truck, sometimes with several trucks in a row. What’s a local fellow to do? Go hunt Vermont? There can’t be anyone there, since they are all over here!

Why are there so many Vermonters hunting northern NH and Maine? Do any of them work during the month of November?

Do they all drive Toyota Tacomas?

Here in northern NH, Vermonters have become the butt of many a hunter’s joke, as well as the source of many a hunter’s frustration. At times, it feels like you can’t take a whiz in the woods without wetting the wool pantleg of a Larry Benoit wanna-be.

In fact, I’m beginning to believe that the only place you can hunt to escape running into Vermonters is … Vermont! There can’t be any left, since they are all over here!

Take a drive around the logging roads of Pittsburg or the Rangeley region, and the ratio is at least 5:1 of green plates to any other. On the annual trip into my camp on Parmachenee Lake this fall, I passed nine vehicles – eight of them were Vermonters. And that was on a Sunday! I hear it’s getting to be the same

way, not just in western Maine, but also in central and northern Maine, too. So, what gives?

Bad, Getting Worse?

There have always been disproportionate numbers of Vermont hunters in comparison to NH and ME hunters. I think traditionally it could be attributed to the Benoits’ fame. Their books and films advertised the idea of traveling to find the biggest bucks.

And where they went, a bandwagon would follow. They’d hunt an area a few years; they’d kill a bunch of big bucks; people would find out; they’d call all their friends; it would get inundated with green-plate groupies; then the Benoits would move on.

The past couple years, though, it seems like the number of Vermonters hunting out of their state has doubled or even tripled. No longer can this be attributed to the Benoit bandwagon.

Seasons and Policies Vermont used to

allow two bucks to be killed with firearms a year – one in rifle season, and one in late muzzleloader season.

Plus, there were archery tags. A couple years ago, however, Vermont changed to a one-buck per year policy, across all seasons.

Vermonters who had routinely killed two bucks a year, now had to travel across state lines to continue doing so.

Vermont has a short rifle season, encouraging them to travel elsewhere to extend their hunt. They can hunt almost two weeks in Maine before VT even starts. And they can hunt a week in NH after VT ends.

Facebook Fantasies With the advent of social media, hunters are inundated with photos of big bucks.

They also have a captive audience to tell their stories to, and a time-honored tendency to spin a good yarn.

Every buck posted about now was shot at least three miles from a road, after tracking for at least five hours, and so on. Others take note of this, as well

The writer emerged after hunting the deep woods of New Hampshire to find this Vermont truck parked less than 50 feet from his vehicle. Emerson photo

as any location mentioned on social media, and before you know it the place is crawling with internet hunters trying to copycat the tale.

Facebook also allows for new Benoits.

Beyond Hal Blood and the other BWB guys with large FB followings, there are also a lot of people who were no-namers before Facebook. Lots of accomplished deer trackers and still-hunters were only known within their small circle of friends, but after a couple years of posting big buck photos, they’ve become mini-celebrities in the FB huntinggroup-page world.

Too many of us have become gluttons for FB fame. Some people, if they have the cell service, will post their deer pictures or live videos while they are still in the woods, before they even put their hands on the deer. It’s sad that they can’t just enjoy the moment. Others are all about posting the

stats. I don’t want to paint with too broad of a brush, but I’ve noticed a trend, particularly among Vermont hunters, of weighing deer with the heart and lungs—and many times the liver, too— still in it. They have to make sure they get that big number to brag about online.

The sum of this Facebook advertising is that more people who used to stick to the small woodlots or fields, or even the couch, are all now wanting to try their hand at the big woods.

Some go all in and are successful. But many others just take up a good parking space and drive others away from the local places they’ve always hunted.

Technology Another thing that is leading to increased numbers of people in the remote woods is their ability to navigate. More advanced GPS systems, and (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

60 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

New Hampshire (Continued from page 59)

apps like Onx Maps, allow for hunters who have never been to an area before to navigate exactly to a preselected ridge or swamp.

Places that you needed local knowledge of and years of exploration of to find are no more.

Rinos, radios, and cell service all promul-

gate gang hunting.

Hunters can communicate in real time to other members of their party to surround and cut off deer. The ethics of this are debatable. I rarely see NH or ME vehicles with more than two guys in them.

But I routinely see VT vehicles with 3 or 4

guys loaded in them.

Often, I see two or three of these packed trucks traveling together.

Solutions The simplest remedy is to show some respect for space. If I bump into another hunter in the woods, my day is all but ruined. I hunt to be alone and do my own thing.

I only want to think

about where the deer is going, not that other guy in a pumpkin suit I just saw. Too many times this year, I got back to my truck to find another vehicle or two—or even three— parked right next to me or just around the corner from me. No respect.

A far-fetched idea is for more resident-only hunting time, like Maines’s first Satur-

day of rifle season.

Even as a non-resident who hunts Maine, I am in complete support of it. New Hampshire currently has no such thing. I’d like to see the last week of rifle season (at least in the B and C zones) become resident-only. This is when there is the most pressure. Vermont is between the rifle and (New Hampshire continued on page 62)

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Operation ReBoot Outdoors Veteran Completes Maine Grand Slam Ken Blaisdell served in the U. S. Army for about three years, completing a tour in Afghanistan and returning home in 2016. Within a month of being back home in Maine, he suffered a snowmobiling accident, and shortly after that was in a car crash that left him so damaged that he lost the use of both of his lower legs.

Battling the loss of the use of his legs (and eventual amputation) and the severe pain associated with his injuries, Blaisdell sank into a deep and dark place. He said he didn’t think he’d ever get out and be able to do the things he loved before his injuries – mainly hunting and fishing.

Blaisdell’s life turned around after meeting Dan Waite, founder of the non-profit veteran’s organization Operation ReBoot Outdoors (ORO). This all-volunteer organization helps veterans, active-duty military members, and Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) who are suffering from emotional and medical trauma.

Through their hunting and fishing programs, ORO provides a valuable break (ReBoot) from the effects of the trauma, helping these courageous individuals rejuvenate their relationships within their communities. A common theme among

Operation ReBoot helps veterans by getting them outside, doing things they enjoy, such as hunting and fishing. And everything is accomplished by volunteers, including board members and staff.

Every penny donated goes to fund the organization’s outdoor programs.

Army veteran Kenny Blaisdell, with his jacket-full of Grand Slam patches. William Clunie photo

Kenny Blaisdell and his Grand Slam trophies. Courtesy of Ken Blaisdell

the veterans who come to this program is, “It gives me something to look forward to.”

Grand Slam Ken Blaisdell thought his medical problems and emotional anguish might stop him from ever returning to the hunting and fishing he loved before his debilitating accidents, and “never in his life” believed he would complete a Maine Grand Slam in

2021 (taking a moose, deer, turkey, and bear in one year). Blaisdell continually praises ORO for saving his life by helping him get back to what he loves... hunting and fishing.

I’d like the readers to take a moment and check out the huge smile on Ken’s face in the accompanying photos. At one point in his struggle, Ken said, “I cannot stress this enough – ReBoot

literally saved my life.

If it wasn’t for ReBoot, I would have been one of the 22 a day.” Operation ReBoot Outdoors not only saves lives, it allows these hurting individuals to regain their place within the community instead of shutting themselves up in their homes to avoid contact with the rest of the world.

In speaking with the other ORO volunteers, one thing stands

out about Ken – each person who worked with Ken said he is THE most persistent fellow they know. He pushed himself at all times to make this Grand Slam successful, working through extreme pain and mental anguish every day he was out there.

Everyone agrees, they couldn’t be more proud of Ken (or Kenny, as they call him). A very humble fellow, Ken always says he couldn’t have done it without the folks at ORO. (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

62 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Western Maine (Continued from page 61)

Operation ReBoot Outdoors I’m like Ken – I can’t say enough about how effective the ORO programs are for helping these wonderful members of our community. The programs not only give them something to look forward to, but also help them realize their value within their own community. The

transition from military life to civilian life isn’t easy, and can be even more difficult for someone suffering from medical or emotional trauma.

As a U.S. Navy veteran, I can tell you the close comradeship with other service members is something hard to find in the civilian world. When I’m with a group of

ORO members, that close bond seems to all come back. There is much strength in this program, a healing that goes beyond group therapy and medical intervention.

For many, it’s the best medicine available.

Dan Waite, founder of Operation ReBoot, said, “In 2021 alone, we have involved 217 individuals in our outdoor programs, and Ken Blaisdell’s story of recovery

is a perfect example of what this organization is all about. For Kenny to grow from his deep and dark place to completing a Grand Slam is more than most will ever understand.”

Waite and his wife, Nicole, started ORO in 2019, and they’ve been going strong ever since.

One of the most significant aspects of this non-profit organization is the 100-percent volunteer force of the board and members that make it all happen. Not one of these individuals takes a single penny for helping ... every penny donated goes to ORO’s outdoor programs.

As I watch this program help turn around

lives, I really enjoy the fact that there are so many individuals and businesses out there that are willing to donate their time and resources to fund the programs. Go to ORO’s website (operationrebootoutdoorsmaine.org) or Facebook page, and check out the huge number of folks who donate time and money to make this wonderful program possible. It is highly-comforting just knowing that there are so many kind and giving people in this world – sometimes all that’s needed is a good ReBoot to rebuild a life and strengthen our community.

¶

New Hampshire (Continued from page 60)

muzzleloader seasons that week, so they all cross the river to hunt. Many deer have started migrating to winter areas this week. Some places have become notorious for having Vermonters stack up on the migration routes just outside the deer yards and put the slaughter on.

What are TMS readers’ thoughts on resident-only hunting time?

¶

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 63

Trapping Mishaps and Adventures These two stories are true, having been told to me by long-time Maine trappers.

Trappers Get Trapped

by Leon Adams, as told to Dave Miller Leon Adams of Benton, Maine passed away in 2019. He told me this story some years before his death. ***** “In 1950, my partner and I were trapping beaver in Burnham on 25 Mile Stream, about half-way between Burnham and Unity, in a place in the stream called the Ox Bow. “We were setting traps where I had cut a hole in the ice for a set. I was on the bank getting more wood to use in making sets. My partner was making the set, and as he turned around to look down the hole, his feet slipped on the ice.

He fell and sat down right on the trap.

“I tried to remove the trap but couldn’t because of his heavy wool pants and long johns. He had to completely undress, so I could spring the trap and remove it from his clothes.

“It was a #14 trap with teeth on it.

It was near zero degrees out. In the end, after it was all said and done with, he had some bad bruise marks on his bottom and was sore for about a month after.

Bob and John Roll Their Truck

by Bob Wiseman, as told to Dave Miller The following story was related to me by Bob Wiseman of Corinth, after he learned of the death of his friend and trapping partner, John Rogers. ***** “I trapped with John in 1981 in an area east of Greenville. I had met John for the first time when he came into my shop to sell me raccoon in the round.

“His home was in New Jersey, but he had a camp in Willimantic. Coming from New Jersey with his truck and an old hound, he would take Route 1 as much as possible. Behind every convenience store there was a dumpster, he would let the hound out to run raccoon through the towns. By the time he got to my place, he would have a load of raccoon.

At 6’6” tall, John Rogers was an imposing figure. He was an accomplished fur trapper, and also gained fame for his ability trap snapping turtles. Photo: Maine Trappers Association

“We struck up a friendship, and he talked me into trapping that year for beaver with him. We were to start at midnight, but at 12:30 he called and said he was just getting through Massachusetts. I went to bed, and by daylight he showed up. We set all that day on five flowages, as I remember.

“John’s favorite set was to find two feet of water, chop a three foot hole in the ice, put in a couple of poplar sticks in the bottom, and set a #14 Victor in front of them on the bottom.

“He would roll up his shirt sleeve, stick his arm into the water sometimes above his shoulder to place the trap on the bottom. The temperature was around -10 that day. You can just picture what he looked like by noon time.

“I showed him how to take a three foot stick and put it in the hole in the trap spring and lower it in the water to place it on the bottom.”

Rolling My Truck Down the Mountain “We had many wild days together,” Bob Wiseman continued. “One was the day I rolled the truck off the side of a mountain several miles back in on a wood’s road.

“We had eaten breakfast at a restau-

rant in Gilford at 4 a.m. Two older trappers were there at the same time. They didn’t know us, and we tried to keep it that way. They were discussing where they were going to set traps that day.

John wanted to get there first, and set close to where they were going to be.

John hated competition.

“We ate fast and headed to the area they were going that day. We were headed for a mountainous area. We knew of a real good flowage up the side of this mountain, so we headed for it.

“We worked our way up to the flowage and started to set it up, but the nature of John was he couldn’t stand not knowing where the other guys were. He kept badgering me to find out where they were so he could get ahead of them.

So we loaded up the truck and prepared to start down the mountain.

“Just as we got our gear loaded, a freezing rain began to fall. As we rounded a sharp curve on the side of the mountain, with a glare of ice on the road and a 15-foot ditch, we started to slide. My truck was new – only had a few miles on it – and there I was, sliding into a ditch.

The tires caught on some gravel for a second, then broke loose, and over the side we went.

“The truck had two sleds on a platform on the back of the truck, along with all our trapping gear. We rolled completely over two times and landed on my side, the driver’s side.

“John being 6 foot 6 inches tall and in a hurry, stood on top of me and pushed up on the door to get out of the truck.

We climbed out and started walking to civilization. There were only camps with no phones along the way.

“After several miles we saw a power lines to one of the camps, and a truck in the drive.

“Thank God they totaled my truck, and I got the insurance money. Five days later and a lot of welding, pounding and masking tape on our sleds, and we were ready. The repaired sleds and traps were in the back of a brand new Chevy.

“This was one of the many adventures I had with John.”

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www.MaineSportsman.com

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Hunting Gear on a Budget Part 1 of 2

For a deer rifle, find a model that fits you well and is in your price range. I hunt deer with a Model 760 Gamemaster pump. But I know a lot of people who hunt with a less expensive Savage Axis, and the deer they shoot are just as dead as mine.

As a new guide, I’ve spent more money on hunting and fishing gear than anyone my age reasonably should.

I learned quickly that if I keep spending at this rate, I’ll never have any money.

So this column is about how an average person, like me, can afford hunting gear. This is extremely important for a new hunter, or someone who’s still in school, or for whatever reason is trying to outfit themselves without breaking the bank on stuff they don’t need.

Too Many Options It’s no secret that hunting and fishing can turn really expensive really fast. If you walk into any sporting goods stores and look at the price of lures and ammo, optics and gear, it can quickly become overwhelming.

But the reality is you don’t need that expensive gimmicky stuff to catch the biggest fish or kill the biggest buck. I’m not saying modern equipment won’t improve your odds, because there’s a lot of things that help; it’s just figuring out what you want to spend, and avoiding the stuff on the shelves that’s put there to atwww.MaineSportsman.com

tract the outdoorsman and not the game.

Rifles and Caliber Start at the basics with guns and ammunition. Find what fits you well and is in your price range. To some extent, you get what you pay for. I deer hunt with a Model 760 Gamemaster pump. They are a very solid-built gun and they’ve killed a lot of deer, but they aren’t necessarily cheap, especially the older models like the one I use.

I know a lot of people who hunt with a Savage Axis, and the deer they shoot are just as dead as mine.

They are very affordable, and from what I’ve seen they are very dependable for what they cost. They’ll get the job done for anyone looking to save money.

For calibers, I would stick with .308, .30-06, or .270 – they have killed deer for many years, they’re tried and true, and above all, you can almost always find ammo for them. That has become even more important in recent years, with ammo being extremely hard to come by, especially the odd calibers.

Shotguns As far as shotguns

go, I’m a firm believer in the Remington 870.

Some people are partial to the Mossberg 500, but the argument is almost like Ford vs.

Chevy – everyone’s got their preferences. I have always had 870s in the family, and everyone I know that has or had one, loves them.

Shoulder them both at a gun shop, see which one fits you best, and from there you can’t go wrong.

Camo for Your Shotgun?

If you want to spend the extra money on camo for your shotgun, go for it. Just remember – the camo is just for looks. It’s nice for duck hunting, but if that’s what’s flaring ducks and geese, your hide is a bigger issue.

Don’t worry about camo guns on a budget.

Ammo The next thing is ammo. Same idea – there are all kinds of different approaches out there, especially steel shot, black cloud, Hevi-metal, Blindside – it’s all the same, and unfortunately the performance does not match that of lead shot. In my experience, steel, no matter how you shape it, just doesn’t carry as far as

The author has had good luck with his Remington Gamemaster pump-action rifle.

lead, so you’ve got to let the birds get closer before firing.

Mixed shells don’t seem to do any better for me. It doesn’t seem to work when you mix steel in with bismuth or tungsten, not to mention it’s super expensive – up to $4 or $5 per shell.

Same goes with 3-1/2 inch shells – the guns that take them cost more, and so do the shells. I don’t believe there’s any need for them; all you’re getting is a few extra pellets and maybe a little velocity, but with

steel being as light as it is, it loses that velocity quickly. It’s like throwing a softball vs. a ping pong ball.

I go through about two cases of shells a year, about 500 rounds. Granted, all of my guiding customers need ammo, so I couldn’t afford to buy the expensive stuff, even if it did make that much of a difference.

Next month – Clothing, calls, scents, decoys and trail cams – on a budget!

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 65

How Maine’s Working Forests Affect Our Outdoor Experience Those of us who spend a good amount of time in the backcountry enjoy many benefits from Maine’s working forest.

We rely on the larger woods roads to access our favorite rivers, streams, great ponds, camps, and hunting cover. We use temporary logging roads and skid trails for snowmobiling, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, and off-roading.

Most of Maine’s private land – both industry-owned and non-industrial private forest – is open for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation.

Sportswomen and -men routinely witness timber harvesting activities up close, and share the woods with loggers and truckers.

Even so, over the years, I have observed that most people have not had an opportunity to learn the basic language of forestry and timber harvesting: words like silviculture, standing stock, shelterwood, haul distance, or basal area.

Others are unclear about what a forester does, and how they differ from loggers.

Many folks don’t know a feller-buncher from a grapple skidder.

People might understand the difference between pulpwood and sawlogs, yet most don’t appreciate the economic value of spruce versus hemlock, or white oak ver-

sus red maple.

A Small Slice In a state that is 89 percent forested, one would think that Mainers should know a lot more about forestry and timber harvesting than our visitors from away. But only a small slice of the Maine population has direct experience with timber harvesting, other than as observers.

The Maine Forest Products Council reports that about 14,000 people work directly in Maine’s forest products industry.

And yet, only about 2000, or 15%, of those forest products industry jobs are loggers, foresters, and truckers actually working in the woods.

Another 80,000 to 100,000 Mainers own small “family woodlots,” ranging from 10 acres to 1,000 acres. A good fraction of those landowners actively manage or periodically harvest their woodlot.

All told, less than ten percent of Maine residents have some direct experience and knowledge of forest management operations and related rules or regulations. On the flip side, the vast majority of Mainers have little understanding of how our working forests actually work.

Bad Impressions Ask a typical person on the street about timber harvesting, and you’re likely to get plenty of negative opinions and bad im-

pressions. You might hear that all clearcutting is bad, or that timber harvesting, especially clearcutting, is bad for wildlife and the environment.

It doesn’t help that freshly harvested areas, with slash and stumps visible, can be pretty ugly, at least for a few years. Log landings often look like muddy refuse piles with jumbles of unusable logs.

While out hiking, hunting or fishing, we sometimes see rutted skid trails or jumbled stream crossings that appear to be harming our wild fisheries.

I’m not saying that this is typical, but when people come across a large harvesting operation, it often looks messy. These often are the impressions they remember.

How can this possibly be good for the landscape?

And, despite over 10 million acres certified as sustainably managed (almost 60 percent of Maine’s 17 million acres of forest land), there is a common perception that Maine is over-harvesting its forest lands at an unsustainable rate.

Or that our state is being deforested.

Series on Forestry In the coming months, I will offer a series of columns about forestry and timber harvesting, to help our readers better appreciate what they see happening in the woods, good and

A grapple skidder operates in the snow. David Van Wie photo

bad.

Hopefully, I can shed some light on important rules and regulations, so-called “best management practices,” and some of the benefits of forest management on wildlife and outdoor recreation.

A few topics I plan to explore include: • What does “sustainably managed forest” really mean?

• What are the different types of harvesting, such as clearcutting, selective harvesting, pre-commercial thinning, and shelterwood?

• What are the benefits of hiring a forester to develop a forest management plan and navigate Maine’s rules and regulations for timber harvesting?

• How do our statewide standards for harvesting in the shoreland zone and near streams and ponds protect water quality?

• Who enforces the complicated rules and regulations for harvesting?

• How can woodlot owners protect and

promote various species of wildlife, including birds that have suffered declining populations?

Lots of Good Wood Wood is a renewable resource, and natural wood products like furniture and lumber used in homes will store carbon for many years to come.

Forest biomass can be used as a substitute for petroleum in making plastics and heating homes. And timber harvesting can produce a diversity of habitats for birds and wildlife that require different types of forest cover.

Maine’s forests will be both producing wood and providing opportunities for remote recreation for many years to come. It is critical for both the forest products industry and our recreation economy that timberland management and outdoor recreation co-exist in productive harmony.

I hope you will find the series informative and interesting.

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www.MaineSportsman.com

66 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Downeast Duo Bags 250.5-lb. Buck There are friends, and then there are friends who you would let sit in your tree stand. The list of the latter is much shorter, but Matt Tenan and Jason Strout are just that. Matt let Jason hunt his spot this past November, and Jason shot a 12 point, 250.5-lb. buck, earning him the #8 spot in the Biggest Buck Club of 2021.

Matt and Jason have been friends since attending high school together at Narraguagus Academy. The pair co-own Wildest Dream Outfitters, specializing in bear and bobcat hunts with hounds in Washington County.

Downeast has a history of producing big bucks, but in recent years, the deer popula-

When Jason received his 2021 Biggest Bucks Club patch, he cut in in half and gave half to Matt. “It’s his buck as much as it is mine,” Jason explained.

“He did everything except pull the trigger.” tion has declined. The state record 31-point Hill Gould buck came from Washington County in 1910.

Caught on Camera In the summer of 2020, Matt noticed a photo of a heavy-antlered buck on his game camera near his camp in Township 18, near Deblois. He named the buck, “Ben Dorr” after an old road, now a barely discernable twitch path, where the buck was caught on camera.

“I normally don’t hunt the same area as Matt, but he told me about Ben Dorr and invited me to hunt

that area with him.

Matt had narrowed down a 10-15 acre area he thought Ben Dorr was spending most his time, and told me which tree to climb with my saddle,” Jason explained.

Matt continued, “I feel like my real advantage was I’d known those woods my whole life and knew there were a couple of small funnels Ben Dorr would have to travel through at some point to check does. Those funnels don’t show up on mapping or Google Earth.”

Small Shooting Lane Jason sat in the

The first time the buck was caught on camera was in 2020.

Photo Courtesy of Matt Tenan www.MaineSportsman.com

tree Matt recommended every day he wasn’t out lobstering and hadn’t seen a deer until the day he connected with Ben Dorr on November 11th.

Jason recounted the morning, “I had a small shooting lane, and that morning a doe passed through it so I was alert and hoping Ben Dorr, or any buck, would be following her. About 15 minutes later, Ben Dorr walked into the lane, and I fired. Matt heard my shot, since he was hunting nearby. He joined me, and we found Ben Dorr about 80 yards away.”

When I asked Matt why he let Jason hunt his spot, he explained, “These are huge woods, and I can’t cover every spot at once. Jason always hunts hard, puts in his time and deserves a buck like that just as much as I do. Hunting has nothing to do with killing for me. I wish it wasn’t a prerequisite for being a hunter.

It’s about the stories, laughs, smiles, heritage, memories, putting the puzzle pieces together, spending time in God’s creation and thanking Him for it.”

All-Important Access to Public Land Regarding Matt’s openness to share de(Maine Sportswoman continued on page 68)

Best friends, Matt Tenan and Jason Strout. Matt first discovered “Ben Dorr” in 2020, and Jason hunted Matt’s stand.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 67

Land Trusts Preserve Access for Self-Propelled Users Commonly, a land trust buys a partial interest, called a “conservation easement.” The land remains privately owned, and stays on the town tax rolls, but the easement prevents development and subdivision, thereby protecting the conservation value of the land while also permitting public recreation.

In December of last year, the Mahoosuc Land Trust in Bethel announced the conservation of over 12,000 acres of woodlands, ponds and streams located in Maine’s western foothills. The conservation easement covers a vast area in Bethel, Greenwood and Albany Township that is home to the headwaters of Crooked River and the Little Androscoggin River.

Crooked River is an important headwater of the Sebago Lake watershed, and Sebago serves as a public water source for Portland and other southern Maine communities. So partners in the project included the Portland Water District and Sebago Clean Waters, as well as other local land trusts and national conservation organizations.

The conservation easement will prohibit development on the property while retaining public access for hiking, hunting, snowmobile trails and fishing. Most of this woodland has a long history of open access for those activities. The donors to the trust, Mary McFadden and Larry Stifler, have

been quietly acquiring large parcels of land in the area for more than thirty years. The married couple, from Massachusetts, were also instrumental in establishing the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel.

Changes in Land Use Fifty years ago, this part of the state still held large contiguous lots of woodland, mostly owned by families or local companies that manufactured wood products in local mills. For instance, one large parcel at Overset Mountain in Greenwood, that now forms part of the easement, was previously owned by the Penley Corporation. The Penley family owned and operated a wooden clothespin factory in West Paris for more than 80 years. Their landholdings supplied raw material for their factory and for sale to other local manufacturers.

The Penley family, and other large landowners, naturally kept their land open for recreational use by their employees and other residents of the small towns that comprised the area. While nice-

ties like blazed hiking trails, established trailheads or improved small boat landings were non-existent, locals knew the best spots to hike, fish and hunt from generations of backyard familiarity.

The local wood-product factories began to shutter their doors in the latter part of the last century. At the same time, recreational land values spiked sharply – and over time, the large family-held properties began to be subdivided and become fragmented. Outdoors people began to notice “No trespassing” signs at their favorite local spots.

Land Trusts to the Rescue Conservationminded philanthropists, like McFadden and Stifler, saw what was happening and had the resources and foresight to begin acquiring large properties as early as the 1970s. But it was not until about 30 years ago that local land trusts became available to accept and manage formal conservation easements.

Maine has always had only an exceeding-

The author on a winter hike near Overset Pond.

Jim Andrews photos

ly small proportion of its land held in public hands. Less than 7% of the state’s acreage is owned and managed by state government.

Private organizations have become the most important tools in Maine’s conservation quiver.

Some private non-profit organizations have purchased large tracts of industrial forest outright, and converted them to conservation and recreational uses. The Appalachian Mountain Club owns and manages 75,000 acres east of Moosehead Lake. The Nature Conservancy, a multi-national conservation organization, also holds title to more than 300,000 acres of Maine land that is dedicated to conservation, recreational use, and sustainable forestry – in that order.

But in western, southern, and coast-

al Maine, some fragmentation had already occurred when land prices and development started to spike in the 1980s. Smaller lots often escaped the attention of large conservation organizations. Landowners had personal connections to these smaller parcels, and they wanted to protect the land, but also wanted to hand it down to relatives.

Also, managing conservation, along with recreational use, on the many smaller lots was beyond the ability of the larger organizations. Boots on the ground were needed.

Local land trusts were the answer. And since 1990, more than 80 of them have been formed throughout the state. Sometimes they buy the land outright or accept it as a gift.

But most often, the trust buys a partial in(Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

68 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Overset Pond offers dramatic natural topography, as well as hiking trails and signage.

Overset Pond, located just below the peak of Overset Mountain, offers good fishing for brook trout.

Self-Propelled

this win-win scenario.

(Continued from page 67)

terest, called a conservation easement, that allows them to protect the conservation values of the land and manage it for public recreation.

This means the land remains privately-owned by the fami-

ly, and on the town tax rolls. But at the same time it is preserved from future development and sub-division, while being open to public use. More than 2 million acres have been preserved by Maine land trusts in

Maine Sportswoman (Continued from page 66)

tails about his hunting area with the public, he replied, “It’s not a secret of where the Tenans hunt. Our camp has been there since the 1970s. Ben Dorr and the old camp deserved to have their story told together, SO WE DID. “The greatest thing about hunting

WE’RE! BACK

Why it Matters The former Penley property on Overset Mountain in Greenwood will now remain forever undeveloped.

McFadden and Stifler had already commissioned more than 6 miles of hiking trails to be built on the property. Signed and

Fall foliage is stunning around Overset Pond, as seen from the vantage point of Overset Peak.

blazed trails wind their way from an improved trailhead, along a rushing mountain stream, to the 25acre remote trout pond that is the centerpiece of the property. A towering granite cliff edges one side of the pond.

And the trail climbs up over the peak of the open ledges, allowing

in Maine is our access to private land and our ability to treat it like public.

The only reason I can hunt that area is because Maine Public Reserve Land and blueberry companies allow public access.

“There’s a lot of people like me who can’t afford private land. My family is in there every November. It’s hard hunting, I’m sure there’s not another huge deer in there. Jason and I sat

views of the pond and the mountains stretching off to the west.

Mainers and visitors have hiked, camped, hunted and fished on this land for nearly 200 years. Now, future generations will be able to do so forever.

¶

around 40 sits combined (bow and rifle), and in total we saw five deer.”

Matt shot a spike buck on the second to last day of rifle season this year.

When Jason received his Big Buck Club patch a few weeks ago, he cut in in half and gave half to Matt. “It’s his buck as much as it is mine,” Jason explained. “He did everything except pull the trigger.”

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 69

Slip Slidin’ Along – Winter Travel Thoughts Everything revolves around winter travel during the year’s shortest month.

Getting from point “A” to “B” requires traction in what arguably rates as the slipperiest time of year.

A lot of snow, mixed with a dash of ice, has everything from cars, trucks, snowmobiles and humans pointing in the wrong direction.

Ice seems to accelerate the most harmless of falls.

With that said, I’ve taken a few steps to keep my soft side off the hard side of ice. A simple set of ice cleats has kept me looking down at the ice instead of up at the clouds.

Just an inexpensive pair that stretches over standard winter boots work amazingly well. They also slip off nicely when entering a finished dwelling. Walking across the kitchen floor with studded footwear increases the odds of getting hit with a pot or pan from the lady of the house.

For folks willing to dedicate a pair of shoes for winter wandering, screw-in cleats offer an inexpensive option.

Early Studs My lifelong battle with icy conditions started in the late 1960s. My father ran studded tires on his 1965 Ford truck. From my seat (nestled close to the cab in the BACK of the truck), those studs really sang.

The author says a simple set of ice cleats has kept him on his feet looking down at the ice, rather than lying flat on his back, looking up at the clouds.

Even with no four wheel drive, the studded tires and some weight in the bed gave us relatively safe access to remote areas where road plowing seemed an afterthought.

When the ice was safe, he would drive it out onto the lake or pond with our fishing gear and use the truck as a base camp.

I checked Maine law concerning studded tires, and found them legal from October 2nd through April 30th.

Slip ’N’ Slide A little later in life (1970), my dad brought my new minibike to one of our ice fishing forays. Zipping around the pond worked well

until my studless tires hit a particularly slippery section on ice.

The adults all had a good laugh as my mini-bike went one way and I skiddered across the ice in the opposite direction – once again looking at the clouds the whole time.

It’s interesting how the more things change, the more they stay the same. I talked with the folks at New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket, and they rent fat-tired mountain bikes with – yes, it’s true – studded tires.

It seems most of the rental bikes end up touring the lake, and the studded tires get stellar reviews.

Chain Reaction My next lesson came many years later while deer hunting in New Hampshire.

By 1990 I had a fourwheel drive truck, and my buddy Lenny and I headed up to chase some mountain deer.

We decided to head up a well-worn but steep trail. Feeling invincible, I pulled that four-wheel-drive lever and dropped my truck into drive. About two thirds of the way up, all four of my tires started spinning.

The truck came to a stop, and then started sliding backwards.

Fortunately, I was pretty good at using my mirrors, and the

ruts in the road were deep enough to keep the truck from rolling off the side of the mountain.

As the truck picked up speed, it was to this day the scariest ride I ever took. At the bottom of the road, we finally came to a stop.

While I was gathering my thoughts and checking my shorts, an old guy in an Isuzu Trooper came clanking by and headed up the same trail that we just slalomed down backwards.

Cool as a cucumber and smoking a pipe, he drove with his four wheel chains and clanked right up that mountainside. That’s the day I learned two lessons. One was the value of a set of chains.

(Katahdin Country continued on page 77)

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70 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Red Dot Optic Shines in Traditional Hare Hunt My son pulled a .22 caliber Browning Buckmark with a new Bushnell red dot sight out of his gun case. It’s actually not a rifle at all, but rather a pistol with an 18” bull barrel, and a stock attached to the rear. A ten-shot clip feeds the action plenty of lead.

Earlier in Maine’s snowshoe hare hunting season, I decided to try out a new “gadget.”

It turns out the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as my son, Matt, showed up with a new bunny buster to run through the paces.

We hunt hares with hounds. Let me

clarify. We (myself and my two boys, Willie and Matt) hunt hares with Registered Maine Guide Art Corson, who has Swiss rabbit hounds. His welltrained, sharp nosed hounds wasted no time finding a Lepus Americanus to chase, which clearly put some pres-

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sure on me and my two offspring to uphold our end of the bargain.

Ideally we like to go into the woods, find where the hounds started the fur ball, and wait until the hare makes a big loop and runs by us. Usually, but not always, the dogs chase the bunnies in a big circle, and they often repeat that loop until either the rabbit is intercepted, or it escapes into the deep woods.

Sometimes that loop takes 20 minutes, and sometimes up to an hour, depending on how much of the countryside the rabbit wants to show the bawling hounds. This is where I thought a

A view of Matt Sheldon’s Browning Buckmark, set up with a Bushnell red dot optic. It rests on a collapsible stool he purchased for long periods of sitting in the woods waiting for hounds to send rabbits his way. The stool collapses to less than four inches, and fits nicely in his game pouch.

Bill Sheldon photos

new gadget might improve my odds.

Have a Seat Often, while just standing, I’d lose focus and start to wander from that prized “starting line.” Perhaps a stool would help me to sit down

and stay put while I leaned an ear towards the dogs and scanned the underbrush for fast escaping rabbits.

Needing something packable and light, I scanned the internet. I didn’t care (Continued on next page)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 71 (Continued from page 70)

for the popular threelegged stools that fold up. Not sure why.

Eventually I found a collapsible stool that fit nicely in the back of my hunting vest.

The only thing the hard surface seat needed was an inch or so of foam attached to the top. A worn out foam hunting seat was quickly re-purposed and attached to the top with some Velcro strips. Matt spotted my new seat, and ordered one up for himself.

Browning Buckmark Last year, I had set up a 410/.22-magnum Savage Model 24 with an eye on using it for

Matt Sheldon and Registered Maine Guide Art Corson celebrate another successful snowshoe hare hunt. It takes Corson’s knowledge of the local hare population, along with his staff of Swiss rabbit hounds, to make it all happen. Matt’s sharp eyes and .22 caliber Browning Buckmark capped with a Bushnell red dot sight sealed the deal.

rabbits. The pre-1968 gun cried out for a traditional Williams Peep sight. With a little bit

of machining help from my brother, Steve, we made it work.

Matt took a lik-

This is how a new gun quickly becomes and old favorite. Here, Matt Sheldon celebrates a hunt gone well. Hunting moving rabbits with a .22 caliber rifle presents plenty of challenge. While most hunters still use small gauge shotguns, a growing number of outdoorsman have upped the ante and hunt snowshoe hares with black powder guns, archery equipment and yes, the time honored .22 rimfire.

ing to the gun, so I brought it north for the rabbit hunt. The new gun case under

his arm tipped me off to a new plan.

(Jackman Region continued on page 77)

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72 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Dark Skies Ahead for Moosehead Region – and That’s a GOOD Thing!

With a minimum of ambient light to interfere with the view, and with pure, clear air overhead, the region is gaining a reputation among those who look heavenward to gaze at stars and planets. While much is visible with the naked eye, bring optics with you if you have them – a heavy, conventional telescope, a newer lightweight model, or even some quality binoculars.

As if there weren’t enough wintertime outdoor activities in the Moosehead Region, let me add to the list. In addition to ice-fishing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, the Moosehead Region stands as a worldclass stargazing destination.

With no light pollution and no air pollution, nighttime sees the heavens ablaze with stars, planets and satellites. Even deep-sky objects, most of them too dim to be seen with the naked eye from most other places, become visible to the unaided eye in the Moosehead Region.

Seasoned amateur

astronomers and casual observers alike can benefit from spending time outside on a dark night in this historic and wild part of northern Maine. And you don’t even need a telescope to enjoy a night under the stars, although some kind of optical aid will greatly enhance your enjoyment.

To underscore just how prime the Moosehead Region is for stargazing, take a look at a nighttime satellite image of Maine. All the states and parts of Canada are lit up by city lights, while the North Maine Woods stands like a vast, dark island. You can almost trace the Maine border just by

outlining the dark areas.

A Moosehead salmon slides out on the ice.

Eric Holbrook photo

How To Not everyone who recreates in the region cares for the in-town nightlife. So, when darkness falls, they either go cusk fishing – a specialized type of ice fishing – or they sit in camp and read a book. I suggest they get out, find an open area with a good view unencumbered by trees (the Moosehead Lake shoreline is one of my favorite viewing spots), and check out the sky.

Beginners can easily find their way around the sky by using a planisphere, or “star wheel.” These depict the sky in a circle, and are adjusted for date and time. Planispheres come set up for certain latitudes, so you can choose the one that best approx-

imates your location.

For instance, Dexter, Maine, just an hour south of Greenville, is on the 45th parallel, so a 45-degree planisphere should work okay. To use a planisphere, just hold it up to the sky and turn the wheel. There you will see depicted the exact sky you are currently viewing. Find a planisphere online. Amazon carries them, but so do many other outlets.

While telescopes will greatly expand your view, many telescopes are heavy and clumsy. There are some lightweight, travel-type scopes out there, and they make stargazing easy. If you have a telescope and it isn’t too heavy to lug around, by all means bring it, since it will reward you with an

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Finally, a common set of binoculars will show many of the night sky’s highlights.

Any set will do, but the larger the lens, the more light it can gather, and the better your view. Any binoculars, though, are better than no binoculars. That said, I carry with me a set of Canon image-stabilized binoculars. These have electronic gyroscopes that allow you to press a button, and enjoy rock-stable images, with no fuzziness because of vibration. My Canons are 10 X 30, 10 being the magnification, and 30 being the field of view.

Salmon Opener Many anglers plan their first-of-the-season Moosehead Lake ice-fishing trip to begin on February 15, opening day of salmon fishing season. This year, salmon (according to my results this past summer) are in good condition – fat and sassy.

With a one-fish dai(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 73 (Continued from page 72)

ly bag limit and an 18inch minimum length limit on Moosehead Lake (other lakes in the region are regulated less stringently, so check the lawbook), it may not pay to keep the first fish that bites.

However, if there is a remote chance that the salmon may not survive after being released because of

bleeding, and if it is 18 inches or more, ethics dictate that it be killed and kept.

Otherwise, to release a salmon that is only mouth-hooked, use a hemostat or forceps, available at any fishing tackle outlet.

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74 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Coldest Month Downeast May Yield Hottest Ice-Fishing Success In February, after well-stocked waters have been heavily fished, I often call one of the Region C biologists to influence my decision about where to set out my traps.

According to Greg Burr, Region C fisheries biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W), state hatchery folks stocked salmon and brook trout in a multitude of Hancock and Washington County waters last fall. “Some waters,” according to Greg, “received more fish than in previous years.”

These additional salmonids will greatly enhance opportunities for this winter’s fishing. Burr mentioned that fall yearling brook trout, brown trout and landlocks were also released into waters in Hancock and Washington County.

Access to these prized fisheries can be located by referring to DeLorme’s, The Maine Atlas, Maps 15, 16, 23 and 34.

Ice Fishing M.D.I. One excellent choice for catching a

few trout, salmon or togue is 436-acre Eagle Lake in Bar Harbor, Map 16, B-3 and B-4. Even though this water is heavily fished each January, the higher-than-normal numbers of fish stocked here in 2021 mean anglers should still ice some nice fish in February.

Brook-trout anglers are often successful by fishing along the west shoreline. Other trout enthusiasts have good luck by placing a few ice traps off the inlet streams running into the southeastern end of the lake.

A healthy fall stocking of 100 13-inch brook trout and 3,375 7-inch brook, as well as 40 17-inch brook trout, 28 14- inch brook trout and 22 16-inch salmon should supplement an already healthy population of fish. Brookies in the 12- to 20-inch class will be pulled from ice holes regularly; however, a few even larger trophies should also be iced this winter.

Smelts or worms are the usual bait to entice these beauties; however, a jig stick and Panther-Martin

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lure rig has produced trout for me. Brook trout are the principal game fish caught on Eagle; however, salmon and lake trout are also caught from this water. Folks often catch salmon by fishing smelts just under the ice, while other anglers increase their chances of catching a togue by fishing a sucker close to the bottom.

Special regulations apply in the late fall and early winter (October through December), and outboards exceeding 10 h.p. are prohibited at all times, so make sure you read a current copy of Maine’s Ice Fishing Regulations before fishing in cold weather or warm. Access is gained by parking vehicles at the boat landing off Route 233.

Fishing Closer to Home Another water that spells success in February is Walkers Pond, Map 15, C-3. It produces a few browns in the 3- to 4-pound category each winter, however, many anglers survive cold days catching a variety of warm-water fish. Most folks set their traps

Anglers have a good change of pulling a brook trout of Lovejoy Pond, located in Hancock County near the Narraguagus River, given that DIFW stocked 1,085 brookies in the tiny 29-acre pond in October, 2021. Map: MDIF&W

along the west shoreline; however, easy access and good brownie action can be had by fishing along the east shore.

Walkers Pond provides suitable habitat for cold-water fish.

Stocked brown trout provide a very good fishery for 16- to 18inch fish. Hatchery personnel stocked this pond with 1,400 12-to 14-inch browns in the fall of 2021. This pond is considered one of the

top three brown trout waters in Downeast Maine. Ice fishing for these olive trout can at times be slow; however, some 10- to 12-inch bass and small white perch can keep flags flying on most days.

Another water where winter anglers catch a few brown trout is Lower Patten Pond, Map 23, E-5.

Ice fishing for these olive-green brownies requires perseverance; however, the bass, white perch and pickerel are usually cooperative enough to keep folks running for flags. Access to this water can be gained from Route 1 or the North Bend Rd. Lower Patten Pond is a popular water located off (Downeast Region continued on page 77)

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February – The New January Most of the Midcoast lakes and ponds that hold coldwater game fish open on January 1 for ice fishing.

In years past, ice was plenty safe by that date. But recent years have come across as anything but typical.

December, once a cold month, now sees wide temperature variations, with spates of subfreezing temps followed by a string of days in the 40s and even low 50s. And January, which was once a solid bet for continual subfreezing temperatures, isn’t much better.

More than once in recent years I have hit some Midcoast lake or pond on the January 1 opening day, only to find no ice, or not enough ice to support my weight. Usually, things begin to firm up by mid-January, but even that does not come with a guarantee.

February, though, usually enters in with cold temperatures and solid, safe ice. So we might justly say that February has become the new January. One thing’s for sure, though – the first two weeks of ice-fishing season usually see the most fish caught, and whether those first few weeks occur in January or February, the outcome is the same.

Fast Action Many anglers take more trout, togue and salmon in winter than

during the open-water season. Others take advantage of the extended open-water season, and take fish on traditional fishing gear well into December. Indeed, I have taken trout in open water during every month of the year with the exception of January. This year may change that as well.

So for me, ice fishing means going for warmwater fish and the fast, sometimes nonstop action they offer. Midcoast Maine has a great number of lakes and ponds that brim with schooling species such as white perch, yellow perch and black crappie. And all of these species willingly bite on artificial lures.

Speaking of crappies, these introduced species are becoming more widespread throughout Midcoast Maine with each passing year. If given the chance, crappies will use every means possible to travel from one water body to another.

Couple this with illegal stocking, which, despite it being a serious crime, continues unabated, and it’s easy to see how crappies are more than likely to appear in a pond near you – that is, if they haven’t already.

The newest victim of the “bucket brigade” is Stevens Pond in Liberty. It came as a surprise when a friend recently told me of

the fast ice-fishing action he had at Stevens Pond last winter.

New Waters In addition to Stevens Pond, the Midcoast region holds plenty of crappie-rich waters. Some of these are courtesy of river systems that link one crappie-bearing pond to another. Essentially, any pond or lake on the St. George River system contains, or will soon contain, crappies. St. George Lake, the headwater of the river system, remains crappie-free for now, or at least that is so to the best of my knowledge. It’s only a matter of time, though, before it, too, hosts schools of black crappies. St. George Lake ranks as the region’s trophy salmon water, so let’s hope that crappies don’t out-compete the salmon for the lake’s numerous smelt.

I predict that Quantabacook Pond in Searsmont will soon become a crappie pond.

Fish from Seven Tree Pond, a noted crappie water, in Union, can easily swim upriver to Sennebec Pond in Appleton, and from there make it the rest of the way to Quantabacook. In addition to crappies, “Quonny” will eventually become home to northern pike, another exotic species that has become widespread throughout the St. George River system. I don’t often make such assertive

Black crappie filets the makings of a memorable fish fry. Tom Seymour photo

predictions, but in this case, you can take it to the bank.

Megunticook Lake in Lincolnville, now holds crappies too.

I haven’t yet found them in any number, but have met and spoken with those who have had great luck there. If you come across crappies in the more shallow, weedy sections of Megunticook, know that they run big, as in 15 inches and even longer. That often happens when a fish species first becomes established in a new water.

Norton Pond, which attaches to Me-

gunticook via a short thoroughfare, has in recent years become a crappie haven for ice fishers. These are only some of the Midcoast waters where you can expect to take crappies on your ice-fishing trips. All the ponds and lakes mentioned here are displayed on Map 14 of the DeLorme Atlas.

In Retrospect Black crappies are here to stay. Given the large size they reach in this state, Maine may soon become a noted crappie destination.

¶

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76 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Pike Fishing: The Migration Ask most Northern Pike enthusiasts about ice fishing, and you will hear a lot of stories about catching them early and late in the hard-water season. This is because both during early ice (December) and in the spring (late February), Northern Pike can be found in fairly shallow water, clustered around weed beds and the mouths of tributaries in search of food.

By January, however, pike have moved out of the shallows and into deeper waters in their relentless pursuit of food.

While it’s still possible to find pike following their migration to deeper water, it is a much more difficult endeavor.

No matter what time of year, pike are still ambush feeders.

Even though pike may have departed from their classic shallow water territories, they will still congregate around some type of structure where they can lie in wait for unsuspecting prey.

Structure in deep water include rock piles or steep drop offs. Study lake maps to find shelfs, corners

Maine’s lakes and ponds hold some truly massive pike. My personal best is 38 inches. When I hooked that fish, I was glad that every element of my tipup, line and lure were designed to be heavy-duty.

Each component was sufficiently strong to meet the challenge.

Tyler James Parker of Arundel earned his Maine Sportsman “One that Didn’t Get Away” patch when he pulled this 21.8-lb., 42-inch long Northern Pike through the ice of Cobbosseecontee Lake on March 10, 2021. He was using a large smelt for bait. Photo by McKenzie J. Parker

or dips that interrupt these drop offs, as they provide places for pike to hide as they wait for bait fish to swim along these break-lines.

To turn the odds in your favor, anglers need to first target lakes containing robust populations of pike.

Location In central Maine, finding a lake contain-

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ing pike is becoming an increasingly easier and easier task. This is at the same time an unfortunate occurrence in the eyes of angling traditionalists, and exciting to those who simply like to catch monstrous-sized fish.

When in pursuit of pike, it is important to note that not all central Maine lakes are created equal. Some lakes simply produce larger pike than others.

Lakes in central Maine that consistently produce trophy-sized pike include Great Pond, (DeLorme’s The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer Map 20, E-4) Messalonskee

Lake, (Map 21, E-1) Long Pond, (Map 20, E-4) North Pond, (Map 20, D-4) and Annabessacook Lake (Map 12, C-3).

Anglers shouldn’t limit their search for pike to only these waters, DIF&W reported in 2008 that pike were present in a total of 28 Maine lakes and ponds, and have been reported but not confirmed in at least 15 other additional water bodies.

February By Valentine’s Day, winter’s grip on Maine is slipping, the days are longer and warmer, and the pike become increasingly active. Mid-February is by far my favorite

time of year to fish for pike. Anglers should target funnels and pinch points, such as those found on North Bay on Great Pond in Belgrade at the mouth of Great Meadow Stream, and in the same area, the shallow waters around Snake Point.

Bait A tip-up with a spool capable of holding 300 feet of line and having a tension adjustment, helps to keep large bait from continually triggering the flag. Generally, the bigger the pike being targeted, the bigger the bait used. A Golden Shiner in the 6-inch range will be an irresistible meal to a 20-pound pike.

Big pike are notoriously lazy, and they don’t like to expend a lot of energy in pursuit of a meal. This past ice fishing season, I used dead bait, and had a higher catch rate than with live bait.

With pike fishing, it pays dividends to mix things up now and then.

Part of what makes angling so much fun is trying out new fishing lures and products. One of the new products I am trying this year for pike is Pautzke’s Bait Fire Dye ($6.99). The product basically adds a bright, and widely assorted choice of coloration to whatever bait you are using. I plan to dye some large emerald shiners red, and (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 77 (Continued from page 76)

see if I get more bites than on the natural colored baits.

Heavy Rigs Maine’s lakes and ponds hold some tru-

ly massive pike. My personal best is 38 inches, and I can say I was very happy when I hooked into that fish that every element of my ice fishing gear was truly “heavy.”

Katahdin Country (Continued from page 69)

I found nothing in Maine law prohibiting the use of chains on passenger vehicles. With large landowners doing less plowing on inactive logging roads, a set of chains might save the day.

The other lesson I learned was how lucky we all were that he didn’t arrive a few minutes sooner, or the front of his Isuzu would have said “FORD” in really big reverse letters.

Jackman Region (Continued from page 71)

“Mind if I use this?” Matt asked Art. Corson looked at the .22 caliber Browning Buckmark with a new Bushnell red dot sight, and nodded his approval.

I’m sure he wondered if this young whippersnapper could hit a moving bunny with a single projectile, but Art encouraged him to give it a try. I felt bad my old gun with the peep site had been left at the altar.

Shortly after they were released, Corson’s hounds exploded on a hot rabbit. We wasted no time and headed into the woods to establish a spot on the circle, then waited for the rabbit to run its course.

The new stool worked nicely as I tucked it under a balsam branch, sat down and waited. The hunt played out, and the singing hounds turned

Downeast Region (Continued from page 74)

Route 1 between Ellsworth and Bucksport. There is a public boat landing site constructed and maintained by the town of Surry.

The salmon fishery is maintained by an annual spring stocking of 200 salmon. Salmon growth fluctuates depending on the population of smelts available for feed. Occasionally, anglers catch salmon from 16 to 18 inches.

White perch are also a popular quarry with ice anglers. A typical catch will be comprised of fish from 10 to 12 inches.

Smallmouth bass here at times reach weights of 3 to 4 pounds.

This set-up included 300 feet of 40 pound braided Dacron fishing line tied directly onto a “Quick Strike Rig for Pike.” With this rigging in place, even the biggest pike can be

wrestled successfully onto the ice.

For those anglers wondering if such a “heavy” rig will also catch smaller pike, I can attest it will. The smallest pike, I have

caught on a double treble quick-strike rig weighed slightly more than two pounds.

¶

Katahdin Woods and Waters Snowmobiles, many with studded tracks, dominate all travel options this time of year. Those looking to kick up some snow only need to do some internet searches or carefully read the advertisements in The Maine Sportsman.

Those of us without a sled can rent one along with the necessary accessories. No reason to miss out on prime winter travel conditions.

The Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument has groomed

trails designed for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The trail head starts at the North End parking area located off the Grand Lake Road.

They also allow winter camping, hiking and fat tire biking. A search of their website offers specifics and a guide to planning a trip.

With a little traction, the Katahdin Region offers winter travelers one heck of a ride.

the bouncing bunny back our way. The hounds got closer, and I tightened my grip on my 20-gauge Parker.

territory.

Before the sun set, Matt managed to shoot his new gun three times. Three rounds ... three rabbits. For the record, before each shot he used that new collapsible stool to set up and get comfortable, waiting for just the right opportunity.

Snowshoe hare season stays open until March 31. Hunters in the Jackman Region have plenty of acreage to chase these long-footed speedsters.

While most bunny busters use small gauge shotguns, a growing number of sportsmen have upped the challenge using pistols, bows, black powder shot guns and yes, the common .22 caliber.

In the spirit of compromise, I’ve ordered a new Bushnell red dot for my old .22/.410 Savage. Who says an old dog can’t learn new tricks?

Three Rabbits The lone crack of a .22 caused me to smile. Pretty soon the dogs caught up to Matt and his rabbit, and stopped howling. The red dot had found a fleeing hare – a head shot, no less.

It was smiles all around as we gathered back at the truck. I took a closer look at Matt’s new pea shooter. It’s really a pistol with an 18” bull barrel and a stock attached to the rear. A ten-shot clip feeds the action plenty of lead. The red dot was an easy pick-up, and my eyes fell in love with the new Bushnell sight.

Of course, I needed proof that this wasn’t just a lucky shot and that hunting hares with a red dot sight had a future. We moved the dogs to some new

Traveling to Ice Fish Another well-stocked pond in Hancock County is Lovejoy Pond, Map 34, E-5. According to Region C fisheries biologist Colin Shankland, “State hatchery trucks dropped off 110 13-inch brookies, 800 8-inch brookies and 75 14-inch brook trout into this 10-acre water last October.”

Lovejoy’s water quality is adequate to support brook trout during the entire year. Anglers using small shiners, worms when available, or small jigs like a Swedish Pimple, are often able to ice a few brookies per outing. This spring-fed pond occasionally produces a brookies in the 1-½ pound category.

Lovejoy Pond can be reached by taking a side road off the Beddington

¶

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Rd. shortly after passing the Bracy Pond campsite. This access road takes you the pond.

One small (38-acre) trout pond worth spending some time on in February is Round Pond on Mt. Desert Island, Map 16, B-2. It is the smallest and uppermost water that makes up the Long Pond drainage. This pond was stocked in the fall with 160 14-inch brookies. This water is suitable to sustain brook trout throughout the entire year. Round pond is governed by general fishing laws. Angers here may also catch 13- to 15-inch pickerel, or a few smallmouth bass up to 2 to 3 pounds.

A public landing is available slightly north of Route 102.

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78 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Twice Beaten by the Drum

by Guest Columnist, Mike Gibson

Guest columnist Mike Gibson, son of regular “Saltwater Fishing” writer Barry Gibson, recounts the tale of an epic battle between man and fish on the beaches and piers of the Outer Banks.

A recent trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks to try and catch a “puppy” red drum from the surf gave this writer a humbling taste as to what it’s like to be a “tourist” fisherman.

For years I’ve rolled my eyes at Boothbay Harbor tourists as they attempt to catch striped bass, usually while doing “something wrong.”

Now it’s true, stripers are everywhere in the summer, but fishing isn’t easy. It’s a blend of art and science. If you reel your lure in at the wrong speed, cast your mackerel chunk in the wrong spot, or are just simply in the right place at the wrong tide, your chances of success can fall to zero. But I recently got a taste of what it’s like on the other side – to be the wide-eyed tourist smiling down at the

water as if I had the first clue.

A few weeks ago we took a trip to North Carolina. My wife Erin’s family had rented a beach house in Nag’s Head, so we drove down with the kids – first to D.C. for a layover, and then on to the Outer Banks.

I decided this was my year to finally catch a young five- to ten-pound red drum, known as a “puppy” drum, as the adult fish can reach 90 pounds. I had made several attempts to catch a drum in the past down there, but with no luck. This time, I brought an old eight-foot Diawa Sealine rod, a hefty Okuma reel loaded with 20-pound mono, and a sand spike. Once we made it to the beach house, and the kids started racing around with pent-up energy, I quietly slipped out to

find a bait shop.

The Bait Shop The first one I came across was near a public fishing pier.

It had the obligatory fiberglass 500-pound blue marlin mounted on the outside, and there were families from Iowa in the parking lot. The guys inside were welcoming, and there was one who seemed completely devoted to churning out fishing licenses.

Anyway, I was pointed toward the usual two-hook bottom rigs. Of course, I was told I’d also need pyramid sinkers. Then I would need some fresh whole mullet, and for that I was going to need a cooler, and since I forgot my fish knife … and so on.

Two hundred dollars later, I was ready to conquer the puppy drum.

Surf’s Up! The next morning I tried surf fishing from the beach with the sand spike. I cut one of the mullet into

The author displays the “big one” he “caught” from the Outer Banks pier on the last night of his trip -- a long-dead bait mullet! Erin Gibson photo

strips and heaved the bait out as far I could.

The wind and surf were so bad that my line went sideways in just a few seconds, and I caught was that heavy, clumpy grasstype seaweed that’s common down south.

That night I went back out and had a little easier time of it. The wind had laid down, it was dark, and the sand crabs were out. I maneuvered down the beach a few hundred yards and covered my footprints so my family couldn’t find me.

At least this time I was able to stick the rod in the spike for a few minutes, but other than that I had no bites or action of any kind. Since I was still getting hung up on seaweed, I decided the next time I would try casting artificials.

The following day I went to another shop, for a second opinion.

The guy sold me some rubbertail shads that I knew I’d never be able to cast out with the 20-pound line. I went out that night, again with no results, but it was at least a little more fun than just catching seaweed.

Pier Pressure The second-to-last night I decided I was going to go all in and fish from the pier. I packed up the cooler with everything I had remaining, which in(Saltwater Fishing continued on page 81)

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 79

For the Love of Fly Fishing Hello, my name is William, and I’m addicted to fly fishing ....

Scrolling through Facebook the other day, I noticed a brilliant quote by one of my favorite fly-fishing writers, John Gierach.

“I was up on the Thompson River casting to snooty rainbows eating size 24 mayflies in low clear water under a bright sun in the wind. Drove myself quietly insane for four hours and came home happy and refreshed.

God, what a weird sport.”

For me, in these few sentences, Gierach uniquely points out the conundrum of trying to explain my love of fly fishing. Explaining it clearly can be quite a task, and even more so if the person you are speaking to has never fished with a fly rod.

In my spin fishing days, before I ever even thought of fly fishing, I did enjoy tricking the fish with both live bait and lures. Some memorable times were spent dabbling in streams and lakes for all sorts of fish, mostly hoping to fill the frying pan.

Nowadays, I still like filling the frying pan on occasion ... but mostly I just get a kick out of being able to be out and about in the woods and on the waters. I agree with the statement I hear ol’ timers often repeat when asked how they are doing: “I’m just happy to be standing on this side of the

On these cold winter nights, I can sit next to the heat of the woodstove in a comfortable chair, close my eyes, and imagine myself streamside, fly rod in hand. I feel the floating line gently tense as my rod loads and accurately tosses it to the horizon, then watch as it stops and quietly drops into place on the surface of the water. turf.”

With all that said, don’t get me wrong ... when I head out to fish, I am definitely looking to catch some fish. To clear that up further, let me explain it this way and see if it applies to your own thoughts about fly fishing.

If I started getting skunked every time I went out fishing, even though I tried my hardest, I’d probably begin to look at spending my time doing something else. I’m not really going to go stand out in the middle of a cold river and flail my fly rod around just to “enjoy” the fresh air – I want an occasional tug on the other end of the line. The beauty of the place makes the experience all that much

better, but I’m strongly hoping to hook up with a few fish in the process.

What Is It? What is the actual reason I enjoy fly fishing? What specifically do I like about it?

What keeps me coming back to the water, again and again? And how does it “refresh” my soul?

I could get a similar experience by simply floating around on a pristine pond in a canoe, soaking in the sun rays. I really do like surrounding myself with all of the wild beauty, doing nothing more than sitting there to absorb the pure, glorious majesty of the natural world.

What is it about the act of fly fishing?

Scottish novel-

ist John Buchan said it best when he explained, “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.”

Positive Attitude After thirty casts without a single nibble or even a swirl, I will still throw that line out with the same intensity and hope of catching a fish as with my first cast of the day. I really do perpetually hope for a fish with each

cast. Occasionally I’m successful, but my continued persistence is not dependent upon hooking a fish.

I think a lot has to do with the fact that I really do like being around water. I am mesmerized by the water – the waves, the depths, the fish in it, the sandy or rocky shores, the bugs that dwell there, and the plant life that also calls it home.

One fact alone keeps me alive with interest ... as hard as I try, I will never learn all there is to learn about aquatic life in my lifetime. The aquatic environment is an endless source of learning – a lifetime (Freshwater Fly Fishing continued on page 81)

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80 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Don’t Underestimate Ultralight Gear The first salmon hooked on my carbon rod and ultralight gear was a four-pound fish. I fought it for some time, lessening tension on the drag when it made a long run, tightening tension to gain line after the run. To my amazement, the fish began to tire. I was winning the battle, and excitement filled me.

For many years, my first choice of rod and reel for trout fishing was a fly rod. Then, perhaps 20-some years ago, several factors conspired to compel me to put my fly tackle into semi-retirement and concentrate mostly upon ultralight spinning tackle.

My fascination with ultralight gear goes back to the mid1960s, when I received an ultralight Garcia spinning rod for Christmas. It was hard to find suitable line back then, but I eventually found a spool of Cortland line in 4-pound test. This was a great line, with little stretch. It also resisted abrasion and lasted a long time.

That one spool of line lasted me for many

years. When one end became worn, I would reverse it, thereby adding another year or so to its useful life.

As time went on, my arsenal of ultralight gear became more extensive and – with advances in technology and manufacturing – more effective.

One thing remained, though, and that was it was still just ultralight, and therefore not strong enough to take on large fish.

Most of my fishing, though, was for wild trout. A 12-inch fish was considered a real prize, and a 15inch trout was a rarity – something to be displayed at the general store. These represented the maximum challenges for my ultralight tackle, and in

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time I became even more of an ultralight devotee and sought lighter rods and thinner lines, finally settling upon 3-pound test. And why not?

Such tackle was perfectly suitable for the streams and small rivers I typically fished.

Enter Graphite My early ultralight rods were made of glass. The lines, although serviceable, were not as strong or as durable as today’s lines. When a truly large fish hit, which sometimes happened, the tackle wasn’t up to the task. I have lost big fish because my tackle couldn’t handle them.

That has changed.

Today’s rods are made of graphite and other space-age materials. Lines have become thinner and stronger. These two factors have combined to make modern ultralight tackle something to contend with.

With the advent of a revised and upgraded hatchery system, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) began releasing fish into our streams the likes of which were seldom found in the wild. In addition, new, “exotic” species became more common. Brown trout

The author’s ultralight spinning outfit easily handled this hefty landlocked salmon. Tom Seymour photo

and rainbow trout began showing up in Maine’s small rivers and larger streams.

In areas where these fish managed to persist in their new homes for a year or more, fish of 16 to 18 inches became available. Today’s ultralight tackle, though, has no problem managing fish of this size.

Togue, Too My newest ultralight rod, a St. Croix, was put to the test this past season. A river where I fish for brook trout also holds salmon and even the occasional togue. Knowing of the possibility of hooking a large fish, logic would dictate switching to sturdier tackle. But the St. Croix was touted as being able to handle big fish, so I decided to test its mettle.

The first salmon hooked was a fish of 4 pounds or perhaps even larger. I fought it for some time, lessening tension on the drag when it made a long run, tightening tension to gain line after the run. To my amazement, the fish began to tire. I was winning the battle and excitement filled me. But this fish,

typical of most salmon, summoned enough strength for one final run, and that was when it found a submerged snag and wrapped the line around it. My fish broke off, but that would have happened with any kind of tackle. The St. Croix had performed admirably, despite finally losing the battle.

During the course of the season, other salmon took my lures, and none of them were able to find a snag to break off on. Several fish put so much stress on the rod that were it made of glass, it would probably have broken.

It was only possible to exert this much pressure on the rod because of the tensile strength of the line, 4-pound test Rikimaru. This line, though thin, can withstand considerable pressure before it breaks.

Salmon and brook trout, some in the 16inch range, were not the only fish to put my ultralight tackle to the test. Three different togue hit during the course of the season, and the little rod managed them admirably.

This was the first time I ever caught togue (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 81 (Continued from page 80)

in flowing water, and I discovered something about them that amazed me. They fight as well or even harder than salmon. Most of us catch togue in lakes, on medium or even heavy-duty tackle,

and the fight from an 18-inch togue is good, but nothing to write home about. Put that same fish in a stream and hook it on ultralight tackle, and watch out. It’s like hooking a bluefish, they fight so long and so hard.

Saltwater Fishing (Continued from page 78)

cluded about four pounds of whole mullet, and walked the mile-long stretch of beach to the public pier. When I arrived, there was a turnstile and a guard who collected money from anyone wishing to walk out on the pier. If I remember correctly, $3 to go out and watch, and $14 to fish. Since I had no cash, I turned around and humped all my stuff back to the house. Still no puppy drum, but plenty of “So whadja catch?”

“Everyone Reminded Me of Me” On the last night, with $14 wadded up in my pocket, I went back. After giving the Outer Banks even more money, I set up camp about half-way down the pier.

Most of the people who were fishing reminded me of me. Maybe worse, though – upside-down spin reels, enormous diamond jigs, bobbers with rubber worms, things like that. But it was nice.

The breeze was warm, and a few spots down I heard cheers as a guy with a cut-off shirt landed a sixinch flounder with a ten-foot surf rod.

A few hours went by with

Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 79)

of highly interesting lessons to be learned. For me, it is like a library full of my favorite books – an endless source of top-quality entertainment.

On these cold winter nights, I can sit next to the heat of the woodstove in a comfortable chair, close my eyes, dip into the memory bank, and place myself streamside, fly rod in hand. I can feel the sting on the insides of both of my index fingers from repeatedly stripping fly line in the cold water.

New Outlook While I’ve always been a big proponent of ultralight spinning tackle, events of this past year have served to give me a new outlook on wispy rods and fine lines. Try it yourself. You may like it.

¶

nothing. The mullet started to get warm, and the strips weren’t sticking to the hook anymore.

Most times they weren’t even making the long trip down to the water before falling off.

Reeling In The Big One! Erin eventually arrived to check on me. She quietly read a book while I repeatedly reeled up and re-baited. By 10 pm., I’d had enough. I took the biggest mullet I had left, hooked it through both jaws, and lowered it down into the water.

As a tour group walked by, I exclaimed “I got the big one!” and reeled it back up, letting it slam down on the pier. Erin was ready with the camera, and I posed for photos as a small crowd made its way over. A guy somewhere hollered, “What’d y’all use for bait?”

After my fame had died down, I ceremoniously dropped the remaining mullet 30 feet down into the water. Erin helped me with the gear and put her arm around me in consolation. I picked up the rod and we walked back to the house. All I could think about was striper fishing back in Maine.

The puppy drum will have to wait.

¶

I can actually feel the floating line gently tense as my rod loads and accurately tosses it to the horizon, then watch as it stops and quietly drops into place on the surface of the water.

Before the gleaming brook trout screams to the surface to attack my fly, I am suddenly brought back to reality by the grinding sound of a state plow truck as it slops a foot of cold, snowy slush from the pavement and into my yard.

Winter will last a few more months before it gives way to fishing season. Until then, we can dream.

¶

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82 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Sebago Locks Up and Heats Up This Month I got a violent strike, and started reeling. I knew I had a whopper. As the lake trout neared the hole, all I could see were the green and brown markings of its side. It seemed to fill up the whole ten-inch hole!

They say nothing is certain in this world, and I guess you could say this applies to predicting the date the ice will form on Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1).

However, generally by the second month, she’s ready. Last season was a warm one and the big bay never froze, but we got some good angling in on Jordan Bay and Lower Bay. Testing the Ice I’m not one to venture on questionable ice, so when I got a call in early February last year to do a little scouting on the lake from buddy and fellow guide Dan Hillier of Songo River Guide Services, I was reluctant. However, Dan is a fireman and a cold-water rescue expert, so I knew I’d be

safe in his company.

We walked out from my place chiseling at the ice every few steps. Dan had flotation gear and rope, and I had my trusty ice picks.

We were out of my cove and into the bay still with a good solid 4 inches of black ice – enough for a few men on foot. We drilled our holes and started jigging.

Dan soon caught a blip on his fish finder and watched a fish rise up toward his jig. Not a hooker, just a looker, as we say!

Then I had a tap, followed by a violent strike. I started reeling, and although it was my first fish of the season, I knew I had a whopper. I shouted to Dan it felt like a double-digit laker!

As I played it from the bottom in about 35

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feet of water, I hoped I wouldn’t lose it. As it neared the hole, all I could see were the green/brown markings of its side, and it seemed to fill up the whole ten-inch hole.

I pulled it through the hole and immediately saw why I thought I had such a whopper; I had foulhooked the threepound laker in the middle, and it was fighting from both ends! We chuckled as I slipped the fish back down the hole.

Television Time Later in the month, I headed out to Lower Bay with Dan and fellow guides and friends Glen Gisel of Sebago Sport Fishing and Guide Service, and Jon Peterson of Peterson’s Guide Service. Spencer Belson also tagged along. Spencer is a young fishing phenom who writes a monthly blog entitled The Current Angler, and is also a Maine Sportsman youth writing contest winner.

Dan had been contacted by the television show On The Water whose producers wanted to cover a Sebago Lake ice fishing adventure.

After shuttling the camera crew out to our spot on the lake

The author shows off a three-pound laker that came up sideways while he and fellow guide Dan Hillier were fishing on Sebago Lake.

for the day, we started jigging. We were marking fish in unheard of depth of 140 and 160 feet. I didn’t even have enough line on one of my jigs, so I gave Spencer the jig rod that would reach the bottom.

We had all been jigging for a while with no bites. The camera crew was ready to roll, but four guides couldn’t dredge up a fish! Glen was marking fish, so he decided to tip his jig with a piece of shiner and Boom, he had a laker.

Two more fish followed and we all put some meat on our hooks.

No sooner had I lowered my shiner-tipped Swedish pimple to the bottom and I had a good strike.

I pulled up the largest fish of the day and got some screen time. Glad I spent some time on my hair and makeup that morning.

Spencer’s Folly Spencer was next

up. I was watching him methodically jig a spot, then move when he had no luck. That’s the best plan of attack on Sebago Lake.

Sure enough, on his next hole he had a strike. I watched him set the hook so hard the jig rod came out of his hand and bounced on the ice. He scrambled to retrieve it and, to our delight, the fish was still hooked.

He dredged up a racy-looking laker while the film crew recorded.

Too bad they didn’t get his flying rod trick on film!

Sebago is a big lake, but by jigging and moving, you can find fish faster than by sitting in one spot.

I like to set four traps with small to medium suckers and then jig a spot for 15 minutes. If I don’t have a tap, it’s on to another hole.

A flasher or fish (Sebago to Auburn continued on page 87)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 83

Researching Stocking Reports Will Improve Ice Fishing Success Open-water fishing can be found all winter in some of the fast-moving rivers. Last fall, the lower section of the Mousam in Kennebunk was stocked with 1,200 brown trout. The river was also stocked in Sanford and Shapleigh. State biologists released some 24inch browns. Good luck if you hook into one of those with a 5-weight fly rod!

Many ice anglers seem to fish the same waters all winter long, especially if they fish from homemade ice shacks. Fishing from a wooden ice shack is a great way to spend days fishing with the family, but the heavy wooden structures can prevent anglers from being mobile and taking advantage of other waters to fish. Also, the structures are a hard to move onto the ice, and subsequently to move from their initial locations.

Portable pop-up ice shelters have become popular. They allow anglers to remain mobile and take advantage of fishing other lakes and other fish species. These shelters fold up and are easily stored and transported. Anglers can quickly collapse the shelter and move to new waters. By moving from spot to spot, they can fish for pan fish, brook trout, landlocked salmon or rainbow trout, all during the same day.

Each pond or lake in southern Maine is managed for different fish species. Smaller ponds are often managed for brook trout,

while some larger waters are stocked with brown or rainbow trout, and a few with landlocked salmon.

Before heading out onto the ice, anglers should consider the waters they plan to fish wisely and do some research – each fish species can require different bait and different fishing methods.

Brook Trout Waters Some waters in Southern Maine are managed for ice angling and are stocked in the fall or early winter. These are the waters folks should concentrate on this month.

When DIF&W is considering which species to stock in a particular lake or pond, biologists review factors such as water depth and quality, structure, inlets and outlets, and elevation, among other details. This allows them to match the water body to the species they intend to stock.

If anglers want to catch brook trout during the winter, then they should fish those ponds that are managed for ice fishing (stocked in the fall) and stocked with

brookies. In Southern Maine, these include Littlefield Pond in Sanford, York Pond in Eliot, Simmes Pond in Newfield, and Knights Pond in South Berwick.

“You Never Know” Waters Then there are the “you never know” waters that are managed for more than one fish species – as in, you never know what you’ll catch when you fish them. Little Ossipee Lake, located in Waterboro, is a prime example – it’s stocked with brookies, rainbows and landlocked salmon each fall. It also offers good cusk (at night) and bass fishing, as well.

Last fall, Little Ossipee Lake was stocked with 2,800 landlocked salmon, including some 19inch fish. This lake was also stocked with brook and rainbow trout, with some in the 20-inch size range.

The Little Ossipee has a large parking area located on Route 5 and has easy access to the ice at the adjacent boat ramp site.

Night fishing for cusk, some that are massive in size, is popular on

Joe Harvey of Bath is shown fishing the upper section of the Mousam River for brown trout. The Mousam River is stocked with trout in the fall and can be fished during the winter. Photo by Val Marquez

the lake. Cusk can be caught from the sandy beaches on the lake.

Cusk are an excellent fish for chowders on a cold Maine winter day.

Other waters stocked with salmon are Mousam Lake in Shapleigh, and Colcord Pond in Porter.

Stanley Pond in Hiram, has salmon, and it is also stocked with rainbows. These waters were all stocked last October and November and are managed as winter fisheries.

Open Water Fishing For those who prefer open water fishing, southern Maine has excellent opportunities. The Saco and Mousam Rivers are both managed for brown trout winter fishing, and they receive fall stocking.

Most of these rivers have open water year round along, with tail

waters downstream of dams – always great to fish during the winter.

The Saco is a large river and can be difficult to fish from shore; however, the Mousam can easily be fished, and in many locations.

In addition, because it’s a river near the coast and a stream in the upper sections in Shapleigh and Sanford, anglers can pick different fishing methods depending on where they set up.

Last fall, the lower section of the Mousam in Kennebunk (below the Route 1 bridge) was stocked with 1,200 brown trout. The river was also stocked in Sanford and Shapleigh – there were some 24inch browns released in these sections. Good luck if you hook into one with 5-weight fly rod!

(Southern Maine continued on page 87) www.MaineSportsman.com

84 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

An Ode to February Speaking for others who, like him, prefer to spend February inside in a recumbent position – even on National “Get Up” Day -- the author tries to find something good in a month with nothing to recommend it.

February is a great month to stay inside and learn something new. The weather is, at best, at its worst.

The Presidents’ Day car sales are all frauds because nobody has any cars this year. The groundhog not only sees his shadow, but notices the disastrous state of the world, and dives back in his burrow presaging not six, but 12 more weeks of winter.

I suggest forsaking all outdoor activities – including ice fishing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ski touring, trapping, rabbit hunting, and bobcat hunting (through Feb. 21) – and taking the month off to learn Macramé.

Which, unless I’m mistaken, is the official language of Macramia, a small country located in the South Pacific or, possibly, the Balkans. Being able to speak it will be useful if Macramia ever starts sending tourists to Maine.

Then, there’s Valentine’s Day. Think of the reaction you’ll get with a handmade card that spells out “I Love You” in Macramé.

Be careful, though.

There are only a couple of punctuation marks that distinguish “I www.MaineSportsman.com

Love You” from “You Are an Utter and Compete Wanker.”

One more connection to Macramia: February is named for the Macramian god Febru, the deity in charge of misplaced modifiers and clogged plumbing.

What About Harrison and Reagan?

But there’s more to February than just mythical figures, bad weather and embarrassing expressions of affection. There’s also the aforementioned Presidents’ Day. This holiday replaced Washington’s Birthday and incorporated Lincoln’s birthday into one convenient threeday weekend leading into school-vacation week.

Oddly, although we’ll hear a lot around this date about those two presidents, we hear nothing about another February president, William Henry Harrison, who was born on Feb. 9, 1773 and served in office for all of 20 minutes before kicking off, leaving the country in the hands of Vice President John Tyler, who was born in March.

Another ex-prez who’s been missing out on the February love is

Ronald Reagan, born Feb. 6, 1911. George and Abe need to move over and let Billy and Ronnie share in the glory that comes from having a February holiday established in their honor.

Recumbent Position Day? According to the internet, February is also Black History Month, and Feb. 1 is both National Freedom Day and National Get Up Day. I’ll celebrate the first two as best I can from a recumbent position.

The first day of the month has also been designated by somebody with a sweet tooth and a sense of humor as National Chocolate Day, National Baked Alaska Day and National Serpent Day. That last one may have inspired National Get Up Day. The second of February isn’t reserved exclusively for the groundhog. It’s also National Hedgehog Day. Spike your drink in the little critter’s honor.

National Lame Duck Day? Feb. 2 is also the day set aside to honor the Tater Tot and the ukulele. Feb. 3 celebrates carrot cake

As the magazine’s official “Maine Indoorsman,” the author finds little to get excited about this month.

and golden retrievers.

Feb. 4 is designated as National Homemade Soup Day, while the next day is both National Weatherperson’s Day and World Nutella Day. There doesn’t seem to be any celebration too lame for February.

The sixth is National Lame Duck Day (and National Frozen Yogurt Day). Fettuccine Alfredo gets its own day on Feb. 7, while the first Friday of the month is both National Bubble Gum Day and National Wear Red Day. Feb. 8 is National “Read in the Bathtub” Day. There’s more. National Pizza Day, National Umbrella Day, National Clean Out Your Computer Day and National Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day. Scarcely a day in this nearly unbearable month is spared some sort of designation, in the apparent belief that celebrating something, no matter how banal (Get Out Your Guitar Day, Na-

tional Tortellini Day, National Gumdrop Day), self-serving (Do a Grouch a Favor Day) or incomprehensible (National Battery Day, No Brainer Day, National Public Sleeping Day) is an improvement over enduring National “Just an Ordinary, Miserable Day in February” Day. To the best of my knowledge, there is no National Macramé Day. But if there was, it would be in February.

On the bright side, February is the shortest month, and it’s when baseball’s spring training begins. On the dark side, when it’s over, it’s time for March, an even worse month and the beginning of mud season.

Al Diamon writes the weekly column Politics & Other Mistakes for the Portland Phoenix and the Daily Bulldog.

He can be emailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 85

Smilin’ Sportsman

Silent Treatment Flo: “Why so glum?”

Eb: “My relationship with my wife is not so good right now.”

Flo: “What happened?”

Eb: “The other day, she asked me to pass her the lipstick, but by mistake I gave her a glue stick.”

Flo: And? Eb: “And she’s still not talking to me.”

— Priority Mail Eb: “My wife must really love me a lot!

When I’m with her, she wants the whole world to know!”

Flo: “Why do you say that?”

Eb: “Well, the other day, I wasn’t feeling well and had to stay home from work.”

Flo: “And?” Eb: “And when she saw the FedEx guy approaching our front porch, she threw open the kitchen window and yelled, ‘My husband is home! My husband is home!’”

¶

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86 • February 2022 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2022 • 87

Sebago to Auburn (Continued from page 82)

finder is a big help as it alerts you to the presence of a fish. If a fish risers to your jig but doesn’t bite, tip it with a piece of shiner or sucker or switch lures.

I find you can’t beat the Swedish pimple, especially when tipped with bait. I also like a tube jig in white or green. Other anglers swear by airplane jigs, but I rarely have luck with those. “Gulp” brand minnows on a jig head also work wonders.

This is the month to be on the big lake, so get out here and try your luck.

Be Sure to follow The Maine Sportsman on Facebook & Instagram!

¶

Southern Maine (Continued from page 83)

Square Pond in Shapleigh and Acton was also stocked with browns, and last fall some 24-inch fish were also released there. Square Pond has a longstanding reputation for large browns – the state record (23.5 pounds!) was caught through the ice on this large lake, and it still produces large trout each year.

Your chances for success will be greatly improved if you study the stocking reports, looking for waters that are managed for winter fishing. Once you identify those waters, check to determine the type of fish stocked in those waters, and then adapt your angling methods to target brookies, browns, rainbows or landlocked salmon.

¶

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