The Maine Sportsman February 2023 Digital Edition

ANNUAL BIGGEST BUCKS SPECIAL ISSUE!

Sportsman The Maine

February 2023 • $4.99

For Over 50 Years!

>> 2022 TOP TEN BIGGEST BUCKS PLUS 470 New Biggest Bucks Patch Club Members! P. 44-50

Baitfish Dealer Directory P. 22 Sportfishing Boats & Snowmobiles – Which Models are Best? P. 31, 70

Running Rabbits P. 68, 74

2 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine Sporting Camps & Lodges — An Historic Maine Tradition — Allagash Lakes Region

Quality Cabins & Lodge on Haymock, Spider & Cliff Lakes American Plan Lodge • Housekeeping Cabins • Year Round

Haymock Lake (T8 R11) • 207-307-2115

Fully Equipped Lakefront Cabins & Guide Service — Open Year Round —

P.O. Box 598, Millinocket, ME 04462 Mailing Address Only

www.macannamac.com

www.WilsonsOnMooseheadLake.com • 207-695-2549

Lake Molunkus Sporting Camps

GRANT'S KENNEBAGO CAMPS Get away, y sh, bird hunt & relax!

— Established in 1904 —

Open Year Round for ALL Your Outdoor Adventures

207-864-3608 • info@grantscamps.com • www.grantscamps.com

Make a Maine Memory at Molunkus!

Main Lodge with Comfortable Furnished Lakeside Cabins

Direct Access to ATV & Snowmobile Trails!

(207) 725-9471 www.lakemolunkus.com

Premier Destination for Landlocked Salmon, Smallmouth Bass & Upland Bird Hunting — Cabins on the Lake

(207) 796-2929 • Grand Lake Stream, ME

www.leenslodge.com FULL-SERVICE SPORTING LODGE

BOGGY BROOK OUTFITTERS Booking Guided Fishing Trips, Bear, Moose, Turkey & Deer Hunts Lodge & Cabin Accommodations Master Guide Jesse Derr 207-667-7271 ~ jdcon@yahoo.com Branch Lake, Ellsworth, ME

North Maine Lakeside Cabin Rentals 207-551-8292 www.libbyoutposts.com

www.boggybrookoutfitters.com

Shoreline Camps

HUNT ~ FISH ~ RELAX Cabins ~ Campground ~ Hunting ~ Fishing ~ Guide Service

Housekeeping Cabins & Boat Rentals on Big Lake

Family Vacations • Group Events Hunting & Fishing Parties World Class Small Mouth Bass & Landlocked Salmon Fishing ATV & Snowmobile Trails • Hiking Snowshoe • Cross Country Ski 191 Pine Drive, Grand Lake Stream, ME (207) 796-5539 • shorelinecamps@gmail.com

www.shorelinecamps.com

im Pond CAMPS

Native Brook Trout Upland Game Bird Deer Hunting Moose

Box 22 | Eustis, ME (207) 243-2947 relax@timpond.com www.timpond.com

www.MaineSportsman.com

Guide Service • Seaplane Flyouts Brook Trout & Salmon Fishing Wild Ruffed Grouse, Bear, Deer & Moose Hunts

mattj@libbycamps.com • (207) 435-8274

WWW.LIBBYCAMPS.COM

All-Inclusive Resort • 24-Acre Island 14 Lakefront Cabins • Meals & Daily Housekeeping

Matagamon Wilderness

T6-R8 ~ The Matagamon Families ~ (207) 446-4635 mainebearhunts.com ~ www.matagamonwilderness.com

Birch Island, Jackman, ME (207) 668-3792 • www.atteanlakelodge.com

Spencer Pond Camps Rustic Family Friendly Lakeside Housekeeping Cabins Dogs Welcome - Pet Friendly Open May thru November

www.spencerpond.com Reservations@SpencerPond.com • 207-745-1599

���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 3 POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT

www.MaineSportsman.com

4 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial Maine’s Outdoors:

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

Looking Back; Looking Ahead

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 603 • www.mainesportsman.com

These first few months of 2023 mark a good time to review what went well last year in Maine’s outdoor world, as well as potential challenges on the horizon.

Land and Easement Purchases With an active DIFW, a supportive Administration, and forward-thinking action by non-profit land trusts, easement and property acquisition projects moved steadily ahead last year. Deer wintering areas were a priority, and we are optimistic the measures will constitute the first of many steps toward correcting past practices that saw heavy cutting in protective wildlife habitat.

In southern Aroostook County, an area called Reed Deadwater will become a new Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The 6,000 acre parcel was targeted for protection because of its role as a deer wintering area.

As detailed by Jim Andrews in this month’s “Self-propelled Sportsman” column, there’s also great news regarding the Kennebago River, as the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust recently acquired and protected more than 10,000 acres of land along the upper river.

According to a recent land conservation summary written by Deidre Fleming of the Portland Press Herald, during 2022 the Forest Society of Maine and Northeast Wilderness Trust worked together to complete the purchase of the 21,265-acre Grafton Forest Project, which is adjacent to the state-owned Mahoosuc Public Reserve Lands Unit and Grafton Notch State Park. The purchase will serve to protect 18 miles of the Appalachian Trail.

MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com

Solar Power Construction Given the breathless and breakneck speed of construction of solar panel farms, until recently no one stopped to consider that green forests and fertile farms were being sacrificed in the name of solar tax credits.

A grassroots movement is now At nearly 500 acres, NextEra’s solar panel array in Farmington, Maine is emerging, with folks realizing that the largest in New England. These plants and wildlife are effectively exfenced, gated developments cluded from the fenced-in former wil- exclude wildlife of all types, and derness and farming areas. Future conservationists are determining legislation or rules may call on devel- how best to counteract the impacts. opers to provide some form of reme- Photo: NextEra diation to account for all those chainlink fences and all the shadows being cast by solar panels.

Lobster Industry Since a reported 80% of the nation’s lobster catch originates in Maine, it was impossible for our coast’s lobstermen to consider a recent federal regulation that would have drastically restricted gear in the name of right whale protection, as anything but a direct attack on their livelihood.

Two fortunate developments recently occurred. First, implementation of the rule was delayed by Congress; and second, the Biden administration made what could be termed a tactical error by simultaneously proposing speed limits for boats longer than 35 feet off the U.S. coastline from Massachusetts to Florida, which the recreational boat industry promptly labeled as “the greatest regulatory overreach in American maritime law.” Strange bedfellows perhaps, but our lobstermen can use all the allies they can get in this postponed battle.

¶

On the Cover: Jamison Grady of Whitefield earned his Maine Sportsman Biggest Bucks patch with this 12-point, 218-lb. whitetail. Grady was hunting in the snowy woods of Kingsbury on November 17, 2022, carrying his Marlin Trapper lever action rifle in 45-70 Gov’t caliber. The trophy was certified at Bingham General Store. See the list of this past season’s 470 successful Biggest Bucks hunters, starting on page 46. www.MaineSportsman.com

PUBLISHER: Jon Lund

OFFICE MANAGER: Carol Lund carol@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR: Lorry Plante 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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Almanac by Will Lund.................................................... 14 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 37 Big Woods World by Hal Blood & Matt Breton............ 38 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 65 Cooking Wildly by Kate Krukowski Gooding............... 51 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux............................... 63 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by Lou Zambello....................... 61 Get Out There by Staci Warren.................................... 29 Jackman Region by William Sheldon.......................... 55 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 9 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 53 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 6 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 42 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 11 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 43 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 64 Moosehead Region by Tom Seymour......................... 58 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 79 Nolan’s Outdoor World by Nolan Raymond............... 57 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 70 Outdoors & Other Mistakes by Al Diamon.................. 84 Quotable Sportsman by Will Lund................................ 17 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 74 Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly...................... 73 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 83 Saltwater Fishing by Barry Gibson................................ 34 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 66 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 69 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 40 Smilin’ Sportsman by Will Lund...................................... 83 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 68 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 76 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................. 12 Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts 36 Tidewater Tales by Randy Randall............................... 52 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 72 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 85 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 60 Vermont by Matt Breton............................................... 81 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 77

GUEST COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

BIGGEST BUCKS IN MAINE CLUB 2022........................... 44 Boating by Bob Humphrey............................................ 31 GUEST: Giving Back to the Deer by Jeff Hadley......... 82 Ice Fishing by Bill Graves............................................... 20 Snowmobiling by Steve Carpenteri............................. 25

���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 5

Full Line of Browning Products!

We have Browning Citori & Cynergy Shotguns, X-Bolt Rifles & Many Browning Handguns In Stock!

PLUS Knives, Binoculars, Apparel and MORE!

OVER 3,000 GUNS IN-STOCK!

— NEW ITEMS ARRIVING DAILY! — L.L.Cote is Now N a Maine Licensed FFL Dealer!

Maine Residents Can Now Purchase Handguns with NO SHIPPING Plus FREE TRANSFER with Purchase Over $300!

TAX FREE NH

L.L. Cote Sport Center

7 Main Street, Errol, NH • 1-800-287-7700 • www.llcote.com Intersection of Rt. 16 and 26 • Open 7 Days a Week 8AM–5PM

TAX FREE NH www.MaineSportsman.com

6 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters To The Editor

Micros Help Prepare for Max Ice To the Editor: Thanks to Jim Andrews for the great article on the Kahtoola microspikes (see “Maine’s Winter Months Offer the Best Trekking,” December 2022 issue). We have ordered two pairs.

We just moved to the edge of Lake Erie and are gearing up for winter. We already have a few pairs of snowshoes, and these spikes will help round out our safety wear.

At our age (63), falls are more painful than when we were younger. These look more comfortable and stable than the ones with springs on the bottom that we’ve been using.

We enjoy Jim’s columns in The Maine Sportsman.

Erik Warren – Port Clinton, OH —

You Want Crows?

You Got ’Em! To the Editor: I have crows around my house – lots of crows. And I enjoy watching them and listening to all their various vocalizations. I’ve seen them at various times pulling earthworms from the ground just like robins, eating whole frozen crabapples off the tree, and waiting for me to check my trap line of Tomcat mouse traps and then swooping down to collect the discarded mice and voles within minutes.

I’ve also heard tales, although not verified, of crows, upon seeing a flag pop on an ice trap, grasping the line in their beak and backing up until the fish was on the ice.

As a kid I remember a story about teaching a pet crow to talk, like a parrot, by splitting its tongue. Given the numbers of crows and the apparent lack of predators, is there a downside to their prodigious numbers?

I enjoy Tom Seymour’s “Maine Wildlife” column in the Sportsman, and I’d love to see one devoted to crows, in particular, what their vocalizations mean, any crafty crow anecdotes, and possible predators.

Chris Coggins – Round Pond, ME

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

Response from the Editor: As it happens, Chris, Tom’s thoughtful piece this month is titled “American Crow” – see page 11. And Steve Vose’s “Wildlife Quiz” (page 43) also focuses on crows.

—

Pet Insurance Provides Peace of Mind

To the Editor: After reading Christi Holmes’ column about the loss of her beloved dog (see “Losing a Good Dog,” December issue of The Sportsman), we decided to purchase dog insurance.

We have a 3-year-old English Yellow lab named Rosie. She means so much to us and is loved dearly.

I know that the insurance is not a guarantee of extended life, but I feel that with the financial aspect covered for her care in the event of some life-altering event, it will allow us to focus on her, as Christi mentioned in the column.

My wife Mary and I have had four dogs over the years, but Rosie is our retirement dog, and she’s such a blessing.

As an added note: Christi does a great job representing sportswomen in The Maine Sportsman magazine, and in doing so, she sets an example for other young women to enjoy the great outdoors that Maine has to offer.

Ed Phillips – Springvale, ME —

Dogs Ingesting Drugs – A Veterinarian Weighs In

To the Editor: Thank you for using the January, 2023 editorial (“Dangers to Dogs”), and William Clunie’s “Western Maine Mountains” column (“Surviving a (Continued on next page)

The Maine Sportsman IS GROWING! The Maine Sportsman is seeking an experienced, self-motivated

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

www.MaineSportsman.com

Contract Ad Sales Account Executive

to assist businesses and organizations in promoting products, services and events.

Qualifications include a proven sales record, superb customer service, fluent in English, and access to computer and phone. Knowledge of the outdoors a plus.

Training and contacts provided, monthly commission, and bonus potential.

Send resume and introduction to nancy@mainesportsman.com

���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 7 (Continued from page 6)

Pet Medical Emergency”) to help spread the word about reducing the instances of accidental poisonings of household pets, especially dogs, due to ingesting prescription and recreational drugs.

As a veterinarian, I have seen a rise in incidents of toxicity over the years. In the past, we always worried about things like chocolate and wild mushrooms.

Over time, we started seeing more cases of prescription pill ingestion. Most recently, the legalization of marijuana and hemp products has resulted in a new wave of toxicities.

Most CBD products are relatively harmless unless consumed in large amounts. However, some CBD products contain THC (active product in marijuana) at higher levels than stated.

With marijuana, we see some raw product being consumed (e.g., buds), but more frequently we treat animals for ingestion of food (such as brownies), edibles (really dangerous, as the dogs will eat many at a time), and vape cartridges.

Typical signs of ingestion are uncoordinated movements, urinary incontinence, and varying levels of mental stupor. Usually, time and fluids help. In severe cases, you could have nervous depression to the point of seizures, and even death.

We generally see several cases of drug ingestion a month.

Again, thank you for helping to educate readers regarding this threat.

Matt Townsend, DVM – Fairfield, ME —

Beware the Loon

To the Editor: Regarding Jon Lund’s December, 2022 “Jottings” column on loon territorialism, I witnessed a scene here in Wisconsin that brought the issue home.

My son Eric and I were canoeing on our cabin’s little lake and spotted a male Goldeneye sitting on the shore about 50 yards away near a duck nesting house we had placed there. We immediately began turning around so as not to harass the bird, but he was already alerted and was going down the bank and splashed into the water.

As we watched him, he was suddenly lifted out of the water by a loon that speared him through the belly from below. We had seen a pair of loons earlier but didn’t pay much attention to them because Wisconsin loons don’t spook at our presence – we mostly ignore them, and they ignore us.

Anyway, the duck struggled a bit and was thrown off the beak and lay dead in the water. We recovered it because Eric wanted to have it mounted – they are beautiful birds, as you probably know, and are rarely shot here.

Birney B. Dibble – Eau Claire, WI

TWO UNIQUE STORES Conveniently Located in the SAME SHOPPING CENTER!

(Continued on next page)

“The Wine Capital of Naples, Maine!”

DISCOUNT BEVERAGE STORE

CONGRATULATIONS HUNTERS IN BIGGEST BUCKS IN MAINE CLUB!

AGENCY LIQUOR STORE

1800 Choices of Maine Spirits Over 800 Craft Brews • 400 Hard Ciders Over 1900 Fine Wines —

207-693-3988

SUPERMARKET OPEN DAILY 7AM–8PM UFO BEVERAGE STORE OPEN DAILY 9AM–8PM

Naples Shopping Center

639 Roosevelt Trail, Naples, ME Locally Owned & Operated by David & Gail Allenson

www.TheUmbrellaFactorySupermarket.com www.MaineSportsman.com

8 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters (Continued from page 7) Being There To the Editor: Regarding Jon Lund’s “Return to Tim Pond” column in the November 2022 issue, I want to say that as a fellow oldster, it does my heart good to see Jon out there trying to entice trout with feathers, wool and tinsel at 94 years old, all while serving as Publisher of The Maine Sportsman.

I am a young 80, and he has become my new role model.

Leighton Wass – Adamant, VT

he also reminded readers that hunting is an historic tradition that reaches back through the ages, to the Red Paint people, the Abenakis, and the early Europeans.

And to members of my family, including my stepfather, who was an accomplished farmer, hunter and conservationist.

Jim’s column set forth a wonderful story, and showed quality of writing, taking us through the thousands of years. Thanks for the journey!

Steve Fortier – Lewiston, ME —

it’s cold).

To the Editor: In Tom Seymour’s November, 2022 “Maine Wildlife” column titled “Mice,” he describes a new plastic trap that he says is an improvement over the traditional wooden snap-traps.

Editor’s response: Right you are, Toby!

A review of the state records (found at mainesportsman.com/hunting-fishingrecords) reveals the following entry:

Build a Better Mousetrap?

Bob Landry – Rockville, CT

Reader Reminds of Recent Record

To the Editor: I am writing in response to the January issue’s “Maine Wildlife Quiz” regarding lake trout (togue).

The column states that the current record is 31 pounds, 8 ounces, from 1958.

Unless I am mistaken, an angler caught a new state record togue on Lower Richardson Lake a few years ago.

I enjoy reading your magazine.

Toby Milliken, Lewiston

This publication’s publisher (left) and its editor enjoy a day in August, 2022 in pursuit of rainbow trout in Canton, Maine.

—

Generations of Hunters To the Editor: I am writing to compliment Jim Andrews on his outstanding November, 2022 “Self-Propelled Sportsman” column, titled “View from a Maine Deer Stand.”

Every month I purchase my issue of The Sportsman from the news stand at the market on Lisbon Street in Lewiston.

I look forward to looking over every page until I’m sure I have missed nothing.

Jim Andrews’ column allowed me to re-live my last 50 years of hunting. But

Landry’s Ultimate Mousetrap “I catch five mice a night, and thirty to forty throughout the fall. I wipe out the entire herd.”

However, I have the ultimate mouse trap that trumps his by far. It consists of a five-gallon bucket with a soda bottle suspended horizontally inside with peanut butter on it and three inches of water in the bottom (or antifreeze, when

Lake Trout: 39.2 lbs., Erik T. Poland, Andover, ME, 7/2/2020, Richardson Lake

¶

STAY T UN TO OUR ED FACEB O AND WOK PAGE FOR UP EBSITE DATES !

INE

OF MA STATE

S M R A E FIR ON I T C U A BACK! IS

Mark Your Calendars for Maine’s Premier Outdoor Show!

MARCH 31 – APRIL 2, 2023 Augusta Civic Center

FREE PARKING! HUNDREDS OF EXHIBITORS! ACTIVITIES FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY! If you a returning or new exhibitor with questions, contact Carol at Carol@MaineSportsman.com or 207 622-4242 or Becky at Becky@SportsmansAllianceOfMaine.org or (207) 623-4589.

www.show.mainesportsman.com

www.MaineSportsman.com

���������������������������������������������The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 9

Luci Lights Up the Wilderness Cabin The Luci Light is a small, lightweight, inflatable, collapsible, solar-charged source of 65 lumens of brightness – enough to see your dinner in an offthe-grid cabin.

Last October, I spent a week staying in one of the Maine North Woods cabins in the upper reaches of the St. John River.

The cabin was tight and the roof didn’t leak. The cabin held two beds, a counter for food preparation, an old-fashioned wood stove, and a dining table and chairs. The cabin site also provided a grand view of the St. John River. All for the price of admission at the gate.

We were expected to provide bedding, food, cooking and eating utensils, as well as any illumination needed.

If we had used old-fashioned technol-

ogy, we might have brought Coleman lamps, kerosene lanterns, or candles for illumination, but we took a different path.

We brought a Luci light, a self-contained, waterproof, inflatable unit that has a solar charger, battery and ten light-emitting diodes (LEDs) all aimed in a downward direction.

So we hung the Luci six feet above the table, turned it on when it became dark, and presto!, we had sufficient light to eat our meal. Not enough light to read fine print, but good enough to get by.

Sunlight Recharges the Luci During the day. we left the Luci outside in the sun to charge the solar cell, and in the evening it again provided sufficient light for the meal until it was time to hit the sack.

According to the information on the box, the device will fully charge its battery in seven hours and will provide “up to 24 hours of light.”

Luci has two levels of light: low and high. It also has a blink mode, which might be handy in some settings. Probably will blink for days. I don’t know if the “high” setting will last 24 hours, since

The Luci light is an inflatable, collapsible, solarpowered light that illuminates an area with LED bulbs.

I haven’t tested that claim.

The whole rig is enclosed in a transparent, cylindrical, soft plastic case with

a check valve that controls air flow like an inflatable mattress or beach ball, making the device waterproof and (Continued on next page)

Pland! DON’T WAIT APlan SPRING! head!

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

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

We do pontoon boats, too!

DON’T WAIT UNTIL SPRING!

Call Now for More Information

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

www.MaineSportsman.com

10 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Jottings (Continued from page 9)

floatable. It weighs 4.4 ounces and costs about $25.

Solving the Mystery of “Lumens” The container claims the output is 65 lumens. Now “65 lumens” doesn’t mean much to me, so I had to do some research about LEDs. Incandescent lights, large and small, send light in all directions, which is why most flashlights and spotlights have a reflector to send the light in the desired direction. With old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, you can generally estimate the light output by checking the watts of electricity that the unit consumes.

But LEDs are vastly more efficient than incandescent bulbs, so

you need to measure the light output in a way other than watts; namely, lumens.

A typical old-fashioned, incandescent flashlight bulb for a two-cell flashlight emits about 10 lumens. In other words, we had the equivalent of six two-cell flashlights aimed down at our table.

In short, the Luci is a simple, lightweight and effective light.

Back in the Darker Ages I used to backpack into Baxter State Park for spring trout fishing. The Luci would have been a favorite, but it hadn’t been invented yet.

With a party of six, we found that the Coleman Peak One, the backpacking version of a Coleman liq-

uid fuel lantern, which weighed three or four pounds, provided a good light level. It was reliable, cast a lot of light in all directions, and used the same fuel as our stoves. But it was heavy and bulky.

Before that, we used candle lanterns.

Small sources of light, but we got by, barely.

LED Headlamps Light the Path The invention of LEDs has revolutionized the challenge of illumination for a backpacker or anyone else who faces the prospect of living or traveling in the dark, when the traveler wants to see and be seen.

Headlamps are not a new idea. For many years, miners have used carbide lamps, which burn gas generated from calcium carbide. Also, incandescent-bulbed headlamps have been used.

But batteries burn-

From left — Coleman lantern, candle lantern, Luci light. Photo: J. Lund

ing incandescent bulbs have to be replaced frequently. And battery packs are fist-sized, bulky and heavy.

LEDs use much less power, and seem to last forever. But they don’t, so a good practice is to remove the batteries when the light is no longer in use, because a leaking dead battery will corrode the lamp, especially if it is aluminum.

If a hunter or angler believes there is a possibility of not

getting back before dark, they should carry a good headlamp like the Princeton Tec, which weighs but three ounces, features three different light levels, and can provide the light needed to get out of the woods or back to home with minimal extra weight.

There are many fancier headlamps on the market now, but simplicity and durability may go hand in hand, so avoid features you don’t need.

¶

Trophy Gallery

Twofold Success Identical twins Brian Donaghy of Palermo (left) and Mark Donaghy of Unity both enjoyed success on the same day (November 17, 2022) in the tracking snow of northwest Maine. Brian earned his Biggest Bucks patch with a 229-lb., 7-point buck, taken with a .35 Remington in Jackman. His brother Mark also received a club patch with a 209-lb. 6-pointer, using a .30-’06 in Soldiertown. Both animals were certified by Derek Turmel at Bishop’s Store in Jackman. www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 11

Maine Wildlife:

American Crow

by Tom Seymour

One of my big regrets in life is that many years ago, I was an avid crow hunter. As with so many other hunters of that time, I believed it my duty to do my part to eradicate crows. This was because of the outdoor media’s campaign to get the word out regarding how much damage crows did to the waterfowl population. I thought, “They kill that many ducks? I had better take up crow hunting.”

Crow predation on waterfowl was and is an established fact. It didn’t occur to me then, though, to also consider that nature is cruel, and that crows eating duck hatchlings was just a part of the natural cycle. And then I saw what was happening to waterfowl on a local stream.

The owner of a series of dams on a small, slow-moving river caused water releases at the most inappropriate times. For some years, the flow would ebb in early spring in order to build up a head of water upstream. Then, after waterfowl such as loons, bitterns and a number of different ducks had established their nests in the riparian habitat along the stream, and females were brooding, the floodgates would open, and the resulting surge would destroy the nests.

After that, I watched as a wetland, a different one this time, was drained and filled in order to build a shopping center. It was then that I decided that crow damage to ducks was small potatoes, compared to the damage that humans inflict upon waterfowl populations.

In the end, I decided that since crows had never harmed me, I would no longer seek to harm them. Besides, crows were the one creature that I killed but did not eat, and that never set well, either.

Crafty Corvids American crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos, have a well-earned reputation for craftiness. That’s one more reason that I quit hunting crows. The critters seemed genuinely smart, and that’s saying a lot for any bird. Secretive? Yes. Resourceful? Yes. But smart?

I truly believe that crows possess a

Crows have earned a place in our columnist’s heart.

keen, albeit limited, intellect. It’s one thing to shoot something that runs purely on instinct, but it’s something else entirely to shoot a critter that appears to have the ability to reason.

Even more troubling, crows – both the American crow and the fish crow – have the ability to mimic human speech. A crow can be trained to talk by constantly repeating short words, such as “hello” or phrases such as “I love you.” It’s unlikely that a crow you encounter in the wild could talk, since it takes regular training and for that, you would need to domesticate a crow.

But it is against the law to keep crows as pets without a permit, and even then it would only be for rehabilitation and similar purposes. But nonetheless, just knowing that the crow I am swinging my shotgun at has the ability to say “Hi, Tom,” is enough to make me think twice before squeezing the trigger.

Here’s a tactic that crows employ that always gives me a chuckle. This happens when one or two crows are busily pulling apart a road-killed squirrel or other small animal. A car approaches, but the crows stay put, refusing to fly off and leave their prize. The driver naturally slows down, perhaps to a crawl, in order to not hit the crow or crows. At that point the crow(s) fly off, probably laughing to themselves.

What the hapless driver doesn’t

know is that it is near-impossible to hit a crow with a motor vehicle. Even if you don’t slow down, the crow will fly away at the last instant. It happens every time.

Crows perform a valuable service in disposing of dead animals along our roads. During the warm season, they are joined by turkey vultures, but crows deserve the credit, since they perform their duties year-round.

Neighborhood Crows In the small town where I live, we have three neighborhood crows. Other crows may pass through, and some may tarry for a bit, but these three are our neighborhood regulars. Seldom do these crows leave the area; however they may not stay together all the time.

One of these three crows likes my place, for reasons of its own. Lately, it has spent time hopping about my lawn, near the border of a small, maple-lined stream. It puzzled me what the crow was seeking, but now I think I know.

The maple trees drop their winged seeds, “samaras,” every fall, and many of these land on my lawn. There is nothing else there that a bird could want, so I’m convinced that the crows are eating the samaras.

I miss seeing “my” crow when it goes to its hideout across the street.

And if crows were to all leave, Maine would be the worse for it. www.MaineSportsman.com

12 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Fishing for Critters Last month, we took a look at some cool birds I’ve encountered over the years while fishing, and we actually barely touched my library of birds images taken while on the water. So you might see a Part Two someday.

Meanwhile, here are some of the many interesting animals I’ve encountered over those same years and, again, this hardly scratches the surface of the many specimens that have greeted my cameras. It all began with a squirrel.

A western gray squirrel – no, I didn’t pull out my Kodak canister film camera and snap a shot – was flitting along the steep bank opposite me on the lower Trinity River in Northern California, not far from Weaverville. While watching it dart up and down the steep incline, I cast a knock-off of a silver Mepps spinner – as a junior at Humboldt State College an hour down the road, I couldn’t afford the real thing – down and across the flowing stream, and a steelhead knocked the crap out of it, put up a powerful fight, and eventually came to net. First steelhead ever, and my heart was racing.

On some reflection after repeating the process, including the squirrel-viewing part, I realized that watching the little gray rodent caused me to slow the retrieve of the spinner to the speed the fish wanted it. And ever since, I’ve made it a point to watching animals of all sorts while fishing.

These two brown cubs acted like young children on the way down to the creek, where they learned to catch sockeye salmon under the watchful eye of their mother.

Brown bears on Alaska’s Wolverine Creek: Elizabeth and I were fishing out of a now-defunct small lodge in Cooper Landing, and we’d flown over Cook Inlet with our guide in a Beaver floatplane to the mouth of this sockeye (red) salmon stream, where an aluminum boat with an outboard awaited us.

In addition to catching silver, freshrun sockeye salmon with fly rods, we were regaled with several brown bears fishing as well. One mother had three cubs, and she was teaching them how to snatch fish in the shallows as they migrated up the stair-step incline of the small creek. It was one of those days when everyone was catching fish!

It was one of those days when everyone was catching fish! All photos by King Montgomery.

Moose: We were on our way in a small bus from the park entrance to a lodge deep into Denali National Park in Alaska, when this bad boy (see photo) trotted into view. I took this shot, a 35mm slide, through an open window over 20 years ago, before digital camera gear was available. I hoped the large bull would turn around and head back the other direction to pass in front of beautiful Mount Denali, but it was not to be.

www.MaineSportsman.com

The author believes wildlife sightings and good fishing go handin-hand. And if you see an animal on the shore or in the water, why not take its photo, creating a lasting memory that will transport you back in time whenever you view it?

I hoped this large bull would turn around and pass in front of beautiful Mount Denali, but it was not to be.

We continued to the Denali Backcountry Lodge, where Elizabeth and I fly fished for Arctic grayling in – you guessed it – Moose Creek!

Sitka deer, Alaska: While on a spring steelhead trip to Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, we encountered some Sitka black-tailed deer, a subspecies of the mule deer. Engaging creatures, they weren’t too shy, as we cast flies in the Thorne River not too far from the Alaska Boardwalk Lodge on Thorne Bay. They inhabit the coastal rainforests from British Columbia up through Southeast Alaska, and are much smaller than their mule deer cousins.

Sitka deer inhabit the coastal rainforests from British Columbia up through Southeast Alaska. They are much smaller than their mule deer cousins.

(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 13 (Continued from page 12)

We saw more Sitka deer than steelhead, but it’s near impossible to have a bad time in Alaska.

Harbor Seals: These excellent swimmers spend a lot of time sunning on rocks along the shore while taking a break from chasing fish, octopus and squid. We were motoring away from the You can see a lot of deer and wild turkey when fishing, and they often cause me to pause my fishing in order to take photos.

These harbor seals in Alaska spend a lot of time sunning on rocks along the shore while taking a break from chasing fish, octopus and squid.

bay toward the Inside Passage to fish for halibut, rockfish, and king salmon (Chinook), when we passed this mélange of harbor seals, and I snapped a quick slide photo. I have better photos, but haven’t had them scanned to digital images yet.

Moose, Maine: This young bull was munching salad pulled up from the shoreline floor of Second Wallagrass Lake in The County (DeLorme Atlas, Map 76, D-3). I was in a canoe skippered

An ecosystem devoid of insects, squirrels, and at least some larger critters is not a good place to be. We’re truly blessed to live in Maine, where lots of flora and fauna thrive.

Red and Gray Foxes: These iconic animals pop up now and then, and they truly are fun to watch. The small canids oftentimes are very catlike in their move-

This young bull was munching salad pulled up from the shoreline floor of Second Wallagrass Lake in The County.

White-tailed Deer, Maine: I see a lot of deer and wild turkey when fishing, and almost always pause my piscatorial pursuits to take photos. The presence of wild creatures means the environment you’re in is healthy and happy, and their presence could mean you’ll catch more fish!

a distance to find their lodges, because fishing around a beaver lodge can be pretty amazing, both for trout and salmon, and for the warmwater species of smallmouth and largemouth black bass.

One of the few animals that modify their habitat, beavers are found all over the world. South America’s capybara is the world’s largest rodent and big ones can check in at 150 pounds or more.

That’s a lot of rodent!

Caiman (or Cayman), Costa Rica: In Maine, we see various turtles sunning on tree trunks that have fallen into the water, but in Costa Rica, caiman fill that role. They are everywhere.

Foxes, like this red fox, pop up now and then, and they truly are fun to watch.

ments, as they course their territories looking for food or, in the early spring, mates.

I’ve seen reds and grays go at it claws and teeth, and it’s no secret these two

by Bonnie Holding, a registered Maine fishing guide who was with the Maine DIFW at the time. We were fly fishing for brookies, and Tenley Skolfield, who was then managing Fish River Lodge on Eagle Lake, was in a neighboring kayak.

We stopped fishing when this lad sauntered into the lake and began nibbling vegetation.

I’ll follow beavers at a distance to find their lodges, because fishing around a beaver lodge can be pretty amazing.

Gray foxes can pose quite regally. They, like their red cousins, are interesting to watch.

species don’t get along very well. In the late spring, we’ll often see fox families hanging out in our backyard.

Beavers, Virginia: The largest rodent in North America is a hoot to watch in action while you’re fishing, or at least trying to as the beaver keeps slapping its tail on the water to signal the danger of your presence. I’ll follow beavers at

In Maine we see various turtles sunning on tree trunks that have fallen into the water, but in Costa Rica, caiman fill that role. I didn’t fish here, but I bet these critters would smash a buzzbait or a popper.

We spent a week plus in this beautiful country, but didn’t fish. I did recon both coasts and the rivers and streams between the Caribbean to the east and the Gulf of Mexico to the west for future angling opportunities, which are endless.

I’m sure these smaller cousins of alligators and crocodiles will smack a buzzbait or large popper, so anglers need to be observant and careful. A big one might reach 150 pounds. ***** Photographs are the best way to reconnect with the past, be it last week or 50 years ago. I look at a photo and I’m instantly transported, at least for a little while. It’s a good feeling. So who says teleportation hasn’t yet been invented?

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

Almanac

14 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Tie a slip knot loop for each piece of gear in the boat, clip a carabiner into each loop, and then clip a carabiner to each piece of gear.

“Only Tie In the Gear You Want to Keep”

by Lisa DeHart, Maine Canoe Guide That’s what Maine Guides Mike Patterson, Larry Totten and Ed Eaton drilled into me as a young Guide.

Why? Once that boat wraps and fills with water, people instinctively hold onto the boat and watch the gear float away, because they know without that canoe, they’re walking.

Worst case scenario and you can’t get the boat, and choose to leave it. If you’ve got the gear tied in, you can rescue that.

Now you’ve got food, tents and tools, and you aren’t stuck basking in the glow of your Bic lighter, if you’re lucky. In addition … good gear isn’t cheap; we all know that.

A good tie-in system starts from the

Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

portage yoke. No matter how crunched the boat is, you can always find the portage yoke in a wreck. With a piece of rope as long as your canoe, tie a clove hitch on the portage yoke, with 2/3rds of the rope’s length towards the bow, and 1/3 of the length aft.

float down like a big yard sale.

So remember, there’s no shame in dumping a canoe – you got bested by a river that’s been flowing since the beginning of time. However, losing your whole outfit because you didn’t tie anything in – well, there’s a little bit of shame in that.

—

Learning How to Read Tracks

By John LaMarca, Maine Guide Bowdoinham, ME Photo: Lisa DeHart

Start at the yoke, and tie a slip knot loop for each piece of gear in the boat, from the yoke to the bow. Clip in a carabiner to each loop, and then clip the piece of gear. In the event of a wreck, this allows you to free each piece of gear one at a time, starting at the bow and get it to shore, rather than lacing it in and cutting the line and watching it all

With February snow comes the opportunity to learn a skill many try to use during the deer hunting season – utilizing fresh tracks to track deer in the snow.

Reading tracks involves gathering the information needed to track down a big buck, including: • How old is the track?

• What direction is the track going?

(Continued on next page)

THE LEGACY ROLLS ON

See state-of-the-art Fisher® Plows at these locations:

HTX V-PLOW

www.MaineSportsman.com

Visit Your Local Fisher Plow Dealer Today!

AUBURN Allegiance Trucks 1175 Minot Avenue 207-783-8548 www.allegiancetrucks.com

NEW GLOUCESTER Trafford Supply 531A Penney Road 207-926-4271 Like Us on Facebook

AUGUSTA O’Connor GMC Chevrolet 187 Riverside Drive 800-452-1911 www.oconnorautopark.com

WARREN On The Road Manufacturing 2243 Camden Road 207-273-3780 www.on-the-road.net

BELFAST Stanley’s Chevrolet 6 Belmont Avenue 800-339-2468 www.stanleychevybuick.com

WEST BATH Bath Auto Parts 116 State Street 207-443-4274 www.napaonline.com

BRUNSWICK Bodwell Chrysler Jeep Dodge 169 Pleasant Street 800-339-2455 www.bodwellchryslerjeepdodge.com

WISCASSET Wiscasset Auto Parts 693 Bath Road 207-882-6389 www.napaonline.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

Photo: Danielle Brigida

Is this more than one animal’s tracks?

• How big is the animal that made this track?

The tracks from which you learn don’t even need to be a deer’s tracks – they only need to be fresh. I recommend taking your dog for a walk in the snow to make a set of tracks. Once you’re done, you’ll have a set of fresh dog tracks, and you know the exact time they were created.

Start by inspecting them closely.

How does the imprint look? How does the outline of the track look? Do the •

tracks show that your dog was walking slowly, or was it running around?

After this, give it a full day, and take your dog on the same walk, a few feet away from the original tracks. Then compare your new, fresh track to the day-old one. How do they differ? Can you tell right away the difference between a track that’s one minute old, and one that’s one day old?

Now do this exercise in different conditions, and keep comparing. How does a track look after it’s had time to melt out some in the snow? After a snowstorm fills it in? After a fresh track is laid IN the old track? Try different scenarios, and see what happens.

One of my favorite advanced exercises is to have my dog and some of his dog friends all run around together. See if you can distinguish your dog’s track from other dogs’ tracks.

Studying tracks and understanding how they change with time and conditions will greatly help you next hunting season when you come up to a buck track and you ask yourself, “How old is this track? How big is the buck that made it? Is the buck slowly feeding, or is it traveling fast?”

Now, you’ll know the answers.

—

Despite Appearances, Eels Are Most Impressive Creatures

Eels in portions of the Cobbossee Watershed had to make their ways

around or over seven separate dams, according to Richard Behr Years ago, we were fishing through the ice on Annabessacook Lake, upstream from Cobbosseecontee. A flag popped up, and after a fast, slippery run, 4-year-old Nick was first to the trap.

Encouraged by his father and grandfather, he fought the large fish on the other end of the line. Finally, after a last, mighty haul, the finned creature came up through the hole.

Illustration: Maine Public

Nick took one look at his catch, uttered an indecipherable phrase, and raced away from the hole even faster than he’d approached it minutes before.

The fish was an American Eel. Why did the young boy run? Because, frankly, eels are unattractive. To quote S. Shankar, a Canadian who has studied and photographed these fish, “the American eel has a slender snakelike body that is covered with a mucous layer, which makes the eel appear to be naked and slimy, despite the presence of minute scales. A long dorsal fin runs from the middle of the back, and is continuous (Continued on next page)

RESTORE ORDER WITH THE BOSS HTX SERIES The HTX plow RESTORES ORDER with the same features and power of BOSS full-size straight-blade plows, built specifically for half-ton trucks. With business owners and homeowners in mind, the HTX line offers a strong, durable push frame and quadrant to clean up driveways and small business parking lots with a light-duty vehicle. When you need to RESTORE ORDER with your lighter-duty truck, BOSS is always there to BACK YOU UP.

2 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY Contact Your Local BOSS Snowplow Retailer!

BOWDOIN J.L. Custom Fab, Inc. Rt. 201 (North of Topsham) 207-666-5800 www.jlcustomfab.com

DOVER-FOXCROFT Rowell’s Garage 191 East Main Street 207-564-3434 www.rowellsgarage.com

EAST MACHIAS Johnson’s Town Line Auto 1060 Main Street, Rt. 1 207-255-4996 www.johnsonstownline.com www.MaineSportsman.com

16 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac

(Continued from page 15)

with a similar ventral fin.” Yikes!

However, the very fact that the eel was in Annabessacook is nothing short of a miracle, since it had been born in salt water, thousands of miles away.

As Richard Behr, Maine fishing guide, explained in a piece titled “An American Eel Story; Cobbossee Watershed” (“Upstream Cobbossee” newsletter, October 6, 2021), eels are “catadromous,” meaning they spawn in salt water, before migrating and maturing in fresh water, as opposed to “anadromous” species such as Atlantic salmon, that are born in fresh water and then migrate to salt water: “The American eel’s catadromous life history runs counter to the anadromous fishes. Unlike their anadromous cousins, juvenile eels grow and reach maturity in freshwater habitats.

After a lengthy life in freshwater, sexually mature adult eels (silver eels) depart their freshwater habitats to return to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea, where the cycle is renewed.”

So why was the presence of this adult eel in Annabessacook (and other eels in each lake in the Cobbossee watershed)

Maine Winter Hunting Season Dates Snowshoe Hare: Snowshoe hare season runs through March 31, 2023 in all Wildlife Management Districts with the exception of Vinalhaven Island, Knox County, which has a season end date of February 28, 2023.

Bobcat: Season runs through February 21, 2023 Fox: Through February 28, 2023 Coyote night hunt: Through August 31, 2023 Coyote day hunt: Year-round

so impressive? As Behr detailed: “Remarkably, recent fishery surveys continue to document the presence of eels in Pleasant Pond, Cobbossee, Annabessacook and Cochnewagen lakes. Think about this for a moment. The 2006 Cochnewagen fishery survey identified adult eels that somehow found passage around seven dams with no assistance.”

—

Dealing with Concussions

by Stacey Wheeler, RN When most think about concussions, they think of sports injuries or car accidents.

However, outdoorsmen and -women are also subject to concussion, and it’s a frequently-seen injury in the emergency room.

Also known as mild traumatic brain injuries, concussions are a very common condition resulting from a fall on the ice or other hard surface. If you – or someone you are with – sustains a trauma to the head, it is vital to recognize the symptoms and seek medical attention.

Usual symptoms of a concussion include: • Headache • Dizziness • Nausea and/or vomiting • Fatigue • Difficulty concentrating • Irritability or mood changes • Blurred vision and/or sensitivity to light • Memory loss Some of these symptoms occur immediately, while others may take hours or days to appear. It is important to be evaluated by a medical professional.

Proper treatment can help to manage or alleviate ongoing effects from concussion, and will facilitate a return to normal activities.

While some concussions are not preventable, we can all take steps to im-

prove our chances of avoiding sudden falls, which are the most common cause of the condition. To reduce the chances of sudden falls, and to otherwise protect ourselves from concussions, here are some worthwhile measures: • Wearing proper footwear, with soles designed to grip the type of surface on which we are standing or walking (e.g., a wet boat deck requires different footwear than when you are traversing a rocky slope) • Wearing a protective helmet for certain activities, such as cutting trees with chain saws • Staying physically fit, and maintaining your balance • Always being aware of your surroundings Winter ice is the cause of many falls, so whether you are shoveling your drive, skating, or ice fishing, keep your head about you and safely enjoy Maine’s outdoor winter activities.

—

Our Nation’s Symbol

An adult American Bald Eagle takes off from the ice on the Stillwater River, just above the Gillman Falls dam, as a juvenile eagle watches. Photo by David Small, Old Town (docfinsdave@gmail.com)

¶

Never Miss Another Issue –

Get The Maine Sportsman Delivered Right to Your Door! r One Year $30

r Two Years $49

Name________________________________________

Exp._________________________ CVV___________

Address______________________________________

Phone_______________________________________

____________________________________________

Email________________________________________

City_________________________________________

Include your Check, Money Order or VISA/MasterCard info to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330

State_________________________ Zip_____________ VISA/MC____________________________________

www.MaineSportsman.com

You can also call (207) 622-4242 or subscribe online at

www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 17

Quotable

Sportsman

by Will Lund

“Some [hunters] believe the only sportsmanlike way to kill a grouse is to shoot it when it’s in flight, but there’s a long tradition of driving logging roads in search of grouse and shooting them as they stand. … There’s a saying that it’s a ‘partridge’ if shot on the ground, and a ‘grouse’ if shot on the wing.”

Paul Koenig, “Hunting for the Ghost of the Forest,” Maine magazine, November/December 2022.

— “There was no chance this case was not going to the Maine Supreme Court. The Superior Court’s decision does look bad, but it’s really not. The court didn’t give any arguments at all. There’s no analysis.”

Jared Bornstein, executive director of Maine Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, quoted in a Bangor Daily News story titled “Lawsuit challenging Sunday hunting ban likely headed to Maine’s top court,”

by Pete Warner, December 27, 2022. A couple in Readfield, Maine has challenged the state’s prohibition on Sunday hunting, alleging that the ban violates Maine’s new “right to food” constitutional provision. The Superior Court dismissed the civil case, but the plaintiffs are expected to appeal to Maine’s highest court.

—

Mainers call this bird a partridge while it’s on the ground, but if it takes off, it’s transformed into a ruffed grouse.

Aaron Smith photo

— “She never slowed down,” Bill Stiver, a wildlife biologist who was tracking the bear, told WBIR-TV. “She just kept on going.”

A story by news reporter Andrew Mark Miller, referring to a bear that was relocated about 50 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee because it had been approaching campers for food.

The bear’s GPS collar showed that after it was moved, the animal traveled more than 1,000 miles through Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina before eventually returning to the very same campsite in Tennessee where it originally had been captured.

“All yer gotta do ter git a deer is ter be at a certain place the same time the deer is.”

Author Bill Geagan, quoting deer-hunting advice given to him by his father, in Geagan’s 1952 book, “Nature I Loved.” The book was re-released in 2022, with a new forward by Dee Dauphinee of Bradley, Maine.

— “As a species … Arctic charr … can adapt to many different habitats and diets. In Maine, some populations specialize in eating snails, while others eat insects, and [still] others prefer fish.”

Michael Kinnison, a University of Maine professor of evolutionary applications, who has been studying Maine’s Arctic charr for 20 years.

Kennison was quoted in a broadcast titled “A fish that’s swum in Maine ponds since the Ice Age faces an uncertain future,” by Murray Carpenter of Maine Public Radio, that aired December 12, 2022. www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

February 2023 Sunrise/Sunset

Trophy Gallery

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

RISE

SET

6:55 6:54 6:53 6:52 6:51 6:50 6:48 6:47 6:46 6:44 6:43 6:42 6:40 6:39

4:53 4:54 4:55 4:57 4:58 4:59 5:01 5:02 5:04 5:05 5:06 5:08 5:09 5:10

DATE 15 6:37 16 6:36 17 6:35 18 6:33 19 6:32 20 6:30 21 6:28 22 6:27 23 6:25 24 6:24 25 6:22 26 6:20 27 6:19 28 6:17

RISE

SET

5:12 5:13 5:14 5:16 5:17 5:18 5:20 5:21 5:22 5:24 5:25 5:26 5:28 5:29

5:04 5:05 5:07 5:08 5:09 5:11 5:12 5:14 5:15 5:16 5:18 5:19 5:20 5:22

February 2023 Tides Portland, ME DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

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 Tue

HIGH AM PM 7:58 8:42 8:49 9:31 9:36 10:14 10:18 10:54 10:56 11:30 11:32 — 12:03 12:06 12:35 12:40 1:06 1:14 1:39 1:52 2:14 2:34 2:55 3:22 3:42 4:16 4:35 5:18 5:36 6:27 6:43 7:37 7:51 8:40 8:53 9:37 9:50 10:30 10:45 11:21 11:38 — 12:10 12:28 12:57 1:19 1:44 2:11 2:34 3:06 3:26 4:05 4:21 5:07 5:21 6:12

www.MaineSportsman.com

LOW AM PM 1:41 2:32 2:35 3:21 3:22 4:04 4:04 4:44 4:43 5:19 5:19 5:51 5:54 6:22 6:28 6:53 7:04 7:26 7:43 8:01 8:25 8:41 9:13 9:27 10:06 10:18 11:05 11:16 — 12:11 12:22 1:20 1:30 2:25 2:33 3:22 3:32 4:16 4:27 5:07 5:21 5:55 6:13 6:42 7:04 7:29 7:57 8:17 8:51 9:08 9:49 10:02 10:50 11:00 11:55 —

Tiffany Fowler of Randolph earned her Biggest Buck patch with this big whitetail deer, taken in the town of Chelsea on November 16, 2022 using a 30-’06. The deer weighed 200.3 lbs. on the on state-certified scale #87100 at JZ Meat Processing, Windsor.

Rebecca Harrison of Pownal joined The Maine Sportsman’s Biggest Bucks Club on November 9, 2022 when she dropped this 217.2-lb, 8-point whitetail in her hometown with her .308. The deer was registered and weighed at Howell’s Gun Shop, Gray.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 19

Trophy Gallery

Success in Tim Pond Twp. Rodney Elmer of Northfield, Vermont (third from left) hunted this past season with family and friends in Tim Pond Township, and was rewarded with this 220-lb., 9-point whitetail buck on November 4, 2022. Helping Rodney mark the occasion were (from left) Taylor Elmer, Rion Elmer and Jim Murphy. The tagging process was certified by Garrett Moody of the Maine Warden Service in Stratton.

Brian Parlin of Madison harvested this 211-lb., 8-point whitetail in Norridgewock on November 19, 2022 using a 30-’06. The big deer was registered and weighed at the Skowhegan Fire Department. www.MaineSportsman.com

20 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Aroostook County Offers Ice Fishing of the Finest Kind

by Bill Graves

When fishing on Nickerson Lake, the author reserves one hole in the ice for hand-lining. “When the smelt are feeding and the perch are on a bite,” he says, “it can be the busiest part of the outing.”

The lake is also full of brook trout, pickerel and togue, and offers an occasional – and unusual, for The County – brown trout.

Ice fishing lakes in The County during February is a lot like shooting craps – selecting the right waterway on the right day to enjoy consistent action requires a good deal of luck.

If a hard-water angler prefers to catch big brook trout, or perhaps if togue top the list, or if a double-digit

muskie is your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the odds narrow even more.

There’s enough adversity to winter fishing without suffering only one or two flags per outing, so I try to visit lakes that harbor several species of fish.

I figure they won’t all have lockjaw on the same day.

Deep Fishing One such multispecies frozen gem near Houlton in Central Aroostook is Nickerson Lake, and for some reason, fishing attention is moderate there in comparison to several nearby waterways. I’ve always been a fan of Meduxnekeag Lake (local(Continued on next page)

Operation Reboot Outdoors:

★★★★★

ELLIS POND ICE FISHING DERBY

Never Miss Another Issue!

Saturday, March 11, 2023 • 6AM–3PM Ellis Pond (Roxbury Pond-Silver Lake) • Roxbury, ME $20 Entry Fee • Rain Date March 18th Cash Prizes • Door Prizes • Raffles • Kids Only Categories Best Derby Food & Coffee in the State!

PRIZES:

LARGEST SMALLMOUTH BASS, BROOK TROUT OR PICKEREL: 1st $500, 2nd $250, 3rd $100 LARGEST PERCH: $150 • LARGEST CRAPPIE: $150 KIDS SMALLEST FISH (NON-TROUT): $150 • KIDS LARGEST TROUT: $150 KIDS LARGEST CRAPPIE: Wildwater Replica Fish Replica

ENTER TO WIN A 2023 ATV! Approx. $9,000 value

RAFFLE TICKETS $20 EACH

Go to www.operationrebootmaine.org. to purchase tickets. Winner will be drawn during derby event. Winner does NOT have to be present to win.

www.operationrebootmaine.org www.MaineSportsman.com

Nickerson Lake, in New Limerick and Linneus, boasts several fish species. Something is always biting, so it’s a perfect spot to introduce kids and rookie ice angers to the sport. This brook trout made the young man’s day! Bill Graves photo

PRIZES

Subscribe to The Maine Sportsman by going to MaineSportsman.com/ Subscribe or calling (207) 622-4242 today!

★★★★★

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 21 (Continued from page 20)

ly called Drew’s), but year-around shoreline camps and plentiful visiting anglers exert constant pressure year around. On an outing a few years ago the fishing was slow all morning, and truck after truck of ice drillers kept arriving.

So my buddies and I packed up and drove to Nickerson, a couple of miles away. Our afternoon was rewarded with steady flags, and we quickly formulated a plan to revisit the following week.

Nickerson Lake is a boomerang-shaped waterway of 243 acres. It features a deep area of a breathtaking 107 feet, but the average depth of 34 feet is opportune for tip-ups and handlining for most fish.

Brook trout, pickerel, white and yellow perch and smelt are the common quarry, but many ice anglers visit in hopes of hooking a brown trout – rare in Aroostook lakes – or a large togue from deeper trenches.

Ice shanties are present but not plentiful, and weekday anglers never create a crowding issue, especially if you have access to a snowmobile to haul anglers and gear to the more remote section of the lake away from the boat launch site.

The most distant end of the lake is just behind the local golf course.

Champion Brook inflows into the cove. The water in this portion of the lake averages 15 to 25 feet in depth, and offers top-rate trout fishing for both brookies and browns.

Passive or Active I’ve always described ice fishing as

a passive sport with a lot of watch- and waittime after the drilling is done. My solution is to set out one fewer tip-up than is allowed, and then I keep busy by handlining so I feel like I’m actively fishing.

In what may be a

surprise to many, the fact is that when the smelt are feeding and the perch are “on a bite,” it can be the busiest part of the outing.

A piece of shrimp, hot dog or Vienna sausage makes a good starting cut bait, but dicing up

that first smelt into filet slivers really transforms the little silver carnivores into a feeding frenzy.

When I’m trying to attract the larger denizens, a flashy little DB Smelt or Swedish Pimple lure with a piece

of cut bait is my go-to option. As an added attraction, I started carrying my spray bottle of bass fishing liquid lure in crab aroma, to give the bait added oomph in the cold water. I think it’s increased the (Continued on page 23)

— 2,500 Sq. Ft. of Sporting Goods —

TrippHammer Blacksmith Shop 186 Sabattus Road, Sabattus, ME • (207) 375-6253 2 Miles Off I-95 Exit 86 Family Owned & Operated

Hand Forged Cooking Equipment

etsy.com/shop/TrippHammerForge

The Most Remote Hunting in the North Maine Woods Wilderness

Allagash Lakes Region American Plan Lodge • Housekeeping Cabins • Year Round

Booking 2023 Deer Hunts. $300 per Person per Week (Lodging Only), Double Occupancy Required Book Your 2023 Black Bear Hunt Now While Your First Choice of Dates is Still Available!

Visit us on the web:

ROSSLAKECAMPS ON CHEMQUASABAMTICOOK LAKE

W W W.

.C O M

Map 55 in Maine Gazetteer

For Fastest Response, E-mail:

info@rosslakecamps.com

or call to leave a message at 207-227-7766

Year Round Hunting and Fishing Opportunities Greenville Fire Department 2nd Annual Moosehead Lake

ICE FISHING DERBY MARCH 3–5, 2023

TICKETS: $15 EACH • $30 FAMILY PRE-REGISTRATION MARCH 2ND 6PM–8PM REGISTER DURING DERBY HOURS: March 3rd 6AM–6PM, March 4th 6AM–8PM, March 5th 6AM–2PM Registration & Weigh-In Station at the Greenville Fire Department, 10 Minden Street, Greenville, ME

CASH PRIZES & GREAT DOOR PRIZES! Largest Lake Trout: 1st Place $500 Cash & 2nd Place $250 Cash Largest Cusk: 1st Place $250 Cash & 2nd Place $125 Cash Kids Under 10: First to Register a Fish Wins a Basket of Traps!

Derby Winners & Door Prize winners will be announced on the Greenville Firefighter Association’s Facebook page on the following dates: Derby Winners: March 5th after 2PM • Door Prize Winners: March 4th after 4PM

ALL PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE GREENVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR PROJECTS!

FMI: Chief Sawyer Murray 207-695-2570 or sawyermurray@greenvilleme.com

Quality Cabins and Lodge on Haymock, Spider and Cliff Lakes Time to make plans for your ICE FISHING TRIP! Big Eagle, Churchill, Spider, Pleasant, and Clear Lakes A great place for a quality Family Vacation!

Ice Fishing • Snowmobiling • X-Country Skiing • Snowshoeing

MACANNAMAC CAMPS Haymock Lake (T8 R11) • 207-307-2115 P.O. Box 598, Millinocket, ME 04462 Mailing Address Only

www.macannamac.com

Little Tim’s 7th Annual

ICE FISHING DERBY Proceeds to Camp Postcard / Volunteers of America

March 4, 2023 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) 357-3469 www.FB.com/LittleTimsAnnualFishingDerby

Many Thanks to Our Sponsors! www.MaineSportsman.com

22 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— 2023 —

Bait Dealers Directory AUBURN

ISLAND FALLS

OAKLAND

Smelts • Shiners • Suckers • Tommy Cods • Worms

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

(Taken Over by Tony’s Bait) Shiners • Smelts • Suckers • Crawlers Sun–Tue 5:30AM–Noon, Wed–Sat 5:30AM–5:30PM 1 Pleasant Street 207-458-0246 or 207-716-1494

BANGOR

JAY

OLD TOWN

DAG’S BAIT & TACKLE

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

Open 7 Days

DILL’S OUTDOORS, LLC

JERRY’S FOOD STORE

WILD THINGS

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

GOOD LIFE GUNS

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

OLD TOWN TRADING POST

BRIDGTON UNC’L LUNKERS BAIT & TACKLE

LINCOLN

PITTSTON

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

207-647-8100 BROWNFIELD

WILLY C’S BAIT & TACKLE

WHITNEY’S OUTFITTERS

SOUCY’S BAIT SHOP

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

Shiners • Smelts • Suckers • Crawlers Sun–Wed 6AM–Noon, Thu–Sat 5AM–7PM 1148 Wiscasset Road 207-588-6038 or 207-458-0246

MADISON

ROCKWOOD

BAIT, BOLTS & BULLETS

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

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

GRAY

FENTON’S BAIT

24/7 Self-Service Shiners • Suckers Eastern Minnows • Mummicog

15 Frost Road

207-807-4482

GREENVILLE

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

www.MaineSportsman.com

MOOSEHEAD BAIT & TACKLE

Shiners • Suckers • Smelts • Worms & Crawlers Open Daily • Walk-In 4008 Rockwood Road Brian Scott 207-534-2261 Resident & Non-Resident Licenses - Snowmobile Registrations

MONMOUTH

SHAPLEIGH

JACK TRAPS

LAKESIDE SPORT & MARINE

Ice Fishing Outfitters Smelts • Shiners • Pike Bait

— Live Bait & Tackle — Smelt, Shiners, Suckers, Worms, Dillies, Crawlers 143 Emery Mills Road, Rt. 109 • (207) 636-1325 (on Lower Mousam Lake)

NEW GLOUCESTER

WEST ENFIELD

Live Bait: Shiners & Smelt 291 Townhouse Road, Chelsea, ME Open 6AM 7 Days • 151 Ridge Rd, Monmouth, ME 207-441-0645 207-933-9499 • www.jacktraps.com CHESTERVILLE

TONY’S BAIT

274 West Broadway • 207-403-8000

Ice-Fishing Headquarters – We Carry Haat Rods!

SMELTS - SHINERS - SUCKERS 941 Pequawket Trail, Brownfield, ME Tackle, Augers, Sleds OPEN THU-TUE 6AM-6PM 469 Lakewood Road (Rt. 201), Madison, ME Shiners, Smelts, Meal Worms, Crawlers 207-643-2766 (207) 935-1197 • Like Us on Facebook!

CHELSEA

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

MOONEY’S LIVE BAIT

FRIEND’S BAIT SHOP

94 Old County Road • (207) 852-7397 LIVE BAIT • OPEN 24/7

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

Smelts, Shiners, Suckers, Cut-Bait Suckers, 5-6” Suckers, Dace, Fat Heads, Worms, Crawlers OFFERING AIR & BAGGED BAIT UPON REQUEST

NORRIDGEWOCK

WINDHAM

BAIT BUCKET

Shiners & Smelt Open Mon–Fri 5AM–1PM, Sat–Sun 4AM–2PM 72 Madison Road, Norridgewock, ME 207-858-5282

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–Wed 5AM–12PM, Thu–Sat 5AM–6PM Retail 207-485-8574 Wholesale 207-557-4308 8 Little Cobbossee Avenue, Winthrop, ME

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 23

Ice Fishing (Continued from page 21)

strike percentage.

Nickerson is actually half in New Limerick and half in Linneus, accessible via Route 2A and then from the Boat Launch Road and several spots along the Drew’s Lake Road. DeLorme’s Gazetteer, Map 53, grid A-2 offers a full overview.

Late Start Lake Most winter fishermen want to be drilling holes as soon as a safe layer of ice forms. Some are just anxious to go fishing, while others are positive the best action on any frozen waterway will take place during the first couple of weeks.

For most Crown of Maine lakes, the season is half over this month, but Madawaska Lake does not even open to fishing until February 15th, yielding only a shortened 45-day season.

Madawaska Lake doesn’t offer good water conditions for summer angling due to shallow, warm water, so biologists have set it up as a fast action, abridged-season winter location. Stocking occurs heavily in the late fall, with 1,650 brook trout of 14 inches, and more than 200 salmon from 16 to 19 inches, placed into its waters last November, so tipups should be flying fast and furious this month.

Madawaska Lake

lies less than 100 yards off Route 161 between Caribou and Fort Kent, with a well-plowed side road by the boat launch less than 10 yards off the east end of the lake, as well as camp roads along each shoreline

offering close access for those without a snowmobile. DeLormes Map 68, sector E-4 offers a full overview for visiting sportsmen who are unfamiliar with the area.

This is a great spot to take youngsters or rookie ice drillers for a short morning or afternoon outing on a calm,

sunny day. Check the regulations regarding baits and daily limits specific to this location, which include Special Codes S-11 (use of live baitfish permitted); a

daily bag limit of two trout per licensed angler; and a prohibition against ice fishing on the lake’s tributaries.

¶

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

ALLAGASH LAKE OPEN JANUARY-MARCH 2023 Cabins Open by Reservation • Just 3 Miles from the Lake! www.loonlodgemaine.com loonlodgemaine@gmail.com • SEE US ON FACEBOOK! P.O. Box 404, Millinocket, ME 04462 • 207-745-8168

Al’s Ice Jigs Your Ice Fishing Headquarters for Over 40 Years!

Proudly Made in America Since 1952

Jack Traps & Trap Accessories • Indestructible Loring Pack Baskets Pop-up Eskimo Ice Shacks • Live Bait & Terminal Tackle Otter Sleds • 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

413-543-1524

Booking for the 2023 Bear Seasons!

Hunts Over Bait and/or with Hounds

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

ALSO BOOKING 2023 DEER HUNTS!

ALL LAKES & PONDS IN MAINE!

— ZONE 2 MOOSE HUNTS —

Weigh-in located at Keoka beach in the Waterford flat at 3:00 p.m.

In the Heart of the Allagash and Fish River Waterways....

TICKETS $10 PER CHILD 18 & UNDER WITH $40 FAMILY CAP

Camp Rentals for Spring and Fall Fishing, Summer Canoeing, Kayaking and Moose Watching

Tickets available at the Waterford Town Office, and from any lodge member of Mt. Tir’em lodge. Tickets must be purchased in advance and can be purchased at the weigh in at Keoka beach the morning of until 10:00 A.M.

Trophies & Cash Prizes for the Longest Fish, the Heaviest Fish, the Smallest Legal Fish (bait not included) & THE PICKEREL PICK OFF! Other prizes available to win at the weigh-in including a fishing gear prize! Your ticket stub at the weigh-in enters you into the prize raffles!

HOT COCOA & FOOD FOR SALE FROM 12PM–3PM Questions? Or want tickets but need other arrangements?

Email patxiv@hotmail.com.

All proceeds are 50/50 between the Harrison/Waterford P.T.O. And our building restoration goals!

www.alsgoldfish.com

Booking Deer and Grouse Hunts Specializing in

Northern Maine Bear Hunts on Fish River Portage Lake, Maine

David Prevost

Registered Maine Guide

Catering to Hunts in Small Groups At Highlanding Camps, life is quiet and guests quickly unwind from busy lifestyles in one of our log cabins.

603-381-0080 highlandingcamps@gmail.com www.highlandingcamps.com

Sebago Lake & Cumberland County Derby – 22nd Year!

Sebago Lake Area Derby February 18 & 19, 2023

www.icefishingderby.com

Website Live January 1, 2023

Prizes over $10,000! Visit our website to register and learn more! www.MaineSportsman.com

24 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

~ Aroostook County ~ The Crown of Maine

Sled Parade from Skyway Plaza and the X Games!

— FREE FOR ALL TO ATTEND!

For More Info, Follow Spud Speedway on Facebook!

CONFERENCE CENTER 73 Spacious Rooms Hair Dryers, Irons & Coffee Makers Greenhouse Restaurant • Albie’s Lounge Banquet Facilities • Fitness Center — LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED —

Long Lake Camps & Lodge

AMP BU W S E

CK

CARIBOU INN &

TH

• Food Trucks • Beer Garden • Bonfire • Vendors • Bounce Houses • Music • Fireworks

Year Round Cabin Rentals Hunting • Fishing • Snowmobiling

— Fort Kent, Maine —

Restaurant & Lounge Open 7 Days • Lunch & Dinner

1-800-235-0466 or 207-498-3733

On Trail 17 off ITS 85 250 West Main St. Fort Kent, Maine 04743

www.CaribouInn.com

207-834-3055

19 Main Street, Caribou, ME Intersection of US 1 & Route 164

Northern Door Inn

— Bill & Jean Theriault — P.O. Box 86 – Sinclair Road Sinclair, ME 04779 207-543-6390 www.longlakecamps.net

207-834-3133 1-866-834-3133 www.northerndoorinn.com

DEAN'S MOTOR LODGE Lodging & Restaurant Portage Lake, Maine

March 4, 2023 ITS 85 & 90 Miles & Miles of Groomed Trails!

— OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK — Seafood, Steak, Pizza, Poutine & MORE!

Irving Woodlands Can-Am 250 Willard Jalbert Jr. Memorial Can-Am 100 Pepsi / Native Dog Food Can-Am 30

www.can-am-crown.net

Daily / Weekly Suite Rentals Snowmobile & Snowshoe Rentals Direct Access to ITS 83 & 96 Ice Fishing on Long Lake —

(207) 834-5626

www.lakesidelodgesinclairmainellc.com ww

For more information please visit our website

(207) 435-3701

or call

207-543-2129

2023

2006 130 Market Street FORT KENT, ME (207) 834-6186

571 Coldbrook Road HERMON, ME 207-941-9600

154 Pleasant Hill Road SCARBOROUGH, ME (207) 289-6688

MAINE’S LARGEST ICE FISHING DERBY

$22,00 IN CASH

0

PRIZES

Derby Waters Include: Cross, Eagle, Glazier, Long, Portage, St. Froid, Square, Beau Lakes • Carr Pond • St. John River

DIAMOND SPONSORS

** Co-Sponsored by the Town of St. Agatha & The Black Bear Rod & Gun Club ** Portion of Proceeds to Benefit “Edgar J. Paradis Cancer Fund”

Saturday, January 28 & Sunday, January 29, 2023 www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 25

The Joys of Snowmobiling

by Steve Carpenteri

Much is made of the effects of “cabin fever” on the human psyche. There’s no doubt that Mainers who spend their cold, dark winters cooped up in the house are sure to show signs of depression, gloominess and pessimism.

Not so Maine’s contingent of hearty

snowmobilers, whose faces brighten with anticipation at the mere mention of a weekend storm. Give them six inches of fresh snow on a well-groomed trail, and they are literally off to the races. Some will spend the entire weekend on the trail, traveling hundreds of miles and stopping

only to visit others of their kind in clubhouses, diners and convenience stores along the way.

This has been an on-and-off winter for snow so far, with the optimism from the major Nor’easter that covered the state with as much as 18 inches of snow a week before

Christmas tempered by some warming temperatures in early January. However, with February arrives consistently colder temperatures, so it’s a sure bet that the trails are ready and waiting for riders who have no intention of sitting in the dark for the rest of the winter. It’s time to

get out and ride!

Seasoned snowmobilers already know about the enjoyable social aspects of riding in groups with friends and families.

Timing is Everything First, keep in mind the technicalities and nuances of the registration process. Maine (Continued on next page)

Discover Maine’s

1 & 2 Up Machines • Guide Service Available Daily Rentals: 8AM–4PM 1/2 Day Rentals: 8AM–12PM or 12PM–4PM

141 Main Street, Stratton, ME 207-246-4276 Cell: 207-313-3534 tlenterprises@roadrunne tlenterprises@roadrunner.com Rides: East Kennebago Mt., Rangeley, Jackman, Bigelow Lodge, Caribou Valley, Quill Hill

BLACK FLY TRAILS Ride Maine’s High Mountains & Lakes Region

What’s Your Sign?

THIS IS OURS! — Dine In or Take Out — Wed–Sat 7AM–2PM & 4:30PM–8PM Sun 7AM–Noon Breakfast Only Online Ordering Available at

www.thelooneymoosecafe.com

9 Main Street, Stratton, ME (207) 246-0018

The Largest, Most Varied Terrain in the East Over 2 Million Acres of Spectacular Mountain & Lake Riding FRANKLIN COUNTY • MAINE

www.Snowmobile-Maine.com

The White Wolf Inn & Restaurant Home of the Wolf Burger!

Thousands of Miles of Spectacular Mountain Riding Await You Just Outside Your Door!

— “Bring the Gang & Ride!”

Discount Room Rates for Groups

— Stratton, ME • (207) 246-2922

www.thewhitewolfinn.com www.MaineSportsman.com

26 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Snowmobiling (Continued from page 26)

EXPLORE. DISCOVER. DOMINATE. — Visit Your Local Arctic Cat Dealer for Current Promotions — GORHAM White Rock Outboard 351 Sebago Lake Road 207-892-9606 www.whiterockoutboard.com

LEBANON Northeast Motorsports 451 Carl Broggi Hwy. 207-457-2225 www.nemotorsportsofmaine.com

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

SIDNEY Kramer’s Inc. 2400 West River Road 207-547-3345 www.kramersinc.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. ©2023 Arctic Cat Inc. All rights reserved.

DOMINATING TRAIL PERFORMANCE 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. © 2023 Polaris Industries Inc.

www.MaineSportsman.com

snowmobile registrations are valid from July 1 through June 30. Snowmobile registrations submitted on or before May 31 will expire on June 30 of the same year (i.e., they could be valid for as short a period as one month). Snowmobile registrations submitted on or after June 1 will expire on June 30 of the following year (in other words, they will be effective for up to 13 months).

Residents may renew their snowmobile registrations at www.maine.gov/ ifw/. Click on “ATV & Snowmobile,” and look for the “Register your snowmobile” button. Residents must complete new registrations through any of Maine’s 216 registration agents (mostly municipal clerks’ offices) or at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife main office in Augusta. Non-residents may register and reregister their snowmobiles online at www.maine. gov/ifw/.

Registration fees are $56 for residents and $120 for non-residents.

Free Snowmobile Weekend Any non-resident (a rider from another state or province) may operate a snowmobile in Maine during Free Snowmobile Weekend (Friday through Sunday, March 3 - 5, 2023) as long as the operator holds a valid registration from another state or province. No reciprocity from the rider’s home state or province is necessary.

Maine Snowmobile Association The Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA) is an organization of approximately 28,000 family and 2,414 business members supporting over 280 affiliated non-profit snowmobile clubs throughout the state.

Log onto www.

MaineSnowmobileAssociation.com for information on membership information, events, meetings and news pertaining to snowmobiling in Maine.

A $30 family club membership is offered on the MSA website for riders who cannot easily contact a local club. Fifteen dollars of each payment is credited to the local club, and $15 is retained by the MSA. Keep in mind that each club sets its own membership fee.

Riders who prefer to join directly through a club may use the information provided on the Club List page, or they can e-mail MSA for local club contact information. Contact information for MSA is available on the club web page.

Interconnected Trail System (ITS) Map A map of Maine’s Interconnected Trail System (ITS) is available to snowmobilers through a joint effort of the Maine Snowmobile Association, and the Snowmobile Division of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

These trails are created and maintained by the coordinated work of local snowmobile club members, the Snowmobile Division, (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 27 (Continued from page 26)

local municipalities, supporting businesses, and the many landowners throughout the state of Maine who generously allow access to sledders.

ITS trails are marked in red, while connecting trails are marked in green.

Green boxed markings represent junctions denoted by the first and last letter of the county in which the junction is located, and the number assigned to the junction. An additional 10,000 miles of trails crisscross and network with the ITS across the state.

Individual clubs produce local and re-

gional maps that can be found on the MSA web site.

The ITS map is updated each year to reflect changes and additions to the trail system. ITS maps may be obtained at the MSA office (7 Noyes Street Place in Augusta), at Maine Tourism Association sites along Interstate Route 95, at snowmobile shows, and at various MSA supporting business locations and chambers of commerce.

Copies of the ITS map are available for $2 from the Maine Snowmobile Association, P.O. Box 80, Augusta, ME 04332.

AS LOW AS

5.99% APR

FOR 36 MONTHS1 —

1,000 CUSTOMER CASH $

See Your Local Yamaha Snowmobile Dealer for Details!

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

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

Offer available on approved purchases of new 2021-2023 Yamaha Snowmobile made on the Yamaha Credit Card issued by WebBank. Account must be open and current to be eligible for this offer. † Customer cash offer good on select models between 1/1/2023 through 3/31/2023. 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. © 2023 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

1

(Continued on next page)

Snowmobile Rental & Guided Tour Directory

Valley Rentals

Rockwood, ME • (207) 534-2261 Open 7 Days Heated Snowmobile Storage Non-Ethanol Gas

WE RENT SKI-DOO SNOWMOBILES! www.mooseheadsled.com

2023 Polaris Snowmobile Rentals Self-Guided or Guided Trips Available On-Site Lodging • Bar & Grill Call About Our Weekday Stay & Play Special

1489 Shin Pond Road, Mt. Chase, ME • 207-528-2900

www.shinpond.com

Fort Kent Area Snowmobile Rentals

207-834-6310

mikesandsons@yahoo.com EVENINGS OR EMERGENCY: 207-231-1203 • 207-231-1205 545 Caribou Road, Fort Kent, ME

Moosehead Region Trailside Lodging

• New Renovations & Furniture • Snowmobile Rentals • Huge Parking Lot • Ice Fishing Trips • On-Trail Access • Maine Guides Available

Greenville, ME • 1-800-792-1858 www.MooseMountainInn.com

SNOWMOBILE RENTALS

• NEW 2021-2022 Skidoo Sleds • Guided and Self-Guided Tours • On-Trail Lodging

• Warm Clothing Rental • Heated Visor Helmet • Mid-Week Discounts

Greenville, ME • 1-866-223-1380 www.MaineOutfitter.com www.MaineSportsman.com

28 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Snowmobiling (Continued from page 27)

the MDIFW’s Recreational Safety Division office at (207) 287-5220.

Snowmobile Safety Courses Participation in a snowmobile education course will teach new riders how to properly operate and maintain their snowmobiles.

Covered topics include laws, responsibilities and personal safety.

Participants must attend every day of the class, and must pass a final examination, in order to receive a certificate. To find a course in your area, contact

MSA News Update According to Liz at the MSA office in Augusta, snowmobile registrations are processed by the MDIFW, but numbers appear to be increasing.

“We have had a big increase in business memberships this year,” she said. “Over 300 new business members were added to the

• Food Trucks • Beer Garden • Bonfire • Vendors • Bounce Houses • Music • Fireworks

MSA rolls in 2022.”

She also noted that the MSA continues its positive relationship with the Maine State Legislature and the Governor’s office. “Lawmakers in Augusta are always ready to lend a hand when we need it,” she said.

She did note that while resident registration funds were flowing well to local clubs via the MDIFW’s snowmobile registration program, some members have raised questions regarding where the funds from out-of-state

For More Info, Follow Spud Speedway on Facebook!

Arrive as Friends, Leave as Family

e Way Life Should Be – Daily & Weekly Rates Available –

207-455-8567 www.ahiwashburn.com

CARIBOU, ME

Daily &Weekly Rates —

207-498-2567 www.russellsmotel.com

Proud Sponsors of the Caribou Snow Bowl Vintage Sled Parade and Display Saturday, March 4, 2023 • 4PM–9:30PM

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • LAND • CAMPS Dynamic & Skilled Professionals to Guide your Buying or Selling!

—

101 High Street, Caribou, ME 207-498-2900 • robkieffer@remax.net

www.NorthRealtyMaine.com www.MaineSportsman.com

registrants are going.

“Local clubs do most of the grooming, trail maintenance, bridge building and landowner contact chores, and that money comes in handy for all the work they do,” she said, adding, “Where the funds generated from out-ofstate registrations is going, is uncertain.”

Regarding the availability of youth snowmobile training and education classes, Liz noted that most of these are run by MSA’s Al Swett, who works with interested riders

3 Spacious Cabins • Open Year Round Great for Large or Small Groups Trail Access Centrally Located Just 10 Minutes from Caribou Lots of Room for Trailers & Sleds —

(207) 554-6111 www.UpNorthCabins.com

to plan and schedule additional classes as needed.

“To my knowledge, there are no backlogs as far as snowmobile education classes are concerned,” she said.

To find out more about the Maine Snowmobile Association, its programs and mission statement or to become a member, contact Liz at (207) 622-6983 or log onto the MSA’s newly updated website at www.MaineSnowmobileAssociation.com.’

¶

Sled Parade from Skyway Plaza and the X Games!

— FREE FOR ALL TO ATTEND!

FORT KENT POWERSPORTS (Formerly Ft. Kent Ski-doo & Audibert Polaris)

377 Caribou Rd. Fort Kent, ME

Polaris, Ski-Doo, Can-Am, Evinrude, Yamaha Marine www.fortkentpowersports.com

207-834-3607

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 29

Backcountry Snowmobiling – Know Before You Go This winter, the snowfall started slowly and sporadically, but now it’s finally starting to accumulate in my neck of the woods. Like other avid snowmobilers, I can hardly wait to get those engines running.

Snowmobiling has changed drastically over the past couple of decades. Because of developments and improvements in suspensions, tracks and overall engineering, snowmobiles now have the ability to maneuver and go off-trail into areas they could not navigate before.

Following the example of skiers who sought to escape the crowds by heading off the packed trails, more and more Maine snowmobile riders are venturing off trail for backcountry snowmobiling adventures, going to new places and ascending new heights.

Snowmobiles are now manufactured and marketed as three types of machines: trail, crossover, and mountain sleds. Each model in that progression is promoted as having a greater ability to handle “steep walls,” “wooded slopes,” “deep snow extremes” and “big climb and big air,” and to “jump higher and climb farther” than ever before.

The majority of riders are utilizing Maine’s nearly 14,000 miles of groomed trails,

You’ve seen the promotional videos – snowmobilers plowing through drifts of snow as they head for distant mountain peaks. The reality is quite different, however, in that in Maine riders are required to respect the wishes of private landowners, and to stay on marked trails if those trails are provided. The author explores both the laws and the best practices as they relate to offtrail riding. but there is a growing interest in getting off the groomed trails and experiencing backcountry snowmobiling.

First Things First There are several factors you should consider before attempting backcountry snowmobiling. The number one rule is this: If there are marked trails, you must stay on those trails unless you have specific landowner permission to go off-trail.

According to the Maine Snowmobile Association, 95% of Maine’s snowmobile trails are made possible by private landowners granting access. Private landowners aren’t just your neighbors; one of the largest, Weyerhaeuser, owns 900,000 acres in Maine, and 400,000 acres alone are in conservation easements protecting land from development.

These agreements are made possible through the work of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands’ Snowmobile Program, as well as Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Snow-

mobile Association and regional clubs, and all of the largest and smallest landowners in Maine.

Maine’s implied permission laws often gives snowmobilers the idea that they can ride wherever they want. I have witnessed riders going over, around or beneath gates meant to keep out motorized vehicles.

Snowmobilers may not know it, but access to trails that run through privately owned land only grants access to the marked trail, and it is the rider’s responsibility to get permission from the landowner to ride off trail.

As with hunting, whether or not written law governs, it’s the unwritten rule to ask permission.

Cause Damage?

You’re Liable If you are riding on another’s land without permission, you are responsible for any damage caused, even if it’s unintentional. If it’s intentional, you can be liable for double the damages.

If you go around

a gate that has a sign stating “non-motorized traffic only,” you are risking access for everyone. Most of the time, those gates have gone up due to past misuse, littering, or damage to crops and seedlings, or to roads.

The quickest ways to lose access for everyone is to ride off trail when it’s clear the landowner doesn’t

want you there.

Wagner Forest Management Wagner Forest Management, LLC, manages 750,000 acres of Maine land. According to their website, “the State of Maine has entered into ATV and/or snowmobile trail agreements with Wagner and many of its clients. Under these agreements, local clubs may work with the state to designate and maintain trails. Note: The use of ATVs and snowmobiles on Wagner-managed lands is prohibited, except where it is explicitly authorized by agreement or policy.”

(Continued on next page)

257 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME (207) 474-2591 www.whittemoreandsons.com www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Get Out There (Continued from page 29)

A Weyerhaeuser spokesperson acknowledged there have been safety issues in the past, but that the company does not have a policy restricting off trail riding and remains open to all recreation. Rabbit hunters and shed hunters will be happy to know that this applies to their activities as much as those who are only snowmobiling.

In an email Mike McLellan of the North Maine Woods, Inc. wrote, “snowmobiling is allowed on unplowed roads only. Landowners discourage what is traditionally called “backcountry” riding that traverses across tree plantations and open areas that have been recently planted with seedlings. The region has a huge network of

roads that do not get plowed during the winter months, so there are plenty of backcountry riding opportunities without getting off-trail into sensitive areas.

Again, please avoid open-area cuts, and absolutely no riding on plowed roads.”

Public Land Options If you’re one of those riders who are just hearing about – and are hoping to try – backcountry snowmobiling, there are still a lot of options for you to try it out without compromising landowner relations.

According to mainelakesandmountains.com, “several state parks spread across the state’s Lakes and Mountains Region offer some of the area’s best backcountry

According to Maine’s Lakes & Mountains Tourism Council, Mt. Blue State Park, with a trailhead in Weld, offers snowmobile riders 25 miles of challenging, shareduse trails. The park’s wintertime trails are open for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, and they connect with the ITS (interconnected trail system). Photo credit: Maine’s Lakes and Mountains Tourism Council

snowmobiling, with untracked trails, deep snow, and stunning scenery. Mt. Blue State Park has several excellent trails in the Center Hill and Mt. Blue areas that connect to local trails and ITS Trails 89

and 117.”

Safety First Off-trail riding is not at all like trail riding. To start with, if you break down or get stuck or injured, you can’t simply wait for the next sled to come along.

So ride in pairs or groups; dress appropriately; and carry spare parts, safety and rescue gear.

Be safe, and have a great season.

¶

Visit Your Local Ski-Doo Dealer for Current Offers!

FINANCING AS LOW AS

5.99% ON SELECT PACKAGES*

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JACKMAN Jackman Power Sports 549 Main Street 207-668-4442 www.jackmanpowersports.com * Rates as low as 5.99% APR (Annual Percentage Rate) for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 36‑month term at a 5.99% APR rate: $27.38 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $1,300 down, no rebate, an APR of 5.99% APR for 36 months at an MSRP of $12,999 is $355.86/mo. Total cost of borrowing $1,111.73 with a total repayment obligation of $12,810.83. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. Minimum and Maximum Amount Financed may vary. Not all buyers will qualify. Higher rates apply for buyers with lower credit ratings. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply, depending on the participating financial institution(s). BRP is not responsible for any of the financing terms and conditions. Offer subject to change without notice. Financing promotions void where prohibited. See your BRP dealer for details. ©2023 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 Sunday 1st January 2023 to Tuesday 28th February 2023. 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 labelling 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 Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 31

The Right Boat

by Bob Humphrey

Bob Humphrey

As his outdoor activities (and his family) grew, the author progressed through a logical sequence of boats, each of which met his needs at a particular time – for freshwater pond and lake fishing, duck hunting, off-shore saltwater angling, and family recreation. Learn with him as he traces his boat ownership timeline.

Your First Boat There’s much to be said for starting small, particularly if you’re a

new boater, on a budget or aren’t sure how much boating you’ll really do.

My first fishing boat was a very basic 14-foot aluminum johnboat with bench seats and a tiller-controlled two-stroke outboard. It was just big enough for three anglers on Sebago Lake after ice-out, or two hunters, two dogs and three dozen sea duck decoys on days when the seas were calm.

It was also small enough to fit in the bed of a pickup, eliminating the need for a trailer. It served us well for a while, but as the best duck hunting days are often the worst, and when striped bass began showing up in numbers, I realized I needed more boat.

Wish List I had a couple of features in mind. One was a console with steering, controls and electric start. The tiller control was fine for

getting from Point A to Point B or a few hours of trolling, but not for a full day on the lake, often in cold temperatures.

The console also included a cushion seat, which was another as-

Determining the primary use might help steer your choice in a boat, since some models are designed for specific applications, but can still be used for others.

set for longer days.

Finally, I wanted a flat deck to keep feet

Mid-Maine Marine THE BOATER’S CHOICE

www.midmainemarine.com 885 Kennedy Memorial Drive Oakland, ME 04963 1-800-BOAT (2628) • (207) 465-2146

and gear dryer, rod lockers to reduce the (Continued on next page)

INC.

It’s nearly show time! Annual sportsman’s shows featuring boats (including the upcoming State of Maine Sportsman’s Show, March 31 – April 2) are strategically scheduled to help us get out of the house and shake off the winter doldrums.

Inland waters are still covered in ice, but it won’t be long before ice-out and boating season begins anew.

Whether upgrading, downsizing or just starting out, there’s no better time to shop for a boat.

No boat suits all needs, but by prioritizing, you can sometimes come close; and as your objectives grow or change, so can your boat.

My somewhat typical boat-ownership progression provides some examples.

★

Northeast’s Largest Lund Dealer!

Over 100 Boats Available for 2023 Sold as Packages with Mercury Outboards

www.MaineSportsman.com

32 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Your primary use might be hunting or fishing, but don’t forget about the family.

Boating

(Continued from page 32)

clutter and a livewell.

For a limited time, buy an eligible new Yamaha outboard and get:

5 YEARS $

OF WARRANTY PROTECTION on the purchase of select, eligible 60 HP–300 HP outboards.

Three years of Yamaha Limited Warranty Coverage plus a two-year Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.) —

7 YEARS OF WARRANTY PROTECTION on the purchase of select, eligible 425 HP outboards.

Five years of Yamaha Limited Warranty Coverage plus a two-year Yamaha Extended Service (Y.E.S.)

350 UP TO

IN DEALER CREDIT*

on the purchase of select, eligible 8 HP–50 HP outboards.

UP to $350 in dealer credit toward the purchase of good/services on select models from your authorized participating Yamaha Outboard Dealer.

Offer Valid through 3/31/23 – See Your Local Yamaha Outboard Dealer for Details!

BAR HARBOR Bowden Marine Service 713 Norway Drive (207) 288-5247 www.BowdenMarine.com HAMPDEN Hamlin’s Marine 581 Main Road North 207-907-4385 www.HamlinsMarine.com

LINCOLN Lincoln Powersports 265 W Broadway (207) 794-8100 www.lincolnpowersportsme.net

THOMASTON Jeff’s Marine 2 Brooklyn Heights Road (207) 354-8777 www.JeffsMarine.com WATERVILLE Hamlin’s Marine 290 West River Road 207-872-5660 www.HamlinsMarine.com

*Promotion is only applicable from authorized participating Yamaha Outboard dealers in the U.S.A. sold to purchasing consumers residing in the U.S.A. Promotion is limited to available stock in dealer inventory that is sold, PDI completed, delivered and warranty registered on YMBS by the dealer in accordance with Yamaha’s promotion and warranty registration requirements during applicable dates. No model substitutions, benefit substitutions, extensions or rain checks will be allowed. Outboards sold or provided for commercial, camp, resort, guide, promotional/demo, government agency, competition, tournament or sponsorship, as well as outboards introduced after 1/1/2023, are not eligible. This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other Yamaha offer. Some exceptions may apply. See authorized participating Yamaha dealer for complete details. Yamaha reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at any time. Other restrictions and conditions apply. REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear. Promotion is only applicable from authorized participating Yamaha Outboard dealers in the U.S.A. sold to purchasing consumers residing in the U.S.A. Promotion is limited to available stock in dealer inventory that is sold, PDI completed, delivered and warranty registered on YMBS by the dealer in accordance with Yamaha’s promotion and warranty registration requirements during applicable dates. No model substitutions, benefit substitutions, extensions or rain checks will be allowed. Outboards sold or provided for commercial, camp, resort, guide, promotional/ demo, government agency, competition, tournament or sponsorship, as well as outboards introduced after 1/1/2023, are not eligible. This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other Yamaha offer. Some exceptions may apply. See authorized participating Yamaha dealer for complete details. Yamaha reserves the right to change or cancel this promotion at any time. Other restrictions and conditions apply. REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal floatation device and protective gear. © 2023 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

www.MaineSportsman.com

Seventeen-Footer My Grumman 17-footer provided a little more length and a lot more space for people and gear, as well as comfort and ease in handling. The higher freeboard also made it seaworthy enough to brace the lower Kennebec in search of stripers, and provide a few more days of duck hunting, when I often encountered inclement weather.

Of course, it also necessitated the added expense of a battery and a trailer, but turning a key was a lot easier than yanking on a cord.

Boat #3: Not Longer, But Wider We put a lot of hours on the Grumman, but as my family, list of hunting and fishing partners, and sources of recreation all grew, so did my boat needs.

After much exploration and trailer tire-kicking, I finally settled on a 16-foot Lund Tyee bowrider.

Though only 16 feet, the difference from the more narrow 17-footer was remarkable – it was wider, sturdier, more comfortable and more seaworthy.

Collapsible canvas curtains afforded at

least some protection from the elements on those early salmon trips, as well as shelter from the summer sun.

Still higher freeboard allowed me to venture outside the Kennebec and around the islands of Casco Bay. To my family’s delight, we also now had a boat big and powerful enough to pull a tube or a water skier.

The red and white color scheme didn’t represent well during duck season. Fortunately, when I purchased the 16-footer I did not sell the other ones, so I still had that old 14’ johnboat for puddlers, and the Lund got us to the ledges, where we could anchor it far enough away to avoid scaring the sea ducks.

Bigger Dreams Time passed, the kids grew, and so did my list of waterborne recreation activities.

I wanted something big, comfortable and safe enough for early season salmon and togue on the big lakes, but small enough for bass and trout on the smaller ones. Stripers were on the rebound, and thanks to friends with larger boats, I discovered a bounty of fishing opportunity (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 33

outside the protection of the coastal islands.

I needed something small enough for the rivers and marshes in October, but big enough to brave the coastal islands in December and January. And I still needed to pull a tube or take the whole family and their friends for a pleasure cruise. Again, no boat can do it all, but after considerable research, I found one that came close.

Center Console Design The open design

of my Polar Kraft 20foot center console Outlander offered sufficient elbow room for 2 or 3 striper or salmon anglers, with the comfort and customization of removable cushion seats. Side rod lockers and below-deck compartments provided ample out-of-theway space for fishing or hunting gear. The olive-drab finish, enhanced with a homemade blind, made it ideal for freshwater or coastal duck hunting.

It was also seaworthy

Spring Into Savings with Honda Marine!

Visit Your Local Honda Marine Dealer for Details!

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

(Boating continued on page 35)

Mid-Maine Marine

INC.

(Continued from page 32)

THE BOATER’S CHOICE

www.midmainemarine.com 885 Kennedy Memorial Drive Oakland, ME 04963 (207) 465-2146

FOUR-STROKE OUTBOARDS IN STOCK: • 2.5 M • 3.5 M •4M •5M •6M • 8 M, ML • 9.9 M, ML • 9.9 EH, ELH • 15 M, ML • 15 EH, ELH • 20 M, ML • 20 EH, ELH, E • 20 ELHPT • 25 ELHPT • 40 ELPT • 40 ELHPT • 50 ELPT • 60 ELPT • 60 ELPT- CT • 60 ELHPT • 90 ELPT • 90 ELPT- CT • 115 ELPT • 115 EXLPT PRO XS • 150 ELPT

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

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

STANDISH Richardson’s Boat Yard 633 White’s Bridge Road (207) 892-4913 www.richardsonsby.com

PORTLAND YORK Portland Yacht Services York Harbor Marine 100 W. Commercial Street 20 Harris Island Road (207) 774-1067 (207) 363-3602 www.portlandyacht.com www.yorkharbormarine.com

*At participating dealers only. Qualifying retail customers may receive instant savings off the selling price of a Honda powered boat package or Honda Marine engine(s) sold for repower. This promotion is limited to new Honda Marine BF40-BF115 and BF150 outboard engines, 2018 and newer models, sold and delivered between January 2, 2023 and March 31, 2023 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. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.

All New 20hp & 15hp FourStroke •

EFI delivers fast, reliable starting and instant throttle response in all weather

•

Superior torque provides greater acceleration and faster boat planing

•

Lightweight design improves performance, fuel efficiency and hull control

•

New and exclusive tiller handle has the lowest vibration and is adjustable for rightor left-handed operation for a more enjoyable driving experience

•

Quick and easy no-mess oil and filter change

•

Convenient freshwater flush system

•

Low-copper aluminum alloy protects against corrosion Learn more at mercurymarine.com/FourStroke

Contact Your Local Mercury Outboards Dealer for the Latest Promotions!

* Limited Quantities Available * Check Inventory at

www.midmainemarine.com

GORHAM White Rock Outboard, Inc. 351 Sebago Lake Road (207) 892-9606 www.whiterockoutboard.com

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

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

34 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

PLBs: What’s Your Life Worth?

Consider this scenario: You’re out fishing in your 23-foot center-console with your son and a buddy on a Saturday morning, a dozen miles off the coast. Things are going well, you’re catching a few haddock, and although a dense fog is moving in, you decide to fish another halfhour.

All of a sudden, the boat starts acting kind of logy. You open a hatch and discover seawater up over the batteries. You frantically search for the cause of the flooding, but to no avail.

The water creeps higher. You try the VHF radio, but there’s no power getting to it. At this point, you instruct your son and your buddy to put on life jackets and to bail with buckets. Visibility is down to 100 feet.

You’re starting to get that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach.

Scenarios like this can turn tragic, but

A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) will fit in the palm of your hand, but in an emergency it can instantly send out a distress signal to search-andrescue responders. there’s a small, relatively inexpensive piece of safety equipment that can summon help quickly, which might make all the difference. It’s called a Personal Locator Beacon, or PLB for short.

These little units fit in the palm of the hand, but in an emergency can instantly send out a distress signal to responders, no matter where you or your boat is located.

PLBs work by transmitting a signal on 406 MHz, which is a worldwide dedicated emergency frequency that’s detected by a network of satellites called the Cospas-Sarsat system. When the beacon is activated, the distress message is sent to a satellite, and is then relayed down to search-and-rescue personnel.

The message con-

quency of 121.5 MHz, which is also used by responders to home in on the beacon.

I bought a unit a while back called the ResQLink, which is made by ACR Electronics (www.acrartex. com), a company that has a long history of producing high-quality safety equipment.

ACR now offers upgraded models, which I’ll get to in a minute.

ACR’s ResQLink 410 RLS will send an emergency message out to search and rescue responders quickly, and will also confirm that the message has been received. Photos courtesy ACR

tains the beacon’s ID number and the owner’s contact information, and its built-in Global Positioning Service (GPS) gives the beacon’s exact location. At the same time the PLB sends out a message on a fre-

Operating a PLB In an emergency, simply release the flexible plastic antenna on the basic ResQLink (now called the ResQLink 400) with a flick of the finger, rotate it to the vertical position, and press the clearly-marked activation button for two seconds. Help is on the way, no matter how far offshore you may be.

A couple of caveats, though. First, the antenna needs to be out of the water and pointing toward the sky.

Second, PLBs need a

clear view of the sky to ensure that that GPS positioning is downloaded. It won’t work in a boat’s cabin or under a T-top. A straight, unobstructed shot up to the satellites is mandatory, although clouds and rain won’t interfere.

Most PLBs have a self-testing feature.

The ResQLink 400 has a simple test button.

For a basic self-test (no GPS data), just press the test button for between 2 and 5 seconds.

For a GPS test in order to make sure the unit is acquiring the satellites, press the button for 5 to 10 seconds. Easy enough.

The ResQLink 400 is waterproof, floats, is small enough (4.5” tall) and light enough (5.3 ounces) to be carried in a pocket or clipped to a life vest or arm band, comes with a five-year battery, and costs $339.95. A similar unit that features digital information readouts, called the ResQLink View, goes for $389.95.

ACR also now offers a model called the ResQLink 410 RLS, which is an abbreviation of “Return Link Service.” This unit will provide confirmation to the user that the emergency message has been received and that the beacon’s location has been detected by the satellites. The 410 RLS costs $429.95, but I think the extra (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 35 (Continued from page 34)

$90 is well worth it in order to confirm that your signal actually did get through to rescue responders.

Registration a Must Although most PLBs don’t require any sort of subscription to buy, you will need to register your unit with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It’s easy and it’s free, and the information provided is vitally important in helping rescue person-

nel find you quickly.

Registration lasts for two years, and NOAA notifies PLB owners several months before the registration expires, to provide time to renew.

One final caution to boaters who already carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, or EPIRB, on board – a PLB, although it operates on the same principle and frequencies, is not designed to replace an EPIRB. Marine EPIRBs ($500 to $1,000) have much

Boating

(Continued from page 33)

enough to take me offshore to fish for groundfish and, when the weather was right, sharks.

That was also my first experience with a four-stroke outboard, and I was delighted. It was quieter, cleaner and more reliable than those old two-stroke smokers. Furthermore, the Yamaha

larger batteries, and are designed to transmit for longer periods, Some activate automatically when immersed in water.

A PLB can serve as a valuable backup aboard, as well as a convenient portable unit when fishing on someone else’s boat or going on a trip, even out of the country.

I think the cost is money well spent, because, after all, it’s difficult to place a value on something that can save your life.

¶

ACR’s ResQLink View is a small, lightweight and waterproof digital-readout Personal Locator Beacon that can be carried in a pocket or clipped to a life jacket.

115 had enough power to push the boat at 25 knots, but it could idle down to early-season trolling speed. I still had my electric trolling motor left over from the Lund, which allowed us to troll slower and in near silence, and gave me the option to fish smaller waterbodies with motor restrictions.

I have upgraded twice more since, but that’s another story. The point

is, no boat will ever adequately fit all your needs or wants. Make a list of objectives, then find one that fits most.

Start small, and then work your way up as your confidence, experience and requirements grow.

And remember – if one boat still doesn’t meet all your needs, who says you can’t have two?

¶

Suzuki Marine Now Offers a

5 YEAR LIMITED WARRANTY

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!

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

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

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

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

STANDISH Richardson’s Boat Yard 633 Whites Bridge Road (207) 892-4913 www.richardsonsby.com www.MaineSportsman.com

36 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

A No Bull Tale How do wardens decide whom to investigate?

There are no simple answers to that question, but let me try.

A common phrase used in judicial circles is “the totality of the circumstances,” which simply means “all things considered.” So every day, a warden must consider all things.

For example, what was the source of the information that came to the warden, and how credible is it? And what does the warden’s intuition tell him?

How wardens process all this without wasting time chasing rainbows is the big secret of the trade, and it’s really only discussed among the people within that somewhat closed society. It’s almost impossible to explain clearly, and that adds to the intrigue and secrecy, although not by design.

That explanation might be the best I can do, but I have never heard anyone do a very good job at it.

Reliable, Confidential Information It came to my attention, although I can never tell you how, in late July, 1981 that I should investigate the activities of an individual in the Town of St. Albans who was said to be hunting deer in closed season with a .22 magnum rifle.

The person in question owned a large chicken farm and also had about a dozen Hereford beef cattle.

Word was he would walk up into a back field just before dark to look for deer. He allegedly preferred the .22 magnum rifle because the relatively quiet report of the cartridge would not arouse the neighbors’ suspicion.

Investigation My two challenges: 1) How could I access the area without detection? and 2) How could I time my visit so as to catch him in the act?

The next evening, I stashed my truck up the road, and made my way through the woods to the edge of a pasture behind the house and shed. The pasture had the Herefords in it, and was visible from the house, so I stayed in the woods and walked around the perimeter of the pasture.

Accessing the back field, I determined where the deer were likely to www.MaineSportsman.com

“Halfway across the pasture, I heard thundering hoofs coming straight for me through the darkness, along with the distinctive sound of a bull snorting.”

come out, and where a person coming from the residence would approach to get a shot at them. I concealed myself and waited until after dark, all the while fending off clouds of mosquitoes.

After dark, I headed back the way I had come, except that I decided to take a shorter route and cut across the cow pasture, since the darkness would conceal me.

Halfway across the pasture, I heard thundering hoofs coming straight for me, along with the distinctive sound of a bull snorting. Should I face the beast, or should I run? I quickly decided to run, and I scaled the fence as if I were an Olympic high hurdler.

The frustrated bull began to push against the rickety fence, and as I moved away, he followed me along his side of the fence, blowing snot from his nostrils and pawing at the ground. It’s strange what you think of in such a moment, for I was thinking, “If I have to shoot this bull to keep him from killing me, it will blow my cover.” As I headed for the woods, I considered how proud that bull would be when he returned to the cows.

Sunday Hunt The next day was a Sunday, but that day doesn’t mean anything to someone shooting deer in July. I had to try again, since my work partner, Norman Gilbert, always maintained that you needed to

give everything at least three days in a row to call it an honest effort.

When I arrived at the cow pasture Sunday night, I decided to just stay there and go no farther, as I could see the back of the residence and I’d be able to see anyone leaving the house.

After 30 minutes, my suspect emerged from a back door, carrying a rifle, and began taking purposeful strides up across the pasture. He went out of sight. I stayed put, waiting for the possibility that a shot would be fired.

Less than five minutes later, a shot rang out from a small caliber rifle, from the suspect’s direction. What luck! My suspect had appeared on schedule, and apparently so had a deer!

Moving quickly toward the suspect’s location, I darted across the pasture, then stopped at a gap into the back field, thinking the guy must be looking for the deer or dressing it out.

Soon, I heard him walking. Just before he reached my position, I asked, “Did you get the deer?”

He responded, “No – it ran,” and then stopped short when he noticed the black strip on my trouser leg. I stepped out and asked, “Are you sure you hit it?”

He hesitated and replied, “It was only a coyote.”

As our conversation progressed, I informed him that it was Sunday, and he couldn’t hunt today. It was also about eight minutes beyond the legal hunting hours at the time he had fired.

So I took possession of his loaded .22 magnum rifle, and wrote out a couple of court summonses – one for hunting on Sunday, and one for night hunting, even though I knew the night hunting charge was quite weak.

Next Order of Business As I left, I knew that finding a dead deer was going to be my next order of business, and I would work on that the next day.

The following day, I accessed the back field a different way, and spent considerable time looking for a dead deer. I found nothing.

A few days later, I expressed my concerns to a friend who is an experienced hunter. He suggested that with the re(True Tales continued on page 39)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 37

My 2022 Deer Season in Review Well, this “Great White Hunter” did not kill a buck in 2022. It wasn’t for lack of opportunity, however. The last thing I want to do is make excuses as to why I failed to kill an adult buck this year.

However, I’m going to explain why, without a little luck, more often than not, big bucks don’t fall.

My 2022 deer season saw me hunt two states, Kansas and Maine. Looking back on my planning in late 2021, it’s likely I was too confident in the Kansas hunt ending with a 150+ class whitetail on my wall. Instead of scouting hard on my Maine farms, my familiarity with these properties gave me a false sense of security in how my Maine season would go.

Before explaining why I didn’t kill a buck last year, I am happy to say, I did kill a mature doe with my bow. That kill was important to me for a couple of reasons. The doe group that frequents our yard completely devastated our garden in early July. I swore I’d even the score, and did so on opening day of the regular archery season. I even did it from a treestand placed strategically next to said garden. That kill gave me practice and confidence for my Kansas hunt. It also gave me time to bird hunt with my wife and the dogs for a week in Allagash. We enjoyed a great deal of success on the

A nice Kansas buck the author nicknamed “Turkey foot” because of its odd-shaped right antler. This buck was mature, but didn’t sport the antlers the author was looking for. Photos by the author

For a fellow who claims he did not succeed, the author sure seems to have had a lot of success. birds!

My vacation plans worked out. I was able to take lots of time away from work from the last week of October, through Thanksgiving. I needed nine days for my guided bowhunt with Southern Kansas Trophy Outfitters. I was able to take a total of 22 days off to hunt Maine. My failure was not the result of a lack of time off.

shoot. I went back to Maine with great memories, but no antlers.

I was home just in time for the Monday non-resident firearms opener. I’m not able to hunt bucks on my favorite farm until the landowner’s children have either filled their buck tags or have run out of time.

That didn’t stop me from shooting a mature doe on the property and helping my wife shoot a mature doe. Our freezer was full. That took the pressure to kill a buck completely off the table for me. To be clear, the pressure comes from within. I’m my toughest critic.

Family and Friends Come First My trip to Kansas got in the way of Youth Day. Thankfully, my friend’s son has one more youth hunt before he loses that privilege. I’ll make it up to him in 2023. The person who originally asked me to go to Kansas, had to deal with a family emergency. Thankfully, a family friend was able to take his place, and we didn’t cancel our hunt.

My friend Drew scored on a mature eight-point on our trip to Kansas. The buck wasn’t a giant, but it was his largest bowkill to date. My Kansas hunt was enjoyable; however, I never had a mature buck in range with enough light to

More Visitors From November 14th to the 18th, I hosted my friend from New York on his second Maine deer hunt. We both had a tough week. He only saw three deer and I saw seven. I passed two yearling bucks and a 2 ½-year-old buck. On November 19, my dad and brother visited from New York, to hunt and share Thanksgiving with us. Both hunted all week, and my brother filled his antlerless tag.

I hunted each day, after dropping my father off on a friend’s property. The extra driving put a damper on my usual hunting plans, but I still saw over 20 deer, passed five yearling bucks and another 2 ½-year-old buck.

Another younger Kansas buck passed by the author. He wants to see this buck in three or four years, when it’s fully mature.

The author’s wife Karrie with her 2022 doe. She used a .300 WSM to take this big deer at 197 yards.

(Big Game continued on page 39)

www.MaineSportsman.com

38 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Winter Pondering

by Matt Breton

The big woods of northern New England have me in their grasp. There isn’t another place I want to chase deer, and hunting on the move is really the only way I want to do it. This time of year, I sit by the fire and stare at racks of the past, relive last season’s chases, and start to think about the coming fall.

Over the years, I’ve started to view success and failure very differently. Part of this may be out of necessity – why would anyone keep going if the experiences constantly feel like a failure? I’ve tried to up my game on what type of bucks I chase, and that has been a somewhat tough transition, when meat in the freezer is no longer considered the only measure of a season.

Thankfully, following buck tracks through the snow empties my mind and fills my soul.

Good Chases with Misses I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to guide an elk hunt in Colorado last season with Colorado Outfitters (www. co-outfitters.com), run

by Maine native Russ Lambert. What an operation! Packing in clients on horseback, living in a wall tent at 9,000 feet, and wandering the wilderness for five days is quite a hunting adventure.

My clients had chances, but missed www.MaineSportsman.com

There’s an expression, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” A similar refrain can be articulated for whitetail deer hunting; to wit: “The only thing more motivating than a good clean kill, is a good clean miss.”

Matt Breton snapped this photo while watching a small pond for elk in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness of CO with one of his clients.

two shots. One was at 40 yards, and I really wished I had a New England buck tracker by my side! That may have foreshadowed my November more than I would have liked.

My own best chance came on a snowy day just before Thanksgiving. I cut a buck’s blown-in track in a cut around midmorning, and started following him. I knew it was fresh when he crossed my tracks from

earlier in the day.

He led me up a mountain, checking on does all the way up.

He was a frisky buck – every time he got close to a set of tracks, he’d run to it, and then eventually veer off at a walk.

He finally showed signs of feeding, and started to hook into some thick spruce. I slowed to a crawl, tried to make zero noise, and kept looking.

All at once, he flew

out of his bed at 15 paces. I got one good look and tried to time the shot, but missed wide to the right of him in tight shooting.

Looking at his bed, I saw that the buck and I were hidden from each other by a low hanging branch that was full of snow.

I stayed on his track without another chance until it was time to head to the truck.

An Eye Toward Next Fall Too much time looking back isn’t good.

At a point, it’s time to turn an eye toward the future.

I’m hoping to go to Colorado again this fall, to hunt, guide, or maybe both. I’ll be putting in for western tags through the winter. If any of you have pondered a western hunting adventure, I highly recommend it.

The time to plan for it is now.

My keys to getting ready for the upcoming season will include plenty of exercise to be ready to hike the mountains of CO and northern New England, as well as shooting. Over the years I’ve found that training multiple days in a row is essential to being able to keep going in the fall woods.

Building up to five days per week of hiking is excellent training, and adding a pack with weight in it enhances the effect.

Shooting will continue to be a priority, with more gravel pit snap shooting sessions in my future. Skeet shooting will help, too, though my wing shooting on ducks and grouse was much better this year. Things happen quickly and up close in the thick timber of the northern forest, and I need to be ready.

(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 39 (Continued from page 38)

Hal’s Thoughts Matt’s point is that as we become more experienced hunters, failure is not as big of a deal as it was when we were early on in our hunting careers. Through failure, you often learn more than when you are successful. You just have to “fail your way to success.”

Maybe fail is not the right word when it comes to deer hunting.

If we just look at them as “learning experiences,” it might soften the blow a little for you.

I learned some of my best lessons through what I might have thought were failures at the time. Many of my fondest memories while deer hunting were the bucks that got away. Many of them still haunt me, as they

were some of the biggest bucks that I have seen.

One of them happened this past deer season. It was the first day of tracking snow, and I had come down with stomach flu that had me down.

I headed to a place up in the mountains where I have found many buck tracks in the past. I struggled to get up there, but was glad I did when I cut a monster track.

He followed a few does, then chased one up the mountain a little way before leaving her.

Not too far from there, I caught up to him and had a chip shot as he bounded up an open aisleway. Just as I got the bead on him, my feet slipped, and before I could recover, he was gone.

True Tales

(Continued from page 36)

cent hot weather, we should be able to smell a dead deer. He offered to help, so the two of us headed for the area in question.

Once there, my friend caught a whiff of something. We worked our way toward the odor, and located the decaying carcass of a small buck that had been covered up with brush.

Looking further, we found a second deer carcass, also covered with brush, that had been in the woods a longer period of time.

I dragged the most recently killed deer to my truck, and loaded it.

Big Game (Continued from page 37)

Big Buck Miss The day before Thanksgiving, I had my chance at a mature buck. Unfortunately, the opportunity was quick. I needed to thread the needle between some fir trees and blowdowns.

Long story short, I hit a branch and missed.

The buck was seen multiple times after the miss. He was unharmed, and

The buck that Matt tracked in Maine was bedded behind the tree in line with the rifle barrel shown in the foreground – and only 15 paces away! Matt Breton photo

He was one of those haunting bucks. He had a wide heavy rack, and I would guess was

in the 250-pound range.

I will be thinking about him until next season, and will be

back up there on the first snow again.

¶

CSI – St. Albans?

That evening, with the aid of a metal detector, rubber gloves and some Vicks in my nose, I examined the carcass and located a small caliber projectile. It was in good shape, and I hoped the crime laboratory could ballistically match it to the .22-magnum rifle I’d seized.

Some days later, the crime laboratory confirmed a match.

I drove to the suspect’s residence.

Finding him outside near the barn, I told him I had some good news, and some not-so-good news. The good news was that I would be dropping the night hunting charge. “I knew you couldn’t make that stick!” he said, immediately.

“The bad news,” I continued, “is

that I found the deer you buried under the brush pile, retrieved the bullet, the crime laboratory matched it to your rifle, and the penalty for hunting deer in closed season is the same as for night hunting.”

to my knowledge he made it through the season. I hope we’ll meet again in 2023 while I’m bowhunting.

big buck I dreamed of never materialized.

When I think about my 2022 deer season, I’ll smile. It was full of deer sightings. Our freezer is full of venison.

I made new friends. I hunted with old friends and spent time with my family.

A successful season isn’t always measured in inches of antler, but big racks can make it better. I’m already looking forward to 2023.

Final Push – More Doe and Small Buck Sightings After Thanksgiving, I hunted hard for two more days. Both hunts got me into lots of deer, but I never saw anything other than does, fawns and yearling bucks. I did hunt with my new muzzleloader a few days, but only saw one yearling buck and a few does. The

Not Luck of the Draw Then came the inevitable question from him: “Why me? Why did you focus attention on me?”

I told him it came about from several sources, and “all things considered,” I decided to give this situation some effort. “I can’t tell you any more than that,” I concluded, “but you can rest assured that I didn’t just pick your name out of a hat.”

¶

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

40 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Nosler Now Offers the Sounds of Silence Apologies to singer-songwriters Simon and Garfunkel for borrowing the title of their 1965 anthem, but it just seems to work here.

Actually, this column is long overdue.

Our esteemed editor has wanted me to look into the growing business of so-called firearms “silencers” for many months, and I’ve dragged my feet.

Misgivings aside, the impact of suppression devices on the 21st century firearms trade can no longer be ignored. Once seen as the tools of gangsters and poachers, suppressors are now legal for hunting in 42 states and many foreign countries.

Advocates tout them as hearing protection, recoil reducers and flinch eliminators. American Rifle-

Suppressors (don’t call them silencers) are legal in 42 states, but they are still regulated at the federal level. They reduce muzzle sound by around 30%, they cost between $450 and $1,500 (plus a $200 federal permit), and they are relatively heavy. But not only are they becoming very popular – there’s even talk of mandating them for certain shooting clubs located close to populated areas! man Senior Executive Editor, Kelly Young, who calls himself “an unapologetic evangelist for the virtues of suppressor use,” goes so far as to state that suppressors “can conceal a discharging firearm’s muzzle flash, helping to preserve a hunter’s nighttime vision.”

Unless you’re sniping at coyotes from a darkened hay loft during Maine’s night hunting season, I am at a loss to know why any hunter would be concerned about preserving night vision.

Almost everywhere, last shooting light occurs well before night vision becomes an issue.

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, as of 2021, some 2,664,774 suppressors are in private hands.

That number indicates some explosive growth, given that the devices were universally illegal when the century began. Only another 97 million to sell before every American gun owner possesses a device.

They’re Here Anyone reading the national sporting publications, or watching Outdoor TV or YouTube, has seen the growth of suppression devices for private sporting purposes.

Frequent advertisements from companies such as Silencer Central offer attractive invitations, such as “We’ll find the right silencer for you,” “Let us handle the paperwork,” and “Enjoy front door delivery.”

In 2022, the game changed again. Venerable bullet, ammu-

Worldwide Sporting Adventures ✦ Maine Guide’s Training

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ NEXT MAINE GUIDE’S PROGRAM ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Our 3-Day Course Covers: Map & Compass – Silva Compass Included Emergency Situations • Laws, Rules & Ethics • Boating & Canoeing Species Identification • Business Management • AND LOTS MORE! • Tuition $495

APRIL 13-15 Allagash Village

APRIL 20–22

Skowhegan-Madison Elks Lodge

JUNE 8–10

Penobscot County Conservation Assoc.

JULY 13–15 Windham-Gorham Rod & Gun Club

FINS & FURS ADVENTURES Carroll & Lila Ware, Master Maine Guides & Instructors

Providing Worldwide Sporting Adventures & Maine’s Premier Guide Training Program for 33 Years!

(207) 474-5430 • finsandfursadventures@beeline-online.net

www.FinsAndFursAdventures.com

BUCKS GUNS GUNS • AMMO • KNIVES a division of Daniel Buck Auctions, Inc.

183 Main Street, Milbridge, ME 04658 (207) 546-4400 • noelinc1@myfairpoint.net

www.noelmarine.com

www.MaineSportsman.com

ALWAYS THE BEST PRICES! Offering Conceal Carry Courses 501 Lisbon Street, Lisbon Falls, ME 207-407-1444 • www.bucks-guns.com

nition and rifle maker Nosler, of Bend, Oregon, revealed at the Las Vegas SHOT Show their intent and capability to manufacture state-of-the-technology suppressors for .22 and .30 caliber rifles.

Called the SR22Ti (titanium) and SR-22AlTi (aluminum and titanium alloy) or the SR-30Ti and SR30AlTi, these units are engineered to thread directly to any modern rifle barrels that are configured to accept these sorts of devices.

Nosler rifles accept them with a compatible threaded muzzle brake.

The SR-22 adds 7-1/2 inches to any barrel, and weighs just shy of one pound.

It reduces sound about 19 decibels. The SR-30 adds almost 8 inches to the barrel, and weighs about 2/3 of a pound – comparatively light for these sorts of devices.

It reduces sound by a more respectable 30 decibels, but neither approach is anything like the “silencers” portrayed on TV and in the movies. And as with all types of these products, they perform best with sub-sonic ammunition – something for a hunter to think about.

Unlike many similar devices, the Nosler products easily disassemble for cleaning and maintenance.

However, some main(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 41

Sound suppressors of all types have gained popularity across the country since their legalization some years ago. Col. Allard photo (Continued from page 40)

tenance or modifications still require Federal involvement, and for those adjustments and the device must be returned to the Nosler factory. Agents from the ATF must approve and record the specific work done before the owner may retrieve their suppressor.

Nosler’s sudden entry into the suppressor market expanded what was already a market of growing success and influence. Their design and manufacturing made them instant top performers. However, companies that have been longer in the suppressor business, such as Barrett, Banish, Elite Iron, and AWC, will not surrender market share easily.

Bottom Line Despite the rising popularity, spreading acceptance, and the work of “unapologetic evangelists,” any shooter is justified holding a degree of skepticism regarding these misnamed silencers. They are anything but silent.

The best performers still produce muzzle blasts in excess of 100

decibels.

Sound suppression remains expensive. On average, a suppressor adds $1,000 to the cost of a rifle, telescopic sight, and mounts. And that makes for one pricey package.

In addition, the law that permits them requires payment of a $200 Federal tax for the privilege. It also requires that the device and its owner be registered with the ATF, along with a passport photo of the owner.

And you can forget about passing it on to a grandchild without another application process and another $200. No one may legally take possession

Here, the author hefts a suppressor-equipped rifle. Widely available, but expensive, suppressors meet the needs of rifle, pistol, and shotgun shooters seeking to reduce noise levels.

Photo: Pat Heffernan

of a suppressor without the approval of the Federal government. Then some of the states can get involved, as well.

Suppressors add about a pound of weight and between seven and nine inches to the end of the barrel. Try negotiating a favorite white cedar swamp or climbing into a deer stand with the equivalent of a can of soda stuck on the end of a rifle.

Most suppressors do not work with iron sights. A front sight makes mounting especially challenging. They also do not mount on many of the older rifles that third and fourth generation Maine hunters so often prize.

Monmouth Fish & Game Association

GUN SHOW Saturday, February 11th • 9am–4pm Sunday, February 12th • 9am–2pm

Perhaps most disconcerting for the skeptics is the possibility of mandates. From a vigorous prohibition, the suppressor may become a requirement in some jurisdictions. Shooting clubs and hunters may face local ordinances

that specify suppressor use.

New owners of suppressors join the enthusiasts every day. The Nosler family’s entry into the business will increase that enthusiasm.

¶

Maine Deer Camp Saturday, March 25, 2022

Hilton Garden Inn Riverwatch, 14 Great Falls Plaza, Auburn, ME

DINNER • AUCTION • PRIZES Games/Raffles & Social Hour 5:00 PM • Dinner 6:30 PM Tickets: $50 Single, $35 Spouse • Free Soda & Beer Special TICKET ORDER DEADLINE MARCH 15TH Tickets will not be sold at the door. First come, first served.

★ ★ ★ BUY EARLY – TICKETS SELL OUT! ★ ★ ★

BUY • SELL • TRADE

Buy tickets at www.whitetailsunlimited.com and be entered for a chance to win one of two $100 Big Buck Raffle Packages!

Admission Only $5 • Open to the Public Children Under 12 Free (Must be Accompanied by Adult)

YOU COULD WIN: Firearms, Outfitter Packages, Hunting and Outdoor-related Equipment, Artwork & Collectibles Only Available at WTU Events!

ABSOLUTELY NO LOADED FIREARMS ON THE PREMISES Food & Beverages Available • All FFL Rules Enforced

RAFFLE: Smith & Wesson Equalizer 9MM with a Sightmark Red Dot Sight & 600 Rounds of Ammo Provided by Spin Drift Firearms of Leeds, ME. Drawing on Sunday Afternoon.

347 Route 202, Monmouth, ME • 207-441-0129

BIG BUCK RAFFLE PACKAGE: Buy a $100 Big Buck Raffle Package and you will receive (6) Top Gun Tickets & (44) General Raffle Tickets

(Largest raffle with numerous chances to win. Items picked up at event. Does NOT include Deer Camp ticket)

BECOME A TABLE CAPTAIN:

Purchase this $850 Table Captain package and receive (8) Deer Camp tickets, a firearm valued at $375, (4) Big Buck Raffle Packages, WTU gift, table reserved in your name, recognition as a special WTU guest.

www.MaineSportsman.com

42 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

The Stories Behind Two of Maine’s Biggest Bucks of 2022 It is inspiring to see the year’s biggest bucks in Maine. Here are the stories behind two of the “Biggest of the Big.” #1 Jason Harris, 265 lbs., 11 points Jason Harris, from Newburg, has been hunting for about thirty years, and this is the first buck he’s shot over 200 lbs.

Three years ago, Jason struck a deal with a landowner in Dixmont – Jason would bushhog the landowner’s fields for free, in exchange for hunting permission.

It turned out to be a pretty good hunting spot. His first season hunting the property, Jason got a crotch-horn, and last year he got a 180-lb. buck, and a doe.

On Halloween, Jason hunted a field from his ground blind. It was nearing the end of shooting light, so he started packing up his stuff, with the plan to hunt his way back to the truck and try to intercept any deer heading toward the field.

“Just when I stood up and turned around to leave, my phone buzzed,” he said. “It was a notification from my Spypoint game camera.”

Jason explained that his Spypoint wireless game camera doesn’t have great service, so regularly photos won’t

Jason Harris with his 265-pound 11-pointer. www.MaineSportsman.com

Here, hunters who brought home two of the largest deer taken this past season, tell Christi what led to their success.

And their stories could not be more different, with one exercising good landowner relations and then utilizing modern technology, while the other found a likely-looking spot in the timberland, and simply waited. transmit to his phone until hours or days later. “I figured it probably had a photo of me walking in, or walking out the other day, but I checked it and all I could see what this great big body, and the left beam with a big, long G2. This was a deer I had never seen before.”

Jason turned around and sat back down.

Moments later, the buck entered the field about 50 yards away. As Jason moved his shooting stick into position, “I banged it on the Mr. Buddy heater, and it rang like a church bell. All wildlife within hearing distance of the field froze. I thought I had blown my chance.”

But the buck continued slowly walking, so Jason took careful aim and squeezed the trigger of his .338 Win mag. The buck took off, tail tucked, running, but slowly.

“I found a lot of blood, but it dried up after 50 yards. I called a couple buddies, even got out the list of tracking dogs.

But my brother-in-law eventually came a continued blood trail, and then tracking it was easy. When I saw the size of the buck, I thought, “Oh my!’ I usually shoot smaller deer because I don’t typically have a lot of time to hunt and really enjoy eating deer meat. Thank God I passed on the small ones this year.” It had run about 150 yards total.

Jason butchered the deer himself,

and says it tastes fantastic – “You could cut it with a fork.” Jason’s advice to other hunters is, “Don’t be afraid to work for a spot. Help a landowner, and help yourself.” #4 Gary Lind, 255 lbs., 7 points Gary Lind hunts with a .270 Remington pump on timberland in the Rangeley area, and this past fall, he finally earned his patch.

Gary’s hunting style is simple: “I don’t use game cameras, I don’t use tree stands, and I don’t walk around. I stand in one place.”

The spot Gary described to me was behind a fallen tree, on top of a ridge that deer travel.

Last year, Gary’s son-in-law shot a small buck there, and two years ago, Gary shot a small buck nearby.

“It was around 11 a.m. when I saw movement in the trees about 80 yards away. I only had one lane to shoot through, so I did.”

The buck took off running down the ridge. Gary waited a while before looking for the deer. “I didn’t find any blood or hair. I’ve been hunting for 64 years, and it was my first time not finding blood. There was no snow, but I followed the deer’s tracks to a thick area. I talked (Continued on next page)

Gary Lind with his 255-pound 7-pointer.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 43 (Continued from page 42)

myself into thinking I missed that deer, even though the last deer I missed was 30 years ago.”

Gary went home and tried to sleep that night. “I didn’t sleep well. I kept thinking, “I know I hit that deer,” Gary recounted.

Gary returned early the next morning and went about searching for blood from a different angle. He found one drop of blood about 125 yards away from the shoot, and then the deer. “I had come to within 25 yards of it the first day,” he said.

Gary called his son-in-law, and then he went to a local retailer and purchased

a Jet Sled. It took him 2-1/2 hours to get it out of the woods.

Gary is already looking forward to next year’s season. “I just turned 71, so I like to stay in one spot and wait. It just takes being in the right spot at the right time.”

¶

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: American Crow by Steve Vose

The American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, of the family Corvidae, is a common and widespread species throughout Maine, as well as in southern Canada and the Continental United States.

Animal behaviorists consider crows to be among the world’s most intelligent animals, with some species capable of tool use and construction.

American crows measure approximately 20 inches in length, have a wingspan around 36 inches, and weigh between 12 to 22 ounces.

American crows are easy to identify, having brilliant iridescent black feathers, as well as black legs, feet and bill.

Questions 1. What is the home range of the American crow?

2. Are crows intelligent enough to be able to use simple tools?

From a distance, the American crow can sometimes be mistaken for the com-

mon raven. A discriminating eye looks for the raven’s larger size, heavier bill, feather tufts at the neck, and wedgeshaped tail feathers in flight.

The American crow’s diet includes small mammals, other birds, insects, fruits, earthworms, seeds, frogs, eggs, and carrion.

The most frequent sound made by the American crow is a loud caw-cawcaw, but this crafty and wise avian can also produce a wide variety of sounds, sometimes mimicking noises made by other animals.

Females crows live on average 3 years; males, 5 years. The oldest known crow was almost 30 years old.

3. How much does a crow weigh?

6. What sounds does a crow make?

4. What are the differences between a crow and a raven?

7. How old can a female crow live?

Crows have been observed using tools. Here, a crow uses a stick to pry mealworms out of a hole in a log.

Photo: Lucas Bluff/ResearchGate

8. How old can a male crow live?

5. What does a crow eat?

Answers on Page 66

Never Miss Another Issue –

Get The Maine Sportsman Delivered Right to Your Door! r One Year $30 Name____________________________________ Address___________________________________ _________________________________________ City______________________________________ State_____________________________________ Zip______________________________________ VISA/MC________________________________ Exp._________________CVV________________ Phone___________________________________ Email____________________________________

r Two Years $49 Include your Check, Money Order or VISA/MasterCard info to: The Maine Sportsman 183 State Street, Suite 101 Augusta, ME 04330 You can also call (207) 622-4242 or subscribe online at

www.MaineSportsman.com www.MaineSportsman.com

44 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— The Biggest Buck

TOP 10 BIGGEST

Joshua Small of Woodland, ME 263 lbs. • 10/29 • Stockholm

Steve Vincent of Bingham, ME 247 lbs. • 11/7 The Forks Plt.

Nathan Devault of West Gardiner, ME 256 lbs. • 10/29 • Greene

Danny Gordius of High Point, NC 247 lbs. • 11/11 Eustis

John Martins of Madison, ME 246 lbs. • 10/31 Madison

Jason Harris of 265 lbs. • 10/3

Tyler Chartrand of Norridgewock, ME 246 lbs. • 11/8 Norridgewock

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

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 45

ks in Maine Club —

BUCKS OF 2022

Newburgh, ME 31 • Dixmont

Colombe Cote of Biddeford, ME 246 lbs. • 11/19 Magalloway Plt.

Gary Lind of Rangeley, ME 255 lbs. • 11/4 • Rangeley

Cecil Foss of Wilton, ME 245 lbs. • 11/9 Wilton

Bentley Merrill of Greenwood, ME 244.8 lbs. • 11/5 Gilead

Robert Hogan of Sebec, ME 249 lbs • 10/29 • Sebec

Hayden Varney of Portage, ME 244 lbs. • 10/31 Turner

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

46 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Biggest Bucks in Maine Club 2022 — * denotes youth hunter

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

Achey Adams Adams, II Allen Allen Allen Alley, Jr Amicangiolo Anderson Anderson Anderson Anestis Arsenault Ash Ashe Babin Babson Bailey Bailey Bailey Bailey Baker Baker Barden * Barnes Batchelder Bateman Beal * Bean Bean Beane Beaulier Beaulieu Beaulieu Beaupre Beitzel Bennett Bennett Berry Bidwell

Dylan Shane Gregory Mark Bill Myke Bernard Matthew Jeff Brady Eric Trenton Timothy AJ Larry Jalen Bryce Robert Matt Peter Jonathan Richard Dylan Hunter Tyler Taylor Bradley Keegan Kyle Weldon Chase Jarrett Reno A. Lionel Peter Christopher N. Edwin Stephen Douglas Elliot

Sidney Portland Caribou Bradford Unity Sanford Prospect Alton Bay Valdez W Baldwin W Baldwin Belmont St. Albans Rangeley Glenburn Liberty Bucksport Rockwood Orrington Northport Poland Charlotte Limerick Arundel China Exeter Paris Jonesport Casco Oakland Fairfield Ashland Augusta Lewiston Portage Lake Florence Machias Boothbay Lebanon Gorham

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH AK ME ME NH 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 NJ ME

219 202 213 226 208 205.8 224.4 218 230 206 204 216 201 210 221 202.3 205 224.5 210 206 200 212 206 205 200 211 229.4 212 215 202 230 221 218.8 208 211 229.7 208.8 201 210 232

11/23/2022 10/6/2022 11/23/2022 11/21/2022 11/9/2022 11/2/2022 11/8/2022 11/17/2022 11/7/2022 11/15/2022 12/1/2022 11/15/2022 11/9/2022 11/5/2022 11/10/2022 11/12/2022 10/29/2022 11/5/2011 11/19/2022 11/1/2022 11/16/2022 11/14/2022 11/15/2022 11/5/2022 11/19/2022 11/14/2022 10/29/2022 10/22/2022 11/25/2022 11/5/2022 11/1/2022 11/26/2022 11/4/2022 11/19/2022 11/30/2022 11/8/2022 11/14/2022 10/29/2022 11/25/2022 11/8/2022

Long Pond Twp Cherryfield Perham Kenduskeag Unity Newfield Surry Magalloway Plt. Westmanland Parsonsfield Parsonsfield Cherryfield Plymouth Davis Twp Corinth Liberty Brooksville Tomhegan Twp Orrington Northport Poland Charlotte Waterboro Arundel China Exeter Hebron Jonesport Casco Oakland Anson T12 R7 WELS Augusta Poland Portage Lincoln Starboard Edgecomb T5 R18 Coplin Plt

Birch Black Blackburn Blair Bodlovick Bonenfant Borden Botbyl Boucher Boulanger Bourgoin Brackett Bradish Bragg Braman Brewer Bridges Bridgham Bridgham Brockway Brooks Brown Brown * Bsullak Bucklin Burgess Burke Burleigh Burley, Jr Burns Burton III Caldwell Campagna Candage Carey Caron, Sr Carter Carter Caruso Chaplin

Russell James Jacob Craig Steven Adam Tom Dylan Anthony Nathaniel Eric Dennis Raymond Nick Spencer Nick Nicholas Kaleb Harold Mike Jeremy Ethen S Nolan John Wesley Zachary Joseph Wallace Robert Bryce Gary A. Robert Nicholas Marcus Anna Jeff Robert M Curt Gregory Sam

Durham Wilton E. Waterboro Waterville Windham Vassalboro Big Lake Windsor Chapman W Baldwin Frenchville Patten Orwell Sidney Chelsea Easton Columbia Falls Minot Minot Winslow Oakland Leeds Oakland Poland Alfred Mexico Newburgh Kingman Sanford Corinth Sangerville Bangor Williston Blue Hill Exeter Wytopitlock Thorndike Frenchtown Twp Caratunk Manchester

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

202 210 203.2 222 212 202 230 203 222 206 200 202 210 206 224 224 224 206 201 225 210 200.8 230 200 220.8 209 202 204 203.4 205.3 213 206 217 211.5 212 207 208 207 210 202.2

10/11/2022 10/29/2022 11/2/2022 11/11/2022 11/26/2022 11/5/2022 11/11/2022 10/31/2022 11/12/2022 11/19/2022 11/19/2022 11/2/2022 10/29/2022 11/22/2022 11/16/2022 11/16/2022 11/10/2022 11/15/2022 10/29/2022 11/7/2022 11/10/2022 11/29/2022 10/29/2022 12/7/2022 11/1/2022 11/19/2022 11/1/2022 11/1/2022 11/9/2022 11/11/2022 11/18/2022 11/14/2022 11/17/2022 11/2/2022 10/29/2022 11/2/2022 11/3/2022 11/5/2022 11/22/2022 11/11/2022

Durham Wilton Waterboro Tim Pond Athens Gardiner Greenlaw Chopping Washington Mapleton St. Albans Allagash Patten Prentiss Sidney Soldier Twp Blaine Columbia Falls Minot Minot Jackman Smithfield Leeds Oakland Poland Waterboro Rangeley Newburgh Kingman Sanford Amherst Exeter Carrying Place Twp N Andover Blue Hill Harmony Wytopitlock Thorndike Frenchtown The Forks Manchester

WALKER’S BIG GAME GUIDE SERVICE

Woody’s Guide Service TROPHY DEER • MOOSE • BEAR HUNTS Now Accepting 2023 Deposits Limited ‘Bear Over Bait’ Slots SUMMER VACATIONS! Located on North Shore Kingsbury Pond Lodging in Shoreline Camps or Main Lodge Don’t just dream of a wilderness experience – LET US GUIDE YOU AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!

NOW BOOKING 2023 HUNTS

Spring Turkey – 2 Bird Limit, 3-Day Hunts Fall Bear Over Bait, with Hounds or Trapping Deer • Moose Zones 7, 8, 12 & Others Upon Request

207-461-2958

(207) 212-9676 | form34me@aol.com www.woodysguideservice.net

— Largest Selection of New & Used Firearms —

— Guns Bought, Sold & Traded — Complete Line of Firearms, Ammo, Archery Equipment, Fishing Tackle and Trapping Supplies

Mill Mall, 48 State Street, Ellsworth, ME (207) 667-2511 • 1-800-287-2511 gunshop@willeysinc.com

www.willeyssportscenter.com www.MaineSportsman.com

WELL-STOCKED ICE FISHING SUPPLIES Scoops • Augers • Lines Heritage Tip Ups • Tow Sleds Bait Buckets • & More!

NEW GUNS & AMMO ARRIVING DAILY!

SCOPES by Trijicon, Steiner, Nikon,Leupold, Vortex, Sightmark, Sig Sauer & More!

CLASS III DEALER WITH A VARIETY OF SUPPRESSORS HUGE SELECTION OF AMMO BY ALL MANUFACTURERS Plus Hard-to-Find Calibers

FULL LINE OF ARCHERY & TREE STANDS DEER HUNTING ACCESSORIES, LURES, SCENTS & CALLS CAMPING SUPPLIES • SNOW DOGS

We have the friendliest, most knowledgeable staff around!

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 47 LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

Charette Chartrand Chipman Churchill Clark Clark Clark Clifford Cluff Cochran Colella Coleman Cook Cooper Corthell Cote Couillard Couturier Cowden Craig, Jr. Crawford Crews Crosby Cross Crouse Crowley Currier Curtis Cushing Daggett Dan Darling * Davidson Davis Davis Davis Davoren Day Decker Delano, Jr Desrosiers DeStefano Devault DeWitt Dillon Dolder, Jr

Linwood Tyler Darren Barry Michael Josh Christopher Nathaniel Ryan Chad Florindo Steve David M Matt Mark Colombe Chris Michael Brian John A. Kevin Anita Anders Dale Shane Lucas Sean Noah M. Richard Tommy Brent Samantha Kevin Glen Riese Doreen Timothy P. Darryl Daniel Scott W Jeffrey Anthony Nathan Matthew Cynthia Kevin

Medway Norridgewock Gray Ft Fairfield Bass Harbor Limington Seal Cove Greene Kennebunkport Caribou Boxford Greene Ashland Minot N Yarmouth Biddeford Lebanon Montville Richboro Dedham Ottsville Skowhegan Brooks Old Town Sangerville Belgrade Bangor Harrington Wilton Cushing Turner Waterboro Dedham Gorham Bowdoinham Belgrade Yarmouth Newcastle Dryden Somerville Gilmanton Mays Landing W Gardiner Ellsworth N Anson Sayville

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME PA ME PA ME ME ME ME MT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NY ME NH NJ ME ME ME NY

201 246 209 239 227 219 207.3 214 231 201 216 207 210 205 201 246 205.6 201 203 206.2 217 204 214 215 205 203 229.5 225.6 202 210 228.5 201.2 201 210 205 201 202.4 205 216 205 224 211 256 205.4 216 206.5

11/21/2022 11/8/2022 11/1/2022 10/29/2022 11/9/2022 11/11/2022 11/11/2022 11/10/2022 11/10/2022 11/15/2011 11/3/2022 11/9/2022 12/3/2022 11/5/2022 11/16/2022 11/19/2022 11/1/2022 11/1/2022 11/10/2022 11/18/2022 11/18/2022 11/5/2022 11/19/2022 11/23/2022 10/31/2022 11/22/2022 10/29/2022 10/29/2022 11/22/2022 10/21/2022 11/9/2022 11/9/2022 11/12/2022 11/18/2022 10/29/2022 11/16/2022 11/17/2022 10/29/2022 11/3/2022 11/9/2022 11/1/2022 11/9/2022 10/29/2022 10/31/2022 10/31/2022 11/23/2022

Grindstone Twp. Norridgewock Columbia Ft Fairfield Eastbrook Sebago Franklin Hartford Kennebunkport Caribou Charleston Sabattus Ashland Minot Eustis Magalloway Plt. Lebanon Montville Monson Dedham T7 R9 WELS Skowhegan Brooks Charleston Sangerville Big W Carmel Twp 10 Livermore Cushing Turner Waterboro Monroe Willamantic China Belgrade Yarmouth Damariscotta Squaretown Twp Somerville Bingham Montville Greene Ellsworth Norridgewock W Forks

Donaghy Donaghy Doremus Dorr Doughty Dow Dow Dowd Doyon Drew Driver Dube Dube Dubois Duguay Duley Dumont Dyer * Ehlers Ellis Elmer Emerson England Errico Erving Esancy Estes Eufrazio Evangelos Farrar, Sr. Feener Fenderson Fenton Ferrill Figueiredo Finn Finney Flanders Folger Jr Fortunato Foskett Foss Foss * Fowler Fredette Frindt

Brian Mark Michael A. David Kyle Katie Zachary Shawn Jacob Dennis Sam T. Benjamin Gregory Gerard Frank Tyler Ryan J. Corey Kyle Chris Rodney A. Stephen Ian Thomas Dwight Everett Saben Mark Jennifer Timothy E. Owen Jamie Dana Gary Allen George William Glenn Richard M Richard J. Richard D. Cecil Logan Tiffany Randall E. Ben

Palermo Unity Porter Mariaville Brooks Drew Plt Sebec Richmond Norridgewock Corinna St Albans Monmouth Whitefield Waterville Mexico Madison Windham Livermore Falls New Gloucester Farmingdale Northfield Carmel Alfred Kennebunk Newport Richmond Woolwich Plymouth Union W Paris Hope N Berwick Jonesport Clifton Taunton Salem Patten Bowdoinham Farmington Gilford Charlton Wilton Madison Randolph Winslow Alton

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME NH ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME ME ME ME MA NH ME ME NH NH MA ME ME ME ME ME

229 209 213 202 200 213 202 210 222 208 220 218 208 203 210.8 208 220 200.4 200 202 220 218 210.8 219 215 210 230 230 207 229.8 224 208.5 214 211 208 207 233 219 203.5 217 210 245 232 200.3 210 207

11/17/2022 11/17/2022 10/5/2022 11/16/2022 11/23/2022 11/9/2022 11/16/2022 11/19/2022 11/8/2022 11/12/2022 11/14/2022 10/29/2022 11/7/2022 11/16/2022 11/17/2022 11/14/2022 11/12/2022 10/22/2022 10/7/2022 11/16/2022 11/4/2022 10/22/2022 11/2/2022 11/17/2022 11/10/2022 10/19/2022 11/18/2022 11/9/2022 11/5/2022 10/29/2022 11/14/2022 11/9/2022 11/9/2022 11/18/2022 11/16/2022 11/11/2022 11/17/2022 11/1/2022 11/19/2022 11/5/2022 11/10/2022 11/9/2022 10/29/2022 11/16/2022 11/21/2022 11/19/2022

Jackman Soldiertown Cornish Mariaville Brooks Prentiss Twp Sebec Richmond Sidney Exeter T4 R15 WELS China Richardson Twp Waterville Andover Madison Harrison Livermore New Gloucester Little W Twp Tim Pond Twp. Carmel Eliot Frenchtown Twp St Albans Gardiner Dennistown Caratunk Union W Paris Camden Weld Jonesport Amherst Dole Pond Hiram Mt Chase Brassua Twp Eustis Solon Anson Wilton Athens Chelsea Vassalboro T7 R9 WELS

★★★★★

ADMISSION Adults $15 Child 6–12 $5 Under 6 Free

Never Miss Another Issue!

Subscribe to The Maine Sportsman by going to MaineSportsman.com/ Subscribe or calling (207) 622-4242 today!

★★★★★

39TH ANNUAL – 3 BIG DAYS!

FEBRUARY 24–26, 2023 Located in the North Maine Woods Fully Guided Bear & Moose Hunts Semi-Guided Deer Hunts Meals & Lodging for Grouse

(207)474-2644 • info@pbguideservice.com

www.pbguideservice.com

★ Check out our website! ★

www.MaineSportsman.com

Eastern States Exposition HOME OF THE BIG-E W. Springfield, MA

SHOW HOURS: Fri. 12PM–8PM • Sat. 9AM–7PM • Sun. 10AM–5PM FREE Seminars on Hunting & Fishing Outfitters & Guides from U.S. & Canada Salt & Freshwater Charter Boats Fishing Boats • Off-Roaders • Fishing & Hunting Equipment Gamefish Center Aquarium • Trout Pond • Live Waterdog Demos Northeast Big Buck Club Display • Giant Display of Firearms SCI Wildlife Trailer Display • AND MUCH MORE! Sign Up

www.osegsportsmens.com

for Show Door Prizes!

“We’ll see you at the Northeast’s Biggest and Best Sportsmen’s Show!”

www.MaineSportsman.com

48 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————— LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

Frost Frost Frost Gallant Gamache Gantnier Garcia Gardner Gardner Gauthier Gehman Gerrish Giles Giles Gilmore Gordius Grady Grant Jr Gray Green Gregoire Grenier Grondin Gross Grovo Hammock Haney Hansen Harmon Harriman Harris Harris Harris Harrison Hart Hart Harvell Haskell, Sr. Havey Hawkins Hay Heal Heldman Hennigan Henry Herrick Hetrick Hewett Hibbard, III Higgins Hill Hill * Hilton Hinkley II * Hodgman Hogan Hubbard

David A. Eric Kyle Kevin Peter Roger Antoin William Arthur Joshua William Rick Broedy Caleb Travis Danny Jamison Harland Tyson Christopher D. Kody Joe Joel Robby Gregory Paul Nathan Erik Garrett James Jason Hans Steven E. Rebecca Joshua Jeremy James Jeffrey B. Richard Victor Austin Nicholas Alexander Robert Jason Addyson Joe Nathan R. Harold Thomas M Leo Connor Michael Chad Kyle Robert D Eric

Norridgewock Leeds Monmouth Limington S China Benedicta Miami Brewer Poland Hebron Orrington Brownville Pittsfield Patten New Gloucester High Point Whitefield Bucksport Bucksport Raymond Enosburg Eddington Dayton Mapleton Steep Falls Winslow Connor Twp Stafford Spgs Saco Brunswick Newburgh Petersham Chesterville Pownal Parsonsfield Gardner E Dixfield Stafford Franklin Cutler Madison Lincolnville Hebron Benton Norridgewock Dexter Cape Elizabeth Belgrade Oquossoc Bangor Bingham St Francis Norridgewock Litchfield Swanzey Sebec W Newfield

ME ME ME ME ME ME FL ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NC ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME CT ME ME ME MA ME ME ME MA ME VA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME

211 202 200.6 214 210 207 218 207 205 220 224.8 203 212.5 206 220 247 218 202 211 204 229 212 234 218 235.5 200 221 208 202.1 202 265 203 201 217.2 200.5 200 202 203 208 231.2 202 230 200.5 200 209 222 205 201 200 201 206 202 200 201 200 249 209.1

10/29/2022 11/17/2022 10/31/2022 10/19/2022 11/18/2022 10/29/2022 11/23/2022 12/3/2022 11/8/2022 10/4/2022 11/9/2002 11/14/2022 11/17/2022 11/14/2022 11/17/2022 11/11/2022 11/17/2022 11/7/2022 10/31/2022 11/4/2022 11/18/2022 11/18/2022 11/5/2022 11/26/2022 9/10/2022 11/12/2022 11/4/2022 11/10/2022 10/29/2022 11/24/2022 10/31/2022 11/14/2022 11/19/2022 11/9/2022 11/8/2022 11/18/2022 11/16/2022 11/17/2022 10/29/2022 11/1/2022 11/4/2022 11/7/2022 11/21/2022 11/23/2022 11/23/2022 10/31/2022 11/8/2022 11/2/2022 11/14/2022 11/14/2022 11/21/2022 11/5/2022 11/18/2022 10/29/2022 11/12/2022 10/29/2022 11/6/2022

Norridgewock Eustis Monmouth Limington The Forks Herseytown Norridgewock Bowerbank Poland Hebron Orrington Brownville St Albans Patten Freeman Twp Eustis Kingsbury Orland Bucksport Scarborough Tim Pond Eddington Rangeley Plt Wade Westbrook Winslow Connor Twp Caratunk Hollis Durham Dixmont Hammond Chesterville Pownal Parsonsfield Langtown Wilton Livermore Franklin Whiting Athens Lincolnville Hebron Albion Norridgewock Abbott Cape Elizabeth Belgrade Rangeley Plt Bangor Moscow St Francis The Forks Sabattus Eustis Sebec Newfield

Hubbard * Huston Jack Jackson Jacob James Jenkins Kangas Kelley Kessler Killam * King King Knights Labbe Lachance Ladd Lambert Lane Lausier * Lavigne Leask Lee Leibrock LePage Levesque Lewis Lewis Liimatainen Lilly Lincoln Lind Littlefield Loabe II Logan Lohmann Longley Look Lopez Lumbert MacDonald MacLean MacLean Manley Mansir * Marcinuk Marquis Marston Martell Martins Massey McAlister McCafferty McCarty McCloskey McCue McDonald

Brett Gregory Rickie S. Dean Niels Hollis Thomas Richard Osmond W Mackenzie Kyle Lawrence John Tyler Rick Bastien Albert Shawn Rodney Jaydan Joshua Merle Tylor A Cole Ed Samuel T. Kenneth Josh Lucas Shane Ryan Gary Joel Richard L Paul Mark Walter Michael Mark Wayne James Pearly A. Aaron Travis William Peter Will Nickolas Paul John Jeffrey Jacob Douglas Joseph D. James Sean Lukas

Livermore Buxton Oxford Morrill Kennebunkport Georgetown Eliot Bryant Pond Jonesport Moultonborough Monson Limestone Standish Hampden Smithfield Loc-Drolet QC Byron Norridgewock Cornish Limestone Saco Dresden Swanville Sharon Limerick Liberty Chesterville Casco Newfields Sebec Waltham Rangeley Albion Mercer Parsonsfield Poland Litchfield E Machias Bridgton Jackman Waterford Machias Portage Sidney S Gardiner Raymond Freeport Appleton Gray Madison Oakland Buckfield Belgrade Vassalboro Vineland Bangor Northfield

ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME Canada ME ME ME ME ME ME ME CT ME ME ME ME NH 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 NJ ME ME

222.2 206 203.6 200 203 200.2 202.4 202.2 214 204 209 207 205 202 210 203.8 201 235 211 202 215 203 209 230 223 206 202 200 202 208 211 255 200 201 219 224.5 219 217 210.4 202 206 214.2 209 220 210 200.2 201 202 202.6 246 201 226 226 204 214 211 208

10/29/2022 11/10/2022 10/29/2022 11/19/2022 11/16/2022 10/29/2022 11/1/2022 10/29/2022 11/26/2022 11/17/2022 11/19/2022 11/7/2022 11/15/2022 11/23/2022 11/19/2022 11/25/2022 11/16/2022 11/16/2022 10/15/2022 11/17/2022 11/5/2022 11/8/2022 11/19/2022 11/12/2022 10/29/2022 10/22/2022 11/11/2022 10/31/2022 11/18/2022 11/18/2022 11/10/2022 11/4/2022 11/12/2022 10/29/2022 11/16/2022 11/19/2022 11/7/2022 10/29/2022 11/14/2022 11/17/2022 11/1/2022 10/12/2022 10/30/2022 10/29/2022 11/12/2022 11/14/2022 11/15/2022 11/10/2022 11/9/2022 10/31/2022 11/14/2022 11/4/2022 11/15/2022 11/19/2022 11/17/2022 11/15/2022 11/24/2022

Livermore Buxton Oxford Morrill Kennebunkport Georgetown Shapleigh Woodstock Jonesport T9 R7 Blanchard Plt Woodland Mucwahoc Hampden W Forks Mattawamkeag Byron Norridgewock Cornish Hamlin Saco Dresden Waldo Cty Forkstown Twp Waterboro Liberty Chesterville Auburn Osborn Bowerbank Talmadge Rangeley E Benton Mercer Parsonsfield Weld Litchfield Whiting Macwahoc Jackman S Paris Centerville Twp Ashland Sidney Moxie Gore Oxford Chain of Ponds Appleton Gray Madison Vanceboro Buckfield Molunkus Solon Brighton Plt Corinth T25 WMD

— MAINE CAMPING GUIDE — WEBB’S RV CENTER

New Campers Arriving Daily!

1206 Hammond Street, Bangor • 207-942-2900 Open Mon-Fri 8-6, Sat 8-5, Sun Closed

www.webbsrv.com www.MaineSportsman.com

Explore all that Maine has to offer!

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 49 LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

McDuff McElwain McKendry McLain, Jr. McPherson Meader Mercer Merrifield Merrill * Michaud Miller Miller Miner Mitchell Mitchell Montgomery Mooney Moreau Morris Morse II Mowery Moyna Mushero * Nadeau Nadeau Nadeau * Nelson Niles Noonan Norton Nunn Nystrom, Jr. O'Brien O'Hara Oldenburgh Ouellette Paine Paradise Parent Parker

Pierre Daniel Maxwell Shane L Kegan Jesstine Matthew R. Joshua Bentley James Brad Greg Mathew Sean Rick Sean C. Robert M. Frederick Jesse Scott Wade Mark Cameron Gerry Colby Brayden J Christopher Shawn Jeff Chris William G Richard R. Travis Ryan James Danielle Ronald Rodney Gage Matt D.

Topsham Raymond Portland Steuben Limestone New Sharon Frankfort Belmont Greenwood Benedicta Egg Harbor City Houlton Gardner Lincoln Rockport Lyndonville Auburn Mapleton Hartford Salem Franklin Blairstown Fairfield Bath Benton Auburn Winter Harbor Stratton Scotch Plains Phillips Monroe Vienna Bremen Chester Lincoln Lincoln Oxford Glenburn Lewiston Bridgeton

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

200.4 216.2 205 200.7 218 215 205 210 244.8 210 209 209 200 214 201 221 215 228 210.5 202 202.1 202 200 202 201 230 218.1 207 204 204 215 226 218.4 200.1 232 204 204.8 209 220.6 205.5

11/21/2022 11/8/2022 11/26/2022 11/11/2022 12/3/2022 11/5/2022 10/29/2022 10/31/2022 11/5/2022 11/7/2022 11/19/2022 11/9/2022 11/19/2022 11/12/2022 11/26/2022 11/22/2022 11/3/2022 11/4/2022 11/10/2022 11/17/2022 11/26/2022 11/19/2022 11/21/2022 10/29/2022 11/14/2022 10/29/2022 11/14/2022 11/8/2022 11/8/2022 11/16/2022 11/10/2022 11/16/2022 10/29/2022 11/11/2022 11/4/2022 11/9/2022 11/3/2022 11/23/2022 11/17/2022 11/18/2022

Topsham Raymond Eustis Steuben Oxbow NTwp. New Sharon Frankfort Belmont Gilead Benedicta Eustis Houlton Etna T11 R3 Rockport Adamstown Twp New Gloucester Ashland Hartford Weld Franklin T8 R8 WELS Oakland Dresden Benton Auburn Gouldsboro Eustis Madison Phillipa Monroe Vienna Newcastle Chester Matamiscontis T8 R15 Oxford Chase Stream Lewiston T4 R9 NWP

Parlin Parlin * Parratt Pastore Paulette Peabody Pelkey Pellegrino Pelletier Pelletier Perez Perez * Peterson Pierce Pietrowicz Pitkin, Sr Pixley Ploof Poulin Poulin Poulin Powers Pratt Prince Provencal Pryor Pullen Rager Randlett Ranquist Raven Raymond Reed Remeika Renaud Renaud Reynolds Richard Richards Ridley *

Brian Maxwell Jason P. Joseph Shawn Lealand Jason Debra L. Nicholas Nicholas James Jake Kenny Colt Michael J. Matthew K Steven Kevin Tom Jason J. Grant Nathaniel J. Brian Bryan Jeff Ethan N. Dwayne E. Kenneth D. Guy Robert Kevin Marc Bruce Jeremy Matthew Edward Oscar Tom Jeremy Ella

Madison Winthrop Mays Landing W Bath Fairfield Augusta Limestone Cambridge Winterville Plt Skowhegan Hope Hope Portland Windsor Dudley Fremont Camden Milton Cumberland Ashland Corinth Fairfield Hartford Monmouth Skowhegan Blaine Madison Chesapeake Beach Southport Dexter Otisfield Topsham Greenville Jct. Limerick Colchester Topsfield Etna N Berwick Jay Shapleigh

ME ME NJ ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA NH ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MD ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME

211 224 210 206.5 207 209 226 230 205 202 226 200 204 206.4 212 214 211 210 238 219 200 225 201 210.5 200 202 203 213 226 220 216.5 210 204 206.4 227 225 230 201.6 215 205

11/19/2022 9/10/2022 11/10/2022 10/31/2022 10/21/2022 11/19/2022 11/25/2022 11/2/2022 11/28/2022 10/8/2022 11/3/2022 11/15/2022 10/29/2022 10/31/2022 11/15/2022 11/23/2022 11/23/2022 11/19/2022 11/17/2022 11/19/2022 11/11/2022 10/31/2022 11/12/2022 11/17/2022 11/7/2022 11/3/2022 11/5/2022 11/17/2022 11/18/2022 11/9/2022 11/12/2022 11/1/2022 11/19/2022 11/23/2022 11/3/2022 11/9/2022 10/31/2022 10/31/2022 11/5/2022 11/15/2022

Norridgewock Gardiner Temple Gorham Fairfield Center Waldoboro Limestone Cambridge Eagle Lake Skowhegan Lincolnville Lincolnville Bowdoinham Washington Chase Stream Twp. Andover Camden The Forks T3 R13 Ashland Exeter Norridgewock Turner T3 R13 Cornville Westfield Madison Lake View Plt. T16 R5 Garland Otisfield Topsham W Bowdoin Col Rumford W Forks Plt Dyer Twp Monroe N Berwick Livermore Falls Shapleigh

★★★★★★ Stay up-to-date on the latest

MAINE OUTDOORS NEWS & receive

SPECIAL OFFERS with

The Maine Sportsman E-mail Newsletter!

Ohio & Indiana Whitetail Hunts IN/OH Turkey Hunts Maine Black Bear Hunts

Firearms & Ammo Hunting Gear Shooting Supplies Guns Bought, Sold & Traded 1123 Pattagumpus Road, Medway, ME 04460 (207) 447-0787

www.NorthwoodsArms.com

MENTION THIS AD & GET $100 OFF YOUR HUNT!

Mark Liebner 765-427-3228 www.CampKayOutfitters.com

TAXIS RIVER OUTFITTERS www.taxisriveroutfitters.com

Go to MaineSportsman.com and click Newsletter to sign up.

We promise to never share your personal information!

★★★★★★

Larry Davidson

506-369-7105

Spring Bear Hunt Special Call for Details!

4 Hour Drive

www.MaineSportsman.com www.MaineSportsman.com

50 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ————————————————————————————————————————————— LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

LAST NAME

FIRST NAME

CITY

STATE

WEIGHT

DATE

WHERE

Riedle Riitano * Riley Robichaud Roderick Roes Roper Rose * Roy Roy Roy Roy Roy * Rumney Russell Ryan-Prosper Salkaus Santheson Sargent Savage * Savage, Jr Schneider Schott Scott Scoville Seehusen Shaw Shaw Shaw Shay Shields Silvester Sirois Skelton Small Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Smith Snyder Soucy St John Stanley Steeves Steinmetz Stevens Stevens Stevens Stone Stone Stone III

Chad Owen Craig Tom Richard Christopher Mark Nathaniel Connor Ryan Thomas Christopher Preston Chad Evan Melissa Stephen Andrew Michael Evan Eric S Noah Michael R. Russell Peter Jacob Paul Wendy Jonathan Deven Alden Kirk Gregory H. William Joshua A. James Ezra Bradley R Stephen Ryan James H. Brian Bud Matt James Caden Luke Jason Edward Tyler Chase Fred Frank P.

Rutland Dexter Swanville Palermo Skowhegan Vassalboro Cornish Cutler Ft Kent Raymond Monticello Andover Albion Berwick N Yarmouth Hollis Center Petersham Waldoboro Sullivan Sebec Readfield Scarborough Beach Lake Washburn Machias Bingham Turner Mars Hill Albion Warren Kennebunk Jefferson Norridgewock Gray Woodland Greenbush Jefferson E Machias Kennebunk Limerick Skowhegan Milford Ft Kent Glenburn Waltham E Machias Brewster Belgrade Whitneyville Wells Saco Auburn N Berwick

MA ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME ME ME PA ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME PA ME ME ME ME MA ME ME ME ME ME ME

200 225 205.1 210 224 230 201 221 241.2 220 212 200.2 232 202 213 212 214 221.6 204.3 205 202 200.7 227 204 211 212.5 235 203.5 202 207 201 215 230 200 263 218 213.4 207.2 205.4 203 200 215 229 216.5 216 222.4 208 203 202.4 201 210 200 204

11/18/2022 10/22/2022 11/19/2022 11/3/2022 11/1/2022 11/17/2022 11/14/2022 10/22/2022 10/29/2022 10/7/2022 11/8/2022 11/3/2022 10/29/2022 11/15/2022 11/16/2022 10/29/2022 10/31/2022 10/29/2022 11/18/2022 11/26/2022 10/29/2022 11/9/2022 11/11/2022 11/5/2022 11/4/2022 11/17/2022 11/4/2022 11/26/2022 11/2/2022 11/21/2022 11/19/2022 10/29/2022 11/15/2022 11/24/2022 10/29/2022 11/11/2022 11/3/2022 11/25/2022 11/5/2022 11/7/2022 11/19/2022 11/17/2022 11/23/2022 11/9/2022 11/18/2022 11/10/2022 11/7/2022 11/9/2022 11/15/2022 11/24/2022 10/29/2022 10/29/2022 11/19/2022

Jackson Sangerville Swanville Palermo Cornville Sidney Chain of Ponds Cutler Daigle Buckfield Monticello Andover Albion Molunkus St. Albans Otisfield Passadumkeag Waldoboro Sullivan Beattie Fayette Shapleigh Jim Pond Washburn Machias Concord Turner Bridgewater Freedom Waldoboro Kennebunk Jefferson Madison Gray Stockholm Greenbush Jefferson Cutler Kennebunk Limerick Skowhegan T8 R19 T14 R8 Milo Osborn Machias Lovell Belgrade Centerville T5 R20 WELS Dayton Auburn Monson

Stover, Sr. Stubbs Sullivan Swallow Swan Tapley Terry Thayer Thayer Theriault Thibault Thibeau Thomas Thompson Tibbetts Tilton Toothaker Townsend Townsend Trombly Trudo Trundy, Jr Tukey Tuttle Tuttle Vaillancourt Vallee Valley Varney Vartanian Vincent Voisine Voisine Walker Wallace Walsh Weber, Sr. Welch Wells Wener Weymouth, IV * White White White Whitney Wilcox * Wilkinson Wilson Wing, Sr. Wood Wyman

Brian Hunter Michael Peter David Justin Rhys Calobe Tyler Anthony Matthew Nathaniel Kirk John M. Jason Stephen Matthew Abigail Josh Jeremiah Peter S Ronald Rosalita James Wade Justin Brett Gabriel P. Hayden Ryan Steve Gary Kim Dale Jessica Timothy M Albert Barry Cory Robert Robert R. Tyler Myron Corey Joseph Cameron Cy Carliegh TJ Darrick Edward

Winter Harbor Presque Isle Standish Seboomook Twp. Chazy Glenburn Richmond Bridgton Levant Levant Southport Dresden Freedom Clinton Mercer Groveton Topsham Fairfield Marshfield Washington Poultney Steuben Belgrade Cornville Bowdoinham Woolwich Auburn Old Orchard Beach Portage Lyman Bingham Ft Kent Chester Westford Raymond Hollis Egg Harbor City Newport Newport Starksboro Charleston Lee Poultney Rumford Jonesboro Presque Isle Sumner Coopers Mills Norridgewock Bangor Bath

ME ME ME ME NY ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME NH ME ME ME VT VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME VT ME ME NJ ME ME VT ME ME VT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME

200.7 206.1 201 220 214.5 220 208 216 204 206 200 210 219 200 218 204 202 227 212 200 227 216 202 204 201 205 209 200 244 206 247 218 211 207 204 201.6 217.2 205 225.5 205 202 228 217 216 214.6 216 204 206 222 206 208

11/5/2022 11/25/2022 11/22/2022 11/24/2022 11/15/2022 11/19/2022 11/11/2022 10/14/2022 10/31/2022 11/5/2022 11/24/2022 10/29/2022 11/11/2022 11/5/2022 11/11/2022 11/3/2022 11/1/2022 10/29/2022 11/1/2022 11/22/2022 11/24/2022 11/11/2022 11/8/2022 11/9/2022 11/10/2022 11/15/2022 11/12/2022 11/5/2022 10/31/2022 10/3/2022 11/7/2022 11/9/2022 11/4/2022 11/15/2022 11/2/2022 11/3/2022 11/18/2022 11/3/2022 11/15/2022 11/22/2022 10/22/2022 11/12/2022 11/22/2022 10/31/2022 11/15/2022 10/29/2022 11/12/2022 11/18/2022 10/29/2022 10/31/2022 11/2/2022

Winter Harbor Perham T3 R4 T4 R15 Bowtown Glenburn Montville Bridgton Hermon T4 R9 Southport Dresden Knox Albion Mercer Andover Dresden Fairfield Jonesboro Chain of Ponds Portage Lake Deblois Enfield Cornville Bowdoinham Dennistown Plt Minot Corinth Turner Saco The Forks Plt T17 R12 Waite Chain of Ponds Raymond Hollis Weld Hartland Beddington Eagle Lake Charleston Lee T17 R12 Rumford Centerville Mapleton Hartford Washington Norridgewock Glenburn Bath

From the Hills of West Virginia

¶

Take a trip you’ll never forget Immerse yourself in the Maine wildlife and scenery that YOU want to experience. Custom trips and tours.

Personalized Registered Maine Guide Training

amaineguide.com • (207) 729-6333

— Be Sure to Follow

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

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

We offer Bear Lures and Bait.

Smokey’s Deer Lures

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

Find us on Facebook Find it and more at:

www.MaineSportsman.com

The Maine Sportsman

on Facebook and Instagram!

—

Educational. Personalized. Awesome.

Custom snowshoeing, sea kayaking, canoeing, SUP, trips and training

Now Booking 2023 Bear & Turkey Hunts Moose Hunts in WMD 18 & 19 — Registered Maine Guide —

George E. Feero Jr.

(207)852-5679 • redoakoutfittersofmaine@gmail.com

www.redoakoutfittersofmaine.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 51

Smoked Goose Pastrami I have had Duck Pastrami a few times, and I absolutely love it! I’ve been looking for a source for big-breasted ducks, yet all purveyors seem to have thinner duck breasts than I thought.

How fortuitous when my brother asked if I’d like a goose he shot – well yeah! I thought it would be a whole goose, but it was just these two beautiful breasts, and I knew exactly what I was

going to do.

I had been researching other duck pastrami’s for a few years, and went back over what I had. I always look at what ingredients are in store pastrami – you never know what might add another layer of flavor.

But most of the time you can’t pronounce many of the ingredients, this is why I like to make most of my food from

scratch.

The wood can be overpowering if it is not mild and cut in chunks. I’ve learned that some wood chips (and used with or without a diffuser for more smoke) can turn a dish harsh in your mouth. So pay attention!

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Set up smoker, and bring temperature to 225F. Cover one rack with foil, and place on bottom rack. Place goose breasts on top rack. Add apple smoking wood** for a mild flavor. Smoke until internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove goose pastrami, and rest for 30 minutes. Use very sharp knife to slice thin, and serve! For extra treat, dip pieces in your favorite mustard or horseradish sauce.

*I like heat, and use a heavy-handed teaspoon of Smokey Hot Paprika. If you like it milder, use the sweet paprika – it does make a difference.

Ingredients: CURE: • ¼ teaspoon Pink Curing Salt • ¼ cup dark brown sugar • 3 tablespoons Tellicherry Black Pepper • 2 tablespoons garlic powder • 2 tablespoons dried shallots, ground • 2 teaspoons thyme • 2 1-pound Goose Breasts RUB: • 3 tablespoons Tellicherry cracked black pepper • 3 tablespoons brown sugar • 1 teaspoon onion powder • ½ teaspoon garlic, minced • ½ teaspoon Smokey Spanish Hot Paprika* (or sweet paprika) • ½ teaspoons thyme Directions: Rinse and towel dry goose breasts.

For the Cure, combine curing salt, brown sugar, black pepper and garlic and shallot powder together in a bowl and stir. Place goose breasts and cure into gallon zip bag, making sure to coat thoroughly. Seal bag, removing air from bag. Place bag in fridge, turn over twice daily for three days, allowing mix to permeate meat and evenly cure.

After the third day, remove from fridge and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Soak in fresh water for 30 minutes to remove any lingering curing mixture.

For the Rub, combine rub ingredients: pepper, brown sugar, onion and garlic powders, paprika and thyme in a bowl. Rub onto goose breasts, covering meat very well.

**A mild smoking wood works great here – apple or peach. Pecan is very strong, and you may like mesquite.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

52 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Mouse Wars “Mouse!

Uncle Randy – there’s a mouse!” our niece Jennifer squealed. A teensy weensy little grey mouse had the unmitigated bad timing to stroll across a rafter, just as we were getting everyone settled for the night. Here it was, Jennifer and her parents’ first visit to our remote log cabin, and a mouse had to show up.

“Do something,” Jean whispered anxiously. I looked at her and whispered back, “Like what?” Then I mumbled, “I’ll take care of it,” and went in search of a trap.

Meanwhile, 6-yearold Jennifer crawled into bed with her parents. Their first (and it turned out their only) visit to our remote cabin was not off to a good start.

Jennifer and her folks were not used to roughing it. Her Dad, my brother-in-law, was a college professor, and her mother was a schoolteacher, and they were not keen on gravel roads or sleeping in a log cabin with roving mice.

Long Battle We’ve battled with mice ever since we bought the old place years ago. I kind of thought mice were just part of the ecosystem and were to be tolerated along with the mosquitoes and blackflies, but no – I had strict orders to exterminate every mouse. www.MaineSportsman.com

It’s a battle that many camp owners fight, but few ever win.

It was a failure from the start. I left mouse poison and little packets of cedar shavings in the fall, but every spring we’d find nests in the kitchen cupboards.

We put out traps when we were there.

She’d tell me, “Be sure to set the traps,” and I’d put peanut butter on ten traps and distribute them around the rafters and in the cupboards and even on the kitchen table.

The problem is, the traps go off in the night. Around midnight she’d hear a loud snap, and then I’d get an elbow in my back. “Randy, Randy, get up. We caught a mouse.” I’d struggle awake, find a flashlight, and go in search of the trapped mouse.

Even worse was when the mouse was not killed instantly, and we heard it dragging the trap across the attic floor.

Serious Damage No doubt mice inside the cabin were

more than just a nuisance.

When we swung open the door of the shed in the spring, we were mortified to find a monstrous mouse nest inside the ATV. All the stuffing in the life jackets and fluff from the cat o’ nine tales made a draft-free mouse condo on top of the engine.

But it wasn’t just at the camp where we fought the little buggers. Back home at our marina, mice invaded our forklift and chewed the wiring. The old Clark had a steel plate over the dash and we learned to remove that plate every spring and blast the mice.

It never failed.

We’d lift the panel off and there, filling the space between the wires and the gauges, would be a mouse nest.

We used compressed air to evict them. “Damn, you little varmints – Vamoose!” The mice scattered running down

the hydraulic hoses and even down our pant legs.

Preventative Measures Ben’s friend Vance lives in Wales beside Sabattus Pond, and one day his Toyota Tundra refused to start. The truck was almost new with very few miles on it, but it wouldn’t start.

A tow to the dealership and investigations by the mechanics revealed that the mice had gotten up into the headliner and chewed through the wiring harness. The repair bill was enormous.

Ben took note of Vance’s troubles and installed tiny flashing lights under the hood of his wife’s Jeep. Supposedly, these little cubes with blinking lights repel the mice.

An old friend lives at Taylor Pond in Auburn, and when his new pontoon boat would not start, he looked inside the console and found that mice had nibbled

through the ignition wires.

If you look all this stuff up, you’ll find that some wire these days is produced using a plastic covering made from organic compounds that might attract mice.

Others say it’s just the mouse’s natural instinct for gnawing to keep its little teeth sharp.

Final Straw The last straw was our spare outboard.

Here at the marina, we can’t be without a running boat, so we have a spare outboard.

It spends the summer inside our tool shed back in the woods.

Just the other day, the boys checked the motor and found a big fluffy mouse nest inside the cover. And sure enough, the little bastards had chewed through the wire for the kill switch.

Matt filled the motor cover with sheets of Bounce fabric softener which they say repels mice, but we don’t know.

It’s a losing battle, I think. Any time mankind runs afoul of nature, we may win a few battles in the short term, but in the long run, Nature always wins.

Now you can understand why New England farms had so many cats living in the barn.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 53

Hot Hands and Cold Weather Shenanigans While pulling my Jet Sled across Lake George, I cinched up my hood and dipped my shoulder into the latest gust. A hard windchill promised to make keeping trap holes open a steady chore.

Earlier, while inside the cabin absorbing thousands of BTUs from my wood stove, I looked out the window and decided I needed to get outside. It just reinforced my theory that we all want what we don’t currently have. I felt the urge to leave tracks across the hard water with my ice cleats. Perhaps I thought heat and comfort were overrated.

Spending time outdoors this month requires a little extra “push.” It’s easier to stay inside, turn on YouTube and watch someone else’s cold weather adventure.

Enough said.

For some of us, the outdoors comes a-calling regardless of weather. It’s more

per-sized hand warmers by the box. When hunting or ice fishing with a crew, I have plenty to hand out. I put them in my loose-fitting boots, chest pockets, and any other location where they will do any good.

I credit “Hot Hands” with keeping me warm while standing in near-freezing water with the air temperatures in the single digits while casting to salmon in New York.

I’d also suggest talking to gear junkies on the trail. Most gearheads love chatting about equipment.

Find someone who looks warm on a cold, windswept day, and strike up a conversation. In addition, I recommend doing your own research in books and magazines, and on the internet.

The author’s friend Steve Carter is a coldtemperature gear enthusiast. His day job is filming New England Patriots in all types of weather. “No Days Off” for Steve. His goal of staying comfortable in an open, freezing stadium allows him to experiment with all types of foul weather gear. challenging to do anything when the thermometer dips into single digits and below.

Successful outdoor shenanigans start with conquering that challenge.

Weather Advice Steve Carter, a good friend and hiking partner, once imparted some wisdom to me that changed the way I view weather.

Carter and I were hiking the Freeze Out Trail in Baxter State Park, when conditions took a turn for the worse. No snow, but cold, biting rain. We pulled off the trail and quickly put on our rain gear.

Now, bear in mind that Carter is a gear “junkie.” His day job involves aiming a camera at the New

England Patriots in all types of weather on Sunday afternoons. “No Days Off” for Steve. His goal of staying comfortable in a cold stadium allows him to experiment with all types of foul weather gear.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear,” Carter mentioned, as the clouds unleashed their frigid load on us. I’ve taken that to heart.

Hot Hands In terms of winter gear, we have benefitted from living in the technology age. Actually, it’s both a blessing and a curse.

The blessing side of the coin reveals some great gear designed to specifically keep one comfortable. They are also activity-specific.

Of course, all hills have a downside. That slippery slope involves just how complicated it can get. I recently watched a video on base layers. While it cleared up a few questions, the final, sage advice was, “Give this combination a try, and see if it works for you.”

This column is too short to detail what works for this writer, but briefly, it’s a lightweight wicking base layer topped with multiple layers of clothing.

Add to that the generous use of “Hot Hands” hand warmers for real cold weather.

I buy the su-

(Continued on next page)

Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman

PATCH CLUBS

You’ve been successful at the hunt, now wear your pride by entering one of The Maine Sportsman’s exclusive 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.

Now offering Guided Bear and Moose Hunts around Chamberlain Lake

(207) 944-5991 info@nugentscamps.com 422 Perry Road, Bangor, ME

www.nugentscamps.com www.MaineSportsman.com

54 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Katahdin Country (Continued from page 53)

Using Carter’s theory has allowed me to ignore the weather, and recreate all winter long. This opens a plethora of opportunities.

Winter Playground Snowmobiling certainly takes center stage this month. The local snowmobile clubs have websites with updated trail information for locals and visitors alike. The folks who run the various lodges can also provide maps, trail updates and a good meal.

In recent years, I’ve noticed that self-propelled sports are growing. Nothing scientific – just my eyes on the ground. Trails like the Bait Hole Loop on Route 11 seem to have a full parking lot on

the weekends.

Those groomed trails attract the cross-country ski crowd, while snowshoe fans stay to off one side. I’ve seen more than one trail runner just hoofing along in a pair of LL Bean’s legendary rubber bottom boots.

And of course, there are those all-terrain bikes. It helps that the folks at New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) rent them. Suddenly, bicycling on the lakes flies right into the teeth of winter. Fear not, as the studded tires help keep the bike and rider in the correct order.

Some of the forgotten winter sports that I enjoyed as a kid still have some fringe interest. Occasionally

The author wears gloves that allow for the insertion of the chemical product “Hot Hands.” He also manages to slip some of these heat-producing packets in various pockets of his cold-weather clothing. He writes that with the right combination of clothes and hand warmers, recreating in Maine’s frigid winter weather becomes much more manageable. Photo: Bill Sheldon

I’ve noticed folks ice skating and kids playing hockey with homemade goals.

I’ve winter camped without the benefit of a hot tent. On my bucket

list is some cold weather camping utilizing a tent with a wood stove.

These days they call it “Hot Tent” camping. It should rate as an upgrade over my “cold”

tent shenanigans.

Anybody interested in building an igloo?

¶

Trophy Gallery

Right Place, Right Time in Pownal Ben Randall, age 18, tagged this handsome 12-pt., 165-lb. whitetail in Pownal at 7:40 a.m. on the day before Thanksgiving, 2022. Congratulations, Ben! Photo provided by Shaun Randall www.MaineSportsman.com

Biggest Bird Club?

Joshua Pollard, 23, of Windham, downed this jumbo Canada Goose on January 2, 2023 in Scarborough with his Benelli shotgun. It’s Joshua’s first-ever goose. Photo provided by Andrea Loring Pollard

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 55

Super Bunny Buster Still a Work in Progress For two years now, I’ve fiddled around trying to create the perfect snowshoe hare weapon. After having wanted one for years, I bit the bullet and ordered a used pre-1968 Savage Model 24.

The big attraction for me was the .410/22-magnum combination. I had no trouble finding the same gun, but with only the 22-long rifle barrel topping the .410 shotgun barrel.

An internet search allowed me to find a dealer with one on the shelf, and a few weeks before Christmas it conveniently arrived.

It’s always good to have something under the tree.

Just a few observations about ordering a gun online. Both the shipper and receiver need to have a Federal Firearms License

Things started poorly for the author when, rather than being delivered into the author’s waiting hands, his pre-1968 combo .410/.22 magnum was delivered into a neighbor’s snowbank. After that, the project got really interesting.

(FFL). Once it arrived at my local FFL dealer, I had to wait the mandatory seven days. All good so far.

Missing Gun? The problem was the UPS driver, filling in for the regular driver, left the package at the wrong address and didn’t get a signature on a package specifically requiring one.

Because the missing package had a firearm in it, UPS launched an investigation. Convincing the UPS people that I wasn’t a gun runner proved problematic, as they pointed fingers at everyone but themselves.

The seller assured

me we had done everything by the book, and that this was the first time UPS had screwed up. He encouraged me not to give up long distance purchases based on one driver’s error.

A few days after the UPS investigation, a neighbor found the wrapped box in a snowbank, and brought it to the FFL shop. The gun was well-packaged, and suffered no damage. Every gun has a story. If it didn’t have one before I owned it, it does now.

Reflex Sight In an earlier column, I reported how I installed a traditional Williams peep sight.

All good, except my eye had trouble focusing on the rear aperture, front sight and target – too much near sighted/far sighted stuff going on.

Then my son Matt installed a reflex sight on his Browning Buck Mark .22 caliber rifle.

After he tipped over

three running snowshoe hares in a row last season, I took a closer look.

My eyes loved it.

Just put the little red dot on the target and squeeze. I ordered one immediately. Getting the sight was the easy part.

I needed to order a base that transitioned from the 3/8” dovetail on the .22 barrel to the required picatinny rail the reflex sight required. Finally, I (Continued on next page)

The Specialists Guide Service Bear with Hounds ..............$1,600

Grouse (Oct)

Bear over Bait (Sep) ..........$1,000

Ducks (Sep/Oct)

Moose - 2 People ..............$1,500 (Permit Only - Oct)

Hare with Hounds (Oct-May)

Fishing Trout, Smallmouth, Salmon - Reasonable Daily Rates

Coyotes (Year Round) Weekly Hunts include Lodging, Transportation & Trophy Care

P.O. Box 611 • Jackman, Maine 04945

207-399-1081 or 207-668-7642

OVER 50 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN OUR AREA Call for a Free Brochure & Information on Other Great Prices & Packages

www.maineguides-specialists.net

Jackman-Moose River Region “Adventure...It’s Our Maine Attraction!”

Jackman-Moose River Region Chamber of Commerce (207) 668-4171 • www.JackmanMaine.org

Photo by Ewa Rankin of Portland, ME

SALLY MOUNTAIN CABINS

River View Cottages

On the Shore of Beautiful Big Wood Lake

Campground & Guide Service

Winter at its Best!

Direct Access to Moose River Cottages Sleep up to 12 People Modern Facilities

OPEN YEAR ROUND!

• Old Town Canoe & Kayaks Available • Direct Access to Snowmobile Trails

ATV & Snowmobile Sales & Service 207-668-4442 • 1-800-287-SNOW Fax: 207-668-7741 549 Main St. Jackman, ME 04945 www.jackmanpowersports.com Open Monday-Saturday 8-5 Sundays 9-2 November-March

Snowmobile ITS Trails • Ice Shacks • Live Bait AFFORDABLE RATES $48 Daily per person • $290 Weekly per person Kids 1/2 Price • Under 5 Free!

——————————————————————

Corey Hegarty

9 Elm Street, Jackman, ME

(207) 668-5621

www.sallymtcabins.com

BOOKING 2023 BEAR, DEER & MOOSE HUNTS Full Guided Big & Small Game Hunts

John Bashaw, Master Maine Guide P.O. Box 396, Jackman ME 04945 Tel: 207-668-5601 e-mail riverview17@myfairpoint.net www.rvcgs.com www.MaineSportsman.com

56 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Jackman Region (Continued from page 55)

found one, and with some minor tweaking got it mounted.

The problem was the new sight was a full inch higher due to all this adapting.

When I threw the 24 to my shoulder, my line of sight was the bottom of the base.

“Plan B” Rabbit hunting requires quick reflexes, and a point-and-shoot mentality. A poor-fitting gun is a recipe for a lot of misses. Time for “Plan B.” It took a lot of searching, but I finally found (on Amazon, no less) a low-profile base

that made the necessary transition. However, it was designed to fit a flat set of dovetails as opposed to the dovetails on the side of the round .22 caliber barrel.

As usual when I run into these problems, I head over to my brother Steve’s machine shop. Steve put a radius bit the same diameter as the outside of the barrel in his Bridgeport milling machine.

With a few passes, the aluminum base dropped nicely on the barrel, and only raised the new sight 1/4-inch,

The authors Pre-1968 Model 24 undergoes an update for improved (hopefully) snowshoe hare hunting. The author modified a picatinny base to attach to the .22/.410 barrel so he could use a modern reflex sight. A sock with inserts helped to add some needed height to the comb of the stock. The modifications were made with the intention of not altering the gun’s originality. It gets its first test during this year’s hare season, which lasts until March 31. Photo: Bill Sheldon

as opposed to the unusable height of the previous base.

After final mounting and sighting in, I felt very good about

the new set-up. However, it still didn’t fit me just right. It was much better, but not yet a home run. I needed to extend the stock

up by putting some type of comb. My long Swamp Yankee neck is largely to blame for this.

(Continued on next page)

~ UPPER KENNEBEC VALLEY ~

The GaTeway To The NorTh MaiNe woods

Solon Bingham Moscow Caratunk The Forks West Forks

112 South Main Street Solon, ME (207) 643-2771 www.MaineSportsman.com

Located at the Junction of ITS 86 & 87 on Route 201 in West Forks 8 Unique Handcrafted Suites • Full Service Restaurant & Bar Log Lodge Overlooking the Dead River

(207)663-2020 • hawksnestlodge@gmail.com

www.HawksNestLodge.com

Homestyle Cooking Eat In or Take Out Pizza • Subs Baked Goods Convenience Store Full Service Gas Diesel • Propane On ATV Trails & ITS 87 Park & Ride Tagging Station Live Worms Sportsman Supplies

Lodging • Kitchen • Hot Tub • Pool • WiFi Hunting Supplies • Firearms & Ammo —

Direct Access to Over 1,000 Miles of Trails!

—

Fish the Kennebec Hunt Moose, Bear, Deer, Birds — Open Year Round! — 89 Main Street • Bingham, ME 1-866-806-6120 www.binghammotorinn.com

Gateway Recreation & Lodging

Cabins with Kitchens, Satellite TVs & Bathrooms • Guided Fishing & Hunting Trips

Snowmobiling on ITS 87 & 84 • Wireless Internet • Large Parking Area Trailer & Sled Storage • 1/4 Mile from Gas, Restaurants & Parts

www.gateway-rec.com • 1-800-440-0053 • Bingham, ME

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 57

Deer Blind Ice Shack – Phase 2: Restoration In Part 1 of this column, I introduced readers to a hairbrained idea crafted up by three high-schoolers. We found an old deer blind in the woods, so we contacted the landowner, as well as any hunters with permission to be in that area. The blind was clearly abandoned and unusable.

We hauled it out of the woods, with the intention of restoring it and using it as an ice shack this winter.

Looked Better Before We Moved It Phase 1 went about as well as you could imagine, for an old deer blind being hauled out of its final resting place by some teenagers. However, when we got the pal-

When the author and his friends got the old shack home, its poor condition became apparent. All photos by the author

Once we got the shack home, reality set it. It was in rough shape. “It sure looked a lot better in the woods,” declared Josh Sullivan, co-conspirator. ace back to home base, we faced reality. The shack was in really rough shape.

To quote Josh Sullivan, co-conspirator, “It sure looked a lot better in the woods.”

Not good, considering it was ice-bound.

Renovations Begin We started by tearing off the old siding.

It was full of holes and was beyond repair, so that was the first to go.

Next, the leaky roof. We started to remove any boards that were rotted (there were many). Soon, we were left with a pile of waste, and the skele-

After the extreme makeover, the interior was much improved.

Jackman Region (Continued from page 56)

Sock Tweaking Once again, an online search ensued. Usually when I want to put more drop in a gunstock, I just make a new stock. However, I didn’t want to change the originality of this pre-1968 firearm.

I finally found a “sock” that slides

The floor is framed out of 2x4s, and it sits on 4x4 skis.

During the rehab, removing all the damaged siding and roof left very little of the shack remaining.

ton of a deer blind. It wasn’t much, but it had potential.

At this point, we moved it into a heated garage where we could take our time and make it into a functional shack. We had a couple plans for modifications, but we decided to push one wall out two feet, to make it a full 4x8 feet.

After a lot of cutting, measuring, and arguing, we got the structure to a point where it was solid, and bigger than before.

We ended up siding it with 7/16” OSB (oriented strand board).

Heavy, but it really made everything much more solid and stable.

On Top Roofing was another problem. With the original metal roof being beyond repair, we needed an alternative.

Any way we priced it out, it would cost us a lot of money.

Luckily, a friend of the family from Bucksport heard about our predicament, and offered to donate some panels he had laying around. What a life saver!

We installed those, which really gave the shack a finished look.

The finished product, painted and hauled out of the garage, with wood burning in the stove.

over the existing stock and allows for padding the top with various foam pieces. Naturally I wasn’t quite happy with the squarish foam fillers.

Out came some forming tools to put some radius on my slip-on comb piece.

After a fair amount of tweaking and more frustration than I care to admit, it’s now ready to go.

Part of the journey to a successful

Unusual Now this ice shack isn’t your ordinary ice shack. With a small woodstove, cook top, and a solar array powering outlets, a phone charger, and LED lighting, it screams luxury. The system should be able to power our Keurig coffee maker – an essential for long stays.

This deer blindturned ice shack is truly unique. It is unrecognizable from its days of backwoods service.

I’m certain it brought joy to many hunters back in its useful life, and it’s ready to continue bringing joy to young ice fishermen.

¶

Solar panels on the metal roof will charge cell smartphones, and power the coffee maker.

hunt involves fine tuning one’s equipment. Building or modifying outdoor gear has been a passion of mine since I was a kid.

I’ll report back on whether this super-duper “bunny buster” was worth all the attention.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

58 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Salmon Fishing to Begin on Moosehead Lake Moosehead Lake contains togue, brook trout and salmon.

While each species has its adherents, salmon have traditionally ranked as a top angler favorite, with the big lake’s often-huge brook trout coming in a close second. Togue have plenty fans as well, but in February, most people hit the ice specifically for salmon.

February 15 remains highlighted on people’s calendars, because it marks the first day of open season on salmon for Moosehead Lake. Expect to see more anglers out on this day than any other during the ice-fishing season, with the exception of the Annual Togue Derby.

For best results when salmon fishing, choose live smelt above all other baits. While togue are easily taken on jigs, smelt and even golden shiners, and brook trout will fall for earthworms fished on bottom, as well as smelt and shiners, salmon prefer smelt.

Smelt rank as salmon’s main forage species and are so important to the lake’s coldwater fish species that changes in the smelt population dramatically affect salmonid size and condition.

And salmon, above all other species, depend upon smelt for sustewww.MaineSportsman.com

February 15 remains highlighted on area anglers’ calendars, because it marks the first day of open season on salmon for Moosehead Lake. Only the Annual Togue Derby will bring more fishermen onto the ice in any one day of the winter. And once you keep your single-salmon bag limit, you can target togue, brookies or even the emerging population of big white perch.

By February, ice becomes thick on Moosehead Lake, so bring an auger extension just in case. Tom Seymour photo

nance.

Fortunately, area bait shops go to lengths to keep live smelt in stock to cater to anglers’ needs.

Wide Distribution While brook trout and togue have their favorite depths and geographic locations

and are best taken when anglers target these locations, salmon can appear almost anywhere.

Depth-

wise, salmon sometimes hang in the middepths, but may also frequent deep-water locations. Salmon, in their quest for smelt, frequently cruise just a few feet beneath the ice, so setting a few shallow traps makes lots of sense.

While togue usually bite with a vengeance, and brook trout seldom dally with the bait, salmon often take a different approach. Salmon will grab a smelt and immediately make a long, fast run, peeling line from the spool in jig time. This doesn’t mean that the salmon has swallowed the bait, but only grabbed it and ran. At the end of its run, salmon will take time to kill the bait and then swallow it. After a short time of inaction, the fish begins to move, and then it’s time to set the hook.

On the other hand, a salmon may engulf the bait and swallow it in one fell swoop. The point is, hooking salmon on a regular basis requires practice and patience. Even then, some solid bites will result in a missed fish.

But that’s part of why ice-fishing for salmon is so exciting.

Remember that Moosehead Lake regulations for ice fishing (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 59 (Continued from page 58)

include a 1-fish bag limit and an 18-inch minimum length limit.

If you take a barely legal fish within the first hour, and it isn’t hurt, it might pay to release it and wait for a larger fish later. I realize that this is a gamble, since fate may intervene and that first 18-inch fish may be the only legal salmon of the day. That’s unlikely, but it pays to weigh all the options. If you keep that first salmon, which I do because I’m a bit superstitious about releasing the first legal fish, you can always turn to other species for the remainder of the day.

Perch Boom While white perch were illegally introduced into Moosehead

Lake several decades ago, they never made much of a splash. Until now, that is. White perch of between 1 and 3 pounds have recently begun showing up on a regular basis.

Last summer, boaters out trolling would hook what seemed like a large trout or togue, and would gasp with amazement when a huge white perch came to net instead. This new bycatch species isn’t going away any time soon, and if you happen to find a location

where they have concentrated, it might pay to stay there and catch as many as possible.

These would make a good fish to pursue after killing your one legal salmon. White perch, especially those from the frigid, pristine waters of Moosehead Lake, make fine table fare. I found that the two fillets from just one of these huge perch make a meal for one person.

It doesn’t make sense to waste expensive smelt on white

perch, and since they bite so well on artificial jigs, I recommend using a jig rod and Swedish Pimple ice-fishing jig.

It helps to tip the jig hooks with a bit of dead smelt, tail of a shiner or even an earthworm. Besides that, since perch are a schooling fish, the quicker you can get your lure or bait back down to them, the bet-

ter. And jigging makes that as easy as unhooking one fish, killing it and immediately dropping the jig back down to the waiting school.

While still salmon rank as first choice, don’t forget togue, trout and even white perch.

Moosehead Lake has them all.

¶

Holbrooks Guide Service Fishing • Moose Watching • Bird Hunting Eric Holbrook, Master Maine Guide

Moosehead Region (207) 349-0366 • www.HolbrooksGuideService.com

Harris Drug Store Full Service Pharmacy Digital Self-Developing Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain Gifts & More

207-695-2921

Rockwood Bar and Grill Delicious Pub-Style Food: Wings, Steakbombs, Pizza, Salads & More!

Visit our Store: Open 7am-8pm We have all of your last-minute needs 24 hour gas station - all major credit cards accepted

3628 Rockwood Road, Rockwood, Maine 04478 Bar 207-534-0202 • Store 207-534-0204

www.rockwoodbarandgrill.com

Moosehead Lake Region Greenville Rockwood

MAYNARDS ROCKWOOD, MAINE

Overlooking Moose River & Blue Ridge Dining Room and American Plan Cabins Open May through Columbus Day Weekend Housekeeping Cabins Available Mid-October til April Vacation Destination Since 1919

CELEBRATING OVER 100 YEARS! Fishing • Hunting • Boating • Relaxing

207-534-7703 www.maynardsinmaine.com

Judd Goodwin Well Co. "We Do It Right The First Time"

COMPLETE WELL & PUMP INSTALLATION, SERVICE & REPAIR Residential • Commercial • Camps • Cottages Member Maine Groundwater Association

P.O. Box 17, Greenville, ME 04441 • goodwinjudd@yahoo.com

Office: (207) 695-3645 • Cell: (207) 280-0923

www.JuddGoodwinWellCo.com www.MaineSportsman.com

60 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

I Wonder If That Has Trout?

The author does not chase waterfalls. However, he does chase productive trout streams featuring perfect water levels – not too high, not too low – and gin-clear. The search, he reports, keeps him young.

Every time I see a new stream, pond or river, and every time I drive over a stream or obscure brook that I haven’t fished, the same old question arises: “I wonder if that has trout?”

If I’m riding with a companion, he or she might notice me straining to see farther down a new stream or brook as we pass by.

Or they may wonder why I seem transfixed as I study a tiny waterfall or set of rapids while cruising by at 50 miles per hour.

This occurs everywhere, even in areas that I will probably never visit again. I cannot help but read the water and speculate upon where the trout, if any, would hide.

Even slow-moving streams and shallow, marshy ponds, draw my attention. If not trout, then perhaps they hold crappie or pickerel. At the very least, they must contain a few hornpout. I wonder how big they are?

Stream Sampling I never sat down and tallied up the number of waters that I spied while driving and wondered about.

Had I done that, it www.MaineSportsman.com

would probably bother me greatly to realize the number of these potential trout hotspots I never took time to visit, rod in hand.

That’s not to say that I dismiss these roadside question marks out-of-hand.

If possible, I often do make a return visit to try the waters. And every once in a while, the effort pays off – the place holds trout.

Some of the very smallest of streams only hold very tiny trout, not big enough to warrant a second visit, but still sufficient to remain in my memory. One little mountain-type brook sticks in my mind in that while I tried it many decades ago, I cannot drive over it without recalling the beauty of the 5-inch native brook trout living there. If someone is with me, I’ll make sure to say, “That place has trout, but they are too small to bother with.

Pretty, though.”

Some of these newfound places are surprising, too. One such water, a place that I had crossed off-and-on for well over 50 years but never stopped to fish, held numbers of fat 10-inch brook

trout. The place was at the end of a long, tree-lined pond. Water poured over a concrete spillway and crossed the road via a culvert.

The pool beneath the road crossing was full of trout.

I later learned that the pond was regularly stocked with brook trout, and that some of them had swum over the dam and into the stream.

Stream Hunting Often in late February, I’ll go stream hunting. This happens when lengthening days prompt snowmelt, and springtails hop in little pools at the bottom of trees.

The urge to get out and, if not fish, at least visit some streams, becomes too much. Then, I’ll bring a notebook and pen and head out, with no particular destination or agenda, in search of that red-hot trout stream that I’ve never fished.

Oddly, it isn’t unusual to find perfect water levels – not too high, not too low – and gin-clear. If only Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife would defer to reason and open all flowing water to fishing on January 1, after all chances of spawn-

Does this roadside stream hold trout? According to the author, there’s only one way to find out.

Tom Seymour photo

ing activity have ceased.

But for now, we must content ourselves with waiting for April 1, the traditional opening day for open-water fishing in flowing water.

Not all the streams I discover during my late-winter jaunts hold trout, despite looking wicked “trouty.” But some do, enough to warrant a continuation of the tradition.

The key to a troutfilled stream lies in whether or not the stream holds sufficient water in summer to allow a fish to survive.

If so, they you have a place worth dealing with.

With a stream such as this, some years are better than others. Wet, rainy summers keep water high enough to allow fish to hold in larger pools and vie with each other for whatever food comes swimming or floating their way. Dry years force fish down-

stream, into whatever place the stream finally empties into.

At one time, a well-trodden path along a stream or brook served as a sure indicator that people came here to catch its trout. But in recent years, the tendency runs toward bigger, stocked waters, with bigger fish. Also, fly-fishing becomes difficult on these little brushy, alder-choked brooks, so most people write them off. That leaves those of us who use spinning tackle, and while our numbers have declined, we are not all gone yet. And those few of us who embrace small-stream fishing do not leave evidence of our presence – thus, the well-worn path has grown up to weeds.

Keep Wondering If that curiosity eats at you every time you see a new stream or pond, indulge it. It keeps us young.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 61

How to Fish Lakes and Ponds – Part 3: Hatches This column is the third in a series on how to be more confident and successful flyfishing lakes and ponds (“stillwaters”) for trout and salmon.

Catching trout and salmon on the top during a full-blown hatch is a heck of a lot of fun. The action is fast, and it’s right in front of you. It always pumps me up with adrenalin.

However, this jackpot can be challenging if not downright frustrating when you don’t hook up. It’s one thing to arrive at your chosen lake to find white caps, driving wind, and zero rises. That’s just unlucky. But going fishless under perfect conditions when fish are rising is maddening, because despite trying everything you know, the needed fly pattern eludes you.

Worse still – and we’ve all been there – is when nearby fly fishers are hauling in the fish like they are flinging live bait.

Stillwater Hatches This column delves into the mysterious phenomena of stillwater hatches. What is a “hatch,” anyway? It is a misleading term, because nothing is hatching from an egg.

Anglers call all sorts of disparate events “hatches” when we see a multitude of identical insects floating on the water or trying to fly off before disappearing in a swirl.

First, most “hatches” are not really hatches.

Nothing’s coming out of an egg. Rather, insects are emerging to the surface after completing the majority of their life cycles under water. Second, don’t assume you can easily identify insects on the surface – many look alike. Trout and salmon can tell the differences among them, even if anglers can’t.

The tough-to-match biblio terrestrial fly. Photo: Eric Frohmberg

We motor or row within casting distance of the commotion, take another looksee at the bugs on the water, pick a pattern, and take our chances. If we are lucky, it all works out, and the slaps of high-fives echo around the pond. Other times,

not so much.

Stillwater hatches are more problematic than river hatches for two reasons. First, stillwater patterns have to be a close match to the naturals.

In moving water, trout have only a second or two to decide whether

Gene Bahr MASTER FISH CARVER & WILDLIFE ARTIST

to eat an object floating by, Often, closeenough patterns are enough to fool the always aggressive brook

trout or salmon. On a pond or lake, however, most insects float motionless for many seconds if not minutes, giving the fish ample time for closer inspection, and often rejection.

Second, matching the hatch in lakes and streams requires a larger and more diverse collection of patterns. Some insects emerge sporadically or for such a short duration that in rivers and streams they disappear before fish key in on them. But in stillwaters, these bugs float for a time and can collect in such numbers that fish become selective.

Insect Identification This leads me to offer you some stillwater hatch advice. If you recognize the float(Continued on next page)

FLY FISHING EXPO Saturday, March 25, 2023 • 9AM–4PM Manufacturer Reps from: Winston, Scott, Hatch, Echo Waterworks Lamson, Fishpond, Simms, Rio & More!

Fred Kretchman • Building Bamboo Fly Rods Maine Sporting Camps Exhibit Enter Raffles to Win Many Great Prizes Professional Fly Tying Demonstrations • Free Food

5 lb. Moosehead Brook Trout

Sebago, ME • (207) 647-5238

www.genebahr.com

1480 US Route 1 • Cape Neddick (York), ME 03902 (207) 363-9269 • 877-427-9345

Visit Our Online Store

www.eldredgeflyshop.com www.MaineSportsman.com

62 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 61)

ing insects and have fished the area before, let the casting begin! If not, I speak from hardearned failure when I say that before you start eagerly casting toward the rising fish, take a few minutes and try to identify the bugs you are seeing on the water. I am not suggesting you earn your Ph.D. in entomology and start spouting insect genus and subspecies identifications in Latin. But at least you should try to capture and examine the bugs in front of you until you recognize what broad insect category it might belong to. Read on .…

When anglers talk about hatches, they are usually referring to either mayflies or caddisflies, historically prolific aquatic insects long associ-

In stillwaters, fish often feed on the emerging stage of an aquatic mayfly. The klickhammer pattern in the colors shown is a close imitation of emerging early-season mayflies. Lou Zambello photo

ated with fly-fishing.

These insects emerge to the surface of many waters, both still and moving, after completing the majority of their life cycle under water. But dozens of terrestrial and aquatic insects can be found in significant numbers on lakes and ponds, and

Allen Brook Farm & Tackle — Buy & Sell —

Pre-70s Rods, Reels & Tackle Wildlife Carvings & Decoys Large Selection of Bamboo Rods — 1965 Sennebec Road, Appleton, ME

(207) 785-4795

HOURS: Friday 11AM–4PM, Saturday 8AM–4PM, Sunday–Thursday You Call, We’re Open!

it is easy to be fooled.

I learned my lesson (again) on a baffling trip last spring to a lake I fish often. It was covered in struggling bugs that I did not recognize.

I assumed they were large flying carpenter ants or an unfamiliar stonefly species, but my usual go-to flies failed miserably. I cast to dozens of trout clearly gulping down the bugs and didn’t get a bump.

Fish on! Lou Zambello photo

Right before dark, I captured a few and took them inside to examine. In better light, I could see they looked like a housefly, but with half-red legs – quite distinctive.

Entomology Podcast Later, I corresponded with our Maine resident entomology expert, Eric Frohmberg, and he told me they were a type of bibio fly. This

The Maine Sportsman IS GROWING! The Maine Sportsman is seeking an experienced, self-motivated

Contract Ad Sales Account Executive

to assist businesses and organizations in promoting products, services and events.

Qualifications include a proven sales record, superb customer service, fluent in English, and access to computer and phone. Knowledge of the outdoors a plus.

Training and contacts provided, monthly commission, and bonus potential.

Send resume and introduction to nancy@mainesportsman.com. www.MaineSportsman.com

is a terrestrial fly that feeds on underground plant material or roots and can emerge in huge numbers. Being weak fliers, they bumble into the water just like flying ants do.

Eric hosts an excellent podcast series (and blog) about insects (and fly patterns) relevant to fly-fishing.

I recommend checking them out. Here is the link to a podcast he did on the bibio fly: www.anglersentomology.libsyn.com The Next Column Just like the bibio, it’s the lesser-known and infrequent insect convergences that can drive you crazy. Ants, beetles, water boatman, dragon and damsel flies, micro caddis, scuds, and midges are just a few examples. In my April column, I will write about other stillwater insects important to flyfishers, starting with the smallest and most numerous of them – the midge.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 63

Outstanding Ice Fishing in Washington County Washington County ice anglers who are small-lake enthusiasts can fish for brookies at Vining Lake and Goulding Lake, while those who prefer larger expanses of ice can pull togue, salmon and brook trout out of East Grand Lake or West Grand Lake.

Washington County harbors a multitude of well-stocked lakes and pond to entice ice anglers to venture out on solid ice.

Each February, after many well-stocked waters have been heavily fished, I rely on Region C fisheries personnel to provide advice on where to set out my traps.

According to a 2022 DIF&W fishing report written by Region C fisheries resource technician Jake Scoville, “Two popular waters for ice anglers are Vining Lake in Cathance Township, and Goulding Lake in Robbinston.”

Vining Lake (see DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 36, E-3) is a popular winter brook-trout fishery. Anglers can consistently catch fish in the 8-to 10inch range, with the occasional larger fish around 15 inches long.

Vining can be reached about a half-mile west of Route 191 on the Vining Lake Road.

Vining was stocked last fall with 850 8-inch brookies and 100 13-inch brookies.

Fishing worms right off bottom should create lots of excitement. However, small emerald shiners will

also entice enough brookies to trip more than a couple of flags.

The parking area, access trail and surrounding land is owned by Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

Goulding Lake The other Washinton County hotspot referenced in the DIFW biologist’s report is Goulding Lake, Map 37, D-1. Goulding can be reached by taking the Brewer Road, which is west of Route 1 in Robbinston, then taking a slight right onto the Sherman Road. After about a mile, the road is renamed the Western Road, and that will bring you right to the Goulding Lake parking area.

This small, 17-acre pond tends to be one of the first to freeze in that area. It can hold brook trout in the 11inch range, with some anglers getting lucky and catching trout over 14 inches.

As is the case with Vining, worms or small shiners with get fish to trip ice traps at Goulding. DIF&W stocked this water last fall with 75 13-15 inch brookies. Trout will stay close to the bottom and rarely venture very far for the

boat launch where they were stocked in the fall.

Best Big Lakes West Grand Lake, Map 35, B-3 and B-4, is one of the finest salmon fisheries in Maine. This 14,340 acre lake provides an exceptional environment for salmonids in Downeast Maine. It is open to ice fishing in February and March.

Salmon caught by ice anglers are often in the 17- to 19-inch size range.

The left side of the lake on Upper Whitney Cove, or the area around South Twin and the Sister Islands, are both excellent prospects to catch silver-sided salmon. West Grand was stocked in 2020 with 9,000 7-inch salmon.

West Grand also provides a good lake trout fishery. This fishery is sustained by wild fish.

According to West Grand Lake resident Charlie Towns, winter anglers often catch lakers in the 3- to 3 ½-pound category; however, 5- to 6-pound fish are not unusual.

Charlie also mentioned that togue in the double digits are occasionally pulled from the lake. Two

Brody Gould was 10 years old when he caught this 4.6-lb. togue to win the 2021 Michael J. Rowe Memorial Ice Fishing Derby, on Wilson Lake. Nate Gould photo

areas that are heavily fished for togue are near Munsen Island, and Sandbar.

East Grand Another outstanding water to set out ice traps in February is East Grand Lake, Map 45, A-4. It is one of the premier salmon fisheries in the state. Region F fisheries biologists report that “Landlocks of 5 to 6 pounds are not uncommon catches for a few lucky ice anglers each winter; however, 17- to 20-inch fish are more often the bigger part of a day’s catch.”

Washington County hatchery personnel stock this water with 1,730, 7-inch salmon annually. In 2022, 1,730 salmon were

also stocked in Orient, and 2,400 in Weston.

Salmon anglers are often successful by cutting ice holes in the vicinity of Meeting House Point, Five Islands, Caribou Point and Little River Cove.

Fishing with smelts just under the ice usually insures the best salmon fishing results.

Trophy Togue In East Grand, trophy lake trout from 4 to 12 pounds are often iced during the winter. A good number of hard-water lake trout fishers set traps on Greenland Cove. Cutup suckers or crushed smelts fished on bottom or 10 feet off bot(Downeast Region continued on page 67)

www.MaineSportsman.com

64 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Crappies Top Tom’s February Ice-Fishing List Crappies are present in many Midcoast lakes and ponds, says the author, and they’re here to stay, so you might as well get out there, catch some, and bring them home for a dinnertime fish fry.

Crappies, my new favorite panfish, bite best early and late in the ice-fishing season.

The trouble is, warmer winters have pushed back the first safe ice dates, so early season fishing has become a dicey proposition.

So it’s on to February. By now, crappies, a schooling species, have dug in at middepth ranges of from 15 to 25 feet of water.

Once you find a school, action can come fast and furious – at least as long as the school remains in the area.

February ice fishing has its benefits.

The sun has risen higher in the sky now, and anglers can experience the occasional warm day out on the ice. Bright, sunny days require sunglasses in order to cut the glare of sunlight reflecting off the snow and ice. Compare that to the bitter winds of January, with blowing snow and ice holes constantly freezing.

“Comfort fishing,” I call it, sitting in the sun on a folding chair, jig rod in hand, waiting for that signature “tic” that signals that a crappie has inhaled the lure.

Crappies usually cooperate, and a day on the ice is practically guaranteed to result www.MaineSportsman.com

in at least some fish in the pan that night.

There is not the same pressure and angler experiences when fishing for coldwater game fish.

Crappie fishing is a simple pleasure, made even simpler by not needing to haul buckets of live bait. Crappies willingly bite on artificial jigs, and reeling them in on a wispy jig rod ranks as some of the most fun you can have out on the ice.

Widespread Populations It still amazes me, the number of ponds and lakes that now hold crappies. Almost all of these waters, only a few decades ago, were crappie-free. But unsanctioned stocking has accelerated the spread of these spinyrayed fish to the point that if a water looks as if it might hold crappies, it probably does.

Additionally, crappies are a pioneering type, and will infiltrate thoroughfares and linking streams, no matter how small, to move from one pond or lake to the next. Regardless of how you look at it, crappies are here to stay. Fortunately, crappies are fun to catch, and they make for great fish fries. So we might as

well take advantage of them.

Since moving from Waldo to Frankfort, I’ve made it a point to chase down new crappie waters. One, Fields Pond in Orrington, has proven itself a worthy destination. Another, which I have yet to fish but plan on hitting soon, Silver Lake in Bucksport, has generated rave reviews from fellow anglers. Better yet, it has a spacious parking area, and the best fishing, I’m told, is not on the far side of the lake, but rather just to the right of the parking area.

I’m certain that crappies have now shown up in other familiar waters, even those I have fished since I was young. I just haven’t discovered them yet. In years past, people would have thought this proliferation of an exotic, spiny-rayed species across much of Maine impossible. But the fact remains that crappies inhabit most of Southern, Central and Midcoast Maine, and nothing seems capable of thwarting their continued advance.

Oddly, just because a pond or lake contains crappies, that does not guarantee success in catching them.

Megunticook

A good day on the ice can produce enough crappies for a huge fish fry back home. Tom Seymour photo

Lake, in Lincolnville and Camden, for example, holds crappies, but catching them is next-to-impossible.

Even stranger, Norton Pond, a smaller body of water attached to Megunticook via a thoroughfare, has become a destination water for ice fishermen looking to load up on crappies.

New Perch In days past, Mainers – young and old alike – went out in great numbers to hit the white perch runs in local ponds and streams. The aftermath of this often-boisterous event was marked by great numbers of red-andwhite plastic bobbers hanging from overhead power lines, the result of people going for long-distance casts, but instead of setting their fishing floats on a flat trajectory, the rigs went higher than expected and caught in the lines.

Sadly, to my mind, the great crowds that

accompanied the perch runs of yore are now mostly gone, although the perch remain.

More people own boats now, and fishing from shore with bobberand-worm seems far too unsophisticated.

Crappies, though, have largely supplanted white perch as springtime targets for anglers’ efforts. Here in Midcoast Maine, crappies largely spawn somewhere between late May and early- to mid-June. Boaters can have a ball by first locating fish with the aid of a fish locator, and then slowly drifting about over the schools, bouncing panfish jigs on bottom.

And, as in the days of old, a few spots offer bank fishing for spawning crappies. I have a favorite spot at Sebasticook Lake. You can find your spot, too, if you only take time to look. It’s the next best thing to “perchin’” in the old days.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 65

Northern Pike Challenge Central Maine Ice Anglers Hoping to hook and pull a huge pike through the ice? The author says it will take a good line, a steel leader (20-lb.), a quick-strike rig, a sturdy swivel, a big strong 2/0 hook, and a large golden shiner.

According to the 2008 “Northern Pike Assessment” report prepared by fisheries biologist Francis Brautigam of DIFW’s Division of Fisheries & Hatcheries: Northern Pike were initially introduced into Maine during the 1970s, as a result of an illegal introduction to the Belgrade Chain of Lakes. Rapid growth, opportunistic foraging habits, and large size potential enabled pike to successfully establish themselves as a dominant predator in the Belgrades. The recreational fisheries that initially developed, averaged pike over 30 inches long and exceeding 7 pounds. This exciting new fishery likely contributed to numerous subsequent illegal pike introductions into new waters within central and southern Maine.

Northern Pike Here to Stay DIFW and firsthand reports submitted by ice fishermen confirm that 31 Maine lakes and ponds currently hold viable populations of Northern Pike. The three newest additions include the Saint George drainage, Round Pond, White Oak Pond, Sennebec Lake and Unity

Pond.

Unity Pond Unity Pond, located in in Unity, has an area of 2,528 acres and a maximum depth of 41 feet, making it perfect habitat for many warm water game fish, including: smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, white perch, chain pickerel and, of course, northern pike.

Ice anglers can access the lake from a state-owned launch located off the Kanokolus road (Map 22 section D-1).

Northern Pike enthusiasts enjoy fishing for this toothy and aggressive species in late February, when, with the approach of the spawning season, trophy-size adult pike concentrate in shallow water areas.

From the Unity Pond boat launch, two key areas known to hold pike are the outlet of 25-Mile Stream, and the large broad cove to the south.

Those anglers with transportation would be well served to explore the less-fished northern part of the lake by Pleasant Point and Carlton Stream.

Remember, pike are ambush feeders, and will congregate around structure where they

can lie and wait for unsuspecting prey.

Structure can include rock piles, drop offs and weed beds.

Pike will eat almost anything; however, ice fishermen often turn to vertical spoons like the Swedish Pimple and Acme Kastmaster, and those lures’ performance can be improved by adding a piece of cut bait.

Drop the lure to the bottom, lift, drop and lift 5-6 more times, then hold it still. Pike often hit the lure when it stops moving.

Often I let the lure sit for a couple of seconds, then give it a slight twitch before jigging again. Often that little twitch is all it takes to elicit a strike.

While jigging catches a majority of pike, anglers should not limit themselves to only one line in the water. When done together, jigging and using tip-ups serve up a lethal combination that put pike on the ice.

Catch and Keep Many anglers are reluctant to eat northern pike, however, I can testify that these sportsmen don’t know what they are missing. Most likely, these anglers would marvel

Maine pike can grow VERY large, as shown by this 41-inch specimen caught and released by Edward Gooldrup of Auburn.

at the fish’s delicious, flaky white meat, and jubilantly describe its complex textures and lack of fishy taste, when battered and deep-fried to golden perfection.

So I strongly encourage fishermen to bring back a couple of pike for the dinner table. Not only is it wonderful fried, but also as fish chowder cooked exactly as you would cod, haddock, halibut or any other white fish. Just don’t forget

to add some Old Bay. BIG Pike Some Maine pike fishing waters are famous for allowing anglers to catch lots and lots of pike in the small to medium range. Those anglers who are looking to increase their odds at catching BIG pike would be well served to check out the lakes and ponds of the Belgrade Lakes Region.

(Central Maine continued on page 67) www.MaineSportsman.com

66 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Of Saunas and Ice Fishing Last winter, I built a wood-fired sauna facing the lake, and I thoroughly enjoyed it all year long. If you haven’t experienced the health and mental benefits of a traditional Finnish sauna, you don’t know what you’re missing. I even used an ice saw and cut an access hole in the lake so I could take cold plunges between sauna sessions.

Trust me, there’s nothing more invigorating than that!

Sauna Surprise One evening, my neighbor from across the cove, Craig Lowell, told me some friends were using his camp and would be targeting cusk at night. I was mid-sauna when I saw a light coming across the ice, and two

Tom provides an uplifting column this month, while at the same time mourning the passing of his dear friend and outdoor companion of 34 years, Rene Lavoie. anglers drilled a series of holes, one directly in front of me. I could see them in the moonlight setting the traps on bottom in hopes of a freshwater burbot.

Despite the glass door to my sauna, they did not appear to notice me backlit by the glow of the small wood stove.

Once I felt I was thoroughly sauna-ed, I threw on my robe and slippers, and walked out onto the ice to check on their luck.

They looked quite surprised by my appearance and attire.

Once I introduced myself and told them

Al’s sport Center

where I had emerged from, we all had a chuckle. They did notice the glow and assumed it was a wood boiler of some sort. I was pleased to learn they caught a few cusk, once right from the hole in front of my place.

I spend more time fishing for lakers this month, but a night of cusk fishing always brings back memories of my younger days. It also caused me to contemplate a combination ice shack/sauna.

What a way to spend a day or night on the ice!

The sauna reaches an optimal tem-

perature of 180 degrees, and your body is warmed to the core – so much that a dip in frigid water or a roll in the snow is refreshing. I often take a break from the heat and stand on the porch of the sauna in freezing weather. You’d be amazed how long you can tolerate the cold when your core is so warm.

When not enjoying a sauna lakeside, I prefer to be fishing for lakers on Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1), and this is the month to get at it!

While I wouldn’t ever wager on when the ice

will be safe on the big lake, February is generally a good bet for safe ice. Some years the big lake doesn’t freeze, but Jordan Bay typically is locked up tight this time of year.

Of course you should always exercise caution on any body of water, and Sebago is no exception.

Early in the month, I like to scout out hotspots in preparation for the annual Rotary Club Derby held later in the month. Sebago lakers traditionally bite better on actively jigged lures than sedentary traps, but I do catch fish on traps, so I always set four, and also jig a hole.

Jigging Tactics Lately, I’ve been (Continued on next page)

Wildlife Quiz Answers: American Crow (Quiz on Page 43)

Now Carrying:

1. The home range of the American crow consists of almost all of southern Canada and the continental United States, including Maine.

2. Crows are considered to be among the world’s most intelligent animals, with some species capable of tool use and construction.

3. A typical crow weighs between 12 and 22 ounces.

1818 Lisbon Road, Lewiston, ME | 207-784-7591

www.alssportcenter.com

Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual.

Be Sure to follow The Maine Sportsman on Facebook & Instagram! www.MaineSportsman.com

4. A raven is larger size, has a heavier bill, and features feather tufts at the neck and wedge-shaped tail feathers in flight.

5. The American crow’s diet includes small mammals, other birds, insects, fruits, earthworms, seeds, frogs, eggs, and carrion.

6. Crows are capable of making a wide and varied number of different calls; however, the most frequent sound made by the crow is a loud caw-caw-caw.

7. A female crow can live an average of 3 years.

8. On average, a male crow lives 5 years.

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 67 (Continued from page 66)

using a flasher so I can see when a fish nears my jig. If he doesn’t bite, I quickly swap out my lure for a different style or color, or sometimes I will add a piece of sucker to the hook.

Oftentimes these tactics pay off on finicky togue.

If I don’t get a bite or see a fish near the bait, I’ll move on to another spot. I coined the term “jigging-on-themove,” and it accurately describes my modus operandi this month.

Varying locations is good tactic, but be sure to experiment with different depths.

A few years back I was ice fishing with guides Glen Gisel, Jon Peterson and Dan Hillier. We were catching multiple fish from our holes that weren’t that far apart. The truly odd thing is that we were in 160 feet of water. I had never fished that deep on the ice, but that day made me a believer in deep water winter angling.

The same goes for

shallow water. Many years back, I was fishing around an island with no success. I moved in close to the island in 15 feet of water, and bingo – I caught two fish right away.

For traps, I prefer good-sized suckers over shiners. I find I get a few small fish that will run with the sucker and not get hooked, but when once gets caught, it’s usually a decent fish. I clip the fins of my suckers to keep them from tripping the flags. I also use enough weight to get the fish down fast and anchor it near bottom.

While February brings increased use of my sauna, it also spells some of the best ice fishing on the big lake.

Vary your depth and move around, and you can experience some great angling on our second biggest lake in the state.

¶

Downeast Region (Continued from page 63)

tom seems to produce most of the togue strikes. East Grand has a 1-fish daily limit on lake trout.

Brook trout also trip a lot of ice trap flags during the winter. An aggressive brookie stocking plan has been in effect for decades. Last year, 4,800 10-inch trout were released between both counties.

Central Maine (Continued from page 65)

The Belgrades constitute one of Maine’s top fishing destinations for big pike. Of the Belgrade Lakes, Great Pond, (DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 20, E-4) Messalonskee Lake, (Map 21, E-1) Long Pond,

Saying Goodbye to Rene Lavoie

The angler posing with two Sebago lake trout is the author’s longtime hunting and fishing buddy, Rene Lavoie of Lewiston. Tom wrote this final tribute caption: “Rene’s photos accompanied most of my columns, because he was the person with whom I hunted and fished the most.

Many readers will remember that Rene accompanied me each year to the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show, and occupied the seat next to me at the Maine Sportsman booth. Our friendship spanned more than 34 years, and I learned a tremendous amount from his mentorship in the woods and on the water. Rene passed away in January, 2023 at the age of 81. Sadly, the fish in the picture were his last from Sebago Lake.

Goodbye dear friend; rest well.”

Condolences from The Maine Sportsman staff go out to Rene’s family, and to his many friends.

Fishing near the shoreline in approximately 2 to 5 feet of water, produces the most brook trout strikes.

Smelts or worms are the usual bait used to entice these beauties.

If you plan to fish both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the lake, make sure to first obtain fishing licenses from both countries. Several sporting camps are available nearby to provide lodging as well as provide fishing advice.

Amply parking is available at Butterfield Landing, Greenland Cove parking

area, and several smaller parking places along the lake.

Anglers catch brook trout in the 12to 14-inch range from this water, with a few trophies weighing over 2 pounds.

Special regulations on this water include: • Fishing restricted to two lines • A daily limit of two trout per day, and • Trout must be 12 inches or larger, and no more than one can exceed 14 inches.

(Map 20, E-4) and North Pond (Map 20, D-4) all contain trophy pike upwards of 20-plus pounds.

having good line, rigging and hooks matched to the size of the pike you are intending to target. Steel leaders (20lb.), quick strike rigs, sturdy swivels, big strong 2/0 hooks, and large golden shiners will ensure that a pike hooked is a pike caught.

Be Prepared Remember – it isn’t about having the latest, greatest and most expensive tip-up on the ice. Instead, it’s all about

¶

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

68 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Stalking Snowshoe Hare Offers Mid-Winter Excitement I have the black powder bug again. I first caught the fever in 1976, during this country’s bicentennial celebrations. I purchased a .50 cal.

T/C Hawken at Kittery Trading Post, and from then on I became totally engulfed in the sport, making all my own gear and building a few flintlock rifles – I was one of those guys in buckskins and a coon-skin hat.

After 20 years of burning powder, my own mental powder started to get damp, and I began selling off my muzzle loading gear and started building traditional bows.

Still a little spark lingered – whenever I saw a classic muzzleloader, the embers would turn into flames.

I’m not going “hog wild” into the sport this time. There will be no buckskins, nor a dead raccoon on my head. I have a .50 cal., which is overkill on small game, and it’s heavy to carry. So I am building a .32 cal. squirrel rifle kit from Traditions, and plan to hunt snowshoes with it.

Where to Hunt The first area I plan to hunt is the “Owls Nest” in Shapleigh.

This spot has perfect snowshoe habitat, and most of it is public land. One downfall with the Owl’s Nest is that it lacks access and parking during the winter – which for me is a positive, because www.MaineSportsman.com

Hunting with the aid of beagle hounds is popular, says the author, but he prefers not to use dogs.

“Every time I hunt with them,” he explains, “I spend more time hunting for the dogs than for rabbits.”

I know the old Indian routes that lead deep into the area.

There are a few ways to enter the area in the winter, and walking snowmobile trails is the easiest – especially during deep snow conditions.

The main trailhead is a large parking area on Route 11 in North Shapleigh. Most of the area is part of the Vernon S. Walker WMA. Five roads encircle great snowshoe hunting areas – travel Route 11 north, take a right on the Mann Road, turn right on the Newfield Road then another right onto the Ross Corner Road, and then drive to the Owls Nest Road. Mark out this area on your map – it will provide a lifetime of hunting opportunities.

The Bog Major Gregory Sanborn WMA, located in Brownfield, Fryeburg and Denmark, and the surrounding areas, is often called the “Brownfield Bog.” The Bog is also good snowshoe hare habitat. Much of the area consists of wetland and flood-plain, with some uplands, ranging from abandoned farmland fields to mature hardwoods and pines.

Access to the Bog is from Route 160 go-

Snowshoe hare will sometimes venture out from their hiding spaces into the open, to take advantage of the warm sun on frigid days. Source: Shutterstock

ing north; turn right onto the Lords Hill Road, then take the Bog Road. Hunting along the Bog Road and around the area’s many swamps will offer opportunities.

Food, Water and Cover As with any prey, understanding the lifestyle of the game you are hunting is vital for success.

You will see consistent habitats within these two locations – food, water, and cover.

Hare feed on a varied combination of deciduous trees – birch, poplar, maple and willow – ingesting their barks and buds. Also, they eat the tips of blueberry bushes and other shrubs. Snowshoes will always be near water, too, fulfilling their need to hydrate every day.

Cover is also important – snowshoe

hare feed at night and rest during the day. To avoid predators, their daytime hideouts are generally under logs and conifer branches or in other thick, nearly impenetrable areas. In cold conditions, however, they will sometimes venture out and seek sunny spots against large, dark-colored tree trunks to keep warm.

Hunting Methods Hunting with the aid of beagle hounds is popular, but every time I hunt with them, I spend more time hunting for dogs than rabbits. Many hunters enjoy stalking snowshoes in fresh snow with a .22 or a shotgun – for me, a .32 caliber muzzleloader works.

You can’t walk up on a hidden hare without them being well aware of your approach – not only can they hear you, but they can also feel the vibrations you make while walking.

Many times, however, they will hold tight and let you walk on past.

Once, I was hunting with Dick Dube from Berwick. We were hunting in the Owls Nest, using handguns.

I slowly moved along a swamp looking for hiding hare, when I saw one, just six steps

away. It was sitting in a sunny spot on bare ground.

I thumbed the hammer back on my .357 loaded with .38 cal target loads with wad cutters, and fired at its head. The hare shook its head and didn’t move. I cocked the gun again took a tighter bead and fired – he flipped over dead.

After examining the snowshoe, I saw that my first shot had cut perfect holes in both ears.

Didn’t Move for an Arrow Another time, I was hunting with Link Frye from Lebanon.

I spotted a hare hiding under a large log.

I was hunting with a longbow. Drawing the bow back, I released an arrow and bounced it off the log. The hare never moved. After nocking a second arrow, I killed it.

Over the years, I’ve killed snowshoes with a .50 cal muzzleloader and also compound bows while deer hunting – they were all holding tight, hoping I would not see them.

If you decide to try hunting these lightning-fast critters, then walk slowly and visually analyze every possible spot Mr. Hare could hide. You should locate good habitat with many tracks and droppings, and then slip in for a one-on-one encounter and a great hunting experience.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 69

Like Fishing for Native Trout?

Join a Land Trust Some of the trout were huge.

Each pool held a school of brook trout, and they flashed their spawning colors as they spooked away from the canoe. Most were pan-size, but some were in the 2- to 3-pound range, which for me is a huge trout in a western Maine river.

I had my sights set on bigger game. After launching the canoe at Steep Bank Pool, I was poling upstream along the shallow, early-October Kennebago River in search of moose sign. The upcoming moose season in WMD 8 had me scouting out navigable waterways in remote areas for a canoe hunt.

Scouting Moose but Thinking Fish But the trout on the Kennebago kept distracting me. The river is rightfully famous for fly fishing (DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 28). It runs from tiny source ponds near the Canadian border south to Cupsuptic Lake. The river passes through mostly gated property, so the fishing requires legwork and effort. As always, a lack of open motorized access equals better fishing.

I had also been spending a lot of moose-scouting time on two neighboring rivers. The Cupsuptic River, a few miles west of the Kennebago, and the Magalloway Riv-

In the days when logging was northwestern Maine’s economic lifeblood, a “perfect” stream or river was one in which all the bends and pools had been blasted out of it, creating a smooth passage for the wood. However, those conditions are not conducive to a healthy trout population. Can those modifications be undone?

Shallow pools and long riffles on the Kennebago River -- the result of the reshaping of the river during the 1800s and 1900s to accommodate log drives.

J. Andrews photo

er, a few more miles west of that, can all be found on Map 28 of the Atlas. Both rivers follow a route similar to the Kennebago, from the border mountains to large lakes south of Route 16.

The three rivers share other traits as well – as important headwaters of the Androscoggin, they all historically carried logs and pulpwood on the first leg of the journey from the deep woods to mills down south.

Log drives on the Androscoggin didn’t end until the early 1960s. And all three rivers show the wear and tear that the logging industry inflicted.

Fish Habitat and Log Drives Don’t Mix Beginning in the late 1990s, MDIFW began conducting comprehensive surveys of trout habitat in western Maine rivers.

They found that rivers previously used for log drives had sufficient water quality, but suffered from degraded habitats that reduced the carrying capacity for native trout.

The historic logging activity had widened and straightened the streams; there were fewer deep pools.

The accelerated rate of runoff, artificially encouraged by the loggers, resulted in unstable stream banks

and excessive erosion.

In some places multiple stream channels had over-widened the stream bed.

To Log-Drivers, Straighter Was Better My western Maine logging ancestors, who depended on these rivers for their livelihood, wanted a river with as few obstructions as possible. A river that was straight and wide could be flooded with runoff, held back and then strategically released, from tributary ponds. The massive inflow lifted logs and pulpwood above the straight rocky stream bed, and sped them downstream towards payday.

Nobody was too worried about deep pools to provide trout with thermal and cover refuges during natural low-flow periods.

The results are obvious to someone standing in a canoe and poling up or down on these rivers. They are relatively wide for their volume. There’s less shade than you would expect. Pools, where they exist, are often wide, shallow and featureless at low water. Depth is usually sufficient for a canoe, but the river sometimes seems like an endless string of sterile, shallow riffles. And there are few sharp corners or real obstructions to maneuver around.

Unprotected, and Susceptible to a Warming Climate These deficits also make the rivers, and the trout they hold, more susceptible to a warming climate.

Extended periods of high air temperatures, more extreme flooding and drought events, less-reliable volumes of spring runoff – all of these conditions exacerbate the structural problems.

Fellow columnist Lou Zambello has written extensively about the climate-driven changes he’s observed over many seasons of fly fishing in this part of the state.

(Self-Propelled continued on page 71) www.MaineSportsman.com

70 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Buying Just the Right Snowmobile for Maine Snowmobilers have a vast array of models from which to choose. There are so many on the market, it can be overwhelming when it comes to picking just one sled. In most cases, the tough decision comes down to a choice between a machine used for riding groomed trails, or one that will be a workhorse both off and on the trails.

I’ve driven quite a variety of snowmobiles, and I can truly say that buying the right sled makes a huge difference as far as rider enjoyment

www.MaineSportsman.com

What’s the right machine for you? Do you mostly ride groomed trails? Do you go off-trail and over deep snow to reach high elevations or remote icefishing spots? Or, as a third option, could you benefit from a “motor tow” machine that pulls you over the snow while you glide behind in a plastic sled? The author takes readers through the considerations that will lead you to the correct choice. goes. Once you have driven a sled built for comfy trail riding, you won’t want to ever ride on a groomed trail with anything but the finest touring sled.

On the other side of the coin, I’ve also tried traveling off the trails with a heavy sled built

for riding on smooth trails, and it turned out to be a terrible mistake. I don’t know how many snowbanks I buried that sled in, after which I had to ask my buddies to help dig me out.

Once I realized that the machine I

needed was something light for riding off the trails in deep powder, I purchased a sled for that purpose, and never looked back. If I ever take up trail riding again, I will switch back, trading in my lightweight machine for a super comfort-

able trail sled that will ride like a Mercedes on those groomed trails.

Workhorse Sled A workhorse, offtrail sled needs to be light, with a very long track to keep you up on the top of the snowpack. Huge paddles on the tracks and wide skis up front also help to keep you up on top and moving through deep powder if you have to get off the groomed path.

Ice anglers, trappers and winter hunters have a strong need for sleds that can eas(Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 71 (Continued from page 70)

ily pull a heavy load through deep, off-trail powder. Ice anglers drag fishing shacks across frozen lakes, and trappers and winter hunters go places where nobody else does – usually with a heavy load of gear. A good off-trail sled becomes invaluable in those circumstances.

There are several good workhorse sleds out there. The Ski Doo Tundra is probably the best known, while several other companies produce similar sleds.

Arctic Cat had a tough machine … the Bearcat, and Yamaha also offers what they called a working sled.

The “mountain” sleds that various companies are making nowadays might make a fine workhorse sled, as long as they don’t get too heavy. Riding off trail – whether ice fishing, trapping, or hunting – will find you

and your sled buried in a snowbank at some point. It’s better to have a light sled if you have to “lift” a snowmobile out of deep snow.

The power of these mountain sleds can be amazing, to say the least. Before hopping on one of these snow rockets, a rider had better be prepared to hang on.

Make Your Choice Some of the first mountain sleds originated out West, where they were used to climb snowy mountains – steep inclines and deep powder. If I were young again, I’d certainly jump at the chance to purchase one of the mountain sleds … I’ve seen them fly through some snow-covered woods that could never be traversed by any other kind of machine.

For any other offtrail work, the workhorse sleds should be

a fine choice. Along these same lines, the ATV or side-by-side with tracks is another option. They only run about 20 mph, but they stay on top and have a lot of torque for heavy towing.

Yet, another option would be the Snowdog (www.snowdog. com), a unique tracked machine that tows a rider up on top of the deepest powder. The rider sits or stands on a sled, such as a Jet Sled. I can see plenty of uses for a machine like this in the Maine woods or on the ice-covered lakes and ponds. Take a look at this machine and see if you don’t agree – I think it’s an ideal utilitarian powerplant for someone that doesn’t care to scream around the trails at breakneck speeds.

If you are strictly a snowmobiler who wants to experience Maine’s awesome system of trails for your

The Snowdog, a power-towing machine, offers an interesting alternative to conventional snowmobiles when it comes to performing workhorse tasks in the Maine woods and on frozen lakes and ponds. Photo courtesy of Snowdog

riding pleasure, stick with a comfortable touring sled. Get all the options, bells, and whistles, and really do it up right. A day of sledding around on smoothly-groomed ITS trails is hard to beat.

For those who prefer to mix it up a little, go with one of the mountain sleds that can do both – cover deep, off-trail powder with ease, and handle the groomed paths with moderate com-

fort.

For me, I don’t do any hunting where I might need a sled anymore, but I might get into some trail riding at some point. If I need to get off-trail for whatever reason, I’ll just pack a set of snowshoes.

Although I have to admit – I have been strongly thinking about that Snowdog motor tow machine ….

¶

Self-Propelled (Continued from page 69)

Restoring Trout Streams Steep Bank Pool on the Kennebago is a naturally occurring deep pool at a very sharp (90-degree) bend in the river. I’m certain my log-driving ancestors must have hated it.

But for anglers, it’s an iconic, often crowded fishing spot on a river considered to be in the top three nationally for native brook trout. The pool is famous for holding fish when other places don’t. It’s not hard to imagine that in pre-logging days there were dozens, or maybe hundreds, of these deep pools along the length of the river.

River restoration to mitigate logging damage and erosion has been successfully done in other Rangeley area streams to improve trout habitat. Forrest Bonney, now-retired MDIFW biologist, spearheaded and reported on the department’s restoration of South Bog Stream, a direct tributary to Rangeley, and a restoration project on the Cupsuptic.

And there’s great recent news on

In 1943, the term for this type of mechanized activity on the Kennebago River was “Streambed management.”

Source: Library of Congress

the Kennebago. Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust has recently acquired and protected more than 10,000 acres of land along the upper river as part of their Kennebago Headwaters Project. Next spring, in cooperation with MDIFW, Trout Unlimited and USFWS, it will begin replacing culverts and bridges that block fish passage on tiny feeder streams.

The project also includes felling large wooden logs into tributary streams to create complex structure and cover for trout. The wood structures also capture organic material

A pulp drive on the Kennebago River in 1943. Source: Library of Congress

which feeds the food cycle that trout depend on. All while directing the current to scour out deep pools in the streambed.

That kind of attention is exactly what these iconic trout factory rivers in western Maine need. We need to continue preserving the surrounding land through purchases and easements, and restoring the streambed to create better habitat.

If you want to catch more trout, join a land trust.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

72 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

More Trapline Tales Trapping can be a dangerous occupation – beaver trapping, especially so.

At times, it can also be humorous.

Below are trapline incidents related to me by two well-known Maine trappers (one living; one no longer with us) that reflect both sides of the issue.

Stuck in a Hole,

by Leon Adams This was back in 1948 or 1949. My partner and I were beaver trapping the month of January. That morning, we’d had a big snowfall, and it was still snowing, with about 16 or 18 inches of fresh snow on top of a foot of older snow.

We parked the car on the side of the road, took our gear, and started snowshoeing. We had about four miles to go to reach the beaver flowage.

We were following a brook. However, the snow was so deep that we lost track of the brook.

My partner said, “Let’s split up to look for the brook.”

I had only gone about 100 feet when, over my shoulder, I heard ice breaking. I ran in that direction, and found my partner in the water up to his armpits.

I cut an alder bush, reached out to him, and pulled him out. He had about three inches of frozen muck, ice and snow on top of his snowshoes.

I pulled down a dead spruce tree about six feet tall, which I cut up and got a fire going. I cut some more brush, making a pad for him to stand on. He got his clothes off, and I gave him my jacket.

Artwork by David Miller www.MaineSportsman.com

Two tales told to our intrepid columnist – the first reminds us of the dangers present on Maine traplines in winter; the other stresses the importance, on occasion, of keeping quiet and letting the other fellow talk.

He stood by the fire, nearly bare-naked. I cut a tree limb and hung his clothes by the fire to dry.

When his clothing was dry enough to put on, we went home.

If he had been alone, he never could have gotten out of the water. He had about 40 pounds of traps and equipment in his pack. Also, it was minus 20 degrees most mornings that winter.

(Told to me by the late Leon Adams of Benton, Maine.)

Blue Lights,

by Dan McAllister Having spent a good part of the summer removing nuisance beaver from areas adjacent to the interstate for the Maine Department of Transportation, I was a bit surprised to get a call from my part-time trapping partner stating that he had located a flowage close to the interstate.

As it was now trapping season and cold enough to walk on the ice, he had checked the house and found a good steam hole, indicating a live colony.

My partner, a lieutenant in the Maine Warden Service, was able to join me on his days off.

The following weekend, he had some free time and he suggested we could set traps at the site. Because I was an A.D.C. (animal damage control) agent, the Director of MDOT had authorized me to park on the side of the interstate, and he’d instructed me to post an authorization sign, with his name on the sign.

I usually put the sign in my truck window, and I was seldom questioned.

The weekend arrived, and we headed for the flowage. When we arrived, I pulled well off the edge of the road, and we proceeded toward the flowage with

traps, chisel, and a basket of tools.

After we had set several traps, a vehicle pulled in behind my truck. A young man came running toward us yelling, “I’m not a [blankety blank] Game Warden, so don’t get all excited.”

As he approached, my partner asked what his problem with Game Wardens was, and he responded they were a pain in his butt, and he made other disparaging and snide remarks about Wardens.

My partner carried on a pleasant conversation for a few minutes, and then asked what he wanted from us. He stated he baited coyotes, and he was looking for beaver carcasses. He offered his phone number, and my partner advised we would keep it in mind.

Being a real professional, my partner didn’t let on he was a Warden. I personally would have liked to see the man’s reaction had he been told.

Finishing up our trap-setting, we became aware of blue lights behind my truck. Suddenly I remembered I had not put my permission sign in the window.

The young state trooper seemed quite excited that we were parking on the side of the interstate. He promptly advised he knew what we were doing, and that he already called my license number into the Warden Service, and a Warden would be along shortly. We were advised not to leave until the Warden arrived.

It seemed a little late for me to get my sign showing I had permission, so I opted to pass on the idea. The Trooper departed, leaving us to wait for the Warden Service to arrive.

My partner chuckled, and said once they run your plate, they will know that you and I are together.

The moral of the story? Sometimes just listening isn’t a bad way to appreciate life. A lot less controversy that way.

By the way, we didn’t provide any bait for the coyote trapper.

Told to me by Dan McAllister of Hampden, Maine.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 73

The Allagash – New England’s One-of-a-Kind Experience Ever since my 1981 appointment as Supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness, my wife and I have enjoyed speaking throughout the Northeast to interpret, endorse and describe the exceptional nature resource that makes the Allagash a special place.

During those outreach times, we often hear from many folks who have enjoyed their own canoe trips. We are told that couples have often gotten married because of their Allagash trip, and on rare occasions, after being together in a canoe for days, gotten divorced.

Will that Sense of Nature Remain?

In my earlier columns, I’ve written that when I was first hired, the Bureau of Parks insisted that the AWW follow the laws and policies expressing the area’s original purpose and intent, as passed by Maine voters. Specifically, the waterway was to be managed as a wilderness canoe route, and the state was required to “develop the [area’s] maximum wilderness character.”

A couple of ways to achieve those goals were to limit the size of groups, and to restrict the ways in which vehicles could access river’s corridor.

Those principles, which ensured a quality wilderness experience, worked well for many years.

But by the late 19980s and into the 1990s, a new park administration in Augusta disagreed with the Allagash being managed as wild. Therefore, the administrators sought to change operational management in several ways.

The first change was to insist that the Allagash be managed the same as urban parks, such as Reid, Camden Hills, and Sebago.

The same supervisors also instructed staff to ignore managing the Allagash for wild character – in direct contrast to the original legislation. But due to public outcries demanding protection of the area’s natural character, those individuals were largely unsuccessful.

Now it seems that bureaucratic attempts to turn the Allagash into just another park are recurring.

Let’s review certain regulations governing activities in the Allagash.

AWW Rule 2.3 – Group Size “Groups of more than 12 persons of any age, including trip leaders and/

The author is concerned that the operation of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, including the building of additional access points, and the failure to meaningfully limit the number of visitors, signifies a departure from the stated intent of the original 1966 law and the public funding of the project – to maximize the waterway’s “wilderness character.” or guides, are prohibited from traveling on the Allagash watercourse or camping at Allagash Waterway campsite cells.”

Commentary: This rule regulating large groups appears clear. However, today the Bureau of Parks interpretation indicates otherwise. For example, Camp Prods-A-Long arrives at Churchill Dam with a group of 60 people. At the dam, to comply with regulations, they separate into 5 groups of 12, each with one leader, and then they paddle to Churchill Lake’s Jaws Campsite.

Arriving at the campsite, each group of the camp remains in individual parties of 12, and occupies all five cells as mapped on the AWW brochure.

However, once outside the narrow boundaries of their cells, it appears to be legal for the groups to join and hike in a crowd of 60 individuals to the Churchill Dam Museum. Or canoe to the Tramway, and once off the water, walk en masse to the historic trains. For the last three years, crowding has been regularly occurring at the Tramway in T8R13.

Cars line up at the trailhead into the Tramway. Photo by T. Caverly

One group on its way to the Tramway.

Photo: T. Caverly

In the fall of 2022, AWW Supervisor Mark Deroche reported that a foot-traffic counter located on the 16-minute blue blazed trail from the nearest road accessing the Tramway recorded that 3,667 people hiked into the locomotives.

The counter logged that one day, more than 150 people visited the site. That count doesn’t include those visitors who arrived by canoe or by boat up Chamberlain Lake.

Unlike other Public Lands under the purview of the Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) was established specifically to maximize its wilderness character. On November 8, 1966, by a margin of 68% to 32%, Maine citizens approved a $1.5 million bond “to develop the maximum wilderness character of the Allagash Waterway.”

On April 14, 1967, the U.S. Department of the Interior granted Maine an additional $1.5 million from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, for acquisition and development of the AWW “in conformance with the conditions of” the AWW statute and the bond.

One of the biggest challenges is that wilderness character isn’t defined or easily tracked. What is known is that the AWW is experiencing heavy visitor use, causing additional stress on natural resources.

Given the growing pressures that are impacting the AWW’s wilderness character, in my opinion there must be increased scrutiny of management decisions such as the building of roads, review of timber harvesting operations, and public access changes, that affect the beauty, fish and wildlife habitat, and recreational resources of this national treasure.

Tim Caverly has authored eleven books about Maine’s northern forest.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

74 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Running Rabbits in the Rangeley Region It’s a good bet throughout the Rangeley Region that not only is the ground covered with a layer of snow, but the snow is packed down. A wellpacked base of snow creates ideal running conditions for beagles, allowing them to travel up on top of the compressed snow rather floundering through the depths of powder snow.

Long-time readers of this column remember that my last rabbit-running beagle, Molly, passed on a few years ago – and that I have longed to hunt rabbits ever since. I truly miss the sound of beagles chasing rabbits through this region.

Lately, I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt with Joe Plante and his formidable pack of beagles.

Plante keeps his dogs in shape by doing a lot of field trial running during the off season. I met him at a barbeque put on by the non-profit veteran’s group, Operation ReBoot Outdoors (ORO) two years ago.

He approached me and remembered that I had contacted him asking for help in getting a rabbit hunting program going for ORO. He said he had beagles, and he wanted to help. We set up a few hunts last year, and have now moved into more hunting this year. www.MaineSportsman.com

When veterans leave the military and re-enter civilian life, it’s a huge culture shock. Suddenly absent is the strong bond that held them together with other military personnel. Hare hunting with other veterans who have undergone the same adjustment, allows the vets to experience a familiar sense of teamwork and mutual support.

Shawn Thibodeau, a veteran, dropped the first rabbit on a Operation ReBoot Outdoors hare hunt. Photo: William Clunie

I can’t thank this young man enough for opening up his heart to help take get these veterans out in the woods to enjoy the peace and quiet that rabbit hunting provides. At the same time, rabbit hunting also can be extremely thrilling – to the point

that it becomes a passion.

Plante’s Dogs Anyone who has ever owned hunting dogs understands how much time and money goes into the operation. Plante offers this huge effort for ORO at no cost. He simply enjoys seeing these vet-

erans discover the camaraderie of hunting with other veterans – something most veterans understand and cherish.

The last time I went out with Plante, he brought seven dogs with him, and rotated them throughout the day. We had sev-

eral excellent runs that day, and he had a good chance to give his younger dogs some time in the woods. It is such a joy to watch a young beagle learning to run rabbits.

The veterans whom we took out last year really appreciated the hunting, and they learned quickly.

They also picked up on the large role dogs play in the whole picture, and the equally huge effort Plante makes to get the veterans into good rabbit hunting.

Plante’s field trial running throughout the off-season really helps get the beagles in shape for hunting – they work together so well, and their noses and bodies get pretuned during the field trial work. The last time I went out with them, I got a front row seat and watched the way they worked.

I followed Plante to an area where he let the dogs out, and it wasn’t long before they howled with excitement and started the chase. I took a position about fifty yards from Plante and waited for the dogs to bring the rabbit around to our position. At certain points, the dogs screamed and howled with so much excitement that it seemed you could feel it in the air.

At one point, the beagles drove a hare the length of a fairly (Continued on next page)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 75 (Continued from page 74)

hunting machines.

open ridge, providing a view of their awesome skill at tracking a fast-moving rabbit.

Amazingly, the youngest pup (7 months old) kept her nose to the ground and followed the exact path of the hare, while the other two beagles tagged along and picked up the track if the younger pup lost it.

It was fantastic to be able to see them in action. To say I was impressed would be an understatement – these beagles really are finely-tuned hare

How it Works So how does hare hunting with beagles help a veteran? First, understand that unless a person has been in the situations that some of these veterans have been in, it’s hard to see things from their perspective.

Military members become strongly connected with a bond that simply doesn’t go away when their active-duty status ends.

The move from military life to civilian life is a shocking adjustment for most, and

one that can be hard figure out. In a seemingly small way, hunting together with others that have also gone through this confusing adjustment, definitely helps.

The time given in service to their country is one of the most influential times of most military members’ lives; the bonds formed during that time are stronger than can be explained here.

It really boils down to regaining a passion that you once had with your brothers-in-arms.

These veterans look forward to coming back

to hunt with us the next time, or arranging their own hunts.

They have picked up a new passion – hunting with other veterans.

They have engage in with this passion as force.

learned to life again new-found a driving

¶

Indoor Pool • Flat Screen TVs with Cable Complimentary Internet • Pet Friendly

2303 Main Street, Rangeley, ME Located on ITS 84/89

207-864-3434 • www.rangeleysaddlebackinn.com

Rangeley Lakes Region — Revive Your Senses — – Since 1990 –

REV-IT-UP

STRATTON / EUSTIS CABIN RENTALS

TRAILSIDE STORE

GIFTS • SOUVENIRS • T-SHIRTS

OPEN EVERY DAY AT 5AM! Groceries • Breakfast • Donuts Lunch • Pizza • Soups • Take-Out —

75 Carry Road, Oquossoc, ME 207-864-3662 ORDER ONLINE AT

www.OquossocGrocery.com

Gas • Oil • Spark Plugs • Drive Belts Winter Gear • Helmets • Boots • Goggles Plus a Variety of New Items!

4 Ferguson Lane Sandy River Plantation, ME Reach by Sled on ITS 84 Winter Hours: Thu–Mon 8AM–6PM

(207) 864-2452

www.revitupsports.com

ITS 89 Groomed Snowmobile Trails Deer Hunting – Ice Fishing Snowshoe – Hike – Wildlife

BOOK ONLINE — 2 CABINS AVAILABLE —

www.airbnb.com/h/cranberry ww www.airbnb.com/h/bigelow

BACK-UP POWER FOR EVERY ADDRESS

207-364-POOL(7665)

George Poland • Rangeley, Maine — 24-Hour Emergency Service —

(207) 864-3437 • (207) 520-1957

454 River Road, Mexico, ME

coulthardspools@roadrunner.com

www.coulthardspools.net

www.LakesRegionPower.net www.MaineSportsman.com

76 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Critics Clobber ‘Nature Faker’ Who Claims Trees are People Science writing can be tricky business.

Science writers, like me, do our best to translate new and old research, theories and studies into language that readers can understand. We want to let people know about the latest discoveries, or provide news that a previous finding has been supported or refuted.

In general, science writers want to make complicated scientific information relevant to a wider audience.

Unfortunately, some journalists don’t have the background or scientific expertise to sort it all out and stay true to the science, with all its inherent limitations and uncertainties.

It doesn’t help, of course, that the original articles in science journals can be tough to decipher, even for someone with a science background. Scientists use confusing jargon and rules for how to present data and conclusions. Their papers are often filled with statistical and technical mumbo jumbo.

When reporting on the latest research findings, sometimes we writers oversimplify or make analogies and comparisons that don’t quite fit. The result can be pretty funny.

Trees Moving North Recently, I read an article about a study www.MaineSportsman.com

In his 2005 book The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben claims trees form friendships, plan their futures, and teach their offspring. Our columnist believes trees are great enough just as they are, and there’s no need to fabricate tall tales.

Numerous species of mushrooms and fungi work together with multiple species of trees to absorb and exchange moisture, minerals and nutrients. The mycorrhizal networks beneath the soil may connect trees over vast areas, carrying resources that support the entire ecosystem. Van Wie photos

conducted at University of Maine in Orono investigating how the geographical range for New England tree species is shifting north, as a result of climate change. As the climate warms, oaks, pines and maples will grow where the climate is more favorable, trending to the north.

I had to laugh at a couple of phrases that found their way into this particular story.

The researcher noted (perhaps without thinking about how it sounded) that “oaks … are trying to move up north to track the habitable range.”

Immediately I pictured trees pulling up their roots and trekking north, looking for

a more hospitable climate.

This research was actually about how deer mice and voles transport tree seeds across the landscape to store as food, thereby allowing uneaten seeds to germinate farther from the tree than gravity or wind can carry them. Some rodents move more seeds farther than others. This phenomenon allows the tree range to shift over time.

But again, the language had me chuckling, when it said the deer mice and voles were “helping” the trees move north. Did the tiny rodents help the trees pack their bags, like when the mice and birds sewed

Cinderella’s ball gown in the Disney movie?

Of course, the mice don’t know they are “helping” the trees reproduce. And the individual trees aren’t actually migrating; rather, it’s the range where the trees grow that is shifting northward. The article was very well written overall, but the actual language was pretty humorous.

Wishful Thinking A more serious problem occurs when a science writer misinterprets or purposefully misrepresents what is in the scientific literature. The result can be, at best, wishful thinking, and at worst, troubling misinforma-

tion.

A recent example of this is a bestselling book called The Hidden Life of Trees,

by Peter Wohlleben (2015). Wohlleben is a forester from Germany who contends that trees in the forest are social beings, capable of friendship, generously sharing of food and resources, and communicating warnings to other trees. He talks about how trees can smell, taste, feel pain, learn, scream when thirsty, and tell time.

Wohlleben typically starts each chapter by citing real scientific findings and theories, including amazing field studies by Dr. Suzanne Simard and others who showed how trees use vast mycorrhizal networks (like very thin roots) from mushrooms and fungi beneath the soil to transport water, nutrients and carbon among individual trees, even of different species. (Simard wrote a remarkable memoir about her work, titled Finding the Mother Tree, Knopf 2021).

But Wohlleben isn’t satisfied with these scientific findings. He asks his readers to “widen their imaginations” while he poses questions such as “Why do trees share water and nutrients?”

He suggests possible responses, then quick(Sporting Environment continued on page 78)

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 77

Helping Your Pet Survive a Drug Overdose Last month in this column, I wrote about how my dog, Ginger, had ingested some toxic drug (methamphetamine or amphetamine), and the challenges we had getting her prompt treatment.

This month, let me explain some ways I learned to protect pets from this horrific event, and what to do in case they experience an accidental drug overdose despite these protective efforts.

The case with Ginger illustrates how I could have managed the situation better.

The only reason Ginger recovered is because she ingested such a small amount of the toxic substance.

At first, I assumed it was marijuana, just because I could smell it on the two fellas who were doing some work in our neighbor-

down their throat and into their system.

And the last item, a charcoal solution, gets injected down my dog’s throat to absorb any leftover drugs/toxins. Again, the Toomey syringe is used to make it easier to get the solution into her digestive system.

I also have pertinent emergency phone numbers inside my first aid bag so I can quickly contact informed veterinary services to help direct me in case my dog gets into trouble again. I keep the emergency veterinary hospital number, my own veterinary clinic, and the Pet Poison Helpline, (800) 213-6680, in my bag.

The author and his family were shaken when their dog somehow ingested a toxic drug. Fortunately, the dog survived and recovered. However, as a result of the episode, the author has made a few important additions to the contents of his dog emergency first aid kit. hood. I figured one of them dropped an edible form of the drug, and Ginger had eaten it up.

I would strongly suggest going to YouTube.com, and type “dogs on methamphetamines” in the address bar, to view a couple of short videos of dogs on this highly toxic substance. Then check out a few videos of dogs on marijuana, and note the big difference in the way the dogs process these two classes of drugs.

I could have responded to the situation better if I had seen these videos and

understood the differences in symptoms.

Marijuana isn’t good for a dog, but it usually just makes the dog sleepy and passes without any ill effects.

Other drugs/toxins, like methamphetamines, can do permanent damage, and might even result in death.

Respond Quickly I thought I had a complete first aid kit for my dog, but I was very wrong. I have a kit that is very similar to a first aid kit for humans. I was prepared for most anything, except treating a dog that had ingested toxic

substances.

My doggie first aid kit now contains hydrogen peroxide (3%) and a large syringe (Toomey) to get the solution down my dog’s throat. This solution will cause the dog to vomit, hopefully bringing up anything it swallowed.

I also carry a gel Benadryl product that also gets injected down my dog’s throat if she is having an allergic reaction. Dogs having a bad reaction from drugs or other products don’t just open their mouths to take medicine, so the syringe helps to get it

Prepare for the Worst Dog owners can prepare ahead of an (Continued on next page)

Get Out & Enjoy the Lakes & Mountains of Western Maine!

NEW & USED PLOWS & PARTS

We’re Here to Help Care for Your Vehicles!

NEW ALIGNMENT MACHINE

We Specialize in Most Auto and Truck Services, Tires and More!

—

48 South Main Street, Andover, ME (207) 392-1219 Facebook: @JoeAtMartins

www.MartinsServiceAndSales.com

Certified Fisher Plow Installation & Service – For All Your Automotive Needs –

625 Crescent Avenue • Rumford, ME (207) 369-9302 or (207) 357-9444 Open Mon–Fri 8AM-5PM www.dansautomotiverepairandsales.com

Lisa’s Barber Shop 178 Main Street Mexico, Maine 04257

Lisa Cormier - owner

231 Main Street Mexico, Maine 04257 phone: 207-369-0551 fax: 207-369-0554

Walk-ins: www.hebertrealtygroup.com Tuesday–Friday 8:30–5:00 Saturday ...you have come to the right agency.

9:00–12:00 Closed Sun & Mon

357-3824

www.MaineSportsman.com

78 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Western Maine (Continued from page 77)

emergency to help avoid future trouble.

I have trained my dog to leave certain things alone when I give her the “Leave it” command, but this means if I’m not around or don’t see her getting into something, she still might eat it. I can’t be near her to give her the command at all times.

Some dog owners train their dogs to never ingest anything unless it comes from the owner’s hand. I should have taken the time to do this, but never thought I’d ever have to worry about my dog getting into some illegal methamphetamines.

I trained my dog to stay away from skunks and porcupines by utilizing road killed animals. I outfitted my dog with a Garmin

E-collar and walked her closely past a skunk carcass. When she moved to sniff the dead skunk, I gave her a charge from the collar, and told her, “Good girl, good girl” when she moved away from the carcass and to my side. After doing this once, she never when near a skunk carcass again, even when I walked her close to it. The same process worked for her with a porcupine carcass.

I’m considering doing it with other things like marijuana and street drugs as well as prescription drugs.

I will be contacting a police dog trainer to help with this effort, since I’m sure they have to train police dogs to NOT eat toxic substances.

Above all, remember that you cannot

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 76)

ly turns those into far-fetched conclusions using language that goes beyond mere analogy and what the science supports.

Trees, he says, form “true friendships.” The overall book becomes a fairy tale world where trees are planning their futures, teaching their offspring, and grieving for the sick and dying. He

Talk with your pet’s veterinarian and ask what items should be included in the first aid kit for your dog. The author’s canine treatment medication kit now includes hydrogen peroxide, a charcoal solution, oral Benadryl, and a Toomey-style plastic syringe to help get the medicine down the dog’s throat.

Photo: William Clunie

be with your dog at all times. I noticed my dog jumps up into other folks’ vehicles when they pull in my driveway and open their doors. She loves people, but I am going to train her to stop doing

this. It’s cute that she wants to greet these visitors, but she immediately sniffs and licks the vehicle floors looking for snacks – not a good thing if these folks have accidentally dropped medicines or

wants us to believe that trees are people, too.

Critics have clobbered Wohlleben for being the latest practitioner of “nature faking,” a controversy from the early 20th century in which “nature writers” exaggerated animal behavior, often giving them human characteristics, to capture their readers’ imagination. Similarly, Wohlleben wants his readers to have an emotional attachment to the forest, so we will protect it and nurture wild places.

drugs on the floor. We occasionally have folks drop by our home that we don’t know – and we don’t know what they may have inside their vehicles.

¶

What I find most troubling is that nature and science are already wonderful enough. I am in awe every time I step foot in the forest. Why exaggerate?

Certainly, there will always be processes we can’t understand, mysteries and wonders that surprise us, just as Professor Simard has demonstrated with her peer-reviewed research.

Let’s not insult the trees by turning them into tall tales. After all, according to Wohlleben, trees are people, too!

¶

Get The Maine Sportsman Delivered Right to Your Door! r One Year $30

r Two Years $49

Name________________________________________

Exp._________________________ CVV___________

Address______________________________________

Phone_______________________________________

____________________________________________

Email________________________________________

City_________________________________________

Include your Check, Money Order or VISA/MasterCard info to: The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330

State_________________________ Zip_____________ VISA/MC____________________________________ www.MaineSportsman.com

You can also call (207) 622-4242 or subscribe online at

www.MaineSportsman.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 79

Readers Respond to Stories of Honest Mistakes in the Woods My column in the December issue of The Sportsman, titled “Oops! Now What?” prompted quite a few people to share their “Uh-oh” stories with me.

It is important to have the difficult conversations regarding hunting. There is no shame in having made an honest mistake and learning from it.

Here are some of the stories I’ve heard over the past couple of months. I’ll let readers cast or reserve their own judgment.

Species Confusion A young hunter flushed and shot two birds on the wing. He was proud of his shooting, until he walked up on his quarry and noticed a weird coloration to them. He’d never seen a spruce grouse before, but quickly put two and two together.

Not wanting to put his nearby hunting partner in an uncomfortable situation, he left the birds and told his partner he’d simply missed.

A different non-resident hunter from the mid-Atlantic coast shot a spruce grouse while hunting in the North Maine Woods. Not knowing any better, he showed it off to his buddies when they met back at the trucks. His buddies informed him of what he’d done, and encouraged him to call the warden. He met with the warden, who

In the panic and confusion following a hunting mistake, different hunters react in different ways.

Regardless, the effects are long-lasting.

It takes a trained eye and a discerning mind to tell the difference, in a splitsecond, between a flying spruce grouse and a flushed ruffed grouse. Ethan Emerson photo

confiscated the bird for a research study and issued him a written warning.

Mistaken Moose A cow moose permit holder in New Hampshire spotted two moose in a roadside cut opening morning at the tail end of the rut. The lead moose was a beautiful, full-racked bull.

The second moose was a much smaller cow.

The hunter had plenty of time to make a good shot, since they were just casually feeding.

The hunter cranked the scope up to full power, and put the crosshairs right behind the moose’s ear

so as to drop it where it stood for easier extrication. Looking into the sun, the glare in the scope was tough, but he felt confident in the sight picture. He shot, and the moose dropped.

He excitedly trotted down to the moose laying in the gulley.

It wasn’t until he was within a couple of feet of the dead animal that he saw the spike antlers.

Feeling immediate guilt, he raced to the check station where he knew the Fish and Game biologist on duty. He confessed what he did, and brought a conserva-

tion officer (CO) back to the scene with him.

The CO determined that it was in fact an honest mistake, and that the spikes were short enough to have been mostly hidden by the moose’s ears. He appreciated the hunter’s honesty in self-reporting, when he could have simply fled the scene.

The CO put a seal on the moose, and sent the hunters on their way with no official reprimand or punishment. The hunter credits his forthrightness, as well as the good word he thinks the biologist must have put in for him.

Bad Luck Buck A young hunter hunting on his own for the first time got a case of buck fever when he spotted a deer. He knew he was hunting in a state that enforced a 2-point (on one side) antler restriction. He swore he saw a fork on one of the antlers, but apparently it was just a light-colored twig in the background – because when he walked up to it, alas – it only had spikes.

Being young and inexperienced, he panicked. He made an ill-considered decision to drag the deer to a nearby brush pile, and cover it up with sticks and leaves.

The decision still haunts him to this day, years later. He’s vowed to not let another animal go to waste, legal punishment or not.

Volley Leaves Two Down An experienced and fairly successful deer hunter began following a solo buck track on fresh snow.

He didn’t follow it far off the road before he jumped the buck in a thick patch of blowdowns. Clearly seeing a rack, he let loose on it with several shots as it bounded through openings from right to left in front of him.

After the shooting was done, he walked directly to where he’d seen it last. He found a (New Hampshire continued on page 82) www.MaineSportsman.com

80 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— Northern New Hampshire — Join us for the

LANCASTER SNOW DERBY Bigger, Better, and Faster in 2023!

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

Vintage Snowmobile Races 25 Different Race Classes, including 1975 and older, plus 1985 and older, and a Pro-600 2000 and under liquid cooled class!

For more info or to register, go to www.lancasternhrotary.org/page/snow-derby

CRANE’S

Congratulations to Fitch Fuel Company

SNOWMOBILE MUSEUM

— HOME OF THE BLUE GOOSE —

7th ANNUAL VINTAGE SNOWMOBILE SHOW, SWAP MEET & COOKOUT February 4th • 8:30AM Trophies Awarded All Classes: Antique Sleds 1968 & Older, Trail Sleds 1968-1976, Racing, Mini Sleds, Unique Sleds, Up to 2010 Classes for Stock Eastern Snowmobile Racing Hall of Fame

— 172 Main Street, Lancaster, NH Cell: (603) 443-7272 • (603) 788-3770 www.cranessnowmobilemuseum.com

www.lancasterdentalcarenh.com

of Lancaster, NH and the Fitch family on celebrating 100 years as a family owned and operated business. Kudos!

– Lancaster Dental Care

Call Today!

NORTHERN EDGE REALTY LLC Berlin Office: 232 Glen Ave. • 603-752-0003 Colebrook Office: 114 Main St. • 603-237-5850 Gorham Office: 139 Main St. • 603-915-9233 Lancaster Office: 89 Main St. • 603-788-2131

www.teamner.com

www.MaineSportsman.com

Lodging Accommodating 4–7 Occupants Direct ATV & Snowmobile Trail Access

603-237-8603

794 Reed Road, Colebrook, NH

www.bearrocksuits.com

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 81

Green Mountain Conservation Camps As a youngster, I started going to our hunting camp and following the guys around the woods at age 5. The urge to hunt was obvious, and somewhere along the way I was promised that I could get my orange card when I turned 12.

That orange card was the ticket I needed to get my hunting license; it meant I had passed my firearm hunter safety course.

My parents decided to send me to one of the Green Mountain Conservation Camps (GMCC) for a week-long session that would help me get that all-important orange card, as well providing an education in any number of other things relating to the outdoors.

I paddled my first canoe there, shot my first muzzleloader, and loosed my first arrow with a bow. There was swimming and fishing.

I vaguely recall roughing it a bit in a bunkhouse, and I have no recollection of the food at all. I was fussier back then, and I didn’t starve to death, so the meals must have been fine.

We received a ton of education about all things outdoors throughout the week.

All in all, it was a great jumping-off point for the lifetime of adventure that hunting has become for me.

Vermont’s Fish and Game Department runs weeklong youth camps where kids can be away from their parents (and away from social media), all while learning about hunting, fishing, trapping, archery, canoeing, hiking, orienteering, and natural resource protection. Kids from states other than Vermont can attend. It’s a sure way to jumpstart a youngster’s life-long interest in the great outdoors.

All photos courtesy of Nicole Meier, VT Dept. of F&W

The Camps Vermont Fish and Wildlife runs these camps through the summer. The basic session, like what I attended, is for kids from 12 to 14, and there are separate weeks for boys and girls.

Camps are held in the northeastern region of the state at Buck Lake Camp in Woodbury, VT and a more southwesterly location at the Edward F. Kehoe Camp in Castleton, VT. The Department founded GMCC in 1966, spearheaded

by Edward F. Kehoe, former Department Commissioner.

The Department’s Game Wardens originally ran the camps, and emphasized shooting and fishing opportunities for youth.

In 1983, camp management was transferred to the Outreach Division, and at that point, camp education began focusing more on resource management. Camps are staffed by college students and recent graduates with passions for the outdoors, education, and natu-

ral resources. At the camps, the curriculum includes resource conservation and outdoor recreation skills, with topics including Vermont’s fish and wildlife, wetland ecology, first aid and outdoor safety, fly-fishing and spin casting, fly-tying, archery, hiking and camping, orienteering, canoeing, firearms education, forests and forestry.

Campers have a unique opportunity to meet and interact with Vermont State Game Wardens, foresters, fisheries and wildlife biologists, and

others who work in the outdoors.

After attending a basic session, advanced sessions are available in subsequent years for kids aged 12-16. In these weeks, students can earn their trapper certification, learn about waterfowl and waterfowl hunting, or do an advanced overnight backpacking trip.

There is a Teen Conservation Weekend held in August for 15to 17-year-olds, and a Junior Counselor program that is filled by campers who are nominated by GMCC staff during Advanced Weeks.

Getting to Go Many kids who attend these camps previously earned their firearm hunter education certificate when they were younger, but they get to go through that education again, in addition to their bowhunter certification. With all the other activities that go on for the six days at these camps, it is well worth kids attending, whether they already have their orange card or not, or even if they never intend to hunt.

Kids from out of state are welcome to attend, and they typically make up about 10% of the campers.

The cost is $250 for the week, but there are scholarships available directly through GMCC, as well as (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

82 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Vermont

(Continued from page 81)

sponsorships through civic organizations and fish and game clubs throughout the state. I know my local conservation group sponsors a few kids each year.

According to Nicole Meier, the Hunter Education Program Coordinator for VT

Fish and Wildlife, the sessions they have had the hardest time filling are the advanced weeks for girls. If you have a daughter or granddaughter who might want to expand their outdoor knowledge, encourage them to apply. As Nicole told

New Hampshire (Continued from page 79)

good blood trail, and very shortly came upon his buck, lying dead. He dressed, dragged, and loaded the deer. Driving out, he rolled down his window and told the story to a nearby camp owner who heard the shooting.

Later that day, the hunter got a call from a game warden requesting him to come back to the scene of the kill. Having nothing to hide, he complied.

Turns out the nearby camp owner’s dog, and subsequently the camp owner, found a dead doe within a hundred yards of the buck’s gut pile.

Unbeknownst to the hunter, the buck had found and bedded with a doe where the hunter jumped it. Apparently, one of his shots was at the doe, who was running in tandem with the buck.

Since he cut off the tracks to blood trail, he never knew.

Even though the warden believed www.MaineSportsman.com

me, “Girls especially appreciate the freedom of a week spent free of social media, when they are allowed to explore and deepen their connection to the natural world, and develop skills and discover interests related to the outdoors.”

When I look at what else is available for Fish and Wildlife-related summer programs across northern New England, these camps in VT are an incredible opportunity for our

youngsters. Yes, taking kids hunting is important, but I think we need to look beyond believing that such a single event will be enough to get kids into this way of life that we cherish.

In-depth programing like that offered at the camps, engaging with professionals, doing new things, all while away from their parents, seems like a vital step in the growth of the next generation of hunters and anglers.

it was an honest mistake and the hunter wasn’t trying to hide anything, he confiscated the buck, and the hunter lost his hunting privileges for a year.

He was, however, able to keep his rifle.

Goose Fiasco A waterfowl hunter hunting the Connecticut River shot his limit of two geese from the NH side. Also having a VT license, he then paddled to a field on the other side of the river and shot one more.

He couldn’t find a second goose on the VT side to limit out, so he paddled back to his truck in NH and decided to take a drive to look for ducks instead.

Later that morning, he encountered a conservation officer. The CO told him there was a problem, since there were three geese in his truck bed and the limit was only two. The hunter kindly explained that he’d been hunting both NH and VT, and was therefore in compliance.

The new CO wasn’t sure if that

If only I could attend these camps now!

For more information, check out the website at vtfishandwildlife.com, click on the “Learn More” link, and look for the Green Mountain Conservation Camp pages.

You’ll find additional links and applications there, as well.

If you have questions, reach out to VTF&W by email at FWGMCC@vermont.gov.

¶

was how the limit worked or not, so he called his supervisor. The supervisor also didn’t know, so he called the Fish and Game headquarters in Concord.

They also didn’t know.

The CO confiscated the goose, just in case.

Eventually, the hunter received a call informing him that the VT Fish and Game headquarters in Montpelier knew the answer to the goose limit question: The limit is an aggregate, regardless of state lines. Therefore, the hunter was over limit, and he was subject to a fine.

Nowhere in the state-published law book was the limit defined as being an aggregate, so the hunter appealed the fine in court and settled, perhaps by agreeing to a lesser fine, or by having prosecutors “file” the case for a period of time, to be dismissed if no additional violations occurred.

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 83

— Guest Column —

Giving Back to the Deer

by Jeff Hadley, Waterford, ME

The writer challenges Maine deer hunters to join him in contributing to the welfare of our state’s deer herd – to become givers, rather than simply being takers of deer each fall.

I’m a long time Mainer, going back to my Native American Abenaki Indian ancestry. My family has benefited from our multi-generational heritage as trappers, anglers and hunters, using skills passed down for thousands of years. I am fortunate to be blessed with a deer every year. Although I choose not to convey my hunting knowledge beyond members of my family, I have words of encouragement I want to share with you all.

My request is that Maine deer hunters choose to do what I do; namely, to give back to the deer population; in other words, not just be a taker, but also a giver.

We enjoy hunting deer every year, but are we giving back?

It’s different for out of staters – they come here just to take a deer, and then go back home with a deer strapped to their car roof. However, we Mainers live here, so there is no reason why we can’t give back.

Start with Coyotes For example, I keep the coyote population reduced in the area where I hunt. I shoot and kill on average between 10 and 20 coyotes each year, to protect the deer population and to protect

the fawns as they are being birthed out in my area.

Also, I remove bobcats from the population, as well as reducing the black bear population, since they are responsible for many spring fawn deer kill.

Getting back to coyotes – Just imagine if every Maine hunter killed just one coyote per year! Most hunters do not kill any. They kill a deer, but not a coyote. I’ve had many people tell me I do a great job in reducing the coyote population and they benefit from it, but they don’t take the effort themselves to help out.

The State of Maine doesn’t do a whole lot, either. Some folks believe a state coyote bounty would be a good incentive. While there are pros and cons to that idea, in reality it’s the hunters who should be the ones to manage the populations, since we are the ones doing the taking.

Food Plots Nothing gives back to the deer population better than healthy dark green kale, brassicas and turnips throughout the winter – basically any plantings that are healthy and that will help the deer make it through the winter and until vegetation blooms in

the spring.

I don’t recommend feeding commercial corn to deer. A great deal of corn is genetically modified these days, and I believe it can cause acidosis in deer – not good. If you can’t plant dark green brassicas, then stay with oats – they are healthier than commercial corn feed.

But consider planting a food plot. What better way to give back to the deer, after they have been chased for almost three months by archers, crossbow hunters, rifle hunters and muzzleloader hunters?

Here in Western Maine, wintering deer are digging down through two or more feet of snow to feed on my five acres of Whitetail Institute’s nonGMO winter greens.

The deer are fat and healthy feeding on those plants – 30 to 35 percent protein – kale, turnips and brassicas, from fall until spring.

A company called BioLogic also makes good non-GMO brassica blends, as to other reputable companies. Do your research, and ask for advice from those who have grown food plots of their own.

Writer Doesn’t Hunt Over Plots And no, I don’t hunt over food plots.

Planting a productive food plot is a lot of work — analyzing the acidity of the soil, conditioning and “liming” the soil, tilling, seeding and maintaining the plot. An ideal plot provides feed year-round, even if the deer have to dig through the snow to find it. Photo: Whitetail Institute

Although many people hunt exclusively over food plots, I never have, first because I don’t need to do that, and second because I don’t enjoy hunting that way.

I’ve always stillhunted, taking long amounts of time to cover short distances, blending into the woods, and disappearing into the woods, and that approach has worked for me.

People do try to sneak in and blast the deer in my food plots after I have done all the work. The property where my food plots are is posted for the sake of the deer, because of the nature of people who are looking for every advantage. It seems to be too much of a temptation for some people. Otherwise I wouldn’t have the land posted, but I’ve gotten so many photos on my cellular trail cameras of people trespassing into my food plots that I keep it posted. Some people just can’t resist sneaking in and enjoy-

ing the fruits of someone else’s labor, rather than investing the time to grow their own food plots.

Figure Out a Way to Give Back to the Deer There are plenty of other ways to give back to the Maine deer population, that I haven’t mentioned. While coyote control is huge, some biologists say that black bears coming out of hibernation kill more fawns than the coyotes do, so why not book a Maine black bear hunt with one of the many fine outfitters advertising in The Maine Sportsman to help out the Maine deer herd?

In the spring, plant a healthy dark green non-GMO deer food plot to supplement the deer feed and keep the deer healthier. Become a steward of the deer population in your area.

It’s good to give back, and believe me, you will be blessed.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

84 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

Smilin’ Sportsman

Warden’s Dilemma “Today, we’re going to explore the ethical dilemmas sometimes encountered by game wardens,” said the Maine Police Academy instructor. “For example, say you and your partner are investigating a burglary. You go around one side of the suspect’s house, and your partner goes around the other side. Then you notice a bag of $100 bills sitting on the ground outside the suspect’s window. So what’s the ethical dilemma presented? Yes – you in the back of the room.”

“As I see it,” offered the recruit, “the ethical dilemma is – Do you tell your partner?”

— Lazy Boy I love my furniture. In fact, me and my recliner go way back.

— Not Helpful “What are you smiling about?”

“Well, I just came from the Walmart parking lot, where I drove around in circles watching a woman who could not fig-

www.MaineSportsman.com

ure out where her car was located. But I wasn’t much help to her.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Every time she held her remote key fob in the air and pushed the button, I honked my horn and flashed my lights.”

— Not Good with Numbers Adventurous Woman: “I was hunting in South America, and three Brazilian bears came running over the ridge right at me!”

Dimwitted Suiter: “Wow! How many is a Brazilian?”

— Fitting Memorial Fred died and left $50,000 in his will for an elaborate funeral.

After the funeral was over, Fred’s widow said to her best friend, “Well, I’m sure Sam would be pleased.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” replied the friend, “but tell me confidentially – How much did this funeral actually cost?”

“All of it,” said the widow. “Fifty thousand.”

“That’s hard to believe,” said the friend. “I mean, it was a nice funeral and all, but $50,000?”

“That’s right,” said the widow. “The funeral itself was $10,000, and the rest went towards the memorial stone.” “$40,000 for a memorial stone? Exactly how big is it?”

“Seven and a half carats.”

¶

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 85

Warning: Hazardous Sentences Below This is like one of those disclaimers you see before adult-themed shows on streaming services, designed to avoid offending anyone with delicate sensibilities: The following column may contain scenes of nudity, bad language, alcohol use, smoking, violence, toxic waste, cheap jokes at the expense of defenseless plants and animals, and lots of other stuff the editor cut out before you could ever see it, but not before shock caused all the blood to drain out of his head.

This article has been deemed unsuitable for children, members of Congress and other marsupials. If you read even one sentence beyond this one, this publication assumes no responsibility for any warping of your moral standards or excessive growth of ear hair.

Wait, it turns out the government requires additional disclaiming to protect innocent souls from inadvertently perusing my writings. While this column may include humorous sequences that lift your spirits, inspire your imagination and cause you to inadvertently squirt the beverage of your choice out your nose, it also has been shown to cause numerous side effects, some of them severe. These include, but are not limited to, runny nose, itchy toes, leg cramps, knee jerks, leaking elbow grease, and triepidermal diasermous incidentus.

It’s possible I just made that last one up.

Indifference to Soccer?

Consumers of uncensored versions of this article have been known to develop snotty attitudes, irreverent manners, and a complete indifference to soccer. So, not all the side effects are negative. But that’s no reason to let down your guard.

At no time after reading more than five

Our columnist attempts to prevent those readers who are easily offended from encountering anything disconcerting. sentences should you operate heavy machinery or drive a motor vehicle. Chainsaws? Don’t be ridiculous.

In addition to medical concerns about the use of this product, there are also serious moral questions to consider. In clinical trials of volunteers who agreed to read the entire piece, a significant portion of test subjects were observed double-dipping in the salsa.

Some later admitted to under-tipping at restaurants, failing to pick up their dog’s poop, or neglecting to inform the IRS about that weekly allowance from their wealthy neighbor. Scientists have thus far been unable to definitely connect these behaviors to the consumption of material from any particular magazine articles (except for one story in a 1998 issue of Maxim), but prominent ethicists have advised against risking contamination of your personal standards by consuming even one additional word.

The editors of this magazine recognize the significant danger they are subjecting the unsuspecting public to by including this column in this issue.

Therefore, it may be best to consider alternative strategies to shield sensitive eyes from this visual pollution. One suggestion is that righteous crusaders organize themselves at outlets that offer this magazine for sale with picket signs and clever shouted slogans (“If it’s not a fact, you must redact”). A more aggressive approach might be to buy up every available copy and burn them at a family-friendly event while roasting hot dogs and melting s’mores.

You Must Sign the “Terms of Use” Of course, that method doesn’t account for copies that have already been mailed to subscribers, some of whom may have heart conditions or minimal maturity levels that could lead, respectively, to serious health consequences or juvenile humor. To prevent such unfortunate outcomes, those wishing to sub-

scribe should be subjected to the same indignities as users of many websites, by being forced to sign a document called “Terms of Use.” Here’s some suggested wording: Readers of this periodical agree not to pursue any claims, either medical, legal or fictional against the author, his heirs, other relatives he left out of his will, friends, associates and pets. Further, readers will not write letters to the editor demanding their subscription money be returned, nor will they petition the state to have the author’s hunting and fishing licenses revoked. They acknowledge he did the best he could to keep them from exposure to offensive verbiage, and any failings to do so are entirely the fault of the purchaser. In addition, they exempt anyone associated with this publication from any perceived liability for harm caused by this magazine, including (but not limited to) paper cuts.

I think that covers everything. Unfortunately, all these legal disclaimers have taken up so much space, there’s no longer any room for the unsuitable content.

Another triumph for goodness.

Al Diamon writes the much less suitable weekly column Politics & Other Mistakes for the Portland Phoenix and the Daily Bulldog. He can be emailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

¶

★★★★★★★★★★★★ Discover Maine’s outdoors on-the-go with The Maine Sportsman’s

DIGITAL EDITION ONLY $14 FOR 12 ISSUES!

www.MaineSportsman.com/ Subscribe ★★★★★★★★★★★★ www.MaineSportsman.com

86 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

— TRADING POST — • Subscribers may place one free 20-word • The regular rates are $15 for up to 20 line classified ad per month (2-month limit) words and 50¢ for each additional word • Items for sale must include a price • Check, money order, MasterCard or VISA (Credit or Debit) are accepted • Real estate ads must include an address or location

• You may submit your ads by: Phone: 207-357-2702 E-mail: classifieds@mainesportsman.com Mail: 183 State Street, Suite 101

Augusta ME 04330

SUBMIT AD AND PAYMENT BY THE 30TH OF EACH MONTH AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. ing, families, sled$40. 207-400-6239 can read the land and BOATS DOGS RANGELEY BOATS In various conditions for sale. Contact John at Grants Camps for on-site inspection.

1-800-633-4815 20 FT. E.M. WHITE FIBERGLASS CANOE In usable condition. $250. email ads@ mainesportsman.com.

—

CAMPS FOR RENT CAMPS FOR RENT For hunting, fish-

ding, ATV. Ashland, Medford, Argyle, Lagrange. Ample parking, off grid. $400/week, Modern $700/week.

207-745-1725.

—

CAMPS FOR SALE BYORN CABIN CO. NORDIC LOG CABIN KITS Quality European wood windows and doors, easy to assemble and affordable. www.byorncabin.com. Call 207271-3449.

Moulton Ridge Farm Springer Spaniels Solid hunting lines, good temperament, natural instincts, health tested, ready at 8 weeks.

Call for more info, or to secure your trusted companion today!

—

Porter, ME • 207-930-5968

The Maine Sportsman IS GROWING! The Maine Sportsman is seeking an experienced, self-motivated

QUAIL HOLLOW KENNELS: BRITTANYS Simply the best personal shooting dogs and family pets. Puppies and started dogs.

Woodcock training November through March.

Forty years of excellence. Call after sunset 856-935-3459 —

FIREARMS 1949 MODEL 70 270WIN With recently purchased Shepard 3x10 scope ($500+). Asking $1600 OBRO. Two airline-approved gun cases, $85 for both. 603953-3220 —

ICE FISHING EQUIPMENT CLAM ICE FISHING SHACKS Two Man $100. Four Man $150. T-bar Ice Auger $35. Jet Sled $50. Assorted Tip-ups

—

MISC. CUSTOM WOODBURNED SIGNS AND ARTWORK Portraits of camps, pets, wildlife, etc.

Check out our Facebook page: Emerson’s Remote ReCreations @remotenh.

NEW AD OFFER LINE CLASSIFIED AD SPECIAL OFFER Place a 20 word ad for just $10 for three months in 2023; personal items such as: firearms, ammo, boats, camp rentals, hunting/ fishing equipment, vehicles, or help wanted.

Payments by credit/ debit/check. Email your ad to ads@mainesportsman.com —

REAL ESTATE LOOKING TO PURCHASE DEER HUNTING LAND? This realtor knows deer,

knows Maine. Joe Saltalamachia, Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker Plourde Real Estate. jsalty@cbplourde.com.

—

WANTED SKI DOO, ELAN OR TUNDRA Any Condition. Have Cash. Will Travel. Call Or Text 207-522-6940 HELP WANTED Looking for guides and kitchen staff for sporting camps in Zone 4 North Maine Woods. Help needed August-October. Meals and lodging provided.

Call 207-4744-2644 ADVERTISING SALES REP WANTED Experience preferred, will train. Stellar customer service a must!

Email inquiries with resume to nancy@ mainesportsman.com.

¶

★ www.MaineSportsman.com ★

Contract Ad Sales Account Executive

to assist businesses and organizations in promoting products, services and events.

Qualifications include a proven sales record, superb customer service, fluent in English, and access to computer and phone. Knowledge of the outdoors a plus.

Training and contacts provided, monthly commission, and bonus potential.

Send resume and introduction to nancy@mainesportsman.com. www.MaineSportsman.com

NOYES REAL ESTATE AGENCY www.noyesrealty.com | info@noyesrealty.com (207) 864-9000 | 2388 Main Street, Rangeley, ME 04970

Maine Real Estate Specialists – Rangeley – Kennebunkport Earl Bowen, Virginia Nuttall, Aimee Danforth, Brent Quimby Chris Botka, Wendy Dodge, Jamie Mandell

�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • February 2023 • 87

★★★★★

Stay up-to-date on the latest MAINE OUTDOORS NEWS and receive SPECIAL OFFERS with

Never Miss Another Issue!

The Genuine.

The Original.

The Maine Sportsman E-mail Newsletter!

Go to www.MaineSportsman.com and click Newsletter to sign up.

We promise to never share your personal information!

Serving the Bangor Area Since 1948

Residential & Commercial Garage Doors & Openers Sales, Service & Repairs

Subscribe to The Maine Sportsman by going to MaineSportsman.com/ Subscribe or calling (207) 622-4242 today!

Discover the versatility and convenience of Northeastern’s Camp and Cabin kits.

Perfect for vacation homes or retirement retreats, these log cabin kits are easy to build and very affordable. They feature simple, open designs and come complete with pre-cut Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and subflooring, plus step-by-step instructions.

56 Liberty Drive Hermon, ME

Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat!

(207) 848-2866

★★★★★

www.overheaddoorofbangor.com

10 Ames Road, Kenduskeag, ME

1-800-624-2797 • (207) 884-7000

www.northeasternlog.com

Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker • (207) 233-8275 caryndreyfuss@morton-furbish.com www.realestateinrangeley.com

DALLAS PLT – This tastefully updated 3 bedroomd, 2 bath home offers sun-filled open kitchen/ living area with entry onto the wrap around deck.

Finished basement with sleeping and living space.

Lake and mountain views, plus ddeeded access to Rangeley Lake. Spacious storage shed. Snowmobile friendly location handy to town amenities and Saddleback ski area. Most furniture included, good rental potential. MLS #1547084 – $475,000 EUSTIS – Looking for views, then check out this lot in the scenic Eustis Ridge Overlook! Wooded 3.87 acre parcel recently selectively cut to enhance the beautiful Flagstaff Lake and mountain vistas.

Rough driveway in, building site cleared, underground power in place. Access ATV/snowmobile trails from your door. Quiet, private spot for your full-time or get away home - don’t miss out on this one, inquire today! MLS #1541633 – $99,500

Lincoln – Come take a look at this large undeveloped lakefront lot on Cambolassee Pond in Lincoln.

End of the road privacy, only 10 minutes from Downtown. One of the few undeveloped lakefront lots left in this area. $75,000

T4 R7 – Looking for remote pristine waterfront? Enjoy seeing a perfect starry night sky? Do you enjoy hunting and fishing? This leased camp on Seboeis River could be just what you are looking for. Call today for your appointment to see. $49,000

Lakeville – Gorgeous piece of land, heavily wooded and near the end of the Spaulding Pond Road with lakes all around. The cabin is small but sturdy. The privy and fire pit make it comfortable.

Definitely well worth a look. $49,000

T3 R1 – A brand new cabin, fully insulated, knotty pine interior, wired for a generator. The privy is oversized with a covered porch, skylight and attached woodshed.

Right on Sylvan Way with deeded access to Bill Green Pond. Offering owner financing! $79,000

Winn – This cute cabin is insulated with a knotty interior. The lot is heavily wooded and gorgeous.

Situated on North Road; a paved, year round, secondary road. With a little fire pit sitting just off the cabin’s screen porch. $49,900

Benedicta – Big acreage year round access and electricity available at Benedicta Road.

Low taxes. Small beaver flowage and high ground just behind it, wonderful locations for a cabin/ home. Loads of great recreational opportunities. $169,000

WELD – Check out this new to market building parcel. Gradually sloping 2.46 wooded acres with potential scenic Blueberry, Hurricane Mountain views. Located on year-round town maintained road - lot has been surveyed, soils tested, driveway entrance in, power available roadside. Quiet, peaceful spot off the beaten path and yet minutes to Mt Blue State Park, Webb Lake, Tumbledown Mt. Country living at its best. MLS #1546850 – $79,000

SCREEN PRINTING & EMBROIDERY T-Shirts $6.00 Heavyweight 100% Cotton Pre-shrunk

FREE set-up on orders of 72 pieces or more!

Prices on 36 pieces ($20 set-up) Price includes garment and 1 color 1 location screen print Rush Service Available ~ Call for free catalog

Hats $7.00

T-Shirts-Jackets-Sweatshirts-Sweatpants Hats-Aprons-Totes and more

BERG ACTIVEWEAR 852 DEXTER ROAD • CORINNA, MAINE

1-800-242-2374 • 207-278-7740 WWW.BERGACTIVEWEAR.COM

Lee – 4.3 acres lot on hardwood ridge, nice views, snowmobile and ATV trails, fishing and skiing nearby, electricity available, owner financing, sited on Skunk Hill Road. $18,900 T3 R1 – With deeded access to Bill Green Pond, this would be a wonderful place to build your seasonal cabin right off Engstrom Road. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. $22,900 Lee – Well wooded. Remote.

Critters everywhere. Add in the good, clean air of Northern Maine and you’ve got yourself a “keeper”. This smashin’ little lot right off Mallet’s Mill Road shouldn’t last long.. $69,900 Enfield – This large lot is part of a larger parcel, owner would consider selling larger piece.

Not far from Cold Stream Pond and Cold Stream. Public road of Caribou Road and short distance to electricity. $34,000

R E A L

E S T A T E

5 LAKE STREET, P.O. BOX 66, LINCOLN 207-794-2460 www.cwalakestreet.com E-mail: cwa@cwalakestreet.com

1-800-675-2460 Call any of our brokers to work for you!

“Tate” Aylward ............. 794-2460 Peter Phinney............... 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie................... 290-1554

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR PROPERTIES VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT CWALAKESTREET.COM

www.MaineSportsman.com

88 • February 2023 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————

www.MaineSportsman.com