The Maine Sportsman January 2021 Digital Edition

Sportsman The Maine

January 2021 • $4.99

Planning Your Snowmobile Trip!

Page 19

Ice Fish for Bass, Perch, Pickerel

Page 24

New Youth Deer Hunter Patch

Page 6

Hal Blood’s Favorite Deer Rifle

Page 34

Plus LOTS More!

2 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

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— The Maine Sportsman’s Featured Sporting Camp —

Wilson Pond Cabins – “Best-Kept Secret in the Moosehead Region”

Don’t let our slogan fool you! Located on Lower Wilson Pond in Greenville, Wilson Pond is one of the most pristine and scenic lakes in Maine. It’s surrounded by beautiful mountains, and it’s only 3.2 miles from downtown Greenville, in the heart of the Moosehead Lake Region.

You can enjoy all the area has to offer, but at the same time you’re close enough to town to take advantage of our great restaurants, shopping, and adventure opportunities.

Only minutes to snowmobile trails, ATV trails, hiking, skiing, moose adventures … all of your wilderness desires. The lake is very quiet, so enjoy swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking, without any of the usual hustle

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Our cozy cabins each have two bedrooms, fully-stocked kitchens, and full baths with stand-up showers. Most have either a gas or woodburning stove.

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We offer WI-FI with optional TV and DVD players (we respect that some folks just want the peace and quiet, while others still need a little technology!). We also have a DVD library for borrowing.

One of our cabins has a large deck, while all the other ones offer screened-in porches with swings to enjoy the sights and sounds of the lake, charcoal grill, firepit, Adirondack chairs, and private dock. The cabins are far enough apart

to enjoy your privacy, while offering the opportunity to make new friends should you choose. Enjoy the loons, merganser and duck families, eagles and even the occasional visit from our resident otter!

We offer a common area with several picnic tables, a large fire pit, and corn hole games and outdoor Jenga for those large family groups. More amenities are being added each season.

We are close to a public boat launch, so bring your own boat if you wish! We also offer fishing boat, kayak, canoe, and paddleboard rentals.

Come make memories! We can’t wait to meet you!

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

4 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Editorial

When the Going Gets Tough...

Newton’s Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If the action impacting Maine sporting families has been the pandemic and its negative effects, we are also sensing an unexpected positive reaction, one that will benefit our interests in the long run.

DIFW is selling many more hunting and fishing licenses than it has in recent years. Outdoor recreation retailers report sales are strong.

Families are spending time together outdoors. We at the Sportsman have received hundreds of photos of successful young hunters and anglers, and in many of the images, a proud mother, father or grandparent is included in the background, having shared in the experience. In support of this trend toward more youth hunters, The Sportsman is offering a new patch for youths who bag a deer; read more details on page 6.

Many sporting camps have found inner reserves of innovation and adaptability, serving customers in new ways and somehow managing to get by. Bear, moose and whitetail deer guides tell us this past season was among the busiest ever.

Have you tried to find a carpenter to do work on your hunting camp in the northwestern Maine woods lately? Good luck with that. With social distancing has come a new appreciation for remote structures and what they can offer, so maintenance and repair of cabins and camps have taken on renewed importance.

Whether or not you are a fan of social media, you’ll have to admit that photos and videos shared by successful anglers and hunters have helped fuel and increase the excitement and ambitions of viewers. And technology is playing another important role, as trail cameras, fish finders – including those designed for ice fishing – and cellphone mapping applications, tell us where the game is, and exactly where we are in the woods, with the purchases of these items maintaining an important level of cash flow to local and online retailers.

Women are playing a critical part in this growth of participation and enthusiasm, taking the initiative to plan and undertake their own expeditions. This trend will continue, spurring retailers to design and develop outdoor gear and clothing for women.

We also credit MDIFW, led by a commissioner who worked her way up through the ranks starting as a field biologist. She and the department have succeeded in keeping politics out of policy debates, grounding decisions on science. Meanwhile, the hatcheries’ trout stocking trucks continue to back up to ponds and lakes, delivering fish that will result in rewarding experiences for anglers young and old.

We here at The Sportsman will continue to do our part – fielding the steady flow of calls and letters, compiling the ever-growing Biggest Bucks list, and serving as a sounding board for our regular columnists as well as for guest writers and readers.

This past year has been a tough one to celebrate, but as a general rule, sportsmen and -women are not complainers; rather, they are doers, and the best “equal and opposite reaction” to the forces acting on us has been to get outside and enjoy all Maine has to offer.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 580 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com OFFICE MANAGER: Linda Lapointe linda@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR: Carol Lund carol@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.................................................... 13 A Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly.................. 35 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves..................... 30 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 33 Big Woods World by Hal Blood..................................... 34 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 54 Downeast by Jim Lemieux............................................ 50 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie...................... 62 Jackman Region by William Sheldon.......................... 38 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 9 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 36 Kate’s Wild Kitchen by Kate Krukowski Gooding....... 64 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 6 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 43 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 18 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 37 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 51 Moosehead Region by Tom Seymour......................... 48 My Maine by George Smith.......................................... 17 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 69 Nolan’s Outdoor World by Nolan Raymond............... 29 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 41 Outdoors & Other Mistakes by Al Diamon.................. 74 Outdoor Chronicle by Ed Pineau................................. 61 Quotable Sportsman by George Smith....................... 17 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 65 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 75 Saltwater by Barry Gibson............................................. 52 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 58 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 40 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 45 Smilin’ Sportsman: Adults & Kids by Will Lund.............. 75 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 59 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 47 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................. 11 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 56 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 76 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 60 True Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts.55 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 67

GUEST COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

Snowmobiling in Maine by Steve Carpenteri............. 19 Smelting on the Kennebec by Roberta Ames............ 28 Ice Fishing in Maine by Steve Carpenteri.................... 24 Smartest Dog in the World by Birney Dibble............... 71 Underwater Drone by Daniel Kostyk............................ 72 Marina Docks Safe in Parking Lot by Randy Randall.73 On the Cover:

Get outside and enjoy Maine’s 4,000 miles of Interconnected Trail System (ITS) trails, and the 10,000 additional miles of groomed trails. Obtain maps through your local club (there are 280 clubs in the state), or through the Maine Snowmobile Association.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 5

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6 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters To The Editor

Reader Requests Result in New “Youth Deer Hunter” Patch Club

as from parents and grandparents of successful youth deer hunters. As a result, we now offer a “Youth Deer Hunter” patch, shown below. The application can be found at www.MaineSportsman. com; under the “Patch Clubs” link, scroll down to “Youth Hunter Deer Patch.”

—

To the Editor: I am writing to encourage The Maine Sportsman to offer a patch to successful youth deer hunters, especially since the minimum age was dropped.

My son, who is 9 years old, shot his first deer this past season with a muzzleloader. It was a nice 103-lb. doe.

I think it would be a great idea to provide a patch program for these young hunters, to keep them interested and proud of their accomplishments.

After all, they are the future of our sport and outdoor heritage.

Michael T. Doucette – Warren, ME The Editor responds: We received many requests this past season, Michael, from young hunters themselves as well

To the Editor: I was 16 years old in 2005. I was hunting for the very first time on Youth Day, and I was fortunate enough to shoot a 205-lb. buck. The deer was weighed at Howell’s Gun Shop in Gray.

I was leaving the state, and a family member offered to make arrangements to apply for my patch, but that did not happen.

In addition, the deer head was dropped off at a taxidermist to be made into a mount. However, I forgot to have someone retrieve the completed mount, so it stayed at the taxidermy shop.

Fifteen years later, I returned to Maine, became interested in hunting again, and tagged a buck. Then I set about to find out what had happened to my trophy mount.

Turns out, it was hanging on the wall at Dick’s Sporting Goods, in Topsham!

When no one came to get the mount, the taxidermist sold it to Dick’s.

Well, I purchased the mount back from Dick’s, and now I would like to apply for my patch. I have completed the application form, including photos of (Continued on next page)

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the deer, all the necessary certifications, and the names and contact information for two witnesses. I am hopeful you’ll be able to assist.

Tarin Damron, Portland, ME The Editor responds: Our rules committee has reviewed your application and all the supporting materials, and we have awarded you a “Biggest Bucks in Maine” patch.

—

Cure for What Ails You

To the Editor: On the last day of October, I tested positive for the Corona 19 virus.

As I lay in bed feeling very banged up, what arrived in the mail? My November issue of The Maine Sportsman, thank God! It made my day.

[Name withheld upon request] New Jersey —

Update on Lead Tackle Buy-Back

To the Editor: I wanted to give you an update on the lead tackle buyback program, which was formed in partnership with MDIFW with support from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund and The Maine Sportsman magazine.

We are very pleased with the results so far. During Septemberfest at Kittery Trading Post, for example, we collected 41 pounds of lead tackle (see photo below)!

Under the leadership of our loon program biologist, Tracy Hart, participating retailers provide $10 store vouchers to anglers who turn in at least one ounce of lead tackle.

Vouchers are redeemable toward the purchase of non-lead tackle at these same retailers.

Participating retailers include Dag’s Bait Shop in Auburn, Indian Hill Trading Post in Greenville, and BackWoods Bait and Tackle in

Chesterville. We hope to add more retailers to the list.

Hannah Young Maine Audubon, Falmouth, ME —

Ode to a Maine Trapper

To the Editor: On November 2, 2020 a former recipient of the MTA “Trapper of the Year” award, Richard Perry, passed away.

Rick was a very talented trapper with enough stories to fill hours around a campfire. Rick faced a lot of adversities, spending seven weeks in the hospital this past summer dealing with complications of diabetes.

The disease really affected his feet, but he was able to do most of the outdoor activities he enjoyed without complaint.

I talked to him on the phone on opening day (Nov 1) and he told me he wasn’t feeling great but that he’d managed to get out and set a muskrat trap, which unbeknownst to him would be his last.

Below is a poem, “The Last Trap,” which I wrote in his memory.

Steve Clements, Passadumkeag The Last Trap Continue your journey, enjoy your time, don’t stop and cry for me.

This place is amazing – the wonder, the beauty, greater than your wildest dreams.

I now wade through the brooks, just to paddle the lakes, and the streams; The struggles and pain of this life that has passed, a distant memory.

I now walk through the forest with leaps and bounds, These tired, swollen old feet no longer slowin’ me down.

Take a walk with me in the forest, hear my memories in the rustling leaves; Stop, take solace in the moment – this quiet was like home to me.

Trappin’ season it’s upon us; it was my most favorite time of the year, But sadly, my friend, my last trap’s been set; know it wasn’t my choice to leave.

But now that I’m gone, these burdens behind, put a smile on when thinking of me; May the memories be happy, bring joy and goodwill, ’cause gladly now I am free!

— (Continued on next page)

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8 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Letters to the Editor (Continued from page 7)

Heritage of the Model 1910 Winchester 401 To the Editor: In a recent “Jottings” column, publisher Jon Lund referenced a Model 1910 Winchester Self Loading 401 (401WSL).

Can I provide some information about this unusual firearm and the difficulty in obtaining ammunition for it?

This rifle is unknown to most hunters today. They were manufactured from 1910 to 1936. Ammunition was last manufactured in the early 1950s.

Currently, new ammunition is available only through expensive custom manufacturers.

Recently I became involved in putting one of these rifles back into use by helping to develop reloads for the cartridge. The case is straight walled; as such, it uses a three-die set to reload.

The available dies found were Goodwin, made in England, and they cost over $100.

Regular American dies are available from some sources as a special-order item, again expensive. If you’re lucky, an old used set of dies maybe found somewhere. The rifle’s owner located

some online for $46.

Newly manufactured cases are available through several sources, as are several good bullets of a 0.406-inch diameter. New cases cost up to $50 for a box of 20. The cartridge uses standard large rifle primers.

We developed two loads, each of which provided good accuracy reflecting original factory ballistics. One was a 200-grain bullet giving a velocity of about 2040 fps, while the other was a 250-grain at about 1880 fps both using IMR4227 powder.

Research told us this was the best powder to use, as others caused the rifle to function improperly, or left powder residue in the action. The loaded cartridge must not exceed 2 inches in overall length to fit the magazine.

The semi-auto rifle functioned well with these loads. Because of the cost of even reloaded ammo, use of the gun for hunting could get expensive, with empty cases flying off onto the ground. One would do well to try to recover them.

David Miller Lexington Township, ME —

Why Not Bait Deer in Maine? She Asks

To the Editor: I am a woman who has hunted since I was very young.

All of my hunting has been done here in Maine, but I have friends in other states who are allowed to bait deer.

I see no harm in baiting deer, especially since one is allowed to grow crops and food plots for them here in Maine.

Kind of an inconsistency or double standard, don’t you think?

It’s an interesting subject. I wonder how other Maine hunters feel.

Rita Simmons Midcoast, ME

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To the Editor: Tom Seymour’s recent column on bobcats was great.

I was able to observe a bobcat recently at my farm. I had a huge sugar maple cut down near my bird feeder and worked up the branches for firewood. I always get turkeys coming to the bird feeder for seeds that get tossed onto the ground.

One morning I heard a great commotion and gobbling and flapping of turkey wings outside the kitchen window at the bird feeder. There were over a dozen turkeys in the flock.

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He stood next to the maple log for only a few seconds, not even long enough for me to get my camera for a good photo. I know these cats are around, and often hear them during the late part of the day when I have been deer hunting.

As Tom pointed out in his article, which was well done and was a very articulate biology of the bobcat, the males make large territorial circuits. I have never seen one while sitting at my deer stands . They are very secretive and nocturnal.

Matt Scott Belgrade, ME

¶

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The Editor responds: Thank you for writing, Rita.

You are correct that Maine prohibits baiting for deer; see 12 Maine Revised Statutes (MRS) section 11452, and also 12 MRS section 10659.

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We invite readers to weigh in on the subject.

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Deer Hunting Success, with Help from Lady Luck The all-copper slug expanded as it was designed to, and experienced no fragmentation whatsoever, retaining 100% of its original weight.

Opening day, I climbed my tree stand in a small town in Kennebec County.

From the tree stand, I could see some distance down a cleared trail.

About an hour after climbing into the stand, I saw brown movement in the distance on the trail.

Then, I saw a flash of antler, and a deer walking toward me in the middle of the trail.

As it came closer, I pushed off the safety and raised the rifle, settling the crosshairs on the white chest of the oncoming deer.

When the sight picture looked good, I squeezed the trigger.

The deer took a step, stumbled and fell to

the ground, motionless.

I climbed down and walked to where the spikehorn lay, a distance of about seventy yards, to confirm that I had indeed shot a young buck. Using my cellphone, I called my daughter Carol, who was hunting nearby, and told her I had a down deer. She arrived a short time later, pulling her black plastic utility sled.

During the process of gutting out the deer, the mushroomed 3030 Winchester slug fell out onto the ground.

We later learned the bullet had gone through the heart.

Copper Ammo The Barnes Vor-

Tx ammunition box for the 30-30 Winchester shows the bullet weight to be 150 grains. The back panel of the box reads ”Double-diameter expansion and 100% weight retention.”

Household scales don’t read in grains, so I dug out a Redding powder scale I have used in handloading, and weighed the recovered bullet., The 30-30 bullet weighed precisely 150 grains, and the enlarged diameter was about .60 caliber.

The description on the box was accurate.

Surprisingly, the 150 grain all-copper bullet had lost no weight from its impact with the buck.

The author is a fan of all-copper slugs, based on his personal experience on opening day of the 2020 deer season. The bullet that dropped his spikehorn buck weighed 150 grains, both before the shot and after it was recovered.

In comparison, recovered lead-core bullets are found to lose as much as thirty per cent of their weight after impact with game, spreading lead particles as far as 16 inches

from the wound channel.

The slow-moving .401 Winchester Self-loading rifle bullet I wrote about in my December 2020 col(Continued on next page)

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10 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Jottings (Continued from page 9)

umn, came apart after hitting a finger - size sapling. The lead core completely separated from the copper jacket.

Different Views The use of nonlead bullets has not generated universal acceptance. Some folks have viewed the idea of non-lead bullets as a scheme to make hunting more expensive. Others have taken the non-lead bullet innovation as an opportunity to reduce the amount of lead in our environment, and from the food we eat and share with our family and friends.

This writer is in the second group.

Two days after opening day, the gut pile had disappeared.

All that remained was a small mound of cracked acorns, a reminder of how quickly scavengers move in on easy pickings. We had seen ravens and a bald eagle in the vicinity recently. I regret not setting up a trail camera to record the identities of the scavengers.

Comparable Ballistics I am not a ballistics expert, but found the Barnes all-copper cartridge to be as good or better than my old Remington Cor-Lokt ammunition. The bullet mushroomed to double its diameter and remained intact.

It lost no weight. It did its job.

The limited target shooting I have done

with traditional ammunition and the nonlead variety leads me to believe that copper rounds perform close enough to my traditional ammunition that any difference is not significant for hunting purposes. I plan to sight my rifle in with the old lead ammo on hand and continue hunting with Barnes Vor-Tx copper ammo.

Winchester, Savage, then Remington I hunted deer with a Winchester Model 94 30-30 for a number of years. Then, I acquired a second-hand bolt action Savage Model 110, also in 3030, through Craig’s List. After some target-shooting with each of these rifles, I found I regularly did better with the Savage, and

passed the trusty Model 94 on to a younger hunter in my family. I then passed the Savage on to another younger family hunter.

I was looking for a Remington bolt action rifle in 30-30 . There are not many of them out there. Eventually I located a Remington Model 788 in 3030 through a Craig’s List ad. It appeared to be in very good condition, and I bought it.

I wasn’t familiar with the model, but it shot well. I carried it on opening day this year.

Doing some online research, I have learned that my rifle was made in 1967, the first year of its manufacture. It became known as Remington’s budget tack-driver, also a “feed-store rifle”

because it was so inexpensive. It sold then for around $100. The stock has a nice dark varnish finish, but the wood is plain-Jane birch, not walnut.

The unusual bolt design has 9 rear locking lugs. The cheap stamped firing pin is extremely light, and earned the 788 the title of the factory rifle with the fastest lock time, and because of that feature, it was a favorite with off-hand shooters.

Some 788 fans claim it out-shoots Remington’s famous model 700. Some say the 788 was discontinued because its sales were cutting into sales of the Model 700.

I plan to hunt with it again.

¶

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 11

Water is Life Back in school, I remember looking at a tiny drop of water through a microscope.

There was more life in that little drop than there was in the town where I lived. Single-and multi-celled animals and plants floated, swam or flagellated from one side of the glass slide to the other.

That was a long time ago, and these days I take my water watching in larger doses, usually while fishing, boating, hiking along a stream or sitting by a pond or lake. It’s much better than watching television, and without stupid commercials.

Thoreau’s Walden There are many wonders in water in all its various forms, and in the water-dependent ecosystem around it of which we all are a part. “A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature,” wrote Henry David Thoreau

The Androscoggin River above Lisbon Falls is one example of water that displays a personality all its own. Every body of liquid oxygen/hydrogen is unique, and all hold their own spirits. All photos by King Montgomery

in Walden (1854). “It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depths of his own nature.”

I see and understand Thoreau’s point, but most of my attention is focused not on the depths of my own nature, but on the water creatures themselves. When near water, I always have a camera ready and, while it’s impossible to photograph your soul or your nature, an obliging frog, fish, bird, squirrel, dragon-

Tiger swallowtails and buttonbush plants in Maine thrive near watery environs, and bring some color and joy to our lives.

fly, butterfly or beetle that holds its pose, is another matter.

Waters Have Different Personalities It’s usually fishing that draws me to the water; waters of all kinds, from the Arctic char waters of Labrador just below the Arctic Circle, to the warm, shallow waters of the tropic’s saltwater flats; and all the other waters in between.

And like people, each water has its own unique and signature

personality. Think of Grand Lake Stream, that iconic Down East salmon stream, and compare it with the Kennebec River near Waterville. Both wonderful, but very different; all are magical places that do, indeed, give us a window into the very soul of the earth.

Water Mesmerizes, Soothes Our affinity with water—our bodies are over 75 percent water—draws us to it, in part because of our

Dragons and damsels love water, and this dragonfly loves to eat damselflies. Fish eat them both. We eat fish. Do you sense a pattern here?

current dependency on it and our remote origins in it. Water has many moods, as we have, and it connects with the never-ending cycle of being born and dying with life taking place in between. We are an animal species, too, and we still must come to water— fresh, brackish, or salt—when the warm breeze ruffles the tranquil surface of the liquid world and we are drawn, mesmerized, and often soothed.

“We need the tonic of the wildness,” wrote Thoreau, referring to what he’d learned at his favorite water-watching place at Walden Pond and along the Atlantic’s shore, “to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the drumming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest.…”

(Continued on next page)

Amphibians of all kinds need water to survive. This little green frog is at the edge of a pond, never too far from water. www.MaineSportsman.com

12 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Sportsman’s Journal (Continued from page 11) Now that’s a fancy way to tell you that water and the critters around it are very cool, and, particularly in the time of this awful pandemic, harkens us to visit the outdoors, and to drink in the water, not only with our lips, but with eyes and hearts as well.

Like the Soul of Mankind The next time you’re near water, stop

and have a seat on a rock, log, or the ground at water’s edge. Do a quick scan of the water from side-to-side, and you’ll see plenty of life. The Canada geese sliding onto the water for a landing; the mallard pair tipping down to munch the shallow aquatic grasses; the wild turkeys grazing the far shore; the dragon- and damselflies darting to and

fro; and the great blue or the white heron silently stalking. And then look down at the square yard or two of water closest to you.

And stare. You will be transported, and truly amazed at the natural wonders the water has to share with your senses. And with your feelings.

The soul of man Resembleth water: From heaven it cometh, To heaven it soareth.

A redwing blackbird sits on a cattail, claims his territory, and raucously calls to let females know he’s there to help.

-–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Spirit Song over the Waters, 1789.

And then again To earth descendeth, Changing ever.

7 1

4 10 2

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Photo Descriptions 1. Waterfowl are literally “birds of the water.”

While sitting in blinds waiting for Canada geese and ducks to come to the decoys, hunters have great opportunities to observe and study water.

8-wt fly rods. Standing on the front deck of a flats boat provides a perfect platform for observing the clear, living, wild, saltwater aquarium without the glass.

9. The mangroves in Belize provide shelter from the hot sun and predators of the saltwater flats.

They are a veritable nursery for younger and smaller fishes.

2. A mallard male glides silently on the calm water of a lake, ever ready to take wing if trouble approaches.

10. A great blue heron spears a sunfish along a shallow bank. The fish will be swallowed whole, head first.

3. A mallard drake takes umbrage at the photographer’s presence and roars into the sky. I like to hunt waterfowl with a camera and shotgun.

6. Tropical saltwater flats such as these in Yucatan, Mexico, are among my very favorite places to fish, and to just watch the water. Mangrove forests are a true wonder of nature, and the synergy of the hardy plants, the water, and the myriad wildlife, including wonderful fishes, is stunning in its results.

4. Several heron and egret species live parts of the year in Maine, and they are superb hunters; they quietly stalk the shallows for tasty morsels.

They are gorgeous animals, too.

7. A chain pickerel is a silent hunter and is very patient as it waits for some food to swim or crawl by. Once prey is sensed, the fish goes from zero to 60 in less than a heartbeat.

5. A bonefish feeds on the saltwater flats of Bahama, ever on the lookout for sharks, barracuda, and sunburned anglers ready to engage

8. One white heron looks like two as this beautiful bird fishes in the shallow water along the shore.

www.MaineSportsman.com

11. The sun rises over the rich waters of Ambergris Caye, Belize. There, water is different from the liquid in Maine, due to a number of natural, ecological reasons including much warmer water temperatures and much more sunshine.

12. Sunrise and sunsets, particularly over water, are special to me. At dawn and dusk, a true assortment of interesting creatures react to the gain or loss of the sun in unique and special ways. Look and listen -- it’s a symphony of life.

¶

Almanac

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 13

Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

“Snapshots in Time”

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

The often-difficult work of a Maine Game Warden requires a selfless dedication to duty, a relentless desire to catch game thieves, and the mental fortitude to endure discomfort and hardship. I have known many such as these. While working at MDIFW, I learned of their stories highlighting why they do what they do. From this I became certain that some were just born to be Game Wardens, and even as children probably saw themselves as “different.” Others may have demonstrated a wild side as youngsters, but still had a degree of honor and character ingrained in their mischievous misadventures.

Whether it was nature vs. nurture, after becoming Wardens, it seems they all share a common thread … that they each had experienced some wanton, wasteful slaughter of wildlife, the memories of which would remain with

them for the balance of their careers. An event or two that would stoke the fires of conservation and protection and spark the relentless pursuit of game-wasting poachers.

It was a collection of these sad events that became the impetus for the Operation Game Thief exhibit. Whether it’s a cooler full of short brook trout or four dead moose shot with a .22 and left to rot, these crimes just stick with them and drive them to go the extra mile to prevent or catch the next scofflaw.

I have seen the same relentless passion in their desire to find a lost child, hunter, or elderly person. Like a heroic march by a solitary warden uphill for miles on snowshoes through deep snow to reach the site of a plane crash on Saddleback Mountain. He got there hours before anyone else, to do what he could and to then to help recover the remains

of a friend and a stranger.

What follows is just one example of the type of wanton slaughter, sadly among the countless number that have motivated wardens like F.W. Austin here. The kind that inspires the passion to go the extra mile to bring the bad guys to justice. I, for one, believe that our game laws truly do help preserve our natural resources for future generation, Thank all the great men and women of the Maine Warden Service, past & present.

Please enjoy the story from the pages of the MAINE WOODS, written in 1904. It will help you understand why we should appreciate all those who care for our precious natural resources.

Happy Holidays to you and yours, and be sure to get outside and make some outdoor history of your own!

Fort Kent, Maine. March 16, 1904 To: Hon. L T. Carleton, Augusta, Me. Dear Sir: March 11th, on my way to the head of Cross Lake, on the trail between the French settlements and big moose yards, I struck where four men the day before had killed two deer and carried them out to the county road (Caribou Road) that night, and put same on team, and took them to some place in French settlements.

Could not track any further.

Crossroads leading in different directions Deer were killed about two miles from county road. I thought it would be policy to drop same for the present and keep on down trail between settlements and moose yard, so on the 12, I found where three men had started a moose (the moose yard was about one mile from settlement). They must have chased this moose two days.

Finally, I found where they drove him into burnt woods and killed him (a bull moose). Then I tracked them from there where they carried one part of the meat to the head of old road, where they left it, and where they expected to come in the nighttime and get same with a team.

I watched this meat for two nights, but they did not come af-

ter same. They evidently had been scared away by someone, or were waiting until they could locate me to know that I was in some other part of the country.

But I managed to locate one of the men who helped kill the moose, and through him shall find who the other two men were.

Have sent in a man to take out meat and hide, but the moose had been chased so long that the meat is not fit to eat, being dark and heated.

The moose must have died by slow degrees, as I see they had no gun to kill him but killed him with axes. I saw where they cut poles to punch his eyes out, and the hide is all cut up where they would strike the blinded animal with their axes.

This is not the first case where I have known men to kill bull moose with axes.

Yours truly, F. W. Austin (Almanac continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

14 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac (Continued from page 13)

Pricilla Maud (“Mammy”) Beach, age 71, shot this 200-pound buck north of Calais in 1944. A resident of Wakefield, MA, Mammy Beach hunted in northern Maine each year for more than 50 years.

Photo courtesy of Al Churchill, St. Croix Historical Society, Calais

— My Adventures with Wildlife, Episode 1

Coyote Attack!

By Blaine Cardilli

On May 22, 2008, I was turkey hunting in midcoast Maine trying to call in a turkey for a friend.

I usually sit with my back against a tree, but this spot was on the edge of a field surrounded by brush, so I sat crosslegged with nothing but brush behind me.

I began calling aggressively on my slate call. My buddy was positioned at the field’s edge, and I was sitting 20 feet behind him.

I’d been calling for several minutes when I was suddenly hit on the left side by what felt like a freight train! The impact was so hard that I fell over onto my right side, and it was then that I saw the coyote’s jaws clamped onto my left elbow!

the winter tick, which is having a devastating impact on young moose, Maine DIF&W is considering increasing the allocation of cow permits in one-half of a western Maine Wildlife Management District, and closely monitoring the results, making adjustments if necessary, according to Lee Kantar, the state’s moose biologist.

Seven years of study, including GPS collaring and tracking 600 moose, has led to an inescapable conclusion, says Kantar: “More moose concentrated in a given area equals more winter tick, fewer calves produced, and fewer calves surviving to their first year of life.”

The five-year plan is being proposed only after extensive evaluations of alternative solutions, including spraying A coyote thought Blaine Cardilli was a the forest, spraying individual moose, turkey, jumping on him and biting his elor tranquilizing moose and fitting them bow. This photo shows the holes from the with flea collars. coyote’s teeth in Blaine’s Hunter’s Spe Those alternative approaches are cialties shirt. The skin on Blaine’s elbow not practicable, according to Kantar. still carries scars from the incident.

“MDIFW does not own the commercial Its eyes were closed, and I could see forest lands moose thrive on,” he exthe stains on its yellowed teeth, less plained. “There is no current effective than a foot from my face! pesticide to put on moose or across the I was on my back when the coyote reforestlands to kill winter ticks. Capturalized I wasn’t a turkey and released me, ing and putting tick collars or powder or and as it retreated it did such a spin-out spray on moose would be too costly and on my chest that it kicked me in the face, dangerous, and there is no way to capknocking out a filling. ture enough moose and to repeat it with The encounter was over in seconds, the same moose to be effective.” but the tale definitely lives on!

The project, if initiated, will involve what’s called an “adaptive management — unit,” meaning that moose population DIFW Proposes Bold and health, as well as the prevalence of Move to Reduce Winter ticks, will be continuously monitored, and the numbers of permits can be adTick Impact on Moose justed depending on the “real time” findby Will Lund ings. Monitoring will include aerial surveys, as well as studies of the reproduc In an effort to “break the cycle” of tive health of the cows and the number of ticks present.

Acknowledging the challenges of this proposal, Kantar is nonetheless convinced it’s the correct and Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman most sound approach from a scientific perspective: “Winter tick is here,” he said. “It is impacting our moose, and if we wait to act You’ve been successful at the hunt, now wear your pride by and years go by, we entering one of The Maine Sportsman’s exclusive Biggest Bucks in Maine patch club! risk losing more moose by parasites when we To download an application, go to could have determined www.mainesportsman.com/patch-clubs Mail your application with $10 to: whether we could make The Maine Sportsman, 183 State Street, Suite 101, Augusta, ME 04330 a difference now.”

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— (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 15 (Continued from page 14)

Circle Hooks Required for Stripers Effective January 1, 2021 Starting January 1st, recreational anglers will be required to use circle hooks when fishing for striped bass with natural bait in coastal ocean waters, and The Maine Sportsman’s “Saltwater” columnist, Barry Gibson, is not happy about aspects of the new rule.

The circle hook requirement complies with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC’s) Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, and is designed to reduce release mortality in the recreational striped bass fishery.

“Maine requested that ASMFC continue the exemption for tube lures here, which have been exempted in Maine from the beginning,” explained Gibson, “as a trolled tube lure with a j-hook dressed with a seaworm is not swallowed by a striped bass. 100% of them are hooked in the jaw with tubes.

“However, Maine’s request was denied,” he continued, “and the circle hook is now mandated in all states when natural bait is used. This is total [nonsense], because a) tube lures do not get swallowed and are easily removed from the fish, and b) trolled tube lures do not work with circle hooks.

“A circle hook is designed for use with a bait that the fish swallows, then catches in the corner of the jaw when the bait is pulled back up the throat and out the mouth by tensioning on the line.

That’s why you ‘reel fast until tight’ with a circle hook rather than jerking the line to set the hook, as you do with J-hooks.

“This new rule will virtually put the tube lure producers out of business,” Gibson concluded, “and will also hit on the tackle shops, as tubes sell well. Tubes work well, and do no damage. In other words, the rescinding of the tube lure exemption in Maine (and other states) does absolutely zero for conservation.”

temperatures and near-constant silence.

The week was at the midpoint, and Nickens was beginning to get worried.

He had also gained respect for the challenges of hunting moose from a canoe.

In the writer’s own words: “After three days of hunting hard, reality begins to set in. At camp that evening, as I leaf through the current issue of The Maine Sportsman magazine, a headline catches my eye: “Canoe Hunt for Moose.” Jim Andrews, the author, wrote: “This type of hunting is not for everybody. Canoe hunters see far fewer moose than other hunters do …. There’s no guarantee of seeing a moose, and waiting for a trophy bill is foolhardy ….

It takes a special kind of hunter to decide it’s a good idea to punch their once-in-alifetime moose permit for this.”

The Field & Stream story ended well for the writer, however – he and his guide took to dry land, and filled his moose tag the following day.

—

How to Tell if a Wildlife Photo is a Fake

by Nick Lund Outreach & Networking Director, Maine Audubon The subject line of the email from my dad, the editor of this publication, read “Supposed game camera photo taken in Chesterville,” but I could tell he wanted to title it “Pulitzer Prize for the Sportsman?”

Attached to the email was an image of a patch of grass with an animal striding across it – a muscular feline with a long, thick tail: unmistakably a mountain lion.

—

Sportsman and Columnist Receive National Mention The early-winter issue of Field & Stream magazine included a story titled “Living the Dream,” in which wellknown writer T. Edward Nickens told the tale of a moose trip to northern Maine.

For three days, Nickens and his guide from Chandler Lake Camps attempted to locate a moose from their canoe. It required early morning, cold

This “Chesterville, Maine Cougar” was a hoax, a ruse, a deception and a prank

Which would be a really big deal, if it were true. Mainers have swapped tall tales of cougar sightings ever since the creature was extirpated from New En-

gland over a century ago, but hard proof has been hard to come by. As the use of remote game cameras has expanded, it seems that any day now we’ll get these mythic creatures on film.

My dad hoped that this was that day, and I could sense his excitement through the computer screen. How far was the drive to Chesterville? Was the resolution of this photo good enough for the cover? How could he prevent the Press Herald from publishing it first?

Every child loves to take their parents down a peg or two, and I am no exception. Just six minutes after my dad sent the original email, I responded with an email of my own, with the subject: “Are you interested in having your bubble burst?” He responded quickly and positively – he likely knew it was too good to be true to begin with – and I let him know how easy it was to uncover the history of this “Chesterville” image.

We live, unfortunately, in a golden age of fabricators, and so understanding how to fact-check is an important defense. For this “cougar” image, I used a very simple online tool: Google Reverse Image Search. Just go to Google.com/ images, and click the camera icon in the middle of the screen. Then upload the image you want to check, and Google will search the internet to see if that image has ever been online before.

I uploaded the mountain lion photo, and Google showed me the image had already had a long history on the internet. It’s unclear where exactly the image was taken, but it first appeared online in May and has variously purported to have been taken in Louisiana, Alabama, Alberta, and Georgia. In fact, a local news site in South Georgia, DouglasNow.com, wrote an article about the image in late May, with an interview with a state wildlife biologist who said the same image has been sent to colleagues in several other states as “proof” of local mountain lion populations.

Google Reverse Image Search is a helpful first step to proving the validity of any kind of image, whether it’s your buddy sending you a suspiciously large fish he “caught,” or someone posting a protest photo on Facebook. If that image appears anywhere else on the internet, Google will know about it.

So, while the Sportsman may still be waiting for their first Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Photojournalism, and Mainers are still searching for proof of local mountain lions, healthy skeptics among us may find the truth with Google Reverse Images Search.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

16 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

January 2021 Sunrise/Sunset Portland, ME DATE 1 Fri 2 Sat 3 Sun 4 Mon 5 Tue 6 Wed 7 Thu 8 Fri 9 Sat 10 Sun 11 Mon 12 Tue 13 Wed 14 Thu 15 Fri 16 Sat

RISE 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:12 7:11 7:11 7:11 7:10 7:10 7:09 7:09 7:08

SET 4:16 4:17 4:18 4:19 4:20 4:21 4:22 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:26 4:28 4:29 4:30 4:31 4:32

DATE 17 Sun 18 Mon 19 Tue 20 Wed 21 Thu 22 Fri 23 Sat 24 Sun 25 Mon 26 Tue 27 Wed 28 Thu 29 Fri 30 Sat 31 Sun

RISE 7:08 7:07 7:07 7:06 7:05 7:04 7:04 7:03 7:02 7:01 7:00 6:59 6:58 6:57 6:56

SET 4:34 4:35 4:36 4:37 4:39 4:40 4:41 4:43 4:44 4:45 4:47 4:48 4:49 4:51 4:52

January 2021 Tides DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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 Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Portland, ME HIGH AM PM 12:18 12:17 12:57 12:59 1:39 1:44 2:24 2:34 3:14 3:29 4:07 4:29 5:03 5:33 6:02 6:40 7:04 7:47 8:03 8:48 9:00 9:45 9:54 10:39 10:47 11:30 11:37 — 12:18 12:25 1:04 1:12 1:50 1:59 2:37 2:48 3:24 3:40 4:12 4:34 5:02 5:31 5:54 6:30 6:47 7:29 7:40 8:22 8:28 9:10 9:13 9:53 9:55 10:34 10:36 11:14 11:17 11:53 11:58 — 12:33 12:41

www.MaineSportsman.com

LOW AM PM 6:04 6:42 6:46 7:23 7:32 8:08 8:22 8:56 9:18 9:47 10:17 10:42 11:20 11:40 — 12:26 12:41 1:32 1:43 2:33 2:42 3:30 3:37 4:24 4:30 5:15 5:21 6:03 6:10 6:49 6:58 7:34 7:47 8:19 8:37 9:05 9:29 9:51 10:23 10:39 11:20 11:30 — 12:19 12:24 1:18 1:20 2:11 2:10 2:58 2:56 3:40 3:38 4:21 4:20 5:00 5:01 5:39 5:44 6:19 6:28 7:00

Coleman Sunset Regular contributor Jonathan Wheaton of Norridgewock provided this image, showing Kimberly Poulin of Kingfield, and Trigger, Wheaton’s 8-year-old Brittany spaniel. The setting was Robbins Hill Scenic Area, located at the southernmost end of the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway, off Route 201 in Solon. Wheaton used a Canon 5d with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. The photo was taken at 200mm to achieve “lens compression,” reducing the perceived distance to the background.

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 at one of these locations: 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

ELLSWORTH E Skip Grindle & Sons 485 North St 207-667-5808 Find us on facebook

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 17

Remembering the B-52 Crash on Elephant Mountain

Book Review: Final Mission - The North Woods, by Dr. Joseph Wax Do you remember the crash of a military plane in 1963 on a mountain near Greenville? Linda and I visited that crash site one time when we were visiting Greenville. Pieces of the plane are still scattered throughout the woods, and there’s a memorial to the nine guys on that plane.

It’s an amazing thing to see, but the story of that tragic crash is even more amazing.

These men were in the military and on that plane to defend us during the Cold War, and we should always remember and honor them. So I must thank Maine resident Joseph Wax, who has written a powerful and important book, Final Mission - The North Woods, about the crash of that military plane on Elephant Mountain near Greenville.

Wax starts his book by telling us all about the nine men on that plane. They were all impressive guys. Then

Wax tells us about the plane (including the reason the plane crashed) and takes us inside the plane as the crew struggles in a vain effort to keep from crashing.

You’ll feel like you are right there with them, and you will admire their bravery as they don’t panic while working to stop the plane from crashing, even as they descended to the treetops. Wax did a lot of research, and the details in the book are amazing. At the end of the book, he thanked all those who provided information.

Only two men survived the crash, and one bailed out without a parachute. Both survivors were severely injured when they hit the ground, and they suffered for several days in the woods and snow, with bitter cold temperatures, before they were found and rescued. Both spent a long time in the hospital. Wax follows them

Quotable

Sportsman

by George Smith

“In the 1920s, northern Maine was the stronghold for deer. Severe winters knocked the herd back, and now a lack of protection for crucial winter habitat and a proliferation of predators have kept deer populations in northern and eastern Maine from recovering.”

Bob Humphrey, Maine Sunday Telegram, September 27, 2020

through that journey, including their suffering as they waited to be rescued.

He also tells us about all the people who searched for the plane and its crew, never giving up while experiencing very cold weather.

Eventually, they found the two men who survived and the seven who didn’t.

I also appreciated that Wax told us about all the families of the men who died, including their wives and children and even their funerals.

Over the years, items found at the crash site ended up in

various places, including museums and the snowmobile club in Greenville. And annual trips to the site were conducted to remember the brave fliers.

At the end of book, Wax tells us what happened to the families of the deceased, and the two survivors, who despite lifelong disabilities, achieved a lot with the remainders of their lives.

And Wax gave a lot of credit to all those who helped him with the story, explaining: “The purpose of this writing was to honor the lives and memories of the January 24, 1963 flyers on Flight 0406’s final mission and to provide an appropriate remembrance for their families.”

Wax very generously donates all of his profits from the sale of the book to Maine charities.

You can buy the book at several places in Greenville, includ-

—

“A large, adult moose that has been wandering around Scarborough and South Portland was finally captured.”

Portland Press Herald, October 1, 2020 —

“Last year, 1,948 hunters, or 69% of the permitted hunters, harvested a moose. The 69% success rate is in stark contrast to bear, turkey or deer hunting, where success rates range historically from 18 to 30 percent. Moose hunting in Maine continues to be extremely popu-

ing the Indian Hill Trading Post and the Moosehead Lake Historical Society, as well as at various places throughout the state, and it’s available online at Amazon.com and Mooseheadmarketplace.com.

Wax served for eleven years as a physician in the United States Navy Medical Corps, and is an award-winning medical researcher, educator, and author.

Today, he cares for women who are experiencing complicated pregnancies.

The Greenville Snowmobile Club, along with the American Legion post, Maine Air National Guard, and townspeople continue to preserve the site and its accessibility.

If you visit the site of this plane crash, you will never forget it. And if you read this book, you will also never forget this tragedy.

¶

lar, with over 59,000 hunters applying to the moose lottery for a chance to hunt moose.”

Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (DIFW), October 1, 2020 —

“More women are hunting and fishing in Maine these days. In 2010, 17,078 women hunted. In 2020, 21,519 women hunted. In 2010, 51,234 women fished.

In 2020, 60,641 women fished.”

DIFW, November 2020

www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine Wildlife:

Brook Trout

by Tom Seymour

When Maine anglers talk of trout, they mean brook trout. Found throughout the entire state, brook trout rank as the most widespread of all salmonids.

In addition to the countless waters that hold wild brook trout, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) stocks lakes, ponds, rivers and streams throughout the state with high-quality, hatchery-raised brook trout. Maine abounds in brook trout and brook trout waters.

Brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, are often the first game fish that young anglers catch. The little stream down on the edge of the field, or the tiny pond teeming with scrappy brookies, become hallowed in the minds of older anglers.

Fishing these little-known places, dunking fresh-dug angleworms for willing brook trout, and sometimes catching that much-sought 12-inch brookie, create lifetime memories for legions of Maine anglers.

Outings that combine trout fishing and fiddlehead picking have become solid Maine traditions. The two go hand-in-hand, as must-do rites of spring.

Readily Available Brook trout, being so widespread, are available to everyone. That goes for youngsters too young to drive. While many of today’s youth, unfortunately, spend an inordinate amount of time indoors at computers and other high-tech devices, a sizeable number continue to put their time in pursuing wild brook trout.

Thus it is that young people often cut their sporting teeth on brook trout.

Sunny days during spring vacation see youngsters fanning out to fish brooks and streams across the state. While older folks may find it a daunting challenge, young people think nothing of spending an entire day following the twists and convolutions of their favorite trout stream, unwilling to quit because of the possibility that a deep pool, just upstream, may prove a true honey hole. More often than not, that hopedfor hotspot remains out of reach. Somewww.MaineSportsman.com

The author still heeds the call of unnamed backwoods trout streams, where speckled beauties hide beneath undercut banks, ready to dash out and nab his bait. times, though, the extra mile pays off, making the expenditure of boot leather more than worth the effort.

As we age, something happens that makes our visits to the trout streams of our youth less and less frequent. That something entails work and family responsibilities. Also, more and more people now own motorboats, allowing them to hit larger lakes where truly huge brook trout lurk (think Moosehead Lake, for example), and this makes them less apt to spend time pursuing 8- to 10-inch brook trout in small streams. We have become too sophisticated, I think, and that sophistication keeps us from enjoying some of life’s simpler pleasures.

But sometimes the call of the unnamed backwoods trout stream becomes too urgent to resist. I find that in early spring, before ice-out on lakes and ponds, that small streams become the only game in town. Then, my path takes me to the little trickles, where speckled beauties hide beneath undercut banks, ready to dash out and nab my once-hooked earthworm.

Worming Techniques Whereas a gob of earthworms will take the less-wary trout, others demand a more natural presentation. For that, thin lines, little or no additional weight and a worm hooked just once, are critical to success.

The object of this is to present an earthworm in as natural a state as pos-

The author and a nice brookie.

sible. Attaching one of today’s shiny, huge, non-toxic sinkers defeats that purpose. Using a thin, light line and having the reel spool filled to capacity allows for fairly long casts without any additional weight. And when weight becomes necessary, as during times of high water, worm-dunkers need to take a cue from the fly-fishing fraternity and use the small, earth-toned sinkers sold in fly shops everywhere.

My favorite style of non-toxic split shot, made in Britain, comes in a round, plastic, segmented case with a sliding top to allow access. One b.b.-size split shot does not materially affect the action of a carefully presented earthworm.

Using a size 10 fine-wire hook and a thin line brings trout to the net when less-sophisticated methods fail.

Big Brookies Maine’s larger lakes, as well as some smaller ones, hold far larger brook trout than are found in the small streams. In some cases, natural spawning suffices to promulgate the species, while in other instances, stocking introduces outsized brook trout.

All too often, DIF&W releases many hundreds of 9-inch spring yearling brook trout in lakes where they do not persist over the summer. In other lakes, though, usually multi-species waters that also hold salmon and/or togue, stocked brook trout grow to respectable sizes. To learn what waters in your area contain big brook trout, call your regional fisheries biologist for advice. Regional DIF&W offices are listed on the inside back cover of the Maine fishing laws booklet.

Springtime trolling with streamer flies take brook trout, but that season doesn’t last for long. After that, small wobbling spoons and even small, jointed diving lures, work wonders. I like to begin with something containing yellow, and if that doesn’t work, orange becomes my next choice.

Unless the lake or pond where you fish contains over-large smelt, stick to smaller size lures – a troller’s version of matching the hatch. And even in summer, a lure or even a spinner-and-worm combo will take fish.

Long may brook trout delight Maine anglers both young and old.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 19

Make the Most of Your Maine Snowmobile Trip!

by Steve Carpenteri

Are you from away? Do you want to try Maine’s outstanding trails? This year’s “Free Snowmobile Weekend” is March 5 - 7, 2021. Any non-resident with a valid registration from their home state or province can operate a snowmobile in Maine during that long weekend!

It’s January in Maine, and it’s time to ride! Winter has settled in all over the North Country, which means snowmobilers from Kittery to Canada will want to get out and see the sights as they cruise the state’s

thousands of miles of groomed trails.

Folks who have been snowmobiling for years already know where they want to go and how to get there, but what about participants who are new to the sport (or the state)

and want to get involved in Maine’s winter activities?

Thanks in large part to the Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA) and local clubs, there are maps, trail descriptions, ad(Continued on next page)

Properly planning a snowmobile trip includes letting others know your intended route and expected time of arrival, in case assistance is required.

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Greenville, ME • 1-800-792-1858

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20 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Snowmobiling in Maine (Continued from page 19)

vice, consultants and advisors ready and

willing to help anyone who wants to head out

for a short or extended trip through the Maine woods.

For starters, a map of Maine’s Intercon-

WE MADE IT SO YOU CAN

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nected Trail System (ITS) is available to snowmobilers through the joint effort of the Maine Snowmobile Association and the Snowmobile Division of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, Department of Conservation under the direction of the MSA Trails Committee. The well-maintained trails

were created through the efforts of various snowmobile clubs, the Snowmobile Division, local municipalities, supporting businesses and the many landowners throughout the state of Maine who generously allow access to winter riders.

Read Your Map! ITS trails are (Continued on next page)

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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. © 2020 Polaris Industries Inc.

Always include a stop at local snowmobile clubhouses so riders can take a break, enjoy some hot food or drinks, and take inventory of gear and personnel.

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Offers valid in United States only from Tuesday 1st December 2020 to Wednesday 6th January 2021. 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 • January 2021 • 21

ENJOY THE ALTITUDE The best winter trips include an impromptu stop along the way to rest, relax and enjoy the scenery.

Remember, winter snowmobiling is not a race!

(Continued from page 20)

marked in red, while connector trails are marked in green.

Green boxed markings (e.g., AK 37, PT 15) represent junctions denoted by the first and last letter of the county in which the junction is located, and the number assigned to that junction.

Annual Updates The ITS map is updated each year to reflect changes and additions to the trail system for the upcoming season. New maps are generally available for distribution by late October. Current ITS maps may be obtained from the MSA office, 7 Noyes Street Place in Augusta, at some Maine Tourism Association locations (including tourist information centers along Interstate Route 95), at the annual Maine Snowmobile Show, many regional snowmobile shows, some MSA supporting business member locations, Chambers of Commerce and from local snowmobile clubs.

The ITS map can be printed from MSA’s website. To request a copy from the associa-

tion, send your contact information, and $2 for postage and handling, to: Maine Snowmobile Association ITS Map P.O. Box 80 Augusta, Maine 04332 More than 200 additional maps of regional and local snowmobile trail systems are produced by various snowmobile clubs, Chambers of Commerce and tourism groups throughout the state. These maps are generally more detailed than the statewide ITS map.

For a complete list of MSA-approved trails and the detailed regional trail maps, log onto www.mesnow.com/Maps.html.

Some clubs request a SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) when ordering maps.

Others offer a free copy of their map as a benefit of joining the club.

Even if a club doesn’t charge a fee for their maps, users are encouraged to donate to the club’s trail maintenance fund. It costs money to clear and maintain trails, repair bridges, remove (Continued on next page)

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TOPSHAM Woody’s Performance Ctr. 70 Topsham Fair Mall Road 207-729-1177 www.woodysyamaha.com

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. ©2014 Yamaha Motor Corp, U.S.A. All rights reserved.© 2016 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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

GORHAM LEBANON BERLIN, NH White Rock Outboard Northeast Motorsports Jericho Outdoors 351 Sebago Lake Rd. 451 Carl Broggi Hwy. 232 Jericho Rd. 207-892-9606 207-457-2225 603-215-6002 www.whiterockoutboard.com www.nemotorsportsofmaine.com www.jerichooutdoors.com Always wear a helmet and don’t drink and ride. © 2020 Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc.

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22 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Snowmobiling in Maine (Continued from page 21)

trash and perform other work that is mostly done by volunteers.

It’s that time of year – time to appreciate the incredible trails and views available to Maine snowmobilers. This photo was taken by Al Swett, executive director, Maine Snowmobile Association, in the mountainous Bigelow/Eustis region.

Not for Other Vehicles!

Snowmobile maps should not be used to determine travel routes for any vehicle other than a snowmobile. It is against the law in Maine to operate an ATV, dune buggy, 4-wheel drive vehicle, motorcycle or any motor vehicle other than a snowmobile on a snowmobile trail funded by Maine’s Snowmobile

Trail Fund, unless the landowner has given permission for the activity. This applies at any time of the year.

Free Snowmobiling in Maine!

Any non-resident from any state or province may operate a snowmobile in Maine during Free Snowmobile Weekend, which is traditionally held the last weekend in January. No reciprocity is necessary as long as the operator possesses (Continued on next page)

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 23 (Continued from page 22)

a valid snowmobile registration from any other state or province. This year’s Free Snowmobile Weekend is March 5 - 7, 2021. For more information, log onto the Maine Department of

Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s website at www.mefishwildlife. com and click on the snowmobiling link.

Interactive Snowmobile Safety CD The MSA and

MDIFW have produced a “Ride Right, Ride Smart” interactive snowmobile safety CD that is designed for use on personal computers. The course leads the rider on a virtual snowmobile trip across

Maine. Using video and displayed text, the student learns the basics of snowmobile safety along the way. At various points on the trip, the rider must refuel his sled by taking a short quiz. After successfully

taking the course, the viewer can print a certificate of completion.

The CD is available free of charge at the MSA or MDIFW offices in Augusta.

¶

CAUTION Changing conditions around hydropower facilities

In areas proximate to hydropower facilities, water on the surface freezes to ice; however, underneath it, the water is always moving, and ice thickness can vary significantly from one area to another.

Jeffrey Miller of Phippsburg dropped this 205-lb., 9-point bruiser in Dresden during the 2020 season.

WEAR IT www.safewaters.com

16 23 13

Young hunter Trevor Bauer of Wales completed an amazing Grand Slam in 2020, including taking this 150-lb., 8-point buck. Trevor is shown here with his proud Grandpa, who has taught and encouraged his grandson. www.MaineSportsman.com

24 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Bass, Perch and Pickerel Provide Fast Ice-Fishing Action

by Steve Carpenteri While Maine’s winter fishing tradition was built on glamour species such as trout, salmon and togue, necessity and practicality have turned many anglers on to what old-time fishermen formerly called “trash” fish. A generation ago, the mere mention of

For fast action, get onto the ice at a nearby pond that’s full of perch, sunfish, crappies, bass and pickerel. If you hit the right spot, you’ll run out of bait before you run out of fish! bass, perch, pickerel or (gasp!) muskies and pike would have enraged seasoned sports who considered such fish suitable only as

fertilizer for their gardens.

Things have changed, there is no doubt about that.

Want proof? Accord-

ing to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, black bass are now the most sought-after fish in Maine, leaving the

state’s once-revered salmonid species in second place.

New Generation of Anglers What caused this change? Part of the reason is that today’s anglers are among the “instant gratification” generation – they (Continued on next page)

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 25

A day on the ice requires a sled-full of gear. Pack the items securely for long rides onto the ice. All photos: Steve Carpenteri (Continued from page 24)

want lots of continuous action, and they want it now.

Maine’s warmwater species are more than up to the task.

Abundant and prolific, these species can be found in nearly all Maine waters. And wherever ice fishing is allowed, anglers encounter very few restrictions on keeping warmwater species.

In fact, only bass and pickerel are limited by size or bag limits, while perch (both white and yellow), bluegills and crappies (aka “calico bass”) may be taken any time with no size or bag restrictions.

Plus, there is no need to drop a line 100 or more feet into icy water and then wait hours for a roving togue or trout to find the bait, only to find that the fish is too short to keep. Any perch, bluegill or crappie that comes through the hole goes in the bucket, and with no bag limits you can guarantee there will be enough for a neighborhood fish fry at the end of the day.

Also, warmwater species are found close to shore in relatively

shallow water and will take any and all types of baits, ranging from worms and maggots (fly larvae) to shiners, minnows and cut bait as well as small, flashy spoons, lures and flies.

Finally, when targeting warmwater species, all an ice-fisherman has to do is gear up and go. No long periods of reading complicated regulations are required. Find a location that’s open to ice fishing, check restriction on live bait, drill some holes, drop some lines and watch the flags fly – it’s as simple as that.

Winter Strategies for Warmwater Species As a general rule most of Maine’s warmwater species will be found in shallow water (less than 15 feet deep), in close proximity to weed beds, channels, drop-offs and other structural variants.

At the most basic level, the angler simply has to drop a worm or minnow on a No. 6 hook to a point just above the weeds or other structure. A spinner can be added as an attractant, but it’s not necessary.

Roaming fish will find the bait (along with

Ice Fishing

Some of Maine’s best winter fishing takes place in January. Target small ponds and sheltered bays for early action.

hundreds of others in the same school or pod), and just like that you’re in business. On a good day in the best waters, an angler will run out of bait before he or she runs out of fish, and the action will continue non-stop till it’s time to pick up and head for home.

Tactics On unfamiliar lakes and ponds, it’s best to drill holes perpendicular to shore

about every 10 feet or so. Start out by setting up near shore in shallow water (less than 5 feet in some cases) and set tip-ups at varying depths until continuous flying flags indicate the center of activity. Drop all lines to that depth until the action slows, then reset till the next blitz of activity occurs.

Wherever 5 traps are allowed, it’s always a good idea to (Continued on page 27)

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Ice Fishing in Maine (Continued from page 25)

drop four baited lines to various depths, and then use the fifth hole as a jigging location.

This can be the shallowest or the deepest spot; in fact, it’s a good idea to rotate jigging sites till a school of fish is discovered.

Worms and minnows are the standard baits for warmwater fish, but even these mundane species can be finicky at times.

When jigging, use small, flashy lures, spoons, ice flies or a combination of baited lures and flies till the fish show some interest. Use sonar gear to help locate passing schools, or just continue dropping baits incrementally until fish begin to respond. Ex-

periment with various baits and lures until the right combination is found, and then hit them with everything you have.

On large lakes and ponds, schools of perch or crappies

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¶

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28 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

— Guest Column —

Smelting on the Kennebec

by Roberta Ames I was raised on the Ames dairy farm alongside the Kennebec River in Woolwich in the 1930s and 1940s. There wasn’t all that much money in dairy farming, and one of the things we did in the winter to put food on the table was go smelting on the river.

We smelted from inside fishing camps (we called them “camps”, not “shacks”) which were about 8-foot square. We built our own camps.

They were frames with canvas stretched over them. The canvas was waterproofed with whitewash. There was a door and a hole for the stove to vent.

There were small shelves in the corners for bait, blood worms, and matches for the stove. We sat on boxes with open fronts, and we kept the smelts in there.

On the side opposite the door, the floor of the camp was open for about 12-14 inches wide and a long hole called a “race” was cut in the ice to match the opening. Ice would form in the hole, so it needed to be cleared at least every 2-3 days.

There was a flexible cable over the race from which we hung fish lines with treble hooks at the end of the lines. Blood worms were used as bait, but when the fish were running well, no bait was needed, because they’d grab the hooks with or without bait.

There were six lines in a single camp and twelve lines in a douwww.MaineSportsman.com

In this excerpt from her upcoming memoir, the author recalls that in the late 1930s, her two brothers could catch up to 100 pounds of smelt during two tides. She had to wait until they left home to serve in World War II to go smelting, since that meant there was now room for her to fish in the two-person smelt camp. With heat provided by a milk-can stove, she says she displayed “more patience than brains,” and was better than most at waiting for the small fish to take the baited hooks. ble camp. The double camp had boards between two races.

When smelts got hooked, they ran with the line and would tangle the lines, so it kept us busy taking them off the hooks, untangling the lines and putting new bait on. It sounds like slow motion, but it kept two people very busy while the fish were coming in with the tide.

The “stove” was made from a big milk can, which was about four feet tall. A hole was cut in the lower part of the can for a draft to keep the fire burning, and the smoke was vented out of the camp. We used hardwood blocks for the fire so it wouldn’t burn too fast. The stove gave off plenty of heat, so we could remove our jackets while in there. It would get pretty warm, even at minus 20. It was a lot of fun when the smelt were biting well, but pretty boring when they weren’t.

My brothers had camps on the river on the west side

by Brown’s Point in Bowdoinham. That’s where the channel is, and they would stay

The author’s smelt camp was heated with a woodstove made from an old milk can. A pipe in the back vented smoke outside.

there and fish the tide, which is six hours.

They caught a lot of smelt, sometimes as much as 100 pounds in two tides. There was a market for them in Bath, and my brothers delivered them when they were fresh.

The smelts started to run in November and were usually done by the end of February. They were

The author today.

more plentiful toward spring, but leaving the camps on the river then was risky as the ice got thinner and the tides got stronger.

My brother Gilbert had a camp off the Dresden shore one year and left it out too long. One day Dad looked out on the river and saw Gil’s camp floating down river on a patch of ice. Gil wanted to save it, but it was too risky, and Dad talked him out of it.

People who’ve never eaten smelts have missed a good treat.

We prepared them by first slitting them and cutting off their heads. When you got the knack of it, the entrails would come out with the head when the head came off. Fry them in an iron frying pan with plenty of butter. Fried smelts are flavorful and taste like no other fish – sort of sweet compared to other fish.

Smelts and warm homemade biscuits made a good, tasty lunch, but it took eight to ten six- to eightinch smelts to make a meal, according to my appetite. In those days, there were six

of us at home, and when we had a mess of smelts for dinner, there weren’t any leftovers.

I was seven years younger than my next older brother, and when I asked to go along with them smelting, they said there wasn’t enough room in the camp. I learned later there was only room for two in the camp, and both had to be fishing. At the time, though, I figured they just didn’t want their kid sister tagging along after them. Also, they would have had to pull me on a sled, because the snow was too deep for me to walk through.

So I had to wait until they were full grown and out of the house (two of them served in the Air Force during World War II) before I got to go smelting.

Most of my smelt fishing was done on Great Salt Bay near Nobleboro after my husband Vic and I moved there. I used to go out smelt fishing by myself sometimes during the day when I was off work. I have more patience than brains, so could sit there and watch for the lines to move longer than most people could.

We had a cat that knew when we were going fishing and would meet us at the door when we came in from the Bay. I usually gave her the last smelt we caught, and it would still be moving.

She didn’t eat it, of course, but just played with it.

(Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 29

Where’s the Best Ice Fishing – Local Ponds, or Distant Waters?

As we enter another promising ice fishing season, I am looking back on my experiences during 2020 to guide my plans for the upcoming months.

Last year’s season was fairly productive, but there were certainly slow days. Whether that was due to a lack of experience on my part, or the variances of nature, I really don’t know.

The bright spot statewide was Moosehead Lake, located in northwest Piscataquis County, and Maine’s largest lake. As I’m sure many Maine Sportsman readers are aware, the brook trout action on Moosehead was astonishing last winter, both in fast catch rates and beautiful, trophy fish.

Staying Local is Sometimes the Only Option However, as a Bangor-area “central Mainer,” I am often forced to choose local, warmwater ponds. As a general rule, these ponds are stocked in the late fall with IF&W hatchery brook trout. They are socalled “put and take” waters, in that they are considered inca-

pable of supporting natural coldwater fish breeding.

The first body of water that comes to mind is Hermon Pond, located in Hermon, eight miles west of Bangor. Just minutes from my home, it provides plenty of action, and can be attacked without a lot of advance preparation … or money. The fishing is pretty hot.

Hermon Pond holds pickerel, perch, yellow perch, and black crappie. Although many people do eat those fish (crappie is developing quite a following), I prefer to eat coldwater fish such as trout and salmon.

Ice Fishing Trips Should Be an Adventure I definitely enjoy ice fishing trips that include an element of adventure. It adds a bit of “challenge” to the trip, and can be so much fun that catching fish, rather than being the only purpose, instead becomes the icing on the cake.

There are hundreds and hundreds of quiet lakes and ponds in Maine, many of them teeming with fish, and many not

Smelting (Continued from page 28)

I also did some fresh water smelting in the brooks in the spring, where you could just net them, but the Feds were afraid of over-fishing, so they stopped the netting. You could also catch them with your bare hands in the brooks, but the Feds said it was damaging to the fish if they were squeezed and not

While the author understands the benefits of fishing local waters, his true love is heading to northern Aroostook County for cold-water species, such as this 2020 trophy.

teeming with anglers.

These are the lakes and ponds I love.

They all seem to require a long drive on woods roads and a snowmobile ride in.

The majority of these secluded lakes and ponds are located in Aroostook County.

They often have naturally spawning squaretail brook trout, lake trout, splake, and salmon.

The water in these areas is clean and undisturbed. And the fishing action on these lakes and ponds can be very exciting and intense.

Experts Reluctant to Take Sides Veteran Maine IF&W fisheries biologist Paul Johnson told me there are advantages to the more remote northern water bodies.

“I believe the catch rates from our northern Maine lakes are generally higher than those from southern Maine waters,” he said, “with exceptions, of course.

“But even up north,” he added, “both the abundance and sizes of the fish vary from water to water, just as they do in the south.”

Johnson also noted that northern Maine lakes tucked away from population centers don’t draw the crowds southern lakes do.

But Don’t Ignore Local Waters With all this in mind, local ponds do have definite benefits.

Since they are close by and usually offer easy access, they are perfect places to bring young ice-warriors and people who may struggle to trek into remote lakes and ponds. They provide reliable action – even if not trophies or great eaters – and

caught, so that was stopped, too. I think too many restrictions turned people off, so I’m not sure who fishes smelts anymore. I know there are some camps on the Kennebec in Dresden in the winter, if the ice freezes thick enough, but I don’t know how they do.

Most of the smelts in the stores now come from Canada. I won’t buy them because their heads are cut off and you can’t tell how fresh they are. You can

are great sources of excitement and positive experiences.

So are trips into “rugged” country worth the effort? That depends on what you are looking for.

For some fun on the ice, and the truck parked nearby to warm you up, local warmwater ponds are just the ticket. However, if adventure is be part of your ideal equation, northern Maine remote lakes provide it. They also provide delicious, natural fish in abundant quantities and impressive sizes.

Regardless of which you’d prefer, don’t forget safety: check ice thickness, bring a buddy (or three), and avoid inlets and outlets.

Whether you plan to stay local or venture to distant ponds, the upcoming ice fishing season looks promising, so be sure to get out and enjoy it.

An avid outdoorsman who hopes to be a warden or warden pilot, Nolan Raymond is a sophomore at Hermon High School.

¶

tell the freshness of smelts by their eyes, but not if their heads are cut off. It was different when I was being raised beside the Kennebec and my brothers were bringing in smelts. We knew how fresh they were.

Roberta Ames’ article is excerpted from her forthcoming memoir, ‘The Ames Farm of Woolwich, Maine.”

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Aroostook Outdoor Options for the New Year The author reveals exactly where to catch fish through the ice in The County this month, and the best tactics and locations for hunting coyotes.

Aroostook abounds with snowmobile trails, as well as cross country and downhill skiing courses, and you can snowshoe just about anywhere. But as it’s been for decades, Ol’ Man Winter and Mother Nature join hands to really curtail the cast-and-blast options that are available the other eight months of the year.

However, there’s coyote and rabbit hunting and ice fishing, and

lots of locations to visit if you are properly equipped to handle the cold and snow.

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snowmobile or even a long snowshoe walk.

Like most other early bird ice drillers I always try to make a New Year’s week visit to a St. John Valley frozen gem. Truth be told, however, my favorite of the six sister lakes, liquid or frozen, is Square Lake, which is located about 10 miles east of the town of Eagle Lake.

During open water seasons I always save driving time and extend fishing time by launching at Cross Lake and using the thoroughfare to reach Square. During snow months however I travel Route 161 and turn onto Square Lake Road just past the northern tip of Cross Lake, then bump and bounce my way to Burnt Landing by truck or Ski-Doo depending on snow cover that year. Square offers a lot of surface area so crowding is seldom a problem, but there are several “hotspots” preferred by veteran auger-men familiar with the lake.

Selecting a spot to drill tip-up holes is truly crucial to consistent action, since anglers must depend on fish locating their live baits. This is quite a difference from spring trolling, when flies and lures can be paraded

Once in awhile, the Crown Of Maine experiences a mild January with light snow cover, thick ice, and mild temperatures. That’s the perfect time to gather family youngsters and neighborhood friends and take a group ice fishing. All photos: Bill Graves

over wide stretches of the lake. While trout and salmon do travel under the ice, certain spots seem to attract and hold fish regularly, and once pinpointed these general areas seem to produce action winter after winter. While summer anglers try to be a bit deceptive and closemouthed about open water honey-holes, it’s almost impossible to hide drill holes, so other visiting fishermen – even newcomers – can get a hint about where they should try their luck.

Locations Here are several Square Lake hotspots that have proven extremely productive for me over the years.

There’s a moderate cove south of Limestone Point where I like to set up a few traps 10 yards apart in 12 to 20 feet of water away from the shoreline. I keep one hole free so I can sit and jig

a handline for smelt on days with moderate weather. Four ice drillers can comfortably set out all their tip-ups without crowding in this indented area.

Goddard Brook inlet and the shallow, reed-infested cove offer top rate trout habitat year around – easy to locate, and simple to fish. Setting a few tip-ups here in 4 to 10 feet of depth produces action.

Salmon Point and Yerxa’s Cove, two other popular locales all year, certainly deserve a bit of drilling and a couple of hours’ attention if they are not already occupied.

Salmon and trout fishing remain dependable all season, and if you’re looking for a bragging size brookie, Square is the place and now is the time. Check out Delorme’s Atlas, Map 68, section E-2.

(Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 31

Urban Edge Action Arnold Brook Lake is a manmade reservoir and recreation site on the outskirts of Presque Isle, and what I perceive as a “Put and Take” fishery. This small, shallow waterway is heavily stocked and offers so-so summer fishing, good spring trolling and dynamite early winter

trout fishing as soon as a safe depth of ice forms. A two-trout limit is in place with 8- to 12-inch brookies abundant, but a surprising number of 16- to 18inch speckled beauties in the two pound range are hooked regularly.

At least a dozen towns and villages are within a 30-minute drive of Arnold Brook, and not only can you drive right to the

shoreline – often you can drive right onto the lake. Once the ice becomes thick enough, several local anglers use their pickups to plow paths all over the surface. A few locals visit on their lunch hour from work and set out a couple of traps to watch while they eat a sandwich. Often that leads to fresh trout for supper!

Ice fishing is usually productive on most Aroostook lakes as soon as the season opens. It’s a perfect time to introduce kids and rookies to this great winter sport. Comfort is of prime importance, so a portable shanty like this can make or break the outing.

(Continued on next page)

AMP BU W S E

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(Continued from page 30)

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When traveling to visit remote lakes accessible only via snowmobile, experienced ice drillers haul a tote sled or portable shanty stocked with any imaginable necessity. It’s always better to have it and not need it than vice versa.

The County

Arnold Brook Lake is a family oriented, year-round recreation area, and early season trout fishing is top rate. This two-fisherman limit will make a fine meal.

(Continued from page 31)

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rookie hard-water anglers to be introduced to the sport. It can be a short outing with a warm vehicle nearby and the strong likelihood of angling success. It becomes a bit busy on weekends, so if possible try a weekday or very early in the morning.

Visiting fishermen will want to drive Route 1 north or south to Main Street in Presque Isle, then turn onto either the Chapman or Spragueville Road, depending on the direction you’re driving. Arnold Brook recreation area is just off Niles Road with plenty of parking available. If you forget a piece of equipment or just need a few ice fishing items or outdoor clothing, Ben’s Trading Post on Main St. is fully stocked and the place to visit. Take a look at the Atlas, Map 65, grid E-1 for an overview or Map 75 for an in depth map of the city.

Coyote Hunting Coyote abound throughout The County, not only in the deep woods but up close and personal in woodlots, fields and small forest plots in and around every town.

I live a mile from the city center of Presque

A traditional part of many ice fishing outings is a bankside fire. It provides warmth for cold anglers, heats beverages, cooks food and -- best of all -- offers ambience!

Isle, and I see coy dogs more often than you’d expect and hear them many nights all year long. Last December I had an especially brazen mini-wolf visit my backyard several times to eat frozen apples from under my trees!

Sportsmen inclined to hunt these usually-wily varmints will experience most consistent gunning by setting up a couple of bait sites. By regularly replenishing these spots with meat scraps from local meat markets or grocery stores and overviewing from a portable ground blind or field edge brush blind, shooting opportunities are likely. Set up away from any residences, road and snowmobile trails, since noise and activity are banes to success with these wary canines.

There are few areas where coyotes don’t roam Aroostook, but in Blaine I’d suggest scouting E Plantation Road or Kinney Road for a set-up site.

Towards Easton, there are plenty of options along Hersom and Ladner Roads that can be hunted on snowshoes, since trails have been packed down by snowmobiles. Between Caribou and Limestone,

Jack Thibodeau of Portland travels to the family camp In Aroostook with his Dad each winter to hunt coyote, usually with good success, as this hefty specimen demonstrates.

check out the many farm fields and wood lots along the Noyes Road. A flat shooting long range rifle with great optics is the key to consistent success, but handguns, shotguns, bows and even crossbows can be very exciting and rewarding options with the right cover. The early season, which features less snow cover, makes baiting and hunting simpler and more enjoyable.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 33

Meet a Master Shed Antler Hunter and His Canine Assistant

Whether it’s a deer camp or bird camp, most of us have likely met some pretty cool people when on hunting trips. For me, a great part of these trips is meeting new people. The memories of some of the characters I’ve met over the last 40 years stick with me for their personalities, some for their accomplishments. A few are special people with excellent characters and stories to match.

This past fall, while staying at Tylor Kelly Camps (TKC) in Allagash, Maine, I met one of these special people.

A Master Shed Hunter Cory Ryder and I met in the main lodge at TKC on Sunday, October 18th. Cory is a 32 year old Maine Guide with more outdoor experience than 99% of millennials I run into.

I say this because he has been visiting and hunting Maine since he was 15 years old.

Yes, he’s from away (VT), but he’s been a Maine resident for the last two years. He moved here because he likes Maine better than VT. Why does he love Maine? He’s obsessed with moose and moose antlers.

Cory caught my attention, not because he guides hunters, but because he’s obsessed with antlers ... and I can relate.

How much does this guy love hunting for sheds? Well, he loves it enough to train a dog to help him. He loves it

One secret to training a dog to locate sheds, says Cory Ryder of Tylor Kelly Camps in Allagash, Maine, is to throw away the rubber training antlers, and use a real antler instead.

Gracie, an 8-year old black lab, is so well-trained that if she’s on the scent of an antler and gets too far ahead of her owner, Cory Ryder, she’ll come back to get him before completing her search. Joe Saltalamachia photos

enough to spend every free moment he has, in search of shed antlers.

Since last June, Cory estimates he’s found over 200 sheds. Fewer than a dozen have been deer antlers.

Since 2013, Ryder estimates he’s found over 1,000 antlers.

What does one do with all those antlers?

Well, in Ryder’s case, he sells them. He has an agreement with Maine Cabin Masters to buy the best antlers he finds.

Not all antlers are worth the same money, however. Cory tells me the antlers are grouped into three different grades.

• “High end decorative” bring top dollar. These are mostly fresh drops that are completely intact and not damaged.

• “Dog chew grade” are brown, not

cracked or faded, and are purchased by the pound.

• The lowest grade are the green, cracked and faded antlers, which bring the least amount of money.

Ryder hasn’t stopped at selling the antlers to make his money. He’s also got a popular YouTube page called “The Maine Woods.”

On this page, Ryder shares videos on shed hunting, moose hunting, elk hunting, cabin building and outdoor cooking, among other interesting topics.

However, shed hunting continues to be his passion.

Currently, over 1,500 people have subscribed to his page and are enjoying his videos.

A Shed Hunter’s Best Friend The number of

sheds Ryder finds is amazing. This isn’t the shed hunting of the type many people engage in each year, riding snowmobile trails in search of a drop onto – or just off – the open areas. This is a back country, bust-yourbutt, 20 miles a day adventure in search of bones.

Ryder would never be able to find 10 or 20 sheds per day without the help of a friend.

His friend’s name?

Gracie.

Gracie is an eightyear old female black lab. In fact, Gracie is

a big reason Ryder became so addicted to shed hunting. He and Gracie have learned to find sheds together.

Cory helps Gracie by getting her into solid winter habitat, and Gracie helps Cory by finding sheds that aren’t always visible, but well within range of her nose.

The stories Ryder told me at the lodge were amazing. He says he can tell when Gracie catches the scent of a shed. He’ll follow her and says at times, if she gets too far ahead, she’ll even come back to get him.

If the wind stops blowing and she loses the scent, Ryder says Gracie will stop and wait for the breeze to bring the scent back to her. Once she’s got it back, it’s off to the races, in search of her trophy.

Cory says he and Gracie are a team.

They train together.

They celebrate together, no matter how big or small each shed may be. It’s a labor of love for both of them.

Gracie began her training on day one.

Cory says any dog with a good nose can (Continued on page 35)

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34 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

My Favorite Deer Rifle

by Hal Blood The deer rifle is a tool of the trade. Hunters may choose different makes, models, and calibers, but it is still the tool that gets the job done. That job to it to put meat on the table.

Some hunters use several different deer rifles, depending on the weather conditions.

Like many hunters, I started out in the 1960s hunting with an old Winchester 30-30.

Then I was given a Remington 721 in .270. I shot quite a few deer with that rifle. Although it was a right-handed bolt and I’m left handed, I learned to work the bolt as fast as a right hander could.

Pump Carbine with Peep Sight When I started hunting in the Big Woods of the north where snow was common and tracking was what I wanted to

as part of the motion when I raise the rifle to my shoulder.

The author’s 30-’06 Remington Model 7600 pump carbine was brand new in 1989 when he used it to drop this trophy buck.

do, I discovered that the bolt action with a scope was not the best choice.

In 1989, I purchased a brand new first year Remington model 7600 pump carbine in 30-06. I put a Williams peep sight on it, and dialed it in with Remington 180-grain Core-Lokt bullets. I drove my wife crazy that summer, when in the evenings I would

Big Game (Continued from page 33)

find sheds. However, he says the dog is only 50% of the equation. The owner needs to know where to find sheds. Just like hunting big bucks, you can’t find a shed if no sheds exist in that area. Another tip Cory shared with me: “Throw out the rubber training antlers, and instead use real antlers to train the dog.”

Ryder said that as is the case with most dogs, Gracie got better at finding sheds as she gained experience. On their best day together, Cory and Gracie found 21 sheds. On most days they find 10 or more sheds. Imagine packing out a few hundred pounds of antler www.MaineSportsman.com

After 30 years and many deer, the carbine show a lot of wear, as -- the author confides -- does he.

spray WD-40 in the action and run the slide a hundred times night after night. I did that until the action slid effortlessly.

An Extension of My Arms Now I was ready to hit the woods in search of a big buck track. That fall, I shot the buck that is on the cover of my first book – a beautiful 200-pound

heavy-horned 9-pointer.

That was the beginning of a long journey with that rifle.

Since that time, I have never used another rifle for deer hunting.

Because I’ve carried the same rifle for over thirty years, it has become an extension of my arms. I don’t remember the point at which the safety comes off – it just does,

from deep in the Maine woods. Wow! Like any good hunter or hiker, Ryder is prepared to spend the night in the woods, whenever he goes shed hunting.

He brings a space blanket, map, compass, water filter, cordage, a knife and a headlamp. He’s the real deal!

Cory Ryder certainly has a passion for shed hunting and working with his dog. He loves finding new pieces of land that few other people have set foot on in recent years.

Shed hunting provides him a connection with the moose of Maine. It’s a connection few others ever make.

That’s what caught my attention. His passion is obvious and contagious.

¶

If It Ain’t Broke ….

People ask me all the time if I’m going to use this new gun or that caliber pump, and all I say is “No.” You know the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”! My old pump has traveled literally thousands of miles with me, over mountains and through swamps, and it’s never failed to fire when I pull the trigger.

Sure, the old carbine shows a lot of wear, but so do I! My fingers have worn the bluing off from the receiver, but the action is as slick as glass.

I am going to carry this old “tool” on many more journeys, as long as I am able to set foot in the Big Woods of northern Maine.

Find the right tool, and it will serve you well!

¶

Cory Ryder and Gracie find as many as 20 sheds a day, by searching areas that are difficult to access.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 35

In the 1940s, Maine Stocked Salmon in the Allagash To track down a rumor that landlocks had been stocked in Priestly Lake decades earlier, our writer went directly to the source – the warden who’d poled his canoe upriver, laden with 5,000 salmon smolts.

Speak with any Allagash fisherman today, and you’ll be regaled with tales of five-pound squaretails and thirteen-pound togue. These days the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) is renowned as a world-class fishery, but that wasn’t always the case.

canoed downriver early one June to see Henry and Alice Taylor in T15 R11.

During his lifetime, Henry had many jobs. Those included sporting camp operator, guide, trapper, game warden, wood cutter, and any other job he needed to take to earn a living.

Arriving at his camp, I knocked on the door and heard a resounding “Come in!”

Henry and Alice Taylor, 1982

Chamberlain Lake brook trout, 19 and 23 inches long, caught by Dylan and Max Bouchard of Millinocket, 2019.

All photos: T. Caverly collection

When I was Supervisor of the AWW, I inherited a trove of historical documents. One was a 1950s letter that Al Nugent of Nugent’s Camps sent to the Commissioner of Fish and Game. In essence Al wrote, “The fishing is so poor on Chamberlain Lake, I’d like you to stock white perch so my sports will have something to catch.”

White perch were never stocked in the lake. Furthermore, that letter and others were unfortunately destroyed in 1982 when the Umsaskis Lodge was burned by an arsonist.

Salmon in the Allagash During my tenure, I learned of an even earlier attempt to introduce a non-native fish species.

According to legend, in the 1940s Maine’s IF&G attempted to stock landlock salmon in the Allagash.

To determine if the story was true, I

Henry greeted with a, “Hi, Tim – coffee’s on.” Without waiting for a reply, he shifted the aluminum pot from the back of the wood stove to a front burner.

While seated at the kitchen table, I asked, “There is a rumor that Fish and Game once attempted to stock salmon in the river. Is that so?”

Turning to meet my gaze, Henry answered, “Yup – it is. I know, ’cause I’m the one who done it.”

He then added, “Coffee’s hot – pour yourself a cup. Time for my morning vitamin.”

Without a word, Henry, wearing worn out camp moccasins, shuffled toward an upper cupboard, where a faded curtain served as the cabinet’s door.

Brushing the drapery aside, Henry pulled down a pint glass jar of furry brown prune-shaped objects. He carefully dropped one into an empty juice glass.

From another shelf, Henry removed a bottle he called “my ti-blanc” (slang for vodka), and filled the glass half full. Letting the potion rest, Henry explained that the object was a dried beaver scent gland, or castor. “With proper preparation, the organ has many uses, includ-

ing as an attraction aroma for trapping.

When dried, the secretor can be used to enhance the flavor of raspberry or strawberry in foods like cereal. It’s also handy in making perfume, and has amazing health benefits.”

Sipping my coffee, I waited for the rest of the lesson. “Place a dried castor in a liquid, and let the solution soak up the gland’s goodness. Now be sure not to eat the castor, but just drink the liquid.

The medicine will calm you, lower your blood pressure, and sustain a healthy heart. It’s kept me going for 85 years.”

With that, Henry downed the drink, sat at the table, and began his story about lugging salmon.

“As a young game warden, I was told to take my canoe to Fort Kent and pick up 5,000 landlock salmon and haul them to Umsaskis Lake.

“Once loaded, I headed upstream 40-odd miles to my cabin. From there, I poled and paddled the fish an additional 36 miles to Umsaskis. From there, I carried the salmon overland three miles to Priestly Lake, dumped ’em in the water, and built a dam to keep them there.”

The author has poled his canoe many miles along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

Here Henry paused and looked lovingly at the cupboard near the sink. “I do believe,” he declared, “I am feeling poorly today. Must need another dose of vitamin.”

With that he traced a well-worn path across the floor and mixed a second helping of his medicine. Smacking his lips, Henry returned to the table and with a, “Salmon, you say!” And proceeded to tell me the story of 5,000 smolt again.

The stories kept coming all afternoon, including one about him carrying a live pig in an airplane. It was an unforgettable afternoon, spend with an unforgettable man.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

36 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

A Penny Saves the Day Bopping through the snow-covered woods. my 10-yearold daughter Hannah tucked her chin hard into her winter coat.

She didn’t need to remind me just how cold it was – my own chin two buttons deep in my wool parka.

“How about we start a fire?” I stuttered.

The plan that brisk morning involved

During a snowshoe hike. the author set about to teach his daughter how to build a fire in the deep woods. It turns out his daughter had a fire-starting technique to teach her dad, as well. snowshoeing along a ridge riddled with a mix of conifers and hardwoods. I’d hoped to pause along the way and teach Hannah how to start a fire.

Looking around, I purposefully picked a spot nestled in a stand

of birch trees. With an abundance of natural fire-starter dripping off the trees all around us, Hannah quickly took the hint.

A warm fire on a cold day sets the world right – especially one far from modern civilization. Resisting the parental urge to jump in and get a blaze going, I laid back and let this chilled youngster go about gathering birch bark.

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know are content just soaking it all in. On this day, I hoped Hannah could bring home the heat – a skill every outdoorsy person should possess.

While she worked at gathering firewood, I took stock of my new gaiters. On previous snowshoeing forays, the back of my legs would get covered with snow. I hadn’t noticed that while using my traditional ash-bent shoes with sinew lacing.

However, when I used a newer set of aluminum snowshoes,

the solid webbing kicked snow all over the backs of my legs.

It seemed like a good excuse to buy an inexpensive (think Reny’s) pair of gaiters.

And work well they did. The gaiters allowed me to use my tried-and-true L.L.Bean Cresta hiking boots. They did an excellent job of keeping snow out of my standard hiking boot, and kept the back of my legs dry all the way to my knee.

Since that first test run, I’ve bought half a dozen pair of gaiters.

I’ve also found them to work well when bird hunting in the fall. If I can stay dry from the knee down, I’ll call it a win. They also offer protection from low-lying briars and ticks during warmer weather.

My son, Matt, says when people see my gaiters, they know I mean business. A little razzing is more than offset by the benefits of wearing stylish outdoor gear.

Another accessory, knee-high Smartwool socks, complements the gaiters nicely.

With no evidence to support this claim, I really feel keeping one’s calves warm help to keep the rest of the body from a case of hypothermia.

Double Up! The Katahdin Region has plenty of snow and lots of coun(Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 37 (Continued from page 36)

try to roam for winter wanderers. Traveling on snowshoes works better with company. Charting a route through unbroken trail will quickly tire someone who’s trying to go it alone.

The better plan calls for snowshoers to take turns in the lead.

This allows for sharing the heavy lifting involved with breaking trail. It also gives folks who’ve taken their turn and moved to the back, an opportunity to breathe easy and smell the roses.

Ice Fishing The hard-water fishing season opens January 1, and prepared anglers take full advantage. Gear for pulling a trophy through the ice can range from pig simple to downright exotic.

My own gear borders on simple. Six ice

Nothing beats pulling a trophy through the ice.

New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) offers packages that provide guided ice fishing in the Katahdin Region. Signing up for a guided ice fishing trip can put anglers on the fast track to success.

Photos courtesy of NEOC

tilts from the 1940s, a hand-operated auger bit, two homemade short jigging rods, and one Jet Sled Jr. set up to be pulled across the ice.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention an inexpensive bait bucket and an iron ice chipper from my grandfather. Fairly slim picking compared to some hard-water addicts.

Lake Millinocket looks like a village, with all the ice shanties scattered across

the lake. It’s neat to look across on a cold day and see the smoke curling skyward.

That’s ice fishing in comfort!

Before drilling holes, please check the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s website for current rules and regulations. While the ice should have plenty of thickness this time of year, be cautious around inlet, outlets and moving water.

This photo illustrates why normally sane individuals spend countless hours braving sub-freezing temperatures while standing on ice. It’s that lone flag waving in the breeze and the lunker on the business end of a fishing line that keeps hard-water anglers on the hunt, regardless of the weather.

Rent a Trip For those who would like to try fishing through the ice but don’t have the time to set up an outfit. the New England Outdoor Center (NEOC) in Millinocket offers guided ice fishing trips to local lakes and ponds. With a Registered Maine Guide, fishing gear, cold weather clothing and lunch, the only thing left to worry about is pulling a lunker through the ice.

We started Hannah’s fire that day – after she advised her father to strike the match on a penny. Yup, my matches just wouldn’t fire off – somewhat embarrassing. Somewhere she had seen someone use a penny as a striker.

Scrounged around, found a penny, and scratched a match across it. Poof! Saved by a 10-year-old.

¶

MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Brook Trout by Steve Vose

A Maine native, the Eastern Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) also goes by several other nicknames, including squaretail, brookie and speckled trout.

Brook trout have long, streamlined bodies with an adipose fin between the dorsal, and square tailfin. Fins have a distinctive white leading edge.

Color is variable, depending on habitat, water quality and food sources.

Colors on different fish run from dark green to almost black with wormlike markings, called vermiculations, along the back. During the height of breeding season, some males display sides of bright orange-red, Brook trout are not tolerant of warm water temperatures, preferring a range between 57-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the height of the summer, brook

trout will seek the shelter of rocks, logs, undercut banks and deep pools to escape the heat, only moving to shallow waters after sunset to feed.

Brook trout are extremely sensitive to pollutants, needing cool, clear water to survive. Therefore, the overall health of a body of water is directly connected to the wellbeing of its brook-trout population. With optimal conditions, brook trout inhabiting streams can live almost 3 years, while those living in larger bodies of water, such as lakes and ponds,

Questions 1. What other names is the brook trout known by?

2. What is distinctive of a brook trout’s fins?

3. What temperature range do brook

trout prefer?

4. What is the name of the worm-like markings on the back of some brook trout?

5. What is the life expectancy of a brook trout?

tend to live upwards of 5-6 years.

Brook trout typically spawn between September and October, with eggs hatching into fry within two to three months. After hatching, fry feed primarily on insects, moving on to consuming larger prey including crayfish and even small rodents as they mature.

Maine anglers favor the brook trout as exquisite table fare. Every year, novice and expert alike pursue the delectable squaretail by means of the worm and bobber, Super-Duper, various flies, and live minnows through the ice. The current state record brook trout is 9 pounds, 2 ounces. It was caught by Patrick Coan in Mousam Lake on January 8, 2010.

6. When do brook trout spawn?

7. What do brook trout eat?

8. What is the current state of Maine record for largest caught brook trout?

Answers on Page 42

www.MaineSportsman.com

38 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Coyotes, Ice Fishing and Snowmobiling – New Year’s Social Distancing Strategies As an introvert, I have little problem avoiding crowds. I don’t need a politician telling me how to escape from people. My grandfather told me that the poor never

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get shooting, especially longer-range rifle work. Not all 14-yearolds owned their own Remington Model 700 chambered in a lightning quick 6MM Remington.

The family pasture was an even 300 yards deep. We would take empty 2-liter plastic soda bottles, fill them with water, and hang them from tree branches reaching into the field. With nothing but miles of woods and a bank behind the trees, it was surprisingly safe.

The bottles exploded when the 90-grain

bullet exited the bottle. At the time Remington offered 80, 90 and 100-grain bullets.

With a 3 X 9 Redfield scope dialed in atop the custom sporter stock, the world was right. Hold six inches over those bottles, allow for the wind and squeeze the trigger.

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clear cut and do some glassing.

Coyotes dine on anything that comes their way. Most cutoffs harbor a healthy mice/mole population.

Leftover slash provides cover for snowshoe hares.

While coyotes get a bad rap, it’s not easy living the animal’s lifestyle. With easy meals few and far between, these hungry canines roam for miles trying to keep their bellies full.

Dying rabbit and mice calls will certainly grab the attention of (Continued on next page)

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a coyote that’s burning calories with nothing in the tank. The edges of woodlots can prove especially productive.

The Jackman Region has an abundance of logging activity, which in turn creates opportunities for hunters looking to reach out and harvest a long distance ’yote.

For starters, a perusal of DeLorme’s Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 40, shows plenty of roads both east and west of Route 201. Look for fresh logging activity, as this tends to stir up the rodent community while gathering the attention of every emp-

ty-bellied canine.

For an additional $4, hunters can extend their hunting time by purchasing a night coyote hunting permit from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

On Ice! Cold weather keeps folks inside. A few of us crazy types prefer spending afternoons soaking up sun on the surface of the ice. Yes, ice-fishing opens January 1st for diehard anglers looking to get away from the crowds.

Big Wood Pond (Map 39, B-4), with its close-to-town access and steady stocking from the DIF&W, receives a fair amount

of attention. The good news – plenty of room on the 2,150-acre pond.

Expect to catch some of the salmon and splake stocked by the DIF&W. Night fishermen run lines deep for sweet tasting cusk fillets. Don’t rule out catching a brook trout near the mouth of the Moose River.

Spencer Lake (Map 39, D-4) offers social distancing at its finest.

Salmon, togue and an occasional brook trout keep flags flying. The extra challenge of accessing the lake using the Hardscrabble/ Spencer Road keeps crowds back on the pavement.

(Jackman Region continued on page 42)

Next generation ice anglers take advantage of fresh mountain air, lots of elbow room and the occasional lunker. Ice fishing offers the perfect way to enjoy life while adhering to social distancing guidelines. These young anglers show how to get it done. Photos courtesy of NEOC

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40 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Cure for a Pandemic?

Maine Has the Secret The pandemic has dramatically increased the number of people seeking recreational time outdoors. It’s as if the country has re-awakened to the truth that outdoor sportspeople have known all along – nothing heals us like going back to nature.

At a time in history when we have unprecedented indoor entertainment technology and temptations, the outside is still our home.

Bikers and Hikers I visited our local woodstove/bike/ ski shop this summer during the shutdown.

The store was offering curb-side service for those who called ahead. Behind his face-covering mask, the owner was all smiles, as he gestured toward his nearly-empty showroom floor. He mentioned that he had sold more bicycles during the shutdown than at any other time in the store’s history.

And those bikers were everywhere on the roads, paths and trails this year. Less motorized road traffic encouraged Lycra-clad road bikers to get out early and often. Newbie bikers – often entire families of them – crowded rail-trails and back roads throughout Maine. The state’s expanding mountain-bike trail system saw a record number of visitors. A bird hunting/ biking trip to the Jackman area www.MaineSportsman.com

Maine’s woods, mountains and trails offer the best remedies for getting us through a difficult time.

Baxter State Park offers pandemic relief to winter hikers. All photos: Jim Andrews

found me miles behind the gate on a logging road in late October.

Sure enough, there were bicycle tracks in the road dust of farflung places where I had never seen them before.

On an Appalachian Trail day-hike with my son, we couldn’t find an empty spot for our truck in the huge, paved parking at the trail crossing in Grafton Notch. It was midweek in late June, still bug and mud season

in the high peaks. But in the parking lot, it looked like a late-August weekend. Cars from Maine and every state within one-day’s driving distance were parked there, plus a few from more farflung places.

We drove to a remote trailhead on the Success Pond Road, and although we were eight miles off the pavement of Route 26, we still had to jimmy the truck into a slot between two other cars

The beauty of Maine’s snowy woods is the best cure for whatever ails you.

at a muddy pull-out that serves as a parking lot. It was a great hike on Old Speck, but I had never seen the Mahoosuc Range so filled with people who were happy to be alive and outside. On remote Speck Pond, a trout fisherman had packed in a float tube and was finning slowly as he trolled the shoreline.

None of this should have shocked me. The sidewalks, parks, playing fields and walking

This pack-basket holds gear to keep a trekker sure-footed when the going gets slippery.

trails near downtown Farmington had been choked with walkers, bikers and hikers since the first shutdown in March. Some land trusts and local forests in the Augusta area actually had to close because they had become gathering places for too many people.

Darkest Before the Dawn And even now, as we endure the coldest, shortest days of the year and the deadliest phase of the contagion in Maine, people refuse to give up on their outdoor remedies. Hunting season saw an uptick in license-sales for the first time in several years.

It was another trailhead parking puzzle on opening morning of deer season near my camp in Greenwood.

Outdoor sport retailers expect a dramatic rise in sales of snowshoes, traction devices for winter hiking, and cross-country ski equipment this year. Sales will follow the general upward trend that has marked the last few years. But the pandemic-surge in folks interested in getting outside will continue. Any retailer who doubts the coming wave of sales only needs to remember her completely depleted stock of bicycles to be re-assured.

Equipment for a Pandemic (Self-Propelled continued on page 42)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 41

Free-Spirit Resolutions for the Off-Road Traveler January is the month for New Year’s resolutions. My resolution is to have more fun off-roading in 2021. Specifically, I resolve to take more trips without a destination or purpose in mind.

In other words, I need to get out more often – for no other reason than to go for a simple drive. I often find myself overly motivated to complete a certain task that I have in my head, foregoing all other activities until that task is completed.

This year I’m go-

ing to take it a little more spontaneously – jump up, grab the wife and the dog, and go for a drive. My parents used to do it with our family; Dad would say, “Come on, Honey – let’s go for a drive after dinner.”

We would all get into the car, head for the ice cream shop, and then cruise the back roads looking for deer or nice farmland, or for no reason at all ... mostly to simply get out and enjoy the scenery away from the “hubbub” of our neighborhood. We lived in the country, but over

the years the neighbors started moving in too close, and businesses started crowding our little rural home.

That’s really what off-road travel is all about ... getting away from the busy lives most of us live. Driving down some back road out in the willy-whacks lets us get away from things for a bit and maybe take notice and appreciate all the good things in our lives; and it possibly helps us understand what things we need to change.

Behind the Wheel

My wife and dog immediately fall asleep within the first half hour of driving anywhere on a long trip, so I have plenty of time to think by myself. At these times behind the wheel I find that I can solve a bucketload of problems. I get time to do some in-depth thinking that can’t get done during the hustle and bustle of regular life.

I don’t answer my cell phone on these drives or have to worry about someone stopping by the house to chit-chat. I have the whole time to my-

self in order to resolve many issues in short order. Lately, I’ve gone high-tech and use my cell phone to record things I don’t want to forget. I hit the audio-record button and dictate into the phone whatever idea I might be having at the time.

I find that I later erase half of the ideas, but find the other half extremely useful. This trick has saved me a lot of wasted note paper and also helped me to avoid forgetting important ideas, plans and events.

I was driving (Continued on next page)

www.MaineSportsman.com

42 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Off-Road Traveler (Continued from page 41)

around the big woods north of my Dixfield home the other day and noticed a few snowflakes dropping around the gravel road I was on. I promised myself right then and there that I’d do more camping in 2021. I won’t wait for good weather – I will just get right out there and camp.

I’m not going to wait for bug season to pass, either. I have a huge screened tent from Slumberjack (www.slumberjack.com) called the “Roadhouse Tarp” that goes right over the bed of the

truck that will help with keeping the insects at bay. I want to get in some remote, early-season fishing, and that usually happens as soon as the black flies appear. I can fight them off with large doses of bug repellent, a Thermacell insect-repelling unit, a head net, and whatever else it takes. Life is too short to stay out of the woods because of bugs.

Tire Report On a completely different topic, I’d like to talk about the spectacular tires I purchased at the end

Jackman Region (Continued from page 39)

On Trail Snowmobiling in the Jackman Region hits full throttle this month. Jackman has a storied legacy as a hub for snow-goers looking to do some serious winter navigating.

A lot of that derives from its location just south of the Canadian border.

Cold winds from the north sweep this mountain hamlet with a steady supply of fresh snow.

Jackman’s reputation as a “hub” for snowmobiles comes from go-anywhere

Self-Propelled (Continued from page 40)

Maybe none of us thought that along with toilet paper, disinfecting wipes and paper towels, the real equipment for surviving this winter would be a pair of snowshoes or skis, a pack-basket, and some trekking poles.

of 2017 – Goodyear’s Wrangler DuraTrac tires. I have had these tires on for two winters and two summers of travel. I highly recommend the tires for anyone who travels both on and off road – the tires plow right through snow, ice and mud, and also keep pretty quiet on pavement.

This being their third winter, I am temporarily substituting a set of studded mud-and-snow tires, but I will re-install the DuraTrac tires in the spring and I am sure they will go the summer for me – they are showing unbelievable treadwear resistance.

When you come to a fork in the road, take the route less traveled, says the author, and don’t look back.

William Clunie photo

Regarding the studded tires – there’s nothing that boosts confidence on icy roads more than a good set of studded snow tires – well, maybe a set of chains would, but I wouldn’t relish the idea of driving with chains all day long. I’ll give a full report on the studded tires after

www.MaineSportsman.com

¶

trail access. Trails north lead to Quebec. Check with www.MeSnow.com for current border crossing regulations BEFORE visiting Canada. Those looking to ride into a rising sun can head east towards Rockwood and Greenville.

Pittston Farms makes for a nice ride too!

Trail runners looking to head south can visit Rangeley and Eustis. By lining up lodgings in these various towns, one can easily plan a “tour” of western Maine.

The Border Riders Sportsman Club (www.BorderRidersClub.com) has proved a valuable resource for trail runners looking to kick up snow in the

Jackman Region.

They have a clubhouse and trailside parking just north of “downtown” Jackman on Route 201. They do such a great job grooming that Jackman has turned into a destination for serious sledders from around the country.

I would encourage riders who use and enjoy this phenomenal trail system to support the effort and join the Border Riders Club. This group of volunteers has tirelessly worked year-round to improve and maintain this winter highway.

Some of us will dust off our old wooden webs, taken down from the barn wall. Others will buy the newest, lightest backcountry ski or snowshoe model from a big retailer. I’ve promised myself to put bindings on a pair of wood cross-country skis I bought at Bean’s more than 10 years ago.

None of that matters in the least.

Instead, it’s the deep quiet of a win-

ter grove of mature spruce trees. It’s the vast expanse of a frozen Baxter State Park. The sound of snowshoes on a crusty trail can break certain fevers.

The view from a silent winter peak can calm a worrisome cough.

We’ve always had the best medicine right here all along.

¶

¶

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Brook Trout 1. Other nicknames for the brook trout include squaretail, brookie and speckled trout.

2. A brook trout’s fins have a distinctive white leading edge.

3. Brook trout prefer a temperature range between 57-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

using them this winter.

So, get out and enjoy 2021 ... I’m jumping right in and not looking back. I vow to travel with a free spirit and live life to its fullest. Maybe I’ll trade the Tacoma in for a hippy van, and go cross country?

4. The name of the worm-like markings on the back of some brook trout are called vermiculations.

5. With optimal conditions, brook trout inhabiting streams can live almost 3 years, while those living in larger bodies of water, such as lakes and ponds, tend to live upwards of 5-6 years.

(Quiz on Page 37)

6. Brook trout typically spawn between September and October.

7. Brook trout fry feed primarily on insects, moving on to consuming larger prey including crayfish and even small rodents as they mature.

8. The current state record brook trout weighed 9 pounds, 2 ounces.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 43

Ladies’ Sea Duck Hunt In January, after deer and duck season have closed and most hunters are giving their shotguns a deep clean, I drive 20 minutes to the coast to hunt sea ducks.

One day last season, Troy Fields of Traditions Guide Service kindly offered to host a ladies’ sea duck hunt. That morning, I pulled into our rendezvous spot at 5:15 a.m. and saw my friend Sonya also pulling in. My car dashboard read 8 degrees. The Commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Judy Camuso, arrived and parked next to me. I got out of my car, turned on my headlamp and started layering up. I opened a single use hand warmer package, shook it up, and stuffed one in each mitten. Troy and his girlfriend, Terrie were already backing down the boat landing with a huge boat.

I hadn’t met Troy or Terrie before, and though I knew Sonya and Judy, no one else knew one another.

We were a bunch of strangers, meeting in a dark parking lot to go hunting.

Troy and Pearl “Welcome!”

Troy boomed, with too much energy for that early in the morning. “Pass me your bags and guns and climb aboard.”

I clambered aboard the wide, 23-foot Ocean series Duckwa-

ture. Troy handed us our 12-gauge shotguns and lifejackets. I shivered. “Take this VHF radio so you can tell us if there’s an injured duck, and we’ll come finish it off for you,” Troy instructed. “Legal hunting is at 6:41.

You’ll likely have birds decoy prior to that, but be sure you wait. We are hunting with the Commissioner, after all!”

Troy explained that he would tie a string of decoys to our boat, and then he and the rest of the group would anchor about 300 yards away.

This is how Maine women have fun in the winter – rendezvousing at 5:15 a.m., air temperature 8 degrees, heading to offshore rocks and lying down in a low, anchored “layout” boat without a paddle or oars, waiting for legal hunting time and for the sea ducks to start winging their ways in to the decoy set.

“Two More Minutes, then Shoot” I could see icicles on my eyelashes each time I blinked. I lay down on my side of the boat, it was quite comfortable and stable.

Troy put eider and scoter decoys in the shape of V, with our low profile drab boat at the point. I could see a red glow forming where the sun would rise.

We saw silhouettes of ducks flying low over the sea, wings flapping quickly. Then, a hen eider landed with

The ladies sit in the two person layout boat for a photo. Despite its low freeboard, the boat is very stable. Photo by Traditions Guide Service

ter, and wondered if I had brought enough ammo. I had gone through an entire box on past hunts. Sea ducks are plentiful and when wounded, can be difficult to finish off. Injured ducks dive, and everyone on board waits and watches for the duck to reappear. When it does, there’s a tendency to shoot over the top of the duck, causing it to dive again.

“This is Pearl,” said Troy, introducing a perky chocolate lab wearing a camo vest.

Her entire rear end wiggled as she wagged her tail.

Layout Boat A large gray layout

boat rested on the bow of our boat. “The seas are pretty calm – it’s the perfect morning for hunting out of a layout boat,” Troy explained. “Has anyone ever hunted out of one before?” All four of us shook our heads. “It’s like a layout blind for goose hunting, but without doors,” he said. “Stay lying down, and don’t sit up until you’re ready to shoot.”

We rode in the dark to Troy’s honey hole and carefully lowered the layout boat into the sea. It looked like a chunk of gray concrete, with an extremely low profile. It bobbed in the waves.

The thought of sitting

in this barely-floating “boat” on anchor, without a motor of even paddles, was unsettling but I tried to hide my concern. The others must have felt the same, because no one volunteered to go first.

Eventually it was decided that Sonya and I would hunt first. I put my doubts aside and climbed in the precarious struc-

(Continued on next page)

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44 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Maine Sportswoman (Continued from page 43)

The author and friends hunted out of a two-person “layout” boat. Photo: Traditions Guide Service

a crash in our spread and started swimming around. This was Sonya’s first year hunting, she had an apprentice license and had gone on a couple duck hunts, but hadn’t connected with anything yet. “Two more minutes, and then sit up and shoot her,” I instructed Sonya.

“We got one!” I radioed Troy with my VHF radio and snapped a quick photo of Sonya with the sunrise and her first duck in the background. We quickly laid back down and waited for the next group of ducks to decoy. For the next 30 minutes, eiders, scoters and long tails flew by. Some decoyed and

One eider is down, as the hunters await more. Photo: Traditions Guide Service

got away, and some didn’t. Sea ducks are big, they fly slowly, and you don’t have to call for them.

A First for Terrie After our thirty minutes was up, we heard Troy start his motor to pick up each downed bird. Pearl leaped into the cold ocean with enthusiasm and retrieved each bird. Then we traded places, and Judy and Terrie climbed into the layout boat for their turn.

It was fun to sit back and watch the ducks decoy while the others hunted. The layout boat blended in well with the rocks.

“I got a drake eider!

On the wing!” It was Terrie’s excited voiced that came over the VHF radio. It was her first duck on the wing.

By the time we were back to the dock, our noses were red and runny, and the group of strangers were now friends.

Great Food When Properly Prepared Due to their fish-eating preference, sea ducks taste a bit fishy, and some folks are not enthusiastic about eating them. I had dinner plans for that evening with my friend and her Vietnamese boyfriend, Oai. Oai is also a hunter and excellent cook and insists on plucking every duck and bird he

Chris Loeffler of Nebraska dropped this trophy bull moose with his .308 on September 30, 2020 in T8R7 WELS. The moose weighed 824 pounds field dressed. www.MaineSportsman.com

Pearl, a tireless chocolate lab, retrieves a drake eider. Christi Holmes photo

The author’s friend cooked the eider medium rare and served it with a ginger fish sauce -- delicious!

Christi Holmes photo

gets. I decided to test his culinary skills by bringing him an allegedly unappetizing eider. He was up to the challenge and enthusiastically seared the breasts of the duck and served it with a

homemade ginger fish sauce. “It’s best to embrace the fish flavor,” he said, and I tentatively took a bite.

He was right – it was delicious.

¶

Walter McBride (left), 82, earned his first moose patch with this 682-lb. bull taken October 14, 2020 in Zone 4. With McBride is the subpermittee, Donald Gower. Their guide was Jamie Brown of Ross Lake Camps.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 45

Every Gun Needs a Good Story Back in the fall, noted gun writer Terry Wieland said, “A gun without a history is like a book without words: it has no story to tell, no historical connections, no past friendships. When an old gun comes into my possession, I prefer it have a past.”

Wieland, author of a half-dozen books and hundreds of articles and magazine columns, could serve as a spokesman for The Shooter’s Bench.

Longtime readers know all too well that we are mired in tradition. Whether it is hunting or any of the other shooting sports, we want to dive into its history, conventions and legends. If it connects to Maine, so much the better.

A new rifle hidden in a slender box tied up with a red bow and placed under a Christmas tree begins a story. Telling a salesclerk to ring up that factory-fresh shotgun while we empty our pockets of every dime we made that summer only starts the journey.

Firearms, canoes and field boots need some miles on them to be genuinely appreciated. The best guns serve more than one owner and are taken out season after season. A gun absorbs its owner’s story like it absorbs campfire smoke and hints of that perfect day on the ridge, where the

With an older firearm, like Mike DuBois’s 150-year old “Rocking Chair Rifle,” the gun comes with many stories already built in. With a brand-new hunting rifle, like the Savage Axis II acquired last year by the author’s young friend Carter, it’s up to the owner to make their own stories, as Carter did on Youth Deer Day.

The stories wrapped up in old and rare guns like this Eugene Smart target rifle are the grist to entertain generations of shooters.

acorns and beechnuts keep the game coming back.

Like a hammer, axe or broom, a gun

is a tool. But our relationship with the gun makes it something more special than any other tools around the

house or the campsite.

There are few stories to tell about hammers or brooms, but guns are made for stories.

Sometimes the story is more like a mystery waiting to be solved.

Unusual Find An old friend, Mike DuBois, dropped off an odd antique rifle that his father acquired years ago. As he passed the zippered case over to me, he said, “See what you can find out about this old thing.”

On inspection, the rifle looks and feels like a 19th century target rifle in the Creedmoor style. At 40 inches overall, the rifle carries a heavy 23 7/8ths inch part-octagon and part-round barrel. It weighs 7.2 pounds with the balance point forward along the barrel, like other target models.

A single-shot breech loader, the barrel tips up, like a shotgun, operated by a lever on the left side of the receiver. Between two and three pounds of trigger pull releases the external hammer to fire an as-yet-unknown .38-caliber cartridge.

The front sight blade was lost decades ago, as was the ranging wedge for the (Continued on next page)

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46 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 45)

iron sights. But the tang-mounted peep sight appears intact and functional. Covered in a gray-black patina, the case coloring has faded but is mostly visible. The glossy, dark wood, including the hand checkering and ebony forearm tip, remain in remarkably good condition.

At first glance the rifle appears mysteri-

ously and tantalizingly unmarked. However, some work with a magnifying glass and a flashlight reveals some tiny letters buried in the patina on the right side of the barrel, ahead of the breech.

The little letters spell “E. Smart Dover, NH.” A search of the internet tells that Eugene Smart made breech-loading rifles in Dover, New Hamp-

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shire between 1865 and 1890. Who bought this one and how they used it falls to speculation, but as Mike’s dad was a life-long Dover resident, except for some time in the Pacific during World War II, the old rifle must not have gone far from its maker’s bench.

Everyone’s Story The difference between Gene Smart’s 150-year-old rifle and a new one is that someone hasn’t crafted the stories to go with that new gun.

In Mike’s family, the Smart rifle is known as “the rocking chair rifle.” It seems the elder DuBois went out to purchase his wife a rocking chair and came home instead with the old rifle.

My young friend Carter, who lives in New Vineyard, Maine, started the story of the new Savage Axis II he bought last year.

During Maine’s youth hunt, he took his first deer, a fine, big doe, at 163 yards with a rifle he bought with his own hard-earned money.

Maine is often a place where the stories begin. Maine and many firearms tales

The 150-year-old bore looks very different from any of our contemporary firearms.

The Smart target rifle operates like a shotgun. Pushing on the lever tips the breech forward, exposing the chamber.

seem inseparable.

Teddy Roosevelt hunted north of the Penobscot, as did Henry Thoreau a generation before him. From generation to generation the stories cross the dinner table, or seemingly spring from the embers in the fireplace, or follow an old path along a beaver bog.

Whether the story hides in an old antique like Eugene Smart’s breech-loader or waits inside a Kim-

ber “Mountain Rifle” in 6.5mm Creedmoor with a sound suppressor on the barrel, the New Year offers no shortage of opportunities for creating new chapters. 2021 has arrived. So get outside and add to favorite old stories or make new ones. From good stories come great memories and no shortage of inspiration.

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 47

Winter Survival Strategies for Maine Wildlife When it comes to surviving winter in New England, attitude is important. Many outdoor enthusiasts find that the best defense is a good offense.

Just get out there and enjoy it.

Fortunately, humans have developed an impressive array of clothing options and equipment to keep us warm, safe and comfortable.

Then, at the end of our outing, we return to a warm house or camp, a hot meal, and a cozy bed to make it through even the coldest weather.

Animal Aren’t So Lucky But for even the most stalwart New England wildlife species, surviving the winter can be a life or death challenge.

Our wildlife neighbors use a wide range of strategies or adaptations to cope with cold, snow, ice and a limited food supply.

These strategies fall into three major categories: migration, hibernation, and tolerance or resistance.

Migration One of the most effective strategies for dealing with winter is simply to relocate to someplace warmer.

During the fall, as the days get shorter and temperatures start dropping, hundreds of species make a major commitment of time and energy to migrate a few miles or a few thousand miles

When facing a cold Maine winter, mammals, birds, insects and amphibians take completely different approaches in order to survive. The author tells the fascinating story of wildlife that instinctively moves to low wooded areas, hibernates in dens, flies south, or digs deep into the mud below the frostline.

Chipmunks are true hibernators, but wake up every few days to eat, then go back into deep hibernation.

Photos by D. Van Wie

for the winter months.

While the benefits are obvious, the risks are many: starvation/ exhaustion, collisions and predation all take a heavy toll on migrating species.

It is hard to miss the feathered flocks gathering to head south where food is more abundant and the climate is milder.

Migration is not limited to the avian world, of course.

Monarch butterflies are perhaps the most famous migrating insects. Yet, according to the National Wildlife Federation, over 70 species of North American insects are known to migrate – not just butterflies and moths, but also dragonflies, beetles, grasshoppers,

Several species of dragonfly are known to migrate south in the winter.

The next generation then returns in the spring.

and true bugs such as the large milkweed bug.

For many of these insects, it takes more than one generation to make the round trip.

For example, an adult painted lady butterfly lays eggs upon arrival in her winter habitat, and her offspring then make the return trip in the spring.

from north to south.

Some species migrate shorter distances from summer feeding grounds to winter range. Moose, for example, may occupy higher elevation habitat in summer and move to lower elevations when the snowpack inhibits movement and affects food supply.

Coastal Cruisers Fish also migrate with changes in the season. Striped bass, tuna and bluefish move up and down the coast, often following prey species such as menhaden that also migrate as changing water temperatures affect availability of plankton.

Not all migration covers long distances

Hibernation Hibernation includes a range of physiological responses for surviving the cold winter months.

True hibernation is when an animal crawls into a den or burrow, curls up into a tight ball, and goes into a deep state of inactivity for weeks or months at a time. The body temperature and

the heart rate drop to conserve energy.

Only a few animals in Maine are true hibernators: little brown bats, the meadow jumping mouse, chipmunks, and groundhogs, as examples.

Chipmunks hibernate, but wake up every few days to eat from food stored in their den. Then they go back to sleep, with their pulse dropping from 350 beats per minute, to only 4.

Their body temperature drops as low as 40 degrees F. Black bears, on the other hand, are not true hibernators. They are more in the deepsleep range, because they don’t experience extreme drops in body temperature. Instead, they rely on their overall bulk, a thick coat for insulation, and stores of body fat to provide fuel throughout the winter.

Cold Blood Cold-blooded animals – reptiles, amphibian and invertebrates including insects – may have no choice but to shut down completely for the winter. For them, the challenge is to avoid freezing so solid that ice-crystals would damage cells and organs.

One strategy is overwintering below the ice or the frost line in soil. Other species use glucose, urea or a compound called antifreeze glycolipid (AFGL) to lower the (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

48 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice Fishing, Snowmobiling Season Underway in Moosehead Region Ice fishing has begun on most area lakes and ponds, with Moosehead Lake being the big draw. There, anglers can look forward to great action on togue and brook trout. Salmon season opens on February 15.

As explained in the November issue of The Sportsman, changes to fishing regulations on Moosehead Lake will take effect on January 1. These will appear in the 2021 fishing laws booklet. Essentially, new rules include a slot limit on brook trout, where fish between 18 and 22 inches must be immediately released alive. Togue laws, too have changed, with no minimum length limit. The 5-fish daily bag limit remains in place.

Anglers are urged to consult the new fishing laws booklet before venturing onto the ice.

For January and half of February, then, anglers will target brook trout and togue.

Another quarry, a “sleeper” species, inhabits Moosehead Lake in great num-

bers. Cusk, a kind of freshwater codfish, are bottom feeders and respond well to dead baits. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife lists cusk as coldwater game fish, right along with trout, togue and salmon.

Cusk bite best at night. Lines set for cusk must be checked at least once every hour. Let your bait sit directly on bottom, where scent-feeding cusk will locate it. No minimum length or bag limit is in place on cusk, so go ahead and load up on these plentiful, sweet-fleshed, denizens of coldwater lakes.

Togue Fishing While togue head down to depths of 50 feet or more in summer, it isn’t always necessary to go that deep when ice fishing. I’ve done well in 40-foot depths and certainly, togue will venture to even shallower water from time to time. Smelt make the best bait, but larger varieties of golden

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 47)

temperature at which fluid in their bodies’ cells will freeze.

Scientist found a species of wood frogs that can survive down to 6 degrees Fahrenheit. Some insects can survive temperatures as low as -13 degrees F. Tolerance or Resistance For animals that don’t hibernate but instead stay active in winter, surwww.MaineSportsman.com

shiners, when smelt are not available, take togue as well. Fish your baits just off bottom for best results.

Another togue tactic, one that works well on larger fish, involves killing a large baitfish, scoring it with a knife to allow the scent to leach out, and letting it sit on bottom, the same as when cusk fishing. It might pay to devote one line to this method, since it has proven itself effective over the years.

On calm days when wind is not a factor, give jigging a try.

The old faithful togue jig, Swedish Pimple, works well, either asis or with a bit of minnow or smelt attached to the hooks. Just let your lure down to the bottom, reel up a few turns and begin jigging. Make sure to hold the jig still once in a while, since this tends to draw togue interest. Usually, after the jig has sat motionless for 30 seconds or so, waiting togue will bite as soon as the jig begins to move again.

A cold morning dawns on ice fishermen on Moosehead Lake.

With new regulations allowing for no minimum length limit on togue, it’s okay to keep smaller, deeply hooked fish, as long as you have no more than one fish 18 inches or over. A bag limit of togue, even small and medium-size fish, represents the makings of a great meal.

Just keep your fish on

vival depends on conserving heat, and on how much food is available relative to the amount of energy needed to stay warm and active.

Many Maine species rely on insulation from a thicker winter coat, storing body fat, and/or behavioral changes like fluffing feathers to increase the insulating value.

To ensure an adequate food supply when snow covers the ground, two species of squirrel adopt different strategies for food storage.

Red squirrels are classic hoarders, collecting pinecones or walnuts into a single big pile that will help them get

ice, or snow, and fillet them when you’re back at home. Drizzle on some lemon juice before broiling. Togue prepared this way have a lovely, delicate flavor.

Brook Trout While brook trout may appear anywhere, the best bet is to set up in near-shore ar(Continued on next page)

through the winter.

Gray squirrels, however, are scatter-hoarders. They store smaller amounts of food in many locations to minimize the risk that a single stash might get raided by other animals.

These winter survival strategies even affect the species composition of the forest. Scientists have found that red squirrels, as net seed predators, may reduce the regeneration of black walnut trees, while the scattered hoards sometimes forgotten by gray squirrels can increase the number of seedlings that germinate.

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 49 (Continued from page 48)

eas, where depths run 40 feet and less. Use smelt or small shiners.

Earthworms, too, take brook trout when ice fishing. Interestingly, the earthworms we buy in stores throughout Maine are packed right here in Rockwood, by Moosehead Bait and Tackle.

Carefully note the new regulations on brook trout, including

newly closed areas.

Much has changed, so it is imperative to bone up on the idiosyncrasies of the new laws before heading out.

Smaller trout (as if 14- to 17-inch fish are considered “small”) are legal to take, as are those over 22 inches.

In some cases, a 16 or 17-inch brook trout may mark an angler’s largest trout. Not everyone gets the chance to fish the Moose-

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head Lake region, and in other parts of the state, brook trout, with the exception of retired broodfish stocked by DIF&W, don’t usually run more than 17 inches.

Unless you plan on sticking it out for a fish over 22 inches, it might pay to keep the daily limit of one brook trout and then move to deeper water in search of togue. That way, you can experience ac-

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freezing or sub-freezing conditions, the better.

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This snowmobile-friendly town offers plenty of trails, as well as rentals.

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¶

Moosehead Lake Region Greenville • Rockwood

THE BIRCHES RESORT 21 LOCATIONS ACROSS MAINE

tion all day. Whichever you do, definitely do not pull a brook trout that falls outside the slot limit out of the water and allow it to flop around on the ice, something that can lead to damage to the fish’s slime coating, allowing for bacteria to gain a foothold. That’s why I suggest, after killing a legal trout, going after togue. The less trout – or any salmonid – are handled in

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50 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice Fishing, Coastal Ducks Next Up for Downeasters Washington and Hancock Counties offer many well-stocked ice-fishing spots, while Penobscot and Blue Hill Bays provide intrepid hunters with fast gunning for sea ducks.

According to Greg Burr, Region C fisheries biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W), state biologists have stocked salmon and brook trout in many Hancock and Washington County waters this fall.

Some waters have received more fish than in previous years.

These additional salmonids will greatly enhance opportunities for this winter’s fishing.

In addition, Burr mentioned that fall fingerling brook trout, brown trout and landlocks were also released into area waters.

For up-to-date stocking reports, check DIF&W’s website (maine.gov/ifw), then click on the “Plan a fishing trip” link, followed by “Stocking report” and “Current year stocking report.”

Washington County Ice Fishing Indian Lake is a favorite ice-fishing water in Washington County (DeLorme’s Map 26, B-5). This 120-acre lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The shoreline is quite developed with seasonal camps and year-round residences; however, access can be gained at the boat launch on the Route 1 end of the pond.

Indian was stocked in the spring of 2020 with 600 10-inch brookies for spring anglers and again in the fall with 6,000 8-inch fish. Many trout from last spring’s stocking are iced by sports; however, significant numbers of even heftier holder-over trout are also caught.

Winter anglers fishing small golden shiners, small smelts or worms fished in 4 to 5 feet of water have the best chance of catching winter brookies.

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Ice-cutters who set up traps on the southern shoreline of the lake have the most success.

Another fast-producing winter water is Schoodic Lake in Cherryfield, Map 25, C-3. Schoodic provides suitable habitat for landlocked salmon and brook trout. This 389-acre lake fosters an abundant rainbow smelt population, a natural forage for cold-water fish. Winter fishers here catch hefty salmon in the 3- to 4-pound range.

However, most salmon caught are around 2 pounds and 16 to17 inches in length. Successful salmon anglers fish live bait just under the ice.

Two excellent places to set up a few ice traps for salmon are located on either side of the outlet. Fishing near the shoreline there produces the best results.

The state stocks this water yearly with brook trout and salm-

This month, the news from Downeast is about ice fishing and sea duck hunting. The fall of 2020, however, proved productive for the region’s whitetail deer hunters. In November, Cody Wilson of Bucksport dropped this 197-lb., 11-point trophy buck.

on. Last fall, 800 10inch and 275 landlocks were released into this clear body of water.

There may still be a few hold-over fish left in the lake for ice anglers to catch. Fishing close to the shore with live bait in 2-to4 feet of water should produce good results.

Even if you don’t hook onto a monster brookie, some of the 13inch fish could create enough excitement to have an unforgettable day.

Smallmouth bass may also generate enjoyment for winter anglers. Smallies in the 10- to 13-inch range are the most common;

however a few 15- to 17-inch fish are also caught. General fishing laws apply; however, there is no size or bag limit on bass.

Ice anglers can access the lake from several directions over plowed, dirt roads from the Schoodic Lake Road or Jacks Road.

Hancock County Waters Craig Pond in East Orland (Map 23, E-4) is another heavily stocked pond. Biologists have dropped fish into this water for years. Craig Pond will be a hotspot for winter anglers with this year’s stocking of 400 13-inch brook trout and many more fall-fingerling brook trout.

Last winter, local angler Eric Bowden mentioned they fished Craig’s several times and had several 13(Downeast Region continued on page 53)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 51

Will Hardwater Anglers Face Uncertain Ice Conditions?

If The Weather Channel’s long-range forecast for winter 2021 is true, ice fishing may need to wait past January 1st for safer ice conditions.

The prediction for this winter has average- to above-average temperatures in store for Maine. Recent winters have seen warmer-than-usual temperatures, and this year does not look to stand as the exception.

As always, larger lakes and great ponds tend to remain ice-free longer, while some smaller ponds already see safe ice conditions.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though.

Consider this – the first two weeks of ice fishing see the highest number of trout and salmon being taken, while the rest of the winter experiences slower-paced action.

Early season fishing sees hungry trout and salmon. Later on, the urge to bite diminishes somewhat. This doesn’t include togue, though, since some of the winter’s best togue fishing happens in March.

So if we can’t get on the ice on our favorite trout or salmon lake, all those fish will still be there when ice finally does build to a safe thickness. That means that the bulk of the season will see better fishing than usual. It’s really just a matter of mathematics. A finite number of

Ice may not be thick enough for fishing on January 1st, at least on the larger waters. But Tom sees a silver lining in that possibility – more fish available later in the season!

According to folklore, the long red midsection on this woolly bear caterpillar means we’ll experience a shorter winter. Tom Seymour photo

available fish, instead of being available over a long stretch of time, will become available over a shorter time, spreading good action to a time when things traditionally begin to slow down.

Bigger Fish Most waters open to ice fishing see some stocking, either of different species of trout or, at a minimum, salmon. Most salmon waters are also stocked with brook trout. The largest fish of both species can come to the bait any time. Truly large trout and salmon have their own calendars, and as such are unpredictable.

This isn’t to say that trophy salmonids don’t respond well during the early

season, because they do. But such fish have different habits than smaller fish, and those habits are hard to decipher. Were it not that way, more people would catch more trophy fish.

For most of us, it’s always a surprise when a whopper takes hold of the line. This can happen at any time. And it is that unpredictability that makes trophy trout and salmon so desirable.

To sum up the outlook for the upcoming season, just remember that no matter when safe ice forms, the fish will be there and fishing will be good. In the meantime, Midcoast anglers have other options to satisfy their desire to take fish ear-

ly on.

Panfish Time While it’s true that salmonids bite better in the early season, the same holds true for panfish. For the most part, our two main panfish types, white perch and black crappie, bite best both early and late in the season.

The beauty part of early season ice fishing for panfish lies in the ease of cutting holes through only 4 or 5 inches of ice. Power augers aren’t necessary for this, and it takes only moments to hand-crank a manually powered auger through ice less than 5 inches thick. And that’s a big deal, since when fishing for panfish, it often becomes necessary to move

around a lot, prospecting for a place where fish have congregated.

This year may require even more prospecting, since low water going into winter has left many of the usual prime panfish hotspots high and dry.

Nonetheless, here are a few thoughts that should help to locate schools of perch and crappie. White perch seek deep water early on. Of course in ponds where depths barely go down to 20 feet, fish can be anywhere.

Otherwise, seek at least 50 feet of water, and there you should find schools of hungry white perch. I seldom resort to bait for perch or crappie, since jigging takes as many fish as bait and jigging removes the burden of lugging a bait bucket and traps.

For crappie, look to the 20-foot depth, more or less, and you should eventually locate fish. Use any panfish jig and fish should respond. My pal Jason Seiders uses white marabou jigs, and his catch rate beats most others. I usually stick to Crappie Magnets, simply because they are readily available.

But white marabou jigs are on my to-buy list.

Panfish Waters The Midcoast region abounds in panfish waters, so I will share a few of my fa(Midcoast Report continued on page 53) www.MaineSportsman.com

52 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

2020 Striper Spawn a Mixed Bag Each year, the states of Maryland and Virginia conduct what’s known as the Young of the Year Survey, or YOY. The YOY tracks the annual reproductive success of striped bass (along with other species) in Chesapeake Bay, where 90% of the stripers we catch here in Maine come from. The survey provides a look at long-term trends in the striped bass population.

Researchers use hand-hauled 100-foot seine nets to sample multiple sites in the bay and the watersheds that feed it.

The number of juvenile young-of-the year stripers that are collected at each site are averaged out, which provide the index number.

The 2020 results are in. Unfortunately, Maryland’s YOY index was 2.5, well below the average of 11.5, and even lower than last year’s poor 3.4. Samples were taken from

Maine’s stripers originate in Chesapeake Bay, so we pay attention when states along the bay’s coastline count fish. A Maryland survey says the population of juvenile striped bass is down, while Virginia says the numbers have significantly increased. Bottom line for Maine anglers? Striper populations should remain stable for several years.

Crew members seine for juvenile striped bass in Virginia’s Rappahannock River.

22 sites along major spawning areas in the Choptank, Nanticoke and Potomac Rivers and in the Upper Bay. However, Maryland’s Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) points out that variable reproduction is often influenced by environmental factors, and that other species sampled at the same time, including river herring, shad, and yel-

low and white perch, also showed significant declines in the 2020 index. The 2017 and 2018 indexes, on the other hand, were above average.

“We have implemented sound conservation measures to enhance the striped bass population in recent years, and we will continue to monitor and protect this important species,” said Bill Anderson, the DNR’s assistant secretary for Aquatic Resources.

Virginia Fares Better Virginia’s 2020 striper YOY index, however, showed a significant increase, 13.89 as compared to 9.54 in 2019. The state’s historical average is 7.77, and YOY indexes exceeding the average have happened for the past

www.MaineSportsman.com

eight years running.

The sampling is based on seine hauls in 19 sites in the James, York, and Rappahannock River watersheds, although due to Covid-19 and Tropical Storm Isaias, several of the sites were not sampled.

According to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), other studies have shown that the Chesapeake’s striped bass population has remained fairly stable, and that the pattern of below average YOY surveys in Maryland, and above average surveys in Virginia, have been seen in 2013, 2016, and 2019. And, according to VIMS, strong year classes can mitigate the impact of less productive years.

What does this mean for Maine striper fishermen? The

results of the 2020 spawning in the Chesapeake probably won’t be detected here for another three or four years or so when the fish reach catchable size, but I don’t anticipate any significant issues. There’s lots of little ones out there.

It’s Rod Refurbishing Season!

This is the time of year when I look over my fishing rods to see if any need repair or a little sprucing up.

Most of the time I only need to coat a guide wrapping here and there that has started peeling, or has become chipped.

I’ve tried all sorts of varnishes and coatings in the past, with OK but less-than-stellar results. So last winter I purchased a 2-ounce “Super Kit” put out by a company called Flex Coat, designed expressly for coating guide windings. It consists of a one-ounce bottle each of resin and hardener, two syringes, five finishing brushes, five mixing cups, and five mixing sticks. That’s basically all you need, plus perhaps some lacquer thinner for cleaning the brushes.

Complete, clear step-by-step instructions are included. Basically you warm the bottles of resin and hardener to around 80 degrees with a hair dryer or by immersing (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 53 (Continued from page 52)

the bottles in hot tap water. Then use the syringes to pull out the amount you need from each bottle (5050 ratio) and squirt it into a mixing cup. Stir slowly for a couple of minutes until perfectly clear, then pour onto a paper plate lined with tin foil, which helps disperse any remaining bubbles.

Dip the brush in the resin, and slowly rotate the rod as you apply it over the windings. When done you’ll need to continue to rotate the rod a quarter-turn every ten minutes or so for 2 hours, so that the resin dries evenly and doesn’t sag.

If everything’s

Maryland DNR scientists examine juvenile striped bass for the annual survey before carefully releasing them back into the water. Photo courtesy MD/DNR

done right, your guide wrappings will be covered with a crystal clear, glossy, and hard-as-nails coating that should last for years.

The Flex-Coat kit can be purchased at many sporting goods and tackle shops for about $18. If you can’t find it you can order

Downeast Region (Continued from page 50)

to 16- inch brookies on each trip. The fat-bellied, brightly speckled trout he caught weighed approximately 1 pound each. Worms and small lures such as the Swedish Pimple are often more successful than live bait, when targeting brookies.

Winter anglers occasionally take salmon over 4 pounds. The most productive salmon areas on this pond are on the southwestern part of the shoreline, where ledges and shallow water provide excellent habitat. Another bonus on this water is that hard-water anglers can catch their bait (smelts) for salmon here prior to fishing the pond, or may jig one line for bait and set the other for salmon.

This water is restricted to a twotrap limit. Although it is unlawful to catch-and-keep togue from this pond, those caught and released often exceed

Midcoast Report (Continued from page 51)

vorites. One, which has appeared in the news a lot, is the Lower Reservoir in Belfast, just off Route 1 not far from the Northport line. A proposed salmon farm on the riparian section will not affect the reservoir, so fishing won’t get

it from Mud Hole Rod Building & Tackle Crafting in FL at www. mudhole.com. There’s also an excellent video on the process on Flex Coat’s web site, www. flexcoat.com.

Get those rods ready to go! Only four more months ‘til saltwater season!

¶

Maryland’s 2020 striped bass YOY survey index was extremely low at 2.5, but will likely be offset by higher-than-average indexes in 2017 and 2018.

Graph courtesy MD/DNR

Flex Coat’s 2-Ounce Super Kit has everything you need to apply a professional-looking, glossy finish over your cracked or peeling rod guide windings.

5 pounds.

Folks can access Craig Pond at the landing near the west end of the pond where there is ample parking for vehicles and snowmobile trailers. To drive to the landing, take a right off the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery Road.

Follow this road for approximately ½ mile to the pond.

Another top choice for brook-trout seekers is Echo Lake (Map16, B-2).

Trout anglers experience success by cutting holes on the west side of the lake. Water depths from five to 10 feet create ideal habitat for winter-feeding trout. State hatchery trucks dropped off 300 13-inch brookies in the fall of 2020. Trout caught from this water are often in the 12- to 14-inch range, 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, trout must be 12 inches, and no more than one trout can exceed 14 inches.

Coastal Ducks Diehard duck gunners can continue their season in January by placing decoys on the coastal waters of Penobscot Bay, where long-tailed ducks, eiders and coots provide hunters good shooting prospects.

Another place to find a few ducks is near Steven’s Bridge in Blue Hill. This bridge spans a reversing tidal flow. A camouflaged boat-blind is the easiest and safest way to hunt this piece of water. Sea ducks fly from one side of the bridge to the other throughout the day, depending on the tide and prevailing weather conditions. See Map 15 C-5.

A second excellent place where I have set up shore blinds in the past is found on Carleton Island on the adjacent Salt Pond, which can be accessed by traveling Route 172. A short paddle will get you to the island. Ducks pass by this island frequently during the early dawn hours or during foggy mornings.

compromised.

Once, white perch were king in this reservoir, but they have entirely disappeared, probably because they were out-competed for food by illegally introduced black crappies. Crappies, then, are the main quarry here.

My favorite white perch water, Megunticook Lake, sees schools of 10-

inch white perch heading for the 50foot depth mark in January. Here, bait isn’t necessary, since jigs do so well. In water this deep, I prefer the heavier Swedish Pimple jigs.

Find Lower Reservoir on the DeLorme Atlas, Map 14, B-5 and see Megunticook Lake on Map 14, C-3, D-3.

¶

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

54 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Pike Fishing Primer Lakes in Central Maine that consistently produce trophy-sized northern pike include Great Pond, Messalonskee Lake, Long Pond, North Pond and Annabessacook Lake.

Ask most northern pike enthusiasts about ice fishing, and you will hear a lot of stories about catching them early and late in the hard-water season. This is because both during early ice (December) and in the spring (late February), northern pike can be found searching for food in fairly shallow water, clustered around weed beds and the mouths of tributaries. By January, however, pike have moved out of the shallows and into deeper water in their pursuit of food.

This migration makes the job of finding pike much more difficult.

Location, Location, Location In central Maine, finding a lake containing pike is becoming an increasingly easier task. This is bad news to angling traditionalists, but good news to those who simply like to catch monstrous sized fish.

When in pursuit of pike, it is important to note that not all central Maine lakes are created equal. Some lakes produce larger pike than others.

Lakes in central Maine that consistently produce trophy sized pike include Great Pond, (DeLorme’s www.MaineSportsman.com

The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 20, E-4) Messalonskee Lake, (Map 21, E-1) Long Pond, (Map 20, E-4) North Pond, (Map 20, D-4) and Annabessacook Lake (Map 12,C-3).

No matter what time of year, pike are ambush feeders. Even though pike may have departed from their classic shallow water territories, they still congregate around deep water structures, like rock piles or drop offs, where they wait for unsuspecting prey.

Study lake maps to find shelves, corners or dips that interrupt these drop offs, as they provide places for pike to hide as they wait for bait fish to swim along these break lines.

Pike Fishing Long Pond Of the lakes and ponds mentioned above, my favorite is Messalonskee Lake.

My second favorite is Long Pond in Belgrade.

What I particularly like about ice fishing Long Pond is that good fishing can typically be found in close proximity to the well-maintained and plowed public boat landing off the Castle Island Road.

Being able to sim-

ply walk out on the ice and start drilling holes is much easier than having to load and unload snow machines or ATVs and trek miles down lake.

Being able to fish close to the landing, makes the day much more enjoyable, especially if inclement weather is a possibility or kids are involved. Close proximity to the landing allows people a chance to warm up or, if necessary, pack up and head out in a hurry.

One caution about fishing around the boat landing is that a strong current runs between the two sections of the lake, making the ice offshore dangerously thin in certain spots. Anglers should use caution by drilling holes, testing ice thickness and not venturing into areas that have not been verified as safe.

Depending on how well they are equipped or how physically motivated, ice fishermen can choose to break from the crowds at the boat landing and fish around Green Island.

(Green is the first large island located directly south of the boat landing.) Not only is the fishing good, but the island also offers protection from the biting winds that ham-

The Eskimo Eskape features insulated walls, interior seats, an aluminum frame, and plenty of room for two ice anglers and their gear. Photo: Eskimo Ice Gear Co.

mer this north/south positioned lake.

Ice Shack Review Call me old, but on those bitter cold days ice fishing when the winds are howling, I simply don’t enjoy being out in the open anymore. There used to be a time in my younger days when I would stand out in the wintery elements and fish from dawn to dusk without even needing shelter or fire.

No more. Nowadays, I prefer to be comfortable, and that means having a place to get out of the wind and the cold.

Fortunately, companies like Eskimo, Clam and Shappell all have exceptional portable ice shacks to provide angling comfort in almost any weather conditions.

All of the models listed below are built into

plastic sleds and have “flip” designs. This allows the ice shack to be hauled to a location and deployed by simply pulling the material out of the sled and flipping over the sled.

No, complicated setup or poles to assemble.

Everything can be setup and packed down in seconds, allowing for exceptionally easy deployment.

Clam Nanook XL Thermal The Nanook ($549.99) is manufactured by ice fishing company Clam Outdoors, which began making quality ice fishing equipment over 30 years ago.

Clam has been my goto for portable ice fishing shacks, since I purchased my first “Clam” 15 years ago.

Exploring possibil(Central Maine continued on page 57)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 55

Trapping Incident Part of Warden’s Early Education We all believe we are good judges of human character. For a young game warden, determining whether or not his first impressions were correct provided an important life’s lesson.

Some of my experiences as a member of the Maine Warden Service are easy to write about. Others, such as this one, are difficult.

It has taken me almost fifty years to tell this story. ***** I was a “fresh out of the box” game warden, only 22 years old and recently home from Vietnam, when I happened across a husband and wife fishing on a brook in Township C Range 2, Aroostook County. I took an immediate liking to them, and they graciously invited me to their nearby camp for coffee.

Inside the camp, a photo caught my eye.

It was of a young man dressed in an Army uniform. The photo looked like it had been taken in Vietnam.

I inquired about the photograph, and my new friend told me it was of their son in Vietnam. I quickly replied that I had also served with the Army in Vietnam.

The father picked up the photo, and said, “He was killed in Vietnam,” and then began to cry. He explained the son had been their only child.

I was at a loss for words, as I had nev-

er before met parents who had to deal with this grim reality. In retrospect, at that time in my life I was trying to put that all behind me, and just thinking of how lucky I was.

As I got up to leave, the couple invited me to stop whenever they were at their camp, so during the next year I stopped several times.

They always offered coffee and some sort of pastry, which I never refused. I began to consider them personal friends.

Trapping Complaint Received Around suppertime on December 13, 1971, I received a complaint through Warden Charles Merrill. A beaver trapper claimed someone had taken a beaver out of one of his traps in TCR2. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, and Warden Merrill thought I should be able to figure the situation out.

He also told me that the complaining trapper said there was one other person trapping on the same beaver flowage.

Since beaver trappers write their name on the wooden poles that go down through the ice and attach to their

trap, I inquired about who the other trapper was. I was surprised to learn it was my friend, the father of the soldier killed in Viet Nam. Scene of the Violation At first light on the morning of December 14th, I struck out for Harvey Siding, at the end of the West Road in Monticello. There, I un-loaded my 12.3 horsepower Ski-Doo, and proceeded north up along the North Branch of the Meduxnekeag River, into TCR2.

About five miles in, I picked up some snowmobile tracks that led to the flowage in question. Once there, I could discern in the snow where a beaver had been pulled up onto the ice and removed from a trap.

Elsewhere on the flowage, I observed two more traps, each bearing the name of my now-suspect camp owner.

Snowmobile Tracks Tell the Story I followed the suspect’s snowmobile track from that flowage to another one, located in TDR2. That area was closed to beaver trapping, but there I found my friend had set three traps on the

From the impressions in the snow, the author was able to confirm that an unauthorized person had removed a beaver from the complainant’s trap before lowering the trap back under the ice.

flowage. I removed those traps, then continued to follow the snowmobile track, which led directly to my friend’s camp. The camp was empty, and impressions on the snow indicated the inhabitants had departed the previous day.

I returned home, astonished and disappointed at what I had discovered. I was not looking forward to confronting the couple who had befriended me and shared with me their personal grief. I also was aware of how the trapping community viewed anyone who violated the time-honored practice of never disturbing another man’s trap. The information would spread quickly; the shame and embarrassment would do much worse than any penalty adjudicated by the courts.

Visit to the Suspect’s House I called Warden Merrill, and gave him the rundown on what I had found. Warden

Merrill had much more experience than me, and I greatly valued his opinion. I told him I had some anxiety about going to see the suspect. He graciously offered to accompany me, and I accepted his offer.

That evening I met up with Warden Merrill, and we drove to the suspect’s residence. We were invited inside.

As we entered the kitchen of the classic farmhouse, it became clear the couple knew why we had come. The man’s wife was very upset. She immediately retreated to another room, closing the door behind her.

Before Warden Merrill and I began to speak, the suspect told us how sorry he was for what he had done, and how he did not know what had come over him. He was clearly distressed, remorseful and ashamed. We listened to his description of the events, (True Tales continued on page 57) www.MaineSportsman.com

56 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

How – and Why – to Become a Maine Trapper Becoming a trapper means a lot more than just capturing animals; it is one of the best ways you can develop an intimate understanding of and involvement with nature. Currently, there are fewer than 300,000 licensed trappers in North America.

For most, trapping is a way to become deeply involved in gaining an in-depth knowledge of the animals around them. It is a way to maintain a wilderness heritage and to some a way to supplement their income.

If you are interested in becoming a trapper, the first step is to take a training course to learn about modern trapping methods and the newest humane trapping systems.

Only after successfully completing the trapper safety course will you be able to purchase a trapping license.

In Maine, all trapping licenses are issued at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) in Augusta.

They are not available locally or online (as of

Legal, ethical trapping plays an important role in balancing wildlife populations that are askew because of mankind’s impact on the environment. To learn trapping, young and new trappers should find a mentor. If you can’t locate a mentor in your area, Maine Trappers Association will help you find one. yet). This means you must go to Augusta to purchase your first license and your annual renewal licenses.

Trapping licenses are valid from July 1st to June 30 of the following year. Boys and girls ages 10 to 16 must have a Junior Trappers License. Under 10 years of age, there is no license required.

Landowners and their immediate family members are not required to hold a license if trapping on their own land.

There are other restrictions and regulations that apply to trapping licensing, so one should check the Summary of Maine Trapping Laws booklet to ensure compliance.

For information about trapper safety training courses in your area, contact IF&W’s Recreational Safety Division at (207) 287-5220 or on

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their website, http:// www.maine.gov/ifw/ education/safety/trap. htm.

Gaining Knowledge Trapping is a lifelong learning process.

The safety course required to get a license only presents a few basic methods of harvesting several specific animals.

One way to get good information to start you out on trapping the various species of fur bearers is to attend one of several annual events where trapping lectures and demonstrations are presented. These include everything from taking weasels to bears.

In Maine, the two big events are Neal Olson’s Trappers Weekend held in August in East Bethel, Maine.

The other is the Maine Trappers Association (MTA) Rendezvous, held at the Windsor

Fair Grounds in September.

There are other trapper events periodically that have demonstrations; these may be found by checking on the MTA website www.mainetrappers. com or the Maine Trappers Associations Facebook page.

Another way to get started is by having an experienced trapper as a mentor. The best mentors are family members or trusted family friends.

If neither of these options is possible for you, the MTA will try to help you find a mentor in your area.

You should contact the MTA Educational Director Marvin McBreairty by email at mjmt7r11@gmail.com, or by text or phone (207) 974-9335.

The Conservation Role of Today’s Trapper We humans have

changed nature in many ways as we have evolved.

We have drastically reduced wilderness areas and eliminated many apex predators.

Because of this we can no longer simply “let nature take its own course.”

All of us have a responsibility to help wildlife populations stay in balance with the remaining habitat.

In today’s world, conservation means “wise use,” not “no use.”

Regulated trapping plays an important role in maintaining healthy, abundant wildlife for future generations. Trapping today is one of the most important methods of wildlife management.

Trappers help in keeping populations balanced and safe through regulated trapping.

No Impact on Endangered Species The furbearers utilized in today’s fur trade are abundant.

Strict national and international laws forbid the capture or trade of threatened or endangered species.

In fact, the mod(Continued on next page)

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Yesterday’s trapper. Source: FrenchTrapper.com (Continued from page 56)

ern, well-regulated international fur trade is an excellent example of the “sustainable use of a renewable natural resources.” This is promoted as such by the International Union for Conservation of

Nature, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, and the UN Environment Program, as one of their main principles of environmental conservation.

Trappers are frequently employed by state, provincial, federal and national

Central Maine (Continued from page 54)

ities for a new ice fishing shack for last year’s hardwater season, it’s no surprise that I settled on purchasing the Nanook. With plenty of room for two anglers, heater unit, fish finder and gear, the unit has plenty of room, and with the thermal cover, much less money has to be expended every outing on propane.

Eskimo Eskape 2600 The Eskape 2600 ($769.25) is pricy; however, this model has plenty of room for two ice fishermen. The entire shack in surrounded by a quilted material to

True Tales from the Warden Service (Continued from page 55)

wrote a couple of summonses, seized the illegal beaver, and departed.

Today’s trapper. Dave Miller photo

wildlife agencies. The use of modern trapping methods of live capture utilizing foothold traps, relaxing snares and box traps allows various species to be studied and scientifically tested for a multitude of reasons, including helping

threatened and endangered species.

Another purpose of trapping specific species is to capture them for release in other geographical areas or to limit or control populations of species causing environmental damage. See, for

make heating much more efficient than previous models. The shack comes with two comfortable seats and square aluminum tubing as a support structure, creating a super lightweight and rigid structure to withstand wind.

Shappell FX200 The FX200 ($439.49) is a shack built for two anglers, but without the quilted material covering as on the Nanook, Eskape and XL. The FX200 instead has a more traditional single layer covering, which is effective at keeping out rain, snow, sleet and wind, but lacking the thermal properties of the other two shacks. This means that on bitter cold days, the shack won’t retain heat as Never Saw Them Again I didn’t attend court in Presque Isle the day of his arraignment. I never stopped at their camp again, and I never saw or spoke to them ever again. Not that it was by design, but I think it was in everyone’s best interests, and a way

example, my article in the March 2020 edition of The Maine Sportsman about protection of Maine’s coastal threatened and endangered sea birds by trapping predators.

¶

well as the other two models. For the ice angler who doesn’t mind spending a little more on fuel, this model is a good choice.

Clam XL Thermal The XL Thermal is similar in design and concept to the other three models listed above, but is sized for only one person. Like the Nanook and Eskape, the XL also comes with a quilted material covering and a comfortable seat.

For those who primarily plan to fish alone, the $494.95 price tag is slightly more reasonable than the Nanook and Eskape.

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to avoid an uncomfortable experience for all concerned.

I guess avoiding them was the easy way out, but I’ve never been happy with that.

¶

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58 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

The New Year Begins on Ice While anglers patiently wait for the largest lakes in the state to freeze solid enough for ice fishing, smaller local ponds provide viable alternatives.

The author gives us a tour of the waters in the Sebago-to-Auburn region that will produce fast action early in the hard-water season.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to put one year behind me and hang that new calendar on the kitchen cupboard!

With the first month of the new year upon us, it’s time to get outside and celebrate a new beginning. Our big lakes may not be ready for us, but there are myriad smaller ponds that freeze early, are stocked late in the fall and provide some great angling action. Let’s take a tour of them right now.

Sebago Region I’ll patiently wait for the ice on Sebago Lake to freeze to a safe thickness before starting to do my hard-water angling on the Big Lake, but there are a good number of smaller ponds in the region that freeze up quickly for those dying to wet a line and set up a trap.

Perhaps the best known and most heavily stocked are the Otter Ponds (DeLorme Atlas, Map 4, D-1) in nearby Standish.

These ponds are small, shallow, easy to walk onto and are stocked with brook trout in spring and fall. In fact, just this past fall, more than a thousand www.MaineSportsman.com

brookies were stocked in the Otter Ponds.

Each fall some broodsize fish are stocked, and this past stocking season was no exception. 10- 16-inchers were stocked in Otter Pond #4. Those are some fat brookies!

Bring your traps and try a glob of worms in the shallows.

Anglers also report having good luck with Berkley trout bait.

These are stocked fish, so they are looking for anything that resembles fish food and puts off a scent. I bet that a soft morsel of dog food would catch an Otter Pond brookie.

Another early freezer is Parker Pond in Casco (Map 5, A-1).

Parker Pond is just below Pleasant Lake alongside Route 121.

This shallow pond is no deeper than 19 feet, and holds largemouth bass and white perch.

It is also stocked with brook trout. I have heard of anglers catching a salmon that migrated from the connected Pleasant Lake, but I’d say that was a rare occurrence.

Ingalls Pond (Map 4, B-4) in Bridgton, at the base of Bald Pate Mountain, is not stocked with trout

but is a good pond to bring youngsters intent on catching anything. With resident bass, pickerel and yellow perch, Ingalls has plenty of variety to keep a fidgety youngster engaged. With a maximum depth of 28 feet, Ingalls freezes early, too.

Auburn Region Pike anglers can’t wait to get on Sabattus Pond (Map 12, E-1). My old college roommate, George Belmont, makes the drive from central Maine to maintain a shack on Sabattus Pond in order to get after the pike. And this is a guy who has a family camp on Moosehead Lake!

So while he waits for Moosehead to freeze and salmon to open up, he stays busy on Sabattus Pond.

Being located so close to the Lewiston/ Auburn region, Sabattus Pond gets busy, and I’d say it receives the most social media postings of any body of water in the state.

Unfortunately, there is always an overly-confident soul who decides to test the ice with their truck, and loses. The Facebook pundits really come out for those events.

Adam Farrington of Poland shows off a gorgeous Range Pond rainbow while fishing with Rene Lavoie of Lewiston. Photo by Tom Roth

Despite the sometimes crowded state of the parking lot, Sabattus continues to produce big and numerous pike, the results of an illegal stocking.

Perhaps the most popular early season haunt in this region is the Range (rhymes with “sang”) Pond chain in Poland (Map 5, A-3). These ponds receive ridiculous numbers of brook, rainbow and brown trout from the stocking trucks, and they produce some nice fish. Consisting of Upper, Middle and Lower Range Ponds, the chain is usually safe for a New Year’s ice angling outing.

My good friend Adam Farrington of Poland lives on Upper Range Pond and always has a shack out there and a large crew of angling buddies and kids. You will

undoubtedly see a few dogs, and Adam will even bring one of his hawks on the water to demonstrate their skills (and his). Brookies, brown trout and rainbow thrive here and many hold over and grow big. Small shiners, worms and bait balls all produce on the Range Pond chain. Small jigs also work well on holdover fish.

January heralds the start of a New Year and sees many of us on the ice for the first time. Exercise caution early in the season, as you may only have a few inches of good ice below you. These spots typically freeze up first and provide anxious anglers a crack at the winter fun. Now that’s how I want to ring in this New Year!

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 59

Hunting on Hallowed Ground, and Other Outdoor Adventures The author considers it an honor and privilege to be able to hunt the same woods in Shapleigh that his Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather, James Patch, hunted in the 1700s.

“I wonder where this old path leads,” I whispered to myself.

A few hundred yards farther. I stepped into a small clearing. In the shadows was one of the most interesting old grave sites I’ve ever seen. I stood there reading the gray-slate plaque with hand chipped words –a sure sign of a very old historical site.

The plaque read: Edmund Coffin 1708 – 1789 and his wife Sarah. Married in 1732.

Only these two graves were at the site. Think about it – Mr. Coffin and Sarah lived through the French and Indian and the Revolutionary Wars. Oh, the stories they could tell!

Back to the Hunt This happened in November during firearms season here in southern Maine. Sunshine filtered through the trees and cast a ray of light onto the plaque. I clicked a photo and sat there for a while before continuing down the faint trail with my .308 bolt-action cradled in my arm.

I found this grave site in Shapleigh, and hunted there for the rest of the season – not just because of acorns and deer sign, but for

other reasons as well.

I had made a mock scrape earlier and placed a trail camera there – one day after, results were one mature buck and a skinny doe, but the area was littered with deer sign.

I had more promising areas to hunt, but was always drawn to this site.

Why was I drawn to this area in Shapleigh? My 5th great grandfather, James Patch, and his family farmed and hunted this same location, so I’m walking in their footsteps while hunting there. Not everyone has ancestral roots as deep as mine here in Shapleigh, and they aren’t as interested in the ground they hunt and fish as I am. For them there’s plenty to do here in southern Maine.

Lots to Do in January January in Maine can be cold and snowy, and there’s Covid-19 to contend with. The safest way to spend time with your family is doing outdoor activities – ice fishing, shed antler hunting and hare hunting, as well as hunting coyote, fox and bobcat.

Hiking or snowshoeing into remote forests and then scout-

ing or looking for shed antlers combined with a campfire and hot coffee with snacks is a great time for the family. You must obtain landowner permission to start fires on their lands. Most WMAs (Wildlife Management Areas) in southern Maine do not allow any fires but will grant permission to use camp stoves – you need to call the DIF&W office and check.

Shapleigh has many lakes and ponds.

Mousam Lake remains one of the best ice fishing waters in the area, and it also has historic significant for me. My 4th great grandfather, Henry Patch ,was a poet, and while fighting in the Civil War as a solder in the 1st Maine Calvary, he wrote these words: Lonely here, lonely here See the cold waves shiver Oh I wish I were back On the north of Mousam River.”

I still live on the north side of the Mousam and hunt and fish there so I’m part of the land or at least I feel that way. And that’s why I’m attracted to these old historic sites. I would rather hunt near them then other areas where I’d

The Coffin grave site in Shapleigh cast a spell on the author, because of the deep historic and family roots it represents. Mr. Coffin and Val Marquez’s ancestors worked, farmed, fished and deer hunted together in the 1700s. Val Marquez photo

stand a better chance to kill a deer. Younger folks don’t understand – during sage years you look at things differently.

Fishing, Too! My Mousam River is open to open-water fishing this month, in northern sections to the sea. Also, the southern section, tidal waters, have sea run brown trout, and a few stripers are caught this month. These are mostly smaller stripers, so fly fishing with streamers or spinning gear with flashy silver lures will suffice.

Ice fishing for warm water fish is also a good family pastime this month. All waters in the region have crappie, perch and bass that will keep kids and adults busy.

Again, cook stoves and hot coffee are needed.

So this month isn’t just about fishing and hunting – it can be a great time to research and locate historic landmarks deep in snow-covered forests.

However, for those not interested in the old days, their go-to outing can be cross-country skiing. This region has some farms that maintain excellent trail networks – for example, check out Harris Farm in Dayton, (207) 710-1540.

More adventurous folks can consider winter camping; for training purposes, just plan day trips into the snow-covered forests.

Check out the many WMAs in the area; they are open to the public and offer hiking trails and campsites.

The pandemic can cause acute cabin fever; more than ever, folks need to head to the outdoors and pursue the many opportunities available. I will be winter scouting for deer and looking for historic landmarks.

January can be an exciting time for outdoor folks, if they venture outdoors with open minds.

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60 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Where Have All Those Stocked Trout Gone?

Many ice anglers head home after catching their one-salmon limit in deep water. Not so fast, says Tom – how about heading for the shoreline and fishing for some large carryover brook trout?

Ever wonder what happens to all those 9- to 13-inch brook trout that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) stocks in lakes and ponds throughout Maine?

The answer may surprise you.

While many of the smaller trout, usually those stocked in spring, fail to persist over the summer, some manage to survive and by the following winter, have become thoroughly acclimated and have grown both in length and girth. Some even live for several years and manage to reach lengths of 16 inches and more. These fish represent a type of underutilized resource.

One trophy salmon lake in Fisheries Management District B sees a flood of anglers in January, all fishing for salmon. Much of this activity occurs over deep holes, where salmon cruise just under the ice, searching for the errant smelt. A few baits set on bottom and perhaps one at mid-range, round out the 5-trap limit.

After catching their daily bag limit of one salmon, most anglers pack up their traps and head home.

And who can blame them? Salmon taken www.MaineSportsman.com

through the ice have a low survival rate if they are taken out of the water and allowed to flop around on the snow. Keeping the fish in the hole and removing the hook with a hemostat ups the survival rate greatly. For most people, though, catch-and-release ice fishing for salmonids has a low priority.

Cooperative Brookies How about, then, instead of heading home after killing one salmon, heading for the shoreline and fishing for carryover brook trout?

The above-mentioned salmon lake also sees regular stockings of brook trout, and many of these are able to attain desirable lengths.

I can recommend two different types of bottom where brook trout congregate in winter. First, rocky bottoms in relatively shallow water, say not over 10 feet deep. Here, trout prowl about, nosing about the rocks, looking for baitfish, aquatic insects and anything else they can devour. A lively shiner or smelt, or even an earthworm set on bottom, will take trout.

The other recommendation is at the mouth of streams, even very small ones, entering the lake. Here,

baitfish congregate and in turn, attract trout. One such place I know of has a small, spring-fed stream entering the lake, and in front of the stream the bottom turns to light-colored sand. Try lying on your stomach, shading your face and looking down into the ice hole, to see trout swimming past on the sandy bottom.

Other than that, any near-shore location can produce trout. Try setting at least one trap in very shallow water, within a scant few feet of shore. Trout frequent such places as they forage for food. It’s always a surprise to take a good-size trout from such a place, but it happens more often than most people realize.

Brown Trout The DIF&W stocks many Maine lakes with brown trout. Also, a considerable number of lakes and ponds get stocked with rainbow trout. Here are some tips for ice fishing for both these species.

Brown trout love underwater ridges.

If you fish your local brown trout water in summer, you likely are aware of these locations. Usually, any point of land that extends out into a lake or pond continues on for

This massive brook trout fell for a live smelt.

E. Emerson photo

some distance underwater. Setting a bait on or alongside such a prominence puts the angler in position to intercept any brown trout crossing the bar.

Also, brown trout love those tiny snails that inhabit our freshwater lakes. These snails prefer muddy bottoms, and brown trout congregate in these places to forage for snails. I have taken such trout and found their bellies swollen with hard lumps that upon eviscerating the fish, turned out to be thousands of little snails.

While it seems impractical to try to use these tiny snails as bait, the good news is, you don’t need to. A golden shiner or even a lightly-hooked earthworm will take these opportunistic trout.

Note that nightcrawlers take fish too, but try to avoid using half a nightcrawler, since it looks unnatural.

Instead, hook a whole nightcrawler once through the collar and let it crawl on bottom.

Also, begin with the smaller nightcrawlers rather than the biggest and longest.

Rainbow Trout If you are fortunate enough to live near a water stocked with rainbow trout, make it a point to search out shallow, sandy locations. Swimming areas, strange as it may seem, make great rainbow trout spots.

Shallow, sandy areas, such as along beaches, are ideal. In fall, rainbow trout go through their spawning activities, which are usually unsuccessful.

Make it a point to visit such places in late September. You should find them full of rainbow trout, all going through the act of spawning. Such spawning efforts rarely produce results, but the trout don’t know that. Remember, though, that those same fish that tried to spawn in these sandy areas often come back in winter to forage for food.

Don’t get put off by shallow water, either.

As little as 4 feet of water can hold trout.

So get out this winter and discover where all those stocked trout went.

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The Perfect Moose Hunt Ahhh, January! A simply lovely month.

No worrying about how much gas is in the boat. No concern about the boat trailer messing up. No thought about whether the lawn mower will start. No wondering what the kids did with the kayak paddle. No planning for the upcoming hunting trips.

Speaking of hunting trips; I thought after five decades of them I had it figured out. Boy, was I wrong!

It took 30-plus years of moose hunting trips to master the art.

You’d think that in order to experience a successful hunt, you’d need the following: A rifle capable of fell-

ing the large critter.

Lining up said rifle for accuracy before the hunt. Inviting the crew. Planning the menu. Buying the groceries. Finding a trailer. Contacting a butcher. Sharpening the knives.

Once all of this is accomplished, and after the hunt successful, then you enjoy moose steaks and burgers.

Nope. You don’t need to do any of those steps. Let me explain.

Our Tale Island Boy (I.B.) was a lucky winner of a moose permit this past October. His son, nephew Nick, was his sub-permittee.

I.B.

The new-and-improved “Moose Ridah 2,” the author’s mobile spotting tower, with passengers Nephew Nick and Island Boy.

called and ask me to join them on the hunt, as we are in the same “pandemic bubble.”

(This is a term I had no idea I would know about last year.)

Mike insisted he and Nick would pack the gear, get the groceries, plan the hunt, land a trailer, and make all other arrangements. I simply had to bring my clothes.

I was to ride atop the “Moose Ridah.”

This is a tower Island Boy and I built to ride atop a pick-up bed.

However, as opening morning arrived, nephew Nick, being a loving and caring guy, told me to drive the truck, as he would ride

up top. I explained to him he should ride shotgun, with Mike driving, so he could exit quickly when we spied a beast. He kindly relayed to me he was sure he could exit the Ridah before I even had the window down to hand him his rifle. Kind of says something about my lack of speed ….

New List for a Successful Hunt Different moose hunters will speak of all the things one has to do from start to finish on a successful moose hunt. Don’t listen to ’em. I have created a list for your next hunt.

1) Drive the truck.

2) Stop the truck when Nick sees a bull.

3) Hand Nick the rifle as he stares at you bug-eyed because he is waiting for you to move more quickly.

4) Watch him load, aim, and fire.

5) Get the trailer 6) Wave goodbye to Nick as he drives away with the moose.

7) Go pick up moose meat at Island Boy’s house.

8) Enjoy moose burgers.

Voila! No work at all!

I already can’t wait for my next moose hunt!

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Nick and Island Boy celebrate the consummate Maine moose hunt. www.MaineSportsman.com

62 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Safely Flinging Flies with a Dog on Board Once again, fishing season has come and gone and left me with a feeling that I didn’t get out enough. Check with my wife and she’ll tell you otherwise. On second thought, let’s just move right into the New Year and start making some plans for new fishing adventures.

My number one fishing priority. Figuring out how to equip my canoe so it’s comfortable for my dog.

My Canoe I’ve got a 17-foot Old Town canoe I really like, that came with molded plastic seats.

I’ve used the thing for almost twenty years, and it will be good for another twenty years.

With a comfortable seat, an electric motor to get home and maybe even outriggers for stability, a 17foot canoe should provide an ideal fishing platform for a man, and for man’s best friend.

The only thing I don’t like are the plastic seats.

I use an aftermarket padded seat with a back support, and find it super comfortable. It fits great on most other canoe seats, with a flat surface, but not on the plastic seats on my Old Town canoe. I’m going to fix that this year and turn the canoe into a real fishing machine.

After a few other aftermarket additions to the canoe, I’m going to use it for fishing on lakes and ponds that

have an easy access point. I’m done dragging that canoe back into remote waters.

The items I have decided to add to the canoe will make it even heavier and more awkward for carrying, so I’ll assign this craft to easy-access waters only.

New Rigging I have plenty of ideas for rigging this canoe, but as a fly fisherman I have to be aware that the more I add on, the greater the chance of snagging my fly line. I want to keep

it simple, but still rig it right for effectively fishing flat water ... even when there might be a wind.

I have found that I can comfortably fly fish from a canoe in a wind that stays under eight miles per hour; anything over that and it’s a struggle to cast and keep the canoe afloat.

The first thing I need is a simple anchor that drops from where I’m sitting. I usually just tie it off on my seat and it works great – when a wind

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comes up, it positions me with the back to the wind and allows better casting for me than facing into the wind.

I like to sit in the bow seat, facing the stern when I’m fishing by myself. It puts me paddling closer to the center of the canoe and helps eliminate pushing the bow left and right as I paddle.

I like to place a cooler and my small backpack in front of the thwart board, so I have a lot of leg room.

This way, I have plenty of cleared space for dropping stripped line on the floor of the canoe. I slide a net up next to the cooler with the handle facing rear for easy, one-handed access.

So, on this particular canoe, I’ll be ordering the traditional, flat, webbed seats to replace the molded plastic seats. That way, I’ll be able to attach my comfy seat the way I want it. I’m also removing the yoke to give me more leg room.

My days of carrying canoes on my shoulders are over.

I’ll also replace the worn-out and rotted thwart board. It helps stabilize the side walls, especially important with the yoke absent.

Paddle Power Assist I already own an excellent mount for a small electric motor (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 63 (Continued from page 62)

that fits directly behind me in the canoe.

It won’t get in the way in that position, avoiding snags when I strip in line. In that position is also allows me to freely cast without worrying about catching line on the motor.

I like having the option of the motor, for those times I don’t feel like paddling. I’ve often paddled too far and stayed out to long, finding myself completely washed out with a long way to go to get back to the landing ... a powerful electric motor saves the day at these times.

About the only other addition to the canoe that might make fly fishing from the craft easier would be outriggers. If they worked effectively enough to allow me to stand and cast, I will attach them. If I can mount them so that they stay

out of the way of my casting and stripping, I will use them.

All of these additions should help me stay out longer and remain more comfortable, thus allowing me more time on the water. Spending time on the water is the best education an angler can get ... I want and need as much as possible.

Dog-Friendly?

Now all I have to do is figure out where my dog is going to sit.

The two-year-old Vizsla, Ginger, has learned to stay “somewhat” still in a canoe or kayak.

At one point last summer she actually fell asleep in the boat – I just need to rig it so she has a safe and comfy place to sleep while I am flinging flies around.

¶

It might not look like it, but the author’s two-year-old Vizsla, Ginger, is ready for the 2021 fishing season. Nancy Carpenter photo

Eleven-year-old Sheydon Stitham earned his 2020 Grand Slam with a 175-lb. black bear in August, a pair of wild turkeys in early September, a 714-lb. bull moose later that month, and a whitetail deer on November 5. Sheydon was accompanied by his father, Sheldon, and carried his grandfather’s .308 when hunting the big game. Congratulations, Sheydon!

17-year old Noah Miles of Hermon earned his Biggest Bucks patch on November 14, 2020 when he dropped this monster 221-lb., 11-point buck with his 30-’06. www.MaineSportsman.com

64 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Crappie Fish Chowder, and Bacon Maple Cornbread Both of this month’s recipes use bacon. Do you ever get cravings for bacon? Who doesn’t?

I discovered North Country Smoked Bacon a few years ago and when I see a package, I grab it. I haven’t found another

brand that I like any better. I would be indebted to you readers if anyone can recommend your favorite brand of great, smokey bacon. I’ll publish you and the bacon if I like it!

Follow up: I sent lots of Mexican

Oregano out for last month’s recipes.

Can’t wait to hear back after everyone has tried it. Thanks for all the readers’ interest!

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

Maine Crappie Fish Chowder

Crappie are in the sunfish family. These small fish have firm white meat with some sweetness to it. When the fillets break up in this chowder, it adds a subtleness with the sweet milk. The first time I tasted crappie was team cooking with Joe Saltalamachia at the Unity College Wild Game Dinner. What a fun event, and George Smith gave our menu rave reviews, two years in a row!

Ingredients: • ½ pound bacon, cooked and chopped • 1 cup red onion, finely diced* • 4 cups fish stock** • 6 russet potatoes, cut in bite sized chunks • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or dried)*** • 1 tablespoon pepper • 1 teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 ½ pounds crappie fillets, chopped • 2 tablespoons butter • ¼ cup flour • 1 cup milk • 4 tablespoons sweet condensed milk Directions: Sauté bacon in large stockpot until cooked.

Remove bacon, chop and reserve. Leave 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in pot. Add onions and slowly cook until translucent. Add fish stock, potatoes, salt and pepper. Lower heat and cook potato until tender, about 15 minutes. Add fish

and cook 5 minutes. Melt butter, stir in flour and mix into chowder. Add milk and simmer low for one hour to develop flavor. Garnish with bacon bits. *I used red onion because after it is cooked in this chowder, the color is blue greenish, and you know I like color in my food. And its natural. **I make my own fish stock out of halibut bones, as I am not a clam fan. Or I buy these fish stock tea bags at most Asian Markets, or online. These bags typically have dried tuna, kelp and mackerel and make a delicious stock. ***Use half the amount of dried herb if you don’t have fresh.

Bacon Maple Cornbread Thyme is such a versatile herb.

Did you know there are more than 300 different thyme varieties in the mint family? While I grow three different varieties, my favorite is French Narrow Leaf Thyme, with its longer leaf and stronger smell.

Ingredients: • 2 teaspoons Sweet Butter Olive Oil (or vegetable oil) • ½ pound bacon, cooked and crumbled • 1 tablespoon reserved bacon drippings • 1 ½ cups stone-ground cornmeal • ¾ cup gluten free flour (Bob’s One to One) • 1 teaspoon dried thyme www.MaineSportsman.com

• • • • • • •

1 teaspoon salt 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ cup canola oil 11 ¼ cups ​buttermilk ¼ cup maple syrup 2 large eggs

Directions: Combine oil and bacon drippings in heavy 12-inch cast-iron skillet.

Heat oven to 425 F. Place skillet in oven.

In large bowl combine bacon, cornmeal, flour, thyme, salt, baking powder, and soda.

In second bowl, whisk together canola oil, buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs. Combine dry and wet ingredients, stirring just until blended.

Remove hot pan from oven and place on metal rack. Pour batter into hot skillet and return to oven; bake 15 minutes. Slightly cool, and cut into wedges and lather on Kate’s Butter (from the store, not mine).

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 65

Good Guns, Friends and Flies Fill Rangeley Region The author has been missing a lot of birds, and believes his shotgun – a 20 gauge manufactured in 1913 – is at least partly to blame. So he’s having the chambers lengthened to more closely mimic modern guns, under the theory that today’s 2-3/4-inch ammo is designed for guns that also accept 3-inch shells.

Last month I mentioned tying a fly called the “Marsters’ Mayhem,” a fly created by my friend and Rangeley resident Steve Marsters. A reader wrote in and asked me about the recipe for that fly, so I’d like to include it here.

In speaking with Marsters, I discovered that I didn’t get his recipe exactly right.

But that is the beauty of this fly – you can dress it up or down without ruining its effectiveness.

Here’s the original recipe, directly from Marsters himself: • Hook: 4X-long streamer hook, sizes four to ten.

• Thread: Waxed matching color.

• Tail: Matching pair of saddle hackle or several bird feathers the same length as the hook shank.

• Body or Wing: several bunches of deer, elk, or other hollow fur tied in along the hook shank with tinsel or floating yarn wrapped between each bunch.

• Head: Bunch the body fur around the head of the shank and trim

like a caddis head.

• Throat: Synthetic fur or calf’s tail.

In my own fly tying, I’ve taken the liberty of changing a few of the materials for tying my own versions, just to feed my creative side ... I’m sure Mr. Marsters has, as well. I’m going to mix up the colors on the throat to include orange for fall fishing.

I would also try a red throat for fishing anytime of the year.

I am going to try using a Zonker (rabbit strip) for a tail, and then bucktail for the body, just to mix it up a bit. I like the way a Zonker tail moves.

Marabou tails would also work. I’m sure the Zonker will sink, especially after it gets wet enough, but I’m hoping the rest of the materials will suspend the fly a few feet under the surface.

So many variables; so little time!

After Bird Season Now that Maine’s bird season has ended and a new year has begun, it is time for me to take a long hard look at my performance in the field. First thing I need to do is reconsider my shooting ... I’ve been missing a lot of

birds.

I have plenty of excuses – I’m busy training my dog, I think my shotgun is throwing a poor pattern, my eyes are slowly failing me, my ears don’t work like they used to so I’m missing the initial sound of the birds taking off, et cetera, et cetera.

I’ve picked this subject apart and researched the heck out of it and can only say this: “I blame it on my shotgun.” Yes, the above issues also affect my shooting. but I found out some problems with shooting old shotguns like my L. C. Smith (made in 1913).

While the beautiful little shotgun feels great in my hands, and points like a charm, it wasn’t made to throw a modern 20 gauge charge of shot. The chambers are too short to handle opening the cup and dispersing the pellets evenly.

This month I have a gunsmith working on lengthening the chambers and forcing cones to help promote a more even pattern – we’ll see if my shooting improves.

Shooting Practice Most years I don’t get out and do much

While the L.C. Smith barrels are shipped out to get the chambers/forcing cone lengthened, it’s time to give the stock and forend a thorough cleaning and maintenance treatment. William Clunie photo

shooting before bird season starts. I take the first few times hunting to work out any shooting bugs, and continue to enjoy the rest of the season with moderate shooting success.

This year I’ll be doing something a little different – I want to get involved in some kind of competitive shotgun shooting, probably sporting clays. I don’t want any kind of grueling, competitive struggles – just a little friendly shooting practice to help work out any issues before the season.

I called Field and Stream’s Shotgun Field Editor, Phil Bourjaily, and asked if he knew of any shooting programs that might help improve shotgun skills. He was kind enough to keep a running email going with me about the topic and made several important suggestions.

Mr. Bourjaily told me to get into some kind of organized shooting like skeet or sporting clays. He

also had me check out a YouTube video (Gil Ash’s mounting drill) on indoor practice using a small Maglite taped to the shotgun barrels.

I will certainly take up the sporting clays suggestion. I have also practiced the Maglite trick, and find it great for teaching a smooth mounting technique.

The greatest point Bourjaily made was this statement: “The good news is, more shooting isn’t like, say, more push-ups. It’s fun.”

Having fun while practicing anything makes the success so much sweeter. This next bird season I’ll be better prepared, and I’ll report back here on all the fun times shooting sporting clays. I’ll also keep readers posted on the progress with the improvements to the old L. C. Smith shotgun.

Until then – thanks for all your correspondence, and have fun during this cold season!

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

66 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 67

Fine-Tuning Bird Dogs at Grouse Haven Wingshooting Sometimes I meet folks and can immediately sense a confidence in that person’s ability in the outdoors.

I can also usually tell if I’m going to enjoy that person’s company.

Mike Browning owns and operates an Orvis-endorsed guide service and dog training facility in Jay, Maine, called “Grouse Haven Wing-Shooting” (www.grousehavenwingshooting.com).

I visited Mr. Browning at his facility in Jay and had a great chat with him before he got down to the business of helping me with my bird dog, Ginger.

Ginger is a Vizsla (Hungarian Pointer), and she needs a few finishing touches to complete her bird hunting schooling.

At two years old, Ginger has most all commands down and really does look to please me. She just gets a little excited when she smells a bird and does a lot of crazy running. So far, I have allowed her to be a puppy and keep that excitement going. I didn’t want to, in any way at all, squelch her love and desire for birds, so I let her romp and enjoy the bird smells.

After busting plenty of birds out of range she is slowly figuring out that she needs to stay closer to me if she ever wants to actually

The author’s bird dog is still a puppy, and often acts like one – busting birds well out of range. The author sought the advice of an expert on how to train his dog to lock up immediately when she picks up a scent, and hold a solid point until her owner gives her the release.

Orvis-endorsed guide and owner of Grouse Haven Wingshooting, Michael Browning, with his gorgeous two-year-old English Setter, Ryker.

get a bird in her mouth.

I told Mr. Browning about her free spirit in the woods, and we had a good discussion about what she needs.

Around the Campfire As I approached Mr. Browning’s training facility, I noticed a great brick home at the end of a long paved road. A sign indicated, “Grouse Haven Wing-Shooting” to the

left. A two-track dirt path led me to a huge, raised wall tent with an inviting campfire out front. Nearby, I spotted Mr. Browning messing with some training birds on his four-wheeler.

The guide met me with a firm handshake, after which we had a great discussion about dog training.

Then he said, “Well, let’s see how Ginger does on these training

birds.”

Ginger went through her moves on planted birds and did just fine. One thing that Browning impressed on me was that the dog needs to learn to hold a solid point without me around. That need became evident when he heard me yell, “Whoa!” after Ginger started creeping up from her point on a planted pigeon.

She’s ranging too far and flushing birds out of shooting range, so the plan is to get Ginger to lock up immediately when she picks up the scent and wait for me to give her the release.

I told Browning I have been doing this every time I tell her “Whoa”... that I tap her on the head and give her the go-ahead to continue hunting. She also knows that when I say “Easy” she is supposed to move ahead at a super-slow rate, that the bird is close and she needs to be careful. It has worked in the field – with Ginger paying attention to the command.

Maturation Ginger will eventually learn that chasing around the woods and flushing birds out of range is NOT the way to do it. Lately, I have been giving her a lot of leeway and letting her play a little. She will mature and soon learn that she is hunting for me, not just goofing around.

Browning gave me some training tips that should help finetune Ginger’s natural pointing ability. He mentioned a few excellent tips that will possibly help bring this maturity about a little sooner.

“That’s great that you are getting Ginger on as many wild birds as possible,” said Browning. “Nothing is (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

68 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Western Maine (Continued from page 67)

better for a dog than wild birds. Let me show you something that I use routinely; it helps to get dogs comfortable at holding a point without using the ‘Whoa’ command.”

by-four-foot piece of plywood covered in indoor/outdoor carpet laid on the ground.

He walked his English Setter, Ryker, up to the board on heel and stopped when it got on the carpeted plywood platform.

The dog immediately came to a halt on the

Two Training Tools Browning showed me two items. The first was a simple two-

board as if holding a point. Browning then stroked the dog gently and spoke using reassuring and calming words.

Browning said, “You initially command the dog with “Whoa” when they get on the board, then don’t say anything and the dog will learn to stop right on the board. Then introduce birds in front of the

board ... this is the time when you talk calmly to them and let them know they are doing it correctly.”

He also mentioned, “I like to also use a heavy check cord with a young dog. That way I can control them if they want to leap forward on a flushing bird. I hold them back until I give a release command. Ginger will catch on quickly, I can

tell. She is attentive and seems to want to please.”

We made plans to hunt together in the near future, and I bade a temporary farewell to Grouse Haven Wingshooting. I think Michael Browning, Ginger, Ryker and I are in for some excellent times chasing grouse.

¶

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 69

Tag Soup: A Recipe to Enjoy Ingredients: • 3 days of 75-degree weather • 2 days of getting called into work on your day off • 4 hours of sleep per night • 2 days of hard rain • 1 aching back • 2 tablespoons of snow in your scope • 1 frozen firing pin • 5 dashes of fleeing bucks • 50 chores on your honey-do list • 1 extreme lack of fortitude • 2 missed shots • 1 warm, crackling woodstove • 100 alarm clock snoozes Directions: Mix all ingredients together, and let simmer on your mind until next November.

Warning: Tag soup is very potent and should be consumed in light portions. Year-afteryear consumption can taste bitter.

Like Grandma’s Fruitcake Tag Soup: It’s a staple of deer camp, just like fruitcake is a staple of Christmas at Grandma’s. The reception of both is equally unsavory. But tag soup doesn’t have to be bitter; it can be sweet—like a good fruitcake.

You all know the feeling – The season is nearing an end and you have not filled out your tag. As soon as the first weekend of rifle passes, it seems like everyone you

Not tagging a deer during the season isn’t the end of the world – it just feels that way sometimes. But then you remember the other wildlife seen – the moose, the fisher, the snowshoe hare and the lynx.

And you remember the great discussions around the hunting camp dinner table – about deer, sure, but also about more important things.

Feeding the friendly Canada jays right from your hand is sure to boost your mood when you’re getting pessimistic about your deer-hunting skills (Warning: sometimes they bite your fingers if they don’t like the treat!). Ethan Emerson Photo

know (and a million others you don’t) have already tagged out, it is hard not to get discouraged. And that evil thought starts ruminating: What if I don’t get one?

Initially, tag soup sucks. But like your Grandma’s dried up burnt fruitcake, it is something you just have to swallow.

Dress it up if you have to. Think of the good things that have come from it: more freezer space, less money spent on butchering and taxidermy work,

no new blood stains on the garage floor, a healthier back for not having to drag.

Real Reasons We Hunt In all seriousness, though, we have to consider the real reason why we hunt and our true enjoyments.

True outdoorsmen don’t hunt for the kill.

We hunt for the experience.

I take most of November off from work and domestic responsibilities so I can enjoy the woods and all

it has to offer. Most days, I just take my rifle for a walk and see new country. I’m probably nowhere near any good amount of deer sign—and that is okay. I see plenty of neat stuff along the way, and that makes it worthwhile.

Even if I don’t fill my tag, I’ve probably seen a bunch of deer, I might have even let a couple bucks go, to extend my fun. I definitely will have seen a bunch of moose, and probably some real good bulls – which is

always exciting. I’ll take notice of these moose and their habitat and might make return trips back to look for sheds. If I’m lucky, I might even find a shed during deer season. (I’ve found a fresh shed as early as Veterans Day before.)

Drama of Nature Beyond the deer and moose, I’m sure to see some other exciting critters along the way. Just this morning, while taking my rifle for a walk in a new area, I saw a rabbit hopping right along toward me.

I thought that perhaps there was something chasing it toward me, so I stood still and waited. Within a few seconds, a fisher came slinking along on the trail.

After they both disappeared into the softwood thicket, I continued on. Within a couple of minutes, I heard the guttural squeal of the snowshoe hare, a noise that ended abruptly. The fisher had his lunch.

Another success story that has already happened to me this season was my spotting of two lynx! I spotted a collared adult and what I presume to be an adolescent.

They were within 12 yards of me, so I slowly backed away.

More Than Just Deer Stories I enjoy the little (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

70 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

New Hampshire (Continued from page 69)

The writer takes solace in the little enjoyments, like this neat birch tree that has satiated a porcupine family’s bark-chewing obsession for several years. Notice the different age colorations on the different chewed areas on both the trunk and long root.

They are smart porcupines, careful to never fully girdle the tree and kill it.

It’s not just the little things that make your time in the woods worth it.

Sometimes it’s really really big things-like this enormous maple tree! Could it be the biggest in NH? In New England? Email me a picture if you’ve found one bigger.

things in the woods: sharing my sandwich with some fearlessly friendly Canada jays, taking notice of oddly shaped or abnormally sized trees, spotting large growths of chaga, discovering a deep hole in a small crystal clear brook, or coming upon a hidden ledge with a sunset view.

These joyous moments and memories aren’t just made in the woods, though. Some of my most cherished conversations have come around the camp kitchen table. There

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are the deer stories, of course, which are riveting. There are heated political lectures.

There are anecdotes with deep life lessons.

And there are also tender moments—when burly woodsmen open up about personal matters: health, family, faith, or others who have passed on.

It’s these experiences that make hunting season meaningful.

Tagging a deer is just a bonus. Or frosting on the fruitcake.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 71

— Guest Column —

Smartest Dog in the World

by Birney Dibble Some years ago, before I got to be an old man, I loved to hunt small game. Ducks in particular, but that’s a relatively short season compared to my second love, snowshoe rabbits, with a season that runs from late September through the end of March.

So I always had a black Lab and at least one beagle. They lived in a double kennel in the back yard. I built two houses, fully insulated with a baffle just inside the door to keep out the major causes of canine discomfort: cold wind, with snow or rain. I built a flat, shingled roof, low enough that the dogs could jump up and get off the concrete to sit or lie down when it was cold. They loved it. Even on the coldest winter days they would do just that, unless it was frankly blizzarding or rain-storming.

Faulty Design I made one mistake in the construction. The gate latches that I chose were ones that were shaped like a U and dropped down to secure the gates.

The problem was that one of my Labs, Mak, soon learned to flip the latch up with his nose until it stayed up. Then he would push open his gate and roam a bit.

This wasn’t a serious problem because he never ran off – just nosed around the property. We live in the country, the drive-

Two separate dog pen gates had been mysteriously unlatched, and all three dogs were missing.

Someone, or something, had freed the animals. The tracks in the snow revealed the truth.

way 300 feet long, and the country road itself lightly traveled, the closest neighbor half a mile away, and his dogs were also kenneled. So when we saw the dog loose, we just returned him to the kennel. Usually he wouldn’t repeat his offense for another week or two.

I had two beagles at the time, siblings, Zip and Doodah. I don’t know how smart beagles are, but the fact was that the beagles never escaped that way even after watching Mak perform his trick.

Mystery One day, I got home in the early

afternoon. It was a beautiful mid-winter day, the temperature about 25, blue sky, several inches of snow on the ground, almost no wind. A perfect day to drive down to an isolated little pocket of snowshoe rabbits where I could count on being the only hunter there.

Hurriedly I changed into hunting clothes, grabbed my Ithaca .22 rifle, checked the chamber to make sure it was empty, put on my hunting coat and hat, went out the back door on the run to get the beagles and ... … found both kennels empty, both gates

wide open, no dogs anywhere around.

Mystery Solved But the tracks in the snow told the story. Mak’s tracks came out of his kennel, circled around to the beagles’ kennel, and three sets of dog prints heading off for the high ridge behind the house. There were no people tracks, so it was clear that Mak had let himself out, then let the beagles out.

I pocketed two leashes for the beagles, because they would never follow me docilely home. Mak would stay at heel.

I followed the tracks, stopping frequently to listen. Soon

I heard what I expected to hear – the glorious voicing of two very happy little dogs.

I was very happy that Mak’s tracks ran with the beagles. So there was one happy big dog, too.

My long-tested rabbit-hunting instincts guided me to a place where I thought the rabbit might cross.

I’d left my .22 at home, but I didn’t want a rabbit right then, anyway. I just wanted the dogs, and they were obviously both on the same snowshoe hare track.

In Position The tintinnabulations of the blackbrown-and-white troubadours was definitely headed my way. And there went the rabbit.

I ran over to the spot where it had crossed and waited only a few moments for all three dogs to come barreling up to me.

Mak jumped all over me. The beagles attempted to rush by, but I cornered them and leashed them. I put Mak to heel, and we four had a happy homecoming.

You can bet the first thing I did the next day was to buy a clip for Mak’s latch.

Oh, yes, we did go snowshoe hunting that afternoon. I don’t recall whether or not I shot any rabbits, but that never did make any difference to me … I’d already had my excitement for the day.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

72 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

— Guest Column —

Underwater Drone Sends Fish Photos, Video to Phone

by Daniel Kostyk Ever since I was a boy growing up in Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, I’ve looked down into the water and asked, “What’s going on down there?”

Now I am far from Chicago, and my backyard is the wonderful Western Mountains region of Maine.

My underwater fascination has persisted. First, it led me to take up both snorkeling and scuba diving. Next, I became fascinated with underwater drone technology.

Being an engineer, I considered building my own drone. But when I went online to look for parts, lo and behold the Google-powered marketers found me, and I started receiving ads for completely assembled underwater drones.

Today, there are at least five companies selling self-powered underwater drones, which range in price from $500 to $5,000.

I dipped my toe in the drone world with a lower-cost model.

Below are my experiences, and I have also included some photos.

Components First, some technicals. Most underwater drones have two main components: 1) The drone itself; and 2) a floating buoy or dock. The buoy is required because Wi-Fi www.MaineSportsman.com

Ever wonder what’s below the surface of your local lake or pond? The author purchased an affordable, remote-controlled underwater drone with five impeller-powered thrusters which he can control from his smartphone while it sends photos and video to his phone’s screen from depths up to 50 feet.

This largemouth bass, photographed in Sebago Lake, appeared to challenge the remote-control underwater drone. All photos: Daniel Kystok

signals do not travel through water. The drone sends signals up the wire to the surface, where the buoy relays the signals to your smartphone. You can also control the drone and camera remotely.

The wired connection limits the drone depth.

I picked the Chasing Dory drone, which

retails for about $500 and has a maximum depth of 50 feet.

Yes, I know, the name is a little too cute. Never mind.

Capabilities As mentioned above, the drone is controlled by a Wi-Fi connection between the buoy and a smartphone. Simple thumb commands allow the

user to move the drone up down, left, right, tilt, forward and backward. It takes a little while getting used to it, and an additional $100 will get you a joystick option.

The drone will take still pictures and videos. Two LED lights (not nearly bright enough on my model) are located in the

front.

Underwater time is about one hour. The complete package fits in a small duffel bag.

I recommend watching some excellent YouTube videos to give yourself a jump start.

Taking Photos and Videos The pictures accompanying this article were all taken here in Maine, at Sebago Lake (in front of Migis Lodge), Rangeley Lake (Hunter’s Cove), and on Lower Richardson Lake at Lakewood Camps (home of the record-breaking monster togue!)

The first thing an underwater drone will give you is an actual picture of the bottom of the lake. (So far, I’ve stayed away from salt water, since I’m not sure how the drone will stand up to the harsher conditions.) Immediately you can see if the bottom is rocky, muddy or sandy. Are there any large trees or obstructions to snag your fishing lures? Are there any underwater formations that would attract fish, like large rock piles? Are there any FISH???

The accompanying photos of the largemouth bass were taken at Migis Lodge, where a fellow fisherman said he had caught some smallmouth bass the day before. I ventured to the spot and sent the (Continued on next page)

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— Guest Column —

Our Marina Docks Will Be Safe in the Parking Lot

by Randy Randall – Marston’s Marina – Saco River, ME On the night of Monday, November 30, 2020, Maine experienced an intense storm, with winds approaching 60 miles per hour. 100,000 utility customers lost power.

As a marina operator, I always take precautions for such events. Of particular concern are the docks, which can break apart if they are in the water, and can damage – or be damaged by – boats berthed alongside.

But we were not worried for our docks that evening, despite the fury of the storm.

Why? Because we had

safely placed them high and dry, onto the safe, secure, paved parking area.

So here’s what I found at daylight (see photo) – a big oak tree had been uprooted, and it fell on our docks.

It smashed a shore power tower, and just missed the bulk fuel tank.

So who would think we would work so hard to get the docks safely ashore, only to have them hit by a falling tree?

Can’t make this stuff up.

¶

Underwater Drone (Continued from page 72)

drone out. After less than five minutes, I spotted a large rock pile, and several largemouth bass.

The big bass showed no fear of the drone, and actually started to confront it, providing some great pictures and videos. Two of the large-mouth bass appeared to be a mating pair. Smallmouth bass were also in the area.

In a small inlet of the lake, I photographed a catfish that came to investigate the drone.

In Lower Richardson Lake on my first “dive,” I came across a wonderful kaleidoscope of color, as schools of yellow perch, and (unfortunately) schools of juvenile largemouth bass, swam together.

Limitations Now, some caveats. The actual product Chasing Dory is very good, but there are some issues to be aware of. First, is that the focal length of the camera is about two feet. What this means is that if you are farther from your subject, or closer to it, the pictures

A drone dive into Lower Richardson Lake revealed colorful yellow perch and (unfortunately) juvenile largemouth bass.

and videos may not be in focus.

Also, when the drone hits the bottom and kicks up a lot of debris, some of that debris can get caught in the impellers of the five thrusters. I’ve never had to disassemble the drone as others have, but I have had to work the impellers free at times.

And finally, the documentation and software could be better. The depth indicator is very accurate, but the distance measure kept showing me that my drone was 127,000 feet away. Perhaps a software update will fix this issue.

So for those of you willing to make a time and money commitment, underwater drone photography can be as

Even a catfish displays a high level of planned design and even beauty when viewed in its natural habitat.

exhilarating as the yell of “FISH ON”!

Seeing fish and creatures in their natural habitat has been extremely rewarding for me. And of course, there is also treasure hunting for old bottles. Remember – one person’s junk is another person’s treasure!

Happy drone fishing, everyone!

Editor’s note: Underwater videos taken in Maine lakes by the author’s drone can be viewed on the Maine Sportsman website, www.MaineSportsman.com and click on the “Blog” button.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

74 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Private Matters Recently, I had to have some trees in my yard taken down.

After those old, diseased pines had been reduced to chips, I discovered something interesting.

I could see my neighbors undressing.

I know what you’re thinking, but you have a dirty mind. This isn’t about my being a Peep-

In the country, what goes on in the house that’s hidden behind the pine trees is no one’s business – until the trees are cut down. ing Tom. Whatever adult-entertainment value there might be in this expanded view of nearby windows, I’m not indulging. Much.

Rather, the shocking details of my neighbors’ personal procliv-

ities have inspired me to reflect on an important aspect of rural living: Privacy.

When I lived in Portland, I always assumed somebody was watching me, because,

well, somebody always was. The Parkside neighborhood where I resided is the most densely populated U.S. Census tract in Maine, with roughly 80,000 people per square foot.

It was impossible to

do anything without being observed. And it was impossible to do anything interesting without being reported to the police.

Even if nobody was around (something that almost never happened), there were cameras, both public and private, recording my every misdeed.

This video archive went well beyond providing evidence of criminal activity. It also contained proof of less serious (but equally embarrassing) behavior, such as littering, failing to clean up after your dog or nose picking.

It’s a rare city dweller whose life is so dull as to be devoid of the occasional unseemly misdeed, so very few are able to escape this sort of humiliation. Those who believe they’ve done so may be surprised when they search for their names on Facebook or YouTube.

Life in the country has none of that.

The Flying Squirrel Episode I didn’t fully appreciate how different rural living was until one dark winter night a few years ago. I was sound asleep in my bed, when I realized one of my dogs had just dropped something on my stomach.

A flying squirrel.

This particular specimen was too dazed to do any im(Continued on page 76)

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Smilin’

Sportsman

Send your best hunting & fishing stories, and your favorite jokes, to the editor at will@mainesportsman.com

Youth Edition

Teacher: “Little Johnny, please explain to the class the definitions of the words ‘ignorance’ and ‘apathy’.”

Little Johnny: “I don’t know, and I don’t care!”

••••••••••••••••••• Mother: “Why is our daughter so sad?”

Father: “It started when I asked her if she’d seen my newspaper.

She said, ‘Dad, don’t be such an old-fashioned nerd! No one uses newspapers anymore.’ And she gave me her iPad.” Mother: “Then what happened?”

Father: “I used her iPad to whack the housefly.”

••••••••••••••••••• Teacher: “Little Johnny, are you sure you weren’t copying Billy during the test?”

Little Johnny: “Of course not, Teacher, why do you ask?”

Teacher: “Well, a lot of your answers are the same, and on question number twelve, Billy wrote ‘I don’t know’, and you wrote, ‘Neither do I.’”

Adults Only

An Italian chef was cooking a rotisserie chicken in front of his open-air restaurant in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Overcome with joy but missing his homeland, he started singing Arrivederci, Roma while turning the spit.

A tourist staggered by, looked at the scene and yelled, “You’ve got a great voice, Fella, but your monkey’s on fire!”

forced to live on food and water for five days!”

•••••••••••••••••••

•••••••••••••••••••

“How was the hunting trip to the remote camp in Northern Maine?”

“Not too good – I mistakenly left the beer cooler on the steps of my house. We were

Q: What do you call a young Maine Guide who just broke up with his girlfriend?

••••••••••••••••••• Dentist: “This will hurt a little.”

Patient: “OK.” Dentist: “I’ve been having an affair with your wife for a while now.”

A: Homeless.

www.MaineSportsman.com

76 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

— TRADING POST — • Subscribers may place one free 20-word line classified ad per month (2-month limit) • Items for sale must include a price • Real estate ads must include an address or location

• The regular rates are $15 for up to 20 words and 50¢ for each additional word • Check, money order, MasterCard or VISA (Credit or Debit) are accepted

• 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. FOR SALE 2020 21FT. MAINE FREIGHTER CANOE 2020 10HP Yamaha Motor, Trailer, and many accessories.

LIKE NEW! 207-2395861 ————————

FOR RENT DEAD RIVER CAFE Year round home for rent on the North branch of the Dead

River. Sleeps up to 9.

Four bedrooms, 1/1/2 baths, 2 car garage.

3 1/2 miles north of Pines Market in Eustis. $250/day up to 6 people- 2 day min. $50/pp extra up to 9. $1,200/wk up to 6 people, $200/pp extra up to 9. Contact Jamie at 207-577-6516.

————————

LAND FOR SALE ETNA, ME 3 LOTS totaling 39.6 acres. Asking price

$67,650. Great Hunting, ATVing and ITS 83 for you Snowmobilers. Close to Newport & Sebasticook Lake, adjacent to Penobscot County Conservation Land. 207-379-4426 ————————

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY DEVELOPER’S DREAM: 6.6 ACRES 370ft. road frontage on Whittier Rd. in Farmington, Maine, just off Routes 2 & 4. Elec-

tricity on site, 4 water hookups and 4 sewer hookups, Tax Incentives possible. 207474-0778

lodge, etc. Grassy boat launch on Androscoggin, paved parking lot. $139,500. 207-5627564 ————————

COMMERCIAL BUILDING Western ME - US Rt 2. Three stories; beautifully remodeled 1st floor carpet and wood floor, stage, balcony, upper room, full basement, restaurant equipment, furniture, more. Potential wedding venue, fishing

WANTED

Outdoors & Other Mistakes (Continued from page 74)

mediate flying, having been carried around by my faithful terrier. But it was lively enough to try to crawl under the covers with me. I’m married, and anyway I’m just not into that sort of thing, so I leaped out of bed, grabbed a convenient towel and wrapped the rodent up in it. Then, I carried the creature downstairs and out the back door into my yard, where I placed him gently on top of a snowbank.

Only then did it occur to me that I was stark naked. And only after that did I realize it didn’t matter.

Well, it mattered a little because it was about 15 degrees below zero. My feet and other vulnerable parts were less than thrilled with my sleep-befuddled brain for thrusting them into the frozen wild where anyone could see their distress.

They needn’t have worried. While frostbite was certainly an unpleasant consequence of my impetuous rush into the outdoors, being observed was not.

Nobody saw me, because there was nobody around to see me. My nude excursion remained a private matter, until sometime later when I chose to relate this story to friends after one too many cocktails. And then publish it in this www.MaineSportsman.com

On a bitterly cold winter night, the author waged a pitched battle inside his house with a vicious flying squirrel, after which he wrapped the rodent in a towel and took it outside. Immediately upon encountering the -15° temperature, the author realized neither he nor the squirrel was wearing any clothes.

issue of The Maine Sportsman. Also, there might be a movie deal (working title: Earth vs. the Flying Squirrels).

Other than that, nobody knows.

In the Country, the World is Men’s Urinal Fortunately, incidents involving squirrels in my bed have been rare (that YouTube video is an obvious fake), but that doesn’t mean I only rarely take advantage of my rural privacy privileges.

There are frequent occasions when, after imbibing a few beers, I’ve been confronted with the urgent need to reduce the volume of liquid being stored in my internal organs. All too often, this situation arises when the bathroom is al-

DEER/MOOSE ANTLERS BUYING any size deer & moose shed antlers/racks or antlered skulls.

All grades bought by the pound.

802-875-3206 (Continued on next page)

ready occupied.

In the city, this conundrum could force me outdoors to perform an act that, while greatly relieving my discomfort, is also technically illegal. Prying eyes would undoubtedly notice. Law enforcement might become involved.

And I probably got some on my shoes.

In the country, none of these consequences exist. Except maybe that last one. The front porch, the back deck, behind the woodshed, all these locations offer immediate relief and all the privacy one could ask. Even in broad daylight.

Secure in the knowledge there was no one around to see me, I engaged in this practice for many years. But the relentless advance of technology has a way of ruining everything. A real-estate agent of my acquaintance just emailed me an aerial photograph of my house taken from a passing drone or a spy satellite or maybe a bird-cam.

The subject line reads, “What do you think you’re doing out on your deck with no pants on?”

I emailed him back: “I’m watching my neighbors undress, of course.”

Al Diamon writes the weekly column Politics & Other Mistakes for the Daily Bulldog and the Portland Phoenix. He can be emailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 77 (Continued from page 76)

SKI DOO, ELAN OR TUNDRA Any Condition. Have Cash. Will Travel. Call Or Text 207-522-6940 CARETAKERS WANTED Texas Blockhouse Fish and Game Club, near English Center, Pennsylvania, anticipates an opening for fulltime caretakers. The Club consists of over 6,000 acres of property and 85 members. The caretakers are respon-

sible for housekeeping, meal preparation, outdoor/food plot maintenance, and care of equipment. Caretaker income consists of base salary, and income from a robust meal concession. A private apartment, adjacent to the Clubhouse, is included with all utilities.Experience in running sporting camps preferred, but will consider related experience. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2021. Interested parties should

★★★★★★ Stay up-to-date on the latest MAINE OUTDOORS NEWS and receive SPECIAL OFFERS with

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We promise to never share your personal information!

forward a cover letter with salary history, resume and three recent letters of reference to: Texas Blockhouse Caretaker Position C/O Search Commit-

tee 3066 Green Valley Road Hughesville, PA 17737 LOOKING FOR FIVE ACRES OR MORE

Rent or lease-to-buy, owner financing. 4x4 access is ok, must be dry. My intentions are to live there. Text only 207-745-8225

¶

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Montville – 97.75 acres. Active licensed/permitted gravel pit.

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Milo - Recreational opportunities abound on this well-wooded 20 acre lot. Immediate access to ITS 82 and locally maintained ATV trail. Good views. $24,900

Rangeley – Approx 3,000’ on Round Pond, improved internal access roads and spectacular views make this 325 acre kingdom lot one of a kind. $799,900

Linneus – 167 acre lot with seasonal access. Major portion of the lot is considered significant wildlife & inland waterfowl habitat. $83,500

Palmyra – Palmyra 18 hole Golf Course and RV Campground are situated on 433 acres. This is a turn-key business with buildings and infrastructure pristine. $1,500,000

Hancock County - Over 800 acres with 5,400 sq. ft log cabin completely surrounding Fox Pond.

Miles of maintained trails. Adjacent to 20,000 acres of conservation lands. www.foxpondestate.com. $4,300,000

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Did You Bag a BIG BUCK? Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman

BIGGEST BUCKS IN MAINE PATCH CLUB! You’ve been successful at the hunt, now wear your pride by entering one of The Maine Sportsman’s exclusive Biggest Bucks in Maine patch club!

To download an application, go to

www.mainesportsman.com/patch-clubs

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.

BIGGEST BUCKS APPLICATIONS DUE DECEMBER 31, 2020 FOR YOUR NAME TO APPEAR IN THE FEBRUARY, 2021 ISSUE!

Woolwich - 148 +/- acres. Remarkable lot with small camp.

Hunt, hike, bike, sightsee, harvest some of the large oak and pine. Great westerly distant views from Bigelow Knoll. $150,000.

Byron – 536 acres. Back country lot with seasonal access. Great southwesterly mountain views & frontage on the scenic East Branch of the Swift River. Internal gravel road. $325,000 Dallas Plt – 3,911 acres. Property consists of remote ponds, frontage on S. Branch of Dead River, 3 miles interior roads, 6 miles frontage on Rt. 16 and timber. Close to Rangeley. $2,650,000 Eddington – 605 acres along Rt.9 with 475’ of frontage zoned commercially and is the proposed last NON-controlled section before the I-395/Route 9 connector begins. Excellent location to develop. Use the remaining land for other opportunities. $525,000

Beauty runs deep.

So does our land sales experience.

John Colannino Broker & Forester AFM Real Estate 40 Champion Lane | Milford, Maine | 04461 O: 207.817.9079 | C: 207.266.7355 John.Colannino@afmforest.com For more information on available properties please visit:

www.AmericanForestManagement.com www.MaineSportsman.com

78 • January 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————— 515 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME Chuck Johnston • (207)764-4600 cbjohnston72@hotmail.com

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T5R7 WELS – Views of Mt. Katahdin from the shore, this new and beautiful cabin has 247’ of waterfront on Lower Shin Pond.

Access to Katahdin National Monument and Baxter State Park.

Amenities of home in the deep Maine woods. $279,000

Grand Falls – This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use. This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Road. ATV and snowsled from this location. Take a look. $79,000

Springfield – Complete with a full, concrete foundation, well, septic, laundry. Cabin can easily be year round residence for someone looking to live off grid on True Road. With snowmobile access. It is situated in a great recreational area. $79,500

Lakeville – 52 acre lot with rustic cabin sits at the top of the hill offering breathtaking 180 degree views of area lakes and hills. ATVing and snowmobiling are at your door step on Vista View. Set it up for solar and live here year round. $99,000

Lee – A traditional northern Maine hunting camp. Located along an ATV and Snowmobile trail. Private location and hidden from view on Ames Road. This is a wonderful hunting location and is priced fairly. $29,900

Lee – A cute little hunting camp tucked nicely in the woods of Northern Maine on Hale Farm Road. Easy access to recreational trails and good Maine hunting. $22,900

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If yes, then WE WANT YOU! The Maine Sportsman has an immediate opening in Advertising Sales for a commission-based Sales Rep! Willing to Train the Right Person • Support Team Available Compensation Based on Experience • Growth Opportunities Approved Mileage/Phone Reimbursements Qualifications: Proven Sales Record • Dependable • Friendly • Trustworthy Rapport-Builder • Good Work Ethic • Competitive Comfortable Making Cold Calls • Good Closer • Clean Record Responsibilities: Assist our business partners to promote their businesses and events to our loyal readers (hunters, anglers, and outdoor sporting enthusiasts), generate new advertising partners, work within deadlines, provide top-notch customer service.

If you think you’re a good fit, please email letter of interest and sales experience to ads@mainesportsman.com.

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Lincoln – Inexpensive lot on Stump Pond. The lot has a driveway started and is very private. Great Bass Fishing. More Land available at added cost. $29,900 Lincoln – This large private lot with 500 feet on Egg Pond is a must see.

The lot has a new driveway and gravel pad. With 6.5 acres enjoy the privacy. $109,900 Lakeville – Heavily wooded. Power available. Access to Duck Lake.

Cheap taxes on Hobbs Road.

What more could you ask for? This is a very nice lot and priced to move. $13,900 Oakfield – This lot is on a year round road. There is electricity on the Brown Road. Driveway has been installed. Great lot for that cabin you always wanted. Great ATV and snowsled spot. Easy access from I 95. This is a must see. $22,500

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2021 • 79

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