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Editorial Dangers to Dogs, and

Quiet Walks in the Woods

New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication

Sportsman The Maine

ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 602 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund

This month’s two editorial themes, each very different from the other, are inspired by a couple of regular columns found in this issue.

The first focus is on pet safety, and the fact that many legal, decriminalized and/or prescription medications and substances are very, very dangerous to animals – especially to dogs, many of which are apt to eat things they find on the ground or under dining room tables.

In this issue’s “Western Maine Mountains” column, William Clunie offers Part 1 of a two-part saga, “Surviving a Pet Emergency.” The family’s pet/hunting dog, Ginger, a Hungarian Pointer (Vizsla), ingested some amphetamines, perhaps a stash dropped from a vehicle along their road. After Ginger and her THC-infused gummy bears and other owners spend a sleepless and frus- “edibles” pose a great danger to trating 48 hours dealing with the dogs. Large Maine emergency emergency pet medical care net- veterinarian clinics report near-daily work, Ginger made a full recovery – dog overdoses, especially during the although it may take her owners a summertime, when folks and dogs are outside recreating. bit longer to get over the episode.

A comment made by the initial vet to examine the dog made William and his wife take notice – the doctor said that “nearly daily” in Maine’s bigcity pet emergency rooms, staff members are required to deal with overdose cases involving another substance – THC. Now that marijuana is legal in Maine, and also now that brownies, gummy bears and other edibles are infused with the chemical, it’s very easy for these items to be dropped on the floor or left available on low party platters that can be reached by hungry pets.

THC affects animals much differently than it does humans. Dogs’ systems are not designed to handle the substance’s influence, and of course dogs cannot explain to their owners what they ate, nor can their prognosis be explained to them.

Amphetamines or other “hard” drugs can be even worse for pets, especially if it takes a long time to see the veterinarian and then a long time to obtain test results to determine the identities of the substances ingested by the pet.

Bottom line? Be careful of what your dog eats, whether it’s in a residence or on the roadsides. Just because something is now legal or available by prescription, does not make it harmless for pets. ***** On a lighter note, Mark Scheeren, in this month’s “Big Woods World” column, describes a method of walking quietly in Maine’s often-noisy woods in pursuit of trophy whitetails. His “slipper walk” technique (moving the front foot forward, toes down, as if trying to slide a bare foot into a bedroom slipper) takes some practice.

Fortunately, we received his draft column in time to try out his approach while traversing the crusty snow and ice of the Northern Zone’s muzzleloader season, and we can report that it works. It’s an example of the helpful suggestions that are contained in our magazine each month, and it’s satisfying for us to be able to share this type of information from experts in order to make our readers’ times in the woods as productive as possible.

We extend our best holiday and New Year’s wishes to our readers, writers, advertisers and business partners.

Almanac by Will Lund.................................................... 12 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves..................... 26 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 32 Big Woods World by Mark Scheeren........................... 31 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 56 Cooking Wildly by Kate Krukowski Gooding............... 61 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux............................... 50 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by William Clunie...................... 63 Jackman Region by William Sheldon.......................... 42 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 37 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 6 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 40 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 17 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 41 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 53 Moosehead Region by Tom Seymour......................... 46 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 67 Nolan’s Outdoor World by Nolan Raymond............... 70 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 38 Outdoors & Other Mistakes by Al Diamon.................. 73 Quotable Sportsman by Will Lund................................ 16 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 59 Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly...................... 34 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 72 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 57 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 49 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 44 Smilin’ Sportsman by Will Lund...................................... 72 Snapshots in Time by Bill Pierce.................................... 11 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 58 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 36 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................... 9 Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts.35 Tidewater Tales by Randy Randall............................... 52 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 48 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 74 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 62 Vermont by Matt Breton............................................... 69 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 65

On the Cover: Maine offers 14,000 miles of groomed trails – that’s the distance from Brazil to Alaska and back! And there’s no need to rough it – The Forks area, for example, offers trailside cabins with outdoor hot tubs, sled rentals, restaurants, and – when you’re done riding for the day – a pub and a brewery.

No wonder these two riders are smiling!

GUEST: Game Camera Facts, Pt. 2 by Staci Warren .29 GUEST: How Not to Tow Your Dinghy by David Putnam.54 GUEST: Humbled by Generosity by John LaMarca.... 30 GUEST: I Love Rabbits! by Ed Pineau............................ 71 Ice Fishing by Sam Wheeler.......................................... 22 Snowmobiling by Steve Carpenteri............................. 18

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com OFFICE MANAGER: Carol Lund carol@mainesportsman.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Kristina Roderick kristina@mainesportsman.com ADVERTISING DIRECTOR: Nancy Carpenter nancy@mainesportsman.com DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR: Lorry Plante distribution@mainesportsman.com Second class postage paid at Scarborough, ME 04074 and additional entry offices.

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GUEST COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

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Letters To The Editor

Correction #1: No Snowmobile Races in Jefferson; Volunteers Needed To the Editor: I am Vice President of the Jefferson SnoPackers snowmobile club.

A Maine Sportsman reader asked me for details about a snowmobile event referenced in the December 2022 article “Off to the Races.” It states that in February, our club will be hosting double elimination drag races on Saturday and radar runs on Sunday.

We no longer have the membership to run such events, so that information is incorrect. In fact, we are not doing any public events at all this winter.

We currently need volunteers to assist with the good work performed by members of our club. We can use help maintaining the trails. I encourage folks who snowmobile and live in Jefferson to join the club.

Phil Morneault (mpilihp@gmail.com) Vice President, Jefferson SnoPackers

zleloader in Maine” article in December, referenced modern muzzleloaders in which powder pellets are sparked by a “409 shotgun primer.”

I’ve heard of 209 primers, but not 409s. Can you clarify?

William C. – Dixfield, ME The editor responds: You and several other sharp-eyed readers are correct, William – the proper designation is a 209 primer.

Lest there be any lingering confusion, we have illustrated the differences below:

209 Primer

Coping with Losing a Good Dog To the Editor: Christi Holmes’ article in the December Maine Sportsman about losing a good dog really hit home for all of us who have had that experience. It brought tears to my eyes.

Can I offer a couple of additional suggestions?

First, as soon as your grieving has settled down, get another dog. It is a sad truth that dogs do not live as long as we do, but there can and will be other good dogs. Life is just not as rich and enjoyable when you are dog-less.

Second, when you have one dog, consider getting another. It is true that two dogs are a little more work than just one, but the joy and fun of watching the two play and bond, and seeing the young one learn from the older one, are immeasurable.

Thank you, Christi, for sharing that beautiful article, Lawrence Furbish – Sanford, ME —

Poly-Chokes are “Invaluable”

To the Editor: I really enjoyed reading Col. J.C. Allard’s “Shooter’s Bench” article about shotgun poly-chokes in your October is— sue; and I hope his title, “So Out, They’re In,” is true!

Correction #2: A Sears-Ted Williams 20-gauge That’s 209, not 409 semi-auto with its factory-installed poly-choke was the first shotgun I ever To the Editor: purchased – as a young teenager some The caption under the photo of a tra409 Cleaner 60 years ago – and I found it to be so ditional side-hammer muzzleloader in versatile that it’s the only shotgun I still the “Three Reasons to Consider a Muz— have in my gun cabinet today.

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

able differences in the shot spread patterns, which, in turn, helped me determine which settings to use in each hunting trip afield.

I still wonder why these invaluable attachments aren’t seen on any of today’s shotguns. They should be!

Dennis Tompkins – Litchfield, ME —

Poly-Choke Offered Versatility More than 60 years ago, the reader purchased this Sears-Ted Williams 20-gauge semi-automatic shotgun, equipped with a factory poly-choke.

He believes the device works well and allows a single firearm to serve many purposes. Dennis Tompkins photos

Liked the December Issue

As a subscriber, I am writing to say that the December issue of The Maine Sportsman is among the best, most interesting issues I’ve ever received.

The articles are detailed and informative ... and they cover a wide variety of interests. Great issue.

John DiConza – Leominster, MA

key with this one shotgun, using the appropriate choke settings coupled — with the right shot loads.

I remember occasions when I’d Loons Harassing tighten my choke to “Full” during Anglers early morning duck hunts, then To the Editor: simply twist it back to open cylinder I am writing regarding Jon while beating through the thickets Lund’s excellent December “Jotin pursuit of close-flushing ruffed tings” column, titled “What We’ve grouse. And if I still had enough Learned from Observing Loons.” energy to walk through some of the I agree with Mr. Lund that while nearby corn fields for pheasants, loons perform some of nature’s best another quick twist of the choke to melodies and demonstrate impeceither improved cylinder or modicable parental care, they also can fied setting would assure the most become unadulterated thieves and effective shot pattern for those cirharassing spoilers when it comes to cumstances.

Choke adjustments were ac(Continued on next page) companied by changes in shot – replacing # 4 shot duck loads with #7-1/2 grouse loads, and eventually switch to #6s for ring-necks.

The Colonel also mentioned the “debate about the devices’ efficacy ranges.” I had those very concerns when I bought mine, so I did a lot of shot-pattern testing on extra-large blank targets (approximately six-foot square wood and cardboard frames covered with rolls of wax paper) over a wide range of distances. Although constantly replacing the paper surfaces was a laborious process, it nevertheless assured 257 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME me that the different (207) 474-2591 choke settings were www.whittemoreandsons.com indeed making notice-

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(Continued from page 7)

grabbing trout on the hook or that have just been released.

In recent years, fly anglers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have reported increasing levels of harassment from loons as the fishermen catch and release brook trout.

I am concerned that some guides, anglers or sporting camps may take matters into their own hands, or may have already begun doing so. Chatting with anglers and a guide about the problem this past season, I heard veiled references to the “sudden disappearance” of loons on several bodies of water where they were stealing fish off anglers’ hooks.

I will be compiling a list of suggestions from different sources about how

to keep marauding loons at bay. It may be that Audubon, Trout Unlimited, fisheries biologists or wardens have some good ideas on managing this problem without resorting to drastic means.

Leighton Wass – Adamant, VT Book author: “Fly Fishing the Hex Hatch” —

Inline Muzzleloaders Originated in the 1970s

To the Editor: I enjoy Hal Blood’s columns in The Maine Sportsman each month, and I enjoy his seminars at the annual State of Maine Sportsman’s Show at the Augusta Civic Center.

In his December article titled “New Technology for Smoke-pole Season,” he wrote, “In the early 1990s, one of my hunters showed up with a Gonic Arms

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muzzleloader. It was invented by a Thompson Arms employee who started his own company. I believe it was the first inline muzzleloader.”

I have some additional information on that point.

Some sources erroneously credit Tony Knight with inventing the first inline muzzleloader in 1985. Around that time when Maine created its first modern muzzleloading season, I purchased a H&R Huntsman inline muzzleloader.

These had been around since the early 1970s. I shot several deer with this rifle (but only one buck), and I still have it.

So the origins of in-lines go back even further than many folks remember.

Jerry Scribner – Belgrade, ME

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Fishing for Birds There is a lot of interesting stuff going on around us as we fish on freshwater or the ocean, to the extent that on occasion, the angling stops completely, sometimes for a good periods of time.

I’ve seen moose enter the water to snack on some aquatic vegetation, and through the trees I’ve watched mule deer bucks fighting as early sun glinted on their formidable antlers. Once, in Alaska, my eyes were treated to a mother brown bear and three cubs “fish” for fresh-run silver (Coho) salmon at a small stairstep waterfall.

But it’s birds that usually steal the show when I’m fishing from land or water, and they are always entertaining.

It’s my pleasure to relate a few encounters I’ve had on the water over the years with some of our feathered friends.

Though I’m not an avid birder, I’m very fond of birds, and not just the ones that end up in a skillet, in the oven, or on the grill. I always take the time to stop what I’m doing, even when fishing, to appreciate their behavior and beauty.

Bald Eagle (Alaska, USA): America’s bird, the symbol of our country, almost was destroyed by pesticides over 50 years ago, but thanks to wise conservation efforts at the federal, state, and individual levels, its population has rebounded, and this majestic bird endures.

The author is fortunate to have fished all over the world. And while he’s fishing, he looks around and notices the local wildlife – especially the birds. the east coast of this charming country. Related to our cormorant, chances are we won’t see too many over here in Maine. Like the cormorant, the anhinga can’t fly with wet wings; hence the drying ritual. I’ve encountered these gorgeous birds while fishing in Florida, too.

Like our cormorant, the anhinga can’t fly with wet wings; hence the drying ritual after diving into the water for a fish meal.

Their presence indicates there are baitfish and/or gamefish around, but the fish get a bit riled with this diving feathered creature cavorting around.

Red-winged Blackbird (Virginia, USA): Found in every state in the continental USA, this is one cool bird. I often see it along the water, particularly in the South, and have seen largemouth bass jump from the water to grab a red-wing perched on a cattail, before returning to

the water with a splash – but without the bird for a meal. The dramatic trill of the males in the spring as they try to impress the local ladies is riveting, and not unpleasant to the ear. Territorial, they seriously defend what they see as their private property, including their mates.

Brown Pelican (St. John, US Virgin Islands): These birds are well dispersed, too, and I’m often thankful for their presence. This St. John bird and a couple of its buddies were diving for baitfish along the mangroves in 4 or 5 feet of water. I cast a large chartreuse

Brown pelicans are all over the place, and they really are fun to watch while fishing. Their presence indicates fish in an area, and that’s helpful intel for our angling efforts.

Clouser with a 10-wt fly rod, and was rewarded with a 40-pound baby tarpon that was feeding on those very baitfish the bird was eating. They often fly in tight formation just above the water, and their wingtips occasionally nip the water as they move along.

Common Loon (Maine, USA): There’s nothing common about these large, beautiful, and engaging birds, and we have a pretty good population here in the Pine Tree State. There are a bunch

America’s bird, the symbol of our country, almost was destroyed by pesticides more than 50 years ago. This gorgeous specimen was at a raptor rehabilitation center in Sitka, Alaska.

It thrives here in Maine, and it’s a joy to see while on the water – or anywhere, for that matter. When I see it while fishing, it makes me smile, and I consider it good luck.

Anhinga: (Costa Rica): This male was drying his wings after diving for fish on

I’ve seen largemouth bass jump from the water in an effort to grab red-winged blackbirds before returning to the water with a splash -- without the bird for a meal.

There’s nothing common about these large, beautiful, and engaging birds, and we have a pretty good loon population here in the Pine Tree State.

(Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

10 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Sportsman’s Journal (Continued from page 9)

of them in Labrador, too. They dive for fish, which can signal that a school of baitfish or small gamefish is under the water. Their beautiful, sometimes plaintive evening cries are magical to me. And when the chicks are along, it’s a fantastic sight.

Frigatebird (Belize): This magnificent bird has a wingspan of seven-plus feet, and it soars over the ocean searching for fish near the surface. It snatches fish off of the water and continues on its way, barely flapping their long wings. They

This magnificent frigatebird has a wingspan of seven-plus feet, and it soars over the ocean searching for fish near the surface.

rely on wind currents, only moving their wings slowly and deeply when necessary.

They also chase other birds and steal their fish catch. I’ve seen ospreys give up fish to these creatures after a brief aerial dogfight (birdfight?)

Barred Owl (Maine, USA): Birds mostly of the forest, I’ve seen them along

The barred owl’s camouflage is so efficient, you don’t see them unless they move. Their super eyesight and hearing make them an effective predator. www.MaineSportsman.com

rivers and streams usually early in the morning, but sometimes at midday, too.

Their camouflage is so efficient, you don’t see them unless they move. Their super eyesight and hearing make them an effective predator of small rodents and snakes, large insects and birds. A most engaging bird.

Bermuda Longtail (Bermuda): The white-tailed tropic bird is one of the main reasons Elizabeth and I return to Bermuda, a small archipelago about 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Known

wooded lakes and ponds. Closely related to our wood ducks, they behave similarly to their American cousins, and it is the males that display the most garish plumage. This one and his mate were hanging out with a flock of mallards on a small Northern Virginia lake.

White-crowned Sparrow (Labrador, Canada): They appeared in my yard several weeks ago as the weather began to cool. They, like the dark-eyed junco, tend to winter here because it’s a lot better weather than the arctic or subarctic regions where they breed and raise young. This specimen was flitting around the grounds of the Three Rivers Lodge in Western Labrador this past summer,

The enchanting dance of Bermuda longtails is one of the most beautiful and peaceful natural events you’ll ever see.

there as the Bermuda longtail, this fetching bird breeds in crevices and niches in the lava cliffs during the spring. Its balletic dance over the azure or sea-foam green Gulfstream Atlantic waters is mesmerizing and super pleasant. This bird will make you fall in love with it.

Mandarin Duck (Virginia, USA): Native to East Asia, some of these ducks were brought to the U.S. for decoration in private ponds and for food, but some became feral and occasionally appear in our

Closely related to our wood ducks, Mandarin ducks behave similarly to their American cousins, and it is the males that display the most garish plumage.

This white-crowned sparrow was flitting around at Three Rivers Lodge in Western Labrador this past summer, and I appreciate it posing so nicely for my Nikon. I just wish they’d eat more of the mosquitoes and black flies that are so thick there all summer long.

and I appreciate it posing so nicely for my Nikon. I just wish they’d eat more of the mosquitoes and black flies that are so thick there all summer long.

The birds described above are but a few of the many you’ll encounter on the water. To learn more about birds, go to www.MaineAudubon.org. Nick Lund is the Advocacy & Outreach Manager. He’s at 207-781-2330, x-217.

I consider the very presence of birds, large or small, to be a huge bonus to the fishing experience. It’s not just about fish; it is to me even more about the total experience – the people around, the place, the weather with its clouds, and all the wonderful expressions of just being outdoors, that meet and favorable greet the senses. And that includes birds.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 11

“Snapshots in Time”

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

Incredible Story of a Maine Poacher What follows shares the fascinating capture of one of the most notorious poachers in Maine history. The piece originally appeared in the NEW YORK SUN and was later reprinted in the September 24, 1897, edition of the RANGELY LAKES. This epic is packed with amazing facts, feats and – in the case of the two tough Maine Game Wardens who lived to tell the tale – forgiveness. ***** The most daredevil outlaw who came to the Maine woods was Paul Savarin, a French-Canadian guide, who lived just over the line in New Brunswick. He started in life as a smuggler of Scotch whiskey, but a long imprisonment in Houlton jail cooled his ardor in that direction and started him a poacher. He acted as guide in the summer and autumn. As soon as the snow grew deep and crusty, making hard traveling for big game, he put on his snowshoes and killed moose and caribou for their pelts, leaving their carcasses to be eaten by foxes and bobcats. In one winter, he sold the hides of 800 caribou and 350 moose to one firm of snowshoe makers. It is estimated that he killed 1,000 moose and caribou every year for ten years.

Of course, the game wardens were anxious to get him. A dozen or more wardens were sent out at different times, but when they came back home, none of them wished to make a second trip. Savarin had a playful way of sending bullets among the hot ashes of the evening campfire, which the wardens did not enjoy. A few officers stayed on Savarin’s trail a week or so, and one party pushed him across the state line, but nobody caught him, and nobody seemed desirous of meeting him alone.

In January 1895, Bill Moriarty volunteered to capture Savarin, or at least scare him so badly that he never would come back to Maine. Accompanied by Tom Sheehan, a big telegraph lineman of Bangor, Bill started for Washington County carrying a whole arsenal of firearms, and provisions enough to last a month. On the headwaters of the St. Croix, they found the bodies of three frozen moose, and they knew Savarin was nearby. Lying in sleeping

In the late 1890s, Maine caribou were among the infamous poacher Paul Savarin’s favorite game animals – so favored, that he killed 63 of them for their hides.

bags and kindling no fires, they walked about sixty miles northwest and found a whole yard of dead caribou that had just been skinned. Nearby, hidden under an upturned tree, were sixty-three caribou and eighteen moose hides.

Following Savarin’s tracks a few miles farther, they saw a strip of birch bark pegged to a tree. Scratched in charcoal on this bark was a rude drawing of Savarin aiming his rifle at Moriarty and Sheehan. On the other side of the bark was a charcoal sketch of Savarin giving a war dance upon the bodies of the two wardens. This was put up to tell the wardens that they would be shot if they went on.

They walked two miles deeper into the woods, wallowed down a great tract of snow, and turning their snowshoes heels in front, retraced their steps and concealed themselves close to the hidden pile of hides, knowing that Savarin would return for his treasures in a short time. For two days they waited.

The weather was so cold that the Bangor whiskey which the wardens had brought along to use in case of sickness, froze up and broke the bottles.

Early on the morning of the third day, when both men were badly frostbitten, they heard the crunch of snowshoes coming through the woods half a mile away. Moriarty gave Sheehan his instructions, and, putting on his snowshoes, made a wide detour to come in behind Savarin. Sheehan, fixing up a

dummy, left it in his exposed sleeping bag and hid in a fir thicket. Savarin, expecting some sort of ruse, came in cautiously. Creeping like a cat through the underbrush, the poacher saw the sleeping bag, and taking good aim at the head of the dummy, fired three shots from his Winchester. The impact of the bullets, combined with a sharp gust of wind, tipped the bag over, and it rolled into a hollow. With a yell, Savarin leaped upon the bag, and before he had discovered his mistake, Moriarty and Sheehan grappled with him.

Though the fight was two against one, Savarin, having more at stake, made a gallant resistance. A bullet from his revolver went through the muscle of Moriarty’s arm, and twice his hunting knife drew blood from Sheehan. In return, Moriarty pounded Savarin’s face with a pine knot until he was unable to see, after which he was handcuffed and tied up with rawhide thongs.

When a fire had been built and a block of whiskey had been thawed out, Moriarty made Savarin an offer. Under Maine law, a man who kills a caribou and cannot pay his fine goes to jail for three months, while a man who fails to pay his assessment for slaying a moose gets six months. Therefore, the sixty-three caribou and eighteen moose that Savarin had killed meant he was facing twenty-four years and nine months of imprisonment, so if he began his term then and there he could not get out until September, 1919, which was a long way to look ahead.

Moriarty said he did not wish to punish Savarin, but he did mean to put a stop to crust hunting, and asked Savarin if he would take an oath before his parish priest that he would never come to Maine again. As Savarin was glad to accept any terms, Sheehan was sent off on a 200-mile snowshoe journey after the priest, while Moriarty and his prisoner feasted on moose and caribou steaks. Savarin’s father and brother returned with the priest, and among them they drew up an ironclad contract, which Savarin has kept faithfully. On Moriarty’s return to Bangor, the commissioners lectured him roundly for letting such a prize slip through his hands. www.MaineSportsman.com

Almanac

12 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Three Minutes with a Maine Guide

Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —

by Lisa DeHart

Canoeing With Dogs When it works, it works, and when it doesn’t, you’ve lost a dog. So to avoid the latter, there are only two commands your dog needs to do every single time.

No matter what. Every. Single. Time – “Come,” and “Drop.”

Canoeing is far and remote to roads and trail heads. Once you put in at that bridge and go down river, within as little as half an hour you could be miles and miles from the next possible takeout or bridge. More than once while guiding, I’ve come across a group calling and calling for their dog, and camping there, hoping the animal returns, but ultimately having to move on without the pup. I can’t think of anything worse.

Having said that, I’ve been on dozens of trips with my dog, friends’ dogs, and guests’ dogs, and had wonderful trips.

The author’s dog “Tripper” enjoys a canoe excursion on the St. John River.

Lisa DeHart photo

Dogs are smart, and they seem to understand that without the group, they’re alone with no food. As a pack animal, they love the group, and of course they love the food.

“Drop” is a good command for anything they might try to eat that would be bad, including your food, or something disgusting. I always take a small bottle

of hydrogen peroxide in case I have to make the dog throw up, and a non-toxic bug dope I can slather on their stomach, face and ears.

My dog wears a collar with our full address, I bring along a small piece of closed foam pad for him to lie on, to protect him from the cold in the canoe or on the ground.

I know dogs can get Giardia, but mine drank gallons of river water and never got it. I didn’t encourage my dog to drink from the river, but I couldn’t stop it either.

I loved having my dog on canoe trips.

It was rare that I could do it while guiding, but it did happen once or twice.

Dogs on a canoe trip are movable ballast, clean-up crew, heating pad, foot warmer, alarm clock and security guard.

Pictured is my dog Tripper, named after the Old Town Canoe model. 20002016.

— (Continued on next page)

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

Why Are They Called “Jake Brakes”?

“No Engine or Jake Brakes, Please,” read the sign posted as we left the North Maine Woods and re-entered residential civilization.

So what are Jake Brakes, and how did they come by that name?

“Jake Brake.”

The problem? Jake brakes (or any of the brands of compression brake – the name is often used generically) make a lot of noise – a loud, deep rumbling noise that often reverberates for miles.

It’s often frustrating for truckers who see the “No Engine Brake” signs just as they are entering built-up areas and are required to slow down to comply

with lower speed limits.

—

On the Hot Seat Many Maine hunting camps and remote locations still rely on outhouses, even in the deepest, most frigid months of winter. These small but vital struc(Continued on next page)

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These devices’ formal designations are “compression release engine brakes,” and they have been around since the mid-1960s. When the driver eases off on the fuel pedal on a diesel-powered truck equipped with this technology, air is still drawn into each cylinder, and the compression of the air (to 1/15th its initial volume), and the release of that pressure at the top of the cycle out the exhaust valves, causes resistance to the movement of pistons and therefore, the crankshaft, slowing the vehicle.

The first company to bring these devices to market was the Jacobs Manufacturing Company; hence the name

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14 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Almanac (Continued from page 13)

tures provide privacy; the plumbing doesn’t ever freeze up; and they offer low maintenance – just shoveling a path though the snow from the back door of the camp to the entrance to the privy.

However, most outhouses are unheated, and they can be very, very cold – especially when it comes time for the user to sit down.

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Years ago, in response to this situation, Mainers came up with an ingenious solution; to wit: They keep the toilet seat tucked against the wall of the cabin, behind the wood stove. Then, when the need arises, they just carry the seat to the outhouse.

After sitting a spell on the warm, cozy perch, they bring it back inside and return it to its spot behind the wood stove.

—

Are In-Line Muzzleloaders Waterproof?

After years of carrying primitive side-hammer (Continued on next page)

Hey Kids!

Did You Bag a Deer?

Become a Member of The Maine Sportsman

MAINE YOUTH DEER HUNTER PATCH CLUB!

You’re a junior hunter who has been successful at the hunt, now wear your pride by entering The Maine Sportsman’s exclusive Maine Youth Deer Hunter 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.

Please share your trophy photo with us and it may appear in a future issue!

Email to photos@mainesportsman.com

www.MaineSportsman.com

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

muzzleloaders, we are now utilizing inline rifles with plastic-sleeved sabots, powder pellets and shotgun primers.

The older caplock rifles were often hit-or-miss; in other words, it seemed that nearly half the time, water or snow infiltrated the powder or firing mechanism, resulting in a misfire.

So how reliable are in-lines? Consider this testimonial from a West Gardiner hunter: “I was walking across a frozen swamp when I broke through the ice up to my waist. I pushed down with the inline muzzleloader to lever myself out of the hole. The gun was fully submerged in the water for three or four seconds.

“Later, I aimed the in-line toward an old, rotten stump and pulled the trigger. It fired flawlessly.”

—

A Jaw-Spreader for Toothy Fish – Why Didn’t We Think of That?

Smith’s Consumer Products recently sent out some promotional material for their “Ice Fishing Tool Kit.” Most of the items were not a surprise – needle-nose pliers, a filet knife, a line-clipper, a jaw-spreader ….

Wait; what? A jaw-spreader?

“Toothy fish like pike and walleyes are common targets through the ice, so we’ve included a 9-inch jaw spreader to safely remove hooks and reduce damage to fish destined for release,” read the accompanying text.

What a great, simple idea! Often, especially with treble hooks, not only when ice fishing but also in warm-weather, open-water fishing for fish such as pickerel, a device to keep the fish’s jaw open while the angler takes the time to back out each barb, would likely preserve both the fish and the angler’s fingers.

It turns out these devices are offered by a variety of companies, and the more expensive models have padded tips on the spreader’s arms so as to do as little damage as possible to fish that will be released.

We just wish we’d thought of it!

Wilderness First Aid

by Stacey Warren, RN

Unprepared Winter Sportsmen Face Risk of Frostbite Many Maine outdoorsman have experienced at least some level of frostbite while enjoying outside sports during the winter months.

Ninety percent of all freezing injuries occur to the fingers or toes. Unprotected ears and cheeks can also suffer damage.

As the body temperature drops, the body attempts to maintain core temperature by restricting blood flow to those extremities.

—

Hunting in January What game can still be legally hunted in January?

1) Snowshoe hare season runs through March 31, 2023 in all Wildlife Management Districts with the exception of Vinalhaven Island, which has a season end-date of February 28, 2023.

2) Regular duck season in the Coastal Zone runs through January 7, 2023.

3) Bobcat season runs through February 21, 2023 4) Fox season runs through February 28, 2023 5) Coyote Night Hunt is legal through August 31, 2023 6) Coyotes, porcupines, red squirrels and woodchuck: No closed season for daytime hunting, yearround.

—

Smith’s 9-inch Jaw Spreader

Despite her frosty appearance, Christi Holmes is warm and safe in her icefishing apparel. Proper preparation and prevention are the keys to avoiding “frost nip” and more serious frostbite. Photo: C. Holmes

Field classifications of freezing range from mild to severe.

• Superficial- also known as “frostnip.” This condition includes firstand second-degree injury. The area of injury becomes cold, white in color, and numb-feeling, with ice crystals forming on the skin surface. Blisters (Continued on next page)

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16 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

January 2023 Sunrise/Sunset Portland, ME DATE 1 Sun 2 Mon 3 Tue 4 Wed 5 Thu 6 Fri 7 Sat 8 Sun 9 Mon 10 Tue 11 Wed 12 Thu 13 Fri 14 Sat 15 Sun 16 Mon

RISE

7:12 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

SET

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

4:16 4:17 4:18 4:19 4:19 4:20 4:22 4:23 4:24 4:25 4:26 4:27 4:28 4:29 4:31 4:32

RISE

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

SET

4:33 4:34 4:35 4:37 4:38 4:39 4:41 4:42 4:43 4:45 4:46 4:47 4:49 4:50 4:51

January 2023 Tides Portland, ME DATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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 Mon Tue

HIGH AM PM 6:36 7:12 7:32 8:11 8:23 9:04 9:10 9:52 9:54 10:35 10:36 11:16 11:15 11:53 11:52 — 12:29 12:28 1:05 1:04 1:40 1:41 2:17 2:21 2:56 3:06 3:38 3:56 4:24 4:50 5:14 5:50 6:10 6:54 7:09 7:57 8:09 8:56 9:06 9:52 10:02 10:47 10:57 11:40 11:51 — 12:31 12:44 1:22 1:38 2:15 2:34 3:09 3:33 4:04 4:35 5:01 5:39 6:00 6:44 7:00 7:47

www.MaineSportsman.com

LOW AM PM 12:13 1:00 1:12 2:00 2:07 2:53 2:56 3:41 3:41 4:24 4:23 5:04 5:02 5:41 5:39 6:17 6:15 6:51 6:52 7:25 7:30 8:01 8:12 8:39 8:58 9:20 9:47 10:05 10:40 10:55 11:38 11:50 — 12:41 12:49 1:43 1:50 2:42 2:48 3:38 3:44 4:32 4:39 5:24 5:34 6:15 6:28 7:06 7:23 7:56 8:20 8:49 9:19 9:43 10:21 10:39 11:25 11:38 — 12:31 12:40 1:35

Almanac (Continued from page 15)

with yellow or milky color may appear. No lasting damage occurs. These are the most common injuries.

• Deep-Includes thirdand fourth-degree injury. Ice crystals form within the layers of skin and underlying structures, causing blood-filled blisters and tissue death. Muscle and bone can become affected, with the most severe cases requiring amputation.

Prevention is always the first line of defense.

• Wear layers of clothing and cover exposed skin

Keep hand and toe warmers and an emergency mylar blanket in your gear • Breathe into cupped hands to warm your face • Carry a lighter, matches, or flint and steel to start a fire It is difficult to assess the stage of injury until after rewarming and treatment have occurred. Therefore, at first sign of frostnip, it is imperative to seek treatment to avoid loss of function or limb. You should stop activity and head home for treatment, or go to your local urgent care facility. In extreme situations, call 9-1-1.

As always, be prepared, and stay warm.

•

¶

Sportsman Quotable

by Will Lund

“We’re going to need a bigger goldfish bowl!”

The British tabloid Daily Mail, writing about the catch and release of a 67-lb, 4-oz. goldfish by English angler Andy Hackett, in France.

The fish was a leather carp, koi carp hybrid.

Andy Hackett and his massive goldfish. Photo credit: Jason Crowler, BNPS (bnps.co.uk – UK press agency)

— “I do my prayin’ in a deer stand.”

New song by country star Luke Bryan. Bryan sings about hunting “Out in my back 40 church,” and that “When your phone’s in the truck / and you’re camo’d up / And your mind’s just runnin’ free / It might look like hunting / But it’s way

more than that to me.”

— “Hell, yeah – another successful hunt, and a new, proud member of the Spoon and Crockpot Club!”

Josh from Old Town, on Facebook, defending a young hunter who encountered online criticism when she harvested a small deer. The name of the fictitious club is a parody on the Boone and Crockett club, a non-profit conservation organization best known for scoring game animal trophies. “Spoon and Crockpot” references those folks for whom a deer, even one of modest size, will mean a good supply of deer-meat steaks and hamburgers in the freezer.

— “When you go north, east or west, the whitetail population is way down. I’d love to see us get to 10 to 12 deer per square mile in northern Maine. I believe we can.”

David Trahan, executive director of Sportsmans Alliance of Maine (SAM), in a Portland Press Herald story November 28, 2022 by Deirdre Flemming titled “Hunters Set a Record for Deer Taken During Maine’s Fall Season.” SAM has championed recent state allocations of funds to purchase land used by deer as wintering areas.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 17

Maine Wildlife:

Lake Trout

by Tom Seymour

The world knows them as lake trout, but Mainers refer to them as “togue.”

Togue have the distinction of being our state’s largest coldwater game fish.

Landlocked salmon and brook trout do not even come close. A 10-pound salmon ranks as a trophy of a lifetime, and brook trout of that size are practically unheard of. But a 10-pound togue is simply “a nice fish.”

Denizens of cold water, togue usually hold deeper than other salmonids, one reason being that they have light-sensitive eyes, and continued exposure to direct sunlight can cause blindness. This explains why togue usually only venture into the shallows during the early morning hours, before the sun casts its rays upon the water.

Togue also swim close to shore in early spring during smelt runs, but these incursions into the shallows are of brief duration – not long enough to cause eye injury. I have taken several togue while trolling in 10 feet of water using a fly rod and wobbling lure during the smelt runs of May. Those fish would not have been in those shallow depths later in the season.

For most of us, togue fishing means deep trolling with specialized tackle during the warm months. But it seems likely that far more togue are taken through the ice. While people tend to rely upon live smelt or minnows fished from an ice-fishing trap, many anglers have turned to jigging – a highly effective and less cumbersome method.

Preconceived Notions Living in deep, cold water, togue have fine-tasting flesh. However, some people hold them in disdain, and consider them unfit for consumption. I know someone who refers to togue as “mud fish,” and refuses to even try them.

Like any other fish, togue require special attention once taken from the hook. Fish should immediately go from the water to the cooler. And then, they should be filleted or eviscerated as soon as possible. Treated this way, togue make fine table fare, with no hint of the alleged “muddiness.”

Togue occur naturally in a great many Maine waters, and yet where

they coexist with stocked salmon, salmon get everyone’s attention while togue go begging. This piscatorial bias seems to me unfounded, since both species have equally valuable and rewarding traits.

Here’s another thing. In some instances, the togue population requires at least some stocking in order to maintain a constant level. However, this is the exception, not the norm. In most cases, togue make the ideal coldwater game fish, because they have the ability to maintain their population naturally, given the proper circumstances.

Indeed, in many of Maine’s togue waters, fisheries biologists have no problem in keeping togue numbers up, but rather must sometimes devise methods to limit their numbers. Togue reproduce so well, naturally, that the baitfish/game fish ratio can become out-of-balance, with decreasing numbers of smelt and increasing numbers of skinny, undersized togue. Liberal size and bag limits usually set the balance aright. Also, this offers some fastpaced fishing for anglers who delight in lots of flags.

Widespread Population Togue are a fish of the cold northland of Canada and the northern United States, with population pockets in the western states. In the east, Maine ranks as the state with the highest number of togue waters. Additionally, Maine ranks as the best place to take togue on light tackle. Here’s why.

Togue fishing on bright days requires that anglers plumb the depths

where togue hold because of their photosensitive eyes. But overcast, even drizzly days are an entirely different story. Then, trolling in shallow- to medium-depth water can produce results.

A large number of togue anglers only hit the water once it freezes. Indeed, togue derbies have become regular wintertime events. In winter, anglers can pursue togue without a boat, and that partly explains togue’s popularity with hardwater anglers.

But there is another season where you don’t need a watercraft to catch togue. The first few weeks after ice-out offer anglers the chance to catch togue from shore.

Bank fishing for togue after iceout has become a favorite tradition on one Midcoast togue lake near me. The lake has a substantial smelt run, and togue venture near stream mouths in the morning in order to pick up lingering smelt. Fishing a live or even a dead smelt on bottom rates as a top method.

Each spring, this scenario gets played out on togue lakes across the state.

Togue Trolling Trolling via downriggers has become my favorite togue-fishing method, and it works any time, any place, throughout the open-water fishing season.

Downrigger fishing affords anglers the ability to take large coldwater game fish on light tackle, and that greatly appeals to me.

If you haven’t yet tried your hand at togue fishing, why not give it a try? You might be pleasantly surprised. www.MaineSportsman.com

18 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Let’s Ride to Ice

by Steve Carpenteri

Prior to the 1970s, Maine’s hardy winter fishermen walked onto the ice towing a sled filled with the basic needs for a successful day of fishing. Most trout, salmon and togue anglers carried an axe or chisel (aka, a “spud”) to cut holes in the ice, a skimmer to clear the chips away, a bucket full of shin-

So, you’re going ice fishing for the day (or even for the day and night). What gear do you bring?

What clothes do you wear? How you remain compliant with the many laws and regulations affecting the sport? The author provides a primer for newcomers, and a reminder for those with years of experience. ers, and as many tipups (or traps) as the law allowed – usually five per angler in those

days.

Modern-day icefishermen almost exclusively rely on snow-

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mobiles and attached trailers or sleds that allow them to carry a mountain of gear onto the ice. It’s not known for certain if the catch-per-day rate has improved or even changed as a result, but one thing is certain: Ice-fishing in Maine is a lot more convenient than in days gone by!

Given that most of Maine’s winter fishermen now use a snowmobile or 4-wheeler to access their favorite lakes and ponds, here’s a look at what gear, equipment and sustenance are in common use these days.

Trailers and Sleds Both snowmobiles and ATVs come equipped with some type of hitch – or that item can be installed as an option after purchase – that can be used to attach a trailer or sled for ease in transporting a wide variety of gear.

Most such trailers have tall, sturdy sides and a back gate or door that helps contain the load. These units also have built-in metal or wooden skis for ease of transport over bumpy access trails and over the ice.

Any sled should be long, large and deep enough to contain all the gear an angler needs for a successful day or weekend on the ice, and should be built with rough terrain and hard use in mind.

Lights or highly-visible reflectors are recommended fea(Continued on next page)

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Ice fishermen using snowmobiles, 4-wheelers and sleds can transport a wide variety of gear to make their fishing day extremely comfortable and productive. Photos by Steve Carpenteri (Continued from page 18)

tures, especially when night fishing for cusk, or when staying in a collapsible portable shelter overnight, to avoid issues with

nighttime snowmobile traffic.

Also, consider using good quality bungee cords or ratchet straps to keep the load in place while travel-

Transporting ice-fishing gear by snowmobile or ATV is an efficient way to get there and back with a full retinue of gear. Covered loads travel most securely.

ing to and over the ice.

A well-planned load will include a tarp or other covering, so that nothing in the sled falls out or is bumped overboard while en

route to the final destination.

Clothing Considerations Getting onto the ice is one thing, but staying there (com-

fortably) all day or all weekend is another.

Today’s winter fishermen have a wide variety of choices in cold-weather garb, (Continued on next page)

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20 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Snowmobiling (Continued from page 19)

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ranging from complete one-piece snowmobile suits to various layers of wool and other insulating fabrics that can be added or removed as temperatures fluctuate.

Wool or insulated hats, gloves, face masks and socks are near-mandatory, as well as top-quality insulated boots. Bring extra gear, in case gloves, socks or face masks get wet from the lake water, perspiration or respiration, and change gear as often as necessary to avoid frostbite and other winter-related discomforts.

Ice-Hole Management Long gone are the days of whittling a hole in the ice with an axe or chisel. Today, most an-

glers use power augers (gas or electric) that make quick work of ice that may be two or three feet deep in places. Collapsible models are best for transporting in trailers, and of course make certain before each trip that there is enough gas or battery power available, and that the auger blades are sharp and undamaged.

A skimmer is necessary for clearing ice chips and slush from the hole once it is cut.

Avoid cheap plastic or poorly-made skimmers because ice-fishing tools are required to perform reliably under the worst of conditions.

A mound of ice chips can freeze solid in minutes, and a cheap skim(Continued on next page)

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mer will fall apart long before the job is done.

Keep the ice cleared at intervals to avoid buildups throughout the day.

Sustenance for Anglers Keep in mind that cold-weather angling is hard work and requires plenty of extra calories for everyone involved. Plan simple but hearty meals that can be cooked or heated up over a small camp stove. Oatmeal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and soups and stews for supper will keep fishermen fueled throughout the day.

Pack plenty of simple, high-energy snacks, such as granola bars, raisins and chocolate bars to keep energy and enthusiasm at peak levels. Bring

refillable containers (thermos-type bottles work well), and keep them refreshed with hot drinks throughout the day. Much of the time waiting for flags to fly can be spent heating water and meals to help keep fishermen warm and satisfied all day and night.

Critical Fishing Gear Because the goal and intent of the trip is ice-fishing, it makes sense to pack enough traps or tip-ups for each participant. Study the current winter fishing regulations to determine if your destination water allows one, two or five traps per person. Bring extras just in case, but only drop as many lines as the law allows.

Also, follow the regulations on the use of (Snowmobiling continued on page 24)

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Products in the United States (US) are distributed by BRP US Inc. 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.

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22 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Fishing on First Ice

by Sam Wheeler In my area of Maine – the western mountains – the ice fishing season typically runs about 3-½ months. And while I enjoy every minute I spend on the hard water, it’s hard to beat the first three weeks of the season.

Ice fishing early in the season can be magical, says the author. Here, he reveals the depths (shallow) and the bait (and jigs) that have proven productive for him, and which will work for you, too! solid black ice by the first week of January – enough to safely venture out, though I always take the necessary precautions. I bring my chisel, and check the ice in several spots before setting

Safety First Where I live, lakes usually form between four to eight inches of

up and drilling holes.

I also always have ice cleats on my boots, because there’s usually very little snow cover on the ice the first few times I go out.

Carrying a set of ice picks is also im-

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portant, and every ice fisherman should own a pair. I wear my on a cord slung around the back of my neck during the first few weeks of the season, especially if the weather has been variable.

I spend the bulk of my time fishing very shallow waters for trout and yellow perch – two of my favorite fish to target early in the season.

About ninety per-

cent of the trout and yellow perch I’ve caught through the ice in December and January have been in water less than five feet deep, although the approaches to catching them are a bit different.

Trout Tactics For trout, I always tend to set traps near rocky or sandy shorelines, or right off islands, if there are any where I am fishing.

I’ve also had the best luck along shorelines that are undeveloped.

For bait, small and medium sized shiners (Continued on next page)

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The author with a brown trout he caught in early January of last year. This tasty fish became part of an excellent dinner that evening.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 23

The author holds a trout he caught in late December, 2021. Make sure to check the lawbook for legal seasons, he advises, since dates vary from lake to lake. Photo

by Meira Bienstock

The author sets a trap on one of his favorite ponds in Western Maine in mid-December of last year. Photo: Meira Bienstock

The author caught this yellow perch on a jig made by one of his friends. Photo: Sam Wheeler

(Continued from page 22)

do the trick every time.

They are the only bait I ever use.

When it comes to depth, two to three feet of water is plenty to catch trout, and sizable ones, too. I’ve caught twenty-inch rainbow trout and brown trout in less than three feet of water. Many of the ones I catch range from 14 to 17 inches – which is an ideal size for eating, if you like to take home your catch like I do.

The bottom line is, early in the season, you don’t need to go deep to catch trout.

Yellow Perch When it comes to yellow perch, I once again go in very shallow water, usually less than five feet. I have a couple spots in western Maine that hold many perch. If you land on a school of them, you can get 15-20 in day, which is more than I need to make a delicious meal.

I always use small shiners, and usually drop them a foot or two below the ice. Sometimes just minutes af(Continued on next page)

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24 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice Fishing

Snowmobiling

(Continued from page 23)

(Continued from page 21)

ter setting a trap, a flag will go up, before I’ve even had time to set my next one. That’s one of the most enjoyable aspects of fishing for perch – it usually keeps you busy throughout the day.

It’s also fun to jig for yellow perch. You can use almost any small jig or lure and get them to bite very quickly.

Most of these lures and jigs also work well on pickerel, if you’re into catching them as well. I personally have not tried jigging for pickerel yet, but maybe

this will be the year – I have heard good things.

First Ice is “Magical” First ice, if you take the necessary precautions, is a magical time of year, and it’s arguably the best time for ice anglers to catch trout.

I’ll be spending the bulk of my free time in January out on the ice, and I hope to see some fellow ice fishermen out there on my journeys.

Tight lines, and be safe out there!

¶

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gear, weights and hooks. Maine law now prohibits the use of small lead sinkers, and ice-fishing gear can have only one hook (although that hook can be a treble hook).

Regulations vary from region to region and lake to lake, so be well versed in current restrictions before dropping that first lure, bait or minnow down the hole. (For example, traps must be under constant supervision, so if you’ve got two anglers and ten traps out, one fisherman can’t take the snowmobile down the lake to the store for lunch; rather, he must pull “his” five traps before leaving.)

Handy items to bring (depending on the species you are targeting) include hook disgorgers, longnosed pliers (for removing hooks

from toothy fish such as pickerel, pike or muskies), a measuring tape to avoid taking short fish, a sharp knife, and long, insulated, rubberized gloves for catching handling and releasing fish.

Lines Up, Lines Down First and foremost, a license is required for anyone over age 16 to fish in Maine. Keep in mind that fishing for salmon, trout and togue ends at sunset on Maine waters.

However, anglers can drop their lines to the bottom after sunset if they want to try their luck on cusk, a popular winter species that is often considered the premier ingredient for a hearty winter chowder.

Cusk traps must be checked hourly throughout the night.

Good luck, and ride safe!

¶

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26 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Hard Water Options for the New year With the advent of New Year’s Day comes a brand new ice fishing season on many Maine lakes, and ardent ice drillers are chewing at the bit to man their augers. This is all assuming that fickle Mother Nature and mercurial Jack Frost have been cooperative and that a safe layer of ice roofs that favorite lake.

Climate change has never been more evident throughout The Crown of Maine than this past November and December, when several decades old daily high temperatures were topped.

From over 60 years of fishing Aroostook’s winter waterways I’ve established two cut and dried facts – January ice fishing is generally the most consistent day to day action of the season, whether you’re using handlines

The author takes readers all around Aroostook County on a tour of ice fishing venues – and he also has a productive suggestion for those days when you decide to stay home.

There are a lot of small lakes near well-plowed access roads, so a pair of snowshoes, a few traps and a manual auger are all an angler needs for a short, successful outing. All photos by Bill Graves

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’Cooks Quintet Of the thousands of waterways of every size and shape scat-

tered across Maine I’m unaware of any other set of same-named liquid gems beyond the Musquacooks.

First through Fifth precedes the surname, but the three that offer ice fishing are worth a visit for winter anglers seeking a bit of remote solitude.

Togue and brook trout far outnumber the visiting hard-water fishermen willing to make the long, slow drive over winter logging roads. Well over an hour beyond Ashland’s Six-Mile Checkpoint along the Realty Road will bring visitors to Musquacook Stream and a crossroad of the same name. Peruse Delorme’s Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 62, E 2 & 3 and Map 56, A-3 for an overview of all five lakes.

There’s little (Continued on next page)

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There is a lot of rough-road travel to reach the Musquacook Lakes in the North Maine Woods, but there are always more fish than fishermen. The fish include togue and beautiful brookies, as the author shows.

(Continued from page 26)

doubt that Second Musquacook is simplest to reach, but even then, a snowmobile will ease travel and allow more exploration of this good-sized lake, as well as quick access via the frozen thoroughfare into First Musquacook. It should be noted that Fourth is not open to ice fishing and that Fifth Musquacook, actually in Piscataquis County with an average depth of 5 feet, isn’t worth the effort.

In the main trio of lakes, togue average one to three pounds, but fish over five pounds are certainly at hand. Brook trout offer steady action as well, with 12 to 16 inches being average size. A jigging rod or handline with a small lure like a DB Smelt or Swedish Pimple often works as well as live bait.

Road plowing in the North Maine Woods (NMW) is dependent on where current logging operations are running, but generally the main road is open to Musquacook crossroad and beyond. Current conditions can be

Rather than hauling a snowmobile trailer over rough, narrow woods roads, sometimes its best to go “Old School”, On snoeshoes one guy carries the auger and the other a packbasket full of tip ups and a bait bucket, and of course a camera.

obtained with a quick call to the NMW office in Ashland. While ATVs are not permitted in the NMW, snowmobiles are permitted for trail use, but not on the hauling roads.

Plan on a full day outing to these remote lakes. Their proximity to each other will allow the chance to drill on at least two, if action isn’t fast enough on your first choice.

Big Machias If you don’t have a full day but still wish to ice fish a North Woods Lake, Big Machias is only about twenty minutes from 6 Mile Gate and a rock’s throw from the wellplowed Realty Road.

While a snowmobile is always an asset for hauling gear to fishing distant sections of a lake, this waterway can be reached and fished on snowshoes.

This frozen gem is

an excellent spot for youngsters and rookie auger-jockeys with its dense population of cooperative yellow perch and rainbow smelt.

The Big M is also one of the early-open locations that can be fished as soon as a safe layer of ice forms.

Some years there’s lots of ice and little or no snow, so a pair of high boots will suffice for early visits.. On a few rare, warm and sunny late-December and early-January afternoons, I’ve seen sports sitting on a bucket handlining for smelt while wearing only a heavy long sleeved shirt. As well as jigging cut bait, most folks set out tip-ups for brook trout to cover all the bases. DeLorme’s Map 63, grid D-2 will direct newcomers to this semi-remote north woods waterway.

Safe ice, shallow snow cover and a nearby urban-edge pond make for a perfect twoto three-hour outing when introducing youngsters to the winter wonderland of ice fishing.

Just because there’s going to be a lot of snow and ice to melt before you can cast a bass bug for smallmouth bass, there’s no reason not to spend an evening or two this month, tying and reminiscing.

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28 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

The County (Continued from page 27)

frigid Aroostook wind and weather as in my younger days. These days, I keep spirits up by tying flies, anticipating spring trolling and reliving last sum-

mer’s fishing trips as I sit at my vise and create hope with feathers and floss.

Catching native brook trout on a fly is good, on a fly you per-

sonally tied is great, but to hook and land a feisty brookie on a fly pattern you invented is rewardingly sublime! I tie traditional dry flies, wet flies, Atlantic salmon flies, tandem streamers and even tarpon flies, but streamer flies for

small pond casting and trolling are my favorite. Putting the finishing touches on a Herb Johnson Special, Magog Smelt or a Greyhound on a dreary January night gives me more inner peace, satisfaction and hope for spring than any

New Year’s resolution.

Here’s hoping all you sportsmen and sportswomen have a Happy New Year and your own special therapy to help endure this prolonged cold spell.

¶

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— Guest Column —

Cellular Game Camera Facts – Part 2

by Staci Warren, staciwarren04978@gmail.com Good reception is a must. I bear hunt on a mountain with my bait site at the tippy top, and if it were not for that, I wouldn’t be able to use a cellular game camera. I am required to use extended antennas just to get two bars. Even though I get reception on a remote mountain almost two hours away, I struggle to get reception where I deer hunt close to home, due to a deep valley.

There is a learning curve to each and every type of camera.

No matter how good the reception is, the camera has to be set to send notification for each detection to come close to “real time.” In order to receive each detection, you are instructed to have a 12-volt battery setup, and even after that, there is no guarantee that you’ll get consistent on-time notifications due to network overload, low batter-

The author has used many different types of game cameras. In last month’s introduction and this issue’s conclusion, she provides the unvarnished truth about the advantages – and the limitations – of modern cellular game camera technology. ies, faulty reception, weather, or user error.

In reality, at least two hours usually elapse between the time the pictures are taken, and the time they are transmitted and received.

Phone Plans Expensive Transmission plans can get costly. Whether it’s a multi-camera plan or individual plans for each camera, the minimum starting monthly cost with a $99 annual membership is 250 free photos, or $15 per month per camera for unlimited photos. Some manufacturers’ plans start at $34.99 a month with 1,000 photos.

Unfortunately, cameras can blow through 1,000 pho-

tos in one night if the setting are too sensitive, the wind blows too hard, and you’ve managed to have one little leaf triggering the shutter. That’s fine since you’ve paid for an unlimited plan, until the batteries run low and the camera stops transmitting.

Batteries – AA, Lithium, and 12-Volt All cellular game cameras recommend lithium-ion AA batteries – eight is the usual number. The best deal out is currently eighteen batteries for $33.

That’s a lot of money if you have to put new batteries in every camera at the start of the season, and only enough for two cameras, and when you’re

This medium-sized buck was photographed by the author’s cameras during the daytime, but he never showed when she was on stand.

possibly transmitting thousands of photos, batteries die quickly.

In fact, cameras can quit transmitting with as much as 40 percent battery life remaining.

There are 12-volt batteries, which run on average $25 each, not including the box, charger, and wires to connect to the camera.

I thought solar would be the way to go, until one $35 lithium battery in one camera melted, and another became waterlogged and died after a rainstorm.

The point is, every one of those set-ups has advantages and disadvantages, and the only difference between regular game cameras and cellular game cameras is that

cellular game cameras tell you when everything ISN’T working.

Not Worried About the Ethics of Cameras Regarding the ethics of game cameras, I consider hunting – including hunting with the use of cameras – as much a game of luck and being in the right place at the right time as it is a well-calculated move to outsmart an animal. I’ve watched deer on one camera, set in a stand in the afternoon, and then proceeded to get non-stop texts from my family asking me where I’m sitting because there are three different bucks on one of my other sites. Go figure.

Yes, cellular game cameras are great, but they are by no means such an advantage that they need to be restricted or prohibited.

¶

The author nicknamed this heavy-bodied fellow “Mountain Buck.” She hopes to see him during a future season. www.MaineSportsman.com

30 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

— Guest Column —

Humbled by the Generosity of Hunters

by John LaMarca, LaMarca Outfitters, Bowdoinham

This past November, after I had just shot my 2nd deer of the year, I was in the throes of excitement that come with a successful harvest.

Then I received a call from a friend. He made me aware of an elderly couple in our area who were in need.

He asked if I would consider gifting a few packs of meat to them, to make certain they’d have plenty to eat during the pending cold-weather months.

Reaching Out Of course, that answer was yes. However, I wanted to do better by them than just a few packs of meat.

Luckily with modern technology, I was able to reach out to members of the “Maine Deer Hunters” Facebook group.

I explained the situation to the group, and I asked if anyone in my area (greater Merrymeeting Bay) could join me in pitching in from their harvest this year. The goal was hopefully to bring the total meat delivery to around 75 lbs.

I am here to report, through the generosity of our fellow Maine sportsmen and women that I did NOT reach my goal of 75 pounds to give to them.

In a world that can often seem angry and volatile, it’s reassuring to know there are good people out there, says the author, and we need look no further than our own hunting and outdoor community.

Overflowing Support I posted the message online at around 1 p.m. that day. By 1:30 p.m., I had already received messages from Maine hunters who pledged enough meat to reach a quota of 100 pounds!

I received around 60 messages in the first 12 hours, and was fortunate enough to be able to thank people for their kindness but let them

know the goal had already been met! These messages came not only from my local area, but as far south as Kittery and as far north as Madawaska!

In fact, if all the meat that was offered had been collected, it would have totaled between 800 and 1,000 pounds of meat! The offers received included not only wild harvested venison, but

wild-caught salmon, moose meat, and local farm raised livestock!

Grateful It was so amazing and humbling to see people come together to help a local family. I was impressed not only in the way people joined in support, but also how quickly folks jumped at the opportunity to help. In a world that can seem so angry and volatile at times, it was refreshing to see there are many good people out there.

Best yet, we need look no further than our own hunting and outdoor community to see that in action.

John LaMarca

¶

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How to Walk Silently When Stalking Wilderness Bucks

by Mark Scheeren

How do you walk silent enough to kill a mature buck by tracking? The answer? By practicing what I call “the slipper walk.”

People ask me, “Mark, you’ve shot five bucks in their beds – how do you get that close, without them seeing you first?” This is a great question, and one I get a lot. It took me many, many years to do it, but once I got the final two pieces of the tracking puzzle down, bucks began falling.

The first skill to master isn’t anything special. Anytime I was in territory I believed held a big deer, I realized I needed to slow down. I mean, really slow down.

Once I disciplined myself to do that, I realized I had a lot more time to look around. I also became much more aware of the fact that my footfalls, even when moving extremely slowly, were still way too loud. I kept busting bucks, to my endless frustration.

However, in the process of learning to creep along, the next part of my learning process began to take shape naturally – the “slipper walk.”

The Slipper Walk If you want to sneak up on an old, experienced wilderness buck, your footfalls need to be muted. Modern humans all essentially walk the same way, and it’s not conducive to silence or stealth at all. You shift your entire bodyweight forward, throw a leg out, toes up, heel down, and fall. Literally. The heel lands first, you roll forward, your upper body weight is already past your foot as it rolls to the ball and toes, and then you push off for the next step.

No matter how slow you do it, you eventually must fall forward onto your heel or full foot. It’s the physics of your torso pushing the entire agenda. If there happens to be a stick or leaves underfoot, well … crunch! The remedy for this is the “slipper walk.”

Practice Take out a pair of low-top shoes. Put them in the middle of your living room floor about 12 to 24 inches in front of you.

Now close your eyes. Stand still, and with one of your bare feet, try to find the

The bucks are out there – but how do you get close enough for a good shot?

Here, Mark Scheeren shares his successful strategies for walking up on big deer.

In addition to learning how to walk slowly and quietly in the woods, Hal Blood recommends wearing wool clothing, which, he says, is “as silent as the fur on an animal.”

shoe with just your toes. It should look a bit like you’re dipping your toe in a lake, trying to see how cold it is. You should feel like your upper torso and head are tipped a bit back, your back leg should be slightly bent holding the fullness of your weight, and you are feeling forward with the toes of the forward foot.

Once you find and can feel the back of one of the shoes, slowly work your toes forward like a gopher going in his den, and eventually slide all of your foot (heel last) into the shoe. Once in the shoe, slowly place weight on that

foot. This is important! Don’t just fall forward! If done slowly enough, should the increased weight bias reveal a stick or piece of dry bark piece underfoot, you can simply pull your foot out and find another “shoe” to feel out.

By practicing “feeling with your toes” with eyes shut at home, you can deathcreep forward in the woods without ever looking down. With practice you can even slip your foot through dry leaves and make very little noise. It just takes practice and patience.

So there you have it – the “slipper walk.” If you master it, I guarantee you will see more – and kill more – big woods bucks.

Hal’s Thoughts Learning to walk quietly in the woods is one of the most difficult parts of being a woodsman and tracker. Plain and simple, you must be able to blend in and be a part of the woods. Animals call the woods their home, and they know all the sounds within it. Deer are alerted by any sound that’s out of place. They may not know the difference between a moose occasionally snapping a stick and a hunter snapping a stick. With both sounds they may not immediately flee but will be on high alert until they know for sure. A moose may occasionally snap a twig, but hunters will snap many more.

Mark accurately wrote that you have to learn to walk softly. You also must learn where to place your feet. Only practice in the woods will give you that experience.

Everything you step can make noise, from a rotting log, to branches and leaves. It can be worse with snow covering everything, as you have to guess a lot.

Most hunters drag their feet, so they will naturally snap more sticks. Learn to pick your feet up. I relate walking in the woods to pedaling a bicycle. You pump your feet along in a circular motion. It is fluid and effortless, once you practice it enough, and combine the movement with Mark’s “slipper walk.”

And be sure to wear wool clothing. It is as silent as the fur on an animal.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

32 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Too Many Does Could Save Some Bucks This past deer season saw Maine’s Fish & Wildlife department issue a record number of antlerless deer tags. Opinions regarding this large number of tags varied, depending on the “deer camp” a hunter was in. Some thought the number excessive; others thought it was just right. My mindset? Let’s wait and see.

There was a time in my life during which I dreamed of being a white-tailed deer biologist. I was young, hungry – and as I still am today – truly passionate about deer.

Fortunately, a career as a head deer biologist was not in the cards.

Why do I say fortunately? In my opinion, this is the toughest position in most state wildlife agencies.

The author makes a modest proposal – that Maine’s DIF&W should actively encourage hunters to use their doe permits to reduce the population of does, and pass on young bucks.

Whitetails generate a huge portion of revenue for DIF&W, and for our state.

They’re an extremely important resource, and opinions on how they should be managed, vary widely. If something goes wrong, the deer biologist gets the blame. When something goes right, they rarely get the credit. There’s tremendous pressure to perform.

In the opinion of our current deer biologist and many employed by DIF&W, there are too many deer in large portions of central, coastal and southern Maine.

Therefore, large numbers of antlerless tags were given out. Within the first couple of weeks of the firearms season, despite record high temperatures, hunters were on track toward a record antlerless harvest. Deer hunters did the job they were asked to do.

An Opportunity for Education Negative comments regarding the record number of doe tags were front and center on deer hunting forums. Personally, I hoped IF&W would use the large number of doe tags to encourage hunters not

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to shoot as many yearling bucks.

This is often an unpopular opinion in Maine and much of the Northeast, but it’s important when looking at it from a big buck hunter’s perspective.

In my opinion, Maine deer hunters kill far too many yearling bucks.

When the total buck harvest is comprised of more than 50% yearling bucks, that’s not a positive thing for hunters looking to harvest an adult buck. An adult buck, for the sake of this article, is at least 3-½ years old. If we lose 50-60% of our bucks as

yearlings from hunting alone, there aren’t going to be many left to make it to adulthood.

We don’t just lose deer to hunting. We lose them to bad winters. We lose them to car-deer collisions, predation, and a laundry list of other factors such as disease and poaching. Long story short, a buck in the southern half of Maine is fortunate to live to adulthood or to die of old age.

Whenever there’s a debate in an online forum or among deer hunters at camp regarding antler point restrictions or some other trophy deer management technique, the term “meat hunter” gets thrown around. Phrases like, (Continued on next page)

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“You can’t eat the antlers” or “I’m not a trophy hunter” are common. Well, it dawned on me, there was something missing from this year’s “antlerless permit roll-out.” What was missed? An educational opportunity.

Why not encourage hunters to pass on yearling bucks?

Benefits for All Hunters It seems like most any hunter who paid attention to emails from DIF&W (great communication, by the way) had an opportunity to get a doe tag if they wanted one. In a few WMDs, many deer hunters got two doe tags. That’s meat in the freezer. Therefore, there’s less of a need to shoot a young buck.

I believe a campaign could have been run with the same email system used to communicate the antlerless tag drawings and sales.

I don’t believe our state is ready for

something like “Earn a buck,” in which a hunter is required to shoot a doe before earning a buck tag. I’m also not a fan of antler point restrictions (APR).

I do believe some hunters would listen to a professional biologist, who explained what happens when we give yearling bucks a pass. What are the benefits?

With the increased number of 2-½ yearold bucks in the woods, the pressure naturally is alleviated on the new yearling crop of spikes, four and six point bucks. Meat hunter or not, most hunters will shoot the larger racked buck when two or more are side by side.

With more bucks and fewer does in the woods, the competition for breeding rights among bucks increases. How does that benefit hunters? This year, I heard many hunters say, “I’m not seeing many rubs or scrapes” or “I didn’t see any bucks chasing does.”

It’s a fact – bucks don’t rub, scrape or chase as much, when there are lots of does. Any of my readers who’ve hunted the Midwest have seen what happens when there are more adult bucks in the population. All these activities increase.

It seems like every deer hunter has a bleat can, grunt call or rattling antlers with them while hunting.

Some carry all of the above. Unfortunately, when there are lots of does around and fewer bucks, calling is far less effective. Rattling, bleating and grunting work well when there are more adult bucks and fewer does in a population.

These are just a few benefits that could be shared with Maine deer hunters via an educational campaign.

Hunters who’ve experienced Midwestern deer management where young bucks are passed, will agree – the hunting is far more enjoyable. I know a trophy is in the

The author snapped this photo of two yearling bucks sparring under his tree stand. Since committing to shooting only adult bucks, the author has enjoyed scenes like this regularly. Choosing to take photos and video of bucks he would have shot as a young hunter, has allowed him to see behaviors many hunters will never experience.

eye of the beholder, but when deer hunters dream of trophy deer, rarely is that trophy a yearling six-pointer. Most of us dream of heavy bodies and big racks. Just dropping the percentage

of yearling bucks in the total buck harvest to 40% would make a noticeable difference.

Perhaps IF&W will promote this in the future. It certainly can’t hurt.

¶

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34 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Allagash Characters – Part 2 In my December column, I wrote about a winter of living on Umsaskis Lake, when we were required to drive a snowmobile on our unplowed mile-long driveway to our truck. Once there, we’d drive to the International Paper Company’s Depot at Clayton Lake. It contained the nearest post office, and it was 14 miles away.

Early in the winter of 1981-82, outside temperatures constantly remained in the minus readings. Due to the cold, we limited ourselves to inside duties.

The only way my wife and I were notified of visitors was by the approaching sounds of snowmobiles or aircraft. Due to the hard freeze, we rarely had guests.

A Winter Walk Then, early on the morning of January 27th, with our outside thermometer reading 29 below, we heard a knock on the kitchen door. Not having heard any sounds of approaching company, I cautiously pushed open the heavy door.

When rising warm air escaped from the kitchen to confront the cold outside, an icy mist sprinkled a thin layer of moisture on someone who was waiting at our front step.

Under a wool hat beamed a bearded face wearing sunglasses. What could this visitor want? Then from behind our caller, peeked the head of a second person who, with a winning smile, announced “Hi – we are Garrett and Alexandra Conover. We are on a winter walk, and we came by to say ‘Hi!’”

Garrett (left) and Alexandra Conover.

Over coffee, Susan and I learned that the couple had camped the previous night at the Ledges tent site, a mile northeast of our lodge. The two had seen www.MaineSportsman.com

our gas lights shining through the darkness.

Here is their story: “We were married in Oct of 1980,” explained Alexandra. “Garrett and I thought it would be fun to spend our honeymoon snowshoeing from Greenville to Allagash.

“On Jan. of 1981, we traveled north on Moosehead Lake, across N.W. Carry, and up Seboomook to the West Branch of the Penobscot. From there, we continued to the North Branch, reaching Abaconetic Bog and traversing to St John Pond.

“Eventually, we tracked down the St. John River to Allagash Village. We covered between three and fifteen miles per day, averaging six miles a day for thirty days. Eventually, we’d covered around two-hundred miles.

“No close calls, fortunately. But at one point, a midwinter rainstorm and thaw kept us holed up, where we learned the hard lessons of keeping our gear dry.

“We spent our days pulling small toboggins loaded with canvas tents, supplies and small metal wood stoves to dry our gear at night.”

Worn Out Equipment and Ice Fissures “However,” Alexandra continued, “our shelter was a used wall tent from a children’s summer camp. One night, the wet threads and old canvas gave way, and the whole side panel yawned open, allowing frigid air and rain to rush in. Using needle and thread, we spent hours making necessary repairs.

“Over the days, my felt boot liners and boots became very thin, as they lost insulation from the daily pounding on the diamond-hard river ice. To warm my cold feet, I stuffed the gumboots with dry marsh grasses each morning, using wood heat to dry the footwear at night.

“The grass was very comfortable and warm. We learned a great deal on that initial trip about open leads or ice fractures, and midwinter thaws.

“I had done winter trips in my youth, even to Labrador, but up there the temps are so extreme that open leads are much smaller, with plenty of ice to skirt them safely. Not so in Maine.

Sometimes, snowshoe travelers need to

cut their way through the riverside alders for safe passage – a technique used by beaver trappers.

“It was our eleventh day of snowshoeing toward Greenville along the Allagash, when we met you and Susan.”

Little Allagash Falls. Dean Bennett Collection

After the visit, it took them about a month to return to Greenville, during which time they experienced several more thaws. “The damp and wet is much more dangerous in winter travel than deep cold,” Alexandra told us later, “so I remember those days as the most threatening of times.”

When we met up in later years, Alexandra recalled the initial meeting at the cabin door: “I remember how startled you looked when you opened the door,” she said. “I felt badly about that surprise. But we really enjoyed hearing the history of the camps. And that the two of you were the first to winter there in the Ranger’s cabin since the Waterway was formed.”

Through that impromptu visit, Susan and I made lasting friends – individuals who shared with us their knowledge and passion for wilderness. Their travels set a standard, reinforcing the importance and appreciation of the river’s ‘wild’ experiences. It’s an important goal, and the Allagash’s supporters must heed the call and resist the tendency of the corridor to be impacted by the political winds of indifference and convenience.

Tim Caverly has authored eleven books about Maine’s northern forest.

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Win Some, Lose Some There is a certain field on Route 43, right at the Exeter/Corinth town line. Whenever I drive past it, even to this day, it reminds me of my human fallibility. It bothers me, but it shouldn’t after all these years, and besides – I drive past hundreds of places that remind me of something that took place there over my forty years in law enforcement.

It was the fall of 1973. Lee Downs was my boss, and I had been to his house in Corinth to drop off some paperwork. I was heading back towards Exeter on Route 43 in my 1973 Rambler Ambassador.

I had stayed longer at Lee’s than I had planned on, as I really liked visiting and having coffee with him and his wife, Marie. She had been the school secretary at East Corinth Academy when I attended there, and recalled some incidents I didn’t really want to talk about, especially something about me being a sore loser.

Up To No Good?

At any rate, it was now well after dark, and as I approached the aforementioned field, I came across a car that was stopped adjacent to this field.

However, just as I came into view, the car started toward me.

As I passed by, I looked out into the

The poachers had returned, and were driving toward me on the road. As I turned onto an unmaintained dirt road to get out of sight, my front tires went down into a ditch. Now I couldn’t back up. I couldn’t go ahead. I was stuck.

As the author watched helplessly from his immobile vehicle, a strong light shone from the poacher’s vehicle, and a shot rang out.

field, and I could make out three deer standing there, quite close to the road. Since, owing to my occupation, I had now become fundamentally suspicious of people’s activities, I figured the folks in this vehicle were likely up to no good.

My immediate thought was that I had interrupted their nefarious hunting intentions, and that I needed to get out of sight as quickly as possible in case they should return. I knew there was a short unmaintained cut-off road just ahead that connected Route 43 onto the Downing Road, as I had utilized it several times previously. I figured that I could scoot right in there, get out of sight

and wait for further developments.

Unexpected Ditch This road turned off to the right at about a 45-degree angle, so I entered at a pretty good clip. All of a sudden, I saw that the road had recently been altered. There was a ditch all the way across the road, where a culvert had been removed.

I slammed on the brakes and came skidding to a stop, but unfortunately not soon enough, as my front tires ended up right down in the ditch.

Now, I couldn’t back up or go ahead, and I was stuck.’

I doused my lights and got out to evaluate my situation. I tried to kick some of the edge

off the ditch, and while doing so I could see a vehicle coming back from the direction my suspect vehicle had just gone.

The driver stopped adjacent to the field about 200 yards from me. Subsequently, a light was shined into the field from the vehicle, and a single rifle shot rang out.

Then, the vehicle backed around in the road, and headed back the way they it had come.

Dilemma So, there I was, more than a little upset at my dilemma.

I jumped back in the Rambler and tried to get out of the ditch but to no avail, and in the process I gave the poor Rambler an ample

dose of abuse.

Then I retrieved my tire iron out of the trunk, and used it to chip away at the rear edge of the ditch enough that I was eventually able to back out.

I now decided that I could re-locate to a rutted-up woods road just across from the field to wait and see if they would come back again, maybe to look for a deer. I waited and I waited, but after banging my head off the steering wheel until midnight, I had to admit that I was defeated. A light rain had started as I walked over around the field to see if I might find a deer, but could not find anything. Apparently, the shooter had missed, and decided to move on.

The only solace I could take from my blunder was that whomever the actors were, they never knew how I had managed let them slip right through my fingers.

People often say, “Win some, lose some” and they are then able to let it go, but that always seemed way too cavalier for me. Marie Downs was correct – I was a sore loser (ask anyone I ever played sports with), and you know what? I still am, but I accept that personality trait as merely a human flaw.

¶

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36 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Eat More Green Meat Can we save the planet by eating more venison and less beef, pork and lamb? Our author explores the hypothesis that eating deer meat is good for the planet.

Venison is “unequivocally the single most ecologically friendly food you can eat – food that actually makes the environment better, rather than worse.”

So said a food writer, Tamar Haspel, in the Washington Post in 2022. If she is correct, we might call venison the “green” meat. And we should eat more of it.

Ms. Haspel’s argument is worth considering. Is this true? Is it “unequivocal,” or is that perhaps an overstatement? Let’s see.

Wild, Not Farmed First, Ms. Haspel correctly points out that in order for venison to be eco-friendly, “You have to kill [the] deer” yourself.

Farmed venison just doesn’t have the same environmental benefits. But is wild venison the greenest food?

Plants Are Green Sustainable food experts argue that a plant-based diet is the most planet-friendly diet.

The typical list of the most eco-friendly foods includes various types of beans (or other legumes), seaweed, nuts, organic fruits and vegetables, grains, and mushrooms – eswww.MaineSportsman.com

pecially wild-foraged varieties.

Humans, experts say, can get sufficient protein from plants, without the inefficiencies and environmental impacts of converting plants to meat.

Cattle require 25 pounds of feed (plants) to produce one pound of edible meat. About three-quarters of agricultural land is used for animal production.

In short, beef is a highly inefficient source of protein.

Mussels For Your Muscles For those who’d rather not limit themselves to vegetarian options, mussels, clams, oysters and other bivalves have a very low impact on the environment, are sustainable, and actually improve water quality by filtering out algae.

Even farmed mussels require no feed and cause almost no ecological disruption.

Wild-caught fish is also high on the list of efficient sources of protein, but overfishing and wasteful by-catch can be a serious problem. Stocked fish and farmed fish have the disadvantage of using energy and producing wastes from hatcheries and aquaculture.

For those of us who

eat meat, food experts say that chicken is better than pork, which is better than beef or lamb. Local, organic, pasture-raised meat is better than processed feedlot beef raised on land cleared from the Amazon forest.

Green Meat So why is venison considered so green?

Ms. Haspel based her argument in favor of harvesting and eating deer, on two key points: 1) Voracious browsing by too many deer disrupts habitat and diversity of native plants and animals, and 2) Even wild deer produce substantial emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, when they digest their food.

Hunting deer and eating wild venison will reduce both of these impacts.

Her first point is true. According to Maine DIFW, in areas where there are too many deer, “High deer populations can result in over-browsing of natural habitat, leading to … local loss of plant diversity.”

Deer also play a role in allowing certain non-native invasive plants to spread.

According to a Cornell University study,

According to the author, we can benefit ourselves and our planet by eating more venison. Photo: David Van Wie

“Deer avoid certain invasive plants [such as garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed] … causing [those] unpalatable species to spread.” For those invasive plants that deer like to eat, “the seeds of the plant are spread in their feces.”

Bottom line: An overabundance of deer can really screw up an area’s ecology.

Fewer Deer, Less Gas Another reason eating wild venison is good for the environment is because killing a deer will reduce emissions of methane that contribute to global warming and climate change.

Deer are ruminants, just like cows and sheep. This means they have four compartments in their digestive system in which they digest

leaves, grass, buds and twigs, with the help of microorganisms that ferment the otherwise undigestible cellulose.

The by-products of the fermentation are methane and carbon dioxide – both greenhouse gases – which the animals expel by belching and, well, farting. Scientists estimate that an adult white-tailed deer produces about 15 kilograms of methane per year, compared to 35 to 55 kg per domestic cow.

But cows are much bigger than deer.

Therefore, pound for pound, deer produce more methane than cows.

As Ms. Haspel puts it, “We have to grow the cattle to have beef, so you’re adding methane to the atmosphere with every steak. But (Sporting Environment continued on page 39)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 37

The Author is Challenged by Grand Lake Matagamon Everything else has gone well for Bill Sheldon at Grand Lake Matagamon in the warm months; however, the fish have proven elusive. But now he has a plan, involving coming after them by jigging through the ice.

What started as a one-off spring fishing trip has turned into an obsession. There’s no logical explanation.

I’ve had the good fortune to fish in multiple waters throughout the Northeast. Some of those waters have storied histories and the crowds to go with their legendary status.

Others were no-name waters ignored by anglers cruising past on their way to more popular hotspots.

Years back, after chatting with a ranger at the north entrance to Baxter State Park, my friend Steve Carter and I hatched a plan to fish Lake Matagamon (DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 57, E-2) – specifically, at the mouth of Webster Brook.

The following spring, a small group of optimistic anglers shoved off from the boat ramp located just south of the park’s gatehouse. It was an epic adventure, but netted little in the way of fish. Timing is everything, and apparently we arrived a week or two too late.

We did, however, hit the jackpot on bugs. Quite possibly the worst I’ve ever experienced. I watched my fishing buddies get

eaten alive. For some strange reason, bugs don’t like me. With that said, I still donated some blood to the cause.

Undaunted, the following year we arrived two weeks earlier looking for more fish and fewer bugs.

Well, we got a few nice brook trout, but nothing in the way of fantastic fishing. While I never had to break out my bug suit, others were not so fortunate.

So, the question persists: “If the bugs are horrendous and the fishing is marginal. what’s the attraction?”

Bug-Free Solution Simply put, it’s beautiful. Plenty of clean water, miles of shoreline. islands worthy of exploring, crisp mountain air, lots of elbow room, and unsurpassed scenery.

And, important – at least to me – I know the brook trout and salmon population is healthy. Well, at least I haven’t done anything to impede it!

So, once you fall in love with a water, the only thing to do is to figure it out. So, obviously I need a new plan. Let the research begin!

I’m looking for a

bug-free experience and the opportunity to spend more time at the northern tip of Baxter State Park.

Then, I scrolled across a YouTube video of someone ice fishing Lake Matagamon.

Problem solved! Not sure why I didn’t think of ice fishing this pristine water sooner, but give credit to the YouTubers for opening my eyes.

Grand Lake Matagamon Grand Lake Matagamon has 4,165 acres to explore. A dam at the outlet feeds the East Branch Penobscot River. Most maps divide Matagamon Lake into First Lake and Second Lake.

I suspect the dam raised the water level and merged these two waters into one grand watershed.

Depth maps, readily available on the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website (www.maine. gov) can prove helpful.

A printed and laminated hard copy works well, secured to the deck of any kayak or boat. I recently purchased an app called “i-Boating” that has a fair amount more detail, and cell phone convenience.

What better way to start the New Year than soaking up some sunshine while spending a little time on the hard water? The author photographed this young lady making sure everything was just perfect before setting a tip-up from her well-organized Jet Sled -- that’s ice fishing in its purist form.

Bill Sheldon photo

For ice fishing, I’m less worried about navigating the skinny water between First and Second Lake, and more concerned about selecting a productive spot to set my traps.

With depths ranging from two feet to 95 feet, hard-water an-

glers have plenty of options.

I don’t have any ice fishing-specific electronics to help me figure this out. Anglers who do, put themselves at an advantage. I do, however, (Katahdin Country continued on page 39)

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38 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Off Road Traveler Ideas for the New Year I have run out of room in the cab of my current vehicle, a 2010 Toyota Tacoma pickup. Even though I have the larger “Access Cab,” the gear I carry just doesn’t all fit in the extra space behind the front seats.

If I take a passenger with me, I have to move things around to provide space for my dog.

I took a quick inventory of items and found this: axe, small bow saw, toolbox, trailer hitch/ball, flattire kit and compressor, charging unit,

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dog gear (extra collar, leash, food dishes, treats, water, GPS collar and control, first aid kit, training bumper, and ChuckIt toy), extraction kit, winch controls, maps, extra water, cooler, rope, blanket, and dog pad.

The trouble comes when I have to retrieve an item from back there, I have to pull out many items to get to one specific piece of gear. Even during the daylight hours, I have to use a flashlight to spot the buried item I am searching for – not

fun when you are in a hurry or in the midst of a rainstorm.

I could put it all in the bed of the truck, except that the cap doesn’t have locking handles that work correctly, and my tailgate doesn’t have a lock.

I’m working on both right now, installing a lock for the tailgate and changing out the handles with locks that work. When the project is finished, I will be able to free up some space in the cab by putting some of the gear in the bed of the truck securely.

Organization My father was not an organized fellow … he always complained when he couldn’t find some tool he was searching for, and then blamed it on me and my two brothers.

When he found that he had lost the tool because of his own disorganization, he was kind enough to ask us boys to forgive him.

You would think that I would grow up to be a super organized guy, but that just didn’t happen. Instead, I have turned out to be a mix of

unorganized and ultra-clean freak. I have so much gear sometimes, that over the years I have learned a few tricks to help those who are afflicted with this organizational deficit.

Several companies offer systems of drawers for storing gear in the bed of a truck. I didn’t go that route, because I didn’t want to lose headroom if I sleep in the cap-covered bed. I also need that extra headroom if I am ever transporting larger items in every(Continued on next page)

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day use – such as taking items to the dump, moving a friend’s or family member’s furniture and appliances, or hauling lumber for projects.

So, my solution involves the use of a few plastic totes to hold the excess gear. I can slide the totes around or stack them to gain extra space if I’m sleeping back there.

I’m looking for some totes that are about ten inches in height and about half of the bed’s length. When I find a few totes that fit the cab just right, I will figure out a way to secure them so they don’t slide around during travel. I think I can use a bungie cord to keep them pushed up against the front of the bed, and then slip the flexible cord over the top of the shallow tote to allow access by sliding them to the rear of the bed. I have

a cool tool that reaches up to the front of the cab and hooks onto gear, letting me drag it within reach.

I thought of using regular-sized totes, but I don’t want to stack the gear inside the deeper totes and then have to dig through the buried gear. I want a “laid out” kind of storage system, using something like the larger and longer totes used for under-bed storage.

A Few Extras I will still need some organization inside the cab of the truck for items that I use on a regular basis – some way of containing these items in an organized manner, and at the same time allowing me easy access.

For years now, the U.S. Military has used the “MOLLE System” for carrying and organizing gear. MOLLE stands for Modular

Sporting Environment (Continued from page 36)

the deer are wild, so you’re subtracting methane with every steak.”

Clearing forest land to raise beef cattle releases even more carbon. Keeping land open for pasture or crops prevents the land from storing carbon in trees that would otherwise regenerate

Katadhin Country (Continued from page 37)

have an outdated (early 1990s) portable open-water fish finder. By simply mounting the transducer on a four-foot stick attached to a homemade ice tilt, I can grab some depths and occasionally mark some fish.

It’s no secret fish will find an ideal water temperature, and hang there.

Marking a few fish through the ice helps identify that favored thermo-

Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. I’ve used it, and find it to be very efficient for keeping things handy and in order.

I will get one of those MOLLE products that hang on the back of the seats, to keep gear handy but out of the way. No more digging around for things in the truck.

I have also seen what several companies are offering as MOLLE Panels that attach to the insides of the truck bed. I might try something like that for stowing the Hi-Low Jack and other large/ heavy items.

About the time I get everything on this truck that I want, it will be time to get a new truck. Maybe next time I’ll just order a new truck with everything already installed – Naw! What fun would that be?

¶

Here’s an example of the military MOLLE System, used for civilian gear storage.

and grow.

Not only that, eating wild venison instead of beef, pork, chicken or farmraised venison will avoid the fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation required to grow their feed, and will reduce water pollution from excess nutrients (in their prodigious excrement) and erosion.

We can’t save the planet by having everyone eat wild venison. There just

wouldn’t be enough to go around to feed eight billion people. Ms. Haspel’s enthusiastic “unequivocal” argument is probably an overstatement.

But those of us who are able to hunt and harvest venison, moose or grouse instead of buying meat in the store are certainly feeding ourselves with an eco-friendly food.

Go ahead, eat more green meat.

cline. While some anglers choose to set the legal limit of traps, I’m content jigging with artificial bait – mostly a Swedish Pimple at those depths where the water hits 50 degrees.

Matagamon Wilderness Campground Visitors to this northern treasure need to stop at Matagamon Wilderness Campground and meet Joe and Sue Christianson – two nice people who serve outdoors folks with a first-class operation. From lodging to a hot meal, they really make recreation in this remote region stress-free and relaxing.

Joe Christianson was very informative in helping me determine my spring dates, and I’ll be looking to him for some advice on where to start my winter jigging operation. Local intel can save a lot of guesswork.

My concept is to simply use what little I’ve learned fishing a water in the spring, and see if I can parlay that knowledge into some winter success.

On the other side of the coin, perhaps a few nuggets gleaned from stomping around on the hard water will help my struggling spring fishing endeavors.

¶

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40 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

2023 Sportswomen to Watch Maine’s many sportswomen are inspiring, empowering, and fun to follow.

Here are seven you should keep an eye out for in the woods and waters this year.

The Angler

cally. She focuses on water sets, and she’s caught otter, mink and numerous beavers. “Trapping is a lot of work and can be dangerous,” Jeanie says. “Once your traps are set, you have to tend to them, then once you’re successful you have to skin, flesh, stretch and dry the fur.” Jeanie recommends that people interested in trapping take a trapper’s safety course, find a mentor, and consider starting with spring beaver trapping.

“You don’t have to chip through ice,” she explained, “and the beavers are traveling greater distances.”

Follow Jeanie on Instagram at @jeanie_cote_unleashed_ The Farmer

Meghan Fenton is an avid angler.

Gray native Meghan Fenton grew up fishing with her dad. Today she balances fishing with being a Code Enforcement Officer and police officer, and owning a bait shop. “I started Fenton’s Bait in 2017 because I couldn’t find bait shops that were open when I needed bait. It’s a lot of work catching bait – it involves long evenings driving around to tend traps and cut holes in the ice. Sometimes I’m up all night.” Meghan is a Registered Maine Guide and is currently working on getting her captain’s license.

Find Meghan on Instagram at @Meghan_Fenton The Trapper

Jeanie Cote with a mink she trapped last winter.

Jeanie Cote grew up hunting and fishing around her hometown of Minot.

The hair salon owner and Registered Maine Guide only began trapping in 2022, but has taken to it enthusiastiwww.MaineSportsman.com

Isabel Mullen works on a dairy farm that has been in her family for 75 years.

Isabel Mullin of Cape Elizabeth quit her job six months ago to work as a “FarmHer” (an organization that encourages women in agriculture) on her family’s dairy farm. The farm, in Kittery, was started by her grandparents and is celebrating its 75th year in business. Isabel takes pride in caring not only for the cows, but for the land, too. “We rely on what our fields grow to feed our animals, and we have to keep the land healthy and fertile,” she said. “Our fields host an abundance of wildlife, from insects and mice to turkeys, coyotes, and deer. In a suburban area like Kittery, it’s a little sanctuary.”

She’s also a boss at backing up a trailer.

Find Isabel on Instagram at @clumsyfarming

The Casting Instructor

Sue Daignault has taught fly fishing and casting for 20 years.

A Blackstone, Massachusetts native, Sue Daignault grew up surfcasting for stripers with her parents and siblings.

Sue moved to Maine in 1989 and retired as a Coast Guard officer after 30 years of service. Today she works part time as an occupational safety consultant, guides fishing trips, and teaches fly casting at LL Bean’s Outdoor Discovery School.

She lives in Harpswell with her partner of 38 years, and fishes year-round in Maine’s fresh and salt waters. Sue says, “Fishing has taught me patience, hope, appreciation, and gratitude. Age is teaching me to treasure the time on the water and focus on what I can see, feel, and learn around me.”

Follow Sue on Instagram at @maineflygal The Game Warden

Maddie Killian and her dog Midge at advanced warden school graduation.

Maddie Killian is originally from Ipswich, Massachusetts and is a District Game Warden in the Rangeley region.

Maddie fell in love with hunting and fishing while attending Unity College. “I (Continued on next page)

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really love to cook, and wanted to have a more meaningful connection with my food,” Maddie says about her spark for the outdoors. After graduation, Maddie worked as a fisheries technician in the Greenville area. Currently, Maddie is one of only six female game wardens in the state, out of 120 officers. Her advice for those interested in the outdoors is, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, ask questions, and laugh at yourself. You aren’t going to learn if you aren’t having fun.”

Find Maddie on Instagram at @maddie_killian The Hunting Guide Libby Nilsen in a hunting guide who lives in Brunswick with her husband, Tim. Libby was inspired to become a better hunter and guide from her friend and now Master Maine Guide, Holly Hamilton. In 2001, Holly was fighting breast cancer, while Libby was waiting to have neck surgery. Libby decided that when she got better, she would go for her guide license. “Working towards that goal brought me through a really difficult time in my life,” she said, “and now, going through breast cancer, my faith and time outdoors keep me optimistic and grounded. My naturopathic doctor considers me in remission!” When Libby and Tim started North Road Outfitters in 2003, Holly served as their first guide.

Libby Nilsen with a 196-lb. 14-pointer she shot in 2020.

They specialize in bear and deer hunts in the Moosehead Region.

Despite having shot multiple trophy bucks and numerous bears, Libby is most proud of helping young people and other women get into hunting.

Follow Libby on Instagram at @libbyoutdoors The All Around Sportswoman Emily Trial grew up in Norridgewock, but she didn’t discover her passion for the outdoors until she went bird hunting for the first time in 2017.

In 2020, she left her job as a veterinary technician and moved to Ripogenus Lake to live with her boyfriend and work for the North Maine Woods. She credits

Emily Trial is an avid outdoorswoman who lives on Ripogenus lake.

her boyfriend for being her biggest supporter and advocate. “He introduced me to my love of black bear hunting, and we learned to trap together,” she explained.

Emily offers the following advice to women new to the outdoors: “It can be discouraging, especially for women, but that has fueled my fire more than ever.

Just go out and do it. You will mess up and you will learn from it. There is a lesson with every mistake.”

Follow Emily on Instagram @em_outdoors

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MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: Lake Trout by Steve Vose

The lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) also known as Togue, Laker, Gray Trout, and Mackinaw, is a freshwater game fish inhabiting lakes throughout northern North America. A fish species native to Maine waters, lake trout prefer to inhabit deep, cold, oxygen-rich waters.

A slow-growing fish species, lake trout populations can be heavily damaged by overfishing. For that reason, Maine’s DIF&W biologists closely monitor lake trout populations. Maine anglers normally catch lake trout averaging between 18 to 24 inches, and weighing 2 to 4 pounds. Occasionally a fortunate angler will land a behemoth fish exceeding 15 pounds.

Beech Hill Pond in Ellsworth was the source of the current state record lake trout – a 31-pounds, 8-ounce monQuestions

1. By what other names is the lake trout known?

2. Is the lake trout native to Maine waters?

ster caught by Hollis Grindle in 1958.

Lake trout possess muted black to gray colored bodies overlaid with light spots. This dark pattern gets progressively lighter down the side of the fish, finally turning white on the fish’s belly.

The back of the lake trout sports a darkly colored dorsal and adipose fin while the pelvic fins are orange with white edging. The lake trout’s tail or caudal 3. What kind of environment do lake trout need to flourish?

4. What is the average sized lake trout caught by Maine anglers?

5. How big was the largest lake trout

fin is forked, easily distinguishing it from of its relative the “square tailed” brook trout.

Opportunistic feeders, lake trout prey on a wide variety of species, including alewives, rainbow smelt, crustaceans, insects and even small birds and mammals.

Lake trout spawn in the fall, returning each year to the same spawning area. Young lake trout (fry) hatch from the egg and hide in the gravel substrate until early spring, when they emerge and begin searching for food. If able to successfully avoid predators, lake trout may live to exceed 25 years. Lake trout can breed with brook trout to birth a “splake.” This can occur naturally, but more commonly takes place in hatcheries, where lake trout eggs are fertilized with brook trout sperm. caught in Maine?

6. What do lake trout eat?

7. How many years can a lake trout live?

8. What is a “splake”? Answers on Page 45 www.MaineSportsman.com

42 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Rekindle Those New Year’s Traditions As the sporting world ushers in a New Year, it makes sense to evaluate this past year’s endeavors. Otherwise, what I call “slippage” creeps in.

For example, last year at this time I vowed to do more fishing than I had done the year before.

Welp, despite some good effort. that plan fell a little short. A couple of fishing trips got cancelled, and time just ran short. My goal this year is to fix that

Coyote-calling, snowmobiling, hare-hunting, and – on those lakes in the North Zone where it’s permitted – ice fishing, are great ways to welcome 2023 in the Jackman Region! problem.

Another New Year’s tradition that has fallen by the wayside involved an annual coyote hunt on my cousin’s farm. For years I always set aside New Year’s Day, and spent the morning in a blind calling coyotes. Just got lazy on that one.

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As the calendar turns in the hamlet of Jackman, outdoor junkies have myriad opportunities to rekindle old traditions or start new ones. The region’s reputation for generous snowfalls has turned it into a virtual winter playground.

Calling All Coyotes When the icy winds blow and the temperatures barely hit double digits, the sport of calling coyotes is a worthwhile pursuit in the Jackman area, just south of the Canadian border.

With no closed season during daylight hours, and a night hunting season that runs from December

16th through August 31st, hunters have plenty of time to pick from. Other than Sundays, it’s game on.

The internet, specifically YouTube, has a plethora of tutorials on calling techniques.

Maine law permits the use of electronic, hand-held and mouth operated predator calling devices. Nighttime hunters must have one of these devices in their possession (as proof they are not hunting other animals), along with a $4 Coyote Night Hunting permit.

A growing group of sportsmen have taken up the art of using trained dogs to hunt coyote. Dogs are al-

lowed only during daylight hours.

While bird hunting last fall, I ran into a group of hunters who had successfully harvested a nice coyote using their canine friends. I took the time to listen in on the hunt, and realized they were having fun.

In many ways, it reminded me of snowshoe hare hunting with dogs. It’s difficult for the average hunter to maintain a pack of coyote hounds.

This hunt is best left to professionals, who can then share the experience with clients. Calling some of the guides and outfitters listed here in The Maine Sportsman can get that New Year’s tradition rolling.

Dog’s ’n’ Hares Speaking of dogs, I can’t forget my bud(Continued on next page)

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dy Art Corson and his friendly pack of rabbit hounds. Every year, I get together with my two sons and a friend or two for a snowshoe hare hunt.

Corson coordinates the when, where and how based on his local intel. It’s important to remember that houndsmen run their dogs regularly to keep them in shape. That gives them real-time data on bunny populations.

It’s possible to stalk/track snowshoe hares. Corson, with decades of experience chasing the “white ghost,” assures me you must practically step on one to get it moving.

With that said, nothing beats a walk in the winter playground.

Hard Water Time!

And, of course, January 1st signals the start of the North Zone ice fishing season on certain water bodies.

What better way to fire up a new tradition than setting out some tilts on the hard water and cooking some hot dogs over an open flame with friends and family?

In this zone, check the rule book and specific water for a “B” designation. The “B” Special Season Code means open to ice fishing and open water fishing from January1 through April 30.

A “CI” designation

means closed to ice fishing. Not all waters in the North Zone are open to ice fishing, so it is important to sort this out before establishing a tradition on getting locked up in the hoosegow.

Ice fishing ranges from super simple to super intense. I use a hand powered auger, outdated tilts and a reconstructed jigging rod. I don’t skimp on the quality of the hot dogs.

Others have portable shacks, electronic flashers and fish finders and a snowmobile to haul their gear. In fact, my buddy Lenny Potvin bought a new (Jackman Region continued on page45)

The author proposes using the New Year to rekindle old traditions and start new ones. Here, the author, along with his son Matt, pose for a photo after harvesting one of the region’s snowshoe hares. The Sheldon family does a yearly snowshoe hare hunt with Master Maine Guide Art Corson and his pack of sharp-nosed rabbit hounds. Bill Sheldon photo

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44 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Winchester’s .338: America’s Big Game Cartridge A rare sight in the Maine woods, the .338 Winchester Magnum is nevertheless the All-American cartridge for big game hunting. In his 1984 book Popular Sporting Rifle Cartridges, Clay Harvey wrote of the .338: “its forte is showing big, mean critters who’s boss.” And that is why it seldom appears in the fields and forests of Maine.

The .338 Win Mag, as it’s often written, offers more power than local hunters need.

Only hefty moose or the largest of Maine’s bruins fit the category of .338 targets. While

The .338 is a prime tool for anyone inspired to hunt elk in the American or Canadian West, caribou across the roof of the continent, and brown or grizzly bear wherever they may be hunted.

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pounds of energy – far more than is needed for deer hunting.

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brown or grizzly bear wherever they may be hunted.

The .338 Winchester Magnum also makes a fine choice for hunters of the broad spectrum of African plains game, from dainty gazelles to the largest eland. Anyone could assume similar results on the game of South Asia, and even to the burly brown bears of Russia’s Kamchatka region.

With an exception for Africa’s Big Five (elephant, black rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard), and Asian tigers, the .338 ought to make any traveling hunter’s short list for packing.

For those with storage space challenges, or the fiscally conservative, the Winchester .338 can fill the bill of a one-gun collection.

Magnum Power Marketed for the first time in 1958, the .338 now is among several contemporary cartridges built from the .458 Winchester Magnum cartridge case necked down. Cartridges of the World says this about rifles in .338 Win mag: “Initially available only in the Winchester Model 70 Alaskan bolt-action rifle, Remington adopted it for the 700 series bolt action.

Some European rifle makers also chamber it, as does Ruger for the Model 77 and No.1 rifles, Mossberg in the Patriot line, Savage in (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 45 (Continued from page 44)

the 110 series, as well as many custom and semi-custom rifles.

Browning’s BAR autoloader also chambers it.”

Despite 64 years of consumer popularity, the .338 has its critics. Back in September of 1981, Dave Petzal wrote in Field & Stream: “The 338 and other mediums are without exception highly specialized tools for skilled shots … the 338 will perform prodigies at long range, but except for the far-gone elk hunter or chaser after brown bears, they’re too much.”

Two years later, in

September 1983, Jon Sundra published in Guns & Ammo, “The .338 kicks like hell— about three times what a 270 does—and a lot of gents who shoot infrequently can’t handle such guns.” Conversely, in 1984 Clay Harvey circled back to Petzal’s earlier comment and wrote: “As for me, if I were anticipating becoming a fargone elk hunter (instead of an occasional one) and a chaser after brown bears, I would choose the 338 as my rifle cartridge, and I’d never look back.”

Harvey went on to list his support for the .338 this way: “I like

the fact that it handles slugs a little broader and heavier than you can stuff into the 30s … I like the fact that it kicks less than the 340 Weatherby—a lot less—and really isn’t that much shy of achieving similar ballistics. I like the fact that I can load it with the fine 210-grain Nosler and reach way out across a flat to deck whatever I can hit. I like the way it treats my shoulder with more respect than does the 375 Holland & Holland, and the ammo sags my cartridge belt less obtrusively, and that bolt manipulation is quicker.”

Jackman Region (Continued from page 43)

“Snowdog” motorized sled to haul his ice fishing gear across the hard water. Early reports are that he is happy with his new ice machine.

Sled Jockey Heaven Entering town, one will quickly realize that snowmobiles might just outnumber automobiles.

Jackman has developed a reputation as the go-to destination for sled jockeys.

The fact that the Jackman Region has snow early, often, and later than southern Maine, con-

tributes to this destination status.

As important as the abundance of snowfall Jackman’s location has made it a “hub” for trail runners.

Literally all trails lead to Jackman. As a result, sleds from all directions come into Jackman, and folks staying in Jackman head south or east on one of the ITS (Interconnected Trail System) snowmobile trails.

Ring in the New Year by rekindling an old tradition, or by starting a new one.

That is high praise for this belted Magnum that probably helped to convince the shooting public when it was written almost 40 years ago. And solid faith in the .338 has only grown over the decades.

End State I shot a borrowed Model 70 in .338 Winchester Magnum in Alaska several years ago. That synthetic stocked, stainless steel Model 70 has moose, caribou, and brown bear to its credit, but at the time I preferred my Kimber in .325 Winchester Short Magnum.

Today, I own an

impeccable Ruger Model 77 in .338. Its barrel bears the etching, “Made in the 200th Year of American Liberty.” That was uber-patriot Bill Ruger’s attempt to mark the year 1976 and make his guns something of a collector’s item.

I got the .338 by chance not choice when I purchased a small collection from a friend who has given up hunting. However, the bullet options for the .338 alone make it far more versatile than my much loved .325 WSM.

¶

Trophy Gallery

¶

Wildlife Quiz Answers: Lake Trout (Quiz on Page 41)

1. The lake trout is also known by the names togue, laker, Gray trout, and Mackinaw.

2. Yes, the lake trout is native to Maine waters.

3. Lake trout need deep, cold, oxygen-rich waters to flourish.

4. Maine anglers normally catch lake trout averaging between 18 to 24 inches, and weighing 2 to 4 pounds.

5. The largest lake trout caught

in Maine weighed 31 pounds, 8 ounces.

6. Lake trout eat a wide variety of species including alewives, rainbow smelt, crustaceans, insects and even small birds and mammals.

7. A lake trout can live to up to 25 years of age.

8. A “splake” is a fish resulting in the cross breeding of a lake trout and a brook trout.

A Dream Moose Turner Moseley, age 12, of Tennessee, shot this 709-lb. moose in Webster, Maine on September 29, 2022. Turner was given a tag by the CatchA-Dream Foundation, an organization that helps children with life-threatening or terminal illness. Turner and his father Matt were guided by Hawkeye Hunting of Lee, Maine. The trophy was registered at Smith General Store, Springfield. www.MaineSportsman.com

46 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

The Togue Agenda November’s and December’s lack of snow and overall warmer-than-normal temperatures do not bode well for safe ice conditions on the first day of January. That could change. After all, this is Maine, and ferocious cold could change the outlook.

Still, typical conditions during the first week or so of ice-fishing season dictate caution.

For those seeking Moosehead Lake’s legendary lunker brook trout, fishing close to shore, where ice is typically thicker early in the season, presents no problem. But those huge brook trout can seem like will-o’the-wisps at times. Of course this only adds to the mystique surrounding these outsized char.

Far more dependable, togue (lake trout) usually cooperate, and anglers seeking them are rarely disappoint-

The author encourages ice anglers to consider togue as a form of cold-water panfish. Like the warm-water panfish of Southern Maine, Moosehead-area togue supply fast action, and they are good to eat. ed. This time of the year, togue can show up most anywhere, even in depths of less than 40 feet.

Better yet, while most anglers hit the lake with ice-fishing traps baited with live smelt, togue also respond well to jigging.

The old favorite Swedish Pimple jig, perhaps topped with a bit of smelt, always makes a good choice. But there are others. While I have yet to try them, I recently heard of people using panfish jigs to good effect. Brown jigs, perhaps dosed with some kind of fish attractant, should do a good job of imitating crayfish, a favorite forage item for togue.

Also, Leland’s Lures, maker of Trout Magnets, offers their Trout

Slayer, a very good crayfish imitation.

Coldwater Panfish Togue, a coldwater gamefish, often get assigned second-class status by people more interested in the glamor species, salmon and brook trout. But make no mistake. Togue have many qualities that ought to endear them to more anglers.

For instance, togue fight well. They are numerous and usually very cooperative. And when kept on ice and filleted as soon as possible, they make fine eating.

Even better, Moosehead Lake has no length limit on togue, with a generous bag limit of 5 fish daily. (Only one of these fish may exceed 18 inches.) So what’s not to like here?

Try viewing togue as a coldwater panfish, not because they bear even a remote

resemblance to any spiny-rayed species, but because they are plentiful and cooperative. In areas of southern Maine where there are fewer togue waters, anglers turn to places with warmwater species, specifically for the action afforded by these easily caught fish.

On Moosehead Lake, we may view togue as coldwater panfish – the perfect species to target when you want a lot of action, or when taking children out on the ice. Brook trout may not always cooperate, and salmon fishing on the lake doesn’t begin until February 15. But we can always depend upon togue to save the day by supplying fast action as well as some good eating.

Trout Ponds Stocked ponds in the Moosehead Region should see even better

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ice fishing this season.

While Mountain View Pond and Prong Pond are open year-round, new S-7 (all trout must be immediately released alive) regulations saw to it that the open-water anglers who previously took trout from these waters during the fall season could no longer do so.

The reasoning is clear. Fall- stocked trout are meant to serve the ice-fishing fraternity, and not open-water anglers.

But with 1,450 trout stocked in Mountain View Pond between September and October and 1,150 trout released in Prong Pond during September and November, it seems that there should be enough fish for both ice-fishermen and the few open-water anglers who come here.

Lots of people hit these waters in fall, and a good number enjoy taking a fish or two home to eat. Ending that practice seems like dubious wisdom.

Nonetheless, these fall-stocked brook trout, along with any holdovers from springtime stockings, will guarantee fast action in early January, when anglers flock to the smaller ponds because the ice is usually safer there than on larger waters, at (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 47 (Continued from page 46)

least during the early season. So head to either Mountain View Pond (a.k.a. Fitzgerald Pond) or Prong Pond for fast, early season action.

Crazy Climate Some things can no longer be counted on, and weather ranks high on the list. In years past, January was a month of good snow cover and thick ice. Now, given the vicissitudes of a totally unpredictable climate, those two commodities are no longer a given.

Still, the probability of safe ice conditions and plenty of snow is good. Given that

weather cooperates and we have a “normal” January, snowmobilers should be out enjoying the trails.

And in the Moosehead region, they have plenty of trails from which to choose.

For information on trails, contact the Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, 480 Moosehead Lake Road, P.O. Box 581, Greenville, ME 04441, call 207-6952702 or email www. mooseheadlake.org.

No matter your choice of outdoor sports, the Moosehead Lake region has something for you this January.

¶

Jigging for togue is a fun way to catch Maine’s largest coldwater game fish.

Tom Seymour photo

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48 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Some People Lack Common Sense The hunter was lost, and was running at top speed through the woods. He told the author that neither his GPS nor his compass was working correctly.

The author turned off the power to the GPS, showed the panicked hunter how to get a bearing on his compass, and pointed him to the tote road – which was a mere 300 yards away.

In today’s world, there are many products designed to make our outdoor adventures safer. Safer, that is, as long as everything goes well.

However, the modern world also puts demands on schedules in our lives, sometimes prompting us to do stupid things.

Fact is, we humans have lost a lot of good old common sense during our journey into the modern world.

We are caught up in a world of schedules and obligations that make demands on us.

While on the trapline, I have encountered people in the woods who were in a panic because they had to be someplace at a specific time. Two such experiences are described below. These folks did not have a clue how to navigate into, or out of, the Maine woods.

A Lost Deer Hunter One individual was running through the woods so hard that I could hear him long before I saw him. He was so upset that it took me a while to calm him down enough that I could understand the www.MaineSportsman.com

situation. He could easily have tripped while running and injured himself.

He carried a GPS that he claimed wasn’t reliable, and a compass he believed wasn’t functioning correctly.

In fact, he was only about 300 yards from a tote road that would take him to where he needed to be to meet his party. He wanted me to take him to the tote road, which I refused to do, assuring him that he could make it on his own.

I turned off his GPS, showed him how to get a bearing on his compass, and pointed him to the tote road.

Without his knowledge, I watched him until he got to the road and headed off in the right direction.

A Know-It-All Another individual who was about to make a huge mistake was walking down a dead-end logging road as it was getting dark.

I asked him where he was going, and he replied that he was headed to his truck. I told him there were no vehicles down there, as I had just checked

traps in that area.

He informed me in a snotty manner that his GPS told him it was in that direction.

I asked him if his vehicle was an older dark red Chevy Blazer parked by a powerline.

It was the only vehicle I’d seen that day in the area.

He informed me that it was. I told him that I would be coming back shortly after checking a couple more traps and I would I’d drop him off at his truck on the way out. He said Thanks but no thanks and he’d be at his truck before I got back. I told him that there was a large bog in front of him and if he tried it that he could end up breaking a leg climbing over deadfalls or breaking through the bog surface and drowning, or at least getting soaking wet.

He blew me off, so I drove off with the intention of calling the local warden when I got home, and telling him that if he got a report of someone lost in that area wearing an all-orange poopy suit, to call me, as I’d know where he would most likely be.

If more folks learned how to properly use – and trust – a compass, there would be less panic in the woods.

Driving out some miles after dark, I came to the tar road and a group of hunters all standing outside of their trucks. I asked them if they needed help. They informed me that they were supposed to meet with another of their party before heading back to the motel. I asked if he was wearing orange coveralls and owned a Blazer, and they responded in the affirmative. I told them of the individual I had run into, and that if someone wanted to ride back with me, they might get him to ride with us to his truck and then follow me out.

I ended up riding all the way back in there and found him at the beginning of the dead-end road and yes, he was wet. The guy riding with me got out to let him get in. I told him “No,” that the wet hunter could ride in the back. I gave him a nice ride out over the smooth logging roads.

Once I got back out to his buddies, they admitted none of them knew where they were.

They were staying in Bingham, and had come all the way from Pleasant Ridge to the Long Falls Dam Road

by Flagstaff Lake (Delorme’s Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, Map 30).

By this time, it was about 8:00 or 8:30 p.m., and I figured my wife was starting to wonder if I had a problem. I wrote out directions to Bingham from North New Portland, where I dropped them off after stopping by the house so my wife wouldn’t worry. ***** Stay safe out there while enjoying our great State of Maine.

Have a wonderful holiday season and a productive New Year, and don’t forget – a subscription to The Maine Sportsman makes a great holiday or New Year’s gift.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 49

Maine Will Wrestle With Sunday Hunting Again This Year Hunting is not allowed in Maine on Sundays.

Should that rule – with its basis in religious tradition -- change? Good reasons are advanced by both sides. But we live in a big state – is there room for compromise?

We were on the banks of the upper St. John River, near Baker Lake, deep in the North Maine Woods.

Wayne Sturdivant and I had spent four days setting up a remote camp and scouting for sign in anticipation of guiding two moose-hunting clients on a late-September canoe hunt.

As we prepared to drive out to meet our clients, I slipped my 20-gauge double shotgun from its case, pocketed a few shells and took the passenger seat in the front of Wayne’s truck. The grouse season was open, and we had seen some birds on the incoming trip four days earlier.

Wayne did not start the truck, but looked over at me with a grin.

“Should I just arrest you now, or should I drive to the Warden Service camp at Baker Lake and let them have the honors?,” he asked. “It is Sunday, after all.”

Temporarily forgetting which day of the week it is, is one of my personal favorite things on remote trips.

But forgetting that it’s Sunday and shooting a partridge for the pot

has been a crime in Maine since 1883.

I put the shotgun in the case and stored it back in my own locked truck.

New Legislation Almost a Certainty I admit to some grumbling while I put the shotgun away and rejoined Wayne.

The old Blue Law prohibitions for certain activities on Sunday have largely faded away over the course of my lifetime. Readers of a certain vintage will recall when it was hard to buy gas, beer, or even so much as a stick of gum, on Sundays in Maine.

Most of those broad, ancient legal restrictions, originally intended to enforce Sabbath-day compliance, have now become the exception and not the general rule. But the prohibition on Sunday hunting has stubbornly survived multiple attempts (35 legislative attempts in the past 45 years) to strike down the ban or amend its terms in some way.

Last year, a new attempt was turned away by the Legislature. The only bill that passed required the DIF&W to conduct a survey, convene stake-

holders in a commission, and issue a report back to lawmakers.

Cynics will recognize this as a time-honored way for the Legislature to appear to be acting, while ultimately taking no action.

However, this time it might be different.

Here’s why.

A pending lawsuit, brought against DIF&W, alleges the Sunday ban is unconstitutional under Maine’s new “Right to Food” constitutional amendment. This lawsuit, funded by out-ofstate actors, appears to be on shaky legal ground, given the final language and the legislative history of the amendment.

But it’s likely to tip the odds in favor of the Legislature making some change to the hunting ban this year – perhaps to fend off the lawsuit, perhaps to justify the hard work of the stakeholder commission, or perhaps to finally answer the recurring calls for change that occur nearly every year.

It will be a tough, closely watched legislative battle. Both the commission’s report, and the survey that the department conducted, document

The best opportunity for compromise on the Sunday hunting issue may be a trial run in Maine’s most remote wilderness areas. Photo: Jim Andrews

how deeply divisive the Sunday hunting ban is among Maine outdoors-people, landowners and voters.

Two Different Worlds Wayne rescued me from breaking the law on our trip to the St. John River last fall. But other than potential damage to my eternal soul for breaking the Sabbath, would shooting a few birds have really done any harm? In the North Maine Woods, or far-flung corners of huge, state-owned public land units, or even in most unincorporated townships, does Sunday hunting really matter?

The primary support for the ban comes

from the Small Woodland Owners Association (now known as Maine Woodland Owners) and other groups that have warned that permitting Sunday hunting would result in widespread posting of private land by landowners.

The DIF&W has echoed this argument, and it is supported by the recent survey.

The delicate balance between private landowners (who provide most of the hunting access in the state) and hunters would be permanently destroyed.

And the unique legal presumption in Maine – that unposted land is (Self-Propelled Sportsman continued on page 51) www.MaineSportsman.com

50 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Hot Ice Fishing for Region’s Anglers This Month My line twitched from one side of the hole to the other several times before the 20inch lake trout came into view. Cautiously, I pulled the darting togue toward the hole. After several attempts, the fish’s head came through the ice. I snipped the leader and freed the fish. By day’s end I had caught and released two 17-inch togue, as well as salmon measuring 15 and 17 inches.

This chilly ice-fishing day took place on Beech Hill Pond, in Otis (Hancock County); see DeLorme’s Atlas, Map 24, C-1.

Beech Hill is a midsized pond containing 1,351 acres – plenty of room for winter anglers to set out their ice-fishing equipment.

Trophy-togue anglers choose Beech Hill Pond because this water sometimes produces togue in the 7- to 9-pound range. In fact, monster lake trout in the double-digit numbers are not unheard of from this water.

Popular spots where togue are abundant are located along the northeast shore, from School Cove to the outlet. A second area where togue enthusiasts focus their efforts is situated on the south-central part of this water. Several other good lake trout haunts exist along this shoreline, especially the waters northwest of the boat landing. www.MaineSportsman.com

Here’s where to find good fishing on the ice in Washington and Hancock Counties.

Washington and Hancock Counties offer some great ice fishing this month.

Photo by Stacy Belanger

There are many lakes and ponds in Hancock and Washington County that offer quality salmonid angling each January. By checking Delorme’s Maps 16 and 23 in Hancock County and Maps 26 and 45 in Washington County, anglers can locate

some of the most productive ice-fishing hotspots.

Walker Pond in Brooksville is another excellent spot to set up a few ice traps; see Map 15, C-3. Hatchery personnel stocked 700 12- inch brown trout here this past fall.

Walker Pond produc-

es a few browns in the 3- to 4-pound category each winter; however, many ice anglers fill out their day catching a variety of warm-water fish. Most folks set their traps along the west shoreline; however, easy access and hold-over brownie action can also be had

by fishing along the east shore. Ice fishing for these trout can at times be slow.

Washington County Ice Fishing According to Region C fish biologist Greg Burr, “West Musquash in Talmadge, Map 45, E-3 is legendary for its terrific togue fishery, as well as its excellent salmon and brook trout fishing.”

This lake produces lake trout in the 19- to 22-inch range on a regular basis, with a few trophies weighing ten pounds or more. The deep, well-oxygenated water on the west side of the lake is an excellent place to set out some deep-water ice traps baited with a cut-up sucker or a 4-inch smelt. Even though this lake has water depths over 100 feet, winter anglers catch more togue at depths of 35 to 40 feet.

Hatchery personnel stock this lake twice each year. This fishery is also sustained with a natural reproduction of brookies and landlocks.

Brookies in the 11- to 14-inch range are often caught by anglers fishing off Trout Lake brook. Access to this lake is obtained by a dirt road to the boat landing.

West Musquash Lake has many regulations on ice fishing, including a minimum length on togue of 18 (Continued on next page)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 51 (Continued from page 50)

alive at once.

inches; a daily bag limit on togue of two fish (only one over 33 inches); and all togue between 23 and 33 inches must be released

Fur & Feathers Our coastal climate provides several days each January with above freezing temperatures that provide excellent scenting con-

ditions. Hound hunters in pursuit of snowshoe hares often report success while hunting the cedar thickets and agriculture areas surrounding the towns of Bucksport and Or-

land. Refer to Map 23 to pinpoint these exact locations.

One rabbit cover lies off Route 175, between Orland and Castine. According to Gilpin Road landown-

er Rick Gray, this area contains cedar bogs and evergreen cover where hounds often strike a rabbit track in no time at all; Map 23, E-3.

¶

Self-Propelled Sportsman (Continued from page 49)

open to hunting – would be placed in jeopardy.

The bottom line is that non-hunters, dog-walkers, equestrians, bird watchers, hikers, and even many hunters, deeply want one day per week in the fall when they can go into the woods and not dress like a pumpkin.

That certainly is true of my backyard in Western Maine. And, if the Sunday ban was lifted, many of those same folks would no doubt post their own land and push for a law requiring hunters to get written permission to access any private land. That would be brutal blow to traditional Maine hunting.

Room for Compromise?

Lawmakers will meet in Augusta this month to start the new legislative session. It seems unlikely that the stalemate on the Sunday hunting ban issue can go on forever. With new pressure to act, the lawmakers are likely to seek out an alternative to changing the rule statewide.

A great argument can be made that the same standards for hunting on Sunday shouldn’t apply to remote areas the same way they do to more populated locations.

It’s a big state. Seems like there might to be room for compromise.

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52 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Walking Sticks My favorite Robin Hood story is when Robin meets Little John on the log bridge, and they have a fight. Little John wields his trusty quarter staff and knocks Robin Hood into the brook.

So why am I bringing this up? Well, I have my father’s hiking stick. Before they demolished the old cabin, I found it lying in a corner of the empty camp. I suspect no one else knew what it was, but I did, and I saved it.

I’m not sure of the wood.

About five feet long. Bark peeled off. There’s a lanyard through a hole near the grip and a copper ring on the end to keep the wood from fraying.

Dad walked miles with that stick. Mom had one, too. They leaned them near the back door, ready to grab as they came outside to take their afternoon walk.

Aluminum Hiking Poles Not the Same I have a special fondness for walking sticks. I know today they’re old hat in hiking circles. A pair of high-tech hiking poles are supposed to be much more efficient and ergonomically correct.

But I don’t know.

Remember the scene in the Ten Commandmants movie (1956) when Moses parts the Red Sea? Charlton Heston is not waving aluminum hiking poles at the sky.

We grew up with hiking sticks. They were standard equipment for Boy Scouts.

The old Boy Scout handbook showed a picture of scouts scaling a steep banking, and the boys who are already on top are extending their hiking staffs down so the rest of the patrol could grab on and be pulled up.

Baden Powell considered www.MaineSportsman.com

I like wooden or bamboo walking sticks, even though high-tech hiking poles are supposed to be much more efficient and ergonomically correct. Remember the scene in the 1956 Ten Commandments movie when Moses parts the Red Sea? Charlton Heston is not waving aluminum hiking poles at the sky.

The author’s walking stick is made of strong, lightweight bamboo, and features a small compass set into the top end.

Matt Randall photos

the Scout Staff to be part of the scout uniform.

Few other implements are as personal as the walker’s staff – everyone from the hobo with his stick and bandana slung over his shoulder, to Grandma Gatewood hiking the AT in 1955.

A friend grew up in Switzerland, and has hung above his window a Swiss hiking staff. It’s a very stout piece of wood with a forged iron tip

suitable for climbing an Alp. A Big Collection Turns out we have quite a collection of sticks at our camp. I counted eight in the little corral where we store them: Dad’s wooden cane, Jeremy’s wizard staff, Stacy’s Lead Mountain stick, and one from Whaleboat Island dated 1987.

I suppose the ultimate example is the shepherd’s staff with a crook. Throughout his-

tory, wooden staffs have been used to herd sheep and other animals. They’ve been used as weapons and tools and, in some cases, works of art.

There are photos of Beatrix Porter of Peter Rabbit fame, wearing a heavy tweed skirt and jacket and carrying her sheep staff.

How many Volksmarchers have traipsed after the Von Trapps carrying their Bavarian gehstock? How many pilgrims plodding along the Camino de Santiago depend on their sturdy pilgrim’s staff to keep them upright and safe on the way to the ocean?

Long and Noble History The walking staff has a long and noble history, not to mention its association with old folks – something to lean on for balance.

Canes, I suppose, are a form of walking stick, but still, you find oldsters striding along with a long walking staff.

When skiing was invented, the skiers did not use two ski poles, but a single pole. A walking staff no doubt repurposed to help keep their balance on the boards strapped to their feet.

All of which is my way of showing that Dad’s walking stick has history. He was carrying on a very old tradition, common throughout the world, wherever people undertake arduous treks, climb mountains, wade streams, and tend animals. The wellworn walking stick is the companion of many elderly folks.

I’ll cherish this one of Dad’s, knowing the grip has been polished and rubbed smooth in his hand.

(Tidewater Tales continued on page 55)

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 53

Ice-Fishing Gizmos Make Life Easier I’m not an electronics-minded person. I can barely function on the computer, and have constant problems with my smartphone. Someone gave me a handheld GPS unit, but I cannot figure out how to use it.

So it’s no surprise that my ice-fishing gear consists of a hand-cranked auger, pack basket, slush skimmer, jigging rod, hemostat for removing hooks, and a small box of jigs.

That’s it. No bells and whistles, and nothing that uses batteries or has a screen.

And so it’s been my entire life. Readers may see this and think that when it comes to ice fishing, I live in the Dark Ages, and they would be right.

Saw the Light?

The Dark Ages, that is, until one day last February, when my buddy Andy Collar picked me up and took me crappie fishing. This was one of the coldest days of the year, with a near-galeforce wind blowing snow sideways.

I protested that we couldn’t possibly fish under such conditions, but Andy said not to worry, he had a popup tent and a portable heater. We would be snug as two bugs in a rug.

I wasn’t so sure about that, but went along for the ride.

And quite a ride it was. Did I men-

We studied the screen. The little thing near bottom, Andy explained, was my jig.

I was to watch the screen intently while jigging, and when and if a fish approached the jig, prepare to set the hook.

Lo and behold, after a short time, a fish icon slowly and with apparent trepidation, approached the jig and rested in place very near it. I hesitated to move the jig, since my heartbeat alone sufficed to make it tremble. Finally, the fish lunged at the jig.

I lifted the rod and proceeded to reel up a white perch. The experience was surreal.

Instead of inviting frostbite and hypothermia by sitting on the exposed ice, the author was able to use modern innovations, sitting in a heated structure, fishing, nibbling on snacks, and in general having a good time. O, brave new world!

Icy Comfort While we sat in the heated tent and listening to the wind outside, it became clear that without these modern devices, standing on the ice in the open would only serve to invite frostbite and possibly hypothermia.

But with these modern innovations, we were able to sit in a heated structure, fish, nibble on snacks, and

Jigging made comfortable inside heated pop-up tent. Tom Seymour photos

tion that I don’t own a snow machine and always walk to my destination when ice fishing? This time, Andy had his ATV and trailer, which he loaded up with a mountain of contraptions and devices I’d never seen before. Finally I climbed aboard, and we headed out to where the crappies were biting.

Finally Warm The ride out on the lake was brutal. I wanted to turn around and head back home.

The wind chill was far below zero, and soon my flesh began to

tremble.

Andy put me in the lee of an ice shack to shield me from the wind, and there I stood, shivering while he set up his tent.

Finally, things were good to go, and Andy called to me to come in and have a seat. A propane-powered heater had the inside of the tent toasty warm. I settled down on a folding chair, and then the fun began.

We cut several holes with Andy’s drill-powered ice auger, but before letting down our lines, Andy activated a device

with something like a radar screen. The thing had a long wire extending from it, and a strange-looking contraption on the end.

Turns out, this was a camera, and it took real-time data readings, which it exhibited as bars on its screen.

(Midcoast Report continued on page 55)

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54 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

— Guest Column —

How Not to Tow Your Dinghy

by David Putnam

When I first moved to Maine, my fishing skiff took me on freshwater lakes and rivers, catching all sorts of fish. Recently, I sold the skiff and purchased a 22-foot Sisu with a 115 Yamaha. I wanted to explore our state’s rugged saltwater coast and harbors, to see that part of Maine, and pursue striped bass. So I bought a dinghy to get from a mooring or anchorage to shore, and towed it behind the Sisu.

As we got up to speed, about 15 knots, the dinghy kept getting in front of the first wave of the boat’s wake – where a wakeboarder maneuvers, right behind the boat – and turning sideways, making it appear the dinghy was going to flip over. Not a good look.

I knew then the 20foot tow rope I bought was too short. The answer to the problem was to attach another rope to the tow line, and extend the boat

Towing a small boat behind a big boat should be a simple process. Tie up the dinghy; hit the gas on the towing boat – what could possibly go wrong?

A Sisu equipped with a 115-hp outboard is a great boat for inland saltwater recreational fishing. Photos by David Putnam.

astern to calmer water on top of the wake.

Quickly and easily done. I used a sheet bend – a simple knot.

Where’s the Dinghy?

A few minutes later, I looked back, and the dinghy was 200 yards astern. It was bobbing along, apparently happy to be alone. Probably a bad spot in the line, I thought.

But, then I saw the knot had come untied.

Very embarrassing! I had tied the knot incorrectly. Re-tied, with a bowline this time, the knot held for the rest of the trip.

Water Aboard!

I made it to my destination, no more problems, and rafted up – that is, tied alongside – to a friend’s boat for lunch. Good times, beautiful harbor – just what I had expected.

I stepped back aboard my boat to get paper towels and no-

ticed … guess what?

The dinghy, tied on the opposite side of the boat where we couldn’t see it, was full of water!

Had the hull cracked?

Water had filled the boat to the height of the seats, which contained floatation, so I knew the dinghy wouldn’t sink.

But there was panic aboard, and plenty of advice offered. Two hand bilge pumps and

a bucket were hastily pressed into action … until I saw – aha! – the boat had no plug in the stern.

So instead of pumping, we gradually lifted the bow of the dinghy just high enough to let the water flow out over the transom. Then we were able to lift it up and set it down inside the cockpit of the Sisu.

The plug, earlier attached by a string to a metal eye on the outside of the boat, was missing.

I left the dinghy in the Sisu’s cockpit, and the rest of the trip was wonderful. Next time, I’ll probably carry the dinghy rather than tow it.

Lessons Learned?

A few thoughts might help you avoid these types of issues: 1. Have a good floating tow line aboard your boat. Fumbling around in rough seas and bad weather, trying to find a suitable length of line to tow a desperate (Continued on next page)

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 55 (Continued from page 54)

boater (or dinghy), is not fun. Is your current towline long enough?

2. Practice tying knots. A square knot, which I tied in the loop of the tow line without thinking, is a good knot for some purposes, but not for towing. Careless!

Online video demos are your friends.

3. Put the plug in from the inside of the boat. Then you won’t lose it if it does come out.

Silly mistakes from an old-timer, yes, but you could make ’em.

Where’s your tow line? And what knot would you use?

¶

It’s imperative to use a tow line that’s long enough to get the dinghy beyond the stern wake of the towing boat. It’s also important to double-check all knots, and to review the condition of the dinghy when you arrive at the mooring or anchorage.

Tidewater Tales (Continued from page 52)

The Author’s Bamboo Stick My own stick is bamboo, thanks to Colin Fletcher. Back in the 1980s, Fletcher pioneered backpacking in places like the Grand Canyon. He wrote The Complete Walker, and in that book he recommended a bamboo staff as being lightweight and strong.

I believed him, and found some bamboo for a stick. Mine has a rubber crutch tip on the end, and a very small compass glued into the top of the handle. It’s decorated with a Turks Head

knot, and is wrapped with cotton string to make a sweat-free grip.

That stick has been up Katahdin and Tumbledown and Bigelow. I keep it now at the camp and like my father, and automatically reach for it when my dog and I head out the door.

I wonder if years from now, our sons might find the stick still leaning against the wall of the camp, and remember? I’ll be gone by then, of course.

Maybe I’ll be someplace else with my trusty staff, challenging Robin Hood on a log bridge crossing a stream.

¶

Midcoast Report (Continued from page 53)

in general have a good time. O, brave new world!

It seems unlikely that I could manage to buy all the fishing electronics and accessories that Andy has amassed.

But perhaps a small tent, a heater, and eventually one of those real-time sonars, could be acquired at some point in my future.

I can imagine some people saying it’s not fair to use all these gadgets to help catch fish. Well, that was my mindset too, once upon a time, but not now. In open water, I happily rely upon my fish locator to give me a picture of the bottom and to indicate if I’m over

New ice-fishing gizmos include portable heater and real-time fish locator.

fish. And yes, I can’t figure out how to program the fish locator for different purposes, but it works fine on automatic program. Just plug and play, as they say.

The author’s camp is home to a collection of walking sticks. The longer one on the left was used by his father for many years.

Anyway, regarding the ethical and moral points of using these electronic devices, here are some hard-and-fast facts. First, you can’t make fish bite if they don’t want to, no matter how wellequipped you are with helpful devices.

And second, at least regarding panfish such as crappies and perch, the more of these prolific spiny-rays we take home, the larger the average fish becomes.

Keeping panfish just makes the fishing better and helps maintain the predator/prey balance in the lake or pond.

And if electronic and other devices can help us do that, so much the better.

Sometimes, we anglers need all the help we can get.

¶

www.MaineSportsman.com

56 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Coyote Hunting Tactics Remaining undetected by coyotes is a matter of the hunter not being scented, and not being seen.

Here’s how to make that happen.

According to current biological accounting data maintained by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine is home to an estimated 15,000 coyotes. Sitting in a deer stand on a quiet November evening, I can attest that Central Maine is host to a large part of that number. Not limited to only rural areas of the state, coyotes are extremely adaptable and are frequently seen and heard in many urban areas.

Coyotes are also extremely prolific, and they have rapidly colonized Maine over the last 50 years. By way of comparison with the current estimates, in the 1960s there were approximately 500 coyotes in Maine.

Kill a Coyote; Save a Deer Several towns across Maine host coyote hunting contests to help control coyote populations. The results of these targeted hunts are undeniable.

In the winter of 200910, 84 coyotes were killed by hunters in one of these contests, and 55 deer were tagged the following fall. In the winter of 2014-15, 136 coyotes were killed, and 141 deer were tagged the following fall. Bottom line? Killing coyotes www.MaineSportsman.com

saves deer.

Scent Control Kills More Coyotes I believe that many times when hunters fail to succeed in shooting coyotes, they simply have not taken the proper measures to adequately control their scent.

When the stakes are high and we are chasing whitetails, it is easy to invest the time and energy required to control our scent.

When hunting coyotes, however, maintaining that same level of discipline can be difficult.

Scent control is not rocket science, and employing even a basic level of scent control when hunting coyotes will go a long way in allowing hunters to put more fur on the ground. No-scent soaps and deodorants are effective, but should be used each day 3-4 days before hunting, to ensure that residual smells from scented shampoos and body washes are eliminated. Also, wear hunting clothes no more than two outings before rewashing in no-scent laundry soap, drying them and then storing them in sealed plastic bags with spruce or pine boughs.

Done right, scent control means more coyotes will see their last Maine winter.

Don’t Be Seen Becoming a better turkey hunter has drastically improved my ability to hunt virtually unseen. These turkey-taught lessons in camouflage are certain to help you in all forms of hunting, but especially with shareyed coyotes.

Four potential areas you should review that are most commonly overlooked.

Face – Though it’s a most critical consideration, sportsmen typically overlook the face.

The face is challenging to camouflage in a way that is comfortable and practical. Bottom line – if you have a face mask that doesn’t fit properly, throw it out, because you ultimately aren’t going to wear it, or even worse, it will end up blocking your vision at a crucial moment when you are trying to take a shot.

Many types of face masks exist, but finding one to match your needs and specific hunting situation can be exhausting. I currently have about a dozen different face masks. One is fleece lined for late season deer; another is all mesh for June turkeys; then there is the neoprene ½ mask for January sea ducks; and finally the full face fleece lined mask for hunting late season coyotes in three

Over the past 50 years, Maine’s coyote population has increased nearly 2,000 percent. Evidence makes clear that coyotes negatively affect deer numbers. Learning scent control and camouflage techniques will help coyote hunters enjoy greater success.

color of camo –brown woodlands, black, and all white.

The trick is having a wide enough selection to allow you to always match your face mask to the weather, and to blend in with the natural environment you are hunting.

Gloves – Ungloved hands create a lot of visual disturbance, whether you are repositioning you firearm for a shot, or scratching your head. I have several different pairs of gloves designed to match the weather and blend in with the environment.

Critical with gloves, as previously mentioned with face masks, is perfect fit. A badly fitted glove can inadvertently place pressure on a trigger and cause it to fire at an inopportune time.

On the other hand, a glove that is too thin may allow better trigger feel but be grossly ineffective in fending off the cold.

Chemical heater packs and mittens

with trigger openings are a great way to insulate with less “bulk” around your hands, allowing better control over your rifle’s safety and trigger.

Feet – While not nearly as critical to camouflage as head and hands, in certain situations feet can really stand out. What most hunters don’t realize is that feet are incredibly easy to camouflage, without buying a dozen different pairs of boots. One of the easiest things to do is to simply pull your camouflage pant leg completely over the top part of the boot, rather than tucking it in. This will succeed in hiding about 70% of the boot’s total visible area.

For additional coverage, a small piece of cloth matched to your hunting conditions can be draped over your boots to make them less obvious. The trick is to create less sharp lines and more of a “fuzzy” silhouette.

¶

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Ice Awaits New Year’s Anglers Jumbo shiners produce jumbo pike at Sabattus Pond, so if you are browsing the shelves of Dag’s Bait Shop in Auburn and a couple of anglers come in asking for jumbo shiners, you can bet your lunch money they are headed for Sabattus Pond.

As a new calendar is hung on the wall, outdoors folks in this neck of the woods are done hunting and are looking forward to getting out on the hard water. Guns are cleaned and oiled and sent back to the closet or cabinet for another year. Fishing traps are checked and readied, ice shacks are pulled from the back lot and cleaned out, and snowmachines are given the once-over, in anticipation of the service they are expected to provide. It’s ice fishing time once again!

While our cousins to the north are all but guaranteed ice for the start of the year, it’s hit or miss down here.

That being said, there are typically spots in this region that see safe ice by the New Year.

Ask any local angler where they go for New Year’s angling traditions, and many will say the Range Pond Chain in Poland (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, A-3). This past year alone, the three Range Ponds (Lower, Middle and Upper) received more than 2,900 brook, brown and rainbow trout.

Brook and brown trout are stocked in all three

ponds while rainbows are stocked in Middle and Upper Range Ponds.

I recently attended a presentation at the Sebago Lake Anglers Association, a local fishing club to which I belong, by Steve Tremblay, Supervisor at the Casco Fish Hatchery.

His facility produces more than 85,000 fish annually, a whopping 45,000 pounds, and it’s the sole supplier of rainbow trout to Maine lakes and ponds.

Tremblay spoke highly about the growth rates and stocking success of their rainbow trout.

Interestingly, the Casco hatchery also raises and stocks the original Sebago Lake strain of landlocked salmon, keeping this historic breed alive.

Most anglers access the Range Pond chain from Route 26 or from Range Hill Road.

As always, be sure to check ice thickness, especially early in the season.

Crystal Lake; Taylor Pond Another early-tofreeze pond in the region is Crystal Lake in Gray (Map 5, B-3), also called Dry Pond by a few old timers.

It, too, is stocked with

a healthy smattering of brook, brown and rainbow trout. Maine Sportsman columnist Christi Holmes (author of “Maine Sportswoman”) often appears in these pages or those on social media with a nice haul of trout from her front door.

Small jigs provide some good action when you move and fish to cover some ground (or ice). Small shiners and nightcrawlers work well for the trout species, and a bag of nightcrawlers staying warm in your shirt pocket is an easy bait to carry around as you set up traps and move them got find the fish.

(Just be certain to remove them before doing the laundry.)

Although there is no public access, Taylor Pond in Auburn (Map 11, E-4) is a shallow early-freezer with a great pike population and some larger bass that combined make a great day on the water.

You can access the water via snowmobile trails, or if you are lucky enough to have a friend with property on the pond. Once stocked heavily with brown trout, the state suspended stocking efforts when public ac-

Adam Farrington of Poland and son Connor show off a nice Upper Range Pond brown trout. Photo

by Tom Roth

cess was shut off. Use medium to large shiners to attract bass and pike.

Sabattus Pond Another top pike destination in the region is Sabattus Pond (Map 12, E-1) in Sabattus. Jokes start flying on social media about the ice being safe in November, but don’t trust those reports; rather, check it for yourself. Each year, it seems, someone’s truck breaks through thin ice and ends up in the pond.

However, if you find safe ice, the fishing is steady for lunker pike and some great chowder-worthy white perch.

Jumbo shiners produce jumbo pike

on Sabattus Pond, and you can bet your lunch money that if you are browsing the shelves of Dag’s Bait Shop in Auburn and a couple of anglers come in asking for jumbo shiners, they are headed to Sabattus Pond.

New Year’s ice angling is a tradition rooted in many of the region’s sporting families. Heavy stocking activity, abundant “native” fish like pike, perch and bass, and the anticipation of a coming sporting year draw out anglers young and old. Here’s to a great 2023 and to the start of one of winter’s most exciting activities.

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www.MaineSportsman.com

58 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Ice Fishing for Invasive Fish – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Maine has some of the most pristine cold-water lakes in the country. These waters hold native fish species – brook trout, landlocked salmon, and lake trout.

However, here in Southern Maine, our pristine waters have disappeared, because of residential and commercial development along the shores of lakes and ponds, and from the effects of invasive fish and aquatic plants species.

A few years back I was fishing with Bill Hutchins. At the time, he was the Shapleigh Forester, and was well-versed in environmental issues and law. As we trolled along the shoreline at sunset on Mousam Lake, he pointed out illegal development at camps and homes, including manicured lawns along the water’s edge maintained through use of chemical fertilizers. We also saw manmade sandy beaches, and private concrete and hot-top boat launches.

Weak Town Officials How did our lakes evolve to these conditions? I think that town officials are the problem.

Historically they have either looked the other way, or assessed small-dollar fines to illegal waterfront landowners, without requiring restoration of the shoreline to its prior www.MaineSportsman.com

The author believes weak local enforcement of shoreline laws has combined with introduction ofnon-native species, to doom Southern Maine waters for native brookies, salmon and lake trout.

However, now that fish such as black crappies are present, even though they are invasive, he thinks it’s appropriate to drill a hole in the ice and pull a few up for dinner.

Alex Gielarwski with a 1.5-pound black crappie he caught while ice fishing on Mousam Lake. Introduced fish such as crappie have created good fishing opportunities for anglers in Southern Maine. Photo by Val Marquez

natural condition. It’s a common joke that folks with money “Do the crime and pay the fine.” In my view, if officials did their jobs and took the hard line, then this situation would have stopped years ago.

Shoreline overdevelopment, leaking septic systems, and chemicals from

fertilizers are issues that town officials are voted in to prevent.

Take a tour of any pond or lake in Southern Maine and see if they’ve done a good job. In my view, lake associations should be held responsible for local environmental issues, as well.

Bucket Brigade As a substitute for

this loss of natural habit for our native fish like brook trout, we started stocking non-indigenous fish species, including crappie, brown trout and rainbow trout – fish that can survive in our lakes after the environmental degradation.

These invasive fish feed on minnows, tak-

ing away the forage required for our native species. The DIFW took steps to control our cold-water lakes, trying to protect our designated “cold-water fisheries” like Mousam, Square Pond and other waters that could maintain native fish – but then came the bucket brigades.

In the 1980s, a few local anglers started dumping black crappie that they caught in Balch Pond into lower Mousam Lake. Over time, crappie have migrated into every waterway in York County. This development had a drastic negative effect on the Department’s efforts to maintain cold-water fisheries.

Invasive History The United States Geological Survey (USGS) compiles a Non-indigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) list of non-native fish in each state. Maine’s list is very long. Their list includes the dates each species was introduced. I found the list interesting.

For example, black crappie were first introduced here in Maine in 1952 according to NAS. They are so widespread that’s it’s difficult to determine their “native” range – possibly Virginia to Florida.

Brown trout were introduced here in 1885. Their home (Southern Maine continued on page 60)

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Resolutions for the New Year The first month of the new year usually gets tasked as the “time to reflect” month … a time when we supposedly should all look back at the past year and think deeply about it. Then, we are supposed to make resolutions to better our new year.

Well, sometimes those resolutions never actually take place – I’m sure I’m not alone on this. Sometimes it takes me a few times of repeatedly making the same mistake to finally get it right.

Let’s take my dog, for instance.

This past bird hunting season, I stopped the truck and walked my Vizsla (Ginger) into a place where I thought there might be some birds.

To my surprise, she acted like she didn’t want to leave my side.

She even jumped up on me twice as I tried to direct her to get ahead of me and start hunting.

After making a loop through the woods with her tagging along at my side, we came out to a trail and found a huge pile of fresh bear scat. As we walked back out to the truck, I could scent a strong odor in the area, and figured there was a dead moose or deer that some bear had been feeding on nearby. My smart dog didn’t want us in that area, and made it clear to me.

The author now understands that it’s possible for an old dog to learn new tricks. What he didn’t fully grasp until this past year is that he’s the old dog, and a shooting instructor, as well as the author’s woods-savvy pointer, are providing the lessons.

Hunting and fishing in this beautiful region will never get old. Photo: WIlliam Clunie

I should trust my dog more often, and focus on her when she is trying to get my attention. She has done things like this in the past, and I will try my hardest, this new year, to watch for and recognize her body language more often.

Follow the Scent While bird hunting last season, I also learned that I can trust my dog’s scenting abilities, rather than relying on my human instincts. My dog’s nose is ten times better at scenting birds than my nose ever will be.

I have Ginger trained to go in the direction that I point my arm. If we are on a trail, I call her and point left or right to get her to hunt in the woods, instead of walking in front of me on the trail.

Several times at the beginning of the season, I tried to direct her one way, but she seemed to struggle with the command, going in the opposite direction … and then there would be a point and a flushed bird.

At first, I kind of got angry that she didn’t listen to my commands, but then I realized she is the scenting machine, and I should just allow her to be guided by her nose. For the rest of the season, I let her hunt in the direction she chose.

I still direct her to hunt areas I want to concentrate on, but when it really doesn’t matter, I just let her follow her nose. I now understand one revelation to be so true – she really is smarter than me when it comes

to the woods and the birds. It took me a little while to figure this out, but it will now be a guiding mantra whenever we are hunting.

More Lessons I have also learned that it is possible for an old dog to learn new tricks. I am the old dog, and I did learn some handy tricks this past year.

I took some shooting lessons from Brad Varney (varneysclaysports.com) last summer, and it really helped with my shooting during the following bird season. Several times throughout the season, I could hear his quite voice in the back of my head: “You’ve got to drop the bird before it gets past thirty yards, or your odds diminish rapidly.

Most grouse in thick cover hardly give you a split second to shoot.”

At one point, I got into some tremendous woodcock numbers and really did well.

The exciting hunting and shooting action over a dog reminded me of the peak of my hunting career, and made me feel young again. What a refreshing thing hunting with a bird dog is … I am truly blessed.

I’m not even seventy yet, so my hunting and fishing days are far from over. Even (Continued on next page)

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60 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Rangeley Region (Continued from page 59)

though some physical ailments have tried to knock me down now

and then, I will keep putting one foot in front of the other as I

Southern Maine (Continued from page 58)

range is Europe and Asia.

They list largemouth bass as introduced in Maine in 1910. Their home range was St. Lawrence/Great Lakes area.

Surprisingly small-mouth bass have been in Maine waters since 1869 – almost qualifying them as true “Mainers.”

Although black crappie is considered an invasive fish in Maine, they have become a popular fishing option in Southern Maine. Crappies, as well as other invasives such as bass and brown trout, are here to stay, and they’ll remain popular among Maine anglers.

head toward the next good-looking bird cover or the next bend in the trout stream. It keeps me feeling young and alive, clear-headed and always thankful.

And that’s probably the biggest lesson learned – make a resolution to get out there more often. There will always be time for the mundane tasks in life,

Half Full, or Half Empty?

On one side of the political spectrum, folks may consider changes in fish species to be part of natural evolution. On the other side, environmentalist view loss of native fish as something very wrong that should be fixed. Somewhere in the middle is the guy like me who loves bass fishing during the summer and ice fishing for crappie in the winter.

The bottom line? At least for me, I like the variety of fishing opportunities available today. Bass, browns, rainbows and an array of panfish like crappie have saved fishing in this part of the state.

The introduction of non-native fish along with development and resulting

but right now is the time to get out in the woods or on the water to make outdoor memories that last forever.

Happy New Year!

¶

pollution have eradicated most indigenous fish like native brook trout here in Southern Maine. However, trout stocking has kept trout fishing in the southern part of the Pine Tree State an option, but the native brookies have disappeared from most of our waters.

Regardless, fishing opportunities are excellent, and introduced fish like black crappie have filled the void created by the loss of coldwater fisheries such as brook trout in this region. After all, if we only had brookies and lake trout to fish for, that would become kind of boring for most anglers.

¶

Trophy Gallery

Opening Day Trophy Anna Carey of Exeter was awarded her Biggest Bucks in Maine patch for this 212-lb. whitetail shot in Harmony on opening day (October 29, 2022) with a .308. The big deer was registered at KC’s Country Store in Parkman. www.MaineSportsman.com

Perfect Ten Chris Couillard of Lebanon used a 6.5 Creedmore to tag this impressive 10-point, 205.6-lb buck in his hometown on November 1, 2022.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 61

Turkey Jerky Three Ways!

Dehydrating is the typical way to make jerky. In this turkey recipe, I have added two additional methods that make this bird more versatile – in the oven, or in a smoker.

With my taste-testers, the smoked jerky was a winner, yet everyone enjoyed the results of the baking method, too. You decide!

Enjoy, and Bon Appetit!

— A Note About Brining Brining is an important vehicle for moving salts deep into the meat.

Brining your wild turkey increases the amount of moisture that stays in your bird throughout any cooking process. This improves both texture and flavor.

Select your turkey: 2 pounds boneless turkey breast, preferably wild turkey breasts* *Wild turkey is leaner, so it becomes jerky more quickly. I found that using frozen, store-bought turkey means the process takes longer for the chewy and dry meat results you’re looking for with jerky.

Turkey prep directions: Freeze turkey breast for 30-40 minutes. Remove from

freezer and slice with very sharp knife into thin, ¼-inch slices. Make as uniform as possible.

Preparing the brine: • ¼ cup salt • ¼ cup sugar • 1 quart cold, clean water • 1 bay leaf • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns • 1 large zip lock bag Brine Directions: Stir salt and sugar until dissolved, and add bay leaf and peppercorns.

Submerge breast slices and brine in large zip lock bag. Soak 24 hours in fridge, turning once. Remove breast, and pat dry.

Preparing Jerky Marinade -Ingredients: • ½ cup soy sauce • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce • 3 tablespoons honey • 2 tablespoons sriracha chili sauce • 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon shallot powder (or onion) • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions: Combine turkey slices in medium bowl with marinade. Stir and sit in fridge overnight. Place turkey in colander in sink, drain marinade off.

Option 1: Slow Baking in the Oven Preheat oven to 200° F. Rub vegetable oil over 2 wire racks. Place racks over baking sheets with turkey slices on racks, making sure not to overlap.

Bake 2 hours, then flip and bake 2 more hours. For chewier jerky, with a finished texture of a dehydrator, reduce oven to 165°F for 1 more hour.

Cool and store in airtight container in fridge, or freeze for longer storage.

Option 2: Preparation in a Smoker Add hickory chips to basket and turn heat to 175°F. Lightly rub vegetable oil over wire racks. Place turkey slices on racks, making sure not to overlap.

Smoke 2 hours, flip pieces and smoke 3 more hours.

Option 3: Using a Dehydrator Dehydrate 4-6 hours. Start checking jerky for finishing after around 3 ½ hours.

Jerky is finished when it bends and cracks, but does not break in half.

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www.MaineSportsman.com

62 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

The New January Encounter unsafe ice on Opening Day? It’s a situation that can be overcome by displaying ingenuity and a willingness to try new approaches.

Thinking I would head out and try for a brook trout at my local trout-and-togue lake, I headed out on January 1 last year, only to be met with a dismal sight.

Warm weather had caused a thick fog to develop over the lake.

Worse, the only part of the water’s surface that was frozen was near the eastern outlet.

The ice was not the good, hard kind that early season anglers have come to expect on opening day of ice-fishing season for salmonids, either. Instead, the 1½ -inch ice was slushy, too thin, and too compromised for me to chance walking on.

I turned around and headed home. For me, ice fishing would have to wait.

This was not the first time that warm conditions had foiled opening-day plans. Increasingly warm conditions in early winter appear to have become the norm. I call this “The New January,” because it doesn’t look like things will ever return to the old, below-freezing Januarys we once enjoyed.

The Shallows Where there’s a will there’s a way, and dedicated hardwater www.MaineSportsman.com

anglers have taken a new tack in their ice-fishing efforts. Instead of heading out to traditional hotspots, people now spend their time fishing through thin ice over shallow water.

My friend Tony Wieman, who lives on a coldwater lake, described the reasoning behind this.

“Sure, the ice is thin and it’s possible to break through. But I know if that happens, I’ll only find water up to my knees, so it’s no problem,” Tony explained.

Well, that’s fine for someone who can just turn around and walk into a warm house to change clothes. For everyone else, even a knee-deep dunking can bring an end to a day’s fishing.

Alternately, people could keep a change of clothes in their vehicle and just jump in, turn the heat up and switch clothing. That doesn’t strike me as fun fishing, but perhaps if I were younger and more durable, it wouldn’t bother me.

It all depends upon how badly you want to go ice fishing. We all know that the first few weeks of ice-fishing season produce the most action, so why miss out on it if there is a viable option

around it? Interestingly, fishing in shallow water can often bring good results.

Surprising Facts Typically, most people avoid fishing the shallow water near shore. Instead, they pack their gear and head far out on the lake or pond. The same mindset that spurs boaters to shove off from the landing and zoom off to parts unknown prevails here. As my old fishing buddy Leo Mills always said when I first started the motor, “Let’s get out of here.

It’s better on the other end of the lake.”

I understood Leo’s sarcasm, since we knew that the water in front of our camp was as good or better than any place on the lake.

It’s the same with ice fishing. Even back when Januarys were colder and opening day saw perfectly safe ice, hardly anyone ever set up their traps along the shoreline near the boat landing or parking area.

That is, except for a few canny old-timers who knew that trout, especially brook trout and sometimes brown trout, often venture into depths of two feet or less.

Both rocky bottoms and sandy bot-

Poor conditions kept Tom off the lake on opening day of ice fishing season, 2022, when he encountered thick fog and thin, slushy ice. Photo: Tom Seymour

toms are good places to fish in shallow water. In rocky bottoms, trout come inshore to poke around among the rocks for baitfish, aquatic insects and even small crayfish.

Sandy bottoms naturally attract trout because schools of baitfish often congregate over lighter-colored, sandy bottoms.

Even mud bottoms offer good fishing in shallow water, especially for brown trout, because such places usually hold lots of tiny snails, which brown trout relish.

Why other people didn’t pick up on this little-known fact remains unclear. Even when they saw others catching fish in only a few feet of water, most anglers preferred to head out to deeper water.

Today, though, a changing climate is forcing our hand, causing us to choose between fishing near

shore in shallow water or not fishing at all.

Hidden Gem Many years ago, a friend invited me to accompany him on opening day. We headed to a local trout lake, and instead of going to the main body of water, we set up in a shallow cove. This was much to my surprise, since I was familiar with this rocky cove, having dinged my propeller when trying to troll there in early spring.

This was in the days before depth finders. The place was not one that I would have chosen for opening-day trout fishing.

However, fishing here in only 2 or 3 feet of water paid off. Trout bit willingly.

This year, if your favorite pond has only marginal ice conditions, try fishing the shallows. It may pay in dividends. It’s worth a shot.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 63

Maine’s 2023 Fly Tying Season Opens This Month In Maine, the official fly-tying season starts right after the New Year celebrations, and runs clear through the month of March. By the time the open water season begins, anglers will have plenty of new flies to throw at the fish. Catching any fish on a fly that you have tied instantly turns that fish into a trophy – no matter the size of the fish.

Actually, there’s no closed season on fly tying … it runs all year long. Anglers who are new to fly tying can get a start by contacting a fly-fishing shop in their area to learn the

Catching a trout on a fly you tied yourself is an accomplishment. Getting a group of veterans together to tie flies and supporting them as they recover from their invisible wounds – that’s a whole different level of accomplishment! availability of a fly-tying class. Most shop owners run classes, or know of someone who can steer students in the right direction.

One of the easiest ways to get started is by joining a Trout Unlimited (TU) chapter in your area … most offer fly-tying classes, and they’ll gladly help you get started.

For newcomers or those who have already gotten a good start at the art of tying

flies, there are several other options, such as tying classes online, or learning from a tying friend. I called two fly shops, and both shop owners said they could help get new and experienced tyers headed in the right direction – Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop in Cape Neddick (207) 3639269, and Mr. Ed’s Flies and Supplies in Brunswick (207) 229-8468. Give them a call, and they will

connect you with tying classes in your area.

They also can supply you with fly fishing and fly-tying materials and gear.

Fly Fishing Friends Good fly-fishing friends are really something else. When it works out right, they encourage you to be a better angler and, in turn, you sometimes get a chance to help them improve their fishing life.

One area where I could improve is the art of tying smaller flies. I can easily tie larger flies, and I blame my inept tying of smaller flies on my poor vision. I just need direction, and some of my fishing buddies are really great at tying and teaching.

When the weather turns snowy and cold, nothing cures a bad case of cabin fever like getting together with your fishing buddies and tying some flies. I did this the last several winters, and I really enjoyed the camaraderie, telling stories from the past season, and (Continued on next page)

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64 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Freshwater Fly Fishing (Continued from page 63)

planning new fishing adventures for the upcoming season.

We do turn out some flies, too. During one tying session last winter, I learned that I could tie teeny little nymphs (#20) if they weren’t too complicated. After a little instruction, I was on my way to turning out one particular nymph pattern that my friend said would “really slay ’em.”

My friends also enjoyed watching me tie one of my favorite bass

flies – a modification of the Dahlberg Diver. As I tied the fly, the host of the gathering said, “You know – if you tie in a loop of monofilament at the tail of the fly, it won’t get tangled up as much.” All my flies with longer tails will have this added feature in the future, because it really does stop the tails from getting tangled around the hook.

What a joy to tie flies with friends, learn new techniques and flies, and also share in-

formation with others.

Operation ReBoot Outdoors Starting in January 2023, Operation ReBoot Outdoors (ORO) will be offering fly tying classes to veterans, active-duty military, law enforcement officers (LEOs), and first responders. ORO had me gather a small group of instructors to teach new anglers all about fly fishing, and the program is doing great – so well, in fact, that we are diving into some tying classes this winter.

Will Pease, owner of River Valley Flies, will be heading the fly-tying classes.

Check out his fly-tying talent on his Facebook page, or contact him at pease.will@gmail.com, or (207) 604-2997. Several other volunteer instructors will take the helm at times, but Mr. Pease will be the

Maine veterans learn to fly fish through programs offered by Operation ReBoot Outdoors. William Clunie photo

overall lead on this project. We already have a few veterans started in tying, and we plan to keep the tying going all winter.

Go to the Facebook page for Operation ReBoot Outdoors for the exact dates and further information. We’ll try to get together to tie a couple of times a month, mostly on Sat-

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If you are a veteran, active-duty military, LEO or first responder with an interest in any of the programs, or to volunteer for or help sponsor the program, please message Operation ReBoot Outdoors on their Facebook page, or contact me at: (207) 5627564.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 65

Surviving a Pet Medical Emergency – Part 1 of 2 This past fall, after a beautiful day of grouse hunting with my constant companion, Ginger, I returned home with plans to wake up the next morning and go to work in my back yard.

Ginger, a Hungarian pointer, lazed about the yard that next day as I cleaned out the barn and organized things to prepare for the approaching winter.

At one point in the early afternoon, I took Ginger down to the river for a little walk.

My wife said she had been getting after the squirrels and was acting crazy about it ... I thought the walk to the river might let her “stretch her legs.”

Out on our walk, I noticed Ginger acted extremely anxiously, and I took her back into the house so my

emergency care immediately; they responded, “Sorry, we can’t handle it at this moment.”

Why couldn’t they, at the least, give us a suggestion for what to do in this emergency?

After rushing their gravely ill dog to an emergency clinic, and then waiting for hours while “pre-registered” pets with less-critical conditions were seen before them, the author has many questions, and very few answers.

Waiting it Out After an hour’s drive, we waited at an Emergency Veterinary Service until 6:30 p.m. just to be able to speak with the receptionists.

If my dog had been bleeding, she surely would have died in my arms before they allowed us access to their reception area.

Finally, Ginger was examined by a veterinarian, who determined that she must have ingested some kind of poison. I asked, “Shouldn’t we be trying to make Ginger throw up whatever she has ingested that

Our loving pets have no clue as to some of the dangers around them. Photo: William Clunie

wife could also observe her. We both looked on in terror at Ginger as she moved her head back and forth repeatedly. At the same time, she was emitting a constant screeching whine. Something terribly wrong was hap-

pening to our precious Ginger, and we had no idea what it might be! My wife and I both assumed some kind of poisoning, and at about 2 p.m. we started calling for a veterinarian service to help us.

Our regular veterinarian office didn’t have a doctor on duty that day, and several others in the area said they weren’t taking new customers.

We told them that our dog was in extreme distress and needed

(Continued on next page)

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66 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

Western Maine (Continued from page 65) might be the cause of this problem?” The veterinarian said, “It’s probably too late to try that at this point.”

It was around 8 p.m., six hours after Ginger somehow ingested the poison, and I just about blew a gasket.

Why hadn’t any of the veterinary clinics we called, during working hours, offer some suggestions to help us out? We were left hanging, with our dog’s life in the balance, and nobody seemed too interested in coming to a speedy rescue. And an even more difficult question to answer … why hadn’t I been prepared

to handle this emergency on my own?

What I learned from all of this is that dog (or any pet) owners must take matters into their own hands.

Maine is not prepared to handle medical emergencies for pet animals. My dog suffered and could have easily died while we watched other “pre-registered” dogs enter the emergency receptionist area to be treated for non-life-threatening problems. One woman was even kind enough to tell the receptionist, “Let these folks go ahead of me … they were here at the door well before I was.”

The receptionist shut that down and made us wait because we weren’t pre-registered.

What to Do My purpose here isn’t to put down a particular veterinarian, technician, receptionist, or the clinic they work at … I just want to let our readers know that this huge problem exists so they can prepare themselves before an emergency arises.

In next month’s column, I will explain how to set up a field first aid kit for your dog (or other pet), and I’ll offer a little instruction on how to take care of medical emergencies for your pet.

In the meantime, I

think veterinary clinics need to streamline emergency care service for pet owners.

Why this emergency animal clinic didn’t have some sort of triage protocol in place baffles me. Prioritizing medical care in an emergency medical situation should not be difficult to figure out.

I’m asking for help here … if anyone has any ideas on how to remedy this problem, please email me at william.clunie@gmail. com.

Also in next month’s column, I will address another issue that is directly connected to the emergency veterinary situation that Ginger just survived. Gin-

ger somehow ingested methamphetamines or amphetamines from our yard. We live right on Route 2, and someone might have tossed a packet of drugs into our yard, or some character who pulled into our driveway may have dropped some drugs out of their vehicle … who knows where it came from?

In this crazy world we live in, a great deal of illicit drug activity has spilled over into quiet, rural residential areas around the state. I want to find a way to keep this kind of tragedy from ever happening to my dog again, as well as anyone else’s dogs or other pets.

¶

Trophy Gallery

Southern Maine Trophy Thomas Jenkins of Eliot used a 30-’06 to bring home this 202.4-lb.

11-point buck from Shapleigh on November 1, 2022. The trophy was registered on the certified scales at Springvale Hardware. www.MaineSportsman.com

Lots of Points William Nunn of Monroe earned his Maine Sportsman “Biggest Bucks in Maine” patch with this 215-lb. trophy whitetail shot with a 30-’06 on November 10, 2022. The buck was registered at Monroe Country Store, East Main Street.

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 67

Ignorance Displayed on Social Media What do you do when you hear outrageous statements about the natural environment, from someone who does not have a clue? The author recounts a couple of instances when the ignorance of non-hunters astounded him.

I keep a pretty woodsy crowd. But sometimes I find myself in conversation with non-outdoorsmen. Frequently, it’s an awkward conversation, during which I just nod along, trying my best to hide my bewilderment at their complete ignorance of the natural world.

Occasionally, I get to answer silly questions like “Do you eat the deer that you catch?”

It’s more enjoyable, though, to play the fool and let the uninformed become the lecturer so that he can feel good about himself. It is shocking how many people will play professor of things they know nothing about – if you have the patience to play the wide-eyed fawning student.

The Killing Tree A couple years ago, my wife built a Christmas tree from my father’s collection of deer sheds he’d found in the woods. Last year, she made a similar tree out of my moose sheds.

They came out nice looking, especially decorated with lights and Christmas bulbs.

Both times she posted pictures online, which gained traction quickly, getting shared

to multiple popular group Facebook pages.

It was interesting to read through the comments of the different posts. The pictures that were shared on hunting-related pages got rave reviews with lots of compliments and appreciation for the hard work put into accumulating the antlers. The photos shared to the WMUR (NH’s primary news outlet) page, though, amassed hundreds of ignorant comments from John Q. Public.

Dozens of people confused the species to which the antlers belonged, commenting about elk and reindeer and caribou. Dozens of others questioned how it was possible that we found so many dead deer and moose to have cut their antlers off. And dozens more accused us of being “disgusting trophy killing animal murderers” who hacked the antlers from the skulls just to build the tree for a Facebook photo op.

The general public just doesn’t interact with and understand nature anymore.

The Story of the Year It must have been a slow news week a cou-

ple winters ago when the local newspaper in Coos County printed a giant front page story about a set of moose sheds. No, they were not record-setting, or non-typical, or even all that big. They were just an average set of mature moose antlers that had recently been dropped—and happened to be found by someone who thought themselves and the event of finding them to be quite important. `Reading the article, I laughed out loud.

For a while I thought it was a joke—maybe the editor concocted this story to rile up a shed hunting buddy of his or something. But the more I read, the more I realized it was all serious.

A woman, who happened to be a well-educated doctor of some sort, was snowshoe hiking a popular mountain trail (I’m sure the guys who shed hunt that area were happy about it getting named in the lead sentence) when she came across the set of antlers in the middle of the path.

So far, nothing too uncommon, since moose tend to take the path of least resistance in the woods. Her reac-

The writer’s wife puts the topper on the Christmas tree she made of moose sheds. When she innocently posted this picture online, it caused a torrent of negative and ignorant comments.

Photo: Ethan Emerson

One of the dozens of comments posted about the shed antler tree photo by people who thought the moose had to be killed in order to get the antlers.

tion to the find was anything but typical, though.

The news article detailed how she thought that the moose had been injured, perhaps had his antler shot off by a hunter or poacher or something.

So she made her way to cell service so she could call law enforcement. She was connected to a Fish and Game officer, who I’m sure had to have been as bewildered as I was reading about the whole ordeal.

She tried to tell

him where the antlers were, so he could retrieve the evidence.

He explained to her how moose biology works, and that it was okay for her to take the antlers. He even explained how prized a possession some people treat them.

This is where I would have played the fool, as mentioned earlier. I would have gladly taken her directions, so I could go “collect the evidence.”

According to the news article, the lady (Continued on next page) www.MaineSportsman.com

68 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

New Hampshire (Continued from page 67)

then found herself in a moral quandary.

Is it right to remove from nature something that it had produced, thus altering the organic environment? She shared her struggle session with the warden, who urged her to take the antlers before the next hiker did.

The news article went on (several pages of wasted ink) to detail how she hiked out and drove to Home Depot to get materials to build a sled because the antlers were “just too massive” to carry out herself. Eventually, she fashioned her sled and retrieved her bounty. Apparently, she couldn’t live with the guilt of owning some poor red squirrel’s chew toy, though, because she ended up do-

nating the antlers to the National Forest visitor center.

The moral of the story is, I don’t know if it is a bad thing that the general public doesn’t understand a lot of the things that we do. Just as long as my phone number is the one they call when they want to report that an apparently injured bull moose has had its antlers knocked off.

¶

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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 69

Rabbit Hunting and “Hound Music” As the calendar flips to January, I’m down to just one species to chase. Thankfully, it’s a fun one.

Sure, there are other things going on, and I’ll get to ice fishing once the water sets up solidly.

I cut my teeth hunting rabbits around age 12 with a .22 while I was following Dad around the woods during November rifle season. I remember I missed a lot, trying to aim carefully with that buckhorn-sighted single shot.

Snowshoe hare season in VT opens on the last Saturday in September, and closes for most of the state on the second Sunday in March, with units E and D in the northeast corner open until March 31st. Die-hards will hunt them from opening to closing, but the crew I hunt with focuses on chasing them after deer hunt-

“Eventually the dogs sound as if they are making a turn toward me, suddenly becoming much louder … . I catch a flash of white, dodging and darting through the brush, and I pull up my pump shotgun, looking for the shot opportunity.” ing ends in December.

I feel lucky that a couple of guys I know are houndsmen, and they don’t mind me tagging along with a shotgun to listen to their beagles run. I love to talk about chasing hare with hounds, and when people ask if I have dogs, I tell them I’ve got the best kind – someone else’s.

Noisy, Jovial, Social Endeavor I love to track snowshoe hares, and jump-shoot them. It’s as close to deer tracking as you can get.

Hare hunting with hounds is an entirely different experience than tracking them. I especially love it when the snow gets deep enough that I need my

wooden snowshoes to get around the woods.

It is a much more noisy, jovial, social endeavor. There are usually a number of folks along and there is much comradery through the day, interrupted periodically by the need to set up on a looping hare.

Most hunters who have hounds are happy to take someone along with them, so often it is as simple as getting to know someone and asking to go along on a hunt.

When I get to go, I try to get a sense of the ground rules from the hound hunter, who is really the leader of the hunt. Some folks like to let their dogs run a couple of loops

The author (left) and a couple houndsmen he hunts with, after a particularly productive day in the woods. Duke is the dog farthest on the right. Photos by Matt Breton

on a hare before shooting, while others don’t care.

You might shoot stray hares – those trying to escape that aren’t being specifically chased by the dogs, while some houndsmen might not want you to. There might be a new or a young dog around that needs some experience, or a new hunter, and that may lead to some different rules. I also carry a leash so when the call comes to catch the dogs, I can help out.

In between letting the dogs go and catching them is all the fun.

The Turn If we’re in a good area, simply letting the dogs out to scour the brush will get

things started. The tail-wagging beagles snort and snuff their way through blowdowns and thick, young patches of spruce and fir.

Eventually, a hare is jumped, barking commences, and the chase is on.

Each dog has a particular voice and pace that hunters will get to know. Last winter, Uncle Ron’s old boy Duke was in his final season, and while he was slowing down, he still loved being out.

He had a long, deep bawl that caused him to lift his nose from the track and tip his head back every time he let it out. Watching him do that made me think I was witnessing a hunting dog’s expression of pure joy. His slow pace was reflected in the hare ahead of him that would often be moving easily.

(Vermont continued on next page)

The author (right) and Uncle Ron with snowshoe hares from a day of hunting. www.MaineSportsman.com

70 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

The Great Ice Shack Caper – Phase 1 Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?

I’m not sure if it’s just the rowdy behavior of my friends and me, but when we get a bad idea, it can really come together.

After school last fall, we went for a hike in a nearby tract of woods to look for partridge. The property, located about a half an hour from our homes in Hermon, has always had some good bird activity.

On our hike, we stumbled across an interesting find. On an old ATV trail, someone had dragged in a homemade wooden deer blind – a 4’x6’ shelter with a bench and a few windows, perfect for spending some time in during deer season or to use when hunting coyotes.

Multiple Large Holes The blind was clearly abandoned. It had no name on it; the roof was beat up and

leaky; and the walls had multiple large holes in them. The siding was shredded in many places; and one of the windows had fallen out and was buried deep in the leaves.

In other words, it was a pile of old lumber, rotting away in the woods. Completely useless. It was at this moment the question was posed, “Hey, do you guys want to haul this out of here and turn it into an ice shack?”

Obviously, the answer was a resounding, “Hell, yeah!”

Blind Optimism In addition to gaining an ice shack, we had a great opportunity to remove some litter from a piece of land and clean up the area, for others to enjoy.

Given the blind optimism of teenagers, the rotting pile of lumber looked like it had potential.

Vermont (Continued from page 69)

Ron’s other two beagles, Echo and Dixie, have voices described as choppy, and they hunt at a faster pace.

The hares they chase are often moving along a little faster.

This speed creates a challenge and an opportunity. The hare is more distracted by the dogs behind it, but can be moving faster and more unpredictably. I used to think that the hare being chased was where the dogs were barking, but in reality, that hare is ahead of www.MaineSportsman.com

At this point, a plan was born. I would contact the landowner on whose property the shack was located. Gavin, one of the co-conspirators, would chase down an ATV to make removal possible. Co-conspirator #2, Josh, would look into materials and what it would take to make the shack “lake-worthy.”

Springing Into Action After some discussion with the landowner and all of the hunters who had permission to use the property, it was clear the shack had no current owner. Part one was complete!

Following some negotiations, Gavin acquired an ATV, such as it was. There was one catch – it didn’t run. Why would that stop us? As a result of some late-night tinkering in the garage,

The roof on the abandoned hunting shack was beat up and leaky; the walls had multiple large holes in them; the siding was shredded in many places; and one of the windows had fallen out. In other words, it was perfect!

the little motorized gem was running as good as new.

Then we built a drag out of some scrap 4x4s, on which we planned to place the shack and pull it out.

We dedicated a full Sunday to removing the shack from the woods. We took our time, ensuring that we wouldn’t leave any ruts or damage the property, and picked up more litter and trash on our way out.

them by some unknown distance.

My current strategy, which is still evolving, is to sit tight in a spot the hare has run through once. I listen to the dogs singing their way through the woods. As the loop winds around, eventually the dogs sound as if they are making a turn toward me, suddenly becoming much louder.

At this point I ready myself, now suspecting that the running hare is between me and the dogs. I catch a flash of white dodging and darting through the brush, and I’ll pull up my pump

We avoided cutting at all costs, but the trail in had a large tree which we cut, with the landowner’s permission. With a lot of elbow grease and false hopes, we skidded the shack out two miles to our snowmobile trailer, where we hauled it back to Hermon for a much-needed makeover.

Next month – Phase 2!

¶

shotgun, looking for the shot opportunity.

The moment is often quite intense, with quarry in range and the music of the dog pack closing in, accompanied by the percussive beating of my heart in my chest. The sound of my shotgun punctuates the magic of the moment, and those lovely singing beagles are off to find another hare to chase.

Hunting with hounds is primitive and beautiful; if you get a chance to experience it, I highly recommend it.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 71

Smilin’ Sportsman

Swap Talk Rider, to Parts Department Employee: “I need a gas cap for my old snowmobile.”

Parts Department Employee: “I’ve seen your sled, and I believe that’s a fair trade!”

— Singing a Lonely Song With the increasing numbers of self-driving vehicles, it’s only a matter of time until we get a country song in which the guy’s truck leaves him, too.

— Elliptical Logic Gym customer: “Which of these machines will help me get the most girls?”

Trainer: “The ATM terminal by the door.”

— Delivering the Bad News Eb: “My wife and I decided we don’t want children.”

Flo: “And?”

Eb: “And so we’re going to tell them tonight.”

— Net Nada Girl #1: “Don’t ever fall for a tennis player.”

Girl #2: “Why not?”

Girl #1: “Because to them, love means nothing!”

— Healthy Arthropods Eb: “Why don’t ants ever get sick?”

Flo: “I don’t know – why?”

Eb: “Because they have little antibodies.”

— Speech Limit Eb: “I bought the world’s worst thesaurus yesterday.”

Flo: “Why do you say that?”

Eb: “Well, not only is it terrible; it’s terrible.”

—

I Win My wife and I laugh about how competitive we are ... but I laugh more.

www.MaineSportsman.com

72 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

While the Grass Sleeps What I like about January is that I never have to concern myself with lawn care.

The ground is frozen. Snow covers the yard. The moles and woodchucks are all sleeping through the season. And nothing is growing, except possibly the mold in the upstairs bathroom shower.

I can relax with a clear conscience.

There aren’t any yard-care chores I ought to be doing. (Snow shoveling doesn’t count, because if you wait long enough, the snow will melt. It’s science.)

Three-Legged Table Of course, if I were going to be perfectly honest about dealing with the lawn (spoiler alert: I’m not), I’d be forced to admit I give it almost exactly the same amount of care in July as I do in January, which is to say none. My front yard is a mass of pine needles, weeds and dog poop.

My back yard has more weeds, interspersed with muddy spots and barely identifiable items that I threw out there a long time ago with the intention of eventually transporting them to the dump – analog TVs, a lifesize Tom Brady inflatable with a serious leak, a table with one fewer leg than the recommended number, and several boxes containing all the comments the editor of this publication removed from my columns for being too risqué or controversial.

But it’s January, so none of that will be visible until sometime in March (or April or May), when the landscape appears so miserable that my trash heap will look relatively attractive.

I mention all this not because I’m particularly proud of the disheveled state of my humble acreage, but because I’m content in knowing that when winter finally ends in late June or early July, I won’t have to contend with a lawnmower that won’t start. That’s because I don’t own a lawnmower. Or a weed wacker.

Or a leaf blower. I do have a couple rakes and a spade, but that’s because I needed some stuff to hang on the woodshed walls for decoration. I’ve only ever used any of them to chase squirrels and politicians out of my yard. www.MaineSportsman.com

Our columnist presents a lazy person’s guide to winter yard work.

One can only imagine the disappointment of the author’s neighbors as January snows gradually cover Al’s backyard art: the quarter-ton “Shelldon the Turtle (foreground), and a companion piece – a metal skeleton wielding a scythe.

Al Diamon photo

“Shelldon” the Turtle In spite of not having a lawn, I do own some lawn ornaments. They’re mostly invisible under the snow right now, but come spring they’ll be there to remind me that a few well-placed decorations will often distract visitors from the otherwise despicable state of my property.

By the front porch, there’s a giant cement turtle named Shelldon. I bought him at a yard sale in North New Portland several years ago and moved him to my yard with the help of a friend with a pulp truck equipped with a cherry picker (Shelldon weighs over 500 pounds). The previous owner told me the turtle originally came from a playground in Rhode Island and may have been the work of a famous designer of stuff for kids to climb on. If so, he gives the yard some much-needed class. If not, he’s still a semi-intimidating presence.

There’s also a rusty metal representation of death, a skeletal figure

wielding a scythe. It’s tall enough to protrude from the snow cover, providing a continuing reminder that winter is the season of grim outlooks for the Red Sox’s prospects.

I’ve got a few gargoyles stationed here and there under the snow, as well as the remains of the pumpkins I neglected to get rid of after Halloween. There also could be some leftover Christmas decorations. All that contributes to making the trek between the front door and the car treacherous at best and painful at worst.

“Pristine Sheet of Whiteness” But mostly my yard is a pristine sheet of whiteness symbolizing my commitment to remain snowed in until the weather regains its senses. So long as the freezer contains sufficient sustenance (by which I mean meat and ice cream) and the liquor cabinet holds the makings of credible cocktails (the large – and unexplained – bottle of peach schnapps that’s lurked in the back for several years doesn’t fall in this category), there’s no credible reason to venture outside.

I realize that many of you will have some difficulty grasping this concept, since you can’t quite imagine engaging in your usual seasonal activities while staying indoors. It’s true that snowmobiling through the living room, ice fishing in the bathtub or skiing off the roof all have their drawbacks, such as irate spouses, insurance claims and medical bills. But you can achieve the same negative results by filling a flask with Fireball and venturing into the outdoors to behave recklessly. My approach avoids frostbite and possible arrest.

And there’s no chance I’ll disturb the lawn.

Al Diamon writes the weekly column Politics & Other Mistakes for the Daily Bulldog and the Portland Phoenix.

Invitations to go ice skating can be emailed to aldiamon@herniahill.net, but don’t expect much of a response.

¶

��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • January 2023 • 73

— Guest Column — I Love Rabbits!

by Ed Pineau

I love rabbits.

I absolutely love those little furry critters.

Why, you ask, do I love rabbits? Let me explain.

Years ago, my brother Ray shared with me a piece of wisdom which has proved true over and over again in my six plus decades on this earth.

“Rabbits run in circles; sometimes small circles, and sometimes large circles, but they always run in circles. In life, what goes around, comes around.

Sometimes sooner than later, other times it takes years.”

Ten years ago, Island Boy and our families were headed into the North Maine Woods. We had stopped at the Caribou gate off the Golden Road to check in.

Mother Nature called on me, so I headed to the privy.

Once in, I latched the door and proceeded to answer the call. Once finished, I unlatched the door. It did not open.

The outside latch had slipped down and locked me in. I pushed, shook, rattled, pushed again to shake the outside latch free.

It was a no go. I then

What do rabbits and outhouse experiences have in common? Only a writer as skilled as Ed Pineau can make that connection, in his own inimitable way.

kicked, shook, beat on and swore. Again, no luck.

I knew if I hollered for help, Island Boy would never let me forget it. I waited for someone, anyone to approach the privy and give me back my freedom without Island Boy seeing.

Finally, I heard a lady’s voice, “Is anyone inside?” I answered that the latch had locked me in. My savior then flipped the latch to give me my freedom.

Unfortunately, she was my neighbor, and

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proceed to tell everyone in a ten-mile radius I had locked myself in the privy!

For ten years, every

time I drove by a privy with Island Boy in the vehicle, I had to listen to him howl with laughter about the time I was

locked in the privy. It was very humiliating.

Then came this May. Island Boy and my brother Norm were upta camp to enjoy some time away. IB was having some stomach issues. He headed out to the privy.

Norm and I were chatting in camp, probably solving the world’s problems. I was watching the time, and after 45 minutes or so, I thought I should check up on Mike. As I exited the camp and glanced over at the privy, I spied a hand waving in the window from inside the privy. Then I saw a face. Then a finger motioning frantically.

Island Boy had locked himself in the privy!

I LOVE RABBITS!

¶

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74 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

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Local rentals available just a mile away: snowmobiles, x-country skis, fat-tire bikes and snowshoes. High-speed internet provided by Starlink and streaming TV available for your viewing pleasure after a full day of adventure.

Come see this spectacular property for yourself and appreciate all the benefits that our lake house has to offer.

Great for a spring retreat, fishing, kayaking, hiking and ATV trails with local ATV rentals. Book your winter vacation today! Rates starting at $600 per night. For more info, contact Reid at reid@animalmedicalclinic.us or (207) 399-4715, or book online at www.vrbo.com/2784364. www.MaineSportsman.com

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Remodeled Cabins on Center Pond

Discover the versatility and convenience of Northeastern’s Camp and Cabin kits.

Perfect for vacation homes or retirement retreats, these log cabin kits are easy to build and very affordable. They feature simple, open designs and come complete with pre-cut Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and subflooring, plus step-by-step instructions.

Lincoln, ME – Very impressive property on desirable Center Pond. Features four fully remodeled cabins nicely laid out with all amenities needed to relax and enjoy. Coin operated laundry and ice for sale in its own building. Each cabin has its own dock and fire pit to enjoy the stunning sunsets and view of wildlife. Impeccable work put into cabins and less than a year old well and septic system. Located close to ATV/Snowmobile trails. MLS #1548589 • $1,250,000

Kenneth Moody, Associate Broker

Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat!

(207) 590-7153 • kenmoody81@hotmail.com www.realtyofmaine.com

10 Ames Road, Kenduskeag, ME

1-800-624-2797 • (207) 884-7000

www.northeasternlog.com

Caryn Dreyfuss, Broker • (207) 233-8275 caryndreyfuss@morton-furbish.com www.realestateinrangeley.com

DALLAS PLT – This tastefully updated 3 bedroomd, 2 bath home offers sun-filled open kitchen/ living area with entry onto the wrap around deck.

Finished basement with sleeping and living space.

Lake and mountain views, plus ddeeded access to Rangeley Lake. Spacious storage shed. Snowmobile friendly location handy to town amenities and Saddleback ski area. Most furniture included, good rental potential. MLS #1547084 – $475,000 EUSTIS – Looking for views, then check out this lot in the scenic Eustis Ridge Overlook! Wooded 3.87 acre parcel recently selectively cut to enhance the beautiful Flagstaff Lake and mountain vistas.

Rough driveway in, building site cleared, underground power in place. Access ATV/snowmobile trails from your door. Quiet, private spot for your full-time or get away home - don’t miss out on this one, inquire today! MLS #1541633 – $99,500

T4 R7 – Looking for remote pristine waterfront? Enjoy seeing a perfect starry night sky? Do you enjoy hunting and fishing? This leased camp on Seboeis River could be just what you are looking for. Call today for your appointment to see. $49,000

Springfield – Remote. Well wooded acreage. Direct ATV and snow mobile access right on McGinley Road. Clean northern Maine air, wildlife outside the front door and the chance to feel free. Call today for a look at this traditional Maine cabin. $59,900

Lee – New cabin is well insulated and should heat easily with electric baseboard. Good sized wooded lot offers privacy on Old Steamboat Road. Close to ATV and snowmobile trails. Year round access, electricity, near many lakes and ponds. $65,000

Lakeville – Gorgeous piece of land, heavily wooded and near the end of the Spaulding Pond Road with lakes all around. The cabin is small but sturdy. The privy and fire pit make it comfortable.

Definitely well worth a look. $49,000

T3 R1 – A brand new cabin, fully insulated, knotty pine interior, wired for a generator. The privy is oversized with a covered porch, skylight and attached woodshed.

Right on Sylvan Way with deeded access to Bill Green Pond. Offering owner financing! $79,000

Winn – This cute cabin is insulated with a knotty interior. The lot is heavily wooded and gorgeous.

Situated on North Road; a paved, year round, secondary road. With a little fire pit sitting just off the cabin’s screen porch. $59,000

WELD – Check out this new to market building parcel. Gradually sloping 2.46 wooded acres with potential scenic Blueberry, Hurricane Mountain views. Located on year-round town maintained road - lot has been surveyed, soils tested, driveway entrance in, power available roadside. Quiet, peaceful spot off the beaten path and yet minutes to Mt Blue State Park, Webb Lake, Tumbledown Mt. Country living at its best. MLS #1546850 – $79,000

SCREEN PRINTING & EMBROIDERY T-Shirts $6.00 Heavyweight 100% Cotton Pre-shrunk

FREE set-up on orders of 72 pieces or more!

Prices on 36 pieces ($20 set-up) Price includes garment and 1 color 1 location screen print Rush Service Available ~ Call for free catalog

Hats $7.00

T-Shirts-Jackets-Sweatshirts-Sweatpants Hats-Aprons-Totes and more

BERG ACTIVEWEAR 852 DEXTER ROAD • CORINNA, MAINE

1-800-242-2374 • 207-278-7740 WWW.BERGACTIVEWEAR.COM

Lee – 4.3 acres lot on hardwood ridge, nice views, snowmobile and ATV trails, fishing and skiing nearby, electricity available, owner financing, sited on Skunk Hill Road. $18,900 Benedicta – Big acreage, year round access and electricity available at Benedicta Road.

Low taxes. Small beaver flowage and high ground just behind it, wonderful locations for a cabin/ home. $169,000 T3R1 – Remote and private, with deeded access to Bill Green Pond, this would be a wonderful place to build your seasonal cabin right off Engstrom Road. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. $22,900 Lee – Well wooded. Remote.

Critters everywhere. Add in the good, clean air of Northern Maine and you’ve got yourself a “keeper”. This smashin’ little lot right off Mallet’s Mill Road shouldn’t last long. $69,900

R E A L

E S T A T E

5 LAKE STREET, P.O. BOX 66, LINCOLN 207-794-2460 www.cwalakestreet.com E-mail: cwa@cwalakestreet.com

1-800-675-2460 Call any of our brokers to work for you!

“Tate” Aylward ............. 794-2460 Peter Phinney............... 794-5466 Kirk Ritchie................... 290-1554

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR PROPERTIES VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT CWALAKESTREET.COM

www.MaineSportsman.com

76 • January 2023 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————

www.MaineSportsman.com