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4 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————
Editorial
Rise in Gun Sales Must be Matched by Increased Safety Awareness
New England’s Largest Outdoor Publication
Sportsman The Maine
ISSN 0199-036 — Issue No. 588 • www.mainesportsman.com PUBLISHER: Jon Lund MANAGING EDITOR: Will Lund will@mainesportsman.com
2020 and 2021 saw the highest rates of firearm sales in history. Twenty-one million guns were purchased in the U.S. in 2020. In the first few months of 2021, sales were even stronger – about 4 million purchases each month. Significantly, more than one-fifth of the buyers were first-time gun owners. It’s important for long-time gun owners to step up and make certain they are sharing their respect for, and knowledge of, firearm safety with new gun owners and with our next generation of hunters. With nearly 40% of all households now owning guns, everyone should be taught the mechanics of firearms – in particular, how to safely unload and clear all types of firearms. For example, if you hand a semi-automatic pistol to someone who has not received specific training or experience and ask them to unload the handgun, many of them will rack the slide action first to eject any cartridge in the chamber, and then release the clip or magazine. This sequence is incorrect, and can easily result in unknowingly loading the weapon, since allowing the slide to return can elevate the top round from the clip into the chamber. Does the average person know how to unload a lever-action with rounds in the tube? It’s not easy, and many of us have used older guns in which one or more rounds stick in the lower mechanism, nearly out of sight, where they can get jacked onto the action inadvertently. Further, many modern firearms have so-called “safety” features that actually make it more difficult for the user to open the action easily, unless they learn or are taught which button or switch allows the lever, bolt or slide to be worked. The basics of gun safety should be shared at every teachable moment – always point the firearm in a safe direction, treating every firearm is if it’s loaded; keep fingers away from the trigger; and always know the target and what’s behind it. Youngsters without experience with guns should be instructed not to touch any firearm they find unattended, and to immediately call an adult to the scene. Increased firearm sales must be matched with a concomitant increase in awareness about the importance of physical safety devices (safes and trigger guards) and preparedness steps, including training and safety classes, and “at the range” shooting experiences.
Almanac by Will Lund.................................................... 14 A Ranger on the Allagash by Tim Caverly.................. 60 Aroostook - “The County” by Bill Graves..................... 37 Big Game Hunting by Joe Saltalamachia.................. 31 Central Maine by Steve Vose....................................... 67 Cooking Wildly by Kate Krukowski Gooding............... 40 Downeast Region by Jim Lemieux............................... 58 Editorial.............................................................................. 4 Freshwater Fly Fishing by Lou Zambello....................... 62 Jackman Region by William Sheldon.......................... 53 Jottings by Jon Lund........................................................ 8 Katahdin Country by William Sheldon......................... 48 Letters to the Editor.......................................................... 5 Maine Sportswoman by Christi Holmes....................... 45 Maine Wildlife by Tom Seymour................................... 12 Maine Wildlife Quiz by Steve Vose............................... 33 Midcoast by Tom Seymour........................................... 64 Moosehead Region by Tom Seymour......................... 56 New Hampshire by Ethan Emerson.............................. 76 Nolan’s Outdoor World by Nolan Raymond............... 55 Off-Road Traveler by William Clunie............................ 68 Quotable Sportsman by Will Lund.................................. 7 Rangeley Region by William Clunie............................. 72 Riding Shotgun by Robert Summers............................. 79 Saltwater Fishing by Barry Gibson................................ 65 Sebago to Auburn Region by Tom Roth..................... 71 Self-Propelled Sportsman by Jim Andrews.................. 43 Shooter’s Bench by Col. J.C. Allard............................. 50 Smilin’ Sportsman by Will Lund...................................... 79 Snapshots in Time by Bill Pierce.................................... 13 Southern Maine by Val Marquez................................. 70 Sporting Environment by David Van Wie.................... 42 Sportsman’s Journal by King Montgomery................. 10 Tidewater Tales by Randy Randall............................... 41 Trapping The Silent Places by David Miller.................. 44 Trading Post (Classifieds)............................................... 80 Trout Fishing by Tom Seymour....................................... 61 True Tales from the Warden Service by Ret. Lt. Doug Tibbetts.47 Western Maine Mountains by William Clunie.............. 74
On the Cover Expanded archery season for whitetail deer got underway (in selected areas) in mid-September, and the regular archery season runs October 2 – October 29. Again this year, crossbows are allowed during regular archery season. In his Big Game column (page 31), Joe Saltalamachia recommends that Maine bowhunters set up early in the season near corn or clover fields.
ATVing in Maine by Steve Carpenteri......................... 18 Bear Hunting in Maine by Pete Muller......................... 21 Trapping a Maine Black Bear by Jason Houser.......... 23 Upland Game Hunting by Michael Browning............ 24 Choosing an Outfitter, Part 2 by Michael Tuminaro... 26 Turkey Hunting in Maine by Blaine Cardilli.................. 27 The Duel, Part 2 by Alan Haley..................................... 28 Deer Hunting in Maine by Dr. Birney Dibble................ 29 Snowmobilng in Maine by Steve Carpenteri.............. 34 Cartoon Fest................................................................... 78
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��������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 5
Letters To The Editor
“A Pike with a Head as Long as my Forearm”
To the Editor: I was pleased to see King Montgomery’s recent column about panfish in the August, 2021 issue (see “Crappie – King of the Gamefish”). I hope The Maine Sportsman will continue to cover all the different species the state has to offer. I am an all-’round fisherman who can claim I have literally been skunked fishing for everything in the Northeast. I have caught pretty much all the different species, both in fresh and saltwater, including bluefin tuna, yellowfins, and all the sharks except hammerhead and white; while in freshwater I think I’ve caught all the local species plus some oddballs that someone probably illegally stocked. My favorite freshwater fish is muskellunge, which a fishing buddy and I began pursuing many years ago in Baker Lake, northern Maine, just over the border from Canada. As time went on,
we started looking for places to go that grew true monsters. We fished Lake of the Woods with winnings from a striper tournament, and for the past twenty years we’ve fished the Ottawa River, two hours from Montreal. We’ve caught some big ones; in fact on occasion we found ourselves catching more than the local guides. We were using spinnerbaits and double cow girl spinners, and a swimming plug made by a fellow named Al Gag (perhaps short for Gagliano?). The lure was called “Gag’s Grabber,” or something like that. That lure we found to be very productive on the pike in lakes of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The lip finally broke off that lure on a big pike here in Connecticut. She is in the mouth of a pike mount of a 43-inch, 24-pounder I caught here. I have caught fifty or so muskies between 38 and 46 inches, and three years ago lost one I got a great look at when it swam by the boat and jumped halfway out of water. That monster was about 60 inches long, head as long as my forearm, and probably in the mid to high fifty pound range, maybe bigger. When it jumped, the spinnerbait flew out of its mouth and grazed my left cheek. I am sure people a hundred miles away thought the rumbling in the air was
thunder, when it was simply me cussing. – Bob Sampson, Jr; Salem CT —
There’s a Time and Place for Crossbows To the Editor: I have enjoyed Val Marquez’s columns for years, but I have to comment on his most recent article about hunting with a crossbow (see “Crossbows Should Not Be Legal During Archery Season,” Southern Maine, September 2021). Three years ago I tore two ligaments in my right shoulder. My bowhunting was over; 31 years of chasing deer with the bow ended – or so I thought. Then I moved to Freedom, NH. With the move complete and deer season rapidly approaching, I decided to do the unthinkable ... I bought a crossbow! I quickly discovered it was bulky, heavy and a pain to reload … dangerous in a tree stand … but at least I was in the woods! I hunted the 2019 season but didn’t see a deer that met my standards. Despite a year of therapy, I still could not draw the 60-lb. pull on my bow. Enter 2020. I hunted the archery season in Brooks, Maine and tagged a (Continued on next page)
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6 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman ——————————————————————————————————————————————
Letters to the Editor
bulky beast back in the woods. – Ben Brown, Freedom, NH —
(Continued from page 5)
nice buck with that damn crossbow ... but I still did not like it. Early this summer, after I underwent lots more therapy on my shoulder, a fellow at Coyote Creek Archery in Rochester introduced me to the new Hoyt Torrence bow, set at 50 lbs. Eureka! I could draw it! Now, three months later, I’m shooting 12 arrows daily at 30 yards and putting all the arrows in a good group. I’m assuming I’ll never need that crossbow again, but it got me in the woods, and at 73 years old I’m like a kid with a new toy. If my shoulder with torn ligaments acts up again, I’ll take that
Poaching Stories Take Him Back
To the Editor: My hunting friends and I appreciate the Sportsman’s consistent coverage of poachers, and the members of Law Enforcement who bring them to justice. Several of us worked in prison administration when we were younger, and we ran quite a few fish and game violators through the system during that time. One was the guy who dumped white perch into Moosehead Lake; another was a fellow who shot a moose that had a beeper on it – the wardens tracked him right to his barn! Even decades before social media, some folks did a good job incriminating themselves, such as the inmate who decorated his A Family Owned Hardware Store cell wall with Polaroids of him— 2500 SQ. FT. OF SPORTING GOODS — self posing with giant Maine HUNTER’S RENTAL bucks of the kind most hunters MOOSE TOW PACKAGE Includes New Husqvarna never see – real beasts. Despite and Lewis Portable Winch, his two-year sentence for poachCable, Straps, Rope & Pulley. Garmin Montana 700 ing, he still waxed philosophical 186 Sabattus Road, Sabattus, ME • (207) 375-6253 in a way that made me think 2 Miles Off I-95 Exit 86
the system would see him again once he was released. “Rules are for sportsmen,” he explained. “I’m a hunter, not a sportsman.” – Name withheld by request —
Loons ARE Amazing, but … To the Editor: I enjoy your publication, and look forward to each new issue. However, in the September 2021 Almanac article titled “Emerging Threats to Loons,” the writer mentions loons have bodies specially designed for underwater speed and maneuverability, but that they don’t have lungs, so they must come up for air eventually. Loons have to breathe air, so they do have lungs. Can I assume the writer intended to state that loons don’t have gills? – Don Winchester, Stockton Springs The Editor responds: All the contributors to the September “Almanac” took a vote, and overwhelmingly blamed the Editor for this misstatement. The editor accepts responsibility. Thank you to all who wrote in to comment on the typographical error.
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Quotable
Sportsman by Will Lund
“The popularity of ATVs [using paved roads] has sometimes pitted riders against residents, with communities struggling to balance the perks with a loss of tranquility.” Lisa Rathke, AP article, “Do ATVs Belong on Roads?” Morristown, VT and other municipalities across the US are operating trial programs allowing ATVs to use some roads. Residents who value the previous quiet complain that their roads have become “ATV superhighways,” while proprietors of gas stations, motels, restaurants, ATV dealerships and ATV repair shops generally welcome the economic boost. — “Today, women armed with lightweight, magazine-fed rifles and clad in natty hunting suits go blithely into the woods in search of deer and moose. … A woman who has once experienced the freedom of such a vacation never willingly returns to the artificiality of a seaside hotel veranda.” Mary Alden Hopkins, “Women in
the Woods,” published in 1902. The article focuses on apparel advice: “Union underwear is the most comfortable, and knickerbocker bloomers take the place of petticoats.” The information was published by the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad, “In the Maine Woods: 1902 Edition (Title: In Pine Tree Jungles).” Compare this with more modern women’s hunting apparel advice, starting on page 45 of this issue.
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Why the Resistance to Non-Lead Ammo? The spikehorn buck was coming steadily up the trail in the direction of my treestand. I raised the Remington Model 788 rifle to my shoulder, and put the crosshairs of the Leupold scope on the middle of the white patch of the deer’s chest. I tightened my trigger finger until the gun fired. The buck immediately sank in its tracks. When we gutted out the deer, the 150-grain 30-30 Winchester all- copper bullet rolled out onto the forest floor. It had mushroomed to 60 caliber. I slipped the bullet into the pocket of my jacket. The following day, I weighed it on a re-
As consistently accurate as lead, and without the health concerns? The author believes all-copper big game rounds are better than lead core. Further, he’s of the opinion that if every hunter had a subsidized opportunity to try out all-copper rounds at the target range and in the woods, the sporting world would see many enthusiastic converts. loading scale. It still weighed 150 grains. The bullet did not lose any weight, and stayed in one piece. The range was 70 yards. I make no claim at being a ballistic expert, but attribute the quick death of the spikehorn to the effectiveness of the bullet. The bullet certainly stayed in one piece, and mushroomed effectively. I had a bonus tag and continued to hunt
the rest of last season, but did not have the opportunity to test the copper ammunition again. I hope to get another shot this fall. Staying with Copper I plan to stick with the 30-30 copper round this coming season and with the Model 788, because I can shoot more accurately with it than with my old lever action Model 94. That Winchester lever action and caliber combination has been around since 1895, and it’s believed
to have brought more deer into camp than any other rifle and caliber combination. In whatever rifle I’m using, I like to use the 30-30 caliber because of its mild recoil. I can shoot it without starting to flinch. In its early days, the 30-30 used an alllead bullet, but as better smokeless powders were developed, velocities increased and the lead bullets began to strip as they moved down the rifle barrel. This problem was solved by encasing the lead bullet in copper or brass. The harder
metal jacket also addressed the problem of excessive expansion of the soft lead bullet upon impact. Lead’s History as Ammo Going back to early muzzleloader days, lead has always been favored for making bullets. It is malleable and relatively heavy, with a specific gravity of 11.34 (lead is eleven times heavier than an equivalent volume of water). It melts at a relatively low temperature, 327.5C (621.5F), which makes it easy to use to cast bullets. The Lewis and Clark Expedition carried their lead and gunpowder supply. They carried watertight lead containers which held their gunpowder. The result was they kept their (Continued on next page)
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powder dry, which was critical. They used up their lead supply and gunpowder supply at the same rate. They could melt their lead and cast their bullets in the evening over a charcoal fire. Its Strength is its Weakness The malleability of lead becomes a problem when it becomes stressed, as in a high-velocity rifle projectile. When a butcher prepares a deer carcass for consumption, it is customary to cut out the meat that includes the bullet channel. What we did not realize is that the lead that makes up the core of a modern rifle bullet often breaks into multiple fragments that may be scattered as far as 30 inches from the bullet channel. So some of the venison outside of the bullet channel contains lead fragments that we were not aware of and probably consumed. X-rays have revealed the extent of the spread of lead fragments. As much as 30 percent of the bullet weight can be lost in bits of lead. Lead is poisonous to man and other living creatures, as we have known for some time. In 1978, the
federal government banned consumer uses of lead-based paint, but some states had banned it even earlier. Congress prohibited the installation of lead pipes in 1986, but allowed those already in the ground to remain. Three decades later, an estimated 15 to 22 million Americans still cook with and drink tap water entering their homes through lead pipes. Even low levels of lead in the blood have been shown to affect IQ, ability to pay attention, and academic achievement in children. Families that eat wild game have been found to have higher levels of lead in their blood than other families. So, most of us anglers have thrown out our lead sinkers and settled for tin, steel, tungsten or other non-toxic weights. What is keeping us from following suit and tossing out the old boxes of rifle ammunition with lead-core bullets? Isn’t keeping lead out of our bodies just as important as protecting birds? Good question.
it was all a ploy advanced by anti-hunters to make hunting more expensive in order to end duck and bird hunting. I have to agree that the change did make waterfowl hunting more costly. But here we are discussing a change that will have a direct effect on our health and that of our children and loved ones, and I am puzzled that we don’t hear more discussion of the health issue. Sure, all copper is more expensive, but hunters can still use the old ammunition to zero in their sights, and then fire an all-copper round to see if it hits where the old rounds are landing. My own brief tests support the finding that there is no significant variation. And in the context of the other expenses of hunting, it would seem that spending a few extra dollars on better rounds to put in your rifle should not prove prohibitive. Or is the problem that hunters can’t deal with the idea of changing their old ways and
In the author’s experience, copper performs at least as well as lead, and given the health concerns of fragmenting lead slugs, he has made the switch to allcopper ammunition for his Remington Model 788 in 30-30. Photo: MidwayUSA.com
don’t like the notion of change? I hope not, because hunting is going to change in the future, whether we like it or not, and we will need to adapt. I believe if every hunter had a subsidized opportunity to try out the all-copper rounds at the target range and in the field,
we would have many enthusiastic converts. I believe it is a better round.
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Moosehead Lake – A Family Place Finally! I made my first trip to the Moosehead Lake Region, and I really was glad Elizabeth was with me. This beautiful area, somewhat wild once you leave the margins, is a wonderful travel destination for families because there is quite a bit to do, both indoors and out. And yes, the destination primarily is for those with at least some interest in outdoor activities that can include hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, boating, bird-watching, outdoor and nature photography, and more. Moosehead is a very family-friendly destination and a great place to introduce folks, both young and not-so-young, to the eternal beauties of the outdoor world. And while Elizabeth and I long have planned to visit the area, we really were introduced to it by some good friends. Last year, our friends took their two
Greenville is the hub of activity in the Moosehead Region. The town is home to shops, restaurants, boat docks, float plane operations, the old converted steamship Katahdin, Moosehead Marine Museum, and many guides and outfitters.
Our first impression was very favorable, which further was reinforced when we drove up the hill from town to the Greenville Inn, an impressive late 19th Century property built by a very rich lumber mogul as his home. All photos by King Montgomery
young grandsons, and all were so impressed with their Moosehead adventures, they repeated the trip this year. So far they have seen well over a dozen moose on guided moose safaris; caught fish trolling in the lake proper; scored on some nice smallmouth bass
Greenville (DeLorme Map 41, D2), a village of fewer than 2,000 people in the Maine Highlands, sits on the southern terminus of Moosehead Lake, a 10 by 40 mile body of water formed by glaciers over 12,000 years ago. www.MaineSportsman.com
at Indian Pond: and toured the lake and much of the surrounding areas, experiencing the wildness. And originally, these nice people were not particularly oriented to outdoor activities. Their enthusiasm influenced us to take our trip sooner rather than lat-
er. First Impressions The drive up Route 6/15 into Greenville is a pleasant one, as was the entire road trip from Kennebunkport to the Moosehead Lake region, and it was only about a 3.5 hour drive with one pit stop at the rest area along the
Mount Kineo, a stunning geological formation, is composed mostly of rhyolite, an igneous rock of volcanic origin used throughout history, including by Maine’s paleo-civilizations, for stone tools including arrow and spear heads, scrapers, and blades.
way in West Gardiner on I-95. Greenville (DeLorme Map 41, D2), a village of fewer than 2,000 people in the Maine Highlands, sits on the southern terminus of Moosehead Lake, a 10 by 40 mile body of water formed by glaciers over 12,000 years ago. Greenville is the hub of many of the activities of the area, and is home to shops, restaurants, boat docks, float plane operations, the old converted steamship Katahdin and Moosehead Marine Museum, and outdoors adventure outfitters. And the lake is the source of the 150-mile Kennebec River, the West Branch of the Penobscot River, and other waterways. Our first impression was very favorable, which further was reinforced when we drove up the hill from town to the Greenville Inn, an impressive late 19th Cen(Continued on next page)
Moosehead Lake is dotted with a lot of islands, most pretty small, but there are a few large ones, too. This view is from the western side of the lake above Rockwood.
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Moosehead is a cold-water lake, home to brook trout, landlocked salmon, and lake trout (togue), the primary gamefish targeted by angling guides. We’re headed home in Eric Holbrook’s boat as the sun finally decides to make an appearance. (Continued from page 10)
tury property built by a very rich lumber mogul as his home. Cabins since have been added to complement the main house on the five-acre property, just a long block from the lake. We had booked a moose-watching tour with Chris Young, a half-day of trolling on Moosehead with Eric Holbrook, and a 3-hour trip on the lake aboard the Katahdin that included entrance into the small but very interesting Moosehead Marine Museum. With the heavy influx of tourists and Maine staycationers, it is very important to reserve your desired activities months in advance. We’re glad we did. The remainder of our time, we drove around checking out the east and west sides of the lake as far as Lily Bay State Park on the former shore, and Rockwood on the latter. More Moose Than People Greenville folks say that moose actually outnumber people by
Eric Holbrook was our guide, and he greeted us with a smile at 7 a.m. at his boat berthed at a Moose River dock in Rockwood. Here he holds one of our smallish togue.
about 3 to 1 or so, and that has expanded the repertoire of the hunting and fishing guides in the area – many of them offer early morning and/or later evening moose-seeking excursions along the many logging roads around Greenville and environs. The low-lying terrain around the lake provides wonderful moose habitat, and visitors have a fine opportunity to find, observe, and photograph moose in all sorts of poses. Chris Young was our guide for the evening, and I knew I liked him when he showed up 10 minutes early at the Greenville Inn to pick us up in front of our cabin. He was very knowledgeable about the terrain, the habitat and the moose, and his relatively new extended-cab pickup truck with 4-wheel drive was very comfortable. Yes, we did see a moose munching on aquatic vegetation, and she obliged us (and the camera) by pretty much ignoring our presence. Fishing the Lake Moosehead is a cold-water lake, home
to brook trout, landlocked salmon and lake trout (togue), the primary gamefish targeted by angling guides. We decided to troll the deeper waters, since in later July that probably was where we’d find the fish. Eric Holbrook was our guide, and he greeted us with a smile at 7 a.m. at his boat berthed at a Moose River dock in Rockwood. The day was relatively cool, with low clouds that dominated the horizon, even blocking the top hundred feet or so of Mount Kineo, a stunning geological formation composed mostly of rhyolite, an igneous rock of volcanic origin used throughout history, including by Maine’s paleo-civilizations, for stone tools including arrow and spear heads, scrapers, and blades. Eric’s comfortable boat held rods to plumb several depths where fish were hanging. The two downriggers were set for 60 and 70 feet, while the two rigs with lead-core lines were set for 40 and 50 feet, so we had the prime water depths covered
Currier’s Flying Service is just across West Cove from Kelly’s Landing. This storied air service, along with several others on Moosehead, provide sightseeing flights and fly-outs to more remote parts of the area.
with spoons, mostly Mooselook Wobblers. The Mooselook is a wobbling spoon that swims through the water with seductive moves – at least to the fish. Plain old copper seemed to work very well, but the lures come in a myriad of sizes and colors. Under Eric’s watchful eye, we caught togue and salmon, and all were released after quick photos. Plenty of rivers and ponds to fish nearby, too. Moosehead Lake Boat Cruises We boarded the historic steamboat Katahdin after viewing the Moosehead Marine Museum just next door. The Kate took us on a three-hour narrated tour of the lake to Sugar Island and back to Greenville. The galley serves lunch, or you can just sit back and enjoy a warm summer day on the beautiful lake in a unique, historic boat. Life is good on Moosehead Lake. Moosehead Area Info: • Greenville Inn, 207-695-2206, www. greenvilleinn.com. An 1890 lumber baron’s
Victorian-style estate on 5 acres with cottages. It’s situated one block from Greenville and the lake. Breakfast is served. • Young’s Guide Service, 207-695-2661, www.youngsguideservice.com. Chris took us moose-watching, and he also does lake, river and pond fishing trips. He’s the 2013 National Moose Calling Champion. • Holbrook’s Guide Service, 207-349-0366, www.holbrooksguideservice.com. Eric Holbrook is a fine guide and good company. He does fishing, hunting, and moose-watching. • Katahdin Cruises & Moosehead Maritime Museum, 207695-2716, www.katahdincruises.com. • Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce, 207-6952702, www.mooseheadlake.org. • Lily Bay State Park, (207) 695-2700, https://www.maine. gov/dacf/parks/trail_ activities/lilybay_ trail_conditions.shtml. Boat launches, picnic areas, RV and campgrounds, and more. Beautiful place.
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12 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Maine Wildlife:
Woodcock
by Tom Seymour
Woodcock numbers continue on a downward trend, according to the American Woodcock Population Status 2020, published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That report, though, leaves some unanswered questions, because some traditional monitoring methods, e.g., singing ground surveys, were not fully employed in 2020, probably due to the Covid pandemic. Also, the report states that it is difficult to do population counts because woodcock are hard to find in the thick brush where they live, and also because of their cryptic coloration, which allows them to blend in with the background. In other words, it’s very difficult to keep count of our woodcock from year to year. However, hunters continued to send in woodcock wings from their birds in 2020, and that gave the Fish and Wildlife Service data to use in assessing the population. The abstract from the latest report shows that the recruitment index for the Eastern Region was 12 percent less than the previous year, and 7 percent less than the long-term regional average. The report didn’t include any reasons for the allegeddecline in woodcock numbers, but it seems safe to conclude that climate and habitat loss played at least some small role. But woodcock hunters already knew that, or something like it. We couldn’t put a numerical figure to it, but it was plain that woodcock were scarce. This year’s woodcock situation remains to be seen. Glory Years I came of age during the glory years of woodcock hunting in Maine. In the 1960s and through the 1970s, woodcock were our most numerous, reliable gamebird. The daily bag limit back then was 5 birds, and with a bit of determination, it was not difficult to shoot a day’s limit. The limit was later reduced to 4 birds per day and finally to 3, the current bag limit. The bag limit decreased in accordance with shrinking woodcock numbers. In the heyday of upland shooting, www.MaineSportsman.com
To the author, the twittering sound made by a woodcock’s wingfeathers as the bird flushes is one of the dearest, most cherished sounds in the woods. though, migrating woodcock dropped down into Maine covers in immense numbers. One small alder patch that I hunted with my grandpa covered less than two acres, but upwards of 40 woodcock at a time would descend upon it during the course of a moonlit night. Two, sometimes three, woodcock would flush at the same time. This taught me the value of the late Robert Ruark’s advice, given in his book The Old Man and the Boy, in which Ruark explains that the best way to shoot a quail when a whole covey blasts into the air is to choose a single bird and concentrate upon that. Aiming at the whole flock just results in a wasted shotshell. The same held true for woodcock. Sadly, today’s wingshooters will probably never see the likes of that kind of hunting again. Much of it had to do with habitat. Farm families deserted the farms just after World War II, choosing instead to work in towns and cities. This resulted in reverting farmland, which makes the very best woodcock habitat. Eventually, though, the farmland fully reverted, and turned into forests. And what was left fell victim to the development boom. Nearly all of those cherished woodcock covers of my youth are now house lots. The upside of all this is that there are still woodcock, although not as many. And there are still woodcock covers, but of a different nature. Instead of hunting on reverting farmland, we now hunt on reverting clearcuts. These places are nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as the old covers, but at least they hold woodcock.
Enchanting Quarry Change is a given in this life, and
though we often don’t like it, there is nothing we can do to stop it. Our only recourse is to keep on plugging and look for the good. That’s exactly how we must view the current woodcock situation. We still have a huntable population of woodcock, and we still have places to hunt them. It’s up to us to make the most of it. With that said, woodcock themselves haven’t changed at all. Those little tan and brown bundles of energy have a near-mystic appeal to dedicated wingshooters. The long, articulated bill and liquid, black eyes make for an enchanting appearance. And the twittering sound made by the wingfeathers when a woodcock flushes remains one of the dearest, most cherished sounds in the woods. That loud twitter has discombobulated more than one eager scattergunner. It would seem impossible to miss a target that gets up within feet of where you stand, but the twitter has the effect of disconcerting even the most stolid shooter. One thing I dread about becoming older and suffering hearing loss is that it may someday happen that I can no longer hear a woodcock’s twitter. That’s a heartbreaking scenario. Maybe it won’t happen, though. No sense to buy trouble. Here’s my take on woodcock hunting in general – let’s enjoy it and relish it while we can. And perhaps, through the efforts of governmental and private organizations, we can bring our woodcock back to glory-day levels. Until then, let’s revel in each woodcock that flushes. It is a significant part of our hunting heritage.
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“Snapshots in Time”
Historical Glimpses from the Region’s Iconic Past Compiled by Bill Pierce, Executive Director, Rangeley Lakes Historical Society
How much did folks know about Maine partridge (ruffed grouse) in 1902? Quite a lot, as it turns out.
From “Maine Woods,” October 3, 1902
The Partridge … His Food and His Ways
Whether you call it a “pa’rtidge,” a quail or a ruffed grouse, partridges have intrigued – and fed – generations of hunters and their families. Painting by Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896-1969)
We call the best game bird we have a partridge, writes W. H. Brownson in the Portland Advertiser, and in the rural districts it is commonly spoken of as “pa’tridge,” meaning the ruffed grouse. Down Virginia way, they refer to it as a pheasant, which it is not any more than it is a “pa’tridge.” In the middle and southern states when they speak of a partridge, they mean a Bob White or quail. There is no common bird which is so confused, both in its popular and scientific names. It will be something of a surprise to many to learn that there are probably no true ruffed grouse in Maine, but instead a sub-species known as the Canadian ruffed grouse. This is not the Canada grouse or spruce partridge. The sub-species which lives in Maine differs only from the true ruffed grouse in the general color of the upper parts, which are gray instead of reddish and the more distinctly barred under parts. Not long ago, a collection of grouse from all parts of the state of Maine was sent to William Brewster for identification, and he referred all the birds to the sub-species. Ora W. Knight, author of “A List of the Birds of Maine,” has made a
very exhaustive investigation of this subject, and his decision is that “the presence of the typical ruffed grouse in this state is extremely doubtful.” However, it makes little difference whether the bird which almost everybody knows is Bonasa umbellus or as the authorities have decided Bonasa umbellus togata; the two are practically the same in all essential points, and their habits are identical. The Canadian ruffed grouse is a permanent resident here, not knowing such an annual event as migration. In the summer, he finds food in abundance, eating crickets, grasshoppers, all kinds of nuts whose burs are not too hard, berries of every variety, even to the fruit of the poisonous variety of sumac, which does him no harm. Such wholesome fare helps give his flesh the pleasant flavor that makes it so much of a delicacy for the table. In the winter, the grouse keeps fat on food that would seem to be pretty meager. He eats heartily of poplar and birch, snapping off the ends of the twigs and swallowing a cupful of the frozen sticks for his supper. He burrows under the snow no matter how
deep it is and stays there for days, living on wintergreen, goldthread, clover and strawberry leaves and beechnuts. Some will tell you that the partridges are imprisoned under the icy covering after a rainy spell in winter, but it is not so. They easily travel from place to place under the crust, and peck holes in it if they desire to get out. The “drumming” of a partridge has caused any amount of discussion, some good observers contending that it strikes its wings together behind its back, others, that it drums on the log on which it is standing, and still others that the noise is made by the wings striking against the sides of the bird; but the best authorities now say that the wings in their vibration strike nothing but the air. The drumming is the call of the male to the female, usually heard during the breeding season, but often in the fall when the bird happens to be near the familiar haunts he cannot, as Chapman says, “resist the temptation to mount his wonted perch and vent his feelings in the rolling drumbeat that was in springtime his song of love.” www.MaineSportsman.com
Almanac
14 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Alewives Making their Way Up the Presumpscot by Lou Zambello
For the first time in 300 years, significant numbers of sea-run alewife and blueback herring reached the Presumpscot River’s Mallison Falls this year between Windham and Gorham (now the site of Mallison Dam). The 2020 removal of a dam and installation of a fish ladder at Saccarappa Falls in Westbrook allowed the fish to access an additional five miles of river that had been closed to them for centuries.
Alewives schooling below Mallison Dam on the Presumpscot River in Windham. Photo: Will Folsum
Several thousand alewives and bluebacks, as well as likely some shad, reached the dam this year. They could be seen in small schools for several weeks until they migrated back to Casco Bay after spawning.
Thousands of alewives already migrate up Mill Brook (a tributary of the Presumpscot) to spawn in Highland Lake. While it is illegal to target alewives with a hook and line, several anglers fishing for trout below Mallison Dam reported that even though alewives are algae eaters, they will take small nymphs, and they fight well for their size. The author did hook one right in the inside corner of the jaw and it jumped three feet out of the water when hooked. Accidently hooked alewives must be released immediately. The Friends of the Presumpscot (president Michael Shaughnessy, www. PresumpscotRiver.org), an all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving and restoring water quality, recreation, and fishing in the river, hopes that in the future further dam removals or fish passage systems will allow sea-run fish to reach all of the way to Sebago Lake. —
Beavers Dining on – Lily Pads? Paddling to the remote camp south of Greenville, we were puzzled to see hundreds of water lily and pickerel weed stalks and stems, sticking straight in the air, bereft of leaves or blossoms.
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Compiled and Edited by — Will Lund —
What could have eaten them? A moose? As evening fell, we watched as a large beaver swam directly into the thickest part of the water lily patch and feasted for an entire hour, barely moving except to glide to the next floating leaf. Was this normal behavior? So we asked our resident expert. “Yes,” said Tom Seymour. “Beavers eat all kinds of herbaceous, aquatic plants, and the beaver you saw was eating water lilies. While lilies and water weeds are not a preferred food, the beaver was probably just an opportunistic individual.”
Everyone knows Maine beavers eat trees, right? But water lilies and pickerel weed? Turns out the animals enjoy water-plant salad, as well. Photo: Beaver Works Oregon; Beaverworks.org (Continued on next page)
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Other sources confirm the behavior. According to Sciencing.com, “In addition to trees and woody plants, beaver food includes soft vegetation such as apples, grasses, water lilies, clover, giant ragweed, cattails and watercress. When vegetation is sparse, beavers are occasionally known to eat sagebrush, as well.” Later, Tom followed up with related information: “With your lily pad-eating beaver still in mind, I visited a neighbor who lives along the slow-moving Marsh Stream. He complained about the beavers eating his ostrich fern fiddleheads. This guy had a huge stretch of fiddleheads growing along the stream, but now only a few are left. The culprit? Beavers. “I never heard of such a thing, but my neighbor confirmed it, showing me the hard-beaten path the beavers had used to get to his streamside fiddlehead patch. He has watched the beavers munching on his fiddleheads, even the mature plants. “I wonder how many other property owners have found their fiddlehead patch raided by beavers, all the while thinking that a two-legged bandit was responsible?” —
Androscoggin Watershed Council to Meet The Androscoggin River Watershed Council (ARWC) will hold a live and in-person conference and annual meeting on Tuesday, October 5, 2021 from 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM at the Sunday River Grand Summit Hotel. Water flows in the Androscoggin and its headwaters have been quite controversial, especially during the periods of drought experienced in recent years. To address this issue, Tom Mapletoft, water manager for Brookfield Renewables,
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will discuss the many competing interests. Also presenting will be representatives from two state departments – Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, and the Department of Environmental Protection. Jeff Reardon of Maine Trout Unlimited, and Charles Gauvin, former longtime CEO of national Trout Unlimited, will provide their expertise on the impacts of watershed forestry and conservation on aquatic habitat. They will be joined by Mike Richardson from the Maine Forest Service.
health of the Androscoggin and the wildlife it supports. —
The website of the Androscoggin River Watershed Council (AndroscogginWatershed.org) features a highly detailed map and trail guide showing launch sites, the locations of rapids and other points of interest along the entire 170mile waterway, from Lake Umbagog to Merrymeeting Bay. Source: ARWC
Flat tires are the number one cause of boat trailer problems, while wheel bearing failure is the second most common issue, according to BoatUS. Photo: Anchor Marine Repair, Delano MN
The Androscoggin River flows for nearly 170 miles, beginning at Lake Umbagog on the Maine/New Hampshire border, continuing south through northern New Hampshire, heading east through western Maine, then turning south again before joining with the Kennebec in Merrymeeting Bay and emptying into the Atlantic. The purpose of the Androscoggin River Watershed Council is to encourage industry, conservation groups, landowners, and other interested parties to work together to ensure the
Boat Trailer Failures Occur for Predictable Reasons So you are towing your boat up Interstate 295 toward your lake destination in western or northern Maine. When does it occur to you that you didn’t check the air pressure in your trailer tires? If you’re like many of us, it’s when you see, beside the road, what BoatUS calls “a cringeworthy sight” – a boat sitting on a disabled trailer unattended on the side of the road, typically because the boat’s owner has gone to seek help.
BoatUS operates a service that, for a fee in addition to the cost of regular membership, will tow a disabled trailer to a repair facility – think of it as an AAA for trailers. For that reason, they have an informed perspective on the issue. And they state that nearly twothirds of boat trailer failures happen for two reasons. The most frequent request for assistance (44%) came as a result of trailer tire troubles, including owners who failed to carry a spare tire. Low tire pressure, the association states, is the leading cause of a trailer tire’s early demise, (Continued on next page)
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16 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Almanac
(Continued from page 15)
so check the pressure often, and never leave home without a serviceable spare. And don’t forget to check the pressure in the spare, also. Wheel bearings (21%) were the second largest cause of roadside assistance requests. When hubs are submerged, bearing protectors are critical to prevent water intrusion and resulting bearing failure. According to the association, bearings should be inspected and repacked once a year.
Yet Another Award for The Maine Sportsman’s Trophy Case! We are truly at a loss of words after receiving this most recent recognition (“Best of Augusta, 2021,” Magazine Publisher division), so we won’t even try. —
The Origin of Maine Bird Names by Nick Lund
Two books in my collection dive into the interesting and arcane etymologies of bird names: The Dictionary of American Bird Names (Ernest A. Choate, 1985) and Words for Birds: A Lexicon of North American Birds with Biographical Notes (Edward Gruson, 1972). Let’s see what they have to say about some of Maine’s most popular birds. Chickadee. The name chickadee is onomatopoeic, meaning it’s derived from the noise the bird makes. It makes sense that something like “Oh, that’s the one that says ‘chicka-dee’” was an effective way to remember certain birds, and many of our common bird names
derive from vocalizations: Bobolink, owl, Whip-poor-will, cuckoo, Killdeer, and Willet, just to name a few. Common Loon. The two books differ on the origins of “loon.” Gruson says the name “is derived from the Scandinavian words for ‘diving bird’ or ‘water bird.’” Choate claims that it derived from the Danish or Swedish word lom, which meant “lame,” referring to the “awkward walk of the bird on land.” Gull. Choate explains that the origin of “gull” may be from the Latin gula, meaning “throat,” which may refer to the gull’s indiscriminate scavenging and also gave English the words “gullet,” “gulp,” and “gullible.” Plover. The name for those small shorebirds derives from the Latin pluvia, meaning “rain,” apparently due to the mistaken belief that plovers prefer rainy places, are easier to hunt in the rain, have raindrop-like markings on their plumage, and sing in the rain.
A Semipalmated Plover strides along the beach. Nick Lund photo (Continued on next page)
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October 2021 Sunrise/Sunset Portland, ME
Reflections on a Great Summer The summer of 2021 provided productive fishing and an opportunity for families to spend time together. Angling is a sport that can be enjoyed by several generations at the same time, as shown in this tranquil photo titled “Fishing off the dock in beautiful St. Froid Lake.” Photo by Stacy Belanger (Continued from page 16)
The Maine Snowmobile Association’s Annual Fall Snowmobile Show will be held October 22nd - 24th, 2021 at the Augusta Civic Center. It will be an excellent opportunity to see what’s new in machines and gear.
DATE The MSA Annual Snowmobile Show will provide an opportunity for participants to view new machines and gear, and most important, to “talk sleds” with the experts.
For more information and to confirm the schedule, check the website of the Maine Snowmobile Association, www.MeSnow.com.
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October 2021 Tides
Hawk. The name for these raptors is from the Anglo-Saxon word hafoc, meaning “grasp” or “seize,” obviously referring to their talons-first predatory behavior. —
Maine Snowmobile Association Plans In-Person Annual Fall Show
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Maine’s Side-By-Side Avalanche by Steve Carpenteri Maine sportsmen who have followed the evolution of all-terrain vehicles will have noticed a steady move away from one-person ATVs to multi-passenger side-by-sides. In the early 1970s, an ATV wasn’t called an ATV at all – in those early days we called them “three-wheelers,” and for good reason. Essentially designed as man-sized motorized tricycles, those early balloon-tire models were poorly balanced, difficult to steer and
The industry has progressed a long way since the first ATVs, which were 3-wheelers. These oversized motorized tricycles were dangerous, lacking stability, steerage, traction and control. Next in the evolution were 4-wheelers, followed by side-by-sides. control and were downright dangerous when used to tow any type of wagon or trailer, especially one loaded with firewood, as I learned from personal experience. A halfcord of green maple and oak meant a guaranteed jack-knife – at least once – before the load could be brought
in. Most of the time, the 3-wheeler could handle an empty trailer, but not one loaded with wood, hay or grain, leaving the frustrated operator with the front wheel in the air more often than not. With time and experience, not to men-
tion innumerable accidents, manufacturers realized that four wheels were far superior to three, especially when it came to maneuvering, stability and traction. One rarely sees a 3-wheeler anymore and, for all intents and purposes, the phase-out of the 3-wheelers is a posi-
tive development for society. Suzuki introduced what has become the ubiquitous 4-wheeler in the mid-1980s and the sport of four-wheeling literally took off. With more power, five forward speeds and even reverse, those original units took the sporting world by storm. Today there are over 80,000 registered ATVs in Maine, the majority of them 4-wheelers designed for one or two persons and their gear. (Continued on next page)
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©2021 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. In the U.S.A., products are distributed by BRP US Inc. *Offers valid in U.S.A. only Sunday 1st March 2020 to Thursday 30th April 2020. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your state and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. See an authorized BRP dealer for details. Some mcxlels depicted may include optional equipment. BRP highly recommends that all ATV drivers take a training course. For safety and training information, see your dealer or, in USA, call the ATV Safety Institute at 1-800-887-2887. In Canada, call the Canadian Safety Council at (6131 739-1535 ext 227. Read the Operators Guide and watch the Safety DVD before riding. Wear appropriate protective clothing and helmet. For side-by-side vehicles, fasten lateral net and seat belt at all times. Never engage in stunt driving and avoid excessive speed. Always observe applicable local laws and regulations. Side-by-side vehicles and ATVs are recommended for drivers aged 16 and older, and passengers aged 12 and older only. For off-road use only. Never ride on paved surfaces or public roads. Always ride responsibly and remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix.
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 19
The Next Big Thing is Just the Right Size
ATVS have advanced by leaps and bounds in the past 50 years, and there’s no telling what the future holds! Photo courtesy of Arctic Cat (Continued from page 18)
Multi-Passenger Models The very first multi-passenger ATV, the John Deere Gator, was introduced in 1992. It was based on the John Deere AMT. The first Gator was the Gator TH, a 6x4. This was the first of the traditional line of Gators. What followed was a huge influx nationally of two-, four- and even 6-person ATVs that were improved to eventually include roofs, doors, windshields (and wipers), heaters, key starters and a wide variety of useful, if not luxury, accessories that, today, include winches, running lights, sound systems, larger cargo areas and even plows, disc harrows, rototillers and any number implements designed for creating and maintaining food plots, golf courses, hiking and ATV trails . . . the list is endless.
Very, Very Comfortable There was a time in Maine (as recently as the 1990s) when multi-passenger sideby-sides were a rich man’s curiosity, common on golf courses, football fields and working farms, but now, it seems, that there are considerably more units on the trail compared to just a few years ago. “Fifteen years ago, before side-by-sides were common, we were moose hunting on woods roads in Washington County one late afternoon,” Will Lund, this publication’s editor, told me, “and we were greeted by two older hunters who, having put away their firearms for the day, were driving slowly along in their sideby-side, sipping cold drinks and comparing notes with hunters who were still walking the roads. Right away, it struck me that those two gentlemen looked (Continued on next page)
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20 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
ATVing in Maine (Continued from page 19)
very, very able!”
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Adventure Pro available on XT-R models only. Professional riders and drivers on closed courses. Side-by-Side (SxS) models are recommended for use only by operators 16 years and older with a valid driver’s license. Always wear your seat belt, helmet, eye protection and protective clothing. Yamaha recommends that all Side-by-Side riders take an approved training course. For Side-by-Side safety and training information, see your dealer or call the ROHVA at 1-866-267-2751. Read the Owner’s Manual and the product warning labels before operation. Avoid excessive speeds and never engage in stunt riding. Always avoid paved surfaces and never ride on public roads. And be particularly careful on difficult terrain. Never ride under the influence of alcohol or other drugs; it is illegal and dangerous. Models shown with optional accessories. ©2020 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved • YamahaMotorsports.com
kayak carriers, and a wide variety of luxury attachments designed to fit the needs of modern operators ranging from sight-seers to surfers, ice-fishermen, “boulderers” and climbers. Current Laws; Future Laws? While the design and usage of ATVs in Maine continues to change, some aspects of the sport remain the same. For example, by law a person may not operate an ATV on the land of another without the permission of the landowner or lessee. Permission is presumed on designated state-approved ATV trails, or in areas open to ATVs by landowner policy. However, a landowner or lessee may limit the use of a designated state-approved ATV trail on that landowner’s or lessee’s property through agreements with the State or an ATV club as necessary to address environmental, public safety or management concerns.
Change may be in the wind regarding the size of ATVs that can be operated on public lands. Proposals have been advanced that would require a dealer selling a new or used oversized ATV to provide to the purchaser a written form explaining the size and weight restrictions for the use of oversized ATVs on designated state-approved ATV trails. Also, if a rule is promulgated by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, DIF&W would be required to develop an education program for ATV dealers, owners and registration agents regarding the operation and registration of oversized ATVs. As might be expected, the cost of having fun on Maine’s ATV trails is all but certain to go up. Another proposal would raise ATV registration fees to $70 for Maine residents and as much as $115 for non-residents.
¶
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 21
Bear Hunting in the Year of COVID by Pete Muller, Edgefield, SC Of all the years that my friend Brian and I decided to venture to the north woods of Maine to bow hunt black bears, we chose the fall of 2020. COVID was still in full swing, but we were determined, as each of us had run into our fair share of troubles over the years when hunting bear. Brian had more than 100 hours in a stand without even seeing a bear,
and it was the 10-year anniversary of my last trip north where I lost a bear after arrowing him at nine yards. Still, our friend Nathan Theriault of OMM Outfitters had camp set up to make hunters feel comfortable despite the pandemic, and he assured us it would be worth our while to get to Maine because bears were hitting baits hard due to it being a
low mast production year. Travel Challenges Our adventure north began with a two-hour delay flying out of Charlotte to D.C., an irate Liberian national who went on a curse-laden tirade and threatened fellow passengers, and we also missed our connection to Presque Isle, Maine. COVID had slowed air travel to where there
were no flights out of D.C. after 5:45 p.m. on August 31, so we rented one of the last cars at the Dulles Airport and drove 14 hours
north so we would not lose a day of hunting. The curse of 2020 continued into the travels and brought (Continued on next page)
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22 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Bear Hunting in Maine (Continued from page 21)
rain for the entire 14-hour trip, but we pressed on, arriving at Old Mill Marina on Eagle Lake just as the clouds were finally clearing. After a ride across the lake to camp, Brian and I got situated in our cabin on the banks of the lake and grabbed a bit of shuteye, knowing we would soon be in the stand. The author, Peter Muller, and his 439-lb Maine bear. Photo: OMM Outfitters
Letting My Arrow Fly Afternoon came quickly, and our guides motored us by water to our stands. As Brian departed from the boat, I wished him
well. Another half mile down along the shore, and I was on my way to my stand. With about 30 minutes left to hunt, a massive boar came down the trail from my right. I drew back and left my arrow fly with the bear standing broadside at just 20 yards. Nathan showed up after dark, and we marked where my arrow had passed through the bear. We then headed back to where Brian was, as he too had arrowed a good bear that evening.
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Tracking One, Then the Other The guides worked hard and tracked Brian’s bear until after midnight before finding his 300-lb sow. We all toted the big bear back to the shore and set off for mine. Another long trailing job left us baffled, as blood ran out. We marked out last spot and headed home to rest. At first light, two of the guides and I headed back to the woods. Though we quickly got on blood, the trail ran dry shortly after. On a whim, we circled through the thickest brush we could find just north of the last blood, and I stumbled upon a bed with a small patch of blood. The guides took it from there and within 30 yards, my bear was found. He was an old brute that weighed in at 439 pounds, and had a skull just shy of Boone and Crockett status. For both Brian and me, we had found success despite numerous obstacles.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 23
— Guest Column —
Trapping a Maine Black Bear by Jason Houser, Greenup, IL For my 2020-2021 trapping season, I decided to travel to the State of Maine. Maine is the only state where it is legal to trap bears. Both a trapping license and a bear trapping permit are required, as is landowner permission. I began my search for a reputable guide. One guide in particular stood out to me, not just for trapping experience, but also for his dedication to the sport, and that was Jayson Lucarelli, owner of Maine Whitetail Adventures, located in Millinocket. Game Camera Intel Before we ever made a set, we used intel from our Reveal cellular cameras to set only in those places where there had not been any activity from a sow and her young ones. Even though any bear is legal to trap, the ethical thing to do is to avoid an area where you could catch a sow or her cubs. With our camera surveillance in place, we did not need to get up at the crack of dawn, since we could see the trap site remotely. Instead, we could make the drive
to the trap site later in the afternoon. I headed to my stand for an evening hunt. The first two nights were unproductive, since even though we had a nice bear visiting the site every night, the bruin was not committing to the set. Our recon though the cameras allowed us to piece together what we might be able to do differently to catch the bear. Chasing Off a Sow With our cameras on the job transmitting every movement, we were in for a surprise when a sow and two of her cubs showed up at the site. Jayson works hard to avoid these situations, but with bears always on the move, it was just a matter of time before a sow and her cubs showed up. Jayson rushed to the trap site in time to scare the bears off and remove the trap. The following day we remade the set at a different location for one last attempt before I had to return to Illinois. Unfortunately, I forgot the game camera back at the cabin, so we were not able to monitor the site.
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Last Chance The next morning had me wide awake before the roosters, eager to check the trap one last time. After a short drive – with a moose causing a short roadblock – we made it to the area of the trap. While walking through the dense forest to check the bear trap, our adrenaline was flowing, and our hearts were pounding with anticipation. As we made the final bend, it was quickly evident we had a bear, even though we could not see it. Still not sure what we had, we continued closer. Jayson was able to get in sight of the bear, and the only thing I heard was, “That’s a big bear – really big bear.” His
The author poses with his 386-lb. black bear.
words caused my heart to go into overdrive. Knowing that we had to move fast in case part of the snare gave way and the bear was able to free itself, I got into a good position to dispatch the bear. With my nerves
somewhat settled, I was able to put the bear down for good. Everything worked as it was supposed to. You had better have tough gear when trapping bears. You never (Trapping a Black Bear continued on page 25)
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24 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Gun Dog First Aid by Michael Browning Anyone who hunts with dogs will eventually encounter a situation in which one of your dogs gets hurt. When your dogs are racing through the woods, you have no idea what they’ll be hurdling over, running through, or encountering. For a number of years with my first two bird dogs, I didn’t take the precautions I should have. Don’t misunderstand me: I always had a first aid kit for them, but there is much more to take into consideration.
protective equipment for your gun dog is a vest. Not just the orange color to keep your dog visible in thick cover, but a vest that will cover the protect the chest and stomach of your dog. I have witnessed my dogs, as well as others, nearly being impaled by sharp sticks protruding up through the ground, or equally dangerous, barbed wire. The vests come in several styles, and different materials. Neoprene vests are my favorite choice, because they keep my dogs warm while also protecting them. The canvas type vests work
Protective Vest One of the most important pieces of
well, too, especially in prickly covers that will rip neoprene. Fixing Cuts Another necessary safety item for your tool-kit is EMT gel. A dog’s skin is like paper mâché – it doesn’t take much to tear it open. Fortunately, often their cuts are not as bad as they look. Some people use super glue for cuts and tears; I myself like EMT gel. It has all the benefits of superglue, but it also contains a disinfectant. It is a great all-around product that can be used for cuts on the dog’s pads, legs or any slice on their body. It ad-
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Need to hold your dog’s mouth open while you remove porcupine quills from its jaws, mouth and tongue? The author recommends using a homemade porcupine (or “porkie”) dowel, with a line that fits around the back of the dog’s head to keep it in place while you work. Michael Browning photo
heres well to the skin, and heals cuts within a couple of days. A misconception some people have that they always need to use hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds. As you remember when you were a kid, it stings and bubbles when put on your scraped knee – your dog won’t take kindly to that. Plus it will dry out the wound, which will be susceptible to opening up and not healing, which could induce infection. As an alternative, my vet introduced me to Betadine. It’s a solution that kills bacteria and fungi, in order to prevent infection. You take a half-cup of Betadine, and mix it with a cup of warm water. I put the solution in a turkey baster and use it to flush the area thoroughly.
Quill-Pigs! This next injury is frustratingly familiar for many and requires several essential items from your tool-kit to remedy – the dreaded porcupine encounter! My first two dogs were never hit by these prickly little pests. When hunting, we would encounter one, and the dogs would go in the opposite direction. Of course, because it had never happened before, I assumed I was clear of that aggravation ...WRONG! It seems some dogs are just born with the porcupine gene, and unfortunately no matter how many painful encounters they have, they never seem to learn. One of my setters had a run-in with one as she disappeared into the thick tangled (Continued on next page)
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 25 (Continued from page 24)
brush. When she reappeared five minutes later, her nose was covered with needles. We were only a quarter-mile from the truck, and luckily I had read different methods of removing porcupine quills. As I picked her up and placed her on the tailgate, I could tell she wasn’t in excruciating pain, but was very stressed. After I calmed her, I grabbed my fingernail clippers and began snipping the top of the quills to release the air and loosen the barbs. Fortunately she only had 11 of them in her nose, instead of her being stuck over her whole face. After clipping the top of the quills, I gave her a
treat and calmed her. I then proceeded on pulling the quills out. Easy as pie! Quills Inside the Dog’s Mouth – Yikes! And of course I have a big male setter who decided to bite a porcupine once he got stuck the first time. So, what do you do when the inside of his mouth has needles on the top, bottom and tongue? You have to reach in there with long forceps to pull the needles out. And I haven’t met a dog yet that voluntarily opens its mouth for you to prod around, especially when they’re in pain. You can facilitate the removal process with a wooden dowel, or as I call it, “The Porky Dowel.” You
take an 8-inch wooden dowel that you can cut from a wooden mop or broom handle. Then drill a hole on each end, and slip a 10 inch long, ¼-inch diameter rope through the holes and put a knot on one end so the rope is anchored. This way the dog can bite down on the dowel, and the line wraps around the back of its head to hold the dowel in its mouth. Now you can reach in and pull the needles out.
First Aid Kit These tips are not guaranteed to save your dog in every situation, but if you pack a reliable first aid kit, you and your dog will be safer. Here’s a list of items I keep in my tool kit while hunting. • Porcupine kit: Fingernail clippers, Scissors, needle nose pliers & the Porky dowel. • Cuts & scrapes: EMT Gel, Betadine solution, several
gauze pads, ace bandage & first aid tape • Neoprene vest or any vest to protect dog’s undercarriage. ***** Remember, your dog is depending on you for safety. If you know you’re well prepared for unfortunate situations, you will enjoy your hunting even more with your canine companion.
¶
— Trophy Gallery —
Trapping a Black Bear (Continued from page 23)
know what you might catch. The chances of the bear escaping were low, but you just never know. It is trapping, after all. Really Big Bear With warm weather expected, we made quick work of getting the bear field dressed. We estimated the animal at 300 pounds dressed, so we knew we had our work cut out for us. We were only 200 yards from the truck, but it felt like two miles. This bear was not an easy drag. With brute force, we were able to get the bear to the road and into the bed of the truck. As we neared the check-in station, we knew we were hauling something special. We both called our wives and had them meet us in town. We wanted them to be part of the celebration. With the bear properly tagged, it was time to weigh the animal. We had guessed the animal to be 300 pounds dressed. But as the bear came out of the truck and we hit the 325-pound mark, 350, then 375, we could not believe what we were seeing. In the end, the bear tipped the scales at 386 pounds dressed. Bear trapping might not be for everyone. But, if it is something you have wanted to do, don’t put it off. This is an adventure of a lifetime.
¶
Joe and Lauren Score an Impressive Trophy
Joe and Lauren Saracina of Berwick, Maine had a very productive 2020 moose season. They drew a bull tag for Zone 4, which is considered among the most remote areas of the state. They stayed at Boulet’s Sporting Camps, located on Russell Stream in T4R15 township. “It was the first day of the 2020 September season, at 8 a.m.,” Joe Saracina told The Sportsman. “We were hunting off the Scott Brook Road. I was carrying my Browning BAR 300 Win mag, and Lauren, the subpermittee and a registered Maine guide, was using her 30-’06 bolt Winchester. We were on our own, not using an outside guide service. “We called the bull from over 100 yards, just blind calling. In fact, we didn’t know it was a bull until we saw his antlers coming through the whips. He never grunted back at us – just walked in,” Joe explained. “He would only advance when I was thrashing the bushes, so that’s why we initially weren’t sure whether it was a bull or a cow. “When we saw him, he was about 80 yards away, in the brush. Just then, a cow called to him from a different direction. “At the sound of the cow’s call, the big bull stopped and turned broadside, and that’s when we were able to take him. He was about to head back up the hill away from us to check out the cow. “We were able to get the truck within 100 yards, and used the winch on Lauren’s truck to get him out,” concluded Joe. The trophy bull dressed out at 843 pounds. Its antlers featured an impressive 54-inch spread. One paddle was 12.6 inches wide and 29 inches tall, while the other paddle was 14 inches wide and 30-1/2 inches tall. Total score: 163”, qualifying for listing in the records of the Maine Antler & Skull Trophy Club (MASTC). www.MaineSportsman.com
26 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
— Guest Column —
Choosing the Right Outfitter, Part 2 by Michael Tuminaro, BlackRockMaine@gmail.com Guides should know their audiences, and they must be aware that every customer has a different interpretation of what constitutes a great hunt. I’ve guided older clients who are just looking for a slow afternoon in the woods with plenty of time at camp for relaxation, families who want to hunt but also find that swimming hole or good view for lunch, new bird dog owners whose primary goal is to work the dog, and serious hunters who will stay in the field from dawn until dusk with only the occasional granola bar to keep them going. Good guides will listen to their clients, and work to make their trip the best it can be, all the while supervising, advising and directing as much as necessary to make certain everyone is safe and taken care of. Best Chance for Success? Help Your Guide! It’s important to be honest and let your guide know what type of hunt you want. Food allergies, medical issues, physical fitness and other factors can help the outfitter customize a hunt to your standards. I was recently told by a local guide that he had a client show up for his turkey hunt without knowing that the client was confined to a wheelchair. The client had not mentioned this beforehand, and therefore the guide was unprepared. All www.MaineSportsman.com
Guides must be a mixture of wilderness expert, medic, risk-manager, entertainer and facilitator. They will keep you on the legal side of fish and game laws, and recommend appropriate gear for the conditions you’ll be encountering.
This is scene every guide likes to see -- happy, motivated and safe customers. Mike Tuminaro photo
his blinds were deep in the fields. With advance notice, he could have prepared another site accessible to his client. The hunt was not successful. Typically, your guide should review the menu with you to make sure that you’re on board with the meals planned. Hunters, like armies, run on their stomachs. Food is important! We find that good meals are as important as the actual time spent hunting for making the customer’s experience a great one. Everyone should understand that harvesting birds is not a guarantee, and that the harvest is only a piece of any great hunt. Many factors can affect how many birds
you’ll see. Last year in Maine, it was so dry in the summer that woodcock were virtually non-existent. Grouse, on the other hand, were more numerous than anyone had seen in the past 30 years. The spring warmth had allowed unprecedented chick survival rates, and the birds were everywhere. Weather and hunter fitness can also seriously impact successful harvest rates. Be sure to provide feedback to your guide after the hunt. Let him or her know what was great, and what could use improvement. A good outfit will take your recommendations to heart, always striving to improve and become the best at what they do.
What a Good Outfitter Should Be Guides must be a mixture of wilderness expert, medic, risk-manager, entertainer and facilitator. They will keep you on the legal side of fish and game laws, and recommend appropriate gear for the conditions you’ll be encountering. They’ll pay attention to the little details and needs of their hunters. They’ll quietly offer you those gloves when you’re cold, because they’ve been paying attention to your physical comfort. A good guide will offer the level, grownover logging road when they see you’re tired from busting brush. They’ll share a moose stew from the bull they harvested
last fall, and prepare the birds you harvest for the evening’s dinner, or for you to take home. Guides will entertain you and keep you laughing and positive even during those slow days. They’ll teach you the history of the area. At our location, clients love the ruins of an old WWII-era prison camp located nearby, or the sunken town beneath the waters of Flagstaff Lake, sometimes visible from a canoe. They love the vistas we choose for field lunches, and they appreciate our flexibility to switch things up by throwing a line in for trout if everyone gets their birds especially early. The best guides are the ones who make you feel like you’re a friend, even before you meet them. They greet you with a warm smile and immediately make you feel comfortable and welcome in their camp. You can tell they’re happy to have you and share their best season with you. They’re anxious to show you a productive and safe hunt, good meals, and dynamic conversations by the evening’s fire. They share the common love of the birds, doubles, dogs, good scotch and the camaraderie of fellow hunters. You only hunt as a stranger with a good guide once ... the next time, the guide is your friend.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 27
Three Keys to Fall Gobblers by Blaine Cardilli
Maine’s fall season lasts until November 6. If yelps and gobbling don’t produce results, try simulating a turkey battle, using “fighting purrs” – that’s certain to bring ’em in to your decoys. Though there are several different methods for hunting fall turkeys, I – like many of you – still love the rush I get when a big old tom shows up. The only problem is, targeting toms in the fall requires a much different approach if you wish to experience consistent success. I can’t walk as far or as fast as I used to, so chasing the autumn flocks is out of the question for me. And because I’ve always been a “sit and call” type of turkey hunter, it figures that my #1 tactic in the fall would still be calling. The only difference is, you have to learn to become “call specific” if you want to bag a wary old gobbler for the fall table. I was out there when Maine opened its first fall season back around 2006, but no matter what I did, I either had boss hens coming in to the calls, young ’uns coming in to the kee-kees, or I got lucky and simply stumbled on a tom that gave me a shot opportunity.
It wasn’t until I began chatting with turkey hunting legend Ray Eye of Hunter’s Specialties in 2010 that I began to develop an understanding of just what it takes to call in a fall gobbler. Being in the outdoor industry since 2002, and having joined the Hunter’s Specialties pro staff myself in 2004, I got to work side-by-side with some of turkey hunting’s biggest names, and I learned a lot from these pros. But it was Ray Eye who actually broke down the fundamentals of fall calling for me. After he explained some of his own personally-proven tactics to me in 2010, I went out on a random, solo hunt, and got seven toms to come in to me within 45 minutes! I filmed that hunt – a bowhunt – shot a nice “boss” bird, and the hunt appeared on outdoor television. Since that hunt, I’ve been pretty successful harvesting fall gobblers. Here are the three basic keys I’ve developed over the years.
1) Vary Your Vocalizations The four turkey vocalizations I tend to use in the fall are gobbles, gobbler yelps, drawn out assembly yelps with cutts, and ‘fighting purrs.’ I like to start out with gobbler yelps and some gobbling first, and then experiment by tossing out the long, drawn-out assembly yelps, but I’ve learned to add a lot of excited cutting when I do. If none of the above calls produce results within an hour, more often than not a good, simulated fight using the fighting purrs will prove effective. 2) Be Aggressive with Your Calling Despite what many hunters might tell you, I’ve found that being aggressive produces far more results, especially when it comes to assembly yelps and cutts. Start out slow and easy, but don’t be afraid to get loud and nasty. Many times, a boss hen will respond to the calls, and the key here is to match her cadence and her calls. Just be louder. Oftentimes she’ll
The author with a 20-lb. fall tom that he called in. The bird responded to gobbler yelping, and was taken with a bow at 8 yards. Maine’s fall 2021 wild turkey season runs through the entire month of October, and ends November 6. In some areas of south/central Maine and along the south coast, as many as five turkeys (but no more than two per day) can be taken, either sex and any age. Check the rule book for limits in your WMD. Registration of birds is not required for this fall season.
come in fighting, and as a bonus, if there are toms within earshot, curiosity often brings them in. 3) Use Decoys I’ve found that decoys work just as effectively during the fall as they do in the spring. The key here is to just use 2-3 male decoys. Depending on the hierarchy of your area, and the jake-to-tom ra-
tios, you’ll either place standing, non-aggressive jakes or – if there are still some dominant gobblers around – try a standing jake next to a quarter or full strut decoy. You’ll be amazed by how aggressive incoming birds will be and quite often, as soon as they see the decoys, they’ll gobble!
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28 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
— Guest Column —
The Duel – Part 2 of 2 by Alan Haley Our story so far – Mike embarrassed Wayne by scaring him, so Wayne escalated the situation by firing a loud blank .308 cartridge into the air right behind Mike’s head. Most people would have called things even. However, Wayne did not think the scales had yet been fully balanced. Instead, he began plotting his next step. ***** It snowed that night. Next morning, we got everyone to their stands and split up to walk tracks and scout deer. Later, Wayne cut Mike’s track over by Lobster Stream. Mike’s footprints were easy to distinguish, as he had bought a gigantic pair of white army surplus boots at the thrift store in Waterville. They were excellent cold weather gear but left prints in the snow looking like Sasquatch had come through. It did not take much to sneak up behind him and blow off another blank round. He was considerate enough to aim the gun even higher so the air concussion would not take out Mike’s hearing again, but it still split the universe apart for several seconds. Wednesday, Wayne hunted Mike again and bagged him in a cutting off the Scott Brook www.MaineSportsman.com
Road. Wayne was starting to get into this – hunting Mike was as much fun as hunting deer. You had to admit, it did take quite a bit of skill to get close to someone without them having any idea you were there. Will Mike Return the Favor? Early that afternoon, we went to scout the area around Elm Stream. We were all going to meet up in the late afternoon to pick up sports. At 3:30, Wayne was hustling back to the truck and thinking about what fun supper was going to be. He didn’t put together the Sasquatch tracks around the truck and what should have been the suspicious absence of Mike. He sat on the tailgate, smoking and waiting. He didn’t notice the rifle barrel slowly protrude from beneath the truck. The report from the blank cartridge split Wayne’s breath in half while he was taking a drag. It was hours before he could breathe right again. Wayne was incensed, not because his afternoon karma had been shredded, but because Mike had played unfairly. In his mind, the craftsmanship of stalking was the central element of their duel, and Mike had cheated by hiding under the truck.
Some hunters like to track and stalk, others like to wait in ambush; it depends upon the hunter and the quarry. Caught with Pants Down Wayne had two annoying habits that brought the great duel to a close. Every day, as soon as we got back from hunting, Wayne would change clothes and hunker down near the stove, while Mike and I cooked supper. He hated cooking anything except eggs and sausage and would unashamedly refuse to help with lunch and supper. The second annoying habit involved his toiletry. Every night, just before crawling into his sleeping bag, he would relieve himself at his own special spot, not the outhouse. Of course, he owned the business, so it was his prerogative. The trouble with habits, however, is not whether you can or cannot afford them, but that every keen hunter who likes to ambush his game, can use them to predict behavior. Wednesday evening, Wayne went to his usual spot before retiring. He was just getting that serene glow of contentment, when the muzzle flash and concussion from the blank round fired from Mike’s rifle voided his brain and bow-
els at the same time. Mike raced away before Wayne could get his pants up, and slept the night in an undisclosed location. They had little to say to each other at breakfast and each of them spent the entire day trying not to get surprised by the other. Mike could not walk more than five minutes without stopping to watch his backtrack. He kept to open areas like hardwood ridges and clear cuts as much as possible and sought out places like brooks and traveled roads where he could hide his tracks. Wayne made sure to arrive early or late for any meeting time and carefully reconnoitered everything! He would not approach the truck or lunch site until he could clearly see Mike. Truce? The boys called a truce that night. It was hard enough to be successful when you gave hunting your complete attention; it was near impossible to do so when you were being hunted as well. The next day, our sports got the guide service they paid for. We always pulled out of camp late Saturday morning. It gave us 24 hours to restock and repair before the new sports arrived. I was always anxious to get going,
and I was more than a little irritated when Mike seemed to be mulling around in the cook tent. I thought he was gathering up his belongings, as he was heading back to college the next day. Twenty-four hours later, as I started supper, Wayne poured a pint of kerosene on kindling and jump-started the fire. He had just sat back to thumb through the newest issue of Maine Sportsman when the stove went off. The cover blew open, billowing smoke, kerosene fumes, sparks and ash all over Wayne and the immediate vicinity. Mike had planted an M-80 firecracker in the stove. As I mentioned, some people like to hunt by tracking and stalking, while others prefer to set an ambush – it all just depends on the hunter and his quarry. Alan Haley got his Maine guide’s license in 1976, and for the next 11 years he worked out of remote tent camps between Seboomook and Caucmagomic Lakes, guiding deer, bear and moose hunters for Wayne Hockmeyer, owner of Northern Outdoors.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 29
Running Down a Deer by Dr. Birney Dibble You can run down a deer. I’ve done it twice. The conditions have to be perfect. And you have to be in good – if not perfect – physical condition. You have to be able to walk at a steady pace for three, four, five hours. You don’t actually have to run – just walk fast. (Although I suppose if you’re a marathoner and can jog for several hours with boots on in the snow, carrying a 12-20 pound rifle, you could shorten the chase.) Conditions in the Woods There has to be a fresh snowfall the night before, enough that there are no big bare spots. And enough to cover all the old tracks. You have to know your territory. You’re going to be walking in a huge circle – a mile or more in circumference – around and around for many miles. Like a beagle tracking a rabbit, but in a much, much bigger circle. So you almost certainly won’t end up where you started. No Compass is a Non-Starter Most hunters don’t
The deer’s tracks went completely around the tree, and so did I, until I circled back to my own boot tracks. Where had the deer gone? I resisted the urge to look up. Then I realized the deer had back-tracked, stepping in the prints she herself had just made. know their woods well enough to keep from getting lost in country like the deep Maine woods. So if you’re arrogant enough to hunt deer normally without a compass, don’t even think about running down a deer. If you’re hunting with a bucks-only tag, and you didn’t actually see the deer you hope to run down, you should know this – you won’t see a doe for about two hours, or a buck at least three hours. Is it worth your time? Most hunters know that you can’t tell the sex of a deer by the size of its hoof. Some big does have feet as big as big bucks. If you’re in a heavily hunted area, you’re unlikely to be the one who shoots the deer you’re tracking. Early in the chase the deer will use its normal evasive techniques to avoid other hunters, but as it tires, it will slowly lose that ability and be easy prey. So don’t even try it on Opening Day in south
or central Maine. The Doe Let me illustrate with the story of one of
those two deer. I had planned to go on a stand for the first hour or two, until I got
too cold to sit still. So I was dressed pretty heavily. I hadn’t gone more than a hundred yards into the woods when I ran across new tracks in a fresh six-inch snowfall. Big tracks. I’d never run down a deer, but I’d heard it could be done. I hurriedly re(Continued on next page)
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Deer Hunting (Continued from page 29)
turned to my truck, peeled off layers down to wool shirt, wool pants and blazeorange hat, transferred my hunting license to the pocket of
a lined blaze-orange vest, and returned to the track. I had an any-deer permit, so I wasn’t concerned whether or not it was a buck.
The track was easy to follow. It occasionally crossed another track, but never joined one. The Chase I walked steadily for two hours before I saw the deer – a big doe. It was about a hundred yards ahead
of me and moving fast in rather dense forest, so a shot was impractical. But I was quite sure it was the one I was tracking, so I marked the spot well, and indeed the track went right to that spot. The next time I saw the deer was about an hour later, and it was only about 75 yards ahead of me. It was moving much more slowly. But before I could shoot, she picked up speed and disappeared in the brush. During the next hour, the tracks began to get closer and closer together, indicating a tiring deer. There were even a couple of places where it looked like she had staggered a bit. End of the Run I came to a big white pine. The track circled it completely and ended at the track I’d been following. No other fresh tracks anywhere near me. I had to resist the urge to look up. Where had that darn deer gone? Then, when I looked closely at the tracks leading up to the tree, I could see where the deer had
back-tracked, stepping in the prints she herself had just made. I hadn’t seen that because I had been walking well off to one side of her tracks, not looking carefully at them. Why should I? I back-tracked, too, only a hundred feet or so, and soon saw where she had leapt from the trail and gone off at right angles to her tracks. I hadn’t seen those tracks either, having been walking on the other side of the trail and not expecting such a maneuver. I followed that track with my eyes, and there she was, forty or fifty yards away, lying on a slight knoll, head and neck stretched out in the snow, but looking straight at me, too tired to get up and run. I raised my gun – and couldn’t pull the trigger! I turned and walked away. I have never regretted that decision, but several years later, when I tracked and caught up to an exhausted buck after a five-hour chase, I did not hesitate to fill my tag and bring home meat for the freezer.
¶
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 31
Why Whitetail Bowhunters Should Focus on Opening Day Early fall hunting often gets overlooked, says the author, since the rut has not yet begun, but the first few days of the season can be especially productive for mature bucks or for a bonus doe. So find a neighborhood cornfield, sweet-apple tree, or field of alfalfa or clover. Having waited approximately 300 days to get back in the deer woods, my excitement level was off the charts – high as can be! Sitting in a ground blind that had been placed over a month prior to the season, my confidence in seeing a good buck was also very high. The corn had been cut just the day before. Deer had been gorging on the waste corn, and with seven does and fawns in the field, three hours before sunset, I felt chances were good that a big buck would come out. As if scripted, the bucks started arriving on the edges of the corn, about an hour before legal ended. First on scene were the yearling bucks.
Two fork horns and a six point eagerly made their way out to the middle of the field. With about thirty minutes of daylight remaining, a nicer 8-point appeared just 25 yards to my left. This was the spot I targeted. There had been a group of four mature bucks coming to the field regularly. This buck was the second largest of that bunch. With less than five minutes of legal light
left in the hunt, three other bucks, including the largest, a 150 class 10-point, came out of the woods and began to feed. I waited for an opportunity at the largest buck, but he remained behind the two other bucks from the second they appeared. At legal light, I took the arrow off my bow and watched the bucks feed until the light was completely gone. So close, yet so far away. What an
Photo by Outdoorlife.com
awesome night! It’s Not All About the Rut! For most deer hunters, the rut is the favorite time of year to hunt mature bucks. The searching and chasing that goes on during the peak of the rut in November is something I certainly look forward to.
However, many hunters overlook the early season and the tail end of summer feeding patterns. This is a time when bucks are still in bachelor groups. Their movements are far more predictable than during the rut, when they might be on a (Continued on next page)
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Big Game (Continued from page 31)
property one day, and five miles away the next. Corn, Apples I enjoy hunting fresh-cut corn fields that are off the main roads. I believe the deer know that corn will be available only for a short period. Older bucks especially know this from experience. Often, they’re the heaviest users of this brief resource. After an October
rain, a favorite Sunday activity of mine is to look at tracks in the corn fields. Multiple sets of wide tracks give away a big buck’s presence, even if we haven’t laid eyes on him or been lucky to get a trail camera photo. The big boys always leave their calling cards! Apple trees are another favorite fall food source, yet all apple trees aren’t creat-
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ed equal. Some trees have sweet apples, some have sour apples, some have bland, starchy apples. It’s the sweet apples that usually fall first and get eaten first. Just like many humans, deer like sweet things. In nature, there aren’t many sweet foods and because they’re in demand by so many animals, they don’t last long. Having a mature apple tree full of red or green apples that are sweet, usually means plenty of deer will be visiting. If that tree is located in a quiet area under cover, it’s much more likely to be visited by a good buck during daylight hours. If the tree is in a busy or open area, bucks won’t usually visit until it’s dark. For apple trees that produce the yellow or green apples that are sour or starchy, it’s my experience these aren’t eaten heavily until later in the fall,
after they’ve frozen a few times. At that point, the starch converts to sugar, and the apples become more palatable. Save these trees for firearms season. What’s In That Field? Green fields are another excellent source of fall protein available to deer in fall. All green fields, however, aren’t equally desirable. Fields of Timothy or Rye grass often look good, but lack the desirability and protein of a field that’s full of White Clover or Alfalfa. For hunters unable to identify field plants well, a quick look through a field guide such as “Common Grasses, Legumes and Forbs of the Eastern United States” will help. It’s the Time of the Season! Early fall hunting often gets overlooked or is undesirable for
deer hunters because of the potential for hot weather. The super warm days aren’t always comfortable, but this is great weather to hunt for those not looking forward to the coming days when temps never get above freezing. Don’t let the heat be a reason not to hunt. Deer may move later when it’s warm, but they still have to eat and fatten up for the coming winter. Don’t turn a nose up at the early part of Maine’s deer season. The first few days can be especially productive for mature bucks, and it’s also a great time to take a bonus doe. The rut may provide more excitement with seeking and chasing activity, but there’s just something awesome about sitting in a stand watching a group of mature bucks feeding together on a warm summer-like afternoon.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 33
MAINE WILDLIFE QUIZ: American Woodcock by Steve Vose
The American Woodcock (Scolopax minor), also known simply as woodcock or timberdoodle, inhabits forests, brushlands and agricultural areas throughout the United States and Canada. A migratory creature by nature, woodcock spend the cold winter months in the south, and return north in the spring to breed. During breeding season, males attract females by putting on an impressive courtship ritual that involves the male flying hundreds of feet into the air and rapidly descending back to earth, while loudly chirping. Hens of breeding age watch these aerial displays and pick mates. Once bred, the hen makes a nest on the ground comprised of leaves and twigs. Hens lay one to four eggs that hatch in about 20 days.
The female woodcock care for the fledglings, feeding and warning them of danger, until they become self-sufficient at about five weeks of age. In the wild, those woodcock that survive predation by fox, coyotes and bobcats live to about eight years of age. The American Woodcock possess
Questions
3. Does the woodcock migrate?
1. What other names is the American Woodcock known by?
4. Where does the woodcock nest?
2. What is the primary habitat and range of the woodcock?
a plump torso, short legs and large rounded head with unassuming body plumage in various shades of muted browns, grays, and black, and a tan colored chest. More predominant identifying features include its large eyes and long prehensile bill, meaning the tip of the bill can be opened even if the rest of the bill is closed. The eyes boast an incredible visual field larger than any avian species, while its unique bill is perfectly adapted to capture its primary food source, earthworms. The US Fish and Wildlife 2018 report on the population status of the American Woodcock indicates that woodcock populations have been in a state of constant decline since the late 1960s. Scientists attribute the decline to a loss of habitat, caused by urban development. 7. What are the predominant features of a woodcock?
5. How long does it take for a woodcock egg to hatch?
8. What is the biggest factor in the declining population of the woodcock?
Answers on Page 74
6. How long can a wood-cock live?
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34 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Snowmobile Update:
Riding Woods & Waters; Fees Increase; and Basic Rules Primer by Steve Carpenteri More snowmobilers each winter are discovering the Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument. Many riders decide to spend time at Bowlin Camps Lodge, Mt. Chase Lodge or any of the growing number of area businesses that cater to the crowds seeking access to the
ITS 85 travels through four separate portions of the still-new Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument, and nearby lodges and other establishments are benefiting from the business generated by visitors. still-new monument. For snowmobilers planning to ride the 22-mile trail system within the national monument, riding
is managed by local snowmobile clubs under special use permits. Interested snowmobilers should review The Maine Snowmobile
Association’s website (www.MESnow.com) for interactive maps and up-to-date information on routes and conditions.
Interconnected Trail System (ITS) 85 travels through four separate portions of the national monument. Operators must be at least 14 years old to operate snowmobiles at Woods & Waters. All Maine state snowmobile laws are enforced in the mon(Continued on next page)
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[B.E.S.T. logo] ©2021 Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP). All rights reserved. ®, ™ and the BRP logo are trademarks of BRP or its affiliates. Offers valid in United States only from Sunday 1st August 2021 to Sunday 31st October 2021. The terms and conditions may vary depending on your state and these offers are subject to termination or change at any time without notice. Offer may not be assigned, traded, sold or combined with any other offer unless expressly stated herein. Other conditions may apply. Void where prohibited by law. Always consult your snowmobile dealer when selecting a snowmobile for your particular needs and carefully read and pay special attention to your Operator’s Guide, Safety Video, Safety Handbook and to the safety labelling on your snowmobile. Always ride responsibly and safely and wear appropriate clothing, including a helmet. Please observe applicable laws and regulations. Remember that riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. See your authorized BRP dealer for details and visit ski-doo.com.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 35 (Continued from page 34)
ument, and a valid Maine registration is required. Tracked side-by-side (ATVs) are not permitted on monument roads unless they are licensed. Snowmobiles are not allowed on Katahdin Loop Road or generally on any monument roads and trails west of the East Branch River, except the ITS route that crosses approximately 2.5 miles of monument land west of the Whetstone Bridge crossing of the East Branch Penobscot River. In addition, snowmobiles are not permitted off the groomed trails or on any hiking trails. Snowmobilers are advised that active logging trucks have the right of way on plowed road crossings. Monument riders are encouraged to be alert for skiers and snowshoers who may also be on the groomed trails. For complete information on the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument log onto www.nps.gov/ kaww/planyourvisit/ winteractivities.htm Fee Hike Maine’s snowmobiler fees were increased effective in June, 2021. The law now requires residents to pay $55 for an annual snowmobile registration, up $10, while non-residents will pay $119 for the same privilege. Non-residents may also opt for a 3-consecutive-day registration that will cost $74; or they may choose to pay $99 for a 10-consecutive-day registration. A person
may purchase more than one 3-day or 10day registration in any season Also according to the new law, $10 from each resident registration fee and $15 from each nonresident registration fee will be transferred to a special fund administered by the Off-Road Vehicle Division of the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The funds will be used to assist any entity that has a snowmobile trail grooming contract with the Bureau of Parks and Lands in the purchase of trail-grooming equipment. The funds also may be used for the repair or overhaul of trail-grooming equipment. Basic Rules Primer New machines are arriving in showrooms, and enthusiasm is building. In upcoming issues we will detail some of the latest offerings, such as the Ski-Doo and Polaris models that accompany this column (see next page). Since some machines are designed for deep snow while others do best on ice, perhaps our readers should plan to purchase a different machine for every winter condition! In the meantime, however, since no one wants to start the season with an unpleasant encounter with a Warden over a technical violation, it may be best to temper the excitement of a new season with a brief look at new and existing rules governing the use of (Continued on next page)
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36 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Snowmobiling (Continued from page 35)
snowmobiles on public and private land in Maine. A person can’t allow a child under 10 years of age to operate a snowmobile, unless the child is accompanied by an adult. This rule does not apply on land that is owned by the parent or guardian or on land where permission for use has been granted to the parent or guardian. The owner of a snowmobile, the person who gives or furnishes that snowmobile to a person under 18 years of age and the parent or guardian responsible for the care of that minor are jointly liable with the minor for any damages caused in the operation of the snowmobile
The new-for-2022 Polaris Khaos Matryx 155 claims to offers the best features in a trail and mountain sled. It retails for just over $15,000. Photo: Polaris
by that minor. A person may not operate a snowmobile to the left of the center on a snowmobile trail that is funded in whole or in part by the Snowmobile Trail Fund when approaching or navigating a curve, corner, grade, or hill. “Snowmobile trail” in this case means a trail that is at least wide enough to allow two
snowmobiles to pass safely in opposite directions and where the snow over the entire width of the trail has been mechanically packed and groomed specifically for snowmobile traffic. All snowmobiles must have at least one headlight on the front capable of casting a white beam for a distance of at least 100
Ski-Doo’s newest offering for 2022 is the Summit tracked sled, which is designed for travel in deep snow and on ice. MSRP starts at about $11,000. Photo: Ski-Doo
feet directly ahead of the snowmobile; and on the rear at least one lamp capable of displaying a red light visible at a distance of at least 100 feet behind the snowmobile. The use of snowmobile lights is required during the period from ½ hour after sunset to ½ hour before sunrise; and at any time when, due to insufficient light or unfavorable atmospheric conditions caused by fog or otherwise, other persons, vehicles and
other objects are not clearly discernible for a distance of 500 feet ahead. Free Snowmobile Weekend Looking ahead during the annual Free Snowmobile Weekend (usually the first weekend in March), a resident from another state or province may operate a snowmobile in Maine (no reciprocity necessary) so long as the operator has a valid registration from their state or province.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 37
Woodcock and Zone 6 Wild Turkeys – Aroostook’s Other Upland Options Bird hunting abounds throughout Maine this month, especially in the forest and fields of Aroostook County where partridge are the prime quarry. 2021 featured a near-perfect spring for nesting and hatching, and campers, canoers, anglers and woods-workers verify a high incidence of wild fowl sightings. Grouse, ducks, geese and turkey continue to be spotted in abundance and should provide very productive seasons; the question mark seems to be woodcock numbers. Traveling Timberdoodle Since my very first introduction to brush-beating for woodcock about four decades ago, I realized two very basic facts – wing shooting other waterfowl and upland
When you combine the WMD Zone 6 wild turkey season and woodcock season, bird hunting enthusiasts can now go afield in Zone 6 in Aroostook County in pursuit of Maine’s smallest and largest feathered game birds on the same day!
English pointer Glow, owned by Joan Trial of Argyle, holds a perfect point on woodcock. From this photo, readers can get an idea of what a good cover looks like. Contributed photo
birds was simpler and more productive, while hunting Maine’s smallest, oddest-look-
ing and most elusive game bird had hooked me for life! Never go afield af-
ter timberdoodle in the Crown of Maine with high expectations and you won’t be dis-
appointed, yet every long-beak in the game pocket is a memory making reward. The real trick to consistent opportunities on these migrating minis that are here today, gone tomorrow, is locating a handful of likely covers. Second-growth fields and pastures with tamarack trees, small firs, and plenty of alders are perfect – if you have trouble walking through the trees and brush and swinging a shotgun, the woodcock will love it! Nearby water is an asset, and soft earth allowing the bird to probe for earthworms, their favorite food, as well as a nearby open field edge landing area yield prime stopover locales. Most of these spots remain produc(Continued on next page)
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38 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
On days when partridge are holding well, and not running or flushing at distance, the author enjoys the added challenge of using his .410 Contender. Graves photo
Wild turkey hunting is a growing attraction in The Crown of Maine, especially for young hunters like Collin McCrum of Mars Hill. Collin bagged this 18-pound beauty in the spring of 2021. Contributed photo
The County (Continued from page 37)
tive for only two or three years before they become overgrown; however, stream-edge covers like some I’ve found along the Prestile, Aroostook and Meduxnekeag Rivers draw traveling flocks for a decade. Walk ’Em Up A well-trained pointer or setter is a great asset, since woodcock tend to hold
in place rather than run, and flushing birds offer closer shots. I will testify, however, that two or three gunners using stop-and-go tactics while progressing side by side about 10 to 15 yards apart will flush a lot of woodcock. With multiple hunters, regardless of the direction of flight, someone usually gets a decent shot. Timberdoodle flush
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straight up through the brush, twittering with wings whistling; then stop for a split second to change direction once they clear the foliage canopy. That moment of hesitation in flight is the best time to shoot. I use a 20 gauge O/U Ruger Red Label with size 7 ½ pellets. It shoulders smoothly, and the shorter barrel swings well in tight cover. I’m still surprised, mesmerized and elated at ev-
Remillie Norsworthy of Chapman raises, trains and hunts German wirehairs. This is one year-old Reka with her first point and retrieve on woodcock. Contributed photo
ery woodcock flush after all these years, so I account for a lot of perforated tree leaves and branches, but do manage a bird or two while wandering for woodcock. When it’s time to scout for likely covers, the Ladner Road and Hersom Road form a square with Route 1 in Easton with the far side paralleling River de Chute Stream. Check Delorme’s Gazetteer, Map 65, E-4; there are at least six
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meadows used this month by migrating woodcock. North of Houlton, check for covers along the Foxcroft Road and Sealy Farm Road with adjacent field roads near Smith Brook and Meduxnekeag River; Map 53, A-4 offers an overview. Be persistent – a spot may provide only three flushed woodcock one day, and a dozen two days later as flight birds arrive. White spots from dropping and multiple probing holes in the soft soil from timberdoodle seeking worms signify active areas. Ducks and partridge are fun, but Maine’s smallest game bird, the woodcock, can provide even more big-time excitement and a real challenge. Talkin’ Turkey Once again, I’m an easy mark for new and unusual fishing or hunting challenges, so when I no longer had to travel south for spring gobbler gunning, I was elated. And now, for (Continued on next page)
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Connor Cushman and Bandit enjoyed some early October duck hunting. Blue- and green- wing teal are plentiful until Aroostook’s first cold snap. Graves photo (Continued from page 38)
only the second year, there’s a fall turkey season right here in Zone 6 where I live. When you combine wild turkey season and woodcock season, bird hunting enthusiasts can now go afield in Zone 6 in Aroostook County for Maine’s smallest and largest feathered game birds on the same day! A lot of sportsmen travel to the Crown of Maine for the dependable partridge hunting; now, visitors and local gunners alike have a variety of five wildfowl to pursue – grouse, ducks, geese, turkey and woodcock. The autumn turkey season is a bit more conducive to success, especially for youngsters and novice turkey hunters, thanks to a few broader regulations. A turkey of any age or of either sex can be shot, and any gauge shotgun may be used from 10 down to .410. There are a few guidelines regarding shot size and composition in the smaller gaug-
Beaver Piece of E Plantation always places a few mallard decoys out with his goose spread. This mature drake couldn’t help but investigate. Graves photo
es. Those sportsmen properly trained and licensed may use a bow or crossbow to bag a bird, and mechanical calling devices are legal. As one of this publication’s turkey specialists makes clear in this issue (see Blaine Cardilli’s column on page 27), fall turkey hunting tactics vary significantly from the dependable hide-andcall approach using a couple of decoys during spring mating season. Gobblers tend to form larger flocks and visit regular fields to feed, setting up along travel pathways can be very productive. While many Aroostook hunters still aren’t aware of the Zone 6 season, even more haven’t a clue that it’s legal to
use dogs at this time of year. My first experience gunning turkey with pointing dogs was many years ago in Hawaii; it’s very effective, and extremely exciting. Explore the fields between Crouseville and Washburn, as well as along the Caribou Lake Road, to spot and pattern feeding flocks this month. Refer to DeLorme’s Map 64, grid C-5. In the Bridgewater region, investigate the meadows and woodlots along the East Blaine Road and Corner Road for roost areas and food plots in more remote farm fields. Map 59, segment B-4 offers an overview.
Moose hunting continues in The County this month, and calling can bring in some really big bulls. Here, in the early morning fog, Allie Sullivan of Perth works his magic near a pond. Graves photo
Aroostook abounds with bogs, marshes and small farm ponds, and all are magnets for mid-day rest stops for ducks and geese returning from a morning feeding session. Contributed photo
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40 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Brined and Smoked Wild Turkey Breast Ahhhhhh, cool nights. For me, Autumn embodies Maine. You can layer outerwear to your desire to go out and enjoy the woods, lakes and all the beauty Maine offers.
We’re fortunate to have great game birds, meats and woods foraging. Our farms are growing in numbers, and more people are eating off the lands, and respecting all it offers.
With fall turkey season here, I thought I’d share one of my favorite ways to cook – SMOKING!!! Enjoy, and Bon Appetit!
Ingredients: • 1 6-pound wild turkey breast • 6 cups of water • 1 small red onion, quartered • ½ cup Smoked Coarse Sea Salt • 1 tablespoon honey • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 teaspoon cardamom • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns • Pecan wood chips* • (For after brining) – fresh, • partially ground black pepper • (I love Tellicherry Peppercorns) Directions Add water, onion, salt, honey, garlic, cardamom and peppercorns to pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat; simmer 5 minutes, stir to dissolve salt. Cool. Place breast into brine pot and refrigerate overnight, at least 18 hours. Rinse breast off, pat dry, and cover thoroughly with fresh cracked pepper. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. Place in smoker box. I add pecan wood chips to our electric smoker box, and place wood chip insert on top. (Smokn’ Tex Wood Chip insert -I call diffuser- allows smokers to use small chips. Personally, I like the smaller wood chips for smaller birds and game meats. Diffuser is a bonus for adding extra flavor-my opinion and I’m sticking to experience.)
After 2 hours, begin checking the internal temperature at thickest part of breast until you get 165 F. Take it out, slice it up and enjoy in sandwiches, salads, appetizers and great in omelets with Smoked Gouda. (Just saying!)
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 41
How Many Lures? The famous outfitter’s master fishing catalog arrived the other day. Have you seen it? It’s got to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I’ve never seen so many pictures of fishing rods, reels, lines and lures in my life! Reminds me of the old Sears Roebuck catalogs that contained everything you could dream of, including the kitchen sink. Just to thumb through the pages is overwhelming. You wonder: how can there be this much fishing equipment in the world? Well of course the outfitter is a worldclass retailer, and knows what sells. The ads and product descriptions play to fishermen’s basic insecurities – telling anglers that if they’d just had the right color, the right shape, the right hook size, they would have landed the Big One. We also know, in our hearts, that fishing lures in a catalog are designed as much to catch the fisherman as the fish. There are so many, how can a person choose? I suspect many don’t bother, and simply buy them all or buy one of each just to be sure. Yearn for Simpler Time? The colorful catalog creates a feeding frenzy as powerful as bluefish chasing a school of pogies. I’m amazed and not a little wistful for
It was easy for the author and his friends to choose among their lure selections when they were kids, says the author, since they had only one or two lures in their tackle boxes! days gone by. I remember my boyhood and how my chums and I were perfectly happy to catch trout in the pasture brook that ran behind the barn. I used a Bristol steel-telescoping rod with a small bait-casting reel. Our line was some kind of black silk, and we tied the #6 hook directly to the end. We used lead shot for weight, and pressed them onto the line by crunching them between our teeth. Our only other pieces of equipment were a rusty Prince Albert tobacco tin full of worms, and a red and white plastic bobber. Thus equipped, we spent afternoons after school following the little brook through the alders and dropping our lines into likely pools. The length limit was six inches, and when we caught some keepers we whittled a forked stick and slipped one branch through each fish’s gills. I remember a rather famous LL Bean catalog cover that pictured an adult fisherman paying a barefoot farm boy for his catch of brook trout. We fished with the minimum of gear; even less if we cut an alder bush for a pole and tied mom’s sewing thread to the tip.
With today’s myriad choices of fishing lures and gear, the author thinks back wistfully on the days of a steel rod, a baitcasting reel, a #6 hook, a worm and a bobber. Photo: OutdoorTroop.com
Mom used to tell us about her childhood growing up in Canada and how she and her sisters went brook fishing using bent safety pins for hooks. We’ve come a long way, I guess. Play the Percentages? But I do wonder – how many lures does an angler need? Maybe this is a case for the old 80/20 rule that says 80% of the fish you catch will be caught with 20% of the lures you own. Or something like that. Whenever my friends and I sneak away for an early morning on the water, we almost always tie on the same old lure. I’ll bet most folks do the same thing, or they simply fish the lure that’s still hanging from the rod tip
from the last time they were out. Eventually we boys made some of our own lures, or managed to buy at the local general store the one or two lures of the day. I recall a red and white bass lure was popular, as was the newly-invented Al’s Goldfish. These lures caught fish, and in time became quite beat up. The dings, dents and teeth marks gave them character, and in our minds imbued them with almost magical powers. Easy to Choose Back Then These few were our go-to lures, and we relied on them to catch all species of fish. With only one or two in our small tackle boxes, choosing a lure was easy. Not so today. No doubt there are probably smart phone “apps” now that match the barometric pressure and water temperature and water clarity and time of day and moon phase and suggest the exact lure that will just slay the bass. And if you don’t happen to possess that particular bait, a touch of the button will put it on order for next day delivery! How Many? Really we live in amazing times. But
I’m still curious – how many lures does one person need? Readers no doubt will have all kinds of opinions on this. Over the years I’ve reduced my entire collection down to four or five old reliables. If I can’t raise a fish with one of these, then I’m not fishing them right. • I have a few very sad and beat up Rapalas. I think the paint chips may help imitate a wounded minnow. • I’ve got a variety of Mooselooks of different sizes, a few Red Devils, and a Kast Master or two. • I have one Flatfish that’s a killer for pickerel. • For salt water, I use some old Atom plugs. They used to be good for catching stripers, and so far as I can tell they still are, even though the foam bodies are falling apart. That’s about it. So I don’t know. I’m sure part of the fun is in collecting all those shiny multi-colored lures. Also when the fishing is slow, it passes the time to take lure after lure out of the full tackle box, and make a few casts just to wash off the dirt. But this is all a far cry from when I was boy and we caught our trout with the simplest of equipment. The good news? Even today, those pasture brook trout are suckers for a nice juicy worm fixed to a #6 hook.
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42 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Setting Water Levels in Maine Lakes – Part 2 Last month, I wrote about how Maine’s changing climate has affected water levels in lakes and ponds, and natural or managed flows in rivers and streams. With longer stretches of dry weather or drought followed by persistent patterns of intense localized storms, outdoor sports enthusiasts can expect to see wider swings in lake levels and river flows, with higher highs and lower lows. For operators of hydropower dams, their federal or state license defines the regime for maintaining the elevation of lakes or storage ponds and providing minimum flow requirements downstream to protect water quality, aquatic habitat and other uses such as recreational boating. In this month’s column, we will explore how water levels are determined for hundreds of great ponds (larger than 10 acres) that do not have hydropower licenses issued by federal or state agencies. So Many Dams Maine has a long history of dams built for many reasons, such as water-powered sawmills, tanneries, water companies, and log drives. Many of those dams remain in private hands or are now owned and operated by municipalities. It may seem odd that a private dam owner would control the water level affectwww.MaineSportsman.com
ing hundreds of lakefront property owners, as well as public users, but that is the legacy of many dams with many owners. A 2015 report by Kleinschmidt Associates lists 891 dams in Maine, but the actual number is likely over 1,000. That means that of Maine’s 6,000 or so lakes or “great ponds,” more than one in five have dams that affect the water level. No matter who owns the dam, setting the appropriate water level typically requires a compromise among a variety of interests and users. Some people want a higher water level to improve boating access and navigation. Others want a lower level to protect beaches or shorelines from erosion. And other folks want higher flows downstream for fishing or boating. There are plenty of examples of civic-minded dam owners who do well in maintaining the dam, managing the water level, and keeping people who enjoy the lake happy. Depending on the dam’s age and design, one or more concrete spillways or removable boards might allow limited options for raising or lowering the pond elevation by season. Many impoundments are traditionally lowered in winter to prevent flooding during spring snowmelt. At other times of year, fluctuations in water levels are to be
expected depending on precipitation. But the dam owner typically tries to stay within a target range that balances the needs of different lake users. For some lakes or ponds, the water level is managed under an agreement negotiated with a lake association. If a pond is entirely within a single town, the town may pass an ordinance to establish lake levels or other requirements. For lakes and ponds in multiple towns, it gets more complicated. If agreement can’t be reached among interested parties, shorefront property owners may petition Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to hold a public hearing and issue an order establishing a water level regime and a minimum flow requirement for the water body. Municipalities may assume this authority from Maine DEP by enacting a local water level control ordinance. The law requires a petition be signed by minimum of 50 landowners, or 25 percent, whichever is less. Balancing Interests and Uses If called upon to hold a public hearing and issue a water level order, DEP is typically walking into a controversy. The DEP rarely has direct control of the dam, yet they are charged with protecting water quality and “designated uses” consistent with the water
Water levels are often determined by compromise among property owners and environmentalists. For property owners, higher levels are sought by those with camps in shallow areas of a lake, to improve navigation and access, while shorefront owners with beaches prefer lower water. Natural inhabitants, such as this loon, depend on steady and predictable levels, since they build nests right at the water’s edge. Photo: Jym St. Pierre
bodies’ water quality classification, as established by the Maine legislature. For lakes and ponds classified as “great ponds,” designated uses include drinking water after disinfection, recreation in and on the water, fishing, agriculture, industrial process and cooling water supply, hydroelectric power generation, navigation and as habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Before issuing an order, Maine DEP will evaluate impacts on recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, public access and safety, erosion, public and private water supplies, and property values. For example, a lower lake level could affect fish spawning habitat or waterfowl nesting habitat, or leave lake tributary streams inaccessible to migrating (spawning) fish. Surface water intakes can be impacted. Higher levels might
reduce beach area or erode shorelines. In these types of disputes, emotions can run high. Stakeholders may have a long history of family ownership or significant financial interests in their property and preferred uses. Sometimes disputes pit new landowners against established residents, or non-resident boaters against local beachgoers. A common concern is how much a given water level regime might affect water quality, especially algae and water clarity, as has been the case for many years in China Lake. In its water level order, Maine DEP will strive to balance the major interests, recognizing that much of their statutory mission is to protect the natural resource values, water quality and environmental concerns.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 43
Bike Provides Solitude and Birds for October The logging truck came around the corner on the gravel haulroad with a full load of tree-length logs. The exhaust stacks gleamed in the October sun, and I waved to the driver from my safe perch more than fifty feet off to the side. The roar of the approaching truck had been obvious from at least a mile away. As it passed by, I stood astride my mountain bike at the intersection of a side road that ran uphill from the main road. The side road was narrowed by encroaching brush, and overhanging poplar, beech and maple saplings. Underfoot, berry bushes, coltsfoot, goldenrod and seedlings from the overhanging trees grew up through the gravel. A game trail that followed the old road provided a single-track path through the low brush. I got off the bike and loaded my shotgun. It was Monday of Columbus Day weekend. And the holiday coincided with the opening day of the October week for moose hunters. Also, all across northern Maine, bird hunters were taking advantage of the 2020 bumper crop of ruffed grouse. The birds seemed to be everywhere, and pandemic-weary hunters were everywhere as well. It was the perfect recipe for crowded roads and seeing lots
hesitation about trusting my plain-Jane Fox-Savage Model B to the contraption. That shotgun, while not particularly pricey, has a lot of sentimental value to me. Honestly, it has probably had rougher rides in the passenger compartment of my pickup than it has in the Montana Scabbard.
The author’s mountain bike is all set up for grouse-hunting, with his shotgun securely held in a scabbard. Photos: Jim Andrews
of other hunters. When I saw the logging truck, I was fewer than 7 miles from downtown Jackman. But the truck’s motor was the only one I heard during my hunt. And the driver was the only other human that I saw that day. Bikes and Gates The entrance to the road I biked on that morning was blocked by a big, industrial-style gate that screamed “staythe-hell-out” to passing hunters in their pick-ups. But the sign posted on the gate also welcomed “walkers and non-motorized bicyclists” beyond the barrier. That was all the invitation I needed to mountain-bike the only road system that accesses Attean Township, DeLorme, Map 39, B-4 – more than 30 square miles of indus-
trial forest, streams, remote ponds, mountain peaks and dozens of abandoned harvest roads. And because of the bike, I had it all to myself. The ride in from the gate was promising. I flushed partridges from both sides of the road as I biked through some freshly-graded areas where the gravel was soft. The mountain bike was perfect for this terrain. The oversized tires handled the soft surface, and the bike could be shifted down into granny gear for easy peddling, even on the uphill sections. Shotguns and Scabbards After years of improvised, home-made, duct-taped, bungee-corded and ziptied attempts to fashion a workable bike attachment for fly-rods
and shotguns, I went to the internet. A few years ago, I purchased a Montana Scabbard™, made in the USA by the company of the same name. The scabbard attaches to the rear rack on the bike, and to the rear axle bolt, for a solid connection that has never shaken loose on even the roughest roads and trails. It keeps the muzzle of the shotgun pointing skyward in a safe direction, with a foam-padded bucket for the stock to sit into, and another foam-padded connection point where the barrels can be securely wrapped with Velcro-type straps. I would never carry my grandfather’s Parker side-by-side in the Montana Scabbard, but I have gained confidence in it over several years. I had no
Birds Galore The first flush caught me by surprise. I was only a few yards from where I left the bike. Two birds that exploded out of the same piece of brush, ten seconds after the first one flushed, caught me even more flat-footed. It was like that all day. I’m a poor enough wing shot that I could have easily emptied the box of low-brass #8 shotshells I brought with me in a couple of hours. But the birds were so plentiful that I could afford to pick my shots. It was obvious that these birds were completely unpressured. No sign of human tracks was seen either in the main road or the side roads. The combination of solitude, perfect, crisp, fall weather, and the intensity of the continuous hunting action, put me into an almost meditative state of mind. Completely focused but also completely relaxed. My shooting actually improved. I breasted the few birds that fell to (Self-Propelled continued on page 46) www.MaineSportsman.com
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Freeing a Trapped Animal Unharmed – Trapline Circuses & Rodeos There are many circumstances on a trap line that can be hazardous or dangerous. These include having to walk on thin or spongy ice, a snowmobile or ATV breaking down far out in the backcountry, physical injuries, extreme weather conditions, and a multitude of other unexpected occurrences. Most trappers trap alone, so a bad situation becomes more so when no one is there to help out. Once deer hunters are out of the woods, it becomes a lonely place for trappers. Wilderness survival techniques become much more important to the trapper who is caught in a situation while alone. A trapper must be able to deal single-handedly with physical injuries, and must possess the skills to repair mechanical devices that have bro-
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ken down. Certain Animals Must be Released Then there are those situations that are simultaneously hazardous and potentially comical, as the trapper is challenged to accomplish a difficult task. One example of this occurrence is when a trapper must release an animal, unharmed, from a trap. Sometimes a trapper finds an animal in a trap, and the furbearer must be released. For example, during early or late trapping seasons, certain animals, called “incidentals,” cannot be kept. This happens most frequently during the early canine (coyote and fox) season. During this early season, only skunks and raccoons can be kept as incidentals; all others must be released. This includes two challenging species
– felines and fisher. They must be released if they have not been harmed by the trap. Can Easily Become a “Circus” Releasing such animals can easily become the “circus” I mentioned in my August, 2021 “Trapping – The Silent Places” column. I am not too sure which is more challenging – releasing a bobcat, or releasing a fisher. Both have teeth, claws and an attitude that deserves the utmost of respect. Neither likes being restrained, let alone being nose-to-nose with a human. There are only a few ways to release incidentally-caught furbearers without harming them or – equally important – without getting yourself torn up. The bobcat takes the most care because they are fragile, in that choking one down
Here, Gordon Blauvelt has secured a fisher using a “catch pole.” This device allowed Gordon to free the animal from a foothold trap, which is required since the fisher was caught during early canine season. Once the trap pole’s lasso was loosened, the fisher ran back into the woods.
without injuring the animal takes the upmost of care. One of the preferred ways to release the bobcat is to use half a sheet of plywood with a hole in the center edge through which the trapper can pull the animal’s paw and trap. This allows the trapper to safely compress the springs to release the cat. Even with the plywood for protection, being hunkered down behind a small wall with one spun-up bobcat turned into a wildcat on the other side is a wee bit unnerving.
Raising up your head to see what the cat is doing and making eye contact can lead to the cat reacting in a manner you won’t like. On the other hand, if you keep your head down, you don’t know whether the cat is still there, or whether it’s gotten free and is coming around to jump on your back. As previously mentioned, the use of a choke pole can damage or actually kill the cat, if not done with the utmost of care. (Trapping continued on page 46)
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Ladies’ Hunting Apparel If you know a female hunter, you’ve probably heard her complain about hunting clothes. Selection is small, price is large, and good fit and quality are hard to find. But the industry has come a long way in recent years, and manufacturers and retailers now offer some great options for female hunters. The Complaints Just like male hunters, female hunters expect functional, durable, well-fitting clothing. Also like male hunters, female hunters come in all shapes and sizes – petite, regular, tall, and plus. Unlike males, females are pickier when it comes to fit and style. Some women prefer a fitted look, others don’t. Some women take it personally if there is a pink zipper on a jacket, while other women gladly wear pink. Ill-fitting clothes can be a safety concern – you don’t want to trip on your too-long pants while carrying a loaded firearm. Women tend to feel chilled more easily than men, so we need warmer gear. From a psychological perspective, wearing clothing that fits well is one way to help women feel like we belong in this historically male-dominated realm. A final complaint is that women’s hunting gear, when it is offered
Women now have many functional and fashionable apparel options in the field. Gone are the days when manufacturers would simply “pink it and shrink it,” taking men’s hunting items, making them pink and smaller, and marketing them as women’s. for sale, is priced much higher than equivalent clothing available to men. The Business Side Females account for only about 15% of hunters in the United States, so demand for female hunting clothes is much lower than demand for male hunting clothes. I spoke with a designer and developer in the hunting industry, and he explained, “Minimum order quantities tend to be 1,500-2,000 pieces per style per order. That’s a lot of product – multi years’ worth for most brands. And when we need to reorder, there are always some sizes and colors left over, so you end up with even more inventory. It’s hard to maintain that cycle, and not every brand has figured it out yet. Most of us operate in the red on women’s hunting clothing, and when tough business decisions need to be made it is hard to not reduce choices for women. We continue to try to improve our offerings to women, as well as for the youngest hunters, who face the same challenges.” So ladies – when you do find that unicorn item that fits just how you like it and
is good quality, prepare to pay the price, but realize that when you do, you are telling the company to make more and keep improving on female hunting clothes. You are voting with your dollar. Here are some of my favorites: Big Game L.L.Bean Women’s Ridge Runner Camo Hunting Pants, $169
taineering mittens are perfect for all day tree stand sits – insanely warm and waterproof. Lacrosse Women’s Alphaburly Pro 1600G, $210 The warmest ladies’ boots I could find, available in sizes 5-11. No need to rock-hop or worry about thorns; these boots allow you to keep your head and eyes scanning for whitetail instead of worrying what you’re stepping in. Waterfowl
Photo: L.L.Bean
I wish every pair of pants I own had this high waist in the back. The adjustable stretchy waistband means they’ll still fit if you gain or lose a few pounds, and that they still fit whether you layer or not. Outdoor Research Alti Mittens, $199 These Gore-Tex moun-
SHE Outdoor Waterfowl BootFoot Neoprene Waders for Ladies, $187 These are the only items on this list that I don’t own myself, but I chose to include them because they come in 20 size combinations – first you choose your body size (S-XL), then you choose your boot size (6-10), and voilà! (I would get them, except I’m a size 11 boot – ugh.)
With a tight fit and half-finger design on the fore finger and thumb, these gloves provide dexterity, so you’re ready when the geese land. They’re only warm enough to take the edge off, so I wear these gloves inside of a muff, then take them out to shoot. Sitka Neck Gaiter, $45
Photo: Christi Holmes
They’re super thick and ultra-warm, and I live in mine from the treestand to the duck blind. Upland Beretta Women’s Retriever Field Vest, $129
Sitka Women’s Fanatic Glove, $40
Photo: Melissa Goodwin
The majority of upland vests are unisex and don’t offer a size small. Photo: Christi Holmes
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Maine Sportswoman (Continued from page 45)
This water repellent women’s vest comes in sizes S-XXXL, but they tend to run small. L.L.Bean Women’s Stretch Briar Jeans, $99
Photo: Christi Holmes
Stretch upland jeans in sizes 2-20? Yes, please. Ball and Buck Annie Upland Shirt, $168 Bear with me, because this is a pricey one (truthfully you don’t even need an upland shirt, just a jacket or vest to carry birds, but you’re still reading this, so here we are). This shirt is soft, stretchy, flattering cut, and extremely well made. I wouldn’t have bought this in my wildest dreams, but I won one in a raffle, and now it’s my favorite.
Self-Propelled (Continued from page 43)
the 20-gauge, and put the slabs of wild meat in a small soft-sided sandwich cooler that I carried in the pannier bag on the bike. Remote Pond Visit By noon I was done shooting and decided to visit one of the remote ponds that lay behind the gate. I had fished the pond from shore after biking in one time a few years ago. I wanted to remind myself how long the hiking trail from the road to the pond was – and see if it was suitable for a canoe cart.
Trapping (Continued from page 44)
Forked Stick to Pin the Animal Down The other method is to have a rugged forked stick cut to size that will pin the cat to the ground by the neck without it being able to pull its head through. The next step is to restrict the cat’s legs so that it can’t tear you up with its claws while you’re releasing the trap with your hands. Doing all this while ensuring your own and the cat’s safety is the primary circus I was referring to. This takes a lot of ingenuity and care, especially if the trapper is alone. A partner at this point and time would be most welcome. Don’t forget that most trappers trap alone. In my experience, most cats will run off as soon as they are released; however, a www.MaineSportsman.com
Lower-Price Options Okay okay, I know we don’t need fancy hunting clothes to go hunting, but it’s fun! It gives me confidence and makes me more excited to go hunting. We are females and we like shopping. Add to that fact the infinite amount of gear hunters need, and you’ve got an expensive combination! Depending on the type of hunting you’re doing, you can certainly wear everyday clothing (remember our great grandfathers who hunted in red wool coats?). However there are certain
items, such as waders for waterfowl hunting and brush pants for upland hunting, that are almost required. They’ll keep you dry, warm, and protect you from scratches, all of which can extend the amount of time you’re out hunting. Carhartt has durable ladies’ pants in all sizes, shorts and talls. Scan for camo and orange at secondhand stores, discount stores, and Facebook marketplace. I’ve found camo Under Armour at TJ Maxx, and I’ve found Sitka at Marden’s. If you’re short or tall, consider buying men’s or youth. I’m
The answer was: a short trail, but not one that a cart would be helpful on. Clearwater Pond is one of a half-dozen remote trout ponds that are within striking distance of the main road in Attean Township. It’s one of those places that makes you ask yourself – “Why don’t I come here all the time?” A late pond-side lunch capped the day before I headed back to the gate on the bike. The crunch of the bike tires on the gravel surface seemed loud in the complete silence. The lowering sun lit up the roadside foliage. Partridges continued to flush from the roadside ditches.
5’11”, so I often buy men’s size small jackets for their sleeve length. Likewise, if you’re petite, try on youth hunting apparel – it’s usually less expensive, too. Thankfully, gone are the days of “pink it and shrink it,” when manufacturers just took men’s hunting items and made them pink and smaller, and marketed them as women’s. We now have many quality options to keep us functional and fashionable in the field. Email me with your favorite musthave!
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The author was able to dismount from his bike and productively pursue plentiful and unwary ruffed grouse.
few will require you to lunge at them to run them off. Then there are those others. One example was a large male that I released and it immediately ran under my truck and the last I saw of it was its hind leg going up under my truck. It must have wedged itself up over the drive shaft or rear end. I couldn’t see it, but every time I approached the truck it hissed and growled, letting me know he was there and was unhappy. I finally made a dash to the truck and started it up. The big cat bailed out when the engine came to life.
feet to compress the traps springs to release its foot. Those hind feet claws will shred your boots and pants in short order if you are not super careful. Once released, they may attack you, so be ready to play soccer with your feet. They can cause real damage. I literally had to kick one three times as it attacked. I finally knocked it over a stream’s banking and escaped to my truck. The Canadian Lynx is a threatened species under federal law. There are “special regulations” that must be followed by the trapper if one is incidentally caught. The procedures to be followed are outlined in the Summary of Maine Trapping Laws published annually. All trappers should be familiar with each law, as trapping is a highly-regulated activity.
Fisher – a Different Critter Fisher are another critter altogether. They are a real demon in disguise. They are powerful, with teeth and claws to be respected by all but a fool. A strong choke pole is required to hold one down while using your two
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The King Poacher Thinking back to my formative years in rural Maine, I realize there always existed a king poacher in every area, but I didn’t comprehend the big picture or the complexities involved in earning and retaining that prestigious title. In fact, I really never gave it much thought. That all changed when, as a new warden in the Houlton area, I began to spend a lot of time with my supervisor, Virgil Grant. I found Virgil to be very insightful, along with being a great storyteller and possessing more patience than any person I have ever known. One of the things he did was raise my conscious awareness regarding a king poacher and some of the characteristics that could be attributed to such a local celebrity. The more he talked, the more it dawned on me that I had always known what he was telling me, but had never put it into context before. Characteristics of the King Poacher The king poacher must be “cool,” and possess the proper temperament and swagger to validate his position, for he is looked up to by all the lesser poachers. However, the most important thing is this – he must never be caught by the wardens or show any fear of ever getting
I jerked open the car’s passenger door. The man sitting there was trying to stuff a loaded British 303 rifle magazine into his jacket pocket. He did not respond well to my direction, so I assisted him out of the vehicle. caught. Nobody who had been caught could ever be considered for such a prestigious position, unless he beat the rap and could tell all around how stupid the wardens were. Of course, there are circumstances where the reigning king can get displaced or merely fall from grace. He could actually get caught (it could happen), or he could let alcohol, drug use or some crime of moral turpitude lead to his downfall, or just gradually lose his title to a younger up-andcoming star. At any rate, losing the title is life-altering, and once it is lost can never be regained. The biggest reason this designation is important to all the wardens is simple. Since the king is admired by all the underlings, if he gets caught it’s such a traumatic event that half of the other poachers will just plain give up and discontinue their wayward activity. The reason being, if he could get caught, what chance do they have? Now, of course, it is no secret about who the king is in any specific area. So, naturally the ultimate goal
for any warden is to apprehend the king, but that is easier said than done and realistically, not all that likely to happen without expending a lot of time and effort, not to mention a little luck. The Stakeout It was getting late in the fall of 1971. By the middle of November, my partner Warden Roland Pelletier and I were showing signs of wearing down from the constant dayand-night grind. So when I showed up at his house early in the evening of November 18th, I had to convince him to stay the course, and we headed out into the night once more in Roland’s blue, two wheeled drive shortbed Dodge pickup. As soon as we left his house, we narrowly avoided striking a large buck that ran across the road in front of us. I took that as a good omen on our part. We decided to try working a new spot that Roland had heard rumors about on the newly-constructed I-95 in the town of Dyer Brook. At the time, it was a two-way road, as only one side of the divided highway had been completed.
This part of the highway would eventually become the southbound lanes. On the north side of the highway, there was a large grassy area that had been cleared for parking heavy equipment during the road construction. It was two or three acres in size, and had been seeded down with grass and clover. The problem for us was finding a place to park that would be out of sight but still affording a good view of the area. We decided to back down a steep bank into the ditch on the south side of the road, then into the woods among some large hemlock trees. Clearly, we would need to get a good run to make it back up onto the road with the two- wheel drive truck. In those days, there was not nearly the traffic there is today, and we settled in for the evening with no high expectations, considering this spot to be a real shot in the dark. We had some coffee, and Roland had his usual stash of sweets that I helped myself to – Roland’s wife, Viola, was a wonderful cook.
Holding the Door Shut Sometime around 10:00 p.m., a southbound vehicle slowed up a little bit, and out of the passenger’s side shone a spotlight that swept the grassy area on the north side of the road. We scrambled to get out of our spot and up onto the road without turning on our headlights. This required a slight turn to the right to get between some trees, but Roland, in his haste, turned too short, and my door slammed into a hemlock tree. Not wanting to stop or lose our momentum, he just gave it some more gas, and we kind of shinnied around the tree. We gained enough speed to make it up the bank onto the road, but my door was crushed and popped ajar, although I was able to hold it closed with my right hand. It was a bright night, and we had little trouble gaining on the vehicle without utilizing our headlights. Just as we were closing the gap, the vehicle slowed a little and out came the spotlight again at another, smaller clearing. Subsequently, we turned on all our headlights and flashing lights, and the vehicle, a Volkswagen station wagon with two occupants, slowly pulled (True Tales continued on page 49) www.MaineSportsman.com
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Solar Panels Power Bill’s Toys Traveling in the backcountry has forced me to keep an eye on that little power icon blinking away in the corner of my electronic devices. Yup, for a guy that spent most of his life with a compass and map in his pocket, he’s suddenly worried about running out of power. However, I’m not alone. Folks from all 50 states and Canada will make the trek to Katahdin Country this month, and I’ll wager every one of them has at least a cell phone with them. They call them “smart phones” for a reason. Along with high resolution cameras, they serve as a GPS unit and a Brittanica encyclopedia. Good thing “dumb people” like me are allowed to
have a “smart phone.” It makes me look and feel brighter than my parents ever imagined possible. Bear Scat Confirmed Hiking along a trail with a small group, we came across some bear scat. Not everyone was convinced that Yogi had left his calling card mid-trail like that. In a blink, three cell phones had bear scat images on their screens. Argument settled, and we cautiously moved on. Of course, this informational part of phone operation requires cell service. Without cell service I’m sure we would have snapped a photo and settled the dispute later.
Download the Map Today, most everybody uses an App with downloadable maps. My Earthmate app works without cell service. Whether hiking in Baxter State Park or Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, it pays to have the downloaded maps AND a set of paper maps stashed away in an easily accessible pocket. By carefully managing my phone, I’ve easily gotten three to four days out of it. That includes tactics like putting it in “Airplane mode” so it doesn’t waste battery power searching for cell towers. I also turn it off during long stretches where I just don’t plan to need it. One downside to having the phone off
The author recently purchased a “Big Blue” portable solar charger. He says letting sunshine power his growing arsenal of electronic gadgets while off-grid appealed to his low-impact nature. When unfolded, this unit easily finds a spot in the sun and methodically charges cell phones, cameras and the author’s BioLite head lamp. Photo: Bill Sheldon
comes at the expense of impromptu photo opportunities. A moose
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may not hang around long enough for the phone to turn itself on. As a columnist always looking for photo opportunities, this rates as a major annoyance. In addition to my cell phone, I often bring along two GoPro cameras and my new inReach unit. The GoPro cameras especially seem to like power. I decided to seek a solution to keeping all these electronic toys charged up during extended forays off grid. One option, a portable power bank, will charge a cell phone multiple times, takes up very little space, (Continued on next page)
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and doesn’t cost a lot. Technically, problem solved. But I had this hankering to play with solar power. Big Blue Perhaps I’m just making it difficult on myself, but I bought a “Big Blue” 28W Solar Charger. It folds out into four small solar panels, and has eyelets for hanging from a tree or even the back side of my backpack. It folds to a very packable size (1”x 6” x 12”) when not in use.
I selected this size based on my needs and the goal of it hanging off the back side of my Gregory backpack. Larger units designed for car camping certainly put out more power and have their place. In field testing, I’ve used it in Baxter State Park, and with a day of strong sunshine it kept all my units topped off nicely. It has two USB ports, so without the help of my “smart phone,” I plugged in two units at a time. It obviously charges a single unit much faster, but I
True Tales (Continued from page 47)
over and stopped. As I hurried up to the passenger’s side I could see the passenger in the right front seat fumbling with something. I jerked open the door just as he was trying to stuff the loaded magazine of a British 303 rifle into his jacket pocket. The 303 rifle was situated between his legs, with one cartridge on the floorboard.
was more interested in topping off power bars. It does require good sunshine to attain maximum efficiency. The built-in amp meter shows a noticeable drop in output when the sun hides behind the clouds. While a power bank unit would be simpler and not rely on a sunny day, long term I like letting the sun power my fun. It works exceptionally well on or around the water. The trick is keeping it at a good angle to the sun.
Upland Game It’s not just leaf-peepers and hikers out looking to grab some sun power this month. October 1st signals the start of the small game season. The King of Game Birds, Timberdoodles and Varying Hare attract scattergun-carrying hunters throughout the tenth month. Katahdin Country has plenty of options for small game hunters looking to run well-rested dogs or put boots to the ground and enjoy foliage and matching
Assisted Him Out of the Vehicle The man was not responding well to my direction, so I assisted him out of the vehicle and proceeded to place him in handcuffs. As I had ahold of him by his collar, with him facing the vehicle, I inquired of his name. He quickly blurted out his name, and I was shocked to learn that I had the “king poacher” right by the collar. Neither Roland nor I could believe it; we were stunned and amazed by our good fortune. Needless to say, after we deposited these two gentlemen at the Aroostook
wits with Maine’s classic small game trio. Old tote roads that extend deep into the Maine woods give hunters plenty of real estate to work their passion. Maps 42 and 43 of The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer detail these opportunities. The large tract of land east and west of Route 11 from Brownsville Junction to Millinocket deserves a look. I’m planning to see how “Big Blue” charges up my dog’s “E-Collar.”
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County Jail, we headed for Roland’s house for a small congratulatory celebration in honor of our achievement. Our conversation centered on informing our boss, Virgil Grant, who we were sure would have to be convinced that it was really true. Together we would also wonder what would become of the “king’s” title, and how the shock wave would be felt at all the gas stations and general stores in the area, as soon as the word spread the next morning.
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50 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
When the Right One Comes Along, Grab It For many Maine hunters and indeed for hunters around the globe, the .270 Winchester means the best all-around hunting cartridge available. More than a standard, the nearly 100-yearold .270 reigns among the pantheon of icons. Winchester designed the .270 in 1925 for their Model 54 bolt-action rifles. A dozen years later, gun-writer Jack O’Connor made the .270 into an icon by heaping praise on it as well as the Model 54’s
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As I returned to the gun counter the next afternoon, Kim called out, “You’re here for the Model 70.” Having thought about little else for the previous 24 hours, of course my answer was, “Yes!” successor, the Model 70. O’Connor used the .270 across North America, Africa, and India, spreading its popularity wherever he went in the remaining four decades of his life, speaking and writing about it to the very end. Cartridges of the World says, “At the time of introduction, it offered better long-
range performance than any big-game cartridge available on the American market.” Adopted for slide-actions, semi-automatics, and even some lever-actions such as the Browning BLR in addition to bolt-actions, the .270 comprises a major part of production for nearly every rifle maker in the world.
Despite its adoption into a variety of platforms, the bolt-action still proves the most popular, and it’s the design that gets the best performance out of the cartridge. An outstanding bighorn sheep, antelope, or deer cartridge, the .270 is perhaps a bit light for the largest, most dangerous game. Regardless, in places
like Maine the .270 accounts for numerous black bears every year. Among the devoted, the Winchester Model 70 occupies the place of honor. The sometimes silly debates over the quality of those made before 1964 and those made since rage on. That year, Winchester altered their manufacturing techniques and moved some production lines overseas to cut costs. That decision forever granted (Continued on next page)
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special status, admiration, and premium pricing to any rifles built before 1964. Chance Encounter Several weeks ago, my wife and I took a
lunch break from the chore of clearing out my parent’s house so it can be sold. We visited The Barn Store in Salisbury, New Hampshire, where, in among the hardware, chain saws and painting
supplies, they run a fabulous lunch counter. The Barn Store also carries hunting supplies. So before leaving, I had to make a walkthrough to see what sorts of intrigu-
ing items they might have. As anyone who reads The Shooter’s Bench knows, I most often avoid new plastic stuff, or things designed to burn through a lot of ammunition. I am usually looking for Fins & Furs Adventures
TM
a gun with stories to tell. While I was easing along the counter, something in the long rack against the wall caught my eye. I sensed more than (Continued on next page)
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Shooter’s Bench (Continued from page 51)
knew it was a pre-’64 Model 70. I leaned across the counter, straining my eyes in a futile effort to read the handwritten tag attached to the trigger guard. Seeing the clerk was occupied by another customer and knowing we had commitments to keep, I walked away. During the long hot afternoon, the drive home, and an evening before the television, I couldn’t stop thinking about what that rifle might be. I thought, too, about my slush funds for impulsive purchases. Having lost the online bid for a .256 Newton Rifle a few days before, and knowing there would again be no Canadi-
an fishing trip this year due to Covid restrictions, I had some funds at hand. Returning to the store the next afternoon, I asked to see the rifle. The five digit serial number confirmed it as an older pre-’64 Model 70. The tag said it was a vintage 1947 “Transition” gun, in caliber .270 Winchester. Noting the rifle’s fine condition and Bausch & Lomb 2.5X8 scope, I thanked Kim and headed home to do some research. Best Buy The serial number confirmed 1947 as the production year. The serial number also confirmed it as a “Transition” variant. These
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were rifles made between 1946 and 1948, when Winchester was getting going again in the civilian market after World War II. These rifles have “prewar receiver characteristics and have a transition safety,” ac-
cording to The Blue Book of Gun Values. If my assessment of the rifle’s condition proved correct, it had a price on it about ten percent lower than the Blue Book value. “Transition” status should add another
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ten percent to the value. As I turned toward the gun counter the next afternoon, Kim called out, “You’re here for the Model 70.” Of course the answer was yes, and it took her all of ten minutes to complete the paperwork, make the requisite phone call, charge my credit card and send me on my way. The checkered stock is in even better condition than I remembered. The only wear in the bluing shows on the bolt handle, where some previous owner or owners gripped the bolt to chamber fresh rounds. This old rifle has lots of life left in it, and I am looking forward to many seasons of good hunting with it as my companion. This one will not get locked away in the safe. This one is for the field.
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 53
King of Game Birds Takes Center Stage This Month For some reason, packing for bird camp has proved problematic for me the last few years. Just too many decisions that seem to come harder. I made it worse two years ago when I dragged my drift boat into bird camp. I spend 10 months of the year anxiously waiting for October 1st to roll around so I can search the countryside for grouse and woodcock. Then when the calendar finally turns, I’ve got a boat in my rear-view mirror. My wife calmly calls it ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). During the painfully long off-season, while feeding my two Brittany Spaniels, I quiz them as to why I keep them around. Those big brown eyes always look up and seem to say, “We find
birds for you, remember?” In the off-season, we employ them as security dogs. They are far better feather finders than security dogs. Short of someone trying to steal my couch out from under them, would-be thieves run the risk of getting licked to death. Bird Hunting Roots Bird hunting runs deep in my family roots. My grandfather sold partridge to
wealthy New Yorkers at the train station during the Great Depression. They would pay 50 cents a bird, buying as many as he could harvest. Legend has it that birds were plentiful, and he made enough to feed his family in a jobless environment. Interestingly, he did it without a dog. He just walked back roads, favorite coverts and overgrown orchards. By the time I
was old enough to hunt with him, his days as a market hunter had long passed. When I was a kid, it seemed we mostly hunted shoulder-high briar patches. I’ll always remember the day I was tagging along with my
father and witnessed a perfect shot on a woodcock that he darn near stepped on. I can still see those feathers exploding in the wind. Minimum Maintenance Roads These days, upland bird hunters really (Continued on next page)
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Jackman
(Continued from page 53)
In the off season, the author’s two Brittany Spaniels take jobs in home security. Here, Mrs. Sheldon gives them instructions on what to do should someone try to steal the couch. This month, it’s back to the woods finding birds. Photo: Bill Sheldon
break down into two camps – hunters who use dogs, and hunters who don’t. Both methods work very well and have legions of followers. Because Maine has a jillion miles of backcountry logging roads, it was inevitable that the terms “road hunter” and, “heater hunter” would surface. Slowly driving along minimum maintenance roads looking for grouse is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. While I thoroughly enjoy working my two bird dogs, I always give them a day or two off during the first week of the season while I take to the
road. Usually, I try to pick a crappy, rainy day, for a variety of reasons. The first one is selfish – I just don’t enjoy getting soaked as much as I used to. Second, I do believe grouse gravitate toward the edges of gravelly roads on rainy days. Sometimes they’re just picking up some grit for their gizzard. Other times, the grass and colts-foot along the water-soaked culverts seem to grab their attention. Culvert Surprise Don’t overlook culverts. More than once, Dick Freeman’s German Short Haired Pointer, Hunt-
er, locked up on solid point with his nose pointed straight down a metal culvert. Maybe just an old bird that doesn’t like to get soaked as much as he once did. Jackman has an abundance of paper company roads available for enjoying the countryside while doing a little bird hunting at the same time. A perusal of DeLorme’s Maine Atlas and Gazetteer, Maps 39 and 40, detail the myriad options. Both sides of the Old Canada Road (Route 201) offer excellent grouse habitat. Please check Maine laws concerning (Jackman continued on next page)
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�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 55
Getting Started with Trapping Last fall marked my first-ever trapping season, and my target was the same as many beginning trappers – muskrat! After plenty of research and completing the required trapping safety course, I determined it would be best for me to start with muskrat. For one thing, they’re relatively easy to target compared to other furbearers. Also, a muskrat trap is set underwater, eliminating the possibility of most incidental catches – called bycatches – of other species. Beyond that, the handling of muskrats is much less complicated than other species. For starters, when you approach the trap, they’re almost certainly dead. Also, they’re simple to skin and flesh, and you don’t need any specialty tools to skin one out. I certainly didn’t catch as many musk-
rat as a seasoned trapper might, but I did end up with six usable furs. I was amazed at how soft and shiny the fur was, for what at first looked like a wet rat from a muddy stream. Instead of selling my furs this year, as most do, I kept them and sent them to a tannery to have them tanned for use. Tanning softens the hide from a cardboard-like consistency to usable leather. My plans are to have a ’skrat hat made from my first catches. Finding ’Em Muskrat generally live in slow moving streams, pond edges and other muddy bankings. They feed on a combination of baitfish, crayfish, reeds and weeds. They are notorious for digging out the banks of streams and ponds to chew at the roots from the pond growth,
Jackman (Continued from page 54)
scouting from a vehicle. Just because you’re on the back roads, that does not warrant throwing caution to the wind. Safe shooting is job one. One rule some bird hunters use is the “blue-sky rule.” That means only taking shots at birds up and away, with blue sky behind the target, thereby avoiding danger to hunting dogs and hunting partners. Road Dogs Those of us who use dogs still road hunt. Sometimes we just drive to a birdy-looking spot, pull over, and let the dogs search out bird scent. Other times, a shifty road bird will cross in front of us and head deep into the woods. That’s brakes on, dogs out and
which often results in that body of water widening and shallowing out. This has been known to spoil necessary drainages, as well as quality fishing spots. Without proper management, muskrats could damage flowages, ponds and streams. Trapping ’Em The most common trapping technique, and my personal favorite, is using a 110 conibear, which is a kill-type trap. This is set in a “run,” a travelling route that ’skrats frequent. The animal passes through the trap, and when its nose hits the trigger, it causes the trap to close on its neck, resulting in a clean, quick kill. Runs can be identified by the worndown areas in the mud leading to or from the bank. They are often pretty deep from constant use. Muskrats build dens in the banks
No special tools or techniques are required to skin and flesh muskrat. Raymond photo
by digging a hole and making a little cavern. Often times, the runs lead to or from the dens, and can be productive. Once the ice has locked up, muskrat can still be trapped under the ice. The technique I employed involved cutting a hole in the ice over known runs, and sticking a 110 into the run, held in place with a stake up over the surface. Then, you chop the hole open every few days, in order to keep the trap functional. It’s a good idea to cover the hole with a board or pine boughs, as the light through the hole can be a tip-
the hunt begins. While that’s a lot of fun, often if the bird goes deep we call the hunt and move on to more favorable conditions. If the bird hesitates instead of going cross country, it’s game on. Putting boots to the ground and walking old tote paths adds an element of stealth to finding the king of game birds. That’s another reason I sometimes let the dogs rest for a few hours. And of course, what about the drift boat? Sections of the Kennebec River are open until October 31, and the East Coast Drifter took full advantage. On one of those unseasonable warm days two years ago, I put the shotgun down and picked up a fly rod. The fishing gods smiled on us that day, as we netted 18 salmon and two
off for the critters. A Great Reason to Get Outside Trapping has been a nice productive pastime for me to get through the doldrums of the year, after hunting season and before ice fishing. It was enriching to have to take a long walk after school to check the trapline, and it was a good motivation to stay out of the house and keep engaged in the outdoors. Maine sporting activities that are “off the beaten path,” so to speak, are sometimes very fun to discover and learn about!
¶
Paul Cirillo and the author’s dog, Baxter S. Park, celebrate a little bit of October success. Photo: Bill Sheldon
fat brook trout. Too bad October only has 31 days.
¶
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56 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Late Gamebird Hatch Good News for Scattergunners For grouse in the Moosehead Region, stick to number 6 shot. Carry some smaller shot in a pocket in case you run into woodcock, but for most purposes, number 6 will have the best effect. Each year as October rolls around, upland bird hunters wonder about the size of the grouse population. Grouse numbers can vary widely from year to year, and barring spending lots of time afield throughout the spring and summer, it’s hard to tell what kind of season we’ll have. I have good news for this season. Numbers are up, big-time. Springtime conditions were such that we didn’t lose many birds to cold, damp conditions. Better yet, many hens had second broods. These youngsters were fully fledged by late summer, making them a viable quarry come October. My friends, who spend almost every day out in the field
year-round, tell me to expect a bang-up season, and I pass that hopeful note along to you. If you are planning a trip to the Moosehead Region for birds this October, you may be surprised to find a continuation of good hunting well into the season. That’s what it looks like to me, anyway. During years of low grouse numbers, the first week or two of the season sees the highest number of birds taken. That’s due to young, less-wary birds being shot first. After that, the older, more hunter-savvy birds make up the preponderance of the grouse population. But during years of high grouse numbers, enough younger birds remain well into
the season to ensure good hunting. Woodcock, Too Woodcock numbers also fluctuate on a yearly basis, and little if any of this fluctuation has anything to do with conditions in Maine. Sure, some “native” birds, those that nest in Maine rather than continuing on into the Canadian Maritimes, give good early shooting. But it is the migrating woodcock, the kind that drop down from Canada after a hard freeze up north, that give us the most exciting hunts. Woodcock numbers are in an overall decline due to conditions in their southern winter homes. Habitat loss ranks high among the reasons for this. Also, late freezes can have a negative effect on woodcock because they cannot probe the soil for earthworms, their primary food source, in frozen ground. We in Maine have no control over any of these
First Moosehead grouse for Eric Holbrook’s young bird dog. Tom Seymour photo
factors, and all we can do is hope for the best. A good wintering season on their southern turf can mean good numbers returning north in spring, and equally good numbers dropping back down in fall. Those new to woodcock hunting in Maine’s north woods should note a lack of traditional habitat, as in reverting farmland replete with alders and wild apple trees. A small amount of this exists, but not enough to base a hunt upon. However, reverting clearcuts can serve as woodcock magnets. Look for semi-open areas, especially on
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hillsides, with young pioneer growth such as poplar and raspberries. Such places can become woodcock havens when the flights roll in. Hunting Tips Most hunters come to the region in search of grouse, with woodcock acting as excellent fill-in game. To that end, here are some suggestions for a successful trip. This is big, open country, and distances are deceiving. What looks like a moderately close shot may in fact be just out of range. So unless you hunt behind a bird dog, expect as many birds to flush out of range as in range. As someone who cut his teeth in the tight covers of Midcoast Maine during the heyday of bird hunting of the 1960s and 70s, my choice of shot size tended toward smaller shot, anywhere from (Continued on next page)
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 57 (Continued from page 56)
number 9 up to 7 ½. But for grouse in the Moosehead Region, stick to number 6 shot. Do carry some smaller shot in a pocket in case you run into woodcock, but for most purposes, number 6 will have the best effect. As for bore sizes, unless you hunt behind a pointing bird dog and are assured
that birds will flush within range, use 12-gauge. The extra knockdown power of a 12-gauge will ensure that you don’t hit birds without killing them – something every upland hunter deplores and dreads. A wounded, lost bird is a dead bird. Changing Landscape One of the highlights of my year is
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the time spent with my buddy and Maine guide, Bob Lawrence of Rockwood. For years on end, Bob and I have prowled every corner of the north woods, and though the main intent is to hunt birds, just being in that glorious country is its own reward. Just like anywhere else, the landscape in the Moosehead Region is constantly chang-
ing. New clearcuts spring up like mushrooms after a fall rain. Roads get washed out, or sometimes blocked off by the paper companies. And so it goes. A trip here is always a new and exciting experience. Bob and I like to rise early and be on the road before daylight. Leaving from Rockwood, it takes some time to get to our
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58 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Fowl and Fish Dominate Downeast Sports in October For partridge, woodcock, ducks and trout, the Downeast Region has plenty to offer this month. Bird hunting begins in October, which means upland bird-gunners in my home region wander afield in pursuit of helicopter-flying woodcock and explosive partridge. According to Department of Inland Fisheries Wildlife biologist Brad Allen, upland birds in our region appear to be healthy and holding their own. Allen told me that “the outlook for partridge and woodcock should be good.” Ruffed Grouse The Downeast region has hundreds of acres of farmland, hardwood ridges, abandoned apple orchards and wild berry growth to support a healthy partridge population. Several areas that provide fast grouse gunning can be found by referring to Delorme’s The Maine Atlas, Map 23 and 36. Most of these grouse haunts offer wild berries, stone walls and ample sources of fresh water. This type of habitat can
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easily be found along the Jacob Buck Road, Map 23, D-2. One prime partridge-hunting area, locally known as the Gullies, is surrounded by blueberry fields, wild apple trees, a variety of wild berries, and several small streams that eventually flow into Jacob Buck Pond. The dirt road leading up to the Orcutt Mountain blueberry fields is also an excellent spot to flush a few partridge. More than once I have fired off lots of shotgun shells along this dirt route, trying to bring down a thundering partridge. However, I usually end up with one or two wily birds per outing. Other excellent grouse covers are found all along the Jacob Buck Pond Road and the nearby Millvale Road. Whistling Woodcock Woodcock hunters should also find a few opportunities to bag a timberdoodle in the Downeast Region this fall. By again referring
to Maps 23 and 36, bird seekers can find numerous locations where the habitat is ideal to sustain native and migratory woodcock populations. Specifically, spots that support solid woodcock populations are located all along Route 46, especially in the vicinity of Hancock Pond and Long Pond, Map 23, D-3. The covers surrounding these two waters are traditional nesting spots for woodcock. Many other thickets beside Route 46 also contain small flowing brooks with enough alder-poplar tree growth to hold over native stock and to entice migratory birds during October. Another excellent gunning opportunity in the Downeast Region can be found along the Green Hill Road, which lies south of Meddybumps Village. Timberdoodle hunters thrashing through alder covers, especially along Route 1, find productive covers. This Downeast area is one of the first stops for these migrating birds, and they settle in with native woodcock. There are many other alder-stream covers that contain woodcock, as well as some excellent partridge haunts, along some of the long-abandoned woods roads. See Map 36, C-3.
Last October, the author and his wife Donna had excellent luck with late-season trout fishing in the Orland River, as evidenced by these 13- to 16-inch brookies. Jim Lemieux photo
Early morning and late afternoon hunts around any of these rural roads can produce plenty of feathers and with successful shots provide an excellent stock for a stew. Duck Hunting The Dennys River, Map 36, D-4, is good prospect to locate ducks at this time of year. Jump-shooting from a small watercraft is an excellent method on this water. Because of the bends and turns on the meandering river, hunters can get well into gun range before the ducks become
alarmed. Duck-shooting action is often fast toward the beginning of the mile-and-a-half run after it leaves Meddybumps Lake. This area of river is also an ideal location to set out a raft of decoys for an early-morning hunt. Beyond this point, the best place to intercept a few unaware ducks is at each turn in the river. Access to the river can be gained off Route 191. Fall Fishing October can be an exciting time of year to fish in the Downeast (Continued on next page)
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 59 (Continued from page 58)
Region. Lakes open to fishing have been stocked in the fall with a variety of cold-water species. Many of these waters are still open under general law regulations, while others can be fished with artificial lures and a catch-and-release provision. Salmonid fallstocked waters rec-
ommended by Region C Fisheries Biologist Greg Burr include Bog Lake in Northfield, Indian Lake in Whiting, Lower or Upper Hadlock Ponds on Mt Desert, and the Orland River in Orland. One of these waters I always fish in the fall is the Orland River Map 23, E-3. Last fall, my wife, Donna and I enjoyed outstanding brook-trout fishing
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is stocked two times each year, once in the spring and again in the fall. The Orland River was stocked last fall with 150 13- to 16inch brookies. The fish were dropped off by hatchery personnel between the Upper Falls Road and Alamoosook Dam. Bob Overlock of Bucksport mentioned to me recently that he fishes this water each
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60 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Wildlife Encounters – Part 2 of 2
Ranger David Trumble was tired. Rising at the crack of dawn, his day had begun quietly, and he expected it to remain that way. Little could he imagine what lay ahead. Lame Moose That morning, remembering that a family of skunks lived underneath his camp (see September’s column), the ranger walked in stocking feet to muffle any sound while preparing for his day’s patrol. Two hours later and three miles from his Umsaskis Lake cabin Dave stopped at the Meadows Campsite. Beaching his canoe, the ranger was greeted by campers. They had seen a male moose that was limping, and the campers were worried about the animal. The injured creature was not news, as Dave had seen it before. As the majestic bull walked, a dislocated shoulder of its right front scapula could be seen painfully rotating under the moose’s hide. Explaining it was nature’s way, the Ranger said that nothing could be done. “But will he live?” the canoers anxiously inquired. Not wanting to be the bearer of bad news, Dave answered, “There is plenty of feed for the summer, and he should be okay.” The ranger purposely neglected to discuss what might happen once the Waterway received its annual forty www.MaineSportsman.com
Ranger Trumble used the broom handle to whack at the ceiling in an effort to chase the bear off the roof. He hadn’t counted on the noise startling the family of skunks living under the cabin.
Allagash Ranger pounding down exposed spikes at Long Lake Dam. Photos: T. Caverly Collection
inches of snow. That much snow would create difficult traveling conditions for a lame moose, but would afford easy pursuit for predators. Bad Wound After three hours of patrolling, Dave stopped to refuel at the Thoroughfare’s Ranger Station. While there, he noticed a couple paddling towards the dock. Greeting the two, Dave saw a teenage girl in a sleeping bag lying on the bottom of the canoe. The woman explained they were camping by the washed-out impoundment of Long Lake Dam. The girl had used her inflatable air mattress to ride the quick water flowing over a deteriorating sluiceway. When the Dam was constructed in the early 1900s, 12-inch steel spikes were used to fasten timber cribs.
Even though the old dam was gone, spikes left behind were often exposed, due to changing temperatures and water levels. They created a hazard that threated to impale any who tried to float by. The mother explained that the family did not know about the spikes. While their daughter floated on her plastic raft alone on the swells, a rusty nail had poked a hole through the plastic mattress and into the pre-teen’s hip. The couple pleaded for medical attention. Using his two-way radio, Dave contacted the Ashland Ambulance. Due to the distance involved, the EMTs requested that the ranger transport the girl and mother east on the Reality Road to meet the rescuers. After loading the injured girl and mother into the Ranger’s
Example of spike used in timber crib construction.
truck, Dave started toward the medical team. While the wife applied direct pressure to the wound, the husband followed behind in their vehicle, which had been parked nearby. By the time the family had been delivered to the EMTs, it was nearly dark. Dave returned to camp, his growling stomach demanding nourishment. What’s That Noise Coming from the Roof? Starved, the exhausted man thought little about the polecats living underneath while he cooked a late supper of canned beans and fried bacon. While devouring his dinner, Dave heard a tearing sound coming from his roof. Based on the frustrated growling noises, Dave realized that a local bear must have smelled the cooking
bacon. In its efforts to access a savory treat, the bruin climbed onto the roof and begin ripping away the camp’s shingles. Not wanting the roof ruined, Dave grabbed his house broom and with the wooden end, pounded his kitchen ceiling to scare the bear. However, the sudden thumping startled the family of skunks below. Frightened, all six sprayed at once, emitting a rank odor which floated up and throughout the cabin. The skunk-scentedfog seeped through the kitchen, up and into a now small hole in the roof, directly to the creature’s black nose. Agitated at losing a meal, the bear climbed off the roof and ran directly to Dave’s nearby parked pickup. The bruin then climbed through an open window and chewed the driver’s seat into small bits of foam and vinyl. After satisfying his irritation, the woodland inhabitant wandered off to search for food. The seat of the pickup was such a total loss that for his next days off, Dave had to drive to his coastal home sitting on a replacement seat consisting of an upside-down plastic bucket. All in a day’s work, indeed! Tim Caverly is a former supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
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High Water Key to Great Fall Fishing For many anglers, says the author, year-round fishing on stocked streams is a fall tradition. DIF&W stocks fish so they are available to catch, and liberal bag limits encourage taking a few trout home for the pan. If word of a stocking has spread on social media, avoid the crowds by fishing early in the morning, or hike a few hundred yards upstream or downstream. Drought conditions over the last few years had left area streams and small rivers too low for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) to complete their fall stocking program, since trout would have quickly succumbed to warm, low-oxygen waters. Things have changed. Mid-to latesummer rains filled the lakes and ponds that feed the rivers and streams that DIF&W traditionally stocks, and with a few exceptions, water depths stand at healthy levels. During a conversation with a friend of mine, DIF&W fisheries biologist Scott Davis, we touched upon the outlook for fall stocking. Scott was certain that stocking could resume this autumn as usual. This was good news, since the fall stocking program consists mostly of releasing larger, fall-yearling trout into suitable rivers and streams. Brown trout, brook trout and even rainbow trout all figure into the DIF&W
fall-stocking program. These fish can run up to 16 inches and even longer, and since they are energized by the cool water of fall, they fight like crazy when hooked. This may not be the same as fishing for wild trout in a remote stream or pond, but it’s the next best thing for October, after the wild-trout fishery has shut down for the year. In fact, for trout fishermen, it’s pretty much the only game in town. Information circulated on the internet and various social media posting help spread the word about when and where DIF&W releases fish. This leads to frequently large crowds at points of stocking. If, like me, you eschew this “combat” fishing, there are ways around it. For example, most
people don’t hit the streams very early, so getting on the water just at daybreak almost guarantees you’ll have some degree of tranquility. Also, these trout don’t always stay where they were stocked, so don’t hesitate to explore. Check both upstream and downstream, and you may find some secluded hotspots to enjoy all by yourself. Fishing Techniques Most fall-stocked rivers remain open year-round. These are usually places where coldwater game fish have a low survival rate because of the warm, low water of summer. These yearround rivers and streams are managed under general law. Anglers may use all legal forms of bait, artificial lures and flies. The reason for
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These handsome brook trout were raised in a hatchery and released in a year-round river. Tom Seymour photo
these liberal fishing regulations is because DIF&W does not want the fish they release to go to waste. With the S-16 (2 fish daily bag limit) in place, anglers are encouraged to take a trout or two home for the pan, since their chances of long-term survival are slim. I may also add that the feed used to grow today’s hatchery trout makes their flesh sweet and rich, with a deep, orange color. Fifty years ago hatchery-raised trout
were almost inedible because their yucky diet of chopped liver (not kidding…I mean real chopped liver) gave them an oily, disagreeable taste. Also, the flesh was soft, unlike the flaky flesh of today’s hatchery products. Anyway, anglers may use any bait or lures they wish, including angleworms and live baitfish. These fish bite so well on artificial lures, though, (Trout Fishing continued on page 65)
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62 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Lou’s October Fly Fishing is Full of Surprises After nymphing for a while, I switched to my streamer rod, because I wanted to experiment with a new family of streamer patterns I developed. The streamers feature the spawning brook-trout colors of green, orange, and red, but they’re tied with weighted heads. They’ve proven effective for hooking pressured trout. A kaleidoscope of yellow and red leaves swirled down from the tops of birch and maple trees as I drove a western Maine logging road. Peak color was on the wane, and all but the aspens would be barebranched soon. October’s bird season appeared in full swing on this Saturday. Every few minutes I passed a truck parked roadside,
or the bird hunters themselves outfitted in blaze orange as they walked the side woods roads cradling their shotguns, sometimes with bird dogs sniffing ahead of them. But no leaf-peeping or bird hunting for me, I continued on my way to Mooselookmeguntic Lake’s famous Upper Dam for a little lateseason fly-fishing. Like any addict, I try to secure my
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angling fix before winter’s ice makes me go cold turkey for months. I parked my car at the gate and briskly hiked down the hill to the dam. I was fully outfitted with waders, over-stuffed vest, wading staff, and two fly rods – my 10-foot nymphing rod, and my seven-weight streamer rod. Upper Dam As I drew closer to the dam, I walked past an old apple tree. Suddenly, a half a dozen grouse exploded from within its yellowleaved branches and flew across the open field. “How ironic, after passing all of those hunters,” I said to myself. “If I had
This is the streamer pattern I was fishing at Upper Dam; email me if you want the tying instructions. Lou Zambello photos
been walking with a shotgun, instead of a fly rod, I might have bagged two grouse.” But I was after creatures with scales, not feathers. It was a decent day for the 2nd week in October; a slight overcast with a breeze running up the river channel (as it often does) and temps in the low 50s. Given the moderate weekend weather, it did not surprise me to see a full contingent of anglers in all the usual and productive places – I counted 12.
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But low water levels allowed me more room to roam. So, I crossed the dam bridge, meandered down the far shore, and then made my way through the rocks and small runs out towards the backside of the main flow, downstream from the main pool. It took me awhile to get into position. I am cautious now as I approach SocialSecurity age, and deceptively strong side-currents, an unstable rock, or an unseen hole could cause a stumble that might screw up a knee or an ankle. Better to go slow, and use a good wading staff with a metal tip. I arrived at my mid-river destination, and the closest angler stood over 70 feet away and on the other side of the main current. Once in position, I laid my staff and rods on two convenient flat-topped rocks, (Continued on next page)
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 63 (Continued from page 62)
and considered my options. I could highstick nymph fish, and use the length of my rod, two nymphs, and adjustable split shot to probe deep underneath the many rocks and boulders within reach that divided the lively current. I could also attach a strike indicator and cast farther up or down river to cover more territory. Proven Tactics If nymphing, my patterns had to imitate what was available to the fish. Most caddis and mayfly larva are small at this time of year, so a match would be hook size 16,18, or 20. If I want my point fly to be heavier to better sink in the faster flows, I often choose a larger stonefly nymph imitation, since their multi-year life cycle produces larger nymphs year-round. Alternatively, I could grab my streamer rod already rigged with a weighted streamer to fish across and down the main current or probe the deeper and
slower water of the lower pools. In the fall, salmon and trout are deep in spawning mode and will attack colorful streamers that they see as either rivals to drive off or distracted younger brethren to grab for a cannibalistic meal. I decided to begin by high-stick nymphing, with a size 10 black stonefly pattern of my design called Sim’s Stone, and a size 18 beadhead pheasant tail. After a few drifts without a take, I added a non-lead split-shot to deepen the drift. On the second cast near a refrigeratorsized boulder, I had a strong take from a big salmon that surged in the strong current and broke me off. When you are fishing 5x tippet and small flies, that happens sometimes. Nymphing the rest of the run, I brought several salmon and a brightly colored brook trout to hand – but of course, none as big as the one that got away.
New Patterns I then switched
Trout Fishing (Continued from page 61)
that we really don’t need to use bait to have a productive day. Long-time readers will likely be able to predict my recommendations for choice of lures. My all-time favorite trout lure, Trout Magnets, take more trout than anything I have ever used. A selection of body colors, coupled with both silver and gold-colored jigheads, are all anyone really needs. Other lures work well, too. Most spinners take fall-stocked trout, and you can even score on Mooselook Midgets, extra-small versions of the famed Mooselook Wobbler. Stay away from overly large lures, though, since you’ll have better results with smaller stuff.
Older Stockies When is a stocked trout not a
October Presumpscot River brook trout colors.
to my streamer rod, because I wanted to experiment further with a new family of streamer patterns I had developed for my “In Pursuit of Trophy Brook Trout” book. These streamers feature the spawning brook-trout colors of green, orange, and red, but we tie them with Fish-Skull brand weighted heads. The combination has proven effective for hooking pressured trout that have seen the more traditional streamer patterns and no longer react to them. On my second cast into a deep hole outside of the main current,
I felt a tug, and then a fish exploded into the air. It was so broad-shouldered and dark, I thought for a moment it was a smallmouth bass, but since smallies haven’t invaded here yet, I prayed that wasn’t the case. It turned out to be an old, scarred but still powerful salmon that probably weighed four pounds. My fly continued to nail salmon for the next hour. I have no idea why landlocks were hammering a brook trout imitation. Do salmon feed on baby brook trout? Do baby brook trout predate salmon redds? Trying to explain the
stocked trout? Well, once stocked, always stocked, but there comes a time with trout stocked in waters with at least some carryover capacity, when the fish become naturized and no longer bear much resemblance to freshly stocked trout. Such places typically have somewhere downstream where trout can live over the summer and also over the winter. Watersheds where the stream or small river enters a pond make ideal places for these carryover beauties. Given a sufficient flow in fall, the spawning urge drives carryover trout upstream. An ideal location for this kind of fishing would be a stream or river that begins at a dam and runs downstream into another pond or lake. Here, when water temperatures drop down to a certain level, trout will build up beneath the dam.
continuing mysteries of fly-fishing keeps me captivated. October Options Upper Dam is one of a number of Maine October riverfishing options. Try the Presumpscot, Saco, and Mousam Rivers in southern Maine, the East Outlet by Moosehead Lake, or the Fish River for landlocks below Fish River Falls (just to name several good options). Always double-check regulations. Extend your season into October and later. Winter’s enforced flyfishing celibacy will be arriving soon enough.
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If you have a place like this in mind, don’t discount it if your first trip does not produce, because it’s likely the water hasn’t become cold enough yet for trout to swim upstream. It only takes a few cold nights, perhaps a hard frost, to achieve this. Also, if you take a few trout from one of these locations, don’t think that that’s all there is, because trout don’t necessarily swim upstream en masse. Instead, they make their way up in dribs and drabs, trickles of small groups. So persevere and you may find a trouty reward. New Season For many, the year-round fishing on stocked streams has become a new fall tradition. It’s a great time to get out.
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64 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Is There Any Room Left for the Plaid-Clad Woodsman? The author encourages outdoors enthusiasts to stop and smell the roses, although in his case it’s the near-cloying aroma of a freshly fired paper shotgun shell, and an occasional whiff of Old-Time Woodsman’s Fly Dope. Growing up in the Midcoast region of the 1960s and 70s, I found myself in tune with the old-time woodsmen of a bygone era. And it stuck. My regular dress consists of blue jeans and flannel shirt, even on warm days. Leather boots still suit me, and my fondest dream remains to find a hidden pool on some remote stream where biggerthan-frying-pan-size brook trout abound. Contrast that with the modern outdoorsperson, with all the hip, synthetic gear and their digital bells and whistles. As for myself, give me my old-time stuff – a canoe and trusted paddle, Dutch oven, .22 revolver stuffed in the packbasket and, dare I say it, Old-Time Woodsman’s Fly Dope. The price of that venerable product has risen, so I content myself with the occasional sniff from the old bot-
tle in my closet. My idea of a good time consists of staying for a few days and nights in an ancient, remote sporting camp. If I use my fly rod at all, it is for trolling with traditional streamers and bucktails. Warden’s Worry still stands as my favorite Maine-inspired bucktail. All the glitz and shine of modern patterns, replete in their synthetic components, does not thrill me at all. And I still (gasp!) eat fish. Yes, warmwater species from low-lying ponds and lakes contain elevated mercury levels. Luckily, I usually fish the higher-elevation waters. My old pal the late Leo Mills and I once did a pseudo-scientific study on this subject. We got a list from the state on mercury levels in a number of Maine ponds. We found that without exception, high-ele-
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vation ponds had acceptable, low levels of mercury, while those ponds and lakes that sat in low-lying areas and that accepted water from various tributaries, all had higher mercury levels. So yes, I still eat pickerel and white perch and am not averse to a meal of yellow perch fillets. I don’t care for bass, but would eat them too if I did. Upland Hunting With October here, the upland bird covers beckon, and I still heed the call. My old bird dog died and, because I live alone, it doesn’t seem fair to get another dog. Leaving a dog in a kennel while I’m gone on a fishing trip goes against my grain. So for me, it’s back to the early days of brush-busting without a dog. My technique consists of walking and stopping, walking and stopping. It’s after I pause and then resume walking when birds, partridge and woodcock, flush. These birds get nervous and cannot contain themselves when they know a predator (me) stands nearby, so they flush, sometimes nearly underfoot. My hunting gear consists of my grand-
The Plaid-clad Outdoorsman.
pa’s side-by-side shotgun, a pair of blue jeans, orange hat and hunting vest. Canvas stands as my material of choice for hunting clothes, but all my old gear has long since worn away and the new stuff costs so much that it’s difficult to justify buying it. So I plod along with whatever suits me. In the old days, our pre-October preparations consisted first of going to the store to buy a fresh pair of jeans. Unlike today’s soft, stone-washed jeans, these were stiff as boards, excellent for thwarting briars and brambles. Back then, leather boots didn’t last long. It wasn’t so much the uppers, but the soles would wear out in one season, necessitating the purchase of new boots each year. Of course I
covered more ground back 50-some years ago than I do now, so the same boots would probably last much longer today. Last stop was to the ammo store, where Grandpa and I would each buy a case of shotshells. Some seasons we would need to go back for more. Nowadays, one box of shells suffices for the entire season. In the early days, shotshells were still made of paper, although star crimps had come into vogue and they, I believe, helped make for more uniform shot patterns. Even today, I’ll throw a few paper shells in with the new plastic ones. It’s mostly for that near-cloying aroma of a freshly fired paper shell. There’s nothing quite like it. (Midcoast continued on page 66)
�������������������������������������������� The Maine Sportsman • October 2021 • 65
Striper Catch Reduction Exceeds Target Catch restrictions implemented in the past several years appear to be working, as striped bass mortality dropped an estimated 28% in 2020 from the 2017 level. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), the group of states along the East Coast that manage fish migrating up and down the coastline, has come out with some encouraging news. The ASMFC’s Striped Bass Management Board has completed a review of striper catches for 2020, and concluded that the catch, both commercial and recreational that includes dead discards and release mortality, dropped an estimated 28% from the 2017 level. So why is this good news? The reason is that ASMFC, in the latest revision to its striper management plan called Addendum VI, had a target of reducing striped bass mortality in order to conserve and rebuild
the stock, which is believed to have been declining over the past few years. The goal was to reduce the catch in 2020 by 18% from the 2017 catch level, but that level was actually reduced by 28%. It is true, however, that the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted dockside person-to-person interviews of fishermen in 2020, but the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP), which is responsible for collecting data on sport-caught fish, was able to fill in the gaps using data from 2018 and 2019. This does increase the uncertainty around the estimates of the total striper catch, but ASMFC feels there is still “high confidence” in the numbers of fish caught and the percentage reduction from 2017.
ASMFC will build upon Addendum VI’s success in formulating a brand-new overall Striped Bass Management Plan to end overfishing and initiate stock rebuilding, which will be called Amendment 7. The original plan, Amendment 6, was implemented back in 2003 and will remain in effect until the new plan is finished. The next coast-wide striper stock assessment is scheduled for 2022, and the results will play a big part in how Amendment 7 is crafted and what sort of
The East Coast striped bass catch has declined by 28% since 2017 due to tightened restrictions, which exceeded the goal set by fishery managers in order to help rebuild the stock. A large percentage of stripers, like this one caught in August by Erin Gibson, are being released here in Maine and in other states. Mike Gibson photo
further striper restrictions the recreational sector might face, if any. One new wrinkle that will likely be
considered in the new plan is the opportunity for voluntary transfers of commercial striped bass quota between (Continued on next page)
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66 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Saltwater (Continued from page 65)
those states that have commercial striper fisheries. This could increase overall striper mortality if a state that does not, or cannot,
reach its quota (and it happens) then transfers its available balance to another state. So, instead of those fish being left in the water,
they may get “transferred” on paper to another state and caught there. I plan to watch this issue carefully. October Striper Tips Striped bass can certainly be caught in
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the tenth month here in Maine, but you may have to re-adjust your tactics a bit. Falling water temperatures encourage bass in the bays and along the ocean shorelines to start migrating south, but at the same time these lower temps will keep stripers residing in the warmer river systems from leaving until the last minute. The Kennebec River, in particular, normally retains temps in the 60s until at least mid-month, and striper action can be very good. Late-season bass try to pack on as much extra poundage as they can before their long trip south to the Hudson River or Chesapeake Bay, and will clobber live and chunk baits. Mackerel or herring “steaks” or fillets drifted over underwater ledges in 10 to 30 feet of water always seem to produce well, although those venerable soft-plastic-tail swim-
baits and stick-baits also take their share of fall bass. Seaworms are also super effective in fall, as they’re loaded with oil and protein – ideal nutrients for the stripers’ migration. Fish them deep from a drifting boat in 10 feet of water or more. Late-season stripers love to wolf down eels because eels are full of the same good stuff as seaworms. Live eels are king in the tenth month, but artificial eels (there are lots on the market) tend to work well this time of year. I like to vertically jig or cast-and-retrieve a lead-head dressed with a 6” to 10” black or dark brown plastic eel body, and have had good success doing so. Finally, as in the spring, striped bass get a bit logy in cooler water, so slow down your retrieve somewhat when working artificials. You’ll get more hits!
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Midcoast (Continued from page 64)
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One sniff suffices to transport my mind to the old days. Still Tromping One of my early delights was to fish those small, often nameless trout streams. This was the most beneficial form of exercise, hopping from rock to rock, clambering up and down steep banks and gingerly crossing tricky beaver dams. The fish seldom exceeded 12-inches, and in fact a 12-inch, wild brook trout was worthy of taking to the general store and showing it off. Today’s stocked, fall-yearling brook trout run well over 12 inches, and even 15- to 16-inch fish raise few eyebrows. This passion for brook fishing remains with me today, and while others eschew these small streams and the little wild trout contained therein, I continue the tradition because it’s a tradition worth perpetuating. It’s a form of taking time to smell the roses. You old-timers know what I’m talking about, and young readers might want to give the old ways a try. They still have merit.
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Shotgun and Muzzle Loader Ordinances Most Maine cities and towns have regulations establishing specific boundaries limiting the discharge of firearms. These rules are implemented to help ensure public safety, especially within highly populated urban areas. Outside of these regulated “no-discharge zones,” some cities and towns allow for the discharge of archery equipment, muzzle loaders and shotguns. Central and southern Maine municipalities such as Gorham, Hallowell, Kittery, Eliot and Falmouth have designated areas where hunters may harvest game animals with these types of designated weapons. Because of the recent explosion in urban deer populations, these residential areas have become excellent locations to pursue deer. Ethics, Negotiations, and Practiced Care Hunting residential areas requires that sportsmen exercise a high degree of ethics, employ skill in landowner negotiations, and use extreme care when discharging their weapons. Many of the hunting areas are privately owned, limited-acre parcels, and abutting landowners may – or may not – perceive hunters in a positive manner. Understandably, one of the quickest ways for a hunter to get
The author is not a fan of buckshot, since hunters tend to shoot from distances beyond the recommended maximum, which is 30 yards. Better to use a Foster slug in a smooth barrel, he says, or better yet, a sabot and a rifled shotgun barrel. on a landowners bad side, is by discharging any firearm, muzzleloader, or crossbow, less than 100 yards from a dwelling. It’s also against the law. While most sportsmen understand this basic aspect of the “100 yard” law, what is less known is that the law additionally states, “… or cause a projectile to pass as a result of that discharge, within 100 yards of a building.” The law also defines a “building” as any residential, commercial, retail, educational, religious or farm structure that is designed to be occupied by people or domesticated animals or is being used to shelter machines or harvested crops. In a residential area, this means that hunters must know at all times exactly how close they are to anything defined as a “building” and also know precisely their anticipated direction and distance of their discharge. To assist with calculating these ranges, I use an app called onX Hunt. Though not a free service, the premium app (one-state version) can be purchased for a reasonable annual subscription of $29.99. Not only does the app do
A Foster slug is designed for use with a smooth-bore shotgun. Grooves in its side impart spin – improving accuracy – as the slug is propelled through the barrel.
a great job of helping measuring distances, but it also functions as a GPS, route tracker and in most towns it provides the tax record information on who owns a particular piece of property. The Average Hunters Arsenal Most Maine hunters own two firearms, a rifle for hunting large game, and a smooth bore shotgun for hunting small game. Fewer of us carry an archery license and/or have in our limited arsenals a muzzle loader. Many of us also do not possess a shotgun with a specialized rifled slug barrel. Because of this, when hunting urban zones, most hunters rely on one of two shotgun loads – buckshot, and smooth-bore slugs.
Buckshot vs. Smooth-Bore Slugs While many hunters shoot and kill deer with buckshot every fall, many deer also are wounded and never recovered. A vast majority of problems resulting from the use of buckshot can be tied to improper patterning and stretching lethal load distances beyond the 30-yard maximum suggested distance. I personally am not a fan. I feel that the cons of using buckshot far outweigh the pros, and many states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York agree and have made buckshot illegal for deer hunting. A smoothbore slug like the Hornady American Whitetail is specifically designed for smooth-bore slug barrels. The Hornady American Whitetail Rifled Slugs are loaded with a 1-ounce foster style slug originally invented in 1931. The hollow point slug additionally features more modern components, such as a tough, lead alloy core loaded to 1,600 feet per second. The compression style wadding also protects the slug at ignition, helping to seal the bore for maximum velocity. Foster slugs are
suitable for use with open constriction choke tubes, such as cylinder, skeet or improved cylinder, and will typically shoot 3-inch groups at 50 yards. Some slug loads will provide better accuracy than others, so accuracy and/or distance may be improved by experimenting. By trying several different brands of shotgun ammunition, hunters may find a slug that shoots well out to 70 yards; however, this is a longer-than-average range for a standard, single-bead sight. Smoothbore shotgun hunters should only consider shooting deer at extended yardages after a considerable target practice. Sabot Slugs and Barrels Hunters using a sabot slug and a rifled shotgun barrel have a distinct distance advantage over smooth bore. Sabot slugs are specifically designed for use in rifled slug barrels, and as such are able to maintain accuracy at extended rages. A practiced hunter using a finely tuned 12 gauge slug gun with a rifled barrel and scope and employing high quality ammunition can consistently hit within the kill zone of a deer-sized target at ranges out to 150 yards.
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68 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Off Road Traveler Takes a Trip Back to the Sixties I’ve told the story here a few times of reverting back to a custom van, having a good chuckle at the “hippie” vans I owned in my youth. If truth be told, I really did enjoy traveling around in those roomy vehicles, despite that fact that folks probably thought I was a quirky hippie for driving the big, customized vans. The one thing about these vans I enjoyed the most was the fact that I could just pull over almost anywhere and sleep
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My van will have screened and shaded windows, a sleeping platform that converts into a table and seating, a refrigeration system, and lots of storage cabinets for my gear. At this stage of my life, I will probably forgo the shag carpeting, the fuzzy dice, and the peace symbol painted on the exterior. in comfort. If I was on the road and got tired driving, I could simply pull into a Walmart in any town, or a highway park-and-ride or rest stop, and take a break for a few hours before getting back on the road. If I was out in the woods hunting or fish-
ing, I didn’t have to drive all the way back home if I decided to stay late ... I could easily pull into a side trail and enjoy the fact that my camp for the night was already set up. In those days, I carried everything I could ever need for staying overnight for up to a
week if necessary. Over the past thirty years, I’ve gravitated toward owning four-wheel-drive pickup trucks. My adventures in the outdoors, as well as my guide service, required getting in and out of some sticky situations deep in the remote parts of
the Pine Tree State. My life situation has changed within the past few years – I’ve retired and now move through the woods in a slightly different manner. I’m usually traveling known routes that I’ve become accustomed to traveling – no more back trail riding in places that might cause an extraction difficulty (getting really stuck). So I’m thinking my next vehicle will be a customized (Continued on next page)
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van; one that will be comfortable driving long-distance on the highway as well as on some “moderately rough” logging roads. I’m pretty sure I can get by with two-wheel drive as long as I have a few other accessories I feel are necessary for the limited power of a two-wheel drive vehicle. Let me explain how I will set this new vehicle up for what I do in the woods of Maine as well as the paved highways around the rest of the country. Customized Van Models Although I’ve mentioned getting a van with 2WD, I am not opposed to looking at something in 4WD. Toyota made a 4WD van called the “HiAce” from 1970 to somewhere in the 1990’s. If I can find one in good shape, I may start with this model. I’m a huge fan of the dependable engineering built into Toyota vehicles, so this would be a good van to begin the project. I would stay away from all mini-vans, for the simple reason that they are too small for my liking. Camping out of a van comes with limited space to begin with; I don’t want to limit it further by cramming everything into a smaller sized van. Any of the other vans manufactured by Ford, Chevy, GMC, or Dodge all get my nod of approval. I don’t see any substantial differences among them. I’ve owned a Ford Econoline, and a Dodge
Tradesman, and many friends had GMCs and Chevys ... they all had their good points as well as mechanical issues that needed to be dealt with at times. This van I’m considering will be modified in a fashion a little different from those vans of my youth. I have differing requirements at this advanced time in my life. I won’t be covering the interior walls, ceilings, and floor with shag carpeting, or installing fuzzy dice to accent the interior rear view mirror. This vehicle will be outfitted for hunting, fishing and camping in the willywacks of Maine. There will also be numerous paved highway trips around Maine, as well as the rest of the country. Remember, I’m retired and ready to roll at any given time. Necessary Necessities I will set up this new (to me) van in a similar fashion to the old vans I used to own. I’ll have windows with screens for ventilation, window shades for privacy, a sleeping platform that converts into a table and seating during the day, some type of refrigeration system for perishables, and lots of storage cabinets for all the gear needed for hunting and fishing trips. I’m going to go with a different kind of winch system this time around, a handheld unit that stores inside the van rather than mounting it on the outside of the vehicle. This way it is out of the way but available for that rare moment should the van
Toyota has been making 4WD vans for years, like this versatile 1992 HiAce. The author is doing less remote off-roading than he used to, so he believes he can get by with a 2WD camper van, which will be smoother on paved roads. Photo credit: Vanlife Northwest
get stuck ... remember, I’m not bushwhacking with this van. I also want top-quality tires to avoid flat tires that often come with traveling on the logging roads around this state. A good set of 8or 10-ply tires should do the trick. If I know I’ll be on pavement
only, I’ll also have a set of smoother-riding road tires for extended highway trips. A solar panel for maintaining extra batteries to keep the refrigerator, A/C unit, and extra lights running would also be nice. And, of course, I’ll insulate the walls, floor, and ceiling to
make it nice and cozy. One thing I won’t be doing with this van ... I probably won’t decorate the exterior of the van by painting it with peace symbols and flowers. I’ll stick with some kind of hunting or fishing motif.
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70 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Time for Deer and Striper Adventures While the author and his grandson fished for stripers, the author had one eye on the woods and marshes behind them. He took careful note of good deer cover. It was hard, he reports, to focus on fishing. Deer trails crisscross the brown marsh grass; some even show on Google Maps from far above. Trees have turned from brilliant green to flashing yellows, orange and reds. Leaves float past covering the ground, hiding deer trails in the hardwoods where I set in ambush – but I know these trails well; I’ve bowhunted here for decades. Sea fog rolls in from the sea and has engulfed the distant breakers along the beach. Soon the fog will gain ground and cover the marsh and uplands I’m hunting – my hope is that the fog with get the deer from their secret beds deep in the marsh, moving them onto the high ground to feed on acorns, where I’m waiting. I rub the limbs on the longbow laying across my lap, remembering how I laid out each lamination and slowly spread the “Smooth On” epoxy (glue bowyers use) on my work bench. I’ve shot thousands of arrows from it over the years, and the string I made is still in perfect condition after a decade of use. No compound would ever take the abuse without repeated trips to an archery dealer for work and new strings. www.MaineSportsman.com
I initially planned to carry my compound on this trip, but the thought of bringing that cold, mechanical, contraption into this bountiful forest seemed wrong. Today was a classical bowhunt for me; my shots will be under 20 yards for the day. I sat there watching fishermen casting lures into surf on the distant beach. Soon they were swallowed up by the sea fog, but I knew they were still there.
had many successful hunts along with excellent fishing as well. I worked at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard located in Kittery for 36 years. I’ve since retired, so I spent many hours bowhunting and fishing after work in and around Kittery. There are a few boat ramp sites on the Piscataqua River and one at the Kittery Point Boat Ramp along Route 103 – this site is also a popular mackerel and winter flounder fishing spot.
Surf and Turf October is a good time to take advantage of bowhunting season and fishing for stripers, both in the same day. Stripers and deer are both active in marchlands along southern Maine coast – the two seasons overlap, creating an opportunity to bowhunt deer in the mornings and evenings, and fish for school stripers in coastal rivers during the afternoon. Some school stripers remain in the coastal river outlets year ’round. If you are considering taking advantage of this once-a-year opportunity, then the following are good locations to try. First is one location that I’ve bowhunted and fished for many years and
Fort Fishing If shore fishing is your thing, then you can fish the rocky shores at the forts. Fort Foster, Fort McClary and Seapoint Beach all along Route 103 at Kittery Point – these areas are all good spots to cast from shore, and with a little luck anglers can find a few stripers feeding near shore. Interested? These spots are located along Route 103 east from Kittery Point – take either Gerrish Island Lane or Cutts Island Lane to locate them. A small bridge at the Rachel Carson Nature Preserve Trail Head is good; the bridge on the Crockett Neck Road is also a popular fishing location. This area also has many bowhunting op-
Troy with a striped bass we caught at the Mousam River outlet, a spot that offers good striper and sea-run brown trout fishing this month. Photo by Val Marquez
portunities as well – we don’t give exact hunting locations. I will say that there are some public lands in the area – you do the math. These areas are small and receive heavy hunting pressure both with gun and bow – not the best bet for traveling hunters; they should continue farther north to larger sections of coastal Maine. Wells, Kennebunk It’s becoming more difficult to spend time with my grandkids due to their year-round sports; however, recently Troy and I traveled to Kennebunk to fish the outlet of the Mousam River. Interestingly, I live at the river’s head waters. We did catch a school striper at the outlet of the river.
All the while during this trip, I had one eye on the river and the other on the woods and marshes behind us. Good deer cover in back and stripers feeding in the rushing water at our ankles – it’s hard to focus on fishing. Troy did, though. Kennebunk has large tracts of land open to hunting on the Rachel Carson Preserve. Check their web page for info to apply for a $10 hunting permit. This is public lands with some restrictions; however --you own this land, so I don’t mind giving information on these large tracts of public lands. Parts of the preserve are located in (Southern Maine continued on page 73)
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October is for the Birds (and Fish!) The bird began to level off as the young hunter shouldered the shotgun and took aim. The hunter pushed the safety off, and put his finger on the trigger. Driving into the field that served as a parking lot, Dad turned off the car’s lights and relaxed with a cup of hot coffee from the thermos. His young companion grew restless, wanting the dawn to arrive. It finally did. When Dad declared it was light enough to safely hunt, the duo got out of the Oldsmobile and donned their gear. Shells were slipped into the elastic holder on the vests, boot laces were cinched in anticipation of a long hike, and finally, guns were loaded. Although our young hunter had practiced loading and unloading the shotgun, the solid metallic noise it made when the first shell of his hunting career was chambered was unlike any sound he had ever heard, and certainly one he would never forget. Working the Trailside like a Bird Dog The pair headed onto a dirt path that bisected a grown-up field. The cover looked “birdy,” and the young hunter peered intently at any shape that vaguely resembled a pheasant’s body. Once they were a sufficient distance away from the car, the father suggested that they start working the
edges of the trail, hoping to flush a bird from alongside the edge. Despite his young age, the younger hunter was tall, so stepping in and over brush, branches and downed trees was no problem. He worked the trailside like a bird dog, trying to cover as much ground as possible, remaining alert for a bird to flush. Dad had tried to describe the sound a pheasant makes when it takes to wing, but nothing prepared the boy for the sheer terror that a pheasant can create when it decides to leave its immediate surroundings. As the pair came to end of a trail where it met with another, things began to quiet down. Dad had left the woods and was standing on the path. Son had but a few more steps to take to get onto the same path. As soon as he put his foot down, just inches from the trail, the young hunter saw movement at his feet. It happened too quickly to frighten him. A hen pheasant leaped into the air, beating her wings frantically, trying to gain both distance and altitude. The bird began to level off as the young hunter shouldered the shotgun and took aim. Like a line drive, the bird gave the hunter
a straight-on shot as it rocketed away. The hunter pushed the safety off and put his finger on the trigger. He slapped the trigger quickly and watched in awe as the bird crumpled in mid-air. The prize was a small hen pheasant, stocked but a few days prior to their hunt, but the look on the youngster’s face would lead an observer to believe that it was a trophy elk or record-book whitetailed deer. Size, species or location didn’t matter. That day, a boy made his passage into the fold of a group known as “hunters.” It wasn’t the kill that provided the excitement; it wasn’t the meal that would ensue from game he harvested. It was the combination of all the planning that went into the hunt, the lessons practiced and learned, the tradition of handing down a gun to the next generation. All of these factors combined to make his first hunt one that he would vividly remember for the rest of his life. Stocked Pheasant Sites That hunt took place more than 40 years ago, but yours truly still chases those stocked pheasants in this region with as much anticipation and
Anglers Irfan and Chelsea Bhimji of Virginia show off a beautiful Sebago Lake salmon they caught while fishing with the author. Photo by Tom Roth
excitement as he did then. The folks at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W), in cooperation with local sporting clubs, stock spots in Gorham, Windham and Scarborough Marsh with pheasants several times this month. Check their website for details. Hunters with dogs do the best on these tight-holding birds, but solo hunters can walk and flush birds on their own.
Fall Fishing Fellow guide and friend Glen Gisel of Sebago Sport Fishing and Guide Service teased me this summer, saying “It must have been hard watching us troll by your house and catch fish while your boat was stored in mothballs!” He was right! I pulled my boat after my final guide job on last day in September last year. I reasoned that I wanted (Sebago to Auburn continued on page 73)
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72 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Finishing Touches for a Bird Dog Happen in the Woods Each dog is different, says the author, and each dog will have issues that require attention. As your dog matures, these problems will eventually be taken care of through gentle patience. Wait it out, and don’t force it too early. From the first time I set my eyes upon Ginger, we’ve had a special connection. Ginger is a special girl, with a red-hot spirit that matches her red hair. Ginger, a Hungarian Pointer (Vizsla), runs like the wind and lives to please her owners. Ginger was born to hunt ... and I feel the same way, so we are an inseparable pair. As Maine’s bird season got closer, we visited trainers, and we’ve also gone to the woods to run and get her nose and body in shape for the upcoming season. Ginger is three years old this month, and she’ll begin her prime hunting years this fall. She has trained for it and has done well with all she has learned. The one thing she hasn’t com-
pletely finished is a live-bird retrieve. For some unknown reason, when Ginger locates a dropped bird she pins the bird with her front paws and starts pulling feathers – fortunately, she doesn’t damage the meat. When I call her to bring the bird to me, she leaves the bird and walks away. She hasn’t learned to bring the bird back to me. Now, to set the record straight, let me tell you how much time has been spent showing her all the “secrets” for teaching her to retrieve. Almost daily, I take her to the back yard and run a series of fetching/retrieving lessons, and she does great.
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ger learned that she would be showered with praise (and sometimes treats) if she brought back items I threw out at varying distances. It was pretty easy to teach her this little trick, especially after teaching her the basic command of “come.” It’s natural for a dog to want to chase and grab something you toss, and if the “come” command has been learned – the rest is easy; simply call the dog back to your position when it grabs the item and give them a bunch of praise when they return it to you. I taught Ginger how to retrieve items on the water by first allowing her to become used to swimming and playing in the water. Even though she doesn’t like jumping right in, she does great retrieving all sorts of items in the water. After realizing Ginger had a problem with retrieving downed birds, I tried a few things that I thought might help. I taped a few grouse wings to a bumper and got her used to fetching with that device. It worked great, and I still use it to play fetch. I also have her hold
Teaching Ginger how to fetch on the water begins on land. Photos: William Clunie
the feathered bumper for various time spans to help her get used to mouthing something similar to a bird. The next thing I think I need to do is have Ginger retrieve this feathered bumper on the water – I have never used it for retrieving on the water, and just realized something that might work to help her with this problem. Possible Fix Ginger fetches just fine on the water; as a matter of fact she does awesome, bringing back thrown items like flip-flops, sticks and tennis balls. Once she goes out into the deeper water and grabs the item, she has no recourse except to return to the shoreline – if she didn’t, she would have to remain in the deep water and paddle in circles. I am going to take
Ginger to the beach and toss her the feathered bumper to get her used to fetching a feathered item by returning it to me at the shoreline. If I can get a completely intact bird, I will start using that for retrieving on the water, and hopefully she will put it all together and finally bring me downed game birds in the field. The one thing I hope folks that have been following my training of this wonderful dog is this ... every dog requires different methods to take care of specific issues. What works for one dog doesn’t always work for other dogs. Get a well-rounded training regimen by visiting several trainers or experienced folks in hunting with bird dogs. Hunt your dog with other dogs, (Continued on next page)
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but most of all, nothing beats training your dog on live game birds in the woods ... the more you can do this, the better your dog will be. Above all, understand that almost every dog will have certain issues that need special attention. If you have a dog with documented hunting DNA, the dog is going
to produce if you follow a training schedule and get the dog in the woods often. As your dog matures, these problems will eventually be taken care of through your gentle patience. Wait it out, and don’t force it too early. Some dogs I have worked with in the past have learned to retrieve down game birds well before their second birthday. Gin-
Southern Maine (Continued from page 70)
the expanded archery zones. These areas allow multiple deer tags, and some offer excellent bowhunting for deer. Rules and boundaries in the preserve change each year, and up-to-date info is available on their web page – simply google “Rachel Carson Wildlife Preserve” for information. Likewise, check Maine IF&W web page for expanded archery season rules and boundaries. Exciting adventure await you.
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ger is different, but I think this will be the year for her. There will be tears of joy when she brings one back to me ... after I’ve been patiently waiting, Ginger will have arrived at a level appropriate for her age – three-years-old is perfect for a red-headed, hot-spirited bird dog to finally come of age. This is her year!
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Training to retrieve downed birds by having her hold one while at the “whoa.”
Sebago to Auburn (Continued from page 71)
to hunt in October. Boy did I miss the boat, literally. Glen and other anglers really got into salmon as the water cooled. I’m keeping my boat in through October this year, and plan to bird hunt Saturdays and troll Sundays. Sebago Lake (DeLorme Atlas, Map 5, C-1) has an artificial lure only rule in effect starting October
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74 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
Another WMM Champion Shooter Takes the Reins This is it! Bird season is upon us. The month we have been waiting for has finally arrived – cold, crisp mornings where the nearly frosted leaves begin to blanket the forest floor with vibrant colors of fall. I can smell autumn in the air ... a pungent, rich aroma that means covering miles of ground, chasing fast-flushing game birds with my favorite bird dog. For too many years, my shotgun shooting started off slowly, and then improved as the season progressed. Plenty of missed birds during the early season really frustrated me (and probably my dogs), so after a few years of missing a lot of birds early in the season, I vowed to be sure to go into the new season with a little shooting practice so I could work out the bugs before the season started. I began by getting together with my buddies so we could throw clay pigeons for
Deryk Collins’ long hours of practice are paying off – he was first in his division at the recent state trap shooting championships. He hit 844 clays in 1,000 shots – an outstanding result.
The divisional champion shotgun shooter, Deryk Collins, and his well-earned trophy. Photo courtesy of the Collins family
each other and finetune our shotgunning skills during the late
summer months. Later in life, I purchased a clay-throwing unit
that allows me to yank a cord with my foot and launch the targets by
Wildlife Quiz Answers: American Woodcock
1. The American Woodcock is also known simply as woodcock or timberdoodle. 2. The American Woodcock inhabits forests, brushlands and agricultural areas throughout the United States and Canada. 3. Yes, American Woodcock spend the www.MaineSportsman.com
cold winter months in the south and return north in the spring to breed. 4. The American Woodcock nests on the ground. 5. American Woodcock eggs hatch in about 20 days. 6. An American Woodcock lives to approximately 8 years of age.
myself, for more practice on my own. I kind of like this clay-throwing machine, because it simulates me stumbling through the woods, then having a bird flush, with me then trying to establish a good shooting stance to take a shot. Local Shooting Champ Peru outdoorsman Deryk Collins knows what it takes to consistently powder one clay pigeon after another. The seventeen-year-old has been training with his father, Dan, and friend, Brian Palmer, for many years. Brian is a championship shooter who will be inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame next year for his own fantastic, lifelong career of crushing clay pigeons. The training must be working, because Deryk recently won the Maine State Trap Shooting Championship in his division. During this weekend of shooting, Deryk shot at 1,000 targets and (Continued on next page)
(Quiz on Page 33)
7. The predominant features of an American Woodcock include its large eyes and long prehensile bill. 8. The biggest factor in the declining population of the American Woodcock is loss of habitat caused by urban development.
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hit an amazing 844 ... now that is some pretty dang good shooting. And it’s not just that young Deryk has wonderful shooting skills – he’s a great young man on top of all of his gunpowder-burning accomplishments. His mother and father (and friend Brian Palmer) must be so proud of this fellow. Deryk and his twin brother, Drew, are both avid Maine sportsmen – I often see where they have dropped a nice deer or huge turkey, or reeled in some whopper-of-afish. These young fellas are getting raised right, living life large in the Western Maine Mountain Region.
Shooting Technique Almost every time I have missed a game bird, the vision of the miss gets etched in my mind. When I replay the scene in my head, there will be silly me with my neck stretched up, looking directly over the barrels at the bird. Rather than having my cheek firmly on the stock, where it’s supposed to be, I sometimes get anxious to see the bird and keep my head held high – a huge, and common error. Maintaining what they call a solid and consistent “cheek weld” while aiming and shooting at the target will keep you from missing too many birds or clay pigeons. There are plenty of other tricks and tech-
niques to learn to become an accomplished shotgun shooter, but the cheek weld is a basic rule for success. Before starting any kind of shooting, be sure to determine if you are left- or right-eye-dominant. Go to youtube.com and listen to a few videos to get the information needed to do a selftest. It’s actually pretty easy to figure out for yourself. Once that’s determined, shooters can begin training with clay pigeons to work out any bugs. I would suggest a professional trainer for starters – they actually will help you avoid learning any bad habits and get you on the right path. Another great method of indoor practice for wing shooting
involves making certain the gun is unloaded, then taping a small flashlight to the barrel of the shotgun and aiming at the place on the wall where it meets the ceiling. Fix your eyes on the ceiling/wall seam, mount the shotgun, place the light on the seam, and sweep it towards the target (the corner where all seams come together) and pull the trigger when the light hits that corner. Some folks don’t mind pulling the trigger on an empty chamber, but I prefer to use “Snap Caps” for dropping the trigger in practice. The product acts as a buffer for the trigger pin and avoids unnecessary wear. The idea is to keep a smooth swing during the whole process. Try
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to keep the beam from the flashlight directed on the seam during the mounting and swinging – keep the bouncing light beam down to a minimum. My own wingshooting needs attention throughout the year, rather than a simple brush-up before the season. This year maybe I’ll join a sporting clays organization to keep my shooting skills going year-round ... it would make me a better shooter. If I happened to be a sharp thinker, I’d ask the young sharpshooter, Deryk, for a few tips ... I’ll bet he’s going to be dropping the game birds starting this month.
Mon-Sat 8-5, Sun 12-4 1132 Roxbury Notch Rd. Roxbury, ME
www.gallantsdiscountfurniture.com
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Gas • Groceries Dining Room ATV & Snowmobile Trail Access Facebook “f ” Logo
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207-562-8284 126 Weld St., Dixfield
Lisa’s Barber Shop 178 Main Street Mexico, Maine 04257
Lisa Cormier - owner
231 Main Street Mexico, Maine 04257 phone: 207-369-0551 fax: 207-369-0554
Walk-ins: www.hebertrealtygroup.com Tuesday–Friday 8:30–5:00 Saturday ...you have come to the right agency. 9:00–12:00 Closed Sun & Mon
357-3824
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76 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
First Time with an Old-Time “He’s going to flush! Take careful aim and shoot him as soon as you get the bead on —” BOOM! I often accuse my wife, Maylynda, of fooling me into marrying her. We’ve been together since teenagers. Like most young love-struck girls, she played the part of being interested in—and eager to participate in—her crush’s hobbies and passions. I taught high school for several years and took notice of many teenage girls suddenly gaining a newfound fixation into things in an attempt to impress a boy. My wife was never a real tomboy. She grew up in rural Vermont, but was never exposed to the hunting/fishing/woods-exploring world. It wasn’t until we started dating that she ever shot a gun or a bow, or showed any interest in antlers of any kind. She never ate fresh game meat, and she never gutted a trout. She took all these introductions in stride and with enthusiasm—until we married four years later. Once she had me— and a ring—wrapped around her finger, much of the outdoor pursuits I’d been introducing to her became a “me” thing instead of a “we” thing. No need to impress me anymore, I guess. To be fair, she still loves the taste of trout and venison. And www.MaineSportsman.com
she’ll make an annual overnight moose antler trek with me. And she doesn’t discourage me from going fishing or tell me I can’t disappear for several weeks during deer season. But she certainly doesn’t volunteer to accompany me anymore. And when she does come, it definitely isn’t all smiles and nods when I try to give her pointers and advice. We’d been married almost four-and-a-half years before she finally pulled the trigger for the first time on a live target. And it couldn’t have been more perfect of a first. A Surprise Bequest Late last summer, while visiting her great-grandparents in Holland, VT, Maylynda was gifted a shotgun by her great-grandfather, Rodney. He only had a few guns, and he told her he was proud that she had shown interest in the outdoors. And since she is about the only one in the large family who has taken any interest, he wanted her to have his shotgun. Now, I’ve placed a hundred guns in her hands and raved to her about their value and rarity and comfortable natural fit, and so on. And they all get the same reaction: an ambiguous “uh-huh” mixed in with a slight
eye-roll. But when she walked through the door that night with that old ugly club of a scattergun in her hands, her eyes were lit up with pride and affection. Practicality? I was happy for her. And I thought it was a very nice gesture on the part of her grandfather. But the gun was a late 1800s Stevens Tip-Up single shot 12 gauge with a 30-inch steel straight cylinder barrel. I didn’t even know if the thing would fire. And I certainly didn’t see any practical use for it—especially for an already recoil-shy dainty 5’ 4” brunette. So I gave it a quick wipe down and leaned it in the corner to be forgotten. Shortage Revelation About a week before bird season, I was in the local gun shop. Given the drastic ammunition shortage, there were only a half-dozen boxes of ammo on the entire rack. If not for the bareness of the shelves, I wouldn’t have even noticed the odd-shaped box of “Minishells.” I opened the box out of curiosity and laughed at the useless 1¾-inch 12-gauge concept. About an hour later, it hit me: Maylynda could shoot a Min-
Maylynda Emerson shot her first grouse with a late1800s Stevens Tip-Up 12 gauge given to her by her great-grandfather, Rodney Lyon.
ishell out of that Stevens shotgun. It would have severely reduced recoil but still probably have plenty of pellets and oomph to kill a roadside partridge! I raced back to the gunshop and bought them. Now all I had to do was convince her to give it a try… Instinct Takes Over I not-so-subtly suggested that her grandfather would be ecstatic if she could tell him she shot her first partridge with his shotgun. I was ready for an argument. But her face showed the same gleeful sparkle as it did when she carried that gun into the house. She didn’t need to say she agreed; her eyes said it for her. With her being a native Vermonter, I thought it only appropriate that we try their traditional tactic: roadhunting. All
jokes aside, we needed to find a bird on the ground. The more suicidal, the better. The shotgun is a club, and she wasn’t comfortable with shooting on the wing—especially if she experienced a case of first-time nerves. It took a couple of outings over a few days, but we finally found the right bird. He was sunning himself on the gravel bank, and waddled into the treeline as we drove past. There was a perfectly situated drainage ditch angling back toward where he went. We crept down it into the woods. I spotted him about 15 yards away and pointed him out. Just as I did, he stuck his head up and started to cluck. “He’s going to flush! Take careful aim and shoot him as soon as you get (Continued on next page)
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the bead on ---” BOOM! It was like she’d been doing it her whole life! One swift motion. No hesitation. Flattened the bird. Happiness and Solace The bird flapped a couple times as I ran up to it. Before I grabbed it by the neck, I looked back at Maylynda to tell her not to watch. I half expected to see her crying. But she was smiling and shouting, “Babe, I got it!!” A week later, she went to visit her great-grandparents
In order to reduce the recoil and stress on the old scattergun, Maylynda used these 1 3/4-inch “Minishells” that the writer discovered only due to a shortage of anything else on the ammo shelves.
again. This time she was the one bearing a gift: a framed photo her holding an old Stevens shotgun in one hand, and a beautiful ruffed grouse in the other. ***** Afterword: Maylynda’s great-grandmother, Veda, fell suddenly ill this past spring, and passed away in
the hospital at age 88. Rodney, who had also been in recently declining health, took a swift turn for the worse after receiving the news. He followed her to Heaven only three days later, at age 93. They’d been married 70 years. Maylynda went to see him the night before he passed away. I like to believe that seeing her
Rodney Lyon, left, poses with his father and a couple of whitetail bucks they killed in November, 1956.
made him think of the picture of the partridge and his old shotgun, giving him a few mo-
ments of pleasure and comfort.
¶
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Northern New Hampshire Call Today! NORTHERN EDGE REALTY LLC Berlin Office: 232 Glen Ave. • 603-752-0003 Colebrook Office: 114 Main St. • 603-237-5850 Gorham Office: 139 Main St. • 603-915-9233 Lancaster Office: 89 Main St. • 603-788-2131
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Smilin’ Sportsman A man and his wife were lying in bed listening to the next-door neighbor’s dog, which had been barking for hours and hours. The wife jumped out of bed, declared “I’ve had enough,” and headed downstairs. Ten minutes later, she returned to the bedroom. “What have you been doing?” asked the husband. “The dog is still barking.” “I put the dog in our back yard,” said the wife. “Let’s see how THEY like it!” — Eb: “I’ll never understand women.” Flo: “Why do you say that?” Eb: “Last night, I got home late. The house was dark. My wife had posted a note on the refrigerator that read, “I am sorry, Eb – this is simply not working.” Flo: “And?” Eb: “And I opened the door to the fridge, the light came on, the beer was cold – so it was working fine!” — Eb: “I had a big fight with my wife last night, but afterwards she came crawling to me on her hands and knees.” Flo: “You are the man, Eb – What did she say?” Eb: “She said, ‘Eb, come out from under the bed, you coward!’” — Remember: If God didn’t want us to hunt, He wouldn’t have given us florescent orange!
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80 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
— TRADING POST — • Subscribers may place one free 20-word line classified ad per month (2-month limit) • Items for sale must include a price • Real estate ads must include an address or location
• The regular rates are $15 for up to 20 words and 50¢ for each additional word • Check, money order, MasterCard or VISA (Credit or Debit) are accepted
• You may submit your ads by: Phone: 207-357-2702 E-mail: classifieds@mainesportsman.com Mail: 183 State Street, Suite 101 Augusta ME 04330
SUBMIT AD AND PAYMENT BY THE 30TH OF EACH MONTH AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN THE NEXT ISSUE. BOATS/MOTORS FOR SALE GRAND LAKE CANOE WITH TRAILER Classic 19 1/2 ft square stern canoe great for fly-casting or streamer troller. Handcrafted by Pierce Pond fishing guide in 1983. Blue. Canvas cover. Fiberglassed exterior. Fly-tying platform near stern. Rangeley boat seats. In Brunswick. Seldom used trailer. $7,200. Many Extras. Call or text 207-751-2940. 1972 20’ TREMBLAY CHIPPEWA CANOE Made in Ontario Canada. Good cond. very stable. Guide retiring.
$1,200 OBO. Call 207532-6639, Houlton. 2-1/2 HP SUZUKI 4-CYCLE OUTBOARD MOTOR Good condition. $295. 207-622-4843 or 207724-3502. — DOGS QUAIL HOLLOW KENNELS BRITTANYS Simply the best personal shooting dogs and family pets. Puppies and started dogs. Woodcock training November through March. Forty years of excellence. Call after sunset 856-935-3459 —
CAMP FOR SALE JUST IN TIME FOR HUNTING SEASON Camp for sale directly on Aroostook River T9R7 -Wild Trout and Salmon Fishing! $39,900. 207-227-2305 — COMMERCIAL PROPERTY HISTORIC 3-STORY COMMERCIAL BUILDING ON ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER Western ME, busy US Rt 2. Restaurant with equip, furniture, dishes, carpeted. Two restrooms, full basement, paved parking. Boat launch. Smallmouth bass/trout action! Upper floor could
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.
Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat!
be rooms for Fishing Lodge. $139,500. Add adjacent pad for camp w/water and electric hookup $149,500. 207562-7564. DEVELOPER’S DREAM: 6.6 ACRES 370ft. road frontage on Whittier Rd. in Farmington, Maine, just off Routes 2 & 4. Electricity on site, 4 water hookups and 4 sewer hookups, Tax Incentives possible. 207474-0778. — FOR RENT DEAD RIVER CAFE Year-round home for rent on the North Branch of the Dead River. Sleeps up to 9. Four bedrooms, 1/1/2 baths, 2 car garage. 3 1/2 miles North of Pines Market in Eustis. $250/day up to 6 people- 2 day min. $50/pp extra up to 9. $1,200/wk up to 6 people, $200/pp extra up to 9. Contact Jamie: 207-577-6516 —
REAL ESTATE SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY FARMHOUSE With 120 ACRES. Early 1900’s, 8 room, 1 1/2 bath, farm house with 120 acres, mostly wooded, excellent hunting, has snowmobile and ATV trails, Also 1200ft airstrip. For sale by owner. $375,000 Call 207578-1482 — MISC. FOR SALE 2014 RAPIDO LOCO JR FIREWOOD PROCESSOR With trailer. 24’ elevator. Good condition. 567 hours. $40,000. Pictures available upon request. 413854-3516 FULL LINE OF MATERIALS & FLIES Tools, Kits, Lessons, more. Mr. Ed’s Flies & Supplies, 11 Honeysuckle Ln., Brunswick, ME. mredsfliesandsupplies.com or call 207-229-8468. (Continued on next page)
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, LOON LAKE - One of the original “York’s Cabins’’ built by Sam York, “Showboat’’ is the quintessential lakeside cottage. Boasting sunny open living spaces, stone fireplace, and large wrap around deck overlooking the lake and Spotted Mountain. One-car garage with storage above. A tasteful blend of old and new and updated with modern conveniences. Sold mostly furnished. Enjoy end of the road privacy on this quiet, nomotors water body. MLS #1506741 – $435,000 RANGELEY – Rangeley’s newest neighborhood! Great opportunity to build your own home just steps away from Rangeley Lake and downtown. The .47 acre corner lot is improved with circular driveway and excavated foundation site. Town water/sewer, underground power at the street. Deeded shared/owned waterfront with sandy beach on Rangeley Lake, plus 15 acre common green space to enjoy. ATV/snowmobile friendly too. MLS #1507850 $89,000 RANGELEY PLT – Privately sited on 53.9 wooded acres on the Bemis Road, this 3 bedroom, 2 bath home features open floor plan, sun-filled living spaces, and screened porch. Detached 2-car garage with finished room above. On-demand Kohler generator, plus being sold furnished. Level lot in tree growth tax status on town maintained yearround road. Super spot for 4-season recreation. Close to Oquossoc Village amenities, fly fishing, hiking, and more. MLS #1500634– $499,000
www.MaineSportsman.com
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SIX VINTAGE L.L.BEAN BLACK DUCK CORK DECOYS With decoy anchors and rope, good condition. Sold with original L.L.Bean 6 com-
partment canvas duck decoy bag for $295. Brunswick, Maine. Call or text 207-7512940. COMPLETE BOW HUNTING SETUP Elite Energy 32,” ready to shoot. FMJ arrows, illuminated nocks.
Four tree stands, two Summit SD climbers. All hard cases, safety and climbing gear. Excellent condition, lots of extras. Very nice stuff at fair price $1K or best offer Dan at 207-351-6117.
Grand Lake Stream! 16 acres. 5 minute walk to the stream. 4,900 square feet of living. So many possibilities – don’t miss this one! Dan Fahey
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Associate Broker Keller Williams Realty 50 Sewall Street, Portland, ME
$
Grand Falls – This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use. This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Road. ATV and snowsled from this location. Take a look. $79,000
Prentiss TWP – Sitting on 43 acres in a nice wildlife area, the cabin has been lived in, year round, the past few years right on Rosewood Haven. Put the work into removing the mold, put down a floor and turn this into a nice, little hunting cabin. $49,900
Lakeville – 52 acre lot with rustic cabin sits at the top of the hill offering breathtaking 180 degree views of area lakes and hills. ATVing and snowmobiling are at your door step on Vista View. Set it up for solar and live here year round. $89,000
Carroll PLT – Cute little cabin with substantial makeover right on Main Road. Walls and ceiling are insulated, new windows, knotty pine interior, 100 Amp electrical. New metal roof, new privy and gray water bed for sink. Possible Owner Financing. $44,900
Springfield – is 2+/- acre parcel would be perfect. Priced to move. Ready for your camper or getaway cabin right on Route 6. Call today to come see your little slice of the north woods. $18,900 Lincoln – Grab this lot now if you want to own one of the few locations left on Transalpine Road. This large lot feels out in the woods but is only 1.1 miles from the hospital and one more to downtown. $18,900
39,900
Lakeville – Spacious inside with a covered porch and large back deck. Two sheds. Solar and generated power. Two driveway entrances for your convenience on Birch Hill Road. Extremely low taxes and access to dozens of lakes. $109,000
Lakeville – Lots of well wooded land. This cute cabin is located at the end of a private road with no through traffic on Spaulding Pond Road. Situated in a wonderful area for many of Northern Maine’s recreational activities. Ready for you today. $70,000
Lincoln – New lot on Long Pond with power being run on Trails End. This lot has a nice driveway and gravel pad. Very nice frontage and easy access. $89,900 Mattamiscontis TWP – Stunning riverfront lot with electricity nearby and on year round road on the Penobscot River. Possible owner financing to qualified buyers. Only 5 minutes from I-95 or downtown Lincoln. Quiet and rural yet easily access. $39,900
(207) 632-6265 dansellsmaine@gmail.com
MOSCOW – This gorgeous estate features two beautifully conceived and furnished houses on one lot. The main house boasts 5 bedrooms, four full bathrooms, large living rooms on each level and large kitchen which comes complete with a gas range, wall oven, and a double-sided fireplace. Screened-in porch leads to a wrap around deck. The second home features a three-car, heated garage with electric garage doors, a half bathroom, and direct entry to the living area above. No detail has been spared on this beautiful, open-concept home. The kitchen has beautiful granite counter tops with a gas range and wall oven. Great room boasts a cathedral ceiling and an oversized dining area with a 20-seat dining room table which comes with the property. This property is the ideal place to enjoy all your outdoor pursuits. From world class trophy hunting for whitetails, moose, bear, upland game, and snowshoe hare to fly fishing the many streams and rivers for wild and native trout, all your passions can be realized here. And don’t forget to bring your snowmobiles and ATVs as this property has easy access to a vast network of trails at your disposal. This is also a great opportunity to start your guiding operation, bed and breakfast, or weekly rental. MLS #1487587 – $799,000 HARTLAND – This one room camp has power, is tucked in nicely on the property and accessed from the state maintained paved road. The surveyed property is located near the trails, hunting lands and the Great Moose Lake public boat landing is a short drive away. MLS #1493828 – $44,900
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
SKOWHEGAN – This property offers 10 acres, consisting of pasture land rolling hills. The home has 5 bedrooms, open concept kitchen, porches, country living at its finest. Detached garage, stables all in place, hay barn, storage, everything one would need. The home also has an in-law living space with separate entrance just minutes from downtown Skowhegan. MLS #1502046 – $341,990 KINGSBURY PLT – This lakefront camp on Kingsbury Pond is the perfect place to relax with family and friends. Sliding glass doors open onto the large wrap around deck. The flat grassy lawn to the waters edge makes your 50’ of frontage easy to use. Open living room/kitchen and dining area, two bedrooms on the main floor, a loft bedroom and an additional loft sleeping area. New metal roofing installed and was painted this summer. The camp underwent major renovations in 1988. The camp sits on I-Beams supported with a concrete footing foundation underground. There is a road association that keeps the road maintained with a voluntary $100 per year contribution. MLS #1502839 – $175,000 MOSCOW – This cute camp sits perched on a hill just outside of Bingham and a short drive to ATV/ snowmobile trails, white water rafting and more. The camp has an open kitchen/dining area/living room with cathedral ceiling and beams. There are two bedrooms on the main level with a loft bedroom as well. Full indoor bathroom, power, town maintained road and town water. MLS #1505313 – $79,000 KINGSBURY PLT – This waterfront camp sits on the edge of beautiful Kingsbury Pond. The lot is mainly flat and grassy and comes with 75’ of water frontage as well as a boat dock. The interior of the camp feels spacious and features a lovely enclosed porch, as well as a newly built deck. The main bedroom is on the first floor, as well as the loft area, offers plenty of sleeping space! MLS #1505849 – $185,000 ATHENS – Approximately 5 acres of land in a great hunting location. Close to ATV and snowmobile trails. Build yourself a little camp or a home. Privacy is yours. Power is available at the road. Owner financing available to qualified buyers. MLS #1475316 – $35,000 CANAAN – 50 acres with 1265’ of road frontage on year round gravel road. Power at the street. Very nice hunting, ATV and snowmobile riding. Portion of the property is in tree growth. MLS #1482354 – $90,000 10/21
www.MaineSportsman.com
82 • October 2021 • The Maine Sportsman —————————————————————————————————————————————
HUNTING CAMP FOR SALE
(Continued from page 81)
ONE BULL MOOSE SHOULDER MOUNT And Four Whitetail Buck shoulder mounts. Great for Sporting Camps or Bar. $3,000
Firm. Call 207-9449027 — WANTED DEER/MOOSE ANTLERS Buying any size deer
& moose shed antlers/racks or antlered skulls. All grades bought by the pound. 802-875-3206
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Camp in Allagash Range 13, Twp 10. Sag Pond area, off Rocky Brook Road. Leased Land. Zone 2. $35,000. Call: 207-731-1200
WATERFRONT PROPERTY 44 surveyed acres in Anson. 1500’ river frontage. Currently a portion is used for farming (cornfield). Small garage with workshop, 2 dug wells, and electrical service at the road. Gravel road to the river runs through the middle of the property. $143,000. FMI call (207) 931-8331.
Attention Sportsmen & Outdoor Enthusiasts:
Imagine Yourself Here!
Moose, deer and wildlife abound at this genuine north woods style camp, nestled on 1.72 acres. Easily accessible year round on town maintained road. The camp is off-grid with 12 volt, has generator and a holding tank for septic. Heat is wood and propane. $97,500. Call today!
Farmington – 63 acre or 67 acre lots sold separately or combine as they abut each other. Located at the end of town maintained road. Private location. Recently harvested. $95,000 per lot.
Roxbury – 29+/- acres. Rugged, steep terrain and good road frontage on Route 120. Half of lot recently harvested. Small stream. Property lies at the base of the 1,985’ Patridge Peak. $49,900
Rumford/Peru – 321 acres. View from Lovejoy Hill/Burgess Hill, South Peak are simply amazing. Recently harvested. Snowmobile trail (17N) passes through lot. Good access. $295,000
Trescott – 25+/- acres. Ocean frontage along Moose River cove stretching 3,100’ and consisting of classic rocky shore front, sea grasses, tidal Moose River cove and ocean views. Beautiful waterfall on the property. $249,900
Nicatous Lake – Butterfield Island. A private self-sufficient 8 acre island with historic cabins from the 1920s and 30s and a newer main cabin. Move right in, fully furnished. Boat house with dock on mainland. $615,000
Hancock County - Over 800 acres with 5,400 sq. ft log cabin completely surrounding Fox Pond. Miles of maintained trails. Adjacent to 20,000 acres of conservation lands. www.foxpondestate.com. $4,300,000
Joan Marden
Real Estate Sales Agent, RE/MAX at Home
Cell 207-717-3178 joan.marden@remax.net 141 Water Street, Skowhegan, ME www.athomemaine.com
Each office is independently owned and operated
Restaurant and Kitchen are a “Turnkey” Property. Available Immediately.
Caratunk – 1,064 acres. Views of the Kennebec River – Wyman Lake, Moxie Mountain -east & Bigelow Mountains -west. Interior gravel roads and groomed snowmobile trail. $625,000
Beauty runs deep. So does our land sales experience. John Colannino Broker & Forester
Restaurant Should be Owned and Operated by a Chef. Favorable Terms. Please Contact Don: (207) 730-2594 mdsrangeleysaddlebackinn@gmail.com www.MaineSportsman.com
Pembroke – 25+/acres. Coastal Maine property with over 2,000’ of tidal shore front along Hardscrabble River. Year round access. Amazing views. $150,000.
AFM Real Estate 40 Champion Lane | Milford, Maine | 04461 O: 207.817.9079 | C: 207.266.7355 John.Colannino@afmforest.com For more information on available properties please visit:
www.AmericanForestManagement.com
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