Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine, Summer 1982

MAINE IS

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Summe r 1982

Vol. 24, No. 2

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Governor Joseph E. Brennan

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De partme nt of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Gle nn H. Manuel J . William Peppard Kenn eth H. Ande rson

David 0. Locke J o hn F. Mars h Lyndon H. Bond Pete r C. Brazie r Robert W. Boettger W. Tho mas Shoe ne r Norman E. Tras k Clayton G. Gran t He nry R. Sleeper Lore nzo J. Gaudreau Alfred L. Me iste r

Commissioner De'puty Com missioner Director, Program Development and Co-ordination Superintendent of Hatcheries Chief War den Director, Fishery Divisi on Busi n ess Man ager Director, Wi ldlife Division Director, Public Information Director, Regula tions Division Chief, Engi n eering Division Chief, R ealty Division Director, Licensing Division Chief Bi ologist, Atlantic Salmon Commission

INSIDE Maine's Wardens: Ready For The Challenge

2

Eric Wight

Black Bass

8

Lori Weiss-Glanz

Maine Rivers: The Sandy

11

Forrest R. Bonney

Mapping Wildlife Habitat From Space

15

Arthur F Ritter

Maine Ducks & Decoys

20

Maine State Museum

KID-BITS

24

You're NOT Alone In The Maine Woods!

26

Gary Anderson

From The Fly Tying Bench: THE COSSEBOOM

29

Peter G. Walker

Fish and Wildlife Briefs

31

THE COVERS Front: Maine's Warden Service is entering its second century (see related article beginning on page 2)-and they're doing so with a new uniform, worn here by Warden Sergeant Roger Wolverton. Photo by Tom Carbone Inside Front: Maine's northern back country-remote, inviting, and generally very restful to the eyes! The incomparable down east summer is here! Photo by Bill Cross Back: Many bass anglers carry with them well-equipped "bass boxes" such as this one, where the contents seems to represent nearly every color of the rainbow. Such tackle collections indicate that bass anglers are serious about their sport, and are anxious to have the "right" lure along for any situation . Photo by Lori Weiss-Glanz, who also wrote the related article beginning on page 8.

Advisory Council Rober t E. Moo re, Chairman Casco Geo rge E. Pre ntiss Dennis L. Smith Rumford Otter Cr eek Nat han Cohe n Eastport

Alva S. Appleby Skowhegan Fran cis D. Dunn Pa tten

Rodn ey W. Ross Brownville Ma rc Plo urd e Eagle Lake

Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine W. Th o mas Shoener, Editor Tho mas J . Ch a mberla in , Managing Editor Th omas L. Carbone, Photograp her Pat ricia J . Hogan, Edi torial A ssistant All photographs in t his iss ue were made by t he Public Information Division unless oth e rwise ind ica ted .

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

MAIN E FI SH AND WILDLIFE (ISSN 0360-005 X) is publis hed qu a rterly by t he Ma in e De pt. of Inla nd Fis he ries a nd Wildlife, 284 State St., Statio n 41 , Au gusta, ME 04333 , und e r App ro priat io n 4550 . Subscript ion rate: $6.00 pe r year. No stamps, please. Seco nd class postage paid a t Au gus ta, ME 04330. Š Ma ine Dep t. of Inla nd Fis he ri es a nd Wildlife, 1982 . Pe rmissio n to reprint te xt m ate rial is gra nted , provided p ro per credi t is give n to t he a ut hor a nd to MAIN E FISH AND WILDLIFE. Clearan ce must be obtain ed from a rt ists, ph otograph ers, a nd n on-staff a ut hors to re produce c redited work.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send both old and new addresses to Circulation Section, MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine, 284 State St., Sta. #41, Augusta, ME 04333. Allow six weeks for change to take effect. Your post office cannot forward copies unless you provide forwarding postage.

POSTMASTER: If undeliverable, send form 3579 to Circulation Section, MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine, 284 State St., Sta. #41 , Augusta, ME 04333.

1

Maine's Warden Service has begun its second century in business ... the first hundred years demanded much from this, the oldest organized warden service in the country, but today's wardens are still...

By Eric Wight Warden Sergeant Author's Note: When sameone ar samething reaches the age of 100 years, sameone else often takes particular rwtice; same effort is make to commemarate the occasion. Game wardens have been poking around Maine's lakes and farests far one century naw, and the purpose of this article is to fill in tlwse years and explain the eoolution of today's Maine Warden Service.

When I was approached abaut writing an article on the 100-year history of the Maine Warden Service, I agreed-enthusiastically! But shortly thereafter I began to realize that, although I have been a warden far nearly 19 years, I didn't really knaw much abaut

the service's history. So I began searching far saurces of information; I faund that a wealth of information exists in terms offairly recent years, but becames mare and mare sketchy the farther back one looks.

But the search was interesting; along with the actual history of the service, I uncovered same incidents involving specific wardens and/ ar cases. I have included same of these in the hopes that they will make the story mare interesting.

Many, many peaple pramded assistance with this project. My thanks specifically to Cammissioner Glenn Manuel far the loan of the early oommissioners' reports; retired commissioner Maynard Marsh; retired warden su'J)eroisars Arthur Rogers, Belon Taylor, and Curtis Coaper; retired wardens Warren Adams and

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and retired warden pilot Maloolm "Mac" Maheu.

HORTLY AFTER MAINE'S ADMITIANCE

to the Union in 1820, laws began to appear, attempts to regulate the methods of taking fish along the coast. These dealt primarily with weirs and nets along the rivers upstream from the coast. Many of the people in Maine lived along these rivers, and the competition was great. Gradually, as the interior began to become populated, these laws were expanded to include freshwater species as well. The Department of Inland Fisheries was formed, with a commissioner and some unpaid men called fish wardens to enforce the laws. Because fish were so abundant, apparently, no one took the laws seriously. In the mid-1800s, hatcheries began to appear across the state - the emphasis was still nearly entirely on fisheries.

During the 1870s, many people became alarmed at the complete disregard of what few game laws existed.

Moose, caribou, and deer were being slaughtered by the hundreds and shipped to markets in Boston. Bands of men utilizing packs of dogs would drive deer to water

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where waiting hunters would slaughter them. These animals were shipped, sometimes a rail car load at a time, to out-of-state markets. The fish warden force, which numbered only60 at this time, was still unable to make any attempt at curtailing these activities, for they had no authority to enforce game laws. Private citizens, upon presentation of a sworn affidavit, could prosecute but they seldom did so; during this time, several fish wardens were attacked by gangs of salmon poachers and barely escaped with their lives, making citizens unwilling to get involved.

Finally, on March 9, 1880 (after several years of pleading by commissioners), a law was passed by the legislature authorizing the 60 fish wardens to enforce the game laws as well. Three days later, March 12, the first case was successfully prosecuted. Two subjects were convicted of running down a pregnant doe deer in deep snow and butchering her. They paid fines totalling $71.

One big drawback in this first year was the inadequate $1500 set aside by law to pay the wardens. The new game wardens were given the same powers as sheriffs or deputy sheriffs; this law still exists today. They would also receive half the amount of the fine of persons convicted; the other half went to the overseer of the poor in the town where the prosecutor lived. Some unexpected results occurred - several people came forward and admitted past offenses and paid fines!

The obvious problem became even more apparent in a short time. With practically no money to pay men, not much was accomplished as far as apprehending violators. Good men, or at least good men who stayed with it, were hard to find.

In 1881, Commissioner Henry Stanley from Dixfield, who was commissioner for over a third of a century, wrote the following in his report to the governor: "Game wardens receive no regular salary at all.

They are expected to be su stain ed by enthusiasm alone in game protection; to abandon home and the occupations that give bread to their families and go forth to the forest for the reward ofone-halfof the penalties that they m ay obtain from, captured and convicted law breakers, an d the soul-stirring privilege of shooting on sight any dog which they may observe chasing deer. " Not much of an incentive, I am sure you agree. This, of course, was an appeal to the governor and legislature for more money to get and keep good men.

In 1883, one of the most pressing problems was that of the so called "ctusters". These were Canadians who entered Maine along the Quebec border on the snow crust and slaughtered Maine moose by the score. There was no protection available in this area, and in one year alone, more than one thousand Maine moose hides were sold on the Toronto market.

In an effort to reduce the numbers of deer and caribou being shipped out-of-state, a law prohibiting the

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shipment of game from Maine was passed in 1883 this virtually dried up the problem (In 1882, for example, records indicate that one thousand deer reached the Boston market; the year the law was enacted, the number was a mere dozen). The laws began to have some teeth put in them, and Maine became recognized as having the most rigid ( and best enforced) fish and game laws in the nation.

N THE LATE 1880s, a game warden's life was often far from enjoyable. Many received threats of harm or even death, especially from gangs of "<loggers" who still plied their trade, although illegal. The commissioner realized, and stated publicly, that local wardens were completely ineffective, and money was needed to hire men who could be stationed away from home and relatives, in places where they were less subject to intimidation.

During the 1890s, lumbering was in full swing in the back country of Maine. Much of a warden's time was spent in attempts to keep down illegal deer killing for meat in the lumber camps. Most camps, after being tripped up a few times, began complying.

As the 1900s approached, Maine was recognized as the great sportsmen's paradise where fish and game abounded in limitless quantities. Out-of-state sportsmen flocked here by the hundreds in pursuit of fish and game. Sporting camps thrived, and guides associations sprang up. The Maine general public reacted understandably to their invasion, and more attention was given to making good laws in the area of conservation.

The number of full-time guides was astonishing. There

The business of game wardens is and always has been dangerous sometimes-and even deadly! In the past 100 years, we have lost seven men in the line of duty. I would like to mention eooh of them here, and include a brief note on the circumstances in which they gave their lives.

Lyman Hill-murdered in 1886 during a confrontation involving dogs chasing deer.

David Brown, Mertley JohnsonBrown, a district chief from Greenville, and young warden Johnson headed north from Greenville in November of 1922, hoping to apprehend some Canadians suspected of illegal beaver trapping. When they failed to return, a search located a spot

4

were hundreds of them earning $3.00 per day in 1896.

Game wardens numbered only 48 then and received only $2.00 per day when they worked.

By 1898, it was apparent that moose and caribou populations were being depleted; caribou, in fact, were nearly extinct. Something needed to be done to provide better protection. Part of the problem was certainly the need to pay game wardens a salary on which they could survive.

The first attempt at a licensing program came in 1899, when a very controversial law called the "September Law" was enacted. By payment of $4 for residents and $6 for nonresidents, a buck deer could be taken during September. The nonresidents paid gladly, but the residents were divided in their attitudes. Many hard feelings erupted as a result. Some felt that nursing lambs would die if the mothers were shot this early; many does were, in fact, killed. Trophy hunters shot bucks, then sometimes shot a bigger one and returned to burn the evidence of the first. In some cases, forest fires resulted. Probably no more controversial law was ever enacted. At any rate, it did not last long, and the desired effect of raising money for the department was not achieved.

Things finally changed somewhat in 1904. Nonresidents were paid $15 for hunting licenses, and things began to look up. With this new income, six new wardens were hired and stationed along the MaineQuebec border in new camps. Due to remoteness, they were stationed two to a camp. As a result, the activities of the notorious Pete Fountaine, a Canadian hide hunter, were finally curtailed, and others began to look over their shoulders occasionally.

where they had set up a blind with a view of an illegal beaver set. A .22 rifle was found near the spot ( the owner, a Canadian, admitted it was his), but Brown's and Johnson's bodies weren't discovered until spring. Autopsies were unable to prove the cause of the deaths, but the prime suspect left the area and never returned.

Baptiste Jalbert-drowned in May of 1933 when his canoe upset

after striking a half-submerged log on the St. Francis River.

George Townsend-a warden pilot, killed along with biologist Nat Fellows in a takeoff crash on Maranacook Lake in 1956.

Lyle Frost-killed in an accidental dynamite blast while blowing a beaver dam in 1968.

Richard Varney-a warden pilot, drowned as a result of a helicopter crash in Maranacook Lake in 1972.

The wardens of today join me in saluting these seven wardens.

I would also like t.o make special mention of retired warden Guy Caldwell of Mexico. At 103 years of age ( Guy was born in April of 1879 ), he is older than warden service itself!

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

Warden Service continued to grow slowly from then on. Good men were still hard to keep because of the low pay and hardships. From time to time, more wardens were hired, making districts smaller so coverage could be increased. Equipment other than personal gear was almost nonexistent, save for a few canoes.

During World War I, game warden's activities were severely cut back as many went into the service. Some wardens picked up where they left off when they returned; others found new employment.

The years immediately following the armistice saw another huge influx of sportsmen and an ever-

increasing need for more wardens. In 1922, due to lack of funds, the Warden Service roster was cut in half, and many good men were lost. During the lean years of the depression, many people had to exist on what meat they could get from the forest. Wardens were few and far between, so most got by nicely.

S THE ECONOMY SWWLY RECOVERED,

wardens came back in numbers. By 1930, the state was divided into four zones, the supervisor in each zone directing activities of the chief wardens in

The Development of Specialty Services Aircraft A SUBSTANTIAL MILEPOST was reached in

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1939 with the introduction of aircraft into Warden Service. Commissioner George Stobie was interested in flying and could foresee the use of aircraft in aiding wardens' efforts on the ground by being able to pinpoint spots where violations were occurring. Maine's 2,500 lakes and ponds seemed made to order for planes.

I ISearch and Rescue I

N 1943, a law was passed stating that game

wardens would be responsible for conducting searches for lost people. This was very timely, for during that year Warden Service conducted its biggest manhunt to date. Although lengthy, I would like to set

The first aircraft used by the Maine Warden Service, this SR-10 Gull-Winged Stinson, actually belonged to Commissioner George Stobie (he purchased it in 1939). The first Warden Service pilot, Bill Turgeon, is shown in the inset.

Warden Service search and rescue divers commence a search for a drowning victim. The diving activities began in 1965, largely as a result of Maine's high incidence of water-related deaths .

Stobie acquired his own plane, an SR-10 Gull-Winged Stinson, and Warden Bill Turgeon, who had flown in World War I, was chosen to pilot it. It was put on floats and tried out for a period of time; although it was a cumbersome craft (it was reportedly "built like a bridge and flew like one"), the potential was immediately obvious. Fur~her pur-

down the details of the incident as retired Supervisor Helon Taylor told them to me.

During the war there were several Canadians hiding out in Maine and Canada - to avoid "conscription," as the Canadians called it. One in particular spent the winter of '42- '43 living in the Black Brook fire warden camp. When

(seeAIRCRAFI', page 22)

(see SEARCH, page 22)

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

5

the divisions into which the zones were divided. Financial problems again struck, and wardens were asked to work for half pay; most of them did so for several months. On one occasion, wardens were asked to work for nothing for a week. The dedication of the Maine game warden was severely tested many times.

Another important change in Warden Service was implemented in 1931. Prior to this, wardens were politically appointed. The new change called for applicants to take a civil service exam, and candidates were selected based .o n score.

Commissioner George Stobie ( in office from 1928 to 1950) was apparently a very progressive thinker; he could see that the Maine Warden Service needed to become much more law enforcement-oriented if it was to succeed as a deterrent to poaching. He had in Warden Service at that time two outstanding supervisors: W.B. Small of Farmington and Joe Stickney of Saco. Both brought strong law enforcement backgrounds with them into Warden Service. Recognizing this potential, Stobie put Stickney to work incorporating this trend into the rest of Warden Service. It was primarily through the efforts of these two that Warden Service began to evolve as a team, and from this developed the "esprit de corps" and dedication which continues to this day.

A point of interest regarding Supervisor Stickney he was an ardent fly fisherman. Two flies, The Supervisor and the Wardens Worry, were designed and named by him. The Lady Doctor, another famous fly, was named for Dr. Laura Black Stickney, his wife.

World War II again severely curtailed Warden Service activities because of men leaving to enter the military.

Those wardens remaining were made state constables, and spent much time engaged in such activities as junk salvage and fire protection. Many were also utilized assisting the FBI and U.S. Army intelligence teams on special investigations.

The years shortly after World War II saw a substantial increase in the d~er population - this lasted through the 1950s. In step with this increase in deer, night hunting incidents, especially in southern Maine, became much more frequent. Wardens on several

occasions received serious injuries in attempting to apprehend night hunters.

On two different occasions, wardens were run down by automobiles, sustaining severe leg injuries. Another was beaten and left unconscious. In 1948, Warden Roland Abbott of Bethel was wounded with a .45 while checking a subject in a gravel pit near Gilead. Abbott survived, but the shooter became the object of a manhunt involving dozens of lawmen. He was eventually shot and killed by New York authorities when he attempted to run a road block, wounding a New York state trooper in the process.

More recently, several wardens have been shot at, either while on foot or by subjects in vehicles they were pursuing. Luckily, no serious injury has resulted.

These incidents in the late '40s and '50s brought out the fact that better communications were severely needed. Two-way radios began to appear on the scene.

Retired Supervisor Arthur Rogers of Waterville recalls having the first one. The Arnold Trail Fish and Game Club bought it for him. Gradually, the Fish and Game Department, as money would allow, began purchasing them for wardens. The coverage was poor, and one had to be on a hill to communicate at all. Our radio communications system today is a far cry from those days.

Today, a warden may talk to several different agencies simply by pushing one of eight buttons. Our dispatches come through the various state police barracks.

Through the use of a repeater system, wardens are also able to talk car-to-car with wardens in other parts of the state. Portable units (walkie-talkies) provide wardens with good communication when searching or on other foot patrol.

By the 1950s, Warden Service was organized much the same as it is today. Divisions were established, with a supervisor in each. Equipment such as boats and

Quite a busy time - a group of wardens (October 1938) corraling a moose that was harassing cattle. According to an on-scene report, the animal was transported north and released in fine condition, although exhausted. But when a warden checked the following morning , the beast was dead - right where he was released!

Firearms training - one of the regular parts of Maine's annual warden school. The author is filling the role of instructor for this phase of the 10-week school.

motors was being added periodically, and personal vehicles were being replaced with state vehicles.

Warden camps (68 of them) were located across the state. Today, due largely to increased accessibility, the need for these camps has greatly diminished; the number gradually dropped to only 29, the present total.

The warden force numbered 115 men in the '50s, and has remained basically the same since then.

S THE YEARS PROGRESSED, responsibili-

ties of game wardens increased. In 1962, Maine ( along with most other states) adopted the United States Coast Guard regulations requiring the registration of certain watercraft and compliance with safety laws and equipment requirements. Wardens were charged with enforcing these laws. Shortly afterward, snowmobiles became popular to the point where it was required that they too be registered. Again, wardens were asked to enforce the laws on registration and operation of snowmobiles. In the past few years, Maine's new environmental laws have also been added to the list.

One of the earliest needs recognized by Warden Service was that of adequately training young wardens.

The first attempt at this was held at the University of Maine at Orono in 1934; this eventually grew to an annual school at Camp Keyes in Augusta. Older experienced wardens instructed the younger ones. In the 1960s, the school was moved back to Orono and lasted 10 weeks instead of only two. Many subjects were, and still are, taught, including public speaking, duck identification, conversational French, fish biology, report writing, rules of evidence, patrol techniques, and more.

More recently, a two-week practical school has been held on Swan Island following this. Other states, recognizing the value of the Maine school, have several times sent their wardens to Maine to attend.

Along the same line, the Maine Warden Service has done much to advance in modern fields of technology regarding law enforcement. Warden Sergeant Bryan Buchanan became involved in the identification of different types of meat and hair using a microscope and other equipment, and has been to several other states Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982 ¡

upon request to testify in game cases regarding these tests.

One other area pioneered in Maine is a scientific process developed in determining the time of death in deer.

The technique has been used many times and has been accepted in court.

Much has changed in the past 100 years - but much has remained the same, also. One thing in particular I suspect has not changed is what wardens hear from time to time by people apprehended with "their hand in the jar," so to speak. Many, realizing they are caught, offer only silly excuses. I include here a few favorites: -A man was confronted by Warden Elmer KnowUon of Millinocket and myself on Sourdnehunk Lake. We suspocted he was not in fact ''fly fishing," as the law states one must here. When told to reel in his line, he did so. When the line cleared the water, he looked at it intently and said, "My god! I've caught a worm. "How can yau dislike samoone like that?

- Warden Norman Maulton, upon investigating a shot, observed a man dressing aut a moose. Creeping close behind him, Norman said, ''What's going on here?" The man turned, knife in hand. Caught literally red-handed, he said, ''Norman, I know yau won 1t believe this, but this moose ate me up abaut half an hour ago, and I was just now ahle to cut myself aut. '' - Warden Ted White, when located at Pittston Farm, pursued a Canadian hunter on foot through the woods toward the border. Periodically, the man would tire and stap to rest, at the same time holding Ted at bay with his rifle. When rested, the race would continue.

Upon reaching the border, Ted swpped. The hunter reached his side of the border and stnpped. "How much the fine?'' he asked. Ted told him the amount of the fine for hunting with no license, whereupon the man laid the money down, placed a rock on it, and fled. An honest lawbreaker!

These incidents are, I am sure, material for another complete article, as there are hundreds, all of which have made wardens' lives interesting.

Wardens still chase poachers, and wardens still shoot dogs they find chasing deer. But wardens have had to mold themselves to fit our changing society. Warden Service is steeped with traditions which often resist change, but change we do.

But there are a few things I hope will never change.

Leon Wilson recalls when he went to work: Cammissioner Stobie handed me a law book and said, ''Leon, half of yaur job as a game warden lies between the pages of this book. The other half lies from yaur ears up. "Since those were his only instructions, I call that good advice. (see CHALLENGE, page 23) 7

BLAC

BASS

Sportsmen and biologists cooperate to learn more about these up-and-coming species

By Lori Weiss-Glanz Research Associate Photos by the Author SK AN ANGLER about

fishing in Maine and you are likely to hear some tall tales about togue, landlocked salmon, and brook trout.

However, more and more the talk in sportfishing circles is turning to black bass. This is not to say that bass fishing is a brand new sport in Maine. Great Pond in central Maine and Big Lake in Washington County, for example, have attracted the interest of bass anglers for decades.

These two areas have catered primarily to nonresident fishermen by providing services such as sporting camps, boat rentals, and fishing guides. But these traditional bass fishing enclaves are no longer the exclusive "bass heavens" as more and more anglers throughout the state turn on to the sporting qualities of this fine gamefish.

There are two species of bass that occur in Maine. Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are found in the southern counties and Penobscot County. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) are found in many of these same waters and also occur in waters of Hancock and Washington counties.

Largemouth bass prefer shallow, weeded lakes, or lakes with lots of shallow coves that have lily pads and other vegetation. Smallmouth bass prefer large, clear-water lakes with large boulders and cool, clear streams with a moderate current and rock and gravel bottoms. We have many lakes and streams in Maine where both species occur.

The entrance of bass fishing clubs into Maine's sportfishing scene and 8

the resultant onset of bass fishing tournaments have played major roles in sparking increased interest among our bass anglers. Ten years ago, there were no bass fishing clubs and no bass tournaments in the state. In 1981 , seven clubs sponsored several dozen tournaments. Bass club members are serious anglers, as evidenced by the thousands of dollars some of them have invested in their gear (bass boats, depth finders, electric trolling motors, temperature and pH gauges, and hundreds of lures).

All this may sound scary to some of you old-timers who are used to having things to yourselves on just about any of our bass waters. After all, with all these new anglers and their sophisticated equipment, is there going to be anything left for the rest of us? Before you trade your fishing equipment for a set of golf clubs, let's take a closer look at bass fishing tournaments.

Competing in tournaments is an important component of the club members' fishing experience. Most of the tournaments start at 7 or 8 a.m.; "weigh-ins" are scheduled for 4 or 5 p.m. During tournaments, anglers hold their catch in aerated live-wells until weigh -in time. Participating anglers must obey state length and bag limits, and all other regulations except the 71/2-pound weight limit. The weight limit is waived by purchasing a special tournament permit from the Maine Fish and Wildlife Department.

Prizes are awarded to anglers on the basis of the total weight of their catches-and points are subtracted if the fish are dead when

weighed! After fish are weighed ,

they are returned to the water to be caught again another day. So you see, a tournament conducted by a bass club is not 'just another fish ing derby!"

This "don't kill your catch" ethic is not limited to tournament day for club anglers. Bass clubs take great pride in reporting a good catch that got away, even if they have not fished in a tournament for weeks! And do not assume that "catch and release" is the invention of Maine's new bass clubs, since this type of "fishing for fun" has been practiced for years by a great many Maine fishermen .

HAT DOES ALL this mean for Main e 's black bass fishery? Well, for one thing, Maine fishermen and fishery managers are now taking a fresh look at this exciting gamefish in an effort to determine where bass fit into today's Maine fishing scene. In 1979, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife approached the Maine Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Maine to seek assistance in obtaining information useful in the management of bass. As a graduate student, I was asked to begin a research project that would help fishery biologists obtain this information.

Representatives from local clubs contacted Fisheries Biologists Dennis McNeish of the Belgrade region and Sonny Pierce of the Sebago region about helping the Department with bass research and manage-

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

ment. I, in turn, was able to develop a program for data collection by taking advantage of the clubs' interest and enthusiasm. The help of these clubs was invaluable because of the large numbers of fish caught and released by club members.

I designed census cards to record catches, and distributed these to bass clubs. Tournament officials were asked to give a card to each participant at the start of the tournament, and to collect them at the "weigh in." These census cards are easy to use; it is necessary only to note the species (largemouth or smallmouth) and how many bass are caught in each of four size categories. It was important that all bass, even sub-legal ones (those less

than 10 inches), were recorded on the cards.

The bass clubs were very cooperative, and completed cards at 26 of 45 scheduled bass fishing tournaments on 21 lakes and two rivers.

Over 500 angler-days were reported. Most tournaments are small-15 to 20 anglers-but there are several each year that may have as many as 100 participants.

A similar census card-a "no postage-necessary'' postcard-was also distributed to the general public. About 1,000 postcards were left at 15 distribution centers (general stores, tackle shops, and fishing lodges) in the vicinity of Belgrade Lakes. Of the postcards distributed, 10 percent were returned within

two months. The Belgrade Lakes sample included 13 lakes and one river, with 184 angler-days reported.

More than 2,300 bass (largemouth arid smallmouth combined) were recorded on the first census cards. Location of these lakes ranged from Square Pond in Acton to Three Mile Pond in China. There were also tournaments on the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers.

I attended the weigh-ins at many bass fishing tournaments to obtain information on exact lengths and weights of individual bass and to determine what the bass were eatInformation gained from the meticulous weighing and measuring involved in bass tournaments is of great value to our study personnel.

ing. I was able to weigh , measure, and examine the stomach contents of 700 bass. Almost all bass examined were returned to the water alive.

The data collected at the tournaments were employed to calculate the ratios between the different sizes of bass caught by anglers.

Each ratio is referred to as a Proportional Stock Density (PSD).

These ratios gave me clues to the health and well-being of bass popu lations in Maine. The PSDs were used to compare populations of bass throughout Maine, and to compare Maine's bass populations with those found elsewhere in North America.

I found that some lakes had populations with too few small fish, in dicating a lack of reproduction, while other lakes had few fish of any size, which suggests overharvest. Fortunately, most lakes in Maine had about the right proportion of small and large fish. It is, however, worth noting that poor reproduction is a potential problem in some Maine lakes. Studies in Michigan and Wisconsin indicate that bass populations having poor reproductive success can be quickly over harvested.

Another characteristic analyzed from data gathered at tournaments was the Relative Weight Index.

(W.r.) , which is a measure of the fat ness of individual fish. The weight of any given bass is compared to a standard weight for a bass of the same length. A different standard must be used for each species, smallmouth and largemouth. The value obtained is a percentage, where I 00 percent is ideal. A fish with W.r.=85 is skinny, one with W.r.=120 is fat. This index (W.r.) gives reliable and convenient clues to food availability and growth rates.

W

E WILL BE continuing

this project during the s ummer of 1982. If you happen to

WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION! MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine is now using an entirely new and more efficient system for maintaining subscription and circulation information. We are also involved in a program to build our circulation, and have been mailing some promotional material designed to encourage renewals and new subscriptions.

A recent promotion mailed to all records on our filesboth active and inactive-apparently caused some concern among active subscribers that their subscriptions had expired. So we felt it was time to tell you how the new label is set up.

The two most important parts of the label to us now are: your zip code-please make sure it is correct-and the top 10

see a census card in a general store or find one on your windshield , please take the time to fill it out and drop it in the mail. Your help will be greatly appreciated. After the data from this summer are analyzed , we may make recommendations for possible experimental regulation changes on a few lakes (likely changes in the minimum length limit). The department is looking forward to public support and encouragement in our efforts to protect our valuable bass resources, and I am looking forward to working with Maine's bass anglers again this year. a

line of letters and numbers, by which your subscription is identified. Please give us at least this information when making any inquiry about your subscription.

The most important part of the label to you, however, is the group of four digits in the upper right corner. This tells you when your subscription is set to expire; the first two digits are the year, and the last two are the issue (01 = Spring, 02 =Summer, 03 = Fall, 04 = Winter).

So, before you write us with a concern about your subscription, look at your label. If it says 8301, for instance, your subscription does not expire until after you receive the Spring 1983 issue.

And whenever you do correspond with us about your subscription, send a label, if possible, but at least the letters and numbers on the top line, including the expiration date.

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

By Forrest R. Bonney Fishery Biologist

Photos by Thomas L. Carbone

I

T RAINED FOR NEARLY A WEEK in March

of 1936. Rainwater combined with melting snow to swell the Sandy River, and on the 18th, the ice started to break up. For two days, the river rampaged through the valley, flooding factories and homes, downing power lines, and stranding travellers.

Entire buildings were carried away. The Redington Dam, on the headwaters of the drainage, gave way, releasing 3,000 cords of pulp. Further downstream, a bridge washed away. This, the greatest recorded flood in the Sandy's history, crested at 38,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), compared to an average annual discharge at the mouth of only 874 cfs.

Since 1785, 44 floods have been recorded on the Sandy River, and some of the hardships they brought to the settlers of the valley have been recorded and passed down to us. During the "pumpkin freshet" of 1869, the Joseph Church family "first retreated upstairs then mounted a bedstead to escape water", and Loren Whitney "guided floating logs in one window and out another."

The Sandy is a mountain stream, with no large bodies of water to store runoff. Consequently, it is subject to extreme changes in flow rates. During dry summer months, the Sandy is little more than a brook at its upper stretches, chaning to a lazily meandering series of deadwaters as it approaches its junction with the Kennebec River.

The Sandy River drainage lies mostly in western Maine's Franklin County, but drains into the Kennebec River in Somerset County. Although only 60 miles long, the Sandy drops 1,544 feet, averaging 22.4 feet per mile.

The river originates at the Sandy River Ponds ( el. 1700 ft.) in Sandy River Plantation, emerging as a "tumultuous mountain torrent" which plunges over Smalls Falls in Letter E Plantation. The rapids continue to Phillips, where the two main branches, the Oberton Stream and the South Branch, join the river.

Below Strong, the lower 47 miles of the river are intermitent quickwater and smoothwater. More tributaries enter the river in the lower section, and the river valley widens to form fertile bottom land which has been farmed productively for generations. It was this promise of fertile farmland which attracted settlers to the area in the late eighteenth century.

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982 ¡

The Sandy River at Farmington is in transition from a mountain stream to a series of winding deadwaters nearer the mouth.

Although there had been a major Abenaki Indian trail along the Sandy for many years, it was not until 1774 that the first white settlers arrived in what is now the town of Starks. More settlements soon sprang up along the lower Sandy. Farmington was settled in 1777, Chesterville in 1781, New Sharon and Avon in 1782, and Mercer and strong in 1784.

While much of the upper section of the drainage has never been cleared and farmed, it was nevertheless opened up to logging in the 1880s. The Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, one of Maine's "two-footers", was open from Farmington to Phillips in 1880, and from Phillips to Rangeley in 1890. In addition to carrying lumber to the outside world, the little railway provided the service of carrying passengers from Farmington to the resorts of the Rangeley region, just beyond the Sandy River drainage. Today, Route 4, which winds along the Sandy River valley, serves as the primary access to the headwaters of the Androscoggin River.

11

The generally gravelly characteristics of the Sandy River bottom, coupled with many stretches of boulder-strewn water, make the river ideal for wetting a fly (above) or just enjoying the view (left).

E

ARLY SE'ITLERS of the Sandy River valley

found the rivers and streams teeming with fish. Salmon and alewives were taken in great quantities by the early settlers, but with the building of dams, they disappeared. Few salmon were taken after 1795, and probably none after 1820. By 1801, there were four dams on the main stem of the Sandy, as well as several on the lower Kennebec, which combined to effectively prevent the migration of anadromous fish species. A part of the Kennebec shad run once ascended the Sandy River as far as the town of Farmington. The Sandy River maintained an excellent shad fishery for some years after a dam was built ( at New Sharon in 1804), which limited the fish to the lower part of the river. ¡ While anadromous species were prevented from entering the drainage, several new species of fish were introduced over the years. Some of these species have been welcomed by the fisherman, but others present problems to fishermen and fish managers alike. While brook trout and probably lake trout were native to the area, landlocked salmon were introduced late in the nineteenth century. Other species which have been introduced to the Sandy River drainage, either legally or illegally, include brown trout, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass. It is unknown ¡Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982 ¡

whether other warmwater fish were native to the drainage or whether they were introduced by man.

In the main river today, there is a fine brook trout fishery in the upper stream, while smallmouth bass and brown trout dominate the lower river-the cut-off point seems to be around the Strong-Phillips area. Many of the tributaries, even in the lower section of the river, support brook trout fisheries.

Thirty-nine great ponds, totalling 3,695 acres, lie within the Sandy River drainage. Thirty of these, totaling 3,297 acres, have been surveyed by the Fish and Wildlife Department. A quite detailed survey on each of these waters, including a depth map and management information, is available at a nominal fee from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State St., Sta. #41, Augusta, Maine 04333.

The three largest bodies of water in the drainageClearwater Lake, Wilson Lake, and Varnum Pondsupport populations of lake trout, salmon, and brook trout. Of the smaller bodies of water in the drainage, it can generally be stated that those in the lower part of the drainage provide warmwater fisheries, while those in the upper part of the drainage provide coldwater fisheries-primarily brook trout.

This division in fishery types results from a change in topography. The lower part of the Sandy River flows 13

through intervales and rolling hills. These relatively flat areas contain shallow, warmwater ponds, allowing warmwater fish to thrive and often migrate to adjoining waters. The upper section of the drainage, however, lies in rugged hills and mountains. Many small, isolated ponds provide cool, well-oxygenated water for populations of brook trout. Just as important, competing warmwater species are kept out by natural barriers to migration.

T

HIS VARIE1Y OF TOPOGRAPHY provides

a wide range of canoeing opportunities for the fisherman and recreationist. From its source at the Sandy River Ponds to Phillips, the Sandy River contains sections ranging from continuous and difficult rapids to those which are uncanoeable. The rapids diminish gradually to Strong, and there is some smoothwater between Strong and Farmington. From Farmington to the Kennebec River, there is intermittent smoothwater and quickwater. Canoeable tributaries to the Sandy include Little Norridgewock Stream in Chesterville, Wilson Stream in Farmington, Bog Stream in Mercer, and Temple Stream in Farmington. Sections of the Little Norridgewock and Bog Stream are impounded by wildlife management area water control facilities, and provide smoothwater canoeing throughout the summer.

The other streams are best canoed early in the season, before water levels drop. Tributaries to the upper river

are, for the most part, too treacherous for canoe trips.

The only dam remaining on the Sandy River, located four miles above the confluence of the Kennebec.:, is currently used as a power generating facility, and must be portaged.

Because the river is relatively small and has few natural reservoirs to moderate the flow, the Sandy has not attracted the amount of industry that larger rivers have. As a result, the drainage has not faced degradation from pollution, which consistently lowered the water quality of many of Maine's rivers until environmental legislation reversed the trend. Siltation, however, has been a problem on the Sandy River for many years. In the upper sections of the drainage, this has resulted primarily from wood harvesting operations while at lower elevations, agricultural siltation has resulted from streambank erosion and periodic flooding of unprotected intervale farmland.

Due to the variety of topography within the Sandy River drainage, the area provides a richness of beauty.

The drainage has many waterfalls and cascades, some easily accessible and others hidden to all but the hiker and "explorer". Views of surrounding mountains and rolling hills add to the visual richnes of the area. The variety of topography is also responsible for the wide variety of fishing opportunities concentrated within â&#x20AC;˘ this small but interesting river drainage.

Mt. Blue Pond contains populations of brown trout and smallmouth bass.

-~

14

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

LANDSAT ... Mapping Wildlife Habitat from Space

By Arthur Ritter Wildlife Biologist/ Computer Programmer FIRST THOUGIIT, a satellite streaking through space would seem to be unrelated to a moose browsing in a northern Maine clearcut, or to a marten whose spruce/ fir hunting ground has been loaded onto pulp trucks. Once, there was plenty of space for wild animals to live, and major changes to their habitat were caused only by such agents as forest fires and windstorms. Modern society, however, is continually altering the living conditions available to wildlife through its voracious demand for natural resources. How can the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife plan for the continued existence of desirable levels of wildlife when such activities as logging, agricultural expansion and abandonment, and land development are gradually but relentlessly modifying Maine's habitat base?

A potential aid in this large planning task is a one-ton satellite called Landsat. First launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1972, this amazing spacecraft orbits 500 nautical miles above the earth. As it orbits, it scans the earth's surface with its electronic sensors and transmits the image it collects to a ground receiving station. On the ground, computers transfer this data into scenes, each containing nearly 30 million bits of data. These are the intensity levels of four wave lengths of light and infrared reflectance for each 1.4 acre area (known as a pixel) in the 13,000-square-mile image.

As we will see later, these values of reflected light can be used to determine what types of cover exist on an area. A softwood ( spruce, fir, pine, cedar) stand reflects light differently than a hardwood (maple,

X

beech, ash , birch) stand which, in turn , has a different response from water, etc. Since Landsat scans the same area of the earth every 18 days, the potential to monitor changes in land cover over a period of time is a real benefit in natural resource problem solving. To cover the same area only once a; the same scale using conventional'techniques, 4,000 aerial photographs would have to be interpreted!

Another major advantage of this space age technology is that the data is already in digital form, ready for computer processing. Obviously, the amount of data in even a fraction of a scene is too voluminous to process without a computer. Not only does the computer, properly programmed, do the millions of computations required, but it will even produce the cover type maps after analysis is complete!

There are, of course, limitations to any technology, including Landsat. Cloud cover, so frequent in the Northeast, is a barrier which the satellite's scanners cannot penetrate. As a result, many Maine Landsat images cannot be used.

Hazy weather has a similar effect, and most winter scenes have limited utility because of snow cover.

Getting a usable scene at the right time can be difficult!

The detail that a well-interpreted aerial photograph gives is not possible using Landsat. The scanner is able to differentiate hardwoods from softwoods, but is generally unable to segregate different tree species, like fir from spruce, beech from maple, etc. For small areas where detail is required, photography is still the best choice. However, for the Department's task, that of assessing habitat conditions and trends over large areas, Landsat looked promising. The problem:

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982 ¡

no Maine state government personnel knew how to refine a usable product from the raw satellite data.

ORTUNATELY, NASA IIAI) an arrangement through which they were actively helping state governments acquire the knowledge needed to effectively use Landsat data. In 1980, Maine State government ( initially the Department of Conservation, joined later by Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Environmental Protection) began a demonstration project with NASA. At the same time, the University of Maine at Orono purchased the computer programs required to process satellite images.

With NASA providing training, technical assistance, data, and computer money, the state providing the people to do the work, and the university providing the computing power, the project began.

The region from Moosehead Lake to Baxter State Park contains 2.5 million acres of lakes, forests, and wetlands, with few human settlements. Logging operations of all types are active throughout the area. Past commercial timber harvests have left thickets of raspberries and shade-intolerant trees, such as aspen and pine cherry. Diverse animal life associated with the northern hardwood and spruce/ fir ecosystems populates this part of northern Maine. Being of great interest to the state's citizens, timber companies, and natural resources agencies, this region was selected as the study area.

The state had several goals in attempting this project, the foremost being simply to learn how to use the technology. Without Landsat expertise among state employees, future projects could not be under-

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taken. Second, the team wished to evaluate Landsat's usefulness for Maine in terms of land cover mapping and change detection. Many questions were posed in formulating this goal. What will it cost per square mile? What types of forest can be delineated? Will the scanner differentiate between clearcuts in various stages of regeneration?

How good a job will the satellite do in detecting changes in the forest environment through the years?

This goal was central to the project, for the answers to these questions would determine how effective a tool Landsat would be for Maine resource management.

Lastly, the team wanted to produce an actual analysis of the study area. In its primary form, this would consist of a land cover map of the Moosehead Lake region. This map would then be used in natural resource problem analysis, such as an evaluation of moose habitat conditions in that area. Other agencies will, of course, utilize Landsat differently. The Land Use Regulation Commission, for example, may wish to evaluate the satellite's potential in detecting zoning violations.

With eagerness ( as well as some trepidation), the team began work

on a Landsat scene taken in the summer of 1975. Completely cloud free, this image covered an area from the St. Lawrence River in Quebec to Ashland, Maine and included the Moosehead Lake region.

The process (known as a cla';sification) of taking a Landsat generated computer tape and ending up with a land cover map is tedious and repetitive, and goes as follows: using the premise that different cover types reflect light at varying intensities, sets of "spectral signatures" are developed. Let's use softwood stands as an example. A representative stand is located on both the image and on an aerial photo. The average light response is then determined for all four light and infrared wavelengths. When several stands are analyzed in this manner, a good idea is formulated of just how softwood stands reflect these wavelengths. This procedure must be followed for all cover types of interest, resulting in a separate signature for each type. These are then used to classify the entire study area.

Shown below is a comparison of a photo and a computer map of the land covered at Cowan Cove at Moosehead Lake. A key to the computer map is as follows: areas in white are water, black areas are softwood dominated stands, Xs are hardwood dominated stands, and periods are cut-overs.

The computer compares each pixel with the set of signatures, and the pixel is assigned the cover designation which most closely corresponds to it. In actual practice, some types of vegetation may not be separable. For example, a brushy, old clearcut may look the same to the satellite as a shrubby wetland. The goal is to distinguish as many types as feasible. Computers are used at every step along the way; in effect, the analyst "trains" the computer to recognize different land covers by their spectral responses.

A complimentary method, called non-supervised classification, was also used. In this process, the reverse of that described above, the computer automatically recognizes signatures and maps them. Analysts then compare the maps to what is known to be on the ground, assigning land cover types to each signature. A combination of both techniques was used by the project team.

Analysis of forest cover resulted in four major classes: softwoods, hardwoods, and two mixed forest conditions, one with softwoods predominating, the other with hardwoods dominant. After a careful evaluation, we found that the

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Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

Landsat map of four major forest types agreed reasonably well with a forest company map 86 percent of the time. The overall accuracy is about 90 percent, as the forest company map was not always right.

As expected, most disagreements occurred in mixed forest conditions. Interestingly, the satellite seems to do a better job than a photo interpreter in delineating very small forest stands. Landsat seems to easily locate patches as small as a few acres.

Clearcuts presented a unique problem. In a period of just a few years, a forest cut in Maine can be transformed from slash and skidder trails to a tangle of raspberries and young hardwoods. Since the scene we examined was six years old, significant changes had occurred over most cuts. During a field trip, team members examined clearcuts and tried to determine what they would have been like in 1975. Interpretation of aerial photographs from that year helped us here. The scanner can easily separate recent clearcuts from forest with near 100 percent accuracy. In addition, the team was able to identify five stages of clearcut regeneration with reasonable fidelity. After 8 or 10 years, a former clearcut is so overgrown as to be indistinguishable (by Landsat) from forest.

The only major problem proved to be in identifying wetlands. A marsh or bog is similar in light reflectance to several types of clearcuts. Wooded wetlands, such as cedar swamps or alder runs, look like forests to the satellite. A few types of wetland vegetation were, however, identified by our process.

Keep in mind that we worked with a late summer scene-a spring image with higher water levels may lead to better success with wetland delineation.

Work on the 1975 data is near completion. The team is producing computer maps which show the land cover for the region as of that year. In addition, as part of the project agreement, NASA is making

color maps, using a special computer in Maryland. These maps will be reproduced photographically; the color helps greatly with interpretation.

Since 1975, many changes have occurred in the Moosehead Lake region. In addition to normal clearcutting, softwood salvage has taken place because of heavy spruce budworrn damage. Using a June 1979 Landsat image, the team will attempt to document these changes.

If successful, t he change detection capability of the satellite may well prove to be its most useful feature for natural resource managers. It is the only practical method of directly measuring changes to a large area.

N ow

THAT THIS EXCITING, new data source

is corning to Maine, how can the date be used in wildlife rnanagemen t problem analysis? Two basic levels of use are likely. On the local level, maps generated by the satellite data can be of use to a regional or research biologist. In conjunction with the University of Maine and the Maine Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, the department is sponsoring ongoing research projects designed to give insights into wildlife ecology. A Landsat-produced cover map could help the researcher by showing the habitat types of the study area, as well as documenting changes to it. Likewise, analysis could show biologists the magnitude of timber harvesting on important deer wintering areas in their regions of responsibility.

Over a large area, Landsat data has great potential for wildlife planners and managers. Animals such as deer, moose, grouse, and woodcock are dependent for many of their life needs on early successional habitats. These conditions are created by the abandonment of agricultural land and by the harvesting of timber. After a relatively short period of time, the vegetation grows up and the area loses much

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982 ·

of its value to these species. An orbitting scanner like Landsat could allow biologists to keep track of these habitat changes. By making projections, the department would be able to· predict habitat conditions years into the future.

Another use for Landsat information is in determining the spatial relationships of cover types. For many animals, a "patchy'' habitat is desirable. This exists when covers and forest stands occur in small patches, with abundant edges where two or more different habitat types meet. Difficult to measure over large areas with conventional means, the task can be easily performed with Landsat data and a computer.

HE DEPARTMENT of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife's species plans present a format for planning the future of Maine's fish and wildlife. These documents bring together available information available on the distribution, supply, and demand for each species. The better the habitat information contained in the plans, the more realistic the plans can be.

Currently, the United States Forest Service conducts forest surveys of Maine every 10 years, providing the basis of the species plans' habitat evaluations. With Landsat complimenting these surveys, a better, more up-to-date assessment will be possible.

By the fall of 1982, the Moosehead Lake demonstration project will be completed, and Maine state government will then be completely on its own for any subsequent projects. Due to federal budget cuts, NASA is no longer involved with technology transfer. Based on the results of Maine's effort, however, it looks as if a Landsat scene can be classified at the low cost of .3¢ per acre. At this cost, and given the apparent utility of the satellite in wildlife, forest, and agricultural management, this just may be too good a deal to pass up!

•

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19

â&#x20AC;˘

Maine D&1cks

Decoys Mallards Reprinted from the Maine State Museum's newsletter, "Broadside," Fall 1981

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ARDY WINCHENBAUGH, Maurice Ledbetter, Herb Arey, Pung Young, Virgil Wallace, Gus Wilson, Kendrick Doughty, Ben Gustafason, Ed Gamage ... their names will not be found on any roster of recognized Maine artists, yet their wood sculptures once attracted great flocks of admirers, and the few surviving examples of their work are now sought and treasured by knowledgeable collectors here in Maine and elsewhere.

These men, and scores of others whose identities are now forgotten, or nearly so, were decoy carverscreators of wooden waterfowl replicas intended to lure migrating birds into the range of hunters' guns and onto the dinner tables of many a Maine family.

Their artwork had to be good, and rugged. It needed to be good enough to persuade sharp-eyed and inherently suspicious wild birds that others of their kind had found a safe and comfortable site for resting or feeding.

It needed to be rugged enough to withstand the rigors of repeated immersion in sea water, and the rough handling that came with years of being loaded into and unloaded from small boats.

The kind of decoy carving that combined such aestheti quality and utilitarian durability is now a virtually lost art. Wooden carvings of waterfowl, some of superb artistic quality, are still being made-but they are made primarily for decorative purposes rather than for "working" use. "Working" decoys, with very few exceptions, are now mass-produced factory products stamped or molded out of cork or plastics. Thus, authentic handcarved "working" decoys, as examples of a once widespread but now nearly extinct handcraft,

G

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

have become a very collectible category of "folk art" sought after by collectors and dealers alike, with outstanding examples fetching prices that frequently run to the hundreds, and occasionally to the thousands of dollars.

The use of decoys by American waterfowl hunters can be traced back at least a thousand years, to reed and feather likenesses of ducks which were fashioned

by Indians and which have been found occasionally preserved in dry caves of the western United $ ates.

The development of decoy carving as a widespread utilitarian art or craft form, however, came during the period from about 1865 to 1915.

HE EXISTENCE OF a well-integrated national network of rail transportation in the years following the Civil War made possible the shipment of fresh food~ to points far distant from their original sources. This, in turn, fostered the commercial "market hunting" of waterfowl which had previously been used as a food source only on a subsistence level by individuals, families and communities along the nation's major migratory flyways. The number of hunters who participated in this wholesale slaughter, and the scale of their operations, demanded the ¡availability of decoys in tremendous quantity and variety.

By 1910, a dawning of public concern for wildlife conservation led to demands for legislative control over the excesses of the m.a rket hunters, and within a decade the practice had been outlawed. The demise of market

T

American Goldeneyes

Black Ducks hunting also marked the beginning of the end for handcarved working decoys. Some carvers continued to produce working decoys for their own use or for sale to local sport hunters, and some went on to the production of superbly detailed but purely decorative birds, but decoy carving never regained the importance or the folk art quality that it had held for the previous half century.

In the decades from 1920 to the J 950s, thousands of hand-carved decoys were lost as they succumbed to decay in old barns and sheds, or as they were found to be of more practical use as stove wood. The 1950s and 1960s, however, saw a major awakening of interest in American folk arts in general, and in handmade decoys as one of America's most unique folk art forms.

Thanks in large part to the collecting interests of the late J. Herbert Sanborn of Damariscotta, and to the generosity of his widow, the Maine State Museum has as a part of its permanent collection more than 80 handcarved wooden waterfowl decoys which can confidently be regarded as being of Maine origin, and nearly half of which can be attributed to specific Maine craftsmen. These Maine decoys are featured in a special exhibition at the State Museum, part of an overall reorganization of the first floor display space.

It is hoped that this special exhibition will help to make more of Maine's residents and visitors aware of decoys and decoy carving as a Maine folk art tradition.

It is also anticipated that some visitors to this exhibition will have and will share information about Maine decoys and decoy carvers that will help us to identify still more of our collection as being the work of specific â&#x20AC;˘ individual makers.

21

oontinued AIRCRAFT... frompage5

suing this aircraft enthusiasm, the department bought its own plane, a JS Cub. Turgeon was made the Warden Service's first pilot, and he flew until he retired in 1957.

The need for more planes and pilots grew, since one could not feasibly cover the whole state. Several more light planes were purchased during the next few years. Turgeon was chief pilot, and several wardens flew part-time; some amazing things happened, I gather! One incident was related to me by retired Warden Earl Kelley: I recall landing on a remote lake to drop Warden Cash Austin off. The lake was choppy, with a rocky reef extending out underwater, in the vicinity of where Cash wanted to get off. Not wanting to damage the floats, I kept light power into the wind until we drifted backward to the rocky area. Cash got out, took his pack, said goodbye, and slammed the door.

I waited a couple of seconds, then put power on to pull away from the shore. I was soon spatting down the lake and got up onto the step. It was rough! The spray was fly ing and being driven back by the propeller. A light tapping noise I assumed was Austin's seat belt, shut outside the door and slapping the side of the plane; at any rate, I couldn't look right then. Just before the plane took off, I looked over and saw a set of knuckles appear at the window. I killed the power and the greyest, bug-eyed, wettest-

oontinued •• • frompage 5

SEARCH

spring arrived, he began roaming around, breaking into camps in search of food. In June of 1943, Wesley Porter, a guide from Patten, had taken some sports up Matagamon Lake to Webster Stream. Proceeding ·upstream by foot, they reached Webster Lake and canoed to the camp which stood where Baxter Park camp now stands. After supper, as Porter left the shore to return to camp, a shot rang out, striking and killing him.

A month later, when nothing had turned up, Commissioner Stobie sent me and other wardens to the area to "bring him out." With Bill Turgeon, we flew to Chamberlain Lake and landed at Al Nugent's camps - we soon discovered that they had been broken into. Further investigation revealed that a 20-gauge shotgun was missing. For several days, we searched on foot, checking camps at Snake Pond and Carpenter Pond. The camp at Hudson Pond had also been broken into. All these break-ins had something in common - a shotgun blast had been fired through a window.

Some wardens were staying at the Soper Mountain fire warden camp and some at Clear Lake camp. In a few days, a Great Northern Paper Co. forester saw the sub22

looking face I ever saw appeared. Cash got in, and I said, "I thought you got off. " He didn't speak to me again for two months.

By 1948, there were several warden pilots, including "Sleepy"Atkins, Mac Maheu, and George Later. Several planes were seeing regular service, and a modification on one was proposed to the manufacturer by these pilots.

Bush piloting was relatively new to aviation. A supplemental certificate (similar to a patent) was presented to Piper, who adopted the warden pilots' suggestions and proposed increasing the horsepower and adding flaps to the light planes they built. The idea was approved, and a more suitable bush plane was the result.

In 1949, a plane base was established at Eagle Lake as needs for aviation were pretty much concentrated in the vast northern wilderness. There were few roads in the back country, and you either flew or walked. The choice was an easy one to make. Greenville became the site of the department's second plane base, in 1952.

Through the years aviation has grown and improved immensely. Planes operated now consist of a Cessna 185 and Super Cubs. The Super Cubs have proven ideal for getting in and out of small ponds, as well as being able to fly low and slow - essential for lost person searches. A De Havilland Beaver, acquired through government surplus, has also lived up to its reputation as a workhorse in transporting heavy loads such as divers and equipment to remote drowning scenes. Helicopters were also tried; although they proved very valuable, the operating cost did not seem to justify their continued use, and they were ultiject on a trail and hid to observe him as he went by. The effort was concentrated in this area, but to no avail.

Upon returning to the Clear Lake camp, Wardens Bert Duty and Charlie Harriman discovered that it had been broken into. Missing were food, Duty's cigars, and Harriman's coat. This caused a great deal of consternation as the situation now took on a personal aspect! Nothing happened for a few days until one night when Duty and another searcher were to spend the night at the Soper Mountain camp. I suggested that the two not sleep in the camp but rather sleep outside and take turns watching the camp. For some reason they decided to stay inside, but with no light.

Duty took the first watch. At some point he decided to light a cigar, carelessly forgetting the problem at hand. He struck the match. Then realizing what he had done, he ducked down. At that instant, a charge came through the window, plastering the phone on the wall behind him! Apparently a discussion, which took place under a bunk, was had as to their plan - they came up with the brilliant idea of staying where they were!

Following this, a Connecticut state trooper and a bloodhound were brought in. After a month and a few days, the man was jumped in a swamp by a party of searchers. When confronted, he dropped the axe he had Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

mately sold.

Warden pilots, although not generally referred to as bush pilots, are that in the finest sense of the word. Many lost persons owe their rescue and, in some cases, even their lives, to these men. One example I offer: Jack McPhee and Gary Dumond flying at night - pitch black with two severely injured snowmobilers aboard. With one injured man in each plane, they took off from Spider Lake bound for Presque Isle. Shortly after takeoff, the man in McPhee's plane, who had been unconscious on the:::floor, regained consciousness and, in thrashing around, ripped the radio mike cord loose. The two pilots still made it with no radio contact!

We now have four full-time warden pilots and several part-time pilots. They consist of regular wardens who have ratings and can fill in from time to time as the need arises.

the warden should look beyond the letter of the law and catch the vision of their spirit. Wardens are notjust fish and game protectors. They are much more than that. They are the State personified". Mighty nice words.

I hope we have lived up to that, and that it does not ever change.

T

In the 1937 edition of Bangor and Aroostook Railroad's publication, In the Maine Woods, there is the following: "Flagrant violations of hunting and fishing regulations are promptly and severely dealt with by game wardens. These men, however, are not ranked so much for the number of arrests they register as they are for the way they conduct themselves."

In 1932, Commissioner Stobie wrote in his annual report: "Every warden is provided with the fish and game laws and of course is expected to familiarize himself with them. These laws reflect the policy of the State, but

HE FOLKS IN MAINE have a right to be proud of their Warden Service. It is the oldest organized warden service in the country. Not only have other states contacted us as to how we organize and operate, but some foreign countries have been in contact with us as well.

One thing I am sure will never change, for it has been s ince the beginning 100 years ago: the need for people to cooperate with the warden. His area is so big that he cannot possibly do it alone. We in Maine all have a common heritage in our fish and game resources. The idea is to conserve it not only for ourselves, but also for future generations to enjoy. If people will report to us violations they hear of or see, it will go a long way toward ensuring wildlife conservation for today and tomorrow.

The rest of Warden Service joins me in pledging continued dedication to the sportsmen of the State of Maine in the enforcement of our fish and game laws, and in thanking them for their past support and cooperation.

Bring on the next hundred years!

•

in one hand and started to turn with the shotgun. A member of the party shot him in the leg and knocked him down. The subject was carried by stretcher to Lower Musquacook, then flown by Bill Turgeon to Greenuille. Although the wound was not that serious, the subject died that night in the Greenui//e hospital, due probably to shock and the effects of malnutrition.

The following year 1944, Helon recalls wardens being called on twice to search for escaped German POWs: One group escaped from the East Musquash location, the second from the Spencer area. The escapees from Big Spencer had hoarded their lunch sandwiches and slipped away from a woodcutting detail. They were uery cleuer at euasion. It was wintertime. Deer were fairly thick in the area, and it was soon discouered that they were walking nearly undetected in deer trails. When they wished to deuiate from a trail, they rolled through the woods for great distances on the crust, leauing no tracks.

A camp near The Forks proued their undoing -they were captured inside without resistance. They had fash ioned snowshoes and were headed south to the coast, hopefully to board a neutral ship and go to Argentina.

Since those years, searching for lost persons has become a very time-consuming part of Warden Service work.

As outdoor activities increased with the population, so did

the number of searches. The number of incidents has increased so much, in fact, that records indicate that wardens respond annually to more than 300 reports of lost persons - with a record high one year of 622. Most of these incidences are resolved fairly quickly, but occasionally one stretches into an extended search involving many days and hundreds of people.

In 1965, following the deaths of Park Ranger Ralph Heath and Margaret lvusic on Mt. Katahdin, a Warden Service rescue team was formed. This six-man team was trained in Alpine rescue and scuba diving. Several mountain rescues were effected, but the team's primary function has been the recovery of drowning victims. Because of the great number of lakes, ponds and rivers in Maine and the subsequent high incidence of water-related recreational activities, many drownings occur each year - in recent years, it has been as high as 40 per year. The team has increased in number since the beginning, and has retrieved a total of 170 victims to date.

In September, 1980, 30 warden lieutenants and sergeants attended a five-day school to update us on the very latest techniques and available resources, plus increased effectiveness in managing the search function should it become an extended operation. Hopefully, we can provide even better search efforts as a result of this school.

•

I.J A J J 1:'1\. T.GE C'rJ.r'I.J......L ~1

continued • • •

from page 7

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

23

The Year of the Eagle

On June 20, 1782 the bald eagle was adopted as the symbol of the United States of America. This year we will celebrate its 200th Birthday.

In 1978, the U.S. Congress declared the bald eagle an endangered species in 43 of the lower 48 states, including Maine. Growing concern about the disappearance of the eagle prompted Maine scientists to count the number of eagles nesting and determine how many

young they were producing. In 1981, 64 pairs of adults nested and raised 49 young eaglets.

Nearly half of the eagles in Maine failed to raise any young last year.

Eagles are the largest birds found in Maine.

They usually weigh between 10 and 13 pounds. Hold your arms straight out to the sides. An eagle's wingspread is much wider than that-usually around seven feet! Eagles have brownish feathers with small patches of white for the first three years of their lives. At around four years old, these feathers are replaced with solid dark brown ones ( almost black), with the exception of the pure white feathers that are found on their heads and tails. They are then called ad ult eagles.

IMMATURE BALD EAGLE

ADULT BALD EAGLE

â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

24

Nest Location Winter Range Winter Concentrations

Eagles build large nests in tall trees; most prefer large white pines near water (lakes, rivers, and coastal ways). An eagle nest is big enough for a person to .sit in it. One nest in Maine weighs two tons-as much as two cars!

They are so huge because eagles (which mate for life) tend to use the same nest year after year, piling new materials on top of old. A new Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

streams and rivers. Certain chemicals ( such as DDT) used by man are harmful to eagles.

nest is small by comparison, only about three feet deep and four feet across.

The size of an eagle nest is evident in this recent photo of an eagle egg transplant.

Eagles usually nest from March through July. They usually lay two eggs, and incubate them for a period of five weeks.

Eagles are carnivores (meat-eaters). They eat fish, ducks, geese, turtles, rats, and squirrels, but seem to prefer fish, dead or alive. Eagles are great fishermen, are able to nab a live fish right out of the water by swooping down and grasping it with sharp talons. Most of the fish consumed by eagles come from polluted Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

They are sometimes poisonous to adult eagles, but more frequently will affect their eggs.

These affected eggs will break before they hatch.

In an experiment in 1974, scientists transplanted two healthy eggs from Minnesota to a nest in Maine. They replaced eggs that would not have hatched because of thin shells. The two Minnesota eggs hatched and produced healthy eaglets. One disappeared mysteriously, but the other survived and was reported to have been seen in the same area several years later.

Even though these magnificent birds are protected by state and federal law, records show that at least four eagles were shot in Maine in 1981. Some people may see them as easy targets; others probably just don't recognize that the immatures are eagles ( although their beaks and talons easily identify them as birds of prey, and all birds of prey are protected.) There is a $5,000 fine for killing an eagle!

Most Americans respect the eagle as our national symbol. It represents hope, freedom, and courage, and is also a symbol of a clean and healthy environment. If you see an eagle, report it to "Eagle Project," School of Forest Resources, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469. Let us hope for a better tomorrowand let's help the eagle lead the way.

Letters should be sent t:o: Patricia Hogan, KID-BITS Edit:or Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine 284 State Street, Sta. #41 Augusta, ME 04333 25

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You're NOT Alone In the Maine Woods!

By Gary Anderson Safety Officer

Whether it's an overnight spring search for an elderly hunter, with a healthy, happy conclusion (above) or a numbing winter dive to recover the body of a drowning victim (below), the search and rescue team responds to the call - and obviously gets much civilian help!

N 1943, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Game was designated as the official agency responsible for searching for lost persons in the forests and waters of the state.

Many people are aware of the overall success of this search and rescue effort since that time, and would likely be surprised to find that, as recently as 1980, there were internal misgivings concerning the department's ability to keep up with changing recreational patterns.

During the tenure of several recent chief wardens, steps have been taken to improve efficiency, upgrade training, and shorten response time of our search and rescue (SAR) staff, in addition to evaluating and testing new equipment. One nagging problem is the ever-increasing cost of in-depth searches. In some cases, a single search has used - even exceeded - the total amount of public funds allocated for these activities for the entire year! Obviously, the increased use of our natural surroundings, and the modern trend away from fuel-powered recreational pursuits, have demanded that our SAR personnel find ways to operate more efficiently in lieu of budgetary increases.

In September, 1981, a unique training school was held at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Waterville. The class of 40 included people from several agencies, including our own Maine Warden Service, Baxter State Park, the York County Sheriffs Office, the Penobscot Indian Warden Service, and the National Park Service. Instructors were from the National Park Service and the National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR).

The curriculum included the latest innovations in SAR ( fact, theory, scent dogs, probability equations, computer science, etc.). It proved to be one of the most interesting schools that many in the class had ever attended, and the skills learned there have the poten-

tial of rendering our search and rescue operations many times more effective.

During the course, an actual search situation arose. As the district warden and his supervisor drove to the scene, they planned and plotted the search using the new search probability system they had just discussed. The child was found before the two arrived, but they were gratified to learn that the youngster was in the location they had predicted!

HORTLY AFTER the

Waterville school ended, department SAR Committee was formed; the writer was named as chairman, and Wdn. Sgt. Larry Cummings ( since promoted to lieutenant) was appointed "search boss" for the eastern Maine overhead team. The western Maine team is under the supervision of Wdn. Sgt. Eric Wight. It was agreed that these two teams, each consisting of the boss and planning, support, communications, operations, and investigation personnel, would be in effect throughout the extra-busy hunting seasons and the winter. This was thought to be adequate under the following callout system.

In the event of a lost person report, the district warden is responsible for initiating the search. If it appears that the search may be a lengthy or complicated one, the overhead team is notified - no later than noon of the next full day of search. (This rule is flexible enough to take into consideration factors such as sickness, age, weather, etc.). If the person is not located by 4 p.m., the overhead team moves to the location where a base camp has been or will be established.

The team is briefed, apprised of resources and equipment, then retires for the night. At daylight, the overhead team relieves the initial coordinating staff ( the overhead team does not search, but rather is

Warden Parker Tripp (standing) conducts a workshop to explain his own "grid system," a very efficient method of pinpointing ground locations extremely closely.

The system has been adopted for use by the search and rescue teams, and is proving to be very useful and effective, allowing much more rapid communication of search pattern information between ground search crews, and between ground and air efforts.

responsible for search coordination), and remains on the scene until the search is concluded or until they are relieved. Commensurate with this plan, a remote telephone hookup system was coordinated, and informational letters and notices were sent to volunteer rescue groups and involved state agencies. A new department operations procedure was written, and a new state procedure was written and approved by all state agencies.

In December, 1981, a comprehensive SAR drill was held in Baxter State Park Elements from nearly every SAR group in the state participated, including the 122th Medivac Unit from Bangor. Our department

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

sent personnel from both overhead teams, and some supervisors to observe and critique. This was an impressive drill; it emphasized communications and operations, and great credit belongs to the 112th and to Baxter State Park personnel.

This past February, at the invitation of both the United States Coast Guard and the United States Air Force, the two overhead team bosses and I attended the United States Search and Rescue School at Governor's Island, NY. In doing so, we became part of a 6,000-member worldwide corps of professional search managers.

During this period of training and preparation, the Maine legislature was busy preparing and passing L.D. 1834; this bill clearly and simply states the department's responsibility for search and rescue, empowers them to engage others who are able to offer professional or skilled help, clears up errors of omission from previous statutes, and plainly states that expenses for this department's search and rescue activities will be borne by the State of Maine general fund. This expense 27

has been almost entirely borne by the Maine hunter and fisherman until now.

The department also adopted the NASAR form for reporting and documenting SAR missions. This should help improve statistics, which are used by NASAR to help train and educate search professionals.

T

HE PUBLIC REACTION

to this recent activity is positive. There are two new SAR groups, one in Washington County and one in York County; at least one game warden has purchased and is training a bloodhound; and established SAR groups have stepped up their training schedules.

Our department is experiencing

better and more constant communications and working relations with these groups, and we sincerely appreciate this, for they have much to share with us.

In the coming months, we will be working with these volunteers to tie together a network of instant response to calls for help from the woods and waters of Maine. â&#x20AC;˘

Jonathan takes it all in stride Data aided in boy's search For four-year-old Jonathan Coffin of Topsham, all the fuss about search and rescue paid off. He is the first lost person in Maine to be found by an overhead team using NASAR search methods.

Jonathan wandered away from his home about 5 p.m. April 21, quickly disappearing into a dangerous area of woods and fields interspersed with swamps and open feldspar quarries. Because of his age and the high risk of the terrain, plus the fact that night was fast approaching, the search was immediately given a high priority by all involved. Literally hundreds of searchers were involved, coordinated by a department overhead team.

By 2:30 a.m. the following morning, the team withdrew the searchers for a short rest, realizing that the terrain was nearly as dangerous to the exhausted searchers in the dark as it was to Jonathan. But sentries were posted at every quarry, forest opening, field, road, and chopping - this technique is called "containment," and was implemented in an effort to stop the child right where he was.

Meanwhile, some trained "hasty teams" went in and methodically searched for Jonathan's tracks, found them, and positively identified them by size and design.

The spot became "place last seen," or PLS, and was guarded to keep out anyone who might contaminate the scene or scent.

At daylight, a grid search was organized for the area of highest probability, based on analysis of the available data. It was projected that Jonathan would be not more than 1.2 miles away from PLS. Further analysis 28

determined the next-to-highest probability area, and this was immediately searched while the main body of searchers prepared for the grid sweep. Jonathan was found, unharmed, at about 6 a.m. - right on the median line between the two areas of probability.

It is worthy of mention that, at the time Jonathan was found, Maine State Police Cpl. Charles Tappan and his bloodhound were only 200 yards away and coming straight on, while a helicopter from the Brunswick Naval Air Station was very close as well. There were many volunteers involved in this search, including established SAR groups. It was a coordinated effort, and proved the efficiency and effectiveness of statistical analysis in SAR operations.

Welcome home, Jonathan!

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

~

the Fly Tying Bench

0

TH COSSEBOOM

ATLANTIC SALMON FLV #1

By Peter G. Walker ABOUT THE FLY

About 50 years ago, Ai Ballou and John Cosseboom discavered the Atlantic salmon fishing on Anticosti Island. Situated in the mouth of the great St. Lawrence River, this large, oblong island hosts a score of salmon streams radiating from its central highlands.

In those days, the only way the two businessmen/ anglers could get to Anticosti was via the S.S. Fleuris out of Quebec City. To while away the time aboard the steamship during its 24-hour passage, anglers would often break out their fly tying gear and prepare a few flies for the days ahead. On one such trip, Ai's wife Annie picked up a spool of olive-green silk floss and challenged Cosseboom to base a salmon fly on it.

He quickly whipped together a simple hair-wing using the floss for both body and tail and hooked the creation in Mrs. Ballou's lapel. Thus, from spur-of-the-moment

beginnings, was born one of the deadliest and most famous Atlantic salmon flies on record.

THEPATI'ERN

standard Atlantic salmon wet fly type ( Japanned finish , heavy wire, usually 3X long) in your choice of sizes TIIREAD: black (in recent years, most flytiers have switched to either red or fluorescent orange thread and claim that this makes the fly more effective) TAG: several winds of flat silver tinsel TAIL: a short piece of olive-green floss RIBBING: oval silver tinsel BODY: olive-green floss WING: a bunch of gray squirrel tail hair long enough to reach the tip of the tail COLLAR: a bright yellow neck hackle wound around the shank at the head and pushed back with tying thread.

HOOK:

John Cosseboom (left, facing camera) at work at his fly tying bench aboard the S.S. Fleuris, circa. -1935.

The Cosseboom was born in this environment, the result of a dare from the wife of Cosseboom's fishing partner, Ai Ballou.

0

The original (the very first!) Cosseboom salmon fly, with a tag written by Ai Ballou explaining the fly's origin. Note that the original is tied with a throat hackle, while Cosseboom's later ones are finished with a collar, as is the one described on the next page.

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

29

1

Attach length of flat silver tinsel to the shank at top of bend, pointing backwards.

Carefully wind tinsel several turns down bend, then back over itself. Secure with a couple of winds and half hitch, trim .

0

Wind ribbing evenly over the body and secure in the same manner. Be sure to leave adequate space near the eye for wings, collar, and head .

5

Attach floss for the tail. Floss should be tied down the entire length of the shank (as should all body/ribbing materials) to leave even base and avoid buildup at tail.

Grasp small bunch of squirrel tail hair between thumb and forefinger, pick out fuzz and short hairs with other hand.

Secure to shank with several tight winds (wing should reach tip of tail) . Carefully trim, add a drop of lacquer for durability.

3

Attach ribbing material, then body floss.

Tie each along the entire shank from the collar area back, same as tail, to ensure even body and avoid buildup.

Select neck hackle with fibers 1V2 to 2 times the distance between shank and point of hook. Trim off butt, grasp tip with fingers, and separate fibers by roughing the hackle. Attach base of prepared feather as shown.

4

6

7

0

Wind body material along shank towards the head, tie down, half hitch, and trim .

Grasp tip of feather with hackle pliers, gently take several tight winds just ahead of wing base. The fibers will stand out around the shank. Secure tip to shank near eye with two or three wraps, half hitch, trim .

8

9

With one thumb and forefinger, pull hackle fibers back towards rear of fly. Carefully wrap tying thread over base of hackle to fix permanently in this position . Continue this wrap until a nice wedge-shaped head has formed, tie off, and lacquer head. And there's your Cosseboom!

(NOTE: Several coats of thin lacquer applied to the head over a period of several days will add a classy finishing touch!)

o

DEE

S

Maine's 1982 deer hunting season dates are not likely to be set until the latter part of July, too late to be included in this issue.

Deer seasons are not set until after the department's big game biologists have a feeling for how the herd has wintered. This can be delayed, as happened this year, by a late spring. Further delay is incurred by the requirements of the state's regulation-making process.

Hunters planning vacations are advised against presuming that seasons similar to last year's will occur again. Changes in season lengths, dates, and zone lines are all a possibility.

The winter of 1981-82 proved to be both long and severe, overall.

Conditions that affect deer equalled those of the winter 197677, the most severe in the decade of 1972-82.

Most affected by the adverse conditions were last year's fawns.

Starvation and, in southern Maine, predation by domestic dogs were the leading causes of direct losses of deer this winter. This year's fawn crop is also likely to be smaller, due to the poorer condition of the does.

Following several exceptionally easy winters, the winter of 1981-82 represents a return to normal or somewhat worse than normal - wintering conditions for deer, which are at the northern limit of their range in Maine.

To be expected in as large and diverse an area as Maine, there are significant regional differences in the condition of the deer herd. In central and central-coastal sections, the herd is in good shape.

Problem areas the department is concerned about include western, interior southern, and east-coastal

Operation Eagle-Plant The state of Maine gained a new resident in May: a month-old bald eaglet.

The young eagle had been hatched and raised from captive adult eagles at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Station at Laurel, Maryland, where sick and wounded eagles are treated and cared for.

It was placed in a nest at the Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge, near Calais, where a pair of eagles has nested for several years but failed to produce young - possibly due to

pesticide residues which result in thin-shelled eggs that break in the nest and fail to hatch.

Wildlife biologists at the refuge made daily observations of the nest after the transplant and reported that the eaglet had been accepted

Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

Maine. While benefitting the moose herd, the intensive timber harvesting taking place in northwestern Maine has also reduced that area's ability to support deer.

Wildlife biologists believe that changing habitat, primarily the removal of softwood trees needed for winter shelter, is the leading cause of the inability of the land in some areas of Maine to support more deer.

In southwestern portions, primarily Wildlife Management Unit 8, heavy hunting pressure is believed implicated in deer populations that are below potential. Using its three-year authority to limit the taking of antlerless deer, granted by the legislature and beginning in 1983, the department will attempt to remedy this situation. Affording protection to doe deer can be used to rebuild populations, but only where hunting is the major mortal-

by the adults and was being fed and cared for.

In charge of the transplant project was Charles Todd of the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine in Orono. The climber who scaled the nest tree - a white pine - was Bernard Thompson of Holden, an experienced tree surgeon.

Todd says an aerial survey this spring revealed paired eagles at 69 nests in Maine the largest number in many years. The survey of nesting eagles will continue in hopes of determining how many young eagles were produced in Maine this spring.

The Maine eagle population, which has declined over the past half-century, has shown evidence of a slight increase in recent years.

31

ity factor and only in areas where the land can support a larger herd.

Readers who would like to be informed of the 1982 seasons immediately after they are set should send a self-addressed return envelope to DEER SEASONS Maine Fish and Wildlife Dept., Sta. #41, Augusta, ME 04333.

PERS01'T EL NO S Recent personnel changes within the Fish and Wildlife Department include the following: In the Warden Service, Warden Theodore D. Hanson retired after 20 years of service, most of which he was assigned to the Patten district. Promoted to warden lieutenant and assigned as commanding officer of Warden Division C, to be headquartered in Bangor, was Larry S. Cummings of Madison.

Three wardens were promoted to warden sergeant and assigned as follows: Michael L. Ritchie, Division E, Ashland; Michael D. Pratt, Division B, Augusta; James A. Davis, Division A, Gray. Reassigned to Division D, Greenville, was Warden Lt. Vernon L. Moulton.

In the Augusta headquarters, a new position of personnel officer was filled by B. Jean Bowman, who transferred from the Department of Conservation.

In the Fisheries Division, Urban D. Pierce was named to succeed Stuart E. DeRoche, who retired, as regional fishery biologist in the Sebago Lake region, headquartered in Gray.

1'TEW O CIL E BE Mark S. Plourde of Eagle Lake, a trapper and registered Maine guide, is the newest member of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council.

Nominated by Governor Joseph E. Brennan and confirmed by the Maine Senate, Plourde represents Wildlife Management Unit 1, eastern Aroostook County.

Plourde is a graduate of Fort

32

Kent Community High School and the University of Maine at Fort Kent. He is a selectman in Eagle Lake and director of social services at the Eagle Lake Home.

Members of the Advisory Council are nominated by the governor for terms of three years. The council is established to advise the commissioner of inland fisheries and wildlife on regulation changes and policy matters within the department.

s Over 1,200 hopeful recipients were on hand in Augusta, May 19 to witness the drawing of 1982 moose hunting permittee's names.

The event was also well covered by news media, including NBC and ABC television crews, likely attracted by the controversy over the limited hunt, now authorized by the legislature to take place annually in northern Maine.

More than 60,000 applied for a chance at one of the 1,000 permits to be issued. Competing for 900 resident permits were 47,557 Maine hunters, while 12,593 nonresidents sought one of the 100 permits allocated to them.

Drawing of the application cards from a sometimes-tempermental, regularly-rotated bin was done by

young girls and boys from Wayne and Litchfield. Master of ceremonies for the event was outdoor sportswriter and broadcaster Bud Leavitt of Bangor, backed up by Ken Bailey of Camden , former director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine. An all -volunteer crew of S.A.M. members and department clerical staff processed the applications and kept track of hunting zone assignments .

Everyone selected in the drawing was notified by registered mail and had until July 1 to acquire the permit for the September 20-25 hunt.

Aroostook County, with 143 successful applicants, led all Maine counties, followed by Penobscot with 122. Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties combined total about two-thirds of the area open to moose hunting. Although this may be interpreted as strong interest among residents of the area open to hunting, it is interesting to note that the next leading counties are all southern -Kennebec (101), Cumberland (80), and York (75).

Massachusetts (31) was by far the leading home state among successful nonresident applicants, followed by the Province of Quebec (12), Pennsylvania (11) , and New York, New Hampshire, and Connecticut (8 each).

National Hunting & Fishing

DayÂŽ September 25, 1982 Maine Fish and Wildlife-Summer 1982

A World Record WHAT?

1982 LICENSE FEES RESIDENT Hunting (16 and older) Fishing ( I 6 and older) Combination Hunting and Fis hing (16 and olde r) Junior Hunting ( 10 to 15 years inclus ive) Combinat ion Fishing and Archery Hunting (16 and older) Serviceman (resident) Combin ation Hunting and Fishing Archery Hunting (16 and older) Muzzle -loading (required, with hunting lice nse, for special d eer season ) Trapping (16 and older) Junior Trapping (10 to 15 years inclusive) Guide (18 and older)

S 10.00 I 0 .00 17.00 2.00 17.00 6.00 10.00 8.00 26.00 6.00 35.00

NONRESIDENT CITIZEN Big Game Hunting (10 and older) Season Fishing (16 and older) Junio r Season Fishing (12 to 15 incl.)

15-day Fis hing 7-day Fishing 3-day Fis hing Combination Hunting and Fis hing (16 and o lde r) Small Game Hunting (16 and older) Junior S mall Game Hunting (10 to 15 years inclus ive) Archery Hunting (16 and olde r) Muzzle -loading (required, with big gam e hunting lice nse, for s pecial d eer season) Guide (1 8 and older) Trapping (any age)

66.00 31.00 4.50 21.00 18.00 10.00 88.00 36.00 16.00 36.00 3 1.00 131.00 301.00

NONRESIDENT ALIEN Big Gam e Hunting (10 and older) Season Fis hing Combination Hunting and Fishing ( 10 and older) Small Game Hunting (JO and older) Arc hery Hunting (16 and older) Muzzle -loading (required, with big game hunting lice nse, for s pecial d eer season) Guide ( 18 and old e r)

106.00 51.00 141.00 51.00 5 1.00 46.00 156.00

When 14-year-old Scott Barnes of Litchfield wentfishing in April, I suspect he really didn't plan to catch much. After all, much of Cobbosseecontee Lake was still ice-covered and one really couldn't expect the fish to be very active. But it's awfully hardfor a young angler (and a lot of us older ones) to stay at home and be practical when one can at least get out in the early spring sunshine and go through the motions.

So it must have been a pleasant surprise for Scott when he hooked and subsequently landed a good-sizedfish.

But what was it? It had a very deep body and small head. Its sides were covered with huge, metallic-yellow scales and its fins and tail were blood-red. Barnes concluded that it must be a carp and duly reported his catch to District Game Warden Lloyd Perkins.

Perkins, however, was skeptical. With the exception of two tidal estuaries - Scarborough Marsh and Merrymeeting Bay - carp have not been found in Maine waters. He wanted the fish examined by professionals before reaching any conclusions.

Lloyd brought the fish to the Regional Fishery Office and Hatchery - Lab in Augusta where Fishery Biologist Denny McNeish and I identified it as a 15-inch, 1-pound 13-ounce golden shiner.

Although records are not officially keptfor this species (shiners are hardly considered game fish), it is quite possible that young Barnes now holds the world's record for a golden shiner caught by hook and line. I have searched the available literature and questioned my colleagues in other states. I have yet to hear of or find reference to fish of this species over a foot long.

Believe it or not, Scott Barnes' golden shiner, while perhaps the biggest ever caught by rod and reel, is not the largest golden shiner ever recorded. A much larger one met an unknown fate in Cobbosseecontee back in 1973. In mid-April of that year, Biologist Matt Scott, of the Department of Environmental Protection, and Wildlife Technician Jim Dorso found the partially-eaten remains of a huge golden shiner while canoeing across a shallow cove. Some animal - a raccoon perhaps had consumed the rear half Yet there was enough left to make a positive identification. This specimen is now kept in preservative at the Augusta Regional Office.

Last year I became curious about this legendary supershiner, so I took the pickled remains down from the shelf and made some measurements. By measuring a normal-sized, whole golden shiner, I obtained a ratio of the equivalent portion to the total length. The piece of supershiner is only about nine inches long, yet weighs ]-pound 7ounces. By applying the ratio obtained from the smaller fish, I can estimate that the brute was approximately 18114 inches long and weighed between two and one-half and three pounds!

Cobbosseecontee Lake's golden shiners are apparently a unique population which might warrant further study. As for Scott Barnes ' trophy shiner, he plans to have his record breaker mounted. He certainly will be one of the few anglers who will be able to boast about the trophy shiner above the mantel!

-Peter G. Walker Fish Pathologist