Red Fox (Vulpes fulva)
Photo © Leonard Lee Rue Ill
~AINE
Governor John R. McKeman, Jr. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
William J. Vail, Commissioner Norman E. Trask, Deputy Commissioner Frederick B. Hurley, Jr., Director, Bureau of Resource Management Peter C. Brazier, Director, Bureau of Administrative Service John F. Marsh, Director, Bureau of Warden Service Advisory Council
Marc S. Plourde, Eagle Lake, Chairman Carroll York, West Forks, Vice Chairman Nathan Cohen, Eastport F. Paul Frinsko, Portland Asa 0. Holmes, Belfast Alva S. Appleby, Skowhegan F. Dale Speed, Princeton Sally C. Rooney, Houlton Maine Fish and Wildlife Magazine
W. Thomas Shoener, Editor Thomas J. Chamberlain, Managing Editor Thomas L. Carbone, Photo Editor Dale S. Clark, Circulation All photographs in this issue were made by the Public Information Division unless otherwise indicated.
FISH AND WILDLIFE WINTER 1987-88
VOL. 29, NO. 4
Features The Moosehead Lake Ice Survey by Paul Johnson Results of a special 1986 "on-the-ice" angler survey
How're Those Caribou Doln'? by Mark McCollough A report . . . nearly one year after the transplant
Hunting Day by Gary Anderson Part 5 in the "Duck Hunting From Head To Tail" series
Winter Woods by Paul Connor A pictorial essay on winter in the Maine outdoors
by Alan E. Hutchinson Highlights of 1987's endangered and nongame programs
Reloading Your Brass! by Bob Foye Basics, safety tips, and sage advice for beginners
"Who's who" lists of endangered and nongame wildlife
CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Send both old and new addresses to Circulation Section, MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine, 284 State St., Sta. 1 路 #4 l, Augusta ME 04333. Please allow six weeks : for changes to take effect. Your post office cannot forward copies unless you provide forwarding postage. POSTMAS1ER: Please send address changes to Circulation Section, MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE, 284 State St., Sta. #41, Augusta, Maine 04333.
路 The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife receives federal funds from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Accordingly, all department pro. grams and activities must be operated free from discrimination with regard to race, color, national origin, age, or handicap. Any person who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should write to The Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240.
6 8 11
Nongame Annual Report
At Risk! by Beth I. Swartz MAINE 路 FISH 路 AND WILDLIFE (ISSN 036000SX) is pub-lished quarterly by the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 284 State Street, Station 41, Augusta, Maine, 04330, under Appropriation 4550. Subscription rate: $7.00 per year. No stamps, please. Second class postage paid at Augusta ME 04330. e Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 1987. Permission to reprint text material Is granted, provided proper credit is given to the author and to MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE. Clearance must be obtained from artlsts, photographers, and non-staff authors to reproduce credited work.
2
16 21 24
Putting The Water In Waterfowl by Joe Wiley Artificial impoundment creates new habitat
26
Is Hunting An Ethical Pastime? by Gary Anderson One sportsman gives his answer - and his reasons
Depart1nents
28
KID-BITS
14
FROM THE FLY TYING BENCH: Warden's Worry
19 31
FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS
Covers Front: Chickadee in Wintertime. Painting courtesy Paul Boucher, Lewiston, Maine Back: Cold weather lunch guest. Photo by Tom Carbone
Winter Action On "The Big One E R NEARLY 100 YEARS, Moosehead Lake has provided one of Maine's best-known recreational fisheries for brook trout, lake trout, and landlocked salmon. During both the winter and summer fishing seasons, the lake is fished by many of the people who live near its shores, as well as by those who travel considerable distances. Because of its location relative to the major population centers in Maine, Moosehead has always been a very popular destination for fishermen who stay more than one day at a time. Use on Maine's largest lake has increased from around 50,000 days of fishing a year in the late 1970s to over 95,000 days in 1985, and around 84,000 days in 1986. The increase in the amount of fishing can be attributed to a number of factors, including but probably not limited to: improvements in the quality of the fishing; continuing development of private seasonal camps around the lakeshore; more winter use of these private camps; expansion to year-round operation by commercial sporting camps that were formerly open only in the summer; and a general increased interest in fishing, especially during the winter. The increases in use, and in the harvests of coldwater game fish from Moosehead, have prompted concern over maintaining the abundance of game fish and the quality of the fishing. Because of the diversity of interests among those who fish Moosehead, it is apparent that the Fish and Wildlife Department must learn more about the fishermen and their,_ use of the lake if fishery management programs are to be successful in the future. Each year for the past 20 years, regional fishery biologists have routinely monitored the fishing on Moosehead Lake in order to determine total use and harvest, and to obtain information about the fish populations. During the 1986 ice fishing season, a special survey was conducted, in addition to the ongoing monitoring of the sport fishery, to obtain information about fishermen; their origins, their use characteristics, and their expenditures related to ice fishing at Moosehead. This information would help to provide a better understanding of the present winter use observed at Moosehead Lake, and of the importance of the winter recreational fishery to Maine's economy. On six weekends during the January through March season (essentially every other weekend), every party of fishermen contracted on the lake during the routine sport fishery survey was asked to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire requested information about the hometowns of the fishermen in the party, the distance they traveled to Moosehead, the size of the party, the location and length of their stay at Moosehead, and all expenditures related to the fishing trip. Trip-related expenditures included categories for travel, food and beverages, lodging, gas and oil for snowmobiles and ATVs, bait fishing equipment, rental fees, and other miscellaneous items. No attempt was made to determine other costs of ice 2
11
The
Moose head Lake
Ice Survey by Paul Johnson fishing, including expenditures for fishing licenses and items such as ice fishing traps, augers, snowmobiles, ATVs or special winter clothing which can be used for many years. The questionnaires were completed by one member of each party, often in consultation with other party members. All were filled out on the ice, in the presence of a survey clerk, which eliminated the problems of nonresponse and memory lapse, often associated with mail questionnaires distributed at the end of the fishing season. Some underestimation of expenditures is likely, however, because the fishing trip had not been completed at the time the parties were contacted. In most cases, only a few minutes were required to complete each questionnaire in the field. The survey was very well received by Moosehead fishermen; only two of all the parties contacted refused to participate after being provided with an explanation of the survey and its purposes.
C
OMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES were obtained from 384 ice fishing parties. Parties from 139 communities in 15 of Maine's 16 counties, along with parties from four other New England states, were included in the survey. Party origins are listed in Table 1. The greatest number of parties contacted originated in Kennebec County, especially from Augusta, Waterville, and Oakland, followed by Penobscot (especially ¡ Bangor and Dexter), Piscataquis (Greenville), and Somerset (Skowhegan) counties. Parties from these four counties accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 384 parties contacted in the survey. The author is regional fisheries biologist for the Moosehead region, with headquarters in Greenville.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 198 7-88
Part of the appeal of the biggest lake In Maine seems to be just that - its size. One can share the ice with hundreds of other fishermen, yet seem to be all alone in the middle of a vast flat wilderness.
The remaining parties were distributed among nine of the 12 other Maine counties. Very low use (only one party) was observed from Aroostook County, and none from Downeast in Washington County. Only 14 nonresident parties were contacted in the survey, substantiating previous beliefs that nonresidents do not contribute a significant proportion of winter use on Moosehead. Considering this information about the origins of Moosehead Lake ice fishermen, it would be prudent for the Fish and Wildlife Department to schedule future informational meetings or regulation hearings which involve the lake in more than one location, including the Greenville-Rockwood area, the Augusta-Waterville area, and perhaps the Newport-Pittsfield area. Meetings in these locations would provide a convenient opportunity for a large percentage of Moosehead Lake fishermen to attend and comment. As might be expected, day use in 1986 was most common from origins within 100 miles of the lake, especially from Greenville and Rockwood which lie on the lake and from other towns in southwestern Penobscot, south~rn Somerset, and northern Kennebec counties. Overnight use was reported by parties from all Maine counties represented on the survey, but was most commonly associated with origins that required travel of 100 miles or more to reach Moosehead. All 14 nonresident parties contacted . reported staying overnight to fish. Moosehead Lake ice fishermen can be divided into four "user groups," according to the length of their fishing trips and their accommodations while staying at the lake. Use characteristics of all 384 parties surveyed appear in
Table 2. Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
The parties reporting day use accounted for 41 percent of all those contacted, but the 463 days of fishing
Table 1. Origin of 384 Fishing Parties Contacted, Winter 1986, Moosehead Lake Number Of Parties Day Use Overnight Total Maine Residents (By County) Kennebec 25 63 88 Penobscot 40 29 69 Piscataquis 46 5 51 Somerset 33 Androscoggin 3 Franklin 1 Sagadahoc 4 Cumberland 0 York 2 Oxford 0 Knox 2 Hancock 0 Lincoln 0 Waldo 2 Aroostook 0 Washington 0 Nonresidents (By State) New Hampshire 0 Massachusetts 0 Vermont 0 Connecticut 0 Totals
158
11 20 14 11 15 11 11 6 6 6 3 1 0
44 23 15 15 15 13 11 8 6 6 5 1 0
6 5 2 1
6 5 2 1
226
384 3
spent by all of the people in day-use parties represented only 16 percent of the total days of fishing reported by all parties surveyed. Overnight visits were reported by the remaining 59 percent of the 384 parties contacted. The average length of all overnight fishing trips to Moosehead was 2.75 days. Very few parties reported trips of more than five days in length. Parties reporting overnight accommodations in motels or sporting camps accounted for 28 percent of the total contacted, but because of the large party sizes and the length of stay, this group represented nearly one-half (46 percent) of the total days of fishing reported. Parties that stayed in private camps on the lake accounted for 27 percent of the total number of parties surveyed. This group represented 35 percent of the total days of fishing reported by all parties. Overnight use by parties "roughing it" in tents, campers, or fish houses out on the lake was very low. These fishermen contributed only three percent of the total amount of fishing reported in the survey. Without previous similar studies, it is not possible to determine which of the user groups identified in this survey has contributed most to the increases in total use observed at Moosehead during the 1980s. It is quite likely, however, that similar increases have occurred in day use as well as in all three of the overnight use categories. Future use increases might be expected from day fishermen, from fishermen owning existing or newly constructed private camps, and/or from fishermen who prefer to camp out. Most commercial sporting camps, however, are now operating at or near capacity during the most popular fishing
periods. Thuc., without major expansions at existing commercial ventures, or development of new ones, future increases in fishing resulting from the commercial sector are likely to be quite limited. The total trip-related expenditures reported by all 384 parties were $88,054. Of this total, 35 percent can be attributed to travel, 30 percent to food and beverages, 18 percent to lodging, eight percent to bait, four percent to gas and oil for snowmobiles or ATVs, four percent to fishing equipment purchased specifically for the Moosehead trip, and one percent to rental fees. Average expenditures per party varied widely from $71.47 per trip for day use, to $464.50 per trip for parties staying overnight at motels or sporting camps (see Table 3). Because of the differences in the average sizes of the parties, and in the average lengths of stay among the four user groups, much less variation is exhibited by the average expenditures when calculated per day of fishing. Combining all expenditures by the 384 parties surveyed, in 1986 a party spent an average of $229.31 for an ice fishing trip to Moosehead Lake. This average party expenditure represents $29.85 per fisherman for each day of fishing reported.
H
OW DO TIIESE expenditures reported at Moosehead compare with those to fish other Maine waters? A study by the University of Maine (Reiling, et. al., 1982) estimated that expenditures by all Maine ice
Table 2. Use Reported By Fishing Parties, Winter 1986, Moosehead Lake Number Of Days Fishing Average Number Stay Per Average Reported Party By These Party Of Parties Size (Days) Parties Use Type
4
Day Use
158
1.0
2.93
463
Overnight Use (motels or sporting camps)
109
2.8
4.28
1352
Overnight Use (private camps)
103
2.7
3.66
1038
Overnight Use (tents, campers, or fish houses)
14
2.1
3.21
97
The author at work checking catches and catch-ers, Just two duties In a day full of on-the-Ice activities.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
Table 3. Average Trip Expenditures Reported By Ice Fishermen, Winter 1986, Moosehead Lake
Use Type
Average of Expenditures Per Party Per Per Trip Angler Day $ 71.47
$ 24.39
Overnight Use (motels or sporting camps)
464.50
37.45
Overnight Use (private camps)
228.41
22.66
Overnight Use (tents, campers, or fish houses)
186.14
26.87
' Day Use
Seeing the families enjoying themselves on the lake together is a big plus to such activities as winter angling surveys.
fishermen during the 1979-80 season averaged $12.21 per day of fishing. In the 1980 survey of Maine hunters and fishermen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated expenditures of $1 7. 00 per day of fishing, though the survey results did not indicate whether these expenditures were related to ice fishing, open water fishing, or both. The average expenditure of $29.85 per day of fishing by Moosehead Lake ice fishermen in 1986 certainly appears well above the statewide average, even considering the effects of inflation since 1980. This further emphasizes the importance and value of the lake and its recreational fishery. The information concerning Moosehead ice fishing expenditures has other interesting implications. In 1986, a Maine resident combination hunting and fishing license, which allowed a resident to hunt and fish for an entire year, cost almost $4. 00 less than the average expenditure for one day of ice fishing on Moosehead Lake. Applying the average expenditure of $29.85 per day to the total estimate of 30,500 days of ice fishing on Moosehead Lake during the 1986 winter season yields total trip-related expenditures in excess of $900,000. This money was contributed to Maine's economy, and it included revenues to the State in general sales taxes, liquor taxes, and gasoline taxes. Very little of these total expenditures were returned to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for the protection and management of the Moosehead Lake fishery. (Department revenues originate from license sales, as well as from excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment - most of which can be considered as the "investment" expenditures which were not included in this survey.) The results of the 1986 Moosehead Lake ice fishermen survey demonstrate that the lake's recreational fishery is a
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
resource of statewide significance that produces measurable economic benefits to Maine. Fisheries management at Moosehead must consider maintaining the abundance of the lake's resources as a top priority. This will ensure continued opportunities for quality fishing. Consideration of fishermen use characteristics and their preferences will assist in preparing management recommendations. Fisheries management which conserves the resource while providing for its optimum use and enjoyment will in tum produce significant, long-term economic return as a secondary benefit.
Acknowledgements
•
Winter fishery assistant Gregory Burr assisted regional fishery biologists with both the field work and the data summaries necessary for this survey. The cooperation of Moosehead Lake ice fishermen is also gratefully acknowledged. Without their support this special survey and the routine surveys of the sport fishery would not have been possible. (This article is a summary of a 1986 Fishery Division progress report entitled "A Winter Economic and Angler Use Survey of Moosehead Lake, Maine 1986". Copies of the complete report are available from IF&W upon request.).
Literature Cited Reiling, S.D., C.M. Cook and J. L. Taylor. 1982. Economic Impact of Ice fishing in Maine. Bulletin 783. Dept. Agriculture and Resource Economics, Life Sciences and Agriculture Exp. Sta., Univ. of Maine, Orono. 27 pp. U.S. Dept. of the Interior. 1980 National Survey of fishing, Hunting & Wildlife Associated Recreation. Maine. 7 6 pp.
5
THE
MAINE CARIBOU Rein-
troduction Project passed a major milestone this spring with the longawaited arrival of caribou calves, the first born in Maine in 25 years. Sixteen caribou calves were born to the 20 does in the nursery herd at the University of Maine between May 28 and June 26. The 22 adult caribou (20 does and 2 stags) were brought from the province of Newfoundland last December as part of an ambitious project to restore a self-sustaining herd of woodland caribou to northern Maine. We were pleased with the 80 percent pregnancy rate, which is exactly what would be expected of female caribou in the wild. Eleven of the 16 calves survived their crucial first weeks of life. Typically, 50 to 90 percent of calves perish during their first year - to predators, disease, poor weather, and sometimes abandonment by their mothers. Life in the university caribou enclosures protects young and adults alike from many of these sources of mortality so that more young caribou~will ultimately be available for release into the wild. The summer is a time of rest and growth for Maine's new caribou herd. The does and stags take on a disheveled appearance as they shed their winter coats for their charcoalgray summer apparel. The stags pay little attention to the fast-growing calves, and concentrate instead on growing a majestic rack of antlers. The calves are weaned in late August, and begin to grow a miniature set of antlers during their first year of life. After shedding the velvet from their antlers in early September, the two stags began to battle for supremacy. Sparring between the adult males became quite violent in the few weeks prior to the mid-October breeding season. These ritualiz.ed battles are conducted under a complex set of rules. The stags carefully evaluate their opponent before carefully locking their antlers together. The contest then becomes an excit6
How ' re Thos by Mark McCollough ing pushing match to see which male can throw his opponent off balance. The loser of such fights runs a risk of being gored as he turns to flee from his opponent. The victor, on the other hand, claims all the does for his harem. After numerous skirmishes, the stags were segregated, allowing the dominant male to breed with 12 does and the subordinate male with 8 does. This ensured that genetic diversity would be greater in next spring's calves. Subsequently, numerous matings were observed by project personnel in mid-October. It is believed that 15 to 20 calves will be born next spring. Plans are underway to release 25 to 30 young caribou in the summer of 1989. The first release will consist of yearlings and two-year-olds that were born to the nursery herd. Thereafter, annual releases of yearling caribou will foster the growth of the wild herd. The adult caribou brought from Newfoundland will ultimately be released to join their young. All of the animals will be radio-collared to determine the movements and fate of each animal. The radio collars are also equipped with mortality sensors to enable law enforcement officials to quickly apprehend poachers. Under new legislation, killing or harming a woodland caribou in Maine now carries a penalty of $2,000 and a mandatory three-month jail sentence. It has not been decided just where Maine's new caribou herd will be established. Six potential release sites are being considered, including public lands in the Deboullie, Bigelow, and Mt. Katahdin regions. Careful studies will be made in two areas to determine the habitat suitability, types of predators and para-
sites present, and the extent of protection that can be provided for the growing herd. Studies associated with the caribou release will provide information that will assist with the management of bear, moose, and white-tailed deer in Maine. There have been other benefits already realized from the Maine Caribou Reintroduction Project. A newly-constructed 11. 5-acre enclosure, used as a temporary home for the caribou, will be given to the University of Maine Wildlife Research Facility at the conclusion of the project. Also, the Caribou Transplant Corporation is repaying Newfoundland for their assistance by paying for the reintroduction of 15 caribou to the Baie de Verde peninsula in Newfoundland. The Maine Caribou Reintroduction Program has achieved all of these ambitious goals through private contributions. The Caribou Transplant Corporation, a group of private citiz.ens which oversees the project, has raised about 20 percent of the estimated $650,000 needed over the next five or six years to restore a caribou herd. Thus far, more than 31,500 people have traveled to the University of Maine to see the caribou during scheduled public viewings. Many have helped to support the project by "adopting" a caribou, purchasing limited edition art prints, or buying caribou T-shirts, posters, and video films. Any contribution you make to the Caribou Fund Maine Audubon, 118 Old Route 1, Falmouth, ME 04105 - will help make this project successful. • The author is leader of Maine's caribou introduction project, with headquarters near the herd's home at the University of Maine at Orono.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
Caribou Doin ' ?•
As we pass the first anniversary of the return of the native, this question is on many lips - for the answer, just look here. Or go to Orono and see for yourself!
Pictured are a few members of the Orono "family" of earl. bou, some transplantees, some native Mainers. The original group of animals were captured on the remote Avalon peninsula in Newfoundland, and arrived at the University of Maine at Orono December l 0, 1986 after a four-day journey Involving a boat trip on heavy seas and miles of trailer truck travel on icy roads through near-
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
blizzard conditions. The University of Maine caribou facility Is open to the public every second Saturday of the month (except May and October during calving and rutting) from l to 4 p .m. Any questions concerning the project can be directed to the Caribou Project, Wildlife Dept., 240 Nutting Hall, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469.
7
Duck Huntin.
Part 5:
u:
some reflections
The Labrador retriever, Shaman, my companion through many, many hunts, sits as quietty as a VERY excited dog can sit while I make all the preparations necessary before I can ¡settle in" and wait for the birds. ''.'.I,
O PENING MORNING time to put your equipment, your dog, and your gun to work. You've wished another year of your life away for this day; you slept fitfully all the night through, anxious as on your first date. Who can explain it? Many have tried, and nearly all keep coming back to one common theme endurance. The art of decoying waterfowl goes back, page by page, to a time before memory. Decoys were made of mud and stone, sticks and rushes, and finally even parts of the bird itself. No one really knows when solid blocks were first used; most likely, the earliest solid decoys were carved by the early new world set-
The author, the department's safety officer, is also an avid duck hunter.
8
tiers, who had the proper woodworking equipment to do the job, and possessed the secrets of making and using paint. We know for sure only that the art endures. Who trained the first Labrador retriever? The evidence here is a little better. These dogs came to this country with Portuguese fishermen, who used them to retrieve codfish that had slipped from the hook. Woodcut illustrations show the Labs, head and forepaw through a noose, being hoisted aboard the high poop decks of early fishing boats. It was surely a hard and cruel life, but it was then not difficult to train them to retrieve; one object on the water is as good to them, and as instantly retrievable, as is any other. Much has been done with the breed; earlier handlers would surely not recognize our contemporary Labs. Every Lab I have ever handled
eagerly fishes, and it is not wise to take my 103-pounder (Shaman) in a canoe fly fishing; he wants every fish - and is perfectly happy to leap over the side for them. Thousands of Labs have been used as guard dogs, seeing eye dogs, house pets, and farm hands. Those of us who believe they have been bred for but one duty are thankful that the water instincts and retrieving abilities have been able to endure. The gun came to Maine as an important survival tool of the earliest settlers at Port Clyde and Monhegan. Later, the "summer people" who lost their way and landed at Plymouth used them - for the same reasons. Early planners and framers of our government saw the need for everyone to have the right to keep and bear arms, and so we have - in spite of frightening overtures to deprive us of those rights.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
4
~,om Head To Tail
hat it all means . . .
and how it feels
••• by Gary Anderson
My Browning of today would surely be a mystery to those early people, as it effortlessly reloads and fires at the simple pull of the trigger. Today, I am restricted to steel shot; a major change and one that should not go unnoted; in the old days, it was known that steel shot would rupture barrels (what a testimony to man's progress!). The shot back then that killed a bird was mostly luck; patterns weren't reliable at more than 20 yards. My Browning full choke will place more than half a hundred #6 pellets in a mallard target at 40 yards - time after time. Man's desire to improve his lot endures - and so, thankfully, does the · second amendment. What can we say of the waterfowl we so avidly seek? Again, no one can speak with great accuracy of the numbers greeting the early settlers. They often spoke of them as "num-
berless." The writer is not unprejudiced; I do not believe my gun has any effect on the population under current restrictions.
Geese are so numerous throughout much of the Atlantic Flyway that they become nuisances. Bufflehead populations are increasing remarka-
Setting the "tellers· - the decoys - is a pleasant job on a morning like this, puttering around the bay near your blind and trying to find just the right places for your birds.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
9
It's been a grueling day, cold, windy, and snowy. The boat is trailered, decoys and gear stowed; the dogs intertwined in the truck, reeking of water and honest toil. A last look at the reddened western sky and my companion, as if reading my mind, says, "Sometimes it feels good just to endure it all."
cient patterns. The Lab; older, wiser, but a pup yet for all of that, vibrating his ardor. It's cold, but an old custom dictates no warming beverage until the first bird is bagged. As always he catches us off guard, his wings tearing the morning sky like cloth. We fumble and stumble as this first goldeneye of the year, a male, is dropping in. When he's brought to me by the Shaman, I am, as always, drawn to the bird's beauty and grace, and to the wonder of it all. How far we've come to meet just here! I hope we've all learned something along the way. We can only guess. But it's enough just to know that bird and hunter can endure. •
The end of the day - the retriever waits ashore while the toilers are returned to their boxes. Perhaps he dreams of another day like this before too long I
Tellers in place, we wait in the postdawn chill, hoping for some overhead activity to put the final ingredient in an already near-perfect day.
bly in our area. Scoter populations, at earlier worrisome levels, are currently numerous. But our "bread and butter" bird - the black duck - is in very serious straits. In one decade, we saw him, for all practical purposes, disappear from Casco Bay. It has astonished us, and alarmed us, and we don't know what happened. Wiser minds point to excessive spraying for pesticides in their breeding habitat, which kills the insects the young live on. Others say that acid rain has accomplished the same. Others say the gun wiped them out. With a two bird bag limit? Never! And I know of no one in my coastal area who is energetically hunting black ducks; we all hope the bird can
endure. 10
The bird is down, and It's time for the dog to do his age-old Job. As he comes ashore, we watch and wonder: How does he do it?
A nd
there lies the heart of it. While others slept, we enjoyed the trip across the bay in false dawn, saw the halting uncertain light of first sun; watched vapor rise to meet it as it gained in strength. We built a blind from nature's leavings on the shore, and set the decoys in the anMaine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
A Pictorial Essay by Paul Connor The author/artist (at left with a camera, his favorite "firearm") has been studying wildlife for 30 years. Born in 1948 in Providence, RI, he spent many of his early years on vacation in New Hampshire and Maine. "Maine has always been my favorite state," Paul says. "But only within the past six or seven years have I been able to study wildlife here to any extent." Paul created the Butterflies of America first day covers for the United States Postal Service. He has been a regular member of the National Wildlife Federation Stamp Program, designing wildlife conservation stamps. He has written and illustrated many magazine articles and illustrated plants for scientific journals. In 1987, he was juried into the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum bird art show in Wausau, Wisconsin.
IA.
FLOCK OF PINE GROSBEAKS or evening grosbeaks securing their meals in some snow-covered tree; a majestic bull moose browsing in the snow-covered bog; the beautiful grace of an ermine trailing its prey inwinter. These are just a few of the countless things you can view if you progress slowly and quietly through the winter woods. A botanist could go wild looking at all the mosses and lichens, not to mention all the species of trees. Winter for me is a magic time of year in northern Maine. Each year, a group of friends and I go up to Greenville - they hunt, I collect pictures of plants and wildlife for paintings. (Of course, I always manage to secure a couple of ruffed grouse for the table as well!) For the past six years, I have been gathering information about Maine wildlife. Here, I share with you some of the beauty and wonder of the winter wildlife community.
A 5:30 a.m. walk down a logging road afforded me an amusing 15 minutes of watching grosbeaks feeding and quarreling. The weather was cool and damp, and a foggy mist gave the woods a most eerie effect. The grosbeaks were feeding on beech nuts left over from squirrels and bears. The misty quality of atmosphere, and the feeling of wilderness one gets at seeing birds like this from the northern forest, Inspired this painting. The flock I watched contained approximately 23 birds. I first noticed only last year that evening grosbeaks seemed to be present In greater numbers than pine grosbeaks.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
11
One day, I had an urge to walk back to our cabin from the hunting area. - I had no Idea it was l O miles awayl I had walked about seven mlles - It was the most lonely walk I ever took - and when I stopped to rest for a moment, I glanced across the road to see this single pine grosbeak in a larch. I actually felt bad for him, being there all alone, but Just then he started chirping - and I walked on, whistling and feellng a whole lot better about his part In the scheme of things. Many times during the day, I have heard the alarm call the red squirrel. On this morning, I heard a general scolding from about l O at once; they sounded more upset than usual. I was standing at the edge of a bog looking at some pitcher plants, when branches started breaking overhead and pieces of bark hit the ground nearby. A red squirrel lunged from a black spruce to a dead spruce about l O feet from me. He ran down the dead spruce and into the woods. A rustling In the top of the black spruce turned out a beautiful pine marten. He stopped his pursuit, probably because I was so close. The marten I painted here is pictured with his natural prey - the red squirrel. Sometimes they miss their prey, but more often than not, once they are following a trall, the hopeless animal may as well give up. I was so taken up with the abundance of mosses and lichens that I chose to paint the marten on a rocky hillside, an area where one would likely be seen. The paper birch had taken seed in what little soil had settled there on the rock. But the roots could not get nourishment and the tree eventually died. I wanted to show the natural scheme of things in the habitat. The beech leaves on the rocks reflect the color of the marten's belly.
Moose are big, powerful animals - I usually try to give them plenty of room. This moose was browsing in a bog one morning. The snow, which had been falling for two hours, was still falling - big, fluffy flakes which make the woods seem even more silent and peaceful.
12
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
Black bear are common In Maine. I have always observed them from a ·distance - the only really sane way to watch their activltlesl Soper Brook has always attracted my attention, and I decided to paint it as a setting for this bear. In five minutes, he'll be in the darkwoodsl
•
The weasel here is in ermine coat. He Is on the scent of a mouse, bird, or rabbit. So fearless was this weasel that he continued his hunt while I moved to within three feet of hlml He stopped, looked at me, and went right back to his business without batting an eyelash. As spring comes, he will exchange this white coat for a brown one.
The next time you are wondering what can be seen in winter in the woods, just get out there early in the morning with a packed lunch and a hot beverage and sit quietly in an area not far from water. It won't be long before you start seeing, • hearing, and otherwise sensing and appreciating, the many forms of life in the winter woods!
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
13
WHERE ARE THE DUCKS?? Hidden in this maze of letters are the names of many different types of ducks. The names are listed at the right, but they go all different directions in the maze - forward, backward, up and down - even diagonally! One of them is found for you; the rest is up to you!
s H0 V E L E RAC B E E F H I p J K C u D D E KC E N G N I Rs T I u z X B y w0 0 D D u C K V T A B N C HA T uD 0 G H I J KwL N0 RTw G A u A F M E R Rs I T u VwXA y RB V F D F z R ED I E A E I L I 0 E CwT D N L u G Rs T L M L N L K A D X E E A X E y zs K I A V D s C T E y I F D 0 B H I L C wy I E L u E F z0 G N H0 D E B D B T u A B D RGD u HC I R0 L AMA s V C E K s H u B I I R s y G F D D Rw F D C C E y E N E D L 0 G N A C I R EM A A N s C 0 T E RXG A L A M E R I C - . - - .. - . . - u - - - ...... - - F y A Q y H L B p F C X J N M K 0 ww M B p z M L 0 D D K z K D Q T u I A 0 C 0 I N A p uH HuL y D E K K RuDM J RRQ C E 0 V M T XA Q E I T Q L K s D u K AwT N 0 G L 0 u G H Es L T uV J D 0 M0 wH I M J H E F K DwX z K 0 MN p R Es N A G R E M J L y A C A N V A s B A C K T RG H I D 0 C L M0 p Q K C uD N I uQ E L R A H rs
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Puzzle courtesy Mrs. Daniel Towle, Yarmouth, Maine 14
AMERICAN GOLDENEYE AMERICAN SCOTER BLACK DUCK BUFFLEHEAD CANVASBACK COOT EIDER GADWELL GREATER SCAUP DUCK HARLEQUIN DUCK MALLARD MERGANSER OLD SQUAW PINTAIL REDHEAD RINGNECKED DUCK SHOVELER TEAL WIDGEON WOOD DUCK
Answer on page 23 - and take a look at the stories beginning on pages 8, 26, and 28 for more about ducks and duck hunting.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 198 7-88
Letters should be addressed to:
Liz Chipman, KID-BITS Editor MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine 284 State Street, Station #41 Augusta, Maine 04333
MAINE TRACKER Rear
This animal: 1. Is a member of the dog family 2. Lives in a den 3. Has the scientific name Vulpes fulva 4. Is famous for its bushy tail 5. Is very "sly"
Answer on page 23
ANTLERS All members of the Cervid (SUR-vid) family have antlers. Deer, elk, caribou, and moose are all cervids. Male cervids grow a set of antlers every year. Female caribou also grow antlers. In the spring antlers begin to grow - they are covered with "velvet" - fur covered skin that carries blood vessels and nerves to the antlers. The antlers grow all summer, sometimes branching out with many "points". In the fall, the velvet dries up and the animal rubs its antlers on bushes and trees. The velvet is rubbed off, and the antlers get smooth and brown. In the winter the antlers fall off. The animal goes for the rest of the winter without antlers. A new set of antlers begins to grow again in the spring.
For an update on the caribou project, see page 6. Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
15
ANNUAL REPORT
1987 Hurricane Island, one of numerous nesting areas for closely watched species such as the common tern (inset). Photos by the author.
''D
0 I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO MAINE'S ENDANGERED AND NONGAME WILDLIFE FUND?" For 450 species of wildlife in Maine, including the rarest and most e,pdangered, that's the most important question you've asked each year. That question is on the Maine income tax form - and the best answer Maine's endangered wildlife can hear you give is "YES"! You give that answer by donating on the tax form. Your positive response is extremely important, because your voluntary donation is the only money available through the state for the Maine Ash and Wildlife Department (MDIFW) to fund its work of protecting endangered wildlife, threatened wildlife, and all other nongame wildlife in Maine. For these 450 species it's a story of "Good News" and Bad News". The good news is that since 1984, the "Tax Checkoff" has given MDIFW some money for conservation of these imperiled species. Fortunately, more than 25,000 taxpayers donate, their donations averaging more than $110,000 annually. Those donations pay for this department's vital work with wildlife as important as eagles, seabirds, loons, and many, many more. Now for the bad news: as generous as the donations are, they aren't enough - in light of all the problems facing a growing and developing state like Maine. Focus for a moment on the magnitude of the problem: 1) there are 450 species of concern; 2) they occur all over the 21 The author is the department's endangered and nongame wildlife project director.
16
by Alan E. Hutchinson million acres of Maine; 3) many occur in some of the most remote and inhospitable parts of the state, from rocky islands far at sea to alpine mountaintops; 4) others occur in the middle of the most rapidly developing parts of Maine; 5) many of these species are in serious trouble, with about 100 in need of special management to prevent their decline, or loss; 6) Maine is losing its native wildlife at the rate of one species every 14 years - and that rate may be increasing! The sum of $100 seems like a lot of money- until you try to use it to do what's so desperately needed. Even with $100,000, we can't adequately address the most pressing issues, let alone the rest! Just think how little $100,000 is to Maine as a whole! At that rate of spend¡ing, the state is spending only eight cents for each of us per year to try to keep species as important as loons, eagles, and puffins as parts of Maine. And that eight cents comes from private donations to the state! Eight cents: like giving up half a cup of coffee in a whole year! It should not surprise anyone, then, that wildlife continues to decline and disappear in Maine. Don't misunderstand. The income tax checkoff is making a difference. Some "at risk" species (see related articles beginning on page 24) and habitats are being protected. MDIFW is approaching this broad and complex task through a three-part coordinated program: 1) habitat protection; 2) species protection; and 3) public service and information. Here are examples of what the checkoff donations helped accomplish this year.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
HABITAT PROTECTION
., ~- . . . ., . ,,,.-·. . J
Penobscot Bay Conservation Plan: A detailed
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wildlife habitat survey and assessment was completed for 3 7 coastal towns surrounding Penobscot Bay; 230 significant wildHfe habitats were identified, 46 of national significance.
Cumberland County Wildlife Survey: Assistance was given in identifying critical wildlife habitat in a study of 19 towns in the Portland coastal area. Assistance to Towns: The information from the above mentioned studies, and training in application of this data, were given to town officials, zoning boards, conservation commissions, regional planning commissions, state land
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use planning agencies, and local land trusts.
Conservation Easements: Work
began on securing a conservation easement on 150 acres of valuable eagle habitat in Hancock County.
Environmental Permit Review: MDIFW reviews more than 5,000 land use permits annually, making recommendations and passing judgment on developments ranging from subdivision to construction of major transmission lines and shipping ports. All permits are screened to ensure protection of the most sensitive areas for rare and endangered species. Cooperative Protection: Cooperative management of rare and endangered species on MDIFW
SPECIES PROTECTION
Bald Eagles: This statewide recovery program includes inventories, research, habitat protection, and public education. More than 90 nesting pairs of eagles occur in Maine now, with three new nest sites discovered this year. Peregrine Falcon: Three years of work aimed at restoring this federally endangered species to Maine took a giant step forward with the first nesting attempt in years this past summer. Additionally, adult birds were seen at five other sites. More than 80 young peregrine
have been raised and released at seven mountaintop sites over four years in this effort.
Piping Plovers and Least Tern: The least tern and the piping plover are two of the most threatened birds breeding in Maine. Their status is in a delicate balance, since they are restricted to nesting on the sandy beaches of southern Maine. Beachgoers, competing for these sites, have severely effected these birds. Through a contract with the Maine Audubon Society, the nongame project is managing and protecting these two species.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
lands, on other government lands state and federal - and on private lands, is now a regular occurrence. Land Acquisition: The Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund doesn't buy land. It does provide information and staff expertise to groups and agencies that do have the funds and purpose of buying lands for conservation - including MDIFW. In that way, the fund assisted in protecting more than a dozen pieces of critical habitat this past year. Coastal Seabird Islands: About 350 islands on the Maine coast support one of the most unique communities of wildlife in the United States. These are the seabird nesting islands, which support colonies of puffins, petrels, guillemots, razorbills, snowy egrets, and 15 other species. The department's nongame project monitors and manages these islands. Surveys and Inventories: Critical sites must be found before they can be protected. Several studies on species ranging from golden eagles and shorebirds to May flies and turt es were aimed at identifying key pieces of habitat.
Finback Whale: One of the great whales and a summer resident of Maine's waters, this federally endangered species has been little understood. The nongame fund has supported an effort by the Atlantic Allied Whale Program to identify and catalogue individual whales and thereby determine their status. The program is so successful that it has now been recognized as the official regional organization for that effort. Endangered Species: An 18month effort to research and assess the status of all 450 species of nongame in Maine resulted in the official adoption of a Maine Endangered Species List in 1986. The list has several categories relating to the degree of threat faced by the species. More than 90 species are listed, with 16 in Category I (Endangered) and six in Category II [fhreatened). This list is the result of the hard work by more than 100 volunteers participating in review committees; it will be used to set priorities for action. 17
PUBLIC SERVICE AND EDUCATION
Community Projects for Wildlife: Nine grants were given in support of projects of educational value to the public and of conservation value to wildlife. These grants are annually available to clubs and groups throughout Maine on a competitive basis. This year's grants went to support two public school conservation programs, a workshop on how to construct nature trails, the development of four wildlife viewing
or educational facilities, and construction of two interpretive nature trails. Public Information: More than 50 talks and slide shows on Maine's endangered and nongame wildlife
were given to clubs, groups, and schools. More than a dozen new publications were produced for the public, and hundreds of requests for information were answered. Additionally, several thousand school children were visited by "Bart the Eagle" through a joint effort with the University of Maine. The staff also participated in several dozen radio and television shows on wildlife and assisted in numerous public field trips and training workshops. •
As you can see from the table below, 1985 was a banner year! And then the numbers started to drop - the number of givers, the average gift, and, of course, the bottom line. This year, let's see if we can at least reverse the trend, and maybe even set a new record for giving!
MAINE ENDANGERED AND NONGAME WILDLIFE FUND A History of Giving
YEAR
1984 1985 1986 1987
18
NUMBER OF AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL GIVEN GIVERS DONATION TAXPAYERS GIVING $115,794 $129,122 $112,319 $114,353
25,322 29,200 26,904 26,554
$4.57 $4.42 $4.17 $4.31
5.34% 5.96% 5.41% 5.19%
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
~ m the Fly Tying Bench
WARDEN'S WORRY
STREAMER FLY#5
by Eddie Reif Photos by Tom Carbone ABOUT THE FLY The Warden's Worry is a bucktail style streamer fly which was originated in Maine by Warden Supervisor Joseph S. Stickney of Saco about 55 years ago. While not as well known as the Mickey Finn and Red and White bucktails, this fly is one of the most popular bucktail patterns in Maine today. It is a fine pattern for landlocked salmon and bass , but is literally unrivaled when used for brook or brown trout in ponds and streams. The Warden's Worry is not an "attractor" pattern like the Mickey Finn, and its effectiveness throughout the state is probably due to its similarity, particularly in hue, to the Red-Bellied Dace, one of the more common stillwater minnows in Maine. The pattern is presented below. In sizes 8-10, the fly is best when tied with softer hairs like squirrel, fitch, etc., giving better action than that provided by the traditional
Attach thread 1/8" behind eye of hook and wind evenly to rear of hook, being sure to stop before shank starts to bend. Tie In flat gold tinsel, wind it three or four turns down bend, then back to where you tied It In. Secure with a few turns of thread and cut off excess. Tie In a narrow strip of red quill for the tail, then a length of gold tinsel for the rib. To keep the rib material out of the way while tying the body, secure the length of tinsel In a material clip on your vise. Wrap the thread forward, then tie the yellow-orange wool to the hook about 3/ 16• behind eye.
1
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
bucktail. It is also useful to vary the wing from light to dark brown; another extremely effective variation is achieved by tying a yellow floss body rather than one of light orange wool.
THE PATTERN HOOK: Mustad 3665A or 9575 (6X long streamer) or Mustad 79580 (4X long), sizes # 8-12. THREAD: Black 6/0 prewaxed nylon. TAG: Three or four turns of flat gold tinsel. TAIL: Section of red duck or goose quill. BODY: Yellow-orange wool or, in smaller sizes, floss (Danville color #7). RIBBING: Gold tinsel, flat or oval. THROAT: Yellow hackle tied in as a collar and then gathered downward. WING: Small bunch of light to medium brown bucktail or calftail extending to end of tail.
2
Now wind wool evenly to the rear (being sure to go back far enough to cover all thread used to tie in materials at the rear), then wind evenly back to eye where you started to finish the body. Tie In the material securely, cut off excess, grab hold of the rib tinsel at rear of hook, and wind It forward as a rib, spacing each turn about 1/ 4• apart. (Exact distance depends upon hook size. On a standard Size 6 #3665A streamer hook, there should be six or seven turns of tinsel.) Secure tinsel to hook with thread, cut off, and discard excess tinsel.
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Pick an appropriate yellow hackle and strip the webby, fuzzy material from Its base. Tie to hook behind the eye at the forward end of body, securing the butt end with your thread. Take the tip of the hackle In your hackle pliers, wind clockwise around the shank three or four turns to form your collar, and tie off. Length of hackle barbules in collar should be as long as the hook gap (distance between shank and barb).
3
4
Hold a clump over hook to estimate proper length (to end of tail or slightly longer). Cut butt end square at proper length and put a drop of cement on butt.
5
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When dry, apply a coat of varnish or lacquer for a bright shiny head. And here's your finished fly, ready for a trial dunking!
20
To prepare to tie In the wing, cut a small clump of brown bucktail or calftail. Holding between the thumb and index finger of your left hand, use your right hand to clean the short fibers and underfur from the base of the clump. Even out the tips of the bunch, removing any crooked or out-of-shape fibers. Use a hair stacker if necessary.
Holding hair at base between thumb and index finger, set base on hook shank behind eye and tie in wing. Apply more lacquer to butt where you tied In and then finish forming head with thread. Tie off and lacquer.
7 Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 198 7-88
Getting Started With ...
Reloading Your Brass! by Bob Foye Photos by Tom Carbone
I
HAVE BEEN RELOADING cartridges for thirty years. One can start the learning process with books, but experience quickly becomes the best teacher! As I read more, and loaded more, handloading became a pleasant hobby. I was rewarded with opportunities to develop adequate loads for my hunting requirements and to do more shooting on the target range, both sighting-in and shooting competitively. With care and experience, you will be able to produce accurate loads for your rifle or handgun by working with different powders and loads. Fundamentals of handloading are contained in numerous loading manuals provided by those who manufacture loading components. Choose your own, but by all means read the appropriate instructions. This article is not intended to provide the reader with a complete knowledge of the subject of handloading, but rather to pass along some useful suggestions to those who wish to take the opportunity to enjoy more shooting on the range and in the field. Handloading can be a safe and enjoyable undertaking only if one adheres carefully to certain rules of safety. Gunpowder will bum if ignited. While smokeless powder is less combustible than black powder, it still is highly flammable. You should always keep gunpowder sealed and stored in a cool and dry place,away from sources of heat and out of the reach of children. When handloading it is best to work alone, away from interruptions. Play it safe! Do not handload near a stove or open fire . Never smoke while loading, or anywhere near the reloading area!! The following advice is based on personal experience. Do not accept handloads given to you by other reloaders unless you are sure of their competence and knowledge of handloading. Out of 50 rounds provided by another loader on one occasion, I found four to contain no powder at all! Cartridges without powder present a hazard because a bullet can become lodged far enough in a rifle barrel (by the force of primer discharge alone) to allow another loaded round to be chambered and fired. In this case, I needed to pull the bullets in order to resize this lot of improperly prepared cartridges. Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
The following list of equipment is essential to good handloading: 1. A sturdy workbench 2. A reloading press 3. Reloading dies 4. Powder scale 5. Powder measure 6. Deburring tools 7. Brushes to clean primer pockets and to lubricate inside of case necks 8. Ink pad 9. Case sizing lubricants
10. Reloading manual(s) 11. Powder
12. Primers 13. Bullets 14. Loading block for 50 or more cartridges 15. Case trimmer (optional, but useful and often necessary) 16. Bullet puller (v~ry useful at times)
Today, there are several progressive presses available on the market which perform all steps in one stroke of the operating lever. These progressive presses are for experienced handloaders at best. Beginners should avoid using them, starting instead with singlestation loading presses. Finn Aagaard, in a recent issue of American Rifleman, wrote concerning the use of progressive presses: "It is usually impossible to check the case after every operation to make sure it has been done properly. One cannot clean the primer pockets, or check that every primer is correctly seated, or even peer into each case to be sure that it contains a reasonable sufficiency of powder and no more, before he seats the bullet. Nor can he measure the case after it has been dragged back over the expander button in a rifle sizing die to ensure that it has not stretched enough to exceed its maximum allowable case length (the best he can do is to see to it that the cases are all a fair bit under maximum case length before he starts to process them). In contrast, all these safety checks are standard procedures with single-station reloading presses."
The author retired in 1984 from his position as chief of the department's Fisheries Division, An avid hunter and fisherman, he has contributed many articles to MAINE FISH AND WILDLIFE Magazine.
21
I have broken down the sequence of reloading metallic cartridges into six categories: 1. Preparation of cartridge cases for reloading 2. Resizing and removal of spent primer 3. Repriming and charging with powder 4. Bullet seating and inspection of loaded rounds 5. Labelling and recording of loading data 6. Performance Let's take a look at each step in the process.
After removing the resized and decapped case from your die, the primer pocket should be cleaned with a primer pocket brush or other tool Oeft). Military cases used for the first time need to have the crimp in the primer pocket removed by swagging or reaming with a special tool, available from your firearm dealer. It is usually necessary to use an extra strong decapping pin, or a special hand tool, to decap military brass the first time it is used.
Priming and Charging with Powder Priming is accomplished by inserting a new primer 3 into the priming punch in your press. Use the correct
Case Preparation Choose bright, clean, undented cases. Slightly dirty cases can often be made serviceable, but discard cases with noticeable corrosion. A deburring tool (above) is used to remove roughness from the inside of the case mouth. Before resizing, each case must be lubricated (above right) by gently rolling it across an ink pad containing some case-sizing lubricant which you apply to the pad. Do not apply lubricant to the shoulder of the neck. The inside of the neck must be lubricated with fine graphite or motor mica, using a small round bristle brush Oeft).
1
Resizing and Removal of Spent Primers Resizing the case and 2removal of the spent
primer recommended for the cartridge being loaded. Magnum primers should be used only if recommended. Press the primer gently but firmly into the primer pocket, making sure it is fully seated Oeft). Then inspect the cases carefully. Cases with oversized primer pockets, resulting in loose primers, and cases with enlarged or damaged flash holes, should not be used. Discard them. Before charging the cartridges with powder, clean them with a cloth and some lighter fluid or other suitable cleaner (right). To charge with powder, first select the desired powder listed in your reloading manual for the caliber and weight of the bullet you are using (below left). Adjust your powder measure (below right) to deliver the correct number of grains of powder for your particular
primer is accomplished in one operation, running the case in and out of your sizing die (right). It is best to resize the full length of each cartridge case. If the cases you are loading have been and will be fired exclusively in your firearm, then neck resizing will probably be all that is required. 22
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
load. Do not use maximum loads. Calibrate your powder measure with a reliable set of powder scales (right). When reloading, you should initially check several loads delivered by your powder measure. Even if your powder measure is found to deliver the amount of powder called for in your reloading manual, you should still repeat the same procedure every 5 to 10 rounds until you are finished. Place each cartridge case in a loading block after charging with powder. Once all rounds contain powder, they should be inspected carefully for signs of under- or overcharges. I use a flashlight for this purpose, looking into each case. Only after this operation is completed should you proceed to bullet seating.
Bullet Seating and Final Inspection
4 Adjust your bullet seating die, following directions in your manual (below left). Seat each bullet slowly (below right), and deeply enough to allow each cartridge to cham-
5
Labelling and Recording
Each lot should be labelled with the date, bullet type, powder designation, and number of grains loaded, primer (make and number), cartridges cases used, etc. In addition, a complete set of records of all loading sessions should be kept {below), for documentation of exactly what was done and for measuring the effectiveness of one load against another.
6
Information on the performance of each lot of reloads is important for achieving accurate handloads. It pays to keep good records. The National Rifle Association can provide you with an abundance of handloading information. Become a member, and enjoy good shooting. I cannot overemphasize the importance of storing firearms and ammunition safely out of the reach of children. Please be careful - when loading, when shooting, when handling your firearms and ammunition. Shooting is immensely satisfying to many people - and reloading can be just as satisfying to those who do it • correctly.
KID-BITS ANSW~RS -
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ber properly. Do not seat them more deeply than necessary - just enough to allow the action of your firearm to close. Crimping the cartridge neck is usually unnecessary unless your firearm has a tubular magazine or is a revolver or semi-automatic pistol. Consult your manual for crimping requirements. Finally, all fully-loaded rounds should be inspected for signs of improperly seated primers, deformed cases resulting from improper resizing, or other irregularities.
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MAINE TRACKER The animal is the red fox. See the inside front cover for a picture of him!
23
It should make us stop and think, when we add up all those animals and birds whose ve.ry existence is ...
At Risk!! by Beth I. Swartz
The bald eagle, probably the first species that comes to our minds when someone says "endangered." As the list on page 25 shows, he is flrst on Maine's endangered list, and also occupies a space on the federal list. Continued persecution by man, encounters with pesticides, and habitat loss for many reasons, have combined to keep our national emblem "on the list¡ for some time now. Photo by Alan Hutchinson 24
IN
1975, the State Legislature passed the Maine Endangered Species Act. This act gave the commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) the power to designate a species of wildlife as endangered or threatened in the state. It wasn't until the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund (a voluntary income tax checkoff) was established in 1983 that MDIFW had the resources to begin a comprehensive look at Maine's wildlife and determined which species might be in trouble. Only animals that naturally occur in Maine were to be evaluated, and the study would be limited to birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Saltwater fish, managed by the Department of Marine Resources, would not be included. With more than 450 species to review, MDIFW had a long and difficult task ahead. Fortunately, over one hundred knowledgeable people from Maine and the Northeast volunteered their time to help in the effort. They researched each species, proposed categories and criteria defining the relative levels of risk, and recommended species to be listed within each category. A public workshop was held to give all of Maine's citizens a chance to participate. After final comments were considered at a public hearing, the revised list of species at risk was approved by the commissioner in December 1986. Six categories were defined for this list. Only species included in the first two, "Endangered" and "Threatened," are protected by the Maine Endangered Species Act. Those in the remaining categories receive protection from other state andfederal laws at a degree proportional to their level of risk. This list will help MDIFW focus its efforts on species requiring special assistance. It will be regularly reviewed and updated, and someday will include invertebrates. All of this work is very important. Nearly a dozen species of wildlife have disappeared from Maine in the past 150 years, some in the last 25. That's an average of one species lost every 14 years - a trend we hope to reverse. • The author is a staff biologist with the Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Program, with headquarters at the University of Maine at Orono.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
THE OFFICIAL WHO'S WHO OF ENDANGERED WILDLIFE IN MAINE
I. Maine Endangered Species: Species in immediate danger of extirpation (extermination). 1. Bald Eagle• 2. Peregrine Falcon• 3. Golden Eagle
7. Sedge Wren
4. Piping Plover-• 5. Least Tern 6. Roseate Tern• •Federally·listed Endangered Species
8. Grasshopper Sparrow 9. Right Whale• 10. Humpback Whale• 11. Pmback Whale• 12. Spenn Whale•
13. Sei Whate• 14. l..eatherback Turtle• 15. Atlantic Ridley Turtle• 16. Box Turtle 17. Black Racer
..Federally listed Threatened Species
II. Maine Threatened Species: Species that will become endangered if current populations experience further decline. 1. Tundra Peregrine Falcon• 2. Northern Bog Lemming 3. Loggerhead Turtle•
4. Blanding's Turtle 5. Spotted Turtle
•Federally listed Threatened Species
197 5:The State Legislature passed Maine's Act designating species of endangered or threatened status as known at that time.
III. Maine Special Concern Species: Species particularly vulnerable to population decline due to restricted distribution and/or habitat loss. 1. Harlequin Duck
4. Water Pipit 5. New England CottontaU 6. Ribbon Snake
2. Common Tern 3. Arctic Tern
7. Landlocked Arctic Charr
IV. Maine Species of Indeterminate Status: Indigenous wildlife believed to be of endangered, threatened, or special concern status, but about which insufficient data are available.
1983: The Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Project was established. Its first task was to conduct an evaluation and develop a comprehensive list of Maine's rare and most threatened wildlife.
1986: A finalized list, composed of six categories of varied levels of endangerment, was approved in December.
l. Least Bittern 6. Southern Flying Squirrel 2. Upland Sandpiper 7. Yellow-nosed Vole 3. Black-crowned Night 8. Red Bat Heron 9. Hoary Bat 4. Homed Lark 10. Silver-haired Bat 5. Orchard Oriole 11. Big Brown Bat
12. Little Brown Myotis 17. Wood Turtle 13. Keen's Myotls 18. Brown Snake 14. Small-footed Myotis 19. Swamp Darter 15. Eastern Plpistrelle 16. Tremblay's Salamander
20. Brook Stickleback 21. Grass Pickerel
22.Lynx
V. Maine Watch List: Species that do not meet the rigorous requirements of inclusion in Categories I through IV, but do warrant special attention. 1. Leach's Storm-Petrel 2. Snowy Egret 3. Llttle Blue Heron 4. Tricolored Heron 5. Cattle Egret 6. Glossy Ibis 7. American Black Duck
8. Barrow's Goldeneye 9. Cooper's Hawk 10. Red-shouldered Hawk 11. Semipalmated Plover 12. Black-bellied Plover 13. Ruddy Turnstone 14. Whlmbrel
17. White-rumped Sandpiper 18. Least Sandpiper 19. Dunlin 20. Short-bUled Dowltcher 21. Semipalmated Sandpiper 22. Sanderling 23. Red-necked Phalarope
15. Greater Yellowlegs 16. Lesser Yellowlegs
24. Bonaparte's Gull 25. Black Tern
26. Razorblll 27. Atlantic Puffin 28. Eastern Bluebird 29. Vesper Sparrow 30. Sharp-taUed Sparrow
31. Southern Bog Lemming
32. Long-tailed Shrew
VI. Maine Extirpated Species: Species of wildlife that were once indigenous to Maine but have not been documented as indigenous for the past 50 years. 1. Labrador Duck (extinct) 2. Eastern Anatum Peregrine 3. Eskimo Curlew 4. Great Auk (extinct)
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
5 . Passenger Pigeon (extinct) 9. Woodland Caribou 6. Loggerhead Shrike 10. Eastern Cougar 7. Sea Mink (extinct) 11. Timber Rattlesnake 8. Gray Wolf
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In October 1987, the Maine Fish and Wildlife Department l~talled a prefabricated aluminum drop spillway water control structure for the Bureau of Public Lands to create a 65-acre wetland lmpoundment at Little Squaw near Moosehead Lake. The high-altitude photograph (Inset) clearly shows the area as It appeared before the water control structure was In place. Map courtesy United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.
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OCTOBER OF 1987, the Fish and Wildlife Department engineering division completed construction of a 65-acre waterfowl impoundment for the Department of Conservation's Bureau of Public Lands (BPL). Located on BPL's Little Squaw Unit, just south of Greenville Junction, this impoundment creates a high value wetland for waterfowl, furbearers, and other wildlife on the headwaters of Wiggins Brook. This wetland is the second to be built on public reserved lands through the cooperation of the experienced fish and wildlife construction crew. It is also the second 26
impoundment involving the cooperation of International Paper Company, which owns the actual dam site and some of the land flooded by the impoundment. Duck nest boxes placed on the wetland prior to construction of the water control device showed little use. This was attributed to fluctuating water levels and an undesirable ratio of cover to open water. The water control structure should correct both of these problems; additional duck boxes will be placed on the wetland this winter, and wild rice, a preferred duck food, will be sown there next fall. Considerable cost savings over conventional impoundment construction were realized by utilization of a state-of-
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
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the-art prefabricated aluminum drop spillway water control structure. Site preparation and construction took only three days. The structure was placed around two large culverts where Wiggins Brook flows under an abandoned railroad bed, now owned by International Paper Company and used as a haul road. The roadbed also serves as the dam. Installation of the water control structure has converted a lower value wetland into productive waterfowl and furbearer habitat by 1) stabilizing water levels for optimum nesting conditions, and 2) maximizing the area covered by two feet or less of water for food production. Species benefiting from this active management include black The author is a department biologist assigned to the Bureau of Public Lands, Maine Department of Conservation.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
ducks, common and hooded mergansers, ring-necked ducks, wood ducks, blue-winged teal, muskrat, and beaver. Loons, cormorants, great blue herons, and bitterns have been observed feeding on the warmwater fish found in the wetland. Reptiles and amphibians will also benefit from this project, as well as songbirds such as tree swallows and redwinged blackbirds. Other waterfowl species are also known to stop here to feed and rest during migration. The impoundment project on the Little Squaw Units again demonstrates that different state agencies and private landowners can work together to improve wildlife habitat for all the citizens of Maine. The Bureau of Public Lands will continue to seek opportunities to carry out wetland impoundment projects and other management practices • to benefit wildlife.
27
Is Hunting An Ethical Is
HUNTING ETHICAL? Yes, I think it is, and I'd like to make a case that hunting has values in three clearly defined areas: 1) The perpetuation of species. 2) Man's role as "the new predator." 3) The continuation of a moral heritage. Let's take them one at a time. PERPETIJATION OF THE SPECIES In 1922, Zane Grey wrote: "My work has been wholly concerned with the beauty of wildness and nature of America, all of which are vanishing .. .I see only one possibility of preserving the game and fish, and something of the natural beauty of wild places, and the purity of inland waters. And here it is. If a million outdoor men who have sons, will think of these sons, and band together to influence other men who have 28
sons they may save something of America's outdoor joys for the boys ... "My appeal is not to save game and fish for sportsmen. I have forgotten sportsmen. I do not care anything about saving game and fish for sportsmen. I want to have something of vanishing America. For its own sake! So that our children's children will know what a fish looks like, and will hear the sweet call of "Bob White;" and see all the living and nesting inhabitants of our beautiful land .. "My one hope for conservation of America forests and waters is to plant into every American father these queries. Do you want to preserve something of America for your son? Do you want him to inherit something of the love of outdoors that made our pioneers such great men? Do you want him to be manly, strong, truthful, and brave? Do
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
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'astime? by Gary Anderson you want him to be healthy? Do you want him, when he grows to manhood, to scorn his father and nation for permitting the wanton destruction of our forests and the depletion of our waters? "In this materialistic day it is almost impossible to get the ear of any man. With all men it is the selfish zest of the battle of life. But men do love their sons, and through them perhaps can be reached before it is too late. The mighty and unquenchable spirit of a million fathers could accomplish much." Zane Grey would be happy to know that fathers and sons, and thousands of daughters, have been supporting a program for an endeavor such as he urged, by The author is the department's safety officer.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
their purchases of hunting and fishing licenses and through a special tax on sporting equipment. Mr. Grey had had his fill of the sportsmen of his day. He would be astonished to know that completion of a hunter education course is required in forty states, and that voluntary courses ar available in the other ten. A goodly portion of such courses are devoted to ethical hunting practices. These courses are taught by sportsmen and women volunteers. In his classic, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold wrote: "A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact." Leopold also observed that "there is value in any experience that exercises those ethical restraints collectively called sportsmanship." To appreciate the enormous impact ethical hunting has on wildlife, one has to be aware that in 1900, there were only 300,000 to 500,000 deer in the United States. Today there are about 14 million. Wild turkeys were once nearly extinct; today we hunt them legally in 45 states, including some areas where they never existed before. No species is hunted that does not exist in abundance and that cannot be used as food. The possible exceptions to the latter are crows and other pests that hamper agriculture. The various agencies that protect and enhance wildlife are supported by the sportsman's dollars totaling billions of dollars since Zane Grey's days. The objection to killing for sport is a real and uncomforting presence, and most find it difficult to defend. In my opinion, Ortega expressed satisfactorily the role of killing. In his incomparable "Meditations on Hunting," Ortega viewed killing as a means to an end, and not in itself an end. Ortega did not hunt simply to kill; rather he killed in order to have hunted. He likes hunting, and killing is an integral part of the sport. This is further borne out by a recent survey conducted by the Department of the Interior. Of the selfidentified hunters surveyed, 7 5 percent said they particularly enjoyed the sport, and 28 percent cited it as their favorite outdoor pursuit. An impressive 71 percent cited enjoyment of nature and the outdoors as a motive. Thirty percent cited solitude as a reason they liked to hunt. MAN IN THE PREDATOR'S ROLE It would be biologically possible in the next decade for Maine's moose herd to reach a population double its present size, or approximately 40 to 50 thousand animals. This many moose would require over one million pounds of forage annually to stay healthy. Where would that much moose food come from? 29
Would the paper companies stand the abuse to their trees? Would loggers put up with the accidents to trucks and injuries to drivers? What about the moosecar collisions? How many humans would be killed or injured? The same could be said for deer. In New York State in 1987, 180,000 deer must be harvested to keep the herd healthy and within food availability; in Pennsylvania, 220,000 must be taken. In both of these states, there are more deer killed by motor vehicles each year than are taken legally in Maine by hunters. Wildlife population control is an area little discussed and never met head on by protectionists. Man must assume the role as predator because we have made much of the world untenable for large carnivores and many scavenger - predators. Surely we could never get away with introducing the wolf to the common wilds and no other predator could do the job. Beaver may never have been as numerous as they are today, and are constantly renewing old colonies and establishing new, even as far south as the Carolinas. In fact, all furbearers are a renewable resource that can be and are well managed. Why then the synthetic fur, the base materials for which are not renewable? Certainly it's not for durability, as leathers and furs, cared for, will last a lifetime. The answer is that many view trapping and hunting as unethical. The beaver of this part of my argument are renewable. If legal trapping were detrimental to the well-being of beaver, or any other furbearer, then there wouldn't be one left as they were trapped by the first native Americans and the earliest colonists in America, and they are being trapped to this day. In a lifetime of intimate association with hunting and wildlife I've never seen evidence that the gun alone ever endangered wildlife. In fact, under our present systems of careful management and bag limits we can sometimes barely hold many species in check. They very often threaten their own foods stocks by sheer numbers. There simply is no viable option to the scientific, law enforced harvesting of some animal species, and the monies this generated by permit fees can be used for the protection and benefit of species.
shooting game and furbearers, and still are, with little or no effect on any of the species of the area. I have personally accompanied trappers on their rounds in the Georgetown to Harpswell marshes who were robbed and threatened by local residents. One who had every loose item stolen from his jeep found a note saying "trapping is unethical." One more illustrative argument that may serve more to baffle than enlighten a thinker. During the 1960s and 1970s a great many people went back to traditional skills and enterprises. Subsistence farms were in vogue, with goats, pigs, sheep and other animals and products being raised. Shearing, weaving, milking, growing vegetables and making do with a minimum of purchased goods was the aim of these individuals and, in some cases, communes. A peculiarity shared by most of them was a philosophy in opposition to hunting and trapping. Those few who did hunt and trap paid no attention to seasons and bag limits. The attitude was that it made little difference when you killed if you were going to kill. My point here is that hunting and fishing for enjoyment and income is as much a part of American heritage, and more, as almost any activity that might come to mind. It is one of the very few that is routinely passed on from parent to offspring or from older relative to younger. Here is the source for every ethical hunter in Maine. It matters little whether there is outside pressure - the predominately patriarchal influence slowly and surely creates the type of hunter that a person will become. In time, it is assumed every hunter will have exposed to hunter education including game management, habitat and the role of man the new predator. We come then full circle to Zane Grey. How could he know that in a few years, as nature chronicles events, his writing, prophetic now, would actually be the picture of things come. Fathers and mothers educated as boys and girls, becoming parents and attending hunter education courses with, in tum, their own children, and establishing a solid base for a heritage of ethical hunting.
HERITAGE
Our conclusion, then, can honestly be yes, hunting is morally acceptable. We do play an important part in the scheme of things and we need not be ashamed of this art of the weave of our complete American herita~ •
My next argument is that of heritage. The earliest colonists in Maine were those of the Popham Colony who built a wooden vessel, the Virginia and sailed it home to England. Since that time, ship building has been a mainstay of the local economy and solidly entrenched heritage for over three and one half centuries. Such activity has depleted oak, pine, and larch to the extent that few of these can be found locally for even the humblest of boatbuilding. Yet where is the hue and cry against boatbuilding? Why are the critics silent? Would one be judged insane to suggest the boat builders are ravagers of nature? Yet, at the same time, people were trapping and 30
Literature Cited Grey, Zane. A Vanishing America. The Isaac Walton League Journal, Vol. 3,#1. 1st Quarter, 1984 Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press, 1949 OrtegaY Gasset, Jose. Meditations on Hunting. Scribner and Sons, 1986 Interior, Dept. of the, USNPS. Nationwide Recreation Survey, 1982 - 1983
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS APPLICATION REMINDER Hopeful hunters of moose and wild turkeys in Maine should be mindful of their respective permit application deadlines. Turkey hunters have until February 1 to apply for a permit to participate in the May 9-28 open season, which is limited to the major portion of York County. The department will issue 500 turkey hunting permits, 10 percent of them to nonresidents. Hunters seeking one of the much-sought-after Maine moose hunting permits must have their applications in by April 30. The 1988 moose season is scheduled for October 17-22. Maine residents will be issued 900 permits, and 100 will go to nonresidents. Application blanks and instructions may be obtained from license agents or from any office of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. BIG GAME HUNT REPORT Hunters set new records in bear and moose registrations in 1987, and the deer kill increased by 23 percent. While the final bear kill figure was not available at press time, a preliminary tally of registration figures indicates that the harvest will exceed 2,200. The previous record bear kill was 1,954, set in 1986. The final official moose harvest figure for 1987 was 891, eight higher than the previous record established in 1982. Preliminary figures indicate a harvest of 23,687 whitetails. The increase in the deer kill is primarily the result of an increase in the number of any-deer permits issued - up from 13,800 in 1986 to 35,800 in 1987. The department feels that the any-deer permit system is facilitating the rebuilding of the deer population throughout the state, and anticipates continued improvement in the size of the herd.
The permit system allows the department to regulate deer numbers within regions across the state through control of the number of female deer that hunters are allowed to take. Permit-holding hunters may take a deer of either sex, while others must hunt for buck deer only. Wildlife biologists will be closely evaluating the information collected this fall, as well as data about wintering conditions, in order to determine the number of permits to be allocated in 1988, as part of the management plan to continue to rebuild the herd to desired levels across the state. Among the highlights of the 1987 moose hunt was a new state record for widest antlers - 69 1/2 inches on a bull shot in Coplin Plantation by Andre Brochu of Stratton. One thousand moose hunting permit holders and their authorized assistants were selected in a June drawing to participate in the 1987 hunt, their names drawn from among 67,726 applicants, a record high.
waters from which it was taken, or be killed at once and become part of the angler's daily limit. Affecting only participants in bass fishing tournaments, another new rule establishes a minimum length on black bass of 16 inches during any tournament held between April 1 and June 20. A new minimum length limit of six inches has been established on splake taken from all waters statewide. One noteworthy local fishing regulation change affects anglers on the state's largest lake, Moosehead, beginning with this winter's ice fishing season, even though the new rule is not included in the ice fishing law booklet. The daily limit on Moosehead is now two fish in the aggregate year-round, but not to include more than on(? salmon, one trout, and two togue during the ice fishing season; or two salmon, one trout, or one togue in the open water season.
FISHING RULE CHANGES Several statewide fishing regulation changes, and a number of local ones, will be in effect in Maine in 1988. Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Bill Vail and his citizens advisory council recently approved a 12-inch limit on smallmouth and largemouth bass, an increase of two inches. The change, which had been requested by organized bass fishermen, also had the support of the department's staff. Also approved was a change in the fishing season on rivers, brooks, and streams to permit fishing from August 16 through September 30, with the use of artificial lures only, and a daily limit of one salmon, trout, or togue (lake trout). Another new measure calls for any legal fish, except baitfish and smelts, taken from inland waters to be immediately released alive into the
RECENT IAND PURCHASES More than 2,000 acres of wildlife habitat in two Maine counties are now protected as part of the department's wildlife management area system. Using funds from the voter-approved $5 million wildlife habitat acquisition bond issue, the department bought two adjacent parcels in Cherryfield in Washington County, and another tract in the York County town of Hollis. Totaling about 1,400 acres, and to be known as the Narraguagus Wildlife Management Area (WMU), the parcels in Cherryfield are located between the East and West branches of the Narraguagus River. The larger of the tracts had been scheduled for subdivision. The Narraguagus WMU property is primarily wooded terrain, v.:ith a mixture of hardwood and some softwood growth, which provides ideal habitat for large and small
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
31
game animals and furbearers. It contains more than three miles of frontage along the two branches of the Narraguagus, one of Maine's most famous Atlantic salmon rivers. The new acquisition in the town of Hollis totals more than 600 acres, and links together two existing parcels of state-owned land. It is one of the few large undeveloped tracts left in the region, and is considered one of the primary deer wintering areas in that part of the state. Contained within the acquisition area is Killick Pond, which has undeveloped shores and offers fishing for several species, and also provides good habitat for waterfowl and furbearers. Properties owned by the Maine Department of Conservation and the Maine National Guard abut the land. The three tracts of state-owned land, totalling about 2,300 acres, have a long history of use by local residents for summer and winter outdoor recreation. The new department-owned lands add to the state's wildlife management area system, which now totals more than 50,000 acres. The areas are managed by the department both for their values as wildlife habitat and to provide areas for compatible outdoor recreation such as hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking, snowmobiling, wildlife photography, and nature observation. LOON CENSUS The 1987 Loon Count of the Maine Audubon Society estimates the adult loon population in southern Maine at 1,855 birds. The statewide population is estimated conservatively at 3,500 loons. Every three years, volunteers are organized on Maine lakes to count loons from 7-7:30 a.m. on the third Saturday in July. The next formal count will be in 1990. In intermediate years counters are encouraged to maintian the tradition of counting and report the results to regional coordinators. Maine remains the stronghold of loons in the Northeast. There are
32
several hundred pairs in New Hampshire and only a handful or two of nesters in Massachusetts and Vermont. Although loons are not endangered in Maine, they face numerous threats from an expanding human population. Nests are lost when habitat is developed, nests fail when lake levels rise or fall more than six inches, often a result of poor dam management. Of a small data sample of chick mortality from 1987, 44 percent of 16 chicks died as a result of collisions with motorboats or jet skis, 44 percent were killed by predators, and 12 percent died from other causes. Management of conflicting lake uses and uncontrolled growth on lakeshores may determine the continued success of loons on Maine lakes. People on foot, in canoes, or in motorboats are encouraged to keep away from loon nests and chicks. Lakes must be kept pollution-free, 1988 LICENSE FEES RESIDENT Hunting (16 and older) $15.00 Fishing (16 and older) 15.00 Combination Hunting and Fishing (16 and older) 28.00 Supersport 38.00 Small Game Hunting 8.00 Junior Hunting (10 to 15 years Inclusive) 3.00 Combination Fishing and 28.00 Archery Hunting (16 and older) Serviceman (resident) Combination 15.00 Hunting and Fishing Archery Hunt1n9. (16 and older) 15.00 Muzzle-loading (16 and older) 7.00 Trapping (16 and older) 29.00 Guide (18 and older) 40.00
NONRESIDENT CITIZEN Big Game Hunting (10 and older) Season Fishing (16 and older) Junior Season Fishing (12 to 15 inclusive) 15-day Fishing 7-day Fishing 3-day flshing 1-day Fishing Combination Hunting and Fishing (16 and older) Small Game Huntlng_(16 and older) Junior Small Game Hunting (10 to 15 years inclusive) Archery Huntin9. (16 and older) Muzzle-loading (16 and older) Guide (18 and older) Trapping (any age)
77.00 42.00 5.00 30.00 26.00 17.00 5.00 107.00 47 .00 23 .00 47.00 25.00 142.00 304.00
NONRESIDENT ALIEN Big Game Hunting (10 and older) Season Fishing Combination Hunting and Fishing (10 and older) Small Game Hunting (16 and older) Archery Huntln9. (16 and older) Muzzle-loading (16 and older) Guide (18 and older) Trapping
117.00 62.00 160.00 62 .00 62.00 50.00 167.00 510.00
and undeveloped shoreline with linited disturbance must be maintained if we are to continue to hear the call of the loon and keep our lakes productive. For more information on the common loon, contact Melissa Lee, Maine Audubon Society, 118 U.S. Route One, Falmouth, Maine, 04105. DUCK STAMP CONTEST The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has announced a Maine-resident-only art contest to determine the design for the 1988 Maine migratory waterfowl hunting stamp, better known as the "duck stamp." The contest is open to amateur and professional artists 18 years of age or older who have been domiciled in Maine during the three months immediately preceding the March 21 entry deadline for the contest. Judging will take place at the Augusta Civic Center on March 23. The species of waterfowl to be depicted on this year's stamp is the green-winged teal. All entries will be judged on anatomical accuracy, originality, artistic composition, and suitability for reproduction as a stamp and print. Maine has had a requirement since 1984 that all waterfowl hunters over the age of 16 possess a state duck stamp. Revenues from sale of the stamps, and from limited edition prints of the stamp design, are used by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to finance wetlands acquisition and development projects and other waterfowl management work in Maine. Previous stamp designs have been commissioned to Minnesota artists David A.Maass and Ron Van Gilder by the department's contracted publisher, Wild Wings, Inc. All reproduction rights to the winning entry will become property of the department. The winning artist will receive a cash award and artist proof prints of his or her design, and will retain ownership of the winning entry.
Maine Fish and Wildlife - Winter 1987-88
Full details of the 1988 Maine duck stamp art contest rules may be obtained by writing to: Tom Shoe. er, Duck Stamp Contest Coordina:or, Maine Department of Inland l='i sheries and Wildlife, Station #41, ugusta, Maine 04333.
NEW GUIDE BOARD MEMBER Governor John McKernan has appointed well-known Millinocket -portsman Wilmot "Wiggy" Robinson o serve on the Licensing Board for . aine Guides.
Robinson, 65, will serve as the public representative on the board, which examines and approves applicants for the coveted Maine's guide's license. He will serve out the unexpired term of Nick Albans, who died in September. The term expires in January 1989. The three-member board includes the director of the Bureau of Administrative Services for Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and a member of the Maine Warden Service.
FIELD NOTES URORA -After deer season, I stopped at a local woodsman's house to tag his fur. . o one answered my knock, but the vehicle was there and the garage doors open. As I walked around the carefully-kept grounds looking unsuccessfully for the human -esidents, a swarm of small birds, mostly chickadees and nuthatches, followed me, nding very close to me on shrubs and trees and calling loudly, obviously demandg to be fed by hand. Returning a few days later, I found the woodsman and his ife home. After I tagged his fur, we talked about the birds as he fed them out of is hand. He told me this interesting story: Earlier during deer season, while doing an errand without his gun on his property across the road, he jumped a small buck which ran off a short way and stood roadside. Knowing that the deer would probably stay in the area, he went back to ;he house and got his rifle. Heading back in to the area where he saw the deer, he ~hecked a patch of small firs, which was about the only cover in the area and a likely ?lace for the buck to be. Sure enough, as he got near the firs, he could see a patch f brown through the greenery. He raised his scope-sighted rifle to try to pick out the -est of the deer. Having come from the house, he was still being trailed by a flock of :hickadees, loudly demanding to be fed . Just as he began to pick out the fir thicket n the scope, a chickadee landed on his rifle barrel and all he could see in the scope .;.;as a grey and black fog. He shooed the bird away and raised the gun again, only to ave the bird land on the barrel again. This time he tipped the barrel down to shake : e bird off. Instead of flying off immediately, the bird clung tenaciously to the rrel, slowly sliding down the slippery metal until just before the end of the barrel, .}.;hen it flew off. For the third time he raised his gun, only to have a bird land on the barrel again ::x:fore he could sight the buck. This time, the deer decided not to wait any longer, nd as the hunter tried to discourage the birds again, he saw the buck run off. It would seem that the deer in that portion of woods are well protected! - Game Warden Deborah Patman, Aurora i30UNDARY COTIAGE, ST. ZACHARIE-Working with Warden Charles Davis this II in one of the most remote townships in my patrol, we became aware of a party of four hunters camped in a well-concealed campsite in the back country of this ownship. We knew they planned to hunt the next week, but this was Sunday. Charlie agreed with me that, with the isolation of their campsite and a fresh snow falling to cover their tracks, the chances weren't all that remote that they might be tempted to try a little Sunday hunting. On arriving at their campsite, we caught hem red-handed .... sort of! The men had set up a cast iron bathtub in a tent on the ba nk of a stream, and had filled the tub with water, which they had heated with a large propane gas torch. Our "Sunday hunters" were spending the day taking their baths. Charlie and I left their camp in agreement on one thing: no matter what we had held for preconceived notions as to what those four Canadian hunters were up to on a Sunday ... they were clean! - Game Warden Michael Favreau, St. Zacharie
J
Applicants for Maine guide licenses must first pass a written test, and then appear before the licensing board for an oral examination. Robinson is retired after a 34year career with Great Northern Paper Company. He has been a registered Maine Guide since 1951. He is currently serving on the Maine Waterfowl Council and the Whitewater Advisory Committee, and has previously served on the Policy Planning Committee for Public Lands, and the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Species Planning Committee. lWO WARDEN SERVICE K-9s RETIRE Two veterans with distinguished records as trackers of lost persons and poachers have "retired" from active duty with the Maine Warden Service. Trampas, a K-9 owned and handled by Warden William Hanrahan of Farmington, and Raven, Warden Specialist Deborah Palman's dog, of Aurora, are being re ieved of duty and replaced by two younger dogs. Raven worked for the Maine Warden Service for seven years before retiring this year because of arthritis of the spine. Trampas served for five years before a spinal injury in 1986. Two other dogs have worked with the K-9 Corps - Satan (who served for three years with his handler, Sergeant William Allen, and Caesar, (who served only one yearwith his handler, Warden James Ross, before being crippled in an assault). Both Satan and Caesar are now deceased. Palman says that during the past seven years, these four K-9s located and helped apprehend nine felons, three night hunters, and two subjects wanted for misdemeanors. They also tracked and located 10 lost people and are credited with saving the lives of two of those! In four cases, they obviously prevented assaults on their handlers, and twice located stolen property hidden away in the woods. This work resulted in more than $8,000 in fines!
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
284 State Street
Station 41
Augusta, Maine 04333