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January 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
Volume 7 Issue 1
! w o n E B I R C S sub
Publisher/Editor: Fred Allard Graphic Design: Dan Millet
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The Outdoor Gazette, with all of their agents, officers and employees, accept no responsibility for any or all injuries or damages that may result from interpretations of articles or advertisements within this publication. The opinions expressed by contributors to The Outdoor Gazette are their own and do not reflect the opinions of the The Outdoor Gazette in any way. No part of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of The Outdoor Gazette LLC. Copyright, The Outdoor Gazette LLC. All Rights Reserved
Submissions
Do you have an interesting story to tell? It could be about a fishing trip with Dad or Grampa, maybe a hunting trip with some buddies or just about exploring nature with Grammie. We are always looking for good stories/pictures to publish in our paper. If you have a story that you think our readers might be interested in, then give us a call at 603-989-3093 or send a copy by mail or email to fred@theoutdoorgazette.com.
On The Cover
The 2012 Trail Camera Picture of the Year submitted by Marty Wall of Randolph, Vermont. January 2013
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Editor’s Back Porch
By Fred Allard
Where’s Roscoe and other Outdoor Gazette contests on tap for 2013
Happy New Year everyone! Hope 2013 brings you and your family…you know all the good stuff ! The Outdoor Gazette’s growth has been steady and has been very pleasing to us here on this side of things. At this point I can honestly say we made the right choice by going “on-line” and we are here to stay for a long time to come…yeeehaaaa! Thanks to all the readers, subscribers writers, web-designers and friends that have helped make, this somewhat stressful change, a huge success. So what’s new for the Outdoor Gazette come 2013? I can hear you now. “ How is it possible to make it any better?” (crack myself up). Contests are getting better and more plentiful…Where’s Roscoe? Is a monthly contest, starting this month. Here in this Editor’s Back Porch is a picture of Roscoe Blaisdell. (Ain’t he pretty? Pretty ugly, and pretty
likely to stay that way! HAHA). Roscoe is the president of the New Hampshire Antler and
Where's Roscoe? One of the many new contests here at The Outdoor Gazette
Skull Trophy Club. We will place Roscoe’s picture somewhere? In each issue of The Outdoor Gazette. Find his picture then email me, fred@theout-
doorgazette.com, and tell me where you found his ugly mug. Everyone that sends me the correct location will be placed in a random drawing for an Outdoor Gazette T-Shirt. The Trail Camera Contest. No need to say more! This contest has been a ton of fun, with tons of participation. Starting in its fourth season now, the rules will stay the same. There will be two random winners drawn. Your name is entered one time for each trail camera picture that is published in The Outdoor Gazette. …and one Trail Camera Picture of the Year will be selected from the best pics (selected by TOG staff) and placed on our Face-Book page for you folks to vote on. This January’s cover is the 2012 Trail Camera Picture of the year, sent in by Marty Wall of Randolph, Vermont. If you didn’t get a chance to vote this year you should go check out all the finalists…some great shots there!
Sponsored by Chadwick’s Trail Cameras Staying with the same theme, new this year is the Trail Camera Video Contest. This contest will be entirely on our face book page. Here’s how it works. Place you video on The Outdoor Gazette’s FB page or send it to me, fred@theoutdoorgazette.com, and I will place it there myself. Every Six months we will open voting for the best video and award a trail camera to the top vote getter. So first camera to be given away will be in July, after all videos submitted from now thru June 2013 are in. The second one will be given to the best video sent in from July thru December 2013….I’ll also try and rustle up some more prizes from some sponsors…This should be really fun! Kids Fishing Photo Contest – Send in pictures of your kids,
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your grandkids, your neighbor’s kids and if the pic is of high quality enough we will place it in The Outdoor Gazette. Each child will be awarded a “fishing tackle” prize. Age limit is 15 and under. Youth Hunting Photo Contest - Same deal as the fishing contest! The Trophy Spotlight. Each month we will give away a copy of the NHASTC record book to whoever’s story is published in this section. Just send in a story (doesn’t have to be long at all) and some pictures, score sheets, maps whatever you want. If it is selected to be in the Gazette, we’ll send u a copy of the record book. Sponsored by The New Hampshire Antler and Skull Trophy Club. North Country Bone Collection. Here we go again…same deal as Trophy spotlight except the “chosen one” will receive a package of Antler Magic courtesy of the New Hampshire Shed Hunter’s Club. Sponsored by the NH Shed Hunter’s Club. As they Lay contest. This is a contest started by the NH Shed Hunters and now cosponsored by the Outdoor Gazette. Details are on the NH Shed Hunter’s website. Briefly, you send in a
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photo of shed/s you find, before you pick them up. There will be a deer and a moose category. Winners of the “As They Lay” photos of the year will receive a prize package that includes a customized jacket from The Outdoor Gazette (one for the moose category and one for the deer category). The Outdoor Gazette Shed of the Year Award – Co-sponsored by us, and the NH Shed Hunters. The highest scoring deer and moose shed each year, will be receive a trophy and some other prizes plus have their name engraved on a “huge “ trophy to be displayed at all the shows and events that The Outdoor Gazette or the NH Shed Hunters Club attends/hosts. More details on the NH Shed Hunters website. Ok, get outside and make some memories, capture them, and then share them with all of us.
Check out 13 year old Tyler Tolman's 14 pt, 200 lb… first buck! Tyler is from Mattawamkeag, Maine and has hunted the past three years with his dad. After putting in many hours of season of hunting this season, between basketball practices, Tyler was able to kill this buck the first week of December during black-powder season. Congratulations to Tyler and a great job to his dad for taking time to continue the family hunting tradition!
January 2013
Fred Allard lives in Haverhill, NH with his family. He is a Bowhunter Education Instructor, a scorer for the Northeast Big Buck Club, the New Hampshire Antler and Skull Trophy Club and the Vermont Big Game Trophy Club. He is the President of the Montshire Traditional Bowhunters. Fred can be reached by emailing fred@theoutdoorgazette.com.
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Life at High Altitude
By Cody Covey
to go through what I call the” elk
Elk 101 for the “do it yourself ” East Coast hunter
Growing up in Vermont I never thought I would get the opportunity or privilege to chase around the wide
ties this great state had to offer. Though there are many big game animals to choose from: mule deer,
Getting ready for a Colorado Elk adventure variety of animals that call the Rocky Mountains home. I moved in May of 2011 to Lakewood Colorado, and once I got settled into my new apartment and job I started researching the hunting opportuni-
whitetail deer, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, mountain goat, black bear, antelope, and mountain lion, to name a few, elk seem to be my obsession. While I could talk about hunting elk all day I would like
hunting basics” pertaining to style of hunting, and gear while taking physical ability into account. There are many ways to hunt elk and if you ask somebody else they will most likely give you a different opinion than mine. The three most often used methods are: hunting from the truck (no, not road hunting), hunting from
no cover you have to walk all those miles back to the truck each night, and I feel it goes against the hunt smarter not harder outlook. Some pros are: if a spot isn’t good you can simply get back to the truck without breaking down a camp and leave, and you are carrying less weight than other styles of hunting. “Hunting from a base camp”- I find the more time I spend in the woods the more often I see this style
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a base/spike camp, and bivouac hunting or most commonly referred to as bivy hunting. “Hunting from the truck”- a lot of guys, especially weekend warriors who don’t get a lot of time off, like this method because it’s quick and clean. It consists of keeping your extra gear at the truck, only taking a day pack, weapon, and food with the intent to return to the truck after dark each night. There are pro’s and con’s to this method like anything else such as. Cons- you are only as mobile as your supplies allow, unless you want to sleep on the ground with
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being used. Hunting from a base camp is real similar from hunting from a truck except you usually set it up a little ways from the road and have the intent to possible not return for a night or two. Your base camp, or home base, is a place to harbor your extra supplies and sleep system while you are out on your day trips. This allows you to be closer to the animals than you would be if you were hunting from the truck while still having a shelter to return to every night. Base camps seem to have more pro’s than con’s depend-
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ing on your physical ability: it gets you deeper in the bush and away from some of the crowds, once you get your gear there most of it stays there allowing you to be light on day trips, you can store a lot of extra food at camp, and you have a shelter to fall back on when weather gets real bad. Now, for the down side:
heavy your pack is, you tend to get further away from civilization which can be life threatening if your get injured, and it is the most expensive (gear wise) than the previous two. If you are planning a hunt out West you should really take the time and figure out what style fits you best and take into account the length of
Cody’s back yard! Bivvy hunting, no schedule no destintion... still less mobile than bivy hunting, your hunt, your budget, and how more work to break down camp and good of shape you are in. Choose move if a spot isn’t producing, and which way you want to hunt, stick most people in the West aren’t bash- with the plan, and always have a ful about setting up a tent close to backup. As mentioned before gear can play yours. “Bivy hunting”- While trying to a significant role in the style you give my unbiased review on style I choose to pursue in the adventure. feel like I should mention that this is Being light weight for long durations by far my favorite way to hunt. Bivy can get really pricey, while hunting hunting is where you carry all your from the truck can cut the price of a gear you will need for the length of DIY hunt close to in half. Whether your trip on your back and camp you are hunting from a base camp or where ever you end up each night. bivy sack you will essential have the In my opinion, the pros to this style same amount of gear, but when drastically outweigh the cons and I speed and mobility play a factor that think your odds of success will is where the price point of any prodincrease two fold if done correctly. uct can start to sway your original Pro’s- You are as mobile as it gets as position. Below is an outline of what all your gear is on your back, there is gear you can expect to bring on a no long walk back to the truck each DIY hunt if planning to sleep in the night (this is key when your dogging woods. Gear list: sleeping pad, sleeping a heard), you don’t have to plan each day around making it back to a base bag, shelter (bivy sack, single man camp, you don’t have to deal with tent, multiple man tent, or bivy sack any sort of crowd, and you are usu- and tarp combo), stove (single burnally waking up to bugling bulls not er or jet boil type), extra base layers too far away. Con’s- physical ability (merino wool or synthetic-friends plays a huge roll depending on how don’t let friends wear cotton in elk
country), some sort of medical kit, kill kit (game bags, knife, tags, etc.), good pack (day pack or bigger), good pair of boots (this can make or break a hunt), camo, weapon, and miscellaneous goodies (headlamps, batteries, survey tape, maps, compass or gps, water pump or purifying tablets, camelback, etc.)
When it comes to buying gear I would really suggest doing A LOT of research. Get on some online forums (www.rokslide.com) and see what other people are using, read reviews on gear before any purchase, figure out what is important to you on the hunt and what you can be cheap with, and always buy the best
from previous page
you can afford. I know that last comment may sound odd but for me it has held true. I have probably bought, sold, and bartered multiple of the items listed above and had I just spent a little extra money the first time to get what I wanted I could have saved some cash in the process. You don’t have to have the best of everything but don’t cheap out on the essential things like your sleep system, boots, and shelter. Hopefully this article has shed a little light on the challenges you will face when heading west for a mountain hunt and will save you a little time in the planning process. Feel free to contact me if you are thinking of going on an elk hunt and I will do my best to point you in the right direction.
Cody grew up in Corinth, Vermont and went to Vermont Techincal college where he graduated with a bachelors degree in construction management. He was born into a family of avid hunters and a love for the outdoors was instilled in him at a young age. After college he moved to Lakewood, Colorado to pursue a job as a Field Engineer in commercial construction and has lived there ever since. The rocky mountains are where Cody learned a love for elk hunting and the challenges of a western mountain hunt. He can be found hunting deer, elk and various other game in the fall and skiing the fresh powder in the winter. You can reach Cody at Cody.covey @whiting-turner.com
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A Waterfowler's Perspective By Brian Bouchard
Hunting Memories - Make one and pass them along
Although this column is usually geared towards the waterfowl enthusiast. I find the urge to write this month about a food plot and deer hut my father and I built this past year. I'm not certain what gave me more pleasure, the finished product or the process that was required to complete it. My heart tells me it was the process my head tells me it was the finished product. My dad, like most hunter's dads, was the person that introduced me to the sport of hunting. He wasn't the Daniel Boone type character. Nor did he have countless stories of deer he had harvested over the years. He was just a guy that was introduced to hunting at a young age that went on to marry my mom who's father and brothers were big hunters & trappers. This resulted in them forming the family hunting camp in 1966. They have spent nearly every opening weekend of deer season at the family hunting camp since then. I was introduced to hunting camp around the late 1970's when I was around 12. It's probably only been in
the last 15-20 years that I have gone from the student to the teacher when it comes to hunting. My dad now in
Here I am seeding the food plot.
his early 70's is more about the time at camp with friends & family then he is about bagging the big buck. I too am all about the time spent with friends & family. It's just that I have gone on to hunt just about every critter allowed by law with a gun, bow, muzzleloader and a trap. My love for hunting waterfowl is
equalled by my love for hunting whitetail. The issue has always been that there just aren't enough vaca-
tion days in a calendar year. Faced with this dilemma, the instant gratification world we live in, along with a father in his 70's, I found the need to build a place where we can sit
First leg of The Hut goes in the ground.
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comfortably out of the elements, that will attract deer and wait for the deer to come to us. So this year we finally found the time to put in the food plot and build the deer hut we have been talking about at camp for the past 5 or so years. Yes this was going to be the year we build "The Hut". We started this project about this time last year. Called our friend Chris Loomis of Green Crow Forestry Co. who has been working the timber around camp for many years now. We asked Chris to give us a quote on the timber value of a 1 acre piece of timber we wanted to convert to a food plot. After Chris's visit he determined that they would harvest the trees and return to us around $500. Although I had hoped for more I was eager to get this project rolling. We agreed to the deal and by spring we had a cleared lot and $500 in our pocket. Then we had Chris's logger come in and stump the trees which he did for an additional $2,500. In the end we had
January 2013
a 1 acre lot cleared and stumped for $2,000. I ran a few soil samples and applied the proper lime & fertilizer. Then in mid September we followed this up by planting some Biologic green patch plus. While the seeds were taking root we needed to jump right into the hut project. No rest for the weary. As mentioned previously we had been talking about this for 5 years and I have been designing this in my head and on paper for probably 10 years. Funny things was my dad was doing the same. So you can be assured we had this fully analyzed before we started. After a few trips to the lumber yard and a few more meetings at my dad's diner table to discuss the plan we were ready to start pounding nails or in my case shooting nails because I have an air nailer and have little time to waste doing it the old fashion way. I may not have mention that this camp is conveniently located a mile from any road and has no power or running water. Exactly what you want for a hunting hide a way but not so convenient for building a food plot & elevated hut with your 70 year old father. We would not let these difficulties hinder the dream of completing our elevated Taj Mahal of a deer hut looking out over a lush green patch plus food plot. So we started with the first of 4 legs protruding 10 feet out of the ground which would support our hut. There were a few set backs and your periodic swear word followed by laughter. After each days work we would count our fingers to ensure we had them all, pop open a much needed cold beer, step back and admire our progress. This was
Dad installing lag support bolts
the routine for a few weeks where we would sneak off when weather permitted to work on "The Hut". I think we at times surprised ourselves at how well it was coming along. Each time we would head up or return from camp to work on the hut
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occasionally take their muzzleloaders for a walk in the woods. Dad and I found ourselves in our new hut on several occasions during bow season. Despite seeing a moose and a nice doe on our trail camera we were unable to harvest a deer during this first season. Then came rifle and our hopes were high each time we would climb up into the hut. There was one time that I was out duck hunting on the weekend with a client when my dad was hunting solo in the hut. Although he saw a spike it wasn't Dad & I Fertilizing the plot.
The Hut starting to take shape we had the chance to talk about the hut, hunting and just life in general. This time was and always will be memorable times shared with my dad. The others at camp seemed to leave us alone for this project which was fine and in some way appreciat-
Dad inside The Hut filming
Dad & I admiring our progress
ed. After several weeks of blood, sweat and tears we completed "The Hut". Deer season rolled around with the start of bow. It's just my dad and I who bow hunt for deer. The others at camp stick to rifle season and
The Hut looking out over food plot
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legal to harvest. I had hoped he would get one to make all his hard work be rewarded. He also saw several nice Tom's that we hope will be around this spring. This season too pasted as well with no deer and soon muzzleloader would start with us having both drawn antlerless permit I figured this would be the season we would fill our tags. Once again several hours
A Spike horn walking through the food plot spent overlooking our new food plot but no deer. As I reminisce this past deer hunting season and the time leading up to it building the hut and putting in the new food plot. I realize how fortunate I am to be able to have the opportunity to experience these times with family and friends, more specifically with my dad. This project in particular has allowed me to spend several days with my dad that not only allowed us to build a Hut and food plot. It
Food Plot after seeding and fertilizer
Inside The Hut over looking the food plot during bow season. allowed us to build memories that will last a life time. We will be able to I have been hunting deer and predators for have a place to hunt together and over 30 years. Turkey for 15 years. share memories of future hunts. I Waterfowl for the past 10 years. Owner of look forward to being able to some- Fields Bay Outfitters. I Live in St Albans day pass this on to future family VT with my wife Michele and our 2 sons members who want to be make their Dillon & Kyle and our 2 labs Tyson & own memories. Remi.
January 2013
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Embrace Your Redneck Tendencies by Tina Coran The Pinnacle
Stalagmite: A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit built up from the floor of a cave or cavern. Several years ago, for Christmas, I arranged for my family of four to be outfitted with snowshoes and the proper accessories. You may be asking yourself “What do snowshoes have to do with stalagmites?” If I were not the one writing this article, I would
delightful. I spent the greater part of a lovely winter afternoon with my husband and our two boys happily tramping the familiar trails. We all slept well that night with that cozy feeling that comes from outdoor activity in winter and coming home to a simmering crock pot of venison stew, homemade bread and some hot cocoa. That day, in particular, holds a place in my heart. It was wonderful. It was so much fun in fact, that my husband
be asking that very question. Trust me we will get there. For our first family snowshoe outing, we enjoyed some time at The Green Mountain Audubon Nature Center in Huntington Vermont. That went well; it was cold, snowy and actually
Dean, decided that it would be really nice to have some time to ourselves out in the woods with the snowshoes. So it was arranged. The boys would stay with their grandparents and we would take our snowshoes, some food, and some adult beverages to: The
The Privvy!
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Deer Camp. I was quite frankly shocked that Dean even suggested this, however it is one of his favorite places and he knows the lay of the land there. So off we headed to the depths of the North East Kingdom of Vermont. I have been to The Deer Camp before, but always in late spring, summertime or very early fall. Never in winter. I figured it would be fun; I enjoy being outdoors and roughing it a bit. The Deer Camp consists of a multipurpose room on the main floor and a loft that folks and sometimes mice can sleep in. There is running water in the kitchen sink; I am told is kind of a big deal. It is pretty basic and rustic so that means, outdoor privy. I should probably state here that I am not a huge fan of the privy. This one is usually ok as far as privies go, but in previous visits to The Deer Camp, I have found my own places to answer the call of nature. During a scouting trip one fall, there was an incident involving a snake cleverly disguised as a stick, as well as some foliage that may or may not have been poison ivy, it is hard to tell while leaping around and trying to adjust clothing. Still I preferred a screened area of woods to the privy. When we arrived at Camp with our
streams. I had no idea where I was or more importantly what was underneath my snowshoes. I had a few incidents of stepping down before I checked with my poles only to find myself up to my hips in snow. Yup it was fun. I did learn to check the depth of the snow with my poles pretty quickly. I also learned that boogers do freeze, and that eyeballs can glaze over with a thin film of ice, as my darling husband merrily and jauntily plowed on ahead like some demented wood elf, with what seemed to be a single minded purpose. I am not sure exactly what ‘purpose’ he had in mind but I bet it had to do with me never asking him to go snowshoeing again or maybe he just wanted a beer. I did not have the breath to ask, as all that came out of my mouth were cold puffs of visible air. We finally arrived back at the cabin after what seemed like hours in the frozen north. I could have used a whiskey or a hot cocoa, or a hot cocoa with whiskey in it, you get the idea, but since Dean was in charge of the date, we had beer. The beer was more of a beer-sicle (like a Popsicle only beer), I was cold, and this was not turning out to be as much fun as I thought it would be. I drank the beer-sicle anyway. It was then
Snowshoes that are frequently used in our lovely state parks. snowshoes, the camp and surrounding forest was sparkling with nearly two feet of fresh snow. Excellent conditions for snowshoeing and I am really looking forward to a good time. I had not been on a ‘date’ with my husband since before rifle season, which in Vermont ends the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Then you have your front loader season, which ends the second Sunday in December. Suffice it to say, I had not spent any quality time with my husband since late October. So here we were tromping through the woods, reveling in togetherness. I followed trustingly as Dean guided me down various gullies and up steep hillsides, through pucker brush and across
January 2013
decided that since the beer was freezing, we should probably head home. Home being an hour and a half ride on clear roads, I figured now would be a good time to answer the call of nature. What to do? I had no choice, three feet of snow, no friendly privacy screen of foliage, and even if I decided to hang on to the tailgate of the truck and go, there was still three feet of snow. Fine, chin up and off to the privy I trudged. I promise, I am not a squeamish person, you will just have to take my word for it, raising two active boys has gifted me with a strong constitution for injury and general mayhem. I arrived at the privy door, cleared away snow so I could open the door,
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January 2013
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Mass Meanderings By David Willette
Remembering the last day
At one half hour after sunset on December 31th, will bring a close to the entire Massachusetts deer season. It’s finally over. Beginning on Monday October 15th, and running continuously for ten weeks, the carnage, or lack thereof, will finally stop. This is a mixed blessing for those that deer hunt and their supportive families. Some, like myself, are glad that it’s finally over. No more getting up at 5am, (wife complaining). No more missing work, (boss complaining). No more sandwiches, snacks, juice, or coffee consumed in the woods or truck, (stomach complaining). No more climbing steep hills or sitting in a treestand looking at nothing for hours, (back and confidence complaining). Some though, like myself, will miss it. The fresh air and sunrises, the laughing with other hunters, or complaining with same hunters about the lack of deer. I’ll miss the adrenaline
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rush of seeing deer, (if any), possibly shooting one, and all the bragging rights, (if any) that go with it. The challenge of the hunt, and the camaraderie are more a part of deer hunting
than the actual kill itself. The last day of the season has
always had a mystical feeling about it; or sometimes a feeling of desperation, like it’s the bottom of the ninth and this is our last chance. When that alarm goes off on that final morning, it’s like getting up for the last day of school. Sometimes on the
were very few days that we actually got out. But I still cherished every one of them whether he was hung-over or not. We have been hunting together since he was a little boy. Massachusetts isn’t a very friendly state for young hunters,
last day, some strange event happens in the woods, like getting a big buck. This is fondly remembered. Whenever that story is retold, it always starts with, “remember the time on the last day”. This year, the last day will have a different meaning for me though. This year, I will hunt locally with my son Nate for probably the last time, and it doesn’t feel good. Nate is now a senior in college and his plans after graduation is to go out west to live Missoula, Montana. “Big Sky” country, where the mountains are taller and steeper, the rivers wider and deeper, and the sky are bigger and bluer. In a way, I wish I were going with him. Nate hasn’t hunted seriously since he’s been in college. He simply hasn’t been home. For the last four hunting seasons, the only chance we had to hunt was during Winter Break. Usually, he would get home around December 20th, and we’d have a week or so to do some muzzleloader hunting. Factor in his late-night social life and there
so we couldn’t do any serious hunting until Nate was in middle school. Even then I had to slowly temper him with short trips, so that he wouldn’t lose interest or get discouraged. His first opening day of deer season came when he was in seventh grade. We convinced mom to let Nate play hooky and try our hand at deer hunting over on Mass. Ave. She was nervous about her son in the woods, (she could care less about me), so I had to pack extra food, clothes, and gear. I almost couldn’t carry my pack up the mountain. We got up early and had a good breakfast, took our ten minute drive, then our thirty minute hike and plopped ourselves down in front of a couple of big oaks. It still wasn’t daylight yet when Nate turns to me and asks, “Dad, do you have any snacks, I’m hungry?.” We got lucky that day as we got a nice doe and our hunting buddy Tom Kondel shot a five-pointer. My proudest moment with Nate though came a few years later. By now he was sixteen and
January 2013
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old enough to hunt by himself. He could sit alone, with a high powered rifle and make his own decisions on what to do, and when to do it. If he wanted to get up and move a little, he could. If a legal deer came into him and he wanted to try to shoot it, it was his decision on when to pull the trigger. Not mine. That year we were hunting over in Prosser Hollow in North Petersburg, NY. It was opening day, and the woods were full of hunters and pressured deer. It was a clear crisp morning. Nate had a doe permit, but I told him on the walk in that we already had a deer in the freezer, and that he didn’t have to shoot the first deer that he saw. The shooting started right at first light, but then it calmed down for a while. Around 9:30 I decided to take a walk over to see how his morning had gone so far. As I got closer to him, I could see him start to smile, but I knew he hadn’t shot his rifle. He started to tell me that at 8:00 three big does came off the ridge, out of the laurel and walked right past him at thirty yards. He said, “Dad, it was wicked cool. One of them was pretty big. I checked her out with the scope. I knew that she
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didn’t have horns right away, but I watched it with my scope anyway.” I asked him why he didn’t shoot, and he said, “We already have some deer meat, and why shoot it if we’re not going to eat it.” I couldn’t have been more proud. It’s not too often around here that any hunter, myself included, lets a legal deer walk by. Not that Nate is wise beyond his years, but he showed a sense of fairness that day that on some days I don’t have. I wish that I could remember my last hunt with my father, but I can’t. I’m sure that it was uneventful, most hunts are. It was probably a deer hunt somewhere nearby, at that stage of his hunting career, he didn’t need to hunt that hard, so he didn’t go very often-usually just opening day and only if the weather was good. One thing I do regret though is that my father never got to hunt with his grandkids. That’s a last day that I definitely would have remembered. And he would have too. David Willette is a free-lance outdoor writer who lives in Western Massachusetts. He can be contacted through www.coyotewars.com
took off my snowshoes and went on in. It wasn’t too bad, I was dark but I was pretty sure there were no spiders hardy enough to be living in the cold and snow. They don’t really bother me anyway. I carried on with my business but as I sat down all I could think
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POOP! I couldn’t breathe right, even just writing about it now my heart is in minor palpitations from the anxiety. I have not been back to The Deer Camp in winter since that day. My snowshoes are used throughout the Vermont winter to stomp a ‘path’ in
Tina uses her snow shoes to break trail for her puppy
about was the month or so that the privy saw constant use by multiple patrons all eating an abundance of camp food including pickled eggs, a great deal of processed meat, beans, and various types of alcohol. Then my neurosis took over, I had a sudden flashback to a middle school film strip we had to watch for science class about how stalagmites are formed in caves (I told you we would get there) and I wondered how deep a hole was under that outhouse and how close my backside was to a PINACCLE OF
January 2013
our back yard for my dog. Frequently I use the snowshoes in one of our lovely state parks, sometimes I ask my husband to come along, but mostly I bring my dog.. A South Burlington, Vermont resident, formerly a “flatlander” and married to a Vermonter. She and her “Vermnter” husband have 2 sons aged 17 and 22, as well as a Brittany spaniel who behaves better than all of them. Tina was raised country and it is in her blood. Tina can be reached via email at tinacorron@gmail.com.
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Riverbank Tales by Bill Thompson
The Brown Owl - Tying a New Hampshire Classic
There are a lot of great rivers in the state of New Hampshire, but the Androscoggin River stands out as one of my favorites. The section between Errol and the Pontook Dam is especially dear to my heart. Needless to say the fishing can be very good and for that reason alone I would continue to return, however it is the lore and the history of the river that also brings me back each season. When I drive along the river I can’t help but think of what the river must have been like before the first Euro Americans arrived; it must have been a hunter/anglers paradise. I would guess that most people, when they think of the Androscoggin, the logging area would come to mind. The river also has a rich legacy of fly fishing and the Brown Owl fly is born of that legacy. The Brown Owl was developed by Bob Broad and was named for his hunting and fishing lodge, Brown Owl Camps, which were located on the river. The camps are gone now and the site serves as a visitor center for the Umbagog National Wildlife
Refuge. Bob developed the fly as a stonefly imitation for the Androscoggin. At first look the Brown Owl is often mistaken for a streamer fly. The tent wing shape is indeed similar to many popular New Hampshire streamer patterns such as Joe’s Smelt and the Harris Special. The Brown Owl is designed to float in the surface film or hover slightly under the surface. Adult female stoneflies are often trapped in the surface film when in the act of egg laying. Bob, no doubt, noticed this behavior and came up with the Owl. Although the Brown Owl has always been a perennial favorite in our shop and has sold well over the years I had never given it much thought. A couple of years ago I was asked to tie a dozen Owls for a customer. After completing the order I tied a few extras for myself. Not long after I found myself fishing below the Pontook Dam. The fishing had been fair, but nothing to write home about. I was rummaging through my fly box looking for something differ-
ent to try when I spied the Owl. I tied one on and a few minutes later I realized what I had been missing and wondering out loud why I had never fished this pattern before. Like a great many Androscoggin
anglers I have always considered the Stimulator to be one, if not the best imitation of an adult stonefly. After that evening’s experience I am convinced that the Brown Owl is the better fly for the job. I am not giving up on “Stemis”, but when one seriously looks at the Owl you realize
STEP 1
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add a bear $300.00 more, if successful $500.00 extra 96% success rate. Bow Hunting starts two weeks before Rifle Hunting. Price includes licenses, taxes, guides, food and accommodations. Home cooked meals, hot shower, generator, electricity and satellite T.V. All meat processing and packaging are available at local butchers for extra cost.
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January 2013
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STEP 4
STEP 5
how well thought out the design is. The dark teal feather wing gives the impression of the vined wing of the real insect and the tent shape also mimics the shape of the real thing. The wing, most importantly, keeps the fly from sinking. The soft grizzly hackle represents the stonefly’s legs and gives the fly movement in the water. The one thing I have always questioned is the gold body. Although one could make the argument that it gives the fly an iridescent look of the submerged bug? I have often thought of changing the body to either foam or deer body hair, however, the original pattern works so well I have never taken the time to do so. The Brown Owl Hook: Mustad 3365 or 9575 other streamer hooks may be substituted.
STEP 9
Thread: Black 6/0 Body: Gold oval tinsel Under wing and throat: Deer hair from the base of the bucktail (I like to sub moose body hair) Wing: Two teal flank feathers tied one on top of the other Hackle: Soft Grizzly hen hackle, collared and trimmed on top. Originally from Maine, Bill Thompson, with his wife Janet, lives in Freedom and owns North Country Angler fly shop in North Conway. He has been fly fishing for more than 30 years and is a licensed NH Fishing Guide. He has fished all over New England, in Canada and out West, but claims the Saco as his “home river.” He also writes a column for a local paper as well as articles in national fly fishing magazines. Bill’s email is bill@northcountryangler.com.
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Your Picture on The Outdoor Gazette! No, not the real cover but an 8x10 full color mock-up of our cover. You can put your favorite hunting, fishing, snowmobiling or anything you can think of, right on The New Hampshire and Vermont Outdoor Gazette cover and it will look like the real thing. It’s the perfect gift for any outdoor enthusiast. Cover will be full color on heavy stock photo paper and will fit an 8x10 picture frame.
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What do we need from you? A digital photo with at least 200dpi resolution at 8x10 size or original photo mailed to us for scanning. 4 headlines of 30 characters or less and the month and year you would like on the cover Want to buy one? send email to sales@theoutdoorgazette.com
January 2013
Page 15
Lock, Stock and Smoking Barrel Yet Another Horrible School Shooting….
I’m writing this only several days after the gut wrenching massacre that took place in Newtown, Connecticut. Facts are still a bit sketchy, but we do know about the horrible loss of lives, including so many innocent young children. The shooter, a 20 year old man, used a Bushmaster .223 semi-automatic rifle to inflict the bulk of his mayhem. Even during the huge outpouring of grief and sympathy from the whole world, the blame game has already started. People want to know why this happened, how it happened, and what we can do to insure that a similar event does not happen again. Discussions concerning mental health and screening for mental health issues have permeated every television, radio, and online media outlet. So have discussions about the guns. In fact, much of the recent discourse has been directed against guns, access to guns, and the state of our country’s gun laws. The arguments are the same ones we all heard
prior to 1994, when the failed “Assault Weapons Ban” was first enacted. New versions of that now defunct law have already been proposed and may even be on the floor
capacity magazines. It includes a grandfather provision, so it says we’ll be able to keep what we have, but we won’t ever be able to sell or buy any more. I haven’t yet found a copy of
of the House by the time you read this article. The latest version to be introduced totally bans the sale and possession of “weapons of war” and all high
the proposal to see the actual details, but I’m sure it will ban every rifle based on a military design, and most guns that take detachable magazines. If similar to the old law, it will not be caliber specific, so even .22LR guns will be included. Another proposal I just saw is even more frightening. It calls for the reclassification of all semi-automatic rifles as Class lll firearms, the same as machine guns. This would mean that every rifle would have to be registered with ATF, and every owner would have to be fingerprinted and purchase a $200 tax stamp for every gun owned. It would also mean that these guns could only be handled by Class lll dealers, a very small percentage of licensed dealers. I can’t imagine most gun owners ever being able to comply with a law like this, so the choice would be to turn your now illegal gun in to the authorities or become an instant criminal. The gun has once again been blamed for the actions of a single, crazed individual. The fact that something like 99% of all legally owned firearms are never used in a crime seems to have no bearing on any of these arguments. I recently started several threads about the shooting on my business Facebook page. I was somewhat taken aback by the response. Several thousand people viewed the threads, and several hundred posted responses. While most of the comments were pro-gun, not surprising given the fact that this was a gun store page, many were vehemently anti-gun. The anti-gun rhetoric actually got so abusive and personal at one point that I had to delete several comments and ban people who posted
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By Stan Holz
January 2013
them. I was accused, because I sell guns, of being “shameless” and a “mercenary who profits through the pain of others.” There are an awful lot of people out there who feel that guns are the root of all evil in this country and, if they were all banned, most violent crime would go away. It is a simplistic and very naïve point of view, but one shared by most opponents of private gun ownership. There are some real so called “loop holes” in how guns are sold and transferred here. Some of those problem areas can probably be dealt without having any impact on gun ownership; other areas can likely never be successfully addressed because of legal issues. One area I would like to see addressed is the ability to search mental health records when doing a background check for a gun sale. Currently, those records are not available, either due to privacy concerns or poor reporting from the states. There are some real potential problems here too; one being defining what pre-existing conditions would disqualify a person from buying a gun. Treatment for depression is not the same as treatment for a serious psychosis. So, who determines what standards are used to disqualify an applicant? The gun show “loop hole” is another oft cited problem. As it stands now, anyone can sell a gun at a gun show. You don’t have to be a dealer, you just have to pay the fee for a table and start selling. The problem with this is that many individuals simply have no knowledge of what constitutes a legal sale. I have seen countless sales made at shows that should have never taken place. Guns are sold to non-residents who would normally not be able to buy guns out of their own states. In some cases, sales are made to convicted felons who know they won’t have to go through a background check on a private sale. My own feeling on this is that every sale at a gun show should have to go through a licensed dealer, where background checks would have to be done. Of course the big issue is the “Assault Gun,” also known as a “Weapon of War”, or “Weapon of Mass Destruction” by the anti-gunners. The most common question asked is “Why does anyone need to own an “Assault Rifle” when all they’re designed to do is kill people? What is an ‘assault rifle” anyway? Definitions are where this whole argument falls apart, because any gun can be called an “assault weapon” if it’s used against another
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The Outdoor Gazette
Lynx - The Maine Story Maine is the only state in the Northeast with a known breeding population of lynx, comprising the southern edge of a larger lynx population that extends into Quebec and New Brunswick. Canada lynx were federally listed as threatened in 2000 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and although not known at the time, they were approaching peak numbers in Maine. A joint eleven-year study of lynx revealed that the extensive cutting of spruce and fir in the 1970s and 1980s following an insect outbreak benefited lynx 30 years later. The abundance of young dense conifer forest became ideal habitat for snowshoe hare, the principal food source for lynx, and subsequently supported larger numbers of both populations. As the forest matures, its value for snowshoe hare and lynx will decline, but may be sufficient for lynx to persist. MDIFW, USFWS and the University of Maine are assessing the types and amount of habitat needed for lynx in Maine. Furbearer Trapping and Lynx Lynx have been protected from harvest in Maine since 1967, but are person. The 1994 ban tried to define it, but failed miserably on every count. Here’s basically what they used as definitions: a semiautomatic gun can’t have a certain name (like AK-47 or AR-15), it can’t have a stock that folds or collapses, it can’t have a muzzle brake/flash suppressor, it can’t have a bayonet lug, and no gun can have a magazine that holds more than 10 rounds. This affected rifles, shotguns, and handguns. The law was, thankfully, allowed to “sunset” in 2004 because it had no effect on crime or the use of “assault” style guns in crime. The FBI later noted that this type of gun was used in less than 2% of all crimes, so the law never could have had an impact on crime anyway. Now, the same legislators are calling for the same types of laws that failed in past years. We have to admit that high capacity semi-automatic guns are attractive to those sick minded people who want to kill. That’s true, sadly. These guns can fire quickly and often, they are easy to hold on target, and they are incredibly accurate. All the traits that make them attractive to target shooters and hunters also make them attractive to homicidal maniacs. Guns built on what is called the “AR platform” are among the most popular rifles on the market. How do we keep these guns, or any gun for that matter, out of the hands of those bent on destruction? Here’s the answer: I don’t know. I do know that trying to ban them would have The Outdoor Gazette
sometimes caught in traps set legally for other furbearing species. Since 2000, one lynx was illegally shot in a foothold trap and four lynx died in conibear traps. Maine’s trapping regulations were modified following the death of these lynx. No lynx have died in traps set under current
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no effect at all on their availability to those who shouldn’t own them. I know that trying to turn them into Class lll firearms would instantly criminalize a large portion of our population. There are over 350 million guns legally owned in this country. A very small percentage of those guns will always be misused by unstable individuals. Although something like 99.9% of legal gun owners would never misuse their guns, that 0.01% is what raises havoc with all of us. There are no easy solutions to this, but I do know that the majority will always pay for the abuses of that tiny minority. The gun debate has often been emotional and irrational, with wild claims and accusations coming from both sides of the issue. I can only hope that cooler heads will prevail, that a true dialog will start, and that the most extreme and objectionable proposals will be quickly discarded. I also hope we never have to witness another massacre like the one that happened to the poor souls of Newtown. Stan Holz lives in Whitefield, NH and, with his wife Sandy, has owned and operated Village Gun Store there since 1974. He invites everyone to stop and visit. Aside from his interest in firearms and shooting, Stan is also involved in amateur astronomy, photo-graphy, ham radio and scuba diving. He can be contacted by emailing him at saholz@myfairpoint.net.
regulations. Maine’s lynx population grew when regulated trapping occurred. MDIFW’s information shows incidental trapping of lynx does not pose a threat to the sustainability of Maine’s 600 to 1,200+ lynx. However, captures of lynx in traps are considered “take” under the federal ESA. MDIFW has submitted an incidental take plan to USFWS that
January 2013
minimizes and mitigates risk to lynx from trapping. Explore the navigation to the right to learn more about the natural history of lynx, what our research has revealed, or trapping information concerning lynx in Maine. You can also go to Off-site resources to view and comment on the recently submitted Incidental Take Plan.
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Family Tracks A Season to Choose
Our light sport utility vehicle bounced and weaved through the muddy ruts of the field. At 45 degrees, the weather was less like the holiday season and much more like mud season. We reached the center of the field and parked in a lot with many other cars. Climbing out into the sun, we looked around at the expanse of Christmas trees lined up in long perfect rows down the field. Smoke from an outside fire burning pine logs made me think of sugaring season. In fact, nothing at all seemed like Christmas until we got closer to the buildings at the heart of the Christmas tree farm, where there was Christmas music, decorations and even Santa himself. We made our way to the back of a wagon being pulled behind a tractor, clutching the handle of a bow saw provided by the farm which also helped provide Ben a valuable lesson as to what part of a saw is the handle and which is the blade. The wagon was built to look like a railroad car and painted bright red, green and yellow. The driver told us
By Brian Lang
he would drive down the field, and if we spotted the perfect tree and had to get out we would have to holler at him loudly to stop. My family has always gotten real Christmas trees. Yes, it’s messy, a lot of work, and can be more expensive. But the unique, natural beauty of each individual tree and the wonderful smell makes it worth it for us. How so much more special an event it is when instead of dragging a boring old plastic tree out of a rotten cardboard box, you go outside, cut down a real tree, and drag it fitfully through the front door and through the house scratching the walls and leaving a trail of fallen needles on the floor that you will be sweeping up for weeks after Christmas. Now that’s memorable. We bumped along on the wagon to the end of the field, and decided on an area to choose a tree. I waved my arms at the driver. He was not looking at me, but I should have been in his peripheral vision as he looked sideways at the trees going by. No response. I waved again, both hands, and yelled “hello!” He replied by
calmly turning away from me back toward the front of the tractor, which kept rumbling on obediently. I then stood up, trying not to step on any toddlers by my feet in the swaying wagon, waved both arms and yelled again “heelllooooo!” My wife tried to be more polite and yelled “excuse me!”, but when that phrase is yelled over the roar of a
Megan finding the 'perfect' Tree
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diesel engine is looses most of its politeness and just sounds demanding. However it came across, it worked because the wagon lurched to a stop as the driver just about fell off of his seat when he finally turned and saw me standing waving my arms. Everyone else kind of laughed as we climbed off, probably thinking we were nuts to make such a fuss about needing to get off there. Maybe we were. We immediately found a tree we liked. Every year we seem to like one right away, look all through the rest and then come back to the first one. So again we continued on, looking for the perfect tree although none of them are, but most of them are pretty nice. Megan and Ben ran up and down the rows yelling “this one, this one” almost constantly. The tall brown grass hid some holes where trees used to be and on one of Ben’s high speed charges down a row he fell in one and just about disappeared. We wandered slowly down the field back toward the car. The field was bordered on one side by the Connecticut River and some high, steep cliffs towered above on the other. I wore nothing
January 2013
but a baseball cap and no gloves. We had almost gone all the way back to the car, when we finally had it narrowed down to two trees, right next to each other, this year we would not go back to our first tree. Letting the kids have the final vote, I got down and started cutting while Meg and Ben chanted “cut it, cut it!” and Michelle still stood locked in
indecision. Too late now! The selection process over, we loaded our cut tree into another smaller wagon driving by that brought it right to our vehicle. After loading it up, we made our way to the free hot chocolate and Santa Clause. We hung out a few minutes by the smoky fire with some treats and watched some more families climb into the back of the big yellow wagon. I hoped they didn’t really care where they got off, because the stops are kind of tricky. We headed home thinking of the next step. All we had left to do was unload it, trim it, get it inside, put it up so it looks straight, then get the lights on, and decorate it. Easy, I’d have it no other way. Brian Lang lives with his wife, Michelle and two children Megan and Ben in Reading, VT. Brian grew up in VT and started enjoying his outdoor pursuits at a very young age. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, camper, and hiker and hopes to give his kids the same wholesome upbringing he enjoyed in the New England outdoors. When he's not outside, he works as an MRI Technologist. He can be reached at Bclang78@gmail.com. The Outdoor Gazette
RESOLUTION FOR 2013 Open the Door and Connect Kids and Families with Nature CONCORD, N.H. – As the new year approaches, a statewide coalition hopes parents and child caregivers think about this as a resolution: Connect children with the great outdoors in 2013. They’ll love it and it’s great for them! The NH Children in Nature Coalition has released a new report, Opening Doors to Happier, Healthier Lives, which outlines recommendations for connecting kids with nature in New Hampshire. The coalition’s seven goals – starting with getting kids outside to enjoy the great outdoors – are endorsed and welcomed by Susan E. Lynch, MD, New Hampshire’s First Lady. “As a pediatric lipid specialist and as New Hampshire’s First Lady, I am very interested in working to encourage children to lead a healthy, active lifestyle as a preventative measure against childhood obesity,” Lynch said. “This emphasis on the importance of the health and physical activity of our children is equally represented and championed by the great work of the NH Children in Nature Coalition. This coalition demonstrates the importance of outdoor activities and learning experiences while utilizing New Hampshire’s rich and diverse natural resources.” This is a great time to make a resolution for children, according to Marilyn Wyzga of the NH Children in Nature Coalition and the NH Fish and Game Department. “Looking ahead to all the possibilities of a new year, let’s make a resolution for our children,” Wyzga said. “Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or any caregiver for kids: Encourage your children to play outside. Let them explore. Let them play in the snow, jump over a log, build a fort. It doesn’t have to be a formal activity; just enjoy a little time out each day. Open the door and let them play.” With today’s children watching screens an average of 54 hours a week, the consequences are obesity and sedentary lifestyles, deepening misconceptions about the natural world, and less emphasis on unstructured time outdoors, according to the Coalition’s report. “The price of continuing these trends is serious, not only for children and their families, but for our communities, our schools, our culture, our economy, and the identity of the Granite State.” In New Hampshire, 71 percent The Outdoor Gazette
of children ages 6 to 17 and 53 percent of high school students do not get enough physical activity, according to the NH Department of Health and Human Services. And it’s no coincidence that 32 percent of children ages 6 to 12 are overweight or obese. Combined, excess weight and lack of physical activity are risk factors for asthma, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic illnesses that burden the state’s health care system and lead to lost productivity. Nationally, the amount of outside space where children are allowed to roam free around their homes is one-ninth what it was in 1970. Yet, research shows that the benefits of embracing an active, outdoor lifestyle are many, and that children who spend time outdoors are healthier and more creative, have better concentration, and even get better grades. The good news is that this can be done easily in New Hampshire, and at little cost. In fact, New Hampshire is well positioned to lead the nation in promoting a healthy, active lifestyle that takes advantage of all the natural beauty, outdoor opportunities, and facilities our state offers – attributes that already help make tourism one of the state’s most important economic engines. The coalition – representing agencies and organizations from diverse health, education and conservation disciplines – supports seven goals: 1. Increase participation in outdoor learning experiences for children and families. 2. Urge more children and families to get outside on a regular basis. 3. Ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience nature in his or her local community. 4. Provide children with more time for free play outdoors. 5. Increase appreciation and care of the outdoors through organized activities and groups. 6. Improve the health, fitness, and well-being of New Hampshire children. 7. Deepen the understanding of the natural world among children and youth. For more information about the N.H. Children in Nature Coalition and how you can make a resolution to reconnect children, youth and families with nature, visit www.nhchildreninnature .org..
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January 2013
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Anchor Points Adapting When Bad Things Happen
I quickly rushed around the house to finish packing my gear for my annual trip to the Midwest a few months ago. Instead of throwing everything in a heap as I usually do, I took my time because I knew I wouldn’t be with my father for the first week of hunting. I would ride with him to Ohio, meet a friend there, and continue on to Illinois to spend a week hunting with friends out there. My father would meet me in Illinois a week later and we would go to Kansas from there. When we arrived in Ohio I helped my dad and friends set their campsite up since I wasn’t meeting my buddy until later that night. We made quick work of the task, even with our friends from nearby towns stopping in to see us as we worked. Before long everyone was ready to go hunting. My father unpacked his bow, attached the quiver, and looked for arrows. After a few minutes he started cussing and throwing things around. It was quickly evident that he forgot his arrows at home. Fortunately, we shoot the same length shafts but different sizes. I knew I had packed extra arrows I wouldn’t be using. I opened my arrow case and fumbled through them to see if I could locate enough to last him for a week. After all, he has a habit of losing a few arrows every week of hunting. I’m not sure how someone can lose so many arrows, but he makes a habit of it. The sad part is he doesn’t even shoot them at anything he just loses them in the woods. Within a couple of minutes he was shooting at the target with my arrows. The point of impact was extremely close to that of his arrows, so the sight pins needed very little adjustment. When he shot enough arrows to be confident he loaded his bow into the back of the truck and headed down the road. He planned on checking out
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one of his favorite places where he had taken a few good deer in the past.
By Todd Mead
tent. As is normal, I couldn’t wait to get back to camp to hear the stories about the evening hunt. It’s always fun to discuss everything going on
Here's the buck my dad killed with my bow after he cut the limb in half on his. My buddy Jeff had never hunted in Ohio with us before, so I decided to show him some of my favorite stand locations since I wouldn’t be hunting with them for the week. I joked and told him to make sure he found his own spots because I would be hunting with them again next year. It was fairly chilly and I expected deer to be on the move. As we walked through the woods I was disappointed I wouldn’t be staying with my friends, even though I was headed to the Golden Triangle in Illinois, which is noted as one of the best places to bow hunt trophy whitetails in the country. Jeff and I covered some ground before we decided to hang out on the edge of a logged off area with some big oak trees. There was a fair amount of buck sign and we could see where a lot of deer had been feeding. Before long darkness consumed the night sky, so we headed back to the
and to listen to each other before deciding on a plan for the next day. After Jeff and I got back to the tent and turned the light on it seemed like a long time had passed before my father showed up. As we joked back in forth he slowly walked in the door. Cussing under his breath none of us knew what he was saying until he blurted out, “Great, I don’t have a bow to hunt with now.” Looking at the bow in his hands I could easily see the top limb was cut in half and the cam was dangling off from it. I couldn’t imagine what he could have done to make the bow look like it did, so I asked. Irritated, he told me he had deer around him so he waited until it was dark to let his bow down with the rope and descend with his climbing tree stand. When he got near the bottom he heard a loud cracking noise, but didn’t know what it was from, but a few seconds later he figured it out. The bow was leaning against the
January 2013
tree and as he took the last hitch with the base of the stand, the V in it dug into the top limb and cut it right in half. The bow was instantly useless. Since they were taking me to meet my friend after dinner, I quickly got my spare bow out of the case so he could use it for the rest of the week. Luckily we have the same draw length and shooting style. After they dropped me off he got back to camp and sighted the bow in with the headlights of the truck. He got it shooting accurately out to 30 yards and called it a night. Most people would feel uncomfortable switching equipment at 11pm in the dark the night before going hunting, but my father has always been good at adapting to bad situations. When he got in the tree the next morning he visualized himself shooting deer with my bow. He mentally prepared himself in case an opportunity presented itself. Within minutes a really good buck appeared. My father had laid down a scent trail in front of his stand before climbing the tree. The buck had his nose right on the ground and was grunting like a pig. When the deer got close enough my dad slowly drew the bow, anchored, and released the arrow. After a short tracking job he was standing over a really good 8-pointer. He killed it with a bow that he was unfamiliar with, but he adapted to a bad situation and made the most of it. Sometimes we have to put the negativity aside when bad things happen. We have to move forward, have a positive attitude, and know we can succeed with any equipment as long as we are mentally prepared. Todd is the author of Backcountry Bucks and A Lifetime of Big Woods Hunting Memories. You can catch up with him on his website: www.toddmead.com He resides in Queensbury, NY.
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Email jpg’s to fred@the outdoorgazette.com Don’t forget to write down your names and ages, where you were fishing, hunting etc... and where you live. Thank You.. Fred The Outdoor Gazette
January 2013
Page 21
Free Ice Fishing Seminar on January 16, 2013 The Modern Ice Fishing System with Dave Genz
CONCORD, N.H. — Meet the Godfather of the Modern Ice Fishing Revolution, Dave Genz, at a free ice fishing seminar on Wednesday, January 16, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. at the State Police Standards and Training Building, 17 Institute Drive Concord, N.H. (watch for “ice fishing seminar” signs as you enter the N.H. Technical Institute campus). No pre-registration required. For more information, contact Mark Beauchesne at 603-271-6355. Dave Genz is legendary in the world of ice angling – an ice fishing expert who has taught techniques to thousands of anglers. He is credited with many innovations in ice fishing, including the portable ice fishing shelter. A native of Minnesota, Genz has become a big fan of New Hampshire’s ice fisheries. This will be his fourth trip to fish in the Granite State. “The ice fishing is so good in New Hampshire, I just had to come back for more,” Genz says. At the free seminar, Genz will explain his “Modern Ice Fishing System” – strategies he devel-
oped to increase angler success on any species fished for through the ice. He will talk about many helpful tools and tactics, including the vital role electronics plays in modern ice fishing. Most important — getting the most out of your fish finder! “Using the right equipment, you could double your success,” says Genz. Genz has been called “Mr. Blue Gill” for his love of this fighting panfish, but his seminar is wideranging. From trout to crappies, Genz will take you through his jigging techniques and tactics. He will also discuss proper jig selection, tipping jigs with live bait or the exciting new soft plastics that are gaining in popularity with ice anglers. “If you are looking to step up your ice fishing game, this is a must-attend seminar. Fishing with Dave has helped me bring my ice fishing to a whole new level,” says Mark Beauchesne, an avid ice angler and marketing and promotions coordinator for N.H. Fish and Game See a video of Dave Genz and Mark Beauchense as they rediscover the thrill of ice fishing on
Lake Winnipesaukee, along with other short, full-screen video sto-
Buy your fishing license online, download the new 2013 New
ries on ice-fishing, on the Fish and Game website at fishnh.com/Media/video_icefishing.html.
Hampshire Freshwater Fishing Digest, see lists of ice fishing tournaments and more at fishnh.com.
ROSCOE BLAISDELL Official Measurer Boone & Crockett Club Pope & Young Club NH Antler & Skull Trophy Club Maine Antler & Skull Trophy Club
22 Scribner Road, Raymond, NH 03077
Page 22
January 2013
rblaisdell1@comcast.net
603-895-9947
The Outdoor Gazette
North Country Bone Collections is now sponsored by the New Hampshire Shed Antler Club. Submit your collection or a picture of someone else’s (with permission of course) and if it makes it in to the gazette you will receive a package of Antler Magic. At the end of the year, one entry will be drawn to win T-shirts from the NH Shed Hunters Club and The Outdoor Gazette and a copy of the NH Antler Skull Trophy Clubs record book. To enter just email a photo of anything to do with antlers to fred@theoutdoorgazette.com with the subject “bone collection” . Good luck, let’s see some BONE!
The Outdoor Gazette
January 2013
Page 23
The Captain’s Corner By Matthew Trombley
New Year & New Beginnings!
Happy New Year every one! The Holidays have come & gone with a mix of emotions & concerns this year. I always look forward to catching up with family & friends to enjoy the holiday spirit; unfortunately it has been over shadowed by two tragedies that have touched so many of us here in the Northeast & across the country. The senseless loss of so many young lives in the CT school shooting, & then on Christmas Eve of all days an incident that hit close to home in a couple different ways as two firefighters lost their lives while responding to a fire in Webster NY on Lake Ontario. I have been in the fire service for 24 yrs & in the career service for 16 yrs, this scenario is one that we all train for but hope we never encounter. These tragedies have hit the bitter nerve of so many, but the unfortunate side effect of these two incidents is the back lash of gun control. We all have our opinions on each person’s interpretation of the second amendment, there is no doubt we will see heated discussions & some intense debates on where
our country will head in the months & years to come. This I know for sure, we all need to stand together to make an attempt to limit the number incidents that take place in the future, but also make sure that our
New Smokercraft drift boat waiting & ready.
rights that we enjoy by being an American Citizen are not infringed upon. Thoughts & prayers to all of those involved in these tragedies, may peace find them in the days
MOUNTAIN DEER TAXIDERMY
ahead. On a much brighter note, we have some wonderful changes coming for us in our charter & guide business, with the addition of our “New” 17ft Smokercraft Drift Boat! The latest addition will allow us to add a second option to our summer charters,
with Bass & Pike trips to the Bays of Lake Champlain & the lakes & Ponds of Rutland & Addison counties in western Vermont. But with her new paint scheme she will also do double duty in the fall for waterfowling, along with its top tactical use of float trips on the famed Salmon River on the east end of Lake Ontario & Pulaski NY! Smokercraft is one of only two man-
very proud of our latest investment in our business, her latest paint job & the addition of a new high viscosity plastic bottom next spring will make her the ultimate drifter & multi season vessel! I had the delight of getting to indulge myself in three different outdoor activities in the days surrounding the holidays. A trip over to the Salmon River to chase the ever addictive, arm bending runs of dime bright Steelhead. These two days found me in between two different water flows on the river , the first at 750 CFS (which I was hoping would stay at ) the later 900 CFS. While I was there the power authority just happen to drop it to 335 CFS which made the fish a bit moody. The system is LOADED with Steelhead, but with the river water temp hovering in the high 30’s the fish aren’t supper active & these water flow fluctuations can makes them even more finicky. Now I did tie into a few my first morning go 3 for 5 by myself before noon. These all on spinning tackle running floats & egg imitations. Later in the day the action slowed, causing a change to a more subtle approach. Longer & smaller leaders with stone fly imitations were able to pick away at some of the fish in the slower runs & outside of the pool seems. Guides I spoke with found the same with the float bite, but said that back trolling
With over 20 years of experience in taxidermy, we pride ourselves in our ability to preserve your trophy to look as it did in its natural habitat. We work annually on about 300 mountings and presentations of many varieties of wildlife; deer, bears, moose, coyotes, fox, fisher, turkeys and more. We also work on animals from other parts of the globe including Africa. In addition to being entertaining, the stories of the hunters who are our cus tomers provide information allowing us to suggest possible ways to present and mount the trophies that they have bagged. Our high quality work can be seen by our many repeat customers that seek out our services. The presentation of your trophy can be head wall mounts or full body depictions.
The boys with Lucy just after our rabbit hunt.
We are also the State of Vermont Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Big Game Reporting Station. A specially designed outdoor scale system with tall vertical clearance is also provided for easy weigh-in of all species.
at 802-485-7184
Call Rodney or Theresa Elmer 1308 Loop Road - Northfield, VT 05663
WWW.MOUNTAINDEERTAXIDERMY.COM
Page 24
ufactures that specially designed a drift boat with a special motor well in the stern of the boat that allows an outboard to be added and use in still water or deeper moving water on river systems. This will work in very nicely for the Bass trips, waterfowling & early fall Salmon Trips on inshore Lake Ontario & the Salmon River estuary. Once late fall sets in & we are in full drift mode the motor can be removed & a specially designed fish box fits nicely in the spot designed for the motor! We are
January 2013
with small plugs still producing action! (More on these tactics in next month’s column) The water flow adjustments were caused by a low pressure system that was developing while I was there, later dropped close to 2 inches of rain on the area. Now if anyone in September had said that by mid-December we would have a full resivouire to work with I would have said they were nuts! The area was experiencing one of the worst droughts in years and the “Res” was
Continued next page
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down over 14 ft.!! But a full “res” we have now & will ensure great fishing though out the rest of the winter! My second outdoor activity was be able to enjoy a day of small game hunting with my son & his best friend Grant on Christmas Eve! Our four year old Beagle “Lucy” hadn’t had a chance to run since last March but she hadn’t lost her touch! We ran three cottontails & flushed two grouse by noon….some fun action with a fresh 2 inch blanket of snow from the night before! Now our shot percentage’s weren’t the best with two ten year old beginning Rabbit hunters along, but the chance to hear Lucy’s voice as she trailed through the Bramble & Juniper is always music to my years. I had done a fair share of rabbit hunting in my teenage years buy out snowshoe hair numbers have dropped in most areas. The cottontails seem to be holding out ok ( if the coyotes don’t obliterate them), hoping to be able to make a few trips to the north country this winter & get some snowshoe hair trips in as well! The “White Rabbits” tend to run longer with bigger loops & don’t like to hole up such as Cottontails. Nothing like beating cabin fever & getting to listen to the “music” of Beagles on a hot trail on a cool winter day! Our last trip was just a few days after Christmas, getting in some late season waterfowling on the coast for
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Scoters, Old Squaw & Eiders with good friend Jack Renfrew out
of Plymouth Mass. His 21ft Duckwater boat is specially designed
Logan & Tom haming it up on Lake Champlain!
January 2013
from previous page
for big water hunting & made light work of the rough seas the North Atlantic throw at us this time of year. Going out at first light & getting three strings of long line decoys had us waiting & ready! The action wasn’t fast & furious, but steady as scoters zoomed our spread with an occasional bright white drake Eider eyeing us as well! White wing, Common & Surf Scoters can all be found down on the coast & we were fortunate to take the “Trifecta” on this day as well! Just two weeks prior Logan & I had taken in some big water gunning on Northern Lake Champlain for Whistlers & Buffleheads with a fellow firefighter Tom Critchlow from Burlington, so we were prepared for the fast fly by action the Sea Ducks are known for! One thing is for sure….we are definitely hooked on big water, late season water fowling, something not for the faint of heart but something any waterfowl enthusiast should try at least once! I know we will be getting plenty of it in the future for years to come! Matt Trombley is a career firefighter, residing with his wife & son in Florence Vermont. He is a U.S.C.G licensed Master captain, guiding & chartering fishing trips through out Vermont & New York. His charter business, 3rd Alarm Charters can be viewed at www.3rdalarmcharters.com
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The Trap Line By Randy Barrows
Otters (and bear?)
Otters are aquatic animals that are most happy in water. However they are pretty good on land also. Otters have short legs and are ten inches in height and including tail can grow four to five feet in length. Their range extends all over the United States and Canada and parts of Alaska. Otters don’t care for humans and tend to stay in places where human activity is low. Otters mate for life and usually breed by the end of March. Their young are born sixty days later and number up to three. The young nurse until four months old and will stay together up to a year. Otters live in dens, old beaver houses and hollow logs. Their main food is fish with trout being their favorite. They will also eat a duck or a muskrat if the opportunity arises. The Otter’s home range is up to fifty square miles. As with anything you trap you have to scout to find otter sign. Otters love to climb banks and slide back down into the water. If you find such slides set traps on the
bank adjacent to the slide and spice it up with a dab of beaver castor. A number two anchored in deep water will do the job for you.
Otter toilets are great spots to trap also. Toilets are an otter’s way of
keeping track who is in the neighborhood and are usually easy to find as otters use these for disposal and you will find fish bones and other items deemed unusable. Set number two traps submerged where
the otters enter and leave the bank in about two inches of water and you should score. Remember otters mate for life so if you set two traps at every set up you can double your chances. Otter are similar to muskrats and mink as when they travel and search every nook and cranny looking for a bite to eat. Any hollow log, hole in the bank, whether man made or natural have potential. Before ice up a sure fire set is to drive a stout stick in the mud of a stream. At the top of the stick tie a dead or alive fish to the stick. A otter swimming by will stop to dine and with a trap set at the foot of the stick will snap on its toes when he tries to eat. Be sure the water is at least three feet deep at these locations to ensure a fast dispatch. Otter are plentiful around beaver
dams as most active dams harbor some type of fish life. Dams also provide tons of slides which otter will play on all day. Traps placed between dams just need a few drops of lure to get their attention. Otter hate mink and will investigate every time they wind one. Once the catch is made they are case skinned after being cleaned and semi dried. Otter should remain damp to avoid singing or curling of the guard hairs. Cleaning is best done at the catch site removing any mud and debris that does not belong. Once at home the otter should be hung under the cabin deck roof or in a shed. Be sure the fur is nearly dry before putting on a stretcher and use the right size stretcher for the job. The easiest one to use is the wire stretchers but I like wooden ones. Be sure the pelt is properly fleshed before it is put on the stretcher to dry. Once dried it is off to the fur buyer or wrapped in newsprint and stuck in the freezer until you decide to part with it. Otter are not good table fare at least not to my knowledge. In Vermont otter needs to be tagged by a wildlife Warden and the carcass needs to be given to the warden for research purposes. In part two I have a confession to make and I will tell you all about bear trapping too. Keep your waders patched; your lures in the shed and take a kid along with you. Randy lives in Milton, Vermont, has trapped in Vermont for 43 years, is a hunter Ed Instructor and an Advanced Trapper Instructor for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Randy and wife, Diane & their family, own and operate Arrowhead Trapping Supply. Randy is also a Vermont State Licensed Fur Dealer. They can be reached at Critrgitr@msn.com or 802355-7496, on facebook or at www.arrowheadtrappingsupply.com.
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January 2013
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January 2013
Page 27
Behind the Sights By Charlie Chalk Relic Restoration
Maybe it came from an auction, or maybe it came from the attic, but no matter how you obtained it, you finally own an original muzzleloader. What you now have is a piece of history. Maybe it defended a frontier home, put meat on the table or fought a war for freedom. This month, I'll share some of the best tips I know for antique restoration. Most are a collection of things others have shared; some are common sense, while others involve time and effort. One thing I will try to do is keep it within the realm of the home workshop. If you read this column often, you know I work with simple tools, not unlike our forefathers. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways. When you first get any firearm home you should check to be sure it is unloaded. Dropping the ramrod down a bore will give a quick check but you may also find that there are things like marbles, sticks and even bees nests. A good ball puller and some oil will clear most of the problems.
Once the bore is clear, you can check its condition. Swab the bore with fine steel wool dipped in rust penetrate oil. After about 25 passes
from end to end, you can begin to see the true condition. This is done, not to put the gun in shooting condition, but to stop further decay. Now you are at a cross road. If you have a good bore and all the other parts of the gun are functional, you may decide to put the gun in shooting condition. Certainly, you
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Page 28
Enclosed please find my check for $
Name:
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need to forget such an idea on guns of the 1700's and 1800's, but turn of the century guns that lack collector value, and are judged to be safe by a qualified gunsmith, may be considered. Make such decisions after it
passes all the above tests. Now, let's get into some of the common gun problems you can repair. I will begin with metal work and move to wood. The common problem is missing parts. If you are missing the lock, yet you have a nice clean mortise in the wood, you might consider a modern replacement from someone like "Track of the Wolf" of Minnesota. Their full size photos make measurement easy. "Dixie Gun Works" of Tennessee in one other source and perhaps the best source of internal lock parts (even some original). Slightly larger locks can sometimes be fitted to replace missing parts. Most of the original locks are missing because the removal of the lock when the gun was stored, assured that children could not fire the guns. In time, the lock was lost in storage. Another lock problem that is easily repairable is a loose hammer. If tightening the tumbler or hammer screw does not help, remove the screw and check the tightness of the hammer on the tumbler square. You can tighten the hammer by removing it and use a punch or chisel on the backside to force metal into the hole. Just a few taps should help. Shims can also help in extreme cases. Missing sights are another problem that can easily be repaired. Most blackpowder dealers carry sights that can be filed and fitted easily.
But what if the sight is only loose? Simply slide it out and use a corner of a small chisel to "upset" little teeth on the barrel surface in the dove tail. If you still have looseness when the sight is back in place, just peen over the edges of the dove tail at the front and rear of the sight. Other missing parts are inlays, butt plates and trigger guards. Trigger guards are often there, but broken. Silver solder can be used to fix such breaks and filed to an undetectable seam. All missing parts can be cut from sheet stock or check supply catalogs. If you find a gun that is missing all its inlays, you can be sure that the inlays were probably silver. You can replace them with German silver, which is not very expensive. Another often asked question is how to remove rust. Your goal is to remove surface rust and scale without removing the original finish or patina. I find that any of the rust removing penetrating oils and very fine steel wool work well. Scale rust can be scraped with a tool made from sheet brass or aluminum. The trick in rust removal is to go slowly and gently. It may take a long time, so be patient. Now, on to the stock where cleaning is the first order of business. Start with “Murphys' Oil Soap” or similar. Try not to soak the wood with water, just remove the dirt with a damp cloth. Ammonia helps in some difficult spots. Your goal is to clean the finish, saving as much as possible. You can reseal the wood with paste floor was, for a good finish. You may have noticed some dents that were caused by careless handling. To remove large dents, I use a wet rag to soak the dent only and then place a hot soldering iron on the rag while it is still in the dent. The rag should sizzle and steam. When it stops, lift the rag and the dent should have been drawn out. The principle is that the wood fibers are compressed in the dent and steam from the water will swell them back to shape. Missing pieces of wood are simple to patch and glue but what if you have a gun with a cracked wrist? If
Zip:
R i c h a rd Tr e m a i n e Optician
Please allow 2 - 4 weeks for delivery. Mail or photocopy this form and send to: NHASTC Record Book Roscoe Blaisdell, President 22 Schribner Road Raymond, NH 03077
Continued next page
Quality Eyewear
Locally owned and operated
603-752-3382 M-F 9-5• Fri 9-6 Sat. am by appt.
148 Main Street • Berlin, NH 03570
January 2013
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Ice Fishing Opportunities are Great Where Ice is Safe
Vermont offers great ice fishing on lakes throughout the state when ice conditions are safe. Vermont Fish & Wildlife recommends at least six inches of solid ice for safe ice fishing. Vermont’s premier fishing destination, Lake Champlain, offers many ice fishing opportunities. According to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, ice anglers can find quality fishing for many species on this 120-mile long lake, including landlocked salmon, lake trout, northern pike, yellow perch, white perch, walleye, crappie, and smelt. “Lake Champlain attracts twice as much fishing activity during the winter as during the summer, particularly in the northern third of the lake,” said State Fisheries Biologist Brian Chipman. “The plentiful yellow perch is the mainstay of the winter fishery, but many ice anglers also find good fishing for other species.” Traditional northern pike hotspots include Lake Champlain’s Kelley Bay, Missisquoi Bay, Dillenbeck Bay, Carry Bay, Keeler Bay, St. Albans Bay, the shallow flats south of the Sandbar Causeway between Milton and South Hero, and the area south of the Champlain Bridge from Addison to Benson. Later, as more ice forms, landlocked salmon and smelt can be caught in the Inland Sea north of the Sandbar Causeway. There is no closed season for trout and you have all the parts and they line up cleanly, you can fix it to almost new. Simply remove the barrel, drill through the wrist toward the butt plate. This may require a long drill bit of three-eighths size. Glue the break then take a steel rod coated with epoxy and tap it into the hole. When set, you can refinish and you will have as strong a repair as possible. That's all for now. If you have a
salmon on Lake Champlain. If cold weather provides good ice on the deep-water areas of the lake, lake trout will be found off the west shore of Grand Isle and in Outer Mallets Bay, Shelburne Bay, Converse Bay, and Button Bay south to the Champlain Bridge. Smelt can be caught in several of these areas, as well as at other sites between Thompsons Point and Button Bay. While walleyes can show up anywhere in Lake Champlain, the most consistent winter action can be found in the southern end of the lake off Benson and Orwell, as well as the northern end in Swanton and Alburg. Yellow perch and other panfish are being caught at sheltered Lake Champlain bays and shallows as well as on some other Vermont waters. Vermont’s ice fishing season for trout, salmon and bass starts January 19 and continues through March 15 on 40 large Vermont lakes. For a list of those lakes, go to page 55 of the 2013 Vermont Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Trapping, available where licenses are sold and at www.vtfishandwildlife.com. To locate places to stay and help on the latest fishing activity, go to the Vermont Outdoor Guides website Association (www.voga.org) and click on “ice fishing.” An Internet search for “Vermont ice fishing” also will yield helpful
VT Fish & Wildlife photo-Ice fishing in Vermont can produce big fish like this northern pike as well as fun-filled memories to last a lifetime.
MOUNTAIN DEER TAXIDERMY
from previous page
particular problem drop me a line and I will try to find an answer at cchalk@professionaloutdoormedia.org . Charlie Chalk is an outdoor writer and has a background as a professional Firefighter and is a member of the American Mountain Men, an organization that emulates the life of the fur trappers of the 1800's and their survival on the land.
With over 20 years of experience in taxidermy, we pride ourselves in our ability to preserve your trophy to look as it did in its natural habitat. We work annually on about 300 mountings and presentations of many varieties of wildlife; deer, bears, moose, coyotes, fox, fisher, turkeys and more. We also work on animals from other parts of the globe including Africa. In addition to being entertaining, the stories of the hunters who are our cus tomers provide information allowing us to suggest possible ways to present and mount the trophies that they have bagged. Our high quality work can be seen by our many repeat customers that seek out our services. The presentation of your trophy can be head wall mounts or full body depictions. We are also the State of Vermont Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Big Game Reporting Station. A specially designed outdoor scale system with tall vertical clearance is also provided for easy weigh-in of all species.
Call Rodney or Theresa Elmer
at 802-485-7184
1308 Loop Road - Northfield, VT 05663
The Outdoor Gazette
WWW.MOUNTAINDEERTAXIDERMY.COM
January 2013
Page 29
From the back of a canoe The Drop
The Androscoggin, Maine’s third largest river has the largest vertical drop of any river in the state. A good portion of the drop occurs as the river flows through New Hampshire. Dams to drive logs were constructed in the Rangeley Lakes area of Maine starting in the 1830’s. The Aziscohas Dam completed in 1911 was the largest dam in the world. Built on the Magalloway River it increased the flow on the Androscoggin by twenty percent. The dam was just one step in centuries of misuse harnessing the Androscoggin for driving logs, pulp mills, manufacturing and power generation. The river along the thirteen mile woods below Errol New Hampshire is a popular spot for canoeing, kayaking and fishing. There are class I, II and III rapids; most of the rocks have been rounded from thousands of years of ice pounding down the river during spring breakup giving a false sense of security to people running the river and their ability to handle white water. Rocks that constituted obstacles for log drives were blasted out decades ago. There’s a few challenging rapids; flows can increase or decrease the difficulty of any rapid and the steepest drop on the river is more difficult under low flow conditions. Below 1500 cubic feet per second almost the left two thirds of the river has exposed rocks. Running a boat over the rocks can result in a lot of damage with the potential to flip. A lot of canoes and kayaks have been totaled on the drop. The edge on the right side is comprised of large boulders leaving a chute a few feet wider than a drift boat to drop through. A bolder the size
Page 30
By Jim Norton
and shape of a Volkswagen Beetle is at the bottom of the drop on the right side; submerged to about window height with water running over it. Go too far to the right and a boat can roll up on the bolder.
tered over the slick and a fish sucked it under wrapping the line around one of the exposed rocks. The angler turned his chair sideways and threw a large up stream mend trying to get the line off the
There’s a story of a guide riding up on the rock and getting the back sucked under pinning the boat to the rock and ejecting the clients and guide. Supposedly a cable had to be run to winch the boat off. The drift boat was lined up perfectly for the drop. The clients were setting down; the angler in front was wearing a life preserver and casting an Alderfly. The only way to fish the slick before the drop was from a boat and guides couldn’t hold in the slick very long. There’s always the thought that someone will drop an anchor and get a boat sucked under; it hadn’t occurred yet but like all things it was just a question of time. If happened as if it were in slow motion. Just as the boat dropped into the chute the angler in the bow made a long cast to the left; the fly skit-
rock. Unsuccessful and with line screaming off the reel he stood up and tried to throw another mend. The guide yelled SIT DOWN; the angler lost his balance and fell backwards onto the guides left arm breaking his grip on the oar. The angler in the back stood up and tried to catch the falling angler. With two people on the left side the boat tittered down and the right side rolled up on the boulder. Water poured into the boat as both anglers fell out. As the boat rolled the left oar wedged then sprang forward hitting the guides head with a crack that echoed over the rapids as the boat flipped. Every thing was pitch black. Hank was reaching for something to hold onto. Images raced through his mind along with the feeling of helplessness he had experienced when the raft he was in flipped on the Big Hole River in Montana. The sensation of tumbling over boulders and being sucked down as hat, glasses and rod were torn away. Trying to swim to the surface with the feeling he wouldn’t make it. Finally breaking through with just enough energy to swim to shore and crawl up on the bank battered, bruised and totally exhausted. There was no sensation of tumbling or problems breathing although he could hear water overhead. Had he popped up under the boat? There was a red glow several feet away; was it a flare? Hank tried to focus on the glow; it became clearer; 3:30, it was his clock. Hank’s breathing returned to normal; rain was pounding
January 2013
down on the metal roof of his cabin. Soaked from sweat he cursed the reoccurring nightmare. Crawling out of bed he made his way to the porch and sat down. It was the last week of June; almost five years to the day when the boat had flipped. It felt like the same kind of night when it had all started. It had been a hot humid day with clouds building and thunder rumbling up and down the valley. Just about dark it broke with a torrential downpour lasting about thirty minutes. It was a nice evening and Hank was setting out on the porch listening to the sound of hundreds of mosquitoes on the other side of the screens. Hank usually turned in by 10pm but he lingered for an hour or so knowing that soon the warm days of summer would give way to the cool crisp nights. Duchess, Hanks setter was conked out beside the chair seemingly dead to the world when she bounced up with her paws on the railing barking. It wasn’t unusual for moose, deer or even bear to cross the meadow between the cabin and the West Branch of the Magalloway. A light flickered across the meadow and Hank knew someone was coming down the driveway. When the door to the truck opened Hank recognized Leon Clermont. The Clermont’s were legends in the North Country and Canada as hockey players and guides. Berlin once a thriving mill town north of the notches in NH was known as the city that logs built. If logs built the city the Maroons often referred to as the Flying Frenchmen made Berlin hockey town USA, eventually winning the national amateur championship. Leon’s father Andre had moved from Canada to work in Berlin in the late 30’s. Everyone thought hockey was his ticket to Berlin; if it was he made the best of it playing for the Berlin Maroons in the 30’s and 40’s, as the Flying Frenchmen became famous. Leon played for Notre Dame High School in Berlin and Boston College as did his son Ken who played a few years in the American Hockey League with a team that won the Calder Cup. Andre’s other love besides hockey was fishing which he passed on to his son. Leon and Ken both became guides at eighteen. Leon was one of the first guides to use a drift boat on the Androscoggin River.
Continued next page
The Outdoor Gazette
Hank knew there had to be a problem for Leon to be calling that late at night and Leon in his usually direct approach got right to the point. The fire department in Errol is comprised of volunteers; with a town population of around three hundred almost everything is. Leon had responded to a 911 call a little after 9PM. A six year old boy was missing and presumed lost at Mollidgewock Campground. Leon was the first one to respond followed shortly after by Tom Jennings the local conservation officer. Three families were on a camping trip when the thunder storm hit; they were around the campfire and scattered for their tents as the storm rolled in. One couple had three children the youngest a boy six. The parents thought the boy was in a tent the kids were using; when they discovered he wasn’t they checked the immediate area and the river and made the call. Tom realizing the seriousness of the situation was coordinating a search and rescue mission with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Little could be done during the evening; a tracking dog had been brought in but with the rain the dog was unable to pick up a scent. Plans were under way to have the National Guard helicopter available in the morning with enough volunteers to conduct an intensive search. Part of the plan was to search the river. If the boy was in the river there was little chance of survival with heavy rapids extending downriver. Leon and Ken were going to drift the river at daylight along with a few instructors in kayaks from Northern White Waters, Leon asked Hank to join them. They were on the water at 4:45 the next morning lined up at what was called the beach area of the campground. It was a clear day with no fog hanging over the river; unusual and a welcome relief providing good visibility. A conservation officer was in each drift boat acting as spotters. There was no cell phone coverage in the valley; with radios the officers were able to communicate with other members of the search team. With a drift boat in the middle and one on each side as close as they could work to the bank they started down river. The kayaks tried to work the area between the bank and the drift boats. When they made it to the drop the drift boats and kayaks had to go through single file. Ken was the first boat through and worked his boat into the eddy on the right side. The officer had spotted something white moving at the bottom of the eddy. The kayak instructors were wearing wet suits and one of them was in the water in a flash. He came up with a white sweatThe Outdoor Gazette
shirt. It was a large adult size. A call to the campground confirmed no one in the group had a white sweatshirt; a welcome relief. Even while scanning the water for any trace of the boy it was hard not to notice where the fish were rising and what they were taking; too many years of conditioning. They made the five miles to the Seven Islands Bridge in two hours. The Fish and Game dive team was checking the deep pools on the river. They could have missed the boy but there was optimism he may not have fallen in the river. A helicopter had checked the slower sections of the river below the bridge along with a search team jet boat. Leon, Ken and Hank loaded their boats and headed back up river to meet the clients they had contacted to start an hour later than normal. “Sucking hind tit” takes on different perspective when you’re behind six other boats on the river. Ken and Hank put in a few miles above the campground; Leon put in about a mile up. The good news was there were no boats between them and the campground. The better news was the Alderfly hatch was in full swing and it looked like it was going to be the day. Ken was on the right side and Hank the left as they started down river. They were on a flat section of river that usually didn’t hold a lot of trout but with the hatch on and with the fish feeding they had more than enough activity. Brookies were holding up underneath the alders in the shade; working the boat side about twenty five feet from the bank made for easy casting. The Clermont’s had a lot of clients who were sports buffs and athletes. Several of Ken’s team mates had made the NHL; between high school and college and Leon and Ken coaching college hockey in Maine they were always booked. They had been featured on several fly fishing shows; all generating additional clients. Today was no exception; a father; his two sons and a grandson who was fifteen all had played hockey and the grandson was regarded as the best high school hockey player in Massachusetts and was only a sophomore. They were a few hours behind schedule when they pulled over at the campground for a pit stop. Normally deserted with the search and rescue operation underway it was a bee hive of activity. They had a brief conversation with Tom Jennings who thanked them for sweeping the river in the morning. The missing boy was featured on the morning news. An older couple who lived in Errol had been traveling north on Route 16 in the vicinity of the campground the previous night and had seen something go into the woods. They
couldn’t decide on what it was but having spent a lifetime in the area it was unusual they couldn’t identify anything they saw. The couple had a good idea of exactly where it was; near the crest of the hill about a quarter of a mile through the woods from the campground. A search was being organized to comb the area. That was the good news; the bad news was there were about twenty miles of woods. While they were waiting for the clients Ken said his youngest daughter was six and he couldn’t imagine what the parents were going through. Hank knew the Clermont’s pretty well; in the summer the entire family stayed at what they called the homestead; an old farm house at the end of the meadows a half mile from Hanks cabin. Andre had purchased it in the 40’s and lived there until he died a few years earlier. Back on the water the fishing got better; it was turning out to be a phenomenal fishing day. Ken and Hank hop scotched down the river; sometimes they would get a glimpse of Leon’s boat down river. Hank had two older firemen from Massachusetts; more or less regular clients. They were part of a group that stayed at the campground the last week of June. Hank could remember when he started guiding the group was
January 2013
from previous page
much larger; maybe fifteen or so. It had dwindled down to fewer than five; another sign of changing times. The Clermont’s usually stopped for lunch at the Wayside picnic area. One of both of the wives would be at the area with lunch which varied depending on the group from sandwiches to cookouts. Today they were having a cookout. Leon had pulled anchor and was heading down river through the last set of rapids before the picnic area several hundred yards ahead of Hank and Ken. Hank liked to stop at the only sandy spot on the river but there were two boats from one of the Pittsburg lodges already there. Hank went through the drop and pulled over to the left to try nymphing for one of the larger trout that sometimes could be enticed to take a big stonefly nymph. Anchored about twenty feet from the bolder Hank watched as Ken positioned his boat in the slick above the drop. Sometimes on the river your oblivious to everything going on around you but Hank became aware of the honking as cars and trucks passed by on the road about thirty yards above the river. There was only a small window to see the road through the heavy foliage and
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Reflections of the Outdoor Angel Hound hunting for fox and coyte
Exhilarating! I am now a gun toting, card carrying, GPS reading member of the Coyote Patrol! There wasn’t an official ceremony or even a celebratory cake, but I know the New York Mulready brothers, Jeff and Tim and Donny, along with Jay Williams, want me as part of their group. They didn’t say this to me but I just know! I was off to New York for a hound hunt. I’ve heard of fox hunts conducted with dogs, but these dogs were trained for coyotes. So, after our hunting party reached the desired destination, the dogs were uncrated and readied. They were more than ready to go. I can only assume they were already on the scent. Glad I left the perfume off my beauty regimen that morning or I would they’d be howling at me! The dogs used were treeing walkers and an American hound. The treeing walker starts the hunt because of better tracking abilities. The purpose of dogs on this type of hunt is due to the mountainous terrain. I was glad as the “newbie” they didn’t make me follow the dogs. I think I would have had a heart attack. Lee Dufresne made me RUN the prior 2 days after turkeys and that was enough! The mountains are very deceiving. They do not look as steep as they truly are, and I DO NOT like to run! Being that I was the novice of the group I asked plenty of questions. It was natural curiosity but mostly fascination. The dogs were unleashed and they eagerly took off. I skulked through the woods with Jeff Mulready while the others in the group got back into their trucks and left. Or did they? I thought this was some survival exercise they were putting me through. I wasn’t prepared
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for this; I had no water or rations. I barely knew these guys and they were going to play it like this?! Well, they weren’t leaving me; they were off to
“protect” their dogs. The guys each had a GPS to track the hounds and walkie talkies to keep in touch with each other. The guys in the trucks position themselves around the fields/mountains to be covered. With lots of country roads we wanted to be sure the dogs would be safe. When I arrived at the beginning of the week I asked if I’d see any bears. I don’t know why, but I really wanted to. Imagine my excitement when Jeff said the dogs were on a bear! He could tell by the bark. So far the only bear I’d seen were bear claws – in the bakery case! These animals have a bark that distinguishes what they are scenting. I was dumbfounded. But I can relate it to babies. As a mom you instinctively know if it’s a cry of feeding or changing. Ok, I was starting to get it. My heart really got racing
By Mary Kay
when we spotted the dogs in a clearing. Here was my chance to see the big bear I’d dreamt of. Next thing I knew we were running. Really, more running?? Fortunately it wasn’t for our lives! We were jumping back into
the truck and moving locations. I guess I’d better follow; these guys know what they are doing – I don’t! Here we are now, two trucks racing down the road jockeying for position to turn around. Don’t lose them now; this is getting good. I guess the bear must have eluded us; was that because of my Elusion Camo? But the hounds were hot on coyotes. I needed to get my gun ready! Wait a minute. Why wasn’t I allowed to shoulder the rifle? The Mulready boys (boys to me – I’m older) probably didn’t trust some Midwestern gal with a gun. Well, little did they know, I hadn’t shot a gun in a year and harvested a pheasant. How’s that for skill? I really don’t attribute it to skill, but more of right place right time! I wasn’t allowed to touch the gun; I wasn’t allowed to touch the GPS and I wasn’t allowed to communicate over the walkie talkie. Why were they being so selfish? Didn’t their mother teach them to share? Well I am extremely confident that had I asked to do any of these things they would have been more than willing to oblige! I was having a blast (rifle pun) experiencing the process. Besides, did I really want to be the reason the coyote got away? I’m not that confident in my gun skills – yet! With practice that will change. The guys kept talking about how hot it was. I was wearing gloves and obviously did not agree. But they were looking at it from the dog’s perspective. These animals covered a lot of ground. We did a lot of standing.
January 2013
They had a bead on 3 of the 4 dogs, but I believe it was Speedy still on the move. Over the river and through the woods, but not to grandmother’s house we went. Speedy had the coyote cornered, but we’d now have to be on private property. Those folks were more than happy to comply knowing the dog had cornered our prey. They even offered the use of a 4 wheeler. I was glad I was with Jeff Mulready because Lee Dufresne took off running up the mountain! Boy that guy loves to run! Jeff could tell from his GPS that the coyote was heading our way. We made our way in to the woods and got set. Closer and closer, but no visual yet. You’d think sitting and waiting would be boring, but it’s anything but. It was close to an hour and word came down the mountain that they had the dog but not the coyote. The landowners visited with us and provided water all around. I was curious how much territory the dogs had covered. At times during our outing the dogs were off the GPS, but the least traveled dog did 19 miles with the winner coming in at 33. Thirtythree miles running, and chasing, up and down the mountains and in and out of the woods. I sure couldn’t do that. I couldn’t do 3 miles, probably not even 3 feet! Remember, I hate running. Lee had Elusion Camo tshirts in his truck and gave handed them out as a thank you. These people did not have to allow us on their property. They also gave permission to come back whenever. We wrapped up the day with pictures. I happily posed with my new hunting buddies and I absolutely love the pictures. I was one accepted as one of the guys. I’m sure they looked at me that morning and wondered was this going to be. I proved I could keep up with the best of them. Little did they know though, I was holding back. I could have run alongside the dogs, but I didn’t want to put the men to shame. Right, dream on! I could not have been more pleased to be included in this guys club. I know I wouldn’t be able to do it on my own, and don’t have the stuff it takes. It was a great day and in addition to great memories I’ve made some lifelong friends! Mary is the host of “The Outdoor Angel”. This is an Outdoors show that features a novice woman out hunting and fishing with the industries top pros.. Mary Kay will inspire the uninspired to enjoy the great outdoors The Outdoor Gazette
Hank noticed Steve Casper the officer that had been in his boat in the morning standing by the guard rail giving the thumbs up signal. That was just a second before Ken’s boat entered the chute. Hank watched in horror as he saw the angler stand up and try to throw a mend. By the time the boat rolled Hank had the anchor up and was on the oars. In a few strokes he was beside the overturned boat; both firemen went over the side and under Ken’s boat joined by the fifteen year old who had stood up. A few seconds later all three popped out from under the boat holding Ken. There seemed to be blood everywhere. They grabbed the bowline Hank tossed out and Hank rowed backwards to the eddy. Steve was there to grab the boat and Hank broke out the first aid kit as the firemen applied a compress to the head wound. Ken was unconscious as the five of them carried Ken up the bank holding only a rope Steve had the foresight to throw down the embankment. It was only minutes but it seemed like hours. The Firemen loaded Ken into the back of the truck as Steve sped off in the direction of the campground. The kid was hysterical and crying saying that he had probably killed Ken. All Hank knew was that Ken was breathing and that was a good sign. Hank told him
accidents happen; it only takes a split second. Ken was alive and to stay positive and that he had helped save Ken’s life. One of the clients from the Pittsburg boats had walked along the shore to take pictures of the rapids and saw what happened. By the time Hank got back to his boat the guides were there collecting equipment drifting in the eddy from Ken’s boat. They managed to flip Ken’s boat over. With the boats secured Hank went back up to the road and hitched a ride to the picnic area to tell Leon what happened. Leon and his wife were gone in seconds and Hank rowed Leon’s clients down river to the takeout and loaded the boat on the trailer. Fortunately Hank knew where the keys were to Leon’s and Ken’s trucks. Hank repeated the process with Ken’s boat and then his own. The clients drove the trucks and followed Hank back to the homestead. It was late afternoon and no one was there. Hank called Tom Jennings to get an update. Sometimes shit happens and once in a while it’s in your favor. The boy had been found two miles from the campground. He had gone to use the outhouse and through he saw a bear and started running just as the storm struck. At six you can imagine a lot of things and he may have seen a bear. He ran until he was exhaust-
ed. The rain had stopped and he fell asleep under a hemlock; he was pretty good at identifying trees as well as remembering what his parents had told him. If you get lost stay put; someone will find you and they did. Steve Casper had called ahead as he drove to the campground. The helicopter was just about ready to return to its base. There was a doctor with the search and rescue team that was also getting ready to leave. He examined Ken and made the decision to fly him directly to Maine Medical Center. The doctor was on the flight to Portland and when the helicopter arrived Ken was in the operating room within minutes. It was touch and go for days after major surgery to relieve the swelling on Ken’s brain. Rehab took the better part of a year. It was months before Ken was able to carry on a conversation and a few more before he was able to walk using a walker. Ken wanted to thank everyone involved for helping to save his life and he never talked to anyone involved without thanking them again. Hank visited Ken several times at his home in Gorham Maine the winter after the accident. Hank knew Ken was a realist. He had two passions in life hockey and fishing. Ken realized that although he was an outstanding college
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player; he was just a good America Hockey League player on a great team. Guiding gave Ken the chance to supplement his income from teaching and coaching to doing what he loved and spending the summer with his father. Leon retired the summer after Ken’s accident. Everyone thought Ken would be back on the water but it never happened. Ken gave up coaching and started working on his masters and then his doctorate degree; something his wife had already accomplished. Ken’s wife had a chance to become a professor in West Virginia; they made the move but always returned to Errol to summer at the homestead along with Leon and his wife. Ken’s passion had changed to his wife and children; he said he never missed guiding. Leon made the move to West Virginia a year after Ken. Ken had not fished the Androscoggin since the accident. That was about to change; Ken had called Hank and booked a trip for Leon and himself. The trip was in the morning. Hank wondered what they would be thinking when they ran the drop. Jim a native of New Hampshire enjoys fly-fishing & tying, bird hunting and a variety of other outdoor activities and is a NH fishing Guide registered www.nhriversguide.com and author of the book Granite Lines.
Pop’s Kitchen
BAKED FISH
Sponsored by Green Mt. Marinades
3/4 cup milk 3/4 cup bread crumbs 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon ground dried thyme 4 Fish fillets of choice 1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat Preheat oven oven to to 500 500 degrees degrees FF (260 (260 degrees degrees C). C). Place Place the the milk milk in in aa small small bowl bowl In In aa separate separate bowl, bowl, mix mix togethtogether er the the bread bread crumbs, crumbs, Parmesan Parmesan cheese, cheese, and and thyme. thyme. Dip Dip the the haddock haddock fillets fillets in in the the milk, milk, then then press press into into the the crumb fillets in in aa glass glass to coat. coat. Place Place haddock haddock fillets crumb mixture mixture to baking dish, and drizzle with melted butter. Bake on baking dish, and drizzle with melted butter. Bake on the the top top rack rack of of the the preheated preheated oven oven until until the the fish fish flakes flakes easily, about 15 15 minutes. minutes. easily, about
Bill "Pop" Burke, resides in Claremont, NH. If you would like to contact Pop send an email to: pops-kitchen@hotmail.com The Outdoor Gazette
January 2013
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Fish & Wildlife Management Hunters and Angler Numbers Increase
About every five years the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinates a nationwide survey of Fishing, Hunting, and WildlifeAssociated Recreation which the U.S. Census Bureau carries out. A preliminary summary of results of the 2011 survey were released in September 2011. The results reveal that wildliferelated recreation increased in the last five years across the United States, from $122 billion ($137 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars) in 2006 to $145 billion in 2011, 1% of the nation’s gross domestic product. The survey found that 91.1 million U.S. residents aged 16 and older participated in some form of wildlife-related activity in 2011 compared to 87.5 million in 2006. This is an increase of 3 percent during a time when the U.S. has experienced a recession. This survey is arguably the most comprehensive and important source of fish and wildlife recreational information for the United States. It quantifies and demonstrates the social and economic importance that wildlife-based recreation has within the United States. It is particularly important that the survey is conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau whose surveys are respected and relied upon sources of information used by Federal, State, and private organizations in the process of making legislative, management and marketing decisions. Those that would like to diminish the importance of hunting and fishing and its socioeconomic benefits find it difficult to challenge Census Bureau reports. This Survey is the twelfth in a series of surveys conducted about every 5 years since 1955. The state overview http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/ref/collec-
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tion/document/id/858" http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/ ref/collection/document/id/858) of the survey provides data on number of anglers, hunters, and wildlife-watching participants, by type of activity; trips and days spent on different types of activities; expenditures (trip, equipment, etc.) by type of fishing and hunting and wildlife-watching activity; number of participants and days of participation by animal sought; and demographic characteristics of participants (including age,
By Wayne A. Laroche
wildlife watching did not significantly change from 2006 to 2011. About two-thirds of all wildliferelated recreation expenditures come from hunting and/or fishing, 2006 (63%) and 2011 (62%). Sportspersons spent $90 billion and wildlife watchers spent $55 billion in 2011. The average angler spent $1,262 in 2011. The average in-state expenditures by anglers ranged from $441 in Pennsylvania to $1,546 in Minnesota. Total expenditures ranged from $71million in North Dakota to $4.6 billion in Florida.
associated recreation being Wildlife Watchers. On the other hand, Vermont has the highest percentage participation by Sportspersons at 50%. Wildlife-Related Recreation is an important part of the economy and growing in northeastern states with over a billion dollars being spent in Maine and Vermont in 2011 pursuing fish and wildlife. Fish and Wildlife Management is one element of state and federal government that actually provides a return on the investment made via our tax and license dollars. This return is actually in “dollars.”
Participants in Wildlife-Associated Recreation by State Residents Both Inside and Outside Their Resident State: 2011 (Age 16 and older) from Table 1 of survey overview.
Participation in Wildlife-Associated Recreation in Each State by Both Residents and Nonresidents of the State: 2011 (Age 16 and older) from Table 2 of survey overview.
Expenditures for Wildlife-Related Recreation by State Where Spending Took Place: 2011 (Age 16 and older) from Table 3 of survey overview. * These values are corrected from preliminary survey results.
income, sex, race, and education). Nationally there was an 11% increase in anglers from 2006 to 2011 and a 9% increase in hunters. Nationally the number of people participating in aroundthe-home and away-from-home
The average hunter spent $2,484 in 2011. Total expenditures ranged from $18 million in Rhode Island to $2.5 billion in Wisconsin. The average wildlife watcher spent $765 in 2011. The average in-state expenditures by wildlife watchers ranged from $233 in Ohio to $3,300 in Alaska. Total expenditures ranged from $130 million in North Dakota to $4.2 billion in New York. The following tables provide a few comparisons among the results for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. There are differences in participation in wildlife related recreation among the states. Vermont has the highest population percentage involved in wildlife associated recreation with 62% of all residents being involved. New Hampshire has the highest percentage of Wildlife Watchers with 80% of residents and nonresidents who participate in wildlife-
January 2013
But, the much bigger return on investment may come by way of enjoyment that participants gain from their pursuits. These are things that some politicians and nonparticipants would choose to ignore. We need to make sure that these are things that they can’t ignore. Ask your state and federal representatives to support fish and wildlife management. Take a moment to send an email or make a call to them. Happy New Year! Wayne Laroche directed Vermont’s Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2003 until 2011 serving as the Commissioner. He holds degrees in both fisheries and wildlife management from the Univ. of Maine and California State Univ. Wayne is a native Vermonter and currently resides in Franklin, VT. He enjoys tracking whitetails in the big woods of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Wayne can be reached by emailing deerwayne@franklinvt.net. The Outdoor Gazette
Hard Water Fishing By D & B Ice Adventures
Christmas Eve Crappie
Christmas parties and work, our holiday season this year was on a pretty tight schedule. We did find one morning to squeeze in a fishing trip to search for some crappie in a spot that we had no reports of ice conditions. The weather forecaster said we would endure a morning of bluebird skies with temperatures in the mid to high 20’s with a slight chance of snow in the late morning. We figured, with the change in the atmosphere coming, the fish would be feeding hard. The long ride to the fishing hole
this body of water, the crappie seem to have a structured size separation. When you find them usually the biggest fish are leading the way. Just about every trip, we have been able to locate the front of the school and follow the slabs around the basin with small yearling fish being the indicator to move. As we worked our way through the grid we had drilled, there were fish in just about every hole. We were looking for big marks on our electronics, trying to determine where the larger fish were holding. On this
twelve feet of water up to the bottom of the ice. On this day, the fish were suspending a little deeper than normal. They were either in the top few
was nervously paired with anticipation of whether or not the ice would hold our weight. We knew if it would allow us on, we would be able to find the fish. Upon our arrival, we found a group of tip-up fishermen had already set up their pop-up shelter and tip-ups. Inching out to our destination in the opposite direction, our auger revealed a solid 4” of hard black ice the entire way. We began our day by punching holes in a grid formation over a large area. This allows us to cover a big area and quickly find what depth contour the fish are running at. In
feet of the water column right below the ice or well into the usual inactive zone of 14’+. This may have had
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day, our theory that the big fish lead the way didn’t play in our favor. We found that the fish were spread out and roaming independently of each other. On a normal trip, you can catch several fish out of one hole pretty easy before having to move. If we were lucky we would get two fish before they had a tight lip. Most times while fishing suspended crappie, there is an active feeding zone in which only aggressive fish will be located. Outside this zone, the fish will hardly even react to anything that is put in front of them. Typically, the zone for this pond is
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The Outdoor Gazette
January 2013
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The Maine Hunter By Steve Beckwith
Inexpensive Mega-Phone MP3 Electronic Call
A couple of snips and a soldering gun and you have a ready made electronic call! I have had and use many different types of calls to imitate critters, from a rubber band deer call to a custom made mouth operated squirrel call for red squirrels to animals as large as a moose! There are many reasons why electronic calls have their place in your call arsenal! Always check with your State Game laws before heading out in the field with any calling device. Some states and I won’t mention any names, do not allow electronic calls for some species but allows them for others! Having purchased many, many types of critter calls over the years, I have spent quite a bit of hard earned money on some electronic devices that left me short, when I needed to change the call for the time of year or the intended wildlife. Some of these calls have individual chips with a just a few sequences built into them for each specie, they are often cumbersome in design and cost extra for added sound modules. Some work good, some barely worked, and some didn’t even begin to replicate the intended sound described on the package! After spending a lot of money and still not being satisfied with the end results, I started looking at some of the newer calling devices on the market today. One in particular allows the downloading of MP3 files, which can be installed into their calling box with amplification. It is probably the best-packaged electronic caller on the market and if you want to spend the money for a factory produced portable electronic call, then do a search online and you will easily find the company I am referring too, it is named after a fox and they are the pros! I primarily use electronic calls for
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predator hunting, these calls help create the true natural sounds that are needed to trick an old coyote into range. My favorite sound is the jackrabbit (Snowshoe Hare) distress call. It probably works so well, simply because in our area it is the loud-
came across a standard bullhorn that operated on batteries. I paid $30 and found a 50-watt bullhorn, which is plenty loud enough; I think the 30 watt ones would be lighter and plenty of volume! See Photo: A couple of snips and a soldering gun and you
est critter that naturally sends a distress when attacked by a predator. It is a noise that coyotes and fox know very well in their natural surroundings and travel long distances to get in on the free meal when sounded. I decided to set out to create my own amplification system to use as a coyote-calling device. I wanted to be able to use MP3 and .WAV sounds and could find many online for free, simply by doing a search on Google for downloadable mp3 animal sounds. In my case I all already had two different MP3 playing devices, I owned a I-pod as well as an I-phone, both allow storage of music or MP3 or .WAV files, and either can be used. You can also buy a simple MP3 player stick from stores like Wal-Mart. I then set out on eBay to locate an amplification device and I
have a ready made electronic call! I removed a couple housing screws, and located inside the microphone the two wires that came from the microphone and leads to the amplifier. I cut these two wires and then found an old set of headphones with a 1/8 male radio plug and cut the wire off near the headphones and threw out the headphones! I then drilled a hole through the microphone housing and inserted the wire into where I soldered the two leads to the ends of the cut wires inside the megaphones, microphone enclosure. After re-assembling the microphone enclosure I used duct tape to secure the new wire to the microphone housing, to prevent accidental pulling on the wire in the field. I added 50 feet of speaker wire to
January 2013
my head phone cord, so I could place the speaker/megaphone away from my calling area. With the 1/8 wire plug in your MP3 player all you have to do is turn on the megaphone power switch and turn up the volume to half way and then adjust sound volume with your MP3 player in your hand. With sound files loaded into your MP3 player, simply select the sound and hit play! I now have an portable electronic caller for $30 and using either my Iphone or my I-pod to store the mp3 sounds, my sound play list is as large as I want it! But as I have done, you will find sounds that work well and sounds that don’t work at all, a simple delete and they are off your play list. The beauty of the MP3 player is that you can index sounds by categories keeping your coyote calls in a separate file folder then your turkey calls or deer calls! If you get lucky and get to go on a moose hunt in your State, you already have your moose call! Just download the moose sounds you want and head out! If you need more help with setting up a megaphone electronic MP3 system, you can always check on websites like YouTube.com for other ideas and probably find a video tutorial on this type call too! Happy Hunting! Steve Beckwith is a Registered Maine Guide, ThermaCELL Pro Staff, and owns these owns these websites: • MaineGuideCourse.com • MaineHunters.com • CoyoteCrosshairs.com • MoosePermit.com • MaineGuidedHunts.com He is a life member, editor and webmaster of the North Berwick Rod and Gun Club. A videographer, website designer and internet entrepreneur with his online portfolio located at MultitaskWebsites.com, Steve can be reached through any of his websites.
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something to do with the full moon that was only a few days away. This pond is usually one where you can drop your bait down and the fish do the rest, but the Christmas Eve crappie made us work for them. We both like using a soft but fast jigging motion. To achieve this, we slowly bounce the tip of the rod, trying to
move our heavy tungsten jigs ever so slightly causing our small micro plastic quiver in the water column. A spring bobber often times enhances
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the technique giving you much more of a finesse presentation as it will slow your presentation down even when fished aggressively. One other effective method to select for larger fish is to present them with a bigger bait. Crappie, even small crappie, have large mouths which makes it easy for them
to feed on larger sized pray. We have used this trick a few times when the fish were feeding on minnows. Last year that move made the difference
and helped me (Bobby) win a tournament by catching the largest crappie and heaviest bag for the day. My go to bait for this situation is the Spiiki by Maki Plastics. Close to 11 am, the weatherman’s forecast came full circle. A snow squall rolled in and the fish seemed to almost disappear from the area. We went from hole to hole scratching our heads wondering where they went. After a bit of frustration, we decided our best bet was to call the trip a success and head home for some family time. Overall, teamwork paid off for us on this trip. While the fish were relatively lethargic, they were still cruising looking for pods of bait. With such a large area drilled out, we were able to spread out and stay on the areas that the large fish were cruising
through. At one point, we found a series of three consecutive holes that had many active, aggressive fish. We actually took turns catching them, while the other video taped and took pictures. D & B Ice Adventures is based out of Barre, Vermont and composed of two fishing fanatics: Dylan Smith and Robert Booth. With an equal drive time to the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain, the hardest decision is whether they want to catch giant bluegill on the river or huge pumpkinseed on the lake with crappie in the mix at both. These decisions have been logged through their blog www.dbiceadventures.wordpress.com which gives details on what they have to endure to be successful. You can checck them on facebook too at www.facebook.com/DBIceAdventures.
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January 2013
Page 37
Southern Side Up Deer Tags
It might have been the fall of 1997? Not to sure exactly, maybe 1998? Well anyway, I had taken a deer in the southern part of the state. My wife wasn’t my wife yet and she was intrigued by the amount of deer my nephews and I spoke of seeing in the North Country. So, a long weekend was planned for her to join us up at camp for a deer hunt. This being the old camp, the one while you were in your sleeping bag, you could feel the mice scampering back fourth most of the night.This act alone showed a lot of character on her part! Anyway, the fact that she was staying in that camp and the fact that she wanted to deer hunt, sold me! The first morning there, she and I took off looking for a set of deer tracks that maybe we could catch up to. We were off the main logging roads onto some of the secondary roads. We found several sets of tracks, but nothing any fresher than probably the day before. Then it started to snow again. After maybe an hour, it had snowed enough to
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By Alex Cote
completely cover everything old. We came to a long straightaway and at the start, found tracks maybe, full of snow. At the other end, we found a second set going in the opposite direction maybe, again full. Quizzing Laura, I asked her which track was fresher. She wasn’t sure so
happened. The deer had wandered down off the mountain is search of love, perhaps found what he wanted and headed back to the high ground and his safety niche. I told Laura my suspicions. I then showed her by the way the deer was walking why I thought it was a buck. We didn’t go
I explained it to her. We pulled off the road and took the track heading up the mountain. To me, it was pretty plain what had
much further and we found where he had stopped to rub a tree! It had the appearance of being a decent deer, no monster, but a nice buck. I also pointed out to her that he was avoiding certain spots because of his rack. It was nice to be able to share my knowledge with her. We found where the deer had bedded several times. The tracks had snow in them, so I was reasonably sure we hadn’t bumped the deer. I remember telling Laura that we had a pretty good chance on catching up to this buck. He hadn’t stopped to feed yet and we had been on him for several hours. Shortly after that, we came to a reasonably fresh bed, one that was much fresher than any we had seen before. We went maybe 100 yards and found another bed, this one still had soft snow in it and the exit tracks were snowless! The tracks were wandering now, not making a beeline to parts unknown. The buck was up and feeding! We honestly didn’t go 40 yards and there he was, broadside at maybe 35 yards, head down feeding not a twig between us! “Shoot, Shoot”, I hissed to Laura!” I can’t see his rack”, she said. As if on cue, he picked his head up and was looking away from us. She eased up the rifle, settled in on his mid section and pulled the trigger, or at least tried to! It was a pump rifle, when she loaded it at the truck, she hadn’t pushed the pump all the way up rendering the rifle basically useless! Not her fault, I should have checked! The deer turned and looked in our direction, not really alarmed, and he went back to feeding. She looked towards
January 2013
me and I told her to give me the rifle, I’d shoot him! Her response? %##@ you, you already shot your deer! At that, the buck headed for Timbuktu! We never saw him again. At some point during most hunting seasons since, that event comes up in conversations, I was proud of her then and I am proud of her now. She did a great job tracking that buck and sticking with him. Right to the end, and in the end she held her ground, it was her deer to shoot not mine! She was right, I had already shot my deer. This year was no different, it has come up in conversation especially with me filling my rifle tag early on with a nice fat spike a couple of days into muzzleloader season. She was actually guided by Little Alex whom also filled his tag youth weekend with a great deer! The two of them had a great time together. They didn’t see any deer but heard some and heard a buck grunting just out of their sight. I had been bow hunting almost every evening and some mornings as time allowed. I found a spot that showed some promise and thinking more of next season, moved in a stand. I also set up a camera. I was somewhat amaze to see deer on the camera almost right away! After the lane clearing and walking around I had done. So, I went one step further. I set up there because of the amount of buck sign in the area. It is thick in there around the edges but opened up for 100 yards or so in each direction in the middle of the woods. This being from a ten year old logging operation. I created two mock scrapes with Northwood’s Common Scents doe in heat. I used some scent drippers that I had in the garage for years. Then in an attempt to really get under the skin of the buck that had made the original scrapes, hit the area several times with buck urine using the Northwood’s handy spray applicators. I had several pictures of the buck, Laura and I had hunted in the general area over the long Thanksgiving weekend and I had found fresh scrapes not to far away so I was reasonably sure that there was in fact a buck in the area still, I opted to see what would happen. I left the spot alone for a few days allowing it to settle down. We had some light rain so I was in hopes that any scent left behind would be washed away. Upon entering the area, there was fresh buck sign! The scrapes that I had made had also in fact shown signs of visitation! I
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sprayed more buck urine, changed the SD card in the camera and beat feet home to have a peek at the pictures. Sure enough, I had a visitor in the form of a decent racked 8 pointer and several does! Life was good and I was back in business. I was a couple of days out in work commitments, meetings and such so I wouldn’t be able to get out. The weekend came and Saturday morning found me shutting off the alarm and rolling over. Mistake #1, the deer were at the camera at 8:30 that morning just milling around in the acorns! Mistake #2, I had made a promise and couldn’t get out Saturday evening! But Sunday morning would be different. We had a front moving in that was calling for a cold snap, hopefully the deer would be on the move. And, they were setting me up for mistake #3! I sat until it was dark just to see what was up. As I stood up in the stand, a heavy deer took off from behind my 15 foot perch! I still put in my time, I was getting random pictures and my scrapes were still being the object of his affection! I saw two other deer, one a doe the second being undetermined. The wife’s schedule wasn’t giving her much time. The time that she was getting was being dedicated to her sleep and making a great Christmas for the Cote Family, so, hunting was not even remotely on her radar. It was in her mind but she just wasn’t in that slow down and take it easy frame of mind. But it was certainly getting back in my mind! The weather was mild, Alex II was watching the outdoor channel on a regular schedule, they were shooting some late season bucks, so why in the hell couldn’t I? I hadn’t been out that much, for that matter, I hadn’t been even checking the camera. Time to get to it and pay attention, if I gave up now, it would be a long time until next September. I hadn’t been seeing lots of deer before, so why bother? For the first time in a lot of years, I actually had to convince myself that I wanted to get out and hunt! Well, the first time in maybe 5 days, I checked the SD card! The deer were there at all hours and the mock scrapes that I had created were literally torn up! Even the licking branches that I had added were torn to shreds! There was one ticked off deer hanging around for sure. I now had a rekindled hope of taking a deer from this stand. There were 6 different deer coming and going through the funnel in both directions. I had pictures of 2 bucks and 4 does. I figured that with the mock scrapes working so well, I’d add a grunt tube to the game. Having grunted in a buck early on in the muzzleloader season, it certainly was worth trying now. And work it did! I was able to get a doe to come peeking around. There was something
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that she didn’t like, she came in all stiff legged and was thumping the ground with her front legs all the way. She caught scent of something, detected some movement, something was amiss and she turned and bolted back from where she had come. A close encounter of the deer kind, maybe! The grunt tube worked again just the same, I think! I spent the next few days morning and afternoon in the tree stand, NOTHING! Was I wasting my time? Why should I even bother this foolishness? Alex II gave me the shot in the arm that I needed, he asked me if I was ready to give up yet! It was the way that he asked it, he was making a challenge in his own way! I opted to sit on the ground, in the rain with a bow? I must have been out of my mind, but it was Sunday, reason’s beyond my control would keep me out of the woods until Wednesday or Thursday so what the hey! Like the times before, nothing but wet and really cold! Thursday came, Alex II had basketball practice at 6, he was working on homework, and said” Dad, you should sit in the stand tonight”. So, I did! I got out around 3:10 or there abouts. Settled in and waiting, I thought that it would be pretty easy to nod off for a bit. I’m not to sure but I just may have. When I came to, the sun was setting and it was cooling off. I focused on the tree line in front of the stand and caught movement. It was a deer! It was the wide racked 8 that we had been getting pictures of. I snapped a picture of the buck and sent a text of it to my wife! I told her that I wished that she was there, it was the wide 8 pointer that we had pictures of. Her immediate response was simply “Shoot it”! The rest of the text messages were something on the lines of: Her: What am I looking at here again? Me: A deer! Her: I told you , shoot it! Me: Can’t too far, need a rifle you have the only gun tag. Her: Sorry! Me: That’s why I wish you were here! Her: Oh, just for my deer tag? Me: No. Her: OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH now I see I have a deer tag for a gun and you don’t! That’s funny, ha, ha, ha. Sooooooooooo Sooooorry for you! Looking for sympathy, I sent the text picture of the deer to my daughter. I simply said, see the deer here? Her reply was a simple, ”No”! She must have been having a bad day I guess! I wasn’t getting anywhere at all, I slipped the phone into my back into my shirt pocket. I sat for maybe 15, no more that 20 minutes. I heard a noise directly behind me. I turned and was shocked! The deer had made a large ? circle and was coming right
towards my stand at about 40 yards! I slowly stood up and watched him sway his head from side to side. At one point, he threw his head in the air just smelling things. He continued on, stopping behind a larger hemlock tree leaving only his back side exposed. I took my bow from the hanger, attached my release and made ready to draw. He stepped out and directly onto an old skidder trail not 15 yards from the base of my stand. I came to full draw, settled the pin behind his shoulder and sent the arrow on its way. I heard that all familiar thud of an arrow when it hits home. He was out of sight in two massive bounds then one more rustle of leaves and the woods were once again silent. I wished that I could say that I was calm cool and collected, I can’t, I wasn’t! I couldn’t catch my breath. I called my wife, told her that I didn’t need her or her tag after all, I had just shot the buck! I developed the worst case of after buck fever I could find conceivable complete with the dry heaves and all! I didn’t wait the taught ? hour to get out of the stand, hell I don’t think that I waited 10 minutes. I got to the spot where he had been standing expecting that there would be blood from the Rage Broad head like the deer that I had taken last fall. There was nothing, no blood, no hair, NOTHING.
January 2013
from previous page
Panic set in, I was beside myself. I looked for the arrow, no arrow. I was aware enough that I knew that I needed to leave. I went home for a flashlight, hunting knife and flagging tape. I made a call to a friend whom is the chief archery education instructor for fish and game, Richard Tracey for his assistance. We went, we found, and I had conquered! The deer had gone less than 50 yards! The rage had done its job and that last rustling of leaves that I heard was the deer going down for the count! Because the arrow stayed in the deer, there was no blood for the first 20 yards or so, after that, it was like someone had sprayed the woods! I was just too hyped up to figure it out on my own accord. I have concluded that mock scrapes do in fact work! I will be more forth coming in their use from this point forward! I will also be working on my self control from this point forward and will be doing less texting from my tree stands! At least looking for the sympathy of the wife anyway! Alex Cote resides in Deerfield New Hampshire. He is on the Pro Staff for Northwood's Common Scents! He is also a scorer for the NHASTC. Alex and his son spend as much time outdoors as possible and he only works when he has to.
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The Coastal Zone Species Spotlight: Scup ( Porgy)
Well since it’s that time of year when many of you are hitting the hard water in pursuit of your favorite pan fish, I thought it would be fitting to write about what I call “the pan fish of the sea” or Scup as they are known in New England waters. The actual name is Porgy, but they are called many different names throughout their range. The Native Americans gave them the name porgy which I’m told translates into “fertilizer”. Why they would use these tasty white fleshed fish as fertilizer is besides me, but hey, they also used lobsters in the same manner so I guess it’s true. Scup are a blast to fish for as they are very willing biters and can concentrate in huge schools when they are feeding on young of the year bait such as juvenile green crabs, squid, spearing and the many crustaceans that litter the sea floor in our New England Waters. The traditional method is to use a medium action conventional outfit with 20lb test (you never know when a big striper will hit so it’s best to be prepared) and a two way
rig as we call them. It’s a simple set up where a 2 or 3 ounce sinker
Captian John Curry By Captain
around May and leave just before Halloween with the best action occurring from mid May to the end of July. The bigger spawning
Scup/porgy image courtesy of Mass State Saltwater Fishing Guide.
is attached to a bottom surgeon’s loop and two hooks are a foot apart from each other up the leader. The hooks are then baited with either squid or clams and dropped into the waiting school. Early in the season it’s fairly easy to hook scup as they lightly peck at your offerings, but as the season continues they become notorious bait stealers. Scup enter our waters
fish start to leave when the waters temperature gets above 72 degrees on the surface. The Mass State regulations for scup have been very liberal as the species is in abundance. The size limits in 2012 were 11” minimum and anglers could keep up to 45
don’t even advertise that scup may be part of the plan when hitting the water. I am proud to let my clients know that if they want to bring home some very tasty fillets we can certainly target scup most anytime during the season. It’s a perfect balance to the day. We start out early after top water stripers and blues then take a mid day break and bottom bounce for scup and maybe black sea bass. Most of my clients are avid ice fisherman and really appreciate the opportunity to get back to the basics and hey, pan fishing is fun no matter how you do it in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong on this, the feel of a powerful 40 lb striper is what I’m after most days, but when you can mix things up it makes for a great day. The past few seasons have brought in some monster sized scup to Buzzards Bay and we even caught them on the flats using fly rods. What a blast! This is the ocean so a 3 lb scup is going to tear you up trust me. No freshwater
Bill from upstate NY holding a 4lb scup. fish per trip during the “for-hire” vessel bonus period. Scup are excellent eating and sold commercially all over the world so you can imagine the party boats are very busy catering to scup fisherman all summer. Most sport fishing guides
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January 2013
Fish box filled to the rim with scup.
pan fish even comes close to the fight of a fish that lives in constant currents and is chased by everything with fins and teeth. Last May Charlie Bell from Middleboro, MA and his brother
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Taxidermy Trails Are you wildlife prejudice?
She sounded shocked. "They make anti-squirrel bird seed"! (The wife) "Well dear, you know people. It's a love-hate thing." They like what they like and hate what they hate. We DO! When turkey's first showed up in Vermont, ah...! Now those same people, even those who love to hunt them, say get rid of them they are eating all the deer food! How about the Blue jays? You most likely don't care for them, would rather see chickadees or cardinals probably. No good fishers, smelly skunks, terrible rats, chicken thieving mangy foxes, scolding red squirrels, trash scattering coons, tree chewing , dam building, water slapping beavers that scared you when you were fishing! Those baby eating crows! Seed lapping bears that deserve a round of bird shot in the back side to teach them a lesson! (Very sad and does happen a lot! I know! ) How about the swimming fish stealer the Otter, or the flying one, the Heron? OH... the vet bills, for quills! Do these same people ask for doe's protection at deer meetings and then complain that's all they saw during deer season? Sometimes. Sometimes they see things they want to or what they don't. They usually love baby anythings. Fawns, cubs, chicks and the like.
Moose , deer , big cats, rabbits and grouse are safe from most of the hater's. Good to eat and that makes sense, to our benefit I
Bill from upstate NY hired me for a typical spring day on the water. We started out on the Mashnee Flats in Buzzards Bay chasing some decent sized stripers and blues. Now these two gentlemen are serious fisherman and they love to eat fish. I had purposely moved their trip date to coincide with the black sea bass opener as Charlie mentioned they have never caught black sea bass before. We weren’t out an hour when Bill asked “when are we going to try for some of those sea bass you were telling us about?” We have a saying in the business, “never leave fish to find fish”. To leave a school of stripers on the flats to bottom fish, we must be nuts right? Well these guys are true meat fisherman as we say and we absolutely slammed the black sea bass and after they caught their limit with a few scup mixed in we hit the flats again on the way back to the dock. Some birds were
working and the tide was dropping so I thought heck we can have some fun with a few schoolie stripers before we call it a day. On the first cast with a white 6” Slugo, Charlie nailed a fish. Much to my surprise it was a 22” scup! The flats were loaded with juvenile green crabs and the giant scup were everywhere. I have never filleted so much scup in one day, but when the limit is 20 fish each you can see how we could hardly close the lid on the fish box. Yes the scup is considered by most to be a pan fish, but on some days they make for a lot of sport and some great eating.
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guess. I must admit and so must you, we are all a little guilty I suppose. Mostly a product of programing. Like most feelings , taught by someone we looked up to at the time, or could sympathize with. BUT!, as my mother would say, telling me it was time for some reflection. What would the outdoor world be like for us, if we left those feelings home? If we
By Rodney Elmer entered our favorite pastime with new eyes? Would we be changed? Would we be kids again in a all new world? Would those who look up to us, think different? You bet!
New thoughts must be inspired,
so give it a try! Trust me change comes hard. Especially after the crow awoke you at 5:00am on Saturday! Or the sea gull crapped on your ar m at the beach! The deer pounded the green beans and the wife's pulling at your hair to do something! The ankle is still sore from the woodchuck hole and that damn squirrel chewed your moose horn! BUT! Maybe less animals will starve to death after someone has moved them away from home in a havahart trap. Some of our bears will have a lower lead content while still alive. We will save a few bullets, animals and fish waisted on some needless deaths or guilts, and not say to our friends who ask if you got one, " Yea.. Just a Doe..." Death ,,, Taxes,,, Change. Rodney Elmer and his wife Theresa own and operate Mountain deer taxidermy in Northfield,Vermont.
from previous page
Capt. John Curry grew up in Rehobeth, MA and summered on the Cape mainly in the Bass River area. He has over 30 years of fishing and boating on Cape Cod and Rhode Island waters. Currently living in W. Yarmouth and summers in Bourne. He runs a sportfishing business on tha Cape, visit his website www.capefishing.net. January 2013
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Trail Camera Photo Contest Sponsored by Chadwick’s Trail-Cams
Nick Atwood of - “Team Nocko ut”
Nockout” Nick Atwood of - “Team
Nockout” Nick Atwood of - “Team Nick Atwood of - “Team Nocko ut”
2012 Trail Camera Photo Contest Sponsored by ChadwicksTrailcams.com Send in your trail camera pics, and for every picture that is published in The Outdoor Gazette you will get one chance to win one of three Trail Cameras.
Two (2) Winners will be drawn randomly and announced in the January 2013 issue. Plus One (1) Winner/Owner of “The Trail Camera Picture of the Year”, will be chosen by the Outdoor Gazette staff and folks on our Facebook page. The “Pic of the Year” will be on the cover of the Jan. 2013 issue!
Are you worried by sending in your pic of that trophy buck or huge bull moose, will give away your secret location? No need to worry! We will post your pics anonymously, with as little info as you like. Your secret is safe with us!
Nockout” Nick Atwood of - “Team
2011 Trail Camera Photo Contest Winners ; Trail Camera Picture of the Year is Dan Green from Lyme, NH Random Winners - Thomas Flynn from Holderness, NH and Mary Emery from Enfield, NH
It’s a Granite State Sweep!
Send photos to: fred@theoutdoorgazette.com with the subject line “TC Photo Contest 2012” Page 42
This little buck resides in Hanov
January 2013
er, New Hampshire
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January 2013
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The Gazette’s Book Review
By Colonel J.C. Allard
A Hunter’s Confession By David Carpenter Greystone Books 2010 243 pages, $17.95 ISBN: 978-1-55365-825-2 January is a time for stories – deep, compelling, evocative stories, best read by a warm fire while frost crystals sprout on the windows. Winter is a fine time for perusing how-to books of beloved field sports, but there is something very satisfying about a good, robust narrative. In 2010, award-winning Canadian author David Carpenter produced just such an interesting and compelling narrative. After penning seven fiction books, three of nonfiction, and one volume of poetry, Carpenter succumbed to the urging of friends to produce a memoir. Instead of a memoir of his life as a writer, Carpenter chose to write of his life as a hunter. The result is A Hunter’s Confession, a fresh, interesting work with a powerful perspective. Its pages reveal a story told
with humor, wisdom and a profound but never fawning sense of reverence. This is the story of a sport as old as our landscape and the people associated with it. It is a stark link both to the primordial past and the emotionally complex present. Carpenter intended A Hunter’s Confession to be more than the memoir his friends wanted him to write, and it is. In the author’s
words, “A Hunter’s Confession is a serious book about hunting in North America.” He wanted his experiences and those of people close to him to add something to the all to frequent discussions about hunting today. Carpenter’s hunting adventures provide a context for the broader, more intellectual hunting debates. As he says, “We need historical benchmarks to keep us honest.” A Hunter’s Confession adds much to any verbal sparring match about blood sports. However, it is anything but another dry, stilted, academic argument. This is a debate framed by the experiences of one man and his wide circle of friends and relations with a stake in those same experiences. These memories of shared hunting experiences add wit and tone and color and most importantly humanity to any discussions about hunting from this point on. This is a book for all of North America. However, readers in the United States will need to read it closely and pay attention, for some of the Canadian references may seem a bit foreign. But this is just another reason to read this book: the commonality of our hunting cultures across the shared boundary. Otherwise, this book reads easily. Carpenter’s
prose has a gentle flow, but a firm command of the language. In our ever more feminized contemporary society, Carpenter’s chapter “The Return of Artemis,” about his wife’s hunting experience, may be the most important chapter in the book. Certainly it can be applied in many a household on this side of the border, as the feminine perspective is now a significant component of any hunting discussion, and women’s perceptions and opinions of hunting will determine much of hunting’s future on this continent. A Hunter’s Confession ought to make any outdoorsman’s short list of vital, important and enjoyable reading. Whether read by the fireside on a cold January day or in the hammock after lawn mowing in July, this is one of the best books on hunting to come along this decade. Once read, it needs to be shared with veterans of past hunts, those who hunt now, or those who aspire to take up hunting in the future. Col. J.C. Allard lives in Pittsfield, NH about 20 miles north by east of Concord. “We're in the shadow of the Belknap mountains here, but we can see Mt. Washington on a clear day”.
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January 2013
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Pictures Gone Wild Our reader submitted photos
Marjie Blanchard of Bridgewater, Vermont, sent in this photo of her grandson, Gianni Blanchard. He is 4 yrs old "his first fish." A 13 1/2 inch rainbow trout caught at Kent Pond in Plymouth, Vermont. “I don’t know if it is trophy status but it sure was for him!”… Gianna will receive a “fishing tackle prize” for sharing his memory with us.
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Josh Allard, “First fish of the Season”- A chain pickerel, caught ice fishing at Hall’s Pond in Newbury, Vermont.
January 2013
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