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May 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
Identity Crisis - Turkey on the outside, duck on the inside. Via facebook from Kentucky Outdoors Magazine.
On The Cover Erin Haley of Warren, New Hampshire. Turke she took on opening day. 19 lbs., 7/8 inch spurs, 9 inch beard. (May 3rd, 2013)
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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
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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.
May 2013
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Little different
There is a lot’s going on in the Outdoors these days. The Outdoor Gazette will be at the New Hampshire Sportsmen’s Outdoor Expo at Gunstock ski area this Labor Day weekend. This should be a great event with lots of room both inside and out for vendors to demonstrate their products and for outdoor activities. Activities to participate in, and the ability to try outdoor gear before you buy. The Outdoor Gazette will be there participating and trying stuff too…. AND spreading the word about our growing magazine. Growing is an under statement, our readership is sky-rocketing, and that early on, “what have I done” feeling in my gut, is all but a memory. WHEW! Ok back to the show on Labor Day weekend (forgive my moment of gloating). The NH Sportsmen’s Outdoor Expo will celebrate and showcase all things outdoors and will quickly establish itself as New
Editor’s Back Porch
England’s premier Outdoor Show & Sale. The 2013 expo offers Exhibitors and Sponsors a one-time opportunity to get in on the ground floor, and help shape the direction of the expo for years to come. The NH Sportsmen’s Outdoor Expo represents the next generation of successful outdoor sports & recreation shows. Rather than being held indoors, in the middle of winter, The NH Sportsmen’s Outdoor Expo is held outside, at Gunstock Mountain Resort, over Labor Day Weekend a great time to shop for outdoor gear for all four-seasons. The expo will offer thousands of outdoor enthusiasts an opportunity to find all the gear they need in one convenient location and to enjoy a weekend packed with outdoor seminars, activities and entertainment. Discover Your Next Adventure at The NH Sportsmen’s Outdoor Expo! I/we hope you will come to this great new event and when you do, please stop by and say
By Fred Allard
hello… Also I will be involved with the Montshire Traditional Bowhunter’s seminar at the show. If you always wanted to try traditional archery please come to this seminar we would love to help get you started. Once to trad, you won’t go back! >>>---------------------> There have been some questions about when The Outdoor Gazette’s new issues come out. Answer; the new issue is uploaded monthly on the 15th of the month. Why do we do that? Well it sounds logical in my brain but I will try to explain. Most if not all other magzines come out on the first of the
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May 2013
month. So we thought we would give the all the outdoor readers out there something to look forward to mid month. My firends say I am a little different so The Outdoor Gazette should be too....wait a minute, do you think that they are giving me a compliment.....ya, I’ll go with that! 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.
The Outdoor Gazette
Trophy Spotlight
Vermont fishing strikes again! Taylor Crawford of Jacksonville, Vermont caught this beautiful brown trout while fishing Sherman Reservoir over the weekend with his father and brother. The big brown measured 32.5-inches in length and weighed 18-lbs 7-oz!
The Outdoor Gazette
Richard Levesque with the 14.55 lb. Vermont State Record walleye he caught in Lake Champlain in 2010. Walleye fishing begins in early May , in most of Vermont. Check regulations for exceptions. VT Fish & Wildlife photo.
May 2013
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Life at High Altitude
By Cody Covey
Weekend Warriors
With a busy work schedule and an out of state work assignment I knew I had my work cut out for me in the 2012 elk season. I took a one week vacation in archery season in an attempt to fill my bull tag, a couple games of cat and mouse and a few close encounters later, I came home empty handed. A buddy and I put in for cow rifle tags and both successfully drew, knowing this was going to be the next chance I had at hunting elk I was already scheming on where we were going to hunt. The day before the rifle opener I found myself working a 10 hour shift in Missouri. I grabbed the earliest flight to Colorado my schedule would allow, rented a car, stopped at the house to grab my gear and headed for the mountains. I had been talking with my buddy Dustin most of the day, as he had the day off and headed to the mountains at first light. With a full day of glassing he managed to put a herd to bed, right at last light. I arrived at the hotel, our “hunting camp” for the weekend, around 10:00PM. I brought all
my gear in to the room, drank a cold one, and hit the sheets. It’s amazing how a day of work and travel can
have in store I rolled out of bed and started getting dressed. We had a 30 minute drive and an hour and a half hike in the dark to get to our vantage point so there wasn’t much time to
The shed I picked up as we scurried down the mountain
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really suck the energy out of you. Morning came earlier than I wanted but knowing what the day might
mess around. We threw all the gear in Dustin’s Dodge and hit the road. The mountains got about 6” of snow that night so the hike in took a little longer than expected, regardless, we were where we needed to be
at each other, grabbed our packs and started heading back down from where we originally came from. We beat feet as fast as we could down the mountains, but the elk were faster. I picked up a 5 point shed on the way down, strapped it to my pack, and kept moving. There were so many elk tracks that we didn’t know which way to go. Some were heading West and some East; we picked east and started dogging the heard. About 15 minutes later we heard a shot ring out in front of us, knowing what had just happened we decided to back out and let the other hunters take it from there. We put on somewhere between 8 and 10 miles that day with nothing but wet clothes and a shed to show for it. Day two came even earlier than day one, but it was the last day I was going to get to chase elk for another year. Dustin and I decided that we would split up and sit in the morning and if we didn’t have any luck we would meet up around mid-day and try out a new spot. I was perched in front of a blow down about 30 minutes before first light and had a good feeling about this spot. I was sitting on my pack when I started to feel by backside getting wet, I stood up and
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with about 15 minutes to spare. As daylight broke, so did the shooting. We had heard about 3 shots in the first 30 minutes and then it calmed down. I was glassing a meadow about ? of a mile away when I caught movement. 4 cows walked across the wide open followed by about 30 more. Dustin and I looked
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realized I had been sitting on the bite valve to my camelback for about 15 minutes, soaking both by butt and the waste belt on my pack. After a few choice words I sat back down and started glassing. One mule deer doe came out about 200 yards away, fed for a bit and went back into the
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May 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
Nature’s Way Education goes green (or at least it should)
What is the purpose of education? It cannot simply be to become smarter or more knowledgeable; to what end does this knowledge or intelligence contribute? Education is about the betterment of both oneself and of society. It is arming all citizens with tools that will improve the wellbeing of the individual and the masses. Public education is becoming off-track. As a student, I see it. The practical is being replaced with the theoretical, when there should be a balance of the two. It is necessary for students to acquire a basis in most fields of study and timber. About 10 minutes later I heard a cow mew and that’s when the woods came alive. A group of 15 cows and one heard bull came out about 140 yards in front of me. The cows were all talking but the bull stayed quiet as he pushed his cows around in an attempt to keep them in sight. A bachelor group of 4 rag horns came over the rise and the big 5x5 ran them off in a matter of a minutes. As the bull stood 100 yards away broadside, I could only sit and
schools do a nice job of providing this. However, schools are doing too little to contribute to the wellbeing of a very important factor: our environment. School structure informs and educates, but at the expense of practicality. School structure is aiding in the separation of human and nature, of animal and habitat. The way children are educated focuses too little on what really matters: Practicality, nature and environment, conservation, green living, etc. In the classes that both I and my fellow students take, we learn a lot of
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hour and a half. It was cold and snowy out so we left the meat and headed after the group of elk to see if Dustin could get lucky as well. We hunted hard for a few more hours and decided to head back to retrieve the meat. We each took a load and made it to the truck in one trip. I drove home, dropped off the meat and my gear, drove to airport and flew back to Missouri for work the following morning. Looking back at what it took to fill my freezer with
By Tannr Allard
facts. We then learn how to store these facts temporarily so that we can apply them to a written test. After this test, we promptly forget all material. Why? Because rarely do we feel it practical or necessary to remember this information. I am not suggesting we throw out all the classes and replace them with something else. I am instead suggesting that we take education to the next level. I remember in Spanish class this year, watching a video of a man talking about cultural “Ethnicide,” as he called it. He described some of the most fascinating cultures in the world, and then he bluntly informed us of their constant destruction due to “modern” society. Truths like these are rarely taught, as the spreading of this sort of knowledge would surely hurt our culture ( for better or worse). Rarely are we taught about ways to conserve energy or aid the environment. Rarely are we taught about hunting and its benefits on communities of life. Rarely are we asked to direct our attention to nature and asked to appreciate it. Pollution, energy conservation, water scarcity, water
acidity, deforestation, are all environmental issues growing rapidly in danger. According to the very purpose of education, it should be preparing students to face the issues that will come during our lifetime. Why then, are we not learning how to be outdoorsmen? Why are we not learning how our way of life affects the environment in which we live and completely depend upon? Social issues are important, but they are not everything. In school, you CAN choose this type of education, but it is at the expense of a full scholarly education. There is a degree of integration between learning practical skills and taking classic courses, but it is not full integration, and practical skills are only learned by choice. Schools need to create conservation and green living classes, and if they have them, they need to put more importance and emphasis on them. Students must learn to be outdoorsmen, for it will not only allow them to develop a deeper appreciation of nature, but it will give them a deep understanding of the true importance of our actions, and shed some light on how we can change our actions for the betterment of Mother Earth.
A sweet shot from our vantage point on the first morning. Picture taken by Dustin Masters. drool, wishing I had a bull tag in my pocket. Most of the cows were shielded by a small patch of Aspen’s, but 4 or 5 were on a side bank with nothing but air between us. I put the cross hairs of my 30-06 behind the biggest ones shoulder, let out half a breath and squeezed the trigger. At the sound of the shot the elk ran, but stopped after 30 yards to see what had happened. I watched as my cow tipped over and the rest of the herd took off, back into the dark timber. I sat and admired my prize, and though it wasn’t a bull, to me it was still a trophy. A short while later Dustin came over the hill and I started telling him the story. We snapped some photos and went to work on my cow. We had her deboned and hung in a nearby tree in about an
The Outdoor Gazette
the beef of the woods I realized; even at odds, sometimes the weekend warriors can prevail! 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
May 2013
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A Waterfowler's Perspective By Brian Bouchard
The Must Have Skills of a Successful Waterfowl Hunter
To be considered a successful waterfowl hunter you don’t need to get your limit each time out. What you do need is to master a few skills that all truly successful waterfowl hunters possess. I have hunted with guys that have been hunting ducks & geese longer than I have been alive and I have hunted with guys that aren’t sure what end of the call to blow into. I don’t mind hunting with either of these guys. The ones that have hunted for years have probably forgotten more about waterfowl than most guys know. The ones that are new to waterfowl hunting need to learn the lessons that need to be taught by the former. Over my years of hunting experience I have determined these are a few must have skills that all waterfowl hunters need. The ability to shoot straight and safely with your shotgun is a skill all waterfowl hunters need and without this nothing else matters. This will only come from knowing how all the parts of your gun operate. To be a great shot you need to know where your gun shoots. My advice is to pat-
tern your gun before each season. You need to know how to take it apart and what to do if it jams up so that your hunt doesn’t end after the
Having the right gear is extremely important and is one of the best parts of being a waterfowl hunter. Who doesn’t love all the guns, calls,
Brian doing some preseason shooting practice with sporting clays.
first trigger pull. Practice with your gun year round, read all you can about shooting skills, be sure to truly master the art of hitting the moving target.
decoys, and the clothing? Take the time to research the latest gear. You absolutely have to get a pair of quality boots and a pair of quality waders. Nothing ruins a hunt faster than being cold and wet. You can’t spell waterfowl without the word WET. That $1500 shotgun won’t keep you warm but some quality hunting clothing & boots will. Now that you can shoot straight and stay all day in the blind because you are warm and cozy you need to know what you’re shooting at. There are many laws governing waterfowl hunting. This is a huge part of being a successful waterfowl hunter. If you exceed your limit of a species or shoot one that isn’t allowed you will never be successful. Passing on a bird is always better than taking an
Jenni DeLaricheliere with Dad showing off her hunting gear.
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unknown shot. Prior to your hunt know the limits and the species that are allowed to be harvested. After each pass regroup and take a count
May 2013
of the birds to ensure you are ok. Make sure the others in your group do the same. Don’t let one hunter shoot into another hunters limit. Although it’s not always needed, but certainly makes the hunt a whole lot more fun, calling can be a very cool part of the hunt. To be considered a truly successful waterfowl hunter you will need to know how to work a duck call and a goose call. You don’t need to have trophies lined up along the mantle to be considered a good caller. All you need is to know the different style of calls like the Hail, Comeback, Greeting, and Feeder call for ducks. For Geese it’s pretty much the same thing. You just need to know these few styles of calling for geese as well. Don’t call so much that you get light headed. Simply watch the birds as they come in and try to sound like them. If you are hunting with other guys who
Phil DeLaricheliere on Sea Duck hunt in Maine
call, let them start it up and mix it up a bit to have it sound like what the birds are seeing in your spread. So you have the calling mastered, you can shoot straight, and can handle whatever mother nature tosses at you. But to actually shoot a duck or goose you need to have them come within range. This won’t happen if the ducks and geese see your pretty face peering out from the boat or blind, or if they see your nice bright pink thermos that your daughter let you use. Be sure to get to your spot early enough to be able to properly set up your blind and get the cover in place. Make sure to look around your set up to see if you look like a lawn sale that just opened for business or if you look like another part of the field you’re in. If hunting from a boat you have to look like a bunch of shrubs growing out of the water, not like a bright aluminum
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The Outdoor Gazette
Public Invited to Open House at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center
HOLDERNESS, N.H. — Enjoy a day of family fun with hands-on activities related to the shooting sports, hunting and trapping at an Open House at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness on Saturday, June 1, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free. The center is located at 387 Perch Pond Road in Holderness, N.H. Open House visitors will have a chance to hone their shotgun skills with Ruger pro staff – and try their new guns. LHR Sporting Arms pro staff will be on hand and visitors will have an opportunity to give their new Redemption Muzzleloader a try! Other hands-on activities include a BB gun range and a videobased interactive shooting simulator. Youth and adults can try out the archery range, or bring your own equipment to try out the center’s 3D woodland archery course. Demos during the day will include a tree stand safety seminar, hunting
On the shotgun range at Owl Brook. dogs will do retrieving and pointing demonstrations, and the New Hampshire Trappers Association will demonstrate trapping techniques. You can also test your hunting knowledge on the Hunter
row boat that was set adrift from high winds. Once you have your blind set up and you have gathered and placed plenty of cover you can now set out your decoys. Be sure to bring enough decoys to allow them to do their job decoying in the birds. This part of the hunt is the fun part. I have never hunted with a guy that hasn’t reset their decoys a dozen times before or during a hunt. There is something about decoys that cause a waterfowl hunter to go goofy. I have had more conversations about the decoys are
accomplished by scouting and talking to fellow hunters, local farmers and talking with the Fish & Game folks. The hardest part of waterfowl hunting is getting to where the birds are. These birds fly thousands of miles a year during their migration and they see 100’s of decoy set ups and get shot at all the way north to south. Those that survive get smarter with each trip. To be considered a successful waterfowl hunter is easy if you put in the time to master these skills. This doesn’t happen overnight but that’s
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Education Field Exam Trail, get basic map and compass instruction, and learn about safe firearms handling. To top off the fun, enjoy a free raffle for a Ruger firearm, certificates for 50% off your choice of a new Savage firearm, 50% off a new LHR redemption muzzleloader, and gift certificates to local sporting goods stores. Also enjoy delicious free ice cream donated by Granite State Dairy Promotion. Owl Brook Hunter Education Center is located on 500 forested acres in Holderness. Facilities include an office/classroom build-
ing, a four-target practice archery area, a 25-yard covered firing range for small-bore and muzzleloader training, a shotgun training area, a hunter skills trail, an orienteering course and a 14-target wooded field archery course. While you’re checking out the trails, stop by the recreated old-time trapper’s cabin. Be sure to stroll through the classroom building, which features historical exhibits exploring the principles of hunter education. Workshops, group programs and special events at Owl Brook help people start the lifelong journey of becoming safe and responsible hunters and trappers. The center offers classes and group activities for youth and adults related to the shooting sports, hunter education and orienteering. Activities and facilities at Owl Brook are made possible by the federal Wildlife Restoration Program and private donations. Learn more at huntnh.com /Hunting/hunter_ed_center.htm. Directions to Owl Brook: Take I93 to Exit 24 (Ashland). Turn right onto Route 3/Route 25. In Ashland, bear left at the Y, continuing south on 3/25. Turn left onto Route 175 and go 1.7 miles. Turn right onto Hardhack Road. Go about 75 yards and take a right onto Perch Pond Road. Go 1.8 miles; the entrance to the center is on the left.
Preseason scouting with my wife Michele & our Labs Tyson & Remi.
to close or too far or there are too many or too few. We use a Mojo duck that creates motion with spinning wings and we argue about turning it on or off or not to use it for geese. The key to decoys is to have ones that will float and are easy to set up and take down. Give the birds a place to land within range and you are good to go. To make all of this come together and to truly be successful, you need to be where the birds are. You need to do your homework and find the birds prior to going hunting. This is The Outdoor Gazette
what makes it so fun. To truly enjoy the pursuit of waterfowl and to be able to consider yourself successful, you simply need to get up and get after them.
I have been hunting deer and predators for over 30 years. Turkey for 15 years. Waterfowl for the past 10 years. Owner of Fields Bay Outfitters. I Live in St Albans VT with my wife Michele and our 2 sons Dillon & Kyle and our 2 labs Tyson & Remi.
May 2013
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Embrace Your Redneck Tendencies by Tina Corron
Important and Necessary Lessons I Learned From My Boys
Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and I look forward to it with mixed emotions as I search for the perfect gifts for the important women who have influenced my life; my mother, my grandmothers and my Aunts. All wonderful ladies and they will likely be featured in other articles. Right now I would like to address the whole idea of being a mother. You are probably wondering what any of that has to do with the outdoors and who is this flakey woman writing about motherhood in an outdoor magazine? Hasn’t she heard of women’s magazines? What’s next, needlepoint? I beg your indulgence, and hopefully you are still reading this article because you will soon understand. I promise. My boys are 18 and 22 years old. I have spent many a Mother’s Day wearing a macaroni necklace while enjoying brunch at our local pub, and while macaroni necklaces do not really stand the test of time, the lessons I learned raising
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two active outdoorsmen will only increase in value. Lesson One: Dead things should be poked with a stick. I have
boys STOP THAT RIGHT NOW and GO WASH!” They frequently protested with “We didn’t touch it with our hands.” I still insisted
never questioned this method. I have however grimaced and said things like “EEEWWW would you
that they wash no matter how foolish it seemed to them. Lesson Two: The best way to dispose of a squirrel that has ‘mysteriously’ met an untimely end in your yard is to use a snow shovel as a catapult and fling it into the neighbor’s yard. In that instance, I observed the spectacle from the kitchen window and at the time thought they were just involved in a game of their own invention. I had no idea there would be a squirrel flinging until I saw something grey and furry flying off the snow shovel. I demanded that they come in the house and wash. I proceeded to serve the boys some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies while giggling hysterically, as there is no love lost between that neighbor and myself. Lesson 3: Round Styrofoam
May 2013
containers found in the refrigerator during fishing season do not necessarily contain take out. My advice to any mother (or father) reading this is: Unless you put it there yourself, don’t even open it. Get your juvenile fishermen to remove it from your refrigerator then go wash your hands, whether you have opened the container or not. Your young fishermen should wash their hands as well. Lesson Four: A fishing lure lodged in the scalp of your youngest son will be removed at the emergency room by cutting the barb with a pair of pliers obtained from the maintenance supervisor. They did use disinfectant and antibiotics so it is best to go to the hospital no matter what your husband tells you. Later, you will need to assure your oldest son that you are not upset with him for snagging his brother and that you know him better than that. After all, why would he waste a good fishing lure by embedding it in his brother’s head? Lesson Five: It does not matter what outdoor pursuit they are engaging in, it will need to start before dawn and there will be a great deal of boot clomping and door banging. The dog will get upset and start running up and down the stairs whining. I will have to get out of bed to calm the dog, so I might as well be sure the boys and their companions have snacks and drinks to bring with them. It is also important to behave as though I was ready to start my day anyway, ‘No worries boys. You all be careful, be good, good luck and I love you.’ To their credit my sons and their companions would typically
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The Outdoor Gazette
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been target shooting. Which leads me to Lesson Six Part 2: It was really fun to watch my son shoot exploding targets and blow up an old metal cooler. I truly embraced my Redneck tendencies that day. Over the years, I have discovered that being a mother is not just about caregiving or teaching, it is about learning and growing as well. My sons Zachary and Jacob regularly pushed me out of my comfort zone to attempt activities that challenged me physically and mentally. At their urging, I learned to kayak, I have hiked mountains, I attempted mountaineering, I learned archery, and was taught how to shoot a hand gun. I feel truly blessed to have these boys, now men, in my life encouraging me to embrace each new experience and having the patience to instruct me in the skills I need to know to participate with them.
promise that they would be good and be careful. They all usually hug me on the way out the door. Lesson Six: When your son is fifteen years old and decides that for Mother’s day that year, he feels
The Outdoor Gazette
it is imperative for you to learn to shoot a .22 Reuger pistol; you do it. The lesson here is that he wants to spend time with you but on his terms, and you will enjoy it. I was really glad for this time with
my son, his patience and knowledge led me to want to participate in target shooting with him. My husband purchased a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol for me that year for Christmas and we have all
May 2013
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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Mass Meanderings Trout are Waiting Throughout the Year
Massachusetts is the only state in the entire northeast that has a year round season for trout. Even though the weather may not be conducive to fishing, there are still plenty of opportunities for all kinds of anglers to catch trout throughout the Commonwealth. According to Andrew Madden, MassWildlife fisheries biologist for the Western District, Massachusetts stocks over 10,000 trout in the fall months to accomodate these late season fishermen. Most of these trout are stocked in lakes and ponds in September but a majority of the major rivers get a good dosage of fish as well. "Most of these fish holdover very nicely, especially in the lakes and pond, says Madden. In the rivers, holdover is a little more weather dependent. If we have an October like we did in 2005, with a lot of high water, then some of those fish will drift downstream to slower, deeper water". But they are still there. Some rivers, like the Deerfield in
By David Willette
Charlemont can holdover trout extremely well because there are many large pools and slower moving water. The Deerfield River is the most stocked river in the state and is easily accessible from route 2. It
aren't accustomed to fast water and can't find the nooks and crannies where slower water flows. The Swift River is located near Route 9 and the East Branch of the Westfield is located near Route 112 and the West
flows through the towns of Charlemont, Florida, and Shelburne Falls. Other rivers such as the Westfield and Swift Rivers have a higher gradient and flow, causing more trout to move downstream when necessary, especially newly stocked fish that don't know the river. These fish
Branch runs near Route 20. The Westfield and the Deerfield River both have generous "catch and release" sections. In Berkshire County, both north and south branches of the Hoosac River get a small portion of trout. The North Branch flows along Route 8 in Clarksburg, while the South Branch follows Route 8 in the towns of Chesire and Adams. The Hoosic is a smaller river than the Deerfield and Westfield, and is easily fishable with just hip boots. The last river to get stocked is the East Branch of the Housatonic River in Dalton. This river runs along Route 8, where it flows through Pittsfield. In downtown Lee on Route 20 there is a 5- mile stretch of "catch and release" only. This section is always full of all kinds of fish. The bulk of the fall stockings are placed in lakes and ponds throughout western Massachusetts. Starting from the northern most body of water, Windsor Lake, known locally as Fish Pond in North Adams is a good bet to catch trout. This lake gets stocked throughout the year even though it is technically a city owned property. North Pond in Florida was reclaimed by the state many years ago as trout water. This is a small but deep body of water that holds some big brook trout. It is part of the Savoy Mountain State Forest system and can be accessed off Central Shaft Road.
Windsor Pond located just off Route 116 in the town of Windsor also gets stocked with large broodstock salmon as well as trout. This body of water is also known as Dukes Pond. Every year a monster salmon gets caught through the ice. Traveling south to Pittsfield, the county seat, there are several options available to the late winter angler. In the city itself, Lake Onota and Pontoosuc Lake both got a fall stocking. Pontoosuc Lake is located on Route 7 and Onota is just west of there. Onota also holds the state record for Tiger Muskies. Within ten miles of Pittsfield lies Richmond Pond located on the Pittsfield/Richmond line on Swamp Road. This pond is also home to many bass tournaments throughout the summer. While travelling on Route 20 in Lenox you'll pass Laurel Lake. The boat launch is right there, and there are many places to fish from shore if the ice has melted. If you bear left on Route 183, you can't miss the huge Stockbridge Bowl, located in downtown Stockbridge. Goose Pond, found on the south side of the Mass Turnpike, (Route 90), in the town of Lee, is a favorite among south county anglers. In the very southern section of the western district is Lake Buel in Monterey. This lake is located just off Route 57. Another big body of water located in the Tolland State Forest is Otis Reservior. This is an irregular shaped lake that is found between Routes 23 and 8. Other lakes down this way are Littleville Lake and Norwich Pond situated in Chester and Huntington respectively. Both can found near Routes 112 and 66. June can be a slow time on the rivers as trout get more finicky as the water temperature rises, but this also means that there will be fewer fishermen wetting a line. There are still plenty of fish available, Massachusetts does a great job keeping trout in the water. For more information, go to the MassWildlife website. David Willette is a free-lance outdoor writer who lives in Western Massachusetts. He can be contacted through www.coyotewars.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
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May 2013
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Page 13
Riverbank Tales by Bill Thompson
In Search of New Water
Exploring and searching out new trout water is always a fun thing to do and can lead to some interesting adventures. With that in mind, last summer, Bill Franke and I headed out for a day of discovery. Bill had wanted to fish a section of the Ammonoosuc for a long time and so it was decided that it would be the target destination. Other than that we had no definite plan in mind. Fishing with Bill usually requires an early morning start, but this day we were in no rush and left Conway much latter than normal. We headed over the Kancamagus Highway, stopping in North Woodstock for a leisurely breakfast before continuing on to Woodsville. The first piece of river we fished provided a few fish, but was no where near as productive as we had anticipated. The water may have been a little on the high side, but it was to good a stretch river not to have good fishing. Bill did manage a few small brook trout and I caught one as well. The surprising thing was we saw no evidence that this
portion of the river was heavily fished. There were not a lot of tracks or the tell tail signs of empty
worm containers; true the water probably had been slightly higher a few days previous to our being there and any signs may have washed away. We did a little more exploring and soon came to another fishy looking
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section. We turned on to a dirt road that followed along the river. This road followed along some of the nicest looking trout water I have ever seen in New Hampshire. Most
of the homes along the road were farms or had at one time been farms. Some of the river access was marked “no trespassing”, however we found a couple of places that were not posted, although getting onto the river required sliding down a rather steep bank. This portion proved to be somewhat more productive than the first. We both landed some nice rainbows and a couple of brook trout thrown in for good measure. Like the first area that we had previously fished we saw no signs of over-fishing. The entire time that we fished the river we never encountered another angler. As the day wore on we steadily headed north. In Bath we stopped to look at the covered bridge. Later we stopped at an interestingly looking antique shop and browsed for a few moments; you never know where you might find an old bamboo rod or an old Pflueger reel. On the outskirts of Littleton we stopped for a late afternoon lunch at a hotdog cart. The hotdog vendor was from Boston’s North End. How he ended up in Littleton, NH was probably an interesting story, but we did not linger long enough to find out. Late in the afternoon we found ourselves following along the Connecticut River. For awhile we
May 2013
drove on the Vermont side and every so often we would be back on the New Hampshire side. Bill had in mind to fish a certain section that he had fished the year before with his son in-law. We had stopped on the Vermont side to check it out and immediately spotted trout rising close to the bank. Due to a very steep bank it was impossible to get to the fish. It was decided to drive back to the New Hampshire side and walk in. It started to rain a little and for whatever reason the fish stopped rising. Around five in the afternoon we found ourselves in Pittsburg. We stopped for a moment to watch a Babe Ruth baseball game and ran into an old friend and fellow guide, Ken Hastings. Ken thought that the fishing might be pretty good that evening, but had a son playing in the game so he would probably not be fishing. He hurried away as his son was next up to bat. Bill and I geared up and headed down to the river. It was a beautiful evening. The fishing was slow at first, but soon picked up as the sun began to go down. Bill was fishing a new fiberglass rod that he had just finished making the day before. I was up stream from Bill when I looked up from releasing a nice little brook trout. Bill’s new rod was bent right over double and he was gesturing to me to come quick. I quickly reeled in and ran down stream. I arrived just in time to witness Bill land an enormous rainbow. I got my camera out of my pocket and managed to get a couple of hero shots of Bill and his trout before he released it. A few moments latter Bill and I were standing on the bank still breathing hard from all the excitement. Bill and I both yelled at the same time as another large trout rose in front of us. Bill insisted that I try for him; naturally I accepted the offer. I worked my way upstream a little in order to get a better drift. I made a couple of quick casts that fell short. A few steps up stream I cast again. On the third try the fish struck. I was so amazed that the fish took the fly I am positive that I never set the hook; no problem the trout did it all be himself. There was a struggle, to
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be sure, but after several agonizing minutes the big fish was in hand. Bill repaid the favor and took my hero shot. After two fish like these you know it is time to call it a day. As we head-
ed back to the car the skies opened up on us. The rain came down in sheets; soaking us to the bone. At the car we quickly got out of our waders and threw our rods into the back of the car, not bothering to put them back in their cases.
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We stopped in Lancaster at a fast food place and grabbed a couple of burgers for the ride home. We agreed that it was against “road trip” rules to eat at a fast food joint, but do the lateness of the hour
nothing else was open. We called our wives to let them know that we would be home late, but they already knew that and expressed little or no concern. It continued to rain hard until we reached Twin Mountain. Just before
the AMC Highland Center an errant moose crossed the road in front of us. Other than the moose the rest of the ride home was uneventful. I arrived back in Freedom just about midnight. That
night I dreamed of beautiful streams and big trout. As it turned out this was to be the last time that Bill and I would fish together. Just before Christmas, last year, he passed away. Readers of this column may remember the
May 2013
from previous page
piece I wrote on Bill several years ago. Bill was well known in New Hampshire and in the fly fishing industry. Bill was the inventor of a replacement foot for the Pflueger Medalist fly reel. The company was known as One Pfoot and manufactured many other parts for the Medalist. Bill was also the former owner of Timberline Rods in North Conway, New Hampshire. The company made pack rods for L. L. Bean and Eastern Mountain Sports. Bill also owned a small custom rod shop that produced high quality bamboo and graphite fly rods. Bill and I fished a lot together over the last few years, traveling to Pennsylvania, New York and Canada. We caught a lot of trout and salmon together, but the fish were just a small part of the equation. Our love of the adventure of the road and rivers made us the friends we were. 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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Public Access to the Kingdom By Dylan R. Ainsworth
Strut Your Stuff in Public
There’s this farm down the road from my childhood home that is kind of famous in the area for its stutters. When I was a kid, you never saw wild turkeys in the Kingdom and when they started showing up on the scene, it was a spectacle for the locals. People would park along the roadside on their way home from work and watch the birds as they fanned out and displayed for hens. As time went on the flocks, both turkey and observers grew larger until the humans became accustomed to the daily sight and lost interest. Most folks began just driving by, too busy to stop. I was not too busy, but I did not view them from the road either. I would try to get as close as possible to the birds and learn as much as I could about these newcomers to my kingdom. The turkey’s population continued growing and before I knew it the state had opened a season for spring gobblers in our WMU. I cut my turkey hunting teeth in those fields and woods, enjoying great success for quite a few years, even introducing my Ol’ Man to the sport and putting him on some good birds.
I thought those were the glory days, early mornings full of thunderous gobbling, running into birds around every corner, being in the middle of entire flocks and listening to them communicate, there is no better educator than unpressured game. All good things come to end, and eventually the crowds started lining the roads again. This time the vehicles had camo accents and so did their occupants. I had a few close calls with some uneducated turkey stalkers and it was not long before I nearly wrote the area off as too dangerous. Now, I only hunt there when I am sure no one else is around or it is very late in the season, even then there is still a chance of that blue jean, blue shirt wearing guy, walking through the open field toward a bird you’ve been calling to all morning. The “loss” of this territory was a blessing in disguise. As I widened my search for unpressured birds, it became clear that roadside farms were not the place to hunt. I learned to get back in the woods where those still wily gobblers had probably never seen a car or human.
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The best hunting purchase I may have ever made is the Guide to the Wildlife Management Areas of Vermont; this handy book provides a crude map, detailed description and gives directions to all of the state’s WMAs, I would be at a loss without
it. Choose an area that is out of the way, a place no other hunter would look. Try to find somewhere that is not easy to get to. Trust me if you plan it right, there will still be birds there. Go North is my best advice, the “turkey flu” has hit less hard up there, places such as Wenlock WMA and the Nulhegan Basin are two rarely hunted areas, which I know to hold trophy gobblers. After either choosing a WMA out of the book or finding another publicly accessible area, I view both topographical maps and use Google Earth to key in on specific areas that may hold good wild turkey habitat. I have used topo maps for most of my life and a wealth of knowledge can be gained from them alone, but if you have the technological access Google Earth is an amazing tool for scouting. Use a topo map for just that, topography, and getting a sense of the lay of the land, then look at Google Earth to hone your scouting
efforts. When using Google Earth or other online mapping site to scout locales, the first thing I look for is sand pits, they will stand out on your browser as bright white spots and you can zoom right in to ensure what you are seeing. Backwoods gobblers love sandy stretches of land to dust in and in dense forests they provide an open place for them to strut. I proved this to my Ol’ Man a while back, when we were scouting near Umpire Mountain. He thought I was crazy making him drive out to an old sand pit, but as we rounded a bend in the trail, there was a Jake displaying for a few hens. I was able to hang out the pick-up window and haphazardly film the bird as he strutted around for the better part of an hour and then hopped up the steep embankment walls of the pit, finally roosting in a tree overlooking it. We didn’t come back until a year later, allowing the bird to mature. Without any prior scouting, the season following the filming, we snuck in early one morning and setup up quietly in the woods near the pit. I hit the call once; he immediately and fiercely gobbled from his roost. The rest is history. Once you find these places with your online mapping site be sure to add them to your paper map. Other features to key in on are power lines, trails and clear cuts. These are not only essential strutting zones for Toms but also tend to provide nourishing short growing vegetation for the insects and other critters that hens feed on. Find the hens and you’ll find the gobblers. As long as it is up to date, your topo map will most likely show all power lines cutting through your area, but Google Earth will allow you to hone in on the smaller paths, and newer clearings from year to year. Keep your maps up to date by marking recent changes.
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Once you’ve narrowed your target area to more specific sections of your chosen battle grounds, and you have compiled enough data about the area, it is time for some ground recon. Take to the woods with your map and Smartphone if you have one. Find the places you have marked and determine if they actually hold gobblers. Smartphone users can benefit here, you can open your app and watch the little blue dot (you) as you move through the woods. This can help you find areas you have targeted faster. Once you find the places you have marked, treat it as you would any scouting mission. Be there before daybreak and listen for gobbling, fly-down clucking and wing beating. Look for dusting marks, scratching tracks, scat, and loose feathers that are surefire signs of turkeys in your hunting spot. You can use your topo map to get to the highest point around and try locator calls such as owl hoots, and crow calls that can shock a lock-jawed bird into gobbling. I rarely imitate turkey vocalizations as this only educates them, but occasionally the only thing that will get a response from a deep woods bird is an intruding male who may invade his harem. If all else fails and you are alone in the forest, use a gobble to get one. Finding the birds is a huge step, but next you must observe their habits.
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from previous page
obstruction that a bird won’t cross. Again don’t forget to make note of these travel corridors and roost trees on your map. When you are at home you can use all the info you have gathered to formulate a plan of attack. Find the quickest quietest way in by comparing topography, online images and knowledge gained afield. Use what you have learned by observation to setup a successful ambush. Execute it in privacy, while other hunters are all chasing the same old educated birds at the locally infamous farm. If hoards of turkey hunters are consuming the privately owned hunting grounds you frequent, then do as I did, find some vacant state or federal land and strut your stuff in public. Gain a vast amount of knowledge from maps and apps, put in some good old recon on foot, create a plan and you will be well on your way to a trophy you can brag about.
While hunting birds that frequent forested land as opposed to fields it is crucial that you know their daily rou-
tines and the specific routes they like to travel. Setting up even a few yards off point could put you beyond some
May 2013
Dylan R. Ainsworth is a native Vermonter. He is a member of the Mossy Oak Prostaff, a seminar speaker, and outdoor videographer as well as a guide. He and his wife Dawn own and operate Nostalgic Images with a mission to bring the outdoors into focus and express their passion for the natural world through photos and video. Dylan is also a home brewer and self proclaimed connoisseur of Vermont craft beers.
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Family Tracks Take Me to the River
We look forward to it every year. Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny; these annual visitors to our home never cease to amaze us with their intuitive ability to bring us special treasures. Somehow they always seem to know just what we want. Stockings and Easter baskets in our house usually tend to have at least a couple of new lures or tackle items. Shiny metal spinners, with beads and sparkles and multi colored hair tails, and eerily life -like minnow imitations complete with scales, fins, gills and eyes are always items of fascination. They look so real it seems that they might just flip flop off the table or swim away if they escaped into some water before being affixed to a fishing line. At times, all these lures are brought out onto the dining room table and are laid out carefully to be sorted and admired, as one might do with a collection of old spoons. We all admire them, and Meg and Ben sometimes trade them and swap them with each other for others that they think are more “alluring”, either to the fish, or just
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By Brian Lang
themselves. All these lures have a home. We have multiple “family” tackle boxes. The kids each have their own, where
law, and we really need to write their names on them, as we have a had a few arguments over whose is whose. Megan also has a little pink Barbie box that was her first tackle box, and now also has a new big one that she
Megan sorting through her favorite lures for the upcoming fishing season. they keep their favorites; Cool colors, won at a kids fishing derby. Ben realistic minnows, and rubber baits seems to have a slightly obsessive with silly legs that just beg to be condition where he has to have each touched and squeezed and used to lure in its own compartment, and tickle your sibling’s ear. These boxes he’s running out of space. I’m workare matching, as they were gifts ing with him on how to pick some bought together by my mother- in- lures to share a spot. I carry a box with the practical utility items and hardware; hooks, sinkers and bobbers that are essential, plus a few standard lures to cover the water column myself if I get the chance for a few casts of my own. I have had this box, a green and tan 2 drawer Plano, since I was a kid, when Dad brought us to the store for a little fishing shopping spree where we loaded up on new stuff to go with our new boat. Of course, every trip we go on the kids want to bring all of their boxes, and unless we are going out on my in-laws giant pontoon boat where we can pile them all up in the corner, it is impractical to lug all the boxes along. Alas, although I beg consolidation, we inevitably carry along multiple boxes wherever we go. They are getting better at casting now, though, so when the mood strikes them, I tie on their favorite looking offering and they sling it into the water or let it hang over the side of the boat for a while. The first signs of spring ease slowly into existence. It begins with the mere hope of spring, when the forecast calls for temperatures into the upper forties. The crusty remnants of snow melt away showing the grass below, and the ankle deep mud in the driveway tracks through the house so quickly, it’s as though someone threw it through the front door with a shovel. However, two kids, a dog and I, admittedly, are to blame. On a recent beautiful weekend, the warm sun, singing birds and quagmire of mud in the road smelling May 2013
uncannily like a cow pasture had my thoughts turning to fishing. The regular season not being open yet, I found one of the few waterways near me that were open year round and made plans to try a few casts. The trip was planned as a family hike along a recreational trail, but I knew a parking area to stop at with a dam that has a nice pool below where I thought a trout or two could possibly have spent the winter. Everyone except Mom picked a rod from the hibernating stash of equipment at the back of the garage with the lawnmower, and I convinced the kids to just share the lures from my little pocket pack of tackle since bait was still illegal to use, and we were on our way. The bright sun shimmering on the open water below the dam was very mood lifting after a long winter. I even saw an insect hatch and flutter off the surface and through the air. I had outfitted all of us with jigs, the kids had a little pink and white plastic grub, and I used a hand tied bucktail jig that drifted through the current beautifully, just like a Clouser minnow. I imagined they would cast them out and bring them back in erratically, by default, and pretty much be on the bottom. It worked, because they immediately got stuck. I freed them, and in a few moments, they were stuck in a tree. I got them free again, and cast their lines way out into the pool for them to work back in. The water was a little higher and faster than I had seen it recently, but still fishable. I worked my way to the edge of some rocks and cast into the deep, slower current out in front of me. I drifted my jig repeatedly, feeling it tick on the rocks below, and giving an occasional jump off the bottom, but with no results. It felt good to have a rod in my hand though. After a few minutes, Ben announced he didn’t feel good, and wanted to go back to the car. He put his rod down and left. Meg and I fished peacefully a few more minutes, and then Ben marched back and said “my belly really hurts, we need to go.” “Alright, we’ll leave in a minute”, I replied, and he left again for the car, where Mom sat waiting, crocheting happily by herself in the front seat. While I gathered all our rods and supplies, Meg was moving carefully along the rocks near the edge of the water, when she slipped and her foot went in to the water, just far enough so the icy liquid spilled over the top of her pink rubber boot. We pulled off her boot and dumped the water, but by the wailing and flailing that
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followed, you would think she had been attacked by an alligator. While I tried to convince her she was OK, and had the capability to climb back up to the car under her own power, Mom walked with Ben up to the edge of the embankment above us and called down over the roar of the rushing water “We have to go NOW, your son has an emergency!” As she gripped his hand he did an anxious little dance next to her. I acknowledged the fact, and she retreated
back to the car, seeing I had a little crisis of my own. Though still sobbing, Meg and I made it successfully back up the embankment, hand in hand. The gas station just down the road was convenient to relieve Ben’s “condition” and we were able to stock up the pack with snacks for our trek along the bike path. A plastic grocery bag wrapped around Meg’s foot created enough of an illusion of a dry boot that she was able to walk along will-
fully. We had a great walk on the trail along the river, and I spied a few other spots that looked like they would be worth a couple casts in the future. Megan recently lost a front tooth, and the other one is now loose. I wonder, does the tooth fairy fish? Perhaps a shiny new lure under the pillow is in the future, and since we will be well into fishing season when the next tooth comes out, it can be tried out right away. We just need to
from previous page
be sure and bring some spare socks.
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.
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May 2013
Page 19
Anchor Points Spring Scouting
For many of us it has been a long winter. Some of us have probably stayed active by ice fishing, skiing and indoor target shooting. I’m also pretty sure that a few people enjoyed the slow time of year to catch up on some reading. Now that spring is here there are all sorts of things to grab our attention. While autumn is my favorite time of year for obvious reasons, spring comes in a close second. When the snow begins to fade I start dreaming about big bucks and falling leaves. That’s when I get my maps out and begin marking different areas with a hi-liter. Every year I try to check out new hunting areas to see if they’re worth hunting in the fall. After I narrow down my choices and examine the hi-lited areas, I mark the dates on my calendar for each excursion. Although the planning stages are exciting, I also know I can’t waste any time. I need to get in the woods before the leaves start turning green and the woods become a jungle of sorts. Since most of my hunting is done in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains, I get a little longer to scout than people who live further south at lower elevations. The chilly temperatures give the snow the ability to hang on for about a month longer than most places. Once I get in the woods I head to different areas I’ve selected on my typographical maps. I have a tendency to scout places with a lot of rolling hills between big mountains. I like to have swamps and streams throughout the landscape. These features in terrain usually funnel deer into certain areas, which makes it easier to set up a stand or blind. In the Adirondacks there are swamps in almost every piece of land. Some swamps can extend for
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By Todd Mead
miles, while others might be only a couple hundred yards long. I’ve always found the most impressive sign on the edge of swamps. The big bucks seem to like the areas to mark
and continue on their way. I’ve had a lot of luck around signpost rubs I’ve found in the spring. Once I find a few of these rubs, I make it my goal to find out where the deer are coming from and going to once they’re done rubbing.
I killed a couple of nice bucks next to this signpost rub after finding it in the spring. their territory. This is often recognizI usually start by looking for a rise able when you come across signpost in the nearby terrain. If I can find a trees. These are trees that get rubbed hill that looks down onto the edge of year after year and generation after the swamp I then determine if it’s generation by many of the bucks in out of the way enough to keep my the area. Small bucks and big bucks presence unknown. The last thing I both hit these trees. They leave their want to do is alert a big buck of my scent on the tree when they rub it presence.
May 2013
If I can’t find a hill I look for a spot just inside the thick cover of the swamp where I can look back out into the open. Since these signpost rubs are usually on well-defined runways it gives me the ability to watch the runway leading to the tree. Once I’ve located a big signpost tree I try to find a dominant scrape somewhere close by. If I locate a good scrape I can usually assume I will have action in that place in November. In the spring it’s hard to tell where the deer fed during hunting season, but I still do my best to find little honey holes where I might be able to intercept a mature buck. I try to locate these spots by looking for a lot of deer droppings and nipped buds. Although it’s hard to see turned over leaves, I still look for any indication that might tell me deer fed there at one time in the fall. As I go from place to place I try to put on as many miles as I can. You could stumble across an awesome place a few ridges from the truck or it might take you more than half a day of walking to find that magical place you’ve always searched for. Deer hunting in big woods is a year round job if you want to be successful. Success doesn’t come easy unless you’re plain lucky. Hunters who put their time in are usually rewarded in many ways. Their reward could be as simple as finding a nice shed antler or harvesting a mature buck. If you’re looking for something to do before everything starts getting green, I encourage you to go for a little walk. Check out your regular hunting grounds or venture into a few new ones. You never know what you might find! Good luck next fall. 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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Shed hunting expert or just lucky enugh to live where there are tons of deer? This gentleman lives in Nebraska. It’s obvious that he takes shed hunting seriously.
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May 2013
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Outdoors with Anita By Anita Williams
Fishing the Walleye Capital of the World
The stunning international waters of Lake of the Woods MN provide some of the best walleye fishing in the world. The waters near the Northwest Angle are home to a large volume and variety of fish. Walleye are king here, but do not be fooled. Musky,
Thursday comes quickly, and a maroon- colored pickup pulls into my driveway. The emblems on the doors state “Outdoor Bound TV”. I answer the knock at the front door. After a quick greeting Kurt takes my bag and packs it along with the other gear. He
depart toward Canadian water. How could wind possibly be dangerous a few miles away? We travel north up the river on a two hour ride, pass through customs and arrive at Oak Island. Lake of the Woods is a big body of water characterized by over 65
necessity. Rocks jut from the water. They are beautiful, although dangerous for a boat prop. Our guide safely navigates us through a canal to a spot where walleyes show up on the fish locater. JP lowers the trolling motor and takes out a plastic bag of frozen shiners. He explains to me that
perch and crappie are also plentiful. My cell phone rang. It was Kurt Walbeck. He asked if I would like to join him and Duane Walker for a weekend of fishing. We would travel up north to the big body of water. Kurt is the host of Outdoor Bound TV. He explained that we would also be filming a segment for his outdoor show. Jean-Paul and Jody Tessier will be meeting us in Baudette as our hosts and Jean-Paul will guide us fishing. We worked out the details. Kurt and Duane will pick me up on Thursday at 1:00.
starts the engine and we head toward the northwest angle. The 3 hour drive passes quickly. Walbeck is a former professional racecar driver. We arrive in Baudette to meet JP and his wife. The boys take our things out of the truck and load into the boat. JP straightens his fishing hat as he tell us the morning wind produced 8 foot high waves and we are lucky the lake is calmer now. “Storms may blow in quick and fierce”, JP explains. I pull my cap down on my head and take my seat. The sun glistens on the lake as we
thousand miles of shoreline. One would have to travel the circumference of the globe three times to equal the number of miles that make up the shoreline of the lake. It covers almost one million acres and is in both the United States as
the shiners do not stay alive for more than half a day so freezing the bait works effectively. His fingers quickly pierce the hook through the eyes and also through the back of the shiner. I open the bail and let the orange jig head
well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. This will be the first time I will fish in the USA and Canada on the same day. JP tells us about the islands, and I see them everywhere now as we enter Canadian water. This big body of water boasts 14,562 islands. I can see clearly why a trust-worthy fishing guide is a
drop twenty-five feet to the bottom of the lake. I feel a bump signaling the shiner is on the bottom, and close the bail. I feel a tug on the end of my line and watch the rod tip bend down to the water. I jerk it toward the sky, set the hook, and start reeling in the fish. My heart quickens as I rotate the han-
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May 2013
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The Outdoor Gazette
dle. The walleye is a welcome sight. The green tinged body turns yellow and white toward the belly. The pointed dorsal fin has just a spot of black toward the tail. This fin provides balance and leads to the tell-tale bulging eyes. The hours pass quickly and ten dozen frozen shiners produce one walleye after another. Kurt, Duane, JP and I catch a hundred fish; we keep our limits, and then switch to night-crawlers. Perch love crawlers and Wisconsin boys love perch. We
pull in several jumbo sized perch. The gold bellied fish have vertical stripes that sparkle in the sunlight. I knew that Wisconsin fishermen will fish all day for perch. Plop, plop: the boys catch a double! 2 more perch into the live-well. We boat back to camp. The perch are cleaned along with walleyes for dinner as the sun slips into the east shore of the lake signaling the end of the day. The smell and sizzle of bacon frying on the griddle wakes me. Banana-pecan pancakes with
maple syrup are washed down with milk. The wind has picked up today, and with full bellies we set out to fish the big lake. 27 miles north of the cabin, we find our lucky spot. We pull in walleyes, sauger and perch as the wind whips around us. It is now early afternoon and the fish are biting like crazy. My orange riverdancer is now losing its paint and revealing gold as I catch one fish after another. My guide smiles as he explains, “Gold is my favorite color to fish with….but only after you get tired of catching them on orange.” My rod bends toward the water. This is one of those days I want to stay and catch fish all day, or until I run out of bait. Kurt gazes to the west and notices a big cloud forming quickly and heading toward us. “JP, how long till that storm catches up to us?” he quizzed. JP lifts his head toward the sky and gives a call to action. He instructs us to reel in our lines. We need to move quickly, as the rain and wind are coming. The clouds now appear ominous and the sheets of rain hit the lake ahead of the boat. I zip my camouflaged rain suit and tuck my head between my knees. I grab my hood and coat with one hand while the other one searches for a hold on the boat. I grip the handle while the boat
from previous page
rocks. JP has to drive straight into the storm against thirty-five mile an hour winds. White caps splash the boat, as six foot waves surround us. I say a prayer. The boat bucks like a wild bronco, we get wet. My stomach churns. Storms can gather quickly on this big body of water. The rain does not last long, although the wind continues to lift the boat and toss it back down. I raise my head, and see the shoreline. My faith and trust in Jean-Paul is well deserved. He navigates us safely through the storm and back to Oak Island. I lean toward JP, stretch my arms and give him a hug. Duane reaches down, takes his hat and gives it a shake and settles it on his head as Kurt smiles. We made it! What a great weekend of fishing. I appreciate the opportunity to make new friends and fish the big body of water: Lake of the Woods. Anita lives in Grand Rapids, MN and is the mother of two adult children. She has been a hairstylist for thirty years. Her empty nest allows time to pursue interests of photography, bowhunting, fishing, travel and food. Follow her on facebook and watch her videos @ "http://www.huntervids.com /?videos=northern-pike-spearfishinganita-williams-pokegama" http://huntervids.com/?videos=northern-pike-spearfishing-anita-williams-pokegama-
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May 2013
Page 23
Anything Whitetail Big Game Activity and The Moon
I know some of you have heard me say “ Don’t miss hunting the evenings next week. The moon is rite for good bucks to be on the move early”. I get a lot a weird looks, some disbelievers and even a few think I’m plain stupid. But the ones that (even though they didn’t get it but said ok, I’ll give it a shot) have tried and applied what I told them? They became quick believers and started to ask me a lot more questions to better understand the method. So, if ya give me a chance and you apply a100% honest effort, I think you each will find this concept works very well and is as important if not more important than your scent lock suit. Remember this concept is SIMPLE, and works on ALL big game animals. Now just to get ya to easily understand how to use this method. For those that take evening drives or for those that have driven around in the late afternoons looking to catch a glimpse of whitetails. Have you ever noticed (say over a couple week peri-
od) that you can be driving around each night and not see really anything. But then one night you start seeing a few doe. Then the next night a few more does. The next night does again but as well you start seeing some small bucks. Then the next night a few more small bucks and the next night “WHAM” ya see some slammers, the next night a few more slammers and then the next night NOTHING?? It is simple! When you see the BIG BOYS on their feet.....LOOK UP AND SEE WHERE THE MOON IS IN THE SKY!! I know a lot of guys are hooked on the moon phase and not that the phases of the moon don’t dictate a few things when it comes to big game animals. But the position the moon in the sky will dictate when Big Game animals are most active. Thus, you now know the most important times to “not” miss being out hunting. I use this method mainly on trophy whitetail bucks. But I have used this method successfully on black bears as well. Because I use this method for whitetails, I will
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By Bret Homer
explain how to simply use this concept to increase your success. After years of using this method, I know when to start driving around looking for high levels of deer activi-
the 1 o’clock position (around 4pm in the afternoon) start glassing EACH NIGHT until at dark the moon is in the 9 o’clock position (or the moon hasn’t yet risen). In that
ty. When to start is simple. First: If you use/look at the photo I sent you and then spend some time outside every evening and pay attention to where the moon is. You will know that the moon is in a different place in the sky each night. Now, there is a time from when the moon rises, to being directly overhead that deer activity is at its highest. Then again it will repeat itself 12 1/2 hrs later when the moon is in the opposite position. Why? Gravitational pull is at its highest twice within the moons revolutionary cycle. Understand this and you will soon know when to spend specific nights glassing. Because evening hunts are most convenient and favorable for most hunters, we will us it as the prime example. Our season in Illinois starts in October and sunset is usually around 6:30 and it is dark by 7:00. So when we put out our trail cams in July, and start getting pics of certain big bucks each month, we start to pay attention at around 4pm to where (what position) the moon is in. In reference to the photo I sent you, the moon rises in the 9 o’clock position and sets in the 3 o’clock. When I see the moon in the 1 o’clock position at about 4pm in the afternoon? That is when I start scouting/glassing every night for about a week or two. SO, when the moon first reaches
period of time, you will see big game activity increase each night and 2 of those nights you should see some early movement from big bucks. Not only do you want to look up and see where the moon is AT in the sky. But you want to mark that day down on the calendar. Why? Because the moon will make one revolution around the earth in 29 1/2 days and returns to its original position opposite the earth within only 27 days later. Thus, WHEN THE MOON IS BACK IN THE SAME POSITION THE NEXT MONTH, THE BUCKS WILL AGAIN BE ON THEIR FEET EARLY! This allows you to count months ahead to know when to definitely be there to hunt him while he is on his feet during daylight hours. So when you catch on to this method, you will know when to start staying later in the morning, getting to the stand a lot earlier in the evening or just simply hunt mid day. For those skeptical or too arrogant to try this, You’re missing out!!! For those that want to know more, Jeff Murray wrote a book about this method back in 1995. I got the book, read it, applied it and have been using this method ever since. Since 1995 Jeff has made 3 DVD’s on this method for those that hate to read. Unfortunately Jeff passed away last year. But you can still order
May 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
Young Wildlife Belong in the Wild
MONTPELIER, VT –Watching wildlife is enjoyable, especially when young animals appear in the spring. But it’s best to keep your distance. Picking up young wildlife can do more harm than good, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. It’s also against the law When people see young animals alone, they often mistakenly assume these animals are helpless or lost, in trouble or needing to be rescued. Bringing young wildlife into a human environment often results in permanent separation from their mothers and a sad ending for the animal. Handling wildlife could also pose a threat to the people involved. Wild animals can transmit disease and
angry wildlife mothers can pose significant dangers. Department scientists encourage wildlife watchers to respect the behavior of animals in the spring and early summer, and to resist the urge to assist wildlife in ways that may be harmful. Some helpful tips: Deer and moose nurse their young at different times during the day, and often leave young alone for long periods of time. These animals are not lost. Their mother knows where they are and will return. Young birds on the ground may have left their nest, but their parents will still feed them. Young animals such as fox and raccoon will often follow their parents. The family of a “wandering” animal searching for
his book and his DVD’s from his site http://www.moonguide.com/. This information is some of the most useful information I have ever came across while hunting. Again, I have been using this method since the book came out in 95. Jeff offers a moon dial that will cut out a lot of work for you or for those that simply want to take the easy way out. Personally, I have no need to use the dial. Once you spend some time afield figuring out this method. You wont find a need to buy one. So best of luck to everyone this
fall
The Outdoor Gazette
from previous page
Brett is the owner and head guide for Backwoods Whitetails Outfitters. Born and raised in West Central Illinois, Brett has well over 25 years of experience in hunting all types of big and small game in the backwoods of Illinois. Born the son of a gunsmith, Brett was introduced into small game hunting as a young boy. Through his fathers love of guns, hunting small game and upland birds. Brett quickly developed a passionate hobby that would take him to a career in the guiding hunters in the backwoods if West Central Illinois.
Young wildlife need to be left in the wild, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Deer fawns may seem abandoned, but their mothers typically are nearby and will return when people are not in the area. food is usually nearby but just out of dead snags that contain bird and other nests during the spring and summer. sight to a person happening upon it. For information about rabies and Animals that act sick can carry rabies, parasites or other harmful dis- nuisance wildlife, call the Vermont eases. Do not handle them. Even Rabies Hotline at 1-800-4RABIES (1though they do not show symptoms, 800-472-2437). If bitten or in direct healthy-looking raccoons, foxes, contact with a raccoon, fox, skunk, or skunks, and bats also may also be car- bat, or a domestic animal that has been in contact with one of these riers of the deadly rabies virus. Many wildlife species will not feed or species, call the Vermont Department care for their young when people are of Health at 1-800-640-4374. For the safety of all wildlife taking a close by. Obey signs that restrict access to wildlife nesting areas, including hik- wild animal into captivity is illegal. If ing trails that may be temporarily you find an orphaned animal, howevclosed. Keep domestic pets indoors, er, you can contact the Contact the leashed or fenced in. Dogs and cats kill Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department many baby animals each year. Avoid at 1-802-241-3700 if you any quesprojects that remove trees, shrubs and tions.
May 2013
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The Trap Line By Randy Barrows
This Past Season - A look back at 2012-2013
This time of year I always like to sit down and think about last year’s trapping season. I go over notes, think about the right things I did and even about the wrong things I did. I figure it will help me get through this season this coming fall. I will get back to the how to’s next month. This past fall was a good one for me. Plenty of time off to trap and hunt and just plain be outdoors. I had my pre-scouting all done. I knew where I was going to trap, had the supplies all set to go and permission on all the properties. I knew where I was going to squirrel hunt, duck hunt and deer hunt, hell I even had that old fat tom figured out. Life was good. The first day of trapping season came and I was up and at them. I even managed to string more than I had in years. Then the dilemma came. A nice day outside, do I trap, fish, duck hunt or try the tom. Every day this happened. Why does all the things I like to do come all at once.
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So I figured it out, check traps in the early morning, duck hunt during the day, or squirrel, or that tom and then at dark it was off to the fur shed to deal with that. Well a
was check the traps daily, hunt if the weather was nice and then did the fur at night all at a slower pace. I would be lying if I said I did not sneak a nap or two in also.
few days into it and I crashed. This old trapper met his match, age. Can’t do what I used to do 40 years ago. So I did what I had to do which
The results were a very good trapping year, a dismal duck year, very little fishing, very little squirrel hunting, one day of p’tridge hunting and then deer hunting. The deer lords smiled on me the second day of the season which was nice. And the tom, well he had another slip plan for me. I think he went south for the winter as I did not see him again all fall. The rumor was that rat prices were going to be through the roof so I concentrated on them. I had heard all of this chatter before but the talk was eight dollars plus a piece. That’s a far cry from the two to three dollars they usually fetch. As the season progressed the talk was that all fur was going to be high so out went a few more traps. Then the rumor was going around that rats went for a high of near twenty dollars apiece in an auction. I figured somebody was sniffing too much castor or hitting the home brew to hard but it was true. Out went some more traps. Well before you knew it I had nearly every trap I own out and set. I was doing well and then came the curve ball. Mother Nature, in her infinite wisdom decided it was high time to dump a Nor’easter on us. I watched and waited as you know sometimes the weather guy is, well you know, wrong. Well two days before it hit I pulled everything and I am glad I did. Eighteen in the first dump and a day later six more inches of snow. The rest of the winter was mild, most small streams remained ice free and the ponds had very little ice. So out went some more traps. But now it’s over except for the
May 2013
nuisance stuff. It’s time to check the gear and reorder what you need. To me it’s easier to do it in the spring than in the fall with everything going on. So my next year’s agenda looks something like this. Get property permission by September first, recheck all supplies by September 15th. Get a little early bear hunting in by the end of the month? Around duck season hunt the good duck hunting weather days or a little partridge for the freezer. Bag a bunch of squirrels for those midwinter cravings. Hang the stands early and get the bow practice done. Sight in the rifles for opening day. Come the first day of trapping season fling the steel with realistic goals. Work smarter not harder. Keep in mind that what you harvest has to be processed. Prices were higher this year for fur than anytime this old geezer can remember so that will be a motivation factor come next year. Do not let prices steer your line tho, remember to make it fun and not a job. And that tom turkey, I almost forgot about him. He made it fine through the winter. Saw him yesterday and he is looking fine. If all goes well I will be on turkey knob opening morning at 04:00 am and he will fly down to me and that will be one less chore I have this coming fall. For the list of things I will not do goes as follows. I will not jump into the stream with waders on without checking its depth, I will not dump a bottle of skunk essence on my coat, I will not load the beagles in the truck and load the gun in and leave the shells home, I will not puncture a mink gland when the shop is full of customers ( real trappers do not mind), and I will not think I am 16 years old anymore. Hell I will not even crawl under the chicken coop again to drag out a 37 pound p’eed off coon. This all makes me tired, time for a nap. Keep your waders patched your lures in the shed and be sure to bring a kid 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. The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
May 2013
Page 27
Behind the Sights By Charlie Chalk
Light It Up Charlie Chalk
Fire starting is basic and without it; survival and even rescue, may not be possible. If you go into the woods you should always carry a way to start a fire, and an emergency backup. Most people carry disposable butane lighters and never give it a further thought. Realize that at 32 F. butane will not ignite. Matches are another choice, but they are too easy to get wet. These methods are also limited to having a finite source of products. That leaves us with friction fire starters. This method was common until the match was invented in the mid 1800’s. Modern friction devices, such as the magnesium match or the spark wheel are nothing more than improvements on the basic flint and steel. Friction shaves small pieces of steel which turn white hot and these pieces are caught in some type of ignitable material. So, let’s get back to basics. There is something comforting about the old ways. Flint and steel are available in most muzzleloading stores and catalogs. They are made of high carbon steel
and come in various shapes; most being "U” or coffin shaped. With practice and good tinder, you should be able to get a flame in about 5 sec-
onds; but more than that, you have developed a skill that could be useful as well as fun. When you first pick up a flint and steel you may not be successful in getting a spark. Two things often cause this. First, your flint must
have a sharp edge; always use a thin, sharp edge area to produce the best sparks. The other problem with no sparking may be the way the flint strikes the steel. Think of the flint slicing off tiny slivers of steel and strike
at an angle with the flint to make this happen. Soon you will be showering sparks like a pro. These sparks need a medium to hold them and build up enough heat to light small tinder. A way to catch the sparks is the use of charred linen or cotton cloth. Historically, this method was probably not as common, due to the high cost of cloth; but in today's world this is the way to get 5 seconds fires. To char the cloth you will need a tin can with a tight lid and a fire. Take you pure cotton or linen and cut it into 2 inch squares. Fill the tin with pieces (my tin is an old shoe polish can) and punch a small hole with a nail, in the lid. Seal up the tin and set it in the fire. Soon smoke will begin to jet out of the hole. What is happening inside is that the cloth is turning to charcoal and giving off unburned gases. This process will take about fifteen minutes. You will know the process is complete when the smoke stops. Slide the tin out of the fire, plug the hole with a wood sliver and let the tin cool to the touch. After it has cooled you will find that the cloth has turned black yet it still retains some of its strength. If your cloth is brown; you did not cook it long enough. Put it back on the fire a while longer. Much research has been done both historically and contemporary, to find if any substance in nature without
being charred, would catch and hold a spark. Unfortunately, nothing has ever been found. There are historical references to a substance they called punk wood, but this appears to be old, dry rotted wood from a hardwood tree that is burned to a coal in a campfire and then buried in the ashes to extinguish. This then becomes a coal that will catch and develop a very hot ember that will ignite tinder. Having tried these coals, I find them hard to ignite, but not impossible. When ignited, they are almost impossible to put out. For tinder gather what you can find in the woods. Common tinder include dry grass and leaves, dry pine needles or, mice and bird nests. Gather two good handfuls and form a fluffy ball. Lay your char cloth into the ball. Take the flint and steel and throw a few sparks on the cloth. Tiny orange spots will develop. Blow slightly and these will grow. These embers will be hot enough to ignite the tinder. Pick up the ball over your head and begin to blow gently. As more smoke develops, blow harder until you have ignition. Add tinder and you have a fire, from the small spark, you created. In a survival situation, keeping a small shoe polish tin that holds flint and steel and a few pieces of charred cloth along with some tinder, such as cedar bark could mean a fire instead of a cold night in the woods. You also carry the means to make more charred cloth using the tin and any cotton cloth you have with you such as a handkerchief or shirt tail. Such renewable resources make more sense than lighters that run out of fuel or matches that limit you as to how many you carry. These primitive skills, like all woodsman skills, improve with practice. Snow covered ground makes the basic tinder difficult to find, but not impossible. Look in and under down and hollow trees. Small animal tracks in snow lead you to nests of dry tinder. Someone one said “Always practice survival before you need it.” 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.
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May 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
May 2013
Page 29
From the back of a canoe
By Jim Norton
The best books for trout fishing in New Hampshire
At the Fly Fish New Hampshire show the first week of March we had three noted authors, including Paul VanderWende. Paul planned on being at the show for the weekend with his wife Sarah. After the show Saturday night Paul said he didn’t feel well and probably would
son, David, assisted Paul in the collection of information for each book. He was working on his second edition of "The Field Guide to New Hampshire Trout Ponds". Paul was a licensed New Hampshire fishing guide and a member of the New Hampshire Guides Association and
continued after his death. Contributions can be made in Paul's memory to Cast Away Cancer, P.O. Box 10, Antrim, NH 03440. There was a good book on ponds published in the early 80’s The Atlas of New Hampshire Trout Ponds but there was never a comprehensive
not be back on Sunday. Paul died on March 22, 2013; he was 57. Paul was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2012 and was receiving treatment. He had a reaction to the treatment and died. Paul was the author of two books: “The Field Guide to New Hampshire Trout Ponds", and "The Field Guide to New Hampshire Trout Streams." His wife and step-
webmaster for the association. Paul founded the Washington Lure & Bait lure company. Paul conceived of a program to bring survivors together for one-onone experiences fishing in the great outdoors as a way to alleviate the stress of living with cancer; similar experiences were planned for caregivers. He called the program Cast Away Cancer and asked that it be
book for rivers and streams. There are several regional books that contained a limited number of New Hampshire rivers but nothing that compares to Paul’s Field Guide to Trout Streams of New Hampshire. The book is comprised of pictures, descriptions, topographical maps, river features and access including GPS coordinates. We recommend the book to clients and students of the Northeast Fly Fishing School. Probably the most frequent questions I get at shows and presentations are about rivers, access and where to fish. The information is in the book. Someone once asked if the book had every river in the state. My answer was no but if they fished all the rivers in the book I could recommend a few others. I’ll never
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May 2013
open the book without thinking about Paul. The Boston Marathon tragedy is a reminder that there are no guaranties; terrorism, health issues or accidents can instantaneously change or end lives. As I’ve written previously; you can’t put time in the bank to be used later. A couple of weeks ago a few of us from the Manchester Fly Fishing association volunteered to help a Boy Scout troop with the Fly Fishing merit badge program at one of our tying meetings. It’s not an easy badge to acquire. There are knots, fly tying and questions. The lighting where we meet is poor and the scouts were kind of packed around the tables but they all completed the flies. None of them had ever tied before. Kids can really get enthused about fishing and tying flies. I would have liked to have gotten started tying at that age; maybe it’s just as well. I started tying in my 30’s and have accumulated more stuff than I’ll ever use or need. Tying was going really well, the best winter ever until April rolled around and somehow I got out of sync. When the weather is good I don’t like to be inside tying; fishing has started which is another distraction. We spend as much time scouting as fishing. My partner Gerry, another friend Dick and I were hitting a few rivers last week looking for places to take our first beginner class of the year. On one of the rivers there was an angler in the prime pool. We spread out and fished different pools and as I was walking past the angler he called out my name. It turns out he was in one of our beginner classes a few years ago and they joined us on the Androscoggin trip. He said we were to blame for turning him into a fishing fanatic. He works all over the northeast and never goes anywhere without his gear. He’s fished a lot of water and took a trip to Montana last summer and is going back again this year. He’s already got his camper up north and spends weekends fishing remote brooks. It was around 11 when we ran into him and he told us the fishing was pretty active around 6am, he was there at 5:30.
Continued next page
The Outdoor Gazette
There’s a lot of prep work to get ready for the season; one was cleaning out our storage shed. Last fall I hung up about twenty pair of waders and over the winter piled up hunting equipment, dog crates to anything that needed to be out of
the weather in the shed. Whenever I need to get anything for a show it required climbing over all sorts of junk to get the booth, chairs and table. Along with yard work was the job of cleaning out the shed. A job well dreaded is half done; actually it
didn’t take that much time. All the drift boat equipment is accessible which is good; if the flows keep dropping I’ll have a trip on the Pemi/Merrimack this weekend. Next is hauling the boat out which I may do after the column is com-
plete. Before putting the boat away last fall I put a new back seat and rower’s seat. It has a high back and had a drain hole in the back; new boats still have the seat without the drain. That was pretty good but with the high back the bench stor-
age seat cover would not open without pulling out the back casting brace. Over the winter I called Hyde; they said to reverse the seat so it opens forward. Logical answers always seem too simple. At the Manchester Fly Fishing
Association annual dinner the drawing for the first pick of around 90 raffle items is drawn from tickets accumulated by members earned by: participating in the meeting raf-
from previous page
fles; participating on fly tying nights; and for making presentations at meetings. This year my name was drawn for the first pick. There were outfits, reels, rods, waders and about everything imaginable. I had a while to think about the pick. My first thought was I have more gear then I’ll ever need and when the guiding days are over it will be time to get rid of a lot of stuff. The decision was a new boat net; six inches longer than my current one which has a crack and held together with duct tape. It will probably last longer than I do but if I didn’t get the net it would have cracked the first time out. This afternoon my wife saw a mayfly on the window. We’re a couple hundred yards from a brook. I gave her the Hatch Guide for New England Streams by Thomas Ames. Anyone who fly fishes for trout should have this book. She determined it was a Hendrickson. A great sign that hatch activity is about to get into high gear in the southern part of the state. Jim Norton is a native of New Hampshire and author of the book Granite Lines. He enjoys fly-fishing & tying, bird hunting and a variety of other outdoor activities and is also a registered NH fishing Guide. Visit his website at www.nhriversguide.com
Mountain Top Outfitters
5-Day Newfoundland Moose Hunt - $3500.00 U.S. 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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Tel: (709) 955-2804/2500 Owner/Guide: Cell: (709) 695-8917 Art Ryan E-mail: artryan1959@hotmail.com
The Outdoor Gazette
May 2013
Box 162 RR#1 Doyles, NL A0N 1J0
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Reflections of the Outdoor Angel By Mary Kay
The Unplanned
What could be better than an unplanned ice fishing experience; how about an unplanned pheasant hunt? I have had quite a bit of success fishing over the last year or so, but the whole gun thing leaves me a little squeamish. That’s probably because I’m not out shooting routinely and I don’t own the proper equipment. Well, that has all changed after my recent pheasant hunt! More on that later though. I was under the impression that I would be doing a little ice fishing in the LaCrosse WI area. I’ve never been ice fishing and was looking forward to sitting in a warm shelter catching my fair share. How this turned into a pheasant hunt still baffles me, but I’m game! Being that I hadn’t planned on fishing or hunting I only had fashionable, nonsensical clothing and shoes along. What a surprise there! I do not like to be cold and was willing to wear whatever was given to me. It wasn’t until I was walking around
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Cabela’s in my not so carefully chosen outfit that I realized what a mess I had to look like. Funny thing is I didn’t seem to care.
What’s happening to me in my ever advancing age?!? It was decided at Cabela’s that I need my own gun. I have used other peoples’ guns in the past and am not sure what to look for.
Fortunately I had an expert with me. He is quite the hunter and knows the finer things in life. That’s obviously why he was hunting with me! I wandered off to check out the bargain cave and
look for some gloves. I left the gun details to the expert. When I finally came back, I was informed I was now the owner of a Benelli Legacy 28 gauge auto load shot gun. It was as if a foreign language was being spoken to me. I understood gun and that’s about it. This is not just a shot gun, this is THE shot gun. I guess I better learn to shoot! Being that we were in Wisconsin and were from Illinois there is a required 24 hour waiting period. Well, I’d have to borrow a gun again for the day. Now it was off to Badgerland Pheasant Farm in Westby WI. Our hunting party consisted of 4 men, 2 women and 3 dogs. My eye was immediately drawn to the more stylish outfit of the woman and I started to feel frumpy. I was not there for a beauty contest though; I was there to shoot some dinner! After watching a safety video it was out to the field. The dogs were ready to go and so was I. Nala, a Weimaraner, was the lead dog with Bodie, a cute cocker spaniel and Lucy, a gorgeous chocolate lab, close behind. I felt a bond with Lucy, because she hadn’t had much experience with this. I would stick close to her and maybe look like I knew what I was doing! The first bird was in the air and I heard shots all around. I was asked if I had taken a shot and somewhat admonished when I said no. I had just watched a safety video, remember? The shot was not in my arc! I was paying attention in class; would I get a gold star or maybe a pheasant trophy?
May 2013
We methodically worked our way through the fields and another bird took majestic flight. I heard a shot but the bird kept going. I took a shot and what do you know. The pheasant came to a rest. This happened in a matter of seconds and I thought I had gotten it, which was confirmed by 2 others. My first shot of the day (and year) and I was 1 for 1! Not bad for someone who’s shot a gun only 4 or 5 other times over 2 years. I did take more shots that day but don’t think I added to the dinner pile. Maybe I did though and the experienced hunters were embarrassed to admit that a frail woman outdid them! I am not frail and I don’t think I outdid them; although I did keep up while traversing the heavily wooded terrain. The weather couldn’t have been more ideal – at least to me. A sunny winter day in Wisconsin spent in the great outdoors. What could be better? While cleaning the birds (I managed to watch this part) it was decided we would return the next day so I could try out my new gun! I did not want to waltz around Cabela’s in the same moronic outfit I’d worn a day earlier, so I put on my nice clothes and figured I’d change when we reached Badgerland Pheasant Farm. Now I felt a bit out of place at Cabela’s because I was wearing high heels. Don’t they realize people own more than hunting attire? With my new gun in tow it was time to put it to the test. Arriving in Westby we were informed that the dog of the day was sore from the prior day. She’s not used to hunting but neither am I and I was willing to give it another try! In all fairness though, she did a lot work, while I just walked around watching for the birds. Granted we were in the mountains of Wisconsin and I got quite a work out! My favorite dog Max was eagerly waiting in the truck and I suggested we use him. Now I know he has NEVER done a pheasant hunt and probably wouldn’t be able to retrieve the downed birds. Max is a Chihuahua, not a hunting dog, yet! 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
Pop’s Kitchen
Yogurt Biscuits
Sponsored by Green Mt. Marinades
1- 2/3 cups all-purpose biscuit baking mix 1 (6 ounce) container plain yogurt
Preheat Preheat an an oven oven to to 450 450 degrees. degrees. Place Place the the biscuit biscuit mix mix into into aa bowl bowl and and lightly lightly stir stir in in the the yogurt yogurt just just until until barely barely combined. combined. Mixture Mixture will will seem seem dry. dry. Knead Knead to to mix mix aa few few times, times, but but don't don't overknead. overknead. Roll the dough out lightly onto a floured work Roll the dough out lightly onto a floured work surface surface about about 1/2-inch 1/2-inch thick; thick; cut cut into into rounds rounds with with aa biscuit biscuit cutcutter, ter, or or can can be be used used as as drop drop biscuits. biscuits. Bake Bake in in the the prepreheated heated oven oven until lightly golden golden brown, brown, about 8 minminutes. utes.
Optional:
Can Can add add cheese cheese or or spices spices for for different different flavor, flavor, or or fruit fruit flavored flavored yogurt yogurt for for more more of of aa dessert dessert taste taste –think –think vanilvanilla yogurt as base for strawberry shortcake. la yogurt as base for strawberry shortcake.
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
May 2013
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Fish & Wildlife Management By Wayne A. Laroche
Great Turkey Hunting in the Northeast
Another mild winter across the northeast will make for some excellent turkey hunting opportunities this spring. I have spent a good bit of time traveling across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont this winter and spring. I have seen turkeys, pretty much, everywhere that I have traveled. It still amazes me to see turkeys in Ver mont’s Northeast Kingdom and remote mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. I find this particularly remarkable given that when turkeys were reintroduced that biologists felt that these areas were probably too far north to support sustainable turkey populations. The fact that turkeys have even taken to the northern forests and mountains provides some interesting and unique turkey hunting opportunities. It is probably safe to say that the stereotypical turkey hunt in most parts of the country occurs on or around agricultural lands. This often
means that it may take some effort to find places and get permission to hunt. Access is not much of a problem in the north woods and mountains of Maine,
way. Every wood road that I went down was covered with turkey tracks. I saw tom turkeys using wood roads as open areas where they displayed to hens.
New Hampshire and Vermont. I went to western Maine a few days ago, just before youth turkey season, to check a deer yard for winter deer mortality. I saw plenty of turkeys along the
They did not seem to be overly familiar with humans as I was able to walk within 20 yards while taking pictures. I got the impression that there was great turkey hunting to be had.
corn, grasses and other greener made up more than 50% of the food found in stomachs www.wildlife.state.nh.us/turke ysurvey/reports_pdfs/Winter_2 012_Turkey_Survey_Report.pdf " http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/ turkeysurvey/reports_pdfs/Wint er_2012_Turkey_Survey_Report .pdf). Although online August brood surveys have been conducted for a number of years now, winter flock surveys have not. Brood surveys indicate that 2012 was an excellent year for turkey reproduction across the northeast. It appears that the mild winter provided for excellent winter survival. In my opinion, winter flock surveys are likely to provide a far better assessment of spring turkey hunting conditions than do brood surveys. Although both kinds of surveys have value, winter surveys may be expected to provide information that is particularly valuable in determining the winter survival of turkeys immediately prior to the
Attention Attention New New Hampshire Hunters Hunters
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Enclosed please find my check for $
Name:
Address: City:
State:
Telephone Number:
Zip:
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
Maine’s spring season has a two bird limit. Make sure you take plenty of time to read the hunting regulations before you set out to hunt in any of the three states. Maine estimates it wild turkey population at about 60,000 birds. New Hampshire and Ver mont each estimate their population to be in the vicinity of 40,000 to 50,000 birds. Each state sells roughly the same number of turkey permits each year, 16,500-19,000 permits, and harvest comparable numbers of turkeys, 5,000-7,000 wild turkeys harvested in each state. New Hampshire conducted a wild turkey winter flock survey in 2012 which provides among other data some interesting food habits information. Bird seed,
May 2013
spring turkey season. Perhaps, Vermont should also put some effort into conducting winter surveys. Some way might be devised to provide greater turkey harvest opportunity when turkeys are abundant and reduce harvest opportunities when populations are devastated by harsh winters? 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
Depicting the Outdoors By Dawn Answorth
A Photographer’s Instinct
It was just a solitary bubble floating skyward into a classic bright blue cloudless sky, yet that simple round bit of soap and water, started me on a journey. It was the first picture I can remem-
daughter named, he came by daily to eat the frozen apples still clinging to the lowest branches. Our trees produced an abundant crop that year, which were covered by snow before I could prop-
Duck at Crystal Lake in Barton, VT ©Nostalgic Images ber taking and realizing that I erly deal with all of them and the could stop time, a big deal to ten young buck couldn’t resist the year old me. I could capture a tasty treat. Over the course of a feeling on film and be able to not few weeks we watched Apple just hold onto it, but share it with drop his antlers, get chased off by others. Years later when the door does, and dig in the snow as he to photography opened up to me, presented many opportunities to I ran through it without hesita- observe and photograph quietly. tion as a result of that picture. The following spring brought a Now I get to spend most of my baby skunk that wandered days outside, getting paid to do around during the day. I crept up what I love, being surrounded by to within three feet of the little nature, immersed in her beauty stinker to get a good shot. That is and recording what I see to share one occasion in which I can guarantee I was more frightened of with others. Living in rural Vermont, there an animal than it was of me. are so many subjects to photo- Wildlife tends to be my ideal subgraph, just by stepping outside. ject, but the chance to photoIn fact, some of my favorite shots graph a wild creature is not have come from my own back- something I have complete conyard. One winter it was “Apple” trol over and therefore do not the spike horn whitetail deer my limit myself to. Learning to find
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appealing things in every environment to take pictures of is just the first step in being able to see with a photographer’s eye. Nothing is as disheartening as handing someone a stack of photos, or an album to peruse and watching in horror as they simply flip through it as though looking at a waiting room magazine. When it comes to photography, the best way to get people’s attention is just that, with photographs, not snap shots. The difference involves planning. The
your subject so the main emotion or theme you would like to exemplify immediately jumps out upon viewing. What is photography, if not the depicting of light as it falls on a scene. A blazing sunset casts a very different light from that of the sun at noon directly overhead. Most of us don’t really look at the light, it is either bright or dim and that is about the extent of what we notice. If you take the time to really study light, you can see that it comes in many
Apple blossoms after a spring rain. ©Nostalgic Images photograph is a planned expres- colors, and can influence our sion of how you see your subject, emotions as easily as red painted whereas the latter is just pointing walls can. Our eyes can certainly and clicking at something you see much more detail and hues think is interesting. To create a than what any lens is able to quality photograph you must encapsulate, whether digital or determine how to best portray Continued on page 41
May 2013
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Hard Water Fishing By D & B Ice Adventures
Chasing the warm water
Everyone has hit the water and returned home with memories that are unforgettable. Throughout the years, many trips have provided me with both valuable knowledge and treasured memories. My first outing on Lake Champlain this spring with good friend and owner of Fish Hounds Outdoors (www.fishhounds.net), James Vladyka is one that I will never forget. The bite on the big lake this year has been tough. Although the ice went out early, without an extended period of warm air temperatures, the water temperature has remained relatively cool. So cool actually, that the fish have not really begun to stage up for the spawn which is usually occurring around this time. If nothing else they should be staging! Despite the cooler temperatures, Jamie found a pocket of warmer water the day before. The temperature was pushing 52 which is when fish should really be stacking up around here. Oddly enough, the flatfish had not ventured in yet. On the surface, he reported that a few pike were busting baitfish but overall, the
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baitfish numbers were small as well. With the warmer water and baitfish, it was only a matter of time until the
crappie moved in. I was in my car and making the almost two hour trek just after 4 am. Jamie and I wanted to be on the
water as early as possible so that we could make the most of the day. After grabbing a coffee and freshly made donut, we dumped the trailer and were on the water. As we drove to our destination, we tried to stay positive but talked about the reality
that the fish might have not moved in yet and what our back up plans should be. Either way, it was calm over night and we were hoping that the water temperature held steady so the fish could move in comfortably. As we putted into their staging
May 2013
area, the surface water was flat and no fish were breaking. The temperature had held but there were still no fish. We fished in as far as we could without getting a bite. The water temperature had rose to 54 as we inched into the shallows where they usually spawn. Not wanting to waste time, we started back towards the main lake and that is when it started to happen. Looking out towards our exit, we could see a pod of fish working their way in through the channel, busting the surface. Quietly, with the trolling motor, we got within casting range and simultaneously we both hooked up with our first slabs of the day. After a high five and a quick game plan, we let the wind drift us into a nearby weed mat well with in casting range of the channel the fish were using as a corridor. Because we could see that the crappie were chasing baitfish, the go to bait was a "Live" Baby Shad by Lake Fork Trophy Lures. Not knowing what bait their search image was, I went with the "white is right" slogan we go by on Lake Champlain. To be honest, I don't think it would have mattered what color was below the bobber! Over the next hour, we caught fish pretty much consistently. The water temperature had risen to over 54 degrees throughout the large cut-
The Outdoor Gazette
back and the fish were feeling it. The more fish that we caught, the more pinpointed our casts could be placed because we knew what route they were running. After a cast or two without a fish, we would both start working the channel up and down trying to hit the next pod working through. Just as we were getting comfortable and thinking that we were in the clear for the day, the wind started to blow unfavorably. In a matter of 20 minutes, we saw the water temperature go from 54.5 to 47.5 degrees. Another thing that we noticed was that the fish were no longer going in to stage up. Our casts were actually following them back out towards the
The Outdoor Gazette
main lake. After an hour without as much as a bite, we made a move. We checked a few likely spots for warm water with no success. Running out of ideas, we settled on all or nothing. We would try the productive morning spot, with hopes that the water warmed back up, and if nothing was happening there, we would head home. It looked bleak after we made our first pass. Not a fish was to be had. The water was pushing 50 and from the initial looks, it was still warming. We were pretty much running aground when we saw a welcomed sight. An osprey flew overhead and started zooming in on something by the looks of its flight pattern. On its
from previous page
decent, the anticipation built and when the bird emerged with a slab in its grip the pressure was off ! The fish were on their way and the water temp was still climbing! We both sat there going back and forth between the graph (to watch the temperature) and the crappie popping the surface moving our way. The remainder of the trip was pure catching. The crappie were piled from shore to shore top to bottom. It was one of those afternoons where you could do no wrong. Even when other boats moved in to inspect us and we took our baits off so they wouldn't see us catch fish, we would. It was truly a mad house. By the end of our marathon, the water temperature had topped out at 57.5 degrees!
May 2013
The moral of the story... Never overlook the temperature when fishing. It sounds basic but even a degree of change can put the fish into a mass migration. 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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Taxidermy Trails By Rodney Elmer
What's up with does in the North East Kingdom?
The state has attempted to grow a larger deer herd in the North East Kingdom (E-zone) for an extended period of time, by reducing doe permits and archery opportunities on antlerless deer, to zero. (An appropriate first move) Yet , the zone has not responded to changes in regulations. This simple fact should rule out man's behaviors and abilities, as a cause or more importantly, a solution, to the this "Human" problem of deer "Under" population. The real problem may lie with the biological realities currently existing in the area. No doubt, a complex set of natural parameters. If we realize "our" inabilities to "control", perhaps we can look at this situation with new eyes to the land and the current conditions. If mother nature is whispering..." no deer." Why? Should we scream "MORE DEER!"? Does it make sense to "buck" her natural system and extend... the times of no deer by attempting to grow more and possibly further hurting the habitat? It is our greed that will
starve us. How do you go about making man think about nature in a less selfish way?
MOUNTAIN DEER TAXIDERMY 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.
This has been a long asked personal question that's been on my mind for some time. The only motive to
even get people to think about the future seems to be that you must some how have a vested interest in it, like your kids! For the state fish & wildlife board or the department to fight against mother nature would seem completely crazy, right? Yet, sometimes this can actually be the case. If scientifically arrived at permit numbers are "adjusted" to the people , or the board and altered as much as 70% from original numbers to please them, what does this say for the science or it's quality? Who is it that will speak realities to the people? It may not be good politics or a good way to keep your great state job ,but someone should tell the truth. To stop hunter opportunities
USE NORTHWOODS COMMON SCENTS!
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Northwoods Common Scents provides the finest cover scent and whitetail deer/buck lures available. Whether bow hunting or rifle hunting, Northwoods Common Scents will increase your odds of success.
Call Rodney or Theresa Elmer 1308 Loop Road - Northfield, VT 05663
WWW.MOUNTAINDEERTAXIDERMY.COM
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Rodney Elmer and his wife Theresa own and operate Mountain deer taxidermy in Northfield,Vermont.
HUNT HARD AND HUNT SMART
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at 802-485-7184
when there is no real ill affects, would also seem equally impotent. Man being the problem for low populations has been rather effectively ruled out in this case. If anything, perhaps we should be helping mother nature, by reducing numbers further. When we realize our lack of control over nature, the needs for patience, understanding and especially self control become quiet clear with slow and careful driving required. No sudden moves. We think we know mother nature better then ever, it seems it's time for some to listen a little more to her and less to what man wants. Are you on her side? Voting to increase deer numbers in areas that does not support them and not knowing why is fool hardy at best and shows a lack of patience and understanding. Wisdom seems lost and the future ever more unpredictable, when this farmer mentality of controlling natural systems is applied to our outlooks. We should listen to the land and understand with new eyes. At this point, stopping antlerless archery hunting opportunities for does is a completely feeble attempt at increasing short or long term, future populations, when even the science doesn't know what's up. We must think about these things carefully when... we are... controlling the deer herd. As you attend the up coming meetings and democratically give your two cents about Vermont's deer future, let common sense, reality, and forethought help out a little more. I never met a bad deer! We all want our cake and eat it too.... P.S. it ain't happening!
Visit our website Team-Northwoods.com for advanced scent hunting tips & techniques!
Dean Vanier • PO Box 1327 • Lebanon, NH 03766 • 603 523-9206
May 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
May 2013
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The Coastal Zone Captian John Curry By Captain
Light Tackle Advantage
As we turned the corner from the Onset channel I noticed 6 or 7 boats working the edge of the canal with a somewhat organized trolling pattern. It was late May and the stripers were still feeding on herring as they left their spawning ponds and were headed back to sea. I decided to idle down and spend a few minutes observing the fleet as they trolled umbrella rigs and large swim baits in the current. After waiting for around 20 minutes the only action I noticed was the constant clearing of weed off of their rigs. My clients were giving me that look of “well aren’t we going to join them”? I mentioned to hold tight for a minute of two longer. The tide was dropping fast and if we didn’t see any sizable stripers or blues come over the gunnels we were headed elsewhere. Observing the birds I noticed a steady stream of terns headed out to points unknown. That was all the signal I needed and we fired up the Evinrude and followed the last bird that went by us. It didn’t take long to see them working the top on a flat that was quickly losing water. I set up a drift on the top
of the flat and we quickly tied on smaller storm swim baits and began casting. While we didn’t see busting fish yet, I had a feeling things were about to light up.
under our hull was only 2’ we landed 18 stripers and two decent sized bluefish. From there we followed the dropping tide to the next flat and repeated the same action only this time we switched to fly gear, set down the
The author’s Andros Cuda 23 in 2’ of water with the Power Pole down.
The angler on the bow was tight first. A nice 25” striper came over the gunnels and the angler on the stern yelled “fish on”! That fish was much bigger and our first keeper bass hit the ice chest. After working the same drift line until the water
Power Pole® anchor system and had a blast casting streamers to cruising fish in gin clear water. We took a break and I was asked “what were those other boats going after”? My answer was “the same fish we just
The authors choice / Quantum Boca 60 spooled with 30 spectra braid ready for striper action
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caught”! You see, having a light tackle strategy pays off in many situations. The other boats were trolling lead core and steel lined set ups along a break line as is so often used in New England waters for stripers and bluefish. Don’t get me wrong, that approach can work very well and is the preferred method for most charter captains on Cape Cod. They simply have no other choice, but to fish in this manner. Larger boats don’t offer the convenience of fishing from all sides and ends of the boat and they certainly have draft restrictions so fishing up on the flats in a dropping tide is a recipe for a good day stranded waiting for the tide to turn again. My custom made Andros Boatworks®, Cuda 23 is set up for any type of conditions here on the Cape. The flexibility to raise the jack-plate and motor in 12” of water is a pure joy when the fish are on the flats. Setting the Power Pole® anchor in a perfect rip line gives my
May 2013
anglers a decided advantage over traditional trolling techniques. I am often told by prospective anglers that they want to try some “deep sea fishing”. As I have mentioned before, I ask them to take the words deep and sea out of the mental picture as we most likely will be fishing over very shallow bars and channels that produce current breaks where the larger game fish are waiting to ambush bait as it’s swept through the moving water. Another question I am asked often is what is your favorite set up for stripers and bluefish? This brought up a question in my mind one day, if I could only bring two rods and a handful of lures what would I use for a day on the water? For rods I would have to go with a spinning outfit and a fly set up. My personal favorite spinning outfit consists of Quantum Boca 60® spooled with 30lb Spectra® braid in red. A bottom shot of 20 lb mono is used for backing. In all I have roughly 300 yards of line on the spool. My rod of choice is a 7’ fast action medium/heavy blank that can handle 1530lb line and 1-2.5ounce lures. My favorite rod manufacturer is made right here on Cape Cod by Local hooker Rods®, but I am told they may be going out of business so any decent rod in this category will work well. I have used this set up from shore and boat and have caught fish in the 40 lb range without any concerns about being “under-gunned” so to speak. My favorite lures are a 6” floating stick bait in either a herring or mackerel pattern, the Yozuri Crystal Minnow® is a great choice in this category and a 6” white
The Author’s choice for Fly Fishing / #8 Echo ION 4 Rod and Orvis Encounter IV reel with fast tapered floating line.
Slugo® on a plain ? ounce Kalif® jig head. Also a 5” green / silver Deadly Dick® and Storm® swim baits round out the arsenal. For Fly gear I would have to stick with an 8 weight combo with a fast tapered floating
Continued next page
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film, so observing light can help you learn the best times to take much more than a snapshot. You may have heard of the “golden hours”, around daybreak and dusk when the light is often just right to pull out the camera and take a couple of pictures. The sun is low in the sky and the tones are beautiful. No matter the time of day, one of the most often overlooked, yet easiest ways to make an outdoor photo more appealing is by turning your cameras flash on. Many photos could have been saved from the trash bin by using this one simple function. Fill light has the ability to help balance the often-harsh contrasting shadows and highlights found in an outdoor setting. Having as few distractions as possible in the frame will make for a much more polished looking image as well. This may mean moving around to get an angle that doesn’t have a telephone pole in the picture, or turning someone so they are not squinting directly into the sun. It is also accomplished by filling the frame with your subject matter. There is no point in taking a photograph of something to have it appear to be the size of a pencil eraser and everyone saying “Oh I see it now, it’s the dot right there, right?” Make sure that you don’t remove line. You might think this is too small for these powerful fish, but I would rather be on the lighter side than struggle with a heavier set up. The floating line allows me to sight fish and we all know a fish busting a streamer dancing across the surface is a blast. My favorite combo for this is the Orvis® Large Arbor Encounter IV spooled with scientific angler fast tip floating line with plenty of dacron backing. My rod of choice is an Echo Ion® 890-4 9’ four-piece in #8 line. I also own #9 & #10 weight rods and use those often as well, but I like the versatility of the lighter set up has to offer. Again, if I had to choose between the 3 I would go with the #8. For flies you simply need to match the hatch just like trout fishing. An assortment of minnow and
something that may help emphasize your theme; the classic mistakes are decapitating someone,
Little Stinker ©Nostalgic Images.
or cutting them off at the knees. You cannot Photoshop their head in as easily as making sure it was there in the first place. A good rule of thumb is to always check all four corners of your viewfinder before pressing the shutter button, making certain there is nothing to draw the eye away from your subject matter and everything is included
Depicting - Continued from page 35
that should be. However you decide to do it, drawing attention to your subject will only help
underscore the feelings you are trying to convey. Don’t forget to slow down and compose the shot. Once you can look through the viewfinder and know that you are seeing what you imagined, then it is time to press the shutter. Unless you are using focus to emphasize your theme, if a picture is not sharp it is not a good photograph. The
easiest way to obtain this is by using a tripod or even a monopod, camera shake especially in low light settings can cause very blurry pictures. The great thing about photography is that the more you do it the better you will get. So whenever you are afield remember to bring your camera. Adding these simple thought processes before you snap the shutter, can greatly increase your quality of pictures. Pick your theme, focus attention to your subject, and simplify. Whether you take photos as a hobby or even just to scout for game, a great photograph can bring back a moment in time for you to enjoy over and over. As Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” Dawn Ainsworth lives in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with her husband, two daughters and numerous pets. She is an award winning professional photographer with a diploma from the New York Institute of Photography. She enjoys being a volunteer photographer for the Vermont State Parks, and is also a certified Let’s Go Fishing Instructor. She owns and operates Nostalgic Images, which specializes in guided photo excursions. On Facebook at WWW.FACEBOOK.COM /NOSTALGICIMAGES
from previous page
squid patterns work all year long. The exception being the worm hatch, were you need to have the specific size and color when the stripers are slurping down worms in
Kevin Beane of VT with a nice light tackle striper. June. By combining the boat, gear and conditions in streamlined light tackle system, you can constantly catch quality fish while enjoying the natural beauty that Cape Cod offers.
Scott Smith of VT tight on a Fly Rod caught Buzzards Bay striper.
The Outdoor Gazette
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.
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Trail Camera Photo Contest Sponsored by Chadwick’s Trail-Cams
Roscoe Blaisdell - Raymond, New
Hampshire- Good start on the ant
Allard Does of all sizes - Devin
Al Sleeping on the Job - Devin
lers
lard - W. Newbury, VT
West Newbury, VT Don’t do it! Ken Monte - Arling ton
2013 Trail Camera Photo Contest
, VT
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 2014 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. 2014 issue!
Are you worried that 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!
Told u not to do it!- Ken M
onte - Arlington , VT
2012 Trail Camera Photo Contest Winners ; Trail Camera Picture of the Year - Marty Wall - Randolph, VT Random Winners - Donald Cooke- Columbia, NH and Robert Drouin, N. Anadover, MA
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Send photos to: fred@theoutdoorgazette.com with the subject line “TC Photo Contest 2012”
Curious doe- TOG - Haverhill,
May 2013
NH
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Primitive Skills By Michael Douglas
Shelter from the Landscape
Aside from those involving plastics, metal, and modern fasteners, there are two primary categories of shelter you can build off the landscape. The first is a short term survival shelter that relies on precise dimensions and a whole lot of practice. This is the “no fire” or fire independent shelter. The second type is less efficient, but easier to learn in a short period of time. These are the fire dependent shelters. Both have their pros and cons and we will explore both types through this series of articles. Here we’ll focus on the lesser known, but more efficient “no-fire” or fire independent shelter. The common name for this shelter is the “debris hut”. At first glance this shelter looks like nothing more than a pile of leaves on top of a simple “A” frame of sticks. If you haven’t slept in one comfortably in below freezing temperatures, that is all your mind would be trained to see. A debris hut is the perfect expression of what I call, “profound simplicity”. It relies on subtle but important measurements with little tolerance
for deviation. Too big an interior (one of the most common mistakes of the beginner) and you will be
can’t fit inside. Spending a night in a debris hut teaches you to build it better with each attempt. By learning through trial and error you learn the value of
takes to build one from eight hours to three. Because these things take time to learn, many folks believe they “know it” by watching a how-to video or reading about debris huts.
This cross section shows the interior space and thickness of the floor and walls needed for an effective shelter that will keep you warm without a fire.
cold. If the interior is too tight, at best you can’t turn around comfortably. Worst-case scenario is that you
reading the landscape to determine if there is enough material, enough protection from the elements, and enough sunlight. You may also learn
The only way to learn ANY outdoor skill is to attempt each repeatedly in varying conditions. The debris hut is no exception. The
Most folks view the debris hut as a simple "A-frame shelter covered in leaves.
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the misery that comes with building one on a game trail, over a chipmunk hole, hornets nest, or on a rock. As you repeat your attempts at this shelter you develop an eye for not the right location. You develop an intuitive sense to how much debris you need beneath you and how long your shelter will take. You will also trim the time and effort it
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effort you invest in mastering this shelter is well worth the return. Knowing that wherever there is enough debris, you can sleep warm and dry in temperatures well below zero builds a sense of confidence and freedom few other skills can. The concepts are simple. Avoid conduction by creating a bed of
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The Outdoor Gazette
Vermont’s Walleye Fishing Starts May 4th
The best walleye fishing in New England will begin soon in several Vermont rivers and lakes, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. The department is reminding anglers that walleye fishing season starts in much of the state on the first Saturday in May and that regulations vary, depending on the water you are fishing. In all waters of Vermont except Lake Carmi, Chittenden Reservoir and the Connecticut River, walleye and sauger have an 18” minimum length requirement and three-fish daily limit. The open season is from Saturday, May 4 to March 15, 2014. Lake Carmi has a slot limit for walleye because of the lake’s high productivity and high rate of walleye harvest. The minimum length is 15 inches, all walleye between 17 and 19 inches must be released. The daily limit is five walleye, but only one may be over 19 inches long. The season is open May 4 through March 15. Chittenden Reservoir has special walleye regulations in order to produce large walleye that can help control its over-abundant yellow perch population and provide anglers with an opportunity to harcompressed debris six inches thick. Build your “A” frame so that, as you are laying on your bed, you have a hands width of space above your toes, your hips, and your shoulders. Getting in and out of your shelter should feel like getting out of a mummy sleeping bag with the zipper stuck at the chest. If you begin to feel cold first coming over your face, your door is too big. If you feel cold beginning at your hips and shoulders, you need to add more debris to your bed. If your feet are the first to get cold, adding more debris to the interior will help. Try this skill in the back yard. It’s good to have a warm bed to crawl in to if (and when) your shelter falls short of your expectations. Just remember to journal what went wrong before you sleep so you can trouble shoot the issue the next day (or available weekend). Most importantly, have fun with it. Nature teaches best through pain and pleasure. We have a choice to learn these skills one way or the Pain finds us enough. other. Through practicing these skills we minimize the concept of survival as “suffering” and begin to truly live. The limitations of this shelter are that they need a source of debris. They also take time to learn to build. In the process of learning debris hut it can take eight to twelve hours to build your first one. Last, folks with claustrophobia get tweaked crawling in to their debris huts. The remedy for this, of course, is hypothermia. Many of our students who complain The Outdoor Gazette
Richard Levesque with the 14.55 lb. Vermont State Record walleye he caught in Lake Champlain in 2010. Walleye fishing begins May 4, in most of Vermont. Check regulations for exceptions. VT Fish & Wildlife photo. vest a trophy walleye. The mini- No walleye between 16 to 18 inches Winooski River, and Otter Creek. mum length is 22 inches, the daily may be kept and the daily limit is The Northeast Kingdom also offers limit is two, and the season is open four fish, of which only one may be walleye fishing opportunities in Salem Lake, Island Pond, Clyde longer than 18 inches. June 1 through March 15. Excellent walleye fishing opportu- Pond, and the Clyde River. Connecticut River walleye fishing rules are set by New Hampshire. nities occur each spring in the lakes Vermont’s state record walleye mentioned above as well as in Lake weighed 14.55 lbs. and was caught from previous page Champlain and its tributaries: the in Lake Champlain by Richard of claustrophobia are encouraged to Missisquoi River, Lamoille River, Levesque of Swanton in 2010. build a roomy extension to stretch out in. In every case the cold encourages them to nestle deep inside their original shelter. The benefits of this shelter are that it doesn’t require a knife, rope, or fire to keep you warm and dry. A fire is another mouth to feed. It constantly demands attention. In the transition between living like a domesticated human and returning to your feral roots, the debris hut represents the most efficient use of time and energy to remain warm and provide a place to live while you pursue water, fire, and food. With practice you can wander the landscape in a pair of shorts and return to your debris without worrying about the elements. I build one off of my fire dependent shelters in case I come in too late to light a fire, or if conditions make fire making improbable or impractical. Whether it is a survival shelter or a transition from one way of life to another, the debris hut is an excellent excuse to get outside and develop your comfort in the outdoors. Michael Douglas has been sharing Survival, Tracking, Awareness, Wild Foraging, and Primitive Technology at the Maine Primitive Skills School since 1989. He continues to be a student of the natural world and our abilities to interact with it through his school and full immersion trips in the North Woods. He is eager to answer questions and hear your comments and can be reached at staff@primitiveskills.com.
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The Gazette’s Book Review
By Colonel J.C. Allard
Alaskan-Yukon Trophies Won and Lost By G.O. Young Standard Publications, Inc., 1947 Reprinted 2011, Wolfe Publishing Company 273 pages, $29.16 ISBN: 978-1-879356-67-2 In 2011 Wolfe Publishing Company reprinted George Orville Young’s 1947 Alaskan-Yukon Trophies Won and Lost, a fastidious recounting of his 1919 adventure among the Alaska-Yukon borderlands just north of the St. Elias Range. Young’s tale transcends adventure and leaps directly to great adventure, once-in-a-lifetime adventure of a sort rarely if ever experienced anywhere on earth today. With his two companions, several local guides, and an outfitter, Young hunted big game on an imperial scale; wrangled some three dozen pack horses; ran wilderness rivers in boats they fashioned for themselves; climbed numerous mountains; and took themselves and their horse train across some of the largest glaciers
in the world. At times, Young and his team were forced to cut steps in the glacial ice with picks and axes so that the horses might gain even tenuous footing. Young and his partners Dr. A.H. Evans of Eagle Pass, TX and J.C. Snyder of Metamora, IL went north 94 years ago, and what they experienced was nothing remotely akin to contemporary adventures in northern New England. However, for any reader of The
Vermont-New Hampshire Outdoor Gazette, this 273-page epic is a great read. Anyone interested in hunting, wilderness trekking, or the Last Frontier will find this story fascinating. Fascinating, yes; easy, no. Written in the complex sentences and stilted language of someone born in the Victorian era, even the title is cumbersome. Young’s prose is sometimes hard to follow, and going back to read a paragraph a second time is often necessary. No doubt, he was a man and a writer of his times. But why he took 28 years after the events to write the book is never made clear. Young was modern enough to be an enthusiastic photographer, choosing 72 mostly personal photos to illustrate the book. Thankfully he also included maps. By today’s standards, the black-and-white pictures are grainy and difficult to make out, but nevertheless are an asset to each chapter. of 2011 re-issuing The “Trophies” did not follow exactly Standard Publications’ 1947 edition. Left out of the new version are end sheets and a frontispiece, even though both remain listed as illustrations. Also missing is a Publisher’s Epilogue that remains listed in the Table of Contents. While unfortunate, neither absence spoils the story. Hunting expeditions of this sort disappeared from North America long ago. Hunters no longer call in at the governor’s residence in
Juneau to collect their $50 non-resident hunting license good for multiple moose, caribou, sheep, goat and bear. Hunters no longer ride horses for hundreds of miles across the territory or fell trees to build boats to move meat and trophies downstream to civilization. Rare is the hunter in this day who knows what a .30 Newton rifle might be. Still, reading about what once was remains exciting and inspiring. No one would advocate a return to those sorts of bag limits for Alaska, the Yukon, or anywhere else. But a sampling of the experience remains an adventure of a lifetime. The words of G.O. Young carry us back to a time of travel by rail and steamship, when men smoked pipes around the campfire and risked death to save a foundering horse from some river’s flood. Those days will never come again. In some respects, these are better days. Yet reading a tale from a bygone era does the soul some good. Any New England outdoorsman or outdoorswoman just may find themselves inspired by Young’s telling of Alaskan-Yukon Trophies Won and Lost. George O. Young knew it. Robert W. Service knew it. New Englanders know it, too – the North casts a bewitching spell. 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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Pictures Gone Wild Our reader submitted photos
Today I got my best turkey ever. It was a classic hunt. I heard the gobble near my food plot, set up my decoy, and 20 minutes later it was all over. 22 lbs, 10” beard, 1” spurs. A great supper for tomorrow night! I’m not waiting for thanksgiving.
Tagged out! Tracie Longto of Bradford, Vermont. This was Tracie’s first “successful” hunt. A couple of Vermont toms. With one shot!
The The Coolest Coolest Gift Gift Idea Idea
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.
Price is only $20.00 including postage
Nick Dubuque form Post Mills, Vermont
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 The Outdoor Gazette
Want to buy one? send email to sales@theoutdoorgazette.com
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Bucks and Bones By Trevor Bunnell
Better than fishing?
Well at this time of year I usually have been out shed hunting at least two or three times a week, but this winter having hip surgery has limited me a little. The recovery is going fairly well and I have been out a few times this year with Matt and my six year old son Carter and our dog Pete. Even though I have been able to spend minimal time in the woods, it has been a great season for finding horns in Vermont. About a month ago, my therapist and friend Ben McCormick cleared me so that I could ride my sled; which allowed me to get in the woods to do some looking around some of my hunting spots. Usually I am hunting or walking all day only stopping to eat, that was not the case this year; however, it has worked out really well for my son who loves to go but could not walk all day. Of course the added benefit of having Carter setting the pace is that it helps keep me in check!
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A few weeks ago, Matt was going up to his camp in Northern Vermont for the weekend. The plan was to do some fishing on Friday with another friend, Kyle and on Saturday hunt for horns
with me and Pete. I had physical therapy Friday morning and drove up to camp after that I went right to the lake to see Matt and Kyle just setting up. They wanted me to hang out with
real nice bull back in deer season. It was three o’clock and figured it would be a good scouting for tomorrows’ hunt. When Pete and I arrived at the cut where
dig with my snowshoe. The digging was hard, there were many layers of crust. After about ten minutes into it I could tell that it was not a horn but a leg bone of a moose that had died this winter. I marked the spot on my GPS as a possible euro and figured Matt would come back in the spring and look around. Pete and I started to move on and had gone about two hundred yards when I thought we should give it a better look around. Maybe it was because there were fresh coyote tracks around. We circled up and back in the direction of the leg bone, the coyote tracks were everywhere. I saw Pete up to his old tricks digging up something but I could not believe my eyes about four yards in front of him was two point sticking about one inch out of the snow and I could tell from the distance the points where apart that they were still attached to the skull. As I began to dig I was able to confirm indeed that it was a euro and the coyote had cleaned up
the bull had been, there was some rubs that where made in the early winter. With about three or four feet of snow up there I strapped my snow shows on and began to walk around most of the rubs where on the low side of the snow machine but with that much snow I could only hope that the bulls did not drop the horns early or it was going to be mostly up to Pete to find a horn. We looked around for a hour with no luck. The fresher signs were taking us to the south and up the mountain, as gained altitude the snow only got deeper. Pete was hunting very hard circling in front of me as we walked on the crusty snow, just as I was losing all hope Pete started to dig in a opening between some big fir trees. I could tell he had something so I began to help him
the face to the bone and the horns where dark brown. I used sticks and my snow shoes to dig up the head. It took about an hour and a half for me to break it free from the ice and snow. I don’t think I have ever been that excited about picking up horns and the only thing that could have made it better is that Matt had been there with me. I don’t know how many times Matt and I have talked about someday finding an euro. After getting back to the sled I drove to camp and headed for the lake. When I got to the lake Matt asked how many I found, I told him two and ask him if he wanted to see a picture. I handed him my phone and told him scroll through. To say the least he was more excited then me. That day, I’m glad I did not stay to fish!
them, which I did for a little while but I knew there was going to be a dusting of snow coming that night and the hunting would not be as good so I left them and went to camp and put Pete on the sled and headed for the mountains where I had seen a
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