Northwoods Sporting Journal, Aug. 2022

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Big Brown Bear -Dave Willette

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Henry Arms Marks 25th Anniversary collectors, and a wide variety of shooting sports endeavors. Notable standouts include the company’s flagship rifle, the Henry Golden Boy .22, its centerfire counterpart, the Henry

with me since day one.

They are the heart and soul of the company,” says Imperato. “And to all of Henry owners around the world that chose to make us a part of their lives,

Page 3

including the Golden Boy “Silver Anniversary” Edition, a special edition of the New Original Henry, a 25th-anniversary edition of the H001 Classic Lever Action .22, and more. For

Along with his father, Louis Imperato, the father-son duo leveraged decades of the family’s experience in the gun business and began developing a rimfire lever action rifle in 1996.

Henry Arms founder and CEO Anthony Imperato.

All of Henry’s lever action rifles and shotguns are made completely in America with American labor and American parts.

This year Henry Arms is celebrating its landmark 25-year celebration as one of the country’s largest long gun manufacturers and the leading lever action maker.

Henry Repeating Arms Founder and CEO Anthony Imperato took his first step into gun making by taking out a home equity loan in 1993 to start the Colt Blackpowder Arms Company, which made historic Colt revolvers and muskets under license from Colt’s Manufacturing. Along with his father, Louis Imperato, the fatherson duo leveraged decades

of the family’s experience in the gun business and began developing a rimfire lever action rifle in 1996. In March 1997, the first Henry Repeating Arms model H001 Classic Lever Action .22 rifles shipped from a small factory in Brooklyn, New York.

Now headquartered in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, the company employs over 550 people and operates three manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin and New Jersey.

Henry manufactures over 200 different rifles and shotguns in a wide variety of calibers and finishes for hunting, home protection,

Big Boy, a complete line of youth-sized rifles and shotguns, a sprawling collection of engraved Tribute Edition firearms, and a popular modern approach to the lever gun with the X Model series. Henry’s motto is also a promise to its customers to be “Made in America, Or Not Made At All.” All Henry rifles and shotguns are supported by a lifetime warranty, a personal guarantee from Anthony Imperato, and an award-winning customer service department.

Through a charitable branch of the company called Guns For Great Causes, Henry Repeating Arms has made significant financial contributions to children’s hospitals and families of critically ill children. Guns For Great Causes also helps support active-duty and military veterans’ organizations, law enforcement and first responder organizations.

Henry’s CEO, Anthony Imperato, credits his company’s success to its employees and Henry owners. “Without a doubt, we would not be here celebrating 25 years of success without the hard work and dedication of every Henry Repeating Arms employee, several of whom have been

thank you, we are eternally grateful.”

Throughout the year, Henry Repeating Arms will be celebrating 25 years with the release of several limited-edition models,

more information about these releases as details become available and to stay up to date with Henry’s 25th-anniversary news, visit henryusa.com/25year-anniversary.

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On The Cover

Me & Joe Build New Outhouse For Desdemona - Pg 16 Big Brown Bear - Pg 31 Doe Lottery Open! - Pg 27 Fall Backwater Brookies - Pg 24 Maine Bear Hunt - Pg 46 Penobscot River Recovery - Pg 36 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 67

Contents

3. Henry Arms Marks 25th Anniversary 5. Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 6. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 7. Anticosti - Mark Cote 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 12. Maine’s Legendary Maine Guides 13. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary 15. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 22. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 24. South Of Kennebec - Stu Bristol 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard 26. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 27. Maine Doe Lottery Open 28. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini 30. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 31. Mass Wanderings - David Willette 32. Question Of The Month 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 37. What’s In Your Woods - Bud Utecht 38. On Point - Paul Fuller 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier 42. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau 45. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 46. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 53. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 54. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 55. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 56. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly 57. The Back Shelf - V. Paul Reynolds 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 61. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 62. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 63. The First Of Many - Jacob Burke

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

The Sportin’ Journal The Outdoor Paper For “Maine Folks”

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprehensive and readable monthly outdoor publication. Published at the trailhead of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Sporting Journal prides itself on being an independent voice for the region’s outdoor community for more than 28 years. Some of our writers are seasoned and specialized outdoors people who will share their know-how and insights; some of our contributors are simply lifelong outdoor people with interesting stories to tell.

Our aim every month is to capture the essence of Northern New England’s remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring memories, portraying outdoor humor, and sharing experiences and outdoor knowledge. We also keep our readers up to date with late-breaking outdoor news and hard-hitting editorials about fish and wildlife issues.

Anyone who loves to hunt and fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors a treasured place, is more than likely to find some special connections amid the pages of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

www.sportingjournal.com

Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970

Vol 29 Issue 8 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

The Northwoods Sporting Journal (ISSN#1548-193X) Postmaster: Send address changes to: Northwoods Sporting Journal, PO Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Northwoods Publishing Group Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds Editor - V. Paul Reynolds Director of Marketing - Victor Morin Assistant Editor - Josh Reynolds Associate Editor - Donna Veino Graphic Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram Operations Manager - Annette Boobar Webmaster - V. Paul Reynolds General Sales Manager - Victor Morin Jr. Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin & Michael Georgia Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs and articles about the Maine outdoors.

Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned.

All rights reserved, 2022. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

Muzzleloading Afield Pg 22 Al Raychard Northwoods Voyager Pg 43 Gil Gilpatrick

Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 67. Real Estate

Cover Photo:

NWSJ Columnist Dave Willette with his first Alaskan Brown Bear.

The Bird Perch Pg 26 Karen Holmes

What’s In Your Woods Pg 37 Bud Utecht

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

My Brother Dave

Looking back through my hunting photos, I see many of my younger brother Dave with some great trophies. We’ve hunted together for 50 years and he actually began bowhunting in High School but didn’t

faster High Country that was still quite noisy. The innovative Mathews Solocam was smoother and quieter and their bows at that time were all under 4 lbs.

My new Z-Max weighed 3.3 lbs and I could shoot

One of Dave’s wildlife photos.

Brother Dave with a nice bow buck.

(Photo by Brian Smith)

get serious about it again until the early 90s when I bought my first bow and started bowhunting. He was the one who convinced me to try Mathews Bows after I was grouping well at 50 yds with his. I had started with a heavy, slow and loud Browning, then switched to a lighter and

better than any other I tried.

Dave joined the Maine Army National Guard between his Junior and Senior year of high school and served over 28 years rising to the rank of State Command Sergeant Major overseeing all enlisted troops in Maine. He was a natural marksman and early on

excelled with both rifle and pistol. In 1984 he was selected Captain of the Maine Army Guard Combat Pistol Team and competed at the National Championships in Little Rock, AR. In 1985 he competed and won the 1st Army Soldier of the Year Competition after shooting the top score with an open sighted M-16 he had never fired before.

His shooting skills transferred to archery

Page 5

The Northwoods Bowhunter

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME with 2 arrows that said “Miss Master Sergeant Smith”. We tease each other but Dave and I are very close and have spent countless days hunting and fishing together. He arrowed his best buck on that expanded zone island after making a perfect double lung shot from a wobbly

Dave accompanied me on my first moose hunt in 1988. After I shot a 55” bull on opening morning, he took some amazing photos and chronicled the entire trip with video, highlighting his photography skills. and was a far better bow shot than I. While hunting though, he sometimes got a little flustered and made some remarkable fatal shots. He harvested his first of 3 bears on one of my baits after zipping an arrow through the upper front leg and severing the brachial artery. The massive blood trail led us to his dead bear only 100 yds away even though the broadhead never entered the chest cavity. On his first trip with me to an island in the expanded zone, I put him in the best stand and he arrowed a fat doe and a nice 7 pointer within minutes of each other.

He said he made a perfect lung shot on the buck, but when we found it a short distance away we discovered it was a “Texas Heart Shot” yet fatal. His best misses came on his second try for a bear when he put 2 different arrows between the legs of a nice boar at 17 yds and Uncle Craig made him a plaque

left hand ladder stand. He had to stand up and turn hard right to make the difficult shot on the big 8 pointer. A few minutes later a nice 6 point came out but he didn’t shoot, forgetting that it was opening day of archery on the mainland and he could have used that other buck tag!

Dave accompanied me on my first moose hunt in 1988. After I shot a 55” bull on opening morning,

he took some amazing photos and chronicled the entire trip with video, highlighting his photography skills. He’s harvested some great big game animals and numerous upland game and waterfowl. He’s very skilled with his .22 pistol on grouse and hare and still takes the best game harvest photos even though he has mostly given up hunting animals to kill. His passion for the outdoors has now transferred to amazing photography and he prefers to hunt with a camera now.

He has a Sony A7 RIV Camera with a Sony 600 mm lens that looks like a Saturn 5 rocket and can capture 10 frames a second.

His photos and videos are amazing, capturing ospreys in full dive snagging 2 fish at a time, bald eagles feeding their young and otters munching on horned pout on the ice. He spends hours stalking animals and birds waiting for the perfect lighting and activity by his (Dave cont. pg 9)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Hidey Holes for Brookies

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME Most trout fishermen are familiar with these terms that occur in the average brook, stream or river, or just plain flowing water, and many more terms besides, such as glades, runs, rips flats, holding pools, glides, falls, and on and on.

All of these sites, and more, may will be discovered on average water flows.

Many, if not most of these occurrences, are places where fish spend their entire existence in moving waters.

Riffles are not only frequent feeding places for a variety of insect life stages, but are also needed for reproduction sites.

Eddies too, are “holding pools” where brook trout and other fish species in waterflows find shelter; and being predators by nature, lay in wait for unsuspecting food to flow by. Even winds cause land hatches of a variety of

insect life to come floating by.

Bogens. There’s a word for ya! “Bogens!”

Have you ever in your stream travels noted a section of the flowing water in a brook, or river, being

Most flowing waters in Maine and the northeast feature “dog day” fishing prospects for fishing for brook trout in the crucial months of July and August. diverted from the main flow, off the main drainage area, or into the woods; then returning back into the main flowage? I’ll bet most woods travelers have.

Actually, where “bogens” occur, it’s often a good prospect for fish location off it’s mouth, due to the sidedish” food source

Let us know your opinion send letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield, ME 04493

that flows in.

“DOG DAY FISH HOLDS” Most flowing waters in Maine and the northeast feature “dog day” fishing prospects for fishing for brook trout in the crucial months of July and August.

Where do these game fish find harbors of safety and survival during this crucial time of year? Sometimes these speckled beauties are difficult to locate during these times, and sometimes not.

Veteran stream followers look for cooler inlet feeder streams and spring trickles to filter in and bubble up from earth confines. Most, or let’s say, at least many of our streams,

At long last, revived from the archives of the once-authoritative books on New England streamer flies and how to use them: Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon, by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman.

Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon was first published in 1982 and again in 1992. There were 350 signed Limited Edition hardcover copies and several thousand hard and soft cover copies sold out with the two printings. Many fly tyers view this book as an up-to-date version of new and available streamer fly patterns and crave to have it in their library. Used copies have been selling on AmazonBooks.com for the last few years with a price tag up to $300.00 for each copy! There are 125 pages with 32 color plates of more than 90 classic streamer flies and tying recipes from a Winnipesaukee Smelt to a Barney Google and a Rangeley Centennial. Leeman and Stewart also share with readers many tips and tactics for trolling streamer flies for trout and salmon throughout New England.

Fishing “Riffles” and ponds too, have these cold water infiltrations---or the cold water fish species wouldn’t be there, at least, not for long.

If you’ve found such a discovery, or discoveries, in your favorite casting waters, you’ve discovered a “gold mine” of concentrated fish.

Of course, hooking and catching these horded masses is another story.

But, let’s say that your chances are greatly improved.

Fisheries biologists are agreed that too many beaver dams and lodges on a choice trout stream, is not good, for many reasons.

These damn obstructions slow water flow, causing warming water conditions,

and decrease spawning or reproduction abilities for brook trout. Too, on many lakes and ponds, cut-off entry for landlocked salmon to spawn as well.

Bob Leeman is a Master Maine Guide, outdoor writer, naturalist, book author, and a co-host of MAINE OUTDOORS radio program on Sunday evenings from 7-8 p.m. His three books, “Fly Fishing Maine Rivers, Brooks, and Streams”, “Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon”, and “Salesman Angler” –are all available, in soft cover only, at several bookstores and fly shops, or directly from him. For information, see ad in this publication or call 207-573-1468.

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Anticosti Gets a New Director

Over the years I have seen several transitions to the Sepaq Anticosti management team. Promotions, re-alignments, and retirements are an imminent part of any business. I must say, almost all have had positive results. I have been fortunate enough to be able to get to know most of the staff on a personal level.

For the past few years, Robin Plante has been the highlight of management.

During a telephone call recently, he shared his excitement for the new man, Serge Lariviere, to take the reigns.

Serge has quite a resume.

You have read my reports of his progression, now, as he prepares for retirement, it’s his turn to begin the process of passing the torch to the next director. During a telephone call recently, he shared his excitement for the new man, Serge Lariviere, to take the reigns.

Serge has quite a resume.

He is well educated on the areas required to run an operation as complex as Anticosti. I look forward to watch him use his numerous skills to take Anticosti to the next level.

This is the letter from the General Director announcing their new candidate: It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I would like to announce the official nomination of Serge Lariviere as Director of SEPAQ Anticosti and Anticosti National Park.

Sepaq Anticosti’s New Director Serge Lariviere.

Page 7

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME Biologist by trade, with both Masters and Doctorate degrees in Wildlife Ecology, Serge Lariviere also holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Certificate in Corporate Management.

During the last 22 years, he worked as general manager and scientific director for various organizations, including the Cree Hunters Economic Security Board, before joining SEPAQ. His leadership, his communication skills and

his ability to develop partnerships will help SEPAQ in many ways. In addition to being an outstanding manager, Serge is also an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing and many other outdoor activities. He knows Anticosti well, having visited the island numerous times, and is well aware of the current and future challenges and opportunities that surround Anticosti!

We are convinced that (Director cont. pg 9)

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Legendary Maine Guides

In this month’s publication, we have published for the first time a complete list of Maine’s Legendary Maine Guides, starting with the honorific’s namesake, Wiggie Robinson, who received the title posthumously in 2009. The article also contain photos of most of these legendary guides.

Working Maine guides are a special breed, with or without the title of Legendary Maine Guide. The ones who make a living guiding hunters, fishermen and outdoor recreationalists of every stripe are accomplished woodsmen and women who wouldn’t be doing what they are doing if they did not have an abiding passion for the Maine outdoors, as well as the attendant ability to do their jobs well.

All of these hardworking, licensed entrepreneurs deserve our respect and even admiration. For this reason, it is disappointing that over the years the Legendary Maine Guide award has not gotten the primacy and public visibility it deserves

Those Roughed Grouse

from either Maine Department of Inland Their names are part of this history and Fisheries and Wildlife, which selects the ought not to get lost in the daily shuffle. recipients, nor the Maine Professional Guide’s Association, which represents our Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson professional licensed guides. In a couple (posthumously) 2009 instances over the years, the presentation Gil Gilpatrick 2010 of the award was not followed up by apGary Corson 2011 propriate press releases and photos to the Gardner DeFoe 2012 state media.

This fundamental dereliction does a Matthew P. Libby 2013 disservice, not only to the stature of the Don Dudley 2014 award but to the memory of the late Wiggie Danny Legere 2015 Robinson and those still-living Legendary Richard Scribner 2016 Guides who have followed Wiggie’s sterling Donald E. Helstrom, Jr. 2017 example.

Lance Wheaton 2018 There is an easy way to patch this void. We suggest that both MDIF&W and Bonnie Holding 2019 the MPGA simply publish on their respecCarroll Ware 2020 tive websites and annually maintain this Polly Mahoney 2022 complete standing list of Legendary Maine Guides. These legendary guides, after all, are the best of the best, and they represent

-VPR our state’s outdoor heritage and legacy.

better. Worry about being correct, not first.

Kevin Cassidy To the Editor: Editor’s note: Nice “Roughed Grouse”!

Come on editor, you can do catch! Our face is red.

Edouard Plourde

puzzling that he being a Boy Scout did not have his Scout pocket knife, match safe and compass with him.

What he lacked in survival equipment he made up with grim determination and will not only to survive but prevail.

No doubt, that experience got him prepared for Special Forces training later on in life.

Again, a very interesting article.

The Donn Fendler Article

Wayne Dengler Danbury,CT

New ATV Fees To the Editor: There’s no mention in V. Paul Reynolds’ article (about new ATV increased ATV registration fees) that ATV club members are often responsible for maintaining some of these trails, but many people who use these trails do not pay a membership in these clubs.

Famous Trolling To the Editor: Streamers I read with great interest, V. Paul Reynolds’ To the Editor: article about the survival Loved the article on ordeal that Donn Fendler Famous trolling Streamer experienced years ago.

I found it somewhat by Bob Leeman! It was

good to hear something about Bob Bibeau. We used to stop at his shop to buy bait in the winter for ice fishing in the early eighties.

One time while getting bait I asked a question about tying the Grey Ghost.

I was having trouble with all the layers, I was just learning. He said got a minute kid I’ll show the trick.

So we went to the sunporch where he had several vices set up.

I sat down and he showed me the ins and outs of it. It was great!

Saved me a lot of time and frustration. He said “Go get the Book of Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon”. I did.

I have a 1982 Edition. I tied his flies and they worked everywhere. I took them (Letters cont. pg 9)

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Letters

waters we’ve loved for so many decades. For a great many of us, we can’t afford (Cont. from pg 8) to pile on that outrageous to The Rangelys, Sebago, added expense, especially Moosehead, East Grand with the cost of living as it and now at Sebec. I like us- is now! How about a little ing a flasher with the flies. I consideration, huh? met Art Libby once also at Bob’s house – what a treat Ken Durkee to hear them talk.

Charleston, ME Sadly not many people troll streamers up this way-mostly bait and hard(Cont. from pg 7) ware. Still use his flies today. The bright ones on his professional experience bright days and the dark- will greatly help SEPAQ er ones on cloudy days. Anticosti and its team, as Thanks for the memories. well as the General Direction of Wildlife within Steve Clark SEPAQ. We count on him Dover Foxcroft to continue offering top quality service for our

Director

Sticking It to Us To the Editor: Thanks for the info about how the un-elected bureaucrats and their so-called “Task Force” are sticking ATV registration fees to us “where the sun don’t shine.” Clearly, these Fat Cats think everyone is both wealthy, and interested in zooming down dusty trails resembling the Golden Road in summer at 40-50 miles an hour. Also clearly, these folks think everyone driving an ATV is 20-40+ years of age, and interested in more speed.

Well, what about us older folks who grew up, and out of that class, and would much rather putter along on a semi-quiet stretch of woods trail?

We don’t need, or want a “Golden Road”. And what about us seniors who are no longer capable to walk or hike these, or any trails, hmmm??

FYI Fat Cats: For many of us, myself included, an ATV is our wheelchair to the woods and

Page 9

serves as the 1st Director at Large. He was selected MBA Bowhunter of the (Cont. from pg 5) Year in 2005 and 2008. “prey”. He has captured on He is a NRA Life Member film countless songbirds, and serves on the SAM-ILA waterfowl, raptors, deer, Board of Directors. He can bear, moose, predators, be reached at bowhunter@ rodents and marine mam- mgemaine.com mals. His landscape and The Director-general sunrise/sunset photos are – Wildlife Sector, stunning, capturing the best Jessy Dynes that Maine has to offer. You (See pg 49) can check out his amazing In the coming weeks, photos on Instagram @ I hope to have the oppor- MEARNGCSM. tunity to interview Serge.

For information on a Brian Smith is a Restay on Anticosti Island, tired Maine State Police call my friends at the res- Detective and NRA Field ervation desk at 1-800- Representative. He is a Life 463-0863. Tell them Mark Member of the Maine Bowsent you! hunters Association and clients, as well as insure our vision of sustainable use and conservation for SEPAQ Anticosti and Anticosti National Park.

We wish the best for him in his new role, and proudly welcome him in the SEPAQ team!

Dave

Subscribe Today!

Page 10

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME A walk through Oregon on the Pacific Crest Trail, I’ve discovered, is a lot like a stroll through the woods of Maine, with lush coniferous forests, sparkling lakes and ponds and clear-running streams.

Climb out of the green canopy to a huge vista of a snow-capped ancient volcano thrusting sky-high, however, and there the comparison abruptly ends.

Ringed with glaciers and snowfields and ski areas, 11,245-foot Mount Hood is the state’s highest mountain and the fourth loftiest volcanic peak in the Cascade Range. From Timothy Lake, I ambled through 15 miles of tree cover before breaking into the open at Timberline Junction, where I enjoyed a close-up look at Mount Hood’s barren and beautiful upper slopes.

A couple miles ahead, I arrived at historic Timberline Lodge, perched at 6,000 feet on Mount Hood.

Exterior shots of the lodge were featured in the 1980 movie classic, “The Shining,” which was based on the book by Maine’s own Stephen King. The reception staff keeps an axe behind the desk for curious

visitors like me, who simply must have their photo taken with it. Inscribed on the handle is the film’s most notable line, uttered

by Jack Nicholson as he peered through the hotel door he’d just chopped apart: “Heeeere’s Johnny!”

The two glorious days around Mount Hood were followed by two of the most miserable days of the trek. Nonstop cold, penetrating rain thoroughly soaked me and pretty much all my gear, despite a good pack cover and quality stuff sacks. When I dropped down into the Columbia

Through Oregon On The PCT

southern Oregon from the California Sierra several weeks ago and reconnecting with my wife, Fran, three of us—“High Five,” “Ranger” and me— tramped happily northbound once again. Three

ning wilderness scenery.

The Three Sisters Wilderness features three neighboring peaks over 10,000 feet, while the Mount Jefferson Wilderness is home to the second-highest summit in the state, 10,497-foot

A couple miles ahead, I arrived at historic Timberline Lodge, perched at 6,000 feet on Mount Hood. Exterior shots of the lodge were featured in the 1980 movie classic, “The Shining,” which was based on the book by Maine’s own Stephen King.

River Gorge and the town of Cascade Locks, my first priority—well, actually my second after a burger and beer—was to buy some heavy-duty trash bags. My pack is now double-lined, all Ziplock’s have been doubled and every stuff bag is protected with two plastic grocery bags. I might do well to double bag myself going forward.

After returning to

days’ walk was all that was needed to reach the brilliant blue waters of Crater Lake; at a depth of 1,949 feet, the lake is the deepest in the U.S. Inexplicably, the PCT veers west of the lake, but having none of that, I took the alternate Rim Trail for nine incredible miles along the lip of this most perfect water body.

The path through central Oregon threads through huge chunks of head-spin-

Mount Jefferson. The 75 square miles of rugged black lava fields in the Mount Washington Wilderness around Belknap Crater and McKenzie Pass were amazing but very hard on the feet.

Sprinkled along Oregon’s 450 miles of PCT are a number of “resorts,” similar to Maine’s sporting camps but with fancier amenities, like a store, cafe, showers, laundry and

August 2022

rooms. Combined with the pickup truck and camper support of Fran and High Five’s wife, Mandy, we enjoyed a number of leisurely slack-packing days and some pretty comfortable evenings at places like Diamond Lake, Shelter Cove, Elk Lake and Olallie Lake.

The century-old Bridge of the Gods spans the Columbia River between Cascade Locks and the Evergreen State of Washington. At 140 feet above sea level, this is the lowest point on the entire PCT. After a much needed rest day, dressed in full wet weather regalia because the forecast is for—yes, you guessed it—rain, I’ll march across the bridge. Canada is 505 tough miles ahead.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

His new book, Beer Hiking New England, will be available later this year.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! (See page 49)

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Sneaky Boar

It was a brisk Wednesday morning with four days to go in the bear trapping season as I pulled off the gravel access road and parked my truck on the edge of a potato field. I eased out of the cab and

down the trail that weaved down ridge between the field and the cedar swamp below.

This bear got the best of two different clients during the hunting season.

Doug, the first hunter to

but left it unused for week three of the season figuring to give the bear visiting it some breathing room and a sense of security. By the time Herb showed up for his hunt in week 4, that site had been back to daylight activity, with several bears around, including the sneaky boar. Herb’s first day in the blind produced no results, as did the second. On the third day around 5 p.m., Herb

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The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME wife Moira got in on the action and we devised a new set. With strings of marshmallows tied high in the trap’s anchor tree, I bedded the trap to affect a rear leg catch as the bear stood to grab for his treat.

With time running out we were going for broke.

I made the final turn

an oil rig and I could hear the blood rushing through my head as I moved closer for a clean shot. As I knelt down and brought the rifle up, the bear lurched forward and took the thirty caliber round high. A quick follow-up put the boar down. I bowed my head, took a deep breath and

on the trail to the trap site just as dawn fully broke. I could see the barrel on its side and out of position from where I had left it, just 50 yards away. And suddenly, a big flash of black as the bear stood from behind the knoll and started pacing around, huffing and growling, his rear leg securely cinched in the snare.

My heart was pumping like

made the call back to camp – “We did it!”

As the bait season ended I knew I had a dilemma on my hands - an educated bear. I knew that next year, even bigger and more dominant, that boar could push off other bears in the area and be content to only visit that site at night.

The author and the trapped sneaky boar. flipped on the small LED take position in the ground light clipped to the bill of blind during week two of my cap, the sun just warm- the hunt had a few encouning the horizon with hues ters just after last light, of pink and red peeking hearing the bear move through the tree line to the through but unable to take east. I grabbed my rifle, a a shot. Already dark as a sixteen-inch barreled Stag pocket with legal shooting Arms AR-15 chambered time minutes past, all he in .300 AAC Blackout and could do was text me to let clicked on the illuminated me know I’d be coming in reticle of the Vortex Strike to a hot site when I came Eagle scope perched on the to retrieve him. He was upper receiver. I pocketed a just 40 yards away from fresh SD card for the game the big bruin, listening to camera and seated a maga- him wrestle the bait barrel zine into the well of my around. The boar showed rifle. This was a ritual I had up on trail camera photos performed every morning at that site nearly daily but since the close of the bear Doug never had a daylight over bait hunting season shot at that bear. weeks ago and once again I decided to let that I set out across the road and site cool off, kept it baited

caught the black flash moving through the thick wood line to his right headed towards the bait. Judging it was a good-sized bear, he readied himself for the boar to break the tree line into the bait site. It never did.

The black ghost slipped away and did not return in daylight.

As the bait season ended I knew I had a dilemma on my hands - an educated bear. I knew that next year, even bigger and more dominant, that boar could push off other bears in the area and be content to only visit that site at night.

It was right then that I decided to put a bracelet on that sneaky boar. I bedded a WCS Pro-12 snare thrower at the site. True to his reputation, the boar fouled and misfired that snare multiple times over the next few weeks. The WCS is similar to a foot hold trap, with a pan that triggers the snare, launching it upwards around the leg. After sensing my frustration viewing the trail cam photos and seeing how the bear approached and found many ways to foul the trap, my

John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine. He can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @tuckerridgeoutdoors

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Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson (posthumously) 2009

Sporting Journal Northwoods

August 2022

Maine’s Legendary Maine Guides

Gil Gilpatrick 2010

Matthew P. Libby 2013

Gary Corson 2011 Gardner DeFoe 2012 Don Dudley 2014 Richard Scribner 2016 Lance Wheaton 2018 Donald E. Helstrom, Jr. 2017

Danny Legere 2015

Bonnie Holding 2019

Carroll Ware 2020

Polly Mahoney 2022

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 13

Night Hunters Go Down

It was a cold, clear November night with a bright moon and no cloud cover. Warden Kayle Hamilton and I met up around midnight to begin working the early morning for night hunters. Warden Hamilton and I had worked many nights together during our first fall as Game Wardens, only tonight was different. Tonight, we were working with one of the greatest Game Wardens to ever wear the wool coat.

A man who had done as much to protect the resource as anyone before or after him. A man of mythical proportions, that had over 300 night hunter apprehensions to his name. Investigator William “Bill” Livezey.

Warden Hamilton and I were feeling some pressure. “What if Bill doesn’t like the spot we picked?”

“What if Bill has a different way to set up then the plan we made?” I relate the pressure we felt that night to a rookie baseball player getting out on the field for the first time with Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle. It wasn’t long before the headlights of Investigator Livezey’s truck pulled into our rendezvous location. Kayle and I both came to attention like Marine recruits when a drill sergeant walks into a room. Bill got out of his truck and in typical fashion, lightened the mood.

“Ready to give someone a ride to Houlton tonight boys!” Bill exclaimed as he grabbed us both by the arm and playfully shook us. Bill had been a Game

Warden longer than I had been alive, but was still as animated and enthusiastic about catching intentional violators as anyone. We jumped into his truck and off we went into the cold November night.

The location I had

liberty of changing the lyrics to “take me to Houlton tonight”, in reference to arresting a subject and bringing them to the local jail. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of an approaching vehicle.

I peered up from the cover of a spruce tree as the vehicle crept by our location slowly with a roof mounted LED lightbar illuminating the sides of the field. A lone deer was illuminated in the light casted

Warden’s Words

I remember hearing the report of the rifle, but it was drowned out by the sound of my heart pumping in my ears. “ G A M E WA R DEN!!!”

But this driver didn’t want to go that easy. The driver hit the gas as the pickup rocketed down the

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME

Investigator Bill Livezey has found time to write a book entitled “Let’s Go For a Ride: The Wild Ride of Maine’s Longest Tenured Undercover Game Warden”. I have read every Maine Game Warden book that has been written, and Investigator Livezey’s is my favorite. I encourage

I watched as if in slow motion as the muzzle blast illuminated the driver’s side window. I remember hearing the report of the rifle, but it was drowned out by the sound of my heart pumping in my ears.

found looked perfect, apple trees with an abundance of deer. Now we needed someone intent on violating that night to come along. Bill looked over our location and I winced in anticipation of him not liking the area I had picked.

It was about 20 degrees out with a light wind, but I was sweating as Bill looked it over. “This looks awesome man! This is going to work.” I sighed with relief.

Bill actually liked this spot.

Warden Hamilton and I hunkered in and waited, while Bill manned the truck in case someone decided to run in their vehicle, after committing the act.

3:30 a.m. is a quiet, lonely time of night.

Warden Hamilton and I had long stopped singing Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight”, our “lucky” night hunting song which we took the creative

from the spotlight, but the pickup never touched its brakes as it rolled by at approximately 30 miles per hour. I jumped up from my vantage point, swearing and muttering about how that driver didn’t even look over at the deer in the field. Warden Hamilton and I walked down to the road and watched the brake lights come on as the vehicle turned around at the nearest driveway. My heart rate redlined as I ran back for cover as the sound of the engine accelerating back towards us neared. As the pickup approached the location again, a spotlight came out of the window and without even coming to a complete stop, I watched as if in slow motion as the muzzle blast illuminated the driver’s side window.

road away from Warden Hamilton and I, who like two dogs chasing the mail truck quickly got left in its dust. I remember saying out loud “come on Bill!

Where are you?” A few seconds passed as the truck continued racing away from us into the night when Investigator Livezey got up onto the road and hit the blue lights of his patrol truck ending the chase, as these poachers knew they had been caught.

I wasn’t a part of Bill’s first 300 night hunting apprehensions, but to catch my first night hunter with Bill, and for it to turn out to be his last as he retired the following year, is a memory I will always remember and cherish.

Since his retirement from the Warden Service,

anyone interested in the Warden Service to purchase this book on Amazon and read about Bill’s inspiring life and incredible career protecting Maine’s resources.

Kale O’Leary is a Maine Game Warden who patrols the Oxbow/Masardis district in central Aroostook County. He has served for over 6 years and lives in the town of Ashland.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 14

August 2022

Outdoor News - August 2022 Late summer offers many options in the Maine outdoors. It is also a time to prepare for the coming season. What’s available to us now, coupled with the anticipation of what follows in the fall, will keep us very busy if we’re to be part of it.

The July Hex hatch is a fading memory. Dog days of August lull us into lazy reverie. We lounge on the porch, waiting until evening to go out on the lake for a bucketful of perch, or to fish past sunset for smallmouth bass. Tomorrow, maybe a daybreak troll for salmon and togue.

Sure. There’s plenty of fishing left. But it’s not too early to sight in a deer rifle or spend some time on the skeet range to get the cobwebs out of our shooting skills.

The anticipation of fall is tinged with a growing sense of urgency. The first August night that you need another blanket snaps you to attention. You drew a moose permit this year?

Have you started scouting where you’ll hunt? Are you hunting bears? Is your bait supply rounded up? Are your stands in order? Still going to practice with the bow, before deer season, like you promised yourself last year?

When the September rains come, brookies and landlocks that have sulked in deep water will show up in feeder streams as they migrate to spawn. Then, like their fall spawning colors, they’ll be gone. There are fall hatches of small olive mayflies to anticipate, and the woodcock often arrive when the autumn trout fishing is at its peak. How

about a New England “Cast ‘n Blast” with a partridge hunt in the morning and rising trout in the afternoon?.

You didn’t fix that leak in your waders yet?

Better get to it. The water’s gonna get cold again! Time to oil the guns, maybe tie a few flies, too. But don’t take out the hunting vest yet. The dog will go nuts!

Chesuncook Update

Chesuncook Lake update I’ve written several reports over the past few years about the challenges with the salmon fishery at Chesuncook Lake. We’ve invested a lot of time from our 3-person region since implementing a new management strategy on Chesuncook Lake back in 2018. In addition to working with the Natural Resource Education Center at Moosehead to develop a spring salmon derby to increase angler use and harvest, we’ve kept an eye on the smelt runs, conducted winter and summer creel surveys, and generated angler use estimates in 2020 and 2021. Our goal is to harvest 2,000 to 3,000 salmon annually from this 26,000-acre lake.

We were able to harvest those numbers in the 1980s when we had roughly 8,000 angler-days of fishing. As I’ve previously noted, those days (and many of the anglers) are long gone. Our annual use estimates in 2020 and 2021 were in the 1,600 anglerday range. But the new regulations allow anglers to keep more fish, so while the number of people fishing the lake is much lower, we’ve been able to increase the harvest from just a few

hundred salmon in 2017 to 1,200 - 1,500 for the past two years. That’s a lot to digest, but the take-home message is: We are getting close to our harvest goal, and the fish are starting to respond. That’s great news.

We still have work to do at Chesuncook Lake.

We continue to encourage anglers to take advantage of the no size or bag limit on salmon under 16 inches to help thin the population.

Please, keep up the good work! We will be monitoring the lake over the coming years and hopefully we will continue to see improvements, but right now, the fishing is pretty good on Maine’s third largest lake.

of the Year Award, andand recognizes the Game Warden Supervisor of the Year, the Legendary Game Warden of the Year and highlights individuals and groups who assisted the Maine Warden Service.

“It is an honor to recognize the outstanding work of those protecting

Warden for 27 years. He was assigned his first district in western Maine, where he spent a short period of time before transferring to Downeast Maine, where he has remained.

Warden McBrine spent the majority of his career in the Lubec patrol, and has recently transferred to the

Submitted by: Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Moosehead Lake Region

McBrine Named Warden of the Year

Game Warden Joe McBrine of the Machias district was honored as the Maine Game Warden of the Year at the annual Maine Warden Service Awards Ceremony at the Winslow VFW yesterday. McBrine patrols the Downeast region of Maine and is stationed in Division C in Bangor.

Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso was the featured speaker at the awards ceremony, which was held in person for the first time since 2019. The awards ceremony gives special recognition to game wardens for exceptional performance during 2021. It also includes the recipient of the Maine Game Warden

Game Warden Joe McBrine Maines natural resources, and protecting those that enjoy them,” said Camuso.

The outstanding work of the men and women in the Maine Warden Service is well known not only in Maine, but beyond our borders as well.

Achievements that were recognized included incidents where human lives were saved, and other awards highlighted the conservation of Maines fish and wildlife resources in ways deserving of special recognition. The following were recipients of this years annual awards.

2021 Maine Game Warden of the Year: Game Warden Joe McBrine, Machias District Game Warden Joe McBrine has served as a Maine Game

Machias patrol where he has spent the last 5 years.

McBrine was recognized for multiple accomplishments including his work in 2021. During the 2021 fall hunting season, Warden McBrine was also the top performer not only in his division, but statewide as well when it came to apprehensions during the months of September, October, and November.

Warden McBrine had a total of 52 cases during these months, more than anyone else. He had several high-profile convictions, including cases on exceeding the bag limit on deer, false registration of deer, and night hunting.

McBrine was also rec(News cont. pg 64)

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Maine’s Penguin

Maine once had penguins swimming in our waters and possibly nesting on some of our coastal islands.

What you ask, penguins?

The now extinct Great Auk was the original bird named the “penguin.” In fact, its

so like the Great Auks from back home in the British Isles. Biologically these birds are not related.

The Great Auk once nested on islands throughout the North Atlantic including the Magdalen Is-

Maine islands. Great Auks stood about 30 inches high and weighed 11 pounds.

Although agile in the water, their clumsiness on land made them easy targets for early explorers seeking a source of fresh food. Once numbering in the hundreds of thousands, in just 250 years they were exploited to extinction.

Prior to the period of European exploration, humans and Great Auks successfully coexisted for thousands of years. Great

Page 15

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME

once called Penguin Island, off Newfoundland.

This was one of the largest breeding colonies. The auks had no fear of humans and were easily herded into stone corrals on nesting islands, clubbed to death, and used for food, oil, and fish bait. In 1620, Richard Whirbourne wrote that these auks “multiply so infinitely” on Funk Island

dicted the pending extinction of these vulnerable birds. This increased the demand to kill the last auks for museum specimens and as curiosities for private collections, increasing the pressure on a rare and vulnerable seabird. The last pair of Great Auks were killed by collectors on Eldey Island off Iceland on June 3, 1844, although

Prior to the period of European exploration, humans and Great Auks successfully coexisted for thousands of years.

Great Auks were captured and eaten by Native Americans as evidenced by their bones frequently found in shell middens along the coast of Maine.

scientific name, Pinguinus impennis, reflects this early moniker. Its name is derived from the Welsh pen gwyn (“white head”, because of the large white patches on the front of its head). The Great Auk was the only flightless bird in the northern hemisphere.

It used its short, stubby wings to “fly” underwater.

They were agile anglers and ate lumpfish, sculpins, menhaden, herring, and capelin. When fur sealers first went to Antarctica and saw similar-looking birds massed on the ice floes, they named them “penguins” because they looked

lands in the mouth of the St. Lawrence, Funk Island and other Penguin Islands off Newfoundland, and several islands near Iceland, and Scotland. The abundant auks were well-known to mariners. Large flocks gathered on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland and were used by early sailors to confirm their nautical position. In Europe, they were sometimes called Garefowl, Risenalks, or Apponaths.

In their dapper tuxedo plumage, Great Auks are most closely related to the much smaller razorbill auk that still nests on three

Auks were captured and eaten by Native Americans as evidenced by their bones frequently found in shell middens along the coast of Maine. Great Auks foraged in shallow water near the shore where Native Americans trapped them in weirs spread across the mouth of inlets. They undoubtedly collected and consumed their softball-sized eggs.

Nesting in just a few dense colonies and their inability to fly led to their demise. Their populations were decimated by mariners from European fishing fleets during the 1600s and 1700s. Many ships stopped each spring at Funk Island,

474-5430

and were driven “hundreds at a time” onto gang planks and into waiting boats. Fatladen auk carcasses were used to fuel the fires heating large iron cauldrons to render the fat of their kin. Today, a grassy knoll on Funk Island marks the location where the remains of tens of thousands of auks were heaped. Skins from adult birds were collected for feathers for quilts and mattresses. Auks were plucked of their feathers while they were still alive and tossed in the sea.

Great Auk populations were decimated by the early 1800s. At that time, a few scientists pre-

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individuals were observed in Newfoundland as late as 1852. About 80 specimens of the “Great Northern Penguin” remain in museum collections today.

Bird enthusiasts’ debate whether Great Auks once nested in the Gulf of Maine. As noted earlier, their many remains in Maine shell middens suggest that they were common here in the summer months when Native Americans lived along the coast and harvested clams and mussels. At the University of Maine Fogler Library, I found an 1888 document by Fanny (Penguin cont. pg 23) Patriot Homes & Design Center Building Maine One Home At A Time

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

The Adventures of Me and Joe

by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME

“How you like that lemmingade?” Eben Ramdown asked as me and Joe sat at the counter in the Emporium and sipped at tall glasses of the cooling brew.

“Ain’t bad, Eben,” Joe said. “I’ve had worse.

Didn’t know you had it in yer to make lemonade. I figgered you was more the iced tea type.”

“Iced tea is what I like my ownself,” Eben said, bobbing his head in agreement. “But they’s a lot of folks set store by lemmingade. “An’ I had the devil’s own time makin’ it, I kin tell you!”

“Why’s that, Eben?”

I asked, taking another mouthful of the tart, icy liquid. It was nearly 90 degrees out and the inside of the Emporium was little cooler. The lemonade was actually like a little slice of heaven.

“Getting’ lemmings, that’s why!” Eben said, wiping the counter with a damp rag that hadn’t

seen a recent washing. “I done some research an’ them lemmings is native to Alaska an’ the arctic regions. We don’t got none of the little rascals. But I figgered chipmunks was the next thing to ‘um, so I went out an’ ketched a few. Takes a long time to boil ‘um down to make lemmingade, though, I kin tell yer that!”

Joe’s eyes bulged. I was caught with a swallow halfway down my throat and started to choke and gasp. Joe began to gag and retch. As the two of us regained some semblance of control, eyes streaming, faces glowing a beet red, Eben calmly reached into the cooler, pulled out the pitcher of lemonade, and refilled our glasses.

“That’ll teach yer,” he said mildly, a grin flickering at the corners of his mouth, “ter make fun of my lemmingade.”

Joe glared and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I dunno which

HELP US FIND

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Find Marty somewhere in the Northwoods Sporting Journal (Hint: he will be located in one of our ads) Send us the page number he’s on and you could be a WINNER! Win a FREE Northwoods Sporting Journal Marty Hat. We will draw one winner from all correct entries submitted each month. We will announce the winner in the next issue.

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(Marty was found on pg 35)

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Phone I found Marty on page

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The Outhouse

For the next two days we worked patiently with axes, bark spuds, draw knives and buck saws. The cedar was as well-formed as Desdemona had indicated. Slowly the little building took shape. would be the worst punishment, Eben…to kill yer or let you live the way you are!”

“Fine thing to say.

You boys drink up. It’s too hot fer all this fuss.” His grin suddenly widened.

“Say…you goin’ to the celebration this weekend?”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Joe replied. “Free food an’ games, you git to see folks you don’t run into all year…it’s kinda highlight of summer.”

“Awful nice of Mrs. Trott ter foot the bill for the celebration every year,” Eben continued. “An’ then, to top it off, she pays for every kid in town to go to

summer camp if’n they want. She might be somethin’ of a rich hermit, but when she puts her mind to it, her heart’s in the right place.”

Desdemona Trott was a wealthy woman who lived in a small, ornate house near the town limits.

Nobody knew anything about her late husband, but she had lived in Mooseleuk for decades, keeping mostly to herself and only coming in to town once a week to shop or visit the library. She was somewhat aloof and taciturn but when there was a need, she was among the first to donate money or goods and the

area’s citizens ignored her peculiarities and valued the woman for her generosity. Every summer she financed a three-day festival of games, food carts, races and dances to which all residents were invited.

Just as the three of us raised our glasses in silent toast to Desdemona Trott, the door swung open with a bang, and the woman herself stalked across the floor to the counter.

“Uh…afternoon Miz Trott,” Eben stuttered.

“Good ay to you, Mr. Ramdown,” Desdemona said evenly. Then she stared at Joe. (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

Shown actual size

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August 2022

Entries must be postmarked by 8/15/22 to be eligible for this issue.

If you just can’t get enough of reading our Me & Joe Adventures, check out the All Outdoor section of our new Northwoods Sporting Journal website:www.sportingjournal.com You’ll find an ample supply of Me & Joe stories to keep you checking for a long time.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 16) “I need an outhouse built.”

Joe’s mouth gaped. He swallowed and then said, “I…uh…I’m not really in the business of buildin’ outhouses, ma’am.”

“Don’t ma’am me!

My name’s Desdemona.”

She glanced at me and then back at Joe. “It doesn’t look like the two of you are fully occupied at the moment.

You’ve got three days. I need a new outhouse by the weekend. The old one’s about to fall in. I’ll pay well.”

Joe looked uncomfortable. “Ma’am…uh…

Desdemona…it’s jest that I already agreed to guide a party fishin’ on the river for the next couple of days, an’…”

“Get Gordon Riffle to do it. He’s a licensed guide and I hear he’s looking for work.” She took a step closer until she and Joe were standing toe to toe. “I need that new outhouse in the worst way. Let me put it plainly. If I don’t have a new outhouse by the weekend, there won’t be any summer celebration. Do I make myself clear?”

Joe nodded slowly.

“As a bell.”

“Good.” She turned on a heel. “The two of

you be out at my place in an hour and I’ll show you what’s required.” The door slammed shut behind her.

“Don’t that beat all?”

Eben said wonderingly.

“What?” I asked, still staring at the door.

“Well, I jest never figgered a rich lady like Desdemona Trott would be usin’ an outhouse!”

“Takes all kinds, I guess,” Joe said thoughtfully. He looked at me. “Guess we better head out to the Trott place. Shouldn’t be too much of a job, jest buildin’ an outhouse.”

We swung by Joe’s and picked up some tools.

The Trott house sat near the center of an acre of mowed lawn. It was a small, neat, cape style house surrounded by lush flower gardens with a large vegetable garden 50 yards off to one side.

We drove up the gravel drive and parked Joe’s Jeep behind Desdemona’s Cadillac coupe.

We found her in the kitchen. I’d never seen her in anything but stylish dresses or expensive slacks and blouses, but now she wore a faded Maine Black Bears tee-shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans. The sneakers on her feet looked like they’d seen some hard use and I imagined she wore this kind of outfit working in her gardens.

I knew Desdemona Trott to be in her 70s, but she looked a decade younger.

She was slim and tall, with light gray hair and an erect carriage that belied her age.

The kitchen was warm despite the air conditioning, and suffused with wonderful smells.

“I’m making mincemeat,” she said defensively.

“Uh…okay,” I said.

She flushed slightly.

“I had that neck of a moose that Odin Crosscut gave me last fall, and I was able to get some good apples recently, so I decided to make some mincemeat.”

Joe nodded slowly.

“Oh, for heaven sake!” she said, seemingly flustered. She turned toward the kitchen door.

“Come on out back and I’ll show you what I want.”

She led the way across the back lawn to a small structure standing near the treeline. It was an old outhouse, leaning precariously to the left. It was small, perhaps five feet square, but it has originally been a well-made structure. Rather than boards or planks, it was constructed of peeled logs, with tight saddle notches at the corners and quarter round in the spaces between the logs. But time had taken its toll on roof and floor, and also the underpinnings. It

wouldn’t be long before the whole thing collapsed.

“I’m going to have it torn down,” Desdemona said softly. “But I want a new one built beside it before that happens.” She pointed to disturbed ground to the right. “I had a hole dug and a cement tank installed. All you’ve got to do is build the structure on top of it. There’s just a couple of conditions.” She looked at both of us.

“It’s got to be built of cedar logs, like this one.”

She pointed at the tilted outhouse. “Cedar give the place a good smell.”

“Onliest thing is,” Joe said, “finding cedar logs that ain’t center-rotted at the base or wind twisted will take some time.”

She pointed at the woods. “Just back of the tree line there’s a big stand of cedar. It’s on high, welldrained ground. You won’t find any base rot or much twisting. Cut what you need.”

“Okay, I’ll get my tools…”

“One other thing.”

She led the way to a small shed at the back corner of the lot. Inside was a wellequipped workshop. Tools hung in designated places on the walls, most of them old but in good shape. A plank work bench stretched across the back wall.

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“I want you to use these tools to build it.”

Joe carefully lifted a small double-bit axe from its place on the wall and examined the edge. “These are fine tools.” He looked up. “I wouldn’t want to damage any of them.”

“I’ve seen your work,” she said firmly. “I don’t think I have to worry.

Just remember, no power tools. Only these ones. I have my reasons.”

“It’ll take longer,” Joe said. “ Yo u h a v e t h r e e days,” she said, and turned to leave.

“Were these your husband’s tools, Mizz Trott,” Joe said softly.

She froze in the doorway, then looked over her shoulder at him and nodded slightly.

And then my idiot mouth ran away with me.

Before I could keep the thought from escaping my mouth I asked, “What was his name? Othello?”

The look she gave me should have caused frostbite. I opened my mouth to apologize, but only a dry click came from my throat.

“No,” she grated harshly. “Iago.” And then she was gone.

Joe sighed. “Instead of wastin’ any time tryin’ to get that foot out of your (Me & Joe cont. pg 19)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 18

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

Guy Grieve seemed to have it all – a wonderful wife and two kids, a home and a steady job at a newspaper in Scotland. Yet he was miserable. The job felt like a prison he couldn’t escape, and he spent all his

a weekly column, found a few sponsors, and began preparing for Alaska.

He made contact with a family in the Yukon River village of Galena, accessible only by air, and arranged for them to help him

His search led to Alaska, and Guy began dreaming about building a cabin in the wilderness and living alone off the land.

waking hours searching for a way out.

His search led to Alaska, and Guy began dreaming about building a cabin in the wilderness and living alone off the land.

With the family on board with this seemingly crazy scheme, Guy quit his job, convinced his newspaper editor to pay him to write

get started. With a great deal of enthusiasm, some gear and supplies, and little else (including virtually no experience in the bush) he got on a plane in Scotland and went.

Every year numerous adventurers like Guy Grieve come from all over the world to little bush villages in similar attempts to

August 2022

Guy Grieve’s Dream

find happiness, and most his family in Scotland, in in the Alaska wilderness. fail miserably. Guy was many ways a changed man. As someone who has long “Call of the Ameri- had a similar dream, I lucky. He was befriended

by Don Lowe and family, can Wild: A Tenderfoot’s found it interesting to fola kind and generous bunch Escape to Alaska” is Guy low along with Guy as he who were the key to his Grieve’s story of his year went through this journey.

His learning curve and success. Don impartcultural acclimation to ed wisdom, lent Guy the lifestyle was proball of the tools he ably more extreme than needed, and helped most, as he had zero him both morally experience prior to and physically pretty Alaska. The one thing much every step of he did have that althe way. lowed for his success With help from was humility and a Don, his family and willingness to learn many others in Gafrom those around him lena, Guy found a who knew how to surplace in the bush and vive. built his cabin over So, did living in a couple of long, isolation in the wild grueling months. allow Guy to find hapHe spent the winpiness that year? It’s ter there too, evenhard to tell. He seemed tually borrowing a to be miserable much dog team and using of the time, digging them for transport.

Guy Grieve spent a year in the into menial tasks and When spring came, Alaskan wilderness. constantly bemoanhe returned home to ing the hard work and dangers associated with the place. Much of the narrative seemed overly dramatic and left little room for the few moments of peace and happiness that shined www.visitaroostook.com www.visitaroostook.co m through in the story. Guy was obviously not built for that land, and wasn’t destined to stay there. But one thing is for certain, it changed him.

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journ

Me & Joe

and then carefully folded waved me back down.

“Be glad to Desdethe check and put it in his (Cont. from pg 17) shirt pocket. She stood up mona,” he said.

She fussed around the mouth, let’s get to work.” suddenly.

For the next two days “You’ve got to have a kitchen, cutting us generwe worked patiently with slice of pie before you go.” ous slices of mince pie axes, bark spuds, draw “We really should get and pouring us steaming knives and buck saws. The going,” I began, but Joe cups of rugged coffee from cedar was as well-formed Many of our as Desdemona had indicatquality buildings are ed. Slowly the little buildbeing used for shops, ing took shape. Joe exerhorse barns, cised his usual exquisite playhouses, care in carving the saddle garden sheds, notches and fitting the logs chicken houses so a butter knife couldn’t and camps. pass between them. The CABINS & MINI BARNS BEEKEEPING SUPPLIES AVAILABLE slight gaps and seams we Stop by and see us at 748 Houlton Road, Easton, ME 04740 filled with dried moss, just as with the old outhouse.

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“You used the door from the old one,” she said softly.

“It was too good to throw away,” Joe said.

“Whoever carved it made it to last.”

“Yes…” she continued quietly. “Yes.” Then she nodded her head firmly.

“Come on up to the house.”

Nature never goes out of style here in Fort Kent. We are at In the kitchen we sat the end of historic US Route 1, across the river from Canada, minutes from Allagash wilderness, walking at the broad oak table and distance to the Lonesome Pine Downhill Ski Facility. The Desdemona handed Joe a Tenth Mountain cross country and blathlon facility. The check. He glanced at it and University of Maine at Fort Kent, downtown with it‘s then looked again. quaint restaurants and bars. Walking, ATV and snowmobile “Too much.” trails are adjacent to the property and there are many attractions a short drive away.

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Page 19

the fresh pot on the stove.

I forked up a bit of pie and began to chew. Then I stopped. The pie had the perfect blend of meat and apple, together with just the right selection of spices. Most cooks never

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 20

Aroostook Woods & Water

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME When was the last time any of us spent considerable energy and resources planning out the trip of a lifetime to some far-flung lodge in the hinterlands of Labrador, all in search of the wily and elusive Hornpout? The short answer, same as the long one, is never. Sure, hornpout don’t rip off big runs into the backing like a Bonefish on PED’s, but a pig of a ‘pout can bulldogdown with the best of them and head-shake you like your dog worrying a dead woodchuck.

Unfortunately, Maine doesn’t keep records for

hornpout, which means we’re working off an empty ledger here. You can’t tell me there aren’t a few 5lb. behemoth ‘pout lurking in the Kennebec, the Pe-

nobscot, and the Andro; to say nothing of all the lakes and ponds we have here in the County. A 20” brookie is the bucket-list fish of dreams for most.

Maybe a little bigger up here. So why aren’t any of us chasing 20” hornpout?

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were 16” and 18”. Granted, they came to hand many moons ago, but the memories are as fresh today as they were then. Spinning gear and nightcrawlers, a leaky wooden boat, a 5-gallon bucket, and a rusty Coleman lantern were all that was necessary.

In these days of $900

bait hook, and attach it to some 5X-7X and see if you can get yourself an unrecognized All-World light tackle record for American Brown Bullhead (hornpout) caught on a fly rod.

the gods of charcoal and cold beer. Well, a big ol’ hunk of ‘pout looks exactly the same -beautifully thick fleshed, with a bright pink color to it. The flavor is excellent. You can do the

Well, a big ol’ hunk of ‘pout looks exactly the same -beautifully thick fleshed, with a bright pink color to it.

The flavor is excellent.

Aroostook County

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August 2022

waders and weekend jaunts to West Yellowstone (not me, but I’ve heard tell), the homely hornpout is devoutly to be ignored.

Why? They’re fantastic eating, and there’s no limit on them. Yes, you’re going to have to wade through a bunch of 8” fish for every 12’er, but how is that any different than how we fish for brookies? I mean, I suppose you could get all fussy about it and rig up your favorite 10’ nymph rod, the one with the real noodly tip, tie on a #10 Eagle Claw

Hornpout don’t get no respect.

They taste better than they look.

What the heck, right? brook trout thing with it; Have you ever grilled bacon grease, or lard, roll it up a big ol’ slab of fresh- in a little cornmeal and fry caught Maine striper? Of it. You can beer batter the course, you have (if you fillets and deep fry them; haven’t, this is a require- you can turn them into sucment you need to attend to). culent little fried fish-bites.

You lay it on the grill and You can smoke them. Make it’s this big, meaty hunk yourself a Caesar salad and of beautifully pink-tinged substitute fried hornpout goodness. It just sits there, nuggets for the croutons begging to be sacrificed to (not really, but you get the idea, right?)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Hornpout

(Cont. from pg 20) sive. Maybe we don’t fish for them anymore because as a society we’ve moved away from the comforts of fishing for a simple, egalitarian species; not enough contrived articles of faith surrounding hornpout destinations. All High-Churcher’s, stand down. If I were going to target hornpout in the heat of summer here in the County, I would look to the deeper, colder waters of the Fish River chain. The weight of accumulated knowledge tells us that the hornpout likes warm, sluggish, vegetated muck holes.

Not necessarily true. Here in the County we also find them in the colder waters, though they will be closer to the shallows and around points of structure. The hornpout is a true native, and its ability to thrive in colder, less than stellar conditions (for him anyway) is a biological certainty.

At the risk of spotburning somebody’s favorite hornpout location (I kid!

I kid! Wait, …you really have one?), go fish Mud Lake (the one between lakes Long and Cross).

There’s hornpout galore on the bottom of Soldier Pond. Maybe we don’t fish for them anymore because we find them hard to clean.

As a kid I got stabbed about a billion times by those nasty barbs while trying to get them off the hook.

We tried nailing them to a tree and pulling the skin off with a pair of pliers.

All this did was ruin the fish and frustrate a couple of kids who were already experiencing the effects of short, pre-teen attentions spans. It wasn’t until my grandmother showed me how to clean and fillet a

hornpout, that I lost my fear of those spines. Watch a YouTube video on the procedure; it’s a quick and efficient method.

Best bait for hornp o u t ? Wo r m s . P o w e r bait. Stinky stuff. They’ll bite most any time, but fishing for them at night is more fun. Fish aren’t hard to come by, that’s for sure. Hornpout are spring spawners and will viciously attack anything that gets too close to the redd. Later

on, they get a bit complacent. So let’s give the much maligned hornpout its due. Be the first Mainer to catch a 20” hornpout on ultra-light tackle, and then brag so loud that you can’t be ignored. I know they’re out there, go find some.

Mike Maynard lives in Perham, Maine, and loves him some smoked hornpout. He can be reached at perhamtrout@gmail.com

Page 21

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Muzzleloading Crossbow Bruins maneuver the bow left to Having killed numer- thing is shot placement, Afield right and up and down with ous bears with a cross- always an important facby Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

It’s August and for thousands of resident and non-resident hunters alike thoughts will be turning to bear hunting. Outfitters and guides will be busy keeping bait sites well supplied and if all goes well 2022 should be a productive season. Maine’s bear bait-

Crossbows are easy to use and unlike vertical bows take no great skill to master. Pick one up, sight it in and you’re basically good to go. ing season opens August 29 and ends September 29.

I wish you all good luck.

There’s certainly a good supply of bears out there and the hunting should be excellent.

One thing I’ve noticed in the bear woods of late is more hunters are carrying crossbows. Crossbows have been legal during bear season for well over a decade now and the num-

ber of crossbow permits purchased has steadily increased. Back in 2006, according to MDIFW figures, just 199 crossbow permits were sold. In 2019 the figure had increased 927.

Not an astronomical jump, but definitely an upward trend. In 2020 the number skyrocketed to 2,746. That was the first year of a threeyear trial period crossbows could be used during archery deer season and fall turkey seasons you might recall, and while the jump in sales no doubt reflected the increased crossbow opportunity for deer, there is little doubt crossbows continue to be popular in the bear woods.

There are of course a number of reasons for this. Crossbows are easy to use and unlike vertical bows take no great skill to master. Pick one up, sight it in and you’re basically good to go. Crossbows are also well suited for sitting in an elevated treestand or ground blind. As long as there is sufficient room to

no intrusion to the limbs when the trigger is pulled you’re all set. There is, of course more to it than that.

Despite what has been said crossbows do have range limitations and the amount of terminal energy they

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bow two things are important. Draw weight makes a difference but for me the broadhead is just as important. Personally, I prefer fixed, cut on contact heads over expandable heads. Bears are big boned

For bear hunts, crossbows are a great choice. deliver. It’s good to know and heavily haired and muscled. There’s also some what they are.

But at average under fat to contend with. While 40-yard shots at bear over I’ve killed several bears bait a 150-pound draw with the same expandable weight crossbow will get heads used on deer, I’ll the job done. Personally, admit it and say I got lucky I like a stronger bow, up on more than one. Pass around 175-pound draw through shots are far less for more speed, flatter tra- common and I’ve noted jectory and more energy penetration can be suspect. delivered to the target for It’s a personal choice, the deeper penetration but the choice is yours but in my way of thinking fixed heads light bows will work. are the way to go.

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tor if not the most important factor. Crossbows are extremely accurate and deadly but again, they do have they limitations, and in the end it comes down to the person behind the bow. Stay within the bows limitations, as well as yours as a shooter, a no doubt excited one at that, and things should go well. If in doubt about shot placement talk to your guide. They’ll set you straight and don’t push it. Pick your shot. Better to let an opportunity to pass than blowing the shot. No one likes tracking a wounded bear into the brush as the sun is setting. Here in Maine, with the numbers of bears generally on a bait, another opportunity, and perhaps a better one will present itself.

Good luck, have fun, and be careful out there.

Al and his wife Diane live on 43+/- acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting opportunities which they both enjoy. If the property has a trout steam it would be pure paradise.

Al can be reached at alraychard@sacoriver.net

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Penguin (Cont. from pg 15) Hardy Eckstorm, daughter of famed Maine naturalist Manley Hardy. Fanny followed in her father’s footsteps and wrote extensively of Native American languages and culture and Maine’s natural history.

She quoted writings from several of the earliest explorers of the Maine coast who mentioned the presence of “penguins” during the summer. In the early 1600s, naturalist John Josselyn wrote about killing Great Auks on the coast near Scarborough in the spring. Accounts from Bar-

tholomew Gosnold’s voyage to Cape Cod mentions seeing penguins near the Cape in May and June of 1602. Were these birds migrating from wintering areas to nesting islands or were they nesting somewhere in the Gulf of Maine?

Years ago, I visited Ralph Palmer (1914-2003) in Tenants Harbor, retired biology professor, state zoologist for New York, and author of the authoritative Maine Birds (1949). Ralph amassed a large collection of printed materials, photographs, wildlife art, and artifacts pertaining to early Maine natural history.

One day our conversations

Southern Aroostook

turned to the Great Auk. He led me through a maze of stacked boxes and took one special box off a high shelf.

It was filled with Great Auk bones found by amateur archaeologists in Maine shell middens. I pondered the dense leg bones, skulls, and the hand-length, heavily-grooved beaks of the extinct species and thought how we will never again have the fortune of seeing these beautiful seabirds off the Maine coast.

Since the Great Auk vanished, it has become an icon of extinction, along with the Passenger Pigeon, Labrador Duck, and Sea Mink. Short-sightedness, ignorance, and greed led

to their demise. This cautionary tale sheds light on similar tragedies that may yet be averted. Of all the animals on this planet, humans have the unique ability to understand the far-reaching consequences of our actions, but so often lack the will to act. Have we not learned anything from the lessons of the Great Auk?

Mark McCollough imagined Great Auks off Mt. Desert Island from his home in Hampden, Maine. He can be contacted at markmccollough25@ gmail.com

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South Of the Kennebec

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Fall Backwater Brookies

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME With striped bass still off the beaches in numbers and fall lakes and ponds heating up again, why would any angler in his/her right mind head into the backwater streams in search of a limit of five brook trout? Here in southern Maine anglers are spoiled with the amount of fishing opportunities yearround.

There was a time that all brook and stream fishing ended after August 15.

Today anglers may fish brook and streams until October 1. That said, live and natural baits are prohibited so anglers need to rely on

artificial lures or flys.

Not a fly angler, you say? Brook and stream fishing in August and September provides plenty of action for even novice fly chuckers. In fact, due to the short casts and abundance of insects that fall of the shorelines the need for anglers to get technical is greatly diminished.

After much searching, I found a 4-foot, 6-inch Shakespeare Microspin P46 ultralight spinning rod with a stiff butt and fast tip.

I can see the fly anglers grimace at the thought, but I seaed a 5-weight floating flyline and reel with a

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Fishing upstream in fall. tapered leader of around Of course, include fly dope similar to nymphing in the 4-5 feet. I’ve searched for although the fall bugs can springtime. a short fly rod with the hold a candle to black flies Back to the experisame qualities but came and mosquitos in June. enced fly guys for just a up empty or with an empty I still wear light col- minute to describe some wallet. ored clothing and band the of the flies and lures I use I wound a strip of pants leg above the boot for fall brookies. Bugs white electrical tape on the to stop ticks from finding that fall out of the sky or

There was a time that all brook and stream fishing ended after August 15. Today anglers may fish brooks and streams until October 1. rod, 6-inches apart to use as a minimum measuring device. You still have the option of catch and release but 7-10 inch trout make for a tasty meal.

I also have no need for my usual fly vest with a million pockets (and flies).

I found a cheap fanny pack that also has a pouch for a bottle of water. In this pack I can fit a couple fly boxes some bug dope, snacks a plastic bag to carry home my catch. There is also room for a small first aid kit, matches and fire starter,

their way up my body. Actually, I also wear trousers and shirts that are sprayed with Permathrin to guard against ticks.

Due to the low water conditions in the fall, I employ my usual springtime tactic of fishing up the stream rather than down.

Low water allows fish to see predators like me more clearly. Even with my stubby pole I can cast a fly about 15-20 feet up the stream and mend the line as the lure tumbles back toward me. This is

BEAR HUNTS

streamside are called “terrestrials” because they live on land rather than the bugs trout crave that emerge and hatch from the stream bottom.

I’ve been fly-fishing for decades and I still don’t believe trout are so fussy they eat only one kind of bug that floats by. If your offering looks and acts like food the brook trout will go for it. Other species of trout may be fussier but brookies are known to wolf down anything that looks edible.

(Brookies cont. pg 27)

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Stashed Boat Etiquette

This is an article that shouldn’t have to be written. Common sense and common courtesy should dictate the outcome. Unfortunately, neither seems to be as common as it should be or once was. Carelessness and selfishness sometimes prevail, and sadly,

and some rest on makeshift stands to help protect them.

Twelve are serviceable, one needs work to fix a notable leak, and none are what you would call nice…

Occasionally porcupines chew our anchor drops and rodents eat through our anchor

rival, we have to bail water until the it is light enough to flip, sacrifice a hanky or something to wash away the slime, and then rinse it off using whatever we can find in the woods.

One of the more frustrating acts of human interference in regard to backcountry boat storage is when someone places their boat between you and the water, or in a way that makes moving your boat in

Native Fish Talk

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME think they’re more entitled to a convenient spot than those who got there before them? And why doesn’t it dawn on them that there is a reason everyone else has their boats where they are?

The idea is not to block the path to the water or interfere with anyone else’s

Cables or locks have been cut by anglers too lazy to carry in their own boat, anchors and ropes are sometimes stolen, and I once lost an anchor drop to what appeared to be a deliberate kick.

this is one of those times…

Storing boats shoreside on private and public property is a long-standing tradition that is very important to Maine anglers.

It is a privilege not a right.

It is one of those things that makes Maine unique.

Without this, many waters would be inaccessible to many anglers, especially our aging fishers.

If you fish remote ponds, you likely have one or more boats stored shoreside in the backcountry.

Doing so eliminates the need to carry one in every time you want to fish, or use a personal watercraft which adds time and what you need to bring. At current count, my group has 13 boats scattered across the Maine woods.

Some of our boats have been there for several decades. Others have been moved once or twice along the way as conditions changed. All are locked,

ropes. When things get bad enough, we replace or repair the former, and we always carry spare rope in case one’s too far gone.

A few of our boats have fallen victim to fallen trees, damaging a couple and destroying one.

Unfortunately, there are also the occasional acts of vandalism or theft. Cables or locks have been cut by anglers too lazy to carry in their own boat, anchors and ropes are sometimes stolen, and I once lost an anchor drop to what appeared to be a deliberate kick.

Once in a while someone flips a boat to see if it’s locked and leaves it upright allowing it to fill with rainwater. Upon ar-

and out difficult. Each time this happens, I’m reminded just how inconsiderate some people can be.

Early this spring, I showed up at a pond to find that someone had brought in a new boat and chained it between our boats and the water. Making matters worse it was on the only dry spot, forcing us to stand in the mud to launch.

Amazingly, the boat had a business name on it, showing that the person either didn’t know or care.

In one case, someone chained a new boat to the same tree we were chained to, making it tough to get our boats in and out. In another case, someone stored a new boat in a manner that required that we drag our boats over theirs to get to the water.

What makes someone

Page 25

boat…

If I encounter someone on the water, I’ll politely ask that they move their boat so it’s out of the way. Otherwise, I guess the best we can hope for is that some of the offending sportsmen will read this article and think about where they just put their boat, and if it is inconveniencing others who have been there

longer. We can only hope…

BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years.

He is the former owner of Kennebec River Outfitters, a Registered Maine Fishing Guide, and a commercial fly designer. Bob is a blogger, writer, and author. He is also a native fish advocate and founding member, Executive Director, and Maine Board Member for Native Fish Coalition.

Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout, Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them and Favorite Flies for Maine: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts. His next book, Fly Fishing Maine: Local Experts on the State’s Best Waters, is due out Fall 2022. Bob can be reached at BobMallard.com or info@bobmallard.com

Page 26

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Bird Perch

August 2022

The Golden Eagle

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME A Golden Eagle flew low over my home early in April 2022. I was having my breakfast and watching out my window for birds using my feeding station.

They suddenly scattered, which usually meant there was a hawk nearby.

within a two or three day time frame.

Ruby-throated Hummingbirds according to my records will arrive the second week of May on the same days. So I always have hung out some sugar water feeders by

This Golden Eagle flew over at just above treetop level. It was a magnificent full adult and I could see the tawny wash over its head and neck.

This Golden Eagle flew over at just above treetop level. It was a magnificent full adult and I could see the tawny wash over its head and neck. The body was overall dark brown and the tail was faintly banded.

It soared with slightly uplifted wings. I was not surprised to see this species in April. My records have shown me that this was a common occurrence

then. If you start keeping records of species and their numbers, you will see this amazing situation for yourself where you live.

In a multi-page notebook, I have a page for each of the 365 days of a year. I put three years on each page.

This allows me to quickly see how some birds arrive or leave my area at the same time. I continue to find this simply amazing.

In my records during the second week of May the Baltimore Orioles, Rosebreasted Grosbeaks and Scarlet Tanagers arrived.

Common nighthawks left during the first week of August. I always enjoy seeing them fly over with the very visible white bars across their pointed wings.

Butterflies and moths also made an appearance often within the same days in my records. Canadian Tiger

Swallowtails, Mourning Cloaks, Promethea and Luna Moths are examples.

Weather conditions influence these events of course.

But I am still amazed at the similarity of days over the years. I am also humbled to think that these events happen without much influence from human beings. Start keeping your own records to see all this for yourselves. You will also notice the sad

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fact that some species of birds and other creatures are decreasing in numbers.

Tree Swallows and Blackthroated Green Warblers are not as common where I live anymore.

Karen Holmes is a retired educator in Cooper, Maine. She volunteers to do many wildlife surveys for various organizations.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Page 27

Maine Doe Lottery Open! North Maine Woods

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Beginning in 2022, a licensed Maine hunter with an antlerless deer permit can harvest an antlerless deer in the designated district and an antlered deer statewide.

Antlerless deer permits may be acquired through the lottery, and any remaining permits will be available for purchase on the MDIFW website.

Applications must be completed online by 11:59 pm (ET) on August 1, 2022.

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Proceeds from the antlerless deer permit fee will help fund the purchase and management of deer wintering areas (DWAs), primarily in northern Maine. Deer wintering areas are a critical habitat for white-tailed deer living at the northern end of their range.

Brookies (Cont. from pg 24) The two most important features in a trout stream are the “plunge pool” and the “tail-out.”

In the springtime when the water flow is higher, trout will be found under undercut stream banks and logs and in the fast-moving riffles and runs.

Fishing up the stream allows me to toss my offering toward but not into the plunge pool and allow it to float downstream in a natural fashion. Trout waiting in the tail-out have their nose headed upstream, looking for fast food.

Looking into my flybox you will see an assortment of bug imitations, a

few small minnow copies and two or three 1/16 to 1/32 ounce Mepps style spinners. Many of these have no name as I tied them myself. Some of the popular Maine fall flies include the Mickey Finn, Maple Syrup Black nose dace, ants, hoppers wooly buggers and muddler minnows.

In larger pools you can search the pool by casting a tiny dardevle spoon or Al’s Goldfish. Remember, most of these streams have not been fished all summer due to the ease of striped bass and freshwater pond fishing so you could hook into a sizeable trout.

Backwoods streams are fun in late summer but don’t overlook the roadside culverts. I do well checking out the many streams

that cross the interstate or major highways. Many of the brook trout are stocked at these easy access points and grow all summer unmolested.

Fall angling is like eating at all all-day buffet.

So many choices so you just go for your favorite foods and the salad gets passed by.

Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Guide and Outdoor Writer. His columns and features have been published nationwide for nearly 60 years. Inducted into NE Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 28

August 2022

Hair Wings and Quill Wing Segments

Fly Fishing

by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington, ME This month I’d like to address two types of wing materials and how to apply them.

Wings for wet flies and bucktails are generally tied at the front of the hook and extend back to about the middle or end of the tail. It is important to form a neat thread base under where hair wings will be attached prior to tying them on, which keeps the material on top of the hook where it belongs, preventing it from sliding around the shank. The hair should be tied on about two eye widths behind the eye with one or two pinch wraps, holding it tightly with your left thumb and forefinger (if you’re a righty) throughout the entire process. The butt ends are clipped at an angle

to allow sufficient space for a throat or collar. Form a nicely tapered head, and saturate with lacquer prior to tightly binding them down. Natural hair is slippery and has a tendency to

will be too large. Multi-colored wings should be tied to characterize a distinct separation between colors.

After the first color is tied on top of the hook, clipped and cemented as described above, the second bunch

can be added in the same manner, but again, bundles must be kept small so the head will be a reasonable size.

Tying multi-wings takes practice; so don’t get disheartened after your

Many patterns like the Black Nose Dace, Mickey Finn, and Red and White bucktails call for two or three different colors where the use of smaller bundles of hair is a necessity, otherwise the heads of the flies will be too large. pull out easily if that is not done. It also helps to use several small bunches of hair rather than a thick one if a heavy wing is desired.

Many patterns like the Black Nose Dace, Mickey Finn, and Red and White bucktails call for two or three different colors where the use of smaller bundles of hair is a necessity, otherwise the heads of the flies

is tied in at the same point directly above the first. It is essential that a tight grip on the hair be maintained throughout this process to keep it directly on top of the first bundle and prevent any hairs from sliding down and “contaminating” the lower color. The butts are clipped at an angle, cemented and tightly bound down. Additional colors

first try. Another step that may be helpful, is to wrap one turn of thread around each bunch (known as a noose loop) prior to securing. This will keep the hair together as well as helping to prevent contamination of the lower bundle. The hair tips should be somewhat even as they extend out past the bend of the hook.

This can be accomplished

Central Maine Region

by the use of a hair stacker, or as I prefer, taking small bunches of hair and aligning them by eye prior to tying them on. The ends of hair wings should never be clipped. Most hairs have naturally tapered tips, which when cut off, will end up looking like a paint brush instead of the slender tapered profile of a baitfish.

Hair Wing Streamer

Quill wing segments from geese, turkeys and ducks can also be used for wings on streamers and many wet and dry fly patterns. However, they are fragile and their fibers tend to split apart quite easily after a few hits or sloppy casts. For that reason, I use quill wings for only two flies, the standard Muddler Minnow and a version of the Grasshopper pattern where the quill is tied flat over the body and ribbing.

The wings can be strengthened with a coat of head cement and set aside to dry, (Wings cont. pg 29)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Wings (Cont. from pg 28) or some tyers find it more efficient to spray the entire quill with lacquer prior to use.

The first step in preparing the wings is to cut identical segments from a matched pair of quills (left and right) about equal in width to the gap of the hook. They can be removed by separating the fibers with a bodkin or needle and simply clipping off the appropriate section from each feather. Place the two segments together so that the concave sides face each other and their tips are even. If one segment is wider than the other, the extra fiber(s) can be peeled off with a bodkin.

It is important to have a uniform thread base where the wing is tied in to prevent slippage around the hook. Tie-in points for the wings of different flies can vary from two eye widths behind the eye for most wet fly patterns, to ¼ inch or more for the Muddler Minnow and Grasshopper to allow sufficient room for a hackle or deer hair head.

There are several ways to attach quill wings but the most common is to mount them on top of the hook with the same pinch wrap that is used on

most other materials. Place the wings over the thread base at the tie-in point with your right thumb and forefinger so they extend back to about the end of the tail and the tips of the quills sweep upward.

Without moving the quills, grasp them with your left thumb and forefinger and raise the thread vertically, pinching it between your thumb and the near side of the hook. Maintaining that tight grip, pull downward on the bobbin removing the loop and tightening the thread cinching the wings against the hook. If all goes

well, the quills should be positioned atop the hook in a vertical plane.

If the wings are slightly cocked to one side, they can be teased back with your fingers. A second pinch wrap should be applied and the quill butts subsequently bound down with four or five additional thread wraps. Another simple technique is to make two loose wraps around just the quills and tighten the thread by pulling vertically downward with your bobbin, all the while holding the quills tightly with your left thumb and forefinger

Central Maine Region

Next month we’ll be looking at dry fly wings

prior to tying them on. If the wing fibers come apart or split during any of these procedures, new quills will need to be prepared and mounted. Making suitable quill wings is another fly tying operation where you have to try different methods to find what works best for you, and then practice, practice, practice.

Joe has enjoyed fly fishing for over 65 years.

His book, Fundamentals of Fly Fishing, is now available. He can be reached at: brewerberts@aol.com

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(See page 49)

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Outdoors In Maine

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME “What are your three favorite flies?”

Whenever a seasoned Maine fly fisherman shares his knowledge with me and my radio listeners on my radio program, Maine Outdoors, Sunday nights (The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network), I pose this question. Yes, the responses vary, but there are some common denominators, which I have squirreled away and will share with you one day.

If you are a die-hard

fly angler who is forever trying to boil down the most useful array of artificial flies from a dizzying and almost infinite array

of choices, the answers matter.

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the author’s favorite flies!

Maine fly fishermen Mallard’s research led him spend a lot more time chasto identify fly patterns that ing trout on ponds and were so-called “local pat- lakes, rather than moving

Maine fly fishermen spend a lot more time chasing trout on ponds and lakes, rather than moving water.

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Chocker block full of fascinating facts and historical tidbits about each pattern, as well as about Maine places and people across the spectrum of our state’s fly fishing and fly tying community.

Above all else, what makes this book so special and a keepsake contribution to Maine’s angling legacy is its emphasis and framework. As Mallard concedes in his introduction, he had some sage advice from his editor.

This book is not about

Bob Mallard’s new book, “Favorite Flies of Maine,” is definitely a keeper! tern-centric.” He writes,”I added what I knew to be favorites, whether I used them or not, and researched local patterns to make sure there were no glaring omissions.”

water. This fact dictated Mallard’s approach to the book. To be honest, some flies I knew well but there are others in the book that I had never heard of.

Whether you are a newcomer to fly fishing or a seasoned fly fisherman with a hat full of old “goto” patterns, you will come away from this book knowing a lot more than you did.

You will learn, not only about fly patterns unique to Maine, but about the people who created them and, in some cases, where they fished.

I was pleased to see that the Maple Syrup, the late Wiggie Robinson’s favorite trout fly made the book. According to Mallard, this simpliest of artificials is inventor Alvin (Flies cont. pg 35)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Page 31

One Night in Alaska

“Shoot that bear!

Shoot that bear! Be quiet and get on that bear.” Those were the exact words of my outfitter/guide Chet Nettles, owner of Alaskan Guided Hunting, and it was the culmination of a long

of 2021 booked so it was looking like I couldn’t hunt until the fall of 2021. The fall hunt is totally different in that you sleep in a tent and then find a high point and glass for bears on the salmon streams-all

timistic, but lo and behold three weeks later I get a full refund.

I told my tale of woe to Glenn Dunning, owner of Tundratour Consultants and he said that he may have an outfitter who could help me out. One thing led to another and I booked my

Mass Wanderings

by David Willette, N. Adams, MA shoved off the boat launch at Skilak Lake at 4:30, getting to the campsite at 6 p.m. We set up camp and then climbed a bluff that looks down on salmon

bear was 375 yards away, but walking directly away, upstream and back into the alders, never giving me a clear shot. Ten minutes later the bear comes

We weren’t there 15 minutes when a large boar Brown Bear came strolling out of the alders and Chet emphatically whispered, “Shoot that bear.” fall hunt with Chet Nettles, who hunts out on the Kenai Peninsula for the second week of October. I landed in Anchorage on October 6th and took a jumper flight the next day, landing in Kenai around midday. We got our stuff together and

stream that feeds the lake, roughly 275 yards away, getting into place just after 7 p.m. We weren’t there 15 minutes when a large boar Brown Bear came strolling out of the alders and Chet emphatically whispered, “Shoot that bear.” The

back out of the alders and it’s walking straight towards us, stopping at the shoreline, 266 yards away.

Chet said, “Take him when you’re ready and just keep shooting until I tell you to stop.” My first shot hit it (Alaska cont. pg 35)

NOW OPEN The author with his Alaska Brown Bear. The bear weighed 800 lbs and was killed with a Remington Ultra Mag. (Photo by Chet Nettles) and strange journey.

This Brown Bear hunt was originally scheduled in the Winter of 2020 as a Spring Bear hunt from a boat with another outfitter.

Boat hunts for bears are very relaxing, leisurely hunts. They are called a gentleman’s hunt. On this hunt I would be housed in a 50’ cabin cruiser complete with a shower and hot meals every day. These are basically early evening hunts that usually get started in the late afternoon.

Needless to say, I was really looking forward to it. Then Covid hit and cancelled the hunt. I could’ve hunted in the fall of 2020 but Covid cancelled that.

The outfitter had the spring

day-rain or shine. I really wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Alaska weather at that time of year.

It could make for a long, miserable week.

Then lightning struck in the form of a telephone call. I could tell that it was an Alaskan number and I was anticipating a call from my outfitter, but instead it was a woman sobbing on the other end. It was my outfitter’s sister. My outfitter had died. They found him on his boat. Now what?

My outfitter had all of my money-the hunt was paid in full. His sister promised me that she would try to get my money back to me but I wasn’t op-

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Question Of The Month August 2022 The PCCA: How Did It Begin?

The Penobscot County Conservation Association began in 1928 as the Bangor Fish and Game Club. During the early years, club members met monthly to discuss issues surrounding hunting and fishing, including weighing in regularly on legislation that impacted outdoor sports. A few notable bills

hunters, •A statewide referendum to decide whether or not to allow Sunday hunting •An increase in the number of game wardens and an increase in their pay •The Commissioner to promulgate a uniform signal for persons in distress in the Maine woods •A law requiring persons

1953 and the clubhouse was built in 1958. In 1960, the club became incorporated as it is known today – the Penobscot County Conservation Association (PCCA).

The PCCA works to preserve our sporting heritage, support wildlife conservation, and promote sportsmanship for the com-

Annually the club sponsors several events which helps them to fund their operating costs as well as scholarships for conservation camps. Three of their most significant events are the Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show, held annually at the University of Maine; the Bangor Gun Show, and an annual well-attended hunter’s breakfast during a Saturday in November. that they weighed in on in the early days included: 1933: •Removing the bounty on bears •Opposing a measure that would have banned the use of bow and arrow hunting in Maine.

In 1949 they presented a series of resolutions to the Governor to improve fish and game laws and protection. These included: •Mandatory, non-suspendable jail sentences in addition to fines for night

going into the woods during hunting season to wear at least 50% red clothing with no brown or white showing According to a Bangor Daily News article, on April 4, 1957 in response to an “Epidemic of No Trespassing signs” the club purchased 1,000 signs indicating “hunting by permission only” and distributed them to local landowners in the Bangor region. Again, they were ahead of their time.

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One of the club’s primary focus is to expose Maine youth to the traditions of hunting, fishing, and outdoor lore, and to provide opportunities for youth to participate in outdoor activities. They do this by supporting conservation camps, offering hunter education instruction, youth activity days, merit badge counseling, and providing scholarship for youth to attend these programs.

Annually the club sponsors several events which helps them to fund their operating costs as well

as scholarships for conservation camps. Three of their most significant events are the Eastern Maine Sportsman’s Show, held annually at the University of Maine; the Bangor Gun Show, and an annual well-attended hunter’s breakfast during a Saturday in November.

The Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show is the longest running sportsmen’s show in the country.

Beginning in 1933, it was initially held at the old Bangor City Hall. A list of attractions at the 1933 show included: An archery contest •Rifle and pistol shooting •Long-distance fly casting, •A Bull Whip Exhibition, and •An encounter between a Maine black bear and a police dog (I wonder if that resulted in just one showing of that event. It then became – come and see the Maine black bear exhibit) As the show grew, it was later moved to the Old Bangor Auditorium (19401955) and the new Bangor Auditorium from 19551987. In 1988 the show was moved to the University of Maine in Orono where it continues to be held today.

In 1951 the club held

its first Junior Conservation Camp at Camp Jordan on Branch Lake. The club designed the curriculum for the one-week program.

Members, local guides, and Maine Game Wardens assisted with the teaching of the course. In 1993 the club switched to sponsoring students for attendance at the Maine Conservation School at Bryant Pond and in 1995 they added the Conservation Camp at Greenland Point in Princeton.

Throughout the 1960s the club was a partner in the wild turkey stocking program for the state of Maine. Procuring, raising, (Question cont. pg 35)

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

Rifle Accuracy Issues

Back in the Golden Age of gun and outdoor writers, there was a revered writer, soldier, hunter and outdoorsman. His name was Col. Townsend Whelan. He was the driving force behind the excellent .35 Whelan cartridge.

He opened up the neck of a .30/06 case and ex-

discuss is what is good hunting accuracy. In my humble opinion, a hunting rifle should be capable of 1 ½ “group at 100 yds. A short barrel bush gun used in thick cover should still be capable of a 2” group at 100 yds. These groups should be shot from a good, padded rest to remove hu-

Start with the first points of contact with the rifle.

Reset all of the screws with a drop of thread Lok or blue locktite. This is the most likely source of movement.

Traditional hunters and shooters often prefer wood stocks on their hunting rifles. These can also be a cause of inconsistent accuracy. A wooden stock over time can warp. The wood can absorb moisture and swell and bend with humidity levels. Frequently, the forend can push

Page 33

A Guide’s Perspective

edy.

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

These next couple of items are more gunsmith dependent. If the crown of your barrel muzzle is damaged, it will cause your groups to be inconsistent.

Any damage to the muzzle crown will cause the gas to escape behind the projectile inconsistently causing the bullet to wobble.

Older rifles or rifles

defects need replacing, not repair. When you remedy these issues and take your rifle to the range, please remember to take a youngster or new shooter with you.

They are our future.

Tom is a Registered Maine Guide. He is the owner/operator of Shamrock Outfitters in Orient Maine with his wife Ellie.

Traditional hunters and shooters often prefer wood stocks on their hunting rifles. These can also be a cause of inconsistent accuracy. A wooden stock over time can warp.

The accuracy of a rifle is dependent upon a number of variables, above and beyond the marksmanship of the shooter. perimented with variance powders to produce a .35 caliber round that is arguably the best bear round ever invented. One of Col. Whelan’s most famous quotes is, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.”

Well, sometimes interesting rifles stop being interesting. I would like to discuss some possible causes for accuracy problems. I have talked about some of these in the past, but they bear repeating.

The first topic we should

man error from the equation.

If these results are not achieved, the causes could be some of the following issues: Optical sight issues are the first suspect. Failure to hold zero can be a symptom of a mechanical issue with the scope. If it is an older optic, it may be time to replace it. A newer scope may require some warranty service. However, before shipping the scope off for service, check to see if the mounts are secure.

against the barrel. This pressure will increase and decrease with the humidity level. It is generally simple to find an after-market rubber composite stock for most model rifles. If you prefer to keep your wood stock, remove it and relieve the area around the barrel trough with a wood rasp, then apply wood sealer.

This will generally work.

These are a couple of items that are fairly easy to rem-

that have been fired thousands of times can have another serious defect.

The throat or shoulder of the chamber can become eroded. A bore scope or a trip to the gunsmith can identify this defect. If this area looks rough or scored when examining the barrel, it may need to be replaced.

These defects will cause gas to escape around the projectile ruining accuracy.

Generally speaking, these

He is a retired police officer as well as a retired manager from two major firearms manufacturers.

He is an NRA Certified Instructor as well as a Hunter Safety Instructor in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. You can reach Tom at Shamrock Outfitters (207) 694-2473. Please visit our Facebook Page: Shamrock Outfitters and Properties and come visit us on East Grand Lake.

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

At camp, this guy and his gundog - after a morning of chasing pa’tridge - found a comfy place to spend some time with their favorite read, the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Where do you read your copy of the Sporting Journal? At camp, in the boat, at the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo of you with your copy of the Journal at an unusual place. If we like it, we will publish it in the Journal. If we select your best shot for publication, we’ll send you an exclusive Sporting Journal hat created just for the occasion. Send your Jpeg photo and a short blurb to vpaulr@tds.net. Please include your contact information, too. www.sportingjournal.com

Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine Woods

August 2022

Lobster Lake

Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

August is a great month to pack your camping gear in your watercraft and head to the lake of your choice. Lobster Lake is one of the finest canoe/ camping lakes in Maine.

Lobster has beautiful sandy beaches, spectacular mountain views and very nice well-maintained campsites.

Should you need assistance, there is a Bureau of Parks and Lands ranger stationed on the lake.

Lobster Lake is 3475 acres in size with a maximum depth of 106 feet.

The lake is broken-up into two different basins. The eastern part of the lake is called the Big Claw. It is the bigger section of the lake and only has two campsites. The Little Claw is the smaller section of the lake and has eight different campsites. One of the nice things about the Little Claw is that it is somewhat protected from the prevailing northwest winds which can be a problem when paddling a canoe.

One of my favorite campsites on the lake is the site located at the far end of the Big Claw. It

sits on a half mile gravelly beach that usually has a nice breeze that keeps the bugs away. There are two brooks that come into the lake behind the campsite that can be paddled up for about a mile that team with wildlife. An early morning or evening foray up the brook will usually reward the paddler with a moose encounter. If you are seeking a campsite with an opportunity for solitude – the Big Claw Campsite is the one for you.

Lobster Lake is part of the Penobscot River Corridor (PRC) which is managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands for a traditional remote camping experience. The PRC includes the Upper West Branch canoe trip - from Roll Dam to Chesuncook Lake. Most Upper West Branch canoeists stay overnight at Lobster on the first night on their trip. Many canoeists don’t paddle any further than they have to, so if you want a more secluded camping experience choose one of the sites further down the lake.

The campsites are all first

come-first serve.

One of the interesting things about Lobster Lake is that the outlet (Lobster Stream) becomes an inlet when the water is high in the Upper West Branch.

The water flows both ways at the Lobster Trip boat launch. You might be there one day and the water will be flowing out of the lake and into the river and the next day it is flowing into the lake from the river.

Lobster Stream is all deadwater from the boat launch to the lake and is therefore highly influenced by the water release from Seboomook Dam. Lobster Trip got its name back in the log driving days. Great Northern Paper Company (GNP) had a boom across Lobster Stream where it enters the

West Branch to keep pulpwood from flowing into Lobster Lake when they were releasing water into the river to facilitate the log drive. When GNP was driving pulpwood from Lobster Lake down the West Branch they would open or “trip” the boom to let the wood out of Lobster Stream.

For those that like to hike, there is a moderately difficult mile and a half trail up Lobster Mountain. The vista at the top provides an exceptional view of the area’s lakes and mountains.

The trailhead to the hiking trail is located at Jackson Cove campsite which is about halfway down the Little Claw section of the lake.

Lobster Lake has an outstanding native land-

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locked salmon and lake trout (togue) fishery but August is not really the best time of year to fish for cold water species. You will find plenty of chub to catch right in front of the campsites. Most kids have a great time fishing for these easy to catch fish.

Want to get away from the crowds at traditional vehicle access and state park campgrounds?

Why not take a trip to a remote campsite at one of the many beautiful lakes we have just waiting for us to enjoy? If you have questions about Lobster Lake, give me a call or drop me an email.

Matt LaRoche is a retired Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, owner of Maine Woods Guide Service and an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached at 207280-0713 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com

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August 2022

Flies

Alaska

(Cont. from pg 30) Theriault’s best selling fly.

Bob Mallard is a stalwart guy who has few peers in Maine when it comers to his dedication to preserving wild native fish and his abiding passion for angling. He writes with style and confidence.

Of all of his outstanding books, I count Favorite Flies for Maine, as his tour de force.

(Cont. from pg 31) hard and the bear started running towards the closest tree-line but there was a large 2’deep inlet in its way and this slowed it down. I hit it three more times and the big bruin died in the water.

It was almost dark when we got to it as it was tough to find it with only about a half inch of its hair rising above the water. When I reached in to grab the bear I noticed that he almost floated. So we tied a rope to its front paw and towed him to our campsite about 300 yards away. After getting it up on shore somewhat, we had a leisurely supper and went to bed, (I had a big grin on my face all night long), where it poured until dawn.

We got up the next day, ate breakfast, took pictures

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books.Online purchase information is available at www.maineoutdoorpublications.com.

Northwoods Sporting Journal and skinned the 9.2’ bear.

We got back to the boat launch before noon, finished up the tagging process and I caught a jumper flight to Anchorage by mid-afternoon. I flew out of Anchorage later that night and I was home for a late supper the next day.

And I still have a big grin on my face.

David Willette is the author of the book, “Coyote Wars”. He can be contacted at coyotewars@ gmail.com

Question (Cont. from pg 32) and stocking more than 800 birds which were housed at their club house. They were an active partner in this program through 1972.

Page 35

called PCCA Pond) which they annually stock with fish and maintain for kids fishing age 16 and under. Additionally, they Releasing some of the turkeys raised have an inby the club. Credit The Penobscot County door shooting Conservation Association: A History of range which they use for Public Service by Paul D. Uttormark shooting inIn 1969 the PCCA of- struction and an air gun fered its first hunter safety education program.

In 1987 the club becourse to 140 students from ages 10-16. The PCCA gan purchasing properwas a leader in developing ty in Stetson, Maine. By the instructional program 2002 their total acreage has adopted for use throughout reached nearly 1,400 acres the state. Over the years, and includes a camp for the PCCA has certified member use. The property over 6,000 safe hunters is managed for wildlife as throughout its two-day well as wood products. It program offered annually is the site of the club’s efat the Clubhouse. forts to support the AmeriAt their facility in can Chestnut Restoration Brewer, they maintain La- Program, where it is home Vasseur Pond, (commonly (Question cont. pg 41)

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Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME One day, resource manager Dan Kusnierz was collecting water samples and surveying mayflies on the Penobscot River near Orono. Suddenly, he heard a loud splash. There— where none had been seen in almost two hundred years—were two seals. It was 2014, just a year after the removal of the Veazie Dam that had once spanned the river above Bangor.

The seals were there because the dam was gone but their presence was also a promising indicator of the return of migratory fish. Last month’s column began our discussion of Peter Taylor’s book, From the Mountains to the Sea: The Historic Restoration of the Penobscot River (Islandport Press, 2020).

The book’s final chapters examine how the river has begun recovering.

In 2004, the Penobscot River Restoration Project formally became the Penobscot River Restoration Trust (PRRT). From there, the project moved forward on many fronts. PRRT purchased and removed the Great Works Dam, as well as Veazie. At the Howland

Dam, a stream-like bypass was constructed to facilitate fish passage up the Piscataquis River. Green spaces—offering riverside paths, native plantings, and benches—were created. As promised, hydroelectric production capacity also increased.

Recovery of the Penobscot River

the Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) counts the fish as they pass through. Some species are prevented from continuing upriver. I was intrigued by the decisionmaking involved. It was obvious that non-native northern pike, present in the lower river, would be

according to Joshua Royte of the Nature Conservancy.

On the rare occasion that sturgeon enter the Milford lift, however, they are released back downstream.

According to MDMR, stur-

August 2022

source and a diluting factor for predation. In other words, every time a predator snatches an alewife, a salmon may survive.

Data for the Atlantic salmon run (and American

Two Atlantic salmon pass the viewing window at the top of the Milford fish lift.

(Credit: Maine Department of Marine Resources)

In 2004, the Penobscot River Restoration Project formally became the Penobscot River Restoration Trust (PRRT). From there, the project moved forward on many fronts.

But what about the ecological impacts on the river’s inhabitants?

Answers come from the upriver Milford Dam, still in operation. There, Taylor explains, “the project partners decided to build a state-of-the-art hydraulic lift that raises fish from the river up to a sorting facility. Water is adjusted to create what fisheries biologists call an ‘attraction flow,’ the conditions fish are likely to seek moving upstream.” The lift rises like an elevator to the top of the dam, where fish are released.

From mid-April through mid-November,

banned. But what about striped bass and sturgeon?

Historical research helped inform the decision.

In 1825, a wildfire burned along the Piscataquis River, twenty miles upstream from Milford. Records mention that “twenty bass weighing from twenty to forty pounds” were killed by the resulting rise in water temperature. Given that information, striped bass are allowed to continue upriver.

The answer is different for the elusive shortnose sturgeon. For years, no one even knew if there were any left in the river.

Then, in 2006, a Brewer fisherman caught one. This triggered a concerted effort to find and tag them.

The University of Maine’s Gayle Zydlewski led the research team. “We realized in the first winter that all of the acoustic tags were clustered in one place,” she explains. The team estimated the overwintering population at one thousand, “stacked in every direction on the bottom of the river like cordwood,”

geon would have great difficulty getting back down over the dam after spawning. Nonetheless, the dam removals were beneficial to this endangered species.

Sturgeon eggs and larvae now have more than the thirty miles of freshwater (not brackish) habitat that they require as they drift downstream from spawning sites.

Then there is the poster child of the Penobscot, the endangered Atlantic salmon. Biologists accurately predicted gradual, and perhaps inconsistent, improvement in numbers following the dam removals. Taylor clearly outlines the challenging factors involved, including the unknowns of the salmon’s time at sea and dependency on other sea-run fish populations. For instance, sea lamprey disturb the streambed gravel, aiding salmon spawning. Other species serve as both a food

shad, river herring, and sea lamprey) are posted weekly on the MDMR website.

After encouraging runs of 1,152 in 2019 and 1,414 in 2020, only 553 Atlantic salmon passed through the Milford lift last year. As spring gave way to summer, I avidly awaited the weekly data for 2022. By June 21, when this article went to press, the total had risen from 229 to 473 to 769 to 907, showing that the future of the salmon still shines with promise.

In 2018, Laurie Apgar Chandler completed a 17-day solo canoe trip through the Penobscot watershed and down the East Branch of the Penobscot.

Her book, Through Woods & Waters, recounts that journey to Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. For more information or to purchase the book, visit www. laurieachandler.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Page 37

Finding Moose September bull permit, just what everyone wants to see when they see their name in the moose permit drawing results.

I know one such lucky hunter and we will be guid-

moose are more wary than back then. With 40 years of training under their belt, they have learned to avoid humans. Moose are just plain harder to find, and the big ones are scarcer

What's In Your Woods

and access how often big

by Bud Utecht, bulls move through the T4 Indian Purchase areas where we are locating cows. If he is checking Township on his cows early, we will know where he will be like to hang out. We should find someone found the when love is in the air. be able to find areas where area you scouted without a the moose will be bedding backup plan. Good luck to and some open areas where all the lucky hunters that there is feeding. The feed- received their moose tag ing areas will be where we and remember game cam-

For the September hunt we will be looking in the areas where we see cows. The hunt is during breeding season and calling will be prime for this week.

Trail cameras are a great way to scout moose. (Photo by Bud Utecht) ing them on this hunt. Good thing I have placed cameras in this area for years and I’ve seen some monsters.

There are also many mid size bulls to go with those bruisers that are in there. I can, at this point, send him the pictures from last year to get the hunter excited.

With the tick problem and the heard size dropping, taking advantage of cameras seems crucial to moose hunting success.

Driving the roads as we did in the 80’s is not getting it done anymore. The

that ever.

For the September hunt we will be looking in the areas where we see cows. The hunt is during breeding season and calling will be prime for this week. Heat will be our biggest challenge, if the weather stays hot, the moose will only move at night making this hunt a real test. We will be hoping for cool days and rain won’t hurt either. Until then, I will be checking cameras every month to see where the activity is

Many cameras will be set up in the wet feeding areas such as beaver ponds and small Lily pad filled dead waters. Usually, we get a good mix of bulls and cows in these areas.

We will look for the travel lanes into the water and set up the cameras. This is a difficult place to set up due to all the shrubbery which will move around in the wind and set cameras off.

Lots of pruning will need to be done around the water sites. Then we will move to higher ground where bulls

place the cameras.

We dream of these hunts all our lives and landed one of the coveted tags sets that dream in motion. There is a lot of stress involved in these hunts as no one wants to go home without filling their tag.

One way to increase your odds is scout often and set cameras out in different areas. There will be a lot of hunters out and you don’t want to show up to

eras are not just for deer hunting.

Bud Utecht is a Register Maine Guide, sporting camp owner, Browning trail camera dealer, and consultant. His trail cameras are strategically placed throughout the Maine Woods. Feel free to email Bud for trail camera tips or to discuss what’s in your woods. bud@whatsinyourwoods.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

Upland Hunters: Plan Ahead

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. The month of August is part of the Dog Days of Summer. However, not for the upland hunter and bird dog enthusiast. There are many activities to keep us busy prior to hunting season. Let’s take a look at those activities.

Although staying healthy and in shape should be a year around project for both dog and hunter, August should be the premier month for reaching fitness goals. Both human and dog should be getting exercise every day. If it’s hot, run your dog early in the morning before leaving for work. It’s unfair to take an out-of-shape dog hunting on opening day. Get off the couch and get outside.

If you and your dog are in shape, hunting season will be much more enjoyable.

Part of being in-shape can be accomplished by

August 2022

searching for new coverts in August. Young birds are flying so no need to be concerned about your dog catching chicks. For the past twelve years, I’ve been filming August training sessions on wild birds in

waters throughout your hunting area. Plus, seeing wild game such as moose, bears, eagles, etc. is always a bonus.

Dog food adjustments are always made in August at our home. Meeting dog owners across the country, I’m often asked how much food we feed our dogs.

It’s a good question. Recognizing that all dogs are

cups of food per day that delivers 400 calories per cup. During the off-season, we feed Native Level 2 which delivers 380 calories per cup. In August, we switch to Level 3 which delivers 440 calories per cup. Dog food scientists

truck. If you’re planning a trip to the prairies with a September 1 opener, you’ll be leaving late this month. For your author, it’s a very long trip. Before departure, my truck goes to the dealership for a complete checkup with an oil

Make the search for new coverts fun.

Research maps for old logging roads.

My wife and I have a goal of adding at least two new coverts every year.

different, there are standard guidelines for feed- August work prepares dog for hunting season.

(Photo by Paul Fuller) ing based on weight and activity level. A premium recommend the switch to change. Imagine a break dog food, such as Native the higher calories begins down along the way with a Performance Dog Food, at least 30 days before the truck full of dogs, shotguns and gear. It wouldn’t be will deliver 400 calories increased activity.

Another August activ- pleasant. per cup of food. A working How about hunting dog requires 27-30 calories ity is preparing your gear per pound per day. For ex- and truck. Regarding gear, licenses? If you’re huntample, if your dog weighs are those hunting boots still ing multiple states, buy 40 lbs., (range 20-50 lbs.) in good shape? If you need your license early. It will it needs 1200 calories (30 a new pair, get them now. be one less worry as the calories x 40 lbs. = 1200). You don’t want to slip on a season opener approaches.

That means your 40 lb. ca- new pair of boots on open- Today, all licenses can be nine athlete requires three ing day. Has your hunter purchased on-line. orange cap faded so badly Good planning will that it looks yellow? Time make for a much more for a new cap. The past enjoyable hunting season. two years, there has been a Good luck! shotshell shortage. If your inventory is low, now is the time to begin looking Paul and his wife, for shells. Is your shotgun Susan, are hosts of the Bird GUNS • HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING in order? At the end of last Dogs Afield TV show. All season, did you say: I need past episodes are availto take this gun to a gun- able on his website: www.

LINCOLN, MAINE OUTFITTER smith before next season”? birddogsafield.com ConBut, you never did it. tact: paul@birddogsafield.

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Birds are plentiful, and it gives your dog a great opportunity to sharpen his or her skills before actual hunting. Plus, you’ll discover new coverts for the hunting season.

Make the search for new coverts fun. Research maps for old logging roads.

My wife and I have a goal of adding at least two new coverts every year. This search will always produce new views of woods and

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Early Days at Spring Lake Camps

It has been said in several articles that Andrew S. Douglass of Eustis constructed five camps at Spring Lake Camps in 1890, but they were either owned by B. P. J. Weston of Madison or he held the mortgage on the property.

Weston sold them to Franklin Savage of Bigelow Township on October 25, 1893 and two years later Savage sold them to Augustus B. Douglass of Eustis, son of Andrew S. Douglass, and Arthur S. Wright of Flagstaff for the sum of $400. While many camps closed in the first part of the twentieth century, Spring Lake Camps, along with King and Bartlett and Tim Pond Camps, remained one of the most popular in the region for the next thirty years.

The lake, which is two and half miles long, is spring fed, clear and cold.

It lies nested in a bowl, surrounded by Flagstaff Mountain, Picked Chicken Hill and Blanchard Mountain and was several miles from the former plantation of Dead River. Lying 1,297 feet above the sea, it is surrounded on three sides by the Dead River, into which its outlet empties.

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The number of camps grew under the management of Douglass and Wright and they installed a steamboat to take folks around the lake. More uniquely, they built a log railroad that was powered by a single horse, which drew a buckboard on spool-like wheels for a distance of about two and half miles. This was used to carry supplies, baggage and even people who were unable to walk the distance into the camps, it was eventually disused as autos began making their way into the valley.

However, Douglass’ eyesight began to fail and he was unable to operate the camps or guide anymore, so John Carville, a local teacher, who had been elected secretary of the Spring Lake Hunting and Fishing Association, took over as proprietor.

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

Canoes were available at 50 cents a day.

In the spring of 1922 the J. P. Morgan Trust Company, the wealthy banking house founded by the late entrepreneur J. P. Morgan, purchased the lease on Spring Lake Camps for $1500 for use by its 250 employees. The camps were to be used mainly for the employees, with the company paying

“highway” from Dead River Station to the camps.

Special trains would convey the guests to the last train stop and the remaining journey by car or truck.

At this point the camp could hold 45 guests, electric lights were installed The camps did well under and spring water could now Carville’s careful managebe piped into every cabin. ment and around 1907 a A large recreation pavilion dance hall was added. with a long veranda was By 1915 Spring Lake constructed which included a player piano and a VicThe lake, which is two and half miles trola.

The William Viles long, is spring fed, clear and cold. It lies Farm, close to the shore of nested in a bowl, surrounded by Dead River was also purFlagstaff Mountain, Picked Chicken Hill chased and Alec Blanchard and Blanchard Mountain and was was hired as general suseveral miles from the former perintendent of the farm. plantation of Dead River.

A new barn was built to house the magnificent herd Camps had a main dining for all expenses, including of Swiss cattle and several hall and 13 log cabins that train fare. John Carville artesian wells were dug. could be reached by stage, was retained as manager auto, or buckboard. Cabins of the camps and they were Steve is an avid hiker, were furnished with spring renamed Camp Skipaki. paddler and historian, havbeds, mattresses, stoves, Renovations had be- ing collected over 26,000 comfortable chairs, and gun in May and the inten- Maine Woods articles to large piazzas. There was tion was to build a $5,000 date. an outlying camp at Grand DOVER-FOXCROFT Falls for parties taking fish- ORONO ing, hunting or exploring AUBURN NORTH WINDHAM ventures to Spencer Stream and Dead River Rapids. HAMPDEN SCARBOROUGH The cost in 1915 was $3.50 LINCOLN a day for guide and board. ELLSWORTH MILO PORTLAND PRESQUE ISLE YARMOUTH MACHIAS

HOLDEN

Old Tales of the Maine Woods Steve Pinkham Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller

617-407-0743

steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

Rope: The Good, Bad and the Ugly

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME Rope or cord in a survival kit has many uses.

What it is made of and how it is made will determine what you can use it for. It can be as simple as cotton string or as high tech as Kevlar cord or “Survival Cord”. Cord or rope (string, twine) does not have to be super strong to be useful.

Cord and rope is made up of very thin individual strands. They are combined in one of three ways. Either twisted, braided, or both.

Twisted is the easiest to separate if you need a thinner cord to use as fish line or you just need more cord.

Twisted cord has obvious strands wrapped around itself.

Natural materials such as cotton or Jute twine are not as strong as man made materials. They usually hold a knot well and are good for low strength uses.

They will also burn if you cut a small piece and fuzz it out. If you forget pieces in the woods, they will rot because they are natural.

Both cotton and jute are usually twisted and not braided.

Nylon cord is usually the most common type

August 2022

of twine. Mason’s twine, braided nylon twine, mountain climbing ropes, etc. are almost always nylon.

Nylon cord is very strong and does not rot. One disadvantage is it doesn’t hold a knot as well as other materials. It can also stretch.

Polypropylene is another kind of synthetic rope. It is lightweight and

inner strands can be pulled out and used separately for any number of things. It is nylon and can stretch up to 30% depending on the use.

It is great for shelter building and securing a load to a pack. I have used 550 to secure a canoe to the roof of a car with no problems.

As useful as 550 is, it is NEVER to be used where lives are at stake. It is NOT mountain climbing rope.

that are removable, but it stretches and knots can slip. Bankline holds knots very well and is thin, but is harder to untie and the diameter might be a problem depending on how you use it. Do not buy cheap

Man made materials melt, and can drip liquid plastic causing severe burns. Melting rope ends is handy to keep them from fraying but you need to be very careful. Natural materials (cotton, jute) burn and

bankline. It is usually roll dipped and becomes a sticky mess.

Be careful of weight rating on any cord. 550 is “rated” for 550 pounds; but bends, knots, water, and shock load vs static load all change what a cord/rope will hold before it breaks.

You can plan on a cord/ rope holding about ⅕ the load it is rated for.

Some cord holds knots very well, some slip and don’t hold depending on what it is made from.

Different knots work better with different materials.

work well for firestarting.

Don’t over think rope or string. If you can’t break it by hand, it is usually strong enough to build a shelter. Also, plan to use MUCH more than you thought you would need.

Any rope you will be depending on for safety, even just hanging a hammock, is a totally different category. Know what you are using before you bet your life on it.

Nylon cord is very strong and does not rot. One disadvantage is it doesn’t hold a knot as well as other materials.

It can also stretch.

very strong, rot proof, and it floats. It does not stretch and is great for use around fresh or saltwater.

550 or Para cord is considered by most people as the “must have” cordage. It comes in dozens of different colors and has hundreds of uses. It is about the same thickness as heavy duty boot laces and is rated for 550 pounds; that is where the name comes from. Most 550 is made of 7 inner strands, each made up of 2 or 3 individual strands twisted together.

The 7 strands are encased in a woven outer covering (a kernmantle rope). 550 can be used as it is or the

Bank line is the other type of cordage that is most talked about. It is nylon, either 3 strands twisted or braided, that has been treated with tar and dried.

The tar makes the cord waterproof, rot proof, and increases the friction. It is tacky but not sticky. Bank line is very strong and holds a knot extremely well. It is great for lashing shelters and building things. It is designed to be used in water or wet environments and is very long lasting.

Both Bankline and 550 have advantages and disadvantages. 550 is easy to use and has inner strands

Joe is a Husband, Father, Author and Marine.

Joefrazier193@gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Question

(Cont. from pg 35) to over 3,000 American Chestnut Trees which have been planted by club members. The Stetson Land is open to use for club members as well as outdoor educational programs and organizations such as Local Boy Scout Troop #1.

One of the PCCA’s most significant influences is their scholarship program. Annually the PCCA provides academic scholarships to students studying to be conservation professionals from the University of Maine and other nearby colleges. 2022 marks more than 60 years that the club has been providing financial assistance to young professionals.

The scholarship program began in 1960 with the award of 1 scholarship to the University of Maine Wildlife Department in the amount of $100.

The scholarship program was established by early members, mostly local business people who wanted to preserve our sporting heritage. Members would contribute annually to the Scholarship Trust fund until it had a healthy balance.

At its peak, the scholarship program was presenting 22 - $2,000

scholarships to University of Maine Students, 10 - $1,000 scholarships to Unity and 3 - $1,000 scholarships to University of Maine Machias Fisheries, totaling more than $55,000.

To date the club estimates they have provided upand-coming outdoor conservation minded wildlife and forestry professional more than $1.5 million in scholarships, including many current MDIFW employees.

An outstanding feat and contribution to the conservation community of the state of Maine.

Annually the PCCA hosts a number of community fundraising events including craft fairs, a community yard sale, and kids ice fishing derbies at their locally stocked pond. They hold family fun days in the summer months where they promote air gun shooting, trapper education, fly tying, fly casting, and the Growing Up Wild programs for

SKOWHEGAN

Page 41

conservation of Maine’s precious natural resources, their unwavering efforts to develop and educate sioner Camuso attendkids. youth in This year they are a ed their annual wardens’ our outdoor traditions, and co-sponsor of the Schoodic night. The PCCA has held most especially their being Lake Charity Bass Tourna- the warden appreciation a 100% devoted partner night for more than 80 to the Maine Department ment.

The PCCA has always years, beginning in the of Inland Fisheries and been a very strong support- early 1930s, hosting it ev- Wildlife, the Penobscot er of MDIFW. They make ery year since.

County Conservation AsThe club’s member- sociation was presented their facility available to us for countless meetings, ship is almost 250 indi- the 2021 Maine Warden trainings, and educational viduals including more Service Colonel’s Award. programs. From statewide than 50 lifetime members, Learn more about trainings, to ethics courses, 35 family memberships, the Penobscot Conservarecreational safety classes, and over 100 individual tion County Association public hearings, and staff memberships. and how you can get inDue to their dedicated volved at https://consermeetings.

Earlier this month a service to Maine’s outdoor vationassociation.org dozen of us and Commis- recreation, their faithful

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PO Box 195

Page 42

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Fishing the main stem of the Penobscot river is certainly a rewarding experience with all it’s wildlife and majestic splendor.

From Medway to Bucksport, a variety of fish and wildlife exist that’s rivaled by few in the continental United States. The Penobscot is Maine’s largest river, and second largest in New England behind the Connecticut river. The river host a variety of fresh water, anadromous and catadromous fish. Historically, the river had been sustenance and a foothold for the native people, Penobscot Indian Nation and others.

A new beginning in 2013 for the river, has been ongoing through a collaborative river restoration project. The removal of two dams, fish ladder improvements and new fish swim around, have created native fish access to approximately one thousand miles of prime, river habitat. Although, it may take 60 plus years to quantify results, there is much evidence that the ongoing work is working! As a working

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

The Penobscot River

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME master Maine guide, I am certainly grateful on the progress and hopeful for a return of the once former glory of the Penobscot river. The Atlantic Salmon runs remain erratic, but is still considered the largest Atlantic salmon run in the United States.

The Atlantic Salmon is federally listed as “endangered” which has helped efforts for protecting and restoring the iconic fish. Unfortunately, the state of Maine has refused to except the “endangered” listing at this time, claiming the fish is a “marine species” and outside their jurisdiction. Despite efforts by groups such as the

The Penobscot River is a treasure watershed. mize restoration efforts. Maine is ninety four percent been seen in the past to be Most everyone’s goal is privately owned, which down to a trickle, stranding to get the Penobscot River lends itself to the mercy of its fish in shallow pools and it’s life forms closer its private land owners, as along with river recreationto achieving its historical, well as it’s hydro control. alist. A more consistent and native life.

Although most land own- minimum flow failsafe The Penobscot River ers are good stewards of would certainly benefit has faced several chal- the river, there is certainly all. As always, awareness lenges from changes since room for improvement along with education is key the early 1800’s. The place- if we are to bring to life to preserving our environment of dams, deforestation a river that has become ments future and living and toxic discharges, has unrecognizable. The river things.

As always, rememA new beginning in 2013 for the river, has been ongoing ber to take a young perthrough a collaborative river restoration project. The son hunting or fishing to removal of two dams, fish ladder improvements and new keep our outdoor heritage fish swim around, have created native fish access to alive and well! In addition, please support your local approximately one thousand miles of prime, river habitat.

Native Fish Coalition, this presented many challenges is in need to be preserved tackle shops and small refusal remains in place. to all living life forms that for it’s overall economic businesses!

It is said that this situation is creating conflicts in agencies, and a delay in restoration efforts. Hopefully, everyone can get on the same page and pull in the same direction to maxi-

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depend on the rivers health and well-being. The river is a multiuse resource that’s is shared by all walks of life. The activities include fishing, boating, swimming and even a sea plane airport located in Old Town. As development continues in Maine, it’s still relatively at a snail pace when compared to other rivers in the country. This being said, it is evident that more river protection is needed to protect the river. The removal of trees from development and logging continues to erode the wild and natural experience that the river is reputed for.

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and historical value for the river and everyone’s future. Unfortunately, global warming is changing the habitat for both animals like moose, and especially cold water fish. It’s said that just a couple of degrees can have devastating effects on the land, river and its life forms. The controlled water flows with drastic fluctuations further stress fish and impacts multiuse activities. It’s very evident, especially in the Penobscot’s upper stretches of the west branch. The flow is commonly regulated and reduced approximately by 50% in a twenty-four hour period. The river has even

Rich is a full time Registered Master Maine Master Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford, Maine. He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and recreation adventures. When Rich is not on adventures, he serves as a board member for the Native Fish Coalition, Maine chapter.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

The Life Changers

Have you ever stopped to think about who the people are that had a profound influence on your life? At some point in time I started to think about it and some people who I had not thought about for a long time came to mind. And the more I thought about them

hadn’t thought about it. He said I should apply to a college. This kind of surprised me because I had never thought about going to college. At that time 18 year olds were being snatched up by the draft and gone off to fight in Korea. I guess I had just figured that was

This is my dad at an old cabin where we stayed on our last fishing trip before I started college. the more important I realized that they were in my life. My parents, of course, come to mind. They would be first and foremost, but this is about other people.

I often hear someone asked about the teacher who had the most influence on them. For me it wasn’t a teacher, but my high school principal, Mr. Kelly.

One day during my senior year Mr. Kelly stopped me in the hall and asked me what I planned to do after I graduated. I remember I just shrugged and said I

what was in store for me.

The fact that Mr. Kelly saw something in me to cause him to give that advice was surprising as I wasn’t exactly a model student. In fact, during my early days in the building I had been in some trouble many times and some of it caused Mr. Kelly to be bend me over a desk and give me a good whacking with a big black leather strap. (Yes, they did that back then.)

I will always be grateful to that high school prin-

ciple because that advice had a huge influence on the rest of my life. I met Dot, my future wife, at the University. I graduated and received a degree and a commission in the army, where I ended up spending six years including a lengthy overseas tour in Germany. In Europe Dot and I got to visit places that we never would have seen otherwise. When we returned to the U.S. I was stationed all the way across

Northwoods Voyager

Page 43

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME So, thank you Miss Fife that was sound advice you gave us those many hears ago, and it started me on a rewarding lifetime career.

I give my dad credit for showing me the great outdoor Maine even though he was busy trying to support a family during those hard years. We went hunt-

down and smiling to know how your knowledge made such a difference in my life.

There were countless others that influenced parts of my life, but these are the ones that jump into my mind right away. Who are your’s?

The fact that Mr. Kelly saw something in me to cause him to give that advice was surprising as I wasn’t exactly a model student.

Gil Gilpatrick is a Master Maine Guide, and is the first living recipient of the Legendary Maine Guide award. He is a life member of the Maine Professional Guides Association, a founding member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, and served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides from 1996 to 2010. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is the author of seven outdoorrelated books. Contact him at Gil@GilGilpatrick.com

the country to Washington state so we got to visit a number of states and places that we probably would never have seen otherwise.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

There is another person who influenced me and this one was a teacher, actually a professor. In all the years before college I kept thinking about writing about what I did and what I thought. I just never was sure if I could because I wasn’t that good an English student and I just didn’t know where to start. The English course in my freshman year at University of Maine was taught by Miss Fife. It was mainly a writing class, and I remember one day hearing her say, “I don’t care if you know why you use a comma as long as you use it”. That one bit of advice started me thinking that I could do it! So, I wrote, and still write. I’ve done a monthly column for an outdoor magazine for the past 45 years. I have written several books, six of which are still in print.

ing, though we were so poor that we borrowed guns from relatives. We went fishing and I have fond memories of wading up and down Sandy Stream catching our limit of brook trout. We also camped along the shore of the stream where I learned something about camping.

Those were great years for me and important ones, it turned out. So thanks dad.

I know you are looking

Page 44

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

Crappie is as Crappies does. Sounds like it could be a Kenny Chesney song.

Summertime is a great time to grab a light action rod and reel and take your kids fishing.

One of the best things to offer kids is a chance to

catch, but they make for great eating!

Although I’ve never had a desire to consume a sunfish growing up, once I discovered, cooked and consumed crappie, it surprised me how delicious they really are. I’d actually

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

When Crappie is Good

fishing for them, look for objects like fallen trees, logs and vegetation. They are easily caught by casting light jigs, small spinnerbaits, worms with a bobber, or even my favorite – fly fishing.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no catch limit on these fish, so you can have quite the fish fry with a bunch of fresh filets.

spices and culinary products.

While I was organizing myself and getting the griddle heating, my colleague fileted out the crappie.

cooked, I placed them on a hoagie roll that was lathered with the flavored mayo and added some lettuce and fresh sliced tomato.

My colleague Mark and I took our first bite to

Crappie is a species of fish here in New England that can not only be fun to catch, but they make for great eating! experience success in the outdoors. They learn a lot from breaking away from the electronic devices and feeling a tug at the end of their line ensures we can pass on to the next generation the outdoor lifestyle.

Crappie is a species of fish here in New England that can not only be fun to

consider them the freshwater version of sole/flounder.

The characteristics of this fish are a white flaky meat that possesses a sweet flavor. Some of my favorite ways to enjoy them are fish fry, fish sandwiches, chowder and fish cakes.

Crappie are a structure-oriented fish, so when

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I recall my first experience catching them. I was filming a video streaming television show with a bordering State Fish & Game Department. We set out around mid-morning to a small tributary that connected to a large river that runs through the state.

The atmosphere resembled a small and narrow pond.

Using a electric trolling motor, we drifted slowly across the water, casting small jigs towards the shoreline and around structured areas. Almost instantly we were catching crappie. They were fun to catch and within the hour we had landed plenty of fish for the table.

We proceeded to the shoreline where I set up a working table and a Camp Chef outdoor griddle and broke out my cooking gear to include my WildCheff

Most kids who catch a fish get hooked on fishing. (Photo by Karen Reynolds) I prepared a fruit salsa, and then placed some hoagie rolls on the griddle to toast. While they were toasting, I mixed mayo with seasoning and fresh citrus juice to make an aioli.

Now I seasoned up the fish with my WC blackening seasoning and placed them on the griddle, along with some pre-cooked bacon.

Once the fish and bacon were flipped once and

end the filming and he was so excited about tasting this Fish Po` Boy, I thought he was going to leap for joy.

You can share these types of outdoor experiences with your kids and show them the value of utilizing our natural resources to not only have fun but bring fishing full circle to the table.

Trust me, they won’t think it’s crappie!

(Crappie cont. pg 52)

ATV/SNOWSLED WRITER NEEDED

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is looking for someone to write a monthly column about the ATV and Snowmobile community. The person we hire will be experienced in this area, possess a proven interest in all aspects of trail riding and have a desire to share related information with others of similar interests. Interested candidates should e-mail a sample column (600800 words) and background information to the editor, V. Paul Reynolds at vpaulr@tds.net The Northwoods Sporting Journal is an equal opportunity employer.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Who Let the Dogs Out?

We’ve been hunting with dogs since some faraway, ancient time when early nomadic hunters coaxed some wild dogs to travel with them and began working with them to bring down game animals for food. The modern practice of keeping and working with hunting dogs is incredibly refined, and for the hunter, the amount of work it takes to train a specialized dog is rewarded with not only an enhanced chance of success in the field, but the deep satisfaction that accompanies that

guides who use dogs versus going out on my own to do a little October bird hunting, I can say with some authority that hunting upland birds without a dog is pretty much not much more than armed hiking.

Hunting big game with dogs is a highly specialized craft, and one that has its own share of controversy. Hunting bears with hounds has been heavily debated in two public referenda over the last twenty years, and disputes over land access while coyote hunters were giving hounds

Trespass, now Chapter 580 of the Laws of Maine for 2022, was sponsored by the House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Rep. H. Scott Landry, D-Farmington.

The bill was the product of a working group created by Chapter 77 of the

Resolves of 2021, and was hosted by the department to try to sort out the conflicts and bring some order to the practice of hounding.

Hounding laws vary widely across the country; in many states, hunters can use dogs to pursue mountain lions and whitetailed deer. Maine outlawed hounding of deer in the 1880’s, although many resentful hunters came up with creative ways to skirt the law, including the plea in the field to an inquiring warden that they weren’t hunting deer at all,

their run has become a frequent enough flashpoint between landowners and sportsmen that the Legislature acted this year to address the issue head-on.

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by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME no siree—“We’re hunting rabbits!”

That led to a decadeslong prohibition on hunting rabbits with dogs in the coastal counties during the

pieces of testimony presented to the committee at the public hearing on February 28th, hardly anyone loved the bill, with hunting organizations expressing

The new law creates a $12 permit that will be required for people hunting bear, coyote, fox, bobcat, or raccoons, with the net revenues going into the Landowner Relations Fund, and sets up penalties for hunters who allow their dogs to run on posted land without permission.

There are new regulations for houndsmen in LD 1951. success. Like tying your own flies, running dogs in the field does something powerful for the soul.

Of course, there are no guarantees in the field, but after many years of experience hunting with

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open rifle season on deer— but that’s another story.

The new law creates a $12 permit that will be required for people hunting bear, coyote, fox, bobcat, or raccoons, with the net revenues going into the Landowner Relations Fund, and sets up penalties for hunters who allow their dogs to run on posted land without permission. This does not affect bird hunters and the like.

In the nearly fifty

worry the bill went too far while some landowners and other advocates stating the bill didn’t go anywhere near far enough.

Former state representative Andy O’Brien from Lincoln County sponsored legislation in response to a growing chorus of landowner complaints about houndsmen pulling into dooryards in the middle of the night to keep up with hounds pursuing (Dogs cont. pg 51)

Page 46

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME All those food scraps, pastries, bacon and that fryer-later grease black bear hunters have been collecting for the last eleven months can now be put to good use! August is one of the months that Maine’s black bear hunt-

The chances of even catching a glimpse of a black bear in Maine are slim to none. By carefully and strategically establishing a bait site and hanging a trail camera the hunter increases their chances ten fold. ers dream about during the eleven months leading up to Maine’s pre-baiting season on black bears. This time of year for dedicated black bear hunters should be deemed a holiday where we get paid time off!

If only it were true!

One crucial part of successfully harvesting a

black bear in Maine is all the hard work the hunters put into their bait sites. It’s all not in vain. If done correctly, hopefully the hunters get several black bears visiting the bait sites on a regular basis.

Bear hunters can try their luck at actually hunting down a black bear through trying to track one. All I have to say about trying this tactic in Maine is, “GOOD LUCK”! Bear hunters can test their luck at a spot and stalk hunt for black bears in Maine. If they do their research they will quickly find that the state of Maine black bear harvest records by way of the spot and stalk method is practically zero. It could be possible for a bear hunter to ambush black bears nearby a natural feeding area where they frequently hang out. This can work.

However, bear hunters will practically need the whole month of September off from work to put in the hours necessary to wait out a black bear. Laying prone with rifle in ready position

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Maine Bear Hunt

waiting for a black bear to appear in the clearing below the high ridge laced with raspberries, black berries and blueberries just might work. But one week won’t cut it! The reality of it all is that Maine bear hunters will most likely get skunked. The chances of even catching a glimpse of a black bear in Maine are slim to none. By carefully and strategically establishing a bait site and hanging a trail camera the hunter increases their chances ten fold.

If baiting black bears in Maine is a new endeavor what you need to do first is find out what parts of the state has the largest black bear populations and get land owner permission to set-up a bait site and tree stand. The very next step to becoming a successful Maine black bear hunter is determining what types of foods the black bears can’t resist. You have to also include specialized scents or attractants in your research. When setting up a bear bait site you need to make the immediate area around the bait barrel or bait bucket smell like a bakery or doughnut shop just opened up their windows and doors. A brand new bait site needs lots of attractant scents to travel in the winds and thermals broadcasting across the forest and hills drawing

those black bears to your bait site. After thorough research and learning how to bait black bears, you will have to pound dirt scouting the woods you just got permission to hunt. It’s imperative that you know

humans prevents any black bear from living there.

They are not as tolerant of humans like the whitetail deer are. We are the number one predator of the black bear in Maine. They have no natural predators in the

The author with a Maine black bear taken over bait. for certain that black bears live nearby before putting in all the effort of setting up a bait site and hanging a tree stand.

Black bears prefer to travel through the densest, darkest, coldest and damp part of the forest they live in. They will venture out at night to places of the forest that has preferred food sources. They will avoid areas that get a lot of human disturbance. A lot of places in Maine can support black bears but the presence of

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Black bears walk by placing one foot inside the footprint of the other and will walk where the ground is soft and quiet. This allows them to walk much quieter than most animals.

The exception to all of this is of course – FINDING FOOD! Black bears are motivated by their stomachs. You would to if you had to take in over 10,000 to 20,000 calories per day during the months leading up to winter. Black bears will travel to places they don’t normally venture to for the sake of food. This poses a few problems. First they will have anxiety worrying about whether or not it’s safe, which will stress their bodies. Starvation drives them to do things (Hunt cont. pg 51)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Canoe & Fish Re-Do

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME

This time last year I wrote about re-canvassing my canoe. Good weather turns the same thought!

Here I am again, still thinking about that same 15-footer. A year went by!

The question was: do I re-do it on my own or hire it done. The answers that came in, hands down said: you can do it yourself. Yes! But, the practical answer a year later is: I’m doing both.

As I said, I work full time and most of the year I am super busy, so having

the canoe water-ready, as a do-it-yourself job, would take too long. But, there’s no time like the present to get started on it.

I called on master canoe builder Jerry Stelmok and we came up with a plan. I’m going to do as

and gunwales, sanding it all down in multiple stages, then varnishing it fresh.

When that’s done, I’ll bring my canoe down to Jerry’s shop, where he will repair a couple of minor rotted places and re-canvas it.

Overall, the canoe is in fine shape, only one outer gunwale needs replacing and a short piece of plank underneath where the outer

tools, experience, and a great shop to work in. This is what he does. Once it’s re-canvassed and the filler cured, I’ll paint it at home.

This is a good, fun plan. It takes the pressure off me of having to create this whole project, find the right tools that are in the garage, or buy new ones, as well as making space for configuring and hanging the canoe

It’s been said in recent years, but bears repeating: the brook trout in Moosehead Lake are the largest they have been in recorded history. We are talking hook jawed, deep, monster fish, the likes of which have not been seen until recently. much work as I can. That means stripping the old varnish off the ribs, planks

gunwale punked. I’m going to assist. This is a good plan because he has all the

Best Shot

Greg Tuttle of Sidney, Maine enjoyed the Journal while striper fishing on the Kennebec River.

in canvas. I’ll learn a lot from Jerry, have fun remaking my canoe, and will still have my own sense of accomplishment about it.

This fall, I ought to be able to launch it.

The re-doing of the canoe, right here, right now, all goes back to the old Irishman who says, “My God Man, what’re saving yourself for?!” At this stage of the game, not one darn thing.

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camp and trout fish in June.

The trout were unbelievable. They were unusually thick and long; these were from remote ponds, not from Moosehead Lake, where the brook trout fishing has also been absolutely phenomenal over these last few years.

It’s been said in recent years, but bears repeating: the brook trout in Moosehead Lake are the largest they have been in recorded history. We are talking hook jawed, deep, monster fish, the likes of which have not been seen until recently. Kudos goes to the work being done under the leadership of Fisheries Biologist Tim Obrey, who initiated a management plan in the late 2000s that better balanced the forage competition between the brook trout, lake trout, and landlocked salmon. The idea was to thin out young lake trout. This was done by having a no size or bag limit on lake trout under 18 inches and increasing the bag limit to two fish over 18 inches. Also, an annual ice-fishing derby for togue became very popular. The short of it is, all of this resulted in better growth. A wild brook trout life cycle particular to Moosehead Lake was also discovered.

More about that in the next column of Kineo Currents.

Suzanne AuClair lives near Rockwood. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake region for 27 years and produced a state anthology,“The Origins, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.”

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Cajun Baby and Frogs

Major League Fishing Pro Angler Cliff Crochet, AKA...The Cajun Baby, has earned the reputation as one of the most dangerous

ing all day long,” says the Pierre Part, Louisiana Pro. Sitting in Crochet’s Blazer/Mercury Bass Boat I asked, “Many Bass an-

Page 49

Best Bassin’

recommend to these anglers?” Crochet responded, “Rather than tell them what to do, I would suggest to them... What NOT to Do!” and suggests the following.

• Avoid long cast!

“Long cast will produce more blow-ups than hookups!”

• Hook-set is most important! “Don’t swing set with your rod to the side! A vertical Hook-set is Best and produces solid

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA Crochet’s hollow body frog techniques, “You mentioned two different conditions, open water and heavy cover can you elaborate on the differences?

Looking me straight in my eyes with his Cajun Baby smile, Crochet pulled two different hollow body frogs from a large plastic storage

“However, when it comes to the SnagProof Phat Frog...I’m Frogging and Flipping! This is when I’m skipping the Phat Frog in the jungle. penetration.

• Open water conditions; “Don’t set the hook right away! Wait until the Frog disappears, then apply a strong vertical hook-set!”

• Heavy cover Conditions; “Don’t set the hook SnagProof Pro Cliff Crochet holds a Largemouth caught on Bobby’s Perfect Frog. right away! Slow and (Photo Credit: Vance McCullough/Courtesy of steady reel in some line...

Pro Angler Cliff Crochet) Make sure the bass has the Pro Angers when it comes glers find it very difficult to frog, you MUST feel the to catching bass on hollow get a good hook set when weight and then apply a body frogs! “If the frog bite fishing hollow body frogs. strong vertical hook-set!” is on you’ll find me smil- What advice would you Inquiring deeper into

container simply labeled “FROGS”. “These two SnagProof Frogs are the same, but different”, stated Crochet while explaining the similarities between the SnagProof Bobby’s Perfect Frog and the SnagProof Phat Frog.

• Excellent floating hollow body frogs • Razor sharp hooks that will not rotate from the soft plastic body upon hook-ups

• 3” size, 5/8 oz. and available in 15 different realistic frog patterns painted 360 degrees • Fully machined welded line tie • Molded rear button weight that will not fall out • Water evacuation system which empties water inside frog on every cast With two identical Cliff Crochet signature KastKing 7’ 6” Heavy action rods saddled with KastKing Speed Demon Elite Deadbolt casting reels and spooled with 80 lb.

KastKing Braided line on his deck. Cliff proceeded to tie Bobby’s Perfect Frog to one combination and the Phat Frog to the other.

“Let me demonstrate to you some of the differences”, instructed Crochet as he moved to the front deck of his Blazer bass boat.

• Bobby’s Perfect Frog has a taller profile than the Phat Frog, which (Frogs cont. pg 59)

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Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont There have been many years spent on the beaches of Maine, more than 30 of them, and the memories of fishing there are with me still. Some of those memories were remarkable; some were bizarre.

On some early mornings and on some nights, strange stuff happened. I have had people stop by to speak with me at two in the morning. I once had a very drunk couple ask me to join them in their revelry. I politely declined. A short while later, the same couple literally stumbled down near the water and, well, let’s just say they were having a very good time.

This all went on not 30 yards from where I was fishing but it was so dark and they were so drunk

they could not see me.

But I had a splendid view because I had the lights of Old Orchard Beach to light up the affair going on right in front of my eyes.

There was another time when I had quite a scare. It was only a few weeks after a man was murdered in Ocean Park and I happened to be fishing about 50 yards from the murder scene. Again, it was late at night, sometime after midnight, and I made a point to carry, attached to my belt, a very sharp filet knife which, when extended, gets to about nine inches in length.

Anyway, as I said it was dark and late and, as I looked north toward the lights of Old Orchard Beach, I could see a fig-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Oh Those Memories of Maine

ure, a tall figure of a man, headed in my direction.

Is this guy going to roll me, try to take my money or maybe he is just in the mood to hurt someone. I was rolling all of this stuff around in my head and decided to unsheathe the knife and hold it, ready, in

somehow, he noticed that I was holding something at my side and he inquired about it. I told him I had a knife, that I was sorry that I had made assumptions but he turned and walked away before I even finished the conversation. Hey, I did over-react but I have

There was another time when I had quite a scare. It was only a few weeks after a man was murdered in Ocean Park and I happened to be fishing about 50 yards from the murder scene. my right hand, at my side.

This guy was tall but as he struck up a conversation, it was clear that while this was a tall fellow, he was young and his youthful voice gave that away.

He was looking for some avenue in the area and I could not help him. Then,

learned, over the years, sometimes the hard way, that there is evil in this world and evil people in this world so you should be ready for anything, especially out on the beach in the dead of night.

One morning, fishing on the beach at Saco,

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August 2022

just across the creek from Ocean Park, a large seagull somehow failed to see the 17-pound test line, held high above the water by a 10-foot surf rod. Caught by a wing, he dropped down to the water and was struggling about. Just across the creek, at this hour, fishing was forbidden, but on my side fishing is allowed all day.

My wife was near and I handed her the fishing rod and stepped into the salt water. Just about the same time, a young man on the other side dove into the water and headed toward the floundering gull. I told him to wait for me but he went and grabbed the sea bird and was promptly struck by the sea gull’s sharp beak.

He released the bird. So I told him to wait until I managed to get a hand around the bird’s neck and then, I said, he could unravel the line round the gull’s wing.

These birds are quick to respond and my first attempt to grip the gull’s neck was met by a sharp beak, followed by a bloodied hand.

The next time, I waved my hand, back and forth, and this time, I timed it right, grabbing the gull up close to the head, not too tight but enough to control him and, using my other hand I cradled the bird.

The young man had some trouble unwinding the line but he finally did and I then released the gull and watched him fly off. I thanked that courageous young man and felt good about the next generation as he swam back to his (Memories cont. pg 51)

August 2022 morning.

There is nothing to compare the months of July (Cont. from pg 50) and August and the coast of Maine. Those memories friends.

There were nights move me to this day. when I could see the comDennis Jensen is the ing of a storm, watching a brilliant lightning show outdoor editor for the Rutin the distance and getting land Herald and the Barre ready to get off the beach Times Argus and a freebefore the storm was upon lance writer. Contact him me. I have seen a num- at d.jensen62@yahoo.com ber of marvelous sun rises and, truth be told, I often set out late at night, if the tides are right, setting up on the beach at around 4 a.m. just to be there when the sun first kisses the

Memories

Dogs (Cont. from pg 45) coyotes despite land being posted. He recalled that at the time, the bill was killed at least in part to houndsmen saying that “dogs can’t read signs.” That reasoning didn’t come through in the discussion on LD 1951, which was passed unanimously by the IF&W committee.

Those ancient hunters, of course, didn’t have to factor posted land into their plans while pursuing aurochs, bison, elk, and deer to survive. As the world has changed, we have to keep up with those changes and learn to live with each other while we pursue these ancient crafts.

Here’s hoping LD 1951 helps that goal along.

Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and 95.1 FM in Rockland.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Hunt

(Cont. from pg 46) they wouldn’t do otherwise. This type of situation can pose a threat to the black bears health, safety and even human safety.

These creatures can be unpredictable and dangerous when they start looking for food in towns, cities and

back yards. Since black bears in Maine do not have an apex predator other than hunters they tend to shy away from humans. They are one of the easiest wild animals to scare off when happening upon one. They will flee the scene rather than face off with a human.

Bait sites set out in proper areas across the state of Maine actually

Page 51 helps to keep the black bears away from humans.

In addition the hunters can much easier determine how many black bears are visiting the bait and can judge the size of the black bears to figure out if any are considered “shooters”.

Page 52

Crappie

Northwoods Sporting Journal

lemon Directions (Cont. from pg 44) In a small bowl, mix all ingredients for horseWildCheff’s radish sauce.

Crappie Po’boy Season fish by lightly Ingredients 10-12 crappie filets, coating filets with olive oil followed by desired skin off amount of WC blackening Olive oil WildCheff Blacken- seasoning.

Using a hot outdoor ing Seasoning 2 Summer tomatoes, griddle or cast-iron pan over a fire – heat grilling sliced 10 slices of precooked surface. Once heated, take rolls and open them, brush bacon olive oil and/or butter on Boston lettuce the inside portion of the roll 6 hoagie/sub rolls and toast them.

For the Aioli Remove toasted rolls 1/2 C of sour cream and lather some horserad1/4 C of mayo ish sauce on top side of 2 T of horseradish Zest and juice of 1/2 toasted roll. Place lettuce

and tomato on top.

Add small amount of olive oil to your griddle and then place fish and bacon on griddle.

Flip fish and bacon once with spatula and continue to cook until done.

Place fish onto bottom of roll. Place bacon on top of it, then fold sandwich closed so that lettuce, tomato and horseradish sauce are on top.

Enjoy with fruit salsa, or your favorite summer side salad.

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the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. As a Wild Game Evangelist, Denny is nationally recognized trendsetter and pioneer for

August 2022

preparing wild game. He is also the National Game Chef for TenPoint Crossbows. You can learn more @ www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff

Great spaghetti and nonstop fishing talk was the main attraction at this Sojourn for Scribblers recently at the Big Eddy Campground on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. The Big Eddy gang pictured left to right are: Emerson………, Jim Babb, fishing books author and former editor Gray’s Sporting Journal, Tom Fuller, fly fishing writer and author of Eastern Fly Hatches, V. Paul Reynolds, editor Northwoods Sporting Journal, and wives and fly fishers Pat Fuller and Diane Reynolds. The photo was taken by the special sauce man, Will Ryan, author of a number of fly fishing books.

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Anti’s at It Again

August. Really? Dog Days and all that disgusting heat? If you’re anything like me, August is tough.

There is the anticipation of the fall and the reality of temperatures that send any beast or body into the shade or air conditioning. There is one slice of solace. My friend Ozzie has a nice little camp (his wife, Pamela, insists on calling it a “cottage” to appeal to her desire to rub elbows with the elite) on the Georgia shore of Lake Champlain.

The yellow “cottage” is built right into the rocky shoreline and the deck hangs out over the rocks. The evening breezes are exquisite. Last year he bought a twenty-four’ pontoon with the intention of using it to both fish and practice mindfulness on the water through a method he calls “meditation” that is frequently punctuated by a loud snoring sound. Our buddy, Chris, and I like fishing competitively for panfish and bass. With each catch we chide each other, shouting out the number of sunnies, yellowbellies, bluegills, pumpkinseeds or whatever we’ve been able to bring to hand. It’s quite comical for two grown men to take such one-upmanship to the level of preadolescent bragging rights for such small fish. But it passes the time and keeps the laughter rolling in the

sizzling sun of August. As a light breeze swings out of the northwest, the subject of food plots and the resident Canada goose season switches to discussion of cooler days ahead. Soon we will be sitting on our tree

stands and waiting for the flash of brown in the brush.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be here soon enough” Pamela reminds us. At dusk, Ozzie turns the boat East, and we head back toward the quaint yellow “cottage.”

Well, one press release came out today that helps to inspire us in thinking about the fall; the VT F&W sent out the approved waterfowl seasons for this year. And you might want to take a thorough look at the syllabus before planning your hunt. A few things that I found particularly interest-

ing were the continuation of the two-mallard limit (with only one hen), an even later Opening Day for the Lake Champlain and Interior Zones (October 15, this year, which falls on a Saturday – frequently despised by the hard-core constituency that likes fewer crowds when the

Page 53

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT

that does not hunt or fish and is not represented and should be. Follow the logic here: an anti-hunting group wants representation on the Board of Directors, which recommend the bag limits A board member of the anti-hunting and seasons. She espouses organization, is conjuring up claims that the taking of bears with that Governor Scott will appoint only dogs and leg hold traps is hunters and fishermen to the VT F&W inhumane and unnecessary.

She is quoted as saying Board. She claims that it is unfair to that (Gov. Scott) “appears the portion of the population that resolutely uninterested in does not hunt or fish and is not modernizing the Fish and represented and should be.

Wildlife board that makes seasons have opened on a your warden. Waterfowl public policy decisions Wednesday.) But by far the seasons and limits can be (Anti's cont. pg 59) most quizzical component viewed online at https://vtfishandwildof the season structure is the addition of a December life.com/sites/fishandwild1 – January 21 second resi- life/files/documents/Hunt/ dent Canada goose season. waterfowl/Migratory_WaMarket & Restaurant I understand the reason for terfowl_laws.pdf.

7 Pinecrest Drive Here is another thing; this. Even with the 8 birds a Essex Junction, VT 05452 day September season that that we, as hunters, fisher(802) 879-3611 runs from the 1st to the 25th, people and conservationwe are still not making a ists need to be aware of; the www.raysseafoodmarket.com dent in this population that group known as “Protect “Where the catch is continues to frustrate the Our Wildlife” has received always the best” managers of golf courses some press lately appearing and town greens, So, here’s in our local community a question for the wardens; newspaper (and yours). “can I set up my shanty Lisa Jablow, a board mem(covered in a white sheet ber of the anti-hunting on the ice) with my goose organization, is conjuring decoys surrounding me up claims that Governor while I ice fish, then when Scott will appoint only the honkers drift into the hunters and fishermen to DON’T FORGET: spread, drop my jigging the VT F&W Board. She Ray’s has a full line of tackle at rod, grab my shotgun, flip claims that it is unfair to the North Street Burlington and open the shanty, and have portion of the population buys fish year round. at those birds?” You just know that someone is gonna try this! Before you head out on your jig and blast adventure be sure to check your syllabus and talk with

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Page 54

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT You have never heard of the “Vermont 100 Club” you say. Well you are not alone. As far as I know this is the first time anyone has proposed such an organization. Don’t get it confused with the 251 Club of Vermont, a fine organization of which Linda and I are plus

and definitely learn a lot about those special areas the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department manages for the benefit of sportsmen and our natural resources.

Years ago, I proposed a “Vermont 86 Club” but thanks to the foresight of the Fish and Wildlife De-

Years ago, I proposed a “Vermont 86 Club” but thanks to the foresight of the Fish and Wildlife Department, the number of WMAs has increased. members.

August tends to be a bit slow for hunters and anglers. There are few open hunting seasons and the heat tends to restrict anglers to early morning or evening outings.

I propose that we use the time to explore as many of Vermont’s 100 Wildlife Management Areas as we have time for. Doing so will mean we get to scout new areas to hunt in the fall, perhaps do some fishing,

partment, the number of WMAs has increased.

The purchase and maintenance of the WMAs is made possible because hunters, anglers and trappers provide the money through license fees and excise taxes on the sporting goods they use. However, all are welcome on the WMAs and much use is made of them by those who do not hunt, fish or trap.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Join The Vermont 100 Club

chased 1,000 acres of wetlands in Milton in 1920 and established the Sandbar Waterfowl Refuge. This was the first of what would become the current system of WMAs. Ranging in size from 10,826-acre Steam Mill Brook WMA in Walden, Stannard, Wheelock, and Danville to a few that are less than 100 acres, Vermont’s WMAs provide more than 130,000 acres of habitat for fish and wildlife as well as places for hunting, fishing, trapping, wildlife watching, and hiking. Maps and descriptions of most of the WMAs are available at https://vtfishandwildlife.com/find-awildlife-management-area.

Many are in the part of Vermont where I live with 18 in the Northeast Kingdom and three more in Orange County with the smallest being the 60-acre Fairlee Marsh. Some are very popular and much used while others see little public use. All are worth visiting, but don’t restrict your explorations to any one part of the Green Mountain State, spending time in areas that you

seldom frequent will be educational and enjoyable.

On the western side of the state, Dead Creek WMA located in Addison, Panton and Bridgeport has almost 3,000 acres of habitat, much of it as wetlands that provide nesting and resting areas for migrating water birds. In the fall, thousands flock to Dead Creek WMA to view the Canada geese and snow geese.

Yes, there is a Podunk WMA for those who are skeptical. I have been there.

It is 924 acres and is located in Strafford near Miller Pond.

The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department issues an annual report on the conservation practices used the previous year on the Wildlife Management Areas it owns around the state. It makes for interesting reading. Check it out at: https://vtfishandwildlife. com/conserve/lands-andhabitats/management-activities-on-wmas.

The report describes what was done on any given WMA from logging, to planting fruit trees, to mowing, to installing cul-

verts and bridges. Managing large tracts of land takes considerable effort on the part of foresters and wildlife biologists. Exploring the WMAs, we can see how our money is being spent and how wildlife benefits.

Vermont’s WMAs are special places. They provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and opportunities for the public to explore new places.

The “251 Club of Vermont” encourages one visit all 251 towns and cities in the state. I think we should have a “Vermont 100 Club” with the goal being to visit all of Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s WMAs.

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a lifelong resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He has been a magazine freelancer and syndicated newspaper columnist for 45 years. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2022 Gary W. Moore

August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

New Hampshire Bear Hunts

It seems like just yesterday that schools closed for the summer, the moose lottery was held and the longest day of the year made its annual appearance. But truth be told, those events were over a month and a half ago. And now we’re looking at deep trolling the thermoclines and getting gear in order for the start of bear season which is a mere thirty days away. Bear baiting permit applications should have been filed by the first Monday in August. If not, I don’t think much of your chances of getting one if your paperwork is filed a week or so after that.

The 2021 statewide bear harvest totaled 892 bears (475 males and 417 females), which was the fourth highest harvest in New Hampshire history.

Last year’s harvest was similar to the preceding 5-year average of 922 bears, and 25% below 2020’s record harvest of 1,183 bears.

Method-specific harvest results included 531 bears taken by bait hunters, 245 bears taken by still hunting, and 116 bears taken with hounds. If you’re planning your bear hunts now, consider that bear densities in the White Mountains, Central, and Southeast regions are currently above goal, therefore seasons have been extended in an effort to curtail population growth and offer increased hunter opportunity.

As an aside about supply and demand issues related to hunting supplies, I’ve heard from a couple of outdoor suppliers who have started receiving

their black powder orders.

It seems they’re coming up short on powder and primers. So, a word to the wise…don’t wait until a day or two before you’ll need your smoke poles before you start cruising the stores looking for supplies.

a couple of other outdoor opportunities coming your way this month. First will be the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation online auction that goes LIVE on Sunday, August 7th and runs through Monday, August 22nd. On the site you’ll

If you’re planning your bear hunts now, consider that bear densities in the White Mountains, Central, and Southeast regions are currently above goal, therefore seasons have been extended in an effort to curtail population growth and offer increased hunter opportunity.

Do it now!

While you’re doing your pre-season routine for scouting, building up endurance, dialing in the bow, muzzleloader and rifles and replacing or updating some of the tools used in the hunting trades, you may want to take advantage of

have the chance to bid (and re-bid!) on gift certificates, trips, guns and much, much more. Register for the NHWF auction at - www. biddingowl.com/NHWF. Portions of the proceeds of the Annual Conservation Banquet are used to help the NHWF monitor, protect

Page 55

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. and represent outdoor men and women at the State House. These funds are crucial in the fight against the anti-hunters who are working diligently to take away our rich traditions.

So bid early and bid often!

The South Central Strutters – NH Chapter, of the National Wild Turkey Federation will be having a Hunting Heritage Banquet on Friday, August 19th at the White Birch Catering and Banquet Hall in Hudson, NH. Great food, great prizes, great people!

For more information, call Nick Rice at 603-848-1335 or email - n.rice138@ gmail.com Well, seeing as how I didn’t get any help from either the State of Maine or the State of New Hampshire in my efforts to get

a moose tag for this Fall, my glide path into hunting season should be pretty straight-forward. And it doesn’t look like I’ll be heading out to New Mexico this year in hopes of filling an elk tag. Nope. No distractions. Just hunting in my own backyard. But, the other side of that coin means…no excuses either!

This may be harder than it seems. Oh well, I’ll be ready for it. Will you?

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, a licensed NH Fishing Guide, Director of the NH Wildlife Federation and has a radio show on WNTK-99.7FM. Reach him at : stjames. peter@gmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

Amanda’s Blue Copper

The Tyer’s Corner

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

T h i s m o n t h ’s f l y comes from a tier who works for Alvin Theriault of www.theriaultflies.com in Stacyville, ME. What Amanda has done with this streamer is to combine a selection of effective components into one design. The body is copper braided Mylar; also called piping or tubing, depending on where you buy it. This is the same body material used on Joe’s Smelt, only copper. I’ll point out that tests show that copper looks blood red at a depth of 25 feet. The wing is called a “flatwing” design, again just like Joe’s Smelt, only mallard flank dyed

August 2022

blue. The same shade of blue you see on the wing of a Ripogenus Smelt. The tail is Golden Pheasant tippet fibers, the same attractor material used on a Royal Coachman. And the thread is bright red giving another trigger for predator fish to key in on.

Recipe for Amanda’s Blue Copper Hook – Size 6, 4x long streamer hook Thread – Red Tail—Golden Pheasant tippets Body – Copper Mylar Piping Wing -- Mallard flank feather dyed blue

Head—Red Start with the tail, sparse is best. Then, slide on a tube of copper braided Mylar and tie it off just above the hook point.

Leave enough braid behind

ment the knot at this point. is tied by Amanda herself.

Start your thread again I spoke to her and watched at the head and tie off the her tie; I think it’s a winner. front of the Mylar braid to finish the body. The wing is Hugh Kelly has fly a small mallard flank dyed fished and tied his own flies a light blue and tied on flat for over 40 years. He and

the tie off point to extend to a point above the hook barb. Pluck the braid to unravel it, this small “skirt” of Mylar flash will flutter in the current and act as an attractor. You will have to tie off your thread and ce-

wing style. This causes the feather to wrap around the hook when wet and this technique is well known for its effectiveness. The wing should extend back to the tip of the tail.

The fly in the photo

his family live in Detroit where he ties flies, drinks Moxie and plans fishing trips. He can be reached at hkellymaine@gmail.com and he writes a fly tying blog at puckerbrushflies. com

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Back Road Buggies

By V. Paul Reynolds Just about anyone who travels the Big Woods back country has a different idea about what is the perfect 4-wheel drive, back-road vehicle.

The city slickers from Madison Ave, many of

san Frontier joyriding up the middle of what surely looks like a wilderness trout stream! In fact, Chris Wood, the CEO of Trout Unlimited, has drafted a complaint letter to his counterpart at Nissan for portraying or glamorizing

thinking for the first time in many years about my first four-wheel drive vehicle. One day in 1974, after getting a good pay raise, I made an impulse purchase with no wifely approval. It was on the lot just waiting for me to come along. A seductive forest green F4J Toyota Landcruiser captured my

Page 57

THE BACK SHELF

From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!

By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.

would dare to tread. Never once did it let us down.

Selling it for a larger Land Cruiser was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made.

As with so many other

We forged more than one road, inundated with beaver dam floods, as the water crested over the F4J’s bow and the exhaust gurgled underwater like an old lobster boat.

whom have never driven “off road” in their lives, dream up television commercials for folks like us who want a tough truck for the back roads. These TV ads, in an attempt to sell us a truck, depict the most jaw-dropping, teeth-jarring rides up steep rock ledges and washed out roads that most sportsmen would never attempt.

They all do it, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, GMC, you name it. The newest TV spot pictures a 2022 Nis-

this sort of “destructive and irresponsible behavior.”

Wood has a point. Trout Unlimited has devoted itself to protection and preservation of these precious riverine trout fisheries.

Driving a 4-wheel vehicle up a trout stream, whatever its make, is just dumb. In fact, the act itself probably would negate the vehicle’s warranty.

Nothing is sacred when it comes to selling vehicles.

All of this got me to

heart at first glance. It was a sportsman’s dream, with high clearance, big knobby tires, four on the floor, and a transmission whine that bespoke backwoods reliability in dicey places.

Wife loved it immediately.

Kids loved it, especially the side-sitting jump seats in the rear.

We forged more than one road, inundated with beaver dam floods, as the water crested over the F4J’s bow and the exhaust gurgled underwater like an old lobster boat.

For years, it transported our young family to hard-to-get places where only die-hard trout fanatics

well-made products, Toyota just stopped making the F4J. You can still buy one, though, all restored, complete with original engine and a power winch up front. The best ones start about $50,000 and peak about $100,000. Yes, if we F4J fans had only been able to look ahead.

Maybe I will pick one

up. And next May, when the beavers flood one of those old roads near the Chase Ponds, we’ll invite one of those TV ad writers to join us for some Maine trout fishing.

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on “The Voice of Maine News - Talk Network.” He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www. maineoutdoorpublications. com. or www.sportingjournal.com. Contact email — vpaulr@tds.net

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Page 58

The Singing Maine Guide

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME One of the requirements of guests who come to fish with certain guides is to write something in the camp journal. Sometimes, this produces an, “Uh oh,” and people will look at each as if to determine who’s going to step up and do it. But then, with pen in hand, something strange

for a few minutes, but the chill that came with it lasted longer. You called it, “poor man’s fertilizer” and said it might get the salmon hopped up. It did. We don’t have landlocked salmon in Missouri, and neither do we have snow in May. I’d make the trade if it were up to me. They’re the most

Log Entries

turned around and trolled into the wind, the strikes came. But then again, only if we had a fly with red in it. Red was the key, that, and trolling into the wind.

I’ll be pondering that for a long time! Thank you for the best time I’ve ever had while freezing.

Mallory Harkinson, Joplin, MO. 6/3/21 You said the bass

The water was so clear, I could see him coming for it and it was all I could do not to pull it away from him prematurely. I’m hooked. Totally. This is addictive. I’ll book next year at this time so I won’t miss it. happens. Something unexpected. The following are entries from guests over the last few years on the last day of their fishing trip to Grand Lake Stream.

Only their names have been changed to avoid any embarrassment…

beautiful fish I’ve ever seen, from the first look at them jumping behind the boat, to the flashing silver in the net at my feet. They seem more alive than other fish. And they seem magical. On the second day we fished with you, we were trolling colorful flies from 5/14/20 a fly rod as usual. We never Snow isn’t something once got a strike when we expected to see in May, we were trolling with the even in Maine. It was only wind. But every time we

August 2022

spawning nests would show up like pie plates when the sun came out.

They’d be in the shallows (those would be the easiest to spot) and the bigger ones would belong to the bigger fish and they’d be in deeper water. I was straining my eyes to see them but the sun wasn’t out yet. Then, around 10:00 o’clock, the sun came out and everything happened.

You let me stand up briefly and not only could I see the nests, I could see the male

“On the second day we fished with you, we were trolling colorful flies from a fly rod as usual. We never once got a strike when we were trolling with the wind.”

(Illustration by V. Paul Reynolds)

fish swimming back and forth inside it. You said to make my cast accurate because missing would spook that fish, so of course I missed and of course that fish was spooked. I missed the next one too, and the next one, and you told me to relax. It was only fishing. I got better. I’d cast beyond the nest so that my lure came over it as I reeled, and sometimes, even though it was a few feet away, the bass struck it. The water was so clear, I could see him coming for

it and it was all I could do not to pull it away from him prematurely. I’m hooked.

Totally. This is addictive.

I’ll book next year at this time so I won’t miss it.

Tim Herzog, Plano, TX 8/15/21 I came with my family of three generations, the oldest being my Dad at 94. He knew Grand Lake Stream since before World War II. Somehow, somebody at the lodge or else (Entries cont. pg 65)

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August 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Anti's

respectful and not generate any more hatred toward our way of life.

on our shared public “resource” (wildlife) without broad representation of the Vermont public. The good ol’ boys club is alive and well, and if you’re interested in wildlife protection, you’re not invited. The Fish and Wildlife board consists of 14 members, one from each county in the state. Each board member serves for a six-year term.

Thirteen of the 14 members are white men and all are avid members of the hunting/trapping/angling community.” She goes on to say “The whole wildlife governance paradigm is mired in a 1950s mindset that is bent on perpetuating destructive activities like the use of leghold traps and hounds to run down bears, even in the face of tremendous new challenges and threats to our wildlife and wildlands. We won’t see any positive changes for bobcats, bears, beavers and other wildlife until Vermont wildlife advocates truly have a say, and that starts with us having a literal seat at the decisionmaking table: the Fish and Wildlife board”.…Am I to be ashamed of being a white male who practices scientifically sound management under advisement of the VT F&W department and finds profound spiritual connection by pursuing my passion and love for the animals I hunt?

Perhaps a respectful and dignified dialogue with Ms. Jablow of Brattleboro is in order? For the full opinion published follow this link: https://www.charlottenewsvt.org/2022/06/30/ fish-and-wildlife-boardappointments-are-fishy/.

Please let’s keep it

Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.

(Cont. from pg 53)

Frogs (Cont. from pg 49) is flatter.

• The Phat Frog’s legs are designed further back than Bobby’s Perfect Frog legs • Bobby’s Perfect Frog’s shirted legs are angled away from the body, while the keel design allows Bobby’s Perfect Frog to walk side-to-side.

• The Phat Frogs flatten body design enhances the Phat Frogs ability to skip-cast under docks, over hanging trees, across open water with downed trees or vertical stumps.

Digesting the Snag-

Proof Frogs similarities and differences, I proceeded to ask the Louisiana Pro, “When do you utilize one SnagProof Frog design and color over the other?

Immediately the Major League Pro Tour Angler responded, “I believe SnagProof’s Bobby’s Perfect Frog is the best hollow body frog in open water with isolated mats, lily pads or emergent vegetation presents itself. Basically, if I’m targeting a specific piece of cover it’s with Bobby’s Perfect Frog.”

Adding, “If a bass blows up on the Perfect Frog on a long cast I will twitch it in place, before reeling in and making another cast.”

“However, when it comes to the SnagProof Phat Frog...I’m Frogging and Flipping! This is when I’m skipping the Phat Frog in the jungle. There are snags, vegetation, thick padded scum and matted grass everywhere, with little to no open water! I have only two rods on my deck my frogging 7’6” Heavy and KastKing 7’8”

Mag Heavy Spirale Series Flipping Rod.” The KastKing Pro explained, “Under the solid heavy cover bass will often just explode the surface missing your frog and leaving a clear opening. This is when I will flip a 3.5” NetBait Paca Slim Craw, rigged on a 4/0 straight shank super-line hook into the opening. I want it to fall fast and a Crusher Lures .5 -1.5 oz. Tungsten weight gets the job done!”

As for SnagProof Frog colors, Cliff Crochet keeps it simple. “Alabaster, Gold Rush and Duckling.

But, Alabaster (White) is always rigged and ready!”

Follow MLF Pro Cliff Cro-

Page 59

chet on Facebook @ Cliff Crochet, www.CliffCrochet. com and www.MajorLeagueFishing.com.

God Bless and Best Bassin’ Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau is an outdoor journalist with a strong passion for pursuing the Black Bass. His activities include; emceeing The Bass University weekend educational seminar programs, as well as emceeing benefit tournaments such as the Annual Ike Foundation Pro-Am, Fishing For Freedom, and working with the USO.

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Page 60

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME There was grass to mow and weeds to pick, tools to be polished and a shed that needed to be cleaned. Then there was a tractor with that flat tire and the moss growing on the siding along the north wall of our house—chores that kept me close to home last Saturday. The temperature

his amorous search for a willing Juliet, I decided to drive over to Bonnie Brook to see what I could see. As expected, summer grass rose to my shoulders while the water was as skinny as a fashion model’s jeans.

The stretch I chose to wade was no more than six feet across. A verdant tan-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Why All the Fuss?

always worked well with the little cane rod I’d purchased from Art Weiler back when he was still teaching high school. I hoped it would increase my ability to delicately cast a dry fly with the accuracy necessary to heighten my chances of winning a game of tag with the wild fish of this tiny brook in such low, clear water.

There are few sustained hatches on this wild

Code, while in college.

Although much of what he wrote is now standard practice, back then he’d broken new ground. Many

tied between two humps of black dubbing without a parachute wing and lacking a post of any kind. It can be fished dry, but can also

of the pages of my copy are dog-eared, with numerous passages underlined in pencil and the occasional exclamation point reflecting an “AHA” moment. To this day, I enjoy casting a Jassid pattern at least once each summer, but the ant is my go-to fly this time of year.

My pattern consists of a bit of brown hackle

be effective drifting freely under the surface. I admit that without a parachute wing and post of any kind it’s awfully hard to track, but sometimes a fish will only take after the fly sinks below the surface.

Sure enough, after casting upstream, I had trouble following the fly’s progress as it floated back over the sun-dappled riffles, but pulled back on the lithe cane when a fin flashed under the tanninstained surface. A moment later a five-inch bully-boy threw the hook before I could react.

A few casts later, I again lost sight of the fly, (Fuss cont. pg 65)

Sure enough, after casting upstream, I had trouble following the fly’s progress as it floated back over the sun-dappled riffles, but pulled back on the lithe cane when a fin flashed under the tannin-stained surface. had slowly risen into the eighties and the air had become saturated with a high level of water vapor.

Later in the afternoon, I sat on our back porch.

With a book in my lap, I was happily sailing toward the Land of Nod when my voyage was cut short by the repeated trills of a house wren that persisted in announcing his presence to any females in the vicinity.

Seeing as sleep was not an option so long as the little Romeo continued

gle of barberry, bramble, and wild rose grew tightly on either bank. Overhead, the branches of the occasional swamp maple and white oak cast their shadows upon the meager current. It hadn’t rained for nearly two weeks. With riffles only inches deep and runs that held no more than a foot or so of water, my back porch was looking better and better.

I’d recently purchased a Royal Wulff line with a triangle taper that has

Greenville

trout stream, and for the first part of the season I was content to cast a pheasant-tail dry fly with a parachute wing, varying the size depending upon the fancy of the fish on any given day.

Listening to a catbird mew from inside a tangle of thorny branches, I stared down at the metal pillbox with the words SUMMER SELECTION scrawled across the side. After a while, I plucked an ant pattern from the modest array of terrestrial flies hooked into the foam ridges glued to the bottom of the little tin.

Fishing with terrestrials always brings to my mind Vincent Marinaro. I first read his now classic book, A Modern Dry Fly

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

The Stories that Stick

Since I started writing this column, I have had great people reach out to me and share some of their stories and experiences in the woods. I mark the emails and tuck them away to go back to every once in a while. A couple of those emails have stuck with me since they first popped into my email years ago.

The first was following an article about fishing that I had written. I can’t remember if I commented about wanting to own a camp or not, but I received an email from a guy who reached out on behalf of his grandfather.

The family had a cabin outside of Rangeley.

They lived in Connecticut

and were at a point where family members were busy with kid’s sports schedules and work and just did not have the time to come up to Maine and use the cabin as much as it should be.

I ended up on the phone with this gentleman and he told me amazing stories of

I was recently married and I am not sure if I had my oldest child or not. I wonder what happened to that camp and that family.

Another story that sticks with me is one that was sent to me about a grandson who recalled a hunting story about his

Page 61

Women In The Woods

into the woods, alone, to do just that. She was able to find a buck and shoot it.

She tracked it but as she ascended a hill, she saw someone gutting the deer.

Another story that sticks with me is one He saw her and she saw him. There were no words that was sent to me about a grandson exchanged but she knew who recalled a hunting story about his he needed it more than her grandmother. It was a wonderful story. so she turned around and continued to hunt. when the cabin was built, grandmother. It was a wonLearning a small the history that it held and derful story and I know piece of these families’ some of his fishing ad- my synopsis won’t do it stories have stuck with me ventures while there. He justice but here is the basic and reminded me how conoffered me the camp for a premise of it. The family nected we are in our love steal and I wish I had taken relied on deer meat and of the outdoors and our him up on it. At the time, I she put on her wool hunt- appreciation for the woods was beginning my career. ing clothes and headed and waters here in Maine.

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME Hopefully, you are able to enjoy the summer months and all of the great outdoor activities that are available.

Soak it up… hunting season kicks off next month!

Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit

The Ethanol Boondoggle

Ethanol gas is hell on small engines, chain saws, outboard motors, lawn mowers, weed whackers and the like. Ask any small-engine technician. Ethanol gas will clog up a carburetors, among other things. Truth is we have been burning corn as a way to accommodate an agricultural surplus and please the Corn Lobby and the Green Movement.

Studies reveal that New England’s use of ethanol gas is creating a major transfer of wealth to the corn-growing Midwest. As the New York Times reported, “Ethanol gas is a boon for Iowa and a boondoggle for the rest of the country.”

Additionally, it is doing nothing to help the environment. Studies show that ethanol does not reduce carbon emissions and, in fact, will double green house emissions over 30 years. It's costing us more for corn flakes and we get a third less gas mileage to boot. Did you know that the higher the level of ethanol in your fuel, the more likely you are to destroy your engine? When levels go above 10 percent ethanol, fuel burns hotter and often reduces engine life So, why, with gas prices going through the roof, would the Biden administration, suddenly loosen up the rules and promote the summer use of ethanol that is 15 percent corn instead of the earlier 10 percent! Has Washington lost its mind? It won’t save us money at the gas pump, as Biden contends. With ensuing reduced gas mileage it will cost us all even more.

Biden is not the only ethanol pusher in the nation’s capitol. Trump was also big on putting corn in your gas tank. Irrespective of political persuasion, it just seems like the people in the Swamp have lost touch with the real world. It may be as simple as this: It is unlikely that either Joe Biden or Donald Trump ever had to fuss with an obstinate outboard motor or a coughing lawn mower with a gummed up carburetor, or ever worried about declining gas mileage in the family buggy.

By the way, from what we have seen the adding of 5 percent more corn to your $5.00 a gallon gasoline has received scant attention from the news media. It sort of slid under the back door like a sneaky snake in a Stephen King movie.

The good news is that, if you are willing to search about, you can find filling stations that offer ethanol free gas, at a higher price of course.

Homer Spit lives on a lake in Maine. He likes to keep a low profile.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 62

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME For the Maine striper angler, August can be a downright frustrating month. Nothing spells out S-K-U-N-K like a sunny 85 degree day. The herring runs have long since ended, and many of the smaller rivers and brackish backwaters have warmed beyond the point of tolerability. Stripers have descended downriver and dispersed “out front” along the beaches, islands, and ledges. Meanwhile, in the larger river systems, such as the Kennebec, stripers spend the scorching sunny days stacked up along the bottom in the deep channels and holes. However, once the sun sets and the temperature drops, striped bass, especially slot-sized fish and larger, leave their daytime haunts in search of food and head for shallower water. This is when the August surfcaster can capitalize.

While early season stripers are keyed in on smaller bait like juvenile herring, sand eels, and sea worms, late summer bass have shifted focus to bigger bait - mackerel, pogies, squid, and harbor pollock.

August 2022

Minnow Plugs for Late Summer Stripers

Despite its weight and strain on the wrist, I enjoy fishing an old school Penn 706Z at times, as the loud clicker functions as a metronome to audibly maintain the slow, steady retrieve. Surfcasting at night demands heavy reli-

While early season stripers are keyed in on smaller bait like juvenile herring, sand eels, and sea worms, late summer bass have shifted focus to bigger bait...

For this reason, fishing relatively large floating minnow plugs produces results.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, a floating minnow plug should be fished during the night in the same manner as a live eel; the angler should cast, allow an extended pause, then slowly - I mean really, really slowly - retrieve. I don’t think it is possible to fish this type of plug slow enough. The lure should creep across the surface.

ance on an angler’s sense of hearing. Oftentimes, because the angler is reeling so slowly, one will hear the explosion of a surface strike immediately prior to feeling it. When a fish hits the plug, set the hook hard. A tight drag will help to ensure a solid hook up.

Bomber Long A If I had to choose only one lure to target stripers with for the rest of my life, it would be an easy decision: The Bomber Long A 16a - with the middle

(From top to bottom) Bomber 16a, Bomber A-Salt, Bomber 17a, Bomber Jointed 17a, Cotton Cordell Red-Fin, Daiwa SP Minnow.

(Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.) treble removed. The difficult decision would be deciding on color; I’ll take any of the white, black,

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and yellow patterns (and also the “Mother of Pearl”), and you can have the rest.

Though the 16a (6 inch, 7/8 oz) will cover most situations, I advise carrying both the little brother and big brother. Little brother, the Bomber A-Salt (5 3/4 inch, 1 oz) casts well and is a solid producer all season long, especially when late summer fish are keyed in on tinker mackerel. I have a pair of beloved A-Salts that I bought in high school which have each seen well over a hundred fish, and neither are slowing down anytime soon. Big brother, the Magnum Long A 17a (7 inch, 1 1/2 oz) in “Bone” and “Mother of Pearl” are (Stripers cont. pg 67)

August 2022

By Jacob Burke It was a partly cloudy day when I went on my first hunt, and the sun struggled to shine through patches of thick clouds and tall grass whispered with the voice of the wind. I was with my father in an old deer stand, that seemed like it had been there since the dawn of time. With each gust of wind, the age-old stand would creak and groan as it moved from left to right with the wind. I remember feeling very nervous and fidgety in that old stand.

I was afraid of so many things that day; I was afraid of the stand falling over, I was afraid of the recoil of the gun, but most importantly, I was afraid of missing the deer and failing my father. My dad must have felt my nervousness because I felt his strong hand on my shoulder, and I felt his warm coffee scented breath in my ear saying, “You’ll do fine, remember, hold the gun tight against your shoulder, hold your breath and gently squeeze the trigger; don’t jerk it because that is what will make you miss.” The hand fell away from my shoulder and I felt a little better.

We waited for another hour or so, and we hadn’t seen anything so far save for a lone turkey looking for something to eat and a variety of different songbirds fluttering from branch to branch singing their happy songs. We finally saw movement around the time when the sun had just started to sink into the west.

A brown splotch suddenly detached from the treeline and walked cautiously into the open field of grass. It was a female deer, a doe, that came out into the field.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The First of Many

She looked around with her ears in the air, alert for any sign of possible danger. I froze. My heart instantly started to hammer with nervousness. My dad leaned in again and told me not to make any sudden movements or noise and that we were going to leave the doe in peace in hopes that she would attract a buck wor-

in the air, and walking carefully into the field. He was about 250 yards out and I wasn’t very confident with my shooting abilities, so we waited a little longer in hopes that he would come closer. With the sun almost three-quarters of the way gone, I resigned to having to take the long shot. I brought my gun

was about to do, but then I felt my father’s hand on my shoulder again and the feeling vanished. My father was a great hunter when he was my age. He told me stories of the many deer he had shot and how hunting was slowly becoming a dying tradition.

I wanted to be like my father; I wanted to make him

He clapped his hand hard down upon my shoulder and shook me a little saying repeatedly “Good job!” “Nice shot” and “I’m proud of you!” I felt like I was in the clouds. thy of shooting. In the end, my dad was right and the doe did exactly what my father said she would do.

It wasn’t long after the first doe had come out before two more had followed her. Neither were bucks, but we kept waiting in hopes that with all these females out and about, they would eventually attract a buck. The sun was almost halfway gone before our deer showed up. He entered like the first doe, sniffing the air and keeping his ears

up to a rest position, with the butt of the gun against my shoulder. I inhaled the comforting smell of the gun oil and cedar and peered into the scope.

I was suddenly very close to the deer. I could see almost every detail about them: the white chest, tail and ears, the big innocent eyes, and the sleek brown fur that made them so hard to see when they didn’t want to be seen. I felt a feeling of remorse as I thought about what I

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proud of me and I wanted to join him as a hunter so that one day, when I take my child out hunting, I can tell them the stories of my hunts and my father’s hunts and have them join the tradition of my family as a hunter. I felt my heart pounding once again. I took another couple breaths to try and calm down. I looked into the scope, this time I didn’t focus on the details of the deer, but instead I focused on putting the crosshairs right where I

Page 63

wanted them. Right behind the front shoulder. I held the crosshairs on the shoulder, took a deep breath, disengaged the safety, and slowly squeezed the trigger.

All of a sudden, the gun erupted in a brilliant crack as the bullet was fired from the barrel at the speed of sound! I felt the pressure of the recoil against my shoulder and I saw the spray of blood behind the deer where I had hit it. I felt a savage joy as the deer tried to run a little but ended up crumpling to the ground. Its death throes gradually getting weaker and weaker as its heart stopped pumping, until at last it died. I looked up from the scope with a massive grin on my face and turned around to see that my father’s expression matched my own, if not surpassed it. He clapped his hand hard down upon my shoulder and shook me a little saying repeatedly (First cont. pg 68)

Page 64

News

(Cont. from pg 14) ognized for his work as a Warden Training Officer.

McBrine has a vast amount of experience to offer to new Game Wardens, and his dedication, his thoroughness, and his skillset in apprehending intentional violators has made him an ideal member of the WTO team.

Another example of Warden McBrine going above and beyond was the work that he did in establishing the DNA program at University of Maine in Machias. Warden McBrine served as the liaison for the Warden Service and worked closely with Dr. Gerry Zeger in laying the blueprint for what was needed to establish a DNA program to assist in providing DNA evidence

in wildlife crimes. Warden McBrine was on the forefront of obtained DNA samples for Dr. Zeger to establish a baseline, which was needed to get the program on its feet. In late 2020, the program became operational.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022 RRG&SA will plan to make this an annual event.

It was heartwarming to see so many children enjoying the great outdoor sport that made Rangeley famous.

RRG&SA is very grateful to the business sponsors of the Mooselookmeguntic Salmon Derby held earlier this summer.

The proceeds from that

PCCA Recognized

The Penobscot County Conservation Association was honored with the 2021 Maine Warden Service Colonel’s Award on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, by Maine Warden Service Colonel Dan Scott. This award may be presented annually to an individual or individuals who the Colonel has determined have provided distinguished support and/or service to the Maine Warden Service and/or its mission.

fish. The fish were then measured and cleaned for the children to take home. After the competition, all children were given commemorative RRG&SA medals. TroKid’s Fishing Derby phies were given for the The Rangeley Region longest fish caught in each Guides’ & Sportsmen’s As- age category. The trophy sociation held its first Kids’ winners were: Fishing Derby on July 7, Ages 4-6 2022. Beautiful weather 1st place - Liam Watkin welcomed eighty-two chil- 2 n d p l a c e - B r o o k l y n dren with their parents, White grandparents, and coun- 3rd place - Daxton Melcher selors to the RRG&SA Ages 7-10 Kids’ Fishing Pond located 1st place - Broden LeClerc adjacent to the clubhouse 2nd place - Jonah Williams on Old Skiway Road in 3rd place - Cayden Curtiss Oquossoc.

Ages 11-15 The children were 1st place - Gabe Williams divided into three age cat- 2nd place - Taylor Crocker egories. Each group had 30 3rd place - Riley Cormier minutes to catch up to three In addition, 15 children won gift certificates to River’s Edge Sport Shop, and a lucky 7-year-old won a lifetime Maine fishing license.

Because of the great success of this event, Editor’s note: In the September issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, read a brief history of the Penobscot County Conservation Association (PCCA) and how their nearly 100 years of efforts promoting and preserving Maine’s sporting heritage and wildlife earned this designation.

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event made the Kid’s Fishing Derby possible. Our sincere thanks to our major business sponsors: Hight Family of Dealerships, Oquossoc Marine, Mike Cerminara Landscaping, Blue Flame Gas, Saddleback Mountain, River’s Edge Sports, Rangeley Lakes Builders Supply, Morton & Furbish Real Estate, Franklin Savings Bank, Koobs Garage, Lake Region Power Systems, Rangeley IGA, and Oquossoc Grocery. We also offer gratitude to other business contributors: Town & Lake Motel, Beauty Boutique, Noyes Real Estate, Allied Real Estate, Rangeley Family Dentistry, Rangeley Lake Heritage Trust, and Boss Power Sports / Looney Bin.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Entries (Cont. from pg 58) one of the guides learned he was having a birthday during this trip, and some candles showed up in the lunch basket. The guides stuck them in one of the date squares that the lodge sent out with shore lunch.

Not 95 of them, but just enough to make a spectacle. He blew them all out.

He lay on some cushions after lunch and had his usual nap, while the rest of us cast from shore and a few went swimming. The fishing is so action-packed here, and the water crystal clear, but what we come for is to see that smile come across Dad’s face when we get here, and not leave it until we leave. He says things around here haven’t changed all that much in 80 years. Can that be true?

We’ll be back. As long as Dad can do it, we’ll be back. And then I’m betting others in the family will keep coming. Grand Lake

Stream is now a family tradition for us. Please give our thanks to all the guides for making it special.

Marjorie Eckerdt, Hartford, CT The log entries say more than the sport intended. They thought they’d just sign their names. But then they saw the other entries full of detail and emotion, and they did the same. It makes great reading in February during ice fishing camp.

Randy Spencer is a working guide and author.

Reach him at randy31@ earthlink.net or via www. randyspencer.com

Fuss (Cont. from pg 60) but this time it was the white of a brook trout’s maw that gave it away.

The brookie fit nicely in the palm of my damp hand before slipping back into the stream.

Neither trout had bro-

ken the surface, and I assumed the fly had sunk under the current where the fish felt secure in taking it.

Around a slight bend in the stream, the current fell over a jumble of roots, flattening out for a few feet into a run a bit deeper than the riffles below it. Like a Haiku written by Basho that moment when a nineinch rainbow rose to take the fly will remain with me for some time.

A set of gentle riffles slipped gently down the next hundred yards or so.

Here and there were patches of darker water. It was from within these pockets, a few inches deeper than the current around them, that trout, mostly fingersized, swung up from the cobble-studded streambed to strike at the black ant.

For the next thirty minutes or so, I missed two or three for every one released. It was as if the fly had some magical quality, luring the fish from their secret places.

Farther upstream, the current fell against a fallen limb that stretched over one side of the stream.

Flipping the line over my right shoulder, I met resistance that prevented a forward cast. Turning, I discovered the wild rose that had grasped my fly.

After a few choice words, and a number of minutes untangling my leader, I tried again. This time, I overshot the target, the ant tumbling through the streamside verdancy. To my surprise, the little fly bounced off a branch, onto a bush, and then a boulder before sliding down into the current that carried it along the edge of the limb where I once again lost sight of it.

The pull of good trout made setting the hook unnecessary. The fish fled under the limb taking my 6x tippet with it. With effort, I raised the limb with one hand while urging the trout back into the current where it performed a pirou-

Page 65 ette worthy of Balanchine.

A few moments later, I detached the hook from the jaw of a ten-inch fish with a crimson sash down its side.

By then, all that was left of the ant pattern was a bit of dubbing trailing off the back of the hook.

Now, I recognize that the fish of Bonnie Brook do not have the cornucopia of aquatic insects that the brown trout of Marinaro’s home water, Pennsylvania’s LeTort, enjoyed; and I’m sure he might have observed that the trout of my little freestone brook are neither as selective nor as large as those he’d encountered in the famous chalk stream.

But maybe, just maybe, he might have grunted his approval. At least, I’d like to think so. Then again, I’ve heard Marinaro was a bit of a curmudgeon. At the very least, he didn’t suffer fools gladly. Reading this story, he might have simply grumbled, “What’s all the fuss about?”

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And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com

Page 66

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 19) ever ate in my life.”

She smiled, and it lit up her whole face. “I was hoping it would be good. I’m glad you like it.

It’s Grandma Herndon’s recipe.”

Joe looked startled.

“Grandma Herndon never gives nobody her recipe.”

“She gave it to me,” Desdemona said softly. She walked over to stare out the window over the sink at the new structure in the back yard.

“You know, when I was first married I wouldn’t eat a vegetable or a piece of meat that didn’t come from a store. Natural foods came from a natural food store, not from the woods or streams. I’d see people selling fiddleheads alongside the road and I’d shudder and look the other way.

And to use an outhouse?

Why, it wasn’t sanitary… it wasn’t civilized. There might be bugs. I had inherited a lot of money from my folks. There certainly wasn’t any need for lowering myself to any of that.”

She glanced to her left, through the doorway to the pantry, where shelves full of home-canned vegetables lined the walls.

“It took me a long time and a lot of work to overcome my prejudices.

And, of course, it came too late.” She stood quietly, just staring.

“Never too late, to my way of thinkin’,” Joe said quietly. She just shook her head as though irritated.

“You saw the rifle over the door from the living room?” she asked.

“Yes I did. ’86 Winchester, ain’t it? Looks to be in right fine shape. What caliber?”

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“It’s a .45-90. It was my father’s gun. I’ve kept it clean all these years.”

She laughed dryly. “I can’t imagine the scene my mother would have made if she knew I even touched it. ‘Such a barbaric implement’,” she said in a high pitched voice. “Mother didn’t approve of many things my father did. And unfortunately, I learned from her all too well.” She seemed to shake off the mood.

“I want you to take the rifle into town for me.

I’m giving it as the grand prize in the shooting match tomorrow.”

Joe looked appalled.

“You’ve already given a big mess of prize money.

You can’t give that rifle.”

She looked at him. “I can do what I want with it.” She smiled suddenly.

“Besides, Joe, you usually win the shooting match.”

“But ma’am…I mean, Desdemona, I wouldn’t want yer daddy’s rifle. It wouldn’t be right.” Desdemona continued to smile.

“But, who knows, Joe? Maybe this time, you won’t win.”

The next day the streets of Mooseleuk were filled with revelry. Hot dog and taco carts rubbed elbows with carnival style games of ring toss and dunk the clown. Scratch baseball games drew many spectators and foot races raised dust in clouds.

In the afternoon the shooting matches began.

Drawn by both the hefty cash prizes and the grand prize of the classic Winchester, competitors came from as far away as Seven Islands and Dead Horse Gulch.

As the competition wore on, it became obvious that the final contest would come down to Joe

and a tall, gray-haired man whom nobody seemed to know. The last round consisted of a walk through, where targets popped up suddenly and the contestant had to swing and fire immediately before the target dropped. The two finalists stood side by side at the starting line. Joe stared for a moment at the lined face of the older man, then held out his hand.

“Name’s Joe,” he said.

“I’m Ike,” the older man said, shifting his old Springfield rifle to his left hand to shake.

“From away?” Joe asked. Ike grinned. “If you call Depot Lake ‘away’.”

Joe lifted an eyebrow.

“Thought I knew everybody at Depot Lake.”

“Well,” Ike said slowly, “North of there. Got me a little place on Depot Mountain.”

Joe nodded slowly.

“Heard of you.” He gestured across the starting line. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go last.” Ike just nodded, and stepped across the line.

It was a fast-paced contest. At the end, despite the attempts of the organizer to drop the targets quickly, Ike managed to hit all of the eighteen targets.

I whispered to Joe as he stepped forward, “Looks like the two of you will have to go around again.”

Joe didn’t reply, and the air was suddenly filled with the roar of his old .38-55.

And then the unthinkable happened. On the last target, with Joe’s old adversary Nestor Rattphynx working the drop, the target flashed up and down with the speed of a telegraph key. And Joe missed.

Nestor stuck his head out from behind the protective berm, chortling gleefully.

A great groan went up from the crowd.

Ike came over to shake Joe’s hand. He shook his head ruefully. “Sometimes it jest don’t come right,” he said in commiseration.

“I think I missed one time myself.” Joe just nodded, eyeing the prancing Nestor thoughtfully.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, and Desdemona Trott stood there, her father’s Winchester clutched in white-fingered hands. I saw Ike’s face go startingly pale.

“Dessy,” he croaked.

“Iago,” she said softly. “You’ve won the grand prize. It’s dad’s rifle.”

He took a step backward. “I weren’t never allowed to tech that rifle.”

Desdemona took a step forward. “It’s yours, now. You won it fair and square.” Ike wiped a hand across his face.

“You look real good, Dezzy…you look fine.”

“You look good, too, Iago.”

“I’m an old man, now,” Ike shook his head and looked off at the trees.

“I’m the same man, Dezzy.

Folks don’t change.”

“They do if they have to,” she said, staring at him intently. “If they must.

We’re both older, Iago, but that’s the only thing we can’t change. We’ve wasted so much time.”

He started to step back again. “I baked you a pie,” she said quickly.

“You…baked?” he said incredulously. “ I t ’s m i n c e m e a t , made with moose meat.”

Ike stared at her. “And I’ve got a big garden,” Desdemona went on hurriedly. “it’s mostly what I live on. I’ve got enough homegrown vegetables canned and frozen to last a year.”

Ike shook his head as

August 2022 though stunned. He started to turn away.

“I built you an outhouse.”

He turned back, his mouth hanging open.

“The old one, the one you built,” she went on hurriedly, “It was falling down. I had Joe build you a new one, just like the old one.” She blushed and glanced hastily around.

“I’ve used the one you built all these years. There’s still no bathroom in the house.”

Ike took a tottering step forward and Desdemona threw herself into his arms. I managed to catch her father’s Winchester before it fell to the ground.

“Like I say…I ain’t changed much, Dezzy,” Ike said hoarsely.

“That’s okay, Iago,” she said, planting a noisy kiss on his lips. “I’ve changed enough for both of us. Come on…let’s go home.” Suddenly, all the spectators broke out into loud applause. Embarrassed, the couple joined arms and, grinning like children, hurried away through the throng.

“I’m starvin’,” Joe said as he watched them walking away, talking animatedly. “This matchmakin’ is hungry business.”

“You don’t mean to tell me you missed that last target on purpose?” I said skeptically. Joe scowled at me.

“Nestor Rattphynx never see the day he could move a target faster than my trigger finger.” He looked back toward the shooting range. “An’ if he starts spreadin’ the word that he did, I’ll jest have to deal with him.” Still scowling, he shouldered the .3855 and headed off toward the nearest hot dog cart.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

August 2022

Stripers

1 oz) is a notorious big fish magnet, especially in black.

The Red-Fin makes up for (Cont. from pg 62) its poor castability with its my favorite late summer wide slow-wobble action, plugs to fish when the bass which large striped bass are feeding on squid. The find irresistible. Because Jointed Magnum Long A of the impressive “V” wake 17a (7 inch, 1 7/8 oz.) is produced by this plug, the a large, heavy plug, and Red-Fin is perfect for those when zig-zagged across the flat calm, moon-lit August surface, closely resembles nights. No doubt there is an injured pogie. Hang on a time and place for this to your rod because strikes lure, but when the condion this plug come hard and tions are right, there is not fast. a better plug to fish. Some anglers choose to “load” Cotton Cordell Red-Fin their Red-Fin with water The Cotton Cordell to increase casting distance Red-Fin is a surfcasting and alter the action. To load classic, and rightfully so. a lure, a paper clip or other The larger model (7 inch, thin piece of wire is heated TIME TO SELL SOME OF THAT SPORTING

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with a lighter, then poked into the plastic body cavity. Water is then injected through the hole. The more water you inject, the more your floating plug will turn into a sinking one. Be sure to seal the hole well and check the plug annually for evaporation.

Page 67

Large parcel coming soon with water frontage

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

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August 2022

I come back with more and more patience. I don’t think I would have the achievements I have today without the patience I gathered from hunting. Hunting not only give me patience, but an appreciation for what God has given us. Each time I go out hunting, even if I don’t harvest a deer, I still find natures beauty astounding. To think that it was all created for us is even more astonishing.

Every year I leave to come home, I’m already looking forward to next year’s hunt and what new experiences it will bring.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal Newspaper

Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Page 69

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 70

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COOPER: This 100+ acre lot is just waiting for a new owner to build a home and enjoy the views. There is an old dug well on the lot where there used to be a home. Build in the middle and have the views of Eastern Cathance Lake and have peace and quiet with nothing but your land around you. Property is in tree growth which helps a little with the taxes. The price is great for such a large lot and only. $110,000.

BERRY TWP: This two room camp with frontage on Round Lake in Berry TWP is a super place to spend those summer days. Also just a great get away where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the views of the lake or take your boat and go for a nice fishing trip. The cabin has new windows and doors. The cabin is on lease land the road to it is off the 19 road onto the Balsam Knoll Road. Super price for such a beautiful and peaceful spot. $70,000.

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