Northwoods Sporting Journal, Dec. 2019

At Mooseleuk High, Choke Spasm Causes Chaos At Career Day December 2019

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Benevolent Blackpowder Buck

On average the Reynolds family freezer winds up with some venison about every other year. The math has been surprisingly consistent over the past 50 years.

But it didn’t get off to a good start. During the expanded bow season in September, a doe came almost close enough for a shot.

Then, during the October

Having been skunked just about every other year in the deer woods, this past fall was to be the year to get out the Food Saver and the meat grinder.

bow season, hours and hours of late afternoon groundblind vigils left me rested, but empty handed.

The November firearms season opened. It was

time to get serious. My old hunting haunts found me in position mornings and evenings and even for a few all-day stints. Does, lots of does in the crosshairs, but not a buck in sight. Signs of deer activity, especially scrapes and rubs, suggested an early rut and an improved deer situation. My deerhunter enthusiasm meter was pinned, but for most of November – including 10 days at deer camp in the North Woods – it was like hunting ghosts.

The last two days of the November season two does showed up on cue late in the afternoon on a beech ridge to forage for some lingering greenery. A buck was expected to show, with its nose to the ground, but it was not to be.

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Page 3

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME Finally, blackpowder season arrives, the hapless deer hunter’s ace in the hole.

You are tired and getting discouraged after nearly three months of climbing over blowdowns and sitting on cold stumps. Sleeping in becomes seductive, but wife wants meat in the freezer.

She “encourages” you, so you press on. The smoke pole comes out of the gun safe and you get back in the deer woods.

On a misty, damp morning a buck is rousted from its bed. You get a glimpse through the hardwoods but no shot. With the wind in your favor, you play cat and mouse for an hour or more with this guy. Snort, snort, snort. Exciting stand

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off, but eventually the buck wins the game and is not seen or heard again.

The 2016 deer hunt is about over. It’s not looking hopeful. Then it snows on the last day of your hunt – not a lot, but enough to find a track. Getting out of bed is easy – even to a worn out deer hunter – when there is a fresh snow.

You change tactics.

This day you will do quick probes into all of your hunt spots until tracks are found.

At first, it’s all coyote and hare tracks dotting the snowcovered ground. Then, at hunting area number three, bingo! Tracks, lots of tracks.

The leaves are frozen under the dusting of snow. It is

(Buck cont. pg 14)

Page 4

On The Cover

Northwoods Sporting Journal

At Mooseleuk High, Choke Spasm Causes Chaos At Career Day - Pg 6 Blackpowder Bucks - Pg 3 Ice Fishing Lake Winni - Pg 38 Big Buck Hunters - Pg 24 Great Grouse Hunts - Pg 17 Gifts For Sportsmen - Pg 44, 55, 60 & 67 Maine Hires Deputy Wardens - Pg 36

Contents

3. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 5. Flight Of The Arrow - Jerome Richard 6. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 11. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish 12. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 13. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 14. The Allagash - Matt LaRoche 15. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 15. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 16. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 17. On Point - Paul Fuller 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 19. Ramblings From T8-R9 - Ben Rioux 24. Question Of The Month - V. Paul Reynolds 25. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 28. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly 29. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 30. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 37. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 37. Salt Corner - Doug Jowett 38. New Hampshire Guide’s Journal - Tim Moore 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 41. What’s In Your Woods - Bud Utecht 42. Fishin’ Lake Ontario - Capt. Ernie Lantiegne 44. The Trail Rider - Rod Fraser 45. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 46. Flight Feathers - Brad Allen 47. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 48. Against The Current - Bob Romano 49. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Mass Wanderings - David Willette 52. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 53. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 55. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 56. Blaine’s Outdoor Journal - Blaine Cardilli 57. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 58. Anticosti - Mark Cote 60. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini 61. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau 62. Nature’s Ornery Ways - V. Paul Reynolds 64. Malarkey Cabin Chronilcles - Ray Dillon 66. SAM News - David Trahan 67. Post-Script from Pocasset - Josh Reynolds

December 2019

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 20 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 26 Issue 12 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 - Mike Morin 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, 2019. 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.

The Buck Hunter - Pg 32

By Hal Blood

Fishin’ Lake Ontario - Pg 42

By Capt. Ernie Lantiegne

Other Great Stories & Information

8. Editorial/Letters 10. Outdoor News 25. Carroll’s Corner - Carroll Ware 40. Trading Post 60. Taxidermy 67. Real Estate

Cover Photo: Photo by Timothy Flanigan of Nature Exposure

New Hampshire Guide’s Journal - Pg 38

By Tim Moore

Green Mountain Report - Pg 49

By Bradley Carleton

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Poor Man’s Climbing Aid

The “Wild Edge Step Ladder” consisting of a fabricated steel step with braided nylon rope. A bag of 12 steps goes for about $200.00.

I want to start this article with a disclaimer and say that some of my methods mentioned in this article are not necessarily safe and are very risky without practicing at home first. If you have ever bowhunted in the Maine Expanded Archery Zone, you know it is not always wise to leave any type of treestand unattended even if it is cable locked to the tree. Over the years of being an instructor for Bowhunter Safety Education, I have heard from many bowhunters of someone stealing or damaging their treestands when left in the Expanded Archery areas. Even some of my old buddies have experienced theft of treestands.

Now some of us have gotten into saddle hunting especially in the Expanded Zone because our setups are easy and fast, with the added bonus of slipping in and out with everything so

Page 5

Flight Of The Arrow

by Jerome Richard, Clinton, ME nothing is left in the woods.

The weight and bulk is left at home and we have less gear to haul around. There are many manufacturers of saddle systems for well over 10 years producing some good and not-so-good systems.

Tethrd makes some great saddle systems, but if you don’t have the money for their system and/or climbing sticks then there are some other alternatives.

I love my Lone Wolf Sit & Climb self-climber, but it sometimes doesn’t fit the situation due to lack of cover and deer sky lighting me against the horizon. This is when saddle hunting has paid off big time to allow me to “hug a tree” and get away from the lack of cover problem. Climbing sticks can be a hassle sometimes

getting into areas and trying to not make noise with metal contact. Years ago I had a bunch of wooden blocks made from 2x4 studs and nylon rope which I could use on straight, no limb hardwoods or on softwoods with limbs to climb into a hiding spot for the evening hunt, and then quickly take down and leave the area with nothing left behind. The wooden blocks weigh nothing! I still like that system of “Poor Man’s Climbing Aid”, just make sure you have a safety harness with a linesman’s belt attachment for your safety. Later I used the Wild Edge Step system for climbing aid, but they are expensive, heavier, and if not careful in handling can create noise compared

(Aid cont. pg 40)

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One of my “11mm climbing rope with two Pursik loops (knots) with a Locking Carabiner in each Pursik knot”. I just clip in my saddle harness system and slide on Pursik knot up one at a time as I off load my leg.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Adventures of Me and Joe

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

Perhaps things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand if Joe had thought of somebody else to invite to career day at the Mooseleuk high school. But knowing the temperament of Mr. Feeble, it probably wouldn’t have mattered. Given the choices we had in working adults around the local area, Feeble would have to run into trouble anyway.

Typical of high school teachers who can’t come up with teaching activities of their own, our civics teacher, Wilton Feeble, came up with the brilliant idea of having students invite an upstanding member of the local business community to lecture the class on the details of their jobs and how hard work was an integral part of civic responsibility.

Mr. Feeble was a thin, balding man with a protruding Adam’s apple. His chief form of personal entertainment was collecting fall leaves of the various hardwood trees and making them into collages.

All went well, though incredibly boring, for several days. Amanda Gouge invited her Uncle Clawed, the local lawyer. For an hour he expounded on the amazing delights to be experienced in various lawsuits, protection orders, title transfers and

habeas corpses. We stayed awake through a combination of pinching ourselves and aggressive yawn stifling, although Cooney Prawn still had a glaze over his eyes two days later.

Blackeye Pease called Blackeye for his penchant for engaging in, and always losing, school yard brawls invited an area farmer, Jasper Teat, who spent his hour discussing the various sizes and volumes to be found in cow udders. He went on to point out the positive and negative merits of Holsteins, Gurnseys, Jerseys, and a few brands of cow none of us had ever heard of. It was undoubtedly very educational, but with November chilling the woodlands outside the schoolroom windows, many of us were more interested in deer than cows, and our attention tended to stray, to the annoyance of Mr. Feeble.

By the time we had dragged through the presentation of Cheryl Broadcloth’s father, the local tailor, we were about ready to scream. As me and Joe walked down the street from school with Condon Fishbane and Gasper Gooch, Joe railed once again about the injustice of it all.

“Don’t know how much more o’ this I kin take! Jist what I always

December 2019

The Choke Hold

That was as far as he GOT. Choke Spasm’s eyes bugged out, his face flushed a beet red, and he grabbed Wilton Feeble by the throat with both hands.

It would be mild to say that pandemonium broke out in our civics class. wanted ta know. How ta hem up my jeans. I ask yer!

If thet Feeble keeps this up, I’m gonna git one o’ them concussives from my head bangin’ down on the desk ever time I fall asleep!”

“We…uh…could invite…uh…Mr. Carver, the

butcher. He could…uh… talk about cuttin’ up…uh… deer. That’d be…uh…interesting.” Condon suggested.

“Yeah, thet might keep us awake. But we gotta come up with somethi’n more interestin’.” Joe screwed his face up in a grimace of deep thought.

I thought about inviting my Uncle Arnold. He could talk about the various methods he employed for avoiding work, something we were only semiproficient at. Joe suddenly snapped his fingers. “Got it! I’m gonna invite Choke Spasm!”

The rest of us just stared. I cleared my throat.

“Um…I know things are a little boring, but do you

think we need to do something that drastic?” Joe just grinned. “Now, I know ol’ Choke kin be a trifle uncivilized…”

“Uncivilized?!” Gasper gasped. “He almost… (gasp)…throttled Calvin Leavings for interrupting… (gasp)…one of his lies!”

“But this will be in a classroom fulla kids. Ol’ Choke will be on ‘is best behavior. An’ jist think of all the neat stories he kin tell.”

I shuddered a little, thinking that some of Choke’s tale might not be suitable for polite company, let alone high school students, but Joe waxed enthusiastic. After some more argument, we reluctantly

(Me & Joe cont. pg 7)

December 2019

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 6) went along with the idea.

“You guys go along home.

I’ll go talk to Choke an’ see if he kin come give us a talk tomorrow.”

Choke Spasm was a local hunter, trapper and guide of some repute. He lived in a cabin near the falls of the Little Salt Pork River. If Choke’s outdoor activities were admired and respected locally, his penchant for fits of temper was legendary.

His nickname, Choke, came from his tendency to always go for the throat of an adversary. He maintained that this was a natural result of his years of fighting the Japanese in hand-to-hand combat during the war. When I mentioned it at home one time, my father informed me that Choke had never even made it out of boot camp during the war. He had been kicked out for trying to strangle a drill instructor.

Northwoods Sporting Journal “Choke tells a good story,” my father said dryly, going back to his paper.

“Some of those tales he tells even have a grain or two of truth in them.”

I admit to being nervous going to school the next day. Along the hall we passed the Police Chief, Alder McCutcheon, as he took some paperwork into the school office and I felt a twinge of apprehension.

All started out well enough, however, and for a little while I thought my fears might be groundless.

Choke showed up dressed in a scruffy plaid shirt and green wool pants, but he seemed calm enough. Joe introduced him to Wilton Feeble, who eyed him uncertainly. But when Choke started in with a tale about catching 5-pound trout in Gompus Deadwater, waving his arms to illustrate the casting and landing techniques, Mr. Feeble seemed to relax.

From fishing, Choke

proceeded to hunting tales and things began to get dicier. I watched Mr. Feeble’s face go a pasty white as Choke described in detail the process of gutting a deer. When Choke began an organ-by-organ description of the wonders to be found in a whitetail’s abdominal cavity, some of the girls in the front row began to display an excellent demonstration of the gagging reflex. Mr. Feeble hurried to interrupt.

“Yes, Mr. Spasm, I’m sure that’s very interesting, but perhaps you could tell us another story.”

“Yessir, Febble, I’m a gonna in jist a minute. Now, as I was sayin’, the spleen is located just ahint the stomach. It’s fulla blood an’ when yer stick a knife in it, it…”

“Mr. Spasm! I insist you stop this right now!

You are offending the sensibilities of some of my students!” Mr. Feeble pulled nervously at his collar.

“No sech thing,” Choke replied, warming

Page 7

all the more to his theme.

“Now, thet knife’s gotta be sharp, ‘cause if it ain’t, when you stick it inter the spleen, all thet blood will come a’ gushin’ out an’…”

“MR. SPASM!” Mr. Feeble’s face had now gone all blotchy. “You will stop with this lurid tale right now! I insist that you…”

That was as far as he got. Choke Spasm’s eyes bugged out, his face flushed a beet red, and he grabbed Wilton Feeble by the throat with both hands. It would be mild to say that pandemonium broke out in our civics class.

The screams of the girls, mixed with the encouraging cries from the boys,

drew a quick response. Chief McCutcheon strode through the door, drew a blackjack from his hind pocket, and rapped Choke Spasm behind the ear with the lead-filled end. Choke collapsed like a house of cards, though it took the Chief a few more moments to pry his hands from the teacher’s throat.

By late afternoon the attack was the talk of the town. Choke sat in the jail cell in the town office, nursing the knot on his head. Me and Joe went down to visit him, only to find him in an uncommunicative mood.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” he grumbled through the bars. “Thet

(Me & Joe cont. pg 35)

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Page 8

December 2019

Ticks in the Deer Woods

Most of us who spend time deer hunting have had encounters with deer ticks, the bad ones, or know someone with Lyme disease.

Earlier this fall, University of Maine Professor Jim Dill, a tick expert, appeared as a guest on my Sunday night call-in radio program, Maine Outdoors. The phones rang constantly the entire hour as listeners cued up to ask their questions of Professor Dill. Dill heads up a new diagnostics research facility at the University of Maine that opened this past April.

Our guest was most informative and interesting. Some points he made: 1) In Maine last year, there were 1,500 documented cases of Lyme infections. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) believes that in fact in Maine actual cases of Lyme disease are at least ten times that figure! 2) Along with Lyme disease, deer ticks carry other bacteria and viruses, including babesiosis and anaplasmosis. 3) Although ticks need to be attached to your body for 36 to 48 hours to transmit Lyme disease, a shorter exposure time may be risky in the case of deer ticks infected with babesiosis or anaplasmosis. 4) Contrary to popular myth, ticks don’t jump on you. They hang on the edge of a fern or plant swaying back and forth waiting for a host to rub against the vegetation. The act of doing

Grouse Numbers To the Editor: Interesting article on partridge. I spend weeks in the woods and haven’t seen

this is called “questing.”

Deer ticks, or black-legged ticks as they are sometimes called, are nothing to trifle with. All three of the tick-induced infections are serious and potentially debilitating. From experience with tick infections, state medical facilities and physicians are getting more well informed and sophisticated in treating and diagnosing these tick diseases, although it is a very imperfect science.

Today, as a rule, even if you have an embedded tick, or even the resultant “bulls eye” rash, physicians will stop short of prescribing antibiotics until the patient shows some symptoms.

Of course, not all deer ticks carry any of the infections. So testing the ticks in the laboratory makes a great deal of sense, especially if the tick in question has been on your body for more than 24 hours. According to Dill, since April, his facility has tested 1,800 ticks that have been submitted by physicians and individuals who have been bitten by a tick. Of those ticks tested, Dill says that upwards of 40 percent of the ticks carried one of the prevalent infections! This is a higher ratio than previously thought.

The good news is that the UMO facility will test a tick for just $15.00. This is wonder-

but a couple partridge the last few years here in Acton, Maine. I used to enjoy hunting them and then they pretty much disappeared.

Turkeys? Coyotes? The land

use hasn’t changed much.

Same with woodcock. Went to Moosehead area but hunting the roads isn’t my style.

Be interesting to hear more on Southern Maine populations.

Bruce Norwood

Reverse Posting To the Editor: I read your article in the October 2019 Northwoods Sporting Journal’s Question of the Month on permission to hunt private land with much concern.

From the statements in your last paragraph it looks like this issue is already drafted for publication in the law books. I surely hope not.

This, to me, is one of the final nails in the coffin for

ful news for obvious reasons. The physician and the patient are no longer “flying blind.”

And in cases of where the tick tests negative, the patient need not be subjected to a regimen of strong antibiotics. To learn more about how to submit a tick for testing, check out the online address: tickID@maine.edu.

Owners of pets need to realize that, although dog ticks are not infectious, the smaller deer ticks can also infect your dog with Lyme disease. Curiously, there is a preventative Lyme disease vaccine for dogs, but not for humans!

When it comes to ticks, the best defense is a good offense. After a day in the deer woods, always check yourself carefully for ticks. What’s a good anti-tick spray? Professor Dill, and many others in the know, highly recommend a spray for your clothes only that contains the ingredient Permethrin.

This has worked for me. Deer hunters who have given up hunting because of ticks, might want to reconsider. Like so many other bodily perils we face, from the common flu to unsafe drivers, the taking of proper precautions, as just mentioned, makes the risk minimal.

- VPR

hunting in Maine.

You referenced one readers concern between hunting and tipping trees and said she had a point.

I fail to see it. A hunter is pursuing a state managed animal on someone’s land that is not posted, while a tipper is in reality stealing someone else’s property..a big difference.

I am 68 years old, limited in mobility, and hunt just a few hours per week.

All my old hunting pals are either dead or not hunting anymore. I like to hunt locally in remote areas (where I have a hard time finding any land not posted under the current law).

I have a lot of questions...too many to address here. How do I know

whether it is public land or private? Where do I find the landowners on a remote tract...and what if there are several? etc etc There has got to be a better way...how can a state biologist manage a deer herd if most of the WMD is privately owned and the land barons won’t let you hunt? Sounds to me like a scheme for law enforcement to issue a lot more tickets for trespassing.

A lot of private land in this state has been purchased by those out of state for their own personal hunting retreat. I have yet been allowed to hunt on those I have contacted in this area.

Tom Bryant Holden PS Love the publication!!

Page 10

Edited by V. Paul Reynolds

Sporting Journal Northwoods

December 2019

Outdoor News - December 2019

December; a good month in Maine to black powder hunt for that elusive November buck, chase rabbits with hounds, or- for the most intrepid outdoorsman - a time to hunker down in coastal duck blinds with hot coffee and lovable old Labs.

Many outdoorsmen will get out the fly-tying vices, or merely sit close to the fire with family and some good outdoor catalogs. From all of us at the Northwoods Sporting Journal, a very Merry Christmas to our loyal readers and advertisers. And may your New Year be full of health, happiness and memorable hours in New England’s Great Outdoors.

NH Moose Hunters Do Well

N e w H a m p s h i r e ’s 2019 moose season wrapped up with hunters taking a total of 38 moose – 31 bulls and 7 cows – according to preliminary numbers from New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Moose Biologist Henry Jones.

That means that hunters achieved a 76% success rate during the nine-day season. A total of 50 hunters took part in the hunt including 48 lottery permit holders, one permit auctioned by the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, and one Hunt of a Lifetime participant. In 2018, the overall success rate was 77% and has averaged 72% over the previous 5 years.

“It’s very exciting to see such a successful season throughout the state,” said Henry Jones, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s new Moose Project Leader. “Moose populations throughout the state have been relatively stable over the last few years and this year’s success rates are likely a reflection of those trends. The cooler morning

and evening temperatures likely contributed to increased moose movement in the fields which also benefited hunter success rates.”

Throughout the Granite State this season, preliminary numbers show moose hunters having a 100% success rate in the Connecticut Lakes Region, 87% in the North Region, 70% in the White Mountain Region, 50% in the Central Region, 67% in the Southwest Region, and 40% in the Southeast Region.

More than 5,800 people entered the moose hunt lottery this year for a chance to win a permit for the New Hampshire moose hunt. Additional information will be available in a future hunting report once all registration data has been verified and analyzed.

Learn more about moose hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh. com/hunting/moose.html

Governor Swears In Game Warden Colonel Dan Scott

Acting Colonel Dan Scott was sworn in as colonel of the Maine Warden Service by Governor Janet Mills in a brief ceremony in early November in the State House.

“As the Maine Warden Service enters its 140th year, I am excited at the opportu-

nities that lie ahead for the agency and the warden service,” said Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso.

“Dan’s experience, enthusiasm, and leadership will be invaluable not only to the warden service, but to the state as well.”

Scott, a game warden of over 22 years, was most recently the lieutenant of Division C in Bangor. As lieutenant, he supervised over 20 game wardens in an area that covered Washington, Hancock and Penobscot counties. Prior to that, Scott was a Game Warden Captain for four years, after being promoted from his role as investigator.

He also served as a district game warden in the Bangor area for nine years.

“I am honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead the Maine Warden Service, and am thankful for the confidence Governor Mills and Commissioner Camuso have placed in me,” said Scott. “There are upcoming challenges facing all law enforcement agencies, including the Maine Warden Service, and I look forward to leading the Maine Warden Service to meet these challenges.”

The Bureau of the Warden Service is a division within the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is comprised of over 120 game wardens. The Game Warden Colonel oversees and administers all the duties of the bureau which includes enforcement of the laws and rules pertaining to inland fishery and wildlife resource management and protection; operation of snowmobiles, watercraft, and all-terrain vehicles; and general laws. The Maine Warden Service also inves-

hunters harvested approximately 14,000 deer in our state. If you assume each deer provides 40 pounds of venison, and that each venison meal weighs one pound, that amounts to over a half a million meals of venison enjoyed each year.”

Maine’s new Warden Dan Bergeron, Colonel Dan Scott sworn in Deer Biologist for

by Governor Mills. the Fish and Game Department, notes that, “New Hampshire’s 11-day muzzleloader season is extremely popular among hunters because of its early timing, milder weather, and the high level of buck activity that happens leading up to the peak of breeding in mid to late November.” In 2018, over 23,000 people bought licenses to hunt during the muzzleloader season for deer, and 2019 is on its way to matching NH Blackpowder last year’s participation rate with nearly 19,000 licenses Season Over 20,000 muzzle- already sold.

In New Hampshire, loader hunters were expectmuzzleloader hunters are ed to take to New Hampgiven 11 days prior to the shire’s woodlands during the upcoming muzzleloader opening day of the regular deer season, which ran from firearms season to hunt deer.

November 2-12, 2019. Muz- This year’s muzzleloader zleloaders are single barrel, season was November 2-12 single shot firearms which and hunters would have require the bullets, primer, needed a regular hunting liand powder to be loaded cense ($32.00 for residents; through a muzzle each time $113.00 for nonresidents) before firing. It has become a and a muzzleloader license popular sport in recent years. ($16.00 for residents; $41.00 “Deer hunting is very for nonresidents).

To buy a 2020 hunting popular in New Hampshire,” or muzzleloader license visit according to Mark Ellingwood, Chief of the Fish www.nhfishandgame.com. and Game Department’s Licenses may also be purWildlife Division. “People chased at New Hampshire enjoy the opportunity to Fish and Game Department spend time in the field with Headquarters, 11 Hazen friends and family. They Drive, Concord, NH, Monalso appreciate the high food day through Friday from value of venison, which is 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

“Hunters are reminded a naturally-fed, free-range to maintain safety as their source of lean protein for thousands of New Hamp(News cont. pg 27) shire families. Last year, tigates hunting incidents and recreational vehicle crashes, and oversees search and rescue operations in the woods and inland waters of the state.

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Saco Beach Loop

Ferry Beach State Park in Saco is a 117-acre gem in Maine’s state park system that features a nice stretch of oceanfront beach, a pleasant network of foot trails and some interesting history.

Long before the advent of roads, a ferry crossing connecting Hills Beach and Camp Ellis at the mouth of the Saco River served early travelers along the beach from as far away as Boston, thus giving Ferry Beach its name.

By combining the park’s trails plus a walk along Ferry Beach with three trails of the Saco Bay Trails system and two short sections of paved road, hikers can enjoy a scenic and ecologically diverse four-mile loop hike known as the Saco Beach Loop.

The hike was the brainchild of John Andrews of Biddeford. Always interested in seeing where things went, he was a man who loved to explore. A

tireless trail advocate and the driving force behind the Eastern Trail from Kittery to South Portland as well as the founder of Saco Bay Trails, Andrews passed away in 2017.

Andrews’ innate curiosity led him to start wan-

Ferry Beach State Park is officially open from April 1 through Oct. 31; that’s when you can start the loop hike from the beach parking lot in the park’s interior.

Outside of that period, hikers must begin from the gate at the park entrance on

dering around the Ferry Beach area, fun journeys of discovery that resulted in the linking of existing foot trails via several street and road connections. The Saco Beach Loop was formalized into an official hike about 15 years ago.

Bayview Road.

By combining the Red Oak, Tupelo, Greenbriar and White Oak trails on your trek through the park, you’ll enjoy easy walking through a mixed forest while visiting a tupelo swamp and a freshwater tarn named Long Pond.

Rare at this latitude, the medium-sized tupelo or black gum trees are easily identified by their light brown, deeply fissured bark

Page 11

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Bar Harbor, ME and short horizontal branches. The fruit of the tupelo is an important food source for migrating birds and the heavy, hard, cross-grained wood once made it a popular material for making wooden implements.

Beyond Seaside Avenue (Route 9) and a grove of gnarled pitch pines, the loop hike turns north on Ferry Beach. The beach is part of a seven-mile arc of sand extending from the Saco River at Camp Ellis to Old Orchard Beach and on to Pine Point Beach at the mouth of the Scarborough River.

The vista from Ferry Beach – the longest continuous stretch of beach in Maine – ranges over the entirety of Saco Bay, from Fletcher Neck in Biddeford Pool north to Prouts Neck in Scarborough, and includes the Old Orchard Beach Pier, an iconic coastal fixture since 1938.

Just shy of Goosefare Brook, bear left off the beach into the Oceanside Drive neighborhood. Wend through the cluster of homes

and cottages, then venture out to Route 9. A short distance south, leave the road and take the Atlantic Way, Plymouth Trail and Vines Trail through a unit of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (here a mixture of salt marsh and woods) back to the park gate.

Given the beauty and accessibility of such a hike, it is essential to note the contributions of the indomitable John Andrews. In his native Massachusetts, Andrews found lots of trails, but upon arriving in southern Maine in the late 1980’s, he realized there were not the same hiking opportunities.

That’s when Andrews got himself appointed to the Saco Conservation Commission to help develop a local trail network, ultimately founding the nonprofit Saco Bay Trails (www.sacobaytrails.org) in the early 1990’s. Today the group maintains a system of more than 20 miles of hiking on 25 trails in Saco, Biddeford and Ocean Park.

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Page 12

Northwoods Voyager

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Protecting Resources and Our Traditions

by Gil Gilpatrick, Skowhegan, ME We hear a lot in the mass media these days about tolerance. The subjects vary, but usually are about religion, gender, race, as well as other lesser talked about subjects. As I thought about this it occurred to me that tolerance is also needed in our special area of interest, namely outdoor activities.

These might include, but are not limited to, hunting, fishing, trapping as well as the various, so-called, nonconsumptive sports such as canoeing and hiking.

My friend, Dick and I have talked extensively about this and agree that there should be one very important factor to determine whether an attack on any one of the outdoor interests

are justified. That factor is the ability of the resource to continue to thrive through the season in question.

A very good example of this is one that continues to be raised by the antihunting groups. That is bear hunting over bait or with hounds. Most of us have lived through a couple of unsuccessful attacks on these hunting methods. Although Dick guided hunters on bait hunts for many years, he does not personally like the idea of shooting a bear over bait. I concur with this myself. I would point out that each of us have shot several bears, but always in fair chase or by chance while hunting deer. Nevertheless, we both recognize

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that for some, the taking of a bear over bait is a thrilling experience. In fact, Dick has told me how excited and pleased some of his hunters are at having bagged a bear.

The only thing that would make us change our minds is if the resource, that is the bear population, was being

to the resource that an overpopulation would cause in a non-hunting area. I would also point out the damage to the property belonging to humans that too many of any animal could do. Just ask folks living in a suburban area what they think about the over population of deer

to think others would do something similar for me if something I was passionate about was under attack.

The list could go on and on, but the bottom line is that folks in the outdoor community should support each other in whatever activity is in question. That

The only thing that would make us change our minds is if the resource, that is the bear population, was being depleted. That is not the case, so the baited and hound hunts should continue. depleted. That is not the case, so the baited and hound hunts should continue.

My own guiding experience involves mostly canoe trips. Some of the folks attracted to this type of activity are anti-hunting.

I tried not to engage these people at length about hunting, but if the subject came up I always made it known that I was a hunter and supported the sport. Once in a while a guest would want to get into a deeper discussion on the subject. I tried not to argue at length, but I always fell back on the fact that if the resource continued to thrive, then there is nothing wrong with continuing the activity. In fact, many times I could point out the damage

eating their shrubbery, or coyotes attacking their pets, etc. Yes, many of them, apparently living in la-la land, think the government can just remove the offending animals and all would be well. Where, I wonder, do they think the animals would go, and where do they think the money would come from to carry out such a project?

I remember a number of years ago when trapping and trappers were under attack and they were working hard to defend their sport. I have never trapped, or had any desire to, but that year I joined the Maine Trappers Association. It was a small thing, but at least I felt I was doing something to support our Maine trappers. I like

support should always be predicated by the ability of the resource to continue to thrive.

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Fishing with Decoys

A few years back a game warden approached me while I was fishing and silently counted the number of lines I had out, including the two I had in hand, jigging. To his surprise the extra line I had in one hand

the spinning blades and the smell track of the bait.

The ice fishing decoy simply brings the game fish to a position under the jigging hole where a baited line is being jigged or on a tip-up. The decoy can

Courtesy Fish Decoys.net

was not baited and it didn’t have any hooks on it. This, he said, was the first time he had ever seen an ice fishing decoy.

Still popular in the Midwest small, carved and painted decoys are used to attract big game fish such as pike and musky. On the auction block some of these decoys are going for dozens if not hundreds of dollars.

If you’ve never experienced the use of decoys, listen up and I’ll give you a short lesson on how to build and use these great winter fishing accessories.

Decoys of a sort are common all over the country in the form of fish attractors.

Trolling blades such as cow bells and ford fenders are a couple more common.

At the end of these blades, of course is a single baited hook. The game fish are attracted by the flash of

be torpedo-shaped with a couple bendable fins near the front or can be fashioned in the shape and painted like real bait fish.

The principle of using a decoy is for the thing to be dropped into the hole and allowed to sink toward the bottom. If built and tuned correctly the decoy will sail down in the water column in ever-widening circles. After a few moments the angler retrieves the decoy and it will reverse directions, again in a circular pattern, hopefully followed by a big game fish.

Decoys are still being manufactured but their price has increased over the past decades. A hand-crafted fish decoy will cost an average of $15-$30 each. Most of the decoys used over the decades and found in yard sales find their way into auction houses or on e-Bay. Midwest “dark house”

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anglers also build and use decoys when spearing big pike and muskies. A dark house is merely a fishing shanty with no windows or windows with dark shades or shutters. In the dark space anglers can see into the water better. Check out this common ice fishing technique at www.midarkhouse. org.

Building a decoy is relatively simple. I prefer to use white cedar as the wood does not swell and crack after being submerged. I’ve made some using basswood commonly found in craft stores. It carves easily but it does not hold up well. However, my decoys are painted with several coats of Krylon spray paint and topped off with a coat or two of lacquer.

Begin by making a torpedo or fish shaped body between three and six inches in length. Sand the body smooth and draw lines on each side of the body where metal fins will be attached.

While real fish have relatively small pectoral fins, I make them slightly larger to offer more resistance when dropped into the water.

Any metal can be used but I prefer aluminum or copper. Both can be found at a local hardware store or

Page 13

South Of the Kennebec

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME big box like Home Depot or Lowes. I also cut smaller fins for the rear of the decoy to help tune the lure by testing and bending. As noted above the decoy needs to drop and retrieve in ever-widening circles.

Once the fins are attached, I balance the body on two fingers to find the balance point. On top of the decoy at the balance point I add a small screw eye.

Directly underneath the decoy I drill a cavity into which I glue enough lead to make the decoy sink. You will need to experiment with the amount. Good use for old lead sinkers no longer legal for fishing.

As for color, you can paint the decoy in colors similar to common baitfish recognized by the pike or other game fish you will be seeking. White and orange are colors that do not change color when dropped away from the surface. Reds tend to turn into brown.

In Maine it is illegal to use perch or other similar fish as bait but you can use decoys painted in perch or

sucker colors. In the Belgrades many of the big pike seek out white and yellow perch and crappies.

Fish decoys are no more or no less successful than trolling blades but, for me they have been handy when the normal live baits just don’t seem to be working.

Decoy carving makes for an enjoyable winter project. You can also purchase manufactured decoys online.

One of the most common is at Sportsman’s Warehouse, Mercers Ice Torpedoes out of Houston and www.fishdecoys.net.

Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Hunting, Fishing and Tidewater Guide and outdoor writer. He operates Orion Guide Service out of southern Maine. His outdoor features have been published nationwide for more than 50 years. Stu was recently inducted into the Nation Wild turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Visit his website at www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com

Page 14

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Allagash

December 2019

Chamberlain Farm

AWW Superintendent, Matt LaRoche, ME

About halfway up the eastern shore of Chamberlain Lake, nestled behind a point of land once called Apmoojenegamook Point (now Hog Point) sits an old farmhouse. The building is all that is left of a thriving farm that once encompassed 600 acres of cleared land, several barns and storage buildings. Chamberlain Farm was the operations hub for the Pingree Coe timberlands that totaled over one million acres.

The farm grew root crops, corn and apples to feed the hungry lumbermen that harvested trees on company lands. It served as a supply depot, and grew the hay and oats needed to feed the horses that hauled logs to the shores of our waterways which were once the highways that delivered lumber to the booming lumber market in Bangor.

A partial inventory of supplies at Chamberlain Farm in 1859 included: 100-

pounds coffee, 53- wool and fur hats, 25- red flannel shirts, 12- 5 gallon pails, 78- pounds bar soap, 17stovepipes, 1- new bateau, 100- tons hay, 5- tons oats.

Henry David Thoreau stopped at the farm on his 1857 expedition from Moosehead Lake to the Allagash and eventually down the East Branch of the Penobscot. Records show that Thoreau bought four pounds of brown sugar at the farm for 20 cents a pound. He noted that it was a fair price for so far in the wilderness.

The primary way to Chamberlain Farm was once by traveling over Mud Pond Carry. This ancient portage route connects the West Branch of the Penobscot with the Allagash headwater lakes. It was also the primary route via Northeast Carry to Moosehead Lake for travelers coming from the frontier town of Greenville to the Allagash country. It must have been quite a sight to

The H.W. Marsh Ashore at Chamberlain Farm. come down Mud Brook into Chamberlain Lake and see 600 acres of cleared land in the middle of the wilderness!

The one remaining building at Chamberlain Farm is operated as part of Nugent’s Camps. The “Farm Camp” as it is now called, is reserved for large groups that want to stay together.

The building is constructed using classic post and beam construction methods, complete with hand-hewn beams and wide pine boards. It is an excellent historical example of the many rustic buildings that made up the farm.

The farm was established by Eben Coe in 1846 on well-drained soil with

Buck (Cont. from pg 3)

In Maine’s Allagash Wilderness Waterway

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still too noisy to seriously track. You elect to hunker down hoping for a break. By noon no deer show. Hunger gnaws. Peanut butter crackers don’t cut it. There is steaming homemade soup at home. You call it a day and, with the truck in sight, you mumble a crestfallen concession speech to yourself, always painful for a serious deer hunter: “It’s over. Time to oil the gun and call it quits. Maybe next fall.”

Back at the house the hot soup revives you, and you know that you must go back to that spot where you saw the tracks. Something tugs. At 2 o’clock you grab

southern exposure. Hog Point provides shelter for boats and canoes from the prevailing northwest winds.

The steamboat H. W. Marsh was run aground in the cove many years ago. The remnants of that paddle wheeler can be seen there today.

There are many artifacts strewn about the property that one may find as you walk the once cleared fields.

When you find one you get a sense of discovery. It makes you wonder who was the last person to use that tool and how long ago? Waterway visitors are free to roam the property in search of relics from the past, but please remember to leave them where

you find them for others to discover.

The AWW is managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands as a wilderness canoe area. Great effort is made by managers of the waterway to ensure that visitors have a high-quality wilderness experience.

your .45 caliber muzzleloader, pack and folding chair and start the short walk down a logging road to a big open area for the final afternoon vigil.

You never get there.

Suddenly, crunch, crunch, crunch. Off to your right there is a deer in motion. Safety off. Down on one knee. Bring up the scope. Holy $%#@. It’s a good buck and it’s coming at you head on! It’s fast walking with head down.

Nice rack! You pull ahead of the deer to an opening in the hardwoods at about 30 yards. On cue, as if scripted, the buck senses danger and stops precisely at the opening. Kaboom! Smoke and the smell of powder fills the damp, still air. The big-

racked 8-pointer takes three leaps and then folds up.

Your jaw drops in disbelief. You are thankful but stunned. Never in all of your years in the deer woods has anything quite like this ever happened. For a discouraged old deer hunter, you could never have dreamed up or choreographed a cooler encounter.

Matt LaRoche is Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a Registered Maine Guide, and an avid outdoorsman.

He can be reached at 207695-2169 or at matt.laroche@maine.gov

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

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Diminishing Bird Life

I am now 69 years old. All my life I have been a “curious naturalist”. My summers spent on Westport Island, Maine as a child provided all kinds of birds to enjoy and learn about. I live in Down East Maine now and still love the birds.

But something is happening. There are fewer birds.

When I participate in the Breeding Bird Survey, the Christmas Bird Count, Project Feeder Watch and other bird monitoring projects, I have found many species of birds are dwindling in numbers. You use standardized procedures, which provide data for scientists to analyze.

If you keep your own count records, you can see a downward trend for some species.

Recently published reports from scientists who studied fifty years of these projects

have confirmed that indeed in the past fifty years North America has lost nearly three billion birds. There are 29% fewer birds in the United States and Canada

today. It is not yet an extinction event, but it is a crisis in abundance and biodiversity.

I hear less Ovenbirds and Hermit Thrushes. I find it hard to locate Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, American Kestrels, and many warbler species because it seems their populations are shrinking. Several pairs of tree swallows used my nest boxes every

they do not have a baseline for comparison. I do have one and can use my own data developed over more than 50 years. Abundance and diversity of bird species is being impacted. Humans are dramatically altering the landscape with certain agricultural practices, habitat losses, light pollution, high buildings, pesticides and herbicides. Some diseases

early winter. Hunting bobcats by day and coyotes by night, who has time to sleep?

Ice fisherman will surely be looking forward to their opening day as the lakes freeze over. Ice shacks, tip ups and augers will soon rule the day on many of Maine’s frozen basins. Usually, as the ice fishing action heats up, so comes the snow, ushering many more openers such as skiing, snow shoeing and the inevitable invasion of the snowmobilers – they are legion. While beaver trapping has its official opening day earlier in the year, for me the real opener is when the ice is well-formed and I can start sinking 330 body-grips below the surface. With some fresh cut aspen saplings wired to the set, it won’t take long to start pulling Castor Canadensis through the ice.

The next opening day is big one. You guessed it – open water fishing. When the ice moves out, the trout and salmon anglers move in. This a very special time of year in Maine, and if you time it just right, trolling for landlocked Atlantic salmon in Maine’s northern tiers makes for phenomenal fishing. Soon after, we’ll be fly-casting for brookies in the back country brooks and streams that wind throughout the state. Soon after, the third opening day of the open water fishing season arrives when the bass fishermen start sliding into coves and casting along rocky shorelines as bass move into the shallows in preparation of the spawn.

As summer starts to wind down, bear hunters start gearing up. The end of July brings us the opening day of the pre-baiting season. Guides and hunters alike will fend off hordes of bugs and sweltering tem-

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation The term ‘opening day’ is one that elicits a tingle of joy like no other for the sportsman. And the true magic behind the term is that every season has one; hunting, trapping and fishing alike. In fact, we get to enjoy multiple opening days all year long. This month, those who failed to get their deer will grudgingly stow away deer rifles until next fall. But, here’s the good news. We have opening day of muzzleloader to look forward to. As the muzzleloader season comes to a close we have yet another opening day of sorts, and one that I very much look forward to every year – coyote night hunting season.

We are back in black so to speak and nothing gets the heart pumping like predators slinking into a bait site during the witching hours of

spring. Now one or two pairs do so. Grassland birds like Bob-o-links and Meadowlarks are very hard to find.

Many people will not notice what is happening because

Page 15

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME such as West Nile Virus are causing deaths of many birds because these diseases are not confined to one area but can spread worldwide with our improved and increased transportation needs.

Is the shrinking bird population of some species harbingers of a sick environment that is impacting other life forms, even us humans?

If this decline has happened in the past fifty years, what will happen in the next fifty?

I just know that I am glad I have lived when I did. I have seen such wonders as hundreds of American Kestrels migrating over my head at less than treetop level. I have heard whip-poor-wills calling at twilight. I have

seen 10 or more species of warblers in gorgeous spring plumage in one tree. It is sad for me to think that future generations of people may not even realize they are missing such events.

peratures; lugging stands, barrels and bait deep into bear country in preparation for the August bear over bait season opener. Hounding and trapping seasons for bear open not long after, giving us a trifecta of opening days.

Before we know it, we roll right into opening days for the Maine moose hunting seasons, followed quickly by the October small game opening days featuring ruffed grouse and snowshoe hare. Long days spent in the woods filled with beautiful weather put us in the mindset for what is coming next – the firearm season opener on deer, arguably the biggest

opening day of them all.

My answer should come as no surprise when I am asked in my capacity as a guide, “What is your favorite time of the year?”

My never changing, steadfast reply is quite simply…

Opening Day – every single one of them.

Karen Holmes lives in Cooper, Maine. She is enjoying her new home with its 74 acres of woods and fields to roam. Being a citizen scientist and helping gather all sorts of data for various organization continues to be important to her. She is an Associate member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and enjoys writing for various publication and sharing her love of nature.

My Favorite Day

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

2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME “Pitter patter, let’s get at ‘er. It’s daylight in the swamp!” More often than not, my early days of hunting began with Dad rousting me out of a sound sleep.

Mom was up early too and made us steaming bowls of oatmeal and packed sandwiches and a cookie to be savored at mid-day.

Half asleep, but with ever-growing enthusiasm I would quickly get dressed.

Dad had real hunting pants and jacket, but my hunting `clothes, carefully laid out the night before, were begged, borrowed, and stolen from a variety of sources.

My school jacket served double-duty for deer hunting. I pulled on an old pair of hunting pants and rubber barn boots borrowed from Grandpa. In the 1960s, a state-of-the-art blaze orange plastic game vest and bombardier hat from Kmart rounded out my hunting attire.

For my first few years of hunting, guns were borrowed as well. I hunted deer with a lever-action 38-55 borrowed from an uncle. I could only hold the heavy barrel offhand for about 10 seconds. It was a mystery to me how one could both hold up the gun and line up the buckhorn sights at the same

time. Dad taught me how to safely load and unload the rifle. “Always be careful to have your thumb firmly on the hammer when lowering it into the safety position,” he admonished.

I started pheasant hunting with Dad a few years before the minimum legal age of 12-years-old. After work on Saturday afternoons in October, Dad would meet up with coworkers to go pheasant hunting. I was enthralled by the prospect of hunting dogs, shotguns, and the big, gawdy ringnecks with a tail a mile long. I was allowed to accompany Dad with strict rules to stay well behind the line of hunters.

After several outings I was allowed to carry Dad’s bb gun (unloaded) and had the great honor of carrying his pheasants in the pouch of my oversized game vest. When I came of age, I graduated to a 20-gauge single shot shotgun. It seemed to be impossible to wheel into position at a flying cock pheasant, and it kicked my slight 60-pound frame like a mule.

The training of a young deer hunter takes patience.

Dads seem to have a lot of it. Kids not so much. During my first few years of hunting, the odds of Dad’s

Days Afield with Dad

hunting success diminished significantly.

One of Dad’s first lessons taught me how to properly walk in the woods. We practiced walking through frosty leaves that crunched underfoot like a bag of potato chips. “Pretend you are an Indian in moccasins. Roll the ball of your foot. Don’t step on twigs. A deer will hear us coming a mile away.” Dad instructed.

This seemed impossible in boots that were two-sizes too large.

Lesson two concerned fidgeting. At most, a 12-year-old has a 15-minute attention span. Dad would clear a stump or log of snow for both of us to sit on.

Sometimes I had a ‘heater seat’ to insulate my derriere.

Despite Dad’s best attempts at keeping me comfortable in the frigid woods, I quickly lost interest. It was freezing, and I shivered. I practiced sighting my gun. I snapped twigs. About that time Dad would break out a candy bar, carefully and silently unwrapping it. It’s no wonder that few deer pranced down the trail. “How much longer do we have to sit here?” I pleaded.

This led to my third lesson involving the art of still hunting. I sensed that Dad wasn’t about to sit all day on the same stump. After the sun was well above the horizon and I was about to burst with boredom,

Dad said we would stalk through the woods like Daniel Boone. We put our skulking practice to good use and occasionally saw deer. This became my favorite style of deer hunting and still is to this day.

At the end of the day we meticulously cleaned and oiled our guns. The smell of Hoppes No. 9 oil permeated our house. Dad owned just two guns for hunting, a 20-gauge double barrel for bird hunting and a .270 Remington for hunting deer. When he gave me a Marlin 30-30 for Christmas, he taught me how to take

care of it and keep it in good working order. I still hunt with it today.

Hunting taught me many valuable life lessons.

I learned about responsibility after carelessly losing Dad’s prized hunting knife in the woods. Most of my early summer yard-mowing wages were used to replace the knife. I learned that Dad had skills I never knew existed. He insisted that I carry a compass and taught me how to use it. After the sun set, he would ask me to get it out and tell him which direc-

(Dad cont. pg 26)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 17

Great Grouse Hunts

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H.

Susan, the dogs and I had a very busy October chasing ruffed grouse and woodcock. We made three trips to different locations.

Here’s a short report on each destination.

Our first destination was The Hungry Trout Resort in Wilmington, NY. We had never hunted the Adirondacks so when owner Jerry Bottcher invited us, we excitedly said “yes”. The Hungry Trout Resort is a very fine complex catering to fly anglers, upland hunters and general tourism. It features both a fine dining restaurant and a pub style restaurant. For fly anglers, it sits directly on the West Branch of the iconic Ausable River. For upland hunters, it’s surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of prime grouse and woodcock habitat. In fact, the grouse habitat might be the best I’ve ever seen…anywhere. And, for general tourism, the scenery is breath taking.

For our three-day hunt (October 7, 8 & 9), Jerry arranged for guides each day. The first day we hunted with Scott. Scott took us to one of his secret spots deep into the Adirondacks. It was well worth the drive. We had 21 grouse flushes and nine woodcock flushes. All three of our dogs, Dena, Blaze and Cordie, did fine bird work. Our woodcock flushes demonstrated how unpredictable these birds

are. Scott had been in this woodcock cover the previous day and didn’t have a single flush. One day later, we moved nine woodcock in that exact same cover.

A highlight of this day was Scott giving our birds to the chef at the resort. They were prepared for us for dinner.

Of course a ruffed grouse breast is always delicious and that was especially true with the touch of a professional chef. However, the woodcock tasted like a fine cut of prime beef. Not sure what the chef did to that woodcock breast…we were unable to obtain a recipe.

The next two days we were guided by Matt; another outstanding guide.

Both days we had between 15-20 flushes per day. Those flushes were evenly divided between woodcock and grouse. A special touch the guides provided each day was a warm lunch prepared

on a propane stove.

If you’re looking for decent bird numbers with very comfortable accommodations, take a look at The Hungry Trout Resort.

Their website is www.hungrytrout.com.

Our next trip (October 16-20) was to Grand Lake Stream, Maine. Grand Lake Stream is also a popular upland hunting/fly fishing destination. We stayed at Canalside Cabins right in Grand Lake Stream. The cabins are owned and operated by John and Mary Arcaro, both very nice people.

Our hunt here was also three days. We didn’t have guides, however, John is a professional guide and available to guide guests. Without a guide, a short three-day hunt is difficult. By the time you’ve identified coverts, it’s time to leave. However, John gave us a couple of roads to check-out and that

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was a big help. Since Grand Lake Stream is in the middle of a major migration flyway for the American woodcock, we expected more woodcock flushes than grouse.

That wasn’t the case. Daily, woodcock and grouse flushes were about equal. During our short three day hunt, we did locate two woodcock covers that consistently produced several flushes, and we identified one very good grouse road. We had great fun in Grand Lake Stream and hope to return soon, and, we’ll definitely stay at Canalside Cabins. Check them out at www.canalsidecabins.com.

Our third October trip was to Allagash, Maine. We traveled directly from Grand Lake Stream to Allagash with plans to hunt October 21-26. As we do each year, we met several hunters shopping at the grocery store in Fort Kent. Everyone had a different opinion on grouse numbers. We would have to decide based upon our own experience. For Susan and

me, it was the same as last year. We averaged about ten grouse flushes per day. Some days more and some days a few less. Still worth the trip and still great fun. By the way, a local man told us he was hunting moose about 80 miles south of Allagash and saw about 100 grouse in four days of hunting.

We were going to hunt the two logging roads he told us about on Friday. Unfortunately, our two year old Blaze cut his pad badly on Thursday afternoon, and we had to pull out Friday morning and head home. No vet in the North Country could find time to see Blaze. Very disappointing.

Overall, it was a great October and we feel blessed to be able to hunt so many different places. Susan and I hope to meet you in the field someday.

Paul is host and producer of the Bird Dogs Afield TV show. Reach him at paul@birddogsafield.com

HELP US FIND

The elusive Northwoods Sporting Journal’s moose Marty.

He has wandered into the northwoods.

Find Marty somewhere in the Northwoods Sporting Marty 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.

Shown actual size PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM TO: Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 195, West Enfield, ME 04493

Mikayla Hayes

(Marty was found on pg 9)

Name Address City

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

Entries must be postmarked by 12/16/19 to be eligible for this issue.

Page 18 Northwoods Sporting Journal

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

Few men have seen more adventure than the early bush pilots of northern Maine. When roads were few and far between and the north woods was more wilderness than not, bush planes were often the only feasible means of transportation. Small planes and the pilots who flew them became a critical lifeline to many sporting camp operations and backwoods trappers.

With floats in summer and skis in winter, they provided nearly year-round transportation that connected woods folk with the outside world, and brought in their needed food and supplies.

Greenville native Dick Folsom grew to love flying at an early age, and after serving in World War II, he returned home eager to start

December 2019

Dick Folsom: Mr. Bush Pilot

a business. Over the next forty years, Folsom’s Air Service grew to become the largest seaplane operation in the eastern United States.

As you might imagine, Folsom made a lot of memories in his decades of flying, including dealings with backwoods hermits and friends, flying interesting people into the Maine woods, witnessing fatal crashes, and having a few close calls himself.

It was an interesting set of characters that made up the north woods back in those days. All winter long, trappers lived out alone in remote cabins harvesting fur for a living. They led a pretty quiet existence out there, but when friends flew in or they made it out to town, look out! Dick told

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some funny stories about Jim Clarkson, Al Nugent and Jasper Haynes, among other notable names.

Some of the most captivating stories are those of planes gone missing and crashes that aren’t found for years, if at all. With so many planes operating back then, the unfortunate accident happened from time to time.

Dick was around for many of the crashes and searches, some of which continue to this day.

With so many stories to tell, Folsom’s friend and fellow pilot Jake Morrell sat down with the legend in 1996 to record some of the history on tape, and preserve the memories of an icon in Maine bush flying.

They talked about a variety of topics, including woods hermits, early pilots, mail delivery, and his time in the war. And now, we can listen in on the conversation.

“Dick Folsom: Bush Pilot” was published by Jake Morrell in 2017. The book provides a transcript of Morrell’s interview with Folsom about his life and career in aviation, and numerous photographs spanning the history of Folsom’s Air Service. As an added bonus, the book includes two audio CD’s, giving you the chance to listen in on the actual interview. You can find the book on Amazon.com, or Maineauthorspublishing. com J e re m i a h c a n b e reached at jrodwood@ gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

The Sporting Camp Legacy

Before I became a Maine Guide, I spent several years teaching history to high school students in Aroostook County. Given my past profession, it stands to reason that guiding for a lodge with nearly 130 years of history has been

venture back in time and enjoy the north Maine woods the way folks did over a century ago is a larger part of our draw than most people realize.

When Ike, Will, and their father C.C. purchased the famed and historic At-

and two years before Ellis Island started accepting and processing immigrants.

It was three years still before the extravagant Chicago World’s Fair, where the masses were introduced to the marvel of electric light.

And it was only four years

kins Camps in 1890 and founded Libby Camps, the world was a vastly different place. That was the year Yosemite was designated as a National Park, and the same year Wyoming and Idaho were admitted as 43rd and 44th states. It was one year before Carnegie Hall opened in New York City,

before congress designated Labor Day as an official holiday, five years before the first U.S. Open Golf Tournament, and six long years before the last North American Gold Rush in the Yukon Territories. Like we said, the world was a vastly different place when the first pages of our story were

CABINS & MINI BARNS

Many of our quality buildings are being used for shops, horse barns, playhouses, garden sheds, chicken houses and camps.

When Ike, Will, and their father C.C. purchased the famed and historic Atkins Camps in 1890 and founded Libby Camps, the world was a vastly different place.

something of a treat for me.

Maine Sporting Camps are an integral part of Maine’s historical landscape, and through my first several years of guiding, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of questions I get from clients regarding the history of Libby Camps and the surrounding area. While I’m sure general curiosity is a big reason most people ask, I also believe many ask because they want to feel like they are living that history when they visit us.

Maine sporting camps are not the lavish resorts of the west, and none that I know of have ever claimed to be.

Our history is what makes us special, and the ability to

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written.

Back then when our guests left their homes to venture north and visit us, their journey was long and daunting, first by buckboard and later by train through a vast wilderness much more remote than one could imagine, especially when measured against the standards of today.

And to arrive only to face an additional two days of travel by canoe upstream to the camps, back then located on an island, must have been an experience all on its own. Moving upriver through a sprawling landscape of massive timbers, outstretched endlessly and filled to the brim with all of nature’s wonders, it must have felt as though they were being transported to a new world completely

separate and entirely simpler than the world they left behind back home. A place thoroughly isolated and totally shut off from where their journey began.

Fast forward to present day and it is safe to assume that Ike, Will, and C.C. could never have imagined what the world they lived in would become, let alone what would become of their Sporting Camps. 130 years later and a person can get on a plane in Texas in the morning and be fishing on one of our native trout ponds in time for the evening hatch.

Buckboards have been replaced by automobiles, river travel has been replaced by a sprawling network of lumber roads, and getting to Libby Camps is more a precursor to the adventure than part of the adventure itself.

Still, much about our experience remains unchanged from those early years, as

(Legacy cont. pg 22)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Fish and Wildlife Department Conducts Major Survey

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is working with Responsive Management, an indepen-

agement researchers will be distributing the survey by mail and email with a link to an online questionnaire,

reation or be knowledgeable about any specific issues to qualify for the survey—the researchers are looking for

selected to do so. This is why your participation in the survey is so important: as a survey respondent you are representing many other Maine residents.

We encourage you to participate in the survey if you are invited to do so. The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and the results will help the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife better understand residents’ opinions and perceptions of important management issues.

Thank you in advance for your input!

You do NOT have to participate in outdoor recreation or be knowledgeable about any specific issues to qualify for the survey—the researchers are looking for input from ALL residents.

dent research firm specializing in natural resource and outdoor recreation issues, to conduct a survey on wildlife management issues in Maine. Responsive Man-

and interviewers will also be calling Maine residents to complete the survey by phone.

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December 2019

input from ALL residents.

Also note that this is a scientific, probability-based survey, which means that you can only participate in the survey if you are randomly

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Page 21

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Legacy (Cont. from pg 19) our history is alive and well in how the camp operates even today.

Much like out first guests over a century ago, people still visit Libby Camps for many of the same reasons. They come to enjoy a level of peace, quiet, and solitude few know exist, in a place that time and modern society have left largely untouched. They come to watch spectacular sunsets give way to blankets of stars so bright and vibrant they almost don’t seem real.

They come to explore woods and waters teaming with wild brook trout, flush with ruffed grouse, and filled with more wildlife and natural beauty than any amusement park could deliver in ten lifetimes. But regardless of why they come, what we care about more than anything else is what they take with them when they leave.

Because beyond that fish of a lifetime, the delicious home-cooked meals, and the spectacular sunsets are the memories made in the company of family and friends.

These memories are not all that different than the ones our very first clients made over a century ago, and they are what I believe make Maine’s sporting camps totally special and unique from camps anywhere else in the world. As we close the book on 2019, so too do we conclude the latest edition of our history. What 2020 has in store for us remains to be seen, but I for one am eager to find out. Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from all of us at Libby Camps!

Ben is an avid fly fisherman, registered Maine Guide, and the Marketing director for Libby Sporting Camps. When he’s not exploring T8-R9 in search of new water, he can be reached at ben@libbycamps.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 24

December 2019

Question Of The Month December 2019

Big Buck Hunters: What Do They Have in Common?

By V. Paul Reynolds There are deer hunters and, then, there are buck hunters.

Which are you? Of course, you say, we are all buck hunters, one way or another. Any Maine deer hunter who does not have a doe tag is a buck hunter, right? True, but there are a few stalwart deer hunters in Maine who –like the famous Benoit brothers in Vermont - are “the fast guns of the deer woods,” when it comes to putting record deer on the game pole.

Hal Blood of Jackman is a buck hunter worthy of the name. How does he do it? How is he different from run-of-the-mill deer hunters like you and me? If you put in your time, hunt hard and read all the how-to books by the experts, why haven’t you ever taken that 200 pound

bog bruiser? In more than 50 years of serious deer hunting, I have taken plenty of deer but never one over 200. Looking back, there was a missed opportunity that shall live forever in my memory. Bursting from the alders along Scutaze Stream came a big doe. So focused was I on trying to get the crosshairs on the escaping doe, I missed a far more important critical moment in the making: a behemoth buck bringing up the rear.

I still see him. He is as big as a draft horse with a neck like the Hulk. A real jaw dropper! No, I never got off a shot.

“Hal,” I asked,” what’s your secret? Give me a couple of tips on how to bag that buck of a lifetime.” The Jackman buck hunter does not have any magic elixirs or silver bullets. “First,”

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he says, matter of factly,” you have to hunt where the big bucks are.(In the North Woods).” Hal believes that the deer in southern and central Maine are, indeed, a different sub-species from

with deep dew claws) he gets on it.

Dick Bernier, another fabled Maine buck hunter, writes,” Pursuing whitetail bucks on early November snow brings among other

Hal believes that the deer in southern and central Maine are, indeed, a different sub-species from the big fir forest deer. “Our big woods bucks are just bigger animals,” contends Blood. the big fir forest deer. “Our big woods bucks are just bigger animals,” contends Blood. He says that if you compare tagging station data you will find that the ratio of 200 pound bucks registered is much higher at North Woods’ tagging stations.

Hal also is a guy who prays for snow. Tracking is his thing. He finds a track.

If it appears to be less than a day old and of sufficient size (three -inches wide

things great pleasure in my being. I find no other activity that can stir my soul to the extent a freshly made, oversized track can extol.”

Surely, there is another attribute that is a common thread among all big buck hunters: perseverance.

Maine buck hunter David Libby calls it “unyielding, teeth-gritting stubbornness.”

The Hal Bloods of this world are Blue Tick hounds on two legs. When on the track

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So, if you’re more than a meat hunter and you dream about a bragging size whitetail, say a Hinckley buck that broke the scales at 355 pounds, or Fred Goodwin’s famous Silver Ridge Buck from Benedicta, a 20-pointer that scored 239 4/8, here’s what you do, say the buck hunters. Hunt the Big Woods. Wait for snow.

Find a fresh track.

Oh, yes. No matter how tough it gets, stay on that track!

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

The Sporting Journal is the gift that Keeps on giving!

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Pattern a Coyote

Something that I never thought was possible suddenly became doable with the aid of trail cameras. We can study a deer’s travel and feeding patterns so why not a coyote’s? It’s an absurd idea – I know! Why not give it a try? That’s what I did, but with success. I had help. Infrared heat censored scouting cameras are a wonderful thing when trying to lock down a coyote.

There is a major coyote problem when you turn around in the snow to walk back out and right where you walked, moments before, there are fresh coyote tracks following your foot prints. My hair stood up on end. It made me uneasy. It felt like I was being hunted by this coyote. These woods are where I do the majority of my deer hunting. I knew right then that I needed to focus all my coyote hunting efforts in this area.

When actually hunting deer I often heard coyote howls, barks and strange vocalizations that I couldn’t explain. Many times I heard coyote vocalize between 8:30 and 9:00 o’clock in the morning within eighty to one hundred yards away from where I sat waiting for deer. Usually anytime after 5:00 o’clock in the evening

the coyote would bark and howl. Being able to hear and see the coyote helped me formulate a travel pattern. Everyone uses predator calls, decoys, scents and baits to hunt coyote. Who would have ever thought to actually pattern a coyotes travels to ambush it?

That would be me!

For the last five years I’ve been collecting quite the photo collage of coyote on my deer scouting cameras in my favorite deer hunting area. Although I was mainly interested in the deer - some time later all those coyote pictures with the time stamps helped me with this new coyote hunting tactic.

These pictures shown that coyote hunted around the doe bedding area and my first food plot consistently from 1:00 o’clock to 5:00 o’clock in the morning.

The trail camera photos that I collected further in off the dirt road along the edge of the swamp showed that coyote passed through between 9:00 o’clock and 11:00 o’clock in the morning. I also have pictures of coyote walking through the second food plot near the same wetland around 5:30 in the evening.

From September on through December coy-

Greenville

ote consistently traveled through the same areas any time after 9:00 o’clock in the morning. Down closer to town around the first food plot and the doe bedding area coyote hunted in the wee hours of the morning. Deeper into the forest around the second food plot near the swamp coyote hunted, bedded and hung out late morning through to early evening. All of a sudden it became clear how I were going to hunt these coyote. When deer season was over and I had time to ambush coyote I knew

Page 25

On The Prowl Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME

exactly where to hang my scouting cameras to begin patterning them.

Finally a cold snap hit! It were perfect conditions for a late morning coyote hunt. That’s right, I went after a coyote during a non-traditional time of day.

I might get strange looks when I tell people about my ambush for a coyote at 9:00 o’clock in the morning.

Quickly I loaded everything

in the truck. I arrived at my parking spot at about 6:30 in the morning. I didn’t want to alert the coyote of my approach by driving in too early as coyote lurk around the entrance to my hunting area during the early hours.

Waiting for the coyote to move deeper into the forest before making my move paid off.

(Coyote cont. pg 26)

Carroll’s Corner Annual Christmas Wish

Recently, I have been reminded that I have many things to be thankful for. Not the least of these things is the fact that I live in the best place, anywhere. We are so fortunate to live in a place where we have clean air to breath and clear water to enjoy, surrounded by our forests, mountains and rivers. It is frustrating for many of us to see that, unfortunately, some folks don’t respect or apparently treasure what we have here in Maine.

As I write this, the upland bird season and the archery season for deer are in full swing. Lila and I have spent every possible moment that we could, chasing Riffle, our Lab through the bird covers and watching him grow. The firearms season for deer is nearly here and all of this means that there will be more and more people in the woods. One of the more unpleasant results of so many people enjoying our beautiful State is the significant lack of respect that some people have. The litter in the woods and waters is as prolific as I have ever seen it! Beverage cans, food wrappers, even black plastic garbage bags full of someone’s household garbage litter the woods. I don’t think for one second that by writing this and voicing my criticisms that any of those who are so disrespectful of our environment will do anything different. As individuals, we all can do something to keep our waters and forest in their natural state. My vow for 2020 is that I will, at every opportunity, pick up the cans, bottles, garbage and plain old junk that someone is too lazy to take home and dispose of properly. For me personally it isn’t just that they didn’t bring their debris home, it is more about a total lack of respect for what we have given to us here in Maine. Those of you who do this know who you are! I expect that some of my readers will disagree with my stand on this subject, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion. I for one am not going to sit back and accept this any longer. If I see you discard trash, I will not be bashful about asking you to pick it up!

On a much more pleasant note, The Holidays and all that goes with that are upon us again. I intend to reflect on the past year and will enjoy memories made and expectations for next year’s adventures. Newsflash! The tarpon monkey is now erased; I have that 100 lb. tarpon on the fly rod and being a glutton for punishment, Lila and I will return next May to the Keys, which probably means that the tarpon will get even for this year!

Holiday greetings to all!

January…..Ice fishing Carroll M. Ware is a Master Maine Guide, holder of forty-eight world fly-fishing records and a two-time Maine Professional fly-casting champion.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

Dad

me make a small first aid and survival kit in a tin band aid box. Dad taught me how to build an emergency shelter and fire.

But most of all, hunting built trust, a common bond and interest between a father and a son. I think Dad knew that he would only be able to hunt with his three sons for a few short years be-

(Cont. from pg 16) tion the car was. Sometimes he asked me to lead us out of the dark woods. I carried a deer dragging rope in my coat pocket. He taught me how to tie the front hooves to the antlers, which made for easier pulling. He helped

fore they were off to college or elsewhere. Five decades hence, I treasure the days that I spent afield with Dad. I wish there were more.

Curt McCollough taught his son to hunt in western Pennsylvania.

Mark can be reached at ellmcc25@yahoo.com

Coyote

(Cont. from pg 25) I got all settled in behind my Ghost Blind at approximately 7:00 o’clock in the morning, knowing that coyote won’t arrive until 9:00 o’clock or later.

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December 2019 a coyote tramps into my set off to my left at 9:17 a.m. I didn’t expect what happened next. This coyote walks to within five feet of my Ghost Blind. I couldn’t see the coyote at that distance for the mere fact a pile of trees left behind by the loggers blocked my view. The coyote’s next move breaks my heart. It turns to walk back the way it came from and veers off to my right but at this time it’s into the trees too far. Sick feelings came over me when I couldn’t shoot this coyote. I may have lost this round, however, the battle is far from over. I will be back. I won’t forget my predator calls.

Consider patterning coyote when you start coyote hunting this year or next.

Buy extra scouting cameras to put out in known coyote hang outs. Between your hunting observations and the collection of pictures you should start to formulate a travel pattern for those pesky coyotes. Make darn sure you have entry and exit routes that won’t alert them coyote.

Always play the wind. It won’t hurt to have a predator call or two on you just in case a little coaxing might be needed to get the coyote to present a shot opportunity.

Best of luck out there. I hope you stack ‘em up this winter!

Justin is a Unity College alumni and a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He authored two books, “Wild Maine Outdoors – hunting tactics, tricks & secrets” and “The Sit Spot – discovering the forest near you”. You can learn more about Justin by visiting www.WildMaineOutdoors.com

Have a Safe & Happy New Year!

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

News (Cont. from pg 10) first priority,” said Bergeron.

They are also urged to treat private landowners with respect, courtesy, and appreciation. “We are heavily dependent on the generosity of private landowners for hunting access in our state. We owe it to private landowners and our peers to treat private land as sacred ground. Without private land access, many hunters would be severely restricted in their hunting options.”

To learn more about hunting in New Hampshire, visit www.huntnh.com

VT Blackpowder Season

LICENSES: Muzzleloader license and hunting license required. LIMIT: One legal buck with at least one antler having two or more points may be taken anywhere in the state. In addition, with an antlerless permit issued by the department, a person may take an antlerless deer within the authorized WMU. No more than two deer may be taken total, and a second deer may only be taken by hunters possessing an antlerless muzzleloader deer permit.

DEFINITION OF MUZZLELOADING FIREARM: A single-shot, singlebarrel rifle or smoothbore firearm with a minimum barrel length of 20 inches, designed to be fired from the shoulder or a singleshot pistol with a minimum barrel length of 10 inches. Both rifle and pistol must be incapable of being loaded from

(News cont. pg 36)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal December 2019 The Tyer’s Corner hackle fibers for a tail. Start you’ve ever had a streamer gently pull out some but not

Page 28

The West Branch Ghost

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

This month’s fly is a streamer that is tied, pictured and developed by Alvin Theriault (www.theriaultflies.com); the West Branch Ghost. Alvin tells a story of meeting a guide named Junior York on the West Branch of the Penobscot River who showed him a Black Ghost streamer with a red tail and throat. Years later, Ray Stout showed Alvin a version of the fly with a white fox fur wing that fished well. Alvin combined the two ideas and developed a very effective streamer.

Recipe for the West Branch Ghost Thread - Red Hook - Streamer hook Tail - Red hackle fibers Body - Black floss or UniStretch Rib - Silver Mylar Throat - Red hackle fibers Wing - White fox hair, four strands of pearl Krystal Flash, white fox hair topping Cheeks - Red breast feather from golden pheasant Use a standard streamer hook. Put down a thread base and tie on a few red

Central Maine Region

your Mylar rib by the tail, you’ll wind that forward after you’re done winding the body. I use black UniStretch for the body because it is easier but I used black floss for years and it is the

fly with a silver rib trailing off behind the tail, this is the fix for that problem.

Tie in a few red hackle fibers for a throat, again taking care to keep your thread wraps tight and minimal.

all of the under fur with your other hand. This is wispy stuff so it may take a few tries. Don’t get frustrated, this wispy fur is what makes it such a good streamer. The wing should extend past the

traditional body material.

Whichever you use, start and finish them at a point just behind the hook eye.

Be careful not to bunch up a lot of material here or you’ll have a streamer fly head the size of your thumbnail. Now bring the Mylar rib forward, five to six turns is the traditional number of wraps. Tie it off where you tied off the black body material. I like to leave a sixteenth of an inch “tab” when I cut the Mylar off. I fold this tab back and cover it with a few thread winds to lock in the rib. If

There is a lot of material to tie in at the same place for this fly. The wing is two small bunches of white fox fur with four strands of Krystal flash separating them, buy the thinnest flash you can. I use arctic fox because it is cheap, available and it gives great action in the water. Tie in the first bunch, add the Krystal flash on top of that and finish the wing with another bunch of fox fur. You should notice that the fox fur has a thick under fur. Hold the tips of the fur with one hand and

end of the tail a bit.

The last component of this streamer is the cheeks.

These are the red breast feathers of a Golden Pheasant. The cheeks serve to hold the wispy fox fur wings in place. This feather is large but you don’t have to use all of it, tie them in short. I’ve mentioned Golden Pheasant before; I buy a whole skin of this useful bird for about ten to twelve dollars. Use the red thread to finish with a red head.

That’s it. This is a very good salmon pattern, especially on the West Branch. It looks like a big white moth in your fly box but when it gets wet, the shape slims down into a very good imitation of a darting, wounded and bleeding baitfish. This is a north woods streamer that not many people know about, and it’s easy to tie.

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Hugh Kelly has fly fished and tied his own flies for over 40 years. He and his family live in Detroit where he ties flies, drinks Moxie and plans fishing trips. He can be reached at hkellymaine@gmail.com and writes a fly tying blog at puckerbrushflies.com

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Must Read Maine Books

There are at least two books that most, if not all, outdoorsmen should have in their library. The first book

by Dale Rex Coman, titled “PLEASANT RIVER”, first edition in 1966, hardcover, is a collection of times spent along a Downeast Maine river. A category, if you will, of fly fishing, local folks, seasons, flora and fauna, and just plain “being there”.

Read and digest the following excerpt from Chapter 2, page 23: “From far upon the ridge there suddenly same a startling “whoop”! -- not so much war whoop as a shout of exultation that echoed back and forth between the hills and finally died away, leaving a silence that seemed deeper than before. A stranger would wonder, I thought, at how to account for this wild outburst, but to those of us who knew it well, it could only be – Roger.

The first time I heard it, he and I were fishing together, only a short distance apart, and I had asked, what prompted the sudden yell!

“Can’t help it, Doc. It’s so good to be here, alive, and along the river and everything, that it just comes out that way, all at once. Can’t hold it in, that’s all!”

Roger, of course, was my old fishing buddy for years at the Pleasant River and so many other places Downeast. Roger Wakefield of Columbia Falls and later of Machias, Maine.

There are other narratives of interest, not only

to those who crave the outdoors, but readers will find engaging as well. Cowan’s sketches add considerably to the script.

The second book, highly recommended reading, is by a long time friend and mentor, you might say, is Bill Geagan’s, titled “NATURE I LOVED” first published in hardcover in 1952.

This was Bill’s first book and undoubtedly his finest.

Another book followed titled, “THE GOOD TRAIL”.

In the words of Bill, “I like log cabins, my own garden, canoes, fly fishing, the fragrance of wood smoke, big pipes, dogs, kids, late spring and summer up to the halfway mark, walking alone on snowshoes through the woods when snow is falling, rugged outdoor movies, prying into the family affairs of wild things, lamplight, and ballads and organ music.”

Bill could always “see” things in the out-ofdoors that others seemed to miss. Those things were: “The long dark shadow that hides under the bridge. The tall pines that march down the ridge to look at themselves in the mirrored pond.

The tam o’shantered acorn” --- and on and on.

Geagan had a way with words. He was a very descriptive writer. He was quite the artist too, as you

Page 29

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME will see in his book. Many of his sketches consisted of simple outdoor things, like hurrying hares, campfires with hanging teapots, owl, chickadees, and toadstools.

A sample of Bill’s writing from page 7, chapter one: “It was May and the morning was blue and golden. The outdoors was coming to live after the long winter sleep. The bird choir was at its best. Tiny green leaves trimmed the hardwoods, and the air was sweet with fragrance of damp earth, fresh water, and growing things. It seemed that Nature had opened a million bottles of perfume.”

To find one of these great books, check with one of Maine’s many used book dealers. If they don’t have one on hand, they well might find one for you.

Bob Leeman is a Master Maine Guide, outdoor writer, naturalist, book author, and a co-host of the “MAINE OUTDOORS” radio program on Sunday evenings from 7-8 p.m. His three books are all available at several bookstores and fly shops, or directly from him. For information on his books, please call 207-9897696.

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The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME For many years I’ve listened to sports of mine during the summer speak with great anticipation about their upcoming pheasant

these wing shooters, wondering if one day I might get the opportunity to do some stalking for this coveted game bird.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife first stocked pheasants in 1930. It never really got off the ground as a full-fledged, reliable program, but it has continued to this day, if only in York and Cumberland counties. hunts in the Dakotas, Nebraska, Illinois or Iowa.

For some of them, this is an annual adventure that takes them to prairie country with an abundance of standing grain crops that can sustain populations of ring-necks.

I listened with interest to

Pheasants are not native to Maine, nor to any other state in the U.S. They originated in China and East Asia, but for centuries have been successfully established in many other countries of North America and Europe. I once witnessed,

Central Maine Region

December 2019

Pheasants in Maine

but did not participate in a pheasant hunt in Scotland.

It’s a wonder it didn’t cure me of ever wanting to hunt them myself.

As in many Scottish communities, there was a castle nearby dating from the 12th century. The owners sometimes hosted pheasant hunts for their guests and other members of the British aristocracy. In a word, it was not a pretty sight. A dense stocking of birds into a long swale of thick cover happened only minutes before the hunt began. Once the signal was given to begin, the “hunters” walked the edges of the swale as “the help” walked through the briars and brambles banging pots and pans, shouting, and creating as much pandemonium as they could. The startled birds flew right into the line of fire of expensive German and Italian shotguns wielded

by dapper dans dressed in top hats and ties. Few pheasants survived.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife first stocked pheasants in 1930. It never really got off the ground as a full-fledged, reliable program, but it has continued to this day, if only in York and Cumberland counties.

It succeeds thanks to release sites sanctioned by landowners who can volunteer their lands for the hunt, and to local rod and gun clubs who participate in the stocking. It is a plus for bird hunters of the region, but limits the scope of pheasant hunting in Maine to a very confined region.

A few years back, right after listening to another sport rave about the pheasant hunting in the Mid-west, I came across the name of an outfit in Milo, Maine that

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Your first impression at Three Rivers is a knockout punch. A classic, circa 1855 New England farmhouse and mammoth barn includes the “lodge” that features live-in quarters for hunters who are staying on for a while, as well as a gathering area in front of a fireplace where tall tales can be told. The walls are a gallery of majestic busts and racks that would haunt the dreamscapes of any young hunter (yes, the lodge also caters to deer hunters).

The main thrust of the operation, however, is pheasant and quail hunting, and it would be hard to imagine a more ideal setting. Looking across River Road toward the Piscataquis River, you can see long rows of narrow, bush-hogged pasture bordered by thick covers of early successional growth. It makes not only the perfect habitat for pheasants, but for grouse and woodcock as well. Hunters are permitted to take these game birds while hunting for pheasant or quail. You

(Maine cont. pg 31)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Maine

Central Maine Region

(Cont. from pg 30) may bring your own bird dog, but if requested, Three Rivers can provide a trained dog and handler for a fee.

If you’re staying over, kenneling facilities are on site.

The pheasant hunt: It’s hard to beat the sight of a trained bird dog “making game” on a hot scent, or the sound of the cluck and cackle of a ring-neck pheasant launching itself out of impossible thickets in a thunder of wing beats. By the time you pull yourself together and shoulder the shotgun, that big target already has a head start. Well all right, so you missed. You stand there for a minute, replaying the whole thing until, finally, you say, “OK, that won’t happen again. Four minutes later, you get the chance to prove it.

I haven’t gone pheasant hunting in the Midwest yet, but now, when my sports talk about it, I’ve got a story of my own to tell.

Three Rivers Wingshooting in Milo can be reached at 207-943-7943, or you can visit their website: http:// www.threeriverswingshooting.com Randy Spencer is an author and guide. Reach him via randy31@earthlink.net or www.randyspencer.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 32

Good to be Guiding Again

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME As I write this column, we just wrapped up the first week of deer season. Like many years we had some tracking snow up here in the Jackman area. Most of it came in the form of heavy

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I told Roger we could probably get a look at this buck fairly soon if he wanted to switch tracks. He agreed and we put it into sneak mode as we followed it.

squalls on Wednesday that weren’t predicted in any forecast, quite common here as the mountains on the border create snow as the air comes up the western slopes from Canada. There were more squalls Thursday and Friday and it accumulated to 5 or 6 inches in some of the higher elevations. It was my first week of guiding a deer hunter in quite a few years and my first year back

1X1 hunters and put a buck on the pole when my client Roger Bellerose from New Hampshire shot his first buck while tracking on Thursday. Roger was the first one to book a hunt with me when I kicked off the business in January and he also came to one of my deer clinics in May. The first three days of the hunt we still hunted around and found plenty

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of nice signpost rubs. The snow was in the forecast and we couldn’t wait to get on a track. At daylight on Thursday morning, as a light snow was still coming down, we made our way up a mountain in search of a big buck track. We walked over a mile without seeing a deer track which is not unusual on the first snow of the year.

The deer seem to stay hunkered down for a day or so on the first snow of the year.

Finally, we found where a few does were feeding in a cut and that we had spooked them. After seeing a few more doe tracks, we found the buck track that we were looking for. Roger was now going to get to experience what he had learned in deer clinic. A nice 3x4 track with dewclaws a half inch wider than his hooves. It had been flurrying in the night and was still coming down. The track had about a half inch of snow in it so we had some catching up to do.

The buck was just wandering and feeding, which is normal the first week of the season, so we went along slowly on the track. He laid down a few scrapes on the way and we finally came to his bed with just a dusting of

snow in it. We had gained a little on him but still needed to gain some more. He fed and scraped as he worked his way higher up the mountain.

When he got where several deer had walked down a trail, he followed behind them. It wasn’t long before we were headed over the back side of the mountain.

There were quite a few doe tracks and beds and the buck checked every one of them.

When he stopped to rub an old scrubby elderberry bush, we could see where his antlers had thrashed the snow a foot behind it. Not long after, we came to a spot where there were tracks packed down in the leaves in a twenty-foot circle. He had run into another buck and they had been squaring off.

The second buck track was

smaller but now there were two bucks around.

I circled to pick up the big track out of the track mess and we continued on slowly. Soon, we came to the smaller buck track with no snow in it. I told Roger we could probably get a look at this buck fairly soon if he wanted to switch tracks. He agreed and we put it into sneak mode as we followed it. The track intersected a moose track that was trotting down the mountain and I hoped it had not spooked the buck. Fifty yards later we discovered that it was exactly what happen. We followed the running track for about a hundred yards before he slowed down and began to feed again. We took one step at a time downhill and soon I spotted the buck standing in an opening down below at about 90 yards.

The antlers didn’t look very big with my naked eye, so I got my binoculars out to get a better look. I told Roger that they still didn’t look very big, but it was up to him. Just then, I saw his gun barrel coming up to my left and when he touched of the shot, the buck dropped in his tracks. I congratulated him and we walked down to take a look at his buck. When we got down there, I could see why his antlers didn’t look very big. He was a 6-point, but the ends of both beams were broken off as well as one point.

(Guiding cont. 59)

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Bear Rifles

I ask my bear hunting clients to come to camp with a rifle of at least .30 caliber. If you have ever read this column before, you have heard this many times, so I will not repeat my reasons why. Rather than my opinions, lets look at results and the types of firearms my hunters came to camp with. I am happy to report that every bear taken was harvested with a pass thru shot. The tracking jobs were from dead at the barrel to a very interesting 35 yard recovery. As a guide, that makes me very happy. I have mentioned before that I do an autopsy or more accurately, a necropsy on every bear. The results as always were very informative. The goal is always a double lung wound that generates a good blood trail. The angle of some of these hits however, did not yield this result. In one case, an extreme quartering away angle resulted in a single lung and a dead center heart shot before exiting in front of the off-side leg. In another instance, a pass thru a bit father back in the lungs caused the bear to spin in circles. This reaction is very

common. The hunter took a second shot at the spinning bear breaking the spine and dropping the animal right at the bait barrel. The first shot would have been fatal shortly, but the second shot anchored the bear decisively.

The result of the successful pass thru shots were that I was unable to recover any bullets to assess their performance. The dead bears and short tracking jobs certainly attest to their effectiveness, however.

Here is the line up: .30/06 There were 3 .308 There were 2 .45/70 There were 3 20 gauge shotgun There was 1 16 gauge Drilling There was 1 .300 Savage There was 1 .32 Win. Spcl There was 1 These came in a variety of packages. There were 3 lever actions. Two were .45/70 in Marlin Guide Guns. One was a .32 Win Special in a great looking and shooting 16” Carbine with a big loop lever.

There were 3 Reming-

ton 7400. Two of them were .30/06 and one was a .308.

There were 2 single shot Thompson Center platforms. One was a .30/06, the other was a 20 gauge shotgun.

There was a Remington pump action Mod 7600 in .30/06.

There was also a Kreighoff Drilling with 2 side-by-side 16 gauge shotgun barrels with a 7x65R rifle barrel underneath. I wrote about this gun in last months column.

There was also a .300 Savage in a Mod 99 lever gun, my favorite rifle of the bunch.

One of the hunters had a very nice AR-10 in .308.

So, as I have previously mentioned, all of this is the good news. The bad news is there were 4 hunters who missed their shots.

We should explore the suspected reason for some of these misses. In my humble opinion, I believe that most hunters do not shoot enough.

Regular practice before the hunt can accomplish multiple goals. It is important that you are totally comfortable with your chosen

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Page 33

Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME firearm. Equally important is being confident that you can consistently hit what and where you are aiming.

It is also equally important to practice the way you will be hunting. If your stand is 15 feet high, then you should practice those angles. If you are hunting from a ground blind, you should practice from a chair, etc. This does not only sharpen your skills but gives you confidence.

Confidence in your abilities and equipment is the best cure for bear or buck fever.

I know I have said it before, but it BEARS repeating. So, practice, practice, practice and take a youngster or new hunter with you. If you get

the chance, come and see us at the lake.

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

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Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Just recently last month in November, I was invited to take part in an Arctic Char research field study. The work is an ongoing effort by The University of Maine and a very talented Ph.D. student, Bradley Erdman. Even more special, I was able to include my two daughters Annarose and Amanda. I very much appreciated this unique and special opportunity for both

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

my kids especially for Annarose. She is aspiring to be a marine biologist! Our new friend Samantha, who is a Marine Biologist with a master’s degree, was more than willing to work and foster a friendship with all of us in sharing her kindness and knowledge as well!

Our day started out getting our gear on. Making our way to the boat and water, our crew visited a shal-

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December 2019

Maine’s Arctic Char

low known breeding area in the lake where we would attempt to capture mature spawning fish. Getting in, and netting fish can be very challenging procedure, but obviously very essential to conducting research. In all, we were fortunate to capture 21 fish for the research. The fish included Char males, females, a Brook Trout and one white sucker! It was a perfect collection of fish in which we eagerly anticipated working with. As you can imagine, we were all super excited to start with handling these beautiful wild, native fish. We proceeded to bucket up the fish into a Yeti cooler equipped with an aerator.

Our other wells included a small water tank which was laced with a medication that disrupts muscle impulses and relaxes fish. Removal from water and handling by humans are very stressful experiences for fish, even if no additional pain is experienced. When fish must undergo procedures that cause distress, there is a moral obligation of the researcher to minimize or eliminate

Above Photo: Otolith cross-section from a 37-year-old lake trout. (Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit).

the adverse effects on fish.

Keeping fish stress down

is of utmost importance to prevent injury.

After this step it’s time to give a close visual check of any kind of physical abnormalities or signs of parasites and disease. The adipose, which is a very small fin located on the fish’s back is removed. If it is not currently present, it usually indicates a previously caught fish that was tagged.

The next step is to add the tag which can be read by a portable transceiver system that includes a digital read meter and antenna wand.

The fish is measured in several positions and weighed.

Lastly, collecting a skin sample and as well as eggs from a female is taken. The skin sample is a very important, non-deadly/invasive way to determine an age of a fish. After all the handling, the fish are placed in a rest-

(Char cont. pg 41)

December 2019

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 7)

teacher feller pervoked me, interruptin’ a good story like thet. I was jist gittin’ to the juicy part.”

Suddenly, Wilton Feeble appeared in the doorway, glancing first to where Chief McCutcheon sat at his desk, then staring at Choke in stony silence. A silk scarf hid the bruises on his neck.

“I have come to prefer charges against this…this… ruffian!” he said to the Chief.

“Look, Feeble” Choke came slowly to the bars. “I got a little outa hand, there, an’ I’m willin’ ta let bygones be bygones.”

“Tell it to the judge!

I have never come so close to severe physical injury in my life! I can’t imagine what these boys were thinking of to invite you to my class!

They said you were a great woodsman, but as far as I can see, you’re just…”

“Uh, Mr. Feeble, could you come and sign some of

Northwoods Sporting Journal these papers?” the Chief interrupted tactfully.

“I certainly shall!” He walked over to the desk. “I must hurry. I have to drive way down state this afternoon. I need to collect some leaves of the boxwood shrub and, unfortunately, none grown in northern Maine.

I need boxwood leaves to complete my finest collage, which I’m donating to the school. It’s a pity they don’t grow around here. It will be a very long and tiring journey.”

“They’s a few boxwoods arount here,” Choke muttered from the cell.

“I beg your pardon,” Mr. Feeble turned toward him impatiently. “I’ve looked all over the area quite assiduously, and I assure you, boxwoods don’t grow in northern Maine. “ G u e s s y o u a i n ’t looked hard enough,” Choke replied, turning away toward his bunk. “I fount some over back o’ Howler Ridge a few years back whilst checkin’ traps. Not many. Jist a few.”

Wilton Feeble hurried over and gripped the bars.

“Are you certain? I mean, I’ve heard rumors, but I just thought people didn’t know what they were looking at.

Are they really boxwood?”

“Know boxwoods when I see ‘um,” Choke replied from the bunk. “Was I outa here, I could walk yer right to ‘um.”

“Quick!” Mr. Feeble turned to Alder McCutcheon. “Let this man out. He must take me to these boxwood shrubs immediately!”

“Mr. Feeble,” the Chief stood up uncertainly, “you were just about to press charges against him for assault.”

“That was just a mistake,” Feeble said impatiently. “We just had a disagreement.” He looked back at Choke, who was coming slowly toward the bars, a look of hope on his long face. “Would you be willing to take me to where the boxwoods grow?”

“Be proud to, Mr. Feeble. Sorry about the chokin’,

but all that fightin’ with them Japanese jist come back on to me.”

“Oh, my dear man, I didn’t realize you were a combat veteran. No wonder you reacted as hostility as you did. Come, Chief, let this man out and we’ll be about our business.”

After the door had closed behind the now amiable pair, Chief McCutcheon slumped down at his desk.

“Well, boys, I guess all’s well that ends well, but I got to tell you. I never see anything like the turnaround between those two.”

I had to agree, but Joe stood staring thoughtfully out the window. The Chief shuffled some papers.

“Well, there’s no accounting for preferences. I suppose now those two will be the greatest of friends.”

Joe slowly shook his head. “No, I really doubt it.”

The Chief stared.

“Why not?” “’Cause I been all over Howler Ridge. There ain’t

Page 35 no boxwood shrubs over there, nor anywhere arount it.”

Chief McCutcheon slowly stood up. “Then why did Choke lie about it?”

“I ‘spect so he could git outa jail.”

The Chief opened a drawer and pulled out the blackjack he’d used before, slipping it into his back pocket. Grabbing his hat from a peg, he headed rapidly toward the door.

“If I take the cutoff at Casey Brook, I can probably get there in time.” He glanced back over his shoulder in the doorway. “When he finds out there ain’t any boxwoods, Feeble won’t be able to keep his mouth shut.”

Me and Joe walked outside as McCutcheon ran for his car. Joe grinned slightly. “ Yo u k n o w, h e ’s prob’ly right about Feeble.

I imagine by the time the Chief gits there, there’ll be a whole lot o’ chokin’ goin’ on!”

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Page 36

News

(Cont. from pg 27)

the breach without the use of tools.

Game Wardens Recruited

The Maine Warden Service is now hiring seasonal Deputy Game Wardens.

This is certified, uniformed, law enforcement work as a member of the Maine Warden Service, Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, under the direct supervision of Warden Service Personnel, protecting inland fish and wildlife resources and the safety of the public. Deputy Game Warden’s work includes: Patrolling an assigned

Northwoods Sporting Journal

lake or lakes. Patrolling is usually done alone in areas where there is a concentration of boats and boating activity. While on patrol, Deputy Wardens will inspect boats for compliance with recreational boating rules and regulations. Patrol may be conducted on foot or by truck, boat, or canoe.

Issuing warnings and summonses, primarily on lakes, rivers and other bodies of water where recreational boating is occurring.

In addition to enforcing recreational boating safety rules and regulations, Deputy Wardens are empowered to enforce fish and wildlife, recreation, and environmental laws under the direction of certain Warden personnel.

To be a successful Deputy Maine Game Warden, an individual must possess knowledge of wildlife, hunting, fishing, trapping, and

in this case boating specific operation; a strong desire to work in law enforcement; self initiative; and a willingness to work out-of-doors in adverse weather conditions, oftentimes without assistance. In all cases, a Deputy Warden seeks to promote good public relations and compliance with all fish and wildlife regulations.

The hiring process is open until December 20, 2019.

Game Wardens Rescue Canoeists

T3 R12, Maine – Maine Game Wardens rescued a group of capsized canoeists in high winds on Ripogenus Lake earlier today.

Approximately 11:37 a.m. today (October 18, 2019), Bangor Regional Communication Center contacted the Maine Warden

Service and said they received a call via satellite phone from an Outward Bound Canoe Group near Ripogenus Dam on Ripogenus Lake. The caller advised that there were 9 people in their group. Due to high winds five people were in the water and at least two canoes were overturned.

Bangor RCC then lost contact with the caller.

Ripogenus Lake is located in a remote area of Piscataquis County off of the Golden road and is connected to Chesuncook Lake.

The weather was dangerous for boating as winds were creating white cap waves that were 4-6 feet high on the lake.

Game Warden Corporal Glidden and Game Warden Johansen launched a boat and were able to locate three people near the middle of the lake clinging to an overturned canoe. The

December 2019 three people were brought into the boat and transported to a Maine Warden Service house located at Rip Dam. Another canoe with two people in it were paddling down the lake towing two people in the water was located closer to shore. These 4 people were retrieved from shore by Warden Kim Bates and Corporal Andrew Glidden and taken to the Game Warden House at Rip Dam. This trip consisted of nine people and were in ages from 22 to 40. This trip consisted of some camping, backpacking and canoeing. The group said that they were using a makeshift sale on the canoes and while coming down the lake and the wind came up suddenly when the incident occurred. All of them were wearing lifejackets.

Maine Warden Service was also assisted by Penob-

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Season End Wishes

With Christmas on the calendar this month, it’s a tradition among youngsters to wish for certain things under the tree come that blessed morning. I don’t think I’d be far off the mark if I say it’s probably true of many adults, too. I don’t really expect to find a new tree stand, portable blind, fly rod or reel this year, to name just a few items I don’t really need but can always use, so I didn’t bother mentioning them. I suppose it will be up to Santa’s infinite wisdom to decide what I really need.

But it’s nice to wish for things anyway, even though the odds of them actually coming true are extremely low. This is especially true with current hunting regulations. With that in mind, here are three hunting regulation changes I wish for, not just at Christmas time but throughout the year and before I kick the bucket.

As I have mentioned in these pages before it would be nice to see an end to the required crossbow permit.

Under state law crossbows are not considered a firearm and are regulated the same as archery gear. They should be treated as such when it comes to licensing. Buy an archery license and you should be good to go with either a vertical or horizontal bow. The current crossbow permit requirement in addition to an archery license is simply a rip-off to say nothing of unfair. At the same time doing away with the need to partake and successfully pass a crossbow safety course would be nice as well. Much of the instruction is redundant and what isn’t is covered in the owner’s or operator’s manual or just plain common sense.

And wouldn’t it be nice to simplify some of the expanded archery zone

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

lower 40 or 50 feet away on the other side of a particular road? In the southern portion of WMD 24 at least it would be less confusing, to say nothing of providing more areas to hunt moving the boundary to include territory east of I-95 from Kittery to Biddeford, like it once was.

Another thing I wish for is the opportunity, or least the option of hunting on Sunday. Numerous bills have been introduced addressing the issue but consistently get nowhere. Small woodlot owners and other special interest groups don’t want it, even certain hunting interests who you think would support the measure oppose the idea. For some reason I just can’t seem to grasp some folks believing

deer and other wildlife need a day of rest or want a day to walk in the woods without fear of getting shot. Hunting seasons take up a relatively short period of the calendar year, plenty of time to go for a walk or enjoy non-hunting activities. I’ve hunted in states where Sunday hunting is allowed, rarely see anyone out for a stroll in the woods and if I do they know its hunting season and wear fluorescent orange. Can’t do that in Maine, though.

Not even on my own property. Time to change that, although I doubt it’s going to happen.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Years!

Captain Calls for Conservation

Salt Corner

by Doug Jowett, Brunswick, ME Big decis ions are mounting around the management of Maine’s striped bass fishing. First, Maine needs a saltwater fishing license so that it’s Department of Marine Resources will have funds to pursue recreational fishing issues in Maine waters. Second, Maine needs to address new striped bass fishing regulations to reflect the need for decreased mortality of striped bass while they are in Maine. We are killing the wrong fish using the outdated slot limit which will not be available for the 2019 season and into near future.

Personally, I would like to see the striped bass limit returned to one fish per day

boundaries? A good case in point is WMD 24 that starts at Kittery and extends to the Androscoggin River down to the Kennebec River to the coast. The current boundaries south of Biddeford in WMD 24 are like a maze.

Starting at Point A along this road or street so far, down that one so far, areas on the right of a road is in the zone but the other side of the road are not. Within the current boundaries public land open to hunting is extremely limited if it exists at all and finding private property owners allowing access is difficult at best. The boundaries in some other zones are just as contrived. The whole idea behind the expanded archery season was to reduce numbers in areas “over run” with deer. Granted, deer densities are undoubtedly higher in the designated expanded zones as they currently are, but are densities that much

Page 37

at 36 inches or larger. Management and license issues are something to discuss another time.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council

ity by a minimum of 18 percent as they have finally declared striped bass as over fished and need protection to establish a program which might help in restoration. But that is not the end of it. In Washington

change. Changes are often granted to satisfy a specific interest group like commercial striper fishermen and recreational fishermen who are well organized with political clout. Behind closed doors, the technical com-

Personally, I would like to see the striped bass limit returned to one fish per day at 36 inches or larger. decided in November that a coast wide striped bass recreational limit should be one fish daily in a slot of 28 to 35 inches and a commercial limit to be determined.

Federal regulators have held public hearings along the entire east coast to listen to what the striped bass fishing community wants for a system that will reduce striped bass mortal-

D.C. we all know that everything is decided behind closed doors and federal fishing regulations are no exception.

States can apply for a conservation equivalency to justify a bag limit or season outside the which was decided in public. Commercial and recreational striped bass interests are likely to petition the ASMFC for such a

mittee of ASMFC makes sausage so to speak. You just don’t really know what happens, but certain user groups will receive a different set of regulations allowing fishing for stripers which will yield a larger profit versus and realistic conservation program. Fishermen killing fish for a living love this system as they end up using a larger share of the

depleted stock. Future numbers in the reported science of striped bass fishing will likely reflect the over fishing of striped bass and the contribute to further cuts in allocations and possibly a complete closure of striped bass fishing as we know it.

That’s just my opinion.

Merry Christmas to all.

Captain Doug Jowett is a Master Maine Guide who charters on Cape Cod and Maine. He has been writing outdoors columns and articles since 1965 in regional and national publications and in six books. Reach him at: http://www.mainestripedbassfishing.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

New Hampshire Guide’s Journal

by Tim Moore, NH

A two-tiered fishery is a lake that supports both coldwater and warmwater species. New Hampshire’s Lake Winnipesaukee might have just what you’re looking for. The lake offers not only picturesque views but has a diversity of fish species including lake trout, rainbow trout, and eelpout (burbot) as well as black crappie, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and recordclass white perch, all of which can often be caught in the same areas. Winnipesaukee has long been a summer destination for celebrities and professional athletes, but its winter fishing has been gaining popularity over the last several years.

The white perch in Winnipesaukee are renowned for their size and strength. Anglers can expect them to average two pounds with jumbos sometimes ex-

ceeding three pounds. White perch are nomadic and feed much like striped bass. They work together to corral bait, in Winnipesaukee that’s smelt, and then explode in a feeding frenzy. Find one of these schools and you will be in for non-stop action with some of the biggest white perch in North America. The key is often locating large schools of smelt, but with smelt populations at a 15-year high finding the bait isn’t always a given that the white perch are with them.

The good news is that you’ll know right away.

There are also times when they will rest in basins (usually 30’ deep) and move little. This typically occurs during the middle of the day. If you can find a school that has been at rest for an extended period, you may be able to trigger the entire school to feed all at once just

Ice Fishing a Two-Tiered Fishery

by convincing one to bite.

A unique aspect of fishing for white perch on Lake Winnipesaukee is that lake trout often inhabit the same areas of the lake. A white perch feeding frenzy leaves the water full of dead or dying baitfish, which attracts lake trout. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to have several lake trout following a school of white perch. The lakers will cruise along the bottom and let the perch do all the work, then eat whatever falls or swims their way. The average lake trout isn’t huge in Lake Winnipesaukee, but the numbers are there and the potential for 10-15 pound fish is real.

Make sure your gear is matched correctly for the fish you will be targeting. A 28” spinning rod with six pound test line will handle most of the fish you can expect to catch. Favorite jigs for both species on Lake Winnipesaukee in-

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Fishing a two-tiered fishery offers a multitude of angler opportunities. Some days the coldwater fish bite better than the warmwater fish. Other days it’s the opposite, and on some days they’re all hungry. The excitement of a frenzied school of white perch keeps anglers returning to Lake Winnipesaukee year after year, and the chance of catching a lake trout at the same time, or any of the other species that inhabits the lake, is icing on the cake. If you’re looking

for someplace new to fish, or just a way to shake off the winter blues, give Lake Winnipesaukee a try. Most anglers who visit the area for the first time are pleasantly surprised at the beauty of the surroundings and the quality of the fishing.

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Bark Peelers as Trappers

The following story, which was published in the Maine Sportsman, took place in October 1896, in the region around Molunkus Lake, in southwestern Aroostook County. The Wabenaki name Molunkus, which means “a ravine, high banks on each side,” refers to the Molunkus River, which begins in the Thousand Acre Bog in Crystal and flows south, where it merges with the Mattawamkeag River.

Route 7, which begins in Macwahoc Planation and runs parallel to the Molunkus River, was laid out in 1871 to connect Silver Ridge and Patten with the Military Road. Macwahoc was settled in 1835 and organized into a plantation on Dec. 16, 1851. Molunkus Lake Camps opened in 1904, are still open to the public.

“On several days last week, the bark peelers under Joe Pelkey, working on Number One, a plantation seven miles north of Molunkus, found that somebody or something had taken the greater part of lunches which they had left hidden in the woods near the place where they were working.

Upper Kennebec Valley

With bark peelers it is the custom to have an early breakfast in camp; then a lunch at about 10 o’clock in the forenoon, another in the middle of the afternoon, and a hearty supper after the day’s work is done. The average bark peeler gets pretty hungry before meal time comes along and Joe

array of food was left where bear would be compelled to cross the dead-line if he attempted to get at it. Then the men returned to their work and awaited developments.

As the hands on Boss Pelkey’s watch crawled along towards 10 o’clock, his workmen began to think of luncheon and wondered

They caught two bears in one day in August near Molunkus Pelkey’s gang found it very disappointing, to say the least, when they saw their pails emptied of all food they had brought from camp a few hours before.

A council of war was held. It was decided that the hungry intruder must be a bear and plans were immediately made for the speedy extermination of the thieving bruin. A big “figurefour” trap was made, with a log for a dead-fall, heavy enough to hold the mightiest bear that ever roamed in the Maine woods. A tempting

if the bear would eat at the first table. A few minutes later Boss Pelkey cried out, “Lunch time,” and everybody started for the lunch pails and the bear trap. A short walk brought them to the pails; they were safe and untouched. A few steps farther on, as the men parted the bushes, they found the dead body of a bear. He had brought about his own death, greedy to the last, a victim of an over-vigorous appetite.

Pelkey’s bark peelers were overjoyed at their success as bear trappers. They

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Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

drew the carcass from the trap and carried it to camp, where juicy bear steaks were served for several meals after. But that isn’t all. The men reset the trap before returning to work, and rearranged the bit of food in a most tempting display.

When the time came for afternoon lunch they visited the trap again and found the mate of bear number one, dead under the heavy log. She, too, through an insatiable desire for good things, had brought about

self-destruction.

The two bear carcasses were well utilized in camp.

Bear steaks, bear soups and bear roasts were prepared by the camp cook for some time after the day of capture, the lunch pails were no longer disturbed, and tranquility once more ruled in the Pelkey camp.”

Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 25,000 Maine Woods articles to date.

Page 40

Aid

(Cont. from pg 5) to the 2x4 wood block DIY system. I like the Wild Edge Step system because it is very stable and easy on the feet. Either method gets me into position to use the saddle. I’m not going to discuss screw-in steps because their use is very limited on legal issues and they can be hard on the feet supporting your weight.

One of my best methods that I use in the Expanded Zone, but adds a whole different level of risk if not

Northwoods Sporting Journal

experienced with technical climbing equipment is to use a technical rock climbing rope and rope ascenders like my set of Jumars. If you have ever looked at the cost of some technical rock climbing equipment you will see that a rock climbing harness and a set of Jumars can be expensive. If you know how to make a Prusik knot, you can use them instead of a Jumar to ascend a climbing rope. I usually leave a camo parachute cord hanging from a tree that stays in the woods.

I only need the parachute cord to pull my climbing rope up and over the crotch

of a tree and back down to me. I’ll tie a bowline and run the tag end through the bowline and drag the bowline to the top. Now I’m set to attach my saddle system to the rope with the Jumars, but you could use the “Poor Man’s Climbing Aid” of using two Prusik knots with locking carabiners. I make sure I haul up the tag end of the rope to keep any scent from handling the rope away from the ground level. At the end of the day everything leaves with me except the parachute cord.

Before you try any of these methods, please do

your own research by watching online videos or working with others that have used these climbing aids and saddle systems. Practice in your backyard with someone watching in case things don’t go good! Because of issues in the Expanded Archery Zone, I have looked for other treestand methods that allow me to keep my equipment under my control at all time and leave nothing in the woods at the end of the day except maybe the parachute cord to get my climbing rope into position.

Normally I wouldn’t use the above methods and

December 2019 just rely on my self-climber or a hang-on platform with a stick ladder in areas outside the Expanded Archery Zone.

Each stand method has risk and requires practice to stay safe.

Jerome Richard is past president of the Maine Bowhunters Association, Master Outdoor Safety Education Instructor for MDIF&W, Registered Maine Guide, member of Franklin Search and Rescue, and a Licensed Professional Engineer. He can be reached at jerome. richard7@gmail.com.

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Never Ending Winter

Page 41

What's In Your Woods

by Bud Utecht, Dedham, ME

Every once in a while I find a spot that must have a camera. I can’t always tell you why, however I can tell you that a camera will be mounted to a tree in that area. Sometimes I don’t have a camera with me, mostly because Katy has put me in game camera lock down. I think about why she would do such a thing and look at it from her perspective but I’m just not getting it. She says things like “isn’t eighty cameras enough”? “Do you know how much you have

spent on those”? Everyone tells me she’s right, so I must assume Katy has my best interests in mind. Wow, got off on a tangent there.

When I finally got out of camera’ time out’, I start planning my strategy for placing the camera in the spot that I just couldn’t get out of my head. On one particular occasion, Katy and I were exploring an area that was new territory.

I had a camera with me, and for some reason, it stayed in my knapsack instead of

being placed. After we left, I started to think about the spot and really wanted to go back and place a camera there. So fast forward to the next time we ventured off to the area. There was snow and plenty of it. Strapped to my snow sled was my pack and snow shoes. Off the sled I went to check cameras and if I could get back in to that spot weighing on my mind, no doubt a camera would be placed.

I had checked several cameras like a trapper tend-

Char

prisingly, the methods used to age fish are very similar to the methods used to estimate the age of trees. The reason that these methods are so similar is that the bony structures and scales of fish grow similarly to tree trunks. New layers of growth, referred to as circuli, are laid down daily on the scales and bones of fish. Much like trees, these daily rings are widely spaced out during the growing season and become condensed during winter when fish are not growing as rapidly.

These areas of condensed growth rings, referred to as annuli, can be interpreted in a similar fashion to the dark bands on cross-sections of tree trunks. Thus, fisheries scientists can remove scales or bony structures from fish, view them under a microscope, and count the number of annuli to estimate

the age of individual fish.

In turn, fisheries managers can then use this information to establish proper regulations to ensure the sustainability of fisheries.

Italic content is contributed

by Bradley Erdman – Ph.D. student University of Maine In closing, the Landlock Arctic Char is a very special and rare fish species indeed. It is listed as threatened here in the United States. In the continental US, in its most southerly range, the fish currently exist and resides only in 11 sensitive Maine waters. As with anything in our native world, it is imperative that nonnative fish not be introduced anywhere. As history has proven, it certainly disrupts and decimates native, wild, fish as well as Arctic Char.

Hopefully through research, education and awareness,

(Cont. from pg 34) ing tank and then released back into the wild. Every fish is recorded with their unique identification number so it can be recaught and reanalyzed for the preservation and future of this special species of fish.

How old is that Char?

Estimating the age of fish is one of the cornerstones of fisheries management.

Understanding the age of individual fish and the abundance of different age classes affords fisheries managers the opportunity to investigate population dynamics and corresponding parameters such as growth, mortality, recruitment, ageat-maturity, and maximum lifespans. Somewhat sur-

ing his line. The spot was calling me and I would succumb to the draw of a new expedition. The cameras that I had checked were easy to access as the deer made really nice trails to walk on.

When I got to the new site I decided to go in without my snowshoes. It wasn’t that far. I started hiking in, the snow was deeper than I expected. I kept trudging on fighting each step with panting breaths and sinking to my knees each time. As I walked I would look behind me expecting to see Hal Blood because I certainly qualified as an old toe dragger that he likes to go after.

Finally I made it to the spot. I knew the camera needed to be placed higher than normal as the snow would build over the winter. In the past I have experienced snow covering the cameras and rendering them useless until spring

thaw. Placing cameras in the winter is exciting. Lots of tracks in the snow indicated there are animals present.

This story happened last December, so I felt it fitting to give it to you this December. The camera proved to be placed strategically in the right spot with lots of fisher, martin, moose, and bear. By the way, the snow still engulfed my camera through the month of February. I hope this winter is a little milder in the North Country.

our special places with its creatures can be preserved for future generations to enjoy. The entire experience has certainly given me a deeper appreciation of native fish and hopefully has planted a seed for my two daughters. Our children ARE our future. Let’s not just leave a better planet, but better people to preserve, protect and restore our most valuable asset...our native,

natural world.

Bud Utecht is a Register Maine Guide, avid wildlife enthusiast and trail camera 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

Rich is a full time, Registered Professional Maine Guide and Luxury Sporting Lodge operator. He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and drift boat.

Located in Bradford Maine, Rich guides World Class Maine hunting, fishing and recreation adventures.

Game camera property management • Browning trail camera Game camera tips, talks & tales • wildlife speaker Strategically placed cameras. Extraordinary results

Call or email to learn more about WHAT’S IN YOUR WOODS BUD@WHATSINYOURWOODS.COM (207) 404-1442 GAMECAMERAARTISTRY.COM

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 42

Fishin’ Lake Ontario

by Capt. Ernie Lantiegne, N.Y. Your friends just returned from their Lake Ontario charter fishing trip and you’ve seen all the photos of gargantuan trout and salmon they caught, right? Now you’ve decided to book a charter trip in 2020. What

December 2019

Booking a Lake Ontario Charter Trip

Harbor in the east to Wilson Harbor in the west.

However, like lawyers, real estate agents, and car salesmen, not all charter captains are created equal, to put it politely. The key is to find a friendly, patient

The key is to find a friendly, patient veteran with vast experience and good equipment who can put you on fish and catch them. now?

Well, first, you have made a great decision. Lake Ontario fishing is unlike any other in the Northeast.

There is a large charter fleet on this 200-mile-long lake, with around 450 USCG licensed captains fishing out of ports from Henderson

veteran with vast experience and good equipment who can put you on fish and catch them.

Planning and preparation are crucial in booking a charter trip anywhere. If you don’t have a referral from a reliable person, your first step should be checking

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When surface temperature is cold, fish like this early May king can be released unharmed.

web sites online. You’ll find a wealth of info, but read between the lines.

Web site testimonials are meaningless…, they are all 5-star! Beware of Google rankings. Anyone can show up on the first page of a Google search if they are willing to pay a webmaster enough money or pay for an ad.

Most web sites list “What to Bring with You”, and if not, ask your captain.

Bring the proper gear with you, and you’ll have an enjoyable trip without overloading the boat.

Remember that children under the age of 12 must wear a PFD at all

times, and it’s best to bring your own to make sure they fit properly.

Call early for best dates. Safety is the top priority. All Great Lakes charter captains must be USCG licensed and for your protection should be insured.

Their charter boats must meet all USCG requirements. All safe charter boats are equipped with radar.

Ask questions. How many trips does a captain fish yearly, part time or full time?

What size and type of boat will you fish from?

Veteran Ontario captains seldom fish less than a 28-footer. As for price, you usually

get what you pay for.

Some captains will not release fish and return to the dock the minute you catch your limit, no matter what size the fish. Abbreviating your trip to 1 or 2 hours and paying for a 6 to 8-hour trip can be a turnoff. Ask. Instead of just emailing or texting your captain, chat with him by phone to get a feel for his personality.

Incompatible personalities in the confines of a boat can make for a long day.

Beginners new to trolling may want to fish on a boat with a mate. Veterans, however, may prefer a

(Charter cont. pg 59)

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 43

PHOTOS FROM OUR READERS Right: Paul Huston of Bangor filled his tag on opening day of the deer season with this handsome 7-pointer taken in Dixmont. The buck field dressed at 190 pounds.

Left:Josh Welsh of New Jersey tagged out with his first Maine black bear that tipped the scales at 400 lbs. Hunting out of Borderline Guide Service, Welsh got his big chance the last five minutes of the last day of his hunt!

Below: Jacoby Daigle (11 yrs old) and Chloe Daigle (13 years old) (Brother & sister) were fortunate enough to draw moose permits this year. Both were the October 14th week. Bull tags in Zone 8.

Blaine Whitney (bottom left) was Chloe’s permittee and Alan Whitney (center) was Jacoby’s permittee.

Chloe- Monday at 6:57 a.m., a 170 yard shot with a 6.5 creedmore.

Bull weight was 685 lbs and a 36” spread.

Jacoby- Was able to shoot his on Thursday at 7:30 a.m. with a .308 through the neck. Bull weight was 584 lbs and a 30” spread.

Chloe and Jacoby (bottom right) both bagged does on Youth Day.

Chloe Daigle and Blaine Whitney

Rocky Rockwell, Jacoby Daigle and Alan Whitney

Cooper Holmes of Ellsworth with a nice buck taken on Nov 5th.

Chloe and Jacoby Daigle

Page 44

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Trail Rider

by Rod Fraser, Hyde Park, MA

Oh the weather outside is frightful but a snowmobile ride is so delightful! Yes, I am ready to ride as I know you are as well. Some of you may have already gotten an opportunity to ride. I have not, but I have completed my maintenance and am ready to go. The Christmas and Hanukkah season is a great time to get your snowmobile enthusiast loved one something nice. Let's face it, sometimes figuring out what gifts to give is tough. Here are some of my suggestions and this year I have some new gift ideas!

First is the OPT7 10pc Aura Snowmobile Body Glow LED Lighting Kit and Multi-Color Accent Neon Strips with Switch. This is a kit that allows you to drive down the trail with cool col-

ors glowing under your sled.

I don’t know if you have seen these but they look way cool. I first saw them on an Arctic Cat with green light glowing under his sled at night and really liked the look. My son had installed a similar kit on his car, so you may have seen cars with them as well. The 10 piece Kit features 10 flexible strips to light all sides of your sled body and underbody.

The lights can be operated by either of two wireless remotes and a mountable on/off switch. According to the manufacturer, the lights feature16 colors and three custom light shows.

The strips affix tightly with 3M tape that is designed to last for years. The lights have a 50,000 hour lifetime.

To power, simply loop the

December 2019

Gifts for your Rider!

included ring terminals to your battery. No soldering or wire splitting necessary. The lights are made with 3-into-1 SmartColor SMDs. Like to be different and stand out from the pack? Try these lights.

If your loved one has an old ratty looking jacket and bib, then this is a no brainer. Nothing says “I Love you” like a new jacket and bib. It is telling them you want them to be safe and warm, sort of. I have received these as gifts and so have my friends and family and getting a fashionable new jacket is always awesome.

New Helmets - The new helmets on the market today are awesome. Heated face shields, multiple vents, venturi airflow, even communication system add-ons so you can chat with your riding partner. Everyone in my group has upgraded their helmet over the past

few years except me. If my wife is reading this, Angela I would prefer a modular style with heated visor. I missed this in my received gifts last year, just sayin...

Gloves and gauntlets I have quite a few different sets of gloves and gauntlets that I use based on the temperature and conditions. I carry extras in my saddle bags. Keeping your hands warm is vital to a fun day on the trails.

The Ride-Lite - Although not as personal as a jacket, the ride lite riding communication system makes your loved one’s riding much safer. The RideLite signals to on coming riders whether there are other riders behind you in your group or if you are the last one so that you do not have to take your hands off the handle bars. I am not a big fan of hand signalling but am a big fan of the RideLite. It makes for a much

safer and controllable situation when meeting other riders on the trail.

Apparel - hats, t- shirts, casual shirts, sweaters or sweatshirts with our sled’s OEM logo or snowmobile related designs are always a nice gift. Most everyone I know sports some ride themed clothing in the winter. Some of the real hard core riders wear it in the summer.

Boots - If your feet aren’t warm the riding experience is bad. Warm boots is always a good idea. I wish all of the NWSJ readers a very happy Christmas and a prosperous and safe New year! See you on the trails!

Rod Fraser is an avid outdoorsman and twenty year Navy veteran. Originally from Maine and living in Massachusetts, Rod has written extensively about snowmobiling and Amazon. com

649-8307

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Prelude to Pizza

The dark overcast was slow to release the day from nighttime’s grip; and when we stepped out of the truck on the Greenfield Ridge to take a last crack at ruffed grouse on the final day of bird season, the steel-gray sky only offered a dusky, guttering start to daylight.

Committed bird hunters cultivate one element of the outdoor experience that makes the rest of us little more than armed hikers— the bird dog, who really does the hunting. A well-trained dog is a marvel to watch, and if there are birds around, they give you a better than decent chance at getting a shot on them.

John O’Dea didn’t have a bird dog, and neither did I, so our general strategy was to find a woodlot that had been cut in lanes; then, each taking a lane with about twenty yards of trees between us, we’d try to flush birds to each other. It almost never worked, although we occasionally had birds fly into our shot patterns through no doing of ours or

by any fault of theirs. About every third trip, one or the other of us would bring a grouse home. But it was always big-time fun.

We hadn’t had the time to get out this one year that we had planned for. Life has a way of throwing relentless obligations in the way of the things we’d like to do, so that “maybe next weekend” had taken us to the middle of December, and the last chance to get out.

My adventures with John were always memorable, from getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and discovering someone had taken the spare out of the truck to make room for something else to our first stab at coyote hunting, where all we got was cold. John planned on taking enough coyotes to make himself a coyote-fur coat. I went out with him that first time and after laying bellydown in a foot of snow for two hours, decided that a preferable winter sport involved a fireplace and a glass of Scotch. When I ran

Dean Bubar of Milbridge takes time out from the grouse hunt to peruse his favorite outdoor publication, the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

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into him later that winter, I asked him how he was coming along with the coat.

“Well, to be honest, I’m still working on the belt,” he laughed.

I introduced him to duck hunting on the Penobscot River and the thrill of fast waterfowl shooting.

John had taken a pair of the plentiful merganser ducks that barreled down the flyway every fall, and afterward inquired after recipes for the diving duck. “Well,” I allowed, “I’m not sure there is a recipe for merganser.”

John tried a couple of things; blackening, curry, cumin, and about any other herb or spice that had the power to obliterate the bedrock gaminess of the merganser duck. “After a while, I gave up,” he said in a tone of surrender. “Then, I tried feeding it to the dog, and she went to her bed and snorted.”

There are no such challenges in preparing the tender breast of the ruffed grouse for the table. The lush, rich flavor is such that even salt and pepper seem an affront. But to put them on the table, you have to shoot them. That’s why we were on the Greenfield Ridge.

It’s rough terrain, and with the overcast skies, we couldn’t count on catching them sunning themselves in the open. We went back and forth through the cut, about a third of a mile one way, and would then turn around, move down the ridge, and go back. A couple of times, our slow stalking picked up apace, and we’d call to each other, which

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Page 45

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME

would then migrate into a conversation. We’d tell a joke, laugh, and step a few feet more and WHHHHHIIIIIIIRRRRrrrrrrr… and by the time the guns were up, ol’ruff had left nothing else but his memory behind.

And so it went. But it was the last day, and the hoped-for break in the weather not only didn’t come, it started to rain. In the middle of the ridge, far from any paved road, we each took up position on either end of a blow-down paper birch, and just sat down.

John faced one direction, and I the other. The silence of the woods enveloped us, punctuated only by the regular spattering of raindrops on the leaves in the understory.

In those moments, we didn’t talk or plan our next move. The solitude and simplicity of the outdoors simple flowed around us, and for the first time in months, I relaxed, and let my senses wander through

the trees around us. We were in harmony, and just let it happen.

“Well. We done?” John said in a low voice after a half-hour or so. Yes, I think so, I allowed. We found the tote road and made our way back to the truck several hours and miles after we had started, empty-handed, but as rich as kings, just the same.

Once back in the truck, John seemed a bit disappointed, nonetheless. “Better luck next year,” he said.

“Same place as usual?” I nodded. “Yep. At least we don’t need a license to get pizza.” We made our way back to town, under the last light of the steel-gray sky.

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 WRKLD 1450 AM.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 46

Bad News about Birds

Flight Feathers

by Brad Allen, Bangor, ME In case you have not heard this news I thought I’d share with you the recent buzz in the bird world regarding the status of bird populations in North America. In a nutshell the news is not good. In fact, it’s alarming. A study published in September in the journal Science reveals that since 1970, bird populations in the United States and Canada have declined by 29 percent, or a loss of almost 3 billion birds, signaling they report a widespread ecological crisis. The authors report losses across diverse groups

December 2019

of birds and habitats, including well known backyard songbirds to long-distance migrants.

Using multiple sources of long term data the authors report a “massive reduction in the abundance of birds”.

While they expected to see declines in threatened species, the results showed significant losses among common birds across all habitats, including the common birds we see at our bird feeders in our backyards.

The study notes that birds are indicators of environmental health, signaling

(Birds cont.LLC pg ??)

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that natural systems across the U.S. and Canada are now being so severely impacted by human activities that they no longer support robust wildlife populations.

The authors report that of nearly 3 billion birds lost, 90 percent belong to 12 bird families, including spar-

The study notes that birds are indicators of environmental health, signaling that natural systems across the U.S. and Canada are now being so severely impacted by human activities that they no longer support robust wildlife populations. rows, warblers, finches, and swallows. These are common and widespread species that play important roles in food webs and ecosystem functioning, from seed dispersal to pest control.

Among the steepest population declines noted were in grassland birds and shorebirds, long distance migrant species that frequent sensitive coastal habitats whose populations are already low as some species are believed to have lost one-third of their population. One of the co-authors reported that the bird data are consistent with what scientists are seeing elsewhere with other species that are showing massive declines, including insects

and amphibians. The point about fewer insects on the landscape was brought home to me when someone asked me recently “Do you wash your windshield as often as you once did?” Personally, I don’t think I do. Perhaps there are fewer insects on the landscape these days.

There certainly seemed to be no shortage of mosquitos this year. To combat this, I wish there were more bats and birds around to eat the

White throated sparrow (Photo by Brad Allen)

mosquitos.

This published study did document a few promising bird population scenarios resulting from galvanized human efforts. Waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans) serve as a model for how habitat protection and restoration can reverse bird declines. Waterfowl have made impressive population gains in the last 50 years, made possible by investments in conservation by hunters and billions of dollars of government funding for wetland protection and restoration.

Wild turkey populations have increased dramatically with well-informed management and conservation actions. Several species of raptors have also experienced population recovery since the 1970s when the harmful pesticide DDT was

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banned and recovery efforts through endangered species legislation provided critical protection.

I can’t close without outlining a few things each and every one of us can do to help birds. Start by making your windows safer, day and night, to prevent bird strikes.

Consider keeping your cats indoors because cats reportedly kill an estimated 2.6 billion birds annually in the U.S. and Canada. Reduce

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the footprint of your lawn by planting native plants that the birds can use to rest or feed on. Avoid using pesticides if possible as some are lethal to birds and of course to the insects that birds consume. Drink bird friendly coffee. Shade grown coffee preserves a forest canopy that help migratory birds survive the winter. Reduce your use of plastic and avoid single-use plastics. And finally watch birds and share what you see. Monitoring birds is essential to help protect them.

Brad Allen is a wildlife biologist with MDIF&W. He is also an avid bird hunter and gun dog man. He would be pleased to receive feedback on his articles. E-mail him at brad.allen@maine. gov

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Young Bass ChampionTyler Williams

There’s something about an individual’s smile and demeanor that sets them apart from the crowd. It’s almost magical how you sud-

the B.A.S.S. High School National Championship in 2020 on Kentucky Lake.

For Tyler, knowing the importance of hard work and

fine-tuning his electronic and boat operational skills.

In order to afford the upgrades required for new electronics, trolling motor advancements plus the expenses of running his own tournament bass boat, Tyler continued to work for his family’s used automobile business.

Tyler went into the

Page 47

Best Bassin’

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA would utilize my electronics to located isolated rock piles and areas with structural changes. Then I would zoom in on these areas looking for minute differences, it was here the largest bass were found!”

When the 2019 Maine Bass Tournament season

took the time to teach me, guiding me in the right direction!”

As the calendar pages flip to 2020, Tyler Williams logs his top three anglinggoals 1. Finish higher at the B.A.S.S. High School National Championship on Kentucky Lake. 2. Prepare

There would be times during practice periods that I never cast a lure! Instead, I would utilize my electronics to located isolated rock piles and areas with structural changes.

denly feel attached as though you have been friends for a very long time, yet you only have known this individual as an acquaintance. Such was my relationship with Tyler Williams, a 17-year old high school champion bass angler from Belgrade, Maine.

Tyler is a hands-on type of young man and when it comes to having an in-depth knowledge of sonar technology...Tyler is years beyond his peers. So, I wasn’t surprise when Tyler informed me he was a senior at Maine’s elite Academy of Natural Sciences. Nor, when he added, “My High School Team partner Colby Carrier and I just won the 2019 Maine Bassmaster High School State Championship for the second time! Plus, we weighed in the heaviest 5-bass limit recorded to date at 15.20 lbs.” Williams and Carrier’s victory guarantees them another trip to

honest efforts coupled with family values and honesty is an important part of everyday life. Tyler has dug deeper than most, tapping into the wealth of Maine’s most consistent and best tournament bass anglers to learn as much as possible. “I just started to talk with boaters who were utilizing the most efficient sonar technology available, inquiring the pros and cons of each manufacturers units as well as to the units ease of operation,” says Tyler. Tyler’s inquisitive approach paid big dividends for the youth angler.

Soon, he found himself onthe-water receiving handson instructional tournament techniques and electronic sonar demonstrations from several of Maine’s most elite tournament anglers.

Living on Grand Lake with his parents allowed Tyler every available opportunity to practice a wide variety of techniques while

2019 tournament season with set goals. “I knew if I could cash a check at every tournament, and once again make the B.A.S.S. High School State Team I would have the opportunity to increase my college scholarship to Bethel University I had won earlier this year.”

And then added, “Although it was a long shot if I made the Maine State B.A.S.S. Nation Team, I would be entitled to some deep discounts for my electronics.”

With the entire 2019 Bass Tournament schedule logged onto his computer, listing specific locations with dates, Tyler dedicated his time reviewing past tournament history, formatted a seasonal transitional pattern for locating migrating schools of black bass, and searched offshore deepwater bass holding habitats.

“I concentrated specifically on the tournament bodies of water. There would be times during practice periods that I never cast a lure! Instead, I

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concluded, Tyler Williams had accomplished much more than he could have ever dreamed of! “I placed in the money at every tournament, weighed in a 20 lb. plus limit of 5-Bass, came in 10th place in the B.A.S.S. National H.S. Championship on Kentucky Lake, qualified again for the 2020 B.A.S.S. National H.S. Championship, set a record for the largest 5-bass limit at 15.20 lbs. with my partner Colby Carrier for the Maine State H.S. Championship, Placed 8th as a Boater for the Maine B.A.S.S. National State Team, but most importantly I learned an enormous amount of angling information on tournament tactics and strategy from all of the older, more knowledgeable bass anglers in Maine that

for the B.A.S.S. Nation Regional’s on Lake Erie and place high enough to advance to the Nationals and possibly the Bassmaster Classic. 3. Finish 1st in Points on the Maine Man vs.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 48

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Columbia, NJ The fishing season has closed and the leaves on the trees have fallen to the ground. It won’t be long before my wife and I close up camp. When not at our cabin, we call home twelve acres of land located in the foothills of the Kittatinny Mountains. Working dairy farms are interspersed between large swaths of hardwood forest in our corner of the state. Our daughter, who was born and raised in the little two-bedroom house we built on the property, is about to turn thirty-three years of age.

The interior four or five acres of land consists of what could be considered a lawn, if not for clover, plantain, chickweed, crabgrass, and other wild plants that resist any effort to domesticate the landscape. Under dogwood trees and around red cedars my wife’s cultivated

flowers fight a losing battle against jewelweed, inkberry, nettles, bindweed, thistle, and garlic mustard. Since I prefer tramping alongside local trout streams to weeding, a vegetable garden suffers from neglect.

There is a sometimes stream, a mere ribbon of water, that flows into a pond with an earthen dam. Along with a number of frogs, shiners and fatheads were the only residents of the pond, until my wife added five koi she purchased from the state hatchery for a few dollars apiece. Over the years, these initial transplants have naturally reproduced. Three of the original fish remain. Having lived for more than twenty years, each has grown to be at least thirty inches long.

A few years back, an extreme weather event overwhelmed the dam. The rush

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December 2019

After Camp Is Closed

of water sent our merry band of fish downstream, where all but one remained in a pool not far downstream.

Rain continued to pour down while we used a long-handled net to return all but the one missing fish to the pond.

Late for work, I abandoned the last koi to its fate.

Upon my return that evening, I learned that my wife had trespassed on a number of our neighbors’ properties, hiking more than a mile downstream where she found the remaining fish floundering in only a few inches of water. Now and again dipping her net into the stream, she’d carried the koi back upstream. Apparently none the worst for its adventure, the fish remains to this day happily finning around the pond, with a good story to tell to the rest of the school.

Our fish have yet to fall prey to the great blue heron that occasionally circles down out of the tops of the hardwoods. This may be sheer luck or because of the presence of our two black Labs.

The stream and pond separate the cultivated land around our house from woodland that extends for more than a hundred acres beyond the smaller woodlot that comprises the remaining

seven or eight acres of our property. Deer, turkey, and the occasional black bear wander through the white and red oak, hickory, maple, black birch, poplar, and beech. There is a fox that keeps down the population of field mice and woodchucks.

We often watch a flock of turkey or a small herd of deer browsing for acorns or berries that have fallen across the dam. In summer, the deer sip from the edge of the water while black bear lumber into the deepest part of the pond where they will cool off. The woodland is also home to a pair of pileated woodpeckers that we see from time to time.

Each spring, a pair of wood ducks flies onto the pond. They remain for a few hours, flying out each day to parts unknown, sometimes returning in the evening.

This will continue from mid

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March until the end of April when one day they will fail to return until the following year.

A few years after our house was built, I constructed a small shed where I store my chainsaws, mauls, axes, wedges, and other tools necessary for cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood.

Attached to the shed is a lean-to. This time of year a mountain of billets that I split the previous winter towers in front shed.

I’ll spend the first few weekends of fall stacking this mountain of stove wood into neat rows within the lean-to. Later, after the leaves have fallen and there is a permanent chill in the air, I’ll bring out the chainsaws, enter the woodlot and begin the process of building a new mountain that will heat our home during the following winter. I’ll begin with limbs and whole trees that have fallen during the year. Afterward, I’ll fell additional trees necessary to supplement what has already fallen.

Once the ground hardens, I’ll back up the pick-up and haul the wood onto empty pallets set in front of the shed. From November through March I’ll spend weekends swinging my maul, watching with satisfaction as another mountain of stove wood slowly climbs higher and higher, until it’s again time to drive north and open our camp for another season.

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December’s Duck Bonanza December winds blow in the harsh reality of winter’s cold edge. Bays begin to freeze, and shorelines are strewn with the debris of powerful northerly gusts.

We manufacture a dead-

shelter. Just minutes before it begins to roll into the bay, flock after flock of big birds are beating their way toward our spread. “Get down and stay still! Here they come!

I whisper loudly. You’ve

looking for setbacks where the late arriving mallards and blacks will look for shelter in a strong wind. The Interior Zone has remained open from way back in October and closes De-

Page 49

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT park beaches and anywhere you can access a point with

As the first couple greenheads start to settle into the rig, we both stand, silently and fire. cember 6. If you’re hunting Champlain, find shorelines where summer camping areas are closed, along state

open water on the leeward side. The Champlain Zone is open from November 23 – December 29. It’s a great

way to close out the season!

As of this writing there are still unallocated antlerless muzzleloader deer permits. As remarkable as it may seem, if you still have not gotten your deer you may have one more shot at it. If you didn’t win a permit, or you have filled

(Duck cont. pg 59)

Vermont wood blind on the shore of the local bay, building a foundation of large branches then weaving smaller sticks into the wall of driftwood.

We line the inside of the one walled fortress with cattails and broken stemmed johnson grass. The decoys are set. Most of them are black ducks and magnum mallards, bobbing in the surf off the shoreline just 10 yards away. There are a few whistler decoys set just outside the main spread. We huddle down behind the wooden blind and our fingers are tingling with needle sharp pain.

I light the propane heater and we hover over it warming our nearly frostbitten hands. If this sounds like an awful way to spend an early December morning, you are clearly not cut out for duck hunting in the Green Mountain State – at least not late season hunting - when the giant red-legged mallards and the hearty Canadian blacks come down.

A wall of another kind is spotted to our Northwest.

It is a wall of dark clouds and white wind. It is one of December’s squalls that drives the birds to move with abandon, whistling along the top of the waves, looking for

already got your gun at the ready and are hunched down behind the wall of wood. “Mallards!” you say, “and they’re coming in on a string!” Wings cup and dark red feet dangle below the auburn breasts, heads craning from left to right looking for a landing spot among the plastic deceivers. As the first couple greenheads start to settle into the rig, we both stand, silently and fire. 12 gauges echo across the bay muffled by the incoming snow. One. Two. Three and ….Four! and all males! We let out a war whoop and give each other a high five. Two doubles! What could be better? Long live December!

This month features some wonderful opportunities for duck hunting statewide. If you hunt the CT River Zone, you may witness birds migrating late by looking for open water near frozen sloughs and scout the corn fields around them. CT River birds seem to favor the fields more than their Champlain brethren. The CT River Zone stays open from November 20 – December 16. If you’re looking for Interior Zone birds follow the Lamoille, Missisquoi, Winooski and Otter Creek

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont One of the big attractions of the December muzzleloader hunt here in Vermont is that, if you didn’t tag a buck during the November firearms season, you get one last chance at a buck, or a doe, if you drew an antlerless tag.

There have been times, of course, when I shot, butchered and stored in the freezer a decent buck and then, come the muzzleloader season, I managed to tag a second deer. But over the past decade or so, the chances of doubling down, at least in my part of the state, are getting more and more difficult.

Still, the muzzleloader season, which runs Dec. 7-15, is a blast. Yeah, it can get very cold and yes, the deer

have been run around and scattered during the 16-day rifle season. But there are far fewer hunters in the woods and, if you do a bit of scouting during those five days that fall between the two seasons, you will increase your odds.

The scouting, for sure, becomes a heck of a lot easier with snow on the ground, especially a fresh snowfall.

Don’t be afraid to get into new territory either. I like to scout from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, in places where I suspect the deer are moving through and feeding.

I really don’t want to jump deer from their beds, from the places where they bed down during the mid-day.

One pre-season December

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morning I was pushing a big chunk of state land in western Rutland County. And I was quite surprised at the number of times when I was following a set or several sets of tracks and saw how often some deer stopped and nibbled on young hemlock trees. You could see where the tips of the branches were nipped off and could clearly see the small needles that dropped on the snow where they were feeding.

It looks like an outstanding acorn crop for this year and, if the abundance is really there, some could remain under the snowfall.

We’ve talked about this before and I am going to repeat it: Find the food in December and you will find the deer.

One other big factor to the December hunt is the weather. I can take the cold… to a point. And I am a hunter who scouts, finds good deer sign and then sits, in a tree stand or a ground blind, all day. It can take a mighty toll on your body, particularly when the temperature dips into the 20s or lower. Add a little wind and you are now talking really tough hunting conditions.

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December 2019

A big doe hangs from the author’s buck pole, a deer that came during the Vermont muzzleloader season. (Photo by Dennis Jensen) for all, or most, of the day.

I don’t know about anyone else, but it is my toes that seem most affected by cold, cold weather. One tip I try to repeat, on any cold day, is to keep those toes moving inside the boots. It works.

Still, when the first signs of hypothermia begin — that uncontrollable shaking — I get to my feet and get the heck out of there.

No deer is worth freezing to death for.

The muzzleloader season is near. Scout those woods. Then get out and hunt the cold. It’s your last chance for some venison in the freezer.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and Barre Times Argus and a longtime member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association.

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Memorable Montana Bulls

As we all know; some days are better than others in the hunting world. This isn’t by design, but it’s very random when your next great day or your next bad day will occur. For my son Nate

“slowly get off your horse and get ready “. I was wearing my release already so I got into position first. The horse went into to the timber to the left and I headed left too and lucky for me the bull

ing turkeys. If the elk aren’t bugling or the turkeys aren’t gobbling then it’s a pretty slow day.

This year I had a prior commitment and I couldn’t get into camp until the evening of the 20th, (my birthday btw). Nate and Lloyd had had a good week so far as they were into several bulls and had one monster

Page 51

Mass Wanderings

by David Willette, N. Adams, MA gotten some heavy wet snow overnight. Nate, our new guide Harry and I, headed back to the canyon near yesterday’s big bull. We got on the finger ridge separating one canyon from another

I buried my arrow in its front shoulder and the bull crumbled like it was hit with a rifle, tumbling down the hill not five yards from me. A few minutes later it was high fives all around and the bull died right on the horse trail.

and I, September 21st is one of those days. That date will forever be remembered as the day we killed another 6x6 bull elk. As a matter of fact, we’ve killed four 6X6 bulls on that day, all with a bow and all with Lloyd Johnson owner of Specimen Creek Outfitters of Gardiner, MT and this year was no different.

My son Nate started this tradition in 2013 with a bull that was shot on the fourth day of our weeklong hunt. Otto was our guide and it had been a slow morning and it was hot. We were headed back to the horses through some sparse timber when Otto spotted some antlers of a bull that was feeding not 50 yards away. We quickly set up, and even though the bull wasn’t responding to Otto’s calling, it did give Nate a 22-yard broadside shot and 30 seconds later were heard the bull crash to the ground after running off.

The very next year it was my turn. This time it was the third day of the hunt and we were headed up the horse trail when we heard a strange noise about 200 yards up trail. A big bull sticks its head out of the timber and its standing right on the horse trail. Otto says,

stepped out not ten yards from me. I buried my arrow in its front shoulder and the bull crumbled like it was hit with a rifle, tumbling down the hill not five yards from me. A few minutes later it was high fives all around and the bull died right on the horse trail. It was the easiest pack out that we ever had.

Two years later lady luck looked favorably on me again. This year we hunted a totally different spot with Wes, Lloyd’s son in law, and Colton. This year it was over quickly as on the very first evening of the hunt a couple of heavy bulls walked in front of us and at 31 yards I stuck the lead bull and it died within sight, (it’s always good when that happens). A few minutes later Nate had a shot too but for some reason he got very little penetration and the bull walked off like it wasn’t even hit. We looked the next day and we jumped the same bull but it still didn’t look hurt. Nate punched his elk tag and we went home.

We went a few years with almost no action at all.

We ran into other hunters a few times, ruining a few morning hunts but most of the time the bulls just weren’t bugling. Hunting elk with a bow is like hunt-

the day before at seven yards but it wouldn’t take one more step. The next morning, I was dragging from traveling and we had

and let a bugle rip. We got a response way back in the far corner, at least a twohour hike away. There were two knobs between us and

the bull and the wind were strongly in our favor so we made it to the first knob and

(Bulls cont. pg 53)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal Outdoors In Vermont

Page 52

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

Do you want to know more about our woodlands or have ever a question about why something happens in the forest or to the trees along our streets? If so, you will want to read Vermont Commissioner of Forests Parks & Recreation Michael Snyder’s new book that explains so much about what happens to our trees and the forests they grow in.

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December 2019

determines how tall a tree will grow, why are paper birches so white, how do I choose which trees to cut and does a hilly acre contain more land than a flat one. “Woods Whys” is published by Bondcliff Books in partnership with the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, and is available for purchase online at www.bondcliffbooks.com or Amazon.com.

“Make a Home for Wildlife” by Lyndon, Vermont author Charles Fergus makes for good reading while educating landowners and others who want to enhance habitats for wildlife.

Subtitled, Creating Habitat on Your Land Backyard to Many Acres, the book provides readers with tools and knowledge to effectively

improve food and cover for wildlife.

Fergus writes about small plots surrounding building lots, as well as the ten and twenty acre parcels so common in this region, and the large tracts of hundreds of acres. The later often are of a size that makes it economical to hire consulting foresters and entice logging contractors to make the desired cuts. Fergus points out that smaller plots can still be managed for the benefit of wildlife and may even bring in some revenue.

He offers advice on where to turn for help and what one can do themselves with a little effort over time.

Sometimes a few short hours of labor will greatly enhance the habitat for various species. Wild apple tree release is a good example. Many animals and birds will benefit once the trees start bearing apples again.

Focusing on the eastern U.S., the book describes the basic habitat types, forests, shrublands, grasslands, and wetlands, and how to create or improve them. The book offers specific recommendations for projects that will help many different kinds of wildlife, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, and pollinating insects.

Interspersed in the book are short pieces called

Landowner Story and Wildlife Sketch. The former are inspiring stories of landowners who have transformed their properties into wonderful homes for local wildlife.

The later tend to provide information about a species.

I especially enjoyed chapter three, Get to Know Your Land and Explore Its Potential, and the last chapter, Enjoy Your Habitat. Every landowner can benefit from reading “Make A Home For Wildlife” but I think the two chapters give purpose to aiding wildlife by habitat management.

I visited Fergus and spent a couple of hours walking his property and chatting about what he has done and what he plans to do to further enhance the various habitats for wildlife.

It soon became very obvious that Fergus is as enthusiastic about creating wildlife habitat as his book would lead one to believe.

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December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Moosehead Development Plan to Change

On Sept. 23, Weyerhaeuser, a real estate investment trust (REIT) and the largest owner of timberlands in the Moosehead Lake Region, announced that it wants to terminate the Moosehead Lake Concept Plan. The Concept Plan is the first large-scale development plan in the history of Maine, designed largely by its predecessor, Plum Creek, and approved in 2012. Plum Creek was a REIT that merged with Weyerhaeuser in 2016. This is very big news for the North Woods. What it means is a big question to be sorted out in the months ahead.

In short, once the Concept Plan is terminated, the landowner could rezone to something different or apply for permits to develop.

Because the Moosehead Lake Region is considered a high quality natural area, both the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) — responsible for zoning and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan in the Unorganized Territories — and Weyerhaeuser have agreed to hear what other plan locals want beside what was put into place in recent years.

Through the winter, UT planners said they will be meeting with local orga-

nizations and individuals.

Named specifically are the Moosehead Lake Region Economic Development Corporation (MLREDC), a Greenville non-profit organized in 2013; Weyerhaeuser’s senior land manager Luke Muzzy of Greenville is on its board and was responsible for moving the Concept Plan forward under Plum Creek. Also named is the Moosehead Lake Brand-

Bulls

bull stepped out at 18 yards and bugled right in our faces.

Nate buried the Auto-Lock broadhead, www.auto-lockbroadheads.com in the boiler room. The bull walked 30 yards and fell over like a sheet of plywood.

So next year, you can bet your bottom dollar that Nate and I will be hunting with Specimen Creek outfitters on September 21. Hoping to keep the streak alive.

(Cont. from pg 51) called again with no results.

We hiked to the second knoll and bugled- again with no answer. Now it’s 11a.m. and we figured that the morning hunt was over so we headed down the finger ridge through sparse timber, we didn’t go 100 yards and Harry spotted a bull coming our way but 150 yards below us. Nate and I scrambled down to just about the level of the bull as Harry stayed back and cow called. The

Kineo Currents

and plants, floodplains — sensitive natural areas, according to the UT Commission. M-GN also allows for many types of development, including wind turbines and mining, both of which the majority of people here are against. Recent marketing efforts to turn these old lumber/mill/traditional recreation areas into a fullfledged tourist destination have named Moosehead as

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME birds, and plants. How this all shakes out is a question.

The Moosehead Lake Concept Plan is a 30-year design in the region that defined brand new types of zones for large-scale development, mixed with conservation, as an alternative long-range plan by the landowner within the Unorganized Territories. It allows 16,910 acres (an area larger than Manhattan) for commercial and residential development on the west side of Moosehead Lake, up through Brassua Lake, and a part of Lily Bay on the east side. The Town of Greenville, the region’s service center with a population of about 1600 year round residents, sits outside of these zones at the base of Moosehead Lake. The Concept Plan model was recently used by J.D. Irving, another large timberland owner, for the Fish River Chain of Lakes in Aroostook County.

At Moosehead, in exchange for the large development areas, a massive 363,000 acre conservation easement was designed that rings the commercial zones.

In the deal, some outdoor organizations, such as Appalachian Mountain Club and The Nature Conservancy,

In short, once the Concept Plan is terminated, the landowner could rezone to something different or apply for permits to develop. ing Initiative and Future IQ, consultants hired to initiate and train local people and area businesses on how to re-create Moosehead as a global tourist destination.

At the end of Sept., the Commission held its regular meeting in Greenville, drawing a lot of local interest over the termination of the plan. In its letter to the Commission, Weyerhaeuser’s interest was to change Concept Plan zones to General Management (M-GN)/Resource Protection subdistricts. M-GN is largely used for forestry, while RPs are meant to protect lakes, streams, wildlife

David Willette is the author of “Coyote Wars”.

He can be contacted at coyotewars@gmail.com

Page 53

Maine’s premiere outdoor region, called the “Crown Jewel of America.”

Also of local interest on the agenda that day was discussion about Central Maine Power’s proposal to build a corridor for transmission lines through the western mountains, which locals do not want in planning for their future, but that southern N.E. states want in order to meet their use mandates. The area on the west side of Moosehead Lake up through Jackman to the Canadian border to Quebec is prime native wild brook trout habitat, a last stronghold from its original stretch down to Georgia. It is also prime habitat for moose, and many other types of animals,

also purchased acreage from Plum Creek that they found of interest. Today, AMC has a broad presence on the east side of Moosehead Lake, with new lodges at Medawisla, located northeast near the Roach ponds, with trails leading down to their Little Lyford Pond Camps, east of Greenville, creating a low-impact recreation area east of the big lake.

The easement, no matter who ends up owning the land, remains in place with any sales. The Forest Society of Maine, a land trust with special focus on Maine’s North Woods, manages the Moosehead Lake conservation easement.

Suzanne AuClair is an avid outdoorswoman.

She lives in Rockwood and has been writing about the Moosehead Lake Region for the past 24 years. She produced Maine’s first freshwater management anthology “The Origins, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.” She is an award-winning member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assn.

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December 2019

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 55

Things You Need for Christmas

Hunting season is pretty much wrapped up for the year and I am sure that there are items added to the shopping list for next season.

With the holiday season here, it’s a perfect time to get those items plus, as I have done in the past, here is a list of things that you should think about putting under your tree: Buy their license! In December, the 2020 licenses go on sale. I buy Dad his license every year. It’s easy and one less thing to worry about when turkey season comes around next spring. If you don’t know enough information to buy the license online (think MOSES number) then I would recommend calling IF&W. They have saved me a couple of

times when I was buying licenses for extended family members.

Books – There are so many great books out there; both from Maine and beyond. George Smith’s “A Life Lived Outdoors” will make you smile and appreciate all things Maine.

“9 Mile Bridge” by Helen Hamlin or “My Life in the Maine Woods” by Annette Jackson are great recounts by women who lived deep in the woods. Of course “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold is a must. It is the foundation of conservation and outdoor writing and should be read by everyone.

Finally, my friend Mark Kenyon from Wired to Hunt and MeatEater just released his book called “That Wild

Country” that covers the importance of public land and Mark’s experiences in some of the most remote places in the country. You can’t go wrong with any or all of these books.

Classes: My organization, Women of the Maine Outdoors (WoMO) partners with organizations like Women Owning Woodlands to support classes like Intro to Women’s Chainsaw Safety and woodlot management. WoMO also partners with guides who offer training specifically for women who are interested in becoming a Maine Guide. Add in standard classes like Becoming an Outdoor Woman and LL Bean’s classes and there are so many possibilities!

Trail cameras: This

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME

one is on my wish list. A lot of folks seem to be using SpyPoint trail cameras to get photos sent directly to their phones in real time.

My friend Staci found this invaluable during trapping season when she received photos as soon as her bear was trapped. It may take away from the excitement of pulling cards from your trail cameras every week but there is something to be said for knowing exactly when deer and bear are walking through and being able to pattern them. The hard part will be figuring out where to put the camera!

There are so many other items that you could add to this list: trapping supplies,

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turkey hunting supplies, hand and toe warmers, and gift cards. It will be exciting to see what ends up under the tree and what sort of hunts and plans are made for the 2020 season! Is there one thing that you want to see under the tree with your name on it?

Erin is a member of the OWAA and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast and is the President and co-Founder of the nonprofit group Women of the Maine Outdoors. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www. andastrongcupofcoffee.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal December 2019 Blaine’s try while he stayed focused liquid and rubs the solution has been 50 yards, always Outdoor on the simple outdoor life. all over his face and head, from the ground, and this Journal We’re now both push- and finishes by spraying his hunt proved to be far less as

Deer Hunting: “Old School”

Blaine Cardilli, Winthrop, ME “Kip” Sylvester and I met when we were both about 13 and hit it off like nobody’s business. He was the cousin of my best friend and the afternoon that he showed up, the three of us immediately made plans to go camping by the river behind my house. That night we made a campfire, cooked hot dogs, and talked. We

graduated to grays, rabbits, pheasant, and grouse. As the years brought us into our late teens, we began hunting deer and predators, the latter of which became a special passion to us both. We developed a system where one would call, and the other shoot and began piling up the coyotes.

Everybody talks

ing 60 and though I’ve done alright as a deer hunter in Maine these past 40 years, Kip can’t remember ever not getting his deer, most of which have been bucks.

Recently we had a conversation and he shared with me many of the methods he’s employed over the years that have brought him continued success. In a world of hightech gear and instant gratification, I thought the readers might want to know how

clothes.

Kip uses an old .30-30 and after sighting in is careful not to use solvents or oils on it. He simply runs dry patches through it and even the gun gets its share of earth spray. When it comes to the hunt, Kip is like me in that he prefers hunting from a

the buck walked to within 10 yards of him, oblivious to the fact he was there. As it began to inch closer, he raised his rifle and dropped him in his tracks. The other deer didn’t know what happened and stayed nearby until Kip decided to stand up. Season after season,

chair and this year he sat by a stone wall in open woods.

Once seated, he bends down and after digging through the dirt with his hands, he rubs it into his clothes and he’s ready to go. He used his old can call to produce bleats and saw a buck trotting right to him, followed by twin spike-horns and a doe. Remaining motionless, he let the deer come.

Kip told me that in all his years his longest shot

this grizzled man gets his deer, showing me I need to slow down and smell the dirt myself!

Everybody talks “woodsmanship” and how to develop it but we all know it takes years of experience afield to become familiar with the ways and workings of nature. drifted off to the wailing of a pair of loons somewhere down river. As I closed my eyes, my heart was as full as a teenager’s could be, for I was with my “brothers”.

As days turned to months, Kip and I forged the type of bond known only to those who have spent countless hours together in the woods. We learned to hunt together without the benefit of adult peers to show us the ropes so we learned by trial and error. We cut our teeth on red squirrels and soon

“woodsmanship” and how to develop it but we all know it takes years of experience afield to become familiar with the ways and workings of nature. You don’t think much about it; you just one day wake up and realize you’ve developed an understanding of your surroundings. Kip is one of those people who has grown immensely as an outdoorsman and once we reached adulthood and began drifting apart, I went towards the professional outdoor indus-

an “old school” hunter kills deer consistently, year after year, especially in Maine.

Three days into this season’s gun opener he had a buck down at 7 a.m. and told me about the hunt.

His first priority is always his clothing. Everything gets washed in scent-free detergent, dried with fresh Earth dryer sheets, and put in a storage bag. He takes a scent-free shower, dresses at the hunting spot, and his boots see only the woods. He sprays his boots with oil of Anise, then sprays his hands liberally with fresh earth

Blaine Cardilli is a freelance outdoor writer & columnist from Maine; A former Pro-Staffer with ‘Hunters Specialties’ and ‘Knight & Hale’, Blaine has given many seminars on hunting and calling deer; He can be reached via email at ‘indianwd@gmail.com 762 Caribou Road Fort Kent, ME 04743

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Deer Time Running Out

“Time was running out…” was a catch-phrase in the old TV show, Sea Hunt, which ran from the late 50’s to the early 60’s.

But it’s somehow appropriate when talking about the current deer hunting season.

Rifle season ends on Sunday, December 8th (December 1st in WMU-A) and archery season closes on Sunday, December 15th. The bucks may not be as weighty as they were at the peak of the rut, but, this Fall, they were well-fed bucks. It was a very good year for mast in my area. Some of the old-timers say that a heavy mast crop predicts a hard Winter. If that’s true, get the plows and boots ready!

In his book The Deer of North America, Leonard Lee Rue III wrote, “I have my own way of estimating the relative production of the mast crop. I wear size 11 ½

boots. When the nuts have fallen, if I put my foot down and cover nine acorns with one shoe, that’s a good crop.

When I cover a dozen, that’s a fantastic crop”. I’ll have to remember that for next year.

It’ll be a while before the final numbers are in for the various hunting seasons.

The last I knew, a total of 578 bears — 334 males and 244 females — had been tagged. At that point, this year’s harvest to date was running 13% below the 5-year in-season average (669 bears) and 40% below the 2018 tally (962 bears) at this point in the season.

But last year’s mast failure helped contribute to the higher than normal harvest.

If you’re looking for the perfect stocking stuffer, the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire (WHFNH) and New Hampshire’s Operation Game

Thief (NHOGT) are holding a Gun Raffle that started October 1st and will wrap up December 17th. Thirty firearms ranging from handguns and shotguns to rifles and muzzleloaders are being raffled. A complete list of the firearms can be found at: nhwildlifeheritage.org.

Proceeds from the raffle will support WHFNH and NHOGT programs. Tickets are $40 each and can be purchased from: The Barn Store of New England – Salisbury, NH or LL Cote Firearms – Errol NH. Tickets can also be purchased by contacting the Wildlife Heritage office at 603-496-2778, by email at admin@nhwildlifeheritage. org or sending a check by mail to Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH; 54 Portsmouth Street; Concord, NH 03301.

Winning ticket numbers and the guns won will

Page 57

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. be announced on my radio show on 107.7 FM -The Pulse. Half of the winning tickets will be announced on December 19th and the other fifteen on the following day, December 20th between 8-10AM both days.

Winning ticket numbers and guns won will also be posted on the WHFNH and the NHOGT websites.

Hopefully, I will have filled at least one of the three deer tags I have before the last weekend of the season.

Because that weekend marks the opening of a five-day muzzleloader season in New Mexico and that’s where I’ll be. Our unit is in the western part of the state that borders Arizona. I’m not even sure

how big the unit is and I’ve been there seven or eight times. Suffice it to say that it’s a big chunk of real estate and it’s muzzleloader only.

But it sure is a nice way to end another Fall of hunting.

I hope you did well in your hunts this year and if not, then at least I’m sure you’ve got some stories to hold you over until next year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peter St. James lives in Warner and is a member of NEOWA, OWAA and a Registered NH Fishing Guide.

He can be heard MondayFriday from 6:00-10:00 AM on WTPL-FM 107.7.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME You got clearance from the wife! You’re going to Anticosti for the hunt of a lifetime! Now the question is, “What camp and when?”

This has got to be the most commonly asked questions from a first time guest. Let’s go through some of the possibilities. I have been on the island in every month of the season, so I should be able to give you a good idea of what to expect.

September is a great time to hunt Anticosti, especially the first two weeks.

Deer have been feeding leisurely with no human presence and most of them are still in velvet. They are all putting on weight and stress free. They are unsuspecting and feed in the open meadows and swamps at dawn and dusk. The weather is mild and the days are long.

I dare say any camp selected will be exceptional this month. You will just need to decide if you want

guided or unguided. September stays are six days long in all camps and packages.

October is a little different. It is historically a slower month. The bucks are in the pre rut stages. They have slowed down their activity awaiting the breeding season. They are a little more difficult to find but they are still there. Hunting for them will require a little more effort as they hang out in the thicker areas. You will still see a lot of deer, and there are nice bucks taken every year.

Although the days are still pretty long, they seem to get shorter fast. The weather is often cool in the mornings and warm during the day.

Dress in layers in October, you’ll need to put the clothing you took off at noon back on as the sun goes down.

Be sure to pack rain gear and scope covers. I have experienced every form of

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December 2019

Hunt: Choices Galore!

weather this month. From extra warm days, to torrential rain, to fog so thick you can’t see ten yards in front of you, to a foot of snow.

Once again, all locations are similar in October.

If this is your first time on the island, I highly recommend you choose a guided hunt. Guides will have a better idea where the bucks have been seen and your success rate will be measurably better. It can be frustrating hunting in the wrong areas. Leave the scouting to a guide and you’ll be much more productive November... ahh, November. This month needs no explanation. It is prime time. When the rut is on, it is as exciting as a day at Disney for a young child. Every hunting method seems to work. Rattling antlers, grunting, scents, etc, all get response. Due to the fact that the deer population is so high, breeding competition is fierce. The buck harvest is hands down bigger in November as they are on the move looking for ladies.

Finding an open spot can be a challenge during November in any camp, but it is possible. The hunt

The author’s wife, Marie Cote, with an Anticosti whitetail.

is now a four day stay and the price is more, but it is worth it. Just this year I saw an open spot for four hunters become available during the rut. I’m sure it didn’t last more than a few days before it was filled.

December is my personal favorite. It is the equivalent of muzzle loader season in Maine. The rut is over and the deer resume feeding patterns. Once the

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snow starts getting deep, deer begin making their way to theirs wintering yards. We call it the migration.

If you are lucky enough to be there during this time, you can see literally hundreds of deer. One year I recall, my son and I were hunting at a place we call the “barber shop”. He shot the eighteenth deer we saw, the forty second deer, and the seventy fifth deer. It was only one o’clock! We decided to go back to camp early instead of tagging out on the first day.

Available camps are limited in December. Most of them close at the end of November. If you get a spot in December, hold on to it. It is truly an awesome experience.

For more specific information on availability, call my friends at the reservation desk at 1-800-4630863. Tell them Mark sent you!

Mark Cote is a Registered Maine Guide from Rumford Maine. He has been hunting on Anticosti for more than 20 years. He can be reached at AnticostiMark@gmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Charter

(Cont. from pg 42)

hands-on trip with no mate where they can help rig lines and hook their own fish.

Again, ask.

Work with a captain to schedule your trip when fishing is best for the species you want to catch. For browns, your captain will recommend a spring or midsummer trip. For monster kings, book in late August or early September.

Once you book a trip, ask your captain to help you with lodging and places to eat.

So, now you called early, found a top captain, decided when to fish, and nailed down your trip with a deposit. When the big day comes, and you arrive at the dock on time with the proper gear, just relax and take it easy. Let your captain take it from there. Sit back with a cool drink, catch some rays, and enjoy some of the best trophy trout and salmon fishing in the Northeast.

Ducks

(Cont. from pg 49) your permit, but haven’t reached your three-deer limit, you’re eligible to get a permit in WMUs with unallocated antlerless deer muzzleloader permits. There are unallocated antlerless permits in WMUs A, B,

F1, F2, K, L, M, N, O,and Q. Hurry, they go quick!

Muzzleloader season is from December 7 -15. Go online to purchase your permit www.vtfishandwildlife.com/ antlerless-deer-lottery With all the controversy and negative publicity surrounding coyote hunting and contests, it would be wise to attend the follow-

Page 59

ing meeting to voice your concerns. The VT F&W is holding public informational meetings about Eastern coyotes which the department says have become well-established throughout Vermont and other northeastern states. Vermont’s Furbearer Project Leader Kimberly Royar and Wildlife Ecologist Dr. David

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Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.

Welcome to Rangeley

Capt. Ernie Lantiegne has operated Fish Doctor Charters on Lake Ontario for 37 years, and worked as a fishery biologist/manager for the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation for 22 years.

Roger was tickled with his first buck while tracking.

Although it wasn’t the monster buck dreams are made of, it was a try trophy in his eyes as well as mine. When we got to the tagging station he tipped the scales at 178 pounds. Roger is coming back to hunt with me next season and I’m sure he has his sights set a little higher!

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 60

Gifts for Fly Fishers

Fly Fishing

by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington Once again, as Santa time sneaks upon us, we need to think about what to give that favorite beginning fly fisher in our lives. The first and likely most expensive fly fishing tools that are needed would be the fly rod and reel. I couldn’t stress enough that you purchase the best you can afford, realizing that in the long run it will be the most practical and cost effective and will provide the best opportunity for success. Additionally, good quality equipment will serve you well and delay the need to purchase more expensive equipment down the road.

Fly rods come in many lengths, weights, actions and materials today as opposed to when I started some sixtyfive years ago. I will attempt to briefly discuss all of these variables and give recom-

December 2019

mendations as to what might be appropriate for beginners.

Graphite and boron are the most common materials used for rods nowadays due to the advantages of strength, lightness of weight and superior casting ability, as compared to its predecessors of fiberglass, bamboo and steel.

Regarding length, fly rods can vary anywhere from six feet for fishing small, brushy streams to 12 or 14 feet for long casts with heavy wind resistant flies such as those used for larger salt water species.

Another characteristic of fly rods that has to be considered is its action, which varies from slow (soft and rather whippy), to medium and fast action (relatively stiff). Ease of casting is an important factor, especially for beginners. Fly rods that

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have a medium fast action are perhaps the most practical because they combine the advantages of both the slow action where the timing of your back and forward casts are not as critical, and fast action that will allow for greater casting distance.

Finally, fly rods need to be matched with their proper line weight which can range from one weight for the smallest, lightest rods to 12 weight or greater for the longer more powerful rods. For beginning fly fishers, a good all-purpose outfit would be a medium-fast action, eight ½ foot rod with a size six weight-forward floating fly line. This would be suitable for small streams as well as lakes or ponds and larger streams where the quarry may be trout, salmon, bass or pickerel, and saltwater, species such as mackerel, school stripers or bluefish.

A rod of satisfactory quality would cost in the vicinity of $100 to $150, although the very best quality fly rods can cost upwards of $1000.

Matching weight-forward fly lines can be purchased for about $40. The reality is that as we progress further into fly-fishing, it is likely that additional fly rods would want to be purchased

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Fly reels unlike baitcasting or spinning reels, are used predominantly to store the fly line and backing. They come in many sizes and styles, but the most important being one with a smooth adjustable drag and click system that will allow proper constant pressure on a large fish that has to be played directly off the reel, as well as to prevent overrunning the line. Most basic fly reels are single action, i.e. one complete revolution of the reel handle makes one complete revolution of the spool which holds the fly line. It is advisable that extra spools be available for your reel to provide for additional fly line(s) such as a sinking or sinking tip when a quick change of fishing strategy is desired. When looking for a fly reel, be sure to purchase one that has additional capacity for at least 100 yards of 20-pound test braided nylon or Dacron backing, the main purpose of which is to provide additional line to play large fish that have taken out your entire fly line. Also, backing which is wound on the bare spool under the fly line will help to fill the reel, thus eliminating

tight coils in the fly line as well as allowing a faster line retrieve. Fly reels can range in price from $25 to over $500, but one of satisfactory quality can be found for $50 to $75. Extra spools for the reel will cost in the vicinity of $25 to $50.

Local fly shops such as Annika Rod and Fly in Brewer, ME operated by Don Corey has an excellent selection of fly rods, reels and fly fishing equipment and markets a good quality fly fishing package including fly rod, reel, matched fly line and backing for about $170.

He and his experienced staff also provide rod building and fly tying classes throughout the year. Don can be reached @ 207 299 6336 Old Town Trading Post in Old Town, ME @ 207 827 7032, as well as outdoor outlets LL Bean and Cabelas also provide excellent selections of fly fishing equipment.

Wishing you and yours a happy Christmas season and the very best for 2020.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

The Gateway to Wild Game

Have you ever tried to convince a non-hunter to eat wild game? What kind of response do you get?

It’s not much different when someone does the same thing toward you when it comes to trying various foods.

You shouldn’t have to persuade someone to be adventurous. In most cases they either are, or they’re not. Some of us just happen to like living on the wild side. Common sense tells you that anyone who truly understands the value of pure and wild food that is untainted should have no adversity to eating wild game.

One of the best suggestions that I can make is to use certain types of game and cuts of meat that are less controversial.

It’s always an interesting dilemma when I extend dinner invites. I have the bewildered individuals that show up wondering if I am going to feed them some exotic and eclectic wild food they may feel forced to eat, others who know that I will

serve them a sumptuous fish or game dinner and are accepting of that, and then the third group who are literally chomping at the bit wondering what kind of cool foodie experience they will have..

Seriously though, let me paint a word picture.

Exposing people to wild game to win them over is very much like how you present bait to fish. If they are open to at least try it, cook something that they can relate to. What you can do is make game relatable to those you’d like to try it..

A delicious burger may be a great way to introduce any wild game skeptic to the tremendous flavor they have been missing out on.

In fact, a tasty game burger may serve as the gateway to other game dishes, as it can potentially shore up confidence and curiosity in the formerly apprehensive eater.

Venison is always a go-to, but you can just as easily make some seriously tasty burgers this time of year out of wild rabbits or wild turkey.

Game is the healthiest form of meat on the planet.

Sharing the benefits of wild game with other s and seeing people experience a transformation in their mind; can bring your heart some of the greatest joy you will ever know.

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Page 61

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

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Page 62

By V. Paul Reynolds Whether hunting in Colorado High Country or the Maine North Woods fir forests, you always keep a close eye on the weather.

In some cases weather vigilance can make the difference between being comfortable or uncomfortable – or downright miserable, or even in harm’s way.

There is a mountain road in Western Colorado below the Beaver Flattops that over the years has taunted, teased and threatened me. A narrow switchback with deep ruts and hair-raising drop offs, it can be tame or treacherous. It all depends on the weather. When wet it is a sheet of greasy Colorado goo that tries to suck your truck and you off the edge.

Elk hunters dread it. But we chance it because it leads to elk. You just never know the contingencies until you get there and begin worming up the mountain.

This October a long

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Nature’s Ornery Ways

The weather in the Colorado high country is a study in contrasts: first you are freezing, before sunup, then soon shedding clothing as the sun at 9,000 feet weaves through the aspens and thaws your shivering body. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) dry spell was a stroke of luck. “Wow, are we lucky!” one of my fellow hunters exclaimed. “The road’s a piece of cake.” And it was, all the way. Dusty, but safe.

It was almost too easy, so I worried. Nature can be sneaky and fickle. Never gloat when the weather goes your way. The forecast was for clear skies, but unusu-

ally cold for early October, even by Rocky Mountain standards. By the time we backpacked our way to the drainage and set up our camp site in the aspens below the spiraling peaks and dark timber, the quickmoving front was evident, and at 9,200 feet the cold came upon us like the icy breath of Boreas.

That night, sleeping on the ground in a oneman tent was an altogether unprecedented experience.

Not my first time tenting

in that country in October, but nothing from previous years came close to this on the scale of personal privation. Never have I been so cold, not even when ice fishing northern Maine in January with a 20 knot wind down the lake. A zero degree down-filled mummy sleeping bag, heavy long johns and a bunch of hand warmers probably held off hypothermia. Nonetheless, it was a long night of shivering, teeth-chattering sleeplessness.

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December 2019 The Colorado sun finally inched in over the Flattops the next morning.

Instant oatmeal and hot tea, along with the blessed sun, finally produced a warming reprieve, from the long dark night.

It wasn’t over either.

For reasons I don’t understand, Nature’s ornery moods have a way of hanging on like a rainy spell in early June.

Later that month, during a week long late-season cow hunt in the North Maine moose woods, nasty weather chased me down yet again.

Five days of unrelenting fog and drizzle left logging roads a ribbon of insidious mud that bonded itself to my

The Colorado sun finally inched in over the Flattops the next morning.

Instant oatmeal and hot tea, along with the blessed sun, finally produced a warming reprieve from the long dark night. truck and trailer as though they had been dipped in concrete.

The Grand Finale, unnoticed by us, was working its way from the mid-section of the country. On Friday, still without a moose, Diane and I threw caution to the wind, literally. Determined to find that cow, we ventured into moose country in spite of the high wind warnings.

We were quickly running out of time to fill Diane’s moose tag. We knew from experience that a 50 mph wind would bring trees down across the logging roads and that moose might not be moving. But you can’t tag a moose hunkered down in a cabin at St. Froid Lake Campground. The forecast called for the winds to die down in mid afternoon and

(Nature cont. pg 68)

December 2019

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 63

Northwoods Sporting Journal CHRISTMAS SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL ONLY $75 FOR (3) SUBSCRIPTIONS

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Page 64

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Bad Forestry Hurting Deer Numbers

Malarkey Cabin Chronicles

by Ray Dillon, Keswick Ridge, N.B. During New Brunswick’s moose season this past September, one of my client/ friends and I covered fifty square miles or so searching for a nice bull moose for him. While doing so, we met several other hunting parties doing the same thing. Some bagged their moose while others were still searching. Of course the general conversation around the camp-fire focused on moose, but it also came around to what other game species they saw or didn’t see.

The general consensus was that our mature woodlands were disappearing at an alarming rate and it was dramatically affecting our

deer population and a host of other birds and animals as well. Everyone agreed that regardless of the official stance of government and their arguments that harsh winters are hurting deer numbers, that is only partially true.

My own personal belief is that the unrestricted lumber company harvesting practices and the liberal use of defoliating herbicide spraying to kill new hardwood growth in cut over areas is more to blame than the clear cutting. The lumber companies in our province are no different than those operating in other provinces or states. They are more interested in their bottom line

rather than the welfare of our fish and wildlife.

Yes, when our white tailed deer have no food to eat or protective shelter from the winter snows and cold weather, then they will die in great numbers and our spineless governments can proclaim that it is winter

kill rather than forest annihilation that is keeping our deer herds down. And yes, all other animal, fish and bird species that depend on mature forest growth are vanishing too. Because we hunt the deer, we notice their demise much sooner and feel more concern for their

plight. If something isn’t done to organize and force government to take action, we will witness the eventual demise of our moose and black bear as well.

As a hunter and professional guide of many

(Numbers cont. pg 65)

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Numbers (Cont. from pg 64)

years, I have first- hand witnessed the changes in our wilderness; steams that no longer hold fish, covers with no flushing woodcock and Ruffed Grouse and the thousands of acres of mature growth forest land that has disappeared along with the deer they once held and protected. Because of the spray programs, vast areas of hardwoods that once provided food for the animals and birds is gone and new planted forests are coming up as single species evergreens. Such forest provides little benefit to the birds and

Northwoods Sporting Journal

animals. This is sad and needs to be rectified before it is too late.

Our surviving deer herd has, for the most part, migrated into close proximity with our communities where they find the necessities of life such as food and shelter. Such herd migrations give a false projection on the health and deer numbers and leaves many people wondering what the clamor is about. These people believe that our herd is healthy and plentiful. I hear those comments all the time.

“My goodness there are a lot of deer,” one gentleman told me one evening as he registered a deer he had just bagged. “They parade in

my fields and eat my wife’s shrubbery and whatever they can find.” As I finished registering his animal, I asked where he saw so many deer and where he bagged this one. “Why, right out on my woodlot back of our pasture” he replied. “They are everywhere.”

There is no question that you can find deer close to or even right in our rural communities, and even our little tourist towns are being over-run by the animal, but that doesn’t mean the herd is plentiful or in good shape. It simply means that the wily whitetail is adapting. The mature forest which was so huge is going fast and so the deer are forced to move

in where there is still food and cover.

That may look like it is great but we need to ask what strain and stress is being placed on the land and the animals because of this concentration of migrant animals. Your hundred-acre woodlot was just right to provide food for twenty local deer. The fields provided adequate plants and grasses to feed those animals, the hardwood browse could be eaten and grow back, but how will it stand up to the hungry bellies of a hundred or two hundred animals.

Talk with your wildlife biologists who don’t have a forestry or government job on the line and see what they

Page 65 have to say. It is Christmas time and my column this month should have been a bit more Merry but I will leave you with my Christmas wish for you. May you enjoy this Christmas Season and a better 2020 filled with lots of fish and game and a wilderness to support them.

Ray Dillon is an Outdoor writer, bestselling book author, Professional Guide and owns/operates Malarkey Cabin Guiding Service in New Brunswick, Canada.

To book a trophy Big Game or Uplands Bird hunt with him, go to www.malarkeycabin.com phone 506-3632839 or e-mail rdillon@ rogers.com

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Page 66

SAM News

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by David Trahan, “Executive Director” On June 17, 2019 an unprecedented fifty-four people either testified in person, or submitted testimony, to end the traditional uses of hunting, fishing and trapping on Maine public lands purchased with Land for Maine’s Future bonds. LD 911, An Act to Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Promote Land Conservation,Working Waterfronts, Water Access and Outdoor Recreation was

heard in the Appropriations Committee. Fifteen, mostly conservation groups, testified in favor, the remaining fifty-four, mostly from populated areas around Camden and Portland railed against hunting, fishing and trapping leaving many in the room shocked and confused. More about that in a moment.

First, of the fifty-four, I recognized many from the failed bear referendum: John Glowa, Karen Coker,

US RT 1 BEGINS AT “LA PORTE DU NORD”

356 West Main St Fort Kent, ME 04743 Phone: 207-834-3133 Fax: 207-834-2784

Nature never goes out of style here in Fort Kent. We are at the end of historic US Route 1, across the river from Canada, minutes from Allagash wilderness, walking distance to the Lonesome Pine Downhill Ski Facility. The Tenth Mountain cross country and blathlon facility. The University of Maine at Fort Kent, downtown with it ‘s quaint restaurants and bars. Walking, ATV and snowmobile trails are adjacent to the property and there are many attractions a short drive away.

Activists Harm Outdoor Culture

Don Loprieno, and Wendy Andresen. Unfortunately, to the uneducated committee members, this spectacle looked like a massive public grassroots uprising against traditional use. These activists claimed allowing hunting was unsafe, trapping was cruel and unnecessary and special interests like sportsmen and women do not belong on public lands.

Ironically, they failed to mention their decades of history fighting for the antihunting animal rights movement. Well done, except, I, and few others were there to set the record straight for the committee before any serious damage could be done.

Thirty years ago, and just after the devastating outbreak of spruce budworm that destroyed spruce and fir forests throughout northern Maine, the Legislature started the now popular Land for Maine’s Future Program as a way to compete with individuals and groups buying hundreds of thousands of acres of cheap, cut off lands as paper mills divested from the land ownership business.

Since that time and according to the Department of Agriculture, “over the past 30 years, the Land for Maine’s Future Program has assisted in the protection of 54 water access sites, 40 farms totaling more than 9,700 acres, 24 commercial working waterfront properties, more than 1,200 miles of shore lands, 58 miles of former railroad corridors for recreational trails and over 570,000 acres of conservation and recreation lands including 332,000 acres of

working lands with permanent conservation easements” www.maine.gov/ dacf/lmf/.

During the 1990’s, I served in the Legislature when tens of millions in general fund bonds were passed by the voters to purchase LMF- backed public lands.

Recently, SAM was successful in amending this statute and buying critical deer yards and trout spawning habitat. Because of that effort, now 5000 acres of deer wintering areas and miles of trout spawning habitat are protected.

Furthermore, it is my firm belief that these bonds would not have been approved if it not for section A, subsection 1, A of Maine law that says, “hunting, fishing, trapping and public access may not be prohibited on land acquired with bond proceeds, except to the extent of applicable state, local or federal laws, rules and regulations and except for working waterfront projects and farmland protection projects.”

This lon -standing provision passionately defended by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine guarantees the traditional uses of hunting, fishing and trapping on LMF lands continues. This section acts as the lynch pin of the LMF program and because of it, garners support from rural, conservative legislators and voters. The reason this is important is because, according to the State Constitution, a two-thirds vote of the legislature is necessary before a General Fund bond can be placed on the ballot

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December 2019

7 Dow Siding Road Caribou, ME

for voter approval. It is this provision that guarantees compromise between the political parties and insures the LMF program serves all users and all regions of Maine.

One of the biggest complaints I hear from sportsmen and women is how difficult it is to find places to hunt, fish and trap.

It doesn’t take long when traveling in suburban and rural Maine to see the bright yellow and orange signs, “No Hunting Allowed.”

They often go on for what seems like miles. Many exhunters cite this lack of access as the reason they gave up hunting. Public lands not only preserve rural jobs, they enable lower income Mainers access to lakes and ponds often bought up by non-residents and others then posted.

Finally, the claim that hunting is unsafe, I call bull!

Hunting is one of the safest outdoor activities in Maine; in addition, there is a state law that says, that firearm discharge is illegal 300 feet either side of any Public Reserved marked hiking trail.

Hunting is already banned on these public marked trails, also, many trails in southern Maine, where these same anti-hunting animal rights activists recreate are within Municipal Urban Compacts areas-again, no discharge.

The truth is these are the same people that tried, by referendum, to ban bear hunting and constantly use the endangered species, and the courts, to stop any form of wildlife management.

They despise hunting, fishing and trapping and will never stop until they destroy wildlife management as we now know it. They must be exposed for their hidden agenda and motives. Otherwise they could destroy one of the most effective and popular conservation programs in Maine.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Page 67

Christmas Cheer for the Sportsman

Do you have a sportsman or sportswomen in your life? You don’t know what to get them for Christmas?

Fear not, I have some ideas that are guaranteed to please.

Unless your sport has

beer of the month club is only slightly better than the jelly of the month club. If you really want to give a gift that lasts all year, how about a year subscription to my favorite publication,

Gift certificates. Notice that I didn’t say gift cards. Gift cards make me think of big box stores. If there is good, local outdoor gear store near you, get a gift certificate for your sport.

a lifetime hunting license, their current license is set to expire on January 1st. Next year’s hunting license is the perfect gift, you know it’s something they’ll use! Just get a copy of the old license, visit the Maine IF&W website and you can have it done in minutes, from the comfort of your living room. If you have youngster – grand kids perhaps, setting them up with a lifetime hunting and fishing license is a fantastic Christmas gift.

A subscription to the SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

The Northwoods Sporting Journal! If your sport has a bucket list dream of going on an elk hunt, then getting them a membership for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will help keep the dream alive. Included in the membership is a subscription to Bugle magazine. This is one of the finest outdoor magazines you can read and it is 100% devoted to elk and elk hunting. Another couple of ideas for the outdoor loving reader. Visit www. sportingjournal.com and

REAL ESTATE

click the books button for a selection of excellent books to purchase by local authors.

Toe warmers. For hunters and ice fishermen, these are like gold. Sam’s club sells toe warmers in a box that will last a long time.

These are specially designed to stick to the underside of your sock. They are shaped and flat so they don’t bunch up and become uncomfortable. I go through them like candy. A must have even if your sport has warm boots.

Gift certificates. Notice that I didn’t say gift cards. Gift cards make me PRICE REDUCED

Post-Script From Pocasset

by Josh Reynolds, Wayne, ME think of big box stores. If there is good, local outdoor gear store near you, get a gift certificate for your sport. It’s great to patronize locally owned stores and I’d much rather spend some time with a gift certificate to a local shop, looking for something I’d like. Many of the best can be found as advertisers in the pages of the Sporting Journal.

The list of things and stuff is endless, hopefully I have given you some unique ideas perhaps you never

thought of. Most won’t break even a modest budget and all are sure to please and there’s no need to brave the Black Friday gauntlet to buy anything I’ve suggested.

Good luck shopping, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Josh Reynolds is a former Registered Maine Guide and the Assistant Editor of the Journal. He can be reached at jreyn207@gmail. com

PRICE REDUCED

175 + ACRES

Dallas Plt - Timber, water, wildlife & views. Four miles of frontage on S. Branch of Dead River and four remote ponds. 1,700' of elevation. Interior roads.

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PRICE REDUCED

Harrington - 175 +/- acres with 1,650' of salt meadow frontage on Flat Bay. Numerous coves, sea grasses & changing tides create a unique experience. Westerly views & mature timber. $175,000.

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Darren McGovern, Associate Broker Cell 207-712-3325 Office 207-773-1990

102 + ACRES Phillips - Fields, mature timber, topography, mountain views, stream, 5 acre wetland w/great views, public road frontage & power. Great location for home or camp. 82 +/- acres for $119,000.

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darrenmacthemover.cbintouch.com Darren.McGovern@NEMoves.com

This custom built one-of-a-kind Red Cedar Log Cabin/Post and Beam home is where country meets luxury meets privacy! Everything about this home is High End! This great home is quality throughout! The builder designed and built this place for himself with never intending to sell. If all that isn’t enough how about 173 acres, approximately 1 mile of water frontage on the Saco River. Not to mention the four stall horse barn, shooting range, gravel pit and so much more! Unique gems like this don’t come along everyday! $1,499,000.

New Sharon - 678 +/- Acres w/ abundant wildlife including deer & upland game birds. Diverse land with Bragdon Brook & Salt Marsh Creek running through the lot. Over 900' of frontage on Weeks Mills Rd. $299k or only $441 per acre.

Woolwich - 148 +/- Acres Remarkable lot with small CAMP. Hunt, hike, bike, sightsee, harvest some of the large oak & pine. Great westerly distant views from Bigelow Knoll. $150,000.

King & Bartlett TWP - 770 +/Acres surrounding the majority of the 538 acre 159' deep King & Bartlett lake that supports wild brook trout, salmon & togue.

Remote unique parcel.

$125,000.

192 + ACRES Guilford - 192 +/- acres w/views from Oak Hill (920' in elevation) & in the shadows of 1,326' Guilford Mt. overlooking First Davis Pond. Wildlife galore with evidence of moose & deer.

Cut in 2011. $129,000.

Page 68 SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

Northwoods Sporting Journal

REAL ESTATE 207-265-4000

259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME

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Enjoy Maine's Vacation-land!

Nature

(Cont. from pg 62

we had a chain saw for clearing blow downs off the roads. So we struck out for the clear cuts south of St Francis.

Wouldn’t you know it.

Not only did the winds not

December 2019

subside by mid afternoon, as predicted, they picked up a head of steam! Gusts of 60 mph or more were snapping off the tops of big spruce trees and flinging them willy nilly like matchsticks onto our roadways. By 4 p.m. the St. Francis Road had a tree across it every half mile

Stephanie Fields Beaulieu Designated Broker-Owner Cell: 207-551-5835 Fax: 207-472-3084

email: fieldsrealty@maine.rr.com 72 Fort Hill Street Fort Fairfield, ME 04742

Lavoie Lake Road, Madawaska, ME 04756

25 acres of beautiful land, 10 acre maple trees with a syrup operation, 1900 trees tapped, equipment and sugar shack included, wood burning evaporator! All ready to start your own business! $50,000 MLS#1435485

Opportunity! Established long time running sporting lodge in Highland Plantation. 2 Houses. Total 6+ bed, 4 baths, 2 kitchens and ample room for gatherings. 35 acres.

Stream frontage, forest, fields and even some gravel. $299,000.

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SUNRISE REALTY

P.O. Box 628 Main Street Machias, ME 04654 Office Tel. & Fax: (207) 255-3039 Email: anitaj@midmaine.com Website: www.sunlist.com Anita Johnson EAST MACHIAS: Now is the time to start thinking of that wonderful Water Front Home you have always dreamed of having and this is just the one. Sits on 2.5+/- ac. w/a great view of the lake. Have a BBQ while looking at the water & just enjoying the great MAINE air. There are two bedrooms w/the Master having a walk in closet and super bathroom. Lay in bed in the morning and watch the sun rise over Gardner Lake.

Also if you like fishing Gardner Lake is one of the best cold water lakes to fish and hopefully catch a nice salmon. Home sits at the end of the road. This is a spot you can enjoy for years and never get tired of looking at the lake. Super great price at only $179,000.00

JONESBORO: Home sits on a dead end road and close to the public landing where you can put your boat in or just walk over and watch the other people in their boats. Home has 3 bedrooms, one being used as an office and two baths. Lg kitchen, lots of cupboards, and nice lg living room. Great basement that could be made into another room or two. Sit at the kitchen table or on the deck and listen to sounds of the water or just walk to the shore and sit by the water. This is a home that you have to see to realize what a super home and spot it is. A great price for such a home. $279,000.00

LAND FOR SALE

or so. By then moose was the last thing on our minds.

Getting back to the St Francis checkpoint in one piece before the chain saw ran out of gas was the challenge.

Turning in our pass at the checkpoint, we were told by the North Maine Woods gatekeeper that there was a major power outage throughout the St John Valley. We made it safely back to Winterville and the campground just minutes after a big splntered spruce sheared off at the campground driveway and took

(Nature cont. pg 69) Overhead Door Company of Caribou “The original since 1921”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

December 2019

Nature

(Cont. from pg 68) out the facility’s main power pole. We drove unwittingly over downed power lines and then backed our way to safety.

The high wind spared our cabin’s roof but not the heat, hot water and lights.

BY bedtime, Diane and I were not so sure we wanted to go moose hunting the last day, but we were at it again when the alarm went off at 4 a.m.

Oh yes, no moose taken. What an October!

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 at 7 p.m. Sundays on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www.maineoutdoorpublications

5 Lake Street, P.O. Box 66, Lincoln, ME 207-794-2460

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Upper Syslabadobsis lakefront dream in low tax Lakeville. $99,000 Lowell- Nice camp on Passadumkeag River & sits on a year round road.

Camp has no water/septic system, but has a composting toilet. ATV trails & recreational opportunities & ready to use camp. $39,900

SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

REAL ESTATE

Page 69 SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

P.O. Box 616 Long Lake, NY 12847 www.adirondackmtland.com

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290 acres Mitchell Mt. This parcel has incredible views of the Adirondack High Peaks and the Green Mts of Vt. The terrain is rolling to mountainous with very good Adirondack deer hunting. $225,000.

80 acres with beautiful mountain stream and waterfall.

Commanding views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mts. A very unique parcel with great deer hunting. $139,000.

50 acres for Adirondack Homestead - property features a stand of mature pine and a beautiful 5 acre meadow.

Close to thousands of acres of state land for wilderness hunting. $69,000.

30 acres bordering 80,000 acre Debar Mt. Wild Forest and is close to Debar Pond.

Property has a small bunkhouse and is very private. $47,000.

Email: cwa@cwalakestreet.com Danforth- Only 25’ from the water ’s edge, family camp is log sided w/ a beautiful knotty pine interior. Large, detached 2 car garage offers parking or storage. Lakeside of cottage is all glass providing great views on Upper Hot Brook Lake. $135,000

Pukakon- Lakefront paradise cabin on o n e o f M a i n e ’s most desirable lakes, Junior Lake. Fabulous fishing. Hunting, Snowmobiling & ATVing are just some activities out your door. Lake views through many windows. $345,000 Chester- Small Lincoln- Cozy little camp that needs cabin could be some finishing. The your new home or camp has electricity, getaway. ATV & pellet stove and a snowmobile trails Incinolet toilet right close by as well on S Chester Rd. as access to Cold There is no septic system or water supply.

Stream Pond. Outdoorsman’s paradise on There is a privy on site. This camp is priced Millett Mallett Rd. Priced to move so you to sell. $21,900 should come look today!! $45,000 Lakeville- Outstanding lot on Lower Sysladobsis Lake. Lots of recreational opportunities: fishing, boating, snowmobiling & ATVing are just a few. Brook Trout & Salmon are just a few. Great frontage. $79,000 Lakeville- Nice lot on Duck Lake with a driveway. This lot has Electricity on Pine Point Road. The roads are maintained by a lot owners association. Very peaceful area to enjoy all that this lake has to offer. $65,000 Lincoln- Lot sits on the edge of a dead water that is a crossroads for wildlife, is at the end of a dead-end road, has access to ATV/snowmobile trails & all outdoor recreation.

Electricity available and on Boulder Lane! Come take a look! $24,500 Lincoln- One of the best lots in Lincoln’s most exclusive lakefront subdivision. Nice frontage, beautiful views, level lot with mature grown trees offering shade and privacy. Build your dream home here on Mattanawcook Pond. $70,000

GATEWAY RECREATIONAL PROPERTIES Office 207-746-3398 gatwainn@midmaine.com www.medwaygateway.com P.O. Box 637 Medway, ME 04460 SNOWMOBILERS - CAMP LOTS AVAILABLE Along ITS-83 From Houlton to Presque Isle MATTANAWCOOK LAKE FRONT LOTS FOR SALE

ASHLAND: 10 Acres on Aroostook River. $14,000.

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GREENBUSH: 10 Acre camp lots, waterfrontage, large meadow, good views, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. $25,000 - $42,000.

CARMEL: 25 Acres. $42,700.

TROY: Hunting camp with 30 acres $45,000.

CRYSTAL: 100 Acres large deer population and other wildlife. Will divide off a piece, perfect for your needs. Large brook on property. $49,900.

CAMPS LOTS AVAILABLE ON MATTASEUNK LAKE & MATTAWAMKEAG AREA WE OWN WHAT WE SELL! OWNER FINANCING AVAILABLE

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 70 SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD

December 2019 SELLERS LANE

REAL ESTATE

BUYERS ROAD

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MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM First Choice Real Estate

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www.HearthAndHomeRealty.com 274 Main Street Madison, ME 04950

#3390-Madison; Beautiful location overlooking Mill Pond. 1868 New England Farmhouse n e e d s renovations. 4BR, 1 bath home with new furnace and situated on 2 acres. $39,000

#3396-Madison; Post & Beam cape style farmhouse needs some TLC but worth the time to remodel. Barns are massive with some restorations already done. 19 acres of fields for multiple uses and 83.5 acres in all. $207,000

#3394-Anson; 4BR, 2 bath doublewide home featuring fireplace, wood stove hook-up and automatic generator. Landscaped yard, outbuildings, small animal barn and blueberry bushes. Nice country location on 9.71 acres. $119,000

#3383-Madison; 2010 ranch on 2.54 acres.

3BR, 1.5 baths, utility room and cathedral ceiling.

Radiant & hot air heat along with modern passive solar design.

Large attached 1 car garage, covered porch & paved driveway. $215,000\

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL Our Past. Your Future

P.O. Box 72 Houlton, Maine 1-800-341-1566 www.wardcedarloghomes.com

Cell: 207-551-5835

Fax: 207-472-3084

email: fieldsrealty@maine.rr.com 72 Fort Hill Street Fort Fairfield, ME 04742

$85,000 LaPomkeag Lake Authentic log craftsmanship at its best. This open concept camp includes a separate bedroom with two large beds plus sleeping loft. Commercial Garland range has four burner plus grill. Located on very private LaPomkeag lake. Camp is furnished and equipped-ready to move in. Gray water system for shower and sinks. Snowsled trail a mile away with easy access.

$59,900 999 Fournier Road T9 R7 Wels, ME

Rare offering on the shore of Aroostook River located between the Salmon Pool and the Mooseluk Stream. Prime fishing for native trout and salmon on the river and many other opportunities nearby. You can hunt, snow sled and vacation in the North Maine Woods. Well maintained 20x24 camp.

$75,000 84 Mountain Road, Presque Isle, ME 29 acres of woods abutting 800 acres of State of Maine park land can be yours. This wooded parcel includes gated road access a good portion of the year. Recent improvements include new chimney top, roof and leveling. $82,000 999 Pingree L141 Loc F T8 R10 Wels, ME 00000 Would you like to be near the Allagash region and some of the best fishing/hunting in the North Maine Woods? This camp is very well built and maintained and has a very nice lawn and yard to allow outdoor enjoyment.

Overhead Door Company of Bangor

“The original since 1921”

Residential Sales, Service Parts for Residential, Commercial, Industrial 24-Hour Emergency Repair Reliability and so much more

Commercial

$199,000 72 Puckerbush Trail, T1 R8 Wels, ME This camp is located on the end of a peninsula on Millinocket Lake with a spectacular view of Mount Katahdin. Property inlcudes a fully-furnished main camp with 2 bedrooms and a sleeping loft, open floor plan for the kitchen and living area.

www.bigbearrealestatecompany.com

515 Main Street • Presque Isle, ME 04769 Office: (207) 764-4600 Cell: 227-2305 Fax: 517-6860

1-800-696-2235 56 Liberty Drive, Hermon www.overheaddoorofbangor.com

Judd Goodwin Well Co

"We Do It Right The First Time"

Complete Well & Pump

Installation, Service and Repair Residential • Commercial Camps • Cottages

P.O. Box 17 Greenville, ME 04441 Office: 207-695-695-3645 Cell: 207-280-0923 goodwinjudd@yahoo.com www.juddgoodwinwell.com Member Maine Groundwater Association

BATTERIES ENJOY PEACE OF MIND WITH A NEW INTERSTATE BATTERY THIS WINTER

ATV, SNOWMOBILE, SIDE BY SIDE, UTV BATTERIES

HUGE SELECTION LOW PRICE Exchanged $38 - $162