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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 3
Purpose of Breeding
On Point by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H.
Good breeding equals good dog work. (Photo by Paul Fuller) Have you ever thought the breed I feel is a valid needs to be honest about about what motivates a reason amongst breeders undesirable traits. Why dog breeder to continue of more common wild pass them along in the to breed? I’ve often asked bird hunting dogs; dogs bloodline? These closed breeders this question. An- that sleep at the foot of our gene pools can later prove swers are: “I love puppies”, bed and anxiously look to be a threat as many unde“to make money”, “I need forward to hunting season. sirable traits are continued a puppy”, “to improve the Perhaps they’re dogs that in the breeding process. breed”. The most common are also entered into a loToday, most breedanswer I’ve received is “to cal hunt test or field trial. ing experts will suggest improve the breed”. This applies to all the com- outcrossing to introduce In 2016, I attended the mon pointing dog breeds: new characteristics or traits National Bird Dog Cham- English pointer, English into an existing bloodline. pionship in Grand Junction, setter, German shorthaired Here’s a quote from an onTN. The weekend activities pointer, Brittany, etc. line article about breeding: preceding the running of So, how does that When an outcross is practhe Championship attracts Hoyle’s response surprised me. all the major bird dog trainers, handlers and breeders. He said if the purpose of breeding is to improve the breed, we haven’t done a One of those individuals very good job. I met was Hall of Fame Trainer Hoyle Eaton. I common pointing dog ticed right, the gene pool asked Hoyle if he felt the breeder “improve the of that bloodline becomes major reason for breeding breed”? This is a depends open. This, in turn, inis to improve the breed. question. If the breeder has creases the chances of the Hoyle’s response surprised quality sires and dams, line survival and health of the me. He said if the purpose breeding is acceptable… line. The outcross allows of breeding is to improve but not to be overdone. in new blood to be explored the breed, we haven’t done Line breeding is breeding and the previous errors are a very good job. His ex- within your own bloodline. fixed by the introduction of planation was that the bird Remember, however, with new characteristics that dogs of today aren’t much close line breeding, all the were absent in the line better than one hundred good traits will continue; previously. The article conyears ago. When thinking however, undesirable traits tinues to say: Many breedabout Hoyle’s answer, we will continue too. My fa- ers are sold on the idea of must remember that Hoyle ther, a veterinarian, felt introducing a new blood lived in the world of all- that there should be at least line in their line for the age field trial dogs. These two generations separating sole purpose of removing dogs were, one hundred the sire and dam in line an undesirable trait that years ago and presently, breeding. has shown precedence in the best of the best. Within Line breeding has the current line of breeding. that world, improvements produced untold numbers Another issue with a might be slow to develop. of high quality pointing closed bloodline is what is Breeding to improve dogs. However, the breeder called inbreeding depres-
sion. It means that litters become smaller in number. Outcrossing with a quality sire will usually bring more vigor to a breeding and produce more normal litter numbers. One characteristic that has been improved over the years is the beauty of our dogs. However, look at what has happened. Beauty has led to taking more of our field dogs to the show ring. That means the field genetics are slowly
diminished. My hat is off to all the breeders who have continued to breed for field genetics. That’s why these bird dogs exist. To hunt and work for what they are bred to do.. Paul Fuller, with his wife Susan, are co-hosts of Bird Dogs Afield TV. All past episodes can be watched on his website: www.birddogsafield.com Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com
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On The Cover
Me & Joe Try The Ol’ Indian Ritual On The SawGlitch - Pg 16 Canoeing The Allagash - Pg 43 Stripers From Shore - Pg 28 The Fendler Legacy - Pg 20 Fly Fishing Summer Bass - Pg 6 Women In The Woods - Pg 56 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 66
Northwoods Sporting Journal 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 3. On Point - Paul Fuller outdoor community for more than 28 6. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard years. Some of our writers are seasoned 7. Warden’s Words - Kale O’leary 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish and specialized outdoors people who 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd will share their know-how and insights; 12. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris some of our contributors are simply 15. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau lifelong outdoor people with interest16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram ing stories to tell. 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood Our aim every month is to capture 20. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds the essence of Northern New England’s 22. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring 24. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard memories, portraying outdoor humor, 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard and sharing experiences and outdoor 26. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 28. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol knowledge. We also keep our readers 29. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly up to date with late-breaking outdoor 30. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough news and hard-hitting editorials about 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood fish and wildlife issues. 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly Anyone who loves to hunt and 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler a treasured place, is more than likely 37. What’s In Your Woods - Bud Utecht to find some special connections amid 38. Basic’s Of Survival - Joe Frazier the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham Journal. 40. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill
Contents
42. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Halibut Tom - Robert C Spearin 45. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 46. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Post-Script From Pocasset - Josh Reynolds 52. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 53. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 55. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 56. The Back Shelf - V. Paul Reynolds 57. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 59. Back Road Salutations - Mary Haley 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 61. SAM News - David Trahan 62. Mass Wanderings - David Willette 64. Anticosti - Mark Cote 65. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James
July 2022
www.sportingjournal.com
Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970
Vol 29 Issue 7 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices. The Northwoods Sporting Journal (ISSN#1548-193X) Postmaster: Send address changes to: Northwoods Sporting Journal, PO Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Northwoods Publishing Group Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds Editor - V. Paul Reynolds Director of Marketing - Victor Morin Assistant Editor - Josh Reynolds Associate Editor - Donna Veino Graphic Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram Operations Manager - Annette Boobar Webmaster - V. Paul Reynolds General Sales Manager - Victor Morin Jr. Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin & Michael Georgia Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs and articles about the Maine outdoors. Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned. All rights reserved, 2022. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.
Outdoors In Vermont Pg 55 Gary W. Moore Mass Wanderings Pg 62 David Willette
Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 66. Real Estate
Cover Photo: Allagash photo by Gil Gilpatrick
Anticosti Pg 64 Mark Cote
Maine Outdoor Adventure Pg 42 Rich Yvon
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 6
July 2022
Muzzleloading Fly Fishing Summer Bass Afield some cases possibly both. by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME
For many fly fishing enthusiasts trout are the name of the game. I’m a big fan of the various members of the “trout” clan, too and have been fortunate to travel from the remote fly-in regions of Labrador, Quebec and Alaska to the high altitude ponds in the Rockies to pursue them. I enjoy the wild bastions
readily available game fish in the bottom two-thirds or so of the state. That’s quite a statement considering that neither bass are native to Maine. According to a Black Bass Management Plan dated way back in 2001, smallmouth bass are found in 471 lakes and ponds and largemouth in 372. It doesn’t mention
Another reason I like bass is they’re fun to catch, particularly on flies. It doesn’t matter what kind of fly. For me surface flies are the most exciting, but whether it’s something on the surface or something subsurface it doesn’t matter. Bass are nowhere as colorful or pleasing to the human eye as trout, but ounce-for-ounce or poundfor-pound when comes to
Part of the reason is that bass are readily available, perhaps the most readily available game fish in the bottom two-thirds or so of the state. trout call home. I get excited when they finally accept a well- placed fly and I marvel at their colorful and delicate beauty. But closer to home bass are my name of the game, especially at this time of year. Part of the reason is that bass are readily available, perhaps the most
anything about rivers. I dare say the number is now higher on both counts and will stick my neck out and say practically every river crossed, and the vast majority of lakes and ponds in the bottom half of Maine, regardless of size, is home to either largemouth or smallmouth bass, in
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giving a tussle on the end of a fly line they have nothing to be ashamed of. For what it’s worth, fishing smallmouths in moderately moving water, whether wading or casting from a canoe, is one of my favorite things to do. Although casting weedless flies into dense, dark cover and having a largemouth explode in acceptance is not far behind.
Whether wading a river or casting from a canoe, fly fishing for black bass can be challenging and frustrating, but always an enjoyable time. It’s all fun. July can be a challenging time to fly fish for bass. By now bass and fishing for them have gone through some changes. The spawn and post-spawn periods are long gone and, as water temperatures warm, bass tend to seek cooler temperatures in deeper water. For that reason the early morning hours before the sun is fully on the water Gayle Kendall, wife of one of our loyal Colorado readers, Richard Kendall, wanted to share this photo of his wife with a handsome rainbow trout caught in the Yampa River in Western Colorado. (Photo by Richard Kendall)
and late in the day once the sun starts to wane in the west casting dark shadows are my favorite times. Bass always seem to be on the feedbag but at these times of day waters are coolest, or are starting to cool, bass increase activity and move to where feed is most abundant and there’s a good chance of finding them in spots where a floating or sink-tip line is suffice. This doesn’t mean the fishing is easy. July bass fishing can be downright challenging, often frustratingly so, particular with flies. But I’ve found that if the same tactics used for t rout are employed success comes more frequently. It’s July, folks. If you’re not off camping, at the beach or saltwater fishing, looking for trout, hiking somewhere or just wiling away the coming dog days of summer pick up your fly rod and try casting some flies for bass. There’s tons of them out there, finding good water isn’t a problem and you’ll be glad you did in more ways than one.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Page 7
Training New Wardens
The Maine Warden Service has long been regarded as one of the finest professional law enforcement agencies in the country, and a premium has been placed on hiring
Warden School. This training is crucial for the continued success of our agency, as we train our new Wardens on the newest technologies, latest conservation law principles and
Warden’s Words
new class on the history of by Game Warden the Maine Warden Service. Kale O’Leary, Slowly but surely, the schedule advanced through Ashland, ME basic courses and by week out of Ashland. During this violator. 3, the class found them- week the class travelled The training then proselves in Division E, basing deep into the heart of the gressed into classes on North Maine Woods where Advanced Roadside Imthey travelled through the pairment Detection, OUI backcountry of the Alla- training, Emergency Vegash Wilderness Waterway hicle Operations Course, on snowmobiles to the and classes on report writ-
Since 1936, the Maine Warden Service has put every newly hired Game Warden through Advanced Warden School.
Class at the “Ghost Trains” on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway” individuals of the highest integrity and character, but also in training these men and women to reach their full potential. Our hiring process is long, varied and designed to hire only the highest caliber of individual to serve in the capacity of wildlife protector. An applicant to the Maine Warden Service must pass a gamut of testing, ranging from written exams, oral boards, swim tests, physical fitness aptitude tests, polygraph examinations and background investigations.. Being a Maine Warden is unlike any other law enforcement career with a wide range of responsibilities, duties and powers that make it critical that the highest caliber of candidate is hired. Since 1936, the Maine Warden Service has put every newly hired Game Warden through Advanced
general enforcement and patrol procedure. In early February of this year, 9 new Maine Game Wardens and 1 Passamaquoddy Tribal Warden began this important chapter of their career as the 2022 Advanced Warden Academy began. Sgt. Kyle Hladik, Warden Josh Polland and I served as the 3 member “Cadre staff” for the training. The course schedule for the Advanced Warden School began with basic courses covering fisheries and wildlife identifications and management, many days of Title 12 training, Maine Warden Service policies, computer training and various other classes covering basic topics that are a foundational building block for each of the new Wardens. Retired Warden Dave Georgia presented a day long training to the
“Ghost Trains” between Chamberlain and Eagle Lake. During this week, the class worked with several Wardens from Division E and observed an angler catch over his daily limit of brook trout on Long Lake, with the new Wardens issuing a summons to the
ing, search warrants, interview, and interrogation along with presentations from each of the Maine Warden Service specialty team leaders. As the class moved into the later weeks of the training, the classes began (Warden’s cont. pg 9)
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Talk about “sticker shock!” You’ll know what I mean when you go to your town office to renew the registration for your All Terrain Vehicle. For a Maine resident, the registration fee has gone this year from $45.00 to $74.00! By my calculator, that is a 60 percent increase. It’s bad enough at the gas pumps. I walked away shaking my head. I could see maybe a 10 percent cost of living bump for the Maine ATV regulation and trail maintenance apparatus, but 60 percent is getting uncomfortably close to the gouging neighborhood, wouldn’t you say? By my measure, 70,000 X $30.00 equals and additional $2.1 million dollars. That’s a lot of loot. As a curious outdoor writer and ATV owner, I did some digging around. It has taken some persistence to get answers, but here is how the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W) explains the new fees. “The (ATV) Task Force identified and looked intensely at six objectives including what exactly is and what size is an ATV, trail construction and maintenance standards, trail construction and maintenance enforcement, public education and outreach,
Feeding Deer Dear Editor: In the May issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, I made an error in submitting the 1st draft, not the final draft of “Feeding and Baiting of Deer”. A very important part of the final draft is as follows: It has recently been brought to my attention that in Pittsburg, New Hampshire a number of citations were issued during the (2018-19) deer season. There were also an exceptionally high number of vehicle/deer collisions. I have reached out to the New
Northwoods Sporting Journal
New ATV Fees
registration system, and funding. Looking at those objectives, you can see there was widespread need concerning trails – trail standards, construction of more trails, and maintenance of new and existing trails. Also from the very beginning it was apparent that there long had been a lack of funding to create new trails, and maintain existing ones. The task force felt the best way to solve these issues was to raise the ATV registration fee, and put all the money towards trail creation, trail standards and enforcing those standards, and trail maintenance. ATV registrations were increased by $25, and all of that increase goes towards trails. This is in addition to the money from the old registration fee that goes towards trails. In all, over 2/3rds of the money collected for registration fees goes towards trail creation and maintenance.” Anyone interested in delving in detail can read the summary of the Task Force’s findings on the MDIF&W website. When it came to registration fee increases, the task force apparently crafted three options. As you might surmise, the option finally selected was Option Three, the most costly
Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. and received this information. “The citations and warnings did not differentiate whether deer were actually killed over bait or if it was just the hunter was caught hunting over illegal bait. The deer killed by motor vehicle strikes were all from tags that were sent into headquarters and were also all from the town of Pittsburg”. The results for years (2018-2019) are as follows: Illegal Deer Baiting Citations issued totaled 11, Illegal Deer Baiting Warnings issued totaled 7 and Deer Killed by Vehicle Strikes totaled 84. These
excessively high numbers, strictly for the town of Pittsburg, are primarily a result of baiting and feeding deer and it must stop! In addition, wardens should not need to be called out at all times of day or night for collisions that are preventable. While a deer’s life may not be important to some, a motorist’s life should be. Willard H. Taft Island Pond, VT
July 2022
for those of us who operate ATVs. To its credit, the Task Force, which comprised a broad array stakeholders, dedicated a great deal of energy and time hammering out a way to improve and maintain Maine’s incredible ATV trail system. The legislation that mandated the new ATV registration fees was sponsored by State Representative Tim Theriault of China. Task Forces have their place in public policy framework, but they are also a very effective way for politicians and government bureaucrats to diffuse public accountability. Search as I might, I have yet to find anyone among the task force or the legislature who can show me the math regarding these new ATV fees, or, for that matter, who decided that a 60 percent increase was necessary. The fact that most of this new money is going toward trail maintenance and enforcement may make it easier for ATV owners to swallow. We will see. Those of us who do not trail ride with our ATVs but simply use them to work around the place may be a hard sell.
Who’s On First? To the Editor: I am a 68 year old lifelong Mainer who has been reading and enjoying V. Paul Reynolds’ columns for as long as I can remember. But CTB, the Capacity to Blunder (Who’s On First?) brought my wife and I to tears of laughter. It is so very “right on the mark”. It is most comforting to know that I am not alone
VPR
in this arena of elderly behavior, particularly when shared by someone that I have “known” all my life, and whom I KNOW is highly intelligent and knowledgeable. Thank you so very much for all the years of sharing your outdoor life experiences with us all. Continue on! I can wait to read your columns ten years from now! Bill Trowell, Pianist
Let us know your opinion send letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield, ME 04493
July 2022
Warden’s (Cont. from pg 7)
Northwoods Sporting Journal ness first aid course, cold water immersion training which consisted of each of the 10 new Wardens jumping in Moosehead Lake in March in full snowmobile gear to simulate an unexpected fall through bad ice. It was an honor to watch the following Wardens grow and develop over the training schedule and I wish them all the best in their careers!
to shift from classroom based, to more hands-on, practical scenario-based training which saw the Wardens often travelling to the Simmons Family Farm in Morrill to conduct this style of training. Sergeant Chris Simmons has been very gracious in sharing his farm, facilities, and time to Warden Chris Carneythis training for many Warden Schools over the years. Kennebunk Warden Emerson DuIn addition to the scenario-based training, which plissie-Cyr-Saco Warden Tyler Hargot the class outdoors, the hart-Kittery Advanced Warden School Warden Julia Horsttravelled to each of the 5 Warden Service Divisions for “off-site” weeks. Division A had the class training boating safety checks and boat operation on Sebago Lake during the first week of May. Division B served as “search and rescue week” with Sgt. Josh Bubier running the training for the week which consisted of map and compass training, GPS work, and finished with several scenarios involving lost hunters and missing children. The class also spent a day in the Sugarloaf region during Division B week, with the class getting a “Snow Cat” ride to the peak of Sugarloaf one afternoon. Division C week was based out of the University of Maine at Machias and focused primarily on shooting incident investigations, trapping, and trapping enforcement and time of death on deer training.. Division D week was based out of Greenville and covered a two-day wilder-
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Page 9
Sidney Warden Hunter Howard-Augusta Wa r d e n M a d d i e Killian-Rangeley Warden Alex Maxsimic-Farmington Wa r d e n G a r r e t t Moody-Eustis Passamaquoddy Warden Caleb Nicholas Warden Arron Rideout-Bangor Kale O’Leary has been a Maine Game Warden for 6 years. He patrols the Oxbow/Masardis district in central Aroostook County. He lives in Ashland, Maine.
Proceeds will benefit Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation
Page 10
Northwoods Sporting Journal
“A Hiker’s Life” by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Hostel with cozy bunks and hot showers. Check. Laundromat across the street. Check. Steakhouse and saloon a few doors down. Check. After a tough last 10 days on the trail, it appears there’s ev-
The last stretch through the High Sierra is mostly at or above 10,000 feet, a monochromatic but wildly beautiful and rugged world of rock and snow, occasionally punctuated by azure lakes and clumps of green conifers.
erything in this dusty little town of Lone Pine, Calif. that a hiker could possibly want. When I stepped out of the sagebrush onto Sherman Pass Road at Kennedy Meadows, I could have kissed the pavement, such was my elation. The moment marked not only the end of a long and difficult traverse of the High Sierra, but the completion of 1,773 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. I began the trek at the
US-Mexico border many months ago and hiked north for 702 miles to the southern edge of the Sierra at Kennedy Meadows. Because of the enormous high elevation snowpack and winter conditions there, I chose to flip-flop to Fish
July 2022
Tackling the High Sierra
by azure lakes and clumps of green conifers. It’s an otherworldly landscape for a hiker like me used to the Maine woods. Strenuous hiking is the norm, and the daily miles are hardearned. From Palisade Lake, I tested my mettle on Mather Pass (12,100 feet) and Pinchot Pass (12,107 feet), besting both in a single
there; at 13,200 feet, it’s the highest point on the entire trail. Step through the narrow cleft and you’ve entered Sequoia National Park and are on the path toward Mt. Whitney, the final challenge. Mt. Whitney is the crown jewel of the Sierra, and at 14,505 feet it’s also the highest peak in the contiguous US. The mountain
inspiration for my own (first) AT hike five years later. Dunning wrote: “Why climb mountains? All answers pale before the joy of the summit. It is for feelings and emotions that people climb, not reasons. Few emotions can compare with standing on the highest piece of land in sight, feeling your kinship with eagles. It is the
The author in the High Sierra. Lake in mostly snow-free southern Oregon and hike 1,071 miles south through California. The dots are now finally–incredibly– connected. I’ll now return to Oregon to continue the northbound journey to Washington and on to the Canadian border. The last stretch through the High Sierra is mostly at or above 10,000 feet, a monochromatic but wildly beautiful and rugged world of rock and snow, occasionally punctuated
20-mile day. The next morning, it was a crazy boulder scramble to Glen Pass (11,926 feet) followed by a 7-mile grunt off the PCT over Kearsarge Pass (11,760 feet) to get down to US 395 for supplies. The 2,500-foot climb back up with a week’s load of goods made this the most arduous resupply of the trek. Forester Pass is a gunsight notch in an impossible ridgeline, as unlikely a spot for a trail as you can imagine. Yet the PCT threads a route through
is reached via a 15-mile round-trip side hike from the PCT. I departed camp at dawn, and charged with excitement, verily floated up the switchbacks on the steep west face of Whitney. The jagged crest above, a mile of exhilarating scrambling among granite pinnacles, led to the gentler summit dome, which I reached at noon. In a 1972 National Wildlife magazine article, Peter Dunning described his Appalachian Trail thruhike the prior year, a story that was a key source of
process of climbing, both physical and spiritual, that remains the mystery and the allure. The exhausting devotions to the summit can make a person one in being with the mountain being climbed.” D u n n i n g ’s w o r d s have resonated with this hiker throughout my life, but perhaps never more so than when I stood atop Mt. Whitney with a milliondollar view at my feet, as wild and free as I’ve ever felt. Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and author of the AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast. His new book, Beer Hiking New England, will be available later this year.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Big Bait, Big Fish
As temperatures in Maine’s smallmouth bass waters climb into the 60 degree range, bass begin the spawning ritual. First, the males will begin building spawning beds. Using their caudal fins, they will sweep away larger stones and debris, building a fairly
type of lure or bait at spawning beds during the guarding phase will usually generate a lot of strikes. Mostly, it will be the smaller males that come after your bait, protecting the nesting site from intruders. A lot of these strikes will be defensive and meant to
The author’s client with a 21-inch, four pound pre-spawn smallmouth taken with a Jitterbug. smooth gravel ‘bed’. Soon keep invaders away. When after the larger females, these males are hooked, a swollen with eggs, will close inspection of the caumove to the beds and make dal fin will usually show their deposit. After their wear from bed-building task is complete, the males and scales on the body may move back in and stand show signs of fighting with guard over the spawning predators such as chain site, protecting it from pickerel. These fish are fun predator fish looking for to catch and put up a heck an easy meal. This timeline of a fight, but if it’s the big of events usually occurs fish you are gunning for the from late May into the first old adage still holds true couple of weeks of June big bait equals big fish. and is widely known for In my past experience, fast-fishing action. the two best times of the Throwing most any bass season to hook big
fish is when females are in the hyper feeding stage as they produce eggs in preparation of the spawn and later as the females have deposited their eggs and moved off the shallows into deeper water, foraging for bait fish to replenish after the spawning process. During the pre-spawn in late May and early June, these fish are hungry and
Page 11
The Gun Cabinet
by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME spots I like to target. These are areas bait fish congregate and once again, large smallmouth weary from the spawn and intense fishing pressure like to hide out and lay up in the shade. Rapala diving crank baits and
into the water column. I find that for new anglers and kids alike, bass fishing during the height of the spawn is a fun and exciting experience. Bass are notorious for chasing anything during this phase and catching a lot of averPost-spawn is when you’ll find the big age size fish can be exfish heading back into deeper water. I pected. But if you are ready concentrate on big boulders and rock to move into a new stage fields submerged in about 12 to 20 feet of your fishing career and of water. Drop-offs and ledges are also want to start consistently catching big smallmouth key spots I like to target. bass, remember the saying big top-water baits pro- Texas rigged swim baits are that has stood the test of duce big results for me as my go to this time of the time - “big bait, big fish! the large females move season - usually late June closer to the shallows. My through July. During this John is a Registered favorites include the Rebel period, a stretch of cooler Maine Guide, an NRA CerPop’R, Arbogast Jitterbug, days with some overcast tified Instructor and is the and the Heddon Torpedo. skies will prompt me to owner of Tucker Ridge The one thing they all have throw the Jitterbug or Tor- Outdoors in Webster Planin common is when they pedo around big boulder tation, Maine. He can be are properly fished, they formations in places where reached at john@tuckercreate a unique sound and just the top of large rocks ridge.me or on Facebook vibration pattern that trig- are visible but extend down @tuckerridgeoutdoors ger aggressive strikes. Post-spawn is when you’ll find the big fish heading back into deeper water. I concentrate on big boulders and rock fields submerged in about 12 to 20 feet of water. Drop-offs and ledges are also key
At long last, revived from the archives of the once-authoritative books on New England streamer flies and how to use them: Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon, by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman. Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon was first published in 1982 and again in 1992. There were 350 signed Limited Edition hardcover copies and several thousand hard and soft cover copies sold out with the two printings. Many fly tyers view this book as an up-to-date version of new and available streamer fly patterns and crave to have it in their library. Used copies have been selling on AmazonBooks.com for the last few years with a price tag up to $300.00 for each copy! There are 125 pages with 32 color plates of more than 90 classic streamer flies and tying recipes from a Winnipesaukee Smelt to a Barney Google and a Rangeley Centennial. Leeman and Stewart also share with readers many tips and tactics for trolling streamer flies for trout and salmon throughout New England.
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Page 12
Sporting Journal Northwoods
Maine Tails By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME
Among the seasoned fishermen of Portland Harbor, countless sayings are exchanged. Most are explicit, some are incomprehensible, and one I find myself repeating often to our clients aboard the charter boat. “Things are
Changes In The Gulf Of Maine
purchased the same species ing a rocky shoreline in in South Florida for tarpon Harpswell. In a shallow bait. tide pool, I spotted a school Black Sea Bass: of fish trapped by the ebbFast forward a deing tide. Finding stranded cade. A friend and I were fish in the tide pool was not uncommon; I had seen fishing off Bailey Island, plenty of juvenile herring, only a few miles from the sculpins, and little flounder “mullet pool.” While jig-
Many Maine anglers remember when bluefish were caught with regularity throughout the summer and into the fall. The dog days of late July and August were peak time. changing in the Gulf of Maine.” I have fished the Casco Bay region for over two decades, and been fortunate to spend the past five summers working as first mate aboard several of the top charter boats in the fleet. From the tide pools to the offshore banks, I have witnessed the truth of this statement firsthand. Mullet: In 2007, I was explor-
July 2022
in there before. But these fish were significantly larger than the brit herring, and resembled nothing like the other species. Eventually, after some splashing around, I was able to corral the school against the edge of the pool and scoop up a few fish. I was shocked when I peered into the net and found three mullet. I was quickly able to identify them only because just a few months prior, I had
A juvenile Atlantic Bonito caught off Portland, ME. (Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.)
ging for mackerel in fifty feet of water, something hit my friend’s bait rig. He pulled up a small gray fish with a spiny dorsal fin and a thread-like extension protruding from the upper lobe of the tail. From the fishing magazines, I knew I was looking at a black A pilot fish (lower right) accompanied this sea bass. Since then, I have small blue shark into Maine waters. seen a handful of black sea (Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.) bass caught incidentally from Bailey Island to Cape a few myself. All were recently introduced state Elizabeth, and have jigged juveniles, well under the minimum length limit of 13 inches. Bluefish: Many Maine anglers remember when bluefish were caught with regularity throughout the summer and into the fall. The dog days of late July and August were peak time. Storm Big Macs, Chug Bugs, Bluefish Bombs, Rebel Minnows, and metallipped Rapala deep divers were the standard favorites, and every boat was well stocked with steel leaders. The blues fought like hell, peeled drag, and would put a similar sized striper to shame. Over the past decade, things have changed. Bluefish are no (Changes cont. pg 13)
July 2022
Changes (Cont. from pg 12) longer regulars, but instead unexpected guests. Last season, for the first time in a while, the yellow-eyed devils swam into our waters in targetable numbers during the last two weeks of August. The blues stayed in Saco Bay and Casco Bay, and boats from Biddeford to Popham chased pods of them through the end of the month. Then, just as suddenly as they appeared, the blues were gone. It sure seemed that when the large schools of pogies were seined up in the inner bay last summer, the bluefish disappeared overnight. If you had an insatiable appetite and your refrigerator was empty, wouldn’t you need to go elsewhere for food? Bonito: While bluefin tuna fishing east of Portland in 2018, I was fulfilling my typical mate’s duty of catching bait. I jigged up what first appeared to be some funny looking mackerel. Upon closer
Northwoods Sporting Journal inspection, I realized I was holding a string of small Atlantic Bonito. A member of the mackerel and tuna family, Scombridae, the bonito is said to be uncommon north of Cape Cod. However, catching juvenile bonito along the outer fringes of the bay in the early fall, mid September to mid October, has now become a relatively frequent event.
striped fish nervously circling the shark and darting erratically in and out of the shadows. I had heard of pilot fish in the Caribbean before - but never in Maine. This little fellow must have made quite the journey. Interestingly, the same week as the pilot fish, I learned of a large triggerfish caught in a lobster trap off Cape Elizabeth. The saying is no fisherman’s tale; it is true. For Pilot fish: better or worse, “things One of the most strik- are changing in the Gulf ing signs of change was of Maine.” when a client hooked a small blue shark in August of 2020. We take over a dozen shark trips a year Jonah Paris teaches and have great success English at a small high with blue sharks, along school in Southwestern with the occasional por- Maine. During the summer, beagle, thresher, and mako. Jonah is first mate aboard However, while the angler the Teazer in South Portwas fascinated with the land, Maine. A four-season little “blue dog,” it was the outdoorsman, Jonah lives shark’s travel companion in Gorham, ME with his which amused me. As I girlfriend, Ashley, and bealeaned over the gunwale gle, Aurora. Jonah can be to release the shark, I no- reached at jonaheparis@ ticed a black and white gmail.com
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Page 13
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Outdoor News - July 2022
olds
Edited by V. Paul Reyn-
July. Let summer begin! Although fishing has begun to peak, there is much angling left. Togue (Lake Trout) will be found by those willing to go down deep with lead core line or downriggers. Fly fishers are keeping a vigil over the ever-popular Green Drake hatch on trout ponds. Stripers and mackerel runs keep it going for salt water anglers. Bass fishermen are enjoying Maine’s incomparable bass fishery. And, believe it or not, bear hunters and bear guides have already begun laying plans for the annual bear season that begins the end of next month! Meanwhile, if you were lucky enough to boat a fat landlocked salmon, don’t forget to poach it, apply an egg sauce and find some fresh garden peas to go along. Happy Fourth of July!
Ten Game Wardens Graduate
Ten new game wardens graduated from the Advanced Warden School this spring at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. These new game wardens have been assigned districts throughout the state, and are now sworn officers of the Maine Warden Service. Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso was one of the featured speakers at the graduation, and reminded the graduates that “As an agency, we possess and maintain a reputation that is envied by other states. That reputation was earned by
the people you work with, and those who came before you. It was earned through a commitment to honesty, fairness, perseverance, compassion, and dedication. It now is up to you, to make that same commitment to those core values that we all share, to uphold and enhance the reputation of the Department and the Maine Warden Service.” Joining Commissioner Camuso as speakers during the ceremony were Maine Warden Service Colonel Dan Scott, Advanced Warden Service Academy Cadre Kale O’Leary, retired game warden lieutenant Pat Dorian, and class speaker game warden Hunter Henry. These wardens just completed an 12-week academy that focused on subject matter specific to the Warden Service, including search and rescue, fish and wildlife laws and regulations, boating, fishing, hunting, ATVing, snowmobiling and others. This 12-week course came after all the officers had completed the 18-week Basic Law Enforcement Training Program required of Maine law enforcement officers The ten new game wardens, their hometown, and their assigned district are listed below: Chris Carney - Wells, Maine -- Kennebunk district
Julia Horst - Chatham, New York -- Sidney district Hunter Howard Skowhegan, Maine -- Augusta district Maddie Killian - Ipswich, Mass. -- Rangeley district Alex Maxsimic Holden, Maine -- Farmington district Garrett Moody - Topsham, Maine -- Eustis district Caleb Nicholas - Indian Township, Maine -Passamaquoddy Territories (Passamaquoddy Warden Service) Arron Rideout - Lincoln, Maine -- Bangor district
wide during the archery season. One deer of either sex will be allowed during the October 22-23 youth and novice weekend hunt. The muzzleloader seasons on October 27-30 and December 3-11 will have antlerless permits available for 19 of Vermont’s 21 Wildlife Management Units. Landowners who post their land may not apply for a landowner priority muzzleloader antlerless deer permit. They are eligible to apply in the regular lottery for an antlerless deer permit. “In recent years, the department has success-
July 2022
in five wildlife management units, primarily in the Champlain Valley, remain above their respective population objectives. The goal is to reduce deer numbers in those areas.” The deadline to apply for a muzzleloader antlerless deer permit is August 3.
New Hampshire Striped Bass
Striped bass are popular sport fish in New Hampshire’s ocean waters, and during the late spring their arrival is evidenced by the number of anglers along the Granite State’s beautiful coast. To better manage this highly sought-after species, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Marine Fisheries Division has conducted Striped Bass Volunteer Angler Surveys since 1993, in addition to administering yearly creel surveys. Volunteer anglers fill The graduating game wardens, left to right, out logbooks to provide the are Julia Horst, Garrett Moody, Alex Maxsimic, Marine Division with inEmerson Duplissie-Cyr, Tyler Harhart, formation about their fishHunter Howard, Arron Rideout, Chris Carney, ing trips. These volunteers Caleb Nicholas, and Maddie Killian. are able to supply length data on catch-and-release Vermont fish, which is information Blackpowder that is not collected through Permits annual creel surveys. The Vermont’s muzzleimportant data obtained loader season antlerless from these anglers are used deer permit applications by state and federal fisherare now available online ies biologists to assess the at Vermont Fish and Wild- fully reduced deer numbers status of the striped bass life’s website and from in many parts of Vermont population each year. license agents. A link to to bring populations into the information and online balance with their habiEmerson Duplissie- applications is on the home tat,” said Nick Fortin, deer and moose project leader Cyr - Caribou, Maine -- page. The Fish and Wildlife for the Fish and Wildlife Saco district Board met on May 18 and Department. “As a result, Tyler Harhart - Lu- set antlerless deer permit the goal is now to maintain goff, South Carolina -- Kit- numbers for the fall deer current deer numbers in hunting seasons. most of the state.” tery district Hunting for antlerless Deer populations (News cont. pg 19) deer will be allowed state-
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Turkey Adventures
I am always amazed when anyone states that they do not like the taste of wild turkey. My first reaction is a look of bewilderment, followed by the thought of “what are you talking about”?! My personal experience has been that wild turkey is one of the cleanest tasting meats that you will ever eat. On my recent turkey hunting excursion, I experienced something that I
to heavy hunting pressure. If turkeys are called and pursued repeatedly, they sometimes get educated in playing the game. Then there is the theory that the noisier and more eager toms are the ones that are most frequently harvested first, while the craftier, quieter ones are able to pass on their genes. Other possibilities are that they can sometimes have the full attention of a hen(s) which lock them
with. Being in the wild nourishes and brings peace to my soul - like cooking what I harvest from nature. About the author: WildCheff - Denny Corriveau is Award-Winning Celebrity Game Chef, Indigenous Metis Chef, and the Founder of the FreeRange Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. As a Wild Game
Initially, these boys came off the roost and responded to calling and then they simply went silent. This is one of the hardest things to decipher when turkey hunting. never have in over 40 years of hunting. I plucked darn near fifty ticks off me during my half day hunt. The morning started strong. Right out of the gate we observed deer gracefully grazing as we nestled into the edge of a crop field. Shortly after first light we started hearing longbeards gobbling in the distance below and around our location. Before long, we counted four different toms gobbling. This type of activity means good things are on the horizon, or so you would think, according to the textbook. Initially, these boys came off the roost and responded to calling and then they simply went silent. This is one of the hardest things to decipher when turkey hunting; and often, patience is key. The main thing to remember is, just because they are not talking, it does not mean that you cannot kill one. Turkey silence and being non-responsive happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes its due
down, and then there’s weather conditions. On a windy day, wind takes away one of a turkey’s primary survival instinct – sound. While they have incredible eyesight, their sense of hearing also allows these wild birds to make split decisions on their travel path. Take that away and they can become nervous and non-responsive. They still follow general routine, but you may have to be more patient for your opportunity. Due to a series of events, unfortunately I was not able to cash in on filling my tag that day. You might say it was a “close, but no cigar” type of day. One of the hardest things for me while hunting is seeing the stars start to align; you see what you are hunting and the moment is going to happen, and then an unexpected circumstance disrupts the rhythm. In those cases, all you can do is keep forging ahead. With each adventure, there is always a valuable takeaway that I come home
Evangelist and trendsetter for wild game culinary arts - Denny is a nationally recognized authority regarding his “best practice” methodology regarding the culinary side of wild game. You can learn more @ www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff WildCheff’s Wild Turkey Summer Sausage Ingredient 5 lbs. of wild turkey breast, cubed 1 T of WildCheff Roasted Garlic Powder 5 T of powdered milk 5 T of local honey 5 T of brown sugar
474-5430
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Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME
5 T of Fermento (cultured whey protein and skim milk – cuts cure time) 1 T of WC’s Chef’s Grind Black Pepper 1 T of kosher or pure sea salt 1 T of onion powder 1 T of pink curing salt Directions Dissolve the Fermento in a small amount of water (just enough to make a paste). Grind the turkey meat through the fine plate of your meat grinder. Combine the ground turkey with all remaining ingredients, including the Fermento. If your grinder has a large sausage attachment, run your ground meat a second time through the grinder – using the sausage stuffer and fill mahogany fibrous casings. If using a jerky gun - cover the nozzle with the mahogany casing – tying the far end off with cooking twine. Now press the trigger and hold the casing against the nozzle to fill it. Tightly tie off the end
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with more cooking twine. Another option is to use hog ring pliers and hog rings to close the open ends of the casing. Refrigerate the Summer Sausage overnight. Preheat your Smoker to 155°F, fill the water bowl, and prep whatever wood you use for your smoker. Hang the summer sausage from sausage hangers in your smoker. Smoke the sausage for approximately 3 hours at 155°-170°F*, until the internal temperature reaches 155. Once the summer sausage reaches the proper temperature, remove from smoker and hang them for a few hours. Enjoy immediately with your favorite cheese, crackers, and fruit (sliced apples, pears, red grapes are good options) You can vacuum seal and refrigerate for up to 6 months, or store in a cool, dry place for up to a month.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 16
The Adventures of Me and Joe Conversation in the Mooseleuk school cafeteria at lunchtime on any given day was never particularly stimulating. During early spring, when the ground was still wet, the leaf buds just beginning to sprout and the water too high for good fishing, the quality of noontime conversation sank to all-time lows. “So I says to him, I says, you take that back!” a red-faced Chester Gunch was ranting at Condon Fishbane and Gasper Gooch as me and Joe sat down at the table. In perfect innocence I asked: “You told who to take what back?” Chester swung his furious gaze towards me. “Norman Cleeb! He said I was a…a…” “Underclassman.” Condon finished solemnly. “Yeah! A underclassman!” Puzzled, I stared around the table. “But Norman Cleeb is a Senior. To him, you are an underclass-
by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME man.” Chester turned redder than ever. “You take that back!” “ N o w, n o w, ” J o e waved a deprecating hand. “Les’ not be arguin’ about minor stuff. We got more important things to decide on, like where we’re gonna take our campin’ trip durin’ next week’s vacation.” “Well,” Gasper began uncertainly, “we could (gasp) always go back to (gasp) Colburn’s meadow…” Joe scowled back. “You mean the same meadow where Jinx Colburn’s bull chased us halfway back to town last year?” Gasper looked around the table uncertainly. “Well, I heard (gasp) that after that ol’ (gasp) bull rammed into the big rock maple (gasp) chasin’ us, he’s got so addled he can hardly (gasp) walk straight.” Joe snorted. “Jist what we need, a dizzy, thousand pound bull staggerin’ through our tent every
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Marty
Terry Keyes
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I Can’t say that the idea of camping out in a haunted wood appealed to me much, but rather than lose face with my friends, I reluctantly decided to go along. night.” were there. Nobody knows “If he’s gonna, uh, Chester, who had im- if it was a murder or what, let us camp at the pines, mediately forgotten his but Uncle Pod says ever uh, I guess that’s good offended dignity, piped up: since then the Sawglitch enough,” Condon ven“Gee, my Uncle Pod said has been hauntin’ the area.” tured. “I been there in the, we could camp out in that I felt a cold chill travel uh, daytime and didn’t see stand of Norway Pines he up my spine, but Joe just no, uh, haunts.” owns up at Sodunk Pond, scoffed. “I think yer Uncle “Good!” Joe slapped but we can’t.” Pod is jest pullin’ yer leg. his hand down on the table. “Whaddaya mean, we Why, he’s got that nice “It’s all settled. We’ll head can’t? camp on Sodunk Pond jest for Sodunk Pond first thing “Well,” Chester swal- around the shore from that on Monday mornin’.” lowed uncomfortably, “be- stand of pines. Don’t seem I can’t say that the cause of the Sawglitch…” like he’d have a camp up idea of camping out in a “What the heck’s a there if they was haunts haunted wood appealed Sawglitch?” I asked. around. Say,” a gleam came to me much, rather than Chester’s glance flit- into Joe’s eye. “How come lose face with my friend, ted nervously around the we can’t use yer Uncle I reluctantly decided to go table. “Uncle Pod says the Pod’s camp?” along. Sawglitch is an Idian spirit, “He’s real particular Chester’s Uncle Pod kinda like a poltergeist. about that camp.” Chester volunteered to drive us up The Indians used ta camp at replied. “Don’t like ta let to Sodunk Pond in his van. that spot on Sodunk Pond anyone use it. Say’s it’s After we all piled in early and somethin’ bad hap- gonna pay for his retire- Monday morning, Uncle pened one time while they ment someday.” (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)
Shown actual size
Name City
The Sawglitch
July 2022
Entries must be postmarked by 7/11/22 to be eligible for this issue.
If you just can’t get enough of reading our Me & Joe Adventures, check out the All Outdoor section of our new Northwoods Sporting Journal website:www.sportingjournal.com You’ll find an ample supply of Me & Joe stories to keep you checking for a long time.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 16) Pod drove through the main street of Mooseleuk and headed north along the Little Salt Pork River. “Don’t rightly know if I’d orta be lettin’ you boys camp on that ground,” Uncle Pod said, a worried look passing over his broad, homely face. “Chester told us about the Sawglitch, Mr. Gunch,” Joe said airily. “We ain’t afraid of no haunts.” “Wouldn’t be so concerned if I hadn’t had dealin’s with that Sawglitch my own self,” Uncle Pod muttered. “What, you actually saw the Sawglitch?” I asked worriedly. “Didn’t see it, exactly,” Uncle Pod replied. “But strange things happen there. Like some of my stuff turns up missin’. Or my tent gets ripped, sleepin’ bag gets water poured on it when they’d nobody around.” “Well, I guess we kin put up with a few things like that,” Joe said confidently. “’Course, it’s at night when the real bad stuff happens.” “Uh, what bad stuff?” Condon asked apprehensively. Looking around the interior of the van, I noted
that the whole group was now hanging on Uncle Pod’s every word. “If the night’s real still, you kin hear moanin’ an’ cryin’ comin’ from the trees, jest outside the firelight. Seem’s to get closer as the fire burns down. An’ then theys the choppin’.” “Choppin’?” Joe inserted a finger at his collar and nervously tugged it away from his throat. “Yeah, like an ax, or maybe a tomahawk, hackin’ at somethin’ in the dark. It gits closer an’ closer each time ya hear it. Kinder grates on the nerves.” I swallowed twice before I could speak. “Yeah, I can see how it would.” “The only thing that makes the Sawglitch leave is the ritual.” Uncle Pod was looking straight ahead, watching for the turnoff to Sodunk Pond. “What (gasp) ritual?” Gasper asked shakily. “The ol’ Indian ritual taught me by Charlie Morgan. Charlie’s half Indian. You hafta let the fire burn down the coals. You strip to the waist an’ paint yer chest an’ arms with streaks of charcoal. Then ya sit around the fire an’ join hands. And ya make the chant. Goes like this: Ooowanna, chode, mukashi-menundawok. Means something’ like:
evil spirit, leave this hallowed place. Ya say the chant three times, an’ at the end of the third time, ya raise yer arms to the sky an’ scream at the top of yer lungs. The Sawglitch has ta leave.” We all looked at each other. In each pair of eyes I saw the same haunted look. “Well,” Joe said uncertainly. “Thanks for, uh, tellin’ us about the ritual, Mr. Gunch. Prob’ly come in real handy.” Chester’s Uncle Pod dropped us off at the edge of the stand of pines. We tried to get him to hang around for a while, but he kept looking at the lowering sun. “Got ta get back to town, boys,” he said nervously. “I ‘spect you’ll have a great campin’ trip. See ya on Friday.” With that, he climbed hastily back into the van, started the engine and drove away, tired spinning gravel. Solemnly, we carried our gear in among the trees. As with Norway Pines most everywhere, the ground beneath them was relatively free of undergrowth. We pitched our tent where we could look out over the water. In the daylight, the place was bright and cheerful, but we hurriedly set about collecting wood for what promised to be a monstrous campfire.
By the time darkness stole with stealthy fingers through the trees, we had everything stowed around the tent and a huge fire blazing in a circle of stones. It was past suppertime but nobody felt like eating. Finally, it was full dark. The night was moonless and the few stars were screened by the thick foliage of the pines. As a group, we kept or eyes on the fire to avoid staring at the inky blackness between the trees. Time crept by slowly and, as nothing happened, I began to feel slightly more at ease. Joe tossed another limb into the fire and cleared his throat. “I think…” he began. But at that exact moment a low moaning sound came from somewhere off in the woods. My flesh began to crawl as the moan slowly tapered off. Around the fire, every face was the color of dirty flour, every pair of eyes wide and staring into the surrounding night. Joe’s mouth still hung open. “Maybe, maybe…” he licked his lips. “The wind, sure it was the…” Once again the moaning began, much closer this time. No wind ever sounded so tortured, so suggestive of souls crying out from the depth of Hades. Finally, the moaning
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ended. All four of us were standing now, shivering with fright. Minutes passed with glacial slowness. Finally, I looked at the others. “Maybe if we…” THUNK! Far off, in the depth of the woods, an ax, or something else, had bitten deep into a hard and unyielding surface. In a spasm of movement, Joe ripped all of the buttons from the front of his shirt and began to struggle out of the arms. “Quick!” he croaked. “We gotta use the charcoal! We gotta do the chant!” In a relative glimmer of time, we were stripped to the waist and had seated around the fire. Fingers snatched up blackened sticks, some with glowing coals at the end, and began to scribe streaks down trembling bodies. Finally, with faces, arms and chests festooned with weird and tortured symbols, we joined hands and waited with a trembling impatience for the fire to die down. The dry softwood burned quickly, but not soon enough for the chanters hunched in toward the coals. Finally, as the dimness crowded in on the light, we began our chant. “Hhhow does it gggo…?” I quavered. “Oh (Me & Joe cont. pg 35)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 18
Outdoor Sporting Library by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME
They were an All-Star team of fish and wildlife biologists. Alaska was still in its infancy as an official state, and its Department of Fish and Game was hiring young men and women from the top colleges in
incredible discoveries were made during those early years that helped shape the way wildlife are managed in Alaska and beyond, and Pat Valkenburg was right in the middle of it all. Originally from South
July 2022
49 Years in the 49th State
two spent the summer in the remote Brooks Range, watching black and grizzly bears, wolves and wolverines as they fed on carcasses and interacted with each other and their surrounding
The two spent the summer in the remote Brooks Range, watching black and grizzly bears, wolves and wolverines as they fed on carcasses and interacted with each other and their surrounding environment. the country to get out and collect the data needed to properly manage some of the state’s most important resources. They were given an area, a budget, a special research question or a management objective, and most importantly, given the freedom to get out in the field and figure it out. Some
Africa, Pat moved to Alas- environment. ka at the age of 21 in 1972 After that to work as a field assistant first summer in with his girlfriend, Audrey Alaska, Pat was hooked. Park. He was hired as a Magoun. Both were wild- He worked with Audrey Game Biologist with the life students at the Univer- again the following sum- state in 1977, beginning a sity of Maine in Orono, and mer, and entered the Uni- storied career in wildlife Audrey was beginning a versity of Alaska to work management. graduate study at the Uni- on his own Master’s thesis, Pat and Audrey were versity of Alaska focused a study of grizzly bears married, and Audrey conon carnivore behavior. The around Denali National tinued on with a PhD proj-
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ect working on wolverines, where Pat helped out in his off time. Audrey’s research built much of the foundation of our understanding of wolverine biology and life history today, and she continued with wolverine research throughout her career. As he settled into Alaska, Pat became a highly skilled hunter, angler and trapper. He had moved there already a licensed pilot, and the ability to fly was an incredible advantage. He eventually acquired an airplane and used it to access many remote areas of the state. During the early years of his career Pat would be laid off for a couple months in the winter. He would often fly to areas to trap, and with the high fur prices at the time, could make more money than he would have at his Fish and Game job. Valkenburg worked on a ton of projects in his twenty-eight years with Fish and Game, creating lots of memories that make for great stories. He worked extensively with wolverines, wolves and bears, and eventually became the statewide caribou research biologist. Toward the end of his career, he even served as the agency’s Deputy Commissioner. Pat Valkenburg was a common sense, practical scientist with an unending curiosity and eagerness to learn. He was a strong advocate for the importance of on-the-ground experience in wildlife management. He often questioned the real-world validity of (49 cont. pg 19)
July 2022
News
(Cont. from pg 14) All participating anglers are entered into a raffle at the end of the season. Last year’s lucky winner of a rod and reel, donated by Kittery Trading Post, was Joe Haesche of Manchester, NH. Congratulations Joe! And many thanks to everyone who reported their striped bass fishing trips in 2021. If you are interested in taking part in the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Striped Bass Volunteer Angler Survey, visit www.fishnh.com/surveys/striped-bass.html or contact Becky Heuss at (603) 868-1095 or Rebecca.Heuss@wildlife.nh.gov
49 (Cont. from pg 18) increasingly popular complex computer models, and bemoaned the increasing paperwork, policies and red tape throttling the work of modern day biologists. Pat’s era of fish and wildlife biologists did a ton of good work, and it shows in the state’s wildlife resources today. “ 4 9 Ye a r s i n t h e th 49 State” is a collection of stories and reflections from Pat Valkenburg published in 2021. It’s a fascinating read, both entertaining and educational. Sadly, Pat passed away in December of 2021, shortly after the book was published. He’ll be greatly missed. J e re m i a h c a n b e reached at jrodwood@ gmail.com His latest book, “More than Wolverine: An Alaska Wilderness Trapline” is available on Amazon.
New Hampshire Youth Programs
Northwoods Sporting Journ
Free youth day programs will be offered again this summer at the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center in Holderness. These programs give boys and girls ages 10-15 the chance to learn about shooting sports, bowhunting, and other outdoor skills. Sessions will be offered in July and August at Owl Brook, which is operated by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Pre-registration is re-
quired and will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. Space is limited to 16 participants per day, so register today by visiting Owl Brook Hunter Education Center | Hunting | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (state.nh.us) There is no charge for these sessions. Day programs will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, unless otherwise noted, beginning July 12 and ending August 12. Tuesdays will be for youth ages 10-12, and Thursdays
Page 19
will be for youth ages 1315. Another popular offering is the Hunter/Bowhunter Education Certifi-
cation week that will take place August 9-12, during which students have the opportunity to earn their (News cont. pg 23)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Outdoors In Maine
by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME It seems, for whatever reasons, one of Maine’s most fascinating and uplifting woods lore adventures has faded with time. In Maine, July 25th is Donn
The Forgotten Fendler Legacy
July 2022
It is a survival story of uncommon human endurance that, in context of this youngster’s heartbeaking misery, has all the elements of a true miracle.
After being separated from his family and walking off the trail on Mt Kathadin in mid-July, Don Fendler wandered aimlessly for miles until he stumbled upon a stream and telephone line that led to an eventual rescue. Fendler Day. Governor Paul LePage claimed it so in July of 2014, 75 years after a skinny 12-year old New York boy survived an incredible 9-day ordeal lost in the North Woods.
After being separated from his family and walking off the trail on Donn Fendler after his rescue from the North Woods. Mt Kathadin in mid-July, and telephone line that led imaginable. Feet carved to have been driven mad by Don Fendler wandered just the insects. Fendler to an eventual rescue. Ex- ribbons by rocks. aimlessly for miles until During his ordeal, beat the odds. And once cept for a few handfuls of he stumbled upon a stream wild berries, he survived Fendler and the search for rescued, the spotlight was on sheer faith in God and him was big news for a few on him and his story for Boy Scout determination. days in 1939. But the press weeks afterward. There Think of it. No food. No and others gave up on him were parades, and even a matches. No knife. No and all but abandoned the visit with then President compass. No shoes after coverage and the search. Roosevelt. In adulthood, Fendler the first day. No trousers af- Survival experts shook ter the second day. Exposed their heads. A woods wise went on to become a Speto every kind of insect bite adult, they reasoned, would cial Forces soldier serving Caribou in Viet Nam. Throughout We Provide Sales And Service 496-3211 his life he never forgot his Both On Site And InThe Field “Maine roots,” and often Aroostook Technologies Inc returned to speak to school Madawaska 728-4040 students about his Maine adventure. Colonel Fendler Authorized Two-Way Aroostook Technologies Inc. LOOKING FOR A NEW TOY? CALL BOB, TODAY! died at the age of 90 in Radio Dealer 4 Airport Drive www.plourdeplourde.com October of 2016. Presque Isle, ME 04769 What was Fendler’s 207-762-9321
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Fendler (Cont. from pg 20) special quality that brought him through? Survival writer Laurence Gonzales theorizes that all of us deal differently with what he calls “woods shock.” Under the pressures that Fendler faced, according to Gonzales, woodscraft and physical toughness matter less than the spirit of an individual, the will to survive. Joseph Egan, who wrote Fendler’s recounted story, credits these three things for Fendler’s “survival psychology: 1) Faith 2) Boy Scout instilled confidence, and 3) Deep love for his mother. And who knows, Fendler may have had some other transcendent help. According to an editorial in a Boston newspaper at that time, “the mothers of America never gave up hope that Fendler would be found,” even when the experts said it was hopeless. What youngster, even today, would not find this story riveting and worthy of lessons to be learned? Long after Don Fendler Day on July 25th, encourage your youngsters to read about this Maine outdoor legacy. Perhaps, as well you should inquire as to whether the book is available in school libraries. 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
Page 21
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 22
Marabou and Flank Feathers
Fly Fishing by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington, ME Action is one of the most important features that we should be looking for in streamer patterns and unquestionably marabou has more of this than many other common tying materials. It is softer and more
neater looking wings and thinner stems that make it easier to tie soft hackle streamer patterns. There are several ways to prepare marabou feathers. With blood marabou, after measuring for length, stroke the
strip the shorter barbs from the base until you reach the desired length. Then, cut or strip sufficient barbs from the quill to produce an appropriate size wing. Tie the barbs in behind the hook eye, leaving sufficient room for the ad-
There are two types that are used, quill marabou which has feathers in excess of four to five inches long and the shorter blood marabou that has thinner stems and average about two inches.
flexible than bucktail and undulates more in the water of its own doing. Originally, marabou was obtained from the now protected marabou stork, but presently comes from turkeys. Smaller feathers are taken from chickens, hence the name “Chickabou.” There are two types that are used, quill marabou which has feathers in excess of four to five inches long and the shorter blood marabou that has thinner stems and average about two inches. The latter is widely used by tyers because the barbs are more equal in length, producing
long barbs toward the tip of the feather and remove the shorter barbs at the base by pulling them downward. In many instances, the tips of the feather have very thin barbs that lack the fullness needed to produce the desired action in a fly, so in that situation, the stem at the tip of the feather can be trimmed away. Care should be taken to remove only the shorter barbs that are about ½ inch long. Quill marabou feathers generally have longer barbs and thus are better suited for wings and tails on larger streamers. To prepare marabou barbs from a thick quill or stem,
dition of a throat or collar if desired. Several small bunches can be tied in separately for multi-colored flies. If the tips look too irregular, they can be evened out by wetting your fingers and pinching off the unwanted ones. Cutting them in a straight line with scissors tends to result in a paint brush effect that will not have a natural looking taper when pulled through the water. Marabou Streamer
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Flank feathers such as those from pintail, mallard, or teal can be used for wings on many baitfish patterns. A single feather tied flat over the body results in a very effective smelt imitation as revealed by the success of a Hornberg, Joe’s Smelt or Wood Special pattern. When attaching the wing, many references recommend folding under the edges of the feather and tying it tent style over the top of the body. I have found it easier to lay the feather flat on top of the body, take three loose turns of thread around the bare stem and slowly pull it forward while at the same time guiding the wing fibers around the hook shank under the turns of thread. This allows the feather to slightly curl around the body of the fly, presenting a more realistic profile than lying flat on top. The rear tip of the wing should
extend to about the middle or end of the tail. The fly is then finished off with several tight thread wraps and a nicely tapered head. Painted or stick-on eyes may be added. If a long or heavy throat is tied in, a flat wing streamer will have a tendency to spin unnaturally when retrieved, but f necessary, a few short hackle barbs should be okay. Flank Feathered Hornberg
Next month we will be addressing hair wings and quill wing segments. Joe has enjoyed fly fishing for over 65 years. His book, Fundamentals of Fly Fishing, is now available. He can be reached at: brewerberts@aol.com
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July 2022
News
(Cont. from pg 19) Hunter Education/Bowhunter Education certification. Youth age 12-15 who attend and meet all requirements will receive their Hunter Education/ Bowhunter Education Certification card. Check out the action by viewing a three-minute video about the exciting youth day programs at Owl Brook at www.huntnh. com/hunting/owl-brook. html Participants may register for one or more sessions, which are held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the dates listed below. Bring your own bag lunch. Please download required forms and return to the Owl
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Brook Hunter Education center prior to attending. Forms are available on the event registration page at Owl Brook Hunter Education Center | Hunting | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department (state. nh.us) We e k 1 : ( 9 : 0 0 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Bowhunting/Archery Skills Tu e s d a y, J u l y 1 2 (10-12 year olds) Thursday, July 14 (13-15 year olds) We e k 2 : ( 9 : 0 0 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Introduction to Rifle and Shotgun Tu e s d a y, J u l y 1 9 (10-12 year olds) Thursday July 21 (13-15 year olds) We e k 3 : ( 9 : 0 0 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.)
Navigation and Survival Skills Tu e s d a y, J u l y 2 6 (10-12 year olds) Thursday, July 28 (13-15 year olds) We e k 4 : ( 9 : 0 0 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Exploring the Outdoors T u e s d a y, A u g u s t 2 (10-12 year olds) Thursday, August 4 (13-15 year olds) We e k 5 : ( 9 : 0 0
a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Hunter/Bowhunter Education Certification Week Students must attend all days listed and be 12 years old on or before August 12. T u e s d a y, A u g u s t 9 (12-15 year olds) We d n e s d a y, A u g u s t 10 (12-15 year olds) T h u r s d a y, A u g u s t 11 (12-15 year olds) Friday, August 12 (12-15 (News cont. pg 63)
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Aroostook Woods & Water
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
The Unicorn Canoe
the fact that once again I hell, just go get the damn The canoe was birthed in was about to be denied. thing. At least I won’t have Old Town, shrouded in the “Not this time!” I shouted, to watch you mope around mists of time (early 90’s), by Mike Maynard, and immediately contacted the house for a week.” and sent down to Arkansas Perham, ME the seller. Nice guy, too. And it was if angels had on its nascent voyage. Its Once upon a time, I me a holler. I never really We talked at length about appeared above my head, first journeys are murky; possessed a Unicorn canoe. expected anybody to hear the mystique of certain and the Hallelujah chorus did my canoe ever carry Sadly, I let it slip away my call; those boats come boats and waters that we rang in my ears. its angler/paddler down the from me and I’ve spent the up for sale less often than a both have always wanted So in the spirit of Blue-Ribbon waters of the last 30 years searching for vintage Colt Walker. to paddle. Lewis and Clark, Scott, famous White River? I’ll But somebody did. another one. This is a story But, over the entire Shackleton, and Peary, I, never know for certain, but about being 60 years old A good friend of mine in and still tying that flour- NH just happened to be But then, my wife chimed in and said, “Oh, what the hell, just sack cape around your neck squandering some valuable go get the damn thing. At least I won’t have to watch you and jumping off the garage. sap-boiling time by wanmope around the house for a week.” This is for all of those other dering through the classi- course of our conversation, too, headed out for a far it sure is fun to think it did. petered-out Peter Pans who fied section on one of the it never even occurred to off destination in search of From Arkansas, it mestill believe in Unicorns paddling forums. As he was me to ask where the canoe questionable treasures. I andered up the road and and are able to summon up looking at all the stuff he lived, nor did the seller made it, and I wouldn’t do it found a home in Minnesota the energy to perform the couldn’t have -there it was, inquire as to what direction again. Ever. But as I drove for a time. Like the Arkanbreathtakingly stupid ges- my Unicorn, slowly mate- I would be coming from. back into the yard, and the sas waters, the minutia of tures necessary to bag one. rializing out of the ether. I called my buddy in NH guilt over such a ridiculous its life there went unmenI mentioned, a few months Knowing of my unhealthy and told him I bought the adventure consumed me, tioned. I’d like to think that ago, that if anybody stum- desire to reacquire one of canoe. There was silence it was also receding. The wherever it was, the canoe bled over my lost Old Town these boats, he called me, and then he said, “OMG, more time I spent thinking saw nothing but Walleye Penobscot 15’ Solo, to give mostly to rub my nose in you’re insane! What the on the history of this parflopping in its belly and hell is wrong with you!” ticular canoe, the places it beautiful scenery to paddle I guess I just assumed had been, the waters it had through. But from there the that since Doug was in NH, seen, the more I felt justi- provenance becomes much and I was in Maine,…that fied in bringing it home. clearer. We know that when the canoe would be close Everyone should have at the little canoe left Minby. It wasn’t. The canoe, in least one juicy rationaliza- nesota, it turned up on the fact, was currently garaged tion a day to maintain good Brule River in Wisconsin, a in northwestern Michigan, mental health, don’t you thoroughly beautiful river, Ludington to be precise, think? if there ever was one. We It turns out this little know it also made several Pellet, Wood, Gas & Coal Stoves • Heat Pumps • Firewood hard by shores of the lake Michigan. I hung my head canoe has had a helluva’ appearances on the Kinniin defeat. Once again, the ride, touching, in various kinnic. Ever been jealous fates had conspired to crush states, some of the more of a boat? I was starting to PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATIONS my hopes and dreams. But fabled trout waters east of be, and it would get worse 2211 Medway Rd. Medway, ME 04460 then, my wife chimed in the divide. A long, wind(Canoe cont. pg 41) and said, “Oh, what the ing journey to be sure. 207-746-5799
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July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Green Lake: My Turn
While guesting on Paul Reynolds’s Maine Outdoors radio show, I was challenged in regard to a recent column I wrote in the Bnagor Daily News where I challenged the stocking of nonnative lake trout Green Lake in Dedham. My reason was that the lake is home to rare wild native Arctic charr. Paul again defended the stocking of lake trout on top of native Arctic charr in Green Lake in this
publication. As is often the case when sportsmen disagree, Paul used the term “evangelists” to describe native fish advocates. He even played the proverbial “camel’s nose” card, going well beyond the issue at hand. While nothing is absolute in the world of fish as we have been moving fish around for well over a century, the science is pretty clear in regard to the Arctic charr in Green Lake. They are not from Floods Pond lineage as IFW recently challenged, and are most likely native. While hybridization and predation are concerns with regard to stocking nonnative lake trout over wild native charr, that’s only part of the story. When we stock over wild fish, it creates competition for food and space. A given body of water can only support so many fish, and
everything we add takes something away. Paul asks, “how far do we go,” “how big a sacrifice,” and “how much energy and public money we are willing to expend” to protect native fish in a specific body of water. When it comes to Green Lake, with four other gamefish in the lake, how much of a sacrifice would it be to stop stocking lake trout? And it would actually mean less work for IFW, and less
money from sportsmen. Saying that IFW has “gone to the wall” in support of Arctic charr conservation is misleading. A fraction of our fisheries budget is spent on Arctic charr, and nowhere near what is spent on stocking. Paul stated that since we have been stocking lake trout in Green Lake for 60 years and the charr are still there, it’s not a problem. He quoted IFW as saying the charr population has not changed in 60 years. At roughly 3,000 acres and over 180-feet deep, along with technical limitations, especially in the 19601990’s, can we really say that? Just because the Arctic charr are still there doesn’t mean they are not stressed. In fact, per IFW, Arctic charr abundance in Green Lake is “very low.” Was this always the case? In the last twenty years or
so, only 6 small charr have been confirmed in Green Lake. While on the surface, the data shows what appears to be some level of separation between lake trout and Arctic charr, this is not the case. In a recent survey, 4 Arctic charr were trapped between 168feet and 181-feet, but no lake trout. From 93-feet to 114-feet, 5 lake trout were trapped but no Arctic charr. Between 88-feet and
109-feet, 11 lake trout were trapped but no Arctic charr. A closer look at the data shows that between 146-feet and 160-feet, lake trout and Arctic charr were trapped. From 170-feet to 180-feet, the result was the same. This means that stocked nonnative lake trout and wild native Arctic charr are in fact overlapping, at least between 146feet and 180-feet, the only place charr were found. From 88-feet and 109feet, and from 93-feet to 114-feet, 11 and 5 lake trout were trapped respectively. Conversely, no Arctic charr were encountered. This means that only lake trout were encountered between 88-feet and 114-feet. Have the notably larger and more aggressive lake trout pushed the charr out? Stocking over a rare wild native fish of low abundance is ecologically dangerous. And stock-
Page 25
Native Fish Talk
by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME ing a nonnative gamefish on top of one wild native gamefish, one stocked native gamefish, and two self-sustaining nonnative gamefish could be viewed as economically wasteful. Most importantly, stocking nonnative fish
on and accepting of stocked and nonnative fish. This is resulting in a degradation of our fisheries, a watering down of the sport, and increasing costs to prop up what is becoming an unsustainable economic model due to increasing costs and
Paul asks, “how far do we go,” “how big a sacrifice,” and “how much energy and public money we are willing to expend to protect native fish in a specific body of water?”
over rare wild native fish is socially dangerous. As everyone reading this knows, Maine has suffered significant losses due to the introduction of nonnative fish. How can we expect anglers not to do what IFW is actively doing? Especially when it involves an exceeding rare species. Clearly Paul and I see fisheries management very differently. I believe Maine has become far too reliant
declining revenue. BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years. He is the former owner of Kennebec River Outfitters, a Registered Maine Fishing Guide, and a commercial fly designer. Bob is a blogger, writer, and author. He is also a native fish advocate and founding member, Executive Director, and Maine Board Member for Native Fish Coalition.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 26
July 2022
Bear Baiting Time
The Northwoods Bowhunter by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME It’s July and time to think about bear baiting again! Maine Bear Hunters can set out baits 30 days prior to the start of the season which this year is July 30th. If you’re like me,
Remember that you need written permission to set up bait, stands, cameras and to use an ATV on another person’s property. Don’t assume that permission to hunt last year automati-
You may hunt bear in Maine with a shotgun with slugs, rifle, handgun, muzzleloader, crossbow or vertical hand drawn bow with draw weight not less than 35 lbs. The latter is my preference because bear is the perfect archery quarry over bait. you collect bait year-round. My 3rd freezer is full of old sweets, my garage has left over fryolator and bacon grease from last year, pails of fruit syrup and a full barrel of trail mix. I’ll be needing a couple more barrels of trail mix and hope the bears are hungry this fall. It’s never too early to reaffirm permission from landowners and identify potential new bait sites.
cally carries over to this year. New hunting laws are passed every year and it’s wise to review them prior to hunting season. New in 2022, the Civil Trespass now applies to hounds in pursuit of bears, coyotes and racoons. There are thousands of acres of Maine Public Reserve Lands, but a permit is required to place bear bait. Bear baits have to be
The author with bear taken with a bow. placed at least 50 yards You may hunt bear the sex and size of the bear. from a travel way that is ac- in Maine with a shotgun I always try to wait for a cessible by a conventional with slugs, rifle, handgun, broadside double lung shot 2wd or 4wd vehicle. The muzzleloader, crossbow to insure a passthrough of bait and stand have to be or vertical hand drawn my arrow and a good blood labeled with a 2”x4” tag bow with draw weight not trail. I’ve arrowed bears with name and address of less than 35 lbs. The latter that have dropped and died the baiter. Baits have to be is my preference because within sight of stand but placed at least 500 yards bear is the perfect archery others have travelled 100 from any campground, quarry over bait. You know yards or more with a fatal solid waste disposal site, or the exact range of the bear arrow wound. In 2017, after breakoccupied dwelling (unless based on your bait placeyou have written permis- ment and you usually have ing my left radius while fly sion). plenty of time to determine (Bear cont. pg 27)
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(Cont. from pg 26) fishing in Newfoundland, I still had a cast on when the bear season started so hunted the first 3 weeks with a Glock 10mm and passed on several smaller bears hoping for a big boar. My cast came off on Sept 15th and Sept 18th my game camera revealed a large bear briefly at the bait right at the end of shooting light. I was excited and tried repeatedly to draw my bow but just didn’t have the strength in my left arm. Anticipating that big boar might return to the bait just before legal light ended, I opted to use my turkey shotgun with fiber optic sights and 3’magnum slugs. I was on the stand by 4 p.m. and settled in a 20’ high hang-on stand 17 yards from the bait. It was a foggy and cool afternoon so darkness would arrive earlier than usual. With 10 minutes left of legal
shooting light, I caught movement 50 yards to my left and saw the head of a large bear appear from the thick evergreens. He was testing the air and only his front half became visible. As I raised the shotgun he turned and started back into the jack firs. I had just enough time to place the fiber optic sights on his left shoulder and pulled the trigger. The big boar let out a roar and crashed through the brush for 30 yards before collapsing. Within seconds he was emitting the death moan and I began to shake from both the thrill of the hunt and the cool fog. I waited until complete darkness before climbing down and searching for the bear. A prominent blood trail led me to the big male bear only 30 yards from where I shot him. My problem was I couldn’t drag him alone because of his size and my weakened left arm. Fortunately, my son Josh and friend Pastor
Northwoods Sporting Journal Matt, who had shot a bear on another of my baits a week previous, were available to get him out of the woods and into my pickup for me. The big bear tipped the scales at 283 lbs and the shoulder mount has him head up testing the air like when I first spied him. Outsmarting and harvesting a big bruin with any type of weapon is exciting and fulfilling!
Brian Smith is a retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He is a Life Member Maine Bowhunters Association and serves as 1st Director at Large. He was selected Maine Bowhunter of the Year in 2005 and 2008 received the Largest Archery Bear in Maine Award in 2008 and 2018. He is an NRA Life Member and also serves on the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine SAM-ILA Board. He can be reached at bowhunter@mgemaine.com Tom Schmidt snagged this Eastern pike from
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South Of the Kennebec
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME One of the great southern Maine falsehoods includes, “You can’t catch big striped bass fishing from shore! You need a boat!” I hear that statement a dozen times or more, especially when standing in line at a variety store
a few days to connect with stripers of all age classes. South of Biddeford/ Saco to the New Hampshire border the same opportunities abound. All you need is a medium weight spinning or casting rod and some bait. There is no
Early in the migration, fishing upstream to the rise and fall of the tide, anglers do best using sandworms which sell at local bait shops for five or six dollars a dozen. when a tourist asks locals if we need a boat to fish for striped bass. The southern coast of Maine has miles of river frontage, beaches, and rock outcroppings that make it easy for locals and those visiting the state even for
fishing license per se in Maine water but unless you hold an inland license you must register as a saltwater angler and pay a small fee. Visit https://www.maine. gov/dmr/recreationalfishing/licenses/registry. html for details.
Stripers from Shore
Beginning in early in the afternoon or early pleased to find easy access May the striped bass con- evening, and at night. A to the Camp Ellis (Saco) tinue their northerly mi- good friend visits from Ver- breakwater. All along the gration from either Chesa- mont each July and again in rocks anglers were filling peake Bay or the Hudson August. He keeps the fam- buckets with incoming River into Maine waters. ily happy by laying on the waves of mackerel, then First arrivals are the small- beach or shopping during tossing a baited mac into the water and trader (schoolie) size ing up for a hungry bass followed striper. In the past quickly by larger few years the menfish in the legal haden (pogies) have 28-35 inch “keepbeen visiting in er” size. By the huge schools, offermiddle of July the ing anglers plenty of larger mature fish, bait. They don’t bite especially the felures and anglers are males follow river armed with a large, herring along the weighted treble beaches and up Camp Ellis, Saco Breakwater hook for snagging. the rivers (unless Early in the migration, the river water become the day then hauls a lawn heated). At that time, fish- chair, a couple fishing rods fishing upstream to the rise ing at night off the bach and a bucket and enjoys the and fall of the tide, anglers night air and most times, a do best using sandworms should produce results. which sell at local bait You will need to striper. Then there is the jet- shops for five or six dolcheck local beach ordinances due to the tourists. ty crowd both day and lars a dozen. Clam necks Many beaches allow fish- night. When I first moved will work also and they can ing early morning and later to Maine in 1979 I was be found at the same bait shops. By June the fish prefer cut herring or mackerel, the fresher the better. For the fly-fishing crowd, the incoming tide where rivers empty into the beach are hotspots. Large grocery flies work well as do Clouser Minnows and especially the deceivers. Which pattern works best depends upon which natural bait in present. Don’t be afraid to change every dozen casts until you strike gold. Striped bass prefer dark, fast-moving water and shoreline anglers will find plenty of that by just making the rounds of public access. As Fall approaches don’t make the mistake 284 North Rd, of thinking the fish have Detroit, ME 04929 all migrated south. Keep (207) 487-3338 , and the BRP logo are www.huffpowersports.com (Stripers cont. pg 39) trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc,. or its affiliates. 8-5 M-F 8-1 Sat • Closed Sun
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Page 29
The Brown Owl This month’s fly is the Brown Owl. Bob Broad owned a set of camps in northern New Hampshire; the fly worked well there and it quickly got a good reception in Maine as well. This is a flat wing style fly that imitates golden stoneflies. If you’ve never tried flat wing flies, you’re missing out. There are four materials to this fly and each has a purpose worth talking about because they can carry over to other flies you tie. First is the oval gold tinsel-this gives a very good-segmented body appearance, much better than flat Mylar would. Secondly, notice the brown bucktail that comes from the base of the tail. Much better than hollow body hair for this fly. Third is the teal feather wing tied flat, very good feather to keep around. And fourth, look at the hackle. The recipe calls for a hen
grizzly hackle, natural or oval tinsel to expose the brown. Hen hackle is soft thread core. Tie that in at and gives lots of action, the bend of the hook-this perfect for imitating insect stops you from getting a large hump at the tie in point. Next, tie on a sparse (about 10 hairs) collar legs. of brown bucktail. You’ll get this from a natural bucktail. Don’t use the Recipe for the white hairs, use the dark Brown Owl brown ones. The collar Thread - Brown Hook –6x long streamer, should extend just past the (Mustad, Tiemco), size bend in the hook. 6-10, 4 on occasion Body – Oval gold tinsel Collar – Brown bucktail, sparse Wing – Teal Hackle – Hen grizzly, trimmed on top
Next select two teal feathers and strip off the fluff at the base of the quill. Hold the teal feathers on top of the hook shank; the wing should extend just past the hook bend. Pull Start by stripping off off any extra fibers from about a quarter inch of the the base and tie it on. Now
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The Tyer’s Corner by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME
tie on a hackle-a brown hen grizzly is called for but if you don’t have that, you can use a speckled hen feather, even a partridge breast feather. Wind it on like a hackle and when you tie it off, pull the fibers back a bit and hold them there with your thread windings. They represent stonefly legs, dangling back. Now, trim off the top of the hackle. Wrap the fly’s head and you’re done. Stoneflies live in highly oxygenated, moving
water, throw this one right in the foam and let it drift. At the end of a drift try pulling it under and twitch it along. Brace for impact. 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
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 30
Northwoods Sketchbook
by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME “Hey Mark, you have finally made it big time as a wildlife artist!” My friend Joe, a fisheries scientist at UMaine, phoned with ex-
reached a pinnacle in your art career. Your paintings are now good enough for someone to steal.” In 2005, the Univer-
The Art Heist
estry at the University of Maine. The first year of the program Samuel Spring, a fresh graduate of Yale University, became the first Professor of Forestry
dous as leader. The wildlife conservation curriculum was established the following year. The University of Maine immediately became a national leader
I was honored to be asked, and looked forward to donating a painting to give something back to the University for all the doors that it opened for me.
citement in his voice. “Oh yeah, what I have done now?” I groaned. “Your painting of a moose was stolen from Nutting Hall at the University of Maine. I guess you could say that you have
sity of Maine asked me to donate a painting to commemorate the 100 th anniversary of the forestry program. In 1902 the Maine legislature granted a whopping $2,500 to start the Department of For-
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The author’s original painting that was stolen from Nutting Hall at the University of Maine. located in Winslow Hall. The first graduations were in 1906. The program was extremely popular and grew rapidly after the two World Wars. At one time, it had the third largest undergraduate enrollment on campus. It featured a popular forestry winter and summer field camp at Indian Township in eastern Maine where students received on-hands outdoor learning. In 1935, Maine pioneered one of the first Cooperative Wildlife Research Units with C.M. Al-
in the forestry and wildlife education and research, and still is. UMaine’s undergraduate forestry program, the oldest, continuously accredited undergraduate forestry program in the U.S., has expanded and diversified into multiple majors in forest resources. Since the first graduation in 2006, 5600 diplomas have been given in forestry and wildlife, including over 100 doctorates. Many state and national leaders in conservation had their
July 2022
beginnings at UMaine. The reputation of the UMaine forestry and wildlife programs are legendary, and I was thrilled to be invited to become a wildlife graduate student in 1979. I was a student from 1979 to 1986, and landed my first “real” job at UMaine leading the caribou reintroduction project from 1986 to 1990. My wife and I met while students in Nutting Hall, and we created many lasting friendships with forestry and wildlife students and professors – friends we cherish and continue to have fun with to this day. The University followed my unofficial art career from my student days when I contributed pen and ink drawings for the annual yearbook, The Maine Forester, through the limited-edition prints that helped fund my eagle research project and the caribou reintroduction, to the many pieces of art I created to benefit conservation throughout my careers with state and federal wildlife agencies. I was honored to be asked, and looked forward to donating a painting to give something back to the University for all the doors that it opened for me. I decided to create an acrylic painting of a bull and cow moose approaching a small pond at the foot of Mount Katahdin. The large painting on a board took about 100 hours to paint. I found time in the evenings after work and on weekends to complete the painting in time for the centennial celebration. The gala event arrived in May 2006. The ceremonies featured a special un(Heist cont. pg 31)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
looked down on numerous seminars and classes. Students defending their masters or doctoral theses searched the moose and Katahdin for answers as they were grilled by their professors. I imagine more than a few students were lulled by the scene as they dozed off during a dull lecture. I received lots of favorable feedback from students and faculty on how the painting brightened up the wood-paneled room and lifted their spirits. I enjoyed visiting my old “friend” when attending seminars. The University scrambled to address the Covid-19 pandemic when it struck in March 2020. Campus was deserted when students were sent home in late March and completed the spring semester on line. The conference room was kept locked and not
Heist (Cont. from pg 30) veiling of my painting. My painting was prominently displayed in the conference room in 204 Nutting Hall, home to the forestry and wildlife programs. It joined numerous other special projects and events to commemorate a century of forestry education in Maine. The courtyard of Nutting Hall was re-landscaped with trees native to Maine, picnic tables, and a beautiful bronze sculpture of black bear cubs by Maine artist, Forrest Hart. Commemorative miniature bronze black bears were sold to help fund the anniversary activities. The annual forestry yearbook featured a special “century” edition. While it resided at UMaine, my painting
open to students except during seminars, meetings, and special classes. Sometime in the early summer of 2020, the janitor at Nutting Hall realized that my painting was missing from the conference room. He assumed that a faculty member had removed the painting for safe-keeping during the pandemic. As faculty and staff began to return in 2021, they realized that the painting had be taken. I imagine that this special painting still resides somewhere here in Maine. Perhaps it lived for a time in a dorm room, apartment, or fraternity house and now lives in a camp or home. The painting is 25 X 40 inches and is in a heavy, dark walnut-colored frame. If you know of the whereabouts of this painting,
Page 31
please contact me or the University of Maine Police Department at 207 5814040. It would be wonderful if it could return home to the University to greet students for the next centu-
ry of forestry and wildlife. Mark McCollough paints from his home in Hampden, Maine. He can be contacted at markmccollough25@gmail.com
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The Buck Hunter by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME We never know what to expect for weather in the north country. We went from two weekends with temperatures near 90 degrees to June weather feeling more like May weather. There were plenty of cool nights, plenty of rain and temperature rarely going above 70 degrees. It is good to see the rain replenishing the water table in the woods. The brook trout have suffered the past two years with drought conditions drying up the feeder stream where the juvenile trout live. Hopefully we continue to have a regular old summer with plenty of cool nights and enough rain to keep the woods and waters fresh. As many of you know the Maine moose lottery drawing was held in Jackman this year after a twoyear hiatus from covid fears. They estimated that there were as many as two thousand people in town for the event which is about as good as any held so far. The people of Jackman and from elsewhere, stepped up
Jackman
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Deer Seem Plentiful
calf and couldn’t understand what was wrong. It was sad to see but such is the to the plate and provided cycle of life and plenty of food entertaindeath in the wild. ment and crafts for people I have seen to take advantage of. As more deer in my luck would have it the travels than I can weather couldn’t have been ever remember. better, with partly cloudy Almost every skies, a 70-degree temperatime that I drive ture and enough of a breeze one. Congratulations to all is Nature’s renewal to carry a logging road, I see at least to keep the bugs at bay. of you lucky winners and on the species. Mother na- one deer and sometimes several. It used to be around I saw my first newborn fawn traveling with its mother on June 9th. I love seeing the new crop of deer and moose every here I would see one deer for every 10 moose while spring. It is Nature’s renewal to carry on the species. driving and now I think that There was a moose hopefully you’ll get to put ture is cruel as well and the it has switched to the other hunting seminar put on your tag on one. By the little ones will not all make way around. Good news the Big Woods bucks team time you read this if you it. Mothers have to protect for the deer hunters in this members, Lee Schanz and haven’t made arrangements them and teach them the area. there are still plenty Joe Kruse. The annual for lodging or a guide, you ways to avoid danger if of moose, but they don’t Moose calling contest, as better not wait any longer they are to make it through hang around the roads like well as an antler spread as the best guides book their first year. When teach- the used to. Keep that that judging contest. The an- early. If you are going at it ing my last deer clinic on in mind if you are moose nual reading of the lucky on your own and haven’t Memorial weekend, we hunting. I say it every year winners’ names started at moose hunted before, I stumbled across a cow but the day of road hunting 2 p.m. and went on until recommend that you pur- moose, who trotted off. We for moose are pretty much after 5 p.m. There were chase the moose hunting were looking for signpost over. It’s abstract luck to quite a few in attendance DVD from the Big Woods rubs in a wet area and as shoot one that way, so get that heard they’re names Bucks website. In the DVD we approached where she in the woods and hunt for call and yours truly being I explain everything about had been, we found her them. Until next month, one of them! I drew my first moose hunting from judg- newborn calf dead. The good luck on the trail! tag in 2013 after 33 years ing antlers to getting them ground looked like the Hal is a Master Maine poor mother had her calf in of waiting, so I figured my out. next one would be after I I saw my first new- the night and had licked it guide and Author and lives turned 70 and had 30 bonus born fawn traveling with its clean and wouldn’t leave it. in Moose River Maine with points for an automatic mother on June 9th. I love It must have been stillborn. his wife Deb. Hal can be seeing the new crop of deer It shows you the attach- contacted through email at: and moose every spring. It ment that mother had to her hal@bigwoodsbucks.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:
July 2022
Options for Gatherers
Thankfully, this spring and late winter, the COVID restrictions were lifted enough for the Sportsman’s Shows to take place. In addition to the shows, we were able to conduct a couple of Basic Hunter Safety classes. Why I enjoy these so much is that they provide the opportunity to have interesting conver-
or resources to grow our own food, except for a small family garden. I do encourage gardens, but you cannot grow a steak in said garden. You can, however, harvest a deer, turkey, bear or moose if you are lucky. Trout, salmon, perch and bass are also excellent menu items. It just brings more challenge to your
pheasants. I’ll bet a short visit could generate some good trades for bear or venison in return for pheasants or ducks. The same goes for fish. All you need to do is ask. It has worked for me for years. Perhaps you were not as successful this year as normal. Trades are still useful. If you are an electrician or plumber or mechanic, perhaps a brake job in return for some moose meat and fiddle heads are in order. Culti-
Page 33
A Guide’s Perspective by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME
take inventory. Do it now. Waiting till the week before deer season will result in disappointment. If you have ammo for a gun you no longer own, trade it with a friend who may have what you want. We all have our favorite deer or bear rifle. The sad truth is, we may not have access to that
are now considering other species like bear, birds or moose. Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised. Where do we go from here? Well, we carry on the best we can. Our parents and grandparents got by washing used tinfoil and feeding their babies bone broth because there was no milk. We should be capable
Cultivate your network. We are approaching life and times that have not been encountered in our lifetime. We need to adapt, or they win, and we become dependent on the government. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)
sations with like-minded people. This also generates lots of questions. It also includes many discussions about the state of our world in the outdoors. Of course, I hear the inevitable, “I can’t afford to hunt and fish anymore.” To this, I always respond, “You cannot afford not to hunt and fish”. Let me explain. Most of us do not have the land
grocery shopping. It is also healthier to hike through the woods tracking that big buck than trudging through the grocery store paying $17 a pound for hormone loaded steak or hamburger. Further, we all have our circle of friends. Some are avid deer hunters, some are diehard waterfowl hunters and others have bird dogs and hunt partridge and
vate your network. We are approaching life and times that have not been encountered in our lifetime. We need to adapt, or they win, and we become dependent on the government. I have also had many conversations about ammo availability. We need to be creative here as well. I would guess that most Northwoods Sporting Journal readers own more than one firearm. It’s time to
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!
At camp, this guy and his gundog - after a morning of chasing pa’tridge - found a comfy place to spend some time with their favorite read, the Northwoods Sporting Journal.
Where do you read your copy of the Sporting Journal? At camp, in the boat, at the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo of you with your copy of the Journal at an unusual place. If we like it, we will publish it in the Journal. If we select your best shot for publication, we’ll send you an exclusive Sporting Journal hat created just for the occasion. Send your Jpeg photo and a short blurb to vpaulr@tds.net. Please include your contact information, too. www.sportingjournal.com
ammo anymore. When you are in a gun shop or sporting goods store, you should be looking for that favorite ammo, but when you come across ammo for any other firearm you own, you should buy that ammo, too. If you own a gun, you should have ammo for it. Further, if you own a shotgun, you should buy slugs for that shotgun. You may need it to fill the gap when your deer rifle has no ammo. Shotguns are also top-notch home defense tools. In other discussion, there seems to be more interest among hunters to broaden their hunting horizons. Some hunters who only chase whitetails
of eating perch instead of tuna and bear back straps instead of beef short ribs. 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. Please visit our Facebook Page: Shamrock Outfitters and Properties and come visit us on East Grand Lake.
Page 34
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
The Maine Fishing in July Woods a canoe at the pond. Wiggie Robinson in his comfort zone. Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME
I once thought that the good trout fishing ended when the water warmed up in early July. I then met Wiggy Robinson, whom I developed a good friendship with while working on the West Branch of the Penobscot. Wiggy was a diehard trout pond fisherman. He had spent a lifetime fishing the ponds
on campsites. I came back to my ranger station a little early that afternoon so I could get ready for our fishing excursion, had a bite to eat and met Wiggy at four o’clock sharp. We drove into BSP hiding a couple cans of soda in a roadside spring for our refreshment on the ride home.
Well that evening turned out to be very good fishing for about an hour. From dusk until dark those big green drake mayflies started hatching and the fish were feeding on them ravenously.
in the southwest corner of Baxter State Park (BSP) and beyond. While making my rounds on the West Branch in the area near Wiggy’s camp one day in early July, he asked me if I wanted to go fishing tonight. I said that the water is too warm and all we are going to catch are chub. Wiggy assured me that the best fishing of the year was at hand in the trout ponds. I was game for some good trout fishing so we arranged a rendezvous time over a cup of coffee and I went about the rest of my day working
We parked the truck on a dead-end road near Kidney Pond Camps and hiked about two miles to Slaughter Pond located just outside the park. There were canoes and small boats scattered all around the outlet of the pond. It was actually quite a shock to see all the watercraft in various states of disrepair left along the shore of the pond – it was an old canoe graveyard! I am told that the Nature Conservancy, who now owns the land, has cleaned-up the old canoe boneyard and you now need a permit to leave
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I’ll bet Wiggy, who passed away over 15 years ago, still has a canoe at this pond with his son Jay’s name on it. Think how much nicer it would be if everyone left their canoe unlocked for others to use at these remote ponds and let other people respectfully used them? A subject for another article. There was not much action when we first arrived at the pond. There were no insects hatching and no fish rising. I can remember thinking that it was starting to get dark and we had a long hike back out to the truck when I saw a fish rise. Well that evening turned out to be very good fishing for about an hour. From dusk until dark those big green drake mayflies started hatching and the fish were feeding on them ravenously. All you had to do was cast a big lightcolored dry fly over a rise, give it a couple twitches and bang – you would be rewarded with a beautiful native brook trout from 10 to 14 inches! This was the start of many trips to this outstanding trout pond and a friendship that lasted until Wiggy’s sudden death at the age of 85, while he was tending his garden on the West Branch in 2007. Wiggy and I fished many other ponds in the
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Katahdin Region during my time on the West Branch. Not every outing was as productive as that first trip but I learned something new on every adventure. A couple of the most important things I learned from my trips with Wiggy were that early July is some of the best trout pond fishing of the year and to stay until dark because those big
green drakes often times don’t hatch until twilight. Matt LaRoche is a retired Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, owner of Maine Woods Guide Service and an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached at 207280-0713 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com See www.mainewoodsguide.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 17) yeah, ‘Ooowanna…’” the voices of the other three joined in trembling chorus. “Chode, mukashi-menundawok! Oowanna, chode, mukashi-menundawok!” From the corner of my eye I caught movement beyond the firelight. A drawn face, white and strained, with haunted eyes, appeared between a pair of pine trunks, staring as though hypnotized by the circle of painted, chanting figures around the fire. “Ooowanna, chode, mukashi-menundawok!” At the exact ending of the final repetition of the chant, four pairs of charcoaled arms shot up, waving frenziedly at the sky and four throats opened in a deafening, spine-chilling scream. As our voices died, another higher-pitched
scream sounded from among the trees. Vaguely I could make out a slight figure, running through the pines and along the lake shore. The scream turned into garbled shouting, becoming fainter with distance. “It’s the Sawglitches! The Sawglitches! Save me! Saaave me!!!” Around the shoreline, a light sprang into view from what must have been the window of Pod Gunch’s camp. Across the water came the banging and crashing of things tossed around. The light suddenly died and there came the sound of a vehicle door slamming. An engine roared and headlights came on, their beams darting crazily across the water as the truck slewed around and raced off through the trees toward town. As the sound of the truck died I became con-
scious of hysterical laughter coming from behind a nearby tree. Uncle Pod lurched into view, a hatchet dangling from one hand, tears streaming down his face as he rocked with helpless laughter. “You shoulda seen… if you coulda…the look on your…!!!” he collapsed uncontrollably beside the fire, nearly choking with mirth. Joe tossed a handful of dry pine limbs onto the coals and the fire flared up. He glared at Uncle Pod in stony anger. “So, this was all a trick!” he growled. “You set us up! And who was that poor fool that went driving off like the devil was after ‘im?!” “Wait, wait…” Uncle Pod rasped. “Let me get my breath.” Finally, his trembling laughter subsided, and he became aware that four unfriendly pairs of eyes were
riveted in his direction. “Now boys, I can explain,” he began nervously. “See, that guy that jest left was Dustin Hamstring. He’d rented my camp yonder, plannin’ on some early fishin’. You may not know it, but this here pond has some of the earliest and best trout fishin’ around. Anyway, I finally made a deal with a rich sport from New York. He wants ta buy the camp at a ridiculously high price, but part of the deal was that he has ta take possession next week.” “Then, uh, what’s this whole Sawglitch thing about?” Condon asked in bewilderment. “Well, see, ol’ Dustin, he wasn’t willin’ to leave early. Said he’d paid for the rest of the month and by golly he was stayin’ the rest of the month!” “So you made up the whole story and played
Page 35 us against him!” I said angrily. “Uh, yeah. I told him the Sawglitches gathered around a campfire in these woods and chanted unholy prayers to the demons. Don’t think he believed any of it until tonight. You boys sure made a convert out of ‘im!” “So you get your camp sold and make a pile of money, and our campin’ trip is ruined!” Joe muttered in disgust. “Well, it don’t have ta be ruined,” Uncle Pod said ingratiatingly. “Why don’t you boys use my camp for the rest of the week? They’d plenty of fishin’ gear there and you kin use my boat, too!” As the sun climbed high the next day, we sat in Uncle Pod’s boat in the middle of the pond, a stringer of fat trout hanging over the side.
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Page 36
Northwoods Sporting Journal
View From The River by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME From the Mountains to the Sea: The Historic Restoration of the Penobscot River (Islandport Press, 2020) is a hopeful story of collaboration and compromise that freed a river. Author Peter Taylor draws on more than fifty interviews to document
tive with the words, “The Sacred Circle of Life was broken.” The Penobscot River Restoration Project (PRRP) was born in the late 1990s. Its initial goal was to bring wild Atlantic salmon back to the Penobscot. To achieve
From The Mountains To The Sea
nobscot River watershed, while maintaining hydroelectric production and reinvigorating economic and recreational opportunities. To make this happen, numerous individuals of different cultures and value systems worked together persistently, toward the greater good.”
Development, logging, dams, and an incompatible philosophy of land ownership all contributed to a decline in river health. Erosion, river warming, and hazardous pollutants took their toll. decades of challenges and victories through the words of those who were there. Winner of a Maine Literary Award, this beautiful book is illustrated with striking photos that highlight the waterway and the people and creatures who call it home. The introduction depicts centuries of change from the perspective of the Penobscot Nation. Development, logging, dams, and an incompatible philosophy of land ownership all contributed to a decline in river health. Erosion, river warming, and hazardous pollutants took their toll. Tribal elder Butch Phillips concludes his narra-
that, it became clear that three major dams—Veazie, Great Works, and Howland—would need to be removed or bypassed. With an estimated cost of $50 million, Taylor states that the proposed project “may have been more costly than any previous river restoration project, anywhere in the world.” The project was monumental in other ways. “The PRRP evolved into an unprecedented collaboration among the Penobscot Nation, six conservation groups, two hydropower companies, and state and federal agencies to restore twelve species of sea-run fish in the Pe-
July 2022
A key theme is the interconnection between the Penobscot River and the Gulf of Maine. In addition to Atlantic salmon, eleven other sea-run species migrate through the river—alewife, American eel, American shad, Atlantic sturgeon, Atlantic tomcod, blueback herring, rainbow smelt, sea lamprey, sea-run brook trout, shortnose sturgeon, and striped bass. Most are anadromous, traveling upriver to spawn. Only the American eel is catadromous, living most of its life in fresh water, then returning to the faraway Sargasso Sea to spawn. “The Gulf’s marine ecosystem and Maine’s inland river ecosystems are interdependent,” explains Taylor, “linked by yearly
migrations of river herring (which includes alewife and blueback herring) and other sea-run fish. While feeding at sea, these fish accumulate nutrients in their bodies…The nutrients carried from the sea cycle into the upstream ecosystem enrich the lakes, streams, and forests and nourish wildlife.” Lobster fisherman Larry Moffett, who gave PRRP his “immediate and wholehearted” approval, picks up the tale. “We’ve had dams limiting fish for nearly two centuries, so it’s easy to compartmentalize. But, historically, groundfish like cod and halibut in Penobscot Bay relied on sea-run fish like river herring as their forage base.” In July 2010, only two alewives were counted during the spring migration at
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the Veazie dam. To put this in perspective, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that the river “historically hosted 14 million to 20 million alewives, three million to five million American shad, and perhaps 100,000 Atlantic salmon.” Ultimately, a host of factors led to the success of the project. Legislative changes, a cooperative new hydroelectric company, and the precedent set by the 1999 removal of the Kennebec’s Edwards Dam were all key. Most of all, the people involved brought about the ultimate victory. There were creative visionaries, generous donors, technical experts, and waterfront property owners who sacrificed for the greater good. Next month’s column will explore how the river is recovering, but I want to leave you with one final story, about Penobscot Nation representative John Banks. At a meeting in 2003, when negotiations for the purchase, removal, and restructuring of the dams (Mountains cont. pg 37)
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 37
The Battle
What's In Your Woods by Bud Utecht, T4 Indian Purchase Township
One day I would love to witness firsthand a couple of bull moose fighting. What a sight that must be, coupled with the sounds of the antlers crashing and the snorting and breathing of these giant animals a magnificent occurrence this must be. What a rare opportunity to even hear this battle from a distance. I don’t even hear about others seeing it very often on Facebook, which is where we all go to find such things. The truth of the matter is the moose fight and spar far more often than you
might think. I just went to now I’m surprised that I check some camera loca- don’t see this or at least tions and got four separate hear them often. This last camera instances of moose doing
battle. And over the past few years I’m getting more and more instances of this going on. Some locations I can count on for at least one good battle a year and others surprise me as they have never fought there before. I’m getting these battles so frequently that
check I even got a nice battle in a snowstorm. A good size moose trying to ignore his smaller challenger gives in and spares for a while. A snowstorm you ask. I must admit that most of the fighting I see is after the breeding season is over and goes on right until
Mountains
meaning of what the group was trying to accomplish.” “I just wanted to remind people that this wasn’t about us,” Banks remembers. “We were speaking for the eagles, the otters, the fish and all the critters that rely on the river. We were here for all our relatives and our entire history.” The mood in the room shifted, a change that lasted for years to come. “For many,” Taylor concludes, “even those who had not been present on that day, the meeting with the eagle feather was deeply meaningful. They
reflected on it frequently as a reminder of why they were committed to the project, despite the challenges.”
(Cont. from pg 36) were well underway, tensions were “running particularly high,” Taylor reports. Banks asked for some time at the start of the meeting. “He stood,” Taylor continues, “holding an eagle feather, and began to walk around the table, slowly, touching the feather to everyone’s shoulder, one by one. At each person, he paused and spoke a few words about the larger
they drop their antlers. That is not what I would have expected, but my cameras tell me its fact. Once they return to the bachelor groups, like a couple of young boys punching and wrestling, they just can’t stop. Except mom isn’t there to to end the foray. Sometimes I have seen a sparing party with 3 or 4 bulls trading off the battling from one bull to the next. Sometimes there
The truth of the matter is the moose fight and spar far more often than you might think. I just went to check some camera locations and got four separate instances of moose doing battle.
In 2018, Laurie Apgar Chandler completed a 17-day solo canoe trip through the Penobscot watershed and down the East Branch of the Penobscot. Her book, Through Woods & Waters, recounts that journey to Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. For more information or to purchase the book, visit www. laurieachandler.com
are cows present and others its just a couple of angry bulls showing off to no one in particular. I have even captured some video of two bulls sparing. These bulls were not going at its full bore but more of a pushing match where they placed their antlers together and
shoved each other around for a while. Now to me it seems counter productive to be using all this valuable energy and calories for no reason right before winter. Those calories would be better served later for surviving the long grueling winter ahead. Maybe one day I will get to witness, this not so rare act of nature, firsthand. Until then, I will trust my eyes in the woods to let me know whats going on. Bud Utecht is a Register Maine Guide, sporting camp owner, Browning trail camera dealer, and consultant. His trail cameras are strategically placed throughout the Maine Woods. Feel free to email Bud for trail camera tips or to discuss what’s in your woods. bud@whatsinyourwoods.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 38
Basics Of Survival
Trashbags
it doesn’t leak but still be comfortable. It is not pretty but it will keep you dry and help maintain some body heat. The two major concerns for selecting trash bags are size and thickness of the plastic. Sizes are listed as gallons and measurements in inches. The first measurement is the width
trash bag is 61”x68”. If you are using them as a shelter, you should not get anything smaller than 55 gallon. Thickness is usually measured in Mil. which is one thousandth of an inch thick. Most kitchen trash bags and some of the larger bags are .9 mil. They are thick enough to
July 2022
With a good trashbag, even an untrained person can make a complete shelter in about 15 seconds.
plastic bags. There are dozens of uses for trashbags when you are in the field. You can put a small face hole in them and use it as a cocoon type shelter. You can use them to carry supplies or water, put them inside a backpack to waterproof gear or over your pack to waterproof the entire pack. Fill the bag with leaves, grass or evergreen boughs and you can make a com-
The pictures are a tube tent made from a trashbag, me in the tent to show the size, and the tube tent and a tarp shelter made from trash bags. use as a shelter, (Photos by Joe Frazier) but you need to be you faster than most any- inches from the thing else. You can survive sealed end tear a SMALL of the bag, the second is the careful because they tear several days without water, hole in the bag. Then put length. Kitchen size trash fairly easily and you can and a few weeks without the bag down over your bags are usually 13 gallon push your finger through it. food; but without shelter body and push your face and 24”x27”. A 55 gallon Heavy duty bags are usualyou can die in a matter of out through the hole. It bag is usually 38”x60”. ly 2.0 mil or 3.0 mil. They a couple hours. If you get should fit fairly tight so A 100 gallon commercial are contractor bags and are difficult to puncture. They also take up more room in a survival kit and are heavier weight. Another thickness measure is Micron. 1 mil is equal to 25.4 micron. So a kitchen trash bag is GUNS • HUNTING • FISHING • CAMPING about 22.8 micron. A 3.0 mil contractor bag would be 76.2 micron. Never buy scented bags or bags treated for Ruger • Savage • Browning pest control, only use plain
fortable mattress. Don’t seal the open end or it will pop like a balloon when you lay on it. If you cut across the bottom seal and up one side of the bag, you can open it into a flat sheet to use like a tarp. If you use a thicker bag (1.5 mil or thicker) you can use it as a ground cover and it should not puncture. Use it under a tent or for the floor of an improvised shelter. Tie rope to the corners and you can make a lean to type shelter to sleep under and stay dry. I used a .9 mil bag opened as a tarp shelter in September and left the (Trashbags cont. pg 41)
by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME The best definition of a Survival kit would be: Gear intended to keep you alive for 72 hours or less to give people time to find you. In my opinion, the single most important item to start with is a trash bag. Other than lack of oxygen, exposure will kill
caught in a cold rain you need shelter immediately. With a good trashbag, even an untrained person can make a complete shelter in about 15 seconds. Simply open the bag, and a couple
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July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Killing A Bull Moose
us, for the wind was blowing direct from us to him. Waiting a few seconds, I said, “For God’s sake, why don’t you shoot?” He then began to see what was wanted of him, and raised his heavy Winchester and
This, story, penned by an anonymous guide, took place on the East Branch of the Penobscot, near Trout Farm. It was published in the Maine Industrial Journal on October 29, 1886. The novice Massachusetts sportsman had shown up wearing leather pants, so the guide walked into the farm at Trout Brook, and found some pants, made for river-drivers, split at the bottom and tied up with tape-strings. “I found a pair large enough around, but the legs were too long—but on putting them on, I found that they could be turned up at the bottom. They proved to be the most comfortable suit that he had ever had but looked comical, being made of coarse wool and large colored checks of different colors. “After we had explored to our satisfaction and the time had arrived for the moose hunt, we started just before sunset down river, through a piece of deadwater where moose come to feed. We paddled noiselessly down, with a light breeze blowing the same way we were going, and after the sun had set, when rounding a turn in the river, I heard some large
animal splashing in the water below us. I paddled as fast as I could without making a noise, as I knew the animal must smell us, and as we came around the point a large bull moose with enormous antlers
stood head on in about three feet of water and about fifteen rods from us. I stopped paddling to give my sportsman a chance to shoot, but he never moved a muscle. I said to him,” Why don’t you shoot?” He neither spoke nor moved. I began to feel anxious, as I knew the moose could smell
fired. The moose turned and made tracks, and I was quick to see the situation, and we started after him at full speed, stopping, paddling, when my companion brought his rifle up top his shoulder, which occurred several times. The moose began to cough hard, and I knew a ball had gone through his lungs. I told my
Striper
and when the striper action is hot. There are many shops along the coast; too many to mention by name but the hub in southern Maine is Saco Bay Tackle Company (www.sacobaytackle.com) on Route 1 in Saco across from the water slide. Their website has a wide variety of updated fishing reports online.
Maine Guide and Outdoor Writer. His columns and features have been published nationwide for nearly 60 years. Inducted into NE Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019. He operates Orion Guide Service in Southern Maine and makes custom game calls at www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com
(Cont. from pg 28) hitting the popular spots around two hours before high tide and again either side of low tide. There are usually big stripers all along the beaches well after Labor Day. Search out the tackle shops for not only bait and gear but solid info on where
Page 39
Old Tales from the Maine Woods by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA
sportsman it was “all day” with the moose, and he stopped firing. The moose soon went ashore and I told my man we would listen to him awhile. He only went about a hundred feet from the bank of the river when we heard him lie down and grunt and groan with every
passed along into his body. After he had turned, two more shots had struck him forward of the hip and also entered the boy. The next day we busied ourselves in caring for the hide and head, and in slicing the meat to dry over the fire on poles. As soon as we were
I said to him,” Why don’t you shoot?” He neither spoke nor moved. I began to feel anxious, as I knew the moose could smell us, for the wind was blowing direct from us to him.
The moose turned and made tracks, and I was quick to see the situation, and we started after him at full speed, stopping, paddling, when my companion brought his rifle up top his shoulder, which occurred several times. (Illustration by Mark McCollough)
Stu Bristol is a Master
breath. He soon got up; we could see the bushes shake and shortly we heard him fall again and the groans stopped. We went and took a look at him, and my sportsman was as proud a man as I ever saw. “It was getting dark and we lighted our lantern and took out the moose’s entrails. On examining him we found that the first shot had entered his neck, near the shoulder and then
ready to move down-river, and on our way, paddled our canoe within a hundred feet of another moose standing in the river. This was a cow, and we told her to go ashore, which she did…. Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 26,000 Maine Woods articles to date.
ORONO
DOVER-FOXCROFT
AUBURN
NORTH WINDHAM
HAMPDEN
SCARBOROUGH
ELLSWORTH
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Old Tales of the Maine Woods Steve Pinkham Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller
617-407-0743
steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 40
Women In The Woods by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME
The Conclusion of My Moose Hunt
roads, looking for the bull. We walked and walked. his window down as we Thursday We didn’t find him, but we It was rainy and cold approached. A father, son knew where we would start when we headed out. The and grandson stood over our morning on Saturday. two bulls from the day be- a nice bull. “He was just fore had not been shot so standing in the middle of Saturday we planned to head back the clearing over there,” the We had 5 hours left to that area. We met a red father explained, pointing in our hunt. Wayne drove truck parked where we had to where we had watched down the edge of the cut seen the small spike bull. the bull go yesterday. We where we had been the We drove on to where we congratulated them and night before. I stared out the window to my right, It had been an emotional start for trying to will a moose to our 2021 Maine moose hunt. But we appear. The trees on the left pushed on and had three more days side of the road gave way before the season ended. Wayne was to a cut on both sides of the road. “BULL!” yelled determined to find us a moose Wayne, “BULL!” Dad and somewhere in Zone 2. I flung the doors open, loaded our rifles and took had seen the bigger bull. drove off. our positions. Dad was There was a cow in the behind the truck and I was clear-cut to our right. We Friday parked the truck and Pat The sun returned and in front, with Wayne. I don’t remember and I started walking into it was beautiful and cold. the woods. Dad and Wayne We decided that we would initially seeing the moose walked parallel to us in call the season over at 11 walking in the chopping. I the road. Moose sign was a.m. on Saturday. As we just remember him standeverywhere. But the moose hunted, we got a call that ing surrounded by sapwere not. another hunting party had lings everywhere. We shot We left and checked been successful. “There is and shot again. I watched multiple roads where we another bull with this one. through the scope as the had previously called and He won’t leave this one bull hunched from the imhunted. Silence. Occasion- alone and we had to chase pact of one of my bulally, we would find the him off,” came the call from lets. The bull wobbled and remains of a gut pile. After Kevin, another guide. We headed into the woods. a few hours, we returned took off – to help and to see Wayne took off across the to the original clear cut if we could track this bull chopping with me and Dad to find a truck parked on down. While Wayne helped following him. Looking the side of the road. Dread Kevin and his hunters, to find the spot where the swept over us. Pat rolled Dad and I walked the dirt moose entered the woods,
The author with her moose hunting buds, including her Dad. Wayne began to yell, then as happy and excited as we he was jumping up and were. We used my range down. Dad and I caught finder to figure out that our up with him. There, only a shot was 206 yards from few feet into a woods was the road to where we saw a magnificent bull moose. him hunch up. Dad and I We had done it! Emotions watched in amazement as ran high. It had been an Wayne, Ernie and Pat got incredible week and here to work gutting the moose we were, at 9:18 a.m. on and getting him out of the Saturday, we had our bull. woods. Within an hour, the There were hugs and smiles moose was loaded up and all around. we were heading back to Wayne radioed to Pat camp. We were all on cloud and fellow guide Ernie Spaulding. They were just (Hunt cont. pg 41)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Hunt
Page 41
the bag out along your back pocket. Trashbags Stretch Like all survival gear, the rope and flatten along
at Allagash Adventures! It is something Dad and I will (Cont. from pg 40) think about and talk about (Cont. from pg 38) nine as we got back to for years to come. shelter until March with camp and hung the bull no maintenance. Through moose up. We spent 5 days Erin is a member of all the snow, rain, wind hunting sun up to sun down the Professional Outdoor and everything that year and then it was over in a Media Association and the shelter held up fine and minute or less. It wasn’t the New England Outdoor stayed dry underneath. easy and the week had been Writers Association. She is You can also make a an emotional one but in the a senior writer for Drury tube tent by cutting open final hours of the season, Outdoors’ DeerCast. You the bottom of the bag and we had a chance at redemp- can read about Erin’s ad- running a rope through the tion and made it count! ventures and contact her at bag. Tie the ends of the We got the moose www.andastrongcupofcof- rope to trees about eight loaded up in the truck and fee.com feet apart and knee height. drove to Ashland to tag it. trepid little canoe floating Our 7.5 year old moose down the Little Manistee was the second largest and the grand Au Sable, moose tagged there; 986 (Cont. from pg 24) waters plied by no less a lbs dressed! On the hoof, (better). The canoes last pillar of trout fishing lore he was more than 1200 lbs. His rack measured 47 foray onto the waters of the than Robert Traver himself inches – perfect for a head great upper mid-west came (John Voelker -Voelker’s when it left Wisconsin for Pool). mount in my office. So now our little 15’ It was a memorable northern Michigan and historic waters of that state. friend has come full circle, 2021 Maine moose hunt with Wayne and all those Just last year found our in- our canoe has come back home to Maine. It will now get to spend its days floating on more fabled waters,
Canoe
the ground. Trashbags are not sterile, but they are much cleaner than the ground. You can use them to create a clean area for dressing game or performing first aid. For all their uses, trashbags are very cheap. Even the large 100 gallon size are less than $1 a bag. At the very least, fold up a couple and put them in
trashbags are cheap insurance you hope you never have to bet your life on. As with all your gear you should practice and become familiar with everything you carry. Your back yard or a campground is a great place to practice.
our waters, rivers who’s names fairly drip with woods lore; the Allagash, the Aroostook, the St.John, and the entire Fish River chain-the ponds of Deboulie, and more. The little canoe will get a fresh coat of paint and new decals to replace the originals, long since lost to bankside brush and tie-down straps. Some freshly varnished wood trim, new cane for
the seat…, I may even splurge and buy myself that ridiculously expensive, and unnecessary, paddle just for the occasion. Welcome home, old friend, welcome home.
Joe is a Husband, Father, Author and Marine. Joefrazier193@gmail.com
Mike Maynard lives in the woods of Perham, Maine. He’s an over-thehill canoe junky, and can be reached at perhamtrout@ gmail.com
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Page 42
Maine Outdoor Adventure
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME
Spending lots of time in Maine’s north woods lends itself to observing of the seasons, landscape, and its inhabitants. Every year brings life-enriching experiences to see wildlife behavior in the beautiful, big north woods. It also brings peace of mind, centering oneself, to put things
ing nectar from thistle. One important benefit I’ve discovered over these many years and come to most appreciate,” The spice of life is diversity in all living things...” In the spring of the year, we anxiously wait for roads to open and become stable to ride on. Getting up
On Safari!
utmost respect and consideration must be practiced if I am going to continue using this land. Certainly, leaving no trace or even picking up one is always a good thing. Thankfully, big woods activity by sportsmen and others has historically been one of good etiquette. Some Maine landowners such as Prentiss and Carlisle, Acadian Timber Co., Nature Conservancy, and others, have certainly been and continue
July 2022
things to keep in mind. Traveling on the shale, gravel roads in the north country can certainly be dicey! You just bought that new suv or truck, and now can’t wait to get on those dirt roads. A common mistake are those passenger tires that came with your vehicle are adequate for city streets and highways
Lastly, as you pass through land management gates to pay for your permit, don’t forget to thank them for access! As always, remember to take a young person hunting or fishing to keep our outdoor heritage alive and well! In addition, please support your local tackle shops and small
but not for north woods roads. A good rule of thumb is equipping your vehicle with 10 ply tires and a spare or two! Bring your food, water, first aid, tools, and GPS communication. Emergencies can become real very quickly, so being prepared is essential. When I travel up north, I typically carry camping gear to be prepared to stay the night. In general, if you break down, it’s always a good idea to stay with your vehicle, so being prepared is essential. Laying out a travel route beforehand and sharing it with others is always a good idea.
businesses! For more information about the Maine outdoors, please contact Rich at: Call: 207-907-9151
Exploring Maine’s frontier is certainly a privilege as over 90% of all Maine lands are private. I like to stay mindful that I’m only guests, and the utmost respect and consideration must be practiced if I am going to continue using this land. in perspective. It allows us time to acknowledge and appreciate what’s valuable and important in life. So, every year that goes by, I spend a fair amount of time trending animal sightings, fishing, hunting success, and failures. The time spent, teaches and inspires me to be a more, effective Maine guide. The overland adventures are extremely exciting most times, but never disappoint to be just surrounded by nature itself! There is so much excitement to be found in... like calling in a moose or spotting a single butterfly, eat-
at o – dark thirty is not too difficult, especially after guiding turkey hunts all spring! The time of renewal is certainly a special time in the north woods. Special moments like seeing a baby moose with mamma, or a vixen with her kits under a riverbank can be spectacular. The companionship of enjoying adventures with friends and family can also add to making memories even more unforgettable! Exploring Maine’s frontier is certainly a privilege as over 90% of all Maine lands are private. I like to stay mindful that I’m only guests, and the
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to be, generous to all. A big thank you to these folks and all other private landowners who generously offer open access to their land. It is certainly easy to forget and take for granted the access we have to the big north woods. To realize the privilege, all you really need to do is to go throughout New England. As you venture out, you will soon discover gates, regulations, and posted land. Instilling in our children the respect for themselves, others, and their surroundings will certainly help ensure these privileges, will continue to be enjoyed by all. Before you venture out up north, here are some
Rich is a Registered Master Maine Master Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford. He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and recreation adventures.
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Summer On the Allagash
Northwoods Voyager
Page 43
by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME
Canoeing the Allagash in mid to late summer is usually great time of year for it. The weather is more dependable than at any other season. When I was asked, it is the time I most recommended for a group of friends or a family trip. The bugs, though never completely absent, are less of a problem. Those pesky black flies are mostly all gone and only mosquitoes are mostly around in the evening, when the folks are likely sitting around the campfire where smoke keeps them sort of under control. Unfortunately, in Maine the weather doesn’t always behave the way it is expected to behave and this causes some problems. I remember a mid-summer trip Dot and I took with my sister, her husband and some of his relatives, all of which lived in Alabama. We ran into more thunder storms on that trip than I have ever encountered on any trip. We went ashore on several occasions on several days when passing storms threatened us on the water. This happened frequently on that trip! It was wet and damp all of the time and care had to be taken in the campsites to keep everything dry. Everyone did, however manage to stay in
good spirits and by having the correct equipment, which I had made sure they did, we were comfortable. Inevitably, after the camp was all set up bottles came out and everyone enjoyed an evening drink around the campfire. I never drank on my guided trips, but this was a family trip with shared expenses so I felt free to partake. The trouble was the evening after setting up camp was when I had to prepare the evening meal, so I had to be careful not to partake too much. It is remarkable how those folks remembered that trip. They recalled the good times and the problems were mostly forgotten. Summer water levels are dependent on the rainfall that particular summer. Normally it is optimal and there are no problems. But, low water can happen and when it does it frequently requires changes in plans. However, if you have a long-planned Allagash trip scheduled I urge you to consider doing things to cope with the low water instead of canceling the whole thing. Here’s why I say that: A long time ago, soon after I got out of the service I think it was, my father and I planned an Allagash trip for the coming summer. When it was time to
get going with putting our trip together we learned of the low water caused by the dry summer. We decided to take the trip another year. We never got to take that trip. My father, died and I have always regretted our not going.
managed to catch a few trout. So, it can be done. Summer is usually the time of heaviest use on the Waterway so campsites are sometimes filled up at the end of the day. I overcame this problem by getting folks out of the tents early in the morning, getting under way, and then camping early in the afternoon. I usually got the campsite I wanted and after a day of so of this routine my guests usually remarked what a good system this was. They
Summer water levels are dependent on the rainfall that particular summer. Normally it is optimal and there are no problems. But, low water can happen and when it does it frequently requires changes in plans.
We could have just coped with the problems as they arose and would have had a memorable trip I am sure. Now I will never have that memory. If fishing is on your mind, summer is not the ideal time for it on the river. People who know me would tell you that I am not much of a fisherman. However, I have fished for trout and I do listen to people who are knowledgeable about the area. It comes in handy at times. On a guided trip with a group of men there were several who wanted to catch some trout. I told them up front the situation, but that I would do my best to put them where they would at least have a shot at some brook trout. I made sure we camped in areas where cold feeder streams entered the river and sure enough, they
had the whole afternoon to relax, swim, fish or explore the area. If you need help selecting the supplies and equipment to take along I suggest you check out my book, The Allagash Guide,
where you will find lists of equipment, food and supplies you might need. It is available from the publisher through my website, GilGilpatrick.com, from Amazon.com, and probably many others. Enjoy the rest of the summer folks!
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
Page 44
Northwoods Sporting Journal
HALIBUT TOM
July 2022
(Illustration by V. Paul Reynolds)
By: Robert C. Spearin
On the Isle of Matinicus, out in the sea, Was a village as pretty as pretty can be. Rows of white houses stood all up and down The streets of this quaint little picturesque town. And the third house on Tea street behind the town hall Is the one that’s remembered by one and by all. It’s a place they all talk about right to this day. It’s just about famous I guess you could say. In fact it’s gol’darn near sacred and used to belong To a fearless old fisherman-Halibut Tom. You’re prob’ly wondering how he got that strange name And thinking once more how he came to such fame. Well, Tom liked to fish; he was out there each day; Even rain, sleet or snow couldn’t keep him away. He’d catch cod fish and pollock, a haddock or two And he always used hand lines, nothing fancy or new. But one day was different as he sat in the bay. Not a bite, so he thought that he’d call it a day. So hand over hand the line was pulled up to go, When there came a great tug from way down there below. A mighty old pull from the depths of the sea The likes of which Tom thought there never could be. It pulled the line from his hands, almost took the whole rig And Tom knew right then that this fish was big. Yes, a monster it was-no doubt about that! So he bit on his pipe and pulled down on his hat, And bracing himself, he gave a pull of his own. He would show this big fish what it never’d been shown! He pulled and he yanked with all of his might But whatever was down there had plenty of fight. Like a rock it just stayed there ‘til it took off due East. He couldn’t believe the brute strength of his beast! Like a speedboat Tom’s skiff whizzed around in the bay. How he ever stayed in it I just couldn’t say. Out towards the buoys, then back towards the town, The monster pulled Tom’s little boat ‘round and ‘round! And back on the docks people watched the whole thing. Once he swung by so close that they heard his line sing. And they heard old Tom holler to the fish in the sea, “This is one fight you’ll lose ‘cause yer fightin’ with me!” And folks in the village, back there on the shore, Said this fight prob’ly went on over an hour or more ‘Til the big fish just surfaced and rolled on its side, Took a giant last breath and laid there and died. Well, Tom was exhausted and fell to the floor. He’d never seen anything quite like this before. It looked like a halibut but what’s even more, It was darned near as a good as a good sized barn door! Not a soul back on shore could believe their own eyes As Tom slowly dragged back his big hard-fought prize. When he got to the wharf it was hoisted up high For all to inspect as they slowly passed by. There was lots of back-slapping and shaking Tom’s hand While he stood by his trophy back there on dry land. As the cameras were snapping a legend was born. He’d forever be known as old Halibut Tom. So time passed on slowly, a good ten years I’m sure And Tom was still fishing (a bit less than more!) He’d taken to sitting on quiet summer days
In the flowers on the hill overlooking the bay. But one day was different as he sat looking down On the boats and the lobster crates bobbing around. The day had been sunny, a stray cloud or two. The winds had been calm. The sky had been blue. And he looked at the boats further out in the bay Where some kids in a dory had been fishing all day. He thought how these boys must be having great fun When dark clouds rolled in covered the sun.
He barked to the boys with a heart-felt command. “I’m tired of swimmin’ and floatin’ around Let’s get this here boat and us back home to town!”
Then it got deathly quiet; the sky turned all gray. And out of the East, heading straight towards their way, Came a wall of black clouds pouring rain and hail out, Churning up the dark seas with considerable clout.
So away they all sped trying to outrun the wind When the thunder and lightning began to rescind And as quick as it came the storm blew right on by, Leaving nothing but clouds in the bright summer sky.
It looked pretty bad and the going got rough. And to make matters worse, if they weren’t bad enough, A water spout showed up there over the scene, The likes of which Tom knew he never had seen.
When they jumped off the boat the boys cried out their tale Of the fierce winds and waves of that terrible gale, Of how they’d have perished and how they’d be gone If it weren’t for the bravery of Halibut Tom.
It was ninety feet tall and thirty feet wide And the boys in the Dory had no place to hide. It grabbed up their boat, tossed ‘em high in the air And they all might have died in the ocean right there!
The crowd that had gathered there nearly went wild. They roared and they cheered, some cried and some smiled. But it didn’t surprise them, they knew of Tom’s ways, That he’d fight to the end of his last dying days. So, with him high on their shoulders, they marched him around The streets of their quaint little picturesque town. And folks at their windows who’d rushed out to peek Saw the crowd and their hero pass down through the street.
‘Cept Tom saw the whole thing up high on the hill And he ran best he could and kept running until He reached a big lobster boat tied at the wharf. Then he threw off the ropes, fired it up and took off. He gave her full throttle and she warmed to the task. There was little time left if the boys were to last. So out through the harbor, right into the storm, Through the teeth of the gale roared old Halibut Tom! The waves and the troughs looked ‘bout fourteen feet high. Didn’t matter ‘cause Tom had a license to fly! He was there in two minutes, at the most maybe four. Then he stalled out the boat, reaching down for the floor. As the hail slapped his face he raised a fist to the sky And he bellowed out loud, “No one here’s gonna die!” He looked out at the storm in the raging black sea, “This is one fight you’ll lose ‘cause yer fightin’ with me.” Then he threw out the jackets, saved one and then two But the third one slipped under, his face a bit blue. There was no time to lose so he made up his mind And jumped over the side with a jacket and line. The preserver was tied in a second or two And the boys on the boat knew just what they should do. They pulled their poor friend up the side of the boat Then they grabbed up a jacket and threw it back out. But when the line hit the waves Tom was nowhere around His boots filled with water and sent him on down, Down through the depths to the dark ocean floor, And the boys on the boat thought they’d lost him for sure. A minute or so passed on wickedly by And the kids in their sorrow had started to cry. They looked all around then they looked to the south And up popped old Tom, pipe clenched in his mouth! Seems he tore off his boots maybe fifty feet down And thanked his dear Bod that his lungs were still sound. Yes, God was there with him in this moment of need And thanked him right back for doing his good deed! “Well, what are yer lookin’ at? Give me a hand!”
The excitement went on for two or three days. Then the island knew Tom must return to his way. He cared not for glory and the town had one wish, That he got what he wanted-left alone to just fish. So time passed again, a good twelve years, I guess, And Tom got to thinking he needed a rest. So he hobbled up his hill on a crisp autumn day And he sat in the flowers just watching the bay. But this day was different-thoughts came to his mind And he knew he was reaching the end of the line. He thought of the giant he’d caught years ago And he smiled as he thought how he’d watched those boys grow. Then he spoke to the Lord in the skies there so blue, “This is one fight I’ll lose ‘cause I’m fightin’ with you.” So he just closed his eyes and that was the end. God sent down an angel to get his old friend. The folks on the island knew just what to do And, sweatin’ and workin’ for a good day or two, They hauled a big boulder up high to Tom’s hill With a plaque on its side-it’s standing there still. The plaque told the story of the town’s favorite son. It told of his strength and the good things he’d done. But it couldn’t tell how they were sad and forlorn Or how much they missed their old Halibut Tom. Now folks from away, Massachusetts and such, See the rock on the hill and they gawk and they touch. They look at the words but they can’t understand How this man had the soul of this town in his hands. So the rock and the memories are all that remain And Matinicus never will be quite the same. The flowers grow straight and the flowers grow tall As if guarding the man loved by one and by all.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Page 45
New Species of Trout?
Do we have an undiscovered species of trout in Maine? That is the question, and has been for a long time. Actually, it goes back to a gentleman who lived in Aurora, Maine. His name was Al Martin. Originally from England, Al moved here way,
hand, that he wrote at least two books on the subject. One was titled “True Maine Woodland Stories” and one was about feeding birds at the feeder and by hand. Knowing Al, as I did, he once told me that a new species of trout existed in a
Fishery biologists were notified, but shrugged off the find as being nothing but a victim of habitat, that occurs often in nature, depending on the environment where it spent its life.
haste while it was freshly taken. He told me later on, the fish was caught in the outlet stream and did not come from the Green Pond. He was there to fish the pool beside the road, to possibly catch a few brook trout that day.
small pond and outlet, just north of his residence in Aurora. That site is known as Green Pond. He related to me on one of my enjoyable visits with him, that he had caught a strange appearing specimen of trout in a tiny outlet just northwest of his home. He said he was fishing worms at the time. H e w a s s o o v e rwhelmed by the experience, that he kept the fish and sped home, where he painted the sample post
way back about the 1950s or 60s. Mr. Martin was a naturalist, taxidermist, artist, and a collector of cocoons of moths and butterflies. He had shelves full of these cocoons he had collected and saved in a host of jars, as he waited for the adult of the species to emerge. He was also an ardent feeder of birds, and he had an array of bird houses in his yard. Actually, he was so well versed on bird feeding, even by
Being a skilled artist, Mr. Martin did an oil painting of the fish, and also made a drawing of the specimen for eternity. Fishery biologists were notified, but shrugged off the find as being nothing but a victim of habitat, that occurs often in nature, depending on the environment where it spent its life. As far as Mr. Martin ever knew, before he was killed in an auto accident many years ago, no investigation ever resulted from
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“Just Fishing” by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME his discovery. This writer has spoken to fisheries biologists over the years, and that too got nowhere. That is, until lately! Recently, I spoke to Regional Downeast Fisheries Biologist, Greg Burr, regarding the subject, and also sent him a photo of the specimen Al had taken. Greg seemed somewhat interested, and promised to actually “net” the location where the “so-called find” was discovered. It is possible, of course, that this could be a freak of nature, like perhaps black hares, white (albino) deer, and many other animal species. Could---or does it happen---with fish? Biologist Greg Burr “reluctantly” admits, but had doubt, that a new species of trout exists, but let’s go see and put this irregularity, so called, to rest, he assured.
Al Martin named his discovery The Corning Trout after his friend and often visitor, the former mayor of New York City for several years, Mayor Corning. Read more about Al Martin in my book, “Salesman Angler” by Bob Leeman. 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 “Fly Fishing Maine Rivers, Brooks and Streams”, “Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon”, and “Salesman Angler” –are all available, in soft cover only, at several bookstores and fly shops, or directly from him. For information, see ad in this publication or call 207-573-1468.
Page 46
On The Prowl
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Decoying Predators
for coyotes and bobcats. Using decoys while hunting coyotes and bobFiguratively speak- for decoys. Under certain cats takes a little discipline. ing, many animals will test circumstances decoys can You can not simply walk the waters to get their next be a pain in the butt. Using into any woods, place a meal like when a black decoys can be so worth decoy, sit down fifty yards bear slowly creeps into a the extra effort when an away and expect an instant hunters bait site. Not much animal like a black bear kill. It obviously doesn’t different for a coyote or comes in to take a look. happen like that in the real a bobcat sneaking into an This happened to me once world. Plus it helps to add animal carcass strategically while turkey hunting. A more realism by matching bush spot needs to be miniplaced by a hunter. Some large black bear came into distress calls and sounds mally fifty yards away animals don’t struggle at my set-up walking by me, mimicking that exact decoy downwind of the decoys where you can see several The ideal type of predator decoying set-up starts hundred yards away in all with confirming the animals your after live in the woods directions. The approachyou are hunting. Secondly, an unobtrusive approach to the ing predators will most area you are hunting is vitally important even if it means likely show up downwind of where you are calling you hike two miles. and decoying. The idea is all to obtain sustenance, while in my blind, only you are using. like many humans. You can fifteen yards away. Decoys The ideal type of to get the predator to sneak only imagine what must be increase a predator hunter’s predator decoying set-up in between you and the going through a predators odds of shooting a preda- starts with confirming the decoys putting the predator mind, like that of a black tory animal ten fold when animals your after live in downwind of the decoys bear, coyote, bobcat or a used properly. So really the woods you are hunting. and not you. On a fifth and fox, when they spot a cou- you need to ask yourself if Secondly, an unobtrusive final note, have yourself ple turkey standing still in you can handle a few extra approach to the area you sitting in a ready position the middle of a clearing or pounds in your hunting are hunting is vitally im- with your rifle or shotgun a whitetail deer fawn stand- pack. Heck! You can pur- portant even if it means pointing towards the decoy ing all alone. They clearly chase inflatable decoys that you hike two miles. You set. A coyote or bobcat see what seems to be an conveniently deflate and want to be successful don’t will be stalking the decoys easy meal. Unbeknownst fold up small enough to fit you? Thirdly, the area you making it difficult for you to them, those decoys are in a big cargo pants pocket. choose to place your de- to spot them early enough fake. I own a couple inflatable coys must have ample to get all situated for a shot. There are several Not all hunters want turkey decoys that look visibility for you and the types of decoys you can the extra gear to carry or so real they fake out those predators. Study the surbe annoyed with the task of older turkey gobblers. They roundings carefully mak- use for hunting predators. figuring out the best set-up will work equally as good ing sure no low growing You can keep it simple vegetation like grasses are and cheap by using your going to obscure the vision turkey decoys in the shed. of an approaching predator. Use clucks, purrs and the The ground needs to be soft sweet three or four yelps to sound like feeding semi open and cleared. Fourthly, your am- hens. Use a stick and make
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scratching sounds on the ground in addition to the turkey feeding calls and be ready for an approaching coyote or bobcat. I’ve had bobcats come sneaking in real close to my turkey decoying set-ups several times through the years. Just this year while turkey hunting a large bobcat showed up stalking my decoys. I had clucked, purred and yelped about ten minutes prior to spotting this large bobcat. I got it all on video too! I can prove it happened! A Registered Maine Guide I know from my area once had a coyote sneak in from behind him stalking his turkey decoys set-up out on the edge of the field he was hunting. The coyote actually bit at his arm when he startled it after moving to see what was coming in from behind him. So decoying predators does work – especially when adding matching calls for more realism. Justin has over 30,000 acres to hunt on and has over 25 years of hunting experience. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the owner of the YouTube channel, “SPIKES and GILLS”. You can learn more by visiting: www.wildmaineoutdoors. com
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Page 48
Kineo Currents
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Seizing the St. John River
of people whose lives are or have intersected at various times, in various ways, by Suzanne AuClair, with careers in Maine. BeRockwood, ME ing on the river with people An old Irishman likes ary Maine Guide Award for bringing wide knowledge, to goad a decision by say- good reason. She lived 10 stories, and good humor to ing, “My God man, what’re years in the Yukon bush, each day and night is no saving yourself for!?” before bringing that experi- small thing. It made a very That about sums up why ence back to her home state fun, informative, unforgetI dropped out of civiliza- of Maine. This trip was table journey! There is a short wintion and decided to canoe led by Kevin, also a Masthe St. John River for a ter Maine Guide, backed dow of opportunity to caweek. At nigh on 64 years by a lifetime of living, noe the St. John, which of age, the youthful dream canoeing, and dog team- after the spring freshet we had it all. Thunder, of feeling nine feet tall and lightning, black clouds, invincible, with plenty of There is a short window of opportunity brilliant nights, gale winds, time ahead, is now temto canoe the St. John, which after the white caps, and fierce sun. pered by the experience spring freshet otherwise runs rocky There was still a stretch of of time and arrives at only rotten ice sitting along one and too low to navigate. one conclusion: it makes no of the banks. The list of sense whatsoever to save ing remote territory. Both otherwise runs rocky and personal gear Mahoosuc your personal passion for have extensive, respectful, too low to navigate. Kevin recommended was spot another day. experience with the Cree in watched the water levels on. I wondered whether to To that end, I hired northern Quebec. carefully; they changed pack a bulky wool jacket Mahoosuc Guide Service Two other guides, pol- markedly every day, de- and pants. Glad I did not to help me be on the St. ing expert Jean Gerber and pending largely on whether short shrift. John, the most remote river master boat builder Pat or not it rained. He made The river set the left in Maine. With ginger Dole, joined Kevin to lead adjustments accordingly. mother course. She really hips and no whitewater a small group of us through The forecast had been for provided everything. Day experience, it was the right the trip. Almost equally one day of rain, the re- One the water was low, choice. Kevin Slater and important these days is who mainder warm and sunny. the riverbed rock infested Polly Mahoney, each mas- you end up making a mem- In fact, we ended up with from bank to bank. With ters of the outdoors in their ory with. I had no idea who torrential rains, cloudy, loaded canoes, it was a own right, together form an would be on this trip, but cool days, and cold nights, challenge to find a clear outstanding trip. This year was pleasantly surprised which in the end worked channel, even for the most Polly received the Legend- to find a dynamic cluster in our favor. In the end, experienced. We ended
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up getting out and dragging for parts of it. Day Two was overcast, cool, with intermittent showers. But there was time to see. The river was lined with a funnel of cedar, fir, and pine that butted up close to the boulder scattered water. The trees smelled fresh and blew away the cobwebs of my computer daze. Day Three blew a hard, frigid wind; it was a difficult push through white caps. At times I thought we were standing still, not falling back, but not gaining either. The only way I knew for certain that we were moving was by checking the shoreline to see if we were in the same place. We were not. By mid-afternoon Kevin thought we ought to make camp, wait out the wind for the rapids that were just ahead in the morning. By Day Four the wind subsided and the water opened into to a very wide, shallow ribbon of river that meandered under expansive milky blue sky and the pale green of newly budding birch and poplar, a completely different experience. Kevin was a wonder. He assessed each day, took each on its own terms. Even though he has been (River cont. pg 54)
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
A Grouse Nest
One afternoon in early May my husband Ken went down to get the mail. Our mailbox is at the end of our long driveway next to the road. He was surprised when a Ruffed Grouse took flight from the ground.
leave so she would not abandon the nest. It was amazing how she would remain in the nest even when we drove by in our car or truck. Ruffed Grouse are known to not flush off a nest until an intruder nearly steps on her. This hen’s plumage was a n e ff e c t i v e camouflage and we had to strain our eyes to find her. We kept our distance when we drove past or The nest with eggs. walked past. Every time we She had been in her nest at saw her, we breathed a sigh the base of a tree near the of relief. A typical clutch edge of the driveway. Ken could be up to fifteen eggs. saw two eggs. He went We decided that she probup to the house and came ably could have laid that back down and there were number of eggs and then three eggs! A female/hen started incubation which Ruffed Grouse had made a could last 21-24 days. I am writing this arbowl shaped scrape on the ground at the base of a tree. ticle in mid May and so It was lined with leaves I do not know if this nest and pine needles. The three was successful. But I will eggs were white and beige update in my next article. colored. She was agitated, All Ruffed Grouse chicks but stayed nearby. are precocial and leave Ken knew he had to the nest immediately and
follow their mother into the woods. There they eat insects, seeds, succulent leaves and berries. The chicks will grow rapidly and will fly in only 12 days. At five weeks of age their juvenile plumage is complete and they will stay with their mother until mid September or early October. Then they dispersed and some will stay in the
Page 49
The Bird Perch
by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME Grouse is standing atop a preferred downed log and “drumming” in about four minute intervals. This sound is caused by air rushing in to fill the void created by his rapidly moving wings. He is advertising his location to breed any
And during the winter I have seen fewer grouse around here atop trees eating dormant aspen, birch, apple and maple tree buds. The success of the nest at the end of my driveway and maybe of other nests in the area should help increase
Ken knew he had to leave so she would not abandon the nest. It was amazing how she would remain in the nest even when we drove by in our car or truck. Ruffed Grouse are known to not flush off a nest until an intruder nearly steps on her. general area where they were reared. I hope during the next months as I walk in my woods that I will see them. The male ruffed Grouse does not assist in incubation or brood rearing. Every spring within my 74 acres I hopefully hear a very low “thumpthump-thump” followed by much more rapid thumping. This begins in late March where I live in Cooper. It is a welcome sign of spring. The male Ruffed
willing females. The drumming intervals will shorten if a hen arrives to copulate with him. Drumming establishes a male’s territory which he will defend for life. After breeding, the hen finds a suitable nest site not too far away. I often go outside about an hour before dawn to hopefully hear drumming in my woods. Over the past few years it seems to be done less frequently and by only one or two males.
their population. K e n a n d K a re n Holmes are Maine woodland owners. They enjoy seeing how their woods in Cooper,Maine are a habitat for animals and plant life. Karen is a retired educator and a volunteer naturalist who shares her love of nature with many people and organizations in DownEast Maine. She really enjoys writing for publications about birds and local history.
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Page 50
Vermont Ramblings
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
July is Time for Stripers
by Dennis Jensen, Vermont July is the month of decisions. What to do? There are big smallmouth bass waiting along the Connecticut River. Just down the road, Lake Bomoseen calls, with some of the finest largemouth fishing anywhere in Vermont. But the
of little action? Over the past five years or so, with the three boys along for the fishing, we have focused on early-morning hours instead of the long tradition of night fishing. But here is the thing: As my three sons love the
Then, one early morning, out on the beach with the boys maybe five years ago, we had spectacular success. I remember the morning well. It was just before low tide about an hour into daylight with thick fog cover. king of all fish awaits in a place some five hours away. Yes, we will be in Maine for seven days in the middle of the month and there will be time on the beach at Ocean Park. Will the stripers be there this summer or will we face another seven days
night life and will sometimes roll into the beach house in the early morning hours, a decision must be made: Do we fish at midnight without the boys or do we hang around and wait until the night owls can get their stuff together for a morning of fishing? In
The author releases a good striped bass into the surf at Ocean Park, Maine. (Photo by Kathy Jensen) this case, love trumps my selfish desires. I know. You could say that, hey, if you guys aren’t ready to join me, I’ll just set out and go it alone. Nah. I want to fish with the boys because July is the only time we can all get out together. So, I fish like
a father, not a loner. We have had many memorable mornings on the beach in Maine. For a few years, I was in contact with a fellow Vermonter who also set out for Old Orchard Beach to fish for stripers. We never could find a mutual time to fish
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together so I know of Carl only from a series of emails. Then, one early morning, out on the beach with the boys maybe five years ago, we had spectacular success. I remember the morning well. It was just before low tide about an hour into daylight with thick fog cover. We had two surf rods out, with large chunks of clam for bait. Matt caught a keeper and Mike caught an even bigger fish. Dan, the oldest, arrived on the beach a bit later and took control of one of the rods. About 15 minutes later, Dan’s surf rod bent wildly. He quickly seized the rod, set the hook and the fight was on. It was a big bass, taking the drag out constantly. Dan fought the striper well and, after a long fight, brought the fish to shore. It measured 38 inches in length. There were congratulations all around because, believe it or not, that was the biggest fish I ever (Stripers cont pg 54)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Page 51
Fly Fishing in the Dark
While I don’t have a ton of experience fly fishing the dark, what time I have spent casting blind has been productive. If you normally pack things in after the sun goes down, you may be missing the very best time to fish – es-
Hex Hatch – Hexagenia Limbata – Ephemera Whatever you call it, you know it when you see it. For the day-time angler, this hatch is short lived and everyone wants to know when it happens and where to be… at the right spot at
That’s right, through most of July, where the waters stay relatively cool, almost every night, there will be a late Hex hatch. Some anglers won’t even hit the water until and hour or two AFTER sunset, and just fish on through the night.
After dark, you are almost guaranteed to see less pressure on the water from other anglers and those big, burly, slob trout that have been sulking in the deep all day, cozying up to a spring hole now come alive and start to rise. pecially as the days heat up in July. At Grand Lake Stream, it’s common knowledge that fishing the dam pool after dark and late into the night can be gang busters. Something white that looks like a smelt will do the trick – stripping a black ghost or something with white maribou is a good place to start. The Salmon get hungry, feisty and bold the darker it gets. The Green Drake/
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the right time. However; there is a little-known secret I have learned from those fly-fishing bums who are lucky enough to devote the bulk of their time chasing trout and salmon in the remote regions of Maine. Long after the daytime Hex hatches have receded – the night hatch gets going.
After dark, you are almost guaranteed to see less pressure on the water from other anglers and those big, burly, slob trout that have been sulking in the deep all day, cozying up to a spring hole now come alive and start to rise. Fishing in the dark takes patience as our most
Post-Script From Pocasset by Josh Reynolds, Wayne, ME important sense – sight, is made inoperative. A transformation happens once you relax and take a moment. Your sense of hearing takes over as well as the feel of the rod and line. It’s sublime, you will hear and feel things on the water you never have before. You will hear the sound of fish plopping and slurping at the surface, the line shooting through the rod guides. The rod feels different in your hands, you become acutely aware of the loading and unloading of the rod as you extend your casts. If I piqued your inter-
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est, grab a headlamp and go back to a favorite place you are familiar with sometime over the next couple of weeks. Be patient and wait until all the light has faded from the western sky – allows your senses to adjust and before you know it, that late night hex hatch will hit and you will be hooked. Josh Reynolds is the Assistant Editor of The Journal. He can be reached at jreyn207@gmail.com
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Page 52
Cracker Barrel
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Homer Spit While Wife was on the phone talking fishing yesterday morning with a friend from a Massachusetts suburb, his wife was heard yelling in the background, “Tom, Tom, there’s big bear on the deck knocking things over!” So the conversation was cut short. As it turned out, nobody got hurt. We heard later that some loud yelling and an air rifle discharge scared the bear
off. Some bird feeders and other backyard accessories took a heavy hit, however. This same week, a New Jersey woman was mauled by a 200-lb black bear in Sussex County. She survived. The bear had to be euthanized, which is standard practice by wildlife biologists when a bear has a close and dangerous encounter with a human. In some states, especially Massachusetts and
New Jersey, bear numbers are increasingly exponentially, so bear human conflicts are likely to increase. Sooner or later, more serious encounters are likely as bear populations burgeon and bears become increasingly conditioned to humans. According to New Jersey wildlife officials, the bear population in Sussex County has increased nearly 70 percent in one
July 2022
Brimful of Black Bears
year! Residents there said that the “bear population has exploded since the state ended the annual bear hunt.” Predictably, in New Jersey wildlife officials once again tell us in one breath not to worry, that bear assaults on people are “exceedingly rare” and in the other breath that any direct encounter “with such a huge and powerful animal can be fatal.” Bear numbers in Massachusetts are also exploding with bear complaints increasing in suburban areas of the state. The Bay State does have a limited open season on black bears, but the baiting of bears was banned a few years ago. As was explained numerous times during Maine’s two bear referendums, which sought to end bear baiting, hunting black bears in fir swamps and conifer
thickets without bait sites is a losing proposition. If you are going to ban bear baiting you might as well shut down bear hunts and be done with it. So ostensibly, New Jersey and Massachusetts invited booming bear numbers when it closed down bear hunting altogether or banned the hunting of bears over bait. Inasmuch as most wildlife biologists consider recreational hunting as a first line population- control agent, it is curious that in two different news stories this week on bear problems in Massachusetts and New Jersey, there was not one mention of this as a causal factor in the bear density problem.
Homer Spit lives on a lake in Maine and likes to keep a low profile.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
July on the Winooski
I am standing in the Winooski River upstream from the railroad trestle between Jonesville and Duxbury. I’m not giving anything away here. Everyone knows about this spot. What most people haven’t experienced is the thundering of the rapids and the remarkable hatches as dusk sets in. Against a royal purple and sage colored sky, I see a hatch of yellow drakes busting through the surface. I watch them rising toward the darkening sky, illuminated by the remaining light above the old trestle. I can hear the plop, plop…..plop, of fish rising. I can distinguish the sound of the river splashing against a big boulder just upstream from the pool. The plopping sounds build in intensity. Soon, everywhere I look, there are flashes of silver against the blackened water. I raise my old LL Bean rod and begin a long series of false casts building speed and playing out the five-weight floating line. On my final cast, I hear the line rocket out into the darkness. I cannot see the fly, nor can I see the rise, but I hear a voracious gulp. For a moment I am not sure if he has hit my imitation, or if he has chosen a true live drake, but before I can figure it out, my reel begins to spin. The rod tip bends forcefully, and the spool begins
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a high-pitched whine. I can feel the powerful tug on the rod and bow to him, letting him have all the line he wants. I cross my left hand under the spool and gently palm it. When I have been able to retrieve about 20 yards of line, my rod bends again in a powerfully tense arc. He is now very near. I reach behind my head to grab the net between my
rent to increase his speed. Then in one swift and powerful about face, turns back into the fastest current just below the boulder. My line goes limp and my heart sinks. Fortunately, in fishing, especially fly fishing, the heartache dissipates and the appreciation for the formidable fight of a magnificent late night Winooski rainbow will remain
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Green Mountain Report
by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT love of hunting that began during childhood as a driver of their commitment to conservation. “I look forward to growing, preserving and protecting all the outdoor benefits the State of Vermont offers,”
On my final cast, I hear the line rocket out into the darkness. I cannot see the fly, nor can I see the rise, but I hear a voracious gulp. shoulder blades. It is in that moment that I realize my mistake. He feels the pressure of the rod trying to lift him above the surface and turns abruptly to sprint away from the unseen danger. The reel begins to whine again. As if struck by lightning, he jumps high out of the water, twisting his body, and even in the darkness, I catch a flash of silver as he dives once again. This time he runs downstream using the cur-
in my memory for the rest of my life. Governor Phil Scott has appointed Nicholas Burnham of Hartland, Neal Hogan of Bennington, and Robert Patterson of Lincoln to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board. Burnham, Hogan, and Patterson are passionate about Vermont’s outdoors, participating in activities ranging from backcountry skiing to mentoring new hunters. All three cite a
said Burnham. “Each of our new board members brings a lifetime of experience to this work,” said Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife Christopher Herrick. “They appreciate Vermont’s fish, wildlife and habitats through their perspectives as hunters and anglers—and also as hikers, educators and stewards.” In addition to the three new board members, the Governor has also appointed current board
member Brad Ferland of Hardwick as the new board chair. Vermont’s muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit applications are now available online at the VT F&W website and from license agents. A link to the information and online applications is on the home page. The F&W Board met on May 18 and set antlerless deer permit numbers for the fall deer hunting seasons. Hunting for antlerless deer will be allowed statewide during the archery season. One deer of either sex will be allowed during the October 22-23 youth and novice weekend hunt. The muzzleloader seasons on October 27-30 and December 3-11 will have antlerless permits available for 19 of Ver(Winooski cont. pg 66)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 54
Stripers (Cont. from pg 50) saw, over more than 25 years on this beach, taken. Dan passed my record, a 33-inch striper, easily. Moments later, here comes this guy, moving quickly, in our direction. “Hey bro,” he shouts to me.
Who the hell is this? Somehow, Carl put together the fact that there were four guys, a dad and three sons, having a hell of a time so it must be that mad man from Vermont. It was the first time we had ever met in person and he was as excited for our good luck as were we. Later, Carl and I returned
to Maine in September to fish together. He is an interesting guy, full of life and a sense of humor that matches mine. I have fished in several states for the largemouth bass, having caught my first largemouth from a farm pond some 65 years ago. I was truly devoted to the sport, for years, but
something happened — a very different species of fish, from a very different place, came into my angling life. Now, my main focus of fishing is for the striped bass. I have caught some truly large stripers while drifting in the waters of Cape Cod. I have fished for stripers while wading in a
July 2022 river. But, for me anyway, the only way to go forth for this special fish is along the beaches of Maine. Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and Barre Times Argus in Vermont and a freelance writer. Contact him at d.jensen62@yahoo. com
River (Cont. from pg 48) guiding for decades, he was fresh, willing to share his frequency to the elements, his home at camp. He showed us points along the river, his mien a reminder that the day was to be savored, not rushed to meet a certain distance. We stopped along the way, re-introduced to the use of the senses to glean important information about our surroundings through sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch. I had forgotten some of these ancient skills, which have been dulled by a too noisy, too fast, too frenetic existence, growing increasingly so, even in the little town of Greenville. I am glad we are perched in a big woods in big waters. I hope that balm is forever there, for anyone to slip silently into, find where the water flows, and freshen their ancient strengths. Suzanne AuClair lives near Rockwood. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake region for 27 years and produced a state anthology,“The Origins, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.” She is an award-winning member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assn.
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Vermont Waters Receive New Strain of Trout
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department stocked a new strain of rainbow trout in the spring and is asking for help from anglers to evaluate its performance. Between this spring and the fall of 2024 the
ologist Lee Simard said, “We are evaluating the new Eagle Lake strain of rainbow trout against our traditionally stocked Erwin-Arlee strain to ensure we are providing the highest quality fishery possible with these stocked trout.
Sutton Resident Rick Ennis has a blind behind his house from which he has photographed a lot of wildlife including this piebald deer. (Photo by Rich Ennis) Department will be stock- The Eagle Lake strain is ing a new genetic strain of currently stocked in many rainbow trout in 11 water- states including Maine bodies alongside the tra- and Michigan and could ditional strain to evaluate be a great fit for Vermont differences in performance as well.” The two strains are the and many of us are excited. Vermont typically same species, but genetic stocks about 115,000 rain- differences can impact their bow trout annually into behavior and performance. Both strains will be stocked inland rivers and lakes. State Fisheries Bi- side-by-side and will be
compared based on their catchability, survivability and growth to see if the Eagle Lake Strain performs better after stocking. The two strains look very similar but can be identified by a clipped ventral fin, the paired fins found on the underside of the fish about halfway along its body. A missing left fin indicates the new Eagle Lake strain while a missing right fin indicates the Erwin-Arlee strain. The waters in my area to receive the Eagle Lake strain are Echo Lake in Charleston, Bald Hill Pond in Westmore, Crystal Lake in Barton, the Passumpsic River in Lyndon, St. Johnsbury and Barnet and the Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater and Woodstock. They are already being caught and exciting anglers as I write this in mid May. The two strains will be stocked each spring through 2024. A final decision about which strain will continue to be stocked in Vermont will be made by 2025. Additional information about reporting catches and a complete list of the waterbodies
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Outdoors In Vermont by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT included in the evaluation can be found on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website https://vtfishandwildlife. com/rainbow-trout-strainevaluation. While I am enjoying fishing for the new strain of rainbows, when I want to be by myself or just want to explore and get some exercise, I head for a mountain brook. The state abounds with small streams that hold beautiful brook trout. The farther they are from the road the better I like them. It is not unusual, after an invigorating hike, to find a beaver pond that may hold nice fat brookies just
waiting for your offering. I recommend that anglers in search of mountain trout streams use Delorme’s Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer for the basic research and then turn to U.S.G.S. topographic maps for field exploration. Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He has been a magazine freelancer and syndicated newspaper columnist for 45 years. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
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THE BACK SHELF
Northwoods Sporting Journal
From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!
By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.
Editor's note: This column from the Backshelf first appeared in the Northwoods Sporting Journal more than 20 years ago. By V. Paul Reynolds When my wife Diane retired from teaching in 1999 and asked me
version, women in Maine had hunted, but they were a small minority. Much has changed since Diane became a hunter. More and more women are taking to the woods. Programs are springing up like Becoming an Out-
Women in the Woods
but for the future of this country's hunting heritage. The Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA) has coined this thought-provoking phrase: "It takes a hunter to make a hunter." This is so true. Changing times, whether it be single-parent households or the electronic age, are having a deleterious effect on this country's hunter demographics: there are fewer and fewer licensed hunters. Among
Although Diane's late-in-life aspiration to hunt big game caught me by surprise, I knew from my own hunting experiences that she would discover a new and enjoyable chapter in her life. to "bring her along" as a Maine deer hunter, I, and our two deer hunting sons, thought that was great! She took to it easily, and has become a capable hunter who has put meat on the table many times. Although Diane's late-in-life aspiration to hunt big game caught me by surprise, I knew from my own hunting experiences that she would discover a new and enjoyable chapter in her life. That was more than 20 years ago. Long before Diane's con-
doorswoman. Hunting magazines like Bugle and the Northwoods Sporting Journal carry regular hunting columns by women for women. Outdoor clothing retailers have awakened to the fact that there is a serious market for women's hunting apparel. Regardless of whether this is an outgrowth of female emanicipation or some other social phenomenon, the dawn of the female hunter is a welcome development, not only for the conservation cause,
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licensed American hunters, women are the fastest growing segment. Earlier this spring in Denver, Colorado a national rendezvous was held specifically for women who hunt or women who would like to hunt. The press release issued before the event does a good job of articulating the social significance of the women hunters' movement: "It takes a hunter to make a hunter" which is why women will be telling their stories next weekend
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in Denver at the 2014 National Rendezvous Women who hunt have moved far beyond pink camo to techno fabrics, high end optics and a fitness level that will take them to the end of the road where adventures begin. We'll share how we got into hunting, what
who become women hunters. All of this has relevance for Maine where we are losing licensed resident hunters at a rate faster than the national average. Our local fish and game clubs, conservation organizations, and state tourism might want to focus its outreach efforts toward attracting women to the hunting community. To its credit, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) has Diane on stand in deer woods. reached out to (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) women with its we are involved in now Becoming an Outdoors and how we think we can Woman program. Called encourage girls-and boys- BOW, details of this wonto embrace the physical derful mentoring program and mental challenges of for women of all ages are hunting. Connecting with available on IF&W's webthe land, learning about site: www.mefishwildlife. wildlife and being able to com It is one way, not only meet the challenges of the hunt helps young people, to bring women to a chalespecially young women, lenging and pleasurable develop self-confidence in pastime, but to solidify meeting the everyday chal- Maine's hunting heritage lenges of life. If you can for generations to come. survive in the backcountry you can make it anywhere! Women's influence The author is editor of over the next generation of hunters is profound which the Northwoods Sporting means those of us who hunt Journal. He is also a Maine have an important role to Guide, co-host of a weekly play in passing along our radio program "Maine hunting heritage. A mother Outdoors" heard Sundays who hunts influences 64% at 7 p.m. on The Voice of her sons and 50% of her of Maine News-Talk Netdaughters to hunt as well work (WVOM-FM 103.9, compared to 45% of sons WQVM-FM 101.3) and and 13% of daughters who former information officer will hunt as adults if they for the Maine Dept. of Fish are only taken hunting and Wildlife. His e-mail by their dad. If "it takes a address is vpaulr@tds.net.. hunter to make a hunter" He has two books "A Maine the data clearly shows that Deer Hunter's Logbook" is especially true of girls and his latest, "Backtrack."
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
The Gun Lobby
After a terrible series of mass shootings, including one at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that claimed the lives of many little children, the president, in a state of anguish, pleaded with the country: “When are we going to take on the gun
viciously complain about their grip on elected officials. I’m pretty sure that’s who the president is talking about, too. History is something that comes into play here, and it’s a history that gun control advocates have taken to disputing. Gun
election of 1994. The previous year saw the passage of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act and the and the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act—the ironically-titled bill also known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. While it is true that Democrats faced a strong political
Page 57
Marsh Island Chronicles by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME the Legislature, that a new candidate asked me for help understanding the questions in the candidate questionnaires of some conservation groups, including the NRA. We went
“Then throw them away,” I said. “Starting out with bad ratings when you don’t have any idea what bills will come your way isn’t smart.” But the candidate sent them in, got D and F
Since that electoral massacre in 1994, Democrats have largely avoided anything regarding gun control more substantive than rhetoric from members representing safe congressional districts, despite the incessant call for gun control from progressives.
The record is clear. Politicians, of any stripe, embrace sweeping gun control measures at their peril. lobby?” The president hasn’t asked me about this, but I doubt he’d believe my answer. When my progressive friends talk in hushed tones about the Gun Lobby, they jab their fingers at the National Rifle Association and similar groups, and
issues never used to represent a partisan issue, and in Maine, that’s still the case. But the national narrative has its own historic narrative, especially in the history of elections. In the national discussion over gun laws, sooner or later someone brings up the
headwind that year—it was President Clinton’s midterm in a tough economy, and the Democrats didn’t have much to counter Newt Gingrich’s Contract With America—it was their championing of those gun bills that got the attention of sportsmen. Whatever the political climate was in 1994, Democrats took a mighty shellacking that year. They lost control of Congress for the first time since the 1950’s in historic fashion; they lost 54 members in the U.S. House and eight U.S. senators. It was a few years after that, while I was in
over them, and I explained each issue and what the groups were looking for. When we were done, I cheerfully told the candidate to go ahead, sign them and mail them in. There was a pause. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with all of these answers,” came the halting reply. I was emphatic.
grades—but won the election anyway. But the story doesn’t end there. It was later during the next legislative session, and as the Maine House debated a gun control bill that had come out of committee, the vote to kill the bill was open, and the motion was passing (Lobby cont. pg 67)
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The Singing Maine Guide
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME Sig began that morning by making a list of his symptoms. When the invitation came to join the annual family fishing adventure in Grand Lake Stream, it focused his mind. He’d turned 87 in the spring and
Sig’s heart was apparently his best asset, like a vintage Chrysler slant-six engine that outlasted the body and chassis built around it. he hadn’t missed one of these outings since they’d begun 40 years earlier. But each year brought new agerelated issues, issues that he knew would eventually win out and prevent him from going. Would it be this year? He began his list at the bottom: his feet. By the end of every day, both of them
swelled up and didn’t go back down again until he elevated them overnight in bed. Next morning, they’d look normal. His doc told him it was just that his heart and kidney functions weren’t what they used to be. He could start wearing compression stockings if he wanted, but it really wouldn’t change things much. Next, it was Sig’s knees. It wasn’t that they hurt all the time. But after walking any distance, or standing around for very long, they’d sing. He’d nixed knee replacements, reasoning that being out of commission for that long, post-op, would cause him to lose more ground than he’d eventually gain with bionic knees. He’d learned to think that way from his own father who’d never gone under the knife and was proud of it. Sig was trying to keep up the family
tradition. Moving north, hips came next. Why should a hip torment you in bed? And yet his left hip did that every night. In fact, it hurt him less during the day than it did in bed at night. He’d roll to his right side and get some relief, but all too brief. Then, roll back to the left. Same thing. Was this some kind of fiendish torture reserved for the elderly for mistakes made in their youth? Before moving up to other problem bones in his body, Sig had to write “prostrate” on his list. He viewed it as a kind of time bomb in men. Nearly all his male friends who were still alive had some kind of “prostrate” problems. Like them, Sig always called it that, even after his urologist corrected him by saying, “prostate,” during their semi-annual meetings. For something so personal and intimate, these meetings had all the levity of a wake. Sig always left the appointment thinking, as long as the time bomb was still ticking, something else would probably carry him away before that did.
July 2022
The List
(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)
Likewise, it was explained to Sig that his bladder had roughly the elasticity of an old catcher’s mitt. Therefore, having to go meant making sure he didn’t have to go far in order to go. Now always meant now, and later always meant too late. Sig’s heart was apparently his best asset, like a vintage Chrysler slantsix engine that outlasted
the body and chassis built around it. His shoulders weren’t much good above shoulder level, but down low, he could get off a pretty good sidearm cast, or just use his forearm on the overhand cast. With the help of his guide, he could still get himself in and out of the canoe, albeit slowly. Then, it was stand still for a moment to let the equi(List cont. pg 67)
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July 2022
By Mary Haley
“Gimme that wave,” yells Jerry Seinfeld, leaning out his window after letting a car into traffic ahead of him. His passenger, and date, asked if he got the “thank you wave”-which he didn’t. The rest of the TV episode spirals around this one incident, but it’s a life nuance that we’ve all obsessed over at one time or another. For those of us in Maine, “the wave” goes beyond a “thank-you.” With more than 90% of Maine’s land privately owned, cruising around on dirt logging roads is a state of normalcy, and it’s customary when you pass another vehicle to perform a “what’s-up” wave. It’s an “I see you out here, way to be,” kind of wave--a homage to Maine life. This past winter, a friend and I drove out to snowshoe a mountain in Northern Maine that’s plowed, privately, by a homeowner who lives past the mountain’s trailhead. Beyond the homeowner’s property--and trailhead-the road becomes snowmobiler territory. As we got closer to the trailhead, a souped-up Jeep with a winch on its grill approached us. The body’s reflection almost blinded me from seeing its out-of-state license plate as our salt-stained, mudridden Tacoma passed it. We both gave them “the wave,” and they responded with a deadpan expression and no return wave. I was instantly insulted. It’s understandable that visitors might not know the entirety of the Maine wave culture, but who doesn’t return one when it’s given? I don’t
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Backroad Salutations
typically discriminate with my waves, but it kicked off a conversation about waving on the backroads of Maine: who do you wave to, what would make you not wave, etc., etc. So I put the question out to my friends, Maine-born and transplants alike, and here’s what I found. Plates don’t really matter until they don’t wave back. We all get pretty miffed when a fellow Mainer breaks the sacred rule, but a visitor who doesn’t return a wave? That’s blasphemy. When two vehicles pass each other and exchange waves, a connection is born. A Maine plate establishes a preordained relationship and without it–or a wave–the oncoming vehicle might as well be from outer space. That flick of the wrist transcends local plate stigmas and when backroad drivers coincidentally find themselves at the same watering hole friendships are born–even
if they just last the time it takes to share a beer. In these moments, camaraderie made by a simple wave oozes like a Maple in April. The outside of your truck will make a Mainer think twice about waving. We take care of our trucks as well as the next, but we know salt damage like you wouldn’t believe, so if you’re driving around in a lickty-split, chrome buffed whip, we might wait a minute before giving the wave. It’s not personal; we’re just not used to seeing our reflection in the side panels. How old are you? If you look like an old-timer from Dead River Rough Cut, your plates could say Florida, and fender flares shine like a newly sharpened saw chain, and we’d still give you the wave. We respect our elders in this state. Does it matter if you’re a lady? The jury is officially still out, but in my experience (and I’m the owner of the afore-
Page 59
mentioned Tacoma), it has never been a problem. I’ve been in many womendriven truck caravans to remote regions of Maine and I think we get the most waves. Ultimately, our cars say a lot about who we are. I went to Northern California for work and spent a lot of time driving winding mountain roads and along rivers on my days off. I’ve often thought of “the wave” as a Mainespecific culture, but there, locals were happily waving to my Maine plates as I inched around tight corners with 250-foot cliff drops on the outside lane. It could be
because I was driving an old diesel pickup truck with mismatched color doors; I suspect I fit in with the very rural demographic I was living and exploring. So what’s the point of this all? Are we “passing” judgment while dodging potholes and navigating grader washboard sections? Maybe, probably… so my recommendation is to give the wave often, return the wave always, and pay a little homage to the place and roads we love. It’s a big, beautiful state and we all want the wave, no matter where we’re from.
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Against The Current by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME Before the gasoline engine became popular, fishermen rowed a boat or paddled a canoe while trolling. This is still not a bad idea, and many times can provide more realistic action to a streamer. Like most anglers, I’ve become spoiled, relying upon an outboard to do the work for me. I start out by setting the
back again, turning the boat sharply as it approaches the shoreline. Either method can work. The trick is to use the speed and direction of the boat to impart action to the feathers-and -fur attached to the long-shanked hook while covering as much water as possible. This includes varying the depth of the streamer. Many
Northwoods Sporting Journal
A Maine Tradition
gering the fish’s instinct to strike. Trish swears by this method, and for this reason we do not use rod holders on our little boat. Just after ice-out, salmon follow the smelt toward the surface. At this time, we let out thirty of more feet of floating fly line, allowing the leader and tippet to sink while working the streamer no more than a few feet below the surface.
Just after ice-out, salmon follow the smelt toward the surface. At this time, we let out thirty of more feet of floating fly line, allowing the leader and tippet to sink while working the streamer no more than a few feet below the surface. four-horse-power engine at its lowest speed as I cruise up one end of our cove and back down the other, our rods hanging out either side of the Grumman’s aluminum hull. It is important to vary the speed as well as the direction of the boat. Some anglers troll parallel to shore while weaving to the left, then to the right, hoping to bring life to their streamers. Others will head out into the lake and then
times, a salmon will strike as the boat turns. This may be because the streamer has sunk deeper as the line bellows outward or because it has slipped over a ledge or stump where a fish is waiting. Either way, the movement of the boat has an effect on the streamer that is being pulled below the surface. Pumping the rod every so often is a way to make the streamer appear injured or crippled, trig-
Greenville
July 2022
As May slips into June, the water near the surface of the lake begins to warm. The smelts soon disperse as do the trout and salmon, requiring a change in tactics. This time of year, many anglers use small sonar units to find the depth of the fish. They’ll add weight to their streamers or switch to metal lures and spoons, most popular of which are Mooselook Wobblers in different colors and Sutton 44s that are so effective, I once purchased an entire box of these copper spoons upon learning the company that manufactured them had gone out of business. (This was before the Internet and eBay.) By August, both prey
Part Two
and predator have descended to the bottom of the lake where the water is cooler and more to their liking. Anglers with larger boats, use downriggers to bring their streamers and spoons to the bottom. Some will now switch to sewn bait. Those with smaller craft like our sixteen-foot Grumman, will switch to lead line to get our streamers to the bottom. By fall, the surface temperature has once again cooled, bringing smelt and salmon back toward the surface and allowing us to switch back to floating lines. Although Trish’s father is gone and her mother now too old to travel long distances, for many years they’d accompany us to camp. I remember August mornings when her father and I would motor down to the Ledges. Reputed to be the deepest part of the lake, the channel of the Magalloway’s streambed lies seventy feet under its surface. Where he sat in the bow, Charlie would stare into a fog as thick as the corn chowder his daughter had made the night before. From somewhere in the gloom a loon might cry out, another returning its eerie call. As we sliced through the stillness, the lake would slowly awaken, the few
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remaining wisps of fog swirling across its surface like tumbleweed through a western ghost town. Fast moving cumulus clouds would pass over the rising sun, forming shadows over the surrounding hills while a pleasant breeze slipped across the lake’s surface creating what Charlie would call a “salmon ripple.” A northern harrier might fly low, following the contours of the marsh along the western shoreline or an eagle glide on a thermal current high overhead. More often than not there’d be a faint smell of balsam drifting down from the hills. Under the drone of the outboard, our muscles would relax, tensions fade. Lost in the moment, there was no need to speak. Lowering our sinking lines until our streamers bumped along the lake’s bottom, we’d slip over the Ledges. I might troll a pattern of my own design we called Summer Smelt, which was nothing more than a jumble of purple-and-black bucktail wrapped in silver tinsel. Sometime during the morning, we might switch to a Mickey Finn, maybe a Black-nosed Dace, or perhaps one of Fern Bosse’s many steamers. While we waited for a strike, I’d slowly push out with the arm of the engine to make a wide turn, knowing that the movement would provide a bit more action, sometimes just enough to entice a fish that might be following the bit of feather and fluff that undulated enticingly sev(Tradition cont. pg 68)
July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
County Deer: Sportsmen Break New Ground
Less than a lifetime ago, white tailed deer were the heart and soul of rural Maine hunting culture. Sportsmen and women from all over the country traveled to wild areas in northern Maine for the chance to harvest trophy deer. Hunting camps, guides and families-built
Third, we are creating the Aroostook County Whitetail Deer Collaboration. friendships and shared stories about their deer hunting adventures through the generations. Unfortunately, predation and habitat loss have led to the collapse of the deer population in these same regions. At one time, ten percent of the landscape was deer wintering habitat, now it is just three percent. This loss of older growth forest habitat has created a one-dimensional forest that is unable to sustain deer and the other important wildlife species that depend on the same forest structure. In an effort to end this death spiral and loss of habitat, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine’s sister organization, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Institute for Legislative Action (SAM-ILA) has spearheaded three initiatives to restore habitat to these special places. • First, we introduced and passed legislation to change the Land for Maine’s Future Program to prioritize land purchases
that include deer wintering areas where the population and suitable wintering habitat is in decline and then successfully negotiated a $40 million, 4-year General Fund Appropriation, matched by federal money at a $3 to $1 ratio of which a portion is dedicated for deer yards. • Second, in the last Legislative session, the SAM-ILA successfully lobbied lawmakers to reform our antlerless deer permit system and dedicate all new monies from this system to the same mission of restoring deer in Maine. This effort means another $4 million in state and federal monies will be available to restore deer per year. • Third, we are creating the Aroostook County Whitetail Deer Collaboration. The First Task of the ACWDC Collaboration is to Establish a Leadership Team The two organizations created a small committee of SAM leadership (4) and membership from the Aroostook County Conservation Association (ACCA) (4) to coordinate
and hold annual fundraising activities, as well as determine how the money is spent. The second task of the Committee is to Determine a Mission for the Collaborative. For example, to raise money in support of purchasing, managing, and enhancing deer wintering areas in Aroostook County purchased by Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, including predator control. Four members of the committee have been chosen by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) and four from the ACCA. They met in early May to announce the new collaboration in Presque Isle and met again in Brewer to plan fundraising activities for 2022. In less than a month, the collaborative has raised just under $17,000.00. With $3 to $1 matching federal funds, we have nearly $70,000.00 to start this effort. SAM staff, in partnership with the ACCA will maintain the account at an Aroostook County bank. All funds raised will be deposited into the account and Jerry McLaughlin and SAM Executive
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SAM News by David Trahan, “Executive Director” Director, David Trahan, or an ACCA/SAM- Board appointee will be the only individuals authorized to sign checks drawn from the account. The advantages of such a collaborative effort are, all money raised privately for the purchase and management of deer wintering areas, (if approved by IFW) is eligible for $3 to $1 Federal, (Pitman-Robertson) match, including a credit for volunteer hours. Restoring deer wintering areas in Aroostook County is good for deer and all sorts of other wildlife that depend on the same older growth timber. Many of these parcels will be over 1,000 acres, many in the 5,000–7,000-acre scale. They contain year-round recreational opportunities and with carefully planning, especially during winter months, will become destination sites that will draw visitors from all over the country. Having the residents of Aroostook County and others passionate about deer involved in the management, purchase and protection of these lots will
be crucial to success. The money raised through our efforts will be used to add smaller parcels of land to the wintering complexes and when needed, used to enhance habitat, and reduce predation. Our efforts will be in partnership with regional biologists at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Finally, with the leadership of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the Aroostook County Conservation Association we are building a conservation model for other Maine counties to emulate. This important work will build stronger local economies, create diverse healthy forests and bring new recreational opportunities for all County residents. We have all the tools we need for success; we hope the people of Aroostook County will join us in our efforts and make a tax-deductible donation to support this exciting new program. David Trahan is Executive Director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 62
Mass Wanderings by David Willette, N. Adams, MA It would be an understatement to say that TJ Racine’s hunting career got off to a great start. The five year old from central Massachusetts had a banner day last deer season when he and his dad shot a ten pointer the first time
where they hunted. “We made a bunch of PBJ’s and had other snacks-my pack was full of stuff”, Tommy said. “We got to our stands on time and around 8:15 a buck and a doe came by. TJ got a little over-excited and the deer saw us trying
July 2022
Making the Right Call
er and dad to tell them that TJ was getting hungry. They said that they would put on a drive and then they would go to MacDonald’s at 11 o’clock. “TJ was all for that”, Tommy said. “But he would ask me every ten
call but I wasn’t doing it right. My dad showed me how to cup my hands to make it sound better, and I guess I started doing it the right way. This buck must’ve heard me and he wasn’t married so it came over our way to see what
buck kept on running hard and it nearly ran right over my brother. I could see my brother lift his gun to shoot but he never pulled the trigger. Come to find out, in all of the excitement he forgot to take off his safety”. They waited 45 min-
minutes if it was 11. So I gave him the call, just to keep him occupied. At first he sounded horrible but after a few minutes he really got the hang of it and he sounded pretty good. This is where there are a couple of versions of what happened next. By TJ’s account, “It was the silliest thing“, TJ said. I started blowing on the deer
doe was making that call.” A few minutes later, Tommy could see the orange that his father and brother were wearing popping out of the brush about 50 yards away. “I started to get up to take off my harness to get ready to climb down and I look behind me and here comes a really nice buck”, Tommy said. “I shot once but the
utes before following the blood down a trail for 300 yards. They jumped the deer and the father shot but missed. Tommy then took a shot and dropped the deer in its tracks. The ten-pointer weighed 138 pounds. Earlier in the week, Tommy shot his first deer ever, a doe. “When I called TJ to tell him, he asked me what I had shot, and I told him a doe. To which TJ responded, “Next time we need to shoot a buck.” So it looks like TJ Racine is hooked on deer hunting. “The biggest problem now”, Tommy said, is that now he thinks that he’s going to shoot a ten-pointer every time out.” With the positive attitude that he has-then maybe he will.
Around 9:30 a.m Tommy texted to his brother and dad to tell them that TJ was getting hungry. They said that they would put on a drive and then they would go to MacDonald’s at 11 o’clock. that TJ ever hunted. Of course, when you’re hunting with small children, things never go quite as planned, but by 11 a.m. that morning they had a nice buck on the ground and to hear TJ tell the story, you would think that it couldn’t have happened without him. According to TJ’s father Tommy, they got up at 4 a.m. to meet his father Tom and brother Dan to make the ½ hour drive to
to get into position to shoot and they spooked”. By 8:30 all the food was gone. By 9:30 TJ is asking if we can go to MacDonald’s to get some food and then go back to hunting. Tommy texted back and forth with his Tj”s mom about meeting them at MacDonald’s to see if TJ wanted to go home afterward, but he was certain that he wanted to go back to hunting. Around 9:30 a.m. Tommy texted to his broth-
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July 2022
News (Cont. from pg 23) year olds) “The Owl Brook Hunter Education Center is here to inspire young people to become involved in the outdoors,” said Tom Flynn, Program Manager at Owl Brook. “These free, skill-based summer workshops are a fun way to help them discover what it’s all about.” The mission of the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center is to educate individuals in the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to become safe and responsible hunters, trappers and stewards of the state’s natural resources. Its facilities include shooting ranges, classroom space and interpretive trails. To learn more about Owl Brook, please visit www. huntnh.com/hunting/owlbrook.html Activities at the Owl Brook Hunter Education Center are made possible by Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration funds.
Game Wardens Recover Body
After searching through the night, Maine Game Wardens located the body of a missing 78-yearold Masardis man in early June.. Maine Game Wardens began searching for Donald Whipple, age 78 of Masardis, after he was reported missing at approximately 10:45p.m.Whipple had gone fishing on the Aroostook River in Masardis at about 7:00 p.m. and when he did not return, his family searched for him, but when they were unable to locate him, they reported him missing. Game Wardens were
Northwoods Sporting Journal able to quickly locate his canoe, which was pulled up on shore, and it still had his fishing gear in it. Game Wardens started searching the river, the riverbanks, and the surrounding areas on foot and with K9 units, but after searching through the night, were unable to locate him. At approximately 5:00 a.m., additional game wardens were called in and began searching, and at 7:30 a.m., game wardens launched an airboat to assist in searching the river. At approximately 9:40 a.m., the Warden Service Airboat Team located and recovered the body of Mr. Whipple in about 4 feet of water, 9/10ths of a mile downstream of where they found the canoe. Whipple was taken to Stimson-Ouellette Funeral home in Ashland, and a State Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine a cause of death. The death does not appear to be suspicious. The search included 12 Game Wardens, the use of Maine Warden Service Airboat, and Warden Service K-9’s
Page 63 Reward Offered for Bear Poacher
On April 26 the Maine Warden Service received a complaint of a dead bear that was shot, dumped off a bridge, and left in Dead Brook in LaGrange. This bear was senselessly killed and left for dead, and this will not stand. Maine Operation Game Thief (Maine OGT) is seeking information on this incident, anyone with information is urged to call the confidential Maine OGT tip line at ther-sex permits Moose Regular Season (October 15 – 20): 79 total permits including 5 Veteran permits 39 either-sex permits 40 antlerless-only permits Deadline to apply is: Wednesday, June 22, 2022
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Page 64
Anticosti
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Coyote: A Real Ear Ringer!
by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME It was the last week of November; so far I hadn’t seen anything other than a bunch of does, skips, and one spike horn with 10” tall needles. I hoped that today was going to be the day the big boy presented himself. I got to my stand before daylight. It was supposed to be the perfect day; the overnight temperature
July 2022
kind. I was in my happy place. I live for this time of year. As the world woke up, turkeys could be heard descending from their roosts. I heard cattle in the distance saying good morning to one another, and crows calling from every direction, welcoming the new day.
The buck I expected to see chasing her was not the trophy buck I was hoping for at all, it was a coyote! A stinking coyote! was twenty degrees and there was no moon. A low pressure system was approaching and the rut was in full swing. Just one day before, I watched the spike I mentioned chasing a hot doe for 2 hours in the forty acre field my stand overlooks. There was no noticeable wind…it was dead silence. As the sun crested the horizon, I reveled in the serenity, knowing I was insulated from the stresses of the world. No phones, no traffic, no conflict of any
It was now legal shooting time, it was time to load my rifle. My binoculars gave me the ability to gather enough light to scan the perimeter of the field. Without them, it was difficult to see effectively. As the morning progressed and it became easier to see, shadows disappeared. Bushes that looked like deer looked like bushes once again. Turkeys were now in the field and a porcupine began grazing on clover to my far left, 320 yards away according to
The author with the coyote that never made it for a venison dinner. Browning X-bolt .30-06 my range finder. I was adequately with a long range varmint set up for the long shots style Leupold scope zeroed presented by a forty acre in at 250 yards. All I needfield. I have a pop up blind ed was the opportunity. Suddenly, from my equipped with a bench style table, bi-pods on my left, I spied a doe in an all out run. My opportunity was imminent. My heart raced, my belly burned. All the hundreds of rounds fired at the rifle range couldn’t possibly prepare me for the adrenaline rush I felt. I knew that every beat
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of my heart had the ability to move the crosshairs of my scope. It is the feeling that keeps me hunting. The doe stopped. Her mouth was wide open and her tongue was hanging out. The steam of her breath made vapor clouds over her head. She had obviously been running for a while. She looked behind her intently…and so did I. Where was the big buck that was after her? The low light conditions made it hard to spot her stalker. She couldn’t decide whether to stay in the field or retreat to the cover of the brook bed that bordered the field. Her movements were jittery and undetermined. Her indecision gave me the opportunity to range her distance. She was 217 yards away. I have practiced this shot hundreds of times at the range. As long as I could control my breathing, I should be able to make the shot on her pursuer. She bolted for another 50 yards and stopped, out of strength, to look behind her, gasping for every breath. She was exhausted. The buck I expected to see chasing her was not the trophy buck I was hoping for at all, it was a coyote! A stinking coyote! (Coyote cont. pg 66)
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July 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Prioritize the Outdoors
Let’s be honest. One of the big lures for hunting and fishing is about the going…not just the getting. Or at least it should be that way. If you’re so focused on bringing home a state record non-typical buck or breaking a hundred and eleven-year-old Brook Trout record, then much of what can be seen or learned afield will become just be
our buying power before we even start to buy things, escalating gas prices, a summer bump in electric rates, supply chain issues, reduced retirement nest eggs due to stock market declines and sadly, those are just some of the high points. Then factor in global financial and political considerations and the overall picture gets even
be outdoors if for no other reason than to de-stress your life. According to a Census Bureau’s household pulse survey, “more than one-third of households reported difficulties in paying bills from April 27 through May 9,. The share of Americans who have said it is somewhat or very difficult to pay for usual household
With all of the negative news bombarding us, twenty-four hours a day, the woods and water have always been places to go and turn off the distractions and try to make some sense of it all. diverted time. And that’s a shame. With all of the negative news bombarding us, twenty-four hours a day, the woods and water have always been places to go and turn off the distractions and try to make some sense of it all. And given what we’re experiencing now, that’s truer than ever. Inflation’s eating away at
more opaque. I point all this out not to scare the Hell out of everyone because there are others who can make an even more compelling case for that. But rather I’m suggesting that now’s a good time to re-prioritize your life to make sure that you’ll still have the time you need to fish, hunt and
expenses is now hovering near its 2020 peak, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic”. I don’t want to be put in a position of not having the money or time to do what I thoroughly enjoy. That’s why I’ve cut back on purchases (that I probably didn’t need anyway) and am replacing what I need far in advance
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New Hampshire Outdoors
by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. of when I’ll need it. That will help eliminate the cash crunch. Sure, they’re things that we should have already been doing, but sometimes life gets in the way of common sense. Eventually things will relax and return to “normal”. They always do. But until it does, I just don’t want to see anyone have to turn their back on the outdoors. That’s a price I’m not willing to pay. By now, many fortunate hunters are making their moose hunting plans for the fall as New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont held their lotteries last month. Now’s also the time when requests for baiting permits on State of NH-Owned or Managed Lands should be submitted. Technically you’ve got until the first Monday in Au-
gust but as the permits are issued on a first-come, firstserved basis, why wait? If you are thinking of baiting on private property for bear, permits must be postmarked by the first Monday in August to be accepted. For information on how to file baiting application requests, go to huntnh.com and under the Hunting tab look for Baiting Wildlife.
Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, a licensed NH Fishing Guide, Director of the NH Wildlife Federation and has a radio show on WNTK-99.7FM. Reach him at : stjames. peter@gmail.com
Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!
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In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free. And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.
As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com
Page 66
Coyote
(Cont. from pg 64) At any rate, it was time to flip the safety off. I squared off, my bi-pods were down, I was in a locked position; it was time to roll. The doe ran, and so did the coyote. I yelled, which normally makes a coyote stop, but this one had breakfast on its mind. I took a running shot, but unsurprisingly missed. It stopped and ran back the way it came from. I reloaded and yelled again. It continued to run. I fired again, and once again, I missed.
Northwoods Sporting Journal It went another ten yards back and finally stopped. I repositioned the rifle to the next open window of the blind, took careful aim, and fired. For ten seconds, everything went silent. I could see the coyote was mortally wounded, but my ears were in excruciating pain. My victorious fist pump was going to have to wait. My ears were killing me. When I moved the rifle, the barrel was not extended outside of the blind window. The resulting percussion not only hurt my ears, it ripped an eight inch section out of
my blind as well. I never guessed it would do that, but still, I considered the pain was worth it. As I regained my hearing, I was surprised to see the deer was still in the field. Upon further inspection with my binoculars, I discovered it wasn’t a doe at all. It was a yearling spike buck. The earlier low light conditions prevented me from seeing the three inch spikes nestled between his ears. He stayed in the field for at least twenty minutes. Legal as he may be, I couldn’t bring myself
July 2022
to take him, even though the season’s closing bell was quickly approaching. This guy deserved another chance. Who knows how long he had been plagued by this predator? Eventually he regained his strength and continued on his way. It was poetic justice to watch him meander into the safety of the dense brush and on to his next adventure. A few hours later, I drove down and recovered the carcass. It was a thirty nine pound female. She was obviously an effective deer killer. The shot revealed the contents of
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her stomach…venison and hair…and lots of it. She hadn’t even digested the last kill. Taking her out of the food chain was doing the wild a favor in my opinion. For the first time in years, I ended the Maine deer season without a Maine deer in the freezer, but I didn’t feel defeated at all. It was a fantastic season. I don’t regret a single minute… now that the ringing is gone from my ears.
Winooski (Cont. from pg 53)
mont’s 21 Wildlife Management Units. Landowners who post their land may not apply for a landowner priority muzzleloader antlerless deer permit. They are eligible to apply in the regular lottery for an antlerless deer permit. “In recent years, the department has successfully reduced deer numbers in many parts of Vermont to bring populations into balance with their habitat,” said Nick Fortin, deer, and moose project leader for the F&W department. “As a result, the goal is now to maintain current deer numbers in most of the state. “Deer populations in five wildlife management units, primarily in the Champlain Valley, remain above their respective population objectives. The goal is to reduce deer numbers in those areas.” The deadline to apply for a muzzleloader antlerless deer permit is August 3. Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
July 2022
Lobby (Cont. from pg 57) something like 130 to 18. Our hero was one of the 18. Moving quickly, I sent a note to the Speaker, asking to hold the vote open for a bit. Summoning the member behind the chamber, I pleaded for common sense. “This bill is going nowhere. Vote with us on this—save yourself some headache down the road.” The response was a pat refusal. It was a good bill, I was told, and the member had already proven they could win without the strong support of sportsman’s organizations. But now, the member had a voting record. It became a stunning reversal. The next election cycle found our hero opposed by a retiree who said in their newspaper interview that they had no interest in being elected to the Legislature, thank you very much; retirement was very nice, and he had only run as a favor to the SELLERS LANE
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local Republican committee. Meanwhile, our hero knocked on thousands of doors, and raised and spent impressive amounts of money, only to lose by a handful of votes. Since that electoral massacre in 1994, Democrats have largely avoided anything regarding gun control more substantive than rhetoric from members representing safe congressional districts, despite the incessant call for gun control from progressives. I think that’s because they’re smart enough to realize that the Gun Lobby isn’t the high-profile leaders of the NRA and other organizations. No, not at all. The gun lobby is made up of lawabiding citizens who take their rights—especially their Second Amendment and voting rights—pretty seriously. “Taking them
List (Cont. from pg 58) librium set in. His guide, and everyone in the family understood these protocols and were happy to accommodate their beloved Sig if only he would keep coming. He topped the list with “eyes.” Cataract surgery in both eyes didn’t count as going under the knife since it was done with lasers. It on” has proven to be a dangerous political strategy. Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and 95.1 FM in Rockland.
Pemadumcook Lake Island
Randy Spencer’s new book, Written on Water is available everywhere books are sold. Reach Randy at randy31@earthlink. net or via www.randyspencer.com Overhead Door Company of Caribou “The original since 1921”
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A 21.6 acre undeveloped island. Located on T1R9 WELS in Piscataquis County near Millinocket. It includes 2 large sand beaches. Price $425,000. Dan Corcoran, Agent
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had left him light sensitive in his left eye, but the wraparound, grayscale, polarized sunglasses not only countered the problem but drew compliments from his granddaughters that they made him look like Maverick from Top Gun. After looking over his list for about 30 seconds, Sig remembered that he’d done the same thing the previous year. At that, he tore off the sheet from the pad, balled it up in his fist, and chucked it into the waste basket, which was what he’d done with that list too. To save and compare these lists would do no good that he could think of. He was living with the issues on the list, or living around them, and really, what other choice was there? That same evening, a worn, crush-proof felt hat lay on Sig’s kitchen table
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Large parcel coming soon with water frontage
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207-227-8125
"LOOKING TO SELL OR BUY A CAMP IN THE NORTH MAINE WOODS?"
M t C h a s e - Tw o quaint cabins with picturesque trout pond in front. Separate shower house with toilet. Private setting on 5.4 acres at the foot of Mt Chase just off Mountain Rd, great ATV & snowmobile area. $149,000
Email: cwa@cwalakestreet.com
M a c w a h o c P LT Sitting on a bluff overlooking Molonkus Stream. Short trip in from the main road & only a 2 minute walk to the swimming hole. Abutting 65 acre reserve area available for use. Comfort & beauty. $79,000
Grand Falls- This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use. This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Rd. ATV and snowsled from this location. Take a look. $79,000
Burlington- A nice, seasoned driveway and a 16’x24’ concrete pad. Madagascal Pond is a good warm water fishery and excellent direct access to ATV and snowmobile trails. $79,000
Lakeville- Remote, q u i et , b e a u t i f u l , peaceful. With a large, horseshoe shaped driveway & fine gravel/sandy frontage on Lower Pug Lake. Low taxes. Easy snowmobile & ATV access. Tall softwoods. Call today. $179,000
Springfield- Rural living in a quiet neighborhood on Park Street. Part of this house has been nicely refinished. Along with about half of the interior having been re-done, the foundation needs to be repaired. $39,000
Springfield- Rural. Remote. Quiet. From this lot on Moores Rd, you have direct access to ATV and sled trails. Situated in a beautiful part of Northeastern Maine- you will now have a nightly view of the Milky Way and beyond. $59,000 Benedicta- Big acreage year round access & electricity available at Benedicta Rd. Low taxes. Small beaver flowage & high ground just behind it, wonderful locations for a cabin/home. Loads of great recreational opportunities. $169,000 Lee- Well wooded. Remote. Critters everywhere. Add in the good, clean air of Northern Maine and you’ve got yourself a “keeper”. This smashin’ little lot right off Mallet’s Mill Rd shouldn’t last long- call today for a guided tour. $69,900 T3R1- Remote. Private. Wooded and beautiful. With deeded access to Bill Green Pond, this would be a wonderful place to build your seasonal cabin right off Engstrom Rd. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. $22,900
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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into hours on those halcyon mornings. (Cont. from pg 60) Eventually, Charlie enty feet under our boat. would stretch his legs and If not that turn, per- I’d point the bow in the haps the next. And so, the direction of our camp. If seconds would pass into we were lucky, Trish would minutes and the minutes be picking blueberries for
July 2022 her mother to sprinkle into the pancake batter she’d be spooning onto the griddle as we’d walk back up the trail to our cabin.
Those interested in reading more about trolling with streamers should read 207-265-4000 Trolling Flies for Trout and 259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME Salmon by Dick Stewart www.csmrealestate.com and Bob Leeman. Although Enjoy Maine's Vacation-land! out of print for many years, NEW VINEYARD this little treatise is now Privately situ- readily available. (SEE AD ated, this 1 bd, IN THIS ISSUE) Another 1 bath mobile book, which may be of home could be interest is Tandem Streama year round ers: The Essential Guide by residence or a vacation get Donald A. Wilson.
away. Approximately 25 minutes from Sugarloaf. $96,000.
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3 4 3 6 Skowhegan; Recently remodeled 1-2 bedroom, 1 bath ranch. Comfortable and efficient. Located between Skowhegan and Fairfield. Country setting but yet convenient to town. I acre. $169,000.
8448-New Vineyard; 0.9 acre on a private country road. Surveyed and driveway is in. Power is at road. New shed to give you a head start on your new location for camp or home. Apple and pear trees and pear trees and blueberry bushes. Come see this beautiful spot. $30,000.
8449-Solon; 6.4 acres on a quiet gravel road. Parcel has been surveyed. Padham Brook runs through the property. Trails nearby for snowmobiling, etc. Come and make this wooded, serene piece of Maine your own. $56,000.
6087-Embden; Beautiful offgrid space. 4 acre lot tucked away on a quiet dirt road. Well & septic is in. Some cleared areas so accessing most of the land is accomplished with ease. Workshop, well house & chicken coop, $62,500.
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July 2022 WORK OUT OF YOUR HOME OR IN OUR OFFICE
Northwoods Sporting Journal Newspaper
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SELLERS LANE
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If you enjoy the great outdoors and are comfortable working out of your home on the phone or on the internet, then this job is for you. If you know a lot of guides, outfitters, sporting goods and gun shop owners in your area. it's definitely a plus. Call Vic at 735-8741 (cell) for all the details. If no answer, call main office 732-4880, leave message for Vic Morin. 57 Old County Road North, West Enfield, Maine
Page 69
REAL ESTATE
SELLERS LANE
BUYERS ROAD
Newly built home for sale in Perham Maine with 4 acres. Two bedroom, one bath, open concept for living room and kitchen. All new appliances, next to ATV/ITS trail.
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nstar1res@gmail.com 3 Bedroom, 1 bath, newer construction, off grid home with 24 acres and all the amenities. Just off the atv/ snowmobile trail system and close to hunting and fishing. Call today for more information. Steve Johnson ~ Broker Northern Star RES. 207-316-5631
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1-800-624-2797 Our Cumberland model with wrap-around porch and loft.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 70
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
COOPER: This 100+ acre lot is just waiting for a new owner to build a home and enjoy the views. There is an old dug well on the lot where there used to be a home. Build in the middle and have the views of Eastern Cathance Lake and have peace and quiet with nothing but your land around you. Property is in tree growth which helps a little with the taxes. The price is great for such a large lot and only. $110,000.
BERRY TWP: This two room camp with frontage on Round Lake in Berry TWP is a super place to spend those summer days. Also just a great get away where you can sit back, relax and enjoy the views of the lake or take your boat and go for a nice fishing trip. The cabin has new windows and doors. The cabin is on lease land the road to it is off the 19 road onto the Balsam Knoll Road. Super price for such a beautiful and peaceful spot. $70,000.
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July 2022 SELLERS LANE
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P.O. Box 17 Greenville, ME 04441 Office: 207-695-3645 Cell: 207-280-0923 goodwinjudd@yahoo.com www.juddgoodwinwell.com Member Maine Groundwater Association