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June 2023 By Al Cowperthwaite June and July is prime fishing time with evening insect hatches and with daylight continuing past 9 p.m. I was asked recently which ponds were my top selections. With over 500 lakes and ponds in the North Maine Woods, there are certainly a lot of places to fish and over the past 30 years I have had the good fortune to try many of them. And in the past I have been very cautious about revealing those special places in the North Maine Woods, but with a 10 year trend towards decreasing use, I feel that over-fishing these ponds is no longer a threat. Plus our fisheries biologists have adopted special regulations to protect these waters from over exploitation. So here they are, a list of what I feel are the top remote, native brook trout ponds in the North Maine Woods region: Little
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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Summer Fishing Spots Pleasant Pond, Big Fall Brook Lake, Coffeelos Pond, Wadleigh Pond, Ferguson Pond, Allagash Lake and most ponds in T15R9 including Denny Pond and Big Black Pond. Special regulations are in effect for each water- so be sure to check the rule book
and sensitive to too much angler pressure. These are the places fishermen will have to find on their own. As for lake trout, these are my personal preferences: Clear Lake, Spider Lake, Eagle Lake, Cham-
berlain Lake, Churchill Lake, Ross Lake, Crescent Pond, Togue Pond, and 1st and 2nd Musquacook Lakes. Water on surface should have warmed enough by July to send lake trout down so find-
So here they are, a list of what I feel are the top remote, native brook trout ponds in the North Maine Woods region.
ing the right depth comes with experimentation and time. Again, special regulations apply so be sure to understand the regulations. I hope you enjoy the month of July in the Maine woods- it is great month to be outdoors with family and friends.
Early Hatches
By Matt LaRoche I worked on the West Branch of the Penobscot as Park Manager of the Penobscot River Corridor for over 20-years. During those years, I had the opportunity to fish many evenings on the lower section of the West Branch. Not every evening was a perfect evening of fishing, but when everything came together for a superb night
before venturing forth. The first of July usually is prime time for the green drake hatch and larger fish in these waters become as aggressive then more than any other time of the season. There are many other lesser known waters that have good trout populations, but many are small
(Fishing cont. pg 7)
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On The Cover
Joe Hooks On To The Lake Tess Monster - Pg 16 Summer Fishing Spots - Pg 3 Furnace Brook Knives - Pg 53 Alaska’s Wolf Man - Pg 18 A New Classic Rifle - Pg 33 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 68
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 3. Summer Fishing Spots - Al Cowperthwaite 5. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris an independent voice for the region’s 6. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard outdoor community for more than 28 10. A Hiker’s Life - Carey Kish years. Some of our writers are seasoned 13. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd and specialized outdoors people who 14. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough will share their know-how and insights; 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram some of our contributors are simply 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood lifelong outdoor people with interest20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard ing stories to tell. 21. NEOWA Awards Wildlife Scholarships Our aim every month is to capture 22. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill the essence of Northern New England’s 23. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 24. The Trail Rider - Dan Wilson remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring 26. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary memories, portraying outdoor humor, 28. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau and sharing experiences and outdoor 30. Post-Script From Pocasset - Josh Reynolds knowledge. We also keep our readers 31. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau up to date with late-breaking outdoor 32. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James news and hard-hitting editorials about 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly fish and wildlife issues. 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche Anyone who loves to hunt and 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors 38. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon a treasured place, is more than likely 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes to find some special connections amid 41. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 42. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood Journal.
www.sportingjournal.com
Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970
Contents
43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Rods, Line, Reel And Leader - Fred Hurley 45. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 46. On The Ridge - Joe Judd 47. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 48. Basic’s Of Survival - Joe Frazier 49. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Maple Country Outdoors - Ben Wilcox 52. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 53. Furnace Brook Knives - V. Paul Reynolds 55. Against The Current - Bob Romano 56. Question Of The Month - Griffin Goins 57. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 58. Book Review - V. Paul Reynolds 59. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Just Fishing - Bob Leeman 61. How To Interpret Your Soil Test - Mike Farnham 62. SAM News - David Trahan 63. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 64. The Back Shelf - V. Paul Reynolds 66. On Point - Paul Fuller 67. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith
June 2023
Vol 30 Issue 6 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 Sales Department; Victor Morin,Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin, Traci Grant, Michael Georgia & Mike Brown 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, 2023. 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.
Aroostook Woods & Water - Pg 20 Mike Maynard The Buck Hunter - Pg 42 Hal Blood
Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 12. Outdoor News 68. Real Estate
Cover Photo: Nice Maine Brook Trout
Maple Country Outdoors - Pg 51 Ben Wilcox
Outdoors In Vermont - Pg 49 Gary W. Moore
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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Gearing Up for Groundfish
Maine Tails By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME
Part II
Last month in Part I, I discussed relatively modern technology used for groundfishing - high speed reels, high modulus graphite/glass rods, and
scoped out at a horizontal angle, and you will be unable to maintain contact between your jig and the bottom. Anchoring down bait with a 20 oz, 24 oz,
in the 4-6 pound range, will also bite a jig and teaser combo. Jigs A “jig rig” is constructed using a four-foot section of 50-80 pound monofilament. Attached to one end of the mono is a barrel swivel and tied to the other end is an over-
offshore ahead. However, my favorite teasers are the pink-colored soft plastic “gummy shrimp” of yesteryear. Increasingly difficult to find, “gummy shrimp” often produce our largest haddock and whiting of the season. Pink Twister Tail grubs are a fine alternative. There are a myriad of
ter jigs tend to foul easily and often injure short fish. Bait A “bait rig” is a simple dropper rig, also called a “hi-lo rig,” and requires a 4-5 foot section of 50 pound monofilament. A high-quality barrel swivel is tied to one end and is a crucial piece of hardware.
With strict regulations now governing cod in the Gulf of Maine, jigging is a great way to produce a quality fish for the dinner table. Large haddock, especially those in the 4-6 pound range, will also bite a jig and teaser combo.
A deck full of happy groundfishermen aboard the Teazer. (Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.) braided lines. In contrast, much of the gear discussed this month in Part II remains primitive, nearly unchanged from the days of handlining offshore with tarred lines and lead jigs. After reading last month’s article, you have decided on a rod and reel outfit. Now the question is, “Bait or jigs?” As Captain Pete often mentions to our clients aboard the Teazer, jigs tend to catch bigger fish, while bait tends to catch more fish. But sometimes, the angler does not have much of a choice; conditions often dictate the most effective method of fishing. For example, if the tide is running especially strong, or the drift is very fast, jigging becomes futile. While attempting to jig in conditions like these, your line will quickly become
or even 32 oz bank sinker is then necessary. (Recall Rule #1 of bottom fishing: Keep your bait on the bottom!) However, when dogfish invade the ledges, fishing with bait can be unbearable. Jigging will help to reduce the number of pesky dogfish coming over the rail. Similarly, if you suddenly find yourself drifting over a school of pollock, dropping down a jig will quickly put a few in the cooler, while also offering the angler a sporty fight. With strict regulations now governing cod in the Gulf of Maine (1 fish per angler per day, minimum 22 inches, April 1-14 and September 1-October 7 as of this publishing), jigging is a great way to produce a quality fish for the dinner table. Large haddock, especially those
sized stainless steel snap swivel to attach the jig. Tie a dropper loop two feet above the snap swivel and attach a teaser to the loop. We routinely fish three varieties of teasers aboard the charter boat - bucktail “cod flies”, squid skirts, and soft plastics. Unless our clients request a certain color combination, I almost always reach for a “shrimpy-colored” bucktail teaser - solid pink, pink over yellow, solid orange, or solid red. I tie many of our “cod flies” when the snow falls, thinking of the sunny days
jigs on the market, and we have fished many of them, but we always revert back to the “old school” classic - a chrome Norwegian Jig; they are simple and effective. When fishing depths of 180-250 feet, 18 oz, 20 oz, and 24 oz jigs are our staples. When jigging the mud-bottom “hake grounds” (300-500 feet), we scale up to jigs in the 26-32 oz range. Consider doing both yourself and the fish a favor by removing the stock treble hook and replacing it with a single hook. Trebles on deep-wa-
Fish reeled up from the deep tend to pinwheel as they ascend. A barrel swivel will keep your line from twisting, as well as help to prevent the hook from tearing out of the fish’s jaw. On the other end of the mono, a snap or large loop is tied to attach the weight. A 20 oz bank sinker is our standard, though we fish sinkers as light as 14 oz and as heavy as 32 oz depending on the conditions. Between the swivel and weight, two dropper loops are tied and spaced evenly apart. Mus(Groundfish cont. pg 11)
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!
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
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Muzzleloading Maine’s Dirty Waters Afield tected can change liver and and Alfred to Outlet Dam and Prevention website by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME
It’s a dirty world we live in folks and despite the calls for “clean energy” and switching to electric vehicles it seems it’s getting dirtier with every passing day. For you Baby Boomers, like me, remember the days when we could fish a favorite hotspot or honey hole and at the end of day sit down to a plate
Center of Disease Control has issued a list of waters where high levels of these contaminants has been detected and has issued safe eating guidelines. They include the Androscoggin River from Gilead to Merrymeeting Bay, a section of the Dennys River, the sections of the Kennebec River including the popu-
kidney function, change on Estes Lake Dam in- at www.maine.gov/dhhs/ cholesterol levels, decrease cluding all of Estes Lake, fishandgamesafety Overall, immune response to vac- a section of Messalonskee fish from Maine’s inland
The most recent contaminate of major concern are PFAS. It’s bad stuff. of pan-fried brookies and relish in the thought we were chowing down on something healthy, to say nothing of something that tasted pretty darn good on the palate? We still can but just not everywhere and with a warning. Contaminates are nothing new in Maine waters. Back in the 70’s acid rain was the big issue and in recent years others followed; mercury, PCBs and various dioxins, all of which can cause cancer and other health issues. For some time now the Maine
lar Shawmut Dam area between Fairfield and Augusta and Prestile Stream, the Penobscot River below Lincoln and the Salmon Falls River below Berwick, among others. An updated list is available on the CDC web site and is listed annually in Maine Inland Fishing Laws summary and on the MIFW website. The most recent contaminate of major concern are PFAS. It’s bad stuff. Exceeding fish consumption recommendations from waters where elevated levels of PFAS have been de-
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cines in children, cause complications during pregnancy and all kinds of bad things. The CDC first issued a list of Maine waters with high levels of PFAS in 2022 or 2021. Included are a section of Fifteen Mile Stream in Albion, all of China Lake, a stretch of the Kennebec River in Fairfield, the Mousam River below the Number One Pond Dam in Sanford
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Stream in Waterville and Oakland and the a stretch of the Presumpscot River in Westbrook and Falmouth. As of this spring a total of a dozen waters, or sections of waters are listed. This past April the CDC updated the fish consumption advisories on six of those waters and will continue to make updates as warranted. For more information and a complete list of waters and consumption advisories as well as updates visit the Maine Center of Disease Control
waters are safe to consume, within recommended limits. Be aware of them and heed the advisories because PFAS are not the only contaminants out there. Al Raychard and his wife Diane live on 43 +/acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting opportunities which they both enjoy. If the property had a trout stream it would be true paradise. Al can be reached at alraychard@ sacoriver.net
Coastal
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June 2023
Fishing (Cont. from pg 3) of fishing - that is what makes a lifelong memory! I came to work on the West Branch from the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and considered myself to be a good fisherman. I found that I could catch plenty of smaller landlocked salmon, but those big fish are very selective and hard to catch. Lucky for me, a few fishermen took me under their wing and showed me what flies they were using and how to fish those flies. One fisherman, named Stan Peterson explained what the fish were seeing and keyed in on. He talked about duplicating the famous West Branch Caddis and Hendrickson hatches. Hendrickson Hatch The Hendrickson hatch is the first hatch of the season on the river. It usually occurs on or about Memorial Day weekend. I can remember fishing off Salmon Point on Nesowdahunk Deadwater on
Northwoods Sporting Journal a beautiful calm evening when fish started to rise and I did not have the right fly. That was very frustrating! I went to talked with Mr. Peterson about the fish rising and not being able to catch any. He explained what the fish were feeding on and that the fish were seeing little tiny sailboatshaped flies drifting down the river with their wings standing straight up. He also showed me how to tie the Comparadun fly, which simulates the Hendrickson mayfly. When the salmon are feeding on the Hendrick-
flies off the surface of the river. If you are too quick to set the hook, you can actually pull the fly away from a feeding fish. It is very exciting to see a big salmon come up in the same location time after time. As a fisherman, all you need to do is drift the right fly over that feeding fish and wham- that fish will take your fly! That is what keeps us fishing. At the end of the Hendrickson hatch, you might notice that the fish are coming up to hit your fly, but they are not really taking itthis is called a refusal. When this happ e n s , something has changed, usually the fish h a v e stopped f e e d ing on the flies with their wings son, you can see them come straight up and have up and slowly slurp the switched to feeding on
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the dead version of the Hendrickson, or what we call spent wings. This is the same fly except their wings are spread out flat on the water. If you see this happening, just switch to the spent wing version of the Hendrickson and you’re in business again. This usually happens just before dark and signals an end to the fishing for that night. Comparadun The Comparadun is tied with the hair from the forehead of a whitetail deer and stiff tail fibers that help hold the fly straight up. Once I tied a few of these flies, the results were amazing! On the first evening that I fished with my newly tied Comparadun creations,
I caught over ten salmon one over 20 inches long. Even though that was over 25 years ago, I can still remember that evening like it was yesterday. You can watch a YouTube video showing how to tie the Comparadun at: https://midcurrent.com/ videos/tying-a-hendrickson-comparadun/ Al Cowperthwaite is the former director of North Maine Woods. During his tenure he also wrote for the Northwoods Sporting Journal. Matt LaRoche is the former director of the Allagash Waterway and currently writes for the Northwoods Sporting Journal.
FREE FISHING DAYS
June 3rd and 4th 2023 On these days any person (except those whose license has been suspended or revoked) may fish without a license. All other laws and regulations apply on these days.
Page 8
To any reasonable person who had the patience to sit through such a drawn out affair, the recent work session held by the Legislative Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife about LD 814, was an object lesson in just how deeply divided this state is between urban and rural outlooks and values. LD 814 was a proposed law that would drastically curtail coyote population-control efforts by reducing the legal hunting season of these canine predators by 60 percent. The bill was sponsored by nine lawmakers mostly from southern urban areas. As reported earlier, my phone chat with three of the nine revealed well meaning but naive individuals who knew little about state wildlife management. Their aim was to disallow hunting of coyotes during the coyote whelping period. Eventually, the Standing Committee gave the bill a majority ought not to pass vote, but with two holdouts who refused to kill the bill. State Rep. Sally Cluchey, D, from Bowdoinham and State Rep. Cheryl Golek, D, from Harpswell, both insisted throughout the work session that all hunted coyotes should be tagged and that coyotes be included in the state’s wanton waste law. Rep. Golek believes that tagging would help the state to better keep tabs on coyote numbers. Rep.Cluchey insisted throughout the session that “coyotes deserve respect and a decent burial.” Both lawmakers advised ahead of
Canoes Unchained To the Editor: In response to Matt Laroche’s Feb 2023 public use of private land. In 1985 I left a 16 ft. very stable canoe at the dead waters of Rainbow Lake. I only used it 4 days in the spring and one day in Sept. So I left it with 2 paddles and an anchor with the other boats that were chained at the landing. Every time I went to use it, I found it right side up, half full of water despite the sign I put on the seat, “Please put me back when done”. Twice I had to hunt it up where some one tried to hide it for their own use. After that I hid it away from the other boats. I couldn’t get to it
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Two Stuck Whistles time that they would not go along with the committee majority, unless their wishes were manifested in an amendment to the bill.
During testimony, David Trahan, director of SAM, and SAM’s wildlife consultant and whitetail/ coyote biologist, Gerry Lavigne, calmly addressed Rep. Golek and Rep. Cluchey’s concerns with clear logic and scientific data. Trahan explained the legislative history of Maine’s well-established coyote management program and how LD814 was contrary to legislative intent. Lavigne said that there was no logical or biological reason to require tagging coyotes and expending money and effort enumerating precise coyote population numbers. “Our data and data from other states makes it clear that you can’t endanger coyotes numbers even if you wanted to.” Lavigne said that what we should be doing is not counting coyotes, but instead monitoring the status of the coyote’s prey, whitetail deer. He said we need to determine through data analysis whether, indeed, our coyote control programs are
informative. Rather give reward treats, I find a dog prefers a happy pat on the head and kind words while you look straight into the dogs’ eyes. Yo u r “ A m e r i c a n Woodcock” was heartwarming. In 1958 I worked at Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge with the late Eldon Clark the Refuge Wildlife Biologist. He and I established some of the first woodcock singing Harold Towle, blocks. Eldon was a wise Palmyra. and knowledgeable BioloGood Reading gist. Later he became the Woodcock Biologist for To the Editor: the U. S. Fish and WildSome good readings life Service (FWS) at the in NWSJ (April 23). “Basic Patuxant Wildlife Research Fly Casting: by Fred Hur- Center. The current UMO ley is useful advice. Paul woodcock research demonFuller’s “Puppy Building strates similar finding from Blocks” is important and woodcock research in past last year because beavers flooded the road. I will try to pull the canoe out this spring because the almost zero water flow last year has ruined the fishing in the dead water. When I find another pond to leave it at, I will still leave it unchained and hope people will appreciate it enough to put it back where they find it.
helping deer survival in the North Woods. During the session, Warden Col. Dan Scott, Gerry Lavigne and State Rep. Jim Thorne attempted to explain to Rep. Golek and Rep. Cluchey how nature works, how critters left in the woods do not go to waste, that critters eat critters. Lavigne even testified that he has seen live coyotes feeding on dead coyotes! None of this seemed to register or alter any positions. The two low points in the work session were when the committee chair warned Rep. Golek that her treatment of witness Trahan bordered on “badgering” and when Rep. Cluchey accused Trahan of being a liar. What’s the practical outcome of all of this messy democratic process? Since LD 814 did not get a unanimous ought not to pass vote by the committee, it will now go to the full Legislative House for a vote. Since the party of Rep. Golek and Rep. Cluchey is in the majority, don’t be surprised if the coyote is soon no longer exempt from the wanton waste law, which requires that you use (consume) your kill. And whereas coyote meat, not unlike that of other varmits - ground hogs, porcupines, rats and such - are abysmal table fare, this change could very likely reduce the number of coyote hunters in Maine.
years from Maine, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and elsewhere. Have the UMO Biologists noted any migration changes from past years? During their southern travels woodcock have 2 noticeable migration paths: one on the Eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains and one on the Western side. During migration woodcock tend to follow water courses. In our Pennsylvania woodcock bandings we found 3 male birds using the exact singing spot at different times in the spring. In spite of reduced hunting season lengths and bag limits, woodcock are still at 50-year population lows. What are FWS and Dept. Inland Fisheries (DIFW) doing to
VPR
increase woodcock populations? Private conservations groups proclaim they have acres of conservation lands. What have they done to increase woodcock populations on these lands? Working for woodcock will increase songbird populations. The item on Commissioner Camuso was encouraging. We don’t hear enough of what she and DIFW are doing. I am pleased that Judy Camuso is involved with the North American Wetlands Conservation Council. Maybe now Maine’s Black Ducks will get much needed help to restore their populations. Also, her involvement with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) (Letters cont.pg 9)
June 2023
Letter
(Cont. from pg 8) and Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (NEAFWA) is important. In days of yore I had been actively associated with these two groups. These Associations have provided the backbone of wildlife strategies and programs. They demonstrated how to work for wildlife and put wildlife in the forefront. It was my pleasure to know the late Commissioner Roland Cobb. What a fine gentleman. He had Cobbs Pierce Pond Camps in Somerset County. We banded goldeneye ducklings there in 1959. “Skip” Spencer was the (DIFW) Waterfowl Biologist then. He was sharp. Fred Hartman
Trout Unlimited: Red Flag? To the Editor: Regarding the Restoration of the Kennebago River Article in the January issue: I read and reread that article. Why? Because it mentions Trout Unlimited involvement which, to me, runs up a big red flag. T.U. was involved in the replacement of the Aldrich Brook crossing on the Lincoln Pond Road on the east Shore of Aziscoos Lake. I grant you, that T.U. was not the only ones. Several organizations and the campers on the upper end of the lake known as “ALCA” also contributed. I do not know who did the engineering for the first bridge, but it got washed out just a few years after being put in place. (And it appears that will happen again!) Who stepped up to
Northwoods Sporting Journal
replace it? No one! The “ALCA” folks were left with the only way into their camps was via the Morton Cut Off Rad, several miles longer than the usual Lincoln Pond Road. Long story short, the land owner did replace the bridge only when they found out ALCA campers were granted a right of way in the original deeds going back to Brown Company. Where were the other original participants? T.U. included. Fast forward to 2023 and the Crooked River; that flows 60 plus miles from the Bethel Maine area to Sebago Lake. The river is “The Provider” of wild salmon for Sebago Lake. Located on the river are the remnants of the Edes Falls dam creating an unsafe area to fish and an impediment to salmon on their way upstream to spawn. Estimated cost for the project is $400,000.00 T.U. is heading up a fund raising drive. Sound good? Not so! A few miles upriver is referred to as “The Miracle Mile!” The “Best of the Best” spawning and rearing section of the river. T.U. enables a developer to put in a campground on this stretch of the river!
The “Good Ole Boys” at work. This endeavor does not meet T.U’s “Charter” by any means. There are other things they have done and the ways presented appear to be of good judgement-but dig into the projects and all is not as it seems. My point is this: seeing as how USFWS and MDIFW are involved it should be fine, but be cautious! Bottom line, let T.U. come with lots of money and have USFWS and MDIFW responsible for seeing it done correctly. Fern Bosse Norway
Old Flies Work Best To the Editor : Comment on Al Raychard’s article. I’ve been tying my trolling streamers for 40 years! Knew Bob Bibeau quite well. We use to troll streamers from Sebago, Sebec, Moosehead, and the Rangeleys. One trip to Rangeley I tied some fresh streamers for the trip with the hook up. After a day and a half missing fish I checked out my streamers – looked good. I rebent the rear hook down on
my red grey and within twenty minutes landed a salmon. Never tied it that way again. Also we noticed when the fly got beat up it worked better. Upon inspection, the floss and a piece of tinsel would be flowing behind the rear hook. I now tie my flies with floss and a piece of tinsel just past the rear hook. Works great. Comment on Matt Dunlap’s article on LeeEnfield Model 4 303 British. I have one that hasn’t been sporterized. Got it from my dad. He got it issued when he was in the national guard in the 40’s. It never shot a deer. Quite heavy! Steve Clark, Dover Foxcroft
Editorial Upsetting To the Editor: I just finished reading your magazine dated October ‘22. I was upset by the editorial written by V. Paul Reynolds (VPR). This editorial was about gun laws. VPR wrote, “The unprecedented raid of President Trump’s Florida residence has all the earmarks of yet another political fishing expedition.....”
Page 9
Here is the reason for that raid. When Trump left the White House in January 21 he took with him boxes of material. The National Archives asked them to be returned in order to make certain that Trump did not have materials to which he was not entitled. After a year and a half of requesting by the NA several boxes were returned. Classified documents were discovered. The NA notified the DOJ. The DOJ notified the FBI. The FBI requested all remaining material. Trump’s team said there were no classified documents in their possession and refused to hand over the remaining documents. The FBI still wanted the remaining documents. Trump’s team again refused to turn them over. The FBI then issued a subpoena for the documents. Again the Trump team refused to do so. On August 8, 22 the FBI seized the documents. Classified documents were found!! For the editor of such a fine magazine such as yours to so blatantly leave out the reason for the raid is inexcusable! Tom Gillis
Page 10
“A Hiker’s Life”
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Georgia to Katahdin: Journey Over
by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME For northbound thru-hikers, the 100-Mile Wilderness is the next-tolast section of the Appalachian Trail on its long route from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin. While not formally wilderness by any legal definition, this vast expanse of forestland from
fire, my first since spring in miles of washboard ridges, the southern Appalachians. thick spruce forests and Alone once again, I sat for gnarly stream crossings, a long while in the gatherI met my wife near Long Pond Stream. We drove to our camp on a pond in nearby Willimantic, and I enjoyed a final night of semi-civilized comfort. The next morning, I shouldered my back-
Aches and pains were finally getting the best of me, with both knees, left hip and right heel giving me problems. Thank goodness for Ibuprofen. Monson to Abol Bridge is nonetheless very primitive and wild. Stephen Clark, longtime editor of the Appalachian Trail Guide to Maine, coined the colorful label in the 1980s to alert AT thru-hikers to the dearth of resupply points along this remote stretch of trail, still largely the case today. On my first day in the Wilderness, I carried a light daypack, and after 15
pack loaded with a week’s supplies and struck off across the Barren-Chairback Range. I saw no one all day as I grunted over Barren, Fourth, Third and Columbus mountains, then camped alone at Chairback Gap Lean-to. A day north, I stayed at Sidney Tappan Campsite, a cold and windy spot high in the Whitecap Range. After dinner, rather than retreat to my tent I built a
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ing night, staring into the flames and reflecting on the hike. March 18 seemed a very long time ago, and it was hard to grasp that I’d actually been walking for more than six months. As I faced the end of the trail, the trek had become something of a blur in my mind, of states and scenery, campsites and one-pot meals, blue skies and rainy days, trail towns and trail angels, and thru-hiking friends come and gone. Aches and pains were finally getting the best of
me, with both knees, left time to be done with the hip and right heel giving hike and I knew it. From the apex of me problems. Thank goodness for Ibuprofen. As for 3,600-foot Whitecap, glorious Katahdin stands tall just 60 trail miles away across a magical stretch of wooded country dotted with pristine lakes and ponds. I watched the lunar eclipse from the sand beach at Crawford Pond, and a still big pumpkin of a moonrise from my tent site amid the red pines on Lower Jo-Mary Lake. I holed up for two nights at Debsconeag Lake
my boots, I hoped the gobs of epoxy would hold them together for a few more days. Reality had caught up with me at last; it was
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Wilderness Camps to escape a 24-hour storm that dropped more than 5 inches of rain, then pitched my tent for the last time at Rainbow Lake, retiring into my sleeping bag well before dark, emotionally and physically exhausted. At Abol Bridge, my wife and three friends were waiting with smiles and cold beers. The following day, we enjoyed a merry hike together into Baxter State Park to Katahdin Stream, where I registered with the ranger and got my official 2,000-miler application. For the record, I (Journey cont. pg 11)
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 11
clams and fresh mack- the hook well, and this their bait when I hook on over the rail! Groundfish surf erel, though some other is important when drop- a small piece - and this is
(Cont. from pg 5) tad 3407 O’Shaughnessy or Gamakatsu Octopus hooks in 5/0 or 6/0 are good choices. Though I tie most of our own bait rigs aboard the Teazer, we always keep a dozen store-bought rigs stashed away in case of an “emergency.” The SeaWolfe Tackle company of Londonderry, New Hampshire produces a quality bait rig. Our favorite baits are
Journey (Cont. from pg 10) was northbound thru-hiker No. 831 to sign in this year. At first light on Sunday, October 4, we headed up the Hunt Trail, the final five miles of the AT. Beyond Katahdin Stream Falls, it took almost four hours of boulder scrambling and nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain to reach the Tableland. Traces of snow on the rocks glinted in the bright sun of this perfect autumn day as we happily strode the last mile. Just before noon I turned and kissed my wife, then sprinted the remaining 100 feet to the summit and hugged the famous Katahdin sign. After 2,189.2 miles and 189 days through 14 states, my 38-year dream to hike the Appalachian Trail a second time was realized. “AMC Maine Mountain Guide.” Follow more of his outdoor adventures on Facebook @Carey Kish. Carey Kish is the author of “AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast” . and editor of AMC Maine Mountain Guide.
local charter boats prefer squid. Clams are readily available frozen from the local bait and tackle shops. However, fresh mackerel, caught the day before or the same morning, is hard to beat. Fresh - not frozen - mackerel chunks hooked through the skin stay on
ping down into 200 or 300 feet of water. Many bottom dwellers, especially haddock, are “nibblers”, so using small pieces of bait is key. A thumbnailsized chunk of mackerel or clam neck is all you need. Clients sometimes think I am being “cheap” with
a mistake. When I turn my back, a client will reach over to the cutting board and hook on a fist-sized glob of clams, which will quickly be nibbled off. Nine times out of ten, the fisherman who drops down the thumbnail-sized bait is the one who hauls a fish
During the summer, Jonah is first mate aboard the Teazer in South Portland, Maine. A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his fiancée, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Outdoor News - June 2023 June is bustin’ out all over, and like they say, June is “troutin’and bassin’ time.” With more than 5,000 lakes and ponds, thousands of miles of rivers and streams and 400 remote trout ponds scattered throughout the Pine Tree State’s sprawling wilderness, there is room enough for all of us to find solitude and sustenance for the soul - and maybe even some fish. So get the garden in early, and get after those wonderful brookies and feisty bass. Be sure to read this issue of the Journal thoroughly. It’s chocker block full of fishing’ tips and places to go. Don’t forget to buy a fishing license -you can do that online now - register your boat, grease the hubs on your boat trailer, bring a kid along and wear a life jacket.
Wardens Rescue Woman
Game Warden K9 Storm and Game Warden Chad Robertson rescued a severely hypothermic 65-year-old female who had become disoriented and lost in the woods behind her house in April. Helen Baillie, age 65, had taken her black lab out for a walk in the woods behind her house off the Arundel Road in Kennebunkport last night at about 7:00. At approximately 7:30, Helen’s husband was notified that someone had located her dog, without Helen, about a mile and half from their home. He immediately called 911, and told Kennebunkport Police that his wife was missing. Local police searched
the roads and immediate area but were unable to locate Helen, and notified the Maine Warden Service. Game Wardens arrived, and were able to determine the GPS coordinates and approximate location of Helen’s phone, and then game wardens Emerson Duplissie-Cyr and Tyler Harhart were able to find her phone in the woods, abandoned approximately 500 yards from the house. The pair looked and called for Helen in the immediate area, but when they couldn’t find her, they went back to bring a Warden K9 unit to the area. K9 Storm and Game Warden Chad Robertson began searching in the general area where the cell phone was located a little before midnight, and K9 Storm air scented Helen and then found her at 12:15 a.m., approximately 100 yards away from where the phone was, and over 500 yards from the house. Helen had discarded some of her clothes when she was found, she was soaked from walking through the boggy woods, and was shaking vigorously from the cold, as temperatures were in the low 40’s. She also was disoriented, and had difficulty speaking. Game Warden Robertson gave Helen his shirt, and Game Warden Harhart gave her his jacket, and the Game Wardens were able to assist her in walking out of the woods and take her to a waiting Kennebunkport Fire/EMS ambulance, where she was warmed up, then taken to the hospital for further examination.
Jerry Packard Receives Legendary Maine Guide Award
Jerry Packard, a longtime guide in the Sebec Lake region and the fourth-generation operator of Packard’s Camps, was presented with the Wiggie Robinson Legendary Maine Guide Award by Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Deputy Commissioner Tim Peabody at the Maine Professional Guides Association annual banquet in Brewer in April. Packard, age 77 of Willimantic, received the honor in front of over 300 people, including family, friends and other guides. Packard is the 13tth guide to be honored with the award, which is named after the late Wiggie Robinson, a longtime Katahdin area guide who was synonymous with the Maine outdoors.
Jerry Packard Packard received multiple nominations from a variety of people, including state senators, state representatives, retired inland fisheries and wildlife commissioners, game wardens, biologists, county sheriffs, neighbors and friends. Everyone mentioned his outstanding skills as a guide
and woodsman, and all the nominations also echoed how it didn’t matter who he guided -- professional athletes, politicians, or young children -- Jerry treated everyone the same, and that was unequaled. Jerry was the face of Packard’s camps on Sebec Lake, the fourth generation of his family to run the camps. Having grown up at the camps on Sebec, Jerry knew the woods and waters of the area like no other. He always was the person to go to whenever there was any kind of issue or emergency happening at the lake, and he was always willing to help whether it was on foot, by boat, by ATV or snowmobile, or even plane. One nominee talked about how on a moonless night and a search was underway, Jerry was able to drive a boat from one end of the lake to the other by watching the treeline against the sky, and knowing where he was by navigating the lake by peaks and valleys of the trees against the dark skyline. Jerry also was unique in that he recognized the importance of being a guide, and the importance and tradition of the Maine Sporting Camps. He was a founding member of the Maine Sporting Camps Association, realizing that their future of these camps and the families that ran them depended on working together with other camps to market and preserve this unique way of life. He later became president of that group. Along with guiding, Jerry was very active in his community having served
as a town selectman, and chair of the school board. He also was on the board of directors for Mayo Hospital, and the Sebec Lake Association. He even found time to make sure that future guides had what it takes as an examiner on the MDIFW Guides Examiner board Jerry was a conservationist long before the term was ever used. He recognized the importance of protecting and preserving the Maine outdoors. He always allowed water access to Sebec Lake on a ramp that was owned by Packard’s Camps. As his daughter Laura stated in one of the many nominations submitted for Jerry, “the entire state of Maine has benefitted from his lifetime legacy of generosity, commitment to resource conservation, ethics, public service and devotion to promoting sporting opportunities.” And she concluded with “He is a man who left every place he went better than when he found it.” The Wiggie Robinson Legendary Maine Guide Award is presented annually. Candidates must have held an active guide’s license for a minimum of 20 consecutive years and worked actively as a guide for at least a cumulative total of 10 years. Ideal candidates are also community leaders, and active on boards or committees that enhance and promote the importance of Maine’s outdoor resources such as youth programs, scout leader, conservation education, safety instructor, search and rescue volun(News cont. pg 27)
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
The Musket Myth
Once again it is high tide in the gun control debate. Over the past month and a half, it seems I can barely keep up with wave after wave of assaults on the rocky shores of freedom. Emboldened by tragedy, anti-gun forces at both state and federal levels have renewed attempts at banning semi-automatic modern sporting rifles and
that our country’s founding fathers never envisioned a modern sporting rifle, along with its semi-automatic capabilities, while framing the second amendment to the United States Constitution. We are told farmers, merchants and tradesmen kept a musket in the home as part of colonial life, namely to hunt with – and for nothing more. We
musket, then they are also stipulating that ownership of the popular, ordinary firearm of our current era, the modern sporting rifle, is just as valid and equally protected under the second amendment. This same theory applies to the first amendment – quill pens and the printing press have been long antiquated by technology. The argument that only the military should have access to semi-au-
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The Gun Cabinet by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME decisions over the many years since its adoption have certainly muddied the waters, its purpose is crystal clear when viewed through the lens of history. American colonists revolted against an overbearing and heavy-handed government by force of
the colonists came to fight with shotguns and boltaction hunting rifles. And while that may be an oversimplification of the matter, it is also the very simple reason we have the second amendment at all. As for me, I’ll keep my semi-automatic mus-
By definition, that makes a musket a military firearm. And all three classifications of people during the Revolutionary War era – civilian, American citizen-soldier and British troop, were possessed of the same gun, the musket.
The modern sporting rifle is as common, ordinary and prevalent today as the musket was during colonial times for many of the same reasons. magazines capable of hold- are asked to believe that ing an arbitrary number of the framers never would rounds. Along with their have been on board with self-styled ‘assault weap- the idea of ordinary citizens ons’ ban, the anti-gun activ- having access to, and ownist crowd is bringing back a ing ‘military style assault few tired myths in hopes of weapons.’ gaining support from gun Actually, nothing control fence-sitters. The could be farther from the worst in my opinion is the truth; let’s blow some big musket myth. holes in the great musket The musket myth is myth. one of the most disingenuIf anti-gun activists ous arguments used by are stipulating that the secanti-gun activists and sym- ond amendment is valid for pathetic media alike. Pro- the popular, ordinary fireponents of the myth note arm of the colonial era, the the usual and ordinary firearms of colonial life were muskets and flintlock pistols – both mostly designed as single shot and equally time-consuming to reload. In this statement, the antigun activists are correct. But it is also the only correct statement or assumption they make about the second amendment. The core principle behind the musket myth is
tomatic rifles also falls flat. While muskets were the primary firearm of the colonist and citizen-soldier, they were also the issued service weapon of the British military. By definition, that makes a musket a military firearm. And all three classifications of people during the Revolutionary War era – civilian, American citizen-soldier and British troop, were possessed of the same gun, the musket. You really don’t need to get in the weeds with scholarly dissertations about the intent of the second amendment to understand what it was written for. While numerous legal arguments and case law
arms – that is to say, equal arms. The founders knew, by firsthand experience, that without an armed citizenry, there could be no true liberty – quite aware that a government without fear of accountability has no mandate to see to its citizen’s wants and needs. There is a very good chance we would be speaking with a British accent today if the redcoats were armed with AR-15’s and
ket, thank you very much. And to propagators of the musket myth, I say this – put that in your muzzle loader and smoke it. John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine. He can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @tuckerridgeoutdoors
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Northwoods Sketchbook by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME June 4 – Today we saw the first monarch of the year flit through our yard. A friend saw one in southern Maine on May 28. It was a welcome visitor to our new
June 2023
Midsummer Night’s Dreams
in Mexico. School children and citizen scientists record their monarch observations on the website Journey North. Indeed, a few monarchs were recorded in the
June 6 – This morning I was waist-deep in the Kennebec River fly fishing for shad. I was lost in a riparian daydream waiting for the first strike from a shad when the water erupted just 20 feet away. butterfly garden stopping briefly to sip nectar from a few blooms. It seems early to see monarchs because they require several generations to migrate north from their wintering area
Bangor area by the end of May. Monarchs are among the few migratory insects. Last fall, our New England monarchs completed a 2500-mile odyssey to
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the mountains of central Mexico where they gather by the tens of millions each winter in the same grove of oyamel fir trees. They have never been there before, but know where to find this tiny location on the map. In March, these same 9-month-old Maine monarchs begin the last leg of their journey north into Texas and the southern states. There they seek out milkweed host plants to lay eggs that shortly hatch into zebra-striped, leaf-munching caterpillars. They grow fast in the warm southern sun, pupate, and produce a second generation of monarch butterflies that promptly leapfrog north several hundred miles in late April. A third generation completes its life cycle and flies northward, arriving in Maine by early summer. The monarch in my garden will lay eggs on the swamp milkweed that I just planted to produce a fourth generation in our short Maine summer. In September, this generation will forego reproduction and complete the migration back to the wintering site in Mexico. No one knows how these butterflies, five generations later, find their way to the same grove of fir trees on a mountain in Mexico to spend the winter. June 6 – This morning I was waist-deep in the Kennebec River fly fishing for shad. I was lost in a riparian daydream waiting for the first strike from a shad when the water erupted just 20 feet away. A 9-foot Atlantic sturgeon (Dreams cont. pg 15)
June 2023
Dreams (Cont. from pg 14 leaped out of the river, arced high into the air, and crashed back into cold waters like a breaching whale. I nearly jumped out of my chest waders. Later in the morning a large sturgeon, perhaps the same one, darted upriver just a few feet away under my drifting fly line. During several hours of fishing, other sturgeon, both short-nosed and the Atlantic species, leaped repeatedly from the river. The endangered Atlantic and short-nosed sturgeon spawn each spring in the Kennebec River. A study completed 25 years ago estimated the Kennebec population of shortnosed sturgeon at about 9,500 and a smaller number of Atlantic sturgeon.
Northwoods Sporting Journal After the Edwards Dam was removed, dozens of river miles were opened to spawning sturgeon, shad, striped bass, river herring, and other anadromous fish all the way to Waterville. Why do sturgeon make such spectacular leaping displays? Fisheries scientists believe that jumping allows the fish to equalize pressure in their swim bladder. When the sturgeon move into a different depth in the river, their bladder will expand or shrink. By jumping, they can gulp in air needed to maintain neutral buoyancy. What would I do if one decides to gulp one of my shad flies? Elsewhere, boaters have been injured by leaping Atlantic sturgeon that can grow to 16 feet and weigh 600 pounds. Could it happen in the Ken-
nebec? June 10 – Two weeks ago, I collected a pocketfull of silver and red maple seeds while fishing in the Penobscot River. I immediately planted them in pots, and now they are germinating. Both maples are good wildlife trees. They are among the few trees that can be reliably planted in wet, clay soils in bottomlands next to rivers, streams, and lakes. They are among the first flowers available to bees and other insects in the spring. I typically see the first pine warblers and yellow-rumped warblers in flowering maples in May. The proliferation of winged seeds, called samaras, are eaten by grosbeaks, finches, wild turkeys, and ducks. The seeds are also eaten by squirrels and chip-
munks. The buds are important food for deer and squirrels when other food is gone in late winter. Red squirrels return to browsed buds to lap up the sweet sap. Later this summer, I will plant several dozens of these maples in a lowlying riparian area on our family farm. June 21 – Today is the first day of summer; the longest day of the year (and the shortest night), when the sun reaches the highest zenith in its daily arc across the sky and when the sun rises and sets as far north on the horizon as it will at any time during the year. It is also the time of the midnight sun – when the sun never sets in the arctic. Several years ago, we drove north on the Demster Highway in Northwest Territories. This is most north-
Page 15 erly road one can travel by car in North America and ends in Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean. Along the way we crossed the Arctic Circle, north of which (according to geographers) is where the sun does not set on the longest day of the year. We learned that is not quite true. The Earth’s atmosphere bends the light of the rising and setting sun like a mirage. On the summer solstice, those living up to 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle also experience the “land of the midnight sun” for a few days in late June. Mark McCollough watches monarchs from his home in Hampden, Maine. He can be contacted at markmccollough25@ gmail.com
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Page 16
The Adventures of Me and Joe
The Lake Tess Monster
by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME
When me and Joe walked through the door of the Five N’ Diner on Friday afternoon four pairs of eyes looked up at us from one of the big round tables. “Where you been?” Miles Inch asked accusingly. “Fishin’ over to Chase Lake,” Joe said, tossing his battered felt hat on the table and sitting down. I pulled out a chair beside him. “Caught four salmon and a fat trout,” he added. “That trout was about…” “They seen it again!” Claude Hunch broke in excitedly, his curved back making it seem as if he was looming over the table. “Who seen what again?” Joe asked. “The Monster!” Miles said disgustedly. What you think everybody’s talkin’ about? Dave Gulp seen it when he was paddlin’ acrost Treble Bay. Said it rolled on top less’n a hundred yards off.” “If I know Dave Gulp, he was prob’ly in his cups.
Likely he saw a log or somethin’.” “You ain’t never believed in the Monster since it started showin’ up,” Myron Leafblight said as he slumped in his chair, idly swirling the coffee in his cup. “But a lotta people seen it. Enough so you gotta admit they’s somethin’ out there.” “I don’t gotta admit nothin’,” Joe snorted. “Say people have seen somethin’. What’s it gonna be? A giant fish? A alleygator? Maybe one o’ them dinosaurs? I’ve fished Lake Tess off an’ on most of my life an’ the only thing I ever saw that scared me was Molly Bloat wadin’ out one mornin’ to take a bath in the buff.” Lake Tess was a large body of water about eight miles from Mooseleuk. It was deep and cold with dozens of coves and bays. A few camps were scattered around its lengthy shoreline and the lake had developed a reputation for
HELP US FIND
The elusive Northwoods Sporting Journal’s moose Marty. He has wandered into the northwoods.
Find Marty somewhere in the Northwoods Sporting Journal (Hint: he will be located in one of our ads) Send us the page number he’s on and you could be a WINNER! Win a FREE Northwoods Sporting Journal Marty Hat. We will draw one winner from all correct entries submitted each month. We will announce the winner in the next issue. PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM TO: Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 195, West Enfield, ME 04493
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“I don’t gotta admit nothin’,” Joe snorted. “Say people have seen somethin’. What’s it gonna be? A giant fish? A alleygator? Maybe one o’ them dinosaurs? I’ve fished Lake Tess off an’ on most of my life an’ the only thing I ever saw that scared me was Molly Bloat wadin’ out one mornin’ to take a bath in the buff.” producing large trout and togue. But in recent weeks many people had reported spotting some kind of large creature in the lake. At first the reports had been dismissed as simply as the wakes of powered boats or barely submerged logs. But more and more people were reporting that what they
were seeing was moving under its own power, that it sometimes wallowed near the surface, but submerged when approached. While Joe continued to scoff at the suggestion that something large and alive inhabited the depths of the lake, I wasn’t so sure. “Joe, if what you say is true an’ they ain’t no
Lake Tess Monster, what have all these folks been seein’,” Chalk Whitely asked reasonably. “Some reputable folks have reported seein’ somethin’ movin’ along out there. All their sightin’s can’t be logs an’ waves.” Before Joe could reply, the bell above the door (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)
Shown actual size
Paul M. Richards (Marty was found on pg 59)
Address City
Marty
June 2023
State
Phone I found Marty on page
Zip
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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.
June 2023
Me & Joe (Cont from pg 16)
of the café jangled and a well-dressed man stepped into the room. He wore kaki trousers, a tan L.L. Bean shirt and $200 dollar hiking boots. Perched on his head was an Australian bush hat with a card that said “Press” stuck in the sweatband. He took in the room at a glance and then approached our table with a toothy grin. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. Mind if I sit down?” Taking our silence for consent, he pulled up a chair to the already crowded table. “My name is Quentin Byline and I’m a reporter for the Slant.” We sat up and took notice. The Portland Leftward Slant was one of the largest newspapers in southern Maine. Its circulation reached into southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. Joe looked him up and down and gave a slow grin. “Didn’t know anyone from the Slant knew how to find northern Maine.” Byline returned the grin unfazed. “We have maps. Actually, I’m up here to do a story on the Lake Tess Monster. I don’t suppose any of you men could help me with that?” There came a babble of voices as the men around the table competed in trying to tell Quentin Byline their versions of the various sightings. Joe sat in mild amusement for a few minutes, then caught my eye and nodded toward the door. We excused ourselves and stepped out onto the boardwalk that passed in front of the main street buildings. “I can see the story in the Slant now,” Joe said as
Northwoods Sporting Journal
we clumped along. “Mythical Monster Inhabits Northern Maine Lake! Then it’ll proceed to make us all look like country bumpkins for belivin’ the stories and blame the whole thing on the loggin’ companies or fishermen, or somebody else they don’t agree with.” An hour later we were in Eben Ramdown’s Emporium while Joe sharpened a pair of Eben’s fillet knives. “Never kin seem ter git a good enough edge on ‘um,” Eben said as he watched Joe work. “Got them oil stones yer usin’ an’ everythin’ but I cain’t seem to do it the same way.” “Jist takes practice,” Joe said, wiping the oil from the last knife blade, then stropping it onto the back of a leather knife case. He licked the hair on the back of his left wrist, then slid the blade along over the skin. Cut hair drifted slowly toward the floor. “Oughta be good enough, Eben.” “Great job, Joe. What do I owe yer?” “Coupla perch fillets oughta make it even.” “Done!” As Eben went into the back room to put the knives and stones away, the front door opened and Quentin Byline stepped inside, carefully closing the door behind him. “I’ve been looking for you two,” he said. Joe smiled. “Thought you’d of got a whole passel of stories from them boys at the diner,” he said. “Oh, I’ve got a bunch of tall tales and opinions,” Byline agreed. He looked at Joe thoughtfully. “The boys say you don’t put much stock in the monster theory.” Joe considered his answer. “Oh, I suppose they’s somethin’ in the lake
people been seein’. It’s jist hard for me to jump to the conclusion that a monster’s involved.” Byline stuck his hands in his pockets and stared out the front window for a few moments. He swiveled his head to look back at us. “Would you guys go out with me to visit Dr. Fathom?” Joe looked surprised. “What’s Elwood Fathom got to do with this?” “You know him?” We nodded. Byline rocked on his heels. “Dr. Fathom is retired, I know, but in his time he was a widely respected oceanographer. I’ve read some of his books. I’d just like to get his take on this whole thing. And I’d like to get your reaction to what he says.” “Like you say, Elwood is an oceanographer. That’s not the same as knowin’ about freshwater lakes,” Joe said. “No, but he’s a respected scientist. I’d like to get his opinion on the situation.” We drove out of town in Quentin Byline’s Jeep Cherokee. I noted the large number of strange vehicles on the street. “A lot of strangers in town,” I commented. “Yeah. Lot of people come to see the monster,” Joe said with a smile. “Vinny Restroom says the Mooseleuk Motel is about full.” Dr. Elwood Fathom had enjoyed a long career as one of the world’s leading oceanographers. Retiring in his 70s, he’d built an extravagant home on Lake Tess. Many people had thought he would retire to the seashore somewhere, but his love of northern Maine, nursed from countless vacations
over the years, had proven too strong. He moved to Lake Tess and never looked back. Joe had helped him with a coyote problem the year before, and Dr. Fathom was almost embarrassingly grateful. He met us at the door of his imposing “cottage”. “Saw you drive up. Welcome! Welcome! Come on in. There’s a chill in the air this afternoon.” We introduced Quentin Byline to Dr. Fathom and the doctor’s manservant, Miles Mute, sat us all in a sunny room with a spectacular view of the lake. Elwood Fathom was a little round man with ruddy cheeks and gray hair that curled around his ears. He was endlessly cheerful and enthusiastic about most anything that took his fancy. Now he watched with scarcely concealed delight as Miles poured us each a flute of clear white wine. “You must try this wine. My dear friend Alicia Corriveau up in the St. John Valley makes it. She has developed a strain of grapes that does remarkably well in our northern climes.” Quentin Byline sniffed the glass, then took a cautious sip. A look of amazement spread across his face. “Why, this is delight-
ful!”
Page 17
“It is, isn’t it?” Dr. Fathom said happily. “Now, to what do I owe the great pleasure of your company?” Byline took another sip of wine and set the glass carefully on an end table. “You must have heard the stories about the Lake Tess Monster, Dr. Fathom,” he began. “I’d like to hear your idea of what could be actually causing all the disturbances.” Dr. Fathom smiled thoughtfully and looked out through the large windows at the lake. “Yes, many of my local friends have brought reports of the sightings. As a scientist, they seek my guidance. Unfortunately, I am at a loss to explain the phenomenon.” Byline started to interrupt, but Fathom stopped him with a wave of his hand. “Of course, it would be easy to dismiss the sightings out of hand. Many natural occurrences, misinterpreted or misunderstood, could be the answer. But I’m inclined to think…” He stopped, brow furrowed. “It’s too easy to brush off these sightings as the imaginings of uneducated minds. But there are many forms of education. I have found most of the people in this area extremely intelligent. Their formal educa(Me & Joe cont. pg 35)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 18
Outdoor Sporting Library
June 2023
Alaska’s Wolf Man
caribou a good part of the year, as well as abundant grizzlies. Glaser sent specimens from several bears he’d killed to the U.S. Biological Survey, and developed a relationship with one of the top brass, Frank Dufrense. This led to a large scale caribou trapping project for transfer of animals to breed with
by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME
It was 371 miles from the port of Valdez to Fairbanks, and in May 1915 the only way to pass was by foot. It was a large path, well worn by gold rushers and those eager to find work in the booming Alaska gold town. Roadhouses lined the trail, spaced about 20 miles apart to accommodate a day’s travel. It wasn’t easy, but young Frank Glaser had heard the Interior was good game and fur country, so he went. Glaser made it to the “town that lived on gold and fur” and worked a short time as a miner, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful country called “Black Rapids” that he’d discovered along the trail. He returned there and
secured a job as a market hunter, providing sheep and caribou for the Alaska Road Commission construction crews that were improving the Valdez Trail. Hunting and packing meat out of the mountains became his job, and he spent the winter trapping fur in that wild mountain country. Frank later bought the Rapids roadhouse. He ran it himself occasionally, but usually hired others while he was out on long hunting and trapping forays in the mountains. With the construction of the Alaska Railroad, the Valdez trail became less used and over time most of the roadhouses were abandoned. The area was flowing with large bands of
Frontier Alaska produced tough people, but Frank Glaser was far more than tough. He was off the charts.
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the vast reindeer herds in northwest Alaska. The fur market underwent a great change during that time, and Glaser found that it was becoming nearly impossible to make a living trapping. He applied for a federal job and Dufrense hired him as Alaska’s first full time predator control agent, a position he maintained for 18 years. His initial assignment was to eliminate wolves that were preying on caribou. He spent large periods of time around the caribou herds, covering incredible distances on foot each day and living off the land with minimal supplies. One summer Glaser was assigned to follow one of the great caribou herds from its migration across the Alaska-Canada boundary and determine their travel patterns and final destination. He started in August near the village of Eagle and for a month, he and two dogs walked at least 450 miles, sometimes covering over 30 miles in a (Wolf Man cont. pg 19)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Wolf Man
(Cont. from pg 18) day. He’d feed on whatever game he shot or fish he caught and curl up under a tarp at night. As the weather got cold and he had no winter gear, he killed a few caribou, tanned the hides with brain matter, used a buckskin needle and caribou sinew to make a sleeping bag. When the snow got deep he killed a caribou bent some willow sticks and used strips of hide to make snowshoes. To cross deep rivers he’d build a raft. To combat the cold he made mittens and mukluks with caribou skins. After the caribou assignment Glaser returned to trapping and hunting wolves throughout the state. He spent years pro-
tecting Eskimo-owned caribou herds in the greater Nome area, similarly living off the land with incredible independence and selfreliance. Frontier Alaska produced tough people, but Frank Glaser was far more than tough. He was off the charts. Even more impressive, he brushed off the danger, extreme conditions, lean times and superhuman feats as routine. For an old pioneer woodsman, it was all just part of the job. When outdoor writer Jim Rearden first met Frank Glaser in a Fairbanks sporting good store, he knew he’d stumbled into something special. The man was full of adventurous stories and willing to share. The two soon began collaborating and Jim wrote many of Frank’s stories
over the years. In 1998, a quarter century after Glaser passed away, Jim published “Alaska’s Wolf Man: The 1915-55 Adventures of Frank Glaser”. With more than 300 pages of wilderness adventure, Alaska history, survival and pure grit, the book has quickly
become a classic. J e re m i a h c a n b e reached at jrodwood@ gmail.com. You can find his latest book, “More Than Wolverine: An Alaska Wilderness Trapline” on Amazon.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal June 2023 Aroostook Woods sure you’re correct and I another reason to hold a There have been ru& Water bear you no ill will; but not festive weekend event. Fort mors circulating around
Page 20
The White Perch Plague
by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME I’m surprised it has survived this long, I really am. Aroostook County has remained relatively free from most of the wreckage that bucket biologists have done to our downstate waters. But they’re a persistent bunch, the bucket brigade; the once blindingly pristine Fish River Chain is now inundated with white perch,
and decided they must be related. White perch are much the same as a biblical plague of locusts. They arrive, they thrive, they dominate, and they devour. According to the state of Maine, “Where conditions are favorable, white perch form very large populations and can dominate the waters they inhabit. Their
here; I don’t give a damn how good they taste. They don’t belong here; they’re invaders, home-wreckers. They’re like cousin Eddie and his septically challenged motor-home: nothing good will ever come of them (or Eddie) parking in your favorite waters. The white perch was first discovered locally in Cross Lake just a few years ago. And from there,
Kent is good at that stuff (Caribou, you should take lessons…). So far, we have yet to see any of the usurpers upstream of that last great barrier to fish passage, the last bastion of defense, the Maginot Line of our almost
here since 1986 when the first musky was found out in Baker Lake that the end was nigh. Every year we hear the siren song; “Someone in Eagle Lake caught a musky! Someone in Square had caught one! Long Lake was full of musky parr!”
still pristine fisheries: the Fish River Falls in Fort Kent. That’s the only thing stopping the musky and the smallies, who inhabit the St. John, from carving another notch in their piscatorial belt. The Fish River and the Aroostook River, the Little Madawaska, are all in line to be colonized should these evil-doers make it up over the falls.
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So far, according to our biologists, there have been no confirmed catches of musky, nor smallies, from the Fish River. Fish that have been called musky parr are most likely Banded Killfish minnows, that are supposed to be here. Now, lest you think I’m some crazed trout zealot with a bunch of axes to grind (alright, maybe one or two axes), I’m not. Not really, I just play one on TV sometimes. I have nothing against fishing for smallies; they’re magic on a fly rod. Muskies? I’d dearly love to tie into one on an 8wt while throwing a soggy, multi-colored gym sock at them. But not here. These waters have survived the plagues, the infestations of the barbarian hoards. We’ve managed to keep the last of the eastern brook trout habitat in this country, free of invasives. This was the one place left that was
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So far, we have yet to see any of the usurpers upstream of that last great barrier to fish passage, the last bastion of defense, the Maginot Line of our almost still pristine fisheries: the Fish River Falls in Fort Kent. an invasive and definitely non-native species that will do significant harm to our brookie and salmon population. A mature brook trout may lay 1,000 eggs in a spawning period. A 6” inch white perch will lay 22,000. Do the math. Do not confuse the word ‘Perch’ with our resident yellow perch. White perch are actually a bass. They were misnamed because people saw a similarity to the yellow perch
reproductive potential is so great that only a major mortality event induced at spawning periods could cause failures in a yearclass of fish.” And even then, it’s just a minor hiccup on their road to total world dominance. They’re like the Borg from Star Trek -resistance is futile. I’m sure there are a zillion fishermen out there who think fishing white perch is a reasonable thing to do. I’m
they’ve already managed to establish themselves throughout the chain. The rest of their ‘family’ is slowly marching north as well. I’ve caught large and small mouth bass in the East Branch of the Mattawamkeag as far north as Oakfield. The Rapid River has been overrun with smallies. We’ve already lost the northern realm of the Allagash to musky, though it seems to have given Fort Kent
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Page 21
NEOWA Awards Wildlife Scholarships
The New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA) held its annual meeting and awards banquet April 29th at the Masonic Lodge in Kennebunk. During the banquet, 12 wildlife conser-
vation students from New England’s six land grant colleges were awarded $1,500.00 scholarships. NEOWA is a longstanding association of New England outdoor writers and photographers
Northwoods Sporting Journal editor and NEOWA member V. Paul Reynolds, right, presents a scholarship check to University of Mass. Wildlife major Ana Topete. (Photo by Carey Kish)
Stu Bristol, NWTF Hall of Famer, shares some of his turkey hunting and calling strategies with NEOWA members and guests at the NEOWA annual meeting in Kennbunk. (Photo by Carey Kish)
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whose mission is to promote excellence and professionalism in the communication media covering outdoor sports and recreation. NEOWA also promotes and encourages conservation and the wise use of natural resources. Receiving scholarships were: Aliza Fassler, U M a s s ; A n a To p e t e , UMass; Amanda McFarland, UMaine; Amos Hinkley, UMaine; Lillian Collyer, URI; Felica Page, URI; Mariah Choiniere, UVermont; Ben Simmons, UVermont; Danae Streetsmith, UNH; Frankie Shinost, Jr, UNH; Lukas Palmieri, Uconn; and Laura Dykstra, Uconn. The scholarship recipients were presented their checks by NEOWA member V. Paul Reynolds and asked to say a few words to the gathering following a noon meal. Following the luncheon two panel discussions were held. A conversation with the editors was held, led by NEOWA President, Will Lund, editor of the Maine Sportsman, NEOWA Treasurer V. Paul Reynolds, editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal and Nicola Whitney, editor of the NH Wildlife Journal. A turkey calling panel discussion and demonstration was put on by three NEW HOLLAND MASSEY FERGUSON TRACTORS
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 22
Women In The Woods by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME Congratulations! You won a moose permit. Now, the work begins. Assume you are going to do what I did and spend six days in the woods and choppings of Maine, looking for moose. Those 12ish hours away from camp each day are spent searching and walking and driving. It might not sound as exhausting as
Must Haves for a Moose Hunt
outdoors could throw at you. It won’t matter if you are hunting in September or October. You may have snow or you may have 70 degree temps. Or both. Be ready! 2. Snacks and water. It’s a must for every hunt but if you are walking or driving from camp, you want to be sure you are not
Comfortable boots. Buy some now and start breaking them in. Bad boots will always ruin a hunt.
this, make sure you are prepared to use them in offline mode. I used the app to track our route every day. it was but…you are toast starving and dehydrated. You can change the color of at the end of the day. Here I packed some hydration the tracking in order to see are the things that I packed packs from Wilderness where you overlap and at for my hunt. Athlete that I would add to the end of the hunt, you can 1. Too many clothes. a water bottle and be good see how much ground you I packed every piece of to go. Snacks like jerky, covered during the hunt. hunting clothing I owned protein bars, apples and For me, it was more than 25 and more socks than I could crackers will help fill the miles hiked and more than ever wear over the course gaps between meals. 700 miles driven. of a 6 day hunt. The weath3. Mapping – Gazet4. Comfortable er was sunny and beautiful, teer and apps like OnX. boots. Buy some now and cold and breezy and a full An updated Gazette is start breaking them in. day of rain. Moose move everyone’s friend. I also Bad boots will always ruin in all weather. You need used OnX to track where a hunt. You need to think to be where they are so we were going and mark about all of the hunting make sure you are dressed the signs we were seeing. conditions you may be in, and terrain. Maybe it’s for everything the Maine When you get apps like both in terms of weather more than one pair of boots but know that if you are getting out of the truck, the ground you are walkCountry General Store ing on could be a dirt road 1 Mile West 2539 U.S. Rt 2 - Smyrna, Maine 04780 or a chopping that has you Of I-95 Exit 291 207- 757-8984 Open 8 to 5, Closed Thurs & Sun. climbing over slashed trees and hoping you don’t snap your ankle. 5. Everything you may need to get that moose out of the woods. Aside from walking up on our moose after a long week of hunting, the next most satisfying thing for me and Dad was standing FARM & HOME SUPPLIES • BULK FOODS & SPICES back and letting Wayne QUALITY FOOTWEAR • GLOVES & SOCKS • BAIT and his guides Ernie and FISHING ESSENTIALS • TOOLS & HARDWARE WOOD COOKSTOVES • STOVE PIPE & CHIMNEYS Pat do the work of getting GAS REFRIGERATORS • UNIQUE, HARD TO FIND ITEMS - AND MORE! the moose out. I highly rec-
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ommend hiring a guide if you can! Otherwise, think about everything you may need to get the moose out or butcher it in the woods. Things like rope, sharp knives, gloves, meat bags to keep the meat as clean as possible, head lamp (or two), orange marker tape (in case you need to mark a trail to and from your moose) and probably a jet sled or something you could use to help with dragging. Think of all of the scenarios that you could run into with your hunt and plan ahead. Always have a safety kit with you! The more you can anticipate what might happen, the more prepared you will be and your hunt will be more enjoyable. Getting drawn for a moose permit doesn’t happen often and you want to make sure that the opportunity doesn’t go to waste. Be prepared and have a great hunt! Good luck! Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 23
Outdoors In Maine
Slender Threads
by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME took me under his wing. He showed me the way and lit a spark that opened up so many vocational and avocational opportunities
fulfilling or less joyous if the slender threads, like the stars, had not aligned for you. We are not supposed
One common theme has continually haunted me, but not in a bad way. I remain astonished and deeply appreciative of how my best outdoor experiences came about as a result of mostly unplanned, serendipitous connections with others.
Perhaps I am a meditative soul, and have just not admitted it to myself. When deer hunting, I sit for hours with only a thermos of hot tea to keep me company. (Photo by Scott Reynolds) A bright young man When deer hunting, I sit me, but not in a bad way. who is a close relative of for hours in a tree stand I remain astonished and mine has taken up fasting, with only a thermos of hot deeply appreciative of how not for religious reasons tea to keep me company. A my best outdoor experiencthat I know of, but simply few times in my life, when es came about as a result of as a kind meditative self- the burdens were the most mostly unplanned, serenawareness exercise. He heavy, fervent prayers to dipitous connections with once pitched a tent on a my Creator passed the time others. My father, bless remote Maine beach for in my tree stand. Much of him, brought me along to nearly a week surviving that time, too, was used learn and hone my pasonly on broth. He returned, for just clearing my mind, sions, hunting and fishing. seemingly none the worse or simply thinking about As a geeky, reclusive teen for wear, with a big smile the past or pondering the deep into electronics and and positive affirmations future. amateur radio at the time, about his week of privaOne common theme a complete stranger in my tion. has continually haunted Houlton neighborhood Not my cup of tea, this fasting thing. I love to eat. I counciled him to be Cabins careful, that he could be Campground compromising his immune Restaurant system. I added this old timer’s admonition: “ Too ay” Bowling Alley l P to Sled Rentals much self-introspection is ace l P e Boat Rentals not always healthy, my boy. “Th Life has taught me that.” What do you think? Self-awareness books and discussions have never been my thing, so I could be wrong. But life does teach you lessons along the way. Perhaps I am a meditative soul, and have just Island Falls, ME 207-463-2515 not admitted it to myself.
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in my later adult years. “On what slender threads do life and fortunes hang!” wrote Alexandre Dumas. You cannot help but wonder whether your life would have been less
to make idols or gods of transitory inanimate objects or hobbies. I do resist, but fly fishing on a remote trout pond, when the hatch is on, comes close to a (Threads cont. pg 25)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 24
“The Trail Rider” by Dan Wilson, Bowdoinham, ME “Shoot, it won’t start,” is close to what my father and I said when we tried to start up the little 4-wheeler after its winter slumber. We call this 4-wheeler the “little one” because next to its big brother the Honda side-by-side, it’s a bit smaller and fits just two riders. We’ve had trouble
cord is located under the seat. The seat has latch hooks, so putting some pressure on the seat and sliding it will allow the seat to release and lift off completely. Underneath, on the left side is the pull cord, but before beginning to pull, there are a few steps. Make sure the 4-wheeler is in neutral.
June 2023
Slow Starts and Washouts
ankle would be, which makes the cord easier to be pulled (not all machines have one). Now give it a good yank. If at first you don’t succeed, activate the release again and pull the cord, adjusting the choke as you feel fit. Hopefully after only a few pulls, you’re ready to ride. Depending how much rain we’ve had in the spring, some of the trails might be washed out, especially in areas with streams, brooks,
getting stuck. Overall I think Maine fared OK with the rain and late winter storms, which was somewhat different than California. I traveled to San Francisco in midApril for a wedding in Sonoma followed by a few days of vacation in Carmel and Big Sur. Originally I
could before I needed to turn around. The positive side of a lot of rain is that it helps the water tables and makes way for a beautiful and lush spring, and in California’s case, helps with the ongoing drought and leads to a super bloom of poppies and wildflowers. I’m grateful
planned to go horseback riding, but the unprecedented rain and storms caused a lot of damage to the trails so they needed to cancel, hoping their repairs would be finished within the next few weeks. Parts of highway 1 in Big Sur were also closed due to landslides, so when enjoying that scenic drive, I went as far as I
that the storm damage on the trails on our property were nominal and look forward to the ever-greening landscape as summer in Maine approaches.
Depending how much rain we’ve had in the spring, some of the trails might be washed out, especially in areas with streams, brooks, or even hills. with the electric starter on and off for some time. My dad is good about tinkering with it, troubleshooting with plugs, tubes, and wires, but at best, we’ve got it to intermittent performance. Might be something we put on our list for a small engine mechanic in the area, but for now, we can start it using the pull cord. On this model, 1999 Arctic Cat 300, the pull
Start off with a little choke, using the slide knob on the handle bar. I always forget whether to slide the knob up towards the headlights or down towards the rider, in either case, once the 4-wheeler is started, I adjust by how the engine sounds (revved up or sputtering). Once those two steps are complete, activate the compression release lever located on the right side, close to where your
or even hills. The bridge to our property took a hit with the wet weather, where the brook went over the top of it and washed out the dirt on either side, revealing the rocks underneath. We were still able to get across and fortunately the bridge is secure, attached to I-beams embedded in rocks. Most of the trails elsewhere on the property were pretty good, only a few downed trees that needed to be cleared, and the wet spots were navigable without too much disruption or risk of
Daniel Wilson works in healthcare and enjoys time outside in nature with his family.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Plague
(Cont. from Pg 20) truly the way it’s always been; trout and salmon rule, as they should. Clean water, relatively free of human interference, other than the occasional skidder destroying some wonderful spawning substrate on its illegal stream crossings. We were protected, up here, by distance and accessibility. We’re a helluva’ long way from anything, and even when you get here you’ve got some serious work to do to get in and out of some of these waters; even the famous ones. We have the fish, but what we lack (thankfully?) is a fly fishing culture. Rangeley has a fly fishing culture. Moosehead does. Baxter and GLS. Chamberlain and Big Eagle, Thoreau and the trains. What do we have? We have a snowmobile culture; which is awesome because if we didn’t we’d all be starving to death, living a ghost town existence. I
mean, who wants to drive all this way just to look at rusting potato equipment? You can join the 20/20 club up here any time you want (20 inch brookie on a #20 fly), but what you can’t do is go to a fly shop and buy that fly. The closest thing to a ‘fly shop’ that we have is in Fort Kent and they’ve completely given themselves up to the musky madness on the Allagash. White perch in the Fish; what’s next, Asian carp in the Aroostook? Mike Maynard lives in Perham, ME and can be reached at perhamtrout@ gmail.com
Threads (Cont. from pg 23) spiritual experience for me. And strange as it seems, I cannot, try as I may, recall what slender thread first led me to a fly rod and a remote trout pond. It was not my Dad, nor was it anybody close to me whose memory
I can resurrect after all these years. A philosopher whose name also escapes me said that really understanding our personal stories is a spiritual quest, that these experiences are what makes us “fully human.” Poet Robert Frost wrote about the “road not taken” that figures into the calculus of choices made by all of us. In my life the slender thread often led me to those choices. Sportsman or not, you should be able to find some personal thankfulness on how the slender threads shaped your life. 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.sportingjournal.com
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Page 25
Page 26
Warden’s Words
I remember being a Senior in high school, unsure about college, a career path, and ultimately what I wanted to do in life. My grandfather, one of the hardest working men I have ever met, told me from a young age not to follow in his footsteps and work
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME
ciated with the major life decisions yet to come. Mud Brook, a major tributary of Long Lake in the Fish River chain, was an open smelt run at the time and I rode over with my grandfather on our yearly pilgrimage to collect our two quarts of the tasty
June 2023
Maine Warden of the Year
father had walked further downstream and I found myself alone, admiring the night sky and listening to the sounds of spring all around me when suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of a deep voice asking “how are they coming?” I jumped and spun around to find Warden Jeff Spencer standing behind me. I had known Jeff since I was a young kid and had
My grandfather had walked further downstream and I found myself alone, admiring the night sky and listening to the sounds of spring all around me when suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of a deep voice asking “how are they coming?” I jumped and spun around to find Warden Jeff Spencer standing behind me. in the logging industry of northern Maine. He always encouraged me to go to college and do something that I was passionate about. I still remember a warm spring night in northern Maine when I realized exactly what I wanted to be. The outdoors was always a chance to get away from the anxiety and fear asso-
fish. It was a warm spring night as we parked our truck and weaved our way through the throngs of people, armed with headlamps, buckets and long handled nets to an open spot along the bank of roaring water. A light rain began to fall as I began sweeping the net back and forth in pursuit of the baitfish. My grand-
been checked by Jeff several times over the years. I always had the utmost respect for him. A man of commanding stature and size, who had a knack for always being in places I never expected a Warden to be. I knew even then, that he was the “real deal” type of Warden. Jeff talked with me for awhile along the
Warden Jeffrey Spencer shore of the brook, offer- resource. ing advice about where he Jeff was a major reahad been seeing the most son I wanted to be a Warsmelt on the brook. Before den, and after completing long, Jeff wished me luck the testing, hiring process and then stepped back into and training academies, I the darkness to continue his soon found myself working protection of the vulnerable (Warden cont. pg 27)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
News
(Cont. from pg 12) teer, fish and game clubs, guide license examiner, and others. Past winners include: Gil Gilpatrick, Gary Corson, Gardner Defoe, Matthew P. Libby, Don Dudley, Danny Legere, Richard Scribner, Donald E. Helstrom, Jr, Lance Wheaton, Bonnie Holding, Carroll Ware, and Polly Mahoney.
Director Eben Sypitkowski, a retired Maine Game Warden lieutenant has been recently named director by the Baxter Park Authority. A 28 year veteran of the Maine Warden Service, Kevin Adam has been appointed to the vacant
Former Warden Named Baxter Park Director
After a more than two year search following the resignation of Baxter Park
Warden (Cont. from pg 26) alongside him in northern Maine. Jeff had become the northern most Warden Service pilot in the years I was in college, pursuing my dream of wearing the green uniform, Jeff followed his own dream of patrolling the skies of Aroostook County. When I finally hit the field on my own, Jeff quickly became a trusted friend and mentor who offered his years of knowledge and experience to a rookie, learning the ropes. Many of the new Wardens in northern Maine hold Jeff in the same high regard as I do, and he has made a lasting impact on many of us. Jeff had worked in the logging industry for several years, also working as a Maine Guide before becoming a Maine Warden. His background, work ethic and knowledge of the outdoors added to the respect he gained from his co-workers and the sporting public. Jeff has always taken
Kevin Adam the time to work with me in the field, as he had worked the Masardis district for several years as a Warden, showing me “spring holes”, deadwaters and everything in between that he had found during his time in the patrol. Jeff has always been willing to take my latenight phone calls, looking for his advice and guidance on specific cases I am working. His institutionalized knowledge and experience of working complex cases has made me a better Warden today. Today, he is a skilled pilot, who has located many lost persons and made many fish and game cases in recent years, hundreds of feet above the same woods he used to roam in his younger years. At the most recent Warden Service annual meeting in Winslow, Pilot Spencer received the most prestigious honor bestowed on a Game Warden, being elected by his peers as the 2022 Maine Warden of the Year. As I listened to Major Chris Cloutier read the award nomination, talking
post. According to Bangor Daily News outdoor writer Pete Warner, Adam has been employed the past two years by the Park as a District Law Enforcement Ranger. Adam said that it was a “tremendous honor to be named Director of Baxter State Park. A graduate of Unity College with a B.S. in Conservation Law Enforcement, the new director said that he looked forward to the challenge of “ensuring that the Park forever honors Governor Baxter’s vision and the Deeds of Trust.” Adam will be only the fifth Park leader since the Park was created. Early legendary Park leaders
about Jeff’s career accomplishments including his relentless pursuit and tremendous work ethic in protection of the resource, his time as a skilled K9 handler with his partner Bridger, his work as a skilled pilot and his constant pursuit of perfection at everything he does, I was overcome by emotion. This award was a culmination of 25 years of dedicated service and sacrifice. I watched Jeff’s family, glowing with pride as the nomination spoke about his dedication and commitment throughout his career. A Warden’s family knows more than anyone just how hard they work towards the never-ending goal of protecting fish and game. I am honored to know Jeff and am ecstatic about him receiving this tremendous honor, only earned by the best of the best. Kale O’Leary has been a Maine Game Warden since 2016. He lives in Ashland and patrols the Masardis/Oxbow district in central Aroostook County.
Page 27
Helon Taylor and Buzz Caverly devoted most of their working years to the Park. After their tenures, Jensen Bissell served as director for 15 years, and Eben Sypitkowsi left voluntarily after three years at the post.
Warden Pilot Named Warden of the Year
Game Warden Pilot Jeff Spencer of Eagle Lake, a game warden for nearly 25 years, was honored as the Maine Game Warden of the year by his peers at the annual awards banquet at the Winslow
VFW Hallin April.. The awards ceremony gives special recognition to game wardens for exceptional performance during 2022. Awards are given for the Maine Game Warden of the Year, Game Warden Supervisor of the Year, the Legendary Game Warden of the Year, as well as awards for conduct above the normal line of duty, outstanding work that merits special attention, and recognizes individuals and groups who assisted the Maine Warden Service. Achievements that (News cont. pg 29)
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Page 28
Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME
There are a lot of great ways to enjoy the cooking method of planking your fish. As there are many varieties of fish, it is parallel with wood cooking planks. There are a num-
type you choose is really driven by your personal preferences. As it relates to flavor, it is always good to match up the appropriate type of plank with the character of your fish. For example, heavier
Walking the Plank with Your Fish
overall flavor. A key factor is that the wood must not have been treated with chemicals; you must be certain of this. It is preferable to soak your plank before using it in water for 30 minutes for fish. You can soak it for longer than an hour
It is preferable to soak your plank before using it in water for 30 minutes for fish. You can soak it for longer than an hour if you have time. In fact, four hours of soaking is even better, and I believe that the minimum is one hour. ber of types that you can purchase. Most people are familiar with cedar – which is a great match for fish like salmon, but you can also purchase oak, maple, cherry, apple and even woods that have been preinfused with different types of wine. All impart a unique flavor to your fish, and the
fish like salmon may work very well with cedar (which can be wine infused), while fish like crappie, varieties of trout or striper may be more enjoyable with alder, maple, cherry, or apple. I enjoy white fish with those, and the wine infused planks like a Chardonnay or Riesling, which can add another dimension to the
June 2023
if you have time. In fact, four hours of soaking is even better, and I believe that the minimum is one hour. Stores that sell food grade plank companies advise home cooks to soak theirs four to 24 hours. The soaking helps both to stop the plank from catching on fire, and to create a moist cooking application.
Cedar should be very well soaked, so that it smokes as little as possible, because burning cedar can produce tars and creosote. Red cedar is the best to choose – it gives off a sweet, aromatic smoke that you many enjoy. Some hard-core plank enthusiasts like to soak the boards in their own flavoring liquid, as opposed to just water. I have heard of them using liquids such as beer, apple cider, white wine, pineapple juice, etc. You use a 1 to 1 ratio of flavoring liquid to water for your soaking mix. But you’ll need to soak the plank for a minimum of four hours, so the flavor actually gets in, to make your efforts worthwhile. And you’ll need to find a container or deep pan to soak it in.
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Now, let’s talk about cooking. The first step is to put the plank on by itself first to heat it. You put the plank on the grill, not directly on the burners or the coals, and you will be cooking with the rough side of the plank facing down. Once the plank begins to smoke, turn the burner under the plank off. You want the wood to smolder, but not start a campfire on your grill. Then place your food on the plank. If you are cooking fish, place the fish on the plank skin side down. No part of the fish should be hanging over the edge of the plank. Plan on your cooking time to be about 50% longer than usual, as the food is getting indirect heat. While cooking, open the lid as little as possible to preserve a warm, moist environment. If you sense the board is catching on fire, you will need to deal with that, however. A squirt bottle filled with water can be used to put out any fires that break out on the plank. Avid plank users advise to have one ready as part of your standard equipment. When the food is cooked, you can put on oven mitts and remove the plank and use a fish spatula to slide the food item off the plank onto a serving plate. Match the planked fish up with a side salad or grilled veggies. Dispose of plank after use. WildCheff’s Planked White Fish with Cilantro Lime Butter Any mild, flaky whitefish will do.
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(Fish cont. pg 29)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Fish
the Free-Range Culinary peers at the annual awards Institute. You can learn banquet at the Winslow more @ www.wildcheff. VFW Hall on Friday. (Cont. from pg 28) Spencer began his com or visit him on InsIngredients tagram @ thewildcheff or warden career in the North 2 large or 4 medium Facebook at @WildCheff Maine Woods in the Estfilets of whitefish (trout, court Station district where striper, haddock, flounder) he quickly made an impact 1 Tsp. of WildCheff with numerous cases reChile Lime Blend Seasongarding over the limit fish, ing (Cont. from pg 27) and night hunting. Since WildCheff Chile & were recognized included that time, he later was proLime Sea Salt, to taste incidents where human moted to sergeant, then For the Cilantro-Lime lives were saved, and other became a Game Warden Butter: awards highlighted the Pilot. In all of his posi8 T of butter, softened conservation of Maine’s tions, Spencer has been a 3 T of finely chopped fish and wildlife resources role model for others, and fresh cilantro (you can in ways deserving of spe- displayed a hardworking substitute with Italian leaf cial recognition. The fol- attitude that carried over parsley) lowing were recipients of to others he worked with. 1/2 Tsp. of WildCheff this year’s annual awards. Over the years, SpenJalapeno Flakes 2022 Maine Game cer became well know for 1 T of lime juice his investigative skills, inWarden of the Year zest of 1 lime Game Warden Pilot cluding one case involved a 2 cedar planks, soaked Jeff Spencer of Eagle report of three dead moose for one hour prior to use Lake, a game warden for found near the shores of Directions nearly 25 years, was hon- Little Clayton Lake durIn a small bowl, com- ored as the Maine Game ing the summer. Spencer bine the softened butter Warden of the year by his worked tirelessly on this with the jalapeno flakes, cilantro, lime juice and lime zest. Set it aside. Season the fish with Chile Lime Seasoning and flavored sea salt. Pre-heat grill to 400 degrees. When grill reached temp, place planks onto grill until they start to char and smoke. Flip planks over and move planks to COVERS IT ALL UPHOLSTERY indirect heat area of your Central Maine’s Largest Upholstery Service CANVAS grill. A Full Time, Full Service Shop. Place seasoned fish Where Experience Counts. onto the planks, cover and grill until fish is opaque and 207-465-7847 1042 Kennedy Memorial Drive starts to flake. (ApproxiOakland, ME 04963 mately 15-20 minutes) 1 1/2 Miles West of I-95 Exit 127 TOPS, COVERS & INTERIORS FOR CARS, TRUCKS & BOATS Removed planks and www.coversitallupholstery.com fish from grill. Spread flavored butter over hot fish and serve from plank with your fa284 North Rd, vorite salad or veggies. Detroit, ME 04929 (207) 487-3338 WildCheff - Denny Corriveau is award-winning National Game Chef, Metis Native American , and the BRP logo are www.huffpowersports.com Chef, and the Founder of trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products, Inc,. or its affiliates. 8-5 M-F 8-1 Sat • Closed Sun
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case, piecing together small pieces of physical evidence and clues, never stopping when encountering any roadblocks on the case. Spencer’s investigation led him to Tennessee, where he served a search warrant on a Tennessee man, who was convicting for the killing of three moose out of season, and the waste of three moose. As a pilot, Spencer was praised for his search and rescue skills from the air, as well as helping game wardens protect fish and wildlife resources. Spencer has been responsible to for several recent successful search and rescue finds from his aircraft, as well as multiple fish and wildlife cases. During the fall of 2020 Pilot Spencer was called out to a search off the Island Pond Road in
Page 29
the North Maine Woods. By late afternoon, after flying for over 10 hours, Pilot located the lost subject along a brook several miles from the vehicle. From the air, Spencer has a unique ability to observe illegal activities, then direct game wardens on the ground to the area which has led to many over the limit cases, gear restriction violations, deer baiting cases and illegal moose cases. As stated in his nomination, “He is held in the highest regard amongst all his peers and has earned a reputation as a hard charging Warden who has given his all for nearly 25 years. Pilot Spencer is and has always been the quintessential picture of a Maine Game Warden, stepping out from trees in places where the public never (News cont. pg 33) HOURS: 11AM-8PM
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
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June 2023
Post-Script Sunday Hunting Proposal From Pocasset the reasons for the decline. and check out his track this is not really an issue. by Josh Reynolds, Wayne, ME
Dateline: May, 11, 2023 from the Bangor Daily News “4 Bills rejected that would have allowed Sunday hunting in Maine” Bummer. I’m a proponent of Sunday hunting and may have an idea of how we could get a Sunday hunting bill that could get support, or maybe I’m just crazy. First, a little history. There has been no legal Sunday hunting in Maine since Feb. 28, 1883. The idea of wildlife conservation was in its infant stages. Managing deer, moose and caribou became a State priority, something had to be done before our
game animals went the way of the buffalo and the passenger pigeon – killed by market hunters to be sold to hungry dinner tables in the big cities, or turned into hides where the meat rotted in the woods. 140 years ago, things were decidedly different. In Maine, for years, there has been a steady decline in the number of hunters. Curious considering that, arguably, the opportunity for hunting deer, moose, bear, and turkeys in Maine continues to get better – on the whole. This column would need to take up half the paper to go through all
Central Maine Region
Safe to say, the reasons are many. Instead, I’ll focus on the main reason why I think we should bring back Sunday hunting.
Opportunity. Time is an important commodity, and too many of us have too little of it available to hunt. Seasons are short, the weather is always a challenge. I’ve lost count of the Saturdays in November that were crappy (however you define that) only to yield on Sunday into the perfect hunting day. You’ve been up north for a week, you’ve zeroed in on the deer and been praying for tracking snow, as you settle in on Saturday night, here comes the snow. On your way out of camp on Sunday morning, you see a nice buck cross the camp road, you jump out of the truck
and just think about what could have been, because its Sunday. The primary argument against Sunday hunting is landowners. Maine is unique with its tradition of “implied” permission. We are different, in Maine, it is legal to hunt private land, without landowner permission, if the land is not posted. Surveys done by DIF&W say that if we allow Sunday hunting, everyone will want to post their land. Here’s my thought on that. 1. Many new of the “new” landowners in Maine are unaware of the implied permission statute, and when they find a hunter on their land, they post it. 2. Over the past 10-20 years, more and more small woodlots are being posted, so much so that gaining permission to hunt now is more the rule than the exception. Given these two realities, it has come to the point that we as hunters should be approaching all landowners for permission – posted or not. Its common courtesy. For the vast tracks of private land in northern and western Maine, thankfully,
But it sure is everywhere else (where most hunting pressure is). To mitigate the landowner argument and have a shot at Sunday hunting in Maine, here’s my radical idea. We make deal, call it the deal with the devil. In the new bill, we propose that Maine does away with the “implied permission” statute in exchange for opening Sunday hunting, statewide, no restrictions. Included would be a provision that states that large tracks of land that are owned by commercial or private entities – lumber companies, rich real estate investors, et cetera - would remain in an “implied permission” status. This satisfies the small woodlot owners…maybe? while allowing the same, unchanged access up north. I think its worth a shot. All the other Sunday hunting bills put forth have failed to get past committee, and every other compromise has been tried. If you think this is bad idea, shoot me email and tell me why. Josh Reynolds is the Assistant Editor of The Journal. He can be reached at jreyn207@gmail.com
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Bass Bait Options for June Best Bassin’
The month of June in the New England Region offers anglers a wide variety of bait and technique choices. Weather conditions are a major factor as to which transitional stage you may find bass holding at. One key thing to remember is the annual spawning ritual does not happen all at once. Early
surface presentations with poppers and frogs to dragging Carolina rigs along the bottom. Flipping downed timber and docks with jigs or weightless soft plastics as well as working shallow running crankbaits and spinnerbaits through emergent scattered vegetation are excellent targets for largemouth bass. An-
To cover water and locate bass feeding on the surface try working walking baits such as Zara Spooks or Rapala Skitter V. Changing retrieve speeds will help you dial in on the correct cadence. warm spells may send both bass and other species to shallow hard bottom areas, but keep in mind cold fronts framed with dropping chilly temperatures can change these situations instantly. While bass and other species are repopulating the fisheries as water conditions warm, so is the underwater world with insects and invertebrates. Healthy growth of vegetation both above and below the water provide shelter and habitat for the waters forage along with the newly spawn fry. Yes, June offers anglers the options of targeting shallow or deep water,
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glers need to concentrate on areas that provide both shelter and ambush points to be successful. Early mornings usually call for topwater presentations. Savvy anglers will scan the water’s surface looking for feeding activity in the form of swirls, splashes or popping sounds. Keep an eye open for diving or circling birds, they are hunting baitfish from above and bass will be feeding from below driving the bait to
the surface. To cover water and locate bass feeding on the surface try working walking baits such as Zara Spooks or Rapala Skitter V. Changing retrieve speeds will help you dial in on the correct cadence, which can change from day-to-day or even from cast-to-cast! Pro Tip: Topwater King Zell Rowland suggest, “When bass stop eating one size topwater, change to a different size of the same bait!” (I personally witnessed Zell do this on the Hudson River with a Pop-R successfully!) One topwater bait that can produce all day long and within the thickest of vegetation are hollow body frogs. Snag Proof offers three different styles; 1.) Smashmouth Frog, a popping style weedless model. 2.) Bobby’s Perfect Frog, walks effortlessly in open water with a side-side action, super soft body increases hookups through thick vegetation. 3.) Snag Proof Phat Frog, its flatter body style tracks through weeds and matted vegetation, with
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Page 31
by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA rear legs further back from the hooks the Phat Frog increases your hook-up ratio. Hollow body frogs are weedless making them the perfect bait for skipping under docks and their soft body makes for quiet weedless entry. Throwing into gnarly areas where big bass hide or working under overhanging trees along shoreline are all productive areas for these weedless topwater baits. Swim jigs have become very popular and rightfully so! Several years ago, Brent Chapman won a tournament by simply casting and swimming his jig back to the boat. Since then lure manufactures and jig makers have developed a taper pointed jig head, providing more of a baitfish profile. Which allows the swim jig to come through vegetation more smoothly. Most swim jig anglers pair their swim jigs with small soft plastic swimbaits. The tail kicking action paired
with the pulsating skirt behind the head increases vibration and movement attracting predator species with extra enticement! Professional MLF Angler and Jig expert David Walker teamed up with ZMan Fishing to design a series of hand tied jigs with premium hooks. David’s CrossEyeZ jig series includes his Snakehead Swim Jig. With a snake head shape this swim-jig slides over submerged cover with ease, plus it stays in an upright position while retrieving in open water. Two important factors to mimic natural forage! Designed with a keeper to pair perfectly with any soft plastic bait, plus ZMan’s ElaZtech plastic baits, David suggest using ZMan ElaZtech SwimbaitZ or Turbo CrawZ. New for 2023 ZMan’s Midwest Finesse Swim Jig is designed for Finesse light line applications. Yet, it boasts a (June cont. pg 34)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 32
Early Hex Hatch
New Hampshire Outdoors
by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. Subtle changes take place in June. For instance, the warmer weather of June can bring out different hatches which can slightly (or dramatically) alter what the trout may be tempted to rise for. June is also the setting for the mythical hex hatches. One evening you’re fishing on a lake and not much is happening. The next evening you come back to find ripples on the water and trout and bass are everywhere trying to sample the tasty Hexa-
genia limbata. But, more about that in a moment. The other subtle change occurs on June 22 nd when the sunrises start to get later again and sunsets earlier. Granted, the changes in June are glacial, almost negligible, but that’s when it starts. The other reason I wanted to point out the changing sunset was in conjunction with the hex hatch. Typically, I have found that the majority of the hex action comes after 8:30 P.M. Rarely do I see
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much activity earlier in the evening. There have been times around 9:15 – 9:30 P.M. that all of sudden it’s like somebody just rang the dinner bell. Fish are rolling, the hex are flying, other fish are slapping. Activity is all around you. The reason I mention that
So just don’t look for the rises, look for the cruising patterns. And again, if you’re in a body of water that holds bass and trout, if you stay close to the edges and in warmer water, don’t be surprised if you’re pulling in bass all night. On the other hand, get into open
June 2023
“No, 3X is thicker and has greater strength than 4X, which is thicker and stronger than 5X”. The higher the number, the thinner the diameter. Although it won’t coincide with the hex hatch, Saturday, June 3rd is Free Fishing Day in New Hamp-
I have found that the majority of the hex action comes after 8:30 P.M. Rarely do I see much activity earlier in the evening. There have been times around 9:15 – 9:30 P.M. that all of sudden it’s like somebody just rang the dinner bell. is that according to state law, “The taking of brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, trout hybrids and salmon between two hours after sunset and one hour before sunrise is prohibited”. So, just in case you thought that you had all night to stay on the water and fish the hatch…. wrong! Now, if you’re on a body of water that holds trout and bass, you can pretty much be assured that slapping sounds nearer to the shore are being made by bass. The trout are usually cruising and sipping the hexes in deeper water.
water with some depth. Chances are it’ll be colder water and holding more trout. Then there’s the question of floating line or floating line with sinking tip? I’ve done both and caught fish with both lines. I’ve gravitated toward the floating line as my primary option though for no other reason than it’s a lot easier to keep track of the large mayfly that I’m casting. Speaking of which, for big fish or big flies, use 3X leaders and tippets. If someone asks you “why not 4X because that’s stronger that 3X”? Just tell them,
shire. That day you can fish in freshwater or saltwater with no license required. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a resident or nonresident. You still have to abide by all the fishing regulations that are in place and if you’re in a fishing tournament that day, you must have a license. It’s a great day to get back on the water and remember how much you enjoyed it until work, financial issues, family responsibilities or whatever, got in the way. More and more studies are coming out that suggest the way to relieve stress is get outdoors and get involved with nature. I couldn’t agree more. Some folks who are looking to be outside in October will be all ears on Thursday, June 16 th when the annual Moose Lottery takes place at Fish and Game headquarters in Concord. I’ll be there hoping to hear my name called. Maybe I’ll see you there? Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America and is a licensed NH Fishing Guide. He’s at : 99.7stjames@gmail.com
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:
A New Classic
First, a minor correction. In a recent column about questions in a class, I spoke about the many different 7 mm cartridges. There was a typo in the statements. I listed a 7 mm S&W cartridge. It should have said 7 mm STW which stands for Shooting Times Westerner. Oops! Sorry.
barrel and recessed cylinder with carbona bluing. All true works of art. I am sure you all have your lists as well. I have just added a new classic to my collection that hopefully my great grandchildren will appreciate, assuming they can still own guns. This
also a nicely cushioned and waffled recoil pad. This is a welcome addition helping to tame the considerable recoil with heavy loads. The barrel is 16.17 inches long. The important feature here is that Ruger uses a cold hammer forge process to produce the rifling. This gives an incredibly crisp groove with a 1:20” RH twist with 6 grooves. This yields outstanding accuracy even out of the 16” barrel. The
Page 33
A Guide’s Perspective by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME
package. The suggested retail is $1449. Worth every penny! This rifle is producing sub minute of angle groups with most popular ammo. To me that is a classic. Fit, finish and performance in a brush gun. I look forward to showing this gun off at “Bear Camp”. This will be my
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 Mas-
This new treasure came into my world complements of my lovely wife Ellie. The identity of this beauty is a Marlin model 1895 Trapper edition by Ruger. What a gun! So, how do I describe a classic firearm? Well, in my opinion, to be a classic, a gun must be useful. It must be a time tested, well executed design that has been faithfully accomplished. The workmanship must be of high quality with a butter smooth action. Some examples of true classic firearms in my humble opinion are the Belgian made Browning Sweet 16 shotgun, a Pre64 Winchester model 70 in .270, or a Smith & Wesson model 27 with a 5” pinned
News
new treasure came into my world complements of my lovely wife Ellie. The identity of this beauty is a Marlin model 1895 Trapper edition by Ruger. What a gun! This is an all-stainless steel rifle with a satin finish. This is wonderfully executed and is greatly enhanced by the black and grey laminate stock. The checkering on the stock is crisp, but not sharp. The forend has also been narrowed a bit from older Marlin models for a more comfortable grip. There is
as a Pilot has left a lasting impact on the people and resources of Maine. For (Cont. from pg 29) all these reasons and more, expected to be checked. Pilot Jefferey Spencer is the His work as a Warden, Maine Game Warden of the K-9 handler and currently Year award.”
older model Marlins used a Micro Groove rifling that was adequate but not in the same class as this. The trigger breaks at a crisp 4 pounds. Wow! Capacity is 5 + 1 in the chamber. The overall length is 34.25 inches with a length of pull of 13 3/8”. The sights are the very fast Skinner peep sights and a post front sight with a white line on the post. The rear sight comes with a medium diameter ring that can be removed for an even quicker large ring. The receiver is drilled and tapped under the rear sight to accept an aftermarket scope base. There is also a threaded muzzle to accept a muzzle break. It is supplied with a factory installed thread protector. This is some special
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new tracking gun. In the meantime, I think it’s time to take the kids to the range.
sachusetts. You can reach Tom at Shamrock Outfitters (207) 694-2473. Please visit our Facebook Page: Shamrock Outfitters and Tom is a Registered Properties and come visit Maine Guide. He is the us on East Grand Lake.
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Page 34
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
The Maine Discover Fly Fishing because he was try- and they both landed sev- all we were all beginners at Woods fishing ing to cast to rising fish that eral smaller brookies. They one time in our lives. Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME
Catching a feeding fish on a fly rod is one of the true delights of fishing. When you catch that fish on a fly that you have tied the satisfaction is multiplied several times over. When learning to fly fish, don’t try to cast too far. Only try to reach fish within your casting range. I have seen
to keep a trout that wasn’t at least as long as his foot. He had a great time catching the same small brookies all summer long! My son was turning into a fly fisherman and I must admit he was pretty good at catching those small trout that lived in front of the camp. He was
were out of his range. I told him to get his rod ready and wait until a fish rose close to the canoe and to cast his fly right where the fish had come up and give it a twitch. He did just as I told him and was soon playing a beautiful foot long native brookie. His countenance
were thrilled and I had the pleasure of being part of a memory that I am sure they will never forget. As we become more competent in our fly fishing skills we naturally want to catch bigger fish. We want to tie our own flies and learn where the fish
changed completely and he pronounced himself a fly fisherman as he landed a couple more trout that evening. As a guide I have had the pleasure of helping many guests try fly fishing. On one particular Allagash Canoe Trip I was guiding a father and son – neither had ever caught a brook trout or used a fly rod. I took them to one of the cold tributary streams that enter the waterway for an evening of fly fishing. The fish were cooperative
lie in the river. These are all skills that take years to develop on your own. I have found that most fishermen are tight-lipped about where they like to fish and what they are using for flies. However, I have also found that if you are actually on the water or at the boat launch, these same fishermen will tell you where they are catching fish and what they are using for flies. Don’t be afraid to ask other fishermen questions. Most are willing to help a novice angler. After
He did just as I told him and was soon playing a beautiful foot long native brookie. His countenance changed completely and he pronounced himself a fly fisherman as he landed a couple more trout that evening. it many times- fish are rising just out of range and when the angler tries to cast that extra few feet, they get tangled up and spend most of their time messing with their fly rod instead of fishing. When my son was old enough to go out alone in a canoe in front of the camp, he naturally wanted to try his hand at fly fishing. I gave him one of my old beater rods, a handful of flies, a few simple lessons and cut him loose. The only rules we gave him were to wear is life jacket and not
ready for more of a challenge so I took him on an adventure to a very remote trout pond. We had to hike into one pond paddle across that pond and hike to the second pond to fish. It was a perfect evening. At about dusk, the green drakes started hatching and the trout were feeding ravenously on them. I had caught a couple brookies but he had not caught one yet and was getting visibly upset about it. He was spending all his time getting his fly line untangled from his rod rather than
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If you want to shorten this learning curve a bit. You could always hire a Maine Guide to take you out on the waters of this great state. If you explain to your guide what you want, he or she will try to provide that experience. I once had a guy call me that wanted me to guide him on a fishing trip that he could catch 4 – 5 pound trout on. I told him that I could not provide that type of experience but I could probably bring him to a place where we could catch 10 – 14 inch trout. He did not book a trip with me; I doubt that any guide could deliver on his expectations. Maine is blessed with many rivers, lakes and ponds that abound with wild brook trout and landlocked salmon. June is the best month of the year for casting a fly to these hungry fish! 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 207695-2877 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com
June
(Cont. from pg 31) needlepoint 3/0 light wire hook with ZMan’s StabilTrack grooved jighead to prevent rolling at fast retrieves. Having field tested the Midwest Finesse swim jig, I highly recommend ZMan’s 3” Slim SwimZ and Baby GOAT ElaZtech baits for trailers. God Bless and Best Bassin’
June 2023
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 17) tion is sometimes lacking, but their insight, their perceptions, their ability to grasp and interpret situations is so often right on the money. It’s difficult for me to dismiss their observations as so much hype.” “So, are you saying… that you believe in the Lake Tess Monster?” Byline asked incredulously. “I’m saying that I believe in these people,” Fathom said, his eyes on the lake. “I believe that there is something out there. Perhaps it is a large fish. We know that there are phenomenally large togue in this lake. Perhaps it is something else.” He turned back toward us. “You know that science has barely probed the depths of the sea,” he said. “We are continu-
Northwoods Sporting Journal
ally finding new species. The coelacanth, the megamouth shark, these species were entirely unknown or thought long extinct just a few years ago. The depths of the great freshwater lakes are even less explored. Do I believe in the Monster? Not really. Do I deny its existence? Without a great deal more information, I cannot do that either.” “But at least,” I said thoughtfully, “it’s good for the local economy.” “That is so right!” Dr. Fathom said with a broad grin. “I have been so worried! We need something to draw tourists, to expand the economy of this region. If nothing else, the Monster seems to be helping in that area.” Byline took another sip of wine. “Tomorrow, I’ve got a large cabin boat coming
to the lake. I’d like to take a tour and see if I can spot the monster. Maybe take some pictures.” He looked around at us. “I’d like to have the three of you come along with me.” Dr. Fathom smiled and lifted his wine glass. “I’m afraid my boating days are long over. But I thank you for the invitation and you would perhaps satisfy an old man’s curiosity by coming back tomorrow evening and giving me a report of what you find? The following morning me and Joe joined Quentin Byline, several photographers, a couple of people who had actually sighted the creature and one member of the town council on the large cabin cruiser Quentin had ordered up for the purpose. Quentin glanced at the heavy casting rod Joe had brought along. He looked
Page 35
at Joe, raising an eyebrow. the surface of the water “Thought if the critter seemed to bulge as somewas hungry, I might git him thing huge moved along to take a big daredevil,” Joe just under the surface. Instantly all was chasaid with a grin. Byline just shook his head and walked os. Photographers and thrill seekers crowded the rails. to the front of the boat.” For several hours we Shutters snapped and flashtrolled around the broad es flickered. Then the bulge expanse of the lake. The disappeared. For a moment weather was perfect. High there was stunned silence. “Stop the engines!” clouds obscured the sun and blocked its glare on the Quentin shouted. As the lake’s surface. The wind motor stopped and the boat was light and variable, with slowed to a halt, the breeze just a hint of a chop. seemed to die. The surface Finally, Quentin came chop died with it and a back to stand beside us at mirror-like calm topped the water. the starboard rail. “Look!” Joe said, “I guess this wasn’t such a good idea. I’ve told pointing down. Very faintthe skipper to curve around ly, some 20 feet below Farm Island just ahead and the surface, a long shape then head back. I wasn’t approached the boat. No right to expect the crea- details could be distinture to appear on demand guished at that depth. All that was certain was that it and…” “What’s that?” I inter- was long and broad and a rupted, pointing across the pale watery green in color. rail. A hundred yards away (Me and Joe cont. pg 37)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
View From The River
June 2023
Jefferson’s River
by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME The slow, drowsy drift of the river holds the promise of summer. Sun glints on lazy swirls of current, and the grip of the paddle feels natural in my hands. Dormant muscles awaken and remember. It is good to be back on the water. By a weathered log, a great blue heron stands frozen. His colors strike me, more varied than I remember. Rust brown mingles with blue and gray and white, mottling his long, thin neck and narrow chest. He is a statue, until a lightning flash of movement yields a shiny minnow. He turns it, juggles it, then gulps down breakfast. It’s mid-April, opening weekend for the Rivanna River Company in Charlottesville, Virginia. I’ve booked a sit-on-top kayak rental and shuttle for a self-guided trip from Free Bridge to Milton Landing. The company also offers tubing and other paddling itineraries. The Rivanna River (pronounced REYE-va-na), fifty miles long, joins the James River in Columbia. Named for Queen Anne of England, the Rivanna
was Virginia’s first statedesignated Scenic River. Later that week, on a hike to Jones Run Falls up in Shenandoah National Park, I would discover that Jones Run waters eventually flow into the Rivanna. I launch from the outfitter’s riverside location and have a generous three plus hours to explore. Next time, I will print out a copy of the map in advance. For today, I make do with a photo I snap of the outfitter’s map. Navigation does seem simple, as there are two unmistakable landmarks—the Interstate 64 bridge at mile 2 and the takeout at mile 5.75, on river left just after passing under the second bridge on the route. A bluebird near the put-in is just the beginning of the vibrant birdlife. The river is clear and shallow, the sandy bottom dotted with tiny white clams. Before long an osprey calls from a limb above, and I watch him tear energetically at the carcass of a fish. A flash of red and black along the tangled bank could be an early scarlet tanager. There are kingfishers and
swallows and lots of ducks. This year ’s early drought conditions mean summer-type water levels. The first few miles are quiet, with intermittent quickwater barely deep enough to avoid having to hop out. Around mile 1.5, wooden steps lead up to Riverview Park, featuring picnic tables and a playground. At our safety orientation, we learned this was our last chance to “escape,” should we have second thoughts about the Class II rapids ahead. Everywhere are signs of spring. Flitting yellow swallowtails, delicate emerald leaves on the overhanging river birch, and a gorgeous clump of Virginia bluebells in full bloom. The white and gray peeling bark of the sycamore adds texture and interest to the river shore. After the interstate falls behind, I am alone. The riverside walking trail has veered away, and my two fellow kayakers are far ahead. I dawdle and am rewarded by a male and female wood duck cruising along shore. I stay alert for river otter or muskrat, but
what I really want to see is a longnose gar. The longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus) is a native fish. Picture a very skinny torpedo protected by formidable bony scales. The gar’s incongruously long thin jaw is studded with sharp teeth and looks all the more lethal because its dorsal and anal fins are set far back on the body. Colored in shades of olive, the gar grows to a length of two or three feet. According to the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources website, this amazing fish can breathe using an air bladder as a lung. Gar bask near the surface in warm weather and can be seen with their ‘beaks’ out of the water, gulping air. The gar family is truly prehistoric, dating back 245 million years. Sadly, I never do see one on this trip. By mile 4, it’s rockier, and I see the dance of whitewater ahead. Four or five Class II rapids take me over some fun ledges and introduce me to some of those rocks. Several times, I pull ashore to tip water from the kayak.
There is a lot of history along these shores. Thomas Jefferson was born here in 1743, and this part of the river skirts his Monticello estate. His father’s mill was the first on the Rivanna. After a devastating flood, Jefferson’s free and enslaved laborers rebuilt—a grist mill, sawmill, cotton factory, and ¾-mile canal to bypass the rapids and reach the head of navigable water. If I could, I would travel back in time to see the river as it was back then. When bateau plied these waters with their cargos of flour, produce, timber, and tobacco. Jefferson’s river, that he loved from his youth, is well worth exploring. Laurie Apgar Chandler, author of the adventure memoirs Upwards and Through Woods & Waters, is thankful and amazed to be a grandmother! She looks forward to many future trips with family on the Rivanna. Her newborn granddaughter, Emilia Wren, lives very near the river.
June 2023
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 35) Slowly it approached and then slipped under the starboard side of the boat. I heard a rustling noise and turned to see that Joe had the bail open on his reel and the line was disappearing into the depths. Suddenly, he closed the bail. The line stopped and a quizzical look came over his face. “What the…” he said, and then the line started to go out. He set the drag tightly. The creature didn’t even slow down. The rod was bent over into an arc but the line continued to pay out until only a few colors were left on the reel. Joe tightened the drag and suddenly there was a pop and the line went slack. Joe reeled in the monofilament but nothing was left on the end of the line. Quentin looked at the broken line for a moment, then down into the water. “We’ll go back,” he said quietly. At the dock, Quentin looked at us both. “Let’s take a ride,” he said. “Yeah,” Joe agreed, more solemn than I’d ever seen him. “I guess we’d better.” Quentin looked at him closely, then seemed to come to a decision. He nodded emphatically and led the way to his Jeep. We were halfway around the curve of the lake before I realized we were heading back to Dr. Fathom’s house. “I guess we’ve got to report like he asked us to,” I said. “But we really don’t have a lot to tell him.” Neither Joe nor Quentin said a word. Miles Mute met us at the door. He seemed
Northwoods Sporting Journal slightly out of breath. “The doctor will see you on the terrace,” he said. Elwood Fathom stood at the rail of the terrace, the breeze off the lake riffling his gray hair. He was dressed in old cords and a cardigan. A smear of grease smudged one rosy cheek. “So, gentlemen,” he said in a small voice, not looking at us. “What did you see?” Quentin Byline didn’t seem to know how to start. “Not what we expected, he said quietly. “Dr. Fathom…” he seemed to be collecting his thoughts. “I’ve followed your career for some time.” He looked away. “I know about the Nautica.” “Ah,” Fathom murmured. “What’s the Nautica?” I asked, perplexed. They ignored me. “When I dropped my lure on the thing,” Joe said softly. “I felt it hit the metal. Then I knew.” Dr. Fathom nodded softly, but said nothing. “Knew what?” I asked. Quentin Byline walked up and stood beside Dr. Fathom. He stared down across the broad lawn to the big boathouse on the shore. “If we go down to that boathouse, we’ll see your research submarine Nautica in the slip, won’t we?” Dr. Fathom nodded slowly. I felt stunned, then slightly foolish. “ Yo u m u s t h a v e brought it up at night from Boston?” Joe asked. Fathom nodded again. “Miles brought it up on a low-bed. We launched it right at the marina at 3:00 o’clock in the morning. Nobody suspected a thing.” He turned to face us.
“This area needs tourist dollars. It needs some kind of an economic base. I thought, if we could attract enough people with the Monster, they’d see the beauty of the land, the lakes, the streams and rivers, the forest, and they’d come back of their own accord.” He turned back to the rail, looking away from us. “It was a foolish dream. Do what you will.” Quentin Byline stared at his back for a long moment. Then he looked around at us. “Come on,” he said. “I’ve got to get back to Portland. I’ve got a story to write about the mystery of the Lake Tess Monster, and how nobody knows what it actually is.” Fathom jerked around as if struck. “But what about…” “People have different ideas about what the Monster actually is. I’ll write about most of them.” He looked at Dr. Fathom with a slight smile. “I think it would be a good idea if the Monster appeared only once in a great while from now on. The tourists will still come, but you don’t need to force feed them.” The look of gratitude on the doctor’s face was almost painful. As we rode back toward town, Joe looked across the front seat at Quentin Byline. “I misjudged you,” he said thoughtfully. “Easy to do,” Byline said. “Look,” he glanced across at Joe, then back at me. “The paper leans so far to the left that it needs a cane to hold it up. People are just dying to hear about things like the Lake Tess Monster and the paper will cater to their left wing per-
Page 37
ceptions.” He looked back at the road. “I was born and brought up in Patten. I’ve traveled and written all over the world. I can write whatever they want. I won’t lie. But the things I don’t say will get them
all excited bout traveling to northern Maine.” He smiled ruefully. “You’ll have your tourism. I’m just not certain you’ll be able to put up with the kind of people you attract.”
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Page 38
Maine Outdoor Adventure
Connecticut is home to the largest river in New England, the Connecticut river. Connecticut has a wide diversity of inland fish waters with several streams and rivers that hold wild, native fish. There are over 180 lakes and ponds with eight major watersheds, four of which are federally designated wild and scenic
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME tration for fishing had been for the quiet corner of the state. Tolland county provided some wonderful access to good trout waters, many of which I fished as a young angler. The Willimantic and Natchaug flow into the Shetucket, which will eventually lead to the mouth of the Thames River. This watershed is reputed
June 2023
Fishing Connecticut Waters information on wild, native fish, please contact Native Fish Coalition - Connecticut. Connecticut has historically contained native fish such as Atlantic salmon, brook trout, common sucker, and the state’s fish,
always, use common sense and do your homework on the waters you plan to fish. Knowing your water is your best bet in staying legal and avoiding fines. To learn and find out more information visit Connecticut DEP.
the shad to name a few. Most small streams and some mid-size rivers will get warm, and shallow come July. Stocked and wild/native fish have limited survivability in beaver ponds, major rivers, and cool thermal refuges. There are plenty of signage throughout the state where fishing is permitted or not. Most thermal refuge areas are protected and restricts angler fishing. This helps fish survive through the hot months of the year. As
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Connecticut certainly is a state that is worth cleaning up and improving habitat through conservation and restoration efforts. Fishing the Willimantic River has always been a joy, but after hiking along the river and access points, it was very evident a river clean-up is in dire need. Stretches along roads was more evident of trash than others. Fortunately, there are organizations that make a big difference. The Living Lands and Waters is a group of volunteers that make huge strides in river clean ups and restoration. Their mission is to aid in the protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural environment of our nation’s major rivers and their watersheds. To expand awareness of environmental issues and responsibility encom-
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(Waters cont. pg 54))
nificent, scenic fishing. Some of this water can offer some wild and native fish. Areas where vehicle access is permissible, mostly stocked, hatchery fish will be found. Fish are evident in large pools where stocking trucks can easily access. There are, however, some remote access areas which will hold fish as well, due to help from volunteers bucketing
If you are willing to do some moderate hiking, getting off the beaten path can lend some magnificent, scenic fishing. Some of this water can offer some wild and native fish. Areas where vehicle access is permissible, mostly stocked, hatchery fish will be found. river systems. The state’s coast is protected by long Island Sound, these coastal waters are perfect for saltwater boating and salt fin fish angling. with some of the best saltwater fishing access from Stonington to Stamford. From the two quiet comers of the state to the ocean, there is much beauty and outdoor activity for all sportsmen. On a recent trip to Connecticut, my concen-
for wonderful fly fishing; most access is granted with the purchase of a fishing license. A stamp is required however, to fish designated trout management areas or parks. In addition, the stamp is now required if you are an angler that likes to have a couple of trout for the frying pan. If you are willing to do some moderate hiking, getting off the beaten path can lend some mag-
live trout. The stocking of fish in Connecticut can arguably be challenged as the states stocking program is stocking over the states native fish. Today, rainbow trout is the primary fish that is stocked along with some brown trout. These fish do pose a threat to native fish, taking up space and impacting food supplies for native brook trout. There is more awareness, education and a different action plan needed in the state, if it’s ever going to retain its ever-decreasing stock of wild, native fish. For more
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June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Bicycle Railway Up Katahdin
Col. Simon Gates (1833-1915) was a very enterprising man on the Upper Penobscot, owning and operating both the Katahdin House in Winn, and the Mattawamkeag House, in nearby Mattawamkeag. By 1886 he had also purchased
The Hunt farm is seven miles from the railroad and is reached by a rough road that plunges straight through the forest from Staceyville. From the Hunt farm to Mt. Katahdin the distance is about 20 miles through unbroken woods.
was the most practical one, for tourists used to make Patten the “jumping-off place.” But now that the new railroad has been put through a great deal of the travel goes up by the water way via North Twin, Ambejejus and Pamedumcook lakes, thence into the west branch. Mr. Gates expects by the establishment of his
Page 39
Old Tales from the Maine Woods by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA
an ordinarily athletic man or woman would have no difficulty in wheeling along on the wire. At the base of the mountain proper would be the end of a cable to which the bicyclist could fasten his car, and thus be drawn to the summit. It is needless
foot power bicycle motor carriages will be more desirable, for a party of five or six can be taken along, baggage and all. With this novel wire road in operation a person could leave Bangor in the morning and arrive at Katahdin in the afternoon. The trip now
There is a tote road that winds through these woods, but it can be called a road only by courtesy. It is an unbroken succession of muck holes and dilapidated corduroy, along which two strong horses can barely drag a buckboard.
the Hunt farm on the East Branch. This article, from the Boston Globe, was republished in the Buffalo Enquirer on Feb. 2, 1898. “A bicycle railroad to Mt. Katahdin is the novel venture in which Col. Simon Gates of Presque Isle will engage. Col. Gates is an ex-member of the Maine legislature, is a wealthy man and owns hotels at Presque Isle, at Winn and at the Hunt farm on the east branch of the Penobscot River. It is from the latter place that he proposes to run his bicycle railroad.
There is a tote road that winds through these woods, but it can be called a road only by courtesy. It is an unbroken succession of muck holes and dilapidated corduroy, along which two strong horses can barely drag a buckboard. It really forms a considerable feat of endurance for tourists to ride in over the road, for the horses can only move at a walk and every few feet the buckboard goes bumping over stumps that no one has thought it necessary to remove. In times past this route
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bicycle railroad to again bring travel around to the east branch route. The railroad will go over the woods, not through them. A wire will be fastened to the tall trees along the way extended at the end of stoutly braced arms. On this wire will run the wheels of the bicycle railroad. As to the means of propulsion Col. Gates is still in doubt; he is studying into the matter. He has thought that the best way would be to have individual conveyances—that is to say, merely a seat and a luggage carrier hung from the wheels on the wire. Were this light apparatus fitted with treadle power
to mention the fact that in making the descent and the return trip the traveler would require nothing except a brake and a set of steady nerves. Col. Gates will have two wires—one for the return, and one for the passage up, in order that there may be no chance for collisions. The promoter thinks that perhaps instead of
requires several days and is extremely fatiguing. As soon as the railroad is in operation Col. Gates will erect a hotel on the summit of the mountain.” Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 30,000 Maine Woods articles to date.
Old Tales of the Maine Woods Steve Pinkham Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Helping Critters in Wellfleet
The Bird Perch by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME I read articles in magazines and newspapers recently about the importance of citizen science volunteerism. If you have never participated in such activities, you are missing out. Not only are you helping with worthwhile studies, you have fun too! My readers know about
to whales again. Another time at Horseneck Beach I helped necropsy a leatherback sea turtle. This animal was huge and probably at least 100 years old. It died from ingesting plastic bags probably thinking they were jellyfish which is an
work with others to get them back into the water. Whales are meant to be waterbound. Three young whales survived thanks to our efforts. Scientists worked with us on necropsies and most of the dead whales were pregnant females. It was decided that one female probably got
Wellfleet is known as a magnetic anomaly site. Whales like many animals use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. It is thought that a storm combined with other factors cause strandings and Wellfleet has a history of such events. many of the bird surveys I volunteer in such as Project FeederWatch, the Breeding Bird Survey, etc. While I was a wildlife rehabilitator in Massachusetts and naturalist, I was involved with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network for a while. It was an interesting but sad experience when I worked at the pilot whale strandings in Wellfleet in 1986. I arrived there late at night and helped throw buckets of water on the stranded adult and young whales. You do this to try to keep the animals from overheating. Their size and weight crushes their internal organs. So sometimes you
June 2023
stuck in shallower waters and called to the other whales in the pod for help. Then they got stuck too. There was a really windy storm the day before. Wellfleet is known as a magnetic anomaly site. Whales like many animals use the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate. It is thought that a storm combined with other factors cause strandings and Wellfleet has a history of such events. In 1986 I also volunteered in Marshfield at a stranding of humpback whales. These animals died from poisonous algae. I don’t think these events were fun but I probably will never get so close
important item in their diet. I had some fun with living turtles too. I volunteered for the Natural Heritage program and documented some rare turtles such as Blandings, Box, Spotted and Wood. While I was the nature director at a camp in Sharon, one of the campers convinced me to check out a wood turtle at a pet store nearby. We went and sure enough it was a wood turtle. I tried to convince the store people it was an illegal act to have it there. They sort of ignored us, but when the state wildlife biologist showed up, they had to respond. The turtle was eventually given to me to release in a location
where I had documented grating dragonflies during hawk migration watches, others of its species. tagging migrating monarch butterflies, and documenting various bumblebee species I found around my home in Downeast, Maine. I believe I will never be Another day a camper bored because the natural brought me a turtle he had world will provide some found in his backyard. He projects I can participate in could not find out what while learning and having kind it was by looking at fun at the same time too! photos of known species in Karen Holmes resides Massachusetts. No wonder because it was a desert box in Cooper, Maine. She has turtle! Probably it had got- about 200 acres to investen away from its owner. I tigate around her home gave it to a zoo. Whales and and loves the excuse to go turtles are some backboned out and do some wildlife animals I worked with as a project nearby. She was a volunteer. But I also have teacher and misses sharing had fun when I helped with her experiences and love the Maine Butterfly Atlas of nature with interested Projects and counted mi- listeners.
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June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Cree Country Adventure
In March, I went to Cree country. Six of us left Maine in a snowstorm and got to David and Anna’s place in the bush of northcentral Quebec about 12 hours later. There, this elderly Cree couple opened their home, family, and nearby village to us, where we went to learn some of
the culture. But so are the Canada geese, an important emblem and food throughout the village. Every night we had some different meat at the table, eaten with homemade bannock, a warm, homemade quick bread, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and ready most every meal.
were dressed for it, but the weather was dramatic and landscape nothing but a swirl of white. In the afternoon, David’s son built us a fire near shore and we roasted moose meat on spear-sticks. The hot meat and sweet bannock couldn’t have tasted finer. Every day was different. David showed us how to make a small animal trapline, which we tended in
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Kineo Currents by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME
Today, this treatment is special, not often used, for practical reasons, if massed produced. I think of all the moose hides that are thrown away, too much to bother with in this timerushed world. It is very hard work, but leaves a
Highly skilled from a lifetime of doing it, Anna showed us women how to begin preparing a moose hide to make into clothing, slippers or moccasins.
the old ways of the bush over the next seven days. The guide who arranged all of it was Polly Mahoney, Maine’s Guide of the Year just last year, who had established a relationship with the Cree many years ago, through mutual dogsledding interest. David and Anna are one of the last of a generation who were born in the bush and have lived the traditional ways their entire lives, hunting and moving with the seasons. Now up in years, they have settled some, outside the village of Ouje-Bougoumou, and their sons and daughters come to help. As we moved north, M a i n e ’s m o u n t a i n s dropped into Quebec hills. Then the land flattened into wide, open territory, specked with black spruce. Moose, lynx, bear, beaver, and Canada geese, among smaller game, are hunted or trapped. Like here, moose are an important part of
Roasted beaver and the Canada goose were favorites of mine. The tastiest bannock I had was the day Anna made it a little sweet and had it delivered warm to us when we were out in a whiteout on the lake, chiseling ice in order to string a fishnet under the ice. That day was killer cold and windy. We
the week, and came away with a rabbit. With this couple, David did the hunting, fishing, and trapping; Anna cleaned and prepared the fish and game caught. So did we. Highly skilled from a lifetime of doing it, Anna showed us women how to begin preparing a moose hide to make into clothing, slippers or moccasins. This takes many steps, to turn the hide from a thick, rubbery protective skin into this beautiful, soft, thin amber-colored cloth.
clean, unmarked skin. We used a bone tool to separate the fascia from the moose hide. It took us a long time and this computer gal’s hands and arms were weary the next day. Anna and her daughters make short work of it. We stripped two moose hides. Anna and daughters took long knives and scraped the hair off the other side. The brain of the moose is combined with water to make a solution that tans the skin. Eventually, smoking the skin gives it that warm amber shade
and waterproofs it. The moose hunt is as important there as it is here. Nothing is wasted. David showed us how he saves all the meat he can, including from the head, nose and tongue. I have seen recipes for jellied moose nose, but not too many people use it these days. Out on the ice, the seine was stretched between two holes, marked to see in the flat horizon by two small saplings. We took turns chiseling a hole through about two-and-ahalf feet of ice. Where’s the auger when you need it?! But this was a traditional method, on a traditional trip. The chisel was sharp but not very wide, attached to a wood pole. We snowshoed out, dug out the snow, and began chiseling. David was very patient with us, as we pounded down until the water gushed up through. (Cree cont. pg 65)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
The Green Up
The Buck Hunter by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME Winter in the north country let go of its icy grip in one fell swoop this year. The second week in April saw temperatures rise into the sixties during the day and they never fell below freezing at night the entire week and beyond. Needless to say, the snow melted at
deer that yard in town flock to the fields to get the new green feed. Most years if you took a drive in the evening around town, you could count 200 deer in the fields. This year the snow melted in the open woods almost as fast as it did in the fields, so the deer didn’t
life into the animals who have to struggle through the winter eating marginal food with less nutrition. When deer and moose can get that green nutritious food early it will help their fawns and calves be heathier at birth. When the newborns are healthier, they are more able to escape predators in the critical first two weeks of their lives. Mothers, by being healthier, will also be able
June 2023
deer hunter that roams the woods, keeping in shape should be a summer priority. I have been fortunate to have been able to make a living guiding. This kept me active year-round, making it easy to stay in shape. As I’ve gotten older, I do find it more important to stay in shape as trying to get in shape after the slow
you who have applied for a tag. If you do get drawn, start making plans for your hunt early, especially if you plan on hiring a guide. The best guides and outfitters book their hunts quickly. There is a high percentage of residents who opt for a guided hunt now, as the success rate has fallen steadily over the years. The
time like winter is a lot more difficult than when I was younger. If you keep active during the summer and then ramp it up even more going into fall. Going into the deer season in shape will make you feel a lot better when you get on that first buck track or head up first steep ridge of the season. The moose lottery is coming soon. This year it will be held at Mill Park in Augusta. I don’t know much about the event this year as it hasn’t been publicized very much. Usually, the drawing is more of an event in the town hosting it. Vendors set up booths to sell food and wares or advertise their business. Planning usually begins in the winter for the event but this year, the location was just announced in late April. That doesn’t leave much time to plan. Anyway, good luck to all of
moose herd is still good but know where near what it was in the 90’s and early 2000’s. The moose are also more educated to hunting and don’t linger around the roads much anymore. This is true for cows as well as bulls. Most of the time now, if you see a cow in the road, they run before you get very close. Getting back in the woods to hunt moose is necessary if you want the best chance of success. Choose a guide wisely as there are still those guides who want to drive you around the roads hoping to see a moose. That’s not a moose hunt, it’s a sightseeing trip! Until next month, good luck on the trail!
All the lambs, even the littlest ones, looked in great shape before heading for the hills. It’s all a great sign for this fall’s deer season. a rapid rate. In one week, we went from 2-3 feet of snow to bare ground except in the shady green growth and the north side of the ridges. In the North Maine woods where there was more snow, it took a week or two longer to get to bare ground. All in all, it was good for the deer and moose. Most of the moose had been hunkered down in the green growth because the crust had kept them from moving around. This saved a lot of calves that struggle the most when the winter lingers on. In the moose River valley, the snow usually melts out of the fields a couple weeks before it does in the woods. The
need to visit the fields. The deer left the yards around the valley earlier than they have in many years. I had trail cameras on two of the major migration trails. One six miles from town and the other ten miles from town. The first deer up the sixmile trail went on the 16th of April and the first deer went up the 10-mile trail on the 13th of April. This was really good for the deer. All the lambs, even the littlest ones, looked in great shape before heading for the hills. It’s all a great sign for this fall’s deer season. I love spring, as it is a time of renewal. New green plants provide food for all the animals and birds. This is what breathes new
to produce nutritious milk for their babies without taking a toll on their own health. As we move into summer, and enjoy the activities it brings, deer hunters will be laying down their plans for the upcoming season. There are plenty of things to do to keep us deer hunters going during the summer doldrums. It might be tinkering with a new gun or going to the range for sighting in or practice. Although summer is not the best time to scout for deer, pouring over maps looking for new areas to scout or hunt in the fall will keep your mind thinking about the bucks that may roam the area. If you’re a serious
Hal is a Master Maine Guide and author. He lives in Moose River Maine with his wife Deb. Hal can be contacted at: hal@bigwoodsbucks.com
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
A Close Call
Something happened to me recently that got me thinking about all the years that I have spent wandering the Maine woods. Sometimes out for hunting or fishing or just for the pleasure of being there. So when we searched for a house down here in Brunswick, we looked at a lot of them, but when I saw one where the back door looked directly out into the woods, I was sold, and we bought it. The event that got me thinking about all this happened when I was out walking one of the trails in the nearby woods with our dog, Sukey. As we moved along the trail I heard a shot off to my left somewhere. I stopped and searched the woods to see
who was fool enough to be shooting around these woods. I saw no one so I moved on. In about a minute there was another shot closer than the last one. Now I was concerned because the shot sounded close, but as before, I could see no one.
Northwoods Voyager
About that time it dawned on me that if that fool was going to keep shooting I had better get out of the area, so Sukey and I beat it up the trail. After going about 50 yards I heard a noise behind us. I turned in time to see a tree crash down across the trail right in the spot where I had been standing not more than
Page 43
by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME sounds of gunshots when I heard them. Apparently I was very wrong this time. I have had a lot of time to think about the incident and consider what could have happened. If I had just stood there looking for the shooter, would
to be the thing that has kept me relatively unharmed all these years. Enjoy the summer folks, use common sense out there! Gil Gilpatrick is a Master Maine Guide, and
But, I was not pleased with myself for so arrogantly assuming that I knew the sounds of gunshots when I heard them. Apparently I was very wrong this time.
I was so sure that these were shots that I was telling myself what the firearm was. I knew it was a handgun, certainly not a .22, maybe a .32 or something along that line.
a minute before. The “shots” I was so sure I heard were actually the tree snapping as it broke up. I was glad that I had common sense enough to clear out of the area. But, I was not pleased with myself for so arrogantly assuming that I knew the
BEST SHOT!
Richard Fojtlin, from Orangeburg, NY, convalescing after his spinal fusion surgery with his TWC coonhound Maggie, reading the Sporting Journal back home in NY State.
I have heard the tree coming down and jumped out of the way? Don’t know. And, did I move along out of common sense of recognizing a danger area and moving out of the way. Or was it just plain blind luck that kept me from being crushed under falling tree? I prefer to think it was the common sense scenario. Since I am nearly 90 now and have been wandering the Maine woods for most of those years I have to think that good old Maine common sense has
is the first living recipient of the Legendary Maine Guide award. He is a life member of the Maine Professional Guides Association, a founding member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, and served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides from 1996 to 2010. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is the author of seven outdoorrelated books. Contact him at Gil@GilGilpatrick.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Rods, Line, Reel and Leader
are designed to create more stored energy (loading) and faster line speed. They often require more aggressive casting techniques and are better suited to the more by Fred Hurley proficient caster. Someone in the marThe fly rod is what ket for a new rod, parmakes it all happen. It is ticularly new to fly casting, a lever and spring that should consult with a more pulls a heavy fly line thru advanced caster and try the air to its target. The several models out before Editor’s note: This is Part III of a three part series on fly fishing. Part I and II ran in the May and April issues.
your time, determine what type of fishing you will be doing, what you want in a rod, research the many brands and types of rods on the market, and select a price range you can afford. Good performing rods can be bought for $200 to $350, while top of the line rods can run from $800 to over $1,000. A good caster can quickly adapt to what ever
Fly lines have evolved as much as the rods. In the old days it was a simple level line, then came the double taper, and today very complicated and diverse multi-tapered configurations. Today’s lines are designed for rather specific applications.
rods are constructed with materials ranging from bamboo to space age materials, using many different components, designs, and construction techniques. Rod companies commonly change the structural and performance characteristics of their rods to accomplish specific casting objectives, such as distance, accuracy, and durability. This creates a continuing evolution of rod on the market, and makes rod buying a confusing process. Some rods are designed to be more flexible than others, termed medium or mid flex, and others of a stiffer nature, termed fast action or tip flex. Most rod on the market today have various fast action characteristics, and
buying one. Many fly shops will help you find a rod that is best suited to you. To complicate matters, fly rods come in many different lengths and are designed to cast different weight fly lines. The more typical lengths are from 7 to 9 feet and cast a line rated from 4 to10 weight. The lower the number the lighter the line, and rod to cast it. Rods designated as 5, 6, and 7 are the most typical ones used for fresh water applications, while those 8 thru 10 are generally used more for salt water fishing. In simple terms, rod weight is primarily driven by the size and weight of the fly, and the casters preferences for rod length and performance. So if you are in the market for new rod, take
rod he is using. Fly lines have evolved as much as the rods. In the old days it was a simple level line, then came the double taper, and today very complicated and diverse multi-tapered configurations. Today’s lines are designed for rather specific applications. Most of the weight is concentrated in the first third or so of the line using various diameters of line, regardless of its overall weight designation. This enhances the launching (shooting) capability of the line. Additional coatings are also used to increase the slipperiness of the line, and many addition ingredients and coatings added to create different effects on the water, such as floating,
sinking at different rates, or a combination of affects. Pay particular attention to the description of the line on the original package, and match your selection to your needs and price range. Lines can run from $30 to well over $100. When it comes to reels, don’t spend to much time dwelling on it. Buy the best one you can afford. From a practical sense, their most important function is simply line storage, unless you will be targeting large fish, or fishing in salt water, where a good drag and good corrosion resistance is important. A backing of regular nylon line is placed on an empty spool before for the fly line is wound on the spool. Last but not the least is the leader. This is a monofilament or fluorocarbon tapered extension attached to the fly line that delivers the fly at the end of the cast. They are generally 6 to 9 feet in length, but longer ones are used for specific purposes to enhance the presentation of the fly. They can be purchased ready to be attached to the fly line or constructed from progressively smaller pieces of leader material of decreasing strength, such as 30, 20, 12, 8, and 6 pound test. A tapered leader turns over, sending
New Hampshire
June 2023
the fly to its target. The last section of the leader is called the tippet and is usually about 16 inches long and matched to the size of the fly. The smaller the fly lighter the tippet. Tippets are classified according to their diameter with 10 X the smallest and 1 X the largest. Several types of knots are routinely used in fly fishing. These include the improved clinch knot for tying the hook to the leader, the blood knot for splicing sections of leader material, the nail knot for connecting the leader to the fly line, the surgeons knot for splicing leader material and making dropper leads, the perfection loop at the end of the leader, Albright knot for connecting line of different diameters and material, non-slip loop for tying on certain flies such as streamers to enhance their movement, and interlocking loops to connect a leader to a permanently attached loop on the fly line. Detailed instructions for these and many other useful knots can best be found on the internet under fishing knots. Fred Hurley lives in Wayne, Maine. He is a Flytying Instructor and FFI Certified Fly Casting Instructor.
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 45
Beware of Coyotes
On The Prowl
by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME brown colored hair and I thought it was a small deer. As the critter continued to get closer I saw it was a medium sized coyote. This coyote actually never
Anyone that thinks coyotes are harmless, cute and cuddly animals are cuckoo for cocoa nuts! Coyotes are unpredictable, dangerous predators that are known to, on occasion, show interest in humans. A coyote might not want to eat a human but some coyotes will try to get really close to humans and might actually try to bite. I know of a few instances where a coyote was following someone or actually bit the individual. Here are a few examples of coyote encounters. My family and I were heading out to a great trout fishing hole when my wife proceeded to tell me a news story she read recently about a woman and a coyote. My wife told me that this woman in a motorized wheelchair was wheeling down the side of the street nearby her home when a man pulled up beside her, in his car, to inform the lady that a coyote was following her. To make a long story short I’d venture out on a limb here to say that this woman had the heebiejeebies all the way home. On a more personal level my family and I had run-ins with coyotes too. On one occasion my family
and I were on an evening hike along the Sunrise Trail one spring day in Maine watching white-tailed deer when a coyote popped out to our left no more than fifty yards away. We legitimately watched this coyote stalk the deer. The reactions of the does were amazing to see. The two deer family groups we could see did a great job chasing off the coyote. We never did see if that pesky coyote ever did catch a fawn. There’s a Master Maine Guide from my area that has had a coyote bite his arm while on an early morning spring wild turkey hunt. He was using turkey calls and had a decoy spread out in front of his ambush spot. This coyote obviously was stalking the turkey decoys from behind the turkey hunter. Once the coyote cleared the tree the hunter was leaning against the coyote bit his arm. This full story I have shared in a previous column in a past issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. I lost count how many times my supervisor at work has told me a coyote was stalking him or had followed his footsteps in the snow in our blueberry waste water site. He was
leaving our heated building to go check on our Baby Giant Snow Guns during these events. Upon turning back he would find coyote tracks right in his freshly made boot prints. His wife had bought him a handgun for him to carry during the nightly wastewater snowmaking events. I haven’t had coyotes stalk me at work during blueberry wastewater snow-making but I have had my own personal hair raising encounters with coyotes while at work. My most recent encounter was during my walk up into the Libby Brook site to check on the irrigation guns and the automated valves. I had gotten done verifying that the repeater on the hill was signaling to the controller in the building to send commands to the Twigs at the manifolds to open and close the solenoids on the valves. I proceeded to look around at the deer and turkey sign being really quiet. A few minutes into my little scouting adventure I was just standing still when all of a sudden I heard what I thought was a deer walking right to me. I got my cell phone out of my pocket to take a video. Moments later I could see the
for when you do have a surprise encounter with coyotes. Make lots of noise and walk into the wind letting it drift your human scent towards the coyotes.
There’s a Master Maine Guide from my area that has had a coyote bite his arm while on an early morning spring wild turkey hunt. He was using turkey calls and had a decoy spread out in front of his ambush spot. knew I existed. I looked on in hopes to get some video recordings. The coyote walked away and not long after going out of sight one of the wastewater irrigation guns came on. I highly recommend that you carry pepper spray with you on your treks through the woods. It also helps to have some kind of a noise maker on you while you hike. It doesn’t need to be super loud and annoying. Just always beware of coyotes. Be prepared
This will, almost 100% of the time, spook the coyotes sending them running back to where they came from. Justin has over 30,000 acres to pursue coyotes and other critters on. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the author of two books and the owner of the YouTube Channel, “SPIKES and GILLS”. You can learn more at www.wildmaineoutdoors.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 46
Hunting Gobblers: Two Mistakes
On The Ridge
by Joe Judd Shelburn, MA
By the time you read this, the 2023 wild turkey hunting season will be in the books. So, I wonder? As the final days of another long season became a reality, did you still have tags to fill, with enthusiasm left to burn? I bet some of you did! And that’s OK, because I don’t care who you are, if
hunting bug. Most of us didn’t know what a good turkey call sounded like back then! So, we had to learn. And even today we still work to avoid those common turkey hunting mistakes while pursuing the woods’ most elusive bird, and believe me when I tell you, I’ve made them
decades ago, and I’ve never forgotten the lesson! Since that time, one of the keys to my hunting success, which I had to learn the hard way, was to start making better decisions about being patient, while gaining the confidence in knowing that patience is one of the best ways to consistently place yourself in a position for success. Patience was the
While in this spirit of sharing, here’s a couple of other common mistakes that might help you avoid some of the pits I fell into, so when the 2024 season rolls around, you might just be a little better prepared when that mighty gobbler brings down the thunder! you turkey hunt, things can always go wrong! None of us know everything when it comes to hunting this great game bird, and I’m a first-hand example of that. Even after 44 years of chasing “Big Bird” I still learn something new every year. Yet, turkey hunting knowledge is so much easier to come by now than it was back in 1978 when I was first struck by the turkey
June 2023
all!
That said, smart hunters, no matter the hunting season, start thinking about these things shortly after a season ends. When you think about it, what better time to start pondering on what went wrong than right after a season ends. Dick Kirby, founder of Quaker Boy Game Calls and one of the best turkey hunters I’ve ever known, taught me this
key to my hunting success this past spring and I’m sure countless others just like me. Because when you're patient in the turkey woods, you’re hunting smart, while truly allowing the game to come to you! While in this spirit of sharing, here’s a couple of other common mistakes that might help you avoid some of the pits I fell into, so when the 2024 season rolls around, you might just be a little better prepared when that mighty gobbler brings down the thunder! You didn’t do advanced scouting. The excuses for not scouting always run out long before the wariness of an old gobbler. Even if you’re hunting land that you’ve hunted for years, a turkey hunter who goes into opening day prepared, has a much greater chance of harvesting a bird, than the hunter who walks into the woods blind on opening day, or any day during a turkey season! Scouting is the great equalizer that will help stack the odds in
your favor no matter what season you’re hunting in. Walking in the woods, whether in the pre-dawn darkness or later in the day, produces a ripple effect like that of a rock being thrown into a quiet pond. You upset the natural balance of nature which often gets the attention of wildlife. But remember, once your set-up and quiet, this ripple effect will usually settle down. Pre-season scouting gives you the advantage of knowing where you are, which will lift your odds tremendously when that old gobbler sounds off, and the dance with him begins again! Also, resist the urge to call in turkeys while you’re scouting in the preseason. In other words, when you’re scouting, leave those calls at home! Wild turkeys are smart enough, and the more bogus turkey calls they hear in the pre-season, the less likely they’ll respond to those calls when it counts! Calling too much and calling too loud. For 11 months turkeys have grown accustomed to natural sounds in the woods.
Suddenly every day for the next month, unfamiliar sounds start to fill the woods again, and you’re busted before you even get started. One of the biggest mistakes callers make is calling too much or calling too loud. Especially in those extremely important early morning hours. Many turkeys are lost right here, by over calling during this critical period of a turkey hunting day. A rule of thumb for me, I keep it soft and subtle in those early morning hours. If a turkey responds, I stop calling for a while and see what happens. He’ll know exactly where I am and by playing a little hard to get, good things often follow. If you make a bad call by striking a sour note, continue to call right through it. Real turkeys make bad calls all the time! What’s more important is to maintain a consistent cadence in your calling technique. Keep it soft in those first hours of the day, and watch things develop as you make this a regular part of your routine!
June 2022
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 47
Top Water Chaos
While I have written in this space many times how much I enjoy using the services of a guide and how much I learn from every one I work with, some of the best fishing tips I’ve learned were the ones I more or less stumbled across along the way. I did virtually no freshwater fishing as a kid. The reasons for this were not deprivation; rather, we lived right on the ocean, so I was jigging for cod and mackerel starting about when I was no more than three or four. We would frequently dig for clams, my brother had a lobster boat, and he and my father would dive for scallops.
With the bounty of the sea just outside our front door, why would we drive anywhere to go fishing? Much later, after I had moved “up-country” and was drawn fanatically into the world of bass and trout fishing, I never hesitated to experiment with almost anything I could cram into an order sheet from a mailorder fishing catalog— which nowadays seems incredibly old-fashioned. Most of the package deals I picked up were more masterfully marketed than they were crafted, which was part of the learning process too (the jig that was “so deadly, they just had to call it…the GRAVE DIG-
Marsh Island Chronicles
GER! ®” really just needed to be buried itself). In one vast order that arrived one day, I had decided to try a Berkeley Pow-R-Plug ®. It was chartreuse in color and had their trademarked green scent-infused plastic skirt slid on the back of the plug. Never having fished a plug, I only bought one, partly because it was at a premium price (almost five dollars!), so it made sense to try it out first before becoming a shareholder in the company. I was not yet equipped with either a canoe or a boat, so after finding a place on the Marsh Island shore of the Stillwater River late one afternoon, I tied on a snap swivel, and clipped the plug on, and gently cast it just outside an eddying backcurrent. Being not entirely sure how to fish it, I gave it a tug, and it made a satisfying pop and splash. If nothing else, it amused me. But then—KAPOW!! The smallmouth bass fairly launched out of the water to attack it. It was breathtaking. Smallies on the river are incredible fighters, even the small
by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME ones that weigh less than a half-pound and aren’t more than nine or ten inches long. Both smallmouth and largemouth bass are incredibly aggressive, but I wasn’t prepared for the spectacular display they put on when assaulting a topwater plug. That night, it seemed
But then—KA-POW!! The smallmouth bass fairly launched out of the water to attack it. It was breathtaking. like every other cast yielded the same thrilling explosion of angry activity. A highlight was the last one, which was just under three pounds and about 18 inches long. I’ve fought some big fish in my time, but pound for pound, nothing quite fights harder than a smallmouth bass. I went home that night, a little worn out and not a small bit stunned, and immediately looked to order more plugs. My experimental Berkeley lasted
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a few more trips, but after even the first afternoon was looking pretty ragged. This is what makes those early weeks of summer some of my favorite angling weeks of the year—when I can drift along in the boat as the sun sets on a calm, sultry evening, and lay out a long cast
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for the death that awaits below. Sometimes, a little imagination and the simple question—I wonder if this will work—is the best fishing guide of all. 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 WRKD 95.1 FM in Rockland.
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Page 48
Basics Of Survival by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME Survival is not only about keeping yourself safe and alive, but others as well. Do you know what an actual drowning victim looks like? It is almost
front of them or out to their sides trying to push down on the water to get their mouth and nose out of the water for another breath. They don’t kick their legs, they are upright with legs
For the most part, drownings look the same whether it is in a hot tub, bath, swimming pool, or natural body of water. Babies can drown in a bucket of water or a toilet as easy as in the tub. NEVER like what we see on TV or in the movies. We see people yelling, waving their arms, looking for help. Someone who is actually drowning doesn’t present like that. They are very quiet. Their mouth and nose are either just above or just below the water, possibly bobbing just above to just below. They can’t speak or yell because they are only focused on their next breath. Their arms are in
and feet still and vertical. Their eyes are either closed or unfocused because they are concentrating on trying to stay alive. At this point, they have between 15 and 60 seconds to be rescued or they drown. It is truly terrifying. For the most part, drownings look the same whether it is in a hot tub, bath, swimming pool, or natural body of water. Babies can drown in a bucket of water or a toilet as easy
Drowning
as in the tub. Kids should be loud and very active in the water. If they are still or quiet, call out to them by name. If they don’t react instantly, assume the worst until you are sure otherwise. People can quietly slip below the water and not even be noticed by someone just a few feet away. If you are alone, you should attempt to rescue the victim before you call 911. Seconds are critical to get them out of the water. If others are around you should be specific with instructions. Don’t yell “someone call 911”, point directly at someone and say “you in the blue bathing suit, call 911”. If you just ask, people will assume ‘someone else will call’. If the victim is conscious you should throw them a float of any kind. You can also use a pole, stick, or boat paddle to reach for them. If one is available, use a boat or surfboard to get to them. Unless you are very well trained in
rescue techniques, trying to rescue a conscious victim is extremely risky. They will grab anything to try and climb up out of the water. They are fueled by adrenaline and they know they are dying. They are not thinking and don’t even recognize you. They just want out of the water. It is very easy for them to pull you under the water and for you to become a victim as well. I have almost drowned twice and all you feel is blind terror. If you do decide to risk a rescue, approach the victim from behind and
Millinocket
White House Landing Camps Historic logging site dating back to the 1880’s. Located in the foot hills of Mt. Katahdin on Pemadumcook Lake. Offering full housekeeping cabins with the most affordable rates in the region. $65 per night with discounts for kids!
* Off Grid Homestead experience with farm animals, gardens, wild berries and apple trees. * Small and secluded with only four cabins. * Heated shower house with flush toilets. * Large groups of friends, family reunions, or company outings, take the entire place with use of the main lodge kitchen for preparing the main meal. • 17 miles from Millinocket • 13 miles from Baxter State Park.
For more info; Call or Text Bill and Linda Ware Phone: 207-745-5116 Email: whlcamps@aol.com Facebook page @ Whitehouse Landing .com
• Excellent fishing for salmon, lake trout, brook trout and smallmouth bass. • Free use of canoes and kayaks • Hike nearby Appalachian Trail in the 100 mile wilderness. • Climb Mt. Kathadin • One of a kind driftwood decor on display in the lodge.
June 2023
don’t let them grab onto you. If there are people around, form a human chain to get the victim and rescuer back to shore. If someone is unconscious; either floating on top of the water or if they have gone under, try to get their face clear of the water and get them to shore. Check for a pulse and begin CPR right away. Get medical help immediately. Even if they regain consciousness, they are at extreme risk of dying from the water in their lungs. If you are the designated watcher of kids, wear a life jacket to help support you if you need to go in and rescue someone. TURN OFF YOUR PHONE so you are not tempted to look at it even for a few seconds. Have a life jacket with a rope tied to it so you can throw it to someone in trouble and pull them in. If someone is waving and yelling; they may be in trouble as well, but go to the silent ones first. Anyone who has almost drowned is still at risk of secondary drowning. People who inhale water and cough but don’t seem like they are in trouble can die hours later from “dry drowning”. It is caused by (Drowning cont. pg 68)
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Maturity and Guns
One of the benefits of being 77 is that I can look back at my younger, formative years and reminisce. I have been thinking a lot lately about guns, especially those I first acquired and those with which I learned to hunt responsibly. My first gun was given to me when I was in the early grades by my parents. It was a Daisy BB gun and don’t let anyone tell you a BB gun is not a weapon. They demand every bit as careful handling as more powerful firearms and should never be given to youngsters without proper instruction in safe handling. My Daisy was a lever action and it took all my strength to cock it. Tom Ladd, my best friend and closest neighbor, was given a pump action Daisy about the same time. Being three years older, he had sufficient strength to operate it while I could not. We spent hours over the course of several years shooting our BB guns at a variety of targets. Our favorites were the many bottles and cans in an old dump back of our farm.
Page 49
Outdoors In Vermont by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT
The author holds two Model 94, 30-30s that now hang in his living room. One was his father’s and the other his uncle's for whom he is named.
When I reached the fifth or sixth grade I was judged sufficiently mature to be trusted with Dad’s old .4l0 shotgun. It was a Harrington Richardson single shot, hammer less. I shot many partridges, squirrels and a few snowshoe hares with it. I only lived a mile from the elementary school
so in the fall I would walk to school in the morning and leave the .410 at my friend’s house next door. After school I would hunt home through the woods and often bag a partridge. There was a group of five or six apple trees in an overgrown pasture that often-held partridges. I would shoot one out of
Vermont
a tree and the rest would take flight but often were back the next day. Wing shooting was not part of my vocabulary at that age and certainly not my skill level. About the time I was in the seventh grade Dad bought a used J. C. Higgins single shot, bolt action 22 from Merlin Blake. The 22 was for me and my younger brother Rick and it was with it that I practiced accuracy, often shooting rats at the Bradford Dump. During my junior high years I started deer hunting with the old .4l0 with slugs (talk about under gunned). Luckily, in those years Dad was often successful early in the season and then I got to proudly use his model 94 Winchester 30-30. By the time I entered high school I wanted more than a .4l0 for deer. My hard-earned money went for a surplus .303 British sold at a discount store for about $30. Dad cut the stock down for me to make
it look a little better and I became the proud owner of my own deer rifle. It was the rifle I lost when I loaned it to a friend when I went to Vietnam in 1967. While a high school student I purchased my first hand gun, a Harrington Richardson nine shot 22. I bought it from Lynn Doe of Doe Brother’s in Bradford who allowed me to pay for it in installments. Following my discharge from the army in 1968 I had the money for a real deer rifle. I went to Topsham to Freddy Miller’s Store and came home with a Remington 660 in .243 caliber which is still my deer rifle today. After I got married in 1970, I was living in St. Johnsbury and became interested in duck hunting along the Connecticut in Waterford. The old .4l0 just wasn’t adequate so I purchased an Ithaca l2 gauge double in Lyndonville with (Guns cont. pg 54)
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Page 50
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Vermont Ramblings
June 2023
Bass Fishing Any Day
by Dennis Jensen, Vermont In years gone by, the opening day of the Vermont trout season ruled supreme, when it came to the most popular fishing season of the year.
excitement on the opener — always the second Saturday in June — fishing in a series of ponds in western Rutland County. Before proceeding, I
Whatever the reason, bass fishing took on a new life, especially in the larger lakes, such as Lake Bomoseen and Lake Champlain.
Bass fishing? Heck, almost nobody cared, even when opening day rolled around. I can clearly recall those days, back in the late 1970s, when I would set out, with a great deal of
should say that I came to Vermont, back in 1978, a dedicated bass fisherman. I didn’t care a lick about those lowly stocked trout, dumped into waters all over the state by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. When I slipped my canoe in a series of ponds near my home, I had those places to myself. And I could not understand why fresh water anglers did not find what I found: Bass hereabouts, big fish going four and five pounds were there for the taking. Where were the dedicated bass fishermen? My guess is that, for the most part, they
did not exist. But when the opening day of trout season arrived, in early April, the streams, rivers and those lakes that had open waters, were teeming with anglers. I know this because, as the outdoor writer for two daily Vermont newspapers, it was my duty to roam around the state on opening day and talk to those trout fishermen and then file a story for the next day’s publication. There was no problem finding anglers, even at first light, out for opening day of the trout season. But, as the years went by, I could clearly see that
Jackie Sasse of Windsor, Maine, 14 year old daughter of Daniel Sasse, bagged a double, two Jake turkeys on Youth Day,April 29th. She stopped the birds with a 20 gauge turkey load after some expert calling by Peter Fiori.
something had transpired. In those places where anglers sometimes competed for the best places to fish, I would set out on opening day and learn that something strange had occurred: Every opening day, it was clear, fewer anglers could be found for an interview or photographs. Meanwhile, the bass fishing season took on a new life of its own. This could have been because bass fishing found its way into TV, with tournaments held and professional anglers holding up giant-sized largemouth and smallmouth bass. Whatever the reason, bass fishing took on a new life, especially in the larger lakes, such as Lake Bomoseen and Lake Champlain. Take a good look at lake Bomoseen in June, July, August and later and you will see bass fishermen out there. Some are working the shore line from bass boats, some are fishing from shore and a few are out there running around in kayaks. Now I am not saying that I knew something that thousands of other Vermonters did not; I am simply saying that I have had a passion for bass fish-
ing back to the age of about 12. That means that my pursuit of bass has been a factor in my life for more than 60 years. What I truly like about bass — both the largemouth and the smallmouth variety — is how plentiful they are in my state. Bass will attack almost any bait or lure and, often, do so with a vengeance. I remember one morning when I tied an old striped bass plug to my line — a plug that probably went eight inches — and a largemouth, measuring no more than 10 inches, inhaled that plug. That speaks volumes about the aggressiveness, the willingness of bass to attack anything, even a morsel nearly its own size. So when the opening day of bass season arrives, I expect to be out there, casting an old Hula Popper into a weed-infested cove and bringing in a fat, fourpound largemouth. The fact is, no trout, in my mind, can measure up to the fighting spirit of the black bass. Dennis Jensen is a freelance writer. Contact him at d.jensen62@yahoo. com
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Fly Fishing a Dry Dropper Rig
Suspending a nymph under a dry fly is an extremely exciting and effective tactic when fly fishing for trout. The visual aspect of focusing on the dry fly while also targeting trout that are feeding subsurface makes this a favorite of mine on both rivers and
buoyant that subtle takes on the nymph will not be noticed until it’s too late. Small and Mid-sized streams are where you will find a dedicated dry dropper rod in my hand a majority of the time. Shorter casts and drifts, small casting targets and
laying on the water. The results can be fantastic, and when fish are choosing to eat both the nymph and dry fly it can be one of the most fun ways to trout fish in my opinion. The challenge and focus required to place both nymph and dry in small pockets is what makes this tactic so fun. A mid-sized
Page 51
Maple Country Outdoors by Ben Wilcox, Essex, VT
line off of the water when you are casting from a seated position such as a canoe or float tube. I will also run longer distances from my dry fly to the nymphs to
find the dry to be more effective than the nymph, and other times the dry is acting purely like an indicator, but if there’s a chance a trout will eat a dry fly, it’s best
A long and light leader can be held off of the water with the long rod, and since little to no fly line is outside of the rod tip the dreaded sag from heavy fly line is eliminated. This allows the dry fly to suspend a nymph in tight pockets and runs and achieve a perfect dead drift ..
The author and his daughter with a brown from some beautiful dry dropper water. lakes throughout the season, but is most effective late spring through fall. Let’s dig into some of the finer details that will help you catch trout with a dry dropper rig. There are a huge variety of situations where you can employ the dry dropper, and with each situation there are different leader set ups that should be used. If there is a chance fish will be eating a dry fly, giving the dry dropper rig a try is highly recommended. I’ll focus here on three main situations: small and midsized rivers, large rivers, and Stillwater’s. In all of these situations it is important to match the size of the dry fly to the weight of the nymph(s). The dry needs to float, but also not be so
varying currents create situations where achieving a perfect presentation are a challenge. The solution in this situation is a European nymphing rod and leader. My set up is typically a 10’-11’ 2 or 3 weight rod, and a long level leader of 20-30 feet or more. With this set up the weight of the nymph is used to cast the dry fly and leader at distances of 10-30 feet. A long and light leader can be held off of the water with the long rod, and since little to no fly line is outside of the rod tip the dreaded sag from heavy fly line is eliminated. This allows the dry fly to suspend a nymph in tight pockets and runs and achieve a perfect dead drift that would not be possible with a traditional fly line
stream suddenly becomes hundreds of small targets that may all hold trout. It doesn’t get any better! Larger rivers with deeper pools, long runs and wide riffles require long drifts and long casts. This situation creates a much different set of challenges for fishing a dry fly and dropper set up. The need to cast greater distances and fish a wider variety of depths calls for a different set of tools. In this situation, a 4-5 weight fast action rod with a shorter tapered leader will allow the angler to turn over a dry and dropper. Most of the time, you will want a short 6-8’ butt section to your dry. Often in this situation I will fish two nymphs under the dry to cover multiple water levels and imitate a wider variety of insects. I frequently fish a bigger dry fly so that when I am forced to mend the fly line my dry fly does not sink. Stillwaters are another situation where I run a dry and dropper. Rods and leader are similar to that of a larger river, however sometimes I will run a longer 10’ rod up to 6 weight. This is because a long rod is handy for keeping fly
cover more water depths. I like the dry dropper leading up to a hex hatch for instance, when the first bugs are starting to hatch but the majority of fish are still feeding on nymphs. I also suggest trying a dry dropper when trout appear to mostly be feeding subsurface, but stripping buggers and nymphs is not working. There are times when trout want flies static under the surface. Whatever situation you find yourself in this fishing season don’t overlook the dry dropper rig. Every hour on the water is different, sometimes you’ll
not to miss it. Ben Wilcox is owner of Maple Country Anglers, located in Northwest Vermont. He is a current member of the USA Fly Fishing Team. He is a registered Maine Guide and graduate of the University of Maine. He also owns a large Maple Sugaring Business, Amber Ridge Maple. These occupations allow him to be in the woods or water nearly every day of the year. He can be reached at maplecountryanglers@gmail. com, or on instagram @ benwilcox_maplecountryanglers.
"Anglers in Vermont are fortunate to have world-class bass fishing for both species right in their backyard," said Bernie Pientka, fisheries biologist with Vermont Fish & Wildlife
vtfieldsports@comcast.net
VISIT US at 1458 Route 7 South Middlebury, VT 05753 802-388-3572
www.vtfieldsports.com
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 52
June 2023
Cracker Barrel by Homer Spit
The Branch Lake Breach
Hand Forged Carbon Steel Outdoorsman Knives!
Branch Lake in Ellsworth, which is both a first class sport fishery and a water supply for Ellsworth residents, is at a record low level. As a Branch Lake resident and lake observer for more than 60 years, I have not seen anything to match it. Rocks are exposed that, in my memory, have never seen the light of day. The public boat launch
A state fisheries biologist is concerned that the precipitously low water levels could have a negative impact on lake trout and smelt spawning.
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ramp is almost totally exposed posing a hazard to trailers and larger boats seeking flotation. Camp owners have insufficient water to put in their docks. A state fisheries biologist is concerned that the precipitously low water levels could have a negative impact on lake trout and smelt spawning. What’s going on? The earthen banks (dikes) and metal sheathing to the right of the concrete spillway dam at the outlet of the lake are leaking and in danger of breaching altogether. In order to construct a temporary fix in mid-May and to avoid a major breach, the city’s public works department has left the dam gates open to further lower the water, which only serves to compound the water level problem.
A recent state inspection of the dam reported that “the left dike is failing and has a high probability of breaching.” The state dam inspector’s report cited four major defects: 1) Trees and brush growing on left dike making inspection impossible. 2) Tilting, corrosion and misaligned steel sheet pil-
The dam problem was not a sudden fluke. Reportedly, the earthen dikes beside the concrete dam had been slow leaking for years, which the city apparently relied upon to maintain some natural water levels on the lake. Six years ago, in May of 2017, the state found numerous and significant
The earthen dike at the outlet of Branch Lake in Ellsworth, which is the town’s water supply, is leaking. State dam inspectors warn that if not repaired a major breach is probable. ing retaining the dike. 3) structural problems with Eroded or settled dike indi- both the dam and the dikes. cating significant erosion. The Branch Lake dam was 4) Large leak at toe of dike, built by Bangor Hydro in with estimated leakage at 1911. It would seem that 1.94 million gallons a day! over the years that the dam The dam inspector maintenance has not been also noted that the city has a priority of Ellsworth’s no breach plan, that a major Public Works Department. breach of the dam, not to Perhaps it has been a case mention Draconian lake of out of sight out of mind. If the temporary midlevels, could have a major impact on Leonard Lake in June fix buys time and the lake levels return to some downtown Ellsworth. City manager Glenn semblance of normal, EllsMoshier is emphatic that, worth is still not out of the since the lake is the town’s woods. A reading of the water supply, the issue has dam engineer’s report rean urgency that far exceeds veals a critical dam that has concerns of camp owners, been largely neglected for recreational boaters and years and a major restrucanglers. “We will do the fix turing of both the dam and by June and then close the the adjoining earthen dikes dam gates and hope with is required, This will mean fingers crossed for a rainy municipal outlays in excess of $100,000.00. June,” says Moshier.
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Furnace Brook Knives
Page 53
By V. Paul Reynolds
Although Vermonter Scott Hawley made his living crafting fine furniture, making things out of iron -blacksmithing - always held a fascination. Hawley’s Dad was a machinist and his grandfather was a blacksmith by vocation. Around 2008, Hawley was asked by a friend to
Vermont bladesmith Scott Hawley, creator of fine knives from Furnace Brook Iron Works.
The Hudson Bay Camp Knife
The Long Hunter Frontier Knife.
The St. Lawrence Expedition Knife.
Caribou Hunter, Bushcraft Woods Knife, St.Lawrence Expedition Knife, Hunter Field Knife, Adirondack Camp Knife, Dark Horseman, Backwoods Knife, Alaskan Skinner Knife, and even a Cleaver Style Knife. Prices of these handforged knives start in the low $300.00 range and
Hawley obviously is creating collectible knives of a lifetime. He is back ordered two years! He believes that the sheath needs to be “as good as the knife” and that a quality knife must be “hard enough to hold an edge, but soft enough to bend when it hits something hard like bone.” fashion a hunting knife for him. On the side, the furniture maker had been playing around with some blacksmithing making iron pot holders and other outdoor cooking doodads. His first knife turned out pretty good. He made some more. Not long after that fulltime knife making became his new occupation. Furnace Brook Ironworks was born. An avid outdoorsman who works out of his home shop in Chittenden, Vermont, Hawley offers a complete line of handsome, high-quality knives. He individually custom makes the knife, the handles from Vermont wood and the leather sheaths himself, which are made from heavy leather and double stitched. His line of knives include, but are not limited to: Frontier Log Knife,
go up. The Small Hunter is priced at $345.00. His most expensive knife is the Dark Horseman priced at $655.00. He also sells a hand-forged Tomahawk for $1,125.00. His most popular knife is the Hudson Bay Camp Knife. Hawley uses a variety of wood for the knife handles, the most striking being the Tiger Maple handles. When asked if he employed others to assist in the knife making, he made it clear that he is a solo operation by design. “ That way” he said, “ I can be sure of the quality of each knife.” The Vermonter, who likes to think of himself as a bladesmith more than a blacksmith, works 11 hour days filling knife orders. Hawley obviously is creating collectible knives
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of a lifetime. He is back ordered two years! He believes that the sheath needs to be “as good as the knife” and that a quality knife must be “hard enough to hold an edge, but soft enough to bend when it hits something hard like bone.” To hone the edges of his knives he encourages his customers to rely on an oil stone and a leather strop. Hawley’s email address is Furnacebrookiron@gmail. com. You can see his complete lines of hand-forged knives at his website: https//furnace-brook-ironworks.myshopify.com.
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Page 54
Waters
(cont. from pg 38) passing our rivers. To create a desire and opportunity for citizens to take an active role in helping to make a cleaner river environment. No matter where you live, get involved today and make a difference. Volunteers make up approxi-
mately 23% of Americans. Contact Living Lands and Waters to see how you can help – Adopt a river mile If you would like more information on hunting or ice, fly/spin fishing techniques/strategies for bass, pike, salmon, and trout, please feel free to reach out to me. I’m always happy to share my knowledge and experience to anyone, for a better day of fishing!
Northwoods Sporting Journal On the water lessons are offered by Rich at https:// twinmapleoutdoors.com/ contact-us/
ing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and Rich is a full time recreation adventures. Registered Master Maine Master Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple (Cont. from pg 49) Outdoors guide service and which I now hunt upland sporting lodge located in game. Bradford. He is a “CertiThe old J. C. Higfied Yamaha G3 Guide” gins 22 stayed at my parthat runs fly and spin fish-
Guns
June 2023
ent’s home so I needed my own .22 for plinking and squirrels. My wife, Linda, decided a .22 would make a nice Christmas present so about 45 years ago she conspired with my brother Randy and purchased a beautiful little Winchester 3l0 single shot .22 from Freddy Miller. Since those early years I have purchased many fine firearms, but none hold the high place in my regards as those first guns with which I matured. The .303 is lost and the Daisy, long ago worn out by younger brothers, was thrown away. The J. C. Higgins got a lot of use by Dad until his death a few years ago, mostly in defense of his bird feeders. It went to one of my brothers as did the .410. The other guns are in my cabinet proudly displayed alongside guns worth more money, but of less personal value. I have never sold a gun, they represent too many wonderful memories for me to ever part with any of them. I have learned a lot about life through firearms, whether as a youngster hunting home from the sixth grade with the .4l0 or later with the awesome firepower I carried in Vietnam. Hunting has allowed me to learn about nature and to meet a lot of nice people. I find shooting relaxing and satisfying and a test of concentration and skill. Thanks to Dad I grew up with a healthy respect for firearms. Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a lifelong resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 55
A Journey Toward Simplicity
With iconic names such as Little Boy Falls, Cleveland Eddy, Hedgehog, and Stump Pool, the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine has gained a reputation for its pools and runs—wild water protected by a vast and dense conifer
quiring fly fishers to heed the words of the legendary American naturalist, John Muir, who wrote, “Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.” This means putting
narrow ribbons of running water, under the shadow of this vast conifer forest, I’ve come to truly appreciate what Thoreau described as “…these jewels…these bright fluviatile flowers, made beautiful, the Lord only knows why, to swim there!” With less distraction,
Against The Current by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME ridges, and tell a good story when we get back home.” Following the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s advice, I returned home after learning the lakes, streams, and rivers of this wild country to tell what I
chatter away, a place where I hear no sound of people.” After reading these poems soaked in the ancient mists of eastern China’s Tiantai Mountains, I discovered the poems of Matsuo Basho, eagerly
“We take delight in things; we take delight in being loosed from things. Between these two delights, we must dance our lives. –Philip Harnden from his book, Journeys of Simplicity.
forest. The fish are here. On average, not as large as they once were, but sixteen-inch native brook trout are not uncommon. When my wife and I first arrived in the region, I spent my time casting large streamers and weighted nymphs in a manic search for larger and larger fish. Such fishing requires time on the water, especially after ice out. This is when smelts, the region’s principal bait fish, leave the lakes to make their spawning run up the rivers with trout and salmon following closely behind. In the latter days of September, if the rains come, those same trout and salmon once again swim upriver, this time on their own spawning runs, providing the fly fisher a second opportunity to take a trophy fish. As you might expect, these are also times when most anglers are on the water. But there is another type of fishing. One re-
aside your visions of leader-breaking bullies and setting those six-weight rods in the corner. Leave behind those bulky chest waders and grab instead, a pair of hippers, or as I like to sometimes do, consider fishing “wet” in an old pair of khaki pants and high-top Chuck Taylors. Before you go, find a pill box, line it with felt, and add some wet flies as well as a few of your favorite high-riding dry flies. With this pared-down kit, I’m able to seek out those waters too small to gather serious attention from other anglers, those secret places, where trout live out their lives in the lee of boulders and under the spindly branches of fallen spruce or pine. These are fish that rarely see the splash of an artificial fly. To be sure, the trout of these smaller waters are diminutive when compared with those of the big rivers, the largest fitting snuggly in a palm, but in these
this uncomplicated method of fishing allows time to enjoy the colorful flash of a tiny warbler, the song of the secretive thrush. I’ll catch myself smiling at the splash of a frog, sometimes staring into the eyes of a bashful toad or salamander. I’m free to boulder hop, an activity that allows my middle-aged body to once again feel the unrestrained joy of youth. I enjoy reading, almost as much as fishing with flies. In my early years, it was all Hemingway and Steinbeck, later Harrison and McGuane. Along the way, that flyfishing poet, Richard Brautigan brought tears to my eyes while the rabid environmentalist, Edward Abbey, forced me to raise my fists. One afternoon, while dragging some boxes out of the attic, I found my 1990 edition of Gary Snyder’s thought-provoking book, Practice of the Wild in which the poet-turnedBuddhist explains: “The wild requires that we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the
hope have been a few good stories. Snyder’s writing also introduced me to Han Shan, affectionately known as Cold Mountain, a hermit, who more than twelve-hundred years ago scratched his “songs” on the leaves of bushes, in the bark of trees, and on the sides of caves. To paraphrase one of the Chinese hermit’s poems, I seek the “faint trail” where “the banks of a Cold Stream are a jungle” and “where birds constantly
following beside Japan’s seventeenth-century Zen poet as he traveled The Narrow Road to the Deep North. Like a Cold Mountain song or Basho haiku, I’ve been able to strip away all but the bare essentials while casting my flies upon those little streams of western Maine, freeing my mind to be in the moment, to perhaps even stop time, as a six-inch brook trout slips from my moist fingers back into the cool current.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 56
June Question Of The Month
June 2023
How Do You Deal With Red Squirrels? By Griffin Goins The odds to receive a moose tag in the Maine lottery are 1 in 72, 1 in 12 for residents; however, despite scarcity, people hysterically pursue this rare hunt each year. Mean-
and suggested we start with the poison. Her strategy seemed zealous to me. I questioned whether she brought a personal vendetta to this innocent situation – why
head gravely. “Red squirrels get into your walls and cause havoc, ripping up insulation, chewing wires.” With a lump of desperation in my throat, I inquired about a solution. “My husband shoots them out the kitchen window,” she told me with a sigh of regret. I gasped, my hand to my mouth in shock. “We’ve tried everything else, but that’s the only thing that’s worked.” In the
as they shoot 1000fps or higher. This may be necessary if you’re confined to a tight space or have neighbors nearby. I’ve also heard homeowners employ a .22 rifle, but those stories are often followed by colorful anecdotes: Dad in the dooryard wearing flapjack pajamas, hastily firing rounds at a quickfooted varmint, profanity erupting like steam from a burst pipe.
arrived mid-March, with the barrel of my shotgun peeking through our bedroom drapes. I fired into a nearby pine, pleased to see I’d connected with my first shot. When I checked on the children in the next room over nobody glanced up from their activities. As peaceful as little lambs at play. Apparently hearing a gunshot in the home isn’t worth getting startled over. Since that first day,
If you’re looking for a year-round sporting challenge, look no further than your own garage or carport, domain of the not-so-elusive Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben. The American Red Squirrel.
while, some other woodland beasts flourish in such abundance that Maine allows perennial hunting, an attempt to thwart their dominance over all of nature. If you’re looking for a year-round sporting challenge, look no further than your own garage or carport, domain of the notso-elusive Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben. The American Red Squirrel. This past summer I became the proud owner of a homely split-level ranch abutting potato fields in Aroostook County. With the winter’s first snow, we opened our garage door to discover a red squirrel standing atop our vehicle, appearing startled to see his new neighbors. I shooed him into a gap in the sheetrock, but my fiance expressed concern. A self-described musophobe (phobia of rodents), she thought the problem required immediate attention
the eagerness? The furry little guy just wanted a warm den for the winter. Come spring, I insisted, he’d surely move out into a nearby tree. It’s not ideal for any of us, but let’s not overreact, darling. By mid-winter we’d enter the garage and find ourselves interrupting a dray of squirrels engaged in various enterprises – sorting through trash, shredding insulation, playing pinochle on the snow blower – perhaps we should have called ahead, I’d suggest stubbornly, ushering them back into the ceiling. “Spring is just around the corner!” Meanwhile, I’d begun coming to terms with my grim reality. I needed to take action before the squirrels gained squatter’s rights. I asked some colleagues for advice about my dilemma. “Gray squirrels or red?” When I replied Red, she shook her
following days and weeks, my objective grew clear. Fresh snow offers a glimpse into the travel patterns of red squirrels in the winter. When bounding or hopping, squirrels leave track patterns of four imprints, with their front feet slightly longer than their back, and the impressions of all four feet tight together. The track could be mistaken for a skinny four-clove hoof if the depth didn’t belay their delicate mass. Red squirrels do not hibernate but do reduce activities in the winter. On clear days they complete chores. While their food supply is ideally stored before winter, on my property they regularly travel from their shelter to the nearest patch of pine trees, where they supplement their food supply with pinecones overlooked during the autumn forage. Some articles suggest using a .177 caliber air rifle to hunt squirrels, as long
I use my 12-gauge shotgun because it’s the only firearm I own. I did not want to invest in an air gun if my shotgun could do the trick. Is this artillery too heavy-handed for a 7oz prey? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. At 30 yards, when a squirrel appears on a pine bough, one shot dispatches it immediately. Upon inspection, the pattern is tight enough that there’s little risk of injuring the animal unnecessarily. I’d recommend a modified or full choke, using game shot and not target shot. Any higher gauge could also work equally well and may offer easier handling. To the general public, squirrel hunting may sound novel, but squirrels provide soft pelts that provide good fly-tying fur, and edible meat for the culinarily inclined. I’ve found that if I leave the remains in the snow, birds will remove it within a few hours. The first day of my personal squirrel season
my hunting has assumed different forms, sometimes luring squirrels from the garage, and sometimes pursuing them on snowshoes into canopies of pine and birch. There’s still one squirrel living under our concrete steps. This one is less interested in our pine trees, instead heading across the property to the barren apple tree that guards a graveyard of frozen rotten apples. I watch the squirrel descend into the cracks in the concrete. When the snow melts I’ll seal all of the cracks I can find, and hopefully, prevent him or any others from making our house their hideout next winter. After all, I want squirrels to thrive in northern Maine, but if they’re living under my roof I’d at least demand a percentage of their annual fiberglass insulation harvest. Griffin Goins lives in Presque Isle.
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Early June Flatliners
In this modern day of deep trolling with downriggers I still prefer what old-timers call “flatlining.” Floating flylines, leadcore on either side and targeting salmon and togue in the up-
Hal Lyon hoists nice salmon.
(Photo by Stu Bristol)
per portion of the water column. Surface temperatures rarely exceed 65 degrees until late June. Sebago Lake is right smack at the top of the list of favorite lakes with a togue limit of a single fish over 26-inches and anything less is a keeper; no bag limit. Salmon must be at least 16-inches. Wild turkey season is over and, while most of the striped bass in the rivers are just barely in the slot sizes, it’s a perfect time to be lazy and dredge up some surfacefeeding togue and salmon. By far my most productive bait for trolling Sebago in June is a live smelt. Not only is it a live smelt, but a rather large, female smelt. Bait dealers make me pick out my own smelt for that very fact; that I prefer the female smelt because they have smooth oily skin as opposed to the rough exterior of the male smelt. They give off a much more attractive smell track than the males. I’m of the old school
era of trollers and I balk at the thought of using one of those convenient “cheater” rigs built to hold live bait in tow. I prefer sewing the bait, the old-fashioned way, using a large household sewing needle or a diamond-headed flat bait needle used in saltwater applications. I run the needle, threaded with light leader material (8-pound Maxima or fluorocarbon) up the anus of the smelt keeping the needle pressed between the innards and skin. You don’t want to kill the bait, if possible. I come out the mouth and insert a stitch up through both lips and out the nostrils and then out the mouth again to keep the line pulling straight. When the leader is tightened you can determine the turn or spin you wish to have on the bait. For salmon I usually will try to run the live bait natural, or hot, straight and normal while I tighten the leader to cause a bend in the smelt when going for togue or brook trout. Salmon are chasers and will follow a bit for a while before striking, while togue and brookies are what I call “snatch and grab” eaters. They’ll go for the flash and bite, instead of following the bait. I troll slowly in wide “S” curves so that the inside lines will slow down and the outside line speed up. The salmon will take
the faster outside lines more often. In addition to the curves I change speeds now and then and I do it rather quickly. I’ll troll slowly for half an hour then I’ll jack the boat right up on plane for three or four seconds and settle back to trolling speed. That’s when the local crowd takes notice of me. I never could figure out why Sebago Lake old-timers just troll back and forth in straight lines. They obviously catch fish but what
Page 57
South Of the Kennebec by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME
I use two eight-weight flyrods loaded with level sinking line and 25-30 feet of Maxima leader. The clear water of Sebago demands that kind of line camouflage. For streamer flies, I stick with the sparsely tied Miss Sharon or Queen Bee, followed by a New Hampshire fly, the Merideth Bay
tor, right out to the backing using a single hook in any of the patterns mentioned. I call this my client wakeup line as it shocks the angler when a fish hits. I use an old flyrod for this purpose for obvious reasons. I’ve often thought of tying a safety line to that rod. That’s my favorite troll during the month of
I prefer the female smelt because they have smooth oily skin as opposed to the rough exterior of the male smelt. They give off a much more attractive smell track than the males. I do works very well and don’t plan on changing any time soon. The shoreline of jagged with shallow shelves and deep drops, especially at the mouth of the Songo River. Instead of trolling straight across the mouth of the river I head straight for the shoreline into 5-10 feet of water, jump up to almost on plane, do a 180 turn and pull back letting the lines settle as the bait drop over the lip of shelf. Sure, it will spook the salmon that are in the shallows but the big guys are lying in wait just under the lip of the shelf and will quickly swim up to snatch the unsuspecting bait. You can just hear the sound of air horns of other boats and maybe a finger gesture or two but it catches fish.
FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! JUNE 21ST
Special (variation of a Gray Ghost) and by mid-June the smelt will have a greenish tint so I will alternate with a Nine-Three. For wobble spoons I will run leadcore, down five colors with a 00 dodger followed by 12-18 inches of Maxima and a 1/16 ounce white Mooselook Wobbler to which I add a thin strip of green flash tape down the center and I bend the spoon to run faster. I will always run a floating flyline over the mo-
June. It works for me and I suggest you give it a try. Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Hunting, Fishing and Tidewater Guide. (Orion Guide Service) His books and articles have been published nationwide for more than 60 years. He was inducted into the New England Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019 and operates the Deadly Imposter Game Call Company. www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com
Greenville
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 58
June 2023
Book Review
Conversations With The Caverlys
By V. Paul Reynolds The Caverly Brothers is not a new country music duo, although Tim, the more prolific writer of the two well-known Maine outdoorsmen, could no doubt write a hit country song if he had a mind to. “Conversations” is Tim’s latest book, the 12th of the Allagash Tails series. Brothers Buzz and Tim Caverly have spent a lifetime working in the Maine
ing Maine’s two premiere wilderness sanctuaries. Face it, you just don’t do this amount of time managing and protecting beloved wilderness retreats without racking up real-life adventures and a repertoire of memorable outdoor stories. “Conversations” is aptly named. Squeezed between its 254 pages and 25 chapters are stories that were generated when the
someone’s campfire and just kept growing with each telling. My favorite chapter is titled, “How Smart Are Beavers?” It is a recounting of an original story told by Tim’s wife Susan’s grandfather, Bert Dumas. Bert lived, trapped, hunted, and spent most of his life living on a lake north of Millinocket. He also had a remote cabin that was
This book breezes along. It is an easy, enjoyable read that left me laughing in most of the chapters. Some of the stories are true. outdoors. Both are,indeed, bonafide legends in their own time and both dedicated their working lives to public service and outdoor recreation, Buzz as a ranger and director in Baxter State Park and Tim as Supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway for 18 years. Combined, the brothers spent 78 years as conservation officers oversee-
Caverlys simply sat down with a cup of coffee and one of Susan’s cookies and chatted and reflected about their years on the job. This book breezes along. It is an easy, enjoyable read that left me laughing in most of the chapters. Some of the stories are true. Some are those inventive, outlandish outdoor tales that got dreamed up around
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situated on a small brook in the shadow of Mount Katahdin. Dumas returned to his cabin one spring day to find it flooded. Beavers had erected a dam near his cabin and created a virtual dead water around his woods domain. Hoping to outsmart the beavers, Dumas breached their dam only in the end to be outsmarted by his furry neighbors. I’ll not spoil it for you. You’ll have to get a copy of the book to find out just how smart a beaver can be!
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Life in the outdoors generates humorous moments, but not always. Sometimes danger, and even untimely death can come calling. In “Conversations” there are also some sad, scary and poignant recollections about heroic rescues and acts of heroism that resulted in ultimate sacrifice. The Caverlys have much to be proud of, not only two lives well lived, but for their outstanding service to Maine and our precious wilderness areas. “Conversations,” with illustrations by Frank Manzo, is published by
Leicester Bay Books. Autographed copies are available for $24.95 from the author by emailing him at tim.caverly7357@gmail. com. http://www.sportingjournal.com/ 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.sportingjournal.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 59
Tom, Missing
Editor’s note: Almost every spring in Maine, a boating fisherman loses his life in a boating accident. This story about Tom is fictional, but a composite from actual accidents from real life. Tom had been planning his May salmon fishing adventure for weeks. He was excited to be out on the water, enjoying the fresh air and beauty of the natural surroundings. However, he made a couple of critical mistakes that would lead to his disappearance. Tom was an experienced fisherman and had been on many trips before. He had checked the weather forecast before leaving and knew that there was a chance of rain later in the day. He checked his phone battery, got together his gear, food, and water, and set off early in the morning. As he headed out onto the lake, the sun was shining, and the water was calm. Tom was feeling optimistic about the day ahead and decided to head to his favorite fishing spot on the other side of the lake. However, as the morning wore on, the weather began to turn. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the wind started to pick up. Tom knew that he should head back to shore, but he decided to stay a little longer, hoping to catch a big salmon.
Just as he was about to reel up in the late afternoon, the rain started to fall. It was only a light shower at first, but it quickly became a heavy downpour. The temperature dropped into the low forties. It was now that Tom realized he had made a mistake by staying out on the lake too long. He was putting on his rain gear when the motor died. He pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t start. He realized that he had forgotten to top off the tank before leaving. Panic set in as Tom realized that he was stranded on the lake, out of gas, with no way to call for help. Why? No cell signal! He tried to stay calm and rationalize the situation. He had food, water, and warm clothing, so he should be okay for a night or two, or so he hoped. However, as the storm raged on, Tom became more and more anxious. The wind was whipping up waves on the lake, and Tom’s boat was rocking back and forth violently. He saw a protected cove, but couldn’t get there. The boat was tossed around like a toy in the rough water. His paddle was useless. As night came on, Tom huddled in his boat, trying to stay warm and dry. He now realized that he had made another critical error by not checking the weather forecast more
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carefully. Tom knew that he needed to find a way to get off the lake, but he had no idea how. He tried to attract the attention of distant, passing boats by waving his arms and shouting for help, but no one came. As the storm continued, Tom’s hopes of being rescued dwindled. When Tom was reported missing, his family and friends searched the lake and the surrounding
The Singing Maine Guide by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME months later, in the early fall, that a fisherman on the lake made a startling discovery. He found a small, open aluminum boat half sunk and half shoved up on shore on the opposite side of the lake from where Tom had put in. The boat had obviously been there in that spot for some time. In the boat, the fisher-
boat brought small closure to Tom’s family, but it was also an ongoing, bitter reminder of the mystery that took his life. They knew that he had been a lifelong fisherman, but also that there are conditions and mishaps that can occur to the most experienced outdoorsmen. He admitted to some of them on
Tom knew that he needed to find a way to get off the lake, but he had no idea how. He tried to attract the attention of distant, passing boats by waving his arms and shouting for help, but no one came. As the storm continued, Tom’s hopes of being rescued dwindled. areas, but there was no sign of him or his boat. Game wardens were called in, and an extensive search and rescue operation was launched. Despite their best efforts, no trace of Tom was found. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. His family was devastated, and his community mourned his loss. It wasn’t until several
man found Tom’s tackle, and a dry bag with food and water inside, as well as Tom’s phone with a voice recording. What ultimately happened to Tom and why he went missing could not be known from the recording. He only recorded what was happening while he was still hopeful. The boat, when found, was relatively undamaged. The discovery of the
his phone recording, but the real question, the one his family wanted most to have answered, will never be known. Randy Spencer is a working Maine guide and author. All of his award winning books are available on Amazon. Reach Randy at randy31@earthlink.net or at www.randyspencer.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 60
“Just Fishing”
by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME If you’ve never fished Grand Lake Stream, in Downeast Maine, you are truly missing out on your “Bucket List”, for sure. Nestled in the little village of Grand Lake, Maine, is one store, a few lodges, a small number of year-round homes, and a fantastic flow of crystal
opens on April 1st every year, and closes on September 30th. However, then “TWO” extended seasons that last deep into the month of October, where special rules occur. Check your law book for those. The stream, some call the waterway a “river”, is fed by a varying number
June: Heyday at the Stream
rivelet is well worth a gaze, even to enjoy its viewing into thundering rips, falls, and quiet flows, to say nothing of its reward in fishing experience. Grand Lake Streams permits “Fly Fishing Only” to its visitors for angling purposes. And, here are, no question, certain times of year to partake of these opportunities for best returns.
Grand Lake Stream opens on April 1st every year, and closes on September 30th. However, then “TWO” extended seasons that last deep into the month of October, where special rules occur. Check your law book for those. clear water, right through town, that you’ll find hard to imagine! This regional drainage from a harvest of northern most waters, is chock full of migrating landlocked salmon, year ‘round. Yep! Year ‘round! But, of course, almost like any good fishing water, there are good times and BEST times. Grand Lake Stream
of open gates at the foot of West Grand Lake and is regulated by the whims of those in charge. Should I say more? Normally, there is sufficient water flow for fair-to-good fishing during the full open angling season---that is, allowing for seasonal heavy rain storms, etc. We must not forget, that scenic and picturesque
June 2023
No question, the very best month of the season for fly fishing at this drainage is June, and that is for several reasons. Number one would be the water temperature is usually perfect at approximately fiftyfive degrees, or so. The second reason would be the insect hatches of Mayflies, Caddisflies, and Dragonflies, among others, will be reaching peak. Naturally, there are going to be a few obstacles involved, such as more vis-
itors to the action, meaning less elbow room, you might say. My advice would be, get up early, stay late, and be courteous at all times. It’s amazing what a little friendliness at a pool can
the Woods Pools and The Meadows. You’re not going to run into many who care to travel and investigate for themselves. Who knows, you might discover a whole new satisfying trip
get you. Also, there are a host of excellent possibilities for fly casting at many pools, besides those most attended. There are many surprises available downriver, from the dam all the way downstream, almost to the end of the flow. In fact, observant visitors might be aware of the salmonholding sites between the Dam Pool and the Hatchery Pool. Also, those hidden pools below the Big Falls and Little Falls pools, like
after all! “Best time to fish”, you ask? Well, some say early, early. But not always. Some pretty fulfilling fly casts might be made around late mornings and early afternoons. That will be accounted for by a slight temperature rise in waters--causing salmon and trout to feed more. Everybody fishes that evening hatch, and well they should. The key here might be to stay late, and “hurry” your (Heyday cont. pg 68)
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June 2023 Mike Farnham
Northwoods Sporting Journal
How to Interpret Your Soil Test
The first thing you need to concentrate on is your pH level. If the pH level is low the availability of phosphorus or ability of the plants to take in
in mind the test target pH is a 6.2 and most seed likes a pH of 6.5-7.0. Chances are whatever is recommended you will be doing it two years in a row, maybe three.
Whether you use 40# or 50# bags of lime here is a quick formula to help you with your calculations. First determine the size of your plot (Square foot of your plot divided by 1 acre, 43560 = plot size). Area finder apps or Garmin Rino’s work great for odd shape plots also. Let’s assume your test comes back and calls for 3 tons/ acre and your plot size is
about. If your pH is low and you intend on adding lime I usually cut the Phosphorous recommendation in half but for my examples let’s assume that our pH isn’t too bad for ease of explanation and our plot is 1 acre in size and is a Brassica product (fall plant). It takes two 50# bags of fertilizer to equal the number on the bag. Two bags of 19/19/19 equals 19# N, 19#
“How to Interpret Your Soil Test” is a follow up article to help you figure out the amounts of lime and fertilizer needed for your plots.
nutrients will increase the amount of fertilizer you have to use which costs money. As the pH rises the amount of fertilizer you need could be cut in half. You may get a test that comes back that requires anywhere from two-five tons of lime per acre. Keep
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Also keep in mind that the soil can only intake three tons/acre in one season so don’t overdo it. I like to use pulverized lime which doesn’t spread easily unless you have a cone spreader with our 200# vibrator and mounting bracket and wiring harness. The most often used lime is pelletized because it’s easy to spread but it cost more, takes longer to breakdown, and just isn’t as good in my opinion because of the waste that’s needed to form the pellet.
¼ acre (.250). Using 40# bags, 50 x plot size = lime needed for 1 ton/acre, then multiply by 3. Example: 50 x .250 = 12.5 x 3 = 37.5 bags (1500#). Using 50# bags, 40 x plot size = lime needed for 1 ton/acre, then multiply by 3. Example: 40 x .250 = 10 x 3 = 30 bags (1500#). Always incorporate your lime for best results. Fertilizer is where it gets a little tricky because of the variables but I’ll do my best to explain. You won’t always get the numbers exact but get it as close as you can. I put the fertilizer down after I seed normally. NPK or better known as Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potash is what we are going to talk
Vermont
P, and 19# K. Let’s assume your test comes back and calls for 80# N, 40# P, and 40# K/acre. If two bags equal 19#’s of each NPK then four bags equals 38#’s of each NPK (38/38/38). The additional 42#’s of nitrogen, 91#’s of (46/0/0) is held out and put on as a finishing fertilizer when plants reach 4-6” when plants are dry and rain is
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expected within 24 hrs. which gives you 80/38/38. Here’s an example that is a little trickier. Let’s assume our test comes back and 80# N, 40# P, and 70# K is needed. You would use four bags of 19/19/19 and one bag of 0/0/60. The four bags of 19/19/19 = 38# N, 38# P, and 38# K/acre. To get the extra 30# of K we use one bag of 0/0/60. Which gives you 38#’s N, 38#’s P, and 68#’s K/acre. I would also hold out the 42#’s of nitrogen, 91#’s of (46/0/0) again and put it on after plants reach 4-6” again as a finisher when plants are dry and rain is expected within 24 hrs. which gives you 80/38/68. There you go but no worries if you buy More Wildlife seed products and you do a test using State of Vt. UVM Extension through our site I’ll figure all this out for you free.!!! www. morewildlife.net HAPPY PLANTING!!!
St John Valley
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SAM News
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by David Trahan, “Executive Director” The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, Institute for Legislative Action, SAM membership, staff and Board of Director’s are growing concerned about the negative impacts of commercial solar development on Maine
tion fee or pay for conservation efforts to mitigate adverse effects on prime agricultural soils or soils of statewide importance. It also requires developers of solar energy developments, wind energy developments or high-impact electric
June 2023
SAM’s Concerns About Solar Development
titled Unnatural Barriers: How the Boom in Fences Is Harming Wildlife, “Fences can create ecological ‘no man’s land” where only a narrow range of species and ecosystems can thrive, and further states, ‘ecosystem collapse is likely to follow.’” During the start of
It does not matter if you place a fence around a field or a forest, you are creating a “no man’s land” where nothing on legs and with no wings can travel. Fields and farmland are part of the ecological landscape. Animals that fear
Whatever this committee does with this bill, there is no mistaking the impact of fenced solar development on our wildlife on forested and non-forested lands. I have no preference how this committee mitigates the impact of solar
the light travel at night. Fields that are quiet in the day are wildlife’s city life in the night, it is the place deer graze, fox, bobcat, and coyote hunt. Everything wild, uses fields at one time or another. To argue fencing in a 50 or 500-acre field does not harm wildlife is to ignore the fact that animals using these areas must travel greater distances because of fences, they must find new food sources, cross dangerous roads and simply must live in a smaller natural world.
development on wildlife, but please do not underestimate how valuable farmland is as wildlife habitat. If I said to you, this committee could restore thousands of acres of prime wildlife habitat and open fields in less than a year, you might challenge me, I would respond by quoting President Ronald Reagan, “tear down this wall.”
During the start of our deliberations, the focus of the bill was wildlife habitat impacts. It has since been expanded to include impacts to farmland soil, with much of the wildlife impacts centered on intact forestland. wildlife and the habitat they depend on for survival. On Wednesday, May 10th, 2023, the SAM ILA introduced legislation, LD 1881 to mitigate and reduce impacts of solar development on wildlife habitat and farmland. Joined by a coalition of partners and supporters, nearly every state conservation group and state agencies having jurisdiction over natural resource all testified in support. This SAM ILA legislation is crucial to getting this runaway development under control. This bill requires developers of solar energy projects to pay a compensa-
transmission lines to pay a compensation fee to fund off-site habitat improvement or preservation projects to mitigate the adverse effects of a development on wildlife and fisheries habitats. Here is part of my testimony in support of LD 1881: Robert Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” It may be true for humans, but not if you are a wild animal. Across the globe, the negative impacts of development and fences on our wildlife are profound. According to the Yale Environment research paper, 3/17/2022,
our deliberations, the focus of the bill was wildlife habitat impacts. It has since been expanded to include impacts to farmland soil, with much of the wildlife impacts centered on intact forestland. I learned recently that developers were concerned with the farmland soils component to the bill, and some might be opposing it for that reason. I have no bias to the method used to determine compensation requirements related to agricultural land, but placing solar projects on farmland does not just impact the soils. It also impacts the wildlife.
David Trahan is executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, SAM.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
Vermont Rainbow Stocking
My dear reader, I am writing this column with a feeling of both dread and hope. As you are reading this, I will be laid up recovering from surgery that has promised me that I will recapture at least a vestige of my wasted youth through the miracle of replacing my right hip. I won’t bore you with the details of how, for the last 15 years, I have moaned, groaned and bitched about my pain. My outdoor buddies have heard it all too many times. Suffice it to say that my youth was a wild one physically, skiing moguls 150 days a year and trying to qualify for the 1984 Olympics (no I didn’t.) However, I had never planned on getting old. Like Billy Joel sang “only the good die young” I was determined to be “good” at the expense of my body. It wasn’t until later in life that I found my true passion – to be united in spirit and mind with the very earth that nearly ruined me. So, if you enjoy reading my monthly drivel, will you please let me live vicariously through you as you venture out into
this magnificent month of June? Climb up into the mountains to fish the ponds for brookies, troll the local waters for salmon and lakers, show a youngster the miracle of the hook and line. Let him/her/they/ them/whatever-they-wantto-be-called experience the earthly miracle of connecting to another being. When they bring that fish to hand, take the time to ask them what they see. Ask them to name the colors on a brook-
rainbow trout since January 2021 and have begun stocking them this spring. VT F&W will continue to stock and evaluate the Eagle Lake strain each year through 2024 in an attempt to provide stronger, healthier and more “fishable” trout. A final decision about which strain we will continue to stock will be made by 2025. The following areas will be on the schedule for introducing this strain. The Eagle
ie. Have them witness the silvery iridescent flash of a steelhead. Ask them to count how many brown bars there are on a yellow perch. Let them experience the world you and I have known. Let them discover the meaning of life with their own eyes, ears and nose. And if they still want to be an extreme skier, tell them what to expect when they’re 64. VT F&W fish culture staff had been raising the new Eagle Lake strain of
Lake strain will be stocked in 12 waters alongside our current Erwin-Arlee strain. By stocking both strains in the same waters, biologists will be able to directly compare the performance of each strain and determine whether a change in our rainbow trout strain will improve angler experience. Without further ado here are the locations: The Black River in Cavendish and Weathersfield, Deerfield River in Searsburg and
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Lake in Barton, Bald Hill Pond in Westmore and Echo Lake in Charleston. This strain is new to Vermont waters but has shown promise by use in other states such as Maine, Michigan, Montana, and many others. The strains will look very similar which makes telling them apart challenging. To identify each strain, one of their
ventral fins will be clipped. Look for the paired fins on the underside of the fish about halfway along its body. Either the right or the left ventral fin will be missing, indicating which strain you have caught. If the left fin is missing, you’ve caught an Eagle Lake strain. If the right fin is missing, you’ve caught an Erwin-Arlee strain. And now for a little brain teaser. After speaking with a few professional outdoorsmen, there seems to be a bit of controversy, or perhaps just gentlemanly disagreement with the new moose permit lottery. For once, it’s not the odds of winning the lottery that is in question, rather the science behind allowing any moose to be taken with the horrendous decline in the state’s population. Here (Stocking cont. pg 65)
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THE BACK SHELF
From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!
By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.
By V. Paul Reynolds
Most sportsman who have spent much time trying to find good places to hunt or fish have experienced bad roads. I mean really bad roads. I have seen my fair share. Their memory doesn’t keep me awake at night, but some of the worst roads left an impression.
to forget it. A few minutes later his jeep was bottomed out with wheels spinning and tossing mud and rocks in every direction. The harder we laughed the more determined Clyde got and the deeper he dug himself and his old four-wheel drive. “I’ll either get it out
Northwoods Sporting Journal ing a heavy, late-April rain, I forded the Pleasant River on the Ebeemee Road en route to Pearl Pond. With me was a friend, E. Duncan Geikie, and a Mr. McCormick from Brownville, who wanted to sell us his old camp at Pearl Pond. The crossing of the river was a little hairy on the way in but my Toyota Tacoma never missed a beat, though Mr. McCormick’s heart may have skipped a beat or two. In midstream he cleared his throat a lot and drummed his fingers. Little did we know.
Bad Roads
June 2023
The Mother of All Bad Roads that I have known is a narrow mountain road where I have elk hunted in western Colorado. It is bad when it is good. It is eight miles of serpentine switchbacks that wind upward along craggy precipices and 1,000 foot dropoffs. Back in the 1970s, when I was hooked hard on trout fishing in Aroostook County’s Red River country, bad roads went with the territory. My first year there a high school shop teacher, who was part of our fishing crew, was determined to get his old Army jeep into Gardiner Pond from the old road. It was an impossible excuse for a road with long, water-filled washouts that were three feet deep in places. Clyde said that he was up to the challenge, though we counseled him
or burn it up right here,” Clyde asserted through clenched teeth. It was a sight to behold. Clyde got out, but his vehicle did not. For all I know, remnants of it may be found there today. That same trip the late Guy Boober tried valiantly to get his VW down the hill into Galilee Pond. He got there only to become mired in black muck. A crew of seven was able to lift his small vehicle to higher ground. In that same era dur-
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During our inspection of the camp the rain came down in buckets. Yes, the return trip was memorable. The waters of the river had risen considerably higher during our morning camp visit. I had no choice but to go for it. I can still see the water cresting over the nose of the truck as we inched our way across the swollen river. The exhaust sounded like an old lobster boat. No one spoke. Needless to say, we were all a little
(Illustration by V. Paul Reynolds)
dry mouthed from the experience. A white-faced Mr. McCormick said that we were crazy and that he guessed that would be his last ride with us! The Mother of All Bad Roads that I have known is a narrow mountain road where I have elk hunted in western Colo-
rado. It is bad when it is good. It is eight miles of serpentine switchbacks that wind upward along craggy precipices and 1,000 foot dropoffs. When it is bad, when snow or rain transforms the dry mountain dust into a grease-like muck, it is very, very bad. Having confronted this road a number of times under a variety of conditions, our hunt crew has learned to respect it, to always approach it with solemnity, a clear head, and high-end, aggressive chains on all four wheels. We put my eldest son, Cool Hand Luke, behind the wheel and pray for his steady hand and pilottrained reflexes. Last October we made our way down this “road” (Back Shelf cont. pg 65)
June 2023
Cree
(Cont. from pg 41) One day was warmish and calm, the next, the whiteout. If you depend on this for food, you can’t wait until the next “good” day. For me, though, even the whiteout was an excellent day. I have found wool to be the best protector, warm and tight against harsh weather. We ended up gill netting a very large Northern Pike, and a number of big, fat whitefish and suckers. These, again the women cleaned in the warmth of a work tent, which we called the sweatshop. A very large wood stove kept us plenty warm from the wind outside, and we had fun cleaning the fish together. Where we don’t pay much mind to suckers, the Cree elder women request them. David and Anna gave the fish to the elders in the village, which they often
Northwoods Sporting Journal
do. This Cree village has found a way to retain their culture and language, and to adapt modern economic ventures for their community. It has been a long negotiation. As visitors, we were warmly welcomed, second only to the elders to eat at a feast day we happened to be there for. Many great memories were made. Suzanne AuClair is an avid outdoorswoman. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake region for 28 years and produced the state anthology,“The Origin, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.” She is an award-winning member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assn.
Stocking
(Cont. from pg 63) is the state’s offering: 174 Permits will be available through the lottery and only for WMU’s E1 or E2:
For the Archery Season (October 1 – 7) just 20 either-sex permits will be issued. For the Regular Season (October 21 – 26) 154 permits will be issued, including 5 Veteran permits and 54 either-sex permits as well as 100 antlerless-only permits. Now here’s the rationale as it was explained at the Deer and Moose meetings. If we reduce the number of moose in the WMUs with high mortality rate, the winter tick and deer tick mortality will be reduced simply by offering the ticks fewer targets. I’m not going to take a position on this one, but I would question, “wouldn’t it be a longer term and more permanent solution to fund a winter tick eradication program through science that has already been researching this method?” Either way, it is my duty to inform you that the deadline to apply for the lottery is Wednes-
Page 65 day, June 21.
brakes and nursed the truck down the hill. (When Cool Bradley Carleton is Hand Luke bites his lip and the founder and Director grimaces you know that of Sacred Hunter.org which you truly are on the edge.) teaches the public respect We survived that bad and empathy through hunt- road, like all the others, but ing, fishing and foraging. it left us all with sweaty palms and jangled nerves. Will we ever go back? Of course, anything for a (Cont. from pg 64) chance at an elk. after dark in a cold, driving rainstorm. The rain came The author is editor of on suddenly and in blinding sheets. We were not pre- the Northwoods Sporting pared having foolishly re- Journal. He is also a Maine moved two of the four tire Guide, co-host of a weekly chains. It was the descent radio program “Maine from Hell. Two miles an Outdoors” heard Sundays hour the entire way down at 7 p.m. on The Voice that road’s slick, slimy of Maine News-Talk Netsurface. At each switch- work (WVOM-FM 103.9, back the truck stubbornly WQVM-FM 101.3) and refused to turn and slid former information officer like a levitating hovercraft for the Maine Dept. of Fish closer and closer to the and Wildlife. His e-mail abyss. Nobody spoke. The address is paul@sportonly sound was from the ingjournal.com . He has driver, a few under the two books “A Maine Deer breath ooooos and ahhhs Hunter’s Logbook” and his as he gingerly tapped the latest, “Backtrack.”
Back Shelf
Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!
E CTIV A O Y ET FRE ILITAR M
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
On Point
The holy land of bird dogs is Grand Junction, Tennessee. Located in Grand Junction is both the National Bird Dog Museum and Ames Plantation. Ames Plantation is where the National Bird Dog Championship field trial
Northwoods Sporting Journal
National Bird Dog Museum
objects for the museum and many other tasks were by Paul Fuller, completed. It should be Durham, N.H. mentioned that Garrett ognize and honor sporting Lockee and Wilson Dunn dogs. The museum would personally bought the origpreserve bird dog history inal 4.5 acres of land for the and represent all breeds of museum. They then donated the land to the Foundasporting dogs. Lockee, Dunn and tion. It was felt that Grand a few other sporting dog Junction would be the ideal enthusiasts visited Bernie location for the Museum Matthys, managing editor due to the close proximity
The National Bird Dog Museum is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of bird dogs, field trials, and hunting traditions. is held each year. The Bird Dog Museum is a shrine to the bird dog. It’s the Bird Dog Museum we’re going to discuss in this column. The idea of a Bird Dog Museum was conceived by the meeting of Garrett Lockee, a field trialer, and Wilson Dunn, who owned Dunn’s Sporting Goods of Grand Junction. This meeting happened in the late 1970s. Dunn and Lockee shared a vision for a museum that would rec-
of the American Field, to solicit his support in the museum idea. Mathys was persuaded to help promote the idea of a museum. Lockee and Dunn returned to Grand Junction to begin work on the project. A great deal of work was done over the next several years. Creating a non-profit organization, a foundation, establishing funding, organizing a board of directors, selecting a building site, collecting
June 2023
to Ames Plantation. By 1990, sponsorships had successfully raised the money needed to begin construction of the National Bird Dog Museum. Before the Museum was completed, the entire cost had been fully funded. On February 16, 1991, the National Bird Dog Museum was opened to the public. Your author personally visited the Museum in 2016. I had the privilege
of being guided through the building by one of the founders…Garrett Lockee. What a treat that was. Having been with the Museum since the very beginning, Garrett had many wonderful stories to tell. The guided visit was actually taped for Bird Dogs Afield TV. Go to www.birddogsafield.com Click on the video button. Go to year 2016 and locate the Romancing Grand Junction Video 1. The National Bird Dog Museum is dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of bird dogs, field trials, and hunting traditions. The museum houses a repository of art, photography and memorabilia about field trials, shooting sports and over forty breeds of bird dogs. Those breeds include pointing, flushing and retrieving dogs. The specific dog breeds include English pointer, English setter, American Brittany, English cocker spaniel,
English springer spaniel, German shorthaired pointer, Gordon setter, Irish setter, Vizsla and Weimaraner. The Retriever Hall of Fame spotlights various retriever breeds such as Labrador retriever, Golden retriever and Chesapeake retriever In addition to everything you could imagine about bird dogs, there is a Wildlife Heritage Center. The Center consists of a large collection of taxidermy showcasing the wildlife of North America and the William F. Brown Memorial Library. If you have any interest at all in sporting dogs, I strongly encourage you to visit the National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee. I found it a truly memorable visit. And, if you go to Grand Junction, I suggest you time your visit with the running of the National Bird Dog Championship which is run at Ames Plantation. The trial is usually in early February. For more information, go to: www.birddogfoundation.com Paul & Susan Fuller co-host their TV show Bird Dogs Afield. All past episodes are available on their website: www. birddogsafield.com. Contact: paul@birddogsafield. com
June 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Invasive Species, Ticks and Coyotes
In late April, after doing some yard work for my neighbor, I found a deer tick latched onto my leg. My wife carefully removed it with tweezers so as to not leave any mouth parts in the skin. Then I took two prescribed Doxycycline pills in case it was carrying a nasty pathogen or bacteria. Ticks creep me out because you usually don’t feel them crawling on or biting you and they can transmit horrible diseases. According to the Maine CDC, they include potentially fatal Lyme Disease, Powassan virus Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Borrelia myamoto and Alpha-gal syndrome which makes an infected person deathly allergic to red meat and dairy. All are nasty, but knowing I could never eat venison, moose, elk, bear, lamb, beef or cheese again would be horrific! Besides the invasive deer or blacklegged tick, New England has dog, woodchuck and Lonestar ticks which can carry tulemia and Powassan virus, a deadly form of encephalitis. Ticks can carry multiple diseases at one time thus if you find an engorged tick embedded in your skin, you should call the doctor and have the tick tested for diseases. To help keep ticks out of your yard you can hire a professional pest control service or spray around your property with Permethrin, commonly found in tick sprays. Because rodents are tick carriers, you can buy “Tick Tubes” which are paper tubes filled with Permethrin laced cotton. They’re designed to
Page 67
The Northwoods Bowhunter by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME ago filling a niche that wolves once occupied as the largest carnivore predator. They prey on all game animals including deer, moose and wild turkeys. They also kill livestock and house pets when they can. In some areas, 50% of the fawn mortality can be attributed to coyotes.
The author’s wife, Joyce, with a coyote taken this spring. (Photo by Brian Smith) put in places frequented by mice, chipmunks and squirrels who then take the cotton into their nests. Underneath steps, woodpiles, sheds and rock walls are recommended placement sites. We make our own using empty paper towel rolls, dryer lint or cotton balls and a jug of Permethrin we got at a farm supply store. I put out twenty tubes around the property and have noticed a reduction in tick numbers. Other control methods are having free ranging chickens or guinea fowl and wild birds eat ticks as well. Wearing insect repelling clothing impregnated with Permethrin is recommended if you do a lot of outside activities like hunting, fishing, hiking and gardening. I have hunting and fishing clothing purchased at LL Bean, Cabelas and MidwayUSA that all work great. We also spray our boots and non treated clothing with tick spray which works well against all insects. Permethrin is not recommended
for direct skin contact, unlike products containing Deet or natural repellents. Having your spouse or close friend help with a “tick check” after outdoor activities brings piece of mind and if a tick is found, we wash the clothes we were wearing and take a hot shower. Just like deer ticks, the Eastern Coyote is an invasive species in Maine that needs to be eradicated. They moved into Northern New England and New York 50-80 years
ticks on them. For all those reasons, we hunt them year round in daylight. From December 16th to August 31st we also hunt them at night over bait and with calls. We shoot them while turkey hunting in May, eating blueberries in our fields in July/August, while deer hunting in October/
Just like deer ticks, the Eastern Coyote is an invasive species in Maine that needs to be eradicated. They don’t just prey on the weak and sick but often kill adult deer around yarding areas or by chasing them onto the ice. We’ve had several game camera photos and videos of coyotes with newborn fawns in their jaws on our property. Maine IF&W Retired Deer Biologist Gerry Lavigne led a study of deer that had been winter killed by coyotes from 1978-1989. Of the 863 examined coyote killed deer, more than half were in good physical condition when killed. We’ve found that most coyotes we shoot have engorged
November and over bait during the winter months. On April 21st at 5:30 a.m. my wife shot a big male at 175 yds as it stalked a gobbler on the other side of our blueberry field. My friends Gene and Jeremy Clark in Princeton killed four more in April with Jeremy killing two with one shot. Coyotes attack humans every year with a fatal mauling occurring in Nova Scotia in 2009. Fortunately the Maine Legislature Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recommended against (Coyotes cont. pg 68)
Finally, the fishing book that you've been waiting for...drum roll, please... FLY FISHING MAINE RIVERS, BROOKS AND STREAMS - By Bob Leeman Sporting Journal columnist Bob Leeman, a Master Maine Guide and ardent fly fisherman, has written a book whose chapters capture the experiences of a lifetime of fishing Maine. This book not only tells where to go to catch brook trout and landlocked salmon in rivers, brooks and streams, but locates wadeable waters and canoeable waters. Certain pools, secretive springs, slow water, beaver ponds and fast water pocket holding places are located in words and detailed map illustrations. For the fly fisherman, this is a useful, practical, "how-to" angling manual, unmatched for its thoroughness, originality and authoritative advice. Bob shares his own fly creations along with recipes and striking color photos of each fly. Maine Outdoor Publications
125 pages "If your passion is flyfishing Maine's remarkable rivers, brooks and streams, you'll learn so much from Bob's book. It's good. Very good!" - V. Paul Reynolds, NWSJ Send a check for $19.95 plus $4.00 postage and handling, along with this ad to: Bob Leeman, 22 Alan-A-Dale Rd., Brewer, ME 04412.
Page 68
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Drowning
(Cont. from pg 48) water getting in the lungs and causing damage without the lungs filling with water. Symptoms often happen within a few minutes of inhaling water. If the victim seems like they have low energy, trouble speaking, chest pain, trouble breathing, pale color, or coughing that doesn’t stop after a few minutes; they need to be evaluated immediately. This is a “call 911” situation. Search Google and YouTube for “What does actual drowning look like” and do some research. The videos are very eye opening. Anyone who goes near the water should take a basic swim class and know how to self rescue. All adults should take a first aid/CPR course and have an emergency plan in place. Teach kids to swim in buddy teams and never float face down in the water or play like they are drowning. Water is fun but needs to be taken seriously. Joe is a husband, father, author and Marine. Joefrazier193@gmail.com Overhead Door Company of Bangor
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June 2023
Heyday
Coyotes
(Cont. from pg 60)
(Cont. from pg 67)
streamers! The month of May for fishing this outlet is good, no question, and early July can also be satisfying at times. The best fly imitations suggestions would be Caddis dries, assorted popular sinking nymphs, and stripping casting size streamers.
LD-814, a bill to shorten the coyote night hunting season by three months and limit daytime hunting of coyotes from April 1 to September 30th. If that bill passes the full legislature, it would be devastating to our deer and wild turkey restoration efforts. We hunt coyotes and kill ticks whenever possible, both are invasive species.
Bob Leeman is a Master Maine Guide, outdoor writer, naturalist, book author, and a co-host of MAINE OUTSDOORS 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 207-217-2550.
Brian Smith is a Retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He served on the Maine IF&W Deer Restoration Working Group and Advisory Council. He is on the Board of Directors for both the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine Institute for Legislative Action and the Maine Bowhunters Association. He can be reached at bowhunter@ mgemaine.com Pemadumcook Lake Island
80 Penobscot Avenue Millinocket, Maine 04462 207-723-9086 www.northwoods-realestate.com
“Serving Maine and the Katahdin Region Since 1984”
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
207-265-4000 259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME www.csmrealestate.com
janet@csmrealestate.com
Enjoy Maine's Vacation-land!
NEW VINEYARD
3 bd, 2.5 bath home on 68 acres on dead end road. Lots of privacy! Apple trees, fields, forest. Post and beam barn w/several outbuildings.
$625,000.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
June 2023
P.O. Box 616 Long Lake, NY 12847
518-265-9198
SELLERS LANE
Adirondack Land For Sale
BUYERS ROAD
REAL ESTATE
Page 69
SELLERS LANE
Overhead Door Company of Caribou “The original since 1921”
BUYERS ROAD
"Build Your Dream Cabin and Explore this Pristine Mountain Wilderness"
Residential
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554-9044 320 Bowles Rd, Caribou www.overheaddoorofbangor.com
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"Tate" Aylward - 207-794-2460 Peter Phinney - 207-794-5466 Kirk Ritchie - 207-290-1554 5 Lake Street, P.O. Box 66, Lincoln, ME 207-794-2460
Email: cwa@cwalakestreet.com
Lincoln- Come take a look at this large undeveloped l a kef ro nt l o t o n Cambolassee Pond in Lincoln. End of the road privacy, only 10 minutes from Downtown. One of the few undeveloped lakefront lots left in this area. $75,000
T4 R7- Looking for remote pristine waterfront? Enjoy seeing a perfect starry night sky? Do you enjoy hunting & fishing? This leased camp on Seboeis River could be just what you are looking for. Call today for your appointment to see. $49,000
Lakeville- Large, private waterfront property on Lombard Lake & Stream, with cheap taxes. Cabin needs some love, but appears solid & square. Post & beam construction, on a full concrete foundation, offers plenty of potential. $229,000
Lakeville- Gorgeous piece of land, heavily wooded & near the end of the Spaulding Pond Rd with lakes all around. The cabin is small but sturdy. The privy and fire pit make it comfortable. Definitely well worth a look. $49,000
Winn- This cute cabin is insulated with a knotty interior. The lot is heavily wooded and gorgeous. Situated on North Rd; a paved, year round, secondary road. With a little fire pit sitting just off the cabin’s screen porch. $49,900
Prentiss TWPBrand new home situated in the small, northern Maine To w n s h i p . C u te , modern, located 1.5 hours from Bangor & Baxter State Park. Some of the finest outdoor recreational activities at your fingertips right on Park St. Call today. $99,000
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 Enfield- This large lot is part of a larger parcel, owner would consider selling larger piece. Not far from Cold Stream Pond & Cold Stream. Public road of Caribou Rd & short distance to electricity. Make this your camp/home. $34,000 Carroll PLT- Unique property, quiet & rural with year round road- town maintained, North Rd. 4 BR septic, drilled well & driveway already in. Half open space & half woodland, perfect for a home or cabin. Come take a peek. $80,000 Lincoln - Nice lot on year round Half Township Road. Great lot for that year round home or cottage. This lot is located in a rural area close to ATV trails. Explore the Maine woods from this lot. Enjoy a look today. $29,500
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Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and sub-flooring plus step-by-step instructions. Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat! Give us a call today.
1-800-624-2797 Our Cumberland model with wrap-around porch and loft.
Page 70
Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 628 Main Street Machias, ME 04654
SUNRISE REALTY
Office Tel. & Fax: (207) 255-3039 Email: anitaj@midmaine.com Website: www.sunlist.com Anita Johnson
EAST MACHIAS: This home sits on 5.46 acres and is on the Chases Mills Road. The owner started working on the home so all rooms need work but there is a nice two bedroom apartment on the end with its own garage that you could live in while working on the main house. The apartment is lived in at this time. The main house also has its on garages. It is close to Gardner Lake and the public boat landing. The price is only $175,000.00 EAST MACHIAS: This beautiful move in ready home sits on 1.08 acres and has three large bedrooms and the master has 1/2 bath. Nice large laundry room. Also nice kitchen and living room. Home is in move in condition except for some floors and you can choose the type of floor coverings you want in each room. Large dry basement and a two car garage make this a super nice home to live in. The price has just been reduced to $245,000 and the owner said they will listen to reasonable offers.
June 2023
ST. JOHN VALLEY REALTY CO. 8 East Main Street Fort Kent, ME 04743
834-6725
www.stvrealty@hotmail.com www.sportingjournal.com
SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD
REAL ESTATE SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD
Judd Goodwin Well Co
"We Do It Right The First Time"
Complete Well & Pump
Installation, Service and Repair Residential • Commercial Camps • Cottages
P.O. Box 17 Greenville, ME 04441 Office: 207-695-3645 Cell: 207-280-0923 goodwinjudd@yahoo.com www.juddgoodwinwell.com Member Maine Groundwater Association