Northwoods Sporting Journal, March 2022

Me & Joe Keep Mr. Obay’s Secret Safe March 2022

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March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 3

A ‘Steller’ Adventure

Maine bird-watchers started the year with the sensational arrival of an exotic Russian visitor. A Stellar’s sea eagle was sighted in late December and early January in Georgetown and Boothbay Harbor. By the time of the publication of this article, it may take up residence in Maine or be anywhere between California and Newfoundland.

This bird is rarer than

From there, it ventured to sites on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula in August.

After several months of evading crowds of binoculared humans, it reappeared in Nova Scotia in early November 2021.

Birders were gobsmacked by its appearance along the Taunton River in Massachusetts before Christmas in 2021. This individual

eagle conservation all my career. Five of us crammed into a car for a weekend search for this rarity. We headed to Boothbay Harbor the morning after a sparkling snow blanketed the coast. Birders briefly glimpsed the eagle flying at sunrise but no one knew where it went. We searched likely spots for an hour without luck including the

The Steller’s sea eagle is the B-52 Stratofortress of the bird world, and it is among the largest birds of prey on the planet.

Reaching weights of 14 to 21 pounds, the Steller’s dwarfs the bald eagle (7 to 14 pounds). rare. It shouldn’t be on this continent, let alone in Maine. Only a few thousand pairs of Steller’s sea eagles nest on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia.

Rarely, one will wander into the remote Aleutian or Pribilof islands in Alaska.

As the eagle flies, this vagabond is 5,000 miles away from home.

The eagle’s mindboggling travels are closely tracked by birders hoping to see the foreign visitor.

It was first observed near Denali National Park in central Alaska in August 2020. In March 2021, the same eagle was possibly photographed at a reservoir near the Gulf Coast in southeastern Texas. In late June and early July 2021, the sea eagle turned up on the Restigouche River in northern New Brunswick.

The Stellar Sea Eagle.

(Illustration by Mark McCollough)

eagle is identified by a distinct white spot on its left wing. All but the Texas sighting have been confirmed to be the same eagle.

The Steller’s sea eagle is the B-52 Stratofortress of the bird world, and it is among the largest birds of prey on the planet.

Reaching weights of 14 to 21 pounds, the Steller’s dwarfs the bald eagle (7 to 14 pounds). The Steller’s wingspan spans 6 ½ to just over 8 feet compared to the bald eagle wingspan of 6 to 7 ½ feet. Like all raptors, females are larger than males. No one knows if the wandering Steller’s sea eagle is a male or female, but birders describe it as “one honkin’ eagle!”

This was a bird not to be missed after working on

shoreline of Southport Island where Rachel Carson spent summers.

We s p i e d a m a s sive eagle in a pine, and I knew in an instant that it was the Steller’s. It was HUGE! It sat over four feet tall; a real beauty.

It’s out-sized, tangerineorange beak gleamed in the morning sun. Its shoulders were broad with distinctive white wing epaulets that contrasted with its chocolate-brown body. The sea eagle’s white bloomers and massive talons were visible as it moved on the pine branch. Seeing a beautiful bird this rare and so close to Rachel Carson’s summer home, I could not help but be reminded of her writings about a child-like sense of wonder in observing

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME nature. Our little birding group was awestruck. It was a special and unforgettable experience.

We watched through a spotting scope for about a half hour before sharing the eagle’s location on our cell phone. Within 15 minutes, troops of birders materialized along the shoreline bristling with binoculars, spotting scopes, and 3-foot telephoto lenses.

Some walked near the eagle’s perch with their cam-

eras and flushed the eagle.

Poor birding ethics!

The eagle flew about a mile east and out of our view. Cell phone posts revealed that birders saw it land in a pine that was barely visible across the bay from the Maine Aquarium. About 50 birders were assembled at the Aquarium among a forest of tripods and spotting scopes. We were disappointed again (Adventure cont. pg 7)

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On The Cover

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Me & Joe Keep Mr. Obay’s Secret Safe - Pg 16 The Golden Retriever Man - Pg 9 Those Old Wool Pants - Pg 31 The Rarest Eagle - Pg 3 King Of The Yukon - Pg 18 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 67

Contents

3. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 6. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 9. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 12. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 13. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 21. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 24. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard 26. Warden’s Words - Game Warden Kale O’Leary 28. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau 31. The Trail Rider - Rod Fraser 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 35. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 38. On Point - Paul Fuller 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier 42. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 46. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 47. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. Question Of The Month - V. Paul Reynolds 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 52. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 54. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 56. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 57. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 61. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 62. Anticosti - Mark Cote 65. The Back Shelf - Bob Leeman

March 2022

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

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

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

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

www.sportingjournal.com

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

Vol 29 Issue 3 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

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

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

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

Other Great Stories & Information

8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 67. Real Estate

On The Prowl - Pg 46

By Justin Merrill Maine Outdoor Adventure - Pg 42

By Rich Yvon

Cover Photo: Golden Retriever man Jim Finn Subscriber Notice:

Please be advised that the late deliveries of the February issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal are the responsibility of the United States Postal Service, which reportedly has experienced slowdowns attributable to Covid, weather conditions, and other supply factors. We regret this situation and remind all subscribers that a full digital edition of the February issue can be seen at www.sportingjournal.com. Click on “issues.”

Green Mountain Report - Pg 52

By Bradley Carleton

Outdoors In Maine - Pg 9

By V. Paul Reynolds

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 5

Page 6

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME One asks, do those old time classic streamer flies continue to fool fish? You bet they do! And that is, in spite of all the variations and alterations often used

Ghost. Some would say her original fly assembly was way over dressed. Others might use fewer “dressing”, but add modifications, such as adding new

March 2022

Do Vintage Streamers Catch Fish?

stronger and thinner tying thread, or adjustable flytying devices. (Carrie often tied her baits with gifted fingers.)

Translucent and colored tinsels, and varied synthetics of different col-

Mrs. Stevens did quite well without all these new supplies, and she even created probably one of the most popular streamer flies ever assembled. It certainly enticed a rash of new participant tyers into the game.

today.

Take, for instance, Carrie Stevens’ initial creation, she named the Grey

materials available today, but not in hand during her lifetime. Some such materials might well consist of

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ors and shades, including fluorescents, are readily available today. Also, a great variety and styles of tying hooks are readily procurable.

Mrs. Stevens did quite well without all these new supplies, and she even created probably one of the most popular streamer flies ever assembled. It certainly enticed a rash of new participant tyers into the game. The original Grey Ghost streamer fly has been modified, copied, cannibalized and added to by many tyers over these many years, such as: green ghost, marabou

Carrie Stevens with some of her streamer fly creations.

(Photo by Bob Leeman)

ghost, black ghost, redgrey ghost, and on and on.

Many other popular originals evolved in the industry including: the red and white streamer that

becomes Bob’s red and white by placing two or three peacock herls over the wing and painting a white “eye” on the black thread head.

The 9-3 Sanborn’s original is more deadly as an attraction by tying a strip of translucent tinsel on both sides after completing the tie. That little addition was first made aware to me

by Bill Bovee, a fine fly tyer and innovator himself.

A little trick not only creates more “flash”, but also attracts more “buyers”.

Let us not forget the original Mickey Finn fly.

Spin-offs have included all sorts of bucktail wing inclusions such as: Liggett special, Leeman’s smelt, Frost’s blue smelt, trout fin, (Vintage cont. pg 7)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Vintage

(Cont. from pg 6) rainbow smelt, pink lady bucktail, and on and on.

Now we get into “additions to” categories.

That’s the summation of jungle cock eyes (real or imitation), multi-colored beads (what?), imitation lead dumbbells, (and other forms), fins (yes, fins and tails), these are quite realistic. Additionally, there now are small fish heads complete with eyes, and multi-colored fish hooks.

Real animal hair is “almost” all perfectly matched by synthetic substitutes, and this stuff has spawned the creation of many new streamers; and used somewhat in timeworn creations of old.

“With so many fly tyers, most are of the “old school”, and prefer to create their own finished products and copies---just as those in the initial beginnings of streamer fly tying used to accomplish. Perhaps you can remember the days-not too many years ago-when game wardens issued warnings to fly fishermen using ANY weight what-so-ever on their imitations being cast over “fly fishing only waters”. I do.

How times have changed.

Bob Leeman is a Master Maine Guide, outdoor writer, naturalist, book author, and a co-host of the MAINE OUTDOORS radio program on Sunday evenings from 7-8 p.m. His three books—“Fly Fishing Maine Rivers, Brooks and Let us know your opinion send letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield, ME 04493

Streams”, “Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon”, and “Salesman Angler”—are all available, in soft cover only, at several bookstores and fly shops, or directly from him. For information, see ad in this publication or call 207-573-1468.

Adventure (Cont. from pg 3)

to watch aggressive photographers invade the eagle’s sanctuary and flush it again. This time it caught a thermal with a bald eagle and two ravens and soared far out of view to the east - not to be seen for the remainder of the day. Who

could blame it for seeking some peace and quiet?

It was a field guide moment to watch the Steller’s sea eagle in flight next to a the bald eagle.

Its exaggerated, massive beak, brilliant white wedge-shaped tail, white wing patches, and wings as big as a barn door made the eagle look cartoonish in flight.

The now-famous Steller’s sea eagle is swelling the ranks of birders in Maine. Its movements on the coast are tracked closely by the Maine media. Thousands of people follow several web sites and share their lucky ob-

servations in real time.

Hundreds from all over the United States have booked flights to Maine to find the eagle. Can you love a bird into oblivion?

The gadabout Steller’s sea eagle is either very, very lost or out for a great adventure. Vagrant birds that wander far outside of their native range provide brief thrills for those wishing to add it to their bird life list. Away from their native habitat, food, and mates, their chances of survival are slim.

The Steller’s sea eagle may be different and find the coastline of northeastern North America to it’s

Page 7 liking. The spruce-studded, rock-bound, icy coastline is similar to its Kamchatka home. One Steller’s sea eagle reportedly spent a decade near Juneau, Alaska.

This Steller’s may have nested with a bald eagle.

A hybrid-looking juvenile eagle was spotted in British Columbia. In Maine, there are plenty of bald eagle consorts to fall in love with.

Your match-making guess is as good as mine.

Mark McCollough is a retired wildlife biologist who lives in Hampden, Maine. He can be reached at markmccollough25@ gmail.com

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

The Maine Moose Experiment

Over the years, Maine’s fall moose harvest numbers have varied from fall to fall.

As one of the state’s most popular big game hunts, it has a lot of public visibility. Maine citizens – those who hunt, as well as those who simply enjoy moose watching along the state’s wetlands and forest clear cuts – pay close attention to the success rate of moose hunters.

Sometimes, they draw conclusions, not always supported by the facts or the biology.

When the harvest is down, armchair biologists tend to express concern that the state may be over harvesting during the hunt. According to Bangor Daily News outdoor writer, Pete Warner, last fall’s moose harvest resulted in the lowest hunter success rate in the hunt’s 41-year history!

Is this reason for concern about our moose population?

Last fall the hunter success rate was 68 percent; the fall before, 2020, it was 76 percent.

The 68 percent hunter success rate equates to a harvest last fall of 2,353 moose. The Department issued 3,520 moose permits last fall.

Guides for Non-Residents To the Editor: I am writing you for some info if possible. I live in Quebec and have hunted Maine for many years. Obviously, the past couple of years have been a no show with the border situation, but I’m hoping,

Weather is always a critical determinant of the moose harvest. During the September bull hunt last fall the hunter success rate was a robust 77 percent! Conversely, unusually warm weather during the October cow hunt brought the overall antlerless moose harvest down in a significant way.

Of more lasting significance, perhaps, are the statistics generated by the experimental hunt in northwest Maine called the adaptive hunt in Unit 4A. In an attempt to determine if lethal tick loads on adult moose and calves can be reduced by culling moose numbers in a given area, hunters in this 4A Unit were strongly encouraged to take moose calves, which have been hit hard by winter ticks.

According to Maine moose research leader, Lee Kantar, hunters enjoyed a 50 percent success ratio in this Adaptive Unit. In this experimental hunt, there were three times as many calves harvested as compared with other areas in the “traditional” antlerless seasons throughout the state.

For the casual observer, targeting moose

sometime, things will get back to some sort of normality. In 2021, I saw a law was passed in Maine saying that if you were a non resident from Quebec or New Brunswick you now needed a guide to hunt deer in Maine. I guess someone from Maine was told you needed a guide to hunt deer in Quebec. I cannot speak

for New Brunswick, but for a non-resident to hunt deer in Quebec you do not need a guide to hunt deer.

The hard part in Quebec is to find a place to hunt, as there is a lot of private land, and even the public land is leased to clubs and outfitters, making it almost impossible to find a place to hunt. This why the few non-residents that do hunt deer in Quebec must hire an outfitter, just to have access to somewhere to go. I am not talking about Anticosti as that is a provincial/private island, run buy the government outfitters. Maine had passed this law a few years ago, then after a couple of years had scrapped it. Obviously, with this law in place, I will not be able to hunt Maine anymore, as the law obliges the hunter and guide to be

calves may seem counter intuitive, sort of like “eating the seed corn.” Biologists call this strategy “compensatory mortality.” Winter ticks, which kill calves at a higher rate than adult moose, thrive on moose densities. The idea is to reduce tick densities by reducing moose densities, thus saving moose over the long haul.

Kantar is building a data base that will help direct this experiment and produce scientific conclusions. Already, in Adaptive Unit 4A, Kantar and his team have collared 70 moose calves this winter with GPS locators. So far in the 4A Adaptive Unit, 735 young moose have been collared and studied in this manner.

In all of this moose management strategy, the winter tick seems to be the wild card.

With moose, more is not always better. We may have to live with fewer moose, and even lower hunter success rates, in order to have a healthy, thriving moose herd in Maine.

- VPR

together all day. Hopefully, I’ll be able to hunt deer in Maine again, thanks for your time.

Just a quick note, I did call Maine Fsih and Game.

They were very polite but told me it was passed in the legislature and was not a Fish and Game decision.

has been talking about becoming a Game Warden for over a year. This is great stimulation. He has registered for the Bryant Pond Conservation Camp with hopes of getting accepted.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - Thank-you. You made several people’s day and Sylvain Laflamme future. (Future hunts, fishQuebec ing and memories) The outdoors is truly a great place.

Engaging our young people Loves the Sporting and illustrating respect for Journal it is a gift.

Not because of this To the Editor: picture but this magazine Today I received my is certainly one of my best February 2022 edition of purchases. Love it! the Northwoods SportContinue the great ing Journal. Much to my work! amazement and pride, I saw my grandson’s picture Gerry Durgin (pg. 48 Jackson LaVertu) .

Gorham This is rewarding but also great motivation. Jackson (Letters cont. pg 27)

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Golden Retriever Man

Fly fishermen are no dummies. At a fly shop, a bright, buggy-looking fly may wind up in the angler’s shopping cart, but it had better perform out there on the water. Sometimes it does; sometimes it doesn’t.

Yes sir, the proof is in the pudding.

is purportedly the “silver bullet” in a fly fisherman’s repertoire. It is versatile.

Fish it for bass, salmon, trout, you name it. Fish it in any weather conditions.

Fly fishing writer Mike O’Brien sings its praises.

“You can’t fish it wrong!

The fly has no deficien-

since his mid twenties. As a boy growing up in rural New Jersey, he fished every chance he got near his home and in the Catskills.

When he wasn’t fishing or tying, Finn worked as a tool and die maker and wound up in industrial sales. Somewhere along the way he got a bellyful

Page 9

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME from his friends and a lot of trial and error. There is no patent on the fly. In fact, the fly and its recipe is available on Finn’s website: GoldenRetrieverFly.com

Each fly I tie is assembled as though I were going to fish it myself.”

Finn operates a solo tying business out of his home in Reading, PA.

His jewel, the Golden Retriever, came off the tying vise in final form about 25 years ago. The birthing was an evolving process that included some help from his friends and a lot of trial and error.

The Golden Retrievers, the original and the Magnum.

The Golden retriever man, Jim Finn, with an Icelandic Atlantic salmon.

These days Maine fly fishermen flock to one particular artificial fly: the Golden Retriever. In the East, and especially in Maine, it has become almost as fabled as the vaunted Grey Ghost streamer fly designed by the late Carrie Stevens of Upper Dam. To muddle a metaphor, the Golden Retriever

cies: it can be fished on the swing; by stripping; or a natural, dead-drift. All are productive ploys. I also have found success using it as a trailer fly in a twofly streamer rig.”

So who created this wonder fly, anyway?

Jim Finn. The man is 82- years-old and has been at the fly-tying bench

of the workaday rat race and pulled the plug. He was in his mid 50s. What followed was his own fly shop and business, Mossy Creek Fly Shop, and all the fishing and tying he could squeeze in.

His jewel, the Golden Retriever, came off the tying vise in final form about 25 years ago. The birthing was an evolving process that included some help

“Is there a difference, Jim,” I asked, “between your Golden Retriever and others on the market?”

“Well, yes, there is,” he said. “My version is bullet proof. It won’t come apart after a couple of salmon hookups.” He goes on with some pride in his voice,”When I tie in the Estaz nylon fibers, they are stretched hard and secured with a very heavy thread.

He ties every day for two or three hours. You can purchase the Golden Retrievers directly from him at GoldenRetrieverFly. com. You can buy three for $9.00.

Finn today is unabashedly “addicted” to Atlantic salmon angling. He has chased the silver warriors all over the world, from Ireland to Iceland and the (Retriever cont. pg 30)

Page 10

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Kennedy Meadows at mile 702 of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) marks the end of the southern California desert and the start of the Sierra Nevada.

Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S. at 14,505 feet, is 65 miles distant, and 13,124-foot Forester Pass, the trail’s

Atop 9,406-foot Mt. Baden-Powell, named for the founder of world Boy Scouting, I reveled in the extraordinary panorama of the San Gabriels. I’d camped at the snow line the evening before, then donned micro-spikes at first light for the long and icy climb to the summit.

Hiking The Pacific Crest Trail

with a tight-knit trail family; we look out for each other and try to camp together at night. Most days I walk alone, but on one particularly special segment, a small group of us hiked off into the sunset, following the Los Angeles Aqueduct across the Mojave Desert. We yipped with the coyotes, howled at the waxing moon and

Atop 9,406-foot Mt. Baden-Powell, named for the founder of world Boy Scouting, I reveled in the extraordinary panorama of the San Gabriels. I’d camped at the snow line the evening before, then donned micro-spikes at first light for the long and icy climb to the summit. high point, is a dozen miles beyond that. At this point, more than a quarter of the journey is complete. A million footsteps have led me across diverse landscapes to spectacular vistas and comfortable waysides amid the pleasurable company of great people on and off the trail. Such is the true magic of a long walk.

On the 86-mile stretch from Tehachapi Pass to Walker Pass, west winds gusting 60-70 mph often made forward progress difficult. Cold rain eventually morphed into six inches of snow, soaking my gear and sagging the tent. But on the one sunny day I managed 22 miles, my best to date.

I’ve shared the hike

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March 2022

sang Hakuna Matata for 17 miles before–exhausted– we cowboy camped well after midnight.

From cold beers and belly laughs around a campground hot tub and camping in a mystical manzanita forest to lodging at what amounted to a western movie set and ordering $150 worth of pizza from a picnic area 40 miles from the nearest town because we could, I’ve had the time of my life. Sadly though, I lost my hiking partner, Iron Lady, to a bum knee.

An MRI confirmed a stress fracture, effectively ending my pal’s journey and forcing me to carry on solo.

At 6,000 feet in the Sequoia National Forest,

Columnist Carey Kish near the snowy summit of 9,406-foot Mt. Baden-Powell at about Mile 350 on the Pacific Crest Trail in CA. (Carey Kish photo)

Kennedy Meadows is a hub of activity, with a general store, two outfitters, restaurant and campground, WiFi, and a hoard of crusty hikers milling about, some gearing up to enter the snowy Sierra while others consider alternate plans.

Last winter was a real whopper in the Sierra–one of the five snowiest in the last 40 years–depositing enough for an average snowpack 165% of normal.

This spring has been a lot cooler than usual, which has inhibited melting and brought even more snowstorms. The result is that 600 continuous miles of high elevation snow cover lie ahead, which poses significant difficulties for hundreds of concerned hikers like me.

I’ve decided that rather than just get through

the Sierra now, I’d much prefer to enjoy the mountains later, so I’m jumping up to Ashland in southern Oregon, just over the California line, at mile 1,700.

From there, I’ll hike 1,000 miles south back to Kennedy Meadows to connect the dots. There are long stretches of snow-free trail in northern California right now, and what snow I will encounter is lower elevations will disappear sooner. Through June and into July, the heavy Sierra snows should also reduce to a more reasonable depth, which will make negotiating the high elevation passes less of a struggle.

And come early August, if all goes well, I’ll return to Oregon and merrily resume the northbound hike through Oregon and Washington, the Canadian border ever in my mind’s eye.

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

His new book, Beer Hiking New England, will be available in Spring 2022.

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Posted: The Pandemic Effect

I first noticed it sometime in early spring of 2020. As I turned off Route 6 onto the Bottle Lake Rd in Springfield, my Grand Laker canoe on the hitch and headed to Lower Sysladobsis Lake, I saw a few fresh real estate signs in newly cleared timber lots.

Further along, even more.

This certainly wasn’t out of the ordinary on its own; one of the prominent logging companies in this area regularly sold off parcels after logging operations when they did not plan to continue harvesting it any longer. Most of the time, these lots, full of slag from timber operations, lay dormant and were used mostly by hunters as parking areas to get into prime territory in Dill Valley or along the many ridgelines that surround the numerous lakes in the area. I used a few myself.

What was out of the ordinary however was the amount of flagging tape and survey paint adorning the tree line. What really caused my eyebrows to wag was when I noticed lots long empty, with just the right amount of scrub brush and immature timber to make it a hunting gold mine, now suddenly littered with the most ominous of signs. You know the one. With its sinister black background and blazing orange text, it practically shouts at you; ‘Posted

– No Trespassing’. Who is buying up all of these out of the way, semi-accessible lots I wondered. In the coming weeks I would have my answer.

As the weather warmed and the frost came out of the roads, so came the seasonal camp owners on the lakes. I recognized quite a few of these out-ofstate vehicles as we passed each other on the back

on newly purchased lots almost weekly it seemed; drug as far into slash covered clear cuts as possible or stuffed into hastily cut niches in overgrown parcels. And as soon as the jacks came down it seemed, the ‘Posted’ signs went up. The trend continued all over my local area throughout the year and next, with long abandoned homesteads, languishing

Page 11

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME grudge folks seeking safety for their families, but I wondered if they understand our way of life up here. I wondered if they value the natural resources and traditions we share. I hoped they wished to be neighbors, not isolators.

Within months, with the corona virus spreading like wildfire and the fear of it spreading faster, the multitudes flowed north, fleeing the urban sprawl and seeking the safety of the ultimate social distancing location – rural Maine. roads around the lakes.

I see them every year; mostly shiny SUV’s and late model half-ton pickups bearing tags from Massachusetts and Connecticut, hauling ATV’s and fishing boats to their camp.

But I noticed something else as well; an armada of vehicles with license plates from places like New York, New Jersey and Maryland. The difference was that this fleet were driving RV’s or towing pop-up campers. Care to guess where they were going? Within months, with the corona virus spreading like wildfire and the fear of it spreading faster, the multitudes flowed north, fleeing the urban sprawl and seeking the safety of the ultimate social distancing location – rural Maine, where land was cheap and plenty. Campers appeared

on the real estate market for years, suddenly selling for a premium. The signs followed there as well. For a time, I wondered if there any ‘Posted’ signs left to buy in town. Huge tracts of previously accessible land were now off-limits.

I certainly do not be-

Most importantly, I hoped to see more ‘Access by Permission’ rather than the dreaded ‘Posted’ placards.

I remember thinking that the MDIFW’s Landowner Relations Program is going to have its hands full in the coming years.

But inevitably, after

two Maine winters passed and the pandemic more understood, the campers and RV’s that filled previously prime hunting lands started slowly migrating back south, the only evidence left behind -tattered blue tarps and disused grills scattered among empty lots. And ‘Posted’ signs lots of them.

John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine.

He also works as an outdoors writer and can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @writerjohnfloyd

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Page 12

Sporting Journal Northwoods

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME In the March 2021 issue of the Sporting Journal (Digesting Deer Season, p. 59), I wrote, “Just like a gourmet meal, a deer season requires time afterwards to properly digest; four months appears to be ample time.” I now return

lottery system. The greatest benefit of this permit is obviously the increased opportunity (in theory) to harvest a deer. I am not a trophy hunter, though I have respect and admiration for those who hold out day after day, season after

I waited. Still deafening silence.

After a short while, the suspense overcame me. I rotated my head, ever so slowly, and suddenly the woods behind me exploded.

to you a year later, amidst a battle against cabin fever, with an account of this past deer season - and a restocked freezer. Sausage and burger meat on the right, steaks and loins on the left.

Like many Maine deer hunters, I checked the list last September and found that I had received an any-deer permit (“doe tag”) through the State’s

season for “the one.” Since I was limited to hunting Saturdays and Thanksgiving, I decided that the first deer (excluding fawns) that presented a safe, clean, ethical, shot would be “the one.”

My clothes were laid out in anticipation of opening day, and after a sleepless night, I quickly dressed and slugged down a few cups of coffee. An hour

March 2022

Digesting Deer Season Volume II

before legal light, I was working my way through the woods towards a hillside I discovered a few seasons back. Abandoning the acorns, I planned to sit against a blowdown overlooking a travel corridor. Eventually, I came to where the hillside should have been, but instead found myself deep in a stand of pines. Disoriented, I headed back in the direction I had come from and tried again. This time, the hillside appeared before me; funny how that works.

After the unexpected detour, I finally sat down against my tree at 6:20.

Legal shooting light was 6:41. I had just gotten comfortable when I heard loud, clumsy, crashing coming from down the hill - a far cry from the dainty, orchestrated four-step of a deer. I immediately noted the resemblance to what forest only minutes prior. start of the season is anI must have sounded like The last thing a deer hunter other hunter encroaching. stumbling through the dark wants to see just before the I cupped my palm over the flashlight lens and turned it on, ready to signal the hunter when they came into view. Imagine my surprise when a big doe came lazily meandering by me at 25 yards. I flicked off the light and watched her amble into the thick cover. I checked the time - 6:30.

The doe was hardly out of earshot when I heard that familiar step-step, stepstep - but this time from behind my right shoulder. I checked the time - 6:34. My next thought was that I was about to be trampled by a deer. Though I couldn’t see it, I knew the deer was now directly behind me, only feet away. I could hear it testing the air. Then (Deer Season cont. pg 13)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Simple Emerger

This month’s fly is a simple emerger for those evenings when fish are rising and you’re not sure what they’re taking. It is a simplified version of the well-known Comparadun that’s faster to tie. I use it because I can tie up a quick bunch in several colors and it has become a go-to fly for me when I see fish rising but ignoring my fly. The body is dubbed with your color choice; I tend to favor olive and gray Antron for its sparkle but you can also use dyed rabbit, squirrel, beaver or hare’s ear. Try orange floss over white thread, it’s worked well for me. The wing is CDC (cul de canard) or Whiting Chickabou. CDC is a great material and I’ve started to

silence…silence…silence.

I waited. Still deafening silence. After a short while, the suspense overcame me.

I rotated my head, ever so slowly, and suddenly the woods behind me exploded. The buck blew menacingly at me and bounded off for the next county. I checked the time - 6:38.

Now less than twenty minutes into my sit, I had seen two deer, and no doubt scared away every other breathing creature from the vicinity…and the hunting season didn’t officially open for another three minutes. The next half hour was relatively quiet - as quiet as the woods can be during opening day in Southern Maine; I heard shots ringing out in all directions. I watched the woods awaken

The Tyer’s Corner

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

use it a lot.

Recipe for the Simple Emerger Hook – Size 12-16 standard hook Body – Dubbed fur or floss Thorax – (optional) Peacock herl Wing – CDC or Chickabou Keep the body sparse, floss over white thread is good or a simple dubbed

Deer Season and transform around me.

(Cont. from pg 12)

Page 13

By the time I first sat down, the black had already faded to a deep blue haze. Then came the gray. The gold light never emerged, as cloud cover and heavy rain was in the forecast.

For the third time that morning, I soon heard a large creature coming through the trees. Adjacent to my right shoulder, a young buck came swaggering down the hillside. The buck crossed in front of me at 20 yards and I squeezed the trigger. I checked the time - 7:09.

Jonah Paris teaches English at a small high school in Southwestern Maine. A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his girlfriend, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com

body. You can taper the body if you want or use peacock herl for a thorax (that has been deadly for me). The tail is optional and so is a hackle. The wing is simply a tuft of very fine feather fibers.

Gather the fibers into a small bunch and tie them in with two thread wraps and pull the bunch through until the wing is as long as the body or slightly more.

Tie off and trim. If you used peacock herl, tie it

Subscribe Today!

(See page 49)

in behind the wing, wind several wraps behind and in front to the wing and you’re done.

This is an incredibly simple fly to tie and quite effective. I keep them next to the soft hackles in my box and I’ve caught fish with them on ponds as well as moving water. The wing is so supple that it reacts to any movement of water and this action is what makes the fly so effective. Re-

member to keep the body thin and sparse.

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

Page 14

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Outdoor News - March 2022 March...ughhh. A long month, too, with four Mondays.

Oh well, the closer we get to the first day of spring the farther we get from 2021, right? And that’s a good thing. Wish we could tell you that spring was just around the corner, but you darn well know better. If it’s any solace the Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a warm but wet April and May. We’ll be smelting, picking fiddleheads, and scouting for turkey activity before you know it.. So.... hang in there. Go to church.

Tie some more flies. Check the fishing gear, again. Visit your nearest sporting goods outlet, especially the ones that advertise in this publication! Look for moose sheds. Visit a relative in Florida, or squeeze in that last ice fishing trip, where you can find safe ice.

Stranded Hikers Rescued By Wardens

The Maine Warden Service rescued two illequipped hikers on the Appalachian Trail last month who were unprepared for hiking in Maine in the winter.

Jacob Haisley, age 36 of Red Hook, New York, and Wayne Gage, age 70 of Schenectady, New York were planning on hiking a 15-mile portion of the Appalachian trail that included Mount Abraham, Spaulding Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain.

“Poor planning, coupled with poor decisions, stranded these hikers in very dangerous conditions,” said Game Warden Kyle Hladik. “They were very fortunate we were able

to get to them quickly.”

They began their hike at about 8:00 a.m., and were quickly slowed by the deep snow, and only made it halfway through their hike once darkness came.

They found shelter at the Spaulding Mountain leanto, but did not have food, water or the proper equipment to spend the night.

Temperatures dropped into the single digits, and as they got colder, they decided they could not hike out and called 911 at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Game Wardens were able to speak to Haisley on the phone, and advised him to stay at the lean-to and start a fire. Three game wardens ascended much of Spaulding Mountain by snowmobile, then snowshoed over ¾ of a mile to near the summit of Spaulding Mountain where the hikers were stranded. After a quick examination, it was determined they could hike out, and the game wardens and stranded hikers snowshoed back to the snowmobiles, and descended the mountain by snowmobile, arriving at the base at approximately 1:00 a.m. this morning. Neither hiker required medical attention.

Moose Lottery Open

The 2022 Maine moose permit lottery application process is now open. Applications for the moose permit lottery will be accepted online only To apply online, go to mefishwildlife.com and fill out the online moose permit application. There, you will be able to indicate several preferences, including which wildlife management districts (WMD) you are willing to accept a permit in, and if you would accept a permit in another WMD if your name is drawn and all of your top choices are filled. You will also be able to select your preferred hunting season,

whether or not you would accept an antlerless permit, and your choice of a subpermittee. You will also be asked if you want to apply for the Adaptive Unit Hunt (WMD 4A).

Applications must be completed by 11:59 pm (ET) on May 12, 2022.

The 2021 moose lottery permit drawing will take place June 11, 2022.

For more information about moose hunting in Maine and the moose permit lottery, please visit: mefishwildlife.com

Cabin Fever Reliever

The Cabin Fever Reliever Show is coming together nicely. The show will be held at the world famous Brewer Auditorium/Joseph Ferris Community Center on Saturday February 26 and Sunday February 27.

Admission to the public is free! Lunch can be purchased both days. Speaker sessions are being planned and will be posted on our Facebook page when finalized. Head Chef Sam Yoder is looking for volunteers in the kitchen and Show Chair Tim White is looking for volunteers to help with setup, clean up and general help during the show. This is always a fun show with something for everyone! To volunteer, email Tim at cfr.penobscotflyfishers@gmail.com

Youth Conservation Camp

Photo by Bud Utecht

If you are 12 to 14 years old and want to learn about Vermont’s wildlife and

gain outdoor skills, consider attending one of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Green Mountain Conservation Camps this summer.

Specific details about what protocols relating to COVID-19 will be in place will be communicated via the department’s website as they become clear.

The one-week camp programs are held at Lake Bomoseen in Castleton and Buck Lake in Woodbury.

Campers participate in hands-on learning about fish and wildlife conservation, ecology, forestry, orienteering, safe firearm and archery techniques, swimming, canoeing, fishing and more. Natural resource professionals come to the camp to share information on their programs and take campers out for field activities.

“Whether kids come alone or with friends, they are guaranteed to meet new people and form new bonds while experiencing Vermont’s natural resources to the fullest,” said Fish and Wildlife Education Coordinator Alison Thomas. “An important take-away message and common theme during the week is that conserving and managing habitat will help ensure Vermont will have fish and wildlife in the future.”

“We would love to have all of the advanced sessions filled for girls who have already attended a basic session,” added Thomas. “Advanced sessions are for campers who have completed a basic session the summer before and who are 16 years old or younger.

Advanced sessions include (News cont. pg 15)

March 2022

News

Northwoods Sporting Journal

number of sessions held, reducing the number of (Cont. from pg 14) students in each session, or more in-depth activities canceling the program for about backpacking, camp- 2022. For more informaing, natural resources, and tion, contact FWGMCC@ unique hunting and fishing vermont.gov or call 802522-2925. techniques.”

Conservation Camps open June 19 and continue Naples Man Dies In until August 19. Tuition Snowmobile Crash is $250 for the week, inA Naples man died cluding food, lodging and in late January when the equipment. snowmobile he was driving Applications and in- veered off the trail and into formation are available the trees. at www.vtfishandwildlife.

Daniel J. Hammond, com. age 46, of Naples was ridCOVID-19 remains ing with a group of three an unknown factor in plan- friends on a snowmoning for the 2022 Con- bile trail in Harrison at servation Camp program. 10:30 a.m. when the group Keeping staff and campers stopped to cross the Cape safe and healthy could Road. After two of his mean last minute changes. friends crossed the road, While registration is open, Hammond crossed the road with all camp weeks avail- with his other friend behind able to the full number of him. Upon crossing the campers, the specific de- road, Hammond travelled tails of how camp may run on the trail a short distance are subject to change based before driving off the trail on guidance from the Ver- and crashing into the trees. mont Health Department Hammond was iniand the Governor’s orders. tially conscious after the This could include and is crash, but succumbed to his not limited to, reducing the injuries at the scene twenty

minutes later. Hammond was wearing a helmet while driving his 2022 Ski-Doo 850 Back Country.

The Maine Warden Service continues to investigate the crash. Hammond was transported to Halls funeral Home in Casco where he was examined by the state medical examiner. The Harrison Fire Department, United Ambulance, and the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office all assisted the Maine Warden Service at the crash scene.

New Hampshire Moose Lottery Open

New Hampshire’s 2022 moose hunt lottery is now open. Enter today for your chance at the adventure of a lifetime—hunting moose in the rugged woods of the Granite State. The lottery entrance fee is $15 for Granite State residents and $25 for nonresidents.

Visit www.huntnh. com/hunting/moose.html where you can enter the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery online or print (News cont. pg 45)

Page 15

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

The Adventures of Me and Joe

The UFO

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

“I don’t expect you to believe me,” Obediah Wann stared off into the distance as me and Joe sat beside him on the bandstand steps in beautiful downtown Mooseleuk. It was late summer. The worst of the blackfly and mosquito problem was past.

President Johnson had just sent another 50,000 men to a tiny country in Southesast Asia called South Viet Nam. It seemed to me that we were all the time sending troops to areas called “south”. There had been South Korea just a decade past. And we’d sent troops just recently to areas of the American south where racial tensions had reached the boiling point. For me and Joe, what Obediah Wann had spotted on the South Branch of the Little Salt Pork River seemed just as unbelievable as the war that was going on half a world away.

“Everybody thinks I’m making it up, but I’m

telling you, I know what I saw!” Obie said firmly. Obie was a fellow inmate of the junior class at Mooseleuk High School and he had always seemed pretty straight to me and Joe. But the tale he’d been telling around town lately left all of us wondering if perhaps the sun hadn’t been a little too strong on the South Branch during the last few days.

Joe eyed Obie speculatively. Growing up in the reality of Maine’s north woods left little room in the imagination of most local teenagers for flying saucers and other unexplained phenomenon.

“Okay, Obie,” Joe said. “We’ve heard some of the rumors about how yer off yer rocker. Why don’t you tell us zactly what you really saw?”

Obie swallowed nervously and stared from one of us to the other. “Okay.

I’ve told it a dozen times but maybe you guys’ll believe me. Nobody else

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

Address

(Marty was found on pg 69)

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

does.

“Me and Filch Crawshank were fishin’ the South Branch. Picked up some nice white perch along the deadwater below the falls. We’d planned on spendin’ the night, but… uh…you know Filch.”

We both nodded. Filch Crawshank’s abject fear of the dark was well known in the junior class and had led to some interesting practical jokes.

“I thought, since we’d brought a tent, he’d be all

right, but as soon as the sun reached the treeline he just looked at me and said, ‘gotta go!’ and he headed off on the old cross-country trail to town before I could say yes, no or maybe!”

“You didn’t go with him?” I asked.

“No. The dark don’t bother me none and, since I had the tent, the canoe an’ all that equipment, I thought I’d get in some evenin’ perch fishing.”

“Everythin’ sounds good so far, Obie,” Joe said.

“Then what happened?”

“Well, I went perch fishin’. An’ boy they was bitin’ good. I took a bucket in to the campsite an’ cleaned ‘em all. After I got the tent set up an’ a campfire goin’, I started fryin’ perch.” He smiled at the memory. Then the smile faded and his eyes took on a haunted look.

“It was dark by then.

I was busy with the fish when I noticed a glow in the sky. All around, the (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

Shown actual size

Christine Caprio

State

“That’s when I seen it.” “Seen what?” Joe asked. “The flyin’ saucer, or UFO, or whatever it was!” “You actually saw a flying saucer?” “I must have looked skeptical. “Well, no, not actually, but all of a sudden they was a big bright light an’ a loud roarin’ sound.”

Marty

Name City

March 2022

Entries must be postmarked by 3/14/22 to be eligible for this issue.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 16)

night didn’t seem quite as dark as it was. Everythin’ took on kind of a ghostly look…” He paused, seeing the look on our faces.

“I know, it sounds weird, but that’s how it looked. The light seemed to be comin’ from upstream. I looked up that way and… and…” he swallowed noisily and stared vacantly.

“That’s when I seen it.”

“Seen what?” Joe asked.

“The flyin’ saucer, or UFO, or whatever it was!”

“You actually saw a flying saucer?” I must have looked skeptical.

“Well, no, not actually, but all of a sudden they was a big bright light an’ a loud roarin’ sound.”

“Back in the woods, that could have been…”

“No! Not in the woods. Hangin’ right up in the air! Out over the river!”

“Hangin’ in the air?”

Joe’s eyes were wide.

“Yeah! Whatever it was, it was high as the trees, or higher!”

“Then what happened?” In spite of myself, I was fascinated by Obie’s tale.

“I dunno.” We must have looked confused. Obie blushed and looked down.

“I took off runnin’ down the trail toward town. Never stopped ‘til I seen the lights of the Emporium.”

I just stared at him.

Joe, I noticed, was gazing thoughtfully into the distance.

Obie scuffed his foot.

“Can’t get anyone to believe me so I guess I’d better just shut up about it.” Joe seemed to come to a decision. “I believe yer, Obie.” “ Yo u d o ? ” O b i e brightened visibly.

“Yep. An’ they’s only one thing to do.”

“What’s that?” Obie asked cautiously.

“You got to go back in there an’ face yer fears.”

Obie paled and took a step back. “Oh, I don’t think I kin do that…”

“Don’t be afeered.

We’ll go along with yer.”

My jaw dropped. “We will?” “’Course we will.

We’ll take yore canoe, Obie. Camp right where you did and git this thing sorted out. You git yore gear and meet us at the landin’ on the South Branch in an hour.”

As Obie hurried off I turned to confront Joe. He held up both hands in a stalling motion. “I know, I know. Thet story about flyin’ saucers is hogwash, but he believes it. I got a

hunch what it is we’re dealin’ with. We got to go get permission from our folks to spend the night up on the river and we got to get some equipment together.

Come on.”

An hour later we were at the riverbank, loading the canoe.

“What you got in the burlap bags?” Obie asked curiously.

“You’ll see,” Joe replied. “Let’s get up to the falls an’ set up camp.”

The South Branch of the Little Salt Pork is a small river, never more than 50 yards across. It is shallow and slow in its lower reaches but the current picks up just below the falls.

The falls is actually a graduated drop in the river.

The current drops perhaps 20 feet in a hundred yards, though a boulder field that prevents passage by canoe.

The campsite was just below the fast water on the north bank at the end of the portage trail that leads around the falls.

As we pulled in to shore I could see that things were pretty much as Obie had left them in his haste to get away. The tent still stood in the little clearing.

Raccoons had long since made off with the white perch but the frying pan

Page 17

still sat on the fire ring grill.

We unloaded the canoe and me and Joe threw our sleeping bags in the tent with Obie’s. Joe looked all around with a careful eye.

“Okay, Obie, where’bouts did you see this UFO?” Obie’s nervousness had grown as we approached the campsite. Now he pointed a shaky finger to the west and said in a quavery voice, “upstream, right over the river.”

“Jist what I thought,” Joe nodded in satisfaction.

“That weren’t no UFO, Obie, it was a boat.”

“But it was floatin’ in the air!” he protested.

“Obie, it was dark.

You couldn’t see the river.

The boat was above the falls. That’s twenty or thirty feet higher than camp.

Lookin’ upstream it would look like the light was above the trees.”

A dawning realization, coupled with relief brought a smile to Obie’s drawn features. Oh I can see what you mean, now.

Sure! In the dark it would look like the light was up in the air! But what was a motorboat doing up there in the dark? Ain’t no camps or nothin’ upstream.”

“I figure it’s poachers,” Joe said grimly.

“Them’s the only ones I can see motorin’ up on the river in the dark. They’s a

lot of deer in them small meadows along the banks upstream.”

“Gee!” Obie said nervously. “Maybe we’d oughta call the game wardens.”

“Figured we’d teach ‘um a lesson,” Joe replied.

He emptied the contents of the burlap sacks. Several coils of rope tumbled onto the ground. “If we carry the canoe around the falls, we kin stretch a rope clear across the stream. We’ll make her about chest high to someone in a boat. They won’t see it in the dark. By the time them an’ their boat tumbled down through the falls, they’ll likely be cured of the urge to poach.”

Both Obie and I broke into grins. The sun was going down so we quickly packed up the rope and hoisted the canoe onto our shoulders. Above the falls we launched the canoe and crossed the river where we secured one end of the rope to a giant yellow birch.

Then we paddled back across paying out the rope as we went.

Joe spent some time getting the height of the rope just right, but finally the job was done. Even in the remaining light of evening the rope was nearly invisible stretched about four feet above the water’s (Me & Joe cont. pg 19)

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Page 18 Northwoods Sporting Journal

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

Alaska rivers teem with salmon throughout the summer. Or at least they used to. An alarming decline in salmon runs in recent years has brought massive changes to the way subsistence, sport and commercial interests operate.

oily meat and excellent taste, the king salmon has been traditionally harvested in nets and fish wheels, and smoked, dried or frozen to preserve for eating throughout the year.

But recently, returns of chinook salmon from

Kings of the Yukon

managed to pit interests against each other, fueling disputes among villages and user groups, and even stressed international relations: the Yukon and its fish know no borders, but are present in both Canada and the U.S. Adam Weymouth became aware of the Yukon and the complexity of its salmon problem while cov-

In his book, “Kings of the Yukon: A River Journey in Search of the Chinook”, Adam Weymouth tells the story of king salmon and the people affected by their decline.

The king salmon, a local name for the species commonly referred to as chinook, has been the most important fish species in the lives of people up and down the Yukon River for centuries. Most suited of all the salmon species for human consumption due to its high nutritional value,

the ocean have been so dismal that fishing for them has been severely curtailed some years, completely shut down in others. The inability to fish for salmon has changed lives, challenged food security for local villages, and threatens to cut cultural ties to the land and river. It’s also

ering stories in Alaska as a journalist from England.

At the time, a group of Yup’ik fishermen from the Yukon’s sister river, the Kuskokwim, were on trial for challenging a Fish and Game closure on the Yukon, continuing to fish during a closed season.

The story and associated

court case symbolized similar disputes over salmon whose importance grew as the runs further dwindled.

It struck him as a broader story, one that needed to be told.

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In the summer of 2016, Adam We y m o u t h began a journey that would last a season, a 2,000 mile paddle from the headwaters of the Yu k o n t o the ocean.

At each stop along the way he visited with local people who depend on the river and its salmon fishery for survival. He toured a Canadian salmon hatchery, stopped at local villages and heard from tribal elders, visited fish camps, interviewed homesteaders and tagged along on commercial fishing vessels.

Weymouth sat down with folks like Andy Bassich from TV’s “Life Below Zero”, Stan Zuray from “Yukon Men”, Richard Carroll from the native village of Fort Yukon, Holy Cross elder Mary Demientieff, and so many more.

He explored the challenges faced by residents in one of the least populated places on earth, including the cost of living, access to food, alcoholism, isolation and depression. He also found positive things: the reward of living off the land, privacy, peacefulness, cooperation and community.

In his book, “Kings of the Yukon: A River Journey in Search of the Chinook”, Adam Weymouth tells the story of king salmon and (Kings cont. pg 19)

March 2022

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 17) surface. We settled down at the edge of the river to wait.

“You know,” Obie said after a while. “That must have been a big boat.

She sure was loud. I could hear it a’ roarin’ even about the noise of the falls.”

“Don’t matter,” Joe said confidently. “A tumble through the falls will cut ‘um down to size.”

Ever so slowly darkness crept out of the woods and claimed the land. The open area of the river was the last to give up its light but finally it was nearly pitch dark. A few stars offered some light but the lack of a moon made it difficult to see much of anything.

An hour slipped by, then another. “Maybe they ain’t poachin’ tonight,” Obie said anxiously. “Maybe they…”

“Shsss!” Joe hissed.

From far up stream came the rumble of an engine.

The sound quickly swelled

Northwoods Sporting Journal in volume. Whatever kind of boat the poachers had, the motor must have been really powerful because the craft approached with frightening speed. Around the upstream bend we could suddenly see the bright shaft of a searchlight. Then the boat came around the bend and the light shone downstream right into our eyes. At the same time the engine roar rose to a crescendo, shaking the bushes and leaves around us.

I could barely hear Joe’s voice over the roar.

“What the heck kind of ark are they poachin’ in?”

The big watercraft, invisible behind the glare of the searchlight, began to slow dramatically as it approached the falls, but it was too late. Suddenly the rope stretched taut. A cry of surprise, then of fear, came from the boat. After that, everything seemed to happen at once.

The boat slewed sideways in the river, the searchlight blinding us where we stood at the head of the falls. Then the overstretched rope broke with a loud twang. The boat now crosscurrent and seemingly out of control, slid broad-

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side into the falls.

We watched in fascination as the beam of the searchlight twisted first one way then the other.

At times it seemed to be pointing straight up and we could follow its progress through the rocky rapid.

We were gleefully shaking hands, congratulating ourselves on a job well done, when the engine noise from the poacher’s boat rose to a scream. We watched into consternation as the searchlight transfixed us in its sun-like glare. The screaming engine slowed to a muted rumble as the

watercraft edged in to the bank.

“You there, on the shore! Put your hands in the air!” The voice from behind the light punctuated the order with the ominous sound of a rifle action being worked. Our hands shot skyward. Several dark figures jumped to shore and two of them held the boat close against the bank.

Three men with rifles approached the place where we stood shaking.

“Heck, it’s just some kids,” one of the men said, (Me & Joe cont. pg 22)

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Kings

(Cont. from pg 18) the people affected by their decline. Woven into all the narratives, history and viewpoints, he also tries to get at the two big questions so many people have tried to answer in recent years: why have the salmon declined, and how do we bring them back? Everyone seems to have their own theories, and some seem to hold more merit than others, but the question remains unanswered.

Perhaps only time will tell.

Page 19

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Aroostook Woods & Water

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME “Fie! A pox be upon ye!” So you’re probably thinking that Shakespeare was talking about the Capulets and the Montagues (No, not the rod makers…), he wasn’t; he was sitting on a cold plastic bucket in the middle of a frozen patch of Aroostook County water and raging against the month of March. “Be gone

and ice is cold. This was about the only part I got right. The rest I had mostly wrong. March has always forced me to leave the relative warmth and comfort of my shoreline bivouac; the comfy windbreaks and all the handy dri-ki, the neverempty pot of coffee on the never-ending fire. Now I finally think I know why.

I learned that no, oxygen levels right up under the ice, closest to shore, weren’t the oxygen depleted hellholes I had always thought them to be... vile month! Scram! Beat it!” he hollered.

And like Bill, I, too, was searching for a reason to explain why March tormented me so much, why it was always so intent on extracting one last pound of flesh from my frost-bitten carcass. What I was convinced I did know, was that water freezes at 32 degrees

March has never been a particularly productive month for me. The early season was easy, requiring almost no thinking whatsoever; which is probably why I like it so much. For years, March has been telling me that I needed to heighten my level of commitment to her, to raise the bar on my sedentary

Aroostook County

Follow the Oxygen

standards. In the back of my mind, I always knew this, but I also knew that she was asking for a certain level of emotional involvement that I wasn’t prepared to give.

Yes, this is still a fishing discussion, and fishless days have a way of changing a man; so I gave in and begged forgiveness for all the years I’ve wasted.

The fishing futilities of March finally pierced the impenetrable darkness of my consciousness, and I freely, gleefully, turned my soul over to science. And I learned things. I learned about a number that has magical powers; 39.2 (degrees), and a mercurial, oxygen-sucking beast called a hippo-lemon. Okay, it’s really called the hypolimnion layer but I don’t speak Greek, so it comes out the way I hear it: hippo-lemon.

Try it, it’s easier this way.

I went looking to validate my long-held belief that stratification layers still existed under the ice of

In March, the wise ice fisherman drops his line in oxygenated water. winter. Yes, but mostly no, and not the way I thought.

I learned that the number 39.2 held the power to make cold water float and warm water sink; it’s a density thing. I learned that no, oxygen levels right up under the ice, closest to shore, weren’t the oxygen depleted hellholes I had always thought them to be (thank you, Jeremiah); that was reserved for the very bottom, the lair of the beast. That same water just under the ice, held itself in

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a thin layer that was barely above the freezing point, which alone probably had more to do with my fishless days than anything else.

My wife said, “Are you sure you’re not fishing on top of the ice?”

The science guys I contacted were all very nice. They even seemed happy at the idea of getting their grubby little paws on a fresh recruit. That is, until I started complaining that all the science made my brain hurt; then they just kind of wandered away. The last conversation I had with Professor Elkavitch went something like this, Prof. Elkavitch: “…and then, there was this wicked eutrophic lake where the hypolimnion was overtly anoxic, and we (Oxygen cont. pg 23) NEW HOLLAND MASSEY FERGUSON TRACTORS

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

The Steller’s Sea Eagle

I am hoping the Steller’s Sea Eagle is still being seen in Maine. Perhaps it might be on the coast of Downeast Maine somewhere. I am writing this article on January 9, 2022.

The Eagle was seen in

species according to the International Union for Conservation.

Their population is only between 4,000 to 5,000 individuals in Asia.

It is highly unlikely that there is more than one that

North America. One Acadian University biologist said he saw it in Falmouth, Nova Scotia on November 3, 2021. The bird must have then left there and flown another 3,000 miles over coastal Maine and New Hampshire to be seen later in November in southeastern Massachusetts.

Then it has flown back up

Page 21

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME would seem a giant.

They also have a huge orange beak compared to the yellow one of a Bald Eagle. The Steller’s also have very noticeable white shoulder patches over black

the world. I have seen rare birds before. But this one sighting would be really special to me.

Karen Holmes is a retired educator. She con-

Their population is only between 4,000 to 5,000 individuals in Asia. It is highly unlikely that there is more than one that has strayed here to Maine.

Southport on January 8 and in West Boothbay Harbor on January 7. It seems to be hanging around the Sheepscot and Damariscotta River area. Health issues for myself and my husband Ken are preventing us from driving down and looking for it.

I am so frustrated as I know that area well, having had a cottage along the Sheepscot River in Westport for many years.

Another interesting fact for me is that a Steller’s Sea Eagle was seen along the Taunton River in southeastern Massachusetts in November 2021. Ken and I lived in that area for 25 years before moving to Cooper. I would just love to see it! Wildlife officials think this bird has had quite a journey. It was first spotted on Alaska’s Denali Highway in August 2020.

Steller’s Sea Eagles usually are found along the northern Pacific coast of Asia.

They are called “accidental vagrants” and have been found before on the Aleutian Islands and other Bering Sea islands. Steller’s Sea Eagles are considered a vulnerable threatened

has strayed here to Maine.

So this bird must have had an incredible journey. In November 2020 the eagle would have already flown about 4,700 miles from its native Asian range to reach Alaska. It was spotted in the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec in July 2021.

So it flew across

to Maine. Perhaps it is flying along with native Bald Eagles. A Bald Eagle’s body length is 27 to 35 inches and its wingspan is 71-89 inches. It usually weighs 5 to 8 pounds. The Steller’s Sea Eagle has a body length of 33 to 41 inches, wing spread of 87 to 96 inches and weighs11 to 20 pounds. If the two species were seen perched together, the Steller ’s

body feathers. Both mature Steller’s and Bald Eagles do have white tails. I am hoping I will be able to see this bird. Massachusetts ornithologist Andrew Vitz has said this is the first recorded case of this species making it to this part of

tinues to write for various publications and is an associate member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She enjoys having the time to hunt, fish and bird and to continue to participate in conservation activities.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 22

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 19) lowering his rifle. “Mason, turn that spotlight away!”

As the beam of light turned upstream, we could see that all the figures surrounding us were clad in camouflage clothing and all carried guns. In the reflected glow of the light we could see that the boat was long and wide and appeared to be some kind of huge rubber raft with giant propellers mounted on the stern.

“What are you boys doing up here?” The man who had given the original order looked at us curiously. “Did you have anything to do with that rope strung across the river?”

“Well we…that is we…” Obie lapsed into silence.

“We thought you was poachers,” Joe said angrily.

“Still ain’t sure you ain’t.”

The men around us laughed and the big man facing us turned back toward the river.

“No, we’re not poachers. We’re soldiers.” He glanced back at us. “This is supposed to be a secret project, but you’ve seen it now so we’ll just have to swear you to secrecy. I’m lieutenant Obay and this is an Army Special Forces team. Come down and take a look at our ride.”

C a u t i o u s l y, w e walked back to the shore.

The odd watercraft was

Aroostook County

even stranger close up. All around the edges of the rubber sides a thick skirt of rubber extended down into the water.

“What the heck is it?”

Joe asked.

“It’s a hovercraft,” Lieutenant Obay grinned at us. “When the engine turns up the whole boat floats just above the water on a cushion of air. The props at the back push us along pretty fast.” “ T h a t ’s w h y y o u didn’t sink when you sent over the falls!” I chimed in.

“That’s right. That rope sure took us by surprise. Turned us sideways and I was afraid for a minute we’d go over. But she came out of it all right.

A hovercraft can go up through rapids like that

March 2022

pretty slick.”

“What…what are you gonna do with us?” Obie asked in a shaky voice.

“Well, like I said, you’ve got to swear not to tell anyone about the hovercraft or about us. We’re training to use these things in Viet Nam. Thought we could keep it a secret up in the back woods of Maine.

Guess we were wrong.”

“We won’t say a word, Mr. Obay,” Joe said firmly.

“Yer secret’s safe with us.”

The lieutenant grinned. “Call me Ken. Look, I heard this river is pretty good fishing. We don’t have much chance to try. The training schedule is pretty tight. I don’t suppose, after I get back from overseas, you boys might be willing to take me fish-

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‘Course, we won’t have such a fancy boat. You’ll have to settle for a canoe,” Joe said with a grin.

“That’ll be fine. I’ll look you up in about a year.” The soldiers all hopped onto the hovercraft.

Ken Obay was the last to board. As the engine once again rose to a roar and the craft headed upstream, Obay waved at them, then turned to his men.

As we picked up the canoe to carry it back down to camp, Obie said, “I can’t imagine how I thought that thing was a flying saucer.

Still, you got to admit, it’s pretty strange.”

“That’s for sure,” I agreed. “You know, it’ll be fun going fishing with that lieutenant Obay next year. I bet he’ll have a lot of stories to tell.

“Yeah,” Joe grunted as he hoisted his end of the canoe. “Let’s jist be sure we don’t tell anyone about what we seen. As far as anyone else is concerned, it was jist one o’ them UFOs.” He glanced at me. “The only ones that’ll know any different is Obie Wann, Ken Obay, and us.”

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Oxygen

(Cont. from pg 20) were all like, “We’re going to have to use hypolimnetic aeration to adjust for the hypotenuse of the # 6 red and white, quadrangled, participle dangler minnow in the metalimnion layer!”

He was so excited, and I tried to look interested, but really, all I wanted to do was drink a beer and go drill some holes.

What I had always known to be crystal clear, now became as mud to the puddle of knowledge. Up was down and black was white. I had wanted to be able to say that all I needed to do to find fish under the ice in March, was to find a little structure, a nice lie where any self-respecting salmonid would be able to have himself a smelt snack, some warmer water, and enough oxygen so that he

Northwoods Sporting Journal didn’t have to carry a CPAP machine around on his back. I needed to be able to say that. Now, according to the science, the whole damn lake is 39 degrees!

Where do we go from here, indeed. At the end of the day, the longer our winter drags on and the thicker the ice is, the amount of snowpack we have on the ice; it all makes a difference. At some point, if the winter is long enough, all the aquatic critters; the plants, fish, and the crawly stuff, will have used up a significant portion of all the available oxygen. Perhaps this is the lesson I need to learn for late season success; don’t run around tilting at water temperature windmills, but instead, go off in search of more oxygenated water.

Places where springs bubble up, or inlets. I need to find enough flowing water to deliver the necessary ox-

ygen to a bunch of fish that are likely actively seeking it by this point in the season. What started out in the embrace of a shoreline fire on a frigid January day, will end, hopefully, in a healthy March sun, thoroughly enjoying ‘last ice’; maybe in

Page 23

a t-shirt, and getting a start on this year’s tan. All hail science!

Mike Maynard lives in the woods of Perham, Maine and can be reached at perhamtrout@gmail. com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Sportsmen’s Shows Return

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. Back in January when it was bitterly cold and snowy, I was counting the days until March got here.

Now that it’s here, I wish it were May. Some of us are just never satisfied.

To help us get ready for May, or whenever, head to the New Hampshire

freshwater and saltwater fishing, hunting, camping, kayaking, and boating. CO Shawn McFadzen from North Woods Law will be available for autographs and photos on Saturday, March 12. Check it out at www.nhoutdoorexpo.com Speaking of Fish and

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March 2022

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bill would change from “To stop and to search without a warrant” to “stop and search with a warrant”. The standard of “reasonable and articulable suspicion” would be replaced with “probable cause”. Not sure this bill will pass? Seems like someone landed on the wrong side of an encounter with a CO and now wants to punish them for it.

There was also a bill which would establish a hunting season for the taking of gray squirrels. The problem is, we already have an established hunting season for gray squirrels. But the rub is that it’s not the season that animal rights activists want. Currently, as established by Fish and Game Biennial Rules, the season runs from September 1st through January 31st.

The bill however stated that “The executive director (of Fish and Game) shall set the season for the gray squirrel to open no earlier than the 15th day of September each year”.

So, if this bill passed, the Legislature would be in a position to tell the Fish and Game Department when to establish other seasons as well? What’s next… the Legislature setting bag

limits? Forget what science says or the biologists think.

The gray squirrel bill is nothing but a red herring for future anti-hunting, fishing and trapping efforts.

Three anti-hunting legislators introduced legislation that would end the training and testing of rabbit-hunting dogs in the state. House Bill 1308, would ban the capture, possession, and propagation of hares and rabbits for hunting-dog training and field trials, and would revoke permits that have already been issued for clubs involved in the training of scent hounds. One analyst observed that if the bill passed, it would destroy every beagle bloodline in the state going forward. I could be surprised, but I don’t see this bill seeing the light of day.

I happened to be surfing on the web and found a community page sponsored by a town in New Hampshire. Among the topics listed was…”Is There Moose Hunting In New Hampshire”? The answer given was, “A three-day hunt for moose has been conducted annually since 1988”. Problem is, it’s a nine-day hunt. This year

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it’ll be from October 15th – 23rd, by permit only. And, in answer to the question “Where Do Moose Live In New Hampshire”, the answer given was “Granite State moose can easily be found along the aptly named Moose Alley north into Canadian territory”.

Yeah, maybe fifteen years ago before the clearcuts near the road grew back and while the moose populations were healthier than they are now. Moose sightings these days are a rarity.

This may sound petty on my part but as a columnist and outdoorsman, it’s my responsibility to make sure that readers and listeners get the correct information to base decisions on, not outdated, incorrect opinions of someone who knows not whereof they speak. Not pointing this out does a disservice to us all.

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, is a licensed NH Fishing Guide and has a daily radio show on WNTK-99.7FM. Reach him at : stjames.peter@ gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Atlantic Salmon: Our National Fish?

My fascination with Atlantic salmon began over 35 years ago on the banks of the Seboeis River just outside Baxter. While camped at Grand Pitch, I watched a large salmon try to breach the falls several times before disappearing.

the idea of what a national symbol should be more than the Atlantic salmon?

Like the eagle and bison, Atlantic salmon are a species that stands above all others in regard to majesty, power, and endurance.

And while some will

generations. Celebrities such as baseball great Ted Williams and fly fishing legend Lee Wulff were avid Atlantic salmon anglers.

Established in 1887, the Penobscot Salmon Club in Brewer was the first fishing club in America. The Veazie Salmon Club, Eddington Salmon Club, and now defunct

Native Fish Talk

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME cies back from the brink, and I believe we can do the same for Atlantic salmon.

In 2021, Senators Susan Collins and Angus King issued a press release that stated: “Atlantic salmon are a critical part of our state’s marine ecosystem, but they are endangered

As a result of their unmatched fighting ability and acrobatic jumps, recreational anglers refer to Atlantic salmon as the “King of Fish.” They have graced the pages of articles, books, calendars and catalogs for generations.

The nation’s Atlantic salmon were already in trouble, and I fully understood the significance of what I had just witnessed.

As most know, the United States has an official National Bird and Mammal: American bald eagle and North American bison.

We even have a National Flower, the rose, and a National Tree, the oak. What many don’t know is that we don’t have a National Fish…

The most recent attempt to create a National Fish was in 2015, when New Jersey Rep. Tom MacArthur introduced the Striped Bass American Heritage Act. The initiative didn’t get far as the website promoting it has been inactive for over five years.

While striped bass, tarpon, steelhead, king salmon, and largemouth bass are worthy of consideration, does any fish fit

say that the limited geographic distribution should preclude Atlantic salmon from becoming a national symbol, by the time we designated the bison as out National Mammal in 2016, their distribution was limited to small areas in the interior of the country.

When it comes to national symbols, Atlantic salmon possess everything we should be looking for.

Like bison, salmon were an important food for indigenous people of the northeast for thousands of years. Early European settlers took advantage of this seasonal bounty as well.

Even now, Atlantic salmon are a coveted food.

As a result of their unmatched fighting ability and acrobatic jumps, recreational anglers refer to Atlantic salmon as the “King of Fish.” They have graced the pages of articles, books, calendars and catalogs for

Dennys River Sportsman’s Club were equally famous.

Veazie Dam and the Cable Pool on the Narraguagus River were early fishing landmarks.

Sealing the deal is the fact that for eighty years, the first Atlantic salmon caught from the Penobscot River each season was sent to the President of the United States. Known as the “Presidential Salmon,” the first went to President Taft in 1912, and the last to President George H. Bush, an avid sportsman, in 1992.

No other species of fish has been so honored.

Like Atlantic salmon, a generation ago, the American bald eagle was in danger of going extinct across much of its range.

And by the late 1880s, North American bison, our National Mammal, had been reduced to small, isolated populations said to represent just a couple of hundred of animals in total. Conservation efforts brought these iconic spe-

Page 25

and at risk of extinction…

These fish help to ensure the health of our rivers and oceans that Mainers and wildlife depend on.

We welcome this [NOAA] funding, which will help to conserve and restore wild Atlantic salmon and their ecosystems across the state.”

Native Fish Coalition agrees with Senators Collins and King. They recently wrote to the Maine Congressional Delegation asking their support in regard to making Atlantic salmon our official National Fish. With their help, this iconic and historically important fish could finally get the recognition and support it deserves and needs.

NFC believes that like the eagle and bison, Atlantic salmon should, and can be saved. When it comes to saving something, symbolism is powerful. And when it comes to symbolism, nothing is more powerful that a national symbol designation...

Designating the Atlantic Salmon as our National Fish would be good for the species and good for Maine. If we don’t do it, someone else eventually (Salmon cont. pg 30)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

A Long Search

Warden’s Words

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME There is something to be said about those last few minutes of the day, when the sunsets over the landscape and the cool darkness of a July night take hold over the North Maine Woods. The cacophony of sounds change in nearly an instant as the songbirds who have sang their tune during the warm daylight hours go silent and a nearby barred owl begins his sequence over the low hum of a bullfrog in a nearby vernal pool. Anglers often refer to this changeover as the “golden hour”, that time in the evening when the wind almost always settles and a remote pond comes alive with feeding fish activity. This change over in nature occurs like clockwork almost in an

instant.

I found myself alone in the still darkness alongside a logging road in the North Maine Woods, awaiting the arrival of other Wardens coming to assist

March 2022

distance. I stood outside my truck, preparing myself for the upcoming search and wondering where the two men might be. I was taking in the surroundings when Warden Kayle Hamilton arrived, breaking the still silence.

Sergeant Mike Joy arrived shortly after as darkness had taken full hold of

At 2 a.m., I was tired, hungry and exhausted but shouted as loud as I could. A moment passed and the answer of a nearby bullfrog was the only response I heard. on a search and rescue call for two elderly brook fishermen who were set to return home by 5 p.m. that evening, but had not returned. Pilot Jeff Spencer had located their black Jeep Wrangler around 7:15 p.m. and was now headed back home as the sun set. I listened as the roar of the Cessna 185 faded into the

the surroundings and we discussed our search plans.

Warden Hamilton and I began getting our gear together and as is common practice, decided to look over the Jeep to determine what gear the two lost fishermen potentially had with them and what was left behind in the Jeep.

I peered through the

windows, using my flashlight to illuminate the interior of the vehicle and noticed several jackets lying in the backseat. This told me that the men likely had ventured out in the 70-degree daytime temperature, leaving behind the cold

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weather clothing that they likely needed now as the temperatures began falling into the low 50’s. The next thing that caught my eye was a Ziploc bag lying on the passenger floorboard of the Jeep. Inside the bag was 5 fresh brook trout. At this time we could infer that the two men had likely fished a different location prior to setting off to fish the nearby brook at this location. We did not think much of it at that time and set off on our way, headlamps and flashlights cutting through the darkness.

Warden Hamilton and I set off on foot, walking over a mile in the dark, shouting for the two men with no response.

We checked the area for boot prints or clues but found nothing to aide in our search. Reports from family members initially told us that both men had trouble walking and could not have gone far from their vehicle. This made us wonder if something bad had happened to the two (Search cont. pg 27)

March 2022

Search

Northwoods Sporting Journal caught prior to becoming lost. Warden Hamilton and I both looked at each other, knowing about the extra limit of five trout already inside the Jeep.

This story ended well with both men rescued after a long night in the cold and brought back to their loved ones. It did however make for an awkward discussion about brook trout limits and how many fish one is allowed the following day!

County. He lives in Ashland, Maine and can be reached at kale.oleary@ maine.gov

(Cont. from pg 26) men, as we could not make voice contact over a mile from their Jeep.

We continued our ef(cont. from pg 8) forts into the early morning hours the following Reynolds Column day with no luck. Warden Missed the Mark Hamilton and I watched the temperature dipping in Letter to the Editor: the high 40’s, knowing we I am a long-time subneeded to find these men scriber and reader of Northsoon. Kayle stated that we woods Sporting Journal, should try and drive further resident of Maine, fisherdown the logging road, apKale O’Leary is a man, and sportsman. proximately 2 miles from Maine Game Warden who While not a hunter, I the Jeep, to try and make patrols the Oxbow dis- respect hunters and believe voice contact further away. trict in Central Aroostook that hunters are among the We drove down the road to a high spot in the terrain and got out of the truck.

Kayle asked that I shout the name of one the two men into the night and that he would listen for a response. At 2 a.m., I was tired, hungry and exhausted but shouted as loud as I could. A moment passed and the answer of a nearby bullfrog was the only response I heard.

“Hey, I just heard “HELP”.” Kayle said excitedly, pointing towards this phantom sound.

“That is a bullfrog in the swamp over there.” I said back unenthusiasti- In the heart of the Allagash cally. and Fish River waterways.......

Kayle responded back Fly Fishing with a definite edge, “Get and Trolling your backpack on, I’m not messing with you, let’s go.”

WIN THE MOOSE Within 20 minutes we were tending to both men who LOTTERY? were severely dehydrated, CONTACT ME FOR cold and wet.

This is where the story On Fish River Portage Lake, Maine took a turn that we did Email me at Specializing in Northern not expect. After getting highlandingcamps@gmail.com Maine Bear Hunts both men warm with our own jackets and gear, we began walking them out to an awaiting ambulance.

It was then that one of the (603) 381-0080 or (603) 381-8376 men offered us a fishing www.highlandingcamps.com creel that contained 8 more *Registered Maine Guide - David Prevost* brook trout that they had

Letters

biggest advocates for our wildlife and wild places.

Think -- no farmers no food; no hunters no wildlife.

So I was surprised and saddened to read NWSJ Publisher and Editor V. Paul Reynolds knee-jerk politicizing and dismissively characterizing those working to bring grizzlies back to CO. I imagined such an influential person who identifies with the Great Northwoods would actually support real wild, instead of a “wild light,” Disney-theme-park version of wild. If that’s beyond

Page 27 your reach, at the very least and given that you are tourist in CO, show respect to those CO residents fighting the good fight for real wild.

Tom Walek, Cumberland County Editor’s note: The Colorado Fish and Wildlife Department, as well as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (one of the most respected wildlife conservation organization in the United States), adamantly oppose the reintroduction of the Grizzly Bear into the state of Colorado.

(Letters cont. pg 29)

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Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Healthier Wild Game

once a week – like a reward for being good the other 6 days.

One healthier method you can use for your fish and game is an air fryer.

Although most see air fryers as a newer way of cooking, the method was actually invented around the mid 1940s and described as convection cooking. In

your food in oil to cook it.

Many who have used air fryers to cook recipes seem to be genuinely

by Denny Corriveau, pleased with the results.

Kennebunkport, ME The benefits to this When we are young, While wild fish and technique are that food can there seems to be no real game is healthy in its own achieve exterior crispiness concern with what we eat nature, using a preservative and be tender inside withor drink. You might say free approach to season out excessive use of fat or we are food rebels without it when cooking it will oil. Air fryers also cook a cause. always yield benefit to food faster.

The air fryer can roast One healthier method you can use for your fish and game is and bake all types of food an air fryer. Although most see air fryers as a newer way of to include your fish and cooking, the method was actually invented around the mid game.

Cooking fish can be as 1940s and described as convection cooking. simple as rubbing the fish For many of us, as taste and outcome of your 2010 the Airfryer brand of with a very small amount we grow older, our body recipes. Equally important, convection oven was intro- of flavored olive oil, folchemistry starts to change is giving consideration to duced at a consumer elec- lowed by seasoning and and eating focus changes. cooking methods that rep- tronics fair in Germany. It your favorite breadcrumbs.

When we age, our body resent a healthy approach used the patented Rapid Air Air fry your fish at 180 metabolism and how we One mantra that I technology. The term “air- degrees for 10-15 minutes until they are crispy and process food shifts. This have promoted for many fryer” is now often used.

In essence, air fryers golden brown. Make a causes us to take pause, years is “Everything in placing more emphasis on Moderation”. It’s o.k. to use a method of circulat- homemade tartar sauce and finding healthier methods eat something you really ing hot air around your you will be off and running You can even seaof cooking and eating our desire that is fried or sugar- food, which eliminates laden, just try to limit it to the method of submerging son up your favorite game food.

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burger recipe and cook it in your air fryer. The result might surprise you.

Another option is to cook your game steak (moose, deer, bear, wild turkey cutlets) in your air fryer. Marinating the steak in a zip lock bag for 2-8 hours and then follow your fryer recommended instructions. Enjoy it as a healthy steak dinner or thinly slice the cooked steak and combine with sauteed peppers and onions and warm tortilla for some delicious game fajitas.

Air fryers are a great kitchen appliance that can help you create healthier fish and game recipes for your family. You won’t sacrifice taste, and you’ll be on a healthier path bringing your harvest from field and water to plate!

About the author: WildCheff - Denny Corriveau is Award-Winning Celebrity Game Chef, Iron Chef Winner, and the Founder of the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. As a Wild Game Evangelist and trendsetter for wild game culinary arts - Denny is a nationally noted authority regarding his “best practice” methodology regarding the culinary side of wild game. You can learn more @ www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff WildCheff’s Air Fryer Venison Bites Ingredients For the Venison 1 lb. of venison backstrap 1 T of WildCheff Canadian Steak Rub (Healthier cont. pg 29)

March 2022

Healthier (Cont. from pg 28) 4 T of olive oil 4 – 6 oz. of baby portabella mushrooms, cut in half

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Letters

(cont. from pg 27)

Avid NWSJ Reader To the Editor: My name is Tom Zuba from Woodstock, Vermont.

I just wanted to say I have been an avid reader of the Sporting Journal for a long time. Being a hunter and person who lives for the outdoors, I cannot wait for each issue to arrive. I enjoy all the articles and photos of every aspect of the journal. When the sporting journal first came out in our area, my wife subscribed to the journal for me and to date it is still my favorite.

solutely the spot on. Now all the lodges have full bars all on major trails. I’m 73 now and just got back from my camp after 4 days Sunday. It’s absolutely insane what’s going on. After this storm this coming weekend the crowds will hit the trails and the counts will go up. I know of one fatality so far this year and it won’t be the last. Enforced speed limits and sobriety checks are the only solution I believe.

Directions Cut the venison backstrap into large chunks.

Add the venison meat, mushrooms, WC Canadian steak seasoning, and olive oil to a John Tobin large bowl and toss to coat.

All Smiles Transfer the steak and mushrooms to the air To the Editor: fryer basket.

Thank you for the Cook in the air fryer Merry Christmas & Happy at 400 degrees F. for 5-7 New Year at the bottom of Tom Zuba minutes or until the venipage 65 of the December Woodstock, VT son reaches an internal issue. It may have been put medium-rare temperature Sober Sledding in as filler but it cheered me of 130-135 degrees. and put a smile on my face.

Remove the venison To the Editor: Sometimes small things steak and mushrooms I read your article bring big smiles! from the air fryer and about the good and bad Thank you. serve immediately with about snowmobiling. I the following sauces. have a camp on Lower Erik Warren Shin Pond and you are abColumbus, Ohio Dipping Sauces Horseradish Sauce 1 C of plain sour cream 1/4 C of prepared horseradish 1 T of Dijon mustard Directions Combine sauce ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

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Subscriber Notice: Please be advised that the late deliveries of the February issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal are the responsibility of the United States Postal Service, which reportedly has experienced slowdowns attributable to Covid, weather conditions, and other supply factors. We regret this situation and remind all subscribers that a full digital edition of the February issue can be seen at www.sportingjournal.com Click on “issues.”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 30

Salmon

(Cont. from pg 25) will. With the help of Senators Collins and King, and members of congress Pingree and Golden, Maine’s Atlantic salmon could become a symbol of America.

NFC heard back from Senator Collins’ office. A follow-up Zoom meeting with her staff, while noncommittal was promising.

Based on Senator Kings recent statement regarding Atlantic salmon and their importance to Maine, NFC hopes that he will respond as well. As for members of congress Pingree and Golden, their districts are home to the critically important Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers.

Atlantic salmon stand

above all others in its scientific class. Few fish are as historically significant as Atlantic salmon. And even fewer are as renowned for their recreational angling appeal. And no fish has been presented to the president of the United States as part of an annual ritual.

If there is a more worthy candidate for National Fish designation than Atlantic salmon, I am not aware of it.

BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years.

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Retriever (Cont. from pg 9)

Gaspe. He has also guided and hosted many fly fishing adventures over his lifetime. “ I don’t guide much anymore,” he quips.” I am too much of an old crank.”

He loved fishing Cuba, its people and its fishing

hotspots. A native Cuban told him that the Revolution with Castro brought three good things and three bad things. The good things were free education, health care, and baseball. The bad things were breakfast, lunch and supper.”

A dealer for fly rods made by Thomas & Thomas, as well as Temple Fork Outfitters, he says today they (all fly rods) are all pretty good. “It’s a fine line.” His taste in trout flies is hardly exotic, Finn leans to Hornbergs, Parachute Adams, and a green drake variant that he designed himself.

He has also become fascinated recently with what is called Euro Nymphing or contact nymphing, which is nymph fishing using a delicate but

Central Maine Region

March 2022 strong system integrating an 11 foot, 3 weight fly rod equipped with monofilament line. “This is a wonderfully sensitive rod with a strong butt that allows you to not only feel the road loading, but read the bottom of the river with precision as your fly bounces along.” He says that he can throw this setup upwards of 50 feet.

Finn likes using a dropper and, interestingly, he uses the Golden Retriever as his dropper with a smaller nymph at the point of his leader.”It works well,” he says.

Finn fishes Maine a lot, too. He gravitates to Grand Lake Stream and the East Outlet at Moosehead Lake and some other unnamed waters.

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on “The Voice of Maine News - Talk Network.” He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www. maineoutdoorpublications. com. or www.sportingjournal.com. Contact email — vpaulr@tds.net

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Page 31

Those Old Wool Pants

Just like you, I have to go. My snowblower was excellent snowmobile rid- taken for a short test run ing gear including warm and the gas tank topped off. gloves, mitts, socks, boots, I was ready. pants, and jackets. In the After the storm was distant past, I wore a hodge- over, I decided to go outpodge of different jackets, side and blow out the drivewool pants etc. All I cared way, sidewalk, walkway about was making sure I was warm. You may remember one of my previous columns where I talked about my wife making me buy all new gear so that I did not look like a hobo when I went out riding.

Part of that was driven by my cousin buying all new matching gear and standing next to him, I The author decked out in looked sloven- his snowblowing ensemble. ly in my old wool coat etc. I went to the basement and pants. All of my gear where I keep all of my outmatches in color and the door gear and dressed out. whole ensemble could be I went out the back door featured in a Polaris cata- and walked through the log. With the more recent snow to the shed to begin gear purchases, I can now my winter work. This was be both warm and fashion- the first storm. able.

After snow blowing When the biggest out back, I worked my way snowstorm to hit southern down the driveway and out New England this winter front to do the walkway rolled through here last and sidewalk. week dropping 24 inches of While working out snow on us, I was prepared. there, my wife came out My generator was already and took my photo so she hooked up to the house could post on FaceBook. with a full fuel tank. Re- What are you doing? I mote start tested and good asked

Taking your picture for FaceBook.

Don’t take my picture, go back inside.

How come you are not wearing your warm winter pants?

What do you mean?

These pants are warm.

Those aren’t the nice pants that you bought with that jacket. Where are the

The Trail Rider

by Rod Fraser, Hyde Park, MA into the front room to enjoy my coffee and read the Northwoods Sporting Journal. I looked out the window and to my dismay, at some time in the night a second storm had hit! The snowplow had plowed me back in. Time to suit up again! But she was still sleeping so I wore my old green wool pants again.

I finished my work, put away the snowblower and shovels and went back inside. Later that night, when I went on the computer, I saw I was tagged in

Part of that was driven by my cousin buying all new matching gear and standing next to him, I looked slovenly in my old wool coat and pants. nice ones?

Down cellar.

You should put those on, You look stupid.

I don’t look stupid, I am toasty warm and these pants are comfortable. I’ve had these since I was a teenager. Plus, you are the only person who can see me right now.

OK, well they don’t match your jacket and you look like a hobo. And with that she shut the door.

a photo by my wife. When I opened it, I saw the photo she took of me working to clear the snow. Maybe she is right. Maybe the green wool pants don’t go well with the Polaris FXR Jacket. Old habits die hard.

The next morning, I made my coffee and went

Rod Fraser is an avid outdoorsman and twentyyear Navy veteran. Originally from Maine and living in Massachusetts, Rod has written extensively about snowmobiling. visit his website at www.roderickfraser.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Buck Hunter

Important Deer Harvest Legislation

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME We’re another month into winter as I write this in late January. The north country is still way below average for snowfall. I don’t think there is any area where deer can’t get around in the woods without being in a wintering area. There are still very few deer yarded up around Jackman. Seeing deer tracks miles from town is common. Since deer don’t travel much in the winter, I’m sure there are plenty of softwood pockets where the deer are staying. This helps those deer as well as the ones that have come to the yards, as there is more feed available for all of them. There has been more cold weather than the past few winters, but deer are designed for it as long as they can get plenty of good feed.

If you haven’t heard by now, there are two new changes that are going to be a big help to the deer heard around the state. I was glad to be able to have input into both of them. The first and what I feel is the

most important is the bill that passed the legislature which gives funding to buy land or conservation easements for deer wintering areas. There bill authorized 40 million in seed money to get the program started.

This unlike other the past programs to try and preserve wintering habitat which were an abysmal failure, is going to be a big step in helping the northern Maine deer herd. Dave Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance

of Maine (SAM) spearheaded this project and was the driving force to get it done. Basically, the way it will work is that land with existing deer yards will be purchased or the easements bought giving the Department of Fish and Wildlife the management of them.

More information on the program can be found on the SAM website.

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in some of the southern management zones have not been able to get enough hunters to apply for the doe permits allotted. This has caused a dramatic increase in the deer population in southern Maine. In some areas deer have become a nuisance. This is not what a big game animal should be. As we have learned with the over population of moose and the tick problem that followed, mother nature will always

find a way to control the to the antlerless deer permit population. It seems in system will give hunters deer EHD is going to be the opportunity to take two mother nature’s disease deer or more. First, everyfor controlling deer. This one who receives a doe perdisease comes in the form mit in certain zones, will of a parasite picked up by be able to shoot a doe on deer drinking out of pooled that permit and still shoot water. It basically causes a buck on their regular lithe deer to hemorrhage and cense. Also, if any zone has die quickly. Parts of New antlerless permits left after Jersey and New York have the drawing anybody will been hit hard with EHD in be able to but these online the places where deer are until all permits are issued. overpopulated. A friend of The cost of these permits mine who lives in New Jer- will be $12 apiece, which sey told me that most of the is a real bargain. I hope deer in his area died early hunters will do their part to this fall. He said deer were lower the deer population laying dead everywhere in where needed. It will be a great way to donate meat to the woods.

Let’s hope that the those who need it and help southern Maine deer herd the deer population. It’s a doesn’t end up in that situ- win-win situation.

Well, the days are getation. The new changes (which at this time still ting longer, and the sun is need legislative approval), (Legislation cont. pg 53)

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

Shot Show 2022

The largest shooting industry show has come back in 2022. It was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID. SHOT Show 2022 was the same as always, but different in many ways. The similarities are that it was once again in L a s Ve g a s .

It was also once again the place for much of the industry to introduce its new products.

I will discuss a few of these new products shortly.

T h e things that were different this year about SHOT Show were of course things like masks and sanitation protocols. There were other differences as well. A number of the major manufacturers did not participate this year. I am not sure why this decision was made, but I am sure the pandemic was a contributing factor. Still another difference was that more than ever, this show was primarily a tactical and personal protection extravaganza. Black guns rule. That’s a great thing for that segment of the market and I have a great interest in all things tactical.

However, the Northwoods Sporting Journal is a hunting, fishing and outdoor publication. As a result, there were fewer product innovations geared toward the outdoor lifestyle. Here are a few I took note of. Savage Arms has once again entered the bolt action pistol market with

its mod 110 PCS straight pull bolt action pistol. It is also offering the full sized savage impulse straight pull bolt action rifle. These offerings offer adjustable triggers from 2 to 5 pounds.

game. How successful this introduction is remains to be seen. I will keep an open mind, especially after the success of the .350 Legend and the .450 Bushmaster from a few years ago.

In other ammo developments, Remington ammo has expanded its Core-Lokt line of bullets. It now includes the .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster calibers.

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

of every type. The SHOT Show, despite the loss of some of the larger manufacturers was actually 200,000 sq ft larger than past years. The floor traffic was brisk but not cramped, All in all, a good kick off

Ammo developments include a new caliber that could be interesting. It’s called the 8.6 Blackout. As its name suggests, it is a blown out .300 Blackout to .33 caliber shooting 210 gr to 300 gr long bullets at 2400 to 2800 fps.

Ammo developments include a new caliber that could be interesting. It’s called the 8.6 Blackout.

As its name suggests, it is a blown out .300 Blackout to .33 caliber shooting 210 gr to 300 gr long bullets at 2400 to 2800 fps. One of the most interesting things about this new entry is it is launched from a 10 inch barrel with a 1 turn in 3 inch rate of twist.

Most rifles have a 1 in 7 to 10 inch rate of twist.

The developers claim the rapid spin imparted on the projectile makes the wound channel upon impact devastating. The rifles are being produced in an AR10 platform as well as a short barreled rifle utilizing a Remington 700 Action by Faxon Firearms.

The ballistics in theory make this a viable caliber for mid size and large

Further, they have added plastic tipped Core-Loct pointed rounds to the long range calibers. The plastic tips reduce wind resistance and stabilize the projectile for long range accuracy.

In the handgun for the outdoors arena, Smith & Wesson is offering the M&P line in 10 mm. Many handgun hunters consider the 10 mm an adequate hunting caliber. It is certainly a good back up gun with high capacity capabilities. Ruger rifles are offering a precision target rifle with some user friendly upgrades, and as we discussed last month, the premier of the new Marlin Rifles by Ruger. The initial reviews on these have been very positive. In the optics area, Crimson Trace has introduced the HRO optic for heavier recoiling firearms like shotguns and heavy rifles. The multicolored dot type sights hold their zeros despite the recoil.

There were of course the vast array of suppressors and accessory kits for tactical rifles and lazers

Page 33

for what we hope is a better year. Please take a youngster or new shooter with you when you venture into the outdoors and come and see us at the lake. The ice

fishing is heating up.

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

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

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

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Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine Woods Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

I have noticed that most of the people I have guided on an Allagash canoe trip desire to see wildlife as much or more than they want to go canoeing.

They also get tired after three or four days of paddling. As a result of this

There is nothing quite as exciting as observing wildlife up close in its natural environment. If you like to photograph wildlife, this is the trip for you! feedback, I have scheduled a special Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) wildlife viewing adventure.

The trip is planned for late June and will focus on visiting the out of the way wildlife rich areas on the waterway headwater lakes.

There are many areas in the waterway where

moose like to frequent that most of the people canoeing the waterway do not visit because they are not in the most direct line of travel. Places like: Allagash Stream, Little Round Pond, Smith Brook Cove, Snare Brook Cove, Thoroughfare Brook, Pleasant Stream, the upper end of Umsaskis Lake, Harvey Pond and the inlet of Round Pond (T13 R12). These places team with wildlife, especially in the spring when the water plants are just starting to emerge, they are tender and succulent when young and highly attractive to moose.

On my wildlife watching trips, we will canoe to a couple different campsites, setup a base camp and focus on looking for wildlife.

We will get going early in the mornings– when wildlife is most active, then come back to the campsite and have a big brunch. On the days we don’t move to another location, customers can choose to relax, read a book, go fishing or just lay low and enjoy the splendor of the AWW during

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Allagash Wildlife Adventures

the middle of the day. We will have an early supper and then go out looking for wildlife again in the evenings.

Moose will be the main attraction but other wildlife also abound in these marshy areas. Some of the other commonly seen

the evening and we were treated to quite a show. We saw seven different moose, one with a calf that she was nursing and another that was grunting at her calf.

Timing is everything when wildlife viewing is the purpose of the trip. That is why this trip is planned

animals and birds are: beaver, otter, muskrat, deer, eagles, osprey, great blue herons and various waterfowl. There is nothing quite as exciting as observing wildlife up close in its natural environment. If you like to photograph wildlife, this is the trip for you!

A couple years ago, I took a group to one of these wildlife rich areas in

for late June when the bugs are starting to wane but the moose are still seeking relief from the bugs near the water.

On this trip we will also visit the Tramway Historic District of the AWW. If you have never visited the famous ghost trains that sit a mere 200 feet from the shore of Eagle Lake, you are missing out on one

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March 2022

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of the most amazing sites in the Maine Woods. The tramway, built in 1902 to transport logs from Eagle Lake to Chamberlain Lake is an engineering marvel.

The boiler and drive mechanism for the tramway are located on the other end of the trail between the trains and tramway. If you would like to learn more about t h e Tr a m w a y Historic District, watch the History section of the AWW video series at the following link: www.maine.gov/ allagash If you are interested in one of these guided trips, I would advise you to contact a guide early because trips are filling fast and there are only a few guide services that specialize in AWW canoe trips. See www.mainewoodsguide.com if you would like to book a trip with me.

If you would like to organize your own Allagash wildlife watching adventure. Give me a call or drop me an email, I would be happy to give you a few tips on where to go and how to get there.

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.

See www.mainewoodsguide.com

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Wool and Synthetic Bodies Wool and Synthetic Yarns – can be used for tails and bodies of many popular fly patterns. Those that are fished deep are generally tied with wool yarn that absorbs water and will sink more rapidly than a synthetic polypropylene yarn that is better suited for a floating pattern like the Grasshopper. It is essential that yarns be tied down over the entire hook shank to at least two eye widths behind the eye to provide a smooth base for a wrapped body material and then bound down around the hook back to the barb. At that point the piece of yarn which extends to the rear can be clipped as a tail or wrapped for a body in tight consecutive turns around the hook, tied off behind the eye with several firm

turns of thread, clipped and further bound down. As with all bodies, adequate space should be left behind the eye for wing, throat or hackle materials.

Floss – Most floss is made from either rayon or nylon filaments that are available in single or mul-

when tying. It is helpful to moisten floss prior to wrapping which keep the fibers intact. Floss is applied in a manner similar to yarn except that it is double wrapped to provide the proper thickness and taper for the body. Tie it in behind the eye, wrap back

Fly Fishing

by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington, ME ble sided mylar material, silver on one side, gold on the other, and comes in several widths usually designated as size 10 (the widest) thru sizes 16-18 for smaller flies. It can

Floss should be wrapped so that the strands lie flat side by side with no abrupt bunches. A tapered body can be formed by gradually increasing the amount of overlap as the floss is wrapped. tiple strands. I prefer the four strand because it can be tied much smoother and faster than single strand. If bodies for smaller flies are needed, the four strands can be divided prior to tying. Floss is delicate and the filaments can fray or easily pull apart if too much pressure is exerted

to the beginning of the tail and forward to its original tie in point. Floss should be wrapped so that the strands lie flat side by side with no abrupt bunches. A tapered body can be formed by gradually increasing the amount of overlap as the floss is wrapped.

Tinsel – is a dou-

Page 35

be used for spiral ribbing as well as complete tinsel bodies that are formed with continuous side by side wrappings. It is important again that a smooth uniform base be provided to eliminate bumps or ridges in the wound tinsel. This can be accomplished by tight wraps of thread from

behind the eye back to the hook barb and then forward to the eye. If a thicker body is desired, a smooth underbody of floss can be used. I prefer to match the color of floss as closely as possible to the color of the tinsel, e.g. white floss and thread for silver, and yellow floss and thread for gold. Continuous tinsel bodies should be tied in behind the eye and tightly wrapped side by side or slightly overlapped back to the hook barb and wrapped forward again to the eye creating a double layer.

When initially tying in, place the desired color against the hook and fold it over to begin wrapping.

(Bodies cont. pg 41)

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Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME From time to time, someone asks me about paddling my solo canoe with a double-bladed paddle. Their reactions range from surprise to enthusiasm to a tactfully expressed preference for a traditional wooden single blade. The truth is that there is much to be said in favor of the double-bladed paddle and

faster watercraft, I opted for a solo canoe. My new 13-foot Kevlar Wenonah Fusion was similar in dimensions to my kayak, and it seemed natural to continue using a doublebladed paddle. I was now portaging in two trips and found the boat to be well suited to the varied waters of the Northern Forest Ca-

March 2022

Paddling: The Perfect Lashup

bladed paddle, subtle adjustments to the force and motion on each side accomplish the same goal. In time, these skills become automatic. Traditional canoe strokes such as the sweep can still be incorporated. The double-bladed paddle allows me to stay on the water longer in rough, windy conditions.

Purchase the light-

perience. During the summers of 1880, 1881, and 1883, he completed three long Adirondack canoe trips. His boats, built of northern white cedar by J. Henry Rushton, were tiny.

The last, the Sairy Gamp, was only nine feet long,

Jerome’s An Adirondack Passage: The Cruise of the Canoe Sairy Gamp.

Jerome retraced Nessmuk’s 1883 route in a tiny canoe of her own, which she christened the Sairy Damp.

The original Sairy Gamp became quite famous and

twenty-six inches wide, and six inches deep and weighed just ten-and-a-half pounds. In it, he traveled 266 miles. The first seventy miles of his journey mirrored the start of my NFCT thru-paddle. In my book Upwards, Sears is a central character in the Adirondack segment of my trip.

“Nessmuk was his pen name,” I explain, “adopted in honor of the Nipmuck Indian who had befriended him as a surprisingly young boy growing up in Massachusetts. Imagine spending days in the forest learning wilderness skills, hunting and fishing instead of going to kindergarten. That woodcraft and a love of the northern forest would define his life and become his legacy, shared in the pages of the popular Forest and Stream weekly magazine.”

To learn more, consider reading Christine

was exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.

Should you wish to see her today, visit the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. I know I will always be grateful for the voice and vision of Nessmuk, which lives on in those of us who still venture into wild places alone and simply, in small canoes with double-bladed paddles.

Long distance journeys demand a lot physically, day after long day. The double-bladed paddle distributes that effort more evenly, utilizing muscles throughout the body. something to be learned of its heritage as well.

My first serious solo expedition was undertaken in a 12-foot plastic Native Watercraft fishing kayak.

That was my boat back in 2011, when I set off on a 350-mile journey across Maine. I could barely carry it, even with its removable seat removed. On the unwheelable portages, I was forced to make three trips. One for the boat and two for the gear, including the heavy seat and the wheels. This was no picnic in places like Mud Pond Carry.

When the time came to move to a lighter and

noe Trail.

Long distance journeys demand a lot physically, day after long day.

The double-bladed paddle distributes that effort more evenly, utilizing muscles throughout the body. My new boat came equipped with a metal foot-brace and a canoe seat with an adjustable back. Both provide support and make paddling more comfortable and efficient.

Paddling solo with a single blade requires frequent correction to maintain the desired course.

Inevitably, some energy is lost to the pry of the J-stroke. With a double-

est weight paddle you can afford. Proper paddle length—dependent on paddler height, boat width, and seat height—is also crucial. Many manufacturers provide charts for guidance in determining optimal paddle length. Some of the longest options, up to 270 or 280 cm, are marketed as double-bladed canoe (rather than kayak) paddles.

I am five feet, six inches tall and paddle a 31-inch-wide canoe. My Aqua-Bound Sting Ray carbon fiber paddle is 240 cm long and weighs less than two pounds. To protect and insulate my hands, I use Cascade Creek Yakgrips instead of gloves.

These thin foam sleeves slide onto the shaft and can be adjusted to suit your grip.

In 1884, writer George Washington Sears predicted that “the light, single canoe with doublebladed paddle is bound to soon become a leading—if not the leading—feature in summer recreation.” Sears was truly writing from ex-

Laurie Apgar Chandler is the author of Through Woods & Waters, which provides an adventurous look at Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and Upwards, the story of her 2015 solo self-propelled thru-paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

For more information or to purchase the books, visit www.laurieachandler.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

The Upland Life

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. The upland life brings continuous joy to your author. Let’s take a look at all the factors that contribute to every breath I take, every hour I live and every hour I look forward to living. It’s a community with open doors and friendly faces.

Bird dogs. Dogs have been man’s best friend for thousands of years. A partnership that has helped evolve society. A partnership that creates a bond like no other relationship.

We love them and they love us. The bond begins the moment we pickup a puppy and hold it. It’s love at first touch. The bond and love grows every day as we train our pup to be a reliable and well-mannered companion.

The bond grows in leaps and bounds as the pup begins to show-off their natural instincts by point-

March 2022

ing birds and perhaps naturally honoring a point. And we beam with pride as we slowly develop the pup to remain steady to the flush and shot. A human training partner comments on how stylish our dog looks on

white quail? How about the prairies for sharptail, Huns and/or pheasants? Or, if retired, do we try it all?

For ruffed grouse and woodcock, we can look at some very old and traditional hunting camps.

Maine has hunting camps which have been in operation for over 100 years. In fact, I believe Maine developed the hunting camp con-

and camaraderie. We meet new hunters, make new friends, exchange stories, sleep well and enjoy great food. It may mean reading from a kerosine lantern and throwing wood on the fire frequently but we enjoy every minute we’re there.

ing in a small strip motel in a small town. However, that’s not bad. That little town typically has a diner where all the farmers and local townspeople meet for coffee and breakfast. Prairie people are very friendly.

They give you suggestions

The one consistent in all of living the upland life is your bird dog. The bond and love created is irreplaceable. The upland life is good. point and we again glow with pride. This pup is ready to hunt we say.

Ready to hunt means planning a hunting trip. We first need to decide what wild bird we will hunt.

Planning a hunt is truly an enjoyable segment of the upland life. Do we travel to New England or the Great Lakes States for ruffed grouse and/or woodcock?

Do we go south for bob-

cept. In the 1800s, hunting sports from New York and Boston were taking trains and then horse and buggy to river landings where they met their guide. And then, a very long canoe trip up the river to the sporting camp. From departure from the city to arrival at camp often took two weeks of travel. For the upland hunter, the sporting camp provides a feeling of security

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The author’s wife Susan at a sporting camp.

(Photo by Paul Fuller)

And, we bond even further with our best friend by having the pup in the cabin with us. Speaking of our best friend, we marvel as our dog attempts to figure out the mysteries of the ruffed grouse. The upland life is good.

Or, we may head for the prairies where birds are plentiful. The primary bird species you might be hunting are Huns, sharptail and pheasant. Many say that a week in the prairies will make a bird dog. We quickly are amazed at how our young dog adjusts to the wide open spaces. There are a few traditional hunting camps in the prairies, however, you’re often stay-

on where to hunt. In one small prairie town with one diner, a farmer would get up frequently and refill everyone’s coffee cup. He didn’t know us but that was okay. It’s fun to listen to prairie talk: Is it time to harvest crops? What will prices be this year? Why did you switch from wheat to beans? The upland life is good.

Leaving the Dakotas and Montana prairies, we head south to either Oklahoma or Kansas for bobwhite quail; and maybe a pheasant. The only difference between the Northern prairie states and the Southern prairie states is replac(Upland cont.pg 41)

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March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

A Race with a Moose

In the winter of 188283 two Harvard students spent the winter in a shanty north of Moosehead Lake.

Their account was published in the Maine Industrial Journal on Jan. 9, 1891. In order to procure a

each stood still, staring at each other. The animal was a very large bull moose, old and solitary; evidently, he was half starved and the great bones showing clearly beneath the skin made him an unsightly

caped his rush, and, before he could recover himself, had jumped out of the yard upon the snow crust. In my scramble I dropped the gun, and it lay before me on the hard snow. There was no notion of flight expressed in those little eyes that gleamed at me so wickedly; half starved, wounded and desperate the animal meant mischief.

Now that we were out of

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

yards. Again, and again my pursuer gained on me, and I got out of the way just in time by dodging behind some tree.

I was now running along a high ridge which, on one side, fell off at in an almost perpendicular

and bellowed with rage.

To see me sitting there not ten feet away…and going back a few yards, he made ready for a run and jump.

On he came, antlers lowered and eyes flashing, but just as he plunged through the branches at my side,

I had a start of about twenty yards and could hear the brute grunting with rage as he plowed along behind me. We kept on for several minutes, when, looking over my shoulder, I saw with dismay that the animal, despite my advantage, was gaining on me.

Christmas dinner, they both headed out expecting to get a grouse or partridge “I stepped down in the yard to make a close examination. As I did so a shrill snort sounded from behind some low bushes at one side of the open space, and in a moment a moose stepped majestically into sight, shaking the snow from his shaggy shoulders.

We were both taken by surprise, and for an instant

object. Raising my gun, I fired a charge of buck shot.

The great beast came to his knees, and, as he fell, I fired the remaining barrel, which was loaded with bird shot.

At first, I thought I had killed him, but as the smoke cleared away, I saw the moose rise to his feet, and rush forward with all the fury of a mad bull.

Fortunately, like a bull, he could not turn quickly.

Leaping to one side, I es-

the yard, my snowshoes gave me a great advantage; I ran lightly on the crust, while the moose plunged deeply in with every leap.

I had a start of about twenty yards and could hear the brute grunting with rage as he plowed along behind me. We kept on for several minutes, when, looking over my shoulder, I saw with dismay that the animal, despite my advantage, was gaining on me. He would have overtaken me presently, but just before he was on me, I jumped behind a large spruce, and dodging around it, ran off again at right angles. In this way I gained about ten

descent. The moose was not a dozen yards behind me; there were no more trees within reach, and things were looking very alarming. I saw a tree, and without pausing to weigh the matter, but running out on the trunk, I flung myself as far as possible among the branches. The moose was able to stop just in time to save himself from falling headlong into the ravine. Standing at the edge he pawed the snow

he came so near that one antler caught the sleeve of my leather jacket. Down the animal crashed, full forty feet, to the bottom of the ravine. Pushing the branches aside I looked down. The great beast lay quite still.”

Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 26,000 Maine Woods articles to date.

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

617-407-0743

steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com

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Page 40

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME This is not about surviving an airplane crash; they happen rarely enough they are not worth considering. If you survive a commercial airline crash, rescue crews will be there in a big hurry.

This is about flying

for a flight is the time the plane is due to take off, not the time they are starting to board. Go to the airport the day before your flight if you can to get familiar with where you need to be on travel day.

Dress to be comfort-

Surviving Airline Travel

you to where you need to go. If there is a rule you don’t agree with or there is a problem with your flight, don’t start yelling at the agent. They are doing a tough job as well as they can. They may not

not allowed in carry-on you will need to put in your checked bags or throw away. Some items are not allowed in checked bags either. Again, check TSA. gov before you pack. Plan to buy what you need when

TSA has their own rules they have to follow also so don’t ask them to make an exception “just for you”. Again, arguing with TSA will only cause you problems. and making the trip as quick and easy as possible.

There are ways to make travel less stressful and actually fun.

Start with a little research. TSA.gov has a complete list of what you can carry on, what needs to be packed in checked baggage and how to pack.

There is also a list of items that can not be carried at all. If you are not sure, there is a place on the website to ask TSA directly.

Be at the airport at least two hours before the flight, three hours is better. Usually the time listed

able on the plane, but dress for the weather where you are leaving and going to.

Don’t wear pajamas and crocks with bare feet if you are leaving in a snow storm. If anything drastic happens you need to be ready to stand outside in the weather for an hour.

The first line you will be in is the ticket counter. Be sure your carryon and checked bags are packed properly and proper weight. Have your ID and paperwork ready to go. The ticket agent will do everything they can to move you through and help get

Flight attendants are there to look after your personal safety, as well as your comfort. Pay attention to them. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) agree with the rules either, you get to where you are but they didn’t make the going. TSA has their own rules they just have to fol- rules they have to follow low them. I’m writing this also so don’t ask them to while the mask mandate is make an exception “just for in effect. You don’t have you”. Again, arguing with to like any of the rules you TSA will only cause you just have to follow them if problems. you expect to fly on their Once you are through plane. You bought an air- security you should go line ticket, not the entire directly to the gate where airline. you are leaving. Check TSA security screen- the boarding time and then ing is next. Leave all con- shop from there. Anything traband at home. Anything you buy past security can go with you on the plane.

Get a snack and a couple bottles of water so you are covered if you have a long delay on the plane. The At camp, this guy and his gundog - after a morning of chasing pa’tridge - found a comfy flight attendants are there place to spend some time with their favorite read, the Northwoods Sporting Journal. to help everyone, not just Where do you read your copy of the Sporting Journal? At camp, to wait on one person. in the boat, at the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo of you with Get settled in when you get on the plane. Keepyour copy of the Journal at an unusual ing the aisle clear will 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.

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

www.sportingjournal.com

March 2022

make things easier for everyone. Read the safety/ emergency card and pay attention to the crew safety brief. Be sure you know where the nearest exit is in front and behind your seat.

If you are in an exit row, read but DON’T touch the exit. Know how to open it.

Pay close attention to what is happening for the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes of the flight. This is when most emergencies or problems happen. Bring your own pillow if you use one. Only use one earphone so you can hear what is going on.

Find the bathrooms as you are getting on the plane.

Alcohol is never your friend when you are flying.

Before or during your flight if you get an alcohol fueled attitude the best thing that will happen is you will not get to fly, worst case is you go to jail and get banned from flying. You will not intimidate anyone and no one is impressed. Save the drinks for after you get where you are going.

Airports and airlines have websites and some have apps to make travel easier. Do some research so you have an idea of what you need to do for flights and layovers.

Plan to be early and patient and flying can still be fun and mostly convenient.

Joe is a husband, father, author, and marine. Joefrazier193@ gmail.com

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Bodies

(Cont. from pg 35) Many streamer patterns like the Mickey Finn also call for an evenly spaced ribbing of oval tinsel over the body to add flash as well as to disguise imperfections in the underlying flat tinsel. Oval tinsel has a thread core, about ½ inch should be stripped off prior to tying on above the barb to eliminate a bump at the rear of the hook. Coat the entire tinsel body with head cement to increase its durability.

Next month we will be concentrating on tubular bodies.

Joe has enjoyed fly fishing for over 65 years.

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

Upland

(Cont. from pg 38) ing Huns and sharptail with the bobwhite quail. Upland hunters easily become addicted to bobwhite hunting.

Wild bobwhites flush hard, fast and in large coveys.

Several years ago, at one of those little local diners, my wife and I were given an outstanding tip on where to hunt. We went there the next morning and had six large bobwhite covey flushes before noon. We

were thrilled. The upland life is good.

The one consistent in all of living the upland life is your bird dog. The bond and love created is irreplaceable. The upland life is good.

Paul and Susan, his wife, host Bird Dogs Afield TV. All past TV episodes are available on their website: www.birddogsafield. com, Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 42

Maine Outdoor Adventure

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

March is the time we start to focus on spring!

Cabin fever is at an all-time high and making plans is in full swing! My favorite adventure is the ability to cast and blast. Typically, fall is most revered for a partridge hunt and some fishing. In the past 10

eagle he called, “a bird of bad moral character” that steals fish from hawks and “a rank coward” easily cowed by sparrows. Turkeys have been revered and symbolized as prosperity and plenty. Because of its role in Thanksgiving, the turkey is also associated

March 2022

Talking Turkey

being in the woods listening to gobblers sound off is very much exhilarating.

Watching a deer traveling through or an occasional black bear encounter can be very rewarding in the comfort and safety of a ground blind. There is something very calming, and relaxing in the spring woods, especially for a new hunter who is most impressionable and filled with excitement. Being

er. Before every hunting season, sighting in or patterning a gun is of utmost critical in on shooting a live animal. In shooting any gun or bow, knowing the effective range and having

for high visibility will add additional safety measures.

Learning an animal’s strengths, weaknesses, and habits is a good start for planning a successful hunt.

Today, there are videos,

Spring turkey hunting is, in my opinion, the “perfect” hunt for any hunter, including sports new to hunting. Starting with using the proper gun and practicing safe hunter safety, turkey hunting can be very safe and rewarding. years, turkey hunting has been made very popular due to tremendous population growth all over the country, including here in Maine. For most, including farmers, turkey populations have exploded and are in need of conservation by the harvesting of birds. Maine has become very liberal with regulations, including the increase in bag limit and non-registration of birds during the fall turkey season.

Turkeys are a special animal indeed. In fact, Benjamin Franklin thought the wild turkey more appropriate to be the nation’s symbol, not the eagle. The

with generosity, gratitude, family, and friendship. It obviously did not make it to symbolize America, but did, however, cast a tradition of celebration for a thankful America.

Spring turkey hunting is, in my opinion, the “perfect” hunt for any hunter, including sports new to hunting. Starting with using the proper gun and practicing safe hunter safety, turkey hunting can be very safe and rewarding.

Blind hunting in the spring or fall, is a great introduction to turkey hunting for all, especially those new to the sport.

As we enter spring,

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Preparing a hunter for a spring turkey hunt begins with firearm safety. Keeping it safe and simple is key to a relaxing, no-stress hunt. As always, preparation is important and typically begins with gun or bow selection. A two or single-barrel, breechloading shot gun is not only effective on birds but also very safe. The simplicity of a breech loading shotgun is certainly a great visual of safety in the blind with muzzles pointing outwards.

A good blind will conceal movement whether using a bow or shotgun. Blind hunting goes perfectly with a nervous and excited hunt-

“Spring Turkey Hunting” by Rich Yvon the confidence that only comes from practice, will ensure a clean kill. Most folks are dressed in full camo and use decoys with little or no orange. Many accidents happen this year due to hunters stalking turkeys, and being mobile. In addition to safe gun safety is blind hunting safety. A blaze orange flag, fixed in a manner on a blind roof

books, guides, and even show seminars that can get the job done.

Turkey hunting is indeed an important part of our hunting heritage in America. It’s up to each individual hunter to be safe and ethical if we are to keep our hunting heritage alive.

Rich is a full time Registered Maine Master Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford.

He serves as a board member for the Native Fish Coalition, Maine chapter. He is also an outdoor writer, tree farmer, fly-fishing instructor and certified NRA firearms instructor.

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Outdoor Provisions

March. For some it is a month of hope and promise of better, at least milder, times. Many will start to think of the coming spring and summer and possible outdoor adventures. Provisioning those adventure trips is always in the thought process. Of course it all depends on the

Early wilderness travelers had two choices to provision themselves. They could live off the land entirely or take very basic foods with them.

Most chose a combination of the two. nature and length of the trip and what you like and dislike. When I was questioned about how I decided what to take for provisions my answer always got me a poke or scowl from Dot. I answered that I took food that I liked. That way I was sure at least one person on the trip would be happy with the food. It is kind of fun to look at how provisioning was done in the past.

Early wilderness travelers had two choices to provision themselves.

They could live off the land entirely or take very basic foods with them. Most chose a combination of the two. The packed food provided the barest of sustenance, and fish and game filled their bellies when the opportunity presented itself. Remember, these people, Native American or white, did not have the food choices available from the modern supermarket.

Most times the packed food was chosen to allow rapid travel, saving the valuable time it would take to search for food. The voyageurs who canoed for a living in the fur trade had gigantic appetites. Records show their daily ration was ten pounds of salmon, fifteen pounds of whitefish, or

exaggeration, but you’ll get the idea: Take the scrapings from the driest outside corner of a very stale piece of cold roast beef, add to it lumps of tallowy, rancid fat, then garnish all with long human hairs, on which string pieces, like beads upon a necklace (I assume this referred to headlice

A trout fry! Then and now, pan fried Maine brookies are the culinary cat’s meow.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

three pounds of pemmican.

I assume this was for the entire crew of one canoe.

This is still a lot of food, but these traders expended a huge amount of energy, paddling eighteen hours a day at sixty strokes per minute.

A m a z i n g l y, T h e y made their portages at a trot, carrying two or even three ninetypound bundles at a time. It seems that the pemmican of today is a far cry from what they ate in the old days. The following is a quote from H.M. Robinson’s The Great Fur Land; or Sketches of Life in the Hudson’s Bay Territory, published in 1879.

There probably is some

nits) and short hairs of dogs or oxen, or both, and you have a fair imitation of common pemmican. Indeed the presence of hair in the food has suggested the inquiry whether the hair on the buffaloes from which the pemmican is made does not grow on the inside of the skin.

The abundance of small stones or pebbles in the pemmican also indicates the discovery of a new buffalo diet heretofore unknown to naturalists. In his book, The Maine Woods, Henry David Thoreau wrote about his three trips to northern Maine from 1846 to 1857.

Here’s what he wrote: “The

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Northwoods Voyager

Page 43

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME following will be a good outfit for one who wishes to make an excursion of twelve days into the Maine Woods in July, with a companion, and one Indian for the same purposes that I did.” Thoreau listed all of his gear; the following is what he had to say about food: “Provisions.

- Soft hard bread, twentyeight pounds; pork, sixteen pounds; sugar, twelve pounds; one pound black tea or three pounds of coffee; one box or pinto salt; one quart Indian meal, to fry fish in; six lemons, good to correct the pork and warm water; perhaps two or three pounds of rice for variety. You will probably get some berries, fish, etc., besides.”

I am not sure how the lemons “correct” the pork and warm water, but it is apparent to me that those were not exactly the “good old days” as far as expedition fare was concerned.

They did keep it simple,

though! So, be happy today with the many choices available. You can go ultra light as backpackers do by necessity or you can load your canoe like a freighter with cooler full of fresh food along with a variety of canned foods to live almost like at home. Have a great season folks!

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 44

March 2022

March Madness

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

thoughts will more and more turn to the spring gobbler season. That’s esThe older I get the up north, in the western pecially true on those clear, longer winters seem to last hills and Downeast some of sun-drenched March days but at last we’re well on our favorite trolling waters when you can hear the our way to spring! With and early-season angling gutters run or the eaves are lengthening daylight hours hotspots like Rangeley, running steady with snow these past few weeks and Big Wood, Moosehead and melt and there’s a promise Daylight Savings Time West Grand, to name but a of warmer days to come. commencing on March 13, few, historically don’t clear I know it’s a tad early. at 2:00 a.m. to be exact, until sometime in mid-to- The spring turkey season and with spring officially late April or later. doesn’t open statewide arriving on March 20 it No, the calendar says until May 2 but it’s hard not seems just around the cor- spring arrives in a few to think about it and wish ner. weeks, but for me at least the season opener would Maine is home to an es- somewhere even though timated 65,000 to 70,000 water conditions are apt to No, the calendar says spring arrives in a few weeks, wild turkeys. There are be high. But it’s something. but for me at least it’s not here until I see green grass, times when it seems like a Until then I’ll just have to hardwoods sprouting new foliage and consistent daytime good portion of them reside be patient and cope with temperatures about 50 degrees. in the woodlands surround- my own kind of “march But it really isn’t, is it’s not here until I see get here sooner rather than ing my home. I know it’s madness,” that lasts until it? The calendar may dic- green grass, hardwoods later when birds can be not the case but birds are then. tate otherwise but if you sprouting new foliage and heard gobbling at daybreak everywhere and we don’t Al and his wife Diane grew up in Maine like I consistent daytime tem- and seen in full strut pester- have a problem finding and live on 43+/- areas in Lydid or have lived here for peratures about 50 degrees. ing hens that don’t seem in- killing our legal share. man, Maine that offers Once March is over more than a few winters But what to do until then? terested, things we’ve been you well know Old Man I suppose some will be hearing and seeing earlier and done with there’s still good deer and turkey huntWinter is habitually reluc- out getting in some late and earlier in recent years. April, but at least at some ing opportunities which tant to give up his grip and season ice-fishing, hunting There’s only one point it’s possible to troll they both enjoy. If the propspring as most of us con- for snowshoe hares and downside of the spring a streamer in one of the erty had a trout stream it ceive it is still weeks away. predators and basketball turkey season. It’s typically larger lakes or dunk a worm would be true paradise.

I mean, the snow pack fans will be watching the short lived, at least for our or two in a favorite trout Al can be reached at almight recede in southern state high school basketball hunting group. The season stream or hidden brook raychard@sacoriver.net areas later this month but finals, the NCAA March runs through June 4 so Subscriber Notice: won’t be completely gone Madness or their favorite there’s plenty of hunting Please be advised that the late deliveries of the until sometime next month. NBA games but I really days and each hunter is February issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal are It’ll linger in our northern haven’t been a basketball allowed two bearded birds the responsibility of the United States Postal Service, reaches later than that. And fan since Larry Bird retired but it doesn’t take long to which reportedly has experienced slowdowns attributwhile some of our southern (yes I’m that old!). fill our limits. Most of us able to Covid, weather conditions, and other supply faclakes might clear of ice As it does about ev- are bagged out the first tors. We regret this situation and remind all subscribers that a full digital edition of the February issue can be within the next few weeks ery year at this time my week. It’s been reported seen at www.sportingjournal.com. Click on “issues.”

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SKOWHEGAN

March 2022

News

(Cont. from pg 15) out a mail-in application.

You can also pick up an application at any Fish and Game license agent, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters, or at Fish and Game regional offices.

Moose hunt lottery applications for 2022 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Eastern Standard Time on Friday, May 27, 2022. Applications can also be delivered to the Licensing Office at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH, before 4:00 p.m. that day. Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing on June 17.

Vermont’s Spring Snow Goose Hunt

Since 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has annually issued a “Conservation Order” to allow the reduction of the population of migrating greater and lesser snow geese as well as Ross’ geese. The numbers of these geese have grown so high that they are destroying habitat for themselves and other species.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Eight states in the Atlantic Flyway (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Vermont) will hold a similar Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order in 2022.

The Vermont 2022 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order will occur statewide. The daily bag limit is 15 snow geese, and there is no possession limit. Waterfowl hunting regulations in effect last fall will apply during the 2022 Spring Snow Goose Conservation Order with the exception that unplugged shotguns and electronic calls may be used and shooting hours will be extended until one half hour after sunset.

A 2022 Spring Snow Goose Harvest Permit is required and is available at no charge on the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website at https:// vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt Hunters may also call the Essex Junction Office (802878-1564) to request a permit.

Hunters will need a 2022 Vermont hunting license (residents $28, nonresident small game $50), a 2022 Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, a 2021 federal migratory

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hunting stamp ($25), and a 2022 Vermont migratory waterfowl stamp ($7.50).

Hunters can register with the Harvest Information Program by going to Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website or by calling toll free 1-877-306-7091.

Hunters who obtain a permit will be required to complete an online survey prior to May 16, 2022, whether they hunted or not.

Hunters without access to

the internet may obtain a copy of the survey by calling 802-878-1564.

“The breeding population of greater snow geese has grown from approximately 50,000 birds in the mid-1960s to 714,000 birds today,” said David Sausville, Vermont’s wildlife management program manager and waterfowl project leader. “This increase has resulted in damage to agricultural crops

Page 45 and marsh vegetation in staging and wintering areas from Quebec to North Carolina. Hunting pressure to date has aided in reducing the population from its high point of just over one million birds during the period of 2000-2010. The Atlantic Flyway has established a goal of 500,000 greater snow geese to bring populations in balance with their habitat and reduce (News cont. pg 66)

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit

Two Rare Finds

Covid preoccupations notwithstanding, this past year in Maine was unusual in more ways than one.

An extremely rare, and most colorful, mushroom was found in the North Woods. And along the coast of the Pine Tree State, the sighting of a highly rare Russian raptor created quite a buzz in the bird watching community.

Entoloma Indigoferum. This rarest of rare cerulean blue mushroom was discovered in the Jo Mary Lake area by Northwoods Sporting Journal columnist and sporting camp operator Bud Utecht and two of his clients during a trout fishing trek. With the help of his daughter, Tara, Utecht’s research revealed that this is one of 20 of the rarest mushrooms in the country, never before found in Maine! First discovered in the 1870s, the next recorded sighting of the fungi was in the New Jersey Pine Barrens in 2013.

With great care, Utecht harvested the specimen and turned it over to the University of Maine, where it now resides in UMO’s herbarium. Revisting the “harvest site,” Utecht discovered another of the rare mushrooms, but let it be.

Where, exactly was it found, you ask? The finder’s lips are sealed.

Enter 2021’s rare find number two: a Steller’s sea eagle. This raptor, one of the largest birds of prey on the planet, is rare even on its home ground, the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia. To find it soaring 5,000 miles away from home near Boothbay Harbor and other places along the Maine coast is, for a birder, more exciting than winning the Maine Lottery. According to Maine wildlife biologist Mark McCollough, the Steller’s sea eagle can weigh up to 21 lbs and has an 8 foot wing span.

The Russian raptor, which has a unique identification spot on its wing, has been seen in Alaska and the maritime Provinces as well. As McCollough points out “this is a honkin’ bird” that apparently likes to travel.

Interestingly enough, as well as being a drifter, the wandering sea eagle may also be a Lothario with wings. He is believed to have mated with a Bald eagle during one of his stop overs in Taunton, Mass.

The big question of course on the minds of Maine birders is whether this magnificent sea eagle will elect to put down roots here, or fly on back to Siberia.

Homer Spit lives on a lake in Maine. He likes to keep a low profile.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 46

On The Prowl

March 2022

Circled by Coyotes

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME I’ll be the first to admit that coyotes make me feel uneasy at times. This story just so happens to explain one of those occasions. First allow me to share the events leading up to this hair- raising encounter.

Immediately after the hunting season on deer ended in December I visited the local butchers to collect three to four hun-

I leave the hunting blind so the animals get used to it. They will eventually disregard it. In essence my hunting blind becomes part of the landscape. I’ve shot bobcats out of this hunting blind off my bait site the year before. The coyotes mostly visit this bait site after dark.

Within a few hundred yards of where this bait site lay is my place of work.

The howling and barking got louder.

By now I was standing erect wide eyed and listening. At this time I was glad I had my shotgun and buck shot in my truck... dred pounds of meat scraps along with three deer rib cages. I stored it all in a couple of black contractor trash bags and placed them in barrels. Once the first Saturday after deer season arrived, also known as opening day for baiting coyotes and bobcats, I put the bags of goodies in my Jet Sled in the bed of my truck and off I went. Upon arriving at my hunting area, I pulled my sled out of the back of my truck and pulled all that coyote and bobcat bait into my bait site. I have a hunting blind set in place that has been there for over a year.

Yes! I hunt where I work.

A great benefit. But so does my boss and supervisor. We all manage the area not only for blueberry waste water removal and blueberry compost but also for deer hunting. We have several food plots in place.

All of this work also makes it a great area to hunt the coyotes and bobcats. By this time you are realizing that I caused the nerve racking encounter that I’m about to share.

Dan, my supervisor, had given me the task to shovel out our Baby Giant Snow Guns and the fire hoses we use for air and

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The coyote circled not far from this “snow cone.”

(Photo by Justin Merrill)

water when making blueberry waste water snow. I had to coil up the hoses and get the snow guns ready for the next snow making run.

I was forty feet up on top of one of our snow hills we made through several snow making runs. I was shoveling out a spot for the snow gun when I heard a distant barking and howling. The coyote was far away at the moment. I continued shoveling waste water snow. I left the four wheeler running down below the forty foot tall snow hill plus I was making all kinds of noise shoveling. I never thought coyotes would come around. I was wrong!

The howling and barking got louder. By now I was standing erect wide eyed and listening.

At this time I was glad I had my shotgun and buck shot in my truck that was parked only sixty yards away. I thought to myself if I continue to hear these coyotes circling me I will quickly grab my gun and get in position to shoot if needed.

I continued to work on finishing my task all the while these coyotes were getting closer. They eventually made it around

to the back side of the other two snow hills made by the two other Baby Giant Snow Guns. The coyotes were barking and howling while staged up along a clear cut not very far from where I was working. I put the shovel down and replaced it with my twelve gauge shotgun loaded with buckshot. I got back up on the snow hill and waited to see if these coyotes would come any closer.

In addition to grabbing my gun out of my truck I also got one of my predator calls. Once the coyotes stopped vocalizing for a minute I sounded off a distress calling sequence with my closed reed mouth predator call. A short while after finishing my distress call the barking and howling started up again but this time a little closer. It sounded like the alpha dog was doing the majority of the howling. It dawned on me that I was listening to the warning barks and howls. Coyotes will sound off when they are aware of something disturbing. It could be other coyotes trespassing on their turf or, in this case, a human disturbing their food stash down in the woods put there by

yours truly. They wanted so badly to go to that bait site but were challenging me or in other words testing the waters. These brazen coyotes were trying to get me to leave. They either were trying to figure out if I was any threat or if I was leaving. They remained staged up out in the clearing within fifty yards of the other two snow hills.

It put them about two to three hundred yards away from me.

Instead of sounding off another distress calling sequence I just remained quiet. I quickly realized my calling wasn’t going to work. For the next half hour I was listening to sticks snapping, red squirrels squealing and birds sounding off their alarm calls. I concluded that the coyotes eventually circled around to my bait site.

They stayed out of sight deep within the woods.

After an hour of waiting and hearing all kinds of commotion coming from the woods surrounding my bait site I got down from that snow hill. I couldn’t go after the coyotes at that time. I had to finish my job.

Early the next morn(Coyotes cont. pg 48))

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Does and Dry Sows!

Of the 35 deer I have harvested with a bow, many have been antlerless. I have also arrowed a few big dry bear sows. In areas with high deer and bear populations, female harvest is

less permit.

Most will agree that fat whitetail does taken before the rut are the best table fare due the tenderness and mild flavor of the meat. Over several years, I arrowed multiple does in different expanded zones and during the Marsh Island management hunt where deer number reduction were desired.

Some of those older mature does were as wary as a big One of the author’s sow bears buck and taken with a bow. presented a great arrecommended by Fish and chery challenge. When Wildlife Agencies. I have alert, they are quick to react arrowed does in Maine to the sound of the bow Expanded Archery zones, and more than one arrow in Rhode Island, Penn- has zipped over their back sylvania and in Vermont. when they ducked the shot Many states have multiple or as some say “jumped the antlerless tags available string”! and so allow archers to buy Dry bear sows are also as many tags as they want. the best eating in the fall In Maine and many states, due to their diets of fruits, crossbows are allowed to nuts, and sweet bear baits. be used in regular archery In the spring they may be seasons with the required nursing cubs or eating carcrossbow training and li- rion after emerging from cense. In Maine, buyers their den. I prefer to harvest of the expanded archery large male bears but have license receive three antler- arrowed a few sows over less deer tags and can buy 200 pounds that I observed more for $13 each. During for several minutes to make regular archery season in sure that they didn’t have Wildlife Managements cubs and were large, maDistricts where antlerless ture females. Bears become tags are issued, you can expert at trailing pregnant legally arrow a doe without whitetails or moose and being drawn for an antler- rushing in to grabbing the

newborn fawns and calves right after birth. A recent Penn State study found black bears killed an average of 50% of fawns in the study area. When an adult bear is arrowed, take solace in knowing you have saved many young deer and possibly moose from a slow and painful death. Just type black bear

Page 47

The Northwoods Bowhunter

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME dark so I decided to hunt there. About 10 minutes before legal that night, a big bear came in stealthily from behind me all alone and looked huge in the failing light. I drew my bow

severed her jugular vein thus the massive blood loss and quick death. Big sows or does are challenging to bow hunt, and provide wonderful table fare. Remember to bring the drag

When an adult bear is arrowed, take solace in knowing you have saved many young deer and possibly moose from a slow and painful death. kills fawn into any search engine to observe many videos of nature at work.

After retiring from the State Police, I was working a new job that did not allow for much time off to hunt. I only had a few active bait sites and was not seeing any large boars on my trail cams. One camera revealed a large bear hitting just before dark near a large blueberry field that had beehives destroyed that summer. I got to my stand at 5 p.m. and an hour later, watched a plump bear move silently and cautiously through the timber.

Upon reaching the bait, I observed it had the shorter face and rounder appearance of a sow and did not have any cubs with her.

I waited for a broadside shot and launched a Muzzy tipped arrow through her lungs. She woofed and bolted only to crash within sight of my stand followed by the death moan. She weighed 205 lbs dressed.

A few years later, another blueberry grower let me bait on land where he had also had beehives destroyed by bears. Toward the end of the season a large bear appeared at this bait right at the edge of

before it got to the bait and placed the fiber optic pin on the vitals. When I released, the arrow smacked with a different sound than a chest shot and the bear took off growling a gurgling.

I never heard a crash or a death moan in the mossy evergreens but did find my blood covered arrow and a massive blood trail leading into the swamp. My uncle and friend helped track and we found the 202 lb dry sow about 60 yards from the bait. My shot was errant and the broad head had

harness!

Brian is a Retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He is a life member of the Maine Bowhunter’s Association and 1st Director at Large. He was chosen MBA Bowhunter of the Year in 2005 & 2008.

He is a life member of the NRA, longtime Member of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and serves on the SAM-ILA Board. He can be reached at bowhunter@ mgemaine.com

Page 48

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME

I’m sitting at the kitchen table. The sun is coming up, barely. The most important thing right now is being a heat seeker this January morning.

There is nothing more important than heat. There is dangerous magic in the kind of cold we have been getting. So much so that it’s worth marking.

We have not had much snow yet. I have only had to snow-blow once, which is too bad because the snow shields against the cold.

The ice does not close up Moosehead Lake until sometime after the New Year, so ice fishing and snowmobiling have had to wait for the weather. Now that winter is full on, the big marker may be that it is just going to be cold.

Extremely cold. Calling for extreme measures. This kind of cold demands attention, or else you die. It’s that simple.

I keep a daily log book

and January 3 marked 0F., with a windchill at -10F. It is now January 22, and the gauge reads -23F., as is.

The remainder of the week is expected to be about the same. Most days during this month have been well below freezing, ranging

Winter Marker: -37 Fahrenheit

Lately, people have been watching out for each other, with calls out to check on our old people, bring hot food where needed, or to know you can ask for help, any time of the day or night, and someone will come if you need them. This is very reassuring.

eats it up, and the tank needs filling every time you turn around. If you rely on wood, cords of it come in handy. It is a God-send if the grid goes out. I live in an old camp and will never have a mold problem! Allergies don’t visit here. But in the heart of winter, it is necessary to batten down.

It is completely different from any other season. The others are yoked here by temperate weather. Winter cannot be made into something it is not. It is dangerous magic. from -4F. to -37F. While the gauge reads a negative number, windchill is usually factored in, because the wind on Moosehead is usually howling. It is one of the best features of the lake year-round. The air is constantly circulating, providing relief from the summer heat — a quality many visitors have come for since the turn of the last century to escape urban grit and discomfort — and providing bone-chilling, exhilarating, clear cold during the winter.

Greenville

March 2022

When it’s this cold and windy, likely the power will go out. Many people have self-starting generators; many don’t. When it’s this cold, the cold seeps into every nook and cranny it can find and you can feel cold where you never knew it was before. It is almost impossible to fend off against it. If you rely on oil or propane, this cold

The curtains facing east stay closed against the incessant wind. This helps keep the air from seeping inside. Thick blankets hang against the east-facing door and on the vestibule windows. This makes all the difference in keeping the heat in and the cold at bay.

Whatever works. Stephen King once wrote that it’s good to use all the tools

Coyotes

tall grasses just beyond my bait. It was moving fast.

The small coyote stopped to look back at the bait. I could only see its nose and tail at that time. This coyote turned and ran off. I had to leave my blind shortly after. I determined at this time if I were to have better luck with coyotes that I will have to do some night sits until midnight or one o’ clock in the morning. I have a heater to bring with me to make those long sits in the cold of the night

(Cont. from pg 46) ing I got into my hunting blind before first light. A couple hours later I was looking out beyond the bait into the swamp to see if any coyotes were approaching.

I scanned the whole area.

Straining my eyes looking for a coyote. Finally something caught my attention.

I looked up to see a small coyote jumping through the

you have in your toolbox (about writing); you’re a monkey if you don’t. This makes a lot of sense, and I use it wherever applicable.

I like the -37F. marker as much as I do a summer afternoon. In many ways, even better. There’s nothing else like it. So long as there is protection against the forcefield of the ever hovering cold, it is exhilarating. It is completely different from any other season. The others are yoked here by temperate weather. Winter cannot be made into something it is not. It is dangerous magic.

The clear night skies are brilliant like no other night.

There is stillness, and quiet, like no other time. The dark is comforting. There is a slowing down of rhythm and pace, where, at times, the only necessity is to stay warm. much more bearable.

Justin has spent many winters learning the ways of the coyote and bobcat. He has learned from hunting guides and biologists along with his own experiences.

He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the founder and owner of the YouTube channel, SPIKES and GILLS. You can learn more by visiting his website at www.wildmaineoutdoors.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Page 49

Question Of The Month

A Lost Hunter: What Do You Do?

By V. Paul Reynolds This story is true. The names have been changed for obvious reasons.

Doug is deer hunting the North Woods with deer camp chums. The afternoon hunt plan is to split up and hunt to the stream, linger there, and head back to the road to the trucks by

begin making lots of noise.

“Doug Doug,” they yell at the top of their lungs. They blow a whistle. They fire two shots.

Nothing. No response from the missing hunter.

They begin to worry. Doug is not a novice deer hunter but he was not known the

other side of the road. “It must be Doug. He is alive.

Thank God!” The worried hunters fire a shot near the trucks.

Pow! Doug answers back with a shot. He is a long way from where he was supposed to exit the woods.

The hunters take a compass

Pow! A gun shot, quite a ways to the South on the other side of the road.

“It must be Doug.

He is alive. Thank God!” last light. Doug’s camp mate, Frank, has worked his way back from the stream and is sitting on a log in a chopping above the stream not far from the road, waiting for dark to come on. At about 4 p.m., Frank sees Doug off to his left working his way out to the road, or so he thought.

Just before dark everybody shows up at the trucks, save one – Doug.

He is nowhere to be seen or heard. His camp buddies wait. By 5 p.m. the missing hunter’s friends

world over for his woods navigation skills. He had gotten “turned around” before. The silence from the darkness is dreadful. Worry turns to gut-wrenching anxiety and even fright.

Doug’s friends begin to imagine the worst.

They blow horns and shout “Doug” to the night.. Minutes drag on, then…..

Pow! A gun shot, quite a ways to the South on the

bearing on Doug, and one of the hunters volunteers to go find him, to head into the inky darkness and tangled woods armed with flashlights and lots of signal ammo.

Time passes. The signal shots reverberate and suggest changed headings of both the rescuer and the rescuee. Thankfully, the night is still, no wind.

An hour after dark it be-

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comes clear. The lost hunter is a moving target. He is not sitting still awaiting rescue.“Oh, my Gawd. He is moving in the darkness!”

It is now 6:30 p.m.

There is a rising moon, but cold is descending.

The waiting hunters blow horns to no apparent avail.

Finally, they dial 911 in an attempt to reach the Maine Warden Service and get the wheels rolling for some professional help.

Suddenly, the hand held radio squawks with good news. “Bob this is George. I have Doug. He came out on the Endless Lake Road. Sonny is almost out. I see his headlamp in the chopping.”

The 911 dispatcher is advised that all is well.

There is deep relief and thankfulness all around. Doug gets bear hugs and verbal scoldings all at the same time. He feels bad. He is a wash of sweat. The hunt buddy who tracked Doug through the woods is dog tired. He never expected to be chasing the lost hunter. The assumption was that Doug would stay put for the res-

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cue, just like in the hunter safety brochures.

As they say, all is well that ends well. Hunter safety courses teach the acronym S.T.O.P. to all hunters. The takeaway is quite straight forward. If you don’t know where you are, you ARE lost. Admit it.

Sit down. Think, Observe, and Plan.

Doug took the Hunter Safety Course, but the fear or the flight instinct overcame his common sense and his book learning.

His mishap was a learning experience, not only for him but for his hunting companions as well.

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on “The Voice of Maine News - Talk Network.” He has authored three books; online purchase information is available at www. maineoutdoorpublications. com. or www.sportingjournal.com. Contact email — vpaulr@tds.net

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont I was trying to think of something to focus on for this month’s issue when a series of memories, sad memories, came flowing over me.

I’ve been blessed to have known and fished and hunted with some great

newspaper job for about three years with no success.

Ron Rakos was the only editor who would hire me when no one else would.

You want a young man who desperately wanted to get into the news business?

One afternoon, on the way

We had a natural bond, one that he reminded me of whenever we met, during get-togethers of the New England Outdoor Writers Association.

We were brothers of the sky, both proud paratroopers. men, most of whom were better hunters, better anglers than I could ever hope to be. These men taught me lessons that would serve me well later in life. I want to dedicate this column to them.

After graduating from college, I tried to land a

home from a mundane job at a factory, I decided to head into the newsroom of the News Tribune in Woodbridge, N.J. I had no appointment with the managing editor but the receptionist called from outside his office to say a man was here for a job. What were

Those Left Behind

my chances?

As luck would have it, a reporter for the paper had left about a week earlier. We hit it off right away. Ron was an avid fly fisherman and bird hunter.

He wrote the weekly outdoor column for the paper.

Right after I took the job as a rookie reporter, he passed the outdoor column on to me. While I enjoyed the reporting and an eventual promotion as the night editor, it was the role as an outdoor writer that really fired me up. This was where a future of writing about the things I loved would take wing.

I remember the day when a popular fishing lodge somewhere up near Catskill, N.Y., invited a bunch of outdoor writers to their camp, which catered to those with pockets much deeper than mine.

Ron handed me a fly rod, taught me the basics and on

that day. I caught four brown trout from a deep stream near the camp. I was hooked.

After four years, I left the Tribune in 1978 to move to Vermont.

Less than a year later, I heard from Ron’s wife: He had a brain tumor.

I drove down to visit my mentor and found a man almost unrecognizable, but still mentally alert. He died only weeks later at the age of 39.

When it comes to good men, Steve Wright was at the top. Never heard him say a bad word about anyone. Hell of a striper fisherman and, yes, another guy who loved to shoot, like Ron Rakos, upland game birds with a dog at his side.

A former Vermont Fish & Wildlife commissioner, I invited Steve to spend the night at my place

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The late Randy Julius, outdoorsman, writer, artist, musician and longtime leader of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. and a spring turkey hunt the next morning. What he demonstrated to me, that morning, was a man who was so safety-conscious that it stays with me to this day. As we made our way through some prime turkey property I happened to turn around and could see that his over-and-under shotgun was open, that if we happened to get a tom going, then and only then would Steve click the shotgun closed so that it would fire.

Steve went on to serve in a number of jobs, all committed to improving the sport of hunting and working as hard as he could to bring the hunting and non-hunting communities together. He died in 2019.

Hal Lyon was a man for all seasons and not merely the seasons of hunting and fishing. He was a Renaissance man. A graduate of West Point, Army officer, Airborne Ranger, an author, a man who traveled to Germany every year to teach and, obviously, a man (Behind cont. pg 63)

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Hunting with Hounds Threatened

Hunters have used dogs to hunt bears, bobcats, coyotes and snowshoe hares for generations in Vermont and northern New England. That tradition may end in Vermont in the near future starting with hunting bears with hounds. The effort to end hunting with dogs is being led by Brenna Galdenzi, the founder of Protect Our

and unnecessary Vermont hunting practices. Hunting with hounds and trapping furbearers appall her. Since founding POW in 2015, Galdenzi and her group have campaigned to raise public awareness of hunting and trapping practices they find abhorrent, and to pressure legislators and state officials to ban or restrict them. They have the

The effort to end hunting with dogs is being led by Brenna Galdenzi, the founder of Protect Our Wildlife.

Wildlife.

Galdenzi and her husband moved to Vermont in 2010 from Rocky Hill, Connecticut. She began volunteering for the advocacy group Green Mountain Animal Defenders and soon realized that trapping was a thing in Vermont.

She became more involved in the group’s anti-trapping campaigns, but it appears the Burlington-based nonprofit was not active enough for her. She founded POW which has become very active and constantly exhibits outrage at sporting traditions taken for granted by old timers. The group’s website and Facebook page are full of videos of hunting and trapping practices, particularly images of animals in distress. Many are selfies taken by hunters and trappers who share them on social media that have come back to bite them. POW members repost and share them with their followers, who often respond with accusations and outrage.

Galdenzi puts chasing bears with dogs high on her long list of unethical

ear of some lawmakers.

Several pending bills at the Statehouse would restrict hunting and trapping practices. These include H.172, which would ban the use of dogs in bear hunting and limit trapping to situations where the wildlife is a nuisance. Another, S.129, would change the makeup of the Fish & Wildlife Board to add those more aligned with POW’s viewpoints.

Many of us have ignored Galdenzi and POW, hoping they would go away, but that was a mistake. Their criticism of hunting and trapping has struck a chord with many non-hunters, a lot of whom are passionate and use social media to spread their messages. Galdenzi was

quoted as saying, “I feel very motivated and uplifted that there is now a revolution under way in Vermont because of us,” she said. She may be right.

In early September, Peacham resident Morgan Gold taped an encounter with Butch Spear, president of the Vermont Bearhound Association who was retrieving his hounds after they chased a bear onto Gold’s property and treed it. The encounter went viral and has played out in the traditional media and other platforms and aroused a lot of passion against hunting with bear dogs.

Gold’s video resulted in a petition to change the hound hunting laws in Vermont that has garnered more than 100,000 signatures. An example of the strong emotions involved took place October 9 when Theodore Shumway and two companions were hunting bear with hounds in the 26,000-acre Groton State Forest. A bear led the hounds onto private property before climbing a tree. The hunters entered the woods and retrieved the hounds, leaving the bear in the tree.

On returning to his truck with leashed hounds, Shumway encountered Groton residents, Donna

Page 51

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

Babic and Betty Eastman releasing air from the tires of his truck. Following an argument between the parties, one of the two women allowed a German shepherd out of their vehicle.

The loose German shepherd attacked and injured one of the leashed hounds, which required veterinary care.

For quite a while it looked as if the whole incident was being kept quiet by the authorities. There was no mention of the encounter in the Vermont State Police daily release of incidents although troopers had responded to try and defuse the situation. A Fish & Wildlife warden also responded and wrote up a press release that did not get disseminated. Spear, the Bearhound Association president, came to my home to complain that there was a coverup. He and many of his members were questioning why there was no notice of the incident released to the press.

Ultimately something did get done and Babic and Eastman were found guilty of interfering with hunters on November 22, in Caledonia Superior Court and were fined $262. Following the convictions, Fish &

Vermont Outdoor Guide Association hosts Vermont's most complete directory of outdoor recreation services, guided tours and adventure travel resources. https://www.voga.org/

Wildlife did issue a press release but there was never anything from VSP regarding the vandalism.

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He has been a magazine freelancer and syndicated newspaper columnist for 45 years. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2022 Gary W. Moore

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Page 52

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Whatever your preference, March! Rabbit season runs the entire month, often faster than those who pursue them!

Department fisheries

zen lake or pond and fish through the ice. And once you’re out there, there’s lots of room to spread out.”

Ice fishing can also be more sociable than open water

biologist Shawn Good says ice fishing is a fun, social, family-oriented activity, and that there are many great reasons for Vermonters new to the sport to try it this year. “Ice fishing is generally more accessible than open water fishing,” says Good. “Almost anyone can walk out on a fro-

fishing, with friends and family gathering on the ice for cookouts and winter fun along with the fishing. With an uptick in anglers trying the sport last year as a way to get outside with friends during the pandemic, Good expects to see a lot of action on the ice this winter.

“For many, it’s not just

about the fish. Kids love ice fishing because they can run around and slide on the ice or play in the snow. I’ve seen families with grills, food and hot drinks having a great time. They set their tip-ups, build snowmen, play football, and even skate in between bouts of fishing.” To learn more about ice fishing for beginners, visit Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s “Ice Fishing Basics” webpage: www. vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/ fishing-opportunities/vermonts-ice-fishing-opportunities/ice-fishing-basics.

Vermonters can express their passion for wildlife conservation by donating to the Nongame Wildlife Fund on their state income tax form this year, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. The fund helps protect some of Vermont’s most threatened wildlife such as bald eagles, lake sturgeon, rare plants, and Indiana bats. “Every dollar Vermonters donate to Nongame Wildlife Fund on their taxes is nearly tripled,” says Rosalind Renfrew, Fish and Wildlife’s Wildlife Diversity Program Manager. “Donations are leveraged by matching federal grants, meaning that (Ides cont. pg 53)

The Ides of March

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT March! As much of a verb as it is a noun. Used in a reference to a calendar, it is even a harbinger of ill health if you read Shakespeare. “Beware the Ides of March” was the warning whispered to Julius Caesar

breeding patterns of yellow and white perch, pike and all the panfish. March means that we are trying to milk the last few days of ice fishing out of the passing winter. For, who doesn’t love a bright sunny day on

For many, it’s not just about the fish.

Kids love ice fishing because they can run around and slide on the ice or play in the snow. I’ve seen families with grills, food and hot drinks having a great time. before being assassinated on the 15th day. For those of us in the North Country it is frequently appropriated as a verb (i.e., We will “march” through the deep snow in search of the wily snowshoe hare or cottontail behind a cacophony of baying beagles.) It also portends the melting of ice on the lakes and subsequently, the flow of melting snowpack carrying oxygen under the surface, inspiring the feeding and

our favorite lake or pond, sitting in a comfortable folding chair and enjoying a cold beverage? For those of us lucky enough to spend a morning on the ice filling up buckets of “whiteys” then heading into the scrub brush as the sun, at its meridian height, warms the furry rabbit’s warrens and motivates them to get out and about, seeking winter berries and the first green shoots popping up out of the melting snow.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Ides

Legislation

(Cont. from pg 52)

(Cont. from pg 32)

a $35 donation can help secure up to another $65 in federal funds for wildlife conservation in Vermont.

That’s a fantastic deal for all of us who care about wildlife.”

“The Nongame Checkoff donations, along with hunting, fishing and trapping license revenue, have helped recovery efforts for Vermont’s peregrine falcons, loons, ospreys, bald eagles, American martens, Indiana and northern long-eared bats, spiny softshell turtles, and other species,” said Director of Wildlife Mark Scott.

“The common loon, osprey and peregrine falcon are no longer endangered species in Vermont due to sciencebased management that continues to benefit those species

getting higher, one day at a time. The temperature will start to moderate some in February, but typically is the snowiest month. Time will tell on all of it. It was early January before the snow conditions were good enough to get the coyote hounds out for a run. The season got off to a slow start, but the crew has managed to kill at least one coyote every day and two on most of the days. The biggest problem we have now, is finding a fresh track to run in the morning. There are not a lot of coyotes left in this area but were not complaining about that. We just have to put some miles on to find them. Even with several baits out, they don’t get hit every night. We’ll keep plugging away and save one deer at a time.

Until next month, good luck on the trail!

Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.

Hal is Master Maine Guide and Author. He lives in Moose River Maine with his wife Deb. He can be contacted at bigwoodsbucks.com

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Page 53 13 Blue, gray, or a sort of street walker 14 Unpleasant fly

Down

Across

1 Eastern ---, old name of the tri-colored bat 6 Dump Don out in Androscoggin county 7 --- Shearwater, long-lived

1 Beach ---, used for jam 2 The Obedient ---, or false dragonhead 3 Type of outdoor abode 4 Type of trail with no start or finish 5 Penobscot County body of water which goes on for ever?

8 --- Occidentalis, or Eastern White Cedar seabird 11 American --- Fern 9 Lower --- Bog Ponds, 12 The --- Siskin, which Franklin County can survive in over one 10 Group of deer, a k a a hundred and twenty demob grees of frost (F) 12 Northern --- Duck (Answers on pg 60)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 54

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME I’m not sure I can ably describe the special allure of the Smith & Wesson Model 15 I bought almost two decades ago.

Handguns, generally, aren’t the world’s most practical piece of sporting equipment—although those who have made a specialty in

makes me look good.

At the time, I wasn’t thinking cosmetic, and what has become my version of Excalibur was a practical purchase. I had recently assumed a leadership position in a government department that contained a law enforcement division,

My Model 15 does something, though, that my waders don’t; it makes me look good.

hunting with handguns would probably argue with me, as would practically any competitive shooter or law enforcement officer.

For the average sportsman like me, who often has to make hard choices about investing tall dollars in outdoor equipment, spending several hundred dollars or more on a handgun just because you like it probably doesn’t make much sense if your hip waders are patched from years of heavy use. My Model 15 does something, though, that my waders don’t; it

among many other diverse operations. Investigations hadn’t had a lot of support over the years, and I decided to work on changing that culture. An early phase of that visible support included participating in the semi-annual shooting range qualifications.

I didn’t have a lot to choose from in my gun safe. I had an old New England Firearms .22 revolver, an older Smith & Wesson military-surplus Model 10 in .38 Smith & Wesson, and a truly ancient Iver Johnson top-break revolver, also

March 2022

A Mystic Wheelgun

chambered for the anemic .38 S&W cartridge.

One can say a gun is pretty much a gun; but the .38 S&W cartridge is, ballistically, just short of a total embarrassment. It can shoot through a half-inch piece of soft spruce—at point-blank range. I was talked into buying one of the revolvers; the other was given to me, probably for the aforementioned reason.

Because I was busier than I could effectively manage, it was the night before range training— which I had repeatedly committed to—when it dawned on me that I had no idea how many cartridges I had for the Model 10. A quick inventory revealed the grim story: not many. A quick trip to the Old Town Trading Post was in order.

They had a half-box of ammunition in stock.

A poorly-equipped sportsman need never panic in a gun store. The apparent deficit in ordnance begot an opportunity to upgrade.

I left with the Model 15, a holster, a transportation case, and four boxes of .38

The author’s beloved Model 15.

Special ammunition.

The Model 15 is a joy to shoot. It’s impractical for anything but competition or as an obsolescent duty arm; plenty of my handgunning friends would sentence the old wheelgun to exhibition status for being too big, too heavy, underpowered, and of insufficient capacity. It’s all true. It’s too big for concealed carry (unless you wear a Dirty Harrystyle shoulder holster), and its solid-steel construction gets heavy as the day wears on. The .38 Special is com-

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paratively meek compared to its .357 Magnum cousin, let alone heavier loads like the .45 ACP or the versatile loadings for the 9 millimeter. With magazine capacities of 10, 15, and even 20 rounds for modern autoloading, composite-frame and therefore lightweight pistols, the old six-shot Model 15 seems like an anachronism. So why do I keep it?

It’s no mystery; it’s because, dear reader, I can hit with it. Over and over again. I have a nice Glock 26 concealed-carry pistol in 9 millimeter that you can load once and shoot for days if you aren’t in a big hurry. But even for my little hands, the Model 26 gets lost, and a jacketed solid kicks hard enough that I have to keep a firm grip so that the recoil won’t buck so much the slide can’t cycle another round. My scores with the Model 26 are competent, but seldom impressive. With the Model 15 S&W, though, I can hit a steel target like I’m ringing a dinner bell.

That day in range (Wheelgun cont. pg 57)

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Page 56

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Cold Water Brookies

South Of the Kennebec

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME Hunters and anglers celebrated two unwritten holidays when I was growing up, the first day of open water fishing season and day one of the rifle season for deer. Those were two days we would either skip school or call in sick from work.

Sorry to see those important traditions fade

usually good in finding small dillies or earthworms by flipping over rocks.

Most of the neighborhood stores sold garden worms but the ones we found streamside always seemed to work the best. We rationalized those were the ones that get washed downstream and the trout recognize them more quickly.

stream to learn the finer points of finding trout pools. Notice I mention “walking upstream” rather than downstream. I learned early on that trout always point their noses into the flow. By approaching from the downstream side we didn’t cast shadows that trout could mistake for hawks or other predators.

When fishing was slow, mostly due to very cold water, we would sacrifice a worm or two just tossed into the plunge pool, keeping a sharp eye out for

When fishing was slow, mostly due to very cold water, we would sacrifice a worm or two just tossed into the plunge pool, keeping a sharp eye out for the flash of a trouts side view. away but the first of April and early November are still reasons to stop what you were going to do and go fishing in the spring or hunting in the fall.

None of us cared if the water in the brooks and streams back then were high and extremely cold, we’d head out anyway, even if we had to break some ice or tread through melting snow.

Sometimes we would be lucky enough to come back with a limit of brook trout but, if not, we were simply out there!

The pickings were

How times have changed. Back then, in my native Vermont, the brook trout limit was ten fish, six inches or longer and neighboring New Hampshire bumped that up to fifteen, any size. Fresh trout after a long winter were always a special treat.

In was then I learned to properly use cast iron cookware. A slab or two of butter or bacon grease sizzled the saltine cracker encrusted trout to perfection.

Those were also the years when I followed my older brothers up a trout

the flash of a trouts side view.

In the larger pools we would first try a small pebble or two in the tailout.

Sometimes a small dry twig would cause trout to rise and flash its tail.

It was not often we dropped bait into the head of the plunge pool. Most of the trout, we found were hidden in the sidewalls of the pool or hidden in the undercut banks.

Most of the time we fished the bait without any added weight and instead of a float or bobber we would wind the line

around a dry twig about an inch long. Trout were never spooked by twigs but sometimes shy away from a float or bobber.

In the larger streams we learned that trout, especially in the early high water would hug the bottom where the water temperature was warmer and the flow, slower.

If there were larger rocks toward the tailout of the pool, trout would hide in the downstream side and occasionally right in front of the boulder.

Natural bait was always more productive until early May. Fly anglers would have the edge using nymph imitations such as Gold-rib Hare’s ear and especially beadhead nymphs. Spoons of any size would usually get passed up until the larger natural baits became abundant.

Time of day really wasn’t much of an issue in early water. The exception was that cloudy or overcast days, even on days when the rain was light enough not to rise water levels. Of course, as with any species of fish or game, the hours just before or just after sunrise and at dusk were prime.

On the smaller streams we used short rods, and if

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we didn’t have one shorter than five feet we would cut a sapling, tie a length of sinking flyline and a very short leader. One of my most product outfits I still use today is comprised of the broken top section of a flyrod, 20 feet of sinking

Caleb Lavoie shows off early season brook trout. flyline, five feet of leader.

Turkey season is still a month away so take advantage of early cold water trout fishing while you can.

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

He operates Orion Guide Service in Southern Maine and makes custom game calls at www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com

March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 57

PFAS vs CWD: Which Will Hurt Us More?

Social media erupted and my inbox was suddenly flooded with emails about PFAS (Poly-fluoroalkyl substances). On Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 5:22 p.m., the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife issued a “DO NOT eat advisory” for deer shot in my zone. It was 2.5 weeks after I had shot my deer and about two weeks after I had gotten it back from the butcher and started eating it.

PFAS I studied the map of contaminated areas and realized that my actual hunting property was outside of the advisory area.

However, as more fields are tested, there is an impending doom that I feel about the likelihood that I will be in a PFAS zone.

And I am sure many other hunters will be in the same

Wheelgun

(Cont. from pg 54) training, with a gun I’d never held before, I tied for the high score in one course. Size and weight, then, be damned. No marksman can deny that one slow, reliable, solid hit isn’t better than ten fast misses. Maybe the allure of the big wheelgun is that it makes me a better shooter than I really am. Hey—like King Arthur said when he pulled the magic sword out of the stone, I’ll take it.

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 1450 AM in Rockland.

situation as more areas are identified and tested. When and if I am told that we are in a high PFAS zone, what should we do? Stop hunting all together? Eat the venison anyway because we always have and we are probably filled with PFAS from other sources anyway? Do I want my children eating it?

We know where these chemicals were spread and we know that it was done for about 30 years. That is a lot of time to contaminate soil, water and wildlife.

There are also a lot of unknowns right now and all we can do is wait for more

testing to be done on areas across Maine and hope that there is a way to mitigate the damage done.

This also had me thinking about other diseases that could easily find their way into our deer herd.

Chronic Wasting Disease A friend of mine conducted a survey on several hunting forums and asked about buck lures. Out of all of her responses, “you are the only one who does not use any” she reported. “I am terrified of CWD” was my response.

A couple of years ago,

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME I attended a presentation

by Dr. Krysten L. Schuler, the wildlife disease ecologist at the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab. She spoke about Chronic Wasting Disease, how easily it is spread and the implications of what will happen if it gets into the deer herd.

Dr. Schuler described the potential spread of CWD like this: if a deer with CWD eats, drinks or urinates in an area that is heavily populated by other deer, their fluids can come into contact with those other deer, who can then become infected. Think of all of the saliva in those horrible feeding troughs that people put out every winter in the name of “helping” deer. It would take one infected deer eating at that trough to potentially infect the entire herd in that area and the disease could jump to our moose population. It would be devastating for wildlife and the hunting economy in the state.

So, the idea of buying and using buck lures made with urine, then I have no idea where it came from or how it was tested, terri-

fies me.

Which is worst?

Hunters should not eat the meat of an infected animal regardless of if it is contaminated with PFAS or infected with CWD. So, what would be worst? Seeing deer but knowing you shouldn’t eat them or not having any deer around due to disease kill off?

Both of these issues could have long lasting, devastating consequences for our wildlife and those of us that hunt in order to put meat on the table. But, let me know what you think. What would be worst for our wildlife? PFAS or CWD or something else?

Email me at erin@andastrongcupofcoffee.com Erin is a member of the OWAA and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast and is the President and co-Founder of the non-profit group Women of the Maine Outdoors.

You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME As a youngster, I used to hear my grandfather consulting “Arthur” for weather forecasts. I learned after a while that “Arthur” was his arthritis, which, through his joints, would tell him when the barometer was dropping and a system was moving in.

This would be confirmed when his bird feeder started swarming with birds and squirrels storing up for the onslaught. There was also an aunt in the family whose personal weather station was a bunion on the great toe of her right foot. She trusted those messages her body gave her, and they usually proved true.

The one thing that all outdoors men and women share in common is a weather eye. No matter which outdoor passion they pursue, it will always be affected, positively or adversely, by the weather.

Consequently, we who

March 2022

Outdoors: The Weather Factor

love, and live in the outdoors as much as possible, tend to be weather watchers.

The first newspaper weather forecasts appeared in 1861. The first

There was a period when Downeast lobsterman were favoring the Canadian model for forecasting, and at the same time, Canadian maritime fishermen were preferring the American model.

The weather does that. radio forecasts began in 1911. Today, if you want, you can be inundated by weather forecasts that come through your phone, your tablet, your TV, your newspaper, or even the gas

Weather forecasters, like economists, are never held accountable for their bad forecasts. pump where you go to get sumptive sports like hunt- as far as two weeks out was fuel. ing, fishing, or trapping is upgraded last March. They In the guiding com- likely to have one or more are now using version 16.0 munity, we will sometimes of these weather apps on of that model and the hope is that we will see an actual share with one another the their phone. source, or sources of our It’s true that some of improvement.

There was a period weather predictions. Ac- them get some of their basecuWeather, Weather.com line data from the National when Downeast lobsterThe Weather Channel, The Oceanic and Atmospheric man were favoring the Weather Underground, Administration (NOAA). Canadian model for foreWindy, or maybe the one But NOAA itself has fallen casting, and at the same I use, Dark Sky. This is to from grace for many of us time, Canadian maritime name only a few that are whose livelihoods (and fishermen were preferring popular among outdoor lives) can depend on accu- the American model. The professionals. But anyone rate forecasts. The “GFS” weather does that. One who hikes, bikes, birds, computer model used by dangerously wrong foreor participates in the con- NOAA to make predictions (Weather cont. pg 59)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

Weather

(Cont. from pg 58) cast can make us switch models, or apps, or meteorologists overnight. It’s been said that the two most unaccountable professions are meteorologists, and economists, and the reason is that there are no repercussions when they get it wrong.

What drew me to the Dark Sky weather app was its emphasis on “hyperlocal” weather forecasting.

This means that wherever you are, it zeros in on those precise GPS coordinates and then gives you weather data, hour by hour for that location, in addition to radar. The data includes speed and direction of the wind (all-important for guides), percent chances of precipitation, humidity, dew point, barometric pressure (also key to guided fishing) and visibility. The app does make forecasts up to seven days, but like most weather sources, the next 24-48 hour forecasts will be the most accurate.

The reason I stopped relying on NOAA was the number of days it got the wind direction wrong by as much as 180 degrees – just plain unacceptable for anyone who works on the water. The single greatest factor in determining where you will go on a given day is the wind. A perfectly planned outing can be sacked by a forecast like that. Admittedly, the weather is fickle and changeable, but we are given these predictions without any proviso that they might be wrong.

Those of us who are at the weather’s mercy must put our faith in something. I also know a good many guides who take in three

or four weather sources and then triangulate a forecast that seems most likely for their area. Probably a wise method.

Finally, no outdoors person has missed the amped up nature of modern weather forecasting.

One snowstorm set to deliver 8-12 inches to Maine last month was dubbed “a monster in the making” by one of the networks. Apparently, we are past the point when sometimes, a snowstorm is just a snowstorm. It is now a broadcast event that hogs more air time than an active shooter event. For one thing, they’re rarer, and for

another, we’ve evidently lost the knack for taking a snowstorm in stride.

That’s what Grampy did. After taking his readings from his joints and from his bird feeder, he settled in and watched the show. In other words, he took it in stride. Those days have gone the way of the Passenger Pigeon.

Randy Spencer’s new book, “Written on Water” is out and available from all book selling sources. It has already been nominated for three awards. Reach Randy at randy31@31@ earthlink.net or via www. randyspencer.com

Page 59

Best Shot

Tom Zuba from Woodstock, Vermont enjoys the Northwoods Sporting Journal with his best friend.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 60

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME As a young man, I read Hemingway and Steinbeck, Harrison, and McGuane.

Along the way, the flyfishing raconteur, Richard Brautigan, brought tears to my eyes while the rabid environmentalist, Edward Abbey, had me raising my fists in outrage. I took to

found them when they decided to spend the winter of 1876 hunting and trapping the land above Parmachenee Lake. The fish are still here. On average, they are not as large as they once were, but a sixteen-inch native brook trout is not uncommon and landlocked

There and Back Again

behind. In the latter days of September, the trout and salmon once again swim upriver, this time on their own spawning runs, providing anglers a second opportunity to take fish measured in pounds rather than inches.

Angling requires time on the water, and so there I’d stand, in rain, sometimes sleet, even snow, while buffeted by bruising wind and under blistering

“The wild requires…we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the ridges, and tell a good story when we get back home.” heart the words found in Practice of the Wild, the thought-provoking book written by Gary Snyder: “The wild requires… we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the ridges, and tell a good story when we get back home.”

Over the years, I’ve tried to follow the advice of the acclaimed poet-turnedBuddhist, attempting, from time to time to tell a good story when returning home from the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine where my wife and I have owned a camp for nearly forty years. It is a part of the country that has not changed much over the years. The rivers and streams, lakes and ponds surrounding our cabin are about the same as Johnny Danforth and Fred Baker

salmon remain as wild as the moose that often plod down to the river’s shoreline to muse over the mysteries of the state’s Great North Woods.

When we first arrived in the region, I’d cast articulated streamers and weighted nymphs in a manic pursuit for ever-larger fish. I wore a vest with more fly boxes than Samuel Carter had little liver pills and a pack heavy with reels containing lines that sunk at different rates and clothing for the constantly changing northern New England weather. Such fishing requires time on the water, especially after the spring thaw. This is when smelts, the region’s principal bait fish, leave the lakes to make their spawning run up the larger rivers, with brook trout and landlocked salmon following closely

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March 2022

sunlight, harassed by black flies, mosquitoes, and noseeums, from first light to dark, swinging a streamer, drifting a nymph, casting a wet or dry fly, addicted to the tug.

But there is another type of fishing, one that can be employed on smaller brooks and streams, many not too distant from our backyards, streams that bend and twist through fallow fields and woodland, some of them, like those here in Maine, through deep forest, headwaters of those larger rivers where the majority of anglers continue their search for trophy fish. Along these secret rills, an angler can cast to wild trout, many times without coming upon another angler. To be sure, the fish here are diminutive compared to the trout in the big rivers, a few no

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larger than a pinkie, the largest fitting snuggly in the palm of a hand. In these narrow ribbons of water, hidden between thickets of barberry and wild rose, under shadows cast by hemlock or spruce, quite often an overhanging limb of a swamp maple, maybe the branches of a pin oak, I’ve come to appreciate what Thoreau described as “…these jewels…these bright fluviatile flowers, made beautiful, the Lord only knows why, to swim there!”

On the losing side of middle age, I now seek out these waters too small to gather serious attention from other anglers; forgotten places, where trout live out their lives in the lee of boulders, under the trunks of fallen trees, along banks scoured by the current or as they sometimes do, in a set of sunlit riffles. These are fish that rarely hear the splash of an artificial fly.

This type of fishing requires an angler 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.”

No longer do I feel compelled to wing heavy nymphs past my ear, or make sixty-foot casts until my shoulder aches. Instead, I carry a single metal tin that fits nicely in the pocket of my canvas shirt. Once holding cough drops, these days it contains a handful of flies. There are pheasanttail patterns, ones with parachute wings for fishing upstream, and soft-hackled flies for when I work my way back down, maybe a few elk hair caddis or

black ants if fishing during the summer months. While casting a stick constructed of cane by the Pennsylvania rod maker, the late George Maurer, my mind is free to be in the moment as a six-inch brook trout rises through the surface.

With less distraction, this uncomplicated method of fishing allows me to enjoy the creatures found along the edges of running water—the colorful flash of a tiny warbler or the song of the secretive thrush, the muskrat carrying a mouthful of reeds back to its nest, perhaps a doe, her head lowered toward the edge of the current or a black bear lumbering toward a patch of raspberries. I’ll catch myself smiling at the splash of a frog or while staring into the eyes of a bashful toad, my mind free to be in the moment as a six-inch brook trout rises through the surface to grab that bit of fur and fluff attached to my line.

These moments, like a Basho haiku, remain frozen in time.

The many tiny streams of Western Maine remain an escape from the madding pace of modern life that has allowed me to trod a trail less traveled, one alongside a stream where brook trout are willing to share their secrets, and return to tell a tale or two.

NOW AVAILABLE. Bob’s book, RIVER FLOWERS, is a collection of stories set primarily in western Maine and northern New Hampshire with a few detours along the way. Contact him directly at magalloway@mac.com for an autographed copy of RIVER FLOWERS.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

B.A.S.S. Kayak Tournament Series

Bass fishing tournaments have certainly changed since Ray Scott launched his Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society dream into reality in 1968. Better

enthusiasts worldwide.

In the spring of 1968 Ray Scott’s first issue of Bassmaster Magazine made its way to the mailboxes of each and every

known as B.A.S.S. to the majority of bass fisherman around the world. While Scott’s B.A.S.S. tournaments weren’t the first bass tournaments in history, they certainly were the foundation for what becomes the largest organized membership of bass fishing

B.A.S.S. member. Filled with tournament results, seasonal techniques, angler strategies as well as advertisements for the latest fishing products from lures to bass boats. In the years that followed B.A.S.S. membership continued to grow annually, seasonal

tournament trails multiplied, as did competitor participation. Modifications to preserve healthy bass evolved with catch & release rules. Bass boat manufactures modified their design concepts to include aerated livewells, boat length, beams and horse power all increased, as did the price.

As the competitive thirst of B.A.S.S. members became stronger, so did the need for expansion within the B.A.S.S. tournament trails. The additional opportunities to compete within B.A.S.S. sanction events opened the door for every B.A.S.S. member.

No matter their skill level grass root anglers were open to register in a variety of categories ranging from Boater to Co-Angler. Providing applicants met all the B.A.S.S. requirements for each event and paid their entry fee within the tournaments cut-off dates, they were in.

Then the dividing lines came into perspective B.A.S.S. Elite Anglers traded their Co-Angler partners, for non-partici-

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

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

“This wonderful fishing book is the gospel when it comes to streamer flies and trolling tactics. A Classic!

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Send a check for $2 .95 SRVWDJH along with this ad, to: Bob Leeman, 22 Alan-A-Dale Rd., Brewer, ME 04412. (Price covers shipping and handling).

Maine Outdoor Publications

Page 61

Best Bassin’

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA pants known as Marshals...

No more Co-Angler competition within the Elite Anglers bass-boats. Major League Fishing purchased the FLW Tournament Trails incorporating two Pro Trails, Bass Pro Circuit and Tackle Warehouse Circuit.

No co-anglers for these Professionals, as Marshals ride along weighing each legal size bass, sending in each anglers weight fish after fish...As well as verifying each individual Pro Angler follows the MLF Rules! Rule infraction equals lost time and anglers must sit-out the time period doing ‘Nothing’.

B.A.S.S. Pro Anglers strive for a five-bass limit under the concept of the culling system. Release a

smaller bass for a larger bass once five are in the livewell. While, MLF Pro Anglers attempt to tally total daily weight caught.

MLF Pro Angler Circuits practice ‘Catch-WeighRelease’, and bass are released immediately after the Marshal announces the official weight.

Thus, enters the most innovative B.A.S.S. tournament format to date, Bassmasters Kayak Series powered by TourneyX. “TourneyX is an ‘APP’ program which monitors the actual kayak tournament,” states Dave Mull of Bassmaster Magazine.

Elaborating further, “All B.A.S.S. kayak competitors are required to have (Series cont. pg 64)

Page 62

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME As I expected, our Anticosti hunt was full of highlights. We saw no shortage of mature bucks.

Everyone in camp had opportunities at nice deer.

It helped that the weather was on our side. A couple days before our arrival, there was a snowstorm that dumped about eight inches of snow on the center of the

arrives, deer begin their treks to wintering yards.

On Anticosti, they gather along the seashore where the snow depths are less due to the salt spray and to feed on the abundance of kelp that washes ashore on a daily basis.

Historically, after the first couple of snowstorms, the deer move in large

On Anticosti, they gather along the seashore where the snow depths are less due to the salt spray and to feed on the abundance of kelp that washes ashore on a daily basis. island as well as Martin la Mer, our territory, which is on the southern shoreline.

Year after year we hope like crazy to hit the migration. This year, we hit it in spades! It was unbelievable! When I heard it was on, I couldn’t wait to get there! I was like a little kid the day before Disney!

Similar to deer here in Maine, when bad weather

numbers to get there. It is a phenomenon we call the migration. It is really something to see. If you are lucky enough to catch it, you will see deer traveling on beaten trails one after the other. Some years it happens after the season ends. I have only seen it two or three years out of the twenty plus years I have hunted there.

March 2022

The Anticosti Migration

On the second day of the trip, I was hunting on a section of the zone we call the barber shop.

Years ago, when Sepaq developed the hunting sector, they bulldozed roads and trails. This trail went from the main road down to the Martin River and it was marked with ribbons wrapped around a tree that resembled a barber pole.

It has been a perennial hot spot for us.

I took my son Andy to a blind placed on a known major river crossing and

of natural obstacles along the way, but with a little time and effort, it leads to fertile ground.

Along the way, I saw a few does and skippers in and around the river that I let pass. They were moving…it was just a matter of time before the bucks would make their appearance.

As I rounded a tricky bend in the river, there was a young buck crossing about one hundred yards ahead of me. He stopped and ate a few brows, looked

The author’s two Anticosti bucks loaded up for the trip back to camp.

(Photo by Mark Cote)

continued upstream on an ATV with plans to hunt the northern edge of the zone that is seldom hunted. It can be kind of tricky to navigate but is definitely worth the risk. There are deep water holes and lots

around quite a bit, but never saw me even though I was in plain view. I decided to try to skirt the opposite edge of the river and get by him, hoping he wouldn’t spook and run back in the direction he came in, alert-

NOW HERE

ing other deer of danger.

As quietly as I could, I drove in the water. He never even looked at me. I was very surprised. He obviously had the migration on his mind. I stopped for a

The author with one of his bucks. minute with the engine still running and he eventually continued on his way, so I decided to continue on mine.

I might have gone five yards when I saw a few does coming down the (Migration cont.pg 64)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Behind

(Cont. from pg 50) of deep intelligence.

We had a natural bond, one that he reminded me of whenever we met, during get-togethers of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. We were brothers of the sky, both proud paratroopers.

And, of course, we lost Randy Julius, a man of so much talent that it could make a lesser man jealous.

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A writer, an extremely talented artist, a rock musician who played in a band and the president of the New England Outdoor Writers Association for more than a decade.

We can mourn them all as we should. We can recall the great times together. But, more than anything, we must remember who they were and how they made our lives all the richer.

Page 63 Rest in peace, my brothers.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and the Barre Times Argus and a freelance writer.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 64

Migration (Cont. from pg 62) same trail he was on. Those few does turned out to be six of them. Again, I didn’t want to spook them so I just sat there in plain sight on the running ATV in river and they crossed in front of me. They were followed by a couple two year old six pointers that stopped thirty yards from me and sparred for a solid five minutes. I got lots of cell phone footage of them. Once again, they never even knew I was there, even though I was in plain sight. I knew then I found a migration trail.

There was a little break in the action after they passed so I figured it was a good time to have a sandwich. As soon as the zip top bag was open, I saw antlers coming down

the trail. I had enough time to take a bite or two while I sized him up, he had a couple hundred yards to walk. I let him get to within twenty yards before I shot him. It turned out to the pool winning eight pointer, over twenty inches wide.

My second deer came by a half hour later. It was another eight pointer traveling with another, smaller eight. Once again, I waited until they got in front of me. When he saw the first buck I took laying there, he approached it curiously to see what was going on. By the time I pulled the trigger, he was stopped within five yards of him.

When all the deer were crossing the river in front of me, I was sitting on the ATV in plain view.

There were no obstructions to break up my silhouette, nothing behind me, nothing

in front of me. I was in the wide open, staying still, sitting up straight wearing an orange vest. They didn’t notice anything out of place because they weren’t in their home range. Before I took the two deer I shot, at least thirty deer passed in front of me.

It may be many years before I see the migration again, but it is always a hope.

For more information, call my friends at the reservation desk at 1-800463-0863. Be sure to tell them Mark sent you!

Series

(Cont. from pg 61) TourneyX on their mobile phones, as well as a ‘Ketch’ measuring device to measure and photograph each legal size bass they

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submit.” Kayak tournaments are won by inches not pounds! The TourneyX App will register each angler’s bass by inches submitted; once five bass have been tallied and additional bass are registered the program will automatically cull out shorter bass. At the end of the tournament only an anglers five-longest bass will tally the angler’s total inches.”

Similar angler concepts are found within the B.A.S.S. Elite Series, MLF two Pro Circuits and now the B.A.S.S. Kayak Series...That is all of these trails have only one angler competing out of their bass boats! A quick review of installed equipment mirrors all these anglers carry wide selections of rods/reels and artificial lures, sonar/GPS systems are pre-rigged, electric trolling motors are allowed and power anchors such as Power Poles can be attached to transoms, PFD’s is a must have safety rule, plus an angler’s ability to maneuver their boat easily while fishing and targeting specific areas.

And, yes, each trail has entry fees, limited trophies and payouts based on participants, qualification for seasonal championships as well as the prestigious title of Angler of the Year! Plus, all these trails require traveling long distances from tournament to tournament locations.

However, there are

major differences when we factor in the B.A.S.S. Kayak Series compared to monetary individual investments. B.A.S.S. Kayak Series entry fees are much lower as reflected within their payouts. The financial investment for professional bass boats completely rigged in both B.A.S.S. & MLF trails will average $100,000 or more. While B.A.S.S. Kayak investments completely rigged will average $10,000 or less. B.A.S.S. Nation Kayak anglers can qualify for the Kayak Series Championship. And, one other major difference...Professional and non-professional (amateurs) may compete within the Kayak Series.

(For additional information on the Bassmaster Kayak Series log unto www.Bassmaster. com) God Bless and Best Bassin’ Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau is an outdoor journalist with a strong passion for pursuing the Black Bass. His activities include; emceeing The Bass University weekend educational seminar programs, as well as emceeing benefit tournaments such as Maine’s Annual May Special Olympics Team Tournament, Fishing For Freedom, and working with the USO.

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March 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Famous Trolling Flies

By Bob Leeman During those early years of streamer fly designs, there were many recognized creators of new streamer fly concoctions.

Even today, the avocation of creating and fly tying continues to increase in popularity.

Most of Maine and New England’s lake and trollers and streamer fly assemblers would remember Carrie Stevens, noted creator of the famous fly she assembled called the “grey ghost”. She became famous after entering a fishing contest in 1924 by Field & Stream magazine, and won 2nd prize for her entry, after telling of using the fly to catch a huge brook trout of enormous proportions. Her prize was a famous painting.

numbered to nearly one hundred or more. Some of those included: Col. Bates, Gen. MacArthur, shang’s favorite, wizard, red streak, Carrie’s favorite, America, Col. Fuller, Don’s delight, green hornet, lady killer, and so many more.

During those early years of streamer fly designs, there were many recognized creators of new streamer fly concoctions.

Even today, the avocation of creating and fly tying continues to increase in popularity.

Most would acknowledge names of those who were pioneers of the trade, such as Herb Welch of Oquossoc, Maine for “Black Ghost” and “Welch Rabbit” streamers, Warden Joe Stickney of Saco, Maine for his “Warden’s Worry” fly, and A.W. BalCarrie Stevens lou of North Dighton, MasAll of her streamer fly sachusetts for the Ballou designs were originals that Spec.

The Edson Tiger Too, there were Charley Sprague of Grand Lake Stream, Maine for his “Grand Laker” and “Golden Head”. The “Edson Tiger” flies were created

by Bill Edson of Portland, Maine, and Dr. Sanborn’s tried and true, the “9-3” feathered bait.

As years ensued, new and celebrated streamer flies were invented and many of those attracted

Page 65

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.

recognized for his “Brook Trout” and “Golden Darter” streamers. Bob Bibeau of North Windham, Maine remembered for his favorites of “Rochelle” and “Bibeau Killer” and the “Liggett Special” was a creation of Emile LeTour-

of Keene, New Hampshire.

Let’s not forget Chief Nehdahbee of Greenville, Maine for his contribution of the “Chief Nehdahbee” fly. The “Chief” was not only a fine fly tyer, but a writer and lecturer as well.

His fly was tied bi-plane

And who can forget the contributions from Dick Frost of Rangeley, Maine for his “Frost Blue Smelt” and Joe Serling of Danforth, Maine for his “Wood Special” and “Joe’s Smelt”. fish to the strike. Some of these were: George Baughman of Bangor, Maine for the “Barred Lady”, and “Green King and Queen”, Bert Quimby of South Windham, Maine for the “Lady Ghost” and “York’s Kennebago”, Lew Oatman of Shusan, New York was

neau of Waterville, Maine.

Carl Sargent of East Orland, Maine assembled his “Red-Grey Ghost”, and Jim Henderson of Brewer, Maine remembered for his “Ma-Moo” and Nimrod Spec.” patterns. The “Maynard Marvel” pattern was originated by Ora Smith

style.

Joe’s Smelt And who can forget the contributions from Dick Frost of Rangeley, Maine for his “Frost Blue Smelt” and Joe Serling of Danforth, Maine for his (Files cont. pg 66)

Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!

IVE ACT O T Y E 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

Flies

(Cont. from pg 65) “Wood Special” and “Joe’s Smelt”.

In the more modern day years, we would be remise if we didn’t acknowledge Eddie Reif of Bangor, Maine for his “Rip” smelt, or “Ripogeneous Smelt”.

Ty Coates, formerly of Waterville, Maine should be remembered for his “Castle Island King”. Ty was a personal friend and certainly a perfectionist in fly tying. Bill Bovee of Brewer, Maine created the “Lucky Lady” and “Colburn Special” streamers, among so many others.

From Tom Mutch of West Grand Lake, Maine, a Master Maine Guide and fly tyer, came the “T.M. Special” and “A.A. Special, named after Aaron Alderman, a frequent visitor to the fishing grounds.

Bill Geagan My old and dear friend, outdoor writer, Bill Geagan, had a fly tying friend who invented “The Grizzly Geagan” streamer with grizzly feathers. Bill once said, “It was well named.”

My dear old fishing

Overhead Door Company of Bangor

“The original since 1921”

Northwoods Sporting Journal buddy, Roger Wakefield of Machias, Maine created “The Barnsie” casting streamer from the “Barnes Special” original by C. Lowell Barnes.

Maple Syrup More modern day imitation fly designs by Theriaults Fly Shop in Stacyville, Maine is the “Maple Syrup” The original design came from two old gentlemen from Old Town, Maine, who fished with it at Nesowadnehunk Lake with much success.

The “Sneeka” and “Close Nuf” streamer flys were fashioned by Fern Bosse of Norway, Maine. The “Footer Spec.” by Dave Footer, master painter and taxidermist from Waterville, Maine. Bob Leeman, Jr. for “new versions” of “Rochelle” and “Maxwell” streamers that “take” fish.

A good word for friend, Woody Woodman, “classic” fly tyer from Holden, Maine. Woody is a gifted fly tyer as well as a retired musician and band leader, who also designs and creates wooden plaques with original streamer fly patterns mounted and beautifully preserved under a glazed finish.

Let us not forget “Muzzy” Muzzarole of Sidney, Maine for his frameable, stun-

ning masterpieces of artful imitation fly designs.

To be sure, we must mention Sharon Wright from Lisbon, Maine, for her prominent fly designs beautifully displayed in her book, “Tying Heritage Featherwing Streamers”.

We are forever grateful to the late H.W. Folkins of Tamworth, New Hampshire, who mastered the art of creating Carrie Steven’s sundry of streamer fly presentations after acquiring her business. Also, we should not forget Dick Surette’s contribution in fly tying and who originated the Fly Tyer magazine and several books to the industry.

Most of these streamer fly patterns may be found in the book, “Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon” by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman. See ad in this NWSJ or call 207-573-1468.

Leeman Special And last, but certainly not least, Bob Leeman, Sr. of Brewer, Maine for the “Leeman Special” streamer, tied sparse to take fish. Suggestions: Tie ‘em sparse. Overly decorated flies are for framed mantle decorations, but they do seem to sell better.

To close---a word from my dear, departed friend, Fran Montville from Old Town

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Maine, who was a superb fly tyer who once said, “a streamer fly is a lot like a woman---it must have “form, flash, and action!”

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For information, see ad in this publication or call 207-573-1468.

News

(Cont. from pg 45) crop depredation.”

During spring migration, snow geese typically move through the Champlain Valley in late March and early April. They usually pass through Vermont quickly in route to their spring staging areas along the St. Lawrence River Valley. They remain there for about a month before moving on to their nesting areas in the Eastern Canadian Arctic.

Turkey Hunter’s Workshop

Registration is now open for a special turkey hunting program co-spon-

March 2022 sored by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and local National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) chapters. These workshops are designed for new or novice turkey hunters in preparation for the 2022 spring turkey hunting season, which opens on May 1 and runs through May 31.

The workshop is dedicated to teaching you everything you need to know to have a safe and successful turkey hunt, including choosing a shotgun and ammunition, scouting for birds, how and when to call, what gear you will need, the regulations that apply to turkey hunting, and much more.

To register and attend, you must be at least 18 years of age. Participants ages 10-18 may attend with a registered parent or guardian, but both participants must register for the event in advance. The cost is $40 per person. The fee includes materials, instruction, at least one turkey call to take home for practice, lunch, and a one-year membership to the National Wild Turkey Federation. Payment can be made on the day of the event by cash or check payable to NWTF-NH. Registrations are be(News cont. pg 67)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

March 2022

News

space is limited.

Locations and dates of (Cont. from pg 66) instruction include: ing taken on a first-come, March 26: NH Fish first-served basis, and

and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive Concord NH. Class begins at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:00 p.m.

SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

Page 67

March 26: Raymond To register visit: Baptist Church, 145 Route https://nh-events-web.

27, Raymond, NH. Class s3licensing.com/Event begins at 8:00 a.m. and AllEvents?EventTypeId= concludes at 4:00 p.m.

167

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Lakeville- Lots of well wooded land.

This cute cabin is located at the end of a private road w i t h n o thro ug h traffic on Spaulding Pond Rd. Situated in a wonderful area for many of Northern Maine’s recreational activities. Ready for you today. $70,000 Grand Falls- This cabin was landed on this lot two years ago and ready to finish off and use. This 41 acre lot sits high on a hill with great views on Lord Brook Rd. ATV and snowsled from this location. Take a look. $79,000

Prentiss TWPSitting on 43 acres in a nice wildlife area, the cabin has been lived in, year round, the past few years right on Rosewood Haven. Put the work into removing the mold, put down a floor & turn this into a nice, little hunting cabin. $49,900

Carroll PLT- This l o t wa s recently s e l e c t i ve l y harvested. Driveway i n p l a c e , a ye a r round road, electric available & a small Tolman Brook at one edgeits too good to pass by. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING!! Come look today. $39,000

Burlington- A nice, seasoned driveway and a 16’x24’ concrete pad.

Madagascal Pond is a good warm water fishery and excellent direct access to ATV and snowmobile trails. $79,000

M t C h a s e - Tw o quaint cabins with picturesque trout pond in front.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

SELLERS LANE

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BUYERS ROAD

REAL ESTATE

March 2022

SELLERS LANE

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March 2022 SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

Northwoods Sporting Journal

REAL ESTATE

Page 69

P.O. Box 616 Long Lake, NY 12847

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SUNRISE REALTY

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CATHANCE TWP: This 1970's manufactured home is in poor condition. It was broken into, and they took, all the pipes, so it needs all new pipes and electric work and pump for the well. This older manufactured sits on 3.7 acres and is very close to the Cathance Lake public landing where you can go fishing or just take a nice boat ride and enjoy the views. Very reasonable price of only $45,000.

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