Joe Gets Hospitalized After Shooting Millie’s Old Shotgun March 2023
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Spring Gobbler Secrets
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Spring Gobbler Secrets
Stu Bristol (left) and Mike Lowell bagged this big longbeard by following the 6 criteria listed in this story. Are there any “secrets” left to learn about spring gobbler hunting or has everything been written, using the same old tactics with a new twist? Wild turkey hunting legend, Ben Lee told me this way back in the early 1970’s, when literally no one in New England had a clue how to hunt these critters. “Stu, you are going to learn something new about turkey hunting every time you
go out until the day you die, and every long beard you chase will teach something new.” It’s been 52 years since I chased my first wild turkey and I say “chased” because it was a couple years and a whole lot of phone calls to southern turkey hunters before I finally caught on. The basics of turkey hunting are as simple as
mate then formulating a plan of deception. How good an actor are you and to what level of expertise are you when formulating a strategy? Just as it is in hunting whitetail deer, some animals can be taken without much effort. Turkey hunters often see flocks going up to roost at the edge of a meadow, set up before daybreak near where the
birds might fly down, set up a decoy or two and boom, Sunday dinner. However, it is not that often that a trophy long beard will fall for those meager efforts. In National Wild Turkey Federation record book and in MASTC scoring a wild turkey must accumulate 60 points or more to make the book. Visit www.nwtf.org for application and details on scoring.
South Of the Kennebec
Over the years I have resisted the urge to say, “look what I got and you didn’t.” I shy away from answering the how- many big birds did you shoot question. My accomplishments are well documented. Hunting exclusive-
Hunting exclusively for birds that score 60 points or more, I follow six basic criteria.
threading a gob of night crawlers on a hook and dropping in into a sunken tree stump. In the spring, adult male wild turkeys sound off from their roost in hopes of attracting one or more hens. Hens in return answer with soft, seductive clucks and yelps. The chore of the hunter is to become a play actor and a military strategist combined, assuming the role of a hen willing to
Page 3
by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME (sound) and a variety of wild turkeys once I set up. I listen then converse with only the longbeard, never underlings. Call only when necessary. Over calling is a common mistake. I am trying to convince a longbeard that I am a mating hen.
Over 50 years I can ly for birds that score 60 only think of five or six points or more, I follow six times I have encountered basic criteria. hunter interference. Most hunters stick to the fields, Hunt almost exclutote roads and ATV tails. sively in deep woods as I search out the softwood opposed to fields. covers, water, food sources Keep an eye out all and elevation. year for flocks and upI am on the high coming trophy gobblers. ground before sunrise and Never enter the turlisten for long beards and key woods if I see another jakes to sound off on their hunter’s vehicle. own. I seldom use an owl I become a deer when (Gobbler cont. pg 6) walking in the woods
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On The Cover
Joe Gets Hospitalized After Shooting Millie’s Old Shotgun - Pg 16 Spring Gobbler Secrets - Pg 3 West Branch Water Flows - Pg54 Hastie’s Hut - Pg 7 Late Season Coyotes - Pg 45 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 68
Northwoods Sporting Journal The Sportin’ Journal The Outdoor Paper For “Maine Folks”
The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprehensive and readable monthly outdoor publication. Published at the trailhead of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Sporting Journal prides itself on being an independent voice for the region’s 3. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 5. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard outdoor community for more than 28 6. The Trail Rider - Dan Wilson years. Some of our writers are seasoned 7. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds and specialized outdoors people who 9. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly will share their know-how and insights; 10. A Hiker’s Life - Carey Kish some of our contributors are simply 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd lifelong outdoor people with interest12. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes ing stories to tell. 14. Just Fishing - Bob Leeman Our aim every month is to capture 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram the essence of Northern New England’s 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring 19. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard memories, portraying outdoor humor, 22. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris and sharing experiences and outdoor 24. The Back Shelf - John Ford knowledge. We also keep our readers 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard up to date with late-breaking outdoor 26. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier news and hard-hitting editorials about 28. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau fish and wildlife issues. 30. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary Anyone who loves to hunt and 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche a treasured place, is more than likely 35. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill to find some special connections amid 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 38. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham Journal.
Contents
42. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 45. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 46. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 48. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 49. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 50. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 51. Maple Country Outdoors - Ben Wilcox 53. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 54. Question Of The Month - Todd Mercer 55. Against The Current - Bob Romano 56. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. On Point - Paul Fuller 61. Secretive Summer Bucks - Bob Grewell 62. SAM News - David Trahan 63. Not Lost, Just Turned Around - Joel Tripp 64. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair
Other Great Stories & Information
March 2023
Singing Maine Guide - Pg 58 Randy Spencer
www.sportingjournal.com
Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970
Vol 30 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 Sales Department; Victor Morin,Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin, Michael Georgia & Mike Brown Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs and articles about the Maine outdoors. Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned. All rights reserved, 2023. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.
The Northwoods Bowhunter - Pg 44 Brian Smith
8. Editorial/Letters 13. Outdoor News 15. Ice Fishing Tips! 68. Real Estate
Cover Photo: Photo by Al Raychard
Native Fish Talk - Pg 25 Bob Mallard
Maine Tails - Pg 22 Jonah Paris
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Sunday Hunting? Never!
The Sunday hunting issue has been a controversial topic here in Maine for years. Perhaps decades. I have lost count how many proposals have been presented to the legislature, from hunting for certain species up north only, to allowing Sunday hunting just on private property or with landowner permission. All have never gotten out of committee. I have always been a supporter of Sunday hunting. In this day and age when you can buy beer or go shopping it seem ridiculous we can’t hunt on the Sabbath. The argument folks need a day to take a hike or otherwise enjoy their property or great outdoors without fear is just as ridiculous. People and landowners in about 48 other states share the woods with hunters on Sunday one way or the other, but I guess Maine hunters just aren’t that trustworthy.
That deer and other game species need a day of rest is also rather lame. Believe me, the species we hunt don’t know if it’s Sunday or Thursday and a few Sundays of hunting out of the calendar year will make no difference in t h e o v e rall scale of things. So, the question remains will we ever have the privilege of hunting on Sunday in this great state of ours? I use to have an inkling of hope, but now not so much. In part here’s why. In 2022 a report conducted for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife entitled, “Maine Residents, Hunters and Landowners Attitude Toward Sunday Hunting” was concluded. The survey included questions to the general population of residents over the age of 18, both resident and nonresident licensed hunters age 16 and older, resident and nonresident private landowners age 18 or older who own more than 10 acres and industrial/commercial landowners of extremely large tracts of land, meaning over 100,000 acres, in three geographic regions of the state, North/East, Central and South.
The key question in the survey and one that interested me most simply addressed support or opposition to allowing Sunday hunting Maine. According to the survey 34% of the general population support Sunday hunting while a majority, some 54% op-
Page 5
Muzzleloading Afield by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME
surprisingly opposition to Sunday hunting was much higher in the South Region, some 81% opposed to just 13% support. The fact of life here is approximately
the whole thing but what I did read was not only discouraging from my point of view but also the reason I now believe we will never have hunting on Sunday, or
I have always been a supporter of Sunday hunting. In this day and age when you can buy beer or go shopping it seem ridiculous we can’t hunt on the Sabbath.
pose. What’s interesting is while two-thirds of hunters, some 69% support Sunday hunting 23% were opposed. I would have thought they’d be less opposition and a more united front but I guess not. But here’s the key thing. A third of North/East and Central region landowners (33% each) support Sunday hunting while 62% and 61%, respectively oppose. Not
94 percent of the land in Maine is privately owned and, according to the survey, the majority of owners just don’t want Sunday hunting. Until that changes, if it ever does, we’ll never have the privilege. In case you didn’t know about the survey and would like to take a look it can be viewed on the MDIFW web site under, “Highlights.” I didn’t read
at least in the foreseeable future. Al Raychard and his wide Diane live on 43+/acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting opportunities which they both enjoy. If the property had a trout stream it would be true paradise. Al can be reached at alraychard@ sacoriver.net
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
“The Trail Rider” by Dan Wilson, Bowdoinham, ME The signs of spring may be near, but hopefully there is still enough snow on the ground to get a few more snowmobile rides in. The weather is starting to warm up, with fewer nights below zero and the days are slowly lengthening. Good
There is increased flexibility with liquid-cooled sleds, because they use the snow to help cool their engines. My new snowmobile is liquid cooled, and naively, I thought this would mean there would be no
March 2023
Snowsleds: Keeping Them Cool
over roots, then through hayfields and beyond. The local snowmobile clubs do a nice job grooming, maintaining, and making the trails accessible with bridges, but oftentimes my ride takes me off trail, to some of our wood roads and paths on our property. It’s likely that I might be going
theme this snowmobile season, to experiment with what works to keep my sled cool and performing well. One example of troubleshooting will be testing out the performance modes to see which performs best
haps making sure an open field finds its way into my path to cool off a bit more frequently. If all else fails, “bleeding” the system might need to be explored or modifying the skis to kick up more snow spray.
It’s also important to monitor the temperature because most snowmobiles do not like warmer weather. Around 35 degrees fahrenheit starts to be too warm for fan-cooled sleds because they use the air to cool their engines. for the gardens and water table, but rain might be trickling into the forecast too, with a potential for a surprise Nor’Easter. With the changing weather, it’s important to keep an eye on frozen bodies of water, the ice may be thinning and breaking up. It’s also important to monitor the temperature because most snowmobiles do not like warmer weather. Around 35 degrees Fahrenheit starts to be too warm for fan-cooled sleds because they use the air to cool their engines.
problems with overheating. So far, I’ve been proven wrong. I’ve had problems overheating, even on cold winter days. My father and I have researched various causes, from the cooling system needing to be bled to the sled not getting enough snow to cool it off. We’re leaning towards that latter, not enough snow. Midcoast snowmobile trails are a bit different than up country. Traditionally, there isn’t as much snow cover and many of the trails are through winding paths in the woods, traveling
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10 mph or slower, putting around, and that’s where the problem begins… I’m not getting enough snow to cool the sled’s engine. Inevitably, a yellow warning light pops on the display. This light is simply just that, an alert. There are other icons on the display that indicate what the alert is for. Sometimes it might just be an alert about low fuel, but most of the time it’s the coolant temperature warning symbol. Trial and error is the
Gobbler
(Cont. from pg 3) call to get them started. I listen for a dominant long beard to sound off curtly silencing the youngsters. That is the trophy long beard I am after. Only then will I move quickly to close the distance and I wear an orange hat for safety until I get set up. Within 100 yards I begin my play acting, first listening for other hens. They will become my competition. Still at dim light while birds are still on the roost, I call softly using tree yelps in series of three with
During late-season snowsledding, you need to keep an eye on operating temperatures. when just putting around: The snowmobile season S (sport), T (touring), and can be short, and I’d prefer E (entry… though I call it not to need to spend time “easy”). In actuality, T and cooling off on the side of E are the only modes I’ll the trail. be observing, S is a whole experience in itself, reDaniel Wilson works served for wide open trails. Hopefully I’ll gain enough in healthcare and enjoys information to know what time outside in nature with I need to balance out, per- his family. a soft cluck in between and wait for responses. Most often I will see or hear the long beard come down and possibly nearby hens who immediately sound off with fast yelps trying to lure the gobbler away from me, the intruding hen. Whenever possible I will expose myself to the hens provided the gobbler is not in sight, driving them away or even flushing them. No matter how expertly I play my role as a hen, I and you will never out call live hens. The rest of the hunt, successful or not is a con-
versation between me and the long beard. The last thing I want to do is to move anything more than my head and only in rare occasions will I feel it necessary to move calling location. I need to have him come to me. Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Hunting, Fishing and Tidewater Guide. His books and articles have been published nationwide for more than 60 years. He was inducted into the New England Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019 and operates the Deadly Imposter Game Call Company. www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Hastie’s Hut
“There. Right there on that point. I’m gonna build a camp there,” my ice fishing buddy exclaimed as we drove our snowsleds up and down the south shore of Seboeis Lake. It was Febru-
those days, the lake was all but uninhabited. Hastie was a determined, purposeful guy. By spring he had a shore lease from Prentiss Carlisle. He hired a skidder
24’ camp on the lake shore with a breath-taking view of Mt. Katahdin. Come every November, a bunch of us spent a week at this camp deer hunting the nearby beech ridges. We put deer on the pole, and we had a grand ole time at this new deer camp. Soon we formed a club, called the Skulkers of Seboeis. The hunt became a much anticipated annual af-
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Outdoors In Maine by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME
became more than just a camp. It was a founding place, a repository for irreplaceable memories, all of which revolved around hunting, fishing and lasting fellowship. For Ron Hastie, its owner, it was his “place in the popple” and a quiet
Yes sir, over the years, 56 to be exact, Hastie’s Hut became more than just a camp. It was a founding place, a repository for irreplaceable memories, all of which revolved around hunting, fishing and lasting fellowship. Ron Hastie, the proprietor of Hastie’s Hut.
fair. Our friendships deepened. We even composed to cut a rough trail to the a signature song...”in Haslake from an old cutting tie’s Hut we map our day, to road. The skidder brought slaughter those whitetails in construction material. as they play. Our food is Soon Ron and I and Dana bad and our water is worse, Young were sawing 2X4s but venison soon will grace and driving nails and sleep- our fork, sauteed gently ing in a nearby trapper’s with a little salt pork.” Yes sir, over the years, shack. By August, Hastie’s Hunt was a reality: a 16’ X 56 to be exact, Hastie’s Hut
(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)
ary of 1967. I was a young man just out of the Navy and back in Maine, ready to make up for lost time. My wife’s cousin, Ron Hastie, and I had fished the north end of the lake after accessing it by snowsled from the highway between Brownville and Millinocket. In
retreat from the hustle and bustle of metro Massachusetts. In time, the Skulkers of Seboeis outgrew Hastie’s Hut. We found a bigger place down the lake a ways. Father time stepped in, as he always does, and old legs and hips began to take a toll, especially on habitual outdoor activi-
ties. Ron had a few years on most of us, and in later years, much of his time was spent with a pipeful enjoying the long views from the camp porch. But most of us never failed to enjoy revisiting the hut and swapping lies with Ron on his porch. Hastie’s Hut became fabled among outdoor folks for its rough-cut authenticity and personality. To a first-time visitor not familiar with the camp’s history, it might have looked a shambles. Nothing, absolutely nothing ever got thrown out. It was an outdoorsman’s museum or junk yard, depending upon your perspective. Old spark plugs. Pipe cleaners. Fishing lures. Outboard parts. Empty wine bottles. You name it. But the “proprietor” knew where it all was, if he (Hastie’s cont. pg 27)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Ice Fishing Live Bait
A number of years ago, before I became a sun-chasing snowbird, ice fishing was my thing. Most winter weekends found me, my wife, my youngsters and my English Setter Sally, chasing red-flagged tip ups for pickerel and salmon at Seboeis Lake. Our first stop northbound was always at Old Town Trading Post to pickup a bait bucket full of live bait. Every once in awhile, you could buy live smelts, which were the ticket for the landlocked salmon. Life was simpler then, especially when it came to fishing regulations. Back then, a baitfish was a bait fish. You didn’t concern yourself with the species of bait fish. If it wiggled under the ice, it would catch fish. Not so today. Let’s face it Maine fishing regulations over the years have become increasingly layered and complicated. The specific regulations regarding the winter use of live bait are no exception. In an effort to protect Maine’s precious and fabled salmonid fishery, the state has enacted sweeping changes and restrictions for ice fishing with live bait. It is the only way to prevent unwanted fish species from taking hold in some of our special sport fisheries. Here are some live bait advisories from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: • Always check fishing regulations to
No Sunday Hunting To the Editor: I am not a hunter, but there are several in my social circle and my extended family. I have no qualms about their sport, and I enjoy hearing of their successes. I also eat venison, moose, and even bear, when given the opportunity. I am not against hunting. I a m , h o w e v e r, against Sunday hunting. I am a grandfather of three
ensure live baitfish/live smelts are allowed to be used in that water. Remember, live baitfish laws are different in the North and South Zones . • At the end of the day or if putting on fresh bait, never put old bait in the water body or down your hole. Dispose of it on land or in the trash. • Never dump your bait bucket where fish could get into the water. Always dispose of unwanted baitfish on land or in the trash. Dispose of unused worms in the trash, not in the water or on land. • Nonresident anglers visiting Maine are reminded that it is illegal to bring baitfish into the state of Maine, and those who do are subject to a $10,000 fine. This law prevents new species of fish and invasive hitchhikers in the bait bucket water from being introduced and harming Maine’s fish communities. With an estimated 90% of baitfish sales occurring during winter, it’s important for anglers to be aware of Maine’s live-bait regulations. Because of the importance of our freshwater ecosystems, we walk a fine line trying to prevent the illegal introduction of harmful fish species while allowing anglers to continue Maine’s cultural tradition of using live baitfish where appropriate. The key is to remember that the use of live fish as bait varies greatly between
youths, I live in a moderately wooded area in the outskirts of Lewiston, and I enjoy playing/hiking/adventuring with my grandchildren on Sundays when they visit. I am also a runner and hiker who enjoys the safety of Sunday exploits. After reading V. Paul Reynolds’ column today (about Sunday hunting), I have a sincere concern for the future. Not only could this couple and SAM be pushing for Sunday hunt-
ing, but what might the next step be? It is scary to think that the next step for SAM and/or hunting proponents might be to say the RightTo-Food Amendment is a path for hunting without any permits at all, whenever and wherever one wants. I hope common sense and the rights of the public to enjoy one day each week in the fall to enjoy the foliage, or crisp air, or to simply get some exercise in a safe manner will prevail in
the South Zone and the Northern Zone. The fishing regulations law book will provide you with a water- by- water listing of the bait fish regulations for the water you plan to fish. As a rule, most licensed bait dealers will only retail live bait that are legal in Maine. There is a complete listing of licensed Maine bait dealers by towns on the DIF&W website: www.fishwildlife.com. Click on Fishing. If you catch your own live bait, a fishing license is required. There are only 17 species of fish that are legal to use as bait while fishing in Maine and therefore, not all fish captured in bait traps are legal to use. If illegal fish species are illegally used as bait, it could establish new populations of fish that harm important state fisheries. A good rule of thumb when sorting collected bait fish is to remove any fish that have spines (check your bait as you are removing them from the trap and put them back into the water from which they were taken). Good luck on the ice. Be sure to check the ice thickness before heading out. So far, this has not been a typical Maine winter when it comes to making ice on our lakes and ponds. - VPR
the court system. Thank you for listening.
ware Water Gap National Recreation Area into a National Park. When I was very Jon Mennealy young I spent many days Sabbattus with my father, brother, and friends camping, fishing Sierra Club and hunting in the Water Gap. We camped in what Not All Bad was then Worthington State Park. We fished for shad To the Editor: I was looking thru in the river right where we some old copies of NWJ camped. We also fished at camp. I read the editorial for stocked trout in Dunand letters about the Sierra field Creek which was just Club’s push to change the before the bridge to Pa. designation of the Dela(Letters cont. pg 37))
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
The Hornberg Special
Page 9
The Tyer’s Corner by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME
This month’s fly is the Hornberg Special. This fly was developed by Game Warden Frank Hornberg in the mid-western US. The pattern is old, perhaps as much as 100 years old. In Maine it is often called just plain “Hornberg” and you can buy it in several variations. I’ll show you how to tie the original and I’ll mention some variations; you should try them. A cursory look on the internet or in some fly tying texts will tell you that besides many variations of this wildly popular fly, there are running arguments about how to fish it. Some folks fish it as a streamer, others as a dry and still others start it out as a dry and then pull it under the surface to fish it wet. Whether it represents a caddis fly or a baitfish or even a terrestrial depends on the way it is fished, what is hatching at the moment
and even the type of water you are fishing; that’s what makes so effective. You should tie this fly in several variations and find out for yourself.
eye to leave room for materials; this pattern can get crowded at the finish. Tie in a small, sparse amount of yellow calf tail for an underwing. This is the most commonly changed Recipe for the ingredient with many tiers Hornberg Special using red calf tail to attract Thread - Black brookies. The mallard flank Hook – Size 4-12 feathers are tied in a way streamer, 2X long that you rarely see on other Body – Silver Mylar flies; in fact, it is commonly Underwing – Yellow referred to as “Hornberg feather fibers or calf tail style”. Strip the feather W i n g – P a i r o f until you are left with a just matched mallard flank feathers, one on each side, covering the body and underwing. Cheek – Jungle cock eye (optional) Hackle – Grizzly hen, tied back The standard hook for this fly is a 2X or perhaps 3X streamer hook. There is no tail, so start off with the Mylar body. Finish the body well back from the
enough fibers to extend behind the bend of the hook by one hook gape. Tie one on each side, cupped toward each other. The flank feathers should cover the body and underwing, allowing the colors to shine through when the fly is wet. Next is a jungle cock “nail” for cheeks. This is optional, and expensive. I use them because I believe they help, but it’s your call. Lastly, use a soft, webby, grizzly hen hackle and tie it swept back a bit. This is another item that some tiers change. They will use a rooster hackle and put a dry fly type hackle on. They swear by it; I never argue with success. I have seen this fly tied with silver, gold or no body at all, just hook shank. I’ve seen olive dyed wings with red calf tail
underwing that the tier assured me was a killer in Quebec. I’ve seen all sizes, tiny to very large. I know someone who only used a black Hornberg to fish in Alaska. I keep several very large ones with pink calf tail under wings in my box. A traditional fly that is deadly and easy to tie means that it is a fly you should be teaching a youngster how to tie. Learn how to tie it and then pass this amazing sport onto someone else. Hugh Kelly has fly fished and tied his own flies for over 40 years. He and his family live in Detroit where he ties flies, drinks Moxie and plans fishing trips. He can be reached at hkellymaine@gmail.com and writes a fly tying blog at puckerbrushflies.com
Page 10
“A Hiker’s Life”
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Tillinghast Pond
by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Located in a remote area of West Greenwich in west-central Rhode Island, Tillinghast Pond Management Area is part of the largest block of undeveloped coastal forestland between Boston and Washington, D.C. Established in 2006, the 2,200-acre preserve protects the headwaters of the Wood River, one of the state’s most
March 2023
impressive stands of white pine, red oak and hemlock on Hemlock Ridge. Halfway along the east side of Tillinghast Pond is Phebe’s Grove. Phebe McAlpine Shepard’s generous gift of 500 acres in 2006 sparked the conservation effort to save Tillinghast Pond from a large housing development. A bench and picnic table accompany the dedi-
some reflection. Leaving the meadow, the path enters the woods, crosses a creek, then edges along a field. You’ll return to the pond at Howard’s Rest, which honors the naturalist and humanitarian, Howard White Murre. On the west side of Plain Road, the Coney Brook Loop leads through meadows to two small ponds, then to a sluice and cascades and the remains of an old dam on Coney
mind when they opened the place in 2018. Linesider is another name for striped bass, and the brewery’s de-
test alongside some good eats from one of the rotating food trucks. You may also BYOF (Bring Your
liciously popular New England IPAs––StrIPAh and VII Stripes––are both nods to Rhode Island’s state fish, which just so happens to have seven stripes. As many as 14 different beers are on tap at any time at Linesider, so grab a full pour, pull up a seat in the casual, comfy taproom or in the outdoor courtyard and enjoy some live music, the jukebox or a trivia con-
Own Food).
At the north end of the pond, old stone walls are reminders of the farming and pastoral lives of the past here, and another bench beckons you to sit for a spell to enjoy the view. prized trout fisheries. Tillinghast Pond is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, and is the largest of a dozen wildlife preserves in the state under the organization’s care. This pleasant circuit hike combines the Tillinghast Pond Loop and the Coney Brook Loop to explore the environs around Tillinghast Pond, cascading Coney Brook and the
cation marker at this lovely spot. At the north end of the pond, old stone walls are reminders of the farming and pastoral lives of the past here, and another bench beckons you to sit for a spell to enjoy the view. At a meadow on the pond’s west shore, there’s an observation deck worthy of a short pause for a good look around and
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Brook. Beyond, there’s a narrow valley of pines and oaks, then Hemlock Ridge. Wetlands are interspersed with low ridges through here along this stretch of trail, and young hemlocks are prevalent. On the return leg, the Coney Brook Loop passes the remains of the old Parker Homestead before returning to Plain Road. After your 4 ½-mile loop hike, head east to East Greenwich to slake your thirst at Linesider Brewing, a welcoming, family-friendly place with something for everybody on the menu. And that’s exactly what Jeremy Ruff, a former aerospace engineer, and Dan Koppen, a retired NFL player, had in Patriot Homes & Design Center Building Maine One Home At A Time
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March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Remembering Colonel Jim
The freezing rain and sleet pelted the window next to my desk in the Tucker Ridge clubhouse. It was the morning of March 9, 2022 and with the temperature hovering around 30 degrees, damp and raw. The wood stove ticked away as I sat at my desk, fleshing out the details for my May column in the journal. My phone’s screen lit up and buzzed across my desk. I picked it up and saw a message from a regular hunting client. Stephen and his father Jim Rowan had just hunted with us for black bear six months ago and there was some talk about making their next trip to Tucker Ridge a three generation trip, including the grandkids this time – Stephen and Jim always came as a father and son hunt and it appeared that Stephen’s boys were ready to join. I opened the message and froze in disbelief. After recovering from my initial shock I reread the message three times – ‘John, our family wanted you to know that my father passed away Friday night, peacefully and at home.’ I was crushed. It is quite common in the outfitting business to become great friends with clients over the years. Breaking bread together, sharing experiences and being involved in their hunting achievements all serve to strengthen bonds. Some clients even transcend that, becoming what feels a lot like family. Jim and I discovered many unique bonds over the years – military service, shared duty stations and a distinct pas-
Page 11
The Gun Cabinet by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME first round tumbled in the dirt at the base of the target backstop. The second round produced the same result. Jim was flummoxed. He figured there was something off from travelling and decided to use his .270 rifle instead. When he uncased the .270 he noticed the box of rounds in the case were .30-06. A quick inspection of the ammunition next to the 30-06 rifle on the bench cleared
Col. Jim (right) at Tucker Ridge and the author. sion for traditional hunting experiences. This month is the one year anniversary of Jim’s passing and I recently spoke with Stephen, mostly to reminisce about their adventures here. Here are a few our most memorable Jim moments. Sneaky Pete Strikes Again During a deer hunt in November 2019, I put Jim in a tree stand in the area our legendary buck Sneaky Pete liked to hang out. At camp one evening, we were discussing activity among the hunters and someone asked Jim what he saw or heard. Jim mentioned he heard another hunter grunting at him from
a nearby stand and ignored it. I explained to Jim that the other stand was 600 yards away to the north and there was no way he heard that fella blowing a grunt call! The table erupted with laughter as Jim raised his eyebrows and added, ‘Oh, and I passed on two bears. Too small for me but they’ll be great bears for one of you guys next year.’ Jaws dropped and hilarity ensued. Bad Ammo After the 20 hour drive to Tucker Ridge, Jim and Stephen arrived for a bear hunt and retrieved their rifles to verify zero on the range. Jim was up first with his 30-06. His
hunt and some clients were getting antsy, not seeing many bears during a tough week of weather. Jim had a great bear coming into his site, but always just after dark. He was so close he could feel it. As last light was falling and minutes of shooting light to go, a rifle boomed across the ridge. A message came over the group chat – ‘Who shot?!’ After a few moments Jim replied it was him. The
His first round tumbled in the dirt at the base of the target backstop. The second round produced the same result. Jim was flummoxed. He figured there was something off from travelling and decided to use his .270 rifle instead. things up. Jim had mixed the ammunition and rifles. Stephen told me later he looked over at me behind them and saw me laughing and shaking my head. I never said anything, not wanting to embarrass Jim. After loading the correct ammo, and putting two tight shots on the target, all Jim heard was me saying, ‘Well I’m glad it was the ammo and not the shooter.’ Stephen still cracks up about it to this day. Stump Killer It was getting late into the week during a fall bear
bear was on the ground, still and right behind the bait barrel. He was getting down. A few minutes later came another message over the chat – ‘I shot a stump.’ When I got him back to camp he told us that it sure looked like a bear and his eyes must have been playing tricks on him - he saw it move! He took a lot of ribbing that night, but in typical Jim style received it good-naturedly, laughing the whole time. At supper, one hunter looked over to Jim and deadpanned, ‘Say (Jim cont. pg 12)
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Page 12
Sporting Journal Northwoods
Pine Grosbeaks
The Bird Perch by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME I will call the winter of 2022-2023 “the neat grosbeak winter!” At the end of November, I encountered a flock of eight Pine Grosbeaks feeding on crab apples in Calais. Then I heard their soft calls when maybe the same flock flew over my home in Cooper.
though the females are a grayer yellow. More were being seen than usual in DownEast Maine and in New Brunswick, Canada this winter. Two Christmas Bird Counts there recorded high numbers. Evening Grosbeaks are considered irruptive migrators and do
They are such large and beautiful birds! Both males and females have yellowish stout and conical bills. Their yellow, black and white plumage truly shines and stands out on dim winter days, even though the females are a grayer yellow. But what was really exciting was the arrival in December of 55 Evening Grosbeaks at my feeding station in Cooper! They are such large and beautiful birds! Both males and females have yellowish stout and conical bills. Their yellow, black and white plumage truly shines and stands out on dim winter days, even
not follow regular annual patterns of movement. And it is possible that when large numbers are seen in some locations, during the next few years they may not be seen there at all. Maybe populations increased here this winter because of the outbreak of spruce budworm in the northern coniferous forests. More successful nesting
If you never get enough of the outdoor tips, tales and tactics in the Sporting Journal each month, or if you missed the best of our past articles, visit our online library. You don’t need a card, a password, or even a driver’s license. Just go to the Northwoods Sporting Journal website and click on Past feature Stories....our collection of oldies but goodies is just a mouse click away!
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may have happened with plentiful food to feed many surviving nestlings. After these babies fledged, the caterpillar food resources were quickly consumed. Maybe there were less available seeds and berries in trees and plants. So the adults and juveniles flocked up and headed south. The Evening Grosbeaks at my feeders had great appetites and gobbled up huge amounts of blackoil sunflower seeds. I had to buy much more of the expensive seeds than usual, but it was worth it!. I am 73 years old and never had such numbers of Evening Grosbeaks arrive at my feeders. I have been feeding birds for more than 60 years. So this was such a welcome and unusual event for me! I always see a few nesting Evening Grosbeaks in the coniferous forests here during every summer. And a few Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have visited my feeders to eat the black-oil sunflower I still provide. These are gorgeous grosbeak species
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too. The males sport shining black and white bodies and have red ascot-like markings on their breasts. They wintered in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Downeast Maine is a breeding area for a few. I know I will never see a flock of 55 of them at my feeders. Another grosbeak species I have enjoyed seeing is the Blue Grosbeak. The males are a dark blue with two rusty wing bars. They are widely distributed
in the southern states, but rarely seen this far north. Last summer I was driving along in Machias and spotted one sitting on roadside wires. Another unusual grosbeak event!
Jim
circles around the younger bucks, always the first one ready and out the door and the last one back to camp. Jim brought out the best in other clients and was a true inspiration for younger hunters to emulate. While I may never put him in a tree stand again, Colonel Jim will live forever at Tucker Ridge as his exploits are retold around the table by not only me, but by the many hunters’ lives he touched.
(Cont. from pg 11) Jim, have you decided how you are going to mount it? Going for a 2x4 shoulder mount or going all in on a 2x12 full mount?’ Jim’s smile lit up the room as he replied he hadn’t yet decided. Jim’s wife Nora expressed to me that Jim had been on many hunts in both Europe and the United States and that she believed that his best were with his son at Tucker Ridge. Well Nora, I can say this with the utmost confidence – every single hunter that shared time in camp with Jim over the years will remember him fondly. His dedication was evident as he ran
Karen Holmes enjoys watching the wildlife of Downeast Maine. She is a retired educator and now free-lance writes for various publications. She and her husband Ken live on 74 acres of woods and fields in Cooper, Maine.
John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine. He can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @tuckerridgeoutdoors
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Page 13
Outdoor News - March 2023 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds
Last month, if you recall, that legendary marmot in Pennsylvania – Punxsutawney Phil – did see his shadow. Late spring, right? Well, we’ll keep our fingers crossed and our fishing rods at the ready all the same. Chin up. 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. Revisit the Bean catalog. Shoot a coyote. Take a vacation in Florida or get to as many state sportsmen shows as you can.
The 2023 Maine Moose Permit Lottery Process 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 15, 2023. The 2023 moose lottery permit drawing will take place Saturday, June 10 in Augusta. For more information about moose hunting in Maine and the moose permit lottery, please visit: mefishwildlife.com
Vermont Man Wins Lifetime License Lottery
Landis Menard, 25, of Fairfield, VT is the lucky winner of the 2022 Vermont Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License Lottery. Mr. Menard will be entitled to hunt and fish in Vermont for free for the rest of his life. He was drawn as the winner from among 18,782 Lifetime License Lottery tickets purchased in 2022. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department holds the drawing annually. “The Lifetime License Lottery gives anyone, resident or nonresident, an opportunity to win a Vermont hunting and fishing license that is valid for the recipient’s lifetime,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Christopher Herrick. “Even if you don’t win the license, by applying, you know you have contributed to fish and wildlife conser-
vation in Vermont.” This year’s sales of the $2.00 tickets brought net sales of $37,445 to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. These state dollars can be leveraged with federal funds to produce more than $149,000 to support the department’s mission to conserve fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats. “These funds help us to manage the state’s sportfish and game animals, protect threatened and endangered species and conserve important habitat for wildlife,” said Herrick. A person can enter Vermont’s License of a Lifetime Lottery by adding the $2.00 entry fee when they buy their license on the Fish and Wildlife Department website at vtfishandwildlife.com. They can also enter by applying at statewide wherever Vermont hunting, fishing and trapping licenses are sold, or with a printable application available on the department website. There is no limit on the number of times a person may enter during the year.
Maine Woman Dies in Snowsled Crash
A Mexico, Maine
woman died this winter from injuries she sustained in a snowmobile crash that occurred a little past noon. Dorothy McPherson, age 46 of Mexico, was riding alone on her Polaris 850 snowmobile on a snowmobile trail in Andover and appeared to miss a ramp onto the Ellis River Bridge and crashed into a tree. There were no witnesses to the crash, and she was found by another snowmobiler at approximately 12:20 p.m., who immediately called 911. McPherson was wearing a helmet. Emergency Rescue personnel performed CPR on McPherson and she was lifeflighted to Maine Medical Center where she passed away this evening from internal injuries suffered in the crash. The snowmobile crash remains under investigation by the Maine Warden Service. Maine State Police and Andover Fire and Rescue assisted at the crash scene. This release will be updated if any new information becomes available.
News Hampshire Moose Lottery Open
New Hampshire’s 2023 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. To enter the New Hampshire moose hunt lottery, visit www.huntnh. com/hunting/moose. html where you can enter online or print 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 2023 must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight Eastern Standard Time on May 26, 2023, or delivered to the Licensing Office at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH, before 4:00 p.m. that (News cont. pg 29)
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Page 14
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
“Just Fishing” by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME
The Barnsie Fly While fly casting for landlocked salmon at Grand Lake Stream a few years ago, I spotted a goodsized fish waiting for a morsel to float by, while hiding behind a sunken boulder across the flow. My first offer was a Bob’s White Marabou Muddler fly, flicked to the upper current just above and to the right of the fish--well within sighting distance. In split seconds, the salmon was eyeing the offering, but refused to strike, hurrying back to his comfort spot.
Wakefield of Machias. As I recall, we had sat down at our rented riverside cabin, to tie some of our big caddis flies to match the hatch of the early July big mottled caddis insect, which was hatching at the time. And I might add, we had fashioned an almost perfect imitation that worked. Anyway, Roger got to tying up some small streamers that night, and right out of the blue, he put together his version of the Barnes Special, in
Tail: NO tail Body: Flat silver tinsel (medium #14) Rib: Medium oval silver tinsel (medium #14) Wing: Pinch of red bucktail, over which sparse white bucktail, over which are two matched yellow saddle hackles, over which are two grizzly saddle hackles, and matched. Throat: One medium sized white hackle, wound Anyway, Roger got to tying up some around, then tied slightly small streamers that night, and right back. out of the blue, he put together his Head: Red thread. version of the Barnes Special, in a This fly pattern differs from smaller size. Actually, it resembled the original Barnes Special streamer by an absent Junthe “original” one in size. glecock tail and red threat A hurried change of a smaller size. Actually, it or painted head. fly pattern to a “Barnsie”, resembled the “original” which is a casting ver- one in size. sion of the original Barnes The “Barnsie” has Bob Leeman is a MasSpecial streamer fly; then gone on to be “the” fly at ter Maine Guide, outdoor cast to the identical loca- Grand Lake Stream, when writer, naturalist, book tion, produced an explosive fly casting for landlocked author, and a co-host of strike, with no inspection at s a l m o n . T h e o r i g i n a l MAINE OUTDOORS raall! Wow!, I thought! This Barnes Special streamer dio program on Sunday fly really works for stream fly was, and still is ranking evenings from 7-8 p.m. His landlocks, and here I’ve “up there” as one of the three books, “Fly Fishing been using my White Mar- most renowned fly patterns, Maine Rivers, Brooks, and abou Muddler with mixed in usage and success in fly Streams”, “Trolling Flies success on this stream for fishing results, rivaling for Trout and Salmon”, and years! Grey Ghost, 9-3, Supervi- “Salesman Angler” ---are “The Creator” sor, Joe’s Smelt, Mickey all available, in soft cover The original creation Finn, Black Ghost, and Red only, at several bookstores of the “Barnsie” casting and White. and fly shops, or directly size streamer fly was made “Tying The Barnsie” from him. For information, one evening by my longHook: 4X long of see ad in this publication or time fishing pal, Roger your choice call 207-217-2550.
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Ice Fishing Tips!
Fishing for brook trout? Think small and shallow!
Brook trout like shallow, near-shore habitat in the winter, your best brook trout water is going to be between 4 and 12 feet. Although some prefer less than 5 feet of water! And keep your bait small. Small minnows or pieces of nightcrawler work just fine. You can certainly bait-up with a big shiner, but just know that brookies may keep picking at that bait without getting hooked. A small bait works best for brook trout. Always check regulations to make sure live bait fish is allowed.
Fishing for wary trout and salmon?
Try using fluorocarbon line as a leader on your fishing trap or jig stick. For tip ups, two to five feet of 6- or 8-pound fluorocarbon line after the ice line and tied directly to the hook will minimize the visibility of the gear and may lead to more flags. A #8 hook size is ideal when using small smelt.
Think “just under the ice” for landlocked salmon
Landlocked salmon are frequently caught “just under the ice” and should be targeted within the first 15 feet below the ice. Ice anglers also have luck jigging for salmon. When jigging use small, colorful spoons or flashers as attractors. Fishing for lake trout? Think deeper! Try fishing around points of land that extend into deeper water. Focus on water depths of 15-40 feet off these landmarks. Large togue cruise these areas searching for food and can often be caught close to the surface as well as near bottom. Ice fishing for lake trout can be quite productive in water depths between 10 and 100 feet.
Seeking warmwater fish, such as bass, perch, and chain pickerel?
Warmwater fish can be found throughout the water column (various depths) during the winter months. However, these fish typically favor areas with lots of cover such as woody debris, weed beds, and rocks. Try fishing 2 to 10 feet off the bottom.
Get jigging!
Anglers who catch the most fish, jig! They also aren’t afraid to move locations if they aren’t getting much action.
Wondering where to fish?
Each month fisheries biologists across the State put together a list of recomened waters, how to acess them, and fishing tips. View the Stocking Report to see where we stocked fish near you (focus on waters that were stocked fall 2022). Before you go, look at a depth map online to find an area with your target depth.
www.mefishwildlife.com
Page 15
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 16
The Adventures of Me and Joe
The Bird Hunters
by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME
It was a summons, more than a request. Me and Joe slogged slowly up the incline of Snob Hill, the rise of ground north of town where the most affluent citizens of Mooseleuk could gaze down with condescension on the rest of us. In early 1960s northern Maine the lines of class distinction were clearly drawn. The well-to-do lived on Snob Hill and the rest of the great unwashed lived somewhere else. Or, at least, that’s the way it always seemed to me and Joe. It was after school on a Friday night and we had wanted to spend the couple of hours before dark hunting for partridge with our .22s among the old orchards along the River Road outside of town. Instead, my mother informed me that Millicent Crone wished to see the two of us. Mother seemed to think the summons was about a possible job, like getting in wood for her fireplace
or cleaning the yard. Although we didn’t mention it to our parents, me and Joe thought it more likely that it had to do with our confiscation of apples from Millicent’s orchard or the borrowing of pumpkins from her well-maintained kitchen garden. “It can’t be anything really bad,” I argued as we shuffled along. “If it was bad, she’d have told our folks.” “Maybe she jest wants to ruin our lives a little bit before she turns us over to our folks,” Joe said gloomily. “Maybe she’s got some weird idea for punishment that we ain’t even thought of yet. She lives all alone in that great big house. Got plenty of time to think up bad things.” All too soon we found ourselves standing outside the wrought iron gate, staring at the big house with its white columns and ironwood door. I pushed open the gate and we trudged haltingly along the walk
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
Name
She glanced back and forth between us. “Well, don’t just stand there,” she continued impatiently. “Go out and kill something.” The door slammed in our faces. side by side, neither one of us wanting to be the first to face the music. Before we reached the porch, the door swung open suddenly and Millicent Crone stood in the opening. She was a tall, spare woman of indeterminate age, dressed all in black and with her graying hair done up in a tight coil. “Well,” she said grimly, “It’s about time you two came. Been dawdling along, wasting time, I suppose. I haven’t got all day. Come in! Come in! Mind you wipe your feet. I won’t have boy tracks all along my good carpet.” She led us into a side room crowded with lush
furniture of an older vintage. A maple fire burned in a big fireplace that was faced with white marble. Above the mantle hung a large painting depicting a tall, broad-shouldered man sporting a huge handlebar mustache and a scowl. Millicent noticed the direction of my gaze. “My father, Abel Crone. As fine a man as ever drew breath. Ran the Allagash Foundry for 40 years, and didn’t put up with guff or argument from any man. I take after him.” I’d heard tales of Abel crone. He’d ruled the Foundry with an iron hand, even going so far as to call an employee or two out in
the yard to settle disagreements with their fists from time to time. It was said that Abel Crone never lost a fight, or an argument either. I glanced at his daughter out of the corner of my eye and could well imagine her calling out an enemy or two himself. Millicent sat down in an uncomfortable looking straight-backed chair, leaving the two of us standing. “I suppose you’re wondering why I called you here,” she began. Joe started to mumble, but she held up an imperious hand. “No, it isn’t about the theft of my apples or pumpkins, or the destruction of my (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)
Shown actual size
Richard Still
(Marty was found on pg 6)
Address City
Marty
March 2023
State
Phone I found Marty on page
Zip
Entries must be postmarked by 3/14/23 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.
March 2023
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 16) property perpetrated during the thefts. You are, after all, young boys, and therefore, by definition, evil at heart. There’s no changing that, so one has to accept certain afflictions just as one must endure blackflies and skunks. They are a part of living in northern Maine and one must endure. No, I want you to do something for me. I want you to bring me a brace of grouse.” We stared at her. Joe cleared his throat uncertainly. “Uh…we don’t… that is… we ain’t got no braces. We wear belts, see, an’…” “I think grouse are found in England, or maybe Europe,” I added as Joe’s voice trailed off. Millicent tilted back her head and stared at the ceiling in exasperation. Finally, she glared at us once more. “I knew our educational system was sorely lacking, but this is too much. I truly despair of the coming generation.” She turned a cold eye on Joe. “A brace is not a suspender, young man, it is a pair. Two, for the illiterate.” She swung the burning stare at me. “Grouse, for your information, is the proper name for the bird you incorrectly label “partridge”. She sighed. “I see I shall have to stoop to your level. I want you to shoot me two partridge. My Aunt Flora, my father’s sister, is coming for a visit next weekend and she specifically requested a partridge stew. Why, I can’t imagine. It may have to do with her growing up in some backwater place; Rockwood or Meddybemps, or some such. At any rate, I shall oblige her request. I’d do it
Northwoods Sporting Journal
myself, but I have reasons for no longer pursuing gamebirds.” My mouth dropped open. “You used to hunt?” I said. She scowled menacingly. “Of course I used to hunt. But I do so no longer. The reason why not is my business. Please have two grouse, cleaned and washed, delivered here before the week out. I shall pay you five dollars each bird. And mind they aren’t all full of birdshot, either.” She stood up, signifying our dismissal. We shuffled toward the door. Over my shoulder I asked, “How did you happen to decide on us, Miz Crone? I mean, they’s lots of hunters around…” “That’s true,” she agreed as she hurried us out the door. “But I’ve watched you boys go out hunting about every evening after school…” “You’ve watched us?” Joe asked incredulously. Millicent flushed. “Yes, with my birdwatching binoculars I can see downhill and for some distance.” She raised her nose. “I’ve noticed that you often come back with a grouse or two when others do not, so I decided that you were just the pair to supply the birds for Aunt Flora’s stew.” She glanced back and forth between us. “Well, don’t just stand there,” she continued impatiently. “Go out and kill something.” The door slammed in our faces. As we walked back down the hill I zipped up my jacket against the autumn chill and stuck my hands in the pockets. “Five dollars for each bird is a lot of money,” I ventured. “Sure is. The way things been goin’, we should have that money
in our hands by tomorrer evenin’,” Joe agreed. But it was not to be. The partridge that had seemed so plentiful earlier in the season now appeared to have scattered. Those birds that we did see flushed before we could draw a bead on them with our .22s and hitting one flying with a rifle was beyond our skill level. By Friday afternoon we still didn’t have any birds. We sat morosely at the table in my Uncle Arnold’s kitchen, trying to decide where we could bag a couple of birds in the next hour or so. Uncle Arnold sat with his feet up to the open oven door on his kitchen wood stove. “Them birds is flighty now, on account of bein’ shot at so much this month already,” he said, taking the ancient black brier pipe from his mouth and gazing at the smoldering bowl critically. “Also, what them biologists calls ‘dispersion’ done taken place.” At our quizzical looks, he went on. “Thet’s when the family flocks from earlier in the season break up and the birds go out on their own to find new territories. Ain’t any flocks this late. Makes it harder to find birds.” Joe rubbed his face with his hands. “That makes it even harder, all right. Looks like we kin kiss that ten dollars goodbye.” Uncle Arnold lowered his feet to the floor and puffed until his pipe was going strong again. He glanced at us. “How come you boys got to have a couple of birds right now? An’ what’s this about money?” We told him about the job Millicent Crone had laid out for us. Uncle Arnold smiled suddenly. “Millie Crone, huh?
Ain’t seen her in a coon’s age. Used ter step out with her on occasion in my younger days, til she drove me off.” We stared. “You used to date Millicent Crone?” I asked, stunned at the thought that either Uncle Arnold or the straight-laced spinster on the hill had ever been young or, for that matter, had ever entertained romantic thoughts. “Yep,” Uncle Arnold appeared lost in reminiscence. “She were a fine lookin’ girl in her day.” “Why’d she drive yer off?” Joe asked. Uncle Arnold snapped out of his reverie.” I said somethin’ uncomplimentary about her ol’ man. She wouldn’t stand fer it. Sent me packin’. Quite emphatic she was about it.” Suddenly, a thought seemed to come to him. He stood up, favoring the hip that had been inured in an accident long ago. “Say, what you boys need fer these flighty birds that you still see now an’ then is a good scattergun. A big spray o’ birdshot will pluck ‘um right outa the sky. Got jest the ticket!” He hurried out of the room as fast as his pronounced limp would take him. A few moments later he came back into the room, carrying a gun in one hand and
Page 17
a box of shells in the other. He handed the single-barrel shotgun to me. “That there is a fine gun. Kill birds far away as you kin see ‘um.” We examined the gun carefully. It was a single shot 10 gauge shotgun with a trigger guard that continued around one side of the frame and up to form a lever that opened the action. The barrel seemed abnormally large and long, not just because it was a 10 gauge, but also because the forestock was a narrow sliver of wood and the buttstock wasn’t much larger, merely a straight, slim carbine style without pistol grip and with a small metal butt plate. I doubted if the whole gun weighed five pounds. For all of that, the wood was finely figured walnut and the barrel was tinted a deep blue, with just a hint of surface rust here and there: “She’s in fine shape. Jest a little rust here an’ there from where she laid outdoors afore I went back an’ picked her up.” “Picked her up?” I said. “What do you mean? What was it laying out for?” “Never mind. That were a long time ago. Thing is, this here gun is jest the ticket to bag some birds (Me & Joe cont. pg 40)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 18
Outdoor Sporting Library by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME
When Garth Baker was a young man, the Swan Hills of Alberta was a wild place, full of opportunity and adventure, devoid of people. It was the hungry thirties – the Depression, and Jay Baker had a family
Fur was about the only thing a person could sell for cash those days, and the Bakers ran trap lines in the old Lesser Slave Lake Forest Reserve, which had been abandoned after the fires of 1923. They brought
And over time, he built up a pretty extensive outfit, fixed up some nice cabins, got better equipment and improved his skills at catching animals. He made his living in the Swan Hills country for decades. to feed, a mortgaged farm and no job to pay the bills. So he and his sons headed to the woods, and at age thirteen, with no prospect for further education, Garth joined his dad in that back country paradise.
horses and dogs to help pack their gear, found and fixed up old cabins to stay in, and built other crude structures at strategic locations along their lines. Even in the deep woods fur could be scarce,
March 2023
Trapping the Swan Hills
and without the proper equipment or experience, the Bakers had some tough times. They were usually able to shoot a moose or other game for winter food and buy the necessary supplies, but things even as simple as snowshoes or a good rifle and ammunition were often lacking. Most of their catch in the early years consisted of squirrels, weasels and other small game. The occasional fox or mink they caught would be a great windfall. Eventually Jay found employment and left the trap line, but by that time the bush lifestyle had heavily imprinted on Garth, and when his father and brothers stayed in the settlements, he went back to the woods and spent his winters trapping fur. And over time, he built up a pretty extensive outfit, fixed up some nice cabins, got better equipment and improved his skills at catching animals. He made his living in the Swan Hills country for decades. They say nothing good ever lasts, and in www.visitaroostook.com www.visitaroostook.co m Garth’s case, 32 years saw a great deal of change in the Swan Hills. It started with the timber. Those Good Times... great trees that covered the Good Friends... And Good Food... valleys started to fall. Loggers built roads to access the remote places that for Weekly Specials decades had only seen the lone trapper, and began to 710 Main St., clear the rich forest. And it Presque Isle all might have been man207-764-5400 ageable, but for one small detail: they found oil. It turned out that this part of Alberta had been blessed with massive deposits of oil. Roads and clearcuts were quickly Breakfast ~ Lunch ~ Dinner followed by drilling rigs. Much of the forest was 350 Main Street Presque Isle, ME 04769
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Page 19
Spring: The Signs Are There
In like a lion… March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes and a laugh in her voice. – Hal Borland. March begins with spring snow heavy as ce-
in Canada. This morning a flock of 14 robins visited our yard. I consider that a sign of spring! They were intent on gobbling up the last of the “freeze dried” winterberries and sumac. On closer inspec-
These are so-called “blackbacked” robins. We used to call them Labrador robins because this color form is more numerous in the breeding populations of northeastern Canada. For years, ornithologists believed these were a separate
Northwoods Sketchbook by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME
striking-colored individuals in the flock of robins in our backyard this morning. March 5 - Birds know when the days are getting longer and the sun is rising higher into the late-winter sky. Flocks of
winter) and cleaning up the last of the shriveled winterberries. Waxwings get their name from the colorful waxy secretions on the tips of their secondary wing feathers. These brilliant cobalt red, waxy epaulets
many species are on the move. This morning, 18 cedar waxwings gathered on the sunny side of our oak tree to warm up after last night’s subzero temperatures. They busied themselves eating snow (their source of water in
are a status symbol. The red feather tips increase in number and size with a waxwing’s age. Young birds have zero to five waxy tips, while those with greater than nine painted feathers are believed to be (Spring cont. pg 23)
Birds know when the days are getting longer and the sun is rising higher into the late-winter sky. Flocks of many species are on the move. This morning, 18 cedar waxwings gathered on the sunny side of our oak tree to warm up after last night’s subzero temperatures.
ment clinging to my snowshoes and ends with clods of mud glued to my hiking boots. This month, Old Man Winter loses his grip on the deer woods. If you look hard enough, the signs of spring abound. March 4 - Robins used to be a harbinger of spring, but in recent years more choose to spend the winter in central Maine. This gives the males a foot-in-the door to claim a choice territory or puts them several hundred miles closer to their homesteads
tion the robins came in two plumages; those with the familiar pale orange breasts and several darker, richly-colored birds with striking brick-red breasts, black heads, and backs.
subspecies Turdus migratorius nigrideus, but modern genetics no longer supports this. On visits to Newfoundland, I saw both color forms. Indeed, the blackbacked variety has been found breeding as far south as the southern Appalachian Mountains. On closer inspection, there seems to be gradation in color in the Northeast robin population from pale (south) to dark (north). Nevertheless, it was a treat to see these
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Northwoods Sporting Journal March 2023 Aroostook Woods reading comprehension is- took County, March is just in January, I was reread& Water sues, too? I mean, …damn, another Tuesday in Febru- ing Polly Rosborough’s,
Page 20
March in the County
by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME I was cleaning out the spam folder on the computer this morning (which, as it turns out, is a lot like running a grain shovel along the floor behind a line of dairy cows) and I saw one from ‘Loon Outdoors’ and it was titled, “Blame Chocolate”. My
clared war on chocolate at all. Upon rereading the offending email, the title was actually, “Blane Chocklett” (some fly whisperer dude employed by Loon). You can see how my age-afflicted, marginally calcified attention span, might have contributed to that com-
I sent him a very detailed list. I did buy myself a few strings of those red, yellow, and green chili pepper lights, though. I hung them up all over the inside of the porch around the big flat top grill I installed out there this summer. Now I can go out on the porch when it’s -30 below and grill up a bunch of bear
ary. Cold, windy, snowy; the promise of spring, a hoax. You’re depressed, you know this is the year when the anchor-ice finally kills off every living thing in the stream. I looked out
“Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs”. If the name rings a bell but you can’t recall exactly why, Rosborough was the creator of several seminal patterns; ‘Casual Dress’,
the bathroom window the other morning and I know I saw a glacier trying to sneak in around the back of the barn. April? No, April is quite possibly the cruelest month of all. While all of you are out on a stream somewhere, up here we’re still plowing snow and chipping ice dams off the roof. About the only thing March is good for is tying. One way of introducing a little excitement in your snowbound existence is trying out some new patterns, some new ways of thinking about how and what we’re presenting to our dance partners. Back
the ‘Fledermouse’, and other well-known nymph patterns. But what made Rosborough stand out, was his decidedly unique ideas on size. Rosborough was convinced that the rest of us had absolutely no discernible observational skills when it came to tying our nymphs. Bigger was always better according to Polly, and his ideas have stood the test of time. To hear Rosborough tell it, “The nymph is always 20% larger than the adult. And as we drop down the size scale, the disparity grows tremendously. When we reach the Diptera and the Chironomids you will find that the larva is a 3xl #14, the pupa a regular shank #12, and the adult an #18 or a #20. Unfortunately, people keep right on tying the pupa stage on a #20 or a #22, and then wonder why they have such lousy luck
For many of you, March is the dawning of a new day, you’re on the cusp of a brighter tomorrow, a beacon of ethereal light pointing towards the promise of mega-hatches and unbreakable tippet. March is the segue into the April of our souls... first thought was, why is Loon whining about chocolate, they’re a fly fishing company! I decided not to read it, the title seemed suspiciously woke-ish. …, but I couldn’t help myself. I’m weak like that, and I went back to see why Loon Outdoors had suddenly declared war upon chocolate. I mean, I don’t care one way or the other about chocolate; declare war on it all you want, see if I care. Turns out, I was mistaken, Loon hadn’t de-
prehension gaffe, right? So that’s it, that’s all I got on Blane, blame, Chocklett, and chocolate. I still don’t care enough about any of those things to go back and read about them. Let’s move on, shall we? I didn’t get a new rifle for Christmas. I didn’t get a new fly rod either. No new sling packs or hunting boots appeared under the tree. Apparently, I’m just supposed to make do with all the stuff I already have! Does Santa have
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fajita’s, or a spatchcocked partridge or two, in warmth and comfort. I poked a hole in the outside wall and hung a range hood there so I can vent all the smoke outside. The long dark winter of my discontent is now bearable (no pun intended). It’s pretty, too. For many of you, March is the dawning of a new day, you’re on the cusp of a brighter tomorrow, a beacon of ethereal light pointing towards the promise of mega-hatches and unbreakable tippet. March is the segue into the April of our souls; and our favorite day of all: April 1st, opening day! You’re all giddy with excitement, and you should be; I may hate you. Here, on the vast frozen tundra of Aroos-
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(County cont. pg 21)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Hills (Cont. from pg 18)
Trapping the Swan Hills” is the story of Garth Baker’s life and adventures in the central Alberta country he called home. The book documents the early trapping excursions filled with adventures, along with some pretty entertaining stories. Garth also wrote some fictional stories about trapping, romance and the western lifestyle, which are included in the second half of the book. It’s a bit hard to find, but well worth the read if you get your hands on it. He also wrote a novel – “Athabasca Saga” which is even harder to find.
laid bare, and a new town – Swan Hills – sprung up in the center of it. For many, this was great progress. It meant jobs and economic development in a poor area. An increased standard of living, education for children and hope for the future. But for Garth Baker, it meant the end of the wilderness lifestyle he’d so enjoyed. After a few years trapping amongst the immense activity that had changed his old quiet trails, untouched valleys J e re m i a h c a n b e and crystal clear streams, reached at jrodwood@ he called it quits. “Thirty-Two Years gmail.com
Page 21
County
shot? Try using his scale and whip up a few leviathan-sized monstrosities. It (Cont. from pg 20) can’t hurt and it might even during a big tailing rise!” work. I’m going to start on a batch of black stoneflies -Polly Rosborough Now, it may simply (well, brown-ish) in sizes be that in Polly’s world, significantly larger than the rivers of Oregon and what I usually tie. Get out northern California, bugs of your rut, try something were far larger than ours; new. Give the trout a bigger but I don’t believe it. Bugs bite this season. …God, I are mostly bugs. What read- hate March. ing Polly did though, was make me realize that that’s M ik e M a y n a rd is exactly what I’ve been doing; tying my nymphs in snowbound and suffering the wrong sizes (according from chronic cabin fever. to Rosborough). So why He can be reached at pernot give Polly’s theory a hamtrout@gmail.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 22
The Owls Have It: Digesting Deer Season
Maine Tails By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME As I wrote in the March 2020 issue of the Sporting Journal (Digesting Deer Season, p. 59), “Just like a gourmet meal, a deer season requires time afterwards to properly di-
It was now too dark to see antlers, and well past legal shooting time. Studying his silhouette, his body was big significantly larger than my bucks of 2019 and 2021. gest; four months appears to be ample time.” Now an annual tradition, I return this month with Volume III - my account of the 2022 deer season. Our local owl is indeed a wise one. Having studied the deer hunting
season dates set by the State of Maine, Owl proclaimed “Opening Day” on October 29th with an earnest hoot - though his clock was fast; he was six minutes premature of legal shooting time. A hard frost overnight had crisped the leaves but melting began as soon as the sun rose. On my hillside, only the squirrels and songbirds were active. By late morning, I stood up and began sneaking out of the woods. Not 100 yards from where I sat, I heard commotion behind a blowdown. I watched as a big brown rump and white tail bounded off down the hill and headed for the next county. I sat down again in the early afternoon. Soon after, a squirrel rustled somewhere behind my left shoulder. The squirrel rustled again, this time behind my other shoulder.
Volume III
A third rustle, now directly to my right, prompted me to slowly turn my head. Next to me, a coyote stood behind a log. When I had turned to look at him, he had turned to look at me. In mutual shock, I swear I saw his lips curl to mouth my same words… “What the ****!?” By the time I shouldered my rifle, the coyote had darted off through the pines. I paced out my distance to the log before I left the woods. Eight yards. One afternoon in early November, I found myself sitting against a boulder overlooking an oak grove. Wind and falling leaves made the woods loud. In the midday sun, I tried to get comfortable, but for some reason, I could not. After an hour, I felt a sudden and unexplainable urge to move. I am not an overly superstitious sportsman so long as I have my lucky
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towards me. I dropped to one knee and saw a flash of white pass between two pines. Reaching for my rifle, I watched a fat doe step into my shooting lane.
“move,” I listen. I walked a few hundred yards west to a steeper hillside and was immediately comfortable. With fifteen minutes of legal time remaining, I heard that faint orchestrated fourstep. Then all went quiet and stayed quiet. The sun was sinking quickly as I stood up and leaned my rifle against a tree. When I swung my pack and seat across my back, I heard the deer again, this time running directly
Below me at only 25 yards broadside, the doe began vacuuming up acorns. I discreetly checked the time. Five minutes remained of legal time. I raised my rifle and put the crosshairs behind her shoulder. I clicked the safety off and put my finger on the trigger…And then I clicked the safety back on and slowly lowered my gun. For this hunter, to shoot then would have (Owls cont. pg 23)
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
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Owls (Cont. from pg 22) been unethical. Despite legal time, an antlerless permit, and good positioning, it was nearly dark. Behind the deer was a dense, wet swamp. We were in coyote infested woods - and if, for whatever reason, I could not locate the deer that night, I certainly never would. A few minutes passed and then I heard another deer. The doe lifted her head and kicked off. The other deer kept crashing through the brush. I heard him - “behhh.” Suddenly, all of the money I had spent on grunt calls over the years almost seemed justified. The buck followed in the tracks of the doe with his nose to the ground. “Behhh,” he grunted again. “Behhh.” It was now too dark to see antlers, and well past legal shooting time. Studying his silhouette, his body was big - significantly larger than my bucks of 2019 and 2021. Eventually he headed in the direction that the doe had taken. With a muscle cramp burning, I finally released myself from the kneeling position. I hunted six or seven more days through the end of the season. After some exploring, I found the buck’s home territory. I heard him several mornings, spooked him once, and saw just his legs and hind quarters another time. I was one step behind him all month, and he kept me humble and working hard; I never fired a shot. I did not meet any more coyotes, though their chorus could be heard most nights. However, I did encounter a fisher eagerly hunting red squirrels. And because red squirrels have engaged in
relentless hostilities against New England deer hunters since the beginning of time, I was rooting for the fisher. As the last rays of pink light pierced through the pines on the final Saturday of the season, I felt those emotions that emerge annually at this time, whether or not I put a deer in the freezer. Nature constantly offers poetry to the sportsman; unfortunately, we often overlook it. But when Owl suddenly called out the same tune as he had done a month prior, I heard the poetry. And so, next fall when Owl hoots, the hunt will continue. A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his fiancée, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com
Spring (Cont. from pg 19) mature. Waxwings also have brilliant yellow tips to their tail feathers as if they were painted by an artist with dabs of cadmium yellow paint. One
waxwing in this flock had an orange-tipped tail. The orange color is the result of a red pigment picked up from eating the berries of an introduced species of honeysuckle. If a waxwing eats enough of these berries in the summer when it is growing its tail feathers, the tips will be orange. The cedar waxwing is one of the few North American birds that specializes in eating fruit and exemplifies the old saying “you are what you eat!” March 12 - A flock of waxwings was back this morning for a breakfast of winterberries. My wife and I identified both cedar and bohemian waxwings. The bohemians are a northern species and are identified by their larger size and rich swashes of chestnut on their flanks. The idyllic gathering was shattered when a marauding Cooper’s hawk came screaming around the corner of the house into the midst of the waxwings. Birds, snow, and feathers exploded from the oak. One unlucky waxwing met it fate just feet from our picture window. The Cooper’s
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Page 23
hawk pinned the very alive waxwing to the ground. Its talons clenched tighter and tighter as life ebbed from the hapless waxwing. The hawk clutched its prey and flew into the thick cover of a cedar tree to eat its lunch hidden from the view of the local crows. I investigated later and found waxwing feathers everywhere. Life is sustained by death. March 26 - I put the finishing touches on the “catio” that I started last summer. Now our two indoor cats can go outdoors to watch the chipmunks and birds without killing them. Recent scientific studies document that freeranging cats kill as many as 27 billion animals each year in the U.S.; 4 billion birds, 22 billion mammals, and a billion reptiles amphibians. Clearly, free-
ranging cats have a significant impact on wildlife populations, especially when one considers many of the non-game animals that they kill have low and declining populations. Worldwide, free-ranging cats have caused or contributed to the extinctions of 33 bird, mammal, and reptile species. Our two indoor cats are now free from ticks, injury and death from fishers and foxes, and will not get hit on the road; all good reasons to keep your cats inside. They love the new catio and spend hours safely outdoors as the weather warms. Mark McCollough observes what’s going on in the deer woods in Hampden, Maine. He can be reached at markmccollough25@gmail.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 24
THE BACK SHELF
From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!
By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.
By John Ford As I watch Northwood Law’s final episodes, exposing the game warden’s many escapades while patrolling our woods and waters, I find myself thinking back to my own days. Days when I, too, was on the beat as one of Maine’s 120 dedicated game wardens for that time.
terminal disease preventing him from ever returning to duty. I was given a gun belt that seemingly was two sizes too big. It hung precariously off my hip, along with a set of handcuffs and a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. Even the ammo for my service weapon was
And then there was that damned old hard-billed warden hat that reminded me of a Nazi soldiers uniform cap. I hated that hat for more reasons than I’d care to mention.
The years were in the early 1970s. We didn’t have the many high-tech gadgetries and other forms of specialized equipment that today’s wardens have at their disposal. Far from it. I vividly recall being given a handme-down cruiser, a 1969 Ford sedan, one that had been issued to a warden who was sidelined with a
hard to obtain in those days from the storehouse. The “storehouse security cops” were adamant about not wanting to waste it, as they rationed it cautiously. We were fitted with a couple of issues of blue wool uniforms, red jackets for the fall hunting season, a six-cell aluminum flashlight, and a variety of footwear. There were LL Bean
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rubber pacs and a couple of leather boots along with a pair dress shoes for court. And then there was that damned old hardbilled warden hat that reminded me of a Nazi soldiers uniform cap. I hated that hat for more reasons than I’d care to mention. My first day, while standing along Main Street in Unity in front of what was then Reed’s Drug store, I was taken aback when a car rolled to a stop nearby. A young fellow emerged from the vehicle and hollered, “Hey buddy, what time is the bus leaving for Boston?” referring to me as to what he thought was a Greyhound Bus Driver. I wouldn’t dare print my unprofessional response to that self-proclaimed clown. Someone who apparently thought he was another Red Skeleton or a Jerry Seinfeld. From that day forward, I despised that piece of my uniform. Over time there would be other issues with that damned hat that made me hate it even more, but those are stories for yet another time. I also received a couple of summons books and a variety of other paper forms and necessities that was required to keep track of our duties on a weekly basis. These all had to be hand written and forwarded
March 2023
was so noted for. I distinctly recall one particular incident when I was driving through the middle of town in Unity. As I passed the gas station where I purchased my fuel, I was following an elderly lady who was slowly poking along Main Street directly in front of me. A good friend was pumping gas into his pickup truck nearby. So out of my normal friendliness, I laid on the horn to let him know I was thinking about him. Wouldn’t you know it, the switch was in the wrong position. The siren loudly wailed completely shattering the quiet and serene setting of Main Street in downtown Unity at mid morning. Everyone nearby was ducking for cover! My petrified friend quickly jumped into the air, as the poor elderly lady I was following shot up across the sidewalk and onto a nearby wellmanicured lawn of a noted businessman in town. She was leaving heavy skid marks in the wet grass and gooey mud from a recent rain storm all across the well- manicured lawn. Panicking, I quickly initiated the blue light on my dash and shot away from town just as fast as I dared to go, making it appear that I was on a serious call. I waited for a half hour or so, before rather
via snail mail to the bosses, unless he came by to pick them up directly. Tardiness was grounds for a good “butt chewing”. I managed to learn that fact quite well from personal experience. The cruisers we had were equipped with a tear drop blue light that could be mounted onto the dash, and a switch near the steering column that when activated one way would operate the siren. When it was turned the other way, it became the car’s horn, either way was a form of alerting someone of our approach if needed. More than once, I recall blowing the horn to a friend, trying to acknowledge their presence, only to have left the switch in the wrong position, causing the siren to scream instead. The end results was scaring the heck out of myself and those who happened to be around the area with the siren blaring away in that ear-piercing mode it (Back Shelf cont. pg 32)
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Stop Stocking Over Wild Native Fish
Anglers are a diverse group. There are bait, spin, fly, troll and ice anglers; warmwater, coldwater and saltwater anglers; and catch-and-release and killand-grill anglers. Some fish casually while others
ing over wild fish disrupts natural spawning, and in many cases has the opposite effect of what is intended. We do it try to appease anglers who want more from the resource than it can naturally provide.
rainbow trout were introduced over wild native cutthroat, or in the northeast when nonnative lake trout were introduced over wild native Arctic charr. All stocking results in competition for food and space, and can increase predation on wild native fish. It can introduce
Page 25
Native Fish Talk by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME ble wild native brook trout fishery. In fact, it’s arguably the finest wild brook trout large pond or lake fishery east of Rangeley and south of Moosehead. The pond was last stocked with Brook Trout in 1995,
accidental stocking. Would it not make sense to suspend the salmon stocking to lessen the stress on the forage base and allow the wild native brook trout to reach their potential? Historic Rangeley
Biologists have a term for stocking over wild fish: Supplementary stocking. Supplemental means that the stocked fish are “in addition to” wild fish. Stocking over wild fish disrupts natural spawning, and in many cases has the opposite effect of what is intended. “A lean Moosehead Lake landlocked salmon from the Roach River.” (Photo by Emily Bastian) are quite serious about their angling. And some anglers only fish, forgoing hunting, trapping and other traditional pursuits. Anglers pursue both native and nonnative fish, and trout anglers, figuratively speaking as this includes char and salmon as well, fish for both wild and stocked fish. Some anglers prefer lakes and ponds, while others would rather fish rivers and streams. And while many anglers’ fish both stillwater and moving water, some only fish one or the other. Regardless of our differences, the one thing we should be able to agree on is that stocking over wild native fish is a bad idea. Stocking over wild native fish puts them at risk, and the benefits simply so do not warrant the risks. Biologists have a term for stocking over wild fish: Supplementary stocking. Supplemental means that the stocked fish are “in addition to” wild fish. Stock-
There are two types of stocking over wild native fish, intraspecific and interspecific. An example of the former is stocking brook trout over wild native brook trout. The latter is stocking nonnative landlocked salmon over wild native brook trout. Both are bad, and while some of the impacts are the same, some are different. Intraspecific, or intraspecies, stocking can dilute the genetics of wild native fish, referred to as genetic swamping. This is because the hatchery-raised fish have a lower level of genetic diversity than the wild native fish. It can disrupt and decrease natural reproduction when stocked fish attempt to spawn with wild native fish. Interspecific, or interspecies, stocking can result in the accidental establishment of self-sustaining nonnative fish populations. It can also cause hybridization such as what happened out west when nonnative
hatchery-borne diseases, viruses, and parasites. In some cases, non-target species are accidentally stocked due to problems at the hatchery, destination misidentification, or accidents such as tank releases during aerial stocking. Moosehead Lake is a native brook trout and lake trout water. Historically, both species grew to notable sizes. While Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife stopped stocking lake trout in 1976 and brook trout in 1999, both of which are selfsustaining, they continue to stock nonnative landlocked salmon with 5,000 fish stocked in 2021. IFW is encouraging anglers to harvest wild native lake trout from Moosehead Lake to address what they see as a “size quality” problem due to too many mouths to feed. Would it not be more biologically and economically sound to stop stocking nonnative salmon rather than harvest wild native lake trout to address the forage issue? Pierce Pond is a nota-
after a 37-year suspension. But it is currently being stocked with nonnative landlocked salmon. Based on records kept by a sporting camp, the size quality of wild native brook trout has been going down at Pierce Pond. This is likely the result of too many mouths to feed. Nonnative lake trout and hybrid splake have been reported from Pierce Pond as well, likely the result of
Lake is currently being stocked with both brook trout, a native species, and nonnative landlocked salmon. The same holds true for the nearby Richardson Lakes, which also leak stocked fish into the fabled Rapid River, an unmatched wild native brook trout resource. Might there be a better way to maintain these famous fisheries than stocking? (Stocking cont. pg 27)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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Hats, Gloves and Boots
Basics Of Survival by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME Your hat, gloves and boots should not be an afterthought. They are a vital component of your overall outfit. In summer or in winter, proper gear can make a huge difference in your comfort. In the New England woods you need boots that are up to the task. Different types of boots are designed for different uses depending on how they are made. They should always be waterproof, comfortable, and well broken in. They should protect you no matter what you are walking on and give good ankle support as well. Snowmobile boots are usually rubber bottom, nylon top and a removable wool liner. They are designed to keep your feet warm when you are not walking very much. Hiking boots are great for general wear as long as
they are waterproof. Most are not heavily insulated so they are good only to a certain temperature. The older style leather boots are great for protection as long as you take care of the leather. Clean it and condition it regularly with polish or mink oil.
on boots are great for ice fishing as well; not only because it is a very wet environment, but because there are no laces. If you go through the ice and fall in you can easily kick the boots off while you are in the water. That way when they fill with water they will not prevent you from self rescue. That is why you should never use hip wad-
proper gloves you can work for hours. Most ski gloves are waterproof but still get wet eventually. Wearing thin glove liners inside them help to keep your hands dry longer. Rubber gloves are the only kind you can depend on to be truly waterproof. If you are working in water, like ice fishing, an inexpensive option is cotton gloves in-
The older style leather boots are great for protection as long as you take care of the leather. Clean it and condition it regularly with polish or mink oil. Nylon style hiking boots are light, tough and usually waterproof. Even if they are labeled waterproof, you should seal them with a silicone based spray to protect them further. Insulated slip on rubber boots (such as Muckboots) are great if you are going through a very wet or swampy area. They usually go much higher up your leg so they protect you in deeper water or slush. Slip
ers for ice fishing. If they fill with water you will not be able to pull yourself out. Gloves are next on the list. They are critical for working outside. In the summer, leather gloves to protect your hands from injury in the woods; in winter to protect from the cold. In the winter, you can only work outside for a few minutes without gloves before your hands become too cold to work. With the
side dishwashing gloves. The cotton to insulate and the rubber gloves to keep you dry. They also have long cuffs. If you plan to handle hot pots and pans on the campfire, welding gloves are a good choice. They are designed for hot metal and are insulated inside the leather. Never handle anything hot while gloves are wet. The water will conduct the heat directly
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to your hands. Hats are very important as well. In the summer a hat with a wide brim all around will protect your neck as well as your face from the sun. They also help to protect you from rain. Regular fleece or wool winter hats are usually warm enough for outdoors. If you plan to be outside for long periods or if it is storming, trapper hats work great. They have the ear flaps that fold up or down. Some also have face shields if the weather is really crazy. Mosquito head nets are lifesavers in bug season. Be sure the net is suspended away from your skin so the skeeters can’t bite through it. I keep a small head net in my survival kits. Joe is a husband, father, author, and marine. Joefrazier193@gmail.com
March 2023
Hastie’s
(Cont. from pg 7) needed it. True story: a man from Brownville Junction brought a Tennessee acquaintance into Seboeis for one purpose: to simply see the inside of this unique hamlet in the hardwoods. H a st i e ’s h ut still stands. But the place’s namesake, who is just this side of ninety, has had health issues. As you might surmise, some of us wondered what would become of this man’s citadel from the city. Would he leave it to family, or perhaps a friend? You wonder, but you don’t ask, even of a close friend. The answer came this week in a text from my friend. He wrote: “Big changes in store for Seboeis, Paul. I just sold my camp holdings.” The sudden liquidation came sooner than any of us had expected. The owner is also selling his Massachusetts home and moving to Florida.
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Selling a camp, however steeped in memories it may be, is not a death in the family, but there are similarities, especially if it is where some of life’s most profound and precious memories were piled on one another like gold coins. After 56 years, Hastie’s Hut has left the family. Nothing is forever. We must be grateful for the time we had at this old camp, and for the wonderful characters who shared it, without whom there would have been no memories.
Stocking
(Cont. from pg 25) Stocking over wild native fish is biologically unsound. It is economically wasteful as what is already there should be enough to satisfy anglers. It is based in the flawed belief that trout should be unlimited, and everywhere. And we are perpetuating the dangerous idea that moving fish around is OK. In many cases, the problems we are experiencing with regard to size-quality are a result of stocking over wild native fish. With limited hatchery The author is editor resources, and diminishing of the Northwoods Sport- wild native fish populaing Journal. He is also a tions, it’s time we used our Maine Guide and host of hatchery resources more a weekly radio program wisely and safely, while “Maine Outdoors” heard doing everything possible Sundays at 7 p.m. on The to allow our wild native Voice of Maine News-Talk fish to prosper. Network. He has authored three books.Online purBOB MALLARD has chase information is available at www.sportingjour- fly fished for forty years. He is the former owner nal.com Outdoor Books. of Kennebec River Outfitters, a Registered Maine Fishing Guide, and a commercial fly designer. Bob is a blogger, writer, and author. He is also a native fish advocate and founding member, Executive Director, and Maine Advisory Council Member for Native Fish Coalition. Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast, 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout, Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them and Favorite Flies for Maine: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts and Fly Fishing Mike Deschaine sent in this picture of Maine: Local Experts on Sue a 72 year old grandmother with her first the State’s Best Waters. Bob deer taken on the last day of the regular can be reached at BobMaldeer hunting season. He said it was one lard.com or info@bobmalof the best hunts he’d ever been on, buck lard.com responded to a doe bleat.
Page 27
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Revenge of the Nutcracker
Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME
season I pull the soldier out and gently place him on the front porch by the door. It acts as a seasonal reminder to all who drive by our home. Hopefully, nobody was driving by our home
Have you ever used a nutcracker? It’s meant to bust through the outer shell of a nut and get to the meaty interior of the shell so you can enjoy the flavorful nut you are seeking. There are also the famed Nutcracker. Adorning your Christmas decorations, and in my case, life-size and standing guard by my front door during the holidays. The latter has the ability to mimic the first; and that is where the story begins. My wife (always looking for unique things) found a Nutcracker figure that stands about 5+ feet tall. Every Christmas
I’m ready for a change so I can embrace winter. I’m really not sure why, but the Nutcracker had other plans this year. I feel that I’ve been pretty accommodating to him every year. He sits on a covered porch so he is protected from the elements
a new 12x24 shed which will be his home during the off-season. The time arrived when the clean-up began, and he was on my list. I took advantage of a the moment and thought I’d bring the Nutcracker out to the shed. There was a light snowfall
I instantly went air bound and came crashing down into the frozen ground and ramp on my left shoulder, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the Nutcracker followed suit and struck me at full force. He had finally got his revenge.
when the Nutcracker got his revenge. Every year I like to keep my tree and decorations up until my birthday, which as just after New Years Day. I am good at enjoying the atmosphere until my yearly trip around the sun, and then at that point
of winter. We always greet him on the way in, and on the way out. He is the centerpiece of Christmas recognition. Some may even take a picture with him. How bad can it be? You’re respected and admired. You are well cared for. This year I even bought
just beginning and I wanted to get it done before losing my window of opportunity. As I walked up the ramp to the shed, I reached for the handle and slipped on a small film of icing that I was unaware of under the fresh dusting of snow. I instantly went air bound and
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came crashing down into the frozen ground and ramp on my left shoulder, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the Nutcracker followed suit and struck me at full force. He had finally got his revenge. As I lay there screaming like a little girl (they probably heard me in the next county), snowflakes streaming down on my face, I knew it was not good. Fast forward, I am still trying to heal up to avoid potential surgery from torn ligaments in my shoulder and bicep. The question remains whether the Nutcracker will feel my revenge (lol) but suffice to say, I will commemorate this moment with you by sharing a tasty recipe with you. Believe it or not, despite the lack of use to one arm, I orchestrated a kitchen with 8 men who I helped create 10 signature recipes of mine to support a 150-person Game Dinner in NH. Here is one of the recipes from that epic dinner:
WildCheff’s Asian Wild Turkey Stir-Fry Ingredients 1 half turkey breast, diced 1 orange bell pepper, medium diced 1 red bell pepper, medium diced 1 small broccoli crown, 1 sweet onion, medium diced 4 oz. of pea pods 1 can of sliced water chestnuts WildCheff Ginger Citrus Blend seasoning (Revenge cont. pg 29)
March 2023
Revenge (Cont. from pg 28)
WildCheff Teriyaki Blend seasoning Brown sugar WildCheff Sesame Ginger Blend seasoning Sunflower oil 1 small can of pineapple juice 1 jar of Hoisin sauce Directions In a mixing bowl, place the diced turkey meat. Pour some sunflower oil over the meat and season it to your liking with the ginger citrus seasoning. Swirl the meat so the oil and spices mix evenly. Set aside and let marinate. In a separate bowl add all veggies, as you break them down into bite sized pieces. Season the veggies with desired amount of the teriyaki seasoning and brown sugar. Toss to combine. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add some sunflower oil to the pan (enough to support the veggies) and cook veggies while stirring/tossing them until they are beyond the raw stage, but cooked. (you don’t want them soft and mushy). Remove from stovetop and set aside in a large bowl. Place the wok back on stove and add a tablespoon or two of the sunflower oil to the pan. Heat over medium high, and place the turkey meat into the hot oil. Cook meat until done and then add veggies back to pan and toss so everything is evenly distributed. Pour some pineapple juice into the pan. Season the mixture with desired amount of the sesame ginger seasoning, and then pour hoisin into pan all over the stir-fry and toss it all so it resembles a
Northwoods Sporting Journal
sauce with the mixture. Remove from stove and serve over rice or cooked rice noodles.
WildCheff - Denny Corriveau is award-winning National Game Chef, Metis Native American Chef, 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 recognized authority concerning the culinary side of wild game. You can learn more @ www. wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff or Facebook at @ WildCheff
News (Cont. from pg 13) day. Winners will be selected through a computerized random drawing and announced on June 16. Applicants can enter the moose hunt lottery once per year. A bonus-point system improves the chances for unsuccessful applicants who apply in each consecutive year. Each point translates to a chance in the
drawing. As an example, last year the overall odds of a resident applicant being drawn were 1 in 96, and resident applicants with a total of 19 points had a 1 in 33 chance of being drawn. For nonresidents, the odds were 1 in 410 overall and 1 in 157 for applicants with 19 points.
In 2022, 6,033 people entered the lottery for the chance to win one of 40 permits. More than 1,190 people continued to accrue bonus points because they submitted an application for a point only, in order to not lose their accrued points. Hunters from five other states won permits in the 2022 lottery. While people travel from all over the country to take part in the New Hampshire moose hunt, the majority of permits (almost 85% in 2022) are awarded to Granite Staters. The number of permits available to nonresidents is capped, based on the prior
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has had an annual moose hunt since 1988, when 75 permits were issued for a three-day hunt in the North Country. The state’s current moose population is estimated to be about 3,000 animals. The availability of moose hunting permits is made possible by careful monitoring of moose populations. The resulting annual harvest of moose provides valuable information on the physical condition and productivity of moose and provides a unique recreational opportunity. Learn more about moose hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh. com/hunting/moose.html.
year’s sales of nonresident hunting licenses. The number of moose hunt permits that will be offered for this fall’s hunt has not yet been determined as harvest and survey data are currently under review. Final numbers will be released later this spring. “While permit numbers may change in 2023, your chance of being drawn and offered a permit in the lottery will be improved if you rank all wildlife management units on your application,” Wildlife Programs Chief Dan Bergeron noted. “You will have the option to decline a permit if you are drawn for a unit you would prefer not to hunt.” New Hampshire’s nine-day moose hunt starts the third Saturday in October. This year’s hunt will run from October 21–29. New Hampshire
WILD New Hampshire Day Save the date! There may be bone-chilling cold in the forecast, but spring is just around the corner, (News cont. pg 52)
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Page 30
Warden’s Words
by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME It has been several months since I shared a “ Wa r d e n B e h i n d t h e Badge” article, which I use to highlight and speak about the many talented and committed professionals, that I get to work alongside as Wardens. We will
joke that Nick is like the younger brother I never had. Nick was raised in the Winslow area and worked as a Deputy Game Warden for two summers before he was hired full-time. He is a capable, diligent, and relentless Warden who is
March 2023
Warden Nick Raymond
journey of training programs and academies, we have become strong working partners who complement each other well and push each other to be the best we can be. If someone were to ask me, which Game Warden would you pick to sit out all day long conducting surveillance? Nick Raymond would be my very
took the extra fish, put them in a plastic bag and placed the bag inside his snowmobile jacket. We remained patient, watching to see how this situation would unfold. The man soon sped
back at his house, before continuing to fish for more. This was an early case that opened both of our eyes to the lengths that some will go to harm the resource. Nick has never slowed
I first met Nick as we passed through the hiring process to become Wardens. Nick has family ties to the Fort Kent area, and we immediately bonded over this connection to my hometown. jump back in with another feature on an outstanding young Warden in northern Maine. Nicholas Raymond has served as Maine Game Warden since January of 2016 in the Fort Kent district, which ranges from Fort Kent to Allagash. Nick is a classmate of mine as we both attended all required training programs together and formed a strong friendship that continues to this day. Although he is a few years older than I, I often
committed and dedicated to the job of protecting Maine’s natural resources and has made a substantial impact in a short time in the St. John Valley. I first met Nick as we passed through the hiring process to become Wardens. Nick has family ties to the Fort Kent area, and we immediately bonded over this connection to my hometown. Nick was stationed in Fort Kent and has remained there since he was hired. Through our
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first choice. Nick is patient, detailed and naturally gifted at the art of surveillance, which is key to being a successful Game Warden. One of our first winters working together in Aroostook County, Nick and I set off for Long Lake during the ice fishing season. We both posted up for a long, cold day watching ice fishermen to ensure bag limits were being followed for the trophy Landlocked Salmon that bring anglers from around the country to this area. We sat for hours behind our spotting scopes and soon watched a group of anglers catch over their limit for the day. One of the anglers in this group then
Maine Warden Nick Raymond away on his snowmobile, leaving with the extra fish. Nick and I had a conversation about how to proceed as the overlimit of fish was leaving the ice. We sat tight and waited. Before long the man returned, a few pounds lighter as he had unloaded the overlimit of salmon
down in his pursuit of these cases. All of the Wardens who work around Nick, know that his district is well protected as he consistently makes cases involving hours of his time and patience to hold anglers accountable during the (Nick cont. pg 31)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Nick
(Cont. from pg 30) open water and ice fishing seasons. His district is remote and full of trophy brook trout waters, that are of the utmost importance for protection. Nick has received Exemplary Service Awards from the Maine Warden Service for this type of work and dedication to protecting these waters. Nick is a well-rounded Warden, who excels in other areas of Warden work, along with his expertise in fishing enforcement. He consistently leads the northern Division of the Warden Service in operating under the influence cases, including snowmobile, ATV and boating OUIs. He is an avid outdoorsman himself, who I consider a highly skilled angler,
waterfowl hunter and deer tracker in his “off-time”. Nick has been involved in most of the best cases I have been involved in in my career. He has an excellent eye for details in the field and has helped solved many cases because of his keen eye and evidence collection skills. He is a formidable interviewer and is someone who I have learned much from as a peer. We complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses well, and Nick is always someone I would want to assist me on any type of case. There is no doubt that
in the “circles” of those who abuse the resource in the St. John Valley, Nick Raymond’s name is known and mentioned often. Those who follow the law, know him to be a fair and straightforward Warden who is competent and capable. Nick is what I would consider a “throw-back” to the Wardens of yesteryear who place a high priority on resource protection and dedicate their lives in this pursuit. I look forward to the nearly two decades left of our careers and the work left to be done as working partners.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
This unusual trend portable radios, no cell man Jacks! More often than not, Back Shelf the reception If someone had told from these was called a skip, a phe- phones, no GPSs, or Pag-
(Cont. from pg 40) humbly and somewhat slowly retracing my steps back through Main Street, just as a local wrecker was removing the old lady’s car from the muddy lawn where she’d managed to bury her car. To this very day, those folks never really knew what had honestly happened on that horrid day. The police radios we had during my era were of a low-band frequency, unlike the sophisticated communications systems of today.
gadgets was horrible, as the department desperately struggled trying to improve the mode of communications across the state. For example, during the fall, while working night hunters on a misty, rainy night, in the town of Troy, I was be able to speak directly to a New York State Trooper in the Catskills Mountains. But yet I was unable to communicate with my assigned headquarters located in Skowhegan, a short distance away.
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nomenon where the transmitted airwaves bounced off from the clouds and moisture, carrying the message far away from its intended target. More than once, I had a conversation with a New York State Trooper comically inquiring, “Where to hell is Troy, Maine?” Likewise I’d ask, where to hell is Cooperstown, NY? “It was almost as if we were seated next to each other the transmission was so clear. Yet, less than 30 miles away I couldn’t communicate to those I needed the most. Within a few years, a new high-band frequency was finally implemented, and through a variety of repeaters strategically placed on mountain tops all around the state, we actually were able to communicate like never before. Modernization was slowly coming our way. Back in those earlier days, there were no
ers, no computers, or any of that high-tech modern gadgetry that the boys of today are routinely issued within their shiny new, four-wheeled drive pickup trucks, and the many other toys they get to use. Heck, back in those days most of those items we are so used to using today were not even a thought. Not to mention one of us ever getting a truck with 4 wheel drive. During that time the department was buying cars in a fleet. Paying a little over $2000 for each one. Today you can’t even get a full set of tires for that price. I was known for maneuvering my sedan into places where even God and a skidder would have had trouble getting it back into civilization. I wasn’t alone, as many of my fellow brothers in arms were doing the same! Thank God for Come-alongs and Handy
me back in 1970 that I’d be getting the internet, I’d have thought it was going to be a new gadget we were being issued in order to dip smelts or some other fish with. The Internet was yet a long ways off in the future! If I was told back then, I had to sit at a boat landing, searching for milfoil, I’d have thought I was looking for a cover for my lunch or a salad! If back then I had been expected to answer my Pager, I’d think I had been assigned to one of those young characters in the State Legislature who was sent to carry messages throughout the electorate body of the state house or the senate. I wouldn’t have had a clue about what a Pager was. As for Cell phones, that in itself is another story. I can recall my friend, Bert Clifford, the CEO of the Unity Telephone Com(Back Shelf Cont.pg 41)
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March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:
Shot Show 2023
Most of you have heard of the SHOT SHOW before. For those who have not, it is the shooting industry’s first and largest product show of the year. It is the showcase for the entire industry to introduce its new or improved products. The SHOT SHOW is usually held in Las Vegas, Nevada each year in January. Only industry people
in mind, there were some guns and accessories that caught my attention. For the beginning shooter: I have long been a single shot rifle in major caliber fan for new shooters. Midland Arms has introduced a folding
er barrels. The Bergarra Company, long known for their excellent barrels has introduced a line of competitively priced bolt action rifles with carbon wrapped barrels in most popular hunting calibers. Most manufacturers are offering their rifle products with barrels set up to accept the attachment of suppressors. Please Note: Despite what the press tells you,
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A Guide’s Perspective by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME
released are any indication, these will be fantastic north woods deer rifles and heirlooms to be passed along to our offspring. Another beloved New England firearm company, Savage Arms has introduced a 1911 style handgun. It will be available in
your local gun shop. Keep checking! 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 of-
They have introduced the new Marlin/Ruger Mod 336 in the venerable .30/30. I have not seen one of these beauties yet, but if the .45/70 models that have been previously released are any indication, these will be fantastic north woods deer rifles and heirlooms to be passed along to our offspring.
are allowed to attend. You must be from the press, be an FFL holder and dealer, a manufacturer representative or a member of Law Enforcement. This year, like most years in recent history, the industry proved, an old adage, “Tell a shooter he/she cannot do or have something and that is what they will do and have.” So, the focus is firmly in the tactical black rifle arena. There is everything from accessories like suppressors, bipods and handguards to rifles and new tactical calibers. I fully support this trend because the more people who want modern sporting rifles, the harder it will be to violate our rights by taking them away. So, by all means, we should all own a black rifle. However, this column is predominately involved with hunting. With that
single shot rifle with a 20” barrel and a synthetic stock in .308 caliber. It has adjustable iron sights and is drilled and tapped for optics. It also has an adjustable length of pull so the gun can grow with the shooter. This simple feature- rich rifle comes with the economical price of $300. Pretty good right? Well, for an additional $100 you can get an interchangeable 12 gauge shotgun barrel. Great value!! In the area of technological improvements, there were a number of manufacturers that were featuring carbon enhanced barrels. This technology wraps carbon fiber around a thinner metal barrel. The tightly wrapped carbon fiber disperses heat and vibration after the shot. It further makes the barrel stiffer and allows for the use of much short-
these are not silencers. The suppressors suppress the muzzle blast to reduce, not eliminate the sound. This is better for our hearing. It also diminishes the muzzle blast to a less objectionable level for those of us hunting in urban areas. In other exciting news, I have had many inquires from folks asking when Marlin/Ruger was going to bring back the .30/30. I can only imagine the number of calls and letters Marlin/ Ruger has received. Well, it’s here. They have introduced the new Marlin/Ruger Mod 336 in the venerable .30/30. I have not seen one of these beauties yet, but if the .45/70 models that have been previously
9mm and .45. It has been many years since this company has offered a handgun for its loyal customers. This has been a tiny sampling of the thousands of new products offered at SHOT SHOW 2023. So, take a new shooter with you to the gun shop to check out some more new innovations. I will tell you, it takes some time for the new stuff to make it to
ficer 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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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Jigging for Whitefish The Maine the side and the fish was It is the prime commercial bottom to hatch without paWoods tobrought up hand-over hand. species of the upper Great rental care in April or May. Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME
What could be better than sitting on your snowmobile on a bright sunny March day on the upper end of Chamberlain Lake jigging for whitefish? The Allagash headwater lakes are the premier whitefish angling waters in the State of Maine. Jigging over a school of feeding whitefish
working right it will cover a six-foot circle on the bottom of the lake. 1977 was the first winter that I worked on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. I took for granted how good the fishing for whitefish was. You could stop almost anywhere on Chamberlain Lake and jig-
Methods have been refined over the years with the Swedish Pimple being the lure most fishermen use, usually tied to medium weight monofilament line, on a commercially made jig stick. Most people attach a small piece of cut bait to the lure, but I will often jig without the cut bait. I think the action of the lure is bet-
Lakes fishery. In Maine, Lake Whitefish were once commercially harvested in Moosehead Lake. Over the last 100 years, whitefish populations have dwindled to relic numbers in the majority of Maine lakes. Populations of whitefish are now concentrated in the headwater lakes of the Allagash and
A study by Laval University at Cliff Lake found that a specific species of zooplankton was the dominate food for the first three weeks after hatching. The young fish then move into deeper water to feed on aquatic insect larvae, mollusks, and plankton. Larger fish feed on smelts, sticklebacks, and minnows.
ter without bait attached. The fishing for whitefish is not as good as it was 40+ years ago but good catches of native whitefish are still common on Chamberlain, Eagle, and Ross Lakes. Whitefish make great table fare. The firm, white meat, has a very mild delicate flavor. I have found that once the fish has been frozen, the meat becomes soft and mushy. The fishing rules vary from waterbody to waterbody- check the law book for the current rules on the lake you are planning to fish or view the rules online at: www.maine.gov/ifw Lake Whitefish are found throughout the Canadian provinces from New Brunswick to British Columbia and into the Northwest Territories. In the United States, it is found in the Great Lakes region and along the U.S and Canadian border into Maine.
Penobscot drainages. Lake Whitefish are regarded as schooling fishes. They thrive in the deep, cold, well-oxygenated water of lakes like Chamberlain and Eagle. They spawn in tributary streams in late October through November or even into December. Spawning runs last 5-7 nights, much like smelt. When no suitable inlet streams are available, they spawn just as successfully in the shallows of windswept rocky shores. The Lake Whitefish is perhaps the most prolific of Maine’s coldwater sport fish. A one-pound female fish may lay as many as 10,000 eggs. They spawn at night in large groups of paired males and females displaying a frenzied ritual of darting and splashing at the surface of the water. The eggs are fertilized and broadcast in mid-water where they settle into the cracks and crevasses of the
Lake Whitefish normally live 10 or more years and weigh 1-3 pounds. The state record weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces, taken by an angler trolling a Mooselook Wobbler at Sebago Lake in 1958. If you would like to try jigging for whitefish in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, you can find a place to park your camper in the winter campground at Chamberlain Bridge, or you can book accommodations at one of the area sporting camps. See: www. mainesportingcamps.com
The fishing for whitefish is not as good as it was 40+ years ago but good catches of native whitefish are still common on Chamberlain, Eagle, and Ross Lakes. is about as much fun as I have ever had while ice fishing. There is a little bit of a knack to jigging. Brady Scott certainly had a knack for catching any fish, but he could jig whitefish with the best of them. Brady once told me, “You need to be able to feel you lure working around the bottom of the lake.” He was right; jigging effectively requires more than an aimless pulling of the lure up and down. You need to pull up just as the lure comes to the end of your line, with a smooth rhythm. If you get your lure
up a whitefish in less than ten minutes, they seemed to all run about the same size- about 18 inches. One weekend that winter, as I was patrolling on Chamberlain Lake, I checked a couple fishermen jigging off Donley Point Campsite. They had caught the biggest whitefish I had ever seen! I didn’t weigh it, but it must have weighed over six pounds! The lure of choice back in 1977 was a gold lead fish, tied to a cloth line with a stout wooden handle. As soon as the fish hit, the handle was thrown
MAINE WOODS GUIDE SERVICE
• Canoe Trips • Fishing • Hunting • Wildlife Watching Matt LaRoche - Registered Maine Guide 207-695-2877 www.mainewoodsguide.com
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 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Hunting in the Classroom
When my daughter came home and told me she was learning about black bears, I did what I usually do and offered to bring in a bear rug and some bears skulls. I was shocked and excited when the teacher said yes! I packed up my smallest bear rug, two skulls and two photo albums of my visits to bear dens and headed into the local kindergarten class. Sixteen 5 and 6 year- olds greeted me, full of energy. You are never really sure when you go into a presentation about how much you are going to be able to talk about hunting and how I came to own the bears. After the kids shared all of the facts that they have learned about bears, they asked me questions
about black bears and what it was like to go out to the dens with the biologist. They wanted to know how the biologists drug the bears so that they can do the den research. It helped that I had photos of bear biologist like Randy Cross, Lisa and Jake Feener and Kendall Martin. The kids could see the biologists measured the
color, size and cracks in the teeth. Each kid was so interested in the bears and were happy to find out more. I was so excited when their teacher started talking about hunting and how we need to hunt bears to keep the population healthy across Maine. We also talked more about how the
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Women In The Woods by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME or that hunted deer. That was their connection to the conversation and the idea of hunting and conservation. I was thrilled to hear it! If we can keep kids excited about hunting
After the kids shared all of the facts that they have learned about bears, they asked me questions about black bears and what it was like to go out to the dens with the biologist. babies, checked the sow’s collar and the number tattooed on her upper lip. They were fascinated. The kids asked all kinds of questions about the skulls and each nook and cranny that they saw. They could see the difference in the size and the
biologists work to make sure there is a good, healthy number of bears and that not too many or too few are hunted. Some of the kids in the class come from hunting families and they talked about other relatives that had bears in their houses
and the health of Maine’s wild animals, then maybe we can keep the number of hunters from nose diving in the next decade or so. Teaching them the benefits of hunting at this age will hopefully get them to understand the importance it plays in the
ecosystem when they are older. The more information and hands on experiences they can have, the better. They may never hunt themselves, but if they understand and appreciate the need for hunting, that will help all of us in the long run. Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
View From The River by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME The Northern Forest Canoe Trail reaches Upper Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks via Indian Carry. It’s a pleasant portage, where delicate wildflowers and princess pine grow beneath tall hemlock. The weather was brilliant the day my father and I came that way, back in 2015. I had hustled ahead, wheeling my solo canoe and gear, and was swimming when Dad arrived.
of his canoe far out on the lake. Way too far out. For some mysterious reason, he had gone straight for the large green outline of Birch Island, well beyond our proper turn. Finally, I thought, I get to use my whistle! For years, we had both worn whistles clipped to our PFDs, a key piece of safety equipment for just such situations. At first, I thought he’d
Lessons Learned Along the Way
been thinking a lot about wisdom I’ve gained the hard way, through challenges or mistakes. Here are five of my favorite tips: Tip #1: Test all your equipment in advance. Not just high-tech gear like your GPS or satellite messenger, but a lowly whistle, too. Unpack new or borrowed equipment well ahead of time. Be sure it is the right size and in good repair, has all its
As I prepare for my Connecticut River trip, I’ve been thinking a lot about wisdom I’ve gained the hard way, through challenges or mistakes. Slow and steady, that was his philosophy. So, he didn’t wait, but loaded up and headed out while I was still drying off. A strong wind gusted vigorously from the northwest as I left the shelter of the cove. We would have our work cut out for us—a two-mile struggle north along the unprotected shore to turn east into Huckleberry Bay and the start of Bartlett Carry. Dad was out of sight until I rounded Indian Point. Above the choppy waves, I spotted the yellow
heard me, as he paused along the island’s shore. I blew and blew some more, with all my might, signaling the proper course with my paddle. Nothing, Then Dad made a move, back toward the put-in, the wind hurtling him along at a good pace. Reluctantly, I took off after him, surrendering my hard-earned progress. As it turned out, Dad had neither seen nor heard me, teaching us both a valuable lesson. As I prepare for my Connecticut River trip, I’ve
March 2023
Everything has its place in a well-packed canoe.
er have too many dry wool socks. For me, this could be a rule in and of itself. However, it suggests a broader philosophy. Plan for the unexpected. Carry along a spare paddle, more than one way to start a fire, and an extra set of warm, dry clothes buried deep in a dry bag.
(Photo by Laurie Chandler) parts, and that you know how to set it up or use it. been using it. I needlessly Pair your fancy GPS with retraced my steps for a mile a waterproof physical map Tip #2: Everything and a half before discover- of your route. should have its place in ing my error. your dry bags or boat. This Tip #5: Pack light. allows you to find an item Tip #3: Prepare to be Two simple, tried-and-true quickly in an emergency, flexible. I am a consum- words that are oh so diffidarkness, or stormy weath- mate lover of plans and cult to accomplish. Perfecter. I like to use dry bags of spreadsheets and am all ing this principle probably different colors and sizes, in favor of starting out takes a lifetime, so be coneach one clipped or tied with a detailed itinerary. tent with making progress into a specific location However, on a long jour- gradually. And, as your in the canoe. Likewise, ney, almost every day will winter daydreams become paddles, portage wheels, require changes—willing summer journeys, I hope bailer, and other miscel- or unwilling—to the plan. that you, too, will reflect on laneous gear all have their Know in advance that you all you’ve learned and have sacred spots. Loading up will sometimes find your- loads of fun getting ready! my canoe after a portage, self camping in unexpected I can glance around and places or searching for an Laurie Apgar Chanquickly count whether I outfitter, pharmacy, or li- dler is the author of have all my gear. brary for internet. Be sure Through Woods & Waters, The importance of to bring contact informa- which provides an adventhis lesson, too, has been tion and directions for plac- turous look at Maine’s Kareinforced over the years. es where you think you’ll tahdin Woods and Waters I remember one blistering be, but also for places you National Monument, and hot afternoon when I hast- may unexpectedly end up. Upwards, the story of her ily stuffed my water filter Change is not always bad 2015 solo self-propelled into the closest dry bag, either. You may discover a thru-paddle of the Northrather than returning it to better put-in or be offered ern Forest Canoe Trail. its accustomed place. Later, some amazing trail magic. For more information or when I couldn’t find it, I to purchase the books, visit thought I’d left it behind Tip #4: You can nev- www.laurieachandler.com on the large rock where I’d
March 2023
Letters
(Cont. from pg 8) That is one of the prettiest mountain streams you can ever imagine. It followed the Appalachian Trail. I also fished Van Campens Brook which was a few miles up River Rd. from the campground. It had wild native eastern brook trout, as pretty as any you find here in Maine. An 8 incher was a trophy back then. All were released. When I got old enough I hunted deer and ruffed grouse ( partridge) in the area. In the late fifties and sixties a project called the Tocks Island Dam was undertaken by the Army Corp. of Engineers ie. Federal Govt. Many people lost their homes and land by eminent domain. We were all horrified that this dam would be built. It would create a 40 mile long and one mile wide lake which would flood the Minisink Valley (most of the 70,000 acres that was the subject of this article. Part of the reasoning for this was flood control. In 1955 there were two major hurricanes that hit the area. Several hundred people were killed and many buildings destroyed when the 30 ft. wall of water came down the river. Other reasons were hydroelectric power and water supplies for New York and Philadelphia. It was a huge “ pork barrel” boondoggle supported by many politicians of both parties Money!!! At that time the environmental movement was just beginning. Many of the grassroots organizations and environmental groups banded together to fight
Northwoods Sporting Journal the project. Many people say that this stopped the project but actually it was the money needed to fight the Vietnam War. Never the less the environmental groups had a hand in stopping the dam project. Two of the most outspoken groups were DBRC (Delaware River Basin Comm.) and the Sierra Club. I would say that the Sierra Club had a hand in saving the 70,000 acres that is now the subject of your article. I have no great love for the Sierra Club or for that matter the NRA (they spend my dues for mansions and wardrobes for Wayne LaPierre). The point is that people in this country are quick condemn and say “ it’s my way or the highway” on both sides of many issues. KWWNM has places you can hunt, snowmobile etc. and placed you can’t. This country is so polarized we need more discussion and compromise. I think it would help quell
some of the discord and the hatred on all sides. Maybe part national forest part national park. Just an idea. Harry Martyn Branch Lake Ellsworth
Unhappy Doe Permit Applicant To the Editor: Have read the journal for a lot of years. I am sending this to you Mr. Reynolds because I did not know who to contact that would really listen. The new doe permit system does not make any sense to me. I have no problem with the money, but the way they ran the on line purchase for permits. The fish and game made it sound like the new system would eliminate the complaints about the bonus permit, but it seems to me that it was not the case. First, I don’t understand why, if people applied for a zone, that they don’t keep drawing until the permits are gone,
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or no more applications are left. As for the new system, why did they open it up to everyone and not just the ones who didn’t get drawn or missed the date to apply? I went on line the first day and it was 11:25 a.m.I was number 18,108 and never got in until 3:10 p.m.was not able to get the zone I wanted or ended up getting one in another zone I did not know well. I just wonder how many extra permits got sold to people
who already had one in my zone that did not get used? Why didn’t they set it up so you had to fill your first permit, and if there were more available you could then buy one. That way everyone had a chance to get a permit. It just seems like it was a money grab. I love the Sporting Journal. Brian Clapp Sanford
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Maine Outdoor Adventure
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME
Growing up in southern New England and fishing the Connecticut river certainly created fond memories. Whether it was catching catfish, eel, or a rainbow trout, the memories were priceless. I was also fortunate to fish from Florida to Maine, but never
erman, I started to realize that the reality was more about making money and less about conservation. The money generated from fishing, hunting licenses and permits were put into a general fund, which was then used for everything but conservation. In hind-
March 2023
Fish Hatcheries… Good or Bad?
make money, whether it’s good or bad for the fishery? Please feel free to write in and share your thoughts on this topic. Your opinion matters! Stocking over native fish is unfortunately, still relentlessly being carried out today. Despite awareness and education, fish hatcheries are creating for-
As I evolved as a fisherman, I started to realize that the reality was more about making money and less about conservation. The money generated from fishing, hunting licenses and permits were put into a general fund, which was then used for everything but conservation. gave it a thought, what I was catching regarding stocked, wild, or native fish. As I evolved as an adult and fisherman, I always was concerned and sometimes outraged, when it came to trash and pollution. Every year I would gather with friends on the opening day of fishing to harvest from a put and take fishery in Connecticut. It never crossed my mind to think about why fisheries were managed the way they were. It was like an instant gratification sport fueled from fishing license revenue. As I evolved as a fish-
sight, I always wondered what it would be like if all those license dollars were to directly go to habitat improvement and restoration. The amount of money spent on stocked fish is very expensive for something that is not renewable and not lasting. Hatcheries, in my opinion, seem to be a short term, instant gratification solution, with negative effects on native fish, living organisms, and the environment. So why do many states relentlessly support and perpetuate fish hatcheries? Perhaps it is a business that is there to
age crash and even native fish decline in some lakes today. A great example is Sebago Lake. Prior to 1868, landlocked salmon populations occurred in only four river basins in Maine: the St. Croix, including West Grand Lake in Washington County; the Union, including Green Lake in Hancock County; the Penobscot, including Sebec Lake in Piscataquis County; and the Presumpscot, including Sebago Lake in Cumberland County. It is said, the original, wild, native Land locked salmon in Sebago Lake, is in peril due to the Lake
The author with a nice catch. Trout stocking of Sebago. Among others, such as small and large mouth bass, these fish also pose a direct threat to the Salmon species that were found historically in Sebago Lake, the “Sebago Salmon”. Other negative impact factors on fish stocking include and is not limited to... disease, parasites, viruses, and genetic diversity. The recreational stocking of
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fish does impact native fish as competition for food and space. The introduction of hatchery fish can disrupt or suppress natural reproduction of wild, native fish. Live bait is a hot topic regarding fishing. Some fishermen and bait shops are in opinion, that using a bait that doesn’t reproduce is perfectly fine. But what happens to a body of water when it’s introduced to an invasive bait fish, whether it can breed or not? All life on the planet takes up space and eats food. The balance of nature is a delicate balance. Making even small changes can certainly bring catastrophic consequences to wildlife, fisheries, and the environment. Looking and understanding our past mistakes can prove to be education for the prevention of more disaster. Reed (Hatcheries cont. pg 65)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Bille Soule’s Camps on Cupsuptic Lake
three hundred yards long, and about five feet wide. Captain Soule holds a lease of the whole Cupsuptic Valley for hunting purposes, and had eight camps in addition to those at Pleasant Island, scattered at different points over the whole domain. From the steamer, across the wharf, and into Capt. Soule’s of-
Sportsmen at Billy Soule’s Famous Camps (Maine and its Scenic Gems, 1897, p. 87) Billy Soule, son of George Soule, one of the first guides and proprietors in the Rangeley Region, grew up there and opened up a set of camps on Pleasure Island at the northeast end of Cupsuptic Lake and ran them for many years. Later, he sold the camps and moved to Aroostook County, where he ran another set of camps. The following detailed description comes from an article titled “Around the Rangeleys,” which was published at Belfast, Maine in the Republican Journal, on July 23, 1896. Seldom do we get such a definitive description of the interior of camps. “Six miles further on, and we were at Pleasant
Island. It is not so high here as at Rangeley, being only 1,700 feet above the level of the sea. The lake is six miles long, with an average of one mile in the width. And I venture to assert that nowhere can there be found a more perfect primeval picture of lake, mountain and forest scenery than here. The silence of the solitude, as the swift little steamer glides softy through the still water, is to us like the moment’s stillness, which precedes the burst of the tempest. “Pleasant Island appears to be about large enough to accommodate the ten hunting camps located here. Between the island and the main land there is a floating bridge,
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Old Tales from the Maine Woods by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA
reminded me of the old French village of Tobique, on the St. John’s River, in looking as though they had been dropped from a height and had alighted in the direst confusion. Possibly the nationality of the man shows itself here, for I suspect that the wily ways of Billie denote a strain of French blood in his Captain Soule holds a lease of the veins. Houghton and Dutwhole Cupsuptic Valley for hunting ton of Boston are building purposes, and had eight camps in a camp here. In one of the rooms, I noticed a billiard addition to those at Pleasant Island, table; also, a great amount scattered at different points over of mounted specimens of the whole domain. birds and wild animals. fice, is not over forty feet. places, nice white beds, The gentlemen can leave Across one corner of the easy chairs, fur rugs, etc. Boston at 8 o’clock a. m. office, is a large brick fire- All are built of fragrant and arrive at the island at place, and today a cheerful spruce logs, cleanly peeled 7 o’clock p. m. fire is burning in it, for it is and closely joined together. cold and gusty on the lakes. And all, from some vanSteve is an avid hiker, An office desk and chair tage point, look out upon paddler and historian, havoccupy another corner, and the lake. The camps are ing collected over 30,000 a winding stairway fills a not set in regular line, and Maine Woods articles to third, while we are stand- camps should not be. They date. ing in the fourth corner, at the wide-open door. In the center of the room are easy Steve Pinkham chairs, where the hunters Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller do congregate, when the day is done, to invoke the spirit of the camp, and to 617-407-0743 place on record the largest steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com of big fish stories. There are many fine mounted speciwww.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com mens of moose, deer and
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caribou in these camps. In the basement of this building is a fine, large dining hall. To describe one of these hunting camps, is to describe them all. They are of different sizes, some to accommodate a party of ten, or more, while others are for smaller parties. All have huge brick fire-
Old Tales of the Maine Woods
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 40
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 17) this time o’ year. And here’s a box of shells. Ain’t but one round gone out of it.” “Why just one round?” He moved his right shoulder unconsciously. “Ain’t important. You boys got a few hour’s daylight left. Better git to it.” Joe nodded enthusiastically. “Let’s go out to Poddle’s orchard and see if they’s any birds feedin’ on dropped apples.” “Poddle’s orchard?” Uncle Arnold started slightly. “Why that’s where…” “Where what?” I said. “Nothin’. Don’t worry about gittin’ that gun back anytime soon boys. Use ‘er all you want.” A short time later we were sneaking through the scattered trees of the orchard. We’d flipped a coin on the way and Joe had won the first shot. He carried the old shotgun almost reverently. On the first pass through the trees we encountered no partridge. Not discouraged, we settled down to wait, since birds often came to peck at the fallen apples just before dark. I settled in a small clump of willows, while Joe sat leaning back against one of the largest apple trees. “You know,” I whispered, staring at the long,
thick barrel of the shotgun. “That thing’s going to kick like a mule.” “I kin take it,” Joe grinned back. “Besides, these ol’ guns an’ loads was loaded light. Metal weren’t as strong back then an’ loads weren’t as powerful.” I didn’t think that was particularly true, but now wasn’t the time to argue about it. Besides, Joe would be the test case, firing the first shot. We waited with increasing impatience. If we didn’t get two birds tonight, we’d only have an hour or two in the morning to hunt before admitting defeat. The light began to fade, along with our hopes. Then we both heard the faint rustle of leaves. Thirty yards away the bobbing head of a partridge appeared around a low-lying bush. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joe cock the shotgun, a smile spreading across his face. Then we watched in wonder as bird after bird followed the first one out of the brush until five partridge were in the open, pecking away at the scattered apples. Apparently, the splitting up of the clocks wasn’t quite complete. Not only would we be able to bag at least two birds, but we wouldn’t have to chance shooting them on the wing. I looked over to see Joe taking careful aim down
the long barrel. And then I noticed something else. He had the butt of the old shotgun nestled snuggly against his shoulder, but he was leaning back against the gnarled bole of the apple tree. His right shoulder was wedged firmly between the gunstock in the front and the tree trunk in the back. I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. The shotgun went off with deafening roar. Clouds of powder smoke filled the air. Birdshot scythed through the nearby trees, and above it all came the sound of a piercing scream. I jumped up to see Joe racing off through the trees, his right shoulder sagging, his left hand trying to hold it up. The most electrifying screeches ripped out of his throat as he ran. The shotgun lay on the grass in front of the tree. Partridge feathers floated like snow on the still air. As I passed the tree I glanced at the trunk. The perfect outline of Joe’s shoulder was imprinted in the rough bark. And I also noticed, alongside it, another imprint, much older and smaller. All this registered in passing, but I didn’t think much about it then, as I hurried after Joe. The next morning I appeared at Uncle Arnold’s house, shotgun in hand. I’d wiped the dew off it
but a little more surface rust showed in the metal surfaces. Uncle Arnold peered over my shoulder. “Where’s Joe.” “In the hospital over to Munsungan,” I said. “With a broken shoulder.” Uncle Arnold paled slightly. “Broke ‘is shoulder, yer say?” I proceeded to tell him what had happened the night before. He looked at the shotgun in my hand and slowly shook his head. “Funny how sech a thing could happen twicet in one…” He stopped, a guilty expression appearing on his face. “Twice?” I said angrily. “You mean someone else got their shoulder broken with this gun?” He backed up nervously and slumped into a chair by the table. “That gun, he said motioning with one hand, “belonged to Abel Crone.” My eyes widened. “Ol’ Abel, he allowed as the gun kicked too much an’ he wasn’t gonna use it any more. He was all fer throwin’ it away, but Millie, she wouldn’t hear of it. Liked the grain o’ the wood and how light the gun was to carry. “Anyway, she an’ I used to go out huntin’ once in a while. One day she brought that there with her. We went out to Poddle’s orchard, jest like you boys
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did. We was settin’ there waitin’ fer birds to show an’, like a fool, I got to teasin’ her about thet gun. Made the mistake of sayin’ her ol’ man was a scaredy cat, afraid to shoot that shotgun. Fergot how much store she put in her daddy. “All of a sudden, she got that glen in ‘er eye. I seen it before an’ knew what it meant, but back along she’d never had a gun in ‘er hands. Wellsir… I started easin’ on out of there, but she started raisin’ that gun. She was sittin’ there, leanin’ agin that big apple tree an’ she cocked the hammer. I jest turned an’ ran.” He shifted in the chair painfully. “I heard the boom o’ that gun an’ somethin’ hit me solid in the hip. I went butt over teakettle in the leaves. I heard the most godawful screechin’ comin’ from behint me, but by that time I was doin’ some screechin’ myself.” He reached up a hand and wiped sweat from his forehead. “I always thought you injured your hip in an accident,” I said, my eyes wide. “Wasn’t an accident. T’was an intentional. Doctors say the kin prob’ly fix the hip if they operate an’ take out that was of birdshot. But I’m skeered of needles, scalples an’ sech. Anyway, I found (Me & Joe cont. pg 41)
March 2023
Me & Joe
(Cont. from pg 40) out Millie, she broke her shoulder thet day. Doctor said he hadn’t never seen a shoulder squashed that thin before. But I guess she healed up. Anyways, I went out there a week later an/there was that shotgun layin’ in the leaves. I brought it home an’ stuck it in the rack. Bought a box of shells an’ shot it one time, standin’ up, without nothin’ behint me. Still broke blood vessels in my shoulder. Never shot it agin’.” I stood there in silence for a moment. “Well,” I finally said. “I’ve got to take these two partridge over to Miz Crone. Joe managed to kill four with the one shot, but two of them were so blown up they weren’t fit to keep. I’ll just put the shotgun in the rack.” Uncle Arnold held up a hand. “No. You take the gun with you to Millie’s house. It’s rightfully hers, anyway. Truth be known,” he rubbed a hand along his hip, “I’d really rather not have the thing in the house no more.” I shuffled up the walk of the house on Snob Hill. A cold wind blew over the hill and I wore my heavy shooting coat and hate. Once again the door opened as I approached. Millicent Crone stood tall and forbidding in the doorway. I held out the two cleaned birds, but here eyes were fixed on the shotgun in my other hand. “ W h e r e ’s y o u r friend?” she asked softly. “In the hospital. He broke his shoulder shooting this gun.” She stared at me, and one hand went reflexively to her own shoulder. “I thought that gun was long
Northwoods Sporting Journal
gone.” She almost whispered it. “I thought it was still lying somewhere in Poddle’s orchard.” “Uncle Arnold, he went back and picked up the gun. He’s had it in his gun rack ever since.” “Arnold…” her face softened. “How is he, these days?” “Limps a little. He’s too ornery to get his hip fixed. Other than that, he’s doing fine.” I held out the gun. “He wanted me to give you this. Said it was rightfully yours.” She reached out a tentative hand and grasped the old shotgun by the barrel. I held the package containing the partridges out to her and she took it with the other hand. “Wait just a minute… I’ll get your money.” She disappeared for a moment and then came back and handed me a ten dollar bill. She still clutched the shotgun in her other hand. I turned away. “Wait,” she said. I glanced back. “Tell Arnold…tell him I’d like to see him again…I mean,” she looked flustered. “If he’s got the time, that is.” I shook my head. “No ma’am,” I said. She stared at me. “You want to talk to Uncle Arnold, you call him your own self. Given your history, there’s no way I’m getting between the two of you, whatever the reason.” I could see the color rise in her cheeks and a sudden gleam flare in her eyes. “That was a long time ago. There’s no call for you to feel that way!” I tugged my hat more firmly down on my head. “No, ma’am. But you still got that gun.” I trudged off down the hill, glad all over again that I hadn’t given her the shells that went with it.”
Page 41
the switch headed the ries. Back Shelf had right way. If not, then the Their dedicated ef(cont. from pg 32) pany, trying to convince me to try out a new gadget their company recently had acquired. It was called a “bag phone,” or the first form of what today is known as a cell phone. He was quick to explain how I’d never again have to seek out a phone booth or a land line in order to call a complainant, or to call the headquarters if I had an issue to inquire about. I could simply do it from the woods or wherever I was at in the moment. I certainly was quite interested in this new gadget, inquiring from my friend as to just exactly how it worked? “Nothing to it John, “ he chirped. “Simply plug it into the cigarette lighter in your car for power, dial the number, and voila, you’re connections are made!” he smiled. “If it’s fully charged, you can carry it into the woods with you, on a bag slung over your shoulder!” he sputtered. I was quite excited about this new contraption as it really sounded like a great tool to have. “How do you know when you’ve got a call coming in” I asked. “Your horn blows. When it does, all you do is answer it like a normal phone,” he quickly replied. I thought about it for a minute or two, and then I said, “Oh that’s great! There I am, comfortably perched in some field, or out on some woods road in the middle of the night, half asleep, patiently awaiting for a poacher to venture my way, and suddenly my horn starts blowing. That is if I
siren would start blaring, alerting every Tom, Dick and Harry, within forty miles of my location and exactly where I was sitting. I could see myself, half in and half out of taking a nap after a long day out in the field, when suddenly the phone decided to go off. Without a doubt, I’d probably be cleaning out my windshield or my shorts, as I so abruptly was shocked back into the reality of the moment by violently being awaken from that peace and tranquility I so often found myself in as I worked night hunters, night after night.. Suddenly this “bag phone” idea didn’t have that great appeal I once desired. As I look back in time, the wardens who were considered “old timers’ when I first joined the outfit, were quick to point out just how lucky we were to be getting the great equipment we had during our time as we took the reins from them during our own era. After all, it had only been a few years prior to then, that a warden had to provide his own vehicle and was paid a limited fee for his mileage. Repairs, gas, and other costs were their responsibility. So as I watched the years fly by during my tenure within the agency, I got to see the implementation of modernization as slowly we all crawled forward into a new century and a new time and, more so, a new era. I shall miss watching the men and women of today, as they were being filmed performing their professional duties on the Northwoods Law TV se-
forts have made this old retiree some proud, even a little envious, as to the high-tech equipment that they now have to perform their duties, unlike what we all had during our times. But the characters and the issues that they have to deal with are still the same old ones we dealt with. Some things really never do change! The agency itself has certainly benefited from the great publicity this show has generated. A real credit to everyone involved. The young people of today have represented the department with that same great tradition and the endless dedication that was started back in 1880 when the Maine Warden Service made its initial debut to the Sporting public. For the young wardens of today their future is bright, and for us older folks, we can only say, we were proud to have belonged and served when we did. They too will pass along the torch one day, on to a team who will replace them. I only hope when they do that their memories are as pleasant as to what mine have been. Who knows, maybe they’ll even write a book or two. The stories and memories are definitely there – we ALL had them! The late John Ford Sr. was a retired State of Maine Game Warden and Waldo County Sheriff. John is a published author,”Suddenly the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good,” and “ This Cider Still Tastes Funny.” And recently released, “Deer Diaries, Tales of a Maine Game Warden.”
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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The 2022 Deer Season
The Buck Hunter by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME Winter is starting its downhill slide toward spring in the north country. It has been the mildest winter that I’ve seen in the past 30 years. Other than a two day siege of 25 below zero, most days have been in the teens and twenties with some nights dipping into the single digits. It has also been a winter with well below average snowfall. As I write this in mid-February, the snow is barely over my knees out in the open and a foot under the green growth. This makes it easy for the deer as they can move about and feed about anywhere. On top of that there were a couple of big windstorms, which blew trees over, providing plenty of old man’s beard for food. We can still get some tough winter weather but the deer are in good enough shape to weather the rest of it. It’s good to see the deer spread out instead of confined to the core of the deer yards. I’ve seen lots of does with their lambs and many of them with twins. It should be another great deer season coming up.
Those first two weeks with my clients I made a point to root around in As usual, I am already places that I may have looking forward to this fall overlooked for one readeer season. Part of plan- son or the other. I call ning for this fall is remi- it connecting the dots. I niscing about last season’s expanded my search in hunts. For me hunting the between areas where I had elusive Big Woods buck is found signpost rubs before always an adventure where to see if I had missed some I get to see new places and obscure travel area. I also experience new things. spent time walking trickles
From those experiences I laid down plans for the next season. By doing that I never run out of places to hunt. Last season I guided the first two weeks. Both weeks were the most unseasonably warm stretch of weather that I have ever seen in the north country. The temperatures were in the 50’s and 60’s every day and very few nights cooled enough to get a frost. With those conditions the old bucks don’t move much during the day, so covering a lot of ground to try and bump into one is the way I hunt.
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next fall. At the end of the second week, I came down with a horrible stomach flu. The timing couldn’t have been worse as on Sunday night the rain we were getting turned to snow in the higher elevations. After spending a good part of the night on the hopper
still snowing and blowing, so I knew it wouldn’t be long before that track was covered over. Not very far from there, I cut another big toe dragger that only had a dusting of snow in it. I couldn’t believe my luck. It didn’t take long to figure out that he was checking every doe in the
and not being able to eat breakfast, I headed out in hopes of finding a big track to follow. I decided to try a spot on a mountain where I have tracked many a buck through over the years. I was hoping one might have gone through in the night. It was slow going as I didn’t have much energy, but I made my way slowly up the mountain. As I got higher up I cut a small buck track, and then a little ways further, there were a few doe tracks. Finally I cut the track of a big old boy, but it was half full of snow. It was
area. I came to an open ravine and I could see a track off to the side that looked kicked up fresh. When I walked over to it, I realized that it was the big one and had just been made. It was so fresh that I began looking around, thinking the buck might be here. His track started bounding and I thought I may have spooked him, but I could se that he had chased after a doe. He chased her up the mountain a few hundred yards before leaving her. He was just plodding along (Season cont. pg 65)
My bead jerked up into the air and by the time I recovered, all I could see were fleeting glimpses of him. This buck was a real monster, probably in the 250-pound range, with a heavy rack outside of his ears.
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and wet runs looking for more signposts. Well, all of it paid off as I found over 20 signposts that I never knew existed. One of the spots had 3 big signposts spaced six feet apart and all 3 were shined up. I found that spot at the end of the first week and decided to put a trail camera there. I went back and picked up the trail camera in early January, with my grandson Rylan. We looked at the photos when we got back home and couldn’t believe that 9 different bucks had visited those signposts. Needles to say Rylan want to build a blind there this spring and try his luck their
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Outdoor Promotion
I have been asking myself this question: How come Maine outdoor people don’t get more publicity and credit for the good they do for the state of Maine?
source of income in the state that there would be some interest shown by other media. To the best of my knowledge, even our own Department of Inland
Maine’s annual Legendary Maine Guide Award is named after the late Millinocket guide Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson. The thing that got me thinking about this was an email from the Journal’s editor, V.Paul Reynolds. He asked me if I knew who the current year’s Legendary Maine Guide was. I did, but the only reason I knew was that I received the recipients monthly newsletter which mentioned it. I told Paul that it was Polly Mahoney, co-owner along with Kevin Slater of Mahoosuc Guide Service in Newry, Maine. The very next month there was a nice article about Polly’s award in this Journal. I was happy to see it, but how come no other news sources picked up on this important outdoor award? You would think that since outdoor recreation is such an important
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knows how to draw attention to our valuable outdoor recreation industry. If you watch television at all you are probably aware of the number of awards the entertainment industry gives itself each year. It seems like there is one per week. And, none of them seem to be overlooked by any of the media. I d o n ’t h a v e t h e
Fisheries and Wildlife, DIF&W, who sponsor the award, did nothing to publicize it. The Maine Sunday Telegram has a page devoted to outdoor sports, but it is the last page in the sports section. I don’t know how to do it, but there must be someone out there that
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by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME nization, MWGO. Perhaps they could team up with each other and the DIF&W to get regular publicity for outdoor happenings in our state. Look at all the outdoor activity that takes
and it is not. Somebody please step up and be chairman. Gil Gilpatrick is a Master Maine Guide, and is the first living recipient of the Legendary Maine
To the best of my knowledge, even our own Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, DIF&W, who sponsor the award, did nothing to publicize it. The Maine Sunday Telegram has a page devoted to outdoor sports, but it is the last page in the sports section. knowledge or contacts to get the publicity, so I don’t want to hear the old adage: your idea you be chairman. I hope that someone will step up and get things going. We have two guide organizations in Maine, the Maine Professional Guides Association, MPGA, and the Maine Wilderness Guides Orga-
Today
Northwoods Voyager
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place here. There is hiking, paddling, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, and many others and a lot of variations of each activity. I, like most everyone, am not interested in each activity, but I do like to hear about them and what goes on with them. The most attention outdoor activities get is often negative, like a hunting accident or a drowning. Those things should be reported, but the good stuff should be too,
Guide award. He is a life member of the Maine Professional Guides Association, a founding member of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, and served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Licensing of Guides from 1996 to 2010. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association and is the author of seven outdoorrelated books. Contact him at Gil@GilGilpatrick.com
Page 44
The Northwoods Bowhunter
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Why We Hunt Coyotes Primos turkey call. Several have fallen to my rifle or shotgun in blueberry fields and many more over bait both at night and in daylight hours. My wife has taken three coyotes while deer hunting on our property, all trailing deer. So far this year I’ve only shot one at night on a fresh roadkill deer bait. Most coyote baiting success is dependent on several factors. We have found that fresh roadkill deer or parts from the game butcher work best. Old smelly remnants work marginally at luring in wiley yotes. We place our bait less than 100 yards from our house, in the open but near tree cover. A window that opens quietly is a must and by law we have electronic coyote calls in hand when hunting them at night. Cell cameras monitor the site and send photos to my phone identifying the species on the bait. The one I shot in January was with an unlit scope in the moonlight on snow covered ground. We have since installed a Cyclops green beam light on my wife’s rifle so she gets the next opportunity. Soon we’ll be using an ATN Thor LT
by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME What we know as the Eastern Coyote first began to appear in New England over fifty years ago. They are larger than Western Coyotes and have adapted to kill larger prey like deer, moose and even household pets. They’re quick to find dead or wounded deer and then devour them before the hunter can recover their
country usually involving children and in states that have restricted hunting. Pets and livestock are also attacked and killed in large numbers every year. Our game cameras reveal several whitetail fawn killed by coyotes on our property every June and friends in the area report the same. Several recent fawn mor-
Most coyote baiting success is dependent on several factors. We have found that fresh roadkill deer or parts from the game butcher work best. quarry. Populations in the Northeast are increasing due to milder winters, abundant prey and changing habitats. Human encounters with coyotes are on the rise with many people attacked every year and two of the confirmed coyote attacks were fatal. A three year old girl was attacked and killed by a coyote in her driveway in California in 1981. In 2009, a nineteen year old woman was fatally mauled by a pack of coyotes on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. There are several recorded attacks every year from all over the
tality studies determined that to up to 30% of newborn fawns were killed by coyotes. My wife and I hunt coyotes year round. I shot my first coyote in college while hunting with my Game Warden Uncle near a deer yard. The coyotes would kill adult deer in the deep snow when they were the most vulnerable. Since then, I’ve shot them in NY, SD, VT, RI, and many in Maine. I’ve called them in while hunting deer, turkeys and of course predators. Once I doubled up on two South Dakota with a Fox Pro call and in Vermont with a
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The author’s wife, Joyce, with a big male coyote she killed last fall. Thermal scope installed on a light weight AR-15. SAM Deer Biologist Gerry Lavigne has had more success since switching to a Thermal Scope killing 34 coyotes in 16 months. (See Jan/Feb SAM Newsletter). My friends Gene and Jeremy Clark have become experts at night hunting coyotes both using AR Rifles with Thermal scopes, hunting over bait and calling them in, taking several already this winter. Hopefully by the time this column goes to print, we will have another fresh roadkill and several more dead coyotes. We enjoy watching bobcats and foxes on the bait but haven’t shot any because they help control the many rodents that carry the disease carrying ticks. We also see eagles, skunks, racoons and a Saw Whet owl visiting the bait. In January, a vagrant Black Vulture visited providing great photos of a bird we had never seen before in Maine. While tending bear baits in August, I often will catch coyotes gorging in blueberry fields and make long shots with a rifle or sneak in close with a shot-
gun and “Dead Coyote” T Shot loads. Many have come to my turkey calls hoping to cash in on an easy meal, but got a dose of copper plated #5s instead. It’s especially gratifying to shoot a coyote when it’s chasing or trailing deer and we don’t hesitate to shoot them with the 6.5 Creedmoors while hunting for a buck. Deer entrails from field dressing are great coyote magnets, but for only a day or two before being completely devoured. My wife considers it a great way to hone her shooting skills on live targets. We encourage you to help save deer and pets by reducing the coyote population by whatever hunting method you prefer. Brian Smith is a Retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He serves on the boards of the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine Institutue for Legislative Action and Maine Bowhunters Association. He was chosen the MBA Bowhunter or the Year in twice and can be reached at bowhunter@ mgemaine.com
Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Page 45
Late Season Coyotes
The strenuous part of the Maine winter has gone by at about the same time female coyotes are near the end of their pregnancy. In Maine people can expect the coyotes population to grow in numbers by either the end of March, during
ing order earlier in the year. Most likely the older wiser of the female and male coyotes have won the rights to breed. They are known as the Alpha’s. The subordinate coyotes that might only be a year or two old will help de-
or fawn distress sounds, because they never heard those distress sounds before, suddenly might come running right in. They probably took part in hunting and killing a young deer or a snowshoe hare by the time March rolls in. Those younger coyotes are more experienced now and actually will run in to
On The Prowl
by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME mediately behind me. Even a wide open blueberry or any type of agriculture field behind me will work to force any approaching coyotes to avoid circling behind me. This type of
It makes for some very interesting coyote hunts during the time leading up to denning and after the coyotes pups are born. March and April can be prime coyote hunting time. (Photo by Bud Utecht)
April, or on into early May. It all depends on when the Alpha males and females mated. With just a sixty day gestation period the Alpha female coyotes could have copulated in early January therefore pups would be born at about the middle of March in a den that both parents dug and excavated or took part in stealing from a groundhog or a porcupine that they remodeled to accommodate the litter of pups. It makes for some very interesting coyote hunts during the time leading up to denning and after the coyotes pups are born. The coyotes in your area have established the ranks and they all know their place in the peck-
fend the pack’s territory and hunting grounds. The Alpha females and males will hunt together up until the females are ready to pop. They also work on establishing a den site to get ready for pup rearing. The coyote hunter heading out in March will most likely encounter younger coyotes or if lucky the very large Alpha male as the Alpha female will most likely be hanging very close by her den. It’s not until after the pups are born that the Alpha male will help guard and take care of the pups while he lets the Alpha female go out to hunt. Those one year old coyotes that once shied away from snowshoe hare
investigate your distress calls. The Alpha male that will be out hunting will be ten times more cautious approaching your calling set. He can be called in. It will just take a little more finesse than it would for the younger coyotes. You can’t overlook the slightest of details. I’ve found that the best kind of set for trying to kill the Alpha male is one where I’m sitting up high overlooking a large wooded clearing with an extremely steep rock ledge or ridge of some type im-
set doesn’t matter if you use mouth blown calls or an electronic call as any approaching coyote, will nine times out of ten, hug the wood line as they circle the calling origin avoiding the wide open spaces. This way if you’re sitting with the wind blowing back behind you or to either side of you there’s less of a chance that the approaching coyote or coyotes will smell you. Earlier on the harsh winter made it tough for all animals to find food. Now it’s March and April when the weather starts to make
it easier for the coyotes and the hunter. Use this to your advantage to call up more coyotes using rabbit, hare, fawn, calf, turkey, song bird or rodent distress sounds. You will call in more younger coyotes during this time of year as they are now mature and experienced enough to know that those distress sounds you’re mimicking very well could mean an easy meal. Best of luck to you. I hope you shoot several coyotes. Justin has 25 plus years of hunting experience and has over 30,000 acres to hunt on. He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He has published two books and is working on a third. He is the owner of the YouTube channel, “SPIKES and GILLS”. You can contact him by e-mail at, wildmaineoutdoors@gmail.com
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 46
Marsh Island Chronicles by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME Look: I’m nobody’s idea of a gun snob. Of course, I appreciate the graceful lines of Benelli shotguns and no one can knock the Kimber rifles or handguns. But if I relied on commissions from selling high-end arms, I’d
But are these guns really that much better? The latest list of amazing deer rifles that were debuted at the annual Las Vegas SHOT Show in January reminded me just how lacking I am in fancy hunting arms. One that
The Very Best?
bag that you’ve had to apply to the hyperventilation that little bit of sticker shock just inspired, let’s assess the deer we hunt and what it takes to bring one home in the back of your truck. I’ve hunted with a fair variety of rifles and shotguns over the years. I’ve
when he gave it to me, it was covered in mold and rust. The British, however, built durable rifles, and it cleaned up nice. I killed several deer with it before my almost-perfect wife gave me a gift certificate to a local sporting goods dealer for a new rifle. Oh, how I agonized
taken some very nice deer and filled up my freezer with game using just about all those guns. The biggest buck I’ve ever taken was a nine-pointer that topped 214 pounds. The rifle I tagged it with was a poorly-sporterized World War II vintage Lee-Enfield Model 4 Mark I in .303 British. It was given to me by a former employer who kept it safely stored on the floor of his basement under a pile of old lumber;
over that purchase! The visions of the Emperor and Safari grade plains game masterpieces strode through the mists of my imagination, but while the gift certificate was an incredibly generous sacrifice by my almost-perfect wife, it sadly lacked sufficient zeroes to shake hands with rifles like the Blaser and Ball & Buck R8, or even a cheap imitation. At length, I was able to obtain a lovely and practical entry-level Weatherby Vanguard with a walnut stock. I pondered the choice of caliber at great length—I’ve always been a sucker for the exotic calibers—and gave up on the idea of .300 H&H. Not only do you have to order the ammunition, and at the time, a box of .300’s could take three months to arrive, but that box retailed for around seventy dollars a box. It occurred to me that any convenience store worthy of the name in Maine usually has a variety
The biggest buck I’ve ever taken was a nine-pointer that topped 214 pounds. The rifle I tagged it with was a poorly-sporterized World War II vintage Lee-Enfield Model 4 Mark I in .303 British. probably starve to death. Sure, when I was a kid combing through the blackand-white pages of The Shooter’s Bible I could create entire day-dreamscapes around the Emperor Grade safari rifles with ivory inlays made by Weatherby or the fine hand-engraved double-rifles lovingly crafted by Holland and Holland. Economic reality, however, has usually found me far, far down on the price scale of classic rifles.
caught my fantasizing eye was the new R8 (romantic and fancy name, I know) which is the product of a collaboration between Blaser and Ball & Buck. Everything done by hand, including the serial number and fancy walnut stock, this humble bolt-action that can do everything except cook your dinner for you is expected to retail for the blue-collar price of nine thousand, five hundred dollars. You have to add your own sights, of course. Okay, now that you’ve put down the brown paper
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March 2023
of .30-’06 ammunition on a shelf, and for a lot less money. Not to mention, of course, that the .30-’06 is a classic American caliber, and I liked the idea of weaving my hunting experience around a legendary cartridge. With that special rifle, which retailed for much less than the cost of a high-end luxury car (for comparison, Holland and Holland has listed a “pre-owned, virtually new H&H 12-bore ‘Royal’ deluxe sidelock ejector shotgun with 29 inch barrels” for the bargain price of $105,000), I have brought home a moose, four deer, and one bear. I’d say I got a good value out of that gift certificate. The real secret to a successful hunt, of course, is being in the right place at the moment of truth, with the developed skill to follow the whole matter through. I don’t begrudge anyone who has the resources and wants to use them from paying tens of thousands of dollars to enjoy the same success I’ve found with a free gun. Expensive gear doesn’t necessarily make for a better hunt, at least not for me. Maybe that’s why I’m probably never going to land a gig with Blaser or H&H working on commission.
Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and WRKD 95.1 FM in Rockland.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 48
Free Stuff
Vermont Ramblings
cial Marlin 30-30 with the gold trigger real steady-like and squeeze. The buck dropped in I have been in my place. After I climb down Safe-Lock Tree Stand only from the tree stand, it is a few minutes when, off getting a bit warm so I shed about 80 yards, a deer steps my Real Tree jacket and refrom the thick stand of move my Bad Boy gloves. Am I concerned about cedars into the old clear-
by Dennis Jensen, Vermont The big ridge off to the east reveals just a hint of coming daylight and I back my Ford F-150 pickup truck down the driveway. Destination: Camp Swampy for a 10-day deer hunt up near the Canadian border in New York. Did I fail to mention that my truck is painted in full camouflage, thanks to the good work of the Keeno-Camou camouflage company? As I make my way to a tree stand, a good halfmile from camp, the water and muck I must ramble through is of no concern, thanks to the Bogs waterproof boots on my two feet.
camera and fire off a bunch of shots of yours-truly. Okay, so you might have noticed by now that I seem to be dropping names, merchandise names that could just as well not be mentioned. But here’s the thing: I had a conversation with a fellow outdoor writ-
He is an outdoor writer with a fair readership who has spent years writing about his adventures afield, always telling his readers about the excellent products he takes afield and on the water, free of charge. cut. I pull out my Nikon binoculars to get a better look at that buck, steady the Leupold scope at that place just behind the shoulder, didn’t worry one bit about the performance of the Remington 30-30 bullet about to put an end to that buck’s life, hold that spe-
the half-mile drag back to camp? Heck no because I have parked, just up the logging trail, my 2023 Big Bubba 4-wheeler. The boys are already back for lunch when I motor up to camp. They are in awe of the 4-pointer so I tell them to take my Nikon
er not too long ago and he was telling me how he has managed, over the years, to literally fill his garage with a wide assortment of outdoor gear, a kayak, fishing rods and reels, hunting gear, even no-cost, far-off fishing and hunting trips at, get this, no cost. It was all
March 2023
free, he told me. He is an outdoor writer with a fair readership who has spent years writing about his adventures afield, always telling his readers about the excellent products he takes afield and on the water, free of charge. Manufacturers of outdoor products are thrilled, he told me, to see their products loudly touted in his copy. And they don’t often ask for the return of said products. A conflict of interest, one might suggest? I guess so but who is going to find out, right? In fact, he told me, in confidence, that most of the time he mentions products just for the free stuff. Well, two things are (Free cont. pg 52)
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March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 49
Cracker Barrel by Homer Spit
Let me be blunt. When it comes to eating out, I am a cynical curmudgeon who prefers my own or my wife’s great cooking. Frequent patronizing of restaurants is my idea of an obligatory chore. My wife is convinced that my jaded view of restaurants is grounded in the fact that I am close with the buck. That is only part of it. Not only do I wince at paying three times what most entries are worth, public eateries, I find, have a knack for taking perfectly good food and compromising it with overcooking and too many herbal doodads and over seasoning. Where we winter over in the Florida Keys is Restaurant Central. There are almost as many dining out places as there are fishing boats and white BMWs. The local joke is “Islamorada is a drinking town with a fishing problem.” Islamorada means village of islands. It would not be
Wild Meat Spoilers
far-fetched to call it Islarestaurante, a fishing town with an eating problem. Recently, at one of our expensive, top-shelf eateries, the Yellowtail Snapper dish, which can be one of my favorites at home, caught my attention. As it turned out the snapper was not overcooked, which is generally the case, but there was a problem: lemon overdose. The snapper had been “brined” with the squeezings of at least 12 fresh lemons. Talk about pucker factor! As we left the restaurant, my wife asked me why my lips were pursed. A few hours later I was able to move my lips enough to explain it all to her. Wild protein, whether it is venison back strap or a filet of fresh-caught Yellowtail snapper, is a gift unto itself, delicate, taste-rich stand alones that ought not to be subjected to culinary skullduggery or artful concoctions that
mask flavor and conceal the essence of wildness. Can you really improve upon the taste of fresh-caught whitefish or venison loin? Try this. Take two chunks of the same fish fillet. Heat up
some butter and olive oil. When it’s smoking hot, toss in a lightly-peppered venison loin and cook rare on high heat. Put it aside. Take another piece of loin and marinade it a few hours in Herbie’s Super Duper
some hot oil. Roll one fish chunk in Herbie’s Super Duper Jalapeno Beer Batter and cook in the oil. Drop the other unbattered fish fillet naked into the hot oil. When they are cooked, taste test for comparison. For test two, heat up a cast iron fry pan. Add
Mango Wild Meat Brine. Remove from the brine and cook over hot heat adding generous amounts of Montreal Seasoning, red wine, and two tablespoons of Robert’s Redhot Roux. Homer Spit lives on a After cooking this con- lake in Maine, most of the glomeration, garnish with time. He likes to keep a low a creamy goat-cheese white profile.
sauce. When this is done, conduct another comparison taste test. ( This is best done in total sobriety). The point is this, in case you missed it. In cooking, as in life, man is an incorrigible meddler forever trying to improve on something that is already perfection. A fresh fillet of Yellowtail snapper and/or a thick cut of venison back strap (loin) is as good all by itself as Nature can make it. If you or your dinner guests don’t care for “the wild taste” then forget it. Do your culinary spruce ups with a piece of domestic corn-fed beef, or one of those farm-raised, genetically-altered salmon from Brazil or Venezuela. Or maybe just go to a local restaurant.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 50
Outdoors In Vermont by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT Speaker Jill Krowinski has reorganized the Vermont House committee structure and appointed members to the committees. A big change is that the Committee on Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife has been eliminated. Vermont Digger stated, “The former Energy and Technology Committee was expanded to include ‘conservation and development, climate change mitigation, energy, broadband, land resources, air, water, and wildlife, and other similar policies,’ according to the House resolution describing the change.” The new committee, chaired by Rep. Amy Sheldon, D-Middlebury, is called the House Committee on Environment and Energy. Sheldon previously chaired Natural Resources which had included fish and wildlife. The committee has such a huge range of responsibility that I predict fish and
wildlife will not get much attention and that anything passed out of committee will do so with very little debate. That does not bode well for sportsmen or the resources. Back in the 70s there was a Fish and Game Committee with its sole responsibility being fish and game. It was often used as a dumping ground to put legislators who the speaker did not think deserved an assignment to a key committee or who had somehow angered the speaker. There were however, legislators who asked for the assignment and who felt strongly about fish and game matters. They could often sway the members who had little interest and who did not want to be there. Hunting Opportunities Continue in March March is a transition month in Vermont, better known for maple sugaring than for hunting or fishing.
March 2023
Will Fish and Wildlife Issues Get Lost In Legislature?
A visit to a sugar house for a taste of new maple syrup and a raised doughnut when sweet smelling steam is rising from the pan is never to be forgotten.
Avid rabbit hunters will be out with their beagles pursuing snowshoe hare until the season ends March 12. The melodious barking of beagles bounding after a fleeing snowshoe is music to the ears of many a hunter. It is always a challenge to get in front of the hare who often runs in large circles attempting to elude the dogs. Shots have to be quick and accurate if one is to bring home the game. Coyotes are legal year round and March is a good time to set up before dawn or dusk. Some of my friends use bait quite successfully while others rely on calling. Either way,
Vermont
stealth and camouflage are a must. Coyotes have keen senses and can be a real challenge to hunt. Hunting the wild canids is a test of wits, yours against theirs. Those hunters who learn the ropes often get hooked and consider coyotes their favorite quarry. Crow hunting is a good way to practice your wing shooting. The autumn waterfowl and upland bird seasons have been over for months and it will be many more before they reopen. Good shooting takes practice and crow hunting provides an opportunity to hone our skills. Camouflage is a must and an owl decoy a big help. Most farmers welcome crow hunters as they consider the big black birds a nuisance and a destroyer of freshly planted corn. Crow hunting is allowed through April 11 but only Monday through Friday. No weekends!
A warm March day is also a good time to do some exploring to see how the deer have fared. I don my snowshoes or crosscountry skis depending on the conditions and terrain and move silently through the woods always vigilant for movement. When you do see deer, swing wide around them to avoid forcing them to run and use up dwindling fat reserves. Often, I will backtrack a bit and then begin to work my way around. Late March is a good time to look for sheds as the snow begins to melt. Those you don’t find will soon be gnawed on by squirrels, mice, porcupines and other critters. Nature recycles well. Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@ icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.
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March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Changes in the Outdoors
Being outdoors 365 days a year and at the mercy of the weather for both my fly fishing guide service and maple sugaring business, I have no choice but to pay close attention to what’s happening with our rapidly changing climate. Plants, animals, and seasons, are all changing before our eyes. Storms truly are getting worse. 60’s and 70’s are not out of the or-
in the third week of May because the water was too warm and too low. I used to run drift boat trips in the spring and fall. These last five years, however, I can’t even attempt to book fall drift boat trips. That opportunity appears to be a thing of the past. Meanwhile, storms like the one on December 23, the third such storm in 10 years, flattened parts
you can probably relate. Perhaps you have noticed one or more of the many invasive plants or insects taking over your property? We have been fighting invasive honey suckle for the last 5 years. It keeps creeping higher and higher up the mountain side. Oaks, which around this area generally only grow on south facing slopes are popping up in other areas
Meanwhile, storms like the one on December 23, the third such storm in 10 years, flattened parts of many area sugarbushes with winds over 100 mph. Century old stands of maples that have weathered countless storms are now unrecognizable after these series wind events. dinary during any month of the winter, animals are shifting habitats, pests like ticks are out of control, and plant species are suffering due to drought, warm temps and competition from invasives. The first part of this article will sound quite gloomy as I cover some of the changes I am navigating, but it’s not all doom and gloom out there. As a fly fishing guide on freestone streams in VT I’ve had to adjust quite a bit. My area rivers have always gotten quite warm in the summer, therefore limiting trout fishing during the warm months, however we are seeing elevated water temps earlier in the spring and later into the fall. I always referred to prime time in VT as Mid May to Mid June, where we would see good water temps and good flows on the big rivers. I now consider prime time the month of May and windows of good temps in June are more of a bonus. I was actually cancelling drift boat trips two years ago
of many area sugarbushes with winds over 100 mph. Century old stands of maples that have weathered countless storms are now unrecognizable after these series wind events. We now start tapping our trees by January 1 and lately beginning right after Christmas. Many producers are beginning in November or early December. If I didn’t like deer hunting so much I would probably do the same! With the wild swings in winter temperatures, we make syrup from December through April. Missing out on mid winter warm ups can end up costing producers lots of money in missed syrup revenue. Abnormally high temperatures in March have ended some sugaring seasons prematurely and caused trees to begin leafing out prematurely. These are just a few examples of the changes I’m seeing out there. If you are one of the many whose well has recently run dry, or have contracted a tick borne illness in areas there wasn’t even a tick a decade ago,
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Maple Country Outdoors by Ben Wilcox, Essex, VT
survive in rivers that temp into the 80’s for weeks at a time. Without this unique adaptation, our big rivers would not sustain wild trout and many of our mid sized rivers would have a much reduced population. We still have good trout fishing thanks to these amazing fish. Simple steps such as protecting river corridors and flood plains and maintaining a tree lined buffer zone along rivers edges will allow streams to remain cool and clean as well as allow water to recharge our aquifers. Some animals such as moose are taking it hard, but there are survivors. I still have a few living in my sugarwoods in the Champlain Valley. Animals like deer are growing their populations in the north. I am optimistic that the outdoors we know and love will be able to adapt and continue to thrive, and that we can work toward mitigating the effects so our children can enjoy the woods and water as we know it now.
as they are more adapted to warmer temperatures. Ash are soon to be gone thanks to the Emerald Ash Borer. The list goes on and on and ignoring the problems will only make them more costly and more difficult to remedy. Unfortunately, Burlington, VT’s average temperature has risen more than any city in the United States, over 7 degrees. The Champlain Valley funnels warm air from down south. I am surely seeing more effects than other regional areas, which is the first bit of good news for many of you. Ben Wilcox is owner Secondly, plants and animals have an amazing of Maple Country Anglers, ability to adapt. The wild located in Northwest Vertrout in my area can and do mont. He is a current mem-
ber of the USA Fly Fishing Team. He is a registered Maine Guide and graduate of the University of Maine. He also owns a large Maple Sugaring Business, Amber Ridge Maple. These occupations allow him to be in the woods or water nearly every day of the year. He can be reached at maplecountryanglers@ gmail.com
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Free
(Cont. from pg 48) in play here, as far as my situation is concerned. In the first place, the newspaper where I worked for 33 years frowned on that kind of thing because, simply put, it was against company rules, a clear conflict of interest. Secondly, I once thought of it as an unethi-
Northwoods Sporting Journal cal way to get free stuff. Now that I am a freelance writer, I am no longer obliged to obey any silly rules and can decide what is and is not a conflict of interest. But I will not cheapen my copy or my reputation. I will not go down that freemerchandise road, not me. I will stay clean and promise my readers that I will
never send out copy, by way of my Dell computer or even call my editor on my Cricket Android, just to take that cheap route of dropping names in order to get free stuff. Not me, no sir. Dennis Jensen is a freelance writer. Contact him at: d.jensen62@yahoo. com
March 2023
News (Cont. from pg 29) and with it comes the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s popular outdoor festival, Discover WILD New Hampshire Day. This free community event is set for Saturday, April 15, 2023. It takes place from 10:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. on the grounds of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department at 11 Hazen Drive in Concord, NH, rain or shine. Admission is free. Celebrating 33 years of connecting resident and visitors with the outdoors, Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is a fun way for the whole family to explore New Hampshire’s wildlife resources and outdoor traditions. Browse educational exhibits presented by environmental and conservation organizations from throughout the state. See live animals, big fish, and trained falcons. Try your hand at archery, casting, fly-tying, and on an air-rifle range. Watch retriever dogs in action. Get creative with handson craft activities. Plus, check out food truck alley—you’ll find something for every taste! Discover WILD New Hampshire Day is hosted by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department and presented by the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, Fish and Game’s nonprofit partner (www.nhwildlifeheritage. org), with support from media sponsor Manchester Radio Group. Watch for more details about Discover WILD New Hampshire Day at www. wildnh.com
Vermont’s Fall Deer Harvest
The final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2022 hunting seasons will not be available for a few more weeks, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says the final tally will be a little over 17,400 deer. Those deer will provide approximately (News cont. pg 65)
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Vermont Deer Harvest 2022
Well, it is finally here. Ice on the big lake. It didn’t really get here until tonight. As I write this, it is the first day of February and tomorrow Punxsutawney Phil will reveal to the last pagan ritual accepted by a jaded society whether we will get six more weeks of winter. Are you kidding me? Win-
ter in Vermont barely just got started! I will pray for Sir Philip that he sees his shadow and grants us what is likely to be one of the shortest ice fishing seasons in memory. That said, the boys of the NEK have been blessed with enough cold to have been successfully jigging since late December on the interior ponds. Slabber perch have just begun to show up in the bays on Champlain and the forecast for the end of the week is below zero. Honestly, I’m one of those knuckleheads who loves the adventure (and necessary planning for sub-zero risks) of dragging a shanty out on the ice and getting that heater cranking as fast and hot as I can, then reveling in the contrasting extremes while focusing
all my attention on the rod dangling my new favorite bibbit over the icy hole. I love the intensity of the struggle. It keeps me humble and grateful. May your bucket be overflowing and as you kneel beside your bed tonight, pray that Sir Philip blesses us with his omniscient wisdom. T h e final number of deer taken in Vermont’s 2022 hunting seasons will likely be available by the time this column goes to press. The VT F&W believes the final tally will be a little over 17,400 deer. Those deer will provide approximately 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison. The buck harvest will be close to 9,600, which will be up from 2021 (9,133) and near the previous 3-year average of 9,482. The final antlerless deer harvest will be around 7,800, also similar to the previous 3-year average (7,651). The archery season harvest, which accounts for much of the total antlerless deer harvest, will be the second highest on record, behind only the 2020 season. “Hunting conditions were generally good in 2022,” said Nick Fortin, the department’s deer project leader. “Limited fall foods caused deer to move more and spend more time feeding in fields, which made it easier for hunters
to locate them. Snow during much of the regular season in November also helped hunters locate and see deer.” The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of
Green Mountain Report
by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT virtual ice fishing lesson available on the VT F&W website that someone won has always wanted to try out this fun and flavorful winter sport can learn
“Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin. The 2022 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on Fish and Wildlife’s website in early March. Beginning in late March, the department will be holding informational hearings to share biological information and to listen to any information people wish to share. VT F&W’s Fisheries biologist, Shawn Good and the department have done a beautiful job crreating a
Page 53
all the fundamentals that would normally require a long mentoring process. Topics like Ice Safety, knot tying, jigging, tip-ups, hole drilling, regulations, filleting, cooking and fish ID. You can even hear the sounds that ice makes as it expands (which can really freak out beginners who don’t know what a “good” sound sounds like - at first it might scare you but you will learn how to “read” the ice and know what sounds are “good” ones and then you can learn that the other sounds may not be “good.” At any rate, I highly recom-
mend this video. You can access it on the VT Fish and Wildlife website. What a great idea!!! Well done Shawn and team! Here’s the link to type in on your old coal-powered laptop. https://app.lapentor.com/ sphere/vermont-virtualice-fishing-festival. Bradley Carleton is the founder and Director of Sacred Hunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting, fishing and foraging.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 54
March 2023
March Question Of The Month The West Branch: Can We Stabilize Water Levels?
By Todd Mercer The Great Northern Paper built the Millinocket mill in 1900. A series of dams and hydro facilities were built to power the mill including McKay Station. Water levels were very stable, often not changing,
greatest. Most recently McKay was acquired by Brookfield Renewable. Brookfield began to swing water levels daily based on power rates and demand. We believe these frequent, dramatic
energy loss. So, 20,000kcal of energy in plant mass consumed by nymphs, becomes 2,000kcal of energy when those nymphs are consumed by fish, and diminishing further to 200kcal when the fish are consumed by a loon, or eagle. Any disruption of the energy flow is magni-
Leaving fewer and smaller fish. Of greater concern is the minimum flow level for the West Branch of the Penobscot. Under the current license the minimum flow, “fish flow” is 400 cfs. If McKay Station is struck by lightning, the power station shuts down all three
insect population. Loons Within the stretch of river, there are nesting loons found within the Nesowednehunk Dead Water, Abol Dead Water, Compass and River Pond. There are loons on First Debsconeag Lake and others scattered along the river all the way
Most recently McKay was acquired by Brookfield Renewable. Brookfield began to swing water levels daily based on power rates and demand. We believe these frequent, dramatic changes in water level are harmful to the food chain.
The flow of water on the West Branch is a conservation issue that impacts fish and wildlife. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) for weeks at a time. changes in water level are By the 1990’s the harmful to the food chain. paper industry began to Food Chain struggle, GNP began to All energy comes sell power back to the grid from the sun. Plants use the in 2001. With the ability to sun to drive photosynthesell power, Great Northern sis, creating sugar. Nymphs began to manage water consume plant life. Fish flows based on prices and eat the nymphs, loons and electricity demand. There eagles eat the fish. At each was no high water in early level there is about a 10% August, when demand was
Greenville
fied at the top. Impacts at all levels are devastating. Insects Many insects, even mosquitoes, start as nymphs on the river bottom. A drop in water levels can reveal over 10 feet of river bottom at Big Eddy, killing all insect life exposed. When the water goes out like the tide, night after night, a new batch of nymphs is killed, nightly. Fish The fish (including salmon, trout, smelts) within the West Branch, are impacted by changing water levels. Decreased insect life means less food.
turbines and the river drops to 400 cfs. A study was conducted by Brookfield on October 5th of 2022, to study the possible fish strandings during periods when the river is dewatered rapidly. Stephen G. Heinz, of the Maine TU Council, participated in this study and reported over 200 stranded, dead and dying fish, including wild trout and landlocked salmon, along with a multitude of insect life. If Brookfield is allowed to continue their ever greater swings in flows, this study shows the devastating impact on the native fish and
to Ambajejus Lake. Changes in water level impact this entire waterway. Loons, a federally protected species, do not walk well on land. They build their nest right on the shoreline in the spring. Rising water levels can drown their eggs. When water levels drop, they are unable to reach their nest, and abandon their eggs. Loons require very stable water levels during their nesting season, or their eggs will not survive. Couple this with the impact of loon fishing pressure, and it becomes clear Brookfields current water management strategy could decimate the loon population within the West Branch Corridor. Anglers Trout Unlimited has been forming a coalition to help with the fight to stabilize water levels. They represent the Maine anglers, and camp owners who love the West Branch. These waters are the most reliable landlocked salmon and na(Question cont. pg 59)
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 55
We Took to the Woods
This winter, I reread Louise Dickinson Rich’s We Took to the Woods. Published in 1942, the book’s chapter headings take the form of those frequentlyasked questions posed to those who prefer the elemental pleasure found upon lakes and streams and in forest and fields. The essays that follow may be personal to the author, but
anyone who has spent time in the North Maine Woods will smile at her observations, perhaps sigh with understanding. Some might say that time tends to stand still under the shadows cast by balsam and spruce. Perhaps that is why the book has held up for more than eighty years. Ms. Rich and her husband were not kids when they “took the woods.” Ralph Rich had been married to a socialite, a woman who’d traveled the world. Louise also had been married for a short time. Her father had been the editor of a weekly newspaper. She’d graduated from Massachusetts State Teacher’s College and worked as a teacher before meeting Ralph, who’d been working in Chicago, and only recently relocated to the rambling house located
along the edge of the river and known as Forest Lodge. The two met while Louise was on a canoe trip. They married a year later. Reading We Took To The Woods is like discovering the first trillium of early spring or a colony of lady slippers on an overcast afternoon in June. You’ll not find either gracing a sunny hillside. No, these
delicate flowers of the wild can only be found under shadows cast by conifers, in soil moist and acidic, along the trail winding through deep forest and ending along the bank of that little brook whose name has been sworn to secrecy. It is in such places that Ms. Rich found a dark and brooding beauty. Within the first few pages, she provides a haunting description of such dark hills and foreboding bogs. Without sentimentality, the author state’s “There’s nothing park-like about this northwestern-most corner of Maine…The country is criss-crossed with ridges, dotted with swamps and logans, and covered with dense forest.” She aptly describes the vast waterways of the region as “…coming down from the north…like a gi-
gantic staircase to the sea… down they drop, level to level, through short, snarling rivers.” A mirthless smile might slip across your lips upon reading this passage, especially if you’ve heard the roar of the Rapid River, or had a felt sole slip from a boulder along the lower stretch of the Magalloway – Snarling rivers indeed! The author has a soft spot for “lumberjacks” and others making their living in back of beyond. She provides a knowledgeable and vivid description of the large crews brought into the forest to do the work that is now accomplished by three or four men using mechanized equipment. There are descriptions of smelting in the early spring, of collecting and storing ice from the lake, and of the ingenuity of her husband, Ralph, and Gerrish, the couple’s “hired hand” and close friend. When Louise complained that it was too cold to spend the belowzero winter months in their home, Ralph simply built a one-room cabin a few steps away, after which the couple divided their time between Forest Lodge and The Winter House. There are also stories of sports equipped with the latest fly-fishing gear sold by Abercrombie and Fitch, encounters with fire and game wardens and various Maine guides. Vignettes involving a bobcat and a pet skunk, how the couple used every part of a deer, boiling
Against The Current by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME down sap over the kitchen stove, and the devastation caused by the hurricane of September 1938 are also included. One can find many helpful tips throughout the pages of this book, and not just about life in the forest. My favorite is Ms. Rich’s observation that she “…is learning to spend my time
of “the place he walked with his father down a woods road one evening and saw a doe and twin fawns; or the place where he came in from playing in the snow and found the kitchen warm and fragrant and his mother making pop-corn balls.” After describing a room “jammed with fish-
She ends this chapter of the book by writing: “We managed to make a good marriage…It’s a marriage that you can let yourself go in, a marriage in which you can put up your feet and relax.” wisely, and I don’t think it’s wise to spend two hours waxing the living-room floor on a lovely day when I could be out fishing.” A maxim, my wife, Trish, and I live by! The book was written in the latter half of the 1930s, a time when the world was spiraling toward a second world war. Louise tells us that if her son, Rufus, (at the time only four) should someday be called to defend his country, she’d want him to know that Freedom and Democracy are tied up with things “like the sound of the river.” Rather than lofty ideals, she hopes he’d fight to sustain the memories
ing tackle and guns” she explains: “if you can stand this life at all, your marriage has a much greater chance of success than it would anywhere else.” She ends this chapter of the book by writing: “We managed to make a good marriage…It’s a marriage that you can let yourself go in, a marriage in which you can put up your feet and relax.” The same can be said for those who’ve never been to western Maine or wish to return, if only for a short while. Simply put up your feet, relax, and let yourself go while turning the pages of this now classic book.
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FOR A LIMITED TIME: readers of Northwoods Sporting Journal can obtain an autographed copy, with free shipping and a five-dollar discount from the retail price of $25.00. Send your check in the amount of $20.00 made payable to West River Media to Andora and Romano, 15 Essex Rd., Suite 406, Paramus N.J. 07652. For more information go to forgottentrout.com
Page 56
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Uncle Frank’s Bait School
Best Bassin’ by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA Ever wonder how so many anglers are able to custom paint or modified their personal baits? Well, don’t expect me to tell you it’s easy! However, I will suggest that it’s totally possible not only to become a lure painter and modifier,
March 2023
Bait School with Master Lure Designer and Custom Painter Frank Scalish. Locating Frank Scalish in his shop, on the water or even in the classroom presenting one of his awesome tutorial’s is as easy as searching…
available videos until you come upon Bait/School. Now you have entered into the Lurenet Classroom of Master Lure Painter and all around nice guy Frank Scalish. (AKA Uncle Frank…Special thanks to Mark Zone of course!) On my visit Uncle Frank’s tutorial featured “Why you should Over-
Uncle Frank proceeded to shake each bait individually demonstrating all the different sounds. “Now, this is the Perfect Crankbait Hack, I doubt any other anglers on the water with you will have these unique sounding squarebills. but also to receive professional instructions on how, when and where to work your custom hard baits, plus so much more. And, it all begins at Uncle Frank’s
https://wwwyoutube. com/c/LurenetFishing/ videos Once you arrive at Lurenet Fishing Headquarters simply scan through the wide assortment of
spray your Custom Painted Lures”. Starting with a Lurenet Lure Blank Kit, containing 6 original lure blanks, split-rings, hooks and 3-D stick-on eyes.
Uncle Frank prepared three different stages within his custom painting process. Working at his spray booth in his shop Uncle Frank ap-
plied base coats of white, pearl and then yellow pearl colors for the lures belly. Describing each step within (Bait cont. pg 57)
March 2023
Bait
(Cont. from pg 56) the over spray process, coupled with the rotation of the bait secured within his rotary vise. Students were taught the reason for positioning angles of the bait so that the overspray provided a smooth transition between colors. Uncle Frank then utilized stencils to develop additional detail patterns, explaining where to place and hold the stencils as well as properly over spraying these patterns. My next lurenet. com Bait School class with Frank Scalish detailed how to modify your squarebill crankbaits to produce a variety of different sounds. Uncle Frank call this modification “The Perfect Hack for Silent Squarebill Crankbaits”. Uncle Frank first covered the importance
Northwoods Sporting Journal of why and when a silent squarebill crankbait works best. Then he took out his Dremel tool installed a drill bit, explaining where and how to drill the hole warning, “Don’t drill too fast or you’ll melt the plastic!” After installing one shot into each blank, so that the four blanks all had different materials (either steel, tin, brass or tungsten shot). Uncle Frank proceeded to shake each bait individually demonstrating all the different sounds. “Now, this is the Perfect Crankbait Hack, I doubt any other anglers on the water with you will have these unique sounding squarebills. “So how do know which square bill has which shot in it?”, I thought to myself. And, as if Uncle Frank actually heard my thoughtful questions he continued. Detailing the
steps for sealing the drilled holes, Uncle Frank Scalish suggested anglers do the following. “After painting your squarebill use a sharpie fine point to label the bait on the bottom behind the bill before clear coating is applied. Example; Steel is S-1, Tin is T-1, Brass is B-1 and Tungsten is TG-1. If more than one shot is applied be sure to label as so. Example; Brass B-3, Steel S-2…etc. Uncle Frank’s “Late Fall Early Winter Crankbait Master Class” Bait School video started out in the classroom. Covering crankbait tactics for late Fall into Winter cold water situations, Frank Scalish presented topographical detailed hand drawn maps. His flip chart presentation was outstanding as transparent green colored pages detailed how specific areas
Page 57
with grass and vegetation will hold bass. Pinpointing high percentage areas, following contour lines and rivers bends indicated areas where specific casting angles would be more productive. One new area on Frank’s topographical maps I didn’t realize were called ‘Neck Down’ or funnel areas. Drawing attention to the running depth of his choice of crankbaits, Uncle Frank’s tutorial video brought the class under water to view bass holding within the edges of vegetation growing on a sloping contour. Explaining his reasoning for different running depths for each of his targeted areas. Frank was adamant on sticking with only a few colors of the same Norman crankbaits. But in three to four different running depth to stay within the strike zone. Thinking Uncle Frank’s tu-
torial was complete, I was proved wrong once again. Frank Scalish’s Bait School then took us out on the water where he switched his sonar to the 2D setting. Located the bass positioned along the contour lines, and then started casting. Explaining where and why he choose a specific Norman Crankbait for each area he targeted Uncle Frank managed to land a few bass all within the 8 foot to 20 foot depth range. Readers interested in receiving the Free DIY Custom Paint Shop Newsletter may do so by logging into the lurenet. com Paint Shop and register. You may also follow Frank Scalish on https://m. youtube.com/c/ BASSTALKLIVE where Frank weekly does Day #4. https://www.basszone. com/bass-talk-live
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Page 58
The Singing Maine Guide
Northwoods Sporting Journal
The old model––the one in which fishing traditions were passed down from father to son or daughter, and then beyond them to their sons or daughters–– does that even happen anymore? Can it happen in an age when the mesmerizing effects of screen time and
The Circle Unbroken
and went with his Dad on a scouting mission. The purpose was not just to find a new place to fish, but one that might afford nearly
fast-action racing, maneuvering, and fighting amorphous enemies with a joy stick is hard. He doesn’t want to leave it. But that
and the father (also known as “Gramp) picks up, the son is on the other end of the line saying, “We found a corker of a pond today about half way between my place and yours.” The “we” being referred to includes the third generation––the 6 year-old grand- nonstop action, which is son of Gramp. This boy put what it takes to draw, and down his iPad and Xbox hold a 6 year-old’s attention. Prying him away is tough at first. Removing him from that world of
only lasts for a while. Once he’s off on an adventure, he’s in the swing of it. This one takes him to a remote pond of about 20 acres. His Dad has checked it out on the state maps available
by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME the radical transition that has occurred to an isolated, indoor, overweight life so prevalent today in American youth? As unlikely as it seems, it can. The following is a detailed account of exactly how… When the phone rings
Can those time-worn outdoor sporting traditions survive the radical transition that has occurred to an isolated, indoor, overweight life so prevalent today in American youth? video games have become the go-to companions and babysitters? When kids absolutely must have a phone and a tablet by the time they’re 10? When fishing in some quarters is regarded as barbaric and even cruel, and that’s not to mention hunting? Can those time-worn outdoor sporting traditions survive
March 2023
and also on GPS. It appears to be almost uniformly 10 feet deep. Summer aerial photos show it to be socked in with aquatic vegetation. This information provides the fodder for a hunch, and now, father and son are on their way to test the hunch. The Dad (and Gramp) have gone to the cordless drill-operated ice augers. No pull starting, no gas or oil needed, and the blade goes down through the ice like butter. Even with the faster speed of these drills, they couldn’t get 5 tip-ups set without three flags and two fish flopping on the ice. Once they did get the fifth one in, the day from then on resembled a track meet. Running, running, running. They couldn’t rebait a hook without a new flag going up. The hunch proved correct: this pond was a pickerel factory, unequaled for their power to produce action of the exact kind that kids need. A week passes, and once again the phone rings at Gramp’s house. “He wants to take you to his pond.” Gramp smiles ear (Circle cont. pg 59)
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March 2023
Circle
(Cont. from pg 58)
Northwoods Sporting Journal
tagious to kids, in any age.
Randy Spencer is a working Master Maine guide and author. His three award-winning books are all available on Amazon. Reach Randy at randy31@ earthlink.net, or via www. randyspencer.com
their much needed, out of state money and support the local economy. Please consider joining your local chapter of Trout Unlimited, their work to save wild trout and fishing waters everywhere, is worth every penny. Relicensing The Ripogenus Dam, along with McKay Station, are due for relicensing, a process that occurs only every 30-50 years. If we
to ear at the phrase, “his pond.” It means the magic is working; the same magic that worked for him all those years ago when his Dad took him to a shallow, weed-choked pond that turned out to be a yellow perch nursery. They chased (Cont. from pg 54) flags all day and even tive brook trout fishing in brought home a charge of Maine. Many anglers spend fat, yellow perch for the frying pan. Hooked! And now, against all odds, here it was, two generations later, happening in 2023. So, this time, the grandson would get to show Gramp “his pond.” Once the gear was packed into a jet sled, he even led the way through the woods to the pond. “See!?” GUIDES AVAILABLE he shouted when it came The private world of North into view. On cue, Gramp Camps NORTH CAMPS yelped, “Wow!” Oquossoc, ME Located at Rangeley Lake With two cordless Waterfront Housekeeping Cottages drill augers, the pond was GREAT FISHING & FAMILY FUN swiss cheese in no time. In For 2023 Spring & Summer Reservation 207-864-2247 the next 30 minutes, it bewww.northcamps.com came questionable whether E.F. GIBSON P.O. BOX 341 the three dozen baits they OWNER OQUOSSOC, ME 04964 brought would last. But then, they’d just recycle the dead ones which someMotel and Cottages times can work just as well. Pickerel came in droves to those new shafts of light formed by the auOpen year round ger holes, only to find a Rangeley, Maine fresh shiner swimming 207-864-3755 around in circles. Then, www.rangeleytownandlake.com flag up! And so it went, until shadows lengthened and the bait ran out. Gramp felt some new muscle groups that night; in fact, they were still singing to him in the morning. But the aches and pains were a small price to pay for having witnessed the circle being unbroken. For having Domenic Pono seen that it can still happen, bgblock@domsjeep.com even today, because there 2599 Main Street • Rangeley, ME are certain kinds of magic that are timeless, and con- Tel: 207-864-3494 www.domsautojeepandcycle.com
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Page 59
are going to protect this stretch of river from the modern approach to water management, we must act now. For most of us, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have our voices heard by FERC. Consider commenting, and letting FERC know your concerns, that we believe studies need to be done to determine the full impact Brookfield’s current and future water practices.
Studies should include impacts on insects, fish and loons. This battle is not just for the fish, but the balance of the entire ecosystem of the West Branch. I believe good studies will show that stability is best practice in flow management. Todd Mercer is a fishing guide on the West Branch of the Penobscot River.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
Page 60
On Point
by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. The prevailing theory for a good ruffed grouse dog is that he is fast and comes onto the bird quickly. At the very first hint of scent, the dog stops and points. The quickness of the stop and point prevents the bird from having time to consider what is happening. It makes sense and
and pinned eight grouse in less than two hours. When Madison pointed, there was always a bird there. It was the most masterful piece of grouse dog work I’ve ever witnessed. I’ve heard field trial judges state that Madison is among the top all-time grouse dogs. But wait. Come on
March 2023
Gun Dogs: Slow and Fast
Michigan, New Brunswick, Canada and Ontario, Canada. We often called her the “doubles” dog. It was uncanny how often we would have a double flush from a Dena point. She was, and still is, a damn good grouse dog. However, she’s now 12 and has slowed down considerably. Slowing down has not
threatened. Tracking a running grouse without pushing too hard takes skill. Tracking a bird with the dog’s head down (using ground scent), will seldom produce a point. Most often it will result in a flush way out in front of the dog…with no opportunity for a shot. A dog that keeps its head up
interfered with her ability to be an excellent grouse dog. Now, she seldom pins a bird on initial contact. She tracks them slow and easy and eventually pins the birds. This past grouse season, in Northern Maine, she tracked and pinned a single and a double in one hour. I’m not sure of the psychology of the birds, however, I feel that without pushing the birds hard, they become less
and using air scent, will be far more successful at pinning and pointing a running bird. Air scent allows the dog to locate and pin/point a bird at a greater distance than ground scent. A quick note on the “head high” while tracking a bird. This is referred to as the Bernoulli effect. Basically, the Bernoulli effect results from lower pressure in the mouth cavity than in the nose during inhaling and causes an inward flow of air through the nose. This phenomenon only occurs when the dog is running with its head held high and does not occur while it is searching for ground scent. This phenomenon explains why dogs can
Slowing down has not interfered with her ability to be an excellent grouse dog. Now, she seldom pins a bird on initial contact. She tracks them slow and easy and eventually pins the birds. your author has witnessed outstanding grouse dogs follow this pattern exactly. The most dazzling example of coming on quickly to the bird I’ve ever witnessed was from Long Gone Madison. It was several years ago in Northern New Hampshire. She was being handled by Long Gone Kennel owner Lloyd Murray and Hall of Fame trainer Dave Hughes. Madison came on hard, pointed
fast and hit the brakes hard at the first hint of grouse scent? It works; however, I’ve also witnessed the opposite. I will use our GSP Dena as an example. I’m going to explain how an older dog is very effective going slow and easy. As a youngster and until around seven years of age, our GSP Dena, practiced the fast and stop method perfectly. She excelled in Maine, New Hampshire, Wisconsin,
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be running and breathing hard yet continuously scent game if head is high. Another plus for the older slow-moving dog is that it’s less physical work for the hunter. A hard running dog will most likely have a bigger range. If your hard running dog establishes point 50 to 100 yards in thick snarly grouse cover, you’ve got work ahead of you. The first one or two trips into the bush on a hunt might not be too bad; however, by the third, you might wonder if you want to do it. However, you owe it to your dog to come to the point. A slow moving dog might track or point just off a logging road. Both Susan, my wife, and I consistently get points while we walk an old logging road and the dog works just 10 to 20 yards off the road. That road often has a ditch running along the road and that ditch will have grouse. The moral of the story: Both a hard running dog and a slow methodical dog can make great grouse dogs. Which ever you have, enjoy! Paul and his wife, Susan, host the Bird Dogs Afield TV show. All episodes are available on their website; www.birddogsafield.com. Contact: pual@birddogsafield. com
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March 2023
Are you ready to deer hunt this summer? If you’ve experienced finding Whitetail Bucks is challenging during hunting season, try locating them during summer months. Now you see them, now you don’t! You will learn that when you do encounter any velvet buck before legal season, he is usually not in a hurry. Therefore, right now, we discover many bucks? Yes! Even June is not too early to begin if we hoof it on the ground and scout aggressively. Equally, check with local farmers who might share their deer sightings. Or, collaborate with other hunters who scout year round. It is eventually productive to deer sight-hunt from June until legal hunting season? And, it’s legal. We begin locating deer and better understand buck whereabouts by pinpointing and studying summer bucks. It’s fun, can be a challenge, but most of all educational. Whenever we investigate deer habitats early and study bucks transformations from their velvet racks to concluding hardened headgear, we’re ahead of the game. And, if we begin during June and survey bucks racks
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Secretive Summer Bucks Bob “Greenie” Grewell
progress through summer, bucks are less alarmed from hunting pressures and easier to locate. It’s even more exciting to take pictures of all the deer you encounter. Focus on this a few weeks as you summer- scout you’re hunting landscapes and you will interpret buck movements more intimately. But, mid-year buck scouting is not always comfortable. Swarms of mosquitoes can be unfriendly. While you’re walking afield, ticks have a way of attaching to your body. Foliage laced with green briers, nettles and poison ivy will be adversaries. I must be a sissy because these elements will ruin any day. But, deer live with and tolerate these unfriendly conditions daily. I complain about these discomforts while photographing summer deer. But, whitetail subjects are accustom to summer’s discomforts. Not many hunters focus upon Whitetail Bucks now? Most of us are fishing, mowing their yards, or enjoying family vacations. But, your next buck is out there hidden from view. Although, any buck’s objectives are different than ours’, obviously, that’s
why we don’t see bucks as frequently during summer months. Mature whitetail bucks become ghosts now. Regardless of the time of year, bucks hide from human view and do so until the fall rut instills them to move with intensity. Right now, bucks are focusing upon concealing bedding, food, water and privacy. This is a major reason we fail to see bucks we will
breed-ready. Therefore, they live in “bachelor” groups. But, this is the time bucks establish their “pecking” order, too. Experienced deer hunters never stop learning whitetail routines. The more hunters study whitetails, the better we understand buck’s habits. Although bucks don’t often show themselves from June through August, they are preparing themselves for
eventually pursue. The majority of whitetail sightings during daylight throughout the summer months are typically does, yearlings and new-year fawns. Their feeding habits trigger them to be more visual. But, bucks, they usually choose to remain hidden, or favor nocturnal movements. Bucks are still evasive. But, they are more relaxed now until hunters invade their habitats. It’s the nature of phantom summertime bucks. Each buck is focused upon survival as they prepare themselves for future breeding rights. They ordinarily avoid does because females are not
when does begin producing estrus odors. Deer normally have it easy during summer’s warmth. Although conditions can be miserable, besides humidity, there’s a multitude of insects. Humans can temporarily avoid these discomforts by remaining indoors. But, deer have to deal with Nature’s discomforts every day. Fortunately, summer is a time of plenty. Their days are unpressured by humans. A buck’s objective now is to eat. They are at ease as they eat, drink, rest, and gain weight. Bucks hidden behavior adapts during heat, humidity and
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insects of summer. This is why we seldom see bucks throughout the daylight. Bucks search for shade throughout the intensity of afternoon heat. But, once they locate an abundant food source, such as soy beans, clover and wheat fields, it’s not unusual for them to bed down and remain beside one field. They can stand-up, walk, feed and bed down again with little effort.
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Summer bucks loaf a lot. They don’t have socalled “roaming” instincts and aren’t prone to walking in a direct path. And, unless a disturbing encounter compel them to change their habits, they aren’t likely to be active during the heat of the day. Bucks favor shaded, damp habitats. These environments allow them to beat the heat. But, it’s not unusual to see them moving across open landscapes, especially if insects drive them from dense foliage. Much energy is required for bucks to complete the entire growth cycle of their racks. They (Bucks cont. pg 67)
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SAM News
Northwoods Sporting Journal
by David Trahan, “Executive Director” This year, gun control groups, like those funded by Michael Bloomberg, have their allies in high places. The Speaker of the Maine House has sponsored legislation to expand background checks to private transfers. High ranking incumbent legislators
Protection Agency, (Federal) and the Department of Environmental Protection Agency, (State) are developing new, tougher phosphorous discharge standards that will have a negative impact on our eight Maine hatcheries. Currently, seven of the eight state hatcheries ex-
Firearm Rights
The $700,000 earmark will come to SAM, but will not be available for our organization to spend, instead, the money will be used for a wide range of hatchery purposes. First, there will be a statewide search for a viable location that could include up to ten locations. Next, wells will be drilled, and water tested, discharge options will be tailored to each location, etc. After a lengthy vetting
Currently, seven of the eight state hatcheries exceed their phosphorous discharge permit limits. That is bad news and means the state will either build a new modern hatchery to meet these standards or invest over $150 million to upgrade our old hatchery systems. have sponsored legislation to require mandatory waiting periods to purchase a gun, new gun free zonesthe list goes on and on. Although we have limited paid lobbying staff, we will use experienced members of our Board of Director’s, SAM members and friends in the Legislature to help us. We will have our hands full defending law-abiding firearm owners! Working with Senator Collins, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Secured $700,000 Earmark in the Federal Omnibus Bill to Site a New Fish Hatchery. The Environmental
ceed their phosphorous discharge permit limits. That is bad news and means the state will either build a new modern hatchery to meet these standards or invest over $150 million to upgrade our old hatchery systems. Bottom line, we understand the best investment is to build a new modern hatchery with the most efficient technology available that meets current stocking needs and allows fish production expansions in the future. Building a new $40 million hatchery sounds like a lot of money, but it saves over $100 million dollars.
March 2023
process a site will be chosen and designs developed. SAM will lead this effort in partnership with Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. SAM Legislation to Reform the Way the Bureau of Public Lands Manages 36,000 Acres of Zoned Deer Yards. The Bureau of Public Lands owns over 35,000 acres of deer wintering areas that are managed differently than Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. There is no predator management and little done to enhance habitat. We have introduced legislation to align the BPL deer management with IFW’s. That will mean vastly better deer management and more resources to restore the deer population. SAM-ILA Will Lead Efforts to Mitigate Commercial Solar Impacts on to Wildlife Habitat. The SAM-ILA has introduced legislation to mitigate the damage done when commercial solar development impacts wild-
Protecting deer wintering areas is part of the formula for deer population restoration. life habitat. Every solar development is surrounded by fences that keep wildlife out. The intention is to design a system that discourages development in wildlife habitat and incentivizes solar development on compromised lands. Fix Maine’s Antlerless Deer Permit System This legislative session, we have introduced a law change to fix several flaws with the antlerless deer permit system. Anyone that used the new on-line system realizes there are problems. The computer system failed on the first day, hunters waited hours for a chance to buy a permit, it was just a mess. We have offered legislation to allow anyone that applies to remain in the drawing until either all the permits are gone or until all the applicants have been chosen and at that point, any permits left can be sold over the counter. There will be other components of the bill to streamline the system or make improvements. Land Conservation-
Long Term Funding for the Land for Maine’s Future Program Working with our partners at the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, we are proposing legislation to create a long-term funding source for land conservation, specifically to purchase and protect wildlife habitat impacted by renewable energy development. There is an energy development gold rush going on across rural Maine that, without sensible planning and regulation could negatively affect our State and the environment we all care about for generations. Legislature is just Beginning Public Hearings As of SAM News deadline, the Legislative Committees just started public hearings. So far, little of any controversy has occurred, but stand bye, it is coming. Update-Deer Yard Purchases On February 1, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reported to the IFW Committee on (Rights cont. pg 68)
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Not Lost, Just Turned Around
By Joel Tripp Back in school my father had one rule; hunt with your brother or hunt alone. My brother and I hunted a lot then he went in the Marines and I hunted alone. It was Thanksgiving week and I was tracking on three inches of fresh wet
tracks went every which way and I couldn’t see more than ten feet. I stood up straight, grounded the Remington and took stock. The morning was not a total loss. I knew where that buck liked to travel and I knew where he liked
age stomach was growling. It was overcast and still spitting snow so I turned for the road and crashed through the brush. I saw the opening ahead and as I cleared the brush there was a brook, not a road. It was the Foxwell sure as hell, but how did it get here? It was familiar, but not, because it was not where it was supposed to be. I took out my compass. That can’t be right. I know where I
about it. I still couldn’t get that brook to line up with the map in my head, but I decided to follow the brook downstream until something looked familiar. Within two hundred yards I was standing next to the big oak burl. Then I knew exactly where I was but I couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t right. I hustled down the brook to our own property corner. One mile from home. I
I remembered one of the instructors say “if you get turned around sit down and think about it”. It was too wet to sit down, so I stood there and thought about it. I still couldn’t get that brook to line up with the map in my head...
Lost or just turned around? If you haven’t the foggiest where you are, chances are that you are, indeed, lost! (Photo by Bud Utecht) snow. I picked up the track to meet up with the labehind the barn under the dies. Time to get out of Wolf River apple tree and this thicket and scout out was now a mile and a half a good place for a stand. from the house on the edge I knew where I was so I of the Heath in firs so thick planned to cut straight back I was almost crawling. to Milliken’s woods road The buck had met up with then home for lunch. It was several does and now the pushing noon and my teen-
am, but I am not. In the next few minutes my mind raced through every story I had ever heard about a lost hunter. I can’t be lost. Despite my confidence I felt myself getting agitated and, damn it, scared. A few years earlier my father had my brother and I take a hunter safety class. That popped into my head and I remembered one of the instructors say “if you get turned around sit down and think about it”. It was too wet to sit down, so I stood there and thought
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If you do get turned around sit down and think about it. Start a cookfire and have something warm to eat. Trust your compass and make a plan. In today’s world of technology break out your magic rectangle and call somebody or use one of the many hunting apps to navigate your way home. If you are truly lost, admit it. Now focus on how to get found. Stay put. Start a fire, smokey during the day and bright at night. Collect firewood and start planning for the overnight. Well that lesson has stuck with me. Anybody can get turned around, even in familiar territory. Over 35 plus years as a forester I have run many miles of boundary lines and looked at thousands of acres of timber. I can truly say I have never been lost, but I have been turned around a few times.
moved fast, not hunting, trying to outrun that feeling of being unsure. I ate lunch, filled the wood box then pulled out the topo. I forced myself to make it fit. I realized that when I hit the thicket I had done a three quarter circle and Joel Tripp is a blackmust have crossed my own smith who lives in Limintracks. gton.
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Kineo Currents by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME
A number of years ago a sportsman from Aroostook County wrote me a note, asking why there wasn’t a 15 trout daily limit, like there was in the old days. He remembered the days before the daily catch was incrementally brought to today’s general 5-a-daylimit, fewer in waters with
In 1990, general law was streamlined to the 5 trout a day limit, and in 1996 some special regulations were added to conserve the species, depending on your location and specially to protect some of the older, larger native brook trout. Over the years, regulations are tweaked and
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Special Brook Trout Rules Work
Venture, formed in the mid-2000s, trout are a great indicator of high-water quality. Where the waters have been compromised, it appears so has its range. Regulations help. Here at Moosehead in the
With S-20, 70 percent of the sample was greater than 10 inches and 50 percent were over 12 inches, and nice-looking trout. special regulations. I’m no expert but in a look back over my records, which are not complete but help give a quick glance at the past, in the early part of the last century you could take up to 25 lbs. of trout a day. At one time, and for quite a long time, there was a weight limit of 7 lbs. for combined brook trout, lake trout, and landlocked salmon. Later, regulations changed from daily weight to number of fish, which translated to 5 trout a day for lakes; 10 for brooks, rivers, and streams.
many different rules are tried, based on a whole host of considerations. Some of those considerations include biology; habitat; water quality; geographic, social, and political pressures; enforcement issues; and conservation. One thing I do know is, in the big picture, Maine’s north country is one of the last strongholds in the eastern states for wild, native brook trout, whose range used to stretch down to Georgia. That says a lot for Maine. According to the Eastern Brook Trout
March 2023
late 1800s, fish (and game) were loaded by the carload onto trains and exported to major cities. That kind of take proved unsustainable. Fast forward, and in Sept. 2022, Regional Fisheries Supervisor Tim Obrey wrote about the S-20 slot regulation for brook trout. S-20 is a special law, which, where applied, means that all brook trout, including Arctic charr and the hybrid splake, less than 6 inches and longer than 12 inches must be released
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alive at once. This may seem picayune, but here’s a good explanation by Obrey about why it works: “When we look at wild/native trout ponds and how they are managed, we consider things like water quality, the amount of natural reproduction, growth rates, and survival rates. Without a doubt, water quality and competition from other species are by far the most limiting factors when it comes to trout pond potential. I used to think ponds with exceptionally high rates of natural reproduction were destined to produce lots of smaller wild brook trout. We have many ponds like this in the Moosehead Lake Region. You can go to these ponds and have 20 fish a day but never see a trout over 12 inches. There is a place for these ponds in regional management plans. Typically, only trout are present. These waters can be shallow or deep and there may be a few minnows present but never suckers or warm water fish. Some of our best ponds fit these criteria. “We have already identified many of our best high-quality trout ponds and have regulations designed to protect what Mother Nature has given us. We have also tried new regulations designed to create bigger
trout in ponds that may not have a history of growing large fish. For example, our S-20 regulation allows the harvest of fish between 6 and 12 inches. Anything greater than 12 inches must be released. This regulation is paired with either a 2 fish limit or the 5 fish limit under General Law.” Last summer they evaluated four trout ponds with the S-20 regulation. They found an improvement over the historical samples, which indicated that just 10 percent of the trout exceeded 10 inches. With S-20, 70 percent of the sample was greater than 10 inches and 50 percent were over 12 inches, and nice-looking trout. These results show how reviewing and changing regulations, based on a host of factors, help maintain healthy populations. Obrey’s recommendations on bag and length limits for the Moosehead Lake Region have, so far, proven highly successful. All you have to do is fish the success of these remote trout ponds; Moosehead Lake itself, whose brook trout have been astounding in recent years; and at Chesuncook Lake, where new regs seem to be paying off. Suzanne AuClair is an avid outdoorswoman. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake region for 28 years and produced a state anthology,“The Origin, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.” She is an award-winning member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assn.
March 2023
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Master Maine gun up, I already had him Hatcheries Registered Master Guide. He owns tagged in my mind. It was
(Cont. from pg 38) Pond, is a great example of how a small illegal introduction of a bait fish, can impact a native strain of fish. It is said that an ice fisherman had illegally introduced smelt to Big Reed Pond. The plankton eating Charr gave way to eating competition to plankton eating non-native smealt. The Charr, over time, were found disappearing as their food was eaten by illegally introduced smelt. The same food competion can happen with Brook Trout. Brook trout can be impacted negatively through invasive fish feeing on the natural food source and giving direct competion, as the invasive fish takes up space and food. Only use live bait where legal and it has been harvested from the source for that water being fished with live bait.
and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford. He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine partridge, turkey, moose, deer hunting and recreation adventures.
Season
(Cont. from pg 42)
slowly, so I knew I was going to get my chance. I was easing up his track one step at a time, having to plant my feet so I didn’t slip. There was a blowdown I was approaching and every step I could see by it a little more. I looked down to plant my foot and when I looked back up, the buck was bounding straight away up an opening at Rich is a full time 30 yards. As I swung my
a chip shot, but just as the bead came onto him, my foot slipped out from under me. My bead jerked up into the air and by the time I recovered, all I could see were fleeting glimpses of him. This buck was a real monster, probably in the 250 pound range, with a heavy rack outside of his ears. Needless to say, I was sick. Right then I thought to myself, that this was probably my chance for the season. Chances at a buck like that are few and far between. I tracked him until early afternoon before limping my way back out to the truck. Part two of the season next month. Until then “Good luck on the trail!” Hal is a master Maine guide and author. He lives in Moose River Maine with his wife Deb. Hal can be contacted at hal@bigwoodsbucks.com
News
(Cont. from pg 52) 3.5 million servings of local, nutritious venison. The buck harvest will be close to 9,600, which will be up from 2021 (9,133) and near the previous 3-year average of 9,482. The final antlerless deer harvest will be around 7,800, also similar to the previous 3-year average (7,651). The archery season harvest, which accounts for much of the total antlerless deer harvest, will be the second highest on record, behind only the 2020 season.
“Hunting conditions were generally good in 2022,” said Nick Fortin, the
Page 65 department’s deer project leader. “Limited fall foods caused deer to move more and spend more time feeding in fields, which made it easier for hunters to locate them. Snow during much of the regular season in November also helped hunters locate and see deer.” The primary goal of Vermont’s deer management strategy is to keep the deer herd stable, healthy and in balance with available habitat. “Maintaining an appropriate number of deer on the landscape ensures deer and the habitats that support them remain in good condition and productive,” said Fortin. The 2022 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report with final numbers will be on Fish and Wildlife’s website in early March. Beginning in late March, the department will be holding informational hearings to share biological information and to listen to any information people wish to share.
Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!
E CTIV A O Y ET FRE ILITAR M
In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free. And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.
As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com
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T8 R6 WELS, Northern Penobscot County, Maine – The Maine Warden Service is investigating a fatal snowmobile crash involving a truck and
According to witnesses, the truck driver, Ronald Campbell III, age 51 of Patten, attempted to stop the truck on the ice-covered road, but struck Michaud as the snowmobile entered the roadway. snowmobile that occurred February 14th. At approximately 12:30 p.m., John Michaud, age 60 of Millinocket, was driving his 2018 Ski Doo Enduro 900 Turbo north on ITS 85 when he failed
Northwoods Sporting Journal
Millinocket Man Dies In Snowmobile Crash
to stop at the road crossing where the snowmobile trail crossed Grand Lake Road, and was struck by a logging truck that was headed west. According to witness-
the roadway. The crash was witnessed by a friend of Michaud, who was driving in another snowmobile behind Michaud. Game Wardens re-
Falls. The crash occurred approximately 6 miles west of Route 11 on the Grand Lake Road. Michaud was wearing a helmet. Campbell was driving a 2001
March 2023
for oncoming vehicles,” said Game Warden Lieutenant Tom Ward, “High snowbanks and trees can often obscure an operator’s vision, so its important to
The overturned snowmobile after it crashed, the second photo is of Game Wardens James Gushee (left) and Ryan Fitzpatrick (right) as they map out the crash scene. es, the truck driver, Ronald Campbell III, age 51 of Patten, attempted to stop the truck on the ice-covered road, but struck Michaud as the snowmobile entered
sponded to the crash, along with Patten Ambulance Service. Michaud passed away at the scene, and was transported to the Bowers Funeral Home in Island
Kenworth with an empty log trailer. “Riders should always come to a complete stop before entering any roadway, and always look
look and be certain before crossing any roadway.” The crash remains under investigation by the Maine Warden Service. Any new information will be released when it becomes available.
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SPACE CALL 207-732-4880 OR EMAIL: info@sportingjournal.com
March 2023
Bucks
(Cont. from pg 61) aren’t overly active now and convert all their energies to rack completion. They never appear to be in a hurry either, unless they are distributed by humans, or predators. Gorging foodstuffs preempts any buck’s instinctive desires to breed because they must pile-on fat reserves throughout the summer months before the rigors of breeding and adverse weather. Besides feeding and resting frequently enables their body’s to pupate into muscle and bulk. Doe receptiveness will eventually influence buck transformation. Within a few weeks, their gender separation will flip-flop. The doe/doe and buck/buck kinship will dramatically alter. Why? As does gradually begin to ooze estrus liquids and their odors sweeten air currents, it is a signal the ensuing breeding season will change the attitudes and habits of both whitetail sexes. That’s when the days of tolerated association between any age buck will wear thin. Sept. & Oct. will soon be the prelude months to a buck’s purpose in life. Changes come rapidly because if lone breeder bucks could talk, I believe
Northwoods Sporting Journal
their comments would be, “It’s my way, or no way”! If hunters believe bucks ever have a mission, they are correct. After the demanding impacts of summer heat and insects, bucks gradually move more during the early morning and late afternoon. Any secretive bucks that’s been out-of-sight for a few months, now they are on the move. And, if it’s a mature breeder buck, he will do his best to be the “top dog” of his hierarchy, within the existing whitetail social structures. Humans believe this influence gradually begins to accelerate deer mating instincts. By late August, many bucks’ racks have already hardened. Throughout September bucks challenge trees and underbrush as they strip away velvet. Human studies believe their flow of testosterone influences their mating intensity? Summer conditions and putterer are always a demanding time for bucks. Stresses gradually escalate as breeding intensifies. September will typically be labeled as the “pre-rut”. Mother Nature stimulates their dominant sexual desires as changes instill a boldness within each buck. Bucks try to master their role in the male pecking
order. They display themselves to does with more frequency because breeding bucks must be ready to service does when they encounter an estrus does cycle. Although active breeding is normally a few weeks away during summer months, bucks don’t hesitate to display themselves to any doe they encounter. Pre-autumn air will soon be cooling and antsy bucks will begin creeping out of hiding. Then, they will travel and feed within view of all does as they advertise themselves. Younger bucks probably still hang together? But, mature bucks have already begun separating themselves to establish breeding arenas. Older bucks that encounter each other will now size-up the others’ abilities and intentions. But, right now, during summer months, there are factors that rule deer’s lives’. If you’re looking for bucks now, they usually seek shade from intense sunlight. They favor damp landscapes for cool bedding. Numerous food sources, privacy and water are vital during the heat of summer, too. Sure, there’s an abundance of food. But, temperatures can become unbearably hot. Insects are a constant harassment.
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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And, predators never letup. But, compared to the abuses of late winter, summer helps bucks become healthy, even from June through late August. If you scout now, focus on growing field corn, soy beans,
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honeysuckle, acorns, etc. These food sources will nourish deer, preparing them for the intensities of breeding. Search these prime locations now and discover that deer hunting is a year around adventure.
Two UTVers Rescued The two men spent over 30 minutes in the water, and were hypothermic. Emergency rescue personnel from Searsport Fire Department Treated them on the scene.
Two men riding a side by side UTV broke through the ice in Searsmont recently and were rescued by a Game Warden and a Waldo County Sheriff’s Deputy. At approximately 10:30 a.m., two men were driving their Can Am 1000 UTV on the ice on Bartlett Stream near 191 Belfast Augusta Road in Searsmont when they broke through the ice in an area where they snowmobiled over two days earlier.
This UTV, along with its passengers, broke through the ice on a stream and the two men spent 30 minutes in the icy water. The operator immediately called a friend who was ice fishing nearby, who rushed to the scene, and then called his former wife who then called 911. Game Warden Corporal Chris Dyer was enroute to a snowmobile crash in Palermo, but turned around to respond to the emergency. Dyer arrived on the scene at 10:50, and found the two men standing on top of the ATV, waist deep in the water. Waldo County Deputy Travis Spencer soon arrived on scene, and Dyer and Spencer were able to throw a lifejacket and rope to the pair, and pull them from the ATV through the water and to safety. The two men spent over 30 minutes in the water, and were hypothermic. Emergency Rescue Personnel from the Searsmont Fire Department treated them on the scene, and they were able to head home after they were treated. The ATV was removed from the stream later that day by Lang Family Recovery of Lincolnville. “Ice conditions can change quickly, particularly on waters where there is any type of current,” said Game Warden Corporal Chris Dyer. “Be careful and check the ice before venturing out onto the ice.”
Northwoods Sporting Journal
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Rights
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position to in the land management division, the Department has assessed nine potential projects totaling 82,000 acres and has 9408 acres under contract in 4 different locations across Aroostook and Franklin County. It is not clear yet, but it appears this is in addition to the nearly 7300 acres already made public. They also report several additional projects are being discussed.
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Northwoods Sporting Journal
March 2023
Page 69
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AFFORDABLE, EASY-TO-BUILD CAMP & CABIN KITS Discover the versatility and convenience of Northeastern’s Camp and Cabin kits. Perfect for vacation homes or retirement retreats, these log cabin kits are easy to build and very affordable. They feature simple, open designs and come complete with pre-cut
Lee- Well wooded. Remote. Critters everywhere. Add in the good, clean air of Northern Maine and you’ve got yourself a “keeper”. This smashin’ little lot right off Mallet’s Mill Rd shouldn’t last long- call today for a guided tour. $69,900 Enfield- This large lot is part of a larger parcel, owner would consider selling larger piece. Not far from Cold Stream Pond & Cold Stream. Public road of Caribou Rd & short distance to electricity. Make this your camp/ home. $34,000
DAWN ROBERTS
www.northeasternlog.com
Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and sub-flooring plus step-by-step instructions. Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat! Give us a call today.
1-800-624-2797 Our Cumberland model with wrap-around porch and loft.
Page 70
Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 628 Main Street Machias, ME 04654
SUNRISE REALTY
Office Tel. & Fax: (207) 255-3039 Email: anitaj@midmaine.com Website: www.sunlist.com Anita Johnson
EAST MACHIAS: This home sits on 5.46 acres and is on the Chases Mills Road. The owner started working on the home so all rooms need work but there is a nice two bedroom apartment on the end with its own garage that you could live in while working on the main house. The apartment is lived in at this time. The main house also has its on garages. It is close to Gardner Lake and the public boat landing. The price is only $175,000.00 EAST MACHIAS: This beautiful move in ready home sits on 1.08 acres and has three large bedrooms and the master has 1/2 bath. Nice large laundry room. Also nice kitchen and living room. Home is in move in condition except for some floors and you can choose the type of floor coverings you want in each room. Large dry basement and a two car garage make this a super nice home to live in. The price has just been reduced to $245,000 and the owner said they will listen to reasonable offers.
March 2023
ST. JOHN VALLEY REALTY CO. 8 East Main Street Fort Kent, ME 04743
834-6725
www.stvrealty@hotmail.com www.sportingjournal.com
SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD
REAL ESTATE SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD
Judd Goodwin Well Co
"We Do It Right The First Time"
Complete Well & Pump
Installation, Service and Repair Residential • Commercial Camps • Cottages
P.O. Box 17 Greenville, ME 04441 Office: 207-695-3645 Cell: 207-280-0923 goodwinjudd@yahoo.com www.juddgoodwinwell.com Member Maine Groundwater Association