Northwoods Sporting Journal, Nov. 2021

Me & Joe Help Iver Get Venison For Edna November 2021

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November 2021

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Legend of Sneaky Pete

Page 3

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME er and stayed in camp.

His stand was roughly 600 yards north of mine.

I hunted my stand until around ten, then got down and still hunted around the bottom of the ridge and back up to Harley’s stand, planning on spending the afternoon there. I popped the trail camera card on my way through to check when I got back to camp that evening. Sure enough, that buck walked right by Harley’s stand that mornIt was a cold and crisp November morning, late in the firearms season when I mounted my stand. The ladder steps were frosted over and the metal slick as I ascended the fifteen feet to my perch. A hard frost had come in overnight and as I looked up through the tree canopy, the stars were afire against the black backdrop of sky. The wind was nonexistent and the woods all around me eerily quiet, dawn’s approach a half hour away. It was a perfect morning for deer hunting and not just any deer, but the buck I had been after for a few seasons. I had countless hours logged scouting the ridge he called home and a pile of used trail camera batteries served as evidence of his uncanny ability to evade me every step of the way. This year, however, I finally caught him on camera; he was everything I had hoped for and better.

My anticipation was high as the sun broke over the ridge and I prepared to start

Sneaky Pete a rattling sequence.

I heard him coming from 200 yards away, snapping branches and breaking through icy puddles

and waited. He appeared to be looking for the young bucks he heard fighting.

Not seeing them, he hung up and wouldn’t come any

I heard him coming from 200 yards away, snapping branches and breaking through icy puddles below my spot on the hill. My heart was pumping hard and felt like it was lodged in my throat. below my spot on the hill.

My heart was pumping hard and felt like it was lodged in my throat. The big buck stepped up over the edge into a thick concentration of bramble and dead fall. All I could see was his head, neck and a short section of his back.

I eased my rifle up and put the cross hairs on the neck

ing, striking a pose for the camera. To this day, it was a taunt I’m sure. It was the day he earned the nickname ‘Sneaky Pete’.

Over the course of the next two seasons, I changed positions trying my best to find the best ambush spot. No matter what I did, Sneaky Pete was always one step ahead.

I would hear him go by before first light and move to the other side of the trail the (Sneaky cont. pg 15)

closer. Decision time; risk the heavy cover fouling the shot or hope for another opportunity. I fired…and missed. The buck turned slowly and made his way back down the ridge before I could cycle the bolt for a follow up.

Two days later, my hunting partner Harley was feeling under the weath-

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On The Cover

Me & Joe Help Iver Get Venison For Edna - Pg 6 Opening Day! - Pg 29 Legend Of Sneaky Pete - Pg 3 Five In One Fly - Pg 37 New Hampshire’s November - Pg 63 Whitetails: Why The Flag? - Pg 46 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 66

Contents

3. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 5. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 6. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 9. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish 13. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard 14. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 16. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier 17. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 23. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 24. Question Of The Month - Christine Force 25. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 26. Ramblings From T8-R9 - Benjamin Rioux 28. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 29. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 35. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 37. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini 38. The Back Shelf - Ray Dillon 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. What’s In Your Woods - Bud Utecht 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 46. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 47. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 52. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 53. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary 55. The Trail Rider - Rod Fraser 56. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 57. On Point - Paul Fuller 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 63. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 65. Anticosti - Mark Cote

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

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

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

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

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

A Hiker’s Life - Pg 10

By Carey Kish

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

Vol 28 Issue 11 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

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

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

All rights reserved, 2021. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

The Buck Hunter - Pg 32

By Hal blood

Other Great Stories & Information

8. Editorial/Letters 12. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 66. Real Estate

Cover Photo: Nice Deer

(Photo by Tim Flanigan)

Best Bassin’ - Pg 44

By Bill Decoteau

Outdoors In Vermont - Pg 51

By Gary W. Moore

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Choosing Correct Archery Tackle

Another Bear Season is behind us and on to deer and turkeys. My wife and I hunted 23 of the 24 available days over bait and had 23 different bear sightings.

Ten of those bears were healthy sows with chubby

bow, recurve bow and compound bow. Cross bows are in a separate category with rifle-like features like shoulder stocks and scopes.

I’ve shot a lot of targets with all of the other bows but never have hunt-

Page 5

The Northwoods Bowhunter

Bowtech/Diamond, Elite and Prime, though there are many others available. Six years ago I purchased 60 and 70 lb Mathews Heli-M bows and haven’t so far, found a lighter, quieter, or smoother bow that I like better.

The most popular ar-

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME charts are available from most arrow manufacturers like, Easton, Carbon Express, and Gold Tip. Incorrectly matching and tuning your arrows to your bow will cause terrible flight and poor accuracy. I

Six years ago I purchased 60 and 70 lb Mathews Heli-M bows and haven’t so far, found a lighter, quieter, or smoother bow that I like better. rows are tubular carbon fiber where the shaft is made from 100% carbon, carbon composite or carbon aluminum. When selecting an arrow, it is crucial to use a spine chart to determine the correct stiffness based on the amount of poundage your bow is set for. Spine

use Easton Axis N-Fused Carbon that fly like darts with Muzzy 100 Grain three- blade broadheads attached. (Note: Most broadheads will have a different point of impact than target tips requiring sight adjustments for the hunt.) There are numerous broad head

manufacturers all claiming to be the sharpest, toughest and most aerodynamic on the market.

Choices are chisel tip, cut on impact and expandable blade, that fly more like target points and are noted for large cutting diameter causing massive blood loss. Just make sure the heads you choose are tough, accurate and razor sharp to punch through bone and vital organs. Bow sights, arrows rests, quivers and stabilizers all should be tested and matched to your bow for optimum performance.

I use a QAD Drop Away Rest, Tru Glo Fiber Optic Pin sight, Mathews (Archery cont. pg 30)

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cubs putting on exciting shows for us. We never did see a bear over 200 lbs thus didn’t harvest one this year.

Archery gear selection is crucial to making accurate and ethical shots on big game. It is highly recommended to purchase your bow and accessories from an archery pro shop that has an indoor range and all the equipment needed to properly fit and tune the bow to you. Old Town Archery, Audette’s Hardware, Ben’s Trading Post, LL Bean, Cabelas and Kittery Trading Post all have knowledgeable staff on hand and are supporters of the Maine Bowhunters Association. There are three common bow types; long

ed with one. I will focus on the compound bow, by far the most popular for hunting and target shooting. There are dozens of brands and hundreds of models available that all work in basically the same manner. Wheels or cams are attached to the limbs and bowstring to store energy as the bow is drawn to reduce the holding weight, thus releasing arrows at must faster speeds than a recurve or longbow. Engineers spend countless hours designing new bows each year to make them faster, quieter, smoother, lighter and more forgiving. The top compound bow manufacturers are Mathews/ Mission, Hoyt, PSE, Bear,

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Page 6

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Adventures of Me and Joe “I need a deer, an’ you got to get me one,” Iver Spouse said solemnly.

“No I don’t, you jest git that idea out of yore head,” Joe said reasonably.

“Agin the law. Anyway,” he took a sip of coffee, found it too hot, and set the cup quickly back on the saucer. “It ain’t absolutely necessary to git a deer every fall, you know Iver.”

“Yes it is! I need to… every fall!” His narrow, balding head bobbed emphatically up and down on its thin strand of neck. “It’s part of our agreement.”

“Whose agreement?”

“Mine an’ Edna’s.”

“You and your wife have an agreement about deer?” I said.

“About deer an’ a bunch of other stuff.” Iver twisted his long, thin body and looked around nervously to see if anyone was listening. But the Five N’ Diner was empty of other customers on this late November morning.

“You fellers know I work down to Bangor?”

“Yeah…at the Federal Building,” Joe nodded.

“It’s a good job,” Iver said contentedly. “I do figgers an’ work with a

by Bob Cram, (Alias T.J. Coongate) Medway, ME computer most of the time.

I might not look like someone who does good in this electrical media stuff, but I seem to have a knack for it.” He looked a bit embarrassed at the admission.

“Anyway, I been workin’ down there for nigh onto 30 years. It’s the only way me and Edna can stand each other.” He flushed beet red.

“I don’t mean that the way it sounded.” He cleared his throat. “When we up and got married, me and Edna come to some decisions.” He took a sip of coffee and then smoothed the tablecloth absently while collecting his thoughts.

“We both are private people. We seen that in each other. Call it selfish, if you will, but both of us wanted to do certain things and didn’t want anyone else decidin’ what we would or wouldn’t do. But we loved each other, and so we got married.

“I had me a degree in accounting from the university of to Fort Kent and after the weddin’ I worked as book keeper for Francis Planking over at his lumber company in Munsungan.”

November 2021

Iver’s Deer

Joe hung his head. Movement caught my eye. I glanced to the right in time to see a 10-point buck step out of the brush lining the swamp and stand broadside, staring at us, less than 40 yards away.

Joe nodded. “Seems like I remember that.”

“It give us a good livin’, but we was together too much.” Iver flushed again. “I don’t really know how to explain it good, sos’ you’ll understand.”

“Sometimes people just can’t live together, even if they love each other,” I said. “that’s it!

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.

That’s exactly it!” Iver agreed, poking a finger in my direction.

“We sat down an’ talked it over. We always been able to talk to each other, an’ maybe that’s one reason the marriage has worked. The other reason is what we decided to do.”

“What we came to realize is, we liked each other’s company real well for about two days at a stretch, maybe three. After that, we got to bickerin’, an’ arguin’. It was like both of us wanted to be doin’ something else, but felt obligated to spend time with each other. Edna, she’s big on gardenin’. Ain’t nothin’ she can’t grow, an’ she takes pride in growin’ the biggest an’ best of about everything.”

“Yer right, Iver,” Joe nodded emphatically. “She sells that stuff over to the co-op. I buy a lot of it myself. Ain’t no better vegetables than what Edna Spouse grows, an’ everybody knows it.”

“That’s it! That’s it, an’ I love how good she is at it. Me, on the other hand, I like dealin’ with figures.

For some reason, I like totaling up a column of figures; I like bein’ able to tell when finances are wrong an’ when they’re right, an’ correctin’ the differences.

I know it don’t seem real manly, but it gives me a sense of pride somehow.”

Joe looked him straight in the eye. “I guess I never figgered out what was manly or what wasn’t, (Me & Joe cont. pg 7)

November 2021

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 6) like some folks seem to do.

I always thought if you did a job well, an’ took pride in it, it didn’t matter none if you was a man or a woman, long as you did it well.”

“Well,” Iver looked down at his coffee cup.

“Anyway, one day Edna come to me with a copy of the Bangor Daily. In the help wanted section was an ad for this accountin’ job at the Federal Building in Bangor. I said as how it would be a long commute.

Edna, she said as to how many I could stay with my sister, Nora, in Bangor durin’ the week an’, come home on weekends. Well,” Iver spread his hands. “It seemed like a gift from heaven, you know? We could be together for a few days an’ then be apart for five. I went an’ interviewed for the job an’ got it. It’s worked out fine ever since.”

Joe looked at him thoughtfully. “that’s all well an’ good, Iver, but what the heck’s it got to do with needin’ a deer?

Iver leaned ahead over the table. “Well, see, that’s part of the deal me an’ Edna made. She takes care of the house, tends to the upkeep, repairs an’ sech. She raises the garden truck, picks the apples an’ berries an’ does the cannin’ an’ preservin’.

My job is to git some wild game time to time. A feed of trout or two in the spring, a bunch of perch for the freezer in the summer.

An’, in the fall, a deer fer her to cut into steaks an’ freeze for winter. See, Edna ain’t much fer store-bought meat. You know her father was ol’ Claude Rumpsteak? He was one of the last of the ol’ timers what lived on wild meat year

Northwoods Sporting Journal

round. Edna an’ her sisters growed up on wild meat an’ that’s what she wants in the larder now.”

Iver looked out the window. “You boys know I ain’t much of an outdoorsman. But I tried. Got so’s I could catch fish pretty good, even come to like it, an’ when I didn’t have the time, Lloyd Worms would go out perch fishin’ for me.

That part was okay. But I couldn’t never get into the deer huntin’, and it was part of the agreement.

Fascinated by now with this unusual arrangement, I stared at Iver. “So what did you do?”

“I come up with what I thought was a great idea.

Instead of goin’ out huntin’ in the fall, I went down to that deer farm outside Knowles Corner…you know the one I mean?”

“Yeah,” Joe nodded.

“They raise European Red Deer an’ sell it to the commercial market.”

“That’s the one. I went down there an’ bought enough steaks an’ roasts to make up what I thought was a good sized deer an’ took it all home to Edna.

Worked like a charm fer years.”

“So how come you don’t just do that this year?” Joe said.

Iver flushed once again. “Edna…she found out. They started stampin’ their logo on the wrappings an’ Edna saw it an’ confronted me.” He hung his head. “I ain’t much on lyin’, so I confessed the whole story. Edna was livid! Said I’d renegedon the whole agreement, an’ she’d have to give serious thought about livin’ with a man what cheated like that. So, you see boys,” he stared at us with a desperate look. “You got ter git me a deer!”

I glanced at Joe. He looked at Iver with a singular lack of enthusiasm.

“You ever shoot a gun, Iver?” “’Course I’ve shot a gun! I was in the Army 35 years ago.”

“When was the last time you shot one?”

“Let’s see…” Iver looked thoughtful. “I think it was in nineteen an’ eighty-seven. It was at the fair outside town. I was watchin’ the rifle matches an’ someone shoved a gun into my hands. It went off an’ hit Freddie Shooter’s truck. Flattened a tire.”

Joe set his elbow on the table and rested his forehead in his cupped right hand. I heard him murmur something that sounded like ‘Lord help us!’

“Iver, we’ll do what we can. But you got to shoot the deer your own self. We can’t do it for

you.” He leaned back and sighed. “Tomorrow morning I’ll bring along a spare rifle an’ we’ll meet at the gravel pit on the River Road. You’ll do a little practicin’, to get familiar with a rifle agin. Then we’ll go to some spots we know where deer been workin’.

But there ain’t no guarantees, Iver. Hunter success in this part of the state ain’t very high, and you got to shoot a buck. Can’t shoot no does.”

“I know,” Iver’s head bobbed as he nodded, a smile on his face. “I got faith in you guys. I know you ain’t gonna let me down.”

At dawn the next morning me and Joe stood in the middle of the gravel pit waiting for Iver to show up. “I got a bad feelin’ about this,” Joe said. “Findin’ a buck is hard enough, but I figger Iver ain’t gonna be any Annie Oakley when

Page 7 it comes to shootin’. Thing is, prob’ly the best huntin’ area for a buck is right behind the pit, here, in Gizzard Swamp. Once we start shootin’, they won’t be a buck in four miles.”

Iver drove into the gravel pit in his shiny Buick and stopped near us. As he got out, I noticed that he was garbed in what he probably thought was proper hunting attire; dark green corduroy pants and a green canvas coat, over which he wore a startingly bright hunter orange vest.

An orange porkpie hat perched jauntily on his eggshaped head.

Joe had his backup Model 64 Winchester .3030 already loaded. Iver came over and looked at it curiously.

“This here gun’s got a peep sight, Iver,” Joe began. “It’s prob’ly the kind of sight you used in (Me & Joe cont. pg 11)

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Hunting License Revocations

In Michigan last fall, a guided elk hunter holding a cow tag accidentally shot a bull elk.

Upon discovering the mistake, the hunter and his guide immediately notified a state conservation officer. After a thorough investigation, it was concluded that, indeed, it was an “honest mistake.” The hunter did not have his rifle confiscated or go to jail, but he ultimately paid a $1,000 fine and had his hunting license revoked.

The bull elk was confiscated by the state and the meat was donated to a worthy charity.

This incident begs the question: Did the punishment fit the crime?

In Maine, as in other states, not a hunting season goes by without incidents like the Michigan one, where hunters misjudge the sex of an animal in the heat of the hunt, or, worse, kill two animals by mistake. Over the duration of Maine’s moose season there have been many cases of an accidental “double kill.” In some cases the offending hunters turned themselves in; in many others, the hunter or hunters simply drove off in hopes of not getting caught.

Maine’s book of hunting regulations devotes an entire page to License Revocation

The Ammo Crisis To the Editor: I was in Maine last weekend and stopped in to Kittery Trading Post in York to buy some low-

Information. In Maine, if you bag an illegal animal, even if you do it by accident and turn yourself in, you can face a $1,000.00 fine, license revocation, three days in jail and loss of your firearm. In short, mistaking a doe for a buck, or a bull for a cow, can be a costly proposition.

Is the punishment option too stiff for a hunter who makes a so-called “honest mistake” and notifies law enforcement immediately?

Or does the law need to incentivize hapless hunters to do the right thing, and contact authorities?

I am not sure on this one. It is a tough question.

Maine’s head warden, Col. Dan Scott, says that game wardens have wide discretion, especially when a hunter makes an “honest mistake” and fesses up immediately. Says Scottt, “In the case of illegally taken fish and game, self-report (calling the game warden directly and explaining your mistake), cooperation and accountability will always be in the user’s best interest.”

Pennsylvania’s governor signed a new law recently, HB 359, that protects hunters

velocity .22 LR shells.

The ammo shelves were bare, which kind of relates to the editorial in the July 2021 Northwoods Sporting Journal I picked up while I was there (The Ammo

Crisis).

But my letter is in response to the Gun Cabinet article in that same issue

by John Floyd. He begins by claiming the idea of a bunch of men meeting in hidden bunkers conspiring to overthrow the government is a bunch of nonsense whipped up by, in his words, “...gun-grabbing liberal media elitists...” I’m here to remind him that in late 2020 the FBI did in fact bust a bunch of men who planned to overthrow state governments, and in a June 2020 meeting discussed murdering “tyrants” and kidnapping a sitting governor (Michigan). Their plan was to gather as much as 200 “patriots” and storm the capital building. They met in an underground

somewhat who mistakenly kill an elk or a bear and report their mistake promptly to conservation officers. Instead of a $1,000.00 fine and time in the slammer, they get a $100.00 fine.

No license revocation and no loss of firearm.

Back here in Maine, in the realm of hunting license revocation, our fish and wildlife commissioners are all-powerful! Our fish and wildlife commissioners have the statutory authority to revoke, at their discretion, the hunting privileges of anyone convicted of a hunting violation. This is over and above any penalties imposed by a court.

Additionally, a new law just passed this year gives the Commissioner even more revocation authority under certain circumstances! If a person alleged to have committed a violation of the Maine Revised Statutes, while hunting is not charged with that violation, the Commissioner may initiate administrative proceedings, which include notice and an opportunity to be heard, and impose administrative penalties including revocation of a license to hunt for up to 3 years.

bunker hidden by a trapdoor under a rug. These are facts and this is the truth, and you’d have to be an idiot to think these clowns were the only ones out there who thought of this, so please, someone tell Mr. Floyd to stop dismissing facts printed by the gun-grabbing liberal media elitists as nonsense.

In addition, Mr. Floyd asks why president Obama didn’t pass anti-gun legislation, and answers it with the inane logic that it’s because Americans respect the law and admit that bad people will find a way to commit violence anyway. Another update: After the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, poll after poll after poll in 2013 showed Americans almost unanimous in their

VPR

backing of closing gunshow loopholes, universal background checks, and a majority also backed banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

In 2013 a bipartisan bill in the senate supported by the majority was defeated by the senate filibuster

by Republicans. So yeah, Americans overwhelmingly wanted gun-control action, but the minority Republicans in the Senate killed it. Mr. Floyd again printed factually wrong and mis-leading rationale.

Last, he paints the NRA in an image from a bygone era where it promoted gun safety and responsible ownership. I know it still does these things, but fundamentally it has morphed (Letter cont. pg 30)

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

A Rooster Tale

As you know, the common “Rooster Tail” often seen at the foot of a set of rips on a river, especially in spring, is viewed as a nemesis to a canoe man. Usually it signals a

gift of nature.

It was mid-spring, near the middle of June, I recall, that I was also fortunate enough to come upon another event of nature unveiled before me.

a crack, which revealed an even larger crawling insect that developed into a sizable winged variety— more than twice the size of its captive case. Crumpled wings were stretched in the faint morning sunlight, twitched, fanned, and rather swiftly—were gone. Off to feed on other insect life, their mainstay.

I remember, when we were

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME lantic salmon once migrated into our rivers---those were the dam-free years, long, long ago before such structures were built.

Atlantic salmon are believed to have been “trapped” in a few waters, and the fish were unable

It all occurred in a flash—a few split seconds as it were. And, as suddenly as it happened, it was gone. It was something that I was fortunate to observe.

Maine’s landlocked salmon are actually the progeny of the Atlantic salmon. short “carry” to be on the safe side, that is.

On this particular day of dipping imitation flies in the eddies and spills along the currents, I came upon a fairly large “tail” of about three or four feet in height at its crest. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed a good-sized landlocked salmon actually sitting atop of the crest, almost like a mounted trophy, and appearing to survey the landscape.

It all occurred in a flash—a few split seconds as it were. And, as suddenly as it happened, it was gone.

It was something that I was fortunate to observe.

In those abrupt glimpses of time, I still remember the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon today. It was a

The morning was early with fog-dampened boulders protruding from the river currents. Then I noticed that a fairly large boulder near shore had some rather sizable “bugs” crawling around. On closer observance, I determined a hatch of rather large flying insects underway.

The gruesome black bugs, at the base of the wet stone, were actually the nymphal stage of the damsel flies emerging from their water domicile to complete the cycle. Their first stage as an egg, to a nymph, and now to an adult winged insect had begun---all being laid out before me.

As the minutes progressed, out from the long-hardened case came

kids, we called ‘em “Darning Needles”.

Immigrants Sometime around the late 1800s smallmouth bass were introduced into our freshwater ponds and lakes. So too, were landlocked salmon. Although some trace “landlocks” back to the days when At-

Page 9

to return to sea. These fish did spawn, however, and they and their offspring were labeled as landlocked salmon. Some of the “known” lakes in Maine where this occurred were Sebago Lake in southwestern Maine, and Green Lake in Ellsworth, Maine, among a few others. Over

the years, the “landlocks” were stocked in many, many lakes, and not only in the northeast, but some foreign countries as well.

It wasn’t long before these once “immigrants” adapted to the available waters, and became profuse in many.

The “smallmouth bass” species had origins in Europe and were apparently transported to the northeast U.S. Waters; some say over one hundred years ago. They certainly were not “native”, and never have been.

However, bass have found a rather comfortable existence and climate here, and have propagated profusely. In some once salmon and brook trout confines, pail-planted smallmouth bass have lit(Tale cont. pg 15)

Page 10

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME The woods were aglow on a recent sojourn through the countryside of Mount Vernon, the leaves seeming to change color with every step. The Fogg Island Trail, an old woods road for the first mile, led past a large beaver pond to a fork and a footpath,

from the underbrush and chickadees chicka-deedee-dee’d beneath perfect bluebird skies. As with Frost, “sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler,” I turned down the marked path, and although it was not “the one less traveled by,” that day

November 2021

Great Fall Hikes

an extensive shady grove of hemlocks and pines. Beyond a boardwalk graced with ferns through a red maple and cedar swamp, the trail ended at a lookout on the pretty southwestern shore of Long Pond.

The Fogg Island Trail is part of the 469-acre Fogg Island Preserve, a recent project of the 7 Lakes Alliance (formerly the Belgrade Region Conservation Alliance). It’s the

Conservation Area encompasses 170 acres, which were permanently protected two years ago with the help of conservationist Dan Hester, a Hiram resident, who once owned the land.

Celebrate this wonderful success story with a hike to the extensive open ledges on the east and south faces

this huge slate outcrop atop Third Mountain.

Mt. Battie As far as short hikes go, it’s hard to beat the Mt. Battie Trail in Camden Hills State Park. From the edge of town, the path climbs 525 feet to the peak in just over a half-mile to reach the 26-foot stone

of the peak.

Gorman Loop Trail The AMC’s Gorman Chairback Lodge occupies a lovely spot at the eastern end of pristine Long Pond in the heart of the 100Mile Wilderness. From here, the Gorman Loop Trail follows an undulating route that joins the Third Mountain Trail and then the Appalachian Trail to reach Monument Cliff.

An impressive swath of wild country, from Big Moose Mountain to Baker Mountain to the White Cap Range, fills the view from

tower on top. Climb the tower, which was erected in 1921 as a memorial to the men and women of Camden who fought in World War I, for a striking view over Camden’s harbor to the islands of Penobscot Bay. Schoodic Bog By combining the Schoodic Bog Trail, a section of the Down East Sunrise Trail and the Schoodic Connector Trail, hikers can enjoy a terrific 4-mile circuit around Schoodic Bog in Sullivan. Semiopen ledges and the old railbed-turned-multiuse trail yield great looks of the craggy south face of Schoodic Mountain, while the ecologically-rich 150acre bog and its numerous beaver lodges is a real treat.

Thanks go to the Frenchman Bay Conservancy for this and many other conservation gems in Hancock County.

En route to the junction, the wind whisked dry leaves down the corridor, ruffed grouse exploded from the underbrush and chickadees chicka-dee-dee-dee’d beneath perfect bluebird skies. which suddenly got me thinking about Robert Frost and his beloved poem, “The Road Not Taken,” in which “two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”

En route to the junction, the wind whisked dry leaves down the corridor, ruffed grouse exploded

the decision “made all the difference.”

The way meandered past patches of lovely orchids (thanks to an interpretive sign, for all but a trained botanist would likely walk right by the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchids) and through

seventh trail in a fabulous system extending far and wide over the Kennebec Highlands of the Belgrade Lakes region that includes some 15 miles of foot trails on five mountains.

The Fogg Island Trail is a must for your autumn hiking to-do list. You’ll also want to consider these other highly recommended beauties that’ll have you enjoying a brilliant October outdoors well after the leaves have fallen. Enjoy!

Mt. Cutler Rising 800 feet above the Saco River Valley, the slopes of 1,232-foot Mt. Cutler in Hiram are home to some half-dozen trails and about that many miles of hiking. The Mt. Cutler

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 7) the Army.”

“I don’t rightly rem e m b e r, ” I v e r s a i d , scratching his head.

Joe gritted his teeth.

“All you got to do is look through this little hole in the back sight, put the front sight beat in the middle of the hole, an’ put the bead on the target.”

“Seems simple enough.” Iver peered at the target against the gravel bank. “That what I’m shootin’ at?”

“Yep. Jest aim for that black spot in the middle.”

“Seems awful small.”

“Iver…it’s only 30 yards away.” “ O k a y, I ’ l l t r y. ” He shouldered the gun, clutched it hard against his shoulder, and peered downrange with his left eye clenched tightly shut.

“Iver?”

“Yes Joe?”

“Cock the gun.”

“Oh, right!” He thumbed back the hammer and once again brought the gun to his shoulder. The barrel seemed to waver back and forth like a reed in a high wind. Then it settled and the rifle went off with a loud bang. Gravel sprayed from the bank three feet to the right of the target.

“He’s on the right level with it,” I commented. Joe glowered at me.

Through clenched teeth he said, “Work the lever an’ chamber a fresh round, Iver. Try it again.”

“You mean this dohickey on the bottom,” he asked, peering under the rifle.

“Yeah, that do-hickey,” Joe grated. “Swing it all the way down, then all the way back up.”

Iver did as instructed, then glanced over at Joe with a grin. “Hey, it cocked back the hammer, too!”

“Yes, it did,” Joe re-

plied with iron control.

“Now take yore time an’ try to hit the target.”

Once again Iver aimed with great concentration, and once again the barrel seemed to wiggle around before settling down. The gun went off a second time and gravel again flew a few inches from where the first one hit, a yard to the right.

Iver worked the lever again. “Hey, this is kind of fun!”

Joe hung his head.

Movement caught my eye.

I glanced to the right in time to see a 10-point buck step out of the brush lining the swamp and stand broadside, staring at us, less than 40 yards away.

What possessed the old swamp buck to step out with a gun going off nearby, I’ll never know. But it stood stock still, displaying great interest in the goings on in the gravel pit.

I reached over and nudged Joe. He raised his

Page 11

head and saw the buck. His eyes widened.

“Psssst!” he hissed sharply. In the middle of aiming once more, Iver glanced at Joe, who pointed toward the buck. Head swiveling around, Iver’s eyes bulged and his jaw dropped.

I saw a crafty gleam come into Joe’s eyes. Leaning close to Iver, he whispered, “See that maple tree just back of the buck’s trail?”

Iver nodded, jerkily, the rifle still at his shoulder.

“See the big knothole about three feet from the ground?” Iver nodded again.

“Aim right at that knothole!”

“But, but…the deer is to the right of the tree.”

“Jest shoot. It’ll scare the deer an’ maybe he’ll run a little closer.”

Iver thought about for a moment, then nodded firmly, and once again took

careful aim.

At the roar of the shot, the big buck leaped into the air and then took off running away from us toward the road. But he only made it about 50 feet before staggering and falling on his nose in the dirt.

Joe nodded. “Took the arteries off the top of the heart. Good shootin’ Iver!”

He clapped the thin man on he back.

Iver stared at the buck, then at the maple tree, then back at the buck. He broke into a wide grin. “I got me a deer!”

“You surely did, Iver,” I said. “And he’s a beauty.”

We walked over and stood looking at the buck. It was a big-bodied animal, with a neck thick from the rut.

He was gray around the muzzle and his hide was scarred with the marks of many battles. The rack was symmetrical, with several broken tines.

(Me & Joe cont. pg 19)

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Sporting Journal Northwoods

November 2021

Outdoor News - November 2021 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds November. Dwindling daylight, frosty mornings, acorns bouncing on the camp’s tin roof, clear vistas across the hard wood ridges. For the deer hunter, this is the best time of the year, period! Rifle season for deer is upon us. Thousands of hunters from all over New England and beyond will take to the woods in search of their prize - a whitetail deer.

Our senses, overloaded as November approaches, tell us that this is the time to fill the freezer and prepare for winter. Though the law book dictates when we can hunt, without it we would still know. Following the path laid before us, we will continue the tradition, providing food for our families and solace for our souls.

Portland Captain Wins Tuna Tourney

Portland Captain Pete Speeches of Scarborough and the crew of Backstabber, brought a giant bluefin to the scale weighing 719 pounds to win the Third Annual Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza and the coveted Casco Bay Cup, their second consecutive victory.

It was a fretful and tenuous year for the Bonanza as proposed Restricted Fishing Days threatened to scuttle the event, then an 11th-hour category closure forced postponement of the three-day tournament from early August to early September. Despite the tremendous inconvenience to all, and a less than favorable forecast, the boats set out and didn’t disappoint.

First to the dock on

Day 1 was Endorfin with a 511 pounder. Keith Jordan of the Bailey and Bella quickly set the bar higher with a fat tuna that weighed 700 pounds on the nose.

Speeches was hot on his tail, arriving at the scales just 20 minutes later with what would eventually prove to be the tournament winner. He was preceded

by Mitch Napalitano’s 598 pounder, moving Mitch down to a third place position, at least temporarily.

Perennial frontrunner Kurt Christensen and the Molly Jane came in with a 373 pounder with Wasabi, High Anxiety and Lion’s den bringing in fish of 478, 311 and 440, respectively.

Forecasted high winds and thunder showers kept many boats off the water on Day 2 but Backstabber, vying for the cumulative weight prize landed their second, a 467-pounder followed by Bailey & Bella’s 582-pounder. Bounty Hunter II, one of the smaller boats in the tournament went way offshore and after a 5-hour battle managed to wrangle in a 422-pounder, and make the scales before they closed.

Despite challenging conditions, the crew of Molly Jane showed their mettle, bringing in a 632 pounder to open Day 3 that would ultimately hold up in the top five. Hot on their heels was Bailey & Bella with a 646-pounder that would take fourth place and secure the overall cumulative weight. The final fish was ANUT’s 698-pounder, which moved them back into third place.

In the end, over $18,000 in prize money was handed out, includ-

ing a top prize of $7,500 and the Casco Cup for the largest fish. More importantly, the Bluefin Bonanza raised enough money to ensure that 14 students, two from each of Maine’s seven community colleges will receive a scholarships next year. The Bonanza will also be able to fulfill their endowment to the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges, ensuring there will always be scholarships in the future. Furthermore, a new endowment will be established with the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute to support vital bluefin tuna research that will ensure the resource and the fishery remain sustainable.

-Submitted by Bob Humphrey

Online Tagging of Game in Vermont

Bears must be reported in-person at a regional big game reporting station.

The hunter must also submit a premolar tooth from the bear at the time the bear is reported or within 30 days. The tooth provides important data on the age structure and size of the bear population. Envelopes for submitting teeth are available at all big game reporting stations

Hunters are required to report deer, bear and wild turkeys they harvest during the hunting seasons within 48 hours. Deer and bear must be field-dressed prior to reporting, and a hunter must take a warden to the kill site of a deer or bear if requested by a warden.

The online reporting link for deer and turkey as well as a map and list of big game reporting stations is available under “Hunt” on the left side of Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website.

Fish and Wildlife urges hunters to review the 2021 Deer Season Guide also available their website home page.

Vermont hunters will be able to report turkeys and some deer they harvest this fall online through the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website www.vtfishandwildlife.com Turkeys may be reported online or in-person at a regional big game reporting station.

Deer may be reported online or in-person during the archery and muzzleloader seasons, but deer must be reported in-person during the youth and novice weekend on October 23-24 and during the regular deer season on November 13-28 New Hampshire season. This in-person reHunting Seasons porting requirement allows Begin biologists to collect imporNew Hampshire’s fall tant information from deer hunting seasons kicked during these seasons.

off on September 1 with the opening of black bear and gray squirrel seasons.

Archery seasons for turkey and white-tailed deer get underway September 15, and the statewide resident Canada goose hunt runs September 1-25.

Highlights of New H a m p s h i r e ’s h u n t i n g seasons can be found in the New Hampshire Hunting and Trapping Digest, which includes New Hampshire hunting season dates, bag limits, check station locations, and more.

Hunters and trappers can pick up a free copy at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department headquarters or their local license agent when they buy their license. The Digest can be viewed online at www.huntnh.com/ hunting/publications.html Other helpful online resources include the most recent Wildlife Harvest Summary Report and the Small Game Summary Report.

Hunters look forward to the opening day of deer season all year, and the much-anticipated regular firearms deer hunting season starts on November 10. Both the archery and regular firearms seasons for deer will again end one week early in Wildlife Management Unit (WMU) A. Check the Hunting Digest for WMU-specific either-sex deer hunting regulations and additional bear hunting opportunities.

This fall’s shotgun turkey season will again run for 7 (News cont. pg 22)

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

It’s Time to Extend Fall Fishing

After wrapping up another end-of-September fishing trip to the Roach River, I was disappointed in what I felt was marginal fishing. The same thing happened last year, and not just in regard to the Roach,

anything else.

We arrived at the Roach September 26 th what should have been peak fishing. As I stepped into the water it didn’t feel cold. When I dipped my hand in, it felt warm. A

I know the Roach well. Even if I can’t catch the fish, I can almost always see them. In years past, I often saw 10 or more fish in every major pool, and some in places that didn’t always hold fish. By the last week of Septem-

Page 13

Native Fish Talk

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME been a marginal day for one person a decade or so ago.

We moved downriver, and fished two pools. One pool yielded a couple of hook-and-lost in an hour or so, and the other put up a

a Woolly Bugger with a trailer. Not seeing so much as a flash, we moved to the middle river and salvaged the day with a few late afternoon fish.

Last year, I left a day

To say that September has changed would be an understatement. It is notably different than it was just a decade or so ago. While there are day-to-day, and even year-to-year exceptions, the general trend is that our waters are cooling later in the fall than they used to, and this is negatively impacting fall fishing.

as other once reliable fall fisheries I have fished for years under performed.

Unlike fisheries that have declined due to angler exploitation, invasive fish introductions, or problems at the hatchery, the decline in fall fishing in many Maine rivers and streams has more to do with changing weather patterns than

temperature check showed the water to be 62-degrees, much warmer than it should have been for that time of year.

While we caught fish, including some nice ones, we didn’t get the 10-plusfish pools I had grown accustomed to during my thirty plus years of fishing the river.

ber, brookies and salmon should be throughout the river.

For the first couple of days, we struggled to find fish in the upper river. In one pool I couldn’t see a single fish, and in another, I saw just two. With three people fishing hard, our aggregate catch would have

few decent fish. But again, we are talking roughly 6 fish between three people, far fewer than what we have experienced in the past.

We waded a section on the lower river the last day, fishing nymphs under an indicator, a pair of attractor streamers, and

early due to the marginal fishing. As it turned out, cold temperatures and rain brought some new fish into the river, and the others had their best day of the trip. But again, it was the last day of the season, and before that we had not done well.

(Extend cont. pg 31)

Page 14

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME Now there are onions, and then there are onions.

Some people love onions.

Others hate ‘em. Sweet onions cooked in butter, and even caramelized with

with wild onions long before the Pilgrims brought onion seedlings here from England.

Although they rarely get mentioned much in out-

Onions Outdoors

gate comes down and the Vidalia onions are sliced and diced int the warming butter.

A few years ago, in elk country after living off instant oatmeal and freezedried mountain meals for

to boot!”

For backpackers - all of whom strive to travel light - an onion is a luxury that our weight limits would never afford. But the wranglers who transport hunters and supplies on

Although they rarely get mentioned much in outdoor story telling, onions have always had a prominent place in my outdoor experiences. mushrooms, are the cat’s meow. Raw red onions?

Not on my plate.

Onions have quite a storied history. It’s believed that the wild ones began to be cultivated either in Pakistan or China nearly 5000 years ago. Early on, onions were an object of worship. King Ramses IV was entombed with onions in his eye sockets. During the first Olympic Games in Greece, athletes drank onion juice and slathered themselves with onions before the big event. In this country Native Americans were flavoring their food

door story telling, onions have always had a prominent place in my outdoor experiences.

During my deer hunts over the years, lunch break with the Skulkers of Seboeis always included a hot tailgate lunch featuring hotdogs and onions, lots of onions. We took turns putting the lunch makings in a box box each day, along with the cast iron fry pan.

One year, the onions were left behind by the Skulker who had lunch duty that day. To this day, he remains an object of scorn and ridicule whenever the tail-

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Onions have been cultivated for 5,000 years.

Outdoor cooking would be dullsville without these unique vegetables. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) five days, the Lord provided in the most unexpected way. While walking along a horse trail at the end of the day, one of our camp mates, Greg Goodman, spotted a light-colored orb on the trail in front of him.

“My goodness,” he said to himself picking it up, “it’s an ONION, and a Vidalia

mule trains to spike tents in the high country are under no such parameters. Six packs of beer and a bag of onions are part of the deal for hunters who can swing the cost of the guided hunt.

Some how, some way a big, robust Vidalia onion bounced out of a pack mule’s pannier and wound

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up in our possession.

Back at camp among the aspens, we ceremoniously sliced up that precious find and slow-cooked it in olive oil over an open fire. Unless you were there you just can’t know how wonderfully delicious that onion tasted when it graced our deprived palates.

Speaking of camp fires, try this one if you are looking for a culinary change of pace in outdoor cooking: Coat a big sweet onion with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap the onion in foil and cook it for an hour on a grill over an open fire.

So lift your glasses and drink a toast to the onion, and its venerable and vaunted place in the great outdoors. And a special clink of your glass to Georgia farmer Mose Coleman, who created the Vidalia onion by a farming fluke in Toombs County in 1931.

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

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November 2021

Sneaky

(Cont. from pg 3) next day. He would switch to the opposite of the trail and elude me again. That buck found a way every day to thread the needle between multiple stands and blinds. We could hear him, but he was like a ghost. We told the story of Sneaky Pete every deer camp and I challenged my hunters to match wits with him.

Many a hunter tried, but all failed. Pete would skirt on by, grunt at a hunter and be gone like the wind.

One client, after not seeing a buck for three days, decided to bring his shotgun in one day and take advantage of the abundance of partridge in the area. When he reached the overgrown apple orchard he had been flushing grouse out of, who do you think was standing

Tale

(Cont. from pg 9) erally wiped out all but a few of their rivals, and destroyed many popular gamefish.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal there, fifty yards away?

Sneaky Pete - high, wide and handsome and hanging out with a few does.

After three seasons, the legend of Sneaky Pete was firmly cemented in deer hunting lore at Tuck-

er Ridge. Even though I haven’t seen him on camera the past two years, we still talk about him to this day. Based on his size and maturity, I am sure he is gone and that saddens me.

Not because I didn’t capi-

Page 15

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talize on the one and only opportunity any hunter ever had at taking him, but because I know I’ll never have the chance to dance with him again.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME Hypothermia is a lowering of the body’s core temperature. Normal body temperature is 98.6. Hypothermia starts to set in at 95 degrees.

It is important to wear proper clothing to keep you warm and dry. Water and wind will make you cold faster than anything else.

Some clothing, such as wool, will help keep you

not aware of it. If you are alone, be sure to stay dry and well fed and hydrated.

If you are with others, you should watch companions for signs, and they should watch you.

Hypothermia starts as minor shivering; then can progress to severe shivering, mental confusion, and loss of dexterity. If it is not dealt with promptly, slurred

November 2021

Hypothermia

To treat mild hypothermia, get the person into shelter and dry as soon as possible. Remove any wet clothes, even if dry clothes are not available. Wrap them in a dry blanket or even a tarp if nothing else is available. Give an alert person plenty of warm, sweet drinks. Hot chocolate or tea is standard, but drinking hot Jello is very good too. Dissolve Jello in boiling water, then drink it while it is still warm. Never give the person cigarettes or alcohol, they will make

Your first step in treating anything but very mild hypothermia is to call for professional help. Severe hypothermia needs to be treated in a hospital setting if at all possible.

Because the person has diminished circulation, be VERY careful of hot water bottles, chemical heat packs, or open flame like a campfire. They will not be able to tell if they

One danger of hypothermia is the person suffering from it is often not aware of it. If you are alone, be sure to stay dry and well fed and hydrated.

warm even if it gets wet.

You should dress in layers. A base layer to wick moisture away from your skin, one or more insulating layers, and an outer shell that is wind resistant.

When you are more active, you should remove layers to prevent sweating. Add layers as you slow down and become less active.

Be aware of materials. The reason “cotton kills” is a saying is because it absorbs water and stays wet a long time.

One danger of hypothermia is the person suffering from it is often

speech and loss of muscle coordination follow.

If shivering stops, death soon follows. If someone wants to just sleep and is withdrawn, that can also be a sign of hypothermia.

When someone, you or someone else, suffers from hypothermia; treatment must begin immediately. Minor hypothermia is fairly easy to treat, but severe hypothermia is life threatening. If you are at all not sure of rewarming the person, call for help. It may take hours for someone to get to you and the sooner they are started the better.

the hypothermia worse.

Alcohol causes the blood vessels to expand so the person looses body heat faster.

If a person starts acting drunk, (stumbling, slurred speech, mental confusion, no feeling in extremities) and stops shivering, this is severe hypothermia. This is a serious, life threatening condition that needs to be treated immediately and VERY gently so the person doesn’t die. Any rough handling of the person in this stage can cause an interruption in heart rhythm and can be fatal.

To begin treatment in the field, remove any wet clothing and get the person into shelter. Put them into a sleeping bag and have another person, who is not hypothermic, get into the bag as well. Skin to skin contact can help rewarm without the risk of burns.

are getting burned if their circulation is low.

Any warm water bottles or heat packs should be wrapped in cloth and placed in the person’s armpits and in their groin area.

You do not want to force cold blood back into the (Hypothermia cont. pg 21)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

More Than Deer

It’s beyond time for hunters to start thinking outside the box when it comes to fall hunting. Too many of us pigeon-hole a target species and neglect the wide variety of game available during the same outings.

Have you ever given

a packrod and a few plastic bags to bring home brook trout and fiddleheads.

There’s no good reason not to consider hunting for more than just deer in the fall.

Keep in mind that deer hunters are not alone in November and December. A growing number of grouse hunters take to the woods with no intention of deer hunting. Grouse season in Maine runs through December 31.

I’m sure I In the fall, the deer woods am not the first offers other critters that are to think a buck edible as well. has sneaked thought to hunting a wild around me while I was anturkey at the same time swering the call of nature you hunt deer? What about or halfway drifting off to grouse, woodcock, rab- napping on a warm Nobit, racoon, bobcat, fox or vember day only to have a coyote? Well, of course turkey or squirrel rustle the most will take any coyote leaves, making their best that crosses their path dur- deer walking sounds. ing deer season but why Why not bring along a not double up? Also, why .22 handgun for just those not carry the pack rod for opportunities to harvest a taking fish that are still in few squirrels or grouse? season through the end of Since Maine broadthe year. (look at the regs) ened the fall wild turkey When I hunt spring season to include the first wild turkey I always carry week of deer season, I have

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 Address City

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

Marty

Shown actual size Kelly Jones (Marty was

found on pg 67)

Entries must be postmarked by 11/9/21 to be eligible for this issue.

several times screwed in an improved cylinder choke that will accommodate slugs and carry a few turkey loads. Whichever target comes into view first, I will be ready.

Having worked with a well-known grouse hunting crew for several years, I appreciate the value of a

Page 17

South Of the Kennebec

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME

ting in the blind, especially from a tree stand, only a deer that is within sight will flinch or bound a short way away and stop to look back. This action just might

days I hunted for deer only and came back with an empty stomach and sore legs. Take my advice and you will likely come back with some tasty fall turkey

Keep in mind that deer hunters are not alone in November and December. A growing number of grouse hunters take to the woods with no intention of deer hunting. Grouse season in Maine runs through December 31. bird dog and recognize the enhanced sport of making wing shots, but I was brought up taking grouse (Partridge to me when they are on the ground) using a .22 handgun.

Doing so will spoil any chances for a shot at a trophy whitetail, you say? The odds of spoiling or spooking a trophy buck sighting are minimal, in my estimation.

If you casually take a squirrel or grouse while sit-

cause you to see a buck that grouse or squirrel or fish. was approaching and give you a double reward.

Stu Bristol is a Hall Maine’s liberal wild of Fame wild turkey huntturkey bag limit this fall is five birds either sex, and er, Master Maine Guide hunters are not required to (Orion Guide Service) and tag nor report the kill. Even Outdoor writer. His books, the small young of the year newspaper and magazine (I call them turkey nuggets) articles have been pubfit nicely into the crockpot lished nationwide for more or provide plenty for a tur- than 50 years. He operates Deadly Imposter Game key stew or pot pie.

Having hunted the Calls in southern Maine. fall seasons for over half www.deadlyimpostergamea century I recall many calls.com

Page 18 Northwoods Sporting Journal

Outdoor Sporting Library

November 2021

Klasberg, North Dakota

hunting and trapping, life drought can have in shapand death, love and loss, ing society in a quiet little

by Jeremiah Wood, and the power that river, town.

Ashland, ME wind, snow, cold, rain and Jeff’s stories capture rural America just They say the only and they don’t come back the way it is, inthing constant is change, except to visit. cluding the more and as society continues I grew up in a rural modern trend of to advance toward the fu- area and remain one of the city folk moving ture, we see the impacts few who was determined to the country, buyof progress all over. One enough, and lucky enough, ing a homestead to of the greatest changes has to have the opportunity to get away from the I grew up in a rural area and remain one of the few who riffraff, and working to adapt to the was determined enough, and lucky enough, to have the country and fit in. opportunity to return here to live. It’s the only type of His rich folk come place I’d want to be. from Fargo, but they could easily been the erosion of rural return here to live. It’s the berg, North Dakota be from any city in America brought on by the only type of place I’d want – Collected Stories America – Boston, mass migration to cities to be. But a surprising ma- from the Middle of New York, Chiand suburbs and reduced jority of people seem to be Nowhere” tells the cago or San Franneeds for farm and forest of a different mind. They rural tale that echoes cisco. The places labor. Simply put, many claim these small towns are across the counmay differ, but we rural towns became ghost boring, backward places try in stories that all know the story. could represent your towns. The majority of with little to do or see.

Let’s get back Jeffrey Miller grew small town or mine. children who grow up in to that idea of rural these small towns move up in a rural place in east- These fictional stoareas being boring. away for school or work, ern North Dakota, where ries cover farming, Really? Take northern Maine for instance. As an outdoorsman, it’s tough to imagine this place being anywhere near boring. Not enough to do? No, there aren’t theaters, shows, conwww.visitaroostook.com www.visitaroostook.co m certs, sports teams, bars, fancy restaurants and night clubs. But there are brook trout, salmon and togue, black bear and whitetail deer, partridge and rabbits, marten and fisher, forests to manage and fields to farm, old folks to visit and (207) 498-2567 357 Main Street stories to tell, camps to P.O. Box 456 Caribou, Maine 04736 work on, rivers to paddle, www.russellsmotel.com Donna Murchison, Owner and livestock to tend to. My main concern these days?

There’s way too much to do!

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November 2021

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 11) “Gonna be a lot of meat!” Iver said, still grinning.

“Yep, an’ tougher’n a boiled owl,” Joe said. “I bet the hamburg will chew like clumped up pencil erasers. But Edna should be pleased.”

“She surely will! I’m out of the doghouse and back in her good graces.

I can’t thank you boys enough.”

“Think nothin’ of it, Iver,” Joe said smiling as I shook my head. “Jest hand me that there gun afore you hurt somebody.”

Two days later we were sitting in Joe’s cabin while a stiff northeast wind howled around the eves.

Snow hung in the air and I was thankful for the fire radiating from the barrel stove. Joe was cleaning his old .38-55 while I listened to a Patriots game on the radio, when there came a knock at the door. Joe went over and opened it to find Iver Spouse standing there, grinning uncertainly.

“C’mon in Iver,” Joe said. He closed the door against the wind as Iver crossed to hold his hands over the heater.

“Cold out,” Iver said.

“Gonna snow for sure.”

“Bound to,” I nodded.

Then we waited.

“I got that deer meat in my trunk,” Iver said.

“You kin have it. I marked yore name on all the packages, an’ mine too, like the law says.”

“I take it Edna wasn’t pleased with the meat?” Joe said carefully.

“No she weren’t! Said it was the worst stuff she ever put in her mouth. The flavor was all right but it was like chewin’ pieces of a spare tire.”

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“I figured as much,” Joe said. “I’m sorry, Iver.

What happens now?”

“Oh, it ain’t a bad thing!” Iver said with a grin. “She tol’ me that the red deer meat I’d been getting was a hunnert percent better. Said she’d got so used to it over the years, that she’d better jest stick with it. Told me to head right down to Knowles Corner and pick some up for the winter.”

“Well, that’s great, Iver,” I said. “But you really ought to give that meat from the buck to someone who really needs it. I can recommend several folks

that…”

“Nope! Nossir! You boys put yerselves out for me an’ I really appreciate it! You’re the ones should have the meat. You jest stay right here an’ I’ll go fetch it from the car!”

As Iver disappeared through the door, Joe’s shoulders slumped and he sighed heavily.

“Get out the jars,” he said tiredly. “Only thing that will make that meat edible is three hours in a canner. It’s the punishment we get for tryin’ to do a good deed.”

I grinned at him.

“Ain’t love grand?”

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Page 19

Page 20

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Aroostook Woods & Water

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME It’s 6:30 a.m. and there are six deer running around out back by the greenhouse.

Three does, two fawns, and a pretty happy four pointer.

The buck is just running around in circles, kicking up his heels; the fawns are even getting into it.

I’ve got the binos on him, and he isn’t too bad. He’s got some good body mass for a youngster. His rack, even taking the velvet into consideration, while only a 4, isn’t exactly a spindly affair. The forks on each side have some good length to them and the rack overall, is narrow; very tall. The spread can’t be a foot.

There’s a doe that

matches him for body size.

I’m sitting here imagining how good a tasty doe tag would look attached to her, but of course, a doe tag

County Deer Rebound?

The fawns are small; maybe they were late. They’re awfully tiny for being this far along in the season. I worry a harsh Aroostook County winter and a late start may doom them. We get that a lot up here.

The rains of spring

able location, set up on it.

Moose will seek out mountain ash as a rule, as well as deer.

A study done by Michigan F&G showed moose preferring mountain ash 60% of the time when given a choice of browse.

The rains of spring put a good start on the overall mast crop this year; a far cry from last year’s desiccated, dust bowl affair that left everybody lean and perpetually hungry.

Apples are everywhere this time around. I’m seeing wild mountain ash limbs so heavy with berries that they’re sagging under the weight of it all. was not in the cards this season (when is it ever?).

The does are your typical northern Maine fare: short wheel base and stout-ish; clown footed. Think, a 1968 Chevy C-10 short bed with a good set of Mickey Thompson’s holding it up.

Aroostook County

put a good start on the overall mast crop this year; a far cry from last year’s desiccated, dust bowl affair that left everybody lean and perpetually hungry.

Apples are everywhere this time around. I’m seeing wild mountain ash limbs so heavy with berries that they’re sagging under the weight of it all. If you’ve got mountain ash in a hunt-

And, once the frost has its way with them, the berries will sweeten up and the bear will be on them, too.

Unfortunately, we don’t see a lot of mountain ash in the deep woods. Mountain ash are easily eradicated in the wild by heavy browsing.

Another point in favor of the mountain ash is that they don’t smell nearly as bad as that other favor-

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November 2021

ite moose treat: a picked broccoli field. Nothing smells as bad as a broccoli field fermenting in the pale Aroostook County sun.

I’ve had more deer in my back field this summer than I can remember in a very long time; they’ve been constant visitors.

Last year I failed to see a single deer or moose. I also had a fox issue earlier this spring. Well, the issue wasn’t mine so much as it was the chickens’. I happened to be watching one morning as a fox grabbed a chicken and started to run off with it. I reached for a .22 that lives in the barn, for just such occasions, and gave a quick whistle.

The fox actually stopped long enough for me to put a round into him. I measured it off afterwards: 88 yards. Pretty good for my pedestrian offhand abilities, and a 100+ year old Remington.

The chicken didn’t make it. Fragile things, chickens. She was a NH Red and she had some fairly decent plumage on her as far as our provincial barnyard fare is concerned.

I love that tawny red/pale (Rebound cont. pg 21)

November 2021

Rebound

Northwoods Sporting Journal

broadside on a wallhanger is all I’m asking for here.

Look at that, I’ve talked (Cont. from pg 16) (Cont. from pg 20) myself right back into the heart from the hands and rust color in a soft hackle lottery for next year. feet, this could kill the perfeather. The barring was a subtle yellow that reminds Mike Maynard is the son. Warm air is good for me of Pearsall’s Primrose very happy grandfather of reheating someone, such silk, and the feathers have several. He smells faintly of as the heater in the cab of just the right amount of wood smoke, head cement, a vehicle. More active rewebby-ness. The primrose and gunpowder. He lives warming needs to be done won’t mean a damn thing to in the woods of Perham, at the hospital.

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Hypothermia

Page 21

till they are conscious and alert.

Frostbite is a totally different problem. Hypothermia is a drop in body core temperature; Frostbite is a freezing of tissues, usually the extremities like fingers, toes, and nose. Do not try to treat frostbite outside of a hospital. If the area thaws, then is refrozen, it will cause more damage than leaving it frozen the first time.

I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice.

Anyone who goes into the woods in winter should do their own reading and get training in how to deal with emergencies. This article should be a good starting point.

Joe Frazier is a husband, dad, Marine, and author. Joefrazier193@ gmail.com

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Page 22

News

(Cont. from pg 12) days (October 11-17) and includes a full weekend.

The following is a general overview of New

Northwoods Sporting Journal Hampshire’s fall hunting seasons. Be sure to consult the Digest or visit www. huntnh.com for additional information.

2021 New Hampshire Hunting Seasons • WHITETAILED DEER: • Archery: September 15-December 15 (ends December 8 in WMU A) • Youth Deer Weekend: October 23-24 • Muzzleloader: October 30-November 9 • Firearms: November 10-December 5 (ends November 28 in

Aroostook County

WMU A) • BLACK BEAR: Starts September 1 (end date varies by WMU) • GRAY SQUIRREL: September 1, 2021-January 31, 2022 • SNOWSHOE HARE: October 1, 2021-March 31, 2022 (bag limit varies

by WMU) • RUFFED GROUSE: October 1-December 31 • MOOSE: October 16-24 (by permit only) • FALL TURKEY: • Shotgun: October 11-17 (certain WMUs) • Archery: September 15-December 15 (ends December 8 in WMU A) Apprentice Hunting Licenses are an option for people age 16 and older who want to try hunting

November 2021

but have not taken Hunter Education, or who have not been able to schedule a field day. The Apprentice Hunting License allows unlicensed people to hunt under the guidance of a licensed hunter age 18 or older. Apprentice licenses are available only at NH Fish and Game Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord. Learn more at www. huntnh.com/hunting/apprentice.html As the fall hunting seasons begin, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department implores hunters not to use natural urinebased deer lures. These products can potentially spread Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a neurological disorder that is

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Vermont Blackpowder Season

Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the August 4 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) to see if they won a permit.

Fish and Wildlife an(News cont. pg 64)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Juncos Galore I heard the “bang” which was a common sound I heard this past summer. A Slate-colored Junco had again collided with a window of my house.

easily stepped on them. The Juncos started nesting here early in the spring. I believe they probably produced three broods because there were so many juveniles

more brownish overall with brown streaked breasts.

Juncos are a truly amazing example of how a single species of birds can vary in appearance. All Juncos have similar calls, songs and other behaviors. But they are separated into regional color forms. Here in the Northeast we see most-

Page 23

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME All Juncos comprise one of the most commonly seen birds in North America. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology reported from various bird counting surveys that there is a population of more

Juncos are a truly amazing example of how a single species of birds can vary in appearance. All Juncos have similar calls, songs and other behaviors. But they are separated into regional color forms.

Since I have screens, it just bounced off and hopefully did afterwards escape the predator. A resident Sharp-shinned Hawk had learned that flocks of Juncos and Mourning Doves ate the sunflower chips and millet seeds I put out daily at my feeding station.

I no longer can think of the Juncos as “snowbirds”, winter visitors only. They actually nested on my property in great numbers this summer. Their nests were on the ground and woven from twigs and grass. If the females had not gone airborne to avoid me, I would have

in the flocks here. When disturbed, the birds all displayed very conspicuous white outer tail feathers.

But the adult males and females had either dark or lighter slate gray hoods, white bellies,dark eyes and pinkish bills.

The juveniles were

ly Slate-colored Juncos.

Out west there are Oregon, White-winged, Pink-sided, Gray-headed,Yellow-eyed and Red-backed Juncos.

These interbreed freely and stray to the east, so sometimes you might see a different plumaged Junco within a flock of Slatecolored.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Question Of The Month November 2021 A Thousand Casts: Still Salmon in the Miramichi?

By Christine Force Imagine how thrilled you would be to fly fish for Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada. In the fall, wild Atlantic Salmon return to their spawning grounds on the Miramichi.

In September, Tom and I

Atlantic Salmon numbers have declined since 1992 when there were 112,000 Atlantic Salmon in the Miramichi to 15,900 in 2019.

The view of the river from the deck at Wilson’s Sporting Camps. (Photo by Christine Force) two hour drive to Mcna- Glysophate to eradicate mee. As we meandered our certain trees, and how this way through the forests of may affect the watershed.

New Brunswick what was Glysophate is also used most striking about our in industrial agricultural views was the lack of old everywhere and is in many and our dog, Cara jour- growth trees and the vestig- of the foods we consume.

A t t h e Wi l s o n ’s neyed from Portland to es of clear cutting throughHoulton, Maine crossing out the valleys. The trees Sporting Lodge on the Mithe border into Canada on were new growth and in my ramichi, we quickly settled our way to our destina- mind’s eye I imagined how into our white pine cabin tion at Wilson’s Sport- breathtaking it must have overlooking the river. We ing Camps in Mcnamee. been to be here before the soon learned that we were I knew we were headed industrial lumbering took the first Americans our to the outback when our over the countryside. It fishing guide had worked Canadian crossing guard was also a reminder that the with since the beginning environment and trees are of COVID. The Wilson’s asked, “Where is that”?

From Houlton it is a sprayed with the herbicide lodge fishing tradition is to

start your day at 7 a.m. with a huge breakfast, followed by fishing until noon. At 1 p.m. we were treated to a huge supper of steak, and mushrooms, baked potatoes with all the toppings, salads, home baked breads and dessert. At 4 or 5 p.m. we returned to the river and fished until 7:30 p.m.

We returned to our cabin to discover delicious soup in a crockpot with sandwiches, fruit, cheese and chocolate chip cookies galore!

Our guide, Terry took us to various fishing pools along the river in a long wooden canoe with a motor. Terry has been guiding for 28 years and coached us on where to place our fly, he even helped me when I slipped and fell while wading in the strong current, which my partner Tom will be mentioning for the next ten years.

If you are an avid- fly fisher you may have heard

of a Mainer by the name of Brad Burns who has a camp on the Miramichi and has a fly-fishing blog. What we soon learned from Brad and others is that even the experts were not catching Salmon.

We used bright orange flies called Alley’s Shrimp and Autumn Belle, purchased at the Doaktown Fly fishing store, but the fish did not care. It is a good thing I am an optimist.

The catch was not to be.

We saw two Salmon jump from the river, but neither of us caught a fish despite all of our fly casts in some amazing pools. Nor did any of the Canadians that were also guests at the Wilson’s Camp. Despite the fact that we were fishless, wading in the river and observing Canada Geese, birds, and ducks was a magical experience.

Atlantic Salmon numbers have declined since 1992 when there were 112,000 Atlantic Salmon in the Miramichi to 15,900 in 2019.

The Wilson’s family has been serving outdoor sportsmen since 1855. The hospitality of Keith, Bonnie, and Karl Wilson was outstanding. The lodge and cabins overlook the river and include decks where you can relax and observe Atlantic Salmon jump. The food was wholesome and abundant. Needless to say, we are hoping to return soon to try to catch the elusive Atlantic Salmon.

Christine Force lives in Yarmouth. She has also fly fished for Cutthroat Trout in Montana and Bonefish in the Caribbean.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Safety in the Deer Woods

As November rolls around, Maine’s hunting season is in full swing.

Many hunters take to the woods in pursuit of their favorite quarry. As always, safety is the number one concern for most everyone.We all need to stop and think of how we do things outside during our

class long ago. Remembering all that it entails is nearly impossible. Common sense does go a long way, but keeping an open mind and learning every day certainly rewards all in many ways. This month, I asked myself what are the most dangerous scenarios and safety concerns dur-

“Mature Maine Whitetail Deer Buck”. (by Rich Yvon) annual harvest season. ing the firearms season?

Maine’s hunting heritage Sharing some situations I is certainly special and a have observed in past will cherished privilege that hopefully help new and we can still say we have older hunters alike.

A scenario that comes intact...for now. Hopefully, with education, aware- to mind especially hapness, and some caring we pens in flat farm areas can all help preserve our when using a high-powered hunting heritage for future rifle. Many hunters get generations. Whether you permission to hunt in farmare a seasoned hunter or ing fields, but they do not a novice, the mindset and realize they do not have a few following scenarios permission for the wood will most definitely apply line. This is one of the biggest worries that I have to us all.

Many older outdoors- experienced personally. men, including myself, Typically, most hunters took their hunter’s safety have been taught to identify

their target and know what lies beyond. When a hunter shooting a high-powered rifle across a field at a target, the hunter doesn’t consider what lies beyond.

Not only is this extremely dangerous and irresponsible, but it’s illegal to shoot into posted land or land without permission.

We as hunters and firearms enthusiasts are responsible for our projectile at all times. Remember, glassing with a scope is wrong and extremely dangerous,

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by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

will also result in keeping it safe. When I had my own daughter’s hunt in the field for the first couple of years, a breach loader was a great first gun. The safe operation and simplicity of using it “open” can reduce accidents and help reduce confusion to anyone new to firearms. A single shotgun also taught the importance

and well!

Rich is a Registered Maine Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford. He runs fly and spin fishing trips.

Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and recre-

We as hunters and firearms enthusiasts are responsible for our projectile at all times. Remember, glassing with a scope is wrong and extremely dangerous, which is why binoculars are essential when hunting and identifying your target and beyond. which is why binoculars are essential when hunting and identifying your target and beyond As firearms season commences this month, it would be in the best interest that all people to wear some kind of orange in order to stay safe. Teaching and taking out our youth or beginner hunting, safety is always the first topic of concern. Thought also should be given on to what the first firearm is used. Keeping it simple

of picking out the spot on the animal and how critical that first shot is.

As always, remember to take a young person hunting or fishing to keep our outdoor heritage alive

ation adventures. He is also an outdoor writer, tree farmer, fly-fishing instructor and certified NRA firearms instructor. ”Call: 207-907-9151 Email:nfo@ Twinmapleoutdoors.com

At long last, revived from the archives of the once-authoritative books on New England streamer flies and how to use them: Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon, by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman.

Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon was first published in 1982 and again in 1992. There were 350 signed Limited Edition hardcover copies and several thousand hard and soft cover copies sold out with the two printings. Many fly tyers view this book as an up-to-date version of new and available streamer fly patterns and crave to have it in their library. Used copies have been selling on AmazonBooks.com for the last few years with a price tag up to $300.00 for each copy! There are 125 pages with 32 color plates of more than 90 classic streamer flies and tying recipes from a Winnipesaukee Smelt to a Barney Google and a Rangeley Centennial. Leeman and Stewart also share with readers many tips and tactics for trolling streamer flies for trout and salmon throughout New England.

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Page 26

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Ramblings From T8-R9

November 2021

Trouting Round the Bend

or take more time and effort to reach. Case and point – one of the five days

by Benjamin Rioux, I spent with my young, Millinocket Lake mobile fishing couple we As September wound On this particular trip burned a good portion of down and the North Maine we spent a great deal of the day fishing a rather Woods put its stunning time walking long stretches popular set of pools on fall foliage on full display, of rivers and streams in a section of river that I found myself fortunate search of colored up brook offers incredibly easy enough to guide a young trout in spots only a handful access even for the couple who have become of people likely fish during North Maine Woods. regulars for me over the any given year. We crawled We saw plenty of fish last few years. I have been activity and caught Because of the blessed throughout my a few, but our succlose quarters, guiding career to meet and cess was nowhere near nearly all the guide a number of fantastic what I’ve seen during people and talented fisher- fishable water also previous jaunts to the men (and women) from all required a great same location under walks of life, and each persimilar conditions. We deal of stealth in son or group has their own bounced around those order to not spook abilities and limitations pools until lunchtime fish out of the that must be considered fishing streamers, Katie Lessman of New Hampshire with a pools. when planning each day nymphs, and dries and handsome fall brookie. (Photo by Ben Rioux) on the water. These two on our hands and knees alternately resting the in particular happen to be under blowdowns, bushI feel like that last both are true. People tend water when the bright sun seasoned casters with a whacked through “trails” part, in my opinion, is to get stuck on ease of broke through the clouds. strong sense of adventure, I could have sworn were where the younger gen- access when those spots During lunch we took stock and an eager willingness there (they weren’t), and eration of fly fishers seem produce results, often ig- of the morning and opted to to go along with just about slid down slippery banks to do themselves a great noring quality water they do some exploring further any plan I muster up. and over boulders to pres- disservice. The most popu- might have to work harder downriver for the afternoon.

After a short hike we dipped off trail and began moving along the shoreline in search of fishable water.

I had them switch to dry flies and we rock hopped from pocket to pocket actively fishing our patterns along the surface in the FEDERAL “GATEWAY TO THE NORTH MAINE WOODS” tiniest of picturesque pools and riffles. It took signifiGET YOUR HUNTING SUPPLIES HERE!!! cant work in some spots to get in the right position, Lights and in many cases roll casting was the only option.

Because of the close quarters, nearly all the fishable water also required a great deal of stealth in order to not spook fish out of the pools.

OVER 1,000 DIFFERENT LURES IN STOCK! We approached cau111 Garfield Rd Ashland, Maine 04732 435-6890 tiously and in nearly every case found several trout willing and eager to eat our (Trouting cont. pg 27) ent flies in the skinniest of water. Rock gardens and roots can make for treacherous wading, but we found time and time again that with a willingness to work they can also make for some spectacular fishing.

lar stretches of rivers are generally considered the most popular stretches for one of two reasons. They either provide the best opportunity to catch a quality fish, or they allow for the easiest access. Very often

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November 2021

Trouting

(Cont. from pg 26) offerings. In some cases, we coaxed multiple fish out of pools no bigger than a bath tub. In a few instances, we missed our chance at fish that very likely would have been some of the larger trout I had seen all year. As it often does, the time escaped us and we were eventually forced from the river after only covering a small portion of what was available there for fishable pools. I don’t like to play the “what if” game in fly fishing, but it was difficult not to think about how much more productive our day might have been had we cut bait early on the main pools in favor of the more difficult to reach water.

In closing, I think its important to remind people to use their youth and mobility to expand upon the areas they are already fishing. You might know a certain stretch of river well, but what are you overlooking immediately above or below that stretch? What about a mile in either direction? Sometimes exploring amounts to nothing more than exploring, but in many cases, it can mean finding fish in places countless others have overlooked. So, climb over that boulder, shimmy down that bank, and launch that roll cast.

You’ll never know what awaits around the next bend.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 27

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Page 28

The Internet: No Place for Fibs

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME Social media and the internet can create some great and not-so-great dialogues when it comes to hunting. I recently had two encounters that had me thinking about how open and honest we should be when talking about our hunts.

Case number one: I was assigned a story about a hunter who had shot a potential state record whitetail. Thanks to Facebook, I found the hunter and sent him a message identifying who I was, who I was writing for and that we wanted to do a write up about his hunt. Initially, he said he was having family time and would get back to me the next day. Then, he said he needed some time to get the best version of the story

November 2021

together. That was a red flag. I went back and read the initial story that I had been sent about the hunt.

It was full of details about how the hunter had stalked the deer, where and when he had shot it and more details that I would ever tell someone about my hunt.

But this guy had given out all of the details and it was published. However, now at the top of the article, was a note from the editor saying that a few people had contacted the publication to comment on the discrepancies in the hunter’s story. There were pictures.

Photos of him, holding the skull plate in front of the outfitter’s sign. It was taken and posted two days before he said he had shot the buck on his property.

In a different state. Then, a timeline appeared along with Facebook posts, more photos and his messages to the publication. His attempt at hunting notoriety backfired on him thanks to the internet and being able to fact check a story with a few quick clicks of the mouse.

Case number two: It happened most recently after I posted the article about

it. Anyone who has bear hunted knows that it is not easy. The state consistency does not reach its harvest goals. When my blog post went live, I received a message accusing me of not being a real hunter but just a killer and had my morals and ethics questioned because I “just walked up and shot the poor bear” (I didn’t and you can read my blog for the story) instead

His attempt at hunting notoriety backfired on him thanks to the internet and being able to fact check a story with a few quick clicks of the mouse. my bear hunt this year. I of using my skills. They am a licensed trapper so I were disappointed in me hunted over bait and with and thought that I was beta trap – which is how I ter than that. I spent more ultimately ended up getting time than I probably should one. It had never occurred have responding about the to me that by trapping the training you need to become bear, I wouldn’t be seen as a trapper, that it is not easy a hunter but a cop-out that to trap a bear, there are didn’t put the work into strict restrictions in place to ensure you get the target

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species and that smaller bears can walk away. If we are honest, our goal when we go hunting is to kill an animal. That needs to happen in order for my freezer to have meat in it. I am not ashamed of the way that I got my bear and it was done legally and as quickly as possible. The comment also sparked another article about trapping and the need for better education for the non-hunting public.

When we choose to put ourselves out there – even writing in this magazine – we know that there is the potential for pushback or fact checking, and we need to be prepared. The best thing we can do is to be honest and proud of what we do and how we do it.

We should strive to educate those that do not know how all of the methods of hunting and trapping work. It is easy to disagree and write us off without learning about the extensive work that went into the success of the hunt. It’s when we try to exaggerate and make things seem that they are something they are not, that we get caught and lose credibility. As hunting and trapping numbers decline, we can not afford to be anything but upfront and honest.

Erin is a member of the OWAA and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast and is the President and co-Founder of the non-profit group Women of the Maine Outdoors.

You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Opening Day

Opening day of deer season is a landmark in the Maine sportsman’s year.

Rifles have been sighted in. Clothes are carefully laid out the night prior.

The pack is stuffed with essentials: compass, GPS, knife, lighter, flashlight, license, rope, game tags, an

freezer (see “Digesting Deer Season” - March 2021 issue), opening day of the season prior was perhaps more memorable - but for a much different reason. I can now look back on the 2019 opening day hunt, or rather attempted hunt, and almost smile.

and located a few distinct rub lines. Everything suggested good buck territory.

I hunt from the ground, so finding a spot which affords good visibility, comfortable sitting, and natural shooting lanes requires a bit of prospecting. I eventually settled on a spot about three-quarters of the way up a small hill overlooking several oaks and a patch of pines. A fallen

Page 29

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME

around, tilted my head up the hill, and saw deer - not one or two - but a whole herd of seven or eight crashing along the ridgeline behind me. I was witnessing a stampede of startled whitetails.

A short time later, I heard heavy steps coming

proceeded to sit down on a log just 30 yards below me. Had the pair looked directly overhead, they would have noticed my orange Tink’s Scent Bomb dripping doe estrus urine onto their hats. I called to them, “pssssssssst.” They must have not heard me.

About 45 minutes after legal light, I heard thunderous rustling in the leaves from behind my right shoulder. I turned around, tilted my head up the hill, and saw deer - not one or two - but a whole herd of seven or eight crashing along the ridgeline behind me.

apple, and a few chocolate bars. The weather forecast has been studied, and restudied; the wind direction considered. A long night is guaranteed, for even deer hunters, typically a patient breed, grow restless with anticipation. What promises does the season hold?

What adventure will we embark on? What deer, if any, will cross our paths?

Though opening day of last season, Halloween of 2020, was quite memorable and resulted in a full

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After a classic hunter’s breakfast - bacon, eggs, potatoes, and a few cups of coffee - I headed into the woods and reached my spot an hour before legal light.

In the weeks prior, I had heavily scouted a piece of woods bordering swampy lowlands. I studied the crossings, found an area of concentrated scrapes,

tree, conveniently laying horizontal on the incline, created a comfortable back rest on the hillside. Since deer are creatures of edge cover, I figured the deer would skirt the swamp by heading into the trees and present a morning shot on their way back to the bedding area.

About 45 minutes after legal light, I heard thunderous rustling in the leaves from behind my right shoulder. I turned

from the pines ahead of me, right where I was expecting the deer to come from.

“Thud, thud - thud, thud (twing snap) - thud, thud,” followed by, “Shhhhh… you’re too loud!” I saw flashes of orange creeping through the opening in the trees and watched as a pair of hunters approached the bottom of the hill. They

I let out another louder, “pssssssssst.” No response.

Then I whistled. The pair didn’t move. Finally, my patience waning, I yelled “Hey!” and slowly stood up. The pair turned around and finally noticed me.

“Where did you come from?” (Hunter #1) “I’ve been here all (Opening cont. pg 41)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 30

Archery (Cont. from pg 5) Quiver and Bow Jack Stabilizer that are all simple and effective. Vibration causes noise so always make sure all screws are tight before hunting and use unscented oil to lubricate any parts that could rust. Bow string

wax is important to extend the life of your bow string and cables especially after hunting in wet weather.

Finally, a quality trigger or thumb release is crucial to a smooth pull of the string and release of the arrow. A good practice is to have one release for target practice that will absorb sweat and human odors then keep a

Central Maine Region

November 2021

separate hunting only release scent free. I prefer the spring loaded jaws releases that stay attached to your string loop, have swivel heads and smooth triggers.

Properly set up, tuned, balanced and quiet bows will increase your accuracy and bow hunting success!

tried Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He is a Life Member and 1st Director at Large of the Maine Bowhunters Asscociation.

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Letters

(Cont. from pg 7) into a single-issue organization bent on threatening legislators who take it’s money against supporting ANY firearm legislation.

And the truth has always been that the 2nd amendment does not describe an absolute right any more than any other part of the constitution, but is subject to governance and regulation.

I grew up owning and enjoying firearms, but don’t need the NRA to do that.

Oh, and a Pew Research poll released in April 2021 showed that overall, a majority of Americans STILL support many forms of gun control legislation, that’s a MAJORITY, but in our system of government a minority in the senate won’t let it happen.

THOSE are the facts, Mr. Floyd.

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Extend (Cont. from pg 13) To say that September has changed would be an understatement. It is notably different than it was just a decade or so ago. While there are day-to-day, and even year-to-year exceptions, the general trend is that our waters are cooling later in the fall than they used to, and this is negatively impacting fall fishing.

We are seeing lower water than usual as well, and last year was the worst I had ever seen in many rivers, streams, and lakes.

In many cases we are heading into winter with low water. And when we do get rain, it’s often too late for fisherman, but hopefully it comes in time for fish.

We now have yearround fishing on waters open to ice-fishing, and October-November fishing on most stocked waters. IFW is increasing any deer and moose permits, and opening bird season a week early. They are rolling back tackle restrictions and protective regulations to encourage more usage, all of which puts additional stress on the resource.

As a strictly open water wild trout fisherman, I feel greatly under served with far fewer late fall, winter, and early spring opportunities than those who ice-fish, or fish for stocked or warmwater fish.

Most of the moving water I prefer to fish is closed after September. This has greatly reduced my off-season fishing since moving to Maine two decades ago.

Many states have year-round fishing seasons.

In most cases their fishing holds up fine, and in some cases, better than ours. In

Northwoods Sporting Journal these states, the moving water trout angler can find plenty of places to fish during the late fall, winter, and early spring.

To not be allowed to fly fish places like the Roach River with lowimpact tackle under catchand-release regulations, while others harvest large wild brook trout and salmon through the ice with bait on places like Moosehead, Sebago, Chesuncook, Eagle and Chamberlain Lakes is a tough pill to swallow.

If we can ice fish these waters, we can certainly fly fish their tributaries without doing any real harm.

Fall is coming later, the fishing is not what it used to be, and we are in a multi-year downward trend. While IFW has increased opportunity for other groups, it has ignored small pond and moving water wild trout anglers.

If opportunity is the policy and increasing participation the goal, let’s extend the same courtesy to those who would like to keep fishing throughout the year, but not through the ice, or for stocked or warm water fish. What’s good for one group should be good for all groups, especially low-impact groups like catch-and-release fly fishers using barbless hooks.

If this were about protecting wild native fish as some will claim, we certainly would not be allowing anglers to harvest

Page 31

fish through the ice using high-impact bait as is the case in many wild trout waters. Meanwhile, other anglers can’t fly fish for those same fish using barbless hooks under catchand-release regulations after September.

fish advocate and founding member, Executive Director, and Maine Board Member for Native Fish Coalition. Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast and 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Stonefly Press,) and Squaretail: The Definitive Guide to Brook Trout and Where to Find Them and Favorite Flies for Maine: 50 Essential Patterns from Local Experts (Stackpole) due out December 2021.

Bob can be reached at www.BobMallard.com or info@bobmallard.com

BOB MALLARD has fly fished for forty years.

He is the former owner of Kennebec River Outfitters, a Registered Maine Fishing Guide, and a commercial fly designer. Bob is a blogger, writer, and author. He is also a native 2

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Guided Moose Hunt

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME As I write this in early October, fall is advancing at a fast pace in the north country. The foliage has gone past its peak of color and the leaves are falling fast, making the trees look like gray skeletons. The first moose season is over and I’m getting ready for the second season. This

yet and my Honey do list is still a mile long. Anyone living in the north knows that everything has to be ready for winter before deer season roles around as it could very well get started in November.

This past moose season unlike most of the first seasons, had some of the

people are willing to hunt all week for the moose of a lifetime.

My client was Donnie Vincent, a well know hunting advocate through his world class films. Donnie had wanted to hunt Maine moose for quite some time, as he has been hunting moose in Alaska several

him away from his cow and Donnie had the moose of his dreams.

It was getting towards evening by the time they got their filming work done and it was going to be a half-mile pack out, so we dressed him out and tied his legs to a tree on his back to cool down for the

times. His hunt was being filmed by Willian Altman from Maine and Ryan Anderson from Minnesota.

It can be tough to guide when there are four people moving through the woods, but they all moved through the woods as a well-oiled machine. The goal was not just to shoot a nice bull, but to capture the hunt and the beauty of the north Maine woods on film. On Wednesday afternoon it all came together when we had an encounter with a majestic old bull courting a cow. I managed to call

night. We went in the next morning and quartered and packed him out. I should clarify that I quartered, and they packed! This old moose was about as big of a moose that I had seen on the ground. I’m sure he weighed well over 900 pounds dressed. The hind quarters were probably 125 pounds, but the guys made short work of the task at hand. Donnie is going to try and put this hunt out soon and I’m looking forward to seeing it. I think you’ll see Maine moose hunting at its finest represented in

He passed on all four bulls, one of which was a 50” with heavy antler, but only had five points per side. I know it sounds crazy to a lot of moose hunters, but some people are willing to hunt all week for the moose of a lifetime. is the time off year that I always start feeling a little anxious. Deer season is once again knocking on the door, and I start wondering what the conditions will be like. Of course, I’m always hoping that tracking snow will blanket the ground, at least for part of the season. As the season draws closer, the anticipation will grow, and a daily check of the weather will be on all buck tracker’s agenda. I also get anxious as I look outside and see that all my firewood is not in the shed

best moose hunting weather for the entire season. Even though it was a rainy one, the temperatures stayed cool even during the day.

The moose stayed active for most of the days, unlike warm weather which has them settling down after late morning. Opening day my client got to see four bulls and several cows. He passed on all four bulls, one of which was a 50” with heavy antler, but only had five points per side. I know it sounds crazy to a lot of moose hunters, but some

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the film. Donnie’s films can be seen at donnievincent. com and some of them on YouTube.

If the weather cooperates, it this we will have a really good deer season.

Deer numbers are up in the north country due to the easy winter and people doing their part to control the coyotes.

I have seen more deer while traveling the gravel roads than I have moose.

Who would have ever thought that?

I really need to knock off that Honey do list as get into the woods for some scouting the week before the season opens. As I’ve said before, that is the only time I scout for deer except when the snow just melts off in the spring. The week before the season, some rubs and scrapes will start to show up and the bucks will be in their fall areas.

Scouting the week before the season will also help to get you in shape if you haven’t already done that.

• A few things to remember before you take to the woods: (Hunt cont. pg 39)

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Big Bears and Ballistics As I write this, we are wrapping up this years’ bear hunt. There were some challenges to overcome for sure. We had abundant natural food and some torrential downpours. We had an out of state hunter that needed to come a week later due to Covid quarantine.

However, we still managed to have a good season in spite of it all.

The bears reacted a bit differently because of the abundant food. Most would visit the bait sites and walk through it, but not feed or simply knock the barrel around. At least they showed up. We also experienced some hunter harassment in the form of bait site sabotage. While baiting we discovered two road killed racoons placed inside the bait barrel, then the logs stuffed tightly back into the hole. To anyone who would do this, law enforcement has been notified as this activity is illegal.

Further, this happened on private property which is also a crime. The game warden has the pictures.

Enough of that. I usually chronicle the performance of the various calibers my hunters used. This time, I would like to note the performance of several different projectiles or bullets. The first bullet was a 300 gr. XTP from a .450 Bushmaster. You may recall my less than enthusiastic opinion last year of the Hornady FTX bullet. This round expands too quickly and penetrates too little.

Not so with the Hornady XTP. It is a bonded core 300 gr. jacketed hollow point.

The scenario was a

very beefy bear coming into the bait directly below the ladder stand, even brushing against the ladder as it walked under.

Page 33

Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective

Bones were broken going in and exiting. The bear

by Tom Kelly, was an excellent chunk of Orient, ME a bear weighing in at 288.

The next scenario is with a .308 Cor-lokt 180 gr round nose soft point.

The shot was about 25 The Hornady XTP is a yards. The bear was a very cautious one and came to good bear round!

hit the bone dead center.

The pointed piece of the fractured rib poked thru the hide on the far side. The perfectly mushroomed bul-

The scenario was a very beefy bear coming into the bait directly below the ladder stand, even brushing against the ladder as it walked under. The bear walked 10 yards away toward the barrel and turned broadside looking back towards the ladder. the back of the barrel. The bear turned to leave and the hunter, a 17- year- old family member, Evan, took the shot. The bullet entered through the back portion of the onside shoulder blade traveled thru the lungs and broke a rib when it

let was retrieved from under the skin on the far side.

The bear was recovered about 40 yards behind the barrel. The bear weighed a respectable 240 lbs. The recovery resulted in a very emotional moment in the (Ballistics cont. pg 45)

Evan with his bear.

The bear walked 10 yards away toward the barrel and turned broadside looking back towards the ladder.

The hunter fired at the bear.

The round entered high on the rib cage on the near side and exited low on the rib cage on the far side. The bear ran almost 30 yards, at a dead run and expired.

My necropsy revealed a .45 cal. entry hole and a massive 2 inch exit wound. The lungs were destroyed as well as the top of the heart.

I am sure the heart wound caused an adrenaline jolt resulting in the dead run.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

The Maine Our Retirement Trip was impressed by the Forest might be a good fit miles a day heading back Woods Iwater quality in the Great for our state. east with the goal of reachMatt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

After retiring from 44 years of service with the State of Maine, my wife Ruth and I decided it was time to take a trip across the country and see some of this beautiful land we live in. We planned our route as far as the Upper Peninsula in Michigan figuring we could play it by ear from there camping in some of

and operated than most of the facilities at which we stayed.

We traveled Route 2 most of the way out west staying off the major controlled access highways as much as possible. It was nice to see the countryside and drive through the small towns along the way at a little slower pace. We

Lakes, I had expected water that was less than clean but the water we saw was a beautiful blue/turquoise in color- Lake Superior had many gorgeous sand beaches along the side of the road that were open to the public where people could swim and enjoy the day at the beach at no cost.

We did spend a day at Niagara Falls, it was an awesome sight and sound but a little too busy and

The highlight of the trip for me was experiencing the Rocky Mountains. We stayed in Flathead National Forest near Glacier National Park. The Northern Rockies are absolutely spectacular, it is some rugged terrain! the many public lands of the west.

We started our trip On August 6th staying the first two nights at Mt. Blue State Park in Weld, Maine. I must say that Mt. Blue was probably the nicest park we stayed at during the whole 34-day adventure. I must admit that I may be slightly bias in my opinion about what the nicest park was because of my career with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. We stayed at many state parks on our trip and it certainly appeared that Maine State Parks were better maintained

stayed in the Adirondacks for three nights and visited Fort Ticonderoga in New York. The nonprofit group that operates that fort does a very nice job of maintaining and interpreting that important historic site – it was well worth visiting.

As we traveled through Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, it was impressive to see the many vineyards, apple and peach groves along the way. We camped on or near the shores of Lake Ontario, Erie, Michigan and Superior- we actually went for a swim in Lake Michigan.

commercialized for our taste.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula looked and felt a lot like home without the mountains. We stayed in Hiawatha National Forest surrounded by impressive stands of red pine. The U.S. Forest Service appeared to do a very nice job of managing the woodlands and providing recreational opportunities for camping, hiking, ATV trails, hunting and fishing. As woodlands become for sale in Northern Maine, it made me realize that a National

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Our travels took us across the northern plains of Minnesota, North Dakota, and Montana. There was mile after mile of cultivated fields. Corn, soybeans, lentils, and wheat. We talked to a farmer in Montana, he and his brother had a farm with 1200 acres under cultivation. It seems almost impossible that all the land we saw under cultivation could actually be planted and harvested in one season.

The highlight of the trip for me was experiencing the Rocky Mountains.

We stayed in Flathead National Forest near Glacier National Park. The Northern Rockies are absolutely spectacular, it is some rugged terrain! We drove the “Going to the Sun Road” from west to east, the picture at the top of this story shows me along that road with a glacier in the background.

We turned around and headed back east after visiting the Rockies. We did take in Yellowstone and Badlands National Parks on the way home. We saw herds of buffalo and small groups of antelope in both parks and I even saw a grizzly bear in Yellowstone.

We traveled about 350

ing Dahlgren, Virginia by Labor Day weekend- where my son is stationed with the Navy. We rested up there a few days and enjoyed the visit with family- especially three of our grandsons- this was the highlight of the trip for Ruth. My son took me and one of his boys (who is crazy about fishing) out on the Potomac River casting for striped bass. In two evenings, we caught over 20 stripers, one over 28 inches long, most were 20-24inches. It was fun and my first-time catching stripers.

We spent one more night camping in Pennsylvania on our way back to Maine. After spending five weeks on the road, we arrived home with a greater appreciation for what we have in our own state. My old dog sure was glad to see me!

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

Have A Safe & Happy Thanksgiving!

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The AP Nymph

Page 35

The Tyer’s Corner

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

This month’s fly is the AP Nymph, created

by Andre Puyan in the US northwest as an all purpose nymph. The color can be changed to match the local insect you want to imitate.

I tie it in black to imitate stoneflies and in yellow or brown to imitate mayflies.

Recipe for the AP Nymph Hook – Nymph hook, 2x long, size 12-16 Thread – Black Tail-- Moose body hair

Body—Black dubbing or dubbing yarn Rib— Copper wire Wing case—Moose body hair Legs-- Moose body hair I seem to do best with this in size 12, but you could tie it in much larger sizes to imitate big stoneflies. Tie in a small bunch of moose or deer body hair, dyed black for the tail, which should extend behind the hook bend the same distance as the hook

gape. Do not trim off the excess; the entire bunch of body hair will become the wing case and the legs.

Then wrap the thread forward, wrapping over the body hair to a point about a third of the hook shank behind the eye. Wrap back and tie in a length of copper wire as a rib and then tie in some black dubbing yarn.

I use dubbing yarn a lot because it is easier and fast. If you prefer, you can dub in your favorite dubbing fur. Taper the dubbing

to a fat thorax and tie off behind the eye. Wrap the copper wire rib forward and tie off just when you reach the point where the body hair was tied off previously. Pull the body hair over the dubbed thorax and tie off behind the eye.

Now, pull the body hairs back and with a few thread wraps just behind the eye, you will see the remainder of the body hairs sticking back like legs. Trim off all but four or five on each side of the body and tie off your thread.

That’s all it takes to tie this style of very effective nymph. As I said before, you can vary the colors to

match the local insect and save yourself some headaches trying to perfectly match some nymph you can’t spell the name of.

Try a black one with a split shot about six inches ahead on the leader. Bounce it off the bottom at the Big Eddy.

Bring a net.

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

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Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME Long ago, I lived on a farm in tidewater Virginia and worked as a forester.

Our large paper mill sat on the tip of a peninsula, where the Pamunkey and Mattaponi rivers come together to form the York River. Downstream is Yorktown, where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington.

My husband farmed with his father, growing corn and soybeans and wheat on well over a thousand acres. Field after field—some owned, some rented—were scattered along several narrow roads winding down to the river.

We had plenty of land to hunt.

That’s about where the river part of this story ends. But it is November, the perfect time for reminiscing about an unforgettable deer hunt. In our Virginia county, it was shotguns only during the regular firearms season, starting in mid-November.

But the two weeks before that were the golden days of autumn, at least in my opinion. Blackpowder season, when the deer weren’t as wary, and I had the woods mostly to myself.

Before you knew it, the dogs would be running.

Hounds and beagles baying and hunters barreling along in dusty pickups, scrambling to get ahead of the deer. All the favorite stands and crossings had nicknames—Christmas Tree Road, High Banks, or (my favorite) Snake

Tidewater Buck

a mix of swamp and hardwood ridges, with plenty of oak. Where there were acorns, there would be deer.

I was optimistic that day. I knew the hidden corners where a wary buck might emerge. There were plenty of rubs, mostly cedars with the bark shredded to oblivion. There were several active scrapes, beneath branches that overhung the field. To top it

The air chilled, and a spirit of anticipation fell over the field. Soon, it would be his time of day. I concentrated, and still I did not hear him come. He wasn’t there, and then he was.

Hips. With CBs blaring, the adrenalin would be running high, and the woods would be anything but quiet.

I’d bought myself a 50-caliber Knight Legend inline muzzleloader. I’d sit for hours in the autumn woods, with the crisp air washing away the hot, humid days of summer. There was a thrill in waiting, quieting, tuning in every sense to my surroundings.

One November afternoon, I got away from work early. I’d been scouting a field down close to the river. It was in soybeans that year and surrounded by

November 2021

off, I’d watched two does come out to feed the week before, followed later by a tantalizing buck. As luck would have it, he’d come out late and on the far side of the field. The trick today would be to set up where I could get a closer look, and with luck, a good shot.

The field was Lshaped. In the inner crook of the L was the largest scrape of all. The torn-up earth looked fresh and got my heart racing. I’m not sure why I chose to sit so close to it. Twenty-seven years later, I still wonder. I was downwind, of course, hunkered down behind a clump of scraggly pine.

The waiting was not a chore. As a young mother, I appreciated every moment of peace and solitude.

Overhead, a turkey buzzard circled lazily against a field of blue. Squirrels raced through the fallen leaves, and I sat content with my thoughts.

The sun sank toward the trees, and the shadows stretched longer. The

The author with her Tidewater buck. air chilled, and a spirit of anticipation fell over the field. Soon, it would be his time of day. I concentrated, and still I did not hear him come. He wasn’t there, and then he was.

Regal and alert, he surveyed the field. In his stance was a casual confidence and a thrilling wildness. Later, I would count the distance and make it just fifteen paces. I was not new to hunting, but my hands trembled and all I could see were antlers. My camo coveralls were soft and ragged, the worn cloth silent as I eased the gun around. He stood broadside to me, so close that I thought there would be no miss. I raised the gun and drew in my breath.

He must have scented me or heard some tiny sound. As I shot, the buck whirled, perhaps lowering his head to charge. I will never know. There was the acrid smell of powder, and smoke hung thick in the air. I forced myself to

wait, not to spook him. I needn’t have worried. A clean shot, right between the eyes, not the shoulder I had aimed for. He had crumpled where he stood.

The solid rack had nine points, one of them a drop tine!

Slowly, I drove home, where yellow light shone from the windows and supper waited. We went together back to the field, my husband and I, our young daughter and baby son.

That baby, grown up now, farms with his father, the fourth generation to work and hunt that land.

Laurie Apgar Chandler is the author of Through Woods & Waters, about her solo explorations of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and Upwards, the story of her 2015 solo thru-paddle of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. For more information or to purchase the books, visit www.laurieachandler.com

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Five in One Fly

With the coming of November, many are taking advantage of our cooling fall days afield hoping to get your deer for the year, but additionally many opportunities still exist for the dedicated fly fisher to enjoy their favorite sport this month with many waters in Maine open to catch and release angling. Based upon my own personal experiences, fishing this late in the season, I have learned several things.

Trout and salmon don’t feed as readily as they do in the spring and summer, since their primary focus at this time of year may be on spawning and building up strength to survive our long cold winters.

The fish that are hooked are generally in excellent physical condition and give a much better account of their fighting qualities than they do earlier in the year.

You never know what type of fly will be effective, so it pays to try anything from large gaudy streamers and wooly buggers to wet and dry flies and tiny caddis larvae. Looking back however, I have had the most success with smaller patterns this late in the season.

For these reasons, it is important to have a variety of patterns and sizes on hand when pursing fall trout and salmon. Recently, I came across an article by the late outdoor columnist Dave Hurteau that can simplify and reduce the number of fly patterns that

we take with us. He called it the “Five in One Fly” that begins with a traditionally tied “Catskill” dry fly.

Different parts of it are then clipped to represent the various stages of aquatic insects from nymphs right up to emergers and spent wings or spinners. Let’s take a look at the Blue Wing Olive and its varia-

Page 37

Fly Fishing

by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington, ME Hackle - Dun dry fly hackle.

Variations: Dry Fly – The pattern as tied represents the high floating adult.

Dry Fly (low floating) – Simulates the resting adult

Recently, I came across an article by the late outdoor columnist Dave Hurteau that can simplify and reduce the number of fly patterns that we take with us. tions that are common to most of the northeast.

Dressing: Hook – Standard dry fly, sizes 12 to 20.

Thread – Olive 6/0 or 8/0 for the smaller sizes.

Tail – Dun hackle fibers.

Wing – Dun hackle tips.

May be tied without wings as a variant in the smaller sizes Body – Dubbed olive fur.

low in the surface film. The bottom hackle is clipped off so that little or none of it extends below the hook.

Spent Wing – Cut off the upright wings and snip the hackle from the top and bottom so that the fibers protrude only from the sides of the fly.

Emerger – Trim the wings and top of the hackle about in half and cut off

the bottom hackle. This will represent the partially emerged wings and legs of the natural.

Nymph - Cut off the wings and hackle leaving only the body and tail.

Dry flies of several sizes should be included in your fly box along with a pair of scissors to make the necessary adjustments as needed at streamside.

Other standard patterns can be used as a base such as Hendricksons, Light and Dark Cahills, Red Quills, or any other traditionally tied local favorite.

Joe has enjoyed fly fishing for over 65 years.

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

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 Ray Dillon The clock alarm sounded shrill in the early morning silence in our hunting lodge, startling a couple of our hunters who had stayed up late the previous night, having drinks

early breakfast. He greeted the young men with a hearty “how did you sleep…or did you guys go to bed last night” question and he stepped out into the cold morning air.

Jim Ford was one of

He glassed the animal at two hundred and forty yards. It had a nice rack of antlers and with the binoculars, he could see it had its tail flared out horizontally behind it, a sign that it was excited.

and sharing old hunting tales from days gone by.

One of them suggested that they should awaken the oldest hunter in camp who had chosen one of the private rooms in the back, but soon realized that he was already awake and dressed and ready for an

our deer hunters who hailed from the “Green Mountain state”, Vermont and Jim had a bad hip joint among other arthritic problems that sneak into our bodies as we get older. I often walk with a limp that I don’t notice much anymore, but I do notice the pain, some-

The Die-Hard Buck Hunter

times dull and sometimes intense, in both knees and in my back and shoulders.

Now before you think that I am writing a medical column today, let me explain.

Jimmy Ford is a diehard deer hunter and he has hunted with us numerous times over the years despite the debilitating pain he was experiencing. It bothered him to walk, to climb, to sit on stand in the wet and cold weather that we experience…but he would grit his teeth and go to the deer woods anyhow. To anyone but a dedicated hunter, such actions are madness but to the true outdoorsmen who have over the years, established a tremendous way of life for themselves and their families, no explanation is needed.

After a hearty breakfast that would probably horrify a cardiologist, Jim and the other hunters headed to their trucks and headed for the big woods.

It was a cold, raw morning

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Die-Hard deer hunters will put up with bodily discomforts, even pain, to bag bucks like this. despite being sunny but Jim pulled on his wool hunting jacket and orange vest and limped his way down to a ladder stand set in the treeline adjacent to the powerline. He climbed to the stand seat and plunked down to survey the area.

There was a slight breeze and the mercury in the thermometer showed twenty six degrees. It was cold.

Deer that normally cross the powerline several times a day didn’t show up that morning at first.

Around ten a.m., a solitary doe picked her way along a beaten trail two hundred yards below Jim’s stand.

Jim watched her through binoculars and noticed that she squatted and peed several times as she went.

Fifteen minutes went by and Jim, cold and stiff and in a lot of pain was considering what to do. He could see his truck parked up off the powerline a quarter mile away and he could climb down from the treestand and be there inside the truck in a few minutes …but what if a buck came along following that doe.

She was obviously in heat, in estrus, and you can’t have a better buck attractant than that. Jim (Back Shelf cont. pg 41)

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November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 39

The Tenderfoot Goes Canoeing

This canoeing story, from The Maine Sportsman of Sept. 1904, involved an unknown happy-go-lucky guide who certainly earned his money on a trip down the East Branch of the Penobscot.

“And so, when the canoeing party reached the dam at the outlet of Mattagamon or Grand Lake, this tenderfoot was delighted with the prospect of running the quick water down to the deadwater below, and he talked much about “jumping” falls when they came to any, still farther down.

“In vain his guide argued with him and tried to explain that the stories he had read were fool yarns, that nobody attempted to “jump” falls in actual life on a Maine river if he was in his senses; the sport stuck to his position and finally declared if the guide

Hunt (Cont. from pg 32) • Sight in your gun (don’t laugh, many a buck has escaped by hunters not doing it) • Check your hunting clothes for rips hole etc.

• Make sure your socks are in good shape. (Your

were too afraid to jump the falls, who of course he wouldn’t insist.

“Afraid! That one word settled it, and the answer that the guide flung back at him suggested that his life wasn’t worth any more than the guide’s, and as there was little to risk besides those two lives, and if when they came to the next falls he wanted to jump, why, jump! they would if it smashed them all to pieces.

risk, and, with a whoop and a dash, shot his canoe as far out over the seething, foaming torrent below as he could. As he came up beside his overturned craft and clutched his passenger by the coat, he yelled at him loud enough to be heard a half mile away.

“How does that suit yer! Want some more of that jumping o’ falls?” And the sport had the audacity to sputter that if he had been quick enough with

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

more; and how his quotations from the unabridged vocabulary of the rivermen when he observed that he should have “more” were quite as emphatic as the occasion could demand, even to such critical experts in cursing as the rivermen of the Penobscot waters, who have the art down to a nicety, if one may use the word concerning a skill that does not exactly appeal to

“In vain his guide argued with him and tried to explain that the stories he had read were fool yarns, that nobody attempted to “jump” falls in actual life on a Maine river if he was in his senses..”

“And he was as good as his word, for when the next real falls was reached--not mere quick water that fell in a sheer drop to a deep pool below—the guide put ashore all the things they didn’t want to

into the pool below and shot under, he let everything go and grasped his passenger by the hair.

“As, like two half drowned rats, they stood on the edge of the rapids and clung to a boulder, while the canoe bumped and slipped along toward smooth water, he gave him a shake and roared in his ear: “How’d yer like that!

Wanter run over any more falls that way? ‘Cause if you do, I want yer to find another guide!”

“And the fool tenderfoot, concluding sadly that you can’t believe all that you read in books and papers, even if someone does dare to put it in cold type, allowed that he was satisfied.”

nice things.

“At the next fall the guide asked, to be sure, if the ambitious sport still wanted to try the jump, and finding that he died, and knowing that below this falls the river was full of Steve is an avid hiker, still more quick water and paddler and historian, havfeet are your foundation) so it’s not on your mind! plenty of rocks, he gave his ing collected over 26,000 • Check boots for leaks I hope you all shoot canoe all the impetus he Maine Woods articles to (same as above) the buck of your dreams. could and, as she plunged date.

• Make sure you have Until next month, good your pack essentials. (com- luck on the trail! pass/rope/fire starters/ space blanket/etc.)

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Those who tell you the story will smile as they try to tell how that guide felt and looked when he heard his fool passenger declare than he wanted

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

What's In Your Woods

by Bud Utecht, T4 Indian Purchase Township Out on, yet, another game camera check, I was very surprised upon opening the camera to check the card and discover there was not much to look at. Sure this would be a good location, but not on this trip.

After reloading the cam-

the wind had blown snow into them so we weren’t getting an identification.

The tracks had come from a small stream that went into the woods. I would be able to see them clearly once they were under the cover of trees. Now understand, I

Born to Be Wet?

Most people that spend time in the outdoors have some mishaps; it’s just that mine all involve water. Not dangerous water, just enough to make sure I wear different boots on my next trek. Sometimes it’s not the water under me. For example, last summer I hiked sev-

On another occasion my brother and I went to check some cameras and knew this area was quite swampy, however things had frozen. There was snow on the ground, a lot in the open areas but in the woods there wasn’t that much. We could walk without the snowshoes but

Thirty feet from my snowmobile, I plunged into that stream and this time my boots were instantly full of freezing cold water. I asked my buddy for a little help but was able to get out as he fell to the ground laughing. era and turning my snowshoes around, I grabbed my poles and started off again. About four steps later, I went through the ice on the beaver pond. Great predicament, Bud squirming around on the ice trying to pull my snowshoe out of the mud and keep my boot from filling with water. I can’t wait to see those pictures, I thought to myself.

My next water- logged episode started off snowmobiling around a small remote pond with a friend.

We found some tracks but

had been ice fishing several times and ice conditions were twenty plus inches.

You could drive a train onto the ice. Thirty feet from my snowmobile, I plunged into that stream and this time my boots were instantly full of freezing cold water. I asked my buddy for a little help but was able to get out as he fell to the ground laughing. After walking back to my sled I looked back to see the tracks had gone way out around that spot. No photographic evidence this time.

November 2021

A trail cam “selfie” of the author after another surprise on the ice. eral miles to check cameras and the sky decided to change color. Blue to black and a very noisy black at that. I hunkered down with my pups under some spruce so that I might not get drenched and it kinda worked, until I had to walk through all the soaking trees and grass. I might as well have just kept walking in the pouring rain.

I convinced him to leave them on. Once we crossed the river we ditched the snowshoes and checked the cameras. When we came back through my brother didn’t want to put the snowshoes back on.

As we started across the swamp it seemed that I had been over cautious in wanting to wear the snowshoes.

About a third of the way

back there was a sudden interruption in the journey.

Once again... I was up to my knees in thick cold muddy water. My brother went in almost immediately after I did. We did put the snowshoes back on and left a trail of black stinky mud back to the truck.

I kind of wonder what the Game Wardens think when they see our tracks going into the woods. I’m sure at times they follow them to see what we are up to, only to find evidence of a couple guys going into the most god forsaken place to get a picture of a deer. They must be shaking their heads when they see that we have somehow found our way into the water yet again. Oh this must be Bud, he’s always wet.

Bud Utecht is a Registered Maine Guide, sporting camp owner, Browning trail camera dealer, and consultant. His trail cameras are strategically placed throughout the Maine Woods. Feel free to email Bud for trail camera tips or to discuss what’s in your woods. bud@ whatsinyourwoods.com

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT! At camp, this guy and his gundog - after a morning of chasing pa’tridge - found a comfy place to spend some time with their favorite read, the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Bud Utecht Registered Maine Guide

Trail Camera Consultant (207) 404-1442

bud@whatsinyourwoods.com

Where do you read your copy of the Sporting Journal? At camp, in the boat, at the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo of you with your copy of the Journal at an unusual place. If we like it, we will publish it in the Journal. If we select your best shot for publication, we’ll send you an exclusive Sporting Journal hat created just for the occasion. Send your Jpeg photo and a short blurb to vpaulr@tds.net. Please include your contact information, too. www.sportingjournal.com

November 2021

Back Shelf (cont. from pg 38)

hunkered down and popped a candy into his mouth. It might get his mind off the pain in his hip and leg.

Now a lot of hunters would have given in to the pain and cold temperatures, but as I said, Jim was a die- hard hunter. This was just a nasty inconvenience for him. He returned to glassing the powerline. He heard a crash in the bushes above his stand and a big cow moose wandered out and distracted him for a few minutes before disappearing into the heavy bush on the far side of the line.

Jim was thankful for the distraction.

It was almost an hour later that Jim noticed a big deer walking along the deer trail the doe had taken earlier. He grabbed his binos to check it out but the deer was walking with nose to the ground and Jim just knew it had to be a buck.

He glassed the animal at two hundred and forty yards. It had a nice rack of antlers and with the binoculars, he could see it had its tail flared out horizontally behind it, a sign that it was excited.

Jim forgot all about his hip and the pain as he zeroed in and squeezed the trigger. The gun roared, the buck dropped in its tracks and Jim’s perseverance had once again paid off.

As I mentioned earlier on, it takes a special breed of hunter to accomplish what Jim did and I have seen many of them over the years…and that keeps me guiding. I guess if they are willing to do the hunt, then I will be pleased to do the guiding.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Opening

Page 41

light as he slipped back into his bedding area. Things ENTER just had a way of working (Cont. from pg 29) TO WIN A out that season, I suppose. morning.”

FLYROD! As you take to the “Nice spot you have woods this month in pursuit here.” (Hunter #2) of whitetails, indulge in an “Yup.” “ S e e a n y d e e r ? ” afternoon snooze beneath the oaks, enjoy the adven- Largest directory (Hunter #1) of Maine guides on “Nope,” I replied, ly- ture, and shoot straight. the Internet. Over 1000 ing through my teeth.

Jonah Paris teaches visitors per day “We jumped a bunch.

Just couldn’t get a shot English at a small high looking for hunting, school in Southwestern fishing and more! off.” (Hunter #1) Maine. A four-season out“Nice,” I managed.

Let a guide “I think we’ll keep doorsman, Jonah lives going up this way.” (Hunter in Gorham, ME with his show you the way! girlfriend, Ashley, and bea#2) Visit: www.MaineGuides.com gle, Aurora. Jonah can be “Ok.” Get your guide service listed today, call 207-442-9006 The pair walked di- reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com rectly up my shooting lane, past where I was now standing, and over the ridge behind me. So much for carefully working to eliminate human scent in the area!

You may wonder why these hunters were stomping around one hour after LAND ANIMALS MISC legal light on opening day of deer season in Southern WASSOOKEAG RETRIEVFOR SALE - ICONIC “PAR- CEDAR STRIP CANOES Maine, instead of sitting ERS. Lowell, Maine. Unique, MACHENEE CLUB” 2 acre FOR SALE. Retired master somewhere quietly... I’m specialized, professional. Estab- island. Gated access to 1,000’s canoe maker has several left over hesitant to criticise any- lished in 1991, offering occasional of acres of prime hunting, fishing at reasonable rates. 16’ Laker one’s hunting technique, Labrador Retriever puppies and and snowmobiling! 5 furnished & Wabnacki. Learned from Gil Gilpatrick. Call Gary at 802-775OFA Excellent black, yellow and but theirs seemed a bit chocolate stud service. ME LIC cabins w/over $150K in new roof 0280. Center Rutland, VT. & pilings on steel beams. Specquestionable. #F684/F747. For more informa- tacular views & one neighbor.

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207-664-8970. info@sportingjournal.com direction to sit for the rest of the day. The afternoon Personal Classified Ads up to 30 words $15.00 per month - $0.50 A word after 30. was uneventful, but that Business Advertisers 30 Words $25.00 per month - $0.50 A word after 30. could have been largely my own fault; sitting beneath a Name: tree with the warm fall sun VP Code# (if applicable) PO Box Exp. Date beaming down has a way Address: 195 of inviting deep slumber.

I returned to my spot Phone# on the hill a few days later, Ad Copy: this time on a weekday, and my original plan came together. I shot a beautiful Mail To: The Northwoods Sporting Journal * P.O. Box 195, West Enfield, Me. 04493 or Phone 207-732-4880 or Fax 207-732-4970 or E-Mail info@sportingjournal.com 8 pointer an hour after legal

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November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Mandates, Then and Now Northwoods Voyager

To say this pandemic has caused a controversy would be a gross understatement. No matter where you come down on restrictions and mandates you have to admit that this is true. How a virus became political is a mystery to me, but it has. So, is this the first time in our history that mandates and restrictions have been imposed? Not by a long shot!

How would you feel about being restricted to only four gallons of gas per week? How about being allowed to buy only three pounds of sugar per week?

Or, be so restricted to coffee that you could only have one cup per day; any more and you will have days without any at all.

These are just some of the items that were rationed during World War II. I

am old enough to remember it, though I was just a boy at the time, so my information came from listening to adults talk. The amounts I quoted above were made up as I was not old enough at the time to care, but the restrictions were real and required a modification in lifestyle.

One example is gasoline.

I remember begging my folks to take me to a swimming hole some 6 or 8 miles from home. My father reluctantly agreed because it was on the way to somewhere he had to go anyway. When we headed home from my swim I was not allowed to hang my wet bathing suit on the outside mirror, as was the custom at the time, because my folks didn’t want people to think we used precious gas for a pleasure trip. This shows

that there was peer pressure to do the right thing. I also remember seeing a car, a four door sedan, with all the rear windows painted black. I asked my father about that and he told me that blacking out the side and rear windows made the car a truck which allowed the owner to buy more gas.

About the sugar: my father had a maiden aunt, Aunt Lydia. I remember looking

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME I remember my mother complaining that she used up all her sugar ration.

I am sure that there were other restrictions at the time that I would not have been aware of as a young boy, but it was such a memorable time that there

So, you can see that mandates and restrictions to our freedoms are not new and are sometimes needed for the common good.

down the road and seeing a little old lady walking with a suitcase in her hand.

Aunt Lydia would be living with us for a week or so. She liked to cook and didn’t like to be idle, so she baked goodies that were a delight to me, but

Dave Wells son, Drew, 11 years old from Stueben, had quite a day on the water in early September. He caught, not one, but three togue in one day! His dad says that his boy was jigging in 90 feet of water on a glass-calm day. The first fish measured 35”, and the other two were 32” and 31”.

(Photos by Dave Wells)

Page 43

were things etched permanently in my mind and I will never forget them.

So, you can see that mandates and restrictions to our freedoms are not new and are sometimes needed for the common good. Were there objections to those mandates at the time? I was too young to know about that, but common sense says there must have been some. Folks would look for ways to get around some of them I am sure. For example, paint rear windows to make a car a truck

to get a larger gas ration.

Those were scary times and all folks on the home front could do was comply with the restrictions and hope for the best. Now we have the option of staying safe by simply getting a couple of shots in the arm. So, why not?

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

Page 44

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Modifying the Nishine ABINO 110F

Best Bassin’

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA The anatomy of the Nishine ABINO 110F is like no other topwater bait, each intricate component plays a major function for imparting specific action upon retrieval. Measuring 4.3 inches and weighing 0.9 oz. the realistic tapering

available in five colors: noise. (A very important Juvenile Largemouth, Juattracting ingredient to venile Bluegill, Yellow Master Hiroshi). A unique Perch, Ghost Shad and custom designed Nishine Pearl White.

P-blade hangs from the baits belly between the two treble hooks. The P-Blade generates powerful wide rolling side-to-side action,

“The ABINO 110F topwater lure was designed to be customizable. Allowing anglers the ability to achieve a wide variety of topwater presentations by making simple changes,” Master Lure Designer Hiroshi Nishine. baitfish body has detailed hand-finished artwork.

A Nishine 55lb original snap attaches to the front screw eye allowing for a more natural action. Front and rear screw-eyes have threaded shafts housing reversible custom Nishine U-shaped props located at the nose and tail. Sliding on the screw-eye shaft allows for additional clicking

November 2021

while a smaller T-Blade may be exchanged for a tighter rolling action. The final component included within the ABINO 110F package is the Nishine 1/21 oz. outer weight, which may be hung with the front treble hook to allow for a slow sinking presentation. Two Super sharp size #2 Ichikawa treble hooks secure your catch. It is

wake action original setting slow retrieve.

High Appeal Mode: with swinging P-Blade.

Flip the rear prop so Best retrieve is a steady constant reeling that it faces forward. The without stopping. Speed ABINO 110F will create big splashes, while leaving a large bubble trail.

Master Lure Designer Hiroshi Nishine cautions anglers not to try removing the props without first watching his instructional video produced by Nishine Lure Works on YouTube.

Google YouTube ABINO 110F Topwater Customization (August 10, 2021) for the video. This step-by-step video requires you to only have needle nose pliers with a split ring attachMaster Lure Designer Hiroshi Nishine, holds a 5 lb Lake Erie Smallmouth, caught on ment. It will also reveal the internal construction his ABINO 110F Topwater Lure.

(Courtesy of Nishine Lure Works) for the ‘Eye Screw Parts’, and walk you through the “Most prop baits have may vary. proper way to remove Wake Mode #2: a straight action when reJ e r k - P a u s e w i t h and replace the small Eye trieved or utilizing a jerkpause retrieve. However, swinging T-Blade action Screw Nuts. Note: replacethe ABINO 110F has a resembles poppers, worked ment Eye Screw Parts are available online at Nishine very natural rolling side-to- fast or slow.

Lure Works. (www.NishinDead Slow Mode: side action when retrieved Retrieve very slowly eLureWorks.com) right out of the package.

During the Research Plus with simple modifi- and reverse the front prop & Design stages of the cations anglers may incor- so it points rearward.

Sub-Surface Mode: ABINO 110F Hiroshi porate several other action Add the 1/21 oz. outer Nishine discovered what he Modes,” instructs Hiroshi Nishine. These include the weight (in package) to front felt was the most productreble hook, ABINO sinks tive and balanced equipfollowing Modes. slowly keep ABINO below ment for properly casting, Wake Mode #1: (110F cont. pg 45) Wide side-to-side the surface with a steady

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Ballistics (Cont. from pg 33) backwoods. If ever a young man earned a bear, Evan certainly did. I could not be any prouder.

Another example of superior bullet performance came from the humble .30/30. The bear entered the site from the left and approached the barrel. The hunter placed his sights on the bear when it was broadside, the bear turned to a quartering away position as he shot the 170 gr. Cor-lokt destroying the lungs and hitting high on the off side shoulder before exiting. The bear dropped at the barrel. Excellent bullet performance.

I would like to thank some folks for another excellent bear season. It could not have happened without the help and support of my wife, Ellie, Bob Draper, Evan Cruz, Seiders Vari-

ety and Sporting Goods, Double Tracks Bear Bait, Jason Frechette at Wilderness Freaks Scents, all of the property owners, and especially my customers/ friends who hunt with us.

Please take a young person or new sportsman hunting and shooting and come see us at the lake.

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

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

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

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110F

(Cont. from pg 44) retrieving and landing both largemouths and smallmouth bass. According to Hiroshi Nishine, “The ABINO 110F is a heavier bait at 0.9 oz. requiring MH rods at least 7’ or longer. Bait-casting reels with medium gear ratios within the 7:1 range handled every ‘Mode’ perfectly.” As for the best type and size line, there are two options; 1. Spooling with 20 lb. monofilament or 2. Spooling with braided line and

tying a long leader of 20 lb. monofilament.

The Nishine Lure Works ABINO 110F was named after Abino Point on Lake Erie, where most of the on-the-water testing was conducted. The ABINO 110F size was determined by the average size of Smelt baitfish on Lake Erie. With the overwhelming success of his ABINO 110F, Master Lure Designer Hiroshi Nishine stated, “Not all baitfish are as large as the ABINO 110 and for that reason Nishine Lure Works will be showcasing a new Baby

Page 45 ABINO-70 3/8 oz. model for 2022.

God Bless and Best Bassin Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau is an outdoor journalist with a strong passion for pursuing the Black Bass. His activities include; emceeing The Bass University weekend educational seminar programs, as well as emceeing benefit tournaments such as Maine’s Annual May Special Olympics Team Tournament, Fishing For Freedom, and working with the USO.

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit

Guns for Sale

Man, this old guy in the White House is a rig, isn’t he?

Here he is hell bent on taking away your guns through a variety of slippery tactics, while at the same time leaving behind $85 billion worth of U.S. arms for the Taliban, the most corrupt, vengeful barbarians in the modern world!

Mullah Akhund, the new head poohbah in Afghanistan, now has more firepower than many Western nations. The mullah’s arsenal includes: 350,000 rifles, 126,000 handguns and 64,000 heavy machine guns, all courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer.

Since the Mullah has far more guns than he has Taliban warriors, you gotta wonder what he will do with the excess hardware. Open a big gun show in London or Prague? Start an international chain of military surplus stores?

Or maybe just sell the weapons on the black market to the highest bidder?

This may not be the first time in history that our own guns have been turned on us, but it must be unparalleled in size and scope. Those dumb bells in the White House on whose watch this debacle unfolded must be trying desperately to direct our attention to other crises. Or, in the woke parlance of the times, just “reimagine” a future without these radical Islamic terrorists armed to the teeth.

Our swashbuckling Secretary of State, Wynken, Blynken and Nod, is ready to send some more U.S. tax dollars to the new Taliban government if they promise to be nice and practice “diversity and inclusivity.”And he said this with a straight face?

Since most of the Taliban cabinet is comprised of former Islamic terrorists, who President Obama released from the Guantanomo Naval Base brig in exchange for the release of one American military deserter, Secretary Blynken may be in for a rude awakening if he thinks he can conduct civilized diplomacy with these Middle Eastern outlaws.

These memorable words about leadership from Henry Clay - Secretary of State under John Quincy Adams and one of the most influential political figures of his time -seem timely: “I cannot at this juncture clearly foretell the outcome, but I counsel you to cultivate calmness of mind and prepare for the worst.”

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

Page 46

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME I am a dyed-in-thewool still hunter – always was, always will be. My father taught me this type of deer hunting when I was a small lad. “Know the wind, and always choose to hunt a piece of woods so the

Dad’s instructions, and after 50 years of deer hunting I have dragged out a deer many more Novembers than not.

Still hunting is not about how much area you cover, but how well you

November 2021

Whitetails: What the Flag Does

classic “buck snort.” They also use scents and smells from their many scent glands to let each other know of their comings and goings. Deer and their kin also use their rumps and tails as a significant form of communication. But what

the size, coat qualities, antlers, and behavior of our North American deer. The dire wolf, short-faced bear, and saber-toothed cat of the Pleistocene did far more

climates tend to be shorter than in animals of the same species living in warm climates. Thus mooose, caribou, elk, and roe deer that evolved in the subarctic

What deer are saying with their rumps and tails has been the subject of great controversy among biologists. “Flagging” by white-tails is undoubtedly a warning signal between deer, but there are several hypotheses for the behavior. wind is in your face. Take one careful step forward.

Stop for a few minutes.

Scan through the trees (including behind you). Look for something that it out of place; the horizontal line of a deer’s back, the flick of an ear or tail, the twist of an antler. Then take another step. Roll your foot to soften the sound in the crispy leaves. Feel the stick that could snap under your foot.” Those were my

cover the area you hunt in a day. I’ve snuck up on deer in their beds and have had deer bed down within 10 yards of me. Still hunting is a game of who sees who first. Even after decades of experience, deer see or smell me first more often than I first see them. All I have to report after many days afield is, “Just flags!

Deer communicate many ways including by grunts, wheezes, and the

does all that tail-wagging mean?

Our favorite quarry, the white-tailed deer, gets its name from it’s famous white appendage. But why don’t all their cousins, elk, moose, caribou for example, also have a flag to communicate? As a species, white-tailed deer have been around much longer (3.5 million years) than us humans (Homo sapiens are younsters at just 200,000 years). The white-tail is believed to have evolved from Odocoileus brachyodontus, that seems to be most closely related to Europe’s roe deer.

The wolf’s fang and icy bite of winter have worked for millenia to mold

(Illustration by Mark McCollough)

than modern predators to shape the extravagant size of the moose and fleetness of the deer that we see today.

As deer species colonized forests and grasslands from the tropics to the arctic, their body shape, antlers and rump patches evolved according to several ecological rules-ofthumb. We learned about Allen’s Rule in ecology class: the limbs, ears, and other appendages of birds and mammals living in cold

have smaller, rounded ears of modest size, shorter legs in comparison the body, and a tail that is relatively small. Whereas, the whitetailed deer evolved in temperate forest and has large ears, longer thin legs, and a luxurious tail.

A fellow named Bergmann proposed another rule-of-thumb: to better conserve heat, animals at higher latitudes are larger and heavier than those closer to the equator. Thus, the northern moose, caribou, and elk are the largest species of deer in North America. Even within a species this axiom holds true. An average, mature (3 ½ year) Maine whitetailed buck tips the scales at about 175 pounds, whereas a buck of the same age in Texas would average just 85 pounds (field dressed).

Elk and caribou communicate with rump patch(Flag cont. pg 66)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Page 47

Coyotes: Track and Call

You’re a deer hunter who knows the importance of tracks and tracking.

It’s no different when it comes to scouting for and locating the whereabouts of a coyote. Seasoned deer and coyote hunters have

Dave and Linda Kelso from Northern Maine have many years ago taught me a really neat coyote hunting tactic that does involve reading coyote tracks. They would wait for a cold blue bird day with hardly any

fatal look around. Dave and Linda have shot many coyotes over the years using this “track and call” tactic. This unique method of hunting coyotes has got to be the only way I’ve ever called a coyote into fields and wooded clearings. There have been a few exceptions through the years, however this has been the best tactic by far

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME shot, number four or number five shot sizes will kill a coyote out to fifty yards with full choke. You’ll also need any kind of rodent, snowshoe hair, cottontail or fawn distress calls to take with you. Bring a backpack loaded with spare clothing,

was high. The temperature was in the low twenties, partly cloudy sky with just a breeze in the air and one coyote hunter anticipating a good hunt. All I did was walk slowly along looking for fresh coyote tracks. I knew I would find tracks

The idea behind this tactic was to track the coyote up to a clearing and try to call that coyote back to the edge to take one last fatal look around. Dave and Linda have shot many coyotes over the years using this “track and call” tactic.

When the snow is on the ground, you can track and call a coyote. (Photo by Bud Utecht) learned that you can use deer hunting tactics – like that of tracking – to hunt down a coyote. Obviously snow on the ground makes tracking ten times easier.

Coyotes weigh enough to leave noticeable tracks on just about any type of substrate. You don’t necessarily need snow. The forest floor covered with soft moss, soils, decaying leaves and pine needles hold on to coyote tracks for a long time even after a couple rain storms. The trained eye can pick out tracks from many animals on any terrain. Once mastering the art of tracking, a coyote hunter can use this skill in conjunction with distress calls to increase success.

wind to head out to hunt coyotes. Dave and Linda would walk trails, field edges, dirt roads and old logging roads looking for coyote tracks. They were keeping the wind and thermals blowing their scent away from the forest they were hunting the whole time. Only the fresh tracks from that morning got them excited. After discovering a fairly fresh coyote track they would follow those tracks to an opening in the forest or a field, whichever came first and stop to get set for a predator calling sequence.

The idea behind this tactic was to track the coyote up to a clearing and try to call that coyote back to the edge to take one last

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The gear needed to take with you on a coyote tracking job doesn’t include much. The obvious items are warm quiet clothing, a wicking layer underneath, also comfortable, supportive and waterproof boots.

The caliber rifle needed can be anything from a .223, a .22-250, a 243, a .270 and even your favorite 30-30 caliber deer rifle would be adequate. If you know all shots will be under fifty yards then a twelve gauge shotgun loaded with buck-

food, water, first aid kit, fire starter, knives, rope, flashlights and anything else you think would be beneficial. That should be about all you need with you on the coyote tracking/ calling adventure.

One of my favorite coyote hunts involved the track and call tactic. That coyote adorns my office in a howling pose. The morning I left my house to head along a snowmobile trail meandering through coyote country all the way out to an old clear cut bordering a wetland my confidence

NOW HERE

crossing the trail and going along the edge of that large clearing bordering that swampy wetland. The tracks could not have been more than two hours old.

It actually looked like the predator crossed shortly before my arrival. I wheeled right around to head for the ridge overlooking that old clear cut and hunkered down. I felt like that coyote would still be hunting close by. I opened up the calling sequence with mouse distress calls just in the event the coyote was close by.

(Coyotes cont. pg 62))

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Page 48

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME

“Let’s see … Pearl Harbor was in 1941, right?

I remember we had a big radio powered by a huge battery in Chesuncook. I remember Mama listening to that radio and saying that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. So, I probably came down in 1943…

We used to listen to Captain Midnight.”

S o b e g a n C onnie Swayze Judkin’s life-long connection to radio at a time when it was the only immediate link to the outside world. The girl tucked away up in Chesuncook listening to the crackle of voices in faraway places would herself become the voice that pilots and sporting camps would come to rely on. For 32 years she was the two-way radio operator for Folsom’s Air Service in Greenville. After

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three decades of fielding all manner of communication during bush piloting’s heyday, she became known as The Voice of the North Woods. That time is long gone, but everyone remembers it, and her. Connie died this last weekend in Sept.

She was born in Greenville, but grew up in Chesuncook Village, living on her grandfather’s self-sufficient farm and going to school up to the eighth grade in the oneroom schoolhouse there.

Her classmate was Bert McBurnie, who after a stint in the military built his own remarkable life, together with French bride Marguerite “Maggie,” as owners/ operators of the now legendary Chesuncook House sporting camp. Connie’s start from the back woods followed just as auspicious a path.

Her life in Chesuncook, then in Greenville set in motion her ability

November 2021

The Voice of the North Woods, Gone to work with many types of people, in a place that she understood like the back of her hand. In the mid-20th century, listening to the radio was a way of life at many of the sporting camps, and it was a constant for the pilots flying the region. Eventually, Dick Folsom, the going concern for top-rate air service around the region, hired her to run the twoway radios that kept her and the pilots in touch with most of the outlying camps.

“We had 30 to 40 different people on the radios in the summer months,” she said. “In those days people used to come up for the whole summer… not just a day or two like they do today. The pilots who worked for Dick were kept real busy all summer ferrying passengers and supplies back and forth.”

When she first started in 1966, the radios were large and unwieldy — a 1991 Yankee Magazine

Greenville

article recounts that the first one at Folsom’s weighed 48 pounds, and regular skips made it difficult to communicate. Connie was good at hearing the message, deciphering through the missed words. Maggie McBurnie called her patient and able to handle what anyone thought of as an emergency over the radio. Over the years, she became of woman of many abilities. At Folsom’s, she handled the two-way radio network, regular phones, the mail, payroll, reservations, and even shopped in town for the air service’s remote customers, including the well-known hermit woodsman Walter Arnold.

She also handled calls from celebrities hungry for anonymity, like Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, who were flown into a remote camp just to unwind quietly alone.

In its heyday, Folsom’s Air Service became something of a community hub, with locals stopping in to chat. It was also not beyond the air service to help celebrate milestones. One pilot, Bill Seeley showed up after graduating high school with a passion to fly, and learned at Folsom’s.

Connie kept in contact with him long after he moved to Yukon, Canada.

“Yep, he always sends me a Christmas card with a letter. He didn’t write last year. I was going to check on him. He married Jackie Tomer from Rockwood.

Folsom’s gave him and Jackie a wedding reception. We asked Dick about

a party. He said, ‘Sure, you go right ahead. Charge everything to the air service, just as long as I don’t have to do anything’. We did it in the hangar, and the Folsom girls helped decorate the room. We pulled it off even though it was very busy at that time of year.”

The hangar also became a place for the local ice-out party, “People came from all over town. That was quite a thing! People looked forward to it. We did, too, because pretty soon we would be busy all day long until winter.”

In the Yankee story, Bert said, “What can you say? She’s the voice of the North Woods.” The name stuck. Late in life, she moved to Missouri, to be near her daughter. That’s where she died. Even so, her voice and her sense of fun and responsibilities in the heyday of Folsom’s Air Service will be remembered as an instrumental part of Moosehead’s bush flying days.

Suzanne AuClair lives near Rockwood. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake region for 27 years. She produced Maine’s first freshwater fisheries management anthology “The Origin, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.” Quotes by Connie are used by permission of Jake Morrel, a past pilot at Folsom’s, who recorded her and transcribed it into a book, “Connie, The Voice of the Maine North Woods.”

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 49

The Three Deer Months

Growing up Moxie was my soft drink of choice.

You know, Maine’s official soft drink that most folks either love or hate. My childhood buddies all preferred Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper but Moxie’s “distinctly different” taste was the drink that tickled my taste buds.

I still drink it today but if my aging memory is correct it just doesn’t have the unique kick it once did. I have heard other Moxie drinkers claim the same thing.

On the windowsill in our living room I have a collection of old Moxie bottles some dating back to when they had paper labels and prior to 1966 when it was required ingredients be listed on all consumable food products. I also have a number just after that landmark legislation. Among other things Moxie’s ingredients at the time included sugar, caramel color and gentian root extract, the natural extract that gave the drink its uniquely wonderful taste. For the heck of it I went down to the refrigerator in the Man Cave this morning where there’s always a few cans of the stuff and looked at the ingredients. Instead of sugar

high fructose syrup is used as a sweetener. There’s also some other stuff not listed on the earlier bottles including “less than 2% of natural and artificial flavors.” Most importantly no specific listing of gentian root extract. Maybe that’s the “natural” flavors, I don’t know but perhaps my aging memory isn’t that far

many it is the only season that counts. I once fell into that category, but not so much anymore. I much prefer archery hunting deer in October. In my mind the weather conditions are much more pleasant in October and there’s little need for heavy, insulated coldweather clothing. There’s nothing quite like sitting in

There’s nothing quite like sitting in a treestand under a warm October sun with the scent of autumn in your nose. Let me just say it’s relaxing, quiet and a great place for a brief nap... gone after all. Moxie is still my soft drink of choice, but it just ain’t the same as it was when I was a kid.

That may be a long way around the barn to get to my point, which is that things change. Some changes we have little or no control over and dislike, like the changes to my favorite soft drink. Others are by choice. Take deer hunting for example.

November is rifle deer hunting season here in Maine. Like winter passing to spring and spring to summer it is highly anticipated, even a cherished time of year. For a good

a treestand under a warm October sun with the scent of autumn in your nose. Let me just say it’s relaxing, quiet and a great place for a brief nap, which I frequently do only to be brought back by the faint sound of a twig snapping or a rustling of dried leafs to find a deer standing there. And I also like the fact there are fewer hunters in the woods at that time. Deer in my neck of the woods have yet to go into their full autumn mode throughout much of October and because they are not being pressured by other hunters are easier to figure out.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Northwoods Sporting Journal

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

Yup, the archery season is my preferred hunting period. I well know November brings the rut considered the best time to bag a buck and once snow falls this month and covers the ground into December is the premiere time to track for those into that style of hunting. And I know the muzzleloading season next month provides a one last chance for success. Indeed, November has its many deer hunting attributes and they vary from hunter-tohunter but I find it a cold and stark month. December is even worse. The only time I really look forward to them is if I fail to tag out in October.

But that’s just me.

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Perhaps maybe it’s just age or my blood is thinner these days. Like most deer hunters I have my preference for reasons that are mine and mine alone. I’m just grateful we have nearly 80 days every fall to make the choice. Whichever you prefer good luck out there!

You might see me out there, but hopefully not!

Al Raychard and his wife Diane live on 43 +/acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting 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

Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

November 2021

The Resonance of Deer Camp

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont Everything that can be done, has been done.

The wood is stacked high, just across from the wood stove. The four rifles are all lined up on the gun rack, my brother’s .270, my nephew’s 30.06 and his son’s … I can’t recall what rifle that boy used. And at the top of the rack, my trusty veteran for 50 years, the 30-30.

The giant, metal coffee pot has been watered, with the coffee already added and is sitting out

ing cards because, well, brother Tom does not allow alcohol in camp. He had some bad experiences with a few of the local boys one bow season and that was enough. Poker? I’m certain that that delicious game could be played, if A good buck, shot by the author, hangs from the buck pole at a deer we were to choose, but the camp in upper New York. Deer camp is a place where family members game never materializes. and friends gather every fall to hunt, laugh and tell tall tales. Years go The truth is, we rise early, by and generations come and go but the camp remains, a reminder of every day, and after a long, how much bonding is as much a magnet to the place as the hunt itself. often cold day in the deer (Photo by Dennis Jensen) woods, we are back in the sack by 8:30 or 9 p.m., tired been told could be an asset wakened by my loud, snort hunters rise, except for but looking forward to the in a horror movie. It’s that snoring, even with their ear Tom, who is by all acgear. “Sorry about that,” as counts not a morning perwe used to say back in my son. We’re talking surly.

We wolf down breakfast and coffee, tell each other just Don’t even talk to Tom in where we are hunting and then set off, all on different paths. Army days.

In any event, I am the first 10 minutes of his There is a massive cedar swamp behind camp. The the first to rise and, after awakening. youngest of the crowd hunts the property in front of placing two logs on a nice Paul gets the threecamp while the rest of us vanish, like ghosts, into the bed of hot coals, I put the burner, propane-powered coffee on the stove. Does burners going and mixes up darkness of the cedars. it get any better than a hot a pile of previously-boiled bad. The men have been stove going and the earthy potatoes, sliced onions, on the cedar stump, right next day.

I try to be the last one tested to the point that they aroma of perking coffee, two big slabs of ham left outside the door, ready for whoever is the first to rise. in the sack because I am a all wear ear plugs but I am permeating every cranny over from dinner the night before and then drops a We did not stay up notorious snoring night- told, and I have no way of of the camp?

One by one, the other (Camp cont. pg 59) late, drinking and play- mare. The stories I have verifying this, that they are

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November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November Means Deer Hunting

Vermont’s rifle deer season in is November 13-28. During that time many of us will be in hunting camps enjoying the

would be long.

Although fewer in number, today’s deer hunters are just as dedicated and thanks to advances in cloth-

stayed out in the 1950s and 1960s.

Thanks to laws mandating hunter safety courses and the advent of hunter orange, the number of accidents involving firearms is dramatically reduced.

We stand a better chance of getting injured or killed

Page 51

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

to watch nature. I read a lot while in the woods and I often find a sunny spot out of the wind and fall asleep. My snoring probably scares all the deer in the area away, but who cares.

Hunting offers me the

mountains. Everything is quiet, but that soon changes. With light, comes life and noise.

First the chickadees appear and flit around me followed by the nuthatches and, soon after, the red squirrels arrive and chew

I read a lot while in the woods and I often find a sunny spot out of the wind and fall asleep. My snoring probably scares all the deer in the area away, but who cares. crossing the road to get coffee than we do in the woods during deer season.

Vermont’s rifle season is buck only. It is imperative that you know what WMU you are hunting in as the definition of a legal buck varies. In eleven WMUs it is at least one antler three inches or longer. In the other ten, it is at least one antler with two or more antler points one inch Northeast Kingdom youth Michael Jolly in length or longer. bagged this trophy last November in Now in my 75th year, Essex County.

I still look forward to deer camaraderie of family and ing can stay comfortable in season. It is a time to be friends. It is also a time bone chilling weather that alone in the woods, a time when others leave home made us question why we for meditating and a time long before daylight to be settled in the woods when legal shooting hours arrive.

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chance to escape the mad- me out for being leaned ness of everyday life and to against their tree.

A while later I hear have time for my thoughts.

I enjoy being in the woods the crows announcing a alone, without interrup(Hunting cont. pg 54) tions.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Big Buck Dreams

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT It’s 3:30 a.m. and the alarm is about to go off in the camp. This year, I’ve placed it on a shelf on the other side of the one-room cabin. It’s one of those old Big Ben models that sounds like a fire alarm crossed with a freight train.

Over the last few years, my compatriots and I have aged and stay up too late trying to solve life’s existential problems. Our aging bodies are at war with our spirits. So, this year, when that old noisemaker goes off, it’s going to take one of us to walk across the room to shut the bloody thing off.

As I lay in my bed, I decide that I don’t want to hear that bell at all, so I tip-toe

November 2021

across the room and turn it off with ½ hour to spare.

A cold north breeze creeps under the door and jolts me into partial consciousness.

I begin making a breakfast

it. When the flame jumps to the ash, it lights up the hemlock-paneled interior of the camp. It is then that the full moon makes its appearance through the window on the front door. She shines a sparkling light on new fallen snow. “Tracking snow! I whisper to myself.

I might just close my eyes for a bit and wait for daylight. I am deep in reverie dreaming of the big buck, when I am suddenly, painfully awakened by the sound of a terrible raucous ringing. over the old propane stove.

Thick cut bacon, French roast coffee, hash browns, scrambled eggs with shredded cheddar. The wood stove moans. I look across the room to see an ember gasping for air. I add a few small well-seasoned chunks of ash and revive

They’ll be moving today!”

As the fragrance of bacon, woodsmoke and coffee begin to fill the air, I hear moaning sounds from each corner of the room. “Mmmm” comes from the lower back bunk.

It’s Ozzie, whose culinary nose can recognize a hundred different spices, herbs, and flavors – even in his sleep. From the upper bunk another bodily sound erupts. It’s Chris. He scurries down the ladder to address his biological necessity and announces “Boy, that smells good!”

And finally, my beloved wife, Katie, chimes in “better than what’s in your union suit!” We all start laughing and as we eat our breakfast by candlelight,

we announce our plans for the days hunt. Ozzie will be in his tree stand down near the landing, Chris will take the 4-wheeler up to the saddle and Katie will handle all the domestic duties, since she claims, “I like taking care of my boys.” I will go low to the bottom of the main road, then take an old logging road to “The Rock,” where I saw a big 10 pointer two years ago and just can’t let go of the vision. I see my-

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self settling in against the familiar small pine overlooking the ravine. Comfy.

Cozy. I might just close my eyes for a bit and wait for daylight. I am deep in reverie dreaming of the big buck, when I am suddenly, painfully awakened by the sound of a terrible raucous ringing. It’s Big Ben across the room on the shelf. Yep! It was all a dream.

Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the August 4 deadline can now go to the VT F&W website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) to see if they won a permit. F&W announced the winners on September 14. Permit winners are listed in two categories: regular lottery winners and landowners.

Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by law from posting their land (Dreams cont. pg 54)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Missing: Mo Pelletier PART II

with his or her family that night but had not returned.

Each one of these aforementioned situations is a pressure-filled experience with all eyes on the Warden Service.

The search for Mo Pelletier was centered around his vehicle, which

Maurice “Mo” Pelletier had entered the North Maine Woods on a day trip in pursuit of ruffed grouse on October 28th, 2020. If you remember from last month’s article, search efforts had ramped up into all out, large scale, heavily involved mission to locate

woods, but no other trace.

By 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, a full team of wardens and several volunteers began conducting grid searches in the thick, softwood bottoms near Hudson Brook. Warden Pilot Jeff Spencer radioed down that he was having a hard time seeing the grid lines containing 15 men

Page 53

Warden’s Words

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME afternoon.

S e v e r a l o f M o ’s friends had arrived earlier that day and were assisting on the grid teams. There was a somber feel to the search as we had not made voice or visual contact and

He was close to a mile away at this location and pilot Spencer headed in that direction as the sun was setting fast.

It was not long when Pilot Spencer, who had been airborne for almost

There was a somber feel to the search as we had not made voice or visual contact and the second day was winding down as the weakening autumn sun sank steadily in the western sky. through the thick canopy cover.

We continued our efforts, back and forth, combing the woods in methodiThe missing hunter, Mo Pelletier, chats with cal grid lines. Two K9s the author after his rescue. worked the scene, searchhad been located off the ing in different areas, while Mo, one way or another.

For Wardens, there Island Pond Road. It was Sergeant Durward Humare not many other situa- found by other bird hunters phrey continued giving out tions where the pressure around noon time on Oc- assignments, coordinating exists to the extent that it tober 29 th , still running efforts and operating our does on a search. I have with the driver’s door open search as resources continbeen on many searches for and a frozen grouse on ued to arrive throughout the children, elderly victims the ground at the back of suffering from dementia the Jeep. K9 Gordon had or Alzheimer’s disease, or located two shotgun shells a sportsman who intended belonging to Mo approxito be home to eat supper mately 50 yards into the

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the second day was winding down as the weakening autumn sun sank steadily in the western sky.

Just as hope for this day’s efforts was fading and the realization that this was becoming a recovery and not a search was setting in, Warden Preston Pomerleau radioed in stating he and K9 Gordon had just located a makeshift campfire that appeared to be fresh.

12 hours that day flying in tight flight patterns, radioed back that he had Mo under his wing tip. The wardens on scene all ran back to the command post to listen to the ensuing radio traffic.

Warden Pomerleau came over the radio next, stating that he had made visual contact with Mo, but he was on the opposite side of Hudson Brook and he (Missing cont. pg 64)

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Page 54

Hunting

(Cont. from pg 51) new day and raucous ravens with their raspy voices call as they fly over. Oh, I should mention the blue jays who seem to find me most days.

Often a couple of hours after daylight the woodpeckers begin to pound dead or dying trees nearby. Just thinking about that pounding gives me a headache, but they seem oblivious to it.

Mid-morning, I have to get up and move a bit. I don’t sit well. I wonder if there are fresh tracks beyond the next ridge. Likely

Northwoods Sporting Journal I would be more successful if I stayed put all day, but I can’t.

If I am not successful in bagging a buck we won’t go hungry. I average a buck every other year so we usually have venison in the freezer.

The reasons I hunt are many. They are also varied.

My father was a hunter as was his father. My uncles all hunted. Hunting is part of my heritage.

I hunt because I like to test my skills against those of the game I am in pursuit of. Hunting is not simply the act of killing something. It is never necessary to kill to have a

successful hunt.

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a lifelong resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game.

He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@ icloud.com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2021 Gary W. Moore

Dreams (Cont. from pg 52) against hunting. “Hunters can go to our website to find out if they are recipients of a muzzleloader season antlerless permit,” said Commissioner Louis

November 2021

Porter. “They can follow a link on our home page to go to the listing of permit winners.” Permit recipients will need to reprint their licenses which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits. Paper “post card” permits will not be sent in regular mail. Antlerless permits were available for 19 of Vermont’s 21 Wildlife Management Units and may be used during the muzzleloader seasons on October 28-31 (antlerless hunting by permit only) and December 4-12. “Yearling antler beam diameters, fawn weights and other physical condition measures are declining or are below optimal levels in many areas, indicating that deer have exceeded the level their habitat can support long-term,” said Nick Fortin, Fish and Wildlife’s deer project leader.

“No population growth is expected in 2021, however, deer populations in 7 WMUs will be above their respective population objectives. The goal is to reduce deer populations in those areas while stabilizing populations in other areas.” Permits are still available in WMUs F1-F2-

K-N-O and Q because not enough people applied for them in the lottery. These permits may be purchased beginning September 15 on a first come, first served basis through license agents, district Fish and Wildlife offices and on www.vtfishandwildlife.com The VT F&W is providing a list of certified leashed tracking dog owners who volunteer during the hunting seasons to help hunters locate deer or bear that have been shot during hunting season but not yet recovered. The leashed tracking dog owners, who provide their services free of charge, must pass an extensive exam administered

by Fish and Wildlife to be certified and licensed to provide their services. This list, which may be updated during hunting seasons, is available on the VT F&W website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com).

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November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Riding Your Snowsled Virtually

It’s November and all of my summer activities have wound down to a close. Some of you are heavily engaged in the fall hunting season and I

amount of time and ride with my friends. I have been finding some great videos for new areas and sights to see. This is a reality series of riding videos

I will have to investigate that one. After watching the videos, however, I am very motivated to go there.

I wonder if I can check my Polaris Switchback as luggage on the plane? Just

Page 55

The Trail Rider

by Rod Fraser, Hyde Park, MA ommend doing, nor would I take a risk doing myself.

I also include in this group the guys jumping their sleds and the guys who are

So think ahead and make some plans to ride some news territory this winter.

Be safe and I hope to see you out on the trails this

Second, is the group of videos about places in the US and Canada that I would have to plan out far in advance to be able to experience. These are the locations that I say I will get to in the next few years like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or Quebec province, Canada.

There are some great videos of places to visit with your snowmobiles. wish you good luck! Now, I am looking ahead to a great season of riding the snow-covered trails. My sled has been dropped off at the Polaris dealership for seasonal maintenance, my trailer registration has been renewed and now I have to hurry up and wait for snow.

So many trails, so little time. I am hoping that the relaxation of COVID restrictions will continue and improve our ability to find trailside eateries etc.

I have been spending some of my spare time watching youtube videos of places in New England that I have not ridden before and based on the videos out there, there are some awesome sights to see and I need to expand my horizons. What about you?

What are you doing to get revved up for the snow season? Check out the many videos other riders have posted on youtube.

I like to divide the videos into four categories. First, places closer to home where I can actually road trip to in a reasonable

because in reality, I can get to these places this year.

Second, is the group of videos about places in the US and Canada that I would have to plan out far in advance to be able to experience. These are the locations that I say I will get to in the next few years like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or Quebec province, Canada. I have been talking to my Canadian friends and coworkers who ride about joining them up there. I can’t believe I haven’t ridden in Canada already.

Thankfully, my Canadian friends have extra sleds and have offered to let me ride one of theirs which simplifies the equation.

The third is my “stretch goals” group.

These are videos about riding in Alaska or Greenland. Riding either of these places would be extremely cool in my mind. Greenland you can ride in the summer so that really expands the ability to get there someday, But hey, Greenland is not as easy to travel to as Alaska, or is it?

joking.

The fourth and last group is the crazy videos that are just fun to watch.

Videos like deep powder riding in the backcountry where the riders do some crazy stuff and bury their sleds deep in the snow. Or the rides where riders cross stretches of open water, something I would not rec-

attempting some very technical maneuvers and wipe out. I must admit, this has happened to me, only it was not caught on video!

Whatever you enjoy watching, sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying some of the great riding videos that others have made really increases your desire to get back out on the trails.

winter.

Enjoy your rides! Ride safe, ride right! Rod Fraser is an avid outdoorsman and twenty-year Navy veteran.

Originally from Maine and living in Rhode Island, Rod has written extensively about snowmobiling. Visit his website at www.roderickfraser.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

First Shot

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME It’s not clear in my memory when I was first entranced by the velvety, mysterious allure of a firearm. On our farm near Bar Harbor, we only had one gun—a Remington Model 511 Scoremaster, chambered for “.22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle”—which I’ve written about a few times in this space. While

November 2021

take me.

One of the events was to hit a swinging target with a shotgun. The target, appropriately, was a sheet of plywood cut into the shape of a turkey. The object was to get as many pellets into a piece of white paper stapled to the target, in three shots, as possible, fired while an attendant pulled a

my parents agreed to let me try shooting the .410.

I waited nervously while others tried their hand at the target, and I was mightily impressed by the loud report of the little shotgun, thinking wow—that’s a lot bigger than Poppy’s .22!

Nonetheless, I was convinced I could win, and was excited when my turn came up.

While the event volunteers put a fresh piece of paper on the target, the rangemaster showed me

remaining shots, was blinding pain as the recoiling .410 slammed into my shoulder with the force of the kick of an enraged Clydesdale. I saw stars with each shot, and if you had told me after that it was all a joke, and that it wasn’t a .410 at all but actually a .600 Nitro Express elephant rifle, I would not

posed to do,” which oddly made sense, and I instantly regretted uttering my disclaimer to my parents about not being ready.

But the damage was done. It was a few years before I was presented with a shotgun of my own, a much bigger and more powerful sixteen-gauge.

I never did get the .410 I

What I remember next, and for the next two remaining shots, was blinding pain as the recoiling .410 slammed into my shoulder with the force of the kick of an enraged Clydesdale. that little .22 was a beloved companion of mine, I also spent long hours thumbing longingly through The Shooter’s Bible and trade magazines.

My parents carefully taught me safe firearms handling, and around the age of ten or eleven I had proven myself responsible enough to do a little shooting unsupervised, a privilege I never abused. Those experiences only made my yearnings more keen, and when I saw a poster at the J.E. Hamblen General Merchandise Store advertising an upcoming fundraising turkey shoot for the Town Hill Volunteer Fire Department, I begged them to

rope attached to the target a safe distance to the side, swinging it back and forth.

I had never fired a shotgun before. This was a necessity.

I don’t remember much about the gun— what make it was—but I do remember it was a single-shot .410. Some of my friends who were far less deprived and neglected than I had .410s of their own, with which their parents, who loved them more than mine obviously did, would equip them with for bird and deer hunting trips, which I never got to go on, because I was a tragically abandoned waif.

In this case, though,

the workings of the shotgun; how to open and load it, with a reminder to keep it pointed downrange at all times. Then, it was time to show what I could do.

My heart raced. I slid a scarlet-colored shell into the breech, and carefully closed it and cocked the hammer. Wary of the recoil, I thought it may be a good idea to hold the buttstock just two or three inches away from my shoulder. Then I cocked the hammer, and nodded to the rangemaster, who waved to the target volunteer, who began to swing the target back and forth.

What I remember next, and for the next two

The culprit – the innocent little .410.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

have argued.

Miraculously, I managed to get a few pellets onto the paper. I was not interested in trying again and most certainly did not win. Ruefully rubbing my bruised shoulder, I quietly remarked to my mother that I didn’t think I was ready for a .410. Later, when I recounted my forlorn adventure to a couple of my friends, they burst out laughing—“You did what?!” and then, gulping for air, they revealed the secret; you don’t hold the gun away from your shoulder. “Bring it in tight, that’s what you’re sup-

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dreamt of as a boy. In my travels, I’ve introduced a few of my friends to the joy of target shooting. When I get to the shotgun, I always make sure to tell them to hold it in tight—especially for that first shot.

Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and 1450 AM in Rockland.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Page 57

Montana Primer

Susan, the dogs and I recently returned from a Montana bird hunt. Without going back to count, it’s been our sixth or seventh trip to Big Sky Country.

grouse and Huns are like most game birds. The more they’re pressured, the harder it is for pointing dogs to pin their birds. Pressure makes the bird run ahead of

dom within shotgun range.

To counter the “pressure” situation, hunters should seek out more remote public land or develop relationships with farmers to hunt private land. The public lands consist of State of Montana owned land (which are identified in the Montana Gazetteer) and what is referred to as Block Management Program. Block Management is land that the state of Montana has

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. we drove by Block Management land which had several cars parked along the road. The birds in those Block Management areas had a tremendous amount of pressure in just one day.

Susan and I visited two of those popular Block areas on the fifth day of the hunting season. Our dogs found

habitat, locate the property owner and then find them in the local telephone book.

Give them a call…we seldom receive a “no”. If you receive a “yes”, you’ll most likely be the only hunter to walk that property. If the property owner hunts, it will most likely be for deer or pheasants. Plus,

Every year the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (406-444-2612) prints a booklet showing where all the Block Management land is located. Block Management land is similar to a popular trout pool right next to a major road…it gets all the attention.

The author with his gundog and prairie bird.

(Photo by Susan Fuller)

It should be on every bird hunter’s bucket list. Hunting the prairies is a totally different experience than hunting ruffed grouse habitat.

The big difference is that you can see forever in the prairies. You can see your dogs working at a great distance and you can see flushed birds at a great distance. In fact, you can see as far as your eyes allow you to see. The birds we hunt in Montana are sharptail grouse and Hungarian partridge (Huns).

Pheasants are plentiful, however, they aren’t in season when we go. We make the trip for the September 1st opener for sharptail and Huns. Pheasant season isn’t until October. During October, we want to be in the ruffed grouse woods.

A further comment on hunting the September 1st opener. Sharptail

the dogs rather than sitting still for the point. The pressure issue is so important with pointing dogs that we see the difference in just the first week of the hunting season. After the first week, and the sharptail coveys have been broken up, the sharptail will run ahead and then flush, as a single, out of range. After being pressured, Huns will still flush as a covey, however, sel-

entered into an agreement with private land owners to allow hunting. It’s truly a wonderful program… especially for out-of-state hunters. Every year the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (406-444-2612) prints a booklet showing where all the Block Management land is located.

Block Management land is similar to a popular trout pool right next to a major road…it gets all the attention.

This year that’s exactly what happened to Block Management land close to a town. On opening day,

birds that ran way ahead and flushed way beyond gun range. However, all is not lost. A simple drive to Block areas farther from the maddening crowd will locate good hunting habitat with little or no pressure.

No need to stick with Block property. Almost every year we plan to hunt Montana, we order a new property ownership booklet from the county (contact the county Conservation District) in which we plan to hunt. These maps tell you exactly who owns property.

If you see a piece of land which looks like good bird

during September, most local property owners are harvesting crops and have no time for hunting.

The bottom line is that whenever you go prairie hunting, there will be good places to hunt for the outof-stater. If you haven’t been to the prairies, start planning now. It’s a beautiful experience for both the dog and the hunter.

Susan and Paul Fuller host the Bird Dogs Afield TV show. Their website is www.birddogsafield.com Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME In this part of the country, there are two types of tipping. One involves going out and finding spruce or fir boughs in quantity, then selling them (the tips) to the wreath companies that make and distribute holiday wreaths to decorate doors and homes across

waitress, and now, maybe you’ve seen the cup strategically placed at the Dunkin Donuts Drive-thru window that says, “gratuities appreciated.”

Here, in the outdoor hospitality business, we also tip the fishing guides, as well as the staff at the

Tipping: A Sensitive Subject

guide. He or she is typically putting in between a 12 and 14-hour day when you include the prep and the takedown, before and after. There is firewood involved, cookwares, often rods and tackle, whatever it takes to ensure that your fishing adventure is special and memorable. He or she may paddle all day too, always working to put you over fish.

on your bill is generally considered a good tip. Up to the 1970’s, 10% was considered a normal tip. Most etiquette writers agree that the 15-20% parameter for tipping should be considered the minimum if you are very pleased with the service provided. But let’s look at some examples, that may provide the subject

Although there is a set fee which the sport usually knows beforehand, guides use the tip at the end of the day as a yardstick to measure how well they’ve done for you. This applies not only to guided fishing, but guided hunts as well...

America. The other kind involves money, money over and above the cost of a particular service you’ve paid to receive.

Some kinds of tips are very well known, others not so much. We tip the bell boy in the hotel, the person that brings us room service, the valet driver that parked our car, or the Uber driver that brought us there.

We tip the hair dresser, the dog groomer, the waiter or

lodge, especially if it’s an American Plan lodge serving meals in the dining room and cleaning the cabins. Newcomers to this world sometimes find a pamphlet in their cabin, a guideline if you will, on suggested gratuities for the staff. There is rarely a mention of the fishing guide.

We do run into the occasional sport who simply isn’t aware that it’s a long tradition to tip your fishing

November 2021

Although there is a set fee which the sport usually knows beforehand, guides use the tip at the end of the day as a yardstick to measure how well they’ve done for you. This applies not only to guided fishing, but guided hunts as well, whether it be upland birds, moose, deer, or bear. Even more than your sunny and engaging personality, your guides will remember you for how much you appreciated their service, and showed it.

These days, a 20% tip

with a little more clarity.

Kyle, (not his real name) guided Saul, an architect from Chicago for over 15 years until the man reached his mid-eighties.

He had designed prominent buildings in Sydney, Australia, Tel Aviv, Israel, Stockholm, Sweden, and San Francisco, among many others. He came back faithfully every year, always making sure ahead of time that Kyle was available. Whatever the going

guides rate was, was fine with Saul. And yet, for all the wonderful outings he had with his guide and friend, Kyle, he never once tipped him a cent. This was not due to ignorance.

He went on other fishing excursions in other parts of the world and could not have missed that this was one of those services where tips were normal.

Kyle liked him and cut him some slack, concluding that it must be Saul’s personal policy never to tip.

Stub, (not his real name) guided Howie, a plumber from Pensylvania. They became friends, communicating in the off season. With four kids and two college tuitions sapping him, Howie was not a wealthy man. And yet, he tipped Stub $100 day for every day they fished.

That was what it meant to him and that was how he showed it. Stub made sure Howie got his dates in for each new season.

The other side of this coin is that when a guide really puts it all on the line for a client, gives his all and leaves nothing out, it’s tru(Tipping cont. pg 62)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Camp (Cont. from pg 50) dozen eggs into the mess, all cooking on a huge cast iron skillet.

We wolf down breakfast and coffee, tell each other just where we are hunting and then set off, all on different paths. There is a massive cedar swamp behind camp. The youngest of the crowd hunts the property in front of camp while the rest of us vanish, like ghosts, into the darkness of the cedars.

I have a half-mile walk, in darkness aided with a head lamp. The going gets really tough the last couple of hundred yards. An old skidder trail is littered with fallen limbs and trees and these are as slippery as a lawyer chasing an ambulance. Then, I break into a small clear cut, mowed down perhaps 25 years ago. Small trees dot the landscape and the place is literally grown over with wild raspberry bushes.

Deer love to feed on the leaves of these bushes.

Down on the ground, visibility is difficult in some places but up in my tree stand I can see well.

I have shot more deer here than I have in my native state of Vermont over the past 25 years. It is really a simple matter of mathematics. And of habitat. There are far more deer here than where I hunt in Vermont.

And the really great thing about this place is that every deer, buck of doe, I have taken has a combination of corn and alfalfa in its stomach. The thick stretches of cedar around this part of St. Lawrence County are surrounded by massive fields of corn.

Dairy farms are every-

where. The deer, especially the bigger, older bucks feed in these fields at night and then take refuge in the cover of the thick cedars.

And I mean thick.

In my tree stand, I can look out on the little clear cut at noon and see all. But if I shift my gaze to the cedars it is as dark as in the night.

The day is cold and long. I see seven does over

the course of almost eight hours on stand but no antlers come calling. I lower my rifle and pack by rope, climb down and set out for camp.

As I come down the end of the logging trail, it now pitch black, I can see a commotion and the streaks of light coming from flashlights, right up near the buck pole and I know, right then, that someone has

Page 59

filled his tag.

It is Paul, a biologist with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. He is standing next to a 4-point buck, weighing in at 127 pounds and, as I draw close enough to see, he has a big smile on his face.

One buck down, three to go, with another eight days to hunt. Does it get any better than this? To-

morrow is another day, another hunt and, if things go as planned, I’ll have a buck hanging, up there, right next to my nephew’s.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and the Barre Times Argus and a freelance writer. Contact him at d.jensen62@yahoo.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 60

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME Brook trout measured in pounds rather than inches are not uncommon in the Rangeley Lakes Region, but there is one fish that stands out above all the rest. His name is White Nose Pete, although some refer to this piscatorial desperado as Pin Cushion Pete, for reasons that will soon become apparent.

My encounter with Pete came on an evening in late August. A slight breeze rustled the aspen trees.

The scent of balsam was strong as the sun slipped behind the conifer-studded hills along the shoreline of Richardson Lake.

Above me, water thundered out of the bottom of Upper Dam, which was built in the 1850s of heavy timber felled from an untamed forest that to this day spreads outward for many miles. The massive structure holds back the waters of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, the largest of the lakes in this region of western Maine, from those of Richardson Lake.

This was quite a few years before the original dam with replaced by the modern structure that presently meets the requirements of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

I was casting a Gray Ghost streamer with fair success, but my mind had wandered as it often does to the angling legends of this region, which is steeped in sporting tradition. Staring across the water, I followed the neatly trimmed lawn as it sloped upward from the shoreline to the row of cottages, many of which were the original camps built beside Upper Dam. The present owners of these cabins carry on the heritage handed down by regulars of years past.

These include the artist, taxidermist, entrepreneur, world-class fly-rod caster, guide, and all-around renaissance man, Herbert Welch, as well as Wallace Stevens, who was one of the region’s preeminent guides from the 1920s through the 1940s. (And no, he was not the poet who shared the same name.)

Wallace’s wife, Carrie, was the creator of the pattern I had been casting for the last few hours, in addition to many other streamers well known to anglers throughout New England. In 1970, a plaque was placed on the far side of the dam honoring this first lady of the streamer.

Later in his life, another of

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November 2021

The Legend Of White Nose Pete

Upper Dam’s notable anglers, Col. Joseph D. Bates, Jr., wrote a number of books based upon his experiences casting streamers in these hallowed waters.

On that August afternoon, my attention shifted back to the dark water under Upper Dam when a huge brook trout rose to inspect the Gray Ghost I’d been working along the shoulder of a submerged boulder. It may have been my imagination, but it seemed as though remnants of feathers and fur hung from the fish’s unusually white maw as the enormous trout grabbed Carrie’s pattern in the corner of its enormous jaw. Swinging its head in the opposite direction, the great trout snapped my heavy leader as if it were yarn. I could have sworn it grinned at me before plunging back into the depths under the dam.

I knew that the pools lying under Upper Dam had been home to enormous brook trout as late as World War II. But by the time I began visiting the region, landlocked salmon had come to dominate the fishery. Even so, from what I was able to determine, the legendary trout known as Pete seemed to survive throughout the years, time and again finding a way to outwit his pursuers.

Reports of this extraordinary trout’s exploits began soon after the dam was constructed, continuing through 1923 when another of the Upper Dam notables, Charles Edward Wheeler, memorialized the legend in his poem: The

Ode to White Nose Pete.

Better known as Shang to his friends, Wheeler was an accomplished angler and long-time friend of Wallace and Carrie Stevens. He also was renowned for duck decoys that he carved for his friends, winning first prize in the amateur category of the International Decoy Makers Contest for 12 consecutive years.

It was Shang who encouraged Carrie to tie her first streamer.

By the time Shang wrote his paean to Pete, most anglers agreed that the fish breaking their lines was one of Pete’s descendants, for surely a brook trout could not live for over 100 years. Or could it?

There remained a few true believers, one of whom was the aforementioned Colonel Bates.

As retold in Graydon R. Hilyard’s authoritative book published in 2000, Carrie G. Stevens: Maker of Rangeley Favorite Trout and Salmon Flies, the colonel (only a captain at the time) fought the wily brook trout on a September afternoon until his line went slack, Pete once again emerging victorious.

Afterward, while stationed in the Pacific, Bates wrote to Wallace Stevens, inquiring as to whether the fish remained at large. Writing back, Wallace enclosed a photograph of the venerable trout’s head mounted under glass. But in another letter, Wheeler implied that the mount was a fake carved from wood, and that before leaving for that season he’d seen Pete finning

contentedly below the dam.

For years the mystery persisted, with sightings of Pete reported from time to time while the wooden mount disappeared from public view. The mount re-emerged in 2010 and now hangs in the Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum, with the following words inscribed beneath: Here’s all that is left of White Nose Pete, His mouth contained most every fly.

So there was naught to do but die.

—Shang If you’re in the Rangeley Lakes Region on one of those summer evenings when the lupines are in bloom and there is a breeze in the air, take a drive down the logging road. Listen to the aspens whisper their secrets as you walk past the gate. Hear the mighty rush of water as you approach the newly constructed modern dam. Take a moment to stare down into one of the many deep pools below. Blink and you may miss that enormous brook trout with the white nose, the one that appears to be smiling from the swirling current. Look harder and you may spot my Gray Ghost streamer among so many others jutting out of its jaw, for I have it on good authority, at least as reliable as Shang Wheeler, that ole Pete continues to haunt those dark waters below Upper Dam.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

Page 61

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Page 62

Coyotes (Cont. from pg 47) It wasn’t!

So several minutes later I pulled out my electronic caller and played the snowshoe hare distress call at mid volume for approximately a minute. Still after ten or more minutes of sitting quietly, no coyote to speak of. I increased the volume a few notches.

Again nothing!

I turned the electronic caller to max volume and played the hair distress again for only thirty seconds. After a five or more minute wait there was still no coyote to speak of. I continued to sit there quietly thinking of what to do next.

I finally decided to play the rodent/mouse distress call on my electronic caller for several minutes. Again this was after sitting quietly for about fifteen minutes.

I would say the coyote definitely heard the loud hair distress call and was already walking back to

Northwoods Sporting Journal the clearing when I started playing the rodent/mouse distress call. After several minutes of rodent distress the coyote appeared to my right walking slowly along the woods edge heading out and around to my front.

The coyote was heading for my downwind side. I had my rifle shouldered and was following this coyote with my scope. At 117 yards (I paced the distance afterward) I shot that blonde phased 45 pound female coyote. The coyote stopped and paused one second too long.

This winter when the white stuff falls and the conditions are perfect I highly recommend getting out there on a “track and call” coyote hunt. As always it’s my hope that these columns encourage you to hunt more. You most certainly could be a way better coyote hunter than I’ll ever be. If you actually learned one thing from reading this then I did my job correctly. Thank you

November 2021

for taking a few minutes to read this. Happy hunting!

think maybe it was just an it’s a generous tip, and not oversight. Surely next time so well when it isn’t. Either it will be corrected. If it that, or it just wasn’t apJustin has a website isn’t, someone else may get preciated very much. Too you can go to for more those same dates next year. much of that, and you may information about his acA sensitive topic? For find your guide doing some complishments. That web sure. Tipping probably tipping of his own, collectURL address is: www.Wild- does say something about ing spruce boughs in the MaineOutdoors.com. our personalities. The per- fall that is, to make ends son on the receiving end meet. would definitely say that it does. But the takeaway for Randy Spencer’s new the fishing or hunting guide book, “Written on Water,” (Cont. from pg 58) ly a slap in the face to see is always going to be that is out Nov. 5th from Riverthis happy sport who had they did well for you when cliff Books and Media. such an epic experience decide to go on the cheap when it comes to the tip.

At this point, the guide is thinking, “what more could I have done?” Though he or she will never say so, it hurts to see all that care and attention to every detail go unnoticed.

Some guides keep “black books.” There are usually not many names in them, because great days on the waters or in Art Drinkwater, formerly of Maine and now the woods rarely go unliving in central Florida, snagged this 5 lb requited. Sometimes, as male salmon during mid October at Grand with Kyle, some slack is Lake Stream. The fish hit a Ron’s Deceiver. granted. Other times we

Tipping

(Photo by Bob Leeman)

Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!

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In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free.

And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

New Hampshire’s November

November is truly a month of perspectives. For some, it’s the wake-up call that winter is just around the corner and things need to be buttoned up for the coming months. For others, it’s the month for the twominute drill to prep gifts, menus and a list of who’s showing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then… there are the rest of us. We did the around-thehome projects in August and September. And we know that Thanksgiving Day will feature the Lions and the Cowboys on TV. Everything else that day is just gravy. This is our month to put everything on the back burner and make all the time we’ve spent over the past eleven months scouting, pouring over maps, setting out trail cams, sighting in at the range, getting permission slips where required and dreaming…pay off.

Sadly, we know that there are no guarantees.

Last year 49,742 hunters had licenses in the state while our deer harvest was 13,044. That makes

for a 26% success rate.

Of course not all license holders were deer hunters which would knock the percentages down a tad more.

You have to believe that every time you head out, “that’ll be the day”.

Otherwise, you’re just go-

fill a tag. It’s just their way of matching up the rut and moon phases into “best case” scenarios. It’s not the final word! OnXHunt said that, “multiple scientific studies have found that 90 percent of adult whitetail does in North America will be in estrus and breed

between November 5 to 20”. That’s pretty much what we already know. But, over the years, I’ve tagged deer before and after that window. Being out there is half the battle. The bottom line is, just be in the woods as often as you can as long as you can. And don’t focus on the window-dressing parts of hunting like, “do I have the right gun and caliber”, “is my camo pattern the right one” or “is this good deer hunting weather”?

Looking at the deer harvest rates over the past

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nine years, the highest was in 2018 when 14,113 deer were taken. I’m going out on a limb now and saying that this year’s harvest will eclipse that number. I believe that for a few reasons.

First, we’ve put together a few mild winters in a

row which has aided the deer survival rates greatly.

Secondly, the rains of July aided the production of a good mast crop this fall which will help those looking to hunt food sources.

I also think the bear harvest numbers will be over a thousand for the second year in a row. One reason is that we know

that the bear densities are above average in five of the six units. And secondly, the season has been extended through November 30th in much of the state that lies north of I-89 and Route 4/202 east of Concord. This will allow deer hunters to increase their chances of encountering bruins. All signs point to a record month. Good luck to all of us!

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, is a licensed NH Fishing Guide and has a daily radio show on WNTK99.7FM. Reach him at : stjames.peter@gmail.com

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Last year 49,742 hunters had licenses in the state while our deer harvest was 13,044. That makes for a 26% success rate. ing through the motions.

And, when you come home after a long day of walking or stand sitting with your tag not filled, you have to not feel like the time spent was wasted. So, managing expectations has to be factored into your hunting outings. In these days of instant gratification however, that’s sometimes easier said than done.

I saw one rut prediction article that highlighted the 4th, 7th and 16th as Peak Rut Days. That doesn’t mean that if you’re not out on those days, you won’t

Page 63

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 64

News

(Cont. from pg 22) nounced the winners on September 14, after conducting a randomized computer drawing. Permit winners are listed in two categories: regular lottery winners and landowners.

Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by law from posting their land against hunting.

“Hunters can go to our website to find out if they are recipients of a muzzleloader season antlerless permit,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Louis Porter. “Knowing early if they’ve won, will help them plan their hunting this fall.”

“They can follow a link on our home page to go to the listing of permit winners.”

Permit recipients will

need to reprint their licenses which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits. Paper “post card” permits will not be sent in regular mail.

Antlerless permits were available for 19 of Vermont’s 21 Wildlife Management Units and may be used during the muzzleloader seasons on October 28-31 (antlerless hunting by permit only) and December 4-12.

“Yearling antler beam diameters, fawn weights and other physical condition measures are declining or are below optimal levels in many areas, indicating that deer have exceeded the level their habitat can support long-term,” said Nick Fortin, Fish and Wildlife’s deer project leader.

“No population growth is expected in 2021, however, deer populations in 7 WMUs will be above

their respective population objectives. The goal is to reduce deer populations in those areas while stabilizing populations in other areas.”

“Harvesting antlerless deer affords Vermont hunters the chance to secure locally sourced food for their families. It also helps the department balance the deer population with the available habitat.”

Permits are still available in WMUs F1-F2-KN-O and Q because not enough people applied for them in the lottery. These permits may be purchased beginning September 15 on a first come, first served basis through license agents, district Fish and Wildlife offices and on www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

Fish and Wildlife urges hunters to review the 2021 Deer Season Guide also available their website

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home page.

Online Turkey Registration

November 2021

Missing (Cont. from pg 53) could not wade across.

Sgt. Humphrey sent Mark Hutcheson and I around to the nearest road on the extraction mission.

After a quarter mile hike off the end of the nearest logging road, we had found Mo Pelletier, alive and well. Mo was wet, cold and dehydrated after his night in the woods and after walking him out to the road, he warmed up quickly and got food and water.

We always ask the victim of a search and rescue mission what happened to help piece together the story and to help make us better in the future. Mo stated he had gone into the woods after a grouse and quickly became disoriented and unable to get back to the road and his vehicle.

He travelled a considerable distance before nightfall, trying to find the road but was unable to. It was then that he hunkered down for the night and built a fire with a lighter he always kept with him. All told he was nearly 2 miles away from his vehicle.

Mo was a military veteran who had taken a cold weather survival class during his time in the military. He spoke about how this training likely helped save his life as he made a fire, cooked a grouse that he had killed and stayed as dry as he could. He very likely survived by keeping this lighter with him all the time. This was a great outcome to a long, 24-hour search for the team of wardens involved.

The Granite State’s fall turkey hunting season opened on September 15 for archers, while the fall shotgun season runs October 11–17. The fall shotgun season is restricted to WMUs D2, G, H1, H2, I1, I2, J1, J2, K, L, and M. Hunters may harvest one bird during either the fall archery or the fall shotgun season, and will continue to have the option of registering harvested birds either in person or online. Regardless of registration method, hunters must register their turkey within 24 hours of harvest.

Check Station Registration: It is recommended that hunters contact their local registration stations to determine if the location is operating and to confirm that they are registering birds during the fall season.

Turkeys registered at a check station will continue to receive the official leg seal. For a list of registration stations in New Hampshire visit https://wildlife. state.nh.us/hunting/deercheck-stations.html.

Online Registration: If birds are not registered in person, they must be registered online within 24 hours of taking. The tag that is issued with the hunter’s turkey license must be affixed to the bird.

To expedite online registration, hunters must have a reliable internet connection and should have the following information readily available: • Hunting/turkey license information • License plate number Kale O’Leary is a of the vehicle used while Maine Game Warden that hunting patrols the Oxbow District.

• Town and Wildlife He lives in Ashland, Maine.

(News cont. pg 67)

November 2021

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Sepaq Acquires More Territory

I am ecstatic to report that Sepaq has announced it will soon be acquiring high quality infrastructure and exclusive outfitting rights for nearly 1500 additional 580 square miles of Anticosti Island formerly owned by Safari Anticosti.

As of December 5, 2021, an additional six sectors, including two lodges, fif-

He continued, “Sepaq has 2400 hunters annually, and we just increased that number to 3400.”

I asked Robin what effect this will have on customers as well as Safari employees. “It is a winwin! Both Sepaq and Safari customers will have more options and more territories to choose from. It will be a

Sepaq offers a 7 day hunt where as Safari has always closed for the month of October. Things like this will need to be comparable to avoid confusion.

A substantial benefit to this agreement is it provides long term use of the Riviere-aux-Saumons airport. This is a considerable perk to eastern territories.

Sepaq customers at Renard and Comoran camps for example have a four-hour

Page 65

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME

“As I head home this morning reflecting on the last 5 days, I must say I was delighted to be asked to represent the Northwoods Journal and us, the Anticosti deer hunter, to receive the news of Sepaq Anticosti acquiring a portion of assets from Safari

This is an enormous win for the future of Anticosti and Quebec. Mr Marcel Dutil had many other offers from other countries to obtain this land. The use of it was unknown from these other potential buyers. Sepaq’ s very own Robin Plante was an instru-

“I am so excited to have this new territory!” Robin exclaimed. “We are now one of the biggest outfitters in the world!” He continued, “Sepaq has 2400 hunters annually, and we just increased that number to 3400.”

teen cabins, and a fleet of vehicles and ATVs will be part of Sepaq Anticosti’s territory of operation. Safari will retain ownership of the Saulmon and Relais sectors and will continue to welcome customers.

Robin Plante, Director of Sepaq Anticosti, has been working on negotiations with Safari for almost a year. “I am so excited to have this new territory!”

Robin exclaimed. “We are now one of the biggest outfitters in the world!”

good thing for Safari employees too because they will now be receiving the benefits and retirement plans that our employees enjoy. They have all been invited and encouraged to join our family.”

2021 Safari customers will be allowed to re-book their 2022 stays under Safari’s current rate and operating structure under Sepaq.

After that everything will be uniform across the entire organization. For instance, in September and October,

ride from the airport in Port Menier, now the ride will be under an hour.

Unfortunately, I was unavailable to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony personally, so I arranged to send a good friend and fellow journalist, Jeff Trudeau to go on my behalf. He is the administrator of Facebook group Anticosti Deer Hunters and comes to the same camp I use annually.

The following were his notes written on the last day of his stay while seated in the airport on the island:

Anticosti.

As I sat in the front room of the Chaloupe lodge, I was in the presence of high-level dignitaries.

Pierre DuFour, the minister of wildlife, Jacques Caron, the president of Sepaq, and representing the owner Marcel Dutil of Safari Anticosti, was his wife and son.

I don’t understand French very well, but the energy I gathered from the room was the passion for us, the hunter was at the forefront on everyone’s mind. It was very emotional. “

mental player representing Sepaq and us, his customers. In my opinion, it was Robin that made the deal possible, securing hunting and tourism on Anticosti Island for many years to come.

For more information on the acquisition or a stay on Anticosti Island, visit Sepaq.com/Anticosti or call 1-800-463-0863. Tell them Mark sent you! As always, I welcome your comments at AnticostiMark@ gmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 66

Flag (Cont. from pg 46) es instead of their stumpy tails. Moose, who have almost no rump patch, may use the light interiors of the hind legs to communicate.

White-tails, muntjacs, and sambars are deer species that evolved to feed in small groups around the edges of dense forests. In these species, the tail is lifted to expose light, and highly-visible underparts.

White-tails have taken evolution one step further to

warn their brethren with long, white hairs that flank the rump and tail and are flared when there is danger.

What deer are saying with their rumps and tails has been the subject of great controversy among biologists. “Flagging” by white-tails is undoubtedly a warning signal between deer, but there are several hypotheses for the behavior. Flagging is often accompanied by stamping feet or loud snorts to tell the predator, “I know that you are there.” A bouncing white flag helps fawns

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to follow their mothers in dense forest when fleeing from a predator. Flagging may be a way for the doe to decoy the predator away from a hidden fawn, much the same way as a killdeer does a “broken wing” act.

Or flagging may allow deer in a social group to keep track of each other as they flee through dense habitat.

The easy bounding gate of a flagging whitetail is not the fastest means of escaping a predator.

Mule deer have a similar slow-escape called stotting.

When deer are badly star-

tled or surprised at close range they gallop with their tail straight out and not highly visible.

Sometimes deer choose not to flag, more so when they are in dense cover. Flagging can expose them to predators (hunters), and they may opt to suppress their instinct to flag. When approached by a stick-snapping, leafcrunching hunter, whitetails must evaluate their risk and decide to flag or not to flag. One study showed that when approached by humans, white-tail bucks

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November 2021 flagged and snorted slightly less than does.

May you have the best of luck in encountering that wise Maine buck that skulks through the dark cedars and never raises his tail to give away his location.

Mark McCollough will be deer hunting from his home in Hamdpen, Maine and can be reached at markmccollough25@ gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021

News (Cont. from pg 64) Management Unit where the turkey was harvested • Sex of the bird • Age of the bird (adult vs. juvenile) • Weight of the bird (to the nearest 1/4 pound) • Beard length (to the nearest 1/4 inch) • Spur lengths (to the nearest 1/16 inch) Successful online registration will result in a confirmation email upon completion. Hunters must retain a copy of this con-

firmation as proof that their turkey was legally registered online by saving a digital version or printing a copy of the email. Accurately entered registration data is imperative as the information is relied upon by wildlife biologists and conservation officers who depend upon its accuracy. To register turkeys online, and for tips on how to age, weigh, and measure birds visit https://www.wildlife. state.nh.us/hunting/turkeyreg.html

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Page 67

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Email: cwa@cwalakestreet.com C a r r o l l P LT Cute little cabin w i t h s u b sta nt i a l makeover right on Main Road. Walls & ceiling are insulated, new windows, knotty pine interior, 100 Amp electrical. New metal roof, new privy & gray water bed for sink. Possible Owner Financing. $44,900 Lakeville- Spacious inside with a covered porch & large back deck.

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Lakeville- 52 acre Grand Falls- This lot with rustic cabin cabin was landed on sits at the top of this lot two years ago the hill offering and ready to finish breathtaking 180 off and use. This 41 degree views of area acre lot sits high on a lakes & hills. ATVing hill with great views & snowmobiling are at your door step on on Lord Brook Rd. ATV and snowsled from Vista View. Set it up for solar and live here this location. Take a look. $79,000 year round. $89,000 Macwahoc PLT- Huge spruce trees, solitude and a trout & salmon stream at your fingertips.

With the driveway already in and a nice clearing on Swimming Hole Road. Build yourself a fire and breathe deeply of Northern Maine’s clean air. $19,900 Macwahoc PLT- Only a 2 minute walk to the swimming hole, this lot could easily be turned into a sportsman’s paradise on Swimming Hole Road. One area of Northern Maine that can brag about lots of deer, bear, moose and birds. $14,900 Lee- Looking for some privacy but still need year round access and electricity? This lot is well wooded, fairly level and ready for you to take a peek at on Old Steamboat Road. It could be the property you have been looking for. $37,500 Springfield- Looking to purchase a small piece of northern Maine? This 2+/- acre parcel would be perfect. Priced to move. Ready for your camper or cabin right on Route 6. Call today to come see your little slice of the north woods. $18,900.

8 + ACRES Nicatous Lake - Butterfield Island. A private self-sufficient 8 acre island with historic cabins from the 1920's & 30's and a newer main cabin. Move right in, fully furnished. Boat house with dock on mainland. $615,000.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

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REAL ESTATE

November 2021

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200 +/- acres Masardis Maine. In the same family for 100 years and managed sustainably as a woodlot. This well forested tract of land features its own brook and a special corner that is exceptionally mature. Interior lot that allows hunting without concern for trafficked roads. Snowmobile to your getaway in the winter and drive on a nice, graveled road the rest of the year. Enjoy the trees, create paths and trails or clear a spot near the brook or other prime spots and build your dream cabin. An investment that will both grow and pay for itself as some wood can be harvested to help with costs. Land-they are not making any more of it. This is a very good opportunity you do not want to miss! Call Chuck today at (207) 227-2305 or Cbjohnston 72@hotmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2021 SELLERS LANE

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REAL ESTATE

Page 69

P.O. Box 616 Long Lake, NY 12847

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Northwoods Sporting Journal REAL ESTATE

Page 70 SELLERS LANE

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November 2021

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BERRY TWP: This two room cabin sitting on leased land with frontage on Round Lake. Cabin is off Balsam Knoll Road which is off the 19 road. The cabin has new windows and doors. Cabin has two rooms with kitchen and living room combined. If you have ever wanted a nice cabin on water and good fishing then this is the spot. Can't you just see yourself sitting on the enclose deck and just enjoying the view and the great MAINE air. Great price at only $70,000.

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