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June 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
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Volume 7 Issue 6
On The Cover
Joshua Allard of Haverhill, NH with a nine-pound, Lake Champlain lake trout.
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The Outdoor Gazette, with all of their agents, officers and employees, accept no responsibility for any or all injuries or damages that may result from interpretations of articles or advertisements within this publication. The opinions expressed by contributors to The Outdoor Gazette are their own and do not reflect the opinions of the The Outdoor Gazette in any way. No part of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of The Outdoor Gazette LLC. Copyright, The Outdoor Gazette LLC. All Rights Reserved
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Do you have an interesting story to tell? It could be about a fishing trip with Dad or Grampa, maybe a hunting trip with some buddies or just about exploring nature with Grammie. We are always looking for good stories/pictures to publish in our paper. If you have a story that you think our readers might be interested in, then give us a call at 603-989-3093 or send a copy by mail or email to fred@theoutdoorgazette.com.
June 2013
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My LCI Strategy
So the LCI is once again upon us. For those of you not from my local area here of Vermont and New Hampshire, LCI stands fro Lake Champlain International. The LCI is a long-standing fishing tournament held on, you guessed it Lake Champlain. Lake Champlain pretty much separates the states of Vermont and New York and is the sixth largest body of freshwater in the lower 48. Each year on father’s day weekend thousands of fisherpersons hit Lake Champlain in hopes of winning their share of thousands of dollars on prizes and cash. A simple Google search will give you tons of links and info. See the LCI’s other tournament ad on the last page of this issue. This year I am going solo for the LCI, low tech too. Just me and my kayak, on some set backs way up at the northern end of the lake…bass and pike will be my focus. We shall see if it pays off. If I don’t place it doesn’t matter, it’s just great to be on the
Editor’s Back Porch
By Fred Allard
nations sixth “great lake” doing one of things I love to do best. A prize-winning catch will only be a bonus (sounds like a losers statement doesn’t it, I have never placed a fish in this tournament!). Here’s my strategy, two rods one with live bait, big live bait. Including shiners, crawfish and maybe even a good ole night crawler. On the other rod I’ll be casting tons of hardware at these critters. Hopefully one will pay off and I’ll finally see my name on the leader board! The folks at the LCI put a lot of emphasis on releasing fish alive after weigh in. I have recently found my new favorite piece of fishing equipment, the circle hook. This hook design really cuts down on the amount of swallowed hooks when using live bait. The difference really became apparent to me one day when my oldest son Devin and I had my grandson, Riley, and my youngest daughter, Olivia, out panfishing one day. Riley had a
straight shank hook on and Olivia a circle hook. Not one fish that Olivia landed, had a “swallowed-the-hook” situation, Riley had many. I became a fan that day. So my live bait set-ups from now on will all be with a circle hook. They work great! Hope you enjoy/ed your father’s day weekend…see you
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June 2013
Fred Allard lives in Haverhill, NH with his family. He is a Bowhunter Education Instructor, a scorer for the Northeast Big Buck Club, the New Hampshire Antler and Skull Trophy Club and the Vermont Big Game Trophy Club. He is the President of the Montshire Traditional Bowhunters. Fred can be reached by emailing fred@theoutdoorgazette.com.
The Outdoor Gazette
Trophy Spotlight
Nick Dubuque with a 5 lb 15 oz eel he landed while Walley Fishing in the Connecticut River near Thetford Vermont. The 42 inch eel is 2 oz shy of the Vermont state record.
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
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Life at High Altitude
By Cody Covey
Work hard, play harder
This is the time of year in Colorado where the DOW draws tags and you get to find out if you are one of the lucky few hunting in a limited entry unit. This also seems to be the time, nationwide, where snow is melting and hunters are starting to get back out in the woods. I am fighting the battle between work and play and am having to put a lot of thought into how I am going to fit all my hunts into the amount of vacation time I am allotted this year. Luckily for me, in today’s day in age it seems you don’t have to hit the woods as hard as you once did to find what you are looking for. I have found a few niches in hunt planning in the past couple years that I think could be helpful for anyone who has an aggressive work schedule and is having a tough time finding time to play as hard as you work. This time of year is all about research and pre-season preparation. I am gone from 5:00AM7:30PM, 5 days a week, throw in a Saturday or Sunday shift every couple weekends and it doesn’t leave
much time for family and hobbies. I make it a point to start shooting my bow as early as weather allows, or in some cases try to shoot year around. Summer days are getting longer so if I can get home 30 minutes earlier a
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get home late and can’t shoot I use practicing with mouth calls, looking through topo maps or scouring Google Earth for hidden gems in the unit I will be hunting. By the time the snow pack has melted enough to hit the woods I am already focused on the areas I want to take a closer look which in turn allows me to spend less time walking around aimlessly.
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Stretching the legs on the Vortex, Viper HD. Scouting trips in the summer are my favorite time to test all the gear I acquired over the winter months.
Now throw a girlfriend, wife, or kids into the mix and things can get even more challenging. I don’t have kids but I do have a girlfriend who I enjoy spending time with. When I go out on weekend long scouting trips she is always welcome to come along. We get to spend time hiking together and I get to scout new
June 2013
tracks of land at the same time, I’ll take that win any day of the week! This also makes scouting trips more fun because she gets to see things she may never have in the wilderness and I have someone to talk to while sitting around the camp fire at night. Planning your hunts can be tougher than you think. I will be focusing my efforts on 3 species this year and will also carry a bear tag in case I get lucky enough to stumble upon one while chasing my chosen quarry. I put 5 vacation days aside for whitetail, 4 aside for elk, and 1 aside for mule deer. I have chosen to plan my hunts around weekends which will add 4 days to my whitetail hunt, 2 days to my elk hunt, and 2 days to my mule deer hunt. My mule deer hunt is also planned around Labor Day which gives me a free day. Add in the other weekends and it leads to a pretty good amount of time to do what I love. This may not work for everyone and I’m not the first person to do it this way but it appears to be the best approach for someone in my particular situation. All of these things are equally important and make the foundation for a successful hunt. If I didn’t shoot my bow or practice with my chosen weapon I would be losing my moral obligation to give an animal a quick, clean kill. If I didn’t spend time scouring maps or practicing calling I would be walking around aimlessly making incorrect calls for a given situation. If I didn’t spend my weekends scouting with Kelli I would most likely be a bachelor, which may not be a bad thing….just kidding. But most of all if I went into the season with no rhyme or reason of how I was going to spend my valuable vacation days I would probably waste a couple doing the leg work I should have done months in advance. Now is the time to start planning and with any luck all the pre-season prep will lead to filled tags
Cody grew up in Corinth, Vermont and went to Vermont Techincal college where he graduated with a bachelors degree in construction management. He was born into a family of avid hunters and a love for the outdoors was instilled in him at a young age. After college he moved to Lakewood, Colorado to pursue a job as a Field Engineer in commercial construction and has lived there ever since. The rocky mountains are where Cody learned a love for elk hunting and the challenges of a western mountain hunt. He can be found hunting deer, elk and various other game in the fall and skiing the fresh powder in the winter. You can reach Cody at Cody.covey @whiting-turner.com The Outdoor Gazette
Southern Side Up By Alex Cote
Talkin Turkey
When my youngest was 6 or 7, he was chomping at the bit to try turkey hunting. Never having eaten wild turkey, ( I have never drank any either!), I was hesitant to jump into it both feet because of the stories that I had heard. It was all dark meat, it was greasy, it was real gamey, and so, I wasn’t too sure how we would like it. Being brought up and taught if you didn’t eat it you don’t shoot it, I wasn’t interested in trying that hard. But that changed the first morning out when my attempts to call were answered by several excited gobbles from a couple of different love crazed toms! I guess you could say that I was hooked! Or more accurately, Alex II and I were hooked! Never really having much interest in the past nor any turkey hunting knowledge, it was trial and error for the first several, but desperate attempts. The results were dreadful at best. The only two things that we were able to successfully accomplish were the total education of the neighborhood toms from kindergarten to college and the discovery that deer respond to a turkey call quite readily, at least in the spring anyway! So, in a valiant attempt to make things right for the boy, I asked the advice of several friends whom I knew to be successful turkey hunters. One was actually kind enough to offer us a turkey pie to sample. Wow, it was absolutely out of this world. It was better than excellent! With the pie came not only cooking instructions but the secret receipt too! Now all that we needed was a turkey of our own. Knowing that there was a fall season, we began to check out the turkey hunting shows on the Outdoor Channel. At some point, it was brought to my attention that hunting spring and fall turkeys were a totally different ballgame. So we would have to wait until spring to put all of our knowledge gained from TV to the ultimate test. What I purposely didn’t pass onto my young fledgling was the tiny bit about the hours of filming it takes sometimes just to create a half an hour television show! These guys make it look so damn easy don’t they? We had a new place that we had been invited to hunt. There was an older log landing that had been reclaimed the fall before with winter
rye and the turkeys’ were going nuts in there. There were several old wooden
played the expected scenario in my mind, he was a dead bird. I would call and he would answer, each time coming closer. I stopped calling and he
pallets left behind. Being of the creative nature, I took one of then that just happened to be 6 feet plus long and propped it up with forked sticks on each end. Next, I cut a bunch of hemlock branches and weaved them into the slats of the pallet. My kid can’t sit still for five minutes so I figured this would fit our needs quite nicely. I found a couple of smaller log buts and rolled them into place to provide us with a place to sit. It was a perfect set up for youth weekend. We arrived at day break and took up our spot in the blind. We had birds gobbling all around us at first. And just like that after 25 or 30 minutes, they shut right up. I tried and tried but got no response what so ever from my pleading hen calling. So, like the toms, I stopped calling too. After about 15 minutes or so, I heard a gobble to our left. I wasn’t to sure how far off it was but I was reasonably sure that the bird was within a hundred yards or so. I had Alex put his shotgun through the peep hole that I had left for him to see and shoot out of. I started to call again. The tom continued to call back. As I
continued to gobble. He seemed be holding his position now that I wasn’t calling. I gave a couple of soft calls and his response was almost immediate. He gobbled again this time even closer, he was again on the move. Watching the opening I expected him to come out of, I saw the top of his fan as he strutted his stuff. He popped his head up and spied the decoys and made a beeline in their direction. All at once he stopped dead in his tracks. I thought that we were done and he was out of there but he went into a full strut and once again headed to the fake hen. When he put his neck out to check things out, I told the boy to shoot. With out hesitation, he let one rip and the turkey didn’t take another step! Not to be out done, I had taken the morning off from work for a dentist appointment. It being the first day of spring hunting season for anybody, I figured I’d get out of bed and give it a go. I hunted a field not to far from the house. I had a cushion and was sitting back to a rock wall that separated two fields where we had seen turkeys in both many times in the past. I got settled in and began to call> Birds were
Continued on page 11
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The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
Page 7
A Waterfowler's Perspective By Brian Bouchard
Making your own Duck & Goose Calls For many waterfowl hunters the idea of just using a duck or goose call remains a distant thought. For some they wouldn’t enter the blind without their calls and for a few we feel the need to make our own calls. We do this to achieve that feeling one gets from taking a block of wood, turning it into a tool that can be used to entice the occasional weary duck or goose to come visit our little waterhole or cornfield. There are many stages of a waterfowler’s life. I have reached the point in mine that I find as much pleasure in the days & months leading up to the hunting season as I do the season itself. I measure my level of enjoyment in the process of the hunts and the memories made. Whether I’m in the deer woods, the duck blind, or leaning against the base of a tree waiting on that old Tom Turkey to show up, I really look forward to the preparation of the hunt. Nowhere is this more true than the months leading up to waterfowl hunting. In past columns I have written
about having the pleasure and privilege to be able to hunt over hand crafted duck decoys made by award winning carver Leo LaBonte. It’s truly a special experience to see a few dozen decoys that were hand carved floating in your spread and
have the real critters start dropping in for a visit. The beauty of making your own duck & goose calls, much like making your own decoys, is not only do you get the satisfaction of using your own calls, but making them yourself
Start out with a quality lathe. I have a JET lathe 1014VS which has variable speed. The Variable speed is important so be sure to get one with variable speed. You will also want a drill press to be able to drill out the barrels. The band saw will be needed if you will be making your own inserts so that you can cut out the
My JET Lathe 1014VS used to turn Duck Calls
extends your waterfowl season to 12 months out of the year. In the off season when the depression starts to set in once the season has ended you can start turning calls to use next year, or to give away as gifts, or if they are quality calls you are making, perhaps you can start your own Duck Dynasty.
sound boards using a jig that can be purchased online. If you truly want to be considered a duck call maker you will want to make your own inserts, cut your own reeds and tune the calls yourself. You can however buy the premade inserts from echo calls on line for about $5 each. These are great inserts that come
Collet Chucks & Jig used to make Duck Calls
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The initial investment needed to turn your own calls is less than the price of a nice shotgun. Using a few hand tools you can turn out these calls on a small lathe. So here is a rough list of what you will need.
June 2013
fully tuned so they sound and look great. This is recommended when you first start as it’s much easier than cutting and tuning your own inserts.
Continued next page
The Outdoor Gazette
Nature’s Way By Tannr Allard
Education is a powerful tool
Like any other tool, it can be used for good or for bad. Education is not limited to the school institution. Education is learning. Your experiences educate you, your peers and family educate you. Unfortunately, a large portion of education, public schooling, has, as I’ve said before, neglected important issues. Because of this, it is up to parents and family to pick up the slack. Children are taught to be “realists,” which in the end, only suppresses their potential. Children are NOT taught how important their individual actions are, and they are NOT taught how truly detrimental current human
actions are. I’ve heard before the benefits of being a “realist.” A realist doesn’t get disappointed, a realist sees the truth, etc. However, self proclaimed realists fail to see their potential and their power. As a teen who is around the same people on a daily basis who I have been with since elementary school, I can confidently say that as we get older, our hopes and dreams become less and less impressive. Not because we see the world for what it is and realize we are less powerful, but because we build mental walls that keep us from freedom. We imprison ourselves. There are count-
You will need to have a few attachments for your lathe to be able to work both the barrels and the inserts. Collet chucks and other lathe parts are used to hold the calls as you work them.
inserts from this one piece. The barrels are 3 inches long and the inserts need to start out 6 inches to be turned then cut off at 4inches. The barrels are drilled out with a 5/8th inch drill on the drill press and then slid onto the lathe as a 2.5 x 3 inch block. The insert are actually drilled out on the lathe. There are many you tube videos that show the complete process. If you really want to become a proficient call maker it’s a lot like becoming a good caller. You need to read and learn from others. So take the time to gather all the tricks of the trade and develop your own. You will find that with each call you make you get a little better. After about a dozen or so calls you will be in full swing and will really start to look at this new hobby as another
Cocobolo Duck Call with Acrylic Insert
The hand tools are very important so be sure to get a quality set of turning and carving tools, ones that will withstand years of use. I have a bench grinder that is very handy for putting that much needed sharp edge on your tools. Once you get your shop all set with tools be sure to get plenty of sand paper ranging from 200 grit to 600. I use a bee’s wax to finish the calls with and I also use this during the sanding process to keep the dust down. Make certain you have the proper safety equipment like a face shield and a dust mask. Some of the best wood to use for duck calls can also be the worst ones to work with so you will not want to breathe in the dust much. You can buy blanks on line from duck call maker suppliers or cut your own out on a table saw. Many call makers select a piece of wood and cut it down to size. I use Cocobolo & Bocote wood mostly but there are many types. You can also use acrylic if you like. The blanks are usually 12 or 18 inches long by 2.5 square that I buy on line for about $10 each. I buy the ones that are 18 inches long because I can make 2 barrels and 2 The Outdoor Gazette
from previous page
less greats throughout history who have had humble beginnings. The only difference between them and the average joe is that they never let doubt get in the way. If “realists” rule the world, the world will not progress. We need optimists, people who strive for a better future, not ones who accept and allow faults to continue to exist. Huge issues, issues bigger and scarier than ever, are approaching us. Soon will come a time when a shift in our way of life is not only recommended, but absolutely necessary. Fossil fuels are running out, we need new energy. Billions are starving and thirsty, we need equal distribution. Money is being wasted on weapons and wars, we need peace. Health care, or as I, like many others call it, “Sick care,” is advancing, but only because sickness and lack of wellbeing is increasing. We need better health care, in other words, healthier lifestyles and healthier food. Education is preparing the young generations for the problems that are coming. The first step in preparation is awareness, and I can say, as a stu-
dent, that there is an incredible, unbelievable lack of awareness in high schools. I would estimate only four or five percent of the students in my school actually understand the danger we are in as far as environmental issues go. Many less recognize the problems of over population, unequal distribution of resources, the incredible cost of our way of life, the “modern and advanced” way of life. If our lifestyle is so advanced, why does it cause so much damage? This lack of awareness, of course, is not students’ faults. It is the faults of those in charge of education. Parents, guardians, and most of all, those in charge of education. Awareness must be spread. Make it a responsibility to inspire kids. It only takes a little bit of inspiration to set them on their course. Because of the vast amount of resources available to children these days through the internet, all you have to do is hit the right note, inspire them to learn, and they will take their awareness into their own hands. I can attest to this, that’s what happened to me.
Bocote Duck Call with Acrylic Insert
part of the waterfowl addiction. If you would like more information on making your own duck & goose calls send me an email and we can talk more about your soon to be new favorite hobby. If you end up with your own show on TV after, be sure to remember me for getting you started in making your own calls. I have been hunting deer and predators for over 30 years. Turkey for 15 years. Waterfowl for the past 10 years. Owner of Fields Bay Outfitters. I Live in St Albans VT with my wife Michele and our 2 sons Dillon & Kyle and our 2 labs Tyson & Remi.
June 2013
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Embrace Your Redneck Tendencies by Tina Corron
Gone Fishing
A few weeks ago, I packed up my husband, my dog, and a bottle of wine and drove to a pond near our home. My idea was to enjoy the walking trails that meander around the pond and sip a glass of wine in a scenic area on a beautiful, warm spring afternoon. As we hiked around the pond my husband would stop and check the water for fish, I displayed an unusual degree of patience, as he did agree to accompany me and my dog on this little excursion. I needed him to make the wine drinking look legit, my dog doesn’t really care for wine. We met several people fishing as we walked, and since my dog tends to be a greeter, I ended up chatting with folks while collecting my dog. There was a young couple on what looked like a date; the young woman was sitting in the sun reading a book while her beaux fished off the rocks. There was an older gentleman quietly snoozing with a fishing pole beside him on the bank. We could see a family in a boat with several poles in the water. Then we happened upon
a sight that brought back a flood of memories for me, there was a very
young girl, maybe four or five years old fishing with her father. She had a little pink tackle box and was casting her line while her father gently guided her tiny arm. It was adorable. I am not sure how old I was when my father first took me fishing, prob-
ably as soon as I could manipulate a reel in my chubby little hands. I remember my own father’s patient instruction teaching me the process
of casting, the soft plunk of the baited hook hitting the water, the slimy, sticky feel of a worm squirming in my fingers as I joyfully(and a bit sadistically) impaled it on a hook to make a last meal for my future dinner. I can almost hear the beating of dragonfly wings buzzing around the lily pads on a warm summer evening, the scratch of dry grass on the backs of my legs as I sat on a sun warmed embankment at the edge of a pond, gripping my fishing pole, just waiting for a tug on my line. The zipping of the line as the fish takes the bait and the swift jerk of
the rod as I hooked my prize. The excitement and anticipation while reeling in my catch, the cool, shiny fish landing on the bank and flop-
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June 2013
ping around as I tried to catch it with my hands to unhook it. The vague disappointment of having to throw one back now and then while my father explained that it was not big enough, “Let it grow some, it can be dinner when we catch it next time.” And me never questioning that it was the right thing to do. I recall my mother exclaiming with delight at the size and abundance of the fish we brought home, many times my dad and I got home too late for cooking and Mom would good naturedly cook my catch for break-
fast, dipped in breadcrumbs and fried to perfection. As for the young father we observed fishing with his daughter; my wish for you is this: That you
understand in your heart the gift you are giving your daughter, a love of the outdoors and memories that will last a lifetime. As my father has said many times: “Fishing is not just about the fish.” A South Burlington, Vermont resident, formerly a “flatlander” and married to a Vermonter. She and her “Vermnter” husband have 2 sons aged 17 and 22, as well as a Brittany spaniel who behaves better than all of them. Tina was raised country and it is in her blood. Tina can be reached via email at tinacorron@gmail.com. The Outdoor Gazette
Continued from page 7
Saturday of the youth hunt this year and vowed to help me get mine. His was 17 lbs, 6 inch with a 6 inch beard. I had a knee replaced the week before he took his bird so he knew I was going to have a tough time with mine. He bet me 10 bucks that I couldn’t shoot one bigger! The challenge was made, and accepted. Being out of work, opening morning found me shivering like crazy in our pre placed blind. I had birds answering enough to keep me interested but they were only toying with me. I fixed them, I went home! The next morning, I opted to try our run and gun approach. This is when we call, locate a bird and move towards the bird calling every 50 yards or so and when we get with in 100 yards or so, set up. It went well, I saw two jakes but held off. I had another bird that I was working but he lost interest after 30 minutes or so. I began to start getting sore and turned back towards my truck. I hadn’t realized just how far from the truck I was! When I finally did get back to it, I was nearly in tears! In the end, it all worked out and Alex II helped me fill my spring tag, 22 lbs, 12 inch beard and 1 inch spurs, a real dandy!
answering from all sides of me but the closest were directly behind me from the other field. I slowly turned and there were 6 or 7 birds strutting together! I had recently put one of those string calls on the shotgun so I slowly raised the gun and slowly pulled on the string. The birds seemed to be racing to my clucks. I realized that they were all jakes so I watched them wander off. The more I thought about it, I began to rethink my decision and carefully pulled on the string of the barrel mounted call. The birds all turned and came back. There was one that sported a small double beard that I picked out of the bunch but then there was one that seemed to have a larger body. So I got him in my sights and pulled the trigger. I was home with my bird in time to get the boy out of bed for school! He was some surprised! Well, that was a few years ago and we have learned from our prior mistakes. We have both taken spring and fall birds every year since. Each hunt exciting and each hunt has come with its own challenge. My little boy isn’t so little anymore, like everyone, he grows older with each passing minute. He is nearly 5 feet 10 inches tall and tips the scales at close to 180 pounds. He is expected to break the middle school record in the shot put in the very near future. He is still my closest hunting buddy and hopefully will remain that way for a lot of years to come. He got his 2013 spring bird first light on the
The Outdoor Gazette
Alex Cote resides in Deerfield New Hampshire. He is on the Pro Staff for Northwood's Common Scents! He is also a scorer for the NHASTC. Alex and his son spend as much time outdoors as possible and he only works when he has to.
June 2013
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Mass Meanderings Beginners Luck
Sometimes luck lands in strange laps, sometimes it lands right in the boat. Beginners luck applies to people who have no experience in an activity and also have no expectations of succeeding either. This was the case a few weeks ago aboard The Otter, when Bob Felix, his grandson Cody O’Dowd, my sister Judi and myself went striper fishing with Capt. Bruce Millar, his daughter Amanda and his first mate Andy Longhenry, (who again did most of the work). This was Bob’s and Cody’s first striper trip ever and Bob had been to the ocean only one other time. My sister Judi had fished for stripers several times with charter boats excellent success. The weather forecast looked great with cobalt blue skies and a breeze with made the waters off the coast of Groton, CT, a little choppy, but nothing that a Dramamine couldn’t handle. We were scheduled for the afternoon trip that left the dock at 2pm. Capt. Bruce told me the mornings charter group had caught seven stripers-the smallest of which meas-
By David Willette
ured 42”. He said that they carried away 80 pounds of filets. Expectations, at least on my part were soaring, and Judi was pretty pumped too as we cruised out nine miles from shore and dropped a few lines. Both Bob and Cody though, were a little more reserved in their enthusiasm and kept a pretty good poker face while we marched out to sea. Maybe it was because it was their maiden voyage, maybe they didn’t know what to expect, or maybe they were a little queasy. Capt. Bruce only trolls for stripers and he only uses his homemade lures called Otter-tubes. On his reels he uses a different color line for every fifty feet. So when he sees stripers on his fish-finder congregating at a certain depth, he just yells out what color to go to on your reel. It’s a piece of cake. Just hang on to the rod until you get a strike. Two people fish at a time with Judi and Cody taking the first shift. At first the fishing was slow. We went almost two hours before the first striper hit, but it when Cody yelled “fish on”, it was
then all hands on deck as Cody battled the first striper of the day a fat 47” bass. Nice fish kid. I don’t know who was more pumped, Cody, his grandfather Bob or Capt. Bruce, but as usual it was high fives all around. Around 4:30,
pretty worn out and by now we’re coming up on 8pm and we still have a three-hour ride to get home. My stomach rumbled with hunger every five minutes and it reminded me to check my watch, which didn’t help time pass either. The sun had set by
Judi is looking for a break from the cockpit where she’s been sitting for over two hours. So I trade places with her. She remarks, “watch you’ll catch one in five minutes”. The cockpit is very comfortable. So comfortable that I didn’t catch a fish in five minutes, I fell asleep in four minutes instead. Judi wakes me up with “fish on” and I land a 44”. Total fishing time. Ten minutes. But the fishing turned slow again. Because we had caught the tide badly Capt. Bruce felt that we should stay out a little longer than normal, as this is when he usually catches fish. Ten minutes later Judi yells out “fish on” and she broke the ice with a 36” bass. All of us were
now and it was getting darker by the minute, but out of the dark blue Cody yells “fish on” and our last bit of adrenalin pumped out as Cody landed another 47” striped bass. Luck can take many forms in the sporting world. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time, sometimes you have to sit in the right chair at a right time and sometimes you just have to be there to see it. On this day the only person who didn’t catch a striper probably felt the luckiest of all. David Willette is a free-lance outdoor writer who lives in Western Massachusetts. He can be contacted through www.coyotewars.com
ROSCOE BLAISDELL Official Measurer Boone & Crockett Club Pope & Young Club NH Antler & Skull Trophy Club Maine Antler & Skull Trophy Club
22 Scribner Road, Raymond, NH 03077
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June 2013
rblaisdell1@comcast.net
603-895-9947
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June 2013
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Riverbank Tales by Bill Thompson
All You Need is a Fenwick, a Pflueger and a Hornberg
In a simpler time, before graphite, bar stock aluminum and disk drags, a fly-fisher only needed three things a Fenwick fiberglass fly rod: a Pflueger Medalist fly reel and a few Hornberg flies. The one important thing left out would be the fly line. In order to complete the equation one would need to have a Cortland 333 double taper, peach, fly line. Back in 1973, or there about, when I first took up the art of fly fishing these ingredients were the ultimate implements of the sport. Of course if you were wealthy you might upgrade to an Orvis bamboo rod and maybe a fancy English fly reel, but for the common man the Fenwick/Pflueger combination was the best a man could aspire too. The Fenwick fiberglass rod is an iconic piece of American fly fishing. Fenwick got its start in Kent Washington in 1952. The first rods were made in a garage on Lake Fenwick. The first glass fly rods from Fenwick arrived on the scene in 1955. These early rods used aluminum ferrules and were an amber color. In 1963 Fenwick made history
when they introduced the patented “Feralite” ferrule. The “tip-over butt” construction was soon copied by every manufacturer of quality fly rods. In 1972 a second generation E-
When I began my life long obsession with fly fishing I worked as a manager for the K Mart sporting goods department. At my rate of pay a Fenwick fly rod was out of the
glass rods were introduced, however the following year the company introduced the HMG (high modulus graphite) graphite rod and the fiberglass fishing rod was placed on the endangered species list.
question. I think they were selling for just around $80. I started with a more modest priced $9.97 Daiwa. It wasn’t until very recently that I acquired my first Fenwick fly rod. A friend was cleaning out his closet in preparation for a permanent move to Florida and he gave me his old Feralite 7 foot 6 weight rod. Apparently a 6 weight trout rod has little use in the Sunshine State. Shortly after I rigged up the rod, with the appropriate 6 weight, line mounted on a Pflueger Medalist reel. After only a few casts out on the lawn I realized my error. Had I been able to come up with the eighty bucks back in 1973 I might have been a much better fly caster much quicker and taken years off my learning curve. These old rods cast with authority and are no doubt better than a lot of more expensive graphite rods on the market today. Fiberglass rods have become collectable in recent years and a Fenwick glass rod in excellent condition might fetch as much as $175. Fenwick dominated the fly rod market for many years in both glass and graphite rods. In the 1980’s the company began to lose favor with the fly rodding public and they were surpassed in popularity. I think that the decision to manufacturer their rods outside the USA contributed greatly to their demise. I have written about Pflueger Medalist reels in this magazine before and have had a long love affair with them. Over the years I have amassed a small collection of them which are on display in my shop. I still fish two of them regularly. Although the first Medalist dates back to 1928 it was born to fish with
The North Country Angler has been in the “Valley” for over thirty years. We are a full service fly shop offering quality fly fishing gear and guiding. Bill and Janet’s 10 Year Anniversary as owners
2888 White Mountain Highway North Conway, New Hampshire www.northcountryangler.com Phone: 603-356-6000
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June 2013
the Fenwick rod. Sadly a year ago the Medalist was taken out of the company’s catalog. Unfortunately the reel had been made overseas for many years and was no longer the reel that it had once been. The Medalist was so popular with fly fisherman in its day I think of it as “America’s Fly Reel”. Cortland fly lines are another American success story. In 1953, a couple of years before the Fenwick came on the market Cortland line Company introduced the first commercially successful synthetic coated fly line. The new line was called “The Unsinkable 333 Fly line”. Ask any bamboo or fiberglass rod enthusiast and they will tell you that a Peach 333 line is the only line for these rods. Although today they probably defer to the upgraded 444 line. In New England the Hornberg reigned supreme as the one essential fly for many years. The fly was first tied by Frank Hornberg sometime in the 1920’s. The fly was conceived in Michigan, but New Englanders made it their own. The fly is still popular today, but nowhere near as popular as it was in the past. There are countless variations of the fly besides the original mallard flank version. In our shop we still carry three different colors. When all the elements are combined you have a deadly outfit still feared by trout to this day. If you have the idea that you might like to fish like your Dad or Grandfather did you might want to dig around a bit and put one of these outfits together. There is a good bet that one or maybe even two of the pieces may be hidden away up in the attic; If not try searching yard sales or the Internet. In the end you are going to spend a lot less cash than if you purchased a new graphite outfit and you are going to have a classy rig. A few other things you might want to look for while you’re at it: an old fedora felt hat, a red and black flannel shirt and a wicker creel will complete your ensemble. Originally from Maine, Bill Thompson, with his wife Janet, lives in Freedom and owns North Country Angler fly shop in North Conway. He has been fly fishing for more than 30 years and is a licensed NH Fishing Guide. He has fished all over New England, in Canada and out West, but claims the Saco as his “home river.” He also writes a column for a local paper as well as articles in national fly fishing magazines. Bill’s email is bill@northcountryangler.com. The Outdoor Gazette
Governer Shumlin Signs Sportsmen’s Act of 2013
Barre, VT – Joined today by sportsmen and women at the Barre Fish and Game Club, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the Sportsmen’s Act of 2013, legislation spearheaded by the Fish & Wildlife Department in coordination with members of the Legislature and many hunting, fishing, trapping, and other traditional interest groups. “This law represents the important working relationship between the Fish & Wildlife Department, the administration, legislators, and key fish and wildlife partners,” said Gov. Shumlin. “It will protect our fish and wildlife resources, provide additional recreational opportunities, and support improved administration for the department and the Fish and Wildlife Board.” “I want to thank all of you who worked together to shepherd this comprehensive bill through the legislative process,” said the Governor. “The Sportsmen’s Act of 2013 will benefit Vermont’s fish and wildlife resources, as well as those of us who enjoy them. It seems fitting that we are adopting it shortly after Vermont was recognized in a federal survey as the state with the second highest participation rate in fish and wildlife-based recreation, second only to Alaska.”
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The bill includes the following provisions: • Prohibits the importation and possession of feral hogs in Vermont. Many state fish and wildlife agencies are fully engaged in attempts to reduce or eradicate wild hog populations, which can carry various diseases and are extremely destructive to wildlife habitat. • Requires that any person taking a nuisance bear must first attempt reasonable non-lethal measures to protect his or her own property. Under current law, there is no requirement for property owners to create an aversion for bears who may threaten property. In the law, there is an exemption for exigent circumstances or damage to corn fields. • Prohibits the intentional feeding of black bears. Previously, there was no prohibition for feeding black bears in Vermont, which has increased the number of nuisance bear problems in the state. • Repeals reimbursement for deer and bear damage. The Fish & Wildlife Department is no longer required to reimburse a claimant for damage to crops, fruit trees or crop bearing plants by deer; and for damage to livestock and bees by black bear unless the claimant
derives at least 50 percent of their income from farming. • Allows landowners the opportunity to legally post their property so that hunting, fishing and trapping would be allowed only by permission. Previously, landowners wanting to control access for these activities were forced to post against trespass by anyone, which led to an increase in the amount of inaccessible land in Vermont. • Defines posting for landowners wishing to receive a landowner antlerless deer hunting permit to mean any signage that would lead a reasonable person to believe that hunting is restricted on the land. Previously, some landowners were posting their land against hunting, but not registering with the town clerk according to Fish & Wildlife law – and then applying for priority landowner antlerless deer hunting permits. The bill makes it clear that these landowners would not be allowed to receive landowner antlerless permits. • Clarifies that a person who is under suspension for the right to hunt, fish and trap may not hunt on their own property during the period of suspension. • Increases the distance a hunter can shoot from the road from 10 feet to 25 feet, prohibits shooting
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across a public highway, and creates a working group to address the taking of game from motor vehicles or public highways in Vermont. The working group will consist of the Commissioner or a designee, two members of the Fish and Wildlife Board, two State Game Wardens, and two people who hold a valid Vermont hunting license. The group must report back to legislative committees with recommendations by December 15, 2013. • Allows for possession of handguns during archery season and while training hunting dogs. Creates more consistency with rights currently afforded to hikers, wildlife watchers and others. • Authorizes the Commissioner to designate an additional Free Fishing Day during ice fishing season. One of Fish & Wildlife’s goals is to enhance opportunities for wildlife-based recreational opportunities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, and wildlife viewing. This would encourage people to try ice fishing. • Grants authority to the Fish and Wildlife Board to regulate the use of crossbows during hunting seasons. Under current statute, there is
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Depicting the Outdoors By Dawn Ainsworth
Bragging Rights
One of my husband Dylan’s favorite hunts was when he was a teen and went with his father to Canada and they both bagged a boar with crossbows. I have heard him tell the story countless times over our relationship, mostly when a visitor at his parents place sees the massive heads that flank the stone chimney in their living room. Although I don’t find much enjoy-
ment in looking at the snout of these creatures, which is why they remain at my in laws house, I do understand Dylan’s obvious joy in having his trophy displayed. The logistics of showing this mount to countless audiences would mean scheduling tours of their home, something my father in law probably would love considering how many different mounts he has displayed throughout the resi-
dence, over twelve at last count, including a strutting Tom. Another, more common and appealing option would be to have a trophy shot displayed. The problem, like many of you may have experienced, is that the picture of Dylan with his boar was quickly snapped in the field and happens to have a tree right in the middle of the frame. After all the hard work of getting a trophy fish or game animal, it is really nice to be able to have a quality visual aid to go with the amazing story that you will now share with anyone and all that you see, the teller at your bank, your coworkers, the grocery store clerk. Here are a few tips to help you take a great trophy shot, with any camera, even a Smartphone. First you want to set the scene.
the animal with or the lure and reel they caught their fish with in the shot, so keep that in mind. Also, keeping on whatever gear you were wearing is crucial to setting the scene. Don’t forget to use your “Photographer’s Instincts” I talked about last month: pick your theme, focus attention to your subject, and simplify before you ever push the shutter. Now it is time to compose the shot, try not to set the successful hunter or angler so they are looking directly into the sun, squinting makes for an unattractive photograph. Make sure the subject is in focus, both the person and the fish or game animal; also make sure there are no objects blocking your subject such as trees, rocks, twigs or grass. Sometimes, especially with large
An example of correctly using the trophy shot tips, photo of author with a large mouth bass.
Successful bear dog hunter © Nostalgic Images
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Ideally, take a picture in the location that you hunted or fished from. A natural setting looks much better than the parking lot at the local weigh station or your driveway with a lawn mower in the background. Most sportsmen and woman like to have the gun or bow they downed
game like Moose you will be unable to easily position the animal. A great way to make your trophy stand out in this case is to raise the head, which can be accomplished with a log or rock, something that allows you to hold it off of the ground.
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June 2013
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Keep in mind that you should be respectful to the animal as well, and remove as much blood in the picture as possible. Everyone knows it is
dead; you’re standing over it with a gun or bow, they do not need to see any gore. An easy way to accomplish this is by carrying a few wet wipes
with you. Finally, make your subjects fill the frame, and you are well on your way to producing a trophy shot you can proudly share.
If you can’t take a photograph of the trophy in its natural setting, remember that, you usually won’t have a great photograph if the game animal is in the back of a truck. The exception I have found to this, is hunting dogs. They help tell the story and sometimes having them or their boxes in the background can be a great aid. You can never take too many photos, so don’t be shy and if you are able, view your shots to ensure that you have captured the perfect photograph before heading home. Finally, don’t forget to smile; it really can make a difference in the memories of your experience. Use the tips I have picked up from being the photographer of a prolific family of hunters and anglers. The next time you get ready to brag about your outdoor adventure, hopefully you will have a great trophy shot to go with your story. Dawn Ainsworth lives in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom of Vermont with her husband, two daughters and numerous pets. She is an award winning professional photographer with a diploma from the New York Institute of Photography. She enjoys being a volunteer photographer for the Vermont State Parks, and is also a certified Let’s Go Fishing Instructor. She owns and operates Nostalgic Images, which specializes in guided photo excursions. On Facebook at WWW.FACEBOOK.COM /NOSTALGICIMAGES
A nice winter coyote © Nostalgic Images
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from previous page
June 2013
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Family Tracks Sometimes, Quickies are the Best
I wasn’t even sure that we were going to do it. I knew the consequences were that we might be really tired and grumpy the next day, but hey, you only live once. Once we made up our mind it was really gonna happen, I immediately got out the bug spray. Nobody needs insect bites on soft, tender skin. That ruins everything. Ben objected whole heartedly to the bug spray on his skin, so we added it liberally to his clothes and hunter orange ball cap with a graphic of some very large antlers. Urgently, we stepped out the door to head to our late evening fishing spot, on a school night no less, and were instantaneously greeted with a rumble of thunder in the distance. I know, I know, when thunder roars, go indoors. We got in the car and went fishing anyway. We could always turn around. I knew right where the sweet little honey hole was, in a stream
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that’s designated one of Vermont’s “Trophy” waters. We clamored down the steep bank to the river, me lugging the gear and sliding on leaves while keeping a hold of Ben to keep him from somersaulting down the bank. Once at the water’s edge, I realized we weren’t even close to the spot I was aiming for. We scrambled hastily along the water, climbing over boulders, crossing shallow water, and going around and through fallen trees trying to get in a few casts at this spot before there was a rainstorm. Threatening clouds peeked over the edge of the trees as we looked up out of the little canyon we had descended into, but I heard no more thunder. Finally, we found it. No other people, but the water was a little high and fast and I had a little trouble getting Ben’s baited line set on the bottom, I didn’t have enough weight. We picked a spot on a rock where I could cast toward a hole I had caught some
By Brian Lang nice fish the year before, and started casting a small spinner with my ultra light rod. After a few casts, a nice rainbow
the fish well, and soon we had it dragged up on our rock where I wrestled it into my hands (I had neglected to bring a net in our
grabbed the spinner and the fight was on. Ben grabbed the tiny rod as it bucked and jumped, and the fish even peeled some of the 4lb test off the miniscule reel with a screeching sound as it used the swift current to try and get away. Ben played
haste to leave the house). We caught no more fish out of that spot, but tried another as we made our way back to the car. I would cast out far across the current, give the rod to Ben, and he would retrieve the spinner. I
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tried to regulate the speed by telling him “faster” then “slower”, but really all we ended up with was “stop” and “start”. It didn’t matter; we hooked another fish, a nice brown trout this time which regretfully got away when the hook came out while the fish was only one good flop from the water’s edge. In the process, the lure swung up and hooked into my sweatshirt on my back, but Ben was able to skill-
fully remove it without hooking himself. If I brought my son home with a hook in his finger, his mother would kill me. Another brown followed the lure, and then we hooked another and got it safely in our hands before we decided to head back to the car, this time following a much more leisurely path along more gradual terrain. It never did start raining, and the thunder was just a distant
memory as we drove home along the main road, which slithered back and forth like a giant snake as it followed the contour of the river. It was rapidly getting dark, but there was still enough light to clearly see Ben in the backseat, way past his bedtime, as he talked excitedly about the fish we caught and the river we explored, and nobody was even grumpy the next morning.
from previous page Brian Lang lives with his wife, Michelle and two children Megan and Ben in Reading, VT. Brian grew up in VT and started enjoying his outdoor pursuits at a very young age. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, camper, and hiker and hopes to give his kids the same wholesome upbringing he enjoyed in the New England outdoors. When he's not outside, he works as an MRI Technologist. He can be reached at Bclang78@gmail.com.
The Gazette’s Hunting and Fishing Solunar Tables
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June 2013
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Anchor Points Proper Practice
When I was younger I would stand in the backyard and shoot arrow after arrow for hours on end. I couldn’t get enough of it. The more I shot the more I enjoyed the process. There was something about seeing an arrow in flight that captured my attention and held it. At the time I didn’t realize how the massive number of arrows I shot were hurting my shooting rather than helping it. I never concentrated on one specific thing during my practice sessions, which led to a lot of sloppy shooting. Problems are bound to creep in when you don’t work on certain items in your form. You should take notes and prioritize the things you need to work on to improve. If you have a problem aiming you should spend time on that part of your shot process. If you have problems dropping your arm upon release you should work on keeping the arm up when the shot goes off. After you make the list of things that need the most work it’s time to dive in. It’s not necessary to practice the same thing every time you shoot, but it is extremely important to give 100% of your attention to whatever you are practicing. Since most archers have similar problems while shooting, I’ll try to help you prioritize the things you should work on by making a list and talking about the things on the list. Many archers don’t have a shot sequence that is repeatable and used every shot. If you ever watch good shooters you will notice that many of them look like a machine. They do the same exact thing every time they shoot an arrow. It’s almost boring to watch them shoot because you never see anything that is different from the last shot. You should model yourself after these shooters. Most shot sequences have any-
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By Todd Mead
where from eight to fourteen steps in them. Your shot sequence starts before you load the arrow onto the string. Write your steps on a piece of
breaks. When the shot breaks I watch the arrow hit the target and repeat the process. Although your shot process might vary a little from mine, you will want to have one that is easy to repeat
Getting on the range is the most important part of practicing. paper and go over them in your without thinking about it. When the mind before you head outside and process becomes subconscious your try it on the range. I usually load an shooting should improve. arrow on the string. Once the arrow I encourage people to practice is loaded I set my feet and adjust my aiming when they’re shooting. Many hand on the handle. Then I latch the archers don’t give the proper release onto the loop and begin amount of concentration in order to drawing the bow. As the bow reach- shoot to the best of their ability. If es full draw I settle my knuckles into the mind wanders while you’re aimmy jawbone and make sure the ing, the arrows will probably end up string lightly touches my nose. The in a larger group than they should aiming dot is then acquired and be. splashed into the middle of the tarAiming can be difficult if you try get. That is when I begin aiming and to hold too steady. You have to pulling. I move my elbow backward remember that according to the laws and feel the tension build in my of physics there is nobody who can back. As the tension builds I tell hold the bow completely still without myself to keep pulling until the shot any movement in the sight picture.
June 2013
Even the best professional archers in the world have movement in their sight pictures. While you are practicing aiming try to determine how large your holding pattern is and keep an eye on it from day to day. If you can hold your aiming dot in a three inch circle on a regular basis try to improve that so the pattern shrinks. You can do it by experimenting with stabilizer weights or even holding weight on your bow. Always experiment with things to see if a difference can be made. One of the things to spend the most time on is the release. It doesn’t matter whether you use your fingers, a hand-held release or a caliper style release you need to practice it until you can do it with your eyes closed. The secret, no matter what you use to release the bowstring, is to keep your hand relaxed. If you have tension in your hand it will be extremely hard to make consistent shots. It’s also important to slowly squeeze the trigger until the shot breaks. You want it to surprise you when it goes off. If possible you want to avoid command shooting your shots. Instead, let the pin float around in the center of the target as you apply pressure on the trigger. This should make your groups tighter. When you find yourself on the range this summer make sure you’re practicing the things you’re not good at. Too many people practice the things they’re good at and ignore the areas where they could use help. You will never get better if you don’t give proper attention to the weaker areas of your game. Have fun and keep striving to get better. Todd is the author of Backcountry Bucks and A Lifetime of Big Woods Hunting Memories. You can catch up with him on his website: www.toddmead.com He resides in Queensbury, NY.
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This “Bone Collection” can be seen in Quechee, Vermont.
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June 2013
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Outdoors with Anita By Anita Williams
A New Beginning
The glistening black nose twitches, as the rest of the small creature lay motionless. The newborn fawn is wet from the miracle of birth. Green wisps gently sway providing a grassy hiding spot for him. About the size of a loaf of bread, this young deer is reddish-brown. White spots speckle across his back and sides. While he appears to be helpless, he doesn’t need your help, only his mother’s and it is important to stay away and not interfere with the doe’s natural instinct for raising her young. Although my daughters needed constant nurturing when they were newborns, the doe’s method of rearing her offspring is quite different from mine. The first four weeks will be remarkably different. Within hours of birth, the fawn is led to a secluded spot and the doe nurses her young. With a full stomach, the fawn is content to lie down and rest. If the doe has twins, it will hide the second fawn up to 200 feet away. Then
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the doe will leave to forage and rest, out of eyesight but within hearing range. In about four or five hours, she will return and feed her young and move them to new hiding spots. She will follow this pattern until her fawns are strong enough to outrun predators; then they will travel with their mother. They are weaned after 8-10 weeks. Buck fawns stay with their mother for one year while the doe fawns stay for two years. Deer have evolved a number of adaptations that make this approach to raising their young successful. The fawns have almost no odor so predators cannot smell them. Their white spotted coats provide excellent camouflage when they are lying on the forest floor or in the tall grass. During the first week of life, frightened fawns instinctively freeze making full use of their protective coloration. Older fawns remain motionless unless they think they have been discovered. Then they jump and bound away. A deer’s primary
protection from predators is its great speed. Newborn fawns are not strong or fast enough to outdistance them so they must depend on their ability to hide for protection. I am careful to keep quiet so the newborn fawn will not startle. His chest expands with each breath of air. So small and precious now, quickly he will grow and change. I knelt down and took a few photos and then gently ‘fluffed’ the grass back in place as to not draw any attention to this special bedding area. I have been blessed to witness a fawn so young and innocent enter this world. It seems like only yesterday my two daughters took their first breaths and now they have both in college. They are preparing to leave the nest that I made for them many years ago. As I left the field where the precious fawn lay, I said the same prayer for protection and guidance from above for a good life, the same one I said to my
June 2013
creator years earlier, when my children were wet from birth. Anita lives in Grand Rapids, MN and is the mother of two adult children. She has been a hairstylist for thirty years. Her empty nest allows time to pursue interests of photography, bowhunting, fishing, travel and food. You can follow her on facebook, youtube and huntervids.com. To watch the fawn movie go to http://youtu.be/GRI0fNCgagw Or find her on facebook @ Anita Williams. Anita lives in Grand Rapids, MN and is the mother of two adult children. She has been a hairstylist for thirty years. Her empty nest allows time to pursue interests of photography, bowhunting, fishing, travel and food. Follow her on facebook and watch her videos @ "http://www.huntervids.com /?videos=northern-pike-spearfishinganita-williams-pokegama" http://huntervids.com/?videos=northern-pike-spearfishing-anita-williams-pokegama-
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June 2013
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Anything Whitetail By Bret Homer
SUMMER & FALL FOOD PLOTS
First thing some whitetail enthusiasts need to come to terms with Is that your situation will not always match the conditions you are fantasizing about after reading about plots or watching segments on a DVD or outdoor TV. If ya really want to be successful with what you are doing? Ya gotta understand that you will need to adapt to your specific situation and accept there are no magic blends or potions to get every big buck in the woods onto just your property. That does not mean you wont have some sort of results. Just know that it isn’t just, “Throw’n grow” + hunting = will go and kill a big buck. So getting the best results from the biggest to the smallest of food plots, will require extreme research and planning. And that means first cutting through the all the bull crap every food plot seed selling person in the industry is trying to cram down your throat that their blends are the best. Whenever it comes to deer mineral and food plot seeds for whitetails. The FIRST THING you need to understand is that just because it has a picture of a deer on the package doesn’t mean it is gonna bring the deer running better than any other product. Always remember the hunting industry is trying to sell you the image of “You need to buy this from me because you will kill the biggest bucks of your life every year as I have developed the best of kept hunting secrets”. Yeah....Right! So look, there is a point where seed is seed, and mineral is mineral. I don’t care what bag you put it in or what the picture is on the front. If you want the best results from your mineral licks and plot? You first need to understand just what is in the bag AND just what each type of seed is and what
it does. What we have to select from is
perennials and annuals. The perennial will grow for several seasons from one planting and annuals will require planting each and every year. Now with Clover being an important ingredient to a food plot. First understand that some clovers are perennials and some are annuals that will die off in a year. There are several different types of clover seeds and each clover is different. Some have a higher RFV (relative feed value) than others. If you really want to know what each clover seed is, does, and provides to your food plots, do some extensive research to see what each type of clover will provide for you. Some clovers are higher in protein than others. Some are drought tolerant, some are wet tolerant, some are shade tolerant, some are adapted
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Therefore having several different types of seeds in your customized blend, you will always have a plant that is attractive to animals until the next one matures and the goal is to keep’em coming for as long and as often as you can. OVER THE COUNTER BLENDS: The first thing you need
what each type of see is and/or what it does? You are gonna soon learn that a lot of what you are buying is mainly annuals that grow up, green up and die. THUS... you buy another bag for next year. Are ya starting to get the picture? sell, seLL, SELL!! So, look on the back of each bag of everything you are considering buying to see what the actual percentages of seed types it contains. Below are examples of labels on the back of food-plot seed and mineral bags from a well-promoted hunting industry product from the Whitetail Institute. Take note of the percentage levels of the bag contents. FIRST: The highest content level is the seed COATING. Which is clay and seed inoculate. Therefore this 18lb bag of Imperial Seed, which retails for $143.00, you just paid $48 for that specific ingredient which wont make or break your plot because proper soil preparation is always needed regardless. Bottom line here is? Use the $50 to properly fertilize and lime your plots. SECOND: The percentage level of seed contents. Now even though it all says clover, know that 33% of the bag’s contents is Berseem clover. Now just what is berseem clover? It is a Red Clover that is an ANNUAL & clover. Best benefit of this type of clover is it can reach a protein level of 28%. But if you want it in your plot next year, You will need to frost
to understand about pre-bagged and heavily promoted blends? JUST WHAT IS IN THE BAG YOU ARE BUYING? Most people new to the idea of planting a plot don’t have a clue what they are buying. That is why they put catchy phrases on the bag like “Throw & Grow” or “Secret Spot” blah blah... So first learn just what each seed is and then ALWAYS LOOK ON THE CONTENT LABEL, the Tag on the back of the bag! It will tell you just what kind of seed you are actually getting. Once you have done your research and understand
seed back into your plot next spring. The remaining type of seed is the ever so popular Ladino clover. This is a perennial that is a sweet, large leafed clover and is attractive to deer. So in this purchase you gained two types of clover with different maturity rates with one type lasting for 3-5 years (with proper maintenance) and the other only lasting one season. Now that you know what to look for on the package, know that you have the FREEDOM to buy the exact individual seeds that you want in your plot. Plants that will specifi-
better for different soil types and will grow better/only in some soil types, where others will not. Each seed has a different maturity rate.
June 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
cally match your situation. You can buy these seeds from a local Co-op or farm supply company. Not only that, you can buy it at a lot more affordable rate leaving you with money saved to spend on the needed fertilizer and Ag Lime to keep that plot green and healthy.
As for fertilizers, know that clover produces its own nitrogen. Proper preparation for a successful plot will require the addition of potash, dap (phosphorus) and aglime. Be sure to mow the area first. Then spray the entire area with a burn down chemical to kill all the
The following clover seeds are just some of the types that are available to purchase for your food plots. Be sure to look for and research each seed to see which ones will be best suited to your specific situation. Such as soil types, maturity rates, RFV levels and other conditions that can sometimes drastically change from one state to the next and even one side of a farm to the next. Note that some types are more cold tolerant than others and will remain green and attractive longer than others. Types: White Ladino, White Dutch, White Huia, Alice, Alsike, Kura, White blossom Sweet, Yellow Blossom Sweet, Crimson Red, Red Berseem, Medium Red, Mammoth Red, etc. There are a few different types of alfalfa as well. Like the clovers, they are all better suited to different soil types. The main thing to keep in mind when planting alfalfa is that this type of plant is a plant that creates a toxin that will not allow its self to reseed on itself. Thus when needing to replant you, will need to till up the entire area and plant a cereal grain in its place. Then successful replanting will be possible. So plant alfalfas alone, in a separate plot, with a few clovers mixed in.
weeds in the area. Once weeds are dead the area may need plowed to turn the soil. Otherwise disc the area thoroughly and then apply Potash, DAP and Ag Lime and disc into the soil. You will then need to firm the seedbed. If you have a small plot, a simple yard roller will be fine. Once the seedbed is prepared you may then broadcast your selected seed blend and then drag the topsoil to cover the seed. Deer mineral. First check your local game laws. Some states do not allow the use of salt and some have even began banning the use of mineral as well. This is a good reason to have the best food plots you can. So AGAIN, look on the back to see what is in the bag. The two substances needed for bucks to grow antlers and for does to stay healthy while nursing fawns, is calcium and phosphorus. Again, just because it says “lucky buck” or “imperial” on the front of the bag and has a nice trophy picture of a buck of the front. IT DOES NOT MAKE IT THE BEST MINERAL SUPPLEMENT AVAILABLE! Just look at the back labels (examples below) and you will know what to look for. Go to a Farm co-op store and go to the feed section. Flip the bag over
The Outdoor Gazette
and look on the back. A 12 -12 vitamin mineral supplement is what you are looking for as it contains the highest level of the two most important substances needed. Now, know that deer like their mineral in the soil. That is how “mother nature” provided it for them way before man put it into a block form. Have you have ever noticed after you put a block out, that the deer eat the soil out from under and around the block. WHY?...that is the way nature taught them to retrieve it. The best mixture is one 50lb Bag of Mineral and one 50lb Bag of granular Mixing salt PER LICK SITE. Dig the ground up but don’t remove the soil from the hole. Mix in the entire contents of both bags into the hole. Mix into the soil the best you can. If you want it to work a little faster, Then dump a bucket of water onto the site so the salt and minerals absorb into the soil faster. Each spring you will want to replenish each site with the same amount of product. Now for those that think they are going to kill a big ole buck with its head stuck in the hole? You need to know that when the velvet sheds (and it doesn’t matter how many bucks are using it) the majority of all bucks will stop coming to the lick. This is because they no longer need the mineral to grow antlers. Sorry to disappoint you. It is what it is, NATURE!! Only thing
June 2013
from previous page
the minerals do is help provide the minerals should the deer need it. Other than that, it is not what you think it is. Never think you can compensate for a lack of knowledge and hunting skills by placing out mineral, salt or creating food plots. Year around scouting, constant use of trail cams and time spent getting to know the biology and habits of the animal will make you the best and most successful hunter in any situation! On the left is two mineral mixes sold by the Whitetail Institute. Note the levels of minerals in each bag. For $30 you can get 20 lbs of their mineral ORyou can spend $15 $25 for 50lbs of Mineral with higher levels of the most needed supplements and $5 for a 50lb bag of mixing salt and have 100lbs of mix for $20 - $30. Brett is the owner and head guide for Backwoods Whitetails Outfitters. Born and raised in West Central Illinois, Brett has well over 25 years of experience in hunting all types of big and small game in the backwoods of Illinois. Born the son of a gunsmith, Brett was introduced into small game hunting as a young boy. Through his fathers love of guns, hunting small game and upland birds. Brett quickly developed a passionate hobby that would take him to a career in the guiding hunters in the backwoods if West Central Illinois.
Page 25
The Trap Line Nuisance Trapping
The spring started off pretty dry around here. Everyone was whining about how dry it was how hot and muggy it is in May. Well you all got your wish, its rained for four days straight, t-storms with torrential rain. As I write this eastern Chittenden County is getting washed off the map. Major state highways and local roads are gone, kaput. The stream in my yard is at flood stage, Arrowhead Lake is full to the seams and the Lamoille River is angry as ever. Glad it’s not trapping season!!! This time of year trapping is done, unless you take up nuisance trapping. It’s that time of year and the phone is ringing off the hook. The calls usually go something like this “I have a skunk under my deck and it needs to go now!”. I do not believe there is one animal on the planet that causes more hate and discontent then pepe-la phew. As summer wears on the calls turn to woodchucks in the garden, foxes eating dog food off the deck, squirrels in the attic, or the weasel dining
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By Randy Barrows
on the chickens. If you are a nuisance trapper this is your busiest time of the year. Just when the regular fur trapping winds sown the nuisance trapping picks up. If you are interested in this type of work all you need to do is call the Fish and Wildlife folks and let them know the area you would like to cover. Then it’s time to sit near the phone with a pad and pen. Once a nuisance trapper it is your responsibility to learn all the laws that govern this activity. A call to your local warden will usually get you all the answers you need, and it is good to stay in contact with your warden all year as they can be real allies as they realize all you do is helping them out in their jobs. The first thing you need to do is get a preventative rabies shot. Dealing with toothy critters is an inherently dangerous job. There is no question of how it will happen but when but you can guarantee it will. A slight scratch or worse yet a bite and you will be in trouble. These shots are a little pricey but
last a long time and are better than the alternative. Nest comes the paperwork part i.e. Contract, Insurance or a disclaimer. In this world today there are folks who will try to weasel out of paying for services you provide and a signed contract will help you out in court if that is where you head. The insurance disclaimer will release you from any liability from any unintentional accidents that happen while you are doing your job. Have the contract signed before you start. Obviously you will need traps and know how to use them. If you are a seasoned trapper or a graduate of the state education course you know what you are doing. Nothing gives a trapper a bad name than someone not knowing what they are doing and catching someone’s cat or dog. Searching the internet will be helpful also. A good site to visit is www.wildlife damage control.com or read the book Wildlife Removal Handbook which is a wealth of info. Now it is time to answer the phone. Listen to the problem and try to get as much info as possible, i.e. what is the animal, where is it living, types of damage, time of day it is seen out and about and any other patterns that might make your job easier. Advise the caller when you will be there and what your plans are to remove the critter. Call the warden and advise him of the situation. This is also the best time to tell the folks about what you will do with the critter once you catch. In Vermont it is law that any animal that might harbor rabies must be destroyed. Taking them to the other side of town and releasing them only spreads disease. If you get caught doing this the warden will visit you and you will go in to the penalty box. Be up front with the caller and explain that you have to destroy the animal because of diseases that can effect humans. Don’t be surprised that some folks will decline your help because of this fact, it happens frequently. Their tunnel vision does not help them understand that removing their nuisance and moving it to another area makes it someone else’s nuisance. The next issue is cost. I charge an hourly rate and the time starts when I leave the cabin and ends when I get back. Included in this charge is travel time, setting traps, checking traps, removing and disposing of the animal and clean up time. In some cases simply rent out the trap on a weekly basis and the home-
June 2013
owner does the checking, killing and disposal. Pick up the trap when the job is done. I determined how much to charge after calling a local franchise and found out their rates. Believe me they charge a lot so I charge half of what they get and I get a ton of work. After a few years in the business word of mouth keeps you up to your armpits in calls. While setting your traps keep safety in mind. You certainly do not want to catch a cat, dog or kid in a trap. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to warn the neighborhood of your activity, not yours. Do not put up signs saying you are trapping as “Jonnie Sneekum” will help himself to your traps and be sure to have in your contract that any destroyed or stolen traps will be added to the bill. Also while setting traps remember the animal you are trying to capture. When after coons use a fish or sweet smelling bait or oiled sardines. Skunks, anything that smells seems to work , woodchucks love broccoli and cabbage and squirrels love peanuts. Think about what the target animal likes to eat and provide that for lunch. Fox love mice so you can buy ground up mice for bait or make your own. Once you make a catch it is time for caution. If the animal is caught in a cage trap cover and remove it. Move it to another location for dispatch. If caught in a foot trap the same caution should be taken as every animal comes with disease, claws, teeth, fleas, parasites, etc. Keep your distance and wear gloves and wash frequently. To dispatch animals I use a 22 caliber handgun. A shot delivered between the eyes and ears usually insures a quick death. The hole will make no difference as summer fur is useless normally. So there you have it. Sign up, break out the traps and make some extra cash during the down months. As with all things in life you will get out of it what you put into it. The sky is the limit. Keep your waders patched and your lures in the shed and take a kid outdoors with you. See you on the trap line. Randy lives in Milton, Vermont, has trapped in Vermont for 43 years, is a hunter Ed Instructor and an Advanced Trapper Instructor for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Randy and wife, Diane & their family, own and operate Arrowhead Trapping Supply. Randy is also a Vermont State Licensed Fur Dealer. They can be reached at Critrgitr@msn.com or 802355-7496, on facebook or at www.arrowheadtrappingsupply.com. The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
Page 27
Behind the Sights By Charlie Chalk
Accurate Loads - The Choice
In your minds eye can't you see the new, polished wood and smell the gun oil? To some, this dream will come true. For some, it will be a new muzzleloader; perhaps their first. The gun stores are stocking up now. Muzzle loading hunting is now the fastest growing outdoor sport. If you want a new gun, now is the time to order. Some styles are hot items and sell out quickly, leaving you with your second or third choice. (I knew you had a second and third choice; we all do, because every gun has something about it we like, but we can't own them all; so we read about each one and talk to others who own them until we limit our choices and choose our "perfect gun"). That new gun will come with a book of instructions. Read it carefully. Safety rules are the first half and the most important. Muzzle loading has a great safety record so let's keep it that way. The second half of the book will give loading data. Anything below the maximum load are called "suggested" loads. It becomes your responsibility to figure out what works
best and provides the most energy. To work up the best loads for a given caliber you need to know the weight of the bullet and an accurate powder measure. If you use Pyrodex powder, there may be variations in pressure and energy from an equal volume of Black Powder, but in the hunting field these changes are not significant. The most common hunting guns are .45, .50, and .54 caliber, so we will work up some loads for these guns. Remember, never exceed manufactures maximums and any used gun should be checked by a gunsmith before attempting any load. In the decision process for a proper hunting rifle we need to look at velocity and energy. Energy is the scientific equation we can use to start the selection process. Energy is figured by calculation but remember many other factors that provide a clean kill that cannot be calculated. You need to know how a specific rifle will perform with a certain bullet and powder combination. Take an example of a .50 cal. rifle sighted in at 100 yards, using
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a light weight bullet. For hunting, if you switch to a a heavier conical bullet, this change alone could drop the point of impact 8 to 10 inches, which could be outside the vital zone on a deer size target. The other factor, velocity, cannot be compared to modern arms. What you are looking for is the optimal load for a particular gun. Muzzleloaders are like people, we all have our likes and dislikes and so does every gun. The optimum load is one that delivers the most velocity with the least amount of powder. Beyond this point, unburned powder is being pushed out the barrel with the bullet and you gain nothing in velocity or energy. Most manufactures can supply suggested optimum loads for their guns or if you have access to a chronograph you can work up your own. lacking both, let me suggest some calibers and some common field loads that seem to work best in most guns. The .45 caliber rifle is a good light gun capable of killing deer size game. With light loads, small game can be taken with head shots. If I had to choose only one gun, it would be the .45 for both hunting and target shooting. The .445 round ball commonly weighs 133 grains. Propelled by 60 grains of 3F black powder the ball would leave the average 32" barrel traveling 1800 feet per second with 950 ft. pounds of energy. At 100 yards, the speed is 990 FPS and energy is down to 290 foot pounds with a drop of 8.5 inches. The same gun, same charge, firing a 230 grain conical bullet travels at 1522 FPS with a muzzle energy of 1180 ft. lbs. At 100 yards its speed is 981 FPS but has 492 ft. pounds of energy with a drop of 11 inches. Obviously, the conical is a better choice for hunting based on the fact that retains more energy at longer ranges. One final load for the .45 cal. would be the 300 grains conical. This is the heaviest bullet manufactured for this caliber. Again, using 60 grains of powder the bullet leaves the muzzle at 1420 FPS with 1340 ft. lbs. of energy. At 100 yards, it has 850 ft. lbs. of energy with a 10 inch drop. This load will drastically increase pressure in the gun upon firing and should be considered near the maximum permissible load. In the lighter bullets, 100 grains
of powder is considered by most manufactures to be a maximum load. If we go to a .50 caliber with a 32" barrel, a 90 grain powder charge would be an acceptable load. It drives a 180 grain round ball at 1891 FPS with 1430 ft lbs. of energy. At 100 yards travel is 1000 FPS with 467 ft. lbs. of energy. The common .50 cal. conical is 370 grains with 90 grains of powder it travels at 1467 FPS with 1760 ft. lbs. of energy. At 100 yards it travels the same speed as a round ball, but retains 840 ft. lbs. of energy. Clearly, the 50 caliber is a better hunting gun if we were to consider its merits on energy to target delivery. This is why the .50 cal. is the most popular caliber of modern manufactures. The .50 cal. generally requires a heavier barrel for heavier charges and many guns of the large caliber come with shorter barrels (26" to 28") to lower the weight. These short barrels will take away about 100 ft. lbs. of energy at 100 yards and increase the bullet drop. These changes are not drastic, but should be considered when working up a load. The final caliber is the .54. This big gun takes a 220 grain round ball or a massive 410 grain conical. Most commonly found in a shorter barrel of around 28" this gun is sufficient for all big game. Loaded with a suggested powder load of 110 grains, the round ball will arrive at 100 yards with a speed of 1220 FPS with 522 ft. lbs. of energy. The conical arrives at 1100 FPS with 1100 ft. lbs. This load is not considered to be a maximum, but rather an accurate load. These ballistics should help in your decision process. If you know your game and the limitations of a specific caliber, matching the two should not be a problem. Above all else, practice. Shot placement is critical. All that energy needs to hit a vital spot for a clean kill. Good luck on finding that special gun! The best dealers are interested in making sure you are satisfied and have found the gun that will fill your needs. See you in the woods. Charlie Chalk is an outdoor writer and has a background as a professional Firefighter and is a member of the American Mountain Men, an organization that emulates the life of the fur trappers of the 1800's and their survival on the land.
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June 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
Page 29
From the back of a canoe
The Connecticut and Connecticut
The Connecticut River is the longest river in New England flowing 410 miles from Fourth Connecticut Lake to Long Island Sound. 275 miles of the river flows between Vermont and New Hampshire’s Green and White Mountains providing a watershed of 7,000 square miles; over 60% of the rivers total watershed. The elevation at the rivers source at Fourth Connecticut Lake is at 2670 feet above sea level; half of which is in the town of Pittsburg. The elevation drop is the major factor making the river an angler destination. By the time the river enters Massachusetts the elevation is 190 feet. Twenty seven Vermont towns and twenty six New Hampshire towns border the river. There’s a lot of folk lore regarding the boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire. The border was established by King George II in 1764 as the western bank of the Connecticut River. The U.S. Supreme Court re-affirmed this boundary in 1934 as the ordinary low-water mark on the Vermont shore. The border is also referenced in the fishing regulation on the river for residents and nonresidents; which is: All New Hampshire resident and Vermont resident fishing licenses are valid for taking of fish from the Connecticut River for that portion of the river between New Hampshire and Vermont including the bays, set backs and tributaries, only to the first highway bridge crossing the tributaries on the Vermont and New Hampshire sides. All other nonresidents with a N.H. nonresident fishing license shall only take fish east of the Vermont low water mark while on the Connecticut River. When anglers talk about fishing the Connecticut most fly fishermen assume northern NH and probably
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By Jim Norton
Pittsburg. There’s a lot of good water on the river below Pittsburg but the majority of anglers congregate in Pittsburg. The Connecticut lakes are great habitat for trout and salmon and provide the opportunity for fish to move from Lake Francis and First Connecticut Lake into the
lock’s and there’s no one else around it’s pretty good. That’s one of the advantages of living in Northern New England. We’ve had days when the fish count was a lot higher in the 80-100 range but that’s an exception unless you hit it just right; which is a possibility if you fish every day.
river. For anglers who fish for landlocked salmon it’s one of the prime rivers in the state. I seldom fish the Pittsburg area except in the spring and sometimes in the summer if we’re in Errol and the Androscoggin is flooded. This spring I was able to get away for a few days with the troops in late April to try and hit the salmon. There were five of us and we fished the river above First and the inlet at Lake Francis. There were a few salmon but not a lot and nothing of any size. There was ice on the lakes; what I call black ice with open areas; it was about ready to go. The air temperature was in the 70’s and sunny both days. The water was 4246 on different sections of the river. I did not see another angler; the guys saw a few at Lake Francis one day. Still when you’re able to catch land-
A week later we were back. We talked to an angler that had been there for the week, the larger salmon came in the day after we left and were around for three or four days. We had better fishing; the fish were a little larger and a few more but we missed the prime days. The week we were gone the high temperature’s ranged from 69 to 80 and mostly sunny. The two days we were there the highs was 83 and 79; it felt like mid-summer conditions. The water warmed up from 56 to 60. I talked to an angler who was there the day after we left; there were no salmon in the river. What are the chances to having 70 and 80 degree days for 11 days the end of April and beginning of May? Twenty or thirty years ago the water would stay cool until late May and into June; those days are gone. What seemed like a reasonable good snow pack disappeared in a few weeks. Combined with a shortage of rain and snow; about four inches less than normal for March and April resulted in overall poor spring fishing for salmon and trout in a lot of rivers. By mid-May most of the rivers in the state were running less than half the normal flows and some
June 2013
were less than summer low flow levels. Low flows and warm weather equate to higher water temperatures. Without a good flow rivers can heat up fast; Global Warming is a reality. The last few days we’ve had a lot of rain; looks like the dry spell is over; at least for now. In between the trips to the Connecticut River my guiding partner Gerry and I made a trip to the Farmington River in Connecticut to fish the Hendrickson Hatch. We have the Hendrickson hatch on New Hampshire Rivers but nowhere near the epic hatch proportions of the Farmington or Ausable River in New York. I don’t know how many years it’s been since I fished the Farmington; way too many. The Farmington River is not a large River; including its longest branch the West Branch length is only 80 miles. What makes the river an angler’s destination is the 200 foot Hogback dam which has a bottom release similar to Lake Francis in Pittsburg. The river is only twenty plus miles from Hartford but with rolling hills and small towns and a couple of good fly shops it’s easy to forget where you are. The hatches on the river are great; we have a friend who thinks it’s the best trout river in New England. Connecticut has a good trout management program. The river is open year round and has different sections which include the following for trout: 1, Catch and Release Only from September 1 to the 3rd Saturday in April. Daily creel limit—2, 12? minimum length from the 3rd Saturday in April to August 31. 2, Open year-round, Barbless hooks only Catch and Release Only. 3, Daily creel limit— 5, 9? Minimum length. You can fish in whatever area you prefer and there’s a lot of fish in all the management areas. If you fish the catch & release areas you know the fish will be in the river. For anglers who want to keep fish they have a few different options; fish areas with larger fish with a 2 trout limit or sections where they can keep 5 fish. There’s a lot of trout per mile; equal to some western rivers. If I had to pick one river to try and catch a trout on it would be high on
Continued next page
The Outdoor Gazette
Bucks and Bones Another Season Has Come and Gone
By Trevor Bunnell
The leaves have come out and horn hunting is over for most of us, and now it is time to plant the gardens. I had quite the experience last week while shed hunting in New Hampshire. One of my friends got turned around and was four hour late meeting us back at the truck and he had the keys to the truck. I really thought we were going to spend the night in the “Back Country”. With only about fifteen minutes of light left in the day, I Was concerned about Jay and possible hypothermia. The night time temperature was predicted to be in the 30s; it would be a long cold night for Jay if he did not make it back to the truck. Both Phil and I had made it back to the truck in plenty of daylight time left. We not only had warm clothes with us but knew that we could walk the few miles back to a camp we had seen on the way in. Jay on the other hand, because of the warm weather had chosen to leave wearing only a
tee shirt and left his cold weather gear in the vehicle. Luckily, Jay did make it back safely
GPS went haywire I could not believe he did not have a compass with him. Phil and I were just
to the truck. He explained to us how he had lost track of time and when he decided to make his way out his
the list. The most popular section is from Riverton downstream to New Hartford. Gerry and I were on the river at 12:30 but the hatch did not get started until 2:30 about an hour or so later than we expected. Fishing dry flies to a great hatch can be prenominal; if we didn’t get the prime day it would be hard to imagine it being any better. The only down side were two anglers one of whom moved in between us. My cast was drifting to where Gerry’s upstream cast was; he limited our range. His partner moved that close on the downstream side of Gerry so the only place he could cast was almost straight in front of him and get a drift of about ten feet. They must have thought we were in the honey hole and wanted in on the action. I don’t think they had two fish between them in half an hour and Gerry and I continued to hook up. They finally gave up; it probably never dawned on them that fly selection and presentation was the key. If they knew what they were doing they could have caught fish were they where downstream. If they had asked what flies we were using and how we were fishing them we would have told them. They should have been able to figure it out by watching us but their eyesight was as bad as their etiquette. Years from now when we forget about how good the fishing was we’ll still get a chuckle out of the two intruders. Evening found us waiting for the
spinner fall; it was better than the afternoon hatch. There were about eight anglers at one of the prime pools so we moved up stream of everyone by about 40 yards. The egg sacks on the females were very visible and really stood out. It looked like hundreds of tiny bombers landing on the water to deposit eggs. The trout were so aggressive we saw several jump completely out of the water after the spinners. We used to count fish in our younger days. I don’t know how many we had but I’ve caught enough fish to last a lifetime so at 7pm with the hatch in full swing we packed it in and headed home. We talked to several anglers who had been watching us down river and got out of the pool to talk to us as we were leaving. We told them what flies we were using and how we were fishing them. The three hour ride home made for a long day; I’m hoping to squeeze in another day on the Farmington before we head to Errol for our Androscoggin trip. Here’s a link to Gerry’s BLOG with a video clip of the day. flyfishnewengland.blogspot.com
relieved to see him and did not say much about it but this was a good lesson for me and for everyone. When you bring a “green horn” to the back county, no matter their skill
The Outdoor Gazette
from previous page
Jim Norton is a native of New Hampshire and author of the book Granite Lines. He enjoys fly-fishing & tying, bird hunting and a variety of other outdoor activities and is also a registered NH fishing Guide. Visit his website at www.nhriversguide.com
level, it is important to make sure they have everything they need as they might recognize what they might need. This type of safety check will not only save time but might make the difference between a positive adventure as opposed to a bad experience. Even though we lost a lot of hunting time looking for our friend; my dog, Pete and myself found fourteen horns mostly old but all of them were really big. It is a goal of mine to return to this spot again next shed season. Well summer is coming and that is always a good time to do some practice shooting. It could be the difference between a wall hanger and a deer story (the one about him getting away). It is also a good time to introduce kids to the skill of shooting too. I know that it is difficult to purchase ammunition and I am not really sure what is going on with the ammo. Perhaps it is time to think about who we need in office that will support the sportsman’s interests. I know there most be some shooters out there that would like a redo on the last election. Enough politics, time for me to go catch some brook trout.
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June 2013
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Fish & Wildlife Management By Wayne A. Laroche
Plan for Lake Champlain: Will Cormorants be controlled?
Efforts are underway to develop a Colonial Nesting Waterbird Management Plan for Lake Champlain. This plan is intended to prescribe species by species management actions necessary to control, restore or sustain breeding populations of colonial nesting birds on Lake Champlain islands. A rough draft plan is in the works with hopes that it will be complete by mid-summer. A working group including representatives from Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, NY DEC, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA APHIS, Lake Champlain International, HAT, and Senator Leahy’s office are working to develop the plan. Once the draft plan is complete it will have to go through the State of New York and Vermont planning processes to be adopted and implemented. These processes will include public comment that should be announced this summer if all goes well. Cormorants are one of the species of colonial nesting birds which will
be part of this plan. Following nesting of the first pair of cormorants on Young Island in 1981, the cormorant population on Lake Champlain skyrocketed to more than 20,000 nesting birds. Former University of Vermont professor Dr. David Capen estimated that between 48,000 and 61,000 cormorants were feeding on Lake Champlain in 2011. At this population level, cormorants were eating 24 to 30 tons of fish per day or 720 to 900 tons of fish per year on Lake Champlain. Needless to say, there is concern among anglers that cormorants might be doing damage to Lake Champlain fisheries. Lake Champlain has one of the best bass fisheries in North America with literally millions of trophy size smallmouth and largemouth bass as indicated by a recent mark and recapture study involving bass tournaments. Lake trout and salmon fisheries are also improving. Still, there simply is not enough information from limited fisheries sampling effort
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on the lake to actually determine if cormorants are having a negative impact on Lake Champlain’s fish populations. Yet, “common sense” would argue that 24 to 30 tons of fish per day is a number big enough to cause concern, raise eye brows and certainly get the attention of anglers. Still, the plan is not just about cormorants. It will cover a total of 13 species ranging from the Great Blue Heron to the Caspian Tern. Cormorants and Ring-billed Gulls are over-abundant, reaching nuisance levels. It is management
levels. Herring Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Great Blue Herons and Blackcrowned Night Herons have moderate and stable populations on Lake Champlain. For these species, little effort should be necessary to successfully manage for continued healthy populations. Several other species such as Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret and Glossy Ibises frequent Lake Champlain in small numbers being at the edge of their range. It is unlikely that any amount of management effort will server to establish sustaining popula-
actions will need to work to reduce and stabilized these populations. On the other extreme, the Common Tern is on the Endangered Species List in Vermont while the Black Tern is listed as endangered in both Vermont and New York. For these species, the focus will be on recovery to stable and sustainable population
tions because suitable habitat for these species is limited by natural conditions. The plan will consider all of these issues and lay out management actions that needed to direct and implement effective manage of colonial nesting waterbirds on Lake
We work annually on about 300 mountings and presentations of many varieties of wildlife; deer, bears, moose, coyotes, fox, fisher, turkeys and more. We also work on animals from other parts of the globe including Africa. In addition to being entertaining, the stories of the hunters who are our cus tomers provide information allowing us to suggest possible ways to present and mount the trophies that they have bagged. Our high quality work can be seen by our many repeat customers that seek out our services. The presentation of your trophy can be head wall mounts or full body depictions. We are also the State of Vermont Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Big Game Reporting Station. A specially designed outdoor scale system with tall vertical clearance is also provided for easy weigh-in of all species.
Call Rodney or Theresa Elmer
at 802-485-7184
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June 2013
Continued on page 45
The Outdoor Gazette
Pop’s Kitchen Sponsored by Green Mt. Marinades
Chile Garlic BBQ Salmon
3 pounds whole salmon 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon chile sauce 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 lime, juiced 1 lime, zested 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 green onions, chopped
Prepare Prepare outdoor outdoor grill grill for for high high heat. heat. Trim the tail tail and and fins fins off off of of the the salmon. salmon. Make Make several several shallow shallow cuts cuts across across Trim the the the salmon's salmon's skin. skin. Place Place salmon salmon on on 33 large, large, slightly slightly overlapping overlapping sheets sheets of of aluminum aluminum foil. foil. In In aa bowl, bowl, stir stir together together soy soy sauce, sauce, chile chile sauce, sauce, ginger, ginger, and and garlic. garlic. Mix Mix in in lime lime zest, zest, and and brown brown sugar. sugar. Spoon Spoon sauce sauce over over the the salmon. salmon. lime juice, juice, lime Fold Fold the the foil foil over over the the salmon, salmon, and and crimp crimp the the edges edges to to seal. seal. If If using using hot hot coals, coals, move move them them to to one one side side of of the the grill. grill. Place Place the the fish fish on on the the side side of of the the grill grill that that does does not not have have coals coals directly directly underneath underneath it, it, and and close close the the lid. lid. If If using using aa gas gas grill, grill, place place the the fish fish on on one one side, side, and and turn turn off off the the flames flames directly directly underneath underneath it; it; close close the the lid. lid. Cook Cook for for 25 25 to to 30 30 minutes. minutes. Remove to aa serving serving platter, platter, and and pour pour any any juices juices that that may may have have collected collected Remove to in in the the foil foil over over the the top top of of the the fish. fish. Sprinkle Sprinkle with with green green onions. onions. Serves Serves 66
Bill "Pop" Burke, resides in Claremont, NH. If you would like to contact Pop send an email to: pops-kitchen@hotmail.com
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
Page 33
Time on the River By Joe Lacefield
The Lucky Shot
I was taught to trap by my father at a very early age. I was nine, and in the “boom” of the fur market in the mid 1970’s. I ran a line down the Kentucky River bank behind my house for muskrats and ‘coons and up the river bluff for foxes. Rats were easy catches using floats and log sets, coons were as well but were also good at pulling out of the trap at times. I was most successful though at trapping ‘possums, which at that time fetched three to five dollars. I read every issue of “Fur Fish and Game” cover to cover, trying to improve my skills and catch my first fox, my ultimate goal. Over the next few years, I’d saved enough fur money to buy my first rifle. A Remington model 700, in .243 caliber. While I’d mastered the naked tailed furbearers, the fuzzy tailed foxes still eluded my sets.. My traps were mostly longsprings, coil spring traps were to be a future purchase. I was certain the traps were simply too hard to conceal and too slow for foxes. I’d put a few on the stretchers though from road kills that neighbors found or Dad picked up for me. I really liked shooting my rifle, so much
so that Dad talked me into buying a reloader, saving some money while perfecting my shooting. I was now in high school, a sophomore. I ran my trapline after school and put up fur in the base-
ment, many times busy until bedtime. Christmas break was when I was able to put out all of my traps and maximize my opportunity. The winter was unusually cold, a week of sub-zero temperatures had the river frozen and the snow was persistent on the ground. The ‘possums, ‘coons and
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muskrats were all but impossible to get with the weather, and I still hadn’t mastered the foxes. A recent FFG article had peaked my interest on predator calling. I’d seen both red and grey fox tracks in the snow. I knew they were around. I found a duck call in the “miscella-
neous” drawer in the kitchen, it dawned on me that maybe, just maybe I could use that to try to call in a fox. My theory was since the ponds and river was frozen, maybe I could set up near a pond where I’d seen tracks, sounding like a duck, a fox surely would respond for an easy meal.. I got dressed in my warmest coveralls, heavy gloves, rifle, duck call in my pocket and started climbing the river bluff to the open farmland above my house. The climb was rigorous, for every 3 steps I took uphill I slid one backwards. The many trees were my savior the -20 degree temps didn’t seem so cold. I got against a black locust tree near the dam of the frozen pond and started my calling. I realized two things very quickly: the call didn’t sound the same in the cold with my thick gloves on, and -20 degree temps was indeed cold! I took my left glove off to cup the call, it sounded better that way. After about five minutes, I remembered something from my hunter education class at school, hypothermia. I now realized the sweat I’d deposited in
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NEW ENGLANDS FINEST DEER LURES
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Joe Lacefieldis fromVersailles, KY and has been a Kentucky Private Lands Wildlife Biologist since 1991. He is a Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young measurer. has commercialy fished and fur trapped to pay his way through college. He grew up on the Kentucky River hunting, fishing and trapping, I credit this love of the outdoors to my “Time on the River”. I’m truly addicted to the outdoors and the many educational and recreational opportunities it provides.
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my clothes and on my skin in my rigorous climb up the 300-foot river bluff could actually kill me by causing the rapid loss of body heat. I stood to leave and to my surprise a red fox had approached my setup! He was running away now as I shouldered my rifle and got my left arm wrapped in the sling to steady the shot. I was trying to lip squeak to stop the bounding fox and finally made some kind of sound from my frozen lips. He stopped and turned his head looking back in my direction. I knew he was further than I had my rifle zeroed, I was an inch high at a hundred yards, the fox was in my mind, more than double that distance. I held above his head, maybe 5-6 inches and squeezed the trigger. The recoil and steam from my breath took me off target and fogged my scope. I could no longer see the fox. I pulled a napkin form my pocket and wiped the lens of my scope, re-shouldered the rifle, and I saw a single black foot sticking up out of the snow! I paced off the distance to the fox, 240 paces, a shot I would have been lucky to make from a steady rest. The 80 grain spitzer bullet entered just left of the fox’s nose and exited the back of the head. A little stitching from Mom’s sewing box and the exit hole was well hidden, he brought $40, but the memory of a boy and his first fox, priceless! I’ve been hooked on predator calling ever since.
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June 2013
The Outdoor Gazette
Public Access to the Kingdom By Dylan R. Ainsworth
Summer Fun in the Vermont State Parks
Memorial Day weekend is to many folks the official beginning of summer. Not only do most hard working families have a long weekend for barbeques and other gatherings, but it is also when the Vermont State Parks open for the camping season. As I pen this month’s column the big weekend is fast approaching and I am privileged enough to be spending some time with my wife and her high school friends at Gifford Woods State Park in Killington. Not only will it be my first time at this particular park, but it will also be another first, the forecast is not looking very well and Dawn and I will likely be tenting in the snow this May! We will prepare ourselves best we can and make the most of it. Hopefully the inclement weather with give us plenty of time to plan future visits and recollect on past experiences. I thought I would take this opportunity to promote some of my favorite
isolated of Vermont’s State Parks. Some of my fondest summer memories are of times spent in the “day use” area here. I would waste hours searching for crawdads or swimming in the glacier formed lake as my folks relaxed on the pristine sandy beach. I also remember a small playground and restrooms in this part of the park. If you are planning an overnight getaway, according to the state parks website, Maidstone offers 34 sites for your tent or trailer, 37 lean-tos and four restrooms, three of which have hot showers. You’re family will also be able to enjoy hiking trails, play areas and additional beaches in the campground. Choose a site close to the lake and you may be serenaded to sleep by the call of loons which have been known to rear their young here. Maidstone is a sportsman’s paradise, the lake has had some record fish pulled from it and is known for its salmon and lake
©Nostalgic Images, The view from the summit of Owls Head, Groton VT parks and the activities you and your family can enjoy there this summer. A favored place of mine to visit as a child was Maidstone State Park. Nestled deep in the NEK is the most
The Outdoor Gazette
trout. It is no secret that the Kingdom is home to many of Vermont’s moose and Maidstone is one of the best areas to hunt them. There are miles of trails and logging
roads that allow the ambitious hunter to access prime moose habitat. Bull’s antlers grow large in this
©Nostalgic Images, Loon
area of the state and many trophies have lived in the surrounding area including the “Bloomfield Bull” which was photographed by Roger Irwin and likely could have been a world record had he been bagged. Crystal Lake State Park in Barton is the perfect place to spend a hot summer day with family and friends. Another of Vermont’s glacial lakes, Crystal is great for a refreshing swim, and is an ideal location for a family picnic or barbeque. There are plenty of tables and grills for you to use so all you need to do is bring along a full cooler, although, concessions are available in the historic bathhouse. As a side note Crystal Lake is known locally as a haven for smelt fishermen. Groton State Forest is a Mecca for state park enthusiasts. New Discovery, Kettle Pond, Big Deer Stillwater, Boulder Beach, Ricker Pond, and Seyon Lodge are all state parks within Groton. This area of our state is best known for its trails.
June 2013
Whether it is, hiking, biking or horseback riding, you can find it in Groton State Forest. I fondly remembered Owl’s Head being a
favorite hike of my Grandmother’s, when I was most recently there with Dawn, during her role as a volunteer photographer. We also visited Boulder Beach for some photo ops and it was a serene location, which also has a nature center and live music during the summer. As a youth, we were camping at one of the parks in Groton and I can vividly recall the adults creating a scavenger hunt, which gave us kids the chance to explore and learn more about our surroundings. One occasion comes to mind in which there was a tie between myself and a cousin, which to both my dismay and delight, was broken when he took a big bite from a sap oozing pine cone. Fortunately for you, the state parks have created their own scavenger hunt and Groton is a great place to complete the Venture Vermont Outdoor Challenge and win a free pass to the parks, you won’t even have to eat pinecones.
Continued on page 45
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Hard Water Fishing By D & B Ice Adventures
Striper Fishing On The Hudson River
If you have been keeping up with the articles that we have been posting over the last few months, you might have come to the conclusion that we are panfish guys. That isn't the impression that we want to give though! Sure we spend the majority of our time after them but that is because they are a challenge, wide spread, and beyond tasty! When an opportunity to get out of our comfort zone comes, its hard to pass up! Two years in a row now, I have had the pleasure of fishing on the Hudson River aboard the Lazy D And Me with Captain Dan Lussier. The target species for this trip was the mighty striped bass. Both years, along with Captain Dan and I on the boat has been owner of Fish Hounds Outdoors, James Vladyka and his father Larry. Striper season on the Hudson River has the potential to produce trophy fish. According to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the Hudson is the main spawning ground for these bass. Stripers are an anadromous fish meaning that they are born in fresh-
water, spend their life in salt water, but return to freshwater to spawn. Timeliness of this transition to fresh-
water depends on the weather throughout the spring as well as current weather conditions, water tem-
perature, and growing vegetation. When all these factors align, the month of May tends to be prime time with mid month being the best. Striper fishing season on the Hudson River is short. The length of the season depends mainly on the water temperature but other factors contribute. Water temperature triggers their movements during the spawn and when the graph reads 60, things are starting to happen. As the water temperature increases the fish get really active but so do the fast growing water chestnuts. They exhibit extreme growth and can reach lengths of up to 16 feet! The taller the chestnuts, the less frequent the stripers will be found because as the vegetation reaches a
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June 2013
substantial height, the water is usually past its prime for the spawn. At this point in the season, the fishing becomes tough because lures are constantly becoming entwined with vegetation and the fish are pushing back out to their summer haunts. These fish can be caught using various methods. Some of the techniques are to use dipsy divers, chunked bait, trolling, and long-lining. With Captain Dan, we use the most common and productive technique, trolling stickbaits with downriggers. The technique is nothing special and just about any boat can navigate the river under the right conditions. Sure there are some big water boats out there but we see many "bass boats" and smaller aluminums. Obviously, success comes to those who can piece together the correct sequence of moves. Just like every other species, these striped bass want the bait presented precisely and on most occasions, different every day depending on the water, weather, and their unpredictable movements. Through the years, Captain Dan has put together quite a collection of lures to target these fish. On our outings, we have mainly pulled the 7" Rapala F18. Color depends on the day, but it seems as though we always have a "hot steel" and "bleeding hot olive" behind the boat. Other than finding fish, making sure that the baits are running at the right speed can make or break a day. Because we are on a river/tidal system, the surface speed is most likely different than whatever depth we are running our baits at. The best way to get an accurate reading is by means of Sub-Troll 900 or similar unit. This allows us to troll the baits at the perfect speed rather than at the speed of boat. The speed the fish seem to prefer hovers right around 3 mph at the ball. To compare both trips that I have been on, last year the fish were very aggressive, the water was rougher than
The Outdoor Gazette
most days, the air warm, and the sky was blue. We found that the fish were aggressive but not wanting to feed. Our downrigger balls were constantly getting thumped all day. Because we knew the fish were there and just not after our baits, we shortened up the tether to only a few feet. This move
from previous page
started to increase our hook up rate. By putting the baits right in front of their face it gave them no other options! Although this trip was almost a year to the day later, the fishing was much different. We had bright blue skies, and warm temperatures but relatively
calm water movements. The fish were not super aggressive due to a cold front that had just moved through but certain pods were willing in spurts. In general we ran our baits 25-45 feet behind the downrigger balls because even though we were pulling through large pods of fish, very few were willing to bite. We changed colors constantly and found no preference to one color over another. Out best bet was to check baits to make sure they were free of debris and stay on top of where the fish were holding. Communications with other anglers on the river is a vital part to staying on the fish. Captain Dan works with a few others that spend a great deal of time on the water sharing information on speeds, colors, and depths. Taken with a grain of salt, keeping tabs on the radio allows anglers to adjust baits, speeds, and depths depending on the fast moving and finicky pods of fish.
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
With over 15 years of experience on the Hudson River, it's hard to trust your time on the water with anyone else! If you would like to experience exceptional striper fishing on the Hudson River, go to www.lazydandme.com or you can give Captain Dan Lussier a call at 1-802-558-7633. D & B Ice Adventures is based out of Barre, Vermont and composed of two fishing fanatics: Dylan Smith and Robert Booth. With an equal drive time to the Connecticut River and Lake Champlain, the hardest decision is whether they want to catch giant bluegill on the river or huge pumpkinseed on the lake with crappie in the mix at both. These decisions have been logged through their blog www.dbiceadventures.wordpress.com which gives details on what they have to endure to be successful. You can checck them on facebook too at www.facebook.com/DBIceAdventures.
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The Captain’s Corner Rain..Rain go away!
Where have the last two months gone!! WOW..it has been two issues since my last writing, which equates to a hectic schedule & the inability to find five minutes to sit down & write since mid April! I guess it’s a good problem to have as I have been in the woods or on the water just about every day off from my full time job at the Fire Station in Burlington Vt. Switching gears from the late season drift boat trips, to getting the big boat ready….getting some turkey scouting in & then jumping into guiding & chartering for 20 days straight in May!! Phew!! I take a large block of my annual vacation time for the month of May…my family knows I become a hermit to the woods & the boat during that time of year, but I wouldn’t change a thing! It’s amazing to watch the transformation from bare woods & brown fields, to seeing the spring time wildlife come to life, hearing the early morning gobbles & seeing whitetails turn to their light brown summer coats. It runs a close second to my favorite time of year (right behind October/November!) but one thing is for sure, the longer days compared to fall tend to kick my hind end a bit more each year! We started off our annual spring ritual of wild Turkey hunting, finding plenty of willing birds in our area of Rutland County in Vermont, but I have to say that I feel our over all number of birds has slid a bit over the last five years or so. I know many of the Northeast states have seen this trend; hopefully this is just a wave in the cycle & not a steady drop to be concerned about. We started off our season with the youth hunt on the last weekend of April, giving my son Logan & I a couple of days together before the rat race of May sets in! We had gained permission on a farm a few miles from our home; I went in on the Friday night before & had three birds roosted & talking pretty well as light waned for the evening.
By Matthew Trombley
We got in on the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, setting our blind & decoys by 4:30 in the pasture just below the roosted birds. Just like clock work about 5:00 they all start-
We had five other jakes sneak in behind us about an hour later but didn’t present a shot. Not a bad morning to see eight bearded birds in the first couple of hours! I had the first few days of the regular season to hunt with my Dad & Logan before
A nice group limit of Hudson River Stripers taken in May. ed in, answering to every owl, crow guiding my first client James from & Blue Jay that squawked in the cool Long Island on his first Turkey hunt morning air! About 5:20 there was a ever! I have been fortunate to be short period of quiet once the birds hunting turkeys for over 25 years flew down, but with in a few minutes now, I still get a kick out of taking the first of the three birds broke into folks out, young or old, on their first the pasture about 150 yards from us. turkey hunt. We were able to get on This first bird would turn out to be a birds both days, not able to finish the Jake, which Logan was more the deal on Saturday but did get James eager to take, until he saw two long his first bird, a nice 16 lb Jake on beards file in behind him less then a Sunday morning! You would have minute or two later! Well…once the thought that James hit the lotto, as two adult birds spotted the decoys he was excited as a 6yr old at the race was on to see who could get Christmas once the bird hit the there first!! In about 30 seconds later ground! Nothing finer then seeing we had the two toms & Jake twenty that excitement & being to take part steps away from us, strutting & gob- in the joy of another outdoorsman bling, putting on a great show! Now hooked on natures wonder! After the first week of May, we this show can test any ones nerves…& this excitement was a bit moved to the Hudson River in much for the young eleven year old Kingston New York for our annual sitting next to me. Even with a bit of Striped Bass marathon! We spent coaching a touch of Turkey fever set over 20 days in the region, charterin and at the sound of the shot, three ing 17 trips during that period of turkeys were off & running at the time! Not much rest from one misresult of a clean miss…… Not to be sion in the Green Mountains, to the discouraged a great lesson on keep- next in the Hudson Valley….but as ing our cheek on the stock & eye on the old saying goes, “need to make the bead when we pull the trigger. Hay while the sun shine’s”! The Logan was a bit bummed but unfortunate part was, once we amazed by the show we witnessed. arrived down there the stretch of nice weather we had enjoyed the first week of May would soon dwindle into the roller coaster of rain & sun that we are still enduring as I sit & write this! The cooler spring did have the waters warming at a slower rate this season, but we enjoyed a successful season, with a slow first couple of days, a really strong mid stretch & the usual taper off the end of the month. We limited out 13 of the 17 trips we did, taking some really nice fish from 15 to 25 pounds, with our best being just shy of 30lbs! We had about a 50 -50 split of new groups mixed with return clients A great bonus Sturgeon, released to grow bigger!
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June 2013
from last year, with about 70 % wanting to rebook for next year! We had some days with temps pushing 80 degrees, & two days that we woke with frost on the wind shield of the boat! That was a first….but we had the rain gear on a fair amount of the time down there this year, which was a far cry form the gorgeous weather we enjoyed last year! One thing we did note was that close to 90% of the fish taken were males, of the few females we had gotten, none of them had spawned yet. One of the captains that we work with, spoke with a biologist from the DEC & he stated that netting in the river showed a much larger percentage of females further North then our area, leading us to believe that a fair number of the fish continued moving to spawn then doing so in the Kingston region. We did take two bonus fish in the same day that I in my ten years of fishing the river have yet to catch, & that was Sturgeon! Not monsters, about 10 pounds each but still a very interesting & encouraging catch that we got some quick photos & released
A nice June Champlain Lake Trout.
back into the wild! Over all still a very productive & successful season for us with lots of coolers full of filets & big smiles heading back North for the ride home! Stage two of our Charter season has begun & we are full tilt into our trips on beautiful Lake Champlain! I have to say that the wet cool weather has made conditions less then desirable, with water temps 10 degrees off from where they should be & having the fish pretty scattered from their normal patterns by now.
Continued on page 49
The Outdoor Gazette
The Outdoor Gazette
June 2013
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The Coastal Zone Captian John Curry By Captain
Stalking Stripers
The dawn was just breaking and I had a nice light wind in my face. A light mist was hanging low making all movements seam ghostly. I was working the edge of cover moving ever slowly and trying to make as little noise as possible. A movement off to my left caught my eye. There he was moving slowly feeding along as he moved ahead of me unknown of my presence. I raised my string for a quartering shot, patient to make sure I didn’t hit my target with a loud slap. Boom, the shot was perfect the game was on! Ok, so I wasn’t bow hunting and it wasn’t October in the Green Mountains. It was this past week, May 22, 2013 to be exact, and I was standing on the bow of the “Pesky Pole” working a current break in 3’ of water on the outgoing tide of Barnstable Harbor on Cape Cod, MA. The game animal was a fresh from the migration striped bass and my weapon of choice was a 9 weight fly rod tipped with a sand eel imitation streamer. This is my favorite style of fishing and when the conditions are right it certainly can be a very effective means of making
lines tight. Fly fishing for stripers has been a popular pursuit for many years and it’s still growing its fan
very sensitive lateral lines and they can sense water movements from any direction. If your cast lands short the shock wave hitting their flanks will send them off in a hurry.
Capt. John with a 32” striper caught on a Sand Eel imitation fly.
base. I also like to use ultra light spinning outfits for this style of fishing and have just as much fun tossing small plastics in the same manner. Soft plastics are important as their entry into the waters makes less noise and disturbance. Stripers have
These fish may be fresh from the sea, but they are still very cautious when feeding in the shallow flats. These fish know they are vulnerable in the shallows and the recent explosion in Osprey numbers have taught they to
have witnessed many a young striper using its frequent flyer miles for a free trip to an Osprey nest the past few years. The best aspect of this style of fishing is you get to sight fish and when you can spot your prey and make a perfect cast and all things line up right, it’s magical. The site of a 30” plus fish moving in on your offering in gin clear shallow water is something that gets my blood pumping and it never gets old. Cape Cod is very unique for its diverse species and styles of fishing. What’s interesting to me is that less New Englander’s know about this style of stalking fish in the shallows then others from distant lands. I have clients from the UK who ask more about the shallow water fishing then most clients in the North East. This style of fishing can last all season long with May and June being the best early months followed by September and October towards the end of the season. Often matching the hatch is critical then sometimes just matching the size of the bait is all that’s important. Remember a subtle presentation is the most important aspect of stalking stripers
John Durkee of Tunbridge, VT with light tackle spot & stack striper.
keep one eye to the sky so you have to be in stealth mode at all times. I
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Sand Neck seashore im background with sand eel pattern fly.
June 2013
in the shallows. Many use this technique while on foot and there are long stretches of beach that you can walk searching for fish cruising the shallows. So the next time you head to the Cape bring your light tackle and a good map and look for a stretch of beach near an inlet and hit it just when the tide turns to go out. Spotting and stalking may take on a new meaning for you as it did for me years ago. Capt. John Curry grew up in Rehobeth, MA and summered on the Cape mainly in the Bass River area. He has over 30 years of fishing and boating on Cape Cod and Rhode Island waters. Currently living in W. Yarmouth and summers in Bourne. He runs a sportfishing business on tha Cape, visit his website www.capefishing.net. The Outdoor Gazette
The Maine Hunter By Steve Beckwith
Turkey Hunting In the NH White Mountains
My father in-law has a home that borders the New Hampshire White Mountain National Forest stepping off his property puts you truly in Gods country! We often pull our camper up to his yard and enjoy the many hiking trails and fishing streams available in that area. On this past weekend my wife, Sharon and I hauled the camper up from our home in North Berwick, Maine in just a couple hours, when we arrived Saturday morning we set the camper up in Dad’s yard and spent some time with her family. My son Russell lives in Gardiner, Maine and he met us Saturday evening at about 6 PM with Parker, our two year old Grandson. I whisked Russell and Parker off to scout turkeys before the sun set that evening! Russell only has Sundays off this year from work and his greatest hunting passion is turkey and New Hampshire allows Sunday hunting! This would be our third Sunday attempting to fill his spring N.H. tag. We had never hunted this area of New Hampshire before but we had seen turkeys while fishing and hiking this area and knew where we wanted to do some evening scouting. It wasn’t long before we spotted a few birds, mostly hens, but we knew if there were hens that there had to be some Toms around too! We even introduced Parker to his first bull moose in a wallow next to the highway, making it an extra special ride for all of us! As the sun set we returned to the camper for a nice evening fire around the traditional family fire pit. We hit the camper about 9:30 PM, and introduced Parker to his first time camping with his Dad and “Gampie” and “Gammie” as he calls us! It was a typical episode of The Waltons, as Parker said good night to each of us about ten times before we all went silent and didn’t answer him back! It was about 3 AM when we were all awakened by a deer blowing up a storm just outside our canvas screened pop up camper walls. I soon realized we placed the camper right in this does usual travel path and she could smell four humans and was letting the nighttime world know all about it! As Russell and I lay there listening and actually enjoying the situation, Sharon said, “Steven..Steven…wake up! What is that animal outside?” I told her it was a deer but I don’t think she immediately bought that explanation! Although my wife has been around us hunters for many years now, she had never experienced a The Outdoor Gazette
deer blowing, and at 10-20 feet away in the quiet of the bear woods, I dare say she was a little nervous! So I got out my flashlight and let the deer know she needed to move
wood road we saw a Jake lying in the tall grass sleeping and we knew there were birds still in the area. We got set up and started calling, we expected this Jake to shock gobble
along as it was indeed humans she was encountering! She continued to blow as she passed the camper and continued on her way down the stone wall to the back field blowing all the way! It was a night Sharon will never forget! It being only 3 AM, and the alarm set for 4 AM, I quickly dosed back off, only to wake up at 4:20 realizing the alarm did not go off ! My “Smart Phone” isn’t so smart when it lost its charge! I woke up Russell and we headed off in a hurry knowing we were a little late. As it turned out we arrived in perfect time to hear the first gobbles coming from the back of the field that morning. We grabbed our gear and headed into position for the fly down. After about an hour the gobblers hit the field, along with about six hens and these hens pulled the boys five hundred yards across the field away from us. We threw every call we had at them but could not budge those old gobblers. So we decided it was time to locate another bird someplace else, this turned into a rather daunting task as the birds this year were not really as responsive as one would like them to be. Although if you looked hard enough and walked enough wood roads and field edges, one could be found with much concentrated efforts, so we thought! It became about 10 AM and hunting ends at noon in New Hampshire so we decided we would go back to our morning location and see if the hens had deserted the boys yet! We decided to head to the side of the field the birds were last seen and heard that morning, and upon approaching the field from the
but he just got up and ran out of the field on the first hen call we made. This was not a good sign, but we decided to fire it up a little using a Oakridge Game Calls, diaphragm mouth call and I did the Ol’ raspy excited hen and a gobbler lit up from where we were that morning, at over five hundred yards away. It was now ten thirty and we had only about hour to get this bird over to us. It took him fifteen minutes to come over the stone wall into the field we were set up on. We didn’t have a decoy out and he really wanted to see the lady that was talking to him! This put him into a strut as he slowly worked his way strutting towards us over the next forty five minutes. With the camera rolling he finally came within range of Russell’s gun, a 3 ?” Mossberg Ult-Mag 12 gauge, I gave the ok for Russell to take him. The gun barked out and the shot was a clean miss, and the bird took
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flight, Russell was quick on the pump and fired again taking the bird clean out of the air, he went down in a heap like a pheasant in the corn field! What unfolds next is every turkey hunter’s nightmare; Russell had an empty gun as he trotted out to retrieve his downed bird. On his approach the double broken winged bird saw him coming and got up and started running the length of that five hundred yard long field, with his wings dragging and tossing him from side to side as he ran, Russell started searching his pockets for a spare round all the while running after the bird He located the round just as the bird rounded the corner and headed into the woods, not giving Russell a good shot he continued running after him and out of sight of my camera lens! I snapped off the camera and waited for the bang…but it didn’t come, so I gathered his gear and mine and started down that way. Together we did zig zags and grid searched but came up empty handed. The bird still had his legs and either hid real well or outran us as we searched, but this was truly a case of the one that got away. We invite you to watch for this episode on Maine Hunters TV on the New England Outback Productions channel on Roku this July! Steve Beckwith is a Registered Maine Guide, ThermaCELL Pro Staff, owns New England Outback Productions Channel on Roku, MaineGuideCourse .com, MaineHunters.com, MoosePermit .com and MaineGuidedHunts.com. Steve is a life member, editor and webmaster of the North Berwick Rod and Gun Club. A videographer, website designer com at MultitaskWebsites.com an internet entrepreneur with his online portfolio located at BeckwithAssociates.com, Steve can be reached through any of his websites.
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Trail Camera Photo Contest Sponsored by Chadwick’s Trail-Cams
Heath Grimes and Alyssa
Devan Levely- Lafargeville, NY
Heath Grimes and Alyssa
Mahaney - Brookfield, M
ass.
ass. Mahaney - Brookfield, M Heath Grimes and Alyssa Mahan
2013 Trail Camera Photo Contest
ey - Brookfield, Mass.
Sponsored by ChadwicksTrailcams.com Send in your trail camera pics, and for every picture that is published in The Outdoor Gazette you will get one chance to win one of three Trail Cameras.
Two (2) Winners will be drawn randomly and announced in the January 2014 issue. Plus One (1) Winner/Owner of “The Trail Camera Picture of the Year”, will be chosen by the Outdoor Gazette staff and folks on our Facebook page. The “Pic of the Year” will be on the cover of the Jan. 2014 issue!
Are you worried that by sending in your pic of that trophy buck or huge bull moose, will give away your secret location? No need to worry! We will post your pics anonymously, with as little info as you like. Your secret is safe with us!
Mathieu Paul Chauvin -
Gardien, Quebec
2012 Trail Camera Photo Contest Winners ; Trail Camera Picture of the Year - Marty Wall - Randolph, VT Random Winners - Donald Cooke- Columbia, NH and Robert Drouin, N. Anadover, MA
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Send photos to: fred@theoutdoorgazette.com with the subject line “TC Photo Contest 2012”
Mark Emerson - NEK of Ver mon t
June 2013
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June 2013
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Primitive Skills By Michael Douglas
Shelter Building (part 2)
In the last article we examined the pros and cons of modern and ancestral approaches to shelter building. In this article we’ll examine the pros and cons of fire dependent shelters and shelters that don’t require an external heating source. Before that, you should understand that a good shelter should keep you dry, protected from the wind, keep you off the ground to prevent conduction, and make efficient use of the dead air space around you to keep you warm. With these standards in mind we’ll explore the two approaches to building a shelter in the out of doors. A car does a great job of keeping you off the ground and shielding you from the wind and rain. What a car does not do well in as a shelter is insulate the air around you effectively to keep you warm. For this reason, most cars have heaters. The heater is dependent upon a series of explosions (fire) in your engines cylinders that creates the heat and the electricity to deliver warmth to the cars interior and you. This is what fire dependent shelters attempt
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to achieve in the most efficient manner possible. Canvas wall tents with small woodstoves are efficient as shelters, but require pack animals to transport. They lose their efficiency when it comes to being portable. The over popularized “lean-to” is as portable as you can get. You build it from materials found on site, or with a tarp. Both keep you dry and, if built properly, can protect you from conduction and the elements. Like the example of the car, they are poor at managing the air around you to keep you warm. In one of our courses, the term “Freezer-oven” was used to describe the experience of a well built arctic lean-to. Two efficient fire dependent designs I’ve experienced is the “Spider Shelter” taught at the Pathfinder School, and the “Bush Camp” used by Ray Rietze, a master Maine Guide. Both shelters invest a great deal of energy in managing the air temperature through insulation and air flow. They also consider in their designs the efficient use of fuel wood. Making and maintaining a fire is an energy investment. It makes sense to
refine your design to minimize the energy invested by maximizing the efficiency of the shelter and the fire that heats it. Tolerances in an efficient (useful) fire dependent shelter are much tighter in order to retain more heat, use less fuel, and insulate as well as protect the occupant from the elements. It takes a few honest attempts before one becomes efficient at these types of shelters. However, they are easy to learn and can be highly effective. To the untrained eye, there appears to be little difference in the design of a spider hole (fire dependent) or a debris hut (fire independent). The fire independent shelter has even tighter tolerances and uses more materials. Because of these two factors it takes longer to build and many more attempts before the skills practitioner consistently experiences a comfortable night in below freezing or mosquito rich conditions in a “no fire” shelter. The result is that few folks experience the sense of freedom and security that this ability allows. A healthy degree of skepticism and honest questions about the possibility and practicality of such a shelter further discourage folks from this design. What takes eight hours in the first few attempts is quickly reduced to half that time once
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you’ve internalized what is needed for a shelter made of debris built on your specific body dimensions. When considering debris huts, you may not want to invest the time , or sacrifice what a fire brings, to master a shelter that doesn’t depend on While the prospect of fire. hypothermia or being drained by insects is a cure, claustrophobia is also an issue with some folks regarding debris huts. Spider holes and debris huts are similar in design and function. Both approaches to shelter are valid and bring a suite of challenges and strengths. Practicing both will increase your options and your overall comfort in the outdoors. Next time you head out, pitch your tent and set up your bedroll. Then see if you can spend the night without using them. Michael Douglas has been sharing Survival, Tracking, Awareness, Wild Foraging, and Primitive Technology at the Maine Primitive Skills School since 1989. He continues to be a student of the natural world and our abilities to interact with it through his school and full immersion trips in the North Woods. He is eager to answer questions and hear your comments and can be reached at staff@primitiveskills.com. The Outdoor Gazette
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Champlain. Of course, there must then exist funding to get the job done. That will be an issue beyond the reach of the plan. Funding for Cormorant control continues to be an issue as continued uncertainty in state and federal funding exists. Vermont’s congressional delegation continues to be supportive. It does seem that money will be found to continue cormorant control through the summer of 2013.
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Wayne Laroche directed Vermont’s Department of Fish and Wildlife from 2003 until 2011 serving as the Commissioner. He holds degrees in both fisheries and wildlife management from the Univ. of Maine and California State Univ. Wayne is a native Vermonter and currently resides in Franklin, VT. He enjoys tracking whitetails in the big woods of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. Wayne can be reached by emailing deerwayne@franklinvt.net.
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©Nostalgic Images, Sandy beach at Crystal Lake, Barton VT Check out the state parks website for more info on this program. Keep in mind that there is local fun to be had outside of the parks as well, and I will be staying out of the rain and snow this weekend by touring the Long Trail Brewery. That reminds me, I still have some tarps and blankets to load up before heading on our “winter” expedition to Gifford Woods. Take some time with the family and visit a Vermont State Park this summer, you are sure to create some
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lasting memories. Dylan R. Ainsworth is a native Vermonter. He is a member of the Mossy Oak Prostaff, a seminar speaker, and outdoor videographer as well as a guide. He and his wife Dawn own and operate Nostalgic Images with a mission to bring the outdoors into focus and express their passion for the natural world through photos and video. Dylan is also a home brewer and self proclaimed connoisseur of Vermont craft beers.
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The Gazette’s Book Review
By Colonel J.C. Allard
The Treasury of Hunting By Larry Koller A Ridge Press Book Odyssey Press, Inc. 1965 251 pages, $14.95 Library of Cong ress Catalog Card Number 6520283 Often an old book, beaten and battered, excites, instructs and inspires more than a new book. Most sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts love old books. They appreciate all sporting books, but there is something special about a book from the past. For many of us, a book either got us started or helped cement a passion for field sports. The Nick Adams stories by Ernest Hemingway, the works of Nash Buckingham, or the more moder n offerings of Michael MacIntosh and others, stirred the souls of many. A book by Larry Koller first stirred my soul back in 1965 and continues to kindle a passion for hunting whenever I tur n its nearly half-century-old pages. I first found The Treasury of
Hunting one rainy day, tucked away on a shelf in my high school library. I know I checked out that book with greater frequency than any other book in the card catalog. When I didn’t have it checked out, I would often idle away a study hall in a corner of the library, thumbing the pages of Koller’s picturesque nod to North American hunting as it was in the mid 1960s. Years later, I was lucky enough to find a copy of The Treasury
of Hunting in a New Hampshire antique shop for a paltry $8.50. It remains a valued part of my outdoor book collection. Basically an oversized picture book, what some call a “coffee table book,” The Treasury of Hunting has its illustrations augmented by detailed text and captions. Koller and his editors Jerry Mason and Adolph Suehsdorf expand upon the text with the best sort of game and hunting color photographs 1965 had to offer. They also make extensive use of historic woodcuts and lithographs by Currier and Ives, as well as paintings and drawings from the likes of Frederic Remington and John James Audubon. Numerous black and white photographs intermingle with all the other wonderful illustrations. The “Treasury” is an unabashed celebration of hunting for sport. As the author states, “Even though it has been a long time since anyone had to depend on his prowess in the field to assuage his hunger, the atavistic spirit bur ns brightly still.” But he also speaks of the “Fair Chase” and the need to “meet the game on a common, relatively equal ground.” Koller freely acknowledges that the concepts of game management and conservation practices, espoused by Theodore Roosevelt and the Boone and Crocket Club before the end of the 19th
century, were beginning to have positive results by the mid 1960s. Beginning with a history of hunting in North America, Koller built 13 chapters on antlered game, horned game, bears, small game, game birds, hunting dogs, waterfowling, and hunting camps, among other related topics. Fascinating to today’s reader is an ending to each of the game chapters which features a selection of recommended firear ms (circa 1965 models) for that type of game. Appendices provide a recommended gun list and recommended calibers and loads for the various types of game. Anyone who loves hunting or who is interested in taking up the sport will enjoy The Treasury of Hunting. For a school kid trapped in a library on a rainy after noon, “The Treasury” may turn into real treasure – a lifetime of adventure and a trove of great memories of game trails and those who follow them. Out of print and not likely found in the corner bookstore any longer, The Treasury of Hunting remains worth the long stalk. Col. J.C. Allard lives in Pittsfield, NH about 20 miles north by east of Concord. “We're in the shadow of the Belknap mountains here, but we can see Mt. Washington on a clear day”.
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Pictures Gone Wild Our reader submitted photos
Riley Allard, 4, of West Newbury Vermont holding up his First Fish! ... A Vermont bluegill.
Outdoor Gazette columnist, Anita Williams, shows off a nice Minnesota smallie
The The Coolest Coolest Gift Gift Idea Idea
Your Picture on The Outdoor Gazette! No, not the real cover but an 8x10 full color mock-up of our cover. You can put your favorite hunting, fishing, snowmobiling or anything you can think of, right on The New Hampshire and Vermont Outdoor Gazette cover and it will look like the real thing. It’s the perfect gift for any outdoor enthusiast. Cover will be full color on heavy stock photo paper and will fit an 8x10 picture frame.
Hunter Colpitts - While fishing for catfish in the Tennessee River, Hunter landed this nice Striped Bass.
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What do we need from you? A digital photo with at least 200dpi resolution at 8x10 size or original photo mailed to us for scanning. 4 headlines of 30 characters or less and the month and year you would like on the cover The Outdoor Gazette
Want to buy one? send email to sales@theoutdoorgazette.com
June 2013
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The Keystone Corner Impale a Scale
There are many outdoorsmen and women who enjoy hunting and fishing but not many who participate in the action packed sport that combines the two… Bow fishing! Good numbers of carp and suckers (the target species) can be found throughout the hot summer months filling the gap between great spring fishing and the start of the various fall hunting seasons. With only three major items needed, bow fishing is also rather
inexpensive and easy to get into. Most bows with a draw weight of at least 30 pounds are sufficient including compound, recurve and longbows. These can be top of the line weapons purchased from industry leading manufacturers or a lucky find at a local garage sale.
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You will also need a bow fishing kit comprised of a tipped fiberglass arrow with safety slide, arrow rest and your choice of reel. The reel determines the kits price and are available in a simple handfed, drum style or a more advanced self-contained retriever. Although not necessary I would highly recommend a quality pair of polarized sunglasses. These will dramatically enhance your ability to spot fish by cutting through the sun glare on the water’s surface. Carp are an invasive, overly abundant fish found in most waterways of the United States. The slow slack water eddies of rivers and shallow bays of lakes are great places to encounter your quarry. Taking aim on a fish is by far the most difficult part of bow fishing due to water refraction. Simply looking down the arrow directly on the target will result in a high miss one hundred percent of the time! Always aim below the fish with a good rule of thumb being for every foot of water depth aim 3-6 inches below. A common phrase used by anglers: When in doubt aim low… then aim lower! It was the last week of May, Steve and I were headed to one of our favorite spots. The warming sun soaked bays of Shenango Lake were teaming with life as the annual spawning of Largemouth Bass, Red horse Suckers and Gizzard Shad was well under way.
By Aaron Thomas Ohl
Wading slowly through the kneedeep water bows in hand, we searched the pockets of willow and undercut banks for movement. Little wind and a glass surface made for excellent conditions. Almost immediately a sediment cloud and disturbance wake caught my eye, a carp darted out from under a submerged log and paralleled between the bank and me. The fish was heading for the mouth of the bay where the deeper main lake and safety awaited. I raised my trusty recurve and drew the string smoothly to the corner of my mouth. Being an instinctive shooter I don’t use a sight and kept both eyes open focused on my target. The carp gained speed and a more difficult moving shot was inevitable. I steadily swung my bow and lead the now escaping fish for the shot. I released my one finger over three under hold on the string and sent the arrow zipping for a direct hit just behind the gill plate. Kill Shot! The carp now motionless sank and rested upon the sandy bottom signifying its defeat. Similar scenarios played out multiple times that afternoon as we ended the day with nine a piece for a total of eighteen. Hardly a dent in the highly adaptable over populated species that has taken
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over this country’s watersheds. Bow fishing is a growing outdoor activity perfect for all ages and abilities that will provide hours of entertainment for years to come. Remember aim low and I’ll see you on the water! The Great Outdoors is my life and has been since I was a small child. Those early days were spent at a nearby creek catching snakes, frogs and crayfish with my cousin Mike. I fondly remember my Grandma’s sink frequently filled with Grandpa’s limit of walleye. Naturally it wasn’t long before I had a pole of my own. An old Zebco Rhino 33 to be exact, the perfect tool to sharpen my skills on Bluegill and Largemouth Bass at Buhl Park. Hunting is my true passion but started more as a way to spend time with my father who was an avid sportsman. That all changed however after my first whitetail deer harvest. It was with a compound bow from the ground on State Game lands 39 and I’ve since become a lost cause. In 2009 I created Keystone Outdoors to raise awareness that Pennsylvania was a highly underrated outdoors destination and launched the Keystone Outdoors Facebook Page in April 2011. The page showcases the best the Keystone State has to offer featuring local hunting and fishing stories, photos and video. In the future I shall continue to pursue a career in the outdoors industry and look forward to meeting new people and exploring new opportunities. Aaron Thomas Ohl is from Sharon, Pennsylvania.
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Virtually we are seeing early to mid spring conditions, not early summer. All of the rain has the lake level up over two feet from its normal level & the rivers & tributaries have
James from NY with his VT Gobbler.
remained swollen for the last couple of weeks. We still have been able to pick away at some Atlantic Salmon & Lake trout so far, putting fish in the boat every trip but not the numbers we are used to. We have the annual LCI Derby this weekend, & I have crew from Vergennes VT hoping to put some nice fish in the boat & a chance at some great cash & prizes! Time will tell how we make out, but it’s a great annual tradition that thousands of Anglers from across the Northeast take part in, vying for the chance at over $250, 000 in cash & prizes in three sepa-
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rate divisions! Lake Champlain is an incredibly diverse fishery that this derby highlights with the number of both cold & warm water species taken each year! We offer both trolling trips for Trout & Salmon in the deep water areas, along with drift boat trips for Bass & Pike in the shallower bays, with so many options over the close to 100 miles of Vermont lake front the options are limit less! Hopefully Mother Nature shuts the facet of soon & we get a chance to get to more normal conditions & rod bending action every day! By our next writing we will have moved to Lake Ontario to begin our chase of the KING! Our bookings are filling at a rapid pace as we have very few dates left for late August & early September, but we still have room earlier in the month, which are some of my favorite dates to catch line screaming Kings & Coho’s that are still DIME BRITE CROME & full Vim & Vigor! Give us a shout & come out & enjoy what Lady O has to offer!! Get on out & enjoy the summer…see you on the water!! Matt Trombley is a career firefighter, residing with his wife & son in Florence Vermont. He is a U.S.C.G licensed Master captain, guiding & chartering fishing trips through out Vermont & New York. His charter business, 3rd Alarm Charters can be viewed at www.3rdalarmcharters.com
ambiguity as to whether the Board has authority to regulate the use of crossbows. • Authorizes the Fish and Wildlife Board to set the annual number of antlerless deer and moose permits through a shorter procedure, rather than through a lengthy rulemaking process. It also requires public participation in that process and requires permit numbers to be incorporated into the department’s annual deer report to the Legislature. Previously, when Fish & Wildlife proposed annual antlerless deer and moose permit numbers to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board, the permit numbers were authorized through a rule-making process that took at least four months. By allowing the permit numbers to be approved through a shorter procedure, hunters will receive their permits earlier. • Authorizes the Fish and Wildlife Board to set Wildlife Management Unit boundaries no more frequently than every 10 years without approval of the Legislature. Previously, any wildlife management unit boundary change had to be approved by Legislature. Transferring authority to the Fish and Wildlife Board to periodically alter unit boundaries will maintain consistency in wildlife management programs, yet still allow for
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public input into unit boundaries. • Transfers permitting authority from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the State of Vermont for falconry permits. A federal regulation change requires falconers to obtain a single state permit that needs to comply with the general federal regulations. Vermont has until Sept.. 1, 2013, to submit compliance documentation. • Allows the Commissioner to issue three no-cost moose permits for individuals with a life-threatening illness provided that at least one permit is awarded to an individual under the age of 22. Statute currently authorizes the department to issue up to three no-cost moose hunting licenses only to youths age 21 years or younger who have lifethreatening illnesses. • Authorizes the department to raffle off promotional prizes in an effort to increase public involvement and participation in department activities. • Sets a minimum amount of $1,500 for a winning bid to receive a moose permit in the moose hunting permit auction. • Allows the Commissioner to issue an annual therapeutic group fishing license to a health professional for up to four people for $50. The fee is waived if the applicant providing care is a certified “Let’s Go Fishing” instructor.
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