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February 2023

By Ryan Corson

One summer day in Glenburn, Maine, my cousin Kyle and I were on a journey to Millinocket, Maine, on youth day for bear hunting. Nick, Kyle’s Uncle was set and determined for us to get a bear.

Kyle’s grandfather is a big time hunter and had shot many record book bears in

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 3

My Miracle Bear back of the truck and I shut the door with a small creak.

I smelled the outdoors and heard the birds chirping.

We drove and drove for the day all the way up to Millinocket. Eventually we passed the welcome sign to Millinocket and a cool rock that someone painted. We arrived and I hopped out

get excited. I couldn’t wait.

We pulled up the truck and I had a choice to sit at the next spot or sit here.

I gave the other spot a

so we loaded everything and carried on a mile down the road. We arrived and I hopped out of the truck and unloaded my clothes.

loaded his pistol. We kept walking and it kept getting colder and colder as we walked into the woods.

I came upon the blind.

chance.

“Why not?” I thought.

I chose the other spot and Kyle and his grandfather unloaded and took off into the woods. Nick was going to sit with me

I started to change and after that we sprayed our no scent spray on our clothing.

We gathered our belongings and started to walk into the woods. I loaded my gun and Nick

It was a wooden structure fit for one person, but we had to make it work. I went in first and settled down. I propped up my chair and set my gun towards the

It finally made a decision to walk back in and that’s when I took my safety off. I took a deep breath and BANG the bear jumped up and ran. I jacked a shell out and tried to see where it had finally fallen through my scope. the past and wanted us to get a big bear.

“Kyle!” Nick shouted.

“Yea,” Kyle said.

“Make sure to pack the no scent spray in your bag!” Nick shouted again.

After that we finally decided to head off into the morning mist to pick up Kyle’s grandfather. We lugged our stuff into the

of the truck for a pee break.

After that we made our way to the first site.

When we arrived at the first site, Kyle’s grandfather hopped out and grabbed the sd card from the trail cam. He arrived back at the truck and took out his laptop and started to look at photos from the site. After that I started to

(Bear cont. pg 5)

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On The Cover

Me & Joe Confront Homeland Security On Buffer Zone - Pg 16 Deer Hunt Gone Bad - Pg 46 Ice Fishing Hotspots - Pg 6 Sunday Hunting Suit - Pg 19 & 26 The Gregarious Grouse - Pg 37 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 68

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

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprehensive and readable monthly outdoor publication. Published at the trailhead of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Sporting Journal prides itself on being 3. My Miracle Bear - Ryan Corson an independent voice for the region’s 6. Ice Fishing: Where To Fish By Region outdoor community for more than 28 10. A Hiker’s Life - Carey Kish years. Some of our writers are seasoned 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd and specialized outdoors people who 12. The Trail Rider - Dan Wilson will share their know-how and insights; 13. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough some of our contributors are simply 15. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris lifelong outdoor people with interest16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood ing stories to tell.

19. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds Our aim every month is to capture 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard the essence of Northern New England’s 22. On Point - Paul Fuller remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring 24. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier memories, portraying outdoor humor, 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard and sharing experiences and outdoor 26. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 28. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau knowledge. We also keep our readers up to date with late-breaking outdoor 30. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly news and hard-hitting editorials about 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly fish and wildlife issues.

34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler Anyone who loves to hunt and 37. The Gregarious Grouse - David Minton fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors 38. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon a treasured place, is more than likely 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham to find some special connections amid 40. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 42. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair Journal.

Contents

43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 45. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 46. Anticosti - Mark Cote 48. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 49. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 50. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary W. Moore 51. Maple Country Outdoors - Ben Wilcox 53. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 54. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 55. Against The Current - Bob Romano 56. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 57. Just Fishing - Bob Leeman 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Question Of The Month - Joel Tripp 61. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 62. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 63. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 64. Back Shelf - Collin Chase 66. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill

Other Great Stories & Information

February 2023

Women In The Woods - Pg 66 Erin Merrill

8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 35. Photo Page 41. Trading Post 68. Real Estate

www.sportingjournal.com

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

Vol 30 Issue 2 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

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

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

All rights reserved, 2023. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

The Northwoods Bowhunter - Pg 61 Brian Smith

Cover Photo: Photo by Rene Bourque www.anticostiphotos.ca

Muzzleloading Afield - Pg 26 Al Raychard

Northwoods Voyager - Pg 43 Gil Gilpatrick

February 2023

Bear

(Cont. from pg 3) window sill. I waited for Nick to get settled then I opened the windows to it.

The smell of the breeze as I opened the windows made for a nice, early, Saturday morning. “We’re ready”, I mumbled.

As we were sitting, it was hot in the blind and the glass windows kept getting foggier and foggier. We had to take a towel and wipe the blind windows down. We waited and waited until…..

“Nick, I see something.”

I just saw a bear and it was a decent size bear.

I watched it come in and I looked through my gun sight to get a closer look.

It was an okay size but I wanted bigger. We watched the bear eat the bait and we watched it walk out.

“Oh my God”, I said to Nick.

I watched the sight in disbelief at what I just saw.

“This is my first time ever seeing a bear walk in.”

I gathered my emotions and calmed down, I started to relax and waited for another to come in.

I watched the bait and kept watching until I saw something….

SNAP! A huge bear stepped on a branch and Nick jumped right up.

“Ryan, I see one,” he said.

I looked and that was probably the biggest bear I have ever seen. I stared at it when it walked in and couldn’t believe it. We watched the bear walk to the site in disbelief, but I had to relax in order to get a good shot. When it came in the bear hesitated but when it wasn’t looking, I lifted my gun up and took aim. As I was taking aim I slowed my heart beat down

Northwoods Sporting Journal

and I took a deep breath. It had walked out and walked back in, at that moment I was confused. It finally made a decision to walk back in and that’s when I took my safety off. I took a deep breath and BANG the bear jumped up and ran. I jacked a shell out and tried to see where it had finally fallen through my scope.

My heart was beating as fast as a cheetah running through the savannah.

“Oh my lord Ryan”, Nick said. “Good job buddy!”

We got out of the blind to get some air.

“Well Ryan, it is still early so let’s go back to the truck, get changed, and find this bear,” Nick said quietly as we were walking out of the woods.

As we approached the truck, it was already dark outside. I sat my gun down and took a deep breath. We grabbed our clothes off the tailgate and got changed.

Nick grabbed his pistol and I unloaded my gun and armed myself with a knife.

We started to walk back in the woods to search for the bear.

As we were walking back in the woods we couldn’t stop talking about it.

“Ryan, this was probably my most favorite hunt I’ve had so far,” he said.

That made me smile. We stumbled upon the opening we came out of and started to walk in.

We spotted our blind and I started to walk down to the bait site. As I got closer and closer I saw a little bit of blood near the end of the walk trail. “Nick, I found some blood,” I said. He walked down to me and we both looked at each other.

We followed the trail of blood, but had to stop

and head back to pick up Kyle and his grandfather.

We walked out of the woods and I had a smile on my face.

I gathered my stuff and got into the truck. We drove to Kyle’s site. “Can’t wait to tell them that I got a bear,” I said. We pulled up to their site and I hopped out of the truck. As soon as we got there, Kyle’s grandfather told me and Nick that Kyle shot a bear too, just fifteen minutes before I shot my bear!

So I hopped out of the truck and started to gather my gear and my flashlight to head off into the woods.

Everyone else grabbed a flashlight and we took off into the woods searching for blood as we walked in. It was 11 pm by the time we headed down the trail.

It was so dark that all the trails began to run together.

We got to the site and there was a lot of blood. We searched and it looked like the bear had run to this trail across the main trail to get into the site.

We discovered a lot of bear scat and blood so we all spread out in the woods.

We didn’t see anything so we started to head back and try to find my bear since we had constant blood on the trail. We headed out of the trail and I got back in the truck with my flashlight and a knife.

We drove back to my site and everybody hopped out of the truck with flashlights. I made my way to the opening, leading everybody. I gathered my thoughts on where everything was because everything was dark and barely visible. I stepped on the wet, imperceptible dirt, and I thought about what was ahead and behind me as I was tracking the bear.

Page 5

We came across a short little creek and on the other side was my bear.

It was laid down on its side with blood coming out of its shoulder. I went across the creek and I touched the bear with the barrel of my gun to see if it was still moving. “Nick grab the phone, time to take a picture,’’ I said.

After we took pictures, Kyle’s grandfather told me to gut it, but I didn’t know how. He was messing with me and he started to gut the bear. It was very gross and I started to get light headed from the smell since I was the one holding its legs up. Nick went to grab the sled and I started to lay the bear down from its legs. Kyle was tired and I was too, considering the fact that it was almost two in the morning.

Nick arrived with the sled and we all pushed the bear to the truck in the sled.

I was in the back holding the bear so it didn’t fall out as we pushed it up a hill.

We went over a log and we set the sled down by the truck. Kyle’s grandfather went in the truck to turn the tailgate lights on so we could see as we were loading it.

We loaded the bear and I took my backpack off and set it in the truck and got in. I was so tired and on the ride home Nick and Kyle’s grandfather were talking about how they were gonna find Kyle’s bear Tom. In the morning, we started to head back and I had a smile on my face. I knew my dad would have

been proud from that moment as he was watching down. I breathed slowly gathering my emotions as I was walking.

We arrived back to Levant and I settled in at Kyle’s house after the hunt since my parents weren’t home, they were camping with the rest of my family.

After that moment I thought about the rest of the night and what was gonna happen in the morning. I put my clothes away and I started to go to sleep.

I put my bag down and I folded the convertible couch into a bed. I laid down and started to close my eyes while I relaxed. At this point I could not stop thinking about that bear and could not wait to get up and see it. I closed my eyes as I sniffled, for the rest of the night I slept in anticipation for a big morning.

I stepped outside with Nick the next morning with the scale and a rope to hang my bear. Just then, my mom pulled into the driveway with my stepdad. My stepdad hopped out of the car and helped Nick and I hang the bear on the scale.

It was finally the moment we all had been waiting for.

We looked up at the scale and it read a whopping 260 lbs.! I was excited to have gotten my first bear, after that, everyone was congratulating me on my Millinocket miracle.

Ryan Corson of Levant, Maine is an 8th grader at Caravel Middle School in Carmel.

Did you know that you can instantly access current and past digital issues of the Northwoods Sporting Journal?

It’s true!

Simply Google: http://www.sportingjournal.com/digital-issues

Page 6

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Ice Fishing: Where to Fish by Region

Sebago Lake Region

region and there is sure to be a few waters close to home. Some good bets for early season salmon in the region include: Mousam Lake (Shapleigh), Moose Pond (Bridgton), Kezar Lake (Lovell), Keoka Lake (Waterford), and Bryant Pond (Woodstock). Rainbow trout are also a good early season species, but they also tend to persist longer into the season than either brook trout or salmon. Some good waters for rainbows include: Stanley Pond (Hiram), Kennebunk Pond (Kennebunk), Crystal Lake (Gray), Middle/Upper Range Ponds (Poland), and Worthley Pond (Peru).

traditional start of the ice fishing season.

January Where to fish in From Fisheries ReJanuary: For fast action, source Supervisor Jim early season trout fishPellerin ing in central/Midcoast Where to fish in JanMaine, we recommend uary: For the earlier part Halfmoon Pond (Prospect), of the season, December Charles Pond (Georgethrough mid-January, antown), Pinkham Pond glers should target small(Alna), Caesar Pond (Bower-medium sized waters doin), Jamies Pond (Man(<1,000 acres). Waters in chester), and Minnehonk this category generally Lake (Mount Vernon). have safer ice, and in this Even some of the Region’s part of the state many of the moderate to larger sized larger waters like Thompwaters like Lake George son Lake, Kezar Lake, (Canaan), Hermon Pond Great East Lake, etc. don’t (Hermon), Salmon Lake fully set-up with ice until (Belgrade), McGrath Pond the second or third week (Belgrade), Maranacook in January. Sebago is typiLake (Winthrop), Alford cally our last lake to get ice Lake (Hope), and Upper and it often does not fully Narrows Pond (Winthrop) set-up, although areas like Belgrade Lakes provide surprisingly high Jordan Bay and the Station Region trout catch rates when typically have fishable ice January fished close to shore with for a good portion of the From Fisheries Reworms/small baitfish in season. source Biologist Wes Ashe no more than a few feet of Brook trout and/or With only a handful of water. salmon are great early seadays left in 2022, it’s now son species to target. Check time to venture down in the the annual stocking report cobweb-filled basement to Grand Lake Region online for fall brook trout January tune up the auger, change stockings to narrow down From Fisheries Rethe hooks on your trusty your list of places to try, source Technician Jake traps, and track down the these fall stockings are aging DeLorme to select a Scoville numerous throughout the Where to fish in Janwater for January 1st – the uary: January 1st is always an exciting day for Maine PENOBSCOT RIVER VALLEY ice anglers, as it marks the unofficial start to ice fishing season. Although you may find some December ice, January is typically Transporting all your goods in and outside of Maine the month where ice starts setting up on larger water bodies in the Downeast region and opportunity is abundant and diverse.

If you are looking for something a little different than your go-to lakes and ponds this January, the Downeast region has 485 Main Rd several new ice fishing Greenbush, ME opportunities that may be 207-299-5249 just what you are looking

Hiring Flat Bed & Van Drivers!

for. Upper Spectacle Pond in Township 19, Upper Morrison Pond in Great Pond, and Williams Pond in Township 28 are all new brook trout programs that are small, remote waters.

These new trout waters should provide January anglers with fish between 10 and 16 inches. All these remote waters require a little bit of extra effort to get to but could be very rewarding.

regularly catch warmwater species like perch and pickerel, but also catch coldwater species like brook trout and splake. Pleasant River Lake and Toddy Pond are also great places to bring kids because you never know what might come up through the hole.

Fishing tips: Be the first on the lake. Well, maybe you don’t need to be the first, but making sure you get on your fa-

If you are looking forward to the chance of catching salmon and lake trout this January, I would suggest a few of the classic Downeast waters. West Musquash Lake in Talmadge (salmon, lake trout), Cathance Lake in Cooper (salmon), Green Lake in Ellsworth (salmon, lake trout), Eagle Lake in Bar Harbor (salmon, lake trout) are some of the most reliable salmon and/or lake trout fisheries we have in the region. Waters like Pleasant River Lake in Beddington, Mopang Lake in Devereaux Township, Bog Lake in Northfield, Nash’s Lake in Calais, Toddy Pond in Orland, and Spring River Lake in Township 10-SD are all popular waters that anglers

vorite lake early could be the difference in catching a few more fish. For instance, a bright sunny day may not be the best day to target salmon, but I have seen (and experienced) the salmon bite the best before the sun rises over the trees and it would be a bummer to miss it. Also, don’t be afraid to be mobile. If the fishing is slow at your initial spot (or depths) go and change up your location.

It can be tough to pack up and move, but you may just stumble into a hot spot. Being complacent could just ensure you’re in for a slow day of fishing.

Reminders: When the calendar flips to January 1 it doesn’t guarantee ice will be safe everywhere.

(Ice Fishing cont. pg 7)

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 7

easy via the Hole in the stocked in the spring and will find a healthy stocked than most mid-sized lakes.

Ice Fishing isWall Road and then the the fall to provide plenty brook trout fishery, and a Big Wood offers some fast (Cont. from pg 6) Here Downeast, we have coastal waters that could still have thin ice well into January. Take extra safety measures and be sure to check the ice thickness as you make your way to your spot. Lastly, always be sure to check the Maine fishing laws before you head out.

Rangeley Lakes Region

January From Fisheries Resource Technician Tyler Grant Where to fish in January: After a warm start to the fall, temperatures have finally cooled off and ice is forming in the Western Maine mountains. There is some snow in the forecast, and it is time to get out ice fishing.

Wentworth Pond, or Ironbound Pond depending on where you’re from, in Solon is a good bet for opening day ice. Access

West Shore Road. There is an MDIFW launch at the end of the road that can provide a good place to park and access the water. This 213-acre, 48-foot-deep pond is stocked with 500 brook trout in the spring and 400 in the fall and 400 splake in the fall giving anglers the opportunity to catch an assortment of excellent coldwater sportfish.

This year it also received 30 adult retired broodstock brown trout as well. At over 18” long, one of these brown trout would create a lasting memory. It is also well known for large white perch and smallmouth bass.

For anglers with kids, there are a couple of great options with fast fishing and easy access. Tibbetts Pond in Concord TWP is a kids-fishing-only water with two easy access points off rt 16. The access point at the north of the pond is much less steep and is a good place to bring smaller kids. Brook trout are

of action. Haley Pond in Rangeley is another great place to bring kids. This 170-acre, 23-foot-deep pond is stocked with brook trout in the spring and the fall and is easily accessed from several locations in Rangeley off Rt 4. Harvey Pond is an often-overlooked kids only ice fishing water right off Rt 4 in Madrid, near Smalls Falls. It is stocked with brook trout in the spring and the fall and provides an excellent fishery. All three of these waters are good bets to have decent ice on opening day. Always test the ice for yourself.

Anglers looking to get off the beaten path and have a pond to themselves might consider Austin Pond in Bald Mountain Twp. This 684-acre, 34-foot-deep pond will require a long walk or a snowmobile ride along the Austin Pond Road from the Deadwater Road off Rt 16. Anglers willing to make the trek

wild salmon fishery that produces moderately sized but fat fish. Austin Pond was opened to ice fishing in 2022, so the ice fishing season is still quite new.

If you do make the trek, take a moment to tell your local biologist about your fishing trip.

early-season action for splake, brook trout, and the occasional salmon. It’s located in downtown Jackman, so access is easy. It’s going to be a while yet for Moosehead and other large lakes. A few of the coves on Moosehead caught last week and held tight during those very windy days.

Moosehead Region But they are probably not safe. As I write, there is January From Fisheries Re- a significant rain event in source Supervisor Tim the forecast. This will soak down through the foot or Obrey There’s been very lit- more of snow, and it will tle fishing ice fishing activ- delay freezing. Let’s hope ity so far in the Moosehead for some colder weather on Lake Region. We’ll need the backside of the storm some cold, calm nights for to tighten up the lakes the ice to set up. So, stay in the area. In the meanon the small ponds for now. time, check your leaders, Waters like Mountain View start your auger, and prep (Fitzgerald) Pd, Sawyer Pd, your gear for the upcoming Prong Pd, Branns Mill Pd, hardwater season.

The extended warm and Snow’s Pd will be the first to have sufficient ice. weather has put us behind They are all stocked late in schedule with ice formathe fall, so the fish are there. tion in the Moosehead Big Wood Pd in Jackman is Lake Region. Some of a larger body of water, but the smaller ponds have it seems to freeze earlier (Ice Fishing cont. pg 32)

Page 8

When you hunt the same land every fall for more than 50 years, you see remarkable changes. If you are a hunter whose very heritage is irrevocably linked to unfettered access to wooded areas, posted land is a slap in the face. It is true, as my wife reminds me, people who own private land have every right to keep you out, to keep it for themselves. And for the record, I believe in private property rights and would never agitate for public confiscation of private land, even to safeguard our priceless hunting heritage.

But we have a problem, Houston! In Hancock County, where I live and hunt, two things are happening at an unprecedented pace: 1) Single family dwellings are popping up in my old hunting haunts like dandelions in springtime, and 2) Most of the land that isn’t consumed by new dwellings is posted: No Trespassing.

Yes, it’s not a new problem. Back in the 1990s, when I was the Information & Education Officer for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Game Warden Dave Peppard was in charge of landowner relations. He actually went around knocking on doors of landowners who posted. To his credit, he convinced some of them to substitute Hunting By Permission Only signs, which were provided at no charge to these landowners. The signs

Fair Chase To the Editor: This is the first time I have ever responded to your magazine. I have been a subscriber for years. On that note, I really miss some of the old-time writers we used to enjoy. Sadly, I suspect most of them have moved on and are no longer with us.

Back to the reason I am writing to you. The topic of fair chase came up in your October issue, and I just had to say something.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Posted!

February 2023

contained a space for the landowner’s name and phone number.

A few of these signs are still around, though faded, but I have yet to find one that contained either the landowner’s name or phone number, which does little to help the hunter looking for legally accessible land to hunt.

Today, there are, not one, but two full time game wardens who coordinate IF&Ws Landowner Relations Program. Are they doing any good? Perhaps, but, from where I stand, the problem must be out pacing their capacity to keep up.

Game Wardens advise that “posting your property with signs that say “Hunting

by Permission Only” with your name and telephone number is much more preferable to the public than posting No Trespassing signs — and the setup can benefit you, too. Allowing use by permission puts you in direct contact with people using your land.

And those people who are willing to reach out and ask for permission are usually also more inclined to help you by reporting acts of abuse and trespass by others.”

Not only are the By- Permission- Only signs as rare as real moose in Freeport, the most of the new generic No Trespassing signs have an aggressive, threatening tone. An old cutting that I have hunted for years, has a new sign that announces: “

And maybe it’s my age, but I think the concept of fair chase parted ways with most hunters’ years ago. I think it first started with the caring of portable communications devices, and I have to say that I am guilty of that myself, mostly for touching base with hunters (family members) concerning activity they have or have not been seeing, and their location, but it also clues you into where the animals are in certain situations, fair chase…no! In

the same issue, the topic of cellular trail cameras was mentioned twice, and in my personal opinion these should be banned a month prior to and during hunting season (hopefully NE states follows suite with the states out west).

These are definitely not anywhere in the realm of fair chase, nor is the use of any type if aerial reconnaissance device, whether that be a drone, plane or helicopter. In my opinion, any type of aerial activity

Warning: No Trespassing – Surveillance Cameras- live feed.” A neighboring blueberry barren that borders a swamp I have long hunted has a new sign message from a well-known Downeast blueberry processor. It is not sweet like the berries. It almost hisses at you: No Trespassing- Violators Will Be Prosecuted!

Recently in a glowing Bangor Daily News op-ed endorsement of Governor Mills, by Matt Dunlap, he reported that the governor has “expanded IF&Ws crucial Landowner Relations Program” with large infusions of taxpayer dollars.

This is an old refrain. What we have not seen is a convincing case that IF&W’s Landowner Relations Program is truly bearing fruit. How is this money being used? IF&W has never said. Do landowner relations wardens still knock on doors like Warden Peppard did in the early days of landowner relations programs? There may well be some significant successes in the realm of getting posted land unposted that we haven’t heard about. If there is some good news, those of us hunters who have become discouraged, who find it increasingly difficult to find unposted land would sure like to know.

- VPR

should be conducted by the Fish and Game (biologists/wardens) department for research purposes only Any other aerial activity that is tracking or harassing wildlife should be banned year-round.

In my mind, if you must use all this new electronic gear to hunt, you’re really not a hunter. Fair chase in just what it says…. fair!

T. Brisson Vermont

Bucket Stocking To the Editor: V. Paul Reynolds’ article on bucket stocking and the farm pond reminded me of a scene from the “Godfather”,” beware of those who come to ask permission to trap bait in your pond”.

Jim Hall Machais (Letters cont. pg 9)

February 2023

Letters

(Cont. from pg 8)

Muzzle Odors To the Editor: An acquaintance of mine, who has a lifetime of hunting experience, advised me that when the regular deer season closes, muzzle odor season begins.

When I asked him what this means, just he tells me “Gimme a break,” like I’m supposed to know what this is. Well, I don’t. I suspect it either has something to do with end of season gun cleaning, or changing a bird dog’s diet. If you or one of your readers could clear this up, I’d appreciate it. Great magazine, by the way. And it seems to get better every year.

Jack Gagnon Lakeville Editor’s note: Well, there are muzzle odors and muzzle loaders. The former usually follows the latter, unless there is a strong crosswind or cutting edge black powders are used.

Photo Quality To the Editor: In response to the letter about poor photo quality: I agree and have almost written in about it several times. Although the magazine is printed in newsprint, the photo quality is far worse than any newspaper I have ever read. I like the journal and will keep subscribing regardless, but I wanted to let you know that the poor photo quality is noticed by readers.

Jonathan Shapiro East Hardwick, Vermont.

Northwoods Sporting Journal Does Aplenty To the Editor: No, I didn’t get a deer.

Got bronchitis the 3rd day, lasted 3 weeks. I have 250 acres in Peru.

But in those three days I was out, I saw 19 does. A friend saw 30 driving a 4 mile stretch of road.

Everybody else I know in town got a deer, from spike to 6 point. Only one doe tag, filled. (I’m on the fire department. Biggest deer I know of taken in town was downed on Route 108 by a Toyota.)

I’ve hunted Maine since 1987. Most deer I’ve seen in a year, ever. I mean, I saw more deer this year

become nice 4 pointers or so and of a nice body size.

Also, more doe permits for Earle “Sandy” Wingate Zone 28 would help fill the freezers. Also the deer are Peru losing a lot of their yarding areas to the solar farms Shortage of Bucks and housing development.

Lose that habitat and lose To the Editor: I enjoy V. Paul Reyn- the deer! olds’ articles, but I must David Simpler say that the deer situation Machias in the area of Machias/ Marshfield is totally a disThe Land Abusers appointment this year! We have an over abundance To the Editor: of does and a shortage of In a recent column, bucks and definitely bucks of any size and age. Maine V. Paul Reynolds bemoans needs an antler point re- “No Trespassing”signs striction as Pennsylvania and wonder what DIFW’s and other states do. This Landowner Relations prowould allow for them to gram is doing. Here in than in a decade of hard hunting.

Page 9 Buckfield, our land is still unposted, but every year we get closer to buying the purple paint. We walk, snowshoe or ski daily on singletrack trails we have made on our land, and almost every parcel we own is traversed by a snowmobile trail. Despite signage and working closely with the local snowmobile club, we have ever-increasing incursions by 4-wheelers and others -- this fall we encountered an SUV towing a trailer! -- on the snowmobile trail through our land, and I frequently carry a backpack in the woods so that I can pick up the cans, bottles, and other (Letters cont. pg 31)

Page 10

“A Hiker’s Life”

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Barn Island Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in the far southeastern corner of Connecticut is the largest, most diverse and most ecologically significant in the state’s inventory of wildlife management properties. Established in 1944, Barn Island protects

to open water habitat by the mosquito ditches dug in the early 1930s, which drained the marshes in an effort to eliminate the pest. Look for these long, straight mosquito ditches as you walk. In 1968, a fifth dike was built.

The route bears right

February 2023

Beer Hiking New England

Burdick’s erected a huge barn (long gone) that was visible for miles around, and the name Barn Island has stuck. Before entering the woods at the far end of Impoundment 5, there’s an osprey nesting platform sticking out of the marsh grass.

Stone walls line the old road as the path winds through the woods to the Burdick-Culver Cemetery.

The open stretches are a delight and there’s plenty of birdlife to see. The shallow pools and depressions along the route provide important habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds.

1,103 acres of prime habitat, from salt and freshwater wetlands and hardwood forests to old fields and grasslands.

Just 100 feet into the hike is the Marsh Overlook and Demonstration Garden.

Check out the interpretive displays, then follow the wide path down to the open marshlands and over a causeway with a culvert.

Impoundment 1 on the left is the first of five impoundments to be passed on a series of old roads through the marshes on the edge of Little Narragansett Bay. In the 1940s, four dikes were constructed across the estuary. The impounded waters were designed to enhance tidal wetland habitat for migratory and resident birds and muskrat, and to reverse the damage done

at the next two forks over the next mile or so, which leads in and out of the impressive deciduous forest of oak, hickory and maple as the trail passes the next four impoundments. The open stretches are a delight and there’s plenty of birdlife to see. The shallow pools and depressions along the route provide important habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds. The culverts at each impoundment were installed in the late 1970s to increase tidal flow to help restore the natural balance of the tidal marshes.

Looking out across the marshlands toward the bay there’s a large, forested island; this is Barn Island.

Historically it was known as Stanton Island, but during the late 1800s the

Gravestones in the cemetery date from 1793 to 1881. Beyond the stone pillars of an old gate, the trail leads onto Stewart Road through a rural neighborhood. Turning left on gravel Brucker Parkway, the way goes past a farmstead to a large parking area for Barn Island WMA. A wide grassy track then meander through the pretty fields past many bluebird nest boxes. Re-entering the woods, the route rejoins the marsh to connect the loop and return to Palmer Neck Road.

Post-hike, head a few miles west to Stonington and Beer’d Brewing in the American Velvet Mill. Like many old New England mills, the mill, circa 1891, has been repurposed and today houses a thriving mix of artists, craftspeople and

entrepreneurs, including Beer’d Brewing, which set up shop here in 2011.

Living out their motto, “Don’t just stand out in the crowd, stand somewhere else,” the passionate crew at Beer’d believes in making beer accessible to everyone, and with their Signature, Limited Release and Experimental Series, you’re sure to find a brew or two that suits your palate. One of Beer’d Brewing’s popular staples is a juicy Imperial IPA called Dogs & Boats. Whatever beer you choose, enjoy it

ORONO

DOVER-FOXCROFT

AUBURN

NORTH WINDHAM

HAMPDEN

SCARBOROUGH

ELLSWORTH

LINCOLN

MILO PRESQUE ISLE MACHIAS

PORTLAND YARMOUTH HOLDEN

with a slice of Woodfellas pizza (one of several terrific food vendors inside the mill) in the taproom or out in the Beer’d Garden in the spacious, sunny atrium.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is author of the new book, Beer Hiking New England, which pairs 50 great hikes and craft breweries from around the region. His other books include the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

The Bucket List Bear

“Range is hot!” I bellowed and instructed the hunter in front of me to load and make ready. The big Dutchman, Patrick Roos, settled into a solid isosceles shooting stance, nose over toes as he brought the massive revolver up. We were standing 40 yards from the target board with the rest

bucket list. I wanted to help him achieve it.

Two .500 S&W Magnum cartridges went into the cylinder and I cleared Patrick to shoot. The recoil sent the seventeen and a half inch revolver vertical as the report boomed across the ridge like a round of artillery. I was impressed

stand sixteen feet in the air, tucked up against a bull pine tree with some natural concealment on two sides. The flip up shooting rail would act as a bench rest for the iron-sighted revolver and wrapped in camouflage burlap, provide additional concealment.

This site would provide the best opportunity for an open sight gun. It boasted plenty of light right up to

Page 11

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME where he hit the bear, how the bear reacted and if it ran. Also, he took a mental snap shot of where the bear was when he fired, which direction it ran and that he was currently listening for the bear to crash. “Sit still, keep listening. On the way”

veled at the distance and their jaws dropped further when I told them the range finder verified distance – 50 yards! Once again, the Dutchman received a round of applause and congratulations back at camp. He made his dream come true,

After I arrived, we moved down to where the bear was hit, next to the bait barrel to look for blood. We had little success. Taking cues from Patrick, we used his mental snap shot to follow the likely escape route; flagging our way into the thick cedar.

Patrick Roos with his hand gun bear. of the hunters in camp another 20 yards behind us at the rifle bench. There was plenty of chin wagging and eyebrow raising going on back there along with a few snickers. Nobody wanted to miss this.

When I first booked Patrick he told me he wanted to hunt bear with a handgun. I was amenable, but let him know that he had to be prepared to demonstrate proficiency, just like our bow hunters are required to do, when he arrived from Zurich. A native of The Netherlands now residing in Switzerland, he was an avid hunter and firearms enthusiast, traveling to hunt all over the globe.

His opportunities to hunt with his Magnum Research BFR revolver were limited however, due to firearm restrictions in many of the countries he hunts in. Taking a bear in the United States with his pistol was on the top of his hunting

with Patrick’s control and shooting fundamentals, so I had him take the second shot before checking the target to ensure grouping accuracy. Pistol cleared and verified I called the range cold and we all headed down to the target. Two half-inch holes were perfectly stacked on top of the bullseye. The backslapping and hooting continued all the way to the lodge as the hunters congratulated Patrick on some fine shooting. His handgun bear hunt was on.

I selected a very specific bait site for my hand gunner. It was a double

last legal shooting time and clear shooting lanes.

After a quiet Monday and Tuesday with no action to speak of, I settled the big man with his big revolver into the stand Wednesday and reiterated the ranged landmarks for him to estimate distances. I topped off the bait barrel and rang the dinner bell by thumping the drum. I looked up to my hunter in the stand and got the thumbs up. Returning it, I moved out. Five and a half hours later my phone buzzed with an incoming text.

“Hit it from the front.

Fell and ran away. Snap shot. Hearing now.” Patrick was following my pre-hunt instructions to a tee. What he was telling me was that he marked the spot

I replied. After I arrived, we moved down to where the bear was hit, next to the bait barrel to look for blood.

We had little success. Taking cues from Patrick, we used his mental snap shot to follow the likely escape route; flagging our way into the thick cedar. Roughly 100 yards later I made the announcement to the hand gunner who was 50 yards to my right – “dead bear!”

A few of the other hunters in camp arrived to help with the retrieval and as we passed the stand Patrick let his big magnum roar from, I paused and pointed down the shooting lane to the barrel and where the bear was hit. They mar-

with an amazing display of marksmanship. As I prepared to head back up to the clubhouse for the evening, Patrick was thanking me profusely. I congratulated him and thanked him as well – I had my own bucket list item riding on this hunt.

Thanks to Patrick, Tucker Ridge had its very first handgun bear in stunning fashion.

John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine. He can be reached at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @tuckerridgeoutdoors

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! (See page 49)

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Page 12

Sporting Journal Northwoods

“The Trail Rider”

February 2023

Ride with a View

by Dan Wilson, Bowdoinham, ME The end of the day is near with the sky turning from bright blue and the sun reflecting off crisp white snow. Wooded trails darken, looking eerie, yet inviting. A few deer may come to feed in the field as the sun begins to set.

The sky changes from bright oranges and yellows that fade into cool blues, purples, and pinks. A few stars or planets start to appear, a perfect moment to pause, turn off your engines, and observe the

world around us.

If even higher altitude is more your speed, there are snowmobiles designed for these heights, called mountain snowmobiles.

They differ from trail, touring, or utility snowmobiles.

They are lighter, narrower, and can handle deep snow like a pro. Their engines and fuel consumption are designed to perform well in high altitudes and the tracks have larger lugs/ studs.

As night draws near

brightly.

Growing up, my father, and his local friends would ride to one another’s houses, stopping for

Along the way we’d stop at a camp and cook hot dogs, tell stories by the woodstove, and plan which direction to head next. Night rides like this often meant we’d be back after midnight. beauty before you.

I’m lucky to have a few prime sunset spots along the trails in my area.

Some of the best views are from hills, clearings, and ledges. I look forward to these quiet moments, taking in the vastness of the

and fluorescent moon beams illuminate the snow covered ground, crisp clear nights are also an exciting time to ride, especially from an elevated area.

The constellation Orion is highly visible, fun to spot atop a hill, stars twinkling

If you never get enough of the outdoor tips, tales and tactics in the Sporting Journal each month, or if you missed the best of our past articles, visit our online library. You don’t need a card, a password, or even a driver’s license. Just go to the Northwoods Sporting Journal website and click on Past feature Stories....our collection of oldies but goodies is just a mouse click away!

www.sportingjournal.com

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a visit, snack, and to pick one another up, adding to the caravan. It was always exciting to see the lights coming towards the house, sometimes 10 or more snowmobiles filing in one by one. On occasion, my father would bring me

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along for a ride, even if it was late. Along the way we’d stop at a camp and cook hot dogs, tell stories by the woodstove, and plan which direction to head next. Night rides like this often meant we’d be back after midnight.

Being a passenger, it is important to be well bundled. A night ride is often chilly, and you don’t always have access to hand warmers. Nowadays thumb and hand warmers are pretty standard, but I remember having some sleds that didn’t have this luxury. My new Yamaha has a hand warmer for passengers.

Having a winter face mask is a key component of staying warm, covering your face and neck, under your helmet. Couple that with a non-bulky winter jacket, snow pants or bib, wool socks, and insulted boots and you’ll have a good chance of stay-

ing warm. I go back and forth between mittens and gloves, and usually bring both along. My preference tends to be mittens when riding, but having a good pair, whether mittens or gloves, is essential for keeping warm. You could always pack some work gloves for those times you might need to clear the trail of a fallen branch or tree.

For those who snowmobile a lot, you can even buy snowmobile suits or jackets/pants, helmet, gloves, etc. that match your sled.

These suits are made to be light and easy to move in, without too much bulk.

Whatever you choose to ride in, stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy the view along the way.

Daniel Wilson works in healthcare and enjoys time outside in nature with his family.

Let us know your opinion send letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield, ME 04493

February 2023

It’s the shortest month or the year and usually the coldest. My ancestors from the British Isles called this month Solmonath, meaning “mud month.” In Maine we typically don’t see water in its liquid form

this month, but if you look carefully, you will discover a few hints of spring. The sun is noticeably higher in the sky, and I come home with rosy cheeks after a walk on a sunny February day or sitting next to an ice fishing trap.

February 1 - The yank-yank-yank of nuthatches belie their locations in the winter woods.

Both the red-breasted and white-breasted varieties occur here. With our warming winters, the white-breasted nuthatch is replacing its smaller brick-red cousin.

Today I found them foraging in a mixed species flock with chickadees, downy woodpeckers, and goldencrowned kinglets.

Woodpeckers, brown creepers, and chickadees work their way up the trunks of trees searching for morsels of food, whereas nuthatches descend from top to bottom. The upsidedown world of the nuthatch provides them a unique

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 13

February niche to search nooks and crannies at a different angle for an insect morsel and avoid competition with the other birds.

February 14 - The snow has piled up to two feet this winter so I went

snowshoeing to see where the deer gathered for their winter quarters. Deer tracks were absent on the snowy landscape, but I finally cut a single fresh track that took me within yards of one of my favorite deer hunting stands. I saw a large, shed antler laying on the snow 20 yards from the stand. It was freshly shed and blood from the antler stained the snow. I followed the buck’s track for a half mile hoping to find the second antler without luck. With the afternoon sun waning, I returned to where I found the antler and backtracked the buck. Within 50 yards I found the second antler, a beautiful, heavy Maine 10-point. What a Valentine’s Day gift!

February 20 - Three times this week I saw a pair of adult eagles circling the house. The breeding season has started.

This month eagles begin courtship flights and carry sticks to their nest. This is

definitely a pair with the female noticeably larger than the male. It is two miles or more from our house to the Penobscot River.

The Soudabscook Stream is closer. Perhaps they are building a nest there. They have built nests in stranger places. Recently a pair took up residence in downtown Bangor near the Federal Building on Kenduskeag Stream.

The nest is in a single white pine next to the sidewalk on Kenduskeag Avenue and is surrounded by townhouses. They seem to do quite well there.

Last year they added a second nest higher in the pine; a doubledecker house! Much to the joy of their human neighbors they produced triplets.

February 20 Deer and Lichens - Buoyed by finding a pair of antlers last week I tracked deer in the snow today. In the deep snow, there is not much for deer to eat. They are traveling from one fallen tree to another to nibble lichens from the branches.

Although everyone knows that lichens are the winter food of choice for caribou, few realize that they are the most important survival food for whitetailed deer in the northern parts of their range. Lichens are low in protein but high in carbohydrates; enough to help deer obtain critical calories in the winter. Deer (and caribou) especially love Usnea or “old Man’s Beard,” a greenish lichen that resembles Spanish moss. Evernia is another deer favorite that resembles an undersea

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME coral. These are deer “ice cream” and the first to be cleaned from a balsam fir that fell in a heavy snow storm. On close inspection, the twigs of all fallen trees are encrusted in a

strated there was a distinct browse line of lichens near deer wintering areas. They found that lichens provide a critical source of energy during winter when poorly digested hardwood browse

Although everyone knows that lichens are the winter food of choice for caribou, few realize that they are the most important survival food for white-tailed deer in the northern parts of their range. complex ecosystem of lichens. Hungry deer may also eat smaller species of crustose lichens as they pepper the snow surface below branches where the deer are feeding. Research

by University of Maine wildlife biologists demon-

474-5430

is all that is available.

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

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Page 14

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Outdoor News - February 2023 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds

February. Not a bad month for outdoor types.

If you look closely, you’ll notice longer days. Cabin fever sufferers take heart.

There are sportsman shows and ice fishing derbies that make a relatively short winter month go even faster. On late afternoons toward the end of February, when the sun’s rays begin to hold promise and the wind stays down, it can be downright pleasant near those ice fishing holes.

If you’re shopping for winter diversions beyond the bunny hunts or tying bench, don’t forget to check out the many sportsman shows, ice fishing derbies and bait dealers. Be sure to check out the Cabin Fever Reliever, Penobscot Fly Fishers’ annual winter show. More information is available below.

As we said in this space last year at this time, the best part of the month is the perennial promise that helps Mainers endure the abbreviated days and prolonged nights: the coming of March, then the April thing, and then spring!

Be Safe Check The Ice!

Maine Game Wardens Recover Body

Maine Game Warden Divers recovered the body of a Smithfield man from North Pond at approximately 1:30 p.m. during the Holidays.

Jeremiah Meader, age 42 of Smithfield, was driving his side-by-side UTV with his wife and two other adult passengers across North Pond in Smithfield around 1:00 a.m. when his UTV broke through the ice. The group was returning home after leaving a friend’s residence. When the ATV broke through, Meader’s wife and two passengers were able to get out of the ATV, but Meader was unable to get out of the 2020 Yamaha UTV before it completely submerged.

One of the friends tried to dive down into the icy water to try and retrieve Meader but was unsuccessful. The trio then tried to find their way home, but due to the extreme fog and darkness, they were unable to find their way off the ice, and were rescued by emergency rescue personnel at about 2:30 a.m. The two friends were treated for hypothermia and released,

but Meader’s wife was transported to the hospital due to hypothermia and released. Maine Game Wardens and rescue personnel searched for Meader until early in the morning but were unsuccessful.

At approximately 7:00 a.m. the following day, Maine Game Wardens, Maine Warden Service divers, and rescue personnel from Smithfield FD, Rome FD, Belgrade FD, Norridgewock FD, Oakland FD, Skowhegan FD and Delta Ambulance reconvened to resume searching.

Crews convened at the Smithfield Fire Department along with family and friends of Meader.

The Maine Warden

Service dispatched two airboats with Warden Service divers out onto the ice to search for Meader.

The group went to an area

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

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

“This wonderful fishing book is the gospel when it comes to streamer flies and trolling tactics. A Classic!

$21.95

- V. Paul Reynolds, Editor, Northwoods Sporting Journal

Send a check for $2 .95 SRVWDJH along with this ad, to: Bob Leeman, 22 Alan-A-Dale Rd., Brewer, ME 04412. (Price covers shipping and handling).

Maine Outdoor Publications

approximately ¼ mile from shore where the UTV broke through the two inches of soft gray ice. At approximately 1:20 p.m., Game Warden Divers recovered the body of Mr. Meader in approximately eight feet of water. He was transported to Dan & Scott Funeral home.

“Ice conditions vary greatly across the state, and everyone needs to check the ice before heading out,” stated Game Warden Sergeant Josh Bubier. “While in some areas, the ice may be thick enough, in other areas, it can be dangerously thin.”

Cabin Fever Reliever 2023

Winter may have just started – but the Penobscot Fly Fishers are already excited and are planning to relieve the cabin fever that sets in this time of year.

Mark your calendars and clear your plans so you can join them for Cabin Fever Reliever Saturday-Sunday, February 25-26, 2023 at the Brewer Auditorium. In addition to up to fifty exhibitors and exciting speakers with a focus on education and the outdoors, PFF is planning to have the kids fly tying, youth archery, and this year a silent auction. Look for information and request for donations to the Silent Auction coming from Jill Corey and Barb . Questions? Send a quick email to cabinfeverreliever@penobscotflyfishers. com and they’ll be in touch.

Vermont Walleye Restrictions

Walleye fishing restrictions on Chittenden

Reservoir have been modified to help improve fishing opportunities and natural reproduction of the walleye population, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.

Starting January 1, 2023, walleye fishing on Chittenden Reservoir will be as follows: • Legal Length Limit: 18 to 20 inches. All walleye under 18 and over 20 inches must be released.

• Daily Limit: 1 walleye.

• Open Season: June 1 through March 15.

The “Test Water Designation” changes were made due to concerns over declining walleye size in the reservoir and the discovery by fisheries biologists in November that walleyes are now reproducing at the reservoir.

“We have been stocking walleyes into Chittenden Reservoir since 1993 and on an every-other-year basis since 2001, said Vermont Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist Shawn Good. “Past fisheries surveys concluded that walleyes were not successfully reproducing. All walleyes collected and analyzed since stocking began in 1993 were hatchery fish, based on marks we apply to the fish in the hatchery for later identification.”

“However, in early November of 2022, we spent two nights electrofishing around the shoreline and collected 327 walleyes that were between 5 inches and 7 inches long.

Walleyes this size in late fall would have hatched in the spring of 2022. We did not stock walleyes in 2022.

(News cont. pg 23)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Smelting on the Edge

One gray November afternoon fifteen years ago, Papa and I were shopping in the tackle shop on Commercial Street in Bath, Maine. My grandfather was buying me a jig rod for ice fishing, an early birthday present for an outdoors-obsessed youngster. Someone in the shop motioned out back and pointed towards the river. Over the Kennebec, a flock of excited terns circled and dove.

Several months earlier, such a scene would have drawn every striper fisherman from Georgetown to Woolwich. But the striped bass had since made their journey south to warmer waters, and the few native “holdovers” that brave winter in the river had already vanished deep into their caves. Instead, a school of rainbow smelt had attracted the terns.

Like salmon and shad, rainbow smelt are anadromous. Born in freshwater, smelt enter the sea as juveniles, travel back upriver in late fall and winter, and spawn in early spring. Merrymeeting Bay, and the six rivers that feed it - the Kennebec, Androscoggin, Muddy, Cathance, Eastern, and Abagadasset - have been the epicenter of “sea smelt” fishing in New England for over two centuries.

When I was eight or nine years old, my dad first took me smelting. Though we walked off the Eastern River without a single fish, we had enjoyed ourselves, and so began a tradition of visiting the “smelt camps” a few times every winter.

Smelt always seem to bite best in the dark, though I distinctly recall a very successful daytime trip to Baker’s Smelt Camps

Page 15

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME

The author and his smelt shack.

(Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.)

in Pittston. The tide ran through the morning, and with the sun high overhead, Papa and I left with a fivegallon bucket full of smelt.

I was a really skinny kid, so Papa insisted that a rope be tied to my belt loop in case I fell through the race hole.

In retrospect, I am not sure what pulling me against the current, under the ice, by my belt loop, would have accomplished - but I never tested the method, and as I remember, the rope was untied after only a couple

of minutes.

For a few winters during high school, I kept my own smelt shack on the Androscoggin River.

My friends and I would load up in my ‘98 Chevy K2500, race up the highway to Brunswick, and head down to the river.

Friday and Saturday nights were lively in Shack Alley.

The parking lot was always full, snowmobiles zipped around, the smell of roasting meat wafted downriver, and laughter and music cut

the night. My friends and I tried hard to fit in with the weekend crowd; we blasted Shania Twain and Tim McGraw from our boombox, burned hot dogs on the stove, and took turns seeing who could hold down a bigger pinch of Skoal apple-flavored chew. Occasionally, the girls from

often than not, our big haul for the night was a small perch or two. And though we were rowdy, we were respectful and cleaned up after ourselves. Every tide, people would stop over and ask the same question: “Howah dey bitin’ down dis way boys?” The last season I had the shack out, I

the local high school came down to the river and we would show-off to determine who was the most rugged smelter. We would try to hide our terror when great sheets of ice shifted and moaned during the change of the tide, and the planks of wood connecting the ice to the shore suddenly became dislodged.

We never caught many smelt from my shack. More

pulled it from the river on a warm, slushy March day. A big bearded man from two shacks down popped his head out and called to me.

“We’ll seeyah back heyah next season kid - nowah won’t we?” I supposed I had answered yes, but I went off to college, got rid of the shack, and haven’t fished that stretch of river since.

(Smelting cont. pg 24)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

The Adventures of Me and Joe

February 2023

The Buffle Zone

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

“I’m sorry, but you can’t pass.” The Border Patrol officer standing in front of the roadblock was quiet but firm. Joe stared at him out the driver’s side window of the Jeep.

“Whaddaya mean, we can’t pass. We’re goin’ fishin’ at Fable Lake. This here’s the road in.”

“Fable Lake is in the Buffer zone. No-one is allowed in except on official government business.”

Me and Joe stared at each other. What had started as a mild winter day with the chance to ice a few of Fable Lake’s fabled trout was turning into a hassle.

“What the heck do you mean, Buffle Zone?

I don’t know of no Buffle Zone around these parts.”

“That’s ‘Buffer Zone’.

Our liaison officer from the Department of Home Security has declared the area within 10 miles of the Quebec border a Buffer Zone. It’s to protect against terrorists.”

“Ten miles?! You’ve

gone an’ closed ten miles of the state for the length of the northwest border to its citizens? Does Quebec know about it?”

“About what?”

“This Buffle Zone?

An’ what yore accusin’ them of?”

“What do you mean?”

The Border Patrolman was becoming agitated. “We’re not accusing them of anything!”

“No? Sounds to me like yore suggestin’ they’re harborin’ a bunch of terrorists over there just waitin’ to sneak across into this here Buffle Zone.”

“BUFFER ZONE!” The Patrolman flushed red.

He swallowed hard and regained his composure with an effort. “Look, if you don’t like the idea, I suggest you go and talk to the liason officer. He’s just established an office in the Rooker Building in Mooseleuk. Name’s Woodrow Pompous.”

By the time we had driven all the way back to

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Name

Mooseleuk I had calmed down some but Joe was still fuming.

“I guess we’ve got to go along with it,” I said resignedly. “I mean, homeland security is a serious thing and we’ve all got to do our part.”

“The trout in Fable Lake ain’t botherin’ homeland security,” Joe grated between clenched teeth.

“An’ neither are we. I’m all for protectin’ the homeland, but some o’ these jokers are carryin’ things jist

a mite too far. Here’s the Rooker Building.”

The Rooker Building was an ostentatious name for a ramshackle old frame house near the center of town. Rooker Slayman had purchased the old structure and cleaned it out in the hopes of creating office space for the influx of new businesses he expected to arrive during the boom of the late 90s. The boom hadn’t made it quite this far north and most of the rooms in the house were

empty.

We found Woodrow Pompous ensconced behind a sprawling desk in a large room just to the left of the entryway. Filing cabinets lined the walls.

Brochures were stacked on shelves and tables. A huge, multi-colored map of northwestern Maine covered most of the wall behind the desk.

Pompous was a tall man given to slabs of excess flesh. His dark suit (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

Shown actual size

Cathy Hosford

(Marty was found on pg 31)

Address City

Marty

After half an hour of walking I sensed that something was wrong. I hadn’t been paying attention, my mind wandering to the problems associated with the Buffer Zone.

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

Entries must be postmarked by 2/13/23 to be eligible for this issue.

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

February 2023

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 16)

was immaculately fitted, however, and his razortrimmed graying hair swept back from a broad brow.

He nodded at us and stared with baleful hazel eyes as Joe started in.

“What the heck you think yore doin’, closin’ off half the state to us legal citizens? Never heard of no Buffle Zone in Maine before.”

Pompous stood and straightened his tie. “It is much less than half the state. I know this is a backward area,” he said condescendingly. “But surely even you know that this country is engaged in a war against terrorism.”

“Then I suggest,” Joe growled evenly, “that you and yore boys git on with it, an’ leave us backward types to fishin’!”

“Apparently you don’t realize,” Pompous said with a scowl, “just how serious the danger is.

This country is threatened every day from within and without by all manner of terrorist organizations.”

He swept up one arm to include all the broad area of the map behind him.

“Between us and Canada is the longest unfortified border on Earth.

Parts of it, such as here in northwestern Maine, are virtually uninhabited, a sure magnet to all manner of undesirables who are just waiting to infiltrate our borders and create unimaginable havoc. What if the Iranians, or some other Arab terrorists, decide to sneak through into Maine? It’s up to those of us with the responsibility of defending this country to make sure they don’t!”

“Ain’t Arabs.”

Northwoods Sporting Journal “What?”

“Iranians ain’t Arabs, they’re Persian. Speak Farsi, not Arabic.” “ N o m a t t e r. ” H e flicked a speck of lint off a sleeve and continued as though addressing a hireling.

“Anyway, that’s the way it is. If you’d been anywhere in the world besides the back woods of Maine, you’d realize what a struggle it is to protect this country. Why, everyday…”

I had noticed Joe stiffen at the jibe and interrupted hastily. “It isn’t as though we haven’t been anywhere else, Mr. Pompous. Joe, here, served in Viet Nam.” “Did you?” Joe asked pointedly.

“No,” Pompous returned slowly, “I was in college at the time. But I remember it well. Surely this proves my point. Your military service should tell you that…”

“Viet Nam taught me a lot of things,” Joe said in a low voice that I hardly recognized. “Don’t talk about things you know nuthin’ about, Pompous.

You remember Viet Nam from yer comfortable college dorm an’ classrooms. I remember it from what you might call hands-on experience. Wanna know one of the most important things I learnt from my time over there?”

Woodrow Pompous obviously did not want to know, but Joe went on relentlessly.

“I learnt that my government wasn’t always right, even though I was duty-bound to serve it. I learnt that defendin’ my country didn’t have much ta do with a little onehorse jungle country bout the size of Maine, half the

world away. An’ I learnt somethin’ else, too Pompous. I learnt that you gotta be real careful how many freedoms you take away in the name of defendin’ freedom. First thing you know, you done away with a lot of the rights an’ freedoms this country was founded to protect. An’ once you lost them rights an’ freedoms, it’s pretty dang hard to get um back.”

As Joe talked, Woodrow Pompous had turned a dark and unhealthy shade of puce. “You obviously have no concept of the idea of home security. The Buffer Zone stays in place until further notice. Now if you don’t mind, I’m a busy man.” He sat down and picked up one of several phones.

Joe stared at him for a moment, then muttered “we’ll see about that”. He wheeled and strode out the door.

As he drove me home Joe was unusually quiet. I knew the symptoms and felt my apprehension grow.

“So, what are you going to do?” I asked.

“Thinkin’ about it,” Joe replied as he pulled up in front of my place. “I’ll let yer know.” He drove slowly away, the Jeep’s exhaust leaving a cloud of vapor hanging in the cold air.

Two days later me and Joe were in town to pick up some lures at the Emporium. Woodrow Pompous walked along the street toward his office just as we stepped out of the Jeep. He turned, a look of triumph on his face.

“You two might be interested to know,” he said with a smirk, “that the northeastern regional representative of the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Ezekiel Florid, is

arriving tomorrow. He has heard about my activities in this god-forsaken spot and is coming for a tour. This may be just the thing to push my career to a higher plane.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and trudged off down the street.

“Well,” I said despondently, “I guess that’s that.

What can we do now?”

“I think,” Joe replied thoughtfully, “that we ort to go fishin’.”

Early the following morning Joe picked me up. In the back of his Jeep I spotted a couple pair of snowshoes and his battered old brown ash pack basket.

Peeking out of the top were two jigging poles and a hand auger. As we headed out of town I noticed the road we were taking.

“Where we going?”

“Fable Lake.”

“But,” I sputtered, “it’s in the…”

“Buffle Zone. Yeah, I know. I don’t figger to run no roadblock. We’ll jist park the Jeep in that turnoff by Scow Creek an’ hike on over on snowshoes.

Can’t be more’n two mile cross-country. We’ll have a couple o’ them big trout an’ be back before they even know we been there.”

I was apprehensive, but the thought of catching some big trout was really

Page 17 attractive. Joe pulled into the turnoff and hid the Jeep behind a screen of small first. In no time we were slogging through the winter woods toward Fable Lake.

We set up in Lynx Cove, near where a little spring brook brought an influx of oxygenated water to the lake. Joe bored just two holes and we jigged in relatively shallow water using soft plastic grubs.

In less than two hours we caught five trout and kept a pair that each went over two pounds.

“Now let’s get out of here before we get caught,” I admonished as we packed up the fish and equipment.

Joe didn’t respond, just lead the way back into the woods.

After an hour of walking I sensed that something was wrong. I hadn’t been paying attention, my mind wandering to the problems associated with the Buffer Zone.

“Say, Joe, haven’t we drifted a little too far north?

I think the Jeep is…”

“You in the woods there!” A hoarse, authoritative voice called suddenly from beyond a spruce thicket. “Advance and be recognized!”

With a stab of fear (Me & Joe cont. pg 27)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 18

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

few guided fishing trips, this former radio script writer bought a cabin on an island three miles from the little outpost at the end of the rail line that was Sioux Lookout.

Although Morenus Although Morenus found the bush found the bush life to be a life to be a healthy healthy alternative to his alternative to his old lifestyle, it was anyold lifestyle, it was thing but the luxurious state of relaxation he’d imaganything but the ined. Simply put, it was luxurious state pure work. Firewood to be of relaxation he’d cut. Canoes to be patched, imagined. Simply roofs to be repaired, motors to be made to run. Everyput, it was pure where he looked there was work. a constant backlog of work to the outskirts of a small to be done in preparation town in northern Ontario. for winter, and a great deal With virtually no woods of work getting through the experience other than a winter.

From New York City to the bush. It was the mid 1940’s when a health scare and a doctor’s recommendation of a lower stress lifestyle led Richard Morenus

Crazy White Man

work didn’t exist, it was just that those chores like cutting firewood didn’t allow for much time to write. But things got better after the first year or so, and Morenus soon found himself writing regularly, visiting new friends and neighbors in the bush, and even guiding a few sportsmen from the cities. The writing and guiding helped pay for the food and gear purchased at the Hudson’s Bay trading post, while the visiting provided material for future writing projects.

Northern Ontario was a bustling place in the 1940’s, with civilization making its way into the deep wilderness country, drawn to the area’s abunThe initial plans he’d as a freelance writer took a dant natural resources. It had to supplement his sav- while to unfold. It wasn’t was a time of change, with ings by earning a paycheck that the demand for his a unique mix of people who lived in both the old world and the new. The aboriginal people, the Ojibwe Indians, continued to live off the land while integrating into village society. White trappers and fur traders www.visitaroostook.com www.visitaroostook.co m roamed the north country as they had for generations.

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For six years, Richard 710 Main St., Morenus lived in his cabin Presque Isle on the island on the edge of 207-764-5400 all this. The Indians called him “that crazy white man” – it was difficult to understand why someone wanted to leave a great life in the city to live out here where everyone struggled survive. Even more, Breakfast ~ Lunch ~ Dinner to the guy strangely seemed 350 Main Street Presque Isle, ME 04769 to do nothing for a living.

(White Man cont. pg 21)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Sunday Hunting Suit

In November of 2021, Maine voters approved a state referendum to the State Constitution called the Right-To-Food Amendment. The amendment, the first of its kind in the United States, provides Mainers with a constitutional right to grow, harvest and con-

Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) argues that, indeed, it does, that killing wild game for personal consumption is a harvest undertaking no different from fishing or growing vegetables or picking wild berries or mushrooms.

Earlier this year a

The Parkers contend the ban is archaic and prevents them from harvesting food for their family.

Recently, Superior Court Justice Deborah Cashman dismissed the suit, filed in April in Kennebec County Superior Court by Joel Parker and Virginia Parker against Judy Camuso, the commis-

Page 19

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME said of the judge’s decision.

“They didn’t give any arguments at all. There’s no analysis,” he said of the ruling.

Bornstein said that because the Maine Superior Court system is so back-

Did the State Legislature envision the word “harvest” to include hunting when it approved the language of the amendment and sent it to the voters for final approval?

Cross your fingers.

Earlier this year a Readfield couple, Virginia and Joel Parker, decided to legally challenge the state ban against Sunday hunting arguing that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s ban of Sunday hunting is inconsistent with the Right-to-Food Amendment.

Maine’s high court will have to decide if hunting is protected by the right-to-food amendment to the State Constitution.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

sume their own food, and it includes protections for rights to seed saving and seed sharing. The amendment was approved by the State Legislature by a twothirds vote early in 2021, but it needed approval from voters in order to become a constitutional amendment.

Since then there have been questions raised as to whether this state constitutional right to food “harvest” includes hunting. The

Readfield couple, Virginia and Joel Parker, decided to legally challenge the state ban against Sunday hunting arguing that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s ban of Sunday hunting is inconsistent with the Rightto-Food Amendment. The lawsuit targeting Maine’s ban on Sunday hunting is the first to argue that a new constitutional right to food trumps a major state law.

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sioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in a brief ruling dated Nov. 30.

Democratic lobbyist Jared Bornstein, executive director of Maine Hunters United for Sunday Hunting (HUSH), the group that spearheaded the most recent effort to overturn the state’s law prohibiting hunting on Sunday, said the ruling does not mean the suit is over, rather that the Parkers will be filing an appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Interestingly, the Superior Court Judge’s dismissal of the suit did not include and legal analysis or conclusion.

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logged with cases resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and since the lower-court ruling likely would have been appealed by one of the parties, the motion to dismiss should help expedite the next step.

So it looks like Maine’s highest court will make a determination. The case, which does have some significant implications that go beyond the Sunday hunting ban, may pivot on legislative intent:

And stay tuned!

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books.Online purchase information is available at www.sportingjournal.com, Outdoor Books.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal February 2023 Aroostook Woods start tying on a Saturday home-grown pheasant tails Catskill dries to them what night and suddenly realize from Alvin Theriault’s shop loves to tie ‘em. They’re & Water it’s now Tuesday, and you are a must-have, too. On too damn pretty to muss

Page 20

Ode to Tyers

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME I was responding to a question asked by Kevin McKay on his maineflyfish. com site the other morning, and it got me thinking.

Why do we tie? What was it that prompted you to dive into this esoteric world of fur and feathers, a world that sucks you into a void

gler down in New Boston, New Hampshire told me how much money I could save by tying my own flies.

HA! Saving money by tying your own… That’s the real Big Lie in this country today. From there, it morphed into an absolutely brilliant homage to

may have lost your job.

Life throws evil at us with a horrifying frequency; the tying room is now a place of solace, the bench of ‘peace’. I can now say that the time I spend tying is savored; it’s a room I enjoy walking into again.

It wasn’t always so. A glass of good Scotch and a little Keb Mo on the stereo does

one memorable occasion, one of those feral cats that haunt my barn and chicken coop provided some wonderful dubbing. I’ve got a grain bag full of goat hair; fascinating stuff, so textually nuanced. That’s about all that goes into the pot these days. Oh, sure, I still

up with fish slime and teeth marks anyway. The haystack seems to get better with every fishy assault on it anyway. Tough fly, that haystack.

I’m trying not to get too nostalgic about all the water that has passed underneath this particular

use a little synthetic stuff once in a great while, you know, when Tim Flagler says to, but very little. It just doesn’t seem important anymore. A friend of mine shot a bear this fall and gave me a whacking great hank of bear hair; how I’m going to incorporate it is still a mystery; but it will get used. Bear hair is funny stuff, and when I say ‘funny’, I don’t mean funny Ha, Ha. What flies I don’t have at this point, I no longer worry about carrying. The soul-crushing angst I used to suffer from my inability to tie the perfect Catskill dry no longer haunts me.

Now, I simply tie on a haystack that I whipped-up, blindfolded, by the dozen the night before, and go enjoy myself. I’ll leave the

bridge, it makes me feel old. But then again, I may, and I stress may be getting older. The first hints were when I suddenly realized that I was no longer laughing at people who traded their shoelaces for Velcro, and had handicap placards hanging from their canoe racks. I take my wading staff with me into the grocery store now, and I’m starting to shuffle.

I love to sit at the bench now, on a beautiful winter’s morning, a cup of coffee in one hand, a bagel in the other, and a variation of T.E. Pritt’s ‘Green Tail’ hanging in my vise.

I’ve put an old laptop next to the bench; I use it as a tying resource now. I can watch all those great tying videos, or, better yet, buy more hooks. Great fun.

Keep tying, people; for all the reasons you do.

For me, tying has followed a natural series of progressions.

It started off as a lark, then the guy who owned the old Hunter’s Angler down in New Boston, New Hampshire told me how much money I could save by tying my own flies. HA! of anti-social behaviors, archaic metallurgy, and dead languages? As flyfisherpeople, we all know our Latin, but I dare you to tell me you know how to say, ‘Mayfly’, in fly fishing’s inaugural language, Macedonian (“Mozebi Muva”…I looked it up).

Actually, I don’t think the Macedonian language is completely dead yet, just mostly dead.

For me, tying has followed a natural series of progressions. It started off as a lark, then the guy who owned the old Hunter’s An-

AK Best and production tying. It was all a pipe dream, of course; based on the manic convergences of caffeine, alcohol, other bad choices; ignoring people I shouldn’t, including family and most of my friends for months on end. But as the years have quietly passed, my tying psychosis has mellowed, a subtle patina now covers everything like a pleasant film of stale, campfire bacon grease. It’s now a catharsis.

Gone are the schizophrenic marathons at the bench, the ones where you

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nothing to hurt the healing process either.

I look around my dedicated tying/gun/rod cave, and I am thoroughly amazed at what I have accumulated, and at the same time, disgusted at my gullibility. I once thought I needed six of everything, and tried to buy it all. I sucked up articles for the ‘next Great fly’ like a steroidal sponge, and I believed I absolutely had to tie that same pattern. Twenty years ago, I would have cheered for Edwin Rist as he broke into the British Museum of Natural History, intent upon stealing every rare feather he could get his hands on. Thankfully, the scales of obsession have fallen from my eyes.

Now, all my materials come through the hunting season. Grouse, woodcock, rabbits, a good-looking squirrel or two. Some

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Page 21

ago.

White Man years“Crazy FORT KENT POWERSPORTS White Man”

(Cont. from pg 18) Didn’t trap fur, prospect, lumberjack, or even work for the government. Nope, he just lived.

In time Morenus became well acquainted with his bush neighbors, and they even began to develop a respect and liking for the guy. And as he got to know them better he learned more about their stories, which were fascinating almost to a person.

In his book “Crazy White Man”, we learn about the experiences he had learning how to live out there, but perhaps more importantly, we learn about the people who made up that part of the north so many

was published in 1952 and has been recently reprinted, so it’s easy to find. Interestingly, although Morenus tells his story in the book as a single man alone against the elements, he actually went to the bush with his then wife, stage and radio actress Nan Dorland, whose health condition was the real reason for the move out there. They were divorced about the time he left the bush, and he omitted her completely from the story. Perhaps the Indians were right about that ‘Crazy White Man’?

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On Point

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. Positive and negative reinforcement. What does it mean? As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, I often get ideas for articles from readers. I recently received an email asking me to explain what positive and negative reinforcement dog training is all about.

This subject can get either detailed and complicated or approached from a more simplified explanation.

Let’s take a look with a simplified explanation.

For decades, dog training has been relying on research from behaviorists such as Ivan Pavlov and B. F. Skinner. Both men did a great amount of research in what is often referred to as classic or operant conditioning. Simplified, the results of their research developed the theory that if the consequences to an action are bad, there is a high chance the action will not be repeated. If the conse-

quences are good, the probability of the action being repeated becomes stronger.

Those two sentences summarize all modern dog training.

It sounds simple, however, let’s look at examples.

First let’s look at negative reinforcement. Good ex-

Training Gun Dogs: Positive vs Negative

the pressure when the dog responds positively. The dog is learning that by doing a certain action, he can remove the pressure.

Now, let’s look for problems with negative reinforcement. The worse example of this was a horrible display of e-collar misuse. Many years ago, I was bird hunting with a

amples would be either the ear or toe pinch in force fetch training. We apply discomfort to the dog and then reward by removing the discomfort when they take the dummy. Another example would be applying e-collar stimulation, giving the whoa command and then removing the stimulation when the dog stops and stands still. We, the trainer, put pressure on but we immediately remove

friend. When we got out of the truck, he proudly showed me a new e-collar he had just purchased from a big box store. He said he had been having trouble with recall so he stopped at the big box store and spoke with a salesman about the issue. The salesman sold him an e-collar. The salesman told him as soon as he starts calling his dog, stimulate and don’t take your finger off the button

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Again, if the consequences (a treat or praise) for the dog are positive, the probability of the action being repeated are good. It’s positive reinforcement.

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With gun dogs, positive reinforcement can deliver positive results. running in every direction except back to his owner.

The dog had never been introduced to the e-collar and had no idea why he was getting all this pain.

The dog was confused and scared. Always introduce your dog to an e-collar before using it in the field. A very simple example would be to, in the yard, give your dog very slight stimulation and recall and then give the dog a treat. The dog now understands the meaning of stimulation.

Now let’s discuss positive reinforcement. Actually, in the above sentence, my example of introducing the collar is positive reinforcement. Again, if the consequences (a treat or praise) for the dog are positive, the probability of the action being repeated are good. It’s positive reinforcement. In our household, we usually begin with positive reinforcement for most of our training. An

ately reward with a treat.

Many of the modern dog trainers feel that positive reinforcement is a much more productive method of training. I’m not going to get into that argument in this article. The theme of my recent book, 21st Century Pointing Dog Training, is to love and understand your dog. If you love and understand your dog, you and your dog will become a finely-tuned bird hunting machine. The hard copy first printing is sold out. It is available as a digital download. Go to www. birddogsafield.com and click on the ‘store” button.

Susan, my wife, and I look forward to meeting you in the field some day.

Paul and Susan Fuller are co-host of Bird Dogs Afield Tv. Past episodes are available on their website: www.birddogsafield. com Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com

February 2023

News

(Cont. from pg 14) The last year the Reservoir was stocked with hatchery fish was 2021.”

“These 5 to 7-inch walleyes were wild, naturally produced fish from the reservoir. Also, the 327 young walleyes is nearly three times as many as we would collect in the fall during a normal stocking year when up to 45,000 walleyes were stocked.”

“One of the objectives of the new Test Water Designation,” Good added, “is to protect prime spawningsized walleyes, but also to allow some harvest of the most abundant sized walleyes at 18-20 inches.

Restricting the harvest of walleyes over 20 inches will help rebuild the number of those larger fish and ensure they will continue spawning. We will monitor this emerging wild spawning success on the reservoir over time and determine if it continues, if it is consistent and if it is able to sustain the population and fishing pressure.”

Ice Fishing

We’re all awaiting the first FLAG of the season!

To help you start planning your ice fishing destinations, Maine’s fisheries biologists from each corner of the state have put together a list of waters to try that typically freeze earlier than others. You may even learn their favorite ice fishing tip.

Mother Nature doesn’t always cooperate, and we still need the right conditions to set in before ice will begin to form in most of the state.

Be patient, start planning, get your traps ready, and do your ice dance! Hopefully we will be chasing

Northwoods Sporting Journal

flags soon. Always check the ice for yourself and use extreme caution.

For more information on where to fish and tips from Maine’s fisheries biologists, read the December and January fishing reports in this month’s journal or online at mefishwildlife. com/fishingreport

NH Hiker Found Deceased

Just after 9:00 p.m. on December 24, 2022, NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers were notified of an overdue hiker who had been hiking the 8.6mile Bridle Path/Falling Waters Loop. The 28-yearold lone male hiker had departed at around 11:00 a.m.

A family member in China had tracked the progress of the hiker throughout the day, and at 6:15 p.m., the family member reported that the hiker’s phone was going dead and it appeared as though the hiker was off trail south of Mount Lincoln.

The hiker was described by family as inexperienced and it was unknown what he was carrying for equipment.

With temperatures near

0°F, a search for the hiker commenced. By 2:00 a.m. on December 25, a team of Conservation Officers had reached Franconia Ridge.

Shortly afterward, the team located what they believed to be the tracks of the hiker.

The tracks continued off trail and ended up in a drainage that flows from between Little Haystack Mountain and Mount Lincoln. At 6:45 a.m., Conservation Officers located the body of the missing hiker about a half a mile from the Falling Waters Trail in Franconia. Rescuers arrived back at the trailhead at 2:30 p.m.

The hiker was later identified as 28-yearold Guopeng “Tony” Li currently of Salem, New Hampshire. Guopeng Li is originally from Hebei Province China.

Conservation Officers would like to remind outdoor enthusiasts that winter conditions have arrived in New Hampshire and that they should prepare accordingly for these conditions.

Hikers are asked to adhere to the Hiker Responsibility Code. To see the Code and a list of recommended equipment visit hikeSafe.

Cabins Campground Restaurant Bowling Alley lay” P o t Sled Rentals ace l P e Boat Rentals “Th

Page 23

com. All people who enjoy the outdoors should consider the purchase of a Hike Safe card. Funds generated from the Hike Safe card go directly to funding the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s search and rescue responsibility. Cards can be purchased at www. wildlife.stat

way (RLNSB) underwent construction improvement, including laying new pavement and improving the ditching. Throughout the construction, a surplus of boulders was relocated to an area north of the Height of Land, ultimately creating the newest scenic turnout on the RLNSB. The new turnout overlooks Mooselookmeguntic Lake, Rangeley Byway In 2022, the Rangeley spotlighting Toothaker .

(News cont. pg 67) Lakes National Scenic By-

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 24

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME When dressing in layers, your outer layer is there to protect the other layers.

It needs to keep out the wind, rain, and snow. If it is raining and you throw on a raincoat; you are already dressed, the raincoat is just to keep your other clothes dry. That is what we are talking about. It is basically the shelter that you wear.

We will start with warm weather. Cheap raincoats are made of PVC with welded (melted) seams. They don’t have any insulation but they keep you dry. They are not “breathable” and you will sweat fairly quickly wearing them. Waterproof, breathable rain suits are next. They consist of a jacket and rain pants usually made of polypropylene. They are much more comfortable but they are not very durable for hiking or backpacking. If you are planning for hard use, goretex or high end polyester rain gear is your best bet.

Ponchos work pretty well if you need to cover your gear as well as yourself.

The disposable kind of Poncho is very handy to have if you are going to an outdoor concert or just on a day hike.

Most winter jackets are labeled as “water resistant”. They will soak

Basics of Survival #24: Outer Layer

Any outer layer clothing you wear should have a hood to protect your head and neck. It should also have elastic around the wrists and either elastic or a draw string around the waist. This helps trap warm air in next to your body and prevent cold air from getting in.

Inside, zippered pockets are very handy as well.

are active you can take off your jacket and insulating layers to keep from sweating and still have your legs protected. When you are sitting you can put your layers and jacket back on to keep warm. With a one piece snowmobile suit you don’t have that option.

Hip waders are waterproof and warm, but you need to be careful when

Any outer layer clothing you wear should have a hood to protect your head and neck. It should also have elastic around the wrists and either elastic or a draw string around the waist. through eventually but it takes a long time. Ski jackets and such are breathable and block the wind as well.

They are a great outer layer.

Some ski jackets have an insulating layer that can zip in or out and be used as a light jacket on its own.

Some have hoods that are trimmed in fur. The fur is not just for decoration.

When it is very cold, you can close the hood around your face and trap warm air near your face so it is easier to breathe.

Anything with a battery (cell phone, flashlight, GPS, etc.) Needs to be protected from the cold.

Cold will kill a battery very quickly. Your body heat can help keep them warm.

Some kind of storm cover over the main zipper will help keep out wind and rain as well.

Ski pants or bib Overalls are great for skiing, ice fishing, etc. When you know you will be active sometimes, but also sitting sometimes. When you

Smelting (Cont. from pg 15)

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Smelting differs from almost any other type of angling because the fish don’t actually drive the fishing. People who rent a smelt camp for a tide looking to get their money’s worth of smelt would be better off visiting the local bait shop or fish market.

Smelting is about enjoying time with friends and family, eating and drinking, telling stories and cracking jokes. It’s about warm-

disadvantage is they are easy to overheat and sweat in. They are hard to vent and are basically an “all or nothing” option.

Yo u r o u t e r l a y e r should fit loosely over your other layers, without being floppy. You should be able to take down your hood comfortably and it should shield you when it is zipped up.

If you can, when you buy your outer jacket you should wear your other clothes. You need to test the fit with just your base layer and with your base add insulation layers combined.

The better winter clothes have zippers under the arms to vent body heat. Some ski pants have long leg zippers as well to make it easier to take them off without taking off your boots.

and where you use them.

Never use hip waders when you are ice fishing. If you fall in they will fill with water and make self rescue almost impossible.

Snowmobile suits are best if you are not going to be very physically active.

When you are on a sled you need to consider the weather as well as wind chill. The one piece deJoe is a husband, sign keeps your body heat father, author and main and should fit slightly loose over your insulation rine. Joefrazier193@ or base layers. The only gmail.com ing up together during the coldest, darkest months in New England. And maybe if sometime between all of that, a smelt nibbles your sea worm, you just might go home with something tangible.

The ice sets on the rivers later and later each year, and the thaw comes sooner. What was once several months of fishing - and of business - has dwindled to several weeks, at best.

Shorter seasons, combined with the increasing cost of bait and firewood, and inconsistent smelt runs,

has forced many of the commercial operations to shut down. Those of us who enjoy sitting in a shack on a frozen tidal river now find ourselves caught right on the edge - precariously positioned somewhere between accepting times gone by, and desperately clinging to a Maine tradition.

A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his fiancée, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com.

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Native Fish Coalition: Made in Maine

Five years ago, I received a phone call from a young man I didn’t know while driving home from an IFW hearing in Augusta.

A born-and-raised Mainer currently living and working in Washington DC, he had listened to the hearing online and was upset that what he saw as common sense and needed amend-

was a gaping hole, and not something that could be defended biologically.

We also wanted to align the criteria for adding new waters with that used to create the initial lists:

fective, and offered to help me do so. He presented the idea for Native Fish Coalition, and offered to provide a logo, domain, website, email address, legal papers, and start-up funds.

For a year or s o , w e

We never expected NFC to grow beyond Maine. But we now have chapters in 14 states from Maine to Alabama. ments to the State Heritage Fish law had failed to pass.

George Smith had reached out to me for help with legislation he was working on to strengthen the State Heritage Fish law, something we both worked very hard to make happen. I was looking for some changes as well, so we agreed to work together on both.

The proposed changes were simple, and necessary to better protect the resource the legislature voted to protect a decade earlier by passing the SHF law. IFW had ample time to address it on their own, but failed to, making legislation warranted as was the case when SAM first took the issue to the legislature.

We looked to extend the protections granted our State Heritage Fish lakes and ponds to their tributaries. Prohibiting the use of live fish as bait and stocking on these waters but not their tributaries

Never stocked or not stocked in twenty-five or more years.

Due to ambiguous language in the law, waters could be added by the IFW Commissioner at their discretion using criteria established by them. Waters that would have made the original lists had we known about them at the time were not being added.

The young gentleman who contacted me said I needed to get formally organized to be more ef-

worked closely to get NFC off the ground. While 25 years apart in age, we respected each other ’s opinion and what the other brought to the table. Along with Emily Bastian, another born-and-raised Mainer, we set the direction of NFC, and recruited Ted Williams, George Smith, and others to help out.

We never expected NFC to grow beyond Maine. But we now have chapters in 14 states from

Rod Yoder from Lewistown, PA with 175 lb buck taken in North Maine Woods.

Native Fish Talk

Page 25

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME Maine to Alabama. We are bringing up two more states as we speak, and there are several others that look to be real right behind them.

But it was Maine that set the stage and provided the blueprint.

While not without challenge, the native fish message is being heard and embraced. This is especially true with regard to younger people who want more from our resources than stocked and nonnative fish. They understand that if anything is going to change it has to start from within the sporting community.

Maine remains and always has been our strongest state. This is because we have more to work with in regard to wild native fish, and more to lose, than most other states. It’s hard to motivate people to stand up for something that’s al-

ready gone and they never experienced firsthand.

Mainers appreciate native fish. When a Mainer says “trout,” they mean native brook trout, not nonnative brown or rainbow trout. We are also far more likely to pursue wild trout than anglers in other states.

This is why NFC started in Maine. It spread beyond Maine because others want what Maine has.

Maine still has what it does in regard to wild native fish because it started with more than most other states. And our resources have been protected from development and exploitation due to the state’s remoteness. But this is by default more than by design.

It’s easy to sit on the sidelines and throw stones, or support the “experts,” regardless of what they (Coalition cont. pg 29)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

February 2023

Muzzleloading Sunday Hunting Suit Afield because its moves from the

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

Well, here we go again. The Sunday hunting issue. In case you haven’t read or heard about it in the local press, in April 2022 a couple in Readfield filed suit against the Maine Department of Inland Fish-

hunting there are exceptions that allow it. Most recently Virginia lifted their complete ban and now allows Sunday hunting on public land and private land with permission and Pennsylvania allows

legislature to the courts.

Almost immediately the Maine Attorney General filed suit to have the suit dismissed, which it did in a brief in November saying the Sunday hunting ban complies with the Maine constitution. What this basically means now is the case is most likely

Almost immediately the Maine Attorney General filed suit to have the suit dismissed, which it did in a brief in November saying the Sunday hunting ban complies with the Maine constitution. What this basically means now is the case is most likely headed to the Maine Supreme Court. eries and Wildlife challenging the Department’s ban on Sunday hunting.

To bring you up to date, in March of last year the Legislature’s Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife again voted not to allow Sunday hunting, and the case brought forth in April addresses that decision and ban in general.

While several other states have restrictions or limitations on Sunday

Sunday hunting on certain Sundays during deer season. Currently Maine and Massachusetts are the only states with a complete ban on Sunday hunting, an old blue law dates back to 1883.

Over the years there have been numerous attempts to do away with the Sunday hunting ban through the legislative process, all to no avail. But this one just might be different

headed to the Maine Supreme Court.

There is a tiny ray of hope they just might. The lawsuit hinges on Maine’s “right to food” amendment to the state constitution, passed by statewide referendum in November 2021, which “declares all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right to grow, raise, harvest, produce and consume the food of their choosing

for their own nourishment, sustenance, bodily health and well being.” If the case reaches our highest court lawyers will make their arguments pro and con, cite various, technical legal definitions and interpretations laymen like me don’t understand as they always do.

I’ll be interested to see how they define the word “harvest” as written in the “right to food” amendment. But in the end whether Mainers are allowed to hunt on Sunday might come to down to seven justices who have the final say. To be honest,

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I don’t always have faith in the courts, but hopefully, as a proponent of Sunday hunting, the high court eventually sends down the right and proper decision.

Only time will tell.

Al Raychard and his wife Diane live on 43+/acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting opportunities which they both enjoy.

If they could hunt the property on Sundays and if it had a trout steam it would be true paradise. Al can be reached at alraychard@ sacoriver.net

February 2023

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 17) I realized we’d stumbled right into the Border Patrol roadblock. I grabbed Joe’s shoulder but he pulled away.

“Whatcher want?!” he bellowed.

There was a moment of surprised silence, then: “Halt! Who goes there?!”

“Osarma bin Lowder, who the heck you think?!”

Joe shouted back.

“It’s terrorists!” I heard the shocked voice of Woodrow Pompous.

“Shoot! Quick, shoot!”

“What…?” The Border Patrolman sounded amazed. “But…” “Shoot! Shoot quick, before they get away!”

Pompous demanded in a loud, frustrated voice.

Joe pulled me behind a thick pine just as a pair of shots rang out. I noted that the bullets were aimed high in the trees.

“Stop that shooting!

What the hell’s going on here?!” A new voice, deep and authoritative, sounded from further down the road.

“Put that gun away!” We heard the crunch of rapidly approaching footsteps.

“You, there, in the woods. Come on out. There won’t be any more shooting,” the voice said grimly.

With Joe leading the way, we pushed through the last band of trees and stepped out onto the woods road in front of the roadblock. Several people stared at us in amazement.

Woodrow Pompous was the first to recover.

“You two! I might have known! You’ve gone too far this time! I warned you! By the time I get through with you, you’ll…”

I could see that old Woodrow was working himself

Northwoods Sporting Journal up to a real self-righteous fit of indignation. I could picture long years behind bars at Leavenworth…did they still have a federal prison at Leavenworth?

“Woodrow,” said a tall, broad-shouldered man, “shut up!”

Pompous’ lips clamped shut in midsentence. The stranger turned toward us and I was stunned to see a broad smile break out across his face. In the deep, firm voice we’d heard before, he said, “How you doing, Joe?” Joe smiled back complacently. “Not bad, Zeke, not bad. We caught us some nice trout.”

Woodrow Pompous stared in amazement, but his amazement was no greater than my own. “But.. but…but, these people are trespassers!” Pompous sputtered. “They’ve entered the Buffer Zone, they’ve…”

“Woodrow, I said to shut up.” There was a stiffness in the big man’s voice now, and Pompous immediately subsided into a sullen silence.

“When you called me the other day I couldn’t imagine what was going on,” the big man continued, looking at Joe. “I know we hadn’t authorized any ‘buffer zones’ or anything else up here. Thought I’d better come up and see what was happening for myself.”

“Didn’t expect yer to come yerself, Zele,” Joe replied as I closed my mouth it dried out. “Figgered you’d send one o’ them minions o’ yorn.” He looked at me, enjoying my consternation.

“This here’s Ezekial Florid,” he explained.

“He’s the head o’ the northeastern region for the Department of Homeland Security. Zeke was my

lieutenant back in Nam.” Pompous’ bottom jaw hit his chest with a thump.

“Joe was the best scout any unit ever had,” Florid said seriously. “Saved my butt on more than one occasion. Why, I could tell you stories that would…well… never mind. Another time.”

He turned toward the now ashen Woodrow Pompous. “And as for you! What in the world did you think you were doing? It takes someone with a lot more authority than what you think you have to declare anywhere off limits to an American citizen! Let alone a whole stretch of border between two friendly countries! Get back in the car! I’ll deal with you later.” Pompous hurried off down the road, his shoulders hunched as though anticipating a blow.

“I think I’ve got just the place for you to be reassigned,” Florid called after him. “A nice little uninhabited rock off the Maine coast. You can establish all the buffer zones you want!”

He turned back to us as the relieved Border Patrolman moved off to dismantle the roadblock. “Did you really catch some nice trout?” WE showed him the fat fish and he whistled loudly. “You’ve got to take me in there, Joe.” “First thing tomorrow, Zeke. Look, I really ‘preciate you comin’ up here, but I didn’t know what else ter do.”

“You forget it. It’s a small return on what I owe you.”

“That’s all well and good,” I finally spoke up.

“But if would have been nice if somebody had let me in on the plan before the shots started flying.

Now can we please go somewhere so I can change these pants?”

Page 27

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February 2023

My Secret Romance

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff It seems like we just watched the ball drop and made our New Year’s resolution.

Now we see chocolate and signs of Valentines Day everywhere.

leaves, and pucker brush.

I drive through backroads early in the morning and at sunset until dark, all with hopes of seeing what I love.

I think about it during the day, and dream about it

it. It loves to get dressed up and look appealing to you. It can be enjoyed plain, slightly seasoned, or even spicy. It smells good.

Sometimes it even gets saucy. What more could you ask for?

There is no better way to impress someone you love than to cook them up a beautiful dinner with your

My love never changes no matter what time of year it is. I think about it constantly. Every time I drive by a meadow, see some beautiful hardwoods, notice a pronounced trail on the edge of a marsh.

When I observe worn trails going through the grass,

during the night.

You guessed it. It’s my love of wild game.

Game is something that can be naturally romantic. It’s an obsession.

Its sexy food. Its taste is delicious and satisfying.

It’s versatile and aims to please all those who desire

game. Add some candlelight and a bottle of wine and you are off and running.

Valentine’s Day does not have to be the only time of year to use wild game to support your romance with your better half, but I will do my best to provide some

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

Game is something that can be naturally romantic.

It’s an obsession. Its sexy food. Its taste is delicious and satisfying. It’s versatile and aims to please all those who desire it. It loves to get dressed up and look appealing to you.

A game dinner with all of the extras is a great way to please your Valentine.

Dr. Ruth of Wild Game for you.

I love to make a course dinner to make it extra special, but ultimately you need to be you. We all have various levels of cooking ability and ro-

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mantic wild game notions, so use what you can do to make it special.

If you make incredible chili, stew or pot pie with your game, then make it a little more special.

Match that game stew up with a beautiful crusty artisan bread from your local bakery. If you don’t have special dishes, take a trip to Home Goods or TJ Max and buy some special bowls to serve it in. Put some flowers in a vase and light a candle for the table.

Get a special dessert from the bakery.

If you make a chili, consider a similar method.

Put some tortilla chips and salsa on the table. Maybe some cornbread to enjoy with that chili. Make a pitcher of margaritas. Put some mariachi music on your play list on your phone and enjoy a spicy romantic game dinner with your other half. Add a special beer or a nice Zinfandel wine to the menu that goes well with that chili spice.

If you are a very skilled cook, make a (Secret cont. pg 29)

February 2023

Secret

(Cont. from pg 28) 4-course dinner with your game. If you don’t have a few kinds of game onhand, use what you have or visit your grocery store.

You may find they carry duck, rabbit, buffalo/bison, duck, or geese.

You can grind that duck or geese and make a very sexy Asian waterfowl burger by infusing the burger meat with Asian spices and hoisin sauce, adding cool toppings like plum sauce and an Asian slaw will surely impress.

Back to the 4-course dinner. Hmmmm, what are ideas that I can offer for you?

The key here is to make smaller portions so you can make it through the whole dinner and enjoy every course.

As my Valentine’s gift to you, feel free to reach out to me and I will provide you with all recipes for these courses. You can reach me via my Facebook or Instagram Page.

1st Course Wild Game Salad Make a compelling salad and then grill a couple of pieces of game on skewers that have been seasoned. Top the center

Northwoods Sporting Journal

of the top of the salad with the grilled game.

Suggestions: Slices of wild turkey breast, venison steak 2nd Course Wild Game Pho Soup You can buy Pho broth at the grocery store in the Asian section or make your own.

Take two soup bowls and add some cooked rice noodles. Top the noodles with raw slivered pea pods, sliced shiitake mushrooms, and some diced scallions.

Place a thinly sliced piece of raw game in the center of the bowl.

Bring your broth to a boil and pour the special broth over the top of the bowl ingredients, and in particular the raw game.

The hot broth will cook the game and the Unami of this soup will impress your Valentine 3rd Course Blueberry Game Steak with Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Maple Candied Carrots You pick the steak – deer, bear, moose, duck breast, buffalo/bison steak

Plate the delicious, flavored Maine potato.

Lean the game steak onto the mashed, and then add a spoonful of the candied carrots to the plate 4th Course Apples Foster or Bananas Foster Fruit sauteed in butter and brown sugar with flavored liquor – making a caramel sauce. It is served over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Trust me, all this effort will not only yield benefits for you and your Valentine sharing a beautiful experience, but it will support your secret romance for wild game.

Bon Appetit!

Coalition

sure Maine doesn’t lose that which makes the state unique: Wild native fish.

This is why groups like NFC are important, they push the envelope and challenge the status quo and experts. Without them, it will be business as usual, and our wild native fish resources will suffer.

(Cont. from pg 25) do. And it’s easy to defend the status quo when you haven’t lost what is important to you, or prefer what the powers that be give you versus what the power above gave you.

Unless folks speak up and challenge bad deciBob Mallard is a sions, Maine could become like other eastern states former fly shop owner, where stocked and nonna- Registered Maine Fishing tive fish are the rule not the Guide, and commercial exception. Consider New fly designer. Bob is also Hampshire and Vermont a native fish advocate and where wild native brook founding member and Extrout over 8-inches are ecutive Director for Native rare, and only a handful of Fish Coalition. He has lakes and ponds still harbor written a number of books them. And Massachusetts, about trout and fly fishing.

Connecticut, and Rhode Bob can be reached at BobMallard.com or Info@ Denny Corriveau is Island are notably worse.

It’s up to us to make BobMallard.com award-winning National Game Chef, Metis Native American Chef, and the Founder of the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. You can learn more @ www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff orFacebook Supplied Store at @WildCheff 153 Hinckley Road (adjacent to I-95)

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The Tyer’s Corner

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

This month’s fly is an old wet fly from Great Britain. There are dry, winged wet and nymph versions of this mayfly imitation; this is the “soft hackle” or “spider” version I’m showing you. They’re all good, this is my favorite.

Recipe for the March Brown Spider Hook - Standard wet fly hook, 10-18 Thread - Orange Body - Hare’s mask dubbing Hackle - Partridge, sparse Rib - Gold Mylar

I use a wet fly hook that has a thicker shank that makes it heavier and the fly sinks faster. You can use 1x long hooks as well. Use orange thread for this fly, that’s the traditional color and it just works better. I keep three thread bobbins spooled up on my bench, two sizes of black thread and one orange because that color thread seems to glow through a dubbed body and trout love that color. There is no tail on this fly which tells me that the fly represents more

Central Maine Region

February 2023

The March Brown Spider than just mayflies. Throw a tail on if you want; the wet, dry and nymph versions all have a tail but the spider doesn’t. I don’t think the fish keep track. If you

choose to add a tail, try out Whiting tailing packs.

Tie on the Mylar rib first, and leave it to be wrapped forward after you dub on a body. The body is dubbed hares mask. You can buy the mask and cut your own fur off (between the ears is best) or you can buy a package of trimmed off hairs for a couple of dol-

lars. Lay a sparse amount of fur along about four inches of thread and twist the thread by spinning the bobbin. If you choose to use dubbing wax, go light with it.

After you spin the bobbin to twist the thread, you’ll get a fur “rope” t h a t you can wind on a body with.

Take the time to practice this technique until you get it. If you can dub a fur body, you can tie a lot of flies.

Stop the body behind the hook eye and leave room for a hackle and head.

Wind the rib forward, gold side out, about 4-5 turns, no more. Tie it off where the front of the dubbed

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body stopped and tie on a partridge hackle. Wrap two turns of hackle at most, I often wrap only one. Use a partridge feather with long fibers, the hackle on spider style flies is longer than other flies. Tie an orange head and you’re done. You can pluck out some of the rabbit fur guard hairs to make the fly more buggy.

Try gluing a small piece of Velcro to the end of a Popsicle stick as a tool to rub along a fur body. This little tool will pull some hairs and make the body look very buggy-and soon to become your favorite tool.

Soft hackle, or spider flies, are well-known patterns but as much as they are written about and as long as they’ve been around, the patterns just aren’t used as much as you’d expect. That’s very good news for you, because they work. They’ll work on a youngster’s rod too.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Letters

(Cont. from pg 9) trash discarded on our land.

The 4-wheeler traffic led to serious erosion on some sections of the trail because the soil is not capable of supporting traffic when there isn’t a snowpack, so a year ago we connected with the Landowner Relations folks at DIFW who facilitated grant funding to the snowmobile club to install water bars and erosion control, and replace a bridge that had been washed out up to 3x/year.

They also supplied more signage (NOT “no trespassing”.) Finally, in conjunction with the Warden Service, they have offered to install game cams to try to identify the individuals abusing the trail.

In another incident last winter, we called the

Wardens when someone began illegally cutting trees to build a new snowmobile trail across our property.

A Forest Ranger accompanied us into the woods on snowshoes, documenting the trees cut. About a mile into our trek, we encountered the tree-cutter himself, and the Ranger was extremely effective in communicating the potential consequences he faced.

The useful responses of these various agencies is *ALL* that has kept our land unposted at this point. My recommendation is that you and other hunters take a little responsibility for reaching

out to your fellow hunters, riders, and users of private land to educate them a bit. We are not flatlanders moving in from away -- my husband’s family is among the first 3 to have settled here in Buckfield, and we ran a dairy farm here until just last year.

We do NOT want to post the land but neither can we allow others to degrade the soil and vegetation. The incredibly entitled behavior of some people (not just towards landowners, but towards the resources and the land itself) is going to ruin things for everyone.

Seri Lowell Buckfield

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February 2023

roads to the boat year brings anticipation of salmon each fall to enhance portunity water” from DeIce Fishing access launches on these ponds. fun-filled days on the ice anglers’ opportunity to cember 1 to April 30 for use

(Cont. from pg 7) a little ice but caution is required. Mountain View Pond, Prong Pond, Brann’s Mill Pond, and Sawyer Pond are some early season favorites. These ponds were all stocked in the fall with yearling brook trout that generally range from 12-14 inches. A few older fish are occasionally mixed in to sweeten the pot. The lack of snow in the roads will help anglers fishing Prong Pond and Mountain View Pond. Anglers can currently drive on the

As always, check the ice before venturing too far on the ice this time of year. It’s not worth a cold bath for a fish and better conditions will be here soon.

Penobscot Region

January From Fisheries Resource Supervisor Kevin Dunham Where to fish in January: For many winter anglers January 1 is the longawaited “official” opening of a new ice fishing season.

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with friends and family enjoying the great Maine outdoors. Others may look forward to spending some solitary days on the ice, relishing the opportunity to slow-down and recharge after a long, hectic year.

However you choose to kick off 2023, may the year ahead bring you happiness, good health, ice-free holes, and tight lines.

A few possible waters to fish in January include Hay Lake (T6 R8 WELS,) which typically has adequate ice come January.

Hay Lake is stocked with brook trout and landlocked

catch one of these coldwater salmonids. Another water, which we believe to be underutilized during the ice fishing season, is Lunksoos Lake in T4 R7 WELS, this waterbody is not the easiest to access during the winter, but those that make the trip are often rewarded with brook trout in the 12”-14” range and no crowds. A third possible water to fish this winter is actually a new opportunity for most in 2023. Little Round Pond in Lincoln has had a special regulation in the past which designated the pond as a “special op-

by persons under 16 years of age or those holding an eligible complimentary fishing license. Information we’ve gathered from winter creel surveys indicated Little Round Pond was not being utilized during the December through April timeframe. As a result, we implemented a regulation change that takes effect beginning January 1, 2023 which will open Little Round Pond as a year-round angling opportunity for all anglers.

A great “new” fishing opportunity close to the town of Lincoln.

BEST SHOT!

Adam & Caleb Hayes of Lisbon, Maine enjoying the Northwoods Sporting Journal prior to the December 18, 2022 Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers game at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Unfortunately the GOAT lost.

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

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

Please include your contact information, too. www.sportingjournal.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

February 2023

Gun Trends: A Review

I recently saw a video titled, “Most Popular Songs of the 70’s”. There were similar videos from each decade. So, I thought, “What about guns”. Well, we may not have access to the data to identify the most popular guns from each decade, but we can look at new trends for that period.

We also do not have the space to discuss each 10year period, so I am going to identify some trends in the periods of my life since I have started to pay attention to firearms trends. I will apologize in advance for the many, many favorite guns I will not be discussing. I will simply identify some trends at 20 year intervals.

I was born in the 50’s, but did not start paying attention to firearm innovations until sometime in the 60’s. In these turbulent times, the savage mod 99 really started to gain momentum. It took the popular lever action into a modern age by offering state of the art high power calibers. For the first time, we could have a lever gun in .308 Winchester or .243. It was also available in old standbys like .300 Savage. The Mod 99 was the first to offer a hyper velocity hunting round, the .250/3000 also known as the .250 Savage. It was the first hunting round to break the 3000 fps mark. Smith & Wesson also brought a

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new trend to popularity in handguns. It was a revolver chambered in the .22 Jet Center fire magnum. It shot a 40 gr. 22 caliber bullet at around 1700 fps out of a handgun. The round was a bottle neck cartridge. The

cylinder had tapered charge holes to accommodate the tapered case. It also came with cylinder inserts and a selective hammer allowing it to shoot .22 rimfires.

Jumping ahead 20 years for the next trend shift, the hot topic of the 80’s was velocity. The leader of the velocity craze was Weatherby. The rifles were beautiful works of art, and the proprietary calibers were wonderous. Rounds like the .257 Weatherby were the racehorses of the industry. A .257 Weatherby streaks along at 3400 fps with a 117 gr. bullet, producing 2910 ft. lbs. of energy.

Although designed in 1944, this screamer came to personify the velocity trends of the 80’s. This round continues to be the #3 best selling caliber that Weatherby makes. Only surpassed by the .30/328 and the .300 Weatherby.

Other trends in this period were the popularization

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of AR-15 variants on the commercial markets. In the future, we will see this tactical popularity dominate the firearms world.

Flash forward to the millennium, the 2000’s Black Rifles are still very

Page 33

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

heading of, “What’s old is new again”, lever actions are making a comeback.

Henry is offering a side gate loading lever action.

The first few models of the Ruger made Marlins have hit the market and have been very well received. Savage Arms has

with you when you enjoy the great outdoors.

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

He is a retired police officer as well as a retired

Under the heading of, “What’s old is new again”, lever actions are making a comeback. Henry is offering a side gate loading lever action. The first few models of the Ruger made Marlins have hit the market and have been very well received. prevalent, but classic rifles like the Ruger #1 are available in numerous calibers.

Stock variants became cover models in the various gun and shooting publications.

Browning also garnered a great deal of attention with their elegant Euro designed and innovative X-Bolt rifle.

It is beautiful, with a good trigger and an accurate barrel, what’s not to like?

That brings us to today’s trends. Tactical guns are still very popular and there has been some excellent ammo development for hunting calibers designed for the AR platform even though the politicians we keep electing continue to try to ban them. Under the

introduced the Impulse straight pull bolt gun that is unique. Time will tell if these will become staples of the woods, like the examples shown from past decades. These are just a few of the thousands of innovations we have seen in my lifetime. Were any of your favorites mentioned?

Please remember to take a kid or a new shooter

manager from two major firearms manufacturers.

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

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Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine Woods Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

Maine has a rich tradition of allowing public use of private land. Those of us that grew up in Maine take for granted the privilege of using someone else’s property for our own enjoyment. There are millions of acres north of Greenville and west of Route 11 all the way to the Canadian border that are

tion and was so friendly and approachable. He told me about the deer he had seen in his field and actually seemed happy that a kid was using his property to hunt. I wonder if my life would have turned out different had he said no?

My son, who is in the U.S. Navy was stationed in Texas and Virginia. I went

Public Use of Private Land

gram that helps educate the public about using private and public lands. IF&W also provides signage to landowners who want to share their land with others for recreational use.

One of my pet peeves is the locking of boats/ canoes at remote ponds.

In my opinion, it would be much better if no one locked their watercraft at

February 2023

owner or take the boats out.

The Nature Conservancy has a sign at Big Reed Pond in T8 R10 that says. “This land has been set aside to protect its old growth forest and watershed: PLEASE NO CAMPING AND NO

the park for hauling these canoes into these ponds and consider it a privilege to use one.

I’m sure some people do not respect the landowner’s request to use the boats with care but I tend

FIRES, NO PRIVATE BOAT STORAGE ALLOWED, COURTESY CANOES PROVIDED, PLEASE USE THEM WITH CARE”. Isn’t this better than having a bunch of canoes in various states of disrepair scattered along the shore of this pristine pond?

Baxter State Park has canoes stored at many of the remote ponds in the park for people to use for a fee of a dollar an hour or $8.00 per day. I thank

to think most people that would walk into a pond to go fishing for an evening would put the boat back upside down where we found it and be thankful for the use of it.

So, if you have a canoe stored at a remote pond, why don’t you consider leaving it unlocked for someone else to use when you are not using it?

If you are using another person’s canoe – please use it with care and return it to the place you found it, clean and upside down.

Wouldn’t we all be better off if this was the norm?

One of my pet peeves is the locking of boats/canoes at remote ponds. In my opinion, it would be much better if no one locked their watercraft at these ponds and let others use these boats. open to anyone for hunting, berry picking, and access to your favorite water body for fishing or canoeing.

I have used other people’s land for my outdoor pursuits my whole adult life. I would like to thank the various landowners small and large for letting me use their property. I can remember when I was a kid growing up in southern Maine going up to Mr. Pendley’s farm that was just up the road from where we lived and asking for permission to hunt behind his barn. He gave me his permission without hesita-

down to hunt with him a few times. We hunted on Navy bases or public land because those were the only places that were open to us without paying a lot of money.

When I talk with hunters from out of state, they are amazed that we can just go sight our guns in at a gravel pit or ride around on gravel roads and get out to follow a deer track that crosses the road just about anywhere. I applaud the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) for having a landowner relations pro-

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these ponds and let others use these boats. I can still remember the first time that the late Legendary Maine Guide, Wiggy Robinson took me to Slaughter Pond.

I was appalled to see the 50 or so watercraft left in various states of disrepair scattered around the pond.

Some of these boats were nothing more than a pile of rubble that had not been used for many years.

Some landowners have taken it upon themselves to clean-up these boat graveyards and contacted the owners of usable watercraft to either register their boats with the land-

Matt LaRoche is a retired Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, owner of Maine Woods Guide Service and an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached at 207695-2877 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com See www.mainewoodsguide.com

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 35

Grandslamming Year!

Sporting Journal columnist Hal Blood’s grandson, Rylan Yu, had a grandslamming year in the woods.

All game bagged with a Remington 760 pump, same gun used by his Grandpa Hal.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME According to Wikipedia, the term “citizen science” made its debut in the January 1989 issue of the MIT Technology Review. It’s a brilliant idea—to use enthusiastic volunteers for collecting and analyzing data, conducting experiments, and making observations and new discoveries. It’s cost effective and utilizes the

opportunities have become available. Some require training or a regular time commitment. Others are open to anyone. Even the report of a single wildlife sighting can be valuable.

To whet your appetite, let’s explore a few possibilities within my home state of Maine.

Here, water quality data is collected by over

February 2023

Become a Citizen Scientist

Plants, seven of which are now present in the state. I well remember, in 2009, when local resident Dick Butterfield, who had attended a similar workshop, discovered hydrilla in Damariscotta Lake. At the time, state biologist John McPhedran revealed that this was the first such discovery by a trained volunteer.

Citizen science can focus on history as well.

Along our rivers and coast, volunteers are tracking the

website.

A project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, eBird hosts fun events like the October Big Day, when bird watchers around the globe report their sightings for a single day. This past October 8, participants from 185 countries reported 7,453 different species.

Project (MARAP), initiated in 1984. To date, MARAP has recorded over 13,000 sightings of snakes, turtles, frogs, and salamanders.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has an online page for each of the state’s eighteen amphibians and

As the concept has grown in popularity, more and more citizen science opportunities have become available.

Some require training or a regular time commitment.

Others are open to anyone. talents, knowledge, and experience of a huge potential crew of citizen scientists.

Back in high school, my biology teacher, Miss Brobst, recruited scientifically minded students to monitor water quality in a local stream. Before the term was even in use, I was a citizen scientist, measuring water temperature and pH and turning over rocks in the frigid current to search for insect larvae. I still recall the thrill of being a “real” scientist.

As the concept has grown in popularity, more and more citizen science

five hundred certified citizen scientists from the Lake Stewards of Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program (VLMP). They assess water clarity and measure dissolved oxygen, phosphorous, and chlorophyll levels. The program also tracks ice-in and iceout dates, which can be reported online by any observer. Trends in this data provide crucial insights into climate change.

In 2017, I attended an on-the-water VLMP workshop on identifying the Eleven Most Unwanted Invasive Aquatic

loss of ancient shell middens to erosion and other causes. Under the auspices of the University of Maine, members of the Maine Midden Minders measure and photograph shell middens and hunt for archaeological material, routinely and after storm events.

We outdoor people are a busy bunch and spend a lot of time observing the woods and waters. Our countless hours out in nature have taught us much.

We notice wildlife and things that are new, unusual, or out of place. Citizen science is harnessing that potential to monitor wildlife populations, health, and behavior.

Last summer, I wrote a blog post about exploring the Seboeis parcel of Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Included was a photo of a ruffed grouse with two chicks. Soon, the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters contacted me, requesting that I input this information on the eBird

Learning to categorize specimens is the key to discovering the Eleven Most Unwanted Invasive Aquatic Plants.

(Photo by Laurie Chandler)

There are other long-term studies ongoing, like the Maine Bird Atlas project.

However, every sighting, anywhere, anytime, is beneficial. After creating an account, record the species, number of individual birds, date, time, and observed location. Data collected at bird feeders counts, too!

Are you into herpetofauna? One of the oldest continuous efforts in New England is the Maine Amphibian & Reptile Atlas

eighteen reptiles. From the pickerel frog to the wood turtle, the spotted salamander to the ring-necked snake, there is a map showing distribution by township. To report a species in a new township, submit the online form with a photo.

Be sure to become familiar with the state’s four critical endangered or threatened species—the eastern box turtle, Blanding’s turtle, black racer, and spotted (Scientist cont. pg 41)

February 2023

By David Minton Any upland bird hunter will tell you that the Ruffed Grouse, aka partridge here in New England, is one of the hardest upland game birds to hunt. It can fly through the densest woods and conifer forests, takes off when the hunter is least ready to make a shot (stepping over a log or bending to go under a branch) and is so fast off the ground that most often the hunter just has leaves falling from a tree to show where his shot went. That’s been my story many, many times.

But this November I had a different experience with a grouse, which, as I write this, is still ongoing as of Wednesday, Novem-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Gregarious Grouse

The gregarious grouse perches on the author’s knee. (Photo by David Minton) slowly, over the next 10 what I can only describe minutes, made its way up as a quiet whining. I reto my level where it sat ally couldn’t tell if it was and watched me while sit- a threatening sound or a comforting sound.

After some more time, as it was After some more time, getting dark, I walked up the tote road as it was getting dark, I walked up the tote road to to my house and it followed me the my house and it followed entire way. I’d walk 20 feet, turn and pat my leg and say,”Come on, Buddy” me the entire way. I’d walk 20 feet, turn and pat my leg and it would run the 20 feet to and say,”Come on, Buddy” catch up to me. and it would run the 20 feet th ting on a branch literally to catch up to me. We did ber 30 .

A few days before a foot and a half from me. this for 600 feet till I got Thanksgiving while deer The bird would hop from to my barn. As I have bird hunting from a tree stand branch to branch, some- dogs (English Setters) I in my backwoods, I noticed times on my right side and didn’t want to have it conseveral times a grouse sit. Then it would hop to tinue into my yard so I told hanging around within the other side and onto a it I had to go and turned and 10 to 20 feet of my stand different branch and sit. went in the house.

This situation conwhile I was in it. When I All the time not more than got out of the stand to walk a foot to a foot and a half tinued for the next 3 days. up the hill to my house, it from me. So I did what any I didn’t go down there would be just 10 feet off normal hunter would do... on Thanksgiving Day in the woods watching I talked to it. This went so I don’t know if it was me. I know how they can on for and hour and a half. around. But the followhold tight so I didn’t give Often it just sat on the same ing day it showed up in it much thought. However branch for 15 minutes. Fi- the morning (2 hours) and the next day while in the nally, I climbed down from again in the afternoon and stand about 12 feet up, the the stand and walked to a spent 2-3 hours with me in bird walked under my tree stump to sit. It followed the tree a foot from where and hopped into a hemlock me and proceeded to hop I sat. The most interesting that stood a foot from my up onto the stump and sat thing was the time, the tree. My stand actually had 6 inches from me. It was day after Thanksgiving; I the hemlock’s branches emitting a sound, a cross was in the stand with the surrounding me. Then it between a “cooing” and bird next to me. I texted

my son to bring down his 4 year old daughter so she could see the grouse in the tree sitting with me.

As they quietly made their way down the path and within 10 feet from my tree, I could tell the grouse was becoming agitated. It turned, again only 2 feet from me; walked down the branch he was on and flew off away from my son and

Page 37

his daughter. That was the first time I got a clean look at the end of its tail feathers as it had spread them as it took off and landed,. I saw what looked like a solid black band across the end of its tail feather, so I’m going to say this bird was a male.

Anyway, I said to my son, “Well, I guess that’s (Grouse cont. pg 41)

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Page 38

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

If you’re like me, you store your off-season gear in a garage, shed or basement. In years past, storing your gear and then using it only to find holes and animal defecation is money and time lost. At one time or another it’s happened to us all. I want to share a few things here I’ve learned that helped me retain my

removing them from the inside then excluding them from reentry. In Maine, our common mice may include a house mouse, deer mouse and white footed mouse.

Even sometimes a Norway rat may make into your storage area or even in your house! Hopefully, this article will save you money, time, and heartache.

In Maine, our common mice may include a house mouse, deer mouse and white footed mouse. Even sometimes a Norway rat may make into your storage area or even in your house! Hopefully, this article will save you money, time, and heartache. gear and investment. For the newbie, this will save you your hard-earned money and valuable time going forward. The key here is to use whatever resources are at your disposal to accomplish safe, undamaged storage for your outdoor gear.

In most of our country, rodents exist and can create enormous amounts of damage. In some cases, even fire can happen with loss to life as well as property.

Working on removing them from your home means

First and foremost, in storage of food, clothing or gear, are galvanized trash barrels. They are the best in my opinion... The galvanize is inherently a deterrent for critters as well as being chew proof. Historically, our military has been using galvanized steel as shelters in corrosive environments and storage.

Your average 31-gallon galvanized trash container will cost between thirty and forty dollars. The only downside is most trash cans

February 2023

Gear Care For The Frontier

are not stackable. They can do come in different sizes which can save space and be sized to your storage needs. Combined with vacuum sealing food, ammo, or other sensitive to moisture items, will have an additional layer of protection against moisture damage.

Hunters, we all have ammo that just doesn’t get used.

A great way to preserve ammo from corrosion is simply wiping down ammo from fingerprints with a silicone cloth. Then by using a moisture absorber or desiccant and vacuum seal the ammo. This will ensure the integrity of the ammo as well as avoiding any corrosion on the brass.

Larger and bulky items are much harder to protect of course. Most modern enclosed box trailers are somewhat rodent proof. Some have plastic covers for venting which can be reinforced with stainless hardware cloth.

Adding additional dryer sheet in containers offers a deterrent to critters!

If you have a basement or garage, setting up shelters and avoiding packing them up will also help in reducing the risk of tent material getting chewed up. Shelters fully assembled give mice and

rats no home and therefore, a less chance for them to cause damage.

Repairing already damaged tents is no problem! Most manufactures will offer swatches of material to help seal up and repair those holes, prolonging the life of your shelter.

The author with a big togue taken though the ice.

Most vinyl tents can be sealed with a glue for vinyl, typically sold by shelter manufactures or found in your local hardware store.

In any case, keeping your equipment maintained is crucial for having your shelter ready to go during the hard water season.

Good luck and enjoy your time on the ice!

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February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Lumbering In The Moosehead Lake Region

A writer from the Skowhegan IndependentReporter interviewed Uriah L. Foss, for the following story, which as published in that newspaper on May 24, 1928.

“It might be interesting to recall an incident connected with the “going into the woods” in the fall of 1867.

Capt. Wm. Parker had been running supplies up the lake all fall but at this time the foot of the lake had frozen over until he could not get within four miles of Greenville. The next morning, we walked to Whitcomb’s Landing, where, after hard work breaking ice, we managed to get the boat near enough to shore to put the horses aboard and place the supplies in the scow which was towed behind. The boat was an old side-wheeler called the Antherippe (sic); probably the first steamer built on the lake as it was very old and

was not too good condition.

Capt. Parker was taken sick that morning and turned the boat over to Capt. Robinson. The rest of the crew consisted of an Indian pilot, Louis Gill, and engineer,

no black water showing.

Capt. Robinson allowed he could not make headway in that direction, so he turned the boat for Deer Island, a distance of about six miles which we covered in six

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

was on board with a pair of grey horses, Billy and Bonnie. He stood between their heads, very cool, singing “I wish I was in Dixie.”

When it came time for dinner as dishes could not be kept on the table, the cook came around pouring tea

We left Whitcomb’s Landing at ten o’clock with the wind blowing a gale.

Coming opposite Spencer Bay we could see 12 mile stretch of white caps with no black water showing.

into cups held in the hand.

We reached the lee side of Deer Island at four o’clock where Aaron Capen stood on the shore John Micheau with his son hours. Seams began to watching us trying to make Jimmie as fireman; Law- open in the planking and a landing. Some of the the high waves pounded berry Way was cook. crew went on shore but We left Whitcomb’s the steamer until we had were called back at twelve Landing at ten o’clock with to pile bailed hay between o’clock by the Captain as the wind blowing a gale. the horses to keep them on he knew there were few Coming opposite Spencer their feet. George Goodhours left for to land his Bay we could see 12 mile win, of Skowhegan, just cargo before the lake froze stretch of white caps with back from the Civil War, for the winter. He finally landed us near the mouth of Sockatean stream where The annual Moosehead Lake Togue Derby is scheduled for Jan. 27-29, ice we had to break ice again permitting. to reach shore. The steamer For those interested in the Mhead Togue Derby, NREC (the derby organizer) immediately started back has added a second weekend to the derby this year due to the poor ice conditions. but was frozen in the mouth of Moose river, where it stayed the winter. That was the trip the boat ever made as a new steamer was built that winter, I believe, The Lumberman.

Moosehead Lake Togue Derby

We c u t b i g p i n e around the lake in those days. One I recall measured 5 ½ feet on the stump form which we cut a 20-foot log, scaling 1211 feet; its three prongs scaled 1000 feet each making over 5000 feet for the tree. When we

got the log to the landing, Levi Steward said it could not be run out the stream so Frank Morrisette, of Skowhegan, cracked it open with powder as white and clean as a hound’s tooth. We thought that a pretty good tree but it was as big as the one brother Emerson said Ase Conner cut on Brassua many years before.

As near as I can learn I am the only one left who made that trip up the lake in the fall of 1867; unless George Scribner of Athens was in the crew. I think his father was three instead.”

Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 30,000 Maine Woods articles to date.

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

Missing Hunters Found

Warden’s Words

Deer season had come to a close for the 2022 hunting season as I stopped at the local gas station in Ashland for a morning coffee and to gas up my truck.

December is a month to get caught up on reports and paperwork from the busy fall for Game Wardens. A ‘lull” in the action as we await winter to take it’s hold and the start of winter

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME

hicle. The man gave me his copy of the paper and told me to keep it. Before he left the gas station, he turned to me and said, “you guys wear a lot of hats don’t you?” I just smiled as he said, “thanks for everything you guys do”.

As I drove away after the interaction at the store, with the paper still in my hand, I couldn’t help but to

As the sun continued to ascend, Chief Pilot Chris Hilton began searching the area from his Cessna. Several ground Wardens began running out each and every side road off the Rocky Brook Road in hopes of locating the two men. activities like ice fishing and snowmobiling.

As I paid for my coffee at the counter, a local man inside the store said “I saw you this morning on the front page of the Bangor Daily.” Unaware, I asked what I was doing on there?

He handed me his copy of the paper and I found an article about a recent search and rescue effort from Thanksgiving Day where we located a father and son who had spent the night in the woods after becoming stuck in their ve-

February 2023

reflect back on this search and the two men we rescued. It was hard to not reflect on how these routine, “day to day” events that are part of the fall for a Maine Warden, are often life-changing events for the people involved, their loved ones and the general public. We do not become Game Wardens for the recognition, fame or fortune, but simply because we are passionate about all aspects of what we do. I have been on many searches in my career, but this one made me

stop and think about the impact we have as Wardens.

Oh Thanksgiving morning, I awoke to the sound of my phone ringing. It was 4:00 a.m. and as I answered, still half awake, I heard Sergeant Mike Joy on the other end of the line. He explained that I should start towards Portage Lake to work on finding two men, who were supposed to return back to family members the evening before, but did not arrive. He stated that unfortunately, we didn’t have a great starting point for this search as the family stated that the two men had set off for the Fish River Lake checkpoint of the North Maine Woods, but other than that, they had no further information on where their ultimate destination might have been.

He provided the details of the two men and what they were driving before we disconnected and I quickly began getting dressed.

As the sun slowly began its ascent in the Fish River headlands, the thermometer read a balmy 3 degrees. It was a cold, sunny morning where everything was still, quiet and frozen. As the sun con-

The rescuers and the rescuees. From left to right: Scott Higgins, Warden Mark Hutcheson, Bob Higgins and Warden Kale O’Leary. tinued to ascend, Chief Pilot Chris Hilton began searching the area from his Cessna. Several ground Wardens began running out each and every side road off the Rocky Brook Road in hopes of locating the two men. It was relatively early in the morning, when Pilot Hilton stated he had found the truck and the two men walking down the road. I just happened to be on the same road as the truck and the two men. A few “white knuckle” miles later on the icy roads, I came across a welcomed sight. The two men alive and well, walking towards me.

Bob and Scott Higgins had spent a long, cold night in their truck after it had become stuck the afternoon before in a large,

frozen water hole in the road. They conserved gas to stay warm throughout the night, but here they were, alive and well. I gave the two men a ride back to the location of their truck and attempted to pull them out. After breaking a couple straps, we waited for more re-enforcements!

Wardens Mark Hutcheson, Kayle Hamilton and Sergeant Adrian Marquis soon arrived on scene and within the hour we had pulled the Higgins’ truck back onto the solid road and shared a Thanksgiving morning coffee in the North Maine Woods!

Seven years working as a Game Warden has flown by, and this story and the early morning rev(Hunters cont. pg 41)

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February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Scientist

Grouse

(Cont. from pg 36)

(Cont. from pg 37)

turtle—which should be reported immediately.

While putting the finishing touches on this article, I was lying on the couch, halfway listening to National Public Radio playing in the background.

Suddenly, I found myself focusing intently. The story

by Ayesha Rascoe, entitled “Why snow is turning pink at high altitudes,” was about citizen science!

Through an app called the Living Snow Project, backcountry adventurers in the state of Washington were being asked to report any pink or red-colored snow, caused by snow algae. In high concentrations, this organism causes increased snow melt and can potentially impact summer water levels.

There’s no doubt that citizen science opportunities are truly everywhere.

If you find one that intrigues you, be assured you will learn a lot and have fun making your contribution to the world of “real” science.

it” and they turned to walk back up the path to the house. Amazingly, within one minutes of them heading back up to the house, the bird returned and hopped up the 6 branches to sit next to me again.

And this time I thought I’d see if I could get it to hop onto my knee. Well, it took a little coaxing but after a few minutes, it did just that. It’s one of the many pictures and videos I sent to Paul Reynolds, the Editor, to verify my account of what I was witnessing.

There was the late morning after 2 hours in the stand with the bird that I got down to try still hunting for deer. It followed me for several hundred feet and I said to myself, well, I guess I’m spending the entire morning with you.

All of this took place over 6 days, everyday, in the morning and late afternoon and continues as I write this. If I get out of the stand and go to sit on a stump, it follows me and sits with me on the stump or at my feet. If I take a short walk to the lower field, it trots along behind me until I sit and then it comes on up next to me.

Now, I have heard of grouse hanging around people and of grouse pecking at people’s legs, shoes, and hats and being territorial. Of this behavior I read that there are two theories; the first was that these birds were a genetic throwback to grouse in pre-European

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settlement days. They were called fool hens because they were so easy to kill by knocking them out of a tree with a stone or stick.

The modern day grouse has become educated after generations into having a fear of humans and thus are wilder today.

The other theory, which I tend to believe, is that the grouse are not tame but very territorial and are defending their home territory. If you reach out for it, it will try to attack you by pecking at your hand, feet, whatever.

What’s interesting is that this guy does not do that. Oh, a couple of times as I shook my camo- colored boot in front of it while sitting on the stump, it did peck at it. But for the most part, sitting in the tree, we just hang together.

I have now had it sit on my

Page 41

knee four times…again videos sent to Paul. And it has followed me to my house at the end of the day four times…I left the dogs inside.

Needless to say, I am not getting any deer hunting done when I go down to my stand. But that’s okay as I took an elk out in Colorado this past October so the freezer is full. And I can’t explain it, but I have taken a liking to just chillin’ with this little fella, watching a few does a hundred feet away milling around and just enjoying our time together. My new friend gives me that look as if to say, “Well, what’s on the agenda today?”

So we sit and I talk to this wild bird…and my wife thinks I’m going nuts.

Hunters

(Cont. from pg 40) elation I had after reading the news article helped to remind me to slow down and take things in. Warden Mark Hutcheson and I laughed the next day about how this was actually the second search we did together on Thanksgiving Day, as we located a lost hunter in 2018 together. Life moves fast, especially when you are doing something you love.

It is important to slow down at times and reflect on the impact of moments like these!

Kale O’Leary is Maine Game Warden who has been serving since 2016. He patrols the Masardis/Oxbow district in David Minton lives in central Aroostook County.

Warner, New Hampshire He lives in Ashland, Maine.

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Page 42

Kineo Currents

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME A friend of mine says, “If you can’t be handsome, you better be handy.” This not only applies to sweethearts, but also to the practical matters of life at camp.

In the old days, camps were simple, and practical. Not necessarily what you might call handsome.

They could be as charming as a sweetheart, especially on a cold night with the wind shaking the windows and the comfort of a fire lit inside. Maybe camp was a 14-foot by 18-foot shelter, a one-room, two-bunk affair with a couple of cabinets, sink, table, and wood stove. Water and lights were not on-demand. The only ‘power’ relied on was the oil, or propane, lantern, and the wood stove. Life at camp had a way of slowing life way, way, way down.

And that, well, that, makes camp very handsome.

Nothing drove this home more than that late December storm that pulled gale winds and heavy rain/ snowstorms across the state, taking the power down with it. I had been

working a lot and feeling very rushed, the pressure of the end of the year. When the storm hit, all of that went with it too.

Here at home I have a Coleman 5,000 generator, pull start. When the storm

Generator or Wood?

hours, instead relying on the wood stove to keep things warm. But with the wood, I have to stay close to home and feed the stove.

With all the machines shut down, very soon, a definite quiet dropped in. The house, like an old camp, was cloaked in complete calm.

Automatic generators make machines even

time since all I could hear was the outside force of the wind and the trees rattling.

It surprised me how calm the house got, how undistracted, rested, and nestled in I felt in that storm. Without the generator, and the other house utilities running, there was no constant thrum of motors. Except for the occasional plow truck, no traffic was run-

The only thing there was to do was keep the fires going while it howled outside. I found a good book I’ve been meaning to read and settled in.

hit and out went the power, the first thing that came to mind was, start the generator. It’s cold! The pipes will freeze! The water will run out! The computer is down!

All practical things. The generator would not start.

Okay. No need to panic.

When I couldn’t start the machine, I turned to the wood stove. The generator is convenient and runs all the utilities, so when it runs, it’s as if nothing is taking place outside. All the lights, furnace, water, heat, TV or electronics you want run right at your fingertips. No downtime necessary! But I normally won’t bother starting the generator, unless we’re down for at least a few

February 2023

handier than before. But the house isn’t nearly so handsome as when I have to rely on the lanterns and wood stove. During the storm, without electric lights, and depending on the lanterns, light is softer, the room mellow. There was no background noise at all. No hum of the refrigerator, furnace, or trap of the TV, phone, or computer. It had been a long

ning the road either.

The only thing there was to do was keep the fires going while it howled outside. I found a good book I’ve been meaning to read and settled in. This was a good time for quiet visit, or to play cards around the table. Like we would at camp, next to the wood stove, where I could move in closer to it if I wanted, against the storm. It may

not be the handiest, as you are tied to your place. But, wouldn’t you be anyway?

Jugs of fresh water, and a pail or two for the flush, and waiting out the storm was not only easy, but very relaxed.

Over the long haul, a generator might be more handy, but it sure isn’t as handsome as the wood stove. I have been thinking of replacing the pull-start with an automatic, but after the sweet experience of this last storm, I’m not sure it’s at all necessary, or desired.

Suzanne AuClair has been writing about the Moosehead Lake Region for the past 28 years. She produced the state anthology, “The Origins, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Memorable Wildlife Sightings

I don’t think I am unique among outdoor people when I express my love for just watching wildlife. All wild animals are a joy to observe whenever the opportunity presents itself. I am fortunate that our house backs up to woods so I still get to watch wild

at the streams outlet into Chamberlain Lake. It was a family trip and we paddled along at a leisurely pace enjoying the calm water before starting the upstream work ahead. Suddenly a bull moose rose out of the water right there amongst us. It was quite a sight with

lain Lake. I was just sitting there at the picnic table enjoying the view, when I saw a small black animal running across the campsite toward us. The animal was tiny so I wasn’t alarmed, but I was curious about what it was. When the animal got closer I was surprised to see that it was indeed jet black, but it was

Northwoods Voyager

Page 43

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME paying us any attention at all, he raised his foreleg and poked the doe in the side. He did this more than once as if to say: Don’t you see those strange creatures out on the water? Finally the doe looked us over and casually started moving off to the cover nearby, with

moved along. Whether the calf did this on its own or on some unseen command from it mother I cannot say, but it was clearly shows as nature’s way.

Gil Gilpatrick is a Master Maine Guide, and is the first living recipient

The moose was not the least alarmed by our canoes almost surrounding it and after a while it went down again for another mouthful. What a memory this sighting gave us!

animals from time to time.

There are some animal observations that do stand out as more memorable.

This sighting is one of Dot’s favorite memories and she often tells about it whenever the subject comes up. It is memorable.

We were making our way up to Allagash Lake. At this time the only way to access the lake was to work upstream by pole, paddle or by walking along dragging the canoe behind. We were still in the dead water

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water dripping off its velvet antlers and chewing on a string of greenery, some of it still hanging out of its mouth. The moose was not the least alarmed by our canoes almost surrounding it and after a while it went down again for another mouthful. What a memory this sighting gave us!

My party was spending a quiet afternoon in a campsite on Chamber-

a red squirrel. I had heard of this phenomenon before but this was the first one (and the last, so far) that I have ever seen.

Deer are always fun to watch and these provided quite a show for Dot and me. We were making our way down the Allagash river in some mild current. Rounding a bend in the waterway we spotted a buck and a doe out feeding near the river’s edge.

As we drew nearer the doe ignored us, but the buck was very interested in the strange creatures that floated along on the water. He looked at us, looked at the doe, then back at us again.

Finally, as the doe was not

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the buck following close behind.

I have observed moose behavior a number of times and I especially enjoyed seeing a cow with a calf. It’s behavior plainly illustrates how nature cares for its own. As the cow fed in the water the calf followed her along closely, but was out in plain sight.

As soon as the calf saw us it immediately moved so the cow as between the youngster and us. It stayed with her between it and us as we

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 44

February 2023

Northern Saw-whet Owls

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME February is the month I usually hear and see returning Northern Saw-whet Owls in Cooper, Maine.

First I will hear them in the fir and hemlock trees while sitting at night on my back porch steps. Saw-whets have a number of utter-

cold making mice, shrews, and moles hard to find and catch. So most leave Maine. Bird banding was done in New England for a few years in order to discover where they migrated to relatively, But in the fall of 2011 and for years after-

ances. They can produce soft catlike screeches, soft nasal barks, and soft whistles. Another of their calls sounds like someone whetting, or sharpening saw blades with files. But when I hear their calls that resemble the beeps of a backingup truck, “toots”repeated over and over, I know they are back.

Their mating season is February, March, or April.

The winters are too severe here with much snow and

ward, many Saw-whet owls banded in Maine in the fall flew south following the Atlantic coastline. February begins their northward return. Saw-whets are not rare, but rarely are they seen.

Last spring I was delighted to find a pair nesting in a hemlock tree cavity abandoned by woodpeckers. I know they are known to tolerate humans very well. This pair just snapped their beaks and the female

continued to incubate their eggs. The male perched on a tree branch just above my head and stared at me through its round golden eyes, dotted with big black pupils. It bobbed and pivoted its head to watch me if I moved at all. This is called the parallax method of judging distance and is done by all owls.

Their eyes are unique

Their eyes are unique and sensitive organs as well. They are set wide apart and are forward-facing. This enables owls to have excellent vision and depth perception. The disc around night prowl we might hear prevent little or no sound in their eyes acts as sound collectors that funnels any sounds or see Barn, and Long- flight. Many times they can eared Owls too. In northern fly right over you and you and vibrations into their ears. and sensitive organs as well. They are set wide apart and are forward-facing. This enables owls to have excellent vision and depth perception. The disc around their eyes acts as sound collectors that funnels any sounds and vibrations into their ears. The ears are even larger than their eyes and are wellhidden by feathers on both sides of the heads. From hosting “owl prowls” when I lived in Massachusetts, I learned to respect all owls.

I took groups of people out to let them see and hear various species. On a good night I would hear and/or see Great Horned, Barred, Screech, and Sawwhets. On an awesome

and Downeast Maine there are fewer species. But my favorite owl species has always been the Northern Saw-whet which is more common here. I call them elf owls because they are only about 8 inches long.

Adults are light brown above and white below with brown streaking. The facial discs of their rounded heads are noticeably white with dark borders. Juveniles look different during their first year because they are very dark brown above and tawny rust below. Another reason I enjoy all owls is how their flight is so quiet. Their wings are long in comparison with their bodies and their broad downy, lacy-edged feathers

do not see them in the dark.

I hope this spring and summer of 2023 will provide a pair of nesting Saw-whet owls again. The parents of 2022 might return and their babies might be imprinted to my woods too. How neat it might be to have multiple nesting owls here!

Karen Holmes is a naturalist living in Cooper, Maine. She is a freelance writer and finds many things to write about there, especially the wild creatures. She is a retired educator. Her husband Ken and her Australian Cattledog named Dingo accompanies her when she explores her 74 acres.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 45

Up To No Good

The Libby Brook food plot MOULTRIE MOBILE EDGE cellular trail camera took a picture of a coyote at 1:43 in the morning. This darn coyote got on the deer trail that runs all the way from Libby Brook to the North food plot. The cellular trail camera in the North let me know from the picture

hours.

This area where I hunt happens to be predominately a bedding area or just the parts of the forest the deer hang in during the day time. In addition to being a good deer hunting area, it’s also been a great place to hunt coyotes and bobcats. This coyote was obviously up to no good.

a mile away to the Libby Brook food plot. I immediately found the coyotes tracks. A feeling of urgency washed over me. I needed to get my butt into gear and hunt down these coyotes as quickly as possible. Several nights a week either this coyote or another and sometimes a pair of coyotes will venture through to hunt for a morsel.

Coyotes put on some miles during a twenty-four hour period. It’s customary for this animal as it’s how

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME one of my earlier columns.

Where they choose to go hunting each night is all on them. It’s not always in my personal deer hunting areas. I’ll often hear the nightly serenade way off in the distance as the coyotes are getting ready to head out on the prowl in search of easy prey. The coyotes often go off in a completely

a bait pile. I’ll start up my Mr. Buddy Heater and sit back to wait for four or more hours hoping a coyote or a bobcat shows up.

It’s never too early or too late to start coyote hunting in Maine. In this state we can hunt coyotes year round. Most states have year round coyote hunts or long seasons. If you’re not

Coyotes put on some miles during a twenty-four hour period. It’s customary for this animal as it’s how they eventually find food. They roam all parts of the forests and fields where they live.

Coyotes are unpredictable predators, which makes them challenging to pattern. (Photo by Bud Utecht) taken at 1:51 a.m. It took that coyote only eight minutes to walk to the North food plot. The predator was obviously searching for one of the resident deer in hopes for an easy kill. Thank goodness the resident deer do not hang around in these parts at night and early morning

Once daylight broke I was off to the woods where this coyote was hunting several hours earlier. It didn’t take me long to find the tracks. It was plain to see where this coyote came from and see what direction it went in after sniffing around the North food plot.

I got in my truck and drove

they eventually find food.

They roam all parts of the forests and fields where they live. It’s very similar to how the Eastern Wild Turkey travels through their home range. One day the whole flock will be in one particular spot then the next day they could be a whole mile away over on the other field. Coyotes are no different with their traveling. These predatory animals will focus on hunting wherever they feel like going. Then on the next day it could be a totally different area. The coyotes one constant is their day time retreats.

I explained this in

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different direction than from where I’m sitting.

Now that deer hunting season has ended I’ll be up to no good someplace on the side of a ridge looking over a clearing with an electronic caller playing distress sounds from a stump. I’ll let it play for only five minutes then remain still and quiet for about forty minutes. If my gut feeling tells me to pack up and move then I will.

I might walk a half mile away to another vantage point or get in my truck and drive several miles away to a field edge. This might be a typical day of coyote hunting. I might end the day by sneaking into one of my blinds overlooking

sure just check the hunting law book before planning your hunt. Coyote hunting is a great winter activity for the whole family. You won’t get too cold as the waiting time after a calling sequence is usually no more than one hour. It beats the winter blues!

Justin is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the author of the books, “Wild Maine Outdoors – Hunting tactics, tricks & Secrets” and “The Sit Spot – Discovering the Forest Near You”. He is also the owner of the YouTube channel, “SPIKES and GILLS”.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 46

Anticosti

by Mark Cote, Rumford, ME When we arrived at our Anticosti deer camp it rained a lot overnight. My plan for the first day was to hunt the coastline on the East side of the territory which meant crossing the Martin River by ATV. Nobody has been able to hunt there for weeks so I knew it would be prime.

The next morning the rain stopped at 10 a.m. and I was on my way. I shot a decent 8 point within 90 minutes and saw a monster 800 yards away in a huge wide-open swamp. I played cat and mouse with him for a while, thinking if I could get within 400 yards, I would shoot it. That never happened. He eluded me, went into the woods, and I never saw him again.

At the other end of the territory is another river, the Ferree River. I saw several deer around there but what I mostly noticed was the height and speed of the water with icebergs floating by. I decided I better head back to camp before the water in the Martin River got too high.

When I got back to

where the big guy was, I saw a big bodied deer with a wide bright yellow rack gleaming in the sunshine.

He was 440 yards away, so I made my way towards him. At 330 yards he busted me. I knew if I didn’t take the shot he would bolt, and I would lose my chance. I found a dry patch

Survival: Deer Hunt Gone Bad

heaviest deer in the meat house.

I dragged him back to the ATV and continued my way back.... But then I got stuck in the mud. No big deal, I had a walkie talkie.

The signal wouldn’t quite reach camp from there, so I walked until it would to tell the guide where I was stuck.

This is where the story makes a change for the worse.

The guide radio’d

tor. The current pushed him sideways, but he made it across.

When he got to me, I saw the urgency in his eyes.

He told me we needed to hurry because we may not be able to cross the river again if we didn’t. We got the ATV unstuck and hurried back to the river....it was too late. It had risen another 4 to 6 inches. Icebergs and logs were floating by at a high rate of speed. Attempting to cross

me back to say the river was now too high to cross and he was going to wait for my daughter Katie’s boyfriend Yves, who was hunting with us to make a plan. Yves used to be a guide at this very camp years before.

When Yves got to the river with his ATV, he knew it was dangerously high but tried it anyhow. He stood on the back rack and started across. The water was so deep it rushed over the seat and touched the handle grips. He shouldn’t have attempted it but he did. It’s a miracle it didn’t take water in the carbure-

would have been suicide.

The water temperature couldn’t have been much above freezing. Hypothermia would be instantaneous, and all our heavy hunting clothing would make us sink like a stone.

We needed a boat. The guide called headquarters but there was no boat to be found. It was imminent, we were going to have to spend the night in the woods.

The winds started blowing 25mph and snow was predicted. We began gathering firewood...but my energy level was dangerously low. This diabe-

We got the ATV unstuck and hurried back to the river....it was too late. It had risen another 4 to 6 inches. Icebergs and logs were floating by at a high rate of speed. Attempting to cross would have been suicide. of ground and laid in a prone position, folded my attached bipods down and took aim. He stood quartering away looking over his right shoulder at me.

I aimed at the base of his neck and squeezed one off. The recoil made one leg of the bipod fall off whatever it was resting on so I wasn’t able to see the impact, but I heard it hit him. He dropped right there. It wasn’t the big guy I thought he was in fact it was only a 4 point, but he was super wide. At that long of a distance it’s hard to count points, nevertheless, he turned out to be the

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tes thing is real, I had just been diagnosed about six months ago. Although I didn’t show it, I was a little scared.

I had a couple sandwiches but no more water.

As Yves continued getting wood, I got a sandwich out and gave him half. I felt bad that he was doing most the work, but I had nothing left in me. After a bit, the sandwich began to kick in at least enough so I could gather wood and grass as tinder.

Everything was so wet...the fire wouldn’t start.

The tissues I had were gone, things were looking grim.

Yves took my empty water bottle and went to the ATV to try to get some gas from it, but he needed tools to get through the plastic body panels. Instead, he grabbed the owner’s manual. That ought to be enough to get the fire going.

He kneeled beside the fire pit, looked at me with a devious smile and said, “The first thing we’ll burn is the registration!” It was good for a chuckle.

We still couldn’t get it going...without a fire we were in serious trouble. He stood up and asked, “Well, do you want to be the big spoon or the little spoon?”

“Give me the flipping lighter I’m not doing either!” It definitely lightened the mood.

I had a green garbage bag on my ATV I put my backpack in when I left camp to keep it dry. Plastic is petroleum based. I balled it up and stuck it deep in our pile of wet kindling.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 48

February 2023

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit Note from Homer: My space is turned over this month to a fisherman friend who writes a poem now and then. Hope you like it as much as I did. Jack Gagnon lives in Lakeville, Maine and once was a regular contributor to the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

Put and Take

by Jack Gagnon

Size sometimes matters, not at all.

The small trout from a no-name brook, Are usually the best to cook.

How often, when you catch a fish, Is it as big as you might wish?

Could a fish be that big? Never!

Not a feasible endeavor.

Very few that I have caught, Were ever weighed, but most were measured, More in terms of method wrought, Was it fair sport that gave me pleasure?

If fluorocarbon fools more fish, Have I then slightly queered the game?

Can tackle grant the angler’s wish, Without his own legerdemain?

Is it important? Large or small?

And since some anglers fondly wish, To catch some truly native fish, Are hatchery trout then, to be mocked?

They’re lesser, somehow, ‘cause they’re stocked?

When stocked trout see so many flies, They stubbornly refuse to rise, Do they then elevate in class, To native status? How about bass?

And then of course, there are the guys, Who only fish with floating flies,

They always have something to say, I ran into one yesterday.

His friend had just then brought to net, A trout as large as most trout get.

“But you should know,” this fool piped in, “He caught it on a Mickey Finn.”

I guess that we don’t lose or win, We just get back what we put in.

What you put in, I take back out, So tell me, where’d you stock those trout?

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

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February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 49

A Tough Year

Is it February already?

I’m still wondering what happened to 2022 and we are already into the second month of 2023.

Well, here’s to the New Year and to better things. The truth is, we did

out to be that that I was misdiagnosed and suffered for almost two years, walking with the use of a cane over that period.

When I finally came to realize that the good doctor was not helping my

(Illustration by V. Paul Reynolds)

little more than endure in 2022. I hate to complain but I’m going to anyway.

First off, after a year of treatment for what was diagnosed as a “back problem” and four injections into my spine over eight months, there was no relief from the pain in my upper leg. The problem turned

condition, I sought a second opinion. I had almost a year with the first physician with no end to the pain in sight. When I went to see my second doctor, I was with him for about 45 minutes when he gave me the prognosis: Your right hip is in bad shape, he said.

Of course, I had to

wait for the operation, which came on Sept. 27.

Miraculously, the boneon-bone pain in my left hip was gone after they put in a new hip. Meanwhile, we had cataract surgery on both eyes from August to November.

But the real bummer happened on Nov. 29 when I fell while shopping in a local store.

Bottom line: not my fault; it was a case of somebody in the store putting something in an aisle, unseen by me, and down I went, breaking the rib.

You want to talk about pain. Break a rib (nothing can be done for a broken rib, by the way; you just suffer for four to six weeks.) and you will know pain on a personal level.

Well, that’s enough of the whining. Well, almost.

We were really troubled by the fact that we missed the entire archery season, the fall turkey season, could

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont not get out for the fall muzzleloader hunt, made it out — with cane, backpack and rifle — three days during the rifle season and, because of the broken rib, never got into the deer woods during the Decem-

ject first comes into focus, blended into the cat tails, then it shows up clearly as a young deer. A second deer came up behind it and then a third deer and both of these two were mature does. Something had put

When the two mature does stopped to look back, they were about 10 feet from where I sat. It was one of those magical moments when you look on in disbelief that you could have a wild creature, up so close I could see every fine detail of their intelligent faces. ber smoke pole season.

There is no venison in the freezer this year.

But there was one day, on the third morning of the rifle season, when I took a pretty long walk to a favorite location, a place where I had a good ground blind built. With the temperature in the upper 20s and the wind in my face, something caught my attention coming out of the big swamp.

A small brown ob-

a scare into them and, moments later, they crossed the brook and came up a little ridge. When the two mature does stopped to look back, they were about 10 feet from where I sat. It was one of those magical moments when you look on in disbelief that you could have a wild creature, up so close I could see every fine detail of their intelligent faces.

(Tough cont. pg 52)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 50

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT I received a question from a reader of my syndicated newspaper column who ice fishes Lake Morey in Fairlee. They wanted to know if it was safe to eat the fish as the algae blooms this year were huge.

I contacted biologist Eric Palmer, Director Fisheries Division, Vermont Fish and Wildlife who said, “The short answer is that the perch in Lake Morey are still safe to eat despite the cyanobacteria bloom.”

“The longer answer is that studies done in Vermont and elsewhere have shown that the cyanotoxins produced by blue-green algae do not bioaccumulate in fish.”

This website explains some of what the research shows, https://www.lcbp. org/2021/09/survey-ofcyanotoxins-and-mercury-contamination-in-lakechamplain-fish/.

Palmer added, “There can be health effects from swimming, drinking water

or even breathing in the mist from lakes with active cyanobacteria blooms, so it makes sense for towns to close beaches when a significant bloom is occurring.

The Vermont Department of Health recommends cleaning fish properly and not eating the liver if a cyanobacteria bloom is occurring (I don’t know anyone who eats the livers of fish, but that’s the recommendation).

“Obviously catching fish involves being on or near the water, touching fish that have been in the water and breathing the air, so there is some potential for exposure to cyanotoxins if a bloom is occurring, but it is much less exposure than swimming or drinking the water.”

This may help readers who fish other lakes that have experienced algae blooms.

Vermont Has New Wanton Waste Law The new wanton

February 2023

Algae Bloom Fish Safe to Eat

waste law says, “A person shall not intentionally or knowingly kill a covered wild animal and intentionally or knowingly fail to make a reasonable effort to retrieve it.”

The animals covered by the law include: moose, bear, deer, wild turkey, gray squirrel, snowshoe hare, cottontail rabbit, game birds, crows, and furbearers.

“The covered wild animal must be processed as food, fur, hide, or feathers or used for taxidermy.”

A couple of incidents involving the display of dead coyotes that sparked a great deal of controversy have resulted in the legislation that says, “Coyotes that are taken by lawful means other than trapping and are retrieved and disposed of legally are excepted from these required uses.”

It goes on to state, “A coyote or its parts, or part of the other covered wild animals, may not be left along a public right-

of-way or highway, on posted property without landowner permission, or where otherwise prohibited by law.”

There are exceptions from the new law for animals unfit for consumption, animals that are sick or diseased and if there is lack of access because of posting.

Rabbit Hunting Is Enjoyable and Good Exercise Let me make it clear, I know we are not hunting rabbits in northern Vermont, but that is what we all say. Actually, we are hunting hare, snowshoe hare to be precise. However, I have never heard anyone say they were going hare hunting or that they had hare hounds.

Many hunters, myself included, enjoy brisk February days snowshoeing in the woods or swamps with a shotgun. Snowshoe hare are the favorite game sought by many and the season remains open through March 12. Listening to a good hound pursuing a bunny through

(Algae cont. pg 65)

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a swamp is a real joy.

I do not own any hunting dogs and my St. Bernard will never be mistaken for a hunting dog. A brother does have a beagle that loves to pursue snowshoe hare as do several of my friends. Thus I need only ask and I get to join them on nice winter days.

Snowshoe hare can be found in much of Vermont but my favorite places to hunt are in the Northeast Kingdom counties of Essex, Orleans and Caledonia. That is an area of big woods with very little posting and much public land.

Several Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Management Areas in the Kingdom are prime snowshoe habitat as is the Nulhegan Basin of the Conte National Wildlife Refuge located on the north side of Route 105 connecting Island Pond and Bloomfield.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February In The Sugarwoods

Wi n t e r t i m e f i n d s many outdoorsmen and women with another passion on their minds, maple sugaring. From Maine to Minnesota, and for seemingly everyone in VT, folks

tire tubing system up and ready to go. Deer, bear, coyote, fisher and squirrels do most of the animal damage. Around the 1st of January we begin tapping.

A crew of 5 will take from

evaporator are working.

It’s amazing what maxing out your equipment for 3 months and then having it sit idle for 9 months will do to damage it. There is always at least one major

Page 51

Maple Country Outdoors

by Ben Wilcox, Essex, VT

everything.

There are also endless vacuum leaks in our tubing system to find as soon as the sap runs. We will be out looking for these every day

crop in February. There is no shutting off the trees, and we are on the go 24/7 when the sap is running.

The challenge is always how to capture every drop

As soon the first taps are in the trees around Jan 1, the urgency sets in. We must be ready to collect sap at any mid winter warm up. Generally we get one good run during the January thaw.

The author’s family with a nice sugarwoods buck. This buck was at least 5.5 years old and had an identical rack for three seasons in a row. are tapping maple trees in February. Many a deer hunter spends their winter trudging up the same mountains they tracked a buck back in November, this time with an electric drill instead of rifle.

For me, work in the sugarwoods is a year round thing as we own 800 acres and lease another 200 or so.

I certainly love being in the sugarwoods year round, but when its hunting season or fishing season, my main focus is not the sugarwoods.

As soon as the hunting season closes however it really kicks off the busy season for a sugarmaker. We begin covering every piece of woods repairing animal damage, cutting trees from lines, and getting the en-

1-2 months the complete tapping our 40,000 trees.

Snow depth and weather conditions dictate how long the monumental task will take. One thing is for sure, it’s never an easy job.

We always seem to limp toward the finish line as our bodies and minds get increasingly tired and sore.

As soon the first taps are in the trees around Jan 1, the urgency sets in. We must be ready to collect sap at any mid winter warm up. Generally we get one good run during the January thaw. Most of the time we are only partially tapped and this serves as a test run to make sure all of our equipment, vacuum pumps, reverse osmosis machines, sap pumps, releasers, and

piece of equipment that will need repair or replacement in a pinch, and we have a backup for almost

of the season, and when there are lots of leaks at the beginning of the year, we will work well into the night with headlamps walking our sap lines. We typically walk 6 miles a day tapping and 8-12 a day walking lines, often on snowshoes. Vacuum leaks are taken very seriously as they directly impact the total maple syrup production at the end of the season.

February sees us generally finish up tapping.

Depending on the year, often the season kicks off in earnest. Some years we have made 1/3 of a

because if you mess up or don’t do the work to be successful, you cannot get the sap back.

(February cont. pg 52)

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Page 52

February (Cont. from pg 51) While I am truly 100% focused on maple sugaring during the winter, I do always take note of where deer are hanging out.

Being in the same woods year round, you really get to know how the deer use it. In my woods during

Northwoods Sporting Journal December they move into the most open maple hardwoods areas and feed on ferns or find any areas we may have cut trees throughout the year. They seem to prefer steeper slopes, maybe they don’t have to bend their necks as much. They will stay in these areas for as long as they can until the snow gets over about 12-16”. Once the snow gets

too deep they move down to the bottom of the hills and spend the winter. In our area they don’t migrate to huge deer yards, and will come back up the mountain as soon as the snow melts.

One thing that I cannot seem to ever nail down are our bucks. We don’t have a lot of them, and mature bucks are hard to come by despite the fact

that we try to only shoot 3.5 year old deer and up.

Typically we have 1 or 2 shooter bucks around per season. It doesn’t seem to matter how many days I spend in those sugarwoods, I cannot find much for patterns. They come and go and never seem to bed in the same places. Thankfully we know where all of the doe groups are living!

February 2023 Maybe one day I’ll crack the code, but maybe these particular deer don’t have much of a code. At least we have figured out how to make some of the finest maple syrup around, and lots of it!

Ben Wilcox is owner of Maple Country Anglers, located in Northwest Vermont. He is a current member of the USA Fly Fishing Team. He is a registered Maine Guide and graduate of the University of Maine.

He also owns a large Maple Sugaring Business, Amber Ridge Maple. These occupations allow him to be in the woods or water nearly every day of the year. He can be reached at maplecountryanglers@ gmail.com

Tough (Cont. from pg 49) Of course, I did not budge and they never saw me. Oh, if it were only the muzzleloader season and and I had had an antlerless tag in my backpack; one of those deer would have been good, healthy food for the family. But it was not to be and I looked on as all three of the deer took flight up the big ridge in front of me.

Okay, so it was a tough year. That is life, as they say. But now, I have a new year in front of me and have a good feeling idea that it will be a year of good fortune.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and Barre Times Argus and a freelance writer.

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Last Ditch Grouse

Page 53

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME

December grouse are still around, but harder to find.

The day after Christ- sure I bought when I was man, had it changed. mas, it occurred to me that a student. I’m not entirely All the old lanes left in Maine, we can hunt sure how a pair of 28-gauge behind by the cutting opupland birds right through shells got into the mix, as eration had completely the end of the year. So, I I’ve never owned or even grown in, obscuring the pulled out my old single- ever fired a 28 gauge, but work of the woods operashot 16-gauge, found a there it is. tion from nearly forty years bag of shotgun shells, and I gathered up my gear before. Close inspection made my way out to a long and headed to an old chop- only would betray what hemlock ridge in central ping that had been cut was left of the old skidder Maine to see if I could put in lanes back in the late tracks, now largely filled up a few late-season birds. 1980’s. I’ve hunted the area in; but the rapid tree growth First off, let’s talk for both ruffed grouse and was, after my absence of about ammunition. It’s deer many times and know several years, absolutely expensive right now; a box it well…except it’s been a breathtaking. of standard shotgun shells while since I’ve hunted that Bird hunting in Decan run you anywhere from particular stretch. If I’m cember isn’t the same purthirteen to twenty dollars, being honest, I probably suit it is in October. In the depending on the gauge haven’t spent any of my early part of the season, and load; for waterfowling hunting days there in about birds distribute themselves ammunition, be prepared to five years, but like I say, I fairly broadly, and you pay much more. But when I know it pretty well. don’t have to walk too went through my ammuniAt least I thought I far in cover to kick a few tion cabinet, I was pleased did. For much of the af- up. After the early part of to find a brand-new box ternoon, I thought I had the season, when the ones of 16-gauge Remington taken a wrong turn and that have been shot at and heavy field loads that had had wound up on a dif- missed a few times wise never been opened and ferent old logging road. It up, it gets to be more work. with the price tag still pro- wasn’t until I was about When the deep cold sets claiming a ransom price of a mile in and found a big in, a dedicated bird hunter $6.99 on the end of the box. old boulder moved there must know where to look.

“Those are pretty new,” by the Laurentide ice sheet Less-dedicated bird I thought of the twenty- at least ten thousand years hunters are, then, more year old cartridges, and ago, that I had long used as or less at the mercy of the instead took the loose bag a landmark when bird hunt- swirling winds of luck. In of even older Winchester ing that I realized that yes, I the late season, when you game loads that I’m pretty was in the right place—but do find birds, you’re likely

to find a group of them bunched together, and in my case when I luckily stumbled into a patch of heavy cover, they all took a turn at getting me to spin this way and that, barely getting the bead of my shotgun up before they had arced into a faraway understory. Then, when I gave up on that bird, another would burst out of the cover, and the pattern repeated itself, at least five times.

better at breaking clay pigeons in preparation for the real deal.

In Maine, you get the opportunity to hunt a lot.

Success is found in many ways; putting up a few birds before the winter evenings give way to fly-tying is a lordly one. Before I got into the truck, I looked back into the woods where the grouse were doubtless gathered up and laughing at me, and tipped my cap.

Less-dedicated bird hunters are, then, more or less at the mercy of the swirling winds of luck. In the late season, when you do find birds, you’re likely to find a group of them bunched together...

I never had a chance to even cock the hammer.

As the sun quickly dropped to the horizon, I reluctantly made my way out of the woods. I’ve come to joke that as a hunter I do more than my share for conservation with my bad aim, with the renewed New Year’s resolution to spend more time uprange getting

“See you next fall, Ruff,” I laughed, and headed home.

Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and WRKD 95.1 FM in Rockland.

Greenville

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 54

Loving the Cold

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT I love the cold. I embrace the arctic air. Give me a pickle bucket and proper gear and I’ll sit over a hole in the ice for hours, jigging away with a grin on my face like Jack Torrance in “The Shining” when he busts through the door and says, “Here’s Johnny!” Yeah. That grin.

toothy pike, so let’s you and me make a little deal, ok? I’m just gonna’ wiggle this little bibbit with a tasty maggot, swishing her tail in front of you, and all you must do to secure a safe, warm place for the night, is to just wrap your lips around her and hold her firmly in your little fishy

Saturday, January 28, is Vermont’s free ice fishing day - a day when anyone, resident, or nonresident, may go fishing in Vermont without a fishing license.

The maniacal smile of a madman possessed with catching a yellow perch. I talk to them, lurking under the surface. “Now, look here my fine seven- striped friend. I know it’s cold down there and you’ll be lucky to survive being hunted down by some big

mouth. I promise to take you to a nice warm place, massage you with oil, and you can have dinner with my family in front of a cozy woodstove. Whaddya’ say, little buddy? Have we got a deal?” I am totally engrossed in my “dialogue” with my piscatorial partner

and don’t hear the footsteps come up behind me. Then I feel it. Someone is standing right behind me, listening.

Hmm. How long have they been there? Did they hear my conversation? Did they hear me singing to my underwater buddy? I get quiet and suddenly my rod bends down toward the surface of the ice and begins to throb.

I raise the rod with my right hand, setting the hook, and reel in a beautiful slab yellow perch. The unknown presence behind me speaks.

“Were you just talking to that fish?” asks the Warden.

“Umm, why yes sir, I was.”

Was it a good conversation?” he asks. I answer, “well it was good enough to convince him to come to my house for dinner this evening.” I look at the Man in Green and give him my best maniacal grin. “Okay” he says, then over his radio says, “We best leave this one alone.”

Always wanted to go ice fishing but couldn’t find a good excuse to get away?

Now we have found that excuse for you: a “Free Ice Fishing Day” on the last Saturday in January.

Saturday, January 28, is Vermont’s free ice fishing day - a day when anyone, resident, or nonresident, may go fishing in Ver-

mont without a fishing license. Not Sure How? - No Problem! Check Out Our FREE Ice Fishing Festival at Silver Lake State Park, 20 State Park Beach Rd, in Barnard. Saturday, 1/28/2023 from 11:00 am - 3:00pm. Registration begins at 11:00am and from 11:00am -3:00pm there will be family fun-oriented activities. VT F&W staff and Let’s Go Fishing volunteers will help new ice anglers learn the basics of winter ice fishing including Ice Fishing Gear Explained, Hole Drilling Demos, Tip-up Techniques, using a Rod and Jig, Ice Safety, Fish Identification and Regulations Explained, Knot-tying Know-how and tackle craft. Then, whether you’ve successfully landed your fish or not, you can still enjoy a fresh fish fry and cocoa (bring your own mug if you can)! If you have your own ice fishing equipment you may bring it, or you can borrow theirs.

Be sure to dress warmly (in layers is the best) and wear winter boots. Ice cleats are strongly recommended. Pre-register online at

February 2023

vermont.gov) by email or

call 802-505-5562.

VT F&W is reminding the public to take precautions around wild birds, as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) continues to circulate in the state.

Backyard flocks of domestic birds in Caledonia and Lamoille Counties have had to be destroyed after exposure to the virus, commonly known as avian flu.

“Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in more than 70 wild birds since March, with cases reported most months and in every region of the state,” said Wildlife Program Manager David Sausville. “Many exposures come from migrating birds, so we expect case numbers to drop as winter temperatures set in.

However, Vermonters still need to be mindful that this disease is present in our birds.” HPAI poses a low risk to human health.

However, the virus causes severe illness and high mortality in poultry. Transmission from wild birds is a primary cause of infection in domestic flocks, https://www.register-ed.com/ and human exposure can events/view/189542 and get contribute to spread of the in the “fast pass” lane! For virus. “Avoiding contact more information, contact with any birds that seem Corey Hart ( Corey.Hart@ sick, and not handling wild birds in general, are the most important steps the public can take to prevent the spread of HPAI,” said Sausville. Sausville also asked Vermonters to report sightings of multiple dead birds in the same area to wildlife officials. Reports can be made by email to fwinformation@vermont. gov, or by calling 802-828-

1000.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

Page 55

Land of Fishing Legends

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME

It was the mid-eighties. I was dating this blueeyed beauty who accompanied me on a nine-hour drive from our suburban homes in New Jersey to the western edge of Maine’s North Woods. Turning off the macadam and onto dirt and gravel, we caught glimpses of a lake, mist swirling over its surface. I navigated around exposed rock, over rusted culverts, and through potholes deep enough to hold a school of largemouth bass while bumping and grinding up thirteen miles of logging road that led to Bosebuck Mountain Camps.

On that first visit to western Maine, we hiked into bogs and around dead falls, canoed across tanninstained ponds, and swung streamers through rapids that broke over boulders as large as a moose’s shoulder.

I’d been looking for some good fishing, but found a whole lot more. So much so, that we returned the following year. By then, I’d married the woman, who to this day would rather wear blue jeans than dresses and prefers hiking boots to heels. By then, we were hooked as good and true as her first landlocked salmon, a fish that leaped across the pool below Keenan Dam,

not once but four times.

Some might think it was the brook trout that captured our imagination, those big-kyped phantoms willing to teach you the value of checking your tippet before casting into a dark pool, or perhaps one of those little six-inch, bully boys that streak across the surface of a forest stream like a star fallen from the sky. Others would say it was the terrain as wild as the fish swimming in its rivers and the moose lumbering through the shadowy coves of its lakes and ponds.

Like so many others before us, all of that is true, but there is something more about this land back of beyond.

I could tell you about Metallak, a member of the Abenaki tribe reputed to have lived for 120 years, and who came to be known by the settlers he’d helped as the Lone Indian of the Magalloway. Then, there’s the story of how Johnny Danforth and Fred Barker, two young men, spent the winter of 1882/83 hunting and trapping the region above Parmachenee Lake.

You might wish to learn about Ed “Ned” Grant.

Known as the Sage of Beaver Pond Camps, he

once told a sport, “See that mountain over there? Well, it was jest a hill when I began guidin’.”

Then again, you might ask about those three Belles of the North

der, and Kenneth Crocker.

But, although the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine deserves to be called The Land of Fishing Legends, it’s the folks my wife and I met along the way—the guides, wardens, lodge owners, store keepers, and sports—all those men and women living today that make this part of Northern New England The Land of Living Legends!

I can assure you that

Holden, the first woman to win Maine’s Legendary Guide Award.

Former executive director of Rangeley’s Outdoor Heritage Museum, Bill Pierce, and retired warden, Charlie Atkins, can tell tales as tall as any spun

by Shang Wheeler or Ned Grant, and although Carrie Stevens is gone, Selene Dumaine carries on her tradition of tying exquisite streamers. Herb Ellis may no longer build Rangeley

But, although the Rangeley Lakes Region of western Maine deserves to be called The Land of Fishing Legends, it’s the folks my wife and I met along the way—the guides, wardens, lodge owners, store keepers, and sports—all those men and women living today that make this part of Northern New England The Land of Living Legends!

Woods—Cornelia Crosby, Carrie Stevens and Louise Dickinson Rich. And what about the accomplishments of fly-fishing’s Renaissance man, Herbert Welch?

And those of Carrie’s husband, Wallace, and Colonel Joseph Bates, or perhaps any one of the many other Upper-Dam notables.

Maybe you’d rather hear about the Barrett brothers and Herbert Ellis, and how they built their Rangeley boats. You’d certainly get a chuckle at Shang Wheeler’s tale about White Nose Pete or the brook trout known as Salmo Polaris lined with fur rather than scales. You might also be interested in the men who guided those “from away” during the “golden years” such as Walter “Skeet” Davenport, Harland Kid-

Tom Rideout, the owner and operator of Bosebuck Mountain Camps when we first visited, knew the Parmachenee Lake Region as well as Johnny Danforth, as does Mike Yates, the lodge’s present owner. I mustn’t forget Outfitter and Registered Maine Guide, Bob Duport, whose wanderlust matches that of Fred Barker, and you just know that Maine’s first Registered Guide, Cornelia “FlyRod” Crosby, would be proud of Bonnie

Boats, but you can talk to John Blunt about the fleet of Rangeleys he maintains at Grant’s Camps, the sporting lodge located on Kennebago Lake he and his wife, Carolyn, have owned and operated for more than forty years.

I imagine Walter “Skeet” Davenport might be smiling down from the Great Beyond upon his friend’s grandson, Steve Kidder, who as a young guide is carrying on his (Legends cont. pg 59)

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FOR A LIMITED TIME: readers of Northwoods Sporting Journal can obtain an autographed copy, with free shipping and a five-dollar discount from the retail price of $25.00. Send your check in the amount of $20.00 made payable to West River Media to Andora and Romano, 15 Essex Rd., Suite 406, Paramus N.J. 07652. For more information go to forgottentrout.com

Page 56

New Hampshire Outdoors

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Granite State Opportunity

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. By now, many of you are no doubt itching to play with your recent Christmas gifts. Some time at the range with a new firearm, or maybe an indoor range for the new bow and of course stream time with the new fishing gear. Well, according to a report I saw not long ago, you’re not alone.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, which annually tallies the impact of outdoor recreation on the economy, estimated the industry in New Hampshire had a $2.6 billion value in 2021. According to the report most of the

February 2023

value comes from such outdoor activities as hiking, hunting, biking and boating. Skiing and other snow sports added more than $190 million. The last number I remember said that the economic impact of recreational fishing in New Hampshire is approximately $215 million dollars per year. And that number was a few years old so I’m assuming that increased as well. Plus, New Hampshire saw a 13% increase in outdoor recreation employment. Given the last couple of years with COVID, supply issues, the Great Resignation, stores,

restaurants and businesses begging for employees, the cost of gas and diesel, inflation and, on and on…those numbers don’t look bad. It says that outdoors in New Hampshire is a place that a lot of folks want to be. And, are willing to pay for it.

As a matter of fact, New Hampshire moved five spots up (#14) from last year’s MoneyWise ranking — with its low violent crime and poverty rates, it’s been called one of the best states to raise a family in the U.S. by multiple publications.

Close to half of all inbound movers pointed to family as their main reason for relocating to the Granite State. We were one of the states that gained more people than we lost last

year. One of the newbees to the state said that “New Hampshire is green, clean and has abundant natural scenery, including a nice coast, forests, mountains and beautiful lakes”. That sure sounds like someone who will be skiing, hiking, fishing, wildlife watching

shouldn’t be a problem.

We’ve got forty-eight, four thousand foot peaks in the state, so hiking challenges aren’t an issue. And when it comes to hunting, pick a spot anywhere from Pittsburg south to Hinsdale then east to Seabrook and then north again to Pittsburg.

With its low violent crime and poverty rates, New Hampshire has been called one of the best states to raise a family in the U.S. by multiple publications.

or doing some other outdoor activities.

So what that means is that more folks will be coming to our outdoor party.

Luckily, we’ve got around 19,000 miles of rivers and streams in the state to go along with our over eight hundred lakes and ponds.

So finding fishing spots

The chances are pretty good that you’ll find what you’re looking for within our twenty-four Wildlife Management Units across the state.

Based on long-standing tradition, nearly all lands in the state of New Hampshire are open to (Opportunity cont. pg 65)

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 57

One of Those Days

Aroostook County is noted for its haven of brook trout populations in rivers, brooks, and streams in this vast region of Maine. This

taken a catch of brookies already, as they began to open a canvas sack with a startling take of trout. There, laid out be-

the cement wall at that time. It was 7 p.m. – midJune or so.

In those early days of travels, I was maybe in my mid-to-late twenties, my days of fly-fishing were few, but spin-fishing with lures, and worm and spinner dangling were many.

That evening I had rigged-up with a spin-cast-

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME the bathroom wash basin and I went off to bed.

Towards mid-night, I heard Bill come in and stroll into the bathroom.

“Holy Samoleon!”, he yelled out. “Where did

have been one of those occurrences with migrating brook trout moving upriver.

It happens. In those early days, brook trout limits were fifteen, and not easily reached, even back then.

Then one grabbed it, and was on! But trying to bring it up to my clutching hands was too much of a strain for a fish of this size to be lifted up and over!

It ripped off the lure and fell back into the swirling water!

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ing rod and reel, with a Goldfish lure on the business end. The first spinning casts made went well out into the river’s mid-mark, and warbled downriver, around towards shorealong the base of the structure. Then, WOW! There Bob Leeman with Aroostook River brook trout, were two or three goodsized brook trout following in the late 70's. particular narrative regards fore me, were a couple of the lure as it came along an experience of trout fish- two-pounders, and a few the lower side!

Then one grabbed it, ing that occurred in the more, dwarfed, at 10-12 surging Aroostook River inches, or more, in length! and was on! But trying to by this writer one evening I was taken-a-back, to say bring it up to my clutching hands was too much of a at the “site”. An experi- the least!

Well, later that day, strain for a fish of this size encelong remembered.

Being a sales repre- after completing my daily to be lifted up and over! sentative for a major tobac- sales chores, I told my oft- It ripped off the lure and co company during those fishing partner about the fell back into the swirling early days of travel, I was day’s event in Washburn. water!

Holy cow! This ocworking the Main Street of This was Bill Bowdoin, a curred on almost every the small village of Wash- salesman for a paper comburn, when I noticed two pany, who became even cast; a fish on, and most elder gentlemen fishing more galvanized than I often lost. A few were manoff “the cement pier”. The was! BUT, he was sched- aged to the grip, but only pier was more like a hiking uled to attend a masonic- a few, which were draped walk, on the far side of the shrine affair that evening, on a tree notch behind me.

Aroostook metal bridge- and couldn’t possibly go What a night of fishing! I could hardly believe it! spanning waters. I parked, fishing with me.

After arriving back to and sauntered over to Well, while he dressed where they were dangling up and was off to his meet- the now defunct old Oak gobs of night crawlers into ing, I doffed my fishing Hotel in Presque Isle, I the river, some 10-15 feet clothes, and was off in a discovered Bill had not yet below the bridge structure. huff to the Aroostook River returned, so I got ice from Quite surprisingly, in Washburn! Upon arrival, the ice machine and laid they admitted to having I saw NO ONE fishing off out the evening’s catch in

you get those beauties?

We’re going there tomorrow morning-that’s for sure!”

We did slip over to that fishing spot-early, before work. But, you know what? We got not-a-bite or even a looker after our offerings. Bill couldn’t believe it---nor could I. Must

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Page 58

The Singing Maine Guide

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME This is one of those columns directed specifically to young guides, new guides, or aspiring guides.

There was an old ethic in the region where I work that was pretty much held to by the previous generation of guides. As new ones

that have changed since then, but the basics remain the same. The innovations are in things like cell phones, GPS, better rain gear, 4-stroke motors, and freighter canoes that seat six instead of three.

The tackle is different too:

But there are even more areas where the needle hasn’t moved. Guiding is still the hospitality business, which means it’s going to be a perfect fit for some, and a terrible one for others. came along, the weathered ones took them under wing. Sometimes, if they could, they’d bring the green guides out with them so that they see the whole process, start to finish.

To be sure, these upstarts were shadows, in the margins, watching, studying, lending a hand where they could but also trying to stay out of the way. I was one of the fortunate ones that had that kind of mentoring, something for which I’m indebted to this day.

There are things

stainless roller clutch fly reels, 4-piece graphite rods, vastly increased reeling ratios, and fish-friendly, rubber mesh nets. Some very nice improvements for sure, but it’s nice to see somebody break out a Thomas and Thomas bamboo rod once in a while, or an ancient large-hub togue trolling reel with lead core line, or a still-tried-and-true Penn 112-H. But there are even more areas where the needle hasn’t moved. Guiding is still the hospitality

February 2023

Guiding as a Career

business, which means it’s going to be a perfect fit for some, and a terrible one for others. Older guides have watched some of those terrible fits play out in the sporting lodge business.

The rise and fall of that arc is usually pretty much the same. It begins with someone liking the idea of owning a sporting lodge.

They like hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general.

They picture themselves at the helm of such a business.

They see a new feather in their cap.

Then, reality strikes: dealing with the public.

What “the public” really means is a suite of things that will let you know very soon whether you are a good fit for this business: quirks, idiosyncrasies, problems, special requests, complaints, and what some people would label “pestering.” And guess what you’re there to do? Serve them! All of those quirks, all of those problems and requests and complaints.

And not just serve them to make them go away, but serve them so that they’ll want to come back.

One very successful

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local lodge owner puts it very simply. “We try to just get out of the way and not the block the view.”

The formula for guides is exactly the same. The customer, the client, is already happy just to be here taking all of it in. You’ve already

into much more than what you do in a canoe.

As an example, I’m on the pro staff of five reputable companies in the hunting and fishing fields. This was possible by keeping a record of my guiding dates and clients.

One very successful local lodge owner puts it very simply. “We try to just get out of the way and not block the view.” The formula for guides is exactly the same. The customer, the client, is already happy just to be here taking all of it in. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) got almost everything go- Such companies want to ing for you, so at this point, know that you see a lot of a little assistance, a little people…people who might instruction where needed, then see that company’s a little courtesy helping product name on you or on someone in and out of the some of your gear. This can canoe, baiting a hook, ty- in turn lead to discounts, ing on a fly or lure, taking and field testing items in some good pictures along hopes of a favorable review the way as a record of the from a busy, professional experience…these are the guide such as yourself. things that make some days In short, the more diamonds, and some days guiding is viewed as a stone for the lack of them. career move, the better.

A guide’s client list If the fit is right, and you can be a gold mine of op- see serving the public as portunities. The relation- dignified work, nurturing ships that are forged there it as you go, always lookare of a special kind. These ing for where it can grow, relationships, for many guiding can become a life guides, have led to off- work you’ll never want to season trips and to other give up. connections that make this line of work a profession Randy Spencer is a rather than being merely a working Master Maine jobber that goes out every Guide and author. His three now and then when the award-winning books are phone rings. Moreover, the all available on Amazon. work, and the relationships Reach him at randy31@ formed can be parlayed earthlink.net

February 2023

Survival

(Cont. from pg 46) them and kept feeding the pages to it until it finally caught.

The rest of the night was spent gathering wood and talking to rescue personnel on the radio.

We took the seats off the ATVs so we wouldn’t have to sit on the cold wet ground beside the fire. The wind blew smoke and ambers on us all night long, but we couldn’t leave the fire. The temperature was now in the low 20s and there was a gale warning in effect In the meantime, my energy level was tanking again, and our radio batteries were dying. The guide had an idea to try to get us some food. He took granny smith apples and oranges to the other edge of the river and threw them to us. It was quite a distance. He was able to get about 60% of them to us.

We asked him for batteries. I had two brand new packages in camp. He went back and got them, but he wasn’t able to throw them far enough and they fell short by 15 feet in the raging current. He went back to camp and came up with the idea to tape batteries to apples. It was a great idea.

Even the ones that didn’t make it all the way to our shoreline floated and we were able to retrieve them with sticks. Now we were able to resume communication.

Halfway through the night we got word that a pickup truck with a boat was on its way from Port Menier. It was going to be a long wait, but at least it was progress.

Normally the drive from Port Menier takes a little more than 2 hours.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

What we didn’t know was, the road was not passable due to more fresh snow.

They had to dispatch a plow to lead the way in front of the pickup truck that carried the boat.

They finally got to us as the sun was rising. We were exhausted, cold, hungry, and extremely dehydrated, but we were safely across.

It was a miserable night, but we made the best of it. I never thought I’d be “that guy” that had to spend the night in the woods and I was thankful I didn’t have to do it alone. I tell you what… I will never complain about the weight of the survival gear in my backpack again. Luckily we were prepared.

Legends (Cont. from pg 55) grandfather’s tradition.

George Fletcher ’s Sport Shop is in Brett and Susan Damm’s capable hands and although the music hall at Upper Dam is long gone, Moose Alley continues to rock and roll along Route 16. Sadly, Herbert Welch’s shop, once located at Haines Land-

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Yes, there’s much to be said about the Rangeley Lakes Region, but as this new year unwinds, I’d like to simply thank all those

folks Trish and I have had the pleasure to meet on our backwoods adventures.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

February Question Of The Month

February 2023

Choices: Football or Deer Hunt?

In the fall of 1978 it was sophomore year and I was starting center for the varsity football team. It was game day, but it was also opening day of the deer season and I was up early with my father and

thing my way.

Two hours in I heard my father whistle. We needed to get home for the game. We planned to meet at the big rock so I headed

I was sitting on the rock looking back up the trail towards home when I heard him coming off to my left.

I was about to get up when, not dad, but a buck stiff

and swung to the right to an opening. When I saw hair I let one go. There was a tremendous thrashing and scrabbling and I couldn’t quite see what was going

We loaded him into the firewood trailer and headed home, transferred him into the truck and made time for the tagging station.

I had forgotten my license. Home and back and we got him tagged.

Home again then to school for the game.

Life is choices. Visions of a buck like this will bring a down back in the woods hunter back to the deer woods again and again. well before sunup. I headed (Illustration by V. Paul Reynolds) for my favorite stump and father was planning a big over. No dad. Fifteen min- walked across the trail on. I pulled up again and circle hoping to push some- utes go by and still no dad. twenty yards in front of me. the buck fever hit me. I was I brought up the model 141 shaking so much I couldn’t get the gun to my shoulder.

ENTER I was panicked the deer was going to get up and TO WIN A walk off. I did shoot twice FLYROD! more to no effect and then stood there for hours (five minutes) waiting for the deer to stop moving.

233 Main Street Largest directory I slowly backed up the West Paris, ME 04289 of Maine guides on trail, gun on shoulder until I (207) 291-5655 the Internet. Over 1000 could see him. Now the fevisitors per day vaultgunsmithing.com ver hit again. The buck was looking for hunting, Tues - Fri 9-5, Sat 9-12 not moving, but I had heard Repairs & Cleaning fishing and more! the stories, “man starts to Sales & Accessories dress deer, deer jumps up, Let a guide Hot Bluing runs away”. I poked him in Recoil Pad Install show you the way! the eye with the muzzle a Boresighting dozen times before I dared Scope Mounting Visit: www.MaineGuides.com Stock Work to kneel down and start Get your guide service listed today, call 207-442-9006 Cerakote

dressing. Twenty minutes later I was stripped to a tshirt, blood to my arm pits.

I had lost the knife twice in the gut pile, but I had him by the antlers and was dragging to the trail.

Just as we flopped into the trail my father came over the rise, “son of a b#$%&, eight points”. Dad helped me tie him up and I starting dragging down the snowmobile trial to a woods road that we could get to with a tractor. Dad grabbed the heart and liver and headed home to get the tractor. I had three hundred yards to go dragging on dry ground and the old man had a half mile walk and a half mile ride back with the tractor. We loaded him into the firewood trailer and headed home, transferred him into the truck and made time for the tagging station. I had forgotten my license. Home and back and we got him tagged.

Home again then to school for the game.

I got onto the field as the team was finishing warm ups. I did not start.

Nor did I start the rest of that season. Over the past 42 years there have been many hours in the woods as forester, logger, woodsman and hunter and I have enjoyed darn near every one. With luck I have a few more to go. Given the choice, starting center for the varsity team or first deer, opening day, 180lb eight point buck, I’ll take the deer hunt. I still have that rack.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

February 2023

New Technology for Bowhunters

The Pope & Young Club was founded in 1961 and named in honor of bowhunting pioneers Dr. Saxton Pope and Arthur Young whose archery exploits in the early 20th Cen-

that holds the bowstring at partial or full draw without the shooters muscle power.

3. Electronic or battery powered devices shall not be attached to a hunting bow, with the exception of

tered in the P&Y record book and have several others that would qualify if entered. I still haven’t been able to arrow a Pope & Young qualifying deer or moose though I have seen a few and some close encounters.

Due to my aging eyesight, I’ve begun to use a light on my bowsight that illuminates the fiber optic pins in dim light.

Page 61

The Northwoods Bowhunter

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME Last September I arrowed my first animal using lighted flashing nocks.

A big bear came into the bait with 24 minutes of legal light left. I didn’t need to turn on the sight light but upon release of the arrow, watched the flashing nock fly then disappear in the bears vitals.

The big dry sow ran only

der has so many features I may never use them all.

It has a bright red LED display for low light and True Ballistic Range/Wind Technology will reflect off targets out to 1400 yards.

The Bow Mode calculates angle compensated ranges for archers. I use it to range objects within 50 yds of my blind or stand as my

Due to my aging eyesight, I’ve begun to use a light on my bowsight that illuminates the fiber optic pins in dim light. On overcast days, when in a pop up blind or in dark timber it can still be legal shooting light in Eastern Maine but tough to see the sight pins for a good shot.

The author with one of his many bow bears. tury drew national attention recording devices that cast to the challenging pursuit no light toward the target of big game animals with and do not aid in range bow and arrow. They are finding, sighting or shoota conservation and record ing the bow. (This means keeping organization that you may attach a video promotes fair chase, the camera to your bow, but protection of the future of rangefinders, lighted sight bowhunting and the con- pins or lasers are prohibservation of habitat and ited). 4. Hunting arrows wildlife. They have estab- have to be at least 20” long lished standard definitions with fletching and a broad of bowhunting equipment head attached and weigh no and what devices are pro- less than 300 grains. 5.No hibited if you harvest a electronic device may be trophy that you might want attached to the arrow with scored and entered into the exception of lighted their records book. nocks.

P&Y states that the Up until the last few following shall not be con- years, I only used fiber sidered a hunting bow: optic pins on my bowsights 1. Any Crossbow 2. Any with no light attached. I’ve device with a gun stock or been fortunate to harvest incorporating any device two big bears that are en-

On overcast days, when in a pop up blind or in dark timber it can still be legal shooting light in Eastern Maine but tough to see the sight pins for a good shot. I recently purchased lighted arrow nocks after watching my uncle shoot a buck with his crossbow and easily locate the bolt in thick brush by seeing the glow. His Lumenoks emit a steady red glow and you can easily watch the bolt flight as it strikes and passes through a deer. For my Easton Axis arrows, I purchased Nockturnal brand flashing nocks that look like little green and red strobes when activated.

The nocks turn on by pressure of the bowstring on a small plunger in the nock groove. One needs to be careful nocking an arrow as I discovered last fall by clipping the arrow on the string too roughly causing the flasher to activate. I would then have to use the tip of my knife to reset and turn off the light.

17 yds and died in thirty seconds but I could see my flashing arrow stuck in the mossy ground behind where the bear was standing when I shot. The arrow was still perfectly straight and although the Muzzy broadhead appeared fine, I inserted new scalpel sharp blades for my next quarry.

Another invaluble tool for archers is a laser range finder. The technology in these handy devices is incredible and a quality unit can be purchased for less than $100 now.

Mine is a compact Leupold RX 1400I that retails for $200 that I received free as a replacement for my 13 year Leupold that had issues. This pocket won-

pins are sighted in for 15, 25, 35 and 45 yards. Have some fun with new archery technology to help you become a more successful bowhunter.

Brian Smith is a Retired Maine State Police Detective and NRA Field Representative. He serves on the Boards of the Sportsmans Alliance of Maine Institute for Legislative Action and the Maine Bowhunters Association. He was chosen MBA Bowhunter of the Year in 2005 and 2008 and received the MBA largest Archery Bear Award twice. He can be reached at bowhunter@ mgemaine.com

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Page 62

South Of the Kennebec

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME Four frozen pheasants lie thawing on the countertop alongside venison stew meat, venison steaks and a wild turkey breast. Before the weekend they will each be transformed into my contribution to the shared friends and family potluck

burned through your best cuts of venison and your family meals are beginning to include pizza and fried chicken. Around here we call this period the “winter blues.”

This is a feeling shared by almost all hunters and

Wild Pot Luck

heart surgeon I have spoken with.

The two primary culprits that result in turned up noses go hand-in hand.

Trying to feed family and friend venison that has been allowed to cool and trying to offer venison meals as though they were beef are sure bummers.

Hunters should never try to deceive family members into thinking they are eat-

The letdown begins to creep in around the end of February. Deer seasons, as good times as they might be, are becoming fading memories and ice fishing begins to chill your bones more each time out. dinner.

Oven-roasted pheasant, garnished with aromatic herbs and spices, venison stew slow-cooked for 10 hours in a crock pot, shaved steak and cheese bomb sliders with onions, peppers, mushrooms and two kinds of cheese, topped with a fresh jalapeno pepper for some kick and wild turkey breast, sliced thin, skewered, and basted with Sweet Baby Ray Sweet and Spicy BBQ sauce.

The letdown begins to creep in around the end of February. Deer seasons, as good times as they might be, are becoming fading memories and ice fishing begins to chill your bones more each time out. You’ve

anglers and is caused by the shorter daylight hours and “Cabin Fever. One of the best cures for these ailments is a friends and family get-together we call “Wild Pot Luck.”

Pounds of hardearned venison does not get freezer burned. Make room in your culinary life for a few fun ways to include venison in your family’s diet for those with turned up noses.

Deer meat (venison) should be a treat for yourself, family members and friends. In upscale meat markets venison sells for nearly $30.00 per pound and for good reason. Venison is extremely lean meat and rates highly by every

ing beef.

The primary rules of cooking venison center on two basic cautions.

Because there is very little fat content in venison, the meat MUST and I stress MUST be served hot.

Don’t rest the meat after cooking as you would beef.

The second rule is to offer venison in ways not cookie cutter familiar to diners.

Hence the sliders, skewers and the like.

One way is to create kabobs, either cooked under the oven broiler or BBQ. Cut the meat in 2-inch cubes or thin strips on a skewer to which you have added peppers, onions, potatoes and slathered with BBQ sauce.

Remember one of the cardinal rules of cooking; people taste first with their eyes, then with their tongue. If food looks fun and smells delicious it will probably end favorable.

If you don’t have a meat tenderizer (mallet) then find one and pound your cut of meat to about one quarter inch thick.

Dredge in a mixture of milk

February 2023

is unmistakable and will turn off even the most ardent deer meat lovers. When you prefer fried venison, cook with low to medium heat, add oil and butter toBristol family pot luck this way. gether to and couple eggs and coat lower the temperature and with Panco bread crumbs cover the pan while cookand fry. “Chicken-fried ing to issue moistness. Add venison steak.” thyme or rosemary sprig A popular recipe es- and garlic to give off a great pecially for lunch or game smelling aroma. time snacks is to create Stay away from tryyour version of the Philly ing to present venison as a cheese steak bomb. Cut popular beef recipe. Look thin strips of meat and Sau- for these and other ways tee with onions, peppers, to present deer meat is a mushrooms and coat dinner pleasant, unusual and fun rolls with cheese. I love the way.

Hawaiian dinner rolls. I cut The traditional game them in half horizontally supper may be a thing of then slather with Cheese the past in some parts, but Whiz on the underside of around here it is a welcome the top and cheddar cheese distraction from winter slices over the bottom. blues.

Another favorite is venison cut into 2-inch cubes, dredged in flour, Stu Bristol is a Master brown on all sides, and Maine Hunting, Fishing cook slowly for half an and Tidewater Guide. He hour or more in a cast iron is the author of the soon fry pan or slow cooker with to be published, “Cooking a can of beef gravy. Add a Out, the Art of Tailgating, tablespoon of flour added Shore Lunches and Backto cold water to thicken and yard Cooking” His books serve over noodles. and articles have been The worst method of published nationwide for serving venison is to heat more than 60 years. He up a frying pan, add butter was inducted into the Wild and fry. This would be a Turkey Hunting Hall of sure way to run the wife Fame in 2019 and operates and kids out of the house. the Deadly Imposter Game The smell of venison being Call Company. www.deadcooked over too hot a fire lyimpostergamecalls.com

February 2023

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Finesse Fishing Guru Drew Reese

It isn’t very often you hear about a lure company designing a fishing rod to be marketed under their name! But, then again ZMan Fishing isn’t just

too are hardcore Midwest Finesse Technique anglers or even Bassmaster Classic history buffs?

The year was 1971, Bassmaster founder Ray

There was only one payout, all other 23 anglers never cashed a check. It was also the only tournament Drew Reese competed in during his two-years on the B.A.S.S. tournament trail where he didn’t place in the money.

Competing on the tournament trail had dis-

Page 63

Best Bassin’

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA Drew Reese in designing the ZMan Hula Stick, Finesse ShroomZ Mushroom jigheads as well as the new for 2023 Midwest Finesse Swim jigs. Having been mentored by some of the vey best light line anglers as early as the 1960’s Drew Reese knew the extreme

handle, this allowed individual anglers to adjust the reel seat for balance, weighed less than a reel seat and allowed for more sensitivity. Reese utilizes 4 lb. Fireline/braid with Seaguar 6 lb. Tatsu Fluorocarbon leaders, therefore his line guides required

Competing on the tournament trail had dissolved Reese’s passionate desire for fishing. In his own words, “The Tournaments took something I loved to do and turned it into a job.” So, Drew Reese quit tournament fishing and pursued his passion for light-line angling.

another lure manufacture.

ZMan is the Science & Art of Fishing. ZMan’s 10X Tough ElaZtech soft plastic revolutionized the soft plastic industry. Creating a naturally buoyant soft plastic bait with the inherent ability to impart lifelike movements mimicking that of live bait and forage.

ZMan’s Science of Fishing provides for a better environment as ElaZtech contains no PVC, plastisol or phthalates and is nontoxic.

Talk Finesse fishing techniques and immediately the first techniques to surface are usually the ‘Ned Rig’ or ‘Drop-Shot Rig’. Then more often or not follows names like Ned Kehde, Chuck Woods or Charlie Brewer. But few anglers will mention Finesse Fishing Guru Drew Reese. That is unless they

Scott was hosting the 1st Bassmaster Classic.

Twenty-four of the best bass anglers in the USA climbed aboard a jet with Scott heading to an unknown location for a 3-Day Classic Tournament…

The winner would receive $10,000.00. On board the jet was a twenty-three year old B.A.S.S. Angler by the name of Drew Reese. “We were only allowed to have four rods with four reels and no more than 10 lb. of tackle,” recalls Reese. The unknown lake was Lake Mead, Las Vegas Nevada.

All twenty-four anglers were provided with identically equipped RANGER Boats, as well as a press observer who was allowed to fish for a separate Big Bass Media Award. Bobby Murray would go on to win the 1st Classic, while Drew Reese placed 7th.

solved Reese’s passionate desire for fishing. In his own words, “The Tournaments took something I loved to do and turned it into a job.” So, Drew Reese quit tournament fishing and pursued his passion for light-line angling. Keeping a daily log on every fishing adventure for well over 50 years. Reese always looked to improve, develop and fine turn his techniques and tactics, the Rontoul, Kansas angler was constantly sharing while expanding the angling art of Midwest Finesse Fishing.

Every minute detail warrants attention. Having been around the tackle business since he was 13 years old hand tying precision flies and jigs, Reese was overwhelmed when Ned Kehde first gave him an ElaZtech soft plastic.

The ZMan ElaZtech bait naturally went from laying flat to standing up on the bottom…Something lure manufactures had been trying to do for decades.

ElaZtech would become the catalyst motivating

importance of have a perfectly balance, light weight and durable finesse rod.

While, rod manufactures headed towards longer finesse rods, Reese’s memory bank referred back to the the day’s of Charlie Brewer’s concept of shorter finesse rods and smaller baits.

First of all the rod had to have a Tennessee

durability. He chose super lightweight SSR Guides with strong stainless steel frames and double swaged stainless steel inserts. The rod blank needed to be the most advanced lightweight material possible. Toray 12K High Modulus Fiber of 50 million modulus with a tensile strength of over 640 KSI, made for virtually (Reese cont. pg 65)

Page 64

THE BACK SHELF

Northwoods Sporting Journal

How Do You Shed Hunt with a Dog?

From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!

By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.

By Colin Chase Shed antler hunting is like finding a needle in a haystack, although I think some days actually finding a needle in a haystack would be easier. Any one that has gone out with the sole purpose of finding shed antlers knows this. It

ceptors that a dog has in its nose, and that was the tool I needed. So I did some research and began my search for the breed I thought might be best.

At that point in time not many were actually using dogs for shed antlers

February 2023

ceased. So did his shed hunting days.

Fast forward two years later and after another intense round of searching I found the breed I needed.

With a natural ability to retrieve, hunt, and work hard to please, the Labrador Retriever fit the bill. I found a breeder that I was happy with and spent time watching the sire and dam

Training a shed dog is really not difficult. Like any endeavor the old adage “the more you put into it the more you get out of it” applies more importantly in dog training. is an incredible feeling setting your hands on a freshly dropped antler that perhaps you’ve spent hours or even days looking for! Shed antler hunting has significantly gained in popularity in the past 15 years. The advent of the internet and hunting forums has propagated the excitement of this healthy pastime. It was around 2001 when I was getting pretty serious about finding deer sheds here in Maine. I was having some good success, but was looking for a better way to cover ground.

Nothing beats the 220 million olfactory re-

and those folks that were weren’t broadcasting it. I wanted a dog that would be energetic, friendly, and yet small enough to fit in a car or truck without making a mess so I picked out a Rat Terrier. I trained Lakota from the age of 10 weeks and he became a deer shed machine right up until he was 8 months old. Then, he became what the Rat Terrier breed was really for, chasing squirrels and he was great at it! Lakota then became one of the best household pets we’ve ever had and our problems with squirrels at our birdfeeder

for traits I was looking for such as having a good nose, temperament, willingness to hunt and retrieve and overall healthy conformation. When Ruger’s litter was born I then watched the pups and decided on the biggest alpha male of them all. I wanted a big rugged, well-built Lab. Training a shed dog is really not difficult. Like any endeavor the old adage “the more you put into it the more you get out of it” applies more importantly in dog training. I began Ruger’s training when he was 12 weeks old and started

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Moose and deer sheds are a renewable natural resource and finding a few can be quite lucrative as well.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

with the basics, sit, stay and heal and would always end with some play time. I then taught him fetch with a ball.

Once he had all this down I began training him on deer sheds outside on my lawn. I used a fresh small deer shed, rubber gloves for me to keep my scent off the antler and a treat.

I would throw the antler and when Ruger retrieved it I would immediately give him a treat. (You can use any treat you like but keep it consistent) Once he perfected this I would set the antler out where he could see it and then have him retrieve it again rewarding him each time. A couple of weeks later I began hiding the antler and then letting him find it and rewarding him when he did. The most

important thing is to use the same command every single time, like “fetch the shed”, “find the shed”, or whatever you come up with. Again it’s all about being consistent. When Ruger was about 5 months old I then hid a combination of deer and moose sheds in the woods behind my house and took him out every day to find them. I would move them each time however.

Ruger grew to love shed hunting, maybe more than me! This is all it took and again being consistent and putting in the time paid off.

Moose and deer sheds are a renewable natural resource and finding a few can be quite lucrative as well. Currently “fresh” deer sheds sell on average (Shed cont. pg 68)

February 2023

Algae

(Cont. from pg 50) WMA. It is a place you want to be sure you have a good compass and a map as it can be easy to get turned around.

On the south side of Route 105 are Wenlock and West Mountain WMAs. That is were I have hunted snowshoe hare more than any in other area of the

Opportunity (Cont. from pg 56) hunting. But as NH Fish & Game reminds us, “The “rule of thumb” in New Hampshire is: all state, federal, municipal, county and private land is open to hunting unless it is posted against hunting. However, hunting is a privilege granted by the landowner -- not a right granted to the hunter”. Please respect the landowners and ask permission to access their land,. And thank them for

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 65

state. That may just be because I am intimately familiar with the two areas.

Still further south is the Victory Basin WMA in the town of Victory. It is bisected by the Moose River and includes some thick cover as well as open hardwoods.

A day spent on snowshoes in pursuit of snowshoe hare is a good way to get some exercise and fresh

air and some good eating if you are quick and accurate with your shotgun.

Me, I’ll still go rabbit hunting but then I have never been known for political correctness.

Enjoy The OutdoorsLeave Politics At Home I have spent countless hours in bobhouses, snug against the bitter cold, thus, I found the following, written by Sigurd F. Olson

in The Singing Wilderness, good advice especially during these divisive times.

“A fish house is a fine place for visiting - not for arguments or weighty ideas, but rather for small talk, local politics and gossip, things we had seen coming in, ideas that required no effort, short simple thoughts that came as easily as breathing. This was no place for the ex-

pounding of strong, heady beliefs; such ideas need room and space in which to grow and expand.”

the permission when you get it.

Start making plans for New Hampshire’s free, open snowmobile weekend (previously known as reciprocity weekend) which will be March 3, 4, and 5! During this 3-day open weekend, snowmobiles that are legally registered in another state or Canadian province do not need to obtain a New Hampshire registration while operating in New Hampshire.

Be careful on the ice when you’re out ice fish-

ing. But just get outside.

For me it’ll be taking the snowshoes and the dogs for a trek through the woods to see what we can see. Or, see the signs of what was there before we got there!

Reese

length required both lightness and vertical control under the boat. Midwest Finesse Guru Drew Reese decided on 5’4” an 5’10” as the perfect lengths for his Ultimate Ned-Rig Rods.

The ZMan Drew Reese Midwest Finesse Rods will be available in the spring of 2023. For more information on Drew Reese and ZMan Fishing products log unto www.ZManFishing.com

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, is a licensed NH Fishing Guide and has a daily radio show on WNTK99.7FM. Reach him at : 99.7stjames@gmail.com

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game.

He may be reached by email at gwmoore1946@ icloud.net or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033.

(Cont. from pg 63) impact proof performance.

When it came to deciding rod length and action Drew Reese’s on the water expertise called for Fast Action, Medium Light Power Rods for greater lure contact and control, feather light rods to reduce hand and wrist fatigue. Yet provide super connection between hands and lures, while enhancing both lure presentation God Bless and Best and bite detection under Bassin windy conditions. Rod

Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!

E CTIV A O Y ET FRE ILITAR M

In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free.

And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 66

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME It was an emotional roller coaster of a season.

All I wanted was an eight point buck. I will save the story for another time, but it didn’t happen. But what did happen changed

stand. I enjoyed being in the woods, knowing that I had a specific buck that I was after and that I had already put meat in the freezer.

This season was more

I laid my eyes on the target buck. It took me twenty years to see a deer like that and it might take me another twenty but I will take my chances. my whole perspective on deer hunting. After twenty years of hunting, I am done shooting small bucks.

I shot my doe in the first hour of rifle season, so having the ability to shoot a doe AND a buck gave me the opportunity to keep hunting and looking for that big buck. I could sit and watch more of the does and fawns at different spots on the property.

One morning, I watched a fisher running around my

of a chess game. I had cameras up at different spots on our property and only a couple small bucks were showing up during daylight. I began factoring in hunting pressure, frequently used trails and if there were patterns to the buck’s behavior throughout the season. I usually go a little crazy during hunting season and obsessing about what deer are on the property but this brought it to a whole new level.

February 2023

No More Small Bucks

I learned more about the buck and the herd’s patterns overall. I canvased some new property and found new spots for cameras.

Instead of focusing on shooting any buck, I had to up my game and think more holistically about what and where the deer would be and why.

I laid my eyes on the target buck. It took me twenty years to see a deer like that and it might take me another twenty but I will take my chances. That encounter gave me a whole new appreciation for large, mature deer. It made me realize that I am done shooting small bucks. I still get excited when I see them walking by a trail camera and I know The author has decided that in future deer my heart will speed up hunts she will take a doe for the freezer but when I see them while in hold out for a mature buck like this one. the woods. But I won’t (Photo by Tim Flanigan) shoot them.

My mindset around about overall health and tize shooting a doe over a hunting the property is now management. I will priori- small buck. The less does around, the more the bucks will have to move during the rut. And we have too many does on our property and throughout the state. I will be happy from now on watching the small spikes and crotch horns walk by.

The countdown to deer season has begun…

Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and the New England Outdoor Writers Association. She is a senior writer for Drury Outdoors’ DeerCast. You can read about Erin’s adventures and contact her at www.andastrongcupofcoffee.com

February 2023

News

(Cont. from pg 23) Island. Currently, the turnout is paved but unsigned.

“The new turnout needs to be named,” stated Amanda Laliberte, Program Director, “and it was suggested that we turn to our community for their ideas. We’ve created a survey in hopes that a community member will suggest the name we’ve been waiting for. We’re looking for your input.”

Created and managed

by Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, the survey will be open until 12:00 AM, January 15, 2023, EST. All submissions are anonymous. The suggestions from the survey will be compiled, and the Rangeley Region Wayfinding will move toward a consensus on a name. The final selection will be released in a press release by the end of January.

To participate in the survey, visit https://bit.ly/ NewOverlook or scan the QR code. To learn more about the RLNBS, visit https://rlht.org/rangeleylakes-national-scenic-byway.

Vermont Wild Turkeys

One of our native wildlife species historically played an important role on Thanksgiving Day. North America’s native wild turkeys were the ancestors of the Thanksgiving turkey on our dinner table.

Originally found only in the wild, turkeys now exist as meat-producing domesticated derivatives -- the broad breasted white, broad breasted bronze, white Holland, bourbon red, and a host of other breeds – all of them de-

scended from our native wild turkey.

More than 140,000 servings of Vermont wild turkeys are harvested each year – that’s 140,000 servings of free-ranging, wild and sustainably harvested protein.

Wild turkeys exist throughout Vermont today, but that was not always the case. Wild turkeys disappeared from Vermont in the mid-to-late 1800s due to habitat destruction when land was cleared for farming, and only 25 percent of the state was covered by forest.

The wild turkeys we see in Vermont today originated from just 31 wild turkeys stocked in Southwestern Vermont by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in 1969 and 1970. Vermont’s forest habitat was once again capable of supporting turkeys. State wildlife biologists moved groups of these birds northward, and today Vermont’s population of turkeys is estimated at close to 50,000.

This is just one of many wildlife restoration success stories we can be thankful for in 2022. Funding for Vermont’s wild turkey restoration was derived from the sale of hunting licenses and a federal tax on hunting equipment.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman

UMaine 4-H Camp & Learning Center at Bryant Pond is the perfect winter wonderland to learn new skills, make new friends, and experience the Maine outdoors.

Join us Saturday, February 4 – Sunday, February 5 to get on the hard water for some ice fishing, hit the trails on a snowmobile,

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 67

he met another angler at the venturing out.

New Hampshire Fish boat landing, told him he and Game is a self-funded was going to check another agency which relies heav- area to fish, headed off on ily upon volunteer rescue his snowmobile, and then groups to complete the mis- never returned.

Cole’s family notision of search and rescue in the woodlands of the state. fied the warden service The public is encouraged around 7:00 p.m., and the to help support search and Maine Warden Service rescue activities in the state began searching the lake by purchasing a Hike Safe and shore. Game Wardens Card. New Hampshire Fish found Cole’s dog, alive and and Game also reminds well at about 10:30, and hikers to prepare them- shortly thereafter, found selves before venturing out snowmobile tracks then into the wilderness, includ- led to a large hole in the ing packing the ten essen- ice, with no tracks on the tial items: map, compass, other side.

At daylight the next warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire day Maine Warden Service Injured Ice Climber starter, first aid kit, whistle, Divers, with an airboat and On December 30, rain/wind jackets & pants, hovercraft, motored out 2022, at 3:25 p.m., Bartlett- and a knife. For additional to the open area, and sent J a c k s o n A m b u l a n c e , information, please visit divers into the water. At approximately 8:55 a.m.

Mountain Rescue Service www.HikeSafe.com game warden divers recovand New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Ice Angler Drowns at ered the body of Mr. Cole.

“Ice conditions vary Officers responded to WilSeboeis Lake throughout the state, and ley’s Slide in Hart’s LocaThe Maine Warden while ice may be safe on tion for a reported injured Service Dive Team recov- smaller lakes and ponds, ice climber. ered the body of a man many of Maine’s larger First responders lowho broke through the ice lakes still have not frozen cated James Lawrence, on Seboeis Lake while on completely,” said Maine 37, of Dover, NH, being a snowmobile on January Warden Service Lieutenant assisted down the trail by th 7 .

Tom Ward. “Please check his climbing partner and Allen Cole, Jr. age 74 the ice before heading out other climbers. Lawrence of Bradford, was out on his onto the ice.” had been ice climbing with 2006 Artic Cat snowmobile Additional details will his partner when falling with his dog on Seboeis be released when they beice struck Lawrence in the Lake, looking for areas to come available. helmet, resulting in a head ice fish. Around 2:00 p.m. injury. Nearby ice climbers from another climbing group assisted in lowering Lawrence to the base of the slide and then assisted him down the trail to the roadside. Lawrence was then transported to Memorial Hospital in North Conway by the Bartlett-Jackson Ambulance.

Lawrence is an experienced ice climber and had the proper climbing gear for the conditions.

The recent warm weather has made ice unpredictable, and officials urge climbers (SEE PAGE 49) to use extra caution while track wildlife while leaving snowshoe tracks of your own, learn to navigate and survive in winter The wilderness, or get your start in shooting or hunting.

Registration is open to women ages 18 and up until 2/1/2023 at 4:00 PM. We have all the gear and delicious food you’ll need so just sign up with your friends, bring your smiles, and pack your WARM CLOTHES for an adventurous weekend outdoors in winter weather.

A complete list of what to bring can be found at the MDIF&W website.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

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Ed’s Sheds

Shed

(Cont. from pg 64) for around $15 per pound; however, I’ve personally only sold a few. I have been selling moose sheds for the past couple of years to mainemooseantlers.com for $11 to $13 dollars a pound for fresh brown that

February 2023

are then cut up for quality dog chews. I’ve found this to be the average price, and if you look online or in any classifieds buyers are always looking for antlers. Moose and deer sheds are also used for crafts, carvings, knife handles, furniture accessories, and many other products. Shed hunting can also be more

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AFRAMES ~ CABINS ~ GAMBRELS ~ GARAGES HORSEBARNS ~ SALTBOXES

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(207) 696-4247

www.HearthAndHomeRealty.com 274 Main Street Madison, ME 04950

#8457-Moscow 17.01 surveyed acres with a right-of-way to Austin Stream.

Gravel driveway and pad is in for a head start on your new get-a-way spot. Trails nearby. $52,000

#3449-Anson Beautiful country location with 32 acres.

Structures will need work but the 2BR, 1 bath home is livable. Country living at its best. $149,900

#8449-Solon 6.4 surveyed acres. Wooded and serene setting on a quiet dirt road.

Brook runs through property. Close to trails. $56,000

#8421-Madison What a great location. 2.4 acres close to town but has privacy located on a less traveled road with woods and borders Jones Brook. $24,900

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL Our Past. Your Future

P.O. Box 72 Houlton, Maine 1-800-341-1566 www.wardcedarloghomes.com

productive when you do it as a team. I have had the good fortune to work with my friend Rich that shares the same passion and he has Ruger’s younger brother “Turtle”. Ruger is now 8 and turtle is 5, together they have found hundreds of moose and deer sheds.

I can’t imagine shed hunting without a dog. It would just be another walk in the woods.

A 21.6 acre undeveloped island. Located on T1R9 WELS in Piscataquis County near Millinocket. It includes 2 large sand beaches. Price $425,000. Dan Corcoran, Agent

207-265-4000 259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME www.csmrealestate.com

janet@csmrealestate.com

Enjoy Maine's Vacation-land!

FREEMAN: Twp Rt 145. 2 bd furnished camp in a great area for hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. $79,000

Overhead Door Company of Bangor

“The original since 1921”

Residential Sales, Service Parts for Residential, Commercial, Industrial 24-Hour Emergency Repair Reliability and so much more

Commercial

1-800-696-2235 56 Liberty Drive, Hermon www.overheaddoorofbangor.com

February 2023

SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 69 Overhead Door Company of Caribou

SELLERS LANE

REAL ESTATE

“The original since 1921”

BUYERS ROAD

Residential

DID YOU KNOW THAT YOU CAN INSTANTLY ACCESS CURRENT AND PAST

Sales, Service Parts for Residential, Commercial, Industrial 24-Hour Emergency Repair Reliability and so much more

Commercial

DIGITAL ISSUES OF THE NORTHWOODS

SPORTING JOURNAL? IT'S TRUE. SIMPLY GOOGLE

www.sportingjournal.com/digital-issues.

"Tate" Aylward - 207-794-2460 Peter Phinney - 207-794-5466 Kirk Ritchie - 207-290-1554 5 Lake Street, P.O. Box 66, Lincoln, ME 207-794-2460

Email: cwa@cwalakestreet.com

Lincoln- Come take a look at this large undeveloped lakefront lot on Cambolassee Pond in Lincoln. End of the road privacy, only 10 minutes from Downtown. One of the few undeveloped lakefront lots left in this area. $75,000

T4 R7- Looking for remote pristine waterfront? Enjoy seeing a perfect starry night sky? Do you enjoy hunting & fishing? This leased camp on Seboeis River could be just what you are looking for. Call today for your appointment to see. $49,000

Lakeville- Gorgeous piece of land, h e av i l y w o o d e d & near the end of the Spaulding Pond Rd with lakes all around. The cabin is small but sturdy. The privy and fire pit make it comfortable.

Definitely well worth a look. $49,000

T 3 R 1 - A b ra n d new cabin, fully insulated, knotty pine interior, wired for a generator. The privy is oversized with a covered porch, skylight and attached woodshed. Right on Sylvan Way with deeded access to Bill Green Pond. Offering owner financing! $79,000

Winn- This cute cabin is insulated with a knotty interior. The lot is heavily wooded and gorgeous. Situated on North Rd; a paved, year round, secondary road. With a little fire pit sitting just off the cabin’s screen porch. $49,900

Benedicta- Big acreage year round access & electricity available at Benedicta Rd. Low taxes. Small beaver flowage & high ground just behind it, wonderful locations for a cabin/home. Loads of great recreational opportunities. $169,000

Lee-4.3 acres lot on hardwood ridge, nice views, snowmobile & ATV trails, fishing & skiing nearby, electricity available, owner financing, sited on Skunk Hill Rd. $18,900 T3R1- Remote. Private. Wooded and beautiful. With deeded access to Bill Green Pond, this would be a wonderful place to build your seasonal cabin right off Engstrom Rd. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. $22,900 Lee- Well wooded. Remote. Critters everywhere. Add in the good, clean air of Northern Maine and you’ve got yourself a “keeper”. This smashin’ little lot right off Mallet’s Mill Rd shouldn’t last long- call today for a guided tour. $69,900 Enfield- This large lot is part of a larger parcel, owner would consider selling larger piece.

Not far from Cold Stream Pond & Cold Stream. Public road of Caribou Rd & short distance to electricity. Make this your camp/home. $34,000

554-9044 320 Bowles Rd, Caribou www.overheaddoorofbangor.com

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Bargain camp in the woods on a ONLY lease with Allagash Timberlands. $19,900 Great opportunity for anyone looking for a budget camp for hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. Bring your tools and your friends and your 4 wheel drive. Remote, yet only 4 miles from the paved highway.

Call Chuck 207-227-2305 FIXER UPPER Representing Buyers and Sellers CAMPS • LAND • RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL

CHUCK JOHNSTON

207-227-2305

515 Main Street Presque Isle, Maine 04769 (207) 764-4600

BUILD ONE IN YOUR FAVORITE PLACE.

AFFORDABLE, EASY-TO-BUILD CAMP & CABIN KITS Discover the versatility and convenience of Northeastern’s Camp and Cabin kits. Perfect for vacation homes or retirement retreats, these log cabin kits are easy to build and very affordable. They feature simple, open designs and come complete with pre-cut

www.northeasternlog.com

Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and sub-flooring plus step-by-step instructions. Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat!

Give us a call today.

1-800-624-2797 Our Cumberland model with wrap-around porch and loft.

Page 70

Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 628 Main Street Machias, ME 04654

SUNRISE REALTY

Office Tel. & Fax: (207) 255-3039 Email: anitaj@midmaine.com Website: www.sunlist.com Anita Johnson

EAST MACHIAS: This home sits on 5.46 acres and is on the Chases Mills Road. The owner started working on the home so all rooms need work but there is a nice two bedroom apartment on the end with its own garage that you could live in while working on the main house. The apartment is lived in at this time. The main house also has its on garages. It is close to Gardner Lake and the public boat landing. The price is only $175,000.00 EAST MACHIAS: This beautiful move in ready home sits on 1.08 acres and has three large bedrooms and the master has 1/2 bath. Nice large laundry room. Also nice kitchen and living room. Home is in move in condition except for some floors and you can choose the type of floor coverings you want in each room. Large dry basement and a two car garage make this a super nice home to live in. The price has just been reduced to $245,000 and the owner said they will listen to reasonable offers.

February 2023

ST. JOHN VALLEY REALTY CO. 8 East Main Street Fort Kent, ME 04743

834-6725

www.stvrealty@hotmail.com www.sportingjournal.com

SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD

REAL ESTATE SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD

Judd Goodwin Well Co

"We Do It Right The First Time"

Complete Well & Pump

Installation, Service and Repair Residential • Commercial Camps • Cottages

P.O. Box 17 Greenville, ME 04441 Office: 207-695-3645 Cell: 207-280-0923 goodwinjudd@yahoo.com www.juddgoodwinwell.com Member Maine Groundwater Association