Northwoods Sporting Journal, Nov. 2024

Joe Reluctantly Goes Hunting With Benton Hugger!

November 2024

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Essence Of The Hunt

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 3

Huntin’ vs Shootin’

I don’t know how many times I’ve been in the deer woods and heard the unmistakable report of a rifle being fired breaking the peaceful tranquility.

No just a single “pow,” but a series, “pow,” “pow,” “pow, then maybe brief break, then single follow up “pow” or double “pow, “pow.” My first thoughts are, “Thank God they’re far away” and “What the hell are they shooting at? I know the answer, of course, or have a darn good idea. A running deer.

And then, as I shake my head in amazement my brain starts to wonder and ask all kinds of questions. “Do they really need that many shots to kill a deer?” “Apparently, yes!”

Do they actually know what they’re shooting at, even see it or have a clean shot, or are they hoping for a lucky hit. Can they see what’s between them and their target?” ”In that

Muzzleloading Afield

moment of excitement has killing that deer erased or overpowered all sense of safety and good ethical sportsmanship?’ My answers often scare me. And then I realize the world is full of shooters who hunt.

One of the primary reasons I got into muzzleloading back in the 1970s, when blackpowder, round-

those who have developed the skills to shoot long range and I’ve watched television shows and videos of sheep and caribou hunters shooting several hundred yards and more across mountain ridges or open barrens with deadly accuracy. The same of mule deer, pronghorn and elk hunts on the open prai-

and not being fully aware of what is between Points A and B. There are skilled hunters and then there are shooters out there in the Maine deer woods who are exceedingly good at mak-

balls were the only options available, was because of their generally accepted limited range. And the fact that I had only a single shot and had to make it count. I also enjoyed hunting close, to know exactly what I was pulling the trigger on and hitting were I aim. It’s also the reason why I got into archery hunting and use of a crossbow.

I’ve long admired

ries, grasslands and expansive meadows out west.

But in such landscapes those pulling the trigger could see their target, make sure they had a clear shot window and in most cases were set up and prepared.

They were also more than confident they could make a one kill shot. They didn’t just snap off a round of shots in a moment of excitement hoping for a hit

ing running and long-range shots, and perhaps those rapid repeats I seem to hear every November is one of them. If so, I admire them for the ability. But in our densely forested landscape where the average shot at deer is probably around 50-yards or so and as more hunters are being squeezed into smaller woodlots and land parcels in many areas of the state due to posting

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

One of the primary reasons I got into muzzleloading back in the 1970s, when blackpowder, roundballs were the only options available, was because of their generally accepted limited range. And the fact that I had only a single shot and had to make it count.

and development I have to question the need. Is taking those random shots in the elevated state of excitement and letting bullets fly worth the risk? Is it time for some to get back to hunting rather than shooting?

Each of us has to ask that question when and if faced with the option and keep in mind every bullet fired that misses the target is going somewhere.

Good luck, be safe.

Al Raychard and his wife Diane lives on 43+/acres in Lyman, Maine that offers good deer and turkey hunting opportunities they both enjoy. If the property has a trout treat it would be pure paradise. Al can be reached at alraychard@ sacoriver.net

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On The Cover

Joe Reluctantly Goes Hunting With Benton Hugger - Pg 16 Essence Of The Hunt - Pg 42 Best Deer Rifle - Pg 52 Lessons From Bear Camp - Pg 33 November Grouse - Pg 66 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 69-70

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

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

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprewww.sportingjournal.com hensive and readable monthly outdoor Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 publication. Published at the trailhead E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970 of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Vol 31 Issue 11 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Sporting Journal prides itself on being 3. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

6. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair an independent voice for the region’s The Northwoods Sporting Journal (ISSN#1548-193X) Postmaster: 7. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes outdoor community for more than 28 Send address changes to: 9. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer years. Some of our writers are seasoned Northwoods Sporting Journal, PO Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493 10. A Hiker’s Life - Carey Kish and specialized outdoors people who Northwoods Publishing Group 11. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris will share their know-how and insights; Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds 14. Slipstream - Scott Biron some of our contributors are simply 15. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds lifelong outdoor people with interest- Editor - V. Paul Reynolds 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram Associate Editor - Donna Veino ing stories to tell.

18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Our aim every month is to capture Graphic 19. Angling, Antlers & Artifacts - Jake Scoville Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram the essence of Northern New England’s Operations Manager - Annette Boobar 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 24. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring Webmaster - V. Paul Reynolds Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin, Traci Grant, 25. The Trail Rider - Dan Wilson memories, portraying outdoor humor, Joe Ferris, Michael Georgia, Mike Brown and Joshua Kane 26. North Maine Woods - Bill Greaves and sharing experiences and outdoor Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne 28. The Maine Of Yesterday - Bud Leavitt knowledge. We also keep our readers The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs 31. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau up to date with late-breaking outdoor and articles about the Maine outdoors.

32. Tales Of A Maine Woodsman - Joel Tripp Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: news and hard-hitting editorials about 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL fish and wildlife issues.

34. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 Anyone who loves to hunt and 35. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler self-addressed envelope will not be returned. a treasured place, is more than likely 37. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 39. On The Ridge - Joe Judd to find some special connections amid All rights reserved, 2024. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods 40. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 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. 41. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier Journal.

The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists

Contents

42. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 44. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary 45. Maple Country Outdoors - Ben Wilcox 46. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 47. Just Fishing - Bob Leeman 48. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 49. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary Moore 50. Young Blood - Jake Guay 52. The Back Shelf - Bob Noonan 53. Against The Current - Bob Romano 55. Everything Maine - Greg Burr 56. Question Of The Month - V. Paul Reynolds 57. Cracker Barrell - Homer Spit 57. The Green Lake Dam Controversy - Matthew Scott 58. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 59. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 60. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 61. From Craig Pond - Bob Mercer 63. Book Review - V. Paul Reynolds 64. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 66. On Point - Paul Fuller 67. Finding Trophy Bucks - Stu Bristol

do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

The Maine Woods - Pg 64

by Matt LaRoche

Correction

Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 12. Outdoor News 69. Real Estate

Cover Photo:

Nice Buck!

(Photo by Tim Flanigan)

Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Pg 37

by Steve Pinkham

Maine Outdoor Adventure - Pg 24

by Rich Yvon

A recent article about the Green Lake dam controversy by V. Paul Reynolds involving alewife passage into the lake listed Trout Unlimited (TU) as one of the non governmental organizations (NGOs) that supported alewife passage during the dam licensing process. A TU spokesman says that TU did not take a position on the Green Lake issue, and generally takes its positions on a caseby-case basis.

Page 6

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Kineo Currents

November 2024

On the Margaree

article about it, Paul McNeil,

by Suzanne AuClair, president of the Rockwood, ME Margaree Atlantic Salmon AsI am just back from able. While there, I learned sociation, said a late September week in two remarkable things: one that the measures Nova Scotia. While there, I is about a Maine/Margawould be hard visited the Margaree River ree connection, in an old to enforce, but in Cape Breton, which way; the second is about called the “catch many of you know for its the Moosehead/Margaree and retain” pilot famous native Atlantic smallmouth bass problem, project a positive salmon and brook trout in a new way. statement for letOne of the more fafishing. It is a spectacular ting people know place, with the river mean- mous tyers happened to that bass are not dering across the Margaree be John Cosseboom, who wanted in that watershed. The This catch-and-remove regulation is somewhat same regulation similar to a fishing regulation that was initiated some years applies to chain ago here at Moosehead Lake, to good effect. Today, it is pickerel, a voconsidered a key moment in successfully bringing a racious predator balance to the predator/prey populations of popular that was illegally introduced in the sporting fish in the lake.

1940s.

This catchvalley at the foot of the came from East Machias. smallmouth bass into naand-remove regBorn in 1875, died in 1938, tive waters.

Inverness Highlands. ulation is someThe Canadian apIf you’re ever up he spent a lot of time up on what similar to a there, it’s also worth a stop the Margaree and became proach, with the blessing Moosehead angler fishing regulation that was in at the Margaree Salm- known for the Cosseboom of the Margaree Salmon Eric Ward with a initiated some years ago on Museum, especially if salmon fly. He was sickly Association, for trying to breath-taking big here at Moosehead Lake, you’re a fly tyer and want as a boy so, like Fly Rod keep the bass population lake brookie. to good effect. Today, it is to see a super collection of Crosby, started spending a in check is to institute a considered a key moment traditional salmon and trout lot of time outdoors, which mandatory catch-and-kill sible jail time. flies, and a big wall of just brought him back around. fishing regulation. Along This is a remarkable in successfully bringing about every fly-rod imagin- In his prime, he became with that comes a stiff fine policy, and a test of time. It a balance to the predator/ of $100,000 if you are may prove successful, with prey populations of popular caught releasing a bass the support of anglers, just sporting fish in the lake. At FRESH back into the Margaree. as a similar regulation was the time, the Moosehead FROM THE Yes, you read that right. on Moosehead Lake, on Lake project was considSEA! A second offense brings a a different fish. In a Sep- ered a bold move, just like $500,000 penalty, and pos- tember 10 Canadian news the one now in place on the Margaree.

In 2008, a regulation was put into place, with the support of the Moosehead McLAUGHLIN’s SEAFOOD Lake Region Fishing Co207-942-7811 alition and local anglers, CALL TODAY TO PLACE YOUR ORDER! allowing unlimited catch or 474-5430 size takes for any lake trout (togue) under 18 inches. At Classes Available the time, it was considered a way to thin out the togue Skowhegan: December 5,6,7 population, which was Trescott: January 16,17,18 thought to be in direct competition with landlocked OVERNIGHT DELIVERY!!! salmon for food forage.

Carroll & Lila Ware, Master Maine Guides & Instructors To Most Lodges in MAINE For Large Parties! www.FinsandFursAdventures.com (Margaree cont. pg 21) known for his Atlantic salmon fishing prowess on the Margaree and won a number of trophies back in the day.

Because of the Maine connection, I brought back a couple of Cosseboom flies for a friend and me.

But the most important bit I learned is that Margaree anglers are grappling with some of the same issues we are here at Moosehead, namely the introduction of

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Chipping Sparrow

My Australian Cattle Dog named Dingo intently watched a little bird. It was hopping along and picking up strands of her shed fur. It would fly away and

on a low-hanging branch.

I was witnessing the nesting attempt of a Chipping Sparrow.

This species is one I especially love because

They had flown north from southern states or even from Mexico. Chipping Sparrows are handsome small birds with their rusty caps and black eye line stripes. I always enjoy hearing their “trill” songs and their loud single “chip” calls. I was pleased to find a

Page 7

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME There had to have been more than one pair nesting on my Cooper property because there were soon over a dozen babies flying around sometimes with the

When September arrived, I found my home outside to become very quiet. The sparrows had migrated. I will welcome their return in the spring. And my dog

Chipping Sparrows are handsome small birds with their rusty caps and black eye line stripes. I always enjoy hearing their “trill” songs and their loud single “chip” calls.

then return for more hair.

I followed its flight to a nearby fir tree. The hair was carefully placed in the bottom of a cuplike nest

nest nearby that I could observe.

I watched with binoculars as both parents raised their four nestlings, they are so cute and friend- constantly feeding them ly. In April they returned insects and weed seeds. to my feeding station and When the babies fledged, helped themselves to my they had pale streaking on abundant bird seed there. their breasts and flanks.

adult birds. We had a dry summer in Cooper and I constantly observed them dusting themselves on my dirt driveways and hopping around.

In late August I was not so diligent about pulling weeds and the sparrows loved the weed seeds.

will again provide plenty of shed hair for more nest building.

Karen Holmes is a writer and naturalist living in Cooper,Maine. She found this summer to be a challenge for gardening as it was so dry and too hot.

BOOKING HUNTS NOW THROUGH DECEMBER

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Editorial

November 2024

Trail Cams: Fair Chase?

The dawning of more and more sophisticated electronic gadgetry and its ever- increasing use by recreational hunters, pushes the question to the forefront: Does the use of trail cameras by hunters represent fair chase?

As of 2024, at least seven U.S. states have implemented bans or restrictions on the use of trail cameras for recreational hunting. These states include: Arizona Nevada Montana Utah New Hampshire Kansas Alaska These states have cited a number of reasons for the ban, not the least of which is that these devices fall outside the parameters of fair chase. This question was addressed recently by a number of New England outdoor writers who also hunt. The comments were in a newsletter issued by the New England Outdoor Writers Association. Here is a sample: These are decisions individuals and wildlife agencies must make. For me, it all goes back to the fundamental question –

Last Shot Gets It

why are you hunting?

- Ellie Horwitz For the sportsman, what is ethical versus what is legal can often be blurry.

In embracing new technologies, a good personal compass for me is simple: Is this story of using electronic decoys or real-time camera alerts something I would want to tell my coworkers on a loading dock during a work break? If not, I leave it on the shelf at the sporting goods store, and go back to roughing it.

—Matt Dunlap If a majority of voters are convinced that hunting or fishing are “unfair,” the results will be predictable. To me, the important thing to me is looking at the big picture.

-Mike Roche Each person must answer these questions individually, and within themselves.

But many of us will quickly find ourselves at the ultimate questions: “When is enough, enough? Where do we draw the line?”

-Joe Judd Like so many issues involving ethics and social norms, one question begets another. What, indeed, when it comes to recreational hunting is fair chase?

Letters

of other hunters choices or methods. We all need to stick together to fight the To the Editor: First off I don’t think anti’s! Two articles in the hunters should be critical BDN this week have me

thinking. One was a women who shot a bear with a muzzleloader and then her partner shot it with a modern firearm. The other was a youth hunter who shot a moose and his grandfather the subpermitee immediately shot it again. In both cases the right thing was done. Animals should not suffer any longer than necessary and anything to enhance the chances of successful recovery should be done. Everything was legal. My question is who actually killed the bear and moose? It was recorded as a muzzleloader kill and the youth was credited with the moose harvest in his admirable quest for a grand slam.

Hunting ethicist Jim Posewitz says that the “concept addresses the balance that allows hunters to occasionally succeed while animals generally avoid being taken. In the real world, it is a complex topic involving the entire community of hunters, populations of animals, and management agencies that define both the terms and conditions of hunting.”

Since Posewitz wrote those words in 1994, the march of technology, whether it is real time trail cameras or drones, has changed dramatically. And this technological change renders the fair chase question even more relevant. The common thread in the above comments from outdoor writers is clearly this: each hunter must answer the fair chase question for himself.

That may be true as far as it goes, but the public’s perception of hunters remains a part of the fair chase equation. Make no mistake, many of us who hunt are tempted by the advances of technology and the more we rely on devices in the field, the more we take unfair advantage of the animal we hunt and the more we push the edge of the envelope on fair chase.

-VPR

I always thought whom- farm country, quite near a ever actually fired the last horse farm. shot into a living animal Something moving to was the one who killed it. the left hand side of the road, caught my eye. It was comCharles Arrigoni ing fast down a wooded hill.

Winterport I wondered, “what is that?”

I could see that it was goCougar Sighting! ing to cross the road, right in front of me, so I slowed To the Editor: down as we came together I was just searching at the same point. online for information on He hesitated slightly Cougars in Maine, as I saw as he leaped across the one, up close, a few weeks road. He was bigger than a ago. large dog and strides were It was about 5pm and long and galloping, not 20 I was driving my 9 year feet in front of me. Then old to soccer practice in he stopped and squatted in Fairfield. a clearing right beside the I l i v e i n A l b i o n , road, perhaps startled.

Maine. We were driving He was so close that I on the Benton back road in (Letters cont. pg 21)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Climate Change And The Rut

The whitetail deer rut, a remarkable natural phenomenon where bucks become more active and

in deer and environmental cues, particularly photoperiod, or the length of daylight. However, as cli-

aggressive in their pursuit of does, has long been a focal point for hunters, myself included. This seasonal event typically peaks in the fall, driven by a combination of hormonal changes

mate change continues to reshape ecosystems, questions are emerging about whether the timing and intensity of the rut are shifting as well.

At least at my own

deer camp, one question keeps popping up: Is climate change affecting deer behavior? Over the past few decades, temperatures have risen, with many regions experiencing milder win-

Page 9

The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME

tions in North America, including Maine, have found that increased temperatures led to shifts in calving dates, suggesting that similar patterns could emerge in whitetail deer.

Research indicates that the timing of If does are breeding earreproductive events in other species lier due to warmer condiis increasingly influenced by climate tions, it’s plausible that the associated behaviors of factors. In some cases, animals are breeding earlier or later in response to bucks—such as seeking out does during the rut—could changing temperatures. change too.

Research indicates ters and hotter summers, Additionally, changour own region among that the timing of reproduc- ing weather patterns, inthem. These changes can tive events in other species cluding altered precipihave significant implica- is increasingly influenced tation and storm events, tions for deer populations. by climate factors. In some can impact deer behavior.

For instance, warmer tem- cases, animals are breeding Heavy rainfall can affect peratures can lead to earlier earlier or later in response deer movement patterns, spring green-up, providing to changing temperatures. as they are less likely to more abundant forage dur- A study on moose popula(Rut cont. pg 30) ing critical growth periods.

This may result in improved body condition and earlier breeding cycles for does, which could, in turn, affect rut timing.

Page 10

“A Hiker’s Life”

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Great Wass Island

By Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Just south of the fishing villages of Jonesport and Beals is where you’ll find the magnificent Great Wass Island. The largest of the 43 islands in the Great Wass Archipelago, the island is home to a 1,576acre preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy, where many miles and hours of adventurous hiking and wildlife watching await.

Great Wass Island projects farther out to sea than any other land mass in Downeast Maine. The waters of the Gulf of Maine mix with the Bay of Fundy here, resulting in a cool and moist climate. Several rare plants and natural communities, well-suited to life in the often extreme conditions of wind, salt spray and a short growing season, make their home on the island.

On the exposed headlands are hardy plants like

beach-head iris, marsh felwort, blinks and bird’s eye primrose. Inland, the island supports one of the largest stands of the twisted and stunted jack pine in Maine.

In the boggy peatlands live the carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews, as well as the baked-apple berry and dragon’s mouth orchid.

Common on the island are bald eagles and ospreys, palm warblers and Lincoln sparrows, boreal chickadees and spruce grouse. Common eiders and great blue herons frequent the shore, where you might also spy harbor seals on the rocks.

The Little Cape Point and Mud Hole trails penetrate the Great Wass Island Preserve, and by combining the two paths plus a connecting walk along the rugged shoreline, hikers can enjoy an outstanding loop trek of five miles. The hike is best enjoyed coun-

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Great Wass Island projects farther out to sea than any other land mass in Downeast Maine. The waters of the Gulf of Maine mix with the Bay of Fundy here, resulting in a cool and moist climate. terclockwise.

The Little Cape Point Trail rises gently to pass through jack pine forests and ancient heaths before trending down to the ocean at Cape Cove. Strings of colorful lobster buoys mark the exit from the woods to the shore at this and similar important trail passages along the route.

With the promontory of Little Cape Point in view to the northeast, at low tide you can explore among the rocks and driftwood, seaweed and tide pools, and the usual array of man-made detritus washed ashore.

Turning north along the beach, an unmarked trail follows the margin of

the ocean for 1 1/2 miles.

It’s a bushwhack of sorts that offers spectacular scenery but variable footing and a smidgen of routefinding challenge. Savor the slow going; this is a special place.

Meander northward over stretches of beach, boulders, cobbles and ledges. Nearing Little Cape Point, climb a rope ladder to the headland, then scamper along the cliffs 75 feet above the water. If time and tides allow, explore the spruce- and fir-studded island off the point.

Moose Peak Light on Mistake Island soon comes into focus across Mud Hole Channel. There’s also Water, Knight, Green and

Steele Harbor islands, while farther out is Head Harbor Island. Ahead, the broad pink granite shelves are interrupted by coves and crescents of beach and a several brief forays into the woods.

After one last long rock slab and a cove of cobbles, Mud Hole Trail is reached at Sand Cove, where there’s a high probability of seeing bald eagles aloft and seals on the rocks of Mink Island. Finish the walk on Mud Hole Trail, proceeding west along narrow Mud Cove, a mudflat at low tide. The trail eventually joins Little Cape Point Trail and returns to the trailhead.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is the author of Beer Hiking New England, AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast, and the AMC Maine Mountain Guide. Catch up with him (maybe) at maineoutdoors@aol.com, on Facebook, and on Instagram @careykish

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Page 11

Deer Season: It’s Different Here

During the summer, I am first mate aboard an offshore charter fishing boat. I meet nearly 600 faces annually in this role, and the majority of them are visiting Maine “from

woods every fall.

Many of our clients hail from big deer states.

They live in places tucked away in rural America where schools still shut down for opening day.

Maine Tails

billion dollar industry in the Lone Star State. I enjoy viewing photos of their gargantuan bucks, hearing about different methods of hunting, and learning about new tactics and equipment.

“How’s your deer

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME DownEast High Country, or The County.

I explain to our clients that I hunt every Saturday of our month-long firearms season, and the occasional

of a buck encounter. Sometimes, if the stars align and the wind is blowing in the right direction - I might get a shot opportunity, and fill my tag for the year.

And deer - massive racked whitetails that tease and flaunt from the covers of national hunting magazines. I often wonder how those deer can hold their heads up with such weight atop their skulls. Deer hunting is a multi-billion dollar industry in the Lone Star State. hunting in Maine?” they always ask. My answer: “Good - but tough.” I explain that deer density depends on the region. Southern Maine and the farm country of Central Maine offers the hunter a wildly different experience than the Western Mountains, the

Wednesday or Friday. Sunday hunting is illegal. I see a few deer each season, certainly not every sit, but enough to keep me excited at the snap of a branch.

Over the course of eight or nine hunts, I can plan on several doe encounters, and usually some version

Our clients, many of whom see more bucks in a single season than I will in a lifetime of Maine hunting, find this hard to fathom. “It’s just different here.” I explain further: We don’t use automated (Deer cont. pg 32)

22 Peck Farm Road, Winthrop, ME

A young Maine buck on a snowy morning.

(Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.)

away.” To work on a charter boat is to be in the people business. A quiet boat can make for a long day, so a crucial responsibility of the first mate is to quickly settle on a topic of mutual interest and drive conversation with clients.

Fishing, naturally, used to seem like a good starting point. But ironically, trip after trip, year after year, as we steamed offshore, the majority of clients would abruptly shift the discussion to hunting. I soon learned that deer hunting is almost a guaranteed conversation starter. Fascination with the white-tailed deer is nearly universal among American sportsmen. Just ask the millions of hunters who take to the

Clients visit us from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, their unique midwestern dialect unmistakeable. Others come from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky, as well as Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. And we can’t forget about our Texans. Texans are always quick to share photos of strange creatures - nilgai, blackbuck antelope, scimitar-horned oryx, and feral hogs of all shapes, sizes, and colors. And deer - massive racked whitetails that tease and flaunt from the covers of national hunting magazines. I often wonder how those deer can hold their heads up with such weight atop their skulls.

Deer hunting is a multi-

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Outdoor News - November 2024 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds

November. Dwindling daylight, frosty mornings, acorns bouncing on the camp’s tin roof, clear vistas across the hard wood ridges. For the deer hunter, this is the best time of the year, period!

Rifle season for deer is upon us. Thousands of hunters from all over New England and beyond will take to the woods in search of their prize - a whitetailed deer.

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

Greenville Dam Info

Every fall, the IFW in Greenville coordinates with hydro companies to maximize fishing opportunities in the region on rivers with dams. We hope to meet with Brookfield in the coming days regarding the Moose River, East Outlet, and the West Branch of the Penobscot, but until then I wanted to pass along some info related to the Roach River/First Roach Pd and Wilson Stream/Lower Wilson Pd because changes are coming soon.

IFW requests a release of around 100 cfs from the dam on Lower Wilson Pd each September. Wilson Stream is the primary salmon spawning and nursery habitat for native salmon in Sebec Lake about 20 miles downstream. The fall

flow is essential to attract fish into the mouth of the stream and to the base of Earley’s Falls. The salmon have difficulty passing over these ~4-foot falls, so we try to help by attracting the salmon in early then reducing the flow to a level where they can pass upstream. We repeat this process later in the month if possible. We start in early September because a heavy rain can stop all upstream passage for many days, even weeks, and this month can be wet.

We’ve documented nearly complete year class failures in the past due to poor upstream passage conditions.

So, we want to get fish over the falls while the weather is still dry. This means the campowners on Wilson Pd will see the lake level drop as water is released soon after Labor Day. The rate will depend on the amount of rain. Recently IFW made some improvements to the boat ramp to assist boaters during low water but be prepared.

IFW operates the dam on First Roach Pd which is the source of water for the Roach River. Of course, September is the best time of the year to fish this river.

We attempt to hold the lake as full as possible for the campowners during the summer recreational season. Then after Labor Day, we begin the fall flows in the Roach. This year we plan to open the gates to around 200 cfs on September 3rd. You can check the flow on the Roach River by calling our flow line at 207-695-4143. Similar to Wilson Pd, campowners on First Roach Pd need to be prepared. The pond will drop roughly 1.0 to

1.2 inches per day depending on any rain. So, plan accordingly if you must remove a boat or dock this fall. Also, the Roach RiverSouth Rd has been repaired and is passable.

Tim Obrey, Greenville Fisheries Biologist

Vermont Blackpowder Permits

Deer hunters who applied for a Vermont muzzleloader season antlerless deer permit by the July 31 deadline can now go to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife website to see if they won a permit.

Fish and Wildlife announced the permit win-

law from posting their land against hunting.

“Hunters can go to our website to find out if they are recipients of a muzzleloader season antlerless permit,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Christopher Herrick.

“Knowing early if they’ve won, will help them plan their hunting this fall.”

“They can follow a link on our home page to go to the listing of permit winners.”

Permit recipients will need to reprint their licenses which have been reformatted to include their antlerless permits.

Antlerless permits were available for Vermont’s 21 Wildlife Man-

cure locally sourced food for their families. It also helps the department balance the deer population with the available habitat,” said Nick Fortin, deer and moose project leader for the Fish and Wildlife Department.

“Recent mild winters have caused deer numbers to increase in much of Vermont in 2024. In many areas, deer numbers now exceed what the habitat can support. To maintain a healthy and sustainable deer population, the 2024 antlerless permits will help balance deer numbers with available habitat.”

Fish and Wildlife urges hunters to review the 2024 Deer Season Guide also available its website home page.

Online Deer Tagging in Vermont

(Photo by Tim Flanigan)

ners on September 11, after conducting a randomized computer drawing. Permit winners are listed in two categories -- regular lottery winners and landowners.

Landowners who apply for a landowner antlerless permit are prohibited by

Online reporting systems, which have been used successfully by other states, offer hunters a quick, easy and convenient way to report their harvest while providing wildlife biologists with the data necessary for monitoring harvest trends and managing the white-tailed deer population. Hunters who prefer to report their deer in-person to a check station are welcome to continue doing so.

To submit your harvest report, please have the following information readily available:

agement Units and may be used during the muzzleloader seasons on October 31-November 3 (antlerless • Your Conservation hunting by permit only) ID# (Find you Conservaand December 7-15.

“Harvesting antler- tion ID# on the upper leftless deer affords Vermont hand corner of your license hunters the chance to se(News cont. pg 13)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

News

(Cont. from pg 12) or look it up here) • Your Tag Number (If this is a landowner tag, enter “Landowner” into the form.)

A photograph of the deer (optional) to include: Photo should include a headshot with the tag attached or the hunter’s face if tag is not readable. Click image for more details.

• The head area of the deer to confirm the presence or absence of antlers and number of antler points. Photo should also include the filled-out tag attached to the deer.

• OR Your face in the photo to connect the harvested deer to you if the tag is not readable.

• Location of kill: Town and Wildlife Management Unit | WMU map • Date and time of kill • Sex the deer • Deer’s weight (estimated weight is acceptable) • Number of legal antler points on each antler Thank you for your support. Your harvest data are important to us and to the future of Vermont’s white-tailed deer management.

New Hampshire Youth Hunt

New Hampshire’s youth deer weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 26–27, 2024, is the perfect time to take a young person hunting. This special weekend gives youth aged 15 and younger the opportunity to go deer hunting with an adult mentor without the pressure of competing with thousands of adult hunters.

Accompanying adults must be licensed hunters

and are not permitted to carry a firearm; the idea is to concentrate your time and attention on coaching your young companion.

Prospects for this year’s youth season are excellent, according to Becky Fuda, Deer Project Leader for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “New Hampshire’s deer population is healthy and will provide excellent opportunities,” said Fuda.

“Last year’s adult buck harvest was the secondhighest on record, and deer numbers remain strong throughout the state.” In 2023, young hunters took 249 deer during the weekend. “ Yo u t h w e e k e n d gives adult hunters the opportunity to pass their knowledge on to the next generation,” said Fuda.

“Mentoring a young person can remind hunters why they started hunting and help preserve these traditions in New Hampshire.

It can be very rewarding to teach a young hunter to find and track deer and, hopefully, to harvest and field dress one as well.”

Hunting can also help young people learn about the environment, conservation, tradition, and ethics, and build a deep and abiding appreciation for the wildlife and wild places that many of our citizens and visitors cherish. New Hampshire has offered a special youth deer hunt since 1999. Nonresident youth may participate in New Hampshire’s youth deer weekend only if their state of residence allows New Hampshire youth to participate in its youth deer hunt.

Hunters should remember to take proper care when handling wild game

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to minimize possible exposure to wildlife diseases.

First and foremost, hunters should avoid shooting or handling any animal that appears sick. For more tips on safe handling of wild game please visit: www. wildlife.nh.gov/huntingnh/after-harvest/safe-handling-wild-game

tion and the New Hampshire Wildlife Federation’s Dream Hunt Program. In 2023, New Hampshire hunters had a statewide success rate of 67% with 24 moose harvested.

Each hunter with a moose permit will be assigned to hunt in one of eight Wildlife Management

tivity of the Granite State’s moose herd. Check station locations and hours can be found by visiting www. wildlife.nh.gov/sites/g/ files/ehbemt746/files/documents/moose-registrationstations.pdf The moose hunt has been an annual event in New Hampshire for more

New Hampshire Moose Hunt

Units (WMUs) throughout the state. After taking a moose, hunters must have the animals registered and inspected at one of three check stations where wildlife biologists inspect each animal to collect valuable data about the overall health and produc-

than 30 years. The state’s first modern-day moose hunt took place in 1988, with 75 permits issued in the North Country. At that time, New Hampshire was home to about 1,600 moose. Today, New Hampshire has about 3,300 moose.

For nine exciting days, October 19–27, a group of lucky moose permit holders and their hunting partners will have the experience of a lifetime taking part in New Hampshire’s annual moose hunt.

Thirty-three permit holders were drawn in this year’s lottery, randomly selected by computer from a pool of more than 6,100 applicants. Also, one charitable permit each was issued to the New Hampshire Wildlife Heritage FoundaDon’t Forget To Set you Clocks Back November 3

FLY PATTERN OF THE MONTH Sponsored by Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop

https://eldredgeflyshop.com

Footer Special

Tied by: David Footer

Body...Flat gold tinsel Throat...Dark blue bucktail next to body, then 5 strands of peacock herl, all length of body.

Wing...Red bucktail, over which is yellow bucktail which is flanked on each side by 1 yellow saddle hackle.

Shoulders...Guinea hen body feather, 1/3 length of wing Comment...This bright fly has been responsible for bringing several spectacular brook trout to net. Originated by taxidermist David Foote of Lewiston,

Fall Back!

All patterns reprinted from “Trolling Flies for Trout & Salmon” by Dick Stewart and Bob Leeman.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 14

Slipstream

by Scott Biron, New London, NH As the season winds down the last few days that I get out to troll gets me thinking. Most often it is of new patterns to create or modify over the winter.

Sometimes it is just of all the changes that have happened over 12 months and how those last days out often differ from season to season.

We keep notes to compare from season to

smaller fly I had tied for him to replace one he had given a friend the day before pond fishing.

Right away a big fish hit my large fly a few colors down. Always a good sign but then everything slowed down. Then out of nowhere we saw land locked salmon rising on the surface. Lots of these rises all over the lake but what was very interesting was there was

Last day Trolling

When we took the fly out of the fish’s mouth, we noticed that it was loaded with pin smelt. These small smelt were exactly the size of the fly I had tied the day before for Chuck.

Of course, I did not have any flies that small with me but I had several of my Brookies Regret pattern that were tied on 7X hooks.

These were only slightly larger than the 4X Chuck was using.

I switched to the Brookies Regret and be-

Right away a big fish hit my large fly a few colors down.

Always a good sign but then everything slowed down.

Then out of nowhere we saw land locked salmon rising on the surface. season and often there are common threads that run through the notes. Then there are new surprises that emerge and create opportunities to learn from. This year was no different.

The day started out slow but we had just about everything covered to help us find fish. A line on top and one deep. I started out with a good-sized smelt pattern that had worked many times fishing the lake. Chuck began with a

no visible hatch. The water was dead flat and no bugs on top.

Then it happened. The first big fish of the day was on Chuck’s fly and it was a salmon. It took some time to land and I kept thinking as I netted the fish that the fly I tied for him was on a 4X hook. These hooks are small and usually used for casting flies, but here was a perfect example of something we would learn from today’s outing.

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Coastal

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November 2024

fore long I was into a few very large smallmouth bass. As my fly got more and more beat up from the bass it began to look smaller. Some of the materials were fraying and the fly just looked slimmer and more like the pin smelt.

Back and forth we went catching and releasing salmon and bass. We switched to fly lines on top and before long the Brookies Regret produced a very fat salmon. When I removed the hook from its mouth, I could see it spitting up pin smelt.

It struck me then that we often see salmon in the spring with mouths full of 4-6” smelt. They chase them and just gorge themselves on these baitfish.

For me it was the first time I had seen this in the fall.

The rising salmon were chasing the pin smelt.

These pin smelt were strikingly different than the smelt we usually see in the lake. They were an olive

color and some had a tan and copper hue while others had an olive and silver hue. As a fly tyer I was making mental notes on all this. Size, color, shape and anything else I could see to help me build a few pin smelt patterns over the winter.

Both flies that were successful had wood duck wings as part of the pattern.

One had a silver body the other a copper body. Each seemed to have covered the color scheme of the pin smelt. I expect that an olive heron fly would have worked just fine too. That pattern is always a producer at ice out in the Alton Bay area in NH. That outing was a learning experience and one that I’m sure we will be focused on next fall if we fish the same water body.

Over the winter I will come up with a few pin smelt patterns to test and make sure I add the wood duck to them. I will also make certain that I tie them in 4X, 5X and 7X. I can honestly share that the Brookies Regret is a popular pattern that the North Country Angler Fly Shop ties in house and sells. Usually, it is used in the ponds and for brook trout but now we can say works for salmon.

Nothing stays the same when it comes to angling. Changes are always occurring and great anglers must be ready to

change things up. “Adjust We Must” is a great motto when fishing here in New England.

Brookies Regret

Hook: Streamer Hook 4 - 7x, #2-6 or similar.

Thread: White, then olive Danville 70 denier or equivalent.

Tail: Orange hen.

Rib: Copper wire, size small.

Body: Solid copper mylar.

Belly: Sparse white bucktail.

Underwing: Sparse olive bucktail and four peacock herls.

Wing: Two Ewing bronze grizzly saddle hackles and two olive ones.

Throat: Orange hen.

S h o u l d e r : Wo o d duck.

Cheek: Jungle cock.

Scott Biron learned to tie flies and fly fish back in the1960s in the North County of New Hampshire.

He is a regular contributor to the American Fly Fisher and Atlantic Salmon Federation Journals. Scott is a Master Artist in the NH Traditional Arts Program and instructs fly tying both nationally and internationally. He is on the Ambassador Pro Team for HMH Vises, The American Museum of Fly Fishing and Partridge of Redditch. Ewing has come out with a signature series line of feathers under Scott’s name.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

The Well-Equipped Deer Hunter

What you wear on your back as a hunter, and what you carry in your day pack, can make the difference between a comfortable day in the woods and a downright miserable day.

For the deer hunter who gets “turned around” and is forced to spend a night in the woods, clothing and

boreal forests of the North Woods, the old Boy Scout motto applies: “Be Prepared.” That means, dress and gear up as though you expect the worst. In November in Maine, Mother Nature is as unpredictable as a sow bear with cubs.

Mornings can start out sunny and mild and, by

Page 15

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME

Nor’easter with fine, winddriven snow and whiteout conditions, you know the puckery feeling. I have.

But the warm clothing on my back, and the daypack I carried loaded to the gunwales with survival necessities, offered some comfort.

Yes, there is a trade off. The more gear you carry the heavier the pack, which can make for a tiring day for the hunter who covers a lot of ground. Each of

clothing and gear for Maine deer hunters, I have found that there are three hunter types: a) Tarzan b) Davey Crockett c) Kitchen Sink It’s a personal thing, depending upon how badly you want to be comfortable and how spleeny you about cold feet and an empty stomach. When it comes to hunting clothes and gear, I am a Kitchen Sink kind of guy. About 20 years ago, I

some insulation. Spend the money for good ones that have inner sole support. (Too much water in the Maine woods to wear leather boots.)

3. Long underwear.

Wickaway is good, but pricey. In cold weather, I wear two sets, A light long john against my skin under a heavier long john outside.

4. Woolen trousers.

Buy a waist size larger and

Yes, there is a trade off. The more gear you carry the heavier the pack, which can make for a tiring day for the hunter who covers a lot of ground. Each of us has different tolerance levels for discomfort and risk.

Every hunter has a different take on what it means to be prepared when spending a day in the woods. Knowing what “survival stuff” to take and what not to take is every hunter’s challenge. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) gear can spell the differ- afternoon, turn to driving ence between misery and rain and plummeting temcomfort, or even life and peratures. Then, just when death. you think that the weather Of course, when it is as bad as it can get, it comes to clothing and gear, gets worse. If you have climate and weather are ever been miles from your determining factors. For truck in a cedar swamp at Maine deer hunters, espe- 3 p.m. when the downpour cially those who hunt the transforms itself into a

us has different tolerance levels for discomfort and risk. As a young hunter, I traveled light. A Bic lighter, a candy bar, and an extra compass constituted my “survival gear.” In those days, when we were immortal, the prospect of getting lost and spending a night in the woods was just not part of the equation.

But time and experience has a way of “rounding out” most outdoorsmen.

Some humility sets in. You soon learn how easily even the most adept deer hunter can get confused and lost in the woods.

When it comes to

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outgrew the Davey Crockett phase, and began loading up my day-pack with everything survival-wise but the Kitchen Sink. Yes, the guys I hunt with mock my hunt preparation “excesses,” but I don’t care.

For my money, creature comforts trump pride and hunter image every time.

Here’s my take on how to be a well-equipped deer hunter, especially in the woods of Maine.

the good ones with big pockets and inner buttons for suspenders. (Suspenders help keep your trousers from giving in to the weight of knives and ammo belts).

5. A light woolen jacket at least an extra size larger than you would normally wear..

6. A fleece liner for under the jacket on colder days.

7. Compact rain gear (for your day-pack).

8. Woolen gloves and CLOTHING an orange woolen stocking 1. A good quality fan- cap for your pack. ny seat, preferably the kind 9. Hunter orange vest, that inflates and deflates. hat, and large handkerchief.

2. Rubber pacs with (Equipped cont. pg 29)

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Page 16

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Adventures of Me and Joe

November 2024

Rebirth of a Hunter

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

I pounded on the door of Joe’s cabin for the third time. Finally, a sleepy voice croaked out what I took to be an invitation. Opening the plank door I stepped inside.

The first thing I noticed was that the room was cold. A hand on top of the Home Clarion wood range told me no morning fire had yet been kindled. The ramdown heater alongside it was also frigid.

In the bunk, Joe’s form was swathed in blankets. When I grabbed a shoulder and shook it, his face appeared from the bundle, hair a wild tangle, eyes bleary and unfocused.

“Uh…what?”

“Did you forget we’re supposed to go hunting this morning?”

“Yup.” He rolled over again and buried his head.

I set about building up the fires and putting on the coffee. By the time the brew was ready the cabin was starting to warm up.

Outside, a frost had whitened the ground and not a whisper of breeze disturbed the few remaining beech leaves.

At the bunk, I once

again shook Joe’s shoulder.

“You want breakfast, or just coffee?”

This time he didn’t even turn over.

“Why don’t you jist go along without me?” He burrowed deeper into the blankets. “Think I’ll jist catch a few more zees.”

I stared for a few minutes, then pushed the coffee pot to the back of the stove, closed the dampers, and left.

At the Emporium, Eben Ramdown nibbled a doughnut, poured me a cup of coffee blacker than sin and nodded his head in commiseration.

“Know whatcher mean. Joe jist don’t seem like himself lately. Don’t go no oomph. Don’t seem ter wanter do nothin’.”

Titus Loose came through the door in time to hear this last statement.

“You fellers must be talkin’ about Joe.” He flopped down at the counter and accepted a cup from Eben. “Know jist what you mean. I ast ‘im last Thursday ter go up into the bogans on the little Salt Pork fer some late season duck shootin’. Wouldn’t

As the ground rose toward the hogback, we crawled on hands and knees toward the crest. Looking carefully over the top, we were just in time to see an eight point buck emerge from some dense black growth, nose to the ground, on the scent trail left by the doe. budge from his cabin. Said he’d miss the moanin’ an’ gaspin’ on the afternoon soap operas.” He shook his head and slurped coffee noisily.

Eben brushed doughnut crumbs from his broad belly and fixed me with a sober eye. “Yer his best friend. You got to do somethin’ about this afore he wastes away.”

I nodded and stared down at my coffee cup.

He was right. I had to do something. But what?

That afternoon I

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.

stopped in again to visit Joe. He was sitting in the battered old easy chair in the back of the cabin, eyes half-closed as he stared at the television screen, a cup of tea close to hand.

I turned a kitchen chair around and straddled it close by his left side.

“Want to go bird huntin’ up the Crosby Road?”

He shook his head slightly and continued staring at the screen.

“How about we work over through Crazy Bog and see if we can tag our winter’s meat?”

For a moment, I thought he was actually considering the idea. Then he slowly shook his head.

“No,” he said slowly. “You go on ahead if you want.”

I reached over to where the TV remote rested on the arm of his chair and pushed the off button.

He blinked at the sudden silence, then looked over at me with a touch of annoyance.

“What did yer do that for?”

“What the hell’s the matter with you?” I countered.

For a moment, he met my eyes, then heaved a sigh and got up out of the chair.

Carrying the empty teacup, he rinsed it in the sink and stared out the front window at the trees bordering the front yard.

“I dunno,” he stuck both hands in his pants pockets. “Nothin’ seems ter interest me no more. I think about goin’ huntin’, about getting’ down the ol’ rifle or scattergun, an’ all I wanta do is yawn.”

He turned from the window and looked at me with sad eyes.

“It’s like everything is ho-hum. We got another winter comin’ on an’ that’s part of it. Winter’s always the worst time fer me. All work an’ not much fun.

More dark than light. But (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

November 2024

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 16) that ain’ all of it. It seems like nothin’ I useter do interest me no more. I can’t really explain it, but there it is.” He walked over and sat back down in the easy chair.. Picking up the control, he turned the TV back on. I hung my head and left.

The next day, a handful of Joe’s friends met for a council of war at the Emporium. Around a table near a big heater stove sat Eben Ramdown, Titus Loose, Condon Fishbane and Gasper Gooch, as well as myself.

“We (gasp) gotta do somethin’” Gasper looked around the table. “This thing with Joe is (gasp) getting’ outa hand. If things keep up this way, he’ll be ready for (gasp) the old folks home by spring!”

“Anybody…uh… got any ideas?” Condon Fishbane asked hesitantly.

Nobody spoke up. Finally, the glimmer of a thought came through the fog in my mind.

“Tite,” I looked across the table at the thin little sawmill worker. “Is that cousin of yours still visiting from Kittery?”

Titus nodded slowly.

“Yup. Don’t go back home ‘til this comin’ Friday.

Why?” “Has Joe ever seen him?” I pressed.

“Don’t think so. No reason why he would.

Heck, Joe ain’t been outa his cabin in a week.”

I thought hard for a minute. “Joe needs something to jerk him back into the wing of things. I got an idea, but your cousin’s gotta be a good actor. Now listen up…”

When the little group broke up a few minutes

Northwoods Sporting Journal

later Titus caught my arm.

“Look, I don’t mind playin’ my part, but they’s somethin’ you should know about my cousin Bunny…”

“Just as long as he’s willing to go along.”

“Oh, he’ll be willin’. But you should know that…”

“We can cover all that afterward. Just be sure to stay out of sight tomorrow.”

That evening I stopped by Joe’s place. He was deeply enthralled with a virtual reality show that included contestants eating snake guts or something similar.

“Joe, we need your help.” I began.

“Huh…what?” he glanced my way, then looked back at the TV screen. “You’d orta watch this thing!” He pointed a finger. “I mind the time I broke my leg over on the upper St. John. Stranded for most of a week in the back country eatin’ what I could scrounge off the land.

Don’t think I’d of eaten snake guts even by Saturday. Would you eat snake guts, even fer $50,000?”

“Look, Joe, never mind that. We need your help. You’ve got to guide a guy from Massachusetts. He wants to get a big buck.”

Joe looked at me like I was speaking Russian.

“Are you crazy? Don’t

wanna do no guidin’. Jest wanna be left alone.” He turned toward the screen again. “And, besides, if’n I did wanta guide someone, it wouldn’t be some joker from Massachusetts.”

“But, Joe, it’s an emergency. Titus Loose agreed to guide the man…”

“Then let Tite guide ‘im. Tite’s a good man.

He’ll find ‘im a buck.”

“Titus broke his leg yesterday at the sawmill,” I lied with a straight face.

“Now, if the guy doesn’t get a buck, Titus will lose the money the man agreed to pay him. And, what with a broke leg and no money coming in, it’ll be hard for Titus’s family.”

Finally, Joe picked up the remote and switched off the TV. “Why don’t you guide ‘im?”

“Joe, you know I don’t have a guide’s license.”

For a moment, uncertainty clouded his face.

Then he sighed in resignation.

“Alright. I guess I can’t let Tite an’ his family down. Where is this flatlander, anyway?”

“Oh, he’s staying in town. Tell you what, I’ll pick you up in the morning and we’ll meet him over on the North Road. There’s a lot of deer working those oak bottoms along Futile Creek.”

Early the next morning we stopped alongside

Portland

Page 17

the road behind a small hybrid gas/electric car. As we got out Joe looked at the car suspiciously.

“How come it’s got Maine plates?”

“Uh…I think he rented it,” I said lamely.

Tite’s cousin, Bunton Hugger, stood beside the car. He was a big man, dressed from head to foot in L.L. Bean’s best clothing.

In one hand he somewhat self-consciously clutched what looked to be Tite’s old .300 Savage rifle. A stateof-the-art video camera hung from his right shoulder. A seemingly perpetual smile held just a hint of condescension.

“So this is the famous guide? I’ve heard a lot about you,” he said as he shook Joe’s hand. “Titus says you can find me a large buck.”

Joe eyed the big man thoughtfully. “I ‘spect I kin show you some deer. What you do then is pretty much up to you.”

As we headed into the woods, Hugger kept up a steady stream of chatter, at the same time sticking the video camera in our faces at every opportunity.

“I expect you fellows do this sort of thing all the

time, but I really don’t do much hunting. Still, I’d certainly like to have a big buck. Do you think you can get me one?”

Joe eyes him thoughtfully. “We might be able to find one, but we’ll have to be very quiet.”

After that, Hugger shut up, but continued to use the video camera at every opportunity, usually with me and Joe as subjects. I couldn’t get away from the idea that he was secretly laughing at us all the while, although the idea seemed absurd.

As we worked our way deeper into the woods, I could see a change coming over Joe. At first, all his actions appeared automatic. But the longer we spent in the bottoms along the river, he seemed to come more and more alive, more attuned to his surroundings.

Twice he stopped and filled his lungs with the sharp fall air. I watched him note a pileated woodpecker on the side of a dead tree. Occasionally he brushed away the leaf litter to expose deer tracks, and once he held us back for a moment as a small doe trotted across an open area.

(Me & Joe cont. pg 23)

HELP US FIND

The elusive Northwoods Sporting Journal’s moose Marty.

He has wandered into the northwoods.

Find Marty somewhere in the Northwoods Sporting Journal (Hint: he will be located in one of our ads) Send us the page number he’s on and you could be a WINNER! Win a FREE Northwoods Sporting Journal Marty Hat. We will draw one winner from all correct entries submitted each month. We will announce the winner in the next issue.

PLEASE MAIL THIS FORM TO: Northwoods Sporting Journal P.O. Box 195, West Enfield, ME 04493

Shown actual size Priscilla Dean

Name

(Marty was found on pg 46)

Address City

Marty

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

Entries must be postmarked by 11/12/24 to be eligible for this issue.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 18

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

that highlighted Marshall’s career were demanding, but somehow he carved out time for a special place, with enough blank spaces on maps to last a lifetime: the Central Brooks Range in Alaska.

What is wilderness, and should it be preserved?

It’s a question humans have battled with throughout modern times, as civilization crept into remote corners of the landscape and life in urban centers began to deprive us of a primitive connection with nature.

Robert Marshall was a champion for wilderness. From the time he was a young boy wandering around the Adirondacks, he yearned for blank spaces on maps. His love for the woods caused him to pursue forestry, and after an extensive education in the field, he began a career with the U.S. Forest Service. The series of jobs and appointments in Federal land management

November 2024

Alaska Wilderness

the early Gold Rush years.

Marshall lived in Wiseman for a year, documenting the town and its people in his popular book “Arctic Village”.

Outside of the mining claims on the outskirts of these towns, however, the entire area was devoid of humans. Not only was it unmapped, much of this

to their origins, climbing mountains, and making general observations of a place that completely captivated him.

Only one portion of the North Fork had record of being visited by man.

Trapper and miner Ernie Johnson loved the freedom and adventure of this wild area, and spent winters

Robert Marshall was a champion for wilderness.

From the time he was a young boy wandering around the Adirondacks, he yearned for blank spaces on maps.

Through a series of adventures, Marshall and several travel companions explored the vast unmapped areas of the Koyukuk River. The lower river supported a small bit of civilization in and around Bettles and Wiseman, isolated native villages with a small collection of miners who had moved in during

arctic wilderness had likely never been seen by human beings. This was where Marshall shined.

On his first trip in 1929, Bob and miner Al Retzlaf explored the North Fork of the Koyukuk. He studied tree growth along the timber line, filled in blank spaces on the map by following tributaries

hunting, trapping and exploring. Bob and Ernie quickly became friends, and they made multiple trips during the next couple of years to explore beyond the reaches of Johnson’s trapline.

By backpack, boat and dog team, Marshall developed a picture of the vast unknown wilder-

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ness in the Central Brooks Range. He gave names to its prominent peaks and most of its streams. He coined the term “Gates of the Arctic” for two breathtaking mountains that bordered a valley entering one of the most wild places left in the world.

Work prevented Bob from returning to the arctic for several years. He helped develop a national plan for American forestry, wrote two books, and was appointed to a position in the Office of Indian Affairs.

But his dreams of returning never went away. He went back in 1938 and 1939, continuing the exploration of undiscovered lands and attempting to climb the area’s tallest peak, Mount Doonerak.

Shortly after returning to D.C. following his 1939 expedition, Bob died of a heart attack. At just 38 years old, it was a shock to lose such an important figure and energetic young man. Despite such an abrupt ending to the (Alaska cont. pg 21)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 19

Long Island Surf and Turf

Angling, Antlers & Artifacts

By Jake Scoville, Machiasport, ME

some cover where a few well-used trails met. I sat for four hours that evening and saw no deer—a rare occasion in this country.

I left my sticks, platform, and tether in the tree, anticipating an early and more eventful morning hunt.

The three-quartermile moonlit walk back to the tree was easy. I followed a sandy two-track When I mention the Hamptons, what’s the first thing you think of?... I’m betting it’s not monster whitetails and bait-busting striped bass. But that’s exactly what comes to mind

a big cedar tree and noticed the private estate and private golf course of Michael Bloomberg. Yes, that Michael Bloomberg.

Nevertheless, I was able to secure a few permis-

mid-day hang and hunt mission on a new piece of public ground was on the agenda. As I still hunted through a rather hilly oak stand, I bumped a nice buck out of his bed. I had

The rising sun hit the forest floor lined with orange-tinted oak leaves, creating an almost surreal glow under the hardwood canopy. Only 30 minutes after legal light, I spotted a deer cruising the ridge at about 200 yards. for me. I’m lucky enough that one of my best friends from college grew up there and now splits his time between Maine and Long Island. The first time I visited, I quickly turned my attention from the sports cars, mansions, and yachts to the saltwater fishing and deer hunting.

It took no time to realize that hunting the plentiful deer around the Hamptons would be no easy task.

First and foremost, public land open to non-resident hunting is sparse, and getting private permissions can be daunting and intimidating. Pulling into a gated estate and knocking on the door of a millionaire, maybe a billionaire, is not something I’ve practiced doing. In one of the first locations I hunted, I climbed

sions and locate promising public land opportunities.

I just needed the deer to cooperate.

On November 4 th , 2023, I was on day 2 of my week-long ‘rutcation’ back in the Hamptons. A

the wind in my favor, so the buck never got a whiff of me. He spotted movement and didn’t like what he saw. Figuring he could make his way back and more bucks could be in the area, I picked a tree with

road through a power line that abutted the public parcel. A well-defined walking trail got me within a few hundred yards of my tree.

The sandy soil allowed me to travel in silence.

From the trail, I slowly picked my way through the crunchy oak leaves and then climbed into the tree. The rising sun hit (Turf cont. pg 22)

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Page 20

Aroostook Woods & Water

So, here I am, staring down the barrel of a new deer season. As I gaze off into the unknown of a bright new season, I also find myself looking back over my shoulder at seasons past. And I start to second-guess myself. A string of unfilled deer tags

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME

a little lopsided, you start walking funny, and you notice people whispering behind your back.

That’s what happened to me last year; the accumulation of several seasons worth of unfulfilled hopes and desires made me unbalanced. I missed all of Octo-

Sayonara Tree Stands

Whereas my 20-year-old self would have bounced upon hitting the ground, my 60-year-old self just went ‘splat’. After months of soul-searching and pointed self-recriminations and trying to unravel just what had gone so wrong, I finally came to the conclusion that I had no business hunting from the trees any longer. I simply don’t have the reflexes anymore. I’ve

pers., and using my longsuffering wife as a human guinea pig. In my defense, she only spit out a couple of them. Unfortunately, I can’t cook without a glass of wine in my hand, and

It was a year of unwanted ‘firsts. I fell out of a tree for the first time, and then I hit a moose for the first time a couple of months later. Maybe the gods were trying to tell me something; my wife says I’m stubborn, and I don’t always pay attention to the warning signs. will do that to you. It will leave you numb, and questioning the very fabric of all your life’s decisions up until that moment. Every one of them. I’m serious; you’ve got to shoot a deer every now and again just to maintain some sense of equilibrium in your life.

Go long enough without shooting a deer and you get

ber and November because I was laid up with a chest full of broken ribs and just generally all busted-tobupkis. That will happen to you when you fall out of a tree stand because you’re lopsided. That falling out of a tree stand hurts, goes without saying. You don’t even have to be an old fart to get hurt doing that.

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November 2024

been hunting from tree stands forever, and I had never even had a close call up until that afternoon.

Safety has always been my watchword, once and forever. But I still fell. I have become a liability to myself while sitting in a tree.

It was a year of unwanted ‘firsts. I fell out of a tree for the first time, and then I hit a moose for the first time a couple of months later. Maybe the gods were trying to tell me something; my wife says I’m stubborn, and I don’t always pay attention to the warning signs. But that can’t be, Honey; you know I’m always right.

The time spent recuperating may have been a blessing in disguise. Or maybe not. Depends on who you believe, me, or my doctor. I cook, a lot. I love to cook. Being pretty much house-bound for the winter, I spent the time conjuring up wild game recipes; venison smash burgers (somebody else supplied the venison, obviously), chili rellenos stuffed with bear, jalapeno woodcock pop-

a deer season’s worth of pinot grigio went straight to my waistline. My doctor had words of wisdom for me, “Knock off the wine and drop some weight!

NOW”. He didn’t sound very sympathetic…

At the moment, I’ve got a collection of cookbooks and old, cryptic, hand-written recipes spread out on the table in front of me. I’m in the process of making a list of all the tasty things I’m going to make when I shoot a buck this month. Notice I didn’t say, ‘if’ I shoot a buck, but when I shoot a buck. And I will, too. Every year, all past evidence to the contrary, I am 100% convinced that I’m going to walk out into the back 40 and drag something home that would make Hal Blood cry tears of envy. …and then every year I get to watch another new video of Hal Blood doing

what I didn’t. Thanks for the videos, Hal; they’re awesome. But this year I mean it, dammit! I’m serious this time.

I say I’m going to shoot a buck, but at this point in the festivities my days afield turn into exploration hikes; albeit with a rifle instead of trekking poles.

I get preoccupied with wondering what’s over that next hill, or looking around for late season mushrooms to go with that bear ragout I was planning to cook when I get home. Anybody remember the ‘King’s Singers’ doing ‘The Happy Wanderer’? “Valderi, Valdera, Valderahahahaha…”

That’s me, the happy wanderer, with a knapsack on my back. Smarter people than me might say I need to do a better job of managing expectations.

I think my expectations are perfectly reasonable, though the execution may need some tweaking.

So even though I’m all done hunting from the trees; I did mention that part, right? I’ve got a couple of very nice ground blinds all ready to go. I’ve got a new pair of boots for those days when I’m feeling particularly frisky and still want to put on some miles while chasing down a dream. But all good things must come to an end, whether I can accept it or not, and my days of sitting 20’ up in a tree are over.

I’ll miss the view from up there, but I think I’ll live.

Mike Maynard can be reached at perhamtrout@ gmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Margaree (Cont. from pg 6)

Locals also organized an annual winter Moosehead Lake Togue Derby to bring in more anglers. These actions were estimated to have helped harvest some 78,000 smaller togue over a two year period. Since 2010, size and bag limits on lake trout have tightened again, and, today, the lake trout, brook trout, and landlocked salmon in Moosehead Lake are the best that have been seen in recorded history.

Today, like the Margaree, a big worry is the smallmouth bass that were illegally introduced here at Moosehead Lake in the mid-1970s. Most locals consider them a scourge.

They are now thriving throughout the Moose River/Moosehead Lake waterway. It is unknown when and how they will effect the native wild brook trout fisheries. There are no size or bag limits on the bass. But, by and large, bass anglers seem to be all about catch-and-release, rather than catch-and-take.

Maybe there’s a way to encourage thinning down those numbers, just as happened with the lake trout, and since it’s a common desire to conserve the traditional native cold-water fisheries.

The Margaree is a heritage river and, like Moosehead waters, is considered a place of special significance because it is one of the last strongholds for cold-water fish. The Margaree catch-and-kill project is being closely monitored, with no set end date, for the time being.

This summer, the Margaree ended up closed to fishing

because the river ran unusually low and warm, and they did not want to further stress the salmon or trout.

One major difference between the Margaree and Moosehead watersheds is that the Margaree’s is not dammed, while Moosehead’s connected waterways are, which is a bonus for helping to hold the springfed cold waters, deeper, and for helping to keep invasives from spreading.

Alaska

(Cont. from pg 18)

The area is our nation’s least visited National Park, and has the distinction of having essentially zero infrastructure. It’s the way Bob would have wanted it – one last place man can go to experience things the way they once were.

Alaska Wilderness is a collection of Robert Marshall’s writings on his journeys of exploration in Alaska, edited by his brother and first published in 1956.

intense journey that was Bob Marshall’s life, his legacy was impactful and long lasting.

Many of the remaining pristine areas of this nation were protected with Federal Wilderness designation as a result of Marshall’s efforts, including the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. After many decades, that special place Suzanne AuClair is in the Brooks Range was an avid outdoorswoman. protected as well, becomJ e re m i a h c a n b e She lives near Rockwood ing Gates of the Arctic Na- reached at jrodwood@ and has been writing about tional Park and Preserve. gmail.com the Moosehead Lake Region for the past 29 years.

She produced Maine’s reference anthology, “The Origin, Formation, and History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.”

Aroostook County

Page 21

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(Cont. from pg 8) could see the whiskers on his face, he was turning his head and opening/closing his mouth. His body was tan and very long. The most obvious and recognizable feature was his very long tail that curved down and curled back up at the end. I can still picture him squatting there.

I pulled right over but he only stayed about 30 seconds before bounding off into the woods.

I instantly identified him as a cougar or mountain lion. Not a doubt in my mind.

My grandson saw him too.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 22

Turf

(Cont. from pg 19) the forest floor lined with orange-tinted oak leaves, creating an almost surreal glow under the hardwood canopy. Only 30 minutes after legal light, I spotted a deer cruising the ridge at about 200 yards.

The deer was moving erratically. I tried to glass him up but never got a solid look at him. I instinctively knew it was likely a buck.

I grabbed my grunt tube and let out a short grunt sequence. Minutes later, I noticed a mature buck sneaking down the ridge towards me. He stopped about 50 yards and looked in my direction, scanning for what made the grunts.

Seeing nothing, he turned and walked back up the ridge. I desperately let out two long snort wheezes,

hoping he would return for a fatal inspection. Sure enough, the buck retraced his steps towards me. He paused at 35 yards, perilously looking for the buck making the calls. Before he retreated, I grabbed my grunt tube, pointed it directly behind me, and cast a single grunt further down the ridge. He immediately continued in my direction. He came to 20 yards, turned broadside, and I gave him a loud “mehh.”

My perfectly tuned Sirius arrow and Iron Will broadhead zipped clean through him and buried almost two feet into the sandy forest floor. My green lighted nock glowed just above the leaves. The buck took three bounds and stopped, not knowing what had just hit him. He expired in just seconds, 40 yards from my tree. A beautiful seven-

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pointer with a broken G3 and G4 on his left side. My biggest bow buck to date.

We finished getting him out of the woods and quartered up into my cooler by 11 a.m. Knowing people were still catching plenty of striped bass off the beaches, we made our evening goal to land a few.

As the sun set over the seemingly endless sand beach and the skies transformed into shades of pinks and oranges, we caught several mid-20s bass. Arrowing a mature buck in the morning light and then landing striped bass as the light faded is how this epic day ended—a special day in an extraordinary place.

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Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 17) A couple of times he stopped suddenly and stared intently at the surrounding woods. At the end of the second such perusal, he smiled slightly, then led us off at a different angle.

Suddenly, he stiffened. Kneeling, he drew Bunton Hugger down beside him.

“A big buck just passed through here,” he pointed out the large track in the soft earth. Hugger stared at it sharply, then pointed the video camera at the track.

“What do we do?”

Joe considered for a moment.

“Way the wind is, he’ll likely cut the scent of that little doe. She was headed toward that hogback jist ahead. If we swing across this swale, we should be able to cut ‘im off jist when his concentration is somewhere else.”

I noticed something peculiar. As Joe looked ahead, Bunton Hugger eyes his profile with a surly look of disdain. The look instantly disappeared then Joe looked back at him.

“You ready?” Joe asked. “ We l l , ” H u g g e r said, uncertainly, “I don’t know… I haven’t done much shooting and this looks to be a big deer…”

He glanced sideways at Joe with a cunning expression.

“I’m paying good money for this hunt. You’re supposed to be a good shot.

Couldn’t you shoot the deer for me? I mean…I’d still tag it and all.”

I was appalled, and waited tensely for Joe to flatten him. But to my consternation, Joe just looked at him uncertainly.

Northwoods Sporting Journal “Uh, well, I don’t know…”

“I’ll make it worth your while.”

Joe hesitated for a moment longer. “Okay, but stay right beside me.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Hugger said with a smug smile, hitching the camera to a more comfortable position, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

I tried to attract Joe’s attention as we worked across the swale, but he was intent on the hunt, and Hugger was filming every inch of our progress.

As the ground rose toward the hogback, we crawled on hands and knees toward the crest.

Looking carefully over the top, we were just in time to see an eight point buck emerge from some dense black growth, nose to the ground, on the scent trail left by the doe.

Joe looked at Hugger.

The big man motioned to go ahead, the fake smile still plastered on his face.

As Joe raised his old .3855, Hugger eased back, the video camera filming the whole event.

At the crack of the rifle, the buck staggered, falling headlong into a patch of dead ferns. For a moment, all was still. Then Hugger stood up a cowed in triumph.

“I got ya!” he shouted.

“I got the whole thing on camera!”

Joe looked at him uncertainly. Hugger was doing a little dance, waving the camera in the air.

“You think I’m some Massachusetts hunter!” He smirked at both me and Joe. “Well, I’m really Titus Loose’s cousin! And I’m also a card-carrying member of PETA, the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals! And I’ve got

film of you, you murdering excuse for a guide, actually shooting a deer for a client!

They’ll yank your guide’s license for good!”

My blood was boiling, but Joe just looked back mildly. Then he picked up his rifle and walked down over the hill, a smug and exultant Hugger close on his heels.

We walked up to the deer. Suddenly Joe pulled something from his pocket.

With a deft motion he tied his license tag to one antler of the prime buck. Hugger’s face fell.

“Wha…What are you doing?”

“Taggin’ my buck.”

“But…but you said…”

“All I said was okay, and, if’n I remember right, the camera weren’t rollin’ right then.”

“But you can’t…”

“Shoot me my winter’s meat? ‘Course I can.

An’ as far as evidence goes, what you got in that camera is a nice video of a successful deer hunt.” He smiled as Hugger’s face fell even further. “You might be able to sell it to one of them huntin’ TV shows, but I got a hunch if you try to show it to your pals at PETA, they’re gonna have a real hard time with you condoning killin’ a deer for your video.”

Hugger turned white.

“Why, I’ll…they’ll…”.

Page 23

He stared at both of us for a moment longer, then whirled around and lurched off through the woods toward the road.

“Alright,” Joe said tiredly. “You jokers can come out now.”

I looked at him, puzzled, then saw Gasper, Condon and Titus Loose all emerge from the surrounding brush, all three looking sheepish.

“Uh…how long have you known we was there, Joe?” Condon asked, eyes downcast.

“Since the beginnin’.

An’ Tite, you seem to be gittin’ along right pert on a broke leg.”

Titus flushed to the hairline. “Weren’t my idea, Joe.” He looked at me.

“I tried to tell yer about cousin Bunny. He’s been anti-huntin’ ever since he watched Bambi on TV as a kid.”

“It was all my fault,” I said in resignation. “But the way you’ve been acting, we had to do something. By the way, how’d you get onto Hugger, anyway?”

“Ain’t very observant, are ya?” he smiled at me.

“Aside from that politically correct car he was drivin’, he had a PETA sticker on the back bumper.” He sighed, still smiling.

“I suppose I should thank you fellers. I don’t know what got into me.

Five minutes back in the woods and I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing. Glad you’re all here.

Now you kin help me tote my buck out to the Jeep.”

As we went to work I said, “Well, at least you won’t be glued to the TV every afternoon from now on.”

Joe looked thoughtful, as though considering the idea. “Oh, I don’t know,” He said, drawing out his sheath knife. “I figure a steak from this here buck, quick fried with some onions and potaters, would be jist the thing whilst I was watchin’ the latest episode of Young an’ the Breathless!

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We are now proud to offer our readers a wonderful collection of digital issues from the archives of the Northwoods Sporting Journal, the most comprehensive sporting magazine in the Northeast.

Our archives feature the latest issues, as well as the oldies and goodies from years past.

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Page 24

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Maine’s winters the last couple of years have left much to be desired for the winter sportsman or the local economy. The lack of snow leaves the state with little to no snowmobiling and the lack of cold temperatures leaves little to no ice. Every year, our hopes of a good, cold, and snowy winter, become shattered affecting small businesses

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME season was limited to about three safe weeks of ice on our glacial lakes. Many ice fishers stayed close to shore to avoid springs where thin ice occurs. If weather predictions become a reality, this year will possibly get everyone on track for a “normal” Maine winter. The weather transition from El Nino to El Nina is certainly evident in our

November 2024

Maine’s Ice Fishing Forecast

fish more active in their • Know your ice and feeding, leading to better conditions fishing for the sportsman.

Now is the time to The best time to fish of start getting that gear purcourse is when you have chased and ready! Don’t the time, and the conditions are safe. Checking a moon phase calendar or app can prove to be helpful when conditions are stable. Times during a full or new moon, have personally given me better fishing and success. The common

ber to take a young person hunting or fishing to keep our outdoor heritage alive and well! In addition, please support your local

Forecasting your ice fishing trip can also be challenging, even with enough ice. As most of us know, winter fishing can be extremely fast or painfully slow. One thing I have come to trust in is the moon phase. across the state. There is no doubt of climate change and the 2023/2024 presence of an El Nino year.

El Nino directly affects our weather, animals, and fish—the warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south and spread further east. In the winter, this leads to wetter conditions in the south and warmer and drier conditions in the north. This season is said to be going into a El Nina year, in which the opposite is true. So, don’t get rid of your ice or snow equipment so fast!

In Maine, the 2024

southern United States.

Evidence of much bigger and more frequent storms has negatively impacted our southern regions. The El Nino and El Nina events have been and will continue to be much worse due to continued global warming.

Forecasting your ice fishing trip can also be challenging, even with enough ice. As most of us know, winter fishing can be extremely fast or painfully slow. One thing I have come to trust in is the moon phase. The increase in the moon’s gravitational pull has proven to make

denominator for both open and hardwater fishing is weather. A cold front, in either case, has proved to me that slower fishing is much more evident.

Having the right equipment in these uncertain times is even more important than ever. Remember the basics of ice fishing...

• Ice pics worn around the neck • Floatation in ice suites or devices worn on person.

• Spud bar • Fish with buddy system

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wait until the last minute when gear is out of stock!

Wishing everyone a safe, fun, and productive season ahead.

If you would like more information on Maine hunting or ice, fly/spin fishing techniques/strategies for bass, pike, salmon, and trout, please feel to reach out to me. I’m always happy to share my knowledge and experience to anyone, for a better day of field!

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Page 25

Youth Snowmobiling

This time of year there are lots of advertisements starting to fill our screens with large ticket items, like cars, houses, and TVs wrapped in brightly colored ribbons, and being gifted to a surprised recipient for the holidays. Imagine waking up Christmas morning to

A youth snowmobile has many of the same looks and features of their full-size, full-throttle family members, just in a smaller size and output. the rev of a snowmobile in your dooryard, especially as a kid with a youth- sized snowmobile.

I’ve never seen a youth snowmobile in the wild, on my local trails, but I know that they exist and it’s likely that I haven’t seen them because they are best suited for learning near your home, camp, or in a quiet field. There are also laws and guidelines for young riders. The Maine Snowmobile Association states that “everyone under the age of 18 must wear a

helmet while operating or riding on a snowmobile on a trail funded under the Snowmobile Trail Grant program. Children must be 10 years of age or older to operate a snowmobile on land other than that owned by their parent or guardian,

by Dan Wilson, Bowdoinham, ME

recreation can continue to flourish in the great state of Maine.

A youth snowmobile has many of the same looks and features of their full-size, fullthrottle family members, just in a smaller size and output.

In the ZR-120 specifically, the 123CC 4-stroke fan-cooled engine provides a maximum speed of 8 mph. There is an emergency stop switch on the handlebar and the A-arm front suspension matches the supArctic Cat ZR-120 youth snowmobile at port of the fulllocal agricultural fair. size models. unless they are accompa- bile trailers. Best of luck Sounds like a great way to nied by an adult. A child to all those who’ve entered get the feel of a snowmomust be fourteen years of and thank you for sup- bile in a safer package. age before crossing a pub- porting local clubs. Thank Growing up, I learned lic way while operating a you too, to the local clubs on the snowmobiles my snowmobile.” https://www. and volunteers for all that parents had. I remember mainesnowmobileassocia- you do to keep our trails my first time driving was tion.com/maine/ groomed, safe, and open with a late 1970’s Arctic This past September I for use, and thank you to Cat Panther. The sled was was at a local agricultural landowners for opening black with deep purple fair and happened upon an up your land so outdoor accents and chrome and

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perhaps most memorable was the bench seat, black with a panel of white snow leopard vinyl running down each side. While riding down a hill my father would “get after me” for “riding the brake” so oddly enough even to this day, I rarely use the brake and coast as long as I can before I add a little brake to help slow the sled down, descending a hill and heading into a corner. We have a lot of that downhill scenario on my local trails, crossing brooks.

Once I showed I could handle the snowmobile well, then I graduated to the late 1980’s Arctic Cat Super Jag long track. That became my “go to” right up to when I purchased my 2021 Yamaha RS Venture TF. We no longer have the Panther, but the Jag is still in good working order and is full of many happy memories on the trails.

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

North Maine Woods

by Bill Greaves Someone recently asked the question, “What’s new in the North Maine Woods?” This is an interesting question but has a long answer. Those of us who have life long memories want nothing to change. Those cherished times of long ago instilled in us the values we have today.

The memories of wad-

ing a brook, or shooting your first partridge are still vivid. Learning the ABCs of hunting safety from your dad will never be forgotten. We head back to the North Maine Woods year after year to re-experience those times, and make new memories in a setting that is second to none. Within the North Maine Woods, we have 3.5 million acres

Serenity Now

of wilderness which is at our disposal for recreation.

It is noted, that there are a few ethical rules and laws we must follow, but every time I pass through a check-point I experience “Serenity Now!” to put it in George Costanzia’s terms.

I love this place. It has always been my escape from the challenges of the modern world. No phones, no internet, no business calls (unless you work at it). In recent years NMW saw a significant spike in visitors

wishing to escape from the COVID pandemic. This being an election year for the President and the State Legislature, it’s a great place to escape the political campaigning to do what we do best.

Let me think, watch the Presidential debate, or go fly fishing on a beautiful trout pond? As for what’s new in the North Maine Woods? Nothing except the fishing has been excellent, the grouse population is up, and there has been a

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renewed invigoration for deer hunting. Bear hunting has been outstanding, and the upcoming moose hunt is much anticipated. If you came here in the spring to dip smelts or pick fiddleheads, I think you know that others have done that for thousands of years.

I love this place. It has always been my escape from the challenges of the modern world.

No phones, no internet, no business calls (unless you work at it). In recent years NMW saw a significant spike in visitors wishing to escape from the COVID pandemic.

There has been subsistence hunting here since the beginning of time.

Some people come to the North Maine Woods to enjoy our rivers, such as the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the Penobscot River Corridor, the St. John River, the Aroostook, Munsungan, Millinocket, or Machias Rivers. They embody a long history from transportation corridors for our Indian Tribes, to the beginning of our logging industry, to old family farms. Those rivers and places are still here today for us to explore and enjoy.

In more recent years, I have taken an interest in learning the history of the North Maine Woods, as a region. I find that time is well spent by reading books and enjoying con(Serenity cont. pg 27)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Serenity

(Cont. from pg 26) versations with people like Professor Dave Putnam, Dr. Wang from the University of Maine, Presque Isle, and Al Cowperthwaite, the former Director of 40 years. They have taught me tons about the history, archeology, and geology of the region dating back millions of years. The NMW is rich in history. Nothing new there!

Its important to all of us to keep the North Maine Woods, as a Region, as it always has been. A very unique, privately owned,

multi-use forest that supports recreation and industry. It is the backbone of who we are and the legacy of people who came before us. Now, it is ours to care for and manage.

As far as what is new with North Maine Woods Inc.? Me, I am in my 9th month as the Executive Director. This is truly a dream job and my 3rd career. After 33 years as a Maine Forest Ranger, and a few years working for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians and the Aroostook County Sheriff ’s Department, I couldn’t turn this opportunity down. Thank you to the Board of Directors for hiring me. On another note, our highly esteemed Commercial Use Manager, Laura, has taken a new position elsewhere. She will be missed, but we wish her the best of luck with her new c a r e e r.

Thanks t o Chance Sawyer and his Eagle Scout project, we have a new 3 cell campsite at Clear Lake in T10 R11. This is a great addition to our current 350 site inventory and we anticipate that it will get some heavy use during all seasons. We con-

tinue to administer about 2,700 bear bait sites in and around the North Maine Woods, which is no small job. Thanks to all the Registered Maine Guides and Sporting Camps who are involved in such a coordinated effort.

Bill Greaves is executive director of North Maine Woods.

Finally, nothing really new here but we must remember that North Maine Woods is comprised of private and public landowner ship. This area is

Page 27

often referred to as the wood basket of Maine and supports the largest segment of our economy. The wood harvesting pays for the roads and bridges we drive on. Please take the time to thank a landowner for allowing us to recreate in such a beautiful and historic place. When you pass through one of the checkpoints and realize that our

fees have gone up slightly, please be understanding to the approximately 70 employees we are supporting.

They enjoy the conversations and they take great pride and enjoyment in being part of North Maine Woods.

Bill Greaves is directer of the North Maine Woods.

This photo of Wyatt beaming when he caught (and ate) this beautiful brookie, was sent in by his Dad, Daniel Nein.

The trout was from Greenville, Maine this September.

Lincoln

Send Us Your Favorite Game and Fish Recipes!

Most outdoor folks like to eat what they bring home from the woods or the waters. And you like to cook it yourself, too right? So what is your favorite culinary lashup with fish or fowl? The Northwoods Sporting Journal would like to know. And we invite you to help us share your proud concoction with all of our readers. Our Northwoods Sporting Journal website:www.sportingjournal.com has a new addition: Outdoor Connections, which includes “Sporting Journal’s Top Shelf Game & Fish Recipes.” It has become a popular spot for visitors to find some great outdoor recipes, not from TV cooks, but from folks like you who live it.

Email us your favorite outdoor recipe to editor, V. Paul Reynolds, at vpaulr@tds.net. We won’t send you any money, or give you a new boat and motor, but we will list your recipe with all the others, along with your name.

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By Bud Leavitt

Editor’s note: Maine’s late, well-known outdoor writer Bud Leavitt left us his legacy between the pages of his only book, Twelve Months in Maine. In this monthly feature, we reprint selected excerpts from his book courtesy of Bangor Publishing Company.

A kitchen stove and a block stove in the front room consume great quantities of wood.

The nearest farm home is half a mile away and the road is choked with drifts. Two of the kids have scarlet fever, another has croup, and a fourth is isolate in a cold upstairs bedroom.

He has been put there so he won’t infect members of the family. He has TB, or consumption as it was called in those days. The young boy has been pushed into a room to die, because, despite all the affection

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine of Yesterday

and care in the world, he’s had it. Worse still, he’s just eighteen.

Get a doctor?

Who are you kidding?

The doctor is 20 miles away by horse and cutter.

Those days, the oldtimers say, scarlet fever was a killer, but sometimes

brewed a pot of tea. He thawed his lunch. This was the man’s coffee break.

This favored individual may have been your dad, or your grandfather, and in those early days in this grand old state, when he stopped working, he stopped earning.

State O’ Mainers in the era of 1915 were truly our first great conservationists.

I remember two grandmothers as the tightest-fisted, most saving people I’ve known in my lifetime. They were first rate conservationists, though likely neither one of

Those days, the old-timers say, scarlet fever was a killer, but sometimes you saved a family member with boneset tea, ginger tea, and some hard whisky. The nurse-mother-housekeeper took her few winks in the kitchen rocking chair. you saved a family member with boneset tea, ginger tea, and some hard whisky. The nurse-mother-housekeeper took her few winks in the kitchen rocking chair.

All day the hardy husband-woodsman cut cordwood in the bush, at fifty cents a cord, using axe and crosscut.

At noon, he scooped away the snow behind a bushy spruce, lit a fire and

Perhaps some winters he went into the woods, working for the lumber companies at ten bucks a month and board-and ten more dollars if he brought his own team.

But to do this meant leaving his family alone to feed stock, cut wood, battle disease and do all the other work.

It’s my belief that those tough as pig iron

them ever heard the word conservation.

They both confessed to being frugal, but it was more than frugality. It was rather an intuitive awareness which cautioned them to give back to the earth if they expected to receive from it.

They were “just saving.”

And isn’t that was conservation is all about?

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Living twelve months a year in Maine takes some scraping and saving. Some hard going, the old-timers call it.

During the night, the furnace in the old days was turned off, the fire banked, and the family members relied on body heat trapped by thick homemade quilts to stay warm. Then when the morning ashes came from the furnace, they were screened for still valuable coals, and what ashes were left were set aside for making soap.

Yes, the tough folk of that period made soap, the strongest damn soap imaginable.

The process began when Grandmother fetched up the soap kettle.

Into the big, black kettle along with the ashes and lye went grease already used several times, and every last rind that had the last bit of nutrition boiled, roasted, or fried out of it.

Then came the dead wood from the fence line to get the stuff bubbling until it was time to cut out the big yellow cakes of soap.

Those wonderful and delightful Grams of yore would probably have been aghast to learn that their soap was not getting the house, clothes, dishes, and themselves hospital white because it wasn’t “mean clean,” the all-magic soap with the built-in purifiers.

But those early American Grams didn’t stop there. They made use of just about everything.

The late Bud Leavitt wrote an outdoor column for the Bangor Daily News for many years

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Equipped

(Cont. from pg 15) 10. Extra pair of woolen socks for the day pack.

Day Pack 1. Two compasses 2. GPS 3. Leatherman/ knife 4. Water 5.Flashlight/ Extra batteries 6. Disposable lighter/ matches 7. Rope 8. T-paper or Baby Wipes in Ziploc bag.

9. Piece of 3 X 6‘ plastic 10. Tin Cup 11. Mountain stove with butane canister 12. Rain gear 13. Extra socks 14. Extra ammo 15. Ziploc bag of tinder 16. Small survival kit Of course, a survival kit can be as large or small as you are willing to carry.

Mine contains matches, aspirin, fish hook and line, small mirror, whistle, instant soup, energy bars, tea bags, band aids, gauze, burn ointment, tweezers, four large nails wrapped in duct tape, pad of paper and pencil, and chemical hand warmers. If there is space, I may add some safety glasses. Leeds trophy hunter Ralph Norris carries these for his Western deer hunts.

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Page 29

They can come in handy if you wind up trying to find your way out of the woods after dark (protection from unseen branches).

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 30

Rut

(Cont. from pg 9) be active during downpours. This could lead to variations in rut activity, especially if the weather during peak breeding times becomes increasingly unpredictable, which has of course been the case in recent years. Bucks, which typically follow does in their quest to breed, might adjust their behaviors based on these environmental changes, leading to a potential alteration in the

timing of the rut.

The phenomenon of habitat fragmentation further complicates the picture. As humans encroach on natural habitats such as they do with square miles of solar farms, deer are often forced into smaller, more isolated areas. This can lead to changes in social structures and mating behaviors, as bucks may have to adapt their strategies to find mates in increasingly confined environments. The interplay of climate change and habitat

disruption could create unique challenges (which are probably already under way) for deer populations, potentially affecting the timing of the rut as well.

While some wildlife biologists argue that changes in rut timing may be more subtle than drastic shifts, others emphasize the importance of long-term data collection to truly understand these dynamics. Tracking the rut’s timing over several decades in various regions could reveal trends that are not

November 2024

immediately apparent. For example, in certain areas, hunters have reported noticing changes in deer activity, with some claiming that the rut seems to start earlier or later than in previous years. However, anecdotal evidence is difficult to substantiate without rigorous scientific study. My own deer camp can contribute volumes of anecdotal evidence.

Moreover, the impact of climate change on whitetail deer could also vary by region. Areas that

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experience more dramatic changes in temperature and precipitation may see more pronounced effects on rut timing than regions with relatively stable climates.

This regional variability underscores the necessity for localized studies that take into account the specific ecological and climatic contexts of deer populations.

It’s also crucial to consider the broader ecological implications of shifting rut timing. If the rut is affected, it could have cascading effects on population dynamics, fawn survival rates, and even predator-prey relationships. For example, if fawns are born at a time that does not coincide with optimal food availability due to changing seasonal patterns, it could lead to decreased survival rates and long-term population declines.

It’s already convincingly clear that changes in temperature, habitat, and weather patterns have the potential to influence our whitetail deer rut. Continued research and monitoring will try to keep up with those changes. In the meantime, those of us who spend much of our lives in the woods will just have to keep guessing. So far, it does seem as if the fawns are being born at roughly the same time each year, but if that has changed even slightly, it is very difficult to prove.

Randy Spencer is a working guide and author.

All of his award-winning books are available on Amazon, and his 6 albums of original music are available on all streaming services. Reach Randy at randy31@earthlink. net or www.randyspencer. com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Wild Game Fat & Flavor

Fat is wild game cookery’s ultimate mystery, both challenge and necessity. It is a contributor to meat’s taste, yet pungent wild game fat can adversely affect your venison. How do you best handle this?

How do we categorize fat as it relates to wild game cookery? On one hand, it is a necessity to contribute to the moisture of this lean meat, yet the natural fat of

but how can we adjust with good measure so that we get flavor and the moisture necessary to enjoy our venison or any other game meat? Meat that is stripped of all fat can taste extremely similar. Scientists have done blind taste tests on mutton - the strongest-flavored of domestic meats, and prime steak, each with every scrap of fat removed. No one could tell

or avocado oil or butter are examples.

Those of us that truly love cooking and eating wild game revel in the thought of how sumptuous it can be when the proper field-to-table principles are applied. As a seasoned Wild Game Chef, I can honestly state that your mastery of cooking game is really relevant to plugging in to educational resources

As I always teach in my wild game clinics, you are what you eat, and the atmosphere a game animal lives in plays a contributing factor to the final outcome of what you ultimately consume, hence my desire to hunt more on farmland and hardwoods.

game animals can produce an overpowering flavor that can ruin an otherwise pleasant game recipe.

You have to realize that the fat and flavor that is experienced in domestic meat is far less pronounced.

Most domestic animals live a sedentary lifestyle, eating primarily grain. When you convert your discussion to wild game, you can toss that all out the window.

As I always teach in my wild game clinics, you are what you eat, and the atmosphere a game animal lives in plays a contributing factor to the final outcome of what you ultimately consume, hence my desire to hunt more on farmland and hardwoods.

The flavor in all meat is a combination of age, exercise, species, breed and diet. Every one of these factors varies when hunting wild game. Of all the variables, diet; how much and of what is the most important for the true flavor of a meat.

A good diet means the animal will have fat on it, and fat does equals flavor,

them apart.

There are certain nuances related to cooking and the handling of wild game that will contribute to what ultimately ends up on your plate. Assuming that the proper field principles are put into practice, the first recommendation I make to everyone is to remove the natural fat from the animal. When it’s time to cook that protein, replace that animal fat with options that help maintain moisture for the meat but allow you to have better control of the flavor you want to experience; olive

that will help you gain understanding of some basic nuances, coupled with techniques and approaches that exercise your creativity. Understanding the role that fat plays in cooking your game is half the challenge. Start applying this simple principle and let it take you to new levels of wild cooking enjoyment!

Page 31

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

Bon appétit and happy hunting.

Venison & Apple Stuffed Shells with Pumpkin Sauce A flavorful recipe that can be enjoyed at Thanksgiving, and also be a dish for game dinners.

Ingredients 16-20 pasta shells 2 T of olive oil 1 lb. of ground venison (deer, bear, moose) 2 apples (Macoun, Cortland), peeled and small diced 1 medium sweet onion, peeled and small diced 2 C of fresh spinach Salt and pepper Nutmeg Ground sage 3/4 C of parmesan cheese

For the Pumpkin Sauce 2 T of butter 1 C of heavy cream 1/2 C of pureed pumpkin Nutmeg Pie spice 1/2 C of grated parmesan Directions Cook the pasta shells in boiling, salted water according to package directions.

Drain and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to keep shells from sticking to each other.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add 2-3 tablespoon olive oil.

Peel and chop apples and onions and add to pan.

Cook until translucent and (Flavor cont. pg 33)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Tales Of A Maine Woodsman Hardtack, ship’s biscuit, lembas, cram, hard bread. Whatever moniker you choose this culinary delight is the ideal survival food to carry while exploring the woods and waters of Maine. The complicated recipe is as follows; Hardtack 1 cup Flour ½ teaspoon Salt 1 teaspoon Thyme, dried. Not traditional but a little flavor goes a long way. ½ cup Water Mix dry ingredients.

Add half the water and mix. Continue adding water until a stiff dough is formed. Turn onto floured surface. Divide into four.

Roll into balls and flatten to 3/8 inch thick. Prick with a fork. Bake at 250F for four hours. Cool. Store

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like history. I like to study history and I like to experience history. That is a lot of “I likes” but understanding history requires more than reading about past events.

If you can put yourself in context then you may be better able to understand why things were done as

cally, hardtack. Raw flour will eventually go rancid.

Baked flour, twice baked flour to make it dehydrated as well, will keep indefinitely. If we look at the etymology of the word biscuit, it means twice baked.

Hence the terminology ship’s biscuit.

Some people may think, why not just go to the grocery store and get a box of granola bars? Well for some people hunting is simply about tagging a deer but for me it is more.

When I step into the woods I am stepping away from today’s society, to a place where the world is more self-sufficient and less dependent. Growing, killing and making my own food is part of the process. Step one, hardtack.

When I go into the woods, I carry a biscuit or two of hardtack, jerky and usually aged cheese. I do not go forth exploring for weeks at a time living off the land and the meager provisions that I can carry.

Within the constraints of modern life, I do like to go forth for the day and stop at noon for sustenance. Can I survive without the noontime meal? Most certainly,

Deer

or the vast private timberlands open to the public for recreational use. We like overgrown blueberry barrens and abandoned apple orchards. We don’t have soybean fields, corn fields, or hedgerows, but we do have pine plantations, cedar swamps, and hardwood ridges. Even the mention of “dog” and “deer” in the same sentence is taboo here. We don’t drive deer either. On the contrary, many of us wait all year to enjoy the solitude of the November woods.

When we talk about deer in Maine, we talk in pounds or points, not inches. We don’t have antler point restrictions, and though we like mature bucks as much as any other

state, we encourage hunters to harvest the deer that is right for them. Most deer shot in Maine are young.

We don’t quarter and pack out, we drag. Tree stumps and old forgotten ladder stands are common, shooting shacks and platform stands are not. One deer a year is the norm for the lucky hunter, maybe two with the new antlerless program. But the vast majority of Maine hunters will not harvest a deer during the season, and many will not even see one. When we do pull the trigger, most of our shots are close - within fifty yards, sometimes thirty; the woods are dark and dense here.

After a successful hunt, we keep things sim-

by Joel F. Tripp Limington, ME in sealed plastic bag. For a more palatable biscuit bake for two hours.

My wife thinks I am a nut (probably with reason) but I like to make AND eat hardtack. Part of the reason that I am a farmer, forester, logger, blacksmith is that I

they were.

Food, clothing and equipment are three areas where you can relatively easily put yourself in context of the time period you are trying to understand.

Politics, economics and religion are far more difficult and complicated. We will stick to the first three.

Today we are concerned with food, specifi-

My wife thinks I am a nut (probably with reason) but I like to make AND eat hardtack. Part of the reason that I am a farmer, forester, logger, blacksmith is that I like history.

(Cont. from pg 11) feeders or mineral licks.

Expansive food plots are rare. Most of us have never even heard of a sugar beet.

We don’t put up fences and our hunting clubs don’t own exclusive property rights. In fact, our hunting clubs are composed of the folks who stand around the bed of the truck with coffee when we tag a deer at the country store; we never do catch their names.

We ask permission to hunt private land with a knock on the door, and express our gratitude with a handshake, a story, and a roast or two, not a checkbook. We hunt state land,

November 2024

my body fat percentage is somewhat north of 0%.

By noon we have usually been in the woods for six hours with four more to go. That breakfast of bacon, eggs, yellow eyed baked beans and pancakes has been burned off and the stomach is wondering what is going on. All this walking and nobody is feeding the engine. Take 15 or 20 minutes, sit down and prepare something to eat. Hot is even better and will go a long way to making that stomach happy.

ple with our meat - steaks, roasts, ground, and sometimes sausage. However, we are more than willing to sample your Ohio sweet and spicy deer sticks, Texas shredded venison tacos, Minnesota venison and wild rice bratwurst, Wisconsin cheddar and cranberry summer sausage, and Pennsylvania venison pastrami. Oh yes, deer season is different here in Maine.

Next month; how to eat hardtack.

Joel F. Tripp is a Master Blacksmith and Maine Woodsman who rarely misses a meal. For more information go to; trippsend.com.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

November 2024

Lessons From Bear Camp

So, every season we relearn important things both from our successes and our mistakes. I guess the most obvious lesson that we must relearn every year is that big calibers and big bullets cannot make up for poor shot placement. In one case this season, one of my hunters was shooting .45/70 with Cor-Loct 405 gr. soft points. These rounds are super penetrators and real bear stoppers, that is if you shoot the bear in the vitals. They are of very little use when the animal is hit in the foot.

This only results in an injured bear. How does this happen? More on that later.

Another lesson is to discuss your ammo choices with your guide or at least with someone who has used that ammo on bear.

All game is not the same. Most importantly, if you discuss choices with your guide and something changes, talk about it.

Many of my clients, year after year are Massachusetts hunters. Most of you are aware in the People’s Republic of MA, they are only allowed to hunt deer with shotguns. Not a prob-

lem. A 12 gauge, 16 gauge, or 20 gauge shotgun with solid slugs like a Foster style slug is excellent bear medicine over bait. Sabot style slugs with FTX projectiles are most definitely not. The slug, which is actually a handgun bullet designed for rapid expansion on thin skin game like deer, expands violently upon entry. There is however, no exit wound. Do these kill bear? Yes, absolutely.

Do you have a blood trail?

Not so much. Fortunately, this happened during the third week of the season.

This is the week where a number of my fellow Hunter Education Instructors come to hunt. Drawing on their decades of hunting and tracking experience, we were able to recover the bear after a very long difficulty track.

Another lesson that is now part of my orientation is using new equipment.

Let me explain. Earlier in

incident, our next hunter was hunting with a bow.

After a missed opportunity, our bow hunter borrowed a brand new .45/70 Marlin by Ruger rifle from a successful fellow hunter.

He assured the owner of the rifle that he was very familiar with lever guns.

He said he grew up shooting a Marlin .30/30. The very first sit in the stand

Flavor

butter in a medium pan.

Add heavy cream and pumpkin and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and a dash of nutmeg and pie spice and 1/2 cup Parmesan and remove from heat.

Cover the bottom of a baking pan with some of the sauce. (You could use a 9×13 pan).

Begin stuffing the shells and arranging them in the baking pan.

Once all the shells are stuffed, pour the rest of the pumpkin sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining

Parmesan.

Place in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted.

(Cont. from pg 31) add venison. When the venison is browned, add the spinach and let wilt down. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and sage to taste.

Remove from stove and transfer to a separate bowl and add 1/2 cup Parmesan, saving 1/4 of the cheese for the top.

Making the Pumpkin Sauce For the sauce, melt the

the article, I mentioned a bear shot in the foot. In this case, the hunter had a new scope on his rifle with a lighted reticle. This hunter had practiced with this new scope and become proficient with it. The issue was he had never practiced in the declining light of an afternoon in the Maine woods. As the light diminishes, the light of the reticle intensity must be lowered down or the sight picture becomes a bright, flared star, almost obliterating the target. Thus, resulting in a wounded bear. In another

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

with the rifle, resulted in a very large bear showing up and him pulling the trigger.

Click, nothing. Cocked the hammer and click. Again, nothing. He assumed that the handloads were faulty.

The bear left. When I picked him up at the end of the night, I explained to him about the cross bolt safety on newer lever guns.

This safety is not present on his older .30/30. My last example is symptomatic of the toll that growing older

The issue was he had never practiced in the declining light of an afternoon in the Maine woods. As the light diminishes, the light of the reticle intensity must be lowered down or the sight picture becomes a bright, flared star, almost obliterating the target.

Denny Corriveau is Award-Winning Native American Game Chef. He is a Wild Game Evangelist and a nationally recognized trendsetter and pioneer for preparing wild game. He is also the National Game Chef for TenPoint Crossbows. You can learn more @www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff

Page 33

takes. This hunter had just been prescribed progressive lenses for his glasses.

He did not want to drive with the new glasses. He decided that sitting in the stand for hours would be a good opportunity to try out the new glasses and get used to them. Enter smokey the bear. Looking through the scope with his new glasses, he saw two sets of crosshairs. He chose the one he thought was right and fired. The round went harmlessly over the bears’ back. The good news is most everyone was successful, including these hunters later in the week.

It was a very good season. These stories are now part of my orientation meeting. Hopefully, to avoid other folks from making the same errors.

There were also a couple of reminders. There were two youth hunters who shot bears this season. One was hunting with his grandfather and the other was hunting with his father.

We also had a first-time bear hunter hunting with her significant other. They were all successful. Once again, I believe their hunting partners were prouder and happier than if they had shot the bear themselves. I know I was.

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

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

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

Page 34

The Gun Cabinet

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Hunt Like an Owl

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME For many hunters, taking a mature 200 pound plus whitetail buck is a lifetime achievement. Big mature bucks are wily and love to prove it to you all season long. If you know there is a bruiser cruising the woods near your stand, but can never put eyes on him, take a few tips from one of the fiercest hunters

November 2024

hollow. A lot can be learned from nature - especially from a natural predator.

Belong If you don’t spend a lot of time in the woods before deer season, you are bound to go through an acclimation process. It is a form of detox from the hustle of the everyday world. The quicker you

when I achieve this mental state and far less when I bring the outside world in with me.

Be still Owls define patience.

They can sit on their perch watching the forest floor for hours without moving. When they do need to move their head to scan different avenues, they do it slowly and deliberately.

So should you.

Any necessary movement made on stand should

Be true When the owl swoops down on its prey, it is with a precision strike. Waiting for the proper presentation can make all the difference

tridge with nothing to show for it. Don’t let your eagerness get the best of you. Put the thoughts of how heavy the buck is or how you will get the mount done out of

Owls define patience. They can sit on their perch watching the forest floor for hours without moving. When they do need to move their head to scan different avenues, they do it slowly and deliberately. So should you. in the woods – the Great Horned Owl. If you hunt the Maine woods chances are you’ve heard the call of the Great Horned Owl. I hear these magnificent birds routinely as I creep into the tree line under the cover of darkness and even sometimes as I watch the sun set through the mixed hardwoods, across the ridge from my spot deep in the woodland

put thoughts of chores and upcoming obligations out of your mind, the quicker you will find peace and the awareness that comes with it. Think of it as hunting yoga.

When squirrels scamper by you without a second glance and the blue jays remain silent, you are relaxed and in the zone.

Much like the owl perched on high, be observant of everything and a part of the environment – not an intruder in it. I’ve seen more deer, some passing within feet of my stand,

be minimized. Does that itch really need to be scratched again or are you just fidgeting? When moving your hands, bring them slowly towards your body and up towards your head.

Keep the smallest profile you possibly can.

Deer aren’t very good at picking up detail at a distance but they are very keen at noticing movement. Big bucks are the wariest of deer and even the slightest movement can send them bounding over the ridge long before you see them.

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The author with a Maine big woods buck. when taking your shot. A clear broadside shot to the vitals will ensure a quick, ethical kill. Pulling the trigger before you have a clear path to the vitals can lead to a wounded and lost animal.

Buck fever is nothing to be ashamed of but must be controlled to the very best of your ability. Not many hunters can honestly say their heart doesn’t pound like a jackhammer when a big 10 point buck steps into the open.

What you do next will determine whether you have the hunting tale of a lifetime or an empty car-

your mind. Stay calm. Stay focused.

Like the Great Horned Owl, patiently wait for your quarry to be in the best possible position and when the moment comes – strike.

John is a Registered Maine Guide, an NRA Certified Instructor and is the owner of Tucker Ridge Outdoors in Webster Plantation, Maine. He is also an active member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association. Reach him at john@tuckerridge.me or on Facebook @tuckerridgeoutdoors

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

End of Maine’s Caribou

Maine’s caribou faded into history in the same era as the buffalo, passenger pigeon, and Labrador duck.

By the late 1880s, most of Maine’s big pines were cut, and Bangor’s lumber barons schemed to earn

tions” of caribou in Maine; one in the 1840s and another starting about 1861 and reaching maximum abundance between 1870 and the early-1890s. They were common in western, northern, and Down

for the novelty of hunting moose and caribou. In the 1890s, outdoor writers noted declining caribou and moose numbers, and the rapid expansion of deer into northern Maine.

Some called for the end of caribou hunting. Others protested and claimed the barrens and reindeer lichen of northern Maine were “inexhaustible.” In 1895, the Game Commissioners reduced the bag limit to one caribou. But

Page 35

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME

or will ever return…From all accounts which have been brought in by hunters and prospectors who have toured the Maine forests for the past two years, the caribou have become practically extinct in Maine.”

In 1905 H.W. Rowe wrote about the “caribou question” in the Maine Sportsman. One side be-

caribou. The plateaus of the grand old mountain and in the Traveler and Spencer mountains provided just the sort of feeding ground the caribou dotes on. The great herds roamed back and forth across these plateaus at will and multiplied, undisturbed except by a few of the most hardy sportsmen…Twelve years

“When the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again.” William Beebe

their second fortunes from spruce and fir. Railroads snaked their way north to Rangeley, Greenville, Millinocket, Kingfield, and Ashland. Trains filled with legions of hunters and anglers hoping to experience the last of a sportsmen’s paradise. Train cars returned with the carcasses of moose, caribou, deer and stacks of 25-pound boxes of iced brook trout for table fare in Boston and New York. During the Post-Civil War era, an exuberant nation reveled in the nation’s natural riches, but the wealth was fleeting and paradise soon was lost.

Early outdoor writers recorded two great “migra-

East Maine as far south as Bangor. Manley Hardy, a fur dealer and natural historian, wrote about hunters encountering “droves” of 25 to 50 caribou on the Cherryfield blueberry barrens and Chemo Bog, across the Penobscot River from Bangor.

In 1830, Maine established a big game season from September 1 to December 31, but harvest was unlimited. It wasn’t until 1883 that Maine’s Game Commissioners set bag limits for big game.

Mainer’s and nonresidents could kill 1 moose, 2 caribou, and 3 deer each fall.

Nonresident sports flocked to Maine on the railroads

it was too little, too late.

The last caribou season in Maine was in 1898 when about 160 caribou were harvested. In April of 1899, the Legislature closed the upcoming season and for 6 years thereafter. Maine never reopened a caribou season.

Caribou persisted past the turn of the century in the Mt. Katahdin area and some remote parts of Aroostook County. B. H. Dutcher wrote to Forest and Stream in 1903 about caribou seen on Mt. Katahdin. His letter said it all, “Unfortunately the awakening of public sentiment in regard to the importance of game preservation did not take place while the animals (caribou) were still abundant, and their absence now can in part at least be attributed to wanton destruction.”

Their numbers continued to dwindle. Reports of poaching appeared in the sporting journals. In 1905, the Maine Game Commissioners reported, “There is no indication that the caribou are returning

lieved the caribou were overharvested, another thought they migrated to “other pastures” and would return. Many believed the latter, especially because of reports of a small number of caribou being regularly seen on the Tablelands of Mt. Katahdin that year.

He wrote, “Twenty-five years ago, according to the stories of the old hunters, a person could not ascend Mt. Katahdin without seeing large herds of

ago a herd of 16 caribou was seen on Katahdin and since that time a stray bull or cow sighted occasionally in the northern part of the state has been the only trace of the great herds of caribou which once roamed over the state…The small herd on Katahdin is only a relic…The law that has made it a crime to kill caribou…may save these remaining few, but if the members of this small herd (Caribou cont. pg 38)

989-4341

Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

November 2024

Celebrating Solitude

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME A shroud of darkness—complete and impenetrable—dwarfed my small dome tent. By my best guess, the closest human was a couple of miles away, or more. This state of affairs, however, did not alarm me. In fact, I welcomed it. Where I grew up, in southeastern Pennsylvania, there were far fewer wild places open to the public, and they were crowded. I could live here in Maine for the rest of my life and never tire of searching out new places to explore. Never take for granted the peace to be found in the woods and waters of our state.

ville’s 50 th International Seaplane Fly-in. I had hustled north the minute that school let out on Friday, and had camp set up by sunset. After writing last year about this very campsite on the Little Moose Public Reserved Land, I had been a bit surprised to find no other vehicles parked at the trailhead on this busy weekend.

In the grand scheme of solo adventures, this was a simple one. But it did seem a bit edgy later, to be walking a good half mile back into camp in the pitch black after dinner with friends.

“Aren’t you terrified

myself as I cannot amid the whirlwind of everyday life.

In his book The Singing Wilderness, Sigurd Olson shares the emotions that often fill me in these quiet times. “Over all was the silence of the wilderness, that sense of oneness

I thought as I sat there of the ancient admonition ‘Be still and know that I am God,’ and knew that without stillness there could be no knowing.”

When nature called, I unzipped my way out of the tent, keeping my flashlight off for a time. Countless brilliant stars crowned the night. Below me, waves lapped the shore with a comforting steadiness. I breathed in pure fir, carried strongly on the damp air.

It was early September, the weekend of Green-

to be out there alone? I could never do that!” I often hear. Well, no, being alone in the wild does not scare me. Solitude comes naturally to me, and it is in solitude that I often find my best self. All my life, I have been comfortable alone in wild places. I relish my own company, think my own thoughts, and listen to

that comes only when there are no distracting sights or sounds, when we listen with inward ears and see with inward eyes, when we feel and are aware with our entire beings rather than our senses. I thought as I sat there of the ancient admonition ‘Be still and know that I am God,’ and knew that without stillness there could be no knowing.”

One of my go-to pieces of gear these days is a

small rechargeable light that hangs by a cute little carabiner from the tent ceiling. The Barebones Beacon Lantern is a lightweight nine ounces, features two brightness levels, and usually lasts me for a few evenings of bedtime reading. That September night, I left it on as I walked to the privy.

Strolling back toward the tent, I could see a small dark shape outlined against the golden glowing dome. It was, I realized, the perfect silhouette of a red-backed salamander, so clear that I could almost count its tiny toes—four on its front feet and five on the back. I gently moved it to the forest floor and went smiling back to my sleeping bag, knowing I would remember our midnight encounter as a highlight of my time alone at Big

Moose Pond.

The Little Moose Public Reserved Land, less than ten miles from Greenville, encompasses 14,000 acres. There are eight ponds and eight primitive walk-in campsites, all first come, first served. If you plan to have a campfire, remember to obtain a free fire permit in advance from the Maine Forest Service, and enjoy the solitude!

Laurie Apgar Chandler is the author of Through Woods & Waters, which provides an adventurous look at Maine’s Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and Upwards, the story of her 2015 solo self-propelled thru-paddle of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. To learn more or purchase the books, please visit www. laurieachandler.com

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Camping in the Maine Woods

This beautiful account of an experience while camping in the Maine Woods was written by Y., an anonymous Bangor resident who published it in

sand torches were blazing with it.

All was still, save the occasional hoot of an owl and cry of the loon, which broke in upon the still-

Forest and Stream on August 19, 1886.

“After supper, feeling quite tired, I wrapped myself in my blanket preparatory to going asleep. I lay for some time but was unable to close my eyes.

At length I arose, and putting aside the curtain of the tent, looked out. It was midnight. The moon had just risen, peering over yonder mountain top, and its light, reflected on the waters of the lake, lit up the forest around as if a thou-

ness of the night like an intrusion. In the distant mountain glade could be heard the moose calling for his mate; in the swamp the cry of the whippoorwill.

The camp-fire had nearly gone out and a few embers were still smoking. It was then that nature seemed most grand and beautiful.

Giving up all idea of again seeking sleep, I awoke one of the guides and bade him paddle me out on the lake. Never shall I forget that night if I live to be a

hundred years old. Words cannot describe it. I sat in the bow of the canoe gazing in wonder and admiration on the scene before me. The light birch glided silently over the water; the paddle being wielded in the skillful hands of the Indian.

Not a word had been spoken by either of us since we left the shore, each being occupied with his own thoughts. Indeed, there seemed to be a solemnity about the scene that made

Page 37

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

An Outing in Maine From Shooting & Fishing, Nov. 26, 1891, W. B. Garfield of Boston, camped on the Rapid River in the Rangeley region and related how to make a good camp bed.

“I would add a word regarding the camp bed.

Make the bed of hemlock boughs, broken rather short, with the stub ends down and the tops leaning one way. Commence at the head log and lay a row from The east was already aglow with left to right, then another gold and purple clouds. The moon had until the space is all filled sunk in the west just as the sun made in. A second layer will be its appearance announcing the put on after one night’s use.

It takes a little time to make approach of another day. Silently we a good camp bed, but it is paddled back to camp. time well used and pays As I sat down to a good return in the extra one abstain from speaking lest all should vanish like breakfast, I could hardly comfort obtained.” believe that I had not waka dream.

Toward the further ened from a dream. A mist Steve is an avid hiker, shore, directly in the ray seemed before my eyes, be- paddler, and historian, havof the moon, stood a deer yond which was the picture ing collected over 40,000 drinking from the lake, his of that beautiful night.”

Maine Woods articles to slender figure standing out date. plainly from the dark forest behind. I tried to raise my rifle but could not lift it; it seemed as if it had become Steve Pinkham an immense weight that Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller could not be moved. Thus, I gazed upon the picture 617-407-0743 before me, hardly knowing steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com whether I was awake or in

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a dream.

The flight of time was unheeded. Suddenly the spell was broken by the cry of a loon. One by one the stars had disappeared from the sky. The east was already aglow with gold and purple clouds. The moon had sunk in the west just as the sun made its appearance announcing the approach of another day.

Silently we paddled back to camp.

Old Tales of the Maine Woods

www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com

Page 38

Caribou

(Cont. from pg 35) are killed off by poachers the last survivors of one of Maine’s greatest game animals will have disappeared.” A. Lorenz, a botanist who studied arctic

Northwoods Sporting Journal

plants on Katahdin, wrote in 1917, “The caribou have all moved north; of the herd of 80 formerly inhabiting the tableland, the last one was seen there in 1908.”

After reviewing the historic records in 1938, zoologist Ralph Palmer

surmised, “The year 1908 appears to be the last during which caribou were reported for Katahdin. Lorenz stated briefly that they were seen there during that year, while W. M. Ellicott mentioned them in a note in Forest and Stream

(1908). The latter author made a trip to the Maine woods in October, 1908, and recorded that 14 caribou were said to have been seen near the top of the mountain, and that guides and sportsmen were glad to have them back after years of absence.” Maine’s caribou were gone.

Reminders of Maine’s caribou live on only in a collection of dusty, old caribou mounts hanging in sporting camps and museums. Their memory is enshrined by the many Caribou Ponds, Caribou Bogs, and Caribou Streams on topographic maps and of course Caribou is the namesake of Aroostook County’s largest city. Attempts to reintroduce caribou to Maine in 1963 and

November 2024

1986-90 failed to forgive Mainer’s of their mistakes made a century past.

What lessons do we take from this eulogy of the magnificent herds that once roamed the Northwoods?

With climate change, it will take the passing of “another heaven and another earth” before caribou venture back to Mt. Katahdin.

Let us think generations beyond our fleeting lives and have the wisdom to preserve our natural riches for future Americans.

Mark McCollough was the leader of the Maine Caribou Reintroduction Project in the late 1980s, a century after Maine’s last caribou hunt. He can be reached at markmccollough25@gmail.com

Best Shot!

David Trahan Excutive Director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) enjoys the Sporting Journal during a break at the September SAM Banquet.

November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Bear, Deer, and Turkeys!

Page 39

On The Ridge

by Joe Judd Shelburne, MA

First off, bear hunters in, or who might be considering coming into, Massachusetts could be looking at some major changes within the next few years when it comes to extended bear hunting seasons and opportunities in the Bay State.

Presentations to MassWildlife Officials, made earlier this month by Black Bear Project leaders, emphasized the need for picking up the pace in addressing the high numbers of black bears now found in Massachusetts.

Yes, we’ve come a long way since that first bear hunting season in 1980! But now the state needs to find ways to stabilize the numbers even more, which will take a little more time, but in the end, will very likely lead to eventual changes in extended seasons and, quite possibly, bag limits that will bring great news for hunters who chase black bear the Bay State! Thanks to all involved, for your hard work on this issue, and for being such great stewards of this wonderful resource. Also, to the Mass. Sportsmen’s Council for their constant voice on behalf of the sportsmen and women of Massachusetts.

In the meantime, if you’re thinking about head-

ing to Massachusetts for an out of state hunt, Archery season for deer, and the fall turkey hunting season, are coming on fast, with the two coinciding between Oct 7th and Oct 19th when you can take a turkey and/ or a deer with your bow.

(Check the abstracts for all regulations, additional season dates, exact bag limits, and WMD restrictions for both deer and turkey). And while all of us love bow hunting for deer, I never understood why fall turkey hunting never got the love it deserves, except from diehards like me who, perhaps, just want to be a maverick, or from others who are trying it out for the very first time.

But let’s be honest, we all know that spring is where it’s at for turkey hunting, and that persuading folks to give fall birds a shot is usually a waste of time. But I’m here to tell you that hunting these birds now, will make you a better turkey hunter come next April, and you can rely on that! The simple fact is this, the more turkey hunting you do, and the more you understand the communications and habits of individual birds and flocks, the better you’re going to be during the spring. The more you open the door, the

sometimes two flocks, of to drag yourself away from live birds interacting with a deer stand to chase fall each other in the fall. It turkeys but, when you do it always makes me scratch right, it can be a complete my head when people tell rush! Even better is knowme that, “fall birds re- ing that the experiences ally aren’t that vocal.” you gain with fall turkeys Believe me when I tell you, will, without a doubt, make more you’ll soon realize fall birds are vocal, and at you a better all-around turthat turkeys have a reason times, very vocal. In fact, key hunter, which is more for everything, and this is even though you won’t than enough reason to get never more evident than in hear gobbles (sometimes out there and dance with you do, and I have no idea some “Autumnal Equithe autumn of the year!

And it’s all equal, And it’s all equal, whether you’re whether you’re dealing dealing with flocks of hens and poults, with flocks of hens and or a bachelor group of gobblers, there’s poults, or a bachelor group always a noticeable pattern to where of gobblers, there’s always a noticeable pattern they go and what they do, as their daily routines dictate it. to where they go and what they do, as their daily rou- why), if you encounter a nox,” turkeys! tines dictate it. From dawn flock, you will hear everyto dusk, they’ll originate thing a wild turkey has in at the roost site and often its repertoire, and that’s an Joe Judd is a lifelong end up again at that same education that you simply hunter and sportsman, He roost site, or very near it, cannot purchase anywhere. is an outdoor writer, semiespecially if it’s close to That knowledge carries nar speaker. Member of a notable food site! And over nicely into the spring the New England Outdoor believe me when I tell you season, especially if you Writers Association, and that fall birds can some- hunt pressured birds where a 2019 inductee into the times move like clockwork it’s critical at times to say N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall in their day-to-day interac- exactly the right things at of Fame. Joe is also on the tions and travels, if they exactly the right time!

Quaker Boy Game Calls aren’t hindered by harsh All that said, in the and Bass Pro/Cabela’s weather, predators, or too fall, I know how hard it is Pro-Staff. much hunting pressure, which is seldom a problem in the fall. However, these same rules can also apply to springtime birds as well, at least to the hens. And if you understand what route the ladies are taking throughout the day, you’ll understand where the gobblers are likely to be as well. And in any season, that’s a huge advantage!

I also don’t believe there’s a better way to learn to really call wild turkeys than to listen to a flock,

Greenville

Page 40

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Scouting for Opportunity

Marsh Island Chronicles has gone unfulfilled. I am confined, then, to the open rifle season, for which my Weatherby Vanguard in .30-’06 Springfield seems to be well-suited.

Last year, I passed up the head-start offered

Making my way to my usual haunt early in the morning, I set up nearby where I had unsuccessfully tried calling in a turkey the previous May. This was not by accident. I have been unsuccessful in my expeditions there for a few years, blaming my unused tags on a large woods operation across the road

I might have a chance at taking a deer but never do. Here was a chance to change that streak of luck.

I’m something of a purist when it comes to being ready when the clock strikes the hour that hunting can begin legally, which in Maine is a half-hour before sunrise. I like to get in the woods early so things can settle down, I can get my gear situated, and I can catch my breath and relax. When the clock strikes, I load my rifle, put on the safety, and begin the watch.

T h i s day that hour struck at 6:47 a.m. I had already been set up for about fifteen minutes; but al-

by Resident’s-Only Day, not out of any sense of protest, but rather because it was unseasonably warm.

By ten in the morning the temperatures were already in the upper sixties, and knowing how fast meat can spoil in those kinds of temperatures, I sat it out.

The next week, though, fall had returned in all of its frosty glory.

that seemed to change the pattern of the movement of the local deer. During my spring turkey hunt, though, I saw a couple of small groups of does meandering a few dozen yards away across a short ridge.

“There you are,” I said under my breath, and after a little late-morning scout, marked the spot in my vast mental catalogue of places

most on cue, I heard a distant crashing get rapidly closer. Now, I’m not ashamed to admit I can be fooled by a two-hundredpound squirrel as easily as the next eager deer hunter; but when one comes in, you can’t mistake it. As the buck came into range, I brought up my rifle—and waited. Both of our movements had betrayed the other; the difference was that the buck couldn’t quite figure out what I was, and

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME There have been many changes over the years to Maine’s laws regarding deer hunting. These have opened the doors of opportunity to many sportsmen beginning this year in early September and only ending for muzzleloader and ar-

Both of our movements had betrayed the other; the difference was that the buck couldn’t quite figure out what I was, and as early as it was, I wanted to be good and sure I had a full sight picture on him.

chery hunters in the middle of December. I still think of the opening day of the rifle season as the start to the deer season. Despite my affinity for the outdoors, I’ve yet to take up archery, and I haven’t hunted during the late muzzleloading season for many years, in fact selling my smokepole twenty years ago.

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as early as it was, I wanted to be good and sure I had a full sight picture on him.

Finally, I was square on his shoulder, slowly squeezed the trigger, and— BOOM! My multi-year deer success drought was over in a downpour of hunting success. Just like that.

He dropped right where he stood, not thirtyfive yards out and less than ten minutes into the hunting day. The healthy young four-pointer barely tipped the scales at a hundred and thirty pounds, and after the work of dressing him off, dragging out, registering, and hanging for a few days, I had the meat cut up and the taxidermy arranged by my good friend John Dykstra at Northland Taxidermy.

The first rule for success in hunting—as if I need to point it out—is to scout the area; find the patterns. Hunting as a complete package is so much more involved than just the moment of truth. In all the seasons we turn the pages of, developing that set of skills may be the greatest opportunity of all.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Good Survival Food

When it comes to survival kits, food is low on the list of priorities. None of us is going to starve in two or three days. However, life is much easier when you are not angry hungry.

For a basic survival kit, you need food that is compact and able to fit in your pocket. We are

For a vehicle survival kit you have more options because of more space. If it is not freezing temperatures outside, keep a few bottles of water and food that you like. In New England, you will need to rotate out foods that shouldn’t freeze; so cans of soup, pasta, meat, etc. are fine.

safe option for cooking and to store in your car.

(Do not try to cook inside the car) Being able to cook gives you more options for food and drinks. Be sure you have a small soup pot with the stove. You should never cook or heat food in cans, most cans now have a plastic liner inside so use a regular pot.

For home you have whatever food is in your kitchen or pantry. During a black out/Power outage

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME gallon plastic lid opener, the lids are difficult to open without it.

Military style meals (MREs) are a good option because of how they are packaged and they are designed to be easy to carry and eat. The problem is they are expensive. They average between $10 and $30 per meal. Each meal

A less expensive option is “Humanitarian Aid Meals” available on Amazon. They are $30 per case of 10, so $3 per meal.

considering one to three days so nutrition is not a consideration. Protein bars, energy bars, and granola bars are good choices.

Mixed nuts or peanuts with M&Ms mixed in are good as well. You are looking for an energy boost, not a balanced meal. If you have a very compact survival kit, consider hard candy. Tea, coffee, or hot chocolate is also good to have for a morale boost.

Peanut butter is also good.

In winter, consider what food can withstand freezing. Oatmeal, grits, Ramen noodles, hot drinks.

Never keep canned soda in a car especially in winter.

If you need to melt snow for water in the winter you should melt ice if you can find it. Snow has enough air in it it can scorch before it melts.

A Sterno stove and canned heat/Sterno is a

you should eat the food in your refrigerator first, then freezer, then shelf stable food.

You should have some food packed so you can just grab it and go if you have to evacuate for whatever reason. If you go to a shelter or even a friend’s house you want to have your own food for at least a few days.

A 5 gallon pail with a lid is compact and easy to carry. Get one that is food safe, they are usually white color and have a label that says “food safe”. That way you can carry drinkable water in them as well if you need to. Be sure to get a 5

Page 41

2 entrees, 2 packs of crackers, peanut butter, jelly, a pack of pop tarts, a large fig bar, a large shortbread cookie, and an accessory pack. The pack has a napkin, spoon, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and a book of matches.

The food is kind of bland compared to what I am used to eating, but it is very filling. For $3 a day for 2,000 calories the price can’t be beat. It is a much better option than going hungry. The meals can be eaten cold (room temp) but they taste much better heated.

4 of these meals in a 5 gallon pail with some canned soups, prepackaged Oatmeal, beef jerky, some chocolate or your favorite candy, whatever you like could keep one person going for a week. Be sure you have a water filter, cook pot and a small (sterno) stove.

Be creative with your food, consider what you would want and how weather will effect the stability of the food.

is usually about 1,500 calories.

A less expensive option is “Humanitarian Aid Meals” available on Amazon. They are $30 per case of 10, so $3 per meal. (This is what I paid as I’m writing this, September 2024) Each meal is 2,000 calories and designed for a full day of food.

They are packed the same way as military meals. Each meal is in its own outer plastic package, and each component is packed and labeled. All the packs are made to be Joe is a husband, faopened by hand, no tools ther, author and marine. or knives needed. There are Joefrazier193@gmail.com

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Page 42

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Essence of the Hunt

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME The long wait is over.

Deer season is upon us once again. Bow hunters have been at it for a while, but the majority of hunters hit the woods during the firearms season. Deer hunters hit the woods for a variety of reasons. For some it’s just about getting out in the woods and enjoying mother nature and hope

November 2024

Lone Rangers. We don’t like to be on any schedule to meet up with anybody during the day. We just want to roam wherever the day or buck sign may take us. It’s even more so when there is tracking snow, as we never know where we will end up. As I’ve got to the geriatric stage, I carry and Inreach so I can mes-

journey at a young age and some start later in life, but the important thing is that they started. From there the journey goes through a learning phase and an experience phase. In this age of social media, there is too much emphasis on rack score, weight, etc. There are idiots on social media that poke fun at people for shooting a smaller buck, without even knowing the circumstances of the hunter. The hunter may have

From learning how to navigate the woods, to honing your shooting skills, you must get proficient at killing the quarry. It takes a lot of time and practice to get good, but it will be well worth your journey.

The most import thing to remember is to enjoy your journey. There are plenty of things to enjoy

the next time you will go further and then once you complete a marathon, your time will get better with each one you run. When you start out deer hunting, you may struggle for a few years before shooting your first deer. You shouldn’t worry about how big your first deer is because if you don’t shoot your first one,

and learn in the woods.

It might be simple things like watching a red squirrel chatter about, listening to a partridge drum on clear cold morning or a beaver working to put up his feed bed for the winter. It might be learning what kind of trees there are in your hunting area and where they grow. By studying how nature interacts in the woods will make you more able to blend in and be in tune with your surroundings. This in turn will make you a better hunter and woodsman. This in turn will make you more successful in all of your hunting.

To recap on the evolution of a hunter. It’s kind of like running a marathon. In the beginning you may not even be able to complete the distance, but

how are you ever going to shoot your second one? As you build on that success, you may decide to try and shoot a bigger buck the big bucks are harder to kill, so you will have to increase your skill level, instead of relying on luck. Once you shoot your biggest buck, that accomplishment will propel you even further ahead in your journey.

Where you want to go is totally up to you. Keep in mind that enjoying the journey is the most important thing.

Good Luck On the trail!

It’s important that we always remember the true essence of the hunt. I wrote an article some time ago about the evolution of a deer hunter. It was basically about how every hunter starts somewhere and advances along their own journey at their own pace. to encounter a buck to put their tag on. Other hunters, see it as a chance to take a kid or new hunter out and help guide them along hoping to spark a fire in them.

For other hunters, it’s a family and friends affair, where hunting as a group pulls them together for the fellowship and friendship.

The smallest group of hunters are the ones that hunt by themselves. Sure, they probably share a camp with other friends, but they usually strike off on their own to hunt each day and share the stories in camp at night. I’m in the last group of what I like to call the

sage one of my friends for a ride back to my truck.

Those long walks back in the dark after a day on the track are getting a little harder. Whichever group you are in, be thankful that we have the opportunity to hunt these majestic creatures.

It’s important that we always remember the true essence of the hunt. I wrote an article some time ago about the evolution of a deer hunter. It was basically about how every hunter starts somewhere and advances along their own journey at their own pace.

Some hunters start their

shot his first deer or is just trying to feed his family.

Thankfully, the idiots are few and far between, and most hunters are cheering on each other and happy for their success.

Every hunter’s journey is their own and personal to them. Sure, everyone needs some help to get started on the journey, whether its reading books, watching films or going to seminars, but it is ultimately up to everyone to gain their own knowledge through their own experiences. Learn be doing, because it’s all theory until you see it for yourselves.

Hal is a Master Maine Guide and author. He lives in Moose River Maine with his wife Deb and can be contacted at: hal@bigwoodsbucks.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 44

Warden’s Words

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME There are many activities in the Maine woods that I enjoy doing during my days off from being a Warden. Deer tracking on November snow and casting dry flies to big native trout are two activities that are at the very top of my list of favorites, but moose hunting stands alone. It

coming in is a one-thousand-pound beast looking for fight!

I have been extremely lucky to have been a part of several Maine moose hunts over the years. I have participated in over a dozen, had my name drawn three times as a permittee and been a sub-permittee on

November 2024

A Bull in the Hand.. helpers in other vehicles.

We b e g a n M o n day morning by walking and calling in some marshy, swamp country that had a good amount moose sign. Dad toted his trusty Remington Model 760 in .270 and I carried my Thompson Center chambered in .300 short mag that my grandfather gave me when I was hired as a Game Warden. Like

of the day riding some new country and looking at a few other areas for any potential spots to try throughout the week. All along the way telling stories and

mit. An area with several one to three year old clear cuts that had ample vegetation and feed for moose.

Fresh rakings and tracks in the road got us both ex-

A couple shots later and we harvested a young Maine bull moose. This was the smallest moose I had ever taken, but this was by far my favorite hunt I’ve ever been a part of. To hunt, shoot, butcher and pack out this moose with my Dad, is a memory I will always remember and cherish. may be that in order to hunt Moose, you must be lucky enough to be drawn in our lottery system, but I believe it’s the adrenaline and excitement that comes with pursuing these creatures in the places they live. I tell people who are familiar with turkey hunting but have never moose hunted before, that it is a similar hunt with responsive calling, except the animal

two others. Out of the five moose permits I have been on, four of those ended in the ultimate success of harvesting Maine’s largest game animal.

This past September, my father was drawn for a Zone 2 moose permit and I was to be his subpermittee. Unlike other years, it was just the two of us on the hunt. No giant entourage of spectators and

most guns, both of these have sentimental value to both of us. We walked and called all morning without any response but the cackling laugh of a Kingfisher.

On our way back to the truck we kicked up some cows that were bedded along the edge of a spruce plantation that sounded like a stampede of cattle charging over the landscape. We spent the middle

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joking back and forth. The day finished without any more moose sighting and no responses to any of my calling and raking.

Tuesday morning we transitioned into a new area that I had hunted a few years ago on my last per-

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The author and his dad with a small bull.

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cited as I again began cow calling all morning, but yet again…no responses. The “rut” did not seem to have kicked off yet. We moved to a different cut later in the morning and watched two cows with calves feeding their way up a ridge. As we watched the moose feeding, a lynx came walking down the road towards us before turning and loping off in the direction he came.

Again we both talked about how fortunate we are to (Bull cont. pg 51)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Page 45

Maple Country Outdoors

Whitetail Goals

Finally, we’ve made it to November. The sting of last years unfilled tags are in the past, and new goals are set. Perhaps I’ve even achieved some of them by now. For me goals, not just in hunting, but in life are fluid. Once

farm land, kill a good buck tracking, and keep getting the kids involved in hunting. Here is how I plan to attack each goal, though the logistics of all three will likely take longer than a single season.

Killing a big buck on

of bow hunting here.

Goal number two is to track down and kill a nice big woods buck. While I’ve tracked and killed bucks, including my heaviest VT deer, I haven’t been able to commit a lot of time to hunting up North and chasing snow. All of the deer I have killed tracking have

by Ben Wilcox, Essex, VT

how much time I take for myself. I have also shot a couple smaller bucks in recent years just because they offered an opportunity to get the kids involved and excited about a deer. I

pretty sure we scared it to them when we left. As you can see, the goals are at odds with each other! It will all be worth it if we can hunt together for years to come. The previous goals

Killing a big buck on my grandfather’s old farm has been a goal of mine for a couple of seasons now. When I bought my grandfather’s house after his passing, I hung two deer heads in the family room, the same place he had hung his own deer heads.

The author’s future hunting buddy.

I achieve a goal, I’ve already got another one set.

I’ll stop at almost nothing to achieve what I set out to do, but rarely take the time to relish the achievement at hand. One thing that I love about setting and achieving a hunting goal, is that it is often finite, the killing of an animal, the end of a trip, or season. When the buck is down and your tag is filled its over. At least for the day, or week or year. The finality is special because it gives me a chance to enjoy and savor the accomplishment instead of moving on immediately.The reward is tangible and real, and often can be relived through food on the table, pictures, videos and racks on the wall. On the other hand, the unachieved goals provide intense motivation for the off season, and anticipation for the season ahead.

This year I have three goals. Kill a good buck on my grandfather’s old

my grandfather’s old farm has been a goal of mine for a couple of seasons now.

When I bought my grandfather’s house after his passing, I hung two deer heads in the family room, the same place he had hung his own deer heads. I thought though, that one really should come from behind the house. Growing up just down the road on the farm, I’ve killed deer back there, but not a big buck. After missing a giant 10 point in muzzleloader season a few years ago, the goal was officially set. I’ve since passed on some nice bucks, but nothing I thought should end up in one of grandpa’s spots. The other problem I have is that its small woods and I don’t much enjoy rifle hunting up back. So I have decided I’d focus my bow hunting efforts on this goal.

This year I am again going to Kentucky, and hope to shoot a nice buck, but will miss a week of prime time

also been on short tracks and I killed them the first time I saw them. Many of the places I hunted growing up, it was necessary to kill the buck the first time you see it because it will run into posted signs or houses.

This has shaped the way I hunt and is the reason I feel I am a great still hunter.

I’ve accomplished lots of different deer hunting feats thus far, however the one thing I feel I’m missing is dedicating time to hunting the big woods of the Northeast on snow, and taking a buck on an all day track. I’ve come close, but my overall days hunting up North on snow have been quite limited. I don’t see having a ton of time this year, but I hoping the few days I get I can make them count.

The last goal, getting the kids out hunting, runs contrary to my first two goals. I hope to have 1-3 lifelong hunting partners and spending the time with them now is key. I know for sure the more kids I have the harder it gets to kill big bucks. It is a balancing act of how much time to dedicate to hunting with a 5, 7, and 9 year old and

haven’t killed a deer with a kid yet, but maybe this will be the year for that.

Soon I hope they begin hunting on their own. I’m hoping to get my two oldest into hunting safety course next year, and my wife has agreed to go with them and get her hunting license. It will be awesome if the girls hunted with their mom as well. Last year my then 8 year old daughter and I went out in the evening on opening weekend of the VT rifle season, she was ready to go home and we left just before prime time.

Just as we hit the back lawn we heard a shot. It was the neighbors shooting the buck I was hoping to put on grandpas wall, and I’m

will get filled someday, its really just a matter of time.

Ben Wilcox is owner of Maple Country Anglers, located in Northwest Vermont. He was a member of the USA Fly Fishing Team from 2020-2024.

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, or on instagram @ benwilcox_maplecountryanglers

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Page 46

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Chasing the Classic Dream

Best Bassin’

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA Retired Professional B.A.S.S. Angler Rick Clunn said it best, “The hardest road to qualifying for the B.A.S.S. Bassmaster Classic is through the B.A.S.S. grassroots Nation! Few anglers know the struggling truth to Clunn’s statement better than Mas-

November 2024

“I have been chasing my Classic Dream for over 31 years,” says the Skeeter/Yamaha Pro. “And, throughout every one of my bass tournaments from the club level to competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series, every event was a learning experience! How-

Championship, scheduled for November 6-7-8, 2024, on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Grove, Oklahoma.

When it comes to pre-tournament preparation the Northeast Nation Champion is adamant to every minute detail! “I will begin by thoroughly inspecting my boat and trailer; new brakes on the trailer, running lights, tire tread and pressure, me-

Mark Burgess’s victory on Lake Champlain, was an automatic qualification to compete in the B.A.S.S. Nation’s National Championship, scheduled for November 6-7-8, 2024, on Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees in Grove, Oklahoma. sachusetts Mark Burgess.

“Like many B.A.S.S. Anglers, Burgess has always envisioned himself reaching the pinnacle of all Bass Tournaments as his ultimate angling goal.

Having never wavier from his inner yearning to succeed, Burgess has always stayed focused in developing his angling talents on and off the water.

(814) 413-3744

ever, winning the B.A.S.S, Nation Qualifier on Lake Champlain out of Plattsburgh, NY, this past July was indeed my biggest accomplishment to date in reaching my Classic Dream!”

Mark Burgess’s victory on Lake Champlain, was an automatic qualification to compete in the B.A.S.S. Nation’s National

chanically change fluids on my outboard, tighten and torque mounting nuts and bolts, electrical equipment, pumps, sonar hookups and wire connections, etc. The same for my tow vehicle, oil change, tire rotation, and extra fuses and light bulbs.”

“There involves an enormous amount of research, such as logging tournament results, especially during the same seasonal periods I’ll be there. Scanning areas of Grand Lake, for locations of ramps, gas stations. Utilizing both paper maps and digital Humminbird Lake Master Mapping. Charting weather conditions on previous tournaments as well as weather conditions during the October/November

Mark Burgess with his championship trophy.

(Photo Courtesy of Mark Burgess/B.A.S.S).

timeframe of the National Championship” Once Burgess has completed compiling these logistics, he will then impart seasonal transitions for bass movement, by locating areas in which he calls ‘Confidence Areas’.”

These are the areas I will spend time searching during my pre-practice and official practice periods,” informs Burgess. “It’s imperative I have something to compare with. This in turn allows me to evaluate changes such as water clarity, temperature, water level and movement.”

Massachusetts Mark Burgess informed me his angling strength excels within shallow water.” My angling confidence level rises when I’m dissecting shallow water habitat, and my experience from fishing southern bodies of water while competing on the Bassmaster Elite Series tell me the water temperatures most likely will range in the mid to low 60-degree range. Grand Lake O’ Cherokees is a man-made impoundment, it’s water level and current changes when they are (Dream cont. pg 65)

November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 47

Good Ol’ Days at Grand Lake Stream

Was it by chance that I met this fantastic gentleman, or was it predetermined? I was working as a salesman when I first met Roger. Business and fate had brought me to Wakefield’s Market, right on Route 1 in Downtown Columbia Falls. It was here that I came across Roger’s brother, Harold. After business, the conversation of course turned to fishing.

The Pleasant River, teeming that spring with Atlantic salmon, flowed right behind the store. Losing a third of their weight during the special spring angler season, these hungry fish were headed back to the sea after spawning. They were ravenous.

Harold asked if I wanted to see some. “Got a few in the cooler,” he said, and did he ever! Hanging from meat hooks in Harold’s freezer were at least 20 salmon, each of which must have weighed at least fifteen pounds! “I can take you out tonight if you’d

like to catch one,” he offered. I agreed enthusiastically and made plans to meet back up with Harold at 5 pm. But Harold was unable to meet, so he sent me to his brother, Roger, instead. It must have been meant to be that Harold would back out, because this chance meeting with Roger marked the start of a friendship that would last

was fished only by a few transients and some locals.

In places, we had to hack through the forest with an axe to get to our pools, but leave it to Roger to make it to a hard-to reach place.

“Where has this place been all my life?” Roger used to say.

Back then, you could fish one of the best holding pools for landlocked

Bucks: Big Woods Mystique

for 40 years.

So began a series of many “local” fishing trips for brook trout, mostly in Township 30. In the fall, there was trapping, too, for mink, muskrat, coyote, and otter! Perhaps the happiest of days we spent on Grand Lake Stream (GLS): fly casting for landlocked salmon. It was here that we blazed the trail, so to speak, for the fishermen of the future. In our day, the stream

salmon from Big Lake and from the Upper Drainage of West Grand Lake.

Catch a fish or two, let it rest, and return hours later with nobody touching the water between times.

Hardly true today. Most of the new guests were primarily smallmouth bass enthusiasts. Wading a river was hardly on their agenda.

Come the prime fishing time of May and June, it was elbow to elbow casting

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by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME in the popular pools. It’s like that all the time these days, not just seasonally.

Small wonder that the quality of the pools has gone down.

One day, Roger and I met Paul Hoar, a legend at GLS. Mr. Hoar was a woodsman by trade—as many residents were in

Harold asked if I wanted to see some. “Got a few in the cooler,” he said, and did he ever! Hanging from meat hooks in Harold’s freezer were at least 20 salmon, each of which must have weighed at least fifteen pounds!

Nace Gets Charged By 10 Point Buck After Being Rattled In November 2022

“Just Fishing”

when GLS was a littleknown spot for angling.

The sparse crowds were usually found at the “Dam Pool.” I visited the Dam Pool one day with two friends, Bill Bowdoin and Bill Faulkner. There were a few anglers fishing there, but it was not crowded by any means. Later that day, I ventured off downriver and past the fish hatchery pool.

It was a perfect holding spot for salmon. I couldn’t believe nobody was casting here. It turned out later that the lower river pools were much the same: teeming with fish and vacant of fisherman. Of course, it was only a few years before word got out about the spot.

Now, fisherman flock there, and the once perfect spot is way overcrowded.

those days. This particular day, we encountered him assembling a bamboo fly rod at Driscol’s Run, a prime holding pool for salmon at Little Falls.

It seemed he knew his “spots,” and showed us an inviting location for casting a fly. It was an unforgettable day of fishing—one we would reminisce about Bob Leeman is an outlater. Early days on the door writer, conservationfamed location.

I often recall the times ist, artist, and book author.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 48

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen Vermont Shortly after arriving at the motel where we were to stay for six days, I noticed something about the parking lot that begged for an explanation: There was a considerable mess around the parking lot; that is, a scattering of broken clam shells.

My first reaction was, hey, this is a place that prides itself on an attentive staff and clear attention to cleanliness. So why the clam shell mess?

Anyway, later that afternoon, while sitting at a table just off the beach, my attention was drawn to a large seagull, flying maybe 15 feet over the parking lot.

Then, just like that, I looked on as the gull dropped a shell from its beak and saw the shell smash to pieces.

Then, to my great surprise, I watched that gull land in

November 2024

The Clam Shell Connection back to a conversation that I had with a Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologist maybe 20 years ago who told me, in no uncertain terms, that animals such as the whitetail deer do not possess intelligence; what I have witnessed over my years in the deer woods

ence, I watched a doe that had picked up movement by me. I was hunting at ground level, perhaps 30 yards away. To my amazement, I looked on as that doe would pretend to be feeding, dropping her head down as if to pluck something from the ground and

...my attention was drawn to a large seagull, flying maybe 15 feet over the parking lot. Then, just like that, I looked on as the gull dropped a shell from its beak and saw the shell smash to pieces. Then, to my great surprise, I watched that gull land in the parking lot and pick the meat from the broken clam. the parking lot and pick the meat from the broken clam. A conversation with the owner of the motel confirmed it all: Gulls flew by and dropped clams onto the parking lot all of the time.

All of this took me

was not, he insisted, intelligent behavior but merely instinctual behavior. Really? So those seagulls didn’t learn a thing?

On that morning so many years ago, early in my bow hunting experi-

then, suddenly, pop her head up to see what that “thing” in front of her was.

This, the mature doe did over and over. She was clearly trying to get a response from me. Instinct?

Maybe. But my money is

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on learned behavior.

Okay, just to take the argument that the game warden might offer, let us say that, at some point in the past, some seagull was flying over that same parking lot and, purely by accident, dropped the clam shell on the pavement, then flew down and chowed down. If instinct ruled, that gull would not repeat the process because its small brain would not comprehend the cause and effect.

But, the fact is, somehow that Maine seagull did just that.

Throughout much of recent history, humans have made it clear that animal behavior is so far below that of homo sapiens.

You know, they are so insignificant when compared to us humans. Well, that stuff is being challenged on a number of levels, particularly with large mammals such as elephants. As it should be.

In any event, all of this behavior stuff is floating around my head as I get ready for the November rifle season here in Vermont. My instincts will be kicking in big time when the opening day of the rifle season arrives.

And if I have learned anything after more than five decades in the deer (Clam cont. pg 51)

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 49

Vermont Deer Season

It is November and that means deer hunting.

The rifle season opens Saturday, November 16 and runs through December 1. Although we have had archery deer hunting since October 1 and will have a muzzleloader season December 7-15, it is the traditional firearms season that so many long for.

Not only natives like me but our friends and fellow

dosed on Bambi.

Knowing that people who did not grow up hunting are in the majority in Vermont we need to constantly consider how we are perceived.

I believe that most hunters are good sportsmen and would never intentionally do anything unethical, but we may not be perceived as such because of what some people see.

redneck won’t appear with one of my columns or articles even if I know the person is a fine, upstanding citizen and a good sportsman.

When I take photos, I carefully pose them and check out the background.

I don’t want the bloody cavity of a deer, bear or moose to be prominent and I always tuck the tongue back in the mouth. I make

In my travels around the state I have seen many nice bucks and those I talk to are looking forward to a successful season. My trail cameras show three bucks, one an eight pointer, frequenting our property so I am hoping for success. hunters from states around the northeast head to the Vermont woods before daylight Saturday dreaming of a nice buck.

In my travels around the state I have seen many nice bucks and those I talk to are looking forward to a successful season. My trail cameras show three bucks, one an eight pointer, frequenting our property so I am hoping for success.

Be sure to refresh your memories of the regulations and know what WMU you are hunting in as what is a legal buck differs from one zone to another.

It’s All About Perception This is about perception and how it hurts sportsmen for it is perception rather than reality that many judge us by.

Native Vermonters are an endangered species.

The state is a mecca for those who want to escape urban areas and who bring their values with them and try to impose them on us.

They were not raised in a culture where hunting was from TV and over-

Are you a road hunter? Do you go around no hunting signs because you grew up hunting that piece of land? Do you drive on private roads and across fields?

Have you ever stood beside your vehicle and drank a beer after coming out of the woods?

Do you wear a knife that would have made Jim Bowie proud on your hip when you enter the supermarket?

I get a lot of photos of hunters with nice bucks, a big moose or some other game that they can be proud of. Often I won’t use them because of what can be misinterpreted by someone viewing the photo. The smiling hunter holding a can of beer standing next to a hanging deer is not an image I want to promote.

Never mind that I drink my share of beer, I don’t want a photo of me with alcohol appearing in a paper that is portraying my hunting prowess.

Likewise, a photo that makes the hunter or angler look like some uneducated

sure that no evidence of alcohol will be visible in the photo and I ask the hunter to put his cigarette down and tuck in his shirt. It is all a matter of perception.

We are all responsible for ethical hunting and fishing. How often have you witnessed some illegal or unethical act and ignored it. Why did you not express

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

your displeasure to the offender or report the illegal act to the authorities? That person was doing harm to you and all other sportsmen.

Aldo Leopold wrote in his A Sand County Almanac the following which we should always keep in mind.

“A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that the hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct.

Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.

“Voluntary adherence to an ethical code elevates the self respect of the sportsman, but it should not be forgotten that voluntary disregard of the code

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Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game.

His latest book, Four Season in Vermont, is available at many bookstores and sporting goods shop or from him directly. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2024 Gary W. Moore

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 50

Bonasa Umbellus

Young Blood

by Jake Guay, Phillips, ME One yellow leaf flipped through the autumn air. A low, quickening thud sound caught my attention, and I quickly zeroed in on it. The pump-action shotgun I clutched in my hand, cold and heavy, reminded me of my mission.

It felt odd, for this time, I hadn’t leapt out of a running truck to pursue the bird; I was here by myself for a change, hunting solo. I listened to hear the grouse drumming on the ridge I faced, and as I did, I slid three shells into my gun: first, a tight-shooting number four shot, then two number fives. Soon after, I stepped into the woods.

thru NOVEMBER 2024

Soft, reddish leaves quietly received my steps.

As I moved deeper into the woods, I took extreme care to take note of my surroundings. I still could employ the element of surprise if I kept quiet, which was a comforting difference from running

for my choice of low-noise gear as the dry and clingy twigs raked my arms as if they were trying to keep me away from the bird.

Every few steps, I paused and listened carefully. I stopped about halfway. I was sure that somewhere on my left, the grouse was incredibly close. I reminded myself to slow down and forced myself to wait a few moments. I took a

slow, deep breath of cold air. Halfway through raising my leg to take a step, a high Pwee-pwee-pweepwee made me freeze.

I scanned around frantically. A thundering sound associated with dashed hopes shocked me, and I watched a rusty blur zip through the foreground and land directly in front of me, right in point-blank range. I remained still as the bird’s head bobbed inquisitively for a split-second. It scam-

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pered away like a bullet on legs. I remembered I was not pressed for time, and I did not have an audience; I didn’t have to risk a shot.

The thick spruce trees made flight impossible, and I knew that. I tried to use it to my advantage. The bird knew it was being chased, so I stayed just outside of range and stayed silent to trick it into thinking it was safe. The trees were

I took a slow, deep breath of cold air. Halfway through raising my leg to take a step, a high Pwee-pwee-pwee-pwee made me freeze. I scanned around frantically. A thundering sound associated with dashed hopes shocked me... and gunning. The drumming started up again. I moved slowly closer to the sound, considering an ideal angle to approach the bird from. The ridge itself was longer than it was wide, so I started towards the distant side. My plan was to circle around the right side of the ridge and walk behind my target. Silently, I wedged the stock into my armpit and padded into the thicket of spruce trees that lay ahead. I was grateful

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extraordinarily thick, so in order to stay close, I had to move like a true predator, lithe and silent, every time I saw the aptly-named thunder chicken flash into view. After about three rounds of cat-and-mouse, an opportunity presented itself. Barely within range, I saw the grouse put its head into view, hiding most of its body behind thick tree trunks. I knew that I would either kill the bird or miss completely, for the window was so small that only the vital regions were unobscured by the thin tree trunks. If I was going to shoot, I had to do it fast.

I put my fiber-optic sight

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on its head, and flicked off my safety in one motion.

After that, the barrel spit smoke and lead. I racked the pump.

Either I had hit it, or it was gone; I flicked my safety on and abandoned all stealth. Downy tufts of white and gray feathers floated in the air as I approached the spot where I had last seen the bird. I looked down. A mature, fully wild animal was at my feet. Blood dripped from where its head had been as I picked it up by its slaty legs. Its powerful wings drummed one last time, its fanned tail stretched wide, and then it was still. I was proud. One of the first birds I had ever killed independently, and it was the size of a small chicken. It wore a very bright rusty orange that wasn’t as common as the slate gray shades that we usually killed when hunting on the road. I realized then that sometimes, family traditions become more special when you try them on your own; all the skills I sharpened while squirrel hunting were useless if I was bird hunting in a truck with my family; everything we saw either was killed in the road or lost forever to the woods.

But here, all by myself in the Maine woods, the fashion in which I chose to hunt was all up to me, making my mistakes my own and my successes even more triumphant.

Jacob Guay is a homeschooled teen who loves creation as much as he loves to write. Curious readers can learn more by emailing him at jaguay26@gmail.com

November 2024

Bull

(Cont. from pg 44) experience this wild place we call home.

That evening finished with our first response. The distinct, booming echo of a bull grunt as he worked his way in to my challenge grunts and brush raking.

We unfortunately ran out of legal hunting hours before the bull appeared and yet again, we laughed and joked about the great day we had just had hunting together, despite the fact we had not gotten a moose yet. Too often while checking hunters as a Warden, I see tensions rising and frustration boiling over

by Tuesday afternoon.

Clam (Cont. from pg 48) woods, it is this: Expect the unexpected. Stay focused.

Put all of that other stuff, the bills, the job, the relationships you have, the worries, all of it, out of your mind.

When I am set up in the deer woods, I have but one thing going on: Slowly, moving my head from right to left, left to right, I look for movement, any movement, particularly the colors of brown and white. All of my attention is turned to the wonderful task at hand: killing a deer, then thanking the great creature and appreciating what I have done on this day, whether I am dragging a good buck from the woods or heading home after a glorious day.

Stay focused and enjoy the great challenge of deer hunting.

Dennis Jensen is a freelance writer who resides in Vermont. He can be contacted at d.jensen62@ yahoo.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal On Wednesday morning, we started into the road we had the bull responding the night before, and found it to be blocked by a truck, with no sign of the hunters around. It was a frustrating reality that I deal with all to often during my “regular job”. We shared our frustrations to each other, but moved over to the next road and began walking

into the back of a large cut.

I gave several bull grunts and began raking some alders when Dad, only a few steps away began waving for me to come over to where he was standing. A small bull was standing at the very back of the cut, looking away from us.

We stalked our way down into the bottom of the cut, discussed if we would take

this moose and decided together that we would. A couple shots later and we harvested a young Maine bull moose. This was the smallest moose I had ever taken, but this was by far my favorite hunt I’ve ever been a part of. To hunt, shoot, butcher and pack out this moose with my Dad, is a memory I will always remember and cherish. I

Page 51 will never forget the look my Dad gave when the bull dropped and he said “that’s the most adrenaline I’ve felt in a long time!”

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

Page 52

THE BACK SHELF

Northwoods Sporting Journal

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 Bob Noonan

When I was in high school back in the 50s I was a big fan of outdoor writer Jack O’Connor. He said the .270 was the ultimate deer cartridge, and that was gospel to me.

When I turned 16 Dad let me buy a used .270 Remington 721 bolt for $75. That November I was walking through a cut when a doe stood up from behind

holes and blood trails. I’ve had several face-on brisket shots on deer penetrate into the hindquarters, and one “Texas heart shot” (at the base of the tail on a deer facing directly away) that penetrated forward into the chest cavity.

I started with a Winchester factory load, the 130-grain Super-X Power Point, a jacketed, pointed soft point, at 3,060 fps. (It’s

Best Deer Rifle

November 2024

However most Maine deer are killed under 100 yards, usually 50 yards or less, and it was soon obvious to me that the .270 was more gun than I really needed. Also the .270 cartridge is based on the 30-06 case and requires a long action, thus a heavier rifle. The older I got the less I liked lugging my cannon around, and I began to yearn for a lighter gun.

But I loved the caliber. I found myself hoping someone would come out with a .270-caliber cartridge based on the shorter .308 case. The .270/308; I liked

In 1983, when Remington brought out the little Model Seven bolt in 7mm-08, I bought one. It had an 18 ½-inch barrel and weighed about 6 pounds, and with a Redfield Widefield 1.5X to 5X variable scope it was a delight to carry and shoot. some slash. When I shot the deer charged off out of sight. Heart pounding, I ran along the clear blood trail and found her piled up not far away. There was a big exit hole, and when I opened up the chest cavity it was full of blood and lung tissue. I was mightily impressed.

That was 45 years ago, and I still feel the same way about the .270. In my hands and others it has accounted for over 40 deer, well over a dozen caribou, a black bear, and a moose, almost all one-shot kills.

Very good penetration, complete even on quartering shots, giving good exit

still available, and still an effective load.) The Model 721 was a heavy, clumsy, homely gun with a 24-inch barrel so I slimmed down the stock and cut the barrel to 21 inches for easier handling, and to improve appearance. With 58.5 grains of 4831 behind a Hornady 130-grain Spire Point (a jacketed soft point) I got a hair over 3,000 fps on my chronograph.

The .270 is fast, flat, and easy to hit with at considerable distances, with very bearable recoil, which is why it’s been so popular.

It has long been considered a classic for mid-sized large game.

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The Ruger 7m - .08 killed over 100 deer with it, But I still wanted a and said it was one of the short-action .270. Using a most lethal deer cartridges Hornady 130-grain 7mm the sound of it. he’d ever worked with.

Spire Point bullet, almost For all practical purIn 1983, when Rem- identical ballistically to poses Remington did ex- ington brought out the the 130-grain .270 Spire actly than in 1980, when little Model Seven bolt in Point I’d used for years, it introduced the 7mm-08. 7mm-08, I bought one. It I worked up a load (45 There’s only .007-inch had an 18 ½-inch barrel and grains of 4064) that con(that’s seven thousandths weighed about 6 pounds, sistently chronographed a of an inch!) difference in and with a Redfield Wide- hair above 2,900 fps in the diameter between the.270 field 1.5X to 5X variable Model Seven. bullet (.277-inch) and the scope it was a delight to So I now had a 7mm bullet (.284-inch). carry and shoot.

130-grain 7mm bullet goThat’s an essentially meanAt first I used the fac- ing 2,900 fps, pretty close ingless field difference. tory Winchester Super-X to the .270’s hallmark I watched with inter- Power Point 140-grain 3,060 fps from 24-inch est as the 7mm-08 gained load. Listed at 2,800 fps, barrels. It’s just as accurate, a reputation for accuracy it gave about 2,700 in my shooting into 1.5 inches at among bench rest shooters, short barrel. This load pro- 100 yards. It also seems to and a reputation as a deadly duced half a dozen one- recoil less than a .270. It deer cartridge. One techni- shot kills on deer, with definitely has less muzzle cian who helped develop complete penetration and blast, and blast adds to the cartridge told me he’d good exit holes. perceived recoil.

This 7mm-08 Predator and Deer Calls, Leather Slings and Chaps for Bird 130-grain load has made and Rabbit Hunters another half dozen oneshot kills on deer. If you wanted to split hairs you could argue that the heavier 140-grain bullet might penetrate better, and the lighter 130-grain bullet shoots www.MarkZepp.com

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 53

The Road Less Traveled

I was a shy kid. More at home in the library than the ball field. While my classmates debated whether Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays was the better player, I was reading surfing magazines purchased at Ashley’s Candy Store, a short walk

dium jacket that fell down to my knees, I pulled a wool ski cap over my ears while waiting for the bus that would take me over the Hudson River, dropping me into the vastness of New York City’s Port Authority building. Trudg-

Jersey’s extensive shoreline and pursue, what until then, I’d only dreamed about. In my senior year of high school while my friends were now debating who to take to the prom, I was tearing out the back seat of the newlypurchased vehicle to make room for the ten-foot slab of polyurethane I hoped to rent, and eventually purchase from the Ron Jon

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME

cast by spruce and pine, encounters with moose, beaver, and the occasional reclusive black bear, the sound of the current, both rough and gentle, the arc of a well-placed cast, and most of all, the company of outlandishly-colored brook trout, fish refusing to be tamed, like those despera-

Writing is a lonely endeavor, locked in a room plunking down keys, not knowing whether the next word will materialize. Unsure whether those words will be of interest to others.

from the two-family home where I lived in a suburb located on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge.

November of 1966, a slate-gray sky threatened the first snowfall of that winter while I lay in my bed, thumbing through the pages of Surfer Magazine.

It was then that I learned The Endless Summer had premiered in New York City earlier that year. The following morning, after calling the theatre to confirm it was still playing, I tramped the few blocks from my home to the bus stop. Huddled under a sta-

ing through Manhattan’s mean streets, I turned onto Second Avenue and entered the Kips Bay Theatre, losing myself for ninety-five minutes in what many have described as the best surfing movie ever made.

The following fall, I accompanied my parents to the used-car lot in our northern New Jersey town. After they plunked down $900.00, I became the proud owner of a twodoor, Dodge Dart, with maroon interior and ninety thousand miles on the odometer.

The Dart would make it possible to drive to New

Surf Shop located at the entrance to Long Beach Island. For the next two summers, I spent weekends surfing four-foot waves, each night curled under my surfboard, sleeping soundly inside the back of the car.

Sometime during my second year at college, I came upon Richard Brautigan’s Trout Fishing in America. Not long afterward, I set aside my surfboard for a fly rod. Sevenand-a-half feet of dark brown fiberglass, the rod was mass produced by the Fenwick Company.

Over the next forty years, the beauty of swells forming in majestic rows, the sun blazing through fog like a ball of flame rising over the vastness of the Atlantic, the strain of muscles as the board’s momentum matched that of the wave, the exhilaration of turning into a womb of water, the smell of salt, suntan lotion and melted wax would be replaced by trilliums and lady’s slippers shyly peeking out from the shadows

dos of the old-West, found only in their hidey holes far removed from the madness of man.

While still in college, I discovered Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, and Corso, which ultimately led me to Gary Snyder. Many years later, I picked up his book of essays entitled The Practice of the Wild. In it, the Beat-poet and environmental activist explained, “The wild requires that we learn the terrain, nod to all the plants and animals and birds, ford the streams and cross the ridges, and tell a good story when we get back home.”

I’ve been doing my best to tell a good story ever since.

Writing is a lonely endeavor, locked in a room plunking down keys, not knowing whether the next word will materialize. Unsure whether those words will be of interest to others.

The perfect endeavor for a loner, more comfortable along a forest trail than in the clubhouse, someone who prefers the solitude of casting flies on a backwoods stream, my only company, a chickadee or perhaps a red squirrel.

I do enjoy those chance meetings with those engaged in similar pursuits.

On the last afternoon of this year’s fishing season while driving along a logging road on the way back to my cabin, I came upon two “old timers” leaning against a beat-up pickup while staring down at a tattered copy of a Maine Gazetteer. In their eighties, they wore flannel shirts, sleeves rolled up to their elbows.

Both were dressed in green pants, the type worn by the mechanic who works on my vehicle. Their nondescript caps were stained with sweat, the bills tattered from long use.

Rolling down my window, I asked if they needed help.

(Traveled cont. pg 65)

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Page 54

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Hunt: Details Matter

Anyone who says that harvesting a deer is easy was either born with a horseshoe around their neck or has a sweet hunting spot. For most of us, getting a deer is extremely hard. It takes hours of preparation, patience, and perseverance. Statistics show that on average here in Maine a hunter harvests

a deer once every ten years.

A lot of this is because most deer hunters work during the week and only get Saturdays to hunt. And for many hunters getting a deer is not the main reason they take to the woods in November. Its for the chance to connect with the outdoors in the traditional way that our forefathers did through hunting and gathering.

Trading wits with a deer, especially a buck, is challenging to say the least.

Trying to be successful in November is like many aspirations in life, you have to just keep trying. In 2018 my wife and I traveled to Scotland to hike, sightsee, and go to the British and the Senior British Opens. That year the Senior Open was in St. Andrews. While there I was able to talk with one of the elite Scottish golf

pros named Paul McGinley. I asked him if he had any advice for me on how to win match ups against other golfers in head-tohead play. (I play golf but not very well. I enjoy making the dirt fly while trying to hit the ball and the challenge of competing against other golfers.) He told me that “the best way to learn how to succeed is by doing.” He said, “you need to learn how to lose to learn of how to win.” In essence he was saying that we learn from failure.

This is especially true when trying to fell a free ranging wily deer to bring home winter meat for your family. As I said earlier, trying to harvest a deer in a diverse and open landscape is very difficult. So difficult in fact that many times when I was younger, I thought about giving up. But Naha! I love the challenge and the meat so much that I had to learn how to outsmart my prey.

On many occasions they schooled me. I remember on a hunting trip to Michigan I picked out a spot for my stand overlooking numerous deer runs. I tucked my stand up in a large pine tree and then walked down one of the runs and clipped a few branches at the intersection of the two runs so that I had a clearer shot for my bow. Then I climbed into my stand and waited.

Within an hour a doe with

a buck in tow came walking down the intersecting trail and abruptly stopped at the intersection where I had clipped the limbs.

They then backed up, went around my shooting lane and continued on their way, not giving me shot.

Amazed and stunned but not completely discouraged I stayed in the stand and hoped for another opportunity. A half hour later I caught a movement over my right shoulder and saw

Page 55

Everything Maine

by Greg Burr Addison, ME

had these same occurrences happen to me in Maine as well. But now after much analysis and mistakes, I have made these adjustments that helped me become more successful: 1) I don’t alter my stand’s surroundings within a month of my hunt. 2) When accessing my stand, I pick a path that does not cross

of human odors. 5) Every morning that I hunt I shower with de-scenting soap and shampoo, then roll on de-scenting deodorant in areas where sweat accumulates. 6) Just before leaving my parked truck, I spray down with scent eliminator.

7) Just before I arrive at my stand I spray my boots with deer urine. My preference

In my arrogance and disbelief, I have had these same occurrences happen to me in Maine as well. But now after much analysis and mistakes, I have made these adjustments that helped me become more successful... a deer enter the section of woods that I was hunting.

This time it was a lone doe.

At first, I thought it had its head down feeding. I soon realized that the deer was sniffing and following my back trail like a blood hound. The doe did this until she reached the base of my tree then looked up at me. Of course I had no shot. The doe then blew and ran off, leaving me crestfallen. In my arrogance and disbelief, I have

their access to the area, and I never walk in the deer runs surrounding the stand.

If I have to cross one of their runs, I leap across it.

3) When planning to hunt the stand that morning or evening I always assess the wind direction and pick the stand that is down wind of where the deer will cross. 4) I wash my hunting clothes in unscented detergent or in baking soda and hang the clothes outside in the trees to keep them free

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I hope this information helps any deer hunter or photographer become more successful at seeing deer.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

November 2024

November Question Of The Month

The Hunter’s Moon When Is It?

By V. Paul Reynolds Many sportsmen count the November deer hunt as the highlight of all of their outdoor passions.

It is a special time. Frosty mornings and quiet moments in a tree stand with hand warmers, a thermos of hot coffee mixed with the anticipation of a big buck

and huntin’ yarns that get carried on year after year.

A mouse in the corner – a graying one that has been hiding in the food bin for more than a year or two – knows that many of the same old topics get worked over at the card tables year after year. Among them: the best deer gun, the time

And, of course, the Maine deer camp is also the centerpiece of the hunt, part of the heritage and the history.

These camps come in all sizes and description and locales, many of them passed along from generation to generation... in the cross hairs is a deer hunter’s daydream. Or, for the most hardy and driven among the hunt fraternity, the dream is of to follow a big track on fresh snow.

And, of course, the Maine deer camp is also the centerpiece of the hunt, part of the heritage and the history. These camps come in all sizes and description and locales, many of them passed along from generation to generation, along with unique histories

of day that bucks move, tracking methods, and the Daddy of them all, when is the peak period of the all-important rut?

In general, if you can figure out what time of the month the rut is at its peak, you stand the best chance of catching a buck when he is distracted with his guard down and his focus is not on danger. Since there is only educated guesswork about rut times, mixed with some well-grounded

Around the pot belly stoves at deer camps everywhere, the debate rages on: “When is the peak of the rut, anyway?”

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

anecdotal evidence, the deer rut can be the subject of spirited debate at deer camp.

There are two clear schools of thought on this subject. The conventional wisdom of highly respected wildlife biologists like Gerry Lavigne is straightforward and has nothing to do with the moon phases.

Lavigne will tell you, unequivocally, that the rut

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always peaks on November 15th year after year, period. This theory holds that the breeding season is guided or dependent upon the length of daylight.

The more romantic theory, if you will, is that the rut, although occurring over a period of 40 days, has a “sweet spot” that lasts about 10 days. This is the lunar theory as articulated by well-known deer researcher Charles Alsheimer from Bath, New York. In a chapter in his book titled “Anatomy of the Rut,” Alsheimer postulates that the whitetail rut is regulated by the lunar cycle.

He theorizes that the Rutting Moon, or the Beaver Moon, determines the sweet spot, which begins three days after the Rutting Moon and lasts, as said earlier, about 10 days.

Unlike the Lavigne rutting theory, this lunar theory dictates a different rut peak year after year, and takes

a little calculation on the hunter’s part. For example, the Rutting Moon is always the second full moon after the autumnal equinox. This fall, however, the Rutting Moon, or Beaver Moon, falls on November 8th. So this would commence the rutting “sweet spot” on Nov. 11.th So what does this mean? It really depends upon which theory you elect to go with, lunar cycle or length of day. If you opt for the lunar theory and really want to maximize your odds for catching a rutting buck in deep distraction, you might want to reconsider the date you have set for your hunt week vacation. If Alsheimer is right, the buck of your dreams is more likely to make a mistake in your favor from November 11th to November 21st.

One other thing. If you really want to “play the numbers,” and cover all bases, lunar theory AND length- of- day theory, and you have a tree stand in good deer country, be in that stand everyday during the aforementioned dates.

Good luck, and hunt safely!

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Wild Meat Spoilers

Let me be blunt. When it comes to eating out, I am a cynical curmudgeon who prefers my own or my wife’s great cooking.

Frequent patronizing of restaurants is my idea of an obligatory chore. My wife is convinced that my jaded view of restaurants is grounded in the fact that I am close with the buck.

That is only part of it. Not only do I wince at paying three times what most entries are worth, public eateries, I find, have a knack for taking perfectly good food and compromising it with overcooking and too many herbal doodads and over seasoning.

Where we winter over in the Florida Keys is Restaurant Central. There are almost as many dining out places as there are fishing boats and white BMWs. The local joke is “Islamorada is a drinking town with a fishing problem.”

Islamorada means village of islands. It would not be far-fetched to call it Islarestaurante, a fishing town with an eating problem.

Recently, at one of our expensive, top-shelf eateries, the Yellowtail Snapper dish, which can be one of my favorites at home, caught my attention.

As it turned out the snapper was not overcooked, which is generally the case, but

Wild protein, whether it is venison back strap or a filet of fresh-caught Yellowtail snapper, is a gift unto itself, delicate, taste-rich stand alones that ought not to be subjected to culinary skullduggery or artful concoctions that mask flavor and conceal the essence of wildness.

Can you really improve upon the taste of fresh-caught whitefish or

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit a cast iron fry pan. Add some butter and olive oil.

When it’s smoking hot, toss in a lightly-peppered venison loin and cook rare on high heat. Put it aside.

Take another piece of loin and marinade it a few hours in Herbie’s Super Duper Mango Wild Meat Brine.

Can you really improve the taste of fresh-caught whitefish or venison loin? Try this. Take two chunks of the same fish fillet. Heat up some hot oil. Roll one fish chunk in Herbie’s Super Duper Jalapeno Beer Batter and cook in the oil.

there was a problem: lemon overdose. The snapper had been “brined” with the squeezings of at least 12 fresh lemons. Talk about pucker factor! As we left the restaurant, my wife asked me why my lips were pursed. A few hours later I was able to move my lips enough to explain it all to her.

Page 57

done in total sobriety).

The point is this, in case you missed it. In cooking, as in life, man is an incorrigible meddler forever trying to improve on something that is already perfection. A fresh fillet of Yellowtail snapper and/or a thick cut of venison back strap (loin) is as good all by itself as Nature can make it.

If you or your dinner guests don’t care for “the wild taste” then forget it.

Do your culinary spruce ups with a piece of domestic corn-fed beef, or one of those farm-raised, genetically-altered salmon from Brazil or Venezuela.

Or maybe just go to a local restaurant.

venison loin? Try this. Take two chunks of the same fish fillet. Heat up some hot oil. Roll one fish chunk in Herbie’s Super Duper Jalapeno Beer Batter and cook in the oil. Drop the other unbattered fish fillet naked into the hot oil. When they are cooked, taste test for comparison.

For test two, heat up

Remove from the brine and cook over hot heat adding generous amounts of Montreal Seasoning, red wine, and two tablespoons of Robert’s Redhot Roux.

After cooking this conglomeration, garnish with a creamy goat-cheese white Homer Spit lives on a sauce. When this is done, conduct another compari- lake in Maine. He likes to son taste test. (This is best keep a low profile.

ral habitat for fish and other aquatic life. Green Lake is a prime example to be protected.

The water quality and drainage area of Green is unique with a surface area of 2,989 acres, a small land drainage area of 13,689 acres; thus, a ratio of 4.6 of land to surface water.

Converting these numbers into the flushing rate is 0.52 times per year. This number is an indication of how sensitive the lake is which takes about two years for a complete flush of lake water. All the data being cited is from the 2024 Lakes of Maine and DEP websites. I have concluded that Green

is oligotrophic as did Fuller and Cooper in 1946. The water quality and fish are not mutually exclusive.

Salmonid fish are very dependent on a lake’s water quality, some species more dependent than others.

Warmwater species are not as dependent as salmonids.

A factor one should consider is the lake outlet.

Is Green being more like a kettle hole thus the outlet may become intermittent during dry spells of low water. This concern ought to be explored more for accuracy. If the outlet is close to what we call ephemeral (temporary stream) then it is a natural condition.

The Green Lake Dam Controversy

By Matthew Scott

Editor’s note: In the August issue of the Sporting Journal retired state fisheries biologist Greg Burr wrote an article in opposition to Federal efforts to remove the dam at Green Lake and establish fish ways for the passage of sea-run fish species into Green Lake. What follows is an in-depth examination of this question by fisheries scientist Matthew Scott and is an edited and shortened version of a White Paper that Scott prepared for the Green Lake Association.

Green Lake, like all Maine Lakes, is unique and therefore different.

There are no two Maine

lakes alike. I have never found twins, some similar but no twins. All Maine lakes as naturally occurred were formed by the last glaciation that took place around 12,000 years ago.

Ice thickness varied from two miles in height at the coast to about one mile in height above Mount Katahdin. As the ice flow receded in a Northerly direction, the coast of Maine rebounded from this heavy ice load.

Nearly 3,000 natural lakes and ponds were created.

Green Lake was one. All Maine lakes are classified as GPA (Great Pond Class A) for the protection of their water quality as natu-

This indicates to me that the lake never had or contributed to annual runs of anadromous fish migrants.

As for the outlet dam, I foresee a problem. Most Maine lakes have low-head dams that were constructed many decades ago for water power. Saw mills, grist mills, shingle mills and later for electric power and Green Lake water was a hydro power source. In the Federal Energy Relicensing Commission (FERC) process they could require a fishway for migrant species. Water levels would then change and any significant draw down would (Dam cont. pg 68)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

Green Mountain Report

Another Deer Season

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT

As the calendar flips to November, I must ask myself “how many of us still cherish the old paper calendars?” like the classic Remington Arms ones of yesteryear? I know I do. At times it seems like Merle Haggard’s song “Are the

November 2024

of them has a wry smile on his face as he tries to squeeze his chubby cheeks downward in a failing attempt to keep a poker face.

There’s the guy hovering over the stove in the kitchen as if his job is to serve a seven-course meal

ing a big one up from the fields below. Chris, if he can wake up at all, may sit out on the deck and wait for something to cross the road. From outside, the snow continues to fall and the old buck across the rutted logging road walks confidently across, and heads up Crow Hill behind the camp, where he knows

Management Units A, B, F1, F2, H, J1, J2, K, N, and O a legal buck is any deer with at least one antler with two or more antler points one inch in length or longer. Hence, any deer with antlers less than 3” and with no points longer

accept this correction with some degree of understanding for my ability to remain human. (I don’t do AI.) The Lake Champlain Zone (LCZ) will be from October 12-November 3 and then split to restart November 23 and run through

than 1” may be considered legal in that specific WMU. Familiarize yourself with the WMU map on the VT F&W website. Do not test this rule or take a shot at a deer that you cannot clearly identify as legal in your specific area.

It’s always driven me crazy as I sit in the mountains at the base of a tree on Opening Day of rifle season, listening to the echoes of shotguns in the valley below, as avid duck hunters bang away on the best migration period of the year. It’s true that deer season and peak waterfowl migration happen at the same time. This year may be a little less painful.

In last month’s column I made an error stating the waterfowl seasons. Please

December 29. The Interior Zone (INZ) runs from October 12 – November 10 then splits and restarts November 23 and runs through December 22. The CT River Zone opens October 9 – November 11. I will not have to suffer the heartbreak of having to make the choice of duck or deer for Opening Day of rifle season this year. Praise those who care about those of us whose hearts can live to beat another season.

Well, as time passes too quickly, and so many things change, it is comforting to know that rifle season still starts 12 days before Thanksgiving. This year that will be November 16.

Good Times Really Over for Good?” have come true.

But when November rolls around and that calendar turns to the page of the big buck standing in the pines with pillars of moonlight slashing through the snow laden boughs, and the paleyellow lights of the camp in the background, I’ve got to believe that the good times can still be captured.

Looking inside the camp window, we can see the inhabitants sitting around a table playing cards and laughing. One

in a five-star restaurant. A “new” classic country song plays on the old radio on the dusty shelf. The chatter around the table turns to each member’s thoughts on where they think the best chance at their dream buck is going to be. Hank is headed up to the saddle again. Dave’s going back to the spot on Cobble Hill, where he claims to have seen a big ten-pointer last year. Tuck’s gonna walk Dead Creek downhill and see if he can intercept one of the “low hunters” chas-

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no one will suspect to look for him.

Well, as time passes too quickly, and so many things change, it is comforting to know that rifle season still starts 12 days before Thanksgiving. This year that will be November 16. Remember, that a few years ago we were given a one buck limit during all deer seasons (rifle being only buck) and during the other seasons we may take up to three does. With archery season having begun back on October 1, it is possible to take does during the archery seasons all the way through December 15. For archery, pay close attention to what constitutes an “antlerless” deer when hunting the different WMUs. In WMUs C, D1, D2 E1, E2, G, I, L, M, P, and Q a legal buck is any deer with at least one antler three inches or more in length. In Wildlife

Bradley Carleton is the founder and Director of Sacred Hunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting, fishing, and foraging.

More of Bradley’s writing can be seen on https:// sacredhunter.substack.com

Read the journal anywhere with the NEW DIGITAL EDITION ONLY $15 FOR 12 ISSUES! www.sportingjournal.com

November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Dream Day in the Wood I climbed into my stand still on a high from having killed an 8 point buck that morning. It was a perfect fall hunting day, when the weather and wind are both in your favor. The sun was out and warmed you just enough.

I had a doe tag in my pocket and was going out to enjoy the amazing weather and the possibility of shooting two deer in one day. It was early afternoon and I had not been in the stand very long when I caught movement off to my left.

The trees and undergrowth still had enough leaves that it was hard to get a good look. I could make out a set of antlers but I couldn’t quite tell how big the buck was.

I used my binoculars

Happy

and range finder and realized that it was a spike horn. That seemed weird though because I could have sworn there were more points when I initially looked. I kept watching this deer trying to make sense of what I was seeing. It would turn and be hidden behind some trees, only to pop up a little higher on the hill. Does anything make

couldn’t believe what I was seeing; it was another 8 point buck or maybe bigger! What are the odds that after 20 years of hunting and trying to tag an 8 pointer, I would see two on the same day? These deer were eating acorns, grass and whatever else they could find. I watched them play a little bit and then they bedded down at

Page 59

Women In The Woods

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME around and lower it again.

I had never seen two bucks spar like that and to my knowledge, I had never had deer bed so close to me.

My gun was rested against the wall of the stand next to me. I sat watching the spike, like a kid at

The two deer were sparing and playing. I lifted my binoculars again and couldn’t believe what I was seeing; it was another 8 point buck or maybe bigger! What are the odds that after 20 years of hunting and trying to tag an 8 pointer, I would see two on the same day? you question your eye sight more than hunting?

Finally, I saw the two bodies. The two deer were sparing and playing. I lifted my binoculars again and

45 yards for 90 minutes. I watched for does around me but would always go back to the resting deer.

The spike would lower his head, then lift it and look

Christmas, taking in the scene. I was in awe of such a dream day in the woods.

When the deer got to their feet, they continued feeding and slowly headed further up the hill away from me. There was forty-five minutes left of legal light but I grabbed my backpack and gun and walked out of the woods.

I didn’t want to bump the

buck as dad and I walked out of the woods and I couldn’t think of anything that would top that day.

I had a beautiful 180 lb, 8 point hanging up at the house and had just watched two more bucks playing and sleeping.

This is what makes hunting so much fun! You never know what you will experience and get to see in the woods if you are in the right place, at the right time and paying attention.

Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America 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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 60

Show Time!

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H.

Well, the wait is over.

It’s show time! Muzzleloader season for deer opens on Saturday, November 2nd and runs through Tuesday, November 12th.

And then regular firearms season for deer opens the following day Wednesday, November 13 th and will close on Sunday, December 8th in all WMUs except WMU-A which closes a week earlier.

A couple of things may alter how you hunt.

One is man made while the other is natural. First, Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 3rd.

So that means you’ve got one day of muzzleloader hunting before you have to set the clocks back an hour. That usually screws everybody up for a day or two. The second thing is a full moon on November 15th at 4:29 PM. Depending on who you believe, the

bucks tend to travel less at night during a full moon and more during the middle of the day and earlier in the evening. So, plan accordingly. (FYI - November 9th is the First-Quarter Moon).

Now, after many years of hunting around the state

the wilderness. And that would include packing ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife. Too many hikers, who have been the object of rescue efforts, didn’t have most of those items in their packs.

If they had, many times,

According to Fish and Game, the hunters left in a dark full-sized SUV without being identified after the incident. Not only did these geniuses shoot out the windows of the barber shop, but the pellets had to fly over Route 25 to get there. I hope they get caught because it’s idiots like them that make it bad for the rest of us. Hunting

The second thing is a full moon on November 15th at 4:29 PM. Depending on who you believe, the bucks tend to travel less at night during a full moon and more during the middle of the day and earlier in the evening. So, plan accordingly. and seeing lots of other hunters, it’s been my impression that hunters are a pretty prepared group of individuals when they take to the woods. So, don’t take what I’m about to say personally because it does bear repeating especially for the new members of the hunting community. Earlier this fall, New Hampshire Fish and Game reminded hikers to prepare themselves before venturing out into

the rescues wouldn’t have taken on a “race against the clock” mind set.

The same logic applies to hunters. If you get lost, injured or caught up in a weather situation, having those items with you will make your stay in the woods a lot more comfortable until your buddies or rescuers come to get you.

Speaking of hunters, and in this case I’m using that term loosely, back in September the windows of a barbershop in Meredith were shot out by goose hunters in an adjacent field.

is hard enough these days without having to explain that the actions of these “hunters” do not accurately represent the vast majority of safe hunters. But folks who are anti-hunting will cleave to anything that makes us look bad and use it to try and introduce legislation that would chip away at our ability to hunt. Like I said, I hope they’re caught and exposed for their potentially lethal stupidity.

A friend of mine checked his trail cams recently and had pictures of four nice looking cow

November 2024

moose and one calf. He said they didn’t have a hair out place and no appearance of tick issues. Here’s hoping that the moose (these were in WMU – I1) got a break from winter ticks, Speaking of moose, I got an email from a hunting outfitter that was pitching me on a Maine moose hunt in 2025. The hunts take place in areas 2, 3 and 6. The price is all inclusive of 1x1 guiding, food and lodging, moose tag (no draw!) and tax. To get a spot in September 22-28 prime rut, the cost is $30,825. Now I don’t begrudge outfitters, guiding companies or guides making money, I just firmly believe that a man’s got to know his limitations. And that’s mine.

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America and is a licensed NH Fishing Guide. You can reach him at: outsideinsides603@ gmail.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Braiding Sweetgrass

Last month, I introduced the book, Braiding Sweetgrass (Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants), by Robin Wall Kimmer. This books so important to me that I read it every summer when we move to camp on Craig Pond to clear my mind and get me re-connected to nature and the natural world.

Part of the gist of the book is based upon Gratitude.

Gratitude for Strawberries, the Maple Sugar Moon,

Part II

ing corrected thanks to Ed Muskie, who authored the clean water act. There is still work to be done, but we have a beginning. I can remember a time when the great Penobscot River in Bucksport was really nasty.

Now the fish are coming back and things are improving.

I am grateful and thankful that I have spent every summer of my life on one of the cleanest and clearest ponds in Maine.

My connection to Craig

the time each summer we spend at Big Eddy. Often that understanding of the water moving goes away at night, but at Big Eddy, the sound of the water leaving the Crib Works is reassuring and constant.

I am particularly drawn to streams and small brooks. This is where I enjoy myself the most in connection to moving water. I enjoy the feeling of being in and around them.

They even smell fresh and clean to me. I fly fish at Big

I am grateful and thankful that I have spent every summer of my life on one of the cleanest and clearest ponds in Maine.

My connection to Craig Pond is not only one of gratitude, but one of reverence.

Which Hazel, and many other parts of Nature we have a tendency to take for granted.

One special section was about being grateful for clean, clear water. We people in Maine, kind of take that for granted, as we are surrounded by hundreds of lakes, ponds and river In the indigenous traditions that Ms. Kimmerer writes about, the sacred tradition of caring for water was the responsibility of the women. The basis for this is that women, the carriers of life, carry that new life in water. This connection made water not just a commodity, but a sacred foundation of life, to be esteemed and honored as such.

Throughout history, that esteem has been denigrated to the point that we used our lakes, rivers and streams as sewers, the repositories for our waste, both domestic and industrial. That is now be-

Pond is not only one of gratitude, but one of reverence. I give thanks everyday for having been allowed to spend my summers on the shores of this beautiful little pond.

Next to Craig Pond, my favorite waters are moving waters; rivers, brooks and streams. In his book, Pleasant River, by Dale Rex Coman, he states, “Rivers have no beginning and no end, rivers just are.

They continue to flow by but never end.” This is particularly clear to me during

Eddy with my son, Todd, who is a fishing guide and has a drift boat to fish from.

At the time of year we are generally there, we fish an elk hair caddis dry fly with a nymph dropper. It is most effective to fish the seams in the current. I also enjoy the West Branch of the Union river early in the spring. I can mention that as it is a long way from Great Pond to the Airline, so I am not worried about my favorite spots. We can fish flies or worms and hardly ever see another soul. When we first

Page 61

From Craig Pond

by Bob Mercer, Bucksport, ME

started fishing here, we had to be careful when wading, not to step into a big hole made by dynamiting log jams. Fishing here varies, it is mostly pools but sometimes also in riffles. One has to be patient and figure out the situation each trip.

Lastly is my favorite little brook we call Tea Kettle Brook, this is to keep its location private.

I never trusted people that gave away the locations of their special fishing spots. I automatically avoid places that folks give details about because I don’t believe people that have good private spots would give them up. I don’t mind talking about public places like Big Eddy or long stretches like the West Branch of the Union but not my little honey holes. Fishing small brooks is different in that stealth is essential. There can be no storming up and down the gravel bottom or the bank near the water. A

smart person sits by a pool for a little while before trying it. Pay special attention to corners, especially if they are foam covered.

The foam gives trout cover, which they like. As to bait on small brooks, you can call me a sinner, but I prefer a worm and a spinner, usually double gold.

So there you have it, a reflection of my gratitude and esteem for water in general and moving water in particular. Sitting beside moving water smoking a nice bowl of tobacco is my idea of peace and contentment. .

B o b w r i t e s f ro m his camp on the shores of Craig Pond where he and his wife Jean have raised three children and ten grandchildren. Bob is an avid outdoorsman and a former Registered Maine Guide. He can be contacted at craigponder@myfairpoint.net Life long experience in the outdoors we go above and beyond to bring you your dream hunting and fishing adventure! Come as clients leave as family that’s our motto!

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 62

Rifle

(Cont. from pg 52) slightly flatter over 200 yards. But for all practical purposes there’s no real difference between the two weights, especially at close range. I just like the 130-grain because it makes me feel like I finally got my short-case .270.

Lately some gun writers have taken to calling the 7mm-08 the ideal whitetail cartridge. It’s also available in a lighter-recoiling 120-grain load, making it a good young person’s cartridge.

Only two things bothered me about the Model Seven. Repeat shots, at least for me, are a bit slow with a bolt. And the gun is tedious to load, since you have to feed shells one by one down through the open bolt into the magazine.

As a trapper I love clip-fed guns because I can pop a loaded clip in when I get out of the truck, and take it out when I get back in. Instant load and unload.

And for fast repeat shots, I love a lever.

My recommendation for the ideal Maine deer rifle/cartridge combo?

A Browning BLR Lightweight lever in 7mm-

08.

This gun weighs 6.5 pounds, and has a 20-inch barrel. It has a clip magazine. It’s available with a pistol grip stock and a classic straight grip stock (BLR Lightweight ’81). Both are side ejecting, so a scope is easily mounted.

And it’s accurate.

I got one on loan from Browning, and put a 3X9 Leupold on it. With factory Winchester 140-grain loads, firing from a bench, I got 1.5-inch 5-shot groups at 100 yards.

Browning is known for their high quality workmanship. For me, a good part of the pleasure of deer hunting is the appearance of the gun. The BLR Lightweight is a classy, traditional looking deer rifle, with a dark walnut stock and clean checkering on the forearm and pistol grip.

The blued metal finish is impeccable. The lever works smoothly, and the round rotating bolt locks solidly enough to allow the gun to be chambered in most popular high-power calibers, including the Winchester Short Magnums (WSM).

The clip inserts and drops out smoothly. The wide hammer had a half-

cock safety feature. The trigger has a bit of creep, but the letoff isn’t bad.

Trigger pull is a bit heavy, not necessarily a bad thing on a hunting rifle. Handling is very good. The gun feels like it was designed to be shot offhand.

As for scopes, in my opinion low power scopes are ideal for Maine deer hunting. There’s little need for high-power variables as big as thermos bottles.

Back in the early 60s most Maine deer rifles wore iron sights, and the men in my deer-hunting family thought I was nuts to want a scope. But Jack O’Connor said they were essential. He used 4x and higher, but he routinely shot over 100 yards. I finally put a Lyman 3X scope on my .270. It turned out to be a good choice.

It was easy to find closerange deer in the wide field of view, yet it had the magnification to let me see openings in the brush and poke a bullet through.

When I lived in Alaska, the 3X was plenty of magnification for caribou out to 300 yards or more. I have a Bushnell 2X to 7X variable on my Model Seven, and I’ve never set it above 2X while deer hunting. When

November 2024

the gun wore the Redfield 1.5X to 5X, I always left it on 1.5X. For me, the main advantage of a scope for deer hunting is that it puts the sight picture on one plane, and the crosshairs don’t obscure any of the target. The second advantage is light gathering ability, especially at dusk. The third is magnification. And 2x is usually plenty. Doubling the size of an animal as large as a deer at ranges out to 100 yards is more than enough.

Offhand shooting is common enough in the Maine woods, and high power settings can make the crosshairs seem to bounce around. That can unnerve you and cause missing. Low power settings don’t show shaking as much, making offhand shooting easier.

I recently got a scope that seems ideal for the BLR, or any other deer rifle. It’s Weaver’s new V3, a variable that goes from 1X to 3X. Target acquisition at 1X is instantaneous; it would be great for running shots. At 1X the field of view is a substantial 30 yards at 100 yards, and the long eye relief makes it good for getting off quick

shots accurately. The 7mm08 is effective on deer out past 200 yards, and in my opinion 3X is all you really need at that range.

The scope is also designed for use on shotguns, so it’s rugged enough to take considerable recoil.

The Weaver V3 is only 9 inches long and weighs only ounces. It has a straight 1-inch tube with no large objective lens, giving it sleek lines and less up front to catch in brush.

It has a dull black matte finish, perfect for hunting.

It looks great on my Model Seven, which is where it will stay this fall.

So there it is, my idea of the ideal whitetail gun/ cartridge/scope combo.

The BLR Lightweight in 7mm-08, wearing a Weaver V3 variable. A fine woods gun that’s also fully capable of killing deer out to 250 yards. Heavier 7mm bullets are available for handloaders, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use this combo on bear or moose, either.

Bob Noonan, who used to write for the Northwoods Sporting Journal, has been admiring deer rifles since his father let him shoot a Winchester 64 at age 8.

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By V. Paul Reynolds

Career Game Wardens are never at a loss for stories to tell. A number of Maine Game Wardens have recounted their career adventures in book form. The late John Ford, a wonderful story teller with an amazing gift of humor, managed to parlay his work experiences into a number of highly successful books.

Another book, “Let’s Go For a Ride,” published by Downeast books, chronicles undercover Maine Game Warden Bill Livezey’s incredible 20 -year career working undercover as Bill Freed. Livesey skillfully worked his way into the good graces of the most unbelievable nests of maladjusted career night hunters and hardcore poachers from all corners of Maine.

That book left me astonished to learn about what goes on in the fall when the sun goes down in some pockets of rural Maine.

Now, fresh off the press, there is a new book of this game-warden-inaction genre that you won’t want to miss: “Night Killers: Blood Lusting Poachers” by retired Pennsylvania wildlife conservation officer Timothy C. Flanigan. Flanigan, who I have known as a talented wildlife photographer, spent 30 years of his early life chasing deer night hunters in rural Pennsylvania.

In “Night Killers,” the retired Game Warden takes you along on night patrol as he investigates, pursues, arrests and prosecutes some of the most

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 63

Book Review reckless and dangerous assailant’s finger rested blood-lusting night hunters menacingly on the rifle’s trigger. Eventually, I noticed the rifle’s muzzle begin to shake, and I again ordered the wild-eyed hulk to place his gun on the ground. Thankfully he slowly complied.”

Flanigan says that he has been shot at, held at gunpoint, clubbed, punched, k i c k e d , chocked, hit with motor vehicles and had his family and property you can imagine. repeatedly threatened. He Here’s a sample: “The says that all of this only few minutes seemed to served to harden his resolve occur in slow motion as to protect and conserve his my finger tightened on the state’s wildlife resources. magnum’s trigger and the Upon his retirement, a lo-

cal defense attorney told him that he never thought Flanigan would live to retire. “Nearly everyone that I dealt with over the years swore they were going to kill you,” said the attorney.

“Night Killers: Blood Lusting Poachers” comprises 18 chapters, each

That book left me astonished to learn about what goes on in the fall when the sun goes down in some pockets of rural Maine. one a recollection from events that happened over Flanigan’s 30 year career.

As the author reminds us, “Night patrol for wildlife killers can be tedious, tiring, exciting, thrilling, fascinating, challenging, dangerous and strangely addictive. When darkness falls, the curtain rises on a

sinister world of alcoholfueled, drug-influenced poachers armed with highpowered rifles, shotguns, handguns, crossbows, clubs and knives, consumed with the desire and intent to kill something.”

Flanigan writes well, and the combination of his uncanny recall capacity and insights into human behavior, make for highenergy entertainment.

“Night Killers” is independently published and is available from Amazon. com for $14.95.

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.

Page 64

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

The Maine Hunting Camp 2024 the deer heard in 2023 solved many of the world’s the sight of seeing smoke Woods age by harvesting a doe. problems at hunting camp. coming from the chimney Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

Last year my hunting camp buddies and I decided not to go on our annual deer hunting adventure to my one room log cabin in the North Maine Woods because of the lack of deer in the area. We decided instead to hunt in southern Maine or in my case near home in the Greenville/ Shirley area.

This was a decision

for a few hours during the nonprime hunting hours.

I actually did shoot a doe behind my house last year. I went out to my stand during the last hour of the day, one came out about 15 minutes before the end of legal shooting time. Somehow it wasn’t the same as getting one at camp. It was exactly the deer I was looking for - a good size dry doe

Back to this year- we decided that since we are all retired or at least semiretired, we could wait until some snow was forecast before heading to camp.

Snow is the great equalizer when hunting in the Maine Northwoods, even when there aren’t many deer around. A fresh blanket of snow will show you where the deer are right now.

Tracking a deer on snow is the ultimate deer hunting

One year we came up with a way to win the war we were having with Afghanistan. It was called chicken

and the glow of gas lights shining through the windows when you’re walking back to camp tired and

Nothing can replace the sight of seeing smoke coming from the chimney and the glow of gas lights shining through the windows when you’re walking back to camp tired and hungry after a long day in the field.

that we have all regretted ever since. One of the things I really enjoyed about hunting at camp was that I can’t wait to check out my old haunts. Places where deer trails and buck scrapes have been in the past. Places where a hunt has ended in success or one got away but you were close.

While at camp we are totally immersed in the hunt. We live and breathed deer hunting for a whole week with no distractions.

When hunting from home, there is always that tendency to do a few chores in the afternoon or take some time to do something else

all by herself.

I had an any deer permit in 2022 that I did not fill - I vowed to not let that happen again. I had two nice does that I could have shot but one had a fawn with her and the other was on the small size so I decided not to shoot. After passing up those two deer, I had to give myself a mental talking to. Why did I purchase an any deer permit if I was going to pass on a perfectly good deer? After all, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants does harvested in the area or they wouldn’t have issued the permit. Anyway, I did my part to help man-

experience when it ends in success.

The excitement of going to camp for a week of deer hunting can’t be replaced by hunting behind the house. For me, it is one of the rites of the seasonsomething to remember each year by. I will never forget the year we went five for five with two bucks over 200 pounds! Or the 204-pound buck that was shot down by the outlet of the lake that we spent most of the day dragging out!

Going to hunting camp is more than just hunting. It is about the fellowship, cribbage games, food and stories. We have

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The last deer shot at camp in 2019.

An all LaRoche deer drag: Mark, Levi, Gabe and Matt. diplomacy. Instead of dropping bombs on the people, we thought that dropping frozen chickens with the US flag on it might make the people like us better. If only the worlds problems could be resolved so easy!

I can’t wait to get together with the guys over morning coffee and devise our plan for the day’s hunt.

Today is sure to be the day when our schemes work out.

Nothing can replace

hungry after a long day in the field. I would soon find out if Mark or Russell saw anything this afternoon.

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

MAINE WOODS GUIDE SERVICE

• Canoe Trips • Fishing • Hunting • Wildlife Watching Matt LaRoche - Registered Maine Guide 207-695-2877 www.mainewoodsguide.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

Dream (Cont. from pg 46) pulling water, knowing this schedule is imperative to being in the right location at the right time!”

When it comes to tackle, Mark Burgess is very specific as to what, when and why as it compares to his baits of choice!

Traveled (Cont. from pg 53) They were lost, but I could tell they were comfortable in their surroundings. Western Maine’s forest may be vast, but the folks who frequent it are few and so it turned out we had a mutual acquaintance.

After giving directions to a nearby campground, we began to swap stories about seasons past, changes in the weather, old haunts. After twenty minutes or so, the guy doing most of the talking raised his hand through

“Narrowing down my tackle choices is very important. And one factor that determines what baits and why go into my choice of baits is whether or not I have caught a bass on that particular bait or not! I never go into a tournament fishing a bait I have never caught a bass on before!

Why? Because I have no confidence in that particu-

lar bait, and a tournament is not the place to test it…

At least in my opinion!”

My confidence baits will include Soft Plastics all in the same colors, sizes and manufacture. Additionally, I’ll have seasonal type baits to cover a variety of water depths, all that have produced previously during this seasonal transition period. I never want

the window of my SUV. “Name’s, John.”

“Bob,” I replied while shaking his hand.

With a twinkle in his eye and a slight grin slowly forming across his lips, he asked, “You that writer fella?”

I chuckled. “Depends which writer fella you have in mind.”

“The one writes for the Maine Sportsman.”

“Close.” I replied. “I write for the Northwoods Journal.”

“That’s the one. I got some of your books.”

I asked what made him think I was “that writer fella.”

“Well, I read somewhere you're from New Jersey.” Pointing to the plate on the front of my vehicle, he continued, “And ya don’t see those all that often on these logging roads.

When I nodded, he added, “And that ain’t no Maine accent I’m hearing.”

When we said goodbye, he turned back toward his truck. Looking over his shoulder, he called, “Nice meeting ya, Ray.”

to question myself, ‘Do I have the right baits?’ As for his tournament practice baits…. There will be NoHooks!

During the National Nation Championship approximately 200 anglers will be competing, but only the Top 3 Anglers in each division (Boater, NonBoater) will qualify for the 2025 B.A.S.S. Bassmaster

Page 65 Classic. Mark Burgess’s closing statement, “My goal is to qualify within the Top 3 positions, this will allow me to catch my Classic Dream.Photo: Massachusetts Mark Burgess wins the B.A.S.S. Nation Northeast Champions on Lake Champlain.

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Page 66

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. Although October is often thought of as the absolute prime month for grouse and woodcock hunting, November should not be overlooked. For your author, the big advantage of November is less foliage. You can see the birds in flight much easier than in October. Every year, I

ily flight birds with our resident birds having already departed for warmer weather. One way of telling if they’re resident or flight birds is how they fly when flushed. A resident bird will have more energy and fly a little faster and farther than a flight bird. A flight bird may already have covered

November: Good Upland Hunts

encounter a snow storm in November, however, that means keeping your eye on the weather forecast.

For example, I would not want to be caught in a snowstorm in the North Maine Woods. If you do venture into the North Maine Woods in November, I highly recommend either a satellite telephone or Garmin InReach. Either

For both woodcock and grouse, I feel scenting conditions may be better in November. I have no historical evidence of this, but, November always seems to be damper. Moisture is required for good scenting conditions for bird dogs. hear of more upland hunters extending their grouse hunts into November.

Let’s begin with the little russet colored feller.

Perhaps it’s due to climate change, however, I’m seeing woodcock in the Northeast a little later every year.

Last year, in Southeast New Hampshire, woodcock were strong right until the last day of the season…

November 14th. I suspect the late birds were primar-

two hundred plus miles in his journey south.

For both woodcock and grouse, I feel scenting conditions may be better in November. I have no historical evidence of this, but, November always seems to be damper. Moisture is required for good scenting conditions for bird dogs. And, good scenting conditions make for better dog work and more enjoyable hunts. Yes, you could

November 2024

method of contacting emergency service could save your life.

Let’s get back to my favorite upland bird…the ruffed grouse. Once the leaves are off the trees, the ruffed grouse seeks safety in conifers. For food, it’s almost completely buds of the aspen and black cherry. Both are available throughout the winter and offer high nutrition for the grouse. That nutri-

Susan Fuller with a nice Maine ruffed grouse.

(Photo by Paul Fuller.)

tion keeps them healthy throughout the winter and in prime condition for breeding in the spring.

Which is very important for successful breeding.

I want to address hunting ethics in November. I know I’ve been criticized before when I write about fair chase. I think the king of game birds deserves fair chase hunting. When the birds are budding, it’s easy to shoot them off a limb. Two years ago, I met two hunters who that morning had shot their

limits, off limbs, in one tree. That’s not hunting, it’s simply shooting. Hunting is matching your wits against your prey. Simply shooting a bird off a limb, or from the road, takes no skill or wits.

Have a great November upland hunting.

Paul and Susan, his wife, are hosts of Bird Dogs Afield TV. Past episodes may be seen at www.youtube.com/birddogsafield.

Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Finding Trophy Bucks Which Trophy Actually, if a guide doesn’t provide a safe, enjoyable outing, never use that person again. The best guides are the ones that are there for you and speak up when needed and quiet when need be.

Page 67

of patience. Staking out mixed hardwoods meet.

Next, look for signs of heavy cover can get tedious doe feeding activity. “Find at times and right after you the does and the buck will give up the big guy will put come” is a safe motto. hoof marks in your boot However, it may visit the prints.

Hiring a guide can Major League Whitetail does during the night.

Finding a major In heavily hunted ar- increase your odds of bagleague whitetail can take a eas you will need to find ging a big buck but can lifetime or it can be wooded marshes. (higher also deplete your vacation done in a few days Southern Maine is home to mostly red if the proper amount oak trees. Find a white oak in their of pre-hunt scouting is done. Several midst and you will find a great deer givens are noted to attractant. White oak acorns are larger each hunter I take and have more fat. out. “Big deer may scrape the bark off ground within a wooded funds very quickly. Finding small trees but rare- marsh is shown with a the “patch” buck of your ly will a small deer green background on topo dreams is always sweeter when you get educated on take on a 6-inch or maps.) mature deer hunting and Trail Cams larger diameter tree.

Your guide will prob- become successful on your Mature bucks stick ably use cell game cameras own. to heavy cover and, Finding a major league whitetail can take a lifetime in southern Maine to locate mature bucks. or it can be done in a few days if the proper amount these bruisers will States are slowly overStu Bristol is a Master of pre-hunt scouting is done. spend their entire regulating these devices Maine Hunting, Fishing begins either with extra In my childhood men lives within a 500- acre so check the regs. I support and Tidewater Guide and wide antlers or over that and boys (and many girls) property. Northern Maine their use citing the limited outdoor columnist. He is magic 200-pound weight. grew up in the woods but deer run the ridges for opportunities for abuse or a former Vermont Game I get asked more times in modern times there are miles and more often can taking unfair advantage Warden. His columns and than I can count, as a guide, many men and women in be seen in clear cuts and of game. I argued support features have been printed will you find me a “trophy” their 30’s and older that open hardwoods. many times for their re- nationwide for nearly 65 years. He was inducted into buck. No guide in his right rarely if ever set foot in Forget about tree rubs sponsible use. mind will ever flat out say the forest other than to after October in southern Final bit of advice for the New England Turkey I’ll find you a scorable jog or hike. They need to Maine and look for scrapes. “trophy” buck hunters is to Hunting Hall of Fame in deer/turkey/bear or fish. be guided or taught to be Tree rubs are made when be in great physical shape 2019. He operates Orion That would be flat out woods-wise. bucks begin their pecking especially if you are after Guide Service and is a professional suicide. What My curriculum is to order or test their strength, a northern ridge runner. game call maker, www.

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With greater operator confidence, master the ally the outdoor experience Southern Maine is mature bucks will follow trails of Maine for work or play. you seek. home to mostly red oak edges, where softwood and

By Stu Bristol

One of the most common cop-outs among deer hunters is the statement, “Every deer is a trophy, regardless of size.” This is true in most cases. However, under their breath they still consider a real trophy

trees. Find a white oak in their midst and you will find a great deer attractant.

White oak acorns are larger and have more fat.

The Sebago Region

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

Dam

(Cont. from pg 57) impact the water quality of the lake. Perhaps the most significant change would be shoreline erosion with change in the stability of the lake’s water quality.

Protecting the existing water quality should be the decision breaker.

The water quality of Green lake is further protected by the Maine DEP, Non-Point Source list of Threatened and or unimpaired lakes and Green is listed due to its use as a water supply for a Fish Hatchery. Six lakes in Maine are listed under this criteria and Green is one of the six. What this means is; “declines or negative changes in lake water quality could seriously impact the operation of these culture facilities, which are an important public resource.”

Providing for fish passage into Green via a new fishway could upset or change the existing equilibrium of Green Lake. My opinion.

Again, water quality is the driver.

Fishery

Keith Havey published in 1961 the Union River Survey. He mentions the fact that Green Lake was one of four lakes in Maine that are the original homes of the Landlocked salmon. In 1946 John Fuller and Gerald Cooper also mention Floods Pond having a robust population of Arctic Charr and Green Lake as a relict. The stock for Green Lake was from the old U.S. Bureau of Fish Hatcheries propagation.

Green has a unique Charr population but it is not the principal fishery. These fish are small and may serve as forage for salmon and lake trout. However, in talking to fisheries biologist Greg

Burr he has never found Charr in resident salmonids stomachs examined. I am certain that the smelt population is the most important forage base of all species mentioned in Burr’s 1995 fishery management survey for salmonids.

Green Lake is closed to all fishing from October 1 thru November 30. This regulation is to protect fall spawning salmonids. Arctic Charr are fall spawners.

They like shallow water shoals that are windswept often with less than 6 feet of water. This fact is noted to be significance as a draw down of the lake would impact Charr spawning habitat. They tend to broadcast their eggs and the wind tends to mix the males milt with the female’s eggs.

Maine happens to be the only State that still supports relic populations of Charr based on Frank Frost’s 2001 report. Since Green Lake is oligotrophic habitat for Charr then protection of the species is of the highest order. Plus, the fact that Maine has only 14 lakes that support these fish and Green Lake is one of the 14. The statewide goal of IF&W for Arctic Charr is to maintain existing populations that are self-sustaining. Protecting Charr in existing habitat will require strict adherence to water quality standards that protect fish and other aquatic life. GP-A is the law and standard.

As mentioned earlier.

Green Lake is a water supply lake for the USF&WS, Green Lake National Fish Hatchery, also significant.

While the hatchery facility maintains a high protocol for fish disease and parasite control via treatment of intake water by filtration and ultraviolet light etc., it must also treat and control

its waste discharge under a DEP, NEPDES permit.

This fish hatchery facility, was established, to produce young Atlantic salmon, significant to the recovery efforts in the Penobscot River. The selection of Green Lake as its water supply became a prime factor in the recovery plan for Atlantic salmon which is listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The human intervention factor under the relicensing process for the Green Lake outlet dam is interesting. The DEP issues a water quality certification in this process to FERC. While all well and good for its purpose and necessary, I see no need to encourage or establish fish passage into Green Lake, based on existing water levels and especially if a new draw down level is established.

Again, my opinion. The lake is unique with its current fishery and relict Charr population based on Greg Burr’s 1995 fishery survey and management plan.

Fish ways are good with scientific justification. We should realize that dam removal and new fish passage comes with all the fish assemblages below any dam or obstruction. A very good example is the Edwards Dam removal in 1999 that has allowed all the fish below the dam to access upper waters of the lower Kennebec and Sebasticook River. The findings of European Carp and White Catfish are now taking residence. My discussions with Jason Siders, Brandon Kulick and Chris Yoder 2006 have confirmed my worst worries of invasives on the Kennebec.

Finally, the restoration of salmon will take huge amounts of resources and require much time to

complete. Funds and expertise are scattered enough already. As Lloyd Irland documented in his Project SHAE power point, 2024.

I think Green Lake is so unique that we should adopt the Precautionary Principle. This principle is used in environmental science when we do not have justified answers. It falls into the realm of unknown and should be applied when appropriate. Green Lake is a good example of applying this principle.

Conclusions

1. Human intervention factor is always great if one ignores the consequences. We have several examples thus far in Maine.

Green is one of 14 lakes in Maine with Artic Charr that should be protected.

2. The lake in and of itself is unique with its current fishery and relict Charr population. Again, Burr’s fishery management plan is sufficient, which I happen to concur with. His creel data certainly indicates angler satisfaction of the existing fishery.

3. My main question of concern is why would we want to upset a stable lake ecosystem with potential threats via human interventions when the rest of the Union River system will allow diadromous fish restoration efforts. The exceptions being lakes with Charr.

4. Fish passage into Green Lake may be desirable by some groups based on historical assumptions.

All well with good intentions but my hypothesis (which is a scientific guess) is annual anadromous fish runs never entered Green Lake due to hydrogeologic conditions.

5. Green Lake with its uniqueness should be left as is and be an excep-

November 2024 tion for fish restoration in the Union River drainage. I think Green Lake is so unique that we should adopt the Precautionary Principle to protect it for future generations.

6. Finally, the opinions in this paper are mine and mine alone and I stand behind any errors or omissions. We can agree to disagree.

References 2023, Lakes of Maine data and Website; www. lakesofmaine.org 1946, Fuller and Cooper Fish Survey Report No. 7; MDIF&W 1995, Burr; Fishery Management survey and plan of Green Lake; Regional Fishery Office, Jonesboro, Maine.

2001, Frost, Frank; Arctic Charr Management; IF&W regional Fishery Office; Ashland, Me. 2006, Yoder, C.O.; B.H. Kulick et al; Midwest Biodiversity Institute; Columbus, Ohio 2023, Jason Siders, personal communication IF&W, Sidey regional office.

2023, Brandon Kulick, personal communication, retired Fishery Scientist 2024, Maine Water Quality Classification; Title 38, Sub-Section 465A-1; Class GPA waters, Maine DEP; Augusta, Me. 2024, Irland, L. C. Ruin and repair of Maine’s Rivers. Unpublished PPT, Maine Project Share.

2024, Burr, G. Maine Issues; NWSJ, August; pp 63-65 Matthew Scott is a certified AFS fisheries biologist. He worked for many years as a fisheries biologist for the Maine DEP and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

November 2024

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SELLERS LANE

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Page 69

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 70

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November 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 71

To Military Personnel Worldwide!

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.

A digital subscription to the Northwoods Sporting Journal makes a wonderful gift for your military person serving in far away places. www.sportingjournal.com

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.

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