Northwoods Sporting Journal, Sept. 2022

Pinch Brody Uses Me & Joe To Track Down Poachers Only

September 2022

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Moose Of The Slash

15

72 Pages

-Mark McCollough

* The Larcenous Loons * Fa l l S a l m o n Ru n * Mean Seeds * Camps, Cottages & L a n d Fo r S a l e

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September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 3

Moose of the “Slash”

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME

posts.

These are not casual shacks or tree stands. Most are elaborate structures on stilts elevated 15 to 20 feet above the ground.

Staircases lead to enclosed, roofed cabins the size of a small shed. Large sliding glass windows surround the blind. Propane tanks fuel heaters and cook stoves. Chimneys from wood stoves exit the roof.

Some have sleeping bunks.

Quebec clearly has

vastly different hunting regulations. Most blinds are surrounded by cleared “yards” with a smorgasbord of moose delicacies.

Many have salt blocks that are specially-shipped from the Midwest in several different “flavors” with micronutrients that moose crave. Nearly everyone baits their blind with barley and other grains. Most peculiar are “Christmas trees,” a vertical post with (“Slash” cont. pg 7)

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Canadian hunters, hunkered down in tall moose blinds, try to entice the big critters to cross the border from Maine to Quebec.

In the deep woods over the St. John River is Fortunately, my wildlife inof northwestern Maine, it long collapsed, and only tern from the summer was is known as “The Slash.” a few intrepid hunters and born in France and strikes Maine’s 292-mile border game wardens wend their up an easy conversation. with the province of Que- way through a maze of logBut the most obvious bec is not impressive, just ging roads to this remote feature of the border is the a 40-foot swath cut through Maine outpost. moose blinds, or caches, as the spruce, fir, and cedars.

Across the interna- they are called by the QueMost power line rights-of- tional border the view is becois. We count at least 8 way are wider. About every drastically different. Che- blinds north and 7 blinds half mile or so is a waistTucked into the Quebec woods, these high boundary monument blinds are here for a single purpose – in the center of the clearing.

Otherwise, there is an ATV to entice moose from the Maine woods 1681 Bennoch Rd, Old Town, ME track running just inside the into Quebec. We asked our friends at East Off I-95 Exit 197 Quebec side of the border the border if these are the only moose and miles of du Grand Bois, Maine’s big woods, blinds. They roared with laughter. Il y a des centaines! There are hundreds! on the other side.

The border is a curi- min du Maine, a well- to the south in the span of ous and somewhat mysteri- travelled road, runs to the just a half mile. Our newous no-man’s-land. From gate at the border. There found friends erected a HUNTING & FISHING CERTIFIED where I stand at the dis- are tire marks in the gravel blind aimed right down the LICENSES GAME continued border crossing suggesting that a few Ca- Realty Road into Maine.

SCALES RESIDENT • NON-RESIDENT at Daquaam, there is no nadians cross here illegally Tucked into the Quesign of cameras, listening from time to time. Several bec woods, these blinds are devices, or border patrol camps and small houses here for a single purpose (unless they are cleverly are in view, the outskirts – to entice moose from the AMMO • CAMO disguised). The Nature of the village of Daquaam. Maine woods into Quebec.

HUNTING BLINDS & GEAR Conservancy owns this Sprawling farms and the We asked our friends at township and the old U.S. spires of Catholic churches the border if these are the Custom’s staff residence. rise from the summits of only moose blinds. They A well-maintained Cus- the distant Canadian hills. roared with laughter. Il y toms and Border Patrol The old Canadian a des centaines! There are supply depot is next door. Customs building is now a hundreds! A fact confirmed Otherwise, there are a few hunting camp with a group by Maine Game Warden hunting camps along the of partying Quebecois. Mark Hutchinson of Clay5 last remnants of the Realty Cans of Les Trois Mous- ton Lake later in our trip. A Road that once served as quetaires beer are scattered quick scan of Google Earth CLOSED the major haul road for across the lawn. Bonjoir. shows the Quebec border Maine trees going to Cana- Comment ça va? Voudrais- punctuated with an unendwww.oldtowntradingpost.net dian mills. The high bridge tu une bière? they inquire. ing line of these lookout

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BEAR SCENTS

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On The Cover

Pinch Brody Uses Me & Joe To Track Down Poachers - Pg 16 Moose Of The Slash - Pg 3 The Larcenous Loons - Pg 26 Fall Salmon Run - Pg 34 Mean Seeds - Pg 6 Trail Cam Controversy - Pg 45 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 67

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

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprehensive and readable monthly outdoor publication. Published at the trailhead of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Sporting Journal prides itself on being an independent voice for the region’s outdoor community for more than 28 3. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough years. Some of our writers are seasoned 6. On Point - Paul Fuller and specialized outdoors people who 9. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill will share their know-how and insights; 10. “A Hiker’s Life” - Carey Kish some of our contributors are simply 11. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd lifelong outdoor people with interest12. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier ing stories to tell.

15. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau Our aim every month is to capture 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood the essence of Northern New England’s 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring 22. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes memories, portraying outdoor humor, 24. Post-Script From Pocasset - Josh Reynolds and sharing experiences and outdoor 25. Native Fish Talk - Bob Mallard knowledge. We also keep our readers 26. Ramblings From T8-R9 - Jeff Labree up to date with late-breaking outdoor 28. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 30. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau news and hard-hitting editorials about fish and wildlife issues.

31. The Tyer’s Corner - Hugh Kelly Anyone who loves to hunt and 32. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche a treasured place, is more than likely 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler to find some special connections amid 37. Question Of The Month - Mike Miner the pages of the Northwoods Sporting 38. Fly Fishing - Joe Bertolaccini Journal.

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Vol 29 Issue 9 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices.

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Contents

39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. The Northwoods Bowhunter - Brian Smith 42. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynolds 45. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 46. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 48. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 49. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 50. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 51. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 52. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary Moore 54. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 55. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 56. The Back Shelf - V. Paul Reynolds 57. “Just Fishing” - Bob Leeman 58. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 60. Against The Current - Bob Romano 62. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary

Other Great Stories & Information

September 2022

Northwoods Publishing Group Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds Editor - V. Paul Reynolds Director of Marketing - Victor Morin Assistant Editor - Josh Reynolds Associate Editor - Donna Veino Graphic Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram Operations Manager - Annette Boobar Webmaster - V. Paul Reynolds General Sales Manager - Victor Morin Jr. Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin & Michael Georgia Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs and articles about the Maine outdoors.

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

All rights reserved, 2022. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

Northwoods Voyager - Pg 43 Gil Gilpatrick

Green Mountain Report - Pg 54 Bradley Carleton

8. Editorial/Letters 14. Outdoor News 41. Trading Post 67. Real Estate

Cover Art of Moose

by Mark McCollough

Native Fish Talk - Pg 25 Bob Mallard

The Northwoods Bowhunter - Pg 40 Brian Smith

September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Page 6

The prairies are calling. I believe it was Bing Crosby who gave us this lyric: Home, home on the range, where the deer and antelope play. I’ve been getting many inquires recently

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Mean Seeds

On Point

tips which allow the seed to penetrate and migrate in the dog’s skin and body causby Paul Fuller, ing infections. The eyes, Durham, N.H. nose and between the toes every bird dog owner hunt- are all easily receptive to a ing the prairies needs to be mean seed. Unchecked, the aware of. infections caused by mean Mean seeds are a seeds can lead to the death grass that can kill your of your beloved bird dog. dog. You may think I’m My research finds referring to your dogs eat- three grass species capable

The use of Canada wild rye is very wide throughout the Midwest.

Let’s talk about prevention. Obviously, when you’re hunting the prairies, the range of your dog becomes larger than that of a woodcock/ruffed grouse dog. The prairies are big and need to be covered thoroughly by your

September 2022

most common when the mean seed is inhaled. And, pyothorax is often fatal.

I quote from a published paper by Cathy Lewis titled Mean Seeds: Grass Kills. Grass awn infections can manifest in multiple symptom patterns (or combinations thereof): pyothorax, an infection in the chest cavity, pneu-

Mean seeds are a grass that can kill your dog. You may think I’m referring to your dogs eating a toxic grass. No, I’m referring to barbed seed (awn) from certain species of grass. about hunting the prairies.

I’ve written many times about hunting the prairies in this column, however, one issue I haven’t covered is mean seeds. This is very important and something

ing a toxic grass. No, I’m referring to barbed seed (awn) from certain species of grass. The “awn” seed refers to the structure of the seed. They consist of serrated bristles with sharp

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of delivering the deadly awn seed. I suggest you research each grass on the internet so you can easily identify the grass during your hunt.

Cheatgrass: Exists in most states but very prevalent in the Rocky Mountain states. As the soil dries, the awns harden and become stiff and sharp and drop.

This usually begins in late July and continues until the snow flies.

Foxtail: I’m not sure there is a true “species”.

I believe the name encompasses several dangerous plants. The internet describes foxtail as follows:…a spikelet or cluster of a grass, that serves to disperse its seeds as a unit. Foxtail is often referred to as “spear grass”.

Canada wild rye: This is a popular cultivated grass to help soil stabilization and to attract wildlife. It has a very aggressive awn.

474-5430

Post hunt tail gate inspection.

(Photo by Susan Fuller)

dog(s) to find birds. That means you can’t be watching what type of grass they’re running through.

Immediately after each run, do a tailgate inspection of your dog. Awns can easily be caught in hair and just waiting to find an entry point. Examine the hair carefully. An easy brushing or combing will locate and remove mean seeds. Also check between the toes. A mean seed can penetrate anywhere from an exterior location. Chest cavity infections (pyothorax) are

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monia, and/or body wall or internal abscesses… many infections show up as an acute illness. The dog seemed fine two hours ago/ yesterday, but now s/he has an elevated temperature, is lethargic, and has no interest in food.

For first timers to the prairie, pay careful attention to your dog. Always do a tailgate inspection after each hunt and watch for a change in behavior.

Before you leave for your hunt, make sure you have the address and telephone number for a local vet in your hunting area. Always be on the safe side.

Paul and Susan Fuller are co-hosts of Bird Dogs Afield TV. All past episodes may be seen on their website: www.birddogsafield. com Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com

September 2022

“Slash” (Cont. from pg 3) a dozen foot-long spikes adorned with cabbages.

Moose calls, electronic and traditional, echo up and down the boundary come the October moose season.

Most of the blinds are a mere 40-50 yards apart. Some have flagged posts demarking domestic boundaries of another type.

“I shoot the moose on this side of the post. You shoot the moose on the other.”

The height of the blinds may contribute to some degree of shooting safety, but when a moose sticks its nose from the Maine woods, I suspect there is high-powered mayhem.

Poaching is prevalent along the border. Maine Wardens play a cat-andmouse game with the Quebec hunters. The moose does not always expire on the 20-feet of The Slash in Quebec. Warden Hutchinson confirmed that the border is an exasperating area to patrol and enforce the game laws. Access on the Maine side is difficult at best, whereas the Canadians access the border by a myriad of roads and ATV trails. “Deer, bear, and moose all are killed illegally from the blinds.

Many expire where they came from - on the Maine side of the international border. We have to physically apprehend the poachers in Maine. The Quebec hunters just have to scamper (or drag their moose with an ATV) across the border where we cannot touch them,” Hutchinson explained. The Maine Warden Service collaborates with U.S. and Canadian Customs and Canadian law enforcement if they believe they can identify

Northwoods Sporting Journal the culprits, but apprehensions are few.

How many of “our” moose end up in Canadian freezers? No one knows, but one old estimate put the number at 200 each year.

The Maine border spans Quebec hunting zones 2, 3, and 4 where 269, 600, and 4,062 moose were harvested respectively in 2021.

Maine moose biologist Lee Kanter confirmed that there is no estimate of the number of moose killed

by Quebec on the international border. MDIFW has radio-tagged moose that regularly move between Quebec and Maine, so he assumes that “Quebec” moose also range into Maine. Lee does not

Page 7

see the concentration of baited stands at the border as a “sink” for the regional moose population. Mortality from winter ticks is currently the greatest driver of moose populations. Nor is poaching a major cause of moose mortality. Of 750 radio-tagged moose, Lee says that only one was known to be killed illegally. The bottom line…borderline Quebec moose hunters do not influence the number of moose permits allocated each year, but they do keep Maine game wardens busy!

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

While visiting Golden, Colorado Remy and Loic Johnson-Crepieux from Knoxville, Tennessee took a break to read the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

(The photo was taken by the youngster’s grandmother, Kalman Johnson from Knoxville)

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Ranger Heath’s Memory

In October of 1963, Katahdin hikers, Helen Mower,50, and Margaret Ivusic, were working their way back down the mountain along the Knife Edge trail. Although the two women were experienced hikers, Ivusic decided, over her partner’s protestations, to leave the marked trail and bush whack directly down the headwall to Chimney Pond. That fateful decision would lead to Ivusic’s death.

Mower made it down to Chimney Pond and alerted Park Ranger Ralph Heath that she had had voice contact with her hiking partner. Ivusic was stranded on the headwall. She could not go up or down.

Heath was able to make voice contact, and urged Ivusic to stay put, and that help would be coming. It was 8:30 p.m. and the wind was picking up. Heath wisely elected to wait until first light to effect an attempted rescue. The Ranger’s supervisor advised Heath not to try a solo rescue, to wait until first light and additional manpower.

With increasing winds and bad weather impending, Heath changed his mind and decided to attempt a night rescue. At 11 p.m. Heath ascended the ridge alone by the Dudley Trail. He could not reach Ivusic without more rope and helpers, though he

Cushing Cougar?

now knew exactly where Ivusic was on the headwall. It was snowing when Heath returned to Chimney Pond. At 6:10 a.m Heath elected to climb straight up the headwall above Chimney Pond. He told Mower that he would attempt to reach Ivusic to stabilize and console her until additional help arrived.

Mower was the last person to see Ranger Heath alive. By the time additional help arrived, Chimney Pond was enveloped in a full blown Nor ‘Easter with snow accumulation building. Shortly, zero visibility and fierce winds dashed any hope of a rescue operation. After a few days, winter had set in on the mountain and a rescue was deemed futile.

Six months later, in early spring, the frozen bodies of both Ranger Heath and Margaret Ivusic were located and recovered from the mountain. The evidence suggested that Heath had tried to rescue Ivusic with a rope tied to her but that the rope had been cut on a rock or broken. The Ranger’s body was found 400 feet above Ivusic’s. His hat and gloves were nearby.

He was wearing only light clothing. A later autopsy showed that he had apparently gone to sleep and died from exposure.

Rd., in Cushing, Maine.

As I started down the hill toward the swamp/marsh To the Editor: At 6:10 a.m. I was area at the bottom. I began traveling along the Cross braking to slow down. At

the bottom I noticed an animal near the culvert, and it started running along the right side of the road, just a few feet in front of my car. It was feline, and much, much bigger than a house cat. It was brown in color, had black spots, and the tail was as long and it curved at the end. The tail was brown with, patches of black that went ¾ the way down the tail. The last ¼ of the tail was solid black. The animal ran along the side of the road several feet, and at one point right next to my car before leaping off into the thickets at the edge of the swamp/marsh.

I cannot say for sure

Heath’s tombstone in his hometown of Sherman Mills reads: “Ralph Heath, Ranger. He gave his life to save that of another.”

Indeed! A clear act of selfless heroism on the part of Ranger Heath. Former Baxter State Park Ranger and Supervisor, Buzz Caverly, saw to it over the years that a group of Baxter personnel, including Rangers active and retired would gather every spring at the Sherman Mills cemetery to honor and remember one of their own.

According to Caverly, there is a plan afoot by the current Park Director to discontinue the attendance of Park personnel at the spring ceremony in Sherman Mills. Caverly, to his credit, has petitioned the Baxter State Park Authority to impose some permanence on the spring ceremony honoring Ranger Heath in Sherman Mills.

How soon we forget! Ranger Heath, who also served in World War II and Korea, gave his ultimate to try to save another, and he did it when he did not have to.

The Baxter State Park Authority must do the right thing, just as Governor Baxter would have wanted it to do.

the exact height. I estimate the height to be around 17” to 19” from the shoulders.

My estimate from the look I got of the feline, is that it appeared to weigh about 35 to 40 lbs.

I turned my car around, pulled over to see if I could see it again, and get a photo, with no luck.

My initial thought was that it looked like a small leopard. But there are no leopards in Maine.

I went home, grabbed some of my gear, and returned to the area to look for prints. I found one and made a cast.

Jean Tewksbury

- VPR

Operations Curator International Cryptozoology Museum Portland, Maine, and Bangor, Maine

The Fendler Legacy To the Editor: Enjoyed your article (The Fendler Legacy by V. Paul Reynolds). My father was living in Millinocket at the time, and my grandmother got Donn to sign a copy of his book, which I read as a boy, and still have!

Earle Wingate, III Peru, Me

September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Last Minute Season Prep

The fall hunting season is kicking off soon and if you are like me and have not looked at your hunting pack since last fall

cards.

3. Check/hang your stands.

The porcupine that keeps waddling through

Page 9

Women In The Woods

ing your stands to ensure they are sturdy, survived the winter, winds and critters, will remove the guess work when you head into the woods pre-dawn this didn’t expect. fall. If you haven’t already, 4. Look into utilizing hang your stands so that the hunting apps.

During my moose deer can become used to

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME

I write for) has launched a new app with the tools needed to find your hunting area on their maps, mark where your stands Checking your stands to ensure they are, any deer sign and if are sturdy, survived the winter, winds you hunt over a field or and critters, will remove the guess food plot, it will tell you what the range is from your work when you head into the woods stand to the edge of that pre-dawn this fall. area. Plus, you can add seeing them in the area and hunt last year, OnX was a rain gauge to measure that you know that you will key to tracking where we how much precipitation (or spring if you hunted on my camera may be en- be able to get a good shot had been and what we had your property gets after a turkeys), then it’s time for joying my tree stand and off and not lose a shooting seen for sign or animals.

(Prep cont. pg 23) some quick, last minute making it his home. Check- lane because of a limb you This year, DeerCast (which tips to get you ready for the season.

1. Take a quick inventory.

Are the clothes you usually wear in good shape or did you forget about a hole or rip in that mid-layer? And do they still fit? Try everything on and see what is still ready for the field and what you may need to replace before the season starts. A lot of companies, like FirstLite, are having some sales on their hunting clothes and you could grab a few key pieces of clothing to be ready for those frosty mornings.

2. Get your cameras out.

I put my cameras out as early as I can. It might be a little too early, but I have been able to get a good glimpse of what is in the area including bears, which I have had on my cameras for the past three years. Getting your cameras out will also show you where the deer typically travel. Knowing and establishing these trails will help in your scouting and give you an idea of where – or where not- to hang a stand. Make sure you also have batteries and extra SD

Page 10

Northwoods Sporting Journal

“A Hiker’s Life”

by Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME Three weeks and 325 miles into Washington, I must admit that the PCT through here is wilder, more remote and much tougher than I’d imagined.

More so, perhaps, than even California’s High Sierra. The steep, strenuous terrain aside, the weather has become a serious concern, with plenty of cold rain and now measurable snow accumulation. The

Hiking the PCT: Tougher Weather

a wood stove and sleeping loft, offered a reprieve from the harsh elements.

The halcyon days of summer are over, seemingly in a hurry. The long daylight hours, walking in shorts and T-shirts, pitching the tent without the rainfly—they’re just memories now. Suddenly, detailed National Weather Service reports matter big time. So does the pack’s inventory

Suddenly, detailed National Weather Service reports matter big time. So does the pack’s inventory of extra clothing, food and hot drink packets. season’s first blizzard walloped the North Cascades, blanketing the region with more than a foot of snow.

The big storm grabbed the attention of every PCT hiker out here, most of whom, if they could, got off trail and into somewhere warm and dry for a few days. Transported by my trail angel wife, Fran, hiking buddies Bubblewrap and No Name, and I retreated to the lower elevations to wait out the blow. Snow flew as we climbed out of Chinook Pass two days later, but the worst was, we figured, behind us. A cabin at Government Meadows 24 miles in, complete with

September 2022

of extra clothing, food and hot drink packets.

Weather I can deal with, but not persistent attacks by brazen deer mice, which have left a trail of destruction almost nightly since Delate Falls, where a nasty bugger gnawed a ragged two-inch gash in my tent door. I awoke in the night to find Peromyscus maniculatus perched on my food bag staring at me with beady eyes. Then out the hole it went, quickly escaping my wrath. My wet rain jacket left outside under the tent flap got chewed through, a ghastly 5-inch wound was opened up on No Name’s tent, and

a 3-inch round was nibbled out of Bubblewrap’s shelter.

The damp environs of Washington’s Cascades in autumn have exploded with an amazing variety of fungi.

From tiny puffs to dinner plate-sized caps resembling thick pancakes, the wild mushrooms splash the trailside with a kaleidoscope of color. In Trout Lake, Fran bought some white chanterelles from a stand and cooked them for dinner with pasta and sauce. The mushrooms were yummy, but alas, my severe gastric reaction the next morning warranted Imodium tablets and a day off.

Even while pushing hard for big miles in these last weeks of the hike (my best day was 27 miles through Goat Rocks), I’ve

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! (See page 49)

continued to focus on the important things, trying never to forget why I’m out here in the first place. I have gorged on blueberries and huckleberries, paused in awe at pristine lakes, listened to elk bugling in the thick mist, watched a bear scramble across a high meadow, gazed longingly at countless snowcapped peaks and enjoyed the company of some of the finest people I may ever know.

Just south of Highway 12 at White Pass, I crested an open ridge for a magnificent view of 14,411-foot Mount Rainier, Washington’s high point.

Sitting atop my pack, I relaxed for a long while in the warm sun of the windless morning, fixated on the great mountain and pondering the familiar words

of prolific writer and conservation advocate Sigurd Olson: “As I sat there on the rock I realized that, in spite of the closeness of civilization and the changes that hemmed it in, this remnant of the old wilderness would speak to me of silence and solitude, of belonging and wonder and beauty.”

Loaded with a week’s supplies, my hiking companions and I will depart the welcoming community of Skykomish, bound for Stehekin, then Winthrop, and ultimately Canada 187 miles ahead. After 2,477 incredible miles, the end of the trail is finally within reach.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island, ME is editor of the AMC Maine Mountain Guide and author of AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast.

His new book, Beer Hiking New England, will be available later this year.

September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Camp Name Tradition

At long last, September is finally here. With the long wait behind us and the regular schedule of hunting seasons kicking off, bear camp acts as the lead-off hitter. Bear, deer and moose camps all have similarities

Some camp nick names can be earned by a great feat or achievement.

During the 2019 moose hunt, my client Frank earned the name ‘OneShot’ after putting his bull on the ground with a single

of his phone, no matter where he was in the cabin, tripped and tumbled down the steps from the second floor of the cabin. The stair case is closed in so he just bounced off the walls on his way down, coming to rest in a pile on the landing. The rest of us were sitting at the table, shooting the bull and were ready to jump to

Page 11

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME dad ‘Pennsyltucky’.

Sometimes, I assign the camp name. ‘Speed Trap’ is a chief of police in Iowa, ‘Yeah-Yeah’ is from upstate New York and always begins, and ends, his sentences with that very

sion. ‘Monk’ earned his camp name for his seeming inability to utter more than one or two word phrases at a time.

Fellow hunters get involved too. ‘Mr. Jingles’ for having loose shells in

This hunting camp rite is one of the rituals that define the very essence of what a traditional camp is all about – camaraderie. And it is also something I look forward to every year. I honestly can’t wait to see and hear how these sports will come together...

L to R: Pennsyltucky, Big Show, Redneck Ninja, Headband, Stumbles and Toby. and differences, but all share one thing in common - the time-honored tradition of camp-naming.

This hunting camp rite is one of the rituals that define the very essence of what a traditional camp is all about – camaraderie.

And it is also something I look forward to every year. I honestly can’t wait to see and hear how these sports will come together, some from several hundreds of miles away from each other, as they mesh into one unified camp with a shared purpose.

shot through 100 yards of grown-in skidder trail.

Some are bestowed upon unlucky sports by their fellow camp mates after an embarrassing action, either in the woods or at camp. I’ll bet you know how ‘Cub Cadet’ earned his nick name during the 2020 bear hunt; his camp mates were not impressed with his decision making and boy did that name stick like glue the rest of the week!

During one deer camp, a young fella that couldn’t keep his eyes off

the rescue when the young man called out “I’m good!

Just missed a step. I was looking at my phone.” After the laughter died down, the young hunter from Pennsylvania sheepishly accepted his camp name ‘Stumbles’ from his step-

phrase. A bow hunter from Wisconsin bore an uncanny resemblance to an iconic Hanna-Barbera cartoon character from the late 70’s – ‘Captain Caveman’.

The irony was lost on him however, not yet born when the cartoon was on televi-

his pocket while scouting for deer sign with another hunter. ‘Headband’ for wearing an outrageous piece of head gear to keep his longish, unruly hair out of his face around camp, and ‘Dakota’ simply be(Camp cont. pg 23)

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Sporting Journal Northwoods

Basics Of Survival

by Joe Frazier, Bangor, ME Let me say right up front, I am not judging anyone in this article. Any death in the woods, on trails, on the water, anywhere is sad and tragic.

We often read about people who go on a day hike for “just a few hours” and end up dying of exposure.

Most people think because it is summer all they need is a bottle of water and a granola bar and they will be fine. That is often not the case.

We have all read stories several times a year of the person or family who decided to go for a day hike. The weather is great and they are experienced, the area is familiar, and they don’t want to carry more gear than they think they need. “Tragedy happens to other people, not us. We aren’t going on a 50 mile journey, just a couple hours to the top of the mountain and back”.

People rarely recognize when they start to get in trouble and by the time

they do recognize it, it is usually too late.

People often make spur of the moment decisions, especially on vacations. The weather at the trailhead where you park your car might be sunny and 75 degrees but on the mountain top above the tree line there could be sub-freezing temperatures,

Basics of Survival Awareness

hike first thing in the morning. You should be pulling into the parking area at first light. Usually the weather gets worse as the day goes on. Also, if you get hurt, the rescue team needs all the daylight they can get to try to get you to safety. Let’s say you hike for 2 hours, then twist your ankle. You call for help immediately because you can’t walk.

Even if the rescue crew

I can’t believe I need to say this, but I will. Don’t fall off a cliff or down the side of a mountain while taking a selfie.

Every year people die trying to “take a cool picture”.

freezing rain and 60 MPH wind. This is not that unusual in New England any time of year. When planning a hike you need to plan for the worst weather you could possibly encounter and be ready to be out in it for at least 48 hours.

There is a reason signs at the trailhead often says “The weather you will encounter is dangerous, turn back NOW if the weather is bad.”

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mobilizes immediately, it will take 2-4 hours to start the rescue. Then the 2 hours to hike in to where you are, and 3-6 hours to carry you out. That is 7-12 hours for a basic rescue in perfect conditions.

With everyone having cell phones, satellite phones, and emergency location beacons available; people are roaming even further off trail. Even if you do know exactly where you are there is no guarantee of rescue before you get hypothermic. You are responsible for your own safety. You need to plan to carry your own gear, don’t expect someone else to come get you just because you can get word out.

Understand your own limits, and the difficulty of the trails you will be on.

If a trail is beyond what you are capable of, turn around. There is no shame in admitting you are in over your head.

I can’t believe I need to say this, but I will. Don’t fall off a cliff or down the side of a mountain while taking a selfie. Every year people die trying to “take a cool picture”. Your spouse does not want to explain that one to your kids, think about it. Common sense is valuable, use it.

Check local and national weather websites, especially if you are traveling in unfamiliar areas.

Forums and blogs are often helpful as well. Do you need to be concerned about flash flooding? Lightning storms? Snow in the afternoon? Most larger trail systems have their own websites with safety and

weather information. Be sure to print any critical information before you start. Do not depend on cell phone reception anywhere along your hike.

Weather.gov has lots of valuable information on their weather awareness page. They cover different severe weather and how to handle it safely.

There are several weather apps you can get for your phone too. NOAA and The Weather Channel are excellent apps for local weather and you can search different cities and national parks for planning a trip.

You need to know when to turn back, or even when to call off a hike.

Waiting a day or two might mean the difference between life and death.

Joe is a husband, father, writer, and marine. Joefrazier193@gmail.com Patriot Homes & Design Center

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 14

September 2022

Outdoor News - September 2022

Edited by V. Paul Reynolds September. Music to the senses. The cadence quickens. Time to bid summer farewell and make plans for Maine’s finest hour and Mother Nature’s supreme orchestration: the debut of Autumn and those magical October days. September’s song includes a landscape of golds and rust-colored ferns. Windless days of apple picking, ripened Big Boys and dedicated anglers squeezing in a few more hours on the waters.

Hiking mountain trails and camping can be great this time of year. Cool nights for deep sleeping and bugless afternoons for lingering beside still waters. For hunters, there is bear season, special archery season for deer, an early goose season and much planning to be done.

There are dogs to be trained, guns to be sighted in, camp roofs to be fixed and woodlands to be scouted for deer and moose.

And for those true hunter-

MADE IN MAINE

gatherers, there are wild mushrooms aplenty and vine-ripened blackberries to be plucked and put up in jam jars and pie plates.

Maine in September.

Next to October, who could ask for anything more.

If you or someone you know would like to go hunting this fall but have never taken a hunter education course, this is the time to act. Vermont’s volunteer hunter education

September,” said Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s Hunter Education Coordinator Nicole Meier. “All of our instructors are volunteers.

They teach because they are passionate about hunting and want to ensure that Vermont’s safe hunting legacy continues. We credit Vermont’s strong safety record with our volunteer instructors – in fact, in 2021 Vermont boasted zero hunting related incidents.”

“Volunteer instructors are the backbone of the Vermont Hunter Education

instructors are now holding a limited number of courses throughout the state.

A person must pass the basic hunter education course before they can purchase their first hunting license.

“Most of these courses are held in August and

Program. They are vital to Vermont’s strong record of safe hunting. Hands-on and in-person learning from an experienced instructor are the best ways to become familiar with the skills associated with safe hunting.”

“Courses are avail-

Vermont Hunter Courses

able in basic hunter education, bowhunter education, trapper education, and combination hunterbowhunter education. We expect more classes to be posted throughout August and September, so check our website frequently.”

The courses will be listed as they become available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website www. vtfishandwildlife.com On the Home page, click on Hunt and then Hunter Education and Find the Right Class for You. To register for a course, go to this link: https://www.register-ed. com/programs/vermont A Vermont hunter education card entitles you to hunt in all 50 states, as well as some international locations.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, experience level, sex, or gender identity. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available on request at no cost to the student.

Please include a description of the accommodation you will need and include your contact information.

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

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

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

Maine Outdoor Publications

Requests should be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to: Nicole.

Meier@vermont.gov 802828-1193 (voice), 1-800253-0191 (TTY).

Bluefin Bonanza Champs

The bar was set early when Captain Pete Speeches and the crew of Backstabber brought a 628-pound giant bluefin to the scales on the first day of the Fourth Annual Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza. Despite another 23 fish being landed over the three-day tournament based out of Spring Point Marina in South Portland, Backstabber’s early lead held up to capture the championship and the coveted Casco Bay Cup for their third consecutive victory.

Of the 60 boats competing in Maine’s premiere tuna tournament, 17 landed fish. Capt. Thomas Goodwin and Impulse were first to the dock with a 448 pounder. Capt. Scott Smith of Bali Hai took fifth place at 576.5 pounds. Fourth place was awarded to Capt.

Steve Morse of Reel Estate at 592 pounds. Third place was a 621 pounder caught

by Capt. Kurt Christensen of Molly Jane, who also took the prize for cumulative weight with three fish totaling 1,547 pounds.

Capt. Rusty Parmenter just nudged out Molly Jane with a 622 pounder to take second, but his 3-fish total wasn’t enough to top Molly Jane in cumulative weight.

In the end, over $25,000 in prize money was handed out, including a top prize of $12,500 and the Casco Cup for the largest fish.

(News cont. pg 29)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

ICAST 2022: What’s New? Best Bassin’

The fishing world’s largest product showcase descended once again on Orlando, Florida. The week of July 19th - 22nd unveiled every imaginable angling concept! As technologies development of new materials were incorporated within; product designs, color formats, performance enhancing actions for artificial baits and durable longevity for rods and reels, including shirts and shoes.

So, with over 560 vendor booths and thousands of products, here are just a few products that I believe demonstrated a new concept.

Top Water Hard Bait: Japanese Master Lure designer Hiroshi Nishine’s 115TW is like no other topwater bait! Looking more like a jerkbait than a top water Hiroshi explains, “The lip allows the 115TW the ability to be fished three different ways mimicking the lifelike actions of natural baitfish.”

1. Turn your reels handle two complete rotations then ‘Stop-Pause-Repeat’.

The lifelike baitfish profile imitates feeding or injured baitfish. “Weighing 3/4 oz. allows longer cast, a wide wobble displaces more water activity on or near the surface.”

2. Extremely buoyant and diving only 1 to 1.5 feet, the Nishine Lure Works 115TW is the perfect ‘Twitch-Bait’! Attracting predator fish above and just below the surface, the Nishine 115TW rises to the surface nose first. Exactly like feeding baitfish!

3. ‘Wake Bait’ Measuring 4.6 inches with three treble hooks, the Nishine 115TW’s wide wobble and shallow 12-18 inch diving ability allows anglers to vary their retrieve speed. The extremely high buoyant 115TW wakes and glides side to side within the upper surface layer.

Nishine lure Works 115TW is available in three natural colors; Peach, Wakasagi and Purple Ghost. www.NishineLureWorks.com Top Water Soft Bait: American Bait Works released two new Hollow Body Frogs. The Snag Proof SmashMouth Popping Frog; Armed with a 5/0 custom hook rigged for maximum hookups, its streamlined body increases casting distance. (Available in 12 colors.) The Scum Frog Launch-Frog XS exhibits a smaller profile, ultra-long casting ability due to its tungsten ‘Prasite’ weight system and

5/0 red double frog hook.

The Launch-Frog maintains a nose up profile and a 40-strand silicone shirt. www.AmericanBaitWorks. com Bill Lewis Lures: ‘Scope Stik’, one of the most innovative baits concepts at ICAST 2022 in my opinion! It will be a ‘Game Changer’ for sure!

Not only does the Scope Stik have a unique jerkbait design with large enticing eyes, the Scope Stik was designed to reveal maximum detection on forward-facing sonar! It’s features include flatten sides, a lip design that turns hard and flashes sideward on forward facing sonars.

According to Professional MLF Angler Mark Daniels Jr. “The Scope Stik is unlike any bait I have ever seen! The action of the Scope Stik jumps left to right, as well as up and down!” Available in two sizes, 100 mm and 120 mm. Bill Lewis Lures offers three different models.

Floating 0’-3’, suspending 4’-6’ and a deeper suspending option 7’-10’ within the 120 size, including a sinking model. All models feature Mustad Triple Grip UltraPoint Treble hooks. www.Rat-L-Trap.com Soft Plastic Baits:

Page 15

by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA One of my favorite techniques is the drop-shot rig. American Bait Works new NetBait Drifter Minnow and NetBait Drifter (2.75”) profile, reminded me of an excellent example of both a Baitfish and a Goby. Their unique hand poured soft shape and large 3D eyes are sure to entice both largemouth and smallmouth bass! Add to their enticing forward facing appearance, ribbed body, a tapered pintail quivering rear end, these Netbait’s are infused with BaitFuel!

American Bait Works NetBait Drifter and Drifter Minnow received my vote as ‘Best Soft Plastic Bait’. www.AmericanBaitWorks. com Freshwater Rods: St. Croix Rods develops new GRASP Reel Seat. Designed and built to place an angler’s wrist in a natural powerful position. Resulting in longer time fishing, fishing harder with faster reaction times.

St Croix’s Legend Tournament Bass Series all-new swimbait models will feature the GRASP reel seats for 2023 models. The St

Croix Legend Tournament Bass Series will feature 27 technique-specific casting models and eight spinning models. Anglers that enjoy fishing extra large baits such as Umbrella Rigs and Swimbaits just might be very interested in this new St Croix GRASP Reel Seat concept! www.StCroixRos. com Be sure to check out your local tackle shops and online retailers, as they will soon start filling their shelves with many of the ICAST 2022 products.

God Bless and Best Bassin’

Billy “Hawkeye” Decoteau is an outdoor journalist with a strong passion for pursuing the Black Bass. His activities include; emceeing The Bass University weekend educational seminar programs, as well as emceeing benefit tournaments such as the Annual Ike Foundation Pro-Am, Fishing For Freedom, and working with the USO.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 16

The Adventures of Me and Joe

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

As Joe lifted the lid on the cook stove to put another stick of rock maple on the coals, he glanced out the front window of his cabin and grunted.

“What?” I asked.

“We got comp’ny,” he replied. “We’re bein’ graced with a visit from the game warden.” He glanced over at me. “You ain’t been up to any shenanigans lately, have yer?”

“Not must recently,” I said.

The door opened and the Warden Pinch Brody stepped into the room.

“Coffee Warden?” Joe asked, sliding the battered percolator to the side of the stove.

Brody eyed the pot suspiciously and reached up to get a cup from the shelf over the sideboard.

“Black as sin an’ strong enough to float an anvil, I expect.”

Joe scowled. “You kin go without.”

“No, no…jest sayin’…” He poured a cup of

the dark liquid and crossed to where I sat at the table.

Joe picked up his own cup and followed.

Brody took a sip of coffee, winced, and set the cup down hastily. “Boys,” he said quietly, “I got a problem. And you’re involved,” he said, looking at Joe. “Me? I ain’t done nothin’!” Joe thought for a moment. “At least, not lately.”

“You know the poaching operation we’ve been trying to break up recently, the one where they only take the loins an’ hind quarters and leave the rest of the deer to rot?’

“Yeah,” Joe scowled.

“Somebody needs some time in the slammer. I know you don’t agree with me, Pinch, but I ain’t got much problem with a guy takes a deer an uses all of it, long as he ain’t a pig about it.

But this here is a terrible waste, an’ they seem to be doin’ it on a big scale.”

“They are. We’ve

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

The Poachers

Me and Joe both just stared at him. Joe finally found his voice. “Willis Carver? You can’t be serious. Wis Carver never poached a deer in his life.”

been doin’ some investigating with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service.

It seems that this choice meat is finding its way to some folks with money in New York, specifically Long Island. It’s become fashionable to serve quality venison from Maine at get-togethers among rich folks down there and a steady supply has turned

up lately.”

“Well why don’t they get their deer meat from southern Maine?” I asked.

“They have a lot more deer down there.”

“Northern Maine has a reputation for producing big deer of high quality,” Pinch replied. “These jokers don’t just want to serve good meat. Part of the draw seems to be serv-

ing venison from an area famous for its whitetails.

And they’re willing to pay big money to get it.”

He moved his coffee cup around on the table, staring at the inky liquid.

“Fish & Wildlife is investigating that end of it. Anyway…” he paused. “We’ve made an arrest.”

“Good! About time!”

(Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

Shown actual size

Donald Robichaud

Name Address City

Marty

September 2022

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

(Marty was found on pg 69)

Entries must be postmarked by 9/12/22 to be eligible for this issue.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 16) Joe said firmly. “Anybody from around here?”

Brody looked up from his coffee. “Willis Carver.”

Me and Joe both stared at him. Joe finally found his voice. “Willis Carver? You can’t be serious. Wis Carver never poached a deer in his life.”

I could sense the hackles rising on Joe’s back. He and Willis Carver had been friends since they were kids. They’d served in Viet Nam together. Willis had come back from that war with a lot of emotional baggage, but he’d come to terms with it. He lived alone in a small cabin on Nulhedus Stream and made a modest living by crafting tiny wooden figures from local hardwoods and selling them to craft shops along the coast.

“We found meat hanging in his workshop behind the house,” the Warden began.

“Anyone coulda planted that there!” Joe said indignantly.

“And he had a gun that was used to shoot at least some of the poached deer,” Brody finished.

“What…his gun?”

Joe said in dismay.

“It’s an old .303 British.” Joe snorted. “The only

gun Wis ever owned was that old Model 92 Winchester .38-40. You know that, Pinch.”

“His fingerprints were on the gun, Joe. And only his fingerprints.” Joe just stared at him.

Brody sighed. “Look, I don’t think Willis had anything to do with it either, but my opinion doesn’t seem to carry much weight.

Maybe they think I should have solved the case before this, I don’t know. But the feds seem determined to build up a case against Carver. They say his contacts with shops along the coast gives him a conduit for getting rid of the meat.”

“Where is he now?” I asked. “In jail over to the courthouse in LaPomkeag.

Maybe you’d ought to go see him.”

It was an hour’s drive over to LaPomkeag and Joe never uttered a word all the way. As we walked into the courthouse, a side door opened and Irving Binder stepped out into the hall.

Binder was an attorney from Ashland and also did a lot of work at the court in LaPomkeag.

“Hi, boys,” he said, shaking hands. “I suppose you’re hereto see Willis Carver. I’ve been appointed his attorney.”

“How bad is it, Irv?” Joe said.

“Pretty bad,” the lawyer sighed. “They’ve got meat and they’ve got the gun. And Willis can’t account for his time on a lot of the nights when we know some of the poaching took place. Of course, he lives alone, so nobody else can vouch for him.”

“Irv, Willis isn’t a poacher. And if he was getting big money for the meat, what’s he spending it on? He lives like a pauper.”

“I know, I know. If it weren’t for the feds, we’d have a better chance. But they want him on the interstate trafficking in illegal game charge. I’m trying to get a plea deal, where he pleads just to possession. He might serve a few months, but that’s all.”

“I don’t think he could stand a few months in jail, Irv,” Joe said grimly.

Binder just shook his head. “I’m afraid the alternative, if he’s convicted on the other charges, will be a whole lot longer,” he said.

A deputy let us in to see Willis. He was a small, thin man and he sat on the bed in the tiny jail cell, hands clasped in his lap, eyes downcast.

“Hello Wis,” Joe said softly.

Willis looked up, and I’ve seldom seen such a look of despair on the face of any human being.

“You got to get me out of here, Joe,” he rasped.

“I can’t stand much more of this.” He looked slowly around at the cement block walls. “I got to get outside.”

“I know, Wis, I know,” Joe said. “We’ll do what we can. Look, tell us jest what happened.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Willis said desperately. He fought for control. “I was in my cabin.

Eatin’ my supper. I heard somethin’ thump against the front door, like a rock or somethin’. So I got up an’ opened the door an’ stepped out on the porch. They wasn’t anybody there, but this rifle was leanin’ against the door frame. I picked it up an’ checked to see if it was loaded…you know… like you do.”

Joe nodded.

“Right at that minute, a couple of vehicles come into the driveway an’ all of a sudden they was cops an’ wardens all arount, hollerin’ for me to put down the gun. I dropped it like a hot potato and they looked arount and found the deer meat. I was in the shop jist an hour before, Joe, an’ they wasn’t any meat there then.”

“Somebody set you up, Wis, an’ they did a good job of it.” Joe stared at the floor. “That trick of

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throwing the rock at the door to get you outside, knowing you’d examine the gun…somebody did some planning. They must have planted the meat after you left the shop and then called in a tip. Brody said it came on the poacher hotline. Then all they had to do was wait for the vehicles to come, throw the rock, and let everything go according to plan.”

“What kin we do?”

Willis asked. I could see the desperation in his eyes.

“Try an’ hold on, Wis,” Joe said, patting his knee. “We’ll it to the bottom of this. You see if we don’t.” We left him staring at the wall again. Outside the courthouse I looked at Joe. “Just what can we do?”

“We got to have more information. Maybe Pinch can come up with somethin’.”

Two days dragged slowly by, with no information on the poaching case.

Then, the next afternoon, Pinch Brody called Joe’s home phone.

“We’ve been checking on that rifle. Seems it was sold from Atlas Gun Shop in Caribou last year.”

“Who bought it?” Joe asked eagerly.

“Lewis Trade, over to (Me & Joe cont. pg 19)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 18

Outdoor Sporting Library

by Jeremiah Wood, Ashland, ME

The idea of living a remote lifestyle in the woods is appealing to most of us outdoors folk. We get a small taste of it each time we’re out there hunting, fishing or hiking, and wonder what it would be like to be ‘out there’ full time.

The reasons we give to ourselves and others about why we never pursued that wilderness dream are varied - too busy, need a job to pay the bills, family to take care of – but perhaps the most common is age. We don’t get any younger, and there’s a point at which time catches up with the body, and you can no longer do the things you once did.

But how old is too old

to live alone in the woods?

There’s no one answer, but you might be surprised by what’s possible. Dick Proenneke didn’t start his wilderness journey until after his fiftieth birthday, and he kept at it for 30 years.

Flown in to a remote part of Alaska with a load of supplies in the spring of 1968, Proenneke built a 12’x16’ log cabin from scratch on a site he’d scouted the year before, using only hand tools. Dick was a skilled craftsman, and the cabin was a beautifully done work of art. The structure was to become his full time home. Other than the occasional bush plane delivery of supplies and food staples, Proenneke

September 2022

Alone in the Wilderness

lived off the land, hunting, The most important fishing, berry picking and aspect of Dick Proenneke’s gardening. He also spent a journey, at least for us, great deal of time simply is that he documented it all through countless hours of video recordings, photographs and a detailed daily journal. Through painstaking and tedious work, he left a record that the rest of the world could enjoy.

O n e M a n ’s Wi l derness, first published in 1973 by Sam Keith, a friend of Dick’s, is a exploring and enjoying the compilation of Proenneke’s natural beauty around him. writings from his first year

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in the bush. It’s become an incredibly popular book and has been republished multiple times.

In addition to the book, Proenneke’s extensive collection of film clips from his experiences was turned into a movie, “Alone in the Wilderness”.

The film became an ever popular feature on PBS for years, captivating millions of people with the beauty of the area and the incred-

The most important aspect of Dick Proenneke’s journey, at least for us, is that he documented it all through countless hours of video recordings, photographs and a detailed daily journal. Through painstaking and tedious work, he left a record that the rest of the world could enjoy. ible craftmanship in cabin building.

Dick Proenneke’s experience, shared through the book and movie, can teach us a lot. The biggest takeaway for me, though, was that it’s never too late to get out there. Even after age 50, the journey might just be getting started.

J e re m i a h c a n b e reached at jrodwood@ gmail.com His new book, “More than Wolverine: An Alaska Wilderness Trapline” is available on Amazon.com

September 2022

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 17) Portage,” Brody replied.

Joe’s face fell.

“It seems this Lewis Trade swaps and barters guns all the time. Told the feds he couldn’t remember what happened to an old surplus rifle.” I could hear Brody pause on the phone.

“But I went back to see him myself this mornin’.

Me an’ Lewis go back a long way. I finally got him to admit he swapped that .303 for a hind quarter of deer meat last year.”

“Who’d he swap with?” Joe said anxiously.

“Axel Binge,” the warden replied.

“Axel Binge,” Joe breathed softly. One of the worst poachers in the north country, at least when he ain’t out getting’ drunk.”

“I’ve been out lookin’ for him,” Brody said.

“Haven’t found him yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We’ve been in contact with the feds, and the people in New York haven’t gotten a new shipment for a while. We’re watching the roads to see if we can intercept some meat being smuggled out of the area. And Joe,” he said hesitantly, “Willis and his lawyer, Binder, are goin’ in to see the judge day after tomorrow. I heard they’re goin’ to try for the plea deal.”

Joe hung up the phone slowly. I looked at him.

“Axel Binge. You know here he’ll probably be this time of day.”

Joe nodded. “The Roadhouse at Munsungan Stream. Let’s go.”

“Maybe we ought to wait for Brody.”

“No time for that. Besides, there here is jest an intelligence gatherin’ mis-

Northwoods Sporting Journ

sion.” I shook my head as we walked out to the Jeep.

The Roadhouse is a bar and grill on Munsungan Stream a few miles below the lake. Loggers and truckers were the usual customers, but at this time in the afternoon, only one vehicle sat in the dusty yard. It was Axel Binge’s battered three quarter ton pickup.

Joe parked to one side under the trees. “We just going to barge in?” I asked.

Joe considered. “Let’s ease up under that side window an see what’s goin’ on.”

The window was partially open and we could see that the barroom was empty except for Axel Binge and the owner, Orville Tap. Binge, a hairy mountain of a man, was just finishing a mug of beer.

“That’s the last one, Axel. Yer into me pretty far.” Tap said morosely. He was a fat balding man with a face like a hound dog.

“You kin trust me, Orv,” Axel complained.

“Hit me one more time.”

“Not til you pay up what you owe,” Tap said resolutely.

“Okay, okay,” Binge

smiled suddenly. “I ‘spect I’ll be comin’ into a little money tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow an’ pay the tab.”

Joe gestured to me and we hurried back to the Jeep. Binge came out of the Roadhouse and got in his truck, not noticing the Jeep in the shadows under the trees. As Bing’s pickup rattled off down the road, I could see Joe thinking furiously.

“We can’t follow him ‘cause with the dust on these back roads he’d spot us before we could go two miles. Let’s git back to

Page 19

the cabin. I got to talk to Pinch.”

At the cabin, Joe called the dispatcher in Houlton. It was a long hour before Brody finally called.

“Look, Pinch,” Joe said quickly. “Axel Binge was at the Roadhouse this afternoon. We heard him tell Orville Tap he expected to come into some money tonight. We’re bettin’ they’re gonna move some deer meat this evenin’.”

“You’re probably right, but we don’t know where they’re storing it.”

(Me & Joe cont. pg 33)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Aroostook Woods & Water

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME We have a disease, you and I. It’s September, and the disease has metastasized at this point; unrelenting and growing more virulent with every passing day. My version of our collective affliction has me paying inordinate

in my lair and staring at vintage firearms, trying to decide who to favor this season. I pull down binoculars and clean lenses, I wonder, for the umpteenth time, if I should buy a new range-finder. I waterproof old leather boots, and

September 2022

The September Sickness

big freeze sets in. Do I have enough capes to make it through to April? Do I need to make a trip down to see Alvin Theriault in Staceyville? The honest answer to both of those questions, if I were being honest with myself (which doesn’t happen much at this time of year), would be a resounding NO! I literally need nothing, it’s the ’want’ part that gets me

This is not a disease of malaise. This is a disease that breeds a certain mania. It doesn’t help the prognosis when we’ve had a summer like the one that’s just getting through.

I saw more critters running amok up here this summer than I can ever remember seeing before.

amounts of attention to weather forecasts, hoping for early cold fronts and a last big slug of water, giving the fish a reason to move, and me to don waders one last time.

Some of my symptoms include: flinging arrows into the dark recesses of my barn at a big bag target 25yds away. Sitting

smear Goop all over tired neoprene ones. I don’t need a range-finder, I need new boots… I’m sick, dammit.

I must be.

Then, comes the sudden realization that I need to get my fly-tying materials in order for the coming tying season. Fishing may be about to end, but tying doesn’t take off until the

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in trouble.

I wake up in the middle of the night, wondering whether I have enough #6 birdshot for the season. I hate the thought of being guilty of hoarding, but I’m not above stashing a couple of extra boxes away if I get the chance; especially the 16g stuff. I like our disease.

I had covid, this is better.

This disease grows exponentially based upon one simple criteria: confirmation bias.

There’s no scientific methodology at work here; see a deer in September and your fever rises. See a deer carrying a big head of velvet, and you start to twitch and sweat uncontrollably.

Find a 500 lb bear on your

Grouse are being seen in good numbers, says the author. (Illustration courtesy of Wild Wings) trail cam and your head literally explodes. This is not a disease of malaise. This is a disease that breeds a certain mania. It doesn’t help the prognosis when we’ve had a summer like the one that’s just getting through.

I saw more critters running amok up here this summer than I can ever remember seeing before. There was no end to the menagerie that wandered through my yard this year.

Deer? They were ev-

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erywhere. Bear? I saw more bear this summer than I have in decades.

Turkey’s? Flocks of late season hatchlings trying to cross the roads were a daily hazard. Anybody remember that great old children’s book, “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey? That’s what it was like up here this summer; you needed a traffic cop to keep everybody safe. And the grouse!

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Sickness

(cont. from pg 20) After a season last year that saw a significant drop-off in numbers, this year saw anything but. I kicked up more baby grouse than I ever did before. I’m always amazed, no matter how many times I witness it, to see an adult grouse go rocketing off through the trees; their aerial maneuverings spectacular to see.

And the little ones seem to be even quicker. They’re fast, so very fast, and they blast out of cover having attained warp speed in the blink of an eye. They never hit anything either; playing duck and dodge with a cover that you and I can barely walk through.

This disease is mercurial; it doesn’t care where you are when you become symptomatic. I drove into Caribou a couple of weeks ago, for what, I can’t remember anymore. Suddenly, I spied a deer at the edge of a field. But it wasn’t just any deer, it was the biggest doe I’ve ever seen. Ever. Early season deer hyperbole be damned, this thing was huge! I did a double-take, said the appropriate expletives out loud (“Holy %@#%!!!”

And probably something like, “&*#$&%$#@!!!!”) and hit the brakes. I kept trying to assign antlers to her; there had to be a rack on something that large.

But it wasn’t to be; she was a doe, and I was amazed.

As I do every year, I apply for a doe permit that never comes. And now, standing before me was one of the most incredible examples of Odocoileus Virginianus anybody has ever seen. I stared in dumbfounded awe. What I should have done, right then and there, was climb

out of my truck and gotten down on bended knee, hands clasped in abject supplication, eyes cast skyward, and desperately beseeched whatever Deity it is who oversees such things as the Byzantine machinations of the doe permit draw. That’s what I should have done. But then, my brain turned to fantasies of brontosaurus-sized slabs of backstraps resting in the pan juices after a fast and furious sear, drizzled with a jalapeno-infused Cumberland sauce. I added the

jalapeno just because I put jalapenos in everything.

I’d put jalapenos in ice cream if they’d let me. Try putting a couple of pickled jalapeno rounds in the bottom of your next glass of scotch; Mmm, mmm good.

It’s a terrible disease we have, let’s hope the cure is never found. Happy suffering, everyone!

Mike Maynard lives in the woods of Perham.

He eats a lot of jalapenos.

He can be reached at perhamtrout@gmail.com

Page 21

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 22

Blackpoll Warbler

The Bird Perch

by Karen Holmes, Cooper, ME September sometimes makes me melancholy because many birds I enjoy seeing and hearing are leaving my area. The hummingbirds will not be visit-

September 2022

wintering locations. Some warbler species migrate 500 to 1,000 miles to winter in southerly locations in the United States. Others fly several thousand miles.

common sound I heard in my coniferous woods this past summer. The breeding males have a black cap, white cheeks, and white underparts boldly streaked with black. In late summer they lose the caps and their plumage changes into a pale greenish-yellow

from the southeast coast of the U.S. to the northern coast of South America.

And this flight is nonstop for about 88 hours over water. There is no rest stop and no so-called “port in a storm”.

woods.. And during their migration, they will stay at land coastal sites just to replenish their body fat. But up to 50 percent of firstyear Blackpoll and other warbler species will not survive the difficult journey

During this marathon flight, their body weight often diminishes by about 50 percent. The Blackpolls prepared for this long flight by binging on insects, spiders, seeds and fruit while spending the summer months in my Cooper

to their wintering areas and back to their breeding areas. I view Blackpoll Warblers with an almost mystical admiration when any return to my Cooper, Maine woods. I think they are a remarkable bird species.

These warblers may migrate about 300 miles during the course of one night. But the Blackpoll Warbler has been documented by radio transmitter studies to fly 1,200 miles from the southeast coast of the U.S. to the northern coast of South America.

ing my feeders I hung on my porch. I so enjoy having them fly up close to my face as I sit in my rocking chair. The beautiful songs of the hermit thrushes will end. Many of the several warbler species that nested here are migrating to their

Many birds avoid flying over water. But one species of warbler takes a route few would dare flutter: a long-distance flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

The Blackpoll Warbler is a wisp of a bird and its high, thin pulsing song was a

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above, white below with dull streaking. Now male and female Blackpolls look alike. This species is respected not for their beauty or song as are many other wood warbler species.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Prep

(Cont. from pg 9) storm and find historical data to predict future rain.

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This is the time of year many of us have been waiting for since the seasons ended in December.

If you have been procrastinating getting ready for the season, now is the time.

There will be big bucks to chase and no one wants to miss that opportunity.

Erin is a member of the Professional Outdoor

In case you are wondering, even the guide gets a camp name from time to time. During one deer camp ‘Big Show’ and ‘Toby’, for their likeness to a WWE professional wrestler and country star Toby Keith respectively, dubbed me ‘Redneck Ninja’. Apparently my ability to ‘move quickly and silently’ in the (Cont. from pg 11) woods and to ‘disappear cause nothing else stuck even when wearing orange’ and he was from North made an impression on Dakota. A deer hunter from them. If there is one rule to Brooklyn, NY could have camp names, it is this – you passed as the twin of one can’t pick your own name. of the cast on the hit tele- You will earn it, for better vision show Jersey Shore. or for worse, when the time His camp mates merci- comes. lessly dubbed him ‘Paulie’ John is a Registered – the accent didn’t help his Maine Guide, an NRA Cercause.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 24

Post-Script From Pocasset

by Josh Reynolds, Wayne, ME Speaking for myself, over the years, “putting in” for a doe tag has been an anti-climactic event.

The WMD where I spend the bulk of my time hunting has so many permits, getting one had become a forgone conclusion. Add to that the fact that year in and year out, I would stubbornly hold the permit with the hopes of taking a buck, just like so many others.

In fact, it has been so long since I actually used the issued doe permit that I can’t remember when I did. It has been many years.

I came to the realization a few years back that

I had become part of the problem. I, like hundreds, likely thousands of other Maine deer hunters are issued permits that never get filled, effectively short-

The New Anterless Deer Permit

deer annually I could harvest on a doe. Inevitably, an opportunity for a buck would develop and rather than pass it up, I’d take the buck and end another season having not filled the doe tag.

opportunities, but discussing the myriad challenges of that hunt are for another time.

I must give the leadership at Maine IF&W and the deer management team a hardy attaboy for finally

I came to the realization a few years back that I had become part of the problem. I, like hundreds, likely thousands of other Maine deer hunters are issued permits that never get filled, effectively short-circuiting the State’s deer management objectives.

circuiting the State’s deer management objectives.

As the years went by, we harvested lots of young bucks and not very many does. Though I knew in my heart I should be filling that doe tag, I continued to be reluctant to “burn” the one

Katahdin

Last week, I put in for another doe permit, but with a renewed enthusiasm! The new scheme has opened up a new world of opportunity. I love to bow hunt, but rarely did during the regular archery season because I also love to hunt the November regular firearms season. The thought of ending my season early by taking a deer with the bow and filling my one tag just killed my desire to hunt the regular archery season.

Yes, expanded archery has always provided expanded

addressing the prior, failing doe permit system. The new system, while untested, seems to make a ton of sense to me. Selfishly, it allows us to venture out during regular archery season and take a buck or a doe (if you are awarded a permit) and still be able to harvest another deer during firearm or blackpowder seasons, halleluiah! From a deer management standpoint, I think the State is much more likely to achieve it harvest goals and really manage the herd properly.

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September 2022

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The details of which are clear if you sit with them a minute.

With less permits available, the odds of getting one will certainly be less in your favor but I’ll take my chances and be okay if I’m not one of the lucky ones. If that happens, it’ll just be like every season before that I never killed a doe.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Sebago’s Legendary Landlocked Salmon

Landlocked salmon, Salmo salar sebago, is Maine’s official State Fish.

I’ve always found it interesting that a species more likely to be nonnative than native where it is found is our state fish. Meanwhile,

and can still be found in twelve.

Sebago Lake is home to the namesake population of landlocked salmon, Salmo salar sebago. These fabled fish served as broodstock for many landlocked

States.

According to IFW, Sebago Lake has been stocked annually with landlocked salmon since 1938.

Records prior to 1979 do not indicate what strain was used, so it is unclear whether these were Sebago fish or not. From 1979 through 1980, the lake

Page 25

Native Fish Talk

by Bob Mallard, Skowhegan, ME was there, we took the easy way out and supplemented the wild native population with hatchery-reared fish.

And now it is a habit…

The Casco State Fish Hatchery was established in 1954. In addition to other species of trout, IFW raises

duced nonnative lake trout to Sebago Lake. Between 1972 and 1982, more than 315,000 lake trout were stocked, resulting in a selfsustaining population of nonnative fish that compete with the native landlocked salmon. As the state-spon-

The story of Sebago Lake is still being written. The genetic study will tell us a lot about what has happened to these legendary gamefish, Maine’s official state fish, and the species namesake population.

Larry Bastian with a wild native Sebago Lake salmon from the Crooked River. (Emily Bastian) brook trout, our most popular and widely distributed wild native gamefish, takes a backseat.

Landlocked salmon are a form of Atlantic salmon, virtually indistinguishable aesthetically and genetically from its sea-run sibling. Landlocked salmon are the most trout-like species of salmon, occupying the same kind of habitats, and demonstrating many of the same traits, including forage preferences.

While Arctic charr are usually considered Maine’s rarest freshwater salmonid, landlocked salmon, at least native ones, are actually rarer. They are eclipsed only by endangered sea-run Atlantic salmon. Landlocked salmon were native to just four watersheds in Maine: Green, Sebago, Sebec, and West Grand Lakes. Arctic charr were native to nineteen waters,

salmon introduced elsewhere, including Patagonia. Interestingly, due to historic and ongoing stocking in Maine, it is possible that the only genetically pure and diverse Sebagostrain landlocked salmon left are outside Maine, and possibly outside the United

was stocked with 32,500 West Grand Lake salmon, potentially altering the genetics of the native fish.

From 1981 on, the lake has been stocked with so-called “Sebago Strain” fish.

It is unclear why IFW started stocking landlocked salmon in Sebago Lake, or why they continue to do so today. It is likely that as happened elsewhere, complaints about poor fishing, likely due to angler exploitation, resulted in calls for more fish, and rather than protect what

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landlocked salmon using eggs stripped from fish captured in Jordan River that are returning from Sebago Lake to spawn. These fish purportedly originated from Sebago Lake broodstock.

Between 1945 and 1948, IFW stocked roughly 245,000 brown trout in Sebago Lake. While not a robust fishery, according to IFW data, brown trout are still “present” in the lake.

In 1972, IFW intro-

sored introduction of landlocked salmon has done elsewhere, this forever changed the lake.

According to IFW, nonnative and highly invasive smallmouth bass were first confirmed in Sebago Lake in the 1937.

While often referred to as an illegal introduction, per IFW, fifty-two “BSS,” an obsolete species code previously used to denote “bass,” were stocked in (Salmon cont. pg 27)

Page 26

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Ramblings From T8-R9

by Benjamin Rioux, Millinocket Lake

By Jeff Labree Fall fishing in northern Maine is a special time of year. Air temperatures cool off and water temps quickly follow. Blackflies are gone and mosquitoes are not ruining your days.

As most of you know, the streams can be hit or miss during this time of the year. The flows will largely be dependent on rainfall amounts, and temperatures need to get cool at night.

Lucky for us, the North Maine Woods territory had a good season with rainfall occurring regularly keeping streams at decent levels. This has not been the case for the last few years.

If you are planning a camping/fishing trip up here this fall I would suggest having a back-up spot or two to go to, and that should include a pond.

Bring a canoe or small

boat. The fish are moving out of the spring holes and deeper water to start feeding along shorelines.

Different techniques work on different ponds. Be prepared to anchor and cast to likely looking spots, chang-

September 2022

The Larcenous Loons

feeding switches. You will be casting and changing and moving with no luck.

Then suddenly the fish turn on. Just as you are congratulating yourself for being a superior fisherman they turn off again. So be patient, relax and enjoy a good cigar, look around you and enjoy the scenery.

Then try again.

to mention another problem you’ll undoubtedly have to face. Loons, yes Loons can quickly ruin your day on a pond up here. While their calls can be captivating and alluring it all disappears when you have them snatch

but after experiencing a day with these very aggressive birds you’ll think differently about them.

Back in July during the Green drake hatch I was guiding a fellow on a hike-in pond. A couple

the trout you are fighting right off your hook. Not just once but repeatedly.

They will dive under your canoe constantly chasing away any fish close to you. A person may start the day thinking of Loons as romantic, “On Golden Pond” wonders of nature

of loons were circling the canoe. As our fly landed on the water’s surface the Loons would dive immediately. When a trout rose to the fly the loons came with it, striking the trout as the trout struck the fly. Here we are, on a beautiful little (Loons cont. pg 27)

A person may start the day thinking of Loons as romantic, “On Golden Pond” wonders of nature but after experiencing a day with these very aggressive birds you’ll think differently about them. ing flies or lures a couple times before moving.

Trolling with a sink tip fly line can help locate a spot to anchor. Check your law book to see if trolling is allowed - fly fishing only ponds prohibit trolling. Whatever you do, don’t give up too early. A lot of ponds I have fished through the years will behave as though they have

Keep in mind to check the weather forecast before going out. The wind will be a deciding factor. 10 to 15 mph is tricky in a canoe and anchors are tough to hold to the bottom and a sudden gust has the potential to flip a canoe. I like to use the Wind, Weather and Waves app. It gives me daily hour by hour forecast.

I think it is important

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(Cont. from pg 26)

(Cont. from pg 25)

pond, drake hatch heating up, flat calm mirrored surface, and we ended up leaving. The Loons never left our side. Many of the ponds up this way suffer from these aggressive, well adapted birds. They are protected so squash those urges to harm them. (this should generate more then a few “they were there first, it’s the Loons territory “, comments). Be that as it may, the point here is to have the camper who is in charge of planning a trip up here to consider doing ponds AND streams. Not just one or the other.

I’ll add this as a reminder to those traveling into the north Maine woods, be aware of logging activity. Check out the North Maine Woods website for updated info on logging, road conditions, and campsites. This will be a good Fall fishing season, be sure you get a chance to enjoy it.

Sebago Lake in 1937.

By the early 1960s, nonnative largemouth bass had been introduced to Sebago Lake, likely by selfish anglers. In 2003, IFW confirmed the presence of nonnative pike, a species that could potentially disrupt the entire ecosystem.

Landlocked alewives, likely introduced as forage for gamefish, were confirmed in 2010.

In an attempt to control the nonnative lake trout population, IFW is encouraging harvest, including imposing a “no bag limit” and “no minimum length limit” regulation. Interestingly, anglers may only harvest one lake trout over 26 inches, which protects what are arguably the fish we most need to get rid of – large predatory fish of superior genetics and survival traits.

As a South Zone water, nonnative bass are managed under a 2-fish daily limit on Sebago Lake, the same as native landlocked salmon. Bass over 14-inches are protected by a regulation that allows anglers to only harvest one fish a day, which is more protection than we provide native landlocked salmon.

Landlocked salmon in Sebago Lake are managed under a 2-fish, 16-inch minimum length limit, which is only 2-inches higher than the least protected lake and pond landlocked salmon in the state. If salmon are in such trouble that we need to stock over wild native fish, wouldn’t decreasing the daily limit, or going catch-and-release, and increasing the length limit be prudent?

Stocking landlocked salmon in Sebago Lake

Jeff Labree is a long time Master Maine Guide with over 20 years of experience guiding throughout the North Maine Woods out of Libby Camps. While not guiding, Jeff spends his time tying flies, telling stories, and sharing his love for Maine’s outdoors with friends and family. You can reach him at: jeffssmelt@ gmail.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SPACE CALL 207-732-4880 OR EMAIL: info@sporting journal.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal raises some serious questions. While the stocked fish may be “Sebago strain,” there are other things to consider such as genetic diversity, spawning disruption, and the potential of introducing hatchery-borne diseases, parasites, and viruses. Is this really worth the risks?

There is a study being undertaken by IFW and Sebago TU to ascertain the level of genetic introgression between hatchery fish and wild native salmon in Sebago Lake. While the lake has been stocked for decades, without genetic data, we can only guess as to the impact.

In our favor is that the stocked fish are likely imprinted to Jordan River, not the Crooked River, the primary spawning tributary for the lake’s wild native salmon. If what we know about fish holds true, only a small portion of stocked fish likely end up in the Crooked River during spawning. As domesticated fish, their health is likely compromised, and successful interbreeding with wild native fish may be limited.

The story of Sebago Lake is still being written.

The genetic study will tell us a lot about what has happened to these legendary gamefish, Maine’s official state fish, and the species namesake population. Regardless of their genetic pedigree, salmon belong in Sebago Lake, and we need to do everything we to help preserve them.

It’s time to suspend salmon stocking, provide absolute protection to salmon, and stop protecting nonnative lake trout and bass.

Page 27

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South Of the Kennebec

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME Wild Turkey hunters are once again torn between not fall turkey hunting to keep populations high and learning that a five turkey, any sex limit offers

hunters are encouraged to utilize the entire carcass and not just pop out the breast meat.

The five turkey, either sex fall limit of Maine wild turkeys, from where I sit as a long time turkeyholic, is not necessarily a bad thing. Granted, a number of hunters feel the limit is way too liberal and will hurt the population, while others complain that small birds taken from the flock will reduce the number of longbeards in the future.

Turkey biologists nationwide agree that the fall season is the proper time to reduce population numbers. Some of the southern and mid-west states have cut back on fall season because of population decreases. That said, none

I keep track of a large number of turkey flocks year-round and I see larger broods and huge flocks going into the October season. five very delicious crock pot meals. Well, hunters are not hitched to the crock pot, but those six to eight pounders, hen and jakes sure fit just right alongside some carrots, onions, potatoes, and a tomato or two.

This is one of the few times

September 2022

Crock Pot for Turkeys

of the managers of those states have reported the decline was primarily due to over hunting.

At first I was on the fence about the five either sex limit, but the extraordinary large number of turkeys especially in southern Maine, I feel the season for the next couple of years, at least is appropriate. I keep track of a large number of turkey flocks year-round and I see larger broods and huge flocks going into the October season.

Back to the kitchen, my preferred method of utilizing fall hens and jakes is the crock pot. Rather than plucking feathers off the birds I simply skin them, remove entrails, feet neck and heads.

Once the bird has been dressed I suggest two methods of cooking, both recipes using the crock pot. Wild Turkey stew is a family and friends favorite

Central Maine Region

and add to the mix. Cover and cook on low heat from 8-10 hours. This is a great meal to start before work and eat for dinner meal Yearly fall favorite, later in the wild turkey stew. afternoon. and requires one more step. Dinner rolls are an added Drop the bird(s) into boil- bonus to soak up the gravy. ing water for six or eight The second method minutes to parboil. Let cool of cooking fall turkeys in and pull all the meat from the crock pot is to clean the bones, including the the bird or birds. Usually only one whole carcass thighs and drumsticks.

Start with a quart of will fit in the average size chicken or turkey broth pot. Place an apple in the which can be found in body cavity then place the supermarkets. Add mush- bird, breast up in the crock rooms, potatoes, carrots, pot. Add a quart of chicken celery and one can of diced or turkey broth, some cuttomatoes and a large can of up potatoes, carrots and turkey gravy. Do not add one medium size tomato. salt as the broth and gravy Again, cook on low for have plenty. Cut the turkey 8-10 hours. Even the tough parts into bite-size pieces legs and thighs will fall off the bone tender.

Since the purpose of a liberal fall bag limit is to reduce the population, I target brood hens first and “turkey nuggets” second.

For all you purists that shudder at the thought of shooting the young of the year, keep in mind how (Turkeys cont. pg 29)

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(Cont. from pg 28) small a grouse, woodcock or quail is. They each weigh ounces compared to the brood of the year tipping the scales at between 6-12 pounds.

As always, I insist upon “fair chase” hunts. It may seem easy pickings to find a flock and gun down your daily limit of two birds, but I prefer scattering the flock then calling them back and selectively harvest.

The fall hunting season offers a bag of different species that each taste good. Squirrel, grouse, deer and woodcock hunters should bear in mind that us turkey chasers are out there as well. Next to a vacuum sealer for preserving venison, the crock pot is second on my list of “must have” meal preparation items.

Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Guide and Outdoor Writer. His columns and features have been published nationwide for nearly 60 years. Inducted into NE Wild Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame in 2019.

He operates Orion Guide Service in Southern Maine and makes custom game calls at www.deadlyimpostergamecalls.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

News

(Cont. from pg 14)

Proceeds from the event, which included a live auction and fundraising lobster dinner will go toward community col-

lege scholarships for students enrolled in trades and marine science programs, internships for students from the University of Maine working at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and an endowment with the University of Maine Foundation supporting bluefin tuna research at the UMaine Pelagic Fisheries Lab at GMRI. “We have a very strong fishing community in southern Maine and they understand the importance

Central Maine Region

Page 29

of giving back to the local community and ensuring that the resource we so treasure remains healthy and sustainable,” said Capt.

Bob Humphrey, president and tournament director of the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza.

regulations and stocking programs for effectiveness and sometimes conditions warrant a change. We are proposing to drop the special slot limit on bass in Brann’s Mill Pd in DoverFoxcroft. The slot limit, which requires the release of all bass between 16 and 20 inches, was implemented to maintain the quality smallmouth bass fishery in this shallow warmwater pond on the southern fringe of the Moosehead Lake Region. Unfortunately, as has been the case too many (News cont. pg 64)

Moosehead Region Fishing Regs

There are just a couple fishing regulation change proposals coming from the IFW staff in the Moosehead Lake Region this year. We are continuously monitoring our

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 30

Building A Positive Expectancy

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

By the time you read this, I will be in full preparatory mode to go on my 6th Maine moose hunt.

I was so elated to jump online during lottery results and find that my 14-year-old daughter, Kayleigh, was picked for 2022. The icing on the cake is that her permit will be in my favorite WMD Zone, and the fact that she has a September bull permit!

The bull permit matters to her as she states that

exposure to the hunting industry, so she should go into this hunt with the right she refuses to shoot her perspective. We have been own kind. discussing the possibilI know how special ity of this hunt for several getting a prized bull permit years. I am beyond excited

honing-in her shooting accuracy.

Having been on five other moose hunts, I will educate her on what to expect, how to react to what we see and what her com-

In preparation for her hunt, we will spend time on the range, ensuring that she has full comfort with her gun safety, as well as honing-in her shooting accuracy.

is as I was fortunate to get one in 2013 and harvested a trophy bull that dressed out at 934 lbs. and had a rack that was 51 ½ inches and 25 points.

My daughter grew up around hunting and having

to share how educational and special this experience will be to share with her.

In preparation for her hunt, we will spend time on the range, ensuring that she has full comfort with her gun safety, as well as

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when it happens.

My daughter has been around game, live and in the kitchen her whole life.

She comprehends the reason we hunt. She fully understands the sustainability of game, and she thoroughly enjoys various ways that we enjoy moose and other types of game.

Having this connection to wild food will bring the whole moose hunt to full circle for her.

One of the primary goals, other than shooting accuracy that I have for her, is to prepare her mind for positive expectancy.

Much like the competitive sports player that she is, I will set the stage for her by teaching her to envision the success of the moment presented before it actually happens – so when it does, it will be automatic much like her scoring a goal in soccer.

In life, people only know what they know. We as adults can teach children tremendous knowledge about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors if we have patience and take the time to invest in our kids. This builds confidence in how they handle themselves in the outdoors. I use core principles in teaching kids about the outdoors, which extends to confidence in the wild kitchen.

Kids can greatly benefit from us mentoring them through outdoor experiences. This will serve them well in their pursuit of the outdoors, as well as in life.

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(Expectancy cont. pg 41)

September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 31

Sportsmen Say

This month’s pattern is an old streamer that you don’t see very often but has a great history in Maine. This streamer was developed by Gene Letourneau who wrote a long running newspaper column for Maine sportsmen by the same name. Gene’s streamer is overshadowed by the more famous NineThree streamer which he co-developed with Dr. Sanborn. These overlooked flies are exactly what I look for; they are often sleepers and they should be fished.

Gene Letourneau designed a good salmon streamer here, you should try it out.

Recipe for the Sportsmen Say Thread – Black Hook – Size 6, 8x long streamer Body – Silver Mylar Rib- Silver oval Belly – Yellow bucktail

The Tyer’s Corner

by Hugh Kelly, Detroit, ME

Wing – Four peacock herl, under four grizzly saddle hackles Eyes – Optional, Jungle cock There is no tail on this fly so start by tying in the rib at the rear of the hook shank. If you peel off a little of the silver piping of the ribbing material, you will find a thread core.

Peel back the Mylar until you have a quarter inch of thread core and tie that in.

That technique will save your body from an ugly hump at the tie in point since the thread core will compress easier than the whole ribbing material.

Start your silver Mylar body at the head, wind back and then wind forward over the first wraps. The double layer will look neater. Next, wind your rib forward; space the windings so that there are five to six turns.

The belly is yellow bucktail, slightly longer than the bend of the hook.

Yellow has always been a great color for salmon and Gene knew this. The next step is to tie four peacock herl on top of the hook

shank as the lower part of the wing. They should be as long as the belly, that is a bit past the hook bend.

The wing itself is four grizzly hackles. The markings on these feathers look like salmon parr and probably account for the way salmon strike this fly. Gene used Jungle cock for eyes on this streamer and the old recipe calls for them. I use them and if you can afford it, you should too because they work. If you can’t afford Jungle cock, even a small package, then leave the eyes off, this fly will still catch fish.

I love these old streamers; they are a part of our heritage here in Maine and we should keep them alive. This is an elegantly simple streamer to tie and it fishes well. Good enough for me.

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Big Woods Mystique

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME September signals that fall has arrived to the north country. By the beginning of September, they have the red tinge that will soon be the spectacular foliage that adds to the beauty of the woods. Frost is eminent and I have seen it in late August as well. September the transition month from summer to winter. Bears will be eating as much as

September 2022

that you can actually see it every day. By the end of the month the leaves will be in their full glory and within two weeks they will have fallen to the ground. I used to take all of it for granted, but not anymore. Now I take it all in, as my anticipation grows for upcoming deer season.

I just got back from attending a new outdoor

until the week before deer season. Then it become a long conversation about how much different Big Woods deer are than any other. The main difference is that a buck’s territory is so big, and food is available to them no matter where they are. That means they could be anywhere at any particular time. They might spend most of the summer around some cuts and then move five miles to some other ones. Then then the leaves fall from the trees they will head for an area

That is why a Big Woods whitetail buck is the hardest animal to hunt. I tell people that you don’t hunt in the Big Woods because you need to fill your freezer, you hunt there for the challenge. they can whether it’s nut, berries, etc.or at a hunter’s bait site. Deer and moose will shed the velvet covering from their antlers in preparation for the battles for breeding rights. All the animals are transitioning toward their winter coats of hair. The cool mornings create fog on the water that is still warm from the summer. I’m grateful to be able to live in an area where I can watch this transition on a daily basis. The transition happens so quickly

show in Massachusetts called “Huntstock”. The show was geared around everything whitetail deer hunting. My Big Woods Bucks team were there to talk deer hunting with anyone that came to the show.

The guys that hunt in more suburban or farm country were talking about scouting for deer already and getting their trail cameras out. Many of them asked me if I had been scouting for deer yet. My answer of course was no I wait

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This seem to be a foreign concept and contrary to what most deer hunters are used to. That is why a Big Woods whitetail buck is the hardest animal to hunt. I tell people that you don’t hunt in the Big Woods because you need to fill your freezer, you hunt there for the challenge.

When I tell people the success rate on bucks, some of them can’t believe it could be that low and wonder why anyone would want to hunt there. I just tell them that most hunters won’t

We hunt the Big Woods bucks more for the challenge than the meat. hunt there because you either love it or hate it and most hate it for one reason or the other. When we do these shows, it’s all about educating hunters and passing along knowledge to new hunters as well as hunters willing to take up the challenge. I think that there is a certain mystique about the Big Woods. It’s like a fear or uncertainty of the unknown. I just try to encourage anyone to give

it a try or you will never know what it is like.

I got to spend a little time with Lanny Benoit.

We have always enjoyed swapping stories when we see each other at a show. I hadn’t seen Lanny for 3 or four years, since the Covid had put the sportsman shows on hold. We had him on a live podcast that we recorded at the show. We reminisced a little about (Mystique cont. pg 64)

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

September 2022

Prepping for Fall

In the dog days of summer, it’s easy to forget about our hunting rifles. It’s time to take your favorite rifle out of the safe and give it some love. We have been ignoring them in favor of fishing rods, downriggers, and outboards long enough. Where to start…

Your hunting rifle should get a deep cleaning before the season begins. This should also be done anytime your rifle or shotgun is exposed to harsh, wet weather. What do you need for this to happen?

First, you need a small torque screwdriver or wrench with the proper bits, gun solvent and gun oil. A word of caution here, read the owner’s manual if you have a newer gun.

Some newer gun finishes can be damaged by harsh gun solvents, you know, the ones that “work the best”.

Another caution is that if you clean it with solvent, you must oil it. The solvent removes any lubrication. Make sure your gun is unloaded and you are

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 19) “I been thinkin’ about that. Binge ain’t got no place to store it at that shack where he lives. But his old poachin’ buddy, Ansel Jacklight, inherited that ol’ abandoned farm on Smith Brook. If I remember right, the only thing still standin’ on that property is

in a well-ventilated area.

Now that you have your tools and supplies, simply remove the stock screws from the underside of the rifle stock. When you remove the screws, the stock should come apart from the barrel and action. No further disassembly should be needed. The trigger assembly should not need any further disassembly unless it is damaged.

facturers web site to get the proper torque settings and check all of the screws.

To reassemble the stock and action, simply reverse this process. The screws on your scope mounts also should be checked. These screws should be set to 18 – 26 ft. lbs. If your mounts have multiple set screws, make sure they are tightened in a crisscross pattern similar

However, do not use the spray lubricants like WD-40 or Break Free because they evaporate and the parts can rust. Use lubricants made for firearms.

First clean this exposed action with an evaporating solvent. When it is clean, oil it lightly. Brake cleaner or electrical component spray cleaners work well for this. However, do not use the spray lubricants like WD-40 or Break Free because they evaporate and the parts can rust. Use lubricants made for firearms. Check your owner’s manual or go to the manu-

to the way you tighten lug nuts when changing a tire.

Next clean the bore to remove corrosive powder and copper.

Now go to the range and check your zero. A freshly cleaned and oiled barrel will shoot differently than a fouled barrel. Shoot 3 rounds through a clean barrel. Let it cool, then fire three more to check your zero. When finished,

a ramshackle barn.”

“Yore prob’ly right.

That would be a great place to store the meat until they could move it. Look, I’d like to wait for reinforcements, but they’s no time.

All I got with me is one federal agent. But we’ll head in an’ try…”

“We’ll meet you on the Smith Brook Road jest after dark,” Joe interrupted.

“Joe, I don’t know…”

Brody began, but Joe quickly hung up. He reached up and took his old .38-55 down from the rack and took a box of shells from a shelf.

“What’s that for?” I asked suspiciously.

“Varmints,” he replied, and headed for the door.

We hid the Jeep off a twitch trail on Smith Brook Road and waited in the dark. Soon, Pinch Brody’s pickup ghosted up, lights off and the motor idling.

We stepped out into the road and the warden pulled over to one side, shutting the motor off. Brody and the federal officer stepped

Page 33

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

simply run a dry patch through the barrel. Do not do a deep clean unless you plan more range sessions before hunting.

The last step in barrel care is to place a piece of electrical tape over the bore. To further secure the tape, place a second piece of tape around the barrel over the ends of the first piece of tape. This will have no affect on accuracy because hot gas precedes the bullet traveling down the barrel. This hot gas burns right through the tape before the projectile ever gets there. To further weather and rust proof your firearm, put a dab of unscented lip balm on the screw heads. It will seal them. The lip balm can easily be removed with any solvent. These steps can ensure that your rifle, shotgun or handgun will function properly when

hunting season comes at last. These steps are also an excellent teaching opportunity. Perhaps sharing these steps with a new shooter or young person could be just the ticket. Have a great hunting season.

out.

that?” he asked sternly.

Joe ignored him, slipped to the edge of the woods, and disappeared. Brody sighed.

“Come on. I don’t want to lose him.”

It took us the better part of ten minutes to sneak through the woods to the old barn, staying away from the driveway in case the poachers had posted a guard. Suddenly, we came to the edge of a clearing. A dozen yards away, a rickety old barn stood silhouetted against the starry sky. The big door in the front tilted open and light from a couple of lanterns spilled out. A big new sedan was backed up to the door with (Me & Joe cont. pg 35)

“The driveway into the farm property is jest ahead on the left,” Joe said quietly.

“We just saw a big car drive in a few minutes ago,” I added. “looked new.”

T h e t w o o ff i c e r s glanced at each other and nodded slightly.

“I figure we leave the vehicles out here and ease on through the woods to the farm and jest see what’s goin’ on,” Joe said.

The federal man looked at the old Winchester dangling from Joe’s hand.

“What do you think you’re going to do with

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

The Maine Fall Salmon Run For the last few years there of working on the West Woods hasn’t been enough water Branch, I never caught Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

The cool weather and fall rains of early September trigger the migration of landlocked salmon to gravitate towards the tributaries of the larger lakes of northern Maine. The salmon and to a lesser extent brook trout will school-up in the areas near the inlets of these lakes waiting for a significant rain event to run up the streams to carry on the cycle of life.

These fish are on a spawning mission and are not really interested in feeding. Therefore, the angler has to change tactics to be successful. Bright streamers and attractor flies are my go-to patterns in the fall. Silver lures will also work well if they are allowed. Many of the rivers and streams that are open to fishing after August 15th are restricted to fly fishing only with a limit of one fish.

Please check the fishing regulations at: www.maine. gov/ifw before heading out on your fall fishing adventure.

Some years the spawning run occurs in late August and other years it doesn’t happen until

late September or even October - it all depends on the weather! I have had great fishing on Labor Day weekend one year and caught nothing but chub the next.

In the Moosehead area, you can usually feel the weather change. If we

left behind these dams at the end of the summer to make these water releases.

Things are looking much more promising this year.

As I write this article, the headwater lakes of the Allagash, Moosehead and Penobscot are all still at spring water levels.

The first time I ever fished the Upper West Branch in the fall, I caught

Things are looking much more promising this year. As I write this article, the headwater lakes of the Allagash, Moosehead and Penobscot are all still at spring water levels. get a few cool nights in a row followed by a cold rainy day – that’s the time to go fishing! The last three years the fall fishing has been poor due to summer like temperatures and lack of rainfall throughout September.

Many of the dam owners have an agreement with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to provide a fall water release to simulate a significant rain event. This water release – if it is cool enough will attract fish into the rivers and streams providing us with a really nice fishing opportunity.

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the largest landlock salmon of my life. It was on Labor Day weekend during the middle of the day. I was down the river doing some ranger duties. When lunchtime rolled around, I had a quick bite to eat then strung up my fly rod to try the fishing. There was one big rock in the middle of this pool in the river. On my first cast, the fly didn’t drift where I wanted it to go. So, I pulled my fly up before it swung over the rock. On the next cast, the fly went exactly where I wanted it to go and a nice fish came up and inhaled the fly. The fight was on! I brought the fish to the

another salmon close to the size of that first one even though I have had good fishing on other occasions.

I have also caught some very nice brook trout in Chase Rapids below Churchill Dam and on the Roach River near Kokadjo.

The trout and salmon that run up the tributaries to spawn in the fall are all adult fish and will be representative of the size that are caught in the lake from which they came. As Three fall salmon flies: many anglers know, the Dorian’s Dream, Barns fish in Moosehead are Special, Governor growing very well, the Barrows.

Chesuncook salmon are (Photo by Ruth LaRoche) looking better than they side of the canoe twice but have for several years and I didn’t have a net, so I tried the Allagash brook trout to grab the salmon behind are nothing short of magthe head. I figured I would nificent. lose the fish but eventually If you need advice on he gave up and I was able where to go and what to to grab this beautiful 24- use, give me a call or drop inch, 5-pound, hooked jaw me an email. salmon!

I ended up catching two more respectable Matt LaRoche is a salmon at the head of the retired Superintendent of pool before it was time the Allagash Wilderness to go back to work. I can Waterway, owner of Maine remember thinking to my- Woods Guide Service and self, “this is a good place to an avid outdoorsman. He work”. In my 20 plus years can be reached at 207280-0713 or at matt.laroche2877@gmail.com . See www.mainewoodsguide.com

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September 2022

Me & Joe

(Cont. from pg 33) its trunk lid open. Brody held up a cautionary hand.

From inside the barn came the sound of voices. Then three men came out the door and stood at the back of the car. I recognized the husky figure of Axel Binge with a rifle clutched in his right fist. Another was Binge’s poaching buddy, Ansel Jacklight. And the third, much to my consternation, was the lawyer, Irving Binder.

“All right, that’s the last of it,” Binder said to the other two. “Now you two lay low until the excitement is over and we can get started again. I hate to move this meat now, with the wardens watching most of the roads, but I promised the meat to the suppliers.

Anyway,” he grinned.

“They aren’t likely to

stop a lawyer in his own car.”

“What about our money?” Binge growled.

“Oh, yes…almost forgot.” Binder pulled two bundles of bills from his jacket pocket and handed them to the two men.

“I’ve got to make a quick trip to Long Island and get back for the court the day after tomorrow,” he said, his grin widening. “If all goes well, the judge will deny the deal to that sap Carver and he’ll take the fall on the federal charge.

We’ll be free and clear.”

I heard a low growl to my right and made out Joe’s figure as he raised his rifle. The federal agent saw it too, and grunting in consternation, he stepped forward into the light.

“Stand right where you are, you men!” he shouted. “You’re all under arrest!”

Northwoods Sporting Journal For a long moment, the three poachers stared in dismay. Then Axel Binge swore bitterly and threw the rifle to his shoulder.

The agent, pistol still in its shoulder holster, stared open-mouthed.

A gout of flame stabbed from my right and the blast of the Winchester echoed in the surrounding trees. Binge’s rifle flew from his hands and clattered on the ground. He let out a howl and clutched his hands between his legs.

Blood spattered on the pants legs.

I heard the clatter of a lever being worked and then Pinch Brody’s calm voice. “Okay, Joe. That’s enough.”

We walked from the trees to where the poachers cowered. Axel Binge whimpered loudly. “I got to have a doctor! I’m hurt bad!”

“Nothin’ a little ban-

dage won’t fix,” Joe said without sympathy. “’Course yore gonna have trouble workin’ a trigger for a while, with that missin’ right forefinger.”

The federal officer stared at him. Joe stared back. “I know where my bullets go.”

A week later me and Joe, together with Willis Carver and Pinch Brody, sat in Joe’s cabin with the door thrown open on an unusually warm September day. Willis had just presented Joe with a tiny, intricately crafted wooden mouse. It looked so real I expected it to dart out of Joe’s hand and head for the door at any moment.

“This is really beautiful, Wis,” Joe said. “You shouldn’t of done it.”

“It’s the least I could do, Joe. I hope you like it.”

“I love it,” Joe said softly. Then he looked at Pinch Brody and scowled.

Page 35

“I been thinkin’, Pinch,” he said. “You set us up. Gave us jest enough information to set us on the trail and used us to track down Binge an’ the rest.”

“An officer,” Brody said loftily, “uses whatever tools become available. We suspected Irving Binder because of suspicious trips he’d made to New York, but we had no proof against any of them. I just gave a few hints and headed you in the direction you wanted to go anyway. And you’ve got to admit, it all came out for the best.”

“Well,” Joe muttered, examining his little wooden mouse, “I still don’t like it.”

Brody got up from his chair and sauntered to the door, looking with appreciation at the sunny day outside.“Too bad,” he said, smiling. “Get over it.” He walked off the porch and disappeared around the corner.

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Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME The black flies had been ferocious. Some evenings, the only comfortable place was inside the tent.

No campfire or wildlife watching, sunset gazing or berry picking.

Chesuncook Lake, however, is notorious for wind. As the last marshy dregs of the West Branch fell behind, I saw whitecaps whipping across the lake.

They marched in heedless

Allagash — for the first time.

No light was showing in the ink black sky as I made coffee the next morning. The first hints of light, when they came, revealed a dark line of rain narrowing in. I tucked the dry bags under the boat and took shelter in the outhouse until the shower passed. A bit of blue sky was breaking through as I pushed the

ranks, strengthened by the long expanse of water to the south. I angled my canoe into the waves, struggling toward the Longeley Stream campsite on the lake’s north shore.

Finding it empty, I gratefully set up camp.

The tent walls shook and snapped in the wind, and I cooked supper crouched down behind a fallen tree.

Later, I drank my tea outside in peace, gazing out over the water. Tomorrow, I would face infamous Mud Pond Carry — the long and strenuous portage into the

canoe into deeper water and hopped in.

In the quiet stillness, I followed the shore of massive Gero Island toward Umbazooksus Stream. The rain had come and gone, and the earth was hushed.

In the distance, a backward “L” drifted slowly toward the haven of the island. It was a black duck family, as ordinary a part of this world as the mist and the trees.

Then the idyllic scene dissolved into panic.

Quacking an urgent warning, the mother flapped

Sadly, I had waited too long.

The waves still danced, but it was an empty dance. The tiny speck of life had disappeared. It was one of the saddest moments of that trip.

September 2022

Can We Truly Leave No Trace?

frantically toward the island. Her babies quickly fell behind. She seemed more intent on fleeing than shepherding her young.

Surprised, I froze. The little family could have swum across in front of me long before I got there.

him. Envisioning how to scoop him up and deliver him to shore. The calming of his mother as the reunited family paddled off.

I would reverse the damage I had unwittingly caused in the peaceful dawn.

Sadly, I had waited

into its timeless cycle of life, and death.

Like a fictional timetraveler, we may hope to change nothing, but that is not the way of nature.

When we enter wild places, we become a part of them. Their rhythms—of weather, communities, and terrain—enfold us, as they have since time immemorial.

Time in wild places can’t help but change us, too. Immersed in nature, our values become truer and our needs simpler— dry clothes, good health, warm food, and our evening camp. From somewhere within us we find the courage, resourcefulness, and endurance to persevere. The river flows or the trail bends, freeing our thoughts for honest inner conversation.

Inevitably, I come home humbled and inspired by the grandeur and immutability of the places I have journeyed, and reverent that such places still exist. With renewed resolve, I vow to hold on to the person that I become out there and the knowledge that is awakened in me. For it is in the wild places that I am my truest self.

Morning beckons me into the rhythms of another day.

Two ducklings scut- too long. The waves still tled along, slowly catch- danced, but it was an empty ing up. Reaching shore, dance. The tiny speck of they vanished among the life had disappeared. It was grasses. Far out on the one of the saddest moments lake, the last one lagged far of that trip. behind. Mama squawked Why this morning had more frantically now, dart- my quiet presence upset the ing back and forth. Her fear delicate balance of nature?

Somberly, I pondered and distress were wrenching. I drifted, silently urg- this as I went on my way. ing her to go to her baby. As outdoor people, we are Out in the slate gray waves, encouraged to leave no a small head bobbed up and trace. We pack out trash, down. I would lose it for buy local firewood, and a time, then spot it once trade in our old lead tackle to save the loons. But can more.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 37

Question Of The Month September 2022 Hunters: How Do You Stay Fit?

By Mike Miner If you haven’t yet read the first part in Mays journal, I strongly suggest it. It explains why fitness is so important to enjoying the outdoors, which we love so much. So now let’s get into the nitty gritty practical application of things.

The legal mumbo

vital to any outdoor activity whether it’s hunting or fishing. For this segment I’ll try to make it as easy as possible, and as with all of these I’m trying to keep equipment to a minimum.

The first exercise is air squats. If you are unfamiliar with this exercise a simple YouTube search

to stick to a few tried and true movements that can be done anywhere, anytime.

First is the granddaddy of all movements, the pushup.

If it was good enough for our forefathers as they got in shape to kick Hitler’s

First is the granddaddy of all movements, the pushup. If it was good enough for our forefathers as they got in shape to kick Hitler’s butt, it’s good enough for us. jumbo: as with any fitness program, please, if you feel the need, consult your healthcare physician to make sure you are fine to start any program.

Let’s start with cardio, in my opinion the most important aspect to enjoying hunting and fishing.

My recipe for this is really quite easy. GET UP AND MOVE. It’s no more complicated than that. 30 minutes a day, 3-5 days a week.

My go to activities: 30 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk pace and gradually increase the incline as you go. This can be enhanced by wearing a weight vest or weighted backpack to simulate the hunting experience. You can also go to your favorite hiking spot, loop around your block, or go to the local high school track. The key here is to move. It’s been shown that just 30 minutes a day can enhance the longevity of those 65 and older by a significant degree.

Next up is legs.

There’s an old adage, “ Legs feed the wolf.” Having a strong pair of legs is

will find many demos on how to perform this. If you aren’t able to do this safely you can also do chair squats, which is simply sitting in a chair and standing up without using your arms. Stair climbs are also a great way to build the legs. Again I’m trying to pick things that are easily accessible for everyone.

Now we have the lower back. This is a tricky area so I’m going to go light and only give you a couple ideas. If you are doing everything else your lower back will slowly be getting stronger, especially if you’re using a backpack during the treadmill or hiking days. The simplest and most effective lower back exercise would be slow and controlled toe touches. You can increase intensity by adding some weight thus is called a weighted good morning Again a YouTube search will provide demonstrations of these movements.

Arms and shoulders.

Again I don’t want to overwhelm you with a thousand different exercises. I’ll try

butt, it’s good enough for us. Modify these any way you need, either on your knees or using a wall. Next up are front raises. Grab a weight, or anything really, and raise it up in front of your body slowly and controlled. Heck you can even use your rifle, just please unload it first. Then we have side raises–it’s the same movement only, you guessed it, to the side of your body. Again slowly and controlled and if you aren’t familiar with the movements a quick You-

Tube search will provide enough details.

So how do we throw all this together and make a program? I’m glad you asked. Here’s a simple template to follow.

Day 1, 30 minutes of

cardio of your choice. Try to mix it up and do something different if you can.

Day 5, Same as day 2.

Day 6, 30 minutes of cardio.

Day 7, rest.

Now to some this will seem like a lot of work, but other die-hard fitness fanatics will scoff at how simplistic and easy this program is. My intent is for this to be a nice entry level set of workouts that any beginner, no matter the age, can follow. I would say you can make this easier or harder depending on your current fitness level. Either way you slice it I can guarantee you that come next hunting season or fishing cardio of your choice.

Day 2, 5 sets of 20 season you will feel betrepetitions (reps) of air ter and more fit, and that’s squats. Then 5 sets of 10- always a good thing. Good 20 pushups. Then 3 sets luck and get after it. Feel of 5 front raises (5/each free to email me with any hand) and finish with 3 questions or comments. sets of 5 side raises (5/each mikmnr1@gmail.com hand). Finish with 20-30 toe touches, nice and slow.

Mike Miner is an avid Day 3, rest. Use the rest days as days to be pro- Maine outdoorsman who ductive. Maybe go shoot- loves to hunt. He is also ing, check your wood lots, a fitness coach.He has or do some scouting but coached crossfit classes make it relatively light for over a decade, as well as other types of fitness work.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 38

Dry Fly Wings

Fly Fishing

by Joe Bertolaccini, Orrington, ME Previously we looked at various wings for streamers and wet flies, often referred to as down wings since they tend to lay either parallel to the hook shank or positioned at a slight angle above it.

Dry fly wings, on the other hand are usually upright for mayflies, whereas caddis and stonefly wings may be slanted back at a 30 to 45 degree angle above the hook.

Traditionally tied dry fly wings can be fashioned from many different materials, the most popular being hackle tips, duck or goose quills, duck flank fibers, calf tail, deer and elk hair and numerous other synthetic hairs and yarns that have good floating qualities. Many dry flies, however, are tied with hair wings because they are easy to tie and hold up

better to repeated casting and fishing than quill or hackle tips.

With that, let’s take a look at a technique for tying upright divided wings that is used on many mayfly patterns. Whichever mate-

the rear of the hook to create a uniform base for the body and tightly bind them down. Return the thread to just in front of the wing and with your bodkin separate the wing material into two equal bunches.

If using quill slips or hackle tips, it helps to keep them separated by tying them on so that the natural curve of the feathers

flare away from each other.

Take several turns of thread between the wings in one direction crisscrossing the same number of turns in the other direction (figure eight wrap) until they are permanently secured in the way that you want them.

Applying a small drop of head cement between the wings will help to keep them separated. The thread is then wrapped back to the rear where the tail and

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body materials are secured.

With the thread now just behind the wing, the final step involves winding a hackle collar to simulate the legs of a mayfly as well as to assist in keeping the fly afloat. Select one or two appropriately sized rooster neck or micro saddle hackles, preen the barbs downward and tie in just behind the wing

Traditionally tied dry fly wings can be fashioned from many different materials, the most popular being hackle tips, duck or goose quills, duck flank fibers, calf tail, deer and elk hair and numerous other synthetic hairs and yarns that have good floating qualities.

rial is used, wings are tied on top of the hook about 1/3 of the hook length behind the eye. With the tips pointing forward, bind them to the hook with several tight thread wraps so that the height of the wing will be about 1 ½ gap widths. Lift the tips to an upright position and take several turns of thread in front at the base of the wings to keep them vertical. With your scissors, taper the butts toward

September 2022

with the tips pointing to the rear and the stripped quill butts extending out over the hook eye. The thread is then wrapped forward to just behind the eye, binding down the stripped butts which are then clipped off.

Pull the hackle tips upright, crimping the stems so that they will remain vertical during winding. Each hackle is wound forward separately with the first turn taken immediately behind the wings and two or three wraps taken in front of the wings. Complete the fly by tying down and clipping the excess hackle tips, form a small, nicely tapered head, and apply two coats of head cement.

I have found that it isn’t always necessary to divide the wings. A single bunch of hair tied upright as in parachute flies has proven equally effective

since fish viewing from underneath can’t get a clear look at a wing that is mixed in with a hackle collar. I have also found that most adult mayfly patterns in size 18 and smaller don’t need wings as long as a hackle collar is used to simulate legs and provide flotation. (commonly known as variants) Other methods for fashioning dry flies include: the paraloop method, parachute flies, arc wings, comparaduns as well as the use of dubbed fur and quill bodies, all of which are described in detail in more comprehensive fly tying manuals. Adult caddis and stonefly wings can be made from duck or goose quills, but most often from natural or synthetic hairs that are more durable and have better floating qualities. They are generally tied as downwings that slope up and back at a 30 to 45 degree angle from the hook. The tying process is (Wings cont. pg 41)

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September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Strange Conduct Of A Beaver

Dan Heywood, the well-known Rangeley guide, published this tale of his experiences with a beaver, in Shooting and Fishing, June 22, 1909.

I saw nothing in the water, but when within about six feet of the spot I saw what at first looked like a mudturtle. Closer observation showed it to be the tail of

to a beaver being in such an unlikely place at such an hour of the day, I have no explanation or excuse to offer, unless, I say the animal must have been crazy. It was nearly 100 feet to deep water, or any other shelter that it could find.

I called the young man’s attention to what was going on and he also

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA a frog’s, only instead of brought into use, and drove using them both at once it through the water with it used them alternately. wonderful force. A large Over logs and depressions swell rose on the surface in the sand it moved, its above it, and the tail threw body conforming perfectly up boils several yards apart to the uneven bottom, until as large as could be raised the water began to be deep- with a paddle.

I sent the canoe forer. Then I noticed that it was moving more rapidly. ward with all my strength,

Never have I seen a cat in the act of stalking a bird, or a snake in gliding away, move with greater skill that did this beaver in its effort to glide away to deep water, unobserved.

“Last summer I had a rare opportunity to observe a full-grown beaver at close quarters.

I was standing up in a canoe, poling up a river which at that place was broad and shallow. The water was about eighteen inches deep, the bottom sandy, and the bright sunlight shone directly down upon it. My attention was attracted to a spot near the shore and nearly beside the forward end of the canoe by a slight disturbance of the water, as if made by a muskrat or turtle. I had a young fellow with me and was watching out for objects of interest. At first,

a large beaver, and this its whole form became visible, lying as still as a log, on only a few inches of water—barely enough to cover it. Ordinarily I would have passed it a dozen times without seeing it. As

stood up, and together we watched the beaver for a moment. Then it began to move forward, slowly, and with great caution not to disturb the surface of the water. Never have I seen a cat in the act of stalking a bird, or a snake in gliding away, move with greater skill that did this beaver in its effort to glide away to deep water, unobserved.

I kept the canoe abreast of it and watched every movement. It kept its head close to the bottom, and the current seemed to hold it down. Its tail was motionless, and it used its forward feet in creeping along the sand, while its hind feet worked on either side of its body something as does

Think of the intelligence of this animal!

What fish, mink, muskrat, otter, or other animal would have been able to suppress the impulse to rush pellmell for the nearest place of safety? It seemed to realize, finally, that it was being seen for its headway continued to increase until I was shoving the canoe along at quite a good rate.

Suddenly its great horny tail, which always seemed a useless appendage in swimming, was

but, swift as I went, the beaver went more that twice as fast, and in a moment, all could be seen of it was row of great boils breaking on the surface several yards apart, which indicated the place where each upward stroke of its tail had been given.”

Steve is an avid hiker, paddler and historian, having collected over 26,000 Maine Woods articles to date.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

My Last Archery Bear

The Northwoods Bowhunter

by Brian Smith, Machiasport, ME I’m writing this column shortly after my wife and I put out four bear baits within twenty minutes of home to begin the 2022 season. Bear baits can be placed 30 days prior to the start of the bear hunting season in Maine. I didn’t

September 2022

and a few less bugs.

The first three days of the season were very warm and we sat at the same bait with no bears seen. When checking the game cameras, a tall adult boar was seen visiting the “Swamp Bait” both morning and

saw him make a wide circle before coming in behind the bait 15 yds away. After watching him pull the heavy rock and bait bucket cover off, I confirmed it was the lanky boar with a big head that we’d seen on film. I made the decision to take him and drew my 60 lb Mathews HeliM Bow. My right elbow hit Joyce’s leg above and

in bright red lung blood. A short blood trail downhill, brought us to the piled up bruin in a great location for

ing with recoveries. I was able to maneuver the ATV within 50 yds and Harry helped drag the boar to

At 6:30 p.m. Joyce tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Here Comes a Bear!” I got my bow off the hanger to get ready and saw him make a wide circle before coming in behind the bait 15 yds away. arrow a bear in 2020 or 2021 as I didn’t see a big enough boar to take. As we set up our “Swamp Bait”, fond memories of my last archery bear in 2019 came flooding back to both of us. Joyce had accompanied me to New Brunswick that June for my first spring bear hunt so she could watch and learn. She wasn’t keen on being so far into the woods without a vehicle or cell service but did get a great video of the hunt even though her hands were shaking uncontrollably when the bears came in. I assured her that the fall hunt near home would include a vehicle close by, cell service, dryer weather

evening. On the fourth morning August 30th, we hung a portable stand facing north above and behind my ladder stand, for Joyce to sit in. She wanted to watch and learn some more before she felt ready to hunt herself. We were on stand by 4 p.m. clad in full Scent-lok clothing knowing we had almost 4 hours until the end of legal shooting light. We had a light westerly breeze and temperatures in the high 60s with hardly a mosquito bothering us.

At 6:30 p.m. Joyce tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Here Comes a Bear!” I got my bow off the hanger to get ready and

behind me and she thought it was me tapping her to look. She didn’t have her iphone pointed at the bait and before she was ready, I zipped a Muzzy tipped Easton arrow through both lungs. The boar woofed and ran downhill to the south.

We heard the death moan within 30 seconds about 80 yds away. I looked up at my wide-eyed wife who had not heard that haunting sound before. She asked if he was dead and I responded that the death moan confirmed that he was.

We waited a few minutes and then climbed down to look for my arrow. It was stuck in the mossy ground behind the bait and covered

The author with his last archery bear. my ATV and load it. Back pictures.

We snapped some home the bear dressed 160 photos and decided that I lbs and we packed it with could get my ATV close to ice to cool down for the the bear for recovery. There night. The next morning I was plenty of daylight left, tagged it in town and deso, although she wasn’t livered it to the butcher for exactly on board with it, I processing.

Joyce was now ready left Joyce with the bear as I walked out 500 yds to the to shoot the right bear if truck and called my friend she got the chance. We sat Harry who enjoyed help(Archery cont. pg 41)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Page 41

(I often use a white Corriveau is award-win- allow sufficient slope for stand. On Labor Day mornExpectancy spoon plastic spoon), remove the ning National Game Chef, the wing and space for a ing, shortly after daylight, a

(Cont. from pg 30) so much to be gained by spending more time outside of the electronics and distractions life throws at us.

The older I get, the more I internalize that life is short.

Redeeming that time with those you love and care about matters. Even if you are busy, schedule time in the outdoors. Build a positive expectancy towards all your outdoor adventures.

Enjoy every moment and create memories that will last a lifetime!

WildCheff’s Bear Poppers

Ingredients 10 jalapenos 1/2-1 lb. of ground bear meat 2 packages of organic cream cheese, room temperature 1 T of WildCheff Canadian Steak Rub 1/2 T of WildCheff Airdried Shallots 1/4 – 1/2 C of Mexican cheese blend, unseasoned Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using a pair of rubber gloves (helps avoid heat from capsaicin getting on your hands), slice the jalapenos lengthwise down the middle.

Using a small sharp

veins and seeds so you are left with just a half pepper to fill.

Place all cleaned peppers onto a sheet pan. This recipe makes 20 by slicing them in half.

Cook your burger in a saute pan with olive oil, butter, steak rub and dried shallots and cook until done. Allow to cool.

In a mixing bowl, place your room temp creamed cheese, cooled burger mixture and Mexican cheese. Thoroughly mix together.

Fill the jalapeno halves and when all are filled and placed on the cooking sheet, top them with small amount of Mexican cheese.

Place into pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes until top cheese has melted and browned – filling should be heated through at this point.

Remove from oven and enjoy! You wont be able to stop eating these!!!

Note: This recipe is great in many variations – change up the type of seasoning, interchange the type of big game, or make with grouse, ground duck or goose, or small game like ground rabbit.

WildCheff - Denny

SKOWHEGAN

Metis First Nation Chef, and the Founder of the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. As a Wild Game Evangelist and trendsetter for wild game culinary arts - Denny is a nationally recognized authority concerning the culinary side of wild game. You can learn more @ www.wildcheff.com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff or Facebook at @WildCheff

Wings (Cont. from pg 38) different for downwings where the tail (if any) is tied on first, then the body, wing and collar. The bodies are tied off about 1/3 of the hook length behind the eye at a slightly steeper taper than those for streamers to

wound hackle collar. One of the most popular adult caddis imitations is the Elk Hair Caddis that uses fine deer or elk hair for the wing. Other productive downwing caddis imitations are Ed’s Hopper, and the Royal Trude.

Next month we’ll look at Wulff dry flies.

really big bear came to our right and Joyce got ready while the bear walked right under us but then crashed into the thick growth behind us. Bear hunting is her favorite and she’ll be focused on taking her first one this month.

Brian Smith is a Retired Maine State Police Joe has enjoyed fly Detective and NRA Field fishing for over 65 years. Representative. He is a His book, Fundamentals of Life Member of the Maine Fly Fishing, is now avail- Bowhunters Association able. He can be reached at: and serves as the 1st Direcbrewerberts@aol.com tor at Large. In 2008 and 2018 he was presented the MBA Largest Archery Bear in Maine Award and was chosen Maine Bowhunter (Cont. from pg 40) many evenings and a few of the year twice. He is a mornings for the rest of Life Member of the NRA the season. We saw four and serves on the SAM-ILA more bears including a Board of Directors. He can light brown eared sow that be reached at bowhunter@ walked right under our mgemaine.com

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Mail To: The Northwoods Sporting Journal * P.O. Box 195, West Enfield, Me. 04493 or Phone 207-732-4880 or Fax 207-732-4970 or E-Mail info@sportingjournal.com

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Page 42

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

By now, most people in the lower forty- eight, have had enough of the heat. All over the country Mother Nature is certainly creating havoc flooding, droughting and being just plain too hot. There are several people every year that migrate to Maine to escape the heat where they live, to take refuge on the

eighty-five degrees and even times over ninety!

Days like these can narrow down active feeding times for those river smallies. Smallmouth can shut down during peak sunny times of the summer day so get out of bed before sunup and get on the water. Smallmouths are an ambush feeder and rely on

Fishing the Dog Days

more oxygen. I always like to leave cold water fish alone in these conditions.

Stressing out a fragile salmon or trout can mean certain death by exhausting every ounce of energy it has. By avoiding fishing all together, we will help these fish survive a very trying time in their fight for survival during hot months.

The typical prime months for cold water fish is ice out into mid-July. Of course, as climate changes

Fishing the dog days of summer can certainly be a challenge, but if you are willing to be flexible and are able to adjust according to weather, fishing can be successful! cool shoreline, boreal forest and beautiful inland water. This year in Maine, it has certainly been much warmer than usual. Guiding fishing has been challenging with fluctuating river flows and warmer temps coming much earlier in July. This year, the weather has certainly affected animals, fish, and people!

Fishing the dog days of summer can certainly be a challenge, but if you are willing to be flexible and are able to adjust according to weather, fishing can be successful! A typical August day in Maine may often reach well over

their vision to locate food.

Their first opportunity to feed is sunrise. Often, the only fishable time of day is during daybreak until high noon in which fish slow down their feeding.

Fishing comes to a standstill, as the sun relentlessly beats down on the water by noon. During this time, fish typically head for shade trees to escape the heat.

As surface water temperature rises in Maine lakes, ponds and rivers, cold water species head for the coolest water they can find. It may be a spring or simply an inlet to a river which offers fish slightly cooler water temps with

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the window also decreases.

Being mindful of water conditions and considerate of fish will prove to be more sustainable for the fishery and favorable light for the fisherman.

Before heading out on your next fishing adventure, it’s always a great idea to check conditions.

The information can easily be found online which can offer current flows, water depth and water flows.

Lakes and ponds will need to be checked physically on site. For hydro rivers,

August smallmouth fishing is always best before the sun gets too high. the following web sites can be very helpful. Check out https://safewaters. com and https://www.usgs. gov. before heading out on your next adventure! If we are considerate of our fish first, fishing will take care of itself!

As always, remember to take a young person hunting or fishing to keep our outdoor heritage alive and well! In addition, please support your local tackle shops and small businesses!

and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford. He is a “Certified Yamaha G3 Guide” that runs fly and spin fishing trips with a G3 Jet boat and Stealthcraft drift boat. Rich also guides Maine Partridge, Turkey, Moose, Deer hunting and recreation adventures. When Rich is not on adventures, he serves as a board member for the Native Fish Coalition, Maine chapter. He is also an outdoor writer, tree farmer, Rich is a full time fly-fishing instructor and Registered Master Maine certified NRA firearms inMaster Guide. He owns structor.

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

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

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Those Wild, Wild Chipmunks

I think most outdoors people enjoy watching wildlife. I know it has always been a source of entertainment for me. While deer hunting I often sat in the woods in a spot where I knew deer often crossed

off to harvest pulp with a two-man crosscut saw.

Limbing was done with an axe. While I sat near the fire during those cold fall days I would watch a shy chipmunk stick his head out of his hole and

over once in a while and adding wood to get it blazing again.

At our log home in Fairfield we had a bird feeder at the end of a deck attached to the house. I filled it daily with sunflow-

I was too young for school, and with my mother also working, he had no option other than taking me into the woods with him. or fed. During those lonely hours I often passed the time by being distracted by the squirrels that scampered around doing what squirrels do.

Sometimes I would watch a chipmunk scurry around on the ground and that reminded me of my very early years in the woods. I grew up during the great depression of the 20’s and 30’s, and World War II. I know now that those were tough years for my hard working parents.

My father had very little formal education and during those years he took any work he could find.

His motto was: take any job you can get while you look for something better.

He was cutting l pulp with another man. I was too young for school, and with my mother also working, he had no option other than taking me into the woods with him.

He would gather wood and build a good fire have me stay and keep the fire going while they went

look around. Over time he would become less wary and would hunt around for seeds and nuts to fill his bulging cheeks to carry to his underground home.

This experience by a fire in the woods was where I became fascinated with chipmunks. I was only three or four years old and I guess I wasn’t doing a very good job tending the fire as I remember dad coming

er seeds. I noticed a chipmunk scurrying around the deck picking up any dropped seeds. I got the idea of leaving some out for the little guy and so I would take a handful and put them on the deck just outside our sliding glass door so Dot and could watch him pick up the seeds, stuff them in his cheeks until they bulged out to what seemed an impos-

Page 43

Northwoods Voyager

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME

sible size. Then he would disappear for a short while only to return with empty cheeks for another load to store away in his den.

I got a kick out of him peeking around the corner of the house watching me at the feeder hoping I would not forget him. I didn’t, but he would disappear when I put the seeds down for him, only to reappear when I finally went inside to watch. It was better than watching TV! Now we live in southern Maine, but we were able to find a place near woods and so we have them right in our back yard, so to speak. There is also other wildlife here to watch. Deer often feed in back of our house and of course there are the ever present red squirrels. But, there also are my favorite, the chipmunk. My neighbor feeds squirrels and

birds and the chipmunks also help themselves whenever they can. I don’t know exactly how many there are living nearby, but one day I saw three at once so I know there are at least that many.

I wish them well.

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

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Page 44

Outdoors In Maine

by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME

Paul Fuller and his wife Susan from Durham New Hampshire are impassioned and accomplished bird dog trainers and widely travelled upland game bird hunters. Paul for many years has written a monthly column, On Point, for the

derstanding & Loving Your Dog. The book contains 12 chapters and covers it all, from Understanding Your Dog to Puppy Selection and Training to Upland Hunting Tactics and, my favorite chapter, Understanding Bird Scent.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

New Gun Dog Book

guy, who still misses his English Setter, Sally, I am also partial to those gun dog owners who consider their dogs as pets, as well as hunting dogs. Paul Fuller personifies all of the above.

His DNA would never allow him to ever complete a book that was anything less than outstanding.

The foreword of this book sets the tone. Fuller

Whether you aspire to own a gun dog, are a new gun dog owner, or are a seasoned upland hunter, this book gives you carte blanche access to Paul’s boundless knowledge and insight into gun dogs, their psychology and their training.

Northwoods Sporting Journal. He also hosts Bird Dogs afield television and You Tube shows.

A new book, “21 st Century Pointing Dog Training,” is Paul’s latest contribution to the upland hunting community. The sub title of the book is Un-

In the interest of disclosure, you need to know that I review this book with a personal bias. I admire people who possess passion and purpose, people who embrace an avocation and dig deep methodically for understanding and detail. As a former gun dog

MTA FALL RENDEZVOUS September 17 & 18, 2021

September 2022

writes, “Understand how your dog thinks, how it communicates and how much it loves you...if you give love also. We’ll talk about creating the bond that is a must for a quality hunting partner and member of the family. If you understand and love your dog, the obedience and field training will be easier for both of you, the owner/ trainer and the dog.”

I once knew a man of means who purchased a top breed gun dog and had it field trained by a pro. The hunter/owner apparently

spent little time getting acquainted with his acquisition, except when it was time to go afield. The dog and the owner did not click, and neither hunting partner seemed to enjoy their time afield. Correct, there just was no bond between dog and man.

Whether you aspire to own a gun dog, are a new gun dog owner, or are a seasoned upland hunter, this book gives you carte blanche access to Paul’s boundless knowledge and insight into gun dogs, their

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOUR FAVORITE SPORTSMAN OR SPORTSWOMAN!

“On the Wrong Side of the River”

by Carroll Ware, Legendary Maine Guide and well-known outfitter, recounts the people and the places and the stories that filled his professional life. Like most career Maine guides, Ware knows how to tell a story. His book drips with charm, humor and a well-earned understanding of people and what makes them tick. Anyone who hunts and fishes will identify with this Maine man’s life and outdoor passions.

- V. Paul Reynolds, Editor, Northwoods Sporting Journal Send a check or money order for $14.95, along with this ad and add $2.00 for postage, to: Fins and Furs Adventures, 32 Greenwood Ave., Skowhegan, ME 04976

pyschology and their training.

C h a p ter Ten, Understanding Bird Scent, is worthy of an Emmy from the Ruffed Grouse Society! It is divided into four sections: The Bird, Scent Diffusion, The Dog’s Nose, and the Dead Bird. Any upland hunter who has watched an English Pointer or a German Short Hair work a woodcock’s scent in an alder cover, will find this chapter’s scientific and physiological explanations eye opening and insightful.

There is, for example, a scientific reason why a running bird dog can detect a bird scent on the wind that it would not detect standing still. The phenomenon is called the Bernoulli Effect.

You’ll find the explanation for this and much, much more in 21st century Pointing Dog Training by Paul Fuller, published by Bird Dog Productions.

The book is available for $24.95 from www.birddogsafield.com The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide and host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network. He has authored three books.Online purchase information is available at www.maineoutdoorpublications.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Trail Cam Controversies

In case you missed it, in January of this year Utah joined Arizona and Nevada banning trail cameras for hunting. A handful of other states including Montana, Utah, Kansas and Alaska

that decision, and no doubt others will follow.

Thus far, much of the controversy and apparent concern has been west of the Mississippi, primarily in elk and mule deer states,

locate, surveil, aid, or assist in taking or take of any game animal or furbearing during the same calendar day while the season is open (cameras that send an electronic message or image to a handheld device or computer when sens o r s a re triggered by wildlife).”

And Maine is not totally exempt.

That same y e a r , 2013, a new law went on the books stating, “People using trail and game cameras may not place a camera upon another person’s private land without written permission. All cameras must be labeled with the person’s name and contact information.” In case you missed it, it’s at the top of Page 15 of the 2021-2022 Summary of Maine Hunting Laws in the green box.

What do you think?

Trail cameras constitute fair chase? have partial bans, prohibit- but there are exceptions and ing the use of wireless or the ever possibility outright cellular cams during hunt- bans or regulations limiting season. Wireless or not ing trail camera use could the question of whether creep eastward into here in trail camera use prior to the whitetail country. Back in hunting season for scouting 2013 New Hampshire was or during the season when the first state in the east to hunting constitutes “fair address the issue by putting chase” seems to be grow- on the books, “It is unlawing issue in the west. These ful to: Use live-action camstates have already made eras while attempting to

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Page 45

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

I thought I knew Maine’s game laws pretty well but that one got by me although I’m not too worried. I hunt my own land exclusively so I haven’t broken any laws but I wonder how many

is no excuse, the law is the law and it’s in the book so with bear season in progress and the deer hunting seasons coming next and more of us will be putting out cameras to see what’s going on and where to get

Wireless or not the question of whether trail camera use prior to the hunting season for scouting or during the season when hunting constitutes “fair chase” seems to be growing issue in the west. hunters have, at least unknowingly. I have never heard of a hunter hunting someone’s private land getting pinched, which means the vast majority of hunters in this state because they didn’t have written permission to use trail cameras or those cameras were not properly labeled as required. I’m not even sure how hard wardens are enforcing it. But, ignorance

an edge just beware.

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

Page 46

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME September in Maine sees many black bears hitching rides in the back of pick-up-trucks on their way to the tagging stations.

How those black bears got into the beds of those trucks depends on what method the hunters used

very slowly and stopping every couple of steps), or by ambushing (going into a bear hangout and sitting for many hours).

It’s nearly impossible to walk up on a black bear like many people do with whitetail deer. A “deer-

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Bear Hunting Methods

travel to and from food sources through extremely dense, dark, damp wet and cool areas. Bears will follow topography that keeps them safe and far from any human activities. I have learned this from experience. One year I had bait in a flat, semi-open, area that had denser cover nearby and wasn’t too far from a busy field often occupied

cies of hound). You should be, somewhat, physically fit and able to walk and run long distances. Also, you would have to be mentally prepared to walk up to a treed black bear to

got a chance to harvest a black bear during the threeday hunt. The dogs got on black bears every day but were unable to corner or tree one. This method is the least bit easy and is physi-

Black bears naturally traveled through this area. I harvested a black bear with my bow that year. Again, location is key when placing baits. It’s imperative that you pay attention to all details when baiting black bears. to harvest their bear. There might be dozens of tactics a hunter could use, however, only three stand out above the rest.

Black bears traditionally will be hunted using three popular methods – baiting, with dogs, or spot and stalk. Rarely do hunters take black bear by still-hunting, (walking

hunters-luck” doesn’t work on black bears – normally!

The most used and preferred method is baiting. This technique/approach is far from easy.

You can’t place a barrel full of sweets in a random spot that appears to be good bear habitat and expect a slam dunk. Location is key. Black bears

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by humans. Not a single black bear was drawn in by this enticement. My trail camera confirmed this.

Raccoon’s were the only creatures that enjoyed the five-star dining. The following year I moved my bait barrel only 150 yards deeper into the forest with thicker, damper, cooler cover with a ravine behind the bait full of damp moss, mud and rocks. I immediately found bear tracks in the ravine. Black bears naturally traveled through this area. I harvested a black bear with my bow that year. Again, location is key when placing baits.

It’s imperative that you pay attention to all details when baiting black bears.

The next most popular black bear hunting method used would be with dogs (normally with some spe-

Black bears in Maine like to stay near damp, dark mossy areas of the fir thickets.

(Illustration courtesy of Wild Wings.)

find out you must endure another long, tiresome chase because that one was too small. The dogs Geographical Positioning System (GPS) collars and the masters handheld occasionally helps the hunter determine where to cut-off the fleeing black bear running only a few feet in front of the dogs. The hunter then will drive the truck on dirt roads, logging roads or wide trails to get closer to where they need to get into position for a shot as the black bear gets closer.

I’ve personally been on one black bear hunt with hounds where I was only filming and writing field notes. The shooter never

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cally demanding. It’s not for the faint of heart.

The third most popular black bear hunting method, just so happens to be, spot and stalk. The extremely dense forest in Maine prevents this method from being used in most areas of the state.

You can have a chance in Downeast, Maine out on the blueberry barrens during late August on into early September when some fields still have blueberries left on the bushes. During mid-afternoon or early evening – a couple hours before dark – black bears move towards the blueberries. If you did your “hunters homework” you might find an area frequented by black bears allowing you an opportunity to spot and stalk one. I’ve spotted and stalked two black bears in blueberry fields.

One of the times happened to be during early morning and the other during the evening. I was not (Bear cont. pg 53)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Maine Dams: Not All Bad

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME

In recent years, there’s been a big movement to remove all the dams in Maine rivers. The idea is to restore the natural environment to what it was before industry took them over in the 1800s in order to allow sea-run fish that make their yearly

September 2022

able to enjoy truly thriving trout, without too much complication. It is a stellar calling card for the State of Maine, right up there with moose, blueberries, and lobster. But if dams come down without regard for freshwater fisheries, non-

costly expense of hopefully, but uncertainly, bringing back ailing sea fishes.

Take for example the Atlantic salmon. Every year it is reported with great fanfare that a few hundred have traveled up as far as the Milford dam on the Penobscot River.

This is good news, but it strikes me as strange when an absolutely stellar fish like the great Atlantic salm-

A first line of duty ought to be in protecting the best of what we have right now, and not come at the very costly expense of hopefully, but uncertainly, bringing back ailing sea fishes. trip up rivers the chance to follow their ancient ritual.

This is a great sound bite, but in this day and age, not all dams are bad.

The problem is we live in a completely different world than we did 200 and more years ago. When a dam is removed today, it puts at risk some of the last best places left of our inland freshwater fisheries, like, for example, our wild, native brook trout.

Because of our remote area here in northwestern Maine, we have been

native, invasive fish, like pike, will spread through essential inland waterways, since Maine’s great rivers and tributaries are all well connected.

Some sea-run fish have their own long-standing problems that have everything to do with ocean and commercial uses and nothing to do with inland fisheries. In some places, the trade-off is too great.

A first line of duty ought to be in protecting the best of what we have right now, and not come at the very

on, that used to run by the hundreds of thousands up the river to spawn, are now counted singly and have to be preciously handled in order for them to make it back to the ocean, and likely will never return to spawn again. There are so few of them that they are individually identified. In 2018, a marine biologist pointed to one particular salmon, saying that this one was unusual because it was able to “head into the open ocean twice and return to the river successfully. He’s

definitely a survivor.” This isn’t great. It is heartbreaking. The heroic return of one fish! It seems to me the successful survival of Maine’s wild brook trout deserves all the push it can to be protected now, before they, too, go the way of the Atlantic salmon. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates it will take some 75 years for a recovery plan

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for Atlantic salmon to work within the Gulf of Maine.

Maine, sadly, is the last stronghold for wild brook trout from its past habitat along the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Right now, they are thriving in the North Woods.

The entire life of the Atlantic salmon is a true force of nature, a spectacular miracle of wonder. It is one exciting fish. But then, right here, right now, so are Maine’s speckled trout.

My late husband Roger surveyed many of northern Maine’s inland waters.

He also took steps to ensure muskie could not infiltrate the prized West Branch and into Chesuncook. At the end of his life, he said he was most proud of how different Maine is from other states. The geography, the climate, and the sheer amount of available waters in many different areas of the state, unlike other states, where there (Dams cont. pg 63)

September 2022

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 49

Thinking Outside the Bay

Outdoorsmen are theorists. To understand fish, game, and oftentimes ourselves, we speculate and search for reasons behind the way things appear in nature. Usually, our hypotheses remain just that, but occasionally we discover evidence, and hypotheses evolve into theories. Such was the case for me last week.

July 14, 2022 was a beautiful day in the Gulf

I explained that striper fishing this time of year is a stealthy, low-light game.

Since the anglers were staying the week in Pine Point, I mentioned that nearby Saco Bay typically offers more reliable striper action than Casco Bay. Saco Bay holds many stripers, big ones too, all season long. Similarly, the Kennebec River system, just a bit north (or rather east) offers a fantastic fishery. Striped

once stripers arrive and infiltrate Saco Bay in May, a number of fish follow the Cod Ledge, a prominent piece of structure in the outer bay, and other defined edges, eastward until they reach the Kennebec River system near Popham.

Swimming this route, a striped bass would completely bypass interior Casco Bay - and a considerable number of Southern Maine anglers. Consider that not

We both said it at the same time, “Stripers!” Looking down from the 25-foot tower, the dozen or so fish in the school glowed pale green under the surface. They were clearly larger than any stripers I had ever seen in person... of Maine - one of those days to be bottled up and cracked open some gloomy afternoon in February. Seas were calm and skies were clear. The wind was only a tickle at 5 knots. Our anglers for the day aboard the Teazer were from Virginia.

As we headed offshore to the haddock grounds, one of the guys asked me about striper fishing in Casco Bay. With bright sun overhead and the temperature predicted to reach the mid-eighties,

bass fishing in Casco Bay can be good - even great at times - but in my opinion, still falls short of the other fisheries.

As we steamed out, I waved my hand from Portland Head Light to out beyond Halfway Rock and briefly laid out my hypothesis to our angler. Striped bass are contour feeders and structure-oriented fish. We can speculate that striped bass, especially larger individuals, are “reef-runners” in Maine. I believe that

all of these stripers would travel up the Kennebec, Sheepscot, or continue venturing east. Some striped bass, especially the larger ones (which are less likely to be eaten by seals), would likely remain along the offshore ledges and prominent edges, chasing bait east to west and back again, before dropping ocean temperatures trigger their migration south. In a way, these offshore ledge stripers would be like ghosts; never seen, never caught, and largely,

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Scarborough, ME

never even realized. As I talked, the angler nodded his understanding.

The groundfishing was good. Our anglers filled the box with haddock, whiting, redfish, and pollock. After I processed the fish and stowed the gear, I joined the captain up in the tower for the remainder of the ride back to Portland.

I was not in the tower for a minute when the captain suddenly pointed ahead.

“Look. Watch this wake here. Look for the fish.”

And there they were.

We both said it at the same time, “Stripers!”

Looking down from the 25-foot tower, the dozen or so fish in the school glowed pale green under the surface. They were clearly larger than any stripers I had ever seen in person, some approaching four feet in length! The school darted away only when the bow was nearly on top of them.

Still in shock, I looked up at my surroundings. The

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boat was less than a hundred yards inside of the Old Anthony Whistle buoy, where the water depth approaches 100 feet. Spotting tuna and even sharks by the Whistler, a red buoy approximately a mile off Richmond Island, is not uncommon, but massive stripers? What were they doing out there? The school was headed westward towards Prouts Neck and Saco Bay. The next question becomes how to most effectively, and legally, target these hefty “reef-running” stripers. In Southern New England and New York, fishing for stripers in deep water is common practice.

In Maine, fishing in water 4 - 20 feet deep is the norm and targeting open ocean stripers in 80 or 90 feet would initiate some strange looks back at the dock. Additionally, careful attention to charts and the plotter while fishing will be imperative. You can’t cross (Bay cont. pg 53)

One year

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Page 50

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont

If you were to ask me to describe the finest events that fell on the months of January, February, May, June, July, August, October, November or December, it would take some considerable pondering.

Notice that I have left out the months of March, April and September.

Why? That’s easy. Those three months include days that seem to exist in some kind of vacuum. That is, it would be difficult to run off even a small list of highlights for those three dismal months. It just seems that there has been very little going on in those three months.

But, for the sake of the time of the year, let us try to focus on September.

Well now, what can we re-

count, from years past, on the highlights of the ninth month of the year?

Hold on, now, I am trying to focus. Oh, now I remember. That trip to Texas, to visit my brother a few Septembers back

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

September? Forget it!

the next big event from September. (To be honest, I went to my files of copy I have written for four publications over the past decade or so, just to come up with some really great memories.) The pickings, I must say, are slim indeed.

Well, here’s a good one, a striper trip to fish

of time. Now, how could I ever forget that outing?

Well, here’s an item I almost forgot: Right after September, very early in October (make your plans

Open to anyone who enjoys hunting, fishing, bird-watching and other outdoor endeavors, the day traditionally begins with a bird-banding

Right after September, very early in October (make your plans now, this is a fun event), the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department sponsors the Dead Creek Wildlife Day, an event that focuses on the outdoors and the family. was something to behold.

Watching a then-78-yearold man riding bareback is really something to see.

Of course, we worry about Gary. He just turned 80 in July and, yes, he is still riding his two horses without a saddle.

Okay, moving on to

the beaches at Ocean Park and Saco, Maine, made solo, in September 2020, as Covid raged. I stayed at a decent motel for three nights, about a mile from the beach, and fished all day for three full days. And I caught, by my count, one striped bass over that span

A single surf rod awaits the first hit of the day as the sun rises on the beach at Saco, Maine.

(Photo by Dennis Jensen)

now, this is a fun event), the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department sponsors the Dead Creek Wildlife Day, an event that focuses on the outdoors and the family.

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demonstration at 7 a.m.

I took four of my grandkids to the event some years back and it seemed like the folks running it had something for everyone. The twin boys carved decoys, another child built a bird box and another grandchild got a great lesson in wildlife photography.

The festival is hosted by the Fish & Wildlife Department, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and the Otter Creel Audubon Society.

The event is free.

Check the Fish & Wildlife Web site this month to get the specific date for this year’s Dead Creel Wildlife Day. Here’s hoping that you find this September a bit more interesting.

Dennis Jensen is the outdoor editor for the Rutland Herald and the Barre Montpelier Times Argus in Vermont and a freelance writer

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Page 51

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit

Type III PFDs Confession. Over the years, when on the water, I have not always worn my PFD. With advancing age, though, my Type III inflatable PFD gets worn more often, especially when the light salmon chop is blown into a frothing swell by a storm front, or when I am anchored in my canoe on the Big Eddy just above the lower rips.

If you, like me, spend quite a bit of time on the water, you need to ask yourself. If I fell overboard in this boat, could I get back aboard without help?

Years ago, probably yes; today, probably not. A PFD can spell the difference in a water survival situation.

Yes, conventional life jackets can be cumbersome and uncomfortable.

That’s why I switched to the Type III inflatable vest.

It is relatively comfortable, even when worn under my

cylinder. Yank the lanyard and see what happens.”

I pulled the rip cord.

“Whooooosh!”

Deployed? I’ll say it deployed, red light or not.

You would not believe how rapidly that CO2 charge inflates that vest! You would

“Dad,” my son said, “that jacket is useless. You need to replace the CO2 cylinder. Yank the lanyard and see what happens.” fly fishing vest. So I was examining my Cabela life vest the other day at the lake and wondering: “Even if the indicator light in the inflator housing is still green after all these years, can I trust it?”

Looking closely at the vest, I was surprised to see that the indicator light was indeed red. A first! It had always been green before use after use after use.

“Dad,” my son said, “that jacket is useless. You need to replace the CO2

not want to be eating your tuna fish sandwich, or napping in your boat chair when that baby triggers.

The spent CO2 cartridge unscrews easily out of the inflator housing. A few days later Amazon shipped me a so-called “rearming kit.”

This is when the fun really begins: replacing the CO2 cartridge. You would surmise that it would be simply a case of screwing

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in the new bottle, right? No such luck.

You know that you are in trouble when the rearming kit manual unfolds like the Magna Carta with 10 rearming steps. A feeling of intimidation creeps up the back of your neck. The

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So if I am following the instructions why am I not installing correctly? Who writes these instruction manuals anyway?

No worries. My son, who is a trained aeronautical engineer and an airline pilot, will be able to figure it all out when he returns from one of his trips.

Meantime, I’ll just need to steer clear of fishing the Big Eddy and stay off the lake when the wind swings in from the North.

install instructions are all printed in a font size only Homer Spit likes to familiar to jewelers who engrave watches and such. keep a low profile. He lives I got hung up on Step on a lake in Maine.

One: “Install the new bobbin into the inflator housing with the white side facing up. Align the slots on the bobbin with the ridges inside the housing. The bobbin will slide in easily if installed correctly.”

It will? Sir, the bobbin does not “slide in easily.”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 52

Outdoors In Vermont

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT Vermont has a large bear population that is evident by the number of incidents involving bears breaking into homes, tearing apart garbage cans and destroying bird feeders.

Bear incident reports to the Fish And Wildlife Department have been on the rise for a decade, from 135 reports in 2011 to 650 in 2021. This year, over 700 reports have already been submitted as I write this in mid July.

When most Vermont hunters think of bear they

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think of the big woods of the Northeast Kingdom.

Although much of the state has good bear populations, hunters can’t do better than the large tracks of land in Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties. Most of the vast forests of the Kingdom are open to hunting. Posted signs are definitely uncommon.

The bear population in most of Vermont is high this year thus bear hunters can look forward to a season that should result in a significant number of bears being taken by hunters.

Bear season is September 1 through November 11 when an early season bear tag is required and No-

September Is Bear Season

vember 12-20 statewide that does not require the special tag.

Finding where the bears are feeding is the key to success. Hunters should look for tracks in corn pieces, abandoned apple trees or good crops of beech nuts. It is always advisable to get permission

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into the middle of a corn piece where they will then destroy more corn than they eat, trampling down large swaths of the corn.

Take your time and don’t shoot just any bear.

Hunters are asked to pass up female bears as they are vital to the health of the bear population. If more

migratory game bird hunting season dates and bag limits.

Vermont’s youth waterfowl hunting weekend will be September 24 and 25. Resident and nonresident hunters 17 years of age or younger on those dates may hunt ducks and geese within the Lake Champlain

Finding where the bears are feeding is the key to success.

Hunters should look for tracks in corn pieces, abandoned apple trees or good crops of beech nuts. from the landowner.

I like to contact farmers in the area I intend to hunt to see if they are having bears visiting their corn crops. Evidence of bears in corn is often not visible to the casual observer. A walk around the outside will often show where bears have been entering and leaving.

They seem to prefer to go

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than one bear is present the larger bear is likely a female with her young. It is best to take a lone bear as it is more apt to be a male.

Hunting bears over bait is illegal so don’t get caught carrying bait into the woods or hunting where bait has been placed.

Bear dogs may be used provided the houndsman has a permit from the state. However, it is illegal to hire or barter the use of dogs for bear hunting.

September Hunting Is Not Restricted To Bears A statewide Vermont open hunting season for resident Canada geese will occur September 1-25.

A printable copy of the Migratory Bird Syllabus can be downloaded from the Vermont Fish And Wildlife Department’s website, www.vtfishandwildlife.com, under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.” It lists the

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and Interior Vermont Zones during this weekend while accompanied by an adult 18 or older. In the Connecticut River Zone, youth must be 15 years of age or younger on those dates.

Waterfowl season dates and bag limits are set in three zones: Lake Champlain, Interior Vermont, and Connecticut River. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department sets the season dates and bag limits for the Connecticut River Zone.

Wo o d c o c k h u n t ing season is September 24-November 7 statewide with a three-bird bag limit.

The partridge/ruffed grouse season is September 24-December 31 and snowshoe hare season is September 24- March 12. Gray squirrels may be hunted September 1-December 31.

Fishing Heats Up As The Waters Cool The fish begin to come up from the deep to feed as the waters cool and there is far less boating traffic after Labor Day as the water skiers and jet skis have mostly moved on.

We are lucky that the Fish and Wildlife Department maintains 196 (Season cont. pg 53)

September 2022

Bear

(Cont. from pg 46) hunting but rather I was working and trying to get to my fruit-fly traps. I stalked them for practice and to try my luck at getting pictures with my phone. I found when the wind is in my face and the black bears head is down in the blueberry bushes I can sneak in very close. I had to freeze every time their head came up and they never did see me – so I thought. I got within bow range of both black bears. Once they figured me out neither of them stuck around very long.

One of the black bears took off so fast and made such a racket that you would think it had seen a ghost. Hunting these elusive critters

Season

(Cont. from pg 52) developed fishing access areas on lakes and rivers throughout the state, making access easy for the public.

Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game. He has been a magazine freelancer and syndicated newspaper columnist for 45 years. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2022 Gary W. Moore

Send your letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield ME 04493

has been one of my most pleasurable hobbies.

Justin has his Wildlife Biology Degree from Unity College and is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the author of “Wild Maine Outdoors” and “The Sit Spot” and can be contacted through his website: WildMaineOutdoors.Com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Bay

(Cont. from pg 49) the line, literally. Under federal law, it is illegal to fish for, take, or possess striped bass in federal waters (waters greater than 3 miles from shore).

Perhaps the answer is trolling deep diving plugs, similar to how one would fish for bluefish. Or maybe

drifting bait above the bottom, or vertical jigging.

How might one fish the ledges for stripers, but avoid the abundant codfish? This will be something to muse over when the snow flies and thoughts gravitate towards those warm summer days.

Jonah Paris teaches

Page 53 English at a small high school in Southwestern Maine. During the summer, Jonah is first mate aboard the Teazer in South Portland, Maine. A four-season outdoorsman, Jonah lives in Gorham, ME with his fiancée, Ashley, and beagle, Aurora. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 54

Green Mountain Bears Abound

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT It’s a funny thing that begins to happen with age.

We begin to relate to the seasons more intimately.

Like, why do they call it “fall?” Perhaps because as we age this happens more frequently? It truly is a season of brilliance and brings us the first fresh breath of air circulating down from

September 2022

I sit at the base of the old white oak on a hummock of musty soil, my eyes are searching the canopy above for any movement, The sound of a bushytail shaking the tendrils of a branch to send these tiny morsels of protein and fat to the ground in a miniscule thump. Through the filtered

lin .22 and peer through department’s educational the Simmons 4x scope. I programs. The three perpoint it at the trunk of the tree just below where the rustling originated. Moments later, he appears, headfirst, looking down at the ground. He seems to be squinting his eyes to locate the nutritious nuts. My crosshairs find his round head. Before I can take another breath, the rimfire

in the lottery process will receive a winner’s packet

Vermont has one of the densest black bear populations in the country, approximately one bear for every three-square miles, most commonly found in the Green Mountains and Northeast Kingdom. the north. You can smell the fragrant nuts of the mast trees that have fallen to the forest floor. When the hickory nuts begin to decay after a chilly rain, or the fermenting acorns cause us to dream of our primitive past, when we, as a tribe, would gather them to make flour. Even the still-green leaves are clinging to their capillaries on the tiny twigs that sustain them with the strength to weather another storm. As

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pillars of sunlight in the verdant umbrella above my seat, I catch a flash of gray. Moments later I see him jump from an oak just twenty feet away and grab a hold of a beech tree’s powerful limb. I can’t quite get him in my sights, but I see his next jump to a red oak off my left flank.

Another branch begins to vibrate from side to side and two voluptuous acorns fall in unison. Plop. Plop. I raise my old Glenfield Mar-

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cracks and the quiet “pop” proceeds a heavy “thump” of the gray on the moist soil, covered with moss. A gentle and kind landing for the beautiful squirrel to lay to rest. I close my eyes for a moment and say “thank you” in a whisper. A gentle northwest breeze whispers through the trees, “You’re Welcome.”

If you weren’t quite as lucky as Nicha McCuin from Pittsford and didn’t win a moose permit, you still have a chance for a permit through the Moose Permit Auction. Three moose hunting permits will be auctioned to support the

mits are valid for hunting in Wildlife Management Unit E in the northeast corner of the state during the October 1-7 archery season, or in the October 15-20 regular season. A minimum bid of $1,500 is required. Deadline to apply is August 10.

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in the mail within a few days of the lottery. The winner packet will contain time sensitive information that must be returned to our office by the deadline date. If you do not return the winner’s packet in time, you will forfeit your winning moose lottery permit.

Congratulations Nicha!

And with the genes that run in your family, I’d say you stand a particularly good chance at scoring a nice animal! Good Luck!

Vermont’s most reclusive big-game animal is remarkably abundant.

Black bears inhabit most of the state, other than the Champlain Islands. Vermont has one of the densest black bear populations in the country, approximately one bear for every three(Abound cont. pg 63)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Big New Hampshire Fish

There’s always some issue about what the best month of the year is. For some it was when you got married or when the first child was born or…on an on. Ok, I’ll grant you your

year.

The 2021 statewide bear harvest totaled 892 bears, the fourth highest harvest in New Hampshire history. The official deer harvest of New Hamp-

of Lake Winnipesaukee and includes the towns of Sanbornton and Gilford, running south to Strafford and as far east as Milton, on the Maine border.

With respect to salm-

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H.

pound, 10.4 ounce laker taken out of Big Diamond Pond in Stewartstown.

While no record was broWhile no record was broken last year, Lake Winnipesaukee ken last year, Lake Winnipesaukee gave up a fifteen gave up a fifteen pound lake trout and Newfound Lake registered an almost thirteen pound laker for an angler in the pound lake trout and Newfound Lake registered an Fish and Game Department’s Trophy Fish program. almost thirteen pound laker choice of month based shire’s 2021 hunting season on and lake trout, there for an angler in the Fish on personal reasons. But was 12,551. That number were no state records bro- and Game Department’s let me suggest one based is a decrease of 4% from ken last year. But it was Trophy Fish program. Winpurely on outdoor rea- 2020’s final harvest of only two years ago when nipesaukee also showed up sons…and that would be 13,043 deer, but it also rep- the state record for lake on the Trophy Fish list for a - September. For more than resents the third-greatest trout was broken with a 37 couple of salmon weighing just one reason. As a matter harvest in the past 10 years. of fact, I’ll give you four The fall 2021 turkey of them. September marks season showed a total of the opening of the annual 584 turkeys registered black bear season in the 232 of which were harveststate. The archery seasons ed during the fall archery for deer and Fall turkey turkey season, while 352 begin in September. And, were taken during the fall on the water, September is shotgun turkey season in the final month for land- October in certain Wildlife locked salmon and lake Management Units. The trout fishing. Now there’s numbers are very close to four-of-a-kind that will 2020, when 538 birds were beat any full house. harvested during the entire Now, before we look fall season. The highest ahead to what’s in store for success for fall turkey seaus, let’s take a quick look sons was found in WMUback at what happened last J2 which is located south

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Page 55

in at five and a half pounds and another just over seven pounds. I also heard of a six plus pounder that was taken and released in Lake Sunapee. So, they’re out there.

And, on Sunapee anyway, try Moosilauke Wobblers or Sutton Spoons in pink and copper colors. Not one lure with pink and copper on it but rather individual lures of pink and copper color is what had been (Fish cont. pg 64)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

THE BACK SHELF

From the files of the Northwoods Sporting Journal The best hunting and fishing columns going back 25 years!

By their very nature backshelf articles, resurrected from our archives, may contain information or facts that have been altered or changed by the passage of time.

By V. Paul Reynolds Sooner or later, most career game wardens place themselves in harm’s way in the line of duty. The same can be said for game warden pilots who often are called upon to assist, from the air, in coordinated ground searches for missing persons. More often

On December 4 Game Warden Pilot Dan Dufault found himself in exactly those kind of conditions.

It was windy and snowing that morning when the parents of 11 year- old Dylan Butler and 3 yearold Madison Richardson reported the kids missing.

The missing youngsters

September 2022

Maine Warden Pilots

they were reported missing.They were eventually rescued and hospitalized with hypothermia.

Dufault didn’t have to fly. Conditions were almost impossible with poor visibility and a low overcast. In cases like this, it is the warden pilot’s call. He knows the risks and nobody, including his bosses, ever second guesses a warden pilot’s decision to stay on the ground in weather that can kill the most skilled bush flyer. In all probablity, Dufault’s willingness to

time was of the essence.

Without question, in the eyes of these kids and their parents, Dan Dufault is a very special guy. They will not soon forget him and his courage and airmanship. Dufault is one of

Two Game Warden Pilots died in the line of duty. In 1956, warden Pilot George Townsend was killed in a plane crash at Maranacook Lake. Later, in 1972 at the same lake, warden Pilot Dick Varney

a long line of Maine Game Warden Pilots who have served Maine citizens with courage, dedication and uncommon airmanship.

drowned when his helicopter crashed into the lake.

Former Chief Warden Pilot Jack McPhee was killed (Pilot cont. pg 59)

He knows the risks and nobody, including his bosses, ever second guesses a warden pilot’s decision to stay on the ground in weather that can kill the most skilled bush flyer. than not the weather is nasty, and warden pilots find themselves up there under the “scud” in what flyers sometimes call “high pucker” conditions.

were eventually spotted by pilot Dufault from the air.

Amid the swirling snow squall, the kids were seen floating down the Kennebec River five hours after

take the calculated risk and search for the kids, while flying his Cessna under the scud at treetop level, is the reason they are alive today.

With falling temperatures,

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Page 57

Thank you, Adam

Little did I realize what lay ahead of me, when my son, Bobby, called and said: Dad, you’re going fishing, and I won’t take a “no” for an answer! We found a gold mine!!!”

wouldn’t believe it. Maybe twenty minutes from my camp,” Bobby replied.

THE TRIP Well, the day was set, and off we were, to meet at the pre-arranged place, on

about that as you read on…

Twenty minutes from camp, eh? That turned out to be---a bit longer, you might say, considering a half-hour of tarred road, then eight-to-ten miles of dirt woods roads, which dwindled into a tote road, then a wood’s road? Where angels fear to tread, you might say? Surely not without a four-wheeler, but

“Just Fishing”

by Bob Leeman, Bangor, ME with a mountain-fed highflowing spring splashing in from the far side. As the old saying goes— “a spot where dreams are made of”. (What a spot for a camp!)

And now we get to my

derfoot. “Deep?” you say.

Well, deep enough, but not dangerously so.

Then on arrival to the far side, on an outcropping gravel bar, he produced four comfortable deck chairs to sit on

As the first fluttering flycast touched the water, it was almost instantly gobbled by a feeding brook trout! The little nine incher bowed my light-weight, seven-footer almost in half.

The author fishing the easy way.

Well, after listening that Thursday. When this to his fishing story, and tractor-sized, four-wheeled painting a picture of unbe- plow truck pulled up, with lievable success, how could Bobby in the front seat, and I refuse, as the old saying an eighteen-foot canoe on a goes? (see photo) trailer, stuck out the back, “Meet me at the usual I knew it had to be them. place, and we’ll be off to Intros over, my stuff the “secret” waterflow. tossed into the back---fly Don’t forget your waders, vest, fly rod, waders, hat, and we will have a short ca- fly dope, etc.---and we noe ride”, Bobby advised. were off.

“How far is this secret Adam, our driver and location?” I asked. guide, turned out to be a “ O h , h e c k ! Yo u peach of a guy---but more

an over-sized TANK! And then some! Bumpy? Yep. Slowing up over slou-holes and jutting rocks? Yep! Not your favorite vehicle to use, if you didn’t mind a little scratch here and there.

Yikes!

Well, well---we arrived! And not ten feet from the “launching site”.

Wow! This has got to be what is called arriving at the “boonies”!

The water looked beautiful! Just beckoning for a canoe and fly pole!

And, we were equipped!

Well equipped, need I say.

Now comes the longanticipated part. It sure appears fishy enough. Clear rippling, flowing water,

new acquaintance, Adam!

This fella came prepared!

And I mean ready for fishing and fishermen. I told him later, “Adam, you would have made a great Maine Guide.” He replied, “I do too much fishing!”

Then he loaded Bobby and me into his canoe and slowly dragged we occupants across the river flow---so we wouldn’t fall on those slippery rocks un-

while flyfishing for rising brook trout. Talk about LUXURY? I took the point, sat down, and rigged up, as nervous fingers knotted on a #18 dryfly---as brookies rose in dimpled clusters all around me and not more than five feet from where I sat.

As the first fluttering flycast touched the water, (Adam cont. pg 65)

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Page 58

The Singing Maine Guide

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME In the run of guided fishing days throughout the season, it was a day not unlike most. There was a southwest blow going on, but nothing dramatic. The drama in store for later that day would shatter any such notion of businessas-usual.

The fishing was good, but it almost always is in this remote section of the west branch of the St. Croix drainage system. Some of it, of course, is impounded water dating to the construction of Grand Falls Dam in 1914. This habitat reminds our southern sports of man-made fisheries back home in Arkansas, or Texas, or Oklahoma. But the streams that flow into Grand Falls Flowage were there all along, way before the impoundment for hydro power that drove the natives out of the bottom lands that have been under water ever since.

The guide and his two sports were happy to take a lunch break at the guide’s camp at the mouth of one of these streams.

The view is breathtaking.

The cooling breeze up on

The Phoenix

midday fish were awake, things took off. They’d fished deep into a cove getting strikes and clicking pictures when they decided to come back out into the main river. When they did, the guide looked upstream toward his camp because this view always warmed his heart. This

September 2022

rubble. Pictures, artifacts, tackle, and memories all in ashes.

Devastation and loss have been going on almost routinely around the country due to climate change and with it, drought. Just

had been to this protected haven deep within Reservation land. So many had a large cache of cherished memories from this same spot that a call for help rose among them, a loud call that was met with a

think Kentucky, California, or Texas. But this time, it may have been something as simple as one live ember picked up by a wind gust and blown up under the camp where there were dry pine needles.

It is said that sometimes a phoenix rises from the ashes of loss and devastation. The wind blew the hard news to other guides and other sports around the country, people who

loud response. People dug down deep where those memories were stored and came up with cash. Some remembered the generosity of the Native guide and his openness to welcoming sports to his happy place.

Through the wonders of social media, they now had a vehicle through which they could express that emotion.

Today, Amish enterprises around Maine of(Phoenix cont. pg 65)

When they did, the guide looked upstream toward his camp because this view always warmed his heart. This time, it nearly stopped it instead. the knoll where the camp was perched is always welcome. The morning’s profit of largemouth bass, white perch, and pickerel was cleaned and prepared for frying. Lunch was leisurely, long, and lingering as the sports reminisced over the many years they’d been coming to this same oasis in an unspoiled wilderness.

Cleanup was like clockwork, everybody pitching in until the cook fire was doused and the canoe loaded for afternoon action. Once those drowsy,

time, it nearly stopped it instead.

The camp, from bottom to top, was fully engulfed in flames that reached beyond the roof to the spruce and pine treetops. Drifting, in full, paralyzing view of the blaze, all three were horror-stricken.

The call that went out to 911 felt as futile as any attempt to reverse the inferno on their own. It would take crews over an hour-and-ahalf to get to the remote location over rough woods roads. When they did, all was lost including an acre or so of conifer forest. The camp was a smoking pile of

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

September 2022

Pilots (Cont. from pg 56) last year when his personal Super Cub crashed up north.

Maine’s first Game Warden Pilot was Bill Turgeon. In 1937, Warden Turgeon flew an airplane belonging to the then Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Stobie. The airplane was a Gull-Wing Stinson.

There have been about 20 game warden pilots during the nearly 70 years that the Maine Warden Service has had flying game wardens.

The names that I have found are: Bill Turgeon, Bob Bacon, George Later, Gary Dumond, Malcom Maheu, Andy Stinson, Dick Varney, George Townsend, Eben Perry, Jack McPhee, Dana Toothaker, Gary Dumond, Jim Welsh, Alan Ryder, Roger Wolverton, Jason Bouchard, Charlie Later, Dan DuFault and Durwood Humphrey.

There was a warden pilot nicknamed “Windy,” and there may be a few that I

Have A Safe & Happy Labor Day!

have missed.

During my stint at MDIF&W, I flew with a couple of warden pilots.

Spending time with Dana Toothaker, who was Chief Warden Pilot for a number of years, I picked up stories. Toothaker chalked up 19,000 hours during his 26 years in the air with the Maine Warden Service.

He also flew choppers in combat in Vietnam and Desert Storm. Toothaker, who is 64 today and operates a landscaping business in Phillips, winters with his wife in Punta Gorda, Florida where his fishes away the hours.

Toothaker: “ It was my first year as a warden pilot. While flying patrol in the Super Cub, I spotted dogs chasing deer not far from Benton. A state trooper I knew had a home nearby with a short field. In trying to land on the snowcrusted surface of his field on skiis, I misjudged the distance and hit a telephone pole damaging the plane badly.”

“Did the boss give

you hell?” I queried.

‘Well, he came up to the accident scene. He looked at me funny. All he said was, ‘ A little small, Dana.’ “ One winter, Warden Pilot Malcom “Mac” Maheu, who was a bomber pilot in WWII, crashed his warden plane through the ice at a remote lake where there was a warden cabin.

Maheu got himself out of the plane and the icy water and to the cabin. Shivering with hypothermia, he could find no wood or kindling in the cabin. The story has it that Maheu went back to his plane, got under the icy water and retrieved his ax from the cockpit so he could start a warming fire in the cabin. The pilot was eventually rescued. From that day on, the order come down from on high. No warden cabins will ever be left by any occupants without leaving a prepared fire in the stove ready to be lit.

As far as we know, nobody is keeping track of just how many lives have been saved over the years

Page 59

as a direct or indirect effort of Maine’s Game Warden Pilots. My guess is that the figure is substantial. Of course, modern airplanes are expensive to buy and expensive to keep in the air.

When there are are budget shortfalls in Augusta, the number crunchers begin looking at possible cutbacks in warden airplanes and pilots.

Maybe this can’t be helped. But if you were the parent of a missing child, the wife of a lost hunter, or the son of an elderly person who walked off into the woods, there would be comfort in knowing that the Warden Service Rescue Unit is using every tool

at its disposal- including Game Warden Pilots.

Like Warden Pilot Dan Dufault, and those skilled bush flyers before him, flying game wardens are a special breed.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine NewsTalk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@ sportingjournal.com

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Page 60

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME Seated on a log beside my favorite stream, cushioned by moss that has crept across the bark, I wonder why it is that I tend to gravitate toward these little ribbons of water.

Although the sun shines brightly on this afternoon in late September, it’s lost most of its heat. The leaves

of the deep forest to larger rivers that are more readily accessible.

A number of years back, Trish and I spent two weeks along the western coast of Ireland. Our daughter had spent a semester at the Burren College of Art in County Clare, and we’d traveled there to fetch her

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Bend in the River

rick’s Day. Now, I must be getting old because back home there wasn’t a single person in my office who’d heard of The Quiet Man. “John Wayne? Wasn’t he that guy who played a cowboy?” my secretary replied when asked if she knew of the movie.

On that day, the wind had picked up by the time we took the turn at a wooden sign with the words QUIET MAN BRIDGE painted on it. Above the

After tramping through tall reeds, I stood where more than sixty years ago Barry Fitzgerald carried John Wayne to his ancestral home on the back of a one-horse cart. I was about to cast a tiny pheasant-tail nymph into the current, when an old man humped over the muddy lane that led down from his white-washed farmhouse. are turning the distant hills into an autumn palette. The brook trout that I’ve been teasing with a wet fly over the last few hours are also decked out in their autumnal attire: flaming bellies of golden orange, dark backs, and those red-in-blue dots along their flanks—the reason old-timers call them speckled trout. These are small fish, the largest fitting snugly in my palm. Like me, they prefer the solitude

home. The plan had been to tour the countryside. While the ladies snapped pictures of an Abbey built for the Augustinians in 1120, l unpacked my fly rod.

Located in County Mayo, the village of Cong is where The Quiet Man was filmed. For many of us who grew up in the States during the 1950s, this movie, starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, remains synonymous with St. Pat-

Greenville

September 2022

little stone structure’s was a slow-moving stream surrounded by a wild marsh of grassy hummocks. Below, the current quickened as it flowed through the bridge’s stone arches.

After tramping through tall reeds, I stood where more than sixty years ago Barry Fitzgerald carried John Wayne to his ancestral home on the back of a one-horse cart. I was about to cast a tiny pheasant-tail nymph into the current, when an old man humped over the muddy lane that led down from his white-washed farmhouse. His threadbare coat was buttoned to his chin, his hands sunk deep in its pockets. Wisps of

white hair danced around the wide-brimmed hat he wore low on his brow while a cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth. By his side, a dog of unknown origin snarled until the old man kicked him with a rubber boot.

“Tell me boyo, what

flowed under the shadows cast by the “Twelve Bens,” a series of mountains in Connemara that Oscar Wilde described as “a savage beauty.” I did so, not so much to catch fish, but to stand near the places where they were found.

The Quiet Man Bridge in Cong, Ireland.

(Photo by Bob Romano)

might you be doin’?” He spoke without removing the cigarette from between his lips.

“I was hoping to catch one of your Irish browns to write home about,” I replied.

“A Yank, are ya then?” he croaked.

“Meant no harm.” I gave him my best smile.

“Guess I’ll leave you to it,” he replied. Turning his back, he called to the dog that had continued to stare with bad intention.

I spent my final few nights listening to “trad” music in the pubs we found along the road and my days searching out streams that

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Perhaps John D. Voelker said it best in his short piece, Testament of a Fisherman: “I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly…”

Voelker lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a part of the country where the rivers and rills are as wild as those found along the western coast of Ireland and as untamed as any flowing out of the mountains that separate Maine from its northern neighbor.

If you don’t remember The Quiet Man, you probably won’t recall Anatomy of a Murder. Based upon the novel written by Voelker, this intense movie, starring Jimmy Stewart as a mild-mannered, fly-fishing, defense attorney, was also filmed in the 1950s. The (River cont. pg 67)

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Page 62

On June 26th, 2022, Maine lost one of its very best fly tiers and I lost a great friend.

I first met Gordon “Ty” Coates during the spring of 2010. I was a junior at Fort Kent Community High School and was crazy about two things.

Warden’s Words

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME Cony High School where he dominated on the pitcher’s mound. Being only 5’7, Ty lacked in overall size but made up for it with heart, determination and an unhittable curveball.

Ty often reminisced about his playing days, sharing stories of his coach, John

Ty however had different plans, his passion for fishing and tying flies brought him to work for over 14 years for L.L. Bean tying some of the finest handmade flies I have ever seen.

Baseball and brook trout.

Ty had been brought in as an assistant coach for the baseball team and began sharing stories with the team about his legendary curveball from his Cony High School days, along with his other lifelong passion, big Maine brook trout and the flies used to catch them. This chance encounter led to a lifelong friendship between Ty and me.

Ty grew up in the Augusta area and attended

Coughlin and players on his team. Ty had a memory like no one I have ever met, often recounting exact moments in games between Cony and Bangor where he faced adversity, or rattling off statistics from the 1970’s for his favorite players like Tom Seaver or Carl Yastrzemski. Ty knew baseball inside and out and loved to share the game with young people.

After graduating high school, Ty received many

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September 2022

Ty Coates: The Man and His Mark

offers to play baseball, including offers to attend the University of Maine at Orono and play for Coach Winkin, along with an offer from the Atlanta Braves to play minor league baseball.

Ty however had different plans, his passion for fishing and tying flies brought him to work for over 14 years for L.L. Bean tying some of the finest handmade flies I have ever seen.

Ty spent the next 40 years of his life perfecting the art of fly tying and sold his flies all across the world.

Ty ’s p a s s i o n f o r Maine brook trout brought him to the North Maine Woods in the 1980’s and eventually he settled in the Fort Kent area where he and his companion Nilda settled around 2008. Our friendship began in 2010 and lasted until he passed away this summer at the age of 64.

Ty was definitely my biggest fan. From the first time I met Ty, to the last time we talked, Ty always told me two things, how proud he was that I became a Maine Game Warden and always to stop by to get

Ty Coates more Hornbergs. Ty en- “too pretty to catch fish”. couraged me after I gradu- But catch fish they did. All ated high school to follow of my biggest trout have my dream of being a Game been caught on Ty’s patWarden. In fact, Ty drove terns. Ty was a master of down with me on the after- tying dry flies, with clean noon I took my Colonel’s and neatly spun hair and interview and received a immaculate wings. His phone call later on the ride streamer flies were of maghome that I had been hired. azine quality and highly Ty cried the whole way sought after by anglers home and kept patting me from Fort Kent to Kittery. on the back, telling me how Ty was an encyclopedia proud and lucky he was to on the history of Maine fly have been a part of that day. patterns and was actively Ty was a perfectionist working on a book that when it came to tying flies. catalogued the history of I always marveled at the these patterns and the fly finished product, which I tiers who created them.

(Ty cont. pg 63) often joked with him was

September 2022

Dams

(Cont. from pg 48) are no big river systems.

He said Maine has everything, from high elevations down to the salt water, with moderate to cold climate that has served

Ty (Cont. from pg 62) Ty was also well known around the State for his original streamer pattern he called the “Castle Island King”.

Warden Nick Raymond and I would often call Ty up, day or night, and tell him about the emerging insects we saw that night on our favorite fishing spots. The next day Ty would call us back and have flies ready for us to use that night. He loved Maine Game Wardens, and even created a fly pattern he called the “Maine Game Warden” which is proudly displayed today in the Warden Service room at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.

I will cherish the many memories of fishing with Ty, talking to him for hours on the phone and visiting with him to watch him spin hair and feathers into beautiful works of art.

It was a pleasure to know someone as unique and passionate about flies, fish and baseball and I will always cherish the friendship I had with Ty. Kale O’Leary is a Maine Game Warden and has been serving since 2016. He covers the Masardis/Oxbow district in central Aroostook County and can be reached via email at kale.oleary@maine.gov

the native, wild fish well. In 2016, he called one of the biggest challenges today the spread of non-native fish throughout the state.

Resource managers say the same today. He believed the role of resource management is to hold waters to the highest standards and to guard the natural reproduction of wild, native fish.

It is a very complicated business. Restoring sea-run fishes is a multimillion dollar, 200-year old year problem that, if policy-makers allow, risks ruining Maine’s thriving inland fisheries.

Just as the collapse of many sea fish comes with its own set of environmental, economic, systemic and social problems, so it would be for the inland future. As policies are set that necessarily involve both sea and fresh water resource leaders, it makes sense to see that, first, no harm comes to northern Maine’s prized fish, before they go the way of points south and be irretrievably lost. In this century, sometimes dams work for fish

Northwoods Sporting Journal instead of against them.

Suzanne AuClair lives in Rockwood. She has been writing about the Moosehead Lake Region for 27 years. She is an award winning member of the New England Outdoor Writers Assn. and produced Maine’s first anthology “The Origin, Formation & History of Maine’s Inland Fisheries Division.”

Abound (Cont. from pg 54) square miles, most commonly found in the Green Mountains and Northeast Kingdom. Vermont has two seasons for bruins.

The first season is from September 1-November 1, the day before the regular deer season. This early season requires a special “early bear season” tag.

The second season begins the first day of the regular deer season, November 12, and runs for nine days through November 20. The limit for all seasons is just one bear per calendar year.

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Page 63

This is a Bezoar or Mad Stone from a whitetail deer's rumen. The deer was found dead and this item was discovered in its stomach. It is a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, especially ruminants. (Submitted by Tim Flanigan from Bedford, PA) Baiting is prohibited in Vermont, however hounds are allowed, provided the person in charge of the dogs has a bear-dog permit and no more than six dogs are used. Also, there can be no commercial guiding.

Successful bear hunting usually means successfully finding concentrated natural food sources in or near prime bear habitat. Early in the season, preferred foods include late-ripening berries, black cherries, and standing corn. As the season progresses, wild apples, beechnuts, and acorns become more important.

Stalking bears in a stand of nut-rich beech trees half-way up a mountain on a crisp October afternoon is one of hunting’s most exciting challenges. The reward in terms of harvested meat is also great. When properly prepared, bear meat compares favorably to pork.

Bradley Carleton is the founder and Executive Director of www.sacredhunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting and fishing.

Page 64

Fish

Mystique

(Cont. from pg 55) working.

And, I know for a fact that there are some lunker brown trout hanging out the Connecticut River in Pittsburg that will tip the scales at between eight to ten pounds. That won’t break the standing state record but you’ll sure have bragging rights for many years to come!

If you want to hone in a little closer on where those browns might be holding and what imitation you could tempt them with, call NH Fishing Guide, Al Karg, at Soft Hackle Guide Service (603-538-9558).

He loves to talk fishing… umm, when he’s not out fishing!

Bear hunting, deer hunting, turkey hunting or salmon fishing. There’s not a bad choice among them.

It’s September in New Hampshire, so do all four!

(Cont. from pg 32) the first time we met back in the woods. It was 1989 and there has been a lot of water over both our dams since then, and it shows in number of gray hairs!

I told him that I had just written a little tribute to his father Larry and had the last film footage of him before he passed. That will be coming soon on our Big Woods Bucks website and YouTube channel.

Enjoy September and all the changes that it brings to the woods.

Until next month, Good luck on the trail!

Peter St. James is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, Outdoor Writers Association of America, a licensed NH Fishing Guide, Director of the NH Wildlife Federation and has a radio show on WNTK-99.7FM. Reach him at : stjames. peter@gmail.com

(Cont. from pg 29)

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

News times, in too many waters, an illegal introduction has complicated the fishery.

Brann’s Mill Pond had a limited number of smallmouth bass because smallmouths prefer a rocky, gravelly substrate to spawn.

Brann’s Mill Pond doesn’t

Northwoods Sporting Journal have a lot of this type of substrate. Most of the pond has a very soft bottom.

So, the modest population of smallmouth bass grew very well and created a high-quality fishery.

The illegal introduction of largemouth bass in the mid-1990s changed all that.

Largemouth bass are able to spawn in areas that are muddy and soft, as well as harder substrates. They quickly outnumbered the smallmouth bass and became very abundant. The pond is now full of 8 to 13-inch largemouth bass.

Our last sampling occurred in 2017 and we handled 69 largemouth bass and zero smallmouth bass. Only one largemouth bass exceeded 16 inches. Clearly the slot limit is now ineffective, and we are proposing to remove it and return to General Law regulations for bass. We initiated a splake stocking program on Piper Pond in 1988. It was very successful. Over the next few years, we documented winter angling use increase from just a handful of days to over 400 in January alone. At that time, we were seeing many splake in the 14 to 18-inch range during our winter surveys. However, the increasing use combined with a 5-fish limit resulted

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September 2022

in the removal of these bigger fish as well as most of the newly stocked splake.

We implemented a 2-line limit and the S-16 regulation to slow the harvest.

It worked fine for many years while the angling use remained at this level, but now we are seeing a decline in use at Piper Pond as well as many other waters across the region and State.

Our more recent surveys show that angling use has dropped back to levels that no longer require the more restrictive regulations. Therefore, we are proposing to eliminate the two-line limit in the winter.

We are also proposing to change the S-16 regulation (Daily bag limit on brook trout (includes splake and Arctic charr): 2 fish; minimum length limit: 12 inches, only 1 may exceed 14 inches) to an S-19 regulation (Daily limit on brook trout (includes splake and Arctic charr): 2 fish). This will apply to both the summer and winter seasons. Brown Pond is a small, shallow native brook trout pond just east of Greenville. The lake survey indicates there is 8 feet of water in the pond, but from my experience

most of the pond is 4-6 feet deep. We’ve trapnetted the pond many times over the past 30 years to evaluate the population and regulations. It is one of our better brook trout waters in the Greenville area. In most years, we estimated the trout population to be in the 400-600 fish range.

However, in 2021, our estimate was just 30 fish!

We’ve seen this occur in other small, shallow ponds in the past.

Most recently, we documented this situation at Little Rocky Pd in TA R11. In that case, we applied a catch and release regulation for a few years to allow the population to rebound. It did just that, and we have since been able to change the regulation back.

We are proposing the same strategy at Brown Pond.

We hope the trout population will return to a more normal level in just a few years. Please visit: https:// www.maine.gov/ifw/newsevents/rulemaking-proposals.html for info on submitting comments and on other fishing regulation changes proposed around the State Submitted by: Tim Obrey, Regional Fisheries Biologist

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Phoenix

(Cont. from pg 58) fer quality products from crafts, to metal roofing, to whole camps. The workmanship is enviable and so is the attention to detail. The money raised would easily cover the cost of an Amish-made camp that would fit the footprint where the previous one had stood for 60 years. The Native guide and his wife and family went into action.

Trees were felled, heavy equipment was brought in for cleanup and site work, volunteers showed up, and as the date neared for delivery of the new camp, road work had to be done to accommodate the trailer.

One year later, guides and sports numbering close to 30 brought in the morning’s profit of fresh fish for their first shore lunch at the new, freshly stained and painted camp. The view was still spectacular, the lunch, long and lingering.

The emotions ran high. The

Northwoods Sporting Journal

day was a testament to what can happen when people who have been touched by a generous spirit decide to pool resources and respond in kind. The place has a new life, and now, many of us have a renewed faith in our fellow man.

Later that day, a huge bird with a wide wingspan swooped once over the site, cocking its head this way and that, as if in approval.

The last time it had been there, the place was only ashes.

Randy Spencer is a working guide and author.

Reach him at randy31@ earthlink.net or via www. randyspencer.com

Adam (Cont. from pg 57) it was almost instantly gobbled by a feeding brook trout! The little nine incher bowed my light-weight, seven-footer almost in half.

But in short, the shimmering beauty was admired and released.

Over a stretch of a few too-short hours, we three managed a number of brookies from that location, until the sun cast its shadows, and finally departed.

No, we didn’t land really big trout, but can you imagine this writer sitting in a chair on a gravel bar, beside a flowing waterflow, and matching the hatch, and catching a few, what I would call “nice ones”, even though the guide and Bobby had landed a limit of up to 15-inch trout at this very spot only days before?

Nonetheless, despite their promises of BIG FISH, I was more than satisfied with hooking and releasing seven-to-ten inch brookies, all afternoon and well into the evening.

From my experience---who wouldn’t be?

It seems “the boys” had really “hit em” you might say, a few days earlier, right after a steady rainfall had risen and cooled the river flow, and motivated the lunkers from their lairs into a feeding frenzy.

But on our arrival, only a few days later, the water had warmed somewhat, and the level had dropped at least a foot or more!

Nevertheless, you won’t hear a complaint from this corner, as this writer will not forget another day astream catching fish---period. Thank you, Adam!

Who is this “Adam” guy, you say? Adam is a middle-aged retired chef, a dogged fisherman and outdoorsman, and apparently a great all-around guy---and what a nice friend to have.

Page 65

He certainly impressed me.

Bob Leeman is a Master Maine Guide, outdoor writer, naturalist, book author, and a co-host of MAINE OUTDOORS radio program on Sunday evenings from 7-8 p.m. His three books, “Fly Fishing Maine Rivers, Brooks, and Streams”, “Trolling Flies for Trout and Salmon”, and “Salesman Angler”---are all available, in soft cover only, at several bookstores and fly shops, or directly from him. For information, see ad in this publication or call 207-573-1468.

Northwoods Sporting Journal Offers A FREE DIGITAL COPY to All Active Duty Military Personnel Worldwide!

IVE ACT O T Y E FRE ILITAR M

In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free.

And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

As a way of saying thank you, we make the digital versions of the Northwoods Sporting Journal past and current - available online to service people around the world. If you have a loved one or friend now serving on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, or anywhere else, please let them know that they have free access to our digital magazines at: www.sportingjournal.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 66

Marsh Island Chronicles

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME At first glance, September doesn’t hold much for the sportsman. This isn’t at all true, of course.

As the nights cool, trout and salmon fishing pick up steam, especially in the mornings. A surface plug can still entice a ferocious response from a bass. For bear hunters, September is the wheelhouse time. Fall turkey season begins in September. Depending on your passion, September has it all.

As a young outdoorsman, September was the time I took to get my trapping gear ready. My parents were working artists; my mother rendered many stained-glass windows for a number of churches in Maine, and my father was a sculptor who executed any number of commissions, and many of those were also commissioned by

church patrons. Their work required a large, well-lit studio, which they constructed in the upper lofts of an old dairy and horse barn on the farm I grew up in near Bar Harbor. The studio was heated with a

The Perfect Month

season he would outfit me with some traps of my own.

I wound up with about a dozen and a half Victor size 1 ½ footholds for fox and raccoon, complete with chains and drags.

A critical part of my training was to understand the uses and limitations of different traps, and why Skip would use one trap in a given setup and a differ-

decision to give it up. The traps were invariably in bad shape, with at least a couple rusted almost shut.

Thanks to Skip’s tutelage, I was able to restore them to top working condition in short order.

I first would start a fire in the stove and fill a large aluminum utility pot about two-thirds full with water. After adding the

Now, as I prep duck decoys, blinds, and fall fishing gear, I remember those cool September evenings and the hours of deliberate work that went into the run-up to trapping season. sheet-metal wood stove, and in that studio, I would prepare my trapping gear.

My mentor in the craft, Skip Leach, lived nearby, and as part of my apprenticeship, we had a deal; he would show me the ropes of dry land trapping for fox and raccoon, and I would manage the trap line on our farm. He would keep any pelts we harvested and the proceeds from their sale, and in addition to my trapping lessons, at the end of that first

September 2022

ent one for the same target furbearer in a different situation. It was also important for me to learn how to acquire and prepare my own traps, baits, and how to skin, flesh and dry my own furs. It was exhilarating work, and the more I had to do, the better I liked it.

Over a short period of time, I acquired additional traps and chain, often from some other young fellow who hadn’t enjoyed the same level of instruction I had and had made the

prescribed amount of logwood trap dye, I would put in a few cleaned-up traps and chains, complete with drags, fully submerged and let them simmer for thirty minutes to an hour.

Then I’d sit, turn on the radio to the country station WBGW, where disc jockeys Larry Mack and The Nighthawk would keep me company as I would do homework and turn the traps every now and then.

With my small compliment of traps, preparing them

really didn’t need to take as long as I devoted to it, but something about the process just gave me great satisfaction.

After a weekend or two of that, I would reverently hang my gear in a dense spruce tree to let the scent from my handling them work off as I prepared the rest of my gear for the season. When trapping season would start, my hard work in September paid fast dividends.

Someday I’ll replace all that gear, inadvertently lost during the time that the farm was sold and the family was setting up somewhere new. My parents moved to Maine with their lives in the back of a pickup truck; what they didn’t take with them in the move filled eighteen large trailers, with what they kept filling up many more.

Somehow my trapping gear got parted out.

Now, as I prep duck decoys, blinds, and fall fishing gear, I remember those cool September evenings and the hours of deliberate work that went into the run-up to trapping season. When the day comes to take up trapping anew, I hope I’ll be able to dye my traps over an old sheet metal stove, with a country music DJ to keep me company late into the night.

Matt Dunlap is a sportsman from Old Town and is a periodic co-host on Maine Outdoors, heard statewide every Sunday night at 7:00 pm on WVOM 103.9 FM, WVQM 101.3 FM, and WRKD 95.1 FM in Rockland.

September 2022

River

(Cont. from pg 60) money Voelker made from the film allowed him to spend the remainder of his days on trout streams that he preferred to the courtroom where he’d practiced law, first as an attorney and later as a judge.

I first discovered Voelker a few years after graduating from college.

He’d written a wonderful book of stories entitled Trout Madness under the pen name of Robert Traver.

It inspired me to purchase my first fly rod—a cheap fiberglass model manufactured by the Cortland Company. A number of years later, I, too, became an attorney, and even wrote my own book of stories. I now own a number of fly rods, most constructed of graphite, a few from bamboo, while the Cortland, with its chipped paint and frayed wraps, rests comfortably on the wall of my den.

On the six-and-a-halfhour flight home from Ireland, I thought of The Intruder, a Voelker tale found in Trout Madness about a stranger who unexpectedly shows up at the angler’s favorite pool. You’ll have to read it to see why the times, they apparently are not changing. Upon my return home, I took the book down from the shelf and reread it cover to cover.

Now, seated on this log, surrounded by the spruce and balsam of western Maine, listening to the timeless current pass by, I’m once again reminded of John Voelker, a.k.a. Robert Traver, who died in 1991, at the age of 88; and of my father, who at age 83 passed away after struggling for many years with a heart condition; and my

uncle George, who joined him a few years later, a guy who couldn’t catch a fish if it leaped out of the water and into his arms, but who was the most enthusiastic angler I’ve had the pleasure to know. And of my best friend, Trish’s dad, who found it hard to release a trout he’d fooled fair and square, and who, later in life, after losing his sight, I’d entertain with tales of my western Maine adventures.

I remember that Irish farmer humping down the wind-slept lane to see what “a Yank” was up to, and all the other fellows, now in their 70s, 80s, and older, some still wandering rivers and streams, with backs stooped forward, leaning on wading staffs, their eyes still twinkling with mischief, their minds filled with a lifetime of memories.

I like to think of them, not as they were in those later years, but as young men filled with possibility.

Rising from my seat on this moss-covered log, I can see the next bend in the river. Perhaps that’s what best about a trout stream.

There’s always one more bend to explore.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

September 2022

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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Page 69

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

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