Northwoods Sporting Journal,July 2024

Chowder Wins With Biggest Pickerel Fillet July 2024

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Fishing The Hex Hatch - V. Paul Reynolds

* Bassing Tactics * Myster y Of The Lost Hunter * Bait Fishing Stripers * Camps, Cottages & Land For Sale www.sportingjournal.com JUL 07

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Vermont Migratory Seasons

Wait a minute! July?

Didn’t we already have one of those two months ago in May? Seems like the

88-90 degrees for four days caused the fiddleheads, wild asparagus, and ramps to bolt to maturity in just 48

hours. We have incontrovertible evidence that May occurred from April 15-21 because the holdover trout were already feeding on Hendricksons and turkeys were strutting their full fans. If this observation continues, we might expect that July is going to reach 100 degrees and gardens will be harvested in August rather than September, right?

This column is not

Page 3

Green Mountain Report

by Bradley Carleton, Charlotte, VT

This is truly unfortunate. I would propose that we all take up fishing and set these silly disagreements and just hand the rod to the guy or gal next to us and say, “you play this one.” Before this day gets too heated due to weather or someone’s argument with my observations, I am headed into the mountains to find a cold stream and toss my favorite flys at brookies.

by the F&W Department to determine seasons, bag limits, etc. Many, many of us wrote to our representatives and spoke out at the hearings, and fortunately we defeated this poorly disguised attempt to alter the future of our traditions. If there were any concession to be made to the anti’s, it was new regulations on hunting coyotes with dogs and kill competitions.

A statewide season for resident Canada geese will occur September 1-25. The daily bag limit is five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of the state. intended to be political or start arguments about weather patterns. It is sad that we can’t talk about the weather without it becoming political. Society is continuing to divide itself along political grounds.

Last month, we were all very concerned about the anti-hunters trying to push through S.258, which would have stripped the VT F&W Board of Directors of their use of scientific methods recommended

Overall, though, this was a win for most of us. My sincere apologies to coyote dog hunters, but at least the compromise of having to register with the state as a coyote dog hunter is still (Seasons cont pg 7)

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On The Cover

Chowder Wins With Biggest Pickerel Fillet - Pg 16 Fishing The Hex Hatch - Pg 5 Bassing Tactics - Pg 46 Mystery Of The Lost Hunter - Pg 35 Bait Fishing Stripers - Pg 31 Camps, Cottages and Land for Sale - Pg 68-70

Contents

3. Green Mountain Report - Bradley Carleton 10. A Hiker’s Life - Carey Kish 11. Muzzleloading Afield - Al Raychard 14. The Bird Perch - Karen Holmes 15. Outdoors In Maine - V. Paul Reynold 16. The Adventures Of Me & Joe - Bob Cram 18. Outdoor Sporting Library - Jeremiah Wood 20. Aroostook Woods & Water - Mike Maynard 22. Maple County Outdoors - Ben Wilcox 24. Young Blood - Jake Guay 25. Best Bassin’ - Bill Decoteau 26. On Point - Paul Fuller 27. Angling, Antlers & Artifacts - Jake Scoville 28. Women In The Woods - Erin Merrill 31. Maine Tails - Jonah Paris 32. Basics Of Survival - Joe Frazier 33. Guns & Ammo: A Guide’s Perspective - Tom Kelly 34. The Maine Woods - Matt LaRoche 35. Warden’s Words - Kale O’Leary 36. View From The River - Laurie Chandler 37. The Singing Maine Guide - Randy Spencer 38. Maine Outdoor Adventure - Rich Yvon 39. Old Tales From The Maine Woods - Steve Pinkham 40. The Gun Cabinet - John Floyd 41. Maine Bear Seasons Opens - V. Paul Reynolds 42. The Buck Hunter - Hal Blood 43. Northwoods Voyager - Gil Gilpatrick 44. South Of The Kennebec - Stu Bristol 45. Tales Of A Maine Woodsman - Joel Tripp 46. Slipstream - Scott Biron 47. Marsh Island Chronicles - Matthew Dunlap 48. Vermont Ramblings - Dennis Jensen 49. Outdoors In Vermont - Gary Moore 52. On The Prowl - Justin Merrill 53. Against The Current - Bob Romano 54. Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff - Denny Corriveau 55. Northwoods Sketchbook - Mark McCollough 56. Question Of The Month - Dave O’Connor 57. On The Ridge - Joe Judd 58. Cracker Barrel - Homer Spit 59. New Hampshire Outdoors - Peter St. James 60. The Back Shelf - John Ford 62. Warden’s Night In Bucksport - V. Paul Reynolds 63. Kineo Currents - Suzanne AuClair 64. From Craig Pond - Bob Mercer 66. The Trail Rider - Dan Wilson 67. Poling A Canoe - Mark McCollough

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

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

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the Northeast’s most comprewww.sportingjournal.com hensive and readable monthly outdoor Main Office Phone: (207) 732-4880 publication. Published at the trailhead E-mail: info@sportingjournal.com Fax: (207)732-4970 of Maine’s sprawling North Woods, the Vol 31 Issue 7 is published monthly by Northwoods Publications, 57 Old County Rd. North, W. Enfield, ME 04493 Sporting Journal prides itself on being Periodical Postage Paid at W. Enfield, ME. and additional mailing offices. an independent voice for the region’s The Northwoods Sporting Journal (ISSN#1548-193X) Postmaster: outdoor community for more than 28 Send address changes to: years. Some of our writers are seasoned Northwoods Sporting Journal, PO Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493 and specialized outdoors people who Northwoods Publishing Group will share their know-how and insights; Victor Morin - Susan Morin - Diane Reynolds - V. Paul Reynolds some of our contributors are simply Publishers - Victor Morin Jr. - V. Paul Reynolds lifelong outdoor people with interest- Editor - V. Paul Reynolds Associate Editor - Donna Veino ing stories to tell.

Graphic Arts Manager - Gayleen Cummings Our aim every month is to capture Subscription/Distribution Manager - Alicia Cram the essence of Northern New England’s Operations Manager - Annette Boobar - V. Paul Reynolds remarkable outdoor heritage by stirring Webmaster Sales Department; Thomas Schmidt, Paul Hatin, Traci Grant, memories, portraying outdoor humor, Michael Georgia, Mike Brown and Joshua Kane and sharing experiences and outdoor Regional Advertising Manager - Jim Thorne knowledge. We also keep our readers The Northwoods Sporting Journal invites submissions of photographs up to date with late-breaking outdoor and articles about the Maine outdoors.

Manuscripts should be sent with a self-addressed envelope to: news and hard-hitting editorials about NORTHWOODS SPORTING JOURNAL fish and wildlife issues.

P.O. BOX 195, W. ENFIELD, MAINE 04493 Anyone who loves to hunt and The Northwoods Sporting Journal accepts no responsibility for fish, or simply finds the Great Outdoors unsolicited photos or manuscripts. Photos submitted without a stamped, self-addressed envelope will not be returned. a treasured place, is more than likely to find some special connections amid All rights reserved, 2024. Written permission must be obtained from the Northwoods the pages of the Northwoods Sporting Sporting Journal to reprint any part of this publication. Any errors or omissions in ads or editorial matter will be corrected in the next issue of NWSJ. Journal.

The views and opinions expressed by our monthly columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

New Hampshire Outdoors - Pg 59

by Peter St. James

On The Ridge - Pg 57

by Joe Judd

Other Great Stories & Information 8. Editorial/Letters 12. Outdoor News 68. Real Estate

Cover Photo: Photo by V. Paul Reynolds

The Gun Cabinet - Pg 40 John Floyd

The Bird Perch - Pg 14 Karen Holmes

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 5

has any hint of light green

By V. Paul Reynolds to it at all it’s an Eastern This is the time! Not Green Drake.” next week or the week In summary, if a giafter, this week! It will be ant mayfly has three tonight at about the time tails, a greenish hue, and the late afternoon sun slips mottled wings, it is no beneath the spires of spruce doubt the Eastern Green on the mountain, or maybe Drake, Ephemera guttutomorrow night, or the lata. If a galdarned big night after - if it’s going to mayfly has two tails, no happen at all. green coloration, and a The Hex hatch, or the networked wing design, Green Drake hatch, is long it’s our megastar, our big awaited by all serious trout cheese, Hexagenia limbata. anglers. When these big ole Wass has in his book May flies materialize on the listed 112 Maine trout trout pond, it is a happenponds, as well as a numing. To a trout-loving fly ber of Vermont and New fishermen, a Hex hatch is Hampshire ponds at which an adrenaline rush- a sight you can expect a Green to behold. In fact, like a soDrake hatch, if conditions lar eclipse or an expanse of permit. Of his list these are northern lights in the winter the trout waters in Maine sky, a true Hex hatch on a Hitting the celebrated Green Drake hatch, for a trout fisherman, is a little that I have fished and rarely trout pond counts as one of like winning the lottery or getting a big tax refund. (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) been skunked: Rum Pond, those special moments in Leighton Wass, a Ver- mayflies are similar in size, the tails. Hex adults have Brown Pond, Secret Pond, Nature. For a brook trout, monter and a trout man with E. guttulata being a two and E. guttulata (here- Indian Pond, Salmon Pond, these fabled May flies are who loves Maine, has a tad smaller than the Hex. in to be called the Eastern Slaughter Pond, Jackson a turkey dinner with all the great new book that plows The easiest way to distin- Green Drake, EGD) have Pond, Celia Pond, Cenfixin’s - a chance to get the new ground. It is titled guish the two, with an adult three. Easy peasy. Also, if (Hatch cont. pg 6) most amount of food for the “Fishing the Hex Hatch.” mayfly in hand, is to count this mayfly you are eyeing

Fishing the Hex Hatch

least amount of effort.

There is an ongoing debate among Maine anglers about what to call these big bugs. Anglers who know a lot more about

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He writes,”A gorgeous mayfly owning the

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In his book Wass says that in Maine the Green Drakes will be just around the corner when you begin to see signs that say,”Pick Your Own Strawberries.”

And for some reason, the Green Drakes like to populate a pond when it is a “flat-ass calm.” entomology than I do say that most of us misname the Hex, calling it a Green Drake, as in “Hey, Joe. You really missed it. As soon as the sun set, the pond was covered with Green Drakes. A wicked hatch!

Never seen anything to beat it.”

So the question is, I guess, “When is a Green Drake a Green Drake, and when is a Hex a Hex?”

scientific name, Ephemera guttulata, a second cousin to Hexagenia limbata is also called a Green Drake, as is the Hex. As you can see, confusion reigns supreme here.”

He goes on, “Confusing the matter more, this mayfly hatches nearly at the same time as Hex mayflies, and both are often found inhabiting the same water body. Also, these two

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Hatch

(Cont. from pg 5) ter Pond, Foss- Knowlton Pond, Cross Pond, Rapid River, Quimby Pond, Kennebago Lake, Baxter Park ponds, ponds in Deboullie area, Mountain Brook Pond, Little Huston Pond, and a few that will remain unmentioned.

Of course, water tem-

don’t know is what impact this all will have on the customary early July Hex hatch, circa 2024,as well as trout-feeding patterns.

In his book Wass says that in Maine the Green Drakes will be just around the corner when you begin to see signs that say,”Pick Your Own Strawberries.”

And for some reason, the Green Drakes like to popu-

July 2024 spending a lot of time fishing when the window is right, or hire some spotters, or develop some reliable intell sources.

The farther north in Maine you go the more likely that the favorable water temperatures will hold a while longer. And who knows? You might get lucky and get in on a Green Drake hatch during a cloudy, humid day. You won’t soon forget it, if it happens.

Oh yes, if you are fortunate enough to hit the Hex hatch, tie on big artificials: Wulffs, Adams, or # 12 Hornbergs.

The author is editor of the “Northwoods Sporting Journal.” He is also a Maine guide and host of a weekly radio program — “Maine Outdoors” — In his book, “Fishing the Hex Hatch,” author heard Sundays at 7 p.m.

Leighton Wass says that you can differentiate on “The Voice of Maine the true Eastern Green Drake from the News - Talk Network.” He Hexagenia Limbata by the number of tails. has authored three books; peratures affect, not only late a pond when it is a “flat online purchase informainsect hatches but trout ass calm.” These Green tion is available at www. behavior. We do know that Drake hatches can be short maineoutdoorpublications. pond temperatures may be lived. We are talking 20com. or www.sportingjourunseasonably warm thanks 30 minutes! So it pays nal.com. Contact email to a funky spring. What we to increase your odds by — vpaulr@tds.net Author Leighton Wass’s 34 years of fishing the Hexagenia mayfly hatch makes this 310- page book with its 250-plus photos and illustrations a must-read for experienced fly anglers and novices alike. Topics addressed include how to predict the timing of a Hex Hatch, how to be prepared for an evening of fishing, the author’s top five Hex flies, the Hex mayfly’s life cycle, and the confusion surrounding common names. In addition, the 160 Hex ponds and lakes named in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the most ever listed, and an index allows readers to pinpoint pages where specific bodies of water are discussed.

Readers will not only learn about the author’s special strategies to help produce successful fly fishing during a hatch but will be pleasantly entertained by his humor throughout the book. The author has been an outdoor freelance writer since the 1970s, but this is his first book which shares all the hows, whens and wheres that he has learned about this revered mayfly hatch. It will become a fly angler’s reference for years to come.

Signed copies are available directly from the author.

Send $20.00 plus $4.00 postage to Leighton Wass, 1255 Adamant Rd., Adamant, VT 05640

Let us know your opinion. Send letters to the Editor to: NWSJ P.O. Box 195 W. Enfield, ME 04493 or Email to: info@sportingjournal.com

July 2024

Seasons (Cont. from pg 3) intact.

The VT F&W Department has announced the 2024-2025 migratory game bird hunting season dates and bag limits.

A statewide season for resident Canada geese will occur September 1-25. The daily bag limit is five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in the rest of the state during the September season.

A second Canada goose season for resident and migrant geese will be held October 12-November 10 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Zones with a daily bag limit of three Canada geese. In the Connecticut River Zone, the second Canada goose season will be October 9-November 11 and November 27-December 22 with a daily bag limit of two Canada geese. A late Canada goose season will be held Dec. 1-Jan. 19 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont Zones

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Northwoods Sporting Journal and Dec. 23-Jan. 11 in the Vermont land of the Connecticut River Zone (does not include Connecticut River waters). The daily bag limit in all three zones will be five Canada geese. Duck season this fall opens on October 12 in the Lake Champlain and Interior Vermont Zones and on October 9 in the Connecticut River Zone. The Lake Champlain Zone has a split season of Oct. 12Nov. 3 and Nov. 23-Dec. 29. The Interior Vermont Zone has a split season of O ct. 12-Nov. 10 and Nov. 23-Dec. 22. Scaup daily bag limits vary by season dates. The Lake Champlain (Oct. 12-Nov. 3 & Nov. 23Dec. 9) and Interior (Oct.

12-Nov. 10 & Nov. 23-Dec. 2) zones allow the harvest of one scaup daily. The remainder of the season you are allowed two scaup daily. Within the Connecticut River Zone, you are allowed only one scaup daily for the entire season.

Vermont’s youth waterfowl hunting weekend will be September 28 and 29.

Resident and nonresident hunters 17 years of age or younger on those dates may hunt ducks and geese within the Lake Champlain 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.

Both adults and youth must have Vermont hunting licenses. The adult may not hunt or carry a firearm.

Youth ages 16 and 17 must have a Vermont Migratory Waterfowl tag and federal duck stamp. In addition to a hunting license, a waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry a current federal duck stamp and Vermont Migratory Waterfowl tag to hunt waterfowl in Vermont.

Federal stamps are sold at post offices, federal refuges, or online at www.fws. gov/birds/get-involved/ duck-stamp/e-stamp.php.

State Migratory Waterfowl tags are available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website and from license agents. The

Page 7 hunter must sign the federal duck stamp. All migratory game bird (woodcock, ducks, and geese) hunters must also be registered with the Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.) in each state they hunt. You can register on VT F&W Department’s website or call toll-free 1-877-3067091. After providing some basic information, you will receive your annual H.I.P. registration number, which is then recorded on your hunting license.

Bradley Carleton is the founder and director of Sacred Hunter.org which teaches the public respect and empathy through hunting, fishing, and foraging.

Page 8

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Crossbow Laws: A Work in Progress

Crossbows, not so long ago considered the Rodney Dangerfield of hunting devices in Maine and summarily dismissed by the Maine Bowhunter’s Association (MBA), have come a long way in less than a decade.

In fact, in my 30 years of outdoor reporting no other issue comes to mind that has seen so much division, so much legal complexity and institutionalized confusion, or so much statutory change.

Compared with other states, Maine’s DIF&W and other state outdoor leaders, were slow to warm up to crossbows. There was an outcry in the beginning: “crossbows would lead to over harvest of deer during the archery season” “the medieval contraption is not a true bow” contended the MBA. As late as 2017, the rules for the use of crossbows were almost as complicated and layered as our fishing regulations. At that time, for example, crossbows hunters needed to complete both an archery hunting education course and a crossbow hunting course. If you were 69 or younger you could use a crossbow to hunt any wild bird or animal except that you could not use a crossbow during the Expanded Archery

A Rebuke

season or the October archery season.

But, on the other hand, if you were 70 or older you could use a crossbow to hunt during the Expanded Archery Season and the October archery season.

Then, in 2019, MDI&W relented and ruled that, indeed, you no longer needed to complete both an archery safety course and a crossbow course to hunt with a crossbow, provided that you held a big game hunting license. And, if you were 64 or younger, and held a crossbow license, you could hunt with a crossbow during the October Archery season and the November firearms season, but you could not hunt with a crossbow during the Expanded Archery season. Hunters 65 or older could hunt anything with a crossbow during any open season. At that time, pistol grip crossbows were prohibited but scopes were allowed.

Fast forward to 2024. New rules, once again for crossbows. Drum roll please: “bows and arrows and crossbows are now both considered to be archery equipment.”

The change allows the use of crossbows in most situations where only bows and arrows were previously permitted. (Cross-

tem overtaking our homes” if it were not for coyotes!

I grew up hunting in To the Editor: I strongly rebuke the the 1950’s presently now author’s statement that the age 82, and we were not Rodentia Family would overrun or overtaken by “overpopulate the ecosys- rodents, rabbits, or hares!

At that time we had no viable population of coyotes.

What we did, and still have, are many apex and non-apex predators such as fox (which haven’t been totally displaced yet by coyote), bobcat, owls, hawks, bear, coon, fisher, martens, mink, weasel, skunk, snakes, and nature’s naturally occurring cycles (rabbits & partridge).

Coyotes breed, kill, and scavenge at their maximum carrying levels, sometimes in excess of their capacity or will to consume (called wanton waste). Without coyotes our area ecosystem would not “go into shock”. Let

bows are still not allowed in some specific municipalities. Check your lawbook) Interestingly, the Department in its accompanying analysis of the crossbow rule change, reports that, contrary to early concerns that crossbows would trigger unacceptable harvest rates of deer, the regular archery season only accounts for about 4 % of the total deer harvest with crossbows or without crossbows.

The sky is apparently not falling, and, not insignificantly, the Department acknowledges that “the increased used of crossbows does not pose any problems to deer management in Maine.”

This is good news, especially the part that reads about the Department’s desire to “simplify rules, regulations and statutes.”

Compared with other states, Maine’s evolutionary process in regulating crossbows was far too slow and tentative. This suggests either a failure of leadership or a decision making process that is top heavy with bureaucracy and needs streamlining and reexamination.

-VPR

facts, common sense, and problems treatment at the logic prevail.

Keller Army Hospital facility for two weeks while his Pete Rodin unit was in training at West Island Pont, Point. His commander did Vermont not report this, nor did has the media.

Beyond the Fluff I choose not to have firearms, but do not feel To the Editor: that increased “gun conMissing in action with trol” would have or will all the virtuous fluff about decrease gun homicides. gun control is who really is to take the blame for the A.J. Glazer shooter’s killings in LewCape Rosier iston. The shooter was a member of a military unit.

The New Look There is a responsibility of rank that has been unmet.

To the Editor: I had spent time at I really really like the West Point. The shooter new paper of the cover of had been under mental (Letters cont. pg 9)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Letters

(Cont. from pg 8) the NWSJ. It seems to have a dull finish where as it used to be a glossy finish.

I think it’s much better and feels better. Many people probably wouldn’t care but I feel it’s a plus to “the” best outdoor publication found in New England a true outdoor magazine for “all.” One does not need anymore magazines but this one. To the whole staff of the NWSJ, keep up the “great” work of producing this publication each month! And most important the Maine Outdoors Show each Sunday night 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on WVOM is in the same class as the magazine.

If you think you know just about everything about the great outdoors you have to listen to the Maine Outdoors show each Sunday. It will surprise you to learn how much you do not know! I’m in my late 70’s been in the outdoors since around 12-13 years old and learn something new each show with the hosts and

the great guests, truly a “5 hybrid even though it is star” Show. capable of doing such. The fish is truly a reproductive Tony Ostrowski hybrid and in Canada some Chicopee, MA. 1991 research has shown it to naturally reproduce in E d i t o r ’ s n o t e : Lake Huron waters. That Thanks for the kind words. being said it must have Increased costs for print- mature brook trout or lake ing and postage made the trout for back-crossing to glossy cover cost prohibi- express its genes. Based on tive. We were sad to drop the Fishery Divisions 2019; the glossy cover, which has 15 year Fisheries Plan I been our signature look for do not see any possibility years, but the Northwoods of us seeing Splake natuSporting Journal remains rally reproducing in Maine the same inside with our waters. My experience in large stable of talented and catching Splake has been seasoned outdoor writers. for years in Pleasant River We hope that our many Lake, Beddington Twp. readers understand.

Washington County where I owned a camp for nearly 30 years. Some camp ownThe Splake ers illegally stocked SM Introductions Bass and upset the Brook trout fishery as well as LL To the Editor: Salmon. The fishery DiviI want to compliment sion had to change its manSteve Day for the very good agement policy and tried feature on Splake and its Splake which turned out to use as an alternative salmobe very successful. Again nid fishery in some Maine thank Steve Day for his waters. He expressed some very informative column. of my views about this hybrid species. In Maine we Matthew Scott have yet seen any natural Aquatic Biologist, reproduction by this fertile Emeritus

Page 9

Editor’s note: Although the Northwoods Sporting Journal often publishes letters to the editor that contain opinions we do not necessarily agree with, it is our obligation to check the factual nature, accuracy and veracity of claims made by letter writers published in our magazine. In the June 2024 issue, letter writer Joe Bertolaccini wrote the Second Amendment says, “The right to bear arms should be given only to organized groups like the National Guard, and a reserve military force that replaced the state militia after the Civil War.” This is wholly inaccurate. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads in full: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Columbia vs Heller, affirmed the Constitutional right of individuals to keep and bear arms for self defense.

We regret this oversight in allowing this significant historical inaccuracy to stand in the Bertolaccini letter and will in the future strive for more thorough oversight and editing.

- V. Paul Reynolds, Editor

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“A Hiker’s Life”

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Hiking Cobscook Trails

of high tide, the short passage from Red Point to Red Point Island can be Three miles west of orchards remain, including crossed on a series of stepthe Lubec waterfront, a what may be Washington ping stones. As I tiptoe black metal gate marks County’s oldest apple tree, along, clammers are hard the entrance to Red Point Nature Preserve, where a pleasant gravel lane beck-

By Carey Kish, Mt. Desert Island, ME

path of soft needles winds through woods heady with the scent of spruce. It’s a day and a place where anything resembling hurry would verge on sacrilege.

Altogether, Cobscook Shores properties feature an astounding 15 miles of pristine shorefront on Cobscook Bay and its tributary arms of Dennys Bay,

But alas, the trail that you wish would go on forever culminates at Little Point with an expansive view north up South Bay. No signs of civilization are evident along the rocky shores cloaked in pointed conifers, just beautiful blue skies, sea green water and brown tidal flats.

Red Point Nature Preserve is one of 20 parklands on 800 acres owned

by Cobscook Shores far Downeast in Lubec and Whiting. Cobscook Shores is a family-funded Maine charitable foundation that is part of the larger Butler Conservation Inc. established by the visionary conservationist and environmental philanthropist, Gilbert Butler, who has strong ties to the coast of Maine dating back seven decades.

Whiting Bay, Straight Bay, South Bay and Johnson Bay. The name Cobscook derives from the Passamaquoddy word “Kapskuk,” which translates to “place where the water looks like it is boiling.” Spend some time in these parts with its incredible rushing and roiling 24-foot tides and you’ll see why.

Recreational uses available to the public on Cobscook Shores parklands—all free of charge— include picnicking, biking, paddling and even camping. For hikers, though, it‘s the 16 miles of outstanding trails that are the big attraction, and there are more miles in the works. This hiker has made multiple trips to Cobscook Shores lands and every time it seems I discover a new (Trails cont. pg 14)

Altogether, Cobscook Shores properties feature an astounding 15 miles of pristine shorefront on Cobscook Bay and its tributary arms of Dennys Bay, Whiting Bay, Straight Bay, South Bay and Johnson Bay.

ons, leading into parklike terrain that was once cleared farmland. Much of the property has been re- thought to be 200 years old. at work in the mudflats of Accessible except for Case Cove under a blazing claimed by forest, but some lovely fields and apple an hour or so on each side July sun. I can’t help but wonder if a pound or two of the succulent bivalves in their hods might well make their way to my table later on in town at Fisherman’s Wharf, with drawn butter and a cold beer, of course.

The narrow foot-

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Schoolie Action

Although I would much prefer being in the deer, bear or turkey woods with a muzzleloader or crossbow, much of my attention and free hours this time of year is dedicated

glers overlook or neglect these smaller fish, but on light seven or maybe eightweight fly gear they’re a lot of fun. They typically seem to travel in groups and the action can be steady. We’re

Perhaps it’s a competition thing, or perhaps due to smaller quantities and less of a selection of available food in the back bays and tidal creeks but my experience has been that if you make a good cast, give the fly some good action with some solid jerks and twitches, and use whatever current or tide is available when “schoolies” are on the feed bag, which they

Page 11

Muzzleloading Afield

by Al Raychard, Lyman, ME

of ten it is the fly’s action not the specific fly pattern that draws the strike. There is no doubt there are times when fly color combination, shape and especially size can make or break and outing, especially when inshore “schoolies” have been spooked, but fly ac-

does. Like most fly fishermen, whether fishing for trout, salmon, black bass or striped bass, everyone has their favorite selection of flies. I’m no different. But this isn’t rocket science.

“Schoolies” are constantly looking for food. Put the fly in the right place and make

….if you make a good cast, give the fly some good action with some solid jerks and twitches, and use whatever current or tide is available when “schoolies” are on the feed bag, which they are most of the time, they will be on it like stink on a skunk.

The author’s wife with a schoolie striper. to striped bass, specifically striped bass with a fly rod.

Nearly 99.9 per cent of my fishing is from the beaches or other terra firma along back bays and tidal creeks.

I like working the early morning and early evening beaches when bait and bass are in close and the tide and winds allow a proper cast.

The beaches are void of swimmers and sun tanners then, and there’s plenty of room for a back cast. I also like it because larger bass are a possibility.

In the bays and tidal creeks smaller bass, some call “schoolies,” are the norm. Many saltwater an-

not big saltwater fish eaters except for haddock, fried, baked or stuffed. So we catch and release until we’ve had our fill and it’s time to go home.

I’ve heard some fisherman say, and have also read, that stripers can be fussy when it comes to what they eat, at times locking in on a food type, feeding heavily on that certain type of bait while passing up others. That may be true and I won’t or can’t argue the point, but my experience has been that “schoolies,” or whatever you want to call them, are more opportunistic.

are most of the time, they will be on it like stink on a skunk.

Depending on the tide some bays and creeks can have discolored water conditions. When light conditions are low early and late in the day, or there is a good outgoing or incoming current or tide, eight times out

tion I believe is key.

I’ve never given a great deal of concern to what fly is on the leader.

If one pattern fails to produce a different size of the same or similar design, one more sparse or heavier dressed, perhaps one with some weight to it to get deeper might often

Sam Tolo of Carmel boated this 8 lb salmon this spring at Long Lake.

it look alive and it should produce some action.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 12

July 2024

Outdoor News - July 2024 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds

July. Let summer begin!

Although fishing has begun to peak, there is much angling left. Togue (Lake Trout) will be found by those willing to go down deep with lead core line or downriggers. Fly fishers are keeping a vigil over the ever-popular Green Drake hatch on trout ponds. Stripers and mackerel runs keep it going for salt water anglers.

Bass fishermen are enjoying Maine’s incomparable bass fishery.

And, believe it or not, bear hunters and bear guides have already begun laying plans for the annual bear season that begins the end of next month!

Meanwhile, if you were lucky enough to boat a fat landlocked salmon, don’t forget to poach it, apply an egg sauce and find some fresh garden peas to go along. Happy Fourth of July!

Vermont Bear Problem

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says many people are having

problems with bears looking for food near their homes, and with the food scrap ban in effect the department is providing tips for people who are composting at home so they can avoid attracting hungry bears.

“We have been receiving lots of reports of bears on decks, tearing down bird feeders, wrecking beehives, killing chickens, and getting into trash, compost and garbage containers,” said bear biologist Jaclyn Comeau. “We are offering some guidance on how to compost at home without attracting bears.”

“First though, to deter bears, bird feeders need to be taken down until we have a foot or more of snow in December. Then, make sure anything else that might smell like food is picked up. And keep your trash container secured inside a sturdy building and don’t put it outside until the morning of pickup.

Beehives, chicken coops and compost bins can be

FLY PATTERN OF THE MONTH Sponsored by Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop

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Rochelle

Tied by Bob Bibeau

Body...Flat silver tinsel Wing...Sparse green bucktail over which sparse red bucktail over which sparse blue bucktail over which sparse black bucktail.

Eyes...Painted white with red pupil

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

protected with electric trash, so they can be kept labus can be downloaded in a freezer until trash day. from the Vermont Fish fencing.” a n d Wi l d l i f e D e p a r t ment’s website (www.vtfishandwildlife.com) under “Hunt” – “Waterfowl.” A printed version also will be available from license agents and post offices in August.

A statewide Vermont open hunting season for resident Canada geese will occur September 1-25. The daily bag limit is five Canada geese in the Connecticut River Zone and eight in Give your compost If you know bears are the rest of the state during active in your neighbor- oxygen by frequently mix- this September season. The hood, the best way to avoid ing it or turning it over if purpose of the September attracting them is to take it is in a container. This season is to help control food scraps to one of the reduces odors and speeds Vermont’s resident Canada drop-off stations. You can up composting. goose population prior Does your compost locate these by contactto the arrival of Canada ing your local solid waste smell? If so, turning it, add- geese migrating south from management district or ing more brown material Canada. town, or find a company and adding a layer of wood A second Canada that picks up food scraps shavings or sawdust to the goose hunting season for composting at www. top should solve the issue. for resident and migrant Enclose your composVTrecycles.com geese will be held OctoComposting at home ter with electric fencing or ber 12-November 10 in while minimizing the compost in a hard, durable the Lake Champlain and chances of attracting bears container with a lid that Interior Zones with a daily can best be done with these will be challenging for a bag limit of three Canada bear to open. Some types tips: geese.

Use three parts of of tumblers are bear-proof.

In the Connecticut Electric fencing, with brown material for one part River Zone, the second of green material. Browns food scent added to the Canada goose season will can be dried leaf and yard wires will discourage even be October 9-November debris, wood chips, which persistent bears.

11 and November 27-DeIf you are currently often can be delivered to cember 22 with a daily bag your house free by a local having a bear issue, delay limit of two Canada geese. tree service company, or starting your new compost A late Canada goose shredded paper. Greens in- pile until the bear issue season will be held Dec. clude kitchen scraps, vege- resolves. Until then, keep 1-Jan. 19 in the Lake Chamtables and small amounts of food scraps in the freezer plain and Interior Vermont fruits. Adding lots of brown or bring them to a collec- Zones and Dec. 23-Jan. 11 material minimizes smells tion site. in the Vermont land of the and speeds up composting.

Connecticut River Zone No meat, bones or Migratory Bird Regs (does not include Connectiseafood leftovers. They do The Vermont Fish and cut River waters). The daily not break down quickly Wildlife Department has bag limit in all three zones and are strong wildlife at- announced the 2024-2025 will be five Canada geese. tractants. migratory game bird huntDuck season this fall The food scrap ban al- ing season dates and bag opens on October 12 in lows people who compost limits. the Lake Champlain and at home to dispose of meat, A printable copy of (News cont. pg 13) bones and seafood in the the Migratory Bird Syl-

July 2024

News (Cont. from pg 12)

Interior Vermont Zones and on October 9 in the Connecticut River Zone. The Lake Champlain Zone has a split season of Oct. 12Nov. 3 and Nov. 23-Dec. 29. The Interior Vermont Zone has a split season of Oct. 12-Nov. 10 and Nov. 23-Dec. 22.

Scaup daily bag limits vary by season dates. The Lake Champlain (Oct. 12Nov. 3 & Nov. 23-Dec. 9) and Interior (Oct. 12-Nov. 10 & Nov. 23-Dec. 2) zones allow the harvest of one scaup daily. The remainder of the season you are allowed two scaup daily.

Within the Connecticut River Zone, you are allowed only one scaup daily for the entire season.

Vermont’s youth waterfowl hunting weekend will be September 28 and 29. Resident and nonresident hunters 17 years of age or younger on those dates may hunt ducks and geese within the Lake Champlain 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. Both adult and youth must have Vermont

Northwoods Sporting Journal

hunting licenses. The adult may not hunt or carry a firearm. Youth ages 16 and 17 must have a Vermont

Migratory Waterfowl tag and federal duck stamp.

Woodcock hunting season is September 28November 11 statewide with a three-bird bag limit.

In addition to a hunting license, a waterfowl hunter 16 or older must carry a current federal duck stamp and Vermont Migratory Waterfowl tag to hunt waterfowl in Vermont.

Federal stamps are sold at post offices, federal refuges, or online at www.fws. gov/birds/get-involved/ duck-stamp/e-stamp.php.

State Migratory Waterfowl tags are available on Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website and from license agents. The hunter must sign the federal duck stamp.

All migratory game bird (woodcock, ducks and geese) hunters must also be registered with the Harvest Information Program (H.I.P.) in each state they hunt. You can register on Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s website or call toll-free 1-877-3067091. After providing some basic information, you will receive your annual H.I.P. registration number, which is then recorded on your hunting license.

The hunting season dates, bag limits and related regulations for all migratory birds are set annually within a framework established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and in coordination with New York and New Hampshire.

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.

New Hampshire Hiking

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional start of the summer hiking season in New Hampshire. As you make plans for the holiday weekend to get outside to hike, bike, kayak, or climb, be prepared for changeable late spring weather conditions and also be aware that snow and ice may still be present at higher elevations despite the green grass in your backyard.

Outdoor enthusiasts

Page 13 are also encouraged to purchase a voluntary Hike Safe card for 2024. Card proceeds help defray the costs of training and of search and rescue equipment for Fish and Game Law Enforcement Conservation Officers, preparing them to come to your aid if the unexpected happens.

“People must always take personal responsibility as they head out by acknowledging their physical limitations, being aware of changing weather condi(News cont. pg 19)

Page 14

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Bird Perch

Black Vultures

of highways and these have provided many dead

by Karen Holmes, animals for vultures to eat.

Cooper, ME So they are now a comAs I have written be- I just thought it looked mon sight. But this was fore in this column, I am different from a raven or only the second time I always birding. But when crow. I was surprised and had seen a Black Vulture I am driving our car, I don’t delighted to see it was a let a bird distract me and Black Vulture. cause me to have an acI do see Turkey Vulcident. So when I passed tures all the time here in a dead animal on the side Cooper. And in nearby of the road with a large Calais there is a roost and bird standing next to it, I more than 20 of them use stopped and turned around. it at night. It is thought that With just a quick glance, there are a large number

Coastal

wiscassetspeedway.com

frequently while soaring. I saw this BV on the ground and it had a black naked head and not the red naked head of an adult TV. It was too early in the season for an immature TV which for

here. If you look up the description of this bird in a field guide, it will state it has a smaller body compared with a Turkey Vulture and has shorter and more rounded wings and a fan-shaped tail. If seen as it soars, it displays conspicuous white areas at the base of the primaries.

Turkey Vultures/TVs have silver linings from one edge of the wing to the other. They soar with a very noticeable dihedral and ride the thermals while Black Vultures/BVs flap

a year has a black head.

A few days before, a big porcupine had been hit by a car and lay dead on the side of the road. This carrion would have been really ripe and supposedly BVs love it that way. Black Vultures were a very common bird in the southern states for years. But they are slowly expanding their year round range northward. It is only a matter of time before someone finds a nest on a sheltered ledge or in a hollow log or in a cave here in Maine. They also have

Trails

has gone into every aspect of this monumental project.

From the roadside wayfinding signs, trailhead kiosks, clean vault toilets and cold water fountains to the trail design and construction, trail signs and screened-in pavilions, it’s no wonder these special places are called parklands.

Outdoor adventures abound at Cobscook Shores, so come prepared to be amazed at one of the most spectacular land-

(Cont. from Pg 10) preserve and new trails.

For hikers new to Cobscook Shores, I recommend starting at Old Farm Point Shorefront Park, which serves as a visitor welcome center. Explore the trails and structures here and you’ll begin to get a good sense of the extraordinary level of detail that

July 2024

been known to deposit eggs just on the ground. Black Vultures are another example of a former southern bird expanding its range northward here like Cardi-

Black Vultures are another example of a former southern bird expanding its range northward here like Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, Red bellied Woodpeckers, etc. nals, Tufted Titmice, Redbellied Woodpeckers, etc.

Karen Holmes is a naturalist and writer. She is looking forward to the summer when she coordinates the Washington County Annual Loon Count and does a Breeding Bird Survey for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her home in Cooper where she lives with her husband Ken and an Australian Cattle Dog named Dingo.

scapes on the planet. Begin your exploration at cobscookshores.org.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Page 15

Atikonak Pancakes Atikonak River is a big, brawling river that is about 90 miles East of Labrador City. It is a mecca for fly fishermen. Salmon, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, White Fish and Pike make this river a diverse and most memorable sport fish-

ago, Riverkeep was owned

by Matt and Ellen Libby from Maine’s fabled Libby Camps. On kind of a whim, Diane and I decided to accept a totally unexpected and exciting invitation from the Libbys to manage Riverkeep Lodge for a

Sally, stepped down from the Otter ferry airplane onto a float and onto the river’s edge. We were filled with a mixture of both anxiety and anticipation.

We were about to share one of the most challenging and soulful outdoor adventures of our married life. We worked hard, very hard. And because of the extended daylight in Labrador that time of year, we always made time to fish in the late evenings after dishes were done and lunches were put up for client fishermen the following day.

The author’s wife, Diane, serving evening snacks to the fishing camp customers.

Labrador’s Atikonak River is the backdrop.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

ery.

A fishing lodge called Riverkeep, complete with all the amenities of a topshelf Labrador fishing outfitter, is located on this magnificent river. Operated by the Murray family from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, the Riverkeep Lodge is there today for any angler with the price of admission.

A number of years

The author, and his English Setter Sally resting their lunch in the “cook shack” at Riverkeep Lodge. (Photo by Diane Reynolds) summer season. The Libbys knew that we had both cooked and labored for an elk outfitter in Western Colorado.

In late June, we, along with our English Setter

Of the two of us, Diane worked the hardest, cooking, cooking and more cooking. She made fresh bread every day, as well as two pies, cookies and other assorted deserts. She

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by V. Paul Reynolds, Ellsworth, ME thrived, not only on the demands of the daily cooking tasks, but on the expressions of genuine appreciation from the camp guests.

My job, along with cooking the bacon, starting generators, lugging wood and ordering weekly food and propane by float plane, was to tend to the

don the sloppy metaphor, but the guests “flipped out” over these particular pancakes, served, of course, with New England maple syrup. One guest, whose name escapes me, but let’s call him Bill, insisted that his breakfast dish include Diane’s pancakes every day of the week. Now in a

Of the two of us, Diane worked the hardest, cooking, cooking and more cooking. She made fresh bread every day, as well as two pies, cookies and other assorted deserts.

She thrived, not only on the demands of the daily cooking tasks, but on the expressions of genuine appreciation from the camp guests. needs of the guests. Upon their arrival, we would welcome them and explain the “ground rules.” The camp guests’ tipping rule for the fishing guides and cook went like this: “At the end of the week, for obvious reasons, the camp manager, accepts all the gratuities from the guests and divides the money evenly among guides and staff. Please do not tip guides or staff individually.”

As it turned out, Diane’s oatmeal-buttermilk pancakes sort of evolved as her “signature dish.” Par-

busy sporting camp kitchen with so many to serve, it would have been much more expeditious to open a bag of Krusteaz pancake mix and add an egg and some water. For Diane’s special pancakes, as you will soon see, are not exactly a simple concoction.

Bill just had to have the oatmeal- buttermilk pancakes and Diane made sure he got them for seven consecutive days.

Now Bill, like most of the guests, was generous with his group gratuities at (Pancakes cont. pg 29)

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Page 16

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Adventures of Me and Joe

The Biggest Pickerel

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

The heat in The Mooseleuk Emporium was stifling. Eben Ramdown always complained bitterly about the cold and he kept the big wood heater stove in the center of the open main room stoked to the gills.

Outside, a bitter northwest wind sent loose snow hissing along the sides of the building and set the window to rattling.

But inside the only sign of cold and wind was the white frost on a few nailheads in the plank door.

At a small table, as far from the cherry red stove as we could get, four of us sat playing pitch. Eben fussed and grumped about the store emptying boxes and stocking shelves.

Chowder Bragg looked at the hand Goose Pritchard had just dealt him and scowled dramatically.

“You gotta learn ter deal, Goose,” he said grumpily. “S’posed ter be some face cards in thet deck and you’d orter a few of ‘um out now an’ then.”

Goose smiled down

at his own hand, fanned out and held close to his chest. Then he glanced at the smaller man.

“Chowd, you got more complaints than a pickerel’s got bones.”

Chowder snorted, busily shifting cards around in his hand.

“Don’t be talkin’ ‘bout things you don’t know nothin’ about,” he said haughtily. “You couldn’t ketch a pick’rul in a bath tub if’n it was stocked.”

Goose looked at Chowder mildly, but for just a moment I thought I detected a crafty gleam in his slightly bulging eyes.

Goose Pritchard looked remarkably like his namesake. His body was pearshaped and his legs thin and knobby. An extremely long neck was topped by a small head with lips that seemed to protrude like the beak of a goose.

“You’re always braggin’ about the pickerel you catch, Chowd, but I never did see you come up with any really big ones.”

Chowder sat bolt up-

July 2024

You’re always braggin’ about the pickerel you catch, Chowd, but I never did see you come up with any really big ones. right, staring wide-eyed at the other man. He was a short, stringly man with bright red hair that stuck out in all directions. He was also possessed of a hot temper and a jealous regard for his own fishing prowess. Chowder Bragg was known to be the best pickerel fisherman in the region and he regularly supplied the Mooseleuk Congregational Church with pickerel fillets for their frequent fish fries and chowder socials.

“What? Big? Whatthehelldoyoumean?!!” He

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.

looked across the table at Joe for support. “Remember thet big one I took outa Alder Flowage last year, Joe? Went almost 30 inches. An’ thet one I caught over on The Lake Where The Woman Drowned five years ago? Musta been close on 3 feet!”

Joe was looking morosely at his own hand of cards. “You’ve caught some big ones, Chowd… ain’t no doubt about it.”

“I ain’t seen ‘um.”

Goose laid his hand face down on the table and stared thoughtfully at Chowder. “ Te l l y o u w h a t , Chowd…I’ll bet you $20 bucks I can catch a big-

ger pickerel than you and present it to the ladies at the Congregational Church for the fish fry this coming Saturday night.”

C h o w d e r ’s e y e s bulged and his face turned the color of his hair. “Yer on! You couldn’t catch…

I’ll bury you in scales… you couldn’t…!”

“And another thing,” Goose interrupted. “None of your small fish with big heads. We’ll go solely by the size of the fillets.”

“Durn right! Filleted and skinned!” Chowder’s eyes narrowed suddenly.

“Say, you better not try to sneak in a big togue or (Me & Joe cont. pg 17)

July 2024

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg. 16) salmon fillet.”

“Think I don’t know a pickerel fillet when I see one?” Goose asked mildly.

“I know yer don’t!

We’ll have Joe, here, examine the fillets, jist to make sure they ain’t no hanky panky.”

“Joe’s a friend of yours. Not that he wouldn’t be impartial,” Goose hurried to say as Joe scowled.

“But we need an impartial judge. Hey, Eben!”

The fat storekeeper looked up with a start, a can of beets in the other hand.

“Huh? What?”

“You know a dressed pickerel fillet when you see one?” asked Goose.

Eben scowled. “Jist you flop ‘um out here an’ see!”

“Chowder and I are going to have a little friendly competition. I bet him I’d produce some bigger pickerel fillets at the church fish fry Saturday night than he does. We need a judge.”

“Why don’t you jist pay him the $20 dollars now and save the hassle?”

Eben asked with a smirk.

Chowder looked up at him with a grateful smile.

“Never you mind,” Goose replied, frowning.

“All we want to know is if you can tell a pickerel fillet so that chowder, or some of his friends,” he looked meaningfully at me and Joe, “don’t try to sneak in some other kind of fillet.”

“I guess I kin tell a pickerel fillet, all right,” Eben said indignantly. “I’ll be there right on time Saturday night to see Chowd take yer money!”

As me and Joe trudged home through the deepening cold, I thoughta bout the challenge. “What was

Northwoods Sporting Journal that all about?” I looked at Joe from beneath the hood of my parka.

“I dunno,” he replied, a thoughtful look on his face. “We both know Chowder Bragg kin fish circles arount Goose Pritchard. An’ what’s more, I ‘spect Goose knows it too.

He’s always been a little underhanded. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had somethin’ shady up his sleeve.” “ T h a t ’s w h a t I thought, but what could it be? Eben’s judging the contest.”

“Like I say, I dunno.

Gotta think about it.”

All that week the two contestants went fishing.

As word got around town, people began to keep track of their movements.

Chowder fished all over, from Bog Pond to Alder Flowage, to The Lake Where The Woman Drowned. Goose, on the other hand, seemed to concentrate solely on the coves and backwaters of the Little Salt Pork River just a short distance from town.

Chowder, everyone agreed, caught a lot of pickerel and some of them were quite large, easily topping 25 inches. Goose caught some pickerel but they all appeared to be small and skinny. He seemed unperturbed, quitting the river by noon each day to watch television and work at his

home computer business.

By Friday me and Joe had come no closer to understanding Goose’s scheme. We sat in the Five N’ Diner at noon, drinking coffee and watching the passersby on the street outside.

“I still don’t understand it.” I looked sourly at my coffee cup. “He’s got to have something up his sleeve. I hear he’s been taking bets on the contest from anyone who wants to wager. Ten to one odds. Everybody’s betting on Chowder, but Goose doesn’t seem concerned.

Just keeps on covering the bets.”

“Yuh,’ Joe said absently. He was staring out the window. “Say, aint that Goose’s brother, Drake?”

I looked across the street to where a tall, gangly man was emerging from Goose’s house. He looked furtively in both directions before climbing into a minivan. Starting the vehicle, he drove slowly off down the street.

“Huh…didn’t even know he was in town. Must be headed back down to Belgrade.”

“Thet’s where he lives, huh, Belgrade?” Joe asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah. He works in Augusta. Some government job.”

Portland

Page 17

“Hmmmm.” Joe seemed to be thinking hard.

“Ain’t Long Pond in Belgrade?”

“Yeah, I guess it is.

One of the Long Ponds, anyway.”

“An’ aint Long Pond chock a’ block full o’ monster northern pike?” he continued.

My eyes widened as understanding came. “No! You don’t think Goose would try to enter pike fillets in the contest?”

“Why not? Same family. Once you’ve got the skin off the fillets it’d take a biologist to tell the difference.”

“But he can’t do that!”

I stood up. “We’ve got to tell somebody…Pinch Brody, a biologist, somebody!”

“Easy,” Joe held up a restraining hand. “Let me think on it a mite.” I sat down reluctantly and fidgeted in my seat for a full five minutes. Finally the thoughtful look on his face disappeared and he nodded his head in apparent decision.

“Okay,” he said, getting up from his chair.

“Let’s go see Chowder, but mind, don’t say anything about the pike.”

We found Chowder at a rough-hewn table outside his cabin, busily filleting pickerel.

“How you boys doin’” he asked with a grin.

“Fine, just fine, Chowd,” I replied. “How goes the contest?”

“Oh great!” He smoothly sliced a fillet free of the backbone and started to slide the knife between skin and meat. “I got me some real big fillets on ice.” He must have caught my doubtful look as I stared at the small fish he was working on.

“Oh, the big ones are inside,” he said, dropping the skin into a pail. “But they need a lot of pickerel for the fish fry tomorrow night. Size don’t matter much for that.”

“Say, Chowd,” Joe said nonchalantly. “How’d you like to catch a real big pickerel?”

“Well, like I say, Joe,” Chowder said uncertainly, fillet knife poised in the air. “I got me some real big fillets inside, an’…”

“I mean a real big p i c k e r e l . A m o n s t e r.

Wouldn’t that really put (Me & Joe cont. pg 23)

HELP US FIND

The elusive Northwoods Sporting Journal’s moose Marty.

He has wandered into the northwoods.

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

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

Shown actual size

Douglas Adamson

Name

(Marty was found on pg 51)

Address City

Marty

State

Phone I found Marty on page

Zip

Entries must be postmarked by 7/12/24 to be eligible for this issue.

Page 18

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Jack Whitman has led a wild life. Growing up in McCall, Idaho, most of his early life was spent hunting, fishing and trapping in one of the best playgrounds a boy could ask for. From an early age, it was clear that Jack was drawn to sci-

in the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area, studying various raptors.

The early raptor research work cemented the idea that Jack was drawn to science, and he continued on with mountain lion research, vegetation and

erything and moved to Alaska. Of course, the state doesn’t hire non-residents, so you have to start at the bottom. For Jack, the bottom was establishing residency and working at a sporting goods store in Anchorage. That got old pretty quick, so he did something pretty bold. He walked into the Fish and Game office where the supervisor had previously told him he’d

ence. He spent countless hours collecting wildlife specimens and boiling down and cleaning their skulls, and became active in falconry. A friend, Dr. Maurice Hornocker, happened to be the leader of the Idaho Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at the university, and got Jack started with a summer job

habitat surveys, bat identification, and predator work which included tracking badgers, denning for coyotes, and a Master’s study on mink and otter.

With a degree in hand and a strong desire to work with predators, Jack took the leap that many of us consider but few follow through with. He sold ev-

have no problem getting a job, and told them he was there to volunteer. Almost immediately, he was processing and aging grizzly bear teeth. A week later, the boss walked in and offered him a job.

A biologist with Alaska Fish and Game, folks all around you, and particularly in Jack Whit- one of the most beautiful man’s generation, was truly and vast places to work

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With a degree in hand and a strong desire to work with predators, Jack took the leap that many of us consider but few follow through with. He sold everything and moved to Alaska.

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in the world. What more could you ask for?

After a few years working out of Glenallen on the proposed Susitna River hydroelectric project, Jack transitioned to the regional wildlife biologist position in McGrath, a tiny village of less than 300 on the Kuskokwim River, comp l e t e l y o ff the road system. He had learned to fly and did much o f h i s s u rvey work by plane, including tracking and counting moose, bears, wolves and other game species. He also ran a remote trapline by plane.

After two decades with Fish and Game, Jack retired and returned to Idaho. But that hasn’t slowed him down. Interestingly, much of Jack’s research, both during his career and nowadays, was done on his own time purely out of personal interest and curiosity. Now that’s a true scientist! In his own words, “One gets out of life what one puts into it”, and he’s certainly put in a whole lot in just a few decades.

That’s what makes Jack Whitman’s book, “Wild Life: The Evolution and Misadventures of a Naturalist” so enjoyable to read.

Those who live fully have no shortage of stories to tell.

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July 2024

News (Cont. from pg 13) tions, and knowing when it’s time to turn back,” said Fish and Game Law Enforcement Chief Colonel Kevin Jordan. “Some locations at higher elevations are still holding snow and may require microspikes or even snowshoes to cross.

It is imperative that people enjoying New Hampshire’s natural resources exercise a high degree of caution.

Unsafe and irresponsible behavior also puts first responders at extreme risk of injury.”

Colonel Jordan strongly recommends that hikers and outdoor enthusiasts be prepared by carrying with them the 10 essentials for changeable weather conditions and unanticipated emergencies which include: Map Compass Warm clothing: Sweater or fleece jacket Long pants (wool or synthetic) Hat (wool) Extra food and water Flashlight or headlamp Matches/firestarters First aid kit/repair kit Whistle Rain/wind jacket and pants Pocket knife Read more about safe hiking at www.wildnh. com/outdoor-recreation/ hiking-safety.html.

2024 Hike Safe cards cost $25 for an individual, or $35 for a family, and are good for the calendar year ending December 31, 2023. The price is the same for both residents and nonresidents.

Cards can be purchased online at www.

Northwoods Sporting Journal wildnh.com/safe and at New Hampshire Fish and Game Department Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH. Purchasing a hunting or fishing license also provides you with the same protection as a Hike Safe card. In addition to Hike Safe card revenues, Fish and Game’s Search and Rescue Fund is supported by a $1 fee collected for each boat, snowmobile, and OHRV registered in New Hampshire.

It’s your responsibility to hike safe. Be sure to follow the hiker responsibility

code by being knowledgeable about where you are going and what the local weather and terrain conditions will be, leaving your plans with someone, turning back in inclement weather or if you are running out of daylight, and planning for emergencies. Visit www.hikesafe. com for more information.

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Hampshire hunting seasons as summarized by New Hampshire Fish and Game Department wildlife biologists. This annual publication provides a complete analysis of hunting season statistics, including information organized by town and by Wildlife Management Unit (WMU).

The 2023 NH Wildlife Harvest Summary is now available online at https:// www.wildlife.nh.gov/hunting-nh/hunting-reportsharvest-summaries. A limited number of printed copies will be available in late May at New Hampshire

Fish and Game Department headquarters in Concord and at regional Fish and Game offices in Durham, New Hampton, Lancaster, and Keene.

New Hampshire’s 2023 deer season resulted in harvest of 13,136 cervids, and was the fifth highest in state history since 1922. Similarly, the adult (antlered) buck harvest of 8,295 was the second highest documented in the state during that same time period. Archers took 4,062 deer, the youth weekend accounted for 249 animals, (News cont. pg 68)

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Aroostook Woods & Water

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Mike Maynard, Perham, ME So, back in May the state of Texas killed off an entire ranch full of deer, 250 of them. The reason for the euthanasia festival was sound; the herd was lousy with CWD. That’s ‘chronic wasting disease’ to you and me. Obviously, the owner of the ranch, Robert

his own herd, and it hadn’t killed him yet. Somebody should have mentioned to Bob that it was about the deer dying, not him.

CWD hasn’t killed anyone yet, but it sure does a number on any cervid it encounters. Like whirling disease in trout, CWD

We’ve been lucky, you and I, to live where we do. We don’t see a lot of ‘traffic’ headed up here for hunting or fishing. We don’t have a lot of deer, and we protect our native fish populations with a fervor bordering on the fanatical.

Williams, was not a happy camper. Williams had been fighting Texas wildlife officials for over three years in an attempt to stop the destruction of his herd.

Williams was an avowed CWD denier and said he regularly ate venison from

has no cure; everything it touches will die. Deer farms like the one Williams operated, raise monster bucks which they then sell to high-fence ‘wild’ game parks. A high-fence hunt will cost you a bloody fortune; the deer and their

Slice of Heaven

sky-scraper racks fetching thousands upon thousands of dollars. Should one of Williams’ infected deer be introduced to another herd, or God-forbid, get loose in the wild, it would be devastating. As it is now, any farm that has been found to be infected with CWD must euthanize all of its animals immediately, and then sterilize all the topsoil where the deer were kept.

BSE, ‘mad cow disease’ (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, for people who like tongue twisters), is a cousin to CWD. BSE and CWD are caused by a rogue protein called a prion. It kills slowly, by neurodegeneration; prions basically turn the brain into a gloppy porridge. Biologists nation-wide are unambiguous about the deadly seriousness of CWD, calling it the single greatest threat to all of the north American cervids. The cervid family includes deer, moose, elk,

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and caribou.

Most of us who have lived in Maine for the better portion of our lives will have heard about the attempts to reintroduce the woodland caribou back into northern Maine. The woodland caribou once thrived here, but they were all shot out by the early 20th century. The last legal caribou taken, interest-

ingly enough, was shot by Cornelia ‘Fly Rod’ Crosby.

The last remnants of this once great herd were seen for the last time at the base of Katahdin in 1914. Reintroductions have failed.

The attempts were always plagued by an evil little critter called a neurotropic nematode; a brain worm.

(Heaven cont. pg 21)

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Heaven (Cont. from pg 20) It still exists in the wild today, and the caribou are extremely susceptible to it.

White tail deer are hosts to the brain worm and are largely immune to its devastating effects. Moose and caribou are not. Eating brain-worm infected venison poses no danger to humans as there is no way for the brain worm to make the jump. Whereas mad cow has made the jump to humans, and CWD may at some point; the pathology is virtually the same.

Everyone in these pages is familiar with the fishy version of this wildlife apocalypse: Whirling disease. Whirling disease affects salmonids, and that family also includes American Whitefish. As with all of the horrors I’ve already mentioned, whirling disease has no cure. Once it gets into a watershed the fish are toast. Owing to its self-proclaimed number one spot in the hierarchy of destination trout fishing in the United States, we’ve all been programmed to think whirling disease mani-

fested itself in Colorado.

It actually first appeared in Pennsylvania in 1956.

People in Pennsylvania are more than happy to let Colorado claim the mantle of ‘Home to Whirling Disease’.

We’ve been lucky, you and I, to live where we do. We don’t see a lot of ‘traffic’ headed up here for hunting or fishing. We don’t have a lot of deer, and we protect our native fish populations with a fervor bordering on the fanatical.

We don’t have rainbows, or browns; we have brookies and salmon. If you require more variety in your creel, go to the aforementioned Colorado; they like fishing tourists there. Unfortunately, whirling disease, like BSE and CWD, is creeping north. Whirling disease was found in Tennessee in 2019. Biologically speaking, Tennessee is only a hop, skip, and a jump down the road.

On a less fatal note, but still monstrously invasive, destructive and really icky, is Didymosphenia geminate. Didymo.

Rock Snot. Eeeeew! Yuck!

Gross…, but it won’t kill

you. What it will do given enough time, is completely obliterate the native organic substrate of our streams and rivers.

Its spread throughout a watershed will eventually push all the fish out of the stream because there will be no viable plant growth to harbor and sustain the insect life that is necessary for fish to survive.

The state of Maine says rock snot isn’t here yet, a statement I find myopic, at best. Rock snot is prevalent in the upper Connecticut, including Pittsburg, and the

Androscoggin watersheds on the border with Maine.

It is also found in Quebec and New Brunswick. We’re surrounded, Maine wildlife officials just haven’t been looking hard enough.

My point is, we have to be hyper-vigilant if we are to preserve the little slice of heaven that we have here in the County.

And heaven it truly is

Mike Maynard can be reached at perhamtrout@ gmail.com

Aroostook County

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Page 22

Maple Country Outdoors

I’ve been doing a lot of fishing with my kids this spring. As many parents will agree, this can be a real test of patience, both for children and adults. I am the proud father of two

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Ben Wilcox, Essex, VT

also to build lifetime fishing buddies. I’ve learned that to get the kids to enjoy fly fishing, they first must just enjoy fishing. Kids do not care whether they are fly fishing, spin fishing or

July 2024

Introducing Fly Fishing to Kids they were both probably only a year or two old, and found out the girls don’t care what they were fishing with.

I’ve since learned with my son, and waited to give him his own fly rod when he began asking for one. On his 5th birthday I gave him 3 wt rod and he

worm, on one of those spinner hooks, everything bites a real worm! Besides, three little kids attempting to cast fly rods on a 17’ boat is a real recipe for a hook to the eye. The problem I found

and sunfish from our dock and often nice bass. I can’t even tell you how many worms we have bought over the past 3-4 years!

When we are on the boat I always bring my fly rod

In fact, I cared so much I bought each of my daughters fly rods when they were both probably only a year or two old, and found out the girls don’t care what they were fishing with.

girls aged 8 and 7, and a boy aged 5. I began bringing them in backpacks, wading rivers from the time they were about a year old, maybe less. One of my dreams is for the entire family to take yearly fly fishing trips together, and

bait fishing. As long as they are fishing and having fun is all that matters. Adults are the ones who care too much about the fly fishing part, myself included.

In fact, I cared so much I bought each of my daughters fly rods when

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was so excited. For most young kid’s, fishing is fishing, even if they asked for a fly rod for their birthday.

Keep that in mind when you are getting your future fly fishers out.

I soon realized that if we are going to have consistent success and fun, I needed to adapt. With each extra kid things got more difficult. I soon stopped worrying about the fly rod or flies, and focused more on lakes than rivers. Fishing from our boat or dock became the easiest to manage. If a kid wants to use a fly rod, I’ll often have them troll the fly rod with a live

The author’s 7 year old, with her biggest fish to date. Caught trolling a spinning rod. The entire crew was excited. with trolling fly rods is that and take some casts from its harder for children to the front while controlling reel fast enough or manage the trolling motor. I want stripping line effectively, them to see the effectiveand the fish sometimes ness of the fly rod and I come off. Thus, we began always pass the rod to one fishing spin rods more and of them. The more they see more. I even bought myself dad or mom fly fishing the more they have an interest one.

The kids can now all in learning themselves, cast spin rods decently especially if the fly rod out well. They catch almost fishes the spin gear. I’m unlimited amounts of perch seeing them want to try the fly rod a bit more in the last few years, so we are movCabins ing in the right direction.

Campground I also make it a point to take each kid to a river Restaurant ” Bowling Alley fly fishing 1 on 1 as much y a l P Boat Rentals as I can, which is never as e to c much as I’d like. It’s here a l eP h T where we work on their “ casting, and connect, alone on a river. These sessions never last long. I always bring them to a location that has been stocked and we keep a few stockies if they choose. My preferred set up for the kids river fishing is a lightweight 10’

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(Kids cont. pg 50)

July 2024

Me & Joe (Cont. from pg 17) ol’ Goose in his place?”

“You know where they is one?” Chowder asked, an eager light coming into his eyes.

“I might,” Joe replied.

“I jist might. You ever fish Jug Pond?”

Chowder frowned. “I didn’t know they was any pickerel in Jug Pond.”

“Oh they ain’t many.

Jist a few. But them few is monsters!”

“Really?” Chowder asked eagerly. Then his face fell. “But Jug Pond’s a long way an’ my snowmobile is broke down.”

“We’ll take you in ourselves. First thing in the mornin’. You be ready at daylight.” Joe said.

Early the next morning we were boring holes in the thick ice covering on Jug Pond.

“That’s an awful big auger blade, ain’t it Joe,” Chowder asked as Joe finished the last hole.

“Ten-incher, but we want to be sure you kin git a big fish up through the hole.”

Chowder nodded in agreement and bent over the bait pail. “To ketch a big fish you need big bait,” he said, pulling a chub fully eight inches long from the pail and pushing a big hook through the flesh below the dorsal fin. He dropped the chub through the first hole and repeated the procedure and the next four.

Me and Joe sat back on the snowmobiles to wait. Chowder wandered busily from one trap to the next, checking bait, clearing ice from the holes, and jigging the lines. Hours went by. Finally, he wandered over to where we sat.

Northwoods Sporting Journal “Gee, Joe, I guess they just ain’t biting. You sure they’s some big pickerel in this pond?”

“All I know is last summer I seen the biggest fish I ever…”

“Flag!” I shouted.

Chowder snapped around to see the flag on the furthest trap waving jauntily in the breeze. He dashed over and peered down the hole. Me and Joe were close behind. Just beneath the surface the reel was unwinding frantically.

“Got ter let ‘im take it…let ‘im take it…”

Chowder said frantically.

Suddenly, the reel stopped moving. Slowly, carefully, Chowder lifted the trap from the water and set it on the ice. Taking the line in one hand, he gave it a sharp tug. It was like pulling against a stone wall.

“Gee, guys, I think maybe it got caught up on a stump or a…” With a jerk, the line began to burn through his hand.

“Oh lordy! I got a big one on! I got a big one!”

“Careful, Chowd!

Careful! Work ‘im easy!”

Joe shouted as he picked up the trap and reeled off line for Chowder to play out.

The fight lasted for a full ten minutes and right up until the end the issue was still in doubt. Finally, Chowder knelt and shoved an arm down the hole, grasped the gills, and pulled a monster of a fish out onto the ice.

“Lookit ‘im!” he panted as the big fish flopped and twisted in the snow.

“That’s the biggest pickerel I ever hope to lay eyes on! Say, what’s that on his sides?”

“That’s jist from the reeds in the pond,” Joe said hastily. “You know how a

fish takes on the camouflage of where he lives.

That’s where the vertical bars come from. Say, look at them teeth!” he said, by way of distraction. Joe looked at me in relief as Chowder bent down to examine the long teeth poking from the gaping jaws. “ B o y, ” C h o w d e r breathed reverently, “I got to get me a bigger fillet knife!”

That night it seemed like the whole town was crowded into the Congregational church dining room. As me, Joe and Chowder walked in, Goose looked up from a table with a triumphant grin. Before him, lying on a bed of aluminum foil, lay a pair of fillets, each nearly two feet long.

“I’ll take that $20 bucks now, Chowd,” he said with a smirk. “ F u n n y, G o o s e , ” Chowder said happily, “that’s jist what I was gonna say!” Setting the heavy pack he was carrying on the floor, he pulled out a huge plastic bag, tipped it onto the table, and spilled out a pair of fillets nearly three feet long. In length, breadth and thickness, they dwarfed the fillets arranged alongside.

Goose’s jaw dropped.

“But…but…that can’t be!

No pickerel in the state

could be that big!”

“Eben,” joe said.

“You’re the judge. What do yer think?”

Eben Ramdown moved forward and stared down at the array of huge fillets. He examined each one critically. “You kin see the long area where the ribs were. No trout or salmon got a ribcage that long Here’s where the anal an’ dorsal fins were.

No other fish got ‘um so far back. He ran a critical hand down each fillet.

“An’ here’s the clincher.

You kin feel the ends of the Y-bones stickin’ out by the lateral lines. Yep, they’s all pickerel.” He grinned effusively. “Chowd, looks like yer the winner!”

“But that’s not possible!” Goose said angrily.

“You’ve tried to sneak in…”

“If you want, Goose,” Joe broke in quietly. “We can have a biologist examine all the fillets to verify that they’re pickerel.”

“Goose stared at him in dismay. “No, that’s not necessary,” He turned to Chowder with a sicky grin.

“Here, Chowd, here’s your $20 dollars.” He held out a bill that Chowder quickly snached. Suddenly, nearly a dozen men stepped out of the crowd.

“Thet’s jist great, Goose,” Dim Grady said

Page 23 ominously. “Now maybe you kin pay off the rest of us thet bet on Chowd.”

As Chowder accepted the congratulations of numerous citizens and Goose disappeared in a circle of men demanding payment, I looked at Joe. “It took me a while to figure it out. I finally looked at a DeLorme’s map book. Jug Stream runs down into the upper St. John River.”

“An’ the upper St. John has a long of really big Muskellunge in it,” Joe finished. “Like I said, last summer I saw a really big Musky swirl on the surface of Jug Pond. I figured if Goose was gonna play that kind of game, we’d play by his rules.”

I grinned. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen Chowd so happy. I think his reputation is solid forever.”

“Yeah, well,” Joe said as he picked up a plant from a stack nearby. “From what I hear, both pike an’ muskies are great eatin’.

Let’s git in line. I don’t think we’re ever gonna see another Congregational church fish fry as good as this one.”

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 24

Young Blood

The sunlight was turning orange. Sunset. I hurried down the field, carrying three turkey decoys with me. Before long there would be a few hens feeding in the field next door, and I wanted to disappear before they showed up.

This year, I was fully re-

into my lap. The little voice inside me said to shut up,

by Jake Guay, but I obviously ignored it Phillips, ME and yelped some, and tried clucking. That developed Dynamite’s brother), in into a bunch of cutting, the center of my shooting which I supposed was aplane. I sat down, hidden propriate if I was imperby a roosting pine’s lowsweeping branch, and got as comfortable as possible.

I grabbed my phone and checked the time. At 6:07 p.m. I messaged Papa, who was watching from

My phone buzzed. Papa: Two hens in adjacent field, feeding now. If a tom showed up, the hens would likely persuade him to join for the night, and consequently, walk right into my lap. The little voice inside me said to shut up, but I obviously ignored it and yelped some, and tried clucking. sponsible if I screwed up my hunt. I was matching wits with Maine’s obscure wild turkey, and for the first time in my life, I was flying solo. I dropped all the decoys on the ground and proceeded to position them. I placed the hens where they could be seen from the other field, and my brand-new Flextone Funky Chicken, affectionately named Kip (after Napoleon

Milford

Flying Solo

about 300 yards uphill in his living room. Me: In position. Me: perhaps too late… Me: But I’m here. Papa: Excellent A few minutes passed. I had the birds’ circadian rhythms working in my favor, so really my calls didn’t affect much. For about 45 minutes, I watched and listened. Cars drove by in the distance, and somewhere a cow mooed, but otherwise the field was empty.

My phone buzzed.

Papa: Two hens in adjacent field, feeding now. If a tom showed up, the hens would likely persuade him to join for the night, and consequently, walk right

sonating hens who were freaking out about a new jake on the scene. I knew I had to be conservative with calling, so the next time I got the urge to yelp, I texted Papa instead. Me: I see nothing and hear nothing Papa: sit tight. Hens are still feeding. Three minutes passed. Papa: I think two are headed to roost. Lost sight of them. Two minutes later, I reported my sightings: Me: No visual indication yet. I began watching patiently, and kept at it for 10 minutes. Nothing.

Wanting to call again, I messaged Papa. Me: What do you see now?

Papa: Hens back out in other field. Papa: They’re most likely going to roost where you are. Me: Sure

July 2024

hope so. I set my phone down and sighed. Rolling my head to look at the field beyond the wall of trees, I saw a dark blob (gotta love those dark blobs… or hate ‘em, depending on what they are) wafting

Papa: He’s breeding a hen, heading your way I set my phone down and in my periphery, a tom in full strut was hoofing it towards Kip like his life depended on it.

That was true enough, but he got the direction part all

slowly, almost like a leaf in the wind. I found the blob and focused on it with my monocular. It was a bird. a male bird. Strutting. With a snow-white head. I stuffed a diaphragm call into my mouth and picked up my phone to tell Papa. I made sure I remembered to turn caps lock on (for emphasis), and proceeded to type, in all its simple elegance: Me: TOM Papa: Gobbling?

Me: NO Me: STRUTTING Those hens were planning to roost in the tree that I was disguised underneath.

If I didn’t mess up, that bird was coming with them. He was going to see my derpy Jake decoy, and he was not going to be able to resist the urge to beat the living snot out of it. I made a kee-kee yelp, then texted Papa again. Me: That’s a dead bird. Me: He’s in the other field. Me: henned up Me: but he’ll come with the ladies. Papa: I see him Me: I lost sight, but I know he’s close. Watch the field I’m in. There was a rustling noise on the other side of the field. Papa texted me.

wrong. My head was buzzing. I turned off my safety, and tried to stop the bird.

“Maaap.” No response.

“MAAaaap.” Nothing. He was totally zeroed in on Kip. “MAAAAAP.” That was his last chance. I pulled the trigger. He rolled like a stuffed animal. My ears rang, and silence came after. There he was, a motionless heap of gray that matched the post-sunset sky. I racked the pump.

He didn’t get up. I racked the pump again. Slowly, I walked up to the bird. I picked him up, draped his feet over my shoulder, and carried him home, and for the first time ever, I did it all by myself.

Jacob Guay is a homeschooled teen who loves creation as much as he loves to write. In 2020, he made the MASTC record books with a spring tom scoring 68.375. Curious readers can learn more by emailing him at jaguay26@gmail.com

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Does Scent Make Sense?

The fishing industry has finally produced an attractant that not only increases your opportunity for enticing additional bites, it also doesn’t stink, soil your carpet or clothing…Nor does it contain an oily based component.

Championship.

BaitFuel Supercharged attractant has been available for both freshwater and saltwater in a bottle container called BaitFuel Gel Fish Attractant. Additionally, there are available BaitFuel Injector

Picture of the new BaitFuel Stick Attractant.

If you’re an avid follower of major bass fishing tournaments, then you may have already heard of BaitFuel’s powerful attractants and taste enhancers?

If not, then you missed Bassmaster’s 2024 Classic Champion Justin Hamner revealing how BaitFuel’s new Hardbait Stick formula gave Hamner the confidence to go wire-towire winning the biggest B.A.S.S. tournament. The Bassmaster Classic World

Kits Freshwater Fish Attractant or Saltwater Fish Attractant. The injector kit allows anglers to insert BaitFuel into any soft plastic bait. www.BaitFuel.com Hooking up with Major League Fishing Pro Greg Vinson was like taking another college course.

This time it begins in the chemistry lab and ends on the water. With over a million dollars in career winning from fishing bass tournaments, Greg is a

serious conscious angler always striving to understand triggering impulses of the Black Bass! My question seemed simple and straight forward I stated, “Greg, tell me honestly does it make sense as a Professional Bass Angler to apply fish scent to your artificial lures?”

Looking me straight in the eyes, Vinson smiled and replied, “Well, does it make sense to catch fish when you go fishing?”

“Of course, it does’” I answered. Placing several baits on the deck of his Phoenix bass boat he began his tutorial on BaitFuel.

For many years I knew science had been involved trying to justify a fish attractant. One that would stay within the same depth as the fish. Sending an appealing natural scent to the fish’s olfactory glands, thus enticing the fish to eat your artificial bait.

Vinson proceeded, “These baits are SUPERCHARGED with F.A.S.T. BaitFuel. Fish Active Scent Technology. Scientifically engineered to stimulate a fish’s predator instinct.

BaitFuel provokes key predator aggression habits in fish stimulating more bites and longer hold times for your bait. One very unique factor of BaitFuel is it creates a scent cloud behind your bait. This in

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Page 25

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by Bill Decoteau, Hampden, MA turn increases your strike zone enticing additional bass within the area.”

BaitFuel was developed by Dr. Bruce Tufts and Connor Elliot, unlike other attractants BaitFuel is water based with compounds fish actually

work the BaitFuel Gel into the soft plastics. The Gel allows my bait to slide easily on docks, rocks, matted vegetation, allowing me to make a slow smooth stealth entry into the water. With the extra bonus of BaitFuel F.A.S.T. emitting clouds

BaitFuel Supercharged attractant has been available for both freshwater and saltwater in a bottle container called BaitFuel Gel Fish Attractant.

Additionally, there are available BaitFuel Injector Kits Freshwater Fish Attractant or Saltwater Fish Attractant. eat, therefore developing positive reactions for both smell receptors and taste receptors. “Once the bait is emersed into the water the BaitFuel compound begins to slowly disperse its attractants and taste enhancers enticing fish within that area to check it out.”

As I listened intently to Greg’s applications as well as pre-tournament preparation it became more obvious this Alabama Professional Bass Angler had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“The Gel liquid BaitFuel works great for flipping or pitching. I’ll put my plastic trailers in a plastic Ziplock bag adding only 3-5 drops of the BaitFuel Gel. Once I Zip the bag close, I’ll

of enticing scents from my bait.”

So, where does the new BaitFuel Hardbait Stick Scent come into this scenario? Vinson answered, “That’s a excellent question. The BaitFuel Gel disperses taste and smell enhancers just as the new BaitFuel Hardbait Stick does. The difference is within the formula the Gel of course is in a liquid state, while the new Hardbait Stick is similar to a paste.

Take into consideration the name itself ‘Hard-Bait Stick”. While the Gel formula works, you have to keep applying the gel as its water based and between dripping off the hard bait (Scent cont. pg 29)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 26

On Point

by Paul Fuller, Durham, N.H. Susan and I began thinking about a new puppy about one year ago. Our GSP lineup at the time was Dena at 12, Cordie seven and Blaze at six. Recognizing that it takes at least three years to develop a decent pointing dog, the search for a new puppy had

litter. After investigating puppy transportation options, we decided to look locally.

There were two kennels in Maine we were originally considering.

Merrymeeting Kennels in Brunswick is very wellknown for quality GSP pup-

A New Puppy

Autumn kennels did not match our schedule for developing a puppy.

Suddenly, something magic happened. Linda Ewen at Fenton River Kennels in Wiscasset, Maine, posted on Facebook that she had one puppy remaining from her recent litter.

In the recent past, Susan has witnessed Linda’s dogs and puppies do outstanding work at NAVHDA train-

July 2024

Both Susan and I were very impressed with the puppy’s alertness, boldness and even using his nose. There were many positives for an eight-week old puppy.

modating and said “yes”.

The following day we told Linda “yes”, we’ll take the puppy.

So, on May 17th, we loaded the dogs and headed

However, to make sure we were making a decision based on puppy quality and not emotion, we asked Linda if we could have a day before committing.

Linda was very accom-

back to Wiscasset to pick up our puppy, Mac. In Linda’s yard, we introduced Mac to Dena, Cordie and Blaze. Introductions went fine, although the older dogs simply ignored the little guy. They thought “surely this little pest has nothing to do with us”.

They were in for a surprise.

The little guy (Mac) came home with us. We had our puppy.

As I write this column, little Mac has been with us for two weeks. We’re very pleased with the little guy.

Initially, the older dogs simply ignored him. Or, if Mac got too close to any of them, they growled and Mac hit the dirt. However, Mac is very bold so he kept trying to make friends.

Finally, Cordie allowed a nose touch. The same with Blaze. Very little contact with the old lady (Dena), however, no snapping or

Of course, just visiting a puppy never works. You immediately fall in love with the little bundles of fur. And that’s what happened with this puppy. Both Susan and I were very impressed with the puppy’s alertness, boldness and even using his nose. better begin. Here’s how we decided on a puppy.

We had a great result with Dena’s breeding to a Top Gun Kennel sire. That breeding gave us Cordie.

Top Gun Kennel is located in Iowa. Steve and Jodi Ries are proprietors of Top Gun Kennel. Although they have a wait list arm’s length, they promised us a puppy from an upcoming

pies. Owned by Blaine and Patti Carter, due to being a hunting family, their puppies are in great demand.

Another Maine breeder is Christine Schmidt at Autumn Kennels. Combining both bench quality and hunting backgrounds, Christine’s litters are also in great demand. However, the breeding schedule for both Merrymeeting and

ing and tests. So, Susan contacted Linda and asked if we could come to the kennel and see and meet the puppy. A date and time was established and off we went to Wiscasset, Maine.

Of course, just visiting a puppy never works.

You immediately fall in love with the little bundles of fur. And that’s what happened with this puppy.

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(Puppy cont. pg 30)

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Artifacts 101

There’s a solid chance you have probably seen an arrowhead. Maybe one from your grandfather’s small collection that’s stowed away in a shoe

some “sign” I was fortunate to recover several artifacts.

Artifact hunting quickly became a passion.

Having an eye for artifacts takes practice and

just a small percentage of the stone tools indigenous people produced. True arrowheads were some of the newest technologies for native peoples here in North America, just before European contact. Experts believe the peopling of North America occurred around ~15,000 BP (before present), and the use

Page 27

Angling, Antlers & Artifacts

By Jake Scoville, Machiasport, ME

where you’ll find sites with artifacts. Most towns and cities are located along waterways and perhaps hold a native site. Many camps and campsites along major rivers could very well have been occupied as well. The

the artifacts in my collection, at prime hunting and fishing locations. Maybe this is just a bit of coincidence, but I have killed not one, but two deer, in the same locations where I received permission to

A few years ago, I heard rumors of people finding arrowheads here in Downeast, Maine. I decided to spend a chunk of my free time looking, which meant I’d start staring at the ground almost daily.

box somewhere. That was my first exposure to an artifact made by ancient indigenous people. My great-grandfather had a collection handed down through the family by his uncle. Those artifacts were collected off the islands of Boothbay Harbor in the late 1800s. I was amazed by those pieces, and I struggled to put them down whenever my father showed me them. I never really figured it would be possible to find one myself.

A few years ago, I heard rumors of people finding arrowheads here in Downeast, Maine. I decided to spend a chunk of my free time looking, which meant I’d start staring at the ground almost daily. A couple of old-timers gave me some pointers on places to check and once I found

patience because most ancient tools are not easily recognizable to the untrained eye. Not to mention the vast majority are broken. A true “arrowhead” is, in fact, rare and makes up

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of bows and arrows didn’t show up in archaeological records until about ~2,000 BP. It’s more likely to find knives, scrapers, blades, and other projectile points.

“Arrowhead” is now typically used as a slang term for any stone tool that has edge work that forms into a point.

It’s no secret that native people inhabited the lands along most of Maine’s waterways. Utilizing rivers and streams as travel corridors and taking advantage of the ocean’s bounty. Naturally, that’s

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best places to camp are likely no different today than they were a few thousand years ago. But just because you walk along a riverbank or beach, doesn’t mean you’ll stumble upon artifacts.

There is no question that the indigenous people of Maine were proficient hunters and anglers. Fittingly, I have found most of

“hunt” for artifacts.

Although I have a few hundred pieces on display now, one artifact will forever be etched into my memory and will be next to impossible to top. It was a hot, 75-degree May afternoon and I was debating on whether I should try to fill a turkey tag or hike into my favorite trout (Artifacts cont. pg 29)

North Maine Woods

Page 28

Women In The Woods

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Erin Merrill, Portland, ME When you see the first decent buck on camera, do you name him? What about a certain moose with a unique antler or a bear with a white patch. If you do name them, is it something generic like ‘Dibs’ or ‘Split tine’ or is it more specific?

By naming these animals,

Bambi and Bambi’s mother. Disney did us no favors in how they have portrayed hunters; almost every villain is a hunter including Gaston in Beauty in the Beast and Amos Slade.

The general public still believes that we use the same bear traps as Amos did in

Should We Name Wild Animals?

a wild animal and then receive a profile card and seasonal update on the animal. Similar to an adoption program, it creates a false identity for the animal that leads the person to think of them as closer to a pet than wild animal. Ethical hunters always have the goal of killing a mature animal (without small babies), re-

Recently, there was a post on social media about donating to a program that would allow you to name a wild animal and then receive a profile card and seasonal update on the animal that leads the person to think of them as closer to a pet than wild animal.

we are creating a pseudo relationship with them.

Are we anthropomorphizing them? And does that help or hurt us with the non hunting public?

As hunters, we have all had a moment when someone has referenced

The Fox and The Hound, with the massive teeth than clamp down. We are constantly fighting to define our image as hunters.

Recently, there was a post on social media about donating to a program that would allow you to name

July 2024

gardless of if it is a male or female animal. Imagine the reaction someone would have when they learn that ‘their’ animal was hunted and killed. We have seen stories from across the world where a community has a ‘pet’ animal that they

have named and take care of but remains wild and at large. It seems like during these stories, inevitably, a hunter has killed their ‘beloved’ pet. Imagine the public outcry and media attention we would get if this happened more frequently.

Even though it would be completely legal to do so,

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the public perception can be damning.

If we support programs that apply human characteristics and emotions to wild animals, we are creating more of a divide between hunters and non/anti hunters than what we currently deal with.

We do ourselves and others a disservice when we promote this. We face so many challenges in a society that sees hunter numbers declining. We need all of the support that we can get, for every hunter and every kind of hunting method we have. Turning wild animals into creatures that think, feel and interact the same way we do, cre(Wild cont. pg 30)

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Pancakes

Scent

(Cont. from pg 15)

(Cont. from pg 25)

the end of the stay. When nobody was looking, however, Bill silently slipped Diane a personalized gratuity, a handsome tip that featured a likeness of Benjamin Franklin in the center, presumably out of appreciation for the pancakes.

I learned about this only after we were airborne and homeward bound aboard a noisy old Otter floatplane somewhere over the vast Labrador tundra.

Here’s Diane’s popular recipe that was so wellreceived at the Riverkeep Lodge on the Atikonak River:

and dispersing a scent enhancer cloud in the water, after a few casts it’s time to recoat. However, the Hardbait Stick’s properties eliminate these issues, lasting longer and the application is much faster.”

Pausing for just a moment, Greg Vinson finished with an on the water example! It was March 2023, on Douglas Lake in TN. It was the end of second period, and I was sitting on the bottom. During the break before the third and final period, I remembered Pro Staffers had been given a prototype BaitFuel Hardbait Stick. The bass had been following my bait but not eating it. I coated up my Jerkbait with the new Hardbait Stick, it

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

was like unbelievable. It was as though I started a feeding frenzy, when the third period ended my Marshal informed me, I ended up in 10 th place. YES, Scent makes Sense!”

Artifacts (Cont. from pg 27) stream. Knowing my three dogs had been cooped up inside all day, my partner and I decided it would be best if we took the pups on a beach walk instead.

Once on the beach, I took less than 20 steps from my truck, looked down, and lying completely exposed, was a five-inch, stemmed blade. You can watch for yourself on my Instagram page (@jacobysco) as I pick up this piece of per-

Page 29

fection. Made of Mount Kineo Rhyolite, it’s a fine example of an artifact from the people of the Susquehanna tradition. A culture that inhabited Maine approximately 4,000 BP. The feeling of holding an artifact that was crafted by an ancient hunter is very similar to when you get the chance to hold a three-pound native brook trout or walk up on a 50inch bull moose. There is something special about that moment, potentially once in a lifetime. Stone

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tools were once an essential part of survival and now are beautiful examples of indigenous history which provide us with a small glimpse into the lives of the first hunters and anglers of Maine. The hobby has now become a part of my identity and I ponder the life of the person who created every individual point or tool.

Jake Scoville can be reached at jacobysco@ gmail.com or on Instagram at @jacobysco

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 30

Wild

(Cont. from pg. 28) ates a reality where we continue the Disney trope we have been fighting against for decades.

If you decide to name the animals on your cameras or in your neighborhood, tell anyone who will listen that it is still a game animal and remind them that the goal is to harvest that animal when the season comes. We need to break the notion that just because we name them, it does not mean that they are pets.

Puppy

Until deer season arrives, I will be happily keeping an eye on ‘Spots’ (Cont. from pg. 26) ‘Dibs’ and ‘The fat doe growling. The little guy with a weird ear.” senses to stay away.

Overall, we’re very Erin is a member of happy with Mac. He’s alert, the Professional Outdoor bold and inquisitive. EvMedia Association, Out- eryday, he goes on our door Writers Association family walk with the big of America and the New dogs. He can’t keep up England Outdoor Writers with the big dogs, howAssociation. She is a senior ever, he tries. The past few writer for Drury Outdoors’ days, Susan has attached DeerCast. You can read a long line on his collar. about Erin’s adventures This helps him get used to and contact her at www.an- having something attached to his collar. Yesterday, we dastrongcupofcoffee.com began recall drills. We’ll

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continue these drills every day until we think he’s got it. For now, we’re happy with him watching butterflies and song birds fly around the yard. It will be at least another month before introducing him to game birds. To quote the “King” of pointing dogs, Ferrel Miller, “Let a puppy be a puppy”.

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Readers will get updates on Mac’s progress in future columns.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Page 31

Bait Fishing for Stripers

By Independence Day, most striped bass have moved “out front.” Leaving the warming rivers behind, they roam the beaches, lurk the ledges, scrounge the channels, and cruise the islands in search of food and cover. Under bright

don’t shy away from light gear. Drop down to 30 lb., 25 lb., and even 20 lb. leaders. Seaguar Blue Label 25 lb. fluorocarbon is a solid choice.

In Maine, anglers are required to use inline circle hooks when fishing bait for

line. This rig becomes very useful when fishing skinny water or when the strike zone is small, like a specific hole along a ledge or jetty.

However, suspending a live bait beneath a float is not always the answer. Floats create shadows

Maine Tails

By Jonah Paris, Ellsworth, ME ment. As the fish feels sud- ing game. Reducing your den resistance, it spits the spread to just one or two hook, and the float returns rods, and fishing those dilito the surface. Some angers gently, will result in more prefer balloons instead of fish and fewer headaches. floats, but balloons also When positioning for a cast present disadvantages - or drift, recall that baits shadows, poor castability, tend to swim with the tide.

When stripers are fussy, try free-lining baits. Again, use just a swivel, a section of fluorocarbon, and an inline circle hook. Fishing frisky baits without a float demands constant attention and line adjustment.

This chunky July striper fell for a live mackerel.

(Photo courtesy of Jonah Paris.)

sun and hot temperatures, tricking stripers into biting can be a daunting task. Yet, some of the biggest bass of the season are taken on sweltering bluebird days.

Fishing natural baits can be your best bet at connecting with a summertime slob.

“Chunking” Whether you opt for mackerel, pogies, or herring, drifting a chunk of bait along the bottom is a top tactic for targeting big, lazy daytime bass. On sunny days, or when fishing shallow water, minimizing hardware is crucial for getting the bite.

If sea conditions allow, keep your rig simple - a barrel swivel, several feet of fluorocarbon, and an inline circle hook. Instead of anchoring bait with a sinker, let the chunk drift freely for a natural presentation. Chunks twist and spin so the swivel between the leader and main line is imperative. SPRO Power Swivels (size 5 or 6) are a favorite. Lengthen leaders during the dog days, and

striped bass (and bluefish).

Match the hook size to the bait. A large pogie head might require a 9/0 or 8/0 hook, while a body chunk from a small mackerel or herring will fit a 6/0 or 5/0.

Always use fresh bait when chunking. If you don’t catch your own, call up your local shop and inquire about “freshies.”

Fresh frozen is a second choice. Avoid rotten bait at all costs; you will be stuck with a pungent, mushy mess and likely catch nothing but crabs.

“Live-lining” Live-lining baits, especially mackerel, with a Sliding Float Rig is a popular method in Maine.

A circle hook is tied to the leader, then a bead is threaded above the hook, followed by a foam float (about the size of a baseball), another bead, and a barrel swivel. The swivel functions as both a float stopper to suspend the bait at a determined depth, as well as the connection between the leader and main

above the bait, which can deter stripers in shallow or calm water. They also create resistance. A striper will dart towards a bait, turn at the last moment, and create a boil on the surface. Then the striper will turn back, swallow the bait headfirst, run a few feet, and pull the float under for just a mo-

and environmental concerns.

When stripers are fussy, try free-lining baits.

Again, use just a swivel, a section of fluorocarbon, and an inline circle hook.

Fishing frisky baits without a float demands constant attention and line adjustment. When free-lining, baits often cross each other, and the exact location of baits can become a guess-

Hook live baits behind the dorsal fin, through the nostrils, or rig up a quick bridle by passing rigging floss through the eye socket and tying the hook above the head. Bridling a bait increases its longevity and helps to prevent the hook point from turning back into the bait during a strike.

(Stripers cont. pg 64)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Basics Of Survival

Axe Safety

scarfs or anything to catch the axe when you swing.

by Joe Frazier, Safety glasses are always Bangor, ME a good idea as well as steel toe boots.

An axe is a very handy Be sure the area you Never use an axe in tool when used correctly, are using the axe in is clear the dark. Don’t use one if but incredibly dangerous of debris in all directions you are tired or worn down. when not. including over head. Have Don’t even pick up an axe Always be sure you a firm area to stand and be if you have taken medicahave the right type of axe sure your chopping block is tion, alcohol, or any kind of (or hatchet) for the job you solid and will not shift. The drugs. Take axes seriously.

Do not let children play When you start splitting you should check the wood with axes and supervise for knots, rocks, dirt, nails, wire or anything else on or in them if they are learning the wood that could damage the blade or deflect it when you how to use them.

When you start splitswing. Place the piece to be split at the back of the ting you should check the choping block. wood for knots, rocks, dirt, are doing. Handle length, ground should be dry and It protects the blade of the nails, wire or anything else head shape, head weight, level and everyone should axe but also protects you. on or in the wood that could and even how it is sharp- keep clear when the area is Be sure you have damage the blade or deflect ened all make a big differ- being used. clothes that fit properly, it when you swing. Place ence in your safety.

Inspect your axe be- not loose or baggy. No the piece to be split at the back of the chopping block.

Before you swing, check to make sure if you miss the axe will go into the ground before it gets to you.

Be sure you know where the wood will go once it is split. Keep the area clear. Once the axe splits the wood and goes into the block, the handle should be close to parallel to the ground.

If you are limbing a tree that is down, stand on one side of the tree while swinging the axe on the other side. If you are cutting up a downed tree with the axe, keep your feet as wide as comfortable and cut the log between them.

When you are done you should clean the axe if it needs it and do a quick Duane Tobias of Augusta boated this 10.2 lb Brown Trout while fishing check for damage. Put the alone at a pond in the Belgrade area. He told the Bangor Daily News sheath on it right away or that he was fishing with a couple of colors of lead core line in 40 feet stick it in the cutting block of water when the big fish hit a smelt sewed on a treble hook. Tobias with the blade completely said that the 4 lb test leader broke just as he secured the fish in a net. in the wood. Be aware of Although the angler tried to release the fish, he could not revive it. It where the handle is. Do not was the biggest fish ever for Tobias, an avid angler. He will have the leave the axe laying on the brown trout mounted, he said. The state record for Brown Trout is 23 ground, especially without pounds caught at Square Pond in 1996. fore you use it. Check the handle for splinters, cracks, or other defects. Check the head; be sure the blade is clean and sharp with no cracks or chips, it is solid on the handle and doesn’t wiggle or move, be sure the eye is not deformed or cracked, and the poll is not chipped or mushroomed out. Check the sheath also.

July 2024

a sheath.

A hatchet is much smaller but the same safety rules apply. If you are splitting wood and the block you are working on is not tall enough, kneel instead of stand. A hatchet handle is much smaller and you are closer to the work. If what you are splitting is round or very thin you should hold the work against the blade and swing both together against the block. You will be much more accurate and have greater control.

For very precise work you can hold the axe or hatchet all the way up the handle at the head. Put your thumb on one side of the axe head and your pointer finger on the other. This way you can use the axe like a large knife.

When you carry an axe, hold it the same way.

Hand at the base of the head and thumb on one side of the head, finger on the other. Hold the handle up along the back side of your arm. This way you always know where the blade is; and if you trip, your hands instinctively go out and away from your body. This will take the axe head away from you so you avoid getting cut.

Axes are pretty straightforward, but don’t try felling a tree without hands on instruction. Predicting where it will fall and cutting it the right way to make it fall where you want it is an art. You don’t need a wayward tree falling on your car or house.

Joe is a husband, father, author, and marine. Joefrazier193@ gmail.com

Northwoods Sporting Journal Guns & Ammo:

July 2024

Thompson Center Redo

In an April 30 announcement, Greg Ritz gave the firearms industry some welcome news. Greg announced the purchase of Thompson Center Arms from Smith & Wesson.

The group of investors led

by Ritz have acquired the brand and plan to bring back the iconic company.

As many of you recall, Greg first showed up in the industry many years ago at Thompson Center.

He was first in marketing and later ascended to president and CEO of th

Smith & Wesson. The motivation behind the sale for S&W was a desire to access Thompson Center’s barrel manufacturing capabilities.

In a couple of years, the whole facility was closed in NH and moved to the Springfield, MA facility leaving behind all but a few of the NH employees.

As a result, in 2021, S&W announced that the Thompson Center name was for sale. I repeat, the name was for sale. There was nothing left. I mention this because since Greg

ger bought Marlin from Remington, they bought machines and materials as well as tech people with the name. They moved it all into a thriving functioning rifle facility and it was still over a year before the first Ruger-made Marlin was shipped. My point is, Greg Ritz and associates have a lot of work to do to revive the brand.

On a positive note, the company will be based in NH once again. Hopefully, there are still a few of the original cast of crafts-

As a result, in 2021, S&W announced that the Thompson Center name was for sale. I repeat, the name was for sale.

There was nothing left. I mention this because since Greg Ritz’s announcement, loyal TC customers have been making wish lists and eagerly looking in gun shops for new guns. the company. Thompson Center was founded in 1965. These innovative arms were manufactured in New Hampshire. The company was and is known for excellent and innovative firearms and muzzle loaders like Contender, Encore, Compass, and both in-line and traditional muzzle loaders. In 2006, the company was sold to

Ritz’s announcement, loyal TC customers have been making wish lists and eagerly looking in gun shops for new guns. Well, the bad news is it’s going to take a while. Ritz and the investors bought a name, no factory, no machines, just a name. I suspect it will be some time before we actually see guns. My case in point is, when Ru-

men and women around to return. In his announcement, Greg said that they pledge to make the products 100% in the USA. He also said the company would once again be family owned. This should be good news. We can only hope the TC family is well capitalized because they will need it for startup. I look forward to seeing a

Send Us Your Favorite Game and Fish Recipes!

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

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

If your recipe catches on and goes viral, we’ll figure out some kind of reward - say a new fry pan, a crockpot, or maybe a dutch oven?

So get crackin’...

Page 33

A Guide’s Perspective

by Tom Kelly, Orient, ME

company responsive to its customers, producing a quality firearm. In the instance of the Ruger Corporation buying Marlin, it was a perfect fit. I hope we can all be patient with the new TC and support them wholeheartedly when they start to ship guns. What we should all agree on is the need to include young folks and new outdoorsmen and women into all of our outdoor adventures.

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 Tom is a Registered and Properties and come Maine Guide. He is the visit us on East Grand Lake

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Page 34

Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Maine Woods

July 2024

Upper West Branch Trip

Matt LaRoche, Shirley, ME

T h e U p p e r We s t Branch of the Penobscot is a great canoe trip for those that prefer a calm water adventure. It is as wild as the Allagash Wilderness Waterway without the high public use that occurs on that river during July and early August.

The traditional starting point for a West Branch canoe trip is Roll Dam Campsite. The 10 mile voyage from Roll Dam to Lobster Lake is an easy paddle with a nice current to help push you along. Lobster Lake has some beautiful sandy beaches and superb views of Spencer Mountain. It is without a doubt one of the prettiest lakes in the State of Maine!

Downstream from Lobster Lake, the river meanders through the dense spruce/fir forest of northern Maine. The shoreline of the river is unbroken all the way to Chesuncook Lake except for the bridge over the Golden Road at Hannibal’s crossing and an occasional well maintained primitive campsite. This section of river is great for viewing wildlife. Moose

will be out on the river munching on the new tender water plants that will be growing fast during June and July. It is also not uncommon to see bald eagles and ospreys cruising up and down the river in search of a meal.

About halfway between Lobster Lake and Mud Pond Carry on Chesuncook Lake is a campsite name Halfway House.

Back in the days when the rivers and lakes were the primary transportation route, this was a busy farm. Guides, teamsters and woodsmen would stop at the farm for something to eat, share the latest news and stay overnight.

After the Halfway House, the current in the river picks-up a little speed.

There are a few easy class I rapids but nothing much to worry about. Big Island has a nice campsite that sits up on a steep bank about 25 feet above the water. Giant white pine trees dominate the campsite. Carrying your dunnage up the steep bank is well worth it when you are sitting at the picnic table gazing up the river

MAINE WOODS GUIDE SERVICE

• Canoe Trips • Fishing • Hunting • Wildlife Watching Matt LaRoche - Registered Maine Guide 207-695-2877 www.mainewoodsguide.com

over an open fire.

It is a 9-mile paddle on mostly flatwater from Big Island to Gero Island.

That 3000-acre island is a designated ecological reserve managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands.

There are four campsites on the island, one has a three-sided lean-to shelter.

If it is raining and you can get that campsite, you will go to sleep with a smile on your face as you listen to the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof.

From Gero Island it is a 16-mile paddle to the boat launch at the south end of Chesuncook Lake. The paddle down Chesuncook can be very tiring if the wind is blowing out of the south and even dangerous in heavy winds. The prevailing wind is northwest and at your back- which is nice.

Many canoeists paddle the six miles across the north end of Chesuncook Lake and takeout at Umbazooksus West Campsite instead of paddling the

length of Chesuncook.

There are a few side forays you can make on this expedition that are worth considering. At Lobster Lake, you could paddle to the extreme south end of the lake and camp at the Big Claw Campsite. Plan a layover day here and explore Kidney Brook estuary in the evening or early morning. This is a great place to see wildlife – especially moose. Also at Lobster Lake, there is a hiking trail up Lobster Mountain that starts at Jackson Cove Campsite. The view of the lake with Katahdin in the background is outstanding.

A third side trip is to paddle up Caucomgomoc Stream. This is a lessor used section of the Penobscot River Corridor that is worth exploring. If you paddle all the way up to the end of the stream where the quick water enters into the flowage of Ripogenus Dam – try the fishing, it will stay good until the water in the stream warms -up. There is a nice campsite at this loca-

tion called the Horserace, it is not a maintained campsite and does require a fire permit.

The West Branch is an easy canoe trip that passes through some of the most remote sections of the Maine Woods. There is an abundance of wildlife in this area and has some outstanding opportunities for solitude.

For information about the Penobscot River Corridor go to www.maine. gov/dacf click on the “find parks & public lands” tab, then select the Penobscot River Corridor from the drop-down menu.

Keep those paddles in the water!

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

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Mystery of the Lost Hunter

Garfield Plantation, a small Aroostook County town that neighbors Ashland is the scene for one of the most puzzling and baffling unsolved lost persons case in Maine Warden Service history. Since I first heard the bizarre story

behind a man who simply vanished after an extensive and exhaustive search, I have been intrigued and puzzled by this story. I feel that it is important to keep these types of cases in the forefront and not simply to fall by the wayside and out of the public’s eye. This is the story of Robert “Bob” Smith, a 70-year-old hunter who has never been located after going deer hunting near his family’s camp in Garfield Plantation, Maine nearly 30 years ago.

November 18th, 1997.

A crisp, fall afternoon with plentiful sunshine as Bob Smith, a 70-year-old farmer from Caribou, set out in pursuit of whitetail deer with his wife. Bob stood 6’2 and weighed approximately 220 pounds at the time of his disappearance.

He was actively undergoing cancer treatment, and by all accounts was very capable in the woods, but his failing

health limited his mobility dramatically. Bob’s plan that afternoon was to sit his wife on a vantage point overlooking the township line “swath” that provided a clear shooting lane for any deer that may jump across the blazed line. This township line is the dividing line between Garfield and T10 R6 WELS and nearby to the family’s hunting camp.

Around 2 p.m. that afternoon, Bob’s wife, the last person to see him alive, watched as Bob crossed the town line blaze approximately 100 yards to the west of her location, Bob was walking in a southerly direction and crossed the swath with his head down, appearing to be in pursuit of a deer. Bob’s wife waited patiently after Bob left the swath and her field of view.

About 20 minutes later, a single gunshot was heard by several members of Bob’s family, including his wife, who all were hunting in the vicinity of the family camp. Bob’s wife waited for several minutes and did not hear anything else.

A short time later, family members arrived to assist Bob with dragging the deer he was presumed to have shot out of the woods. The family members headed into the woods in the direction of Bob’s last seen location and the area of the shot. Voice contact was attempted for several hours, but no response or trace of

Warden’s Words

Bob.

That evening, now obviously concerned and worried, the family of Bob Smith called the Warden Service to take over the search efforts. That first evening several Wardens arrived and attempted hasty searches of the area, firing shots in the night in an attempt to get a response shot back from Bob, and searching roads and the surrounding area. Nothing

Page 35

by Game Warden Kale O’Leary, Ashland, ME ever found. Many of the first Wardens that responded to the call on November 18th, 1997, remained committed to this search for many years after. Wardens Jim Fahey and Dave Milligan for years returned to the area and walked the surrounding woods, look-

decades people have been left without answers, but as years go by, the details seem to fade and people forget about a man who went missing without any answers. My hope is that whether you have heard of this case or not, that Robert Smith’s name and memory

ing for Bob, his firearm, a trace of clothing that could be identified as his, but could never bring closure to the grieving family.

Pictures of Bob were posted for years around town and in the North Maine Woods in hopes of hunters, fishermen, trappers or other outdoor users coming across some remains of Bob Smith.

This case remains an enduring mystery for many people from Aroostook County, whether they knew Bob or not. For nearly three

is brought back into the spotlight in hopes of bringing up any new leads or potential avenues that can be pursued. Please reach out via email to me with any questions, information or leads regarding this case at kale.oleary@maine.gov.

In the spring of 1998, teams of Wardens returned to the point last seen and the surrounding area and began searching the various flowages and streams in the area.

was found. By the 3rd and 4 th day, the search had expanded into one of the largest ground searches in Maine history. Over 300 Wardens, foresters, trained search and rescue team members, National Guard members and other local volunteers had set up a massive base of operation.

Many K9 teams from all around New England had converged on the small town of Garfield and mobile search teams actively scoured the woods day and night. Multiple different agencies provided aircraft support to assist in the search operation with fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, with nothing tangible ever located. After 14 days of exhaustive ground efforts, heavy snows dumped on the area covering the landscape and ceasing the search efforts for 1997.

In the spring of 1998, teams of Wardens returned to the point last seen and the surrounding area and began searching the various flowages and streams in the area. Beaver dam areas were drained to ensure that Bob had not fallen into one of these areas, but yet again, no trace of Bob was

Kale O’Leary is a Maine Game Warden who covers the Oxbow/Masardis district in central Aroostook County. He lives in Ashland and has been a Game Warden since 2016.

989-4341

Page 36

Northwoods Sporting Journal

View From The River

by Laurie Chandler Bremen, ME The 1930 expedition at the heart of Canoeing with the Cree, by Eric Sevareid, is a remarkable achievement. Two young men, just out of high school, dream of canoeing from their home in Minneapolis all the way to Hudson Bay, an odyssey of more than two thousand

River, and the Shamattawa, their journey ends at York Factory on Hudson Bay. “Walter and I, when we started out, knew practically nothing of woods life,” Eric confides. “Never before had we really traveled by canoe.” If the best way to learn was by doing, they certainly had a crash

Canoeing with the Cree

mired in mud and once saved a drowning blue jay.

A sturgeon, over six feet long, was another thrilling sight. Here were Sunday School picnics, fresh farm goodies, bountiful restaurant meals, and pretty girls.

By mid-August, a thousand miles into the trip, the adventurers crossed the border at Emerson, Manitoba. The wild north was drawing closer. New sights

was of the essence now, as Walt had been offered a college scholarship for the fall.

On the last day of Au-

From Minneapolis, 17-year-old Sevareid and 19-year-old Walter Port travel upstream for five hundred miles on the Minnesota River across the state to Big Stone Lake. Then north down the Red River of the North along the North Dakota-Minnesota border and into Manitoba, Canada. miles. My 75th anniversary edition (Borealis Books) includes a pen and ink map of the route.

From Minneapolis, 17-year-old Sevareid and 19-year-old Walter Port travel upstream for five hundred miles on the Minnesota River across the state to Big Stone Lake.

Then north down the Red River of the North along the North Dakota-Minnesota border and into Manitoba, Canada. Up mighty Lake Winnipeg to the last wild and remote stretch. Following a series of rivers, including the Echimamish (pronounced “Itchymomish” we learn), God’s

course.

After their 18-foot Old Town wood and canvas canoe almost drifted into whitewater while they were fetching water, they began to tie her “tightly enough to hold a rogue elephant.” By switching places in the canoe every day at lunchtime, they became accomplished in both bow and stern. Every less than perfect campsite taught them another lesson.

The first half of the trip took them through towns and farmland, where they made a habit of rescuing animals, both wild and domesticated. They often came upon sheep or cattle

July 2024

and sounds awaited them.

The call of the whippoorwill, the magic of birchbark for making campfires, the northern lights, and their first wolf.

The account of this journey, originally written as dispatches home to the Minneapolis Star, gives us a unique glimpse into the lives of the Cree, Hudson Bay trappers, Canadian Mounties, missionaries, and woodsmen of a century past.

Lake Winnipeg is immense. In size, it falls between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Carrier pigeons—sent out in pairs in case one fell victim to a hawk—relayed news of wildfires in that wild country. Not long before, a seaplane had made an emergency landing on an isolated lake deep in the wilderness. The pigeons quickly brought rescuers and a new propellor.

After battling fierce winds for days, the reluctant decision was made to travel far up the lake on the steamer Wolverine. Time

gust, the pair committed to the last five hundred perilous miles, their canoe laden with food for a month.

As they said farewell to friends, Eric remembers thinking, “we had just an equal chance of getting through the wilderness to the bay without getting hopelessly lost in the intertwining rivers and lakes or without getting caught by the sudden freeze-up. This was hard to grin away.”

After God’s Lake, they chose a little-known route. For a century, the Hayes River had been the standard for trappers, Mounties, and the Cree.

But with low water in the Hayes, they took the advice of an experienced young Norwegian trapper and followed God’s River instead.

Full of bad rapids and tortuous portages, it nonetheless should be quick. If they got through.

“Into the churning river we raced, yelling like wild men, cheering the river on to more and more speed. This was traveling!

No more lakes, no more islands to worry about, nothing but straight going now. Nothing to do but follow the gurgling river, riding like kings on the current. So we thought then. It was not long before we learned differently.”

Read on, as you must, and you will marvel at the courage, audacity, and perseverance of these two young voyageurs in the face of oncoming winter and unforgiving terrain. With portage trails faint or nonexistent, they became experts at running rapids out of sheer necessity. Again and again, their endurance and equipment were pushed to the breaking point.

Some three weeks from Lake Winnipeg, the dream became a reality.

The Hudson Bay Company factor, C. Harding, penned an official letter bearing the seal of the Company, detailing their route and ending with these words, “It is a remarkable journey for two lads to make without guides. This is the first time this trip has ever been made, being a distance of about 2,250 miles.”

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

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Dry Fly Surprise!

Picture this: You’ve floated into a cove that’s flat calm. You’re suddenly reminded of a similar moment many years ago when Dad was behind you in the stern seat and you were in the bow. You were rummaging through your tackle box when suddenly it slipped out of your hands and crashed to the bottom of the canoe. The sound seemed to echo all over the lake. “Atta boy,” Dad said, “Let’s sneak up on ‘em.”

Now, it’s just you and you suddenly notice dimples all over the lake surface in this cove. Your trout instincts kick in and you look for a hatch. Sure enough, there is one. You remove the Red Sox baseball cap from your head, wait a moment, then scoop one right out of the air as it flies past. Hexagenia!

You’d waited for this hatch on the rivers all spring but water temperatures never warmed up enough for it to materialize. Now, here you are on a lake with fish rising all around you and the hatch is on!

But wait: This is no trout lake. Far from it. So what’s rising to these tasty treats landing all around you within an easy fly cast?

True, there are salmon here, but just this week you were trolling for them and finding them at five

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colors of lead core line. It’s July and the weather has warmed enough to send the thermocline plummeting.

Only one way to solve this mystery. Luckily, you’ve forgotten to take your dry fly box out of your vest, and you’ve even got some lighter leader

surface, and once airborne, shakes its head violently from side to side. Then it hits you just as hard as that bass hit the fly: you’re dry fly fishing for smallmouth bass!

Why should you be so surprised, you wonder. Did anyone ever say that bass

Page 37

The Singing Maine Guide

by Randy Spencer, Grand Lake Stream, ME moments were routine!

Sadly, they’re not. Whatever the various factors are that need to coalesce to make it happen, they do so rarely. I had to wait three years to see the next one, and I’m on the water

I said we were going to switch out our tackle and start dry fly fishing. By that time, I always carried the gear needed for this rare miracle. And now, they do too.

Dry fly fishing for

You look for a fresh rise in order to quickly land your fly on that spot as fast as you can. Voila! The gulp is more dramatic than any of the other rises around it. A huge swirl, a frothy splash and the rod is bent double.

You’re off to the races.

material which you swap out to replace the heavier Maxima Chameleon leader for smallmouth that’s on the rod now. A perfection loop, an improved clinch knot, some Gink and let’s rock n’ roll.

The hex imitation you’ve selected drops down to the lake surface like a snowflake on Christmas day. Even though you know better as you look at rising fish all around you, you can’t help wondering even now: can these be trout? You look for a fresh rise in order to quickly land your fly on that spot as fast as you can. Voila!

The gulp is more dramatic than any of the other rises around it. A huge swirl, a frothy splash and the rod is bent double. You’re off to the races.

Turns out you didn’t have to wait very long to solve this mystery. Two seconds into this fish fight, a 16” smallmouth bass clears the lake’s mirrored

have a standing boycott against mayflies? It’s food, after all, and right now it’s plentifully available. The next 90 minutes prove to be the most fun you’ll have all season. True to their reputation, every one of the smallie fish fights that follows is epic. With a chuckle, you remember your bass fishing buddy trotting out that old chestnut: I’ll tie your 12” trout to my 12” smallmouth and watch my bass tow your trout all around the lake. Today, you can see how that quip came to be.

If only such magical

constantly. For one thing, it seems to require mill pond conditions. Is that because it only occurs then, or is it because with a chop on the water you don’t see the dimples from rising fish?

Email me if you’ve got this answer!

Of course, once this happens to you, you’re looking for it from then on. That next time, I was on a different lake, and it was a different mayfly that drew the smallies out to play. Just before an afternoon thunderstorm, a Hendrickson hatch showered the surface all around my Grand Laker canoe. My two sports, husband and wife, were stunned when

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Randy Spencer is a working guide and author. His award-winning books are available on Amazon and his songs are available on all the major streaming services.

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Page 38

Maine Outdoor Adventure

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Rich Yvon, Bradford, ME

After a full month of vigorous spawning, river smallmouth bass start to regain their energy and appetite by the end of June.

June is a month of resting and recouping for the Penobscot Smallmouth bass.

The river bass spends its entire life fighting and

troduced. Today, keeping them where they are, will greatly help keep what’s left of our special native fish.

As July heats up, the rivers, lakes and ponds are in full swing with life feeding and foraging throughout Maine’s waters.

Penobscot Damsels

The presentation of top water fly is the initial drop into the water. Once presented, leaving the fly still until the rings go away is sometimes all that’s needed to entice a fish to strike! Working water by subtle twitches and a pause will keep up an attractive presentation when fishing still or moving water. Moving water takes some added skill... One must keep a

bass, green pumpkin and electric blue.

Whether fishing moving or still water, spinners and spoons have great success fishing lakes, ponds,

Fishing for big fish versus small fish can be very different in the location and technique of fishing. Understanding the behavior, the food source and environmental conditions will directly impact the fishing success. In guiding, it’s very important to know what someone wants or expects when fishing. A question that’s often asked to a sport is...are you wanting to chase big

and rivers. When targeting faster moving water in hotter summer months, the blue fox spinner is always productive. Bass tend to congregate in more oxygenated, cooler water especially on those summer dull drum days. Targeting faster water in early morning or late evening can be productive as fish stay cool when water temps rise. The classic Al’s Goldfish ¼ oz lure is an old favorite for being a very versatile lure and known for catching a variety of species including the smallmouth bass.

fish, or average to small fish? The answer will directly affect where on the water the fish are targeted.

For instance, the behavior of bigger fish can be observed in colliding currents or undercuts as current pushes food to them.

Smaller fish can be found in numbers sometimes in the middle of the river, chasing and feeding on any opportunity given to them.

One of the most beautiful insects in Maine is the Damsel Fly. The Damsel, very much like the Dragon fly are members of the Odonata family of insects which are very active during daylight hours. swimming against current, building muscle with enormous strength. Pound for pound, they are undoubtedly the toughest and most aggressive fighting fish we have in Maine. The fish was introduced about 80-90 years ago as an invasive species into Maine waters. The smallmouth bass is native to the upper and middle Mississippi river basin, Saint Lawrence River system, and up into the Hudson Bay. For years man has propagated the species to new waters as an unlawful, invasive fish. Unfortunately, Maine loses its native fish when these fish are illegally in-

One of the most beautiful insects in Maine is the Damsel Fly. The Damsel, very much like the Dragon fly are members of the Odonata family of insects which are very active during daylight hours. The smallmouth being a very visual feeder, rely on these insects as a very important forage during the summer months.

Dry fly tactics for smallmouth can be a very finesse way of fishing.

I often fish a dry fly the same identical way of fishing top-water spin fishing.

Poppers are a great fly to imitate damsels, and river amphibians.

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drag free drift to imitate what happens in nature.

Older more wiser fish will most likely not chase a fly being dragged through the water. Older fish will be more enticed by a “dead drift”. Some great modern top water lures that smallies love are Daddy Mac Bombs, Rapala’s Skitter Prop, and the 45, 90 and 110 series Whopper Plopper!

Worm fishing can lend itself to many techniques such as wacky rig, drop shot and Texas rig.

Depending on all the variables and water, certain techniques will work better than others. My personal favorite is a 4” wacky style rig for the Penobscot River.

Great colors include baby

July 2024

Rich is a full time Registered Master Maine Master Guide. He owns and operates Twin Maple Outdoors guide service and sporting lodge located in Bradford, Maine. 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.

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Maine Woods Books to Read Part Three: Penobscot River to Northern Maine

This is the final part of my recommended list of Maine Books to locate and read. It includes books from the Penobscot River and Katahdin, Down East Maine, and Northern Maine.

Penobscot River and Katahdin

Eckstorm, Fannie Hardy, “The Penobscot Man” Houghton Mifflin, 1924 (reprinted 1972) *Farrar, Charles A. J. “Down the West Branch, or, Camps and Tramps Around Katahdin,”1884 Fendler, Don, “Lost on a Mountain in Maine,” Harper. 1939 Harmon, Clayton Hall and Jane Thomas, “Chimney Pond Tales; Yarns Told by Leroy Dudley,” 1991 Hempstead, Alfred G., “The Penobscot Boom and the Development of the Penobscot River for Log Driving 1825-1931,” 1975 Molly Spotted Elk, “Katahdin: Wigwam’s Tales of the Abnaki Tribe,” Northeast Folklore, XXXVII, 2003 Neff, John W. “Katahdin, An Historic Journey,” AMC Books, 2006 *Nicolar, Joseph, “Life and Traditions of the Red Man,” C. H. Glass & Co., 1893 Parker, Everett L. “Beyond Moosehead, “Moosehead Communications, 1996 Steele, Thomas Sedgewick, “Paddle and Portage,” Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1882 *Thoreau, Henry David, “The Maine Woods,” Ticknor & Fields, 1864

Walker, Elinor Stevens, “In and Around Our Great Northern Wilderness.” Central Maine Press, 1968

Down East

Buxton, Henry, “Assignment Down East,” Stephen Day Press, Brattleboro, VT, 1938 *Devereux, George H., “Sam Shirk: A Tale of the Maine Woods,” Hurd & Houghton, NY, 1871 Dowst, H. F, manager, “The Washington Conty Railroad Monthly,” 1900 Moore, Ruth, “Cold as a Dog and the Wind Northeast.”

Speare, Elizabeth George, “The Sign of the Beaver,” U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, “From Stump to Ship, a 1930 logging film” (YouTube)

Northern Maine

*Bangor & Aroostook R. R., “A Big Game and Fishing Guide to North-Eastern Maine,” 1893 Bartlett, Stanley Foss,

“Beyond the Sowdyhunk,” Kennebec Journal Printery, 1937 *Breck, Edward, “The Way of the Woods; a manual for sportsmen in northeastern U. S. & Canada,” 1908 *Day, Holman, “King Spruce,” (1908); “Rider of the King Log,” (1919) Dietz, Lew, “The Allagash,” 1960; “Touch of wildness, a Maine Woods journal,” 1970 *Farrar, Charles A. J. “Down the West Branch, or, Camps and Tramps Around Katahdin,”1884 Gilpatrick, Gil, “Allagash, The Story of Maine’s legendary wilderness waterway,” Delorme Books, 1983 Guay, Roger, “A Good Man with a Dog” A Game Warden’s 25 Years in the Maine Woods.” Skyline, 2016 Hamlin, Helen, “Nine Mile Bridge,” Jorgenson, Frederick E., Allagash, The Story of Maine’s legendary wilderness waterway “25 years a game warden,” Stehen

Greenville

Page 39

Old Tales from the Maine Woods

by Steve Pinkham Quincy, MA

Daye Press, Brattleboro, VT, 1937 Kephart, George S., “Campfires Rekindled,” Channing Books, 1977 K i d n e y, D o r o t h y Boone, “Away from it All” (1969); “A Home in the Wilderness,” (1976); “Wilderness Journal” (1980) *Lucuis L. Hubbard, “Woods and Lakes of Maine,” Ticknor & Co., 1883 (reprinted 1991) *Neal, John, “The Moose-Hunter,” Beadle & Adams, NY., 1864 Paquin, Larue, “Frontiering at 50 – in Maine,” 1985 Parker, Everett L. “Beyond Moosehead II, Moosehead Communication, 2001 Smith, Edmund Ware, “A Treasury of the Maine Woods,” 1952

Stephens, Charles A., “Camping Out, As Recorded by “Kit,” Philadelphia & Coates 1873 Stephenson, Isaac, “Recollections of a Long Life 1829-1915,” Privately Printed, 1915 Steele, Thomas Sedgewick, “Canoe and Camera,” Estes & Lauriat, Boston, 1882 Vietze, Andrew, “Becoming Teddy Roosevelt,” Down East Books, 2010 We s t , C h a r l e s , “Sketches of Camp Life in the Wilds of The Aroostook Woods,” NE News Co., 1892 Steve is an avid hiker, paddler, and historian, having collected over 40,000 Maine Woods articles to date.

Old Tales of the Maine Woods Steve Pinkham

Maine Woods Historian, Author and Storyteller

617-407-0743

steve@oldtalesofthemainewoods.com www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 40

Preparing for your Moose Hunt

The Gun Cabinet

by John Floyd, Webster Plantation, ME Hunters nationwide, who participated in the 2024 Maine Moose Lottery, now know if they will be one of the lucky few chasing the most iconic big game animal in the entire northeast this fall. If you are one of them and haven’t

July 2024

reading this and get on the horn. No pun intended.

Guides and outfitters have been speaking with and booking clients for a couple of weeks now and with a limited number of qualified outfits that serve moose hunters, availability

black bear or wild turkey.

You will be mostly mobile without the benefit of a seated position with a fixed rest. Practice shooting from the off-hand position; that is, from the stand-

into some deep country that provides relief from the sun and warm temperatures. Moose tend to move into cooler, dense and darker habitat when it heats up. Being physically

your hunt. Showing up in the Wildlife Management District your moose hunt will take place the day of your hunt without a plan may result in a frustrating experience.

A well thought out hunt plan should be developed between now and your hunt.

Showing up in the Wildlife Management District your moose hunt will take place the day of your hunt without a plan may result in a frustrating experience. yet started to prepare, you may already be behind the curve.

Guides & Lodging If you are planning on hiring a Registered Maine Guide to assist your hunting party during your moose hunt, or are planning on booking a sporting camp with meal plan services for your lodging needs, stop

shrinks fast. Go ahead; I’ll be here when you get back.

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Successful moose hunters Scott and Don Bull. ing unsupported position. able to track and call moose Your hunt is a six-day Next, get used to in these areas may be criti- race against time for what quickly finding a field- cal for success. may be a once in a lifetime expedient rest like a tree A little bit of physical opportunity. that can be used for stabi- preparation in the woods Preseason scouting is lization; you won’t have now will go a long way in crucial. Finding areas that the benefit of a shooting the fall. consistently hold moose bench.

Hunt Plan & Packing will help target habitat that Lastly, lightweight The old adage ‘If you will produce the best opshooting sticks that can be fail to plan, plan to fail’ is portunity while eliminating quickly deployed may give probably the wisest piece areas that will not. you an edge if unsupported of advice a moose hunter Hoping a moose positions give you trouble. can heed. walks into range while you Depending on the A well thought out happen to be there is not a weather during your hunt, hunt plan should be de- good hunt plan. you may need to hike veloped between now and (Hunt cont. pg 43)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Page 41

Maine Bear Season Opens

By V. Paul Reynolds

M a i n e ’s 1 3 - w e e k season on Black Bears opens Monday, August 26.

For most of August, bear guides, outfitters and solo hunters will be tending bait sites, regularly which,

Maine’s. Our estimated bear numbers range from 25,000 to 36,000 bears. A male bear can weigh from 250lbs to 600lbs! Some can live to be 30 years old. And contrary to a slow-dying, popular myth, bear meat is not strong or “gamy.”

who want to harvest a bear must possess a bear permit.

The season for hunting bears over bait lasts for four weeks commencing August 26.

Bows or crossbows used in a bear hunt must have a draw that is at least

about anticipation and expectation. You will find this in spades while sitting in a treestand overlooking a bear site that has seen bear activity. The shots I did not take of bears that I let walk away, including a sow with cubs, will always be remembered, not to mention the quiet, comfortable September afternoons as

too late for a do-it-yourself baited bear hunt, but if you shop around there may be some outfitters who have a few slots left. Check out their ads in the latest issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sport-

Maine is bear central when it comes to quality bear hunts. No other state in the Eastern U.S. has a bear population that will touch Maine’s. Our estimated bear numbers range from 25,000 to 36,000 bears.

if done properly, involves a great deal of planning, preparation and hard work.

Prior to the opening day of the bear hunt, guides and outfitters, using trail cameras and relying on their own hard-earned experience, will have a pretty good idea what the hunt prospects look like for their hunting clients.

Maine is bear central when it comes to quality bear hunts. No other state in the Eastern U.S. has a bear population that will touch

When handled properly and promptly field-dressed and processed, it makes excellent, hormone free, and lean table fare. Bear meat not wanted is always welcome at Hunters for the Hungry, tel. 287 7513.

In Maine, two bears may be harvested annually, one by hunting and one by trapping. During the November deer hunt, Maine residents are not required to possess a bear permit to harvest a bear; however, non- resident deer hunters

35 lbs. Muzzleloaders and shotguns may be used, but buckshot is illegal in a bear hunt. Rimfire rifles, such as a .22 caliber, are not permitted, for obvious reasons.

For about a 10-year span during our younger years, my wife Diane and I managed our own bait sites and put in our time in the September tree stands.

In that time, we didn’t fill many bear tags, but we look back with fond memories. Hunting is always

the sun lowered and the shadows lengthened on the edge of the dark growth.

Oh, and did I mention the big slice of homemade blackberry pie waiting for me back at camp?

If you like to hunt, and you have never bear hunted, you might add this to your bucket list. It may be

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

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

The Autumn Prelude

The Buck Hunter

by Hal Blood, Moose River, ME We are in the summer doldrums once again. I call them the doldrums because to me summer means that fall will be upon us in the blink of an eye. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer. Summer is a time of renewal for everything from plants and animals

July 2024

mer. The warm sunshine just makes us feel better overall.

As an aging deer hunter, I find it important to stay in shape. Any of you other geriatric hunters know that it is a lot easier to stay in shape than having to get in shape just before

It’s not something you need to do daily but at least get and get moving a few times a week. You’ll be glad you did come deer season.

There is no shortage of things to do during the summer in the great state of Maine. There is an unlimited number of fishing opportunities in both freshwater and saltwater.

You can throw a canoe in a river, stream or pond

with spectacular scenery.

While most people from away and even the southern Maine residents plan their recreation around the coast including Acadia National park, or Baxter state park.

means you will encounter logging operations as well as log trucks on the roads.

These trucks have the right of way, pull over and wait if you see one coming.

The roads are all built with

While they are great places to see, the solitude of the North Maine Woods is more to my liking. This is a place where you will see very few people, but you will see deer, moose, bear, lynx and lots of other wildlife.

If you decide to make a trip to the North Maine Woods, go to their website for information as there are rules to follow while there.

The area is over 3 million acres and is accessed through gates around the perimeter. There is a daily use fee of $13 as well as an overnight camping fee of about the same amount.

You can also purchase a season pass. It’s a deal compared to any other places to camp with as many opportunities. NMW is a working forest, which

shale and gravel which can be hard on tires, so carrying 2 spares or a patch kit and air compressor. I doubt AAA will find you if you and you probably won’t find a cell signal anyway!

Sometimes I will jump in my truck and take a ride up into the NMW for the day, just to get away and see what I might run into along the way. I feel fortunate that there is a gate about fifteen miles from my house. Plan a trip up there this summer or fall and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

Good luck on the trail!

As an aging deer hunter, I find it important to stay in shape.

Any of you other geriatric hunters know that it is a lot easier to stay in shape than having to get in shape just before the season. I stay in shape simply by working and recreating. to people. This is truer where harsh winters take a toll on every living thing.

Everything in nature is perfectly timed. God made it that way, so people could survive and thrive. Plants grow in time to feed wildlife recovering from winter, when nutritious food is non-existent. Bugs hatch to feed fish, birds, and animals. The new offspring are born to fill the void of the ones that succumbed to weather, predators, or hunters. It’s the cycle of life and has been going on since the beginning of life on earth. The sun in the summer gives us our muchneeded vitamin D, which is part of our renewal in sum-

the season. I stay in shape simply by working and recreating. By working, I don’t mean by holding down a job but mostly by doing my own work such as firewood, mowing the lawn, and whatever chores are on my Honey-doo list. I also keep in shape by walking in the woods, which might mean to a trout pond or just walking around in the evenings while waiting for bear hunters on their sit.

I find it boring to just walk routinely like most people do. I need to see different scenery all the time. I don’t even like to walk a logging road down and back. I like to make loops or circles, so I constantly see new things.

within a short distance of anywhere you may live in Maine. Anyone who lives in the northern half of the state knows about the “North Maine Woods” and how we are blessed to have such a place to go and hunt, fish, and recreate for a minimal cost. NMW is an association of landowners who believe in the open use of their private lands. It is a tradition in Maine that we take for granted, but there is no other state with the same opportunity. There are over 300 campsites in the NMW that are well maintained with outhouses, picnic tables and fire pits.

A lot of these campsites are on lakes, ponds and rivers

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

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

A Couple of Pet Peeves There are a lot of things that go on in Maine, especially outdoor Maine, that I don’t care for. That is not to say that I am against them, just that they are not my thing. Even some of the activities written about by advocates in this publication do not appeal to me, but I do not oppose them because I have one standard in my mind that they must meet. Can the resource stand what they are doing? If so I do not object, even though I would never care to participate in the sport. There are some things that go on that do upset me and I don’t mind speaking out about them.

Most are political!

The twice a year time change bothers me.

It upsets me that the politicians do not have the courage to stand up and

change the absurd practice of biannual time change.

The following is an excerpt from an internet article.

Close to the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act into law, putting daylight saving time into effect for the first time in The U.S. in March of

1918. According to the Library of Congress, the move was intended to save energy cost during WWI. About one year later the law was repealed due to the war’s end.

In World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted a year round daylight saving time in Febru-

political mumbo-jumbo this thing has been argued for a long time. It is time to end it for once and for all!

It has been proven time and again that the time change does not save energy.

I listen to some TV people who favor the change say that they gain an hour when the new time

Hunt

the recovery work begins.

Breaking down individual hunter needs and equipment while afield into one list and vehicle and camp needs into another will help separate the clutter as you plan and will help your focus.

Some of the most often overlooked and forgotten items include things like plenty of ice in coolers to cool the cavity after field dressing during warm hunt seasons, extra knives and

a sharpener, binoculars, tarps, extra rope and plenty of water.

(Cont. from pg 40) Prepare where you need to be at different parts of the day and what time you need to be there. Getting in the truck at camp to head out for the day as the sun comes up is too late. Your best opportunities will come at legal hunting times around dawn and dusk.

Starting packing lists now will ensure you don’t get caught short missing necessary equipment and items you will need once your moose is down and

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ary 1942 he called “war time.” That DST lasted until Sept. 30, 1945.

When the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966, standard time was mandated across the country within established time zones. However, states could opt out.

As you can see from this

Northwoods Voyager

by Gil Gilpatrick, Brunswick, ME

goes into effect. What, all of a sudden there are 25 hours in the day? No, that hour they claim to have gained was taken away from me, and others, in the morning.

It is time to do away with the change for good, ide-

It upsets me that the politicians do not have the courage to stand up and change the absurd practice of biannual time change. The following is an excerpt from an internet article.

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

Page 43

ally nation wide, but if not that, then for the state of Maine.

Our State of Maine flag: Another change that is possibly in the works is for our state flag. It would be one to replace the present flag which bears the state seal. I like the proposal of the simple pine tree with the north star. It represents who and where we are. The trouble I see is that some versions of the proposed flag do not have a pine tree, but instead, what appears

to be, a fir tree. We are not the fir tree state folks!

If anyone asks, I favor the version that shows a pine tree. I understand that it was actually the state flag many years ago. If we make the change, lets make it for the pine tree, not the fir tree, since we are The Pine Tree State.

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

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 44

South Of the Kennebec

by Stu Bristol, Lyman, ME So much is being written about mid-summer fishing but almost always the anglers are fishing from a boat. This column will focus on the other anglers; those who are searching the shoreline and beaches for striped bass, bluefish and mackerel.

Yes, you may find yourself at a disadvantage not being able to reach many of the hotspots but with a bit of research new hotspots will emerge that will keep you on fish throughout July and August.

On top of the list, of course is arming yourself with adequate shoreline fishing gear. That means a good quality fishing rod and reel. Actually, you may need two outfits, one for shoreline river angling and one for fishing off the beach. My first warning is to not purchase the most inexpensive gear even if your

recreation money takes a hit. Give up a couple six packs or some other activity, to buy quality gear.

Name brands should not push your decision one way or another. There are many offshore brands that offer quality products. The rod for river fishing should be in the seven-to-eightfoot length with a thicker butt end that gives the rod “legs” for fighting a big fish. Look for rods with at least five guides, preferably with ceramic inserts to allow the line to flow freely.

A rod with legs and a fast tip is ideal for river angling.

When choosing a reel, the reel handle should turn freely at least five or six times when spun slightly.

This is an indication of good gears. Front face drags are common and it will become very important to back that drag off after each fishing trip to eliminate the drag disks from

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Shoreline Salt

fusing together from heat and humidity.

Once the reel is loaded with quality line, thread the rod and tie the line to something solid and bend the rod as if fighting a fish.

Loosen the drag until it flows line out. If there is a jerking motion, the drag disks are faulty. Take the reel back and get something else. Skipping drag will break off the biggest

Water Park.

Once the gear is set, start looking for suitable places to fish along the river bank. Corners are good travel spaces for fish on incoming and outgoing tides. Steep ledges are also an attractant as are breakwaters. Striped bass and bluefish follow the breakwaters within a few yards looking for eels and crabs. Many anglers feel

July 2024

the angler to exert force on the cast, getting out to where the fish are feeding.

The slider rig is the most common terminal tackle used both in the river and off the beach. It is comprised of a short plastic tube combined with a snap swivel to hold different sizes of weight. It helps carry the lure out and lays on the bottom and line runs freely through the tube when the

When water temperatures rise in the rivers the striped bass and bluefish search the beaches for food. Most of the baitfish shy away from warm river temperatures.

The majority of predator fish will be found in the first three wave breakers. fish of your life.

Te r m i n a l t a c k l e should also be quality material. Laser sharpened hooks, weights (other than lead) in a variety of sizes and bottom finder sliding rigs.

Baits can include a variety of known foods for saltwater species. Clams, seaworms, mackerel and menhaden (Pogies) are great baits either whole of chunked. A number of bait shops offer sea worms mackeral and pogies but the center of shops is Saco Bay Tackle Company on Route 1 across from Aquaboggan

they need to cast way out into the channel when in fact they are tossing right over the bulk of the school.

When water temperatures rise in the rivers the striped bass and bluefish search the beaches for food. Most of the baitfish shy away from warm river temperatures. The majority of predator fish will be found in the first three wave breakers.

That means you may need a longer fishing rod with a handle that extends a foot or more behind the reel. This extension allows

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Made in Maine

fish picks up the bait.

Most Maine beaches have restrictions, so anglers need to check local ordinances. That said, just at dusk or early evening are best times to fish off the beach and most sunbathers are in for the night.

Bring along a comfortable chair and some snacks. It could be a long waiting game. There is no need for a net when beach fishing. Just walk the fish up onto the shallow and onto the beach. Give it a quick measure and either kill the fish or return it to the water. Maine currently restricts striped bass limit to one fish per day between 28 and 31 inches.

The southern Maine coast lives up to its name, (Salt cont. pg 51)

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 45

Tie Up Window Alfred stood in the tie-up in the pitch dark with the muzzle of the 30-06 just inside the manure window.

Alfred Kimball was born in 1917. The flu epidemic hit soon thereafter.

The family turned sick and the doctor was called.

When the doctor came to the house, he reservedly informed them that the baby would die but the father may make it if treated.

etable farmer, selling crops to the grocers in Saco.

The next summer Alfred’s day started at daybreak, graining the cows, shoveling manure out the tie-up windows, bedding, then milking. The rest of the day was spent hoeing or picking vegetables until evening chore time.

Alfred’s dream of hunting and fishing all day was buried under a mountain of

lurking. He waited. The does and skippers were not nervous and were having a good feed in the beans.

The cows in the barn were chewing their cuds and you could hear a neck chain clink from time to time.

The rest of the world was silent.

It was a warm summer night and the house windows were open as everyone lay in bed hoping for a

It was a warm summer night and the house windows were open as everyone lay in bed hoping for a breeze. The buck appeared from nowhere, broadside at 30 yards. Blam! The buck dropped and all hell broke loose.

Several days later the father passed and to everyone’s surprise the baby survived.

My Great Uncle Alfred lived to be ninety-four.

When Alfred was fourteen his mother remarried and they moved to his step father’s farm off Simpson Road in Buxton. Alfred was in heaven. Thousands of acres to roam up and down the Saco River. Perfect for a teenager with a gun and dog. That winter Alfred kept the family well supplied with meat.

Alfred’s step father, Bill Savage, was a veg-

pigweed and manure.

As the summer wore on picking started in earnest and Bill began to complain about the deer in the vegetables. Alfred had his opportunity. That night after chores Alfred stashed his rifle in the tie up next to the window that overlooked the fields. When the moon began to rise Alfred snuck down the stairs through the kitchen and woodshed and into the barn.

Several does made their appearance but Alfred had seen the tracks and knew something big was

breeze. The buck appeared from nowhere, broadside at 30 yards. Blam! The buck dropped and all hell broke loose. In the tie-up the cows were all up sounding off and the horses were pounding their stalls trying to get free.

Alfred stood the Winchester in a corner where it would not be spattered by the liberal release of manure that the cows were contributing and gave them a handful of fresh hay in

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On May 23 of this year, Sam Tolo's trail camera snapped this photo of a coyote carrying what appears to be a dispatched whitetail fawn. Peter Porter sent in thiis photo to the Northwoods Sporting Journal.

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Tales Of A Maine Woodsman

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their mangers to distract them. As Alfred stepped to the horse stalls to calm the team Bill came into the tie up and yelled “what the hell is going on?” Alfred continued to the team and with his hands and voice calmed them. He then turned to be confronted by Bill who repeated “what the hell is going on?”.

Alfred and his stepfather were not on the best of terms but as Alfred, bristling, explained what he had done, Bill stepped up close and quietly said “for Heaven’s sake boy, if you are going to shoot a deer let me know so I can keep your mother calmed down.”

After that they weren’t the best of friends, but they had an understanding. In the future, mother being forewarned had the can-

ning jars prepped and any meat they didn’t eat fresh right away was canned for later use.

They dressed the deer where it landed in the beans and Bill helped Alfred get the deer hung in the barn.

As Bill headed for the house with the liver and what was left of the heart. Alfred began skinning to cool the meat. Bill chuckled to himself as he went through the woodshed. “Liver for breakfast, I guess mother won’t complain too much.”

Joel F. Tripp is a Maine Woodsman and Master Blacksmith who has never shot a deer at night, from the tie-up window.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 46

Slipstream

By Scott Biron, New London, NH Lots of anglers I know slow their fishing down once the warm weather of July and August hit.

I’ll admit I still fish for cold water species in the summer but I like to target warm water fish too. One of my favorite spots is a lake that has pan fish, pickerel and both large and smallmouth bass in it.

For the most part I target the bass and usually the ratio of largemouth to smallmouth caught and

casting. Initially I hesitated to try a new line but after making the switch it really has allowed me much more casting accuracy.

It’s not wise to stress over bass leaders. Often I just make my own which are about 5-6’ in total length. 2 feet of 40 pound test, 1.5 feet of 35 pound test and 2.5 feet of 25 pound test using blood knots to connect the 3 sections.

Adding a perfection loop to the end of the 40 pound line

July 2024

Bassing Tactics for Summer

action.

Neither of these patterns get overdressed.

An overdressed Clouser will often get no takers.

Sometimes my most beat up flies are the one that work best so less is more.

I also have been using UV flash on these two patterns and I think that has worked better in the long run.

The hooks I use are Partridge of Redditch Universal Predator and the Attitude Streamer hooks.

Size 4 and 6 seem to work

In general sticking with two fly patterns is what usually works for the entire summer. The only thing that changes is the color of the flies. My two go-to flies are a Clouser Minnow and a Gartside’s Gurgler. released is 10-1. There just seem to be fewer SMB on the lake. I bet I’m the only angler that regularly fly fishes on the lake. Somehow I’ve convinced myself that the fish see less flies so it’s to my advantage.

My fly fishing set up is fairly simple. I use a Orvis Recon rod in size 8 that is 7’ 11” . I like the shorter length because if one of the fish go into the weeds its easier to encourage them towards the boat and I’m not worrying about breaking my rod tip.

I have a Orvis Hydros reel lined with Bank Shot fly line. Having used several line designed for warm water fishing I settled on this Bank Shot and have really liked it. The line delivers large flies right in tight to the bank or weeds without a lot of false

where it attaches to the fly line makes changing these out very easy.

In general sticking with two fly patterns is what usually works for the entire summer. The only thing that changes is the color of the flies. My two go-to flies are a Clouser Minnow and a Gartside’s Gurgler. The Clouser allows me to get the fly down in the water column and the Gurgler gives me a top water pattern.

Mostly I swing back and forth between several colors for the summer.

Yellow, chartreuse, grass green, orange are the most popular colors. However, I usually tie some gurglers in black and purple. Those two colors usually work around dusk so if thing are slow I will try one of those colors and hope I get some

in the pond I fish in, but they have many more sizes.

There are other models of these hooks, too, that can offer the fly tyer some differed options. The hooks are very strong and sharp.I de-barb mine and seldom lose a fish without a barb on the hook. These hooks get caught on weeds, logs and a ton of other things and usually I can retrieve or just pull them out of where they are stuck.

The Clousers have weighted eyes so they sink and using different retrieves can stimulate fish takes. Sometimes a quick retrieval will result in a huge response and one where the fish will set the hook on its own.

The Gurglers are surface flies and for me casting these out on the edge of the weeds and just letting

them sit still for up to 30 seconds often results in a massive strike on the first movement.

The two other patterns I use are the Fatal Attraction that is a baby sunfish imitation and a Sneaky Pete. The Fatal Attraction has a lot of flash in it and I fish it as a weighted streamer. Just look at how the baitfish in the lake are swimming and retrieve this fly the same way. The Sneaky Pete is a quiet fly, its used near the stream entrances and exits in the pond. The water is moving there, usually cooler and I fish this about 12’ below the surface.

Don’t let the warm water of the summer pull you off the ponds. There is lots of fun and action to be had. Take a youngster fishing with you in the

summer. Maybe they don’t fly fish yet but once they see you hook on to a big fish they will want you to teach them how to fly fish.

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

He has fished many of the streams north of Route 26 in NH and his favorite the Androscoggin River.

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

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 47

Don’t Get Mad Madness. In its modern usage, someone who is mad is angry. For instance, try following a local school board meeting, for example, if you aren’t convinced by watching the proceedings in Washington. The classic definition

son or animal and they have visible symptoms it is likely 100% fatal, and it’s not a pretty death. Rabies is a virus that is primarily transmitted by bites and scratches where the transmittee comes into contact with saliva or mucous. It

Marsh Island Chronicles

I gave a call to Dr. Tegwin Taylor, who works for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as a Wildlife Health Biologist, but she’s also a wildlife veterinarian.

“Rabies is one my favorite areas of study,” she told

by Matthew Dunlap, Old Town, ME

Well, there is that aspect of rabies that once it presents itself in a person or animal and they have visible symptoms it is likely 100% fatal, and it’s not a pretty death. Rabies is a virus mals—although not all bats Services conducts a wildthat is primarily transmitted by bites and scratches where carry it. Something like life vaccination program the transmittee comes into contact with saliva or mucous.

95% of the bats we test are for the states, which helps of madness, however, is much more severe, more macabre, and apparently can lurk in our back yards.

The buzz around my little corner of Marsh Island recently was the emergence of a suspected rabid skunk around the corner from us on Somerset Street in Old Town. Rabies is one of those diseases that still causes people to talk in hushed terms. But is it really worse than anything else we can be exposed to in the outdoors?

Well, there is that aspect of rabies that once it presents itself in a per-

attacks the central nervous system, and left untreated through its two- to threemonth incubation period, kills thousands of people, mostly children, in developing areas of the world.

In the U. S., we’ve done a good job containing rabies. Fewer than ten Americans a year succumb to the virus, and where up through the 1960s, dogs were a main transmitter to people, with rabies vaccinations for pets, almost all rabies transmissions are now through wild animals, like the possibly-rabid skunk on Somerset Street.

me recently. It turns out that there are four main variants of rabies in the U. S. “It’s enzootic, meaning it’s always around. In the warmer months, we will see surges of incidences of rabies. In the east, the main variant is the raccoon strain; the skunk strain is more common in the midwest, the fox-skunk variant is found in the west, and the mongoose strain is found mainly in Puerto Rico.

With 90% of the infections now coming from wildlife, people are most likely to be exposed to rabies through bats or other infected ani-

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prevent the further spread of the disease in rural areas.

Like avoiding tickborne illnesses such as Lyme disease, Dr. Taylor said that there are plenty of easy ways to avoid contact with a rabid animal.

Keeping a safe distance from wildlife and reporting animals behaving strangely with a lack of fear of humans to an IF&W wildlife conflict agent, minimizing food sources that could be attractive to wildlife (which we already do to avoid nuisance bears), keeping your dog on a leash when (Mad cont. pg 65)

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negative.”

We’ve had a vaccine against rabies for a long time, so exposure isn’t the awful death sentence it once was, and Dr. Taylor made the additional point that while the law requires dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies, it’s not a bad idea to have livestock vaccinated as well, as livestock are just as likely to have contact with infected wildlife. It makes sense; investing in a team of competition pulling horses could be undone by one bite from a rabid animal.

To help along this line, the USDA Wildlife

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 48

Vermont Ramblings

by Dennis Jensen, Vermont There are so many things that can go wrong — and sometimes right — when striper fishing along the beach in Maine.

I’ve experienced these events so let’s discuss them.

One of the most interesting

Over the years, 90 percent of the stripers I have beached were during darkness. But I have changed strategy, to a point, over the past decade or so. If we are looking at dead low tide at around 4 or 5 a.m., I have

July 2024

The Mystique of Striped Bass

other factor and that old sage about the wind from the west being best, is true, for the most part. But I will fish with any wind when I get out there.

Bait selection can be critical but I believe that if a school of stripers comes along and your bait is presented realistically, it will be taken. That said, I began

Over the years, 90 percent of the stripers I have beached were during darkness. But I have changed strategy, to a point, over the past decade or so. If we are looking at dead low tide at around 4 or 5 a.m., I have had surprising success. things I have observed during the 25 years I have fished along the Old Orchard Beach-Saco beaches is the number of anglers out there during daylight hours.

Come sundown, and particularly during the dead of night, anglers are few and far between. I know this because whether you are fishing with bait or tossing out plugs, you will need a headlamp to change plugs, hook bait or after landing a fish.

had surprising success. The same thing goes for a low tide that fall sometime near sunset.

But we have been hampered, too many times during our trips in July and August by that demon of the beach, seaweed. It is nothing short of a nightmare and, stupidly, I have lost rigs because I thought I could beat the weed by casting far out. Ain’t gonna happen.

Wind direction is an-

Vermont

my venture long ago fishing with mackerel but after a discussion at a local bait shop decided to try clams.

I wasn’t convinced at first.

Since I always take two surf rods out there, I baited one with clams and the other with one half of the fish. While this was by no means a scientific study, it became clear that I caught more fish with big globs of clams than with mackerel by about a two-to-one margin.

Fresh clams, of course, are far better for

stripers than the frozen variety. But here, again, it is a fact that I have taken some good fish on frozen clams.

While it might sound costly — let’s face it, we’re only out here for something

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like two weeks so why be a cheapskate — I like to hook a big chunk of clam, on both rods, when I am on the beach.

While I have talked about my best time to be fishing, the fact is, I will get out when it is convenient.

On the other hand, we should remember that the week or two on the beach in Maine is a vacation for two, a husband and wife, so if the boss wants to run to Portland for a special dinner or take a ferry ride, we don’t put up an argument.

Why? Because my fishing is never an issue with Kathleen as long as I don’t take my fishing to the extreme.

In any event, there have been times when I would set out at 2 a.m., with high tide set for about (Striped cont. pg 51)

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 49

Aging And Dealing With It

Outdoors In Vermont

Aging is something we all have to face. Although it is better than the alternative, most of us would rather avoid it. We of a certain age spend a lot

by Gary W. Moore, Bradford, VT

number sixteen when we could get a driver’s license.

The third and last time I longed to be older was when I impatiently waited to turn 21 so I could legally

man take a look at how they have aged and their feelings about their lives to that point. I recommend both the book and the two articles.

Newbury, resident Sydney Lea was Vermont poet laureate from 2011

in Gray’s from 1975 until his death in 2005 and I always went to his essays first when my Gray’s arrived in the mail. The View From The Hill first ap-

triple by-pass that caused me to stop chemo which, when resumed, lasted through August.

A year later, my oncologist found a partial

Both Lea and Waterman take a look at how they have aged and their feelings about their lives to that point.

I recommend both the book and the two articles.

The author may be 78, had had colon cancer, a triple by-pass and kidney issues in the past two years, but is still actively hiking, hunting and fishing. of time lamenting the passing of family members, old friends and acquaintances and discussing our infirmities.

Having just turned 78, I have been doing quite a bit of thinking about aging and what I may face in the not too distant future.

I can still vividly remember three incidents when I could hardly wait to get older. The first was age twelve when my class moved from the elementary school down to Bradford Academy for seventh grade. Next was the magic

buy alcohol. I was in Vietnam at the time I passed that milestone so I could drink any time alcohol was available, but I couldn’t wait to be able to drink with old friends when I returned home in April of 1968.

This spring I read Sydney Lea’s “Such Dancing As We Can” and Charles F. Waterman’s “The View From The Hill” which was reprinted in the April 2024 issue of Gray’s Sporting Journal. Last year I read Lea’s Maturity in the October, 2023 issue of Gray’s.

Both Lea and Water-

to 2015 and in 2021, he received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Vermont Arts Council. He has long been an avid hunter and angler who has spent considerable time since his youth at a family camp in the Grand Lake Stream area of Maine.

The author of 15 poetry collections and eight books of essays, Lea, 81, recently published two new collections, one of poetry, What Shines, and another of meditative essays, Such Dancing as We Can. Waterman appeared

peared in the Winter 1984 issue.

As you read the thoughts of Lea and Waterman you will likely learn of lives well lived and how they have accepted aging and the limits it places on their activities. It is something we all have, or will have, to face.

They did not stop doing the things they enjoy and I don’t intend to either.

The first five months of 2022 were difficult for me. I was operated on for colon cancer in early February and started chemo.

Then the end of May had a

blockage in my right kidney and this spring a spot on my liver. More tests and possible exploratory surgery will determine if either is cancer and we will (Aging cont. pg 50)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 50

Aging (Cont. from pg 49) go from there.

I may never again climb Katahdin and cross the Knife Edge but I can still summit 4,000 footers, although not as quickly or easily as I once did. If I am lucky enough to bag a big buck far back in the woods, I will need to get help dragging it out but I won’t stop deer hunting.

Call me old if you wish, but not elderly. I hate that word.

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake

me not when my strength faileth.

Psalm 71:9 (King James Version) Syndicated columnist Gary W. Moore is a life long resident of Vermont and a former Commissioner of Fish and Game.

His latest book, Four Season in Vermont, is available at many bookstores and sporting goods shop or from him directly. He may be reached by e-mail at gwmoore1946@icloud. com or at Box 454, Bradford, VT 05033. copyright 2024 Gary W. Moore

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Kids (Cont. from pg 22) 3 wt with a long 20’ leader made up of mostly 20 lbs maxima with a short taper of colored monofilament, to the tippet. I then use a dry fly to suspend a single barbless nymph. Picking broken water where the kids can make short casts is key. The long leader and rod allows them to get natural drifts with short casts, easy hook sets, and little line management.

After the trip we get some food and desert or a treat

from the gas station.

I’m slowly getting closer to being able to fly fish with my kids instead of just taking them fishing, but we are not there quite yet.

This year we will embark on a 3 week road trip to Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana tent camping.

It’ll be a challenge driving that much with the kids and I’m sure there will even be some moments of regret on our part, wondering why the heck we thought this was a good idea. This trip we will only be packing fly rods. I think they are ready

July 2024 for it.

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

He is a registered Maine Guide and graduate of the University of Maine. He also owns a large Maple Sugaring Business, Amber Ridge Maple. These occupations allow him to be in the woods or water nearly every day of the year. He can be reached at maplecountryanglers@gmail. com, or on instagram @ benwilcox_maplecountryanglers

Vermont Outdoor Guide Association hosts Vermont's most complete directory of outdoor recreation services, guided tours and adventure travel resources. https://www.voga.org/

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Salt

(Cont. from pg 44) “vacationland” with plenty of shopping, beaches and entertainment. Visiting anglers are reminded to bring along their gear for both freshwater and saltwater angling opportunities.

Non-resident freshwater fishing license is a mere $11.00 and well worth the expense. Maine has no saltwater fishing license but anglers who do not purchase a Maine inland license must register with the Department of Marine Resources and that fee is just $1.00 (maine.gov/ dmr). Anyone under age 16

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are exempt.

Stu Bristol is a Master Maine Hunting, Fishing and Tidewater Guide and Outdoor Writer. His features have been published nationwide for more than 60 years. He creates custom game calls at Deadly Imposter Game Calls and can be reached at sjbristol@roadrunner.com

Striped

(cont. from pg 48) 3:30 a.m. and get back to the beach house sometime around 5:30, we are pretty much exhausted. So my wife will set out early and, after some decent shut-eye, I’ll join her out there as just another tourist.

Fishermen who arrive on the beach early, maybe an hour after me, are for the

most part considerate. But there have been occasions where there was a whole stretch of beach and some lunkhead comes along sets his pole spike down about 30 yards from me. The problem, of course, isn’t that I don’t want company; the problem is with our lines being tangled and this has occurred more than on one occasion.

But the fact is that

Page 51

striper fishing, for me, has been an awesome experience and by the time you read this, I will be out there, working the water, going after what I believe is the greatest game fish there is.

Dennis Jensen is a freelance writer who resides in Vermont. He can be contacted at d.jensen62@ yahoo.cm

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 52

On The Prowl

by Justin Merrill, Cherryfield, ME I believe one of two things could be true here.

Either you have never hunted black bears in late August or early September and are willing to give it a try. Or you have already been on an early fall black

have everything you need for a black bear hunt? Be thinking inclement weather and biting flies. Another important detail would be the total cost of this hunt.

Will you be able to tip your guide thirty percent

Almost 99 percent of the time an archer will only have one shot at an animal. Be prepared for that one shot.

Also you’ll most likely be in a tree stand overlooking a bait unless you are going on a special spot and stalk hunt in Alaska. Practice to make those shots from tree-stands be a breeze. bear hunt but are willing to give it another shot. That is why you are reading this. One thing for certain though is that getting ready for an upcoming black bear hunt requires lots of commitment if you want to have an enjoyable hunt.

It’s equally as difficult to be successful if unprepared.

A few things to consider doing before leaving to go on a fall black bear hunt are gear and clothing requirements. Do you

or more? In the event you do harvest a black bear will you have taxidermy and butchering bills to take care of? A guided black bear hunt can cost $3,000 to $4,000 dollars or more.

That’s just the price tag for the hunt, not the travel cost, tipping of the guide and the taxidermy bill. Be financially set first and foremost before going further into preparation.

You have to be thinking about practicing with all

July 2024

Bear Hunt Preparation your hunting gear especially if you plan on using your bow. I highly recommend practice shooting your bow at a 3-D life sized black bear target. Shoot your bow fully dressed in all your hunting clothes. Become comfortable shooting as if you were already on the hunt. Shoot at this target from distances of ten to sixty yards. Once confident your bow sight is all dialed in then every day leading up to departure take one shot at thirty yards from an elevated position. Why shoot from thirty yards you ask. It’s my preference but I highly recommend doing it to make those ten and twenty yard shots seem much easier. If you are consistently hitting the ten ring out to thirty yards then you will be able to execute closer shots quicker and easier. Solely my opinion but it works for me. The idea here is to simulate the hunt. Almost 99 percent of the time an archer will only have one shot at an animal. Be prepared for that one shot. Also you’ll most likely be in a tree stand overlooking a bait

The author and buddy with a nice black bear. unless you are going on a special spot and stalk hunt in Alaska. Practice to make those shots from treestands be a breeze.

Perhaps you don’t need a lot of practice time if you are using a rifle.

If you’re going on a rifle black bear hunt at least be certain the scope crosshairs are not out of alignment. If you’re using open sights it couldn’t hurt to make sure you’re a steady shot out to at least fifty yards with open sights. Really what I’m trying to inform you of is to be extra confident with your shooting capabilities.

A black bear hunt during the last week in August

or anytime in September means hot days and cool evenings. It’s crazy really!

The daytime temperature can be 65 or 70 degrees and drop 35 or more degrees putting it into the high 30’s or low 40’s. A crazy phenomenon. Will you be prepared for this drastic change in temperatures?

If you’re a hiker then you already know about the layering system commonly used. The first layer of clothing should be a wick layer made out of synthetic material like polypropylene or merino wool. Make sure this layer is tight to the skin to absorb the moisture (Hunt cont. pg 65)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 53

Fishing With Wet Flies

I’ve always enjoyed history, knowing we are a part of something extending beyond the here and now, one of the reasons I’ve gravitated toward fly fishing, intrigued with an endeavor dating back through the centuries. This morning, I’ve pulled one of my favorite flies from a

our favorite river, stream or brook.

In 1857, W.C. Stewart wrote a book addressing the use of wet flies in waters similar to those found here in western Maine. In The Practical Angler, Stewart wrote about the small, but rough Scottish rills where he cast upstream, fishing

fly. Watching the sparselytied hackle undulate as the little pattern sinks through the tannin-stained current, I’m reminded of the controversy that sprung up between advocates of the dry fly and those preferring the type knotted to my tippet.

By the early 1900’s the dry fly had become king on southern England’s chalk streams, with Fredric Halford perfecting his theories on casting upstream to the suspicious brown trout residing in those quiet waters. That was until

Against The Current

by Bob Romano, Rangeley, ME American waters. With the selective brown came the use of dry flies, our fixedwinged, wet-fly patterns falling out of fashion. It wasn’t until 1941 when James Leisenring and his young friend, Pete Hidy coauthored The Art of Tying the Wet Fly that on this side of the Atlantic we had a manual of sorts for casting wet flies. Leisenring used silk for his bodies and

zine, Pete Hidy referred to his “Subsurface Swing,” which was similar to the above technique, except that the fly is worked in the surface film rather than off the bottom, making it useful in deeper runs.

Both Leisenring and Hidy used only natural material to create the bodies of their wet flies. They felt the natural material was better suited to trap

However, if you’re looking for only one book to read, you may wish to consider Dave Hughes’s Wet Flies.

First published by Stackpole Books in 1995, this simply-titled book was updated in 2015.

bit of rippled foam glued to the inside of a tin holding a half-dozen wet flies.

The little wisp of fur-andfeather is a pattern first tied back to the 1800s.

You can trace the history of wet flies by reading books written on the subject. Most are readily available at modest cost. Of course, you can learn about fishing with wet flies by surfing the Internet. There are whole sites dedicated to the subject, such as the International Brotherhood of the Flymph, but reading books first published more than a century ago is akin to going back in a Time Machine. It’s like sitting beside the authors, sharing their frustrations and joys while they explain how they solved the same puzzles we face when on

his flies without drag, advocating the use of a pattern he called a “spider,” one he tied with a silk body and a wrap or two of soft hackle.

Thomas Evan Pritt followed Stewart with his book, North Country Flies, published in 1885. Pritt catalogued the wet flies used in the fast flowing, turbulent rivers along the English-Welsh border.

In 1916, Harfield H. Edmunds and Norman N. Lee added to the wet-fly literature their Brook and River Trouting: A Manuel of Modern North Country Methods.

This trio of books espouses the use of soft-hackled wet flies on water similar to the rough-and-tumble stream sweeping beside the bank where I now cast my

1910, when G.E.M. Skues published his now classic work, Minor Tactics of the Chalk Stream. Skues set down his heretical belief that subsurface flies could be fished for finicky trout in the same manner as dry flies. In his later books, the contrarian author espoused sight casting to rising trout using nymphs matching those of the natural insects under the surface of the stream, an excellent technique I often employ during those times when western Maine’s native brook trout are looking to the surface for a meal.

In Britain, the controversy raged between the two schools of thought while in the States we remained content to cast gaudy wet flies to our native char such as the nineinch speckled beauty I now hold in my moist palm.

With industrialization came the near demise of our natural fishery, resulting in the introduction of the brown trout to

wisps of soft hackle for his wings, returning to the North Country flies for his inspiration.

Big Jim, as the expert tool maker from Pennsylvania was known by his friends, fished shallow runs allowing his wet flies to sink to the bottom where they could go “bumptybump over the gravel and stone” until he lifted the tip of his rod in front of a targeted trout. He theorized that this action we now call the “Leisenring Lift” caused his imitations to rise from the bottom of the stream like a natural caddis or mayfly nymph. In a tiny book published in 1961

by Sports Illustrated maga-

air bubbles, which when released, closely resembled what occurs when caddis rise from the stream bottom, while the strands of soft hackle matched the segmented legs of most any aquatic insect.

World War II muted any effect these two men might have had on fishing with wet flies, but in 1965 Polly Rosborough advanced methods for the use of nymphs to fool large trout feeding just below the surface. In his book, Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs, Rosborough espoused using the traditional wet-fly swing. While avoiding drag, he placed (Flies cont. pg 58)

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Page 54

Cookin’ With New England’s WildCheff

Northwoods Sporting Journal

by Denny Corriveau, Kennebunkport, ME

When people ask me about my passion towards the outdoors and hunting, I often reflect about some of the reasons why I feel such a connection to the outdoor lifestyle.

When you truly become deep-rooted with the outdoors you will understand what I mean. Your experiences will have a deeper effect on you.

in my wildlife observations and hunting experiences over the years. It has afforded me opportunities to see and experience things I would have never encountered.

While I absolutely love deer, moose and other types of hunting, bear have always fascinated me. Each species of game that you hunt have characteristics

Fulfilling the Native Dream

pursue them, what gets results is to be very systematic in your methodology, as they sense things more easily than other types of game.

This is why people that may oppose bear hunting need to realize that it is not a slam dunk to hunt a bear.

My goal as a native has always been to hunt on native land. For me, it represents hunting on land

What I have learned over the years about bears is that they are extremely quiet and go about their business in a very purposeful way. They have a keen awareness of their surroundings that is much deeper than the average game animal.

As a Native American, we are a perfect example of this. There is a spiritual side to things we experience outdoors that ties to our outdoor pursuits.

Long before I knew about my native lineage, I hunted with an Indian that taught me skills that I have utilized for years. One of the most valuable was to learn to become one with your outdoor environment; in essence to be unnoticeable to creatures that you encounter so they are not on high alert to your presence among them. This has paid dividends, particularly

that make them unique to hunt. The types of food sources they seek out, the patterns they follow, and in general, how they go about their daily routine can differ, one from another. What they do at various times of the day and periods of the year are also a factor.

What I have learned over the years about bears is that they are extremely quiet and go about their business in a very purposeful way. They have a keen awareness of their surroundings that is much deeper than the average game animal. When you

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that has minimal human interaction with nature.

Whether those guiding me are of another tribe or mine, I treasure spending time with those who share similar values about the land and how we utilize that natural resource to support our native lifestyle.

This spring I was able to finally experience what I have always desired, a bear hunt on native land here in Maine.

Upon my arrival at my friend’s lodge, I had limited time to unload my gear and test my equipment before heading to native grounds for my first day in the stand.

I grabbed my crossbow and bag target and headed out behind the lodge to take a practice shot to ensure my bow was still dialed in.

After hitting the bullseye, I placed my bow on the ground and noticed that my strings had come off the cams (not a good thing).

The author with his spring bear shot on tribal land.

Thankfully I brought “old surfaced on the atv trail reliable” (my 30-06) as a that was 15-20 yards from backup. One shot on the the stand. After standing range solidified that my broadside in the trail for gun was still dead-on and a few minutes, it slowly now it was time to pursue walked behind the barrel my goal. in the woods and then meI have to share that andered out of sight. Yes, I I was asked if I’d be o.k. could have taken that bear with a close quarters hunt, which was approximately as my stand was only 10 175 lbs. but wanted a betyards at best from where a ter look at it and I thought potential bear would walk it may come around to the in. My response, “You only front of the bait by how it live once” lol. Most bear was acting. baits are 25-35 yards on I observed through average from your stand, the green leaf canopy what so in this case I felt that appeared to be two black it required more effort in balls. Shortly after, my staying calm, focused, mo- dream bear quietly strolled tionless, and methodical if in at 7:25 p.m. Instantly I I was to be successful from knew what I had in front a ladder stand. Something of me. With no hesitation I that is challenging when took aim and with a gentle it’s spring and there are squeeze of my trigger he black flies, mosquitos that went down right where he constantly are honed in on stood. I knew at that moyou! ment what I had accomWhile sitting silently plished. I took a moment for almost 4 1/2 hours to thank the Creator, as I I spotted a bear behind looked over at what apthe bait. It walked slow- peared to be a mature boar. ly through the trees and (Dream cont. pg 69)

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

A Blank Canvas

As we approach the dog days of summer, some of you may wonder what it like to be a writer for the Northwoods Journal. How, month-after-month and year-after-year, do writers remain inspired? How do they find time to keep the editor happy with clever

if ten times repeated…”

Horace understood that both a work of literature and a painting start with an empty page or a mind struggling to explain truth, nature, or what it is like to be human.

Robert Motherwell, an American expressionist

paper gave birth to procrastination. That is why I waited until the deadline to write this column. I’ve been thinking of this parallel between the blank page and the blank canvas in my easel all month, but how do I approach this abstract painting or idea? Some say that the blank canvas

Page 55

Northwoods Sketchbook

by Mark McCollough, Hampden, ME ows. Cerulean blue sky is progressively thinned as it flows from the zenith to the horizon. So too the writer moves hesitantly into his story. Words illuminate the treetops at dawn, sparkle on the river, and provoke

the choice of your subjects; and words will spontaneously accompany the subject, when it is well conceived.” Like a master painter, writers that excel experiment with new combinations of words, new

A blank canvas or paper gave birth to procrastination.

That is why I waited until the deadline to write this column.

I’ve been thinking of this parallel between the blank page and the blank canvas in my easel all month, but how do I approach this abstract painting or idea?

Self portrait. (illustration by Mark McCollough) articles and make monthly painter, said that a blank, deadlines. And how do white canvas was the most they come up with ideas for beautiful and terrifying thing in the world. A blank their columns?

My column, as you canvas, paper, or computer may have guessed from the screen is the antithesis of “sketchbook” title is an in- creativity. At some point tersection of prose and art. its purity has to be violated, Horace, the Roman poet, destroyed. Motherwell said described a connection that the task of the painter between the writer and the is to destroy that purity painter; they both start with and then bring it back to a an empty page. In his work state of perfection. The art Ars Poetica, written about accompanying my articles 15 BC, he provides advice is pen and ink; an unforgivto beginning writers, “As ing medium that can’t be is painting, so is poetry: erased and reworked like some pieces will strike the words on this page. It you more if you stand near, is either right or wrong and and some, if you are at a I have to start over. A slip greater distance: one loves of the ink pen and I have to the dark; another, which start again. Words are more is not afraid of the critic’s forgiving. Word processubtle judgment, chooses sors give us permission to to be seen in the light; the cut, paste, and try different one has pleased once the combinations.

A blank canvas or other will give pleasure

is nothing but unrealized potential. Your next article or drawing could be your personal best, a masterpiece. But where to put down the pen or brush to apply the first stroke? More often, the white nothingness of a blank page is filled with doubts. Initial words are flying this way and that just like paint from the brush trying to capture the essence of an idea for a painting. I have several hundred articles that say that a blank page has never stopped me before. But more often than not I have to wrestle with procrastination to bring an article or drawing into semblance of perfection. Writing and art are not always easy.

Having the courage to toss an initial splash of color on the canvas or words to page can make a big difference. Then add a second and third bold swash. Writers push words across the page like watercolor painter manages the flow of paint across wet paper. Areas left white become clouds. Payne’s gray becomes cloud shad-

feelings of fear, uncertainty, hope, or convey understanding.

Although painting and writing have creative similarities, writers must bear more of their soul.

They are obliged to explain how snow sounds seething through the webbing on snowshoes, how the senses are overwhelmed taking off a trout pond in a float plane, or the frigid spray of fear as waves gnash a bouncing canoe in a hairy rapid.

It is more difficult for the painter to portray joy, exaltation, or fear, especially in animal subjects.

Horace advised the beginning writer, “To have good sense, is the first principle and fountain of writing well. The Socratic papers will direct you in

concepts, seek to break boundaries, and avoid the trap of commonplace paradigms. Does the artist challenge themselves to paint a moose in just a few broad, bold brushstrokes in violet dawn shadows?

Likewise, will the writer leave typical hook and bullet writing from time to time to try a new style or an abstract topic? As a writer, I have the privilege to capture your attention for just a few, short minutes. What kernel of knowledge or emotion do I want to leave impregnated in your mind?

Finally, Horace instructed, “Whatever precepts you give, be concise; that docile minds may soon comprehend what is said, (Canvas cont. pg 65)

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 56

July 2024

July Question Of The Month

What was My Best Deer Hunt Ever?

By Dave O’Connor Deer hunting is a fun way to spend a few days even if you come home without any venizon. But, some truely memorable hunts stick inside the brain

ing in heavy snow. He stood up. I fired. I was so sure I had killed him that I never jacked in a second round and watched him run unscathed across an East Corinth cornfield. I tracked

and square.

There was the time I parked my pickup on the East Branch of the Penobscot, put hat and vest on, loaded the Savage .308, put on the safety and turned down a woods road. Two steps later I had an eight pointer come out of the woods about 50 feet away. I fired. He dropped. I backed the pickup truck up to him, flipped the tailgate, gutted him out, loaded him in and

other two bedrooms. Dawn was awaiting. It was snowing a little the first night, but not really enough to track deer in the morning’s light. We decided to split up in various directions. I took the edge of a humongus cedar swamp. I also got first chance. A small six pointer flew by me as though running from the others. I fired after getting a bead on him in the scope. I think he was jumping down while I was

heart, onions, deer liver and baked beans with plenty of biscuits and hot coffee.

Just three of us went out the next morning and I got lucky. My Winchester 94 in .30-30 with 4831 handloads and a 170 grain Hornady flat nose caught up with another eight pointer about a mile from camp.

We all slapped each other on the back, knew we had plenty of winter venison... and had new stories to tell.

Just three of us went out the next morning and I got lucky.

My Winchester 94 in .30-30 with 4831 handloads and a 170 grain Hornady flat nose caught up with another eight pointer about a mile from camp.

the hunt was over for the year.

It goes both ways... and often in between. Let me tell you the tale of a 4 day Veteran’s Day weekend. We were all young.

Three guys, two girls. All were serious deer hunters.

The late outdoor writer Dave O’Connor. for decades. There was him for hours expecting to One of the girls had an the huge buck I was track- see blood. I missed him fair uncle with a spacious cabin in Moosehead deer country.

The five of us were like brothers and sisters with a common goal, to get a deer.

Food was bought, guns sighted in, the girls had their bedroom. We had spread out the guys in the

firing up. Never touched a hair. Oh, well, we had four days out with a full camp day on Sunday. It was going to be fun.

About noon I heard two quick shots about a mile away. I spent the rest of the day hanging near the cedar fringe. I jumped a cow moose. Nothing else.

When I got back to the cabin one of the girls had an adult doe hanging from the game pole and one of the guys had a nice buck... solid eight pointer. Two out of five already. Wow! We celebrated with deer

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Three out of five now had a deer at the end of just two days. Fabulous.

The next morning I made breakfast, the two other hunters went hunting. I cut and split firewood all morning. About noon I heard three staggered shots.

An hour later the second girl arrived with a small antlered buck with two holes through the forward shoulders. That left one deer to go. Sunday was lay around day and we cleaned the camp, readied wood, took pictures by the game pole and ate ourselves silly.

Monday the lone guy still hunting was out at dawn.

He was back three hours later...nice doe, good winter meat and he had completed a deer hunting trip I have never equaled. Five hunters. Five deer. All in walking distance of the same Moosehead cabin. I’ll never forget.

The late Dave O’Connor was an awardwinning author with 44 years of experience.

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 57

Casey’s Monarch

I know, we’re into the summer months now, and it’s time to put spring turkey hunting to bed for a while! But as I reflect on the 2024 season, remembering the many stories that started coming in early from all over the region, continuing right to the very end, the pleasure of sharing the happiness with friends and colleagues who experienced great success in 2024, was all mine!

And what a season it was, with many young hunters finding success for the very first time, with long-time seasoned hunters sharing their own stories, all to be remembered, while relishing every second spent in the beauty of the springtime woods, matching wits with any gobblers who dared accept their invitation to dance!

Even though, this past season, I came across a few I’d just as soon never dance with again, or maybe I would? The point is, every time you go, it’s a moment to be cherished whether it’s a win, lose, or draw.

And that’s really when the joy of turkey hunting takes you to a place that only those that chase the “great springtime bird into those high places”, will ever truly understand.

The greatest moments in a turkey hunter’s life, is not the next tough hunt they get the upper hand in, or the next big gobbler they harvest. The greatest moments are the memories made while turkey hunting with family and friends, or spending time with a young person who later in life carries on the tradition of “Wild Turkey Hunting”

On The Ridge

by Joe Judd Shelburn, MA

came in tipping the scales at an even 20lbs with a 10inch beard and good spurs.

Joe, a seasoned hunter himself, couldn’t have been happier, and from the picture he sent, I’d say he was also very proud. Casey is

Turkey hunters Joe Warger and his son Casey with a big ole Gobbler. to the next generation of hunters, while sharing the lessons they were taught when they were young. So far this year, the best story that’s come my way involves a father and son who were reunited for a turkey season to be remembered forever.

J o e Wa rg e r f r o m Conway, Ma., who was just a boy himself when he started tagging along with guys like me back in the early 1990’s, and his son Casey, who was home on leave from Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington State, teamed up on a dandy gobbler during the first full week. Casey and I first met back when he was 7 or 8 years old, when his dad would to come over to my home in Shelburne, as we gathered as a group of turkey hunting devotee’s doing NWTF volunteer work.

Casey was such a little guy back then, quiet but always polite, and he absorbed everything he experienced around him.

Today, Casey’s not so little

anymore, as he proudly serves in the Army as a helicopter mechanic, while coming home whenever he can to be with Joe and his mother Terry Warger, especially during turkey season. This is the first year that Joe and Casey have been able to hunt together in 9 years, and believe me when I tell you, they made the most of it!

Casey tagged out in Maine by the second week of the season, and later harvested a beautiful spring gobbler in Mass. That bird

and Casey experiencing another memorable hunt, together. Which elevated their love for turkey hunting to a new level, all while wearing a hat that I gave Casey over 20 years ago, which pleased me greatly

Casey tagged out in Maine by the second week of the season, and later harvested a beautiful spring gobbler in Mass. That bird came in tipping the scales at an even 20lbs with a 10-inch beard and good spurs. well on his way to becoming an accomplished turkey hunter himself, and with a mentor like his dad, and a supportive mother like Terry, honestly, how could he miss. It’s so easy to see that Casey has picked up the same skill sets as his dad, as they told me the story of working this old long-beard in Massachusetts, with the help of a loudmouth hen in the distance, eventually bringing him across 200 yards of cornfield and into range.

And that perfect spring morning ended with Joe

when he relayed this story to me! And the rest, as they say, is history!

It’s the stories like these, and the memories they spawn, that has meant the most to me, especially at this stage of my life as a turkey hunter. Memories of watching young people, older people, and even small kids, smile that smile of pure joy, the first time they hear a wild turkey gobbling. Watching their eyes dance as the “Old Monarch” responds to you, moving slowly to(Monarch cont. pg 61)

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 58

The Copper John

Cracker Barrel

by Homer Spit Nothing in the outdoors quite compares with catching wild brook trout on a small dry fly. For me, sight fishing - seeing the fish feeding on the surface and trying to place a #16 Adams softly on a ‘target riseform’ - is an exciting challenge that never wears thin.

hanging below the surface.

If you have never tied on a dropper you simply tie a foot or so of tippet to the bend in the hook of the indicator fly with an improved clinch knot and then tie the nymph to the other end.

What to use for a

If the Copper John doesn’t do the job, there are a number of other highly popular nymph patterns that should have a place in your fly box.

My good friend and fishing companion Tom Fuller from Belchertown, Mass, a national outdoor writer and encylopedic fly fisher, has made a study of underwater trout flies. In fact, he has bared his soul and his savvy

July 2024

a March Brown and a Green Drake. This nymph pattern is also deadly when fished unweighted just under the surface as an emerger.

2. Hendrickson Fuller says that this second in his choices of core patterns imitates a Black Quill, Mahogany Dun and Sulphur Dun. 3. His third choice he

which is available through Ragged Mountain Press in Camden, he covers just about all aspects of pursuing trout with underwater flies. It is one of the most substantive and well organized fly fishing books I’ve yet to read.

If you’re gettting impatient waiting for warm weather and the hatches that follow, you might want to get

calls the “generic.”

This can be simply a smaller nymph in sizes 1824 that has an olive brown body and black wing cases.

Examples of these would be a Pheasant Tail Nymph, an Olive Brown Nymph, a Trico Nymph, etc. In Fuller’s book,

serious about fishing “wet.”

Or, as Fuller puts it, “Isn’t it about time you learned how to fish between hatches?”

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

He then moves on to chapters on the various methods for fishing these flies, providing insights from many of the authors referred to in this article.

So, before you swing a Gold-ribbed Hare’s Ear through the current or sight cast a Partridge and Green to a feeding trout, consider

reading up on your fly’s history. You may discover what was old has a way of becoming new again. Me? I’ve set my fly rod against a birch tree and settled down on this moss-covered boulder for a little nap now that I’ve figured out what to write for my July column of Northwoods Journal.

This little beauty was concocted by John Barr from Boulder, Colorado in 1993. The Copper John features a tungsten bead and the body is wrapped with copper wire.

It is a fast sinker and is exceptionally visible to fish even in murky water.

The trouble is that conditions for fishing dries on top are not always right. Sometimes there is no hatch, or the wind makes casting difficult to impossible. When conditions don’t cooperate, the angler has two choices: give it up or get the artificials under water and fish “wet.”

The most effective underwater fly fishing lashup for trout that I have found is a big fluffy indicator fly on top with a nymph dropper fly

nymph? The choices are many, but there are some favorites. The Copper John nymph is the rage these days, and is purported to be the most used nymph artificial in North America. This little beauty was concocted by John Barr from Boulder, Colorado in 1993. The Copper John features a tungsten bead and the body is wrapped with copper wire. It is a fast sinker and is exceptionally visible to fish even in murky water.

in a wonderful book “Underwater Flies for Trout.” To help give us dry fly purists a running start, Fuller lists his “core collection” of most effective subsurface mayflies.

They are: 1. Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear. According to Fuller, the “utility of this fly lies in its buginess.” He advises you to carry an assortment in sizes 8-14. He believes that this fly imitates a Quill Gordon,

Flies

the angler with the wet-fly tradition, its flies, and the various methods used to effectively fish them.

Since then, our knowledge of wet-flies has been expanded with a number of modern texts. Mike Harding’s book, North Country Flies, first published in 2009 by Aurum Press Ltd, provides the recipe and history of most softhackle wet-fly patterns, including a close-up photograph of each, while Mike Valla’s The Classic Wet Fly Box published in 2012

by Whitefish Press does the same for fixed-winged wet flies. Although lacking color plates, another useful book to understanding the history and technique

of fishing with a wet fly is Terry Lawton’s The Upstream Wet Fly, published

by Hale in 2011.

However, if you’re looking for only one book to read, you may wish to consider Dave Hughes’s Wet Flies. First published

by Stackpole Books in 1995, this simply-titled book was updated in 2015.

The second edition provides a wealth of information in an easily understood style of writing. Hughes begins by providing the history of the wet fly. He proceeds to describe how to tie the different patterns, with separate chapters on soft-hackled wet flies, flymphs, fixed-winged patterns, and fuzzy nymphs.

(Cont. from pg 53) his nymphs in front of a feeding trout, using the rod to work the fly in an effort to coax the fish to strike.

But it wasn’t until the nineteen-seventies that the wet fly became accepted by this country’s fly-fishing’s Intelligentsia. That’s when Sylvester Nemes wrote The Soft-Hacked Fly. In the ensuing two decades, Nemes added two more books on the subject, forming his trilogy on wetfly fishing and making him a permanent fixture in flyfishing history. These three books will fully acquaint

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

N.H. Bear Season Hard to believe but the opening of bear season is just two months away.

I say that not necessarily to hurry September along (which I would do gladly) but rather just to point out that it will be here sooner than you think. Depending

considerable reduction in recoil. That’s what sold me on it. Less flinch makes for better shots. But my point is, you’ve still got time to get your rifle to a gunsmith for cleaning on tune-up before the season starts. And, I wasn’t saying that those

on what caliber you take into the woods with you probably depends on how you hunt. Spot and stalk, behind hounds or over bait. For the last two, you don’t need a long range caliber. Just something with oomph. Like the venerable .30-30, .35 REM, 12 Gauge-Slug, 44 REM, or a .45/70. And for spot and stalk, consider the .308, .30-.06 and anything in the 7mm Mag range. Or, you can cheat a bit and take a 280 AI and still be in the 7mm Mag neighborhood.

I‘m not a ballistics geek, but I do know that when the two calibers are matched up, the 7mm will have a 90 to 100 fps advantage.

However, the 280AI has

calibers were the only one’s acceptable. They just seem to be the popular choices.

Deer hunters looking for extra Antlerless-Only tags this fall should be aware that Unit L Permits are issued through an online lottery which will open on July 9 and close on July 22. On August 1, applicants will be randomly drawn. All applicants will be notified of their selection status through emailed notification.

Following the notification process on August 1, winners can visit nhfishandgame.com (https:// nhfishandgame.com/) after 9:00 a.m. to purchase their Unit L Permit. Lottery winners will have until

midnight on Wednesday, August 28 to purchase their permits—no exceptions will be allowed. The cost of a Unit L Permit is $26.

There is no cost to enter the lottery. You can only apply once.

A current NH hunting license will be required before you can enter the lottery except for minors under the age of 16. Go to the online licensing page

Page 59

New Hampshire Outdoors

by Peter St. James, Warner, N.H. sure bet that the salmon and lakers will heading for deeper, cooler water. Rainbow trout are a cold water fish species, intolerant of temperatures over 70°F. However, they are more tolerant of warmer water that of the brook trout, which requires tempera-

also spring fed as is Merrymeeting Lake in New Durham. Also check out Spofford Lake in Spofford and Dan Hole Pond in Ossipee/Tuftonboro. A few more to add to your list would be Tewksbury Pond in Grafton, Orange Pond Orange and Middle Hall Pond, Sandwich. Obviously, there are a lot more Depending on what caliber you take than just what I wrote. I into the woods with you probably mean, there are 975 ponds depends on how you hunt. Spot and and lakes in the state, so stalk, behind hounds or over bait. For with some research, you the last two, you don’t need a long can probably find your range caliber. Just something with own secret, spring fed “go to” spot. oomph.

Fishing and getting at https://nhfishandgame. tures below 65°F. Brown ready for fall. That’s what com/ and select the Unit L trout? They’re active feed- July is all about.

Lottery button. Up to 3,000 ing and chasing prey in hunters will be allowed to water temperatures up to 74 degrees. So if you don’t purchase Unit L permits.

Peter St. James is a There will also be want to stop fishing in July member of the New EngAntlerless-Only permits and August for the cold land Outdoor Writers Asavailable for Unit M. Those water species, it behooves sociation, Outdoor Writers will be sold on a first-come, you to know which lakes Association of America, a first-served basis online or have springs and where licensed NH Fishing Guide. in-person at NHFG head- they are. First and fore- Reach him at: stjames.pequarters in Concord begin- most in Winnipesaukee. ter@gmail.com She has eight subterranean ning on July 23.

Well, lake and pond natural springs. One hunwaters start warming up dred and eighty-three foot this month. And it’s a pretty deep Newfound Lake is

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Page 60

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 John Ford

Glancing back into the diaries, I ran across another hair-raising experience, when I received a phone call early in the morning of Oct. 16, 1981, from a member of the Unity Fire

he asked, sounding rather surprised.

“We have a missing boater on Unity Pond. The call came in late last night and you were on a day off.

Another warden came to assist us, but he left after

The Rev. Woehr desperately searched for his life jacket, but it was inside the submerged boat, and he couldn’t get at it.

Department. He was rather disgustedly inquiring if I planned on coming to the search on Unity Pond before too long?

"What search?” I blankly asked, completely unaware of any such thing going on in the area. I’d been on a couple of days off and away from home so I wasn’t aware of any searches in my area.

“You didn’t know,”

only a couple of hours.”

“He said you’d be coming on in the morning, and that you’d make contact with us. He felt as though we’d done all we could for the night. I just assumed he’d called you,” the rescue fireman disgustedly sputtered.

This is the first I’ve heard about it, but I’ll be heading your way just as soon as I get dressed,” I

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

The Deliverance of Rev. Woehr

said. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been called the previous night and at least given a heads up on the situation. An obvious miscommunication somewhere along the line.

The day before, Oct. 15, started out as a warm Indian summer day. The temperatures were far above normal for this time of year. The Rev. Richard Woehr, of Unity, decided it would be a great afternoon for a season-ending sail out on Unity Pond, before stowing away his small sailboat for the ensuing long winter months ahead.

As so often happens in cases such as this, he failed to notify anyone of his intentions before venturing out onto the lake at around 4 p.m..

Little did he know it at the time, but his latest move nearly became his last sail ever.

Richard’s wife returned home later that evening. She knew that her husband planned to attend a church meeting elsewhere,

The author, the late John Ford. so when he wasn’t there, porch. She quickly hurried she wasn’t overly con- down to the pond, where cerned. She simply figured she found his car parked he was at his preplanned in the normal parking spot church meeting. whenever he went sailing.

It wasn’t until 11:30 Suddenly she realized p.m. when he still wasn’t he was in danger – grave home that she began to danger. worry.

We later learned from Only then did she no- the Rev. Woehr, that durtice the small sailboat was ing the afternoon as he as missing off from their front sailing out on the pond, the wind suddenly switched directions with the temperaENTER tures rapidly plummeting.

TO WIN A The rapid change in weather was quite typical FLYROD! of our constantly fluctuating fall New England weather pattern. The reverend started back across the Largest directory lake, tacking into the wind of Maine guides on hoping to reach his destinathe Internet. Over 1000 tion in the stiff breeze. But visitors per day the change in wind direclooking for hunting, tion carried him further fishing and more! and further away from his Let a guide intended destination.

He realized that he show you the way! wasn’t going to reach his

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(Woehr cont. pg 61)

July 2024

Woehr

(Cont. from pg 60) vehicle, when suddenly a large gust of wind hit the small craft, turning it over and dumping him into the cool water. The Rev. Woehr desperately searched for his life jacket, but it was inside the submerged boat, and he couldn’t get at it.

By now, it was after 5 in the afternoon. The sun was quickly setting and the wind continued to howl a gale. In October, few people occupy the camps along the shoreline, and his calls for help went unanswered.

Grabbing hold of the boat’s flotation pad, placing it firmly beneath him, he attempted to swim back toward the shore, which was quite some distance away.

The high wind and waves battled his every stroke.He realized he could never make it under the existing conditions. Returning to the boat as a last resort, he barely managed to climb up on top of the capsized craft. Feeling a numbness in his arms and legs and a tremendous fear was beginning to overtake the pastor.

The Rev. Woehr said his faith in God simultaneously provided him with a sudden burst of inner strength and a sense of calmness. He felt as though he’d temporarily been saved from his own demise. He considered diving underneath the boat to retrieve a paddle, but he knew if he tried

Northwoods Sporting Journal he wouldn’t have enough strength left to climb back upon the overturned boat.

He was mentally drained and, physically strapped, as he sat astride the small half-submerged sailboat for the rest of the night. A search was initiated in the wee-morning hours, but searchers remained far away from where the sailboat had floated during the long overnight hours.

The boat was upside down and bobbing along in the windswept waves.

The distraught minister was unable to draw attention to his plight. He realized he was at the mercy of the Almighty and a whole lot of luck. For the searchers, it was difficult to know where to start. After all, the pond was more than 6 miles long and quite wide.

There was a very slim chance of finding the missing man in the black of night, as he bobbed up an down in the waves and fought off a howling wind.

It was hoped that the daylight at least would give the searchers a better chance for locating the Reverend, but many rescuers had already feared the worst.

“I was tempted to end the bitter cold and suffering by just slipping over the side of the boat and giving up,” the Rev. Woehr recalled.

“A thousand things went through my mind.

Being a preacher, I did a lot of praying, not in desperation, but just plain talking to God.” "I kept telling myself to hang on just a little while longer,” he said. “ I was trying to stay alive.” the Reverend related.

Upon my arrival at Unity Pond that next morning, the searchers had just spotted the sailboat at the further end of the lake. They were heading that way via rescue boat.

Upon their arrival, the Rev. Woehr was still clinging to the submerged craft, barely able to speak, and completely unable to move his legs.

An ambulance met us on a nearby camp road at the far end of the lake.

We carried the reverend to a waiting stretcher for some much-needed medical attention. His body temperature was a mere 6 degrees higher than what hospital staffers considered Life long experience in the outdoors we go above and beyond to bring you your dream hunting and fishing adventure! Come as clients leave as family that’s our motto! Specialize in black bear,moose and deer hunts also ice fishing, spring trolling and backwoods rivers, streams and ponds for our beautiful native brook trout!

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to be fatal.

Immediately, warm saline solution and heated oxygen was administered to him, and he was whisked away to the Waterville hospital where he remained for a few days - very fortunate to be alive. In this particular case, I honestly believe the other unseen passenger on that over-turned sailboat was God himself, sparing the good reverend from what should have been a tragedy.

Mr. Woehr fortunately lived to tell about his terrifying ordeal, unlike the water rescue I was called to the very next evening.

But that one was a different story. One for another time. The ending and the sad facts involving that incident was one of the more bitter and disgusting searches that I’d find myself and my fellow wardens involved in during my career.

It showed a sign of disrespect and compassion from some individuals, who were influenced by alcohol and a lack of common sense. Yet more memories and stories for the diaries – never knowing what catastrophe is coming

next!

The late John Ford Sr. was a retired State of Maine Game Warden and Waldo County Sheriff. John was a published author of ,”Suddenly the Cider Didn’t Taste So Good,” and “ This Cider Still Tastes Funny.”

Monarch (Cont. from pg 57) wards you, and suddenly he’s there, right in front of you, still coming, and laser focused! At that moment, the people with you know they’re part of something special, something larger than just hunting! And they want it to last forever, and deep down inside, so do you!

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman, He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker. Member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro/Cabela’s Pro-Staff.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 62

Warden’s Night in Bucksport

By V. Paul Reynolds

For more than 30 years, Maine Game Wardens have been wined and dined by the Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club during

do.”

Wa r d e n s a r e treated to a prime rib dinner with all the fixin’s, including homemade pies and

Warden Lt. Josh Bubier speaking at the Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club.

(Photo by V. Paul Reynolds)

what has come to be known as “Warden’s Night.”

According to Bruce Ashmore, President of the Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club, “It’s our way of saying thank you to our state Game Wardens for all they

assorted pastries. A raffle and a drawing is held before dinner and afterwards, wardens are invited to tell stories about interesting and humorous experiences they have confronted in the field. Club members, as

During the evening, club member Nancy Perry read some words of appreciation written by their club president, Bruce Ashmore. It was called “What Wardens Do for Us.” She read: “ T h e y The special dinner served at show up for Warden’s Night put on by the every class that Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club. I teach to help (Photo by V. Paul Reynolds) educate the new well as the general public generations about being are invited to enjoy the fes- safe and respectful when tivities and food at $20.00 engaging in hunting, fishing and hiking in the Maine a head.

Warden Lt Josh Bu- woods. They climb in their bier, who was recently boats and scour the river promoted and works out every time another desperof the Bangor office of the ate person jumps off the Maine Warden Service bridge next to your home. was the keynote speaker. They go through the woods Bubier noted that in today’s and find the hikers that are world, Game Wardens, like lost or injured on the many other members of law en- trails throughout the state. forcement, are not always They put on divers suits looked upon with favor. He and recovered the body said the Warden’s Night of the Grandfather that dinner was always a special jumped in trying to save night for the wardens, not his grandson at the Buckjust for the great food, but sport public dock. They for the gesture of apprecia- formed a line and searched tion that the warden’s night through the wood lines in Lewiston last October represents.

searching for a known-tobe-armed mass murderer.

They put their dive suits back on and recovered the body of local man out of Alamoosook Lake after his sled went through the ice. They assisted the local

Warden Lt. Josh Bubier, who was recently promoted and works out of the Bangor office of the Maine Warden Service, was the keynote speaker.

Bubier noted that in today’s world, Game Wardens, like other members of law enforcement, are not always looked upon with favor. and State Police to dis-arm and apprehend a violent neighborhood criminal on drugs, domestic violence and child abuse charges.

These are a just few things they’ve done locally that I thought of right off the top of my head. I could find tons more I took a little time. “

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Black flies! A Maine Adventure

Just this spring while out trout fishing, I was reminded why I hated black flies. There is no escaping them and they can drive you absolutely nuts, getting into your hair, ears, eyes, throat, neck, and anywhere else they can find. But, if you like brook trout, you’ve got to love the black flies. Or, at least put up with them. Even though black flies can test the last nerve of even the heartiest outdoorsman, it turns out they are a great part of the Maine adventure. Here’s why.

A friend of mine, Matt Scott, gave me the skinny about black flies when I asked him if there was anything good about them.

Matt has had a life-long interest in aquatic insects, especially as a food source for fish. At one time, he was the chief biologist for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

When he was there, he had developed a Maine invertebrate monitoring program.

For years, he and staff worked to determine how some species of aquatic insects were good indicators of good quality water.

Black flies are one them!

This pesky fly, it turns out, is indicative of cold, welloxygenated, flowing water, just exactly what you want to see for Maine water.

Before talking to Matt, I had never thought too much about the meaning of black flies or knew much about their life cycle.

But, just because I haven’t, doesn’t mean they aren’t important to something else. Like young brook trout.

Here’s what Matt wrote: The females are the blood feeders; they chew a hole and lap up the blood, while the males feed on plant nectar. The females need the blood protein to

the water. Then they pupate and emerge as adults to mate and start a new life cycle.

The adult stage of a black fly is very short, but all of their aquatic offspring serve as vital food for young brook trout.

So, every Memorial Day, it was always a new batch of adults seeking out a blood meal. Then, the life cycle is completed.

lay their eggs in rivers and streams. They seek out flowing water to do so, then later die.

The eggs hatch and the larval black flies go through several morphs called instars, spending their entire life stages in

Matt goes on to say that Maine’s great rivers and streams are ideal habitat for black flies. And because of the Clean Water Act of 1972, the populations are likely doing a whole lot better because of the improved quality of the

Page 63

Kineo Currents

by Suzanne AuClair, Rockwood, ME water and recovery from with the territory.” pollution.

This put a new spin on In the early 1980s, what I consider a pest. The there was a University of next time I’m trout fishing, Maine professor of en- I’ll be thinking about the tomology who proposed lowly black fly’s place in broad-spraying a pesticide the big scheme of things. in the Penobscot watershed And chalk them up as part to try and control the black of the Maine adventure. flies, which at the time The short season, comwere considered to be a bined with all the good the real nuisance and possible black fly is a harbinger of, human health hazard. Matt makes me think that I can testified against the idea. put up with them for a little Matt wrote that the while, especially if they broad cast spraying of pes- hold the key to baby trout ticide would potentially and clean water. impact the fish food and other aquatic fauna. His Suzanne AuClair is position was that most an avid outdoorswoman. pesticides are not species She lives near Rockwood or target specific, and that and has been writing about broadcast application can the Moosehead Lake Reaffect other filter feeding gion for the past 29 years. insects, not just the black She produced Maine’s reffly. erence anthology, “The In short, he said, “It’s Origin, Formation, and important to learn to live History of Maine’s Inland with the black fly. It comes Fisheries Division.”

Page 64

From Craig Pond

I recently read a book about Buddhist Philosophy, named LIVING BEAUTIFULLY, by Pema Chodron.

I would suspect a first reaction might be: what has this to do with the out-ofdoors? Let me explain, there are three main tenants called commitments to this philosophy: 1. Do no harm.

2 Help others. 3. To be content in the world just as it is.

First, do no harm. As we recreate in and on the woods and waters, to do no harm would include, but not be limited to the following: Obey the game laws. The limit is the limit, no fishing after creeling a limit and then throwing away a smaller one for a bigger one. One more trout or partridge in excess of the limit is doing harm to the resource. Stretching the legal length to “close enough” is not good. Leave the woods and waters as we found them; carry in

Stripers

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Outdoors: The Buddhist Way

in the outdoors, from insignificant things to major deals. For instance, helping beginners with chores they may be struggling with, like pitching a tent in the wind, building a cook fire in the rain; helping drag out a deer, and not waiting to be asked before helping around camp or the campsite. Chores such as getting firewood, doing dishes, cooking and cleaning up can be accomplished by all ages of campers.

deer or where to look for partridge are all skills that can be passed on by the experienced hunter. Being helpful does not come naturally to all, especially in places and cases where one is not confident. That is okay. We should not be afraid to admit being less then confident and be willing to ask for directions about what or how to do a task. Folks who are helpful and willing to pitch- in will always be welcome.

and craters at the base of the ledges and cliffs, and often a struggling pollock can be the ticket to a huge striper.

Increase leader strength when fishing jagged areas to avoid chafing off fish. Suspend pollock beneath a float or balloon, since a free-lined pollock will immediately swim down into the rocks and tangle up with kelp. Pollock are less hardy than mackerel in livewells, and their color fades quickly, so plan to deploy them soon after catching.

“Walk the Mac” A few seasons back, we were anchored off an

island in Casco Bay. Full sun and 85 degrees made for challenging conditions.

The chunk bite had dried up early on, and from the tower, I had been watching stripers harass our live mackerel. Refusing to commit, the bass were only interested in playing with their food.

I pulled a tinker mackerel out of the livewell, dispatched it, and pushed a hook from the bottom jaw up through the snout. After casting toward a rocky point, I briefly let the bait sink, then began slowly working it back to the boat with short, sharp twitches, followed by pauses. Flash-

things like charging over hill and dale all day and

by Bob Mercer, not flushing a single bird, Bucksport, ME but being happy about the and carry out. No sinking experience. Coming to bottles and soda cans in the a point in life where the pond as we troll, or down experience of being in the the ice hole when ice fishwoods, or on the waters of ing. Not leaving trash on this beautiful state is the the ground or in fire pits highlight. Have willingness is a responsibility of all to enjoy the experience; people in the outdoors. Not even if your partner shot having another hunter tag more birds or caught more our deer, so that we may fish than you is important. keep hunting. No stretching The experience becomes closing time from sunset, to the important thing and the The experience becomes the important thing and the bag for bag for the day is secondary. In the book of Buddhist the day is secondary. In the book of Buddhist Philosophy, a Philosophy, a Monk was Monk was quoted as saying, “one does not understand quoted as saying, “one fishing until one can fish without a hook.” does not understand fishing the point when we can no My favorite way to The last commitment until one can fish without a longer see our sights. These be helpful is teaching folks may well be the most diffi- hook.” Think about that for things taken in a single how to do things they are cult. Accept and be content a few minutes. incidence seem minor, but not familiar with. Teaching in the world just as it. This Bob writes from the if you multiply them by a “newbie” to fish various would entail being content Shores of Craig Pond where all the folks that enjoy the methods such as brook in the woods, going out and outdoors, they become fishing, fly fishing, lake enjoying hunting even if he and his wife raised three significant. I list these ex- fishing, trolling, etc. can you have not been drawn children and ten grandamples, as they are things be enjoyable. This is espe- for an antlerless deer per- children. Bob is a former that I and others may have cially true of fly fishing or mit. Fishing all day and Registered Maine Guide done at one time or another tying flies for fly fishing. going home, thankful for that has enjoyed all forms when young.

Teaching grandchildren, the experience, even with of outdoors activities. He There’s a myriad of friends, or relatives how no fish to take home for can be reached at Craigways we can help others to set up decoys, track supper. This means doing ponder@myfairpoint.net

truth, harbor pollock are an extremely effective bait un(Cont. from pg 31) der certain conditions. Fish live pollock in the foamy “Whitewater Pollock” Small inshore pollock whitewater off ledges and are often overlooked as along steep rocky shorelive bait for striped bass. In lines. Bass hide in caves

ing just under the surface, the dead mackerel had a gliding “walk-the-dog” action, similar to a spook.

Halfway into the retrieve, a striper charged out and inhaled the mackerel. I handed the rod to our client, and a short time later, a beautiful slot fish was laying in the net. This method has worked for me many times when others have not. Remember to be creative and find out what the bass really want.

During the summer, Jonah is first mate aboard the Teazer in South Portland, Maine. Jonah can be reached at jonaheparis@ gmail.com

July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Mad

Canvas

(cont. from pg 47)

(cont. from pg 55)

(cont. from pg 52)

walking, and keeping vaccinations in your pets and livestock up to date are really the most effective methods at rabies control.

“Bats are a bit different, because they can get into your house, and if you have contact with one and can’t capture it, you should definitely contact your physician,” she advised.

Fittingly, the rabies virus is a member of the Lyssavirus family, derived from the name of the Greek god Lyssa, who was the goddess of madness and rage. In perhaps its worst forms as seen in Africa and Asia, death occurs from either paralytic rabies— where the afflicted become paralyzed and go into a coma before expiring—or furious rabies, where the victim becomes hyperactive and excitable, and then becomes hallucinogenic, developing an irrational fear of air and water, and death follows from respiratory or cardiac arrest. No wonder people are scared to death of it.

Luckily, our wildlife professionals like Tegwin Taylor work on this type of stuff so we don’t have to lock the doors and pull down the window shades instead of going fishing.

Following their simple advice, then, is a sure way to keep from going completely mad.

and faithfully retain it.”

There. I’ve said enough.

Our dear editor loves brevity.

And so here I labor on a beautiful afternoon in May. Hesitant fingers twitching above the keyboard, a blank canvas is now filled on the computer screen and I finished a selfportrait of me struggling.

My mind drifts on currents somewhere else; fly fishing for a feisty shad in the Penobscot River and perhaps gathering grist for a future column.

properly. The second layer has to be some insulating material like fleece or wool. The most obvious layer that everyone always thinks to have handy while outdoors is the shell layer.

This top outer layer will be made of nylon or a material that can stop wind and rain from penetrating. You will be much better off to have every layer with you during every hunt as it doesn’t hurt to shed a layer.

However you WILL be hurting if the heavens open or temperature drops and you’re stranded without a layer or two until the guide decides to come pick you up. Number one rule – BE PREPARED! Another not-so-pleasant nuisance that can arise during an early fall black bear hunt is biting flies.

How will you control this

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.

Mark McCollough writes his monthly column from Hamden, Maine. He can be reached at markmccollough25@gmail.com

Hunt

Page 65

issue? Do you prefer body sprays, clothing spray insecticides like Permethrin, or dry methods like using a Thermacell? No matter what you choose, bring enough bug control for a whole week. Plan to have enough fly control for eight hours each day. In my opinion, the best control is spraying all hunting clothing with Permethrin before leaving home and bringing plenty of butane and blue pads for the Thermacell.

No matter what you do, just try not to get eaten alive.

You will if unprepared.

Use these few tips to get off on the right foot.

Obviously you will have

several other things to do before leaving for and during your hunt.

Justin has harvested approximately fourteen black bears on guided and self-guided hunts with his bow and one with a rifle.

He is a member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association (NEOWA). He is the owner of the YouTube channel, SPIKES and GILLS where he informs the public about black bears and black bear hunting. He has authored two books you can learn about by going to: www.

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 66

“The Trail Rider”

by Dan Wilson, Bowdoinham, ME As we approach our 248th birthday as a country on Independence Day, July 4th, 2024, you’re likely to see an increase in patriotic flags around town, either flown high and free on a flagpole or adorning

cially when displaying the flag in a place other than on a flagpole. For example, when flying a flag from a vehicle, “a single flag should fly from the right (passenger) side of the vehicle. If two flags

Flags

July 2024

only flag you might see on ATVs. Some flags are in the form of safety flags, especially in states with sand dunes or hilly trails where visibility is paramount to rider safety. These flags are called whip flags, dune flags, or safety flags. They are mounted to the ATV in form of a pole, rod, or antenna, and are usually

U.S. flags aren’t the only flag you might see on ATVs. Some flags are in the form of safety flags, especially in states with sand dunes or hilly trails where visibility is paramount to rider safety. These flags are called whip flags, dune flags, or safety archways, windows, and porches as a red, white, and blue pleated fan flag. You might also enjoy a homemade apple pie or strawberry shortcake, shaped like a flag with whipped cream and native Maine strawberries for stripes and blueberries for stars.

The United States flag is a symbol of freedom and on Independence Day in particular, we celebrate as a nation with parades, BBQs, and fireworks. When considering flying the Stars and Stripes, there is some etiquette to follow, espe-

are displayed, it’s okay to put one on each side, but they should be mounted at the same height and be hung in the same way.” (https://www.caranddriver.com/shopping-advice/ g28229171/american-flagetiq%C3%A7uette-carsmotorcycles/) Following vehicle flag etiquette extends to motorcycles and ATVs as well, with an option to mount a single flag in the middle. Our side-by-side four-wheeler usually sports a flag or two, mounted in the back.

U.S. flags aren’t the

6-8 feet tall. The flag itself can be solid red or orange and measures around 8x12 inches. The intent of such a tall flag mount is to alert other riders of where you are, especially traveling over a dune with a quick drop-off. This signal helps locate where you are so others can maneuver safely around you. Rules about these flags vary by state, so make sure to check out the local laws before heading out on the trail.

Flags you may be used to seeing on the trails in Maine are likely to be

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U.S. Flag displayed on pole beside freshly tilled garden with a side-by-side four-wheeler parked below and U.S. Flag mounted on right, rear, passenger side. white, the white under-side of the tail of a White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) that is. This flag signals other deer in the herd that danger is near and it’s time to move and get to safety. This flash of snowwhite is highly visible on its own and is why it’s so important not to have any white on you when deer hunting.

As an early gift for Father’s day this year I bought my dad a new 25 foot flagpole with solar light, replacing our old one that was damaged by the

high winds earlier this year.

The flagpole arrived in time for Memorial Day, getting us ready for summer. Seeing the bright red, white, and blue colors of the flag flown on a black flagpole against blue sky on a sunny day easily draws the eye to the flag and instills a feeling of gratitude for the freedom it stands for.

Happy 4th of July!

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

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Poling a Canoe

Page 67

ing your hands away from Editor’s note: This gunwales or toward the article has been “repurcanoe to keep the canoe in posed” from the Sporting Journal archives, just in once planted on the bottom Now use the pole like the quickly walk them up the a straight line.

Practice on flatwater time for summer canoeing. you can walk “hand-over- J-stroke of a single-bladed pole to the end to finish hand” to propel the canoe paddle. Anchor the pole the power stroke. To pre- then graduate to a light curforward. Start with a pole beside you and push back- pare for the next push, in rent. Trim the canoe so the

By Mark McCollough Are you up a creek about 12 feet in length and ward making the J shape to one movement bring your bow is light. Pole the canoe without a paddle? There experiment with longer or move the canoe forward in body upright swinging the forward keeping it straight pole forward with your into the current. Travel up are no worries if you know shorter poles until you find a relatively straight line.

After you gain some upper hand and letting it eddies behind rocks, then how to pole a canoe. There the one that best suits your was a time when Maine height, canoe, and water confidence in your bal- slide through your bottom nose carefully into the curance and handling the pole, hand. Drop the pole to the rent for a few quick power outdoorsmen would not conditions. you are ready to learn the bottom when your body strokes to the next eddy or Most guides will think of taking their canoe up or down a river with- “shoe” the bottom of the power stroke. To start, and the pole are near verti- pool. Inevitably, the current out packing their favorite will catch the bow, and the If you use the pole like a kayak paddle you will find that it spruce pole. Summer is canoe will spin downriver. a good time to learn the will quickly move the canoe forward. Now use the pole like This is a good experience basics of poling a canoe, to practice - time to drop the J-stroke of a single-bladed paddle. Anchor the pole so put on your swimming beside you and push backward making the J shape to move to your knees, grab your suit and give it a try. paddle and reposition the the canoe forward in a relatively straight line.

Poling, either upcanoe to try again. stream or down, is easier Bucky Owen taught and faster than paddling. pole with a piece of metal drop the pole and anchor cal. When the momentum me to pole a 20-foot wood It is no wonder that Na- pipe (iron or copper) avail- it on the bottom a foot carries the canoe forward canvas canoe on the West tive Americans preferred able at any hardware store. or two behind where you until the pole is at the per- Branch of the Penobscot. poles to paddles especially The shoe protects the end are standing in the canoe. fect angle (about 2 feet After a few days, I was when traveling hundreds of the pole and helps it to Slide your hands as high behind you) repeat with adept at poling my guide, of miles up rivers in their grab the slippery rocks on as you can on the pole, another push. Now you are hid dog, and our catch of light birchbark craft. Poling the stream bottom. Com- grip the pole, and push gliding rapidly down the landlocked salmon home to can be a fast and expedient mercially available “poling the pole backward while shore of the pond much to camp. Once you gain conway to move up all but the shoes” are also available. lowering your upper body the amusement of the local fidence and master a few In Boy Scouts I was as if you were setting in a loons and moose. fastest rivers and streams. basic skills you will not taught never to stand up in chair. This movement will The canoe will want Let’s start with makleave home without your ing a pole. In Maine, a a canoe! You will have to rapidly propel the canoe to turn to the right or left. paddle and a pole. straight standing dead get over this cardinal sin to forward. Keep the pole par- You can correct this by spruce or tamarack are the pole a canoe. For your first allel with the centerline of trailing the pole behind Mark McCollough trees of choice – about two try, find some still water the canoe. Just before you the canoe briefly between is a retired wildlife bioloinches at the butt and 12 about 3 feet deep. Use rub- push, your hands should be strokes to steer as you gist and lives in Hampden, to 14 feet tall. A straight- ber bottom boots or tennis just outside the gunwales. would a paddle. Or as you Maine. He can be reached grained 2 X 2 spruce board shoes to get a good grip on When your hands swing gain experience, you can at ellmcc25@yahoo.com may also be fashioned into the canoe bottom. Stand down to the side you can make adjustments by pusha pole. The bark should just to the rear of the center be peeled and knots flat- of the canoe keeping your tened with a drawshave, head at the center of the crook knife or axe leaving canoe and feet shouldera smooth surface. The pole width apart. You can place Where do you read your copy of the can be shaped to make it one foot slightly ahead of Sporting Journal? At camp, in the boat, at lighter and easier to handle. the other and perhaps brace the ice shack? We’d love to see a photo Ideally, it should narrow to the rear leg slightly against of you with your copy of the Journal at about 1 3/8 inches on the a thwart.

Now try paddling the bottom third of the pole to an unusual place. If we like it, we will about one inch at the top. canoe with your pole to publish it in the Journal. If we select your Pole length is a mat- get the feel of the balance best shot for publication, we’ll send you ter of personal choice and needed. Like a skier, keep depends on the depth of your knees and waist flexan exclusive Sporting Journal hat crethe water you are moving ible to maintain balance. ated just for the occasion. Send your Jpeg through. A canoe pole is If you use the pole like photo and a short blurb to vpaulr@tds.net. most effective in water less a kayak paddle you will than 4 feet deep. You want find that it will quickly P l e a s e i n c l u d e y o u r c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n , t o o . a pole long enough that move the canoe forward. www.sportingjournal.com

GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT!

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 68

News

(Cont. from pg 19) and muzzleloader and regular firearm hunters took 1,871 and 6,954 deer, respectively.

The Harvest Summary includes data from the NH Trophy Deer Program, run by the NH Antler and Skull Trophy Club, SELLERS LANE

BUYERS ROAD

which annually recognizes hunters who harvest deer weighing 200 pounds or more, and taken by the three hunting methods: archery, muzzleloader, and regular firearms. The largest deer harvested in 2023, weighing 248 pounds, was taken by Lloyd Gifford, Sr. of Rochester, NH, using a crossbow. His harvest ranked among the top ten

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heaviest deer ever taken in the Granite State using archery equipment.

The 2023 bear take, totaling 712 bruins, was lower compared with previous years and representa-

tive of an average harvest usually associated with years of greater food abundance.

The spring of 2023’s turkey harvest totaled 5 , 5 8 0 b i r d s and was a slight decrease of 2.5% from the record harvest in 2022. The fall turkey harvest of 201birds (archery and shotgun combined) represented a low fall harvest. The reduction in harvest was likely the result of poor reproduction in the spring and abundant fall mast crops during 2023.

July 2024 Above average rainfall during spring and summer negatively affected nesting success. More abundant fall mast, namely beechnuts, kept turkeys deeper in the woods, which decreased their vulnerability to harvest. The 2023 NH Wildlife Harvest Summary also provides statistics for moose and furbearers.

Wildlife research and management activities in New Hampshire, including production of the annual NH Wildlife Harvest Summary, are funded through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, a user-pay, user-benefit program supported by the purchase of firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment.

Learn more about hunting in New Hampshire at www.huntnh.com/ hunting.

"Tate" Aylward - 207-794-2460 Peter Phinney - 207-794-5466 Kirk Ritchie - 207-290-1554

5 Lake Street, P.O. Box 66, Lincoln, ME 207-794-2460

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Lincoln- This large lakeside home has an oversized garage, lawn to the lake and a paved driveway right on Mattanawcook Lake.

Many mechanical updates completed, leaving cosmetics up to you to make your own. Come take a look today. $225,000

Lincoln- This rolling lot with a driveway, gravel pad and firepit installed is the perfect place for camp, camper or home on Coffin Brook. Publicly maintained dirt road, electricity available. $47,500 T5 R7 Wels- Wonderful cold water lake with views across the entire water and of Mt. Katahdin. Nice frontage on Lower Shin Pond and year round access (privately plowed). $209,000

T5 R7 Wels- Gorgeous frontage. Well-built 2BR with 3 full baths, a laundry, enclosed screen porch and open covered porch on Lower Shin Lee- Year round road with electric available on Pond. Generated power & propane. $509,000 Thomas Hill Rd. Well wooded. Near ATV and snowsled trails, with dozens of lakes all within an hour’s drive and being a wonderful place for your getaway cabin, home or the RV. $20,900

Danforth- Lot offers relaxing sunset’s views, has electricity available at the road and is level and well wooded right on Lower Hot Brook Lake. This is a beautiful, quiet part of northern Maine- ready for you. $99,000

LEXINGTON TWP:

Lexington Twp: Oliver Rd. 1 bd w/ lot furnished cabin. Dug well and holding tank septic. Large porch for viewing wildlife. Area know for it's fishing, hunting, hiking and trail. $129,500.

207-265-4000 259 Main Street, Kingfield, ME www.csmrealestate.com janet@csmrealestate.com

Enjoy Maine's Vacation-land!

T3R1- Remote. Private. Wooded and beautiful. With deeded access to Bill Green Pond, this would be a wonderful place to build your seasonal cabin right off Engstrom Rd. POSSIBLE OWNER FINANCING. The driveway is shared with lot 17 and is partially installed. $24,900

Northwoods Sporting Journal

July 2024

Dream

(cont. from pg 54) My native Passamaquoddy friend Justin heard my shot and arrived shortly after with his UTV. He walked over to the bear, and he also knew how great of a bear I had harvested.

With a big smile, he looked up to me and said, “Great bear, great bear!” My bear was in fact a boar and weighed 260 lbs. Justin told me that if I got that bear this fall it would easily weigh between 350+ lbs.

I am very pleased that this bear will provide many healthy and delicious meals that will sustain me and my family. Thankful to the Creator for blessing me with this very special oneof-a-kind hunt!

WildCheff’s Bear Boudin Burger Ingredients 1 lb. of bear burger 1 1/2 T of WildCheff Cajun Blend seasoning 2 T of WC Air-dried Shallots 2 Tsp. of WC Herb Lover’s Blend 3 T of Salsa 2 Tsp. of ground cumin 2-3 T of olive or avocado oil 4 T of 4 C gluten free breadcrumbs 1/2 C of cooked jasmine rice 2 oz. of Mexican grated cheese Brioche hamburger rolls Directions Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Form into burgers and

place on wax paper on a plate.

Preheat grill, brush oil on grill grates.

Place burgers on hot grill and cook until done, flipping as needed to brown outside of burger.

Serve on toasted brioche burger rolls with lettuce, tomato and remoulade sauce.

WildCheff products can be found @ www.wildcheff.comWildCheff - Denny

Corriveau is Award-Winning Metis Native American Game Chef. He is the Founder of the Free-Range Culinary Institute, the only national wild game cooking school in the country. He is also the National Game Chef for TenPoint Crossbows. You can learn more @www.wildcheff. com or visit him on Instagram @ thewildcheff

BUILD ONE IN YOUR FAVORITE PLACE. Discover the rustic charm and convenience of Northeastern’s Camp and Cabin kits. Perfect for vacation homes or retirement retreats, these log cabin kits are easy to build and very affordable. They feature simple, open designs and come complete with pre-cut

Page 69

(207) 696-4247

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#4408-Waterville; This property offers not only a 3BR, 2 bath home but also qualifies as a commercial zone.

Extra long single bay heated garage can be an income generating property too. Nice basement with pool table to entertain family or guests. Beautiful back deck for relaxing. Call for your private viewing. $295,000 #4409-Madison; Lovely 3BR, 1 bath home on a double lot with fenced in yard for animals or added privacy.

Recently renovated, updated and up to code.

Triple-heating systems with A/C. Call now for your showing. $219,900

#8470-Anson; Lovely mature 26.4 acre wood lot with old dug well and rumored there was an old Military Fort there several hundred years ago. An incredibly interesting lot.

Power and phone at roadside. Call now for an opportunity to own this gem. $85,000 #8471-Anson; What a beautiful woodlot for your new home or camp!

11 . 5 s u r v e y e d acres. Old drilled well, 310’ of road frtg. and also a shared driveway access with power/telephone that leads right down to the river and a cleared area all ready for your new project. 257’ of frontage on the Carrabassett River. $125,000

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kiln dried Eastern White Pine Logs, insulated doors, windows, rafters, roof sheathing and sub-flooring plus step-by-step instructions. Just imagine relaxing in your very own Northeastern log retreat!

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Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 70

Houlton Office 207-532-4500 Hermon Office 207-605-0556 Scot Walker, Broker

For all your recreational needs!

First Choice Real Estate Land, Cabins, Acreage, Waterfront and more.

Doug Brockway Agent

“Serving Maine and the Katahdin Region Since 1984” A 21.6 acre undeveloped island. Located on T1R9 WELS in Piscataquis County near Millinocket. It includes 2 large sand beaches. Price $425,000. Dan Corcoran, Agent

Like a good neighbor, "State Farm is there"

The Northwoods Sporting Journal Digital Edition

SELLERS LANE BUYERS ROAD

80 Penobscot Avenue Millinocket, Maine 04462 207-723-9086 www.northwoods-realestate.com

136 Moosehead Trail Newport, ME 04953 Bus 207-355-3252

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July 2024

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July 2024

Northwoods Sporting Journal

Page 71

To Military Personnel Worldwide!

In these troubled and divisive times for our country, we at the Northwoods Sporting Journal remain proud to be Americans. We still stand for the National Anthem and thank our lucky stars that we live in the land of the free.

A digital subscription to the Northwoods Sporting Journal makes a wonderful gift for your military person serving in far away places. www.sportingjournal.com

And we still salute our military men and women, who have served and continue to serve their country, here at home and in faraway lands. To them we owe our gratitude and appreciation for what they do, and for safeguarding our American way of life, which we value deeply.

C’mon down, neighbor! The coffee pot’s always on!

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