It’s that time of year again and this, from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is a sober reminder to be careful.

~~~~~~~~~~

A 15-year-old Windham boy died Saturday night, Dec. 27, as the result of a snowmobile incident earlier Saturday afternoon.

Kyle Rogers, 15, of Windham, was traveling westbound on ITS 90 in T13, R5 WELS towards Portage when he went off the southwest side of the trail and hit a tree at approximately 3:30 p.m., according to Maine Warden Service Lt. Doug Tibbetts.

Mr. Rogers, who was driving a 2004 Arctic Cat 700 Fire Cat, was making a long, slight corner when the incident occurred. He was the second sled in a group of eight snowmobilers out on the trail. None of the others saw the incident. The teen was wearing a helmet.

Freezing rain that limited visibility and speed may have been contributing factors. The incident is under investigation.

Mr. Rogers was transported by Ashland Ambulance to The Aroostook Medical Center, and by ambulance to Eastern Maine Medical Center. He was pronounced dead at 9:28 p.m.

The teen was wearing a helmet.

Warden Dave Milligan and Sgt. Brian Gray responded.

Tom Remington

By Stephen Vose
Steve Vose (rabidoutdoorsman@yahoo.com)
Website: www.themaineoutdoorsman.com

By the end of an extremely long day suffering through cold temperatures without even a wind flag to show for our efforts, I was beginning to question why I had even decided to come on this particular fishing trip. The temperature had continued to fall steadily and as the clouds rolled in I knew that it was doubtful conditions would improve. It proved a laborious task, fumbling about with frozen fingers picking up traps, packing gear on pull sleds and trekking the quarter mile back to the vehicles. To say I was a little bit disheartened may have been an understatement and while I understand the sport is called “fishing” and not “catching” it was painfully obvious to me as I trudged through a blinding blizzard toward the anticipated warmth of our vehicles that something fundamental had changed in my understanding of the sport of fishing. It was at this moment that I decided to follow a new fishing mantra and start to fish like a kid again.

I was three years old when my Dad took me ice fishing for the first time on a small body of water in Washington County called Vose Pond. It is a small pickerel pond a short snowmobile ride from my childhood home and hot fishing action could always be guaranteed as long as you had something to use to bait your hooks. Through my youth, I had enjoyed many an outing with my family ice fishing on various pickerel, bass and perch ponds throughout the northeastern parts of Maine. Some of my fondest memories were of outings on Conic Lake.

As I grew older, I began to move beyond this “childish” degree of ice fishing and instead of wanting to catch lots of fish I decided that I would rather only catch one or perhaps none at all. This practice of mine to suffer through hours of fishing for that one glimmer of hope at actually catching something continued for years and years until that one faithful Saturday and my childhood memories of ice fishing transported me back to a simpler time when ice fishing wasn’t about trophy’s it was about the number of flags.

Once the gear was packed in our trucks we began to formulate our plan of attack for the next day of fishing. “Same spot same time tomorrow?” came the familiar query from my friends. “No way!” came my very unfamiliar reply. “What, my friends exclaimed, you don’t want to catch the big one?” “No, I replied I have something else in mind . . . meet me tomorrow around 9:00 AM at the landing on Lower Togus Pond.”

That evening I watched the weather report and noted that the winds would be straight out of the north and that the temperature would continue to be in the twenties. Planning ahead of this forecast I packed a few additional items on my pull sled that evening in preparation for tomorrow’s ice fishing activities. Late that morning, I was met by a confused group of my friends many of whom where trying to decide if I was losing my mind and had decided to try for a state record pickerel. After discussing the game plan to the group we moved slowly around the north side of the lake to small cove I knew well from my spring bass fishing trips. This location, protected us from the high winds and also allowed us to enjoy the benefit of the sunshine as it reached high into the late morning sky late.

We immediately began drilling holes and I quietly sat back in my crazy creek chair to enjoy the show. My friends could barely get in one ice-trap when a flag would go up and they would have to run to tend it and by the time we had in all twenty traps we had 5 yellow perch, 2 bass and several pickerel on the ice. Also using a stashed axe cut some wood I started a small fire on a small rock outcropping. As my friends continued to run for flags I filleted out the fish as they were brought in to our “camp” and by 12:00 I had accumulated a sizeable amount.

It was a this time that I decided to produce a large stainless steel cook pot filled with chunks of raw potatoes and onions barely covered with water that I had sealed tight with duct tape the night before. As this concoctions was brought to a simmer I gently lay the fillets on top of the potatoes and onion and added some salt and pepper. My friends watched in amazement and a few began to drool. When the fish approached completion I added a Nalgene bottle (32 oz) of a mixture of half cream and half milk and after 5 more minutes of simmering over the open flames handed out the bowls and spoon.

As I sat there in my chair warm comfortable and filling my stomach with perhaps the best fish chowder I had ever eaten I pondered if perhaps this had been one of the best days I had ever spent ice fishing. As we all sat around the small fire busily eating my friend spoke up and asked “So next weekend we back to try for the big one?” Well, I guess that some people never learn or perhaps it is just that for some hope springs eternal and like an idiot I replied, “Sounds like a plan to me!”

AUGUSTA – The two-week limited deer reduction season on Marsh Island concluded on Saturday, December 13, 2008, with a total of eight (8) deer being harvested.

The Marsh Island deer reduction season, which took place Dec. 1 to Dec. 13, was approved by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council in response to ongoing discussions among IF&W, the City of Old Town, the University of Maine and the Town of Orono regarding public safety concerns and nuisance deer complaints.

IF&W worked with the Maine Bowhunters Association to coordinate the reduction effort. Twenty archers from the Maine Bowhunters Association’s Bowhunters Landowners Information Program (BLIP) were selected to conduct the harvest on two Old Town-owned parcels of land – the Airport and Penny Road parcels.

“The Department’s focus for this limited season was to conduct a well organized, disciplined and, above all, safe hunt,” said Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin. “This clearly was accomplished. We’ve received mostly positive comments, and that’s due to the hard work and coordination given to us by the municipalities, the university and, most importantly, the archers.”

During the two-week period, eight deer were harvested — five males and three females. One of the deer was harvested off the Airport parcel and seven were harvested off the Penny Road parcel.

Seventeen archers hunted during the first week of the season on both parcels of land. Fourteen took part during the second week. The archers were not monetarily reimbursed for their personal expenses. One archer who harvested two deer donated one to the Hunters for the Hungry Program.

No accidents or injuries were reported.

Very poor hunting conditions, primarily inclement weather during the most of second week of the harvest, played a significant role in keeping down the potential harvest numbers, according to Mark Caron, an IF&W biologist who helped manage the harvest.

“In spite of the weather, BLIP archers were out every day in the elements doing the work required of them,” Caron said.

Observations from the archers indicated very little (current) deer activity on the Airport parcel, and the Penny Road parcel was active with deer and deer sign. A preliminary review of the reporting cards that BLIP archers were required to maintain indicate that at least 43 bucks, 116 does, eight fawns and two of unknown sex and age were observed over the two weeks, with most of the sightings at the Penny Road parcel. Some of the sightings were certainly the same deer observed on more than one occasion, Caron said. Strict standards for shots that archers are allowed to take meant that many more deer are observed than are harvested.

A more thorough review of the two-week season is underway, and a report will be shared with the Old Town and Orono councils upon completion.

Posted by Tom Remington

AUGUSTA – Maine 2009 Hunting and Fishing Licenses now are available for purchase just in time for holiday gift giving.

Licenses are available using MOSES, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s online licensing system, at https://www.informe.org/moses/. MOSES, too, is used at more than 275 licensing agents statewide.

At this time, only 2009 season licenses are available online.

With MOSES, hunters and anglers can purchase licenses at any time of the day or night, and print their licenses from your home or office computer in just minutes.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has partnered with InforMe to operate MOSES, and in recent weeks the system has been upgraded. With its fresh new look, license buyers will notice some new features. Now it’s easier to print duplicate licenses. And, by clicking on “express user,” the system will maintain your information for future license purchases.

Any resident, non-resident or “alien” sportsperson looking to hunt or fish in Maine can use MOSES. This online service is not available for individuals that need to obtain a Complimentary, Lifetime, Military license, or those from countries other than the United States or Canada.

MOSES is easy to use. License buyers will need to have available their personal information, such as first and last name, address, date of birth, and other pertinent information. Also, they’ll need their previous hunting license number or safety course number (if you are purchasing a hunting authority), and a credit card number. Visa, Mastercard and Discover credit and debit cards are accepted.

By purchasing online, buyers are saving the department the direct costs associated with the expense of manual paper licensing. These savings then can be applied to the important management of our fish and wildlife resources.

Posted by Tom Remington

The Canada lynx has made a remarkable comeback in Maine, mostly due to natural causes coupled with the results of timber harvesting and much in spite of what some egotists think implementing the Endangered Species Act has done. That doesn’t however mean the animal shouldn’t be reasonably protected.

The lynx in Maine lives on the outer fringes of its natural range. History has shown that the lynx follows the comings and goings of the snowshoe hare, its favorite food. When the hare is abundant in Maine, the lynx begins showing up partaking of the readily available food supply. The subsequent growth after timber harvesting provides great habitat for the snowshoe hare.

What’s unfortunate is that if and when the snowshoe hare population shrinks, as it will sooner or later, so too will the Canada lynx and once again man will be blamed for the act, much the same way that natural climate change affects wildlife and man gets blamed.

The Wildlife Alliance of Maine and the Animal Welfare Institute, who seem to be trying to make a living off suing the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, sued in court in order to force the early closure of the Maine trapping season in order to protect the lynx. During this trapping season, two lynx were reported killed through trapping and both cases were the result of not following the laws regulating trapping procedures. The trapping season ends at the end of this month.

Judge John Woodcock, who has heard more than one case involving the Canada lynx, ruled that the plaintiffs failed to show that Canada lynx were being harmed through lawful trapping measures.

From the Bangor News:

“Here, the plaintiffs have demonstrated that if a trapper violates Maine law and regulation, it may and likely will result in the illegal taking of a lynx,” Woodcock wrote. “However, plaintiffs have produced no new evidence of harm to lynx caused by trappers acting in compliance with existing state law.

“Accordingly, plaintiffs have not shown that the state’s licensure scheme as recently modified violates the [Endangered Species Act],”

In the comments section of the article, one reader likened the action to banning all driving because one person chose to drive drunk and kill someone. There are other interesting comments as well. This reader clearly doesn’t understand, or then maybe he does, what the Endangered Species Act is intended to do.

It’s nice to see the “trapping community” say it’s okay to kill a federally listed endangered species.

The only good lynx is a dead lynx, apparently.

Typical blather from someone attempting to paint trappers as only interested in killing lynx. At the same time another reader dumps on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

When IF&W starts to represent real science and the majority of Maine then WAM [Wildlife Alliance of Maine] will not be necessary.

Isn’t this typical of the environmentalists, anti-trapping/hunting and animal rights groups? Because fish and game science does align with their own ideology, they claim that science is not being used in the decision making of wildlife management – they are right and the rest of the world is wrong.

All of this is very much a waste of money and resources.

Tom Remington

By Steve Vose

Editor’s note – I would like to introduce readers to Steve Vose who is a guest blogger today publishing one of his stories about hunting rabbits. Steve writes his own blog and you can find more of his work at The Maine Outdoorsman. For a bio on Steve, follow this link.

Hunting the Snowshoe Hare

At 7:00 AM the air temperature was negative two degrees Fahrenheit and as the first rays of morning light filtered down through the tangle of spruce trees it provided little warmth. Using a handcrafted pair of ash snowshoes three of us trudged through the deep snow, every breath of frosty morning air making our lungs ache. It made no difference, however, as the distant sounds of about half a dozen beagles made our hearts race and blood boil.

This was February hare hunting in Maine at its finest and my brother, father and I were working ourselves to various points within a spruce thicket to patiently await the moment when the hounds would stir the snowshoe hares from the comfort of their daytime resting spots. I maneuvered myself slowly into position, at times crawling on my hands and knees until I finally managed to find an opening were I had an area of limited but acceptable visibility.

As the dogs began to work the property, their infrequent howls and barks quickly rose to an excited crescendo as they picked up the fresh scent of hares. About one hundred yards to my right, three rapid shots rang out from my Brothers Stoger twelve gauge semiautomatic and I had just enough time to ponder if he had bothered to remove his duck plug when two additional rounds thundered into existence.

Moments later, the sounds of the small collar bells began to mix with the howls and I knew that the dogs would be on top of my position any minute. I readied my Franchi six twelve semiautomatic twelve gauge and prepared to ambush the unsuspecting hare by delivering a lethal load of two and three quarter inch Federal number seven and a half. Being my first hare hunt, however, I was unprepared for the sight of a single frantic hare and seven highly excited beagles that practically ran me over. My composure wavered and belly rolled with laughter and in that instant my chance to safely discharge my weapon vaporized. Insult was added to injury as the last beagle stopped put two paws up on my knee and looked at me as if to say “next time pull the trigger dummy”.

The party rolled off to my left and was quickly out of sight and once again I could only hear the chorus of excited beagles. I marveled at the pitch and cadence of the dogs as it changed and fluctuated as they would lose the hare’s scent and then find it again.

About five minutes passed and about seventy yards to my right, I heard the roar of my Dad’s Ithaca model three seven pump action twelve gauge come alive. One shot and then it seemed an eternity passed before the second shot stretched out over the snowy landscape. I listened intently and half expected to hear an excited yell but eventually determined that the snowy thick spruce landscape had deadened Dad’s celebration.

Time passed slowly as the hounds tracked the hares in a giant circle around my position and I finally had a chance to catch my breath and acclimate to my surroundings. The air temperature had started its slow climb from the negative to the positive and rich sunlight filtered down through the tangled spruce branches. I took off my heavy insulated parka and hung it on a nearby branch and used my snowshoes to pack down a small area. These two actions allowed me a much higher degree of maneuverability and I practiced a swing with the shotgun in the tight quarters.

All morning, the tireless hounds moved with speed and agility through the area and at times I would see a quick flash of movement but I was unsuccessful in being able to determine with enough confidence and speed what was dog and what was hare. Frequent shots bellowed to my left and right and I was pleased to know that my Brother and Dad were working overtime to significantly decrease the hare population in Bingham, Maine.

As the sun crept high overhead, the smell of frying onions wafted up the slope and made my stomach rumble. I heard a horn blast from our guide Bob’s Suburban and my thoughts quickly turned from hare hunting to a hot cup of black coffee and a decadent lunch of one of the best outdoorsman foods of all time, the hot dog. Upon arriving back at the road, I was excited to see that Bob had on his Coleman cook stove prepared for us a feast fit for a king.

Slowly, my Brother and Dad appeared out of the woods both rabid with the adventures of the morning, covered in spruce needles and looking like snowmen. As they walked down the road toward the truck, I was more than a little bit surprised to see that neither of them seemed to be carrying any hares. I breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief, as I realized that their morning of hunting had been as productive as mine and in the end I has saved more money on shells. Through lunch and an impressive desert of chocolate brownies, we relayed to each other our missed shot opportunities. Stories relayed by my brother, included a description of one impressive rabbit that had managed to entrench himself in a bunker of dead logs and somehow narrowly escaped the barrage of lead that rained down upon him. We all laughed until we all thought we better get back to hunting before we completely wore ourselves out.

Fortunately for the hares, our afternoon was filled with much of the same general mayhem and missed shot opportunities that we had encountered during the morning hours. While I finally managed to get one shot off before the hunt ended, I to was unable to harvest even a single hare.

Though the day ended without a single hare to show for our Herculean efforts, we all agreed that we would not have changed a single instant. As we get older, life has a way of adding more responsibilities to young men and as the years have passed it has becomes increasingly harder to manage a getaway with my Dad and Brother. Because of these limitations, I will always hold these treasured moments more valuable than the harvesting of any game animal.

You can email Steve at rabidoutdoorsman@yahoo.com

AUGUSTA – The Advisory Council of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife today adopted an emergency rule regarding the placement of conibear traps in a positive effort to protect the Canada Lynx, a federally threatened species.

The rule goes into effect immediately. The Department is sending a letter to all licensed trappers about the immediate rule change. The general trapping season ends December 31.

Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin urged all trappers who still are actively trapping to make sure that their sets conform to this new regulation.

“I sincerely commend all trappers for working cooperatively with the Department to make sure that trapping can continue and the impact on lynx can be minimized,” said Commissioner Martin.

The emergency rule was adopted in response to a mid-November death of a Canada Lynx in a conibear trap in Wildlife Management District 2. There were two factors that may have increased the likelihood of the lynx being caught: the angle of the tree in which the trap was placed and its proximity to another larger tree may have provided the lynx access to the trap.

On Nov. 26, a U.S. District Court Judge in Bangor ruled that the Department must act immediately to further prevent Canada Lynx from accessing conibear traps.

Today, the Advisory Council amended Chapter 4.01K of the Regulations of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife regarding “The Location and Preparation of Traps.” The language that states all conibear or killer-type traps in Wildlife Management Districts 1-11 that rely on the current rule requiring such traps be set at least 4 feet above the ground or snow level includes these provisions (additions are marked as new):

· The trap must be at least four feet away from any bank (new);

· The trap must be affixed to a pole or tree that is no greater than 4 inches in diameter at 4 feet above the ground or snow level;

· If a pole is used, the pole must be a natural selection of tree, with or without bark, the sides of which have not been sawed, planed or otherwise altered to create a flat surface (new);

· The pole or tree to which the trap is affixed must be at an angle of 45-degrees or greater to the ground (old) the entire distance from the ground to the trap (new);

· The area within 4 feet of the trap in all directions must be free of trees, poles or other objects greater than 4 inches in diameter and must be free of all trees or poles that are slanted at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the ground at any point between the ground and the height of the trap (new);

Also newly added to the rule is a statement of its purpose, namely that conibear or killer-type traps are not to be placed in the vicinity of objects that make it easier for lynx to access the trap.

Posted by Tom Remington

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I’D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN’T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
‘SANTA DON’T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON’T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY! COUNTRY, MY CORPS.’

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN’T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT’S CHILL.

I DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, ‘CARRY ON SANTA,
IT’S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.’

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
‘MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.’

This poem was written by a Marine.

The following is his request. I think it is reasonable…..

PLEASE. Would you do me the kind favor of sending
this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming
soon and some credit is due to our U.S. service men and
women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.
Let’s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we
owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and
dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your
small part to plant this small seed.

Posted by Tom Remington