March: In Like a Lion; Out Like … Foxes?
March is here – a month of generally cold weather interrupted by teases of the springtime to come. Around the Maine Sportsman offices, excitement is growing with the countdown to the State of Maine Sportsman’s Show which will be held at the Augusta Civic Center the last three days of the month (March 29, 30 and 31). We’ve been working closely with our Show co-producers at the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) to make this the BIGGEST, BEST SHOW EVER, including the first-ever hosting of the State of Maine’s official surplus and seized gun auction with over 100 firearms, on Sunday starting at noon. Hope to see you there, and stop in to the Maine Sportsman’s booth to say hello to columnists and staff! Head to show.mainesportsman.com for more info.
And now, back to the March issue of The Maine Sportsman magazine – 80 pages (that’s big!) packed with informative material, including late-season ice fishing, snowmobiling, boating, and our second installment of Big Woods Bucks.
Let’s start with the dynamic cover photo, by red fox aficionado Paul Gauthier. Even with fearsome teeth bared, these two foxes – according to Gauthier – are likely engaged in horseplay, or have just mated and the lady is kicking hubby out of the warm den.
Inside, you’ll find the quality writing to which you’ve grown accustomed, including Bill Pierce’s telling of a poacher who was left for dead in 1902 – and who then resurfaced, still poaching, three years later!
Erika Zambello covers Maine’s one-and-only-ever, late Great Black Hawk, a media phenomenon rivaled only by Westbrook’s mysterious rotating ice disk. Barry Gibson reviews new saltwater fishing gear, while Luke Giampetruzzi describes the quiet efficiency of electric ice augers.
Special sections abound in this issue, including experienced newcomer Bob Humphrey, who answers the question “What Boat Best Fits your Needs?,” and Shane Brown, who interviews John Monk, president of the Maine Snowmobile Association.
Jonathan Wheaton contributes outstanding outdoor photographs of early mornings on the ice, and Bill Graves furthers that theme in his Aroostook column, “Late Season Ice-Fishing Action Rewarding Up North.”
Hiking is also featured prominently this issue, as Steve Vose reveals exciting Central-Maine peaks and conservation areas, while Jim Andrews (“Self-Propelled Sportsman”) describes how and why Baxter State Park authorities went through the process of re-routing the Abol Trail up Mt. Katahdin.
Ethan Emerson goes off the track in “Getting Stuck in Some Memories,” Col Allard profiles the Remington 721 and 722, and our joke-writing department, just back from the Oscars, offers some new smile-worthy material.
Did we mention the upcoming State of Maine Sportsman’s Show March 29 – 31?
The first annual Youth Writing Contest, featuring four cash prizes of $100 each, is open until mid-May (click here for details, and email the editor with any questions).
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So we hope you enjoy reading the March issue as much as our columnists and editorial staff enjoyed assembling it.
If you’ve got something to say, write us a short letter to the editor (providing photos, if you’ve got them), and email everything to Will@MaineSportsman.com.
Give us a call at 207-622-4242, and talk with office manager, Linda. Subscribe or renew your subscription, either on the phone or using the “Subscribe” link at our website, www.MaineSportsman.com. Keep in touch as a Facebook friend.
And thanks once again this month to our informed readers, to our many distribution outlets and to our loyal advertisers!
Will Lund, editor
Will@MaineSportsman.com
Augusta, Maine
