Firearms Season for Deer is Upon Us!
Rifles are sighted in, hunter-orange gear is inventoried, and hunting camp windows are unshuttered – the anticipation is palpable. For many of us who grew up hunting whitetail deer in the Maine woods in November, accompanied by family and friends, this is the ultimate time of the year.
Hunters who do very little grocery shopping during the year show up at Shaw’s and Hannaford, lists in hand, to load up on the protein necessary to fuel long treks through thick firs and across hardwood ridges.
And as provisions are readied and equipment is dusted off, so are the stories, myths and traditions that will be shared and reshared over hearty meals and card games in rustic, woodstove-heated cabins scattered in the woods and alongside the streams, bogs and ponds of this great state.
To help hunters fully prepare for and enjoy this season, The Maine Sportsman presents its annual whitetail issue, getting things underway with a cover photo of a startled buck leaping away from a hunter – a scene familiar to many of us. The theme continues with several stories focusing on elevated tree stands – both the advantages, and the need for proper care and safety. New writer Bob Elliot describes the terror of sliding, untethered, down the trunk of a huge oak tree – the equivalent of losing your balance on a circus tightrope without a net.
Steve Carpenteri explores the best scopes for deer rifles, concluding that higher powers of magnification – useful for spotting antelopes on the western plains – are not a good match for hunting the Maine woods. And Mark Scheeren, of Big Woods Bucks, focuses on the importance of mental preparation – what’s in hunters’ heads, he writes, is more important than their technique or equipment.
Joe Saltalamachia, Christi Holmes, Bill Graves, Blaine Cardilli and others describe successful and unsuccessful hunts, allowing readers to learn and debate which approaches work and which do not.
Meanwhile, snowmobile owners and dealers are preparing for what promises to be a fun season, with everyone looking forward to enjoying the freedom and wide-open spaces found along Maine’s trails and – when ice is thick – across our state’s ponds and small lakes. Our “Bring on the Snow” special section covers the basics of the extensive ITS (interconnected trail system), machine registration, and the availability of safety programs for young persons and adults.
William Clunie, in “Off-Road Traveler,” introduces readers to tracked ATVs, in his column titled “Covered Side-by-Side Makes for Comfortable Cold-Weather Travel.”
All this, plus fresh- and saltwater fishing, recipes, trapping, many trophy photos from readers, and more! Plus the best jokes and cartoons found anywhere from the middle of Middle Dam to the center of Centerville.
We deliver and mail our magazines each month to stores all across the state, so look for us at your nearest newsstand, and give us a call if your store wants to carry every publication. And if you subscribe for yourself or for other outdoor enthusiasts, a copy will arrive in the mail – or a digital copy will arrive on your screen – each month. Request a print or digital subscription by clicking here, or by calling our friendly and helpful office staff at 207 622-4242.
We proudly offer you the November, 2021 issue of The Maine Sportsman, reflecting the inspiration and skill of our writers, reader-contributors, sales staff, office managers and distributors. Thank you for your continued readership support.
The Maine Sportsman magazine
