Trout and Wild Turkeys Headline May Issue
Maine’s 2022 wild turkey season kicks off with Youth Day on Saturday, April 30, while the regular season opens Monday, May 2, statewide. Just make certain to look for the beard before sighting down the barrel, since un-bearded hens are not fair game in the spring. Most districts permit the taking of two turkeys (WMDs 7, and 9 – 29), so carefully check the rulebook and the map.
Maine Sportsman writer Blaine Cardilli has been giving turkey hunting seminars for more than 20 years, and he shares information in his special section, “Three Turkey Calling Questions Answered,” on what calls work best, how often to call, and what to do if the toms get distracted by hens.
Guest columnist Colby Sughrue (age 13) weighs in with his step-by-step guide, “Mounting your Turkey Fan”; Steve Vose philosophizes in “How Maine’s Turkeys Saved Hunting”; Val Marquez recommends that his Southern Maine readers “Hunt Hens to Kill Toms”; and in “Turkey Troubles,” our New Hampshire correspondent, Ethan Emerson, pens another thoughtful column, this one about overcrowded hunting locations and the difficulties of staking out a claim on a specific field.
In addition to turkeys, May in Maine is also famous for another “T” word; namely, trout! We start our tribute to spring fishing with a great cover photo taken by Travis Elliott of his fiancée, Sportsman columnist Christi Holmes, as Christi fly-fished for brook trout in Kidney Pond, in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin.
Tom Seymour offers his monthly “Trout Fishing” column with a descriptive and summary title, “How to Take More Trout from Brooks and Streams,” and Jim Andrews tells readers that the structure left in the water as a result of Maine’s extensive log-driving heritage – including dams, sluiceways and cribworks – provides shelter for some big brookies, and concomitant opportunities for intrepid anglers. Meanwhile, Doug Tibbetts tells the true tale of his experience as a warden, pinching and prosecuting poachers who pulled 136 trout from a stream adjacent to the Bootfoot Road near Bridgewater.
For motorized sports fans, the issue includes “Advanced ATV Riding Strategies,” by Steve Carpenteri, and “Convert your Recreational Boat into a Fishing Machine,” from Dan Armitage.
Hungry? Luke Giampetruzzi discusses his conversion to becoming an edible mushroom aficionado, Kate Krukowski Gooding details her “Braised Beaver Shanks” recipe, and Nolan Raymond rates Maine’s best-tasting fish, and reveals his secrets in the kitchen.
Questions? Contact the editor at Will@MaineSportsman.com or the office manager at Carol@MaineSportsman.com. See you outside!
The Maine Sportsman magazine
