Power Up the Snowmobile and the Ice Auger!
The Maine Sportsman’s January, 2023 issue welcomes in the New Year by highlighting snowmobiling and ice fishing.
Snowmobiling is a social and economic engine that powers a great deal of winter activity in Maine. Our state offers 14,000 miles of groomed trails – the equivalent of three round trips across the entire country – from Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon! And the days of roughing it and traveling from one cold, empty cabin to another are long gone. The Forks area, for example, offers trailside cabins with outdoor hot tubs, sled rentals, restaurants, and even – when the riding is over for the day – a pub and brewery.
Check out the snowmobiling special section starting on page 18, and support our advertisers, including snowmobile dealers, guides, rental and repair shops, and trailside restaurants.
Ice fishing is also a big deal in New England, and our “Fishing on First Ice” special section by Sam Wheeler – starting on page 22 – reminds us of the basics, and instructs us how to pull big trout out of shallow water early in the season. Many small Maine businesses rely on a great ice fishing season, as shown by the support from gear suppliers and derby sponsors. Need bait? Review the full-page bait dealers directory on page 25.
Our monthly columnists come through again this month with great, inspirational material, such as:
- Sportswomen to Watch in 2023, by Christi Holmes
- Stunning bird photos from around the world, taken by King Montgomery, in “Sportsman’s Journal,” and
- Poaching stories by Bill Pierce (“Snapshots in Time”) and Doug Tibbetts (“Tales from the Warden’s Service”)
Also in this issue, we unveil an epidemic of dog overdoses; we cover rabbits, and the hounds that chase them; and we explore whether Sunday hunting may finally have a chance in Maine.
All this, plus letters to the editor, world-class cartoons, and the best jokes west of East Winthrop and south of North Yarmouth.
And an update on our request that readers search out vintage issues of The Maine Sportsman – thank you for your response – we’ve received more than 160 issues already.
However, we are still “thin” on issues from several years, especially 1971 – 1974; therefore, if you have old issues of The Sportsman in your attic, den or upta camp, please let us know!
So fire up your snowmobile and ice auger, grab your ice-fishing gear, snowshoes or touring skis, and get outside! And when you need to relax and read up on the best information available on Maine’s (and New England’s) winter sports, take a break and enjoy the January issue of The Sportsman, cover to cover.
Questions? Contact the editor at Will@MaineSportsman.com or the office manager at Carol@MaineSportsman.com. See you on the trails or on the ice!
Will Lund, Editor
The Maine Sportsman magazine
