2024 – It’s Time to Make Tracks
Snowmobilers have been waiting patiently for many, many months – and when a pre-Christmas rainstorm washed away the snowpack, they had to wait a little longer. But now the air is cold and crisp, the lakes and slow-moving streams are freezing over, and riders are exercising their thumb muscles to make certain they’ll be able to squeeze their throttles with great authority.
The January, 2024 issue of The Maine Sportsman magazine pays homage to this most important recreational (and economic) force, staring with an extraordinary cover photograph by Paul Cyr of sleds speeding in unison over a frozen expanse in Presque Isle.
Inside, the theme continues, with Tim Caverly unraveling the mystery of snowmobiles (a Ski-doo and a Moto-ski, to be precise) summitting the highest elevation in the state – Baxter Peak, a/k/a the top of Mt. Katahdin. Meanwhile, Steve Carpenteri offers a preview of the Rangeley Snodeo (Jan. 25 – 28, featuring a casino night and fireworks), sled races in Lincoln, and other special winter events, in his “2024 Snow-Season Events” special section, starting on page 27.
The other big outside attraction this month, of course, is ice fishing, and we’ve got that covered, starting with a special section, “The Challenges of Organizing an Ice Fishing Derby,” on pp. 20 – 22; a how-to ice-camping piece by Sam Wheeler (23, 24); and regional ice-angling information from Aroostook County, the Jackman Region, the Belgrades (northern pike), and the Moosehead area.
Miss your hunting already? We tell you how to go after rabbits and crows, and also how to call in your deer next season. We also feature a guest column by nationally-known outdoor writer David Petzal, exploring whether whitetail deer change their behavior in areas where hunters use elevated stands.
The issue also helps answer many important questions, including:
- What were sportswomen up to in 2023? (see Christi Elliott’s “2023 Maine Sportswomen Year in Review”)
- What do fish think? (Tom Seymour, “No One Knows the Mind of a Trout”) and
- What Makes a Good Hunting Partner? (Ethan Emerson).
Want more? How about learning to tie flies invented or modified by Maine Sportsman readers? (Lou Zambello; “Freshwater Fly Fishing”); learning about GPS mapping software (William Clunie, “Off-Road Traveler”); or considering the all-purpose (and very heavy) camp kitchen appliance, the cast-iron fry pan (Randy Randall).
All this, plus sagacious Letters to the Editor, an information-packed Almanac, as well as trophy photos, cartoons, and jokes that will make you laugh so loud the anglers in the next smelt shack will stop in to make sure everything’s all right.
Questions? Contact the editor at Will@MaineSportsman.com or the office manager at Carol@MaineSportsman.com. And did you forget someone’s Christmas present? If so, call (207) 622-4242 to ask about our New Year’s gift subscription offer!
Will Lund, Editor
The Maine Sportsman magazine
P.S.: See you all again next month, when we release our annual “Biggest Bucks” issue!
