Outdoor News November 2008 Edited by V. Paul Reynolds November. Dwindling daylight, frosty mornings, acorns bouncing on the camp's tin roof, clear vistas across the hard wood ridges. It doesn't get any better than this. Rifle season for deer is upon us. Thousands of hunters from Maine and away will take to the woods in search of their prize - a whitetailed deer. Our senses, overloaded as November approaches, tell us that this is the time to fill the freezer and prepare for winter. Though the law book dictates when we can hunt, without it we would still know. Following the path laid before us, we will continue the tradition, providing food for our families and solace for our souls. CAPTION FOR PHOTO ABOVE: Brian Volkernick of Dixfield, ME has advanced to the 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship (JWC) to be held on Geary County State Lake Nov. 8 in Junction City, Kansas. Club News If your club or outdoor organization has news or photos that warrant publication in the Northwoods Sporting Journal, send them to: Club News, NWSJ, P.O. Box 195, W. Enfield, ME 04493, or e-mail news to: paul@sportingjournal.com Click Here To Subscribe! Club News - Bucks Mills Rod & Gun Club Our regular club meeting was held August 21, 2008. Guest speaker was Jack Small, a world traveler and retired from the Air Force. He has been to both North and South Pole and "everywhere in between". Hunting stories were abundant, and very entertaining. Thank you, Jack, for sharing. The Secretary's Report was read and accepted. Treasurer's Report was read and accepted with total club funds at $24,579.90. (Approx. $5,000 more than one year ago). v Roger Greene gave a report for the rifle range committee. The coast guard and state police have expressed a desire to use the range. It was briefly discussed whether to charge a fee or ask a donation. It was also suggested to have a range calendar. Roger also has a CD available of photos that were scanned (photos were shared at a previous meeting) and he will make a copy if anyone wants. Alton Ames is encouraging archery range use before the equipment is put away for the winter. Frank Dunbar volunteered to store the targets for the winter. IF & W information: "Apprentice" can hunt without taking a hunter safety course but must go with a hunter that has had a license for at least 5 years. To be used only one time. New members were welcomed into the club: Deborah Deane, Donald Lima, Ted Gup, Mike Swazey, Charles Briedt, Zachery Dunnett, Robert Dunnett, William Foley, and Terry Pinkham. Welcome to you all! Sick & Shut-ins: Bob Grindle is improving and talking about deer hunting! Linwood Robshaw is still under the weather. Earleen Clement is doing better but still at the hospital. Cards were signed by members and sent out. The annual auction is coming up, September 20th at 1:30pm. Donations are coming in and some of us will be doing their "Christmas Shopping". Tax ID # would make it easier to receive additional donations from businesses. We discussed status of the club, new charter vs social club, tax exempt/ non-profit. Need to obtain legal counsel from an attorney that specializes in business law. Ken Harrington made a motion to ask the Executive Committee to meet and get a serious handle on this topic. Fred Briehl made a motion to authorize the board up to $1,000 if needed to get new charter/non-profit status vs social club. Both motions were seconded and approved. Gun raffle: Fred B. suggested taking pictures of the gun and have several made to have ready to show when selling the raffle tickets. Tom Nichols suggested we send Great Pond Mountain emails to get the word out about club events. SAM conference center in Augusta will host a meeting to share with other clubs on recruiting, fund raising, etc… Cost is $10 for the meal. 6 members expressed a desire to go and the club agreed to pay the cost. Those attending are Don Loncto, Rhonda York, Cathy and Alton Ames, Tom Nichols, and Charles Briedt. Tom Nichols asked that the club have a Big Buck/Big Doe contest. Cathy Ames has tickets. It was decided to start it during the regular archery season. David Wardwell will need to be called about the scales to weigh the deer. Roger Greene offered to do a workshop on compass/maps/GPS. This was an event that he shared at the open house. There were several club members that expressed a desire for the training. Ken H. requested a 2009 schedule of events. Rhonda York Club Secretary Volkernick Advances to Junior Bassmaster World Championship Brian Volkernick of Dixfield, ME (pictured above) has advanced to the 2008 Junior Bassmaster World Championship (JWC) to be held on Geary County State Lake Nov. 8 in Junction City, Kansas. Volkernick qualified for the major BASS event by finishing in first place on Highland Lake in Bridgton, ME in the Maine Junior Bassmaster Championship with four fish that weighed 10.24 lbs. That victory secured him a spot in the Junior Bassmaster Eastern Divisional on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH. Volkernick managed 2 bass for 5.5 lbs on Winni and was crowned the Junior Bassmaster Eastern Division Champion for the 11-14 age division. Volkernick will compete against five other junior competitors in his age group. There will also be six anglers competing in the 15-18 age group. All Junior Bassmaster World Championship contenders will receive academic college scholarship awards, with the top angler in each age division receiving a $5,000 scholarship. The Maine BASS Federation Nation Chapter is sponsored by the Alliance sponsorship team so Volkernick has a chance to also win a Triton, Mercury, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide and Optima Batteries boat package if he wins his age group. The Junior Bassmaster World Championship will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com. Fishing fans can also check Bassmaster.com for schedules, event information and daily coverage. The Junior World Bassmaster Championship showcases the top youth anglers in the world and provides them the opportunity to fish competitively through BASS - the most visible fishing tournament structure in the world. A full list of competitors for all three events can be found on www.Bassmaster.com. Volkernick is a member of the L/A Junior Bassmasters of Auburn. FMI you can check out androscogginbassmasters.com or for photos, articles and to sponsor Brian please go to volkernick.com Sponsors of the Federation Nation Youth Program include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance, Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries and Triton Boats. Hunt For the Hungry New Hampshire's hunters can help the less fortunate by sharing all or part of their fall harvest with the "Hunt for the Hungry" program. Once again this year, the New Hampshire Food Bank, based in Manchester, is collecting donations of whole or processed game animals for distribution to more than 350 food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and group homes statewide. Last year (2007), the Hunt for the Hungry program took in a record 3,288 pounds of donated deer, bear, moose, duck and other game meat -- almost triple the 1,126 pounds donated by hunters in 2006. The program offers packaging instructions and can pick up your meat donation. To donate game, call Food Bank Operations Manager Michele Garron at (603) 669-9725. If you're donating a whole deer or moose, you can bring it to Lemay & Sons Beef in Goffstown, N.H. (603-622-0022), and they will process it for the food bank at no charge. "We are really counting on support from hunters and backyard farmers this year," said Garron, explaining that times have been particularly challenging for the Food Bank, with warehouse inventory levels continuing to remain critically low. "Limited food donations, coupled with rising fuel costs, have tested our ability to meet the increased need we're seeing in communities across New Hampshire. Donations of protein foods are especially hard to come by - that's a big need that the Hunt for the Hungry program helps fill." A hunter herself, Garron hopes to be successful in the field this season so she can contribute some venison to the program. "The Hunt for the Hungry program is a great way for hunters to share their harvest and help needy families get through the winter," said Glenn Normandeau, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. "Wild game is a local renewable resource that is high in protein, low in fat and 100% organic - not to mention delicious." Long Lake Crash Robert M. LaPointe, Jr., of Medway, Mass., was found guilty of two counts of aggravated operating under the influence today by a Cumberland County jury for the Aug. 11, 2007 boating incident on Long Lake that claimed the lives of two people. Our investigators partnered with the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office to carefully piece together the facts of what happened that night, and present those findings to the jury. I believe the investigation epitomized the effectiveness of good communication and teamwork, and I remain steadfast that our investigation of this incident was thorough one. The Maine Warden Service would like to recognize the unwavering commitment that the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office gave to this incident. Their work is appreciated and to be commended. Mr. LaPointe was found guilty of drunken boating by a jury of his peers, and for that action he will be held accountable. I thank the jury for its service, patience and hard work. The Maine Warden Service hopes the verdict will help ease some of the pain felt by family and friends of Mr. Terry Raye Trott and Ms. Suzanne Groetzinger, the victims in this incident. The crash occurred around 9 p.m. Aug. 11, 2007, when a 32-foot Sunsation powerboat operated by Mr. LaPointe ran over a 14-foot Glasspar motorboat operated by Mr. Trott, 55, of Harrison. Mr. Trott and his girlfriend, Ms. Groetzinger, 44, of Berwick, died as a result of the crash. Mr. LaPointe faced five charges: two counts of manslaughter, two counts of aggravated operating under the influence, and one count of reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon. It took the Maine Warden Service more than three days to locate and recover the bodies of the victims from the bottom of Long Lake, and another day to recover the remnants of their boat. The crime scene stretched over a half-mile and much of it was under 30 feet of water. The investigation of the crash was one of the longest and most complex in our history. It involved more than a dozen uniformed game wardens, field wardens, and members of the Maine Warden Service's Dive Team, Air Wing and Investigation Division, which works major cases dealing with possible manslaughter charges. Maine Warden Service Investigators Phil Dugas and Dan Scott, and Wardens Kevin Anderson, Jason Luce and Jeremy Judd were the primary investigators on this case. The Harrison Fire Department, Bridgton Police Department, Maine State Police, Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, Bridgton Fire Department, Naples Fire Department, and United States Coast Guard also assisted in the investigation. New Hampshire Pheasant Season A long-standing fall tradition in New Hampshire, the hunting season for pheasant gets underway on October 1. Around the state, hunters will be afield in pursuit of the flashy, ring-necked upland game birds. This year, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will release 13,500 pheasants, purchased exclusively with revenues from the sale of pheasant licenses, at 73 stocking sites in 51 towns. "Most of the pheasant release sites are on private lands, stocked with landowner permission and available to sportsmen only because of their cooperation," said Fish and Game Pheasant Project Leader Karen Bordeau. "Please respect the property of these landowners, who make our pheasant-hunting tradition possible, by following all safety guidelines and by hunting courteously. Take the time to thank them for their generosity." The birds will be distributed over four stockings at all sites in 2008; stocking will be completed by October 18. In-season stockings will be done on Thursdays and Fridays to maximize weekend hunting opportunities. The list of towns to be stocked (including road names) can be seen on the Fish and Game website at http://www.HuntNH.com/Hunting/Hunt_species/hunt_pheasant.htm; printed lists are also available at Fish and Game headquarters and regional offices. The pheasant season runs from October 1 to December 31, with a daily limit of 2 birds and a season limit of 10. Pheasant hunters must purchase a $16 pheasant license, in addition to the regular New Hampshire hunting license. Non-residents may hunt with a pheasant license and either a non-resident NH hunting license or a non-resident NH small game license. Hunting licenses can be purchased at http://www.HuntNH.com or from any Fish and Game license agent. Fish and Game asks hunters to refrain from training dogs at release sites during the three days prior to October 1. Dog training flushes pheasants from the release sites, often onto posted property or other areas not suitable for hunting. Pheasant hunters are urged to follow these basic safety guidelines: - Wear hunter orange on your head, back and chest. - Control your firearm muzzle at all times. - Always wear safety glasses. - Know where your hunting partners are at all times. - Shoot only within your zone of fire. - Be sure of your target and what is beyond. - Always keep your hunting dog under control. Click Here For Past Stories!! Story of the Month |  Current Stories |  Next Month's Stories |  Advertising Info |  Subscribe |  Related Links |  Home