After three weeks of thrashing around behind bird dogs, it’s time to rekindle the campfire. As for bird hunting, I have to say there was a lot of ground between partridges, but woodcock seemed to be in good supply, at least in the covers I hunted. Apparently, preseason reports that partridge were plentiful came from people who saw unbroken broods before hunting season. That can be misleading. Hunters toting smoothbore guns are telling a different story.

The dawn of Maine’s deer-hunting season broke grayer than an old buck, but the spirits of Mike Clement of Hampden were as bright as his blaze-orange attire. And well they should be. When I talked with the young hunter at McK’s Variety Store on Route 9 in West Hampden, he told me he had tagged his first deer when Saturday was only 7 1/2 hours old. You could say he started on a high note. The deer was an eight-point, 175-pound buck – field-dressed, that is.

“We were hunting over near Newport,” said Mike. “I hadn’t hunted there before, so I just went into the edge of the woods and sat down. We were planning to hunt until about 8 o’clock, and a little while after 7 I started getting a little restless and thought about moving. But I said to myself, `Be patient. Sit a while longer.’ I’m glad I did.”

It wasn’t long afterward when the high-tailing buck, that was jumped by hunting partners Bob Norris, Chad Norris and John Ayer, made the mistake of stopping about 25 yards in front of the Hampden hunter. A second or so later, Mike became a tried-and-true deer hunter when he dropped the buck with a 12-gauge, 3-inch magnum charge of 00 buckshot.

While Mike recounted the details of his early season success, his hunting partners were joined by another young Hampden deer stalker named Mike Doughty. Needless to say, their in-depth discussion was aimed at the afternoon hunt.

A short while later, I stopped at the Plymouth Village Store for a cup of coffee and cut the trail of Rod McLaughlin of Hampden, Dick Bartlett of Newburgh and Bob Martin of Dedham. Following their tracks were Dick’s son Dan Bartlett and stepson Phil Blake. The five hunters moved a deer or two that morning, said Rod, whose beagles, you may know, have bagged their share of field-trial ribbons.

When I asked where they were hunting, the men looked at each other, grinned, and allowed they were “in back of Dixmont Mountain.” I believed them, though, when they said it was too warm for good deer hunting. It’s a great time of year, isn’t it? And it’s great to see young guys hunting.

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Speaking of beagles, Steve Corey of Cherryfield phoned recently to report one of his beagle pups had been attacked by a coyote. It was the third such incident for Steve, who raises and trains rabbit hounds.

“I was running a female pup with an older dog,” said Steve. “I heard a lot of commotion that told me the older dog was in trouble. When I got to where she was, I saw two coyotes circling her. When the coyotes saw me, they took off, and the older dog started back toward me with the pup behind it. The pup was about 100 feet away from me when one of the coyotes attacked it and picked it up and ran off with it.

“When I went after it, the coyote dropped the pup. It’s neck was torn and bleeding badly so I got it to the vet’s as quick as I could. She’ll be all right physically,” Steve allowed, “but I don’t know what kind of mental scar the experience will leave on her.”

During the past few years I’ve heard several accounts of beagles being attacked by coyotes. Each of them have left me with concern for my bird dogs which hunt in thickets frequented by coyotes. Steve Corey, however, thinks the coyotes may be attracted by high-pitched voices of small beagles, which, to a coyote, may sound like a wounded animal.

Bird hunters, however, hang bells on dogs to signal their whereabouts in heavy cover. Because I haven’t heard any reports of coyotes attacking bird dogs, I assume the clever killers associate a bell’s unnatural sound with man and elect to leave well enough alone. Anyone out there ever had a feather hound attacked by a coyote? – – –

While we’re on the subject of hunting, I want to congratulate BDN reporter A. Jay Higgins for an excellent contribution to last weekend’s retrospective feature on Maine hunting and the tragic Karen Wood incident. Higgins’ reporting was objective, comprehensive and well-presented. – – –

Three bird-hunting accidents, one self-inflicted, were reported during October. That’s fewer than were reported last year. Deer hunters also should strive to better last year’s excellent safety record. Hunt responsibly and conscientiously. Above all, be absolutely, positively, 100-percent sure of your target before you raise your rifle. Once a bullet leaves the barrel, there’s no bringing it back.