Buck Plummer, who holds the annual East Grand Area Ice Fishing Derby in Danforth, says East Grand Lake looks on schedule to ice over and the fishing should be just as good as ever despite the state’s historic drought. Fisheries biologists around the state are saying much the same thing.

The fact the drought caused water levels across the state to drop significantly will not affect anglers’ ability to catch healthy game fish this winter, according to state biologists.

Assistant regional biologist Scott Roy said that in the Moosehead Lake region the larger lakes that are open to ice fishing will offer anglers as much action as any other year. He also said that by opening day, Jan. 1, the large lakes in his region should have at least four or five inches of ice, enough to venture out and go fishing.

“The fish have full access to the whole lake. If they want to find 50 feet of water, they’ll find it. In a small pond they might congregate, but not in the waters open to ice fishing,” Roy said. “The water being down affects a small portion of the surface area [along the shore]. I don’t see any negatives.”

In fact, Rick Jordan with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s fisheries division in the Down East region said the only noticeable difference ice fishermen will see this winter is in the areas where they drive their snowmobiles or ATVs onto the ice. This year, because the water level has been drawn down, they may encounter many more boulders and rocks.

Jordan said Tunk Lake, for instance, is down 21/2 feet, while West Grand Lake’s water level is down five feet.

“Usually that pulls down about four feet this time of year. But it seems to be lower than I’ve ever seen it,” Jordan said. “Locals there say the same thing.”

While the lakes in northern Maine may be frozen at this time, the majority of lakes in the state are not, according to DIF&W.

The Maine Warden Service issued a warning Friday for people to stay off of waters that have iced over during the holiday season.

Petition procedures change

The way DIF&W goes about making rules will change slightly due to a new policy that is pending approval.

While DIF&W Commissioner Lee Perry said the changes were recommended to put the department’s policy in concert with state law, the proposed changes have rankled some sportsmen.

George Smith of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine said DIF&W should try to have the least stringent policy possible when it comes to allowing sportsmen to propose rule changes. If the new policy is approved, there will be much more work involved to submit a petition to instigate rule-making.

“This apparently is state law,” said Smith, SAM’s executive director. “But I don’t see any reason why the department can’t have a less stringent policy that would allow people to have their ideas seriously considered.”

Before, sportsmen merely had to have a proposed rule or list of rules signed by more than 150 people to start the rule-making process, which may or may not have involved a public hearing.

Now, to submit a proposed rule, sportsmen need their petition to be signed by a notary public to verify that all signatures were made in the circulator’s presence and that each signature is the signature of the person the name purports it to be. The petitioner, therefore, can not leave the petition in a convenience store or outdoor store, as was customary. Now, he must witness each signature.

The state law requiring petitions be verified and certified in this manner is Title 21-A, Section 354, subsection 7.

Smith said DIF&W used to allow virtually any petition signed by 150 or more sportsmen be put before the department’s Advisory Council, which is made up of public members and must approve any proposals the commissioner wants to see made into regulations.

Another way the department’s red tape has been reconfigured is that now the commissioner no longer needs to show the council a proposed rule he does not want passed.

Smith said the new procedures cut sportsmen out of having a say in shaping fish and wildlife policy.

“I’d like to see something closer to the traditional policy. They used to go to rule-making for a single letter. I don’t want to lose that,” Smith said. “It’s eliminating the opportunity for ordinary sportsmen. We only want a chance to be heard.”

Col. Peabody recognized

Maine’s chief warden Col. Tim Peabody recently received national recognition for advancing conservation law enforcement.

The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Organizations gave Peabody its Law Enforcement Award for outstanding achievement, which is not an award it gives out every year. According to IAFWO, the award recognizes an officer if he has significantly advanced conservation law enforcement. Peabody was commended for starting a plan to improve morale within the Maine Warden Service while providing improved service to the public.

Peabody, who lives in Northport, is a 14-year veteran of the Maine Warden Service. He became a colonel in 1998.

He implemented a plan that led to advancements in the areas of preventative enforcement, public relations, and innovative operations through new and different training techniques, new technology and community policing, according to DIF&W.

Addendum on antlers

Last week’s Outdoor Notebook offered several truths about the antlered critters that pull Santa’s sleigh, which showed why they are the best beasts for the job. A reader’s e-mail about reindeer, which are considered to be the same species as the caribou of North America (Rangifer tarandus), led to further research.

It now appears Santa’s tall team is an all-female squad of reindeer.

According to Phil Koehl of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the largest male caribou in Alaska shed their antlers in late October. Reindeer that retain their antlers through Christmas, according to Koehl, are pregnant females, which retain their antlers until calves are born in May or June; non-pregnant cows, which retain them until April; and small bulls, which shed them in the spring.

Deirdre Fleming’s Outdoor Notebook appears Saturday in the NEWS. She can be reached at dfleming@bangordailynews.net or at 990-8250.