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Well, another year is nearly behind us, and it’s time to take one last look back before we put 2007 in the history books.
It’s been an eventful year for outdoors enthusiasts, with plenty of opportunities to get out and have a good time … and just as many ongoing political and bureaucratic battles to keep tabs on.
How was your year? Hopefully you caught a lot of fish, filled your deer tag, won big in the moose lottery and found time to call in a gobbler. Or maybe you climbed a mountain or three, skied until your legs ached and paddled a whitewater stretch you’ve always wanted to try.
As for me? Well, I’ve got no complaints.
Here, culled from the columns I wrote this year, are a few highlights of the year that was:
January: Is it January? Really? You could have fooled me. Early in the month, I spoke to Rick Jordan, the state fisheries biologist who is in charge of Washington and Hancock county waters.
You know what we talked about? Open-water fishing opportunities.
Ice, as you may recall, was in short supply. On Gardner Lake, there was 18 inches, Jordan told me. “Eighteen-inch whitecaps,” he said, laughing at his own punch line.
The yearly ice-fishing outing held for kids at Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association outside of Milford was postponed … no ice.
And a group of avid fly fishers gathered in Kennebunk for an event that they’ve come to call their annual “Freeze Up.”
The freeze never came: The 22 fishermen enjoyed an early January day of fishing that featured sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-60s.
February: After a balmy start to the year, winter finally arrived.
Early in the month, I headed north to Long Lake and joined up with the Rossignol and Thibodeau clans during the second annual ice fishing derby held on the lake.
It didn’t take long to figure out that I didn’t know as much about ice fishing as I thought.
Ciarra Thibodeau, a 7-year-old from Frenchville, was using secret bait, you see. And I’d never heard of such a thing.
Her bait: Rainbow Shell, her former pet crab, which had recently passed on to that seabed in the sky. Knowing the derby was coming up, Ciarra held onto Rainbow Shell and offered him to the lake’s monstrous landlocked salmon.
Later that month I joined a group that was going to spend a few frigid hours looking for bald eagles.
We found several, including one hungry (and not very picky) bird who perched high above the scenic Bangor wastewater treatment plant, waiting for a chance at a sewage duck or two.
March: Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott was back in Maine to promote a new world-class event, and I headed to Sugarloaf to check things out.
Wescott’s event – Champion’s Cross – was designed to give riders more of a say in the events they compete at and was a huge hit.
It offered folks the chance to get an up-close view of a pretty cool sport.
Not that I’d want to careen off a snow ramp at 50 miles an hour, with three other snowboarders beside me, mind you.
But watching from the front row? That was pretty cool.
April: I headed back north – to Presque Isle this time – and ended up meeting “The Moose Man.”
That’s what Tony Sappier’s friends call him, anyway.
Sappier was the eventual winner in the moose-calling contest at the Presque Isle Fish & Game Club’s sportsman’s show.
I was on hand to act as one of the judges, and though I’m not really en expert on moose mating verbalizations, I did realize that Sappier’s call was top-notch.
Later that month, Jeff Owen and Steve Woodard won the overall title at the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race – the first time in 18 years that canoeists had earned that honor. The race proved tough on paddlers and their gear, though. High water conditions outmatched many, and plenty of valuable equipment was damaged or lost.
May: I met a father-and-son team that proved that learning new outdoor skills can be a lifelong pursuit.
Greg Russell of Medford grew up hunting with his dad and learning lessons that Gordon Russell passed down.
This time, it was Greg’s turn to return the favor, as he took his 94-year-old dad on his first-ever wild turkey hunt.
Interviewing the proud son, and equally proud father, was certainly a highlight of the year.
June: Thousands of entries. Hundreds of spectators. Piles and piles of good food.
It must be time for the annual moose-permit lottery.
This year’s event was held in Phippsburg, where one of the hosts, Douglas Alexander, listened as his name was drawn.
Later that month, I joined pal Dave Huntress on an enjoyable (but fish-free) jaunt on the Penobscot River in search of striped bass.
In other June news, I got the chance to speak with Donn Fendler again, as he received a long-overdue fishing license from Maine Gov. John E. Baldacci.
Fendler, now 80, was lost on Mount Katahdin for nine days back in 1939, and the book about his saga has entertained and inspired generations of Maine schoolchildren.
A retired military man, Fendler admits now that his story still stands up as a “pretty good message on faith and determination.”
That’s putting it mildly.
July: Legendary Maine guide Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson of Millinocket died at the age of 85.
The news came as a shock to many of us who called him “friend,” and thousands of words have been written about the generous nature of a man who loved his family, his God, and the Maine woods he called home.
Rest in peace, friend. Rest in peace.
August: A large speedboat with twin engines crashed into a 14-foot craft on southern Maine’s Long Lake, killing two.
The crash jumpstarted discussions on what, if anything, should be done and prompted legislators to get involved.
One reader told me the big issue isn’t the size of the boat in question, but the way it was operated.
Later in the month, bear hunters started heading into the Maine woods, and bird hunters began planning in earnest for their first trips afield with pointing and flushing dogs.
September: Hunters saw a hot and humid beginning to moose season as the first session kicked off with temperatures in the 80s.
Many opening-day hunters were left wondering where the moose were, and few filled their tags.
Also on tap this month: The second fall catch-and-release season on Atlantic salmon in the Penobscot River.
Beau Peavey of Glenburn, a 23-year-old college student, caught the first fish of the year for the second straight season.
It’s no coincidence, either. Peavey undoubtedly spends more time fishing the river during the monthlong season than anyone else, and his results reflect that passion for the sport.
October: Headed to Medway to hunt birds with Jay Robinson, son of guide Wiggie Robinson.
It was a bittersweet day, in a lot of ways. The birds weren’t plentiful, but we found a few to shoot at. We also found time to talk about his dad, who died in July.
Wiggie’s dog, Katie, was along with us, serving as a reminder of the special man she’d served.
Later that month, I spent a few hours in the woods of Grand Lake Stream with Dennis LaBare, who recently published his book on the landlocked salmon of the stream, and the town itself.
No birds fell, but the day was a success, nonetheless.
November: Where to begin? I hunted for deer. I hunted hard. And smart. Or so I thought.
At the end of the season, my scorecard was … well … the same as it always is.
Deer 1, John 0.
Also this month, word of Tom Santaguida’s resignation is released.
Santaguida was the state’s chief game warden, and he resigned after being charged with having undersized lobsters in his possession during a routine boat check.
In other news, a state lands task force met to listen to suggestions from the public, illustrating again that the recreational priorities of Mainers is diverse … and reaching common ground will be a key to future success.
December: Snow arrives early, and snowmobile enthusiasts fire up their sleds.
Unfortunately, the lakes and ponds aren’t yet frozen, and Maine Snowmobile Association officials caution sledders about unsafe conditions.
For the most part, folks seem to be heeding the warnings … thankfully.
Plum Creek hearings take center stage, as the company’s Moosehead Lake rezoning plan is debated for hours in locations around the state.
Ice fishing traps are ready to go … pending ice.
Santa comes and is very generous again this year.
The new year is upon us.
Make it a great one for you and yours.
jholyoke@bangordailynews.net
990-8214
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