Maine: Governor Swears in Game Warden Colonel Dan Scott

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Augusta, Maine – Acting Colonel Dan Scott was sworn in as colonel of the Maine Warden Service by Governor Janet Mills in a brief ceremony this afternoon in the State House.

“As the Maine Warden Service enters its 140th year, I am excited at the opportunities that lie ahead for the agency and the warden service,” said Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso. “Dan’s experience, enthusiasm, and leadership will be invaluable not only to the warden service, but to the state as well.”

Scott, a game warden of over 22 years, was most recently the lieutenant of Division C in Bangor. As lieutenant, he supervised over 20 game wardens in an area that covered Washington, Hancock and Penobscot counties. Prior to that, Scott was a Game Warden Captain for four years, after being promoted from his role as investigator. He also served as a district game warden in the Bangor area for nine years.

“I am honored and humbled for the opportunity to lead the Maine Warden Service, and am thankful for the confidence Governor Mills and Commissioner Camuso have placed in me,” said Scott, “There are upcoming challenges facing all law enforcement agencies, including the Maine Warden Service, and I look forward to leading the Maine Warden Service to meet these challenges.”

The Bureau of the Warden Service is a division within the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is comprised of over 120 game wardens. The Game Warden Colonel oversees and administers all the duties of the bureau which includes enforcement of the laws and rules pertaining to inland fishery and wildlife resource management and protection; operation of snowmobiles, watercraft, and all-terrain vehicles; and general laws. The Maine Warden Service also investigates hunting incidents and recreational vehicle crashes, and oversees search and rescue operations in the woods and inland waters of the state.

Proposed Cutline For Attached Photo: Governor Janet Mills swears in Dan Scott as Colonel of the Maine Warden Service in the cabinet room of the State House earlier this afternoon. (photo courtesy of MDIFW)

Wooly Bear Caterpillars on the Move....

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Woolly bear caterpillars seem to be everywhere these days – creeping across the lawn, along the road when I’m walking the dog, hidden in the wilted cut-back of the perennial garden. 

Perhaps because of their recognizability and the timing of their wanderings, there are several weather-predicting legends attached to woolly bear caterpillars. One is that the direction the caterpillars travel foretells the severity of the winter: if they’re headed south, they’re running away from coming cold; north means winter will be mild. Anyone who’s ever paid attention to the movement of woolly bears likely knows they travel any which way on any given day, so there’s not much merit to that tall tale.

Another prognostic idea suggests the severity of winter can be predicted by the width of the caterpillar’s brown band: a larger band means a milder winter; narrower means winter will be severe. Since the brown band grows wider with each molt the caterpillar completes, it’s really more an indication of age – and, Layne said, sometimes genetics.

At this time of year, woolly bears are on the move, eating just about any growing thing they can find. Perhaps in their captivating wanderings, they’re also looking for that perfect pile of leaf litter to curl into and wait for winter to pass.

Lovell’s Pond Boat Ramp to Close for Repairs

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

The Lovell’s Pond Public Ramp in Cotuit. Courtesy of the Town of Barnstable.

COTUIT – The public boat ramp at Lovell’s Pond in Cotuit will be temporarily closed beginning Tuesday, November 5.

The closure is required as DPW, Marine & Environmental Affairs and SOLitude Lake Management crews will remove inoperative air delivery lines which are part of an air circulation system.

The closure will last until the work is completed – about two days, weather permitting. Source; Capecod.com

New England Fall Fishing Heats Up as Waters Cool

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photos by Wayne G. Barber

The dropping temperatures and shorter days of fall bring some of the year’s hottest fishing action on New England's lakes, ponds, and streams, according to Wayne G. Barber, host of the Outdoor Scene.. 

 

“As water temperatures cool off, many different fish species begin to feed heavily,” said Wayne, some warm water species such as largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch, and walleye, to cold water species like trout and salmon, fish feeding activity really picks up and creates exceptional fishing conditions for anglers.”   Hit your Cape Cod kettle ponds for big bronzebacks in the day and the evening a Rapala Brokenback in shallow waters for the biggest Brown Trout of the year.

 

While the hot temperatures of summer can sometimes make fishing slow, the autumn months represent a transition time when fish become more active and easier to catch.  This increase in feeding activity can be attributed to fish boosting their reserves of essential nutrients in order to sustain themselves during winter when their metabolism slows and they feed less. 

 

Fishing pressure on New England waters also decreases significantly as the seasons change, so there is less competition from other anglers.

Lake Dunmore in Vermont gave me some nice pike action when the Green Moutain campground traffic slowed down. About 30 fett of water in front of a weedline with big Mooselook Wobblers in Bronze color.

 

“Fall is one of the absolute best times to be on the water in New England – regardless of what species you want to target or where you want to fish,” said Barber'.  “Some of the best days I’ve had on the water have come late in the fall when many other anglers have already put their rods away for the winter.  It’s an amazing time of year to be on the water, and you’ll likely have your favorite fishing holes all to yourself.”

 

One enhanced fall angling opportunity is bass fishing, whether it be on world-renowned Lake Champlain, Wallum Lake and the diverse Connecticut River or one of New England’s many smaller lakes and ponds. 

 

"Fall makes the great bass fisheries of New England even greater,” said Barber.  “Cooler air temperatures bring comfortable fishing weather and less boat traffic, and the bass also know to take advantage of cooling water temperatures by feeding more in shallow water.  More bass in shallow water means more exciting bass opportunities for anglers.”

 

“Massachusetts has near equally abundant smallmouth and largemouth populations,” said Barber. “You can try different fishing strategies for the two bass species during other seasons, but I've found largemouth and smallmouth bass mix together more in the fall when temperatures cool.  This makes fall bass fishing even more fun."

“For bass and pike, fishing locations and lure selection is pretty straight forward at this time of year when these species are feeding aggressively.  In any lake or pond, focus on fishing around the outside edges of dying weedbeds and shorelines that change from shallow to deep water.  If you can find 6 to 8 feet of water along the edge of a thinning weedbed, that’s a great place to start.  As the weeds thin out and break down in the colder water, baitfish are left without dense cover to hide in, and predators like bass and pike take advantage of that.”

Nature is constant change...

Posted by Wayne G. Barber & Photo by Jessie Seltzer

I crashed through familiar knotweed and splashed into a familiar riffle, my headlamp illuminating a pale patch on the flood water in front of me. Good so far. But rounding the bend, the large fallen sycamore that had been there this spring, marking the upward limit of brook trout ( speckled trout) migration, was no more. New logs were here, dispersed in strange directions, rooted firmly in stream gravel as though they'd always been there. But they hadn't been. These half-trees had just "shown up" here within the last 6 months. Already, deep scour holes had been washed out below them, creating new patterns for fish and fishermen alike to learn. It was not gradual metamorphosis over time but was drastic change. The homes of many of last year's aquatic animals were gone. New ones abounded.We've been too often lured by tales of nature's constancy but nature is nothing but change and the streams are nothing but change. We mesh better with nature and fish better too when we learn to welcome this change. The next pool had a new family of mink to raise and a female kingfisher to show me the next spot to cast my 4.6 ultralight with 4 pound test for the only native trout in our state.

My grandson Cody Spink working a pool for native trout or a salmon in Maine

Brewster Residents Request More Bow Hunting...

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

BREWSTER – Brewster resident Gary Kaser and others proposed to the Conservation Commission recently that more town land be opened up for the use of bow hunting.

However, other residents brought up concerns over safety for those who want to use the town land as well.

“I’ve lived in the same place for 57 years and I’ve never seen as many deer as we have around now,” said Kaser.

Kaser cited 155 deer hit by cars in Brewster over the past 3 years as evidence of their overabundance in the area.

“I have a small farm and I’ve seen as many as ten deer. They’ve been wiping out a lot of the stuff that I’ve been growing.”

The specific land in question is the Punkhorn Parklands, bought by the Town of Brewster several decades ago which then put restrictions on hunting in the area.

Kaser and David Stainbrook, a deer and moose biologist with the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife argued that the deer population is beginning to become too much for the local environment to support, and that intervention now would alleviate problems later.

He and other hunters that support him say bow hunting is a safer alternative to hunting with firearms in the area, as the ranges are shorter and most—if not all—shots are taken from elevated chairs in the trees so missed arrows land in the ground rather than flying wide.

Other residents still raised concerns over the prospect, worrying that their lives and the lives of their pets may be in danger every time they go for a walk in Punkorn Parklands.

Source: CapeCod.com Media Press Release

Fish & Wildlife to Host Deer Processing Seminar Oct. 27 in Rutland, Vermont

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

RUTLAND, Vt. – Learn how to process your deer for your grill or freezer on Sunday, October 27 in Rutland.  Vermont State Game Wardens Abigail Serra and Jeffrey Whipple will conduct a free, hands-on seminar on deer processing from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Vermont Fish & Wildlife office, 271 N. Main Street #215. 

 

The wardens will show how to process a deer they will bring with them, and each participant will be able to cut up part of the deer and take home some deer meat.  There is only room for 18 participants, so sign up now on Vermont Fish and Wildlife’s website at this link:  https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/150622. Source: John Hall Media Press Release and Photo