Another Year Comes to a Close #30

There are only a handful of times during the year that I can say I really do not look forward to. The first snowstorm that blankets the ground and makes everything slippery is one. When the cold finally sets in and you have to go from the medium thickness jacket to the full all-out assault on cold thickness jacket would be the second. When you get to the North Maine Woods checkpoints and find them all boarded up and abandoned for the year, (November 23^rd this year) is another.  But the one thing that really bothers me the most is when I have to clean the rifle, and put the shells and hunting clothes up for the season. That means that we have gone through a full year of fishing and hunting and all that is left is snow and cold for the next five months. Now, I do spend time skiing, which helps pass the time, but my mind is really continually calculating the remaining time until I can see bare ground, warmer temperatures and the emergence of my fishing pole. That means that I have successfully weathered another winter and it is time to get out there and go back to what I love the most, the outdoors.

It has been a great year overall. I have done as much fishing as humanly possible and have spent as much time in the woods hunting both birds and deer as I could. I have ventured into new ponds, scouted new roads and made new friends. TC and I have spent a lot of time together and she has really begun to enjoy being out there with a fly rod, and this year getting to know a shotgun. We have been fortunate to have another great crop of partridge this year, and I am extremely impressed and pleased at the amount of sign I saw while hunting deer. One such adventure we had this year while deer hunting in the North Maine Woods was when TC and I left the truck and were walking into a chopping that had been regenerated with small firs. About two hundred yards into the chop, I noticed two deer standing about 125 yards down from us. One deer was looking our way and the other was looking in the opposite direction. I pulled up the rifle, scoped the deer and found them to be both does.  I dropped the rifle and continued to look at them, but what I did not see was the deer behind them and the deer to the right of them just into the woods a bit. TC saw the deer in the back take off running, but was not sure what it was. Then all of a sudden the deer on the right spun around and jumped off into the woods taking the two does with it. I only saw the back end, but from what I saw, it had to have been a buck. With the lack of snow, it was impossible to follow them and in no time, they were nowhere to be found.  They are such an amazing animal when you see them bounding over whatever is in their way.

Now, I don’t want you to think that everything is over, because it is not. There is something called Muzzle loading season where you have an extra week here in Northern Maine to hunt with a black powder rifle, and I have one of those contraptions. I do plan to get out a day or so and revisit the areas that had such promise during the regular firearms season.  At this juncture, I don’t care if I see a deer or not, just being able to get out and enjoy what this area has to offer is enough for me.  And after this week is over and I put away all of my hunting gear, I can unequivocally say that it was a great year, and I did most everything TC and I had set out to do. And as the sun sets this coming Saturday and the entire hunting season fades away, I have no regrets. After Christmas, I will pull out the fly tying vice and material and add to my inventory for the coming year, all be it with one eye to the ground waiting for the weather to warm up, the snow to be gone, and the ice to go out on the water. That will be my cue to pull out the fishing gear and start a new season.

What’s in a Name?  #29

The first couple of days of deer hunting season are really important to me. That doesn’t mean that the rest is not, however, those first couple of days are when I pack my bags and make the trip over to the western Maine area, and in particular, Rangeley. Now, I have been going there this first week for many years and have come to really enjoy what Rangeley has to offer in terms of the area to hunt and the people that live there.  My friend owns a camp on Rangeley Lake and that is the staging area for our hunting activities. I have had very good luck there over the years, and not only that, but I get to spend time with some guys I don’t generally get to see that often.

Now, Rangeley is an interesting town. I have come to know some of the inhabitants of the community and look forward to seeing them during my visit. You can be sure that most of them will come through the doors of the local pub there called Sarge’s at some point while I am there.  The interesting thing about that is I have never been told what their real names are. Yes, some folks around the Rangeley area have very interesting names that appear to have been given to them a long time ago. I must say, in most cases, they fit the part to a tee.

Take for example, Batman. He is the local driver there that you call upon when you want to make sure that you can have a good time at the local pub and not have to drive back to camp. During the winter, he works at Saddleback Mountain. If you want to know what is shaking in Rangeley, Batman can tell you. He has the up to the minute news scoop and is not afraid to color it in a way that will have the tears coming down your cheeks from laughter. Once, Batman had the door handle taken off his Toyota Camray. When he was asked if he was going to replace it, he said, heck no, a piece of rawhide works just as well and costs a whole lot less. While he was taking us back to camp one night this year, he turned around to us in the back seat and said, turn the tunes on. Apparently, the car does not have a working radio, so to provide a calm enjoyable atmosphere while you ride; he has a boom box with tapes. We finally figured out how to turn it on, and he kept asking for us to turn it up which we did. The songs were right out of the 60’s and we laughed all the way to the camp. If you recall the old Batman days, he always had music going when he was riding in the bat mobile. Need I say more?

The next character is Rooster. Now Rooster is a nice young man just scratching to get by and during his travels, got off the track. He did come through the doors at Sarge’s one night and came right over to our table. He told us that he was just out for a ride on his Harley and was living the good life. From talking to him, it seemed that he was really trying to keep the bus on the road and not let it drive off the embankment.

Duck would be the next character. Now if you were to see him, you would know why he is called Duck. He is the cook at Sarge’s and is very dedicated to his work. This year, Duck was so busy that he did not get a chance to come over and talk with us other than to say Hi as he passed. And as he passed, he kind of waddled by. Not to mention he kind of has the profile down pat.

There are a number of other characters in that area, and we hear and see them just about every time we are over there. They include Hoggie, Rum Belly and a new one I met this year, Hobbit. Now, I just met Hobbit this year for the first time and I have to say, he looks just like a Hobbit right down to his sneakers, that by the way don’t have any laces.

To make this even more intriguing, while hunting, we came across a blue haired troll sitting on a stump. At first, we looked at it and wondered how it had gotten there. Then our imagination got the best of us and we remembered we were in Rangeley and anything can happen….

I am sure there are more folks that I have not met and some interesting names I have not heard. The resounding theme that keeps coming back every time I visit is that of a group of people proud of where they live and working hard to make ends meet. Rangeley is truly a beautiful place to visit both from the hunting and fishing aspect, as well as the winter sports it has to offer. As I leave each year, I think to myself how lucky I am to have been able to spend time there, and I can’t wait until hunting season the next year and the chance to get caught up with all the folks. It is truly an adventure right out of a fairy tale novel. Oh, and did I say that the hunting is great too…