A Reader's Bobcat Hunting Success!

The following is a letter that was forwarded to me from the editor at the Maine Sportsman, from a reader that shot this impressive bobcat from the advice he garnered from reading my monthly column. I certainly makes my heart swell with pride when something I write assists another outdoor person in the field and reminds me once again why it is I write. Thanks to Nancy for providing me with Nate's story!

Dear Maine Sportsman Magazine,

My husband Nate is an avid outdoorsman. He enjoys the expanded hunting opportunities afforded by predator hunting. It allows him to basically hunt year round. On the 29th he donned his hunting gear and headed for the woods. He brought with him his screaming cottontail call by quaker boy. His favorite call.

He'd read recently, in the Washington county column of the Maine Sportsman, tips on calling in Bobcats by Steve Vose, so heeding the advice outlined in the article, he called a lot longer and waited patiently for the cat to come in. Normally calling in coyotes and foxes he calls for a 1/2 hour and moves if he doesn't call anything in. While hunting for bobcats he's learned to call more frequently and stay on the stand longer.

 It took an hour of calling to bring this bobcat in for the shot. He shot this bobcat in Bristol. He'd noticed many bobcat tracks in the rabbit hunting area recently which inspired him to go try to relieve some predation on the rabbit population.

He had made about his 10th call when he saw the bobcat coming through the furs. It slowly made its way to the brook, Nate was sitting on the opposite side of the brook bank. As it crossed the ice he made the shot. Nate was impressed with the size of the bobcat, the size was unexpected. It is a 24lb female bobcat. Let me know if you need any other details.

Nancy

WIldlife Quiz - Yellow Perch

Yellow Perch
The yellow perch, (Perca flavescens) belongs to the Percidae or perch family of fishes. Yellow perch are native to the North American continent but dispersed widely from its original predominant range of the eastern United States and Canada due to its popularity as a sport and commercial game fish. Yellow perch have gold or yellow colored bodies and possess unmistakable dark vertical stripes. This unusual color pattern has given them the nickname “tiger trout” by anglers. The dorsal fin, contains several sharp spines that work to protect the fish from predators and provide unsuspecting anglers with an unpleasant surprise.

Yellow perch are a relatively diminutive species of game fish, averaging between 5-8 ounces. It is not uncommon in health yellow perch waters, to occasionally catch large adults reaching 10 inches and weighing 10 ounces.

*The largest yellow perch caught in Maine was a monsterous1 pound 10 ounces behemoth taken out of Worthley Pond in East Peru, it currently stands as the state record.

A gregarious species, yellow perch often travel in large schools, making fishing for this delectable game fish exciting once anglers locate them. Rarely taken from waters more than 30 feet deep, yellow perch tend to prefer living a majority of their lives eating and breeding in shallow waters. Perch are prolific breeders, with male yellow perch reaching sexual maturity at three years of age, females at four. Perch spawn in the spring, typically in April and June. Mating occurs with females first releasing a sticky, gelatinous mass of eggs that adheres to dense vegetation and fallen trees. During the spawning season, males release milt around the eggs to fertilize them. Eggs and sperm are randomly mixed and soon after fertilization, the young hatch.

Yellow perch typically live 9-10 years Body size predominantly determines the diets of yellow perch. Juvenile yellow perch eat small insects like mosquitoes while the larger adult yellow perch dine on crayfish and the eggs and fry of other fish. In turn, bass, walleye and northern pike all prey on perch. 

Wildlife Quiz Questions: 
1. What family of fishes do yellow perch belong?
2. What is the primary defense weapon of the yellow perch?
3. What is the native range of the yellow perch?
4. What do male yellow perch release on the female yellow perch eggs to fertilize them?
5. What was the weight of the biggest yellow perch caught in Maine?
6. What is the average weight of an adult yellow perch?
7. When is the mating season for the yellow perch?
8. What is the average life span of a yellow perch?
9. What fish species prey on yellow perch?

Wildlife Quiz Answers:
1. Yellow perch belong to the Percidae or perch family of fishes.
2. The primary defense weapon of the yellow perch is a dorsal fin, containing several sharp spines that help protect the fish from predators.
3. The native range of the yellow perch runs across the eastern United States and Canada.
4. The male yellow perch releases milt onto the female’s eggs to fertilize them.
5. The biggest yellow perch caught in Maine weighed 1 pound, 10 ounces.
6. The average weight of an adult yellow perch is 5-8 ounces.
7. The mating season for the yellow perch runs from April to June.
8. The average life span of a yellow perch is 9-10 years.
9. Yellow perch are preyed upon by bass, walleye and northern pike.

Game Cameras Bring Spring Turkey Hunting Success!

Spring Turkey Scouting 
Sportsmen typically employ game cameras as a primarily means to track the movements of white-tailed deer, however another less frequent usage quickly gaining in popularity is using these devices to track the movements of other game species such as turkeys. Spring turkeys tend to follow regular patterns that can be easily monopolized on to help hunters be in the right place at the right time. If not currently using game cameras during spring turkey scouting, I strongly suggest giving them a try!

In support of these valuable hunting tools, here are a few hints and suggestions I have amassed through the years.

Where & How to Place Your Game Camera:
1. Place game camera facing north. If faced south into the rising and setting sun, a majority of photos will be washed out.
2. Make sure there is no vegetation in front of camera, for aesthetics and to avoid false triggers.
3. Point cameras at a 45-degree angle to a game trail (NOT perpendicular) as this provides more time for the camera to “trigger”, taking a photos of the entire animal and not simply it’s hind end as it passes by the camera.
4. Set cameras in areas that funnel animals (edges of bodies of water, trails, field edges, etc.) to be where the animals travel, increasing the chance of capturing them on camera.
5. Place camera 15-20 feet from the intended photo area. Most trail cameras can detect motion out to at least 30' but it pays to be conservative.
6. If strapping a camera to a tree, ensuring it's large enough to not blow in the wind.
7. Place camera 20”-25” off the ground, lower than typically set for deer.

Hints & Suggestions for Setting Your Game Camera:
1. Place camera in live mode, wait for the camera to trigger ensuring it works correctly.
2. Turn camera on and confirm all settings, especially date & time.
3. Test batteries and replace as necessary. Buy a battery tester, it will prove invaluable.
4. Check and verify motion detector's range. Test it out at home before deploying the camera in the field.

Care of your Game Camera:
1. The best defense against theft is a well-hidden camera.
2. Place moisture absorbing packs inside camera case if necessary.
3. Make sure the glass in front of the lens is spotless. Small smudges show up big in pictures.

*Maine law requires that game cameras be clearly labeled with the owner’s name. Also, if game cameras are deployed on another persons land, the landowner must grant permission before a camera can legally be placed on their property. 

Spring wild turkey hunting runs from April 28th to May 31st and is now open statewide in Wildlife Management Districts (WMD) 1-29. This season’s change, now allows turkey hunting throughout all of Washington County. Previously untouched prime hunting areas will likely hold trophy gobblers that have never been hunted. For the sportsman this presents a fantastic opportunity to pursue toms that have never heard the sweet clucks of a hunters box call or been fooled by a hen turkey decoy.

When attempting to locate turkeys, it pays to slowly walk or drive Washington Counties thousands of miles of logging roads and snowmobile / ATV paths. This method of “running and gunning” allows turkey hunters to be mobile, locate early morning gobblers and setup quickly for a chance at harvesting one of these impressive and beautiful birds.

For a hunters searching for a Wildlife Management Area to explore in Downeast, I suggest the 649-acre Jonesboro WMA (Delorme’s The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (MAG), Map 26, C-2). For more specifics on the spring turkey hunt, see the IFW website at: www.maine.gov/ifw.

Early Season Bass 
In the spring of the year, as the water temperatures begin to slowly rise, bass become increasingly active. This creates great fishing in as early as April, with activity remaining steady up to the end of June. While it is certainly no secret that Washington County contains numerous truly epic lakes and ponds, each filled to the brim with small mouth bass, success at catching them is not always an easily accomplished endeavor. A number of factors including time of day, finding good bottom structure and lure selection present a few of the variables that need to be considered. Nothing can compare with first hand knowledge of a lake or pond. Knowing where to find bottom structures that hold fish like sunken beaver lodges, underwater weed beds, sunken logs and stumps, rocks, shoals, ledges, drop offs, islands and other such areas will put you leaps ahead of other fishermen. Polarized sunglasses and the benefit of calm water, greatly facilitate the process of finding areas containing ambush cover for hungry bass. Mark these areas with a GPS and these fishing hotspots will be enjoyed for years to come.

While many of these waters may be fished from shore with success, reaching the best fishing spots requires breaking free from the crowded boat launches and accessing areas that see little fishing pressure. All manner of watercraft can be used, as long as care is taken to respect the anticipated weather conditions. Maine’s lakes are notoriously fickle and a beautiful day on the water can quickly turn life threatening. Always wear a life jacket, as water temps will only allow minutes of survival time before your body will fail to function and drowning occur.

When bass fishing, I prefer to carry two fishing poles, one equipped for working weed filled areas and one for more open waters. By having two poles instantly available, anglers can quickly and easily match the intended fishing area without wasting time cutting and retying lures. My go to weedless lure is the “Zoom Super Fluke” and I would never dream of leaving the dock without having a handful of “Terminator” spinner baits in an assortment of different colors. Wabassas Lake (Map 35, C-3) presents great options for smallmouth bass fishing with, according to recent IFW reports, between 1.8-3.5 caught per hour and an average length of 13.5 inches.