Wild Maine Outdoors - Hunting Tactics, Tricks, & Secrets

By Justin Merrill

The "Northwoods Sporting Journal" "On The Prowl" columnist shares with you, "Wild Maine Outdoors - Hunting tactics, tricks, & secrets". This book was made up of five sections highlighting five topics written with wisdom gathered from the master teacher, the Wild Maine Outdoors. It's packed with hunting stories depicting game killing tactics that have been proven to work time and time again. Justin utilizes his Wildlife Biology Degree to enlighten you about the life/biology/physiology of the whitetail deer, black bear, bobcat, red fox, and the coyote. Justin's five years of teaching an Advanced Woods Survival course through the Maine Conservation School allows you to read about hunting tricks and tracking techniques that have fooled every one of these critters - as learned from Michael Douglas, who learned his skills from Tom Brown Jr. (The Tracker), who learned from the Apache Indian, Stalking Wolf (Grandpa). Justin shares a few of his secrets that are a must read.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781300679783

Book preview

Wild Maine Outdoors - Hunting Tactics, Tricks, & Secrets

Hunting Tactics, Tricks, & Secrets

Written By Justin L. Merrill

Text & Photos by Justin L. Merrill

Published by: Wild Maine Outdoors Media

P.O. Box 204

Cherryfield, ME 04622

Web site:       www.wildmaineoutdoors.com

E-mail:          [e-mail]

Copyright © 2012 by Justin L. Merrill

All rights ® reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced in any way - by way of photocopying, downloading and storing in a file, or rewriting in any form– without prior written permission by the publisher. Contact the publisher with any questions you may have regarding this manuscript.

ISBN 978-1-300-67978-3

The Call Of The Wild

Have you camped upon the foothills, have you galloped

O’er the ranges,

Have you roamed the arid sun-lands through and through?

Have you chummed up with the mesa? Do you know its moods and changes?

Then listen to the Wild – it’s calling you.

Have you known the Great White Silence, not a snow –

gemmed twig aquiver?

(Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies.)

Have you broken trail on snowshoes? Mushed your huskies up the river,

Dared the unknown, led the way, and clutched the prize?

Have you marked the map’s void spaces, mingled with the mongrel races,

Felt the savage strength of brute in every thew?

And though grim as hell the worst is, can you round it

Off with curses?

Then hearken to the Wild – it’s wanting you.

Have you suffered, starved and triumphed, groveled

Down, yet grasped at glory,

Grown bigger in the bigness of the whole?

Done things just for the doing, letting babblers tell

the story,

Seeing through the nice veneer the naked soul?

Have you seen God in His Splendors, heard the text

That nature renders?

(You’ll never hear it in the family pew.)

The simple things, the true things, the silent men who

Do things –

Then listen to the Wild – it’s calling you.

They have cradled you in custom, they have primed

you with their preaching,

They have soaked you in conversation through and

Through;

They have put you in a showcase; you’re a credit to

their teaching –

But can’t you hear the Wild? – it’s calling you.

Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck

Betide us;

Let us journey to a lonely land I know.

There’s a whisper on the night-wind, there’s a star

Agleam to quide us,

And the Wild is calling, calling…let us go

~ Author Unknow

~

I dedicate these works to my immediate and

Extended family and all of my true friends - for always believing in me - their

Positive encouragement helped a great deal.

~

Prologue

When you’re lowly of heart all because of silly stuff that shouldn’t even matter, pick up a good book, for it will enlighten you. A goal any author should have is to reach out and touch the lives of their readers through words. This is what the author of Wild Maine Outdoors accomplishes. A hunter at heart, the author reaches out to his hunting comrades giving them what they need.

Have you ever once had a dream that you wanted to come true so badly that your vitals hurt just thinking about it? A lot of success stories came to be through a determined person having goals. Many reasons are to be credited for the making of this book you chose to read, besides it starting out as a dream. The amount of learning through observing wildlife during real life hunting scenarios would have to be number one at the top of a list of reasons for the making of this book. Number two reason would have to be the love the author has for hunting.

The cool thing about loving hunting so much are the irreplaceable experiences one will have throughout their journey. All that is seen, heard, smelt, and felt in the wilderness out surpasses any kill a hunter will ever make.  A big fat wish for all those generous folks who have taken time out of their busy schedules to read these words is to chase their dreams. Go on – get your dream come true by

starting to complete your goals in life. We all have goals; however, not everyone accomplishes them. To get to point ‘B’, one must first start at point ‘A’ – so what this means, in a nut shell, is that every success in this world had a starting point. Hurry and go find yours.

For the author of this book the ‘A’ happened to be writing hunting articles for the Outdoors Magazine & Whitetails Only published out of Vermont, and for the Northwoods Sporting Journal published in West Enfield, Maine. These publications were a stepping stone for Justin. It was a place to park his writing for all to see. This greatly encouraged him.

Going through life as a full time hunter is the utmost exhilarating thing to be doing – besides raising a family of course. The two actually go hand in hand. The children you bring into the realm of hunting are worth more than any trophy animal you will ever put your tag on. God and Family should come first, before hunting, and it is extremely hard to commit to this sometimes. Somehow, Justin managed to find time to finish this book. Please feel free to share your thoughts anytime by writing the publisher. Your thoughts regarding this book will be extremely welcoming. Now sit back with a warm throw over your legs and this book in your hands to let those exquisite eyes take in every word.

About the Author

Justin L. Merrill has more than a decade of hunting experiences and has been sharing his know how through his columns in the Outdoors Magazine, Whitetails Only, the Northwoods Sporting Journal and Bear Hunting Magazine. He lives in Maine, where he does the majority of his hunting. You may find Justin on the trail somewhere with a seventy five pound back pack and a walking stick or perhaps you’ll see him wading in a trout stream with a fly-rod in hand. Either way, no matter what the outdoor sport is, you might find Justin engulfed in the pleasure of taking time out of his busy week to be the outdoorsman that he is.

Hunting is where it’s at for Justin. He enjoys hunting more than fishing or hiking, and finds more gratification through participating in the sport. You name the game animal and Justin will put his two cents in about proven methods/tactics to be successful. He is a walking Encyclopedia for wildlife. He loves to study what he doesn’t know about wildlife to avoid being stumped when you ask him a wildlife or biology type question.

Justin has his Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology that he obtained through Unity College, in Unity, Maine. Although he’s applied to a few Biology type positions that have turned him down – he doesn’t let it stop him from following his dreams. You might guess that one of his dreams is to be an outdoor writer on the topic of hunting. Although Justin has been a columnist for four extremely popular hunting magazines – he still wants to push forward to test the waters in other areas of outdoor writing. This book, Wild Maine Outdoors is only one of hopefully many more books to follow. He has many more ideas. After enjoying this one – be looking for other books by Justin L. Merrill.

Everyone has dreams. What sets one person’s dreams apart from another’s is whether or not the individual strives to make them come true. Justin is a unique man who has lots of potential with many talents. Writing may not be one of his greatest talents, although he does try to do his best. Justin indeed takes time to develop his talents that he believes needs to be passed on to the younger generation, so they can take all they learned and teach their children the ways of hunting and about the many other outdoor sports. Justin has once said that, the next generation IS our generation. Justin does not want hunting to become a dyeing sport or regarded as once a favorite pastime that was enjoyed by family and friends. Justin believes being a steward of our land and wildlife is only the beginning of protecting the sport of hunting. He knows that much more is required to make a positive difference. He hopes you will go on to teach the young and lead by positive example to start the process of helping the world understand the importance of hunting. Justin wishes you all the best in your endeavors and gives his best regards for many successful hunting seasons to come – GOOD HUNTING!

~ Denise N. Chandler

1

Go afield with a good attitude, with respect of the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person. – Fred Bear

Why Do You Hunt?

When asked the question – why do you hunt? It’s hoped that you reflected on what matters most and not all the kills you’ve made. Charles J. Alsheimer, a man many hunters look up to, knows what is most important in the ways of hunting. You might already be familiar with his books, articles, seen his photography, or seen him on the Outdoor Channel hosting the Deer & Deer Hunting TV Show, to know the kind of influence Charles has on the hunting community. Most importantly, Charles puts God and his family above all else. You might know a lot of what matters most, and then again maybe you don’t. Always make room to learn. It’s safe to say that we all have a lot of learning to do before really comprehending exactly what it is about hunting that matters most. In any event, here are some reasons a hunter may explain to someone that would confront them and ask – why do you hunt? Maybe you can relate.

The hunter may answer by saying - I hunt so I can LEARN. I hunt so I can have experiences. I hunt so I can be an example to others. I hunt so I can eat. I hunt so I can feel alive. I hunt so I can get away. I hunt so I can better myself. I hunt so I can be a provider. I hunt so I can be happy. I hunt so I can feel excitement. I hunt so I can feel emotion. I hunt so I can be closer to God. I hunt so I can educate. I hunt to be a steward of the wildlife. Last but not least, I hunt because I am blessed.  

Nobody in this world could make a person feel what they do, except maybe God. A person feels the way they do about hunting by the way they lived their lives. God has shown all his goodness and love. He’s been their through thick and thin. He knows you and me. We’re the stubborn fools that sin. God does love us no matter what. He blessed us with the ability to hunt. We are learning the true meaning of hunting and hopefully will get to share what we learn with others, especially the younger generation.

Hunting is more than an action word. Hunting takes us way back to our ancestor’s time period. Hunting in itself is a teacher. Hunting is the master instructor. Hunting can teach us about our roots and what we’re really all about. Hunting is the means of giving us hope, courage, strength, fun, hard work, laughter, crying, sorrow, joy, and happiness. Although true happiness will not come from being a hunter or going hunting, it does help us find out who we really are. True happiness is found all on your own with the incentive of Gods help. Hunting can only define you as a mortal man or woman. Hunting will not define your eternal soul in the after life. It’s your own discretion as to what you believe – no one else’s. We use our free agency to believe what we feel is worth believing in and doing what we choose. You don’t believe for the fact that your neighbor believes. You used your own brain and heart felt feelings to decide for yourself. I trust that you will decide all on your own, whether or not you believe in God and him granting us the blessing of hunting. You decide why you hunt, not someone else deciding for you.

We all have many interests and though we may not get the opportunity to participate in everything that intrigues us, we can dream. Our hopes and dreams also can define who we are. Our dreams can also help us know where to go and what to do in life. Since hunting does indeed create dreams, then we can agree we’re living our life in a way that will lead to many hunting adventures at home and abroad. Maybe you hunt so you can travel to spectacular lands lush with God’s breathtaking creations. On a list of what mattered most, the trophy should be last.

We all hunt for different and some of the same reasons. Between hunters, it doesn’t matter what each individual’s reasons are. What matters is that we respect each others beliefs.

My own beliefs define who I am. How do your beliefs define you? It’s understood that we leave lasting impressions on people’s lives. Knowing this should make us evaluate every reason we hunt. Why? You may ask yourself. Well, truthfully, we should do this so not to have those images that we put in peoples heads be disgusting, ruthless, deceitful, and down right degrading. We do not want our beloved sport of hunting to be taken away. We do not want hunting to have a bad rap. We do not want our hunting heritage looked upon as wasteful and as being a lost cause. This mustn’t happen, it cannot happen, and will not happen so long as hunters live.

Remember that you hunt to be an exemplar. This principal is not to be taken lightly. I know what you might be telling yourself – why in my right mind would I hunt for this reason, why not just for the trophy – I would say that it takes knowing one to be one. I mean come on; everything you do for a hunt from start to finish is indeed making you an example for those around you that may not know much about the sport. Take this food for thought and feast, for tomorrow you will be an example for someone.

All the learning in the world without works is dead. If you’re a true hunter, then you learn everything you can about hunting, which is one reason why you hunt. The act of hunting supplies knowledge to the brain that increases a hunter’s perception on everything around them. Your awareness of what kinds of animals inhabit your hunting grounds, their whereabouts, and the reasons why, when, and how they get their gets stored in your memory bank. You want to be a better hunter and your learning by way of hunting does this for you.

Putting your hunting skills in motion helps you obtain wonderful experiences that only you can have by actually doing it. Yes, sadly you have to go hunting, poor pitiful you, but you know what happens once you go – all the worldly cares disappear. All those chores, work responsibilities, financial problems, stress, heartaches, and sorrows all disappear (note to