Turkey Time in the Tip Top of Maine
Aroostook is the largest of Maine’s 16 counties, in fact it’s the second largest county in any state east of the Mississippi River at 6,800 square miles. There’s 3.5 million acres of forest, 305,000 acres of farmland and over 2000 lakes, rivers, ponds and brooks; a veritable haven for wild game and heaven on earth for local and visiting hunters and anglers.
North Maine Woods are renowned for heavyweight, big- racked buck whitetails, and the only continental state with the largest moose and black bear populations, most located in the Crown of Maine. The upland bird, duck and goose gunning also draw hunters annually from all over the U. S. for well over a century. Until the last couple of decades however, Aroostook has never been home to any wild turkey, and evolution of the current huntable population is just short of a miracle.
Industrialization, large plots of forest being turned into farmland and over-hunting in the early 1800s all combined to cause exterpation of eastern wild turkey in southern Maine. Frigid weather and long winters with deep snow kept turkey populations from ever expanding north, so Aroostook sportsmen never knew what they were missing. Even when turkey populations began to regain a presence in Maine, it was decades before gobblers first appeared “up north”.
As early as 1942 state fish and game biologists trapped birds from other states, transported and released them in coastal Swan Island in an unsuccessful attempt to reestablish a population. In the 1960s several attempts with multiple flocks of captured turkeys were released in the Bangor and Wyndham areas, but all failed to establish a foothold as well. Between 1977 and 1987 more stocking attempts were made with larger groups of birds released in South and mid-Maine. Survival rates increased, as did hatchling numbers, and finally turkeys migrated and flocks expanded into wider and wider areas. In 1986 the premier limited season for wild turkey hunting occurred in the Pine Tree State. Aroostook County’s harsh winter conditions continued to prove a barrier for any gobblers moving north.
In the 1970s and 80s, several Aroostook Fish and Game clubs raised hundreds of pheasants to be released for fall hunting, and the state Fish and Wildlife agency raised and released a three for one matching number of birds. It was a wonderful alternative to grouse and woodcock, but it became a “put and take” effort and petered out after a dozen or so seasons. The ringneck pheasant just could not survive the deep snow and frigid, below freezing temperatures of Aroostook. Turkeys also need to scratch and feed, so it seemed unlikely Aroostook would ever host a native population.
For years, County hunters, myself included, needed to trek to southern Maine and bordering New Hampshire to experience challenging, exciting outings to bag a long-bearded Tom. Despite a few stocking attempts during the 1990s, the severe winter weather continued to keep far Northern Maine barren of wild turkeys. Then, slowly but surely a small miracle in the form of global warming occurred during the early 2000s and winter weather became consistently milder and snow cover less deep.
By 2012, multiple transport and relocation trips with turkeys from southern Maine flocks each year for five years led to not only survival but widespread huntable populations throughout Aroostook County. Along with the more temperate winter conditions the relocated turkeys and the following hatches of native birds seemed to learn that there were lots of burdocks and other above snow bushes that provided food. More importantly they took full advantage of the thousands of winter bird feeders around urban edge residences as well as the food that hundreds of folks were putting out to feed the deer.
Finally in the spring of 2014, zones 1-6, all hunting areas comprising Aroostook County, opened to the taking of male turkey. There were a lot of very specific who, when and where regulations, but the unlikely, and unexpected event doubted by many sportsmen, including myself, had happened. Growth and expansion of the gobbler population has continued for over a decade in such an amazing increase that there's now also a fall season for one bird of either sex. Most of the strict guidelines have fallen by the wayside during that time as well.
Unlike many states, and even here in southern Maine, vast, dense wooded areas and a plethora of huge potato and broccoli fields in The County require a bit different approach to hunting. Scouting is crucial to locate the best spots to intercept birds traveling, feeding or wandering about seeking a mate, and spot and stalk success on foot or from a vehicle offers a very low percentage of success. In my previous turkey hunting travels, a guide or friend at those distant locations had done all the scouting and hunt preparations. I had however, watched very closely and asked numerous questions during the daily hunts. But being on your own in a more different environment is always a challenge, and there's a steep learning curve for success with these wary birds. One thing I noticed was that very few turkey hunters were utilizing trail cameras for this new Aroostook endeavor. I'm a big fan of game cameras for local deer, moose and black bear, and learned from experience they increased success. I wondered why it would be any different with turkey.
I owned 4 good quality cameras but needed a couple more to cover all the areas I wanted to scout. A close friend offered to lend me two of his, and that was my introduction to Spartan game cams and more importantly the amazing wave of the future feature of GoLive. Not only can you use your phone or tablet to retrieve photos and videos anytime, anywhere, but when set to alert the owner of animal activity it's possible to connect and watch live action within seconds.
It's been a real learning experience and the two major points for rookie users of cameras when scouting turkey are placing them lower than for big game and utilizing videos more than photos. A height of two feet is perfect for gobblers and watch live whenever possible to pinpoint regularity of travel, times, numbers of birds, size and gender on specific paths and in favored feed fields.
I now own several Spartan GoLive models with two different lens options; my scouting areas now offer superior, immediate information thanks to the new technology and I can often gather it remotely which has led to an increase in my success rate. All this in an area that was completely void of these wonderfully challenging game birds 20 years ago.
Hunters throughout the world attempt to accomplish various types of grand slams; in Maine, the big game slam comprises a white-tailed deer, a black bear, a moose and a wild turkey. Thanks to a successful stocking program and a bit of cooperation from Mother Nature, Aroostook County’s burgeoning wild turkey population allows that quest to be fulfilled. Coincidentally, concurrent fall seasons offer the chance to fill all these tags within a single month. Autumn in Aroostook is breathtakingly beautiful with its kaleidoscope of colorful foliage, just like the iridescent hues of a big Tom turkey fanned out in full strut. Perhaps it's time to pack your guns and gear to head for really big outdoor adventures in a really big county.
