The Mystery of the Lost Hunter

BY Warden Kevin O’Leary Garfield Plantation, a small Aroostook County town that neighbors Ashland is the scene for one of the most puzzling and baffling unsolved lost persons case in Maine Warden Service history. Since I first heard the bizarre story behind a man who simply vanished after an extensive and exhaustive search, I have … Continued

Bear (or Pork) & Pumpkin Stew

Bear (or Pork) & Pumpkin Stew This is a great and easy recipe to make with a fatty and rich meat like bear, and if you don’t have any of this- pork will do. Works great for stew cuts of venison as well. Ingredients: pretty simple and usually around 1-2 lbs. of chunked bear or … Continued

Best Trout Lures

By Peter St. James Well, with the spring gobbler season set to end on May 31st and the Moose Lottery applications due by midnight on May 31st, we can now turn our attention to fishing. New Hampshire offers two free fishing days each year, (The first Saturday in June and The third Saturday in January) … Continued

June Fly Fishing

BY Matt LaRoche Oh! How I look forward to the month of June- it is the best month for fly fishing of the year. The water has warmed up a bit, the fish are active and the insect activity is at its peak. Landlocked salmon and brook trout will “zero in” on whatever insects are … Continued

Spring Fishing Report

Sebago Lake Region From Fisheries Resource Supervisor James Pellerin, 3/18/24 Where to fish: Most of the lakes and ponds in southern Maine experienced ice-out by mid-March, so many anglers will have already been fishing by the time this report hits the press. For early season lakes and ponds, I would suggest focusing your efforts on lake … Continued

Rifle Accuracy Thieves

By Tom Kelly Col. Townsend Whelan once said, “Only accurate rifles interest me”. Well, accuracy is one of those relative terms. It can mean different things to different people. Sub MOA or minute of angle groups are a requirement for long range competition shooters. Minute of angle translates to a 1” or smaller 3 shot … Continued

Backtrack

Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook By V. Paul Reynolds From Islandport Press, a seasoned Maine outdoorsman retraces his steps with precision, poignancy and pluck. “Backtrack” will deepen your connection to the outdoors, bring a smile, and may even stir your soul. From deer camps and green drakes and tips and recipes, to outdoor calamities and astonishing … Continued

Finally, Trout Season Opens

By Gary Moore We open water trout anglers get real antsy by the end of March, often casting on the lawn and dreaming of opening day. This year that occurs on Saturday, April 13. Like so many others I will be plying the waters of local streams hoping to entice a trout to hit. As I … Continued

Atlantics: The King Clings On

BY V. Paul Reynolds “Chase the fish, boy..yer down to the backin’..chase the fish,”shouted my guide. The Medalist reel sang as the 9 weight line wound off the spool with authority. The tip of the Sage fly rod pulsated as the 18-pound Atlantic salmon lived up to its reputation, leaping and twisting above the frothing … Continued

Never Cry Wolf

By Mark McCollough It was the wee hours of the morning at the dead-end of a rutted logging road deep in the vast Ragmuff clearcut in northern Maine. A carpet of stars blanketed the moonless night. We stepped out of the truck, set up the speakers, and played a recorded sequence of wolf calls that … Continued

Reader Feedback

The Northwoods Sporting Journal is the largest hunting & fishing magazine in the Northeast.

"Just want to complement all of you on an excellent magazine. I have my subscription sent to my office and have found that clients grab the Northwoods Sporting Journal first over the dozen or so other magazines in our waiting area.
I have enclosed subscriptions for myself and five friends that I think will enjoy your magazine. I especially like the Outdoor News sections for keeping up to date with statistics and changes going on in the state."

Jay Deane

"I used to subscribe to several outdoor magazines in the past until one day I picked up a copy of the NWSJ at LL Bean in Freeport, Maine. After reading the journal I have to say I never subscribed to any other outdoor magazine. The journal had it all and the thing is it only gets better every month! The articles are informative and very well written by what I consider experts in the field. I have to say if one does not subscribe to the journal or picks up a copy of the journal “they do not know what they are missing!” Unfortunately, I am not a resident of Maine but after reading the journal I feel I know more about your great state than my own regarding the opportunities of hunting and fishing, very good writers."

Tony Ostrowski

"Good morning, I have to write this…because your magazine deserves it. Every couple last winters my family has gone up to Maine after Christmas for a couple days. This always coincides with a stop at KTP, where I buy a copy of your magazine. Well, this Christmas I asked my kids for one gift, a subscription to NWSJ. I’m 57 years old, I grew up cutting and chopping cords of wood every year for my family’s two vermont castings stoves, and fishing and hunting extensively. especially loved tying my own flies and selling them in my local Connecticut hardware store when I was 12. When not doing those things I was salivating over field and stream, outdoor life, fin and feather, you understand…those were great mags, but I don’t like how they’ve changed over the years…they’re selling to the masses now, not to who I think is their core audience. You guys are different, and good different. You’re old school. You actually do not care what people think of what you’re writing, and that reeks of important values like HONESTY, COMMON SENSE, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND KNOWLEDGE. Your articles are SO good that I refuse to read more than one at a time. no joke; I leave each issue open on my kitchen table, and read one article a day. Why? Because every single article is fantastic! I don’t want to ruin the digestion of the last one by reading the next one too quickly…yes, you guys are that good. So here it is, my first feedback; you have the best outdoor magazine I have ever read..and will continue to read it till I can’t read. "

Alexander Pflomm

"I enjoyed reading Ms. AuClair’s article on Mount Katahdin.  I had also enjoyed the mountain and knife-edge trail twice when I was in my late 40s - early 50s. It’s an unbelievably beautiful environment. The quiet is God-like. Thanks very much. Keep up the great reading. I look forward every month to the Sporting Journal."

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