Autumn in Aroostook offers regional hunters a vast array of big and small game quarry, but for shotgunning enthusiasts, October and November yield a bounty of birds and wingshooting galore. It’s actually difficult for many of us to find enough time and free days to enjoy Crown of Maine’s lineup of upland and waterfowling opportunities. I favor a Saturday smorgasbord of flushing up and decoying in two or three different species of fast flying fowl for a full day of dawn to dusk action.
How about greeting the sunrise from a layout blind among a fake flock of full-bodied goose decoys set up in a likely cut grain or harvested potato field? Honkers always fly from their overnight roost pond to feed each morning and again in the late afternoon, perfect times to set up an ambush. There are lots of native geese so far this season, and more huge migratory flocks will be arriving from the north to feed and fatten for several weeks until frozen ground or deep snows send them winging further south.
It’s also possible to set out a few floating decoys on area ponds, streams and rivers where geese return mid-morning to rest, digest and preen in the sun. It’s important not to over hunt these waterways as the birds will pick up and move when harassed too frequently. Moving from one roost water to another and gunning each no more than once a week keeps the flocks local.
Late morning or early afternoon is a fine time to check out a few regional woodcock covers. This fast-flying quarry is often overlooked by local sportsmen, but for a true wingshooting challenge the quirky flush and flight of a timberdoodle proves a true adventure. Woodcock are also migratory birds, most of ours arrive from Canada, stay a day or two to chow down on worms in alder thickets and second-growth fields, then flutter downstate, hop scotching from spot to spot.
A gunner might hunt one thicket and put up only a couple of woodcock today, then, two days later there are a dozen flushes during an outing. It’s possible and somewhat productive to “walk up woodcock”, this is when a couple of guys spread out 25 yards apart and then proceed in a stop and go stroll through the trees and brush. Sometimes you bump a bird into flight by walking too close to where it’s hunkered down feeding or resting, others flush when you stop and stand for a minute, thinking they have been spotted.
For the most dependable action and the greatest number of close flushes, follow a well-mannered pointer or setter though the brush and brambles. There will be far fewer wild flushes and more close-up shots, and while a good four-legged canine improves the odds, these odd-looking long-billed birds cause even the steadiest wing shooters to mumble under their breath.
Of course another feathered quarry and by far Maine’s most popular and one that may be hunted within a few miles of every Aroostook house, is “Ole Pat.” Ruffed grouse, regionally called partridge, are considered the tastiest and most popular Pine Tree upland bird. There are lots of grouse this fall, but leaf cover has remained thick making it difficult to spot roadside birds while riding.
Conditions should improve weekly and of course the season runs throughout November and December. Most deer hunters won’t shoot partridge for fear of spooking nearby whitetails, but December rabbit gunners often enjoy fur and feather success. Cool, crisp frosty mornings offer great grouse opportunities for heater hunters cruising wood roads and I generally have steady action the last couple of hours before dusk as partridge move to road edges to feed and pick gravel.
Finally, local bird hunters will find Aroostook duck numbers high, and top rate shooting with birds floating on every sized waterway from tiny farm ponds to huge lakes and most brooks, streams, and rivers. While it’s possible to bag a few black ducks and mallards by setting out a dozen decoys to one side of a field goose spread, hunting on water provides faster, more dependable results.
One of my favorite styles of duck hunting involves quietly paddling and floating along a stream or river just after dawn, or just before twilight when birds are returning for the night. The tranquility and sights are breathtaking and shooting opportunities abundant and fast paced. Setting out a dozen or so decoys on a pond and hiding in the shoreline brush to call and attract incoming ducks into scattergun range can also be very exciting. If you only have a couple of hours to hunt, jump shooting is a great option. Using trees and brush for cover, shooters sneak and crawl up to water’s edge of a pond, marsh, bog or cove or eddy on a stream where ducks dabble, rest on rocks, and paddle about. Then it’s just a matter of quickly getting to your feet, locating a target as ducks leap into flight and taking the shot. This tactic works really well all season.
As deer season gets underway, fewer hunters pursue birds so there’s less pressure on the feathered quarry, and fewer shooters vying for the popular locations. If Mother Nature cooperates, Aroostook shotgunners may enjoy at least six more weeks of action on several species. Plan your outing right and it’s possible to bag two or even three types of gamebirds and half a dozen species in a single day. Birds are plentiful this fall, the weather and foliage are just right, so get out and about before the snow flies.
