Changing Times

A. Sayward Lamb

I started hunting back in the early 1940’s, while a teenager. Living in a small town in the southwestern part of Maine gave me the opportunity to be able to go hunting right from my backyard, so to speak. Back then there were plenty of active farms, as well as abandoned farms, which provided excellent places to hunt. I never remember seeing a “No Trespassing” sign, and I don’t think many hunters, back during those years, ever gave much thought regarding whose land they were hunting on. For the most part, we were hunting close to home, and our hunting grounds were usually on land belonging to friends and neighbors. So, we simply took our guns, and went hunting throughout the fields and woods that were within walking distance of our respective homes.

I was born in Rangeley, Maine and came from a family that always enjoyed hunting and fishing. My Grandfather, Joseph Lamb, was a Maine Guide and guided people (whom he referred to as “Sports”) who came to Rangeley and often stayed at the Rangeley Lake House, or in other sporting camps, or hotels, in that area. I have heard my father tell about a Baron from Germany who came to Rangeley to hunt foxes and my Grandfather served as his guide. The Baron gave Grandfather a Marlin, 32-20 caliber, pump action rifle in appreciation of his guiding services. This rifle was handed down to my father and many years later I used that rifle for deer hunting until I discovered that the bore of the rifle became so worn that the bullet “keyholed’, making it shoot inaccurately. This gun always fascinated me because it could be dismantled and put back together without using any tools. Your hands were all that was needed for this job. This made it very simple when it needed to be cleaned. I have often wondered how many rounds were fired through that barrel to have worn it so badly?

Hunting was pretty much a necessity during those years when Grandfather Lamb was guiding clients. I believe this was during the early 1900’s and continued on into the mid 1920’s, when he became ill and died of “Consumption” in 1925, at the relatively young age of 52 years. I was not born until 1927, so I was never fortunate enough to know him. I am sure, after listening to my father and uncles telling me many stories of his escapades while hunting and fishing, that Grandfather’s life was very challenging and interesting.

Grandfather Lamb supplemented his income by also guiding “Sports” on fishing trips in the famous Rangeley Lakes area. My father told me that Grandfather Lamb would pack his camping gear and food on his back, take his fishing equipment, and hike through the woods to Kennebago Lake. In looking at DeLorme’s maps “The Maine Atlas”, I would estimate he walked between seven to eight miles of remote forest to get there. He also helped to build some of the first camps on Little Kennebago Lake.
During the fall of the year Grandfather Lamb, my father, and my uncles all went fox hunting. Sometimes they got their game by digging out foxholes until they located the fox dens. My Uncle, Hubert Lamb, told me how this was done. He said they would find an active fox den, and then take a long stick and push it into the fox hole as far as possible. Then they noted the length as well as the direction of the stick, when it was placed in the foxhole. This done, they would take a spade and dig in the proper place to find the burrow again and kept repeating this procedure until they reached the den where the fox was located. Sometimes they were able to place the muzzle of the shotgun in the mouth of the fox. Shooting it this way prevented damaging the hide. The shotgun had teeth marks on the outside of the barrel where foxes clamped down on it hard enough to scratch the steel. In this manner, they got the fox whose fur at that time was very valuable. In those days, fox fur were in great demand for fashionable items such as: stoles; coats; hats; etc. This made the pelts worth all that extra effort that it took to dig them out of their dens.

Fox hunting did not provide meat for the table, so it was only natural for the men folk to go deer hunting. My father told me that during those years of the early 1900’s, deer were not nearly as plentiful as they were during later years. Consequently, it took more effort to harvest deer in those days. One method the family used was to go out on moonlight nights in the fall of the year and watch for deer to come to a certain apple tree. To keep warm, during those cool nights while they sat waiting on a bench seat that they made for that purpose, they used a fur lap robe to wrap around their legs. For added warmth they also used a kerosene lantern that they placed under the bench, before wrapping up in the lap robe. I don’t remember them ever telling me how successful this method of hunting worked, but I can picture them in my mind, as they sat waiting in the moonlight for deer to come to that apple tree. Once I asked my Uncle Hugh if it was illegal to night hunt in those days? He told me as far as he knew it was O.K. to hunt that way. “At least”, he said, “no one ever told us not to.”

Of course the Lamb family not only had venison stored for winter, but other types of meat as well, because they raised pigs, chickens, and cattle, which were slaughtered for consumption during winter months. The only methods of refrigeration were iceboxes and Mother Nature. They said it was not unusual to have a frost every month of the year in Rangeley. It was cool enough during the fall so my Grandparents would place the butchered meat inside a wooden barrel, for winter storage. I asked my Uncle Hugh how they chose a certain variety of meat that they might want to eat? He replied, “It really didn’t make any difference to my mother, because she would take whatever kind of meat was on top and that is what she served for us to eat.”

Game management has changed noticeably over the years. When I first started hunting, in the mid-1940’s, deer hunting season started on October 15th and ended on November 30th. We could shoot any deer we chose and we also had no sunset laws, but I believe there were a few restrictions regarding driving deer. I can remember waiting until “last light” for a deer to come out to feed. With open sights it was often necessary to raise the gun barrel skyward to pick out the front sight and align it with the rear sight; then bring the rifle barrel down to take aim at the deer. When the gun was fired, the fire flew out the end of the barrel. Sometimes we got lucky and made a kill, but more often then not we overshot our targets.

Fishing limits for brook trout at the beginning of my fishing experiences was twenty-five trout per person per day. This later was reduced to fifteen trout and now only five fish are allowed and in some places the limit is two fish, or even “catch and release”.

Not all changes have been bad. One of the greatest improvements, as far as I am concerned, here in Maine, is the mandatory requirement regarding wearing fluorescent clothing during deer hunting season. I worked in the funeral profession for many years, and the firm I worked for also provided ambulance service for the area in which we served. I was an ambulance attendant and later, a registered Emergency Medical Technician. Prior to that law, we would respond to several calls during hunting season to transport hunters that had been wounded by other hunters. Some calls were for hunters who had been killed accidentally by some other hunter or family member, and other times it might have been a friend, or possibly a complete stranger who wasn’t even a member of the same hunting party. Whatever the case, these tragedies caused untold hardships and grief for families and friends who survived. The hunter being mistaken for a deer caused most of these shootings. With the advent of mandatory wearing of fluorescent clothing, these types of accidents dropped dramatically. Later, when the “Sunset Law” took effect, fatalities dropped even more. Now, with hunter safety courses in place, hunting fatalities are at an all time low. We have to be thankful for these changes that have made for safer and more enjoyable hunting.

Hunting comfort has changed considerably by the development of newer types of hunting clothing. I am of “the old school”, and still favor wool for outside garments, while hunting. Basically, this is because it is warm and quiet when rubbing against branches. A person can also stay warm even if the wool clothing gets wet. True, there are many modern fabrics that provide excellent insulation, are light in weight, and long lasting. The problem with many of these fabrics is the fact that they have a hard finish, and are very noisy when walking through the woods. Deer, as well as other animals, can hear these sounds from long distances and avoid the hunter. I prefer to use modern thermal underwear and flannel shirts. I still use wool for outerwear. Some of the greatest advances in hunting gear are footwear. We have a wide range of thermal sox and insulated boots that will keep your feet warm and dry in any weather. I can remember when we had to apply a liberal coat of some type of waterproof grease to our leather boots almost every time after we spent a day of hunting, and even then, sometimes our feet might get damp. With the modern boots, our feet can stay warm and dry all day long, making for much more comfortable hunting, especially when waiting on a deer stand.

I planned to use wool gloves for hunting when the weather was not too cold. During colder weather I used “Choppers Mittens”, which were made with a soft leather on the outside and lined with wool or cotton mittens on the inside. The only problem is the fact that the mitten had to be removed from the shooting hand when we planned to fire the gun. Finally someone came up with the bright idea to build a forefinger for these type mittens, thus solving this problem. The shooter could keep the mittens on and pull the trigger on his gun. I still have a pair of this type and use them occasionally. Now there are many types of synthetic fabrics used for mittens and gloves that offer excellent protection for your hands. The choice is yours. One thing for sure, these modern pieces of clothing, footwear, etc. offer more comfort for the hunter than the old timers would have ever dreamed possible. Still, I have often found myself sweating profusely while hunting. This is especially true in most of the areas where I hunt, because it is very mountainous terrain.

I used to hike over the mountains, because for some unknown reason, I always felt the deer were on the other side. It took me a lot of years to finally accept the fact that often times there was just as much game on the side of the mountain where I was hunting. I also came to the conclusion that if a hunter is sweating profusely, then in most cases, he really is not hunting, but more likely just running through the woods. Maybe “hiking” might be a better way to describe it. Of course, there are exceptions, especially when we start out dressed for the cold morning air, and temperatures moderate later in the day, making it impossible to hunt without sweating. I have been known to remove my hunting vest and stuff it into the game pocket of my hunting jacket, in order to be more comfortable.

Layered clothing in now available in all types of styles and materials. When I look through sporting goods catalogues I find it very confusing, to say the least, when trying to figure out what would be the best investment for the type of hunting I would do. I have noted particularly, page after page of camouflage clothing, with so many variations that it literally “blows my mind.” How a person can possibly make up his mind is beyond my comprehension. In the “good old days” the selections consisted of only a few types of clothing that were “tried and proven” over years of time by many sportsmen.

I should also make mention of the improved mobility with regards to transportation, which enables the public to travel many miles from home, both quickly, economically, and comfortably. People go places that our ancestors would have never dreamed possible. For instance, I personally have traveled from Maine to Alaska, a distance of nearly five thousand miles, in about twelve hours of travel time. Modern vehicles- R.V.’s, other types of travel trailers, A.T.V’s, snowmobiles, etc., have all contributed in making a great impact on outdoor recreation. This is especially true when it comes to gaining access to remote areas.

Another change that promotes all this travelling is the so called “leisure time” that people enjoy today, as compared to years ago. When I started working, back in the 1940’s, the normal workweek was six, nine-hour days, making a total workweek of fifty-four hours. This left only evenings and Sunday for anyone to get their chores done. Back then this could mean cutting, splitting and piling firewood, tending gardens, feeding and milking cows as well as tending to other livestock. This meant there was little time for play. By the time the chores got completed, most people were tired enough to simply stay home and rest. In later years the workweek was reduced to six, eight-hour days, for a total of forty-eight hours. Following that came five, eight-hour days, for a forty hour week. Now, some people work even less that that. Some work four ten-hour days, which gives them the forty-hour workweek, followed by three days off.

In Maine, we have had some reductions in the numbers of deer, as well as hunters. Some of the younger generation does not seem interested in hunting. They can find plenty to do without traipsing through the woods in search of game. This is especially noted in a family that was not brought up to enjoy these types of activities, such as hunting and fishing. Shopping malls, automobiles, T.V’s, and other modern gadgets all provide diverse interests that contribute to the decline of the outdoor sportsman.

A couple of new benefits for the hunting scene have been the introduction of Moose hunting and turkey hunting in Maine. Both have gained in popularity with the public, to the point where it is nearly impossible for some of us to enjoy those types of hunts. This is especially true of the Moose hunt, where so many applications are submitted for the lottery drawing, that one has to be extremely lucky to have their name drawn for the hunt. Turkey hunting is gaining in popularity every year and the success of the propagation of turkeys, since they were re-introduced to Maine, has been nothing short of phenomenal. In my own case, I have found that I enjoy turkey hunting more than deer hunting. I believe this is due to the fact that the interaction between the hunter and turkeys makes it more interesting for me, at least. I make my own box calls for gobblers and slate calls for hens, so I enjoy the challenge of using these calls while trying to work the turkeys into shooting range. As for the moose hunt, I participated in one moose hunt in 1985, when my late brother, Stanton, was one of the lucky out of state recipients chosen for the hunt in the lottery drawing. I was his sub-permit holder and we had a successful hunt in the North Maine Woods.

I often wonder if there will be as many changes with regards to hunting and fishing as I have seen thus far in my lifetime. We know changes will occur but whether they are for the betterment of the sports remains to be seen. Hopefully, I still have a few years left to enjoy this vast area we call Maine, where over ninety percent of the acreage in forested. We are already seeing changes in areas that were formerly owned by the paper companies. Several paper mills have shut down and either have sold or will sell, the thousands and thousands of acres of woodlands that were open to the public for recreational purposes. I fear that with the transferal of these vast properties that access ultimately we will be restricted in the areas where we, the public have had unlimited access. Locally, all of us have seen prime hunting areas ruined by development of homes in many places far off from the main roads. All one has to do in this area of western Maine where I live, is to take a ride to some place with a panoramic view and look across the valleys. New homes are noted all along the sides of the mountains. All I can say is that I am thankful for the more than sixty years that I have had to enjoy hunting and fishing both in local areas, as well as many more acres in the vast area that I often refer to as the North Maine Woods.