The New Year is almost always a welcome event, even if we all are a year older and the economy is still in the tank. The slate is clean. As we look ahead, it’s a lot like a field of virgin snow. As we move on, the tracks we leave will take us to unseen ground. This is especially sweet for outdoor people who have an affinity for exploration, for finding what is just beyond the hill, or on the other side of the cedar swamp.

Move on, yes. But don’t forget to check your backtrack! Animals do it for survival. For the rest of us contemplative bi-pods, who struggle for understanding and perspective, a check of what already took place can often divulge clues or insights into what lies ahead. Let’s check that backtrack for the Maine outdoors, circa 2009.

For simplicity’s sake, this outdoor look-back is divided, again this year, into three categories: The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good

Spring fishing, and even early summer fishing, was quite good, thanks to a robust spring runoff, a cool, sunless summer and wise fish management. If you ask me, Maine trout fishing is getting better and better. (Not the popular view, I know). Some large fish were caught, including a couple of state record White Perch. The word from our Downeast fisheries biologists is that a once-thriving sport fishery, Branch Lake in Ellsworth, may be put back on the stocking list this spring. Stocking was stopped a number of years ago when Ellsworth officials refused to allow a public boat launch at the lake.That issue is well on its way to resolution, according to MDIF&W spokesmen. Despite another harsh winter with deep snow and long-lingering cold temperatures, most of our wildlife resources — with the glaring exception of deer — fared surprisingly well. Amazingly, our wild turkey populations continue to expand and disburse. These are tough birds! The deer that were not ravaged by coyotes, as well as our plentiful bear and moose populations, remain healthy. Hunters of bear and moose did well. Negative reports to the contrary, grouse numbers were good to-great in some areas, and not so good in others. Perhaps most encouraging of all, a Federal court judge late this fall denied an injunction being brought by two animal rights organizations to close trapping in Maine. The judge ruled that the incidental take of an occasional lynx by Maine trappers does not constitute a violation of the Endangered Species Act. Sportsmen can hope that this ruling sets a lasting precedent that sends these fringe groups packing once and for all.

The bad

At a time when they can least afford it, Maine sportsmen were hit with another big license fee increase. Adding insult to injury, services provided to sportsmen by the Fish and Wildlife Department were decreased significantly. As a result we have seen this year fewer tagging stations and a huge increase in tagging fees. No more mailing of doe applications, doe permits, or moose applications. In one fell swoop, the Federal government convinced the governor to cancel, at the last minute, planned catch-and release angling of Atlantic Salmon on the Penobscot River and, over the governor’s protestations, decided to list the Atlantic salmon as an endangered species on three Maine rivers, including the Penobscot. Maine’s whitetail deer population, which already has seen struggling numbers in Northern Maine and Eastern Washington County for many years, was dealt a severe blow with another one of the toughest winters in a long time. As a result, MDIF&W cut way back on doe permits, and issued none in a number of Wildlife Management Districts. As expected, the fall deer harvest once again fell below normal numbers. In 2008, there was a 27 percent decrease in deer taggings over the fall of 2007. Although nothing is yet official, all signs point to a staggering drop in this fall’s deer harvest with numbers that are likely to be below the state’s already gloomy projections. Even with a nominal winter this season, don’t look for significant recovery of deer numbers in the problem areas of the state. Increasing coyote numbers (still no lifting of the ban on coyote snaring after seven years) and loss of wintering habitat bode against deer recovery for many years to come.

The ugly

The Baldacci administration, in an effort to balance its beleaguered budget, is again this year socking it to sportsmen. Last year, it was a plan to save money by closing down the Grand Lake Stream salmon hatchery, which was astonishingly short sighted. It was reconsidered after public pressure was brought to bear. This year was worse.The governor took back $4 million of the Fish and Wildlife Department’s General Fund money and poured salt into the wound by then — through a backdoor budgetary gimmick — confiscating another 5 percent of our hunting and fishing license fees for his troubled budget. It gets uglier. Our Fish and Wildlife Commissioner, Danny Martin, who is expected to be an advocate for sportsmen was conspicuously silent as his boss plundered his Department’s already limited resources. In the Augusta policy arena, the year — like last year — has been a year of one step forward and two steps backward for sportsmen. We are losing the battle to elitist organizations who know how to effectively use their influence and money. Pitted against one another in this struggle for political supremacy are traditional users and elitist environmental extremists who consider the Maine waters and woodlands to be their exclusive domain.

Maine’s political landscape is changing at an exponential rate. If you have been around this state for a few years, you know this to be true. Sportsmen, even those of you who don’t gravitate to politics, must stay informed. You must speak up and get involved. One way to do this is to cast an informed vote. Elect a governor who really is, indeed, a sportsman and who will give more than lip service to sportsmen’s priorities. Another way is to join organizations that represent your interests. Namely groups like the Maine Trappers Assn, the Maine Professional Guides Assn, the Maine Snowmobiliers Assn, and, of course, the organization that has a track record of consistently slugging away for Maine sportsmen, SAM, the Sportsmen’s Alliance of Maine.

The author is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal and has written his first book, A Maine Deer Hunter’s Logbook. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WQVM 101.3) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].