Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 18 : Fall 2013 | Page 34

Guide’s Country
by Skyla Hamilton

Whether you are hunting birds, bucks or bears,
hiring a Maine State Registered Guide can send your
hunting experience into one of catching, landing, and
filling your freezer at the end of the day, not to mention
learning a thing or two from a person who is knowledgeable
of the Great Maine Woods. Walking in the footsteps of
Henry David Thoreau, a person can still experience the vast
wildness of the northeast while walking in the forests that
he too treaded upon many years ago.

In the Great Maine Woods, one can still careen with
nature and hunt like the natives and our forefathers did but
with the advantages of technology. No longer donning
beaver hides and coon skin caps, we can now wear our
GoreTex and polypropylene to stay warm and dry while in
the pursuit of the hunt. However, do not be shocked when
your Guide looks like they may have stepped out of a 1920’s
L.L. Bean catalog. He or she may have learned a thing or
two, and new is not always bigger and better. Time-tested
gear worms its way into a Guide’s heart, and whether it is
sentimental or just works, the Guide knows what they need
to get the job done.

The benefits of hiring a Guide far outweigh the
losses. With a Guide you have a knowledgable person by
your side to help keep you out of trouble, direct you to the
game, and if you still find trouble, they will help get you
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to safety as quickly as possible. Guide’s, all the while, will
be educating you on proper technique, gear and informing
you of the history and natural environment that surrounds
you during the hunt.

Since Maine has been a State, Guide’s have been the
natural embassadors to their clients. Maine State Guides
historically have been showing “out of staters” the Great
Maine Woods and the little secret hidden gems for decades.
Many people come to Northern Maine for the once of
a lifetime experience of winning the lottery. The moose
lottery that is, and to double their return, they generally
hire a guide or go to a hunting camp where the legacy of
moose hunting has been in existence for centuries. Guide’s
have the capability of taking the experience to the next level,
all the while telling stories of the past, of how trappers and
lumbermen hunted before you. They might even throw
in someone famous to pique your interest. If and when
you come to the Great North Woods, go hunting with an
expert and enjoy the journey of a lifetime. Check out our
website at www.fortkentchamber.com for a list of premier
hunting and fishing guide’s and lodges for your next hunting
adventure.