Maine 2021/22 photo dump... hope you enjoy.

Troy Fields

Troy Fields

Well-known member


Here we are again...looking back over yet another season. For the most part, days and weather were good. There were some challenging days with high winds, big seas and colder than normal temps but that comes with the territory. Pearl will be 10 next month in February, it doesn't seem possible. She had a great season with 222 retrieves and ended the 2021/22 season with 1621 career retrieves. The eiders were harder to come by this year and I traveled/trailered more miles this season than any other before. The 2022/23 season will bring changes to the Maine waterfowl arena. The special sea duck season is being combined with our coastal season thereby combining dates and bag limits. That means the once separate sea duck season and bag limits are eliminated. Also happening in 2022/23 will be a reduction from 5 sea ducks to 4 and only 3 of any species. There is also talk (rumor) of a one hen eider limit within that. The total coastal bag limit will remain at 6 birds, so it is possible to shoot your 4 sea ducks outside and then move into the marshes and shoot a couple non-sea ducks, be them blacks, mallards, buffies, G.E. etc...

It seems Maine is simply catching up to some other east coast states that have already combined sea ducks and others ( puddle and diver ducks) into one common bag with a unified season.

Here are some moments of the season. As I post all these photos it takes me back to each trip...many more female hunters are making their way to our waterfowl tradition which is exciting to see. I got my brother out for his first ever sea duck hunt this year. We gunned over some fine blocks this season when Jon Ketchum and his wife Liz came to visit. The pictures did what they were meant to do...bring back the memory. I hope you enjoy.

All the best.

Troy



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Troy, thanks for bringing us along. Our season ends tomorrow, all I can say it has been
the year of the wind and has been challenging to get on birds. That's why they call it duck
hunting.
 
Troy
great photos of the season. I haven't seen John B since he brought the boat down to Mystic for the Wooden Boat show. Those Sea Smoke days are always a blessing and a challenge. The camera just doesn't do the cold feeling in your hands and face justice on those days.
Good to see mans best friend taking a well deserved nap next to the stove.
Thanks for posting.
Bob
 
Congrats on a great season! Man those Eiders are cool looking ducks, one of these days I'll have to give that a shot!
 
Troy it was good to see this marvelous collection of photos and of course sprinkled in there I took great delight in seeing your 10 year old wonder dog, Pearl. It sure is hard to believe how quickly these seasons pass us by until we start making more observations of our dogs whether that be a graying muzzle, a slight hitch in the step, or maybe swimming without so much hoopla involved but straight out and straight back.

Thanks so much Troy.
Allan
 
Really enjoyable photos. I especially like the sleeping dog at the end...reminds me so much of my own dog back in the day.

thanks for sharing those pics.
 
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