Springtime in Maine is a magical time for hunters and anglers. With snow and ice melted away, it’s time to hit the woods in search of fired up turkeys, troll ice-out lakes and ponds for togue and salmon, seek trout in hidden streams or make nighttime smelt runs.
Spring is also busy for Maine game wardens, tasked with policing the state’s woods and waters, which are buzzing with human activity. But turkey hunters and brook fishermen aren’t the only ones keeping wardens busy.
It’s also the start of the nuisance wildlife season, which really is better described as conflicts between people and Maine’s animal population.
Of course, there are times when wildlife absolutely is a downright nuisance, such as a hungry porcupine that mows down an entire bed of prized flowers, or when a gaggle of Canada geese turns a homeowner’s beautiful waterfront shoreline into their own personal feather-covered latrine.
Black bears can be particularly bothersome during the spring, because they tear into garbage cans, knock down bird feeders and tip over grills in search of much-needed calories.
In all of these cases, wardens do their best to work through the situation with the person who filed the complaint, and help come up with a remedy. That often means a site visit, suggestions to deter the wildlife or consulting with one of Maine’s wildlife biologists for help. The last resort is killing the offending animal.
Maine game wardens regularly respond to complaints of sick or injured wildlife. Like us, many animals remain somewhat dormant during the cold winter, and their activity increases with the temperatures.
Skunks, groundhogs, and porcupines waddle their way into residential yards where they encounter territorial or curious pets. Hungry deer eager to feed on nutritious new grasses and other foods around populated areas constantly dodge vehicles as they cross roads. Song birds excited at the sight of newly stocked bird feeders face the danger of flying into nearby glass windows or doors.
When people-animal interactions result in an injured animal, a warden typically gets the first call.
Fortunately, Maine has several amazing wildlife rehabilitation facilities. If the animal can be safely captured and transported, it might have a good chance of recovering and being released back into the wild.
The idea of capturing a wild animal seems simple, but it really takes creativity. Game wardens have an enormous amount of gear and equipment, but very little specifically designed for tackling such issues.
During my time as a warden, I relied on an issued catch pole, heavy-duty bite-proof leather gloves and whatever else was available, such as a fishing net, wool blanket, plastic tote or cardboard box.
One time, I transported a rescued baby skunk in a one-quart strawberry box from Castine to a Bar Harbor rehabilitator. The baby curled up in the box and fell fast asleep.
I mostly dreaded the springtime barrage of wildlife complaints in my busy district. I felt I had far more important things to do, like catching turkey poachers and nabbing greedy fishermen.
But some of those “nuisance” wildlife calls turned into fond memories, like the time a marine patrol officer and I took turns trying to tackle an injured great blue heron on the front lawn of the Orland Department of Transportation facility.
Another time a homeowner reported their house had been burglarized, only to discover the real culprit was a giant raccoon that I spent the better part of an afternoon trying to snag from the home’s hand-hewn wood beams.
And how could I forget the clumsy porcupine that somehow completely tangled itself in the netting of a soccer goal at the Lamoine Consolidated School, and required some tricky knifework to set it free?
As the face of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine’s game wardens wear many hats, especially during the spring and summer. And even though they might cringe at the thought of yet another “nuisance” wildlife complaint as I once did, their compassion, drive and dedication to our state’s wildlife, no matter how big or small, is truly remarkable.
