Plenty of good old-fashioned cold Maine winter weather has provided solid ice on lakes and ponds in the midcoast area for the first time in the last few years.
Landings and parking lots have been packed with vehicles most weekends as locals take advantage of the conditions. I’ve never classified myself as a serious ice fisherman, but I have ventured out several times so far this year.
The sparkling mornings, deer steak on a Coleman stove, time with friends and the occasional fish have all been welcome distractions, but not enough to fully escape my hopeless addiction.
Deer hunting is always on my mind, and this winter I’ve been jonesing hard, to the point where I decided to jump headfirst into the off-season pool’s deep end, and buy a new deer rifle.
What’s such a big deal about buying a new rifle? Well, nothing really. In the big scheme of things, firearms are a dime a dozen, and I know plenty of folks who own dozens or more.
But for someone like me, it’s not trivial. I own just a handful of rifles, all of which serve a specific purpose and occupy a special slot in my gun cabinet.
There is the financial consideration as well. While our family is well taken care of and comfortable, surplus or expendable income is rare. And usually when I do come across some extra jingle in my pocket, I’m too cheap to spend it.
But money isn’t really the issue. It’s more a matter of recognizing the need for adjustment, stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing change that holds me back.
My tiny arsenal is more than capable of handling whatever hunting challenges I have. Each rifle serves its purpose well when called into action.
But recently I have started to worry about one in particular. I have no reservations about its capabilities or performance, as demonstrated by the impressive list of animals I’ve taken with it over the years.
I am more concerned with the idea of retiring it, and any resulting impacts on tradition.
My dinged up, well-worn, beauty of a bolt action has always taken center stage in the gun cabinet. A flagship of the collection, it has seen the most service, has done everything ever asked of it and has never let me down.
Not only is the old bolt-action my first rifle, but it has also been my go-to deer rifle for the last 25 years.
When I turned 14 years old, I struck a deal with my father. He agreed to allow me to buy my first hunting rifle with money I’d earn from my first real summer job working for a firewood processing business owned by our family friend, Brad Saunders.
I worked, saved, researched, dreamed and drooled over different rifles at local sporting goods stores all summer. Brad was a deer hunting fanatic as well. His encouragement and excitement about my impending purchase drove me nearly insane with anticipation.
Halfway through the summer, I settled on what I believed might be the world’s finest deer rifle: a Browning A-bolt Medallion, chambered in .308. Its glossy stock, handsome curves, beautifully engraved receiver and “gold” inlaid trigger guard made it irresistible.
Weeks later, with the funds earned, I marched proudly into Van Raymond Outfitters in Brewer with my father. After choosing a scope to be mounted, the deal was done, and I walked out beaming from ear to ear.
I spent hours holding that rifle, running the bolt, shouldering it and admiring it until the gun felt more like an extension of myself than a manufactured tool. I kept it spotless, cleaned, oiled and shined.
That November, I shot my very first deer with it in a Penobscot field, where we became a match made in hunting heaven.
After 25 years of countless adventures, a couple dozen deer, several bears, two moose, a few misses, dings, dents and a replaced scope, we find ourselves at a crossroads.
It took months for me to muster up the courage to walk into Willey’s Sport Center in Ellsworth with money I had been slowly squirreling away.
I picked up, then put back, a new rifle I had been eying several times while contemplating the decision. In the end, I forked over the money, and walked out slightly shamefaced with my brand-new hunting partner.
Far from a show piece, the Browning AB3 stalker in 7mm-08 rifle will serve me well though, especially with my current style of hunting. I can’t wait to hit the woods with it this fall, but it sure has some big shoes to fill.
