Big Trout, an ATV Summit, and the Upcoming Moose Lottery!
With summer fully upon us, Maine’s waters are warming, and the trout fishing is heating up. Accomplished angler Jason McGee is the subject of this month’s cover photo, featuring a winning smile, and a hefty rainbow pulled from the waters of Range Pond in Poland on April 18, 2026.
All the action’s happening in Acton on June 20, when that town (located along the ME/NH border in York County; Map #2 in your DeLorme Atlas) hosts this year’s moose lottery drawing.
To help celebrate this event, The Maine Sportsman’s June 2026 issue chronicles the past 5 years of moose harvests (see “Moose Harvest Overview,” by statistician extraordinaire Troy Frye, p. 31), and reviews an outstanding book titled “The Great Maine Moose Hunt,” by Roger Lambert and James Cote (p. 33). For more details on the moose lottery, go to www.me2026mooseloto.com. See you at the festival!
Turkey season is wrapping up, and many Maine Sportsman readers are sending in for their turkey patches (20-lb. minimum for adult patches; no lower weight limit for Youth Hunter patch applications).
Meanwhile, our “Big Game” columnist, Joe Saltalamachia, fires up his fry pan, offering excellent suggestions for how to cook up all that turkey.
In other outdoor news, like Hannibal Smith in the 1980s TV series “The A-Team,” we love it when a plan comes together. In this case, the plan consists of cooperation between ATV clubs and snowmobile clubs, especially in western Maine, facilitated by the good folks at High Peaks Alliance. The 4th annual “Motorsports Summit” was held in the new Rangeley snowmobilers’ clubhouse on May 16. Read all about rebuilding trails and relationships in Cathy Genthner’s article, “Powering-Up Together” (p. 18), and Amanda Laliberte’s debut piece, “Shared Trails; Shared Future” (p. 20).
Our 80-page issue also includes a Maine bass angler succeeding in national competition, a US Navy ensign sinking his Jeep, black bears, Wulff fly patterns, and prize-winning sporting dogs.
All this, and the best writing, photography and cartoons west of East Millinocket, and north of South Thomaston.
Once again this month, we hope we’ve met our goal of exceeding your expectations. Enjoy!
