Jack Thibodeau of Portland enjoyed success on his first coyote hunt in Aroostook County, he vows to be back for many more outings. (Courtesy of Bill Graves)

Aroostook residents are enduring a particularly rough winter, and for sportsmen it has been even more challenging. Snow arrived and disappeared in October, then showed up again the first week of November and stayed with three storms before Thanksgiving. Ducks and geese were gone south quickly, costing waterfowl hunters at least three weeks of normal hunting. While record-breaking snowfall attracts and pleases snowmobilers from far and wide, ice fishermen and especially hunters are having a tough go of it.

High roadside banks and deep, drifted snow in fields and on lakes make access difficult on unplowed roads and non-maintained trails. Ice anglers spend a lot of extra time shoveling and slogging through snow…