Millard Wardwell: a Maine Trapper

Heading toward Stonington along back roads Friday afternoon, I spotted a garage laden with fourteen pairs of antlers and an American Flag. I asked my dad to stop and grabbed my Canon to take a better look. While framing the shot through my view finder, I heard a deep voice with a a Maine accent as thick as maple syrup pipe up, "There used to be a lot more of those (white-tailed deer) around here before the coyotes got out of control."

Startled, I looked over to the deck and spotted a man sitting in a chair wearing a camouflage shirt drinking and cup of coffee. I walked over to the deck and started talking about the one thing that I knew the American flag wearing sportsman would like to talk about, guns. "What did you get those caribou with?" I chimed.

The man's eyes lit up and he opened up in the way only an isolated backwoodsman can. We struck up a conversation that lasted forty five minutes and ranged from the current prices of martin pelts, Maine hunting and trapping legislation, and ethanol's effect on his truck's MPG.

Millard Wardwell has lived in Penobscot Maine for the last eighty years. His sister lives across the street. His three sons live within a 10 minute walk and his daughter lives on the adjoining property across the field. For thirty eight years Millard worked the night shift at the local paper mill. This left him to spend his days enjoying the Maine outdoors. Millard loves his LL Bean Real Tree shirt and Wrangler International jeans.

His Lacrosse Safety Toe Rubber Boots work in the mud and snow.

Millard served in the US Navy following VJ Day on a converted Destroyer sweeping for mines in the South Pacific.

Millard's well-loved Leatherman PST II. He has used it for the last fifteen years.

Millard showed us his trapping gear, including a demonstration of a Conibear 120, but that is another post.