4th-generation sporting camp owner Jerry Packard honored as Legendary Maine Guide

By Pete Warner, contributor to the Bangor Daily News

As the son and grandson of Registered Maine Guides, Jerry Packard naturally became one himself.

Growing up on Sebec Lake in Willimantic, he was immersed in outdoor activities and sports camp culture. Packard has dedicated his life to sharing his knowledge and passion for the great outdoors.

Packard’s commitment to leadership excellence and his efforts to promote conservation and serve his community set him apart. For these reasons, he was honored with the Wiggie Robinson Legendary Maine Guide Award from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

With his family by his side, Packard, 77, was honored as part of the Maine Professional Guides Association’s annual banquet held April 15 at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer. It’s an evening he won’t soon forget.

“It’s a great honor to be recognized,” said Packard. “It’s really nice to know that people notice all the things you do well. That means a lot to me.”

A lifelong angler, hunter and trapper, Packard is particularly proud to have known Robinson, the man for whom the award was created.

“I knew him pretty well, which makes it even more meaningful to me,” said Packard, who served with Robinson on the Registered Maine Guide Licensing Board.

Packard was born a tour guide and sports camp owner. It was a tradition passed down to him from his great-grandfather, grandfather and parents. Packard’s Camps at Sebec Lake were founded in 1894 and operated until they were sold about 25 years ago.

The family still has houses and land there, including cabins, which they rent out. Packard is able to try a variety of outdoor activities on and around the lake, including guiding some fishing trips.

“I’m taking some people fishing. I’m still staying active,” said Packard, who admits that working seven days, 100 hours a week in Maine’s woods and waters his entire life has taken its toll.

He now has two hip replacements, a pair of shoulder replacements and has had six back surgeries.

“I still work every day. There’s just not much more I can do,” said Packard, who has been a mountain guide for 59 years.

Numerous people have nominated Packard for the award. Known as an experienced hunting and fishing guide, he is respected by those who have witnessed his work.

People spoke of Packard as a man who emphasized ethical behavior while preserving wildlife and fisheries. His efforts have been recognized by game wardens and biologists.

“I’ve had many interactions with him, from searching and rescuing people in need in and around Sebec Lake to providing information about potential fish and game law violations,” said retired game warden Donald Annis, who has worked with Packard for more than 40 years knows years.

Packard, who earned a hospitality degree from Paul Smith’s College in New York, was a licensed pilot for many years, which reduced travel time to hunting and fishing areas. He has also provided time and expertise for conservation purposes such as B. Facilitating a land purchase for the construction of a jetty on Lake Sebec.

He has also worked with DIF&W biologists on their fisheries management efforts on the lake.

“He is an extremely generous person. In addition to making this property available to the state for public access, each winter Jerry has established an area for anglers to park and offload sleds to gain access to the lake for ice fishing,” said Tim Obrey, DIF&W Fisheries Resources Specialist .

Packard served in several positions in the community. He was a founding member and past president of the Maine Sporting Camps Association, served as a town elector and chair of the Willimantic school board, and served on the board of directors of the Mayo Regional Hospital at Dover-Foxcroft.

Packard was described as competent, reliable, knowledgeable and practical. However, those who know Packard don’t just admire him for his outdoor expertise.

“He has that rare quality of kindness. Oh, and of course there’s that sense of humor,” retired District Judge Kevin Stitham said in his nomination letter.

Packard offered guiding services for fishing and hunting, including deer and elk. One of his favorite excursions was guiding moose hunts around the property he owned at Lobster Lake near Northeast Carry.

“We chased the boat around the water and the swamps,” he said. “As a result, we were rarely near other hunters. I thought it was a unique way to do it, so I was kind of proud of it.”

Looking back on his outdoor life, Packard has seen tremendous changes. Perhaps most significant is the amount of land that has been made available to the public.

“The approach is very different. You can now go places you never could,” Packard said, noting more and better roads and the proliferation of ATVs and snowmobiles.

He’s also witnessed the transition to technology, which means people are constantly craving a cell phone signal or internet access.

“I don’t know if it’s good or bad. But, especially for a man my age, I never got used to this new thing,” Packard said.

Packard lives with his wife Tish Dutson and is close to his daughter Laura Feaga, her husband Chuck and their twin daughters Dorinda and Vivian Feaga. He is busy with projects around the site and at the lake.

For him, guiding and being outdoors is a way of life.

“I’ve never known anything else and it’s always been what I wanted to do,” Packard said. “I’ve always enjoyed where I lived and what I did. I have never regretted it. I never felt like I was working. I was very happy.”