Information on Registered Maine Guides

Definition of Guide : Any person who receives any form of remuneration for his or her services in accompanying or assisting any person in the fields, forests, or on the waters or ice within the jurisdiction of the State while hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, snowmobiling, or camping at a primitive camping area. (definition from www.maine.gov/ifw)

Registered Maine Guide History
Registered Maine Guide Classification and Licensing
Master Guide Certification



Registered Maine Guide History

The first Registered Maine Guide was Cornelia Thurza Crosby (Fly Rod Crosby), from Phillips Maine, licensed in 1897. There is a very interesting book on Fly Rod Crosby that was first printed in 2000. The name of the book is "Fly Rod Crosby The Woman Who Marketed Maine", published by Tilbury House, Publishers, 2 Mechanic Street, Gardiner, Maine. 800-582-1899. Fly Rod was quite a sport and her writing and promoting of Maine has a solid place in the State's history. The book is well worth reading and it has many interesting historical pictures of fishing, hunting and Maine Sporting Camps. Throughout the last 100 years, Registered Maine Guides have contributed significantly to the culture, folklore, and economy of the state. (… more to be added over time… if you have historical information on Registered Maine Guides, send me an e-mail at or write to me at Stoney's Guide Service, 30 Howe Road, Fairfield, Maine 04937. Good stories will always be appreciated!)

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Registered Maine Guide Classification and Licensing

From 1897 until 1975, the way to become a Registered Maine Guide was to convince a Game Warden that you were qualified to guide. Since 1975, a standardized test and procedure was established for licensing Registered Maine Guides. One basic requirement of an applicant for a Registered Maine Guide's license is that they document at least three years of proficient field experience in activities involving the license classification which he or she is applying for. This requirement sets a basic standard of competency for the Registered Maine Guide.

Currently there are several guide classifications, each tested for individually: Recreation (includes guided primitive camping, canoeing, whitewater canoeing, hiking, backpacking, commercial boat operation, ATV trips, and snowmobile trips), Fishing (includes open-water and ice fishing on inland waters), Hunting (& Trapping), Tidewater Fishing, Sea-Kayaking, and Whitewater Guide (for whitewater rafting). Testing includes a written test covering such topics as Safety, Canoeing, Watercraft Laws and Regulations, Map and Compass, Lost Person Scenario, Hunting, Fishing, Firearms, Observation of Animals, Trapping, Recreation, and other topics specialized for specific guide classifications. After the written test, guide applicants must pass an oral test on all topics pertinent to their classification. The oral test is often given by a Game Warden and a seasoned Registered Maine Guide. The test is known to cause some sweat for the applicant, and rightly so as the people who become Registered Maine Guides have a lot of responsibility on their hands when guiding.

The core issues a Registered Maine Guide is tested on are:

1. Safety
2. Adherence to applicable laws (boating, ATV, snowmobile, fishing, hunting, etc.)

If an applicant does not pass either of the first parts of the oral test, Map & Compass and the Lost Person Scenario, the test ends there. Later parts of the testing include numerous questions on laws and strategies related to the specific classifications being tested for e.g. boating, fishing, and hunting. But, there is only so much that can be tested with written and oral questions. In the end, the actual skills of the Registered Maine Guide are proven in the field, guiding sports. If someone makes it through the Registered Maine Guide testing that has poor outdoor living skills in areas such as fire building, setting up a campsite, outdoor cooking, and trip planning, they are not likely to get many repeat or referred sports! Thankfully true is the fact that during the oral test of a Registered Maine Guide applicant, a Warden and a seasoned Registered Maine Guide can pretty much tell who has woods sense and who doesn't. Those who don't, don't pass.

To learn more about outdoor living skills training for young people, check out this website's section on the Junior Maine Guide (ages 14-18), Maine Woodsman, (ages 12-14), and Junior Maine Woodsman (ages 9-12) programs available at several Maine Youth Camps!

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Master Guide Certification

Recent chances in the requirements to obtain Master Guide certification have raised the standard to an excellent level. In the past, a Registered Maine Guide was given Master certification by passing written and oral tests for Recreation, Fishing, and Hunting classifications. This in itself is no small feat and many Registered Maine Guides achieving Master Guide certification this way are seasoned, excellent guides! It is also true though, with the old Master Guide certification process, that some Registered Maine Guides received Master Guide certification without a whole lot of experience; somewhat inconsistent with what would be expected of a "Master Guide". This initiated some recent changes to the Master Guide certification requirements. To obtain a Master Guide certification now, one has to have been a Registered Maine Guide for ten years, with five years of professional experience during those ten years. The new Master Guide certification requirements now ensure that anyone receiving Master Guide certification after 2003 will have a lot of guiding experience, consistent with what someone would expect in a "Master" Maine Guide.

After sharing with you this brief description of Registered Maine Guide licensing and Master Guide certification requirements, I'd like to emphasize that it is wise to ask a Registered Maine Guide about his or her experience in taking out trips, or in the sporting activity of his or her certification, as you go about hiring a Registered Maine Guide. Certainly the majority of Registered Maine Guides have excellent skills! To be sure, ask some questions. A good guide will be happy to answer all of your questions!

If you are interested in learning more details about the requirements for becoming a Registered Maine Guide and obtaining Master Guide certification, go to the Maine IF&W website www.maine.gov/ifw under the "Licensing" heading.

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