There was no uniformity when it came to stipends paid to sports coaches by Maine high schools this spring. The COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to implement remote learning and led to the cancellation of the baseball, softball, tennis, lacrosse and outdoor track seasons. No official practices were held.

These days good news in Maine is about as plentiful as smooth roads in April. There is some upbeat news though, especially if you are a Maine deer hunter. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has proposed the issuance of a record number of doe (any-deer) permits this fall! You heard right. If the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council goes along with the Department’s doe-permit proposal, and it is expected to do so, there will be approximately 109,000 doe permits issued for the fall deer hunt.

The start of the next school year and the status of high school sports remain up in the air because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brewer High School athletic director David Utterback has submitted a proposal to the Maine Principals’ Association to help make it easier for athletes to compete during the fall season if students have returned to the classroom in some capacity.

On Saturday, as has become an annual affair, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will draw the names of this year's crop of lucky moose hunters. Unfortunately for this year's crop of permit-winners, this permit lottery won't be an in-person event attended by hundreds. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it'll be held virtually, and streamed online instead. That means that when hunters start shrieking and cheering when their name is drawn, hundreds of strangers won't start cheering for them, as has also been the custom.

Experiences like those are the focus of "The Great Maine Moose Hunt, Celebrating 40 Years of Modern Moose Hunting in Maine," a new book that features moose tales from 19 registered Maine guides or avid moose hunters. Lambert and friend James Cote compiled the stories that will ring true to any who have been drawn for a permit, recruited friends, and headed into the vast Maine woods in search of their own hunt of a lifetime.

While Major League Baseball and its players’ union squabble over how to salvage their 2020 season in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Piscataquis County bat maker is continuing to expand his footprint in the sport. Construction is under way at Dove Tail Bats on a multipurpose building that will include an indoor batting cage and full gym and workout area. The six-week building project is expected to be completed by mid-July.

After closing its facilities on March 17 due to safety concerns and Gov. Janet Mills’ stay-at-home order surrounding the spread of COVID-19, the Piscataquis Regional YMCA will reopen on June 12. The reopening will be conducted under the guidance of state and local health authorities and will take place in phases.

There will be no large throng at this year's moose permit lottery, as there has been in years past. You won't meet up with your friends and relatives there. You won't join in as the crowd tries to set a world record for most people making a moose call at one time.

Despite a lack of a season, a number of high school seniors from across the region received all-academic recognition from the Penobscot Valley Conference.

So the question is, I guess, "When is a Green Drake a Green Drake, and when is a Hex a Hex?" You don't care? Well, in that case, you're probably just a casual fly fisher of trout. Those of us, whose heroes are fly fishing entomologists, like to know our bugs, for that is how you get to know your trout and how best to seduce them.

While restaurants, shops and lodging establishments are already feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, another sector of the tourism economy in Maine is bracing for a rocky summer. Normally, communities located along the famous Appalachian Trail welcome thousands of long-distance hikers every summer, offering shelter and supplies to those endeavoring to complete the famous 2,190-mile trail. But this year, everything has changed.

The smelt runs start soon after ice out on the waterway headwater lakes. Brook trout and togue follow these forage fish to their spawning areas and gorge themselves on the easy food source. If you are lucky enough to be in these spawning areas at the right time, the fishing can be unbelievable. Almost all of the major tributaries of the waterway support smelt runs. These are the “hot spots” for early season fishing.

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Bureau of Parks and Lands released “Allagash Explorer: A Take-Along Companion for Maine’s Wilderness Waterway.” A pocket guide designed to inspire, inform and educate travelers about the waterway

The vouchers can be redeemed towards the purchase of non-lead tackle at Dag’s Bait Shop in Auburn, Indian Hill Trading Post in Greenville and BackWoods Bait and Tackle in Chesterville and other retailers to be announced. The program will provide a no-cost way for people to try out lead-free alternatives and help protect loons and other wildlife.

Bicycling is one of the many outdoor activities that people have turned to during the COVID-19 pandemic for fun, exercise and transportation. In response, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine recently released a video that outlines how to ride your bike safely during this time.

Following guidance from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health officials, Baxter State Park plans to increase recreational access June 15. Baxter State Park continues to follow guidance from the state of Maine in the plan “Restarting Maine’s Economy” to enact these changes.

Fish psychology -- why fish behave the way they do -- holds fascination for just about every serious angler, but especially fly fishermen. Just when you think that you have the fish finally figured out, presto, the fly or lure that was working like a charm gets ignored by the same fish that was slamming your offering minutes before.

Are you ready to escape from your quarantine lair and start having some fun outdoors? After 11 weeks of pandemic isolation, I bet you are. And this is your lucky day: This weekend, you're invited to find a spot to go fishing. And you won't even need a license.