This past deer season a 7-year-old deer hunter made the front page of the Bangor Daily News – above the fold! She had a reason to  smile. With the help of her grandfather, the young girl had bagged a trophy buck that will earn her the right to wear a Biggest-Bucks-in-Maine patch.

Here are 10 girls basketball players to keep an eye on this season across the five North classes.

The 46th Maine Soccer Coaches All-Star Banquet was held Dec. 8 and many local players were recognized.

Upcoming sporting events around the region.

Fisheries conservationists from around the country will converge on Bangor in August, as Trout Unlimited will stage its national annual meeting in the Queen City of the East Aug. 19-23, 2020. Hundreds of volunteers are expected to attend, learn about conservation efforts that have succeeded in Eastern Maine and discuss coldwater conservation issues with their peers, as well as staffers, scientists and partners from state and federal agencies.

Dexter Regional High School and Foxcroft Academy were both well represented on the 2019 all-conference team for the Little Ten Conference (Class D North).

1. Mattanawcook A 181, 2. Bucksport A 145, 3. PCHS A 121, 4. Dexter A 120, 5. Caribou A 102, 6. Dirigo A 82, 7. Madison A 62, 8. Fort Kent A 53, 9. Washington Academy A 42, 10. Old Town 39, 11. Penobscot Valley 32, 12. Calais A 20, 13. Dirigo B 20, 14. Washington Acad. B 13, 15. Bucksport B 8, 16. Madison B 7, 17. PCHS B 7, 18. Washington Acad. C 3, 19, Mattanawcook. C 3, 20. Fort Kent B 3, and 21 Woodland 3.

Each year about this time, the Maine Warden Service urges us to use extreme caution before venturing out onto any ice that may be covering Maine’s waterways.

The Hermon High School girls basketball team showed Friday night, Dec. 6 why it should be among the contenders for the Class B North championship this season. Although they were facing a youthful Foxcroft Academy team, the Hawks were impressive in all phases of the game en route to a season-opening 74-28 victory at Hermon High School. The veteran Hawks wasted little time capitalizing on the Ponies’ inexperience, scoring the game’s first 10 points en route to a 17-2 run.

Leased and operated by the nonprofit Friends of Squaw Mountain, Big Squaw Mountain features more than 20 easy and intermediate runs for downhill skiers and snowboarders, serviced by a chair lift.

Husson University women’s basketball coach Kissy Walker said that in 29 seasons at the school she has never had a team with as much height as this one. And there is plenty of talent to go with that height. The Eagles feature two veteran 6-footers in senior Sami Ireland and junior Megan Peach of Garland, both of whom earned All-North Atlantic Conference second-team honors last season. They are joined by 6-foot-3 freshman Bailey Donovan, who already has twice been named the NAC Rookie of the Week, and 6-foot freshman Eri Lawrence, who has a lot of upside.

The 2019 high school football season ended with teams from southern Maine dominating postseason play. While the South swept this year’s state finals, it was a better year statewide than others of recent vintage thanks to tiered scheduling and the implementation of an eight-player division.

The Harlem Wizards will be coming to Dexter Regional High School for a game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in the gymnasium. This is going to be a fun and entertaining evening of basketball tricks and jokes alike, and it would make for a great family night out. The Wizards will be playing against some favorite high school and Ridge View Community School staff and coaches.

Sportsmen love their toys. Of course, they prefer to consider these toys as indispensable tools for the outdoors. Sometimes the best gift one can give to an outdoorsman or woman is a tool or device that he or she might not either think to buy for themselves or feel comfortable buying.

Cassidy Marsh of the Class C champion Foxcroft Academy field hockey team has been chosen as the 2019 Penobscot Valley Conference (PVC) Player of the Year. Pony head coach Stephanie Smith was named Coach of the Year.

Some may disagree, but I’m among those who generally embrace today’s advancements in technology, even as it fits into those more peaceful times I spend in the woods.

Back in 2010, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife began honoring one individual a year with the Legendary Maine Guide Award. That first year, the honoree was Wilmot “Wiggie” Robinson of Millinocket, who won the award posthumously. The award now bears his name, and the DIF&W is seeking nominees for the 2020 award.

Five high school golfers from the region earned postseason Penobscot Valley Conference recognition.