Citing a thriving wild turkey population that some have said is a bit too high, lawmakers this spring passed new laws that will allow fall turkey hunters to enjoy a long season and take more birds in many Wildlife Management Districts.

Moose are Maine’s largest big game animal by far. Bulls have been known to top the scales in excess of 1,000 lbs! Because of their sheer size and body mass, they can be difficult to put down, even with a high-powered rifle -- if shot placement is not good. For ethical, as well as practical reasons, moose hunters need to zero in their rifles carefully and practice their marksmanship at various distances long before the fall hunt of a lifetime. Shot placement is key, even more important, really, than the caliber of choice!

Gabe Irwin, grandson of the famous blind hiker Bill Irwin who moved to Sebec later in his life, completed the Appalachian Trail on Sunday, Sept. 8, reaching the trail’s northern end atop Katahdin. The long journey brought to life the family story he’s heard since he was a child, and opened his eyes to the enormity of his grandfather’s accomplishment.

Foxcroft Academy boys soccer opened the season with a huge win by defeating Dexter Regional High School 15-2 on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

The Foxcroft Academy field hockey team enjoyed a nice, four-year run in Class B North. Coach Stephanie Smith’s Ponies were seeded in the top three in the Heal Points standings and reached the regional semifinals in three of those four seasons. After a drop in enrollment, the Ponies find themselves in Class C this season.

It wasn’t the result Paul Withee wanted Sept. 7 as the Madison-Carrabec football team fell to Dexter in its first game of the season. But for the veteran coach, much like many of the players on his youthful roster, the game marked the start of a new relationship.

Josh Harvey followed a familiar script as New England Fights made its mixed martial arts debut at the Collins Center for the Arts in Orono on Sept. 7. The undefeated NEF professional featherweight champion ended his non-title bout against Dominic Jones as quickly as possible.

Eleven seniors on the Dexter football team have been playing together since their middle-school days. They’re hoping to cap off their high school careers in grand style this fall and got off to a good start Saturday afternoon, Sept. 7 with a 37-10 victory over Madison-Carrabec in a Class D clash at Tiger Field.

A mutual 2019 girls soccer opener between Dexter Regional High School and host Piscataquis Community High School on Sept. 6 went back and forth with the Dexter leading twice before PCHS tied play including 3-3 late in the second half to set up bonus play. After one extra session, Tiger junior Peyton Grant wasted little time in overtime No. 2 as she scored the game-winner at the 4:24-mark.

Aroostook County has always had an allure for me. Not just because of the great trout fishing, of which my family and I have partaken often over the years, but for many other reasons, too.

Lobsters, giant fish, snapping turtles and sunken ships. Maine’s underwater world is filled with wonders, according to those who snorkel. A niche activity in the Northeast, snorkeling is fairly easy to learn. The equipment required -- a mask, snorkel and fins -- is inexpensive and low tech. And given the region’s numerous lakes, rivers and ocean coves, there are many places to explore.

Dow got a heads up about Orono’s situation when the Red Riots traveled to Bar Harbor on Aug. 26 for a preseason round robin with MDI and Washington Academy. He then began work with fellow athletic administrators Roy Pelotte of Dexter Regional High School and Dan O’Connell of John Bapst of Bangor to determine possible substitute games by matching teams around the state with byes on the same weekends.

Joel Sankey is beginning his 26th year as a head football coach in the Little Ten Conference (Class D North), and as he sees roster sizes shrinking around the region he grows more concerned about the league’s future. “I just wonder how long the LTC is going to be around because of the numbers for a lot of teams,” the Bucksport High School coach said.

Here are a few concussion-related statistics to consider as the fall sports season moves into full swing this week.

Last week the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s advisory council approved a rule that sounds ominous, but will actually change very little for the state’s anglers. Simply stated, in the state’s north zone, the general fishing law will ban the use of live fish as bait.

One of the tradition-laden high school football programs in eastern Maine will take a year off from varsity play this fall. Orono High School, citing low numbers and a lack of linemen, will forego its 2019 Little Ten Conference schedule and instead pursue a slate of junior varsity games for this fall.

My love for fishing brooks and streams started when I was a kid catching small trout in a tiny brook in the woods up the hill behind my house in Winthrop. After we purchased our camp on Nesowadnehunk Lake on the edge of Baxter Park, I started fishing Nesowadnehunk Stream – and eventually fished the entire 23 miles of the stream to where it flows into the west branch of the Penobscot River. There are pools full of brook trout the entire length of that stream.

Maine’s new fish and wildlife boss, Judy Camuso, who has been at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife helm since January, shared her views recently as a guest on my Sunday night statewide radio program Maine Outdoors (103.9, 101.3 and 95.1 FM).