With a week and a half left in the regular firearms deer season, hunters are on pace to tag more than 30,000 deer this year, according to the state deer biologist and an independent analysis of available data.

Upcoming sporting events around the region.

We’re getting to the point in deer season when the state’s top question -- “Get your deer yet?” -- is being answered in the affirmative much more often. In fact, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 19,801 deer have been tagged thus far, with nearly two weeks of the regular firearms season remaining.

The Piscataquis County Ice Arena announced that the Center Theatre is sponsoring a free public skating session at the arena from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 29. Members of the cast of the upcoming production of “Little Women” will be on hand in Victorian costume to skate and help with the evening. Skates will be available for rental from the arena will also have the concessions stand open for snacks

Five players from the area’s three high school field hockey programs have been chosen for the 2019 Maine Field Hockey Association All-State team. The local honorees on the Class C squad are Cheyenne Beem and Avery Herrick of Dexter Regional High School, Foxcroft Academy’s Cassidy Marsh and Ava Rayfield and Sydney Hutchins of Piscataquis Community High School.

Maine’s high school football season comes to a close later this week, and the Maine Principals’ Association has announced the game times for action in all four classes.

Traveling along the bank of Musquash Stream in Nahmakanta Public Lands, a scenic hiking trail visits a series of small waterfalls before turning back into the forest and forming a small loop. This 0.9-mile trail is one of the many hikes located on the state-owned property, which encompasses 43,000 acres about halfway between Moosehead and Millinocket.

Heading into the 2019 Class D North/Little Ten Conference championship on Friday, Nov. 15 on the artificial turf at Hampden Academy, second-seeded Dexter Regional High School had little room for error against No. 1 Bucksport High School. The Golden Bucks would tally more than 400 yards on the ground and take advantage of four Tiger turnovers, with three of these changes in possession leading to touchdowns, in a 46-8 victory.

First National Bank recently announced a $50,000 donation to Foxcroft Academy toward the capital campaign for the construction of a new fieldhouse. The $5.5 million fieldhouse project will provide dedicated space for student activities including field hockey, soccer, wrestling, track, baseball and softball as well as future community use of the facility

Upcoming sporting events around the region.

Ah winter… It’s on the way for sure. The north winds have been blowing, hardwood trees are practically leafless, and Mother Nature’s gift of snow has already made an appearance. In this part of Maine thoughts are turning to winter pastimes like skiing, snowshoeing and of course, snowmobiling.

Icy field conditions on Bucksport High School’s home turf has prompted Friday’s scheduled Little Ten Conference Class D North championship game to be moved from Carmichael Field to the artificial surface at Hampden Academy.

On Wednesday, Nov. 7, the 23-year-old LaGrange man was finally in the right place. His timing was pretty good, too. And as a result, he wound up bagging his first career deer during a hunt he’ll never forget.

You step off trail and get turned around. Dense vegetation blocks your view. Your heartbeat quickens. Your mind races. What should you do? Getting lost in the Maine woods -- or any wilderness area -- can be a dangerous situation, but there are a few things that you can do to prepare yourself in the case that this happens to you.

After coming up empty in the team’s first three trips inside the redzone Dexter Regional High School was able to get across the goalline in two of the final three such drives with short touchdowns rushes in the third and fourth quarters during a Class D North/Little Ten Conference semifinal against Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln on a muddy field during the early afternoon on Saturday, Nov. 9.

There are deer hunters and, then, there are big buck hunters. Which are you? Of course, you say, we are all buck hunters, one way or another. Any Maine deer hunter who does not have a doe tag is a buck hunter, right? True, but there are a few stalwart deer hunters in Maine who – like the famous Benoit brothers in Vermont -- are "the fast guns of the deer woods," when it comes to putting record deer on the game pole.

Two weeks after meeting in the regular season finale in Dover-Foxcroft, a 53--0 victory for visiting Bucksport High School, Foxcroft Academy and the Golden Bucks met again on Friday, Nov. 8 in a Class D North/Little Ten Conference semifinal. The score changed at 49-12 but the end result was the same as top-seeded Bucksport (8-0) won vs. the No. 5 Ponies (who end the year at 4-6) to move on to the regional final.

Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous, depending on how much of the trail network you hike.