By Aislinn Sarnacki, Bangor Daily News Staff Hiking during the winter in Maine can be a great way to experience the beauty of the season, with its crisp air, sparkling snow and whimsical ice formations.

Photo courtesy of KC’s Country StoreYOUTH DEER WINNING PRIZE — Ben Lackey, 11 of Parkman, is the 2020 KC’s Country Store Youth Deer Contest winner.

Laurie Apgar Chandler is the first woman to solo paddle the entire 700 miles of the National Forest Canoe Trail.

By John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor For several years, I’ve greeted all early season ice fishing invitations with the same response.

By John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor The state’s lead bear biologist said a dry summer, a lack of natural foods, and increased hunter participation all contributed to the highest bear harvest in 15 years in 2020,  and the fifth-highest total of bears tagged since the species was first classified as a big game animal in 1969.

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff Tom Morong spent 25 years coaching girls basketball teams in southern Maine, but he didn’t anticipate getting back into coaching when he and his wife Deanne retired and moved to Monson a few years ago.

By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News Staff Fort Fairfield is scheduled to host Easton in a season-opening boys basketball game next Monday.

By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News Staff DOVER-FOXCROFT — Foxcroft Academy has reached into its rich wrestling tradition to hire former Ponies’ standout Brooks Law as its new head coach.

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Piscataquis Regional YMCA officials want to share an update on the status of the facility pool, CEO Deb Boyd wrote in a message posted on the organization website and social media pages.

By John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has unveiled a series of three clinics designed to help hunters continue to make progress in their hunting journey.

By Ernie Clark, Bangor Daily News Staff A month ago, Jacob Reed thought experiencing his first practice with the Foxcroft Academy indoor track team this winter was no better than a 50-50 possibility.

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By John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News Outdoors Editor This year has been a challenging one for all of us, but 2020 has been a good one for our animal stories.

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff Schools in 12 of Maine’s 16 counties can begin their winter sports season on Monday with full practices while the other four will have to wait until the coronavirus becomes more contained there, the Maine Principals Association said.

By Tim Obrey We will be operating under new regulations when the ice fishing season opens on Jan.

By Bob Mallard Brook trout are one of Maine’s signature wildlife species, along with moose, loons and lobsters.

By Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News Staff It was certainly a stroke of bad luck that the first indoor ice arena in Piscataquis County opened just five months before the world’s first pandemic since 1918.

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