After getting the authority to establish a youth deer day and holding some round-table discussions, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has settled upon a possible day, Sept. 28, 2002 – and it will likely be approved if the department finds no evidence of public dissent.

The idea of establishing the youth deer day will not be aired at public hearings, so hunters who oppose the notion or the date must write and state their views to DIF&W before Dec. 7.

All comments will be presented to the DIF&W Advisory Council, which will vote on whether to accept or reject the proposal.

Without sportsmen’s opposition, the day could become part of the hunting season. But with widespread public descent, it would be unlikely the Advisory Council, DIF&W’s policy-setting body, would approve the measure.

Last year, the Legislature gave DIF&W the authority to establish a day when only young hunters ages 10-15 would be allowed to hunt whitetails, an opportunity offered in other states.

New Hampshire currently has a “Youth Deer Weekend,” which ran from Oct. 27-28 this year, before the regular season there.

There are about 15,000 Mainers between the ages of 10 and 15 who hold junior hunting licenses, out of a total of 135,000 hunters. The numbers have been decreasing for decades, and that is what prompted officials to promote the idea of a youth day.

Any youth who possesses a junior hunting license and is accompanied by a parent, guardian, a licensed hunter or an adult who has passed the hunter safety course (but is not carrying a firearm) may hunt a deer of either sex on this day.

The deer would be a bonus, so the young hunter could still go out and hunt during the regular firearm season.

The day, Sept. 28, has been proposed because it is the Saturday prior to the start of the regular archery season, and it would assure young sports would be the only ones hunting deer that day.

Those wishing to comment should write to Andrea Erskine, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 41 State House Station, Augusta, ME, 04333 or by e-mail at: andrea.erskine@state.me.us.

Fee hike hot topic next week

Two forums next week will gather sportsmen’s input on DIF&W financial troubles and the idea of increasing license fees.

Wednesday the last of three statewide Legislative public hearings garnering input on whether to increase hunting and sporting license fees will be held in Presque Isle from 6-8 p.m.

The meeting is hosted by the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is aimed at trying to solve the looming budgetary shortfall faced by DIF&W.

The department is funded largely by revenue from license sales and federal money collected by an excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment. But it faces an $8 million shortfall by 2005.

Sportsmen will be asked their views on raising general license sales, non-resident license fees, permit fees, and increasing funding from the state.

The subject of DIF&W’s financial straits and its ever expanding role as a wildlife, conservation and law enforcement agency will also be discussed at the Seventh Annual Sportsman’s Congress.

The Congress, hosted by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, will be Friday at the Augusta Elks Lodge and is open to the public.

Former DIF&W commissioner Bill Vail, who currently works on U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ staff, will be the speaker.

Admission is free, and lunch costs $10. Those in the audience are welcomed to participate in the discussions.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m.

Penobscot Fly Fishers recognized

The vice president of the Federation of Fly Fishers, Rod McGarry, found the angling symposium at the Bangor Parks and Recreation building early in the month was more well-rounded than others he’s seen around the country. So McGarry extended an invitation to the Penobscot Fly Fishers to join him at a state symposium.

The Bangor-area fly fishing club gladly accepted the chance to share a tent in L.L. Bean’s lobby on March 23 with the FFF as part of the club’s educational mission. For his part, McGarry, who recently moved to Portland, hopes to start a fly fishing club in southern Maine.

The FFF is a worldwide organization with about 80 percent of its membership in the United States, McGarry said. Since he became vice president of the organization in the spring, he’s traveled to other popular fishing destinations like Montana and Salt Lake City to fly fishing symposiums put on by local clubs.

McGarry said few offer as far-reaching a program as the PFF’s.

“I like the way it’s offered,” McGarry said. “In that area of Maine, they offer a great educational program with fly tying, fly casting, restoration, and conservation.”

Special reason to give thanks

Levant native Rusty Douglas was very matter of fact when asked about the spikehorn buck he shot on Thanksgiving morning. Douglas, who lives and works in Bangor, went out with his uncle, Ray Douglas of Levant, as is customary in their family.

“We usually have good luck on Thanksgiving,” Rusty Douglas said. “I usually go out with my brother, or my father or uncle.”

But when asked about the difficulty hunting this season with little time off from his job at Ruby Tuesday’s, the double pleasure in Douglas’ success on Thanksgiving finally was obvious.

The 25-year-old has hunted for about 14 years and Thursday’s deer was the first he’s taken, he said in a nonchalant way. He made it sound simple, detailing how he shot it with his .30-30 rifle from a stump about 40 yards away.

But when approached by a newspaper reporter and photographer who were out working on a Thanksgiving Day story in Levant, Rusty allowed some of his excitement to show – as he yelled at his uncle, thinking Ray had called the newspaper.

Deirdre Fleming’s Outdoor Notebook appears every Saturday. She can be reached at 990-8250 or at dfleming@bangordailynews.net.