For years – 52 of them, to be exact – plenty of Penobscot Valley hunters have greeted the start of deer season the same way.

They roll out of bed in the middle of the night, load up their rifle and a bunch of warm clothing, pack away other essentials for the trip to their hunting ground … then they head to the popular Old Town Rotary Club’s hunters breakfast.

Charlie Oliver, the chair of the club’s breakfast committee, checked in via e-mail this week to offer an invitation.

“It might be a great opportunity for some personal interest stories, or at the very least, to hear some real whoppers,” Oliver wrote.

Even if you don’t plan on trading hunting tales with the old-timers, you might want to amble up to downtown Old Town’s park for the feed.

Oliver said the breakfast will run from 4 a.m.-9 a.m. today, and the menu consists of some hearty down-home fare.

Beanhole beans, pancakes, eggs, ham, homefries, some hometown Labree’s donuts, and coffee are on tap.

The cost is $4 for adults and $2 for those age 12 and under, and tickets are available at the event.

Door prizes will be drawn, and Oliver said that no matter what the weather, hunters will be taken care of.

“We will provide a heated tent for those that prefer comfort,” Oliver wrote.

Several other hunters breakfasts and suppers are listed in the calendar at the bottom of this page.

‘Ask first’ ethic worth obeying

As deer season begins, it’s probably worth mentioning that sportsmen need to do what they can to preserve our outdoor heritage.

A simple way to spread good-will: Before heading out onto somebody else’s land to hunt, ask for permission.

“Land access is the number one issue facing the sporting public these days,” says Sgt. Michelle Belanger of the Maine Warden Service, the state’s coordinator of the Landowner Relations Program.

“Private landowners are the most important element to our outdoor recreation,” she said. “Without them and the ability to access their property, opportunities to enjoy the outdoors would be severely restricted.”

Sportsmen can donate meat

As deer season begins, it’s a good time to consider sharing the bounty of your hunt with others who may be less fortunate.

Many Maine communities have benefited from the efforts of hunters in past years through the Sportsmen Against Hunger project.

The program sets up a framework that helps interested hunters donate some of their deer or moose meet to charity. Last year, Maine hunters donated more than 8,000 pounds of meat to the project. Donations benefit the community where it was harvested and is distributed to the needy at no cost to the taxpayer.

Area sporting clubs typically volunteer to be collection points, and hunters who are customers of participating meat processors are able to donate a portion of their game when they have it cut and wrapped.

All printing expenses (for posters, brochures and promotional materials) and the cost of coordinating the project are picked up by the Maine Chapter of Safari Club International.

The Sportsmen Against Hunger program is recognized by the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Hunger Relief program and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Area meat processors who are participating in this year’s project: Lost Coyote Guide Service in Ashland, B.J.’s Slaughterhouse in Cambridge, Brousseau’s Family Meats in Detroit, Pine Ridge Taxidermy in Dixmont, Norm Clough in Hermon, Richard Bemis in Levant, Hozie’s Meat Cutting in Skowhegan, Ron Moon in Waldboro, Weston’s Meat Cutting in West Gardiner, Boucher Custom Cutting in Winslow, Joe Gravel in Winslow, and D & R Meat Cutting in Wytopitlock.

Fly fishing symposium on tap

A final reminder: The Penobscot Fly Fishers will hold their fifth annual Fly Fishing Symposium on Sunday at the Bangor Parks and Recreation building on Main Street.

Admission is free and the symposium runs from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

To submit an item for publication in the Outdoor Notebook, send e-mail to jholyoke@bangordailynews.net, fax to 990-8092 or mail information to Outdoor Notebook, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor, Maine, 04402-1329.