Youngster to win free deer hunt

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When Robin Avery was a young boy, the arrival of cool, crisp nights and frosty, frozen-puddle mornings meant one thing.

Hunting.

“When September got here, from September through the end of November, that’s all I thought about,” Avery said. “I wanted to deer hunt … or bird hunt.”

Avery, who is 47 now, doesn’t see that same passion for the outdoors among today’s youth. He spends plenty of time in the woods, and rarely sees a child out with a parent.

Avery, a registered Maine guide who owns Hall Hill Guide Service in Greenfield, wants to help change that.

If you know a kid who does enjoy hunting, you’ll want to pay close attention to Avery’s idea.

Avery is donating a two-night stay at his Log End Inn, along with a guided hunt for a youngster on the state’s Youth Deer Day. It’s up for grabs via raffle.

And while one lucky hunter will end up joining Avery for the day, many others will be aided by his gesture: He’s not taking any money from the raffle … not even to pay for his own expenses. He’s giving all the money to Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association.

It’s hard telling what your odds of winning are, because the raffle is, Avery explained, pretty open-ended.

“We’ll sell as many tickets as we can sell, and we hope to sell a million,” Avery joked.

Maine’s Youth Fish & Game Association is a newly formed group that introduces children to the traditional outdoor pursuits that Mainers have enjoyed for generations.

The group has a clubhouse on Pickerel Pond, which is on the Stud Mill Road outside of Milford.

Avery is the latest in a long line of area businesses and individuals who have donated money, time, services, or material toward the club.

Youth Deer Day was approved by the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s Advisory Council in May of 2002.

The day is set aside for young hunters age 10-16. Those hunters who possess a junior hunting license and are hunting under the supervision of a parent, guardian or qualified adult can take a deer of either sex by firearm or bow and arrow on that day. The accompanying adult can not possess a firearm.

Last year’s Youth Deer Day, as you may recall, was a success, as many youngsters enjoyed their own special day in the woods … and ended up bagging their first deer.

This year’s Youth Deer Day is Oct. 25, and Avery has plans to make it memorable for the lucky youngster.

“It’ll be a two-night stay here at the lodge, and then a one-day hunt on youth day. All meals will be included,” he said.

“My plan is, I’m not gonna hunt the kid real hard. I’m a diehard white-tail hunter, but I’d like to take [the contest winner] out hunting, get him or her involved with the woods, show them the sport, fix them a nice lunch in the woods, and if we get a deer, we get a deer. It’s just to get them out there.”

Avery said he wanted to take a local youth hunting last year, but had a hard time finding someone to take. This year, he approached Warden Dave Georgia, one of the founders of the Maine Youth Fish & Game Association, and ran the raffle plan by him. Georgia enthusiastically approved of the project, Avery said.

Tickets cost $2, and are available at Pickard’s and Van Raymond Outfitters in Brewer, and Old Town Canoe, Old Town Trading Post, Martin’s Store and The Archer’s Edge in Old Town.

A last reminder: You’ve barely got time to enter our contest and win a deep sea fishing trip with John Dittmar on the Vagabond. The catch? You’ve got to take me with you … and I’ll likely write about it.

Dittmar will take us out on his 45-foot boat on Saturday, Aug. 16, and we’ll be fishing for all kinds of fish, like mackerel, school pollock, dog sharks, sculpin, cod, cusk, and cunner.

Some of you stopped by and said “Hello” at the Maine Lobster Festival last weekend, and took the opportunity to enter the contest. Thanks for doing so, and thanks for visiting our booth.

And while my stint at the NEWS booth was shorter than I would have liked (unexpected circumstances pulled me back to Bangor long before the festival really got hopping on Friday), I did get the chance to do some things that don’t generally fit in my job description.

Included in that list: I told a nice couple “from away” all I knew about Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park after they told me they were looking for the ferry that would get them there; I gave three curious youths a brief kazoo tutorial (kazoos were one of the giveaway items we handed out at the booth, and as such, these kids apparently thought I must be kazooing’s version of Yo Yo Ma); and I sold two newspapers.

Aside from the 45-minute wait to get through Camden’s gridlock … it was an enjoyable trip.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.