Four hunters trudged dutifully along, searching for a well-beaten path, looking for an easy way through a maze of poplar, grass and shrubs, all the while following the gently tolling bell that serves as the unmistakable beacon of a dog at work.

A gently tolling bell, of course, isn’t really what upland bird hunters want to hear. A bell that stops its rhythmic clanging? It’s the absence of sound that actually puts a little extra spring in a trail-weary step, and puts a hunter’s eyes and ears on full alert.

When the bell stops … the dog has stopped.

And when the dog is an English pointer like Wiggie Robinson’s 7-year-old Katie, that absence of sound often means that a bird has been found, and the dog is on point … waiting … waiting … waiting.

Waiting for her master … and his friends … and, perhaps, for the chance to find the woodcock or a grouse after it has been flushed and shot.

On Thursday, I had the chance to spend the better part of the day hunting over Katie, Annie and one of Jay Robinson’s dogs, Sadie.

Mike – a 13-year-old English pointer who has already earned his keep through years of devoted service – made the trip, but wasn’t called into action.

“He’s just along for the ride,” said Jay Robinson, a registered Maine guide and the son of fellow guide Wiggie Robinson.

“If I left him home and took Sadie, he’d never stop barking,” Jay Robinson said.

For the Robinsons – and for plenty of men and women who share their passion for hunting birds – October is the most special month of the year.

Even if they’ve got other things to do. Even if they’re heading out on their second moose hunt in as many years.

A year ago, Jay’s name was drawn in the moose lottery. This year, his dad is the lucky hunter.

“I really hope we get our moose on Monday,” Jay Robinson said. “I really don’t want to miss any bird hunting.”

After watching the dogs work, and after watching them sniff out 20 woodcock and a couple of grouse, the reason was apparent.

For years, dog-owners have sworn that one of their favorite pastimes involved hunting over a well-trained pointer (or, in fairness to my own pooch, a well-trained flushing dog).

As a fledgling bird-hunter myself (Katie found the woodcock I’m proud to say was my first bird-hunting kill), it was an educational experience. And it was an experience I won’t soon forget.

The weather, all of us (even the dogs) agreed, was a bit too warm. The hunt might have been a bit easier if there had been fewer leaves on the trees.

But when we gathered at the trucks for the final time late Thursday afternoon, I can assure you that all of us were smiling.

Even the dogs.

While northern and eastern sections of the state ushered in moose season two weeks ago, the rest of the moose-hunting regions of Maine will welcome hunters for the second session of the split season on Monday.

Moose-rich locales like Jackman, Greenville and Bingham will take center stage during the week, as locals and visitors alike flock to tagging-stations to watch the process and listen to stories.

If you’re an outdoors enthusiast and you’ve never witnessed the goings-on at a moose-tagging station, this might be a good year to start. Greenville’s station, which is held in the parking lot of the DIF&W headquarters, is perhaps the most popular in the state, as hundreds of spectators gather to watch, eat, and listen.

On Friday, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife released the statistics from the first week of the season. The DIF&W’s rough data, subject to change, indicated that 753 of the 929 permit-holders – 81 percent – bagged their moose.

This year 73,713 prospective hunters applied for moose permits, and 2,895 were issued. This week 1,966 of those hunters will be in the woods, looking to fill their tags … and their freezers.

When names were drawn for this year’s moose hunt, George Surrette of Millinocket didn’t lose much sleep worrying if he’d get a permit.

Surrette, an 18-year-old senior at Stearns High School, didn’t even give the matter a second thought.

“George didn’t even know he got a permit,” his father, Larry Surrette said.

The reason: George didn’t even apply. Larry did.

“I put in for him every year,” Larry Surrette explained. “He said, ‘I got a moose permit?'”

He did.

And at 6 p.m. on Sept. 29, he got a moose. A big moose.

Larry Surrette said his son, along with subpermittee Ryan Bouchard, guide Corey Kinney of Straight Arrow Outfitters and expert game-caller Mario Pepin, bagged a bull that weighed 1,070 pounds, field dressed. The moose’s antlers had a massive 611/4-inch spread and sported 22 points.

“We made these kids pass up three nice bulls because they were too small,” Larry Surrette said. “They were dying to shoot, but they waited and waited and waited.”

The waiting paid off when Pepin called the moose to within 20 yards.

Pepin, who owns Buck Expert Game Calls, may have been more enthusiastic than George Surrette or Bouchard.

“He told these kids they were gonna be front-page movie stars,” Larry Surrette said. “He took pictures for more than an hour.”

The folks from Project ChildSafe were in Eastern Maine Wednesday to distribute some of the state’s allotment of 70,000 free gun locks to local law enforcement agencies.

The national group distributed 104,000 safety kits in Maine in 2003, and will provide nearly 20 million free gun locks across the nation.

The Penobscot County law enforcement agencies that will receive gun locks: Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department, along with police departments in Bangor, Lincoln, Old Town, Veazie, Newport, Hampden and Brewer.

For more information on the ChildSafe program or to check on availability of gun locks in your community, check www.projectchildsafe.org or call your local law enforcement agency.

Coming up: I’ll hit the road again, beginning today, hoping to find a few stories to share with you next week.

This evening I’ll be in Aroostook County for the Monticello Fish and Game Club’s third annual Sportsman’s Banquet.

According to Gary Sewell, the wild meat hors d’oeuvres are pretty tasty, and the event always sells out months ahead of time.

Sewell invited me last year, but scheduling conflicts (and the purchase of a new home) got in the way. This year … I’m going, and am looking forward to it.

On Monday, I’ll be heading up to the moose capital of Maine (or, at least, the town that seems to make the biggest deal out of the yearly moose hunt): Greenville.

I’ll try to find a few moose tales for you, and judging from past years, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. There are plenty of big moose in the woods around Greenville, and plenty of hunters willing to tell their stories.

If all goes well, I may wet a line in the East Outlet of the Kennebec later in the day on Monday … and later in the week, I hope to get down to Grand Lake Stream for one last day of fishing on one of the state’s most storied and special landlocked salmon waters.

Have a great weekend … and have some fun. There’s plenty to see and do out there, and even a short drive will likely offer you some great views of Maine’s fall foliage in full bloom.

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