Maine’s wild turkey season is just a month away, and prospective hunters will get the chance to hone their skills and learn more about gobblers at an upcoming event.

L.L. Bean will hold its third annual Spring Turkey Day at the Hunting and Fishing Store in Freeport on April 9. The event begins at 9 a.m. and presentations are scheduled throughout the day. Local and industry experts will be on hand, and the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold a sanctioned turkey calling contest.

Among the speakers and presentations:

. At 9 a.m., Getting Started Turkey Hunting, The Basics, with Harry Vanderweide.

. At 11:30 a.m., Scouting & Locating Spring Gobblers, with Bob Humphrey.

. At 1 p.m., Advanced Calling & Decoying, with Quaker Boy.

. At 3 p.m., Spring Turkey Hunting in Maine, Safety, Biology and Tactics, with Phil Bozenhard.

For more information, call 1-800-559-7047, extension 37222.

Penobscot Fly Fishers to meet

The Penobscot Fly Fishers will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. April 6, at Coach House restaurant in Brewer.

The speaker will be Steve Wilson, superintendent of hatcheries for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Wilson will speak on how bond money is being used to improve the hatcheries.

For more information, check www.penobscotflyfishers.com.

Master hunter program held

The second phase of development of Maine Master Hunter, an initiative of the Izaak Walton League of America’s Maine Chapter, began March 26.

More than a dozen individuals and groups representing sporting, conservation and landowner groups gathered in Sidney to work toward drafting a Maine Master Hunter operational plan.

In its final form the document will function as an MMH operational plan from which materials and guidelines for the Master Hunter program will be developed, including a curriculum and test.

Maine Master Hunter is a voluntary advanced-hunter certification program intended to recognize hunters who have achieved above-average knowledge in wildlife management and biology, hunting methods and skills, outdoor ethics, landowner relations, and Maine’s wildlife laws.

To attain master hunter certification, all candidates will have to pass a rigorous written test and demonstrate above-average shooting proficiency. Volunteering for projects aimed at improving relationships between landowners and the hunting public also is envisioned as a part of the program.

For more information, visit www.iwlamaine.org or contact Debi Davidson, Maine Chapter president, at 897-6295 or e-mail her at president@iwlamaine.org.

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