State’s on-line licensing grows from 10 agents to 103 in year

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife announced this week that its on-line licensing system has reached the 100-agent mark.

According to the DIF&W, 103 agents are now using the Web-based system that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“This is a great example of how technology benefits our customers,” said Roland “Danny” Martin, the commissioner of the DIF&W.

License agents throughout the state, including 94 towns, are using the MOSES on-line system. Using the system eliminates the storage of thousands of paper licenses at each agent site.

There are about 150,000 on-line sales of licenses in Maine each year, which is one-third of the department’s yearly license sales. Department officials expect that on-line sales will top 50 percent next year. Those totals include Internet sales as well as on-line agents. At this point last year, just 10 agents were on-line.

In addition to the agents using MOSES, there are more than 1,000 agents across the state that sell DIF&W licenses. Those agents include those in town offices, Wal-Mart stores, sporting goods stores, and other points of sale.

Maine Bowhunters plan event

The Maine Bowhunters Association will host a 3-D shoot on May 29 at the Outdoor Sportsman in Northport.

The event is a fundraiser for the future of bowhunting in the state of Maine.

The shoot will run from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and sponsor sheets are available at www.mainebowhunters.org.

The registration fee is $10. Hot dogs, chips and sodas will be available for sale.

For more information contact Troy Frye at 469-8905.

Blue Hill trapshooting on tap

The Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club will offer a wide variety of shooting options in the coming months.

Trapshooting competitions are held year-round on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A second weekly opportunity for trapshooters will be offered each Wednesday from 5 p.m. until sunset. That program will run from June 8 through Aug. 31.

Participants of all skill levels will find activities to challenge and improve their skills. Beginner instruction is also available and new shooters are encouraged to participate.

The Blue Hill Rifle and Pistol Club is located on Range Road off Route 15. In addition to trapshooting, the club has both indoor and outdoor target ranges and an active cowboy action shooting group that runs three events a year.

For more information, call 359-8015.

Moose lottery winners pay up

The Maine Conservation School at Bryant Pond has received confirmation that the winning auction bidders have made payment for their 2005 Maine moose hunt permits.

Each year the commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is authorized to auction off five moose permits, with the proceeds to be distributed to a youth conservation education program.

This year’s auction raised more than $50,000, which will be awarded as scholarships to students attending the Maine Conservation School and receiving hunter safety certification.

The scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for students between the ages of 10 and 14.

To find out more about the scholarship opportunities for MCS summer programs, contact the school at 665-2068 or visit the Web site at www.meconservationschool.org.

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.