Biologist: Late snow won’t hurt turkeys

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With the state’s spring wild turkey season looming just more than two weeks away, you could be forgiven for beginning to forage for some cold-weather camouflage gear … just in case.

The weather, after all, hasn’t been typical for mid-April, and piles of snow decorate lawns that typically would be showing signs of green.

But wildlife biologist Brad Allen says you shouldn’t worry about the birds themselves: The turkeys are doing just fine.

“I’m concerned about woodcock, but turkeys, I’m not,” said Allen, the bird group leader for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. “These great big wild turkeys with their long legs will be able to handle this [snow] in a heartbeat.”

Maine’s Youth Turkey Day is April 28, and the state’s split season for wild turkeys begins on April 30.

This year’s schedule: Season A hunters, whose birth years end in an odd number, are eligible to hunt from April 30-May 5, from May 21-26, and from May 28-June 2.

Season B hunters, whose birth years end in an even number, can hunt from May 7-12, May 14-19, and May 28-June 2.

Last year – the second in which all interested turkey hunters were allowed to take part in the hunt – 20,089 hunters bagged 5,931 birds.

Allen said that a couple weeks ago, before a snowstorm dropped 18 inches on greater Bangor, he had begun seeing signs of the season among a flock near his home.

Turkeys were everywhere, and were beginning to display mating behavior, strutting around and fanning their tail feathers.

Allen said he often receives calls from people who tell him that the state’s turkey season should take place earlier in the year, because those callers have seen birds exhibiting similar behavior.

He disagrees, for a good reason: Just because a male turkey is engaging in mating behavior, it doesn’t mean it’s actually mating season.

It takes two to tango, after all.

“Even though they’re strutting for the girls, a lot of it [serves] to develop that pecking order among the males,” Allen said. “The females are totally unresponsive right now.”

By the time the females become receptive, the males will have worked out their pecking order, ensuring that the dominant males do the majority of the breeding.

Allen said that hunters can still do their homework, even with a heavy coat of snow on the ground.

Those birds that you’ve seen? They won’t likely move too far in the coming weeks.

“The [turkey] densities are pretty high [near Bangor], the males are already with their hens and probably in the areas where they’ll be in two and a half weeks when we begin hunting them,” Allen said.

Allen did caution hunters to be careful when identifying their targets, however.

Wet, cold spring weather a year ago likely forced many birds to lose their first eggs and re-nest, and the resulting offspring may be smaller than expected.

That means that jakes – young males – may not be as mature-looking as they have been in past years.

“What I am seeing is a lot of jakes with barely perceptible beards, because they’re a month or two younger than in a typical year,” Allen said.

Only bearded birds can be shot in Maine, so Allen cautioned hunters to be sure of their targets.

“Hunters are going to have to strain their eyes to make sure there’s a beard before they pull the trigger,” Allen said.

Reggae weekend ongoing

If you woke up this morning eager for a road trip, you may want to consider heading to Sugarloaf/USA in Carrabassett Valley for one of the resort’s most popular weekends of the year.

Bud Light Reggae Weekend began on Thursday and runs through Sunday, and music fans will get the chance to watch 10 bands celebrate the resort’s 19th annual spring celebration.

Headlining the event are Barrington Levy and John Brown’s Body.

Sugarloaf received 14 inches of snow in Thursday night’s storm, and has been blanketed with the white stuff all April long: More than 30 inches of snow has fallen since the beginning of the month.

One warning: If you do decide to head to Sugarloaf, don’t assume you’ll be able to find any lodging. This weekend promises to be a busy one, so call ahead at 237-2000 to check room availability.

Looking for an adventure?

Outdoor enthusiasts who are looking for a bit of adventure can find it at an upcoming event that will be staged in Washington County.

The second annual Downeast Adventure Race, put on by Washington County Community College, is set for April 28 and is described as an “entry level, multi-sport event.”

Entry level? Perhaps. But there will certainly be plenty of challenges for the participants.

The adventure race is a 21-mile event that is designed to accommodate both first-time racers and veteran multi-sport athletes.

The basics: The race begins and ends at WCCC in Calais, and consists of four legs. There’s a 12.3-mile mountain bike leg, a 3.6-mile whitewater canoe segment, a 2.3-mile run and a 2.9-mile paddle in a sea kayak.

Feel like taking all comers, all by yourself? You can do that. Feel like enjoying the day with a group of friends? That’s an option, too. Or, if you have a particular area of expertise (or a particular weakness you’d rather not expose) you can team up with three others, divide the responsibilities, and compete in relay fashion.

Those choosing the “team” option (three athletes per team) will complete the entire course together, and must always stay within 50 feet of their teammates while on course.

Athletes can also opt for the “relay” option, in which four racers will complete one discipline each.

Individual competitors are also welcome, and will be required to finish the entire 21-mile course themselves.

Competitors in all three races – team, relay and individual – will be allowed to have one support person on hand.

The deadline for entry is April 20, and all teams must report to the starting line before 9 a.m. on race day.

For more information, check the event Web site at www.downeastadventurerace.org or call Scott Fraser at 454-1037.

Coming up on ‘Going Outdoors’

I’ll spend most of Sunday at the world famous Brewer Auditorium participating in a top-notch fly-tying course being offered by the Penobscot Fly Fishers.

The instructors: David Klausmeyer, the editor of Fly Tyer magazine, and Selene Dumaine, an award-winning tier who’ll show us how to tie classic New England streamers.

I’m sure the class will provide plenty of column fodder, which I’ll share with you on Tuesday. And on Monday, you can get an inside look at the class during our “Going Outdoor” segment on the ABC-7 and FOX-22 newscasts.

ABC-7’s top cameraman, Dave Simpson, will sit in on the class and on Monday we’ll share some video of Dumaine and Klausmeyer.

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