Every so often – usually during the first week of a hunting season, as it turns out – Phil McTigue of Holden has reason to grin, and to start printing photos.

McTigue is like many of you, I figure. He’s an avid hunter who has passed along his hard-learned lessons.

And he’s a very proud grandfather.

His grandsons Brent, John and Josh Williams have learned those lessons well, and have become accomplished hunters themselves.

On Thursday, McTigue stopped by the BDN, grinning (as usual), with another envelope full of pictures.

The story was a hunting tale, to be sure. But it was also a story of maturation, and of letting boys become men.

For the past several years, McTigue and John Williams’ father, also named John, had prepared for this day.

This was the year when John Williams II of Clifton, now 17, was ready to head into the woods on his own.

“John’s previous hunting experience was always with an adult, as a ‘junior hunter,'” McTigue explained. “The 2007 season presented new and challenging experiences for him as an ‘adult hunter.'”

After turning 17 and having completed his hunter safety course, John Williams II is now permitted by the state to hunt alone.

And as bear season approached, he did everything he could to make his first solo hunt a success.

McTigue helped him select a stand site, and John Williams II built the stand himself, McTigue reported.

Come opening day of the bear season, Williams was ready, and surely headed to his stand with his grandfather’s words echoing in his ears.

Don’t shoot a sow with cubs.

As it turned out, that’s exactly the situation that presented itself to him … and Williams calmly sat in his stand and watched the bears feed. Then, eventually, he watched them amble away.

On Tuesday, the story was different. This time, a larger, solo bear came to the bait. Williams waited for the shot he wanted, and dispatched the burly bruin with a single shot from his .44 magnum pistol.

The male bear, McTigue reported, weighed 338 pounds.

McTigue has always been proud of his grandkids, and often apologizes for monopolizing my time with his periodic reports.

No apologies necessary.

“John has shot previous bear, but doing all the early preparations, [sitting] alone and making the final decision was an experience he will always remember,” McTigue wrote. “I am proud to be able to share that experience with him.”

And that, I figure, is what it’s all about.

BOW plans weekend program

For the past nine years, the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has staged an event that has helped women learn more about a variety of outdoor pursuits.

That 10th edition of that event, the Becoming an Outdoors Woman Introductory Skills Weekend, is coming up on Sept. 14-16 in Winslow.

The weekend’s events are held at Camp Caribou on Pattee Pond, and the program is directed at women age 18 and older who are interested in learning or improving their skills in hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation, according to a DIF&W press release.

Women will get the chance to try a variety of outdoor activities under the supervision of experts, and the program fee is only $210.

That fee covers everything from meals to lodging and the use of equipment.

Among the topics to be discussed: canoeing, kayaking, outdoor survival, firearms use and range safety, skeet shooting, turkey hunting, duck hunting, fly casting, fly tying, GPS, map and compass, archery, trapping, bow hunting, trip planning, outdoor cooking, a ropes course, retriever training, fishing and biking.

In addition, campers can opt to complete the hunter safety course as their weekend focus.

No previous experience is necessary, and space is still available. For more information, check www.mainebow.com, or contact BOW coordinator Emily Jones at 287-8069 or emily.jones@maine.gov.

Any-deer drawing set

If you’re hoping to be able to shoot a doe during this fall’s firearms deer season, your wait is nearly over.

On Sept. 14, the DIF&W will hold its annual drawing of any-deer permits. Those who applied for the lottery before the August deadline will have a shot at one of 66,275 permits that will awarded.

A quick note: Due to the sheer number of any-deer permits that are awarded, the BDN will not be printing the names of this year’s winners.

That’s a practice that we’ve been following for the past several years, ever since the state made the any-deer process more user-friendly to hunters by letting them choose preferred Wildlife Management Districts.

When that change was made, the simple task of printing a small list of license number digits for winning applicants became unwieldy. Nowadays, we’d have to print full names, along with the applicant’s preferred district.

And if you remember how many pages of tiny newsprint our annual moose lottery coverage takes – with less than 3,000 hunters named – you’ll realize why we made the decision we did.

The lucky winners will be listed on the state’s Web site, at www.mefishwildlife.com.

MTA plans rendezvous

Sixty years ago today, a group of concerned sportsmen got together to unify those who participated in the state’s rich trapping tradition.

This year, that group – the Maine Trappers Association – is still continuing that mission, and later this month it will celebrate its 60th birthday with the annual sportsmen’s rendezvous.

This year’s rendezvous will take place at the Acton fairgrounds on Sept. 7-9.

A variety of demonstrations and games are scheduled, and there’s something on tap for all family members.

Admission is $3 per adult, and camping is available for $5 per night.

For more information, check the Maine Trappers Association Web site at www.mta.homestead.com, or call 205-0475.

Coming up …

Today I’ll spend the day improving my aim while participating in Penobscot Valley Conservation Club’s introduction to shooting sports.

The event is being held at the Hermon Skeet Club and the Hampden Rifle & Pistol Club, and organizer Charlie Rumsey said on Friday that he’d essentially filled the field for the all-day program.

Over the course of seven hours, we’ll benefit from the instruction of veteran shooters as we learn about skeet, trap, rifle and pistol disciplines.

Next week, I’ll tell you a bit more about what promises to be a fun day of skill-building.

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