Generations of Mainers have flocked to a variety of facilities to get their annual spring dose of hunting, fishing and wildlife information.

This year, as has become custom lately, the Eastern Maine Sportsmen’s Show will again be held at the University of Maine in Orono.

And after the winter that was … and still is, in many locales … that’s good news indeed.

The show, an annual harbinger of spring in these parts, is back for its 70th edition, and visitors are guaranteed to find something of interest.

The show runs from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

And as has become our custom, the Bangor Daily News will have a booth there, where our circulation staffers will be glad to talk to you about newspapers and may even give you a chance to win a prize.

Hey, where else are you going to find a camouflage drink koozie?

I’ll also be there for most of the show and look forward to chatting about hunting, fishing or anything else that comes to mind.

For the sixth year in a row, the big draw at our show booth promises to be the “Win a Drift Boat Trip” contest.

Entry is free, and the random winner gets to go out on a drift boat fly fishing trip with one of Maine’s top guides, Dan Legere of Greenville.

Legere, the proprietor of the Maine Guide Fly Shop, will take us out on Father’s Day – yes, I said “us,” you’ve got to take me with you – which is peak season on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River.

The first entry blank ran in Monday’s editions of the BDN, and you can also find it in The Weekly this week. Hundreds of people also sign up for a shot at the prize while visiting the show.

And who knows? I might even bring my springer spaniel, Pudge, along to meet and greet some of the show attendees.

Pudge has always been quite popular at the show – more popular than his owner, truth be told – but I’ll have to have him check his social schedule before committing him.

The Orono show just gets things started, however. Sports shows abound over the coming weeks and will be held all over the state. Here’s a partial listing of upcoming events:

. Pine Tree State Sportsman’s Show, March 21-23, at the Bob Nichols Expo Center in Wilton.

. State of Maine Sportsman’s Show, March 28-30 at Augusta Civic Center.

. Presque Isle Fish & Game Association Sportsman’s Show, April 5-6 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

Tree ID hike planned

Some outdoors folk are really good at identifying trees after looking at leaves. Once leaves fall off and winter arrives, that identification is a bit more complicated.

Not anymore.

The Friends of Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge will host a winter twig ID discovery hike on March 22, and after learning a few telltale characteristics, you’ll be able to identify all the major trees and shrubs that exist in our area.

At least that’s the plan.

The guides for this hike will be Lee Kantar and Danielle D’Auria of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

The outing will last about three hours and participants can expect to hike two to three miles at a slow pace. Attendees are asked to bring water and snacks and to dress for the weather. Snowshoes or winter boots may be needed, and a hand lens may be helpful.

Participants will meet at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service office at 1168 Main St. in Old Town at 9 a.m. and will car pool to the trailhead.

For more information, call 991-1645 or 827-0227 or send e-mail inquiries to Jan Beckett at riverladyjan@yahoo.com.

Statewide derby prizes awarded

Tom Noonan, the director of the Sebago Lake Rotary Club’s Chevrolet statewide ice fishing derby, checked in on Monday to pass along the names of some lucky winners.

Prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 were handed out in categories for a variety of fish species, and some eastern and northern Mainers fared well.

In the muskie class, all three prize winners were caught in Glazier Lake. Glen Raymond topped the field with a 44-inch fish that weighed 23.34 pounds. Chad Cote was second with a 321/2-inch fish that weighed 12.24 pounds, and Shawn Pelletier earned $250 with a 351/2-inch muskie that weighed in at 11.98 pounds.

The top pike was a 22.09-pounder that measured 42 inches long. Billy Grotton hauled that behemoth out of Long Pond.

The biggest togue was Thunder Flick’s 16.94-pounder, which measured 351/2 inches. He caught the fish in Sebago Lake.

And the top pickerel was a 4.52-pounder caught by Tim Jackson. That 27-incher came out of Annabesscook Lake.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

990-8214