OLD TOWN – On Monday morning, lucky hunters will head into the woods in search of Maine’s largest game animal.

And when those hunters emerge – sometimes after figuring out inventive ways to get an 800-pound beast through a clear-cut and into the back of a trailer – Dave Hanson will be ready.

Hanson is the owner of the Old Town Trading Post. And for the first time, this year his store will serve as an official tagging and weighing station for the moose hunt.

Hanson said the store’s location, less than a half-mile from Interstate 95, will prove convenient for hunters and moose-watchers alike.

“I’m assuming that people that are going north to do all this, who may go to Greenville, or Medway to watch the moose-weighing at various stations, I expect to see some of them at this station,” Hanson said.

The moose hunt has proven to be a popular attraction for many Mainers, who head to the tagging stations to hear the hunters’ tales.

For the second straight year the state’s moose hunt will be split into two six-day sessions. The first runs from Monday through Saturday, and the second will be held Oct. 7-12.

The split-season format was adopted in order to distribute the pressure of having too many hunters in some areas during one six-day hunting season. The number of hunters in the woods has quadrupled over the last 20 years to 3,000.

For those interested in checking out the moose-weighing at Old Town Trading Post, the store is located off Exit 52 in Old Town. Turn left off the southbound ramp, or right off the northbound ramp, then turn left on Route 16. The store is on the right.

Fly fishing history explored

Fly fishing enthusiasts can relive the good ol’ days, learn about the sport’s rich history, and (if they’re so inclined) find out exactly how much that vintage bamboo rod is worth at a program scheduled for Sept. 26.

Billed as “Serious Fun Then and Now: Fly Fishing in the Penobscot Region,” the program will be offered at 6 p.m. at the Bangor Museum and Center for History on Union Street across from the YWCA. Admission is $7.50 for adults, while children get in free.

Among the highlights will be presentations on the history and use of vintage tackle and the impact of salmon fishing on the region. The Thomas Rod Co. will be represented and local fly tiers will show some of their favorite flies.

Those curious about the value of their own vintage tackle can get an estimate for a donation of $5 per item.

Kennebec one-fly tourney set

If you have one tried-and-true, never-fail fly in your box – and you’re willing to stake your reputation on it – you might want to circle next Saturday, Sept. 28, on your calendar.

That’s the date of the eighth annual Kennebec River One-Fly Tournament, sponsored by the Kennebec Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

The premise is simple, yet complicated: Catch as many fish as possible, using just one fly. Release everything alive (while recording your catch on a scorecard). If you lose the fly (by shrub, fish, or faulty knot), you’re out, and you must turn in your scorecard. You are allowed to re-enter, but must pay an additional entry fee of $10 to get another scorecard.

Contestants can register at Fort Halifax Park in Winslow, and fishing – from boats, shore or by wading – must take place between Kennebec Taconic Falls and the Sidney boat launch, or from the mouth of the Sebasticook River to the Fort Halifax Dam.

The more apt the fish is to tear a fly asunder, the more points are awarded. For instance, a 40-inch striper garners a successful angler 30 points, while a northern pike is worth 60 points. A run-of-the-mill brown, rainbow, or brook trout will score 25 points.

The tournament begins at 7 a.m. and all scorecards must be turned in by 7 p.m.

In addition, free fly-tying and casting lessons will be offered from 9 a.m.-noon and from 1-4 p.m., and free food will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

A fly-casting tournament that will reward distance and accuracy is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.

For more information, call Dan at 872-2539 or Greg at 724-2681.

Craig Brook to dedicate facility

The 131-year-old Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in East Orland will officially dedicate its new $11.3 million facility on Sept. 28.

The ceremony will celebrate a two-year effort to improve the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery, which has been described as a key component in the effort to restore Atlantic salmon to Maine rivers.

The construction includes a 50,000 square-foot building and an expansion of the water treatment facility.

The dedication will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. Fred Kircheis of the Atlantic Salmon Commission and Carl Burger, the recently hired manager of the complex, will be on hand.

Tours of the hatchery will be offered.

For more information, call 469-7300.

Women invited to shotgun clinic

Women interested in honing their shotgun skills may want to head to the Hermon Skeet Club on Sept. 28 for a shotgun workshop.

The workshop will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $25. The program is open to Becoming an Outdoorswoman in Maine graduates or other individuals with some shotgun experience.

Anyone over 18 can attend, though the program is aimed at women.

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, ME 04402-1329.