The sizeable crowd of men milling through the gun aisle at Old Town Trading Post on Wednesday morning was a solid indicator that a hunting season of one kind or another may have arrived.

The question one of those men asked proprietor Dave Hanson left no doubt.

“Have you got a seat pad … a thin one?” the man asked.

Those words made perfect sense to many of those in attendance, who had surely spent their fair share of hours sitting in a solid, metal tree stand, waiting for a wily bruin to show up.

It is, in fact, bear season in Maine — has been since Monday, and will be, in one form or another, until Nov. 28.

And in many of the state’s rural hunting hotspots — places like Allagash and Clifton, Sebec and Patten — a steady stream of trucks carrying non-resident hunters has arrived, and are spending several hours each afternoon and evening sitting in trees, waiting for a bear to liven things up.

Hanson said reports after the first two days of the bait season have been positive, and photos of five bears that have been tagged at his store this year were hanging on the bulletin board next to the front door.

Another nearby store tagged nine bears in one night, Hanson said, and many hunters — like the ones that flooded his shop on Wednesday — had seen bears already.

One hunter stopped briefly at the checkout counter and said he’d seen the same bear twice in two days of hunting. On opening day, the little bruin carefully worked his way down a hillside before eventually slinking to the bait.

The second day, apparently hungry or emboldened, the bear wasted no time.

“He rolled right down the hill,” the hunter said with a laugh.

Maine allows hunting for bears over bait from Aug. 31 until Sept. 26 this year, while hunting with dogs is allowed from Sept. 14 until Oct. 30.

And though many of the hunters in Hanson’s store on Wednesday seemed to be interested in bears, that’s not to say that other hunting opportunities aren’t available.

In fact, bear season is just one of many options hunters have now, or will have in the coming weeks.

In areas that have sizeable Canada goose populations, for instance, hunters began targeting them during the so-called “early” season on Sept. 1. That session will last until Sept. 25.

Then, on Oct. 1, the regular Canada goose season begins, and hunters can target the big birds until Dec. 9 in the state’s northern zone.

Deer season, many hunters will tell you, takes place in November. Nowadays, that’s not exactly true, and hundreds of Mainers take advantage of additional opportunities that are available.

Beginning Sept. 12, for instance, bowhunters will start heading into the woods in expanded archery zones. And on Oct. 1, statewide archery season on deer opens.

Of course, come October, a versatile hunter might start running into some conflicts of interest: In some parts of the state, the fall archery season for turkeys opens on Oct. 1 … in other parts of the state, it starts on Oct. 10. And in still other areas, where shotguns and bows are allowed, a turkey season will run from Oct. 17 until Oct. 23.

That would keep you busy enough, I suppose … unless you’re an upland bird hunter (Oct. 1 opener) … or a squirrel hunter … or a moose hunter (if you were lucky enough to cash in during the permit lottery).

So today, it’s goose and bears. Soon, we’ll have more options. Plenty more.

All the opportunities. So little time. Yes, hunting season is officially upon us.

Have fun out there. And be safe.

Recreation planning help needed

If you’re a Mainer who loves spending time outdoors, especially at state-run parks and recreation areas, the state’s Department of Conservation is seeking your help.

The DOC has put together a tentative blueprint that will guide the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands’ recreation management efforts over the next five years, and the agency is looking for people to share their thoughts on that State Comprehensive Outdoor Plan, or SCORP.

According to a DOC press release, three public listening sessions are planned, and public input at those sessions will help determine how to spend federal recreation money.

The SCORP up for discussion will guide Maine’s recreational spending through 2014.

According to the press release, Maine received about $250,000 in federal recreation funds last year, and that money was split between state and municipal projects. Some expect the amount of federal money to increase in coming years.

“It’s my hope that the three SCORP listening sessions will give everyone in attendance a broad overview of who provides outdoor recreation in Maine, what range of opportunities exist, why outdoor recreation is so vital to Maine, and how this planning opportunity fits into the big picture of outdoor recreation and conservation in Maine,” BPL outdoor reccreation planner Rex Turner said in the release.

If you’re interested in attending one of the sessions and offering your input, here are your meeting options:

ä Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Allagash Room at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

ä Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Scarborough High School cafeteria.

ä Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Penobscot County Conservation Association Clubhouse in Brewer.

For more information about the SCORP, you can call Turner at 287-4920, e-mail him at rex.turner@maine.gov.

Harvest Classic on tap in Caribou

Cyclists looking for a scenic tour and a physical challenge need look no farther than Aroostook County, where the Maine Winter Sports Center will be hosting the second annual Harvest Classic on Sept. 20 in Caribou.

A 20-mile tour and a 40-mile race — both of which will be staged on back roads with light vehicle traffic — are planned.

Registration for the events opens at 7:30 a.m. in the Caribou High School parking lot. The registration fee is $12, or $10 with the donation of a pair of running shoes to the MWSC shoe recycling program.

The tour and race are a fundraising effort for the Northern Skiers Club of Caribou.

For more information, call David Chamberlain at 540-3866 or go to www.mainewsc.org.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

990-8214