The 27th annual State of Maine Sportsman's Show is this weekend (March 30-April 1) at the Augusta Civic Center, and Your Scribe plans to attend.

Here are some of the attractions I will visit:

The turkey calling championship. I have no idea what a good call sounds like. I plan to listen hard.

Trout fishing seminar. I am on the record as being among the least competent trout fishermen in central Maine. If you want a full kreel of (inedible) yellow perch, I can catch those. But I have trouble with the trout.

Antique outdoor gear. Perhaps because my cabin doesn't have power or heat, I have an affinity for the 19th century. I will see how they did it in the old days.

Cabin builders. Though the advertising literature doesn't stress it, there must be numerous displays of companies that build cabins, or real-estate businesses that sell waterfront property for camps. I plan to ask them this question: Do people really order just the material, and put up the structure themselves?

One event I won't visit is the kayak-fishing seminar. This is an activity that doesn't seem to make sense. What is wrong with the all-purpose canoe?

The show is Friday (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.), Saturday ( 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and Sunday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) It's $7 for adults, and $4 for children.

I plan to come back edified.

Here are more questions and (my) answers to the recent survey hosted by a prominent outdoor magazine:

Q. Would you favor the state buying northern Maine deeryards so they could be managed for the long term?
A. Not really. Close to 90 percent of land in the state is in private hands. Rather than purchase, the state should look into a plan to obtain access from large corporate owners.

Q. Should brook trout fishing in lakes, ponds and rivers be limited to artifical lures?
A. No. That smacks of bureaucracy, and an unnecessary limitation.

Q. Should there be an ATV speed limit on state-sponsored ATV trails?
A. Yes. Don't look for consistency in my answers, especially after reading the previous sentiment about bureaucracy. But injuries and even deaths are common in the ATV world, and a cautionary speed limit might make people slow down (a little).

Q. Does the importance of catching coyotes in deeryards outweigh the risk of killing lynx?
A. They say it's a sign of humility to respond "I don't know." Well, meet Mr. Humble Hendrickson. I don't know the issues here.

Q. In order to provide funds for enforcement of boating laws, should the state charge a license fee for floats and docks on great ponds?
A. Terrible idea. Please see my complaints about bureaucracy above.

Q. Do you believe Maine game wardens are generally doing a good job?
A. They haven't charged me with anything, so yes, they are doing fine.

Q. Should nonresidents be allowed to hunt on the first day of deer season?
A. Yes. Hosting sportsmen in Maine is a huge industry for middle-income guides, vendors and hotel operators. Visitors should feel welcome.

Q. Do you feel like the deer herd is increasing in the area where you are?
A. I might be the only (small) landowner in central Maine to think the herd is diminishing, but I don't see as many as I saw a half-dozen years ago.

Q. Should the state use its eminent domain powers to acquire more boat access sites?
A. No. It sounds like a good idea, but the fact is that most launch sites are used only a few weekends a year. Plus, legal wrangling with abutters can cost dearly since rare is the waterfront landowner who welcomes public access nearby.

A prominent Maine outdoors publication has put out its annual opinion poll.

Your Scribe will try to be honest in answering questions. (An aside: I hope they mark on a curve).

Q. Should we lengthen the deer-hunting season into December in the southern part of the state?
A. No. The herd is healthy but weather (and health) runs in cycles. Let the herd grow.

Q. Should there be a speed limit for motorboats at night?
A. Yes. It has come to my attention that boaters imbibe alcoholic beverages. To let them run loose at night is a bad idea.

Q. Should there be year-round fishing?
A. Yes. Maine people love to fish. It might make for a few less lunkers for the vacation crowd, but so be it.

Q. Should there be a civil penalty for crashing a motor vehicle, ATV or snowmobile through the ice?
A. No. People don't do it on purpose. Those snowmobilers on Sebago Lake didn't plan to go hydroplaning . . .

Q. The Sportman's Alliance of Maine did not support the addition of the Katahdin Land parcel to Baxter State Park because hunting, trapping and snowmobiling would not be allowed there. Do you agree with SAM's position?
A. I don't know enough to form an opinion.

Q. Should crossbows be allowed for use wherever compound bows are allowed for use?
A. I don't understand the question.

Q. Should inline muzzleloaders that use smokeless powder be allowed during the muzzleloader season on deer?
A. Please . . . see above response.

Q. Should commercial fishing for invasive species such as northern pike and yellow perch be allowed?
No. "Commercial fishing" generally means being able to bring in a lot of fish, and trash those that aren't desirable. Plus, yellow perch is about the only fish I can catch. I would hate to see their numbers diminish.

Q. Should the blueback trout be added to the state's endangered species list?
A. I don't know. I haven't caught a trout on two decades, and don't know of the blueback trout.

Q. Should there be a fall shotgun season for turkeys?
A. No, no and no. The turkey is making a robust return and it is encouraging. Let's not seek a more effective means to kill them, now that they are on the rebound. It is thrilling to see a group of them go by.

Your Scribe will attempt to complete this exercise in coming days.

As I ponder pondering my mission statement - inspiring others to buy camps before property gets just too expensive - I note that there several deals that look reasonable in the classifieds of "The Maine Sportsman."

This Augusta-based monthly newspaper includes classified ads of properties that might be affordable.

This is in contrast to "Down East" magazine, which focuses on properties well over $1 million.

With that modest preamble, here are some offerings that appear to have potential. Of course, you don't know until you actually see them as I learned when I trekked to Parsonsfield to see a cabin on a river advertised for $79,000.

The cabin wasn't much larger than a tool shed, and you had to drive through the former town dump to get there. But it was $79,000.

Anyway, here are some possibilities:

Harmony. A 14-by-20 cabin on 6.2 acres with gas lights and heat. It is about a mile from a public landing at Great Moose Pond. $62,500. info@buckscrossingmaine.com.

Graham Lake, building site, 20 minutes from Ellsworth. 200 feet on the lake, which is 11 miles long. $54,900. (no web site). 207-945-0832.

East Branch, Mattawamkeag River. 5 acres with 360 feet of frontage on river. (An aside: It is accessible through a "woods road." That can be a dangerous description of a throughfare.)$19,900. www.wildernessrealty.com.

Sangerville. Building site, on Center Pond, 100 foot frontage, 4 acres. "Full view of lake." $75,000. www.brawnrealestate.com.

Waltham. Small cabin. One bedroom. "Great view of water." Close to Ellsworth. 150 water frontage. $41,000. info@lynams.com.

Shin Pond, near Baxter State Park. Two-bedroom cabin fully furnished with well and septic system. "Ready for immediate use." $59,000. www.cwalakestreet.com.

And here's a construction ad that would be great if true: Moosehead Cedar Log Homes says they can provide building materials for a cabin starting at $12,750. For more info, check www.mclh.net.

In fact, checking all the webistes above might be useful to find out what's available this spring in the "affordable" range.

The Good Book (and I am paraphrasing here) urges us not to covet our "neighbor's ox, nor his ass, nor his manservant nor his maidservant."

Your Scribe sometimes covets a lot of things his neighbors have: light, heat, a well, a woodsman who will cut his timber as per contract.

But I don't covet a boat.

Checking the for-sale list of "pre-owned" boats in a prominent Maine sportman's newspaper, I see (inboard) crafts being resold for prices ranging from $4,700 to $54,000.

Even prices on used outboards are intimidating: $1,100 for a '98 Mercury 9.9 horsepower, and $3,500 for a '05 Honda 25 HP with an electric starter.

But it isn't just the money.

Boats don't work on my river.

My camp abuts the Sandy River in Franklin County. It is 69 miles long (running into the Kennebec) but there aren't many miles where you can use a motor.

Going downstream from my place, there are rapids just a half-mile away. Even in high water in spring, a boat with a motor could hardly make it through.

Going upstream, there's about seven miles of what might be called open water. But there are many submerged logs in the waterway, and you'd be risking your engine if you ran into one of these "tree bass."

The Sandy has a significant amount of erosion. For that reason, many trees leave the riverbank to collapse into an afterlife of immersion in the slow-moving water.

Actually, I do have a "boat" - if we don't get into semantics.

It is a 16'9" Old Town canoe. We've had it since 1992 when my Aunt Bea willed me what today might be called a nano-bundle. Enough to buy a canoe but short of anything that required an engine.

But it's worked out better this way. The canoe fits the river, and a powerboat would not last a fortnight.

Sure, I could haul a motorboat around. But I'd rather stay on the eroding but lovable banks of the Sandy than spend my days looking for a public launch to accommodate a larger craft.

On this point I agree with myself: I haven't missed the boat.

Maine has many rustic resorts for outdoorsmen, and they are often of '40s vintage with sepia photos of FDR on the walls and weathered columns of Gene Letourneau on the bedside night tables.

A new resort is opening this spring, however, and promises to be an updated version of the traditional lodge and cabins.

The Wild Fox Resort is slated to open in mid-May in Lakeville, which is about 90 minutes northeast of Bangor. It is on the water of Junior Lake, and boaters will be able to get to a dozen other bodies of water including West Grand Lake.

The four-season, 155-acre property will offer fishing, hunting, boating, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities. It also provides Internet access for an extra $7 a day but that is optional. Cost is about $90 per night for the cabins.

The complex, which is being developed as Your Scribe blogs, will offer cabins, camping areas and a community lodge. It will be able to sleep a maximum of about 50.

The project is being developed by Joe Walsh, a Minnesota native who once ran a bed-and-breakfast in Amherst, N.H. He said he chose Maine over Minnesota, and it took him two years to find the right spot.

"Maine and Minnesota people both love the outdoors," said Walsh, 48. "Maine is a great state, and people from Quebec to Boston will find the resort easy to get to and a great place to vacation."

It took Walsh and Buxton native Dave LaBreck, his onsite manager, several years to get permits. Local abutters had appealed the state Land Use Regulation Commission's approval, but now all systems are go.

Walsh is counting on the supposition that vacationers still want an outdoor woodsy experience, in this case in brand new facilities.

"We are providing top of the line cabins and lodge," said Walsh. "And the area is pristine, with much of the surrounding acreage saved into conservation.

"Many people still want to experience the lakes and the woods, and we're looking forward to opening after a lot of planning and legal work in getting our approvals." More information can be found at www.wildfoxresort.com.

I notice from the editing menu that I started this column last March, and thus the second year begins.

My goal for writing the column was to discuss the intrigues of having a camp in Maine, and pointing out ways that others could acquire their own places.

I think I succeeded in the first area. I have written about many good things at the cabin, since just about every time I visit mine for a weekend or on my vacation I thoroughly enjoy myself.

Whether I have been helpful regarding acquisition is questionable. I agree with myself on at least one point: If you want waterfront property, start maneuvering now.

Although every generation has groused about the rising prices of any kind of real estate, the acceleration of prices in Maine in the last few years is remarkable - and discouraging.

Only a baron can buy on the coast. But there are still good properties inland, so if you can fall in love with a lake, river of stream, do so - and soon.

Thoughts about the coming year:

I plan to include more photos, especially from readers. If you send a photo of your cabin or camp, I will be posting them. (I am not technically prepared quite yet, but by warm weather I will do so).

My plans call for talking with owners of hunting camps and fishing operations. There aren't many journalists who seem interested in what outdoorsmen have to say. I plan to interview a cross-section in the coming year. (An aside: The ones I've talked with so far aren't used to the media, and thus aren't very quotable. That could change).

And I hope to call on real-estate vendors to get their "best buys" of waterfront properties. These people should talk, as it's a free plug for their inventory.

I will continue to reflect my view of life in cabin country, an amateur outdoorsman pleased to own a camp.

If those of you who read this would contribute your own comments from time to time, we can expand our modestly-sized community . . .

Now is the time of year when most people would like to get away for a break.

How about Dillon's Gunsmoke Lodge . . . run by Wayne Dillon.

It's true. Located in Brownsville, about 50 miles northwest of Bangor, the Gunsmoke Lodge is a four-season retreat. (An aside: I learned about it from a brochure I picked up while loitering at the Kittery Trading Post).

It's been operating for more than a decade, and sleeps about 16 when the place is full.

And what a variety of activities. They offer hunting for bear, moose and deer. You can also go after coyote, turkey, rabbits and other small game.

There is fishing, either through the ice or in the warmer weather, in the streams and lakes.

But that isn't all.

There is snowmobiling, hiking and photography.

(An aside: Could ecotourists wanting to capture the beauty of pristine nature in photos enjoy the same property as hunters trying to whack anything that moves?)

"We've had many good years but his has been a difficult one," said Wayne, a registered Maine Guide who did in fact name the lodge after the old TV western. "There wasn't much snow for snowmobiling until February, and the ice didn't fully freeze until later either.

"Most of our guests come from Pennsylvania, but they are from other eastern states as well. There are a great many of people who want an outdoor experience. We've had more inquiries than ever this year but not as many actual guests. Maybe it's the economy."

If you travel to the Gunsmoke Lodge, you'll find modern conveniences like TV, washer-dryers, home-cooked meals and a staff to serve you.

Your Scribe did not inquire if any of the handymen there are named Chester. . . .