Over the last 38 years, “The Maine Sportsman” magazine has conducted a survey that covers hunting, fishing and environmental issues, and the results intrigue politicians, outdoors activists and interested public.

Another Maine winter has set in, and sportsmen and wildlife managers alike hold their collective breath waiting to see how it will affect our deer herd. So far, winter conditions have been relatively mild, and despite a poor mast crop, there is hope the deer may come out of it OK. But a mild winter alone may not be enough.

There is riding and grooming going on across the state, now that many parts of Maine have received substantial snowfall, but the snow is patchy in some places. The warm fall and a few days of warmer than normal weather in January have resulted in open water — not all lakes and ponds are frozen enough for riding.

Based on reports by state fisheries biologists this winter, the ice fishing season is either going great or hardly going.

Smartphone applications have made it easy to keep score in our lives, as if we’re inhabiting a massive video game. Foursquare gives points and badges for checking in to stores and restaurants. Using Nike+, runners can set running goals and track stats from past workouts. From Chore Wars (an app that rewards household tasks) to SuperBetter (a game that aids in recovery from illness), gamification is seeping into every corner of our lives.

We’re approaching mid-winter, and snowmobiling, ice-fishing, rabbit-hunting and self-propelled options like skiing, snowshoeing and hiking boom. A few hardcore types even backpack with a tent or fish a handful of open-water rivers or streams that have year-round fishing regs.

“It just isn’t worthwhile to go duck hunting these days — having to get up early in the morning or sit out in hard weather for a shot or two all day. I wouldn’t want my son to pursue a sport that I love so well that has sunk to such a low level after the way I have known it.”