State wildlife officials reported on Thursday that in 2017, plenty of hunters were able to answer the age-old question — “Got your deer yet?” — in the affirmative. In fact, hunters harvested 27,233 last year. That’s a 15 percent increase over 2016 and the highest total in 10 years.
The state’s deer biologist, Nathan Bieber of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said a couple of factors led to that total.
“An increasing deer herd in southern and central Maine, and favorable hunting conditions contributed to the best deer hunting season in 10 years,” Bieber said in a DIF&W news release.
Hunters were allowed to target deer via different methods from Sept. 9 through Dec. 9. The breakdown, by method: 23,288 during the general firearms season, 2,099 by bowhunters, and 970 by those hunting during muzzleloading season. Youth hunters shot 876 deer on Youth Deer Day, which falls the Saturday before the residents-only opening day.
“Deer hunting is a large part of Maine’s cultural heritage. Each year, over 200,000 hunters head into the woods of Maine,” Bieber said. “Hunting also provides many in Maine with a sustainable source of high-quality, organic, free-range protein.”
According to the DIF&W, adult bucks accounted for the bulk of the harvest. Hunters took 18,255 antlered bucks during the deer seasons. Another 9,978 antlerless deer were harvested.
And Mainers were serious about their hunting: According to Maine’s deer hunter surveys, on average Maine deer hunters spent 37 hours hunting deer during the season, averaging 4.3 hours per trip.
This year the state has proposed an increase of the number of any-deer permits, which allow hunters to target deer without antlers, by 28 percent to 84,745. A public hearing on the proposed permit allotment is set for June 26 at 6 p.m. in room 209A of the Augusta Armory.
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