Hunters who want to be able to target deer that aren’t sporting antlers this fall can take an essential first step: The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has opened online registration for the any-deer permit lottery.
The good news for hunters: This may well be your lucky year. The state will issue 84,745 of the permits this year, which is an all-time high.
The top Wildlife Management Districts for any-deer permits: WMD 23 (12,375 permits to be allotted), WMD 22, (11,000 permits), WMD 21 (10,500 permits) and WMD 17 (10,000 permits).
Entry into the lottery is free, and the application can be found here.
Applications must be filled out by 11:59 p.m. Aug. 15. The drawing will be held Sept. 7.
The DIF&W uses any deer permits to help manage the state’s deer population. Biologists use the system to increase or decrease the number of breeding female deer in certain areas.
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