The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has opened hunting in all Maine towns after Robert R. Card II was found dead Friday evening.
The department had closed all methods of hunting for all species in the towns of Bowdoin, Lewiston, Lisbon and Monmouth earlier Friday as a safety measure while the manhunt continued.
Police were looking for Card who is believed responsible for a mass shooting that killed 18 and injured 13 people in Lewiston Wednesday night.
Opening day for firearms deer season is Oct. 28 statewide for Maine residents.
The department decided to close hunting in those towns in order to ensure the safety of the public and to assist law enforcement in their search, according to Mark Latti, MDIF&W’s communications director.
Meanwhile, hunters across the state were getting ready for opening day. Moosehead Trail Trading Post in Palmyra, among others, said it was a typically busy day-before-opening-day and that there was nothing out of the ordinary in terms of gun sales.
There is a special air of excitement the day before firearms season for deer opens, but the hunting community was really buzzing Friday, wondering whether the state would postpone opening day in some areas.
Maine Deer Hunters Facebook page administrator Daniel Bell posted a video explaining how no decisions have been made on the issue and encouraging hunters to sign up for MDIF&W alerts, pay attention to media reports and watch social media for updates.
Some hunters thought that extra shots in the woods would distract law enforcement from the manhunt, while others did not want to potentially be in the woods with someone accused of killing people.
A few thought they might not hunt in their regular hunting places located in the area of the manhunt, but would find other grounds.
Most people indicated they planned to hunt and were in deep discussions online about guns and ammunition and hunting techniques.
