Maine hunters registered a record 55,876 deer in 2025. With rifle season beginning Saturday, last year’s numbers offer clues about where hunters found success and what to consider when choosing where to hunt this fall.
Nathan Bieber, deer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, expects another good season but doesn’t anticipate a harvest on par with last year’s record.
Some conditions that may have contributed to the unusually high harvest could persist this fall, including a relatively mild winter and drought conditions affecting green forage and the availability of acorns and other mast. These conditions may influence deer movement, while favorable hunting weather may also contribute to hunter success.
Last year’s harvest was 32% higher than the 42,259 deer registered in 2024. Buck harvest increased 16%, while doe harvest rose 59%.
Wildlife Management District 17 had Maine’s highest deer harvest in 2025, with 8,025 deer registered, up from 5,618 in 2024. District 23 followed with 5,108 deer, compared with 3,881 in 2024. District 26 had 4,399 deer, up from 3,082, followed closely by District 16, with 4,395, up from 2,941.
By town, Buxton led the state with 474 deer registered, followed by Sidney with 433, Corinna with 417, St. Albans with 412 and Bucksport with 406.
But the places with the highest harvests aren’t necessarily the best choice for every hunter. Harvest totals reflect both deer abundance and hunting pressure. Southern Maine supports high deer densities, while some coastal islands have substantial deer populations but fewer residents and hunters. In northern Maine, deer are spread across large forested areas, offering a different type of hunting experience.
Rather than focus solely on harvest totals, hunters should consider what they want from the experience, whether that’s seeing more deer, tracking them through big woods or finding a place away from crowds.
Hunters hoping to avoid pressure may need to put in more scouting time. Bieber recommends looking for large public parcels or private land where hunters have permission, then getting away from convenient access points that tend to draw more traffic.
For hunters hoping to harvest a mature buck, Maine’s 2025 deer age report offers another factor to consider. In Region E, 10.8% of sampled adult bucks were at least 5 years old, compared with 6.9% in Region F and 4% in Region B. Yearlings made up 62.6% of sampled adult bucks in Region A and 45.7% in Region B, but just 24.5% in Region E.
Maine’s resident-only deer hunting day is Saturday, Oct. 31. The regular firearms season runs Nov. 2-28.