MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 21, 2022
Change is difficult for Maine hunters. In 1986, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife was authorized to regulate antlerless deer harvest using an any-deer permit system. Previously, hunters were allowed one deer per year of either sex. The change wasn’t well received at first. However, it was necessary in order to more effectively manage the state’s deer population; and folks got used to it. In recent years hunters weren’t meeting IFW’s antlerless harvest objectives. The folks at IFW decided it was time for a new system that is in place for the 2022 hunting season. One down side is that far fewer (37%) permits will be issued, 96,340 in 2022 compared to 153,910 in 2021. However, there’s a logical reason for the reduction. Because it is an antlerless-only permit for an additional deer, it is expected that hunters will be more willing to use that permit to take a doe. ~ Bob Humphrey