Last fall’s deer harvest numbers have been tallied – finally, and this fall’s Any-Deer permit quotas have been set and approved by the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council.

According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIF&W), “Deer hunters in Maine had a remarkable season this past year, with hunters killing 38,153 deer, the highest total since 1968, marking it as the tenth best season ever.”

Those of us who enjoyed last November’s hunt should not be surprised by the harvest tally. Hunting conditions overall could not have been better with cool weather and early snow in many areas making for ideal tracking conditions. And the mild winter of 2002, which came on the heels of a low deer harvest the previous fall (2001), left the Maine deer population plentiful in many Wildife Management Districts (WMDs).

There were plenty of nice bucks taken last fall, too. Gerry Lavigne, Maine’s deer biologist, reports that last fall’s buck harvest was one of the best ever. Hunters tagged 20,694 antlered deer. The record buck kill was 21,422 in the fall of 2000. Incidentally, the success rate for deer hunters is on the upswing, too. Last fall nearly one out of every four hunters got a deer.

Bowhunters tagged 1,428 deer during the expanded bow season and 601 during the October archery hunt. Blackpowder hunters registered 1,038 deer during the December muzzleloader hunt. Young deer hunters, who got their own special hunt day last fall for the first time, tagged 553 deer.

What are the prospects for this fall’s deer hunt? Quite good in most sections of the state. The state Fish and Willdife Advisory Council last week approved recommendations from departmental biologists to issue 72,600 Any-Deer permits this fall. While this figure is a reduction from last year’s quota of 76,989, it is still the second highest Any-Deer permit quota ever!

A complete district-by-district breakdown of next fall’s Any-Deer permits is available on MDIF&W’s website: www.mefishwildlife.com. As usual the good news is tempered by the historic “feast-or-famine” aspect of Maine’s deer populations. In Maine’s northernmost and easternmost WMDs, there will be no Any-Deer permits issued whatsoever. Tough winters and a marked reduction in deer wintering areas, along with deer predation by coyotes and bears, have take a toll on deer numbers in northern and eastern Maine.

In marked contrast to this, there are four WMDs where deer densities are actually pushing the envelope when it comes to carrying capacity of the habitat. Hunters take note. These are WMDS 20,21,22 & 23. These four districts comprise more than 40 percent of the total Any-Deer permits issued for the entire state! For purposes of reference, the central communities in these four districts respectively are Sanford, Gray, Litchfield and Unity.

Word from Augusta is that, while bonus Any-Deer permits will be issued again this year in these deer-rich districts, a revised system for issuing these permits will be implemented before next fall. Stay tuned. Speaking of Augusta, Maine’s new Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Dan Martin is to be commended for fast action. Thanks to the new commissioner’s unequivocal support of a SAM bill in the legislature, deer hunters this fall will be able to hunt legally until one half hour after sunset. Just like the old days. A proposed change that was historically debated to death, and long overdue.

Make a note on your calendar. Any-Deer applications will be available in mid June. Submission deadline this year will be July 15.

Remembering McPhee

The outdoor world lost a good man last week. Retired warden pilot Jack McPhee was killed when his Piper Super Cub crashed near the American Realty Road. McPhee was reportedly tracking a radio-collared lynx for the Fish and Wildlife Department when his airplane went down in heavy woods. McPhee, who was also a well-known sporting camp operator, was deeply involved in all aspects of the Maine outdoors. A true professional who was knowledgeable and highly respected by the outdoor community. He will be missed.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is [email protected].