Hunters are expected to bag 35,800 deer during the 2003 season, slightly less than a year ago.

That prediction comes from Gerry Lavigne, deer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “The allocation of 76,200 any-deer permits, along with the archery and youth seasons, should result in the statewide harvest of roughly 10,400 does and an additional 5,900 fawns in 2003,” predicts Lavigne. “Antlered buck harvests should approximate 19,500, slightly below the buck kill of 20,694 in 2002. If normal hunting conditions and hunter effort prevail, the statewide deer harvest in Maine should be in the vicinity of 35,800 whitetails,” Lavigne concludes.

A year ago, Maine hunters registered 38,153 deer, a huge increase over the 2001 total of 27,679. The 2000 harvest was 35,750.

Where hunters pursue their game plays a vital role in whether there will be venison in the freezer. “Overall success rate among deer hunters varies among WMDs (Wildlife Management Districts) and is influenced by the number of any-deer permits we issue, as well as availability of deer,” notes Lavigne. “Success rates during 2002 were typically lowest in northern Maine’s WMDs (3 to 10 percent), and above average in central and southern WMDs (15 to 30 percent).”

The MDIFW updated its overall plan for maintaining the deer herd in 2001. “Attainment of our new objectives will drive our harvest strategies for 2002 through 2017,” says Lavigne. “When all objectives are accomplished, there will be 380,000 wintering deer (more in the north, less in the south) vs 300,000 currently,” foresees Lavigne. “In addition, maintaining this population would require deer harvests in the neighborhood of 50,000 deer annually vs 30,000 today.”

Lavigne adds, “A severe winter in 2001 caused the statewide deer herd to plummet 18 percent from 292,000 to 241,000 deer. Then, the unusually mild winter of 2002 led to very favorable deer survival and recruitment, allowing the wintering herd to recover to 259,000. Conservation harvests in 2001 (statewide) and 2002 (northern Maine) aided the recovery,” says Lavigne.

The statewide 2003 regular archery season runs from October 2-31. “Youth Day” will be observed Saturday, October 25. It is reserved for hunters between 10-15 years of age, accompanied by a licensed adult. The regular firearms season opens Saturday, November 1 for Maine hunters, and Monday, November 3 for non-residents. The firearms season ends statewide on Saturday, November 29. The muzzleloader campaign will begin in all WMDs on December 1, but will end December 6 in WMDs 1-11, 14, 19, and 27-29. Elsewhere, the muzzleloader season will continue until December 13.

Maine lawmakers passed several fish and wildlife laws during the last session. The one that effects deer hunters the most is the Hunting Simplification Law. Hunting hours are now consistent on all game, including upland birds. Legal hunting starts a half hour before sunrise and ends a half hour after sunset.

Other changes: hunters may now shoot at game from a motorboat as long as the boat is not under power; it is no longer illegal to possess in your freezer more than your daily limit of game as long as the meat was legally acquired; also simplified was the regulation on transporting and tagging of game animals; and those with tracking dogs that assist in tracking a wounded animal may now charge a fee for their services (a guide’s license is not required).

Hunter are also reminded of a recent law which allows three persons to hunt together and not be in violation of the “deer driving” statute.

It is still illegal for hunters to plan a hunt for the purpose of “driving” deer to one another.