Today: Opening day

Saturday, Nov. 26: Rifle season closes

32,400: State’s best guess for this season’s harvest

70,735: Number of doe permits issued

27,004: Number of whitetails shot by Maine hunters during last year’s rifle season

30,926: Number of deer taken by bow, rifle and muzzleloader last year

259,000: Estimated number of deer in Maine’s whitetail herd

Source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Hunting tips

• Be sure someone knows where you are headed and when you plan to return.

• Carry emergency survival gear, a flashlight, map and compass, matches and water.

• Stop periodically to eat and rehydrate.

• Wear two pieces of hunter orange that are in good condition.

• Be sure of your target, and what is beyond it.

• Always keep the muzzle of your firearm pointed in a safe direction.

• Unload your firearm before entering a dwelling, before entering a vehicle and before storing it.

Source: Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Safety facts

• In the past 10 deer seasons, there has not been one reported instance of a nonhunting person (hiker, jogger, homeowner) being injured by a hunter.

• Hunting seasons for various animals and birds encompass all 12 months in Maine. In 10 years (3,653 days), there has been only one instance of a nonhunter being injured by a hunter.

• Over the past 10 years, 46 percent of hunting-related firearm injuries have been self-inflicted.

• Maine fatalities in 2004 included 194 vehicle accidents, 19 homicides, 18 fire deaths, 10 vehicular-pedestrian, 10 ATV, seven snowmobiling, six boating, four moose-vehicle and one hunting fatality.