DURHAM – A man and woman found with three dead deer in their pickup truck on Day Road late Wednesday were legally entitled to shoot and keep the animals.

Investigators from the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department said the pair had been issued a permit to shoot deer in order to protect their pumpkin patch from the animals.

Sheriff’s officials rushed to the area after receiving a report that somebody was poaching deer from a blind at the edge of a field.

When they got there, they found the man and woman with three deer carcasses in the back of the truck and another being loaded. The pair quickly showed police their permit, which had been issued by the Maine Warden Service earlier Wednesday.

“The deer had been eating their pumpkins and they were entitled to shoot them,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. James Jacques. “They are allowed to shoot two deer per person, but they have a lot of restrictions.”

Jacques said many farmers in the area have permits to shoot animals in order to protect their crops. The law allowing it has been controversial, with some groups complaining that the system is being abused by people who want a reason to shoot deer out of season.

Jacques said the couple was in compliance with the law Wednesday night. The problem was that the warden who issued them a permit never notified area police agencies that there might be shooting along Day Road.

“We didn’t know what was going on at first,” Jacques said.

The Warden’s Service was contacted about the shooting at about 7 p.m. Wednesday, but did not send anyone to the scene. Jacques and another sheriff’s deputy were in the area clearing from the scene of a domestic fight, and went to Day Road early Wednesday night.

There, they found the couple in possession of three dead bucks and another deer. After the situation was clarified, the Warden’s Service was notified again. On Thursday, they sent airplanes up to look over the pumpkin field and to see if there were more dead deer in the area.

No charges were filed in the case. Under Maine law, the land owner who shoots deer is required to contact wardens within 12 hours. The Warden’s Service typically sends representatives out to inspect the dead animals as well as damage to the crops.