This past winter was tough on Maine’s deer. In fact, Maine’s former deer biologist Gerry Lavigne says, that on a scale of 1-10, this winter was a 10! Lavigne’s successor, biologist Lee Kantar, agrees and has told us to expect significant reductions next fall in any-deer permits, and, possibly other hunt harvest restrictions.

Our record winter snowfall was long overdue, but the timing could not have been worse. Record snow depths were piling up at the same time that Maine’s Northern and Eastern Maine Deer Task Force was meeting to compile some ideas on how to stem our ever-declining deer numbers in eastern and northern Maine. In these areas of the state, before the recent harsh winter, deer numbers were at record lows, attributable to uncontrolled predation by coyotes, bears and by inadequate deer wintering areas.

According to the Bangor Daily News, DIF&W officials said “that in the hardest hit areas (northern Maine), where the snowpack was 4 to 6 feet in early April, roughly 30 percent of the deer herd won’t see the snow melt.” With deer densities already as low as one or two animals per square mile, 30 percent mortality, in a practical sense, means that you wind up with one deer or less per square mile! This means that in a number of northern Maine townships, the Canada Lynx, which is a federally protected species, is more numerous than whitetail deer. In short, when it comes to our big woods deer, most sportsmen and wildlife managers are shaking their heads and thinking that old saying,” Just when things were so bad they couldn’t get any worse, they got worse.”

The aforementioned Deer Task Force, chaired by Aroostook outdoorsman Matt Libby, did an excellent job identifying the issues that have left Maine’s big woods deer in dire straits. The task force recommendations are worthy and have the potential to slow down the rate of decline in big woods deer numbers. The State Legislature, in turn, has approved the recommendations and ordered the Fish and Wildlife Department to get cracking.

The question now – and it is always the question – is when state government has been handed the ball, will there be any action? IF&W’s recent track record on protecting Maine’s declining deer numbers is not encouraging.

It has been five years now since Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Martin ordered the suspension of Maine’s coyote snaring program in deer wintering areas. As noted above, when it comes to declining deer numbers, predation on deer by coyotes is part of the problem. Among its recommendations, the Deer Task Force, has urged an aggressive coyote control program by DIF&W. The Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine (SAM) in a letter to state lawmakers said, “”Reducing coyote predation holds the most promise for immediate improvement in the deer population and SAM will push to implement those recommendations immediately. In a letter that accompanies the Task Force recommendations, SAM urged DIF&W to move quickly and aggressively to protect deer in the regions of the state where populations have plummeted.” The underlined words merit repeating: most promise for immediate improvement. We agree with SAM, and so do many other Maine outdoor folks.

The question yet again is: Will there by any action? When the Joint Legislative Committee on Fish and Wildlife this winter ordered the Department to implement the Deer Task Force recommendations, a letter was sent by DIF&W to the members of the Deer Task Force. The letter reflected an earnestness of intent but, alas, no action verbs. The letter announced the creation of a “Deer Predation Working Group to review and update the Department’s current coyote control policy.”

Of course, DIF&W has had a coyote control policy for almost 50 years, as well as other policy mechanisms for training and overseeing qualified animal damage control personnel. Seemingly, DIF&W just has not had the financial resources and/or the will to execute its own coyote control policy. In fact, the state legislature in the past has mandated a coyote control program. It somehow fell by the wayside.

It’s hard not to be skeptical about the chances of real change taking place when it comes to managing coyotes in this state. A spokesman for Washington County’s Conservation Association, Ed Renaud, hit the proverbial nail a hard blow. He said, “Effective predator management is needed to improve the deer herd recruitment, a simple fact. MDIF&W already has more than enough data to support more aggressive predator control. We don’t need a Deer Predation Working Group, we need MDIF&W to actually do something about predation without further delay. Action is what we need, we got working groups.”

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].