PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Maine is considering offering the largest number of deer hunting permits in its history this year, wildlife officials said on Tuesday.
Biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are recommending nearly 85,000 “any deer” permits, allowing hunters to harvest deer of either sex. The recommendation would be an increase of 28 percent from 2017.
Many deer were able to survive over the winter in central and southern Maine, which means the herd can withstand more hunting, said Judy Camuso, the director of wildlife for department.
Controlling the deer population, she said, is important in order to help prevent traffic accidents and tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease.
“We want healthy populations that are able to survive and reproduce, but we want them at levels that are acceptable to the public,” Camuso said.
Biologists want to trim the number of permits issued in northern Maine, while expanding the hunt in the central and southern parts of the state. The state is divided into 29 wildlife management districts, and some could host thousands more hunters this year.
The possibility of a bump in permits is good news for hunters in the state, but the steady growth of the deer population also is cause for concern, said David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.
“It concerns me because of crop damage, tick problems,” he said. “We really don’t want deer to become a nuisance and for the population not to support the presence of white-tailed deer in Maine.”
The permit increase is subject to public hearings. An advisory council is expected to cast a final vote on the number of permits in August.
The hunt takes place every fall, and this year the main firearms portion of the hunt runs from Oct. 29 to Nov. 24. Hunters also take deer with archery and muzzleloaders during other parts of the fall.
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