This was not unexpected. AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine’s biggest hunting seasons are headed into their final two weeks of the year. After he got out, he worked as an aircraft mechanic and earned his pilot's license. “One thing I thought was really surprising or interesting this year was just how huge our opening day kill was. Much of Maine’s interior is uninhabited. Maine hunters on track to harvest more than 30,000 deer this year. Statewide population estimates place the herd at some 250,000 animals. The total harvest was 3 percent less than the previous 3-year average (17,072), while the buck harvest was 2 … A hearty congratulations goes out to all of Maine’s successful hunters from this season. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1992 to 1994 as an avionics technician. Deer hunters in Maine harvested 28,323 deer in 2019, a decrease of 12.7% from 2018 when 32,451 deer were taken. September 9, 2019 by Tom Leave a Comment. He patrolled districts in Aroostook and Penobscot counties. by Ron Lyon - The statewide deer harvest for 2019 was 13,920—the second highest on record. “That’s about 5,000 deer more than the 10-year average [harvest], but still a little bit behind last year’s [32,451],” Bieber said. “We don’t need data for management immediately after the season, but it has been really cool just to be able to answer questions,” Bieber said. Joined Feb 9, 2016 Messages 477 Reaction score 119 Location Midcoast Maine. Bieber says the state is already looking at options for the 2019 season to increase the harvest in several overpopulated areas. A further breakdown, with all totals consisting of preliminary data that may be adjusted: — On Youth Deer Day, a day set aside for junior hunters, 728 deer were tagged. Bears were active throughout the rifle deer season making them more vulnerable to opportunistic deer … — Regular archery hunters took 619 deer, while muzzleloader hunters killed 1,155. — That leaves about 24,241 deer that were taken during the regular firearms season. This is exactly the type of scientifically-based herd management used, for example, in balancing age-class structure and sex ratios in the mule deer population in certain areas of Texas where too many young bucks were being harvested. — Another 1,574 deer were taken through expanded archery seasons, which are often used as management tools in areas where firearms deer hunting isn’t allowed. Physical Address: 284 State Street Augusta, ME 04333-0041. This is particularly evident in the south-central portion of the state where many deer killed in surrounding counties are registered in Hillsborough County. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. In 2019, firearms season for deer runs from October 26 to November 30. Tennessee is benefiting from these modern practices as well, since hiring the successful manager of Georgia’s Marketing and Communications office, Jenifer Wisniewski. Maine news, sports, politics, election results, and obituaries. While the first certainly is inevitable, the second has had its bright spots. When he isn't working, hunting, making knives or writing, he's fishing, camping and bushcrafting.Follow NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum on Twitter @HuntersLead. Those numbers alone make it a great story. About 225,000 in 2016 and 211,000 deer in 2015. A year ago, the weather wasn’t so great for hunters on opening day, and only 2,400 deer were killed. The population has been supported by mild winters in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Biggest Bucks of Maine Per Year of Deer Harvest. ... Mar 14, 2019 #1 groundtender Active member. By that point, estimates based on Maine’s online registration system were already close to 2004 harvest numbers when 30,926 deer were reported. Maine's annual whitetail harvest, which peaked at 28,000 animals in the late 1980s, has dropped to under 20,000 recently. Living in an off-grid camp hunting big woods deer with success. Maine’s wildlife and hunting traditions—and America’s—depend on it.About the Author: Ronnie Lyon began hunting when he was 5 years old under the mentorship of his father. 2019 Maine Deer Harvest . Each year the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department publishes a summary of harvest information on the take of deer, black bear, moose, wild turkey and furbearers in the state. Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife, Shop Your State Wildlife Agency for Last-Minute Gifts, Maine Sees Increase in Female Moose Hunters, Tennessee to Benefit from Georgia’s Hunter Expansion Programs, 2021 National Rifle Association of America. Technology will be a standard tool of Maine’s efforts. The harvest was 3% higher than the 2018-2019 total of 77,382 deer. The estimated 2020 statewide harvest of 12,971 is an increase of 7% from the 2019 final kill of 12,306. He is also a knifemaker. Hunters’ contribution to the wildlife conservation effort cannot be overstated. Today, he's the Outdoors editor for the BDN, a job that allows him to meet up with Maine outdoors enthusiasts in their... Back in 1980, we realized that we were taking many more large bucks than anyone else, and our success was equaling that of Maine’s “good old days”. Harvest figures by season are as follows: Youth Deer Hunt Day and Paraplegic Hunt: 94 The preliminary statewide deer harvest for 2019 is 13,921 – the second highest harvest on record, 629 fewer than the 2018 record. This higher late season harvest is typical of years with abundant fall foods. This program provides more opportunities for the hunting public and reduces the often problematic and growing urban deer herd. 2019 Maine moose season registered kill by WMD, season, permit type, and success rates. There were about 1,968 moose harvested by the 2,820 permit holders in the fall hunts, which occur in … Her initial task is immense. 2019 White-tailed Deer Harvest Report Overview Hunters harvested a total of 16,550 deer during the four Vermont deer seasons in 2019, providing about 3.3 million servings of local, nutritious venison. All of this fantastic news comes just a few years after some were asking, “Where are the deer?” George Smith, longtime executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, laments the loss of both hunters and deer in a Bangor Daily News article from just three years ago. Nationally, hunter participation is trending downward and, therefore, so is the funding that is essential to conservation efforts. Georgia, for example, recently posted positive growth in hunter participation numbers and directly credits the ability to digitally partner with organizations under the national “R3” initiative. These permits allow biologists to focus on the populations of females in different regions of the state and provide for an increase or decrease in the female harvest, thereby increasing the quality of the overall hunting experience. In another factor affecting deer harvest, urban sprawl meets deer management in the form of Maine’s expanded archery season in urban areas. Most people in Maine and other parts of deer hunter havens across the country, know that the biggest buck, by weight, ever taken in Maine was in 1955. Just looking close up at Moose River Twp and Dole Pond, both show considerable increases for 2018. By simply maximizing marketing options and providing educational resources through partner organizations and assisting their work, Georgia has had a 13 percent increase in hunting license sales over the last five years. More by John Holyoke. John Holyoke has been enjoying himself in Maine's great outdoors since he was a kid. Bow hunting is allowed from Sept. 7 to Dec. 14 in parts of Harpswell. The 2017 season’s harvest of 27,233 deer was the highest in Maine since 2007’s 28,885. balancing age-class structure and sex ratios in the mule deer population in certain areas of Texas where too many young bucks were being harvested, laments the loss of both hunters and deer in a Bangor Daily News article from just three years ago. That new hire, as of July 2018, is Katie Yates, who comes from a marketing background and will be very busy in her new job. And I don’t see the vehicles parked along every rural road like I used to.”. “Last year was a record year [over the previous decade] and it was hard to measure up to that.”, [iframe url=”https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTZqxDoJ3_QRQR3ujRmXp61zSfTdWFPriO0hhhBHE_iJZa6hi6wUD8oGrQCSBmxQngvwXVxiwR_Rbey/pubchart?oid=1335118742&format=interactive” width=”600″ height=”371″]. Maine 2013 deer harvest by town Maine’s top 10 towns for the number of deer tagged by hunters has shifted to the south. Maine’s reputation for producing high-quality bear hunting was again reflected in the distribution of the harvest by hunter residency. The last three winters in Maine have been characterized as mild, especially in the south where the majority of Mainers live. They never cease to hold my attention. Jim Fahey worked for the Maine Warden Service as a seasonal dispatcher, deputy and full-time game warden from 1990 to 2019. PRINCETON, Maine (AP) — A man and a deer were rescued from the icy waters of a Maine lake after the man fell into the water trying to save the struggling deer. To bring Maine’s R3 program to its fullest potential will require a complete evaluation of existing initiatives and the creation of new ones. He lives in Griffin, Georgia, with his wife and four children. When you factor in the string of mild winters in the southern part of the state, there also are more surviving deer to hunt. And it’s not just biologists who benefit. When Maine’s 2018 deer season closed Dec. 8, initial estimates showed the harvest undoubtedly would surpass 2007’s figures. These any-deer permits allow a hunter the option of taking a deer of either sex and are a valuable tool in herd management. … He still hunts with his dad. by John Holyoke, BDN Staff ... 20,282 deer had been registered by all hunters thus far in 2019. Bieber said “hunter effort,” a data point that considers how much time hunters spend afield, seems to have remained fairly consistent. The totals are updated daily. Longer archery seasons in certain areas have been a part of Maine’s management plan for over a decade and have garnered positive results. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), Mainers can expect another great year of hunting tales from the field. Deer hunters in Maine harvested 32,451 deer in 2018, the highest total since 2002 and a 19% increase “A lot of people are really curious about how the season went, and what happened, and where, and being able to actually look that up just after the season is great, rather than having to wait six months until when people have sort of lost interest.”. 1/29/2020 Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; Media Contact for Preliminary deer harvest report shows another near-record year in 2019 I later discovered that the past year’s harvest had surpassed 2004 and officially will be ranked as the best since 2002. Anybody with access to a computer or smartphone can check the total number of each big game animal tagged at any time. Over-browsing of the land and vehicle interactions can have a detrimental effect on these populations. Maine 2018 Deer Harvest Map. B J ay Lee York Saco Bath Aln a Stow Hope Weld Gray Peru Knox Rome T roy Oti s Avo Etna Mil o Win n W ade Act n Elio t We ls Lyman Hira m Wales Mino t Union P ari s Leeds State wildlife regulators increased the number of deer … The statewide harvest included 29,233 antlered and 46,777 antlerless white-tailed deer, plus 1,552 antlered and 1,895 antlerless sika deer. “We are applying new marketing tactics to traditional outdoor activities to inspire a new generation of participants.” As Yates puts it, “It’s an exciting time to be working on R3 projects… We have the opportunity in Maine to set some examples while walking in the successful footsteps of Georgia and Iowa.”. E-mail your comments/questions about this site to: EmediaHunter@nrahq.org. Tennessee is benefiting from these modern practices as well, since hiring the successful manager of Georgia’s Marketing and Communications office, Jenifer Wisniewski. When you pull that venison from the freezer or pick up that buck from the taxidermist, think of Nathan Bieber and Katie Yates. In our decades of hunting Maine’s woods, our hunters and guides have seen some incredible deer, including some of the largest bucks in state. Maine hunters harvested 28,000 deer in 2019 ... the state deer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said a total of 28,314 deer were tagged by … In Connecticut, for example, the state had to step in and manage herds in settled areas where deer were suffering from stunted bone growth and fur problems because their numbers had exceeded carrying capacity, or what the habitat could support. For more on hunting season dates and state regulations, click here. In managing its deer populations, MDIFW had increased the number of available “any deer” permits by 28 percent over the previous year to 84,745. Rick Crowe, 63, of Princeton, was attempting to help a deer that had fallen through the ice of Long Lake in Princeton when his canoe overturned, the Maine Warden Service said. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), check the total number of each big game animal tagged, Vendors leave Bangor furniture store’s craft section after owner requests Proud Boys hoodies, When you’re tired of baked potatoes, try these 11 delicious recipes, Democrats sweep Georgia runoffs, taking Senate control with Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote, The key moments as pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, 3 more Mainers die as another 525 coronavirus cases are reported across the state, Democratic sweep in Georgia will change roles for Maine’s senators, 13 more Mainers die as another 535 coronavirus cases are reported across the state, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. 13% of the harvest occurred in the late season, fully 36% of the 2019 harvest occurred in the overlap with the November (14)deer season. When Maine’s 2018 deer season closed Dec. 8, initial estimates showed the harvest undoubtedly would surpass 2007’s figures. Aging hunter populations and the digital entertainment age have been pointed to as causes. The firearms season for deer and the “any moose” hunt are open until Nov. 30. We took somewhere around 3,800 deer on opening day this year,” Bieber said. A banner start set the tone that the season would follow. Old Town Pembroke Rangeley Crawford Lang Twp Bradford At kinson L a e Edin bur g Caratunk Guil ford Maxfie ld Talmadge Dyer Tw p ... Total harvest: 1,949. Nathan Bieber, the state deer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said a total of 28,314 deer were tagged by hunters using bows and arrows, crossbows, rifles and muzzleloaders this year. Snow covered much of the state for that 2018 season, which likely helped hunters reach that 32,000-deer plateau by the end of the season. Therefore, he thinks the high number of deer taken was a product of favorable weather and a thriving deer herd that provides hunters with plenty of animals to pursue. They are working hard for you. Maine hunters on track to harvest more than 30,000 deer this year by John ... 20,282 deer had been registered by all hunters thus far in 2019. Saturday, April 20, 2019. Social media has proved a benefit for some states. “These days, the woods are quiet on opening day and throughout the season, with just an occasional shot. Stories like these are the ones that no one likes to tell but they constitute a chapter in the book of modern hunting. Deer permits increased in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19. Maine is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, state in the US to kill a mature whitetail. Families of Maine hunters will be eating plenty of venison this winter, as nearly 30,000 of those hunters successfully filled their tags. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! As a Georgia boy, this is a foreign concept to me. By that point, estimates based on Maine’s online registration system were already close to 2004 harvest numbers when 30,926 deer were reported. Mailing … Interesting to compare this to the 2017 map. As of Nov. 26, 2018, Maine hunters had logged 30,299 deer. R3 stands for recruitment of new hunters, retention of current hunters and reactivation of former hunters. He started with squirrel and dove, and graduated to whitetail deer. You can help by recruiting a new hunter, helping to retain active hunters and/or reactivating a hunter who hasn’t been afield in a while. Follow NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum on Twitter @HuntersLead. Hunters harvested more than 5,000 deer on Sundays. Reports typically are published in March of the following year, after data have been analyzed. and to monitor biological metrics of deer taken (age, sex, antler characteristics). Contact Information. Non-resident hunters shot more of the bears (66%) taken … As of Nov. 26, 2018, Maine hunters had logged 30,299 deer. Muzzleloader season extends to December 14 in Harpswell. The fact is, harsher northern winters result in a built-in mortality rate. This year’s buck harvest of 20,093 was an increase of 9.6% from 2018. Get the NRA Hunters' Leadership Forum newsletter for at-a-glance access to all the latest news about the legislative challenges hunters face—delivered directly to your Inbox. When I spoke with MDIFW Wildlife Biologist Nathan Bieber about these permits and Maine’s 2018 season, he mentioned the any-deer permit’s role in the increased harvest but also its role in “quality management.” A common herd management issue is the ratio of makes to females, or bucks to does, within the population. Opening day featured weather that favored hunters, and they took advantage, according to Bieber. 2019 Deer Harvest ‐ Recent Trend Comparison 2 DEC checks hunter‐killed deer each year to determine reporting rate by zone and tag type (DMP, Bow/Muzz, Regular Season tags, etc.) Still, the harvest exceeded the 10-year average of 22,943 deer. Most deer were harvested during the general firearms season, which totaled 25 hunting days including Opening During my online research I came across an old job posting from the MDIFW seeking a coordinator specifically for its R3 efforts. That total is considered “preliminary,” and could be adjusted if new data becomes available. The 2017 season’s harvest of 27,233 deer was the highest in Maine since 2007’s 28,885. Maine Deer: The state estimated about 300,000 deer in spring 2020, up from about 275,000 deer in 2019, and up from an estimated 240,000 deer in mid-2017 and 2018. 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