AUGUSTA, Maine - The last portion of Maine's annual deer hunt is heading into its final days of the year. The final week of the season for deer hunters who use muzzleloaders began on Monday. The season ends Dec. 14 and is limited to 14 of the state's 29 wildlife management districts.
Maine's archery season for deer also ends on Dec. 14. The state is nearing the end of this year's "expanded archery'' season, in which hunters are allowed to harvest deer in areas of the state where the herd can withstand more hunting.
The state trimmed the number of "any deer'' permits by about a fifth this year. The deer herd remains quite large, and the state still issued more than 68,000 of the permits.