This year's deer harvest in Maine may be the largest in more than 15 years.
State wildlife officials say preliminary numbers following the end of the regular firearms season on Saturday show that just over 30,000 deer were taken, compared to about 27,000 last year. Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokesman Mark Latti says biologists had expected a higher deer kill this season because of an increase in the number of any-deer permits issued.
“Which allow hunters to take either a buck or a doe,” he says. “So we went up almost 30 percent from last year which those any deer permits because we had a mild winter in southern and central Maine.”
Latti says the higher numbers came despite rain on the first two Saturdays of the season. State biologists say snow statewide over the final two weeks helped hunters track game, which compensated for the slow start.
