Deer Hunters Advised of Changes, IF&W Initiatives

AUGUSTA – Hunting seasons are underway in Maine, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife wants hunters to be aware of rules and agency initiatives in order to have a safe season.

Deer hunting season starts Oct. 31 for Maine residents with valid hunting licenses and permits, and Nov. 2 for all hunters.

Hunters are reminded to read and carry with them their appropriate law books. The law books are available at any of the Department’s 840 licensing agents statewide and at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife offices. For more information, call 287-6000.

The Department issued 45,385 permits this year to residents, non-residents, landowners and Superpack holders.

An additional 755 permits were issued to Superpack holders who were inadvertently removed from the lottery drawing after the initial selection. Those permit holders have been notified.

Youth Deer Hunt Day is Saturday, Oct. 24; Changes to Program

Young hunters who participate in Youth Deer Hunt Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, will be participating in the same deer herd management practices that adult hunters will engage in when their season starts on Nov. 2.

This year, young hunters between the ages of 10 and under 16 years, may hunt bucks/antlered deer throughout the state. Doe hunting only is allowed in Wildlife Management Districts that are open to any-deer permit hunting during the regular deer season. Those districts are 15-17; 20-26, 29. To view the districts, go to www.mefishwildlife.com.

“This year, young hunters will learn a valuable lesson in how managing the state’s deer herd is everyone’s responsibility,” said Roland “Danny” Martin, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “Adult hunters will have an opportunity to talk with the youngsters about how harvest limits on the number and type of deer are important so that deer herds can rebound in areas where their numbers are low because of severe winters the last couple of years.”

IMPORTANT: Hunters Must Write Down Their Any-Deer Permit Number

IF&W no longer mails Any-Deer permits to permit winners. Instead, permit winners need to record their permit number and report the permit number to the registration station when tagging their deer. The Department suggests that permit winners write down their permit number and keep the number with their hunting license so it is readily available when needed at the registration station. Hunters can find their Any-Deer permit number by visiting our web site at http://deer.informe.org/index.htm.

New Registration Fees

A $5 registration fee will be collected at tagging stations during the hunting season. The fee, which was approved by the Maine Legislature, aids in the collection and processing of registration and biological information regarding big game.

Tagging stations receive $1 to collect information and the Department receives $4 to support the costs associated with inputting, processing and analyzing the collected data.

“This fee is critical to the management of all big game species in Maine,” said Lee Kantar, IF&W deer and moose biologist. “Without this fee increase, we would be in an extremely difficult situation as to how we currently register big game species and collect critical information about these species that guide our management decisions.”

Any-Deer Permit Swap Available

An Any-Deer, Landowner or Superpack deer permit winner may swap their permit with another same-type permit winner in order to switch hunting districts.

The permits must be the same type, and residents can swap only with residents and non-residents can swap only with non-residents.

IF&W does not maintain a list of individuals wishing to swap permits. Permit winners who wish to swap will need to locate and contact other permit winners on their own.

One sportsman, Jeff W. Zimba, is maintaining a non-IF&W-affiliated swap site – www.DoeTagSwap.com. For a small fee, permit winners can locate and potentially swap with other same-type permit winners. However, IF&W still needs to be notified of the swap, and the proper Department paperwork still must be completed.

The site also allows permit winners to download for free and print a business card-sized Any Deer Permit/Transportation Tag on their home computer. IF&W is not mailing Any Deer Permits this year, and winners are responsible for bringing their permit number to the registration station.

The IF&W permit swap fee is $7 (one fee covers both winners.) The swap can be done in person at our main office in Augusta or by mail with the required “swap request form” that’s available on our web site. The Department will assign a new permit number and mail back the form.

The swap can be done online until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2008. Mail-in requests must be received by Oct. 30. Please allow at least one week for processing. Visit http://www4.informe.org/ifw/nedeer/netransfer.html to complete your swap.

Hunting In Maine Is Big Business

Approximately 204,000 people hunt in Maine each year, and those hunters generate more than $241 million in economic activity in Maine. Approximately 83 percent of the hunters are Maine residents.

Each hunter spends an average of $1,359 in equipment, licenses, memberships and trip-related expenses, and spends approximately 13 days engaging in the sport, according to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, the most recent information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The economic impact from hunting season is tremendous, supporting thousands of jobs and bringing millions in state sales and income tax revenue.

Make Sure Your Deer Hunt Is A Safe Hunt

The Department offers the following safety tips:

· Be sure that someone knows where you are headed, and when you plan to return. Leave a map and itinerary.

· If carrying a cell phone, be sure the batteries are charged and bring a spare.

· Carry emergency survival gear, a flashlight, extra batteries, map and compass, matches, water and snacks.

· Stop periodically to eat and re-hydrate yourself.

· Wear two pieces of hunter orange that are in good condition.

· Be sure of your target, and what is beyond it.

· Always keep the muzzle of your firearm pointed in a safe direction.

· Unload your firearm before entering a dwelling, before entering a vehicle, or before storing it.