The deadline to apply for the 2015 Any-Deer Permit Lottery is quickly approaching.
Applications will be accepted online until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17. To apply online, visit www.mefishwildlife.com
It is free to apply for the any-deer permit lottery. The drawing will be held on Sept. 9 and results will be posted on the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website.
The department uses the any-deer permit system to manage the white-tailed deer population in the state. By controlling the harvest of female deer in the 29 regional wildlife management districts throughout the state, biologists can manage population trends.
A total of 28,770 any-deer permits will be issued in 15 of the state’s 29 wildlife management districts. This is a decrease from last year when there were 37,185 permits available to hunters. The permit allocation is: 7,196 for landowners; 7,196 for juniors; and 398 for Superpack holders and 13,980 for all other hunters.
This past winter was of above-average severity in some parts of the state, which may have resulted in increased winter mortality rates for our over-wintering deer. Therefore, IFW wildlife biologists have recommended decreasing the number of any-deer permits in much of the state.
The 15 wildlife management districts where any-deer (antlerless) permits will be issued are 3, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 29. This year, permits have been allocated to districts 3, 6, 14, and 18 as biological data collected and field observations by staff suggest that these WMD’s have experienced population growth.
Deer hunting season (firearms) begins with Youth Deer Hunting Day on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015. Youth may take a buck statewide or an antlerless deer only in the wildlife management districts where any-deer permits will be issued this fall.
This year, Maine Residents Only Day is on Saturday, Oct. 31, and regular firearms season for deer runs Nov. 2 through Nov. 28.
For more information, visit www.mefishwildlife.com.
