Maine Deer Harvest 2010 Report

Contrary to what I had expected, the reported number of deer harvested during the 2010 hunting season showed an increase of 11%.  The 2009 figure was the lowest in decades, with a total of 18,092.  In 2010, the total was 20,063, with a significant increase in the number of yearling bucks sporting multi-pointed antlers and a decrease in the percentage of antlerless deer taken.

Here in Southern Maine, most of the hunters that I spoke with had seen very few deer in the woods.  Usually, I have deer with youngsters grazing in my field from late August on, but 2010 was the first year in a long time that I did not have any sightings.

State biologists made note of the fact that the winter of 2009 was comparatively mild and after a couple of severe winters that was a helpful change.  The fall and early winter of 2010 was also notably warm and accumulating snow did not show up until January.  No doubt this allowed deer to remain under cover in the woods for a longer period of time and the food supply was better than in the past.

I have been putting out a small supply of pellets on my back lawn for the deer since late December and have had a group of 3-7 of them show up  on a regular basis.  They show no signs of malnutrition and with the snow pack melting at a rapid rate they are now beginning to nibble at the beginnings of green grass.

The future for deer in this area seems promising, even though we still have a coyote problem that shows no signs of dissipating.

Northern Maine, a couple of counties in the northeast coastal region and the western mountains region are a different story.  The recent severe winters of 2007 and 2008, diminishing availability and quality of deer wintering areas and increasing predation by both coyote and black bear had a devastating impact on the whitetail population and the statewide deer count is suspected to be below 200,000 for the first time in decades.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (DIF&W) is under a new Director and has developed a plan to address several issues.

1.  In order to survive Maine’s harsh winters, deer must have access to dense conifer forests, most of which are found on private land.  Efforts to identify deer wintering areas will be stepped up, combined with promoting the management of these areas through the cooperation of land owners who can benefit through “current use” tax incentives.

2.  Deer population management strategies will be expanded to include additional research designed to refine deer population models, increasing understanding of the interactions between deer, habitat and predation, the relationship between moose population management and the deer herd, and increasing law enforcement efforts to address illegal hunting including expanded penalties.

3.  Whitetail deer are particularly vulnerable to coyotes during the winter and the spring pupping season.  Newborn fawns in summer are a favorite target for both coyotes and black bears.  Strategies will include increased emphasis on coyote hunting, to include direction of coyote hunters to targeted areas and seeking general funds to achieve sustained coyote control.  Additional means to stabilize the black bear population will be considered.  Additional efforts will be made in continuing to lobby the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for an Incidental Take Permit for Maine’s regulated trapping program.

4.  DIF&W intends to increase public involvement with deer herd planning and management through stepped-up information programs on how concerned individuals and groups can improve deer habitat and more actively publicizing the Department’s efforts and programs (and communicating their success) as they develop.

These are steps that are long overdue.  Hopefully it is not too late to begin to counteract the decline of Maine’s whitetail herd.

The Maine Deer Herd – 2010

Numbers for the deer harvest for 2009 were not good news.  A total of 18,045 deer were registered for that year, approximately 6% below of the projection made by the Maine State Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and far below the 28,000-plus average of the last decade.  At this point, I would expect the 2010 numbers to be even lower than those of last year.

I live in the southern part of Maine, in a semi-rural area approximately 20 miles up the coastline from Portland.  There are still a couple of active farms around Freeport and a fair amount of open land despite heavy development that has seen dozens of new houses built within a couple of miles’ radius of my modest 30 acres.

The hunting season has just recently closed here in Maine and this past year marked the fewest number of deer that I have ever seen in my small field over the late summer and early fall, let alone during active hunting around my property.  Normally, at least a couple of does with young ones can be seen in the field near my house in the early evenings, but not one pair was seen this year.  Extensive examination of my wooded property showed few tracks or other deer sign and only during the last couple of days have I spotted any indication of a rutting buck.  Hours spent in a tree stand in November produced only one sighting of a small doe.

Conversations with other active hunters in my area have yielded similar results.  Admittedly, this past November was both warm and unusually wet, conditions that limit the movement of deer during the daylight hours.  There was scarcely any snow statewide during hunting season, which made it even more difficult to determine deer movement.   Still, deer sightings around the state seem to be diminishing at a most troubling rate.

There are a number of possible contributing factors.  Two massive snowfall winters in ’07 and ’08 took a terrible toll on the herd.  Conditions were exacerbated by the cutting of old-growth forest areas that severely reduced sheltering areas for the herd during the worst of the winter weather.  Horror stories abound of discoveries of dozens of carcasses in areas where snow had built up to the point where the deer could no longer expand their foraging activities and starved in a group setting where their confinement also made it easy for coyotes to slaughter the naturally penned-in animals.

Ironically, some maintain that the attacks by nature lovers on the clear-cutting practices of the woodland owners resulted in the selective cutting of old-growth areas that provided shelter for the deer, leaving them more susceptible to weather and predation.  There can be little question but that even though clear cut areas provide new growth (and thereby food) for the deer, Maine must act immediately to ensure that enough sheltering habitat remains so that the herd can at least begin to stabilize.

A recent (2008) study by MDIFW postulates that there are between 15,000 and 20,000 coyotes in Maine.  Wildlife has suffered greatly because of this invasion.  It is now rare that you encounter rabbits, grouse, or other small game in my area and coyote predation upon farm animals and household pets has become intolerable.  Coyote sightings have become commonplace in and around Portland and other urban areas, indicating that the animals are beginning to lose their natural aversion to man.  It is only a matter of time before an incident of coyotes attacking a child occurs.  The creatures have no natural enemies in the wild here in Maine and attempts to limit their numbers through hunting have proved less than effective.  Trapping has been hamstrung by regulations to the point where it is no longer a factor in controlling these predators.

Another MDIFW report concludes that 30 % of the winter deer kill is the work of coyotes (equal to – or perhaps surpassing – the number killed by hunters).  Coyote population is increasing and the number of deer is decreasing.

Yet another predator who contributes to the decline of the deer herd is the black bear, whose diet frequently includes fawns.  Not surprisingly, the black bear population is also on the rise, as is the amount of their interaction with humans in both rural and semi-rural areas.

For the past several years, organizations such as the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and other concerned groups have been petitioning the state bureaucracy to take action to help rebuild the deer herd.  To this point, little has been achieved other than numerous studies and reports by state biologists and conservationists, despite workable solutions proposed by such experts as Gerry Lavigne, a wildlife biologist formerly employed by MDIFW.

I suspect that unless immediate and strenuous and effective action is taken by Maine authorities, the demise of the Maine deer herd is now underway.

“Mountain Momma” … For Sure

Still love that John Denver song, but I could not fully appreciate it until my recent visit to West Virginia.

An old and valued hunting companion has been after me for years to join him on his annual pilgrimage to the Mountain State and since he has faithfully accompanied me for many years on Maine hunting trips (making the long trek from his home in Pennsylvania), I thought that it was f time to accept his offer.

After an eleven hour trip down to Pennsylvania, I could really admire my buddy’s dedication to someday getting that big Maine buck he has pursued for so many years.  The trip to the West Virginia area where his hunting club is located was another three hours or so, but we finally settled into his camper that rests in a valley flanked by some impressive heights.  I would not realize just how intimidating these mountains could be until the next day when we fired up his ATV and took off on a scouting trip.

Western Maine has some mountains, but other than Mt. Katahdin at 5,270 feet and Sugarloaf Mountain a distant second at 1,295 feet, we have little to compare with the steep hills and mountains we traveled that day and during the remainder of our hunt.  The slopes proved to be a challenge for aging legs, but provided some magnificent views.

I soon came to miss the dirt logging roads and overgrown “tote roads” that crisscross Maine forests.  Other than a few ATV trails, most of the unpaved roads in our area were cut directly into the side of the mountains and rarely exceeded twenty feet in width – barely enough to accommodate my pickup truck and affording a somewhat disturbing view of precipitous drop offs of hundreds of feet.  Since the forest consisted of primarily maple and oak (with very minimal underbrush) the open view between trees magnified the distance to the bottom of these “hollows” that lined the mountain side.

There was certainly a varied terrain to deal with – from steep, to steeper, to “Oh, _ _ _ _!”

The scenery is ample cause for distraction.  Those open forests provide excellent views for spotting game, but of course provide equal opportunity for the game to spot you.  As a long-time “still hunter”, I soon realized that familiarity with the terrain and the travel and feeding habits of the deer was imperative since it became evident that my time-honored practice of sneaking around and hoping to surprise the quarry put me at a disadvantage in these surroundings.  Nope, better to find the right spot and wait for movement on the part of the deer.

‘Course I still had to deal with the steep inclines to get to “Point A”.

I saw deer on a daily basis although only a couple were sighted during legal shooting hours.  This was a pleasant change after several years of hunting in Maine’s northern areas without seeing any deer in the woods.  The other hunters around our campsite were notably disgruntled over the few deer sighted during several days of hunting and they assured me that for the opening days of the West Virginia season there were not many shots being heard.

Still, there were a couple of respectable eight-pointers brought into camp along with a few five and six-point bucks.  The weather was unseasonably warm, with early week midday temperatures nearing seventy after frost on the ground in the morning.

I had the privilege of being introduced to some of the most friendly, courteous folks I have ever met.  A small group of friends and relatives from the Martinsburg, West Virginia area were set up next to us and I deeply enjoyed the excellent meals and companionship that these gentlemen offered.  My sincere gratitude is extended to Larry, Tom, Jack, Dave and Jimmy for making my stay a wonderful experience and for their generosity in extending their knowledge of the local area – and, of course, for their deep fund of hunting lore (hunting camp tales, eh?).

A wonderful Thanksgiving dinner, provided by my Pennsylvania pardner’s wife at their home capped off a truly memorable trip, even though we brought back no venison.  The experiences and the fine company are mostly what hunting trips are about.

However one can certainly appreciate the warmth and familiarity of home after a long trip and, best of all, being back with the most important person in my life.

An Exciting Stanley Cup Series

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years.  The winning goal in overtime was a stunner – the only person in the rink who initially knew that it went in was the shooter, Patrick Kane.  There is an old adage in hockey: “Put the puck on net …. you never know what will happen”.  The end game of this hard-fought series proved the saying true.

The Philadelphia Flyers had made a name for themselves, achieving comeback after comeback throughout the entire playoffs, leaving it all on the ice in order to advance through the schedule – and they almost pulled it off once again with a gritty goal by Scott Hartnell in the waning minutes of the third period that sent the game into overtime with the possibility of a Game 7 in Chicago.

I love hockey.  The speed, the grace, the power exhibited by the players makes it one of the most exciting games in sports.  There is no other group of athletes that shows more dedication than hockey players and they play through injuries that would cause players in some other sports to retire for the season.

This Stanley Cup series will be memorable for many reasons, not the least of which is the resurgence of one of the oldest teams in the league.

Hey, the Hawks win the Stanley Cup, the Saints win the Super Bowl ……  America may sometimes be down, but never out.