2008 deer harvest brought down by one of Maine’s worst winters

    AUGUSTA — The winter of 2008 was one of the worst winters for Maine’s deer population across the state. Preliminary harvest numbers of 21,062 deer represent a 27 percent decrease in harvest from 2007 and the lowest deer harvest since the beginning of the any-deer permit system in 1986.     The long winter, with record-setting snow packs, created extremely difficult conditions for deer, with deer yarded up on average for over 140 days statewide compared to the normal 84 days, according to Lee Kantar, deer and moose biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. During those additional 56 days resulted in extremely low overwinter survival rates for fawns, and left adult does in poor condition prior to fawning season. The poor condition of the adult does likely resulted in a high rate of mortality for the fawns born in 2008. This was evident in the dramatic decline in the fawn harvest (45 percent) as part of the total antlerless harvest. Fawns were just not available during the fall hunting season.
    The deer harvest by season showed an overall drop in success rates across most methods.
    Youth hunters harvested 510 deer, down 52 percent from 1,065 in 2007 (the second best youth harvest day ever);
    October archers harvested 834 deer and expanded archers harvested 921. Last year’s archery total was 2,236. October archery was up 18 percent despite new restrictions on October archers in bucks-only Wildlife Management Districts.
    Blackpowder enthusiasts harvested 1,137 deer – a 42 percent decrease from a record-setting harvest of 1,964 deer in 2007.
    Modern firearms users harvested 17,652, down 25 percent from 23,537 in 2007.
    More deer (2,340) were harvested in Penobscot County again this year than any other county. Other counties with more than 2,000 deer harvested were Kennebec (2,062), York (2,108) and Cumberland (2,000).
    Maine residents accounted for 91 percent of the total statewide deer harvest with Piscataquis County having the highest harvest by non-residents (26 percent) of all counties. Most counties (10 out of 16) had a deer harvest by residents greater than 90 percent.
    Hunters killed 13,566 adult bucks and 7,496 antlerless deer. The adult buck kill was a 16 percent decrease over the previous year while the antlerless kill was down 41 percent from 2007. Yearlings were more scarce than normal in 2008. This is because as fawns in 2007 they suffered high losses over the 2007-08 winter. Yearlings normally make up a higher percentage of the buck kill. In 2007, the statewide yearling harvest of bucks comprised 49 percent of the yearling and older buck harvest, while in 2008 it represented only 37 percent.
    “The harsh winter of 2007-08 and its effects on Maine’s deer herd will be felt for a long time,” according to Kantar. “The current winter of 2008-09 so far looks very similar to last year and will exert additional pressure on the state’s deer herd. If this winter results in conditions similar to last year, we will need to brace ourselves for a further decrease in any-deer permits as well as a reduced harvest in 2009. A reduction in any-deer permits is needed in order to compensate for an expected high rate of winter mortality.”
    IF&W wildlife biologists will be meeting in the next few weeks to determine the preliminary number of any deer permits that will be available for next year.