Region A
MDIF&W Regional Office
RR1, 358 Shaker Road
Gray, ME 04039
(207) 657-2345
Weekly Outdoor Reports by Wildlife Biologists
The York Region
by Phil Bozenhard, Regional Wildlife Biologist
Physical Characteristics
Region A is the southern most region in the state, made up of ninety towns in York, Cumberland, Oxford, Androscoggin, and Sagadahoc Counties. While the region represents approximately 10% of the state's area it has almost 50% of the state's population. The region can be characterized as three main areas. The coastal strip, which is that area east of the Maine Turnpike, the central area, and the western foothills, which extend up into the lower portion of Oxford County. Over the past 50 years there has been a continual increase in both the amount of development and the amount of forested land while at the same time there has been a continual decline in the amount of agriculture. In that time the amount of agricultural land, within the region, has declined from 30% to 10%. At the same time, the human population, within the region, has increased approximately 30%. The development pressure has not been constant across the region, it is strongest along the coast and diminishes as one moves west. Some concerns within the region have been the increasing amounts of posted or restricted land, increasing amounts of development and the associated loss of quality habitat, and balancing deer accidents and crop damage complaints with the hunters request for more deer.
Wildlife Management Areas
While the percentage of Department owned land within the region is small, the regional staff currently manages 9 wildlife management areas which total approximately 20,000 acres. The largest management area is the Brownfield Bog WMA, located in the towns of Brownfield and Fryeburg, which is comprised of a mixture of 5700 acres of wetland and upland habitats. The area offers good deer and waterfowl hunting and is accessable by several dirt roads. Weather is a major factor with regards to access into this WMA. The Saco River flows through the middle of the area and many of the access roads into the "bog area" are flooded after heavy rains. During dryer years the river also provides access to some of the "harder to get to" parts of the area. A second area which offers good deer hunting is the Steep Falls WMA which contains 4900 acres of primarily upland habitat. This area is bordered on three side by tarred roads (Rts. 113, 11, and 114) offering easy access to the public.
Hunting Opportunities
Hunting opportunities vary considerably throughout the region. The eastern coastal portion offers excellent waterfowl hunting, particularly for sea ducks while at the same time offering some of the highest deer populations in the state. Although the deer are numerous, hunters are restricted by posted property and local city and town ordinances which prohibit or limit the discharge of firearms. A large portion of this area is in the September expanded archery season and getting out and doing the required leg work to get permission to hunt will often open up prime deer hunting areas.
Hunters in the central area and western foothills will find larger tracts of woods and good deer populations. The farther west and north the more wooded and rugged the terrain becomes and the deer population is lower. In the vast majority of the region there is good road access to areas to hunt. Moose and bear hunting is limited in the region due to low numbers of both species. Bear hunting with bait is limited to the most northern portion of the region and the majority of bears are shot opportunistically while hunters are deer hunting. Large deer, while making up a smaller percentage of the population than in some of the northern regions, are found throughout the region, with two deer dressed out at over 290 lbs. being registered during the last 10 years.
Turkey hunting is excellent in the central area as well as the coastal strip with birds continuing to move into new habitat. Virtually all of the remaining agricultural area will have a flock of turkeys in close proximity. As with other types of hunting getting landowner permission before hunting will keep areas from being posted in the future.
