Press Releases
November 26, 2008
Marsh Island Deer Reduction Season Starts Monday, Dec. 1
Augusta – A limited two-week deer reduction season will begin Monday, Dec. 1, on two parcels of land owned by the City of Old Town.
The season was requested by the City of Old Town, and was unanimously approved by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Advisory Council on Oct. 22 during an emergency rule-making session. The decision follows years of discussion with the public, the City of Old town, the Town of Orono and the University of Maine.
The controlled harvest is a one-year pilot project that will take place from Dec. 1 to Dec. 13, excluding Dec. 7, on two properties referred to as the Airport parcel and the Penny Road parcel.
“After years of conversation, the limited season is finally on,” said Commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “I look forward to seeing its results and, in the coming months, working with the City of Old Town, the Town of Orono, the University of Maine and the public to evaluate whether it was a success.”
This limited season is NOT open to all hunters. Twenty bowhunters who have met specific criteria through the Bowhunter Landowner Information Program have received permits for the season and have been instructed on the 24 rules and guidelines of the project. (The guidelines are attached to this press release.)
Also, the bowhunters have received documents – from hunting record cards to biological data record sheets – to track information that will be used by wildlife biologists at the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to assess whether a limited season can accomplish the objective of reducing the deer herd to a level that significantly reduces the risk to public safety on roadways and complaints of deer damage.
Game Wardens from the Maine Warden Service will monitor activity to ensure that only qualified bowhunters are participating in the season.
The harvest is being managed through a cooperative venture among the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the City of Old town and the Maine Bowhunters Association.
