AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee voted unanimously Monday to advance a bill introduced by Rep. Scott Landry, D-Farmington, that will make changes to the states any-deer hunting permit system. The vote was 13-0.
As amended, LD 116 is the product of a year of work by stakeholders to identify changes to the any-deer permit system that will help Maine meet its harvest targets while simplifying the process for both hunters and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
"We have been working closely with stakeholders like the experts within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and sportsmen, and I believe this proposal is a win-win. It will allow us to better manage the deer herd in parts of the state where we haven't been hitting our harvest targets, which means a healthier population and fewer vehicle collisions," said Landry, a lifelong sportsman and House chair of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. "It also simplifies the process for hunters. The small fee for an any-deer permit mirrors what the department has done in the past and will help protect deer wintering habitat, something I think we sportsmen can get behind."
The proposal would allow the commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to designate certain wildlife management districts as open to the hunting of antlerless deer without an additional permit beyond a hunting license. It also creates a new antlerless deer permit with a fee of $12. Permits would be issued by lottery, with any remaining permits made available for sale to any interested hunter. Revenue from the permits would be used to preserve and manage critical deer wintering habitat.
Allowing hunters to harvest antlerless deer is an important tool for managing deer populations in parts of the state, but hunters are not harvesting enough antlerless deer to meet goals set by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. In 2020, the department issued nearly 110,000 any-deer permits but hunters harvested only 9,120 adult does.
"There is a seemingly endless number of ways to try and address the issues we're facing and improve our ability to meet doe harvest objectives, but we feel that this bill, in tandem with rule and policy changes we'll be pursuing, represents a clear path forward in a direction that will also simplify our permitting system, ensure equitable distribution of antlerless harvest opportunity and also support efforts to acquire and manage deer wintering habitat," Nathan Bieber, deer specialist with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, told the committee at a public hearing on the bill last week.
Landry is serving his second term in the Maine House. He represents Farmington and New Sharon. In addition to serving as House chair of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, he is also a member of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Landry], c. 812-1111