Funds from Antlerless Deer Permits Help Purchase over 10,000 Acres of Critical Habitat

Maine hunters have a strong conservation history. Hunting helps keep wildlife populations healthy, and hunters provide biologists with critical data and help to fund the research and management of wildlife species, including species that are not hunted such as songbirds and endangered species. Hunters also help fund land acquisition – protecting important wildlife habitat for hundreds of species.

 
Since 2022, $12 from each antlerless deer hunting permit is deposited into the Maine Deer Management Fund, with the $2 agent fee covering administrative costs. These funds have helped acquire and manage over 10,000 acres of critical deer wintering habitat in Maine! Here’s how.

The Maine Deer Management Fund, combined with funds from the Lands for Maine’s Future Program and Pittman-Robertson Funds (funds from a manufacturer federal excise tax on hunting equipment), is used to purchase and manage deer wintering areas (DWA), in northern, western, and eastern Maine.

Deer wintering areas are a critical habitat for white-tailed deer living at the northern end of their range. A DWA is the habitat where deer go year after year to avoid harsh winter winds and deep snow. By acquiring and managing DWAs, the Department helps deer to survive the winter season by improving the quality of these essential resources.

MDIFW Regional Wildlife Biologists, Species Biologists, and Land Management and Acquisition teams collaborate with conservation partners and landowners. Together they work to purchase land to be managed by the State to provide wintering habitat for white-tailed deer. Acquired lands are also managed as public Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) that are open to public recreation, including hunting, fishing, and trapping. Keeping these areas open to these regulated activities provides wildlife and fisheries biologists with a variety of wildlife management tools that can be adjusted to help keep wildlife populations at healthy levels that are in balance with available habitat. Recent acquisitions and land access projects to provide winter habitat to Maine’s white-tailed deer include:

• Rangeley WMA — 708 Acres, funded with Pittman Robertson and Deer Management Funds
• Caribou Stream WMA —  1,110 acres, funded with Pittman Robertson, Land for Maine’s Future, and Deer Management Funds
• Lexington Deer Wintering Area — 1,490 acres, funded with Pittman Robertson, Land for Maine’s Future, and Deer Management Funds
• Macwahoc Stream WMA — 6,326 acres, funded with Pittman Robertson, Land for Maine’s Future, and Deer Management Funds

Along with providing critical habitat for wintering deer, these lands provide the habitat needs for a variety of species including a wide diversity of birds and waterfowl, and other wildlife including bobcat, fisher, marten and others; and several of these new WMAs also have waters that support brook trout, landlocked salmon, and other species. These vital habitats and public access will now be protected for generations to come.

Public Law 409, “An Act to Preserve Deer Habitat”, enacted by the 130th Legislature, significantly enhanced the ability of the Department to protect deer wintering areas. This law established the ability for the Department to use Deer Management Fund dollars toward the acquisition and management of important deer wintering habitat and prioritized the use of Lands for Maine’s Future funds for the same. The Deer Management fund received approximately $1.2 million a year, primarily through the sale of antlerless deer permits, with additional funding through deer registrations and donations.

Thank you to hunters and others who contribute to the deer management fund to help keep Maine's white-tailed deer population healthy and conserve critical habitat.