Over the years, I have heard firsthand disparaging comments from the disgruntled deer hunter camp, accusing state wildlife mangers of not knowing how many deer are in the woods. Here, the Maine DIFW has put forth a very specific prediction about harvest numbers for the forthcoming season. I'll wager that the projected figure (24,000) is within 10% of the actual harvest, largely because the DIFW DOES know the size of the population they are managing. Check back next spring--time will tell.
State wildlife officials say the harvest from next month's deer season is projected to be the smallest in more than two decades because of the heavy toll of last winter's harsh conditions on the deer herd.
Hunters are expected to kill about 24,000 deer during the season, which begins Saturday for residents and Monday for nonresidents.
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte said that would be the lowest number since 1987.
Hunters last year harvested 28,884 deer, which is in line with Maine's 20-year average.
Source: WCSH6
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment