Nearly extinct in Maine at the turn of the century, the wild turkey has expanded its original range at an explosive rate, thanks to the efforts of wildlife biologists, sporting clubs and the Maine Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The season will last four weeks, but each permit holder will be able to hunt only two weeks. It was a turkey hunt, and then some. The wild birds, reintroduced to Maine in 1977, have keen senses for avoiding hunters. A tough winter weakened the deer population, and that means fewer people will be able to shoot does.
Some sportsmen think the state officials overreacted.
Three registered Maine guides were fined, and two of them sent to jail, after they were convicted Wednesday of violating game laws during hunts in 1998 and 1999. State to issue fewer any-deer hunting permits The 42 percent reduction is intended to save does and help Maine's deer herd recover from a long, harsh winter. A woods full of sheds Collecting antlers that drop naturally from deer and moose in midwinter is a growing hobby and occasionally lucrative business. Wildlife officials move to curtail fall hunt's doe kill They propose a sharp reduction in the number of any-deer permits. After reviewing estimates of how many deer died in late winter, they decided to recommend only 54,000 any-deer permits, a 42 percent drop.