Make Sure Your Deer Hunt Is A Safe Hunt:
- Be sure that someone knows where you are headed, and when you plan to return.
- Carry emergency survival gear, a flashlight, map and compass, matches and water.
- Stop periodically to eat and re-hydrate yourself.
- Wear two pieces of hunter orange that are in good condition.
- Be sure of your target, and what is beyond it.
- Always keep the muzzle of your firearm pointed in a safe direction.
- Unload your firearm before entering a dwelling, before entering a vehicle, or before storing it.
Hunting Safety Facts
- In the past ten deer firearm seasons, there has not been one reported instance of a non-hunting person (hiker, jogger, homeowner, etc.) being injured by someone deer hunting.
- Hunting seasons for various animals and birds encompass all 12 months in Maine. In that same time span of ten years (3,653 days), there have been only one instance of a non-hunter (hiker, jogger, homeowner, etc.) being injured by the firearm of a hunter.
- Over the past ten years, 46% (45 out of 98) hunting-related firearm injuries have been self-inflicted.
- In the state of Maine during the calendar year 2004, there were 194 vehicular fatalities, 19 homicides, 18 fire fatalities, 10 vehicular - pedestrian fatalities, 10 ATV fatalities, 7 snowmobiling fatalities, 6 boating fatalities, 4 moose vehicle fatalities and 1 hunting fatality.
Maine White-tailed Deer Facts:
- Maine's wintering deer population in 2005 was approximately 259,000.
- Male white-tailed deer weigh between 100-300 pounds, and females weight between 85-130 pounds.
- White-tailed deer are found throughout the state, but there are more deer in the southern and central part of the state.
- During the summer months, deer will feed on grasses, deciduous vegetation, leaves and crops. In fall and winter, deer will feed on acorns and bark from oak, birch and maple trees, as well as cedar.
- Deer in Maine generally mate in mid- to late November, and females have a gestation period of 7 months. Female deer will produce 1-3 fawns, generally born in May and June.
- Black bear and coyotes are significant predators on fawns.
- In winter when snowdepths exceed 16 inches, deer will yard in stands of conifers, forming a central resting area with trails packed through the snow. This dense cover with adequate browse is essential for winter survival.
- Deer hunting success during the 2004 firearms season is estimated to be 19% for residents and 13% for nonresidents.
- In 2004, Deer hunting success averaged 17%. Moose hunters had an 80% success rate in 2004, bear hunters a 29% success rate, and turkey hunters had a 26% success rate.
- There are approximately 259,000 white-tailed deer in Maine (estimated wintering population in 2004).
- Deer hunters in Maine killed 30,926 deer in 2004.
- Maine's regular firearm season attracts the most hunters (183,00) and accounts for the greatest share of the total deer harvest, which includes two archery seasons, the firearm season as well as a muzzleloader season, and stretches from the beginning of September through the middle of December. In 2004, 87% of the total deer harvest was taken during the four-week firearms deer season.
- Maine's residents registered 87 percent of the deer harvest in 2004.
- Some parts of northern Maine carry as little as 2 deer per square mile. Generally, northern and eastern WMDs average less than 8 deer per square mile, while central and southern Maine averages 15-30 deer per square mile.
- Some southern coastal sections of Maine where hunting access is restricted or denied average 30-100 deer per square mile.
- This year, 70,725 Any Deer permits were issued; last year, 72,600 permits were issued.
- The peak breeding time for deer in Maine is the third week of November, consistent with the peak for deer breeding activity from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas.
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