Rules for harvesting deer are changing again this year depending on where you hunt.

But first, some background. In 2022, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife changed its licensing system to allow deer hunters to apply for a doe tag in addition to their buck-only big game hunting license. This meant that I could shoot a doe and continue to hunt for a buck instead of having a one-and-done deer season.

Hunters were given a set period of time to purchase their doe tag once they were drawn. If they did not meet the deadline, those permits went back into the system with remaining tags from certain wildlife management districts so that they could be purchased by hunters who were drawn for a doe tag.

The first year was successful. IFW hoped for 13,807 does to be tagged and the final number was 13,883. The following two years have not been as successful. In 2023, only 10,849 doe were tagged. The goal was 15,720. Last year, 11,763 doe were tagged and the department hoped for 16,532 to meet their desired deer population goals. Still, the overall average of does taken over the past three years (12,165) increased significantly from the 6,675 between 2016-2018.

Deer hunters under the age of 16 are allowed to take a doe or buck during the youth deer hunt (Oct. 24-25 this fall). If a young hunter harvests a deer no matter if it is a buck or a doe, they are done for the rest of the season unless they have a doe tag and can continue to hunt for a doe to fill that tag.

For the rest of us, this year things are changing again.

“Hunters in Wildlife Management Districts (WMDs) 21-25 and 29 will be able to take either a buck or a doe with their hunting license, not both. If a hunter in WMDs 21-25 and 29 wants to take both, they will still need a hunting license and an antlerless deer permit,” said Nathan Bieber, Maine’s state deer biologist.

These six districts cover a large portion of the state.  WMD 29 begins where the Egypt Stream enters Egypt Bay in Hancock and runs south along the coast, including all of the coastal islands.  WMD25 also covers the coastal areas including Newcastle, Boothbay, Bristol, Rockland, and Union. WMD 23 is the northern-most WMD that is impacted with this change, covering Fairfield, China, Madison, Solon, Sidney, parts of Augusta and surrounding towns.  WMD 22 also covers parts of Augusta as well as Auburn, Turner, Bristol, Minot and Bowdoin. The areas around Sebago Lake, Gray, parts of Auburn, Saco, Gorham and Standish are all a part of WMD 21 and WMD 24 includes the Androscoggin River, Bath, Saco, Hiram, Eliot, and York.

These zones are in heavily populated areas and need to have more deer taken off the landscape. “This change is intended to increase doe harvest in these WMDs,” said Bieber. “We have found that many deer hunters don’t participate in or interact with the antlerless permit system at all; this change gives them a way to take a doe during the firearms season.”

While the data may not show huge movement overall, Bieber is confident that this change will help. “We don’t expect big increases in doe harvest from this, but we’ll get some additional does this way from hunters that didn’t want to buy a permit” and that will help with the overall harvest numbers in those WMDs and statewide.

This change is currently set to begin with this 2025 deer season but it may continue into next year and beyond.

“We have the authority by rule to change this on a year-to-year basis, but this is not seen as any sort of trial. We will re-evaluate these WMDs annually though,” said Bieber.

As the number of hunters in Maine decreases, getting creative with licensing may entice more people to start deer hunting or bring those that have not hunted in a while, back out into the woods.

While this year’s change will not impact me and the WMD that I hunt in, the change three years ago to allow hunters to take a buck and a doe is a huge relief.  I am a meat hunter first, so I will use my doe tag on opening day if possible, to ensure I help with the population management of deer in central Maine and put meat in the freezer for the next year. I can then hunt for a bigger, mature buck instead of shooting whatever deer I see just to make sure that I get meat.

It would be great if more hunters did that and utilized their does tags to help IFW reach their management goals while also putting meat on their table (or donating it.)  This is also a great opportunity to bring curious friends and relatives out into the stand with you. These tags are being given out to areas with a high density of deer.  If you have a good hunting spot, it should be fairly easy to take a doe and demonstrate proper hunting techniques, field dressing and butchering.

The opportunity to put meat in your freezer, help with the deer population health and get more time in the woods this fall is a win-win for all us. I will be one of the anxiously awaiting hunters hoping to see my name in the lottery results this year.

Erin Merrill, an award-winning writer based in central Maine, writes “Hunt & Harvest” monthly. She welcomes emails at: [email protected].