Maine’s Fish and Wildlife Advisory Council is expected next week to approve a special two-week deer hunt in Eastport, and this Portland Press Herald story by Randy Billings may be of interest to the good folks in that Down East town.
I was surprised when the folks in Eastport, which is overrun with deer, removed from their proposal the opportunity to use bait to bring the deer into the stands designated by the town. Hunters must sit in those designated stands, without the opportunity to actually hunt through the town to find their deer. They are also limited to the use of bows. No guns.
In my mind, this is less an actual deer hunt and more a controlled deer kill, designed to reduce the number of deer in Eastport. And I am skeptical that it will significantly reduce those numbers, because the number of permits is low.
Perhaps over time, Eastport will look to Maine’s islands for guidance on how to effectively reduce deer populations. Randy’s story is a good place to start. And yes, these islanders use bait.
You can read Randy’s story here.