IFW Moosehead and Penobscot hunting reports

    “Deer season in the Moosehead region ended up about where we expected,” said IFW wildlife biologist Doug Kane. “Most of the stations were at or above where they were last year.”
    In fact, Kane said that most of the stations were up about 25 percent, and only one tagging station in the area was the same as last year.

    “The yearling and two and a half year olds showed up very strong in the harvest,” said Kane, which showed both good winter survival and reproductive rates. “That bodes very well for the future.”
    Kane noted that there were a number of bucks that were taken over 200 pounds, but maybe a little less than what may expect since those age classes were hit hard by the bad winters in 2008 and 2009.  Still, things look good for the years ahead.
    “There are a lot of happy hunters this year,” said Kane. “There was a lot of deer activity and a lot of deer sightings. All those signs point to a very good future.”
    Kane did note that he expected to see more bear harvested during the deer firearm season, but that did not materialize.
    “There was a very strong beech nut crop this season, and I thought that we would see more bears taken,” said Kane, “but even with the strong food year, it looks as though most bears denned up early.”
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    “We had some great tracking snow on (Dec. 2), and we are already seeing some muzzleloaders getting deer,” said IFW wildlife biologist Mark Caron. In the Enfield area and parts of Washington County, there was five inches of snow. “That was the day to go muzzleloading.”
    Throughout the region, every deer tagging station showed an increase in numbers.
    “Everybody was up. In Shin Pond, they registered a little over 100 deer, and there were similar stories elsewhere. They even ran out of tagging books in some regions,” said Caron.
    “It was a good year, people were seeing deer and taking deer, and the good weather carried through the season,” said Caron.
    Caron said there were a lot of nice deer in the 180-200 pound range, although he didn’t see many over 250 pounds. He did note a lot of yearlings and two and a half year olds in the harvest.
    “Most hunters weren’t waiting. They were shooting if they saw a deer,” said Caron. “Over the past few years, I think many hunters have gotten into the habit of shooting when they see one.”
    Grouse hunters are still out. While some of the roads may not be great, bird hunters can still be seen walking the woods roads.
    “Some hunters who tagged out early on deer still go out and hunt. While the roads are starting to get a little worse, hunters are still getting out and walking,” said Caron.