Was over to the MDIFW site today reading some reports and wondering how Augusta was doing. Couldn’t really tell much about the “effectiveness” of current government so I read some more stuff.

Predation Report

Now take your time going through that……pretty interesting facts and such. Anybody want a new career as an ADC Agent/ProHunter????

The thing that I found most interesting was that the consensus of opinion was that bears were killing 50% to 60% of all fawns taken by predators. I would of thought maybe 25%…….not 60%. Coyotes topping the list and bobcat factored in as well.

I won’t say more……makes for some dry reading but well worth the effort.

Still time to voice an opinion!!!!!!

Agency: Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife

Rule Title or Subject: Moose Hunting

Concise Summary: The Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is proposing to adopt a rule establishing the number of moose hunting permits to be issued for the 2010 season. Permits will be issued for bulls, antlerless and any-moose. Permits are allocated according to Wildlife Management District as follows:

WMD 1 – 120 bulls / 20 antlerless WMD 12 – 35 bulls / 20 antlerless
WMD 2 – 125 bulls/ 125 antlerless WMD 13 — 35 bulls / 10 antlerless
WMD 3 – 200 bulls / 290 antlerless WMD 14 – 35 bulls
WMD 4 – 255 bulls WMD 15 – 25 any-moose*
WMD 5 – 125 bulls WMD 16 – 20 any-moose*
WMD 6 – 220 bulls / 280 antlerless WMD 17 – 30 bulls / 30 antlerless
WMD 7 – 125 bulls WMD 18 – 70 bulls / 20 antlerless
WMD 8 – 235 bulls WMD 19 – 80 bulls / 20 antlerless
WMD 9 – 70 bulls / 10 antlerless WMD 23 – 45 any-moose*
WMD 10 – 100 bulls / 10 antlerless WMD 26 – 45 any-moose*
WMD 11 – 160 bulls / 120 antlerless WMD 27 – 25 bulls
WMD 28 – 35 bulls
TOTAL: 2,080 bulls/955 antlerless/135 any-moose

In WMDs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11 and 19 the season will begin on the Monday following the close of the bear baiting season and remain open for 6 days and in WMDs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 27, and 28 the season will begin on the second Monday of October and remain open for 6 days.

*In WMDs 15, 16, 23 and 26, the season begins the 4th Monday preceding Thanksgiving to the Saturday following Thanksgiving; the Saturday preceding the first day of this season is open for the hunting of moose by permit holders who are residents of this State only. The term “any-moose” means a moose of either sex. Persons hunting moose during this season must comply with the same hunter orange requirements as deer hunters. The legal hunting hours will be from ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset.
This Rule Will__ Will Not_X_ Have a Fiscal Impact on Municipalities.

Statutory Authority: 12 MRSA Section 11551

Public Hearing: November 12, 2009 @ 6:30 p.m. – Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Region D Headquarters, 18 Village Street, Greenville, ME.

Deadline for Comments: November 23, 2009

Agency Contact Person: Andrea L. Erskine

Agency Name: Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Address: #41 SHS – 284 State Street, Augusta, ME 04333-0041

E-Mail: andrea.erskine@maine.gov

Telephone: (207) 287-5201 or by FAX to 207-287-6395

©BN Reece 2009       

I just finished reading a 147-page report from MeDIFW on the future of deer hunting in Aroostook County. A rather dim forecast in light of the 50 to 65% loss we suffered in the winter of 2008. The report was actually mandated by LD823.

The mandate read: Resolve to create an effective deer habitat enhancement and coyote control program, Commissioner Roland Martin signed off on the report and the report was released in December 2007.This report predates the decimation of the deer herd in the winter of 2009. But the information there in was very interesting.

The commission established a Task Force: The Northern and Eastern Maine Deer Task Force to oversee and implement the strategies outlined in the report and to follow the directives of the committee.

The most disturbing thing to come out of this report was the insistence of all of the relevant experts. That the continued killing of does must cease until the population increases to the 10 deer per mile figure. This Bucks only strategy would include archery, muzzleloader and youth hunts. Compounded by the equally insistent statement that we have to eradicate 70% of the coyotes each year to successfully control their numbers. In this way nature allows our deer herds to recover to the point of reaching a density near that 10 per Mile figure stated. The 10 per mile figure, is based on the carrying capacity of the land specifically studied in Aroostook. That’s a lot to accept into my deer loving head, and more than a little bit impossible to assure.

Among the many options stated in the report is one I advocated a couple years ago over on the Maine Hunting Today forum and website. A complete moratorium on deer hunting in Aroostook County, that’s bucks and does. The survey we ran in 2007/2008 showed that nobody was willing to make a sacrifice of his or her hunting. All voters in the survey saw the need for more coyote control. But getting them to leave deer in the woods was not on anyone’s agenda.

We are facing some hard choices in the future and that future is now!! If we the hunters and outdoors-folks of this great county don’t roll up our sleeves and get to work on these issues. Then it’s the same as telling the rest of the state to do what they want in Aroostook, her people don’t care. We have to put an end to the decimation of the deeryards, or DWA’s as the Commission calls them. Make whatever deal has to be made with the landowners to get them to leave the yards alone. Then bring in the hunters to thin out the Coyotes. Give us back our snaring program to protect the DWA’s from the packs. Yes, despite information to the contrary, anyone with any real knowledge of the north woods. Will tell you coyotes form packs and hunt as a group and as individuals. A trait they acquired in their Eastward migration.

I cannot count the number of times I have been in the woods and had them “working” around me. Sometimes when I was tracking a deer or moose, or other times scouting an area, or while bird hunting. Catching sight of them as they circle, repeatedly. Like they were sizing me up or waiting for me to kill something. It teaches you to carry a gun everywhere you hike and at all times in the woods. I now trout fish with a gun on my hip, anytime I’m in the backcountry.

I am not here trying to explain the report as it was written. I have read it and have a better understanding of what the experts say must happen if we are to have the deer paradise we all desire. I truly feel all of us must read it and understand that now it is time to make the toughest sacrifices for our kid’s sakes. Our failure to take action now and do what must be done will surely result in the complete annihilation of our hunting tradition here in Aroostook. When the deer are eaten and gone it will be our own doing. For our sustainable hunting tradition to continue we must allow the deer to rebuild their number and turn our guns to the plague we face. Coyotes must be controlled for the deer to recover.

The herds will never recover if the coyotes are allowed to continue their proliferation. Our motto as proud Mainers and especially as proud County folk should simply be:

Kill a coyote ……save a deer!!!

I welcome all of your comments: post them here!!!

ACCA 2009 Coyote Contest

 

 

 

I recently received an interesting email from Kurt Lane. The Treasurer of the ACCA…….Aroostook County Conservation Association. I want to share it with you:
Aroostook County Conservation Association: Sunday, March 22, 2009
As you can see by our name, we intend to involve/represent The whole of Aroostook County. I’m sure you’ll agree, the States non-management of our area is leading to tradgedy, particuly in regards to our deer herd. Many traditional yards here are showing losses of 65-85%. We organized on Jan 6 of this year, since then we have signed up over 100 members. We put on the coyote hunt to help make known to the general public the problem with winter predation, by the States own addmission the leading cause of winter loss. While we intitaly thought to start some sort of winter feeding program, research has lead us in another direction that will be a more beneficial use of our funds. Despite the availability/quality of winter feed, a deer will draw from it’s fat reserves. The key to winter survival in this regards is putting on as much fat as possible before yarding. This lead to the start of a seeding program with Irving Woodlands. We will be seeding down their winter roads and log yards with forage plants suitable for this. This promises to have a huge impact on this part of the problem. Irving has agreed to split costs and labor. The Public Lands dept here is also onboard with this program, although details have not been finalized. We hope to involve all the large woodland owners.
We have held monthly meetings at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle, featuring speakers addressing the different problems our deer are facing. Gerry Lavigne, a former state biologist spoke in Feb on the predation problem, I’m sure you’ve heard of him. We had the head of Quality Deer Managment from Maine give us a presentation on food plot and benefits. Our last meeting, held on the 16th of March had our regional biologist Rich Hoppe and Maines head moose and deer biologist Lee Kantar. They spoke on the problems associated with winter feeding, but more interesting was the Q&A period on our herd in general. Despite past history, many thought the state would take some sort of action at this point. It was made clear, buisness as usual. This galvanized several individuals into preparing a citizen inititive, aimed at forcing the state into action. This is being worked on now, I expect to see the finished product in the next several weeks.
What can you do? We need members to up our political pull,as well as for our practical applications.. While we have several on the roster in your area, your part of Aroostook County is largly untapped. We need people across the county that are willing to work . We need PR. We have a huge job ahead of us. We are going to make a difference.
If at all possible,you should attend our next meeting being held on the 21st of April, 6:30 pm at the Northeastland Hotel in Presque Isle. A rep from the Whitetail Institute will be our speaker, helping us as we move into our seeding program.
If you’d like more info, feel free to contact me,or our president Jerry McLaughlin- 592-2516
Thanks
Kurt Lane; Treasurer ACCA

I will try to make it there…….how about you??

Another deer killed by Coyotes!!!!!

I took this picture last week near an area I am monitoring and taking pictures of deer in.  This doe ran off with snarling beasts ripping at it’s hindquarters. The pack that attacked didn’t kill her outright, but tore at her until she fell, then they disemboweled her alive. A  hard way to die for such a wonderful creature of God. (BN REECE2009)