Editor’s Note: The following is an Op-Ed piece delivered to Chandler Woodcock at the most recent banquet of the Maine Antler and Skull Trophy Club. With permission from the author, I am republishing it here. Of further note, I have forwarded this piece on to some wildlife experts for their thoughts and perhaps some better science to support or refute the advantages of antler restrictions in harvesting whitetail deer.
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The Argument for Whitetail Antler Restrictions in Maine
In response to a growing public outcry over the decline of Maine’s whitetail deer herd, IF&W, under newly appointed Commissioner of DIF&W, Chandler Woodcock, has quickly put forward a deer management plan to address the issue. “Maine’s Game Plan for Deer” (a 38 page document) does a good job of describing the context and the history of the problem. It acknowledges a $200 million dollar economic impact to the State. But what it doesn’t do is provide a course of action that will bring the herd back to legendary standards that existed in its “hay day”. Those of us that have been around realize that that ship has already sailed!
Unfortunately, the “Game Plan” seems a rehash of old department strategies such as cooperative agreements with landowners, half-hearted predator reduction, and a decades-to-come time frame for results. The plan may be well intended, but to my eye it’s more of the status quo and misses the point that we need to take action now.
While there is at least talk about efforts to revive the size of the Maine deer herd, what’s been missing from the conversation is an acknowledgement of quality lacking in the herd. Ironically, the quality issue has been created by a management effort focused solely on quantity.
A healthy herd cannot be defined by just numbers of deer alone. The proper management of the Maine deer herd must also address both the age structure and sex ratio imbalances as they exist today. Antler restricted hunting, when combined with the current doe-permit system, would accomplish all of these goals.
I would argue that “bucks-only” (and later the any-deer permit system) changed the culture of Maine deer hunters by turning our focus to buck hunting. The doe restriction gave IF&W a proactive population management tool that produced measurable results in the annual deer harvest total numbers. But it also started us down a slippery slope to where Maine’s harvest totals today are predominately made up of 1-1/2 year-old bucks and a managed doe (antler-less) kill. The number of yearling bucks taken annually today exceeds reasonable limits.
Maine should limit the harvest of antlered deer to those with racks sporting a minimum of 3 points on one side. (Nearly all 2-1/2 year-old bucks will carry antlers during the hunting season that will meet this criterion.) Allow exception to the regulation via any-deer permits that would allow the harvest of spike or fork-horned bucks as well as does. Set up the regulation with a 3 year sunset provision. At the end of 3 years, let IF&W decide whether to continue or eliminate the program.
Antler Restrictions, used as a management tool, would be effective in improving both the age-structure (for bucks) and the sex ratio of the Maine deer herd. These two elements are essential to rebuilding the herd. By restricting the harvest of 1-1/2 year-old bucks, we can recruit deer to the 2-1/2 year-old stage. A larger population of 2-1/2 year-olds will on its own reduce winter kill numbers and breeding issues. Once 2-1/2 years old, a Maine buck is more likely to survive hunting pressure and severe winters. The gravy for Maine deer hunters will be an increase in the numbers of trophy deer available as more 2-1/2 year-olds will lead to more 3-1/2 year-olds, 4-1/2 year-olds, etc…
It’s that simple.
Antler restrictions are not without opponents in Maine.
The basic argument against AR is that it simply won’t work in Maine. Forget that it’s been well received and is yielding fantastic results in States like Pennsylvania, “AR will never be accepted by hunters in Maine”.
Some might be concerned that the dense Maine forest will make it difficult for hunters to identify 3 points on one side before taking aim at the buck they just jumped up out of a cedar swamp. But if you’re a hunter in a shooting scenario like that, you’d best have a doe permit in your pocket to begin with as antlers can be hard to see at all on a running deer.
Another oft heard argument is that the antler restriction proposal is elitist and promotes trophy hunting (a hot button topic exploited by anti-hunting advocates). The truth is that the proposal is good management policy that will benefit all deer hunters and deer lovers alike by stabilizing a more balanced herd.
Antler restrictions can and will work in Maine!
Most Maine deer hunters will embrace AR once they understand the management goals and benefits. A broader awareness of the AR concept is underway, but it needs further exposure to generate the ground swell of enthusiasm that this strategy will need to be implemented… or perhaps even considered by IF&W.
Is there a funding-versus-good-policy problem at IF&W?
Nowhere within the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife’s “Maine’s Game Plan for Deer” is there mention of sex or age imbalances in the deer herd. Nowhere is there mention of antler restrictions as a management tool to improve the herd. Why?
It’s no secret that funding of the Maine DIF&W is largely dependant upon revenue generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Though supposition, it makes sense that many of IF&W’s management policies are conflicted between its mission and source of funding. The financially struggling Department appears reluctant to posture or adopt policy that could negatively impact license sales or add operational costs. One might argue that this is how things got so bad with the deer herd to begin with, and that the reluctance of IF&W to employ antler restrictions is a classic example of funding versus good policy. It’s not hard to imagine a Department paralyzed by the possibility that a small percentage of meat hunters might disagree with the notion of AR and not buy hunting licenses. Could IF&W tolerate a 5% drop in license sales? If not, then closing the deer hunting season in any last ditch effort to revive the herd can never be an option. Let’s hope it never gets that bad. But, if IF&W is unable to accomplish its mission because of the way in which it is funded, then fixing this “catch 22” ought to be someone’s priority.
Antler restrictions’ time has come!
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to put meat in the freezer, but sustainable hunting must be tied to conservation efforts. The chickens have come home to roost! The future and quality of deer hunting in Maine will depend on hunters willing to make sacrifices. Antler restriction management will address the age structure and sex ratio imbalances that need correcting in the Maine deer herd. Other much talked about management actions need to be taken without further delay. We need bold leadership and ideas from Augusta. We’ve got to act now before it’s too late!
Bob Provencher
Freeport, Maine
