Looking back at the 2024 hunting seasons, we’re thankful for deer hunters and their important role as wildlife conservationists. Since 2022, $12 from each antlerless deer hunting permit is deposited into the Maine Deer Management Fund, with the $2 agent fee covering administrative costs. These funds have helped acquire and manage over 10,000 acres of critical deer wintering habitat in Maine! Here’s how.

The Maine Deer Management Fund, combined with funds from the Lands for Maine’s Future Program and Pittman-Robertson Funds (funds from a manufacturer federal excise tax on hunting equipment), is used to purchase and manage deer wintering areas (DWAs), primarily in northern, western and eastern Maine.

Deer wintering areas are a critical habitat for white-tailed deer living at the northern end of their range. A DWA is the habitat where deer go year after year to avoid harsh winter winds and deep snow. By acquiring and managing deer wintering areas, the Department helps deer to survive the winter season with habitats that provide shelter and food.

MDIFW Regional Biologists, Species Biologists, and Land Management teams collaborate with conservation partners and landowners. Together they work to purchase land to be owned and managed by the State for deer wintering habitat. Any acquired lands are also managed as public Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and open to public recreation. That includes hunting, fishing, and trapping, which are important wildlife management tools. Recent acquisitions and land access projects include:

• Rangeley WMA — 708 Acres, funded with Pittman Robertson (PR) and Deer Management Funds
• Caribou Stream WMA —  1,105 acres, funded with PR, Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) and Deer Management Funds
• Lexington Deer Wintering Area — 1,490 acres, funded with Pittman Robertson (PR), Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) and Deer Management Funds
• Macwahoc Stream WMA — 6,326 acres, funded with PR, LMF, and Deer Management Funds

   

In addition, along with providing critical deer wintering habitat, these lands provide habitat for a variety of species including a wide diversity of birds and waterfowl, wildlife including bobcat, fisher, marten and others; and several of these new WMAs also have waters that include brook trout, landlocked salmon and other species. These vital habitats and public access will now be protected for generations to come.

The vast majority of the funding comes from Public Law 409, ‘An Act to Preserve Deer Habitat’, enacted by the 130^th Legislature, which enhanced the ability of the Department to protect deer wintering areas. This is funded through the deer management fund which receives approximately $1.2 million a year, primarily through the sale of Antlerless Deer permits, with additional funding through deer registrations and donations.

Thank you hunters for helping keep Maine's white-tailed deer population healthy and conserving critical habitat. 

This winter you can help us identify important deer wintering areas in northern Maine

Participating is easy! When you observe any wintering white-tailed deer in northern Maine between January 1 and March 31, share your observations with us online. Please include:  

• Location
• Date and time
• Number of deer seen (dead or alive)
• Whether you have seen deer at this location before

For this project, we are interested in receiving observations of deer in natural wintering habitat and only from the area of the state colored in blue on the map to the left. Natural wintering habitat consists of softwoods-dominated stands with primarily trees greater than 35 feet tall and canopy closure of 70% or more. You do not need to submit reports of deer in or near towns.