Marsh Island deer problem will be considered next Monday

If you buy your hunting license hereabouts you know the burgeoning deer population of Marsh Island, which covers parts of Old Town and Orono, has caused much concern and controversy among residents of the area.

Because deer hunting is prohibited on the island, the prolific animals have increased to the point that they are destroying property – gardens, shrubs, flower beds – and becoming menaces to motorists. Last week, a deer-vehicle collision in Old Town resulted in a man being taken to the hospital by ambulance.

What better time to address the Marsh Island deer problem than smack in the middle of hunting season? Therefore, wildlife biologist Gerry Lavigne, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s deer-project leader, has announced a public information meeting to discuss white-tailed deer management issues on Marsh Island.

The Nov. 13 meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in Room 100, Nutting Hall, University of Maine and will be moderated by DIFW Commissioner Bucky Owen and Rep. Robert E. Keane (D-Old Town).

The meeting will enable the public, town officials, UMaine and Penobscot Nation representatives and commercial representatives to discuss their perceptions of the status and impact of deer on Marsh Island communities and explore management options.

Allowing that opening a bow-hunting season on deer is one of the options that have been mentioned, hunters should set their sights on this important meeting. Because of firearms ordinances, firearms hunting seasons will not be considered.

As of Nov. 1, DIFW bear project leader Craig McLaughlin estimated hunters would tag 2,500 or so bruins this fall. The biologist says that’s a bit higher than usual, but it isn’t a cause for concern.

He explained that Maine’s bear population has increased to 22,000 animals, 1,000 more than the DIFW’s management objective of 21,000, and the bear kill has been low during the past four or five years. Maine’s bear management program allows for a hunter harvest of 2,300.

Owing to low food supplies, particularly beechnuts, bears are expected to den early this year. Accordingly, McLaughlin said several radio-collared bears went to dens by mid-September. Hunters, therefore, will have fewer opportunities this fall to decorate their dens with bear rugs. All told, Maine’s bear management program is on target.

Last Sunday, Chester L. Bickford of Winslow, deer hunter extraordinaire and recent recipient of the Buckford Award, was honored by his friends and a few fellow employees of the Webber Oil Co.

Because most people aren’t familiar with the Buckford Award, it should be explained that it’s a private, highly coveted honor established in 1875 and named after Civil War veteran Moses Lyle Buckford. According to legend, Buckford could hunt quieter than a cat’s shadow and shot nothing but “ol’ baster” bucks.

Nowadays, the Buckford Award Club numbers 100 highly skilled deer hunters. According to club president Dominic Carter of Waterville and vice president Joe Vachon of Stetson, a search of the club’s records show that Chet Bickford, who has consistently shot only big bucks, is the only member to qualify for the award in recent years.

During the presentation, several members of the club were heard to say Chet is so adept at reading sign that he could track a buck across a paved parking lot. Not surprisingly, several members are urging him to write a book on hunting deer in Maine, hoping, no doubt, that he will divulge a few of his secrets.

When sunset of Oct. 7 signaled the end of Maine’s 1995 moose hunt, hunters had registered 1,272 of the animals at 13 checking stations scattered from Wesley to Eagle Lake. The official count will be released after all registration books have been returned as well as registrations recorded by wardens at isolated locations along the Canadian border. The final figure is expected to exceed 1,300.

Wildlife biologists called the hunt typical in terms of hunter success, physical condition of moose and composition of the kill. At least 80 percent of the moose registered during the one-week hunt were adult bulls, with several weighing more than 1,000 pounds. The largest, an adult bull registered in Greenville, weighed 1,075 pounds.

This year, 1,400 permits were issued for the moose hunt. Next year, 1,500 hunters will receive moose permits through the DIFW’s computerized lottery system.