Of all the people offering explanations as to why the deer season is off to a slow start, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Tom Schaeffer offers the most comprehensive and compelling.

Schaeffer said country store philosophers have offered up such reasons as: the disheartening effects of last winter on the herd, particularly DIF&W reducing any-deer permits; the summer drought and poor supply of natural food it left for deer; the recent warm temperatures that have slowed deer movement; the slumping economy; and the possible effects to the public psyche from the Sept. 11 tragedy and current war in Afghanistan.

Schaeffer said he does not believe the final reason, but has heard it mentioned.

“People may still be in shock,” he said. “In fact, I think people need a release, if anything.”

Whatever the cause, Schaeffer said this deer season is by far the slowest in terms of progress and effort in his 13 years Down East.

In terms of progress, the hunt is definitely lacking. In various parts of the state, biologists report a drop in registered deer by as much as 30 percent. At tagging stations, reports are worse.

At Mt. Vernon, where there are about 27 deer per square mile according to DIF&W, there were 153 deer tagged through Nov. 13 last year compared to 86 through the same period this year.

However, at tagging stations there also have been signs that there has been less effort by hunters.

Rose Fuhrer at Katahdin General Store in Millinocket said there are fewer out-of-state hunters there this year because many are choosing to hunt in central Maine.

The hunting district around Millinocket has an estimated 3.2 deer per square mile, while central Maine boasts 25 to 35.

However, Linda Turner at the Mt. Vernon Store said she has seen fewer nonresidents and residents despite higher deer densities there.

“We’re not seeing the big volume we usually do,” Turner said. “Part of it is the weather. They’re grumbling that they need the cold. They’re looking for snow, so they can track better.”

While a few hunters have said they think the slow season comes down to there being far fewer deer than biologists estimate, Schaeffer finds evidence to prove otherwise.

He said the percentage of yearlings in the harvest is well represented, at about 55 percent. That’s down slightly from last year, he said, but it is still a healthy percentage for an age class that would have been hurt the most by the severe winter.

The statewide deer herd is estimated to be 292,000.

Deer hunter input critical

Having conducted its first infrared aerial moose survey, DIF&W now hopes to gather enough information from hunter surveys during deer season to allow it to more accurately determine Maine’s moose population.

Last fall deer hunters who had hunted around Moosehead Lake were sent a survey asking about moose they had seen. Then, last winter, DIF&W spent $50,000 for a Florida company to survey moose in the same area using an infrared camera. It was the first step in the department’s plan to create a formula to estimate moose densities based on hunter sightings.

The first aerial survey showed there were at least 1.3 moose per square mile east of Moosehead Lake, which led DIF&W to conclude there were plenty of moose for hunting and viewing.

There were at least enough to hunt. The area had the highest success rate of the moose season with 98 out of 100 hunters bagging a moose.

But, while the statewide population is believed to be 30,000, the numbers of moose elsewhere are unknown.

DIF&W moose biologist Karen Morris said the first deer hunt survey was sent only to those people hunting antlerless-only deer in the Moosehead Lake area last year. This fall, surveys went to sports who have registered deer in other hunting districts around the state in the past.

“We’re assuming they’ll go back to those same areas and hunt again,” Morris said.

The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is conducting a similar deer season survey and Morris said DIF&W will combine its results with those gathered in New Hampshire to come up with a formula for a population estimate.

“New Hampshire has about a 20 percent response rate,” Morris said. “We’re hoping Maine hunters can do better. We have limited license dollars for surveying critters, and the survey will only take 10 to 15 minutes.”

September season here to stay

For the first time since 1990, the Maine moose hunt was held in September, chiefly because enough hunters had complained about crowding with 3,000 sports in the field.

The result of the new split season was that warm, early fall conditions meant moose were moving less, those that were killed in September had to be refrigerated quickly, and sweaty hunters in T-shirts had more preparation to think about – and complain about.

But, in the end, the 735 hunters who hunted from Sept. 24-29 did just as well as the 2,265 who stalked moose from Oct. 8-13, with both enjoying an 85 percent success rate. So don’t expect the new season to change.

“[The split season] makes our lives more difficult,” Morris said. “We have to run the check stations during two weeks. If there was no demand by hunters to have a split season, we wouldn’t be doing it. Basically, it’s for the convenience and happiness of the hunters.”

This year there were a total of 2,545 moose tagged, compared to 2,552 last year, with an 85 percent success rate among the 3,000 hunters both years.

Deirdre Fleming’s Outdoor notebook appears every Saturday. She can be reached at 990-8250 or at dfleming@bangordailynews.net.