AUGUSTA – Preliminary numbers show Maine’s deer kill topped last year’s but still fell short of expectations, officials said Thursday.

Preliminary data indicates the deer kill will be in the vicinity of 32,000, which would be an increase of 6 percent over last year’s 30,313. Nonetheless, that’s 11 percent lower than the projected kill of 35,800, officials said.

Deer harvests were up 20 percent in northern and eastern Maine, and were on par with last year’s numbers in southern and western Maine, said Gerry Lavigne, deer biologist from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

There was a decline in some central Maine areas where doe permits had been issued in recent years to thin out the deer population, Lavigne said.

Weather conditions were good, but not as good as last year, officials said.

The first two weeks were cool and dry but crunchy leaves alerted deer to the presence of hunters, officials said. There was snow later in the season in northern Maine, helping hunters track deer.

Overall, state biologists noted fewer hunters in the woods during the general firearm season, which ran from Oct. 30 to Nov. 27.