Christmas did not come early for deer hunters, no matter what some of you were thinking a couple of weeks back.

Yes, it may have seemed so.

Yes, you must have been grinning from ear to ear.

But no. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Or a free deer, for that matter.

The confusion began when the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife sent out any-deer permits – “doe permits” to most Mainers – to those lucky winners in this year’s lottery.

Shortly after that, I got a phone call.

“You got any idea why I got two doe permits?” the concerned hunter asked.

I didn’t. But now I do. And here’s the story.

DIF&W commissioner Roland “Danny” Martin told a group of outdoors enthusiasts at this week’s Bucksport sportsmen’s forum that the mistake had been addressed.

“There was a printing error. We contract with [a company] for our printing, and we think there were, we think, probably 4,000 to 5,000 duplicate numbers [sent out],” Martin said.

This year a total of 66,275 permits were awarded to hunters.

Martin explained that the DIF&W sent out a subsequent mailing telling those who received two permits that they were not allowed to shoot two deer.

In addition, a notice was posted on the DIF&W’s Web site, letting hunters know about the problem, and telling them what to do next.

The text of that notice: “A problem occurred during the printing of the Any-Deer permits by a contracted firm and several hundred permits were duplicated in error. It is possible that you were mailed two or more identical permits. If you have received two or more Any-Deer permits with the same permit number, please destroy all but one of the permits because any attempt to register two deer with the same permit number will be detected and legal action will need to be taken. We apologize for the printing error and any confusion this error may have caused you.”

Martin said he’s not entirely sure what happened, but said the printing company offered one plausible explanation.

“[Representatives of the printing company] suggested that their printer ceased to operate, and then when they restarted it, it started out from the beginning [of the list],” Martin said.

Though it presented a small logistical problem, the good news for hunters and fishermen is that the DIF&W will not end up facing financial problems due to the mix-up.

“[The printing company] corrected [the error] and they’re going to help us pay for the extra cost,” Martin said. “I don’t think other than time and effort it’s going to cost us a whole lot.”

If you’re one of those who received two permits, and are a bit miffed that you can’t shoot a bonus deer, consider this: You’ve still got one doe permit in hand.

And that’s one more permit than at least one hunter I know.

Top landowners honored

Two recreational groups and the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife joined forces on Wednesday night to hand out their landowner of the year awards.

According to a press release, the DIF&W has honored 57 landowners since 1996 for their contributions to the enhancement of outdoor recreation by allowing public access to private land.

The Maine Warden Service’s Landowner Relations Program distributed more than 500 nomination forms to outdoor recreational clubs across the state, eventually leading to the winners.

The Maine Snowmobile Association and ATV Maine teamed with the DIF&W to hand out the awards.

This year’s winners:

. David and Betsey White, who received the award for private landowners of 100 acres or less. They were nominated by the Snow Valley Sno-Goers.

. Alden Mingo of Robbinston, who received an award for private landowners with 100 acres or more. Mingo was nominated by the Robbinston Bushwackers ATV Club.

. Robert Wilson of Lee, who received an award for private landowners with 100 acres or more. He was nominated by the Lee Mogul Pounders.

. Downeast Lakes Land Trust of Grand Lake Stream, also honored as a landowner with more than 100 acres. The trust was nominated by the Grand Lake Stream Snowmobile Club.

. Aroostook Centre LLC of Presque was one of three corporate landowners honored. The group was nominated by the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club.

. Robbins Lumber of Searsmont was recognized as a corporate landowner, nominated by the Mid Coast ATV Club.

. River Bank Capital and president Jeff Albert of Madawaska were recognized as a corporate landowner, nominated by the Madawaska Snowmobile Club.

Maine Warden Service Capt. Joel Wilkinson praised all of the winners.

“These individuals and nominating associations are a model of the strong landowner-user relationships needed to ensure public access to public land,” Wilkinson said in the press release. “These partnerships benefit all of us who engage in these outdoor activities and care about the future of our recreation.”

More on landowners

Forgive me a brief Saturday morning sermon, but the previous landowner relations awards seem a perfect stepping off point for a couple more thoughts.

In some circles, corporate landowners in Maine are made out to be greedy profit grubbers and subjected to all kinds of abuse.

Let’s not forget, though, that our ability to participate in many of the outdoor activities that we take for granted is tied closely to the attitudes and policies of those large corporate landowners and land managers.

I’m sure many of us have spent enjoyable days afield on land that we don’t own … even on land that we’re unsure who owns.

In my case, for instance, I know that during an enjoyable 2006 moose hunt, the land we had access to was owned by one or more large corporations. Which corporations, specifically? I’m not sure. All I know is that I paid a small gate fee to get into the North Maine Woods and proceeded to make memories I’ll always cherish.

Closer to home, I’d like to thank Prentiss & Carlisle, which manages the parcel of land that I’ve spent countless hours on during the past several deer seasons.

I’ve yet to take a deer from that land, but I can’t blame the good folks at Prentiss & Carlisle for my own lack of success.

The folks from the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine and the DIF&W encourage hunters and outdoors enthusiasts to thank the landowners for allowing this kind of access, and when the landowner in question is the farmer down the road or the lady across the street, it’s pretty simple.

But let’s not forget that there are plenty of others – including those sometimes-maligned corporations – that allow us to continue enjoying our Maine traditions on land we don’t own ourselves.

John Holyoke can be reached at jholyoke@bangordailynews.net or by calling 990-8214 or 1-800-310-8600.