Maine youngsters relish hunting chances of Youth Deer Day

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Shortly before 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, Sean Tocci’s deer season was over … a week before most of us will head out the door for the first time.

According to Maine law, the state’s 10- to 15-year-olds are allowed a special session – Youth Deer Day – which takes place on the Saturday before the regular firearms season on deer.

And if you were riding some of Maine’s rural roads that morning, you likely saw plenty of orange-clad youngsters riding in pickup trucks, either heading into the woods with their adult mentors or heading back to town for a snack … or to tag a deer.

“I had seen two deer around 7:20 this morning … but they went around some trees and stuff,” Tocci said, grinning from ear to ear. “Then he just came out of nowhere.”

The “he” in question was a handsome four-point buck, which weighed in at 123 pounds on the scale at Bob’s Kozy Korner Store in Orrington.

The deer was 12-year-old Tocci’s second in three years of hunting.

Tocci, who admitted to weighing just 85 pounds himself, said the buck proved to be troublesome after the shot.

It took two hours for him and his adult mentor to get the deer back to the truck.

“Really hard work,” Tocci said, still grinning.

Maine’s Youth Deer Day began in 2002, and since then thousands of young hunters have taken advantage of the opportunity. Young hunters are allowed to shoot either a doe or a buck on the special day, and last year 1,216 youngsters tagged deer on Youth Deer Day.

“I guess from our perspective, one of the important things is opportunity,” said Lee Kantar, a biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and the department’s top deer expert. “I guess like Sean said earlier, it gives the chances for just kids 10 to 15 years old to go out, so in that sense, in some of these areas, there might be a little bit less hunting pressure vs. opening day when everybody can go out.”

Kantar, who compiled data on the first three deer that arrived at Bob’s Kozy Korner, said all three were nearly identical young bucks.

And he said that heading to the tagging station for a few hours on youth day is always enjoyable.

“I think it’s very rewarding. Last year – I still have it embedded in my head – a father and son came in and they were just jumping all over each other,” Kantar said. “They were just so excited, like scoring a touchdown in the end zone. They were so happy.”

It’s that kind of scene that lets Kantar and other DIF&W staffers see how special Youth Deer Day can be.

“I came over here because I live in this area and just to kind of soak in that experience,” Kantar said.

Elsewhere, other young hunters also enjoyed good luck on their own opening day.

Sheryl Colvin of Hampden checked in via e-mail to tell her son’s tale.

Evan Pelkey, a 12-year-old, was hunting with his dad, Don Pelkey – also in Orrington – when he bagged a 165-pound eight-pointer.

“As the day was winding down, Evan saw a couple of does in the woods and was contemplating shooting one, happy that they walked off as he was struggling with making that decision on his first day of hunting season,” Colvin wrote. “As they walked off, he wondered if he was going to regret that decision. As he was struggling with that thought, he decided to use his buck call a few times, which helped [attract] the interest of an eight-point buck.

“With his dad’s guidance of when to shoot and what part of the buck to aim at, Evan shot his first buck,” Colvin wrote. “Even today, he wonders which was louder, his gunshot or his heartbeat from the excitement.”

Mitchell Cole, a 10-year-old from Milford, also enjoyed success in his first deer hunt. He bought his license on Saturday morning and later that day shot a 110-pound doe in Levant while hunting with his father and a friend. Mitchell is the son of Thomas Cole of Bangor and Terri Cole of Milford.

Youth Deer Day success, however, can have some consequences for the older hunters in a home.

That’s the realization of Dave Baker, who sent an e-mail detailing his son’s hunt.

Joshua Baker shot a 175-pound five-pointer just 30 minutes into Youth Deer Day, according to his dad.

“The only person with a bigger grin than Josh was me,” Dave Baker wrote.

The problem: Dave Baker has already spent more than a few hours afield while bow hunting, and might lose out on bragging rights.

“I’m going to have to hunt a little harder this fall to match his deer this year,” David Baker wrote. “As an avid bow hunter I haven’t seen any comparable deer in the past month of hunting.”

And if that trend continues?

“I fear I am going to have to listen to this kid’s ego (“I shot the biggest”) until next year, Baker wrote.

No need to worry, I told him in a return e-mail.

Just do what I do when confronted by pals who have had more luck (or who possess more skill) and end up tagging out early.

Just tell them how much fun they’re missing by not being out there, day after day, hour after hour.

Pure rationalization? Perhaps. But it’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

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