Assistant Regional Wildlife Biologist
The big hunting news this past week has been the weather. We’ve had somewhat of a repeat from last year’s third week of deer season.
For those of you who may have forgotten last year it rained, actually poured, most of the week. Again this year, we got hit with a couple of days of very heavy rain. On Thursday and Friday, southern and central Aroostook County got approximately two to four inches of rain. This created not only miserable hunting conditions but swelled all rivers and streams resulting in widespread flooding, particularly in lowland swamps and floodplains. Walking any distance through the woods was a challenge, requiring rubber boots and lots of back-tracking and skirting around flooded lowlands. Flooded roads also made travel into more remote areas over lightly used gravel roads very difficult.
Also given the wet, muddy ground conditions, hopefully hunters will respect private landowner concerns and refrain from causing damage to their field roads.
In meetings with agriculture landowners, we’ve heard repeatedly that a major concern in regard to wildlife damage on their farms is not necessarily damage caused by wildlife but damage to property caused by hunters.
The good news for deer hunters in the Allagash region was that some of this rain eventually turned to snow, dropping four to ten inches of new snow. This is great for tracking deer. However, this additional snowfall, plus the existing snow from prior snowstorms, has made getting around in this region more difficult. Plan on having a four-wheel drive and chains for icy roads, particularly if hunting far from major roads. If possible hunt with a companion, and always let a friend or relative know your destination.
Lately, I’ve been seeing an unusually high number of hooded mergansers in the County. The males are now in their breeding plumage and are quite striking with their large, white hooded crest.
Unfortunately, with cooler temperatures in the forecast many of the remaining migratory birds will move south, creating a noticeable void in the North Maine woods until next spring.
We have been getting reports over the last few weeks of moose showing up on roads, frequently after dark. Having all these roadside moose sightings just after the moose season is certainly not part of our moose management plan.
In WMD three and six we’ve increased the number of moose permits to reduce moose populations and roadside moose numbers that can lead to vehicle accidents.
This time of year moose tend to herd together in groups around abundant food sources. So, if motorists see one roadside moose keep an eye out for others.
