The deer population

By Samuel Belanger
Grade 9
Solid Rock Academy

    We need to stop deer hunting for two to three years to let the deer repopulate. The deer population almost 10 years ago was 388,000 and the buck population was 90,000. We lose about 6,000 deer during the harsh winters. Then during the hunting season, there are almost 24,000 deer that are killed. Ten years ago the deer population was quite abundant! Now it is very slim. The Aroostook County deer population has been diminishing over the last few years and is now reaching critical numbers.
    I am 14 years old and I love hunting! I also love the outdoors!
    People think there are a lot of deer now, but there really aren’t. What is happening is that, the winters are very harsh on them and killing them. The wood cutters also need to stop cutting a lot of the trees down because they are scaring them all away, and there isn’t any covering for them so coyotes are killing them. Because of all these things going on there are very few bucks around here now, but lots of does and moose. My dad actually hit a moose, but it didn’t do any damage. (Too many moose!)
    Hunters out there, you are not alone. Like I said in the beginning, let’s stop the deer hunting for two to three years. Let’s open up moose hunting for Maine residents only instead.