Sen. Bailey introduces bill to promote deer hunting
AUGUSTA – On Monday, Jan. 27, Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, introduced a bill to promote deer hunting in Maine. The Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee conducted a public hearing for LD 139, “Resolve, Directing the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to Establish a Pilot Program for the Electronic Tagging of Deer.” The bill directs the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to establish a pilot program for the electronic tagging of deer in Maine.
“It is vital that we modernize hunting if it is going to remain a part of Maine’s culture, heritage and history. Sometimes, to preserve a piece of the past, we must adapt to the present in order to protect it in the future,” said Sen. Bailey. “In particular, I am thinking of the newer, younger hunters, who might prefer the convenience of electronic deer tagging, or may have to go far out of their way to reach a tagging station. If they have this option, they’ll have a whole lifetime of hunting ahead of them, making memories with their family in the fields and woods—keeping the tradition alive for generations to come.”
Sen. Bailey introduced the legislation at the request of a Saco constituent, Roger Chisholm. In his written testimony, Chisholm wrote, “I believe it’s time to offer hunters the option of tagging deer electronically. In whatever form this needs to be in order for biologists to still attain their needed info. Whether that offers restricted days to register deer electronically, or restricted zones if needed. This is a strong option, particularly in southern Maine.”
In addition to Chisholm, Nate Webb, the Wildlife Division Director at the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, offered testimony in support of the bill: “The Department has made significant efforts over the past few years to modernize our registration system, including collecting data through a web-based form and providing real-time information on harvest levels on our website,” Webb wrote. “The Department recognizes that many hunters would experience benefits from a self-reporting tool for deer and the Department is generally supportive of developing a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of such a system.”
According to Webb, most New England states, including neighboring New Hampshire, already offer the online registration of deer. If they choose this option, they are asked to provide all the same information online as they would if they were registering at a physical location.
Maine already offers the online registration of turkey. After harvesting a turkey, a hunter may use a phone, computer, or other electronic device with an internet connection to register their harvest. Hunters may visit mefishwildlife.com/tagaturkey to self-register the turkey online. There is no fee to self-register a turkey online.
In 2024, Maine had its second-highest deer harvest ever, with 42,258 deer killed.
LD 139 faces further action in committee.
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