FISH AND WILDLIFE BRIEFS Game Wardens Sworn In The ranks of the Maine Warden Service were strengthened recently with the swearing in of 18 new game wardens. The newly appointed wardens, all of whom graduated from the Maine Warden Service Academy in August, have been assigned to fill vacant warden districts throughout the state. The new wardens also completed the Maine Basic Police Course conducted by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. The new wardens and their assigned districts are: James S. Davis, Topsfield; Michelle Belanger, Oakland; Robert W. Carter, Clayton Lake; Scott L. Osgood, The Forks; Dennis S. Wade, Sabattus; Gary B. Sibley, Eagle Lake; Durwood L. Humphrey,III, Hampden; Ralph Hosford, Wesley; Michael W. Joy, South Berwick; Glenn W. Annis, Rockwood; Daniel J. Menard, Scarborough; Scott W. Colter, Kennebunk; James Fahey, Caribou; Douglas R. Kulis, Presque isle; Alan K. Gillis, Unity; Irene L. Mottram, Albion; Natalie J. Wade, Rumford; and Galen D. Hall, Perry. In December, an additional ten game warden applicants out of a field of 1,240 will be selected to be Maine wardens. According to Warden Lieutenant Carter Smith, the newly appointed wardens will finish their training and receive their assignments in midsummer.
Deer Prospects Fair for 1994 Maine deer hunters face a slightly reduced deer population and fewer anydeer permit allocations this fall due to severe weather conditions last winter. Department of Wand Fisheries and Wildlife biologists this year reduced the number of any-deer permits by 25 percent after assessing the effects of winter weather on Maine's whitetail deer population. At a public drawing in Augusta, September 30, 32,800 resident and non-resident any-deer permits were drawn. Wildlife biologists expect that the doe harvest this season will be close to 5,250 statewide. If total projections are accurate, Maine's deer kill this year should approximate 24,600; in 1993, 27,402 deer were registered.
According to Deer Biologist Gerry Lavigne, "the winter of 1993-94 was slightly above the 20-year average severity in all but eastern Maine. Some northern and eastern districts are experiencing a slight decline in population size. To improve herd growth here and in other districts, we further restricted permit allocations during 1994 in a majority of our deer management districts." Districts 1, 2 and 3 in northern Maine will be bucks-only hunting this year, in addition to district 17 in eastern Maine. The 1994 firearms season on deer begins Saturday, October 29 for Maine residents, and runs from October 31 through November 26 for all hunters. No hunting is allowed on Sunday in Maine. Bow hunters may hunt deer from September 29 to October 28, and muzzleloader enthusiasts have a special season from November 28 to December 3. In Maine, all deer hunters are permitted one deer only per year regardless of hunting methods used.
More Turkey Permits in 1995 Although the National Wild Turkey Federation has been urging the Department of Wand Fisheries and Wildlife to adopt a split season on Maine's spring turkey hunt, that change is not anticipated. According to Regional Wildlife Biologist Philip Bozenhard, the number of turkey permits allocated to hunt participants next year will increased from 500 to 750.
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Turkey hunters have participated in a spring hunt in Maine since the mid70s. Open season on male turkeys is during the month of May. While Maine's wild turkey population has begun to expand east of York and Cumberland counties, turkey hunting next year will continue to be permitted only in all of York County, much of Cumberland County and small portions of southern Androscoggin and Sagadahoc counties. Maine's current turkey population is estimated to be about 1,500.
Moose Permit Auction For Youth Conservation In an effort to increase the number of conservation scholarships available to Maine youth, the Department of Wand Fisheries and Wildlife will auction to the highest bidder five 1995 moose hunting permits. According to Bucky Owen, Maine's wildlife commissioner, the department expects the first year to generate in excess of $30,000 for youth conservation education at Bryant Pond. The moose auction will be advertised in national outdoor publications; both Maine residents and non-residents alike will be eligible to participate in the auction. Only written bids will be accepted; prospective bidders may write for a bid package to the Department of Wand Fisheries and Wildlife or contact the department's licensing director Vesta Billings at (207) 289-5209. There will be a $25 nonrefundable bid fee for those submitting a bid for a moose permit. Deadline for submission of all bids is March 30, 1995.
Deer Hunter Update Deer hunters in Maine should remember that this is the second season under which some new regulations apply, according to the Department of Wand Fisheries and Wildlife. Enacted in 1993 by the state legislature, a new law makes it unlawful to hunt or possess a loaded firearm within 10 feet of the edge of a paved road or within the right-of-way of any controlled-access highway. It is also unlaw-
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