BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 28, 2022
Less than a lifetime ago, white-tailed deer were the heart and soul of the rural Maine hunting culture. Sportsmen and women from all over the country traveled to wild areas in northern Maine for the chance to harvest trophy deer. Unfortunately, predation and habitat loss have led to the collapse of the deer population in these same regions. the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Institute for Legislative Action (SAM-ILA) has spearheaded three initiatives to restore critical habitat to these special places. First, we introduced and helped to pass legislation to change the Land for Maine’s Future Program to prioritize land purchases that include deer wintering areas. Second, we successfully lobbied lawmakers to reform our antlerless deer permit system and dedicate all new monies to restoring deer in northern Maine. Third, we joined forces with the Aroostook County Conservation Association to create the Aroostook County White-tailed Deer Collaboration, which willl be a model for habitat conservation in the rest of the state. ~ David Trahan, Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine