BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 6, 2026
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wants to eliminate the state’s more than 200-year-old Sunday hunting ban. If it passes, Maine could become the only state in the country without Sunday hunting. If such a thing could happen in a state where advancing hunting opportunities — and practically anything to do with hunting — is a political dead horse, maybe there’s hope here in Maine as well. Deer densities in central and western parts of the commonwealth range from 18 to 30 deer per square mile, and as high as 30 to 50 per square mile in the east. Those large numbers are having a negative impact on plant life and other wildlife, and have helped spread ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Deer-vehicle collisions have also increased. ~ Al Raychard