BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 8, 2026
At the Tremont annual town meeting on May 11, voters will have a historic opportunity to allow regulated deer hunting. If approved, it would reverse Mount Desert Island’s 100-year history of no deer hunting. Last year at this time, a Down East lawmaker sponsored a bill that would have opened all of Mount Desert Island to regulated deer hunting. That bill, unfortunately, never made it out of legislative committee. These deer hunting initiatives on the island have been driven by high deer densities, which have led to more deer-vehicle crashes and growing concern among residents about Lyme disease. Even ardent anti-hunters can have a change of heart when their personal lives and property are affected by deer overpopulation. If passed, the Tremont proposal would allow hunting by archery and shotgun only.