Maine weather wreaking havoc on deer

BANGOR, Maine, March 29 (UPI) -- Deer living in Maine and other portions of New England are likely battling starvation because of the region's tough winter, biologists say.

Biologists say based on the discovery of deer carcasses in the region and the season's increased snowfall and cold temperatures, the deer population likely struggled to survive the winter, The Bangor (Maine) Daily News reported Saturday.

"If you had a snow year like this every year in northern Maine, you would not have deer," Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife deer biologist Lee Kantar said.

In portions of Maine hit hardest by snowfall this winter and where feet of snow still exist, biologists are predicting an estimated 30 percent of the deer population will not survive to summer.

Such depletion of the deer population will lead the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to issue fewer any-deer hunting permits.

The Daily News said fewer than 250,000 deer are estimated to be living in Maine currently and last year alone more than 66,000 any-deer permits were issued in the state.

Any-deer permits allow hunters to hunt both bucks and does.