Maine IFW Provides Update on New Any-deer Lottery System

Wildlife officials are providing additional information regarding the new antlerless deer lottery.

Big changes are coming to Maine's any-deer lottery. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has provided additional information regarding the new system in which antlerless deer permits will be distributed.

Here's how the new any-deer lottery will work:

• Hunters enter the any-deer lottery for free.
• If selected for a permit, a $14 fee ($12 tag + $2 agent fee), will be charged for an antlerless deer tag. The fee will need to be paid prior to September 29, 11:59 p.m.
• Additional tags in WMDs that have extra doe tags available would then be available for purchase on the MDIFW website.
• No doe tag trades/swaps.

Here's the Timeline:

• Application period opens in late June.
• Applications are due August 1, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.
• Drawing September 1. Antlerless deer permit recipients will be posted on the MDIFW website.
• Claim + Pay for permit by September 29, 11:59 p.m.

The $12 from tags will go to the department's Maine Deer Management Fund. The newly created program works to enhance deer habitat. The funds are used for predator control, and to acquire or enhance deer habitat. In addition to antlerless deer permit fees, $2 from collected deer registrations will go to the management fund. Doe tags are expected to fetch over $750,000 for the fund. The collected funds will be matched 3:1 with money from the Pittman-Robertson Act.

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For more information about the new antlerless lottery system visit the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife website.