Rules and Regulation in Deer Hunting

There are many times a hunter likes to go to hunt the deer alone. But going to hunt the deer in a group can give a different experience. This article you will read how fun it is to go in a group.

The method of locating deer with a car and then leaving the car to shoot the deer is still legal in this State (Maine), but it is little more sporting than shooting them from a moving vehicle. In time this method will be banned here as it is in some of the other deer hunting areas, because it will become a serious threat to the deer population and to the safety of the traveling public. Wardens know that many people do not bother to leave their cars before shooting, but, unless these people are caught in the act, there is little chance of convicting them. Little can be done to stop this practice except to ban shooting from a highway. If a workable law can be devised, this will probably be one of the next prohibitions that the hunter will find in the Maine game laws.

The driving of deer is another way to hunt the animals. This method is successful in areas where there are small patches of woods. Organized groups can cover quite a bit of territory and can bag a sizeable number of deer during a season, if their aim is good. While these groups kill a large number of deer, there is usually more or less dissatisfaction among the members about the division of the spoils and about who should assume the credit (or blame) for each kill. The Maine law prohibits a man from registering a deer that he has not personally killed. It also prohibits a man who has killed one deer from hunting during the remainde of the hunting season. These laws are evaded by members of many of these deer-driving groups.

The use of noisemaking devices in deer driving is forbidden, but no judge has yet ruled that the human vocal cords are in this category and some of these drives have been quite noisy affairs. This shouting, together with more or less indiscriminate shooting, has resulted in opposition to this practice among some land owners where these hunts have occurred. Hunting territory has been posted and lost to hunters because of these gang drives. As a result, the Maine Legislature has placed a limit on the number of men taking part in these drives. There are other restrictions that regulate the deer hunter's actions. Most of them are on the books for the protection of the deer herd or for the hunter's own safety. Some of them may not please the hunter, but they should be observed in the interest of continued hunting. There are many legal methods of hunting to which the true sportsman should stick.

In order to enjoy the sport fully, a deer hunter needs a thorough understanding of the animal and, to a lesser extent, of the country to be hunted. This knowledge cannot be obtained in one short hunt, but must be acquired by years of hunting, by reading or by listening to other hunters who have this knowledge. There are some laws of the state on how you hunt deer. They are like registering of the deer which you had not killed personally, prohibitions of noisemaking devices, etc. Unfortunately, sometimes these laws not really get well with the hunters.