The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said more than 21,000 deer were taken by resident and nonresident hunters in 2012.
Biologists will not have an official hunt tally until February, but the current estimate represents an 11.5 percent increase from 2011, when 18,839 deer were registered.
To obtain final harvest numbers, biologists will review and summarize information in registration books from hundreds of stores in the state.
The state issued 34,160 “any deer” permits in 13 of the state’s 29 wildlife management districts.
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