Recent complaints about the poaching of deer in Eastport have again raised concerns about abuses by some bow-hunters in the city.
     During the wind storm on the evening of October 11, Jana Sutherland says she noticed lights in the trees at the edge of her yard on McKinley Street. When she stepped outside and yelled, "Who's in there?" the lights went out. A doe with an arrow sticking out of it then came running across her lawn and dropped at her feet, and she heard people run up past the old powder house and get into vehicles. Just after that, a small pick-up truck came down McKinley Street, and one of the two young men inside asked Sutherland if she had seen a deer just run past. When the man said they didn't shoot the deer, she replied with an expletive. The men swore at her and drove off, spraying gravel. "He came within three inches of hitting me," Sutherland says, noting that if she hadn't jumped back she would have been hit.
     Her husband Allan called the police, and she says Chief Michael Donahe came and shot the wounded deer, having to shoot her twice in the head. "It was not pleasant," Sutherland says. The chief called a game warden, who took the deer.
     Sutherland believes the hunters violated several laws: state laws that they cannot hunt within 500 feet of a school zone or hunt after dark and the city's ordinance that they cannot hunt east of High Street. Also, the area is posted with "no trespassing" and "no hunting" signs.
     Of illegal poaching of deer on the island, she says, "I think it's a huge problem." She maintains that the police department has not been enforcing the city's bow ordinance, with officers last year not taking statements from those who report violations or taking any violators to court. "The hunters think the bow ordinance is a big joke. They think they can take a deer any time during the season and tag it the next day," she says. "They just won't quit."

Illegal hunting being investigated
     Police Chief Donahe says the police have responded to two complaints this year about deer being shot at night. One was on Adams Street, with a deer shot by an arrow, and the other was on McKinley Street. He notes that he does have officers patrolling around Hillside Cemetery, which is where he believes some illegal hunting may be occurring. He says the cases are being investigated by the Maine Warden Service.
     Donahe says the police will enforce the city's bow hunting ordinance but so far have not seen hunters doing anything illegally. He notes it's difficult to "catch anyone" in the act of violating either city or state hunting laws. If anyone does witness illegal hunting activity they should contact the police, and Donahe says they will speak with the hunter. He says the police do take statements from anyone who makes a complaint.
     However, Walter Cummings, chair of the deer committee, feels that enforcement of the city's bow hunting ordinance is not a priority for the police, and he notes that game wardens, who enforce the state's game laws, have "a lot of area to cover." While he believes some people are not hunting legally, he agrees with Donahe that it's hard to enforce state or local laws, as any illegal hunting needs to be witnessed in order to summons a hunter.
     As for complaints by residents about illegal hunting, Cummings cautions that they need to be careful and "have the facts. If someone is doing something wrong, they need to be prosecuted, but you also need to be very certain that it's happening." He adds, "I don't want to see the special hunt spoiled by a few bad apples."

Efforts to reduce conflicts between deer and people
     To reduce the overpopulation of deer in the city, during the past two years Eastport has held a special archery hunt and will hold its third and last special hunt this year. Bow-hunting of deer now being done in the city is under the state's regular archery season, which runs from September 29 through October 26.
     Chris Bartlett, a member of the city's deer committee and the chair until this year, says the committee wants to assess whether its efforts to reduce the conflicts between deer and people, by holding special hunts, are successful. A 2017 survey of Eastport residents that was prepared by the deer committee and sent out in the city's sewer bills found 83% of the 198 people who responded felt deer are a problem on the island, with the top concerns being accidents, ticks and Lyme disease and destruction of gardens and property. The top idea suggested was to discourage the feeding of deer. In the 2018 survey, 70% of the 130 respondents felt deer are a problem, and they listed the same concerns.
     Bartlett says the committee believes that outreach into the community is important, so that residents understand the special hunt and its rules. He recently spoke to Shead High School students at an assembly for any students who want to go bow-hunting. Seven students attended, and Bartlett covered both the city's bow ordinance and state laws. The students said they would help spread the word among their peers. "It was a good start for outreach, but we can do more, so that people make better informed decisions," he says.

Special hunt restrictions
     This year's special hunt will take place from November 26 through December 8. A total of 30 permits will be issued. Those who were successful in the past will receive a permit, in order to increase the number of anterless deer harvested, and 16 of the 18 previously successful hunters applied for a permit this year. The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife conducts background checks on applicants before permits are issued, and applicants must hold an archery license, a hunting license and a crossbow safety course completion certificate.
     Under the city's Bow and Arrow Ordinance, hunting is not allowed in the residential area that is east of the following line: along County Road, beginning in South End, then down Washington Street to High Street, then north on High to Clark Street, then east to the water's edge. Discharging of an arrow is not allowed within 100 yards of a dwelling or within 500 feet of a school. A change in the ordinance this year increases from 10 feet to 50 feet as the distance from a public way that one is allowed to shoot an arrow. Also, crossbows will be allowed this year. All hunting must be from a fixed ground blind or elevated stand.
     While this will be the last year for a special hunt, anterless deer can now be taken in Wildlife Management District 27 that includes Eastport. Bartlett hopes that the regular archery hunt may now be able to control the deer population and reduce the conflicts between deer and people.