Zinke expands hunting, fishing at two Maine national wildlife refuges

WASHINGTON — Fishermen and hunters will have increased opportunities to pursue those activities at two Maine national wildlife refuges during the 2018-2019 seasons as the result of action announced Friday by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke.

The Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in Baring and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Wells both were on the list of public lands where hunting and fishing will be expanded.

The move expands existing migratory game bird, upland game and big game hunting at Moosehorn, and further opens up existing white-tailed deer and wild turkey hunting at the Rachel Carson site.

Zinke will open more than 251,000 acres to new or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities at 30 national wildlife refuges across the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. This will now bring the number of units where the public may hunt to 377 and the number where fishing is permitted to 312.

In addition to opening up more acres to fishing and hunting, the move takes steps to simplify regulations to more closely match state hunting and fishing regulations.


Read more: https://bangordailynews.com/2018/09/07/outdoors/zinke-expands-hunting-fishing-at-two-maine-national-wildlife-refuges/



Canada geese glide over the calm surface of a pond known as Otter Flowage on May 28, 2017, in Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in the eastern Maine town of Baring. Aislinn Sarnacki - BDN