AUGUSTA — Maine’s firearms deer hunting season has begun for non-residents and residents alike.

The season kicked off Saturday for Maine residents, with out-of-staters getting the go-ahead on Monday.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is expecting hunters to kill 25,000 to 26,000 deer this year. If that happens, it’ll be the most bountiful harvest since 2007, when hunters bagged nearly 29,000 animals.

Hunters last year killed 21,365 deer, an increase from 18,839 the previous year.

Firearms season ends Nov. 30, with muzzleloader season beginning Dec. 2.

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