The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has taken the next step toward finalizing a revamped system for the hunting of antlerless deer. At a recent meeting of the DIF&W Advisory Council, the agency recommended that 96,340 antlerless deer permits be issued for the 2022 season. That’s 37 percent fewer than the record 153,910 so-called any-deer permits offered in 2021. The reduced number is a result of the proposed “antlerless” permit system that would replace the existing “any-deer” model.