AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Maine’s annual deer hunt is entering its final few days of the year with the season for hunters who use muzzleloaders.

Muzzleloaders are firearms that are loaded through the front end. Deer hunters who prefer muzzleloaders have their own season in Maine and it ends on Dec. 11.

Hunters are limited to wildlife management districts in southern and central Maine during this part of the season and are advised to check with authorities before hunting.

The state has encouraged more deer hunting to help manage the size of the herd, but hunters haven’t been harvesting as many animals as authorities would like.