AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)   A proposal to allow Maine hunters to harvest more deer this fall is headed to a public hearing in Augusta.

Biologists with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife are recommending nearly 85,000 “any deer” permits this year. Those permits allow hunters to harvest deer of either sex. The recommendation would be an increase of 28 percent from 2017.

The proposal is up for a public hearing on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Augusta Armory. The state is also taking comments by mail until July 6.

The deer hunt takes place in the fall every year. The state is recommending an increase in permits because many deer have been surviving over the winter in recent years.