Deer Population Management

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: discussion of the island deer herd, the town's role, and the public health (tick-borne illness) and economic concerns. Managing the herd is largely regulated by the state.
Where it stands: no vote. Bobby, who sits on the Board of Health and hunts, volunteered to attend the existing private-sector coordination meetings and report back to the Select Board and the Board of Health.
Next: Bobby to contact the natural resources office about a generic landowner permission slip for the Board of Health website; the board asked for regular updates and to avoid duplicating the existing effort.

Why it was raised

Brooke, who placed the item on the agenda, said residents feel there is no town group to take concerns or ideas to, and that she, the health director and the Board of Health chair had discussed having the Board of Health host or join a group that shares information publicly. Her core question was where in town administration engagement and reporting on this effort should live.
She also described an extensive effort already under way, coordinated by the Land Bank (a group that meets every Friday) with the Conservation Foundation, large landowners, MassWildlife and a new organization called Act Deer. She said the economic consequences (landscape damage, vehicle collisions) do not fall under the health department, and offered two options: a town task force that includes public health and natural resources, or one person who attends the existing meetings and reports back.
Public health director Joe Watson said tick-borne illness is the top topic he hears about, that the health department will support whatever it has capacity for, but wildlife management, land access and economic impact are outside its scope and expertise.

Points raised

Bobby: the limit is access, not the number of hunters; large posted tracts (for example along Polpis Road) cannot be hunted, while many deer live near homes where archery is safe if owners give permission. He proposed a generic permission slip for homeowners, hosted through the Board of Health. Brooke asked that he connect with the Land Bank group rather than start something new.
Hunters in public comment said opening up land is the key, that the venison donation program has drawn more hunters, that the state is loosening some rules (crossbow permits, setback from houses, deer damage permits for large owners), and that the herd cannot be eliminated. One suggested closing trails on set days to make hunting safer; another suggested an infrared flyover to map deer.
Comments that the extended season (to the end of February this year) should increase the harvest; one hunter said about 300 extra deer were taken in the January and February hunt last year, and about 50 came out of Middle Moors in the first week of shotgun season (unverified, from captions).
Brooke said non-hunting methods such as birth control are not financially viable compared with increasing the hunt. Jill asked whether the group looks beyond hunting.
New resources named: 24-hour dumpsters for carcasses at several locations, gut bags for hunters, and a proposed refrigerated locker. Hunters in the room had not known about the dumpsters.
Other contributing factors raised: landscaping that feeds deer, whole-property fencing that pushes deer onto neighbors, and a suggestion to look at the issue from a zoning or building perspective. A resident cautioned against blaming deer alone for tick-borne illness (rabbits, birds, rodents and pets also carry ticks).
The Board of Health has also sent restaurants guidance on alpha-gal.

Sources

Discussion time

About 31 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-21 - Select Board	31

Log

2026-11-04 - Select Board — Bobby reported his first deer meeting with the Land Bank and outreach to Act Deer. He described growing pains with the $150 deer bounty, called the problem at least a five-year fix, and said hunters must be vetted before being matched with property owners; he hopes to liaise between the Land Bank, property owners, Act Deer and hunters.
2026-10-21 - Select Board — Raised by Brooke; Bobby volunteered to attend the existing coordination meetings and report back; no formal task force created.