Weston’sDeerManagementProgram
FrequentlyAskedQuestions
WhathuntingplanhastheConservationCommissiondeveloped?
TheCommissionhaveopenedfiveconservationlandparcelsforbowhuntingfordeerfrom
October15toDecember31,whichisthestatebowhuntingseason.Twenty‐fivebow
hunterswereselected;preferencewasgiventoWestonresidentsandemployees.Hunters
wereassignedtooneofthefollowingparcels:JerichoandOgilvieTownForests,Dickson
Fields,BlaneyAquifer,andSearsLand.Huntingareasareposted.
Well‐seasonedandproficientbowhuntershavebeenselectedbytheConservation
Commission.BackgroundcheckswereconductedandthehunterspassedaTownof
WestonproficiencytestaswellasaStateofMassachusettscertifiedbowhuntingsafety
course.Allhuntingisdoneonlyfromportabletreestandswithinspecificallydesignated
areas.Stalkingisnotallowed.Thebowrangeaverages20yardsfromthetreestanddown
totheground,andthedeermustbebroad‐sideandstationarybeforetheshotcanbetaken.
ThemapofthehuntingareasaswellastheTown’shuntingregulationscanbefound
Weston’sdeermanagementwebpageatwww.tinyurl.com/westondeerinfo2012.They
complementstateregulations,whichtakeprecedence.
Willhuntingdisruptwalkingandotherrecreationalusesofconservationland?
Onlyverymarginally.Thedeerhuntingstandsarelocatedwellawayfrommaintrails.Due
totheheightoftreestands,hunterswillbeshootingintothegroundwithin20yardsof
theirsites.Thismeansthatpeoplewalkingontrailswillnotbeneartargetedareas.Asan
addedprecaution,maintrailsleadingintohuntingareaswillbepostedsothatwalkerswill
beaware.
Somepassiveactivitiesmaybedisruptedbythisnewprogram.Walkersshoulddecideif
theyarecomfortableusingtheselectlandsduringhuntingseason.Framingham,Sudbury,
Medfield,Dover,Andover,andDuxburyhavealllaunchedsuccessfulhuntingprogramson
conservationlandswherepeoplefrequentlywalkdogs,jog,bikeandhorse‐backride.They
havereceivednocomplaintssincetheinceptionofthosehuntingprograms.
SinceMassWildlife(Mass.DepartmentofGameandFisheries)begankeepingrecordsthere
havebeennoreportsofnon‐hunterinjuriesduringbowhuntingseason.Noonehasever
beenshotbyastrayarrowaccordingtothestateofMassachusetts’huntingrecords.
Unfortunately,illegalhuntingdoestakeplaceonconservationland:theConservation
Commissionoccasionallyfindsdeerstandsandblinds.DespitetheCommission’sbest
effortstopolicetheproperties,itdoesnothavetheresourcestobeever‐presentonall
properties.Legallypermittedhunterswhohaveastakeintheprogramwillhelpthe
Commissiondeterillegalhuntingandreducethispre‐existingrisktothepublic.
WillthishuntingprogramopenConservationLandstootherformsofhunting?
No.Thepurposeofthisdeerhuntingprogramistostabilizethedeerpopulationinasafe
manneraspartofourlandstewardshipobligations.Wedonotforeseehuntingwith
firearms.
Ishuntinginconsistentwiththepurposeofconservationland?Whycan’twejustlet
naturetakeitscourse?
Toprotectotherspeciesthatweappreciate,wemustactivelymanagethesehuman‐
influencedparcels.Humansarealreadyakeyelementintheecologicalequationthat
governstheseproperties,andhavebeenimportantpredatorsofdeerformanythousands
ofyears.AnunrestricteddeerpopulationisapowerfuldisruptiveforceinWeston’sforests,
wetlands,andfields.Inthiscase,propermanagementofconservationlandrequiresthe
stronghandofhumaninterventiontoprotectandpreservediversity.Ahands‐offapproach
wouldallowdeertothreatenmanynativespecies.
Alltheevidencewehavereceivedfromlong‐timeresidentsindicatesthat20yearsago
therewerefewdeerinWeston,whereastodaytherearemany.There’snowaytoknowthe
exactdeerpopulationofWeston,howevertheevidencegatheredisconsistentwith
MassachusettsDepartmentofFishandWildlifeestimatesforourregionofabout25
deer/squaremile.TheCommission’sgoalisapopulationof8‐10persquaremile.
WhilemostresidentsenjoyhavingsomedeerinWeston,72percentofthosewho
respondedtotheConservationCommissionDeerImpactonlinesurveyfeltthatthedeer
populationhasreachedalevelthatneedstobecontrolled.Theseimpactsinclude:
 Damagetoyardsandcrops.72percentofrespondentsreportedyarddamage,and
farmssuchasLand’sSakehavebeenatgreatexpensetofencecropsagainstdeerfor
thepast15years,withmixedsuccessandsignificantcroplosses.
 Damagetoforestecosystems.OurpreliminarysurveysofWeston’sforestshave
discoveredexcessivedeerbrowseinmanyareas,resultingindeclinesinseveral
speciesofwildflowersandshrubs,anddecliningregenerationofsometrees,
particularmapleandoak.
 Vehiclecollisions.Onaverage,31deer/carcollisionsarereportedannuallytothe
Westonpolicedept.Suchcollisionscausedamagetovehiclesandareusuallyfatalto
deer,andcanalsocauseinjuriesand(rarely)fatalitiesfordriversandpassengers.
 Lymedisease.TherehavebeenincreasingcasesofLymedisease(alongwithother
tick‐borneillnesses)inWeston,aswellasinsurroundingtowns,amongbothpeople
andpets.Over40percentofsurveyrespondentsreportedthattheyorsomeonein
theirfamilyhadcontractedLymedisease.Lymediseaseispartofacomplex
relationshipinvolvingthelifecycleofticksandseveraldifferentanimalhosts.Deer
donotcarrythedisease(themajorreservoirofthediseaseisfieldmice);however,
deerplayacriticalroleinsupportinglargepopulationsofadultticksandspreading
themthroughoutthelandscape.Whilethereisscientificdebateabouthowlowthe
deerpopulationmustbedriventohaveabeneficialeffect,severalstudieshave
indicatedthatifitcanbereducedbelow10deer/squaremile,tickpopulationand
Lymediseaseratesdecline.
QuestionsaboutWeston’sDeerManagementProgram?ContacttheConservation
Commissionat781‐786‐[email protected]