The deadline to apply for the drawing for antlerless deer permits, aka doe permits, in Massachusetts is July 16 each year and applicants may check to see if they were selected by a computerized drawing system on Aug. 1. This year, there was considerable confusion on both dates as two changes had occurred.
The first change was the contract to oversee the process was awarded to a new vendor earlier this year and the second was the implementation of a new policy by the Healey administration to require everyone who connects with any Massachusetts state agency to have their own identity and password to enter the state portal, mass.gov.
This resulted in a great deal of confusion, particularly for those of us with gray hair and limited computer expertise and experience. The MassWildlife web page offered a help line which proved to be very helpful to those who called, and license holders were able to apply and then determine later if they had been awarded a permit. Locally, the dividing line between MassWildlife Wildlife Management Zones 5 and 6 is Route 2A which splits the North Quabbin region. Many select Zone 6 which wraps around Quabbin while others choose to hunt and apply in Zone 5, which runs north to the New Hampshire border.
Massachusetts deer management is based on a system which uses many data sources, primarily information from annual deer harvest reports, to determine if each of the 14 management zones has a deer population which is above, below or at the target. The target is based on available habitat and how much land is open to hunting.
Historically, Zone 5 applicants have been drawn for doe permits at a rate of a bit above 50%. This year, however, hunters found that a large majority of those applying were awarded permits. That generated considerable conversation. Everyone in the group that this writer hunts with got a permit so speculation, as you might expect, was rampant and this former MassWildlife board member received a lot of inquiries.
That resulted in my reaching out to MassWildlife staff to obtain factual information which could be relayed to interested hunters as to why the success rate jumped up. Ultimately Assistant Director of Wildlife Mike Hugenin gave me call and provided background. At the board meeting when the annual deer review was presented, staff recommended an increase in Zone 5 as the data indicated that the deer density was above goal. The proposal included an increase of 420 permits in Zone 5 from the previous allocation of 2,480 resulting in 2,900 antlerless deer permits being available in the drawing. Mike also stated that the number of hunters, and therefore the number of applicants in the zone was down as well so the result was that 95% of those who applied were selected.
In my 35 years serving as a member of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board, the deer management program changed significantly, and it was all driven by the ability to manage deer by female harvest. Simply put, if you want more deer, you remove fewer females and if you want fewer deer, you remove more females. The data indicated that when the system was instituted a little more than 5% of hunters killed a buck but that number increased to about 20% for hunters with an antlerless permit. Over the ensuing decades, the deer numbers have increased, and Massachusetts hunters are now harvesting over 15,000 deer up from 8,000 in 1995. The success numbers also are higher, a reflection of a higher population. Those harvest numbers are influenced by hunter participation, weather and the amount of land open to hunting. Fresh “tracking snow” increases the harvest while a blizzard will reduce it and even the economy can influence harvest as it can make a difference in how many hunters are in the woods.
Years ago, a research study produced a report that indicated in the Northeast, whitetail deer hunters had the highest success rate at a hunter density of 8 per square mile as hunters influence deer movement. The Massachusetts archery season for deer opens statewide on Oct. 6. Shotgun season starts Dec. 1, and primitive arms hunting begins on Dec. 15. Good luck to all!
Boat launch opens
Last Friday about 30 people attended the official opening of a boat launch and public access to the Millers River in Athol above the dam at the former Twist Drill property. This project opens up seven miles of the river to fishermen and women and kayakers from Athol to Royalston. That stretch contains some really good trout fishing and is a very scenic area that is now available to the public. Department of Fish and Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea spoke of the importance of the project, the number of partners involved, and the time and money invested by shareholders to make it happen. Acting Director of the Office of Fishing & Boating Access, Terry Smith, detailed the $358,000 project’s history and was joined by state legislators, local leaders, and community members in the celebration of the completion of the canoe and kayak launch. Athol selectboard members chairperson Rebecca Bialecki and long-time member Mitch Grosky were in attendance and both should be lauded for all the efforts they have been involved in during their tenures as public servants.