Congratulations to those of you who applied for a Massachusetts Antlerless Deer Permit in Zone 5. This year, 100% of those who applied were chosen for permits.
The trend in Massachusetts is clearly a higher percentage of hunters receiving antlerless permits, as deer density numbers in most of the state’s management zones are above the target. To highlight that, only three of the state’s 15 Wildlife Management Zones did not issue permits to 100% of applicants – Zones 2 (55%), 4N (86%), and 6 (86%) were the exceptions.
Local deer hunters have been aware of the increased deer density and many have commented, as have locals who do not hunt, to this writer about seeing what seems to be more deer than they remember in the past.
When you talk about deer hunting harvest numbers, you have to understand that many variables can impact the total number of deer harvested by hunters in the state’s three hunting seasons.
These seasons include archery season, which opens statewide (there is an early season in eastern zones 13 and 14 that starts on Sept. 21) on Oct. 5. It closes Nov. 28 and the two-week shotgun season kicks off Nov. 30. That is followed by the primitive arms season that runs from Dec. 14 to Dec. 31. The island zones 13 and 14 also have a late season from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14.
That is a lot of hunting days, but hunter numbers are declining and hunter density, particularly in the two firearms seasons, has a huge impact on the number of deer taken. Other factors include the economy (going to work or going hunting), the daily weather (tracking snow good, deep snow bad), and deer hunters aging out and not being replaced by the younger generation.
All these variables factor into the equation and deer managers have to figure out how to best utilize hunters to manage deer numbers and keep the herd, zone by zone, at numbers that keep deer healthy. This also impacts human health as the different tick-borne diseases, which are increased by higher deer population densities, have become a serious public health issue in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts began a program of limiting whitetail deer female harvest in the late 1960s. At that time, deer season was one week Monday through Saturday with either sex legal and a one-deer limit. The low point was 1967 when 1,193 were taken by hunters. After the establishment of an antlerless permit lottery, the harvest during the years between 1970 and 1980 went from 2,000 to 3,500 deer.
Over time, the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board instituted many regulatory changes that now have hunters taking 15,000 or more deer annually. Seasons have been expanded and archery and primitive arms hunting seasons now each provide harvest totals that are close to the numbers during shotgun season. Over that time, choices were made to create increased recreation in keeping with harvest goals in the 15 Wildlife Management Zones.
At this point, the previously mentioned factors that have reduced the number of hunters must also be examined, as more land is closed to hunter access by development and also being closed to hunting. Deer numbers have tended to surge in suburban areas where there is no way to practice deer management using the traditional methods of utilizing hunters to control deer numbers.
The present system issues two buck tags for each hunting license and gives license holders until July 16 each year to apply for a permit in one of the 15 zones. A computerized drawing is conducted and applicants can check results from Aug. 1 through Dec. 31. Successful applicants can purchase permits, which cost $10 for residents and $30 for non-residents. Any surplus permits may be available for purchase in late September if demand is low.
In recent years, permit allocations have been adjusted by the Fisheries and Wildlife Board after recommendations by staff based on annual reviews. For example, in 2025, Zone 5 saw a dramatic increase in permit availability (from 2,480 to 2,900) because deer density was above goal, and applicant numbers dropped, leading to a 95% selection rate. This year, the numbers driven by real-time data and hunter applications resulted in every applicant in Zone 5, and all but three of the 15 zones, getting a permit.
The MassWildlife deer management program’s history is now a science-based, adaptive management approach. By controlling the harvest of does, MassWildlife aims to balance deer population, which will benefit both human and herd health with hunting opportunities, ensuring sustainability for future generations.
The prospects of getting venison for the freezer are always better with a doe tag in your pocket. You still, however, have to do the work before and during the hunting seasons. Tonight, when that tender venison steak is grilling it will be a good incentive to put in the effort to get it done again.
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, Counselor and Director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, has been a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor for over 40 years and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.