It seems that hunters have been spending extra time within the woods final yr, as wildlife officers reported that the Bay State deer harvest hit a report excessive in 2022.
Last yr’s season set a brand new annual report of 15,853 harvested deer, almost 2,500 extra deer from the 2021 down yr of 13,368 harvested deer — a 19% spike year-over-year.
The 2022 statewide harvest of almost 16,000 deer was considerably up from the earlier three-year common of 14,007 deer.
The deer inhabitants has been rising for a lot of, many a long time, in keeping with MassWildlife Deer and Moose Project Leader Martin Feehan who informed the Herald that he had anticipated 2022 could be a report harvest.
“There was a record harvest in 2020, but then there was a 9% drop a year later mostly due to people getting back to their lives after everything opened back up, so hunters were spending less time hunting,” Feehan stated.
“The deer population continued to grow more due to that,” he added.
Another issue resulting in the report harvest was MassWildlife making extra permits out there to hunters in jap Massachusetts the place deer densities are very excessive. Without inhabitants administration by way of searching, deer turn out to be overabundant — growing dangers to public security from car collisions and habitat harm.
Loosening up restrictions on permits in jap Massachusetts counties “had a very successful impact,” Feehan stated. In the south-of-Boston Zone 11, for instance, the deer harvest final yr jumped to 4,259 deer, a 32% surge from 3,238 deer in 2021. That zone covers Bristol and Plymouth counties.
While Feehan anticipated a report harvest, he didn’t predict the harvest could be up in each area throughout Massachusetts.
“It seems like hunters were spending more time in the woods last year,” Feehan stated. “It was a big season across the state.”
Massachusetts has an estimated statewide deer herd of greater than 150,000.
Because of the very massive harvest in Bristol and Plymouth counties final yr, there’ll possible be a decline in that area this yr.
“I’d be surprised if we hit a record (this year), but it should be another strong harvest year,” Feehan stated.
Last fall, MassWildlife launched its Hunters Share the Harvest Program, which entails hunters donating wild sport meat like venison to residents in want. In this system’s first pilot yr, beneficiant hunters donated greater than 1,500 meals of processed venison to veterans’ households by way of the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation.
This program creates the chance for hunters to proceed searching after they’ve stuffed their very own freezers, whereas addressing meals insecurity of their communities and serving to Massachusetts meet its deer administration targets.
MassWildlife plans to develop donation and distribution areas within the coming years.
“It was a great first year,” Feehan stated. “We hope to get more processors on board this year.”
People can financially assist MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest Program with a financial donation to the Massachusetts Outdoor Heritage Foundation. Donations assist cowl the processing and packaging prices for donated meat. To donate, go to www.massoutdoorheritage.org/donate.html.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”