Coordinating hunters and landowners

Large tracts of land once accessible by the hunting community are no longer accessible leading to an increase in trespassing on private lands by the less-considerate members of the hunting community. On Martha’s Vineyard, effective hunting methods are SEVERELY restricted by limited access to private property, firearm discharge setbacks, land closures, or town by-laws requiring written permission. Not enough deer are removed from the population to stabilize or reduce deer numbers. Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are the only wildlife management zones in the state that allow an unlimited amount of antlerless deer to be harvested. This is due to the massive overpopulation of white-tailed deer on the islands with densities ranging as high as 100 deer per square mile in some areas. State Biologists consider 6-8 deer per square mile the optimal density for a healthy population.