Massachusetts is experiencing a significant increase in deer-related vehicle accidents.
State crash data compiled by AAA and shared with Boston 25 News shows a more than 50% rise in collisions in the last 10 years. In November alone, which marks the peak of deer mating season, the state recorded 803 deer crashes for an average of nearly 27 accidents per day.
The Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources is currently reviewing several bills aimed at managing the state’s deer population through updated hunting laws. State Sen. Becca Rausch, who chairs the committee, said the topic is part of an ongoing conversation among state officials.
“Several bills about hunting come to the environmental committee every session,” Rausch said.
Proposals this year include rolling back a 200-year-old outright ban on Sunday hunting, a law that currently exists only in Massachusetts and Maine. Lawmakers are also considering relaxing restrictions on crossbow hunting and reducing the required distance hunters must stay from homes. Massachusetts maintains a 500-foot setback from residences, the widest requirement in New England.
Martin Feehan, a deer biologist for Mass Wildlife, told Boston 25 News that reducing setbacks would potentially open access to millions of acres of land.
“If setbacks came back to 150 feet, which would match our neighboring states, then you’d end up being able to have a lot more land open for hunting,” Feehan said.
However, state data shows fewer than 1% of Massachusetts residents currently hold a hunting license. While Mass Wildlife is working to reverse a decline in the hunter participation, some experts argue hunting is not the solution to the state’s deer population problem.
Dr. Allan Rutberg, director of the Center for Animals & Public Policy at Tufts University, says the proposed hunting solutions “nibble around the edges” of the problem.
“It’s not going to address the actual numbers of deer that are out there,” Rutberg told Boston 25 News. He noted that other states with high deer populations, such as New York, New Jersey, and Maryland, allow communities to use alternative management methods that are not currently available in Massachusetts.
Rutberg says injectable fertility control and sterilization have helped reduce deer populations by up to 50% over five years in some small, localized studies in other states.
The agricultural industry is also impacted by the deer population, with farmers reporting damage to crops. Karen Schwalbe, executive director of the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, said there is a direct link between highway safety and farm proximity.
“Farms are situated in and around population areas, so certainly there is an overlap between the deer that we’re seeing on the highway and the proximity to farms,” Schwalbe said.
She added that the Farm Bureau views the current legislative proposals as a “really good beginning” but hopes to see further measures.
High deer densities are also tied to public health concerns, including the prevalence of tick-borne illnesses in Southeast Massachusetts and the islands. Gov. Maura Healey recently expressed support for increasing hunter opportunities to address these issues.
“Expanding opportunities for hunters will carry that tradition forward while protecting public health and ensuring we’re maintaining balance in our wildlife populations,” Healey said in a statement.
Several hunting bills remain before state lawmakers this session, including some that have been designated for further study. The legislature will determine if measures such as the repeal of the Sunday hunting ban will advance after failing to pass in previous years.
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