<p>As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the incidence of tick-borne illness, bow hunters on Martha’s Vineyard this year will be offered a monetary incentive to take additional female deer.
As part of an ongoing effort to reduce the incidence of tick-borne illness, bow hunters on Martha’s Vineyard this year will be offered a monetary incentive to take additional female deer.
In the new initiative, archery hunters will be paid $100 apiece for every doe they take after the first two, said Richard Johnson, the biologist who heads the Islandwide tick-borne illness reduction program.
Funding will be provided by an anonymous donor, Mr. Johnson said.
The new program is a collaboration involving Island Grown Initiative, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society, and the tick-borne illness reduction program that began some years ago through the Island boards of health and is now administered through the county.
IGI executive director Rebecca Haag said last week that the Agricultural Society is in the process of retrofitting a trailer for use as cool storage to hang deer. As part of its food-equity mission, she said IGI will process the donated deer, using the services of Jefferson Munroe at the Larder in Vineyard Haven. The meat will be distributed through the Island Food Pantry, church-led community suppers and other charitable outlets that provide free, nutritious food for Islanders.
“This is a true partnership — a three-way program between the Ag Society, MV ticks and IGI,” Ms. Haag said. “The goal is to reduce the herd and at the same time support local hunters so they can produce more food for Islanders and their families, and for people who need protein.”
The $100-per-deer incentive program is restricted to bow hunting, which on the Vineyard begins Oct. 7 and runs to Nov. 30, and primitive firearms season, which runs from Dec. 16-31. Shotgun hunters, whose season runs from Dec. 2-14, will not be included. (Archery hunting is allowed throughout the deer season, although few bow hunters go out during shotgun weeks).
Increasing the take of female deer is aimed at reducing the overall deer population, said Mr. Johnson, who explained that does typically have one fawn the first year and twins after that.
In Massachusetts, hunters are restricted to two bucks (antlered deer), but there is no limit to the number of does (antlerless deer) that hunters can take.
The Island deer population is known to be well above the statewide management goal of 6 to 18 deer per square mile. Deer play a key role in the life cycle of ticks, playing host to ticks during their reproductive cycles. Tick-borne illnesses have become a growing public health threat on the Vineyard.
Intensive education to raise awareness about ticks, including prevention measures and yard sweeps, and incentives to increase the deer take have been under way for about two years. Private property owners are being encouraged to open their land to hunting, and IGI began processing donated deer last year.
Now the program will take another leap with the installation of the community cold storage space for hanging deer, and the financial incentive for bow hunters. Mr, Johnson said the money being offered to hunters is intended to offset any other small loss of income they may incur, for example by leaving work early to hunt. The cold storage and processing is a further incentive for hunters to take more deer and donate them, he and Ms. Haag both said.
Mr. Johnson cited numbers compiled by the state that show the incentives appear to be making a dent.
Between 2005 and 2015 the average number of deer taken annually by hunters on Martha’s Vineyard was 624.
In 2016, the first year incentives began on the Island to encourage more deer harvest, the number rose to 764. In 2017 there were 844 deer taken. Last year the number was 900.
“The trend is upward,” Mr. Johnson said. He said an ideal goal would be to take 600 female deer annually.
“If we hit that number I’d be really pleased,” he said.
Mr. Johnson, who plans to eventually retire, said the Island would do well in the near future to hire a specially trained biologist who could lead more detailed study of the deer population. Sophisticated herd counts and other metrics are needed to better grasp the magnitude of the problem, he said.
Meanwhile, he expressed gratitude to the anonymous donor, who has offered to contribute up to $45,000 to boost the public health initiative.
“Someone has come forward and said, let’s do something, and we have them to thank,” he said.
Comments
Yes, we have too many deer on
AB OBYes, we have too many deer on the Island. From the reading that I've done, it seems that a large part of the problem is the mice, rabbits, and other small animals that carry the ticks. What do we do about them?
Eat them!
Pj ObEat them!
Mice and chipmunks are
Richard Johnson Oak BluffsMice and chipmunks are important in the deer tick life cycle (but not lone star ticks, which rarely feed on small mammals). Mice and chipmunks are also where deer ticks pick up the disease organisms that cause the diseases they can transmit to humans. The problem is that there are so many mice and they reproduce so quickly that it would be virtually impossible to reduce their numbers enough to make an impact. Based on average densities of white footed mice, I calculated that there are probably well over 500,000 mice on MV. Plus each female can produce up to 25 offspring in a season, so even if we reduced the numbers by 90%, the population would rebound very quickly. Deer are essential for both lone star and deer ticks to reproduce, deer are where the females get the blood meal they need to produce eggs and also find males to mate with. With an estimated 3000-5000 deer on the Vineyard and two babies per year, it is much more feasible to reduce the deer population significantly, although that will not be easy. Plus reducing deer will help with both lone star and deer ticks.
Thank you for explaining.
AB OBThank you for explaining.
We only need to wipe out the
danWe only need to wipe out the disease, not the animals. They should be viewed as two separate things.
Let the mice reproduce, and feed the ticks. As long as they do not have disease to transmit, what difference does it make?
Target elimination of the disease.
Adult ticks need a blood meal
Ellen Wexler Southold NYAdult ticks need a blood meal from a LARGE MAMMALin order to reproduce and lay their thousands of eggs In most places in the U.S. this is deer. Young (nymph) ticks do feed on mice, voles, moles, and birds. But it is ONLY deer that is required for ticks to reproduce. the D.E.C has stated "Few deer+ Few ticks." Some communities have greatly reduced or eliminated the deer population and have seen the numbers of tick-borne diseases shrink to almost none. On Long Island we currently have at least five kinds of tick-borne diseases, and almost every family has been affected .
Great idea and the island is
Bob EdgartownGreat idea and the island is lucky to have people who have the resources to make this program work. Thank you anonymous donor.
i agree. many thanks to the
tim west tisburyi agree. many thanks to the donor and to all who are involved in making this happen!
It's not the Deer.
Mike WTIt's not the Deer.
It's the mice!
It's both. The newly landed
Kenny OBIt's both. The newly landed coyote on the island will help.
Encourage the predator
GL ChilmarkEncourage the predator population such as birds of prey? I suppose not putting pressure on the predator population (e.g. preserving their habitat and health) is a good start.
For archery hunting on MVLand
Nancy weaver TisburyFor archery hunting on MVLand bank property go to their website-
https://fs28.formsite.com/CindyKrauss/99leeuw5wx/index.html
Wait...the buck impregnates
Susan Desmarais Oak BluffsWait...the buck impregnates the doe. Why put a bounty on just the females? Without the bucks the girls wouldn’t be reproducing....just saying...
A healthy herd should have a
Elizabeth WilliamsA healthy herd should have a 2 to 1 herd ratio does to bucks. As more does are annually fawned than bucks it is an essential part of management to target the does. A single buck in a high doe to buck ratio area can feasibly impregnate 6 doe in a season
Biologists have a saying
Richard Johnson Oak BluffsBiologists have a saying "sperm is cheap". Deer are not monogamous, bucks compete to impregnate as many does as possible. One buck can impregnate many does. If you have 10 bucks and 100 does, you still get 100 pregnant females and up to 200 fawns. If you have 100 bucks and 10 does, you get 10 pregnant females and 20 fawns. We could never reduce the number of male deer to the point where most females were not getting pregnant.
That is why in places like the Vineyard, where Fish and Wildlife is trying to reduce the number of deer, hunters are only allowed to take two bucks but can take unlimited numbers of does. In areas where they are trying to increase the deer population, hunters can still take two bucks but doe permits are rationed and many hunters do not get to take even one doe.
Well, the biological reason
MartinWell, the biological reason is you can kill every buck but one of them, and that one buck will breed with the does indefinitely if they are in heat. If you want population reduction, does have to be culled specifically as they can only produce a limited number of offspring in a given year (generally a max of 2).
Thanks so much to the Donor.
Naomi Vineyard HavenThanks so much to the Donor. I’ve been unfortunate enough to have had Lyme disease. It put me in the hospital for a week. When I share my story with people effected by Lyme, they all have had different ailments. With me, I shuffled like an elderly person (which I’m not) and my hair hurt (yes, my hair). I was told I can no longer donate blood and Lyme has shown up in my blood tests years later. It has also curbed what I choose to do outdoors. Honestly, what a selfless person/family to offer that money to try and reduce ticks/Lyme on the island. This is my $.02 worth of a heartfelt ’Thank-you’.
To go after the mice, bring
Carolyn Asheville, NCTo go after the mice, bring in fox.
It's beyond foolish for the
Michael Oak BluffsIt's beyond foolish for the state to restrict Sunday hunting. At the very least, Archery hunting should be allowed ASAP Can anyone on this island make that happen? People wouldn't have to take off workdays or only hunt 1 day per week. Did you ever try to get any landscaping, auto repair or construction work done during hunting season? Not too sensible, considering our problem!
Are the people there afraid
Mike Myers Louisville, KYAre the people there afraid of rifle hunting? If you really want to cull the herd, open it up to rifle hunting
Mass has had a restriction on
Tom O South Eastern Ma.Mass has had a restriction on the use of rifles since before I started hunting in the late 70's. The restriction of the rifle is not the problem. Today's modern shotguns, bows and muzzleloader have leveled the playing field for harvesting deer in this state compared to others. The problem is over development. And a lack of hunters. Our hunting community is getting older by the day. With a younger generation that isn't interested in a sport that has been enjoyed by many generations before.
Years ago my father told me
Tom Engley West TisburyYears ago my father told me that they payed $5 per seal face at the town halls on MV. Now they are protected by the Feds. Is there a maximum number on the does.
How can I get in on this hunt
Mark Todd Cheshire MAHow can I get in on this hunt
The incentive is for zone 13
Brian Athearn West TisburyThe incentive is for zone 13 hunters only. it's an island and hunting space is very difficult to come by.
Thank you so much Richard
Joel KatamaThank you so much Richard Johnson ! We are so grateful for the creative, diligent, productive and important work you are doing to ensure and improve the quality of life for vineyarders. Very, very grateful.
Joel, you are right. Thanks
Lorraine EdgartownJoel, you are right. Thanks are due to Richard for his knowledge and his untiring work here on the island. I think M V should be a world center of tick disease research. I believe we had some important meetings here a few years ago? I do my best to deal with the tick situation here in Edgartown village: tick tubes, pea gravel, no brush, no large hedges, which are becoming numerous in the village now, learning as much as I can from experts such as Richard. Open up deer season, please.
The county should also be
Edgartownite EdgartownThe county should also be implementing a Tick Tube program to help reduce the tick problem. They work, but to really be effective it should be an island-wide program.
The widespread dispersal of
Bri WTThe widespread dispersal of pyrethrin and permethrin would come at an ecological cost. The pesticides don’t just kill ticks but many other insects (including threatened and endangered wild pollinators), aquatic and semi-aquatic vertebrates, and are even toxic to many mammals (cats included)
Lyme and the other tick-borne
Edgartownite EdgartownLyme and the other tick-borne diseases are proving to be pretty toxic to humans.
This is the most disgusting
Scott Terry West TisburyThis is the most disgusting thing I can imagine and quite likely illegal. Placing a monetary bounty on a public resource and on wildlife is just wrong, not to mention quite likely having no discernible effect on the tick population. Deer jacking for money will become uncontrollable. Does this mean that as a commercial fisherman, if I come up with a bunch of money, I can put a bounty on seals?
Sorry Scott, years ago there
June Manning AquinnahSorry Scott, years ago there was even a bounty on seagulls around the Vineyard. It has greatly reduced the gull population. One landed on my wrist this summer and removed the top of my sandwich within a matter of seconds. Next year I hope to have a slingshot.
I have had Lyme disease four times in the past twelve years. Only once was there a bulls eye. Only once in my seven decades of life have I had an imbedded tick that required removal by a physician. Our Dad most likely had tularemia that went undiagnosed. It took a week for seven physicians to diagnose tularemia in my son and seven different antibiotics as well.
Perhaps a few fox across the island would get rid of a fair amount of mice. At the weigh in station I have noticed deer with dozens of ticks attached. Thank you to Brian Athearn, Rebecca Haag and Dick Johnson for instituting this program. And a huge thank you to the anonymous donor. This is a major step in reducing the herd. Deer congregate on our lawn every day, at least four a day. We consider more than two together a herd ! Wish I had the strength to rid them with a bow and arrow.
Well said. Thank you for the
T Bone Oak BluffsWell said. Thank you for the practical response.
Educate yourself, Mr Terry,
WD Lawrence MD Edgartown, MAEducate yourself, Mr Terry, this is a serious public health safety issue. My wife’s health has been devastated by Lyme disease over the last decade and I would invite you to simply go on line and read about the protean and life-altering effects of this endemic disease. This is no time for knee-jerk reactions and unfounded speculation such as yours, to wit, “quite likely having no discernible effect on the tick population”. Leave the the thinking up to rational and competent individuals such as Dick Johnson who have the knowledge base to guide our actions.
I am educated. In the real
Scott Terry West TisburyI am educated. In the real world. I have spent nearly 50 years on MV. In that time I have spent much more time in the Woods than most. I an bitten by deer ticks 20 - 30 times a year. I have had Lyme disease once. I took antibiotics and it went away. It is a CURABLE disease. I am also educated enough to know there is serious scientific debate concerning chronic Lyme disease.
More importantly, I don’t think I ever said or implied that I don’t think Lyme is a serious disease that makes many people suffer.
What I said was placing an illegal bounty on a wildlife species that belongs to everyone is not only deplorable, but will also have no effect on deer or tick populations and will not prevent Lyme disease. The deer population problem here is man made and ironically created by some of the same of the same people that now want to pay others to kill them so they feel safe from disease. If people had been willing to give hunters permission 25 years ago instead of despising them this could have been controlled. This is a very complicated issue and one portion of the population does not have the right to their own self-interested solutions. Bounties will create problems no one has even thought of.
And, June, many things were done in the past that either should not have been done or are not approriate today. You would be committing a federal felony if you shoot that seagull with a slingshot.
Perhaps if people are so afraid of something they want to pay to alter the natural world they have created, an island infested with deer and ticks is not the ideal envirnment.
I am an experienced bow
Rick Kempton Falmouth, MaI am an experienced bow hunter with over 25 years of experience. If any land owners would like me to bow hunt on your private property I am willing to help reduce the deer population. Please message me at [email protected]
Having had lyme 8 times,
Gabrielle West TisburyHaving had lyme 8 times, babesiosis and tularemia I welcome every attempt made to reduce tickS and it's great igi, the ag society and Johnson has worked to make this happen. I can't stress more that we are in the midst of a public health crisis and I fail to understand why the medical community on the island have not established a tick disease research and treatment center. Lyme can cause heart and neurological problems and yet this isn't being viewed as an emergency...
It would be great if we could
Gabrielle West TisburyIt would be great if we could also incentivize property owners to have hunters.
I agree with Scott. The whole
Wayne ChappyI agree with Scott. The whole scenario seems dystopian. I, too, have had Lyme, but I recognize it's not the deers' fault. Now they'll be increasingly victimized by bounty-hunting that targets them as if they were responsible for the illnesses the ticks have caused. Epidemiologists understand that prevention is always superior to treatment. And this 'treatment' will involve the particularly gruesome effects of bow-hunting accidents that leave deer wounded and in pain until they bleed out. I'm astonished that a community priding itself on love of animals can discuss these matters with such statistical detachment.
What part of deer
David EdgartownWhat part of deer overpopulation don't you understand? Without natural predators on the island the deer have exploded in population, and are subjected to possible starvation in the winter months. I'd much prefer a hunter's kill and food on the table rather than have deer starve to death in the woods over the winter.
I would hope more land owners
Facts not fiction edgI would hope more land owners open up their private property to hunting, so the hunters aren't limited to the state forest where too many hunters in one area spook the deer. I'm sure the deer in Katama will be real tasty, they ate all my vegetables this year. They really liked the beans. Didn't leave me any. Now I'd like to see a bounty on skunks. Also loaded with ticks...and probably tularemia as wel.. While your at it...get rid of the bunnies too as they have proliferated and spread tularemia.
It's funny,I know who some of
Charlie Callahan So Boston/EdgartownIt's funny,I know who some of the whiners are on this page and have seen them at the Wharf and the Navigator,chowing down on a $40 rare steak,yet they whine when there is talk of culling the deer for health reasons. Where do these fools think those rare steaks dripping blood came from. And those Veal chops,came from baby cows that were fed nothing but beer until ready for slaughter. Talk about people living in fantasy worlds.The ticks and the deer are out of control.
Can others contribute to this
Mr. B ChilmarkCan others contribute to this (at present) single-donor fund? If so, will the Editor respond with the necessary information, please?
Hi Mr. B -- thanks for this
Emily at Island GrownHi Mr. B -- thanks for this offer. You can get in touch directly with the Ag Society as they are cutting the checks for the doe incentive. Thanks!
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