Six fawns have been found on Martha’s Vineyard suffering from a mysterious paralysis, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed.
Numbers were up as the two-week shotgun season for deer neared the halfway mark Friday.
The shotgun season for deer hunting opens today and runs for the next two weeks. Hunters will be out on public lands, including the state forest.
In an effort to cull the deer population, reduce tick-borne illness and provide meat to those in need, a number of Island organizations have joined forces.
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.
About 190 deer were checked in at the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest check in station during the first week of deer shotgun season this year.