A man was brought to the hospital Friday afternoon after he was shot in the abdomen while hunting, according to Edgartown police. 

The Vineyard’s growing tick crisis has caught the attention of lawmakers on Beacon Hill, prompting changes to the deer hunting season that officials hope can cut off the food source for the arachnids.

Though they may not be synonymous with an astounding tale of conservation like the osprey, or made it onto the iconic Vineyard secession flag from the 1970s like the gull, turkeys in recent decades have thrived on the Vineyard and become enmeshed in the daily lives of Islanders.

A drop in deer hunting this season combined with the rise of tick-borne illnesses has Vineyard hunters wondering if increased access to butchering could help manage the Island’s overgrown herd.

Deer hunting season on Martha’s Vineyard will be extended an extra month this year as state officials hope to cull the expanding deer herd that is fueling the rise of tick-borne illnesses on the Island. 

At a pair of public hearings, some hunters gave their support to running the annual deer hunting season into January to reduce the Island's deer population. Others focused on different measures, such as allowing hunting on Sundays.