The preliminary statewide deer harvest for 2018 is 14,513 – a new record high.
The totals per season include 138 deer on Youth Deer Hunt Day; 3 deer for Paraplegic Deer Hunt; 5,190 deer in Archery Season, all dates and zones; 6,496 deer in Shotgun Season; and 2,687 deer taken during Primitive Firearms Season.
Deer density and hunter effort tend to be the most important factors influencing harvest from year to year.
However, two important changes for the 2018 season that may have led to the record harvest included opening over 7,500 acres of Wachusett Reservoir Public Land, and the two-week extension to the archery season in Zones 10-14.
The Zone 9 harvest increased from last year by about 300 deer, related to the newly opened Wachusett Reservoir Lands. Additionally, over 700 deer were taken during the two-week extension of the archery season in zones 10-14.
While total harvest by zone can be informative, it is important to assess harvest data and monitor trends by Wildlife Management Zone (WMZ map), officials say.
Total harvest is influenced by deer density and the number of antlerless deer permits allocated in each zone, as well as annual changes in hunter effort, harvest rates, success rates and weather among other factors.
The Deer Project Leader will spend the next few months thoroughly analyzing the deer harvest and biological data as well as assessing deer population trends in each zone. The results and recommendations for the 2019 season will take place at the annual deer management review presented at a Fisheries and Wildlife Board meeting in late spring.
A complete harvest summary will be posted on the MassWildlife website in early summer after the deer review.
Find harvest summaries here.