'Deer in Weston' Report Published By Conservation Commission

Editor's Note: The following information was contributed by Michele Grzenda, Weston Conservation Agent: 

At the request of the Board of Selectmen, the Weston Conservation Commission has conducted an inquiry into deer in Weston. The purpose of this inquiry was to determine whether or not Weston has a deer problem, and whether or not to recommend a program of deer management on town-owned land.

The commission has conducted exhaustive research into deer and their ecological andcultural impacts, consulted many experts, and looked at what surrounding towns have been doing. Over the last six months, we hosted three public meetings and a public walk with presentations by a range of experts. Finally, we conducted a well-publicized survey of deer sightings and public attitudes toward deer on the Town’s web site.

The Commission’s findings (summarized below) are first that Weston does have too many deer; and second that the only presently available means to address this problem is to initiate a program of bow hunting on selected portions of town lands. The full report can be found here on the town website.

Does Weston have a deer problem?

Yes. Long-time residents all say that 20 years ago there were few deer in Weston, whereas today there are many. We do not know the exact number of Weston deer or whether the population continues to grow, however the evidence we have gathered is consistent with Massachusetts Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates for our region of about 25 deer/square mile.

While most residents enjoy having some deer in Weston, 72 percent of those who responded to our on-line survey felt that the deer population has reached a level that needs tobe controlled. These impacts include damage to yards and crops, damage to forest ecosystems, deer-car collisions, and Lyme disease.
The first three problems are directly correlated with a high deer population. The most serious problem, the rising incidence of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, is indirectlyconnected: deer do not transmit Lyme disease to ticks (mice do that), but deer do help sustain large numbers of ticks and move them around. Several studies have shown that if deer can be sharply reduced, ticks and the diseases they carry both decline.

For thousands of years, humans have been among the most important predators of deer. Today, because we have eliminated or greatly reduced all other predators, the level of deer population is overwhelmingly determined by our own actions. The agricultural and suburban landscapes we have created are attractive to deer and capable of supporting very high populations. Large numbers of deer have become a reality that we must address.

The Commission has concluded that Weston is beginning to experience serious problems from a high population of deer. While we do not (and probably cannot) know exactly how the population will change in coming years, we have every reason to believe that if uncontrolled it is likely to go much higher, and the problems mentioned above are likely to become more severe.

Can the deer population be controlled?

Yes. The Commission has considered four possible methods of controlling and reducing the population from about 25/square mile to about 6-8/square mile, which is the goal of the Department of Fish and Wildlife for our region: moving deer, contraception, mass sharpshooting, and hunting. Only hunting is currently a practical option, in our opinion.

Capturing and moving deer is difficult and expensive, highly stressful to the animals, and there is no place to take them. Furthermore, it is illegal. This is not a serious option.

Contraception has been tried experimentally on small, isolated herds of deer, mostly onislands or in urban parks. Contraceptives are not presently commercially available, and the cost for capturing the does and administering the drug has run over $1,000/deer. It would be prohibitively expensive, if not simply impossible, to administer contraception to a sufficiently large portion of our free-ranging herd of a few hundred deer, for an indefinite period of time.

Mass slaughter by professional sharpshooters is the most effective way to dramatically reduce the deer herd. However it is expensive, sure to be highly controversial, and hunting over bait is currently not legal in Massachusetts.
Hunting with firearms (shotgun and black powder) would not be acceptable on public land in Weston, given the high degree of recreational use of our land and the public perception of safety concerns surrounding firearms.

Bow hunting from tree stands is rapidly rising in popularity, and is well-suited to suburban areas. It is extremely safe. The effective range of a bow is very short — generally not more than 25 yards. The hunter must have a clear view of the deer at close range to attempt a shot. When hunting from a stand the trajectory of the arrow is downwards. There is already a small amount of bow hunting taking place on private land in Weston — over the past decade between 9 and 19 deer have been harvested in Weston each year, according to state records. Bow hunting is taking place successfully on public lands in neighboring towns including Sudbury, Framingham, Medfield, and Dover, without mishap or conflict with other users.

We do not expect a quick, dramatic reduction in the deer herd from a bow hunting program on public land. We do believe that, together with hunting on private land and coordination with surrounding towns, it can begin to move us in the right direction.

Other Factors to Consider

Bow hunting will inevitably cause some deer to suffer — although that is also true of hunting with firearms. This problem can be mitigated (though not eliminated) by strict proficiency testing for those allowed to hunt on our land. Skilled bow hunters achieve a recovery rate of over 90 percent of the deer they target. Furthermore, if we take no action and the deer population continues to grow, there will be increased suffering for deer in any case. More will be struck by vehicles, and ultimately (as experience in other regions has shown) the population will rise until many more deer are malnourished and starve to death during hard winters.

We also acknowledge that a program of hunting is bound to make recreational use of town land less enjoyable for some residents, who are either fearful of injury, or disapprove of hunting in principle, or find it distasteful to encounter in practice. This can be mitigated by careful control of the areas where we allow hunting, how hunters gain access to their stands, public notification, and posting of all trails in the vicinity of hunting stands.

Commission’s Recommendation

The Commission recommends that the Board of Selectmen authorize a bow hunting program on selected portions of town-owned lands, and that the Conservation Commission be authorized to organize and carry out this program.

The Board of Selectmen will be holding a public meeting to discuss the Commission’s deer recommendation on Monday, June 11, at 8 p.m. in the Town Hall Auditorium. Residents are encouraged to come and voice their opinion. Comments may also be sent via email to selectmen@westonmass.org.