Eighteen Deer Harvested During Hunting Season; No Complaints Filed with Weston PD

Bow hunters had access to five conservation areas in Weston during last fall's hunting season as part of a deer management program agreed to by the Conservation Commission and Board of Selectmen.

According to the 2012 Deer Management Program Summary, the program was implemented after residents wrote letters in recent years urging the Conservation Commission and selectmen to "look into the problem of too many deer."

The program summary (PDF here) posted on the Town of Weston website outlines the steps pursued leading up to the implementation of the program as well as major efforts both for and against it.

According to the report, a total of 18 deer, 10 does and eight bucks, were harvested between Oct. 15, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2012, from Jericho Forest, Ogilvie Forest, Dickson Fields, Blaney Aquifier and Sears Land. There were no hunting complaints filed with the Weston Police Department or the Massachusetts Environmental Police and 25 of 26 hunters filed hunting logs via the commission's electronic database.

In late January, the Conservation Commission voted unanimously to request that selectmen continue the program in 2013. The commission will meet with selectmen tonight at 7:30 at Weston Town Hall to discuss the results of the 2012 program as well as the recommendation to continue the program this fall.