Selectmen Approve Bow Hunting Deer on Public Land, Ask For More Details

After hearing from more than a dozen residents with a range of opinions on deer hunting on public land in Weston, the Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 on June 11 to move forward with a Conservation Commission plan to control the deer population by allowing bow hunting in certain areas.

The selectmen stopped short of giving blanket approval of the deer hunting plan, saying they wanted to see more details from the commission before giving final approval of the program, set to start when hunting season begins in the fall.

“The devil is in the details,” said Selectmen Chairman Michael Harrity, who directed the commission to further drill down into how deer hunting on public land would be conducted: in what areas, what days and times, how many deer could be killed and what a hunter application and proficiency test would look like.

At the start of the meeting, members of the commission talked about their “Deer in Weston” report, and why moving forward bow hunting on public land is needed.

Conservation Commission Member Brian Donohue said it will take an ongoing hunting program to lower the deer population. He also cited examples of successful deer hunting in nearby towns, including Sudbury, Dover, Medfield and Framingham.

“We owe some ethical consideration to the deer, and we should keep our program as humane as possible,” Donohue said. “If we don’t control the population, other things will.”

However, Weston residents who were at the meeting to speak out against a deer hunting program questioned whether bow hunting was humane, and if other means of controlling the population, like contraception programs, had been adequately explored.

Weston resident Diane Anderson also questioned whether killing deer would cause a spike in vegetation growth, which in turn would lead deer from other areas to seek food on local lands.

“Other alternatives haven’t been explored,” Anderson said. “We value education, and we need to get educated before we go to this drastic measure in Weston.”

State Wildlife Deer Project Leader David Stainbrook talked about his work capturing deer, to give them contraceptives, and said it took two years to capture 15 deer in an area where there were around 100 deer per square mile. Contraceptives also require a booster every two years to keep does from reproducing, he said.

“Contraception doesn’t reduce the population, it just prevents reproduction,” he said. “They have to die another way.”

Weston resident Gail Bayer questioned whether deer hunting is even effective in controlling the population.

“What information shows us that bow hunting is really effective in reducing the deer population?” she asked.

Donohue noted that deer are having plenty of fawns, and they will until the population reaches capacity. When that happens, the deer become malnourished, which lead to what he said he sees as inhumane deaths.

Other meeting attendees spoke about their safety concerns with deer hunting, saying it is unnerving to think about being out on public lands hiking, biking or walking dogs, knowing that bow hunters in tree stands could be nearby.

“It’s going to change the whole feel of going out into the woods and enjoying it,” said Linda Gillooly. “I think this needs more consideration before it passes.”

Supporters of deer hunting spoke about the safety issues, including one Weston hunter who said he’s never seen an accident with a bow hunter hitting a person. Another resident spoke about having a deer run into her car.

Patricia Siek said she’s lived in Weston 53 years and sees multiple deer in her backyard, and can see into her neighbors’ backyards because the vegetation providing privacy has been eaten by deer. One day, she had a deer run into the road and hit her car on Boston Post Road.

“I had to wait, police were attending to someone who hit a deer on South Avenue,” Siek said.

After hearing from the public, selectmen spoke about their views. Harrity noted that he agrees there is a deer issue in town and the population is not sustainable. However he wanted to see more details on safety.

“I think there are some legitimate concerns about safety, which is my primary concern,” said Harrity.

Selectman Ed Coburn noted that posting signs about deer stands in the woods would be important, as would outreach to make sure residents knew when and where hunting is happening.

Selectman Doug Gillespie said earlier in the meeting he encourages looking into the idea of a weekday-only schedule for hunters. He acknowledged feeling a sense of discomfort walking on his property when he had hunters there.

“Part of this is mental,” he said. “We have to make change in people’s attitudes. It (hunting) can be done in town without danger — I believe it can.”