Now in its 3rd year, Blue Hills deer hunt still faces opposition
Fred Hanson The Patriot Ledger @Fhanson_Ledger
Aug 23, 2017 at 11:51 PM Aug 24, 2017 at 9:19 AM
Opponents turned out for a public hearing on an expanded deer hunt this fall in the Blue Hills.
MILTON – Opponents of deer hunting in the Blue Hills Reservation dominated a meeting on a proposed third season of the hunt.
About 75 people attended a public meeting on a proposed deer management plan for the reservation held Wednesday night at Milton High School.
Under the plan, shotgun hunting will be allowed on four days after Thanksgiving, and bow hunting would be allowed on 11 days in limited sections of the reservation. The number of hunters would be restricted to 266 shotgun hunters and 75 bow hunters.
This would be the third year of the hunt, with a total of 122 deer being killed in the first two years.
Peter Church, the director of forest stewardship of the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Conservation, said the purpose of the hunt is to reduce the deer population which is harming regeneration of the forest.
"We have looked at every option and concluded permitted hunting offers the most success," Church said.
Studies estimate the deer population in the reservation at more than 50 per square mile mile. The goal is to reduce that to 20 or less.
Opponents of the hunt said they didn't believe the estimates of the deer population or that hunting was the best way to reduce the population.
Dave Hodgdon of Blue Hills Adventures said he is in the reservation daily and said he has not seen that many deer. "I think it is a waste of money and time having a deer hunt in the Blue Hills," Hodgdon said.
Mary Zucca of West Roxbury said she believes the hunt is "just for the few who enjoy killing animals."
Sally Adams of Ridgewood Road in Milton questioned whether the 500-foot buffer zones set up to protect nearby residences are sufficient. "Last year, we had a series of gunshots close to our house," she said. "All we need is one bad shot."
Julie Moffatt of Canton said birth control for deer would be a more effective method of controlling the population.
The lone speaker in favor of the hunt was Paul Johnson of the Plymouth County League of Sportsmen. "This population needs to be controlled for the good of the area," Johnson said of the deer. "We've got to do this in a humane manner."
The bow hunt would be held Monday through Thursday from Nov. 6 through 22. The shotgun hunt will take place on Nov. 28 and 30 and Dec. 5 and 7.
The deadline for comments on the plan is Aug. 31. They can be sent to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Public Outreach, 251 Causeway St., 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02114. A decision is expected in early September.