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Antlerless Deer Permit Information

White-tailed Doe An antlerless deer permit is required to harvest antlerless deer during any season in all Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) . (Note: WMZ boundaries are marked by roads.) July 16 is the deadline to apply for your antlerless deer permit. Be sure to apply when you buy your license from your home computer, at a DFW office, or at a license vendor.

ZONE 11 DEER PERMITS SOLD OUT

On October 19, at 10:11am, the remaining Zone 11 Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits sold out.

Surplus permits for Zones 13 and 14 are still available to purchase online, at a license vendor location, or MassWildlife office. Deer hunters are reminded that new this year, they may purchase up to 4 permits/Zone/day in Zones 13 and 14. A new regulation that became effective October 12 has increased the possession limit of unchecked deer in Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) 13 and 14 (Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands) from 2 to 4 deer. Hunters in those zones can have up to 4 unchecked deer for 48 hours before checking them at an island check station.

ZONE 11 DEER PERMIT SALES DELAYED TO FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19

(October 15) After further testing of the MassFishHunt system, the contracting vendor Active Outdoors, continues to experience technical problems with system's ability to issue Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits via the Internet. These issues have resulted in the following decisions regarding Zone 11 Surplus Antlerless Deer Permit Sales:

Sales of Zone 11 Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits will be delayed until Friday, October 19, 2012 at 8AM.
Sales of these permits will be conducted through the Active Outdoors phone bank at 1-866-703-1925 and at license vendor locations.

Permits will be available only by phone, license vendor location, or MassWildlife District office or the new Field Headquarters location in West Boylston. No one will be able to purchase a permit via Internet sales on a computer.

When using the phone system, deer hunters will need a valid 2012 sporting or hunting license, a Customer ID number, and a credit card. People who do not have a credit card will need to visit a license vendor or MassWildlife office.

Remember, if you already have a surplus permit for Zone 11, you are not eligible to purchase another Zone 11 permit on Friday.

SURPLUS ANTLERLESS DEER PERMIT SALES ON OCTOBER 17

(October 11) The following sentence with the strikethrough text is no longer in effect. The October 15 announcement (above) is the most current information for deer hunters. On Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 8:00am, 929 Zone 11 surplus antlerless permits will be available to purchase by home computer or at any license vendor on the MassFishHunt system on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please Note: Zone 11 surplus antlerless deer permits will only be available for purchase by hunters who don't already have a Zone 11 surplus antlerless deer permit. Anyone with a Zone 11 surplus antlerless deer permit will be unable to purchase a second Zone 11 surplus permit.

Background:
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, deer hunters attempting to purchase surplus antlerless deer permits experienced major difficulties with the MassFishHunt electronic system preventing a number of them from completing their transaction. Late in the morning, data provided by Active Outdoors, the private contractor responsible for the MassFishHunt system, indicated that the allocation of Zone 11 surplus permits sold out and sales for Zone 11 were closed. Subsequently, it was determined that over 900 Zone 11 surplus permits remained unsold. Zones 10, 13, and 14 surplus sales continued and by the afternoon the electronic system was functioning normally and completing permit sales.

Active Outdoors, the system vendor, takes responsibility for the system failure and apologizes to hunters, license vendors, and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

October 11--Zone 10 Surplus Antlerless Deer Permits have sold out.

SURPLUS ANTLERLESS DEER PERMIT SALES ON OCTOBER 17

On Wednesday, October 17, 2012 at 8:00am, 929 Zone 11 surplus antlerless permits will be available to purchase by home computer or at any license vendor on the MassFishHunt system on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Active Outdoors, the system vendor, takes responsibility for the system failure and apologizes to hunters, license vendors, and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

October 9 -- Systemic Issues with Surplus ADP Sales Unfortunately, most people are experiencing problems (screens asking for passwords, inability to complete transactions, delays, etc.) with purchasing permits online today. This is a systemic problem affecting anyone trying to purchase a permit, whether at a home computer, license vendor, or DFW office. We are actively working to resolve the issues and apologize for this situation. Updates will be posted in this area as soon as more information becomes available.

Surplus Antlerless Deer Permit Sales Information

Surplus antlerless deer permits for Wildlife Management Zones (WMZ) 10 (6,161 permits); 11(3,307 permits), 13(2,589 permits), and 14 (2,627 permits) will be available for sale online and at any license vendor locations beginning Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 8:00 A.M. There are no permits available in other WMZs.

Instructions for purchase of surplus permits on line.

NEW THIS YEAR: Hunters who do not have a computer may purchase antlerless deer permits at any walk-in license agent location or any computer such as at a public library. As in the recent past, hunters who have access to the internet may purchase a permit online.

Surplus antlerless deer permits will be issued on a first-come/first-served basis. Deer hunters may purchase 1 permit/Zone/day for Zones 10 and 11 and (NEW THIS YEAR) may purchase up to 4 permits/Zone/day for Zones 13 and 14 (Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket).

To avoid long lines at MassWildlife offices, hunters are encouraged to purchase surplus antlerless deer permits online from a home or work computer at www.mass.gov/massfishhunt, or have a friend or family member purchase permits online for them. Anyone purchasing surplus antlerless deer permits MUST have the last name and Customer ID # for all hunters for whom they are purchasing permits.

Hunters may also purchase surplus antlerless deer permits at any MassWildlife office or authorized license agent location, but should check vendor hours of operation prior to October 9th. An online map of license agent locations and phone numbers is also available.

Attention Deer Hunters! NEW Procedure for Antlerless Permit Issuance - "Instant Award"

With the MassFishHunt electronic licensing system, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) has changed the way in which Antlerless Deer Permits are issued. There is no longer a public drawing based on the last digit of the hunting/sporting license number, postal notifications and remittance postcards will not be mailed to deer hunters.

Beginning August 1st and continuing through December 31st, (the Instant Award Period), hunters who applied for an antlerless deer permit by the July 16th deadline must return to the MassFishHunt licensing system to try to win their antlerless deer permit.

For more details and instructions, see the Instant Award Instructions page.

Chances of Winning Instant Award Permits by Zone

Zone	Chance of Winning
1	35%
2	13%
3	53%
4-N	18%
4-S	19%
5	38%
6	46%
7	66%
8	66%
9	91%
10	100%
11	100%
12	43%
13	100%
14	100%