Deer hunters have already donated over 3,000 meals this season
MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest Program provides an outlet for hunters to donate venison to Massachusetts families facing food insecurity. With one month of deer season behind us, hunters have already donated hundreds of pounds of venison.
Since deer hunting season opened in early October, hunters across Massachusetts have already donated over 750 pounds of venison—the equivalent to more than 3,000 meals—through MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest Program. And with over 7 weeks of deer hunting season remaining, this already impressive number will continue to grow. When MassWildlife launched the donation program as a pilot in 2022, hunters donated about 1,500 meals.
“The fact that we have already doubled the meals donated last year with two months of deer season remaining is incredible,” said Mark Tisa, MassWildlife Director. “Hunters and the wildlife conservation community are making a big impact addressing food insecurity in Massachusetts.”
It is estimated that over 15% of Massachusetts households do not have access to sufficient food to meet their basic needs. So, donations of venison—an organic, lean source of protein—make a big difference. Donated meat from the Hunters Share the Harvest Program is distributed through partnering food programs, including the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation's Food4Vets.
“Fresh meat can be incredibly hard to source for our food pantry,” said Sarah Fecteau, Chief Financial Officer for the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation. “The donated venison was very popular with our patrons last year. It means so much to our veterans and active-duty military families who can come and get fresh and healthy meat.”
MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest has expanded and now hunters can make donations at three approved processors. Hunters can donate a portion of their harvest or their entire deer. Those who donate their full deer pay no processing fee, and those who donate at least 15 pounds will receive a $50 discount on their processing fee.
“Hunters Share the Harvest is truly a win-win program”, said Martin Feehan, MassWildlife’s Deer Project Leader. “Not only does it provide meals to those in need, but it is also helping our forests by reducing the impacts of overabundant deer and fostering growth of young tree saplings. Hunters play this important role of both conserving our forests and providing food to our communities.”
Even if you do not hunt, you can still help support the Program with a monetary contribution. Money is needed to cover the cost of processing and packaging costs. A $50 donation provides 75 servings of meat for families in need. Learn more about how you can help at mass.gov/sharetheharvest.
Do coyotes howl at the moon?
It's not uncommon for Massachusetts residents to hear coyotes howling, especially at night. Learn why a coyote may be howling in your neighborhood.
Typically, each month offers 1 full moon that illuminates the night sky and casts out the dark shadows where nocturnal creatures may lurk. It’s not uncommon for an animal’s behavior to be influenced by lunar cycles. The fall season might have you thinking about mythical beasts, like werewolves, that are notorious for transforming and howling at the moon. While we don’t have wolves of any kind in Massachusetts, we do have another notable member of the dog family — the eastern coyote.
Eastern coyotes can be found in every city and town in mainland Massachusetts. These medium-sized canids are well-adapted to a wide range of habitats, including suburban, urban, and rural areas. Even so, it can sometimes be surprising for Massachusetts residents to hear coyotes howling, especially late at night.
So, do coyotes howl at the moon?
Let’s start with why coyotes howl. People often think coyotes howl to announce a kill. This is not true. After all, why would a coyote want to draw attention to itself and potentially lose their meal to a nearby competitor? Coyotes howl primarily to communicate with other coyotes. This includes howling at members of their family within their territory or howling to defend their territory from intruders. During the summer, they’ll even howl to practice with the pups from that year’s litter. Coyotes can also be heard using barks, yips, growls, whines, and huffs.
While mythical werewolves are rumored to howl at the moon, coyotes don’t howl more frequently during a full moon. Interestingly, research suggests that groups of coyotes howl more on evenings with less moonlight, again to defend their territory or to communicate with other family members.
Simply hearing or seeing a coyote in your neighborhood is not a cause for concern. However, you should take a few important steps to effectively coexist with coyotes.
- Remove food sources: Remove or secure all human-associated food sources, including bird feeders, unsecured trash, open compost, outdoor pet food, fallen fruit from trees, and overripe garden vegetables. Never intentionally feed wildlife.
- Protect pets: Directly supervise and leash pets whenever they are outside. It’s the presence of the person on the end of the leash that prevents an attack.
- Haze coyotes: Hazing is a technique used to deter an animal from an area or change its behavior. You can haze a coyote by waving your arms or clapping while walking toward the coyote, making loud noises by yelling or using an air horn, spraying a hose, or throwing small objects, like tennis balls, in the coyote’s direction.
Learn more about coyotes in Massachusetts at mass.gov/coyotes.
Wild turkeys: A conservation success story
For many Massachusetts residents who see turkeys regularly, it might be hard to believe that these birds were once absent from the state. Learn about the reintroduction efforts and brush up on your turkey trivia just in time for Thanksgiving!
History
When the Pilgrims first arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, wild turkeys were found throughout most of the state. European settlers hunted turkeys for food and cleared the land for buildings, firewood, and agriculture which greatly changed the turkey’s natural habitat. By 1800, turkeys were quite rare in Massachusetts, and they had disappeared by 1851.
Reintroduction efforts
As the turkey populations nationwide bottomed out, many states tried to reestablish these valuable birds in their historic habitats. Between 1911 and 1967, at least 9 unsuccessful attempts were made to restore turkeys to Massachusetts. In 1937, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, also known as the Pittman-Robertson Act, provided much-needed funding for wildlife studies and restoration. With the additional resources, wildlife management methods improved and new capture techniques provided a safe and effective means for live-capture of birds for translocating to new areas.
Following the example of successful reintroductions in other states, 37 wild turkeys were live-trapped in southwestern New York and released in southern Berkshire County in the early 1970s. By the fall of 1978, the new flock had grown to about 1,000 birds across the nearly optimal habitat in Berkshire and Franklin counties!
MassWildlife biologists and volunteers began live-trapping turkeys from these growing populations and transporting them to other areas of the state with suitable habitat. Between 1979 and 1996, a total of 26 releases of 561 turkeys were made in 10 counties. These turkeys established populations that continued to grow on their own and turkeys rebounded statewide.
Turkeys today
The turkey population in Massachusetts is now estimated to be 30,000–35,000. Turkeys are found everywhere in Massachusetts (except Nantucket) thanks to an abundance of suitable habitat. Turkeys thrive in forested and agricultural habitats, but also exist in suburban and urban environments.
Wild turkeys are now the most popular game bird in Massachusetts. Each year, about 15,000 licensed hunters take to the field during two designated turkey seasons to enjoy the outdoors and provide meat for their families.
Fun facts about turkeys
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Wild turkeys can be found in 49 states, including Hawaii. Turkeys were not historically found in Alaska and it is the only state without wild turkeys today.
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Wild turkeys can and do fly. Even though birds can sometimes weigh over 25 pounds, their strong muscles and wings allow them powerful flight over short distances. Adults rarely fly with continuous wingbeats for more than about 1/8 mile.
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Newly hatched baby turkeys are called “poults”. Once they are a couple months old, juvenile males are called “jakes” and juvenile females are called “jennies”.
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The most famous sound that turkeys make is the “gobble” but there are at least 28 different known calls made by the wild turkey.
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Turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving, but it was not the center of the meal. According to the journals of Pilgrims, it was just one of many different game birds served that day.
Massachusetts team wins international Envirothon competition
Earlier this year, the team from Lexington took first place at the 36th annual Massachusetts Envirothon, a state-wide competition where high school teams are tested on their knowledge of the environment. After some special studying sessions in the Envirothon focus areas—wildlife, aquatics, soils, and forestry—the Bay State teens traveled to New Brunswick to compete in the international challenge. The five-member team claimed first place out of fifty other groups from across the U.S., Canada, China, and Singapore.
The National Conservation Foundation Envirothon is North America’s leading natural resource education program for high school students, emphasizing hands-on, team-oriented problem solving and community involvement that prepares young people for environmental careers and active citizenship. Here in Massachusetts, students work outside school hours with an adult sponsor to prepare for the annual competition held in the spring. In addition to showing their knowledge in the four focus areas, teams must also give a presentation on a current environmental issue. The winning group moves on to the international competition.
The Lexington High School teens—Jamie Yu, Caroline Ehmann, Jocelyn Chen, Eileen Ho, and Christopher Yoo, supported by coach Steve Wilkins—prepared for the international competition with help from professionals in each of the focus areas. Pam Landry, MassWildlife Education Coordinator and Envirothon Advisory Member, met with the team to provide special training on topics related to wildlife conservation. After their impressive international victory, the Lexington team was honored by Governor Maura Healy at the State House in late August.
“It’s really exciting to work with the next generation of conservationists,” said Landry. “Learning about animals and their habitats can help students gain a deeper understanding of the natural systems that support a healthy environment. The Lexington team worked hard and deserve many congratulations.”
Teams, program organizers, sponsors, and supporting professionals are already preparing for the 2024 Massachusetts Envirothon. The theme for this year’s current issue is “Renewable Energy for a Sustainable Future.” Learn more about Envirothon and find ways you can support the program.
How to prepare and cook wild turkey meat
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