The Blue Hills Deer Management Permitted Archery Hunt will take place Mondays through Thursdays only from November 4 through November 27, 2024. There will be no hunting on Thursday, November 28, 2024 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The application and selection process as well as the orientation for hunters will be virtual. The areas included in this year’s hunt were opened to archery hunting last year with the addition of two areas previously open to shotgun hunting. Please review all information carefully whereas there may be differences from previous year hunts. Please address any questions or concerns to mass.parks@mass.gov.
The Blue Hills Deer Management Program is part of DCR’s long-term effort to manage high deer densities within the Blue Hills Reservation. The primary objective and rationale for implementing a deer management program is to maintain an ecologically sustainable deer density that allows for the continuous growth and development of forest regeneration. In particular, DCR wishes to reduce the negative impacts that high deer densities have on the regenerating forest to ensure a healthy forest composed of adequate diversity of species and age classes.