News Deer hunting information and reminders

Antlerless deer permit application deadline July 16^th

The deadline to apply for an antlerless deer permit is July 16, 2018. If you want to hunt antlerless deer in 2018, you need an antlerless deer permit (sometimes called a “doe permit” or “doe tag”). An antlerless deer is any deer without antlers or any deer with both antlers less than 3 inches long measured on a straight line form the center of the front base of the antler burr to the tip.

If you apply for an antlerless deer permit by the July 16th deadline, you then must check to see if you have been awarded the ability to purchase the permit. The award period begins August 1st at 8 a.m. and ends on December 31st. Your odds of being awarded a permit are the same regardless of when you check your permit status. You can check the status of your permit through MassFishHunt, or by visiting a MassWildlife office or license agent location. A $5 fee is charged only if you are awarded a permit.

How to apply online:

1. Log into MassFishHunt
2. Click Enter Sales
3. Click Hunting Permits and Stamps
4. Click Add next to antlerless deer permit application
5. Select the zone you want to apply for
6. Click Checkout*

*There is no fee to apply; however, a hunting or sporting license is required to apply for an antlerless deer permit.

Apply Online for the Quabbin Deer Hunt

The Quabbin Controlled Deer Hunt takes place every year on Quabbin Reservoir watershed lands. To have a chance of participating in the hunt, you must apply online between July 1 and August 31; there is no application fee. For application and more information from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), go to mass.gov/dcr/deerhunt.

Archery deer season extended

A regulatory amendment has been approved to extend the archery deer hunting season by two weeks in eastern Massachusetts. In zones 10-14, the archery deer season will now open the eighth Monday prior to Thanksgiving. In zones 1-9, the archery deer season will remain the same, opening six weeks before Thanksgiving. The change will take effect beginning with this fall's hunting seasons. The extension will increase hunting opportunities in a region where deer numbers are above the statewide management range of 6-18 deer per square mile.

Updated: 7/13/18