Hello everybody, it’s Martin, the MassWildlife Deer and Moose Project Leader and I’m here to tell you about some exciting changes for the upcoming deer season.
First off, we hope all of the youth that participated Youth Deer Hunt Day had a great time, and congratulations to those that successfully harvested deer.
For those that did not fill their Youth Deer Permit you will now be able to use it during any of the deer seasons this fall.
With the archery season kicking off next Monday, deer decoys can now be used during archery only seasons as a great healthy way to attract deer. Send us your best videos of deer interacting with your decoys and we will highlight some of our favorites.
We encourage hunters looking for places to hunt to reach out to farmers that could use their help addressing overabundant deer, and the updated baiting definition makes it clear that food sources deposited by natural vegetation, agricultural practices, or standing crops are not considered baiting.
If you are having an extra successful day of hunting, you no longer have to leave the field to check in your deer before taking more as the daily bag limit prior to checking in deer has been removed, so feel free to use those extra antlerless permits you’ve purchased.
With those extra deer you may choose to donate some to MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest program. Through the generous donations of Massachusetts hunters we have distributed more than 50,000 meals of venison through partnering food programs since 2022. We’ve made it even easier for hunters this year.
There are now 18 processors available across the state, so no matter where you hunt there will be one available nearby. For hunters that generously donate their whole deer, they will receive a free replacement ADP in their choice of zone 9, 10, 11, 13, or 14 to take even more deer. To offer more options with partial donations, hunters that donate at least 10 pounds will receive $50 off their cost of processing, $100 off for 20 pounds, and $150 off for 30 plus pounds.
Lastly, if you are still looking for more hunting opportunity as the calendar turns the page to 2026, we will have a brand-new primitive and archery season for the month of January in Zones 13 &14 where there are plenty of deer to be taken. This hunt will kick off the 2026 season early, with the opportunity to get an extra buck through the free either-sex Winter Deer Permit.
Good luck to all the hunters this fall, stay safe, and a big thank you to all the hunters that choose to donate all or a portion of their deer to Hunters Share the Harvest.