Deer hunting returns to the Blue Hills this week

Map of the permitted hunting zones around Ponkapoag Pond. Shotgun hunting will be permitted in the orange shaded area and archery hunting in the yellow shaded area. (Click to enlarge)

The addition of bow-and-arrow permits and an expansion into the previously off-limits area around Ponkapoag Pond in Canton are some of the major changes in store for the 2016 edition of the Blue Hills controlled deer hunt, which gets underway just before sunrise this coming Tuesday, November 29.

Launched in 2015 in response to a state legislative mandate, the Blue Hills Deer Management Program is a joint, multi-year project of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife aimed at reducing the deer population and protecting the forest within the 7,000-acre state reservation.

Similar to last year’s inaugural hunt, which state officials deemed successful and incident-free, the 2016 Blue Hills Deer Management Plan will permit a select group of licensed hunters to hunt for deer within specially designated management zones of the reservation over a four-day period — November 29 and 30 and December 6 and 7 — from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.

The entire park will remain open to the public during these days, although the DCR is encouraging visitors to utilize the non-hunting areas, including a large area surrounding Great Blue Hill, and to wear blaze orange clothing, vests, and hats should they enter any area in which hunting is permitted.

In 2015, the DCR issued a total of 196 shotgun permits via random lottery — 98 for each two-day segment of the hunt — and a total of 64 deer were removed from the reservation. This year, the DCR increased the number of shotgun permits to 117 per day, for a total of 468. Additionally, the DCR has issued 15 total archery permits, which will be good for all four days of the hunt.

The total hunting area has also increased for 2016 — expanding from 2,980 acres over five zones to 3,721 acres over 10 zones. Most notably, hunting will now be permitted within areas south of I-93, including a 500-acre swath of land immediately to the north and east of Ponkapoag Pond (zone 8), as well as a 175-acre area east of Route 24 in Randolph, referred to as the Nike Site (zone 9). Both will be open to shotgun hunters only.

Other designated hunting zones in or near Canton include Fowl Meadow (zone 1), located in the northwestern tip of town adjacent to the Neponset River; Little Blue (zone 2), located between Royall and Green streets; and Brookwood Farm (zone 4), located off Blue Hill River Road.

The Fowl Meadow zone consists of a 330-acre area for shotgun hunters and a separate 50-acre area for archery hunters, while the Little Blue and Brookwood zones are for archery hunters only. The fourth and final archery hunting zone is located in Braintree between I-93 and West Street (zone 10).

The remaining four shotgun hunting zones span parts of Milton and Quincy and include Great Blue (zone 3), located northeast of Great Blue Hill behind reservation headquarters, Houghton’s Pond (zone 5), and Chickatawbut (zone 6).

All hunters will be required to check in and check out at the parking lot of the Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area, and no hunter will be permitted to stray from his or her assigned zone.

Throughout the duration of the four-day hunt, the reservation will be staffed by members of the DCR, the Department of Fish & Game, and the Environmental and State Police. A unified command center will also be established, and staff from each agency will work together to implement and oversee the hunt in coordination with local law enforcement.

According to DCR spokesman Troy Wall, the agency intentionally scheduled the hunt during a “traditionally low visitation period” for the reservation and has also taken a number of other precautions to ensure a safe and successful hunt, including mandatory training sessions for the hunters and a “broad and in-depth outreach effort to inform the public.”

“The Blue Hills Deer Management Plan, which incorporates public safety personnel, mandatory hunter orientation sessions, and strict hunting boundaries, has been designed with the safety of both the hunting and non-hunting public in mind,” said Wall. “The Department of Conservation and Recreation remains highly concerned of the forest’s health due to the current overabundance of the deer herd within the Blue Hills State Reservation, and by continuing a safe, controlled deer hunt, the agency will further be able to reduce the deer population to a more sustainable level.”

Wall noted that roadway access will also be restricted during the four days of the hunt and signage will be posted at park entrances and along major roadways, including on message boards on routes 95 and 93.

For more information about the 2016 Blue Hills deer hunt, including maps of the hunting zones and a copy of the Deer Management Plan, go to www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr and search for Blue Hills Deer Management Program.

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