MARTHA’S VINEYARD – Towns across Martha’s Vineyard are considering adding another two-week deer hunt in January next year in an effort to reduce tick-borne illnesses.
Richard Johnson has been working for the boards of health for the six towns on a study of ticks and their habitat, and appeared before selectmen in Edgartown and Aquinnah recently.
He’s been appearing before selectmen in each town to ask for a letter of support that’s needed to begin the process to add the hunt, which could take several months.
“There are a lot of things that you can do on your particular yard, clothes you can wear for your personal safety, things you can do in small areas, but island-wise, the biggest thing we can do is reduce the number of deer,” said Johnson.
Johnson told selectmen that the tick-borne illnesses have reached epidemic levels on the island and the deer herd is nearly twice the state average at about 4,000.
Hunters take up to 800 deer annually but organizers are looking to reduce the herd from 4,000 to 2,000.
“We don’t want to get rid of the deer, but we want to have enough so that the hunters can still go out and get a deer for the freezer for the winter, but low enough that the rest of us are not getting bitten all the time by deer ticks and increasingly we have to deal with these lone star ticks,” said Johnson.
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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