New Shoreham Council, State Officials Outline Deer-counting, Season and Access Changes as Part of Herd Management Plan

State wildlife officials and New Shoreham residents on Feb. 25 discussed options to reduce and monitor the white‑tailed deer population on Block Island, including an aerial thermal survey, expanding legal hunting days, changes to bounties and voluntary data collection from high‑volume hunters.

The conversation, led by Dylan Ferrera, principal wildlife biologist who oversees Rhode Island's deer program, focused on improving population estimates and increasing antlerless (female) harvest to reduce population growth. Ferrera said recent harvest data indicate Block Island’s harvest closely tracks population and that current harvest practices are not removing enough females to drive long‑term reductions.

Ferrera told the council that aerial surveys using FLIR thermal cameras are the most accurate but expensive option, and that a cheaper approach is a SAK (sex‑age‑kill) model that uses age and sex data from harvested deer to estimate population trends. “SAK is a *** age kill model. So that is using age and *** or *** and age of a deer that's harvested, plug that information in a model, and then it spits out basically how many deer you have,” Ferrera said. He said the state expects to run transect flights this winter and to combine flight results with SAK data to calibrate future, lower‑cost monitoring.

Ferrera reviewed harvest patterns on Block Island: the 2014 bounty year produced 387 deer and aerial estimates around that period peaked near 750–800 deer. He said recent annual harvest is roughly half of a working population estimate, so managers use harvest numbers to back‑calculate a population; that method currently yields an island estimate in the several‑hundreds, roughly double last year’s harvest. Ferrera urged collecting age and sex data from the few hunters who account for the majority of deer taken: “A deer biologist would kill to have *** and age data from 60% of their harvest across the country,” he said, calling those hunters’ participation a high‑value opportunity for monitoring.

Ferrera emphasized that reducing female (antlerless) survival matters most: historical data showed up to 80% of harvest being female in 2014, but recent seasons have approached a 50/50 male/female harvest. He said shed bucks (males that have lost antlers late in the season) make up a substantial share of Block Island harvest — about 12% in one year — and that a late season increases the odds hunters misidentify shed males as females.

To increase effective antlerless harvest, Ferrera proposed measures the town and state could pursue together: open more weekend and holiday hunting days; shift the season earlier to reduce shed‑buck harvest; simplify regulations and remove procedural barriers (for example, removing the requirement for a chief of police signature on permission slips); increase archery access; create landowner co‑ops; and offer incentives such as ferry discounts or lodging reductions to attract more hunters. He also suggested adjusting the bounty to favor female deer and expanding programs to donate venison to food‑security organizations.

Residents and officials raised operational issues. Multiple speakers urged a reliable, year‑to‑year monitoring program that combines periodic aerial surveys with ongoing SAK sampling and local check stations. Chris Blaine, a longtime island hunter, recommended reassigning bounty amounts to favor antlerless deer: “If you pay $200 for a doe and $50 for a buck, or if you pay nothing for an antlerless deer and and pay $250 for a doe, you'll see those numbers change,” he said. Several residents proposed using a town or fire‑department thermal drone to lower survey cost, and others urged placing a refrigerated truck and processor on the island so visiting hunters could preserve meat in warm weather and local donations could be coordinated more easily.

Public‑health concerns featured in the discussion. Celine Davis, who identified her background in epidemiology, asked whether population reduction goals should be tied to measurable changes in tickborne disease. One speaker summarized the biological target Ferrera and staff cited: “Ideally, in the natural setting, we would want 10 to 20 deer per square mile,” which for the island translates to a target population substantially lower than some of the higher estimates the community has circulated.

The meeting produced two council actions. The council approved the draft local hunting calendar consistent with past practice (no added weekend hunting in the calendar presented) and adopted the referenced local regulation language that preserves the existing permission and safety requirements. The council also voted to exclude firearms hunting in the Saucon Pond Wildlife Refuge overlay (the refuge overlay is defined by a town ordinance and includes areas that the council and residents said are important bird and wildlife habitat).

Ferrera and DEM staff said they will follow up with the town on specifics: calibrating the SAK program with the high‑volume hunters, scheduling the proposed aerial transect flights, and exploring drone partnerships and check‑station logistics. The department also indicated willingness to work with the town on possible regulatory adjustments if local safety and conservation needs can be addressed.

The council and residents repeatedly stressed process concerns: that data need to be collected with a methodology the community will accept, that enforcement and local oversight are important to residents’ comfort with expanded hunting, and that incremental pilot efforts and clear public communication are necessary before making major regulatory changes.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the draft local hunting calendar and dates provided: approved by voice vote (ayes recorded; mover/second not specified in the transcript). The adopted draft matched prior years' calendar and preserved the town's permission/landowner sign‑off requirements.

- Motion to exclude firearm hunting on the Saucon Pond Wildlife Refuge overlay (town ordinance overlay): motion made and seconded and approved by voice vote (aye). The motion removes firearm hunting from the area the town identifies as Saucon Pond Wildlife Refuge overlay.

The council closed the meeting after directing staff to continue coordination with DEM and DFW on population estimation and on next steps for potential pilot changes and community engagement.