New Shoreham council weighs deer counts, bounty funding and limited weekend hunting pilots

Councilors and residents devoted much of the April 2 work session to Block Island deer management, reviewing recent counts, bounty payments and possible changes to hunting rules.

Dylan Ferrera, who reported speaking with the contracted biologist, said a contractor conducted an infrared flyover March 4 and that the town has not yet received the full results; he told the council the contractor had described the exercise as “a deer count” and indicated the team might not deliver final tabulations for months. That uncertainty prompted council members to discuss whether to run a local drone count with the town fire department and its equipment so the town has a near‑term baseline before leaves fill in the trees.

Police Chief Paul Dean described the town’s established check‑in process for hunters: a landowner permission slip, a copy of a driver’s license, the hunter’s state deer license, the tag number and, where relevant, an archery proficiency card must be presented to the island police once per season so officers know who is hunting where. Dean said that process helps the police investigate complaints and argued the check‑in requirement should be retained.

The council heard data on recent harvests: a town figure shared at the meeting put the season’s harvest at roughly 294 deer, of which about 225 were taken by local hunters; officials said they would provide a detailed breakdown later. Councilors discussed the existing bounty and reimbursement program: the per‑tail payment is $1.50 and the agenda included a staff proposal to increase the deer bounty funding line to $35,000 in the coming budget. Staff said private donations historically supplemented that pot and last year contributed “a few thousand dollars,” with other donations over prior years totaling higher amounts; the town proposed fully funding the $35,000 line and relying on donations only as a contingency if the payout runs higher than expected.

Residents and councilors debated the merits and political sensitivity of weekend hunting. Some residents said weekend hunting on private property could place neighbors and weekend visitors at risk or raise public opposition; others, including hunting participants, argued the experiment should be limited to bow‑only hunting on private land and run as a pilot to assess results. Several speakers urged the council to focus first on getting a reliable deer count and on ensuring hunters are reimbursed promptly for tags and tails so incentives encourage continued participation.

The council directed staff to follow up with the DEM contractor for the flyover data, to coordinate a possible training flight with the fire department drone and to return with a budget recommendation on the proposed $35,000 bounty line. No formal policy change was adopted at the meeting.