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State fish and wildlife reports 59 deer harvested in Bristol archery cooperative; vehicle collisions fell
Summary
Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife updated the council on the Bristol deer archery cooperative: 59 deer were harvested this season, a slight decline from the prior year, and deer‑vehicle collisions decreased; feeding at Colt State Park remains an enforcement issue.
Dylan Ferrera of the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife told the Town Council that Bristol’s archery deer cooperative harvested 59 deer in the most recent season, a small decrease from the first year, and that the town recorded fewer deer‑vehicle collisions this year.
Ferrera said the harvest and collision data suggest a population reduction following the prior year’s removals. He noted that enforcement incidents remained limited and that none of the reported incidents involved injuries to hunters or the public. Enforcement activity identified repeated violations of deer feeding rules at Colt State Park; the division regards feeding as harmful to deer health and public safety and has issued citations when appropriate.
Ferrera also said the division conducted a thermal aerial survey statewide; Colt State Park received an intensive flight to produce a more precise local population estimate. The division plans to publish results later in the year and will use the data to inform future permit and tag levels.
Councilors pressed on population goals and metrics; Ferrera said a density of 10 to 20 deer per square mile is an ecological target for forest health, while tag issuance and seasons are adjusted by the division to match population management objectives.
The council voted to receive and file the update and thanked the division for its work. There were no immediate changes to the cooperative’s regulations recorded in the meeting.
