Harvard’s Conservation Commission recently approved a controlled archery deer management program for selected conservation parcels. The purpose of the program is to restore ecological balance to our forests and to mitigate problems resulting from our overabundant deer population, which was recently documented by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Conservation Commission urges you to vote “No” on Article 18 at Special Town Meeting, whose passage would stop this valuable program by banning hunting on conservation land.
While bow hunting has occurred in Harvard for decades, an understandable concern to residents is the safety of this program. Does it pose a risk? This is a reasonable question that deserves discussion.
Harvard’s program was designed with safety as the highest priority. We will use hunters who reside in Harvard, and applicants will be screened by the Massachusetts Environmental Police after passing a marksmanship test and interview.
Hunters in the program will sit in elevated tree stands, with a clear view and a safe downward shot, ensuring that all arrows are grounded safely. Parcels were chosen for remoteness and low use. Hunters will work off-trail, and most recreational users in towns with active programs never encounter a hunter in the woods. The average shot from a bow is taken at 30 to 50 feet—less than the width of a basketball court.
Because of the vetting process, strict rules, the limited range of the equipment, and the careful practices of a select and limited group of well-chosen hunters, bow hunting programs of this kind are extremely safe.
Massachusetts has a perfect archery safety record, and no nonhunter has ever been injured by an archery hunter in state history. Hunting is prohibited on Sundays and within 500 feet of houses and 150 feet of roads.
Hunting is the most effective way to manage deer populations. Research has shown that towns with hunting bans have unnaturally high deer populations, more forest depletion, and more Lyme disease—problems that Harvard’s program has the potential to mitigate. This program offers us the chance to restore ecological balance, and we hope that voters will support it at the upcoming Special Town Meeting by voting “No” on Article 18.
Robert Douglas, Chair
Paul Willard (Conservation Commission rep)
Tom Cotton (Conservation Trust rep)
Jason Cole, Ben Urquhart
Harvard Deer Management Subcommittee
