Massachusetts Adds Mainland Winter Deer Season for 2027 After Island Hunts Take 522 Deer

MassWildlife said in a November 6, 2026 news release that its two new island deer seasons ran January 1 to February 14 and September 21 to October 1.

Deer densities above 55 deer per square mile on Martha’s Vineyard and 85 deer per square mile on Nantucket prompted the seasons. Those densities cause extensive damage, including the loss of forest regeneration, the division says. The winter season lasted 6 weeks and the early season 10 days. Both allowed licensed hunters to use archery equipment and primitive firearms.

The two new seasons together took 522 deer on the islands in 2026. For scale, 1,608 deer were taken on both islands in all of calendar year 2025. Archery season (October 5–November 28), shotgun season (November 30–December 12) and primitive firearms season (December 14–31) also remain on the islands and add to the 2026 total.

Hunters from other New England states came to the seasons, many of whom had not hunted in Massachusetts before. The division says the dates run later than northern New England seasons, so visitors can hunt after the holidays or start the fall early.

Hunters donated 86 deer during the new seasons through the Hunters Share the Harvest program. Those deer made over 6,000 meals, distributed by local food programs including Nourish Nantucket and the Martha’s Vineyard Island Grown Initiative.

The 2027 winter season moves onto the mainland. It covers portions of eastern Massachusetts with persistently high deer populations, in zones 9, 10 and 11, and runs January 1–30. The island winter season in zones 13 and 14 runs January 1–February 13.

Hunters need a 2027 license and can use the antlered tags that come with it. They can also buy 2027 antlerless permits for zones 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14, valid in the 2027 winter and fall seasons. A free either-sex deer permit is available for the islands only, during the winter season.