Oh, Deer! Public Deer survey & Hunting Permits

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces that deer permits for legal regulated hunting, including the “all outdoors” package, are now on sale online and at local sales agents. In addition, the agency’s summer deer survey has begun.

Deer permits are sold as antlered or antlerless deer permits. Hunters must have the appropriate deer permit in their possession to legally hunt and harvest any antlered or antlerless deer. The cost of each deer permit for residents is $13 online or $13.50 at a sales agent; for non-residents, the cost is $26.50 online or $27.50 at a sales agent. The cost for the resident “all outdoors” package (five antlerless and two antlered deer permits) is $78 online or $81 at a sales agent. There is an enhanced access fee applied to purchases at sales agent locations that are used to offset the administrative costs to bill, track, and account transactions at sales agent locations and support system development, operation, support, and maintenance. Visit out our new ‘Rhode Island Outdoors’ online system or find a vendor near you on our list of local sales agents.

For the third year in a row, DEM is encouraging all members of the public to participate in a summer deer survey, which is a community science initiative designed to monitor deer during the summer months. All live deer sightings can be reported from Aug. 1-Sept. 30. This information is helpful in determining the number of fawns that survive after common causes of mortality such as predators, weather, and deer vehicle collisions are considered. This data will help the DEM Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) obtain fawn-to-doe ratios and an index of reproductive rates through time, informing sustainable management of the state’s deer population.

To participate in this year’s survey, the public can submit their reports via Survey123, an online survey platform that also hosts DFW’s Herp Observer and Wild Turkey Brood Survey. The Survey123 smartphone app allows users to record observations on the go. Observations also can be submitted on a computer. To report observations via Survey123, please use the following link on your smartphone or computer. Participants will need to download the Survey123 app prior to opening the link.

Tips to Remember during the Deer Survey

o Record deer observed from dawn to dusk (when headlights are not used for driving).

o Record all deer you see.

o Do not include multiple observations if you are sure the same deer is being seen repeatedly.

o Do not include trail camera counts in your observations.

o Fawns don’t always have spots in September. They have a short snout compared with adults.

Visit the Survey123 website (http://www.dem.ri.gov/programs/bnatres/fishwild/pdf/report-deer-observations.pdf) for more information on the summer deer survey, as well as an observation guide visit. A hunter education course is required for new hunters and is offered as part of DFW’s Hunter Education Program. To date, more than 40,000 people have completed a hunter safety course in Rhode Island, helping to reduce accidents in the state and elsewhere. A complete schedule is available of all upcoming hunter education programs.

Hunting has a long tradition in Rhode Island, contributing toward obtaining local food, supporting family customs, connecting people with nature, and attracting tourism to the state. Hunters and anglers purchase around 70,000 licenses, permits, stamps, and tags each year and contribute more than $235 million to the economy. Revenue generated from license and permit sales support Rhode Island fish and wildlife conservation programs. A critical source of funding, these monies are leveraged to match federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program dollars that support outdoor recreational opportunities for fishing, hunting, and boating in Rhode Island.

DEM works actively to protect and enhance wildlife habitat in Rhode Island forests and management areas to ensure healthier, more diverse, and abundant wildlife populations. Habitat restoration and wildlife conservation is funded by state hunting license fees and the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program.

To find current rules and regulations on hunting for deer and all other huntable species, pick up a 2022-23 Hunting and Trapping Regulation Guide at local sales agents. The regulations guide can also be found online here. For more information about Rhode Island’s hunting and fishing licensing system, click here.

For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.