Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.
Issue link: https://wellesleywestonmagazine.epubxp.com/i/92498
Deer Hunting in Weston WESTON 2012 ARCHERY SEASON October 15 to December 31 n Daily, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset (state law) n No hunting on Sundays or within 500 feet of houses n Limited to hunters chosen by the Weston Conservation Commission based on interviews and a proficiency test, with preference given to residents, town employees, and other experienced hunters n Hunting permitted only from temporary portable tree stands n About 70 applications were received; 25 permits issued n Limited to antlerless deer on parcels in Jericho Town Forest, Ogilvie Town Forest, Dickinson Field, Blaney Aquifer, and the Sears Land and no hunting," he says. "When deer are allowed to grow over what the habitat can support, we see tremendous damage to the forest, which affects biodiversity and many other species that rely on the dense under- story, not to mention deer starvation." Nationwide, states rely on a regulated hunting season and allocate a certain number of antlerless permits to manage deer numbers at levels that assure the positive values of deer, such as viewing and hunting, while minimizing the undesirable habitat alterations and deer-vehicle accidents, he says. Lyme disease is one of the problems. Risk for Lyme disease is directly proportional to tick density, which is a function of deer den- 108 sity, says Sam Telford, professor of Infectious Diseases, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, who has worked on Lyme dis- ease since 1984. Tick larvae are 'born' uninfected. They pick up the bacteria that cause Lyme disease when they take their one larval meal by feeding on small rodents, such as white-footed mice and chip- munks, or certain birds. When larvae become nymphs, their one blood meal is taken from anything warm-blooded, potentially transmitting the disease. They are only out from the end of April through mid-July but they're so small that most people don't recall a tick bite when they get sick. "Nymphs are responsible for more than 85 percent of all cases of Lyme disease," he says. WellesleyWeston Magazine | winter 2012/2013 GINGER SANDERS / DREAMSTIME . COM