When Rhode Island hunters can get their deer permits this year July 31, 2023 ABC6

... Each deer permit costs $13 online or $13.50 at a sales agent for residents. For non-residents, the cost is $26.50 online or $27.50 at a sales agent...

Block Island, Hunting for solutions with the RIDEM March 31, 2023 Rhode Island, Block Island Times

... Ferrara said that if you were concerned with population reductions, it was far better to take does than bucks. “One male will fertilize as many [females] as he wants,” he said. “When you are removing a female, you’re also removing her offspring.”  However, for many hunters, antlers are the draw...

New EPA rules on 'forever chemicals' are coming. What it means for RI's drinking water. March 17, 2023 Rhode island, The Providence Journal

... 'Forever chemicals' in deer have wildlife managers and hunters' attention ... in the absence of federal action, 10 states have stepped up to regulate limits in drinking water of the toxic so-called forever chemicals that have been used in everything from waterproof clothing to food packaging to firefighting foam...

Rhode Island whitetail harvests on-track for year packed with venison feasts December 21, 2022 Johnston Sun Rise

... According to research posted on Small State Big History, a Rhode Island history website (“When Deer Became Extinct in Rhode Island” by Christian McBurney), the Ocean State’s deer population was nearly wiped out centuries ago, but has made an almost miraculous recovery.  “I was shocked to learn that by the late 1700s and well into the late 1800s, deer were extinct in Rhode Island ...

With muzzleloader season in full swing, three RI hunters cited for poaching deer November 16, 2022 Rhode Island, Yahoo! Sports

... "Two pictures we've posted show the carcasses of poached deer," the DEM said. "We decided to post them because it shows how poaching selfishly depletes our precious natural resources and steals opportunities from hunters that follow regulations. Both deer were seized and donated for consumption." ...

Drivers beware: Deer vs. car collisions on the rise, and this is prime season  October 26, 2022 Rhode Island, USA Today

... Last year, 1,285 deer were struck on Rhode Island roads, up from 1,163 in 2020 and 838 in 2019...  "In 2021, the number of reported deer auto strikes was equivalent to 59% of the total reported hunter harvest." ..,

Bugged Out: Just How Much Should We Worry About Ticks in Rhode Island? October 19, 2022 Rhode Island Monthly

...  URI, a participant in a new $10 million CDC regional grant to fund a New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, is exploring the development of a deer-ingestible tick repellent and killer, similar to those for dogs and cats... White-tailed deer, once nearly extinct in Rhode Island, numbered an estimated 19,000 in 2019...

'I'd Be Using 10 Times More Water If I Had It': Drought Hurts RI Farms August 31, 2022, Rhode Island, RI Patch

... The drought has also created competition for water, not from other farmers, but deer and other wildlife, Wolbach said. Wolbach said deer aren't just eating her crops for food, but also need the water inside the vegetables..,

DEM Seeks Public's Help in Reporting Sightings of Wild Turkeys, Deer, Reptiles, andAmphibians throughout R.I. Using Online App August 10, Rhode Island EIN News

... surveys can be accessed through a smartphone or desktop computer. Simply take a photo of the animal, open the app, and follow the steps to submit your sighting...

DEM Deer Permits Go On Sale August 1,  August 1, 2022 Rhode Island, EIN News

... 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 ...

RI DEM urges public not to touch, remove baby deer from wild June 2, 2022 Rhode Island,  The Westerly Sun

...  If the fawn remains in an unsafe area, call DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement 24-hour dispatch at 401-222-3070 for further guidance. Any fawn obviously injured by a pet, vehicle, or farm equipment should be reported directly to the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island at 401-294- 6363.

Firefighters rescue baby deer trapped in the ice at a Glocester lake March 2, 2022 Rhode Island,  NRI NOW

... Crews rescued the deer from the frozen lake with the help of a Rescue Alive Rescue Sled, a floating platform that disperses the weight of firefighters with pontoons...

Crews rescue deer on iced-over river in Dartmouth February 17, 2022 Rhode Island, ABC6

... They took a rope and lassoed the deer... then they had to just drag her back to land ... It was beautiful. To see a fighter make it ... 

Invasive Plants Have RI's Native Life in Stranglehold January 22, 2022 Rhode Island, ecoRI News

... Japanese barberry ... used in residential and commercial landscapes because of its fall coloring and deer resistance. But the prickly shrub easily spreads into woodlands ... research in 2011 found that barberry-infested forests are about 12 times more likely to harbor deer ticks than forests without barberry...

White-tail deer have tested positive for COVID. Here's what that means for RI hunters November 15, 2021 Rhode Island, MSN

...  based on the recent report, Dylan Ferreira, chief wildlife biologist for Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management, recommends hunters wear a mask when field-dressing a deer...

RI DEM: Drivers beware of deer danger during mating season  October 25, 2021 Rhode Island, Providence Journal

... In 2020, there were 1,163 reported vehicle-deer collisions in Rhode Island, according to DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife. That was up from 838 in 2019...

Block Island, Harvested deer numbers tick downward September 16, 2021 Rhode Island, Block Island Times

... it was the Town Council in 1966 that voted to bring deer to Block Island in the first place. According to the report, on February 24, 1967, one buck and three does were brought to the island... a flyover conducted by DEM in February 2017 estimated there were 650 deer on Block Island...

Men pull deer from Newport Harbor after it gets close to boats, release it back into wild June 22, 2021 Rhode Island, WJAR

... After reviewing the videos taken and shared by Shaver, the Rhode Island Department of Management told NBC 10 while they applaud the men for getting the deer to shore, it's no surprise it was in the water. "Deer are amazing swimmers," ...

DEM Urges Rhode Islanders Not to Remove Fawns and Other Baby Animals from the Wild June 2, 2021 Rhode Island, TheNewportBuzz.com

... most of these fawns are not abandoned ... the mother deer gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the mother, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush...

Drivers beware; this is the busiest season for deer crashes October 13, 2020 Rhode Island, The Providence Journal

... Rhode Island drivers collided with deer more than 800 times last year ... Most of the crashes happen from October through December, according to AAA, between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m...

First RI Mammal Case Of EEE Found In North Kingstown Deer August 29, 2020 Rhode Island, YAHOO!

... A deer found disoriented and walking in circles in North Kingstown last week tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis after being euthanized...

Neighbors Feel Caught in Crossfire as Trustom Refuge Increases Hunting Access August 20, 2020 Rhode Island, ecoRI news

... “Fish and Wildlife is letting thirty-five strangers shoot those bows for four months of the year on the border of my neighborhood,” Bucheit said. “The season will be in autumn, during the bird migration, a time when most of us down here love to walk in the refuges, a time that draws visitors, educators, researchers, and families.” ...

Help Spot Deer to Determine Rhode Island's Herd Size August 7, 2020 ECO RI

... Throughout the months of August and September, anyone who observes deer in the state is encouraged to report how many bucks, does, and fawns they see via an online form ... it will give us a fawn-to-doe ratio and tell us how successful our does are at reproducing ... the survey ...

New Hunting Plan for RI's National Wildlife Refuges Approved August 6, 2020 Rode Island, ecoRI news

... Deer hunting within the town of Narragansett will be limited to archery only, rather than allowing both firearms and archery... John H. Chafee ... will be open to hunting of migratory birds (geese, ducks, coot, and mergansers), white-tailed deer ...

Expanded hunting coming to RI? June 13, 2020 Rhode Island, newportri.com

... environmental and animal-rights groups are objecting to the plan, which would introduce or expand access to hunting at all five of the state’s national wildlife refuges...  Block Island, deer hunting would be expanded to all 133 acres of the refuge ...

Opposition to hunting at Middletown wildlife refuge ramps up June 1, 2020 Rhode Island, WRAL

... The draft plan says there is “a limited deer population” on Sachuest Point...

DEM Urges Public Not to Remove Fawns and Other Baby Animals From the Wild May 13, 2020 Rhode Island, Newport Buzz

... most of these fawns are not abandoned ... In nature, the mother deer gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the mother, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush ...

The Buck Stops Here: Don't Feed Deer Deadly Corn February 20, 2020 Rhode Island, ecoRI news

... a natural-resource scientist at the University of Rhode Island... His inspection revealed that this wasn ’t a hunting fatality or natural death; the deer’s stomach looked as if it had exploded. The animal’s stomach was enlarged and bursting open with partially digested corn grains...

Do pumas prowl R.I., or just our imaginations?  December 7, 2019 Rhode Isand, Providence Journal

... the specimen was collected (read: shot) in “1847-48.” It was purchased by the museum nearly 100 years later, and the skin and skull are still there — the remains of the last cougar shot in Rhode Island... extirpation probably came about through a combination of deforestation and unregulated exploitation of wildlife in general. The deer population was nearly eliminated for quite some time.” ..,

Managing the state's deer population November 17, 2019 Rhode Island, Jefferson City News Tribune

... When European settlers first came to North America, deer were plentiful, and hunting them as a food source was a necessity. But like many resources, deer were over-hunted. In 1646, the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, enacted a law that outlawed deer hunting from the first of May to the first of November, stating "if any person shall shoot a deer within that time, he shall forfeit five pounds." ..,

With hunting in decline across state, conservation funds in jeopardy November 6, 2019 Rhode Island, Valley Breeze

... From 2000 to 2017, the number of licensed hunters living in Rhode Island fell from 10,530 to 6,291, a 40 percent drop. The number of deer permits purchased by hunters showed a similar drop, from 17,827 in 2000 to 14,391 in 2017... the vast majority of state conservation efforts are funded through hunting and fishing activities and firearms sales..,

Our forests are transforming right before us October 26, 2019 Rhode Island, The Independent

...  I hadn’t seen in many years. Sunlight was streaming through the canopy and creating large bright patches on the forest floor... Trees die ... and when that happens, sunlight penetrates the forest floor ...  such rapid growth of new plants that the abundant deer in the area ... hadn’t been able to keep up... waist-high shrubs of sweet pepperbush, spicebush and mountain laurel where only ferns and mushrooms had previously grown...

Whole lot of nuts: Mast year or not, there are lots of acorns on the ground this fall October 20, 2019 Rhode Island, The Westerly Sun

... A paper authored by a research team led by disease ecologist Richard Ostfeld and published in the scientific journal, “Biology,” studied several factors to determine their impacts on instances of Lyme disease. ... “Indices of deer abundance had no predictive power, and precipitation in the current year and temperature in the prior year had only weak effects on entomological risk ... The strongest predictors of a current year's risk were the prior year's abundance of mice and chipmunks and abundance of acorns 2 years previously.” ...

DEM police seek public's assistance after deer was shot illegally October 11, 2019 Rhode Island, Turn to 10

... illegally shot Wednesday night... south of Ridge Road in South Kingstown... had to be euthanized ...

Block Island, Council receives updates on a variety of island issues October 10, 2019 Rhode Island, Block Island Times

... the council that the board “may have a shortfall” for managing its annual deer tail payment program. “There is $23,000 in the budget,” she said, noting that the group “needs donations.” One of the problems she said is that “we’re not getting a lot of off-island hunters” to participate in the program. “We need to lure more hunters out here.” ...

Hunter accused of baiting deer in Rhode Island October 1, 2019 Turn to 10

...  baiting of deer and feeding of cervids is illegal in Rhode Island...

Coventry Deer Tests Positive For EEE September 10, 2019 Rhode Island, Patch

... A deer in Coventry has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis ...

Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of RI seeking donations to help animals August 9, 2019 Rhode Island, Turn to 10

... From white-tailed deer fawn and baby raccoons to small squirrels and tiny opossums that are only a little more than a month old, the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island is caring for many animals in need...

RI hunting preserves could spread disease and environmental destruction June 7, 2019 Rhode Island, The Providence Journal

...  House bill, H5849, would allow hunting preserves of 500 acres or larger to import non-native elk, deer, or other animals into Rhode Island for hunting purposes ... the importation of deer and elk could introduce chronic wasting disease, a disease that has not yet been found in Rhode Island deer populations...

RI DEM Warns Public Not to Rescue Baby Deer That Appear to be Abandoned June 1, 2019 GoLocalProv

... In nature, the mother deer gives birth and for the next five to seven days, the fawn is incapable of following the mother, so it is natural for the fawn to lie in a curled ‘freeze’ position on the ground hidden in grass or sparse brush... after seven to 10 days, the fawn may run when approached and after a month will be able to follow and feed alongside the mother...

Rhode Island Hunting Seasons, 2018 – 2019 April 26, 2019 CleverHunters.com

... the estimate whitetail deer population is around 19.000 and that the hunting licenses sold annually number around 17.000 ..,

Dem Offers Lecture on Chronic Wasting Disease April 11, 2019 Rhode Island Government

... Last year, DEM banned the use or possession of deer scents/lures that contain cervid (including deer, moose, elk) urine or any bodily material while taking, attempting to take, attracting, or scouting wildlife. This new regulation is an extra precautionary step to further minimize the potential for CWD to be introduced into Rhode Island..,

New RI plate on the 'wild side' March 26, 2019 Rhode Island, Warwick Beacon

...  Save Wildlife [license] plate framed by a squirrel, raccoon, fox, owl and deer... The plates cost $40, with half the money going to support the WRARI. In the course of a year, the group helps between 4,000 and 5,000 injured, sick or orphaned wild animals...

New England BHA Opposes Legislation Allowing Big Game Hunting in Rhode Island Shooting Preserves March 20, 2019 Rhode Island, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

... In addition to contradicting generations worth of fair chase ethics, the importation of cervid species like elk and deer would increase the likelihood that chronic wasting disease (CWD) will be introduced into Rhode Island's native deer herd... H5849 ...

Bill resurfaces to allow importing elk on RI hunting preserves March 17, 2019 Rhode Island, The Providence Journal

... would allow shooting preserves of 500 acres or more in size to import “deer, elk, or other animals” for hunting... DEM is aware of the bill but hasn’t yet taken a position ...

Suffolk deer hunt deemed success March 3, 1969 (reprinted March 3, 2019) Rhode Island, Shetland Island Reporter

... It was the first special deer hunt since the 1920s — today known as the deer damage permit season — and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation deemed it a success for Suffolk County where 162 deer were culled from the herd...

Bill Would Prohibit Importing Big Game for Captive Hunting February 27, 2019 Rhode Island, ecoRI news

... A bill has been proposed in the current session of the General Assembly that would prohibit the importation of nonnative and domestic animals for use in canned hunting. A House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare hearing on H5130 was held Feb. 27...

Rhode Island BHA Opposes Canned Hunts, CWD Threat  February 25, 2019 Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

... As recently as last summer, we’ve seen egregious attempts to exploit a legal flaw in Rhode Island to push for the development of the state’s first high fence captive big game hunting facility. This proposal threatens our fair chase hunting traditions and could facilitate the introduction of Chronic Wasting Disease ...

Rare 'piebald' deer spotted in Rhode Island December 14, 2018 WJAR 

... Not to be confused with an "albino deer," the piebald version does NOT have pink eyes and a pink nose ...

R.I. deer hunting season opening; wearing bright orange required November 28, 2018 Rhode Isand, The Providence Journal ·

... As part of the DEM’s program to monitor for chronic wasting disease, which has yet to be found in Rhode Island, the agency is asking hunters to call its Division of Law Enforcement at (401) 222-3070 if they observe any sick or emaciated deer ...

2018 New England Deer Forecast October 31, 2018 Rhode Island, Game & Fish

... The population of deer in the Ocean State is estimated by the Department of Environmental Management at 18,000..,

DEM reminds hunters to take precautions to keep deer herds free of chronic wasting disease October 2, 2018 Rhode Island, DEM News 

... The disease has not been found in any New England state.  A progressive neurological disease that is always fatal to cervids, CWD is readily spread from cervid to cervid and through contact with animal saliva, feces, urine, and carcass parts. There is no cure or vaccine for CWD..,

Reducing the herd September 13, 2018 Rhode island,. Block Island Times 

... a deer count done ... getting an accurate (as possible) count of the deer population seems to be a good idea ... The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management ... have mandated that the deer cannot be reduced to zero ...

Deer Permits For The 2018/2019 Hunting Season To Go On Sale August 15 August 9, 2018 Rhode Island, RI.gov: Rhode Island Government

... The cost of each deer permit for residents is $12.50 online or $13.00 at a sales agent; for non-residents, the cost is $25.50 online or $26.50 at a sales agent for each permit. The cost for the resident "All Outdoors" deer permit is $75.00 online or $78.00 at a sales agent...

Nearly 1K trees cut down in Richmond to foster growth June 7, 2018 Rhode Island, Turn to 10

...  The whole trail used to be shaded and full of birds and deer  ... What I tell people is think about it like a garden. You weed a garden once a week. You weed a forest every 20 years to make it productive,” ...

Bill to allow importing of exotic animals for hunting shut down by Rhode Island lawmakers June 6, 2018 Rhode Island, Fox News

... If passed, the bill would’ve allowed shooting preserves with 500 acres or more to import animals not native to the area, like elk or wild boar, for the purpose of hunting ...

     RI club seeks state permission to import exotic animals for hunting June 5, 2018 Rhode Island, The Providence Journal

... The Preserve at Boulder Hills, in Richmond, bills itself as one of the most elite outdoor sporting clubs in the Northeast ... club members who’ve paid the $250,000 ...  is considering importing elk, one of the biggest prizes in trophy hunting, for members to hunt...

  Crew rescues deer trapped along Blackstone River May 22, 2018 Rhode Island, WPRI.com

... The DEM said firefighters noticed the deer had been stuck for about three days on a little patch of land near the Exchange Street Bridge...

Archaeologists possibly discover the earliest known Greek art inside a cave April 24, 2018 Rhode Island, realmofhistory.com

...  more than 11,000 years ago... first known case of Paleolithic art ever found in Greece, with the 37 portrayals depicting an extinct species of the dwarf deer... According to Dr. Thomas Strasser of Providence College, Rhode Island ...

2017 Massachusetts deer harvest sets record March 15, 2018 Rhode Island, Worcester Telegram

... Rhode Island, with a deer population of about 18,000, normally harvests more than 1,000 deer all season despite the fact that it has a long bow season, which just closed. Unofficially, that kill was up this year along with increased harvests in all of the New England states...

Grants to care for pets and wildlife December 3, 2017 Rhode Island, ... ... Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island in North Kingstown, which received $22,750 to build a 15,000-square-foot deer enclosure for injured or orphaned white-tail fawns ...

Block Island, DTF to seek $40k funding from town October 6, 2017 Rhode Island, Block Island Times

... The Deer Task Force will ask the Town Council to fully fund the deer tail buy-back program from tax revenue in the next fiscal year...  the actual expenses for deer management were ... a three-year average expense of $40,586...

Block Island Deer Cull, Town Council approvals and updates May 13, 2017 Rhode Island, Block Island Times

...  the Department of Environmental Management conducted an infrared flyover survey on March 6 and 7, and calculated that while 272 deer were culled, a population of 630 deer remains on the island...

Report Says New Casino Will Push More Deer Into Backyards April 14, 2017 Rhode Island, Patch.com

... new Twin River gambling casino ... According to the Ecosystem Solutions, Inc. report ...  the construction will push wildlife, especially deer, into residents' back yards... 

Deer rescued from frozen pond February 16, 2016 Rhode Island, NBC4i.com

... [video] Barden Reservoir... noticed the deer in the water, hanging onto the ice and called for help... what are you going to do? Stand here and watch a deer die?” ...

Rhode Island Data:   Drought in 2022.  An estimated 19,000 deer in early 2019 with about 17,000 deer tags sold annually.  About 18,000 deer in 2018., 16,000 deer in 2016 for 15 deer per square mile, up from about 15,000 deer in 2013. 

In 2021 "the number of reported deer auto strikes was equivalent to 59% of the total reported hunter harvest."

A good mast crop in 2015, but drought in the summer of 2016 and defoliation of oak trees by the gypsy month significantly reduced the mast crop in 2016.  Hunters reported a 33 percent success rate in 2013.  A population estimate of 16,000 in 2009 and 5,000 in 1990.

The Rhode Island DEM estimated 661 deer in 1942 and 15,800 in 2004.

Block Island.  In 1967 seven deer were imported to Block Island with support from the Town Council and the R.I. Department of Environment Management (DEM).  By 2013 the deer population rose to roughly 1,000.  A planned deer cull on Block Island was cancelled in 2014 when the hired sharpshooters were denied permission to use silencers on their rifles.  State laws ban the use of silencers and prohibit the use of bait which was also being used by the professional sharpshooters.  

Rhode Island  Deer Harvest, 1977 - 2020

Source:  Rhode Island DEM