DEM ANNOUNCES PRUDENCE/PATIENCE ISLANDS ARCHERY DEER SEASON

PROVIDENCE - The Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife has announced that the 2006-2007 archery deer hunting season on Prudence and Patience Islands will be open from October 20 through January 7. The harvest quota on state management areas is 100 deer; no quota has been established on private land. Hunting hours will be from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Archers with a valid archery deer permit may also take raccoon and fox (no bag limit for either species) on Prudence Island during legal deer hunting hours.

This year, hunters may purchase one either-sex permit for state or private land, and one antlerless permit for private land only. These may be purchased at any time and used in any order. To assist in matching interested hunters with landowners, the Narragansett Bay Estuarine Research Reserve will be taking names, contact information, and availability of hunters, who may call the reserve at 683-6780 ext. 4 to be listed. Island residents may contact the Prudence Island Association with their contact numbers.

To hunt on the islands, archers must have in their possession a current Rhode Island hunting license and a current Prudence/Patience archery deer permit. Archers must also carry on their person a valid archery proficiency card and written permission to hunt on private land, countersigned by the chief of police or his island representative.

Hunting on state management areas is permitted by reservation only, from opening day, October 20, through November 3. These regulations will be strictly enforced. Interest in the reservation-only hunt on state land has exceeded available slots, and all reservations are currently booked. Hunting without a reservation is permitted on state lands from November 4 to January 7, or until the quota has been reached.

A special antlerless deer hunt on Heritage Property — a private cooperative on Prudence Island — will be held from December 1 to December 15. Reservations are required to hunt the property and will be assigned by lottery. Interested hunters may download an application from DEM's website at www.dem.ri.gov by clicking on "Topics" from the home page, then "Wildlife", then "Heritage Property" under "Special Hunting Applications" on the right side of the page. Applications are also available at the Division of Fish & Wildlife headquarters on Great Neck Road in West Kingston. To request a copy by mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Division of Fish & Wildlife, 277 Great Neck Road, West Kingston, RI 02892.

All deer, whether taken on state or private land on Prudence Island, must be tagged immediately and taken to the island check station, where leg seals will be attached. A new check station has been established at Jack Marmaras' home, located at 60 Narragansett Avenue. Hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Patience Island deer may be checked on Prudence Island, or at a vendor deer check station located on the mainland.

Archery deer permits for Prudence and Patience Islands may be purchased at hunting license vendors and at the Prudence Variety store, located near the ferry dock on Prudence Island. A list of vendor deer check stations and additional hunting information can be found in the 2006-2007 hunting and trapping abstract. The abstract is available online on DEM's website, www.dem.ri.gov, by clicking on "Regulations". Copies may also be obtained from DEM's licensing office at 235 Promenade Street in Providence, the Fish and Wildlife office at the Stedman Government Center in Wakefield, Fish and Wildlife headquarters on Great Neck Road in West Kingston, and from hunting license vendors.

DEM is again asking hunters to donate deer heads this year to meet the USDA grant quota needed to declare the state Chronic Wasting Disease-free. Hunters who wish to assist in this effort may donate the head when checking in a deer.