Deer Hunt

Massachusetts is grappling with a deer problem on its famous islands, and it’s forcing the state to rethink long-held hunting traditions. On Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, white-tailed deer have multiplied unchecked for decades, pushing densities far beyond what biologists consider sustainable. Nantucket is commonly cited at 60+ deer per square mile...

Imagine a time when seeing a deer in the woods was a rare event – when white-tailed deer and other game were so scarce that many states had no hunting season at all. Just over a century ago, this was reality. Unregulated overhunting and massive habitat loss had driven wildlife populations to the brink. Deer, turkeys, ducks – all were ...

Introduction: As we head into 2026, several U.S. states have enacted or proposed laws that could significantly impact deer hunting, deer population management, habitat conservation, and disease control. Below we summarize notable state-level legislative changes from 2025 (and early 2026) that hunters, conservationists, and deer managers should know about. Eac...

Every deer hunter knows the rhythm of the season.

Alarms go off long before daylight. Coffee gets poured half asleep. Boots go on in the dark. You step outside into cold air, anticipation already running high. For many hunters, food is an afterthought — maybe something quick, maybe nothin...

In this special year-end Deer News episode, the Big Buck Registry team takes a comprehensive look at the deer hunting stories that shaped 2025 across the United States.

This episode moves state by state through the most consequential changes in deer hunting policy, access, and management—connecting regulation, science, enforcement, and biology int...