Rhode Island’s shotgun season for taking either-sex and antlerless deer opens on the mainland Saturday and continues through Dec. 14. An antlerless deer is a female or a male with antlers less than three inches long.

Hunters can use both state and private land during those nine days. The shotgun season continues for taking both either-sex and antlerless deer, on private land only, from Dec. 15-21. Antlerless deer permit-holders may also hunt on private land Dec. 27-28 and Jan. 3-4.

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is encouraging more private landowners to allow hunters to hunt on their property during deer-hunting seasons.

Written permission is required for all deer hunting on private lands. The DEM has developed a courtesy card, available on the DEM Web site, www.dem.ri.gov, for hunters and landowners to sign, which gives the dates for permissions. Permission notes must be signed annually.

All hunters, including archers, must wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange during the shotgun season. Throughout the shotgun deer season, everyone using state management areas must also wear at least 500 square inches of solid, daylight fluorescent orange material. After the shotgun season, the requirement drops to 200 square inches through the end of February and during the spring turkey hunting season.

Hunters are required to check their deer at state-operated stations next weekend. For hunters in the East Bay area, Main Bait & Tackle in Fall River has been designated as a Rhode Island state-operated check station during the first three days of shotgun deer season.

Deer permits are available at the DEM’s Office of Boat Registration and Licensing at DEM Headquarters, 235 Promenade St., Providence, on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and at selected hunting vendors throughout Rhode Island. The cost of each deer permit for residents is $12.50; for non-residents, the cost is $25.50 for each permit.

The “All Outdoors” permit package costs $112.50, and has been modified this year. The new package, which must be purchased from the DEM’s Division of Licensing, still entitles hunters to buy 11 mainland deer permits at one time for $112.50. However, this year, on a trial basis, hunters are allowed to use six antlerless permits in any combination during the appropriate season. Hunters wishing to purchase the “All Outdoors” package must show previous Rhode Island firearm and archery permits or proof of both hunter and archery safety course cards. A limit of 250 “All Outdoors” packages have been printed this year, and about 100 are still available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Deer hunting hours remain one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. All deer taken must be tagged immediately, and checked within 24 hours at either a vendor-operated or state-operated check station, or by an authorized representative of the DEM.

Hunters should check the DEM regulations for specific regulations as to where hunting is allowed, and should also check with local authorities for additional hunting restrictions. For instance, in the DEM’s East Bay management areas, only archery hunting is permitted in Simmons Mill, and no Sunday hunting or firearm deer hunting is permitted in Sapowet Management Area.

For the seventh year, the DEM is joining much of the country in conducting a systematic Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance program, and will ask hunters at the state check stations to assist by donating heads of yearlings and adults harvested in state. However, hunters may also participate by contacting the DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife’s field headquarters at (401) 789-0281 for approval to submit fresh samples labeled with the location of harvest. Hunters are also asked to call the DEM’s law enforcement office at (401) 222-3070 to report any sick or emaciated deer, or any deer displaying abnormal behavior.

Hunters can donate their surplus game, properly processed, packaged and refrigerated, to a number of local food kitchens through the Hunters and Fishermen for the Hungry program, coordinated by the DEM’s Division of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with the Rhode Island Food Bank. The Division maintains a list of locations, updated regularly, where fish and game may be donated, and has also prepared a booklet with guidelines on handling game and fish for donations, as well as a collection of game and fish recipes for the food kitchens.

All of this information is available at www.dem.ri.gov by clicking on “Topics,” then “Wildlife/Hunter Ed” under “Outdoor Recreation/Fisheries.” An information packet is also available by calling the Division at (401) 789-0281.

tmeade@projo.com