'These deer are desensitized': Mass Audubon deer hunt prompts backlash

When deer are approached by humans, they often run away. But at Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, they get closer.

They’re used to visitors handing them food over the past decade. Jessica Enos, who has visited the property since it was home to the Sacred Hearts Retreat Center, said the deer have grown to trust humans more than they should. 

That’s why she and others became concerned when the Massachusetts Audubon Society announced they would hold two deer hunting sessions on the property to control the ballooning deer population.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, I don’t know what’s right, but I do know that these deer are desensitized,” Enos said. “They’re going to walk right up to these hunters. They are not afraid of people like your everyday, average deer.”

Enos said people drive around Great Neck, which was purchased by the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 2019, and the surrounding neighborhood to get close to the deer, either to get good photos of them or just for the excitement of interacting with them. 

A neighbor of the sanctuary, who asked to remain anonymous, described the property as a “petting zoo” during dawn and dusk hours. They said that they have seen corn and apple scraps on the ground where people fed the deer. 

Enos said that people who live on nearby streets have complained about people driving around to feed or interact with the deer. She also said she has rarely seen Massachusetts Audubon Society employees at Great Neck.

A spokesperson from the Massachusetts Audubon Society told Wareham Week in a statement that feeding the deer is “strictly prohibited,” and people who do it could be banned from the property.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society said that the population totals at Great Neck exceed the state’s guidelines of 12 to 18 deer per square mile. These deer don’t have a natural predator and reduce “the natural diversity of plants and shrubs,” the statement said.

The organization scheduled two seven-day periods of bow-and-arrow deer hunting at Great Neck — one from Oct. 12 to Oct. 18, and another from  Nov. 15 to Nov. 21. During the first hunt, nine deer were killed.

“We understand deer hunting is an emotional topic but this is the most effective and efficient way to protect beloved outdoor spaces for generations to come,” the statement said.

A concerned citizen placed flyers around the entrance to the Great Neck property ahead of the first hunt calling it a “slaughter.” These flyers were taken down before the hunt began.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society declined Wareham Week’s request to interview the employees who oversee Great Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Department of Natural Resources Director Garry Buckminster said that it can be difficult to enforce the no feeding rules. He said it can take a long time to get an officer out to the site after getting the report and the offender usually leaves before the officer arrives.

Enos said she has fed the deer in the past, but she has since stopped. She said she and others feel a strong attachment to the deer and have taken measures to protect the deer, making warning calls to scatter them across the woods.

“They’re animals. They don’t have a voice,” she said. “It’s not fair.”