PROVIDENCE – For the second year in a row, the Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife will hold a deer hunting program at the Black Rock-Rodman's Hollow Property on Block Island. The Black Rock parcel is the only state- owned property on Block Island that is open for deer hunting.
The deer hunt will take place on four consecutive weeks between January 21 and February 14. A total of 24 hunters were pre-selected by lottery for this hunt. On Tuesday through Friday of each week, six hunters selected for that particular week will be allowed to hunt for deer on the parcel. Hunters are required to have both a hunting license and Block Island deer permits to hunt deer on the property and are required to follow all rules and regulations required for Block Island deer hunting. This includes the requirement for all hunters to wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange, consisting of a hat and vest, during the shotgun portion of the deer hunting season.
The Black Rock property is a 115-acre parcel located off Cooneymus Road on the south end of Block Island. The property is comprised of a rolling topography with a mixture of habitats consisting of maintained openings, dense thickets of brush, and forested pockets of small trees. The area is excellent for deer hunting and during the first hunt offered last season, hunters harvested 22 deer on the property. There are also many hiking trails through the area and it is a popular area for hiking by residents. Although the area will remain open to other users, all users of state-owned land are required to wear the minimum required 500 inches of fluorescent orange during the shotgun deer hunting season.
The bag limit for deer on Block Island (management zone 4) is five antlerless deer and three antlered deer. Hunters may purchase up to five deer permits at any one time, and may purchase additional antlerless deer permits if necessary. Permits may be purchased from any DEM license vendor and from the Town Clerk's office on Block Island.
For further information, contact the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 789-0281.