ogy teachers have taught us, the death of one species can cause another population to
grow. The decrease in raccoons caused an increase in the wild turkey population, as raccoons are one of the natural predators of turkey poults ��� or young turkeys.
In 1999, the town of Sudbury decided to reintroduce a bow-hunting program to control
the deer population. ���While we cannot definitively say that the deer population has been
reduced, as there has been no study completed on the topic, we do know that the incidents
of Lyme disease in Sudbury are less than those in surrounding towns with large deer populations. In addition, we have been studying one property where hunting does occur, and we
are seeing a larger variety of saplings and brushy ground cover that deer typically feed on
re-emerge.���
Residents in towns such as Lincoln, which do not allow hunting, must consider other
proposals. Ingalls suggests altering the wildlife���s habitat. For example, if you notice that a
turkey roosts in a certain tree, consider cutting it down or removing some branches.
On a positive note, neither Dineen nor Gumbart report any physical harm done to residents in either town. In fact, Gumbart was emphatic about the positives that such a variety
of wildlife brings. ���This is a huge draw to our towns,��� he says. ���
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Debbie Dineen at 978.443.2209 or Tom Gumbart at
781.259.2600. The Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife can be contacted at
508.389.6300 or online at www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/index.htm.
SPRING/SUMMER 2013
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north bridge magazine
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