Survey: Islanders open to Sunday hunting, on private land 

There is support for hunting on Sundays on the Island, at least on private property, according to the results of an online survey distributed by the MV Times earlier this month.

In the one-question survey asking if hunting should be allowed on private property on Sundays, about 54 percent of nearly 300 respondents said “yes.” The survey was circulated through the Minute, the Times’ weekday newsletter.

Hunting has been seen as one tool to decrease the Vineyard’s booming deer population, and to at least slow the spread of tick-born illnesses. And while the state department of fish and wildlife is likely opening another month up to hunting on the Island in January of 2026, some local hunters have said that it can be difficult to find the time to get out when working five, if not six, days a week when Sundays aren’t an option. In other words, another month may not have a big impact.

No hunting on Sundays in Massachusetts goes back to Puritan days; aside from Maine, every other state allows it. Some state lawmakers have routinely proposed opening Sundays without luck. 

Noting that Sunday is also a popular day to get outdoors on public land during hunting season, local hunters propose that the Sunday addition only be considered on private land, with permission from the landowners, given the abundance of deer on private land. While Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife estimate that a healthy deer population is between 12 to 18 deer per square mile, some areas of the Vineyard have over 100 deer per square mile on private property, according to state biologists.