Deer Hunting

Regulation Hunting in Rhode Island

Deer Hunting Seasons

Season	Hours
Archery (includes Crossbow)	September 8 - 9 (Youth only, Zone 1) September 29 - 30 (Youth only, Zone 2) September 15 - January 31, 2019 (Zone 1) October 1 - January 31, 2019 (Zone 2)
Archery: Patience & Prudence Islands (Zone 3)	October 27 - 28 (Youth only)* November 1 - January 31, 2019
Archery: Block Island (Zone 4)	Otober 9-12, 15-19, 22-26, 29-31 (Check local ordinance)
Archery and Muzzleload-er: Block Island (Zone 4)	November 1, 2, 5, 7-9, 13-16
Muzzleloader	October 27 - 28 (Youth only Zones 1, 2)* November 3 - 25 (Zones 1, 2) December 26 - January 2, 2019 (Zones 1, 2 Private land only, antlerless deer only)
Shotgun	December 1 - 16 (Zone 1) December 1 - 9 (Zone 2) December 26 - January 2, 2019 (Zones 1, 2 - Private land only, antlerless deer only)
Archery, Muzzleloader, Shotgun (Zone 4)	November 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30 December 3-7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21 January 3, 4, 7-11, 14-18, 22-25, 28-31, 2019 February 1, 4-8, 11-15, 19-22, 2019
Special Season for Dis-abled Hunters: Patience & Prudence Islands (Zone 3)	October 23 - 26

2018-19 Season Bag Limits

Statewide (all zones & methods combined)	2 Antlered Deer, (Zone 3: no more than 1 Antlered Deer)
Zone 1	3 Antlerless Deer
Zone 2	2 Antlerless Deer
Zone 3	2 Antlerless Deer
Zone 4	Unlimited Antlerless Deer¹

^* See page 10 for more information on Youth & Disabled Hunter Oppor-tunities1Hunters may not possess more than ten (10) Block Island Deer Permits at one time. See RIHR 9.7.7.B for additional information

RI Deer Management Strategy:

Deer management zones have been established for harvesting deer inaccordance with specific management goals for RI. The need to reduce autostrikes and address nuisance deer complaints are important deer manage-ment issues in addition to DEM's goal to preserve and maintain quality deerhunting for sportsmen.

With this strategy we hope to:

Provide a deer management program that maintains a healthy deer popu-lation that is sustainable and ecologically appropriate.
Maintain quality deer hunting opportunities recognizing the strong tra-dition of hunting in Rhode Island and the important role hunting plays in population management.

Deer Hunting Methods

Please note: Only one firearm or bow may be possessed in the field per individual hunter while hunting deer. Check local ordinances for further restrictions in specific towns.

Shotgun

No person shall hunt, pursue, shoot or attempt to shoot any deer with a shotgun capable of holding more than five shells, unless it is plugged with one-piece filler, which is incapable of removal without disassem-bling the gun.
Ammunition permitted for shotgun deer season is limited to a single lead or alloy projectile, including rifled slugs or sabot round. Buckshot is prohibited at all times.
Shotguns of 10, 12, 16, or 20-gauge are allowed.
Muzzleloaders will be permitted during the shotgun season provid-ed hunters possess a current shotgun deer permit and comply with muzzleloader restrictions. Hunters taking a deer must tag the deer with the shotgun deer tag immediately after taking. All shotgun deer season fluorescent orange requirements will be enforced.

Muzzleloader

Firearms for muzzleloader deer season are limited to .45 caliber or larg-er using percussion caplock, flintlock, and in-line ignition systems using percussion caps, rifle, or shotshell primers. Only single barrel or double barrel firearms that must be loaded from the muzzle are permitted.
Ammunition for muzzleloader deer season is limited to a single projectile, including round ball, or maxi ball type projectiles. Sabot rounds for muzzleloader firearms are permitted. Powder is limited to manufacturers' specifications. Telescopic sights are permitted. Posses-sion of modern shotgun shotshells while hunting is prohibited.
A muzzleloader is considered unloaded when the percussion cap, primer or pan powder is removed.

Archery

Archers may use a long bow, re-curve bow, compound bow or cross-bow for hunting deer.
Long bow, re-curve bow and compound bow must be set at not less than forty (40) pounds for archers using fixed blade broadheads, and a mini-mum of fifty (50) pounds for archers using mechanical broadheads.
Only broadhead tipped arrows with at least two (2) metal cutting edges are allowed. All broadheads must be seven eighths (7/8) of an inch or greater at the widest point including mechanical broadheads measured in the "open" position.
Crossbows must be set at not less than one hundred twenty five (125) pounds minimum draw weight. Expandable broadheads are permitted.
One (1) field point arrow may be carried in the quiver for the safe dis-charge of the crossbow; the field point arrow must be made distinguish-able from the crossbow arrow by a color difference.
All archery deer hunters must have taken and successfully completed bow hunter education classes or hold a prior year archery deer permit in order to obtain a current year archery deer permit.
Licensed deer hunters may carry one (1) blunt or judo tipped arrow to hunt the open portion of the small game season during the archery deer season.
Licensed archery deer hunters using a crossbow may carry one (1) blunt or judo tipped arrow to hunt small game mammals during the open portion of the small game season during the archery deer season; no birds may be taken with a crossbow and this arrow must be made distinguishable from broadhead tipped arrows and the dis-charge arrow

Adaptive Aids

Special archery adaptive aids for use with vertical held bows may be used by all hunters without a special permit.

Decoys

Deer decoys may be used on private lands in Zone 1 between Septem-ber 15 and October 31, and in Zone 2 between October 1 and October 31 while archery hunting only. However, deer decoys may be used throughout the extent of the open archery season on private lands in towns where hunting with a firearm is prohibited but used of archery equipment is permitted. When transporting deer decoys for the purpose of hunting, persons must wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange visible from all sides as is currently required for shotgun deer hunting.

Prohibited Deer Hunting Activities

The use or possession of deer scents/lures that contain natural cervid (including deer, moose, elk) urine, gland oil, feces, tissue, blood or any other bodily fluids while taking, attempting to take, attracting, or scout-ing wildlife.
The use of electronic calls.
The placement or installation of tree stands on state land and co-op properties prior to August 15th and failure to remove the tree stands by February 15th.
The construction and use of permanent tree stands, or the use of nails, spikes, bolts, or climbing devices, which may damage trees on state or co-op properties; and on private property without the permission of the landowner.
Hunting, pursuing or molesting deer in tidal waters or while deer are swimming in any waters of the state.
Feeding or baiting: the act of using, placing, giving, exposing, deposit-ing, distributing, or scattering any material, or any act to maintain the availability of such material that attracts deer to feed on such material.
Driving deer by parties of over five (5) people

Written Permission

Annual written landowner permission is required for deer hunting on pri-vate land (RIGL 20-15-1) during the deer season. It is not required that deer permits (tags) be signed by the landowner, provided the hunter has other written permission in possession. Deer permits (tags) must be carried while hunting. Annual written permission must be shown to any authorized person upon demand, and must be presented when checking a deer

Landowner Rights & Liability

Written landowner permission is required to hunt deer on private property. Hunters are urged to gain a landowner's permission prior to hunting for all other hunting activities as well. To maintain good land-owner - hunter relations, always treat the landowner's private property with respect, and know and respect the property boundaries. It is also unlawful to shoot upon the land of another without their permission. Hunting on private land is a privilege not to be taken lightly.To encourage landowners to make their lands available for recreation-al purposes, the RI General Law (32-6-3) limits the liability of persons making private land available for recreational activities, including hunting and fishing.Liability of Landowner: an owner of land who either directly or indirectly invites or permits without charge any person to use that property for recre-ational purposes does not thereby:

Extend any assurance that the premises are safe for any purpose;
Confer upon that person the legal status of an invitee or licensee to whom a duty of care is owed; nor
Assume responsibility for or incur liability for any injury to any person or property caused by an act of omission of that person

Deer hunting

Limitations

(a) Nothing in the law limits in any way any liability which, but for this chapter, otherwise exists:
(1) For the willful or malicious failure to guard or warn against a dangerous condition, use, structure, or activity after discovering the user's peril; or
(2) For any injury suffered in any case where the owner of land charges the person or persons who enter or go on the land for the recreational use there-of, except that in the case of land leased to the state or a subdivision thereof, any consideration received by the owner for that lease shall not be deemed a "charge" within the meaning of this section.

(b) When the Coastal Resources Management Council designates a right-of-way as part of its designation process as specified in 46-23-6(5), or when the coastal resources management council stipulates public access as a condition of granting a permit, the landowner automatically will have "limited liability" as defined in this chapter, except as specifically recognized by or provided in this section