The state has officially expanded the primitive firearms deer hunting season on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard by a full month in an effort to reduce the deer herds on the islands. The new primitive firearms (muzzleloaders or archery equipment) season lasts through January 31st.

It’s the latest initiative to reduce the density of Nantucket’s enormous deer herd, which has been estimated at more than 10,000 individuals, more than ten times higher than the 900 the state deems a healthy population for the island.

Efforts are progressing on the local level as well, including a new collective called the ACK Deer Management Project that seeks to dramatically increase the take of deer on Nantucket and donate the excess meat to islanders in need.

Additionally, at its meeting on Tuesday, the Nantucket Land Bank Commission had Martin Feehan, a wildlife health specialist working for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, provide a presentation on deer damage permits as the organization continues to evaluate its options for addressing the overpopulation of deer on its extensive land holdings on the island.