Hunting & Fishing

Appointed for one year terms through December
For current membership and contacts, visit https://onboard.new-shoreham.com/

Procedure to follow to hunt deer on Block Island

  • All deer taken must be reported to DEM within 24 hours using the harvest reporting website: www.ri.gov/dem/huntfish.
  • Written permission from a landowner must be obtained before hunting on private land and presented to and countersigned by the Town of New Shoreham (Block Island) Chief of Police.
  • A valid Rhode Island hunting license is required.  Licenses and tags may be purchased online at https://www.ri.gov/DEM/huntfish.  If you do not have internet access or a printer, you may go to the Island Free Library or Town Hall.
  • Hunters must abide by Town Ordinance requirements (see below).
  • Deer tags can be purchased at Town Hall during regular business hours.
  • Entrails and deer carcasses can be disposed of free of charge at the transfer station any day of the week.
  • Additional information on deer hunting in Rhode Island may be found at http://www.eregulations.com/rhodeisland/hunting/deer-hunting/.
  • Useful information from US Fish and Wildlife serviceWT_deer_banner. https://www.fws.gov/nwrs/threecolumn.aspx?id=6442465804


    Note:  Crossbow may be used during shotgun season with a valid shotgun deer permit.

Current  Hunting Schedule

https://www.eregulations.com/rhodeisland/hunting/hunting-season-summary

 New Shoreham General Ordinances and Regulations

New Shoreham General Ordinances
Chapter 10 Miscellaneous Offenses

Sec. 10-16. - Hunting, taking of game and discharge of firearms.

The hunting, possession or taking of deer within the boundaries of the town is prohibited except as otherwise authorized by the town council at its first meeting in March.  It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge a firearm, hunt, take or kill any wild bird or animal on private property without permission from the owner and any tenant in possession.

Sec. 10-17 Harassment of hunters, trappers and fishers

It shall be unlawful for any person to obstruct or interfere with the lawful taking of wildlife by another person within the boundaries of the town at the location where the activity is taking place with intent to prevent the lawful taking.  A person violates this section when he or she intention ally or knowingly : (1) Drives or disturbs wildlife for the purpose of disrupting the lawful taking of wildlife where another person is engaged in the process of lawfully taking wildlife; (2) Blocks, impedes or otherwise  harasses another person who is engaged in the process of lawfully taking wildlife; (3) Uses natural or artificial visual, aural, olfactory, or physical stimuli to affect wildlife behavior in order to hinder or prevent the lawful taking of wildlife (4) Erects barriers with the intent to deny ingress or egress to areas where the lawful taking of wildlife may occur; (5) Interjects himself or herself into the line of fire; (6) Affects the condition or placement of personal or public property intended for use in the lawful taking of wildlife in order to impair its usefulness or prevent its use; or (7) Enters or remains upon private lands without the permission of the owner or the owner's agent, with intention to violate this section.

Sec. 10-18 Fluorescent orange requirements:

(a)        Fluorescent orange safety clothing is required during the hunting season statewide for all hunters. To meet this requirement, safety clothing must be solid daylight fluorescent orange. Fluorescent camouflage does not meet this requirement. The hunter orange must be worn above the waist and be visible in all directions. Examples that meet the orange requirements are a hat that covers 200 square inches or combination of hat and vest covering 500 square inches. The following orange requirements apply: 
   (1)        Two hundred (200) square inches by small game hunters during the small game season.
   (2)        Two hundred (200) square inches by fall turkey hunters while traveling.
   (3)        Two hundred (200) square inches by muzzleloaders during muzzle loading deer season.
   (4)        Two hundred (200) square inches by archers when traveling to/from stands during muzzle loading deer season.
   (5)        Five hundred (500) square inches by all hunters and other users (including archers) during shotgun deer seasons.
   (6)        Those hunters using Pop-up blinds during the firearms deer season must display 200 square inches of fluorescent orange visible on the outside of the blind from all directions. Hunters must also wear orange in accordance with the rules for the specific seasons while in the blind. 
(b)        Exempt from fluorescent orange requirements are: 
   (1)        Waterfowl hunters hunting from a boat or blind, over water or field, when done in conjunction with decoys.
   (2)        Archery deer hunters (except during muzzleloader and shotgun deer season).
   (3)        Hunters crow hunting over decoys.
   (4)        Spring turkey hunters and
   (5)        First segment dove hunters.
   (6)        Not required in areas limited to Archery only by regulation.