The effort to cull the Plum Island deer herd to manageable levels and encourage forest growth is working.  The U.S. Fish and Wild Life Service, which owns the uninhabited island, opened the first of 11 six-day hunts this month.  The goal is to reduce the herd from 40 deer to 30.  Dustan Hoffman, Refuge Manager of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge, says the results of the first two hunts have gone well and could greatly aid forestry research on Plum Island.

The Plum Island deer hunts are scheduled to go until years end and could end sooner if the target of 30 deer harvested is reached.