The archery season for deer will be extended by two weeks in an area of the state that includes the Vineyard, state officials announced last week.

Bow and arrow season will open Oct. 1 and run through Nov. 24, MassWildlife said in a press release.

The extension is for zones 10 to 14, which include eastern Massachusetts and the Cape and Islands. The reason for the extension is the heavy deer population in those areas, where upwards of 80 deer per square mile are estimated, well above the management goal of six to 18 deer per square mile.

In other areas archery season will remain the same at six weeks.

Shotgun season will begin the Monday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 and run until Dec. 8.

The archery season extension comes as good news to leaders in the fight against the spread of tick-borne illnesses on the Island.

Richard Johnson, who heads the Martha’s Vineyard Tick-Borne Illness Prevention initiative, said more deer hunting will help lower the Island deer tick population.

“If we can reduce the number of deer, then it is harder for female and male ticks to get together on the deer and mate,” Mr. Johnson explained. “That’s how we hopefully break the reproductive cycle. It gets harder for the ticks to find the deer, and find each other.”

He said estimates put the number of deer on the Island at upwards of 4,000, or about 30-40 per square mile. He also said harvesting female deer is key to slowing population growth — and more time for archery hunting can only be a plus.

“I’m hoping that it will make a difference,” Mr. Johnson said. “How much difference it will make remains to be seen, but I’m optimistic.”