“Deer are a key host in the tick life cycle,” reads a statement shared by Tick Free MV executive director, in an article in the Vineyard Gazette from Feb. 13 2026.
But before we grab our guns and head off in search of deer, let’s not forget to consider crucial scientific studies from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Tufts University Cummings Veterinary School.
“It turns out that, at least on Martha’s Vineyard, it is shrews who harbor the most disease-bearing young ticks,” said Heidi Goethert, Sc.D., J93, research assistant professor at Cummings School, and author of a study on infected tick vectors in Tufts NOW on March 11, 2025.
According to the NIH, the white-footed mouse can be added to shrews as primary infected tick vectors on Martha’s Vineyard. Shrews and white-footed mice are primary hosts to tick larvae and nymphs.
Zeroing in on deer as the primary source of infected tick vectors on the Island may garner hopeful attention justifying longer deer hunting seasons and the hope of less foraging of favorite garden plants in home landscaping. However, science should not be overlooked if we are to successfully reduce the infected tick population.
Ellen Harley
West Tisbury
This article appears in May 1, 2026.