The annual shotgun deer season got underway this week on Martha’s Vineyard, and several days of good hunting weather helped Island hunters bag 124 white-tail deer through Thursday morning.

Last year, over the course of the entire hunting season five deer were donated to the venison donation program. This year, the program’s second, that number was reached in the first few weeks of the bow hunting season.

This year’s deer hunting season has begun, and many options are being considered for how to lessen the impact of the continuing infestation of deer ticks on Martha’s Vineyard.

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.

Island hunters took nearly 800 deer during the 2017 deer hunting season, the highest harvest in at least 16 years, according to recently released state data.

Shotgun hunting season began Monday, and the weigh station was busy this week with hunters, biologists collecting ticks, and a new deer donation program.

Check-in stations will be busy Monday as the two-week shotgun deer hunting season gets underway. A new program is also beginning that will allow hunters to donate extra deer.

Island boards of health and a nonprofit partner are rolling out a new program to help hunters donate and process venison on the Island.

The Vineyard has more deer per square mile than most areas in the state, but most of land remains off limits to hunting.

The deer hunting season is underway this week on the Vineyard. The archery season began Oct. 19 and runs through Nov. 28.