How to Tag & Report Your Deer
All deer must be tagged and reported to the Division of Fish and Wildlife.
TAG IT:
Once you harvest a deer, you must notch your tag (day, hour and month of harvest) before moving the deer for photos, field dressing or to leave the woods. Per RIGL 20-15-2, the notched tag must be affixed to and remain with the carcass. Use care to securely affix the tag so that the tag will not be lost when removing the deer from the woods or transporting to a check station, butcher or your home. The notched tag must remain affixed to the deer at all times until the deer has been prepared for taxidermy or consumption.
REPORT IT:
You must report your deer harvest within 24 hours. You can report it online or over the phone. Easily report your harvest online using your smartphone or computer through the Rhode Island Outdoors (RIO) harvest reporting portal. If you do not have internet or cellular data access to report your deer harvest, you may call the Division of Fish and Wildlife at (401) 789-0281 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday-Friday to report your harvest.
When you are finished reporting your deer online or over the phone, you will be given a harvest report confirmation number. This number confirms that you have reported your harvest. Write the number on your tag and keep the tag affixed to the deer until prepared for taxidermy or consumption.Deer Check Stations
All deer taken during the first two days (Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 1 & 2) of the Muzzleloader Deer Season, and the first two days (Saturday & Sunday, Dec. 6 & 7) of Shotgun Deer Season, including deer taken with archery equipment, must be physically checked at a state operated biological check station, except those deer taken on Patience, Prudence, and Block Island, which must be reported using the online licensing system. Hunters bringing their deer to a check station DO NOT need to report their harvest online prior to going to the check station.
Operating Hours
November 1 & 2: 8:00 A.M. until 8:00 P.M.
December 6 & 7: 8:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M.
Check Stations
- NEW Buck Hill Management Area: 704 Buck Hill Rd, Pascoag, (41.97484, -71.77922)
- Smithfield Sportsman Club: 14 Walter Carey Rd, Smithfield, (41.8786, -71.5346)
- Arcadia Management Area: Rt. 165, Ten Rod Road, at Wood River, Exeter, (41.57305, -71.72163)
- Carolina Management Area: Pine Hill Road, Richmond, (41.46618, -71.68860)
- Great Swamp Management Area: 277 Great Neck Road, West Kingston, (41.47374, -71.57533)
- Tiverton Rod and Gun Club: 1529 Fish Rd, Tiverton, (41.62681, -71.18825)
- Durfee Hill Management Area: CLOSED Permanently
These locations can be viewed on the Deer Check Station Map.
Deer check stations are a vital tool used by the Division of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to monitor and manage the state’s deer population. These stations allow biologists to gather important information—like a deer’s age, weight, antler size, and tissue samples for Chronic Wasting Disease testing—that can’t be collected through online or phone harvest reports.
This data is essential for understanding the health and size of the deer herd and helps ensure responsible wildlife management across the state. Reminder: If you harvest a deer during the first weekend of muzzleloader or shotgun season, you are required by regulation to bring it to a check station. Deer checked in person do not need to be reported online.Check Station Update
After reviewing the Durfee Hill Check Station and with a new, suitable facility now available on the newly acquired Buck Hill property, the Durfee Hill Check Station will be permanently closed. The structure will be removed, and the parking area will be upgraded to improve public access.
The new check station will now be located at:
Buck Hill Check Station
704 Buck Hill Rd, Pascoag, RI
Coordinates: 41.97484, -71.77922
Thank you for helping us protect and manage Rhode Island’s wildlife!
