Conservation Commission opens Lanham Brook to bow hunting, caps stands at four

SUDBURY — August 18, 2025 — Sudbury Conservation Commission opens Lanham Brook to bow hunting and caps hunters at four stands. The commission voted Aug. 18 to renew the deer management program for an Oct. 6 to Dec. 31, 2025 season with 17 returning hunters, down from 21, after six deer were taken in 2024 — roughly half the historical average that staff attributed to drought and a heavy acorn year. Land Manager Joe Miller added Lanham Brook, a 2015 acquisition with about 17 acres inside state setbacks, calling its meadows "some of the healthiest that I've seen anywhere in town" and citing prior trail-camera evidence of illegal hunting. Member Kathleen Rogers, an abutter, recused on that vote. Resident Marge Peppercorn opposed the program as "extremely cruel," urging sharpshooters instead. The commission separately continued a 177 Marlboro Road tree-removal hearing to Sept. 8 pending town counsel's opinion on a conservation restriction Coordinator Lori called "probably the strictest CR I've ever seen."