I have hunted Nantucket for over 40 consecutive years since the mid '60's and can assure you that the deer are fine to eat. Lyme disease does not affect meat. I want to confirm what some people have contributed to this thread: that the hunting is different than anywhere else and very physically difficult, that most of the deer are taken by driving, that literally armies of hunters sweep through the scrub like a military assault. And that there is no closed season on ticks!! I've sat by the side of the road and taken over a hundred off my pantlegs at a time. With diligence, the use of duct tape to shut off your leg openings, and careful removal of ticks at the end of each day you should suffer no more than a few little bitemarks. It took me a few years when I first started hunting there to figure out a successful approach, but I've taken nearly 100 deer there. Even hunting alone, I've stood a few hundred yards off to the side of a massive drive and picked off deer escaping to the side 2 and 3 at a time. The wonderful thing about Nantucket is there is no limit on the number you can bag per day. The other great feature of hunting there is the beauty of the moors, the light of the oak and bayberry next to the ocean. The negative is that it's expensive to get a vehicle over on the ferry, difficult to find an appropriate and affordable place to stay. Transporting deer back on the ferry is NOT an issue because the Steamship Authority requires deer to be out of sight. Finally, and again, hunting there is not for everyone. I had a relative who had never shot a deer in many years in Western Mass, and I finally talked him into coming with me, and he got a deer opening morning, but never would return. Several other people I've invited over vowed after a day never to return, because walking through the scrub oak is brutal. Others refused even to go back in the woods after opening morning because of the number of slugs flying around everywhere when a drive busts a herd of deer and everyone starts shooting. Good luck if you decide to go.