Mass. wildlife bills would permit hunters to use crossbows and to go hunting on Sundays
By Bradford L. Miner, Correspondent
Posted Oct 9, 2017 at 8:50 PM
Updated Oct 10, 2017 at 6:04 PM
WESTBORO – Wildlife, hunting and trapping bills introduced for the
current legislative session would allow Sunday hunting, use of a
crossbow, and management of the state’s beaver population by
MassWildlife, rolling back many of the provisions of the 1996 Wildlife
Protection Act.
At a hearing last month by the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture at MassWildlife Field Headquarters, lengthy testimony was heard on 19 bills from sportsmen supporting the changes and animal welfare organizations strongly opposed.
Since that hearing, S.429, a bill allowing the use of crossbows for hunting, has been released to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The bill sponsored by Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, would give the MassWildlife director the authority to set regulations governing crossbow use for hunting.
Ron Amidon, commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, did not testify on any specific bill, but said as a matter of course, MassWildlife supports the use of a crossbow for hunting, stating, “The crossbow would be a significant tool for managing wildlife in suburban areas and would increase recreational opportunities for hunters.”
The commissioner also spoke in favor of allowing Sunday hunting, an issue addressed in five bills.
“We believe the current statutory prohibition on Sunday hunting should be revised to authorize the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to responsibly regulate hunting on Sundays, under the oversight of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board, following a public regulatory process,” Mr. Amidon said.
He said the agency should have the authority to determine particular methods and seasons for such hunting, rather than having them set in statute, limiting the division’s ability to accommodate potential harvest changes.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed the change.
Both organizations cited longstanding opposition based on the belief that “hikers, families, bird watchers, wildlife photographers, amateur naturalists and others should continue to have one day a week free of hunting to enjoy in safety the serenity of nature on public and private lands.”
Karen Heymann, Mass. Audubon legislative director, said the state’s
largest and oldest conservation organization is not opposed to hunting
and responsible wildlife management.
Laura Hagen, MSPCA’s deputy director for advocacy, said, “We believe there should be one day a week during hunting season when people can enjoy the outdoors knowing they won’t encounter hunting activity.”
The 2017 Massachusetts Sunday Hunting Initiative petition had 1,232 signatures on www.change.org as of Sunday.
Stephanie Harris, Massachusetts director of the Humane Society of the United States, and Ms. Hagen both spoke against a provision of S.437, the Outdoor Heritage bill sponsored by Ms. Gobi, that would remove the prohibition against using bait to hunt bears.
“HSUS opposes hunting and trapping legislation that violates the tenets of the fair chase. The 1996 Wildlife Protection Act, approved by a 64 percent majority, rejected the use of bait to lure bears for an easy kill,” Ms. Harris said.
Ms. Hagen said the MSPCA sees no need to allow bear-baiting, citing bear harvest numbers.
“It’s an unsporting practice. Food scraps are used to draw in bears for an easy kill and this runs counter to MassWildlife information on mitigating bear-human conflicts. Their advice is ‘don’t leave food outside,’ ” she said.
Neither Ms. Gobi nor any MassWildlife personnel offered an explanation for stripping the prohibition on bear-baiting.
Peter Lorenz, communications director for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said, “While the administration does not comment on pending legislation, the Massachusetts Environmental Police will continue to enforce all environmental laws, including those which prohibit the use of bait when hunting bear within the commonwealth.”
Ms. Gobi said her takeaway from the September hearing was that the time had come to take a fresh look at beaver management and trapping regulations.
Noting that MassWildlife managers had not been part of the equation for more than a decade, she said several bills address beaver management and trapping regulations rolled back by the Wildlife Protection Act, subsequently amended in 2000.
“Putting beaver management back in the hands of professional wildlife managers seems to me to be the best option. We’ve made the beaver a pest animal and that is unfortunate,” the senator said. “Beaver are an important wildlife species.”
She said she thinks the crossbow bill will be successful in providing another option to young and old eager to hunt during archery season, but lacking the strength to pull a compound bow.
The senator said archery season would likely be a starting point for Sunday hunting, if the Legislature approves the change.
“I don’t know of a single instance involving a bow hunter during
archery season when someone was hurt in the woods. I take my dog for a
walk in the woods every day, and during hunting season, we both wear
hunter orange and we’ve never had a problem,” Ms. Gobi said.
She also cited the economic rationale for Sunday hunting.
“It’s well known that some sportsmen don’t bother to get a Mass. hunting license because the only time they have to hunt is on weekends. For that reason they’re going to New Hampshire or Vermont or other states that allow Sunday hunting,” she said.
“Not only would we like to keep Massachusetts hunters in Massachusetts, but draw out-of-state hunters as well. We have a lot to offer, and Sunday hunting would make it that much more of a destination.”
Ms. Gobi said she sponsored legislation that would give MassWildlife the authority to manage the state’s moose population.
The bill, S.431, “provides measures to ensure a stable moose population and address public safety concerns in Worcester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties.”
A report outlining the measures taken would be submitted to the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on an annual basis.
This story has been corrected from a previous version that had an incorrect bill number.
At a hearing last month by the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture at MassWildlife Field Headquarters, lengthy testimony was heard on 19 bills from sportsmen supporting the changes and animal welfare organizations strongly opposed.
Since that hearing, S.429, a bill allowing the use of crossbows for hunting, has been released to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The bill sponsored by Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer, would give the MassWildlife director the authority to set regulations governing crossbow use for hunting.
Ron Amidon, commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game, did not testify on any specific bill, but said as a matter of course, MassWildlife supports the use of a crossbow for hunting, stating, “The crossbow would be a significant tool for managing wildlife in suburban areas and would increase recreational opportunities for hunters.”
The commissioner also spoke in favor of allowing Sunday hunting, an issue addressed in five bills.
“We believe the current statutory prohibition on Sunday hunting should be revised to authorize the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife to responsibly regulate hunting on Sundays, under the oversight of the Fisheries and Wildlife Board, following a public regulatory process,” Mr. Amidon said.
He said the agency should have the authority to determine particular methods and seasons for such hunting, rather than having them set in statute, limiting the division’s ability to accommodate potential harvest changes.
The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals opposed the change.
Both organizations cited longstanding opposition based on the belief that “hikers, families, bird watchers, wildlife photographers, amateur naturalists and others should continue to have one day a week free of hunting to enjoy in safety the serenity of nature on public and private lands.”
Laura Hagen, MSPCA’s deputy director for advocacy, said, “We believe there should be one day a week during hunting season when people can enjoy the outdoors knowing they won’t encounter hunting activity.”
The 2017 Massachusetts Sunday Hunting Initiative petition had 1,232 signatures on www.change.org as of Sunday.
Stephanie Harris, Massachusetts director of the Humane Society of the United States, and Ms. Hagen both spoke against a provision of S.437, the Outdoor Heritage bill sponsored by Ms. Gobi, that would remove the prohibition against using bait to hunt bears.
“HSUS opposes hunting and trapping legislation that violates the tenets of the fair chase. The 1996 Wildlife Protection Act, approved by a 64 percent majority, rejected the use of bait to lure bears for an easy kill,” Ms. Harris said.
Ms. Hagen said the MSPCA sees no need to allow bear-baiting, citing bear harvest numbers.
“It’s an unsporting practice. Food scraps are used to draw in bears for an easy kill and this runs counter to MassWildlife information on mitigating bear-human conflicts. Their advice is ‘don’t leave food outside,’ ” she said.
Peter Lorenz, communications director for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said, “While the administration does not comment on pending legislation, the Massachusetts Environmental Police will continue to enforce all environmental laws, including those which prohibit the use of bait when hunting bear within the commonwealth.”
Ms. Gobi said her takeaway from the September hearing was that the time had come to take a fresh look at beaver management and trapping regulations.
Noting that MassWildlife managers had not been part of the equation for more than a decade, she said several bills address beaver management and trapping regulations rolled back by the Wildlife Protection Act, subsequently amended in 2000.
“Putting beaver management back in the hands of professional wildlife managers seems to me to be the best option. We’ve made the beaver a pest animal and that is unfortunate,” the senator said. “Beaver are an important wildlife species.”
She said she thinks the crossbow bill will be successful in providing another option to young and old eager to hunt during archery season, but lacking the strength to pull a compound bow.
The senator said archery season would likely be a starting point for Sunday hunting, if the Legislature approves the change.
She also cited the economic rationale for Sunday hunting.
“It’s well known that some sportsmen don’t bother to get a Mass. hunting license because the only time they have to hunt is on weekends. For that reason they’re going to New Hampshire or Vermont or other states that allow Sunday hunting,” she said.
“Not only would we like to keep Massachusetts hunters in Massachusetts, but draw out-of-state hunters as well. We have a lot to offer, and Sunday hunting would make it that much more of a destination.”
Ms. Gobi said she sponsored legislation that would give MassWildlife the authority to manage the state’s moose population.
The bill, S.431, “provides measures to ensure a stable moose population and address public safety concerns in Worcester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties.”
A report outlining the measures taken would be submitted to the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture on an annual basis.
This story has been corrected from a previous version that had an incorrect bill number.
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