US EditionMass. Gov. Healey Proposes Major Hunting Law Changes
Governor Healey's plan aims to modernize hunting laws by legalizing Sunday hunting, expanding crossbow use, and reducing bowhunting setbacks to support wildlife management and working families.
- On Thursday, Governor Maura Healey announced she will file legislation to legalize Sunday hunting and expand access by allowing crossbow use and reducing bowhunting setbacks.
- Massachusetts remains one of only two states with a full Sunday hunting ban, a holdover from 19th-century "blue laws," which officials aim to change to manage an exploding deer population.
- MassWildlife held five listening sessions and collected more than 11,200 public comments, with 70 percent of participants favoring the removal of the Sunday hunting ban.
- Separately, DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein announced alpha-gal syndrome will become a reportable condition starting April 1, 2026, to increase awareness as lone star tick populations expand northward.
- With these updates, wildlife experts aim to gain flexibility to manage populations responsibly while the administration partners with the Massachusetts Legislature to expand access for working families.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Healey backs modernizing hunting laws - The Martha's Vineyard Times
Gov. Maura Healey announced in the middle of an East Falmouth wildlife management area on Thursday that she plans to file legislation that would modernize the hunting laws that currently limit access to the sport. The measure is also a part of an effort to curb the spread of tick-borne illnesses and allergies that increasingly pose a risk to public health. “It’s about more than freedom,” Healey said at the press conference on the changes. “In th…
Gov. Maura Healey wants to lift Massachusetts' centuries-old Sunday hunting ban
Gov. Maura Healey announced plans Thursday to file a bill that would ease some of Massachusetts' hunting laws, including ending the state's centuries-old ban on any kind of hunting on Sundays. She pointed to two reasons: ticks and small businesses.
Gov. Maura Healey aims for expanded hunting in Massachusetts, lifting Sunday ban
BOSTON — It could be time to update the Bay State’s hunting calen-deer. Gov. Maura Healey is shooting for expanded hunting access in Massachusetts, as she announced on Thursday that she’s filing legislation to allow hunting on Sundays. The bill…
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