Sunday Hunting, Use of Crossbows, Considered in MA

Patch file photo

Thirty hunting and trapping bills are being considered by the Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, and concerned citizens met this week to offer testimony in Westborough at the MassWildlife Headquarters.

Hunting on Sundays, the beaver population and the use of crossbows were among the topics brought to the table, reported the Worcester Telegram and Gazette. Nearly 100 discussed issues such as the use of drones, controlling the moose hunt and allowing bow hunting in Hingham.

MassWildlife Director Jack Buckley supports bills to help control the state’s beaver population, while a director at the Humane Society of the United States and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals spoke in opposition.

Also among 30 hunting and trapping bills are those that would expand the powers of the director of MassWildlife, the use of artificial light, the use of shotguns and an act to protect children and adults from wildlife.