麻州長Healey宣佈取消週日禁獵令

Governor Healey Announces Support for Lifting Sunday Hunting Ban, Expanding Hunting Access  

Governor Healey to file legislation to expand hunting after overwhelming support at statewide public listening sessions 

DPH will also raise awareness about the emergence of tick-borne “alpha-gal syndrome” as a public health concern 

FALMOUTH - Governor Maura Healey today announced that she will introduce legislation to modernize Massachusetts’ outdated hunting laws, including allowing hunting on Sundays, expanding hunting with crossbows, and reducing setback distances for bowhunting and falconry. This is part of a holistic strategy to expand access for all to outdoor recreation, protect public health, increase food security and conserve biodiversity and was informed by robust public input.   

In a separate initiative, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) also announced today proactive steps to monitor for and raise awareness about alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) by making cases reportable to the Department by healthcare providers and laboratories. AGS is a tick bite-associated allergic condition and an emerging public health concern in Massachusetts.  

“Hunting is a longstanding tradition that supports local economies, helps manage wildlife populations, and puts food on the table for families. It’s time we update our laws to reflect today’s needs,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We know many Massachusetts residents travel to other states on Sundays to hunt, and we want them to be able to gather with friends and family here. By modernizing these rules, we can give wildlife experts better tools to manage our ecosystems and public health while expanding opportunities for people across Massachusetts to go outside and take part in this time-honored tradition.” 

“These changes will mean more tourism dollars going into our communities, while also boosting food security and protecting public health,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to make sure our public health infrastructure keeps pace, and making alpha-gal syndrome reportable is a commonsense step toward better protecting the people who spend time outdoors.”  

To inform the proposed legislative changes, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MassWildlife) held five public listening sessions across the state, generating significant interest with over 11,200 comments received. The majority of feedback supported all three changes, citing the need to modernize hunting laws to better meet wildlife management goals, improve hunting opportunities for working families, and reduce human-wildlife conflict.  

A full summary of public comments and recommendations can be found in the report delivered to the administration. Yesterday, the Fisheries & Wildlife Board endorsed the proposal. 

Governor Healey will file the following amendments in her upcoming supplemental budget: 

• Allow Sunday hunting: Massachusetts is currently one of only two states in the country with an outright ban on Sunday hunting. Allowing hunting on Sundays during limited hunting seasons will expand equitable access to outdoor recreation and provide MassWildlife with increased ability to manage healthy wildlife populations. 
• Allow crossbows for hunting: Massachusetts currently has the most restrictive crossbow hunting laws in the Northeast and only allows their use by hunters with a permanent disability. Crossbows are safe, effective, and ethical hunting implements, and are generally more accessible than traditional and compound bows because they require less physical strength to use. Removing the ban on crossbow hunting will help MassWildlife reach wildlife management goals and provide more equitable opportunities for all hunters.    
• Reduce setback limits for bowhunting: Massachusetts currently prohibits hunting within 500 feet of a dwelling except with permission. Reducing the setback for bowhunting to 250 feet would bring Massachusetts laws into alignment with neighboring states and could open up thousands of acres of land to hunting, especially in areas where wildlife populations are exceeding management goals. This will also remove the setback for falconry, the regulated practice of using a trained bird of prey to hunt, since it does not pose any public safety risk. 
  
  

“Our wildlife management tools are overdue for an update,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “The public made clear in our listening sessions the many reasons to make these changes – this is the right call for conservation, public safety, and wildlife management. With these updates, wildlife experts will have the flexibility they need to manage wildlife populations responsibly across the state.” 

“These hunting law changes reflect today’s need for increased hunting access, popularity of archery, and people’s busy schedules. Working families often only have the weekend to participate in this tradition, connect with the outdoors and each other, and put food on the table,” said Department of Fish & Game Commissioner Tom O’Shea. “We look forward to continued partnership with the Massachusetts Legislature, stakeholders, and the public to expand access and support healthy wildlife populations and habitats.” 

“We heard from thousands of people across Massachusetts who recognize the urgent need to modernize our hunting laws,” said MassWildlife Acting Director Eve Schlüter. “Farmers described crop damage and livestock losses, hunters emphasized the importance of access to help feed their families, and environmental organizations called for action to protect forests stressed by overabundant deer. These recommendations reflect a shared recognition of the important role regulated hunting plays in meeting today’s wildlife management challenges. MassWildlife stands ready to implement these updates in a safe and responsible way.” 

Without population management through hunting, overabundant wildlife can lead to forest degradation and biodiversity loss, human-wildlife conflict, agricultural damage, vehicle collisions, and greater risks of spread for wildlife- and human-diseases, such as tick-borne illnesses. As called for by the Massachusetts Biodiversity Goals, MassWildlife strives to expand science-based approaches to address overabundant wildlife populations, recognizing that the health of our ecosystems is closely tied to public health. 

Deer are a common food source for different tick species. Their populations have been linked to increased black-legged tick (also known as deer tick) populations in the state and may help support high rates of tickborne diseases such as Lyme disease. AGS, a non-infectious tickborne condition, is associated with the lone star tick whose arrival in Massachusetts is more closely linked with climate change than deer populations.  

Because AGS is an emerging condition in the state due to the northward expansion of lone star tick populations, DPH Commissioner Robbie Goldstein is declaring that AGS will be a reportable condition for one year beginning April 1, 2026, with the opportunity for a one-year extension. 

“By making alpha-gal syndrome a reportable condition by healthcare providers and laboratories, DPH will have the ability to measure the impact of this disease on public health and raise awareness among healthcare providers to improve diagnosis and management,” said Public Health Commissioner Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Using this data-driven approach, we also aim to educate residents so that they know how to take measures to protect themselves from tick bites.” 

“A publication by CDC and discussions with healthcare providers, especially from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, indicate that there are parts of Massachusetts seeing elevated rates of alpha-gal syndrome, and we anticipate that this will continue to increase as we see the geographic expansion of the lone star tick across the state,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine M. Brown, DVM. 

Unlike familiar infectious diseases spread by black-legged ticks that are already reportable conditions, such as Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Powassan virus, AGS is not an infectious disease, but rather an allergic condition also known as the “red meat allergy.” A bite from a lone star tick can trigger in some people an allergic reaction to the alpha-gal molecule that is present in mammalian meat and dairy products. AGS can be a serious, even life-threatening allergic condition. 

While the statewide goal for deer across Massachusetts is 12–18 deer per square mile, MassWildlife estimates there are over 100 deer per square mile on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket in areas closed to hunting and where tickborne illness is a significant concern. Reducing deer density alone will not have a measurable public health impact on tickborne disease, but managing healthy deer populations will complement other public health prevention strategies to reduce tickborne illness. 

Governor Healey also recently expanded the deer hunting season on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, with a six-week winter primitive firearms and bowhunting season from January 1 through February 14, 2026.