Massachusetts Sportsmen's Council: News

F&W Board Votes to Expand Hunting Opportunities

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:49:00 GMT

The Massachusetts Fisheries & Wildlife Board today unanimously voted to extend the shotgun season for deer to two weeks in DMZ 12 (Cape Cod), bringing it in line with the rest of mainland Massachusetts. The Board also voted to shift the Archery Deer Season so that the season will always end on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Awards Presented at the Annual Banquet:

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:59:00 GMT

Award- Recipient

Ray Gribbons Award- Paul Kress

Sportsman of the Year- Lou Santoro

Lillian Gribbons Award- Mimi Hayden

Sportsmen’s Representative- Anne Gobi

Sportsmen’s Senator- Steve Brewer

Lifetime Achievement- Jim Cardoza

Special Recognition- Dick Turner

Special Recognition- Sheila Moss

President’s Award- Al Stearns

President’s Award- Laurie Pray

Hall of Fame- Al Laucis

Hall of Fame- Bob Durand

Hall of Fame- Paul Kress

Hall of Fame- ‘Red’ Berberian

Super Raffle 2009 Winners

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:35:00 GMT

Drawn May 03, 2008

# Prize Description Winner/County

1 Ruger Red Label Standish Sportsman's Assn, Plymouth Cnty

2 Minnkota Trolling Motor Eddie Jaciow, Hampden Cnty

3 TC Black Powder Z5 Omega, .50 cal James Burke, Plymouth Cnty

4 Cabella=s $250 Gift Card Larry McEwan, Hampshire Cnty

5 CVA Kodiak Black Powder, .50 cal Jeff Lind, Worcester Cnty

6 TC Omega Z5 Black Powder, .50cal Frank Hiser, Berkshire Cnty

7 Mossberg ATR, 270, Bolt R Bowdridge, Middlesex Cnty

8 Tree Stand Al Stearns, Worcester Cnty

9 Marlin Model 17VS, .17 cal Dorwin Allen, Barnstable Cnty

10 L L Bean Gift Certificate - $200 Cheshire R & R, Berkshire Cnty

11 CMS Tackle Gift Certificate - $250 Jim Levasseur, Worcester Cnty

12 GPS System Rick Mattson, Norfolk Cnty

13 KTP Gift Certificate - $200 Joyce Wilbur, Bristol Cnty

14 Dick=s Sporting Goods Gift Card $200 Earl Bullard, Hew Hampshire

15 KTP Gift Certificate - $100 S Naprava, Berkshire Cnty

16 KTP Gift Certificate - $100 Joe Podgurski, Bristol Cnty

X $100.00 Seller Prize Walter Horton, Worcester Cnty

Bring this fishery back

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:46:00 GMT

Boston Globe

WITHIN DAYS of her confirmation as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Jane Lubchenco was meeting with New England fishermen to get their views on one of the thorniest decisions she will have to make: whether to back an extremely tight federal limit on commercial fishing for the season that begins May 1.

New sensor lets scientists study large fish groups

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON — New technology is allowing researchers and conservationists to watch the movement of large groups of fish as they gather into shoals and later split up.

Focusing on Atlantic herring, the scientists were, for the first time, able to observe the fish gather off Georges Bank near Cape Cod, Mass., where they spawn under cover of dark, according to a report in Friday’s edition of the journal Science

Boston Herald

Gray wolf to stay off endangered list

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 12:58:00 GMT

BILLINGS, Mont. - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said yesterday that he is upholding the US Fish and Wildlife Service's decision to remove gray wolves from the federal endangered species list in the Northern Rockies and the western Great Lakes.

Associated Press / March 7, 2009

Hunting discussion stirs strong feelings

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:53:00 GMT

Marshfield's Conservation Commission will decide within the next month whether to open land under its authority to hunters, ending a 20-year prohibition.

To date, people on both sides of that issue seem unwilling to accept any compromise. Hunters want to pursue their pastime free of local interference, and hikers want to use the conservation lands without having to worry about catching a stray arrow or bullet.

The 2,000 acres under the Marshfield Conservation Commission's authority have been off-limits to hunters since 1989. The issue of hunting was raised recently by residents who said they were running into hunters while hiking or jogging on the commission's tracts. The properties were not posted with "No Hunting" signs, so the confusion, officials conceded, was understandable and needed to be cleared up.

Boston Globe

Proposed New Hampshire wind farm raises wildlife concerns

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 15:13:00 GMT

Boston Herald & AP

CONCORD, N.H. — Both the state Fish and Game Department and the Appalachian Mountain Club are voicing concern about a proposed wind farm in far northern New Hampshire.

Getting closer to home; Increased sightings of wildlife reported in suburban areas

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:34:00 GMT

When Rebecca Taylor goes hunting, it's not for sport and it can be uncomfortably close to your home. She shoulders her shotgun, tells nearby children to get inside, and goes to work.

Boston Globe

GOAL Files Amended "Katrina" Bill

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:23:00 GMT

During the last legislative session Senator Richard Moore filed, on behalf of GOAL, "An Act Prohibiting the Confiscation of Lawfully Owned Firearms During the State of Emergency" The legislation was filed as a result of the unlawful confiscation of privately owned firearms during the state of emergency in Louisiana, specifically New Orleans.

GOAL's bill nearly became law, but was held up at the last moment during informal session by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. While the Association never contacted GOAL with any objections, we were informed that their main concern was that they could not determine what a lawfully owned firearm was. That alone speaks volumes for the need for real reform in Massachusetts.

Another concern about the bill came from the typical officer on the street. They expressed distress over the fact that they would be held accountable for confiscating firearms, but the person who ordered the confiscations would not face any penalties. Thus, GOAL has amended the bill to punish both.

"During the last legislative session this bill represented a litmus test of sorts here in Massachusetts," said Jim Wallace Executive Director of GOAL. "It was a clear test to see if the legislature and law enforcement would accept that they could not unlawfully confiscate private property and further, leave citizens defenseless against marauding gangs of criminals when calling for help wasn't possible. Sadly, the state failed that test."

GOAL urges all of its members to contact their legislators and ask them to support this legislation by signing on as a co-sponsor. (The bill has not yet been assigned a number.) Not sure who your local legislator is? Click here to find out (http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php)

AN ACT PROHIBITING THE CONFISCATION OF LAWFULLY OWNED FIREARMS DURING A STATE OF EMERGENCY

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 140 of the Massachusetts General Laws shall be amended by adding the following section;

Section 129E. Prohibiting the confiscation of lawfully owned firearms.

No government official or any person acting on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall order the confiscation of, or otherwise cause the confiscation of, any lawfully carried or lawfully owned firearm, rifle, shotgun, machinegun or ammunition.

No law enforcement officer, person acting as a law enforcement officer, or other public official shall confiscate or attempt to confiscate any lawfully carried or lawfully owned firearm, rifle, shotgun, machinegun or ammunition.

Whoever violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000 for each firearm unlawfully confiscated or by imprisonment in a state prison for not more than two and one-half years.

Nothing in this section shall prohibit the confiscation of a firearm, rifle, shotgun, machinegun or ammunition from any person who;

(a) Has been placed under arrest;
(b) Is the subject of a protection order issued under Chapter 209A;
(c) Has had their Firearm Identification Card or License to Carry revoked or suspended.

Hunting gets town scrutiny; Many land parcels not well marked

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:44:00 GMT

Ann Marie Sacchetti's home in Marshfield's Silver Pines subdivision abuts a 775-acre town-owned conservation tract with miles of trails for hiking or cross-country skiing. But instead of the peace and quiet Sacchetti expected, she has found the neighboring land to be a hotspot for hunters.

Boston Globe

Vt. opts for captive hunting regulation

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:28:00 GMT

I have always associated private game parks with Africa - those places where you can make a trophy kill of everything from wildebeest to lions in an enclosed area.

Yet such captive hunting parks - which have long drawn the ire of animal lovers - also exist in New England where hunters can pay for the privilege of bagging a native bear, moose, deer, or even an exotic Russian boar, or Spanish goat in a fenced in area.

While such hunting parks have been around for decades, they are back in the news with Vermont's Fish and Wildlife Board's recent decision to regulate captive hunting. The new rules prohibit any new preserves from opening in Vermont and requires the two existing ones to apply for permits and limits what kinds of animals they can have on site.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, Vermont will become the 24th state to regulate or ban game preserves. In New England, Rhode Island has an outright ban on such preserves while New Hampshire and Massachusetts have some restrictions on the practice. Maine, however, allows such preserves with no regulation. The society has identified close to dozen such parks there.

While the Humane Society is against hunting in general "we focus resources on egregious forms of wildlife abuse and captive hunting is right up there," said Joanne Bourbeau, New England regional director of the Humane Society.

She said the animals in such parks have little fear of humans and shooting them could hardly be called a sport. The emergence of disease is also higher in captive areas where population numbers tend to be denser than in the wild.

According to local news reports, the captive hunting issue has been debated for 10 years in Vermont, culminating in the new rule.

Boston Globe, Beth Daley

On the hunt for deer control in state

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:50:00 GMT

Sun Chronicle

When people think hunting in Massachusetts, they think westward - the deep woods and wide open space of the Berkshires lures thousands of eager hunters each season.

For the second year in a row, according to reports from MassWildlife this July, the highest numbers of deer taken in during the 2007 hunting season were in Zones 10 and 11 - which together include all the towns in The Sun Chronicle area.

And despite having led the state in the number of deer sacked, MassWildlife said it's not enough.

George B. Hartzog Jr, passed away at 88

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:08:00 GMT

Boston Globe

WASHINGTON - George B. Hartzog Jr., a former director of the National Park Service, who led an unprecedented expansion of the nation's system of parks, wildlife refuges, and historic sites and who helped secure passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966, died June 27 at Virginia Hospital Center of complications from diabetes and kidney disease. He was 88 and lived in McLean, Va.

National Parks report: C

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:38:00 GMT

Boston Herald

A report card for national parks gave them an average grade of 70 out of 100 for natural resources such as air and water quality, wildlife and ecosystems.

Deer plague suburban communities

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:03:00 GMT

The Patriot Ledger reports: QUINCY — The deer population on the South Shore has more than doubled in the past decade, wildlife officials say, and it is showing up in nibbled shrubs, chewed-up vegetable gardens and more close calls and collisions for motorists.
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Overall, deer populations are down from the all-time highs reached in 2005, state officials say, but development, fewer hunters and more restrictions on hunting are keeping the number of deer up in many local communities.

Owl found in illegal leg trap prompts warning

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:14:00 GMT

AMESBURY — The town's animal control officer is trying to raise awareness about the dangers and consequences of animal leg traps after a great horned owl was found in a Main Street backyard with one secured to its leg this past weekend.

Newbury Port News

Cougar killed in Chicago may have journeyed from South Dakota

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:12:00 GMT

CHICAGO - The voyage may sound improbable, but wildlife officials say that a DNA test should reveal whether a cougar killed Monday in Chicago took a 1,000-mile trip from the Black Hills of South Dakota through Wisconsin before being shot by police in the Roscoe Village neighborhood.

Chicago Tribune / Boston Herald

Tests show animal killed in western Mass. was gray wolf

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:53:00 GMT

SHELBURNE - Wildlife officials say an animal killed in Shelburne last fall was an endangered eastern gray wolf, a species long extinct in the region.

Boston Herald

Joint Committee On Public Safety & Homeland Security Hearing January 23, 2008

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:25:00 GMT

The Joint Committee On Public Safety & Homeland Security will be holding a public hearing on bills pertaining to "Gun Trafficking and Gang Violence". The hearing is scheduled to take place at 1:00 PM in room A-1. The following list of bills is set to be heard:

H2293 An Act Establishing a System of Ballistic Identification
H2340 An Act to Improve the Tracing of Guns Used in Crimes
H2342 An Act Protecting Children and Adults from Unsafe Handguns
H2343 An Act to Close a Loophole in the Assault Weapons Ban and Further Reduce Gun Violence in the Commonwealth
S1354 An Act Regarding the Prevention of Illegal Gun Trafficking and Gun Violence Among Youth in the Commonwealth
S1383 An Act Preventing Illegal Trafficking of Firearms

http://www.mass.gov/legis/comm/dljan23.htm

The Massachusetts Sportsmen's Council, County Leagues of Sportsmen's Clubs, and GOAL all stand in OPPOSITION to each of these bills. Please take the time to write your Representative and Senator today.