A friend and hunting buddy of mine living in Massachusetts telephoned the other day. The minute I said hello and was about to ask how he was doing, he excitedly interrupted me mid-sentence.
“Have you heard what Governor Healey plans to do?”
“Governor Healey, who’s that?” I asked.
“Our governor, you idiot. The governor of Massachusetts.”
“No, haven’t heard. What’s going on?” I asked.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wants to eliminate the state’s more than 200-year-old Sunday hunting ban. If it passes, Maine could become the only state in the country without Sunday hunting.
With a level of excitement you’d expect when the Red Sox are on the cusp of a pennant or World Series, or after one of Tom Brady’s comeback miracles, he told me what else the governor intends to do.
By the time we hung up, I was almost as excited as he was. If such a thing could happen in a state where advancing hunting opportunities — and practically anything to do with hunting — is a political dead horse, maybe there’s hope here in Maine as well.
So the next day I did some research.
I have never hunted in Massachusetts, but according to friends and acquaintances who live and hunt there, deer are everywhere. And they’re large. The state has what some might describe as impressive numbers of deer.
Biologists with MassWildlife have set a density goal of 12 to 18 deer per square mile, but only five of the state’s 15 wildlife management zones fall within that objective. Deer densities in central and western parts of the commonwealth range from 18 to 30 deer per square mile, and as high as 30 to 50 per square mile in the east. On Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, densities exceed 55 and 85 deer per square mile, respectively.
Those large numbers are having a negative impact on plant life and other wildlife, and have helped spread ticks and tick-borne illnesses. Deer-vehicle collisions have also increased. According to AAA, collisions have risen more than 50% over the past decade. In November 2025, during the peak of the rut, more than 800 deer collisions were reported — an average of 27 per day.
Healey is also proposing broader changes to the state’s hunting laws.
Eliminating the Sunday hunting ban remains at the top of that list. The more than 200-year-old restriction has been the subject of repeated efforts in recent years, but none have succeeded. This is the first time such a proposal has been backed by the Massachusetts governor, and with the governor’s office, Senate and House controlled by the same party, the effort may have a real chance this time.
Healey is also proposing to classify crossbows as archery equipment, as Maine did in 2024, allowing their use by all licensed hunters. Currently, Massachusetts has the most restrictive crossbow regulations in New England, limiting their use to hunters with permanent disabilities.
State officials appear to accept that crossbows are safe, effective and ethical tools. As seen in Maine and elsewhere, expanding their use could attract younger hunters and allow aging archers to stay in the field longer. In Massachusetts, it could also help bring deer densities closer to management goals.
Another proposed change would reduce setback limits for bowhunters. Massachusetts currently prohibits hunting within 500 feet of a dwelling without permission. In Maine, the setback is 100 yards, or 300 feet, a rule that was expanded in 2001 to include bows and crossbows after lawmakers cited numerous instances of bowhunters operating too close to residences.
Healey’s proposal would reduce the setback in Massachusetts to 250 feet. Doing so could open an estimated 40,000 acres to hunting, much of it in areas with the highest deer densities.
As in Maine, these kinds of changes must go through a public comment period. That process took place in January and February. Of the more than 11,200 comments received by MassWildlife, more than 70% supported lifting the Sunday hunting ban. A majority also supported the other proposed changes.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens in Massachusetts. But if these revisions move forward, they may give the powers that be in Augusta something to think about.
After all, Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820.
There’s an old political maxim that goes, “As Maine goes, so goes the nation.” You might have heard it.
If Massachusetts brings these outdated regulations into the 21st century, perhaps the saying should be updated:
As Massachusetts goes, so goes Maine.
At least when it comes to Sunday hunting.
