Why It Matters: As the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has covered on many occasions, Massachusetts and Maine remain the only two states in the country with an outright ban on Sunday hunting. Governor Maura Healey introduced her supplemental budget, House Bill 5377, that included a full repeal of the Sunday hunting ban, updated crossbow language to allow for full inclusion in the archery season, and reduced setbacks during the archery season from 500 feet to 250 feet, potentially opening thousands of acers to hunters and wildlife managers. The importance of these measures cannot be understated. Doubling weekend days for hunting, increasing opportunities during the archery season both in equipment and land access, are major steps forward in removing barriers in the Bay State.
Highlights:
- Massachusetts remains one of two states in the country with a complete prohibition on Sunday hunting — the other being a short ride north on I-95 to Maine.
- All three measures saw overwhelming support from the sporting-conservation community, backed by those in the public health community.
- H. 5377 was reported, in part, by H.5493, but lacking all of the Governor’s pro-hunting positions.
Massachusetts House Bill 5377 (H.5377), Governor Maura Healey’s Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2026, contained three provisions vitally important to access, conservation funding, and public health concerns. On June 9, 2026, the House Committee on Ways and Means stripped the original bill of the Sunday hunting ban repeal, crossbow inclusion, and archery setback reductions. Governor Healey called for these changes during a press conference in March of this year, calling the changes commonsense updates for access, funding, and public health due to rising tick-borne illness affecting Bay Staters.
While the removal of the pro-sportsmen provisions (to repeal the long-standing and antiquated prohibition on hunting on Sundays, the updates to crossbow use and full inclusion during archery season, and the setback distance reduction during archery season) are extremely disappointing. It feels like somewhat of a setback for conservation and Massachusetts’s rich sporting traditions and heritage, but the game clock has not yet hit 0:00, and as all Bay Staters can recall, 3-28 doesn’t mean a thing until the clock hits 0:00 in the fourth!
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF), in partnership with the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus leadership, and working with the Healey Administration, seek to run the game clock out and will continue to exhaust all options to advance the Governor’s priorities for the benefit of sportsmen and women.
As Governor Healey stated at her presser on March 19, 2026, “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.”
We could not agree more!
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