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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1714 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1065 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | David T. Vieira |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to outdoor heritage. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David T. Vieira3rd Barnstable1/15/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1714 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1065 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Vieira of Falmouth, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1065) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | David T. Vieira for legislation to further regulate bow and arrow hunting. Environment and |
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| 20 | 20 | | Natural Resources. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 920 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to outdoor heritage. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 58 of chapter 131 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2official edition, is hereby amended by inserting, in line 6, after the word "thereof" the following |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3words:- , provided that a person may hunt with a bow and arrow from an elevated tree stand not |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4less than 250 feet from any dwelling in use except as authorized by the owner or occupant |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5thereof |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6 SECTION 2. Section 64 of chapter 131 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7official edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 2 and 3, the words “, or any |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8crossbow, except as provided in section 69, nor” and inserting in place thereof the following the |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9word:- nor. 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10 SECTION 3. Said chapter 131 is hereby further amended by striking out section 69, as so |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:- Section 69. A person shall not |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12carry or use a bow and arrow or crossbow while hunting unless the bow and arrow or crossbow |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13meet the requirements of the rules and regulations which shall be promulgated by the director. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14Such rules and regulations shall prescribe general design, weight of pull and type of bows and |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15arrows or crossbows and shall conform to standards generally accepted for hunting purposes. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16 SECTION 4. Section 5 of chapter 131 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17official edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the second paragraph the following |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18paragraph:- The hunting of deer by bow and arrow shall be permitted on any date, including a |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19Sunday or legal holiday, that the director declares as an open season for such hunting. Except as |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20otherwise provided in the preceding paragraph, an open season declared by the director for the |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21hunting of deer by bow and arrow, which open season period occurs in whole or in part, within |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22the last 3 months of the calendar year, shall be for a period of not less than 7 days that shall be |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23consecutive. |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24 SECTION 5. Section 57 of said chapter 131, as so appearing, is hereby amended by |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25inserting at the end of the paragraph the following sentence:- Notwithstanding, this section shall |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26not prohibit or render unlawful, the hunting of deer by bow and arrow or the carrying on his |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27person a bow and arrow for the purpose of hunting deer, during any Sunday declared as an open |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28season for such hunting, by the director with the approval of the fisheries and wildlife board. |
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