Spitfire
08-10-2004, 08:42 AM
A Massachusetts bill will allow the state to use hunting as a management tool to control its escalating moose population.
House Bill 4986, sponsored by the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, gives the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife authority to regulate the state’s moose population. The bill states that the Director shall set “rules and regulations as it deems necessary for the implementation and administration” of a program to control the moose population. Since the early 1980s, several New England states have opened moose hunting, including Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Moose-automobile accidents have been on the rise in Massachusetts, which is the primary reason for the bill’s introduction. Hitting a moose with a car is dangerous and the results can be tragic.
The proposed moose control program will be administered only in the following counties: Worcester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin.
On July 19, the bill was favorably reported by the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture. The bill now awaits debate in the House Ways and Means Committee.
House Bill 4986, sponsored by the Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, gives the Division of Fisheries & Wildlife authority to regulate the state’s moose population. The bill states that the Director shall set “rules and regulations as it deems necessary for the implementation and administration” of a program to control the moose population. Since the early 1980s, several New England states have opened moose hunting, including Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Moose-automobile accidents have been on the rise in Massachusetts, which is the primary reason for the bill’s introduction. Hitting a moose with a car is dangerous and the results can be tragic.
The proposed moose control program will be administered only in the following counties: Worcester, Berkshire, Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin.
On July 19, the bill was favorably reported by the Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture. The bill now awaits debate in the House Ways and Means Committee.