Hunters and hikers had their say Tuesday night during the first of several listening sessions hosted by the state as it explores loosening longstanding hunting statutes.

The state aims to make hunting more accessible and build on the recent regulations that extended hunting season on the Vineyard. State officials are reconsidering it’s ban on Sunday hunting, crossbows restrictions and setback limits.

The Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife will make a recommendation to the state legislature based on the public comment it receives. Another session will be hosted over Zoom on Feb. 3 at 1 p.m., and written comments will close on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m.

MassWildlife acting director Eve Schlüter kicked off the over three-hour session explaining that hunting is one of the state’s critical conservation tools, helping to manage wildlife populations, provide food for families, connect people to nature and fund conservation efforts for all wildlife  and their habitats through license fees.

She said undermanaged deer populations across the state can contribute to agricultural damage, vehicle collisions and risk of spreading wildlife and human diseases such as tick-borne illnesses. 

“We see degradation of forests and subsequent loss of native biodiversity with larger deer numbers in general,” Ms. Schlüter said.

Public comment focused predominantly on the Sunday hunting prohibition, which is a relic of Massachusett’s “blue laws” and has been in effect for more than 200 years. 

Hunters across the state were largely in favor of lifting the ban. Many said they worked full-time jobs from Monday through Friday and removing the ban would double their hunting time, making it easier to keep their freezers full.

Meanwhile, several non-hunters stated they appreciate the ban because it allows them one day out of the week during hunting season where they can walk trails without fear of an accident.

Nelson Sigelman, an avid Vineyard hunter, advocated for changes to all three statutes during the session and said it’s long overdue. 

“Our Island is well aware of what high deer densities mean in practical terms – ecological damage caused by deer browsing on young saplings, more than 300 vehicle collisions annually, and higher incidents of tick-borne diseases, including alpha-gal syndrome,” he said.

Mr. Sigelman said allowing Sunday hunting would expand access. Hunters could be on private land with permission and land management organizations would still have the authority to ban it on their properties. 

“Making this an either or situation is just not factual,” he said. 

He also advocated for the universal use of crossbows, which are only permitted to people with a documented permanent disability. Mr. Sigelman said they’re easy to use and could ease the learning curve for first time archers. 

Mr. Sigelman said current setbacks limit hunters’ ability to help manage deer that frequent neighborhoods. Setback restrictions currently require hunters be 150 feet away from roads and 500 feet from an occupied dwelling.

Mr. Sigelman told MassWildlife that efforts to make hunting more accessible would benefit all residents in Massachusetts.

“State lawmakers would be wrong to conclude that these changes only concern hunters,” Mr. Sigelman said. “If approved, residents and communities across the state, when deer numbers continue to rise, stand to benefit.”