Hunting Policy Committee Hears Feedback From Residents

Last Thursday, the Hunting Policy Committee recommended by a 7-5-1 vote not to recommend shotgun hunting on Board of Selectmen owned land, ultimately ending the possibility that they will recommend shotgun hunting as part of their final recommendation to the Selectmen on what the general policy should be for hunting on BOS land.

That decision came after a series of comments from residents as part of the board’s scheduled open forum night.

Here’s a few highlights from the comments from a few of those residents. More information on the Hunting Policy Committee is available on their page on the town website.

Jennifer Smagula, 23 Buckboard Dr. – Firearms of all kinds should be prohibited on Selectmen owned land, any policies made should be public, and signs should be posted along trails to help prevent children from wandering off.

Keith Gerheart, of Groton, but also a property owner in Westford – Hunters will look to hunt in areas where there are few people during times when few people would be there, particularly just before and after sunrise and sunset.

He also stated that the optimum shot in archery hunting is less than 60 feet, and hunting can help prevent the spread of tickborne diseases.

Caroline Parks of Buckboard Dr. –If bow hunting is approved, arrows should be limited to broadhead tips, and razorblade tips should be prohibited. Also, all arrows should be retrieved after use.

Chandra Lynch, 71 Buckboard Dr. – The times of day for hunting should be kept restricted.

Kristen Thomas, 5 Carriage Way – Both hunters and residents should be considerate of each other, since it is a shared space, but firearm hunting should be prohibited in that area.

Bob Price of the League of Westford Women Voters – Price asked if any recommendations made by th board to the Board of Selectmen would also apply to land owned by the Conservation Commission. They said it would not.

Note: The Westford Template attempted to confirm the spelling of everyone who gave testimony, but there were some who declined to confirm proper spellings of names. Spellings made here are the most accurate approximation from available information.