Sportsman’s Corner: New boating laws mandate safety education

The new Massachusetts boating law, known as the Hanson Milone Act, mandates boating safety education for all motorboat operators and introduces age restrictions for operating boats and personal watercraft.

Included in the new legislation is mandatory Boating Safety Education for every boat operator. Beginning April 1, 2026, all motorboat operators born after Jan. 1, 1989, must complete a certified boating safety course to operate motorized vessels or personal watercraft (jet skis) in Massachusetts. Those born before this date will have until April 1, 2028, to get certified.

More than 40 states presently require boater safety education, and the courses, much like hunter education classes, have the same curriculum. As a result, states reciprocate and recognize the certification so you do not need a license for every state where you might operate a boat.

The course can be taken online or in person. The best source for information on the law and how to get certified is the Massachusetts Environmental Police website. You can go to mass.gov or do a search to find the information.

In Massachusetts, individuals must be at least 12 years old and hold a valid boater safety certificate unless directly supervised by an adult (18 years or older) with a valid certificate. Personal watercraft users must be at least 16 years of age with a valid boater safety certificate. Personal watercraft must have a throwable personal flotation device (PFD) for each person onboard, and all PFDs must be U. S. Coast Guard approved and in good condition. Boats 16 feet or longer must also carry a throwable PFD.

Also included in the new law is a provision that operators involved in accidents resulting in personal injury, death, or property damage over $500 must notify the Massachusetts Environmental Police and file an accident report. Penalties for non-compliance of the licensing won’t be enforced until Sept. 1, 2026, and all operators must obtain boater safety certificates before April 1, 2028.

This writer has had a boater safety certificate for a few years. It has been required in New Hampshire for a while, and the online course is the same for all participating states. It is comprehensive and takes a little time to complete, but the information is presently clearly and in a “common sense” manner. You should take the course now and be ready for boating season. Being educated just makes sense and makes it safer for all of us. Visit the Massachusetts Environmental Police web page for the best information on both in-person and online courses. Maybe this endless winter will eventually end!

Petersham’s Kyler Leslie, the smiling young man with the huge pike pictured on the cover of the MassWildlife Hunting and Fishing Laws Abstracts, added another credit to his list of accomplishments recently when he won the Junior Championship and placed second in the Mass Resident Division at the National Wild Turkey Federation Massachusetts Calling Competition. Well done!

The predicted warm-up in the weather will be welcome to both man and beast. Most years, migrating woodcock show up around now and my dogs get some spring work. Early arrivals this month will have to find seeps to be able to feed as they move through. There were verified cases of woodcock mortality from this severe winter and over 100 were found in one location in Cape May, New Jersey, during the heavy snow and bitter cold earlier this winter. It will be interesting to see what things look like once spring finally arrives and wildlife, particularly deer, wild turkeys, grouse and woodcock become visible.

Grouse numbers are monitored by spring drumming counts. This former Fisheries and Wildlife Board member had a chance to accompany a MassWildlife staffer on a dawn listening trip when regular stops on a specific route were used to note all “drumming” activity that was heard.

Male ruffed grouse position themselves on logs or stumps and make a sound by rapidly fluttering their wings that is called drumming. It has been described by those hearing it as sounding like a tractor starting up in the distance. It serves to attract females. American woodcock are famous for the courting flights of males who fly straight up and then descend in a twisting flight while making the unforgettable “preent” call to attract a mate. Woodcock Walks organized by the Athol Bird and Nature Club are a way to experience this unique natural phenomenon.

Those looking to fish the Quabbin are getting ready by checking the specialized gear used for trolling for trout and salmon and making sure that their boats are cleaned and inspected as required. You can find information on Quabbin fishing on the Massachusetts MDC website.

Although I was not drawn for a non-resident Kansas turkey permit, my trip will still go on with hunting in Missouri instead. It is a short drive from my sister’s home in Leavenworth. The Missouri season starts a little later and the time before the Massachusetts season leaves me a narrow window, but it is doable.

Local turkeys are certainly gobbling by now as the toms are triggered by lengthening daylight. The hens are not ready to get involved yet but the early activity by the toms is about establishing a hierarchy and pecking order of dominance and the strutting is all about intimidating other males. It does sometimes result in confrontation and those long spurs on a mature gobblers’ legs are not just for looks. Things will get interesting in the natural world real soon!

Mahar Fish’N Game Club Game Supper is next Saturday. Be there!

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.