Russell residents Chris and Jacob Rafus with the 150-pound buck Jacob bagged on Wednesday afternoon in Russell. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – Jacob Morris-Siegel of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, who was manning the weighing station outside of B&D’s in Huntington on Wednesday, said this year’s shotgun season, which began on Monday, Nov. 26 and extends until Saturday, Dec. 8 is so far better than last year.
“It’s been better than the last couple of years. It’s been pretty steady,” Morris-Siegel said as he prepared to weigh in the 35th deer in three days, an eight point buck shot in Russell by 17-year-old Russell resident Jacob Rafus.
This was the second deer this season for Jacob, his first two ever, said his father Chris Rafus. “I was excited. He thought he shot a different one, a nine-pointer. This one’s just as nice,” Chris said. The buck, which Jacob said he shot with a muzzle-loader, weighed in at 150 pounds.
Morris-Siegel said the two largest deer as of Wednesday brought in to be weighed were tied at 171 pounds.
Shotgun season for bear is also underway until Dec. 8, although Morris-Siegel said none had yet been brought in as of Wednesday. A separate permit is required to hunt Black bear in Massachusetts.
