Hunting in MA

[ridleyman]

Hi! I have a resident hunting license in MA, and have read the regs and examined the zones map and whatnot, so I know what parts of the state are available for hunting and when. However, I'd be interested in knowing where I can hunt in peace, without having to worry about being harassed or stared at like I'm some sort of deranged gunmen. Yes, maybe I'm a bit insecure walking around in the mother of all nanny, anti-gun, wet nurse states with a gun.

I'd like to hunt for squirrels with a 12 gauge #6 shot or a .22 rifle or a .22 handgun (easy to conceal so above concerns don't apply), or eventually birds with the 12 gauge.

So, my question is: where can I be me with my gun and without people from Cambridge and other such wealthy white, holier-than-thou, anti-gun, hypocritical enclaves?

 

[Gak44]

While not a hunter myself, my guess would be somewhere west of 495 would be a good place to start. I am sure the regular hunters on this site will clue you in. Also you could check on the survival section of the site to get some info. Anyway Good Luck, and Good Hunting.

 

[FreeWillie]

From MA General Law, PART 1, Title XIX, Chapter 131, Section 5C:

Section 5C. No person shall obstruct, interfere with or otherwise prevent the lawful taking of fish or wildlife by another at the locale where such activity is taking place. It shall be a violation of this section for a person to intentionally (1) drive or disturb wildlife or fish for the purpose of interrupting a lawful taking; (2) block, follow, impede or otherwise harass another who is engaged in the lawful taking of fish or wildlife; (3) use natural or artificial visual, aural, olfactory or physical stimulus to effect wildlife in order to hinder or prevent such taking; (4) erect barriers with the intent to deny ingress or egress to areas where the lawful taking of wildlife may occur; (5) interject himself into the line of fire; (6) effect the condition or placement of personal or public property intended for use in the taking of wildlife; or (7) enter or remain upon public lands, or upon private lands without the permission of the owner or his agent, with intent to violate this section. The superior court shall have jurisdiction to issue an injunction to enjoin any such conduct or conspiracy in violation of the provisions of this section. A person who sustains damage as a result of any act which is in violation of this section may bring a civil action for punitive damages. Environmental protection officers and other law enforcement officers with arrest powers shall be authorized to enforce the provisions of this section.

This section shall not apply to the owners of the lands or waters or tenants or other persons acting under the authority of such owners of the lands or waters.

Make a copy, hand it to them, take their picture and get their information. Then sue them if they hassle you. I'm sick of these panty waisted do gooders.

 

[Gorony]

Watch out with the handgun.

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/plain-lang-sum/hunting-with-handguns.html


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[Zappa]

However, I'd be interested in knowing where I can hunt in peace, without having to worry about being harassed or stared at like I'm some sort of deranged gunmen.
<<< >>>
So, my question is: where can I be me with my gun and without people from Cambridge and other such wealthy white, holier-than-thou, anti-gun, hypocritical enclaves?

For that you'd have to go about 100 miles North.

 

[ridleyman]

For that you'd have to go about 100 miles North.

I was afraid of that!

 

[Sawicki1991]

If your looking to hunt deer. Western mass has a lot of land that is easily accessible and public for hunting. Eastern mass has a larger deer population but has much more restrictive town by laws the restrict it. FYI in mass if a property is not posted every 50 feet around the entire perimeter it's not trespassing. Plenty of stories of people posting public land so that someone doesn't hunt their spot.

 

[MisterHappy]

If your looking to hunt deer. Western mass has a lot of land that is easily accessible and public for hunting. Eastern mass has a larger deer population but has much more restrictive town by laws the restrict it. FYI in mass if a property is not posted every 50 feet around the entire perimeter it's not trespassing. Plenty of stories of people posting public land so that someone doesn't hunt their spot.

Cite, please?


here is the governing statute:

https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter266/section120

Nowhere is "50 feet" mentioned.

 

[Spanz]

there are plenty of places around. Harold Parker (only the parts NOT in Andover), is one that would have plenty of squirels and NOBODY hunting them.

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/harold-parker-state-forest.html


in fact, here is a list of all the state parks you can hunt in.

http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/recreational-activities/hunting.html

the further west you go, the less likely you are to find tree huggers to bother you. There WILL be other people in the woods (MA is very populated) so KNOW your backdrop! Like for squirrel hunting, just pointing your .22 rifle up in the air and letting loose...can send a bullet a couple miles away

Also, EXPECT to run into ranger danger hunting out of MA state parks! Especially in deer season

 

[tk421991]

Hi! I have a resident hunting license in MA, and have read the regs and examined the zones map and whatnot, so I know what parts of the state are available for hunting and when. However, I'd be interested in knowing where I can hunt in peace, without having to worry about being harassed or stared at like I'm some sort of deranged gunmen. Yes, maybe I'm a bit insecure walking around in the mother of all nanny, anti-gun, wet nurse states with a gun.

I'd like to hunt for squirrels with a 12 gauge #6 shot or a .22 rifle or a .22 handgun (easy to conceal so above concerns don't apply), or eventually birds with the 12 gauge.

So, my question is: where can I be me with my gun and without people from Cambridge and other such wealthy white, holier-than-thou, anti-gun, hypocritical enclaves?

Try Lowell or New Bedford or Lawrence. Or just anywhere besides Cambridge.

I realize you're a new hunter, so it's going to seem impossible. But if you want to hunt, your best bets are private pieces of property in the towns you live in or near. Dairy farms, woodlots, etc. Get an in with these people and ask to hunt their land. If a guy had a farm stand, go to his farm stand and be nice and buy his stuff. Talk to him.

This doesn't just apply to Mass, it applies anywhere when dealing with private land.

You can hunt on certain pieces of state and maybe town land, however state land gets overcrowded with other hunters.

 

[mac1911]

of all the years I have hunted this is the first for anyone to COME INTO MA TO DO SO.... yikes.
Well I live down Plymouth open land to hunt is getting slim. Squirrels I have not seen a tree rat in "the woods" in many many years they seem to all live in the no hunting zones.
Posted signs for the most part are what my dad called your warning to leave..... AFAIK you can not be arrested for trespassing unless you refuse to leave or comeback after warning....it was said back then a posted sign was your warning.

Now the only places I hunt these days IF I get out is a few larger pieces of wooded land around my house. past 10 years I do a walk through with the black powder rifle.
Then its over to the mass wild life area few towns over 2000 acres or so.. you can find the maps of state land for hunting here
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/wildlife-management-area-regulations.html

 

[Sawicki1991]

Cite, please?


here is the governing statute:

https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter266/section120

Nowhere is "50 feet" mentioned.

I can't find the cite now. At one point I had it printed out and left in my hunting bag. Iv also been told the same thing from 3 or 4 Mass Epo. It stated all signs must have name, address and phone number and be signed and dated and be no more than 50ft apart. I will find the cite when I get home. I think I still have it in my pack.

 

[Asaltweapon]

Cite, please?


here is the governing statute:

https://malegislature.gov/laws/generallaws/partiv/titlei/chapter266/section120

Nowhere is "50 feet" mentioned.

Written permission from the owner is required to be carried on the hunter in many towns.
Then you get the pesky discharge of firearms bylaws to contend with.

For the OP
No .22 for tree rats inside 495. My neighbor hunts them.
A freaking 12 ga is going to leave nothing on a rat. Use a .410, 20 or 28 ga. I know this due to them taking over my bird feeders. I found that even using a .410 it wasn't pretty. The 20 was messy. Yes, I was hitting them from only 30 feet.

My wife wasn't happy with me leaving them for the coyotes to pick up. The landscapers called me sick.

 

[MisterHappy]

You should hang the corpses from the bird feeders, as a warning.

You can call your feeders "House Birdton"

 

[Arto]

Need a place to hunt?
free permit for Wachusett Watershed lands:
http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dcr/watersupply/watershed/wachhunt.pdf
(basically DCR Lands west of 190) they'll send you a map & 5-year permit for free, just send SASE

 

[whacko]

of all the years I have hunted this is the first for anyone to COME INTO MA TO DO SO.... yikes.
Well I live down Plymouth open land to hunt is getting slim. Squirrels I have not seen a tree rat in "the woods" in many many years they seem to all live in the no hunting zones.
Posted signs for the most part are what my dad called your warning to leave..... AFAIK you can not be arrested for trespassing unless you refuse to leave or comeback after warning....it was said back then a posted sign was your warning.

Now the only places I hunt these days IF I get out is a few larger pieces of wooded land around my house. past 10 years I do a walk through with the black powder rifle.
Then its over to the mass wild life area few towns over 2000 acres or so.. you can find the maps of state land for hunting here
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/laws-regulations/wildlife-management-area-regulations.html

Funny you dont see squirrels in the woods.....i bagged two last weekend on wma land and had 3 more get the slip on me.

- - - Updated - - -

Written permission from the owner is required to be carried on the hunter in many towns.
Then you get the pesky discharge of firearms bylaws to contend with.

For the OP
No .22 for tree rats inside 495. My neighbor hunts them.
A freaking 12 ga is going to leave nothing on a rat. Use a .410, 20 or 28 ga. I know this due to them taking over my bird feeders. I found that even using a .410 it wasn't pretty. The 20 was messy. Yes, I was hitting them from only 30 feet.

My wife wasn't happy with me leaving them for the coyotes to pick up. The landscapers called me sick.

Not completely accurate on your estimate of 12 gauge on squirrels. You just have to know your gun and point appropriately. Or wait till the squirrel is a bit farther Out.

 

[whacko]

OP....just hunt. Find legal land and just walk in there like you own the place. Only time I was ever questioned was at harold parker when i went in there for squirrels. Soccer mom walking a lab hassled me. I told her to read the sign in the parking lot....which clearly states hunting is allowed at harold parker. You have rights to access public land. They dont like it **** em.

mAke sure you read the abstract on squirrels. Zones 10-14 are shotgun only on squirrels.

 

[Burgermeister]

I can't find the cite now. At one point I had it printed out and left in my hunting bag. Iv also been told the same thing from 3 or 4 Mass Epo. It stated all signs must have name, address and phone number and be signed and dated and be no more than 50ft apart. I will find the cite when I get home. I think I still have it in my pack.

Are you possibly thinking of NH statutes? RSA 635:4 requires such posting at 100 yard intervals on all sides and all gates/entrances to the property.

 

[Sawicki1991]

Are you possibly thinking of NH statutes? RSA 635:4 requires such posting at 100 yard intervals on all sides and all gates/entrances to the property.

No im postive it was a mass requirement. Maybe it has change but in 13/14 I called local epo to ask about it because I wanted to post my property in palmer and they named off a cite and it said sign every 50 feet around perimeter of property all must be signed with contact into. All info must be maintained and legible.

The way it was written made it very hard to post my 65 acres and to maintain said signs so I just gave up. I was also told my a different officer that all signs should be on post not trees. And they must list everything you are not allowed to do on the property. Aka no hunting fishing trapping and no trespassing.

 

[tuna]

I remember the abstracts saying 50 feet, too. It may have been changed to take that requirement out.

 

[Sawicki1991]

I remember the abstracts saying 50 feet, too. It may have been changed to take that requirement out.

I believe you may be correct. Now I will call on Monday and see what their definition of "conspicuously posted" is. It may still be 50ft. But I clearly remember being told every 50ft because if one sign is at 60 ft none of the property is legally posted.

 

[MisterHappy]

No im postive it was a mass requirement. Maybe it has change but in 13/14 I called local epo to ask about it because I wanted to post my property in palmer and they named off a cite and it said sign every 50 feet around perimeter of property all must be signed with contact into. All info must be maintained and legible.

The way it was written made it very hard to post my 65 acres and to maintain said signs so I just gave up. I was also told my a different officer that all signs should be on post not trees. And they must list everything you are not allowed to do on the property. Aka no hunting fishing trapping and no trespassing.

This is why the adage, "Don't ask the cops about the law," exists. (No offense, JWP)

There are many "laws" that everyone knows, that are not laws - like the one that states that a knife "longer than four fingers" is illegal in Mass, or that slingshots are illegal.

My son was told (not by a cop) that it's illegal in Southborough to wear a sheath knife. It's not....but it is against Town ordinance to pasture your animals in a Public Way.

As the EPO said at the Hunter Ed course, "If it's not prohibited, it's legal."

 

[Spanz]

there are plenty of squirels around THIS YEAR, due to the mild winter. I used to be a crack shot at those when i was 12 years old. Had a technique of still hunting them....they squawk when you get close, and run around to the far side of the tree. You slowly walk up near the tree, and wait in total silence...maybe 2-4 minutes. They have a horrible memory, and "forget" you are there, and come around to your side of the tree. then PLINK and he is yours!

just don't get too close to the tree, since for some odd reason it is hard to hit something at a big angle from the ground. Some sort of optical illusion or something like that.

 

[HuntMaine]

For that you'd have to go about 100 miles North.

This


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[whacko]

there are plenty of squirels around THIS YEAR, due to the mild winter. I used to be a crack shot at those when i was 12 years old. Had a technique of still hunting them....they squawk when you get close, and run around to the far side of the tree. You slowly walk up near the tree, and wait in total silence...maybe 2-4 minutes. They have a horrible memory, and "forget" you are there, and come around to your side of the tree. then PLINK and he is yours!

just don't get too close to the tree, since for some odd reason it is hard to hit something at a big angle from the ground. Some sort of optical illusion or something like that.

got 2 that was last weekend. One i actually shot at and seemes to "nick" him. He ran around the back side. I just stood there.....about a minute later he came around again and I bagged him. They really are not too hard to hunt if they are in the area and active. Good game to teach the kids on.

 

[whacko]

This is why the adage, "Don't ask the cops about the law," exists. (No offense, JWP)

There are many "laws" that everyone knows, that are not laws - like the one that states that a knife "longer than four fingers" is illegal in Mass, or that slingshots are illegal.

My son was told (not by a cop) that it's illegal in Southborough to wear a sheath knife. It's not....but it is against Town ordinance to pasture your animals in a Public Way.

As the EPO said at the Hunter Ed course, "If it's not prohibited, it's legal."

Cannot agree more with your last sentence. In talking with many of my friends and acquaintences about hunting and gun laws in mass they all seem to get a wierd look on their face and ask "is that even allowed in mass"!? My standardized answer is "never ask what is allowed....laws are created to prohibit certain things.....not ALLOW them....if its not prohibited it is legal....its that simple. It just seems most mass residence have been accustomed to asking what the gov has given citizens permisson to DO.....its a bad state of affairs.

 

[MisterHappy]

Cannot agree more with your last sentence. In talking with many of my friends and acquaintences about hunting and gun laws in mass they all seem to get a wierd look on their face and ask "is that even allowed in mass"!? My standardized answer is "never ask what is allowed....laws are created to prohibit certain things.....not ALLOW them....if its not prohibited it is legal....its that simple. It just seems most mass residence have been accustomed to asking what the gov has given citizens permisson to DO.....its a bad state of affairs.

I don't think that having that attitude is allowed.

 

[goodlife30]

If you are willing to hunt with a bow-many of the off limits conservation lands are opening up to do a lot of deer car accidents. Westboro opened a few years ago. A lottery but that means tripping over fewer people.

 

[50wt]

Freetown forest is an area large enough you won't see anyone. Other than the occasional mountain biker, dirt bike rider, or guy walking his cat in the woods, you won't see much. No houses for miles, and I stumble on a guy walking his cat on a leash in the middle of the woods near some power lines.

 

[thorin]

No houses for miles, and I stumble on a guy walking his cat on a leash in the middle of the woods near some power lines.