PDA

View Full Version : Deer Hunting in Mass.



Anghiker
11-15-2009, 13:55
Does anyone know if there is deer hunting or any other big gun season in Massachusetts this month? If they hunt in zones there would you know if the AT is in those zones?
Any help will be very much appreciated.

burger
11-15-2009, 14:23
Shotgun season for deer is Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. Muzzle-loader season is Dec. 14 to Dec. 31. More here: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/regulations/abstracts/hunting_dates.pdf

And there's no hunting at all in MA on Sundays.

Anghiker
11-15-2009, 14:32
Thanks Burger!:sun

Snowleopard
11-15-2009, 17:16
I'm not sure what they're hunting right now, but I hear people shooting in the woods here already. Wear at least a blaze orange hat from now till shotgun season and orange hat and vest after that (the more orange the better).

Cosmo
11-15-2009, 18:08
I'd recommend staying off the trail during shotgun season--especially on Saturdays. Just too many once-a-year hunters out there. It's only for a couple of weeks.

Although hunting is not permitted on the National Park Service AT Corridor lands, it is permitted on state forest lands the AT passes through (about half the trail in Mass). Most hunters I've met are pretty clueless about the differences in management practices ('tho most don't hunt near trails). Some NPS land in Mass is essentially a narrow corridor through state wildlife management lands that are managed in part for hunting. A boundary line does not stop a deer any better than it does a bullet.

Wear orange, make noise like a person.

Cosmo



I'm not sure what they're hunting right now, but I hear people shooting in the woods here already. Wear at least a blaze orange hat from now till shotgun season and orange hat and vest after that (the more orange the better).

Colter
11-15-2009, 20:31
I'd recommend staying off the trail during shotgun season--especially on Saturdays. Just too many once-a-year hunters out there. It's only for a couple of weeks.

Statistically, fellow hikers, bees, and lightning are each more dangerous than hunters to hikers, so it seems it would be better advice to hike during hunting season than during the height of hiking season, doesn't it?

Simply wear some blaze orange. It wouldn't hurt to avoid hiking during early dawn and late dusk if you want to be extra careful. This is one of the nicest times of year to be out hiking.