- Home
- Cape Ann dogs
- Hunting season and dog walks on the North Shore
Shared woods
Hunting season and dog walks on the North Shore
On Cape Ann most dog walks are on city streets, beaches and Trustees land, and plenty of owners never think about hunters. A few miles inland, the North Shore's wildlife areas and state forests are working hunting ground for much of the year. This page sets out the seasons, where hunting is allowed, the state law that keeps it back from houses and roads, and the habits that make shared woods safe for a dog.
The calendar
Something is in season most of the year, but the busy woods are October to December and late April into May
MassWildlife's 2026 season summary is longer than most dog owners expect. The fall block opens with archery deer and fall turkey on October 5, adds pheasant, quail, ruffed grouse, rabbit and coyote on October 17, and ends with shotgun deer from November 30 to December 12 and primitive firearms through December 31. Spring turkey, from April 27 to May 23, is the season walkers forget, and gray squirrel opens as early as September 2.
A few other rules shape the year. State law makes every Sunday a closed season. Raccoon and opossum seasons open on October 1, and MassWildlife's orange rules mention raccoon and opossum hunters out at night, so a dark wood is not always an empty one. For ducks and geese, Cape Ann lies in the state's Coastal Zone east of I-95, and during shotgun deer season hunters may work dogs on waterfowl only on coastal waters and salt marshes.
| Season | 2026 dates | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spring wild turkey | April 27 to May 23 | Zones 1 to 13 |
| Gray squirrel | From September 2 | Runs to February 27, 2027 |
| Archery deer and fall turkey | October 5 to November 28 | Busiest weeks for bow hunters |
| Pheasant, quail, rabbit and coyote | From October 17 | Small game closed in shotgun week; coyote to March 8, 2027 |
| Shotgun deer | November 30 to December 12 | Hunters wear 500 square inches of orange |
| Primitive firearms deer | December 14 to 31 | Orange required for deer hunters |
| Every Sunday | All year | Closed season under state law |
Where
Hunting is allowed on wildlife areas, most state forests and some town and land-trust land
MassWildlife lists the land open to hunting plainly: its own Wildlife Management Areas, conservation easements and access areas, most state parks and forests, and many town lands, depending on the bylaw. Wildlife Management Areas are open to hunting whatever the town bylaw says. Land trusts set their own rules: Essex County Greenbelt allows hunting with written permission on some of its land, and The Trustees allow authorized bow hunting at Ravenswood Park in West Gloucester from the first Monday in October through December, Monday to Saturday.
State law also keeps hunters back from homes and roads. Without the owner's or occupant's permission, no one may hunt or carry a loaded gun on another person's land within 500 feet of a dwelling in use, and no one may shoot across a state or paved highway or within 150 feet of one. That rules out most built-up streets and pushes hunting to larger blocks of woods, fields and marsh. We have not found a published hunting rule for Dogtown Common, so ask the city before assuming either way.
- Wildlife Management Areas: open to hunting regardless of town bylaws
- Most state parks and forests: open to hunting
- Town and land-trust land: depends on the owner, so ask
- No hunting within 500 feet of a home in use without permission
Before you go
Before a walk in hunting season, check the land, the date and the colors you are wearing
Most of the work happens before you leave the house. Find out who manages the land, whether it allows hunting and in which seasons, and choose the hours with the fewest hunters: MassWildlife notes that hunters are most active early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when game moves and the light is dim. Then dress so a hunter can pick you out through brush. MassWildlife asks everyone in the woods in hunting season to wear blaze orange and to put an orange vest or bandana on a pet.
On the trail, make yourself known. MassWildlife suggests talking or whistling as you walk, calling out if you hear shots or see someone hunting, and then giving the hunter room, since hunter harassment is against state law. On a Wildlife Management Area the leash is the law: state rules require every dog to be leashed or tethered unless it is hunting or training with a licensed hunter, and handlers must collect waste in the parking areas and within 100 feet of them.
- 01
Check the land manager's page: is hunting allowed there, and in which seasons?
- 02
Check MassWildlife's season summary for what is open this week
- 03
Plan the walk for late morning to early afternoon, or for a Sunday
- 04
Put blaze orange on yourself and an orange vest or bandana on the dog
- 05
Leash the dog and keep to marked trails
- 06
Talk or whistle as you walk, and call out if you hear a shot
The real risk
A loose dog out of sight in thick cover is the real risk, so the leash and the orange do the work
MassWildlife says hunting is a safe activity, that accidents among hunters are extremely rare and that accidents involving non-hunters are rarer still. What remains for a dog is being out of sight. MassWildlife tells walkers to avoid earth-toned and animal-colored clothing, and many dogs are exactly those colors. A leash keeps the dog beside the orange you are wearing, and a vest makes the dog itself visible when it steps off the path to sniff.
A dog with a strong nose and a loose recall finds the fall woods full of the scents it most wants to follow, so October to December is leash-only time on any land open to hunting. If your dog is ever hurt in the woods, call your vet or the nearest emergency hospital; Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn is open 24 hours. MassWildlife asks anyone who sees a fish or wildlife violation to report it to the Environmental Police at 1-800-632-8075.
- An orange vest or bandana on the dog
- Orange on you, with no earth-toned or animal-colored jacket
- The leash on wherever hunting is allowed
- A hurt dog: your vet or the nearest emergency hospital
Where we fit
Sunday is for the woods; on hunting days, a walk from home or a day at Dogtown covers the exercise
Sunday is the one day nobody hunts in Massachusetts, and it is also the day Dogtown is closed for daycare, which suits most owners: the long woods walk happens on Sunday, and the hunting days are covered closer to home. Our at-home walkers take one dog at a time from your door, 20 minutes for $25, 30 for $35 or 60 for $55, with a photo and a note after each walk. Ask us whether we cover your address; walking depends on the address and the season.
A daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave gives a dog its running on the turf and indoor play floors in a playgroup of 7 to 10, at $42 for a full day or $33 for a half, Monday to Friday 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM. In Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, the Pup Van does pick-up and drop-off for $10 each way. New dogs start with the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM.
At Dogtown
Exercise on the days the woods are busy
Solo walks from your door, daycare Monday to Saturday and the Pup Van in four Cape Ann towns.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is there hunting on Sundays in Massachusetts?
Does my dog need to wear blaze orange?
When is deer season on the North Shore in 2026?
Can hunters hunt near my house?
Is it safe to walk my dog in the woods during hunting season?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- MassWildlife: 2026 hunting season summary
- MassWildlife: safety tips for non-hunters
- MassWildlife: wear blaze orange during hunting season
- MassWildlife: hunting on municipal lands
- MassWildlife: Wildlife Management Area rules for dogs
- MassWildlife: migratory game bird regulations
- M.G.L. c. 131, s. 57: Sunday closed season
- M.G.L. c. 131, s. 58: hunting near dwellings and highways
- Ravenswood Park (The Trustees)
- Essex County Greenbelt policies
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Busy woods, happy dog
Book the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, then add walks from home or daycare days for hunting season.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
