Outdoor users: Wear blaze orange as when spending time outdoors during the fall hunting seasons. Review safety tips.
Do coyotes howl at the moon?
Typically, each month offers 1 full moon that illuminates the night sky and casts out the dark shadows where nocturnal creatures may lurk. It’s not uncommon for an animal’s behavior to be influenced by lunar cycles. The fall season might have you thinking about mythical beasts, like werewolves, that are notorious for transforming and howling at the moon. While we don’t have wolves of any kind in Massachusetts, we do have another notable member of the dog family — the eastern coyote.
Eastern coyotes can be found in every city and town in mainland Massachusetts. These medium-sized canids are well-adapted to a wide range of habitats, including suburban, urban, and rural areas. Even so, it can sometimes be surprising for Massachusetts residents to hear coyotes howling, especially late at night.
So, do coyotes howl at the moon?
Let’s start with why coyotes howl. People often think coyotes howl to announce a kill. This is not true. After all, why would a coyote want to draw attention to itself and potentially lose their meal to a nearby competitor? Coyotes howl primarily to communicate with other coyotes. This includes howling at members of their family within their territory or howling to defend their territory from intruders. During the summer, they’ll even howl to practice with the pups from that year’s litter. Coyotes can also be heard using barks, yips, growls, whines, and huffs.
While mythical werewolves are rumored to howl at the moon, coyotes don’t howl more frequently during a full moon. Interestingly, research suggests that groups of coyotes howl more on evenings with less moonlight, again to defend their territory or to communicate with other family members.
Simply hearing or seeing a coyote in your neighborhood is not a cause for concern. However, you should take a few important steps to effectively coexist with coyotes.
- Remove food sources: Remove or secure all human-associated food sources, including bird feeders, unsecured trash, open compost, outdoor pet food, fallen fruit from trees, and overripe garden vegetables. Never intentionally feed wildlife.
- Protect pets: Directly supervise and leash pets whenever they are outside. It’s the presence of the person on the end of the leash that prevents an attack.
- Haze coyotes: Hazing is a technique used to deter an animal from an area or change its behavior. You can haze a coyote by waving your arms or clapping while walking toward the coyote, making loud noises by yelling or using an air horn, spraying a hose, or throwing small objects, like tennis balls, in the coyote’s direction.
Learn more about coyotes in Massachusetts at mass.gov/coyotes.
Protecting Stone Mountain
MassWildlife partnered with Mass Audubon and Franklin Land Trust to conserve 500+ acres in Heath and Colrain, creating the new Stone Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The effort protects wildlife habitat, preserves public access to the outdoors, and supports biodiversity. Learn about this new WMA.
New hunting seasons deliver for deer management
In 2026, two new deer hunting seasons were added for the islands (zones 13 and 14) to improve wildlife management and hunting opportunities. These areas face extensive damage from high deer densities exceeding 55 deer per square mile on Martha’s Vineyard and 85 deer per square mile on Nantucket. These high densities contribute to the loss of forest regeneration, an issue increasingly found throughout Massachusetts, as well as unique impacts on the islands’ coastal habitats.
Results for the first year
The new seasons included a 6-week winter season (Jan. 1–Feb. 14) and a 10-day early season (Sept. 21–Oct. 1). Both seasons allowed licensed hunters to use archery equipment and primitive firearms.
During the new winter season, 178 hunters harvested 172 deer on Martha’s Vineyard and 158 deer on Nantucket for a combined season total of 330. During the new early season, 97 hunters harvested 119 deer on Martha’s Vineyard and 73 deer on Nantucket for a combined season total of 192. A total of 522 deer were harvested on the islands during these two new seasons in 2026. For context, 1,608 deer were taken throughout all of calendar year 2025 on both islands. The islands still have the archery season (Oct. 5–Nov. 28), shotgun season (Nov. 30–Dec. 12), and primitive firearms season (Dec. 14–31) to add to these totals. So far, the new seasons have been successful at boosting the deer harvest to help address overabundant deer on the islands.
Local impacts
In addition to providing a new opportunity for local island hunters, the new seasons attracted visitors from other New England states, many of whom had never hunted in Massachusetts previously. Because these seasons extend beyond those in northern New England states, they offer a unique opportunity for hunters to travel south and pursue deer later in the winter, after the holidays, or get an early start on the fall hunting season. Get tips for visiting the Islands to hunt.
Venison donation through MassWildlife’s Hunters Share the Harvest program also benefited significantly from the new seasons. The 86 deer donated during the new seasons generated over 6,000 meals for distribution by local partnering food programs including Nourish Nantucket and the Martha’s Vineyard Island Grown Initiative. The extended hunting seasons are increasing the seasonal availability of this important source of protein and helping address local food insecurity.
Winter season extends to mainland
Building on the success of the first year, the 2027 winter deer season will expand to include portions of eastern Massachusetts with persistently high deer populations. The mainland winter season (zones 9, 10, and 11) is set for January 1–30 and the island winter season (zones 13 and 14) will be January 1–February 13. To participate in the winter season, hunters need a 2027 license and can use the antlered tags that come with the new year license. Hunters can also purchase 2027 antlerless permits for zones 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14, which can be used during the 2027 winter and fall seasons. Hunters can also acquire a free either-sex deer permit for use on the islands only during the winter season.
Get more details about the 2027 winter season, including regulations and permit requirements.
Wood is good: Why fallen trees make better fish habitat
A fallen tree might snag your fishing line, slow your paddle, or look like something that needs to be cleared away. But beneath the surface, that same tree could be providing food, shelter, and critical habitat for fish and countless other aquatic organisms.
Known as large woody material, fallen tree trunks and branches play an important role in keeping streams, rivers, and ponds healthy. They create hiding places for fish, support the aquatic food web, shape stream channels, and even help waterways withstand drought. For wild trout and other fish, wood can mean the difference between simply surviving and thriving.
Wood you believe it?
Trees alongside a pond or river help shade a waterbody and moderate water temperatures. But it’s large wood in the form of fallen tree trunks and branches that is of particular importance to fish and, therefore, anglers. Organic matter trapped by woody material in streams and ponds provides nutrients and a food source for algae, plants, aquatic invertebrates, and a host of microscopic organisms at the base of the aquatic food chain.
When a tree falls into a waterbody it offers instant habitat and cover for many species, including trout and largemouth bass. Many aquatic invertebrates rely on woody structure for different stages of their lifecycle as a source of nutrients and shelter. For example, aquatic invertebrates like caddisflies attach to instream wood and other hard surfaces in their aquatic juvenile stage before they transform to their terrestrial adult life stage. Freshwater mussels reside under and around wood in rivers, streams, and ponds. Anglers like to seek out downed trees where forage fish species hide and predators like largemouth bass seek cover to ambush prey.
Downed trees aid in the formation of stream ecosystems because they can narrow the channel and create a diversity of habitats. They increase the flow in certain areas to create riffles and slow the flow in others to create pools with little current where fish lie in wait for food to drift by. Dissolved oxygen increases as water moves over and around woody material. Downed trees also help to decrease stream bank erosion by slowing strong rushes of water during heavy rain events.
Benefits to wild trout
Large wood is particularly important in wild brook trout streams, where it provides brook trout with important cover against predators like kingfishers, great blue herons, and river otters. Trout are often found close to wood, boulders, and other large objects in a behavior called thigmotaxis, which in this case means that they feel safer when closer to objects. The more complex the wood is in terms of branches the more fish are attracted because it offers many more hiding places. A study in northern Vermont found that water temperature and large woody material were two of the most important limiting factors for brook trout streams. The number of brook trout approximately tripled at sites following the addition of large woody material.
Decreasing drought impact
Over the past several years, many areas of Massachusetts have experienced various levels of drought. In addition to the benefits already outlined, waterways with large woody fragments make streams more resilient to the impacts of drought. Many streams have been channelized or simplified so they run straight. During extended dry periods, these streams tend to dry up more completely. Woody habitat provides shade to reduce stream temperature and also increases stream channel complexity. Water flowing in a more complex stream encounters lumps, bumps, and crags of woody habitat and is pushed left, right, up, and down. These changes in flow make eddies and scouring currents that create pools and undercut banks. These habitat features are very important for climate resilience since deeper pools are more likely to hold water and maintain closer contact with cold groundwater. These factors help keep fish alive during the doldrums of drought.
Do your part: Don’t remove wood!
The benefits of downed trees and branches to waterbodies and aquatic ecosystems is difficult to overstate. So, even if downed trees can snag the occasional lure or make canoe or kayak passage a bit more difficult, anglers and paddlers should recognize the importance of wood and leave it in place. Help spread the word that wood is good!
A version of this article appeared in Massachusetts Wildlife magazine’s special Fisheries and Aquatics Issue from in 2022.
Muskrats: Masters of the marsh
Perfectly suited to life in the water, muskrats thrive in a variety of habitats, from lakes and ponds to marshes, streams, and slow-moving rivers. Get acquainted with these often-overlooked mammals and discover the secrets of their aquatic lifestyle.
Not a rat after all!
That distinctive tail also leaves a telltale clue behind! Because it drags along the ground, muskrat tracks are relatively easy to recognize in mud, slush, or snow. And just like beavers, muskrats will slap their tails against the water when alarmed before diving below the surface.
Despite their name and long, thin, naked tails, muskrats aren't actually rats. While muskrats are rodents, they're more closely related to voles than to true rats. Muskrats at a glance:
- Size: About 10–14 inches long (not including the tail), 5 inches tall, and weighing just 2–3 pounds.
- Coat: Thick, soft fur ranging from reddish brown to dark brown or black. Long, glossy guard hairs cover a dense layer of underfur that traps air, keeping the muskrat warm and helping it stay buoyant in the water.
- Feet: Sharp claws on both front and back feet help with digging.
- Tail: An unmistakable 8–10-inch, hairless tail that's flattened from side to side. It helps with balance on land and steering in the water.
Built for life in the water
Muskrats are remarkably well adapted to their aquatic lifestyle. Features that help them thrive in and around water include:
- Built-in protection: Their ears and nostrils automatically close when they dive underwater.
- A clever way to eat: Specially adapted lips allow them to bite and chew underwater without getting a mouthful of water.
- Impressive breath-holding: Muskrats can remain underwater for 15 minutes or more, thanks in part to their ability to tolerate higher levels of carbon dioxide in their blood.
- Warm feet and tails: A special circulatory adaptation reduces heat loss from their feet and tail while protecting these extremities from frostbite.
Home sweet home
Muskrats are adaptable animals that can thrive in a variety of climates and wetland habitats. Depending on their surroundings, muskrats build two different types of homes.
Bank burrows: Where suitable banks are available, muskrats dig tunnels into the shoreline. These burrows can be surprisingly elaborate, sometimes extending up to 45 feet! The entrances begin underwater and lead upward to chambers above the water table. Some burrows are used by multiple generations of muskrats.
Marsh houses: In marshes without suitable banks for burrowing, muskrats build their own homes. Using mud and vegetation, they construct mounds that are typically 4–6 feet across and 2–3 feet above the water's surface. Over time, the muskrat tunnels into the mound, creating a hollow interior with one or two chambers.
These houses aren't just cozy shelters. They can also provide an emergency food supply during long winters!
Family life, food, and survival
- Muskrats generally live in family groups consisting of an adult male and female and their young.
- Breeding season begins in late March or April. Females may have 1–3 litters each year, with 5–10 young per litter. Young muskrats usually remain within their mother's territory until the following spring.
- Muskrats are omnivores feeding on a wide variety of aquatic and terrestrial vegetation. They also eat freshwater mussels, snails, crayfish, frogs, and insects.
- Of course, muskrats are also part of the food chain. Their predators include mink, raccoons, coyotes, foxes, and raptors. The typical lifespan of a wild muskrat is about 3–4 years.
Become a muskrat detective
The muskrat’s long, vertically compressed tail is one of its most unique and distinguishing features.
Ready to spot one of these furry residents? Grab your binoculars and head to a nearby pond, marsh, or wetland. Here are a few tips to improve your chances:
- Look along the shoreline—check dirt banks for burrow entrances.
- Keep an eye out for raised mounds of mud and vegetation in marshes.
- Muskrats are most active around dawn and dusk, but are known to enjoy feeding in sun on calm fall and winter afternoons.
Look for tracks.Muddy shorelines and snowy banks can reveal the distinctive trails left by their dragging tails. See the tracks of muskrats and other common Massachusetts animals.