Hunting prohibitions

The following activities are illegal in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is part of the interstate wildlife violators compact (IWVC): Through a cooperative interstate system, the IWVC allows Massachusetts to collaborate with all other states in the U.S. to stop poachers and other violators from taking their illegal activity from state to state. Specifically, non-residents that violate Massachusetts’ wildlife laws can be processed more effectively and efficiently. Also, the IWVC ensures that anyone who has their license privilege suspended in one state would have their license privilege suspended in all states.

Report all violations to the Massachusetts Environmental Police [phone].

• Hunting, trapping or fishing for any birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, or amphibians not listed within this Guide or in the Massachusetts Migratory Game Bird Regulations
• Airbows, arrow guns or any firearms or other devices which project or propel an arrow, dart or bolt by gunpowder, compressed air, or by any other means except by the flexing and release of a bow string.
• The use of air/pellet guns is prohibited for the purposes of taking/harvesting deer, bear, turkey, crow, pheasant, quail, and migratory game birds. Air/ pellet guns may be used for all other species during their respective legal open seasons.
• Poisoned arrows, or explosive tips, including firearms cartridges affixed to the end of arrows in such a way as they discharge upon impact with the target, or bows drawn by mechanical means, except for permitted crossbows.
• Artificial lights for hunting any bird or mammal except raccoon and opossum.
• Baiting migratory game birds, wild turkey, bear, or deer during or within 10 days of the start of their specific hunting seasons. See game species hunting pages for more details.
• Careless or negligent use of firearms.
• Discharge of any firearm or release of any arrow upon or across any state or hard-surfaced highway, or within 150 feet of any such highway.
• Possession of a loaded firearm, discharge of a firearm, or hunting on the land of another within 500 feet of any dwelling or building in use, unless permitted by the owner or occupant. See page 21 for additional gun laws.
• Electronic calls for hunting migratory game birds, wild turkey, or deer.
• Hunting with a ferret or possessing a non-vaccinated/unneutered ferrets/ fitches without a permit.
• Furbearer Contests where participants are awarded prizes for harvesting coyote, bobcat, red fox, gray fox, weasels, mink, skunk, river otter, muskrat, beaver, fisher, raccoon, and opossum.
• Hunter harassment is illegal.
• Hunting on posted land without permission.
• Hunting on Sunday.
• Hunting, target shooting, or possession of a firearm, bow and arrow or other weapon when under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs.
• Loaded shotgun or rifle in or on any motor vehicle, recreational vehicle (including snowmobiles), aircraft or motor boat, except as stated in the Migratory Game Bird Hunting Regulations AND MGL 131 Section 65.
• Machine guns, fully-automatic firearms, any tracer or incendiary ammunition.
• Motor vehicles, off-highway vehicles (including snowmobiles), and/or aircraft for hunting any bird or mammal except as stated in MGL 131 Section 65.
• Possession of any Massachusetts Endangered Species Act-listed and/or wildlife, dead or alive, except by permit.
• During the shotgun deer season, possession of rifles, handguns, or dogs in any woodland or field, or use of same on any game, is prohibited. The use of dogs is lawful for hunting waterfowl on coastal waters.
• Hunting bear, deer, bobcat, or turkey with dogs, or training dogs on those species.
• Power or sailboats for hunting birds except when beached or tied to a blind or for retrieving injured birds.
• Removal of any mammal from walls, or holes in trees, ground, or logs.
• Rifles chambered to take ammunition larger than .22 caliber long rifle, and pistols and revolvers chambered to take ammunition larger than .38 caliber, between the hours of 1/2 hour after sunset and 1/2 hour before sunrise.
• Sale of all species of mammals and birds or parts thereof, except unprocessed heads & hides to a licensed fur buyer or taxidermist, and shinbones & hooves of deer to anyone.
• No species other than deer, coyote, and waterfowl/coot may be hunted with shot larger than #1 birdshot (.16” pellet diameter).
• No possession of a shotgun shell loaded with a slug, sabot, single ball, buckshot (any size), except during the open seasons when deer may be hunted with a shotgun, or on a skeet, trap, or target range between sunrise and sunset.
• Lettered bird shot may only be used for coyote hunting (.17 to .23” pellet diameter) and waterfowl/coot hunting (.17 to .19” pellet diameter); otherwise any lettered bird shot may only be possessed on a skeet, trap, or target range between sunrise and sunset. See migratory game bird and coyote hunting pages (40–42), for details.
• Swivel or pivot guns for hunting any bird.
• Taking nests, destroying, or disturbing eggs or nests of birds.
• Target shooting on Sunday except on one’s own property or on a recognized shooting range.
• Traps for taking birds except under permit. Bodygripping traps for furbearers except under permit. Snares, leghold traps, or nets for taking any bird or mammal.
• Vandalism or damage to property or livestock.

PENALTIES: License revoked for up to 5 years in addition to other penalties; fines of up to $10,000, restitutions, and/or 10 years in jail. Careless and negligent use of firearms; fines of up to $500 and/or 6 months imprisonment and loss of license for 5 years.