Massachusetts

Sea Duck Hunts

The majority of our Massachusetts sea duck hunts are catered towards groups interested in collecting as much of our bird diversity as possible for trophy rooms and taxidermy. 3 day hunts are the norm running from Monday through Wednesday and Thursday through Saturday as Massachusetts doesn't allow hunting on Sundays. A typical hunt begins with your group flying into Boston's Logan Airport the day before your hunt begins. A quick ride north by rent-a-car to one of the hotels that our clients use, an early dinner at a nearby restaurant, and off to bed. The following morning we'll meet you for breakfast at the hotel (4AM) and discuss the weather forcast and plans for the morning hunt. Next is a 15 to 30 minute drive to one of the boat launches that we use. We will be trailering boats and gear while your group follows in your rental car. Boats launched, gear and hunters loaded, we head out into the morning darkness to one of the many coastal islands, jetties, or points that act as morning feeding areas for birds that have been sleeping in rafts out to sea. Decoys are then set and depending on group size and location, we will either drop hunters off on land or hunt out of boats. The action is fast and furious as hungry eiders, scoters, old squaw and a variety of other waterfowl stream inland to begin the morning feed! A typical day has us on the water from 5AM until noon. Once back at the boat launch we tag birds and pick out individuals that are destined for the wall! And then it's off to the diner for a round of New England clam chowda! and stories of hits and misses from the mornings hunt. After lunch we'll lead you back to the hotel and call it a day. 4:30AM departure for the next day of hunting is just around the corner! Your group may choose to stay 3 nights, leaving Boston early in the evening on the last day of the hunt or 4 nights, leaving from Logan Airport the day after the last day of hunting.

Puddle Duck Hunts

Most of our Massachusetts puddle duck hunts have a strong focus on shooting black ducks and brant both for taxidermy and for the table! The salt marshes and rich coastline of New England act as staging areas for black ducks as well as a variety of other dabblers. Although some of our clients choose to mix in a day of hunting these birds, it is often during our famed Noreaster winter storms that we target protected pockets of coastline where these birds reside. Unable to hunt the wild Atlantic shoreline and ocean islands during inclement weather we will often choose to abandon sea duck hunting for the morning and target near coastal puddle ducks, brant, and Canada geese.

Diver Duck Hunts

Most of our Massachusetts diver duck hunting takes place from the middle of December through the close of the season in late January. Goldeneyes, buffleheads, bluebills, and mergansers are the most common birds that we gun during these shoots although eiders, scoters, old squaw, brant and Canada geese will often drop into a well placed diver spread. These hunts often take place in the same areas as our sea duck hunts however we also target these birds well up into coastal estuaries and rivers. This pattern comes in handy during winter storms which will sometimes prevent us from reaching sea duck feeding areas.

Canada Goose Hunting

The goose hunting in Massachusetts has been getting better each year. And because of this trend, seasons and bag limits have increased. We hunt Canadas from both land and water during the early September season, late January and February season, and incidentally throughout the rest of the fall. The early and late seasons have 5 bird bags and provide consistent limits with our late season hunts being especially productive. Full bodied decoys, stuffers, x'lander ground blinds, and world class calling from seasoned guides guarantee a great goose hunting experience!

Equipment and Licenses

Regardless of weather conditions we always suggest 5 mm neoprene waders, a heavy duty waterfowling jacket, and layers of polypropylene, wool, and fleece, as well as a shotgun capable of chambering 3 or 3 1/2 inch shells. All Steel shot should be 2's, 1's, BB's, or BBB's while other nontoxics can be either 2's or 4's. While in Massachusetts all shotguns need to remain in a case. Residents possessing a firearm need to be carrying an FID card and a hunting license while nonresidents just need a small game hunting license which can be purchased online at www.masswildlife.org.