Statutes, codes, and regulations
Code of Massachusetts Regulations
Department 321 CMR - DIVISION OF FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE
Title 321 CMR 3.00 - Hunting
Section 3.02(3) - Hunting of Bobcat, Foxes and Coyotes

321 CMR, § 3.02(3)

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Current through Register 1536, December 6, 2024
Section 3.02(3) - Hunting of Bobcat, Foxes and Coyotes

In accordance with the authority vested in me by M.G.L. c. 131, § 5, as amended by St. 1967, c. 802, the annual open seasons for the hunting of fox, coyote, and bobcat are hereby adopted, subject to the following:

(a)Definitions: For the purposes of 321 CMR 3.02(3) the following words or phrases shall have the following meanings:

Bobcat means the bobcat or wildcat (Felis [Lynx] rufus) but not the lynx or Canada lynx (Felis [Lynx] canadensis).

Division means the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Fox means the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus).

Green pelt means a pelt which has not been dried, cured, or tanned.

Online means a Division of Fisheries and Wildlife licensing and game harvest reporting system accessible at the MassWildlife website that allows for automated licensing and game harvest reporting, including issuance of an official seal via the internet.

Raw pelt or raw fur means a green pelt which has been dried, fleshed, or cured.

State means the several states, territories, and possessions of the United States of America, and any foreign nation and any political subdivision, possession, or occupied area thereof.

Zone or Zones means the Massachusetts wildlife management zones as described in 321 CMR 3.02(4)(o).

(b)Open Seasons and Zone.
1. The dates of the open seasons shall be as follows: for bobcat, beginning December 20 and ending the following March 8, for fox, beginning November 1 and ending the following last day of February, and for coyote, beginning on the first Saturday after Columbus Day and ending the following March 8, except that a person shall not hunt or take a fox except by means of a trap during the shotgun deer season as provided for in 321 CMR 3.02(4)(b)3.
2. Fox and coyote may be hunted throughout Massachusetts.
3. Bobcat may be hunted only in Zones 01 through 08.
(c)Hunting Hours. The hunting hours during each calendar day of the open season shall begin at 1/2 hour before sunrise and,
1. for bobcat shall end at 1/2 hour after sunset; and,
2. for fox shall end at midnight; and
3. for coyote shall end at midnight; except during the shotgun deer season when the hunting hours shall end at 1/2 hour after sunset.
(d)Restrictions.
1. In addition to the provisions of 321 CMR 3.02(3)(b) and (c), all fox, coyote, and bobcat taken or salvaged shall be brought to a designated representative of the Division and sealed with an official seal by said representative, or the person who took or salvaged the fox, coyote or bobcat shall access the Online system to report the take or salvage. The person shall receive an Online system confirmation number, which shall be the official seal issued by the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, and affix it to the fox, coyote or bobcat taken or salvaged.
The official seal shall be non-transferable and shall be valid only for the animal or carcass to which it is applied. The official seal shall remain attached to the pelt or animal until the pelt is dressed or tanned, or prepared for mounting by a taxidermist, or the animal is otherwise disposed of. Coyote and fox shall be sealed no later than 48 hours after the animal is killed. Bobcat shall be sealed no later than four working days after the closing day of the open season for that species. Working days are defined as the days Monday through Friday inclusive, except legal state holidays as defined in M.G.L. c. 4, § 7(18).
2. No raw bobcat, fox, or coyote pelt, regardless of state of origin, shall be sold, exchanged, bartered, or offered for sale within Massachusetts unless said pelt bears an official tag, seal, or stamp issued or applied by the state within which said bobcat, fox, or coyote was taken, or by another governmental jurisdiction empowered to tag, seal, or stamp such pelts. Such tag, seal, or stamp shall be identifiable as to the issuing jurisdiction. No person shall alter, tamper with, or reapply any such tag, seal, or stamp, nor possess any altered, tampered, or reapplied tag, seal, or stamp (except if such tag, seal, or stamp is destroyed to such a degree than it cannot be reapplied), or any pelt bearing the same.Bobcat shall not be hunted or pursued with the aid of a dog.
3. During the shotgun deer season, coyote may be hunted throughout Massachusetts only by means of a shotgun not larger than ten gauge, including shotguns with a rifled bore, by means of a muzzle-loading firearm, fired from the shoulder, .44 to .775 caliber, or by means of a bow and arrow.
4. During the shotgun deer season, a person hunting coyote shall not use any electronic call or other noise-making device. Nothing in 321 CMR 3.02(3)(d)5. shall be construed to prohibit the use of deer antlers or replicas thereof or grunt tubes by persons lawfully hunting deer, or the use of hand or mouth operated waterfowl callers by persons lawfully hunting waterfowl.
(e)Limitations. Nothing in 321 CMR 3.02(3) shall be deemed to limit any other provision of M.G.L. c. 131 or any rule or regulation issued under authority thereof.
(f) Savings Clause. If any part, section, subsection, division, or subdivision of 321 CMR 3.02(3) or the application thereof is held invalid, unconstitutional, or inoperative as to any particular person, persons, or conditions, the remainder thereof or the application of any such part, section, subsection, division, or subdivision shall not be affected thereby.

321 CMR, § 3.02(3)

Amended by Mass Register Issue 1268, eff. 8/29/2014.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1288, eff. 6/5/2015.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1292, eff. 7/31/2015.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1294, eff. 8/28/2015.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1312, eff. 5/6/2016.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1320, eff. 8/26/2016.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1338, eff. 5/5/2017.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1345, eff. 8/11/2017.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1356, eff. 1/12/2018.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1364, eff. 5/4/2018.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1369, eff. 7/13/2018.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1382, eff. 1/11/2019.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1389, eff. 7/13/2018.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1390, eff. 5/3/2019.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1404, eff. 11/15/2019.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1418, eff. 5/29/2020.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1421, eff. 7/10/2020.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1445, eff. 6/11/2021.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1457, eff. 11/26/2021.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1470, eff. 5/27/2022.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1473, eff. 5/27/2022.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1486, eff. 1/6/2023.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1489, eff. 1/6/2023.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1499, eff. 7/7/2023.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1502, eff. 7/7/2023.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1510, eff. 12/8/2023.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1522, eff. 5/24/2024.
Amended by Mass Register Issue 1525, eff. 5/24/2024.
Regulatory Authority: M.G.L. c. 131, § 5. Last Revised: 9/14/12.