Today is Columbus Day. Under the state's rule, pheasant and quail season opens the following Saturday, Oct. 17, and it runs through Dec. 31, 2026. MassWildlife also starts its game bird stocking that Saturday and keeps going through Thanksgiving week. Its stocked-area page says that "each year, quail are stocked at Frances Crane WMA and Myles Standish State Forest."
Archery deer season has already been open since Oct. 5. Starting Saturday, the 12,400 acres between West Plymouth and Carver run on a timetable with three settings: the day of the week, the hour on the clock, and how far you are from a parking lot. Once you know those three, the forest stays as usable in November as it was in July.
The Weekly Setting: Sunday Belongs To Everyone Else
MassWildlife's pheasant hunting regulations put it in five words: "Hunting is prohibited on Sundays." DCR's own Myles Standish trail map says the same, and the ban covers every season, not just birds.
That makes every Sunday from now through New Year's Eve a full day in the forest with no hunters. MassWildlife suggests the same thing in its fall safety guidance:
"If being in the woods during hunting season makes you uneasy, find a location where hunting is not allowed or plan your outing for a Sunday or another day outside of hunting season."
That line comes from the agency's September 2026 fall hunting announcement. The Friends of Myles Standish State Forest already lean on that calendar: the volunteer group runs weekly hikes on most Thursdays and many Sundays. The six other days are open to hunting during the seasons below, and that's when the next two settings come into play.
The Daily Setting: Hunting Hours Start Before The Trails Open
DCR's trail guidelines open the forest's trails from dawn to dusk. Deer hunting hours are longer. They run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. So the first and last stretch of daylight, when an early dog walk or a post-work run is most likely, is also when deer hunters can legally be in the woods.
MassWildlife says the edges of the day carry the most overlap. "Hunters are often active during the early morning and late afternoon when animals are most active," the agency writes, and it asks non-hunters to be "especially aware of your own visibility during these times when light is dim."
Bird hunting keeps a shorter clock. On properties stocked with pheasants, DCR limits pheasant hunting to sunrise through sunset. In practice, midday on a weekday sits in the middle of every season's hours. The light is at its best then, and hunting activity is lightest by the agency's own description.
The Place Setting: A 500-Foot Ring Around The Forest's Busiest Spots
DCR adds rules of its own on top of state hunting law. On any DCR property, nobody may hunt "within 500 feet of any DCR-designated picnic area, camping area, residence, service building, parking lot, camping structure, or designated swimming area." The full list is on DCR's hunting in state parks and forests page.
At Myles Standish, that buffer surrounds the places where many walks start. The forest's 2016 trail map shows the main ones:
- Forest Headquarters, open year-round, with check-in, restrooms, the bike path system, and the start of the East Head Loop/Healthy Heart Trail, a 2.6-mile circuit of East Head Reservoir
- College Pond Day-Use Area, with its parking lot, bathhouse, picnicking, and swimming area
- The four camping areas, including the loops near Charge Pond and the area set aside for horse camping
- Every designated lot, from the East Entrance to the Rocky Pond and Fire Tower lots
The buffer applies to these facilities. It doesn't close the whole forest, and the DCR rules don't say trail by trail whether routes like East Head or the paved bike paths are open to hunting outside those 500-foot rings. DCR's general advice is to contact the forest about any special rules, and the Myles Standish staff line is (508) 866-2526.
Where The Saturday Opener Lands On The Map
The Oct. 17 opener matters more in some parts of the forest than others. According to DCR's trail materials, Myles Standish has two Wildlife Management Areas "specifically managed for pheasant and quail habitat." The map links the Bentley Trail Lot with a "Pheasant Wildlife Management Area" and labels the pull-off parking areas on Cutter Field Road as a "Quail Wildlife Management Area."
The Bentley Loop is the trail where this matters most. It's a 3.6-mile blue-blazed loop starting from the lot off Upper College Pond Road. DCR describes it as passing ponds and meadows and reminds hikers that it "travels through a Wildlife Management Area stocked with game birds during the fall. Be sure to wear blaze orange if you go out during the fall." The Cutter Field Road pull-offs also matter for long-distance hikers, because DCR names the fourth pull-off as an access point for the 8-mile Pine Barrens Path.
That map dates to 2016, and DCR's suggested-hikes guide was last updated in June 2020. Neither one is a 2026 layout. MassWildlife's current pages confirm yearly quail stocking at Myles Standish but don't list a 2026 pheasant release there, so the map's WMA labels are a general guide rather than this year's stocking plan. MassWildlife also warns that its schedule "is subject to change due to factors including equipment failure, personnel, inclement weather, high water, or other unforeseen circumstances."
The Calendar Shifts Four Times Before New Year's
The days, hours, and buffers above hold all season. The mix of hunters changes in four phases. All of these 2026 seasons apply statewide across Zones 1 through 14, the zones that include this forest.
| Dates in 2026 | What's open | What changes on the trail |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 5 – Oct. 16 | Archery deer and fall turkey, alongside black bear | Deer hunters are bow hunters, and hunting hours start before trail hours |
| Oct. 17 – Nov. 28 | Adds pheasant and quail, plus ruffed grouse | Bird hunters join, quail stocking runs through Thanksgiving week, and DCR flags the Bentley Loop area |
| Nov. 30 – Dec. 12 | Shotgun deer | Pheasant hunting closes, and deer hunters must wear heavy orange |
| Dec. 14 – Dec. 31 | Primitive firearms deer, with pheasant and quail back open | The year closes with two seasons running at once |
The two weeks of shotgun deer season bring the biggest change. For shotgun and primitive firearms seasons, deer hunters must wear 500 square inches of orange on their chest, back, and head. Archery season isn't on that list. During pheasant and quail season, hunters on stocked WMAs must wear an orange hat. So during the current archery weeks, the people least likely to be wearing orange are the hunters themselves, and that makes it more useful for trail users to wear it now.
Orange, Leashes, And The Dog Question
MassWildlife's advice for non-hunters is short. It suggests wearing "a blaze orange hat or vest as a precaution," skipping "earth-toned or animal-colored clothing," and putting "a blaze orange vest or bandana on your pet." If a hunter doesn't seem to have noticed you, the agency suggests making eye contact, waving, or speaking to them.
The forest's leash rule has an exception that dog owners may notice from Oct. 17 on. DCR's guidelines say dogs "should be on leash and under control at all times," with the exception of hunting dogs. An unleashed dog working a field near Cutter Field Road during bird season may be a lawful hunting dog. A leashed pet in an orange bandana is both following the rules and easy to see.
On horseback, the usual courtesy still applies. DCR asks trail users who meet a horse to stop, announce themselves, and wait for the rider's instructions.
Programs Wind Down As Hunting Ramps Up
The Saturday opener comes right after the forest's public program season ends. DCR's October 2026 program sheet for Myles Standish lists free guided programs from the Nature Center at 194 Cranberry Road in Carver. It notes that "programs end for the season on October 15th." That leaves the Friends group's Thursday and Sunday hikes as the main organized outings into late fall. The group also says its trail work usually happens in November, though it hasn't posted a 2026 date.
MassWildlife's same fall announcement says that "hunting is a safe activity and non-hunters should feel comfortable using the woods at any time of year." These seasons and rules come from MassWildlife and DCR and can change, so treat this as general information rather than legal advice and check the current regulations before you head out.
If being close to the forest is part of why you love West Plymouth, Lynne Morey is glad to talk about life near Myles Standish, from the Bentley Trail lot to the trailheads by Charge Pond, whenever you're thinking about your next move in Plymouth. Request a free consultation.
