Massachusetts Hunting & Fishing

Massachusetts offers more outdoor opportunity than its reputation suggests, with productive saltwater fishing, surprisingly good deer hunting, and a strong wild turkey population. Hunting guides in Massachusetts work the forested hill country of the central and western parts of the state for whitetail and turkey, while coastal guides run waterfowl hunts in the salt marshes. The state's wildlife management areas provide solid public access despite the region's density.

Fishing charters in Massachusetts are the real draw. The waters off Cape Cod, the Islands, and Cape Cod Bay are among the best on the East Coast for striped bass and bluefish, and offshore trips chase bluefin tuna and cod on Stellwagen Bank and Georges Bank. The Quabbin Reservoir adds a notable cold-water lake trout and salmon fishery inland. For coastal anglers, Massachusetts is a destination in its own right.