Hunting Areas

Figuring out where hunting is/isn't allowed in Hopkinton can be somewhat tricky. State regulations require hunting areas to be a distance of 500 feet from any buildings and 150 feet from any roads. That eliminates many smaller parcels. The next check is on ownership. There are three classes of ownership:

• Private. Some trails in town go through privately owned land where the landowner allows responsible access & use. It's up to those owners to control hunting on their land. They may post signs if hunting is not allowed, but that's not guaranteed.
• Public land owned or controlled by various entities, including the State, the Town (Schools, Parks & Recreation), Hopkinton Area Land Trust (HALT), Massachusetts Audubon Society, Sudbury Valley Trustees. These entities generally (but not always) prohibit hunting on their land.
• Public land owned by the Town of Hopkinton. As long as it meets the state distance regulations, and isn't controlled by some entity that doesn't allow hunting, it's technically open for hunting.
  

Here's a map of all of the Town-owned parcels of land. Some fall into the 2nd category above (controlled by HALT, the schools, or Parks & Rec), but not all. Until a map is available showing hunting status for all parcels, some spots where hunting is/isn't allowed are listed below. For any trails on land that isn't on either of these lists (especially private land), use caution and common sense.

Remember: You CAN walk on trails on land where hunting is allowed during hunting season (unless the landowner has closed it). Just be aware that hunting may be going on and take the usual precautions. Wear brightly colored clothing (preferably blaze orange), keep your dog leashed (and have it wear orange as well), walk on Sundays (when hunting is prohibited), be aware of your suroundings.

Places where hunting is allowed:

• Hopkinton Town Forest
• Cameron Woods
• Phipps Woods
• Upton State Forest (portions in Hopkinton)
• Land around College Rock (portions of Hopkinton, Holliston, Milford)

Places where hunting is prohibited:

• State Parks (Hopkinton State Park, Whitehall State Park)
• Audubon's Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary
• Sudbury Valley Trustees properties (Whitehall Woods and Highland Park)
• All HALT properties, with the exception of Cameron Woods
• All School properties (including the school's portion of the Center Trail)
• Fruit Street recreation complex (also covered in part by HALT)