Where should you walk in Falmouth on a Tuesday morning in November, and does the answer change on Sunday? This month it does. Maine's regular firearms season for deer opened November 2 and runs through November 28, 2026. In Falmouth, a single north-south road largely decides which woods are part of that season.
Most of the town's big inland forests are open to hunters. The Foreside side is mostly closed to firearms. One weekday each week has no hunting anywhere in Maine. The Falmouth Land Trust's own November calendar happens to line up with all three.
The line is Middle Road
Falmouth's hunting guide puts it simply. Hunting is permitted on land west of Middle Road, apart from listed prohibited areas. East of Middle Road, firearms may not be discharged, except in two shoreline sections set aside for waterfowl. The town also allows only shotgun and archery hunting, which is stricter than state law. Modern in-line and rifled muzzleloaders are not permitted.
Under that guide, the town's public lands fall into three groups:
- Open to hunting: North Falmouth Community Forest, Blackstrap Hill Community Forest, Suckfish Brook Conservation Area, Hadlock Community Forest, Hardy Road Conservation Area, River Point Conservation Area, Woods Road Community Forest and the Trails at Falmouth Corners. Also open are East Branch Conservation Area and town property off Longwoods Road, which have no town access point, so you reach them only with an abutting landowner's permission.
- Archery only: Town Forest.
- Closed to hunting with firearm or bow: Community Park, Walton Park and Presumpscot Falls Park, Pleasant Hill Preserve, and all Falmouth school property.
The guide's map is dated October 30, 2019. Even so, the town's October 23, 2026 newsletter still points residents to it, along with the current ordinance text. The newsletter also notes that orange signs at trailheads and in parking lots mark where hunting is allowed. The newsletter also asks residents to wear hunter or blaze orange on public lands this season, and suggests an orange vest, collar or leash for dogs. The Falmouth Hunting Zones and Guidelines map is the page to keep handy.
Two owners in the same woods
The Blackstrap complex shows why the map matters. The Falmouth Land Trust describes Blackstrap Hill Preserve as a popular hunting area. The Land Trust and the Town split ownership of it. The Land Trust's own list of lands open to hunting includes Blackstrap Hill, Carr, Hurricane Valley Farm, Morrill-Stillings, Ridgewood, North Falmouth, Hadlock, Hardy Road, River Point, Suckfish Brook and Woods Road. It asks every trail user to wear blaze orange during the season.
On Land Trust-owned parcels, hunters also need the trust's annual permit and written confirmation. Hurricane Valley Farm and Morrill-Stillings are archery only, with no dogs. The Land Trust's hunting page covers those rules. The town guide covers the town's parcels. In practice, a walk on the Blackstrap ridge can cross both.
Sunday is the inland day
Maine still bars hunting on Sundays. Under state statute, hunting wild animals or birds on a Sunday is a Class E crime. The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife lists Sunday hunting as illegal on its current general-laws page. The 2026 firearms season therefore runs Monday through Saturday until November 28.
The Land Trust's one November walk on hunting-open land falls on a Sunday. Maine Master Naturalists Mary, Anne and Jack will lead a free guided walk at Suckfish Brook Conservation Area, 4 Upland Way, on Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 3:15 p.m. The topic is how the forest and bog get ready for winter. Suckfish Brook is town-owned, and both town and Land Trust materials list it as open to hunting. The Land Trust notes roots, rocks and bog bridges on the route. Registration is through the Land Trust's events page or by calling 207-200-5488.
The weekday calendar sits east of Middle Road
The rest of the Land Trust's November program, and much of Maine Audubon's, takes place on the Foreside side and the coastal edge. Here is the schedule from publication day on:
| Date | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 12, 7–9 a.m. | Thursday Bird Walk, free, no registration | Gilsland Farm Audubon Center |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Beginner Bird Walk | Gilsland Farm Audubon Center |
| Sat., Nov. 14, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Fall Birdseed Sale, with a 10 a.m. bird walk | Gilsland Farm Audubon Center |
| Sun., Nov. 15, 2–3:15 p.m. | Guided walk | Suckfish Brook Conservation Area |
| Wed., Nov. 25, 10–11:30 a.m. | Forest PlayGroup, ages 2–5 | Pine Grove Preserve, 34 Foreside Road |
| Fri., Nov. 27, 10–11:15 a.m. | Green Friday Guided Walk | Underwood Springs trailhead, 11 U.S. Route 1 |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1–2:30 p.m. | Nature Journaling Walk and Workshop | Falmouth Land Trust office |
Pine Grove and Underwood Springs are not on the Land Trust's list of hunting-open lands, and neither property page lists hunting as an allowed use. The Forest PlayGroup at Pine Grove is run with Greater Portland Forest Playgroup. It parks in the small lot just north of Pine Grove School and asks families to register ahead.
The Green Friday walk falls the day after Thanksgiving, in the last week of the firearms season. Land Trust board member Rick Scala will lead it through Underwood Springs Forest and Woodman Preserve, possibly ending at Town Landing. Some of the ground will be new. This summer, raised gravel sections were built at Underwood Springs to help drain the wet stretches. Town Landing sits at the end of Town Landing Road off Foreside Road. It has a public beach, a boat launch, benches and limited parking.
Where the dog can come
Choosing the coastal side doesn't settle everything for dog owners. At Gilsland Farm, trails are free and open sunrise to sunset all year, but dogs are not allowed, even on a leash. From November 1 through March 31, the visitor center and nature store are open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mackworth Island takes leashed dogs on its 1.5-mile perimeter loop. Its fairy village is a set-aside area where children build small houses from natural materials. It is a state park, and the town's facility page lists parking from dawn to dusk. Entry is $3 for adult Maine residents and $4 for adult nonresidents. Maine residents 65 and older get in free, according to the state's day-use fee schedule.
The town's orange-vest-or-leash advice applies anywhere a dog walk crosses the hunting-open lands.
The shoreline has its own season
East of Middle Road, firearms are allowed in two waterfowl-only strips. Section A is the area within 50 feet inland of the Presumpscot River estuary, from Interstate 295 along the northerly shore to a point near Greenway Drive. Section B is the Casco Bay shoreline from the point separating Portland Country Club and the Berry Estate north to the Cumberland town line.
Maine's coastal-zone duck season, which includes sea ducks, opened November 5 and runs to January 5, 2027. That means the coastal edge of Section B stays in season after the inland deer season ends. The details are on the state's migratory game bird page.
After November 28
The deer calendar doesn't end with the regular season. Statewide muzzleloader season runs November 30 through December 5, 2026. Expanded archery, limited to designated areas, continues through December 12. Falmouth's guide notes that expanded archery zones run through town and can change from season to season.
Muzzleloader week overlaps with Very Merry Falmouth, December 3 through 5:
- Thursday, December 3, 5:30 p.m.: Community tree lighting at Village Park off Hat Trick Drive.
- Friday, December 4, 6 to 8 p.m.: Merry Mix & Mingle in the American Legion parking lot, 65 Depot Road, with fireworks from Legion Fields at 7.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m.: Ugly Sweater 5K and Merry Mile from the American Legion, benefiting Falmouth Memorial Library. Skating at Twombly Pond runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting, and holiday fairs are held at Foreside Community Church, 340 Foreside Road, and St. Mary's, 43 Foreside Road.
The inland trails themselves are also being planned. On November 5, the Town, the Falmouth Land Trust and Greater Portland NEMBA held an open house at Town Hall on a trail master plan for Blackstrap Preserve and North Falmouth Community Forest. Outdoor Sport Institute is drafting the plan. Organizers describe it as a response to storm damage, erosion and heavier use, aimed at a sustainable and resilient network. Mountain biking is already an allowed use at both properties. Both forests are also on the town's list of lands open to hunting, so the network under redesign is the same one the orange trailhead signs cover each fall.
This post covers hunting rules as general information only. It is not legal advice, so please check the current ordinance, the town map and state regulations before heading out. Our agents follow how Falmouth's trail network, Land Trust preserves and coastal access shape life in town week to week. If the trails nearby matter to how you think about a home here, Legacy Sotheby's Intl Realty can walk you through that piece of the town.
