Why do the 300 Committee Land Trust's two biggest outings this month, the Pedals to Parcels ride and the Quashnet River dog hike, both fall on a Sunday?
The land trust hasn't said whether it planned it that way. Still, the timing fits with something every Falmouth walker should keep in mind this fall. Massachusetts archery deer season opened October 5 and runs through November 28, 2026. The 300 Committee's hunting guidance says in capital letters that hunting is never allowed on Sundays. That means late October in Falmouth's woods works on two schedules at once: a packed lineup of guided walks and workshops, and a hunting season that shares the same weeks and some of the same land. Knowing how the two line up tells you where to walk, and on which day.
The rules that keep the two apart
The 300 Committee allows hunting only on its properties with the proper setbacks and without deed or easement restrictions. Hunting is also allowed on several town- and state-owned parcels. Beyond the Sunday rule, hunting is prohibited within 500 feet of a dwelling or 150 feet of a paved road.
The trust calls hunting accidents "extremely rare." It still recommends wearing orange or another bright color during the season and checking with the property owner before you hike.
The rest of the fall calendar, from the state's 2026 season summary:
- Archery deer: October 5 to November 28
- Pheasant and quail: October 17 to December 31
- Ruffed grouse: October 17 to November 28
- Shotgun deer: November 30 to December 12
Bird seasons open on Saturday, October 17. So from the third weekend of October on, more than one season is running on every day except Sunday.
Which properties sit on which side
The 300 Committee keeps a Falmouth Hunting List that sorts local properties by whether hunting is allowed. It's useful, with two caveats. The file dates from 2024, and the trust says it "may not include every relevant property in town." With that in mind:
| Hunting allowed, per the list | Hunting not allowed, per the list |
|---|---|
| Long Pond / Town Forest | Beebe Woods |
| Northern Moraine Trail area | Peterson Farm |
| Flume Pond |
The right-hand column covers some of Falmouth's most-used walking land. Beebe Woods is the glacial ground of hills, kettle holes, and boulders, with parking by the Cape Cod Conservatory, on Ter Heun Drive, or at Kelly Woodland for the western side. Peterson Farm adds sheep-grazed pasture, woodland, and pond and marsh habitat, and its trails connect to Beebe Woods and Miles/Ice House Pond. You reach it by a narrow paved road with lower and upper lots. On a Saturday in November, these two connected properties are the obvious pick for a long walk without blaze orange.
The left-hand column includes the Moraine Trail, the white-blazed route that runs mostly north to south through moraine woodland. Its own page puts it at about 10 miles, while the Goodwill Park page calls it a 9-mile trail. The trail page has other cautions that apply year-round. Unauthorized dirt-bike tracks cross the trail, and the trust asks hikers to leave a note in their vehicle when parking at access areas. In archery season, the northern stretch is the place for bright layers.
Late October, day by day
With the rules above, here's how the 300 Committee's late-October calendar falls by day of the week:
| Date | Event | Where | Sunday? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Oct. 18, 9 AM to noon | Pedals to Parcels ride, 14 miles, 14 conservation stops in North and West Falmouth | Starts at Chapoquoit Beach | Yes |
| Wed., Oct. 21, 10 to 11 AM | Family nature-crafts workshop | 13 Thomas B. Landers Road | No |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 12:30 to 2 PM | Native-seed collection walk | Teaticket Park, 205 Teaticket Highway | No |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 6 to 7:30 PM | North Falmouth Woodlands trail meeting | North Falmouth Elementary School | No |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 12:30 to 2 PM | Native-seed collection walk | Coonamessett Greenway, 100 John Parker Road | No |
| Sun., Oct. 25, 1 to 3 PM | Leashed-dog hike, 3 miles, moderate pace | Quashnet River, parking off or along Martin Road | Yes |
| Tue., Oct. 27, 12:30 to 2 PM | Native-seed collection walk | Coonamessett Reservation, parking on Ranch Road | No |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 5:30 to 7:30 PM | Halloween campfire picnic with stories, songs, and s'mores; rain cancels | Andrew's Grove | No |
Spots are limited. The ride takes 40 cyclists, and registration closes today, October 11. The seed walks cap registration at 15, and the dog hike at 10. The ride listing doesn't name its 14 stops or post a route map.
Thursday, October 22 is the fullest day on the list. You could collect native seed at midday and spend the evening helping plan a trail that doesn't exist yet.
What the Coonamessett turned up in September
The seed walks at the Coonamessett sites come a month after the trust's closest look yet at that ground. On September 19 and 20, volunteers, residents, and taxa experts held a 24-hour BioBlitz at the Upper Coonamessett River bogs off Hatchville Road in East Falmouth. Using iNaturalist, they logged about 780 observations of 350 species.
The 300 Committee's write-up lists a few standout finds:
- Twelve-spotted and purple tiger beetles, rare or state-listed species that have been recorded at the Upper and Lower Coonamessett before and do well in its sandy, gravelly soil
- A water-willow stem borer moth, found only in southeastern Massachusetts including the Cape and Islands. It feeds only on swamp loosestrife and is classified as imperiled both locally and globally.
- A green frog that was half blue and half green because of a genetic mutation
The event honored naturalists Don Schall and Beth Schwarzman. Schwarzman helped plan the first BioBlitz in 2010, wrote Nature of Cape Cod, and designed many of the trust's trail maps. Falmouth and Harwich were this year's two host sites under a Cape-wide biodiversity effort led by the Dennis Conservation Land Trust.
The site is easy to walk. The Upper Coonamessett bogs reopened in summer 2025 after restoration, with an ADA-accessible 1-mile path and three river bridges. The larger Coonamessett Greenway Heritage Trail runs 3 miles with shorter loops, a wheelchair-accessible section of nearly a mile, two boardwalk river crossings, and educational waystations. The Gateway at 100 John Parker Road is one of the listed access points. The full data analysis is still in progress, and the trust says it may share findings at a public talk. A volunteer thank-you party, which it calls BioBliss, is planned for November.
The trail that's still on paper
The 300 Committee's newest trail project sits in North Falmouth. The trust bought the parcel in installments, closing in January 2025 and January 2026, which permanently protects 48 acres. Public access is planned but not open yet.
The community meeting on October 22 runs from 6 to 7:30 PM at North Falmouth Elementary School: food and social time first, a presentation at 6:30, and questions and feedback from 7. The plan has two parts. Staff, volunteers, and community members will cut a 1-mile loop trail by hand. The ADA-accessible path depends on Community Preservation funding, which the trust is seeking in order to hire an eco-design firm to design and build it. Registration is through the trust's online form, and questions go to Grace Vachon at the 300 Committee.
After October
The overlap doesn't end with the Halloween campfire. Archery season runs to November 28. Two days later, shotgun deer season starts on November 30 and runs through December 12. The 300 Committee's own reminder is direct: "December is deer shotgun hunting season: wear orange and take care." Its posted season guide still links to the 2024 to 2025 state summary, so check the state's 2026 page for current dates.
Through those weeks, the same tools still help. Sundays stay hunting-free. Beebe Woods, Peterson Farm, and Flume Pond were on the no-hunting side of the trust's most recent list. And when you head into the northern Moraine Trail, wear bright colors.
Lynn grew up in Falmouth and still walks these trails as a neighbor. If you're thinking about how conservation land around a street or village shapes daily life there, whether that's a trail at the end of the road or a planned loop in North Falmouth, the team at O'Neill Group is glad to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
