Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 10
Salisbury Salt Marsh Wildlife Management Area is 825 acres of MassWildlife land in Salisbury (Essex County), in Wildlife Management Zone 10. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 2,515 deer in Zone 10 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 4 parking areas for the property with room for about 5 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landState forest and park land (DCR)National wildlife refugeSalisbury Salt Marsh WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 825 acres (MassWildlife), in 51 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Salisbury |
| County | Essex |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 10 |
| MassWildlife district | Northeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 4 lots, about 5 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 10, 2025 | 2,515 (1,320 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Newburyport (under a mile), Newbury (3 mi) and Amesbury (4 mi) |
What is Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property consists of many parcels spread across the Salisbury salt marshes. There are a variety of habitats including freshwater streams, uplands, and intercoastal tidal marshland. The majority of the WMA consists of salt marsh habitat."
On its habitat work: "Removal of a building on the property was completed during summer of 2016. Historical fisherman access was also restored on Sweet Apple Tree Lane. Invasive species controls are implemented in the same location. Field and shrublands are maintained off of Ferry Road."
On wildlife: "Migratory birds are abundant, and proximity to coastal waterways attracts an abundance of bird species."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
"Individual parcels vary by habitat and wildlife diversity; however, white-tailed deer and waterfowl are abundant throughout the area providing hunting opportunities. There are hunting opportunities for American woodcock which are present in the fields and open areas. This area is not stocked with pheasant. There are excellent fishing opportunities within tidal creeks and along the confluences of the following creeks to the Merrimack River; Middle Creek, Shad Creek, Town Creek, and Morrill Creek. These areas are especially known for the abundance of striped bass. Fishing Regulations"
How do you get into Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
"Sweet Apple Tree Lane hosts multiple access points, with a parking area and shrubland/field access and parking at the terminal gate with fisherman access to Marshals Rock and the point. Many areas are accessible only from boat via the tidal creeks."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetappletree Lane | 2 | Paved | Good | 42.82324 | -70.85109 |
| Sweet Appletree Ln. pull-off | 1 | Dirt/Grass | Good | 42.82610 | -70.85447 |
| Ferry Rd. pull-off | 1 | Dirt/Grass | Fair | 42.82650 | -70.85823 |
| Roadside Parking on Dock Ln. | 1 | Paved | Good | 42.83640 | -70.84001 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: I-95, US 1, I-495, MA 110, MA 113 and MA 150. Distances to the nearest town centers: Newburyport under a mile, Newbury 3 miles, Amesbury 4 miles and West Newbury 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: William Forward (4 miles), Martin H. Burns (4 miles), Crane Pond (7 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 10: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31 and a winter season January 1 to 30, 2027. In 2025 the zone gave 1,435 deer to archers and 645 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 10 | 1,075 | 2,515 | 1,320 | 2,423 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
It is stocked with pheasant, so every hunter must wear a blaze orange hat during pheasant season, except raccoon and opossum hunters at night and waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat. Under 321 CMR 3.01, camping, fires and target practice need the Director's written permission, vehicles stay on roads open to traffic, and dogs must be leashed unless hunting or training with a licensed hunter.
Source: MassWildlife WMA regulations.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 10, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA in?
Zone 10, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 2,515 deer in Zone 10 in 2025, 1,320 of them adult males, after 2,423 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
MassWildlife maps 4 parking areas: Sweetappletree Lane (about 2 cars, paved); Sweet Appletree Ln. pull-off (one car, dirt/grass); Ferry Rd. pull-off (one car, dirt/grass); Roadside Parking on Dock Ln. (one car, paved). Its fact sheet adds: "Sweet Apple Tree Lane hosts multiple access points, with a parking area and shrubland/field access and parking at the terminal gate with fisherman access to Marshals Rock and the point. Many areas are accessible only from boat via the tidal creeks."
What can you hunt on Salisbury Salt Marsh WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Individual parcels vary by habitat and wildlife diversity; however, white-tailed deer and waterfowl are abundant throughout the area providing hunting opportunities. There are hunting opportunities for American woodcock which are present in the fields and open areas. This area is not stocked with pheasant."
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Sources: MassWildlife fact sheet; MassWildlife Lands (MassGIS); MassWildlife parking for recreation; MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates); MassWildlife WMA regulations; public land MassGIS Protected and Recreational OpenSpace for state and Army Corps land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land; towns U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, towns (county subdivisions). FilledTag is not part of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife).