Ashby Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 5
Ashby Wildlife Management Area is 1,191 acres of MassWildlife land in Ashby and Ashburnham (Middlesex and Worcester counties), in Wildlife Management Zone 5. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 917 deer in Zone 5 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 10 parking areas for the property with room for about 19 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Ashby 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)Ashby WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 1,191 acres (MassWildlife), in 6 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Ashby and Ashburnham |
| County | Middlesex, Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 5 |
| MassWildlife district | Northeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 10 lots, about 19 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 5, 2025 | 917 (541 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Ashby (under a mile), Ashburnham (3 mi) and Fitchburg (6 mi) |
What is Ashby WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property is mostly hilly terrain with variations in elevation of more than 250 feet. Slopes vary from gentle to steep. The northern parcel is composed primarily of marsh and swamp dominated by red maple, buttonbush, cattails, reeds and grass hummocks. The southern parcel is predominantly wooded with a mixed-age forest of white pine, oak, and maple. There are 5 hay fields between 3 and 12 acres within this parcel. The upper reaches of the South Branch of the Souhegan River run through the northern parcel. It is 4-5 feet wide and 3-4 feet deep in this stretch, although extensive beaver activity has created a number of ponds. There is no standing water on the southern parcel, although there are some small, seasonably wet areas."
On its habitat work: "Five fields are maintained for open habitat."
On wildlife: "There are beaver flowages in the northern parcel of the WMA providing viewing opportunities for many species of wildlife inhabiting the flowages. Moose and black bear are frequently seen."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Ashby WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Ashby WMA?
"Waterfowl and furbearers (including river otter, muskrat, mink, raccoon and beaver) are common in the vicinity of the beaver flowages. Opportunities for hunting white-tailed deer, eastern coyote, fox, wild turkey, and squirrels are common in the uplands. Black bear are occasionally reported. Pheasant are stocked in the open fields bordering the abandoned road (Brooks Lane) that runs from West Street to Pillsbury Road. Brook trout are present in Bennetts Brook. Fishing is available from the shores of the upper portion of Watatic Pond off of Rt 119 and should be accessed from Pillsbury Road. The south branch of the Souhegan River is stocked with trout and flows along Flint Road. Go to mass.gov/trout for more information."
Its rules for the area: "During the pheasant season, a “hunter orange” hat is required for all hunters except while night-hunting raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat."
How do you get into Ashby WMA?
"Access to the WMA is possible from Route 119, West Road, and Bennett Road."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennett Road pull-off | 4 | Paved | Good | 42.70968 | -71.88537 |
| Parking along Watatic Mountain Road | 2 | Dirt | Fair | 42.70349 | -71.88151 |
| Ashby WMA- Flint Road | 1 | Dirt/Grass | Fair | 42.68357 | -71.86545 |
| Flint Rd. | 1 | Dirt/Grass | Good | 42.68032 | -71.87615 |
| Pillsbury Rd. pull-off | 2 | Dirt | Good | 42.69382 | -71.87454 |
| Pillsbury Rd. pull-off | 2 | Dirt | Good | 42.70346 | -71.86491 |
| Access through Souhegan Horse Farm - West Rd. | 3 | Dirt/Grass | Fair | 42.69225 | -71.85691 |
| Roadside parking on West Rd. | 2 | Dirt | Good | 42.69853 | -71.85728 |
| Pillsbury Rd. pull-off | 1 | Dirt | Fair | 42.69787 | -71.87310 |
| Roadside Parking | 1 | Grass/Pavement | Poor | 42.70068 | -71.87247 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: MA 119, MA 12, MA 31 and MA 101. Distances to the nearest town centers: Ashby under a mile, Ashburnham 3 miles, Fitchburg 6 miles and Townsend 7 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Trapfall Brook (2 miles), Scripture Hill (5 miles), Squannacook River (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Ashby WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 5: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 337 deer to archers and 411 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 5 | 1,209 | 917 | 541 | 798 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Ashby 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 Ashby WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 5, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Ashby WMA in?
Zone 5, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 917 deer in Zone 5 in 2025, 541 of them adult males, after 798 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Ashby WMA?
MassWildlife maps 10 parking areas: Bennett Road pull-off (about 4 cars, paved); Parking along Watatic Mountain Road (about 2 cars, dirt); Ashby WMA- Flint Road (one car, dirt/grass); Flint Rd. (one car, dirt/grass). Its fact sheet adds: "Access to the WMA is possible from Route 119, West Road, and Bennett Road."
What can you hunt on Ashby WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Waterfowl and furbearers (including river otter, muskrat, mink, raccoon and beaver) are common in the vicinity of the beaver flowages. Opportunities for hunting white-tailed deer, eastern coyote, fox, wild turkey, and squirrels are common in the uplands. Black bear are occasionally reported. Pheasant are stocked in the open fields bordering the abandoned road (Brooks Lane) that runs from West Street to Pillsbury Road."
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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).