Bennett Meadows Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 4N
Bennett Meadows Wildlife Management Area is 201 acres of MassWildlife land in Northfield (Franklin County), in Wildlife Management Zone 4N. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 727 deer in Zone 4N in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 10 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Bennett Meadows 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)Bennett Meadows WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 201 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Northfield |
| County | Franklin |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 4N |
| MassWildlife district | Connecticut Valley District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 1 lot, about 10 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 4N, 2025 | 727 (472 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Northfield (under a mile), Gill (4 mi) and Bernardston (4 mi) |
What is Bennett Meadows WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property is owned by First Light Power Resources and cooperatively managed with DFW. It abuts the west side of the Connecticut River and consists of open fields used for agricultural crops such as hay and corn. Bennett Brook, a small stream along the west side of the property, flows through beaver-created shrub swamps where it eventually empties into the Connecticut River. On the western slopes is a ridge of upland forest containing oak and hickories with lower slopes near the river consisting of floodplain forest trees such as basswood and silver maple."
On its habitat work: "This property is managed by growing specific agricultural crops that provide food and cover for wildlife throughout the year."
On wildlife: "The mixture of open fields, wetlands, and forest make this WMA popular during spring migration for both songbirds and waterfowl."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Bennett Meadows WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Bennett Meadows WMA?
"This area is stocked with ring-necked pheasant throughout the pheasant season. Waterfowl can be found in the beaver impoundments. Other opportunities exist for crow, American woodcock, cottontail rabbits, gray squirrel, aquatic furbearers, and raccoon."
Its rules for the area: "Bennett Meadows WMA is a pheasant-stocked property and a “hunter orange” hat is required for all hunters during the pheasant season."
On fishing: "The Connecticut River offers warmwater fishing opportunities and seasonal fishing for anadromous fish such as American shad. The steep banks make access to the river challenging and limited to foot traffic. Bennett Brook offers fishing opportunities for native brook trout."
How do you get into Bennett Meadows WMA?
"The parking area is located off of Route 10 west of Northfield Center and consists of an unmaintained dirt parking lot that can hold around 10 vehicles. Parking lots are not maintained in winter."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmaintained | 10 | Dirt | Good | 42.68186 | -72.47272 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: I-91, MA 10, MA 63, US 5, MA 142 and MA 2. Distances to the nearest town centers: Northfield under a mile, Gill 4 miles, Bernardston 4 miles and Erving 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Pauchaug Brook (3 miles), Satan's Kingdom (4 miles), Darwin Scott (4 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Bennett Meadows WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 4N: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 263 deer to archers and 343 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 4N | 201 | 727 | 472 | 612 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Bennett Meadows 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 Bennett Meadows WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 4N, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Bennett Meadows WMA in?
Zone 4N, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 727 deer in Zone 4N in 2025, 472 of them adult males, after 612 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Bennett Meadows WMA?
MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: Unmaintained (about 10 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "The parking area is located off of Route 10 west of Northfield Center and consists of an unmaintained dirt parking lot that can hold around 10 vehicles. Parking lots are not maintained in winter."
What can you hunt on Bennett Meadows WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This area is stocked with ring-necked pheasant throughout the pheasant season. Waterfowl can be found in the beaver impoundments. Other opportunities exist for crow, American woodcock, cottontail rabbits, gray squirrel, aquatic furbearers, and raccoon."
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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).