Bennett Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 8
Bennett Wildlife Management Area is 281 acres of MassWildlife land in Charlton (Worcester County), in Wildlife Management Zone 8. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Bennett WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landBennett WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 281 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Charlton |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 8 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 8, 2025 | 1,004 (625 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Charlton (3 mi), Leicester (4 mi) and Spencer (5 mi) |
What is Bennett WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property contains mixed hardwood and mature conifer forests as well as abandoned fields, Mountain Laurel stands, and lowland swamps."
On its habitat work: "Semiannual mowing of the fields occurs to provide habitat for upland species."
On wildlife: "This area supports many types of wildlife viewing opportunities with varied habitat types."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Bennett WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Bennett WMA?
"Mixed hardwood forest provides hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel. There are also marsh-bordered wetlands with beaver impoundments that provide additional wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities. This WMA is stocked with ring-necked pheasant."
Its rules for the area: "During pheasant season, a blaze orange hat must be worn by all hunters except while night-hunting raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat."
How do you get into Bennett WMA?
"Parking is located off of Gould Road; four vehicles can fit in the lot."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Bennett WMA.
Highways within five miles: I-90, US 20, MA 31, MA 9, I-395 and MA 56. Distances to the nearest town centers: Charlton 3 miles, Leicester 4 miles, Spencer 5 miles and Auburn 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Four Chimneys (2 miles), Hitchcock Mountain (5 miles), Moose Hill (7 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Bennett WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 8: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 429 deer to archers and 410 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 8 | 289 | 1,004 | 625 | 865 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Bennett 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 WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 8, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Bennett WMA in?
Zone 8, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025, 625 of them adult males, after 865 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Bennett WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Parking is located off of Gould Road; four vehicles can fit in the lot."
What can you hunt on Bennett WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Mixed hardwood forest provides hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel. There are also marsh-bordered wetlands with beaver impoundments that provide additional wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities. This WMA is stocked with ring-necked 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).