Catamount Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 2
Catamount Wildlife Management Area is 413 acres of MassWildlife land in Colrain (Franklin County), in Wildlife Management Zone 2. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 617 deer in Zone 2 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Catamount 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)Catamount WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 413 acres (MassWildlife), in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Colrain |
| County | Franklin |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 2 |
| MassWildlife district | Connecticut Valley District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 2, 2025 | 617 (492 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Colrain (3 mi), Shelburne (3 mi) and Buckland (4 mi) |
What is Catamount WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property resides on the steep slopes of Houghton and Pine Hill and is bordered to the west by the Catamount State Forest. The area is almost all upland forest of transitional hardwoods and softwoods including oak, beech, white pine, and hemlock. A few small beaver marshes exist in the northeast corner. Meadow Brook, a small coldwater stream, flows out of McLeod Pond and through the WMA and empties into the North River."
On wildlife: "Examples of hickory-hop hornbeam natural communities can be found on this WMA."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Catamount WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Catamount WMA?
"This WMA provides hunting opportunities for species requiring mature forest including white-tailed deer, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, gray squirrel, and snowshoe hare."
On fishing: "Meadow Brook provides fishing opportunities for native Brook Trout. The North River provides fishing opportunities for smallmouth bass and stocked trout species. McCleod Pond provides fishing opportunities for warmwater species such as chain pickerel, bullheads, sunfish, and yellow perch. Go to mass.gov/trout for more information."
How do you get into Catamount WMA?
"No official parking area exists. The property can be accessed from Stacy Road where there are ample opportunities to park along the road in addition to the many pullouts."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Catamount WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 112 and MA 2. Distances to the nearest town centers: Colrain 3 miles, Shelburne 3 miles, Buckland 4 miles and Heath 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Flagg Mountain (4 miles), Green River (5 miles), Hog Mountain (6 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Catamount WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 2: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 244 deer to archers and 281 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 2 | 462 | 617 | 492 | 546 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Catamount WMA?
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 Catamount WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 2, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Catamount WMA in?
Zone 2, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 617 deer in Zone 2 in 2025, 492 of them adult males, after 546 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Catamount WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "No official parking area exists. The property can be accessed from Stacy Road where there are ample opportunities to park along the road in addition to the many pullouts."
What can you hunt on Catamount WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This WMA provides hunting opportunities for species requiring mature forest including white-tailed deer, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, gray squirrel, and snowshoe hare."
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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).