Darwin Scott Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 4N
Darwin Scott Wildlife Management Area is 27 acres of MassWildlife land in Bernardston (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.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Darwin Scott WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landDarwin Scott WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 27 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Bernardston |
| County | Franklin |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 4N |
| MassWildlife district | Connecticut Valley District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 4N, 2025 | 727 (472 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Bernardston (2 mi), Gill (4 mi) and Leyden (4 mi) |
What is Darwin Scott WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This WMA consists of a small beaver pond surrounded by a shrub swamp. This property was once hayfields and then used as a borrow pit for the construction of Interstate Route 91."
On its habitat work: "The property is subject to siltation from the surrounding hillsides, and the town of Bernardston has a management plan that includes dredging periodically to keep the area from flooding."
On wildlife: "This property provides opportunities for bird watching and wildlife tracking. The beaver impoundment is a good staging and viewing area for migrating waterfowl."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Darwin Scott WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Darwin Scott WMA?
"This WMA, surrounded by residential areas, is too small to provide hunting opportunities; however, trapping for aquatic furbearers is an option."
How do you get into Darwin Scott WMA?
"No official parking area exists. The property can be accessed from Depot Street."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Darwin Scott WMA.
Highways within five miles: I-91, MA 10, US 5, MA 2, MA 63 and MA 142. Distances to the nearest town centers: Bernardston 2 miles, Gill 4 miles, Leyden 4 miles and Greenfield 4 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Leyden (3 miles), Satan's Kingdom (3 miles), Shattuck Brook (4 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Darwin Scott 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 | 27 | 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 Darwin Scott 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 Darwin Scott 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 Darwin Scott 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).
How do you get into Darwin Scott WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "No official parking area exists. The property can be accessed from Depot Street."
What can you hunt on Darwin Scott WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This WMA, surrounded by residential areas, is too small to provide hunting opportunities; however, trapping for aquatic furbearers is an option."
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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).