Hartley Reservoir Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 11
Hartley Reservoir Wildlife Management Area is 70 acres of MassWildlife land in Rochester (Plymouth County), in Wildlife Management Zone 11. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 4,153 deer in Zone 11 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Hartley Reservoir WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landHartley Reservoir WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 70 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Rochester |
| County | Plymouth |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 11 |
| MassWildlife district | Southeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 11, 2025 | 4,153 (2,120 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Rochester (under a mile), Acushnet (3 mi) and Marion (6 mi) |
What is Hartley Reservoir WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "The majority of Hartley Reservoir WMA is made up of shallow flooded impoundments that were formerly part of an active cranberry bog operation. Common wetland vegetation on the property includes red maple, sweet pepperbush, water milfoil, water lily, reedgrass, and buttonbush, with the upland portions dominated by white pine, red oak, black oak, red maple, black cherry and lowbush blueberry. The remnant dike roads on the property are dominated by upland grasses, and they are maintained by regular mowing to serve as walking trails. The Mattapoisett River flows through the WMA, with a small dam located at the south end of the property. There is also a bypass canal that was created to ensure passage of River Herring that spawn upstream in Snipatuit Pond. “Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir” has served as the starting point for the annual Memorial Day Mattapoisett River canoe race since it began in 1934."
On its habitat work: "MassWildlife manages this WMA to provide a series of shallow impoundments to benefit warmwater fish, migratory birds, amphibians, and other wetland-dependent wildlife species."
On wildlife: "Wildlife viewing is quite good due to the dike trails, habitat diversity and extent of open wetlands associated with the former cranberry bogs. The area that is now the Hartley Reservoir WMA was originally part of an active cranberry bog operation dating back to the early to mid 1900s. At the time of the Division’s acquisition of the property in 1968, the bogs had been abandoned for some time; however the entire cranberry bog infrastructure remained including flume (water control structures) and former bog units."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Hartley Reservoir WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Hartley Reservoir WMA?
"Hunting is not encouraged on this property and is limited to the middle portion of the WMA within the flooded impoundments. Please note the southwestern portion of the WMA (roughly the southern half of the impoundment just north of the dam) is closed to hunting due to the 500 foot discharge setbacks associated with the nearby elementary school and residential neighborhood. Signage has been erected on the WMA to assist hunters in identifying and avoiding this area. The flooded impoundments on the WMA provide an attractive location for warmwater fishing for species such as largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, sunfish, and brown bullhead. The Mattapoisett River provides fishing opportunities for crappie, bullhead, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, sunfish, and yellow perch. All of these species likely also inhabit “Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir” as it is an impoundment of the river. Additionally, the Mattapoisett River is annually stocked in the spring with brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout and/or tiger trout. For more information on trout stocking, please visit mass.gov/trout."
Its rules for the area: "The southwestern portion of the WMA (roughly the southern half of the impoundment just north of the dam) is closed to hunting due to the 500 foot discharge setbacks associated with the nearby elementary school and residential neighborhood. Signage has been erected on the WMA to assist hunters in identifying and avoiding this area."
How do you get into Hartley Reservoir WMA?
"The WMA is accessible via a small dirt parking lot located on the north side of Hartley Road, approximately 600 feet west of the intersection with Snipatuit Road. From that point, foot access is available throughout the property via the network of old cranberry bog dike roads."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Hartley Reservoir WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 105, MA 140, I-195 and MA 18. Distances to the nearest town centers: Rochester under a mile, Acushnet 3 miles, Marion 6 miles and Mattapoisett 6 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Mattapoisett River (3 miles), Haskell Swamp (4 miles), Black Brook (4 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Hartley Reservoir WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 11: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31 and a winter season January 1 to 30, 2027. In 2025 the zone gave 2,139 deer to archers and 1,358 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 11 | 76 | 4,153 | 2,120 | 3,830 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Hartley Reservoir 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 Hartley Reservoir WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 11, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Hartley Reservoir WMA in?
Zone 11, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 4,153 deer in Zone 11 in 2025, 2,120 of them adult males, after 3,830 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Hartley Reservoir WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "The WMA is accessible via a small dirt parking lot located on the north side of Hartley Road, approximately 600 feet west of the intersection with Snipatuit Road. From that point, foot access is available throughout the property via the network of old cranberry bog dike roads."
What can you hunt on Hartley Reservoir WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Hunting is not encouraged on this property and is limited to the middle portion of the WMA within the flooded impoundments. Please note the southwestern portion of the WMA (roughly the southern half of the impoundment just north of the dam) is closed to hunting due to the 500 foot discharge setbacks associated with the nearby elementary school and residential neighborhood."
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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).