Hop Brook Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 3
Hop Brook Wildlife Management Area is 527 acres of MassWildlife land in Lee and Tyringham (Berkshire County), in Wildlife Management Zone 3. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 706 deer in Zone 3 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 3 parking areas for the property with room for about 9 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Hop Brook 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)National Park ServiceHop Brook WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 527 acres (MassWildlife), in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Lee and Tyringham |
| County | Berkshire |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 3 |
| MassWildlife district | Western District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 3 lots, about 9 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 3, 2025 | 706 (419 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Lee (2 mi), Tyringham (3 mi) and Stockbridge (4 mi) |
What is Hop Brook WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property consists mostly of habitat that is seasonally flooded meadowland with attendant alder and willow shrub swamps. The northwestern portion of the area supports a seasonally flooded wooded swamp along the Housatonic River floodplain."
On its habitat work: "Fields off of Meadow Street are maintained for pheasant cover."
On wildlife: "The marshes along Hop Brook support many uncommon wetland species, including marsh birds, butterflies, and sedges."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Hop Brook WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Hop Brook WMA?
"Hop Brook WMA is a pheasant-stocked area. It is also excellent waterfowl habitat. Hop Brook provides fishing opportunities for native brook trout and reproducing brown trout in addition to stocked trout species. The Housatonic River provides catch-and release fishing opportunities for species such as black crappie, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, chain pickerel, carp, sunfish, and bullheads as well as native brook trout, reproducing brown trout and stocked trout species. Go to mass.gov/trout for more information. However, please see special regulations."
Its rules for the area: "During the pheasant season, a “hunter orange” hat is required for all hunters except while night-hunting raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat. Anglers should note that, due to PCB contamination, a Public Health Advisory has been issued on the consumption of fish from this portion of the Housatonic River."
How do you get into Hop Brook WMA?
"Parking areas are located on Meadow Street and Fernside Road in Lee. There is also a place to park at the end of Run Way."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parking | 4 | Gravel | Fair | 42.26415 | -73.25074 |
| Parking | 3 | Stone | Poor | 42.27121 | -73.24934 |
| informal parking area at the end of industrial park | 2 | Grass/Gravel | Fair | 42.28095 | -73.24707 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: I-90, US 20, US 7, MA 102 and MA 183. Distances to the nearest town centers: Lee 2 miles, Tyringham 3 miles, Stockbridge 4 miles and Monterey 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Kampoosa Fen (3 miles), Agawam Lake (4 miles), Shales Brook (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Hop Brook WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 3: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 259 deer to archers and 311 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | 500 | 706 | 419 | 650 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Hop Brook 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 Hop Brook WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 3, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Hop Brook WMA in?
Zone 3, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 706 deer in Zone 3 in 2025, 419 of them adult males, after 650 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Hop Brook WMA?
MassWildlife maps 3 parking areas: a lot (about 4 cars, gravel); a lot (about 3 cars, stone); informal parking area at the end of industrial park (about 2 cars, grass/gravel). Its fact sheet adds: "Parking areas are located on Meadow Street and Fernside Road in Lee. There is also a place to park at the end of Run Way."
What can you hunt on Hop Brook WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Hop Brook WMA is a pheasant-stocked area. It is also excellent waterfowl habitat. Hop Brook provides fishing opportunities for native brook trout and reproducing brown trout in addition to stocked trout species."
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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).