John J. Kelly Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 4S

John J. Kelly Wildlife Management Area is 342 acres of MassWildlife land in Chester (Hampden County), in Wildlife Management Zone 4S. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 479 deer in Zone 4S in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 3 vehicles.

Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's John J. Kelly WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).

What is John J. Kelly WMA like?

MassWildlife describes it: "John J. Kelly WMA is comprised primarily of steep hillsides of mature northern hardwood forest interspersed with stands of hemlock. The area also includes approximately 1,000 feet of frontage along Walker Brook, but the access is steep and difficult. A historic rail bed runs along a flat parallel to Walker Brook and is marked by informational signage. The hill that now makes up the Kelly WMA was an important area for mining iron pyrite, emery, and other minerals. As a result, the area has loose rock, fissures, and openings on some of the slopes. Visitors unfamiliar with the area should use caution."

Quoted from MassWildlife's John J. Kelly WMA fact sheet.

What does MassWildlife say about hunting John J. Kelly WMA?

"Game species that utilize mature forests, including white-tailed deer, eastern coyote, black bear, and wild turkey, can be pursued on this property. Walker Brook is a coldwater stream which supports some natural trout reproduction. It is a high gradient stream containing riffles with medium to large boulders. The stream has been straightened in this section by the historic rail line and Route 20. Walker Brook is stocked with trout each spring. For more information on trout stocking, visit mass.gov/trout."

Its rules for the area: "No person, except under written permission of the Director or his authorized agent, shall enter into or within any mine, shaft, pit, cave, adit, drift, or tunnel within the bounds of the John J. Kelly Memorial Forest and Wildlife Management Area. Regulatory Authority: M.G.L. c. 131, § 6 and 321 CMR 3.01(1)(m)."

How do you get into John J. Kelly WMA?

"The only functional access is from a small dirt parking area on Hampden Street just east of the Intersection with Route 20. The parking area is marked with sigs and has space for 3 vehicles. From this lot, users can access the old rail bed and start to ascend the steep slopes to the south and east."

From MassWildlife parking for recreation.

Highways within five miles: I-90, US 20 and MA 8. Distances to the nearest town centers: Chester 2 miles, Becket 5 miles, Blandford 5 miles and Huntington 6 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Abbott Brook (2 miles), Walnut Hill (4 miles), Hiram H. Fox (6 miles).

When can you hunt deer on John J. Kelly WMA in 2026?

Deer seasons follow Zone 4S: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 202 deer to archers and 199 in shotgun season.

Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.

What rules apply on John J. Kelly 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 John J. Kelly WMA?

Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 4S, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).

What zone is John J. Kelly WMA in?

Zone 4S, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 479 deer in Zone 4S in 2025, 361 of them adult males, after 360 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).

Where do you park for John J. Kelly WMA?

MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: a lot (about 3 cars, gravel). Its fact sheet adds: "The only functional access is from a small dirt parking area on Hampden Street just east of the Intersection with Route 20. The parking area is marked with sigs and has space for 3 vehicles. From this lot, users can access the old rail bed and start to ascend the steep slopes to the south and east."

What can you hunt on John J. Kelly WMA?

MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Game species that utilize mature forests, including white-tailed deer, eastern coyote, black bear, and wild turkey, can be pursued on this property. Walker Brook is a coldwater stream which supports some natural trout reproduction. It is a high gradient stream containing riffles with medium to large boulders. The stream has been straightened in this section by the historic rail line and Route 20. Walker Brook is stocked with trout each spring."

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).

Massachusetts hunting Zone 4S