Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 8
Moose Hill Wildlife Management Area is 594 acres of MassWildlife land in Leicester, Paxton and Spencer (Worcester County), in Wildlife Management Zone 8. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Moose Hill 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)Moose Hill WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 594 acres (MassWildlife), in 4 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Leicester, Paxton and Spencer |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 8 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 8, 2025 | 1,004 (625 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Paxton (under a mile), Spencer (2 mi) and Leicester (3 mi) |
What is Moose Hill WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Moose Hill WMA features rolling hardwood ridges and a large wetland complex. A network of mowed fields, active agricultural fields, and numerous overgrown apple orchards further enhance the property."
On its habitat work: "Several of the open fields in this WMA are mowed annually to maintain open habitat. Several forest management projects have been completed on this WMA to improve habitat for wildlife. Additionally, the management area contains some active agricultural fields that provide wildlife food resources."
On wildlife: "The Mid-State Trail bisects this property. Nest boxes for American kestrels and wood ducks are maintained on the property."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Moose Hill WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Moose Hill WMA?
"This WMA supports a variety of game species including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, black bear, as well as both terrestrial and aquatic furbearer species. This area is stocked with ring-necked pheasants. For more information on pheasant stocking, go to mass.gov/pheasant. This area includes frontage on the Sugden Reservoir, which is stocked with trout annually. There is a small boat ramp on the reservoir for both car-top boats and small crafts. The property offers the opportunity to fish for both warm and cold water fish species. For more information on trout stocking visit mass.gov/trout."
Its rules for the area: "During pheasant season, a blaze orange hat must be worn by all hunters except while night-hunting raccoon or opossum or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat."
How do you get into Moose Hill WMA?
"Parking for this area is off Donnelly Cross Rd. in Spencer. The parking area includes a cartop boat access point to Sugden Reservoir and parking for a dozen or more vehicles."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Moose Hill WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 31, MA 56, MA 122, MA 9, MA 148 and MA 49. Distances to the nearest town centers: Paxton under a mile, Spencer 2 miles, Leicester 3 miles and North Brookfield 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Four Chimneys (6 miles), Bennett (7 miles), Thayer Pond (7 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Moose Hill WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 8: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 429 deer to archers and 410 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 8 | 628 | 1,004 | 625 | 865 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Moose Hill 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 Moose Hill WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 8, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Moose Hill WMA in?
Zone 8, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025, 625 of them adult males, after 865 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Moose Hill WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Parking for this area is off Donnelly Cross Rd. in Spencer. The parking area includes a cartop boat access point to Sugden Reservoir and parking for a dozen or more vehicles."
What can you hunt on Moose Hill WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This WMA supports a variety of game species including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, black bear, as well as both terrestrial and aquatic furbearer species. This area is stocked with ring-necked pheasants. For more information on pheasant stocking, go to mass.gov/pheasant. This area includes frontage on the Sugden Reservoir, which is stocked with trout annually. There is a small boat ramp on the reservoir for both car-top boats and small crafts."
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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).