Palmer Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 7
Palmer Wildlife Management Area is 1,260 acres of MassWildlife land in Palmer and Warren (Hampden and Worcester counties), in Wildlife Management Zone 7. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 945 deer in Zone 7 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 2 parking areas for the property with room for about 4 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Palmer WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landPalmer WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 1,260 acres (MassWildlife), in 6 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Palmer and Warren |
| County | Hampden, Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 7 |
| MassWildlife district | Connecticut Valley District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 2 lots, about 4 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 7, 2025 | 945 (497 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Palmer (under a mile), Warren (2 mi) and Ware (3 mi) |
What is Palmer WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "This property consists of three main parcels covering the steep hillsides of Fox Hill and Colonels Mountain. The primary habitat types are mature upland forest of transitional hardwoods (oak, maple, beech, hickory) mixed with white pine and hemlock. Numerous beaver wetlands interrupt Kings Brook and School Street Brook as they flow through the western and eastern parcels. A transmission line corridor cuts through two of the parcels providing open habitat and access through the WMA. Wood duck boxes are maintained in the surrounding wetlands."
On wildlife: "The majority of the WMA is mapped as Core Habitat in BioMap2, the state’s comprehensive biodiversity plan, as this property provides critical habitat for species of conservation concern. Numerous vegetative communities exist including an extensive example of a mixed-oak forest interspersed with rocky summit outcrops, and oak-hickory forests."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Palmer WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Palmer WMA?
"This WMA provides hunting opportunities for black bear, white-tailed deer, squirrel, bobcat, eastern coyote, fox, and raccoon. This area is NOT stocked with pheasant."
On fishing: "Kings Brook provides fishing opportunities for native brook trout."
How do you get into Palmer WMA?
"The property can be accessed from Rondeau Road, Old Warren Road, Boston Road (Route 67), and North Street. A dirt parking lot off of Old Warren Road and North Street can accommodate four vehicles each. Parking areas are not maintained in winter."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not maintained in winter | 2 | Gravel | Fair | 42.19133 | -72.28424 |
| Not maintained in winter | 2 | Dirt | Poor | 42.22427 | -72.23707 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: I-90, MA 32, MA 9, MA 67, US 20 and MA 19. Distances to the nearest town centers: Palmer under a mile, Warren 2 miles, Ware 3 miles and West Brookfield 4 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Coy Hill (2 miles), Herman Covey (5 miles), Whortleberry Hill (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Palmer WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 7: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 407 deer to archers and 385 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 7 | 1,568 | 945 | 497 | 824 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Palmer 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 Palmer WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 7, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Palmer WMA in?
Zone 7, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 945 deer in Zone 7 in 2025, 497 of them adult males, after 824 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Palmer WMA?
MassWildlife maps 2 parking areas: Not maintained in winter (about 2 cars, gravel); Not maintained in winter (about 2 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "The property can be accessed from Rondeau Road, Old Warren Road, Boston Road (Route 67), and North Street. A dirt parking lot off of Old Warren Road and North Street can accommodate four vehicles each. Parking areas are not maintained in winter."
What can you hunt on Palmer WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This WMA provides hunting opportunities for black bear, white-tailed deer, squirrel, bobcat, eastern coyote, fox, and raccoon. This area is NOT stocked with pheasant."
Get a Massachusetts hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Massachusetts are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Massachusetts included.
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).