Poutwater Pond Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 9
Poutwater Pond Wildlife Management Area is 392 acres of MassWildlife land in Holden and West Boylston (Worcester County), in Wildlife Management Zone 9. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 1,534 deer in Zone 9 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 5 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Poutwater Pond WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landDCR watershed land (Quabbin, Wachusett, Ware River)Poutwater Pond WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 392 acres (MassWildlife), in 4 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Holden and West Boylston |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 9 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 1 lot, about 5 spaces |
| Deer taken in Zone 9, 2025 | 1,534 (742 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | West Boylston (3 mi), Princeton (3 mi) and Holden (3 mi) |
What is Poutwater Pond WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Poutwater Pond WMA consists of 2 parcels. The southern parcel is bordered by Trout Brook Conservation Area to the west and open space to the east. The property features mixed hardwood and conifer forests, with a thick shrub swamp located on the northern end of the property."
On wildlife: "The wetland area of this WMA provides outdoor enthusiasts with opportunities to observe water birds, song birds, and aquatic furbearers like beaver. From the northern parcel, you can access the isolated Poutwater Pond by way of a metal-grid boardwalk through the peat bog."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Poutwater Pond WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Poutwater Pond WMA?
"The mixed hardwood cover provides good habitat for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and upland furbearers like eastern coyote, red fox, and fisher. The shrub swamp provides habitat for waterfowl, as well as raccoons, bobcat, and gray fox."
How do you get into Poutwater Pond WMA?
"An unmaintained parking area for 5 vehicles is located on Mason Road in Holden just before the road becomes Coal Kiln Road in Princeton. Roadside pull-offs, which provide access to the larger southern parcel of the property, are located on North Street and Sterling Road in Holden."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmaintained | 5 | Dirt | Fair | 42.41986 | -71.84892 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: I-190, MA 31, MA 140, MA 62, MA 12 and MA 68. Distances to the nearest town centers: West Boylston 3 miles, Princeton 3 miles, Holden 3 miles and Sterling 4 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Savage Hill (5 miles), Thayer Pond (7 miles), Clinton Bluff (9 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Poutwater Pond WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 9: 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 660 deer to archers and 557 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 9 | 386 | 1,534 | 742 | 1,374 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Poutwater Pond 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 Poutwater Pond WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 9, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Poutwater Pond WMA in?
Zone 9, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 1,534 deer in Zone 9 in 2025, 742 of them adult males, after 1,374 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Poutwater Pond WMA?
MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: Unmaintained (about 5 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "An unmaintained parking area for 5 vehicles is located on Mason Road in Holden just before the road becomes Coal Kiln Road in Princeton. Roadside pull-offs, which provide access to the larger southern parcel of the property, are located on North Street and Sterling Road in Holden."
What can you hunt on Poutwater Pond WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "The mixed hardwood cover provides good habitat for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrel, cottontail rabbit, and upland furbearers like eastern coyote, red fox, and fisher. The shrub swamp provides habitat for waterfowl, as well as raccoons, bobcat, and gray fox."
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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).