Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 6
Raccoon Hill Wildlife Management Area is 646 acres of MassWildlife land in Barre, Hardwick and Petersham (Worcester County), in Wildlife Management Zone 6. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 351 deer in Zone 6 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 3 parking areas for the property with room for about 15 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Raccoon Hill 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)Raccoon Hill WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 646 acres (MassWildlife), in 6 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Barre, Hardwick and Petersham |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 6 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 3 lots, about 15 spaces |
| Deer taken in Zone 6, 2025 | 351 (194 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Petersham (2 mi), Hardwick (3 mi) and Barre (3 mi) |
What is Raccoon Hill WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Raccoon Hill WMA is a hilly, forested property with moderate to steep slopes. Virtually the entire area is covered with mixed hardwood and coniferous forests except for the marsh and swamp habitat found in the central parcel of this multi-parcel property."
On wildlife: "The wetland complexes on this property are well suited for waterfowl and wading bird viewing as well as aquatic mammals."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Raccoon Hill WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Raccoon Hill WMA?
"Habitat at this management area supports white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern coyote, red fox, raccoon, opossum, gray squirrel, crow, numerous small game and aquatic furbearers. Racoon Hill Brook is a cold water fisheries resource and contains naturally reproducing populations of brook trout."
How do you get into Raccoon Hill WMA?
"Three areas, all in Barre, provide parking for access to this property. Users can find a dirt parking lot large enough for 5 vehicles off Spooner Road, a 5 vehicle parking area off Raccoon Hill Road, and space for 2 vehicles off of Dana Road."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmaintained | 5 | Dirt | Fair | 42.42188 | -72.19406 |
| Unmaintained | 5 | Dirt | Fair | 42.41283 | -72.18454 |
| Unmaintained | 5 | Dirt | Fair | 42.40622 | -72.18062 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: MA 32, MA 122, MA 67, MA 101 and MA 62. Distances to the nearest town centers: Petersham 2 miles, Hardwick 3 miles, Barre 3 miles and New Braintree 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Moose Brook (3 miles), Prince River (5 miles), Muddy Brook (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Raccoon Hill WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 6: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 62 deer to archers and 249 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 6 | 754 | 351 | 194 | 384 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Raccoon Hill 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 Raccoon Hill WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 6, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Raccoon Hill WMA in?
Zone 6, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 351 deer in Zone 6 in 2025, 194 of them adult males, after 384 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Raccoon Hill WMA?
MassWildlife maps 3 parking areas: Unmaintained (about 5 cars, dirt); Unmaintained (about 5 cars, dirt); Unmaintained (about 5 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "Three areas, all in Barre, provide parking for access to this property. Users can find a dirt parking lot large enough for 5 vehicles off Spooner Road, a 5 vehicle parking area off Raccoon Hill Road, and space for 2 vehicles off of Dana Road."
What can you hunt on Raccoon Hill WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Habitat at this management area supports white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern coyote, red fox, raccoon, opossum, gray squirrel, crow, numerous small game and aquatic furbearers. Racoon Hill Brook is a cold water fisheries resource and contains naturally reproducing populations of brook trout."
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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).