Savage Hill Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 8
Savage Hill Wildlife Management Area is 1,066 acres of MassWildlife land in Princeton and Rutland (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, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 10 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Savage 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)DCR watershed land (Quabbin, Wachusett, Ware River)Savage Hill WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 1,066 acres (MassWildlife), in 2 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Princeton and Rutland |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 8 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 1 lot, about 10 spaces |
| Deer taken in Zone 8, 2025 | 1,004 (625 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Rutland (3 mi), Princeton (3 mi) and Hubbardston (4 mi) |
What is Savage Hill WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Savage Hill WMA is comprised of mixed hardwood and conifer forest, alder thickets, shrub swamps, blueberry swamps, open marsh, and abandoned apple orchards."
On wildlife: "Large wetland marshes provide for waterfowl, marshland bird, and aquatic mammal viewing."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Savage Hill WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Savage Hill WMA?
"Users will find large wetland complexes for waterfowl hunting; alder thickets for woodcock hunting; and hardwood ridges and abandoned apple orchards for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel hunting. Open marshes provide for predator hunting. The management area captures a small section of the East Branch of the Ware River which is stocked annually with trout. For more information on trout stocking, visit mass.gov/trout."
How do you get into Savage Hill WMA?
"Parking for 8 vehicles is located off of Old Boston Turnpike (Route 62). Additional parking and access can be gained by utilizing the bordering Savage Hill WCE, Bigelow Road in Princeton, and Bushy Lane in Rutland."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmaintained | 10 | Dirt | Fair | 42.44742 | -71.95956 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: MA 62, MA 68, MA 31, MA 56 and MA 122. Distances to the nearest town centers: Rutland 3 miles, Princeton 3 miles, Hubbardston 4 miles and Holden 6 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Thayer Pond (4 miles), Poutwater Pond (5 miles), Hubbardston (6 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Savage 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 | 933 | 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 Savage 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 Savage 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 Savage 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).
Where do you park for Savage Hill WMA?
MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: Unmaintained (about 10 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "Parking for 8 vehicles is located off of Old Boston Turnpike (Route 62). Additional parking and access can be gained by utilizing the bordering Savage Hill WCE, Bigelow Road in Princeton, and Bushy Lane in Rutland."
What can you hunt on Savage Hill WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Users will find large wetland complexes for waterfowl hunting; alder thickets for woodcock hunting; and hardwood ridges and abandoned apple orchards for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel hunting. Open marshes provide for predator hunting. The management area captures a small section of the East Branch of the Ware River which is stocked annually with trout. For more information on trout stocking, visit mass.gov/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).