Townsend Hill Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 9
Townsend Hill Wildlife Management Area is 521 acres of MassWildlife land in Pepperell and Townsend (Middlesex 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 9 parking areas for the property with room for about 15 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Townsend 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)Townsend Hill WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 521 acres (MassWildlife), in 4 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | Pepperell and Townsend |
| County | Middlesex |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 9 |
| MassWildlife district | Northeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 9 lots, about 15 spaces |
| Deer taken in Zone 9, 2025 | 1,534 (742 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Townsend (under a mile), Pepperell (3 mi) and Groton (6 mi) |
What is Townsend Hill WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Property consists of 655 acres of upland forest, small streams, rocky pools, maintained fields, young forest, and rolling terrain."
On wildlife: "This property provides excellent birdwatching opportunities as the diverse habitat attracts multiple species during and after migration. Eastern whip-poor-wills can be found along the young forest habitat edges."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Townsend Hill WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Townsend Hill WMA?
"The forest supports ruffed grouse, deer, fox, cottontail rabbit, coyote, fisher, raccoon, woodcock, gray squirrel, abundant fur bearer species and non-game species. Bear and moose are occasionally reported. Beaver ponds support multiple waterfowl species. While Townsend Hill WMA contains headwater sections of streams they are likely too small to support fishing opportunities."
How do you get into Townsend Hill WMA?
"The property is located on the Pepperell/Townsend town line near the New Hampshire border. Parking can be found at the stone pillars off Wallace Hill Road."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Townsend Hill WMA | 3 | Gravel | Good | 42.67785 | -71.67585 |
| Townsed Hill WMA Dirt Pulloff | 2 | Dirt | Poor | 42.68669 | -71.65114 |
| Townsend Hill WMA pull-off on Warner Road | 1 | Dirt | Good | 42.68170 | -71.67023 |
| Townsend Hill WMA pull-off on Warner Road | 1 | Dirt | Good | 42.68160 | -71.66785 |
| Townsend Hill WMA pull off on Ball Road | 3 | Paved | Good | 42.68629 | -71.66496 |
| Roadside parking Locke Rd. | 1 | Dirt | Fair | 42.67734 | -71.65334 |
| Ball Road | 1 | Dirt Pulloff | Fair | 42.68319 | -71.66493 |
| Haynes Rd. Roadside parking- no pulloff | 1 | 42.66336 | -71.66339 | ||
| Access to parcel via 20ft easment from cul-de-sac Trophy Ave. | 2 | Paved | Good | 42.66146 | -71.66343 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: MA 119, MA 111, MA 13, MA 113 and MA 225. Distances to the nearest town centers: Townsend under a mile, Pepperell 3 miles, Groton 6 miles and Shirley 6 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Nissitissit River (3 miles), Hunting Hills (5 miles), Squannacook River (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Townsend Hill 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 | 813 | 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 Townsend 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 Townsend Hill 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 Townsend Hill 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 Townsend Hill WMA?
MassWildlife maps 9 parking areas: Townsend Hill WMA (about 3 cars, gravel); Townsed Hill WMA Dirt Pulloff (about 2 cars, dirt); Townsend Hill WMA pull-off on Warner Road (one car, dirt); Townsend Hill WMA pull-off on Warner Road (one car, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "The property is located on the Pepperell/Townsend town line near the New Hampshire border. Parking can be found at the stone pillars off Wallace Hill Road."
What can you hunt on Townsend Hill WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "The forest supports ruffed grouse, deer, fox, cottontail rabbit, coyote, fisher, raccoon, woodcock, gray squirrel, abundant fur bearer species and non-game species. Bear and moose are occasionally reported. Beaver ponds support multiple waterfowl species. While Townsend Hill WMA contains headwater sections of streams they are likely too small to support fishing opportunities."
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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).