Winimusset Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 8

Winimusset Wildlife Management Area is 2,129 acres of MassWildlife land in New Braintree (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 3 parking areas for the property with room for about 30 vehicles.

Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Winimusset WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).

What is Winimusset WMA like?

MassWildlife describes it: "The Winimusset WMA is a diverse property containing fields, apple trees, hardwood lined ridges, conifer stands, and a large beaver meadow. This property consists of multiple parcels with a notably large parcel to the east and a cluster of parcels to the west. Winimusset Brook follows the western border of this property."

On its habitat work: "Work has been done to reclaim overgrown fields and release crowded apple trees. Some fields are leased annually for agriculture."

On wildlife: "Due to the variable habitat and open fields, this is an ideal property to view wildlife. Seasonal views to the east are present from the higher ridges on this property."

Quoted from MassWildlife's Winimusset WMA fact sheet.

What does MassWildlife say about hunting Winimusset WMA?

"The areas of hardwood ridges provide opportunities to pursue white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel. The open fields provide opportunities to pursue upland birds, gray and red fox, and eastern coyote. The beaver meadow provides opportunities to pursue waterfowl, American woodcock, and raccoon. This is a pheasant stocked property. The management area contains several sections of small headwater streams but are quite small and thus unlikely to provide any substantial fishing opportunities."

Its rules for the area: "During the pheasant season, a “hunter orange” hat is required for all hunters except while night hunting raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat."

How do you get into Winimusset WMA?

"A paved parking lot for 10 vehicles is available near the intersection of Hardwick Road and Ravine Road and allows for access to the northwest section of this property. Closer to the center of the property, there is parking for 10 vehicles near the intersection of Hardwick Road and Thompson Road. There is another 10-vehicle lot at the eastern parcel off of Thompson Road."

From MassWildlife parking for recreation.

Highways within five miles: MA 32, MA 67, MA 148, MA 122 and MA 9. Distances to the nearest town centers: New Braintree under a mile, Oakham 3 miles, Hardwick 4 miles and West Brookfield 4 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Ware River (2 miles), Sucker Brook (3 miles), Oakham (4 miles).

When can you hunt deer on Winimusset 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.

Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.

What rules apply on Winimusset 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 Winimusset 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 Winimusset 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 Winimusset WMA?

MassWildlife maps 3 parking areas: Maintained (about 10 cars, paved); Unmaintained (about 10 cars, dirt); Unmaintained (about 10 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "A paved parking lot for 10 vehicles is available near the intersection of Hardwick Road and Ravine Road and allows for access to the northwest section of this property. Closer to the center of the property, there is parking for 10 vehicles near the intersection of Hardwick Road and Thompson Road."

What can you hunt on Winimusset WMA?

MassWildlife's fact sheet: "The areas of hardwood ridges provide opportunities to pursue white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and gray squirrel. The open fields provide opportunities to pursue upland birds, gray and red fox, and eastern coyote. The beaver meadow provides opportunities to pursue waterfowl, American woodcock, and raccoon. This is a pheasant stocked property."

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).

Massachusetts hunting Zone 8