Towns: Holden, West Boylston
Acreage: 392
Wildlife Management Zone: 9
Description
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.
Location, access, & parking
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. See WMA map.
Note: WMAs are intentionally wild, visitors will find natural landscapes rather than maintained trails.
Hunting opportunities
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.
Wildlife viewing & other features
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.
Regulations
About Wildlife Management Areas
MassWildlife owns and manages over 220,000 acres of land to conserve fish and wildlife habitats and provide access for outdoor recreation. All WMAs are open to hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreation activities. Visit the MassWildlife Lands Viewer for an interactive map of MassWildlife properties.
You can support land protection in Massachusetts. Contributions to the Wildlands Fund help pay for the cost of acquiring wildlife habitat. Learn more about the Wildlands Fund.