Wildlife Management Areas

Connecticut’s Wildlife Management Areas

According to the DEEP there are 112 Wildlife Management Areas in the state which together total 32,000 acres of protected land.  They are largely a result of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, also referred to as the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act.

WMAs largely preserve habitat for many different species of animal, bird, and invertebrate with special interest given to grasslands, old fields, and coastal salt and freshwater marshes.  They also provide public recreation for hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography but are usually more geared towards fishing, hunting, and trapping.

I’ve been able to identify 99 of the 112 by scouring maps and online hunting resources and so far have visited 22.

Wildlife Management Areas

Aldo Leopold WMA Assekonk Swamp WMA Babcock Pond Baldwin Marsh WMA Barber Pond WMA
Barn Island WMA Bartlett Brook Bear Hill WMA Belding WMA Bigelow Brook WMA
Bishop Swamp WMA Black Pond WMA Branford River WMA Bride Brook WS Candlewood Hill WMA
Cedar Swamp WMA Charles E. Wheeler WMA Charter Marsh WS Clark Creek WMA Cove Island WS
Cromwell Meadows WMA Dr. John E. Flaherty WMA Durham Meadows WMA East Haven Marsh WMA East River Marsh WMA
East Marsh WMA Eightmile River WMA Emerson Leonard WS Ferry Point Marsh WMA Franklin Swamp WMA
Goshen WMA Great Harbor WMA Greenwoods Pond WMA Haddam Neck WMA Hager Creek Marsh WMA
Hammock Marsh WMA Higganum Meadows WMA Housatonic River WMA James V. Spignesi WMA Kollar WMA
Kings Island WMA Kitchel WS Lake Zoar WMA Little River WMA Lockes Meadow Pond WMA
Lords Island WMA Lords Cove WMA Mansfield Hollow WMA Maromas Co-op WMA Meadow Brook WMA
Menunketesuck WMA Messerschmidt Pond WMA Miles WS Newgate WMA Nod Brook WMA
Nott Island WMA Pattagansett River Marsh WMA Pawcatuck River WMA Pawson Park Marsh WMA Pease Brook WMA
Pequonnock Valley WMA Pequsett Meadows Marsh WMA Pine Orchard Marsh WMA Plum Bank Marsh WMA Popes Island WMA
Pumpkin Hill WMA Quinebaug River WMA Quinebaug River Marsh WMA Ragged Rock Creek Marsh WMA Raymond Brook WMA
Rich Island WMA Robbins Swamp WMA Roger Tory Peterson WMA Roraback WMA Rose Hill WMA
Ross Marsh WMA Salmon River Cove WMA Sessions Woods WMA Shade Swamp WS Sharon Mountain WMA
Simsbury WMA Six Penny Island WMA Skiff Mountain COOP WMA Smith-Hubbell WS Snake Meadow Brook WMA
South Cove WMA Stanley Works Coop WMA Suffield WMA Sugar Brook WMA Talbot WMA
Tankerhoosen WMA Thatch Bed Marsh WMA Tunxis WMA Wagner WS Wangunk Meadows WMA
Werner Woods WMA West River Marsh WMA Wopowog WMA Zalesky WMA

Rose Hill WMA

★★☆☆☆

77-5 Thomas Rd, Ledyard, CT, USA

Rose Hill Wildlife Management Area Wildlife Management Area 692 acres in Ledyard, CT Parking: Hiking Trail Parking: Shoulder parking near 77-5 Thomas Rd, Ledyard, CT Other Parking:… Read more…

Tankerhoosen WMA

★★☆☆☆

41.841233, -72.445106

Tankerhoosen Wildlife Management Area Connecticut WMA 449 acres in Vernon, CT Parking: From the north at Walker’s Reservoir near 129 Reservoir Rd, Vernon, CT From the south… Read more…

Meadow Brook

★☆☆☆☆

41.582545, -72.379056

Meadow Brook WMA Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 269 acres in Colchester, CT Parking: Small lot near 13 Prospect Hill Road, Colchester, CT Map         Trails:…

Babcock Pond

★☆☆☆☆

653 Middletown Rd, Colchester, CT, USA

Babcock Pond WMA Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 1,524 acres in Colchester, CT Parking: Boat launch: Small lot near 653 Middletown Rd, Colchester, CT Trails: Small lot near…

Kings Island

★★★☆☆

41.954496, -72.612596

Kings Island Eversource Land Trust 120 acres in Enfield and Suffield, CT Parking: Access by water only, nearest boat launch is Kings Island Boat Launch Boat launch… Read more…

Kollar Wildlife Management Area

★★☆☆☆

41.907256, -72.299180

Kollar Wildlife Management Area Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 900+ acres in Tolland, CT Parking: Small lot just east of 130 N River Rd Tolland, CT Hunting Map …

George Dudley Seymour State Park

★★☆☆☆

82 Clarkhurst Rd, East Hampton, CT, United States

George Dudley Seymour State Park Connecticut State Park 222 acres in Haddam, CT Parking: Small lot at the end of Clarkhurst Rd near 82 Clarkhurst Rd East…

Mansfield Hollow State Park

★★★★☆

41.765018, -72.178339

Mansfield Hollow State Park Connecticut State Park and Wildlife Management Area 251 acres in Mansfield, CT Parking: A number of lots and pull offs along Bassett’s Bridge… Read more…

Bishop Swamp

★★☆☆☆

41.722671, -72.396840

Bishop Swamp Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 752 acres in Andover and Hebron, CT Parking: Small lot near 236 State Hwy 603, Andover, CT for hiking and small pull off… Read more…

Barn Island

★★★★☆

41.340596, -71.874711

Barn Island Wildlife Management Area Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 1,013 acres in Stonington, CT Parking: West Side: Shoulder parking and boat launch near 249 Palmer Neck Rd,…