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

Bartlett Brook

★★☆☆☆

41.601649, -72.261753

Bartlett Brook WMA Connecticut Wildlife Management Area 687 acres in Lebanon, CT Parking: Medium sized lot near 773 Goshen Hill Rd Lebanon, CT Hunting Map       …

Sugar Brook

★★☆☆☆

41.716444, -71.941710

Sugar Brook / Quinebaug River Wildlife Management Area / Tillinghast Preserve Sugar Brook Field Trial and Wildlife Management Area and Wyndham Land Trust Estimated 400 acres in…

Black Pond

★★★★☆

41.528562, -72.740850

Black Pond Wildlife Management Area Connecticut WMA 16 acres in Meriden, CT Parking: Medium sized lot at the boat launch near 1699 E Main St, Meriden, CT Trail… Read more…

Belding Wildlife Management Area

★★☆☆☆

41.831035, -72.447298

Belding Wildlife Management Area Connecticut State WMA 282 acres in Vernon, CT Parking: Lots of shoulder parking near 3 Bread and Milk Rd Vernon, CT Shoulder parking…