Hunting on Town Forests

In response to several inquiries regarding hunting on Town Forests, the Hopkinton Conservation Commission has designated four Town Forests where hunting will not be allowed. They are the Hawthorne Lot located between Rollins Road and Main Street in Hopkinton Village; the Kimball Lake Recreational Area located between Kimball Lake and New Road; the Beyer Lot located adjacent to Smith Pond Bog on Henniker Road; and the Brockway Nature Preserve and the abutting Carson Lot located on Farrington Corner and at the end of Lower Straw Road.

The Hawthorne Lot is surrounded by the Hopkins Green, Hutchins Hill and Checkerberry Lane developments and contains the most popular hiking trail within the Town. The Brockway Lot was purchased with donated funds to create a wildlife preserve. The abutting Carson Lot was recently purchased with the intent to enlarge the wildlife refuge and no hunting was a condition of the sale. The Kimball Lake Recreation Area is surrounded by the Kimball Woods Development, Kimball Lake, Interstate 89 and the Harold Martin School, making it an unsafe place to hunt. The Beyer Lot was purchased to expand and protect the adjacent Smith Pond Bog Wildlife Sanctuary which is owned and managed by the New Hampshire Audubon Society.

The linked map shows the locations of the Hopkinton Town Forests. The lots where hunting is NOT allowed are outlined in red. Hunting on the other lots is currently allowed, but may be subject to change if problems develop. The map does not show the State and Federal lands where hunting is allowed.

For more information please contact Hopkinton Conservation Commission Chairman, Lee Wilder by email or Ron Klemarczyk at (603) 746-4846.

Hopkinton Conservation Commission

February 11, 2015