Hopkins Memorial Forest in Williamstown will again be open to deer hunting by special permit during the 12 day shotgun season this fall. The 2014 Massachusetts deer shotgun season runs from December 1 to December 13, excluding Sunday, December 7, and a limited number of complimentary permits will be issued to hunters from local communities. Applications, which can be obtained from the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College, are due back to the Center by November 1. They will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis and permits will be issued to selected hunters by mid-November.
Annually, 75 to 100 hunters are awarded permits to hunt in this research and teaching forest owned by Williams College, which closes the Forest to other recreational users during the hunt. Hunter surveys from recent seasons indicate that typically five to ten deer are harvested from the area each year. Such reductions in the herd help to minimize browse damage to the forest’s understory and herb layer and protect ecological research areas. Due to possible conflicts with other forest uses, no other hunting, aside from the 12 day deer shotgun season, is allowed in Hopkins Forest.
The College gives preference in awarding permits to its neighbors; although, in the past, hunters have come from across the state to hunt the Forest’s rugged terrain. Hunters may obtain a no-fee permit application by contacting the Center for Environmental Studies, Williams College, 54 Stetson Court, Williamstown, MA, 01267, 413-597-2346 or by emailing ajones@williams.edu.