If you carefully keep your bird records by county, be sure to use the specific hotspots in this wildlife management area so that the birds will be assigned to the proper county.

One of New Hampshire’s most diverse wildlife management areas, Ellis R. Hatch Jr. Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is comprised of upland forest, with mixed stands and various age classes of hardwoods, hemlock, and white pine. It has important deer wintering areas, several ponds and streams, and a network of wetlands for waterfowl. The topography is hilly and steep in places. Three mountains,  Moose, Perkins, and Rand, are located within the WMA. Although there are no clearly marked trails, climbers willing to bushwhack will enjoy nice views from parts of the mountains’ ridges.

The ridgeline of the mountains separates the two main water bodies on the property, Jones Pond and Mountain Pond. The 12-acre Mountain Pond is dammed, and Jones Pond was enlarged from a small water body into 20 acres when a prior owner created an earthen dam on Jones Brook. The local name for the original pond is Pocomoonshine, and it is called that on some maps.

An abundance of wildlife occurs at this WMA, including moose, deer, bear, coyote, grouse, otter, beaver, turkeys, snowshoe hare, chipmunks, squirrels, hawks, ruffed grouse, American woodcock, many different songbirds, and waterfowl species. Aquatic life abounds in the WMA’s wetlands, ponds, and streams.

Ellis R. Hatch Jr. WMA abuts Kings Highway along the Middleton/New Durham town line. A small parking area off of Kings Highway connects to a gated access road that leads to Jones Pond. In Brookfield, an access road leads to Mountain Lake. From NH-109 in Brookfield, take Governor’s Road, then Mountain Road to its end. Limited parking is available at the gate with foot travel only allowed to the pond.