Bearse Pond Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 12
Bearse Pond Wildlife Management Area is 6 acres of MassWildlife land in Barnstable (Barnstable County), in Wildlife Management Zone 12. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 381 deer in Zone 12 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Bearse Pond WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landState forest and park land (DCR)Bearse Pond WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 6 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Barnstable |
| County | Barnstable |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 12 |
| MassWildlife district | Southeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 12, 2025 | 381 (193 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Barnstable (2 mi), Yarmouth (6 mi) and Sandwich (8 mi) |
What is Bearse Pond WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Bearse Pond WMA consists of 2 parcels bordered by roads on 3 sides and Bearse Pond on the remaining edge. The larger of the parcels is primarily forested wetland dominated by red maple and sweet pepperbush. The smaller parcel, which has frontage on Bearse Pond, is upland dominated by pitch pine and huckleberry."
On wildlife: "Common waterfowl, birds, and mammals can be viewed on this property and the pond lends to scenic water views."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Bearse Pond WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Bearse Pond WMA?
"Opportunities to trap aquatic furbearers may be present. Hunting opportunities are limited due to the proximity of dwellings and roads. This property provides shoreline fishing opportunities on Bearse Pond which is connected to the larger Wequaquet Lake. Wequaquet Lake has a paved ramp and provides opportunities to fish for pumpkinseed, yellow perch, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, and largemouth bass."
How do you get into Bearse Pond WMA?
"There is no official parking area for this WMA. Access and limited roadside parking can be obtained off of Pleasant Pines Avenue, Nyes Neck Road, and Nyes Point Way. Frontage to Bearse Pond can be accessed from the smaller parcel of this property near the end of Nyes Point Way."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Bearse Pond WMA.
Highways within five miles: US 6, MA 28, MA 132 and MA 149. Distances to the nearest town centers: Barnstable 2 miles, Yarmouth 6 miles, Sandwich 8 miles and Dennis 9 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Hyannis Ponds (3 miles), Triangle Pond (6 miles), Old Sandwich Game Farm (6 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Bearse Pond WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 12: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 128 deer to archers and 191 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 12 | 5 | 381 | 193 | 382 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Bearse Pond WMA?
Under 321 CMR 3.01, camping, fires and target practice need the Director's written permission, vehicles stay on roads open to traffic, and dogs must be leashed unless hunting or training with a licensed hunter.
Source: MassWildlife WMA regulations.
Questions hunters ask
Can you hunt on Bearse Pond WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 12, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Bearse Pond WMA in?
Zone 12, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 381 deer in Zone 12 in 2025, 193 of them adult males, after 382 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Bearse Pond WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "There is no official parking area for this WMA. Access and limited roadside parking can be obtained off of Pleasant Pines Avenue, Nyes Neck Road, and Nyes Point Way. Frontage to Bearse Pond can be accessed from the smaller parcel of this property near the end of Nyes Point Way."
What can you hunt on Bearse Pond WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Opportunities to trap aquatic furbearers may be present. Hunting opportunities are limited due to the proximity of dwellings and roads. This property provides shoreline fishing opportunities on Bearse Pond which is connected to the larger Wequaquet Lake. Wequaquet Lake has a paved ramp and provides opportunities to fish for pumpkinseed, yellow perch, brown bullhead, chain pickerel, and largemouth bass."
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Sources: MassWildlife fact sheet; MassWildlife Lands (MassGIS); MassWildlife parking for recreation; MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates); MassWildlife WMA regulations; public land MassGIS Protected and Recreational OpenSpace for state and Army Corps land; USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US 4.1) for federal land; towns U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 primary and secondary roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer, towns (county subdivisions). FilledTag is not part of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife).