Camp Cachalot Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 11
Camp Cachalot Wildlife Management Area is 789 acres of MassWildlife land in Plymouth (Plymouth County), in Wildlife Management Zone 11. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 4,153 deer in Zone 11 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Camp Cachalot 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)Camp Cachalot WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 789 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Plymouth |
| County | Plymouth |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 11 |
| MassWildlife district | Southeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 11, 2025 | 4,153 (2,120 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Wareham (4 mi), Plymouth (5 mi) and Carver (6 mi) |
What is Camp Cachalot WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Camp Cachalot is a 789-acre Wildlife Management Area located within the larger complex of conservation properties surrounding and including Myles Standish State Forest. The property was formerly a scouting camp and was acquired in 2022 to be part of the network of protected lands in southeastern Massachusetts that helps conserve the region's coastal pine-barrens. Pine barrens are dry and sandy fire-adapted forests which are dominated by pitch pine and scrub oak. Management activities such as selective cutting and prescribed fire are used to maintain the conditions that pine-barrens species depend on, improve wildlife habitat, and reduce the negative impacts of severe wildfires and southern pine beetle outbreaks. The property also includes several freshwater ponds and wetlands that provide habitats for fish, amphibians, reptiles, waterfowl, and other wildlife. Abner Pond, Five Mile Pond, and Little Five Mile Pond are some of the larger ponds in the WMA."
On wildlife: "One of the most unique features of Camp Cachalot is its coastal pine-barrens ecosystem. This ecosystem supports numerous state-listed species and is considered an important regional hotspot for biodiversity in southern New England. The property's forests, ponds, and wetlands provide habitat for several rare species, including the barrens buck moth, frosted elfin butterfly, barrens tiger beetle, eastern whip-poor-will, and northern red-bellied cooter. This WMA provides an opportunity to view northern red-bellied cooter, a state and federally endangered species. Ponds within this WMA have been used as release sites as part of MassWildlife's conservation efforts for this turtle."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Camp Cachalot WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Camp Cachalot WMA?
"Hunting opportunities include white-tailed deer, wild turkey, small game, and waterfowl. The property's freshwater ponds also provide opportunities for warmwater fishing, including largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and pumpkinseed."
How do you get into Camp Cachalot WMA?
"Access is primarily through paved roads in Myles Standish State Forest. Parking is available at the end of Southeast Line Road, in gravel parking areas ahead of the gate at Five Mile Pond Road. Multiple unimproved roads cross the property, but these roads are closed to motorized vehicle traffic."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Camp Cachalot WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 25, MA 28, MA 3, US 6, I-495 and I-195. Distances to the nearest town centers: Wareham 4 miles, Plymouth 5 miles, Carver 6 miles and Bourne 7 miles. Other WMAs nearby: SE Pine Barrens (2 miles), Maple Springs (2 miles), Red Brook (2 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Camp Cachalot WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 11: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31 and a winter season January 1 to 30, 2027. In 2025 the zone gave 2,139 deer to archers and 1,358 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 11 | 734 | 4,153 | 2,120 | 3,830 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Camp Cachalot 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 Camp Cachalot WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 11, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Camp Cachalot WMA in?
Zone 11, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 4,153 deer in Zone 11 in 2025, 2,120 of them adult males, after 3,830 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Camp Cachalot WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Access is primarily through paved roads in Myles Standish State Forest. Parking is available at the end of Southeast Line Road, in gravel parking areas ahead of the gate at Five Mile Pond Road. Multiple unimproved roads cross the property, but these roads are closed to motorized vehicle traffic."
What can you hunt on Camp Cachalot WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Hunting opportunities include white-tailed deer, wild turkey, small game, and waterfowl. The property's freshwater ponds also provide opportunities for warmwater fishing, including largemouth bass, chain pickerel, and pumpkinseed."
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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).