Camp Edwards Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 12
Camp Edwards Wildlife Management Area is 15,013 acres of MassWildlife land in Bourne and Sandwich (Barnstable County), in Wildlife Management Zone 12. Hunting here runs through a controlled hunt program with preregistration. Hunters took 381 deer in Zone 12 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Camp Edwards 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)National wildlife refugeArmy Corps of EngineersMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Camp Edwards WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 15,013 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Bourne and Sandwich |
| 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 | Sandwich (under a mile), Bourne (under a mile) and Mashpee (4 mi) |
What is Camp Edwards WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Camp Edwards is 15,013.16 acre property that is a part of Joint Base Cape Cod. Camp Edwards is dominated by pitch pine and scrub oak woodlands, shrublands and grasslands actively managed through prescribed fire."
On wildlife: "Opportunistic wildlife viewing opportunities while participating in the controlled hunt include: upland game species like turkey, ruffed grouse, deer, coyote and raccoon ect., grassland birds, and many federal and state-listed species of reptiles, amphibians, plants and insects."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Camp Edwards WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Camp Edwards WMA?
"Each year, sections of Camp Edwards are open to deer hunting in the fall and turkey hunting in the spring for youth, paraplegic, archery, shotgun, and primitive arm seasons. Access is limited to the controlled hunting program. Preregistration is required."
How do you get into Camp Edwards WMA?
"Enter the base from Route 28 (General MacArthur Boulevard) rotary. Follow signs on Connery Avenue to access the check-in station."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Camp Edwards WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 28, US 6, MA 25, MA 130, MA 3 and MA 151. Distances to the nearest town centers: Sandwich under a mile, Bourne under a mile, Mashpee 4 miles and Falmouth 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Fisk Forestdale (2 miles), Pickerel Cove (4 miles), Sandwich Hollows (4 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Camp Edwards 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 | 14,344 | 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 Camp Edwards 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 Edwards WMA?
Only through MassWildlife's controlled hunt program. Its fact sheet says: "Each year, sections of Camp Edwards are open to deer hunting in the fall and turkey hunting in the spring for youth, paraplegic, archery, shotgun, and primitive arm seasons. Access is limited to the controlled hunting program. Preregistration is required."
What zone is Camp Edwards 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 Camp Edwards WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Enter the base from Route 28 (General MacArthur Boulevard) rotary. Follow signs on Connery Avenue to access the check-in station."
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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).