Clapps Pond Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 12
Clapps Pond Wildlife Management Area is 68 acres of MassWildlife land in Provincetown (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, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 2 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Clapps Pond WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landNational Park ServiceClapps Pond WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 68 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Provincetown |
| County | Barnstable |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 12 |
| MassWildlife district | Southeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 1 lot, about 2 spaces |
| Deer taken in Zone 12, 2025 | 381 (193 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Provincetown (under a mile), Truro (8 mi) and Wellfleet (13 mi) |
What is Clapps Pond WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Clapps Pond WMA contains frontage to Clapps Pond and is bordered by the Cape Cod National Seashore. The property contains a pitch pine and oak forest with an understory of huckleberry and common greenbrier. Clapp pond is a shallow, warmwater pond surrounded by dense scrub shrub wetlands."
On wildlife: "This area provides opportunities to view a variety of wildlife, especially migratory songbirds and waterfowl during spring and fall migration."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Clapps Pond WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Clapps Pond WMA?
"This property provides the opportunity to pursue waterfowl as well as cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, and aquatic furbearers. Clapps Pond is shallow and weedy but does support largemouth bass, chain pickerel, bullhead, and sunfish. The waters can be accessed by shore or via water craft launched at the small dirt ramp."
How do you get into Clapps Pond WMA?
"A dirt parking area for 2 vehicles is located near the end of a dirt road found off of Route 6. There is room here to put in a canoe/kayak. Access to this property can be acquired through the CC National Seashore or by utilizing the open, old roads adjacent to this WMA."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clapps Pond WMA parking | 2 | Dirt | Fair | 42.04987 | -70.20974 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: US 6. Distances to the nearest town centers: Provincetown under a mile, Truro 8 miles, Wellfleet 13 miles and County subdivisions not defined 17 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Provincetown Corridor (3 miles), Fox Island (14 miles), Eastham Salt Marsh (20 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Clapps 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 | 68 | 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 Clapps 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 Clapps 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 Clapps 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).
Where do you park for Clapps Pond WMA?
MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: Clapps Pond WMA parking (about 2 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "A dirt parking area for 2 vehicles is located near the end of a dirt road found off of Route 6. There is room here to put in a canoe/kayak. Access to this property can be acquired through the CC National Seashore or by utilizing the open, old roads adjacent to this WMA."
What can you hunt on Clapps Pond WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This property provides the opportunity to pursue waterfowl as well as cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, and aquatic furbearers. Clapps Pond is shallow and weedy but does support largemouth bass, chain pickerel, bullhead, and sunfish. The waters can be accessed by shore or via water craft launched at the small dirt ramp."
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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).