Katama Plains Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 13
Katama Plains Wildlife Management Area is 19 acres of MassWildlife land in Edgartown (Dukes County), in Wildlife Management Zone 13. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 935 deer in Zone 13 in 2025.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Katama Plains 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)Katama Plains WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 19 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | Edgartown |
| County | Dukes |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 13 |
| MassWildlife district | Southeast District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | None mapped |
| Deer taken in Zone 13, 2025 | 935 (346 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Edgartown (3 mi), Oak Bluffs (7 mi) and West Tisbury (7 mi) |
What is Katama Plains WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Katama Plains WMA lies on the island of Martha's Vineyard near the southeast end. This property consists of grassland and shrubland habitat containing little bluestem, scrub oak, huckleberry, and blueberry with scattered patches of young pitch pine. The property is surrounded by dirt or paved roadways and sits in an area of similar habitat types including the Katama airport and agricultural land."
On wildlife: "Migratory songbirds, grassland birds, cottontail rabbits, birds of prey, and occasional white-tailed deer have been viewed from this property."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Katama Plains WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Katama Plains WMA?
"There are opportunities to pursue cottontail rabbit on this property."
How do you get into Katama Plains WMA?
"Access can be gained via roadside pull offs on both Plains Way and Garden Cove Road. Access by foot can also be approached from the nearby South Beach State Park."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Katama Plains WMA.
Distances to the nearest town centers: Edgartown 3 miles, Oak Bluffs 7 miles, West Tisbury 7 miles and Tisbury 9 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Wasque Point (4 miles), Mashpee Pine Barrens (16 miles), Quashnet River (16 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Katama Plains WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 13: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31, plus an early season September 21 to October 1 and a winter season January 1 to February 13, 2027. In 2025 the zone gave 273 deer to archers and 391 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 13 | 24 | 935 | 346 | 798 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Katama Plains 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 Katama Plains WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 13, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Katama Plains WMA in?
Zone 13, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 935 deer in Zone 13 in 2025, 346 of them adult males, after 798 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
How do you get into Katama Plains WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Access can be gained via roadside pull offs on both Plains Way and Garden Cove Road. Access by foot can also be approached from the nearby South Beach State Park."
What can you hunt on Katama Plains WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "There are opportunities to pursue cottontail rabbit on this property."
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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).