Oakham Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 8
Oakham Wildlife Management Area is 742 acres of MassWildlife land in New Braintree and Oakham (Worcester County), in Wildlife Management Zone 8. MassWildlife says all of its WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025, and MassWildlife maps 1 parking area for the property with room for about 10 vehicles.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Oakham 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)DCR watershed land (Quabbin, Wachusett, Ware River)Oakham WMAZone lineParkingHighway
| Size | 742 acres (MassWildlife), in 5 pieces |
|---|---|
| Town | New Braintree and Oakham |
| County | Worcester |
| Wildlife Management Zone | Zone 8 |
| MassWildlife district | Central District |
| Parking (MassWildlife) | 1 lot, about 10 spaces |
| Pheasant | Stocked; blaze orange hat required in pheasant season |
| Deer taken in Zone 8, 2025 | 1,004 (625 adult males) |
| Nearest town centers | Oakham (under a mile), New Braintree (3 mi) and North Brookfield (3 mi) |
What is Oakham WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Oakham WMA features hardwood stands, old apple orchards, maintained fields, swamp land, and conifer stands."
On its habitat work: "The fields on this property are mowed annually to maintain open habitat and some fields are in active agriculture through lease agreements with farmers."
On wildlife: "Wolf Meadow provides great birding opportunities. Nest boxes on the property are part of a long term study monitoring wood duck productivity. There are a number of black gum trees located on the WMA, which are some of the oldest trees in Massachusetts."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Oakham WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Oakham WMA?
"Areas of upland hardwood forest present on this property support white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrel, and cottontail rabbit. Wolf Meadow, a large swamp located in the southwest corner of the WMA, offers excellent opportunities to hunt waterfowl and trap aquatic furbearers. This WMA is stocked with ring-necked pheasant. To learn more about pheasant stocking, visit mass.gov/pheasant. ."
Its rules for the area: "During the pheasant season, a “hunter orange” hat is required for all hunters except while night hunting raccoons or opossums or while hunting waterfowl from within a blind or boat."
How do you get into Oakham WMA?
"An unmaintained dirt parking lot large enough for 10 vehicles is located off Lincoln Road in Oakham. Additional parking for 2 vehicles is available off Rutherford Road. Access can be acquired from these parking areas as well as from several other roads bordering this property."
| Parking | Spaces | Surface | Condition | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmaintained | 10 | Dirt | Fair | 42.33164 | -72.04985 |
From MassWildlife parking for recreation.
Highways within five miles: MA 122, MA 67, MA 148, MA 32 and MA 31. Distances to the nearest town centers: Oakham under a mile, New Braintree 3 miles, North Brookfield 3 miles and Rutland 5 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Winimusset (4 miles), Sucker Brook (5 miles), Thayer Pond (5 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Oakham WMA in 2026?
Deer seasons follow Zone 8: archery October 5 to November 28, shotgun November 30 to December 12, primitive firearms December 14 to 31. In 2025 the zone gave 429 deer to archers and 410 in shotgun season.
| Zone | WMA acres in it | Deer, 2025 | Adult males, 2025 | Deer, 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 8 | 1,081 | 1,004 | 625 | 865 |
Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates). Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary; MassWildlife 2024 Deer Harvest Summary.
What rules apply on Oakham WMA?
It is stocked with pheasant, so every hunter must wear a blaze orange hat during pheasant season, except raccoon and opossum hunters at night and waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat. 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 Oakham WMA?
Yes. MassWildlife says all WMAs are open to hunting, fishing and trapping; deer seasons follow Zone 8, where the 2026 shotgun season runs November 30 to December 12 (MassWildlife WMA regulations).
What zone is Oakham WMA in?
Zone 8, as MassWildlife's fact sheet gives it. Hunters took 1,004 deer in Zone 8 in 2025, 625 of them adult males, after 865 in 2024 (MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary).
Where do you park for Oakham WMA?
MassWildlife maps 1 parking area: Unmaintained (about 10 cars, dirt). Its fact sheet adds: "An unmaintained dirt parking lot large enough for 10 vehicles is located off Lincoln Road in Oakham. Additional parking for 2 vehicles is available off Rutherford Road. Access can be acquired from these parking areas as well as from several other roads bordering this property."
What can you hunt on Oakham WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Areas of upland hardwood forest present on this property support white-tailed deer, wild turkey, gray squirrel, and cottontail rabbit. Wolf Meadow, a large swamp located in the southwest corner of the WMA, offers excellent opportunities to hunt waterfowl and trap aquatic furbearers. This WMA is stocked with ring-necked pheasant. To learn more about pheasant stocking, visit mass.gov/pheasant. ."
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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).