Pickerel Cove Wildlife Management Area: hunting, access and parking in Zone 12
Pickerel Cove Wildlife Management Area is 16 acres of MassWildlife land in Sandwich (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.
Data updated October 2026. Area facts: MassWildlife's Pickerel Cove WMA fact sheet. Harvest: MassWildlife 2025 Deer Harvest Summary. Seasons: MassWildlife deer hunting regulations (2026 dates).
MassWildlife (Fish and Game) landMilitary (closed unless the base allows)Pickerel Cove WMAZone lineHighway
| Size | 16 acres (MassWildlife) |
|---|---|
| Town | 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 (3 mi), Mashpee (4 mi) and Bourne (6 mi) |
What is Pickerel Cove WMA like?
MassWildlife describes it: "Pickerel Cove WMA features white pine, pitch pine, red oak forests with sweet pepperbush and common greenbrier in the understory. This property borders the Pickerel Cove WCE and the edge of Wakeby Pond."
On wildlife: "Two rare freshwater mussels are found in Wakeby and Mashpee Ponds, eastern pondmussel and tidewater mucket. There are many trails for walking, hiking, and biking."
Quoted from MassWildlife's Pickerel Cove WMA fact sheet.
What does MassWildlife say about hunting Pickerel Cove WMA?
"This WMA provides good hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern coyote, and cottontail rabbit."
On fishing: "You can find shore fishing access to Mashpee and Wakeby Ponds. These ponds contain warmwater species including bullhead, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, white perch, and yellow perch. Additionally, the pond is stocked with trout. For more information on trout stocking, visit mass.gov/trout."
How do you get into Pickerel Cove WMA?
"Parking for 6 vehicles is located on Main Street in Mashpee and access to this property is gained through Pickerel Cove WCE. You can access this WMA directly on foot from Cove Road and Hirsch Road in Sandwich. There are several old roads and foot paths on this property left over from an old summer camp, which make access easier."
MassWildlife's parking layer shows no lot for Pickerel Cove WMA.
Highways within five miles: MA 28, US 6, MA 130, MA 151 and MA 149. Distances to the nearest town centers: Sandwich 3 miles, Mashpee 4 miles, Bourne 6 miles and Barnstable 7 miles. Other WMAs nearby: Mashpee River (2 miles), Hog Ponds (2 miles), Fisk Forestdale (2 miles).
When can you hunt deer on Pickerel Cove 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 | 17 | 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 Pickerel Cove 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 Pickerel Cove 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 Pickerel Cove 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 Pickerel Cove WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "Parking for 6 vehicles is located on Main Street in Mashpee and access to this property is gained through Pickerel Cove WCE. You can access this WMA directly on foot from Cove Road and Hirsch Road in Sandwich. There are several old roads and foot paths on this property left over from an old summer camp, which make access easier."
What can you hunt on Pickerel Cove WMA?
MassWildlife's fact sheet: "This WMA provides good hunting opportunities for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, eastern coyote, and cottontail rabbit."
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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).