Towns: New Braintree, Oakham
Acreage: 742
Wildlife Management Zone: 8
Description
Oakham WMA features hardwood stands, old apple orchards, maintained fields, swamp land, and conifer stands.
Location, access, & parking
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. See WMA map.
Note: WMAs are intentionally wild, visitors will find natural landscapes rather than maintained trails.
Habitat management
The fields on this property are mowed annually to maintain open habitat and some fields are in active agriculture through lease agreements with farmers.
Learn more about MassWildlife’s habitat management activities.
Hunting opportunities
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.
Wildlife viewing & other features
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.
Regulations
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. No person shall hunt before sunrise or after sunset during the open season on pheasant, except for the hunting of raccoons or opossums between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Read Wildlife Management Area regulations.
About Wildlife Management Areas
MassWildlife owns and manages over 220,000 acres of land to conserve fish and wildlife habitats and provide access for outdoor recreation. All WMAs are open to hunting, fishing, trapping, and other outdoor recreation activities. Visit the MassWildlife Lands Viewer for an interactive map of MassWildlife properties.
You can support land protection in Massachusetts. Contributions to the Wildlands Fund help pay for the cost of acquiring wildlife habitat. Learn more about the Wildlands Fund.