Deer hunters who want to hunt at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (also referred to as the MMR, Camp Edwards or Otis Air Force Base), on Cape Cod in 2009 need to be aware of a change in the registration system for the controlled hunt. For the first time, hunters who have pre-registered for and/or participated in the controlled deer hunting program at Camp Edwards within the previous five calendar years (2004-2008) are not required to fill out and submit a pre-registration form to participate in the hunt. Hunters who have not pre-registered and/or participated during that time period (or those that are unsure if they have) must fill out the registration form and send it to the MassWildlife Southeast District Office by November 1, 2009.
Hard copies of the registration forms, along with more details on the hunt, are available at the MassWildlife Southeast District Office in Bourne and the Field Headquarters in Westborough. The form is posted at
www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/hunting/hunting_opportunities.htm. Deer hunting at the MMR will be allowed on the following dates: Archery: November 18 (Wed.) – November 21 (Sat.); Shotgun: November 30 (Mon.) – December 5 (Sat.); Muzzleloader: December 16 (Wed.) – December 19 (Sat.). No more than 500 hunters are allowed on the base at any one time and space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Deer hunters are reminded that a valid Firearms Identification Card or License to Carry Firearms is required by MMR to hunt Camp Edwards/Otis during the shotgun and muzzleloader seasons. A valid photo ID is required for the archery season. Permission to hunt at Camp Edwards is at the discretion of the Camp Commander. About 9,500 acres of the MMR will be open to hunting. The hunting area is dominated by pitch pine-scrub oak habitat and is separated into sections by marked dirt roads. The topography has the many hills and hollows typical of the terminal moraine. Hunting has been available on the Camp Edwards section of the MMR since 1956 through a permit system and controlled hunt managed by MassWildlife and cooperating agencies. A controlled public hunt is necessary for managing the local deer population density to protect the MMR's natural resources and to reduce both deer/vehicle collisions and the incidence of Lyme disease.
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