An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
WMA Management Levels: To assist visitors, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has developed a categorization system of the public lands available for hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation.
Harris-Dickerson WMA in Hopkins County is open to the public under statewide regulations.
The quota deer hunts at West Kentucky WMA will follow special changes during the Fall 2022 season.
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The Wildlife Management Area & Public Lands Search feature on our website is a go-to source for information about where to hunt, fish, hike and more in Kentucky.
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During a WMA deer quota hunt, and the open firearm deer hunts at Grayson Lake and West Kentucky WMAs, only participating hunters and accompanying non-hunting assistants (limit one per hunter) are allowed to be on those WMAs, except waterfowl hunters in some areas that may be open, or if a part of the WMA is otherwise open as noted in the following area listings. Non-hunting assistants must check in and check out with the quota hunter that they are accompanying and abide by hunter orange requirements.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife owns, leases or manages more than 85 wildlife management areas (WMAs) for public use. In some areas, a user permit is required. It also has agreements to provide public access on certain privately owned lands, known as Hunting Access Areas. Many public-use areas have special regulations and hunting season dates that are different from statewide seasons. In some public-use areas, a user permit is required. Please refer to specific area listings for that information. The rest are open to hunting free of additional charge.
The information here applies to users of all WMAs owned or managed by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. If you intend to hunt (or otherwise visit) public lands listed under “Wildlife Management Areas,” you must comply with the following guidelines.
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife offers special exceptions to hunting and fishing regulations for persons who are mobility-impaired and want to hunt and fish on select WMAs. (Eligibility requirements appear in the Quota Hunts section.) Persons interested in applying for a Mobility-Impaired Access Permit should contact the department for an application or print one here.
Applicants for a Mobility-Impaired Access Permit shall fill out the required information on the application and obtain the attestation and signature from a licensed physician describing the mobility impairment.
A mobility-impaired individual shall have a completed Mobility-Impaired Access Permit application on his or her person at all times while participating in such activities, along with the appropriate hunting licenses and permits.
Mobility-impaired access areas have been designated on portions of the following WMAs: Barren River, Green River Lake, Griffith Woods, Kentucky River, Lake Cumberland, Mill Creek, Miller Welch-Central Kentucky, Mullins, Peabody (Sinclair Unit), Redbird, Taylorsville Lake, West Kentucky, Yatesville Lake and Yellowbank WMAs.
The Mobility-Impaired Access Permit allows the following activities by a mobility-impaired individual:
A person with a Mobility-Impaired Access Permit may designate one (1) qualified assistant. The assistant may:
A qualified assistant shall not:
Open deer hunts are offered in the following state parks on the following dates. Contact the host state park for complete details, including the number of available slots, equipment restrictions, bag limits and check-in and check-out procedures.
The charts in this section should be used as a quick reference only. WMAs and other public lands may be open to hunting and trapping during statewide seasons or have different dates and regulations, as determined by the managing agency. Go here for all the details on these public lands. Also note that some of these public lands may have areas that are off-limits to hunting or trapping, as noted by signs, and that units within these areas may have different season dates or regulations.
NOTE: Before trapping on a WMA or Outdoor Recreation Area, a Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Public Area Trapping Registration Form must be completed.
are available on Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA, Higginson-Henry WMA, John A. Kleber WMA, Jones-Keeney WMA, Miller Welch-Central Kentucky WMA, Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area, Peabody WMA, Taylorsville Lake WMA and West Kentucky WMA. The ranges are self-serve and all users must comply with the rules posted by sign. Shooting ranges are closed on Mondays and during deer quota hunts at applicable WMAs. Some ranges can be reserved for special events by contacting the WMA manager 30 days in advance of the event. For more information, visit www.arcgis.com and type "Kentucky Shooting Ranges on Public Hunting Areas" in the search box. Public shooting ranges also are available on Daniel Boone National Forest. Details are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/dbnf by clicking on "Recreation" and then "Other Activities."
Sunny Brook WMA: Area may periodically close to public access due to future stream restoration construction. Closures will be marked through signage.