Kentucky Fish and Wildlife public hunting areas affected by flooding

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2025) — Due to the recent weather event that affected Kentucky, the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is asking hunters headed to public hunting areas for the spring turkey season (April 12 - May 4) to be aware that high waters may impact access and hunting opportunity.

Many wildlife management areas (WMAs) across Kentucky are located in low-lying areas, adjacent to streams or rivers, and have been impacted by flooding.

In western Kentucky, nearly every WMA has been affected by high water. Some parking lots and other access points are completely submerged, and many acres of property are inaccessible. Hunters are cautioned to prioritize safety by checking conditions on their intended destinations before planned hunt dates, using daylight hours to scout flood-prone areas, and consulting online resources for road closures and high-water reports such as the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet GoKy Map (marking the weather box populates known flooded roadways).

In central Kentucky, Taylorsville Lake WMA and Kentucky River WMA are also extensively affected by the recent flooding, particularly in the river bottoms.

The WMAs located in western and central Kentucky affected most by flooding include:

• Ballard WMA​
  
• Barren River Lake WMA
• Big Rivers WMA
  
• Blackford Oaks WMA​
• Boatwright WMA​
• Clear Creek WMA​
• Coil Estate WMA
• Doug Travis WMA
• Ferguson Creek WMA
• Harris-Dickerson WMA
• John C. Williams WMA
• Kaler Bottoms WMA
• L.B. Davison WMA
• Lake Barkley WMA
• Nolin River Lake WMA
• Obion Creek WMA
• Ohio River Islands WMA
• Rolling Fork WMA
• Sloughs WMA
• West Kentucky WMA
• Winford WMA
  
• Yellowbank WMA
  

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife reminds hunters not to attempt to drive through high water, even if “road closed” or other warning signs are absent, and not to drive around or move gates, barricades, barrels or any other traffic control devices.​​​

While the WMAs in eastern Kentucky were not as significantly impacted by the recent weather event, local staff have removed fallen trees and other debris from numerous access points around WMAs there as well. Hunters are advised to be aware of potential access issues that could occur anywhere on or around public lands because of the recent storms.

To find public land areas across the state, consult the Public Land Search on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website (fw.ky.gov). The department also regularly posts closures and emerging news about public access sites using “ALERTS!” that appear in a red box at the top-left corner of the website homepage.