New Wildlife Management Area open for public hunting in Webster County

​​​​​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 8, 2024) — A developing bottomland hardwood forest in western Kentucky is the latest property being opened for public use by hunters, anglers and other outdoor adventurers.

​​​​​Blackford Oaks Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in southwestern Webster County includes 565 acres of former row crop farmland now covered in oak trees planted for wildlife habitat. The WMA offers 2.3 miles of shoreline along the Tradewater River and a small oxbow lake attractive to waterfowl. Winter flooding will submerge a portion of the WMA and create even more waterfowl hunting opportunities.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has opened Blackford Oaks WMA under statewide regulations for all game species. Hunting opportunities will include waterfowl, wild turkey, squirrel and deer. Wildlife watchers including birders may encounter numerous species to observe or add to their life-lists.​​​​​

Wildlife Regional Coordinator Thomas Young III noted some of the oaks are approximately 20 years old and beginning to produce acorns. Some of the species present include swamp white oak, swamp chestnut oak, cypress, overcup oak, shellbark hickory and pin oak. “It’s one of the best forest regeneration projects I’ve ever seen as far as survival of the planted trees,” Young said. The property’s planted mix of hardwood and softwood trees are now 25-35 feet tall. Sedge, rush and buttonbush are present in some of the small open areas.​​​​​

The WMA is named for the nearby community of Blackford and the number of oaks planted on the property. The area is located west of Providence, Ky.​​​​​

​​​​​Blackford Oaks WMA is a wetland mitigation property where restoration began in the very early 2000s and was eventually released from U.S. Army Corp of Engineers monitoring in 2014. Its forested wetland was created as a replacement for wetlands lost to surface coal mining operations in Hopkins County in the 1990s.

​​​​​The area was recently donated to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife for the purpose of wildlife management and to permanently protect aquatic resources and terrestrial wildlife habitat within the property by preserving, restoring and enhancing the property’s condition. WMA management will help ensure the scenic area is available for hunting, fishing, hiking and wildlife watching in perpetuity.

​​​​​The property has two parking areas but does not have boat ramps or interior roads. For boat-in access, there is one ramp two miles downstream of the WMA, off KY 132 (Fishtrap Bridge), and a second ramp located 2.6 miles upstream of the WMA, off KY 120 (Montezuma Bridge). Boundaries of the new WMA are marked by yellow paint.

How to get there: From Providence, take KY 109 North/West to KY 143. Turn left onto KY 143 and travel 2.8 miles to W.A. Henry Road. Turn left onto W.A. Henry Road and travel 0.5 miles to the WMA. The parking area is on the left. A second parking area is located off Jack Brantley Lane.​​​​​

Information about WMAs across the state may be found on the department’s website fw.ky.gov under Public Lands Hunting​.​​​​​