Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area expands by 500 acres

​​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2025) — Veterans Memorial Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Scott County has grown by 500 acres along the northern boundary of the property, protecting an impressive block of mature forest. This addition is now open for fall’s biggest hunting seasons.

“For the Bluegrass Region, this was a high-priority property,” said Derek Beard, assistant d​irector of Wildlife for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “This acquisition includes a quality hardwood forest component that is becoming harder to find in central Kentucky. It adds a unique mix of habitat types that support deer, turkey and a variety of forest wildlife.”

The additional acreage brings Veterans Memorial WMA to approximately 3,000 acres. “This acquisition has older trees, with some remarkable white oaks,” said Mike Hardin, assistant director of Engineering for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “In places you can tell it was once a working farm, but most of the property is in forest.”

Hardin said the presence of understory plants such as goldenseal and black cohosh in the forested sections is a reflection of the quality of the property. “Their presence shows a lack of disturbance,” he said. These plants are intolerant of activities such as logging or animal grazing.

Hardin oversees the Kentucky Wetland and Stream Mitigation Program which in 2012 was a primary driver behind the original 2,500-acre acquisition that created Veterans Memorial WMA. Since then, the program has restored and protected aquatic and riparian habitat to offset unavoidable impacts from permitted development projects.

Beard said in the coming months, a new parking area will be constructed off KY 620 (Double Culvert Road) to provide additional public access to the property. The newly acquired area is open under the same hunting and public use regulations as the rest of Veterans Memorial WMA.

“It is an outstanding acquisition,” Beard said. “It is a big win for wildlife and the public. Adding quality wildlife management area acreage within Kentucky’s Golden Triangle – where the majority of the state’s population lives – creates vital outdoor opportunities close to home and helps ensure wildlife conservation remains a shared value in our fast-growing region.”

For maps, regulations and more information about Veterans Memorial WMA, visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website at fw.ky.gov and type in Veterans Memorial WMA in the search bar on the top right of the page.​