Public Service Announcement: Portion of University of the Cumberlands WMA temporarily closed

​FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2025) — Public access to a portion of the University of the Cumberlands Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Whitley County will be temporarily closed Nov. 14-15, 2025, to accommodate a multi-college Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) event.

The temporary closure affects approximately 13 percent of the WMA. Main entrances to the closed area will be marked with signage alerting to the closure, and access via Coal Bank Hollow Road (off West Highway 92) will be restricted during this period.

The University of the Cumberlands WMA is owned by the University of the Cumberlands and managed under a cooperative agreement with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. All other portions of the WMA will remain open to public access.

The University of the Cumberlands WMA offers 10,275 acres for outdoor recreation. As part of the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife agreement with the University of the Cumberlands, firearms are not permitted for deer, bear or coyotes. Night hunting is prohibited for coyotes and raccoons, and it is closed for elk hunting.

Under WMA partnership agreements, landowners retain property ownership while allowing public use for outdoor recreation. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife manages these properties by providing conservation guidance, enforcing regulations through patrols by game wardens, and implementing habitat and wildlife management practices in coordination with landowners. These partnerships expand public access and help conserve Kentucky’s native wildlife and habitats.

To locate other public lands available nearby, visit the Wildlife Management Area & Public Lands Search webpage on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website (fw.ky.gov).

Did You Know?  The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources owns, leases or manages nearly 1.7 million acres across more than 130 public land areas to conserve fish and wildlife resources and provide public access. Most of the WMA and public hunting area acreage in Kentucky is made possible through partnerships with other governmental or private landowners. Managed by biologists, they are categorized into high, moderate and low management levels depending on their infrastructure and ongoing management activities, including wildlife monitoring and research, removal of nonnative invasive species, and prescribed burns.