37 S.

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West Kentucky WMA

2026-27 season.

Check before you hunt. Confirm these dates in Kentucky Public Lands Hunting 2026-27. Seasons, closures and area rules can change.

Deer

Sep 5 – Nov 20, Nov 25 – Jan 18

Follows the statewide seasons, archery only.

  • Archery and crossbow: Sep 5 – Nov 20, Nov 25 – Jan 18
  • Youth: Oct 10–18, Dec 26–27
  • Muzzleloader: Oct 17–18, Dec 12–20
  • Modern firearms: Nov 14–20, Nov 25–29

In the guide: “Deer - Archery/Crossbow: Closed during department-administered quota hunts.”

Nov 21–24

Firearms, either sex. Quota hunt, 135 hunters drawn.

In the guide: “Deer - Muzzleloader: [quota] Open during department-administered quota hunts only. West Kentucky WMA: Nov. 21-24, 135 slots. Shotgun and muzzleloader only. Tract 1 is closed to public access.”

Nov 21–24

Firearms, either sex. Quota hunt, 4 hunters drawn. Only for youth hunters and the adults with them.

In the guide: “Deer - Youth Gun: [quota] [youth/adult] Open only for youth-mentor quota hunt on "A" tracts. West Kentucky WMA youth mentor: Nov. 21-24, 4 slots. Shotgun only. An adult mentor may take a deer during the hunt.”

Turkey

Follows the statewide seasons.

  • Archery: Sep 5 – Jan 18
  • Crossbow: Oct 1–18, Nov 14 – Dec 31
  • Shotgun: Oct 24–30, Dec 5–11

In the guide: “Turkey: Open under statewide regulations”

Dove and woodcock

Follows the statewide seasons.

  • Dove: Sep 1 – Oct 26, Nov 26 – Dec 6, Dec 19 – Jan 10
  • Woodcock: Oct 24 – Nov 13, Nov 16–20, Nov 25 – Dec 9

In the guide: “Migratory birds p. 7 · West Kentucky WMA: Dove, snipe and woodcock: Open under statewide seasons, except closed during deer gun seasons.”

Closed Nov 21–24.

In the guide: “Migratory birds p. 7 · West Kentucky WMA: Dove, snipe and woodcock: closed during deer gun seasons (the WMA's gun quota hunts, Nov. 21-24)”

Ducks and teal

Follows the statewide season (ducks and teal Sep 19–23, Nov 26–29, Dec 7 – Jan 31).

In the guide: “Migratory birds p. 11 · Areas owned or managed by the KDFWR that are not listed below are open to statewide seasons and limits: ducks”

Geese

Follows the statewide season (goose (western zone) Nov 26 – Feb 15).

In the guide: “Migratory birds p. 11 · Areas owned or managed by the KDFWR that are not listed below are open to statewide seasons and limits: geese (September Canada goose Western Zone)”

Closed Sep 1–15.

In the guide: “Migratory birds p. 7 · West Kentucky WMA closed to September Canada goose season.”

Rabbit and quail

Nov 16 – Dec 31

Follows the statewide season (rabbit, western zone and quail, western zone Nov 16 – Dec 31).

In the guide: “Rabbit, Quail: Tracts 2, 3, 6 and 7 open with statewide seasons and close Dec. 31.”

Jan 1–10

Any legal weapon.

In the guide: “Rabbit, Quail: Tracts 4, 5 and "A" tracts open Jan. 1-10 except if harvest limits are reached before Jan. 10”

Squirrel

Follows the statewide season (Aug 15 – Nov 13, Nov 16 – Feb 28).

In the guide: “Squirrel: Open under statewide regulations”

Raccoon, furbearers, and coyote

Follows the statewide seasons.

  • Raccoon: Oct 1 – Nov 13, Nov 16 – Feb 28
  • Furbearers, hunting and trapping: Nov 16 – Feb 28
  • Furbearers, water-set trapping: Mar 1–31
  • Coyote: Aug 1 – Nov 13, Nov 16 – Mar 31

In the guide: “Furbearer: Open under statewide regulations”

Closed Nov 14–15.

In the guide: “Two-day closure: Hunting for squirrels, rabbits, quail, grouse and furbearers is closed the first two days of modern firearms season for deer on WMAs.”

Area rules

Closed to deer modern gun season. Check-in required before entering any area marked with an "A". Only shotguns may be used for small game or furbearer hunting; no centerfire rifles or handguns for deer. Tract 1, Tracts 1A, 2A, 4A and portions of Tract 7A are closed to public use (see the maps at fw.ky.gov). Dove, snipe and woodcock are closed during deer gun seasons (migratory birds p. 7).

Nearby areas

Ballard WMA around 15 miles away

Boatwright WMA around 15 miles away

Coil Estate WMA around 20 miles away

Winford WMA around 20 miles away

Ohio River Islands WMA around 20 miles away

County zone deer bag limits apply on all WMAs; quota deer hunters may take up to two deer on a quota hunt in Zones 2, 3 and 4, only one antlered, and any buck counts toward the statewide one-buck limit. Hunting for squirrels, rabbits, quail, grouse and furbearers is closed the first two days of modern firearms deer season (Nov. 14-15) on WMAs. Dogs must be leashed on WMAs from March 1 until the third Saturday in August, with exceptions. Camping only where designated; no baiting; no nails or screw-in steps in trees; trail cameras must carry the owner's customer ID. Hunter orange during any firearms season for deer, bear or elk, also on ground blinds, except on WMAs where firearms hunting for those species is prohibited. Public dove fields are closed to all access from Aug. 15 until sunrise Sept. 1; on WMAs and leased fields, dove shooting hours are 11 a.m. to sunset Sept. 1-Oct. 26. Areas manipulated for dove hunting are not legal for waterfowl hunting. Youth-only waterfowl days are Nov. 21 and Feb. 13, and military/veteran-only days Nov. 22 and Feb. 14. A light goose conservation order runs Feb. 16-Mar. 31 with a free permit. Sandhill cranes (Dec. 7-Jan. 31) are by drawn permit only. During WMA deer quota hunts, only drawn hunters and one non-hunting assistant each may be on the area.

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