Home › Kentucky › Public land › Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
Kentucky national river and recreation area
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area: where and when to hunt
National river and recreation area in McCreary County, 30,300 acres in Deer Zone 4.
Hunting gearPhoto: Patrick Mueller (CC BY 2.0)
Getting to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
- Ledbetter TrailheadParking · 1.2 mi from the centreDirections
- Peters Mtn TrailheadParking · 1.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.0 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.4 mi from the centreDirections
Parking, trailhead and gate locations come from OpenStreetMap contributors. Roads into public land can be gated or seasonal; check with the managing agency before you go.
Ground, size and manager of the Big South Fork
The Big South Fork covers about 30,300 acres of McCreary County, and KDFWR counts it in the Southeast Region. Day-to-day management rests with the National Park Service.
Notes on the ground at the Big South Fork, from the record:
- US 27 south, then west on KY 92 to regional office in Stearns. Majority of area is in Tennessee and exceeds 55,000 acres. Extremely mountainous with steep cliffs, deep gorges. Camping, hiking near South Fork of Cumberland River; canoeing, fishing. Check with park staff about designated safety zones around high-use visitor facilities where hunting is not permitted. For map, additional information, contact Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, 4564 Leatherwood Road, Oneida, TN 37841; Owned by National Park Service.
Forest is the biggest cover class here, near 96 percent.
The Big South Fork flowing over rocks below wooded banks at Blue Heron
Acres: KDFWR Public Lands Search detail page ("Size: 30300 acres"). Description and habitat from the area record; checked November 10, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
Which seasons the Big South Fork opens this year
Of the season columns KDFWR charts for the Big South Fork, 10 are open, 2 closed and 0 quota-only for 2026-27.
| Column | Status | Footnote |
|---|---|---|
| Deer archery, crossbow | Open | – |
| Deer muzzleloader | Open | – |
| Deer modern gun | Open | – |
| Deer youth gun | Open | – |
| Fall squirrel | Open | – |
| Rabbit | Open | 1 |
| Grouse | Open | 2 |
| Quail | Open | 1 |
| Fall turkey | Open | – |
| Furbearer | Open | – |
| Bear | Closed | – |
| Elk quota | Closed | – |
- Open Nov. 1 – Dec. 31, except during the opening weekend of modern gun deer season.
- Open Oct. 1 –Dec. 31.
From the 2026-27 quick reference charts on the KDFWR Public Land Hunting page; footnotes are KDFWR exceptions as printed. Checked November 10, 2026.
The Big South Fork by county and deer zone
One of the animals on the Big South Fork species list.
Raccoon portrait
Every county of the Big South Fork is in Zone 4 for 2026-27.
| County | Zone | Deer limit | Changed 2026 | CWD | Bear zone | Elk | Rabbit, quail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary County | Deer Zone 4 | 2 deer, 1 antlerless | No | Check county | Bear Zone 1 | Yes | Eastern |
Deer framework, Zone 4
| Deer hunt | Zone | Open date | Close date | Today | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Crossbow | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Youth, senior crossbow | Statewide | Sep 5, 2026 | Jan 18, 2027 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Youth gun | Statewide | Oct 10, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Early Muzzleloader | Statewide | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Modern gun | Zone 4 | Nov 14, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Late Muzzleloader | Zone 4 | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 20, 2026 | Guide p. 12 | |
| Free youth weekend | Statewide | Dec 26, 2026 | Dec 27, 2026 | Guide p. 12 |
These are statewide Zone 4 dates; the chart above says which of them the Big South Fork actually opens.
Zones from 301 KAR 2:172 and the KDFWR deer zone layer; dates from the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting &
Restrictions specific to the Big South Fork
Unless a line below says otherwise, the Big South Fork runs on the statewide seasons and limits for its county.
- Grouse season is open Oct. 1-Dec. 31.
- Kentucky regulations and licenses apply in the Kentucky portion (NPS); no hunting in designated safety zones around high-use visitor facilities (KDFWR detail page; safety zone maps in the Superintendent's Compendium).
Area regulations as printed on the KDFWR area page. Checked November 10, 2026.
Bear, elk and CWD status for the Big South Fork
CWD carcass rules
CWD rules reach the Big South Fork: McCreary County is a surveillance zone county. Plan for the staffed check: McCreary County, November 14 to November 16, 2026.
Bear seasons
The bear closed-area list includes the Big South Fork.
Elk access
The Big South Fork lies in the 16-county elk zone; elk hunting there is by drawn permit only. 500 permits were available statewide in 2026.
| Elk permit | Window | Today | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bull, firearms | Sep 26–30 Oct 3–7 | Guide p. 22 | |
| Cow, firearms | Nov 28–Dec 2 Jan 2–6 | Guide p. 22 | |
| Archery, crossbow | Sep 12–25 Dec 5–11 | Guide p. 22 | |
| Youth quota | Sep 12–Jan 6 | Guide p. 22 |
CWD from the KDFWR CWD Surveillance Zone; bear from 301 KAR 2:300; elk from 301 KAR 2:132; checked November 10, 2026. CWD zone · bear zones · elk zone.
Pins around the Big South Fork on the state map
Going north about 10 miles puts you at Stearns Ranger District. Pinned nearby: 3 wildlife management areas, 2 ranger districts and 1 national forest.
| Nearby | Type | Acres | County | Miles | Heading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns Ranger District | Ranger district | 170,938 | McCreary | 10 miles | north |
| Beaver Creek WMA | WMA | 17,753 | McCreary | 19 miles | northeast |
| Meadow Creek WMA | WMA | 232 | Wayne | 21 miles | northwest |
| University of the Cumberlands WMA | WMA | 10,275 | McCreary | 21 miles | east |
| Daniel Boone National Forest | National forest | 710,298 | Bath | 23 miles | northeast |
| London Ranger District | Ranger district | 209,423 | Estill | 29 miles | northeast |
Point: KDFWR Public Hunting Areas layer (polygon centroid). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Deer tallies from the counties around the Big South Fork
Harvest here is county-wide, not for the Big South Fork alone: Telecheck counts for 2025-26. Top of the list is McCreary County at 441 deer (109th statewide).
| County | Deer 2025-26 | State rank | Spring turkey 2026 | Bear | Elk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary County | 441 | 109th | 200 | 1 | – |
KDFWR Harvest Results app (Telecheck, license years); spring turkey by calendar spring; checked November 10, 2026.
Opening and closing minutes at the Big South Fork
the Big South Fork gets no printed sunrise table from KDFWR, so each time comes from the NOAA solar formula for this exact spot.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Deer and turkey | Ducks and doves | Zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | Deer archery opens | 7:12 a.m. | 8:03 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 8:33 p.m. | 6:42 a.m. to 8:03 p.m. | EDT |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Deer crossbow opens | 7:23 a.m. | 7:42 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 8:12 p.m. | 6:53 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. | EDT |
| Sep 26, 2026 | Bull elk week | 7:28 a.m. | 7:31 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 8:01 p.m. | 6:58 a.m. to 7:31 p.m. | EDT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Youth gun opens | 7:40 a.m. | 7:10 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. | 7:10 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. | EDT |
| Oct 17, 2026 | Early muzzleloader | 7:46 a.m. | 7:01 p.m. | 7:16 a.m. to 7:31 p.m. | 7:16 a.m. to 7:01 p.m. | EDT |
| Oct 24, 2026 | Bear Zone 1 archery | 7:53 a.m. | 6:52 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 7:22 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 6:52 p.m. | EDT |
| Nov 14, 2026 | CWD check begins; Zone 4 gun opener | 7:15 a.m. | 5:31 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 6:01 p.m. | 6:45 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. | EST |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Duck season opens | 7:27 a.m. | 5:25 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:55 p.m. | 6:57 a.m. to 5:25 p.m. | EST |
| Nov 29, 2026 | Zone 4 gun closes | 7:30 a.m. | 5:24 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 7:00 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | EST |
| Dec 12, 2026 | Bear Zone 1 firearm; late muzzleloader | 7:41 a.m. | 5:23 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:53 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. | EST |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:47 a.m. | 5:26 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:56 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. | EST |
| Dec 26, 2026 | Free youth weekend | 7:49 a.m. | 5:28 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. | 7:19 a.m. to 5:28 p.m. | EST |
Hours rules from the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting &
Stocking up on the way to the Big South Fork
Closest town page to the Big South Fork: Stearns, 6 miles in a beeline. The table's largest town is Monticello, with 5,726 people. The closest KDFWR building with a street address is in Williamsburg, 24 miles away. The regional coordinator for the Big South Fork answers at (606) 344-0585.
| Town | County | 2024 population | Away | Which way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stearns | McCreary | – | 6 miles | northeast |
| Whitley City | McCreary | – | 7 miles | northeast |
| Monticello | Wayne | 5,726 | 20 miles | northwest |
| Williamsburg | Whitley | 5,332 | 24 miles | east |
| Emlyn | Whitley | – | 24 miles | east |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024 estimates); KDFWR offices from the KDFWR contact page and the regional biologists map; businesses from services.json listings (call ahead); straight-line miles. Checked November 10, 2026.
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area: ranges before the hunt
Measured from the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area point, Appletree Shooting Range leads at 8 miles.
From the KDFWR range layer and permit list, club sites and directory listings, checked November 10, 2026.
Useful gear for hunting the Big South Fork
the Big South Fork cards match the seasons listed above.
Amazon links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Climbing stand
Pack a climbing stand; deer cover here runs from crop edges to steep hardwood draws.
Brush gloves
Rabbit hunters working fencerows behind beagles count on brush gloves.
View over the Big South Fork gorge at Blue HeronPhoto: Brian Stansberry (CC BY 3.0)
Devils Jump rapids on the Big South Fork among boulders and wooded cliffsPhoto: Daniel McFeeters (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Big South Fork: the answers, with sources
Do I need a draw for elk on the Big South Fork?
Yes, elk hunting in the elk zone is quota-only.
Does the Big South Fork allow bear hunting?
No, it is closed to bears.
Where do the Big South Fork hunters stock up?
Stearns is nearest, roughly 6 miles off.
What acreage does the record give the Big South Fork?
Roughly 30,300 acres.
Who answers questions on the Big South Fork?
The listing gives (606) 376-5073; region questions go to (606) 344-0585 or FW.SoutheastRegion@ky.gov.
When does legal light end at the Big South Fork?
Thirty minutes after sunset for big and small game; at sunset for migratory birds.
Can I hunt every species on the Big South Fork?
Check the chart: 10 seasons are open there, 2 are closed.
Which deer limit applies on the Big South Fork?
The Zone 4 limit: 2 deer, 1 antlerless, with one antlered deer statewide.
Do CWD rules apply at the Big South Fork?
They do: McCreary County is in the 23-county zone.
Is the Big South Fork a quota-only area?
No 2026-27 deer quota hunt is listed for it.
Last calls to make about the Big South Fork
Posted signs and the managing agency outrank this page whenever the Big South Fork rules shift mid-season.
Sources: KDFWR area page · KDFWR page · KDFWR map layer · KDFWR PDF · Park Service · eCFR; seasons from the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting &
Other photos on this page: Brian Stansberry (CC BY 3.0); Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0).