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WMA · 2026-27 season
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area for hunters
Rules, permits and dates for this wildlife management area in Autauga County.
Photo: Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0)
Getting to Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area
Parking, trailheads and gates near Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 2.7 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.4 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.
Size, owner and game on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
By the ADCNR WMA table, Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA measures 10,463 acres, all in Autauga County. Within Autauga County it is the 1st largest of 2 listed places. Management: ADCNR (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division), WFF District III. Listed in the ADCNR Wildlife Management Area system.
ADCNR describes the location as Autauga county, north of Prattville. Across Autauga County, public land maps out at 10,545 acres.
Game named for Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA: Deer, Turkey, Waterfowl, Doves, Rabbits, Squirrels, Feral hogs, Crows, Quail, Woodcock, Snipe, Raccoon, Opossum, Bobcat, Coyote, Foxes, Furbearer trapping.
- White-tailed deer
- Wild turkey
- Ducks
- Canada goose
- Mourning dove
- Rabbits
- Squirrels
- Feral swine
- Crows
- Bobwhite quail
From the agency record (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division); checked November 1, 2026.
Nearby
Places to hunt and shoot around Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area
What Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA requires
| Item | On this WMA |
|---|---|
| Hunting license | Required, 16+ |
| WMA license | $23.40 |
| AREA Permit | Free |
| Daily check-in | App or paper |
| Dog deer | Not allowed |
| Bait | Not allowed |
| Table type | Big and small game |
On Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA, deer, turkey and waterfowl hunters 16 and up buy the $23.40 WMA license and sign in each day with the app or a paper daily permit. For rabbits and squirrels, the $14.30 Wildlife Heritage License covers WMA use, and residents with a hunting license already have it. Vehicle gates on most WMAs stay shut May 1 to September 15, foot access excepted. Leave the deer hounds home; the Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA permit bars dog deer hunting. The bonus buck allowed on WMA bonus days sits outside the three-antlered-buck season limit and must be validated at the check station. Record what you shot (or that you shot nothing) in the Outdoor Alabama app or on the daily permit before leaving. Public land such as Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA is excluded from the bait privilege; corn piles and feeders are not legal aids here.
Check-station note on the AREA Permit: All deer harvested must be submitted at check station for data collection on the following dates: Nov. 21, Jan. 15-16, and Jan. 29-30.The check station is open from 9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sources: source, source, source, source (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources). Checked November 1, 2026.
Season windows at Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
7 rows cut to fit Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA and its game.
| Game | Season | Group | From | To | Open now? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild turkey | Spring youth | WMA group | Mar 13, 2027 | Mar 13, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring, hunters with disabilities | WMA group | Mar 19, 2027 | Mar 19, 2027 | |
| Wild turkey | Spring | WMA group | Mar 20, 2027 | May 3, 2027 | |
| Doves | Segment 1 | North Zone | Sep 5, 2026 | Sep 5, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 2 | North Zone | Sep 6, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 3 | North Zone | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Doves | Segment 4 | North Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Jan 17, 2027 |
Deer, small game and waterfowl dates for Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA are on its AREA Permit, which this table does not repeat.
From the ADCNR seasons and bag limits, the 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest and the 2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guide; checked November 1, 2026. All Alabama seasons.
Dove hunting on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA has 3 managed dove fields this year: 36 acres of millet.
| Field | Crops planted | Acres | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field 1 | Millet | 8 | Strips mowed, disked, and planted with Wheat |
| Field 2 | Millet | 1.3 | Strips mowed, disked, and planted with Wheat |
| Field 3 | Millet | 1.5 | Strips mowed, disked, and planted with Wheat |
Field schedule: State Season – (12:00 noon until sunset) (Saturdays and Wednesdays Only) No hunting on days of youth, primitive weapons, or gun deer hunts
ADCNR WMA Dove Field Information; checked November 1, 2026.
What the county rules mean for Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
| Item | Autauga County |
|---|---|
| Deer zone | A (map) |
| CWD zone | Outside |
| Turkey zone | 1 |
| Fall turkey | Closed |
| Dove zone | North |
| Dog deer | Allowed |
| Waterfowl zone | Statewide |
| Alligator area | None |
| Turkeys, 2025 | 209-296 |
| WFF district | III |
Autauga County has Zone A or Zone B ground. That line is drawn on highways and rivers, not county lines, so check the ADCNR deer zone map before you hunt near it. Zone dates are for private and open-permit public land; Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA runs on its own permit dates. Of the three antlered deer allowed each season, one must have 4 or more points on one antler. ADCNR binned the 2025 Game Check turkey harvest in Autauga County at 209-296 birds; county deer harvest is not published in Alabama.
ADCNR deer zones, turkey zones, dove zones, dog deer rules, CWD rules and the 2025 Alabama Wild Turkey Report; checked November 1, 2026.
Mapping Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA and nearby land
Pine Hills PDHA sits 7.2 mi to the northwest, the nearest other record to Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA.
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Hills PDHA | PDHA | 85 | Autauga | 7.2 mi | northwest |
| Jordan PDHA | PDHA | 198 | Elmore | 15 mi | east |
| Coosa WMA | WMA | 17,486 | Coosa | 20 mi | north |
| Lowndes WMA | WMA | 15,920 | Lowndes | 22 mi | southwest |
| Prairie Glades SOA | SOA | 167 | Montgomery | 22 mi | south |
| Prairie Creek PDHA | PDHA | 129 | Lowndes | 24 mi | southwest |
| Yates Lake WMA | WMA | 5,616 | Elmore | 35 mi | east |
| Shelby SOA | SOA | 1,198 | Shelby | 37 mi | north |
Points: ADCNR WMA layer (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside) of the largest part). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA: waterfowl rules
The dates are statewide for ducks, coots, mergansers, geese and teal.
| Species | Window | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teal | Special teal season | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 |
| Ducks | Youth and veteran day | Nov 21, 2026 | Nov 21, 2026 |
| Ducks | Ducks | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 |
| Ducks | Ducks | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Ducks | Youth and veteran day | Feb 6, 2027 | Feb 6, 2027 |
| Geese | Geese, segment 1 | Sep 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
| Geese | Geese, segment 2 | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 31, 2026 |
| Geese | Geese, segment 3 | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 |
| Geese | Geese, segment 4 | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Coots | Coot season | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 |
| Coots | Coot season | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
| Mergansers | Merganser season | Nov 27, 2026 | Nov 28, 2026 |
| Mergansers | Merganser season | Dec 5, 2026 | Jan 31, 2027 |
2026-27 Waterfowl Hunting Guide; checked November 1, 2026.
Shops and offices close to Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA lies 4.1 mi from Pine Level. The 2024 count puts Prattville first at 40,139 residents. District office for Autauga County: Northport ((205) 339-5716).
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Level | Autauga | – | 4.1 mi | east |
| Prattville | Autauga | 40,139 | 11 mi | south |
| Autaugaville | Autauga | 815 | 14 mi | southwest |
| Clanton | Chilton | 9,228 | 18 mi | north |
| Wetumpka | Elmore | 7,667 | 19 mi | east |
Towns from places.json (Census 2024); offices and businesses from services.json (ADCNR offices and business listings, chain stores left out); straight-line miles. Checked November 1, 2026.
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA shooting light
Legal light for deer around Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA runs 30 minutes either side of sunrise and sunset; for ducks it starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends at sunset.
| Date | Why it matters | Sunrise | Sunset | Game legal | Waterfowl legal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 2026 | Archery opens, A and C | 6:49 a.m. | 6:15 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer, A-C | 6:21 a.m. | 4:44 p.m. | 5:51 a.m. to 5:14 p.m. | 5:51 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Ducks open | 6:27 a.m. | 4:42 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 5:12 p.m. | 5:57 a.m. to 4:42 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:44 a.m. | 4:45 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. | 6:14 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Mid-January | 6:48 a.m. | 5:02 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:32 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 5:02 p.m. |
| Feb 10, 2027 | Deer close, A-C | 6:35 a.m. | 5:27 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:57 p.m. | 6:05 a.m. to 5:27 p.m. |
| Mar 20, 2027 | Turkey opener | 6:52 a.m. | 6:58 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 7:28 p.m. | 6:22 a.m. to 6:58 p.m. |
Hours rules from the 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location (NOAA solar formula, Central Time), checked against the Digest’s Birmingham table; checked November 1, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Pictures for Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area hunters: public range and clubs
Coosa County WMA Range is the nearest ADCNR shooting range to Charles D. Kelley-Autauga Wildlife Management Area, about 24 miles away. Beside it, two more within 30 miles.
From ADCNR’s range directory and range pages, operators’ pages and directory listings, checked November 1, 2026.
Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA answers from the sources
Which Alabama deer zone covers Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
The ADCNR zone map decides A or B in Autauga County, since the line is drawn on roads. Own-permit areas set separate dates.
Dogs for deer on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
No. The AREA Permit says no dog deer hunting.
Is baiting legal on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
No; public land is excluded from the bait privilege.
What species does Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA offer?
Deer, turkey, waterfowl, doves, rabbits, squirrels, feral hogs, crows, quail, woodcock, snipe, raccoon, opossum, bobcat, coyote, foxes and furbearer trapping, per the source.
Which office handles Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division is the managing agency. Contact on the permit: Logan McCord (biologist), (334) 850-5459.
Turkey season on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA: when?
Dates: Mar 20, 2027 to May 3, 2027, daylight to 1 p.m.
Any backup ground near Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
Try Pine Hills PDHA, 7.2 mi straight line. 9 more lie within 50 miles.
Is blaze orange required at Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
In gun season, yes; orange or pink, 144 square inches or a full cap.
Are there managed dove fields on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
3 fields, 36 acres, on the WMA dove list.
When does legal light start on Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
Half an hour either side of sunrise and sunset; November 21, 2026: 5:51 a.m. to 5:14 p.m..
In which county and district is Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA?
The record puts Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA in Autauga County, WFF District III. Pine Level is the closest town with a page here, about 4.1 mi away.
Final checks for Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA
Report deer and turkey through Game Check (Outdoor Alabama app) within 48 hours, and carry your harvest record while hunting Charles D. Kelley-Autauga WMA.
Sources: source · source · source · source · source; regulations from the 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest. Checked November 1, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0); Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY 2.0).