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WMA unit · 2026-27 season
Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA) for hunters
Rules, permits and dates for this Jackson County WMA unit in Jackson County.
Photo: Shannon McGee (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Getting to Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA)
Parking, trailheads and gates near Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA)
- Hwy 117 Boat RampBoat ramp · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 0.6 mi from the centreDirections
- Rt 2/Lee Hwy Bridge (Crow Creek)Boat ramp · 2.2 mi from the centreDirections
- City Park Ramp (Crow Creek)Boat ramp · 2.8 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.1 mi from the centreDirections
- Parking areaParking · 3.3 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 Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)
By the ADCNR WMA table, Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) measures 8,507 acres, all in Jackson County. A GIS measure of the boundary comes to 4,667 acres. Within Jackson County it is the 3rd largest of 12 listed places. Management: ADCNR (Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division), WFF District II.
Listed in the ADCNR Wildlife Management Area system. ADCNR describes the location as Jackson County near Stevenson. The permit credits Forever Wild Land Trust, TVA and USFWS as cooperators. Across Jackson County, public land maps out at 106,975 acres. Check the permit map: the table says 8,507 acres, the GIS layer 4,575.
Game named for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA): Waterfowl, Small game.
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 Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA)
What Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. 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 |
On Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. 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 Jackson County 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. Blind rules: the ADCNR table marks Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) as having them. 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 Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) is excluded from the bait privilege; corn piles and feeders are not legal aids here.
Check-station note on the AREA Permit: TURKEY: (Youth) March 20 (Daylight until 1 p.m.) Gobblers only. Decoys Allowed. (Physically Disabled) March 26 (Daylight until 1 p.m.) Gobblers only. Decoys Allowed.
Sources: source, source, source, source (Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources). Checked November 1, 2026.
What the county rules mean for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)
| Item | Jackson County |
|---|---|
| Deer zone | A (map) |
| CWD zone | Outside |
| Turkey zone | 1 |
| Fall turkey | Closed |
| Dove zone | North |
| Dog deer | Stalk only |
| Waterfowl zone | Statewide |
| Alligator area | None |
| Turkeys, 2025 | 445-612 |
| WFF district | II |
Jackson 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; Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) runs on its own permit dates. Deer are stalk hunted in Jackson County under the county list. ADCNR binned the 2025 Game Check turkey harvest in Jackson County at 445-612 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 Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) and nearby land
Crow Creek Refuge (Jackson Co. WMA) sits 1.9 mi to the west, the nearest other record to Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA).
| Name | Type | Size (ac) | County | Away | Bearing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow Creek Refuge (Jackson Co. WMA) | WMA unit | 3,346 | Jackson | 1.9 mi | west |
| Crow Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) | WMA unit | 2,069 | Jackson | 4.9 mi | northwest |
| Coon Gulf Tract (Jackson Co. WMA) | WMA unit | 3,960 | Jackson | 5.0 mi | south |
| Mud Creek PDHA waterfowl blind | PDHA blind | – | Jackson | 5.3 mi | southwest |
| Mud Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) | WMA unit | 8,003 | Jackson | 7.8 mi | southwest |
| Crow Creek SOA | SOA | 448 | Jackson | 8.7 mi | northwest |
| James D. Martin-Skyline WMA | WMA | 60,732 | Jackson | 15 mi | northwest |
| Forever Wild-Alabama Power PDHA | PDHA | 1,219 | Jackson | 16 mi | northwest |
Points: ADCNR WMA layer (point inside polygon (centroid falls outside)). Straight-line distances. Statewide public land map.
Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA): waterfowl rules
The dates are statewide for ducks, coots, mergansers, geese and teal. Extra waterfowl rules apply on Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA), set in Ala. Admin. Code 220-2-.164/.165.
| 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 Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)
Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) lies 3.3 mi from Stevenson. The 2024 count puts Scottsboro first at 15,957 residents. District office for Jackson County: Jacksonville ((256) 435-5422).
| Community | County | Residents | Straight line | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stevenson | Jackson | 1,975 | 3.3 mi | north |
| Pisgah | Jackson | 690 | 11 mi | south |
| Hollywood | Jackson | 928 | 13 mi | southwest |
| Hytop | Jackson | 453 | 17 mi | west |
| Scottsboro | Jackson | 15,957 | 19 mi | southwest |
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.
Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) shooting light
Legal light for deer around Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. 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 | 6:48 a.m. | 6:11 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 6:41 p.m. | 6:18 a.m. to 6:11 p.m. |
| Nov 21, 2026 | Gun deer, A-C | 6:23 a.m. | 4:37 p.m. | 5:53 a.m. to 5:07 p.m. | 5:53 a.m. to 4:37 p.m. |
| Nov 27, 2026 | Ducks open | 6:29 a.m. | 4:35 p.m. | 5:59 a.m. to 5:05 p.m. | 5:59 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:47 a.m. | 4:36 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 5:06 p.m. | 6:17 a.m. to 4:36 p.m. |
| Jan 15, 2027 | Mid-January | 6:51 a.m. | 4:54 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 5:24 p.m. | 6:21 a.m. to 4:54 p.m. |
| Feb 10, 2027 | Deer close, A-C | 6:36 a.m. | 5:21 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | 6:06 a.m. to 5:21 p.m. |
| Mar 20, 2027 | Turkey opener | 6:49 a.m. | 6:55 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 7:25 p.m. | 6:19 a.m. to 6:55 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.
Nearest ADCNR range to Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA), plus others
Skyline WMA Shooting Range is the nearest ADCNR shooting range to Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA), about 19 miles away.
From ADCNR’s range directory and range pages, operators’ pages and directory listings, checked November 1, 2026.
Pictures for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)
Dates tied to Raccoon Creek (Jackson County WMA) and its surroundings
Rows marked on site use this land as the venue; the others sit within about 10 miles. In all, 4 upcoming dates. Drawn hunters alone may take part in the 3 Special Opportunity Area hunts listed.
Scheduled
| Dates | Event | Distance | Where | Link | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15–Nov 22, 2026 | Crow Creek SOA deer hunt: Archery – Stalk Hunting Hunter's Choice · SOA deer (archery) draw | 9 | Event details | Source | |
| Dec 3–20, 2026 | Crow Creek SOA deer hunt: Primitive Weapons – Stalk Hunting Hunter's Choice · SOA deer (primitive weapons) draw | 9 | Event details | Source | |
| Jan 2–31, 2027 | Crow Creek SOA waterfowl hunt · SOA waterfowl draw | 9 | Event details | Source | |
| Feb 6, 2027 | Crow Creek SOA youth waterfowl hunt · SOA youth draw | 9 | Sign up | Source |
Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) answers from the sources
Dogs for deer on Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
No. The AREA Permit says no dog deer hunting.
Is baiting legal on Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
No; public land is excluded from the bait privilege.
What species does Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) offer?
Waterfowl and small game, per the source.
Who looks after Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division is the managing agency. Contact on the permit: Austin LeCroy (biologist), (256) 437-2788.
Any backup ground near Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
Nearest on our list: Crow Creek Refuge (Jackson Co. WMA), 1.9 mi. 9 more lie within 50 miles.
Is blaze orange required at Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
In gun season, yes; orange or pink, 144 square inches or a full cap.
What are legal shooting hours at Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
Half an hour either side of sunrise and sunset; November 21, 2026: 5:53 a.m. to 5:07 p.m..
In which county and district is Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
The record puts Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) in Jackson County, WFF District II. Stevenson is the closest town with a page here, about 3.3 mi away.
What size is Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
About 8,507 acres according to the ADCNR WMA table.
Do I need a special permit for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
Hunting license plus WMA license ($23.40), the free AREA Permit and daily check-in and check-out.
Which Alabama deer zone covers Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)?
The ADCNR zone map decides A or B in Jackson County, since the line is drawn on roads. Own-permit areas set separate dates.
Final checks for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA)
Use this page to plan, then reread the agency page for Raccoon Creek (Jackson Co. WMA) shortly before the trip.
Sources: source · source · source; regulations from the 2026-2027 Alabama Hunting and Fishing Digest. Checked November 1, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Tom Woodward (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tom Woodward (CC BY-SA 2.0); USFWS Midwest Region (Public Domain Mark 1.0).