Kentucky Land Closed to
Hunting

88 public places where hunting is not allowed: 46 state nature preserves, 35 state parks and historic sites, 6 National Park Service units and one state forest.

Open public land

State parks with hunts

Hunting gear

46State Nature Preserve

27State Park

8State Historic Site

6National Park Service unit

1State Forest

Photo: Charles Patrick Ewing (CC BY 2.0)

Public land where hunting is not allowed

Being public is not the same as being open to hunting. These places are closed, and their photos never appear on a hunting area page here. A few preserves inside WMAs are open (Livingston County Natural Areas and Martin's Fork) and are covered on those WMA pages.

National Park Service units

Park units hunt only where federal law authorizes it; these have no Kentucky hunting program (Mammoth Cave prohibits hunting outright).

Place	Counties	Acres	Rule
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park	LaRue	339	36 CFR 2.2
Camp Nelson National Monument	Jessamine	463	36 CFR 2.2
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park	Bell, Harlan	11,300	36 CFR 2.2
Fort Donelson National Battlefield	Calloway	444	36 CFR 2.2
Mammoth Cave National Park	Barren, Edmonson +	71,550	36 CFR 2.2
Mill Springs Battlefield National Monument	Pulaski, Wayne	1,471	36 CFR 2.2

State parks without a hunt

Parks with no 2026-27 quota, party or open hunt are closed to hunting under 301 KAR 2:178 Section 7(3).

Place	Counties	Acres	Rule
Barren River Lake State Resort Park	Barren	1,107	301 KAR 2:178
Breaks Interstate Park	–	–	301 KAR 2:178
Buckhorn Lake State Resort Park	Perry	618	301 KAR 2:178
Carr Creek State Park	Knott	41	301 KAR 2:178
Carter Caves State Resort Park	Carter	1,819	301 KAR 2:178
Columbus-Belmont State Park	Hickman	171	301 KAR 2:178
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park	McCreary, Whitley	1,980	301 KAR 2:178
E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park	Jefferson	545	301 KAR 2:178
Fort Boonesborough State Park	Clark, Madison	158	301 KAR 2:178
General Burnside Island State Park	Pulaski	332	301 KAR 2:178
General Butler State Resort Park	Carroll	551	301 KAR 2:178
Grayson Lake State Park	Carter, Elliott	1,199	301 KAR 2:178
John James Audubon State Park	Henderson	1,301	301 KAR 2:178
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park	Marshall	1,457	301 KAR 2:178
Kingdom Come State Park	Harlan, Letcher	1,466	301 KAR 2:178
Lake Cumberland State Resort Park	Russell	3,668	301 KAR 2:178
Lake Malone State Park	Muhlenberg	372	301 KAR 2:178
Lincoln Homestead State Park	Washington	208	301 KAR 2:178
Mineral Mound State Park	Lyon	527	301 KAR 2:178
My Old Kentucky Home State Park	Nelson	285	301 KAR 2:178
Natural Bridge State Resort Park	Powell, Wolfe	2,484	301 KAR 2:178
Nolin Lake State Park	Edmonson	156	301 KAR 2:178
Old Fort Harrod State Park	Mercer	23	301 KAR 2:178
Paintsville Lake State Park	Johnson	190	301 KAR 2:178
Pennyrile Forest State Resort Park	Christian	934	301 KAR 2:178
Pine Mountain State Resort Park	Bell	1,756	301 KAR 2:178
Rough River Dam State Resort Park	Grayson	329	301 KAR 2:178

State historic sites

State historic sites fall under the same park rule and have no 2026-27 hunt.

Place	Counties	Acres	Rule
Big Bone Lick State Historic Site	Boone	730	301 KAR 2:178
Dr. Thomas Walker State Historic Site	Knox	12	301 KAR 2:178
Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic Site	Lincoln	5	301 KAR 2:178
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site	Todd	16	301 KAR 2:178
Old Mulkey Meetinghouse State Historic Site	Monroe	75	301 KAR 2:178
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site	Boyle	1,181	301 KAR 2:178
Waveland State Historic Site	Fayette	13	301 KAR 2:178
Wickliffe Mounds State Historic Site	Ballard	20	301 KAR 2:178

State nature preserves

State nature preserves and natural areas are closed to hunting unless the articles of dedication provide for it, and the preserve pages name none.

Place	Counties	Acres	Rule
Apple Valley Glades State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Archer-Benge State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Axe Lake State Nature Preserve	–	146	400 KAR 2:090
Bad Branch State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Blackacre State Nature Preserve	–	175	400 KAR 2:090
Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve	–	1,075	400 KAR 2:090
Blood River Seeps State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Blue Licks Battlefield State Park and Nature Preserve	–	53	400 KAR 2:090
Boone Cliffs and Dinsmore Woods State Nature Preserves	–	46	400 KAR 2:090
Bouteloua Barrens State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Brigadoon State Nature Preserve	–	95	400 KAR 2:090
Chaney Lake State Nature Preserve	–	169	400 KAR 2:090
Crooked Creek State Nature Preserve	–	728	400 KAR 2:090
Cumberland Falls State Park and Nature Preserve	–	1,294	400 KAR 2:090
Cypress Creek State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
E. Lucy Braun State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Eastview and Springhouse Barrens State Nature Preserves	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Flat Rock Glade State Nature Preserve	–	30	400 KAR 2:090
Floracliff Nature Sanctuary	–	59	400 KAR 2:090
Frances Johnson Palk State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Goodrum Cave State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Hall Hill/Vernon-Douglas State Nature Preserve	–	730	400 KAR 2:090
Hi Lewis State Nature Preserve	–	303	400 KAR 2:090
James E. Bickford State Nature Preserve	–	348	400 KAR 2:090
Jesse Stuart State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
John B. Stephenson State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Julian Savanna State Nature Preserve	–	42	400 KAR 2:090
Kentucky River Palisades/Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve	–	10	400 KAR 2:090
Kingdom Come State Park and State Nature Preserve	–	225	400 KAR 2:090
Logan County Glade State Nature Preserve	–	42	400 KAR 2:090
Lower Howard's Creek Nature & Heritage Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Metropolis Lake State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Natural Bridge State Park and Nature Preserve	–	1,188	400 KAR 2:090
Pilot Knob State Nature Preserve	–	742	400 KAR 2:090
Pine Mountain State Park State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Quiet Trails State Nature Preserve	–	177	400 KAR 2:090
Raymond Athey Barrens State Nature Preserve	–	63	400 KAR 2:090
River Cliffs State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Rockcress Hills State Nature Preserve	–	84	400 KAR 2:090
Six Mile Island State Nature Preserve	–	–	400 KAR 2:090
Terrapin Creek State Nature Preserve	–	22	400 KAR 2:090
Thompson Creek Glade State Nature Preserve	–	169	400 KAR 2:090
Three Ponds State Nature Preserve	–	311	400 KAR 2:090
Woodburn Glade State Nature Preserve	–	20	400 KAR 2:090
Younger's Creek/Jim Scudder State Nature Preserve	–	58	400 KAR 2:090

State forest closed to hunting

The Division of Forestry quick guide lists this forest as no hunting.

Place	Counties	Acres	Rule
Rolleigh Peterson Educational Forest	Jefferson	98	Forestry quick guide

Male gadwall duckPhoto: born1945 (CC BY 2.0)

Mallard drake head portrait in golden light against a blue skyPhoto: 19_Matt_79 (CC BY 2.0)

Snow geese in flightPhoto: Birding for Climate (Public domain)

Kentucky Land Closed to Hunting