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Kentucky Federal Hunting Lands
Land Between the Lakes, the Big South Fork, four national wildlife refuges, Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and the Blue Grass Army Depot, plus how the Corps of Engineers lakes and National Park Service units fit in.
Photo: Emily Cleaver (posted by Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Who owns the federal ground, and what each manager asks
Federal land in Kentucky is hunted under Kentucky licenses and seasons, but each manager adds its own layer: Land Between the Lakes needs its own $25 hunt permit and runs its own deer quota drawing, refuges require signed refuge permits and open only designated areas, and the military posts use their own registration systems and close areas for training.
| Area | Manager | Counties | Acres | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area | USDA Forest Service | Lyon, Trigg | 107,594 | Recreation area |
| Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area | National Park Service | McCreary | 30,300 | River and rec area |
| Fort Knox Military Reservation | U.S. Army | Bullitt, Hardin, Meade | 108,619 | Military post |
| Fort Campbell Military Reservation | U.S. Army | Christian, Trigg | 36,113 | Military post |
| Blue Grass Army Depot | U.S. Army | Madison | 14,517 | Military post |
| Hidden Valley Training Area | Kentucky National Guard | Clark, Powell | 523 | Training area |
| Clarks River NWR | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Graves, Marshall, McCracken | 11,852 | Refuge |
| Green River NWR | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Henderson | 2,196 | Refuge |
| Reelfoot NWR | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Fulton | 2,043 | Refuge |
| Ohio River Islands NWR | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Lewis | 381 | Refuge |
Corps of Engineers lakes
The Corps of Engineers has 26 lake and river projects in Kentucky. None has a page of its own here: 18 are hunted through the KDFWR WMA, state park or national forest that covers the project land, and the other 8 (river locks and pools) have no hunting area in these records. On Corps land the federal rule is 36 CFR 327.8(a): "Hunting is permitted except in areas and during periods where prohibited by the District Commander."
| Corps project | Hunted through |
|---|---|
| Barkley Lake | |
| Barren River Lake | |
| Buckhorn Lake | |
| Carr Creek Lake | |
| Cave Run Lake | |
| Dale Hollow Lake | |
| Dewey Lake | |
| Fishtrap Lake | |
| Grayson Lake | |
| Green River Lake | |
| Lake Cumberland | |
| Laurel River Lake | |
| Martins Fork Lake | |
| Nolin River Lake | |
| Paintsville Lake | |
| Rough River Lake | |
| Taylorsville Lake | |
| Yatesville Lake |
No covering hunting area: Greenriver +2 Locks, Kentucky River, Ohio River – Cannelton Pool, Ohio River – Greenup Pool, Ohio River – John T. Myers Lock and Dam, Ohio River – Markland Pool, Ohio River – McAlpine Pool, Ohio River – Newburgh Pool.
Tennessee Valley Authority and Park Service land
Kentucky Lake WMA is Tennessee Valley Authority land managed by KDFWR as a wildlife management area; its page carries the KDFWR rules. The 6 National Park Service units with land in Kentucky other than the Big South Fork are closed to hunting under 36 CFR 2.2, Mammoth Cave National Park among them. The Big South Fork is the exception: its page carries the park's own hunting rules.
Close-up of a raccoon facePhoto: Sarah Sapp (CC BY 2.0)
Mallard drakes resting on rocks in pink sunset waterPhoto: Strolling Shuttereyes (CC BY 2.0)
Mourning dove perchedPhoto: cuatrok77 (CC BY-SA 2.0)