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Kentucky Hunting Access Areas
Five Hunting Access Areas on private land (61,504 acres), the Peabody WMA user permit, mobility-impaired access and public ranges on WMAs.
Photo: James Mann (CC BY 2.0)
The five Hunting Access Areas
KDFWR has agreements with private landowners that open their land to public hunting as Hunting Access Areas. All five lie in the Northeast and Southeast regions, and 5 of them reach into the elk zone; some are open only to certain activities, so read each area's rules.
| Access area | Counties | Acres | Deer zones | Elk units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk Horn Coal Hunting Access Area | Floyd, Knott, Letcher + | 19,976 | 3, 4 | 5,6,7 |
| Continental Hunting Access Area | Floyd, Letcher, Pike | 15,036 | 3, 4 | 7 |
| Asher Hunting Access Area | Bell, Harlan, Knox | 13,145 | 4 | 2,3 |
| Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area | Knott, Leslie, Letcher + | 8,001 | 3, 4 | 3,4,5,6,7 |
| Wells Hunting Access Area | Breathitt, Knott, Leslie + | 5,346 | 4 | 3,4,5 |
Each Hunting Access Area in brief
In the access areas' own records, as KDFWR describes them:
Elk Horn Coal Hunting Access Area
The property is comprised of reclaimed strip mine habitat of grasses and shrubs, with timbered ridges and drainages throughout. Strip mine habitat is of varying age and classification of reclamation. Use caution if active mining practices are underway, and give large trucks the right-of-way Owned by Elk Horn Coal.
Continental Hunting Access Area
Habitat consists primarily of reclaimed surface-mined and forested land. Foot travel only off area mine roads or behind locked gates. Active mining practices are underway on some portions of the property. Use caution when travelling and always give mining equipment and large trucks the right of way. . This property is open under statewide regulations for all game species other than elk. This is a Regulated Area for elk hunting and is located in Elk Hunting Unit 7. Drawn elk hunters may apply to hunt this property during the Elk Hunting Unit and Regulated Area drawing.
Asher Hunting Access Area
To the Western Tract: From US 25E/HWY 66 in Pineville, travel 1.5 miles east on HWY 66, and turn right (east) onto HWY 221. Travel 9.2 miles and turn left (north) onto HWY 2011. Go 5.7 miles and turn left at the top of the hill. The western side of the area may also be reached from HWY 66, 13 miles northeast from Pineville. To the Eastern Tracts: Four miles east of Harlan on
Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area
This property is located in southeastern Kentucky and divided amongst several tracts across numerous counties. Habitat varies on the individual tracts, but is predominantly forested with some surface mining areas of pasture and shrub/scrub habitat as well. Active surface mining operations or other natural resource extractions may still be taking place on the area. Please be careful when navigating the haul roads and stay well away from equipment and high wall mines. Semi-trucks and mining equipment always have the right-of-way! Open under statewide regulations for all game species.
Wells Hunting Access Area
The Wells’ HAA consists of several tracts of various sizes in four different counties centered around Hazard, KY. Two of the larger tracts are southwest of Hazard on the Perry/Leslie county line and southeast of Hazard near the town of Vicco. The area consists of reclaimed surface-mined and forested land located in several disjointed tracts in Perry, Breathitt, Knott, and Leslie Counties. Good to moderate populations of squirrel, rabbits, grouse, deer, turkey, and songbirds exist on the area. The area is open under statewide regulations for small game, turkey, and deer seasons. This area has tracts that are in the at large elk hunting area. Please refer to the elk portion of our website.
User-permit areas
Peabody WMA is the one area that needs its own user permit on top of licenses (301 KAR 3:013).
Mobility-impaired access
KDFWR lists these areas with mobility-impaired access (designated sites for hunters holding a mobility-impaired permit):
Barren River Lake WMA, Green River Lake State
Public land with shooting ranges
These areas have a KDFWR shooting range. Since March 2026 the ranges need a range permit, free with an annual hunting or fishing license.
Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA, Higginson-Henry WMA, John A. Kleber WMA, Miller Welch-Central Kentucky WMA, Taylorsville Lake WMA, Veterans Memorial WMA, West Kentucky WMA
Red fox standing on a rocky mountain ridgePhoto: xulescu_g (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Young red fox sitting on a gravel roadPhoto: Kevin VanGorden (posted by Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area) (Public Domain Mark 1.0)
Wood duck and wigeon held for bandingPhoto: USFWS/Southeast (Public domain)