They stay near the logging roads and hope a deer goes walking by. Rough River Lake WMA was not a top producing county for Kentucky public land deer hunting in 2020, but it is still a place where a hunter can get away from pressure and find nice deer. Entrance GPS coordinates: Latitude N 37.1332, Longitude W -88.8139 Area Habitat: open land 34.74%, forest 46.58%, wetland 18.09%, open water 0.62%. lol did not realize i didn't put the name of the wma but yes the one I was talking about is west kentucky wma. Ainsley Whitley is a contributing writer for various branded properties that together attract more than 280 million readers seeking influential content. Mostly wooded but has some ag fields on the wma. Subscriber Services. Instead of in-person signups, registration will be by phone and email only. Signups will not be accepted once all slots have been filled. Emailed registrations will be accepted through Jan. 8. Now Kentucky taxidermists stay plenty busy mounting big bucks. WMA located approximately 10 miles west of Henderson, KY, consists of 6 units. FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 20, 2018) Apply for deer, waterfowl, pheasant and sandhill crane quota hunts offered by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at state wildlife management areas and other public lands now through the end of September. The Purchase Region was the only area besides Blue Grass where more than 3,000 bucks were bagged in a single county and it had the second largest harvest in the state. You must log in or register to reply here. they are all hard to hunt blind. These areas range from a few hundred acres to the 22,000-acre Rich Mountain WMA in northwestern Georgia. Kentucky Hunting is the leading online community for outdoors enthusiasts to discuss hunting, fishing, archery, and life in Kentucky. I harvested a doe at Rich in late September, and had a chance at a few small bucks that I passed one. Peabody wma is 46k + acres in west central Ky, good deer and turkey population I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy Feb 3, 2020 #3 bfriendly Senior Member That sounds like a great time! http://fw.ky.gov/pdf/1112huntingguideentire.pdf, Food Preparation, Camp Cooking and Recipes. Being a Zone 4 county, does are not allowed to be taken during rifle season, which is one of the main reasons the doe count is so low. According to Benton County Sheriff Kenny Christopher, 55-year-old. Refer to the pertinent Hunting Guides for specific rules regarding hunting and trapping. Then, once it's known a big buck frequents an area, cameras can assist hunters in patterning the deer.With only one buck tag per season, and the knowledge big bucks are out there, it's possibly led to even more selective harvest. I'll try & drive out there after work today & see if theres any new info at the hunter check station. 1 Pope and Young Bucks Before They Were Beat, Two Brothers' Shed Hunting Strategy Yields Non-Typical Match Set in Missouri, Potential Kentucky State Record Crossbow Typical Shot in Hemp Field, Night Hunting for Predators Will Help Your Deer Herd, Michigan Hunter Shoots 200-class Non-typical After Oversleeping That Morning, Saskatchewan Hunter Finds Target Sheds After Looking for Multiple Days, Dr. 2022 Commonwealth of Kentucky. Stan Potts doubles down in Montana and Wyoming. But, Pennyrile is home to a nice deer population, as well. I'd think I'd start there. The place almost seems like an international airport for hunting during November. With nearly a third of the area covered in water, you can bet that youll find bucks bedded near some swampy, nasty places. You are using an out of date browser. How are they doing the gun hunt in West Ky this year? For me, its just another reason to go. I did see a lot of deer when I hunted it though. Feb 16, 2015 #3 C Chadx1981 Senior Member Sweet what's the name lol Hopkins leads the way with a recorded harvest of 2,542 deer during the 2013 season. You can park in a few different spots along Georgetown Rd, or you can drive up and around to Old Columbus and park there. Surrounded by private land, there are some pinch points along the fence lines where I have seen deer travel back and forth. Divide #acres by # of deer harvested. The Green River Region has long been regarded as a trophy buck host area, with the best counties being Ohio, Logan, Hopkins and Todd, according to Game and Fishing magazine. If you head out to Rich WMA this season, dont sit back and wait. We hunt all over Alabama (private and public). Doug Travis WMA Size: 4,132 acres Location: Carlisle & Hickman Counties Total Harvest 2020: 30 Bucks: 16 Does: 14 Terrain: Diverse; Easy to moderate; Wetlands and open water make up 34% of land Kind of an eerie place with all the nuclear signs and fall out shelters. Kentucky public land deer hunting can be rewarding and Rich WMA is where I spent a lot of time last year, and I saw a lot of deer. Likely, youll find them with their backs to the water and their vantage points set to access areas or popular walking routes. During the 2013 deer season, hunters bagged a record 4,069 deer, which was more than in any other county. Write, email or call Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for additional information. If you want public land, hunt the Shawnee N.F. (Author image) Sportsmen and women have it pretty good in my home state of Kentucky. Terrain: Moderate; Hill country, with steep ridges in places. Kentucky Guided Hunting Trips Most of the SRO Crew Contact us today! They monitor it closely. To hear many serious trophy bowhunters tell it, Kentucky must be a figment of someone's fertile imagination. The 10-day firearms season in early November is popular with out-of-state hunters, but bowhunters will find pressure light. "So it's productive habitat. Be sure to always check regulations before an adventure Kentucky public land deer hunting. No permanent stands, etc. You are using an out of date browser. Hunters in Crittenden took 3,033 bucks during the 2013 season. I never saw another person when I was younger and hunted there. Kentucky Hunting is the leading online community for outdoors enthusiasts to discuss hunting, fishing, archery, and life in Kentucky. In all, I saw eight different bucks at Rich in 2020, with the biggest being a small 6-pointer. Hopefully by archery season you will have a game plan that will give you the best chance to get one with a bow. Nevertheless, whenever this resident of western Kentucky has an opportunity to turn loose his pack of beagles in prime swamp rabbit habitat, deer hunting usually becomes a secondary priority. Im hoping those bucks made it through the season and they come back bigger and better, but its not likely when hunting public land. I know nothing about this state and being this far away I would be going by your guys help. Good luck. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife conducts quota hunts for deer, pheasant and migratory birds (waterfowl and mourning doves). GEORGIA. Four other counties had an impressive season, each with a harvest of more than 1,500 deer. Breckinridge and Grayson Counties are also known as two of the best counties in the state. Where's the best place to go looking for one of these big guys in bow season? They are categorized into high, moderate and low management levels. Always saw several deer and tons of buck sign. Mostly wooded but has some ag fields on the wma. Good wma not much pressure and a lot of places for a big buck to hide. The grouse season in Kentucky runs from November to February, varying based on zone, with the permission of hunting ruffed grouse. Find season dates and bag limits here. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. Find entry trail and be there come opening weekend. At any time, you can drop off down a ridge and go looking for more deer sign. West Kentucky WMA offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including horseback riding trails, a skeet range, a mobility impaired archery range and hiking trails. While over the last 20 years we've seen our trophy whitetail production become more evenly distributed across the state, the west-central portion east of Land Between The Lakes and west of I-65 remains our most consistent yielder of trophy contenders. 2023-2024 archery dates will be announced later in 2023.; 2022-23 Tennessee Deer Season That's probably because in this region moderate deer numbers live among the state's most optimum juxtaposition of row-crop agriculture and oak-hickory woodlands.". At most wma's you need to scout a lot & then travel deep to the perfect spot. Do your own research and scout some of the places you come up with. Like most Kentucky public land deer hunting spots, youll find numerous hollers, fingers, and bowls that are possible locations for bedding bucks. It's a state with a great reputation for big deer, but in producing them, it appears to violate many of the rules of how to manage deer with that in mind. Never hunted there, curious to see if anyone had any information on the place (what tract to hunt, what to setup on, etc.) If you really want to be different, you can access more remote parts of Pennyrile if you access it through Lake Beshear. While some hunting is allowed, some animals are protected, including turtles, crawfish and bullfrogs. Oct 20, 2004 #2 G glenmorebuckman 6 pointer Dec 20, 2003 468 Glenmore, Ky, USA. There are some WMA's, like the dam/Peninusula area at Barren River Reservoir that are primitive weapons only. And just remember to check the dates for the youth and Quota hunts at Kleber, followed by, thats right, a MG hunters a week later swarming the boundary. "At 5-8 per square mile, Kentucky's deer hunter density doesn't place it among the top 12 densest states in whitetail range," Yancy notes. Whitley's articles have appeared in various print and online magazines, including "GQ," "Details," "Southern Living" and "Cooking Light. Lake Beshear is part of Pennyrile and it has some of the best bass fishing in the area. Camp is setup in Kentucky! CARRY PROOF Hunters who buy their license or permit by phone or internet must carry while hunting: picture ID and proof of purchase (an authorization number, a paper license or a computer printout). The deadline to register by phone is 3:30 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 5. Begley of Clay County, Ky harvested a 217 2/8-inch buck on Nov. 14, 2020 in Fayette . State Park Deer. Can anyone tell me when archery season will open in West Ky? My best advice would be to go to the area and scout it before you hunt..after reviewing the maps. Spring squirrel hunting in Kentucky can be one of the most fun times of the year! You must log in or register to reply here. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Selected hunters may not exceed their personal bag limit or a total of 5 bears per hunting party during the hunt. Can you field dress in a WMA and discard the remains in the WMA in Georgia? If you're going to hunt in November, one of those would be better due to no gun hunters. Changing the big game license to individual licenses for deer and turkey. Whatever the reason, Kentucky has indeed managed to find the "sweet spot" of hunting opportunity for trophy deer. i would come sooner if possible. "We have a lot of veteran hunters who aren't necessarily eager to shoot the first buck they see anyway," Yancy points out. They are strict on their rules, so read up. We provide our hunters with an exciting Whitetail deer hunting experience in a true wilderness setting. In Oklahoma, Osage county holds the record for most bucks harvested during the archery season with 681 bucks during the 2019-20 season . "Catoosa is one of the more popular public hunting areas in the state for big deer," according to Ratajczak. This is just another reason why Kentucky public land deer hunting is among the best. Tract 1, Tract 4 and Tract 4A, Tract 5, Other. There is alot of deer down there. There will not be a staffed check station for the hunt because of crowding concerns and the potential for spreading COVID-19. The best hunting area I have found is Fort Knox military reservation.deer numbers are good (not as good as when I started hunting there in the 1990s though) and the CHANCE for a B&C buck is legitimate (Ft Knox posts lots of pictures of big bucks harvested each year). It may not display this or other websites correctly. Kentucky Hunting is the leading online community for outdoors enthusiasts to discuss hunting, fishing, archery, and life in Kentucky. Written by Mike Collins Kentuckians Cody Likins and Jakob Begley won the 2020 Quest Hunt Company Deer Hunting Competition. For one thing, the state doesn't limit buck tags in any way. Used to quail hunt down there years ago. The archery areas on Campbell were like hunting in a park. ZIP: 42056. Rich WMA made this list because it is filled with deer, but it comes in at No. Map reading is probably one of my best qualities in bowhunting.(served 8 years in the army). Kind of an eerie place with all the nuclear signs and fall out shelters. Quota and firearm deer hunting for the 2022 season is over. To the west of this area, farm fields are larger and cover more restricted, making bucks more vulnerable to harvest by gun. I have been putting in for the Land Between the Lakes quota hunt. Top 5 Kentucky Public Hunting Area 21,688 views Oct 16, 2017 90 Dislike Share LandRater.com 574 subscribers Top 5 Kentucky Public Hunting Areas for Deer and Turkey Explore public land in your. Fall 2020-'21 harvest: 24,809 mule deer, 24,849 whitetails Overall outlook: Rick Ward, deer and elk coordinator for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, says the statewide mule deer outlook is fair to good and improving depending on the area. And get this: Nearly all of the hunters heading afield then are carrying scoped centerfire rifles. The other four counties in the top five were close behind, with hunters bagging between 2,222 and 2,470 bucks per county. This will allow you to hunt areas of Pennyrile that are nearly impossible to get to by foot and should open up a good opportunity to hunt a more mature buck on the property. The shotgun and muzzleloader deer hunt for up to 140 hunters is scheduled Jan. 16-18, 2021. Several years back the population was much better than it is now. Most hunting and fishing opportunities align with Kentucky state seasons and bag limits. Total Harvest 2020: 79 Bucks: 56 Does: 23, Terrain: Moderate to Hard; Most hunting areas consists of hills and ridges. If I had a choice of hunting Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri or IllinoisKentucky would be my last pick. The strip of woods conects the A area (no hunting) and private land. Other than that, put on a good pair of boots, pack light, and give it your best shot. Fee, advance application required of deer, waterfowl hunters. If any old whitetail just won't do and you're on the hunt for trophy bucks, Kentucky has you covered. Once you make your way to a good logging road, the walking is pretty easy. When Kentucky public land deer hunting, using a hunting app like OnX, try to find low gap areas, or saddles, that create natural pinch points and traveling corridors for deer.