Top WMAs for Deer Archery Hunting - Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Last season, there were 30 deer harvested at Doug Travis, with 16 of them being bucks. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Best WMA for deer numbers! | Kentucky Hunting Good wma not much pressure and a lot of places for a big buck to hide. My group got picked for the West Kentucky WMA Quota Deer Hunt December 15-18. I never saw another person when I was younger and hunted there. As well as Clay wma in nicholus co. Yah, just send everyone to Owen County the second week of Novemberplenty of land, deer, and hardly any hunters! Refer to the pertinent Hunting Guides for specific rules regarding hunting and trapping. James Kroll and Haynes Shelton talk about being realistic when it comes to managing a smaller deer property in this edition of Dr. How are they doing the gun hunt in West Ky this year? 1 buck killed in Kentucky in 2006 an incredible 19-pointer that measured 246 3/8. I'd think I'd start there. Likely, youll find them with their backs to the water and their vantage points set to access areas or popular walking routes. Location: west Kentucky Kentucky Hunting is the leading online community for outdoors enthusiasts to discuss hunting, fishing, archery, and life in Kentucky. 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. The last time I was down there it was tore up with rubs and I saw probably a 140" buck. Ballard has the best buck-to-doe ratio of any public hunting area in the state at one buck for every two does, Yancy says, and it also has an excellent age-class structure that features a lot of older bucks. Starting this year, more sportsmen will be able to take advantage of these numbers. The changes are necessary to ensure the health and safety of hunters and WMA staff. Rabbit and quail hunting seasons open Nov. 14 - Dec. 31. You are using an out of date browser. Make sure your deer is 15in wide or it will cost you. Whitley's articles have appeared in various print and online magazines, including "GQ," "Details," "Southern Living" and "Cooking Light. Of course, trail cameras now are in wide use in many states and provinces that lack Kentucky's reputation for huge bucks. Deer Hunting West Kentucky WMA gung Oct 20, 2004 Oct 20, 2004 #1 gung 8 pointer Jan 29, 2004 690 Graves County I got drawn for a quota here and have never been there.Does anybody know anything about this place any help is appreciated. Can you field dress in a WMA and discard the remains in the WMA in Georgia? West Kentucky WMA deer hunt spots reduced because of flooding Dave Baker/Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife 800-858-1549 KY FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 14, 2020) High water from the Ohio River continues to impact portions of West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in McCracken County. I really can't see anyone coming in blind & having great success. In addition, archery hunters will for the first time have the run of Ballard from September 1 to October 14; after that, all but 400 acres will close to provide refuge to migrating waterfowl. I've been there a few times on quota hunts and there are alot of deer there, but it seems like there are always twice as many people as deer. Used to quail hunt down there years ago. Question on West Point WMA deer restrictions. Kentucky wma's | GON Forum Maps - Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife More Maps Public Lands and Hunting Maps Public Hunting area map* Wildlife Management Area and Public Lands Search Kentucky's Hunting and Fishing Access Sites Game Maps "Know Before You Go" CWD Interactive Map Specific Species Hunting Maps Dove Hunting Field Map Elk Hunting map Elk Hunting map* Gordon Whittington heads north to his personal Missouri farm for some crossbow action. they are all hard to hunt blind. A drive through the access points may afford some glassing during early August and give you a good idea of what youre dealing with. Fee, advance application required of deer, waterfowl hunters. Late fall shotgun turkey season starts Saturday December 2, 2022 Derek Aaron WJRS News Local hunters have one final opportunity to harvest wild turkeys with a shotgun this year during the late fall shotgun season, which opens tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 3rd and runs through Friday, Dec. 9th. 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. Take bowhunters advice and scout if you get a chance. Hiwassee and Yuchi wildlife refuges have growing deer herds the state would. However, some counties in Kentucky have a very low deer population, so it's crucial to know where your best chances of bagging a buck in Kentucky are. Deer were trapped and moved all over the state, so "our deer are quite genetically homogenous," Yancy said. West Kentucky Whitetails, LLC offers free range deer hunts in Western Kentucky. Join F&S+ to read exclusive stories by your favorite writers. Areas designated as no hunting (pink areas on the maps) are open to year-round visitation. i also agree about about your timing. Just want to try something new this year. More than a quarter-century ago, Kentucky followed neighboring Ohio's lead and implemented a single-buck-per-year bag limit. Im hoping those bucks made it through the season and they come back bigger and better, but its not likely when hunting public land. There is alot of deer down there. They monitor it closely. Now Kentucky taxidermists stay plenty busy mounting big bucks. "You can take a boy out of ol' dixieland but you'll never take ol' dixie from a boy" -Lynyrd Skynyrd. Food Preparation, Camp Cooking and Recipes. 100 Best Public-Land Hunts: Tennessee | Field & Stream What is the most relax state for hunting? : r/Hunting - reddit Good deer hunting can be found in many parts of West Virginia, but the best whitetail-producing counties share a common set of characteristics plenty of deer, enough size to make harvest . Kansas. While it may be hard to replicate that harvest, there are still big bucks lurking around Pennyrile. We are located in Crofton, Ky, and have several beautiful properties that are the perfect home for big bucks. They have tons of deer as well. Selected hunters may not exceed their personal bag limit or a total of 5 bears per hunting party during the hunt. NOTE: Some of the below hunts may be by pre-application lottery. Under strict harvest restrictions since 1993 that allowed only 10 percent of hunters to harvest a buck, Ballard this year is one of two Kentucky public lands to newly adopt an outside spread minimum of 15 inches. Only one antlered deer per hunter may be harvested statewide, regardless of zone, method or season. Whatever the reason, Kentucky has indeed managed to find the "sweet spot" of hunting opportunity for trophy deer. Lake Beshear is part of Pennyrile and it has some of the best bass fishing in the area. West Kentucky WMA offers a variety of recreational opportunities, including horseback riding trails, a skeet range, a mobility impaired archery range and hiking trails. They have tons of deer as well. I think I may get drawn this coming season. You are using an out of date browser. WMA located approximately 10 miles west of Henderson, KY, consists of 6 units. 6200 some odd acres. Same as some already said. I'd think the WMA that lists incentives for killing a bunch of does would be the ones with the highest density. Hunters may register for the hunt starting at 8 a.m. (CST) on Jan. 4 by calling the West Kentucky WMA office at 270-488-3233 or sending an email to weston.mason@ky.gov. If you travel down the road between the A area and area 4 there will be a creek that you cross, right after you cross the creek there is a field that has a small strip of woods on the south side and big hardwoods on the north side. Hunting there in early September can be tough until it is mowed before the youth hunting weekend. Every year hunters from around the state enter their names into a draw to waterfowl hunt at Doug Travis, but based on conversations Ive had, I believe its an underrated spot for some early season deer hunting. The strip of woods conects the A area (no hunting) and private land. Find season dates and bag limits here. Still, it's worth asking: Does the biologist feel the top areas for bowhunting trophy bucks are likely to change any time soon? "Open" hunt to be Nov. 22-23, Shotgun or Muzzle loader only. Tract 1, Tract 4 and Tract 4A, Tract 5, Other. The deadline to register by phone is 3:30 p.m. (CST) on Jan. 5. "Be bear aware at all times, and never drag your game," Svoboda said. "While continued slow growth in deer numbers in Appalachian Kentucky should lead to even more trophy entries being taken from the poor deer habitat in the eastern third of the state, our west-central counties should continue to be tried-and-true producers of trophy bucks into the foreseeable future.". This WMA is vast, covering more than 16,000 acres in Osage County. 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. Livingston County WMA and State Natural Area - The Nature Conservancy Dog-Deer I would scout three spots in three different areas just in case they are useing it. State Park Deer. Hunters in Crittenden took 3,033 bucks during the 2013 season. No tags are required for does and only one of your bucks has an antler restriction. Therefore, this is perfect for hunters who like taking their kids hunting with them. This year, we visited the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, and we were able to get a close-up, hands-on look at [], Photo by Ron Foltz Kentuckys spring squirrel season will be open May 15 June 18. Most hunters will use the roads that lead to parking areas. Selected hunters may bring a hunting party totaling no more than 10 members, including the administrator and designated co-administrator. I do agree.that first time will be more learning than success. View all 40 pictures. Which WV deer-hunting counties can truly be considered 'the best?' Destinations - West Kentucky WMA Killed the biggest deer I have "ever" killed there on a quota hunt. You are using an out of date browser. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Terrain: Moderate; Hill country, with steep ridges in places. $61,810. Go get em. (Author image) Sportsmen and women have it pretty good in my home state of Kentucky. I live near Miller-Welch. The majority of Ballard WMA is closed to visitation Oct. 15-March 15. They only ones I know anything about is in the bluegrass region! Any resident or nonresident may apply for quota hunts. "In much of western and central Kentucky we have fertile land with a good balance of cover and crops," the biologist says. To hear many serious trophy bowhunters tell it, Kentucky must be a figment of someone's fertile imagination. Mike Clerkin heads to the legendary Buffalo County, Wisconsin, in search of early season whitetail action. Id recommend the closest one to your house. With over 14,000 acres, it would be impossible to pinpoint a few to share, but my advice in hunting Pennyrile is to be different. 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.". Four other counties had an impressive season, each with a harvest of more than 1,500 deer. Public Land Search | KDFWR - Kentucky In this edition of "Big Buck Profile," Gordon Whittington talks with young whitetail hunter Reid Crawford about his trophy buck taken in 2017. "So it's productive habitat. Number of Fields: 6+ Crop: 20+ acres, Sunflower. i think you guys would have to best chance there. . 5 because the lack of quality bucks that I have seen. The man reportedly shot his wife in the chest then . For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Y outh Seasons and Youth Lottery Hunts. At most wma's you need to scout a lot & then travel deep to the perfect spot. Surrounded by private land, there are some pinch points along the fence lines where I have seen deer travel back and forth. Additionally, hunt data for most Redlands WMA hunts . For more on record-class bow bucks from Kentucky and across North America, visit Pope and Young Club. Instead of in-person signups, registration will be by phone and email only. Kentucky Ridge Forest WMA was one of the most successful Eastern Kentucky public land areas last year with 42 bucks harvested. Mostly wooded but has some ag fields on the wma. Application with up to five hunters allowed. The hunter tipped off his local game warden after tracking down the poached deer's gut pile deep in Idaho backcountry.