Kentucky — where you can actually hunt
Kentucky sells tags over the counter — there's no draw. So the question is where: which counties have public land you can walk onto and hunt. And “public land” isn't one thing — a national park or a refuge is closed or permit-only, so we count only what's truly open, and show the rest honestly. Pick your species below.
What “huntable” means here
National forest, BLM, and state game lands / WMAs are open to hunting (state wildlife-agency lands are managed forit); state forests generally are. National & state parks and military land are closed; wildlife refuges are permit-only — those are excluded from the number.
By huntable public land
Most huntable counties first
Ranked by open public land — state game lands / WMAs and national forest are the open categories that push a county up. The mix shows what kind; deer harvest (Kentucky Dept of Fish & Wildlife (KDFWR) reported deer kill) shows where the animals are.
| County | Huntable | Land mix | Deer harvest | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McCreary | 63.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 63.2% | 441 | |
| Leslie | 39.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 39.1% | 565 | |
| Menifee | 35.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 35.5% | 218 | |
| Rowan | 34.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 34.4% | 543 | |
| Trigg | 29% | State Game Lands / WMA 28.9% | 1,804 | |
| Bell | 28.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 28.4% | 661 | |
| Clay | 27.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 27.8% | 926 | |
| Jackson | 27.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 26.9% · National Forest 0.7% | 930 | |
| Lyon | 25.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 25.7% | 853 | |
| Martin | 23.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 23.7% | 392 | |
| Laurel | 22.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 22.3% · National Forest 0.5% | 1,593 | |
| Whitley | 19.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.7% | 1,086 | |
| Bullitt | 19.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 19.6% | 1,732 | |
| Hardin | 14.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.6% | 3,545 | |
| Harlan | 14.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.5% | 509 | |
| Powell | 14.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 14.1% | 381 | |
| Owsley | 13.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 13.1% | 283 | |
| Pulaski | 11.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.9% | 2,359 | |
| Wolfe | 11.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.7% | 373 | |
| Bath | 11.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 11.1% | 821 | |
| Pike | 10.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 10.2% | 1,630 | |
| Ballard | 9.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.6% | 574 | |
| Floyd | 9.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.4% | 881 | |
| Letcher | 9.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 9.4% | 549 | |
| Rockcastle | 8.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 8.3% | 737 | |
| Meade | 8% | State Game Lands / WMA 8% | 1,575 | |
| Morgan | 7.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.7% | 715 | |
| Lee | 7.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.2% | 311 | |
| Russell | 7.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 7.1% | 597 | |
| Muhlenberg | 6.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.6% | 1,986 | |
| Clinton | 6.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 6.5% | 483 | |
| Spencer | 5.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.9% | 1,986 | |
| Madison | 5.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.8% | 958 | |
| Christian | 5.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.8% | 2,998 | |
| Taylor | 5.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.7% | 1,481 | |
| Lawrence | 5.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.7% | 978 | |
| Nicholas | 5.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.3% | 984 | |
| Union | 5.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 5.2% | 914 | |
| Adair | 5% | State Game Lands / WMA 5% | 1,923 | |
| Knox | 4.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.8% | 804 | |
| Marshall | 4.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.8% | 1,201 | |
| McCracken | 4.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.7% | 862 | |
| Wayne | 4.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.4% | 1,057 | |
| Knott | 4.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 4.1% | 714 | |
| Ohio | 4% | State Game Lands / WMA 4% | 1,878 | |
| Johnson | 3.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.9% | 737 | |
| Carlisle | 3.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.8% | 628 | |
| Perry | 3.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.6% | 818 | |
| Estill | 3.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.5% | 643 | |
| Fulton | 3.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.5% | 372 | |
| Owen | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 2,200 | |
| Cumberland | 3.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 3.2% | 998 | |
| Henderson | 2.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.8% | 1,274 | |
| Carter | 2.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.8% | 1,240 | |
| Breckinridge | 2.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.7% | 3,091 | |
| Hopkins | 2.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.3% | 2,486 | |
| Elliott | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 429 | |
| Crittenden | 2.1% | State Game Lands / WMA 2.1% | 2,394 | |
| Livingston | 2% | State Game Lands / WMA 2% | 1,597 | |
| Barren | 1.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.7% | 1,610 | |
| Caldwell | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 1,698 | |
| Scott | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 959 | |
| Fleming | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 1,050 | |
| Hickman | 1.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.6% | 552 | |
| Allen | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 1,670 | |
| Anderson | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 2,040 | |
| Greenup | 1.5% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.5% | 1,007 | |
| Grayson | 1.4% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.4% | 2,318 | |
| Calloway | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 1,811 | |
| Breathitt | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 633 | |
| Larue | 1.3% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.3% | 1,059 | |
| Henry | 1.2% | State Game Lands / WMA 1.2% | 1,796 | |
| Edmonson | 0.9% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.9% | 602 | |
| Nelson | 0.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.8% | 2,591 | |
| Franklin | 0.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.8% | 1,377 | |
| Metcalfe | 0.8% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.8% | 1,545 | |
| Magoffin | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 450 | |
| Grant | 0.7% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.7% | 1,850 | |
| Marion | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,673 | |
| Hart | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 2,817 | |
| Mason | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 990 | |
| Gallatin | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 425 | |
| Graves | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 2,698 | |
| Boone | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,256 | |
| Lincoln | 0.6% | State Game Lands / WMA 0.6% | 1,491 | |
| Lewis | 0.4% | — | 1,289 | |
| Harrison | 0.4% | — | 1,813 | |
| Butler | 0.3% | — | 1,058 | |
| Webster | 0.3% | — | 1,629 | |
| Pendleton | 0.3% | — | 2,642 | |
| Kenton | 0.2% | — | 913 | |
| Mercer | 0% | — | 1,373 | |
| Garrard | 0% | — | 673 | |
| Bourbon | 0% | — | 329 | |
| Daviess | 0% | — | 1,060 | |
| Fayette | 0% | — | 246 | |
| Clark | 0% | — | 464 | |
| Washington | 0% | — | 2,663 | |
| Woodford | 0% | — | 618 | |
| Casey | 0% | — | 1,428 | |
| Warren | 0% | — | 1,337 | |
| Robertson | 0% | — | 795 | |
| Jessamine | 0% | — | 548 | |
| Boyle | 0% | — | 521 | |
| Trimble | 0% | — | 774 | |
| McLean | 0% | — | 883 | |
| Hancock | 0% | — | 684 | |
| Carroll | 0% | — | 726 | |
| Campbell | 0% | — | 996 | |
| Bracken | 0% | — | 1,741 | |
| Jefferson | 0% | — | 1,169 | |
| Shelby | 0% | — | 2,692 | |
| Green | 0% | — | 2,116 | |
| Todd | 0% | — | 1,265 | |
| Boyd | 0% | — | 646 | |
| Logan | 0% | — | 1,451 | |
| Montgomery | 0% | — | 450 | |
| Simpson | 0% | — | 744 | |
| Oldham | 0% | — | 819 | |
| Monroe | 0% | — | 1,262 |
huntablePct = state WMAs + national forest as a share of the county (Kentucky Dept of Fish & Wildlife (KDFWR) GIS + PAD-US, EPSG:5070); deer = Kentucky Dept of Fish & Wildlife (KDFWR) reported deer harvest by county. Turkey = KDFWR Telecheck spring gobbler harvest by county (2026), sums exactly to the published statewide total (36,448). National & state parks, military land, and permit-only refuges are computed but shown as the “mix,” not counted huntable; confirm the specific tract with the state agency.
Kentucky — best of, ranked