STATE FOREST AND TRADEWATER WMA
The western portion of the state has some great turkey hunting. Numerous public lands offer some terrific opportunities. One of these is located near Dawson Springs and easily accessed from either state Route (SR) 109 or the Pennyrile Parkway.

The Pennyrile State Forest and the Tradewater WMA lie adjacent to each other. Together, they offer over 24,000 acres of hunting land. Tradewater WMA is 729 acres in size, while the Pennyrile State Forest consists of around 17,000 acres. The two properties are located in Christian, Caldwell, and Hopkins counties.

This area of western Kentucky is hilly and even somewhat rugged in spots. There are some steep drops and rocky outcroppings in certain sections. Most of the area is forested in pines and hardwoods, such as oaks and hickories. There are a few fields and open areas, but not a lot.

A good many turkeys taken during the fall are actually harvested by bowhunters who started out pursuing white-tailed deer. Those archers may be thrilled to know that these properties have excellent turkey numbers. But last year, the top-scoring buck in the state was taken at the Pennyrile State Forest as well.

There are a good number of turkeys in these two areas, and hunter success is usually quite good. Of course, most of the birds harvested are taken in the spring, but fall numbers have been improving, too. This fall should be another terrific opportunity to score a bird in western Kentucky.

Both of these properties are governed by the same regulations for fall hunting. They are open under statewide regulations for fall gun season. The fall archery season is also open under statewide regulations, except that there's no hunting during the deer quota hunt.

For more information, the area office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Or you can call (270) 753-6913.

TAYLORSVILLE LAKE WMA
Hunters up in the north-central part of the Bluegrass State have a real gem in the Taylorsville Lake WMA. There is ample access to this U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' property, containing some 10,571 acres in Spencer, Anderson, and Nelson counties.

The WMA holds a very good population of turkeys, but this resource is greatly underutilized by fall hunters. This leaves a lot of opportunity out there if you are looking for an un-pressured location to hunt.

A lot of habitat diversity exists at Taylorsville Lake WMA. There are plenty of woodlands with a good mix of hardwoods and mast. Steep ravines, open ridgelines, and open bottomlands are also abundant. There are numerous openings and fields planted with warm- and cool-season grasses, as well as other older fields in various stages of re-growth.

In short, it's got most everything turkeys need to thrive.

Turkeys may be hunted at Taylorsville Lake WMA during the fall archery season under statewide regulations, except that there's no turkey hunting allowed during the firearms quota hunt for deer. Hunters may also hunt turkeys during the fall gun season under statewide regulations, although the dates when one may hunt varies from the statewide dates.

If you're interested in hunting during the fall gun season, check for this year's open dates prior to hunting.

Taylorsville Lake WMA can be easily reached by anyone in the middle part of the state. Access is available off SRs 44 and 248.

An on-location headquarters office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or call the office at (502) 477-9024.

BEFORE YOU GO
There are lots of places across the state where you can enjoy our great fall turkey hunting. But not all of the numerous WMAs and other public-land opportunities have the same season dates or regulations. Always check with each individual property to make sure you're aware of the regulations governing the area you are hunting.