Flooded bottomland hardwood forest
Public land · Kentucky

Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge

National wildlife refuge · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Open to duck huntingRules checked Oct 22, 2026
Flooded bottomland hardwood forest. Photo: USFWS
State
Kentucky
Type
National wildlife refuge
Managed by
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Size
See official page
Official page
Agency page

Bottomland hardwoods along the East Fork of the Clarks River. Open waterfowl hunting on state seasons, plus lottery-only managed units.

Official rules

Waterfowl rules

  • Waterfowl hunting follows Kentucky seasons and limits except in the managed Waterfowl Units and Natural Area Units, which are hunted only by lottery permit.Source: Clarks River NWR 2026–27 public use brochure (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
  • Lottery applications ran Sept 1–Oct 15 at kynwrs.recaccess.com ($6). Winners were to be emailed Oct 18 and must claim the permit by Nov 15; unclaimed permits open Nov 18 at noon, first come, first served.Source: Clarks River NWR 2026–27 public use brochure (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
  • Refuge hunt permit required at 16 and up: $14 (16–64), $4 (65+ and military/veterans), free under 16.Source: USFWS Clarks River NWR hunting · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
  • Access two hours before sunrise; hunting stops and hunters are out of the field by noon. Nontoxic shot only. Portable, temporary blinds only, removed when not in use; decoys out each day except for lottery holders.Source: Clarks River NWR 2026–27 public use brochure (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
  • Mallard Point, Wood Duck and Teal units are drawn for Saturdays and Sundays; Redhead and Wolfe units for Tuesdays and Wednesdays. No lottery hunts during modern gun and muzzleloader deer seasons.Source: Clarks River NWR 2026–27 public use brochure (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Access

Access and ramps

Not confirmed yet

  • Exact refuge coordinates: not taken from an official source yet, so this page has no map pin.

See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction.

Before you go

Check the rules and the water

Confirm this season’s rules on our state law pages or the agency’s own site, check draw and permit deadlines, and look at today’s river levels on the migration map. Areas can close or flood on short notice.