Rising water levels along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers will affect hunting access this weekend at some state-operated wildlife management areas.
Duck season reopens statewide in Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 7. Biologists are closely monitoring conditions for this weekend’s quota hunts at Ballard Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in the far western end of the state.
Ballard hunts are subject to cancellation if high water blocks safe access to the area. Hunters should call the Ballard WMA Information Line at (270) 224-2244 for the latest information before leaving for their hunt. The area also posts current information online at Facebook.com/BallardWMA.
Rising Mississippi River levels will affect hunter access at Doug Travis WMA for the start of the second split of the 2019 duck season. The river at Cairo, Illinois, is expected to crest near 42 feet and remain near that level for several days.
Flooding has already cut off vehicle access to blind sites 16 and 17 at Doug Travis WMA. Water also is across Fish Lake Road and the gravel road leading to the Indian Camp Slough Boat Ramp. This will impact vehicle access to blind sites 5-9 and 11-14, including the Disabled Access blind 13. The boat ramp is used to access blind sites 3, 4 and 10.
At Doug Travis WMA, blind owners’ rights and standby procedures for designated blind sites will remain unchanged during high water, including for hunters using boats to access sites that are normally reached by walking or wading.
On impoundments with designated blind sites, waterfowl hunters must hunt within 10 yards of the designated blind site, even during high water. Walk-in hunting units will remain open to walk-in/boat-in hunting as appropriate, and closed rest area boundaries will remain in effect during high water. Hunters should use extra caution when wading or boating during high water, and always check water depths before driving a vehicle or launching boats where water covers roads.