Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area is 8,001 acres of public hunting land in Knott, Perry, Pike, Leslie and Letcher counties, in KDFWR's Southeast region. Hunters telechecked 5 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 5 antlered bucks among them. KDFWR's 2026-27 rule for the area: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: KDFWR's page for the area. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports, 2016-17 to 2025-26.
Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access AreaOther KDFWR public hunting areasNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 8,001 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Knott County, Perry County, Pike County, Leslie County, Letcher County |
| KDFWR region | Southeast region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 4, Zone 3 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 5 (5 antlered bucks, 0 does) |
| Elk | In the Elk Management Zone, hunting units 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 |
| Elevation | Minimum 760 feet, maximum 2280 feet |
| Contact | 606-654-2533 |
| Nearest towns | Pippa Passes (2 mi), Hazard (2 mi) and Wheelwright (3 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area?
KDFWR lists these rules for the area. Where it says the area is open under statewide seasons, the county's zone rules apply.
Fall Hunting Season
- Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
Source: KDFWR's page for Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area?
Hunters telechecked 5 deer on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in the 2025-26 season: 5 antlered bucks, 0 button bucks and 0 does. Over the 6 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 3 deer a season, from 1 in 2024-25 to 5 in 2025-26.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Source: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by public land. Antlered bucks are KDFWR's count of males with visible antlers; the rest of the males are button bucks.
Elk telechecked on the area: 2 in 2025-26 (1 bull, 1 cow), 2 in 2024-25 (2 bulls, 0 cows), 2 in 2023-24 (2 bulls, 0 cows), 4 in 2022-23 (3 bulls, 1 cow) and 1 in 2021-22 (0 bulls, 1 cow). See Kentucky elk hunting.
What kind of ground is Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 82.21% forest, 16.32% open land and 1.5% open water. Elevation runs from 760 feet to 2280 feet.
Which county is Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knott County | 3,043 | 4 | 714 | 86th |
| Perry County | 1,884 | 4 | 818 | 77th |
| Pike County | 1,367 | 3 | 1,632 | 31st |
| Leslie County | 890 | 4 | 565 | 98th |
| Letcher County | 817 | 4 | 549 | 100th |
Acres measured by FilledTag on KDFWR public hunting area boundaries and the U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. County harvest: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by county. Zones: KDFWR current deer zones.
How do you get to Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area?
This property is located in southeastern Kentucky and divided amongst several tracts across numerous counties. Habitat varies on the individual tracts, but is predominantly forested with some surface mining areas of pasture and shrub/scrub habitat as well. Active surface mining operations or other natural resource extractions may still be taking place on the area. Please be careful when navigating the haul roads and stay well away from equipment and high wall mines. Semi-trucks and mining equipment always have the right-of-way! Open under statewide regulations for all game species. Owned by Land Resources and Royalties LLC. Damage to any trees, such as screw-in tree steps, baiting, and hunting over or with the use of bait are prohibited on the properties
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways within 5 miles: KY 80, KY 7, US 119 and KY 550. Nearest towns: Pippa Passes (2 miles), Hazard (2 miles), Wheelwright (3 miles) and Hyden (4 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Boone Forestlands WMA (next to it), Buckhorn Lake WMA (next to it), Daniel Boone National Forest (next to it) and Elk Horn Coal Hunting Access Area (next to it).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in 2026-27?
KDFWR's 2026-27 rules for Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
How many deer were killed on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area last season?
Hunters telechecked 5 deer on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in the 2025-26 season: 5 antlered bucks and 0 does. The most taken with firearms (4).
What county is Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in?
Knott County (3,043 acres), Perry County (1,884 acres), Pike County (1,367 acres), Leslie County (890 acres) and Letcher County (817 acres), measured on KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area in?
Knott County is in Zone 4, Perry County is in Zone 4, Pike County is in Zone 3, Leslie County is in Zone 4 and Letcher County is in Zone 4. Area rules can be stricter than the zone's, as listed above.
Are elk taken on Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area?
Yes. KDFWR's Telecheck reports show 2 elk in 2025-26, 2 elk in 2024-25 and 2 elk in 2023-24 on the area. Elk hunting is by quota permit; see Kentucky elk hunting.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area rules, size, habitat, contact and directions: KDFWR, Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area.
- Deer, elk and turkey harvest on the area: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by public land. County harvest: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by county.
- Boundary: KDFWR public hunting area boundaries. Counties, highways and towns: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries; U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 roads; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. National forest and refuges: U.S. Forest Service national forest ownership; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge boundaries.
FilledTag is not part of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Numbers are copied from KDFWR or measured from public maps; nothing on this page is estimated by FilledTag.
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