Blue Grass Army Depot: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Blue Grass Army Depot is 14,517 acres of public hunting land in Madison County, in KDFWR's Bluegrass region. Hunters telechecked 115 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 39 antlered bucks among them.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: KDFWR's page for the area. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports, 2016-17 to 2025-26.
Blue Grass Army DepotOther KDFWR public hunting areasLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 14,517 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Madison County |
| KDFWR region | Bluegrass region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 2 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 115 (39 antlered bucks, 70 does) |
| Elevation | Minimum 850 feet, maximum 1040 feet |
| Contact | Biologist is Dylan Abner (859) 316-5535 or dylan.abner@nbgif.org. BGAD lands manager is Raysha Childers (859) 779-6038 or Raysha.n.childers.civ@mail.mil |
| Nearest towns | Richmond (2 mi), Berea (6 mi) and Irvine (11 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Blue Grass Army Depot?
KDFWR lists these rules for the area. Where it says the area is open under statewide seasons, the county's zone rules apply.
NOTICE
- Blue Grass Army Depot is an active military reservation. Access is strictly controlled and rigidly enforced; special hunting regulations apply.
- PRESCRIBED BURN NOTICE
- Throughout March and April, trained officials with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will use prescribed burns for habitat improvement projects in agency WMAs.
- Fire experts conduct controlled burns to help restore local ecosystems dependent on fire.
- Local officials have been notified. Please check back for more information.
- For information on the 2026-2027 hunting seasons, please check the Blue Grass Army Depot Hunt Information
- Raysha.n.childers.civ@army.mil
Source: KDFWR's page for Blue Grass Army Depot, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Blue Grass Army Depot?
Hunters telechecked 115 deer on Blue Grass Army Depot in the 2025-26 season: 39 antlered bucks, 6 button bucks and 70 does. Over the 5 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 77 deer a season, from 31 in 2021-22 to 115 in 2025-26.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 115 | 39 | 70 | 68 | 2 | 5 | 40 |
| 2024-25 | 114 | 50 | 62 | 65 | 3 | 4 | 42 |
| 2023-24 | 75 | 41 | 31 | 49 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
| 2022-23 | 48 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 31 |
| 2021-22 | 31 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
| 2020-21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
Spring turkey telechecked on the area: 52 in 2025, 84 in 2024, 71 in 2023 and 46 in 2022 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
What kind of ground is Blue Grass Army Depot?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 66.65% open land, 32.07% forest, 0.91% open water and 0.37% wetland. Elevation runs from 850 feet to 1040 feet.
Which county is Blue Grass Army Depot in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County | 14,520 | 2 | 958 | 66th |
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 Blue Grass Army Depot?
Blue Grass Army Depot is located 4.5 miles south of Richmond on US 421. The landscape is rolling terrain with open fields and some woodlands along streams and other low areas. NOTE: This is an active military reservation. Access is strictly controlled and rigidly enforced; special hunting regulations apply. The dove hunt is by lottery drawing only. Two lakes are available for fishing. To obtain access to this facility for hunting or fishing a National Crime Information Center background check is required. For more information, contact Blue Grass Army Depot, Attn: Natural Resource Specialist, Building S-14, 431 Battlefield Memorial Hwy, Richmond, KY 40475. This property is owned by the U.S. Army.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways through the area: KY 52 and KY 374. Nearest towns: Richmond (2 miles), Berea (6 miles), Irvine (11 miles) and Ravenna (12 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Miller Welch-Central Kentucky WMA (next to it), Daniel Boone National Forest (7.8 miles), Hidden Valley Training Area (14.4 miles) and Mill Creek WMA (17.1 miles).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed on Blue Grass Army Depot last season?
Hunters telechecked 115 deer on Blue Grass Army Depot in the 2025-26 season: 39 antlered bucks and 70 does. The most taken with firearms (68).
What county is Blue Grass Army Depot in?
All of it is in Madison County, by KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Blue Grass Army Depot in?
Madison County is in Zone 2. Up to four deer. Area rules can be stricter than the zone's, as listed above.
Get a Kentucky hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Kentucky are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Kentucky included.
Where these numbers come from
- Area rules, size, habitat, contact and directions: KDFWR, Blue Grass Army Depot.
- 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.
Kentucky hunting All Kentucky WMAs Madison County deer harvest