Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge is 381 acres of public hunting land in Lewis County, in KDFWR's Northeast region. Hunters telechecked 0 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 0 antlered bucks among them.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: KDFWR's page for the area. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports, 2016-17 to 2025-26.
Ohio River Islands National Wildlife RefugeOther KDFWR public hunting areasNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 381 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Lewis County |
| KDFWR region | Northeast region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 1 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 0 (0 antlered bucks, 0 does) |
| Elevation | Minimum 500 feet, maximum 510 feet |
| Contact | 859-473-0061 |
| Nearest towns | Concord (4 mi), Maysville (11 mi) and Vanceburg (15 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?
KDFWR lists these rules for the area. Where it says the area is open under statewide seasons, the county's zone rules apply.
- To hunt or trap on the refuge, a refuge permit is required in combination with all applicable state hunting and/or trapping licenses.
- Please Call (304-375-2923) or visit the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge page for more details and refuge regulations.
Source: KDFWR's page for Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?
Hunters telechecked 0 deer on Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in the 2025-26 season: 0 antlered bucks, 0 button bucks and 0 does. Over the 7 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 3 deer a season, from 1 in 2024-25 to 6 in 2018-19.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 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.
What kind of ground is Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 71.13% open water, 27.3% forest and 1.57% open land. Elevation runs from 500 feet to 510 feet.
Which county is Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County | 376 | 1 | 1,289 | 45th |
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 Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge?
The refuge is comprised of 381 acres in two islands, in Kentucky in Lewis County, Manchester Islands 1 and 2 east of Maysville. Access on the Kentucky side by boat via the boat ramps at Maysville and Vanceburg. On the Ohio side access at Brush Creek Campground off of HWY 52, 3.5 miles west of Rome, Ohio. Seasonal hunting is permitted on these island with a refuge permit. Contact the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge at 304-375-2923 ext 117 for information. Owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways within 5 miles: KY 8, KY 57, KY 984 and KY 1443. Nearest towns: Concord (4 miles), Maysville (11 miles), Vanceburg (15 miles) and Dover (16 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Simon Kenton WMA (7.6 miles), Fleming WMA (16.6 miles), Daniel Boone National Forest (21.8 miles) and Clay WMA (24.3 miles).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed on Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge last season?
Hunters telechecked 0 deer on Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in the 2025-26 season: 0 antlered bucks and 0 does. The most taken with firearms (0).
What county is Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in?
All of it is in Lewis County, by KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge in?
Lewis County is in Zone 1. Unlimited number of antlerless deer using the statewide deer permit plus additional deer permits. 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, Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
- 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 Lewis County deer harvest