Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge is 2,043 acres of public hunting land in Fulton County, in KDFWR's Purchase region. Hunters telechecked 1 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 1 antlered buck among them.
Data updated October 2026. Rules: KDFWR's page for the area. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports, 2016-17 to 2025-26.
Reelfoot National Wildlife RefugeOther KDFWR public hunting areasNational wildlife refugeLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 2,043 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| KDFWR region | Purchase region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 1 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 1 (1 antlered buck, 0 does) |
| Elevation | Minimum feet, maximum feet |
| Contact | (731) 538-2481 |
| Nearest towns | Hickman (7 mi), Clinton (19 mi) and Columbus (19 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Reelfoot 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.
- Contact 731-538-2481 or visit https://www.fws.gov/refuge/reelfoot for complete information.
- The CWD Antlerless Season (Sept. 25-28) IS NOT available on Reelfoot NWR.
Source: KDFWR's page for Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?
Hunters telechecked 1 deer on Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in the 2025-26 season: 1 antlered buck, 0 button bucks and 0 does. Over the 7 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 3 deer a season, from 1 in 2025-26 to 5 in 2022-23.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 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: 2 in 2024, 1 in 2021, 1 in 2018 and 1 in 2017 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
What kind of ground is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 61.04% wetland, 38.57% open land and 0.2% open water. Elevation runs from feet to feet.
Which county is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 2,042 | 1 | 372 | 115th |
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 Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge?
On KY 94 west of Hickman; adequate trails within area. Flat river bottomland, mixture of woods and cleared areas. Special hunting regulations and seasons. Observation platform near main entrance to Long Point Refuge off county road 1282 and KY 311. Offering historical and wildlife-related exhibits, the visitor center, located between Samburg and Union City, Tenn. on Hwy. 157 and east of Walnut Log, is open weekends, January-mid-March. For more information contact Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, 4343 Hwy. 157, Union City, TN 38261. Owned by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways within 5 miles: KY 94, KY 1282, KY 971 and KY 925. Nearest towns: Hickman (7 miles), Clinton (19 miles), Columbus (19 miles) and Fulton (23 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Obion Creek WMA (8.7 miles), Doug Travis WMA (20.3 miles), Coil Estate WMA (30.6 miles) and Winford WMA (30.7 miles).
Questions hunters ask
How many deer were killed on Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge last season?
Hunters telechecked 1 deer on Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in the 2025-26 season: 1 antlered buck and 0 does. The most taken with firearms (1).
What county is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in?
All of it is in Fulton County, by KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge in?
Fulton 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.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area rules, size, habitat, contact and directions: KDFWR, Reelfoot 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.
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