Boone Forestlands WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Boone Forestlands WMA is 27,997 acres of public hunting land in Leslie, Harlan, Bell and Clay counties, in KDFWR's Southeast region. Hunters telechecked 72 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 63 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.
Boone Forestlands WMAOther KDFWR public hunting areasNational forestLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 27,997 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Leslie County, Harlan County, Bell County, Clay County |
| KDFWR region | Southeast region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 4 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 72 (63 antlered bucks, 9 does) |
| Elk | In the Elk Management Zone, hunting units 2, 3 and 4 |
| Elevation | Minimum 1113 feet, maximum 2582 feet |
| Contact | (606)-654-2533 |
| Nearest towns | Hyden (next to it), Loyall (3 mi) and Harlan (4 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Boone Forestlands WMA?
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 Boone Forestlands WMA, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Boone Forestlands WMA?
Hunters telechecked 72 deer on Boone Forestlands WMA in the 2025-26 season: 63 antlered bucks, 0 button bucks and 9 does. Over the 10 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 71 deer a season, from 49 in 2017-18 to 111 in 2016-17.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 72 | 63 | 9 | 61 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2024-25 | 79 | 59 | 18 | 58 | 4 | 4 | 13 |
| 2023-24 | 66 | 53 | 10 | 50 | 5 | 7 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | 68 | 54 | 13 | 51 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 2021-22 | 73 | 54 | 16 | 52 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
| 2020-21 | 68 | 50 | 16 | 50 | 4 | 3 | 11 |
| 2019-20 | 57 | 50 | 7 | 42 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| 2018-19 | 66 | 45 | 21 | 49 | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 2017-18 | 49 | 40 | 8 | 33 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| 2016-17 | 111 | 76 | 29 | 69 | 15 | 10 | 17 |
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: 20 in 2025, 20 in 2024, 15 in 2023 and 20 in 2022 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
Elk telechecked on the area: 9 in 2025-26 (7 bulls, 2 cows), 12 in 2024-25 (6 bulls, 6 cows), 15 in 2023-24 (10 bulls, 5 cows), 10 in 2022-23 (6 bulls, 4 cows) and 10 in 2021-22 (7 bulls, 3 cows). See Kentucky elk hunting.
What kind of ground is Boone Forestlands WMA?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 88.72% forest, 11.26% open land and 0.01% open water. Elevation runs from 1113 feet to 2582 feet.
Which county is Boone Forestlands WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leslie County | 17,555 | 4 | 565 | 98th |
| Harlan County | 5,294 | 4 | 509 | 104th |
| Bell County | 4,554 | 4 | 661 | 89th |
| Clay County | 591 | 4 | 926 | 68th |
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 Boone Forestlands WMA?
Boone Forestlands WMA consists of many tracts in 4 different counties. The tracts are bounded in general to the north by the Hal Rogers PKWY and on the south by KY 221 along the base of Pine Mountain, to the west by KY 66, and US 421 to the east. The largest blocks by county are in southern Leslie, eastern Bell, and northern Harlan. Several additional tracts are located southwest of Hyden in Leslie County. Boone Forestlands WMA is the result of a cooperative agreement between the owner, Boone Forestlands, LLC and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The area consists of reclaimed surface mined and forested land located in several disjointed tracts. Public should be aware that active surface mine sites, deep mines and the coal washing facility are Off- limits. The majority of this property is found within Elk Hunting Unit 3, but smaller sections are located in units 2 and 4. Please refer to the elk portion of our website.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways through the area: KY 1780, KY 1850, KY 2011 and KY 221. Nearest towns: Hyden (next to it), Loyall (3 miles), Harlan (4 miles) and Buckhorn (5 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Asher Hunting Access Area (next to it), Betterment Wildlife Hunting Access Area (next to it), Buckhorn Lake WMA (next to it) and Cumberland Forest WMA (next to it).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt Boone Forestlands WMA in 2026-27?
KDFWR's 2026-27 rules for Boone Forestlands WMA: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
How many deer were killed on Boone Forestlands WMA last season?
Hunters telechecked 72 deer on Boone Forestlands WMA in the 2025-26 season: 63 antlered bucks and 9 does. The most taken with firearms (61).
What county is Boone Forestlands WMA in?
Leslie County (17,555 acres), Harlan County (5,294 acres), Bell County (4,554 acres) and Clay County (591 acres), measured on KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Boone Forestlands WMA in?
Leslie County is in Zone 4, Harlan County is in Zone 4, Bell County is in Zone 4 and Clay County is in Zone 4. Up to two deer, only one of which can be antlerless. Antlerless deer cannot be taken during the modern gun season, the early muzzleloader season or the first six days of the late muzzleloader season. Area rules can be stricter than the zone's, as listed above.
Are elk taken on Boone Forestlands WMA?
Yes. KDFWR's Telecheck reports show 9 elk in 2025-26, 12 elk in 2024-25 and 15 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, Boone Forestlands WMA.
- 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 Leslie County deer harvest Harlan County deer harvest Bell County deer harvest