Gabbard Branch WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Gabbard Branch WMA is 809 acres of public hunting land in Butler County, in KDFWR's Green River region. Hunters telechecked 5 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 2 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.
Gabbard Branch WMAOther KDFWR public hunting areasLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 809 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Butler County |
| KDFWR region | Green River region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 1 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 5 (2 antlered bucks, 3 does) |
| Elevation | Minimum 401 feet, maximum 672 feet |
| Contact | Office (270) 646-5167 |
| Nearest towns | Woodbury (6 mi), Morgantown (9 mi) and Brownsville (13 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Gabbard Branch 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 Gabbard Branch WMA, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Gabbard Branch WMA?
Hunters telechecked 5 deer on Gabbard Branch WMA in the 2025-26 season: 2 antlered bucks, 0 button bucks and 3 does. Over the 3 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 9 deer a season, from 5 in 2025-26 to 12 in 2023-24.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022-23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 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: 3 in 2025, 4 in 2024 and 1 in 2023 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
What kind of ground is Gabbard Branch WMA?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 75.53% forest, 21.01% open land and 3.46% wetland. Elevation runs from 401 feet to 672 feet.
Which county is Gabbard Branch WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler County | 809 | 1 | 1,058 | 56th |
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 Gabbard Branch WMA?
From US 231 north of Morgantown, take Brownsville Rd. (St Hwy 70) east 9 miles to Leonard Oak Rd. (St Hwy 1328) on the right. Continue onto Millshed Rd. (St Hwy 2266) for 2.1 miles and turn left on Martin Phelps Rd. Area is open to hunting for statewide regulations and rules in effect for the county. Habitat consists primarily of old-field uplands, forest land, and open-wetland bottoms. Foot travel only from designated parking areas.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways within 5 miles: KY 70, KY 185, KY 1328 and KY 2266. Nearest towns: Woodbury (6 miles), Morgantown (9 miles), Brownsville (13 miles) and Plum Springs (14 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Nolin River Lake WMA (15.1 miles), Peabody WMA (17.8 miles), Rough River Lake WMA (21.9 miles) and L. B. Davison WMA (24.3 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt Gabbard Branch WMA in 2026-27?
KDFWR's 2026-27 rules for Gabbard Branch WMA: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
How many deer were killed on Gabbard Branch WMA last season?
Hunters telechecked 5 deer on Gabbard Branch WMA in the 2025-26 season: 2 antlered bucks and 3 does. The most taken with firearms (3).
What county is Gabbard Branch WMA in?
All of it is in Butler County, by KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Gabbard Branch WMA in?
Butler 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, Gabbard Branch 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 Butler County deer harvest