Higginson-Henry WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Higginson-Henry WMA is 5,446 acres of public hunting land in Union County, in KDFWR's Green River region. Hunters telechecked 80 deer on the area in the 2025-26 season, 31 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.
Higginson-Henry WMAOther KDFWR public hunting areasLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 5,446 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Union County |
| KDFWR region | Green River region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 1 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 80 (31 antlered bucks, 44 does) |
| Elevation | Minimum 396 feet, maximum 675 feet |
| Contact | Office (270) 389-3580 |
| Nearest towns | Morganfield (2 mi), Waverly (5 mi) and Sturgis (7 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Higginson-Henry 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.
Exceptions
- Closed for deer muzzleloader seasons.
- Closed to modern gun deer seasons except for the quota hunt.
- All deer hunting seasons on this WMA are closed during quota hunts except to drawn hunters. Archery/crossbow quota hunt from Oct. 25 through Nov. 30, except when closed during the modern gun quota hunt that starts the first Saturday in November.
- Rabbit and quail hunting seasons are open from Nov. 14-Dec. 31.
- Turkeys may not be harvested with a firearm. Archery only: Sept. 5-30, 2026 and Jan. 1-18, 2027. Archery and crossbow: Oct. 1-18, Oct. 24-30 and Dec. 1-31.
- The CWD Antlerless Season (Sept. 25-28) is open on Higginson-Henry WMA.
- Shooting Range Information
- A person shall not target practice, sight in a firearm, or discharge a firearm in any area except the shooting range. Shooting multiple projectile shells is not permitted on Tube Ranges. Club Ranges are off-limits unless authorized by an approved event with a club range safety officer. A person shall not discharge a firearm within 100 yards of a residence or occupied building, whether or not the building is on the WMA.
Shooting Range Permit Required
- An annual or one-day shooting range permit is now required to use firearms and archery equipment on any department managed, leased or affiliated shooting range. The permit system will help the agency better gauge how many people use the ranges, promote safe practices, and support maintenance and improvements.
- The permit is free to annual hunting or fishing license holders, but you must obtain it through
- My Profile
Prohibited Activities
- Damage a tree or shrub (No installation of targets on trees or shrubs)
- Dump trash or litter (Clean up targets and spent shells)
- Deface or destroy a signs
- Pose a risk to persons or property (Shooters responsible for ensuring adequate backstop)
- Engage in an activity which could unreasonably interfere with other uses or users of the area
Source: KDFWR's page for Higginson-Henry WMA, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Higginson-Henry WMA?
Hunters telechecked 80 deer on Higginson-Henry WMA in the 2025-26 season: 31 antlered bucks, 5 button bucks and 44 does. Over the 10 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 108 deer a season, from 60 in 2019-20 to 165 in 2016-17.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 80 | 31 | 44 | 23 | 43 | 14 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 86 | 32 | 47 | 18 | 49 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023-24 | 139 | 52 | 78 | 27 | 86 | 26 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | 102 | 30 | 63 | 13 | 76 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 89 | 28 | 54 | 5 | 63 | 21 | 0 |
| 2020-21 | 102 | 33 | 61 | 16 | 72 | 14 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 60 | 20 | 35 | 11 | 46 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 135 | 58 | 68 | 10 | 109 | 16 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 125 | 47 | 64 | 11 | 106 | 8 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 165 | 71 | 93 | 10 | 146 | 8 | 1 |
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: 5 in 2025, 9 in 2024, 8 in 2023 and 6 in 2022 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
What kind of ground is Higginson-Henry WMA?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 78.33% forest, 19.5% open land, 1.43% open water and 0.68% wetland. Elevation runs from 396 feet to 675 feet.
Which county is Higginson-Henry WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County | 5,447 | 1 | 915 | 69th |
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 Higginson-Henry WMA?
Two miles east of Morganfield on KY 56. Rolling hills with hardwood patches, numerous small clearings, and wildlife plantings. Migratory waterfowl, some shore birds on the moist soil units, has good rabbit and quail hunting. The area has an outdoor learning center with moist soil units, interpretive hiking trails and various wildlife habitat vegetative plantings for view. There are 23 miles of hiking only trails. Hiking and horseback riding are available on internal public roads and on 9 miles of designated trails. An 80-acre lake with several improvements for bank fishing access. launching ramp, 2 smaller lakes, picnic areas. Camping on designated sites only. Shooting range (for single projectile firearms only; no shotshells or pistols allowed) open Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 AM - Sunset & Sundays Noon - Sunset. Check online calendar or call Area office for closures or events. Owned by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways through the area: KY 758 and KY 56. Nearest towns: Morganfield (2 miles), Waverly (5 miles), Sturgis (7 miles) and Uniontown (8 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Big Rivers WMA and State Forest (7.9 miles), Sloughs WMA (8.1 miles), Lee K. Nelson WMA (10.1 miles) and Clear Creek WMA (20.1 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt Higginson-Henry WMA in 2026-27?
KDFWR's 2026-27 rules for Higginson-Henry WMA: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
How many deer were killed on Higginson-Henry WMA last season?
Hunters telechecked 80 deer on Higginson-Henry WMA in the 2025-26 season: 31 antlered bucks and 44 does. The most taken with archery (43).
What county is Higginson-Henry WMA in?
All of it is in Union County, by KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Higginson-Henry WMA in?
Union 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, Higginson-Henry 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.
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