Shillalah Creek WMA: deer harvest, 2026-27 rules and access
Shillalah Creek WMA is 2,535 acres of public hunting land in Bell and Harlan counties, in KDFWR's Southeast region. Hunters telechecked 3 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.
Shillalah Creek WMAOther KDFWR public hunting areasLake or riverHighwayCounty line
| Size | 2,535 acres (KDFWR) |
|---|---|
| County | Bell County, Harlan County |
| KDFWR region | Southeast region |
| Deer zone of the county | Zone 4 |
| Deer telechecked, 2025-26 | 3 (2 antlered bucks, 1 doe) |
| Elk | In the Elk Management Zone, hunting unit 2 |
| Elevation | Minimum 1313 feet, maximum 3332 feet |
| Contact | (606)-654-2533 |
| Nearest towns | Middlesborough (8 mi), Pineville (9 mi) and Loyall (11 mi) |
What are the 2026-27 hunting rules on Shillalah Creek 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 Shillalah Creek WMA, read October 2026. Statewide seasons: 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, page 10.
How many deer are taken on Shillalah Creek WMA?
Hunters telechecked 3 deer on Shillalah Creek WMA in the 2025-26 season: 2 antlered bucks, 0 button bucks and 1 doe. Over the 10 seasons KDFWR reports, the area averaged 10 deer a season, from 3 in 2025-26 to 16 in 2018-19.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | Muzzleloader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-25 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022-23 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 14 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020-21 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018-19 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2017-18 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2016-17 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
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: 1 in 2025, 4 in 2024, 7 in 2023 and 7 in 2022 (KDFWR Harvest Data, spring season).
What kind of ground is Shillalah Creek WMA?
KDFWR describes the area's habitat as 99.8% forest and 0.08% open land. Elevation runs from 1313 feet to 3332 feet.
Which county is Shillalah Creek WMA in?
| County | Acres of the area in it | Deer zone | County deer, 2025-26 | Rank of 120 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell County | 2,134 | 4 | 661 | 89th |
| Harlan County | 400 | 4 | 509 | 104th |
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 Shillalah Creek WMA?
Along Brush Mountain north of Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. From Pineville, take US 119 north approximately 10 miles to HWY 987, then south to the HWY 2005/987 junction, WMA is on the right side of the road; from HWY 119, take HWY 1344 to end, turn left onto HWY 217, travel ΒΌ mile to Park Service road (Foot Travel Only). Mature forest, extremely rugged, steep terrain, many high cliffs. Fishing opportunities for brook trout. Owned by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
From KDFWR's page for the area.
Highways within 5 miles: KY 987, KY 217, KY 2005 and KY 72. Nearest towns: Middlesborough (8 miles), Pineville (9 miles), Loyall (11 miles) and Harlan (12 miles).
The closest other public hunting areas with a page here: Martins Fork WMA and State Natural Area (next to it), Cumberland Forest WMA (5.6 miles), Kentucky Ridge State Forest (6.3 miles) and Fortner-Davis WMA (6.7 miles).
Questions hunters ask
When can you hunt Shillalah Creek WMA in 2026-27?
KDFWR's 2026-27 rules for Shillalah Creek WMA: Open under statewide rules and regulations in effect for the county.
How many deer were killed on Shillalah Creek WMA last season?
Hunters telechecked 3 deer on Shillalah Creek WMA in the 2025-26 season: 2 antlered bucks and 1 doe. The most taken with firearms (2).
What county is Shillalah Creek WMA in?
Bell County (2,134 acres) and Harlan County (400 acres), measured on KDFWR's boundary.
What deer zone is Shillalah Creek WMA in?
Bell County is in Zone 4 and Harlan 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.
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Where these numbers come from
- Area rules, size, habitat, contact and directions: KDFWR, Shillalah Creek 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 Bell County deer harvest Harlan County deer harvest