The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has opened two new wildlife management areas (WMAs) totaling 1,400 acres in western Kentucky, just in time for this year’s spring turkey season.
Both properties will be open under statewide seasons and regulations for spring and fall hunting.
The properties include:
- Gabbard Branch WMA– 809 acres in Butler County. Located about 12 miles downstream from Lock and Dam 5 on the Green River, northeast of the mouth of Little Reedy Creek.
- Ferguson Creek WMA– 614 acres in Livingston County. Located immediately south of the Cumberland River near its confluence with the Ohio River.
“The acquisition of these properties was funded through the Kentucky Wetland and Stream Mitigation Program,” said Mike Hardin, assistant director of the Fisheries Division of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “These properties will undergo stream and wetland restoration and enhancement as mitigation for impacts from development elsewhere in the Green River and Cumberland River drainages.”
The south end of Gabbard Branch WMA includes 79 acres of natural wetland that will be rehabilitated, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife officials said. Further plans call for the creation of roughly 20 acres of additional wetlands.
Several former stream channels of Gabbard Branch and Little Reedy Creek in the lowlands of the area are now wetlands that hold water part of or all year long.
“The Green River is nearby, and it has several species of mussels that are listed as federally endangered,” Hardin said. “This will help those species because it will improve water in Green River by reducing sedimentation.”
Mussel population surveys in Green River show the rough pigtoe mussel, the fanshell mussel, the sheepnose mussel and spectaclecase mussel live throughout this part of the river. All four mussels are “endangered” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
“There are a lot of good habitats on Gabbard Branch WMA,” Hardin said. “You have bottomland wetland habitat next to upland habitat. There are deer, squirrels and turkeys on the property, which the former owner used for deer hunting.”
Gabbard Branch WMA has two parking lots in the northern end of the property, both off Hwy 2266.
The Gabbard Branch and Ferguson Creek WMAs will be open for the regular spring turkey season, which runs from April 15 through May 7.
Kentucky’s statewide spring harvest limit is two legal turkeys.
“A legal turkey is defined as a wild turkey that is male or has a visible beard. Hunters should note a recent regulation change specifying that a hunter may only take one legal turkey per WMA in spring,” officials said.
For all the regulations for spring turkey season, please see the Spring Hunting Guide online at fw.ky.gov, or pick up a printed copy wherever hunting licenses are sold. The online version includes an update pertaining to legal use of salt and minerals for wildlife.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
