2026–2027 season · updated September 2026

Find public hunting land on America's wildlife refuges

Hunt-unit maps, satellite & topo views, permits, directions and shooting hours for 420 National Wildlife Refuges and 815K acres of walk-in Waterfowl Production Areas — straight from official USFWS data.

56states & territories
420refuges with hunting
1,474open hunt units
92.4Mhuntable acres
815KWPA acres

Where refuge hunting is

All states →
Alabama: 7 refuges with huntingAlaska: 16 refuges with huntingArizona: 9 refuges with huntingArkansas: 9 refuges with huntingCalifornia: 21 refuges with huntingColorado: 7 refuges with huntingConnecticut: 1 refuges with huntingDelaware: 2 refuges with huntingDC: 0 refuges with huntingFlorida: 10 refuges with huntingGeorgia: 6 refuges with huntingHawaii: 0 refuges with huntingIdaho: 7 refuges with huntingIllinois: 9 refuges with huntingIndiana: 3 refuges with huntingIowa: 6 refuges with huntingKansas: 4 refuges with huntingKentucky: 1 refuges with huntingLouisiana: 20 refuges with huntingMaine: 9 refuges with huntingMaryland: 4 refuges with huntingMassachusetts: 7 refuges with huntingMichigan: 8 refuges with huntingMinnesota: 19 refuges with huntingMississippi: 13 refuges with huntingMissouri: 5 refuges with huntingMontana: 23 refuges with huntingNebraska: 7 refuges with huntingNevada: 7 refuges with huntingNew Hampshire: 2 refuges with huntingNew Jersey: 5 refuges with huntingNew Mexico: 6 refuges with huntingNew York: 6 refuges with huntingNorth Carolina: 9 refuges with huntingNorth Dakota: 28 refuges with huntingOhio: 3 refuges with huntingOklahoma: 9 refuges with huntingOregon: 16 refuges with huntingPennsylvania: 3 refuges with huntingRhode Island: 5 refuges with huntingSouth Carolina: 7 refuges with huntingSouth Dakota: 11 refuges with huntingTennessee: 7 refuges with huntingTexas: 16 refuges with huntingUtah: 3 refuges with huntingVermont: 1 refuges with huntingVirginia: 13 refuges with huntingWashington: 14 refuges with huntingWest Virginia: 1 refuges with huntingWisconsin: 9 refuges with huntingWyoming: 6 refuges with hunting
Refuges with hunting1+3+6+9+13+

Number of refuges & stations (by headquarters state) that list at least one hunting opportunity. Alaska and Hawaii not to scale. Territories: Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa.

Featured refuges for 2026–27

All refuges →

Upper Mississippi River NWFR

Houston County, MN

10 special6 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

237K huntable acres

Pocosin Lakes NWR

Tyrrell County, NC

4 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

107K huntable acres

Felsenthal NWR

Union County, AR

2 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

77.3K huntable acres

Valentine NWR

Cherry County, NE

2 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

70.9K huntable acres

Bosque del Apache NWR

Socorro County, NM

5 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

47.6K huntable acres

Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee NWR

Winston County, MS

2 special3 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

44.7K huntable acres

Crab Orchard NWR

Williamson County, IL

5 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

44.4K huntable acres

Upper Ouachita NWR

Morehouse Parish, LA

2 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

43.8K huntable acres

Iowa WMD

Kossuth County, IA

1 open3 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

27.5K huntable acres

Chassahowitzka NWR

Citrus County, FL

2 open1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

21.8K huntable acres

Kenai NWR

Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK

2 open2 special1 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🎣

1.9M huntable acres

Leopold WMD

Columbia County, WI

1 open2 closed
🦌🦆🦃🐦🕊️🐇🐗🎣

13.8K huntable acres

What hunt-unit status means

Open

275

Units open to hunting under state seasons and general refuge rules.

Special regulations

1,199

Open, but with refuge-specific limits — species, dates, weapons, quota permits or access rules.

Closed

741

Closed to hunting — sanctuaries, visitor areas and safety zones. Know where they are before you go.

Read the full explanation →

Typical season calendar

Typical U.S. season windows — exact dates vary by state and refuge
AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJun
🦌 Big Game
Archery deerFirearm deer
🦆 Waterfowl
Early teal & gooseRegular duck & goose
🦃 Wild Turkey
Spring gobblerFall (some states)
🐦 Upland Birds
Pheasant, quail, grouse
🕊️ Migratory Birds
Dove (Sept. 1 opener)Woodcock & snipeLate dove split
🐇 Small Game
Squirrel & rabbit
🐗 Feral & Exotic
Feral hog (often year-round)

Browse by state

Alabama 11Alaska 16American Samoa 1Arizona 9Arkansas 14California 41Colorado 11Connecticut 3Delaware 3Florida 31Georgia 12Guam 1Hawaii 10Idaho 7Illinois 13Indiana 3Iowa 9Kansas 4Kentucky 5Louisiana 26Maine 14Maryland 7Massachusetts 15Michigan 12Minnesota 22Mississippi 16Missouri 14Montana 28Nebraska 9Nevada 10New Hampshire 7New Jersey 5New Mexico 11New York 13North Carolina 12North Dakota 35Northern Mariana Islands 2Ohio 4Oklahoma 10Oregon 26Pennsylvania 5Puerto Rico 6Rhode Island 5South Carolina 10South Dakota 13Tennessee 10Texas 21U.S. Minor Outlying Islands 10U.S. Virgin Islands 3Utah 6Vermont 4Virginia 16Washington 30West Virginia 3Wisconsin 13Wyoming 10

Frequently asked questions

Can you hunt on National Wildlife Refuges?

Yes — hunting is allowed on many refuges. In the 2026–2027 USFWS data, 420 of 606 refuges and stations list at least one hunting opportunity, across 1,474 open hunt units. Each refuge sets its own rules on top of state regulations.

What does “Special Regulations Apply” mean?

The unit is open to hunting, but refuge-specific rules apply beyond state regulations — for example limited species, dates or hours, weapon restrictions, quota or lottery permits, or access limits. Check the refuge hunt brochure or 50 CFR Part 32.

Are Waterfowl Production Areas open to public hunting?

Generally yes. WPAs owned in fee title by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are open to hunting, fishing and trapping under state regulations, with some federal restrictions. Conservation easements, however, are private land and are not open to the public.

Do I need a Federal Duck Stamp?

Waterfowl hunters age 16 and older must carry a current Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp), plus their state license and HIP certification.

How current is this information?

Hunt unit data reflects the USFWS National Hunt Units 2026–2027 dataset. Refuge rules can change during the season — always confirm with the refuge before you go.