📖 How to Read a Refuge Hunt Brochure (and Not Miss the Rule That Matters)

Every refuge that allows hunting publishes its rules, usually in a hunt brochure (sometimes called a hunting regulations leaflet or tearsheet) with a map. On many refuges the brochure is also your permit: you sign it and carry it while hunting. It’s often only a few pages long, but it contains the rules that most commonly get refuge hunters cited.

Where to find it

• The refuge’s official website, usually under “Visit Us → Activities → Hunting”. Every refuge page on WildlifeChase links to the official hunting page where one is published.
• Kiosks at refuge entrances, parking areas and boat ramps.
• The visitor center or refuge office.
• Some refuges also distribute brochures through Recreation.gov when you apply for a permit.

Get the brochure for the current season — rules change every year.

How it fits with other regulations

Refuge hunting rules come in layers, and you must follow all of them:

1. State regulations — seasons, bag limits, licenses, tags, hunter education and orange requirements.
2. General refuge rules that apply on every refuge, found in 50 CFR 32.2 — for example the prohibition on hunting over bait.
3. Refuge-specific regulations, published for each refuge in 50 CFR Part 32 and summarized in the brochure.

Where they differ, the more restrictive rule applies. A refuge can be stricter than the state; it can’t be looser.

What’s inside a typical brochure

Species and seasons

Which game you may hunt on the refuge and when. Refuges often open only part of the state season, or only certain days of the week.

Hunt areas and map

Which units are open, open with restrictions or closed. Compare the brochure map with the unit map on the refuge page here, and always defer to posted signs.

Permits and check-in

Whether you need a signed brochure, a quota permit or another permit; whether you must check in and out; and whether you must report your harvest.

Hours

Shooting hours and access hours. Some refuges end hunting early (for example at noon or 1 p.m.) or restrict entry before a set time in the morning.

Methods

Allowed weapons and ammunition (including nontoxic shot rules), decoys, calls, blinds, tree stands, ground blinds, and whether dogs are allowed.

Access

Which roads are open to vehicles, where to park, whether boats, motors, bikes or ATVs are allowed, and where they’re prohibited.

Prohibited activities

Common examples include baiting, permanent blinds or stands, damaging trees, hunting from roads, camping and overnight parking, and leaving equipment unattended overnight.

Contact information

The refuge phone number and address — useful for questions before your trip and for reporting problems.

The 10 questions to answer before every refuge hunt

1. Is the unit I want to hunt open for my species on my date?
2. Do I need a refuge permit, and do I need to sign and carry the brochure?
3. Do I need to apply in advance or check in on the day?
4. What are the shooting hours and entry hours?
5. Is nontoxic shot required for my game?
6. What weapons are allowed in this unit?
7. Are blinds, stands and decoys allowed — and must they be removed daily?
8. Can I bring a dog, a boat or a motor?
9. Where can I park, and which roads are open?
10. What do I do if game I’ve shot goes into a closed area?

If you can answer all ten, you’re ready.

Use it with the map

On each WildlifeChase refuge page, the hunt-unit table shows every unit’s status, acreage and permit notes from the 2026–2027 USFWS data. Use it to pick a unit, then confirm in the brochure. Download the KML or GPX file so the boundaries are on your phone in the field, and check the shooting hours for your date.

Learn more about what each unit status means in Hunt unit status explained, and how permits work in the refuge permit guide.

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