🧒 Youth hunts on National Wildlife Refuges

79 refuges run special youth opportunities — mentored deer hunts, youth waterfowl days, lottery turkey hunts and youth-only areas. Many fill by lottery months in advance, so check application windows early.

California

Modoc National Wildlife Refuge

A special waterfowl hunt and pheasant hunt are held each fall for youth hunters.

🦆 🐦 🕊️ · Permit required

Colorado

Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is open to youth hunters during the state youth waterfowl weekend.

🦌 🦆 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Delaware

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

A waterfowl hunt limited to young hunters accompanied by a guardian is conducted on the South Waterfowl Area on the fourth Saturday in October. A special youth deer hunt is also offered.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Delaware

Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

In the early fall, a "young waterfowler's course" is offered on the refuge, featuring instruction in safety and shooting ethics, followed by a refuge hunt. The hunt coincides with the date of the state youth waterfowl hunt. A youth deer hunt is also offe.

🦌 🦆 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Georgia

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge annually offers hunter safety courses and a hunting skills class, open to hunters of all ages.

🦌 🦃 🐦 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Illinois

Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

A youth deer hunt is held during the deer hunt for hunters with disabilities. Youth waterfowl and turkey hunts are also conducted.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Louisiana

Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge offers a special youth deer hunt in an area closed to all other hunters. Young hunters have guides and assigned blinds.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Louisiana

Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge

Youth hunters receive preference for permits. Lottery-issued waterfowl hunts for youth hunters are held on state youth waterfowl hunting days and throughout the waterfowl season.

🦌 🦆 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Louisiana

Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge

Guided lottery youth hunts for deer are offered for qualifying youths between 8-15 years of age.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Maryland

Patuxent Research Refuge

Junior Deer Firearms, Junior Waterfowl and Junior Spring Turkey Hunts are offered.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Massachusetts

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Each year, the refuge sponsors a special youth waterfowling course and hunt with a local sportsmen's group.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Minnesota

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge offers a Youth Waterfowlers Hunting Program, which allows access to areas of the refuge for waterfowl hunting.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Mississippi

Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge

General-access youth hunts are offered for deer, turkey and squirrel. A special youth waterfowl workshop is held in conjunction with Mississippi State University; participants are selected by lottery. The workshop concludes with a special hunt the first.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Mississippi

Tallahatchie National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is open for youth hunters during state youth-only seasons for squirrel, deer, and waterfowl.

🦌 🦆 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Montana

Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge

Youth hunting is encouraged by limiting the first week of archery deer and elk season and the first week of the general deer and elk season to youths 12-14 years of age accompanied by an adult and/or guardian who is at least 21 years of age.

🦌 🦃 🐦 · Permit required

New Jersey

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge offers hunting, issued by lottery, on state youth-only turkey and waterfowl hunt days.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Oklahoma

Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge

Rifle deer hunts for youth hunters are issued by lottery by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗

Oklahoma

Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge

A rifle hunt for youth hunters is issued by lottery by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Oklahoma

Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Two deer hunts for youth hunters are issued by lottery by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

South Carolina

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

A deer hunt is offered each fall for 10- to 15-year-olds with parental or guardian supervision. There is also a season for youth turkey hunters.

🦌 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

South Carolina

Santee National Wildlife Refuge

A hunt for youths ages 10 to 17 is held on the Bluffs Unit. Youth hunters may use shotguns only, and must be accompanied by a nonhunting adult.

🦌 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

South Carolina

Savannah National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge holds youth waterfowl and archery deer hunts, issued by lottery.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

South Carolina

Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge

Youth hunts are held for turkey, deer, feral hog and upland game.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 🐗 · Permit required

Tennessee

Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge

A youth deer hunt is offered. The refuge is also open during the state youth-only waterfowl hunt.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Tennessee

Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is open during the state youth-only waterfowl season. A non-quota youth deer hunt is also offered.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Tennessee

Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge

A youth deer hunt is offered; archery, muzzleloader and firearms are all legal. Youth hunters can take up to three deer with only one buck. The deer are counted as bonus deer.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Texas

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Two rifle hunts, for white-tailed deer and feral hogs, are held each year. Permits are issued by lottery.

🦌 🦆 🐗 · Permit required

Vermont

Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is open during State-designated youth-only waterfowl and deer hunt weekends. Eleven blind sites are available exclusively to waterfowl hunters ages 12-15 as part of the Junior Waterfowl Hunter Training Program on the first four Saturdays and S.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇 · Permit required

Washington

Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge also is open during the state youth waterfowl season (under 16 years of age) at a few locations along Upper Turnbull Lake. Youth waterfowl hunting is also open on Saturday and Sunday starting with the regular duck, goose, and coot hunting seas.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🕊️ · Permit required

Wisconsin

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge

A 2-day deer hunt is held. At least one adult must be present for every two youth hunters.

🦌 🦆 🦃 🐦 🕊️ 🐇

Wyoming

National Elk Refuge

During the first hunt period of the first week of elk season, 70 'any elk' permits are issued to youth hunters, who must be accompanied by an experienced non-hunting adult.

🦌