KDFWR - Purchase Region

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KDFWR - Purchase Region

This page is your connection to Ky. Fish and Wildlife's Purchase Region.

Follow for updates on local public lands, waterbodies, fishing reports, hunting opportunities, and regional wildlife projects happening in western Kentucky. The official page for the Purchase Region of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Follow for updates on public lands, waterbodies, fish and wildlife management activities, hunting and fishing opportunities, and educational programs throughout western Kentucky.

06/01/2026

Kentucky’s free fishing weekend is taking place THIS weekend, June 6-7, 2026!

No license? No problem! This one weekend each year allows anyone to fish without a license or permit — whether you're visiting from outside the state or you live in Kentucky.

Family-friendly events are being hosted statewide! Check below to see what’s happening in the Purchase Region:

• McCracken County: Noble Park Fish Out
• Trigg County: Take a Kid Fishing Day

These events are free! But registration is required. Follow the link to learn more: https://fw.ky.gov/Pages/Free-Fishing-Weekend.aspx

05/29/2026

Are you looking for a place to hunt for squirrels this weekend?

Why not check out Big Rivers Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and State Forest!

Big Rivers WMA and State Forest is 7,575 acres of land across Crittenden and Union, made up of steep to very steep upland hardwood forests, flat to rolling bottomland hardwood forests, and agricultural lands bordered by the Ohio River to the west and the Tradewater River to the south.

This diverse environment makes Big Rivers WMA and State Forest home to many animals, including small game like squirrels!

If you want to learn more about this area, check out the Big Rivers WMA and State Forest page on our website. Here you can also access our interactive WMA Explorer, where you can navigate its habitat and land management practices!

Learn more: https://app.fw.ky.gov/Public_Lands_Search/detail.aspx?Kdfwr_id=9203

(Reminder: Spring squirrel season is May 16 - June 21)

05/28/2026

How can you help make Kentucky’s waterways safer for all to enjoy? Consider building a Life Jacket Loaner Station with us!

Kentucky’s lakes, rivers, and streams are popular destinations and receive heavy use from recreational boaters, paddlers, and swimmers. Tragically, lives are lost to drowning each year, and the overwhelming majority of the victims were not wearing a life jacket.

Greater access to life jackets can prevent these tragedies, and you can help! Become a donor and install a Life Jacket Loaner Station in your area.

You may be wondering, “What is a Life Jacket Loaner Station?”

We’re glad you asked!

It is quite literally what it sounds like: a station, placed near a public body of water, that contains life jackets for people to borrow during their time on the water. This initiative aims to ensure that even if someone left their life jacket at home, no one ventures out onto the water without one.

🔗 For more information: https://fw.ky.gov/Boat/Pages/Life-Jacket-Loaner-Station.aspx

🎥 Video on how to build a Life Jacket Loaner Station: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHtbKP4Rc5k&t=18s

05/22/2026

Picture this: You go squirrel hunting this weekend, you harvest your daily limit, but you’re not sure what to do next…

Whether it’s your first time harvesting a squirrel, or maybe you need a refresher on the processing procedure, we have a “How-to” video for you!

This process requires only a knife and a pair of shears, and it produces the back straps and four quarters for consumption. The squirrel that Becky is using for demonstration is a grey squirrel, but this process can be replicated across squirrel species.

🎥 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04NJD4i-2hk&t=14s

05/21/2026

Dogs and their handlers from all over the country traveled to West Kentucky WMA, which hosted the 2026 UKC/HRC International Spring Grand May 16–20. The HRC International Grand is considered the pinnacle of United Kennel Club Hunting Retriever tests.

This grueling five-day event consists of four challenging retrieving series followed by an upland hunt. The event is held twice each year, and any dog with a Hunting Retriever Champion title (100 championship points) is eligible to compete. To earn the prestigious Grand Hunting Retriever Champion title, a dog must achieve two Grand passes and accumulate a total of 300 championship points.

2026 Spring Grand Statistics:
• 900 dogs entered
• 260 dogs advanced to the 5th series
• 244 dogs passed the Grand
• 27% overall pass rate

Kentucky is home to four local HRC clubs that provide opportunities for training days, networking with experienced handlers and trainers, and participation in local hunt tests.

🔗 For more information, visit www.HRC.dog

Kentucky HRC Clubs:
• Central Kentucky Hunting Retriever Association – Frankfort, KY
• Inducky Hunting Retriever Club – Louisville, KY
• West Kentucky Hunting Retriever Club – Calvert City, KY
• Tri-State Hunting Retriever Club – Onton, KY

05/14/2026

Looking for a place to catch trout this weekend? Head to Casey Creek!

1,000 trout were stocked there last Wednesday, May 13, making it the perfect time to get out and get fishing.

Full trout stocking schedule: https://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/Monthly-Trout-Stocking.aspx

05/13/2026

Fishing tip of the week! 🎣

Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are great places to hit the water, especially for those hoping to catch channel catfish. If that’s you, check out what our biologists had to say about fishing for channel catfish on the lakes:

Kentucky Lake: The best fishing occurs during the late spring along chunky rock shoreline of the lake, and rip-rap shoreline around the dam and marinas.

Lake Barkley: The best fishing occurs in May along rocky banks and during summer along the main river channel and adjacent flats.

In both lakes, when fishing in the spring, use leeches or night crawlers around rip rap.

It seems like the best time to venture to these lakes for channel catfishin' is just about here! Head to the Fishing Forecast to learn more tips and tricks before heading out this spring: https://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/fishing-forecast.aspx

05/07/2026

Before heading out and hitting the water this weekend, make sure you check the forecast first… the fishing forecast, that is!

Created from last year’s fish population surveys, creel surveys, fish stockings, and historical knowledge of the fisheries, the 2026 Fishing Forecast was made by our team of biologists around the state to assist anglers like YOU in planning your fishing trips and improving your fishing success.

⛅ 2026 Fishing Forecast: https://fw.ky.gov/Fish/Pages/fishing-forecast.aspx

05/06/2026

With spring in full swing, we figured this would be a good time to remind everyone of who we share the forest with.

(Hint: 🐻)

While yes, bears can be cute and fluffy, they’re not teddy bears - they’re wild bears, and they need their space. They tend to roam this time of year so it’s possible to see one in this part of the state.

When enjoying all of the fun activities warm weather has to offer, whether it is hunting or fishing, camping or kayaking, be mindful of your surroundings and remember to be !

04/30/2026

We are a couple of weeks into spring turkey season, and harvest numbers are looking good!

Are you interested in seeing where turkeys are being harvested across the state? How many are coming out of each Wildlife Management Area? What about discovering the public areas, specifically in the Purchase Region, where people are seeing success?

On the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website, fw.ky.gov, there is a “Harvest Report Explorer” where you will find an answer to all of the above questions and much more.

Head on over and check out the numbers yourself!

🔗 Harvest Report Explorer: https://app.fw.ky.gov/harvestdata/Records/Records?animal=Turkey&report=resultsPublicLandByRegion

Address

Benton, KY
42025

Telephone

270-753-3886

Website

http://fw.ky.gov/

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