Wildlife Refuge Hunting Maps: Where to Find and How to Read Them
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National wildlife refuges are some of the best public hunting in the country, but they are not open the way a national forest is. Each refuge is open only where and for what its own rules say, and those rules come with a map. Here is how to find that map and read it.
A refuge is closed unless it is opened
Hunting and fishing on a national wildlife refuge are allowed only where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened them. The list of refuges open to hunting and sport fishing is in federal regulations at 50 CFR 32.7, by state, and each refuge’s own rules (which species, which areas, which methods, permits) are in subpart B of the same part. Alaska’s refuges are the exception: they are open under a separate law and rules (50 CFR part 36).
The Service updates these rules every year, opening new areas and changing others, so last season’s rules may not be this season’s.
The hunt map is part of the rules
Most refuges that allow hunting publish a hunt map, often with a hunt brochure or tear sheet, on the refuge’s page at fws.gov. The map shows where each kind of hunting is allowed, which areas are closed (sanctuaries, buildings, safety zones), and where you may park and walk in. Some refuges have several maps, one per hunt unit or per species.
- Open and closed areas. The difference is the whole point of the map. A closed area can sit right next to an open one with only signs between them.
- Hunt units and their seasons. Units may open for different species or dates. Read the legend and the brochure together.
- Access. Parking areas, gates, boat ramps and walk-in-only zones. Many refuge roads are closed to vehicles.
- The boundary. Refuges often border private land. Know where the line is before you follow game across it.
Cartahaven carries refuge hunt maps and other refuge maps from the Fish and Wildlife Service, free with an account. Browse them by state, for example Maryland wildlife refuge maps, Oregon or New Jersey.
Before you go
- Check the date on the map and the refuge’s page for the current season’s version.
- Read the refuge-specific rules for permits, sign-in, quotas, blinds and shot types. Some refuges require a permit or that you carry the brochure.
- State rules still apply. You need the state’s license and must follow its seasons and bag limits too. Waterfowl hunters 16 and older also need a Federal Duck Stamp.
- Call or check alerts for temporary closures for flooding, fire or management work.
Carry the hunt map on your phone
Refuge hunt areas are often flat marsh or timber with few landmarks, which is where a map that shows your own position helps most. When a refuge’s hunt map is a georeferenced PDF, a GeoPDF map app shows your GPS position on it with no cell signal. Download it at home, check it opens, and keep the brochure with it.
The posted signs and the refuge’s current rules govern. A map can be out of date; if they disagree, follow the signs and ask the refuge.