Public land · 37 states · 2026 Edition

Public Hunting Land by State 2026: WMAs, Access Rules & Where to Go

A hunting license rarely covers everything a wildlife management area asks for — several states add their own conservation passport or land-access permit on top. Pick your state for the named WMAs we track there, by county and acreage, plus exactly what else you need to hunt them.

01 — Pick your state

State WMAs tracked Combined acreage Source
Alabama public hunting land 2 72,714 acres Alabama WFF
Arkansas public hunting land 2 58,832 acres AGFC
California public hunting land 2 15,400 acres CDFW
Delaware public hunting land 2 5,800 acres DNREC
Florida public hunting land 2 93,647 acres FWC
Georgia public hunting land 2 49,100 acres Georgia DNR
Illinois public hunting land 2 16,020 acres IDNR
Indiana public hunting land 2 14,048 acres IN DNR
Iowa public hunting land 2 9,639 acres Iowa DNR
Kansas public hunting land 2 27,511 acres KDWP
Kentucky public hunting land 2 51,917 acres KDFWR
Louisiana public hunting land 2 250,310 acres LDWF
Maine public hunting land 2 15,241 acres MDIFW
Maryland public hunting land 2 17,154 acres DNR
Massachusetts public hunting land 2 2,565 acres MassWildlife
Michigan public hunting land 2 54,040 acres Michigan DNR
Minnesota public hunting land 2 100,193 acres Minnesota DNR
Mississippi public hunting land 2 68,480 acres MDWFP
Missouri public hunting land 3 17,882 acres MDC
Nebraska public hunting land 2 7,806 acres Nebraska Game and Parks
Nevada public hunting land 2 18,582 acres NDOW
New Jersey public hunting land 2 52,785 acres NJFW
New Mexico public hunting land 2 5,080 acres NMDGF
New York public hunting land 2 19,787 acres NYSDEC
North Carolina public hunting land 2 82,286 acres NCWRC
Ohio public hunting land 3 34,178 acres ODNR
Oklahoma public hunting land 3 44,090 acres ODWC
Oregon public hunting land 2 30,584 acres ODFW
Pennsylvania public hunting land 2 55,000 acres PGC
South Carolina public hunting land 2 29,866 acres SCDNR
Tennessee public hunting land 2 120,700 acres TWRA
Texas public hunting land 3 47,903 acres TPWD
Utah public hunting land 2 29,758 acres DWR
Virginia public hunting land 2 18,822 acres Virginia DWR
Washington public hunting land 2 39,638 acres WDFW
West Virginia public hunting land 2 42,574 acres WVDNR
Wisconsin public hunting land 2 39,150 acres Wisconsin DNR

“WMAs tracked” is a starting point, not a state's full inventory — each state page names the ones worth knowing by name, not every parcel its agency manages. Combined acreage totals only the WMAs listed on that page.

02 — Elsewhere in the almanac

Each state page is read from that state's own wildlife agency and carries the date it was checked. The most recent verification across these 37 states was 2026-08-13, covering 78 named WMAs in total. Access rules and fees change between seasons — confirm the current requirement with the agency before you go.