Public Land Hunting: How to Find Accessible Hunting Land in Your State

One of the most common barriers for new hunters is access to land. If you did not grow up in a hunting family with private land, it can feel like hunting is a closed club. It is not. The United States has hundreds of millions of acres of public land that are open to hunting, and every state manages additional wildlife management areas specifically for public hunting access.

Here is how to find and use public hunting land.

Federal public lands

The federal government manages roughly 640 million acres of public land, much of which is open to hunting under state wildlife regulations:

National Forests (managed by the U.S. Forest Service) cover approximately 193 million acres across 154 forests and 20 grasslands. Most national forest land is open to hunting during state-regulated seasons. The Forest Service does not require a separate permit for hunting on national forest land in most cases — your state hunting license is sufficient.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land covers approximately 245 million acres, primarily in the western states. BLM land is generally open to hunting unless specifically posted as closed. Much of the best big game hunting in states like Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oregon occurs on BLM land.

National Wildlife Refuges (managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) are specifically managed for wildlife and often offer excellent hunting opportunities, particularly for waterfowl. Many refuges require a refuge-specific permit or have designated hunt dates. Check the specific refuge regulations before planning a hunt.

Army Corps of Engineers lands around reservoirs and waterways often permit hunting. Regulations vary by project — check with the local Corps office.

State public lands

Every state manages its own system of public hunting lands:

State Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), Game Lands, or Conservation Areas are specifically managed for wildlife and hunting access. These are often the best public hunting opportunities in eastern states where federal land is scarce. Pennsylvania manages over 1.5 million acres of State Game Lands. Georgia manages over 1 million acres of WMAs. Wisconsin, Michigan, and other states have extensive systems as well.

Many state WMAs require a free or low-cost access permit in addition to your hunting license. Some have quota hunts that require a drawing. Check your state wildlife agency for specific requirements.

State forests and state parks sometimes permit hunting in designated areas during designated seasons. Rules vary significantly — never assume a state park allows hunting without checking.

How to find public land

The single most useful tool is the onX Hunt app (onxmaps.com), which overlays public and private land boundaries on satellite imagery. It shows federal, state, and county land ownership color-coded by type. This eliminates the guesswork about whether the land you are looking at is public or private. The app costs approximately $30 per year for a single state or $100 for all states.

State wildlife agency websites publish maps of their WMAs, game lands, and public access areas. These are free but often less detailed than onX.

The Bureau of Land Management's General Land Office (glorecords.blm.gov) shows federal land survey records, though it is less user-friendly than mapping apps.

Google Earth combined with your state's GIS data can also help identify public parcels, though this requires more effort to set up.

Access challenges

Public land hunting has real challenges that private land hunters do not face:

Hunting pressure is higher on public land, especially near roads and trailheads. Animals on heavily hunted public land are generally more wary and harder to find close to access points. The hunters who do well on public land are usually the ones willing to walk farther from the road than everyone else.

Navigation and safety require more attention. Public land often lacks the maintained roads and clear boundaries of private property. Carry a GPS, know your boundaries, and be aware of other hunters in the area.

Some public land is landlocked — surrounded by private land with no legal public access. This is a significant issue in western states. Check for legal access routes before assuming you can reach a parcel of public land.

Walk-in hunting access programs

Many states operate walk-in hunting access (WIHA) programs that pay private landowners to allow public hunting access on their land during specific seasons. These programs significantly expand the available hunting land in states like Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and others.

Walk-in areas are typically marked with signs and shown on state-published maps. They may have specific rules about vehicle access, camping, and allowed game species.

Getting started

If you are new to public land hunting, start with your state's wildlife management areas. They are managed specifically for hunting, usually have published maps and regulations, and often have better wildlife populations than unmanaged public land because of active habitat management.

Visit the land before the season if possible. Walk the terrain, study the habitat, identify water sources and food plots, and get a feel for where animals are likely to be. The hunters who scout before the season consistently outperform those who show up on opening morning without a plan.

Our state hunting guides include links to each state's wildlife agency, where you can find maps of public hunting land, WMA regulations, and walk-in access program details.