Alabama Wildlife Management Areas
Oakmulgee Wildlife Management Area
Alabama has thousands of acres of public land set aside for recreational and conservation purposes. These lands include state parks, national wildlife refuges, and national forests. Another category of public land is the wildlife management area (WMA). Such tracts are managed primarily for hunting but
are also open to the public for fishing and other outdoor activities. The WMA designation was established by statute by the
Alabama legislature in 1975 to provide additional hunting and recreational opportunities for Alabama citizens. Alabama contains 36
wildlife management areas that offer a total of more than 768,000 acres open to a wide variety of hunting and recreational
opportunities. These WMAs cover all areas of the state and range in size from the 370-acre Autauga Community Hunting area
to the huge Black Warrior WMA that is more than 98,000 acres. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, 
Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Wildlife Resources Division manages these WMAs, overseeing programs to enhance wildlife populations and the hunting experience
and enforcing usage regulations. Funding for the staffing and management of WMAs comes primarily from revenues generated by
the purchase of special WMA hunting licenses.
Although some of the acreage in WMAs is publicly owned, much of the land is made available through partnerships with private
and corporate landowners. These entities have signed agreements with the state of Alabama to provide Alabama hunters with
access to hundreds of thousands of acres. Additionally, government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and U.S. Corps of Engineers own and allow access to a significant portion of the lands in the WMAs. Land purchases
for additional acreage are supported by funds received from the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust.
Each of the WMAs offer large areas where hunters can pursue small game such as squirrels, rabbits, doves, wild turkey, and quail and large game such as white-tail deer, coyote, bobcat, and fox.
The diversity of habitats contained within the boundaries 
Hunters at Upper Delta Wildlife Management Area
of the WMAs offers a wide variety of hunting experiences. The Crow Creek, Seven Mile Island, and Raccoon Creek WMAs, which
are located on Alabama waterways or encompass large lakes and wetlands, provide fertile hunting areas for waterfowl, whereas WMAs in the state's upland and
mid-state regions are popular for deer and turkey hunting. Additionally, 17 of the WMAs now have growing resident populations
of feral hogs; they have become a nuisance in some areas because they are very destructive to habitat. Hunting of feral hogs
is allowed on many WMAs, although seasons and regulations may vary by individual WMA.
Organizations including Ducks Unlimited, the Alabama Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, and other non-profit
conservation organizations have partnered with the state to provide additional funding for habitat enhancement, 
Swan Creek Wildlife Management Area
land purchases, and other projects as well as providing expertise and additional staffing to assist with land purchases and
assist with projects on WMAs. The WMAs are all open to the public for general recreation use year round. Hunting seasons are
set by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and vary by WMA and by type of game.
Additional Resources
Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Regulations. Montgomery: Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
(published annually).
Thomas V. Ress
Athens, Alabama
Published November 25, 2008
Last updated October 6, 2009
