Public land · Kentucky
Flooded bottomland hardwood forest. Photo: USFWSBallard Wildlife Management Area
Wildlife management area · Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR)
- State
- Kentucky
- Type
- Wildlife management area
- Managed by
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR)
- Size
- 8,014 acres
- Official page
- Agency page
KDFWR's best-known waterfowl area: quota hunts only from Oct 15 to Mar 15, run from a check station near La Center with daily stand-by drawings.
Waterfowl rules
- Open only for quota waterfowl hunts Oct 15–Mar 15, Wednesday through Sunday in the second duck segment. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, the Thanksgiving segment and the Light Goose Conservation Order.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Quota applications were taken online Sept 1–30 (closed); results come out in mid-October. Each drawn hunter may bring up to three guests, and the drawn hunter must be there.Source: KDFWR waterfowl quota hunts · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Check in at the check station (864 Wildlife Lodge Rd, La Center) by 5 a.m. Central; doors open 4:30 a.m. Unclaimed units go to a stand-by drawing, and stand-by hunters must also check in by 5 a.m.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Buy the Ballard WMA 1-Day Waterfowl Permit online before your hunt; no payment is taken at the check station. Youth-day participants need it too, hunting or not.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Off the area by 2 p.m. 25 shells per person per day. Party members stay within 25 ft of each other, no more than 75 ft apart. At least one hunter in a party must be 18 or older.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- The Ohio River from 50 yards above to 50 yards below the WMA is closed to waterfowl hunting Oct 15–Mar 15. Nontoxic shot is required on the area for all migratory birds.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Access and ramps
- Location: Ballard County, on the Ohio River west of Paducah. Entrance GPS coordinates listed by KDFWR: 37.1821, -89.0271. Area phone: (270) 224-2244.Source: KDFWR public lands: Ballard WMA · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
- Areas close when floodwater keeps wheeled vehicles from reaching hunting fields; KDFWR posts closures at least 24 hours ahead on fw.ky.gov.Source: KDFWR Migratory Bird and Waterfowl Hunting Guide 2026–27 (PDF) · Last checked Oct 22, 2026
Not confirmed yet
- The 1-Day Ballard permit price: the guide's license table shows $15.86, but the guide text and KDFWR web page say $15. Check the price when you buy.
See something wrong or out of date? Report a correction.
Before you go
Check the rules and the water
Confirm this season’s rules on our state law pages or the agency’s own site, check draw and permit deadlines, and look at today’s river levels on the migration map. Areas can close or flood on short notice.