Flooding Closes Ballard Wildlife Management Area

Ballard Wildlife Management Area is closing due to backwater flooding. 

According to the agency Facebook Page on Monday, the Ohio River at Cairo, which is already in Flood stage, is expected to continue to rise, and much of the area is already inaccessible. Officials say the situation will get worse as the river nears its crest, so it's possible that the WMA won't be accessible through the middle of the month. 

Those whose names were drawn for hunting dates during this temporary closure will get their preference points back, plus one for this year - as if they were not drawn at all.

For information regarding the reopening of Ballard please monitor the agency's Facebook page or call the waterfowl hotline at 270-224-2244. 

The Kentucky Division of Fish and Wildlife Resources reminds everyone that regulations designate the entire area as a refuge once it can't be safely accessed by wheeled vehicles.