Hewitt Lake NWR is one of four unmanned satellite refuges managed out of the Bowdoin NWR headquarters. The refuge attracts few hunters, but that is more a testament to its remoteness than to the quality of the hunting. In fact, the refuge offers several excellent hunts for sportsmen willing to put some effort into finding the best areas. The seasonal wetland on Hewitt Lake offers good duck hunting each fall, and the area grasslands have decent populations of sharp-tailed and sage grouse. The refuge is not known for big-game hunting, but there can actually be quite a few mule deer using the area in the fall. A hunter willing to scout and take time to learn the best cover has a good chance of taking a deer. The real draw for a deer hunter is the opportunity to glass and stalk deer with almost no hunting pressure.
Hunting of migratory gamebirds (ducks, geese, coot, swan, and sandhill crane) and upland gamebirds (sharp-tailed grouse, greater sage grouse, gray partridge) is permitted on the Refuge. The shooting or taking of prairie dogs is prohibited.