The autumn months bring cooler weather, harvest season, and football. It's also rut, and open season for big game, of course. Hunting in Kentucky is certainly no exception. With the Appalachian Mountains running through the eastern region of the state, and the fertile Mississippi River flanking the western border, this state's fall hunting can present a treasure trove for the determined and persistent hunter, because the following animals are in open-season.
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- Bear - The active hunt zones for black bear are along the region of the eastern state line, which coincides with the ridgelines of the Appalachian Mountains. The two counties reporting the most generous harvests were Harlan and Letcher counties. Kentucky's bear season runs around the second week of December and is extremely limited. It ends when the quota is met, and the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR)has kept quotas low. In 2014, the quota was 10 boars (male bears) or five sows (female bears). Habitat loss and population fragmentation has caused bear populations to struggle and it is only within the last 20 years that wildlife management efforts have truly enabled this game species to begin rebounding.
- Deer - By far the most abundant big game in Kentucky, whitetail deer hunting is managed by KDFWR in a slightly different manner. Within the state, counties are designated as specific zone types, one through four, and viable harvesting varies depending on the zone within which a given county falls. Zone one counties, for instance, have no bag limit on antlerless deer. Geographically, these counties fall in the westernmost and northernmost regions of the state. Conversely, zone four counties permit a single hunter to take no more than two deer total. Hunters should take the time to educate themselves on viable hunting regions within the counties, consider the most recent county harvest data, and make their permit requests accordingly.
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- Elk - The KDFWR has ongoing efforts to manage the elk population towards the goal of restoring a stable presence in the state. While quota hunting lotteries are still held, herds are small and limited to the eastern region of the state, along the Appalachian corridor. Interested hunters must purchase their quota hunt applications before midnight on April 30th, prior to the desired fall season. Firearm season is during October for bulls and December for cows. Archery and crossbow seasons have multiple time frames throughout the fall and into early January.
This article is for information only. Please check current regulations before hunting.
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