Kentucky Deer Report - Kentucky Department of Fish and ...

[Pages:22]2020-2021 Kentucky White-Tailed Deer Harvest and Population Report

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Photo Credit: Joe Lacefield, District Biologist

Prepared by: Deer Program Staff

Kentucky Deer Report 2020

Table of Contents

Page

Introduction................................................................................................................................................ 2 Deer in Kentucky ........................................................................................................................................ 2 General Information about the 2020-21 Season ...................................................................................... 2

Licenses and Permit Fees ........................................................................................................................ 2 Season Dates and Bag Limits................................................................................................................... 3 2020-21 Deer Hunting Zones .................................................................................................................. 4 Changes for the 2020-21 season ............................................................................................................. 4 Population Status ............................................................................................................................. 4 2020-21 Harvest Results............................................................................................................................. 5 Total Harvest Summary ........................................................................................................................... 5 Antlered Buck Harvest Results ................................................................................................................ 5 Female Harvest Results ........................................................................................................................... 6 Male Fawn Harvest Results ..................................................................................................................... 6 Male Harvest Age Class Breakdown........................................................................................................ 8 Harvest Breakdown by Sex...................................................................................................................... 8 Weapon Type Harvest Summary............................................................................................................. 9 Monthly Harvest Results ....................................................................................................................... 10 Harvest Results by Permit Type ............................................................................................................ 10 Public Land Harvest .................................................................................................................................. 11 Public Land Harvest by County Info ...................................................................................................... 12 Deer Quota Hunt ................................................................................................................................... 16 Damage Issues .......................................................................................................................................... 16 Disease Surveillance................................................................................................................................. 16 Hemorrhagic Disease (HD) .................................................................................................................... 17 Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)............................................................................................................ 18 Carcass Importation .............................................................................................................................. 18 Deer Permit Sales ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Contacts .................................................................................................................................................... 21

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Page 1

Kentucky Deer Report 2020

Introduction

The Deer Program is administered by the Wildlife Division of Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). The KDFWR is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts & Heritage Cabinet. This agency is overseen by a nine-member board of commissioners who are nominated by Kentucky's sportsmen and sportswomen and appointed by the Governor. The department employs about 450 full-time staff, which includes conservation officers, wildlife and fisheries biologists, conservation educators, as well as information, technology, public relations, customer service and administrative professionals.

The KDFWR is funded primarily by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, boating registration fees and federal funds, including grants based on the number of licenses sold in the state.

The Deer Program is tasked with managing the white-tailed deer herd in the state to provide ample hunting opportunity while balancing the needs of consumptive and non-consumptive user groups. The Deer Program is comprised of one Acting Program Coordinator, John Hast, and two Deer Program Biologists, David Yancy and Kyle Sams. Deer Program staff are based out of the KDFWR Headquarters in Frankfort.

Deer in Kentucky

Deer are native to Kentucky and were present since Dr. Thomas Walker first reported in 1750 that the deer are "plentiful". However, due to unregulated harvest, the deer population began to decline rapidly in subsequent years. In 1946, the Division of Game and Fish initiated a three-pronged white-tailed deer project to facilitate the restoration of this important species. Components of this project consisted of refuge establishment, trapping and translocation of live deer, and habitat improvement work. Active restoration efforts concluded in March of 1999. After 52 years of trapping and translocation, 10,096 white-tailed deer had been stocked around the state. Kentucky now has a high quality deer population and ranks in the top five for all time Boone & Crockett buck production.

General Information about the 2020-21 Season

License and Permit Fees

License

Resident

Annual Hunting License

$27

Senior/Disabled License

$12

Sportsman's License

$95

Youth Sportsman's License

$30

Statewide Deer Permit

$35

Bonus Antlerless Permit

$15

Youth Deer Permit

$10

Annual Youth Hunting License $6

Nonresident $150 N/A N/A N/A $185 $15 $15 $10

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Page 2

Season Dates and Bag Limits Statewide

Modern Firearm Nov 9 ? Nov 24

Archery

Sept 7 - Jan 20

Crossbow

Sept 21 - Jan 20

Early Muzzleloader

Oct 19-20

Late Muzzleloader

Dec 14-22

Youth-Only Firearm

Oct 12-13

Free Youth Weekend Dec 28-29

Antlered Bag Limit

1

Zone 1

Antlerless Bag Limit

Based upon zone

Unlimited

Kentucky Deer Report 2020

Zone 2

Zone 3

Zone 4

Up to 4

Up to 4, only 1 deer with a firearm

Only 1 antlerless deer may be harvested

during archery season, crossbow season,

youth gun season, or the last three days of the late muzzleloader

season.

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Page 3

Kentucky Deer Report 2020

Changes for the 2020-21 Season

o No changes occurred for the 2020-21 deer season

Population Status

Overall, the statewide deer population estimate shows a stable to slightly increasing trend. The 2020 statewide estimate is 933,089 deer at the start of the 2020-21 hunting season, which is ................
................

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