KDFWR Releases Deer Season dates and changes

KDFWR release the deer season dates and changes today. A couple of interesting changes include moving Breck and Meade counties to Zone 3. The gun season will be later than usual opening November 14th. They also cancelled one Taylorsville Lake hunt and made the other quota hunts on Taylorsville antlerless only.

Here are all the dates listed below from Fish and Wildlife:



Frankfort, Ky. – The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission proposed the 2009-2010 deer season dates and recommended deer zone changes at its quarterly meeting March 6.The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission recommends all hunting, fishing and boating regulations for approval by the General Assembly and approves all expenditures by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. All recommendations must be approved by legislators before they become law.

The 2009-2010 Deer Seasons:Statewide All Zones:
**Archery (either sex) – September 5, 2009 – January 18, 2010
**Crossbow (either sex) – October 1 – 18 and November 14 – December 31, 2009
**Early Youth Weekend (either sex) – October 10 -11, 2009
**Early Muzzleloader (Zones 1, 2 and 3 either sex, Zone 4 antlered only) – October 17-18, 2009
**Late Muzzleloader (either sex) – December 12-20, 2009
**Late Youth Weekend (either sex) – December 26-27, 2009
**Zones 1 & 2: Modern Firearms (either sex) – November 14 - 29, 2009
**Zones 3 & 4: Modern Firearms (Zone 3 either sex, Zone 4 antlered deer only)– November 14 - 23, 2009

Bag limits remain the same as last year. The Commission proposed changing Meade and Breckinridge counties from Zone 2 to Zone 3 and also recommended reinstating antlerless deer harvest for the first six days of the December muzzleloader season in Zone 4 counties. The Commission also recommended changes for deer hunting on state parks and wildlife management areas (WMAs). They proposed opening the Kentucky River WMA to youth firearms deer seasons and designating the November firearms quota deer hunt on Taylorsville Lake WMA as antlerless only. At West Kentucky WMA, the Commission recommended lowering the number of quota and open hunt slots from 300 for both hunts to 240 participants for the quota hunt and 200 for the open hunt. The open gun deer hunt on the area will move from the second to the third weekend after Thanksgiving. At Clay WMA, the Commission proposed awarding a preference point to quota hunters who harvest a doe. The Dennis-Gray WMA will have the same hunting regulations as the adjacent Green River Lake WMA. At Paul Van Booven WMA, the Commission recommended to allow hunting for deer during the late muzzleloader deer season and institute a 15-inch minimum spread restriction on antlered deer.

The Kentucky Department of Parks canceled the quota deer hunts at Taylorsville Lake State Park and Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park. The number of slots for mobility-impaired quota hunts at Zilpo and Twin Knobs Campgrounds on Cave Run Lake will be reduced from 30 to 24. The Wendell Ford Training Center in west Kentucky is closed to general public deer hunting.

The next Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting will be held at 8 a.m., Friday, June 12, at #1 Sportsman’s Lane off U.S. 60 in Frankfort. Persons interested in addressing the Commission must notify Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Commissioner’s office in writing at least 30 days in advance to be considered for placement on the meeting agenda. People who are hearing impaired and plan to attend the meeting should contact Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at least 10 days in advance and the agency will provide a translator. To request to address the commission, write to KDFWR, Commissioner Dr. Jon Gassett, #1 Sportsman’s Lane, Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601.