Kentucky 's archery deer season starts Saturday

Kentucky's archery season for deer opens Saturday. Over the next four months, which include archery and firearm seasons, hunters can expect cool fall mornings, the sound of leaves crunching as deer walk through the woods, and plenty of opportunities to fill their tag.

During the 2023-24 deer season, hunters took nearly 141,000 deer, the seventh highest harvest on record and in line with harvest numbers from the last ten years.

"We expect the deer harvest for the 2024-25 season to be around 140,000 deer, similar to previous years" said Joe McDermott, Deer Program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "Kentucky holds about 25 deer per square mile statewide, providing tremendous opportunity in both the quantity and quality of deer. Kentucky remains a top state for Boone and Crockett record bucks."

There are a few requirements hunters must know before going afield.

Hunting licenses and permits can be purchased online at fw.ky.gov and at authorized license agents throughout the state. Allowable equipment for deer hunting includes archery, crossbow, muzzleloader and modern gun, but they each have specific dates they can be utilized.

Season Dates
Archery: Sept. 7 – Jan. 20
Crossbow: Sept. 21 – Jan. 20
Youth-only: Oct. 12-13
Muzzleloader: Oct. 19-20 and Dec. 14-22
Modern gun: Nov. 9-24
Free Youth Weekend: Dec. 28-29

Valid proof of hunter education certification is required for hunters born after 1974. Hunter education classes are available in person and online. Hunters can find a course that best suits their needs and sign up online. For new hunters without hunter education certification, a free temporary exemption permit is available. This allows a person to hunt for one year before certification is required but they must be accompanied in the field by an adult who is hunter education-certified or born before 1975.

Kentucky's statewide deer permit allows hunters to take up to four deer. Reference the 2024-25 Fall Hunting and Trapping Guide for a summary of regulations. Each hunter may only harvest one antlered deer statewide per year. Harvest limits for antlerless deer and method restrictions vary across Kentucky's four deer zones, which are designated based on deer population density.

Immediately upon recovery of a harvested deer, a hunter must record a harvest log consisting of game species, sex, county and date on the back of the hunting license or elsewhere and kept in their possession. Before midnight, each harvest must be reported to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, even if the hunter is license exempt. Hunters can report their harvest by calling the department's telecheck number at 1-800-245-4263, or by using the online MyProfile.

Always obtain permission before hunting private land. For those without private land hunting access, the department's online public lands directory lists all public lands open to hunting in Kentucky and corresponding hunting regulations.

Many resources for new hunters are available via Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's Learn to Hunt Deer webpage. Practice is encouraged to gain proficiency in any hunting method before going afield. For assistance locating a place to shoot a rifle or muzzleloader, hunters can visit the interactive online Kentucky shooting range map.