Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced on Thursday that Kentuckians who own farmland in the state are eligible for a fishing and hunting license exemption, even if they don’t live on the farmland.
In a formal Opinion of the Attorney General, Coleman overruled decades-old interpretations of the statute that limited the license exemption only to those who currently resided on the land. Those prior Attorney General’s opinions were issued in 1963 and 1979.
State Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro, requested the Opinion of the Attorney General. As part of the legal review, the Attorney General’s Office consulted the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, which has historically “applied a lenient interpretation” to the statute.
KDFWR stated that it had not performed an exhaustive review of historical practices on the subject due to the expedited time frame in which the Office requested input, and it expressly reserved the right to supplement or amend its response upon further review or if additional records come to light.
The Office of the Attorney General is tasked with providing legal opinions to public officials to assist them in the performance of their duties. Opinions of the Office are persuasive in Kentucky courts and public officials are expected to follow them.
Deer in field by Aaron J. Hill from pexels.com
