Last month the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife announced multiple regulation changes, primarily adjustments to hunting seasons.
The harvest limit for turkeys this fall season decreased to two legal birds, consisting of one with a beard larger than three inches and one without a visible beard. Previously, hunters could bag up to four turkeys per person. Officials said the reduction will help the Commonwealth maintain a stable turkey population.
Changes have also been made to regulations on black bear season. Under expanded black bear chase and hunt seasons, the total number of bears hunted in a particular zone is no longer restricted. Nathan Gregory is the Regional Coordinator for the northeast region with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. He said black bear hunting was previously much more restrictive, but that’s changed as bear sightings have steadily increased over the last twenty years.
“Those are usually young, juvenile bears that have been kicked out from their mother’s care. She keeps them about two years, and then they have to go find their own territory, so you see a lot of young bears moving around in the summer,” said Gregory. “Usually that June, July, period is kind of when they start showing up in places we don’t typically see. But with that, the bear population has been increasing, and so we’ve been able to kind of restructure the hunting season for that.”
Regulations around the feeding of wild animals were amended. Under the new rules, it’s illegal to feed or bait any wild animal between the dates of March 1 and July 31. Previously, this period lasted through May. The use of salt and minerals for wildlife is still permitted year-round outside of western Kentucky’s Chronic Waste and Disease Surveillance Zone.
Gregory said many of these revisions add clarification and simplify the process for Kentucky hunters.
“The overall goal is just to make a better experience for our constituents, and sometimes that means simplifying the rules and regulations. They can get a little cumbersome sometimes, but we are trying to manage the resource for all users, and that’s multiple species, obviously, from migratory birds to deer to bears to whatever,” said Gregory.
Fall turkey shotgun season will last October 28 through November 3 and December 2-8. In Rowan County, black bear firearm season extends December 9-13. For more information on current regulations, hunters can reference the 2023-24 Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide, available online at fw.ky.gov.