Deer Hunting Seasons & Limits
Deer Hunting Seasons & Limits
| DEER | Early Season | Late Season |
| Archery | Sept. 2, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024 | |
| Youth/Senior Crossbow | ||
| Crossbow | Sept. 16, 2023 - Jan. 15, 2024 | |
| Youth-only Gun | Oct. 14 - 15, 2023 | |
| Muzzleloader | Oct. 21 - 22, 2023 | Dec. 9 - 17, 2023 |
| Modern Gun | Nov. 11 - 26, 2023 | |
| Free Youth Weekend | Dec. 30 - 31, 2023 | |
WHAT LICENSE DO YOU NEED?
The tables below provide a quick overview of current licensing requirements. See the rest of this section for exemptions and complete residency, licensing and hunter education requirements. Licenses and permits for species below are not required for children younger than 12.
| KENTUCKY RESIDENTS | Ages 12-15 | Ages 16-64 | Ages 65 and older OR Disabled |
| Deer | Youth Hunting License* +Youth Deer Permit* | Annual Hunting License† +Statewide Permit† | Senior/Disabled or Senior Lifetime Sportsman's License |
| *Included in Youth Sportsman's License | †Included in Resident Sportsman's License | ||
| NONRESIDENTS (Must buy nonresident licenses/permits) | Ages 12-15 | Ages 16 and Older |
| Deer | Youth Hunting License* +Youth Deer Permit* | Annual Hunting License† +Statewide Permit† |
BAG LIMITS
Bag limits and harvest restrictions apply to all hunters. A person may take no more than one (1) deer with visible antlers, excluding male fawns (button bucks), regardless of zone, method or season.
However, on some federally controlled areas, including Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge, Fort Campbell and Fort Knox military reservations and Blue Grass Army Depot, a bonus antlered deer may be taken, as determined by the governing agency for each area.
Only one antlered deer per hunter may be harvested statewide, regardless of zone, method or season.
| DEER BAG LIMITS
Only one antlered deer may be harvested statewide, | |
| ZONE 1 | A hunter may harvest an unlimited number of antlerless deer in Zone 1 using the statewide deer permit and additional deer permits. |
| ZONE 2 | A hunter may harvest no more than four deer in Zone 2. |
| ZONE 3 | A hunter may harvest no more than four deer in Zone 3. A firearm or air gun cannot be used to take more than one antlerless deer. |
| ZONE 4 | A hunter may harvest no more than two deer in Zone 4. Only one can be antlerless. Antlerless deer cannot be harvested during the modern gun season, the early muzzleloader season or the first six days of late muzzleloader season. The statewide bag limit of one antlered deer still applies. |
