Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, March 1, 2024
RELATES TO:
KRS
150.010,
150.092,
150.170,
150.370,
150.399,
150.990,
150.995
NECESSITY, FUNCTION, AND CONFORMITY:
KRS
150.025(1) authorizes the
department to promulgate administrative regulations to establish open seasons
for the taking of wildlife, to regulate bag limits and methods of take, and to
make these requirements apply statewide or to a limited area.
KRS
150.175(7) and (9) authorize
the department to issue licenses, permits, and tags for hunting and trapping.
KRS
150.360 requires restrictions on the taking
of wildlife and authorizes the department to promulgate administrative
regulations establishing the requirements for hunting coyotes at night.
KRS
150.400 authorizes the department to
establish the types of traps that can legally be used by trappers.
KRS
150.410 authorizes the department to regulate
trap tags, trap visitation, and trap placement to protect domestic animals.
KRS
150.620 authorizes the department to
promulgate administrative regulations for the maintenance and operation of the
lands the department has acquired for public recreation. This administrative
regulation establishes exceptions to statewide small game and furbearer
requirements on public areas.
Section
1. Definitions.
(1) "Adult"
means a person who is at least eighteen (18) years of age.
(2) "Body-gripping trap" means a commercially
manufactured spring-loaded trap designed to kill an animal upon
capture.
(3) "Dry land set" means a
trap that is set so that no portion of the trap touches the water of a stream,
river, pond, lake, wetland, or other water course.
(4) "Furbearer" means mink, muskrat, beaver,
raccoon, opossum, gray fox, red fox, least weasel, long-tailed weasel, river
otter, bobcat, coyote, or striped skunk.
(5) "Pheasant hunt unit" means a portion of a
WMA that is designated by the department for the purposes of a pheasant quota
hunt.
(6) "Wildlife Management
Area" or "WMA" means a tract of land:
(a)
Controlled by the department through ownership, lease, license, or cooperative
agreement; and
(b) That has
"Wildlife Management Area" or "WMA" as part of its official name.
(7) "Youth" means a person under
the age of sixteen (16) by the date of the hunt or the trapping date.
Section 2. This administrative
regulation shall establish exceptions to the statewide requirements established
in
301 KAR
2:122,
301
KAR 2:251, and
301 KAR
3:010.
Section
3. General Requirements on a Wildlife Management Area or Outdoor
Recreation Area.
(1) Except as established in
subsection (2) of this section, a person hunting any species during daylight
hours, and any person accompanying that hunter, shall comply with hunter orange
requirements as established in
301
KAR 2:132,
301 KAR
2:172, and
301 KAR
2:300.
(2)
The hunter orange clothing requirement in subsection (1) of this section shall
not apply to a person:
(a) Hunting waterfowl
or doves as established in
301
KAR 2:225; or
(b) Hunting waterfowl as established in
301 KAR
2:221,
301 KAR
2:222, or
301
KAR 2:226.
(3) There shall be a free youth small game
hunting week for seven (7) consecutive days beginning on the Saturday after
Christmas, in which a youth may take small game without a hunting
license.
(4) There shall be a free
youth trapping week for seven (7) consecutive days beginning on the Saturday
after Christmas, in which a youth may trap without a trapping
license.
(5) A body-gripping trap
used as a dry land set shall have a maximum inside jaw spread of five and
one-quarter (5 1/4) inches measured:
(a) In
the center of the trap; and
(b) In
the unset position.
(6)
Dry land sets shall not be placed closer than ten (10) feet apart.
(7) Prior to trapping on a WMA or Outdoor
Recreation Area, a person shall complete for each area a KDFWR Public Area
Trapping Registration Form obtained from a department office or the
department's Web site at fw.ky.gov.
Section 4. Exceptions on Wildlife Management
Areas and Outdoor Recreation Areas.
(1) Barren
River Wildlife Management Area.
(a) The WMA
shall be considered to be entirely within the Eastern Zone, as established in
301 KAR
2:122.
(b)
Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December
31.
(c) On the Peninsula Unit,
including Narrows, Goose, and Grass Islands, a person shall not hunt with a
breech-loading firearm.
(2) Beaver Creek WMA, including private
inholdings.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be
open from October 1 through December 31.
(b) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(c) A person shall hunt coyotes during
daylight hours only.
(3)
Cane Creek WMA, including private inholdings.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
October 1 through December 31.
(b)
Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December
31.
(c) A person shall hunt coyotes
during daylight hours only.
(4) Cedar Creek Lake WMA.
(a) Rabbit season shall be closed after
December 31.
(b) With the exception
of the statewide squirrel season, the area shall be closed to all other small
game and furbearer hunting.
(5) Clay WMA.
(a) The pheasant hunt unit shall be closed
for four (4) consecutive days beginning on the first Friday in December to all
hunting except archery deer hunting, muzzleloader deer hunting, as established
in
301
KAR 2:178, and the pheasant quota hunt, as established
in Section 5 of this administrative regulation.
(b) Rabbit season shall be closed after
December 31.
(c) Any person hunting
rabbits shall:
1. Check in and check out at a
self-service kiosk; and
2. Clearly
display a department-provided hang-tag in a vehicle.
(d) Northern bobwhite and ruffed grouse
hunting shall be open from November 1 through December 31 on Tuesday and
Saturday except:
1. After 3:00 p.m.;
2. During a quota deer hunt as established in
301
KAR 2:178;
3. During opening weekend of modern gun deer
season as established in
301 KAR
2:172; and
4. During a pheasant quota hunt in the
pheasant hunt unit, as established in Section 5 of this administrative
regulation.
(e) The
daily bag limit shall be:
1. Four (4) northern
bobwhite; and
2. Two (2) ruffed
grouse.
(f) A northern
bobwhite or ruffed grouse hunter shall:
1.
Check in and check out at a self-service kiosk; and
2. Clearly display a department-provided
hang-tag in a vehicle.
(g) Pheasants may be taken beginning on the
Tuesday following the pheasant quota hunt through December 31.
1. Any person with a valid hunting license
may take a pheasant.
2. The daily
limit per hunter shall be three (3) pheasants of either sex.
(h) Quota fox hunting field
trials.
1. There shall be a maximum of three
(3) four (4) day events per calendar year which shall begin:
a. The Wednesday preceding the last Saturday
in February;
b. The second
Wednesday in September; and
c. The
fourth Wednesday in September.
2. Each event shall be limited to 250
participants.
3. The area shall be
closed to nonparticipants.
4. A
participant shall:
a. Wear a laminated
identification badge issued by the department during the event; and
b. Return the laminated badge at the close of
the event.
(6) Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA.
(a) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(b) A person shall not allow a dog to be
unleashed from April 1 until the third Saturday in August, except if squirrel
hunting.
(7) Dix River
WMA.
(a) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(b) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
October 1 through December 31.
(8) Fleming WMA.
(a) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(b) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
October 1 through December 31.
(9) Green River Lake WMA.
(a) The pheasant hunt units shall be closed
to all hunting for four (4) consecutive days beginning on the third Friday in
November, except for archery deer hunting and the pheasant quota hunt
established in Section 5 of this administrative regulation.
(b) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(c) Pheasant.
1. Beginning on the Tuesday following the
pheasant quota hunt through December 31, any person with a valid hunting
license may take a pheasant.
2. The
daily limit per hunter shall be three (3) pheasants of either sex.
(d) The area shall be closed to
ruffed grouse hunting and trapping.
(10) Higginson-Henry WMA. Northern bobwhite
and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December 31.
(11) Kleber WMA. Northern bobwhite and rabbit
seasons shall be closed after December 31.
(12) Lake Cumberland WMA.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
October 1 through December 31.
(b)
Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December
31.
(13) Mill Creek WMA.
(a) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(b) A person shall hunt coyotes during
daylight hours only.
(14) Miller-Welch Central Kentucky WMA.
(a) Small game and furbearer hunting seasons
shall be closed, except that squirrel season shall be open.
(b) A person shall not allow a dog to be
unleashed:
1. From April 1 until the third
Saturday in August; or
2. On a
Monday, Wednesday, or Friday during the remainder of the year, except:
a. If a person is hunting squirrels during an
open season; or
b. If a person is
participating in an authorized field trial.
(15) Mullins WMA. Northern
bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December 31.
(16) Nolin Lake WMA. Northern bobwhite and
rabbit seasons shall be closed after December 31.
(17) Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area.
(a) Except as authorized by the department, a
person shall not enter the area during a deer quota hunt without a valid quota
hunt confirmation number.
(b)
Northern bobwhite season shall be closed.
(c) Rabbit hunting season shall be from
December 1 through December 31.
(d)
Trapping season shall be from January 1 through the last day in
February.
(e) A person who traps on
the area shall:
1. First obtain prior
authorization from the area manager; and
2. Only trap in department designated
areas.
(f) Except during
deer quota hunts, a person shall not use the following to take furbearers:
1. A rifle;
2. Ball ammunition; or
3. Slug ammunition.
(g) A person shall not use a rimfire gun to
take small game, except during a deer quota hunt.
(18) Paul Van Booven WMA. The area shall be
closed to vehicle access from one (1) hour after sunset until one (1) hour
before sunrise.
(19) Peabody WMA.
(a) A person hunting northern bobwhite on the
Sinclair Unit shall:
1. Only hunt between 7:30
a.m. and 3:00 p.m.;
2. Only hunt on
Thursday and Sunday; and
3. Not
take more than four (4) northern bobwhite daily.
(b) A person hunting northern bobwhite on the
Ken Unit shall:
1. Only hunt between 7:30 a.m.
and 3:00 p.m.;
2. Only hunt on
Wednesday and Saturday; and
3. Not
take more than four (4) northern bobwhite daily.
(c) A northern bobwhite or rabbit hunter on
the Sinclair Unit or Ken Unit shall:
1. Check
in and check out at a self-service kiosk; and
2. Clearly display a department-provided
hang-tag in a vehicle.
(20) Pennyrile Forest WMA.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
December 1 through December 31.
(b)
The daily limit shall be two (2) ruffed grouse.
(21) Pioneer Weapons WMA.
(a) A person shall not hunt with a
breech-loading firearm.
(b) A
person shall hunt coyotes during daylight hours only.
(22) Redbird WMA. A person shall hunt coyotes
during daylight hours only.
(23)
Robinson Forest WMA.
(a) Hunting shall not be
permitted on the Main Block.
(b)
The remainder of the WMA shall be open under statewide requirements.
(24) Rockcastle WMA.
(a) Rabbit season shall be closed after
December 31.
(b) A rabbit hunter
shall:
1. Check in and check out at a
self-service kiosk; and
2. Clearly
display a department-provided hang-tag in a vehicle.
(c) Northern bobwhite and ruffed grouse
hunting shall be open on Tuesday and Saturday until 3:00 p.m. from November 1
through December 31, except it shall be closed during:
1. A deer quota hunt as established in
301
KAR 2:178; and
2. Opening weekend of modern gun deer season,
as established in
301 KAR
2:172.
(d) The daily bag limit shall be:
1. Four (4) northern bobwhite; and
2. Two (2) ruffed grouse daily.
(e) A northern bobwhite or ruffed
grouse hunter shall:
1. Check in and check out
at a self-service kiosk; and
2.
Clearly display a department-provided hang-tag in a vehicle.
(25) Taylorsville Lake
WMA. Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December
31.
(26) Tradewater WMA.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
December 1 through December 31.
(b)
The daily limit shall be two (2) ruffed grouse.
(27) West Kentucky WMA.
(a) A person shall check in daily at a
designated check station prior to using an "A" tract.
(b) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31 on Tracts 2, 3, 6, and 7.
(c) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be open on Tracts 1, 4, 5, and "A" beginning one-half (1/2) hour before
sunrise until 1:00 p.m. local time from January 1 through January 10, except if
harvest limits are reached prior to January 10.
1. A hunter shall report harvest numbers and
total hours hunted to the area supervisor on a daily basis.
2. If a tract is closed prior to January 10,
a sign indicating closure shall be posted at the hunter check station at least
twenty-four (24) hours prior to the closure.
(d) A person shall not:
1. Use a rifle, ball, or slug
ammunition;
2. Operate a vehicle on
Tract 6 from February 1 through April 16; or
3. Allow a dog to be unleashed from April 1
until the third Saturday in August, except while squirrel hunting.
(28) Yellowbank WMA.
(a) Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons
shall be closed after December 31.
(b) The pheasant hunt units shall be closed
for four (4) consecutive days beginning on the first Friday in December to all
hunting except archery deer hunting, muzzleloader deer hunting, and the
pheasant quota hunt as established in Section 5 of this administrative
regulation.
(c) A person shall:
1. Possess a valid hunting license to take
pheasant, unless exempt pursuant to
KRS
150.170; and
2. Not take more than three (3) pheasants of
either sex.
Section 5. Pheasant Quota Hunts.
(1) There shall be a pheasant quota hunt on:
(a) Green River Wildlife Management Area for
three (3) consecutive days beginning the third Friday in November;
(b) Clay Wildlife Management Area for three
(3) consecutive days beginning the first Friday in December; and
(c) Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area for
three (3) consecutive days beginning on the first Friday in December.
(2) There shall be a one (1) day
clean-up hunt immediately following each of the hunts for pheasant quota
hunters drawn for that particular WMA.
(3) Hunt hours for each day shall be from
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.:
(a) Eastern time for
the Green River Wildlife Management Area and Clay Wildlife Management Area
hunts; and
(b) Central time for the
Yellowbank Wildlife Management Area hunt.
(4) During a quota hunt or clean-up hunt, a
person shall wear hunter orange clothing as established in
301 KAR
2:172.
(5)
The daily bag limit per hunter shall be two (2) pheasants of either sex, except
there shall be a daily bag limit of three (3) pheasants of either sex during
the one (1) day clean-up hunt.
(6)
Pheasant quota hunt procedures.
(a) A person
selected for a pheasant quota hunt may hunt on the one (1) day clean-up hunt
for that area.
(b) A person
applying for a pheasant quota hunt shall not apply:
1. More than one (1) time for each hunt and
shall not be drawn for more than one (1) hunt; and
2. As a group of more than five (5)
people.
(c) A person who
is drawn to hunt shall pay the pheasant quota hunt permit fee established in
301 KAR
3:022 prior to the hunt.
Section 6. Pheasant Quota Hunt
Requirements.
(1) A person applying for a
pheasant quota hunt shall:
(a) Complete the
pheasant quota hunt application process on the department's Web site at
fw.ky.gov between September 1 and September 30; and
(b) Pay a non-refundable three (3) dollar
application fee for each applicant.
(2) A person, prior to participating in a
quota hunt, shall be required to show a:
(a)
Department-issued quota hunt permit;
(b) Valid Kentucky hunting license or proof
of exemption; and
(c) Hunter
education card, if required pursuant to
301 KAR
2:185.
(3) A youth-mentor quota hunt party shall
have a minimum of one (1) youth as a member of the party.
(4) A person shall comply with all quota hunt
requirements or be ineligible to apply for any other quota hunt during the
following year, except for an elk quota hunt.
(5) A person who is ineligible to apply for a
quota hunt pursuant to subsection (5) of this section shall maintain all
preference points that were accrued in other quota hunts.
(6) A youth shall only apply as part of a
party that has at least one (1) adult.
(7) The department shall extend the
application deadline if technical difficulties with the automated application
system prevent applications from being accepted for one (1) or more days during
the application period.
(8) A quota
hunt applicant who is not selected and who applies to hunt the following year
shall be given one (1) preference point for each year the applicant was not
selected.
(9) A random selection of
hunters with preference points shall be made for each year's quota hunts before
those without preference points are chosen.
(10) A person shall forfeit all accumulated
points if, in a given year, the person does not apply for the hunt in which
points were earned, except as established in subsection (6) of this
section.
Section 7. Dog
Training Areas on Wildlife Management Areas.
(1) A group or club may request that a
dedicated dog training area be authorized by the department on a specific
WMA.
(2) The department shall
authorize a dog training area if:
(a) The
department approves a suitable location for the dog training area;
and
(b) A signed memorandum of
understanding is entered into with the club or group.
(3) The conditions established in this
subsection shall apply for each dog training area on a WMA.
(a) All northern bobwhite to be used in
training shall be banded with aluminum leg bands and individually placed in the
dog training area.
(b) Dog training
areas shall remain open to all other legal WMA uses.
(c) A person shall comply with all dog
training area requirements pursuant to
301
KAR 2:041, unless otherwise stated in the memorandum
of understanding.
(d) Unleashed
dogs shall be allowed within the boundaries of the dog training area
year-round, except for:
1. May 15 through
August 15;
2. The youth statewide
turkey season; and
3. The statewide
turkey season.
(e)
Released northern bobwhite with aluminum leg bands, chukars, pheasants, or
pigeons may be harvested on legal dog training days.
(f) Immediately prior to dog training, a
person shall:
1. Walk and examine the entire
dog training area to ensure that no wild northern bobwhite are present;
and
2. Then place released birds in
the training area.
Section 8. General Requirements on Federally
Owned Areas.
(1) Season dates, bag limits, and
other requirements of
301
KAR 2:251 and
301 KAR
2:050 shall apply, except as otherwise established in
this administrative regulation.
(2)
Hunter orange requirements established in Section 3 of this administrative
regulation shall apply to a person hunting or trapping on federal areas
referenced in this section.
(3) A
person shall:
(a) Obtain permission from the
landowner before hunting;
(b) Not
hunt except on assigned dates and in assigned areas; and
(c) Comply with all requirements established
by the agency controlling the area.
Section 9. Exceptions on Specific Federally
Owned Areas.
(1) If hunting is not prohibited
by other area priorities, Fort Campbell, Fort Knox, Land Between the Lakes
National Recreation Area, Bluegrass Army Depot, and Reelfoot National Wildlife
Refuge may allow hunting if in compliance with
301 KAR
2:122 and
301
KAR 2:251 for:
(a)
Squirrels, from June 1 through June 14;
(b) Northern bobwhite and rabbit, no earlier
than November 1 nor later than the last day of February;
(c) Furbearers, no earlier than October 1 nor
later than the last day of February;
(d) Frogs, year round; or
(e) Crows, for a maximum of 124 days between
September 1 and the last day of February.
(2) A person shall hunt coyotes during
daylight hours only on lands managed by:
(a)
Daniel Boone National Forest;
(b)
George Washington and Jefferson National Forests;
(c) Land Between the Lakes National
Recreation Area;
(d) Clarks River
National Wildlife Refuge; and
(e)
Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge.
(3) Fort Knox shall not allow more than
thirty (30) days of ruffed grouse hunting between October 1 and the last day of
February.
(4) On Land Between the
Lakes National Recreation Area, a person hunting the species listed in this
administrative regulation shall not use:
(a)
Crossbows;
(b) Shotgun slugs or
shot larger than BB; or
(c)
Center-fire rifles or center-fire handguns, except during designated groundhog
or coyote hunts.
(5) Big
South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
(a) Ruffed grouse season shall be open from
October 1 through December 31.
(b)
Northern bobwhite and rabbit seasons shall be closed after December
31.
(c) A person hunting coyotes
shall comply with any federal requirements established by the National Park
Service.
Section
10. Incorporation by Reference.
(1) "KDFWR Public Area Trapping Registration
Form", 2016 edition, is incorporated by reference.
(2) This material may be inspected, copied,
or obtained, subject to applicable copyright law, at the Department of Fish and
Wildlife Resources, #1 Sportsman's Lane, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601, Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY:
KRS
150.025(1),
150.175(7),
(9),
150.360,
150.400,
150.410,
150.620