Jenny Gilbert

This regulation establishes season dates, shooting hours, and other requirements for spring wild turkey hunting in Kentucky.

To regulate spring wild turkey hunting for the effective management of wild turkeys in Kentucky.

KRS 150.025(1) authorizes the department to promulgate administrative regulations establishing hunting seasons, bag limits, and the methods of taking wildlife, including wild turkeys. KRS 150.390(1) prohibits a person from taking, pursuing, or molesting a wild turkey in any manner contrary to the provisions of Chapter 150 or its administrative regulations.

This administrative regulation will assist in administering the above statutes by defining the seasons, bag limits, and methods of taking wild turkeys in Kentucky.

This amendment is necessary to enact changes and clarifications to spring turkey hunting regulations.

See 1(c) above.

See 1(d) above.

All hunters that pursue wild turkeys during the spring hunting season will be affected by this regulatory amendment. In 2020, there were roughly 80,000 licensed turkey hunters in Kentucky.

Those who hunt wild turkeys must comply with the individual requirements for hunting seasons for turkeys, which includes the amended bag limit for WMAs.

The cost for resident adults to turkey hunt is either $57 ($30 Spring Turkey Permit plus $27 Annual Hunting License), $72 ($30 Spring Turkey Permit plus $42 Annual Combination Hunting/Fishing License), $95 (Sportsman’s License), or $12 (Senior/Disabled Sportsman’s License). The cost for resident youth to turkey hunt is either $16 ($10 Youth Turkey Permit plus $6 Annual Youth Hunting License) or $30 (Youth Sportsman’s License). The cost for nonresident adults is $235 ($85 Spring Turkey Permit plus $150 Annual Hunting License). The cost for nonresident youth is $25 ($15 Youth Turkey Permit plus $10 Annual Youth Hunting License).

Hunting opportunity will be decreased on WMAs to ensure a sustainable turkey population for the future. (5) Provide an estimate of how much it will cost to implement this administrative regulation:

There will be a small administrative cost to the department to implement this regulation.

There will be a small cost to the department on a continuing basis.

The source of funding is the State Game and Fish Fund.

It will not be necessary to increase a fee or funding to implement this administrative regulation.

This administrative regulation does not establish any fees nor does it indirectly increase any fees.

No. Tiering was not used because all persons who hunt wild turkeys in spring are required to abide by the same requirements.

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' Divisions of Wildlife and Law Enforcement will be impacted by this amendment.

KRS 150.025(1) and 150.390(1).

For the 2021 spring turkey season, the total amount of revenue generated from the sale of licenses and permits was approximately $12,000,000 (this estimate includes total revenue from all license and permit types that conferred the spring turkey hunting privilege corrected for the estimated percentage of eligible license holders that hunted based on recent surveys). The amount of revenue generated by this administrative regulation will decrease if non-resident license/permit sales decline due to the reduction in bag limit.

The amount of revenue generated by this administrative regulation for subsequent years is unknown but will likely be less than in 2021.

There will be a small administrative cost to administer this program for the first year.

There will be a small administrative cost incurred in subsequent years.

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Same.

None. This administrative regulation does not amend fees nor does it reduce the cost burden to spring turkey hunters. These amendments will allow for less spring turkey hunting opportunity at the same cost as before.

None. This administrative regulation does not amend fees nor does it reduce the cost burden to spring turkey hunters. These amendments will allow for less spring turkey hunting opportunity at the same cost as before.

The cost of a spring turkey permit or license types that confer the same privileges will remain the same. For a resident adult hunter, that cost is either $57, $72, or $95. For a non-resident adult hunter, that cost is $235. For a resident youth that cost is either $16 or $30. For a non-resident youth that cost is $25.

Each year, the cost will remain the same under the current regulations.

None.

Same.

See explanations above.

"Major economic impact" means an overall negative or adverse economic impact from an administrative regulation of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) or more on state or local government or regulated entities, in aggregate, as determined by the promulgating administrative bodies. [KRS 13A.010(13)]. This amendment will not result in any form of major economic impact as the license and permit fees associated with this regulation have not changed and the possible decline in revenue with fewer non-resident licenses and permits will be slight relative to overall agency revenues.

None.

None associated with this regulation.

None.

No.

N/A.