Jenny Gilbert

This administrative regulation establishes deer hunting seasons and zones, methods of take, bag limits, harvest recording procedures, and checking requirements.

This administrative regulation is necessary to properly manage Kentucky’s deer population while providing reasonable and ample recreational opportunity for deer hunters.

KRS 150.025(1) authorizes the department to promulgate administrative regulations to establish hunting seasons, bag limits, and the methods of taking wildlife. KRS 150.170 exempts certain people from hunting license and permit requirements. KRS 150.175 authorizes the kinds of licenses and permits that are issued by the department. KRS 150.390 prohibits the taking of deer in any manner contrary to any provisions of Chapter 150 and Title 301 KAR.

This administrative regulation will assist in the effective administration of the statutes by establishing the seasons, zones, limits, and other requirements authorized by the statutes.

This amendment establishes a CWD Surveillance Zone, requirements that hunters must abide by while hunting within the CWD Surveillance Zone, establishes where the requirements will be advertised, restricts the movement of harvested deer carcasses within the CWD Surveillance Zone and prohibits the feeding and baiting of all wildlife within the CWD Surveillance Zone with a few exceptions.

See 1 (b) above.

See 1(c) above.

See 1(d) above.

For the 2021-22 deer season, there were approximately 246,362 resident and 30,283 non-resident Kentucky deer hunters.

Deer hunters within the established CWD Surveillance Zone will be required to comply with the change in deer carcass movement, taking harvested deer to authorized check stations. All hunters and landowners in the CWD Surveillance Zone will no longer be able to bait or feed wildlife except for the listed exemptions.

This amendment does not change any costs to the entities identified in question 3.

This amendment will benefit hunters by helping to identify Chronic Wasting Disease in the deer population quicker, and if found, slow the disease spread across the commonwealth, which in turn benefits all the hunters, landowners and wildlife enthusiasts in the state.

There will not be an additional cost to the agency to implement this administrative regulation initially.

There will not be an additional cost to the agency 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 is not applied because all deer hunters are subject to the same seasons, bag limits, zone requirements, and equipment restrictions.

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

KRS 150.025(1), 150,170, 150.175, and 150.390(1).

Direct revenue from the sale of deer permits for the first year is estimated to be between $3.5 and $4.0 million based on recent years’ sales.

Revenue during subsequent years is dependent on the number of permits sold, which has been stable to slightly decreasing in recent years.

There will be no additional costs for the first year.

There will be no additional costs incurred for subsequent years.