Kevin Kelly/Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife 800-858-1549
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Each year, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources administers quota hunts for deer, upland birds and waterfowl on state wildlife management areas and other public lands.
September is the month to apply for these opportunities.Hunters can apply through the department’s website at fw.ky.gov or by phone at 1-877-598-2401. Either option is available 24 hours a day. Applications for these quota hunts are not open until Sept. 1.
The minimum charge to apply for a quota hunt is $3. Last year, the department received more than 11,000 quota hunt applications.
There are 35 quota deer hunts this season. The dates and number of slots available for each hunt are listed in the “Quota Hunts” section of the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide and on the department’s website. Click the “Hunt” tab on the homepage and choose “Quota Hunts” from the dropdown menu.
This year, there are several new quota deer hunts with the addition of seven state park hunts and a shotgun only, youth-mentor hunt scheduled Nov. 18-21 on West Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The new state park quota deer hunts are scheduled Dec. 9-10 (youth only) and Jan. 6-7 at Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, Nov. 3-5 and Nov. 10-12 at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park, Nov. 9-12 at Kenlake State Resort Park and Dec. 14-17 and Dec. 21-24 at Kincaid Lake State Park. The hunts at Kenlake and Kincaid state parks are archery and crossbow only.
Small game hunters can apply for pheasant quota hunts scheduled Nov. 17, 18 and 19 at Green River Lake WMA, Dec. 1, 2 and 3 at Clay WMA and Dec. 1, 2, and 3 at Yellowbank WMA.
Quota bobwhite quail hunts on Peabody WMA are scheduled Nov. 28 and Dec. 19, 2017 and Jan. 6, 13 and 23, 2018. A youth-mentor hunt is scheduled Nov. 25. Quota upland bird hunts on Clay WMA are scheduled Nov. 8, Nov. 19, Dec. 16 and Dec. 26. Hunters may take bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse and woodcock during the upland bird quota hunts, when the seasons for all three species are open. Woodcock season is open Oct. 28-Nov. 10 and Nov. 13-Dec. 13 this year.
Hunters may apply for quota waterfowl hunts at Ballard WMA and Sloughs WMA. The hunts at Ballard WMA are Wednesdays through Sundays (excluding Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day) from Dec. 6 to Jan. 28, 2018. Waterfowl quota hunts are Thursday-Friday and Saturday-Monday from Nov. 23 to Jan. 28, 2018 at Sloughs WMA but hunters must apply for a block of dates.
The application period extends through Sept. 30 and results should be available in early October. Applicants can check to see if they have been selected by accessing the “My Profile” feature on the department’s website. If results are not showing correctly, or an applicant does not have internet access, call 1-800-858-1549 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time).
