Pheasant Quota Hunts

​​​​​Application Directions

There are no mail-in applications.

Hunters may apply online at fw.ky.gov.

Applications are taken 24 hours a day, from Sept. 1-30 only. The non-refundable application fee is $3 per hunter.

Group applications are accepted, and hunters may apply together. If Any one of the group’s Social Security numbers is drawn, the others in the group are automatically drawn, too. All quota hunt permits are non-transferrable.

Checklist of the information needed when applying online or over the telephone:

1. A Social Security number for each hunter in the party. The hunter who calls in the application will be responsible for paying $3 per Social Security number entered. Application fees are nonrefundable.
2. The area and date for which an individual or party of hunters is applying.
3. One of the following payment methods: Visa and Mastercard (credit or debit), Discover, or e-check. Only one e-check will be accepted for group applications.
4. After all of the information requested has been provided applicants will receive a confirmation number. Write this number down for later reference. The results of the draw will be posted in early October.

An individual may only apply for one pheasant quota hunt, and hunters may not be drawn for more than one hunt day. Up to five people may apply as a group for a single hunt. Applicants will be given a first, second and third choice of hunt dates, or may apply for any available date. Hunters younger than 16 years old who apply for a pheasant hunt must do so as part of a party that includes at least one adult.

Quota pheasant hunts are offered at:

• Green River Lake WMA (100 hunters per hunt) on Nov. 15-17;  Open Nov. 18 to drawn pheasant quota hunters, either sex, limit three; Open Nov. 21 - Dec. 31, either sex, daily limit three.
  
• Clay WMA (70 hunters per hunt) on Dec. 6, 7 and 8; Open Dec. 9 only to drawn hunters and from 10-31, 2024.
  
• Yellowbank WMA (100 hunters per hunt) will be open on December 6, 7, and 8; it will be Open on Dec. 9 only to drawn hunters and from Dec. 10 to 31, 2024. 
  

Advance application by phone or website is required.

Each day’s quota hunt will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. local time. Equipment legal for hunting other small game species is permitted during these hunts. Dogs are permitted. The daily bag (hunt) limit is two birds of either sex per hunter.

• Small game hunting is closed on pheasant quota hunt units on Green River Lake WMA for four consecutive days starting the third Friday in November. 
• On Yellowbank WMA no small game hunting is allowed on designated pheasant quota hunt units during the pheasant quota hunt period.
• Small game hunting is closed on pheasant quota hunt units on Clay WMA four consecutive days starting the first Friday in December. 

Only hunters with a pheasant quota hunt permit may take pheasants during the quota hunt, or on the day following the last quota hunt day.

Requirements for Drawn Quota Pheasant Hunters

All quota pheasant hunters must carry while hunting:

1. A pheasant quota hunt permit, which may be purchased online with a credit or debit card, or from any license agent. Pheasant quota hunt permits are $25, and may be purchased any time before the hunt.
2. Proof of a Kentucky hunting license
3. Form of identification
4. A hunter education card or temporary hunter education exemption permit if required under the Kentucky hunter education law.

NOTE:  All drawn pheasant hunters must purchase their $25 pheasant hunt permit. Individuals failing to comply with this requirement will be automatically excluded from all of the following year’s quota hunts, including elk. Permits are not transferrable. All drawn pheasant hunters must purchase their $25 pheasant hunt permit. Individuals failing to comply with this requirement will be automatically excluded from all of the following year’s quota hunts, including elk. Permits are not transferrable.

Hunter Orange

All hunters and persons accompanying them on pheasant quota hunts are required to wear solid, unbroken hunter orange color visible from all sides on the head, back and chest.

Bonus Hunt Days

The day following the final pheasant quota hunt on each WMA is reserved as a free, bonus hunt day for drawn pheasant quota hunt permit holders.

• Only hunters who possess a permit for a Green River Lake WMA quota pheasant hunt may hunt pheasants on Green River Lake WMA on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.​
  
• Only hunters who possess a permit for a Clay WMA quota pheasant hunt may hunt pheasants on Clay WMA on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.
• Only hunters who possess a permit for a Yellowbank WMA quota pheasant hunt may hunt pheasants on Yellowbank WMA on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024.

No additional fee will be charged for the bonus hunt day, but quota hunters must carry their pheasant hunt permit, hunting license and wear hunter orange clothing as required during their previous hunt. The daily bag limit for bonus hunt days is three birds per hunter.

See the Yellowbank WMA, Green River Lake WMA and Clay WMA listings in the Public Land Hunting section on this website for season dates and limits for the open pheasant season following the bonus hunt day.

Hunt maps can be found at fw.ky.gov.​​