An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky Afield Outdoors is a monthly column written for outdoors enthusiasts. Click the articles below to learn more about more exciting opportunities to Get out and enjoy the Great Outdoors!
Ciara KniselyFrankfort, KY
Archery season for deer opens Sept. 2, the official launch of Kentucky’s 2023-24 season. The state is home to a bountiful herd of white-tailed deer, offering many enjoyable hunting opportunities and providing a sustainable source of healthy meat for the table.
Kentucky has a healthy and stable deer herd, affording lengthy deer seasons with opportunities to hunt using a variety of methods. Hunters last year harvested nearly 145,000 deer, providing an abundance of free-range and locally sourced wild venison for the table.
Because of the variety of methods and seasons offered, there are a number of requirements hunters must know before going afield. Keep reading for an overview of some basic information for deer hunting in Kentucky.
On the first of September each year, thousands of hunters flock to Kentucky’s fields with shotguns slung over their shoulders. Despite the particularly heavy summer heat we’ve trudged through, this year will be no different.
The dove is our most abundant game bird - and a good dove hunt celebrates the revival of fall hunting. August is the perfect time to get dove hunting plans in place.
Kentucky’s initial dove season starts at 11 a.m. Sept. 1 and runs through Oct. 26. Two additional dove seasons are held Nov. 23 through Dec. 3, and Dec. 23, 2023 through Jan. 14, 2024. To prepare for the hunting season, access to public fields closes Aug. 15 and does not reopen until sunrise on Sept. 1. The daily harvest limit for mourning doves is 15 birds.
Lee McClellanFrankfort, KY
For farmers, crops do well when the rain falls at just the right time. In other years, when there’s too much or too little rain, not so much.
Natural conditions that are out of the farmer’s control can be the difference between a profitable bumper crop or a lean year. The same holds true when it comes to stocking sport fish – and whether it will prove successful.
It would reason that stocking a popular sport fish such as a striped bass would be nearly a guarantee of success. After all, the wild rigors of laying eggs, nesting and fry survival are buffered by being raised in a hatchery. However, striped bass stocked at the fingerling size...
The meat of the summer heat is here and will remain until late September. For many paddlers, the first days of summer mean the start of kayak fishing season and time to get their boats wet for the first time in months.
Stream smallmouth bass bite willingly during the hottest stretches of the year. Floating and wading a smallmouth stream is one of the best ways to escape the suffocating heat and humidity of a Kentucky summer.
However, if you’re a little rusty because you haven’t had your boat in the water since last summer, remember these five tips to improve the enjoyment of your summer float trips and put more fish in hand.