Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission proposed regulation changes at its quarterly meeting on Dec. 6

​​​​​​NOTE: The following is a summary of actions taken by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission at its quarterly meeting on Dec. 6, 2024. Official meeting minutes will be reviewed at a future meeting. Please note that proposed regulation changes are reviewed by the legislative branch for legal conformity, which typically takes several months. Both proposed and recently enacted amendments are posted at fw.ky.gov. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources provides this summary to enhance the public’s awareness about potential changes to hunting, fishing, boating or other related regulations.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 16, 2025) — The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to recommend amendments to several hunting, fishing and wildlife regulations and conducted other business in a Dec. 6, 2024, regular meeting.​​​

Prior to the start of the formal agenda, Commissioner Rich Storm honored the memory of Game Warden William “Tex” Bailey, who died following a training event for new game warden recruits Nov. 1, 2024, and recognized Col. Jeremy McQueary for heroic actions taken to rescue or protect others since assuming his current role as the director of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s Law Enforcement Division.

The commission received an update on the deer harvest to date this season, as well as ongoing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) surveillance. The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Foundation was recognized for providing more than $102,000 toward conservation camp scholarships in 2024, allowing for 433 children to attend conservation camp last summer.​​​

In addition to approving the Oct. 22, 2024, special-called meeting minutes, commission members voted in favor of the following action items presented at the meeting (thus authorizing staff to promulgate regulatory changes for subsequent legislative approval).​​​

Action items approved by the commission included the following (each will require legislative approval before being enacted):​​​

• Amend 301 KAR 2:221 to increase the daily limit for northern pintail from one to three daily. Immediate action was required in order to allow hunters to take advantage of this new federal allowance during the 2025 duck season.
• Amend 301 KAR 5:022 to allow the department to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Duck Stamp Office to allow the electronic sale of the Federal Duck Stamp (e-stamp) via the department’s website.
• Create a regulation to establish the parameters for when seized wildlife is impounded and either held alive or euthanized and preserved as evidence until adjudication. This regulation would allow the department to conform with the Kentucky Attorney General Opinion OAG 24-08. It would establish parameters that outline when wildlife is impounded in a criminal case and when the animal may be euthanized and preserved as evidence in the criminal case. It would also exempt captive wildlife permit holders (301 KAR 2:081) and wildlife rehabilitator permit holders (301 KAR 2:075) from holding requirements to allow willing permit holders to serve as agents of the state to hold impounded wildlife as requested by the agency, and outline how the department may contract with an individual or entity to hold impounded wildlife.
• Amend 301 KAR 1:201 to modify traditional fishing regulations on selected waterbodies, including:
• Remove the catch and release regulations for sport fish on Clear Fork (Logan and Warren counties).
• Remove the 4-fish daily limit for Channel Catfish and 15-fish daily limit on sunfish from ponds at Kentucky River Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Boone Tract.
• Add a 10-inch minimum size limit for crappie on Nolin River Lake and Rough River Lake.
• Add an 18-inch to 26-inch protective slot limit and 2-fish daily limit for native walleye on the Rockcastle River.

After a discussion, the commission decided to move an action item concerning a proposed transfer of the Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area (OCORA) deed to Meade County Fiscal Court back to a new business item at this meeting to allow for the commission and staff to further study the option and receive additional public feedback.​​​

If approved by the legislature, proposed administrative regulation changes are generally anticipated to take effect within six to nine months of their filing.​​​

​​​Other actions approved by the commission (legislative approvals not required) included:

• A re-approval of a research project for “Thoroughbred Bass” due to higher than anticipated costs with the genetics laboratory than previously presented to the commission at the August 30, 2024 meeting. The research project will identify genetic markers for trophy size in native Largemouth Bass with the goal of eventually propagating bass with those genetics in department hatcheries to support future stocking of these fish in Kentucky waters.
• Using federal funds to study the effectiveness of an experimental low-voltage fish fence in the Salt River to harvest invasive carp.

Finally, the commission unanimously approved a land project in open session after discussing it in closed session. Details regarding land projects are typically discussed in closed session, as allowed under Kentucky’s open meetings law, to help preclude adverse impacts to the commonwealth’s interests in its negotiations and legal proceedings.​​​

The commission also voted unanimously to re-elect its standing officers to continue in their positions for 2025, as follows:​​​

• Josh Lillard, Chair
• Greg Cecil, Vice-Chair
• Jerry Ferrell, Secretary

​​​The commission also heard new business and discussion items that will be considered further at its next quarterly meeting, including a recommendation to amend 301 KAR 5:022 to establish a biennial adjustment for license and permit fees using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers as a guide.

Business items on the commission's meeting agenda that include proposed changes to regulations typically follow a three-step process at successive quarterly meetings, with items introduced first as new business, then proceeding for further discussion, and finally appearing as action items (at the commission’s discretion). This general stepwise process was adopted by the commission in 2020 to allow adequate time for public awareness and comment on proposed regulatory changes, instead of changes being acted on in a single meeting of the commission. Agendas for commission meetings are posted at fw.ky.gov in advance of the meeting dates, and details about meeting logistics and submitting public comments are included therein.​​​

The meeting was livestreamed on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ YouTube channel, where a replay of the meeting is available on demand.​​​

​​​Individuals or organizations may contact their district representative on the commission about any pertinent topic of concern. Contact information is available on Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s district commission members' webpage. Procedures for submitting public comments about current business items via email or in person are outlined in the agenda for each meeting, which is generally posted on the agency’s website one to two weeks before the meeting date.

​​​The commission, a nine-member board comprised of volunteers who serve four-year terms, recommends hunting, fishing and boating regulations on behalf of the anglers, hunters and other wildlife-related stakeholders in the commonwealth. Any recommendation by the commission to amend or create a state administrative regulation must receive legislative approval before becoming law.

The next quarterly commission meeting date is scheduled for Friday, March 14, 2025, in Frankfort. An agenda will be posted at fw.ky.gov​ when available.