Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission to hold quarterly meeting June 12 at Salato Wildlife Education Center

FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 4, 2026) — The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission has scheduled a meeting starting at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) on Friday, June 12, 2026. If any member is unable to attend in person, the meeting will be conducted via live-video teleconference.

The meeting will take place in the Schaaf Room at the Salato Wildlife Education Center on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources campus in Frankfort, and it is open to the public. Members of the commission will participate in the meeting either in person or via live-video teleconference.

The meeting will be livestreamed and archived on the department's YouTube channel at Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources - YouTube. A link to the livestream will be posted to the top of the department's homepage at fw.ky.gov before the start of the meeting.

The June 12 meeting agenda can be found on the department's Commission Meeting Dates webpage online at fw.ky.gov or search “Commission meeting dates" on the homepage.

Among the Action Items on the meeting agenda that the commission will consider are:

• Approve the minutes from the May 18, 2026, special-called commission meeting.
• To comply with 2026-HB142E, amend 301 KAR 2:172 – Deer hunting seasons, zones, and requirements to add a 4-day antlerless-only firearms season on the last Friday in September in deer Zone 1 counties, add a 3-day antlerless-only firearms season on the last three days of Kentucky's deer season in deer zones 1-3, define “over-populated areas" as any county that has a deer Zone 1 designation, and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.
• Amend 301 KAR 2:172 – Deer hunting seasons, zones, and requirements to create a new antlerless-only firearms hunt the last three days of Kentucky's deer season in deer zones 2 and 3, remove references to disposal permits to conform with 301 KAR 2:176 – Wildlife causing damage and landowner designee process (previously titled “Deer control tags, deer destruction permits, and landowner designees"), and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.
• Amend 301 KAR 2:178 – Deer hunting on public properties to modify public lands deer hunting seasons on deer Zone 1 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) for the 4-day antlerless deer firearm season that starts on the last weekend of September and for the 3-day antlerless-only firearms season on the last three days of Kentucky's deer season as allowed by WMA site restrictions (see the meeting agenda for the suggested WMAs to be opened for these two new hunts), and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.
• To comply with 2026-SB39E, amend 301 KAR 2:251 – Hunting and trapping seasons and limits for furbearers, based on amendments to KRS 360, to allow the take of beavers at night from Dec. 1 through the last day of February and amend 301 KAR 2:049 – Small game and furbearer hunting and trapping on public areas to clarify that hunting of beavers at night will be prohibited to align with the prohibition of night hunting of coyotes on certain public lands (see the meeting agenda for the suggested provisions to allow for take and the locations where it cannot be allowed due to existing restrictions), and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.
• To comply with 2026-SB39E, amend 301 KAR 2:251 – Hunting and trapping seasons and limits for furbearers, based on amendments to KRS 360, to allow the take of bobcats at night, set a bag limit of one bobcat to be taken at night and set limits on the hunting equipment allowed on public and private lands and amend 301 KAR 2:049 – Small game and furbearer hunting and trapping on public areas to clarify that hunting of bobcats at night will be prohibited to align with the prohibition of night hunting of coyotes on certain public lands (see the meeting agenda for the suggested provisions to allow for take and the locations where it cannot be allowed due to existing restrictions), and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.
• Amend 301 KAR 5:022 – License, tag, registration, and permit fees to bundle the Non-Resident Hunting License to also include a Non-Resident Fishing License, increase the cost of a Non-Resident Hunting License by $35 (based on current rates, from $169.12 to $204.12), and clean up any other regulations as necessary for conformity.

Several Discussion Items and New Business Items will also be presented, but action on those items could come at future meetings of the commission.

The public may provide in-person comments for up to three minutes about New Business Items and Discussion Items on the meeting agenda during the Public Comments portion of the meeting, time permitting and at the discretion of the commission chair. The public may also provide comments by sending an email to FW.PublicAffairs@ky.gov by 5 p.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. Along with their comments, commenters should include “commission meeting" in the subject line and provide their first name and last name, county and state of residence, and organization represented with position held in the organization, if applicable. Emailed comments or a summary thereof may also be read during the Public Comments portion of the meeting. More information about submitting public comments is available on the department's Commission Meeting Format webpage.

The commission is a nine-member board, comprised of volunteers who serve four-year terms. Commission members are nominated by active hunters and anglers at public meetings, appointed by the governor, and confirmed by the Kentucky Senate. The commission recommends hunting, fishing and boating regulations to conserve fish and wildlife and support related outdoor recreation opportunities in the commonwealth.

The next quarterly meeting date following the June meeting is to be determined.

The Salato Wildlife Education Center is located on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife main campus at 1 Sportsman's Lane in Frankfort, and the center is a one-story building located at the end of the drive. The main entrance is located off U.S. 60, approximately 1½ miles west of U.S. 127.

This notice is intended solely to advise the public of the meeting. The official agenda controls the matters to be considered by the Commission, and any description contained in this notice should not be construed as modifying, supplementing or superseding the agenda.

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