Report Game Violations and Fish Kills:
1-800-25-ALERT
Click on the cover image to the right or the following link to download the Fishing & Boating Guide. This is a SUMMARY of the laws regarding fishing and boating. This guide is intended solely for informational use. It is not a reprint of any referenced statute or regulation in its entirety and should not be used as such. Questions about the information contained in this guide should be directed to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at 800-858-1549 BEFORE engaging in the activities referenced. Actual wording of any Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) or Kentucky Administrative Regulation (KAR) can be viewed here.
Landowner Permission Required for Hunting and Fishing
A person shall not enter upon the lands
of another to hunt, fish or trap without
the oral or written permission of the
landowner, tenant or person who has authority to grant permission. Those who
fail to obtain permission are subject to
arrest and prosecution. Railroad tracks
and rights of way are privately owned
property and permission to hunt, fish
or trap must be obtained prior to entry.
(KRS 150:192)
KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
WHO WE ARE:
Created as the Kentucky Game and
Fish Commission on March 12, 1912, the
agency known today as the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
was established in its present form by the
Kentucky General Assembly in 1944. An
agency of the Tourism, Arts & Heritage
Cabinet, the department today has about
500 full-time employees.
WHAT WE DO:
Through the decades the department’s
role has expanded to include managing
both game and non-game fish and wildlife
resources, creating regulations, enforcing
wildlife and boating laws, hatching, rearing and stocking fish, assisting landowners
with fish and wildlife habitat improvement,
educating youth about the importance of
fish and wildlife and their habitats, stream
restoration, passing on the heritage of archery and shooting sports, buying land for
public use, and building boat ramps for angler access to the state’s public waterways.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife
Commission, a nine-member citizens
board selected by licensed hunters, boaters and anglers, and appointed by the
Governor, meets quarterly in Frankfort to
make policy decisions. With input from
the agency’s director, program administrators and staff biologists, the Commission adopts regulations that must meet
with the approval of the Kentucky General Assembly.
OUR BUDGET:
Revenue sources are: hunting and
fishing licenses (51%); boat registration
fees (7%); federal program funds (34%);
program income (3%); interest income, tax
check-off donations, and other miscellaneous receipts (5%).
Budgeted expenditures are: capital
projects and land acquisitions (4%), administration (11%), wildlife (28%), fisheries
(18%), information and education (12%),
and law enforcement (27%).
The department receives no tax dollars
from the state’s General Fund, and manages fish and wildlife for all citizens.