Kentucky Fish and Wildlife shares what you need to know as deer hunting season begins

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Starting Sept. 6, deer hunting season officially opened for hunters in the state of Kentucky, and hunters are now taking to the woods to look for their prizes.

However, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has its eyes on the future and preservation of the health of the deer. Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a fatal disease to deer, and fish and wildlife has been tracking the progress of the disease in our surrounding areas.

Joe McDermott, deer program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, says the disease is extremely rare, but surrounding states have seen problems that could affect Kentucky’s deer population in the future.

“We’ve tested over 70,000 deer and elk in the state of Kentucky, and we’ve only had the one positive. However, we know it’s coming. It’s coming. It’s in every one of the states that surround us now, it’s coming from Missouri, Tennessee, for sure, in the western part of the state, in the eastern part. We’re getting it coming from West Virginia and Virginia. It’s not that far outside of our borders over there. So even though we only had the one infection, we’re trying to make sure that we are notified, and we can detect it as soon as it crosses into Kentucky so that we have options, and we can do things about it,” McDermott said.

While the chance you come across a deer with CWD is low, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is offering a free testing program to hunters who may be concerned about any deer that they may have hunted.

“The number one way that I want to drive people to this year is our freezers. We have about 80 to 85 of them across the state of Kentucky. You know, there’s some places, that we’re lacking, like in the eastern part of the state, but we do have those options available throughout the entire state. So no matter where you are, if you have concerns about Chronic Wasting Disease or it’s an animal that you harvested that has it,  you may get tested and it’s free of charge,” McDermott mentioned.

As part of this monitoring process for CWD, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is hosting a program benefitting hunters who offer samples. With the Shooters for Samples giveaway for each deer head or lymph node dropped off in a freezer, the hunter will be entered to win many different prizes, such as gift cards, scopes and other rewards that total thousands of dollars.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is also stressing getting more hunters into the woods, as only about a third of legal hunters in the state actually hunt deer, and each one of those hunters average around 1.4 deer per hunter. This has led to some overpopulation in some areas, especially in the western half of the state. McDermott says that there are great opportunities for hunters to hunt more deer and give back to the community at the same time.

“We’re asking you, especially in the zone one, in zone two counties where these deer really overpopulated, to think about taking that doe. And if it’s something, if it’s an issue where you’ve got freezer space issues or, you’ve harvested enough venison for your family’s needs already, I’d also urge you to consider donating that doe or that deer to the Hunters for the Hungry and help for your local community,” McDermott said.

If you are interested in donating meat or just learning more about the Hunters for the Hungry, you can click here.

If you are interested in the Shooters for Samples giveaway, click here.