Whitetail deer
Kentucky deer hunting
16 public hunting areas ranked by today’s conditions, herd density, and habitat, plus current seasons and CWD zones.
Live · updatedSeason & rut right now
Rut phase today: Outside the rut · peak breeding around 11/14. Full rut forecast →
archery
Sep 5 – Jan 18
Archery — Sep 5 → Jan 18.
crossbow
Sep 19 – Jan 18
Crossbow — Sep 19 → Jan 18.
youth
Oct 10 – Oct 18
Youth-only firearm.
muzzleloader
Oct 17 – Oct 18
Early muzzleloader.
firearm
Nov 14 – Nov 29
Modern gun season.
muzzleloader
Dec 12 – Dec 20
Late muzzleloader.
CWD Disease Surveillance Area: CWD was first confirmed in a wild Kentucky deer on Dec 6, 2023 (western Kentucky); a second wild case was confirmed Oct 2025 in Pulaski County. KDFWR’s CWD Surveillance Zone covers 23 counties: Ballard, Breckinridge, Calloway, Carlisle, Casey, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Laurel, Lincoln, Marshall, McCracken, McCreary, Meade, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Union, Wayne, Webster and Whitley. In the zone, whole carcasses and high-risk parts may not leave the zone (deboned meat, cleaned skull caps/antlers, hides and finished mounts may). Bringing whole carcasses/high-risk parts of deer, elk, moose or caribou into Kentucky from out of state is illegal. Baiting is prohibited on all WMAs. Confirm the current zone map and rules with KDFWR.
Regulations: KDFWR — Deer Hunting (2026-27 seasons) · verified 2026-07-27.
Seasons at a glance
Every game class we model in Kentucky, and whether it’s open today. See all 2026-27 season dates, bag limits & shooting hours →
Public hunting land, ranked for today
Each tract is scored on its own conditions, then blended with county herd density and habitat. Highest first.
- 73 Taylorsville Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 85 · ground 80
- 63 Barren River Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 76
- 62 Beaver Creek Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 42 · ground 80
- 62 Clay Wildlife Management Area herd 60 · ground 77
- 61 Green River Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 60 · ground 78
- 61 Yellowbank Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 60 · ground 74
- 61 Kentucky River Wildlife Management Area herd 60 · ground 72
- 59 Grayson Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 50 · ground 76
- 58 Land Between the Lakes NRA herd 50 · ground 72
- 58 Sloughs Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 42 · ground 80
- 57 Ballard Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 42 · ground 77
- 56 Pioneer Weapons Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 69
- 56 Higginson-Henry Wildlife Management AreaCWD herd 42 · ground 73
- 55 Daniel Boone National Forest herd 42 · ground 88
- 52 Redbird Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 77
- 52 Dewey Lake Wildlife Management Area herd 42 · ground 75
Public land map
Every mapped tract. Tap a marker for conditions.
Top counties by deer-harvest density
All 120 counties →Season-final harvest per square mile, a herd-quality proxy from the state’s annual report.
| County | Harvest | Per sq mi | CWD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer | 1,986 | 10.62 | — |
| Anderson | 2,040 | 10.1 | — |
| Pendleton | 2,642 | 9.54 | — |
| Washington | 2,662 | 8.96 | — |
| Bracken | 1,741 | 8.58 | — |
| Robertson | 795 | 7.95 | — |
| Green | 2,116 | 7.4 | — |
| Grant | 1,850 | 7.17 | — |
| Shelby | 2,692 | 7.08 | — |
| Hart | 2,814 | 6.81 | — |
| Crittenden | 2,394 | 6.65 | — |
| Franklin | 1,377 | 6.62 | — |