Winners Of Kentucky Elk Hunt Lottery Announced

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Results of the Kentucky elk hunt lottery drawing are now available online at fw.ky.gov.

Final results show that 33,675 people submitted an application for one of the 905 quota hunt permits to be issued by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources this year.

Kentucky’s hunt of a lifetime drew interest from hunters across the country, including three from Hawaii, 25 from Alaska, 24 from Maine and 59 from California. Hunters could apply for up to two permits. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife received 59,672 permit applications, meaning the majority of hunters applied more than once.

The Kentucky Commonwealth Office of Technology conducted the drawing Thursday, May 3, using a random computer program.

Hunters may visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website to check if they were drawn. Hunters must either enter their social security number, or their birth date and the 19-digit number they received while applying. Applicants should enter the information carefully to make sure they do not put in an incorrect number.

Drawn hunters also will receive a notification letter from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. Hunters have until July 1 to apply online for an Elk Hunting Unit (EHU). Kentucky’s elk hunting zone is subdivided into units to help spread hunting pressure. A second drawing is conducted to determine an individual’s hunting unit.

Hunters should visit the department website for more information regarding hunting unit selection. The website also contains maps and additional information on public hunting lands within the elk zone.

Turkeys are in midseason form, but 2012 hunt won’t get started until Saturday | The Courier-Journal

By Gary Garth | Special to The Courier-Journal

Steven Dobey was pretty sure he knew that Kentucky’s 90,000 or so turkey hunters are a determined, dedicated and tenacious group, both in their efforts to protect the resource and their skill in bringing a bird home. But last year’s recorded spring kill of 32,191 birds erased any doubts he might have had. Not that 2011 was a record season. It wasn’t. That came in 2010 when hunters bagged 36,097 turkeys.

But last year’s spring hunt was wet. Soaking wet, with record rains and record flooding. Wet weather and successful turkey hunting don’t often go hand in hand.

“It was very wet last year, and we killed 32,191 birds,” said Dobey, the turkey program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and a hunter himself. “That told me that the drive of our turkey hunters is undeterred. That was a testament to their determination.

“I hunted opening morning and was lucky enough to harvest a bird. It had been raining but stopped, then started raining later that morning. And then it seemed like it rained every day the rest of the season.”

It didn’t actually rain every day of last year’s 23-day hunt, but rain did fall during most of the season, leaving hunting conditions ranging from challenging to miserable.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Turkeys are in midseason form, but 2012 hunt won’t get started until Saturday | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com.

KY Afield Outdoors: Perfect Timing For Turkey Season

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky’s spring wild turkey season has been so successful the past 15 years in part because of the timing of opening day.

“I think we’ve accomplished our goal of having a productive season in a relatively short time frame,” said Steven Dobey, wild turkey program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “We’ve hit that window between the onset of breeding and nesting.”

Kentucky’s statewide spring turkey season opens every year on the Saturday closest to April 15 and lasts for 23 days. This year, the season dates are April 14 through May 6, 2012.

The turkey hatch peaks in late May or June, weeks after hunting has concluded.

“Our flock is stable, with a population estimate of about 250,000 birds,” said Dobey. “Geographically, Kentucky is in a great location. We have relatively mild winters, a long growing season and a fairly dry early summer, all of which benefit turkeys.”

The harvest of turkeys during the spring season has grown steadily in the past 15 years, from 13,606 in 1996 to 32,191 in 2011.

“Our stocking efforts have paid off and in the early years we had a conservative harvest strategy that’s really paying dividends now,” said Dobey. “Statewide, our turkey population is in excellent shape.”

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife released 6,760 wild turkeys on 430 sites across the state from 1978 through 1997. Restoration was completed in 1997, when Kentucky’s wild turkey population had increased to around 130,000 birds.

Hunters bagged over 30,000 turkeys for two consecutive years for the first time starting in 2010, when there was a record harvest of 36,097 birds.

Dobey said he believes last year’s spring harvest of 32,191 would have been higher, possibly setting a new record, if the weather had cooperated. “About 58 percent of the harvest occurs during the two-day youth-only season and the first week of our statewide season,” said Dobey.

Weather is the one factor that biologists can’t control. “We keep our fingers crossed every year. If it’s sunny on opening weekend, we’ll have a higher harvest,” said Dobey. “Last season we had heavy rains across most of the state, and the opening weekend harvest dropped 27.1 percent from the previous year.”

This season hunters are likely to encounter fewer juvenile gobblers while afield. The weather had an adverse impact on last year’s reproduction.

The statewide brood survey for 2011 showed a 42 percent decline in the number of hens observed with at least one poult (young turkey). Statewide, the average number of poults per hen dropped to roughly one and a half.

“Western and central Kentucky appear to have had a little better reproductive success than the rest of the state,” said Dobey. “The birds that nested the earliest were significantly impacted by the heavy rains and flooding.”

Hunters could see fewer older gobblers, too, this coming season. The good news, however, is there will be lots of two-year-old birds which do most of the gobbling.

Kentucky’s turkey flock is arguably the best in the region.

Based on the number of birds taken per square mile, Kentucky has a higher harvest than six of the seven adjoining states — Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri and Illinois. “We’re on par with Tennessee,” said Dobey, “but our season is half as long as Tennessee’s, and our bag limit is half theirs.”

Dobey said Kentucky has about 90,000 turkey hunters.

Of the successful hunters, about 25 percent take the season limit of two birds in the spring. Most of the birds harvested are adults. “Last season 16.7 percent of the birds taken were juveniles (jakes),” said Dobey. “With the impressive statewide flock in Kentucky hunters are able to be selective, and key on older birds.”

House Approves Proposal To Crack Down On Wild Hogs | LEX18.com

FRANKFORT. (AP) – People caught releasing wild hogs in Kentucky would face up to a year in jail under legislation approved by the House on Thursday.

The measure, which passed without opposition, is intended to help reduce the growing population of feral pigs that are destroying corn and other crops in rural parts of the state.

Republican state Rep. Steven Rudy of Paducah said the problem hogs have been turned loose in the state and have been getting fat at the expense of Kentucky farmers.

“As soon as the corn crop starts coming up, they’ll just go right down the row rooting it up, destroying hundreds of acres in a night,” Rudy said.

Besides receiving jail time, people caught releasing hogs could lose their hunting licenses for 10 years.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via House Approves Proposal To Crack Down On Wild Hogs | LEX18.com | Lexington, Kentucky.

Hunters in Kentucky can chase bears with dogs | postcrescent.com

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTW) — Hunters will be allowed to chase black bears with dogs in Kentucky for a week late this year but they can’t shoot them when they get them cornered.

The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission rejected a proposal Friday to allow the hunters, known as houndsmen, to kill bears when their dogs chase them up trees or bay them on the ground. Hunters are allowed to shoot bears during a three-day season in December if they are not using dogs.

The commissioners will allow houndsmen to chase bears with their dogs from Dec. 17-23. This compromise lets the hunters train their dogs so they can take them to neighboring states to hunt bears.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Hunters in Ky. can chase bears with dogs | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com.

Bass fishing added to list of Championship Sport-Activities – Murray Ledger & Times

From KHSAA

Kentucky’s lakes, rivers and streams have always been a haven for anglers and record-breaking catches. Starting with the 2012-13 school year, young anglers will have a chance to win something more – a high school state championship.

The KHSAA will add bass fishing as a varsity sport-activity starting next year, Commissioner Julian Tackett announced in a Wednesday morning press conference. Bass fishing will join bowling, which is holding its first KHSAA-sanctioned state championship in late March, and competitive cheer as sport-activities offered by the Association. Kentucky becomes the third state nationally to offer bass fishing as a varsity sport, following Illinois and Tennessee. It will be offered in the spring with a regular season scheduled from late February through mid-April. The postseason and state competition will take place in late April.

“To say we are excited to sponsor bass fishing as a state championship sport-activity is an understatement,” said Tackett. “Not only does it seem like a natural fit, given the number of Kentuckians of all ages who enjoy fishing and the outdoors, but it also allows us to reach one more group of students who may not already participate in an extra-curricular activity and give them a chance to be a part of a team. Representing your school and your community comes with great responsibility – keeping your grades up, staying out of trouble and setting an example for others. Not only do we hope to reward these students with a state championship event experience next year but we hope it fosters a lifelong love of the sport.”  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Bass fishing added to list of Championship Sport-Activities: Competition to begin in 2012-2013 school year with first state – Murray Ledger & Times: High Schools.

Kentucky Afield Outdoors: New or improving fishing opportunities for 2012

FRANKFORT, Ky. – With Valentine’s Day upon us, only a few weeks remain on your current annual fishing license. The new license year begins March 1.

This coming year presents some new opportunities to catch rainbow trout, blue catfish, redear sunfish, also known as shellcrackers, and white crappie.

Black crappie now dominate the population in Taylorsville Lake, and a good spawn last year should lead to good fishing for blacks in the coming years. Also, three years of white crappie stockings should lead to great fishing this spring.

“The stocked white crappie are doing pretty good,” said Gerry Buynak, assistant director of fisheries for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “They are growing to about 9 inches long in less than two years. We found a few white crappie over the 9-inch limit last year, so there should be more for anglers to catch this year.”

White crappie stockings will continue at Taylorsville Lake and Kentucky Lake this year as well as eastern Kentucky’s Carr Creek and Paintsville lakes.

Anglers report catching keeper black crappie by walking the bank near the Settler’s Trace access and casting Roadrunners and lime-green curly-tailed grubs at stickups and flooded timber.

The blue catfish at Taylorsville Lake are doing well. “An angler caught a 48 pounder out of Taylorsville last year,” Buynak said. “We started stocking them at Barren in 2010 and they are doing well there and also at Dewey Lake.”

Blue catfish fight hard and taste great. They like live or fresh dead bait. Cut bait made from gizzard shad or skipjack herring entices hungry blue catfish as do live shad.

“We’ve also stocked blue catfish in Wilgreen Lake since 2009 and they are doing pretty well,” Buynak said. The 169-acre lake provides excellent largemouth bass fishing and decent fishing for bluegill and redear sunfish.

“We’ve stocked redear sunfish in Yatesville and Fishtrap lakes and they should be coming on,” Buynak said. Both of these lakes offer excellent fishing for bluegill and should provide bountiful redear fishing as the stocked fish proliferate. Yatesville Lake has excellent bluegill numbers while Fishtrap Lake holds trophy bluegill in the 11- to 12-inch range.

Louisville area anglers will soon have new winter and early spring trout fishing with excellent public access at a stream close to town. The fisheries division plans to stock a total of 7,500 rainbow trout in March, April and October of this year in Floyd’s Fork of Salt River. Miles Park off U.S. 60 (Shelbyville Road) offers bank and wading access to Floyd’s Fork. Access will improve as the Parklands of Floyd’s Fork project continues over the next couple of years.

In-line spinners, small suspending jerkbaits in chrome, chartreuse or orange colors fished on 4-pound test with spinning gear score well on rainbows in early spring.

Kentucky anglers who want catch fish close to home need to visit one of the Fishing in Neighborhoods (FINs) lakes. Lakes in this program regularly receive stockings of trout and catfish. Fisheries personnel for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife monitor the largemouth bass and sunfish populations in these lakes and stock these species if needed to maintain consistent fishing. These lakes make ideal places to take family members, children and beginners fishing with an excellent chance of catching something.

Camp Ernst Lake in Boone County, Madisonville City Park Lake North in Hopkins County, Millennium Park Pond in Boyle County, Whitehall Park Lake in Madison County, Waymond Morris Park Lake in Daviess County along with Carlson and Dickerson lakes at Ft. Knox in Meade County are new additions to the FINs program for 2012. For more information on the FINs lakes, visit the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife homepage on the internet at fw.ky.gov or pick up a free copy of the 2012 Kentucky Fishing and Boating Guide, available wherever fishing licenses are sold. You may request a copy by calling the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at 1-800-858-1549.

Get out and wet a line this spring and enjoy these new fishing opportunities. Shirt sleeve weather is just around the corner, but don’t forget to purchase your 2012 Kentucky annual fishing license if you plan to fish after March 1.

Archery Range Opens In Madison County

FRANKFORT, Ky. – A new archery range is now open to the public at the Miller Welch-Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Madison County.

Constructed on the northern edge of the WMA along Muddy Creek Road, the archery range consists of is a 12-target traditional range and a 30-target course through the woods, said Derek Beard, wildlife coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Bluegrass Region.

Archers are already excited about the new facilities. “We had people using the range within minutes of putting up the final signs at the entrance and opening the gates,” he said.

Beard said the new ranges in Madison County will provide opportunity for area archers, bowhunters, and for groups such as sportsmen’s organizations, 4-H clubs, scouts, schools and church organizations. “With archery being one of fastest growing sports in the U.S. today, the new ranges will allow for expanded public archery opportunity within close driving distance of one of our fastest growing populations,” Beard explained.

The traditional static range includes 12 lanes with targets set at 10 meters and 15 meters, in addition to targets at 20 yards to 60 yards. Archers shoot into large outdoor archery targets that are secured into target sheds. The second range is a walking woods course consisting of a loop trail with lanes cut and a target placed at the end of each shooting lane. Archers can move within the lane to a comfortable distance ranging from 10 yards up to 65 yards.

The new ranges are open daily from 9 a.m. eastern time to sunset. To reduce impact to targets, broadheads are not allowed on arrows. Groups may apply to reserve a range for a shooting event, by submitting a WMA User Permit Application to the Area Manager for consideration. Call (859) 986-4130 for more information.

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife also has archery ranges at Jones-Keeney WMA in Caldwell County, Curtis Gates Lloyd WMA in Grant County, Otter Creek Outdoor Recreational Area in Meade County and West Kentucky WMA in McCracken County.

For a complete listing of shooting and archery ranges on Kentucky’s wildlife management areas, go online to www.fw.ky.gov and click onto the “Maps and Online Services” tab, followed by “Other KDFWR Maps.”

Hunters Find Sandhills Challenging During Kentucky’s Inaugural Crane Season

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Larry Dreamis Hill failed in his quest to take a bird during Kentucky’s inaugural sandhill crane hunting season – but says it wasn’t for lack of effort.

“These birds were extremely challenging and seemed to change their patterns a little every day. I really enjoyed the challenge and look forward to future seasons of pursuing this bird. I remember when the first sandhill cranes showed up in Cecilia (in Hardin County) years ago – now I have the opportunity to hunt them. It’s very exciting,” said Hill, Cecilia’s retired fire chief.

Kentucky’s first modern hunting season for sandhill cranes came to a close Sunday, Jan. 15. The month-long season marked the first time in nearly 100 years that Kentucky sportsmen and sportswomen had the opportunity to hunt sandhill cranes in the Commonwealth. By closing day, hunters had harvested 50 birds. Kentucky had allowed for a maximum harvest of 400 sandhill cranes.

“The harvest number was not surprising to us because Kentucky does not have a tradition of sandhill crane hunting,” said Rocky Pritchert, Migratory Bird Program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. “These are extremely wary birds and are a challenge to hunt. Sandhill cranes are hunted in a fashion similar to geese, using decoys in fields. Sandhill cranes are hunted for their meat. They are generally regarded as the finest table fare among migratory birds.”

Kentucky was the first state to allow sandhill crane hunting on the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes. The Mid-Continent Population of sandhill cranes has been hunted for more than 50 years in the United States.

Last fall, a survey coordinated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service counted a minimum of 72,000 sandhill cranes in the Eastern Population. “This population has experienced significant growth over the last decade and has reached a point where we can allow a limited harvest without impacting the population,” said Pritchert. “As a biologist it is my responsibility to ensure harvest does not negatively impact the population and this season will not harm the Eastern Population of sandhill cranes.”

This season, most of the cranes were harvested in Hardin and Barren counties. These are traditional wintering areas for sandhill cranes in Kentucky.

Hunters had to pass an online identification course before being issued a permit. Hunters will have to complete a post-season survey as well.

“The information obtained from these surveys helps us better understand how the season went,” said Pritchert. “The information obtained from this hunt will help us manage future hunts of sandhill hunts in Kentucky and other states that might potentially hunt sandhill cranes.”

Wild pigs on the rise in Kentucky | Kentucky.com

By Karla Ward — kward1@herald-leader.com

Randy Kelley has engaged in a frustrating and discouraging battle the past four or five years on his Henry County farm.

His 200-pound foe: a wild pig. Actually, that should be plural because these pigs tend to run in herds.

"They’re just rooting my farm up," Kelley said. "They just go through your fields and tear it all to pieces. … You never get it back like it was."

Kelley’s 155-acre property in the Bethlehem community is just one example of what the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources calls a disturbing trend. An invasion of wild hogs in counties throughout the state is leaving muddy bogs of overturned ground and ruined crops in its wake.

Feral swine have been in isolated areas of the state for decades, but in 2008, officials started seeing an increase in reports of wild hogs in areas where they had not been seen before, said Steven Dobey, wildlife program coordinator for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

The pigs have a documented presence in 37 counties, he said. That’s up from 23 counties in 2009.

While they are most concentrated in parts of Western Kentucky, the hogs have also been found in other parts of the state, including Scott County, although Dobey said the population seems to be declining there. Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Wild pigs on the rise in Kentucky | State | Kentucky.com.

Next Page »