FRANKFORT, KY (AP) – The two-day take of 2,987 deer was down sharply from last year when hunters benefited from the timely arrival of a cold snap and a less bountiful acorn crop.
Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources say deer numbers are good across the state, but acknowledge the early returns from the 2016-17 season could portend a smaller harvest overall compared to recent years. Hunters set new harvest records in three of the past four seasons.
Archery hunters got the 2016-17 season off to a good start. The September opener coincided with Labor Day weekend, and archers tele-checked a record 1,746 deer over the three days. The weather then turned dry and hot across the state. By the end of the month, hunters had taken a shade more than 5,000 deer, the fifth highest September total on record.
The October harvest is approaching 10,000 deer. The youth-only firearms weekend earlier this month contributed 3,795 to that number.
Next month brings the modern gun season, which accounted for 70 percent of a record overall harvest total in the 2015-16 season.