Kentucky's Archery Deer Season Opens Sept. 6
Deer season kicks off Saturday, Sept. 6, and there’s no better time to get in the woods. With plenty of hunting opportunities between archery and firearm seasons, now’s the time to gear up and get outdoors.
Grab your resident Sportsman’s License or annual hunting license + deer permit at fw.ky.gov today!
This is also a good time to ensure you are up to date on the changes for the 2025-26 season.
2025-26 Deer Season Dates
 There are two major changes for the 2025-26 season:
- An extended youth-only firearm season gives hunters 15 years old and under seven extra days to experience Kentucky’s great outdoors! Running Oct. 11-19, it now overlaps the early muzzleloader weekend (Oct. 18-19), allowing mentors to hunt with a muzzleloader while a youth hunter uses a modern gun, side by side!
- The Special Season is open ONLY in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance Zone Sept. 27-28. Any equipment is legal this weekend, including modern gun, but only antlerless deer may be harvested, regardless of equipment used. Also, hunters must drop off the head of any deer harvested during the special season at a CWD Sample drop-off site within the CWD Surveillance Zone.
Chronic Wasting Disease
 Important: CWD Surveillance Zone Regulations
If you're hunting in Ballard, Breckinridge, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Marshall, McCracken, Meade, Union, or Webster county, you're in the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Surveillance Zone and special regulations apply:
Baiting Regulations (2025–26 Season):
- Baiting is permitted, but only non-contact-style feeders are allowed (no troughs, funnels, gravity feeders, etc.).
- Scent attractants and deer urine products are permitted.
While baiting and feeding are allowed in the CWD Surveillance Zone, hunters should be aware that these practices can cause unnatural congregation of deer—increasing the risk of CWD transmission. Carefully consider this risk before choosing to bait.
Additional Requirements:
- Mandatory CWD sampling during the special antlerless season—hunters must drop off the head of their harvest at a designated CWD Sample Drop-off Site.
- No movement of whole deer carcasses or high-risk parts (head, intact skull or skull cap with brain material, or spine) out of the CWD Zone.
- Carcass importation restrictions apply statewide.
- Rehabilitating deer or other cervids is prohibited in the CWD Surveillance Zone. Any currently rehabilitated cervid outside the CWD Surveillance Zone must be released within the same county in which rehabilitation took place.
For full details and drop-off site locations, visit: fw.ky.gov/cwd
CWD Testing Available Throughout Deer Season
Help keep Kentucky’s deer and elk herds healthy by submitting a sample for CWD testing at any time throughout the season.
How to Participate:
- Drop off the head of your harvest at a designated CWD Sample Drop-off site
- Sample drop-off sites are located all across Kentucky.
- Request a CWD Sample Mail-in Kit
- These kits include instructions on how to collect the sample from your harvested deer and submit for testing.
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Shoot for Samples Giveaway
Submit a CWD sample throughout deer season and be entered into the Shoot for Samples Giveaway. Prizes range from gift cards to gear. Hunters can enter the giveaway as many times as the bag limits allow. Learn more
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 Good Luck and Be Safe!
Most importantly, practice tree stand and firearm safety while in the field. If you're able, take another doe to share with family and friends or donate to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry and help provide a healthy source of protein to Kentuckians in need.
Take someone hunting and have fun! For information on learning to hunt, the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website has resources outlining the various aspects of deer hunting.
Thank you for your continued support of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.
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