The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources is urging hunters to harvest as many does as possible in the upcoming deer season.
In their annual report, the department said the overall deer harvest was the fifth-highest on record, with 145,433 deer harvested in the 2025-2026 season. However, doe harvest goals, which are set to maintain forest health and high quality herds, were well below their target.
Joe McDermott, deer program coordinator for the department, said most hunters are on the lookout for a trophy buck, or only want to harvest enough deer to fill their freezer. He said the department is urging more hunters to completely fill out their allotted deer tags, harvesting as many as are permitted.
“Females control the population. Obviously they’re the ones making the babies, they’re the ones that are generally more prevalent on the landscape. But yeah, I mean, it’s all about reproduction. That’s why you gotta knock down the does,” McDermott said.
The department is exploring more options to incentivize doe harvests in the upcoming season. McDermott said they’ve already made alterations to make deer season more accessible, including specialized hunts that have expanded Kentucky’s deer season to 136 days.
“All of the opportunity is out there for people, but you just can’t make them change their behavior. You know what I mean? Like, I can provide some of this data and stuff, but we have to get like a cultural change, a mindset change in the state. And it’s going to be a hard thing to get across for people,” McDermott said.
Despite relatively successful hunts, deer populations continue to rise annually, posing risks to ecological health, natural resources, and biodiversity.
“If you’re wondering this season which doe is the right one to take, it’s the next one that comes across your sights,” McDermott said.
Hunters who harvest more deer than they need are welcome to donate deer to Kentucky Hunters for the Hungry, or Boone Brothers, organizations working to fight food insecurity through hunter participation.
