Deer Permit Requirements for Landowners with Wildlife Damage
Summary
Kentucky HB142, enacted March 31, 2026 with emergency clause, amends KRS 150.170 and KRS 150.390 to require the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to issue a minimum of 5 deer destruction permits to landowners whose property has been damaged by wildlife. The bill also extends antlerless deer hunting by 10 days following muzzle-loading season and provides one additional antlered deer permit per requesting individual.
What changed
HB142 specifically amends Kentucky Revised Statutes 150.170 and 150.390 to establish mandatory deer destruction permit issuance. Under the amended law, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources must issue at least 5 deer destruction permits to any landowner, spouse, dependent child, or designee who demonstrates damage to lands or personal property caused by wildlife. Additionally, any requesting individual may receive one permit for an additional antlered deer during hunting season, and antlerless deer may be taken for 10 days after muzzle-loading gun season concludes.
Landowners experiencing wildlife damage to crops or property should contact the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to obtain the required destruction permits. The emergency clause indicates immediate effectiveness upon passage. Hunters and landowners should note the extended antlerless deer season window. No specific compliance deadlines or penalties for non-compliance are detailed in the bill text.
What to do next
- Contact Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources if experiencing wildlife damage to obtain required destruction permits
- Review updated permit renewal provisions under amended KRS 150.170
- Note extended antlerless deer season (10 days post muzzle-loading) for hunting planning
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Kentucky / HB142 Passed HB142 House Bill Passed 2026-03-04
AN ACT relating to depredating wildlife and declaring an emergency.
Amend KRS 150.170 to require the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to issue a minimum of 5 deer destruction permits to any landowner, spouse, dependent child, or their designee whose lands or personal property have been damaged by wildlife; establish provisions for the renewal of deer destruction permits; require the department to issue a deer permit for the taking of 1 additional antlered deer during a hunting season to any requesting individual; amend KRS 150.390 to allow any licensed or permitted person to take antlerless deer for a period of 10 days following the conclusion of a muzzle-loading gun season; EMERGENCY.
Bill Details
State Kentucky
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb142....
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Michael Pollock (Rep - R) Myron Dossett (Rep - R) Ryan Bivens (Rep - R) Beverly Chester-Burton (Rep - D) Shawn McPherson (Rep - R) Steven Rudy (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-03-31 H passed 81-7 2026-03-31 H House concurred in Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H to Rules (H) 2026-03-31 H received in House 2026-03-31 S 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-26 S posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026 2026-03-25 S 2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill 2026-03-24 S reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-13 S to Agriculture (S) 2026-03-04 S to Committee on Committees (S) 2026-03-04 S received in Senate 2026-03-03 H 3rd reading, passed 78-16 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-02 H posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 03 2026 2026-02-26 H 2nd reading, to Rules 2026-02-25 H reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-01-14 H to Agriculture (H) 2026-01-07 H to Committee on Committees (H) 2026-01-07 H introduced in House
Votes
2026-03-03 House: Veto Override RCS# 184 Yea: 78 Nay: 16 2026-03-31 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4041 Yea: 38 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 House: Veto Override RCS# 395 Yea: 81 Nay: 7
Committee Referrals
2026-01-07 H Committee On Committees 2026-01-14 H Agriculture 2026-02-26 H Rules 2026-03-04 S Committee on Committees 2026-03-13 S Agriculture 2026-03-25 S Rules 2026-03-31 H Rules
Amendments
0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Agriculture Effective Dates, Emergency Fish and Wildlife Hunting and Fishing Land Use Landlord and Tenant State Agencies Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
Named provisions
Related changes
Source
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get Government & Legislation alerts
Weekly digest. AI-summarized, no noise.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when State Bills: Kentucky publishes new changes.