Kentucky deer harvest by county: every county, 2016-17 to 2025-26
Kentucky hunters telechecked 145,525 deer in the 2025-26 season, 74,444 antlered bucks among them, by KDFWR's Harvest Data reports. Hardin County led with 3,545, then Breckinridge (3,091) and Christian (3,002). Per square mile, Spencer County was highest at 10.6.
Data updated October 2026. Harvest: KDFWR Telecheck reports, 2016-17 to 2025-26.
up to 2.1 deer per sq mi2.1 to 2.9 deer per sq mi2.9 to 4 deer per sq mi4 to 5.3 deer per sq miover 5.3 deer per sq miPublic hunting areas with a page
How many deer are killed in Kentucky each season?
The 10-season high was 149,919 in 2024-25; 2016-17 had 139,448.
| Season | Deer telechecked | Antlered bucks | Does | Firearms | Archery | Crossbow | On public land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 145,525 | 74,444 | 63,241 | 114,498 | 16,664 | 14,363 | 7,444 |
| 2024-25 | 149,919 | 78,589 | 63,822 | 119,205 | 16,674 | 14,040 | 7,767 |
| 2023-24 | 141,065 | 72,604 | 61,363 | 113,495 | 15,069 | 12,501 | 7,718 |
| 2022-23 | 144,515 | 71,152 | 65,343 | 115,567 | 15,673 | 13,275 | 6,775 |
| 2021-22 | 132,327 | 68,035 | 57,126 | 105,256 | 14,869 | 12,202 | 5,958 |
| 2020-21 | 141,621 | 69,440 | 64,593 | 110,464 | 17,989 | 13,168 | 6,694 |
| 2019-20 | 148,391 | 70,360 | 69,760 | 122,000 | 16,608 | 9,783 | 6,204 |
| 2018-19 | 145,752 | 70,952 | 66,727 | 122,926 | 18,121 | 4,705 | 6,141 |
| 2017-18 | 136,024 | 66,999 | 61,112 | 112,327 | 19,145 | 4,552 | 5,148 |
| 2016-17 | 139,448 | 71,040 | 60,539 | 115,888 | 19,572 | 3,988 | 5,508 |
Source: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by county; KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by public land. Firearms adds modern gun and muzzleloader deer.
Which Kentucky counties have the most deer harvested?
| Rank | County | Zone | Deer, 2025-26 | Antlered | Per square mile | Deer, 2016-17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hardin County | 1 | 3,545 | 1,548 | 5.7 | 2,480 |
| 2 | Breckinridge County | 1 | 3,091 | 1,353 | 5.4 | 2,626 |
| 3 | Christian County | 1 | 3,002 | 1,434 | 4.2 | 2,773 |
| 4 | Hart County | 1 | 2,817 | 1,263 | 6.8 | 1,960 |
| 5 | Graves County | 1 | 2,698 | 1,173 | 4.9 | 2,857 |
| 6 | Shelby County | 1 | 2,692 | 1,127 | 7.1 | 2,609 |
| 7 | Washington County | 1 | 2,663 | 1,166 | 9 | 1,963 |
| 8 | Pendleton County | 1 | 2,642 | 1,187 | 9.5 | 3,242 |
| 9 | Nelson County | 1 | 2,591 | 1,090 | 6.2 | 1,945 |
| 10 | Hopkins County | 1 | 2,486 | 1,265 | 4.6 | 2,553 |
| 11 | Crittenden County | 1 | 2,394 | 1,060 | 6.7 | 3,081 |
| 12 | Pulaski County | 3 | 2,359 | 1,307 | 3.6 | 1,463 |
| 13 | Grayson County | 1 | 2,318 | 989 | 4.6 | 2,170 |
| 14 | Owen County | 1 | 2,214 | 903 | 6.3 | 3,106 |
| 15 | Green County | 1 | 2,116 | 953 | 7.4 | 1,539 |
| 16 | Anderson County | 1 | 2,040 | 995 | 10.1 | 1,787 |
| 17 | Muhlenberg County | 1 | 1,986 | 928 | 4.2 | 1,926 |
| 18 | Spencer County | 1 | 1,986 | 852 | 10.6 | 1,445 |
| 19 | Adair County | 1 | 1,923 | 1,027 | 4.7 | 1,032 |
| 20 | Ohio County | 1 | 1,878 | 926 | 3.2 | 2,354 |
| 21 | Grant County | 1 | 1,850 | 828 | 7.2 | 2,344 |
| 22 | Harrison County | 1 | 1,813 | 802 | 5.9 | 1,832 |
| 23 | Calloway County | 1 | 1,811 | 802 | 4.7 | 1,656 |
| 24 | Trigg County | 1 | 1,804 | 814 | 4.1 | 1,828 |
| 25 | Henry County | 1 | 1,799 | 834 | 6.3 | 1,921 |
| 26 | Bracken County | 1 | 1,741 | 819 | 8.6 | 2,166 |
| 27 | Bullitt County | 1 | 1,732 | 761 | 5.8 | 1,137 |
| 28 | Caldwell County | 1 | 1,698 | 767 | 4.9 | 1,692 |
| 29 | Marion County | 1 | 1,673 | 775 | 4.9 | 1,074 |
| 30 | Allen County | 2 | 1,670 | 906 | 4.9 | 1,109 |
| 31 | Pike County | 3 | 1,632 | 1,295 | 2.1 | 1,508 |
| 32 | Webster County | 1 | 1,629 | 698 | 4.9 | 2,342 |
| 33 | Barren County | 2 | 1,610 | 815 | 3.3 | 980 |
| 34 | Livingston County | 1 | 1,597 | 694 | 5.1 | 1,759 |
| 35 | Laurel County | 3 | 1,593 | 763 | 3.7 | 762 |
| 36 | Meade County | 1 | 1,575 | 740 | 5.2 | 1,171 |
| 37 | Metcalfe County | 1 | 1,545 | 761 | 5.3 | 1,023 |
| 38 | Lincoln County | 2 | 1,491 | 746 | 4.5 | 942 |
| 39 | Taylor County | 1 | 1,481 | 702 | 5.6 | 923 |
| 40 | Logan County | 1 | 1,451 | 762 | 2.6 | 1,659 |
| 41 | Casey County | 2 | 1,428 | 838 | 3.2 | 921 |
| 42 | Franklin County | 1 | 1,379 | 661 | 6.6 | 1,484 |
| 43 | Mercer County | 1 | 1,373 | 674 | 5.5 | 1,060 |
| 44 | Warren County | 2 | 1,337 | 664 | 2.5 | 1,097 |
| 45 | Lewis County | 1 | 1,289 | 741 | 2.7 | 1,458 |
| 46 | Henderson County | 1 | 1,274 | 609 | 2.9 | 1,425 |
| 47 | Todd County | 1 | 1,265 | 591 | 3.4 | 1,352 |
| 48 | Monroe County | 2 | 1,262 | 630 | 3.8 | 814 |
| 49 | Boone County | 1 | 1,256 | 539 | 5.1 | 1,996 |
| 50 | Carter County | 1 | 1,240 | 630 | 3 | 1,681 |
| 51 | Marshall County | 1 | 1,201 | 544 | 4 | 1,216 |
| 52 | Jefferson County | 1 | 1,169 | 522 | 3.1 | 1,067 |
| 53 | Whitley County | 4 | 1,086 | 814 | 2.5 | 975 |
| 54 | Daviess County | 1 | 1,060 | 520 | 2.3 | 1,025 |
| 55 | LaRue County | 1 | 1,059 | 493 | 4.1 | 936 |
| 56 | Butler County | 1 | 1,058 | 525 | 2.5 | 1,175 |
| 57 | Wayne County | 3 | 1,057 | 582 | 2.3 | 853 |
| 58 | Fleming County | 2 | 1,051 | 549 | 3 | 979 |
| 59 | Greenup County | 1 | 1,007 | 558 | 2.9 | 1,184 |
| 60 | Cumberland County | 2 | 998 | 579 | 3.3 | 912 |
| 61 | Campbell County | 1 | 996 | 402 | 6.6 | 1,384 |
| 62 | Mason County | 1 | 990 | 513 | 4.1 | 1,021 |
| 63 | Nicholas County | 2 | 984 | 515 | 5 | 751 |
| 64 | Lawrence County | 1 | 978 | 567 | 2.4 | 1,551 |
| 65 | Scott County | 1 | 972 | 454 | 3.4 | 1,540 |
| 66 | Madison County | 2 | 958 | 533 | 2.2 | 668 |
| 67 | Jackson County | 3 | 930 | 690 | 2.7 | 674 |
| 68 | Clay County | 4 | 926 | 760 | 2 | 845 |
| 69 | Union County | 1 | 915 | 421 | 2.7 | 1,074 |
| 70 | Kenton County | 1 | 913 | 398 | 5.7 | 1,118 |
| 71 | McLean County | 1 | 883 | 357 | 3.5 | 997 |
| 72 | Floyd County | 4 | 881 | 718 | 2.2 | 891 |
| 73 | McCracken County | 1 | 863 | 400 | 3.5 | 809 |
| 74 | Lyon County | 1 | 853 | 414 | 4 | 781 |
| 75 | Bath County | 2 | 821 | 464 | 3 | 688 |
| 76 | Oldham County | 1 | 819 | 369 | 4.4 | 996 |
| 77 | Perry County | 4 | 818 | 624 | 2.4 | 642 |
| 78 | Knox County | 4 | 804 | 633 | 2.1 | 897 |
| 79 | Robertson County | 1 | 795 | 354 | 8 | 807 |
| 80 | Trimble County | 1 | 774 | 386 | 5.2 | 818 |
| 81 | Simpson County | 2 | 744 | 374 | 3.2 | 355 |
| 82 | Johnson County | 2 | 737 | 432 | 2.8 | 902 |
| 83 | Rockcastle County | 3 | 737 | 581 | 2.3 | 444 |
| 84 | Carroll County | 1 | 726 | 353 | 5.6 | 800 |
| 85 | Morgan County | 2 | 715 | 467 | 1.9 | 1,081 |
| 86 | Knott County | 4 | 714 | 550 | 2 | 823 |
| 87 | Hancock County | 1 | 684 | 329 | 3.6 | 795 |
| 88 | Garrard County | 2 | 673 | 413 | 2.9 | 386 |
| 89 | Bell County | 4 | 661 | 514 | 1.8 | 713 |
| 90 | Boyd County | 1 | 646 | 346 | 4 | 1,008 |
| 91 | Estill County | 3 | 643 | 393 | 2.5 | 517 |
| 92 | Breathitt County | 4 | 633 | 531 | 1.3 | 645 |
| 93 | Carlisle County | 1 | 628 | 295 | 3.3 | 698 |
| 94 | Woodford County | 1 | 618 | 277 | 3.3 | 727 |
| 95 | Edmonson County | 2 | 602 | 377 | 2 | 528 |
| 96 | Russell County | 3 | 597 | 441 | 2.4 | 314 |
| 97 | Ballard County | 1 | 575 | 291 | 2.3 | 695 |
| 98 | Leslie County | 4 | 565 | 434 | 1.4 | 468 |
| 99 | Hickman County | 1 | 552 | 280 | 2.3 | 791 |
| 100 | Letcher County | 4 | 549 | 433 | 1.6 | 701 |
| 101 | Jessamine County | 2 | 548 | 314 | 3.2 | 433 |
| 102 | Rowan County | 2 | 543 | 363 | 1.9 | 555 |
| 103 | Boyle County | 2 | 521 | 285 | 2.9 | 350 |
| 104 | Harlan County | 4 | 509 | 410 | 1.1 | 507 |
| 105 | Clinton County | 3 | 483 | 377 | 2.5 | 375 |
| 106 | Clark County | 2 | 464 | 284 | 1.8 | 420 |
| 107 | Magoffin County | 4 | 450 | 377 | 1.5 | 422 |
| 108 | Montgomery County | 2 | 450 | 274 | 2.3 | 370 |
| 109 | McCreary County | 4 | 441 | 340 | 1 | 504 |
| 110 | Elliott County | 2 | 429 | 261 | 1.8 | 599 |
| 111 | Gallatin County | 1 | 425 | 195 | 4.3 | 902 |
| 112 | Martin County | 3 | 392 | 326 | 1.7 | 327 |
| 113 | Powell County | 3 | 381 | 229 | 2.1 | 388 |
| 114 | Wolfe County | 3 | 373 | 231 | 1.7 | 527 |
| 115 | Fulton County | 1 | 372 | 188 | 1.8 | 539 |
| 116 | Bourbon County | 2 | 329 | 175 | 1.1 | 314 |
| 117 | Lee County | 4 | 311 | 260 | 1.5 | 358 |
| 118 | Owsley County | 4 | 283 | 241 | 1.4 | 327 |
| 119 | Fayette County | 2 | 246 | 144 | 0.9 | 247 |
| 120 | Menifee County | 3 | 218 | 194 | 1.1 | 292 |
Source: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by county. Zones: KDFWR current deer zones.
Get a Kentucky hunt plan when they open
Hunt plans for Kentucky are coming. Join the list and you'll hear first. The first 50 hunters in each new state get their plan free.
Until then, the free FilledTag app for iPhone has a map that works in every state, Kentucky included.
Sources: KDFWR Harvest Data (Telecheck), deer by county; U.S. Census Bureau 2024 county boundaries. FilledTag is not part of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.