Changes In Hunting & Fishing Licenses

The 2023 Kentucky General Assembly made some new regulations concerning hunting and fishing licenses.

Legislators removed license and permit exemptions for resident owners of, and others who live or work on, small tracts of farmland. The bill made the following changes:
Kentucky resident owners of farmlands of less than 5 acres, their spouses and their dependent children must buy applicable licenses and permits in order to hunt or fish on their farmlands.
Tenants, their spouses and their dependent children also must buy applicable licenses and permits in order to hunt or fish on farmlands of less than 5 acres where they reside and work.

Persons to whom these changes apply must be able to show they are properly licensed while hunting or fishing on those properties smaller than 5 acres. Otherwise, they risk being issued a citation.

The bill also removed the requirement that an applicant under the age of 16 get written consent from a parent or legal guardian before applying for a youth statewide hunting license. It does not change the requirement in regulation regarding parents or other adults accompanying youths in the field.