Kentucky's Crossbow Deer Harvest Reached 14,363 in 2025, 9.9% of the Total

IThe doubling

The 2018 crossbow count of 4,705 roughly doubled to 9,783 for 2019

Hunters checked 4,552 crossbow deer during 2017, followed by 4,705 during 2018 and 9,783 during 2019. That gain of 5,078 raised crossbows' portion of the harvest to 6.6% from 3.2% over a single season. In its deer report for 2024-25, KDFWR says the crossbow harvest "has steadily increased in the last decade, particularly after crossbow season was liberalized in 2018".

The dates appear in a June 4, 2019 announcement from KDFWR. Approval from the Fish and Wildlife Commission came late during 2018; the regulation became effective May 31, 2019. Under the new schedule, crossbow hunting begins on September's third Saturday and ends on January's third Monday. That made opening day September 21, 2019, with closing day January 20, 2020. For 2018, hunters had an October window running 1 to 21, followed by another opening November 10 and ending December 31, as listed in the August 2018 announcement from KDFWR. We counted 73 hunting days for 2018 versus 122 for 2019-20. That regulation also allowed every youth hunter age 15 or younger to hunt with a crossbow throughout archery season. The announcement calls the extended schedule "a way to tap into the popularity crossbow hunting has gained in recent years".

The revised dates first applied during 2019, when the crossbow total doubled. That coincidence does not establish a cause. Both the extended schedule and the youth provision began together. These totals cannot distinguish either change's effect from hunters choosing crossbows more frequently.

Following 2019, crossbow harvest reached 13,168 during 2020. Subsequent totals have ranged between 12,202 and 14,363, peaking during 2025. For 2024-25, KDFWR describes the result as "the highest recorded harvest by crossbow by over 700 deer". The app lists 14,040 for 2024, exceeding the previous peak of 13,275 from 2022 by 765.

IIBefore 2019

From 561 during 2004, the count climbed to 4,565 during 2015 before leveling off

For 1999 through 2003, no crossbow deer appear in the app; for 2004, it lists 561. The app leaves unanswered whether those records reflect deer hunters killed or the weapon classifications used then. Harvest climbed to 1,521 during 2010, then to 4,565 during 2015. That tripling over five seasons preceded the rule adopted for 2019. Across the four seasons spanning 2015 through 2018, totals stayed within a band of 3,988 to 4,705. The eventual doubling followed that level stretch.

IIIThe weapon mix

Muzzleloaders lost the largest portion of harvest

Comparing 1999 with 2025, firearms increased their harvest portion to 72.5% from 69.0%. Archery slipped to 11.5% from 12.5%, muzzleloaders dropped to 6.2% from 18.5%, and crossbows climbed to 9.9% from zero. Muzzleloader deer declined to 9,021 from 17,641, a decrease of 48.9%. Firearm totals increased to 105,435 from 65,666, while archery totals increased to 16,664 from 11,920. Combined, archery and crossbow made up 21.3% of the harvest. Crossbows contributed 14,363 deer toward that combined 31,027, or about 46%. Adding all four weapon categories reproduces the statewide harvest for both 1999 and 2025.

Consider the season nearest the regulation change. Between 2018 and 2019, crossbow harvest gained 5,078 deer; total statewide harvest gained 2,639. Archery lost 1,513 deer, muzzleloader lost 1,187, and firearm gained 261. Weapon shares shifted more than overall harvest changed. These totals cannot establish whether existing hunters changed weapons, newcomers chose crossbows, or the extended schedule increased time spent hunting.

IVThe check

Each weapon's app count falls within 20 deer of KDFWR's published table

In the report's Table 2, KDFWR lists 16,662 deer for archery, 14,020 for crossbow, 107,392 for firearm and 11,794 for muzzleloader, totaling 149,868. App counts for those categories are archery: 16,674; crossbow: 14,040; firearm: 107,411; muzzleloader: 11,794; total: 149,919. Archery differs by 12 deer, crossbow by 20, firearm by 19 and muzzleloader by 0; the overall difference is 51. Because the app accepts late check-ins following publication, its totals sit a little higher than the printed figures.

The report needs a caution of its own. Its written discussion lists a crossbow total inconsistent with Table 2. It also claims growth of 33% over the preceding decade, which we were unable to recreate using either the table or app. Those sources show 4,565 for 2015 and 14,040 for 2024. We based our figures on the app and Table 2. According to the report, crossbows supplied 9% of harvest during 2024-25, a share it says persisted over five years. Our calculated portions range between 8.9% and 9.4% across 2020 through 2024.

VRecorded weapon

These shares show how the harvest breaks down, but they do not measure what hunters prefer

The weapon category comes from the hunter's check-in record. Hunting schedules and rules governing legal weapons changed during this period. These percentages therefore describe harvested deer and cannot substitute for a measure of hunter preference. We label seasons by their opening year: the season called 2025 spans 2025-26. When referencing a KDFWR report, we retain its season labels, including 2024-25. These counts contain neither hunter totals nor time spent afield, so no weapon's success rate can be calculated from them. KDFWR states that "Seventy percent of the overall harvest occurred during the modern gun season". Our calculated firearm portion for 2024 is 71.6%. The report's figure groups deer by hunting season; ours groups them by the weapon listed at check-in.

VIRulebook first

Check the hunting rules when a weapon's share jumps

Our approach: consult the rulebook before interpreting a sudden increase in a weapon's harvest portion as hunter preference. Hunters and readers working with these figures should check which opportunities the rules permitted during the year of a jump. In Kentucky, crossbows reached 6.6% of harvest from 3.2% over a single season, coinciding with the start of an extended crossbow schedule.

These harvest totals cannot settle which weapon you should choose. They lack the number of hunters and days spent hunting, so base your choice on the seasons available to you and the weapons you shoot well. Check the Kentucky Hunting and Trapping Guide to confirm current crossbow dates. The dates cited here were published in releases from 2018 and 2019. Our paper about Ohio's bow counties examines the share of registered deer taken with crossbows and longbows in another state. For changes in straight-walled cartridge restrictions in three other states, see the straight-wall paper.