Kentucky's deer harvest increased 52.8% from 1999: the 2025 season brought 145,483 check-ins, compared with 95,227 for 1999, based on Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' harvest app (KDFWR). Within the app's series spanning 1999 to 2025, the peak came in 2015, with 155,720. Of the eight most recent seasons, seven exceeded 140,000. Regional growth varied: Southeast harvest increased 111.4%, versus 6.2% for the Northeast. Antlered buck harvest (+73.0%) increased faster than doe harvest (+38.1%). These totals tally checked deer, showing hunters' take; herd size requires its own estimate.
KEY FINDINGS
- The 2025 season brought 145,483 deer check-ins, exceeding the 1999 total of 95,227 by 52.8%. Among 27 seasons, 2025 holds fifth place.
- At 155,720, 2015 holds the series record. It came after the biggest increase between seasons (16,822), then the biggest decrease (16,272).
- Southeast deer check-ins increased 111.4%, rising to 26,890 from 12,721. Northeast check-ins rose 6.2%, reaching 17,986 from 16,931.
- Harvest increased 73.0% for antlered bucks and 38.1% for does. In 2025, antlered deer made up 51.2% of check-ins, compared with 45.2% in 1999.
IThe long line
Check-ins increased 52.8%, with the highest total in 2015
Kentucky's checked-deer total climbed to 145,483 in 2025 from 95,227 in 1999, adding 50,256. Growth arrived in stages. Across 2004 to 2011, totals ranged from 110,376 to 124,752. The first tally above 130,000 came in 2012, at 131,395; 2013 brought 144,408. The peak arrived in 2015 with 155,720. Its increase over 2014, at 16,822, was the biggest between seasons, as was the drop of 16,272 a year later.
Across the eight seasons starting in 2018, totals ranged from 132,327 to 149,919. Only 2021 fell below 140,000. The 2025 total is 10,237 (6.6%) lower than the peak reached in 2015 and holds fifth place among the 27 seasons. The four seasons with higher totals are 2015, 2024, 2019 and 2018.
IITen seasons
Every season shown from 2009-10 onward has more antlered bucks than does
This table shows ten seasons out of 27. In its 2024-25 deer-season report, KDFWR describes the take as "the second highest harvest on record". The app gives 2024-25 that same position within its series spanning 1999 to 2025, with 149,919. The printed report lists 149,868, or 51 fewer deer. The limitations section below addresses that difference.
In all eight table rows beginning with 2009-10, antlered bucks exceed does; in 1999-00 and 2004-05, does were ahead. Neither sex column includes male fawns. KDFWR lists those separately as a third group in its report, leaving the two columns short of the full seasonal tally.
Swipe table to see every column
| Season | Deer checked | Antlered bucks | Does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 95,227 | 43,011 | 45,792 |
| 2004-05 | 124,752 | 54,652 | 64,412 |
| 2009-10 | 113,584 | 55,289 | 48,440 |
| 2013-14 | 144,408 | 67,760 | 66,687 |
| 2015-16 | 155,720 | 75,716 | 70,254 |
| 2019-20 | 148,391 | 70,360 | 69,760 |
| 2021-22 | 132,327 | 68,035 | 57,126 |
| 2023-24 | 141,065 | 72,604 | 61,363 |
| 2024-25 | 149,919 | 78,589 | 63,822 |
| 2025-26 | 145,483 | 74,426 | 63,220 |
IIIThe regions
Southeast harvest more than doubled; Northeast harvest changed little
County assignments in the harvest app form five regions with differing growth. Southeast check-ins climbed to 26,890 from 12,721, an increase of 111.4%. Next came Purchase, with +62.0% growth, then Green River at +61.2%, followed by Bluegrass at +43.0%. Northeast check-ins increased by 1,055, or 6.2%. All five regions together match both statewide seasonal totals: 95,227 for the earlier season and 145,483 for the later one.
Percentage growth and added deer measure different things. Green River's increase of 15,094 checked deer was the largest, followed by the Southeast's 14,169. Combined, those regions accounted for 58% of Kentucky's increase of 50,256 deer; the Northeast accounted for 2.1%. The Southeast's portion of statewide check-ins climbed to 18.5% from 13.4%, while the Northeast's dropped to 12.4% from 17.8%. Among the five regions, the Northeast ranked third by check-ins in 1999. It ranked last in 2025.
Swipe table to see every column
| Region | 1999 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast | 12,721 | 26,890 | +111.4% |
| Purchase | 12,375 | 20,042 | +62.0% |
| Green River | 24,649 | 39,743 | +61.2% |
| Bluegrass | 28,551 | 40,822 | +43.0% |
| Northeast | 16,931 | 17,986 | +6.2% |
IVThe timeline
Eastern and southeastern Kentucky appear in KDFWR's history of later restoration efforts
The deer-management history published by KDFWR page dates the story's original publication to 1998 and warns that parts may be out of date. For 1979-81, its restoration timeline states "restoration efforts end in all regions of the state except for southeastern Kentucky." For 1984, it describes the department starting "a high-density stocking program in eastern Kentucky, where poaching, lack of suitable habitat and free-roaming dogs have kept deer densities low." The one-buck limit was phased in across 1989 to 1991, according to that timeline. The 2024-25 report states "Active restoration efforts concluded in March of 1999", placing the end in our series' opening year.
We present that history without claiming it caused these changes. The timeline uses "southeastern" and "eastern" Kentucky; we have not established how those descriptions line up with the app's region boundaries. Its events all precede this series or coincide with its beginning. These check-in totals therefore cannot establish whether any of those events influenced the differences among regions.
VBucks and does
Check-ins increased faster for antlered deer than for females
The antlered buck tally increased 73.0%, from a 1999 count of 43,011 to a 2025 count of 74,426. Doe check-ins, which count females, increased 38.1%, reaching 63,220 from 45,792. Does led by 2,781 over antlered bucks in 1999; bucks were ahead by 11,206 in 2025. The antlered portion of checked deer climbed to 51.2% from 45.2% and stood at 48.6% in 2015. The female portion dropped to 43.5% from 48.1%, with a 2015 share of 45.1%.
The report from KDFWR puts this shift this way: "the proportion of the harvest that is female has steadily declined in the last decade". In our paper about the buck-to-doe mix, we examine four other states and argue that interpreting the ratio requires comparison with that same state's history. We use that approach here for Kentucky. We did not test any possible cause.
VIHarvest versus herd
A harvest tally is not a count of the herd, and the app’s totals vary slightly from KDFWR’s printed figures
Deer numbers, hunter turnout, seasons and bag limits all shape the harvest total. That total is not a census of the herd. KDFWR’s report attributes the 2024-25 total to average mast production and favorable hunting weather through most of the season. The report describes its population estimate as holding steady or rising and says it uses harvest figures and age distribution data. Since harvest data help produce that estimate, the two cannot provide independent confirmation of each other.
The app tallies deer reported through check-in. The report says resident landowners must also telecheck deer they harvest while hunting their own land, which puts those deer in the totals. The app continues accepting late check-ins, so its season totals rise above KDFWR’s printed figures: 149,919 compared with 149,868 for 2024-25, and 145,483 compared with 145,433 in the January 2026 summary for 2025-26. We follow the app’s regional assignments. Our data series begins in 1999 and does not cover the restoration years. We name each season for its opening year: the 2025 season means 2025-26. When citing KDFWR’s report, we retain its season labels, including 2024-25.
VIIOwn baseline
Use each region's past as its yardstick
We think statewide growth conceals more than it reveals. Hunters should compare a place with its own past rather than use the 52.8% statewide headline as the benchmark. Start with regional change, then look at your county. Within Kentucky, the Northeast increased 6.2%; the Southeast increased 111.4%. The total deserves as much attention as the increase: the Southeast's 26,890 check-ins for 2025 were still lower than the 40,822 in Bluegrass and the 39,743 in Green River.
Allow for swings between seasons. Beginning in 2018, absolute changes between consecutive years have run as low as 2,639 deer and as high as 12,188 deer. A shift of a few thousand in a year is therefore ordinary. Throughout that stretch, seasonal totals stayed within a range of 132,327 to 149,919, giving hunters a local comparison band. For harvest trends across seven other states, see our county-level look at whether the deer decline is real.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- County deer check-in totals, accessed September 29, 2026, from the harvest data app maintained by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
- Deer-hunting reports and statistics published by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
- PDF deer report for 2024-2025, published by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources' account of Kentucky deer-management history.
- Deer numbers, hunter turnout, seasons and bag limits all shape the harvest total. That total is not a census of the herd.
- Late check-ins continue to raise app totals slightly above KDFWR's published figures. For 2025-26, the app showed 145,483 on September 29, 2026, compared with the January 2026 summary's 145,433.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. Fully Drawn Research is an independent data and analysis desk. This paper reports FDR's analysis of public agency data. Harvest figures describe animals reported or estimated as harvested, not population size, and reflect hunter effort and regulations as well as animal numbers.
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