The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources encourages deer hunters to participate in a new online survey about deer hunting and management in Kentucky.
The survey is available at www.research.net/r/KYDeerInput2016 through Sept. 9.
“We’ve not surveyed our hunters in a long time,” said Gabe Jenkins, deer program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Hunters in Kentucky are harvesting record numbers of deer and the state is producing a lot of trophy bucks each season. But maybe there are some things that could be done better. We want to give everybody a voice, and the survey provides a direct line of communication.”
The survey is the first of its kind in more than a decade. It gauges hunter distribution, hunting habits and hunter satisfaction. The 46 questions cover a range of topics, including buck and doe harvest, season structure and season length, youth and mentor opportunities, legal equipment and alternative hunting methods.
“There are a handful of questions about populations,” Jenkins said. “I’m interested in what people on the ground are seeing. Are they seeing more deer or less deer compared to five, 10 years ago? And what are their feelings about that? Are we achieving what we need to achieve?”
Earlier this year, the department selected 2,500 resident and non-resident deer hunters at random to take the same survey and establish baseline data.
Potential changes stemming from the results of the survey will be carefully considered before recommendations are presented to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission.
“We’re not going to be out to move quickly or do anything fast,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to take our time and be strategic.”
From F&W Communications
