# KY Whitetail 2019



## QDMAMAN

Adding another state to my resume for whitetails this year.
My good friend Rob (member here) purchased property in KY a few years ago and has been coaxing me to come down to deer hunt some nearby public ground ever since. I've been down 3 different times to scout the public and have been impressed with what I found however I never found the time to get down there to hunt it.
In March I went down with Rob to help him do a controlled burn on his property and we met his neighbor who owns ~50 acres that adjoins Rob's ~50 acres. Long story short, we (myself and another buddy) asked if he would consider leasing the hunting rights and he agreed.
Last weekend I headed back down to KY with Rob to work on a building project he has underway, work on a food plot, scout, and hang cams. 
This is hilly terrain and 75%+ wooded with hay fields as the primary ag in the area (99%). Lots of hard mass, browse, and a remarkable amount of white clover naturally occurring especially where it gets mowed. The property is very secluded and very little hunting pressure has taken place on it over the last 5 years+ that we're aware of. 
Of course KY is a OBR state and 4 antlerless tags accompany your buck tag when you purchase it so all of those factors result in respectable buck:doe ratios and buck age structure, oh, and it's a rifle state as well. The rifle opener is the second Saturday in November each year so this year we'll be there on Nov. 9th with our orange army uniforms on and ready to go!
Because I have a September elk hunt and an October moose hunt planned already I'm not sure I'll make it down to KY more than 2-3 times tops however that's not necessarily a bad thing to keep the pressure minimized. There are 2 of us on the lease and we will each take up to 1 guest each when we go down.
Pretty excited with the prospects going in to the fall and the adventure that always accompanies hunting a knew property and state. I'm not abandoning the public land possibilities either, they're very good and will only add to our options as time goes on.


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## QDMAMAN

As an example of what the "trophy" capabilities are, this county is approx. 1/2 the size of my home county of Eaton here in Michigan (306/579 Sq mi). Last year there were 4 B&C qualifiers killed in that small county, I'm not sure there are that many B&C qualifiers in the history of Eaton county. LOL


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## thill

Sounds like a great opportunity! If I don't get drawn for IA, western KY public land is my plan B. 

Good luck!


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## IT.Fisherman

Sounds like you have one heck of a year planned! Good luck!


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## faithfulcompanion

Good luck sounds like a busy fall.


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## bigbucks160

What’s it take to be a guest

Sounds like a great fall coming up for you.


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## deepwoods

Best of luck. Sounds as if it has the makings of a great time.


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## hbibicoffvii

That sounds like one hell of a year. Whats your October hunt?


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## hbibicoffvii

PS Kentucky velvet buck is on my bucket list as well.


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## Robow

2016 Kentucky rifle season


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## G20man

What's the hunting pressure like during Kentucky bow season? Public land specifically.


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## QDMAMAN

Robow said:


> View attachment 405023
> 
> 
> 2016 Kentucky rifle season


This buck was killed on the property we’re leasing.
A couple giants spotted as well.
That’s Groundchecker grinning, the other lease holder, he, Rob, and I have shared 2 other leases here in Michigan in the recent past.


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## QDMAMAN

hbibicoffvii said:


> That sounds like one hell of a year. Whats your October hunt?


SASK moose!


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## QDMAMAN

bigbucks160 said:


> What’s it take to be a guest
> 
> Sounds like a great fall coming up for you.


Ask Kozbow


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## QDMAMAN

G20man said:


> What's the hunting pressure like during Kentucky bow season? Public land specifically.


Haven’t experienced it yet but most of the SGAs are Archery only with rare exception, like maybe a 2 day youth season or a 2 day quota hunt.
Groundchecker saw a dandy last fall on a walk in hang and hunt.


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## hbibicoffvii

QDMAMAN said:


> SASK moose!


Jealous, i'm only going to Newfoundland for moose. Good luck!


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## Hunting18

I did some light scouting last year on some public ground in Kentucky. I really think I may keep driving when I hit Ohio this year and put some time in learning Kentucky a little more.

Who knows, both may happen.


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## Street

I have a buddy in Lexington KY and we're thinking about a camping/public land hunt during the week. Bow. Early Season. Haven't been down there to scout so it'll be on online map game for a while until boots on the ground. Looking into the Bluegrass Region. Any word on how their WMA's do?


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## WillHunt4Food

I've hunted Kentucky a few times now. 3 times we drew for their Quota Hunts, which is the only time that they allow rifles on the WMA's. And then I extended my stay once and bow hunted a parcel of state land for a week. There certainly are some stellar deer down there. Not the same numbers that I see at home, but the quality of bucks is lights out.

For those asking about pressure. The quota hunts aren't a fair assessment, but the week that I stayed and bow hunted (1st week of November) wasn't bad at all. I seen three other vehicles parked in the parking lot for the week and never seen another hunter. Of course, the WMA that I was hunting was very new to the program when I hunted it. So, I don't know if my experience was an exception or the rule. 

My one piece of advice... Stay persistent... It can be very tough terrain and very tough to find the deer... but once you do, it's awesome!


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## Bucman

Ya,ll keep a close eye on your nether regions for ticks! Trust me!!


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