Committee advances bill on the overpopulation of deer
Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, is sponsoring House Bill 142, which cleared the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The House Agriculture Committee advanced legislation Wednesday aimed at helping farmers more easily file and renew claims for crop and property damage caused by deer while also addressing overpopulation concerns across the state.
House Bill 142 focuses on simplifying the permit renewal process for landowners who experience repeated deer damage.
Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, said the legislation is intended to reduce delays and provide relief to farmers dealing with consistent losses.
“It expedites the process that farmers or a landowner can go through after damage due to deer,” Pollock said.
Currently, landowners must apply for a deer damage permit through the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and provide documentation of crop or property destruction. Permits are issued for a limited time and require landowners to reapply and submit evidence of continued damage.
HB 142 would allow landowners who have documented damage for three consecutive years to immediately renew their permit, allowing a faster response to ongoing losses.
The bill additionally targets antlerless deer, which are the primary drivers of population growth. Under the legislation, the department of fish and wildlife would issue destruction permits in areas with an overpopulation of deer, allowing landowners to take antlerless deer outside normal hunting seasons.
Rep. Chad Aull, D-Lexington, asked how the state determines which areas qualify as overpopulated, and Pollock explained how these areas would be identified.
“The state is broken into zones by fish and wildlife by counties. Zone one and zone two are the over populated areas. However, in zones one, three and four, over population does not pertain to these particular areas, so for this bill they would determine the over populated areas,” he said.
Several lawmakers spoke in support of the bill, sharing personal experiences with deer-related losses.
Rep. Ryan Bivens, R-Hodgenville, a farmer, said deer have caused significant damage to his property.
“I think we lose close to six figures on the farm every year because of deer destruction – of not only crops but shed antlers damaging tires,” Bivens said.
Rep. Shawn McPherson, R-Scottsville, also spoke in support of the measure.
“There’s some mornings I can count 40-60 deer before I get a mile from the main road while driving,” McPherson said.
Rep. Walker Thomas, R-Hopkinsville, recalled his experience with a vehicle crash involving a deer.
“My last car was totaled from hitting a deer as I was driving the three hours up this way to Frankfort.” Thomas said.
Pollock explained the legislation could possibly work alongside efforts to provide venison to Kentuckians in need through organizations such as Feeding America and Hunters for the Hungry.
“That’s a passion that I have,” Pollock said. “They are all excited to know that this focus will provide extra protein, so we’re working through a process of what that could look like now.”
Rep. David Hale, R-Wellington, thanked Pollock and fish and wildlife officials for addressing earlier concerns.
“I’m very thankful you and fish and wildlife got together on issues that I had about the bill early on,” Hale said.
The bill passed 20-0 vote and now moves to the full House for consideration.