Starting this season, hunters will be asked to provide additional information about their harvested deer and elk during the telecheck process.

All harvested deer and elk must be reported to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources either by phone at 1-800-245-4263 or online telecheck at fw.ky.gov.

Those checking an antlerless male deer will now be asked to distinguish it as a male fawn – also known as a button buck – or as an adult that has shed its antlers. Hunters checking an antlered deer will be asked to enter the total number of antler points measuring 1 inch or longer and indicate if the outside antler spread is greater or less than 11 inches. The outside spread is the widest distance between the outside of the main beam antlers

“In most cases, a yearling buck in this state is going to have an antler spread of less than 11 inches,” said Gabe Jenkins, deer program coordinator for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “We also liked 11 inches because it’s an easy guide. A sheet of standard letter-sized paper is 11 inches.”

Elk hunters also will be asked to enter the total number of antler points measuring 1 inch or longer.

Callers who do not have the required information will be asked to call back once they have it in order to complete the telecheck process and receive a confirmation number.

Answering these new questions in addition to the existing ones will help Kentucky Fish and Wildlife biologists better estimate the size and age of the state’s deer and elk herds.

“Telecheck is a data collection tool,” Jenkins said. “This is just one more step that we feel is warranted to better manage the populations.”

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