Published 10:58 pm Monday, August 24, 2026
By Joyce Fry/Guest columnist
Senate Bill 39, initially “An Act Relating to Fishing in Privately Owned Lakes and Ponds,” was passed by the 2026 General Assembly this year. In the last minutes of the session, however, it morphed into a bill that allowed for the nighttime hunting of bobcats and beavers, along with other provisions that allowed the Kentucky Senate control over the agency — the bill overrode the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ (KDFWR) efforts to control wakeboats on local lakes and allowed the state Senate to decide who leads the agency.
Notably, all 19 sponsors of SB 39 are Republicans. There are no benefits to any of those provisions to the bill, except for those enjoyed by the politicians who now virtually own the agency. The mission statement of the KDFWR is “to conserve, protect, and enhance Kentucky’s fish and wildlife resources while providing outstanding opportunities for outdoor recreation like hunting, fishing, boating, and wildlife viewing.” Unlike the whims of politicians, decisions made by KDFWR are typically based upon scientific findings. Yet, there is no science behind this bill. KDFWR’s biologists expressed concerns about the nocturnal hunting of bobcats due to insufficient data, yet Commissioner Rich Storm recommended that it be allowed. The commissioner has not said why he made that recommendation.
Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Commission approved increasing the total take (killing) of bobcats per hunter from five to 10 during the months of November through February. Again, there is no data that supports the decision to raise the total number of bobcat takes. The 10 takes now include killing one bobcat during nighttime hunting from December through February, using a bow, a crossbow or a shotgun with the use of night vision and thermal technology. Next, the regulations will be considered by the Interim Joint Natural Resources and Energy Committee in a hearing Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. before becoming finalized. Any interested party can show up.
My concern about this bill is that it appears to be more political than science-based. Clearly, there is no need to cull the number of bobcats. Unlike invasive animals, such as feral hogs, they cause no problems in our state. To create regulations merely for sport and bragging rights is unconscionable.
Insufficient findings as to current bobcat populations could result in overhunting, reducing populations, which could lead to inbreeding and a weakening of the gene pool. Furthermore, bobcats are considered to be a keystone species, meaning that healthy numbers of them are important for keeping our ecosystems well balanced. Bobcats feed on rabbits and deer, the latter include the sick or dying, or fawns. Deer populations in the state are steadily increasing, leading to wasting disease, inadequate nutrition, increasing the number of tick populations, and producing pest populations of deer browsing on people’s garden vegetables and flower beds. A large number of vehicle accidents are caused by deer/vehicle collisions.
Like any ecosystem, there needs to be a good ratio of predators to prey. Regulations regarding the so-called “take” of wild animals should be based upon scientific facts. It’s the responsible way to manage an ecosystem in our care, and there is no need for, nor is it wise for, politics to play a role in that determination.
Joyce Fry of Frankfort can be emailed at joycefry1@gmail.com