Lincoln County Hunting Rundown

Deer seasons and bag in Lincoln County

Kentucky sets deer zones by whole county, and Lincoln County falls in Zone 2 along with 23 others. A Zone 2 hunter can take four deer in all, with the statewide one-antlered limit inside that total. Unlike 30 other counties, Lincoln County did not change zones for 2026-27.

KDFWR wording for Zone 2: “Up to 4 deer (1 antlered max statewide).” 301 KAR 2:172

Rifles and shotguns open on November 14, 2026 and close on November 29, 2026; muzzleloaders get a second turn from December 12 to December 20, 2026. Earlier gun chances come with the youth-only season, October 10 to October 18, 2026, and the two early muzzleloader days, October 17 to October 18, 2026. Bowhunters have September 5, 2026 to January 18, 2027; crossbows join on September 19.

During the gun, muzzleloader and youth gun deer days, everyone afield in Lincoln County wears solid hunter orange on head, back and chest, archers and turkey hunters included. After Christmas comes the free youth weekend, December 26 to December 27, 2026, open to any legal method.

A January 9-11, 2027 antlerless-only firearms season in Zones 1-3 was adopted in 301 KAR 2:172 effective November 5, 2026; KDFWR's guide still lists it as pending. 301 KAR 2:172

Zones and bags from 301 KAR 2:172 and the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide; hunter orange from the guide. Checked November 10, 2026.

Which zones reach Lincoln County

Black bear, Zone 2

Black bear hunting is open here: Lincoln County falls in Bear Zone 2. Expect bear archery on October 24 to October 28 and the gun season on December 12 to December 16. One bear per license year is the cap, with a 75-pound minimum and no females with cubs.

Bait and lures are banned for bears; wait 30 days after bait is cleared before hunting there. Dog training without a kill, the chase-only season, also runs in all three bear zones in summer and September.

No bear quota; bear permits are over the counter. 301 KAR 2:300

Elk

The out-of-zone elk rule covers Lincoln County: annual hunting license, Out-of-Zone Elk Permit, deer dates and methods. It is separate from the deer bag, and a deer permit is not required.

Follows deer season dates and methods; needs annual hunting license plus Out-of-Zone Elk Permit; no deer permit required. 1 elk of either sex per license year (not counted in deer bag) Guide p. 23

Small game and birds

Lincoln County uses the Eastern Zone dates for rabbit and quail, November 1 to November 13 and November 16 to January 31. Lincoln County is also in the Grouse Zone, so ruffed grouse are open from November 1 to February 28, 2027. River otter rules put Lincoln County in Otter Zone 2; no more than six of the ten-otter limit may come from Zone 2.

The September Canada goose season here follows the Eastern Zone, September 16 to September 30, 2026, while ducks and regular geese are statewide. Duck season opens statewide on November 26, 2026 in two parts that end January 31, 2027.

September goose zone counties are read from the KDFWR zone map; they agree with the 301 KAR 2:225 rule. Waterfowl guide p. 11

From the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide, the Kentucky Hunting Guide for Migratory Birds and Waterfowl, bear zone rules, elk rules and small game zones. Checked November 10, 2026.

Public acres in and near Lincoln County

The land records put 2 hunting areas in Lincoln County, with Cedar Creek Lake WMA the largest. By GIS measure, roughly 1,176 acres are open to the public for hunting, near under 1% of the county.

Each line is a GIS measure, not an official acreage, and the status column flags closed land.

Cedar Creek Lake WMA adds some 796 acres of WMA ground, managed by KDFWR. Forest makes up about 52% of it. The 2026-27 chart lists white-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit there. Dix River WMA runs to about 401 acres and is managed by KDFWR. Roughly 66% of Dix River WMA is open land. The 2026-27 chart lists white-tailed deer, wild turkey, squirrel, rabbit there.

The closed list for Lincoln County names Isaac Shelby Cemetery State Historic Site.

Close by across the line:

• Lake Cumberland WMAWMA · 6 miles from the line
• Daniel Boone National ForestNational forest · 10 miles from the line
• Ping-Sinking Valley WMAWMA · 24 miles from the centre
• Marion County WMA and State ForestWMA · 26 miles from the centre
• Buck Creek WMAWMA · 27 miles from the centre
• Miller Welch-Central Kentucky WMAWMA · 28 miles from the centre

Land records from KDFWR, the Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky State Parks and federal managers; GIS acres from the KDFWR Public Hunting Areas layer and PAD-US (map measures, not official acreages); closures under 301 KAR 2:178 and 400 KAR 2:090. Checked November 10, 2026.

Counties near Lincoln County

More counties near Lincoln County and three wider guides.