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Furbearers
Kentucky River Otter Hunting, 2026-27 Seasons and Limits
Everything a otter hunter in Kentucky needs for 2026-27: season rows, bag limits, licenses and field rules.
Photo: xulescu_g (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Where river otters stand this season
For river otters, the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and its companion waterfowl guide print 2 season lines between November 16, 2026 and March 31, 2027. The guide adds a note on river otters: telecheck; CITES tag to sell. Legal methods for river otters in short: furbearer equipment, traps.
Source: Guide p. 25 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Every 2026-27 season row for river otters
Read across each otter line: the season, where it applies, the windows, the limit and any KDFWR remark.
| Season line | Zone | When | Bag limit | Remarks | Now | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting | Statewide | Nov 16–Feb 28, 2027 | 10 (only 6 from Otter Zone 2) | Guide p. 25 | ||
| Zone 2 sub-limit | Otter Zone 2 | Nov 16–Mar 31, 2027 | No more than 6 of the 10-otter limit from Otter Zone 2 | Guide p. 25 |
River otter zones
10 per season, only 6 from Otter Zone 2.
| Otter zone | Counties | List |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Zone 1 | 58 | Anderson, Ballard, Bath, Boone, Bourbon, Bracken, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Caldwell, Calloway, Campbell, Carlisle and 46 more |
| Otter Zone 2 | 62 | Adair, Allen, Barren, Bell, Boyd, Boyle, Breathitt, Butler, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay and 50 more |
Source: 301 KAR 2:122 and 301 KAR 2:251 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Bag and possession limits for river otters
Limits for river otters are quoted as KDFWR prints them; where a season or license year sets the count rather than a day, the wording says so.
| Line | Rule |
|---|---|
| River otter | 10 per season, only 6 from Otter Zone 2 |
Source: Guide p. 25 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Kentucky weapon rules for river otters
Gear and method lines for river otters, from the 2026-27 guides and laws summary.
| Season | Permitted | Prohibited |
|---|---|---|
| Furbearer hunting | Centerfire or rimfire rifle, muzzleloader, shotgun 10 ga or smaller (shoulder-fired, plugged to 3), bow, crossbow, .22+ air gun, calls, falconry, dogs. | Single-projectile shotgun shells at night. |
| Area | Wording |
|---|---|
| Vehicles and boats | No taking wildlife from a vehicle; boats may be used (not under power) for small game, furbearers and waterfowl; disabled hunters may use a stationary vehicle with an exemption. |
| Roads | No firearm, bow or crossbow discharge upon or across a public roadway. |
The guide’s method line for river otters: furbearer equipment, traps.
Source: Guide p. 26 and Guide p. 10 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Buying a otter license
What it costs to hunt river otters in Kentucky this license year, which runs March 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027.
| Item | Kentucky resident | Visitor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| $28.54 | $169.12 | Shooting range permit included (must register). | |
| $21.14 | $137.41 | – | |
| $10.57 | Not sold | – | |
| $5.29 | Not sold | ages 12-15 |
Resident farm owners and tenants hunting river otters on their own land are license-exempt, along with their spouses and dependent children.
Source: Guide p. 7 and Guide p. 4 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Kentucky rules for otter hunters
Rules picked for river otters from the 2026-27 guide; the laws page carries the rest.
| Topic | Wording |
|---|---|
| Hunter orange | Plan on a solid orange hat and vest for river otters whenever deer guns or muzzleloaders are in season; camouflage orange alone does not count. |
| Telecheck | Telecheck: record the harvest on a harvest log (species, sex, date, county) before moving the carcass, then report by phone 1-800-245-4263 or online (My Profile); write the confirmation number on the log. |
| Deadline | By midnight on the day recovered and before processing; bear by 8 p.m. Eastern the day taken plus a call to 1-800-858-1549 within 24 hours for physical check and tag; bobcat and otter before leaving Kentucky. |
| CITES tag | CITES tag for bobcat and otter pelts sold or exported. |
| Hunter education | The hunter education cutoff is a birth date of January 1, 1975; younger otter hunters either show a course card or hunt on the free exemption permit with an adult. |
Source: Guide p. 10, Guide p. 8 and Guide p. 9 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Where to hunt river otters on public ground
These are the biggest of 64 public places where river otters appear in the land data; each area page lists its own restrictions.
| Area | Land type | Counties | Acres | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National forest | 710,298 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 40,744 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 38,788 | Chart: open | ||
| River and rec area | 30,300 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 24,033 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 21,351 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 21,019 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 17,753 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 15,088 | Chart: open | ||
| Access area | 15,036 | Chart: open | ||
| State forest | 14,379 | Chart: open | ||
| WMA | 13,191 | Chart: open |
Source: KDFWR land records and Guide p. 30 (Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources); checked November 10, 2026.
Kentucky river otters kit choices
Kentucky river otters picks open as live Amazon searches, so the prices shown are current ones.
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Skinning knife
Bear hunters in the southeastern mountains often pack a skinning knife.
Hours for river otters across Kentucky
Because the otter rule names no clock times, only sunrise and sunset appear here.
Bobcat, otter, mink, muskrat, beaver, foxes, weasel, striped skunk: daylight hours only.
| Date | Paducah (McCracken) | Louisville (Jefferson) | Pikeville (Pike) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 2026 | Sun 6:34 a.m. to 4:46 p.m. CST | Sun 7:24 a.m. to 5:31 p.m. EST | Sun 7:10 a.m. to 5:20 p.m. EST |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Sun 7:04 a.m. to 4:41 p.m. CST | Sun 7:55 a.m. to 5:26 p.m. EST | Sun 7:40 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. EST |
Hours rule from the 2026-27 Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide; sunrise and sunset from the NOAA solar formula for each county seat on its own clock (KDFWR prints no sunrise table, so sunrise and sunset are worked out with the NOAA solar formula for the exact point, on Central Time in the 41 western counties and Eastern Time elsewhere, with daylight time ending November 1, 2026 and starting March 14, 2027.); checked November 10, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
White-tailed doe standing in light snowPhoto: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain)
White-fronted geese and wigeonPhoto: USFWS/Southeast (Public domain)
Eastern wild turkey gobblerPhoto: Alabama Extension (CC0 1.0)
River Otter questions
What are the otter weapon rules?
Furbearer equipment, traps. Centerfire or rimfire rifle, muzzleloader, shotgun 10 ga or smaller (shoulder-fired, plugged to 3), bow, crossbow, .22+ air gun, calls, falconry, dogs.
What time does otter hunting end each day?
Bobcat, otter, mink, muskrat, beaver, foxes, weasel, striped skunk: daylight hours only. Kentucky has two clocks, so a otter hunter in the west works on Central Time and one in the east on Eastern.
Do I need orange while after river otters?
Plan on a solid orange hat and vest for river otters whenever deer guns or muzzleloaders are in season; camouflage orange alone does not count.
Do I have to telecheck river otters?
By midnight on the day recovered and before processing; bear by 8 p.m. Eastern the day taken plus a call to 1-800-858-1549 within 24 hours for physical check and tag; bobcat and otter before leaving Kentucky. Telecheck: record the harvest on a harvest log (species, sex, date, county) before moving the carcass, then report by phone 1-800-245-4263 or online (My Profile); write the confirmation number on the log.
Why are there two otter zones?
10 per season, only 6 from Otter Zone 2. Otter Zone 1 has 58 counties and Otter Zone 2 has 62.
Where do otter hunters find public ground?
Public ground with river otters: 64 areas by the KDFWR land records and charts, the largest listed above.
Do WMAs change the otter rules?
No bait, no nails/screw-ins in trees, stands marked and timed, trail cameras labeled with customer ID, no camping except designated sites, 10+ person events need a permit, small game and furbearer closed first two days of modern gun deer season.
What is the otter calendar for 2026-27?
Hunting (Statewide): Nov 16, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027; Zone 2 sub-limit (Otter Zone 2): Nov 16, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027.
What are the Kentucky otter limits for 2026-27?
The otter limit as printed: 10 per season, only 6 from Otter Zone 2.
Do river otters need a special permit?
Annual Hunting $28.54 resident, $169.12 nonresident; Annual Trapping $21.14 resident, $137.41 nonresident; Annual Landowner/Tenant Trapping $10.57 resident, Not sold nonresident; Youth Annual Trapping $5.29 resident, Not sold nonresident. The license table on this page lists every otter item.