Can you shoot a bow in your backyard in Edmonton?

You can legally shoot your bow in your backyard in Edmonton, Kentucky. To avoid any conflict, inform your neighbor and HOA (Homeowners Association) beforehand and make sure not to hit your neighbors and their properties.

Edmonton, a city in south-central Kentucky, has its fair share of archery shops and ranges. The state has shooting ranges in many wildlife management areas and federal lands. Archery enthusiasts and hunters can use these locations to hone their skills for upcoming competitions or hunting seasons.

The state also has a variety of wildlife, so hunting is prevalent, may it be big-game or bird hunting. Hunting has been considered a tradition in Kentucky for many years, so it is no surprise that the state is one of the USA’s prime destinations for hunting.

Since some hunters use bows in hunting, some might want to practice their aim in their backyard. Doing so can get dangerous, and people’s safety is always the authorities’ priority.
Before shooting bows in your backyard, inform your neighbor that you’ll be doing so to avoid any accidents.

They might be against it, and for a good reason. If you are a beginner and practicing your aim in your yard, there is a chance that your arrow may shoot past your yard and end up in your neighbor’s.

As a result, you will be putting your neighbors’ safety at risk—even their pets! Aside from their safety, you might also hit their car, house, and other properties and belongings, which may cost you your neighbors’ trust and your money for repairs, or worse, total replacement.

Moreover, it would be good to consider your homeowner’s association (HOA) rules. Ensure that you read all the regulations before shooting bows in your backyard. If you disobey your HOA rules, you may receive any unnecessary fines or penalties.

If you got everyone’s permission and checked all rules, it’s time to set up your shooting range. Setting one up can be tedious because you need to consider many safety precautions. If you are determined and have the means, we will gladly give you tips on making your backyard range as safe as possible.

On the other hand, if you do not have that big of a yard or if you think your neighbors will alert the authorities as soon as you start practicing in your backyard, there’s a better solution. Hit the nearest shooting range for a safe and worry-free target shooting experience!

How can you make your backyard range safe?

To avoid accidentally breaking the law or getting in conflict with your neighbors, make sure to make your backyard range safe. To do so, you will need a sturdy backstop. You should also make sure that your shooting range is neat to avoid distractions.

Build a sturdy backstop behind your targets to ensure that your arrows won’t fly past the designated area. You don’t have to worry about casualties or injuries whenever you miss your targets because the backstop will catch your arrows.

Without backstops, your missed arrows will hit your wall, fence, or other solid surfaces behind your target, and they will break as soon as they hit the hard surface. Because of this, backstops are typically made of thick and spongey material to absorb the arrow’s shock upon impact.

If you want to go full DIY on your backyard range, you can use hay bales as your backstop. You can also add a rubber mat in the combination to make it sturdier.

If you are doing target practice and have high chances of missing your targets, it’s better to ensure they are sturdy so they won’t move or fall. You can print out your target, paste it on stacked cardboard or foam flooring, and then prop it up on a wooden stand.

However, you can buy targets online if you prefer a ready-made one. Do your research beforehand and check buyers’ reviews to ensure that the target is sturdy.

Another way to ensure that your backyard range is safe is to keep it neat. Make sure that you won’t have any distractions in your way when you shoot your bows. Also, before you practice, make sure that the coast is clear and that no one will suddenly run in the travel path of your arrow and get injured.

Do you need to have formal training to hunt in Kentucky?

If you want to hunt in Kentucky, you need to complete a hunter education course. You can take the courses in-person or online to get your hunter education completion card. It is necessary to always bring your hunter education completion card with you while hunting.

Since March 1, 1991, Kentucky has required hunters born on or after January 1, 1975, to carry their hunter education completion card while hunting. However, children ages 12 and below can hunt without a completion card as long as an adult at least 18 years old accompanies them.

The state requires one adult to accompany only up to two children at a time. If you’re going to bring more than two children on your next hunt, bring more licensed adults to help supervise the children. This rule also ensures everybody’s safety in the wild.

Moreover, people who are not required to buy a license don’t have to complete a hunter education course. These people include resident owners or tenants of farmlands. Despite the exemption, the government still recommends taking the hunter education course for awareness.

The in-person hunter education training includes lessons about Hunter Ethics, Wildlife Conservation and Identification, First Aid, Firearm Safety, Field Care of Came, Archery, and Muzzleloading.

After all the lessons, you need to complete a written test and a practical live-fire exercise. All materials such as firearms and ammunition are available onsite for the in-person practical exam, also called Range Day. You can use them free of charge.

To enroll for the course, visit the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) page to view the upcoming open schedules. You can also register on the website.
For online hunter education training, students can complete the courses through one of the government-approved websites.

Some websites provide the training for free, while others require you to pay a small fee. Always double-check the fee amount before registering for the course.

After you complete the course, you still need to attend Range Day. If you prefer to do the practical exam in person, you must register for an appointment. Materials will still be free of charge.

However, if you don’t have time to attend an in-person practical exam, you can opt for the Video Range Day option. It is necessary to follow all the Hunter Education Video Submission Checklist instructions. The length of your video should also be 2 minutes or less.

After recording the practical exam, upload the video to a video-sharing platform like YouTube, Google Drive, or Vimeo.

Email the link to your county’s designated KDFWR staff when the video is ready for sharing. Make sure to include your name, date of birth, phone number, city, and county of residence in the body of your email for proper identification.

Do you need a license to hunt in Kentucky?

Kentucky offers different hunting licenses and permits based on the animal you want to hunt and other factors and other exemptions. Licenses are valid from March 1 or the date of purchase until February 28 of the following year.

To hunt or fish in Kentucky, you can purchase the applicable licenses or permits in person through various vendors or online through the KDFWR website. You can check the KDFWR website to know how much a specific type of license or permit costs for residents and non-residents.

You can visit any accredited county stores, clerk offices, hunting and fishing stores, or outdoor sports goods stores to get a permit. You can check the KDFWR website to know what license vendors are near you.

The state has kept up with modern times, so you can now buy your license through the KDFWR Online License Sales website. After you input all the necessary details, you will receive a printable version of the license or permit. You won’t receive a paper version in your mail.

If you don’t have access to a printer, the department will give you an authorization number. While hunting, you can use this number in place of the printed license, but always bring a government-approved photo ID.

What kind of hunting licenses or permits are available in Kentucky?

To hunt or fish in Kentucky, residents or non-residents can get licenses or permits depending on their needs. The state offers hunting licenses, fishing licenses, combination licenses, senior and disabled sportsman’s licenses, and others.

Read on to know more about the most common licenses in Kentucky.

Get a hunting license to hunt legal game species in the state. However, you need to get a deer or turkey hunting permit on top of your hunting license to hunt deer or turkey. Moreover, to hunt migratory birds, you need a Kentucky Migratory Bird or Waterfowl permit on top of the hunting license.

Get a fishing license to take sport and rough fish throughout the state using rod and reel, pole or line, or other legal fishing methods. However, you need a trout permit on top of your fishing license if you want to hunt trout.

Get a combination license to do anything authorized under the hunting and fishing licenses. However, it is still necessary to get animal-specific permits if you plan to hunt deer, turkey, migratory birds, or trout.

With the senior and disabled sportsman’s license, qualified residents can do anything authorized under the hunting and fishing licenses. They can also hunt deer, turkey, migratory birds, or trout without the additional animal-specific permits. However, they still need a Federal Duck Stamp to hunt waterfowl.

What birds can you legally shoot in Kentucky?

In Kentucky, you can hunt birds as long as you have the necessary permits and licenses. The birds are divided into two categories—migratory birds and waterfowl. Hunting some birds may require you a specific permit based on your license.

Generally, migratory bird species include dove, woodcock, snipe, rails, gallinules, and sandhill cranes. On the other hand, waterfowl species include ducks, coots, geese, and mergansers.
You can hunt these abovementioned birds as long as you have the correct licenses and permits.

For example, you can hunt migratory birds as long as you have a hunting license and a Kentucky Migratory Bird/Waterfowl permits. However, they need an additional Federal Duck Stamp to hunt waterfowl.

The same idea applies to people with a Senior/Disabled License. They can hunt migratory birds without any additional permit, but they need a Federal Duck Stamp to hunt waterfowl.

Aspiring hunters ages 12 to 15 are must also have their Youth Hunting license to hunt migratory birds and waterfowl. They should also be supervised by a licensed adult when hunting.

Moreover, Kentucky also has specified hunting seasons for specific bird species, including:

• Dove
• Wilson’s Snipe
• Virginia and Sora Rails
• Purple and Common Gallinule
• American Woodcock
• Crow
• Early Wood Duck and Teal
• Canada Geese

What are the hunting regulations in Kentucky?

Kentucky has hunting regulations to protect wildlife, hunters, and civilians. Some of these regulations include the Hunter Orange Clothing Law, asking for permission before hunting on private land, getting the appropriate licenses or permits

Like any state or country, the hunting regulations in Kentucky aim to help conserve wildlife so that future generations can enjoy them. The laws also ensure the safety of hunters and civilians and provide equal hunting opportunities to all types of hunters based on their weapon of choice.

Before hunting, double-check if you have your necessary licenses and permits. You must also bring your hunter education completion or exemption card unless you’re exempted from needing one.

Another thing that you should consider before hunting is the location. Suppose you’re planning to hunt on private land. In that case, you must obtain oral or written permission from the landowner, tenant, or anyone authorized to grant permission.

Moreover, if you’re going to hunt in a public area near private property, ensure that the animal you’re hunting doesn’t end up on the property line. Landowners can refuse hunters from retrieving their game or hunting dogs on the property, especially if the hunters didn’t get prior permission.

Moreover, Kentucky has a Hunter Orange Clothing Law for all hunters, except waterfowl and dove hunters. The law requires all hunters and people accompanying them to wear garments that are hunter or blaze orange in color.

The orange color must be visible from all sides of the head, back, and chest when hunting in broad daylight. Wearing orange ensures that other hunters don’t mistake you for a game and accidentally shoot you.

Also, orange is the perfect camouflage when hunting for deer. Deers are dichromatic, so orange appears as a shade of brown, green, or gray. From the deer’s perspective, you’re blending in with nature when wearing orange.