Season dates
Short answer: Kentucky licensed shooting preserves may take bobwhite quail from August 15 through April 15. That is the season at Backcountry — eight months, not the shorter winter window most hunters plan around.
Preserve season and wild season are two different things
This trips up a lot of people, including Kentucky residents. There are two separate seasons and they do not line up.
Licensed shooting preserves: August 15 – April 15
Under Kentucky’s shooting preserve regulation (301 KAR 2:041), a licensed preserve may take pen-raised bobwhite across that eight-month window. Backcountry holds that license, so those are our dates.
Wild quail: a much shorter winter season
The statewide wild bobwhite season is set annually by the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources and runs a fraction of that length, in the heart of winter. If you are hunting public or private ground for wild birds, check the current dates and bag limits directly with KDFWR — they change year to year and we will not guess at them here.
One thing worth saying, because people ask: Backcountry holds six to eight resident wild bobwhite coveys on the property, and we do not hunt them. They are the proof that the habitat work is real. Your hunt is on our released birds.
Do I need a hunting license?
No. You do not need a Kentucky hunting license to hunt with us. Backcountry is a licensed Kentucky shooting preserve, and that permit is what covers our guests on the property. Residents, out-of-state hunters, first-timers — all the same. Show up ready to go.
When should you actually come?
All eight months hunt. They do not all hunt the same, and here is the honest version.
August and September
Warm. Birds fly hard in the heat and the cover is thick and green, which makes for demanding, close-range shooting. We start earlier in the morning and watch the dogs carefully — heat is harder on them than on you. If you want the preserve to yourself and a shorter booking lead time, this is the window nobody thinks to ask about.
October through December
Prime. Cool mornings, the broomsedge turning gold, dogs running at their best, and the holidays bringing groups in. These dates go first, so book earlier than feels necessary.
January through mid-April
Our quiet secret. Cold, clear, hard-flying birds and the best scenting conditions of the year. Fields open up after the first hard frosts and the dog work is spectacular. February and March are wide open on most calendars while everyone else has put their guns away.
Off the quail calendar entirely
Pheasant and chukar are legal in Kentucky year round as exotics, so a released-bird hunt is possible outside the bobwhite window. If you are trying to put a group together in May, June or July, ask — there is more available than you would think. Pheasants can also be added to any booking during the regular season.
Planning around all of it
- Half day — about 2.5 to 3 hours in the field, 12 to 18 covey rises on a typical day, lunch at the lodge included.
- Morning hunts start around 8:30–9:00 AM; afternoon hunts begin with lunch and hit the field around 1:00 PM.
- Deposit — 50% reserves your dates.
- Bag — unlimited, birds cleaned and packaged at no charge.
See packages and pricing, or call and we will find you a date that suits the kind of hunting you want.