| Window | Dates | Days |
|---|---|---|
| Window 1 | 01 NOV – 13 NOV 2026 | 13d |
| Window 2 | 16 NOV 2026 – 31 JAN 2027 | 77d |
| Window 3 | 16 NOV 2026 – 10 FEB 2027 | 87d |
As publishedEastern Zone: Nov. 1-13, 2026 and Nov. 16, 2026 - Jan. 31, 2027; Western Zone: Nov. 16, 2026 - Feb. 10, 2027
Zoned: Eastern Zone Nov 1-13, 2026 & Nov 16, 2026-Jan 31, 2027; Western Zone Nov 16, 2026-Feb 10, 2027. No trapping permitted. Dates confirmed identically on the KDFWR PDF hunting guide and the species-specific web page.
KDFWR's own Kentucky Quail Report (2022-23 edition) organizes its 63-year Rural Mail Carrier Survey into exactly four named regions: West, Central, Bluegrass, and East. It gives a real, quantified density breakdown by region rather than a single statewide number: West Kentucky has both the highest historical average (1.89 quail/100 survey-miles, 1960-2023) and the highest 2023 index value (0.38/100 miles) of any region, followed by Central (0.66 historical avg / 0.66 in 2023, note the report itself shows Central's 2023 figure essentially flat against its own multi-decade average), Bluegrass (0.74 historical avg / 0.50 in 2023, the only region to show a year-over-year increase in 2023), and East consistently the weakest region (0.52 historical avg / 0.22 in 2023, a steeper long-run decline than any other region at -62% since 1960). This density-region framework sits alongside, and doesn't map cleanly onto, the state's separate Eastern Zone/Western Zone hunting-season date split. The regulatory zone boundary is a season-date administrative line, not the same four-region density framework the population survey itself uses.
Provisional: KDFWR's Rural Mail Carrier Survey, the state's governing quail index, is complete but still being analyzed, with results expected in early fall, and no 2026 call-count figures are out yet either. Until then, Quail Forever's 2026 forecast describes the population as having "generally held steady," with bird encounters "somewhat reduced from last year." That is an anecdotal field read, not a count. The winter was relatively mild; a spring and early-summer drought mattered more, and observations improved in late July and August once rain arrived. KDFWR's own small game biologist says habitat on the public areas that have historically held quail is "as good as they've been," while good private-land habitat stays limited to well-managed pockets. Peabody WMA, "Kentucky's quail focal area," is the top public pick, with Clay WMA, reclaimed strip-mine land, and the Boone Forest Lands near Pineville also worth a look. Eastern Zone: Nov 1-13, 2026 and Nov 16, 2026-Jan 31, 2027. Western Zone: Nov 16, 2026-Feb 10, 2027.
No measured 2026 driver yet: a spring drought followed by summer rain, on public quail ground the state's biologist calls in as good shape as it's been. Steady, possibly slightly fewer birds, pending the mail carrier survey.
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