Kentucky Animal Species Info Flashcards
White-tailed deer:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
White-tailed deer:
Food: Browse on twigs and leaves of oak, maple, and dogwood; graze on clover, lespedeza, and orchard grass; acorns
Habitat: Edge habitat between forests and open areas, dense cover for shelter
Habitat creation: Maintain a mix of forest and open areas, create forest openings, and promote early successional growth with plants like sassafras, sumac, and blackberry
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP, ALE, HFRP
Phenology: bachelor groups (summer), family groups (winter); rut is Oct-Dec and peaks in Nov, males establish territory and compete; fawns born May-June; yearlings disperse in spring
Hunting season: Archer Sep-Jan, Firearm mid-Nov
Eastern Cottontail:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Eastern Cottontail:
Food: Grasses like fescue and bluegrass; forbs like clover and dandelion; bark and twigs of dogwood and sumac in winter
Habitat: Brushy areas, old fields, and forest edges with dense cover
Habitat creation: Maintain or create brushy areas and dense cover in old fields or forest edges with plants like blackberry, greenbrier, and wildplum
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP
Phenology: mate Feb-Sep; multiple litters/year; young born Mar-Oct; in grass nests for 2-3 weeks, dispersal at 4-5 weeks.
Hunting season: Nov 1 - Jan 31
Elk:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Food: Graze grasses/forbs like fescue, clover, lespedeza, native warm-season grasses; browse leaves/twigs on oak, maple, sassafras, etc.; Acorns and beechnuts in fall/winter.
Habitat: Large tracts (>1,000ac) w/ mix of open grassland/early successional (foraging) and forest (hot summer/cold winter thermal cover); access to water sources.
Habitat creation: Maintain mosaic of open grasslands and forest w/ active managment; Rx fire/disc/mow for early successional; protect/enhance mast producing forest stands; create openings w/ timber harvest w/ edge feathering; protect or develop water sources.
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP, ALE, WRE, HFRP
Phenology: sex-segretated herds except during rut; Rut Sep-Oct, bulls bugle to attract females and est. dominance; calves born May-June; calves hidden first few weeks the join herd; nurse 4-6 months
Hunting season: various very short seasons Sep-Dec
Eastern gray squirrel:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Eastern gray squirrel:
Food: Acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, and beechnuts; mulberries and black cherries
Habitat: Mature hardwood forests with diverse tree species
Habitat creation: Maintain mature hardwood forests and promote mast-producing trees like oak, hickory, walnut, and beech
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, ALE, HFRP
Phenology: Mate Dec-Feb and May-June, 2 litters/year; young born Jan-Feb and Jun-Jul; In nest 8-10 weeks, dispersal in fall
Hunting season: Aug-Feb (except during deer firearms season); May-Jun
Bobwhite quail:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Bobwhite quail:
Food: Seeds of ragweed, lespedeza, and partridge pea; insects and green vegetation
Habitat: Early successional habitats with diverse vegetation, grasslands with scattered shrubs, and cropland edges
Habitat creation: Maintain or create early successional habitats through periodic disturbance, using plants like little bluestem, broomsedge, and shrub lespedeza
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP
Phenology: Form coveys in fall and winter; Mate Apr-Jun, males est. territories and call to females; Nesting May-Aug, June peak, 12-14 eggs; hens care for brood 6-8 weeks; broods break up in fall, new coveys form
Hunting season: Nov-Jan
Ruffed grouse:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Ruffed grouse:
Food: Buds and leaves of aspen, birch, and cherry; berries of dogwood and greenbrier
Habitat: Young, dense forest stands with scattered openings
Habitat creation: Maintain or create young, dense forest stands through timber harvesting or selective cutting, promoting aspen, birch, and cherry regeneration
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, HFRP
Phenology: solitary except during mating season; Mate Mar-May, males drum to attract females; Nest Apr-May, 8-14 eggs; Hens care for brood 12-16 weeks; juveniles disperse in fall
Hunting: Nov-Feb
Black bear:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Black bear:
Food: Acorns, hickory nuts, berries (blackberry, blueberry), and insects
Habitat: Large, contiguous tracts of mature forest with diverse food sources
Habitat creation: Protect and maintain large, undisturbed forest tracts and promote diverse food-producing plants like oak, hickory, and berry-producing shrubs
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, ALE, HFRP
Phenology: Mate May-Jul, males roam widely searching for females; cubs born Jan-Feb; females care for cubs 16-18 months; yearlings disperse in spring
Hunting season: Archery late Oct; Hunt w/ dogs late Oct; Firearms mid-Dec; Chase-only summer/fall
Wild turkey:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Wild turkey:
Food: Acorns, beechnuts, hickory nuts; seeds of ragweed and lespedeza; insects and green vegetation
Habitat: Mix of mature forests and open areas, nesting cover in dense vegetation
Habitat creation: Maintain a mix of mature forests and open areas, create forest openings, and protect dense nesting cover using native grasses and forbs
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP, ALE, HFRP
Phenology: flocks in fall/winter; Mate Mar-May, males strut/gobble to attract females; Nest Apr-Jun, 10-12 eggs; Hens care for poults 4-6 months; Juveniles disperse in fall and join winter flocks
Hunting season: Spring: mid-Apr to early May; Fall: archery Sep-Jan, shotgun late Oct and mid-Dec
American woodcock:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
American woodcock:
Food: Earthworms and insects
Habitat: Young, dense forests with moist soil for feeding; open areas for courtship displays
Habitat creation: Maintain or create young, dense forest stands with moist soil and nearby open areas, using alders, willows, and aspen
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, WRE, HFRP
Phenology: Mate Mar-May, male aerial displays at dawn/dusk; Nest Apr-May, 4 eggs; females care for chicks 4-5 weeks, juveniles disperse late summer.
Hunting season: Late Oct - mid-Dec
Mourning dove:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Mourning dove:
Food: Seeds of corn, sunflower, millet, and ragweed
Habitat: Open areas, agricultural fields, and forest edges
Habitat creation: Maintain or create open areas, leave crop residue, and provide bare ground for feeding; plant native grasses and forbs like ragweed and foxtail
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP
Phenology: Mate Mar-Sep, males aerial display/coo to attract mates; Nest Apr-Sep, multiple broods/year w/ 2 eggs; both parents care for young for 2 weeks; juveniles disperse after 2-3 weeks
Hunting season: Sep 1 - late Oct; Late Nov - early Dec; Late Dec - mid-Jan
Dabbling ducks:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Dabbling ducks (e.g., mallards, wood ducks):
Food: Aquatic plants like pondweeds, smartweeds, and wild rice; seeds of moist-soil plants like barnyard grass and panic grass
Habitat: Shallow wetlands, flooded fields, and forested wetlands
Habitat creation: Restore or create shallow wetlands, flood croplands, and protect forested wetlands; plant moist-soil vegetation and aquatic plants
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, CRP, WRE
Phenology: species dependent, but: pair bonds during winter/spring migration; Mate Feb-May dep. on species/location; Nest Apr-Jul, 6-12 eggs; Females care for ducklings 6-8 weeks; juveniles disperse late summer or fall.
Hunting season: Nov 28-Dec 1; Dec 7 - Jan 31; wood duck/teal early season late Sep.
Diving ducks:
Food
Habitat
Habitat creation
Applicable funding programs
Important phenology
Hunting season
Diving ducks (e.g., ring-necked ducks, canvasbacks):
Food: Aquatic plants like wild celery, sago pondweed, and coontail; mollusks and invertebrates
Habitat: Deep, open water wetlands and lakes
Habitat creation: Protect and maintain deep, open water wetlands and lakes; improve water quality and promote growth of submerged aquatic vegetation
Applicable programs: EQIP, CSP, WRE
Phenology: species dependent, but: pair bonds during winter/spring migration; Mate Feb-May dep. on species/location; Nest Apr-Jul, 6-12 eggs; Females care for ducklings 6-8 weeks; juveniles disperse late summer or fall.
Hunting season: Nov 28-Dec 1; Dec 7 - Jan 31; wood duck/teal early season late Sep.
