“The woods are lovely, dark and deep…” from “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
This is one of two double issues (meaning one issue covers two months) of Kentucky Monthly that are published annually. The other is the June/July issue. This is probably welcomed by my editor, as it means I won’t be tardy filing my January column since there is none.
From now until February, when, hopefully, you will next hear from me, I plan to be in the woods as much as possible.
There will be Christmas and other holiday and family happenings, which will demand considerable in-house time. But, when possible, I’m an outside-in-winter kind of guy. There are practical reasons for this:
1. Kentucky winter weather, which occasionally can be frigid, is generally cool and pleasant.
2. The humidity, while surprisingly high (resulting in what is oft termed “bone-chilling” cold), is also crisp and pleasant.
3. There are no mosquitoes or ticks.
4. There are no crowds.
5. As Mr. Frost noted more than a century ago, the woods are “lovely, dark and deep.” And they are but also can be, or can quickly become, hypothermic, icy, dangerous and dark. Probing the woods in winter requires care and caution.
I am not an avid hiker, although—for the reasons stated—I’m generally on the trail more in winter than in summer. The woods are generally open in winter (no foliage). Take a look around. Study the landscape and the flow of the woods. You won’t be alone. Wildlife are surprisingly active in winter. If you like to watch critters, as I do, be outside on a stark wintry day. Move slowly. Watch carefully.
And prepare. The winter woods might be lovely, dark and deep, but they also are unforgiving.
It’s best not to hike alone. But if you do (as I still sometimes do), tell someone where you are going and when you plan to return.
Carry a cell phone, but don’t depend on it. In some areas, cell service is spotty; in a few spots, it’s nonexistent. Carry a map and the skill to use it.
Stay on marked trails.
Dress warmly. Layering is best, as garments can be shed easily or added as needed. I like wool (my wife, Katy, is a skilled spinner and knitter, so I’m well-garbed in knitted woolens). Fleece, down and synthetics such as polyester/nylon blends work well together for layering. Top them with a wind/waterproof shell. Avoid cotton.
Carry a flashlight and a whistle.
You need as much or more water in winter as in summer. Hydrate well before venturing into the winter woods. Carry water with you. One general rule: Drink one quart for every two hours on the winter trail. Another general rule: However much you’re drinking, it’s not enough. Drink more.
Winter sunshine is a precious commodity. Be off the trail and out of the woods before dark.
And don’t forget to listen to the winter woods. Write me at editor@kentuckymonthly.com and let me know what you hear.
Have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season and a joyous and safe new year. See you in February.
• • •
In late October, officials for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources announced that chronic wasting disease (CWD) had been confirmed in a 2½-year-old male deer taken by a hunter in Pulaski County earlier in the season.
CWD is a neurologic disease that affects deer, elk and other cervids. It is always fatal. There is no known cure.
The Pulaski County deer was the second wild deer confirmed in Kentucky with CWD. A wild whitetail from Ballard County was confirmed in late 2023. A total of nine deer from a captive facility in Breckinridge County were confirmed in October 2024 and August 2025.
The disease has not been found in any deer or elk from Kentucky’s 16-county elk zone. Pulaski County is not in the elk zone, but it borders McCreary County, which is.
After the CWD-infected deer in Ballard County—the first confirmed case in Kentucky—was discovered two years ago, authorities established a 14-county CWD surveillance zone that carries some restrictions and includes Ballard, Breckinridge, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Henderson, Hickman, Marshall, McCracken, Meade, Union and Webster counties.
Whether restrictions would be imposed in Pulaski County and the surrounding area was undetermined at press time. But some changes are almost certainly coming. Game officials are keenly aware of the threat CWD poses. Since 2002, wildlife officials have tested more than 70,000 deer and elk for CWD, including many in the 16-county elk zone.
Following the Pulaski County discovery, wildlife officials tried to put a positive spin on keeping the elk herd CWD free.
“The recent CWD detection in a white-tailed deer from Pulaski County does not directly impact the Kentucky elk zone as Pulaski County is adjacent to the western-most elk zone county,” John Hast, State Elk Program Coordinator, said through a statement released by the KDFWR. “We continue to sample hunter-harvested deer and elk from across the state to help keep the elk population safe.
“For the past several years,” Hast added, “biologists have worked with elk hunters to collect CWD tissue samples from roughly one-half of all the elk harvested during the fall elk seasons, and the agency continues to investigate and sample roadkill elk and other elk that might have died suspiciously.”
Agency officials said a general CWD public meeting would likely be held in November, but details had not been announced at press time. When that meeting is scheduled, I will post time and location details at theoutdoornotebook.net.
The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to meet in Frankfort Dec. 5 for its regular quarterly meeting. Any additional CWD-related hunting or other restrictions will likely be announced at that time. That meeting will be livestreamed on the KDFWR’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/FishandWildlifeKY.
For more CWD information, contact the state game agency at 800.858.1549 or go to fw.ky.gov/cwd.
Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com.