The History of White-Tailed Deer in Kentucky When our ancestors first reached Kentucky they found a great abundance of game, including deer. Early settlers utilized deer for food and clothing. Due to all the killing of the white-tail deer, around 1925 they were virtually eliminated in Kentucky. A few survived in areas such as, between the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers in western Kentucky, and a few survived in eastern Kentucky. In most places, though deer simply no longer occurred. When the deer was on the verge of extension in Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Reso