The season opens in spring, but the nightly chorus of bullfrogs is considered by many to be the song of summer.
In the still night air the bullfrog’s deep, raspy call sounds like “jug-o-rum, jug-o-rum.”
The allure of the season is being outdoors at night — listening to the sounds of whippoorwills and crickets, walking through fields of tall grass by the light of the moon and stars, marveling at the glow of fireflies across a fog-shrouded field. Spend a night sloshing through ponds and creeks gigging bullfrogs, and return home at dawn.
Clean your frogs, then take a warm shower and catnap until noon. You’ll wake refreshed and ready for a hardy meal.
Kentucky’s bullfrog season extends through five months of warm weather, opening each year on the third Friday in May, and running through the end of October. This year’s season dates are May 15-Oct. 31.
The daily limit is 15 bullfrogs. By regulation, each day of taking bullfrogs begins at 12 noon and ends at 12 noon the following day.
The powerful beam of a spotlight or flashlight is needed to mesmerize frogs so that they can be approached and taken. Usually bullfrogs are up on the bank at the water’s edge. They are taken by wading, or from a small boat, canoe or kayak.
When froggin’ solo a headlamp comes in handy because it allows you to work hands free. When froggin’ from a boat it’s easier for one person to hold the light while the other gigs.
In Kentucky, bullfrogs can be found practically everywhere there’s water, including small streams, big rivers and major reservoirs, but they are most abundant in the shallow waters of farm ponds, small lakes and wetlands.
The American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) is native to the eastern and central United States, but has been widely introduced across North America and many countries around the world, including South Korea, Western Europe, Brazil, Columbia and Australia.
Bullfrogs primarily feed on insects, but it’s not uncommon for them to consume small snakes, snails, worms, fish or even other bullfrogs. Adults may have a body length of up to six inches with legs adding another 7 to 10 inches.
Their breeding season is May through July, but females can lay eggs as early as April and as late as August, under ideal weather conditions. After their eggs hatch there are swarms of tadpoles. In 12 to 14 months the tadpoles transform into froglets. Bullfrogs reach maturity in three to five years.
The bullfrog’s distinctive deep call is partly to lure females and to ward off other males. Male bullfrogs are very territorial.
It’s not hard to tell the two sexes apart. Males have a huge ear drum (noted by a flat, green circle on the side of their head) which is much bigger than their eye.
Bullfrogs are amphibians. They spend the cold weather months wherever they can get below the frost line, burrowing into the mud, or crawling into a muskrat hole.
Both licensed anglers and hunters may take bullfrogs. If bullfrogs are taken by gun or bow and arrow, a hunting license is required. Bullfrogs are shot with .22 rifles, smoothbore .22s shooting birdshot or special arrows used in bowfishing.
If taken by pole and line, a fishing license is required. Dry flies or a worm baited on a small hook are used to “catch” frogs by dangling the bait in front of their noses.
If bullfrogs are taken by gig or by hand, either a hunting or fishing license is valid. It takes a quiet, stealthy approach, bright light and quick reflexes to grab a frog by hand.
The white meat on frog legs is a tender, juicy delicacy that tastes like sweet chicken.
The proper way to clean a bullfrog is to cut the skin around the back and belly, skin the legs with a pair of pliers, cut the legs from the torso, and trim off the toes. A pair of poultry shears (or game shears) comes in handy for dressing bullfrogs.
Frog legs are breaded in corn meal, with a little flour, seasoned salt and pepper added, then fried in vegetable oil in an iron skillet. To spice up the breading, add some Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning.
A platter of fried frog legs with potato salad, cole slaw and corn on the cob is a delicacy enjoyed by generations of Kentuckians.
Art Lander Jr. is outdoors editor for KyForward. He is a native Kentuckian, a graduate of Western Kentucky University and a life-long hunter, angler, gardener and nature enthusiast. He has worked as a newspaper columnist, magazine journalist and author and is a former staff writer for Kentucky Afield Magazine, editor of the annual Kentucky Hunting & Trapping Guide and Kentucky Spring Hunting Guide, and co-writer of the Kentucky Afield Outdoors newspaper column.