# Kentucky's Elk Season



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

Great article on Kentucky's Elk Seasons: 
http://www.kentucky.com/306/story/258594.html

They expect to issue 400 permits next year by drawing. Application deadline is April 30th. You can register on the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife's website. Non Residents get the same odds of drawing. It's a lot easier and much cheaper to drive to Kentucky to hunt elk than to go out west. And the elk are huge because of the milder winters and lack of predators. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife expects some world records before long.


----------



## stilesp (Apr 8, 2004)

Been putting in for it every year since they started.....odds aren't good but all u can do is keep trying.


----------



## Kyfisherman1 (Mar 22, 2007)

guys, it's not really an elk hunt.. there is no "hunting" to it... 

I know a few guys that have gotten drawn, they were on cloud 9 getting there rifles ready to go and then they went down and went scouting.. 

Upon entering the strip mine through a gate, withing a few second elk were everywhere, were the elk scared? No.. they literally had to get out of the trucks and shew them out of the road. 

All the guys I know that have went, have killed there elk within minutes of daybreak. Not really any hunting to it, just arrive and shoot. 

I'll be putting in for a tag this year, I'd like to have one for my wall and there are definitely some good bulls.. but I'd much rather go out west and have a wild free fair chase.


----------



## jeffmo (Apr 7, 2004)

myself and a couple of friends are going to start putting in for the drawing.i'd much rather go west agai but until my daughter gets done with college, kentucky will suit me fine.elk taste soooooo good!!!


----------



## Guest (Dec 16, 2007)

Do you have to have private land to hunt, or do people kill them on public also??


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

There is a ton of public land to hunt them on. When the elk program started the state set aside a bunch of reclaimed strip mines and land as public hunting areas and the elk were stocked there. Now the elk have flourished and are all over South East Kentucky, both public and private lands.


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

KYFisherman,

You are right about the elk not being very afraid. Did you happend to see the Kentucky Afield show Saturday night? They went on a cow elk hunt and didn't get one. It's funny you made the comment, because they specifically mentioned that the elk were not very afraid initially and are just now starting to becoming harder to hunt because the older ones are wise to the hunters now.


----------



## Kyfisherman1 (Mar 22, 2007)

lol..... 

funny this was brought up again today, talked to a guy who works with the state today and occassionaly does some work with the elk.. he said yeah your right, they are not very afraid.. but they are getting wiser.. now you have to only beep your horn once instead of laying on it hahahhaa...


----------



## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Use a bow, it will be a hunt then.


----------



## fishnfool (Feb 8, 2007)

How do you go about getting in to the drawing?


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

From KY Dept Fish & Wildlife...

An application for the 2008 quota elk hunt only costs $10, and is an inexpensive gift that most hunters would appreciate. Both the 2008-09 resident sportsman's license and elk hunt applications went on sale Dec. 1, 2007. 

You'll need the Social Security number of the person for which you're buying the license or application. You can purchase these wherever hunting and fishing licenses are sold, or online at https://fw.ky.gov/license/olpsintro.aspx, or by calling 1-877-598-2401. If purchasing online, select "Next" license year.


----------



## Kyfisherman1 (Mar 22, 2007)

Mushijobah said:


> Use a bow, it will be a hunt then.


you call a bow shot at under 3 yards hunting? lol i'm not joking when i say you can get out of your car and use your hands to shove them outta the road lol


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

KYFisherman,

Where's the best place to go view them now? I live in Lexington, my family is coming down from Northern Ohio for Christmas. I'd like to go to one of the viewing areas to show them the elk. I heard Hazard has some good viewing areas.


----------



## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

Looks like if your drawn it's $365 for out of state license. Are there any other fees for guides or permits or anything ? Would like to see whats involved in these hunts. If it's warm , what's the cost to have one of them big boys butchered ?


----------



## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Wow I had no idea it was like that! Pushing a bull elk out of the way might result in soiled undies for me!


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

I know there are no guide fees, unless you hire one. I don't know of anyone who has hired one, all have hunted on their own or with a companion. You can bring an non-hunting unarmed person(s) along on the hunt. I don't even know if anyone offers guide services, I haven't heard of any, but I'm sure if there is a need, someone will fill that need.

Here are the 2007 rules and info: http://fw.ky.gov/elkinfo.asp?lid=1141&NavPath=C151C289

It does say in there that they recommend field dressing immediately because elk will spoil quicker than deer. That has to be one huge gut pile!


----------



## Kyfisherman1 (Mar 22, 2007)

anywhere in se kentucky around strip mines should be a good place to look, i'm sure the state has designated viewing areas established that i'm not aware of...

as far as the elk hunting goes, you can pay to hunt on private land to farmers who say they've got the big bulls, around 2000 bucks... but its all hogwash, they are big bulls on the public lands just the same.. a guy we know shot a 900# bull this year, it was a 6by6, big bull, seen it before daylight and had to wait on it to get daylight then shoot it... he said at the crack of the gun he heard a vehicle come flying over the ridge, it was a game warden that had been watching him, he said he was there pracitcally as the elk fell to help him get it loaded.. 

i have no idea about butchering cost, wouldn't think it would be to bad though......... ky definitely is gettin some big bulls though


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

Yeah, I'd heard that if you hunt in one of the Limited Access Areas set aside for public elk hunting and you shoot one in there, you need to have it checked by an onsite state biologist and that the Fish & Wildlife guys will help get your elk out do that.


----------



## Nikster (Mar 14, 2007)

Kyfisherman1 said:


> guys, it's not really an elk hunt.. there is no "hunting" to it...
> I know a few guys that have gotten drawn, they were on cloud 9 getting there rifles ready to go and then they went down and went scouting..
> 
> Upon entering the strip mine through a gate, withing a few second elk were everywhere, were the elk scared? No.. they literally had to get out of the trucks and shew them out of the road.
> ...


IN MY OPINION ONLY; 

A friend of a friend type thing, told of his LEGAL FAIR CHASE HUNT for Elk, a tuff area to hunt & came back 'EMPTY HANDED' & related information of the 6 other guys in the area that he ran into while hunting & only ONE of the SEVEN managed to fill his tag. 

The public area is not like a game farm & fenced in, one can always be at the right spot & the right time for their hunt. 

Out of the 4 guys (me included ) that apply for this hunt, none of us have yet to be lucky to get a permit. Between the 4 of us we have an understanding that if 1 gets it another of our group will tag along to help out & scope out the area for the others. A nice little vacation & $$ all worked out since we all have fished/hunted & taken road trips together for over 8 years now.

To be lucky & get a tag its foolish not to go down there & fully scope out the area, making a trip or even 2 trips to get fully prepared & know what to expect. It's not like a fenced in game farm scenerio.

WITH ALL THIS STATED AGAIN "IMO" will you 'Kyfisherman1' help any of our group out if we get lucky & score a tag???????? Or direct us & help us out in any way once down there in the Blue Grass Country?


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

We have a weekly wildlife show produced by KY Fish & Wildlife called Kentucky Afield. On last week's show the cameras went along on a cow elk hunt. After a full days hunt in 2 different locations they came away empty handed. It's definitely not a game farm.

Keep in mind the Elk Zone is 16 counties in Eastern Kentucky. It inlcudes all the private and public land in the counties. Heck, just one of the Elk Limited Access Areas, the Starfire area, has like 87,000 acres to hunt. In all, were talking about thousands of square miles.


----------



## Gobi Muncher (May 27, 2004)

Michigan and Pennsylvania also have them. Michigan is restricted to residents at the time, but PA has a system that if you aren't drawn, and you apply next year you have 2 chances in the drawing, this continues on (as long as you keep applying each year), so in year 3 you'll have 3 chances, year 4 you'll have 4 and so on unitl you quit sending apps or are drawn. I think that it may be a bit cheaper than KY as well. I have just started to check this out, because I would LOVE to arrow one of those Beasts!!!


----------



## buckeye024 (Apr 14, 2006)

Huh...I didn't know that. I'll have to check those out too.


----------



## Kyfisherman1 (Mar 22, 2007)

Nikster said:


> [/COLOR]
> 
> IN MY OPINION ONLY;
> 
> ...



the elk are actually a bit south of me, one was hit by a car a few minutes from my house a couple years ago but other than that just a rare sighting or two. 

I've never heard of anyone having trouble killing an elk in ky, I know one guy who has been drawn for a bull tag 2 times, another guy my dad works with this year got all pumped up, new gun, new case, new scope, i mean you name it he bought it if it involved elk hunting... he probably spent 2k bucks in preparation. after his first scouting trip he came back totally disgusted... talking about how it wasn't a hunt and he was really upset because he said it to him was like going out to feed his cattle.. lol. 

the guy who's drawn 2 bull tags said the same thing, said he just walked around til he found the one he wanted.. i'm not trying to knock something my own state is putting on, because it is in its' beginning phases.... 

i hope that some day we have elk free ranging across eastern ky that are wild as they are out west.....


----------

