Elk Hunting Info

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Elk Regulations

Elk Hunting Permits

Elk Program History

Elk Hunting Information

All elk hunters must purchase a Kentucky annual hunting license and an elk hunting permit unless they are license-exempt. Elk hunters must also print a vehicle hang tag to display in their vehicle while hunting, and it is only available to print once a hunter has purchased their elk permit. Hunters must comply with all season dates, bag limits, hunter orange requirements, and equipment restrictions for their permit type. Upon the conclusion of their hunt, hunters are also required to complete the postseason elk hunter survey listed in their MyProfile. Failure to comply with the survey requirement will prohibit a hunter from applying for all KDFWR-administered quota hunts and no-hunt options the following year.

Please see the Annual Fall Kentucky Hunting Guide for a comprehensive list of elk hunting regulations.

Kentucky Elk Hunt Drawing - After the Draw Quick Rundown

ELK HUNT LOYALTY REDRAW

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources shall conduct a secondary drawing of Elk Quota Hunt Permits each year to award unclaimed permits as a loyalty reward to long-time applicants. For more information, please check the Elk Hunt Loyalty Redraw page.

Elk Hunting Areas

Elk Hunting Units: The Kentucky Elk Management Zone is divided into 7 Elk Hunting Units (EHU), 6 open for elk hunting. Kentucky is approximately 95 % privately owned, and much of the public land available for elk hunting received significant hunting pressure. The EHU system was developed in 2019 to reduce the risk of overharvesting elk in any one area.

Offline Field Map Instructions

KDFWR Elk Hunting Areas - Interactive ArcGIS Map

Regulated Areas: Regulated Areas (RA) are privately owned properties that KDFWR has agreed with the landowner (via the voucher-cooperator or landowner-cooperator programs) to allow limited public access for elk hunting.

Elk Hunting Resources

Learn to Hunt Elk - Getting StartedElk Hunting Permits Elk Hunting Regulations Why does Kentucky not offer elk preference points?Kentucky Elk UniversityOwn Land in an Elk zone? Earn an Elk Permit!Elk Hunt Drawing FAQ 2015-2030 Kentucky Elk Management Plan

More Information

Kentucky Public Hunting ArcGIS Explorer Mobile App InstructionsHunting General Information Download a Fall Hunting Guide Look up the Season DatesCan’t find the answers to your questions? (Email: info.center@ky.gov)

Download KY Deer Elk App graphic Now on Apple Android and Itunes

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Hunting Area Drawing

All drawn elk hunters and Commission permit holders can apply for a specific Elk Hunting Unit and/or Regulated Area in a secondary drawing conducted by the Commonwealth Office of Technology. Before the drawing, each hunter can choose up to five units or area preferences before midnight on June 30th. Once the selections have been made, each applicant, regardless of permit type, will be given an identifying number and drawn at random for the unit or area of their choosing. A computer will randomly draw an individual and look at their choices before moving to the next applicant. If there are no openings in any of that applicant’s choices, or if an applicant fails to make a selection, the computer will randomly place the applicant in a hunt unit with an opening for their permit type. Results will be available by July 16th. Any remaining spots for Regulated Areas will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on Friday, Aug. 7 at 8 AM EST through your “My Profile” page.

Max Number of Hunters per Hunt Unit (2026)

	Either-Sex Archery / Crossbow	Bull Firearm Week 1	Bull Firearm Week 2	Cow Firearm Week 1	Cow Firearm Week 2	Either-Sex Youth	Total
Unit 2	30	10	10	21	21	4	96
Unit 3	38	21	21	28	28	6	142
Unit 4	34	15	15	5	5	3	77
Unit 5	23	10	10	5	5	3	56
Unit 6	25	9	9	11	11	5	70
Unit 7	20	5	5	12	12	5	59
Total	170	70	70	82	82	26	500

Percent Success by Permit Type and Elk Hunt Unit in 2025

Bull Firearm Week 1
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	10	6	60.0%
Unit 3	20	6	30.0%
Unit 4	15	5	33.3%
Unit 5	10	1	10.0%
Unit 6	9	2	22.2%
Unit 7	5	4	80.0%
Total	69	24	34.8%

Bull Firearm Week 2
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	10	4	40.0%
Unit 3	21	8	38.1%
Unit 4	16	4	25.0%
Unit 5	9	4	44.4%
Unit 6	9	0	0.0%
Unit 7	4	0	0.0%
Total	69	20	29.0%

Cow Firearm Week 1
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	21	5	23.8%
Unit 3	28	5	17.9%
Unit 4	5	1	20.0%
Unit 5	5	2	40.0%
Unit 6	11	4	36.4%
Unit 7	12	6	50.0%
Total	82	23	28.0%

Cow Firearm Week 2
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	21	5	23.8%
Unit 3	28	7	25.0%
Unit 4	5	1	20.0%
Unit 5	5	0	0.0%
Unit 6	11	4	36.4%
Unit 7	12	5	41.7%
Total	82	22	26.8%

Either Sex Archery/Crossbow
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	30	15	50.0%
Unit 3	38	15	39.5%
Unit 4	34	8	23.5%
Unit 5	22	6	27.3%
Unit 6	25	6	24.0%
Unit 7	20	10	50.0%
Total	169	60	35.5%

Either Sex Youth
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	4	3	75.0%
Unit 3	6	3	50.0%
Unit 4	3	2	66.7%
Unit 5	3	1	33.3%
Unit 6	5	2	40.0%
Unit 7	5	3	60.0%
Total	26	14	53.8%

Total Drawn Hunters
	Permit #	Harvest #	Success Rate
Unit 2	96	38	39.6%
Unit 3	141	44	31.2%
Unit 4	78	21	26.9%
Unit 5	54	15	27.8%
Unit 6	70	17	24.3%
Unit 7	58	28	48.3%
Total	497	163	32.8%

Regulated Area Harvest, 2018 to 2026

Regulated Area Name	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Beech Fork Tract	2 (2M)	1 (1M)	-	-	-	1 (1M)	1 (1M)	1 (1F)
Buffalo Branch	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Carr Creek Tracts	-	1 (1F)	1 (1M)	-	-	-	1 (1M)	-
Continental	3 (1F, 2M)	2 (1F, 1M)	3 (3M)	2 (1F, 1M)	2 (2M)	2 (2M)	2 (1M, 1F)	2 (1M, 1F)
Decoy Tract	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Defeated Creek Tract	-	3 (2F, 1M)	1 (1F)	1 (1M)	1 (1M)	1 (1F)	1 (1F)	-
Elkhorn Coal Fleming-Neon Tracts	-	1 (1M)	1 (1M)	2 (1F, 1M)	-	1 (1M)	-	2 (2M)
Elkhorn Coal Wheelwright Tracts	-	-	-	-	1 (1M)	-	-	-
Hardburley Tract	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Johnson Tract	2 (1F, 1M)	2 (2F)	-	-	1 (1F)	1 (1M)	1 (1F)	1 (1M)
Lewis Fork	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	1 (1M)	-
Lost Mountain Tract	2 (2M)	-	1 (1M)	1 (1M)	-	1 (1M)	1 (1F)	-
Martins Fork	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	-	-
Middlesboro Tract	-	9 (6F, 3M)	8 (5F, 3M)	9 (6F, 3M)	6 (5F, 1M)	10 (6F, 4M)	7 (2F, 5M)	12 (2F, 10M)
Pattie Mattie Unit 2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pattie Mattie Unit 3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1 (1F)
Paul VanBooven	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	-
RH Buffalo	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Thunder Ridge	5 (3F, 2M)	1 (1M)	4 (1F, 3M)	5 (2F, 3M)	6 (2F, 4M)	2 (1F, 1M)	4 (2F, 2M)	1 (1M)
Tug Fork	-	-	6 (4F, 2M)	6 (2F, 4M)	4 (2F, 2M)	9 (4F, 5M)	4 (3F, 1M)	3 (1F, 2M)
Wolf Creek	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	-
Yeaddis	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA	-	-