Kentucky's 2024 elk application overview

If you're eager to hunt elk in the eastern U.S., Kentucky is a promising destination for some large bulls. Hosting the largest elk herd east of Kansas City, Kentucky’s elk restoration efforts, initiated over 25 years ago, have yielded remarkable results. The current population exceeds 10,000 elk, which is a result of successful conservation measures. Since the first elk hunt in 2001, Kentucky's management practices have sustained this tradition. Annually, the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) issues between 500 and 1,000 elk permits through a state draw. For the 2024 season, the available permits have been slightly reduced to 500, compared to 594 in 2023. Further details on the draw process will be provided below, but it's important to note that the draw is completely random, requiring only an application fee for the opportunity to hunt impressive 350”+ bulls. 

Note: The application deadline for elk in Kentucky is April 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. You can apply online here.

State information

Be sure to view important information in regards to Kentucky’s state rules and regs by going here. There you will find details on rules/regulations, the draw system, tag and license fees and an interactive map of the Elk Hunting Units (EHU).

IMPORTANT DATES AND INFORMATION

2024 Kentucky License Fees

The only upfront cost is the nonrefundable elk drawing application fee, which is only $10 per application. Hunting licenses and elk permits do not need to be purchased beforehand — only if you are successful in the draw. Costs are as follows:

Note: Hunting and elk permits only need to be purchased if successful.

HARVEST REPORTS

All elk hunters must report their hunt either by phone or online and report their harvest by midnight of the day of recovery. All elk hunters must also complete a post-season survey and submit it no later than the end of February. 

The Kentucky elk draw

Kentucky’s elk draw is a true random draw. Both resident and nonresident applications go into the same bucket and are assigned a random draw number. The state starts with the first applicant and continues the draw until all slots have been filled. They do have an “up to” 10% nonresident quota, so it’s not guaranteed, but it has been quite a few years since the last time the 10% wasn’t reached. Kentucky has four elk permit types (Bull (firearm), cow (firearm), either-sex (archery) and youth (firearm/archery)), and you are allowed to submit one application for each. Obviously, if you are 16 years of age or older, you can’t apply for the youth permit type, but it leaves you with three others to apply for. The state will conduct a separate random draw for each permit type. It’s worth noting that you are applying for the permit only at this point in time. The location of where you will be hunting is determined after the permit draw. 

Hunt area drawing

Upon successfully drawing an elk permit, you get the opportunity to participate in a second drawing for a hunting unit within the Elk Restoration Zone. In the 2024 season, there are six out of seven elk hunting units available. If you opt to enter the unit drawing, you can choose up to five hunt units of your preference. The state will conduct another random draw to allocate hunters to specific units. Your unit application is considered in its entirety before moving on; if all units on your application are filled, the state will randomly assign you to an available unit. If you choose not to enter the unit drawing or forget, the state will still randomly assign you to an open unit.

Kentucky elk draw odds

For the 2023 season, 594 elk permits were up for grabs through the general lottery draw, attracting a massive 78,666 total applicants. Among them, 36,791 were nonresidents and 58 of them secured an elk permit, reaching the 10% nonresident cap. Despite the daunting odds, there's still a chance. Here are the odds from the 2023 elk draw.

2023 harvest success

PARTY APPLICATIONS

Youth opportunities

Regardless of residency status, youth applicants have the opportunity to apply for all four types of elk permits. To be eligible, you must be 15 years old or younger, granting you an extra chance compared to adults. This doesn't imply that you can draw multiple permits, but it does provide a slight edge in securing one. If a youth draws a youth elk permit, they benefit from reduced prices on both the hunting license ($6 for residents, $10 for nonresidents) and the elk permit ($30 for residents, $200 for nonresidents). However, if a youth draws a regular elk permit, standard permit prices apply (listed in the price table above). 

2024 Kentucky elk draw and seasons

For the 2024 elk permit drawing, there is a slight decrease in tags with a total of 500 available through the state’s random lottery. With the tag quota down a bit compared to last year, you can probably expect the odds to be a little worse this season. One thing to remember is that even though the odds don’t seem to be very friendly, there’s always a chance to have your name pulled. So, for $10, why not take a shot?

Elk hunt loyalty redraw​​​​​​

Typically, once the permit drawing is conducted, there are always a few permits that never get claimed or people don’t pay for. Starting this year, those unclaimed permits will be re-drawn at random, and people who have applied for the most consecutive years in a row will have the first shot at those unclaimed permits. So far, there are 74 people who have successfully applied since 2001, and they will be first up to bat for the unclaimed permits. 

Elk Hunting Units (EHU)

The Kentucky elk restoration zone is made up of 16 different counties and is divided into seven EHUs — six of which are open for elk hunting. Kentucky is approximately 95% privately owned and much of the public land available for elk hunting receives significant hunting pressure. EHUs were developed in 2019 to reduce the risk of overharvesting elk in any one area. Once a person is successful in drawing an elk permit, they then have the ability to apply for a specific EHU.

The regulated areas within the Elk Restoration Zone are privately owned properties that are, in agreement with the state, to allow limited public access for hunting.