An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
The application period to apply for the 2025 Kentucky elk hunt drawing opened August 1 and runs through April 30. Three permit options are available: Bull Firearm; Cow Firearm; Either Sex Archery.
To apply, log in to My Profile and click “Purchase License”. Follow the prompts and you’ll find the elk application options under “Permits”. Please check our How to Enter the KY Elk Hunt Drawing page for more information.
Kentucky offers more elk hunting opportunities, with more than 10,000 elk in its herd, than any other eastern state. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife is offering 500 permits for the 2024 elk hunting season. Kentucky awards a maximum of 10% of its permits to non-residents each year, and because there is no points system in Kentucky, all hunters have an equal opportunity to draw a permit. Hunters are prohibited from applying for any Kentucky quota elk hunt for the following three years once selected for a quota elk permit.
Drawn Permits: There are 500 permits available through the drawing for the 2024 elk hunting season: 140 bull firearms, 164 cow firearms, 170 either-sex archery/crossbow, and 26 either-sex youth permits.
2024 Elk Drawing Odds
MAY 11, 2024Bardstown, KY
MORE INFO HERE
Click one of the maps to download a printable PDF version.
Voucher-Cooperator and Elk Restoration Permit Program Highlights
Voucher-Cooperator Permits: Landowners who wish to obtain an elk permit but otherwise don’t meet the acreage requirements of the landowner-cooperator program may enroll in the voucher-cooperator program. Landowners determine the amount and timing of access for elk hunting and are then assigned general quota hunters through an online drawing. Landowners receive a point for each elk harvested from their property, and are awarded a transferrable either-sex elk permit upon accruing 10 points (points rollover year-to-year). These permits are valid on any property owned or leased by the landowner, and the minimum acreage requirement to enroll is 100 acres. A full list of voucher-cooperator permit recipients may be obtained by submitting an Open Records Request here.
Interested in earning an elk permit to use on your property? Click here.
Commission Permits: Kentucky Fish and Wildlife may award up to 10 either-sex elk permits to eligible 501C3 organizations each year. These permits are valid on any public or private property (with permission) in the elk management zone. All money generated from the transfer of the permit must be used to benefit conservation in Kentucky. Interested 501C3 organizations may apply here. A full list of Commission permit recipients may be obtained by submitting an Open Records Request here.
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.
Kentucky’s elk management zone is 4.1 million acres in size and includes the 16 most southeastern counties in the state. The management zone is divided into 7 different elk hunting units, but only 6 are currently open for elk hunting. Hunters that are successful in drawing a permit will have the opportunity to apply for a particular elk hunting unit in a secondary area drawing.
EHU Overview